Eva Fury's Baked Ziti

My take on the classic dish...add additional spices (oregano, basil, pepper, etc.) as you see fit!

Ingredients:

1 box penne pasta

1 jar pasta sauce of your choice (I think the chunkier the sauce the better, but that's me)

1 "tube" ground sausage

1 8 oz brick of mozzarella cheese, grated (can use shredded cheese, but that can sometimes be a little too dry)

1 16 oz. tub ricotta cheese

2 packages of fresh, sliced mushrooms (canned, sliced works too)

Red pepper flakes (optional)

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Salt pasta water and bring to a boil. Cook penne as directed on box.

2. Brown sausage and, if desired, add some red pepper flakes to taste. When sausage is done browning, add mushrooms to pan and saute until golden. Add garlic and allow to become golden as well. Set aside.

3. In a 9 x 13" pan, begin layering ingredients. Begin with pasta sauce (doesn't need to be heated in advance), then a layer of noodles, sausage mixture, ricotta and Mozzarella. Continue with layers until all ingredients are used. Top with Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with a glass of red wine and crusty bread!

Buffalo chicken pasta

So yummy! You can use the sauce for regular buffalo wings or toss it around in pasta as instructed here.

2 lbs of boneless chicken breast (approximately)

Red pepper flakes (to taste)

Cayenne pepper (to taste)

Ground black pepper (to taste)

Spaghetti or fettucini (or pasta of your choice)

6 Tbsp butter

8 Tbsp Franks Red Hot sauce

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Fresh mozzarella or chunk mozzarella (not pre-shredded) cut into small cubes

Tobasco sauce

1. Put salted water on to boil for pasta. Add pasta when ready.

2. Trim fat off chicken. Cut into 1-inch pieces and season with black pepper. (If you want, toss the chicken in flour seasoned with cayenne and black pepper. It's tasty, but adds an extra step).

3. Cook chicken in olive oil until browned along with cayenne and pepper flakes. Set aside.

4. Melt butter in a small saucepan with vinegar and Franks Red Hot. Add Tobasco to taste.

5. When pasta is cooked, drain and return to pot with a little bit (1/3 cup) of pasta water. Add chicken and cheese and toss to allow cheese to begin melting.

6. Pour sauce over pasta mixture, toss and serve with bleu cheese dressing.

Mac n' Cheese Soup

Ok, so, this admittedly sounds a little gross, but it is SO good (maybe lethal, but good) and the perfect sort of thing for those cold and rainy fall days around here. We made it with just cheddar cheese, but I imagine you could use all sorts of cheeses in this (I bet a bit of gruyere would be good in this, but then when ISN'T gruyere good??) I also imagine that if you want to go for the full heart-attack version, starting with some chopped up bacon in with the onion and celery might be good...

The recipe came from a freebie copy of Cuisine magazine that I got in the mail and, I'll give them this, there are a number of rather interesting recipes there and if they're as good as this one...

Serve with buffalo wings (or chicken tenderloins tossed with some buffalo sauce) for a truly yummy treat.

1.5 ups dry elbow macaroni

1/2 cup minced onion

1/4 cup minced celery

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup dry white wine (I used chardonnay)

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 tsp. dry mustard

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (I was more liberal with the pepper than this...)

2 cups whole milk

4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

salt to taste

1/4 crumbled bleu cheese

2 tbsp. minced fresh chives

Cook macaroni in a pot of salted water according to package directions; drain and set aside.

Sweat onion and celery in butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.

Stir in flour to coat and cook 1 minute. Deglaze with wine and simmer until nearly evaporated. Stir in broth, mustard, nutmeg, and cayenne. Simmer until slightly thickened, 5 minutes, then whisk in milk and warm through. Do not let boil or base may become grainy.

Add cheddar, 1 cup at a time, allowing it to melt completely before adding the next cup. Stir in macaroni, lemon juice, and salt; remove from heat.

Combine bleu cheese and chives in a small bowl. Garnish each serving with bleu cheese mixture.

Steamed Mussels with Parmesan Croutons

Paul is famous for not liking seafood and tomatoes. Fishy things scare him. However, because these mussels are steamed with his favorite beer, Hoegaarden, and full of delicious flavors, he actually admitted to liking these. This is a fairly quick meal (except for all the chopping), and definitely feeds a crowd. Get 2 pounds of mussels for 2 people.  Once again, original recipe from Bon Appetit.

4 5x3x1/2-inch slices country-style bread, crusts removed, bread cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs olive oil
3/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon
1/4 cup chopped fresh chervil (optional)
2/3 cup crème fraîche
3 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 Tbs whole grain brown mustard or whole grain Dijon mustard
3 Tbs butter
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs chopped fresh thyme
5 lb mussels, scrubbed, debearded
3 cups diced seeded tomatoes (about 4 large)
1 cup chopped green onions (about 4)
1 12-ounce bottle Belgian white beer (such as Hoegaarden)

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine bread cubes, Parmesan, and oil in medium bowl; sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Spread bread cubes evenly on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until bread cubes are crisp and golden around edges, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
• Mix parsley, chives, tarragon, and chervil, if desired, in small bowl. Whisk crème fraîche and both mustards in another small bowl to blend; set aside.
• Melt butter in extra-large pot with lid over high heat. Add garlic and thyme; stir 1 minute. Add mussels, tomatoes, and green onions. Pour beer over, then add crème fraîche mixture; sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Cover tightly with lid and cook until steam appears, about 3 minutes. Add half of fresh herb mixture and stir until mussels and herbs are gently mixed. Cover tightly with lid again and cook until mussels open, 4 to 5 minutes (discard any mussels that do not open).
• Using slotted spoon, divide mussels among 6 bowls. Season mussel juices lightly with salt and pepper, then pour juices over each serving. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan croutons and remaining herb mixture and serve.

Pasta al Forno (Baked Farfalle with mushrooms, prosciutto and peas)

From the Williams-Sonoma "Rome" cookbook.

1 lb fresh button or cremini mushrooms

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 shallots or 1 small white or yellow onion, thinly sliced

1/4 lb prosciutto or cooked ham, including some fat, very thinly sliced and coarsely chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 2/3 cups frozen peas

3/4 lb farfalle

For the Béchamel sauce

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups whole milk

salt

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 tbsp butter cut into small pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil or butter a baking dish with a 2-quart capacity.

2. Cut off the ends of the mushroom stems. Break the stems off where they join the caps and set them aside. Unless the gills are very small and tight, scrape them out with a small knife. Brush the caps clean and lightly peel them if the skins are blemished. Cut each cap into 6 or 8 wedges, depending on the cap's size. Clean and chop the stems.

3. In a large frying pan over medium-low heat, warm 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Add the shallots and saute just until they begin to color, about 4 minutes. Stir in the prosciutto and cook for 1 minute longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shallots and prosciutto to a large bowl and set aside.

4. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil to the same pan over medium heat. Add the mushroom caps and stems and saute until all the liquid they release evaporates and they start to brown, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with salt. When the mushrooms are golden brown, after about 2 minutes longer, return the prosciutto and shallots to the pan, mix in the peas, and cook for a couple of minutes to blend the flavors. Remove from the heat an set aside in the pan.

5. Bring a large pot three-fourths full of water to a rapid boil over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta and stir for the first minute of cooking and occasionally thereafter.

6. While the water is heating, make the béchamel sauce. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the flower and cook, stirring constantly, until it starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Very gradually add the milk while stirring constantly, then cook over medium heat, continuing to stir, until the sauce just begins to boil and thicken, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp salt. Remove from the heat, stir into the pea-mushroom mixture and mix well.

7. When the pasta is 1-2 minutes from being al dente, drain it, but not too dry. Stir the pasta into the sauce in the frying pan. Mix in all but 1/4 cup of the cheese. Spoon the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Dust with the remaining cheese and dot with butter. (The dish can be made up to this point, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before continuing).

8. Bake just until the cheese melts, about 15 minutes. Serve piping hot directly from the dish.

Serve with a full-bodied red wine such as a Sangiovese or Merlot from Lazio, Umbria or Tuscany.