Pumpkin Sage Penne

This is simply delicious. It is hard to stop eating.

2 lbs. fresh pumpkin

5 T butter

1 big bunch of fresh sage, chopped (don't buy this from the store, grow it in your yard! It will stick around for many years and save you lots of money. In the meantime, come get some from my garden.)

1 tsp sugar

salt to taste

white pepper

1 C heavy cream

1 1/2 C freshly grated Reggiano Parmesan cheese

1 lb. penne pasta

1.) Trim all the flesh off the pumpkin, cup in small pieces and steam for 15 minutes.

2.) Melt 2 T butter in a small skillet over low. Add half of your chopped sage to the butter and increase heat to med-low. Fry until butter begins to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

3.) Bring a big pot of water to a boil, add 1 T salt, bring back to a boil. (Don't add the pasta until you finish set 4 so the pasta will be piping hot when the sauce is done). Cook pasta about 9 minutes. Reserve 3/4 C of the pasta water!!!

4.) Melt 3 T butter in a really large skillet. Add pumpkin. Saute in butter, mashing about half (or more) of the pumpkin. Sprinkle with sugar, salt, and pepper. Add 2 T water and cover for 5 minutes.

5.) Remove lid from pumpkin and cook over med-high for 3 minutes. Add 1 C heavy cream, simmer 5 minutes.

6.) When pasta is done, reserve 3/4 C water before draining. Then combine pasta, butter sage mixture, and pumpkin mixture in a large bowl. Toss well, add the grated Reggiano cheese and chopped fresh sage. Add some pasta water to get the desired consistency. Save pasta water to reheat any leftovers (as if there will be any!)

Oh, my mouth is watering!!

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula

This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe passed to me from Rena.

1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 cups heavy cream
3 lemons
Freshly ground salt and pepper
1 pound dried fusilli pasta
1/2 pound baby arugula (or spinach with stems removed and leaves cut into thirds)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, and cook for 60 seconds, then add the cream, the zest and juice of 2 of the lemons, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until it starts to thicken.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta, and cook al dente according to the directions on the package, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Immediately add the cream mixture and cook over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until the pasta has absorbed most of the sauce. Pour the hot pasta in to a large bowl and add the arugula, Parmesan, and tomatoes. Cut the last lemon in half lengthwise, slice it 1/4- inch thick crosswise, and add a few slices to the pasta. Toss well, season to taste, and serve hot.

Roasted Asparagus Lasagna

This recipe is a wonderful springtime recipe as it incorporates fresh asparagus. It's one of our favorite recipes to make in early spring when the asparagus is fresh and crisp (and somewhat inexpensive!). Although it is vegetarian, it's a very "meaty" dish and is sure to fill you up.

Roasted Asparagus Lasagna

2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
dash ground cloves
1-1/2 cups milk
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
12 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place asparagus and mushrooms in a shallow roasting pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil; toss to coat. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are browned; set aside. Reduce heat to 350 degrees.
In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and cloves until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Set aside. In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in remaining oil until tender. Remove from heat; add roasted asparagus and mushrooms.
In a greased 13x9 inch baking dish, layer four noodles, a third of asparagus mixture, a third of the white sauce, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers twice.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Uncover; bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings

Creamy Alfredo Sauce

I was making this batch of creamy goodness this week for Riley and myself, and realized that it was downright selfish of me to keep from sharing it with the rest of you! You should really try this. It's fantastic, and so simple!

Pour about a cup and a half of heavy cream into a medium saucepan. Add a little over 1/4 cup of butter, about 5 tablespoons, and stir until it starts to boil. Turn your burner down to low and simmer for a minute. Add a generous fistful of freshly grated parmesan cheese (It's gotta be fresh! Don't even try the stuff in a can!) to the sauce and whisk until smooth, stirring for another minute. Try to keep from drooling, you're almost done...

Season with pepper and a generous pinch of nutmeg (the 'secret' ingredient), but avoid adding salt, because parmesan tends to be salty enough on its own. Pour over your pasta of choice with another fistful of cheese and toss to coat. This makes enough to cover a 16 oz bag of pasta perfectly.

Go ahead and serve it with extra parmesan and even a little fresh snipped parsley on top for presentation, if you want...

Yum, yum, yum!!

p.s... this sauce is, of course, gluten free. Gluten free noodles can be found at Kroger or health food stores...

Spaghetti Pizza Pie

Posted by: Meg
We have been having spaghetti a lot this month, and I am getting rather tired of it. So last night I changed it up and made it into a spaghetti-pizza pie:

Spaghetti noodles
Spaghetti sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
pepperoni

Cook the noodles. Butter a casserole dish. Put noodles in casserole. Pour spaghetti sauce on top (ours was some homemade with ground beef in the sauce) then top with as much of the cheeses you want. Finally, litter the top with pepperoni. Bake at 350 for maybe 30-45 minutes or so.