Vote for the winner in the Pasta/Rice section of our book

Hi All,

Please cast a vote for one of the following 8 recipes.

The winner will receive a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, and be featured in our upcoming cookbook.

Winners will be announced one week from today, Saturday, October 11, 2003


The Recipes:

Fresh-Herb Risotto:
posted by Little K

One or two bay leaves
Stripped leaves off of one 3" lengths of rosemary
Stripped leaves off of one 4" length of thyme
Handlful of fresh basil: chopped
About a teaspoon of cilantro (I usually use dried cilantro)

More olive oil than you think is right at least a 1/2 C)
One small onion: chopped
2-3 garlic cloves: minced
1 C Arborio rice
3 C Vegetable broth (I use boullion cubes which have salt in them. If you use an unsalted type, add salt to the oil and bay leaf in step one). Keep this broth warm.

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Heat (low-medium) olive oil with bay leaves in a high-sided, heavy-weight, large pan. Grind with mortal and pestal (food processor) the rosemary and thyme leaf with a little pinch of salt for gristle. Add chopped onion to hot oil and let sizzle to a pale or translucent nature and then add the garlic. Don't let the garlic brown. Add uncooked rice, basil and cilantro to pan and sautee for a couple of minutes. Stir the drying mix often, the rice should start to sound different - like beads against the metal of the pan.

Add 1/3 of the broth (a cup in this recipe). Stir the rice until the liquid is fully absorbed. Add the next cup and repeat, and repeat again with the last of the broth, but don't let it all soak up. Ideally, you want the cooked rice to ooze on the plate, rather than stand in a heap.

Serves 3 as a main dish.


*** I don't add wine to my risotto or cheese. Were you to add wine: add a cup of dry white wine before the first cup of broth. If you were to add cheese, mix in a large handlful of shredded pecorino romano after the last cup of broth is nearly absorbed.

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FARFALLE CON SPINACI
posted by ossobuco

Ingredients, for two people:

* 1/2 lb of good pasta. Best for the dish is Farfalle by Da Cecco.
I have used fusilli (wrong), and chopped up fettucine (fine) and broken spaghetti (fine). Small rigatoni or orecchietti would work. Just don't pick the hunkiest pasta possible and if you don't buy italian, at least get american made from semolina.

*Have at hand a good bunch of spinach, from grocer or yard; wash 3x, cut off lower stems, perhaps chop up and use some of the rest of the stems.

* two tablespoons butter, and one of olive oil, and two garlic cloves, chopped.

* 3 or 4 tablespoons of some decent ricotta. I like the fresh ricotta in a pan from an italian market, or the whole milk ricotta from Polly-O. My view is that you don't use that much, go ahead, get the whole milk.

* a few tablespoons of grated parmigiano reggiano

* fresh lemon, halved, seeded, more slices if desired.

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Boil a nice vat of water, and when bubbling happily, add your pasta, stir, and watch.

In a big fry pan, perhaps teflon, saute' the garlic in the butter and oil and add the spinach, cook until spinach wilts and shut off.

Take pasta out and strain when it is al dente texture...and toss into the spinach mixture. Take two fat tablespoons...oh, up to a half cup, of the ricotta and mix in with pasta with low flame....

serve portions into prepared microwave-heated bowls, sprinkle with parmigiano, and squeeze lemon half over each dish.... (or serve parmigiano and lemons on the side).

Serve to people ready to eat. No dawdling allowed.


This, for me, is a dish that is sort of primal, I love it beyond reason

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FARFALLE WITH LOX, BASIL, GINGER, LIME
posted by ossobuco

Ingredients at hand:
1/2 pound of Farfalle by Da Checco, or other farfalle imported from italy.
3 to 4 tablespoons Butter, real, salted or unsalted
Half a thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into fat slivers
One fresh lime, sliced in half
several big fresh basil leaves, or lots of small ones.
1/8 pound lox-smoked salmon, fresh or freshly packaged. Cut into pieces of about an inch.

Procedure
Set pot of water to boil for pasta. Cover.

As the water nears boiling, heat butter in skillet without burning. Add the ginger and cook for a short time to heat the ginger. Turn off heat, add lox-smoked salmon pieces, mix a bit, and let the salmon and ginger in butter sit. I don't add salt since I use salted butter. You may want to add salt and or pepper.

When the water is at a rolling boil, add pasta, boil uncovered. When the pasta is nearing 'al dente', relight the skillet at low flame. When the pasta is 'al dente', drain into a colander, shake, and toss into butter, ginger, salmon mixture. Turn off heat. Mix well as you squeeze the lime, and tear and add the fresh basil. Serve from skillet onto plates or kept warm in oven or microwaved a short time (done perhaps while pasta is cooking).

This is not as tricky as I make it sound. I just happen to like my hot pasta not to hit a cold plate; the salmon is already cooked by the smoking process, and cooks enough more for texture just by the method above without cooking it longer. Cooking the basil and the lime juice is not a great idea because it is the fresh tastes blending that is so good.

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Here is my version of white clam sauce, which is best served over Angel Hair Pasta. I'm not good with portions, but I'll try to estimate (to serve two):

posted by LibertyD

Ingredients:

mushrooms (any kind)
green onions
baby clams
garlic
olive oil
parmesan cheese
angel hair pasta

Saute sliced mushrooms in olive oil over low-medium heat until they start to soften. Add at least 8 - 10 cloves of pressed or chopped garlic and two drained cans of baby clams (yeah, fresh clams would be better, but being in Tulsa, fresh fish is sparse). You might have to add olive oil as the ingredients cook to make sure everything is coated, with a little extra to spare for the pasta. Stir and be careful not to burn the garlic. Cook approx. 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are fully soft. Pour the sauce over cooked angel hair pasta and gently mix to coat it well. Serve topped with a generous sprinkle of parmesan and less-generous sprinkle of green onion.

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Pasta Alfredo with Veggies
makes 4 servings
posted by aimeemarie123

2 cups lite cream
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
4oz. cream cheese
4oz parmesan cheese (fresh grated)
1 cup broccoli flouretts
1 cup green beans
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
you can use any veggies these are just my favorite
1 lb cooked pasta (any kind)

Saute with 2 tbsp butter all veggies for 8 minutes (but add tomatoes and mushrooms in last three minutes)
Set aside

add two tbsp butter to sauce pan then add garlic when butter is hot. turn heat down to medium
after garlic has cooked at medium heat for 2 minutes add lite cream
cook at medium for 5 minutes then add your cheeses. make sure you wisk your mixture well while it is cooking.
let simmer for 3 minutes until cheese is melted

in large bowl pour sauce over pasta add veggies to top and serve.

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BUCATINI AND PANCETTA PASTA
By BumbleBeeBoogie

6 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1-1/2 pound imported bucatini pasta or spaghetti
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 teaspoon finely chopped garlic cloves
1/2 large red onion, sliced into thin crescents
2 pickled peppers, cut into 1/2-inch dice (approximately 1 cup)
1/4 cup roughly chopped flat Italian parsley
2 pinches chili flakes; more if desired

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and cook the pancetta until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil and add 2 tablespoons salt and the pasta. Check the pasta frequently after 7 minutes by tasting for the proper al dente texture (some chewy texture left and the flour cooked through.)

Meanwhile, add the oil, garlic, red onion, peppers and chili flakes to the pancetta. Raise the heat to high and saute until the onions are wilted. Add the parsley and remove from the heat.

Drain the pasta when it is ready and toss the pasta and the pancetta mixture in a large bowl.

Serves 4.

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ITALIAN PASTA STAMPATI WITH ROSEMARY SAUCE
Adapted by BumbleBeeBoogie

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

Cookie press design stamp
Pasta maker, if available
Biscuit cutter

PASTA:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
Pinch of salt Water as needed

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, eggs, salt and water to form a firm pasta dough. Stretch the dough into sheets 1/16th inch thick.

Cut out rounds of dough with a biscuit cutter and impress the cookie stamp design in each circle. Dust the rounds with flour and refrigerate them for one hour.

When ready to serve, cook in boiling water 3 to 5 minutes. Do not overcook or the design will disappear.

ROSEMARY SAUCE:
5 cups chicken or veal stock, preferably home made
3 sprigs fresh Rosemary
12 egg yolks
1-1/2 pounds unsalted butter
2 teaspoons white pepper
2 teaspoons pine nuts
Rosemary sprigs for garnish

Boil the stock with rosemary until reduced by 1/3. Remove the rosemary; reduce heat to low. Add the eggs and cooking stirring rapidly and constantly, until the sauce has thickened. Whisk in the butter a bit at a time. Add the white pepper.

Pour the sauce into serving plate, place 5 to 6 cooked pasta coins on top of the sauce. Garnish with pine nuts and rosemary sprigs.

Yields 50 to 60 pasta coins and 6 cups of sauce - serves 12 persons.


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Almond risotto
posted by Little k

1 bay leaf
1 sprig of rosemary (2" long)

2/3 to 3/4 C almond meal (I process almonds in a little coffee grinder)

olive oil: more than a 1/2 C
One small onion: chopped
2-3 garlic cloves: minced
1 C Arborio rice
3 C Vegetable broth (I use boullion cubes which have salt in them. If you use an unsalted type, add salt to the oil and bay leaf in step one). Keep this broth warm.


Heat (low-medium) olive oil with bay leaf in a high-sided, heavy-weight, large pan. Add chopped onion to hot oil and let sizzle to a pale or translucent nature and then add the garlic. Don't let the garlic brown. Add uncooked rice to pan and sautee for a minute. Stir the drying mix often. Add almond meal and mix for a minute. The rice should start to sound different - like beads against the metal of the pan.

Add 1/3 of the broth (a cup in this recipe). Stir the rice until the liquid is fully absorbed. Add the next cup and repeat, and repeat again with the last of the broth, but don't let it all soak up. Ideally, you want the cooked rice to ooze on the plate, rather than stand in a heap.

Serves 3 as a main dish.


*** I don't add wine to my risotto or cheese. Were you to add wine: add a cup of dry white wine before the first cup of broth. If you were to add cheese, mix in a large handlful of shredded pecorino romano after the last cup of broth is nearly absorbed