Spaghetti with Cherry Tomatoes

I recently found this simple recipe for using up some of those fresh, summer, from the garden or farmer's market tomatoes that start showing up at this time of year. It suggests using cherry, currant or grape tomatoes; we used sunsweet cherry tomatoes and it was absolutely fabulous. I personally think you could use any kind of tomato that tastes really great, cooking it in the pan will only intensify the flavor. Maybe even cut up a regular tomato into smaller pieces and use that, but probably for less cooking time.

The recipe doesn't make a lot of sauce, and you may be left wondering how in the world this is ever even going to taste good or coat the pieces of spaghetti, but trust me, it does. Somehow the flavor coats each strand of spaghetti, the flavor is just perfect, plus you have pieces of cooked tomatoes and basil mixed in, and you have perfection!

Spaghetti with Cherry Tomatoes-serves 4

Olive oil, enough to swirl and cover the bottom of a large skillet

2 pints of cherry, currant, and/or grape tomatoes

1/2 tsp salt

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (we used garlic powder, not actual garlic--works just as well)

1 pound of spaghetti (we used thin spaghetti)

1/3 C thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

1 1/2 C grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (we used 3/4 to 1 C because Derk isn't a huge fan of this kind of cheese, just enough to add some cheesiness and flavor to it, but not overpower it)

Coarsely ground black pepper

-Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

-Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half of tomatoes, sprinkle with salt, and cook, tossing occasionally, until tomatoes start to blister and collapse, 3-5 minutes. Add remaining tomatoes and cook, tossing once, for 2-3 minutes more.

-With a wooden spoon, push tomatoes to one side of pan to make room for garlic. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 3-4 minutes, then stir gently to mix garlic and tomatoes together. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally and gently pressing tomatoes to release juices, until all tomatoes have collapsed and sauce is juicy and thick, about 4 minutes more. Remove from heat.

-Cook pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, gently reheat sauce. Drain pasta and immediately toss with sauce and basil. Add half of cheese and toss; add remaining cheese and toss again. Season with pepper and serve at once.

Note: I just discovered this trick when cooking pasta. Probably not exactly healthy, but it tastes really great. When directions for cooking pasta say to cook it in salted, boiling water, really give it a good amount of salt, so it's salty water, not just a pinch. You want to taste it! Then when the pasta is cooked, taste a strand of pasta before you mix it with the sauce and you'll see what I mean. It makes a big difference.

Bucatini All'Amatriciana with Spicy Smoked Mozzarella Meatballs

This is a recipe I found on one of the many food blogs I often read, and I have to tell you that I'm generally a meatball hater.  I know, we shouldn't be haters, but I usually hate meatballs.  Probably because most of the time to me they just taste like, well, a hamburger or maybe meatloaf. Bleh.  But for some reason this recipe caught my eye and I knew I had to try it, possibly because I knew Derk would probably like it.  So, after a few changes to the recipe I found, we came up with this:

Meatballs:

1/2 an onion, grated

1/2 C chopped fresh parsley

2 oz. (1/2 cup) fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 C bread crumbs (we used panko)

1 1/2 to 2 garlic cloves, minced

2 T ketchup

1 large egg

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

fresh ground black pepper

8 oz. ground sirloin (all we could find was hamburger)

8oz. ground turkey

2 oz. smoked mozzarella cheese, cut into 18 cubes

-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with the rack set in the lower 1/3 of the oven.

-In a large bowl, stir together onion, parsley, Parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic, ketchup, egg, salt, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, and pepper.  Add in beef and turkey-combine ingredients just until combined, be careful not to overmix.

-Shape the mixture into 18 meatballs (though we wound up with 16) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Make an indent in the center of each meatball and set a cube of mozzarella inside.  Reform the meatball around the mozzarella so it is completely hidden.  Place into the oven and bake until cooked through.  Ours took about 20 to 25 minutes.

Sauce:

1 T olive oil

4 oz. diced pancetta

1/2 an onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

14.5 oz. can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes

fresh ground black pepper

salt

2 oz. (1/2 Cup) of fresh grated smoked mozzarella cheese (original recipe said Pecorino Romano, but we didn't want to buy more cheese and already had a bunch of the mozzarella)

16 oz. dry bucatini pasta, or other fun, short pasta shape

-In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium.  Add pancetta-cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta and transfer to paper-lined plate.  Stir in the onion, cook until softened, about 5-6 minutes.  Add garlic and red pepper flakes, cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes and reserved pancetta, season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.  Simmer over medium-low, uncovered, until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.

-While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain and place in a large bowl.  Add sauce and meatballs, tossing gently to coat.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Just before serving, sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley.

--My notes:  OK, I know this recipe seems a little daunting, long and time consuming.  But it didn't take all that much time.  It's not a quick and easy one, true, but the final result and effort will be totally worth it.  Because Derk and I loved this recipe!  And we also liked using the smoked mozzarella in the sauce (instead of Pecorino, which is probably good, too, we just didn't want to spring for more cheese), we felt that it sort of tied everything together and added a really nice flavor.  The original recipe said that it should serve about 6 people, but we found that for us it was probably a little closer to 4 servings, particularly for the sauce, even considering the fact that it's not really a saucy kind of dish.  The meatballs freeze well.  If you like things a bit spicier, you could try adding in a little more red pepper flakes and garlic.  The amounts in this post were decreased by about half from the recipe I found.  Try this one out, it's really quite delicious.

Homemade Mac and Cheese

OK - Kristin called me last night and begged me to post my version of Homemade Mac and Cheese. I hope I can figure out a way to write it down! It's one of those that has just kind of evolved over time and experiment. Jeff won't eat it - so it's mostly a "kids and me" meal when he's flying. He doesn't know what he's missing! :)

1/2 to 1 pound of pasta - I usually use penne or the corkscrew curly kind (I know I'm so technical!)
1/4 cup butter (you can substitute margarine, but butter tastes better)
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper, to taste
1 to 2 cups of milk
1 to 1 & 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Boil pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in medium saucepan. Once completely melted, add flour (with salt and pepper added) all at once, stirring well. It will combine into almost a paste. Slowly add milk, whisking to incorporate. I usually add about one cup, let it get thick, and then add more depending on how much pasta I've used. Cook the sauce over medium high heat until thickened, being careful to whisk continually. Add shredded cheese and whisk in until completely melted, reserving some to sprinkle on top.
Drain pasta when fully cooked. Put pasta in large (about 2 quart) casserole dish and pour cheese sauce over the top. Mix in well. Sprinkle with reserved shredded cheese. My kids like to eat it like this - it's toasty enough to melt the cheese on top and very creamy, but my mom always cooked it in a 425 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes for a final step. It turns out a little more "solid" that way. Feel free to experiment with different kinds of cheddar - my kids like mild, but I've really enjoyed sharp and medium for a bit of "bite" to it.