Garlic Pasta - No Meat Monday Recipe

No Meat Monday Recipe - Garlic Pasta

Chas and I were working on pasta sauce and canning tomatoes recently and got involved in a discussion about No Meat Pasta dishes (I like meat in may pasta and he prefers vegetarian.)  After a while we ended up experimenting with this recipe I found in Cooking Light magazine from April 2004.

I felt it was perfect to share as the herbs and vegetables to make it are perfectly in season right now, so you can try it out.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 cups chopped plum tomatoes (about 2 pounds) (You can use two cans diced if you don't have fresh)
• 6 cups hot cooked campanella (about 12 ounces uncooked pasta) we actually used Ziti
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes; cook for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Add pasta, basil, cheese, salt, and pepper, tossing gently to combine.

If you like Garlic, but do not have time to mince and saute, I recommend using the Garlic and Herb Combination Herb Mix.  Not only does it make a great pasta sauce, but a wonderful garlic bread too!

Recipe for Today - Cold Pasta

My customers at a recent Garden Show asked me how to use some of the mixes they previously purchased.  So I decided that I should share a recipe or two a week using the mixes I make and sell. 

Between my husband and I experimenting with the mixes and recipes is something we actually do all the time, but what I realized is that cooking is our hobby and it may not be everyone’s so to make it easier, I will do all the work and experimentation and you can make the recipes and take all the credit!

In the summer something quick and simple is always called for.  I like to turn to pasta for something flavorful that will mix with both vegetables and proteins for a quick and tasty one dish meal.

Today I am sharing some of our favorite recipes for hot and cold pasta dishes that you can whip up in no time.  In fact a couple are great to take on a picnic, so dig in and enjoy!

Pasta Confetti

1 ½ to 2 cups small shaped pasta (wagon wheel or orzo, acini di pepe, ditalini, falafel (bow tie), etc cooked according to package directions

2 – 3 red, green or yellow bell papers, seeded and finely dices

1 medium cucumber, seeded and finely dices (peeled if not organic)

1 medium carrot, finely dices

2 -3 scallions (green and white parts) finely sliced

¼ cup fresh chopped parsley

For Dressing

½ cup extra- virgin olive oil

3 Tbls. lemon juice

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 ½ Tbls. Salt-free Lemon Chive Dressing Herb Mix

Combine cooked pasta with vegetables in a large bowl.  Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over pasta mixture.  Toss to combine well.  Serve warm, chilled or at room temperature.  This is a great picnic pleaser.  It is light, fresh tasting and packed with vegetable flavors.

Pasta with Garlic & Basil

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup chopped prosciutto or other salt-cured ham

6 to 8 plum tomatoes

3 Tbls Garlic & Herb Combination, separated.

salt & pepper to taste

1 - 1 ½ lbs. cut pasta (like penne, ziti, or rigatoni) cooked according to package directions

Heat oil over medium heat in pot large enough to hold cooked pasta later.  Sauté the ham until the warmed through.  Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and simmer covered for 10 minutes.  Add 2 Tbls of Garlic & Herb Combination and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.  Drain the pasta when tender but firm (al dente) and add to the sauce.  Add the remaining Tbls of Garlic and Herbs and toss the pasta, adding a little pasta water if the sauce is too dry.  Serve sprinkled with parmesan cheese.  Serves 4 to 6.

Italian Pasta Salad

½ cup prepared Backyard Patch Italian Dressing/Marinade

1 cup spiral pasta, cooked according to package directions

¼ stick pepperoni, sliced thin

1 can black olives, sliced

1 cup crisp cooked broccoli, chilled

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse in cold water.  Place in a large bowl and toss with prepared Backyard Patch Italian Dressing and Marinade (acc. to dressing recipe.)  Slice olives and pepperoni and toss into pasta.  Cut broccoli into bite size pieces and toss gently into pasta.  Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.  Serves 4 to 6.  This one travels well and I use it for quick spur of the moment picnics.

Happy picnicking!

Herb Pastes and Pestos

Pesto is a concoction that most people know about and many people make and enjoy. I thought in these harvest days I would share a traditional pesto recipe and share some pesto storage and usage tips. But first I want to share something that is made similar to pesto but is much more versatile as well as an excellent way to preserve fresh herb tastes for cooking that is lost in other preservation methods -- Herb pastes.



Herb Paste

Start with clean dry herbs and sterile wide-mouth jars of several sizes. Recycled jars are fine and some can be as small as baby food. You use the same general proportions of herbs and oils used for pesto (1/3 cup oil to 2 cups fresh herbs). Place oil and herbs in a blender and chop until you have a smooth paste, scraping down the sides as needed until all the bits of herbs are coated with oil. Use as little oil as necessary to accomplish this. I usually hand chop the herbs with a chef knife before putting them in the blender to speed up the process. The best oils for a paste are the most bland, corn oil, safflower, sunflower rather than olive oil.

Place the mixture immediately into jars, stir to remove air bubbles. Drizzle enough oil on top to cover and seal the herbs. Then add a teaspoon of vinegar to the oil. If you are using a metal lid, place a layer of plastic wrap over the top of the jar before screwing on the lid. Label and date. Refrigerate for use within a week or freeze for several months. Always keep open jars in the refrigerator.

How to use

An herb paste is a highly concentrated form of the herb and when using you should start with small amounts and gradually increase to get the flavor you want. They can be floated in soups, added to dressings for salads (the macerated herbs make the most flavor-filled dressings and vinaigrettes you can imagine.) You can also add the paste to sauces, gravies, and marinades. It can be a baste for meat and fish, used as a final added flavor over hot vegetables or even placed in your skillet to sauté meats or vegetables. You can even use basil paste to create a winter-time pesto.



Now let’s talk about Pesto

When making Pesto the herbs must be clean and DRY. The jars sterile and dry. And you must eliminate air bubbles in the finished pesto before storing to keep the color from turning. Then seal the jars with a layer of oil and vinegar.

Here is a traditional pesto recipe

This can be used on any pasta, but crinkly rotini (rotelle) is really good as it absorbs and holds the sauce so well.

6 Tbls. olive oil

3 Tbls. herbal vinegar (lemon, basil or garlic)

3 Tbls. pine nuts, blanched almonds or walnuts

2 large cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1-1/2 cups fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup oregano leaves

1/4 cup garlic chives, trimmed to 1-inch pieces (optional)

1 cup parmesan cheese (or 1/2 cup parm and 1/2 cup Romano)

1 pound cooked & drained pasta



Place items in a blender in this order: oil, herb vinegar, nuts, garlic, salt & pepper and cayenne. Add herbs, and then blend all together until smooth and creamy, wiping down the sides of the blender at least once with a rubber spatula. Pour mixture into a 3 cup bowl and stir in the cheese. Drain the pasta and immediately stir the pesto into it while it is still hot, then serve.

To freeze pesto

Pack the pesto down firmly in sterilized jars, getting rid of any air bubbles. Drizzle enough oil on top to cover and seal the herbs. Then add a teaspoon of vinegar to the oil. If you are using a metal lid, place a layer of plastic wrap over the top of the jar before screwing on the lid. Label and date the jar, then freeze. Use the pesto within 3 to10 months.

And by the way, you can make a Basil Paste then freeze it and use it to create a basil pesto several months after the fresh harvest with minimal loss of flavor.



To learn more about the concept of herbal pastes check out these publications:

Southern Herb Growing by Madelene Hill and Gwen Barclay (Shearer Publishing, Fredericksburg, TX, 1987)

The Basil Book by Marilyn Hampstead