The Best Tomato Sauce in the World!

So, apparently I am the among the last people on the planet to find out about this incredibly amazing, incredibly easy tomato sauce.  When I think of all the many years of my life that have gone by without having this sauce, it makes me want to hide under the covers.  But as they say, better late than never, and now I get to make up for lost time. Silver lining!

If you, like me, haven't heard of this great great great sauce, here are the key things to know.

First, it tastes AMAZING.  I might have mentioned that.  Second, it only involves three ingredients and less than an hour of cooking.   Ingredient number one: tomatoes.  You can use fresh (which is how I made it) or you can use canned.  Which means you can make it all year round.  Which I plan to do.

Second ingredient: an onion.  You peel it and cut it in half and let it simmer in the sauce...but then you take it out at the end, so you are just getting a subtle taste of it.

Third ingredient?  BUTTER.  Because everything is better with butter.

Not THIS much butter, but this was the picture I had of butter, so I thought what the heck.  It gets the point across.

So there you have it - tomato, onion, butter.  Simmer for 45 minutes, then take the onion out and toss it.  If you like your sauce chunky you are ready to roll.  If you like it a little smoother, you can do what I did and give it a whirl with the immersion blender.  Boil up some pasta and ladle it on.  You can sprinkle on some parmesan cheese and fresh pepper if you want, but you don't have to.  Honestly, you almost don't even need the pasta.

So, with thanks to the amazing Marcella Hazan, here's the world's best tomato sauce.  Get ready to rock your pasta.

The Best Tomato Sauce in the World! by Marcella Hazan via Food 52

• 2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped*, or 2 cups canned imported Italian tomatoes, cut up, with their juice


• 5 tablespoons butter


• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half


• Salt to taste

1. Put either the prepared fresh tomatoes or the canned in a saucepan, add the butter, onion, and salt, and cook uncovered at a very slow, but steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until it is thickened to your liking and the fat floats free from the tomato.


2. Stir from time to time, mashing up any large pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon.


3. Taste and correct for salt. Discard the onion before tossing with pasta. Serve with freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese for the table.

*Peel fresh tomatoes by cutting a shallow X in the bottom of each tomato, plunging them into boiling water for one minute, scooping them out with a slotted spoon and then peeling with a paring knife when cool enough to handle.

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Pasta with Shredded Chicken and Rosemary

I've said it before and I'll say it again...if a recipe has the words "shredded" and "chicken" in it, I am completely, 100% in.  There's something about bite-sized pieces of chicken that just means comfort food to me, and if you include a little pasta and cheese with it...oh my goodness.

And this particular one also involves one of my favorite fresh herbs, conveniently one that is currently growing like gangbusters in my back yard.  Rosemary!  If you are ever feeling blue, rub a few rosemary leaves between your fingers and inhale deeply.  It's pretty much guaranteed to make you feel better.

Anyway.  This is a fast and simple dish that will make short work of any leftover cooked chicken you have in your fridge.  Whenever I am grilling chicken for anything else, I make sure to throw a few extra pieces on, because grilled chicken is just about perfect in recipes like this one.  Let it come to room temperature and tear it into those nice little bite-sized pieces while you are cooking up some pasta.  I like to use orecchiette (those little round ones) because they do such a nice job of holding the sauce, but pretty much any short pasta will do.  Make sure you salt the pasta water up good, and scoop out some of the pasta water right before you drain it.

Once the drained pasta is back in the pot, toss in the chicken, some parmesan cheese, some of that glorious fresh rosemary, a little salt and pepper, and enough pasta water to make it into a nice light sauce.  Simmer it until everything is all warm and blended together.  Now all you have to to is spoon it into plates and dig in.

Shredded chicken...it never lets me down.

Pasta with Shredded Chicken and Rosemary, adapted from Real Simple

• 12 ounces orecchiette (about 3 cups)
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• Coarse salt and black pepper

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1 ¼ cups of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
2. Toss the pasta with the chicken, rosemary, reserved pasta water, ½ cup of the Parmesan, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
3. Cook, stirring, over medium-low heat, until the sauce has thickened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan. 

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Zucchini Pasta with Ricotta

So, how's the zucchini out by you these days?  Here in sultry New Jersey it has us surrounded, which is as good an excuse as any to make this easy pasta dish for supper...and which in turn lets me indulge two of my favorite things to do; using my lethal weapon of a mandoline, and making yet another pot of fresh ricotta.  Neither one of which should scare you off, since you can make this dish perfectly nicely with a regular knife and ricotta from the store, but I'm just saying.

Anyway, slice up your zucchini into nice long strips in whatever way you like to do it, and roasted them with a little olive oil until they are nice and golden and wonderful.  In the meantime, cook up a pot of linguine, and make sure you save a little of the pasta water before you drain it.  (This is a good basic rule in life...a little pasta water can do amazing things for pretty much any pasta sauce that needs just a teeny bit of loosening.)  

Now toss that pasta sauce with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, and then gently stir in some of your roasted zucchini.  Drizzle in a little of the pasta water if you think it needs it.  Top with some ricotta (and if you do want to make your own, click here for my favorite - and quick! - way to make it), and a little lemon zest.  Done!

Take that, zucchini!

Zucchini Pasta with Ricotta, from Everyday Food

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 2 pounds zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound linguine
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup ricotta

1. Preheatoven to 450. Brush two rimmed baking sheets with oil. Arrange zucchiniin a single layer on sheets and brush tops with oil; season with saltand pepper. Roast zucchini until tender and lightly golden in parts, 25to 30 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.
   
2. Meanwhile,in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook linguine according topackage instructions. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add oil, lemonzest, and zucchini and toss to combine. Serve pasta topped with ricotta.

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Orzo with Goat Cheese, Peas and Mint

Usually, I make a big deal of Eating Dinner Together At The Dining Room Table As a Family.  Especially on Sundays.  There's just something about being at the table, with placemats and candles and fabric napkins that makes me feel like all is right with the world.  And now that my teenager is leaving for college in a matter of days, I've gotten even more, shall we say, insistent?  I'm trying to memorize every last detail of her sunny face across the table from me.  Somehow I don't think gazing into this face across the table is going to be the same.

Although I'm thinking I am going to miss the teenager so incredibly much that I might actually break down and let the dog sit in her chair, just so it's not so, well, EMPTY.

Anyway.  Family dinners are great, but every once in a while there is nothing like eating supper out of mis-matched bowls on the sofa in front of a movie, with the dog curled up at your feet looking pleadingly at whatever you are eating.   And this is one of those meals - a warm, comforting, cheesy bowl of easy to eat orzo mixed up with just enough wonderful and comforting things to make it both interesting and scrumptious.

And putting it together could not be easier.  Cook up some orzo, which is rice-shaped pasta and one of the world's best comfort foods.  Once it is done and drained, pour it into a bowl and stir it up with a little olive oil and lemon zest, and then toss in some peas (fresh are fabulous if you can find them, but frozen cooked peas will work just fine), some crumbled goat cheese, a little fresh chopped mint and some salt and pepper.  Voila!  Instant comforting coziness...it's great warm, warm temperature or even as a chilled pasta salad kind of dish.

Personally, I plan to eat mine at all different temperatures curled up on the coach until my baby comes home for Thanksgiving break.  I hope the orzo supply holds out!

Orzo with Goat Cheese, Peas and Mint

• 1 pound orzo, cooked
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• I cup peas, fresh or frozen and thawed
• 6 ounces crumbled goat cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

1. Combine hot cooked orzo with olive oil and lemon zest.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients.  Can be served warm or cold!

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Pasta with Mozzarella Tomatoes

Just about this time of year, you start thinking...what am I going to do with all that basil in my garden?  And what I am going to do with all those gorgeous local tomatoes?

I think I have the answer.  First step: find a big hunk of the best mozzarella cheese you can get your hands on.  The softer and creamier the cheese, the more deliriously happy you are going to be...it's a direct connection.  Creamy cheesiness = happiness.  Next, go get yourself a few of those nice tomatoes...



...and some of that basil.  I have some if you need any!



Okay, here we go.  Cook up some spaghetti, and while it is boiling away, get your tomatoes ready.  Slice them up in nice thick slices, and season them with a little salt and pepper.  Place them on a baking sheet and cover them with some slices of that great mozzarella you found, along with a little parmesan. 

Meanwhile, heat up some olive oil with some chopped garlic and red pepper for a couple minutes...don't let the garlic get too brown.  As soon as it starts smelling like garlic heaven, you're good.  When the pasta has about 2 minutes to go, pop those tomatoes into the broiler until the cheese starts getting gorgeously brown and bubbly. 

Now it's time to put it all together.  Toss the pasta with that delicious garlic oil, some chopped basil, a little more salt and pepper, and then slide those cheesy tomatoes on top.  A few more basil leaves and Parmesan just to send you completely over the edge, and you are all set.  Tomato season, I adore you!

 Pasta with Mozzarella Tomatoes, from Real Simple

• 12 ounces spaghetti
• 3 large beefsteak tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), each cut into 4 thick slices
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for the baking sheet
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce), plus more, shaved, for serving
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving

1. Heat broiler. Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain and return it to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, arrange the tomato slices in a single layer on a lightly oiled rimmed baking sheet. Season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Dividing evenly, cover the slices with the mozzarella and Parmesan. Broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. In a small saucepan, warm the oil with the garlic and red pepper over medium heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Add the garlic oil, basil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve topped with the tomatoes, additional basil, and shaved Parmesan.

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Creamy Pasta with Roasted Zucchini, Almonds and Basil

We are now in the wonderful midst of the lazy, hazy, wonderful days of summer, and that means the best local veggies of the year.  Fresh local vegetable season is over before you know it, and so I throw them into everything I can think of these days.  This week our local farmers market had a giant mountain of zucchini that was still warm from the sunny field, and that was all the excuse I needed to make this one....and it had the extra added advantage of also needing some basil, which I have about 100 acres of at the moment.

Now this DOES involve turning on your oven, which is usually against the rules in my house during the months of July and August unless Absolutely Necessary, but let me tell you that the delicious roasted crispy edges of the zucchini make it Absolutely Necessary.    Once it is done, it gets tossed with a quick little cream sauce that includes lemon zest (yum!) and a few tablespoons of your favorite goat cheese.  My favorite goat cheese comes from these guys:

And if you want to know the full story behind those adorable faces, please click here.  Otherwise, please proceed with making this fabulous pasta dish, while the zucchini is in full swing.

Creamy Pasta with Roasted Zucchini, Almonds and Basil, from The New York Times

• 2 medium zucchini, cut into
• 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 sprig basil, with leaves and stem
• 3 tablespoons goat cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 6 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti or linguine.

1. Heat oven to 500 degrees. Toss the zucchini and oil with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Arrange zucchini on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast, tossing occasionally, until golden and tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a skillet over medium heat until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
3. Simmer the cream and basil sprig in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 7 minutes. Whisk in the goat cheese until the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat; stir in lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and keep warm.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain well. Toss the pasta with the cream sauce. Serve topped with the zucchini and almonds.

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Pasta with Sweet Yellow Tomatoes

Every summer I look forward to the Return of the Tomato.  I do love the classic red ones, and have about one million recipes that call for them, but I'm also crazy about the green ones (fried green tomatoes!) and the sweetest ones of all, which are the yellow ones.  It has something to do with less tannic acid (or maybe more...I'm a little fuzzy on the technicalities) but they have a sweet, perfect taste that makes you want to bite into them like they were a peach or an apple.  As a matter of fact, you might want to buy a couple of extras just to do that.

And after you've gotten that out of your system, you need to make this scrumptious pasta, which not only tastes like summer but looks like it too.  Yellow tomatoes, fresh basil, all mixed up with a light pan sauce made with garlic and Parmesan cheese and a teeny hint of red pepper.

All topped with toasted breadcrumbs.  Do not be tempted to skip the toasted breadcrumb part...it gives this dish the perfect crunchy touch.  Hurray for yellow tomatoes!

Pasta with Sweet Yellow Tomatoes, from Bon Appetit's fabulous article on How To make Perfect Pasta!

4 slices white bread, stale or lightly toasted
4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
8 oz. Sun Gold or cherry tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
6 oz. capellini, spaghetti, or bucatini
3/4 cup finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan
8 medium fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces



Tear bread slices into small pieces. Process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Bake in a 350° oven, stirring occasionally, until browned and dry, then transfer hot breadcrumbs to a large bowl. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, season, and toss to coat.

Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add tomatoes, garlic, and red pepper flakes, season with salt, and cook, covered slightly and swirling pan often, until tomatoes blister and burst, 10-12 minutes. Press down on tomatoes to release their juices. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a 5-qt. pot. Season with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water.

Transfer pasta to skillet with tomatoes; set over high heat. Add 1/2 cup pasta water. Cook, stirring and tossing often, until sauce thickens and begins to coat the pasta, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining oil, cheese, and half the basil and toss until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente. (Add more pasta water if sauce seems dry.) Add remaining basil, season with salt, and serve with breadcrumbs.

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Spaghetti with Fresh Clams

Now that the wonderful new Bon Appetit has shown me the light in terms of cooking pasta (click here for this new approach to pasta and sauce...it's life-changing) I am now going back to my old faves to try it out on them.  And one of my old fave is absolutely pasta with fresh clam sauce.  Briny, garlicky, slightly peppery sauce, with fresh clams.    I used littlenecks, but you can use manila clams as well.  You can apparently also use cockles.  (I wouldn't know a cockle if I bumped into one on Fifth Avenue, but if you do, then just know you can use 'em in this recipe.)

So, the basic concept is the same.  Cook your pasta...but not all the way.  Drain it when it still has about 2 minutes to go (and save some of the pasta water for later in the recipe).  Meantime, cook up your sauce...in this case you saute up some sliced garlic in olive oil, add some white wine and then steam your clams in this fabulous mixture until they open up.  Once they do, take out the clams with tongs and put them in a bowl. 

Now crank up the heat under that sauce and add a little pasta water...and add your almost cooked pasta.  It's going to finish cooking in this sauce, and while it's doing that it will absorb some of the sauce as it goes.  Oh yes. 

In the meantime, you can be heating your serving dish and/or your plates in a 200 degree oven.  I love doing this with pasta - the heat of the plate will keep your dinner nice and warm all through the meal.  In this case, I chose this particular serving bowl.

This bowl keeps me on the straight and narrow at the end of a long day, when I sometimes find myself standing in the kitchen thinking, now what was I doing again?

Oh yes.  Pasta.  Once the pasta is cooked, pour the entire thing into your warm serving bowl.  Add the cooked clams with any juices and toss it just a little to mix it all up.  Sprinkle some fresh chopped parsley on top, and drizzle just a teeny bit of olive oil over the whole thing.

I'm never going back, pasta-wise. 

Spaghetti with Fresh Clams (also known as Spaghetti Alle Vongole) with hugs and kisses to Bon Appetit

• Kosher salt
• 6 oz. spaghetti
• 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 lb. cockles, Manila clams, or littlenecks, scrubbed
• 2 Tbsp. roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

• Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a 5-qt. pot. Season lightly with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
• Meanwhile, heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, swirling pan often, until just golden. Add red pepper flakes and continue cooking 15 more seconds. Add wine, then clams; increase heat to high. Cover skillet and cook until clams open and release their juices, 3-6 minutes, depending on size of clams. As clams open, use tongs to transfer them to a bowl.
• Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to skillet; bring to a boil. Add pasta to pan. Cook over high heat, tossing constantly, until pasta is al dente and has soaked up some of the sauce from the pan. Add clams and any juices from bowl to pan, along with parsley, and toss to combine. (Add more pasta water if sauce seems dry.) Transfer pasta to warm bowls and drizzle with remaining oil.
   
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Ravioli with Tomatoes in White Wine Sauce

This is one of those recipes that is perfect, perfect, perfect for those long days where everything goes wrong, but at the end of the day you still have to make dinner.  It's simple and delicious and comforting and only takes 20 minutes, and that's including slicing up those cute little grape tomatoes at a very reasonable rate of speed.

(Why are they called grape tomatoes, by the way?  Is it because they are shaped like grapes?  That seems like too easy an answer.  Please advise.)

Anyway, if you have some grape tomatoes hanging around, and a bag of frozen cheese ravioli in your fridge (and you should ALWAYS have an emergency bag of cheese ravioli in your fridge...trust me on this), you are twenty short minutes away from having a supper that will melt all your cares away.  You saute a little bit of shallot in some olive oil, and then add in those halved grape tomatoes and about a cup of white wine.  (Pour another glass of wine while you cook.  It will help speed up the melting-away-of-cares process.).  Let the tomatoes simmer in the wine for about five minutes, just until they are a just a little soft.  In the meantime, cook up your ravioli.  Once both the ravioli and the tomatoes are done, swirl a couple tablespoons of butter into the tomato-wine sauce, and then add the ravioli and stir lovingly.  You're in a better mood already by now.  Yes you are.

Now sprinkle with some fresh chopped parsley, grind a little pepper on top, put on some jazz, light some candles, and all of the sudden it's a great night.  This is guaranteed to work every time.  Give it a try and see!

Ravioli with Tomatoes in White Wine Sauce, adapted from Real Simple

• 16 to 18 ounces fresh or frozen cheese ravioli
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup dry white wine
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Cook the ravioli according to the package directions, drain, and return them to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes, wine, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and simmer until the tomatoes begin to soften, 4 to 5 minutes.  Add butter and stir until it is melted into the sauce.

4. Gently toss the ravioli with the tomato mixture and parsley.

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Velvet Pasta, aka Pasta al Pomodoro

Oh, I have so many many things to say about this innocent looking plate of pasta with tomato sauce, so hunker down with me for a little while.

First of all, I got it from the latest edition of the magazine Bon Appetit.  Now, I am a long-time friend of Bon Appetit.  I was with them back in the good old days, when they published more fabulous recipes than I could keep up with.  Then...as sometimes happens with long-term relationships, things got rocky.  (Note to Southern husband: I'm not talking about you, honey.  You are still the peas to my carrots and you always will be.)  Bon Appetit on the other hand...well, they got a little too fancy for a home cook like me.  I let my subscription lapse.  And then...there was a new editor-in-chief in town, and this May the new Bon Appetit launched, with this pasta dish on the cover.  And folks, I'm once again hooked...there are probably 10 different recipes from this issue that have migrated to the top of my "to-make" pile.  But what really sucked me in was their "Pasta Manifesto" - all the things you need to know to make perfect pasta.

Well, okay!  There's nothing that gets my attention like an article that suggests..with real, actual, concrete advice...that pasta can be made better.  So I jumped in with this recipe that claimed to be the silkiest pasta sauce ever.  And you know what?  It was.  The Southern husband actually decided that "silky" wasn't a good enough adjective for the wonderfulness...that it really should be called "Velvet Pasta."   Comments like that on an ordinary Monday night are when you know you have a hit on your hands.

The basics of this one are: you need to really salt the water before you add the pasta.  We aren't using enough salt in the water, people!  You need to undercook the pasta a little, and then finish cooking it IN THE SAUCE.  It makes total sense if you think about it.  There are a few other things about using some of the salty pasta water to thin the sauce, and adding a little butter at the end, and a few others that added up to a simple tomato sauce with pasta that was, well...velvet.

So what have I learned?

1. Salt the water.  Really salt it.  No fear.

2. Finish cooking the pasta for the last two minutes in the sauce.  I'm never going back.

3. Have faith that your favorite magazine/television show/etc. will come to its senses and get better.  Between Bon Appetit and this season's American Idol, I'm beginning to think anything is possible.

4. If you think your first shot isn't working, ignore your ravenous family, dump it on a new plate, take it outside and photograph it again.  Pasta reheats just fine.

I think my work is done here.  :)

Pasta al Pomodoro, from the fabulous new Bon Appetit

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 28 oz. can peeled tomatoes, puréed in a food processor
Kosher salt
3 large fresh basil sprigs
12 oz. bucatini or spaghetti
2 Tbsp. cubed unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino


1. Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium-low heat. Add minced onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 12 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 2-4 minutes. Add crushed red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute more.
2. Increase heat to medium, add puréed tomatoes and season lightly with kosher salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly and the flavors meld, about 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir in basil sprigs, and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a 5-qt. pot. Season with salt; add spaghetti or bucatini and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
4. Discard basil and heat skillet over high heat. Stir in reserved pasta water to loosen sauce; bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring, until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes.
5. Remove pan from heat; add butter and cheese; toss until cheese melts. Transfer to warm bowls; serve with more cheese, if desired. (Personally, I desired.  Just saying.)

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Ham and Cheese Farfalle

Things I have learned from my mother:

1. Kate Middleton isn't the only one who was a beautiful princess on her wedding day.  I grew up with this picture, and I always thought my mother looked like a fairy tale princess.  (Still do!)

2. When having babies, consider having a red-headed girl or a blond boy.  Make sure they either go barefoot or are wearing really sensible shoes, and always dress them in matching outfits.

My brother and I followed this example to the letter.  Exhibit A:

And Exhibit B:

And okay, maybe we had some help from our spouses.  (We may have fallen down on the sensible shoes/same outfit part, although we still have time on that one.  I think they both own black Converse sneakers.)

3. Always make about three times as much food as you are actually going to need for a holiday dinner.  You never know who is going to show up, and this way everyone gets to leave with leftovers.  And even with that, you are still going to have leftovers of your own.  Which is why we were still eating Easter ham many days after the Peeps were all gone, and why this recipe comes in so handy if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.

What we are basically talking about here is a macaroni and cheese recipe that has been spiffed up by using pretty farfalle pasta, also known as bowties, and by tossing in some  - you guessed it - leftover ham.  I always cut it into nice little julienne slices to make it just as fancy.  If you want to get all healthy on me you could toss in some peas or some spinach or even some asparagus (that noise you here in the background is the red-headed teenager shouting NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!).  Anyway, while the pasta is cooking, you stir up a simple cheese sauce of butter, flour, milk and shredded cheddar (as always, I love the Cabot cheddar best of all), and when the pasta is cooked, stir everything together.  Sprinkle with a little parmesan and pop it in the oven until it is just a little golden on top.  By the time you are finished eating, you'll wish you had just a little more leftover ham.

Well, there's always next year.  Right, Mom?

Here's the recipe!

Ham and Cheese Farfalle, from Allrecipes.com

8 ounces farfalle (bow tie) pasta 1/4 cup butter 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups milk 1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard 2 1/2 cups shredded Colby cheese 4 ounces cooked ham, julienned 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.	Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3.	In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Saute garlic 30 seconds. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until smooth. Pour in milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil for 1 minute. Stir in mustard and Colby. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and stir in pasta and ham.
4.	Pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
5.	Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbly and golden.

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Shredded Short Ribs with Pappardelle

A little while ago, a box arrived in my mailbox that was filled with these.

Yes, bags of pappardelle from the Al Dente pasta company in Michigan.  They had emailed to me ask if I might be interested in trying out some of their pasta, and I am a girl who can't say no to pasta.  So I said yes please, and it happened to coincide with a Jamie Oliver recipe I had been dying to try for slow-cooked meat over, yes, pappardelle,  so the whole thing seemed like fate.

First the recipe.  It called for slow-cooking meat in a mixture of red wine, chopped carrots and celery and red onions and herbs, with some plum tomatoes and barley thrown in for good measure.  The interesting part of this was that the recipe gave you COMPLETELY free rein over whatever kind of meat you chose.   It suggested everything from venison to wild boar to squab to rabbit to beef.  

I can't cook venison.  Venison cavorts through my yard on a regular basis.  On one occasion, we had a baby that couldn't jump the stone wall at the end of our yard and get to its mama, so the Southern husband picked up up, wrapped it in a towel and deposited it on the other side of the fence so it could grow up and come back and eat up all my parsley.  But as a result, I can't cook venison.

Short ribs, on the other hand, I can cook.  (And this makes no sense at all, since I have met so many more cows during my life than deer.  Sorry cows.  It's completely unfair.)   So short ribs it was, cooked until they were tender and falling off the bone.  I then shredded the meat and returned it to the amazing sauce, and then tossed the whole thing with the pappardelle.

(By the way, this recipe calls for making a cartouche, and before you get worried, please click here.  It's super-easy, and then you can work into your next cocktail party conversation that you made a cartouche the other day.  It's the little things in life.)

On to the pappardelle.  It cooked up in no time and let me tell you - it was DELICIOUS - perfect consistency and flavor and just right with the shredded meat.  And while I used the regular flavor for this dish, it also comes in a whole raft of flavors, including garlic parsley, lemon chive and spinach.  Heaven, heaven, heaven.   If you are in need of some rocking great pappardelle (and trust me, you are), click here.  You won't be sorry.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to chasing the venison out of my yard.

Shredded Short Ribs with Pappardelle, from Jamie Oliver's recipe viathe fabulous Leite's Culinaria

• 28-ounces short ribs
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 handful each fresh rosemary and fresh thyme, stems discarded and leaves finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 celery stick, finely chopped
• 2 wineglasses Chianti
• Two 14-ounce cans plum tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons pearl barley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 14 ounces fresh or dried pappardelle
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 handfuls grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

1. Season the meat with salt and pepper.   In a Dutch oven, fry your meat in a little olive oil until golden brown. Add your herbs, onions, garlic, carrot, and celery. Turn the heat down and continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened.

2. Add your red wine and continue to simmer until the liquid has almost cooked away but left you with a fantastic color and fragrance.

3. Add the plum tomatoes, the pearl barley, and just enough water to cover the meat by 1/2 inch. Make yourself a cartouche of parchment or wax paper. Wet it with a little water, rub it with a little olive oil, and place it over the pan. Put a lid on the pan as well, as this will retain as much moisture as possible while cooking. Cook over really low heat for about 2 to 3 hours, depending on the tenderness and type of meat. It’s ready when you can literally pull the meat apart in tender strands.

4. At this point, season the braise carefully with salt and pepper to taste and allow to cool slightly before removing the meat from the pan. Using 2 forks, pull apart all the lovely pieces of meat, throwing away any  bones. Skim any fat from the surface of the braising liquid. Put the meat back in the pan and place over low heat.

5. It’s now ready to serve, so cook your pappardelle in a pan of boiling, salted water for 3 minutes if using fresh pasta or according to the package instructions if using dried. Once it’s cooked, drain it in a colander, saving some of the cooking liquid in case the sauce needs a little loosening. Remove the pot of stewed meat from the heat and stir in the butter and Parmesan with a little of the cooking water — this will make it juicy and shiny. Toss together with your pasta and serve immediately. If desired, serve sprinkled with a little finely chopped fresh rosemary and some more grated Parmesan.

Print this!

Ravioli with Baby Spinach and Bacon

Okay, so here's my philosophy: anything that involves spinach, which I actually LOVE,  counts as health food.  It completely cancels out any non-healthy contributions that the bacon may make to this dish.  And the ravioli, well that is just neutral.  Scrumptious, but the its the food equivalent of Switzerland.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

In the meantime, this is another super easy dish that is a wonderful combo of three things that you might not occur to you to put in the same pan, but that actually work PERFECTLY together.  The spinach is sauteed quickly with a little garlic while the ravioli cooks.  In the meantime,  put the bacon in the oven for about ten minutes until it is crisp and get someone reliable to chop it into bite-sized pieces while you are sauteing the spinach.

Sorry, but not you.

Stir the chopped bacon into the spinach, squeeze in a little fresh lemon juice and when you have all that done, toss the ravioli with the tiniest bit of olive oil, and then spoon the spinach and bacon mixture over the top.  A little fresh-ground pepper, and dinner is on the table.

Isn't it great when dinner is both fabulous AND ready in 15 minutes?

Ravioli with Baby Spinach and Bacon, from Real Simple

• 1 pound ravioli (fresh or frozen)
• 6 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 8 cups baby spinach
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Cook the ravioli according to the package directions. Drain and divide among bowls.
2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a paper towel–lined plate. Crumble.
3. Wipe out the skillet and heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the spinach, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing, until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Stir the bacon and lemon juice into the spinach. Spoon the mixture over the ravioli.

Click here for printable recipe

Linguine in Herbed Artichoke Sauce

This recipe dates WAY back to the days when the Southern husband and I were young and carefree, spending our Saturdays browsing around antique shops and street fairs and used bookstores.  We would wander here and there with our string shopping bags and not a care in the world, picking up this and that, and me being me, a lot of what we picked up were interesting cookbooks, often ones that were stacked in corners of little bookstores.  This particular recipe comes from one of those books - a terrific cookbook called SIMPLY ELEGANT COUNTRY FOODS.  The price is still there, written in pencil on the inside front cover.

Let's take a closer look at that price, shall we?

Now THAT'S what I call a bargain.  About five minutes ago when I started writing this post, I made a bet with the Southern husband about whether you would even be able to find this cookbook anywhere, lo these 20 years later.  He said no way.  I said absolutely yes.

Simply Elegant Country Foods : Downhome Goes Uptown

All I will say about THIS is that he is a gracious loser, and I am a nyah-nyah-nyah-ha-ha-ha-told-you-so type of winner.  And that I just LOVE being right.

Meanwhile, back at the recipe, it is every bit as easy and simple and elegant and delicious as it was all those years ago, and as an added bonus, it involves one of my very, very favorite vegetables.  (This picture may look familiar to my beloved frequent readers.  I love you guys.)

And before you worry, you can and should use frozen artichoke hearts - you don't have to mess with stripping and prepping fresh artichokes.  I just had this artichoke picture hanging around and I love looking at artichokes whenever possible.  Anyway,  besides the artichokes, the rest of the dish is a fast and simple concoction of onions, garlic, white wine, a teeny bit of tomato paste and heavy cream, and some herbs and spices, all tossed around with linguine.  Perfect, simple, delicious and you get to have artichokes.  Life is good.

Linguine in Herbed Artichoke Sauce, adapted from Simply Elegant Country Foods : Downhome Goes Uptown 

• One pound linguine
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil, or one teaspoon dried
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 ten ounce package frozen quartered artichoke hearts, thawed
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Heat butter and oil in skillet and add onions and garlic.  Saute for 3 minutes.

2. Raise heat and add wine and broth.  Stir until boiling, then stir in herbs and tomato paste.  Simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Add artichoke hearts and simmer for 2-3 more minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cook pasta and drain.  Return to pot.

5. Stir cream into the sauce, heat to almost boiling and then pour sauce over pasta and toss.

6. Grind fresh pepper over top and serve.

Click here for printable recipe.

Spaghetti with Lemon and Olive Oil

Okay, so I have to admit that it was the alternate name of this recipe that first sucked me in.  The regular title was Spaghetti with Lemon and Olive Oil, which isn't too bad either, but in Italian it is called Spaghetti a LIMONE.  Just saying it out loud made me feel all cosmopolitan and exotic and international.  Then I read the description and was even more sold on it: spaghetti tossed with a light sauce of lemon juice, shallots, lemon zest and just a touch of heavy cream, thinned out with some of the pasta cooking water.  A little freshly grated parmesan and some fresh chopped basil and you are done.  I used a handful of globe basil from my Aerogarden...

...because the globe basil section of my Aerogarden is now so big that it needs its own zip code.  (You can read about my Aerogarden adventures by clicking here.  I am in herb heaven.)

Anyway, back at the LIMONE, which is a quick and delicious weeknight supper with just enough zing to keep you lively all through dinner.    Grab some lemons and give it a try!

Spaghetti with Lemon and Olive Oil, from Cooks Illustrated

	Table salt
1	pound spaghetti
1/4	cup extra virgin olive oil , plus more for serving
1	medium shallot , minced (about 3 tablespoons)
1/4	cup heavy cream
2	teaspoons finely grated zest and 1/4 cup juice from 3 lemons
1	ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup), plus more for serving
	Ground black pepper
2	tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to boiling water; cook, stirring frequently, until al dente. Reserve 1¾ cups cooking water, drain pasta into colander, and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallot and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook until shallot is softened, about 2 minutes. Whisk 1 1/2 cups of reserved pasta cooking water and cream into pot; bring to simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat, return pasta, and stir until coated. Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
3. Cover and let pasta stand 2 minutes, tossing frequently and adjusting consistency with remaining 1/4 cup reserved pasta water if necessary. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, drizzling individual portions with oil and sprinkling with cheese.

Click here for printable recipe

Lemon Shrimp Scampi with Linguine

So, I better start this post off by saying that you must love and adore the following things in order to love and adore this recipe.

Lemons.  There are lemon slices, lemon zest and lemon juice in this dish.  A whole lot of lemon juice, freshly squeezed from four, count 'em, four lemons.

Garlic.  There are nine, count 'em, nine cloves of garlic in this recipe, all minced up and cooked with the lemon juice, along with a good amount of butter, a lot of fresh chopped parsley, and some lovely large shrimp.  The whole process takes about 7 minutes (not kidding), which is just about the amount of time you will need to cook up a nice pot of linguine.  Then all that is left to do is drain the linguine and toss it with the shrimpy, buttery, lemony, garlicky sauce.

If you are like me, welcome to heaven, where everything is made with lemon and garlic.  And bacon.  And chocolate.  And bacon.

(Note to self: possible to make this recipe with bacon next time?  Must ponder...)

Linguine with Lemon Shrimp Scampi, adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style

• 1 1/2 pounds linguine
• 3/4 stick butter
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 9 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• Grated zest of one lemon
• Juice from 4 lemons (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 lemon, cut in half and thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

1. Cook linguine in salted water until done, drain and put back in the pot.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter and olive oil in large skillet over medium low heat.  Add garlic and saute for one minute.  Add shrimp, one teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, turn up heat to medium and saute until shrimp are pink, about 5 minutes.  Stir often, turning the shrimp over to make sure they are cooked through.

3. Turn heat back down to low and add lemon juice, zest and slices, and red pepper.  Stir for about a minute to combine and heat up the sauce.

4. Pour sauce with shrimp into pot with drained pasta, toss well and serve.

Click here for printable recipe

Naked Ravioli

Okay, so I would like to clear up something right away.  When I posted on my Facebook page that I was making this particular recipe for dinner, there was a fair amount of, shall I say ALARM, about the title of the recipe.  Some people were concerned for my safety.  Others were just discombobulated in general about what on earth was going on in my kitchen. So just let me state clearly and for the record: it is the RAVIOLI that is naked.  Not the cook.  The cook remained fully clothed at all time, as you can see from the photograph below.

Now that we can all breathe a deep sigh of relief, let me tell you what is going on here.

Naked ravioli basically means that you are getting the filling of the ravioli - in this case a scrumptious mixture of veal, parmesan cheese, herbs and some other things - OUTSIDE of the pasta. So the ravioli filling is, well, naked.  I toss some bow-tie pasta into this dish so you still get the happiness of the pasta part, it's just not wrapped around the filling.  Making the filling naked.  Are you getting the drift here?  

So now that we all understand each other, here's what happens.  You mix up some ground veal, chopped onion, a beaten egg, some grated parmesan, a little chopped fresh parsley and some salt and pepper, and roll them into a whole batch of little tiny meatballs - about 1/2 inch inch in diameter, give or take.  Drop them in some salted boiling water, and at the same time melt about a half a stick of butter with some fresh sage leaves until the butter is melted and golden brown.

When the meatballs are done, scoop them out with a slotted spoon and cook up a batch of bow-tie pasta in that same water.  Save about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and when the pasta is done, toss everything together in one bowl - pasta, meatballs, butter mixture, some of the pasta water to loosen up the sauce - and add in some peas and a little more parmesan cheese. And there you have it - all the makings of ravioli, but WAY easier than making it from scratch and with the filling on the outside rather than being contained in the pasta.  Or in other words...naked.

I think I have now used the word "naked" on my blog more times than I ever have before, or ever will again.  I'm hoping and wondering if this might actually increase my blog traffic.

One way or the other, give this fun dish a try!

Naked Ravioli

• 1 pound ground veal (you can also use ground pork or beef or any combo thereof!)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 pound bow-tie pasta
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 20 fresh sage leaves
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• Salt and pepper
• Extra grated parmesan for garnish

1. Combine meat, egg, cheese, parsley and onion.  Roll into balls about 1/2 inch in diameter and pop in the fridge until ready to use.

2. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add a tablespoon of salt.  Cook meatballs in boiling water for 5 minutes and remove with slotted spoon.  Put in a bowl and cover to keep warm.  Cook pasta in the same water until done, adding the peas during the last minute of cooking.  Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.   Drain.

3. Meanwhile,  cook butter and sage leaves together in small pot until butter is light brown, about 5 minutes.  Toss pasta with butter mixture, reserved meatballs and enough pasta water to make a light sauce.  Salt and peper to taste.  Top with grated parsmesan and serve.

Click here for printable recipe

Pasta Amatriciana

I have no idea what "Amatraciana" actually means in real life, but in my house it means "the pasta dish that the Southern husband loves above all others". Maybe because it is just a little bit tangy/spicy because it slow cooks with a lot of chopped onion and smashed garlic. Maybe because it includes a LOT of chopped Canadian bacon. Maybe because you simmer the whole thing in a deliriously amazing mixture of red wine and plum tomatoes with just a dash of sugar to take the edge off all the tangy stuff.

Well, whatever it is, I try and make it for him every once in a while just to show my undying love and devotion, and I always use the recipe from the Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook, because if you are going to make someone's favorite pasta dish you should go right to the heart of cookbook heaven.

This is not to say others in the house don't appreciate my efforts to make suppertime a significant experience as well, just for the record.

Meanwhile, back at the Pasta Amatriciana, this recipe is simple but perfect, and here's my best advice for this one: San Marzano canned plum tomatoes, and Jones Canadian Bacon. Trust me. That and a handful of really, really food fresh grated Parmesan cheese, and all is right with the world. The Silver Palate says "this is a splendid meal for the heartiest of appetites," and I really couldn't have said it better myself. Make it for suppertime for someone you love very soon.

Pasta Amatriciana, adapted from THE SILVER PALATE GOOD TIMES COOKBOOK

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 medium yellow onions, peeled and chopped
• 8 ounces Canadian bacon, chopped into one inch squares
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 cups drained canned plum tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3/4 cup red wine
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pound cooked pasta (I used ziti, but your choice!)
• Grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add onions and saute for 10 minutes. Stir in bacon and garlic and saute for 5 minutes more.

2. Stir in tomatoes, sugar and wine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with cooked pasta of your choice, sprinkled generously with Parmesan.

Click here for printable recipe

Pappardelle with Zucchini, Roasted Tomatoes and Fresh Rosemary

1. Don't you just love it when it is time to take the Christmas plates out?

2. Don't you just love it when your dinner actually MATCHES the Christmas plates?

I know, but these are the little things in life that keep a smile on my face, and so I am going with the flow here. This great recipe is another one from THE NEW BROOKLYN COOKBOOK, and is easy enough that you actually don't mind whipping it up in the midst of the wrapping and the shopping and the fa-la-la-la-la. Don't be tempted to use anything other than pappardale in this recipe - it's that gorgeous wide pasta that you see in the picture, and it is the perfect pasta for this dish. I found it without any problem in my local market, right there on the pasta aisle, but if you have any problem you can order it from that same place you are getting all your holiday gifts...here's the link:

Pappardelle Pasta

Anyway, this is a fast and scrumptious dish that will remind you a little of that old standard, pasta primavera, but in this case the veggies are limited to cherry tomatoes that are roasted with a little olive oil and coarse salt, and zucchini that is cut into matchstick size pieces and quickly sauteed. A few toasted pine nuts, some parmesan cheese and you are in business - a red and green pasta dish that would be just perfect for an elegant dinner on, say, Christmas Eve?

Yum and yum and ho ho ho.

Pappardelle with Zucchini, Roasted Tomatoes and Fresh Rosemary, adapted from THE NEW BROOKLYN COOKBOOK

• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt
• 16 ounces papparedelle
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into matchsticks (about 2 inches by 1/4 inch)
• leaves from two fresh rosemary sprigs, chopped
• Freshly grated parmesan

1. Lightly toast pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Transfer to small bowl and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 425. Toss tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of oil and a generous pinch of salt. Place on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment or nonstick foil and roast for 20 minutes.

3. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package directions, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain.

4. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and zucchini and cook for 3 minutes, stirring now and then. Stir in rosemary and cook for 2 minutes more. Add drained pasta and tomatoes and toss, adding a little pasta water to make a light sauce. Sprinkle with pine nuts and cheese and serve at once.

Click here for printable recipe

Swedish Meatballs

My handsome, romantic, agreeable Southern husband is one of the major ingredients that keeps this little blog chugging along. Not only does he bravely eat each and every experiment that comes out of my kitchen, he also helps with the chopping, the measuring, and (yes!!) the cleaning up. He cheerfully runs out for those ingredients I inevitably forget and need right NOW. He also gave me this...

And this.

So every now and again I like to make him his all-time favorite dinner, which is Swedish Meatballs. I'm always on the lookout for a good Swedish Meatball recipe, and I've tried quite a variety of 'em over the years. Which made it that much more exciting when I spotted a new one at one of my most reliable cooking resources, Cooks Illustrated. If Cooks Illustrated makes it, you KNOW it is going to be great, and this was no exception. Lots of Swedish Meatball recipes can be heavy and salty and overwhelmingly saucy, but not this one - the sauce is light and delicious and the meatballs are flavorful and just a tiny bit sweet. Pour the whole thing over some noodles (egg noodles if you want to be authentic, bowties if you are me and forgot to get egg noodles and didn't want to send the Southern husband out to the store yet again). Scatter a little parsley on top - not traditional, but good! -- and watch your true love's eyes light right up.

Ain't love grand??

Last but not least, please click here, and then go make some Swedish Meatballs.

Swedish Meatballs, from Cooks Illustrated

1	large egg
1/4	cup heavy cream
1	large slice bread, crusts removed and bread torn into 1-inch pieces
8	ounces ground pork
1	small onion , grated on large holes of box grater (about 1/4 cup)
1/8	teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8	teaspoon ground allspice
1/8	teaspoon ground black pepper
1	teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2	teaspoons salt
1	teaspoon baking powder
8	ounces ground beef
1 1/4	cups vegetable oil
1	tablespoon unsalted butter
1	tablespoon flour
1 1/2	cups chicken broth
1	tablespoon brown sugar
1/2	cup heavy cream
2	teaspoons juice from 1 lemon

1. Whisk egg and cream together in medium bowl. Stir in bread and set aside. Meanwhile, in stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat pork, onion, nutmeg, allspice, pepper, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder on high speed until smooth and pale, about 2 minutes, scraping bowl as necessary. Using fork, mash bread mixture until no large dry bread chunks remain; add mixture to mixer bowl and beat on high speed until smooth and homogeneous, about 1 minute, scraping bowl as necessary. Add beef and mix on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl as necessary. Using moistened hands, form generous tablespoon of meat mixture into 1-inch round meatball; repeat with remaining mixture to form 25 to 30 meatballs.
   


2. Heat oil in 10-inch straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat until edge of meatball dipped in oil sizzles 3 to 5 minutes. Add meatballs in single layer and fry, flipping once halfway through cooking, until lightly browned all over and cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. (Adjust heat as needed to keep oil sizzling but not smoking.) Using slotted spoon, transfer browned meatballs to paper towel-lined plate.


3. Pour off and discard oil in pan, leaving any fond (browned bits) behind. Return pan to medium-high heat and add butter. When foaming subsides, add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until flour is light brown, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in broth, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits. Add brown sugar and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and return to simmer.


4. Add meatballs to sauce and simmer, turning occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and serve over egg noodles or other pasta.

Click here for printable recipe