Pasta and grain salads have so much potential for variety! But the cold pesto pasta with mondo veggo chunks, or the soggy tabbouli, are often uninspired. Then Robert and Sonya introduced me to the joy of couscous with fruits and nuts. Sooo gooooood. Recently I made a quinoa salad with similar ingredients: Juice for tartness, […]
Tag Archives: pasta
Conjunctional salad: Couscous (or) quinoa with nuts (and) fruit (and/or) vegetables
Macaroni and cheese: simplified (somewhat)
The search for the ultimate macaroni and cheese never ends. That’s a good thing, too, because it’s fun to try out and taste more dishes made of pasta and cheese. Tonight’s version was based on the creamy baked mac-and-cheese by Deb of Smitten Kitchen. The main draw was the avoidance of both pre-cooked pasta and […]
Baked macaroni and cheese
I have this fond memory of the cheesy, creamy goodness of the baked macaroni and cheese from the Netscape cafeteria. That memory cropped up recently, along with the thought, “Hm, it’s been a while since I’ve made or eaten mac-n-cheese.” This recipe is influenced, of course, by others: The one from The Joy of Cooking […]
Comfort Noodles
Comfort Noodles is the name we gave this soup: To comfort you on cold days and nights, to comfort you when having a cold. This recipe was inspired by phở gà, Vietnamese chicken noodle soup, and ramen. Oddly, I haven’t made this yet using ramen noodles. Spaghetti works easily since I almost always have it […]
Vegetarian Carbonara Pasta
The combination of a strong flavored cheese and egg is mighty delish. Smoked gouda, or a mix of sharp cheddar with Parmesan Reggiano, works quite well. But one the most memorable variations was using the alder-smoked goat cheese from Elk Creamery. This recipe would serve two people. Boiled peas, or sautéed zucchini, nicely complements this […]
Porcini Mushroom Pasta
Dried (then reconstituted) porcini adds the bulk of flavor to this pasta dish. For the fresh mushrooms, you can use the common button mushrooms, creminis, portabellos, oyster, even chanterelles would work nicely. But you probably don’t want to compete with the porcini by using a stronger flavored mushroom like shiitake or morels.