If social distancing has you…
March 17, 2020
dining alone, I’m here to help. Nothing washes over you like a big hug than a comforting bowl of pasta. And, what’s even better is when that pasta dish can be made with just a few pantry ingredients you most likely have on hand. Add in one pot and ten minutes and you’re reading to dig in. Really, it’s just that simple.
Start with a small saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Over medium heat melt a tablespoon of butter and add 4 oz. of orzo pasta tossing to coat. Continue to stir until pasta just starts to toast up. Add 1 cup chicken stock and a good grind of black pepper. Cover and cook over low heat for ten minutes. Set your timer and check at ten minutes, continue cooking a couple of minutes more if necessary until all of the liquid is absorbed. Plate up and dress with the juice of 1/2 lemon. Taste and add a pinch of salt if desired. That’s it. Done and done. No need to guild the lily here, no Parmesan necessary. How easy was that? All that’s left to do is grab the remote and settle in for a little binge watching.
The original recipe from Sue Krietzman can be found here. https://food52.com/recipes/75234-sue-kreitzman-s-lemon-butter-angel-hair-pasta
While it calls for angel hair pasta, I have found it to work as well if not better with my favorite, orzo, or regular spaghetti broken into 2-3 inch pieces.. Any pasta shape can be used, just adjust the liquid and cooking time as needed.
photos: gp
You’ve Got This
April 23, 2018
A few pantry staples…spaghetti, canned tuna, breadcrumbs, Kalamata olives…a bit of flat leaf parsley, a lemon, plus a splash of olive oil. That’s it. A minimal prep while the spaghetts is cooking and you have a simple Springtime supper on the table in under thirty minutes.
Lemon zest, roughly chopped parsley and olives with a squeeze of lemon juice and a splash of olive oil makes the sauce when tossed with the hot pasta and a bit of the cooking liquid. Gently fold in the toasted breadcrumbs and tuna and you’re done. Couldn’t be simpler.
If you’re culinarily challenged let Sarah Carey at Everyday Food walk you through this. https://www.marthastewart.com/920109/edfw1118-spaghetti-wtuna-breadcrumbs-edfwmov
photos: gp
Turning Back the Clock
November 6, 2017
Daylight Saving Time just messes with me. The simple act of turning the clocks back each Fall seems simple enough, but the darkness that descends is just too much too early. It’s as if there is no longer a difference between AM and PM…it’s all the same…dark. Maybe that’s why breakfast for dinner is popular with so many. While pancakes or eggs might satisfy some, it’s not as comforting as I’d like after a long day. Enter the perfect mash-up of breakfast and supper…Pasta Carbonara. A simple combination of a few pantry staples; bacon and eggs, half and half, Parmesan and Italian parsley tossed with hot spaghetti has dinner on the table in as little time as it takes the pasta to cook. Now we’re talking. I’m feeling better about the time change already.
I tweeked this already simple recipe from Everyday Food, https://www.marthastewart.com/341240/spaghetti-carbonara, by using the great smoky Black Forest bacon from Whole Foods Market and halving the amount then adding a handful of coarsely chopped Italian parsley. Guess what just moved up into my Fall and Winter recipe rotation?
photos: gp
Good enough…
April 17, 2016
for company yet simple and quick enough for any week night dinner… Orchietti with pancetta and peas. It’s a Springtime comfort food, with each “little ear” cradling a bit of crisp pancetta, a pea or bit of fresh herb. With a few basic ingredients you can have this on the table in under 30 minutes. A glass of Prosecco and maybe some spring strawberries for dessert ? Done.
Photos:gp
Another Holiday Meatless Monday
December 27, 2015
It may seem like you’ve over done it, but between Christmas and New Years Eve you still have to eat. Fancy enough for company yet simple enough for any day of the week…Mushroom Stroganoff. A handful of ingredients and minimal prep will have four steaming bowls of comfort on the table in about 30 minutes.
Photos:gp
Always On Hand
December 11, 2015
Parsley, walnuts, Parmesan and Bucatini…simplequietmodern pantry staples. And, just what you need for Walnut-Parsley Pesto with Bucatini… a perfect Meatless Monday supper to give you a break from all the holiday party fare. Hearty and satisfying, you won’t be missing the moo, cluck or baa.
This deconstructed pesto variation, adapted from the Chris Morocco original found in Bon Appetite, will serve four and can be whipped up at a moments notice. Gather your ingredients: 12 oz package of dried Bucatini, 1 cup of toasted walnuts, 2 cloves of garlic finely grated, 1 1/2 cups grated parmesan, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley and a couple good pinches of red pepper flakes. Pulse the walnuts in a food processor until finely chopped and add to a bowl containing the chopped parsley, parmesan, garlic and pepper flakes. Stir in oil to combine and season with salt and pepper. Cook the Bucatini according to package directions. Drain, reserving about a cup of the pasta water. Add pesto to the pasta adding small amounts of pasta liquid as needed until until the pasta is well coated. A glass of wine and a bowl of clementines and dinner is done.
Photos:gp
No chickens were harmed…
October 1, 2014
in the making of this dish. More and more I find myself looking for a way not to handle raw chicken but it’s kind of hard to make Chicken Paprikash without it. For this meal the solution was easy…substitute Baby Portobellos and you’ve got, well, Mushroom Paprikash. Easy, easy, easy to make with only a few ingredients and, you could easily have this on the table in 30 minutes. Make some on the next chilly evening and it’ll be like a big hug from a Hungarian grandma. You will never miss the bird.
V Day Dinner…
February 9, 2012
…as easy as 1 2 3. Never again will you be able to pull off with such little effort such an impressive result. For starts, something Brut and sparkling…everyone has their favorite and it’s probably already chilled. Next, a simple appetizer: assorted olives marinated with herbs, garlic and lemon peel. Now dinner. Who doesn’t L O V E a bowl of pasta? So simple and you probably have all of these ingredients in the pantry as well. This classic dish ( I always use Perciatelli) with butter, pepper and cheese is my new go-to ,http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/05/cacio-e-pepe. I top this with a palmfull of dry toasted breadcrumbs … an amazing textural contrast… really,don’t skip this addition. Finish things off with more sparkling wine, a little lemon sorbet splashed with Limoncello and candied lemon peel with dark chocolate. What else is there to say? Done and done. Happy Valentines Day.
simplequietmodern 