PASTA!

For Italians, pasta is more than a national dish, it’s a national pastime. There does seem to be an endless combination of pastas and sauces. Sauces add a little zing to your food and can easily improve the nutritional profile of the dish.

Italians insist on al dente, with more than one good reason. Perfectly cooked pasta tastes the best! Also, research shows that the perfectly cooked pasta causes a much smaller rise in blood sugar then the overcooked, mushy stuff.

So, let’s talk about cooking the pasta. For best results use 5 quarts of salted water to one pound of pasta. Bring water to an abundant boil, add pasta, stir once and cover the pot. Remove the lid as soon as the water returns to a boil, stir occasionally to avoid any sticking. Cooking times vary with each pasta so best to check doneness by tasting. The best description of “al dente” is firm, tender. As soon as the pasta is done, take off the heat, drain and add to sauce (of course, you have prepared a wonderful sauce just waiting to dress your pasta). The pasta will absorb the sauce if still hot and you haven’t rinsed the starch away. If you are using fresh pasta, watch it closely as it will cook much faster. With quality pasta and a little care in preparation, you will see happy faces and the compliments will abound.

You will find some of the older strains of wheat from Italy have a higher protein count. This is good not only for the flavor but also you will find yourself satisfied with a little less pasta. It just isn’t so starchy! I usually weigh my pasta before cooking, then I can control my carbs. Buon Appetito!

I forgot to talk about my business! So…if you have a need for any kind of food preparation or catering, see me at www.atastefulexperience.com

Here’s the basic Tuscan pasta with tomatoes. This will take about 25 minutes from start to finish. My dish has the addition of some hot red pepper. In Tuscany, it is not common practice to use grated cheese with hot pepper, but…add some if you want, it tastes good. This recipe doubles easily.

Pasta and Tomatoes (Pasta e Pomodoro)

3/4 lbs. tomatoes, very ripe

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

5 basil leaves, torn in pieces

3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Pinch hot red pepper flakes (about ¼ teaspoon)

1/2 lb. short tubular pasta

5 fresh basil leaves

Put on your water for the pasta, follow the instructions from the pasta package. Buy Italian pasta (with English instructions). Clean the tomatoes but do not peel or seed for this recipe. Cut in half, then in ½ inch slices. Place tomatoes in skillet, add torn basil, olive oil, garlic to skillet. Add salt to boiling water and cook pasta. As soon as you’ve put the pasta in the water, turn on skillet to high heat, add salt, pepper and pepper flakes and stir as needed. Drain pasta and transfer to skillet, sauté one minute, add the last 5 basil leaves, mix again and transfer to a beautiful large Italian platter and serve hot. One bite and work has been cleansed from the day. If you want insure the cleansing of work, add a nice glass of Chianti to the menu…

LINGUINE WITH SHRIMP

By now, most kids are back in school, you're exhausted and want something good and easy to prepare. I think you'll like this great recipe. Thirty minutes and dinner is on the table!
There are a couple of secrets to great pasta and also to great shrimp. First, do buy good quality imported pasta (yes, imported from Italy!). Second, when cooking the shrimp, make sure the oil is hot and cook until just undercooked (about 1 minute, turn over and 1 more minute). It will finish cooking when you toss and heat all the ingredients, it will also be ridiculously tender. You're going to need a vegetable to go with this dish, fortunately, there are still plenty of fresh vegetables to choose. I would probably go with yellow and green zucchini sticks or maybe some nice small sunburst squash. Either has mild flavors and the colors will work perfectly with this dish. Presentation is so important, not only when you have people over but for everyday! If you want your kids to eat, make it look good! One last thing and then I'll be quite...please, use a quality olive, not one of those mushy things that have been dyed black! Almost every store has an olive bar now, if you buy just enough, it won't cost that much and it is worth the trouble.
Buon Appetito!

Linguine with Shrimp and Black Olives

1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ White onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lb chopped tomatoes or 1 small can diced tomatoes, drained

½ cup Gaeta olives, pitted and chopped (or other flavorful black olive)

½ cup fresh chopped basil

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¾ lb linguine

Salt & Pepper to taste (give a extra twist of pepper!)

Fresh grated cheese

In large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and cook shrimp until just opaque. Remove and set aside. Start cooking the linguine when you start the shrimp. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to skillet over medium heat, add onion, cook until it starts to brown (about 3 minutes, add garlic, cook and stir another minute (until garlic becomes fragrant), add tomatoes, olives, shrimp and a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Add cooked linguine to skillet. Toss until thoroughly heated. Transfer to a large bowl, mix in basil, salt and pepper. Top with cheese and serve.

Grilled Ratatouille

The last weekend of summer...for us in San Diego, it's just getting nice! None the less it is our last great grill holiday for awhile. No matter what you choose, why not accompany with a Grilled Ratatouille. You can do it ahead of time, before any guests arrive, and it's always a big hit. I love the charred flavor from the grill versus just doing it the traditional Provencal method. Just check out the recipe, I think you might decide to give it a try.

I just delivered all my scheduled deliveries today, so I have a four day weekend and I believe that the ratatouille is going on my Monday menu. Since I'm mentioning my deliveries, just a reminder, I cook wonderful home cooked meals and deliver to your home, ready to heat and eat. I'm available for catering at your home or business meeting, as well as private cooking classes. The cooking classes are always a great theme party. Look at my website for menu's and more information or just give me a call or email. website at www.aTastefulExperience.com.

Enough about me! You've already heard it all already. Hope you enjoyed your summer and tried new and exciting culinary adventures. I've had a great time cooking so many new and creative foods and have really enjoyed serving so many great new clients this summer.
Hope you try this recipe, it's really good. Buon Appetito!

GRILLED RATATOUILLE

2 Zucchini, cut in quarters lengthwise

2 Yellow squash, cut into quarters lengthwise

2 Japanese eggplant, halved lengthwise

4 Bell peppers, 2 red, 2 yellow, stemmed, seeded and quartered

1 Red onion, quartered

1 lb Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, halved

½ Cup extra-virgin olive oil

8 Cloves roasted garlic, mashed

2 Tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped

¼ Cup Italian parsley, finely chopped

Salt & Pepper

Place all the cut vegetables in a large flat dish, add the ½ cup of olive oil,

toss to coat thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill

(use a grill pan if you are cooking inside). Turn when the vegetables are

cooked halfway, remove the tomatoes at this point. Continue grilling just

until almost cooked. Transfer to cutting board and chop coarsely, including the tomato. Place in a large bowl, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the remaining ingredients and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Best served at room temperature.

This recipe can be done before grilling your main course, this will allow time for cooling and letting the flavors come together. You can prepare this dish 4 to 6 hours in advance, make sure to allow time to come back to room temperature. This will easily serve 6 to 8 people as a second course.