Pasta with Breadcrumbs, Artichokes, and Sausage →

 If you need a break from your routine dinner recipes, this delicious, easy-to-prepare dish is perfect to add to your weeknight meal repertoire. Serve with crusty bread and a fresh garden salad. Make the recipe vegetarian by leaving out the sausage. If you have perfected your pasta cheese sauces on dishes like Cacio e Pepe, use the same technique. If you are inexperienced at making creamy Parmesan sauces using starchy pasta water, try using a blender to mix the Parmesan and starchy water into a smooth sauce before adding it to the pan with the other ingredients. This is an extra step, but if you follow the instructions, you will produce a silky, creamy sauce. Buon appetite!

PASTA WITH BREADCRUMBS, ARTICHOKES, AND SAUSAGE
serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 can of artichokes in water (8-10 count)

• 2-3 sweet Italian sausages (6-8 inches long)

• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• ½ cup lemon breadcrumbs (see Note)

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• ½ pound of spaghetti or a tubular pasta like rigatoni or penne

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

• ¼ teaspoon crushed red chile flakes

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 

Preparation
While you prep the food, bring a pot of salted water to a boil.

1. Drain the can of artichokes and dry them on paper towels. Slice the artichokes into quarters lengthwise. Set aside.

2. Fry the sausages in a 12-inch skillet making sure to brown all sides. Slice the sausages ½ inch thick and set aside. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet.

3. To the same pan, over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of Evoo and heat until shimmering. Working in batches, if necessary, add the artichokes face down in the skillet and fry until just beginning to brown. Using a slotted spoon remove the artichokes to a paper towel and set aside.

4. Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water; cook, stirring occasionally, until almost al dente (about 2 minutes less than recommended on the package for al dente). Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water; set aside.

5. Over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in the skillet used to fry the sausage and artichokes; add the garlic and chile flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is soft and fragrant (don't burn the garlic). Lower the heat to medium-low, add the quartered artichokes, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, zest, cooked pasta, and ½ cup of Parmesan and toss together, adding reserved pasta water as needed to create a smooth sauce with the consistency you want. (If your pan is too hot the cheese will become clumpy and stringy.) Alternatively, add ½ cup of Parmesan to a blender with ½ cup of starchy pasta water and buzz briefly until you have a creamy sauce. Add the sauce to the pan with the other ingredients and stir over medium-low heat until the pasta is well coated. If the sauce is too thick add a tablespoon at a time of the remaining pasta water, stirring constantly until the sauce is the consistency you want. Stir in the sausage and cook until heated through (1-2 minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. To serve, divide the sausage, artichoke quarters, and pasta evenly between four bowls and garnish lightly with lemon breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and parsley. Serve with crusty bread and a green salad. Enjoy! 

(Note: for lemon breadcrumbs: in a skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of Evoo over medium heat.  Add ½ cup of fresh breadcrumbs or Panko breadcrumbs and 2 teaspoons of lemon zest stirring until well incorporated and slightly brown. Remove from heat and reserve.)

Wine: Unoaked Chardonnay, Chablis, Soave Classico, Vermentino, Rosé.

Pasta and Crab with Prosciutto and Green Peas →

Here's a light and delicious pasta dish to serve as a small plate starter or as a quick and indulgent weeknight meal accompanied by a green salad. I collected the recipe many years ago from Food and Wine Magazine and have tweaked it to enhance the flavor profile and dress it up a bit. I hope you like it. Food is intimately connected to memories. Lump crab meat is an indulgence these days, unlike my childhood when my grandfather and I would fill a bushel basket full of blue crabs from Quonochontaug Pond in South County, Rhode Island. Here's to you Grampa! Thanks for that memory.

Pasta and Crab with Prosciutto and Green Peas
Serves 4 

INGREDIENTS
·   1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
·   2 thin slices of prosciutto, cut into thin strips
·   3 tablespoons unsalted butter
·    ½ cup sliced shallots
·    1 small garlic clove, thinly sliced
·    ¾ cup dry white wine
·     ½ pound lump crab meat
·     1 ½ teaspoons chopped thyme
·     1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
·     1/3 cup blanched green peas
·     ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
·     2 teaspoons lemon zest
·     ½ pound thin linguini (or Angel-hair pasta)
·     Salt and freshly ground pepper
·     2 tablespoons chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS
1.  In a deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the prosciutto and cook over moderate heat, tossing, until hot; transfer the prosciutto to a plate.
2.  Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the skillet. Add the shallots and cook over moderate heat until softened, but not brown. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant. (1-2 minutes Don’t burn the garlic.)
3.  Add the wine and boil until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the crab, green peas, thyme, and oregano and toss until hot.
4.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving 2/3 cup of the cooking water.
5.  Add the prosciutto, pasta, lemon zest, reserved cooking water, and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet; mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
6.  Garnish the pasta with parsley and serve. Grated parmesan is optional.

Wine pairing: a dry, white wine like Pinot Blanc, Chablis, Vermentino, Albariño, Viognier
Adapted from: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/angel-hair-pasta-crab-and-country-ham

Lemon Pasta (Pasta al limone) →

Pasta al limone is another wonderful example of Italian cucina semplice (“simple cooking”). Like so many classic Italian dishes, it seems like every Italian chef and cook has their own version, but regardless of how you get there, the goal is a light pasta dressed with a creamy, lemony sauce. The lemony sauce for this delicious dish is achieved by the emulsion of starchy pasta water, butter, and pecorino romano cheese infused with finely grated lemon zest and lemon juice and it only takes about 15 minutes to prepare! Prepare to fall in love with this simple Italian classic recipe. Serve it as a light starter for a larger meal or add a piece of grilled chicken or some spicy shrimp and a green salad for a tasty, quick, and easy weeknight meal. Sit back, close your eyes and imagine you’re with a special friend in a small bistro on the Italian Amalfi coast. Buon appetito!

Lemon Pasta (Pasta al limone)
Serves 4  

INGREDIENTS
·  8 ounces linguini
·  2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
·  1 red chili or 1 Calabrian chili thinly sliced or ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
·  3 tablespoons olive oil
·  3 tablespoons butter
·  1 cup pasta water
·  1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
·  3 tablespoons grated lemon zest (about 1 good size lemon) + 2 tablespoons for garnish
·  1/3 cup pecorino romano
·  ¼ cup parmesan for garnish
·  salt and pepper
·  1/3 cup fresh parsley (you can also use mint or fresh basil)

PREPARATION
1.  Cook the pasta for half the time in the directions; use less water than you normally would so the pasta water is more starchy than usual.
2.  Over medium heat, sauté the garlic and red pepper in the olive oil for a minute or two until fragrant. (don't burn!)
3.  Add the lemon zest and swirl around to incorporate the zest into the garlic-olive oil.
4.  Immediately add the half-cooked pasta to the saucepan and stir to combine; reserve the pasta water.
5.  Add 1/3 cup pasta cooking water and the lemon juice; stir and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium.
6.  Add the parsley and stir to incorporate.
7.  Cook the pasta for the remaining recommended time until it is al dente and the starchy water has mostly evaporated and is creamy (like risotto); add an additional small amount of pasta water if the pasta is too dry.
8.  Add 3 tablespoons of butter and stir to melt and combine into the sauce.
9.  If the sauce isn’t loose enough, add an additional small amount of pasta water to bring the sauce to the creamy consistency you want. Keep stirring.
10. Remove the pan from the heat and, while stirring, sprinkle on 1/3 cup freshly grated pecorino romano, continuing to stir until the pecorino melts and the sauce is creamy.
11.  Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
12.  Garnish with lemon zest and parmesan

Wine pairing: Chablis, Albariño, Verdicchio, Pinot Grigio, a soft, Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc, or even a fresh Vinho Verde. In Italy a light red Valpolicella is often the wine of choice with pasta al limone.

Adapted from Gennaro Contaldo’s tribute to his longtime friend Antonio Carluccio:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwDJi_PB-wY 

Fettuccini with Black Truffles →

For the average home cook in the United States, finding fresh Italian black truffles can be challenging if not impossible. If you’re not already familiar with black truffles, consider this recipe an introduction to a gift from Nature until you have the opportunity to visit the Italian Piedmont during one of the truffle seasons. You need a jar of shaved Italian Black Truffles in olive oil found in Italian specialty stores and some supermarkets. (I used Finefood Ditmann brand Truffle Carpaccio). This dish is exceptionally easy and quick to prepare (less than 15 minutes total prep and cooking time) and makes a delicious first course for a more elaborate meal, or served as a light vegetarian-friendly meal along with a tossed green salad, or cooked veggies of choice. Close your eyes and breathe in and enjoy a taste of Italy. Buon appetito!

Fettuccini with Black Truffles
Yield 4 first course servings

INGREDIENTS

• 3-4 tablespoons of truffles in olive oil (drained, oil reserved)

• 2 tablespoons of truffle-infused olive oil

• 1 tablespoon butter (preferably unsalted)

• 1 clove of garlic sliced

• 1 pinch of red pepper flakes

• 6 ounces of fresh fettuccini pasta

• salt and black pepper to taste

• grated Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese

• chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

PREPARATION
While you bring a pot of water to a boil…

1. Add the butter and truffle oil to a saucepan over medium-low heat.

2. When the butter has melted, add the sliced garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

3. Add the garlic slices and sautee until the garlic just begins to turn brown; remove the garlic slices.

4. Add the sliced truffles and stir for a minute; remove from the heat.

5. Add the fresh fettuccini to the boiling water and cook according to the directions on the package (usually about 2-3 minutes) until just tender.

6. Drain the pasta and add it to the truffle sauce over low heat and toss until the pasta is well coated with the sauce and the truffles are mixed in evenly.

7. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

8. Plate the truffle fettuccini garnished with chopped parsley and grated cheese.

Wine pairing: Medium-bodied red wines are traditionally paired with truffles: Nero d’Avola, Barbera, Pinot Noir, Barolo, or Burgundy wouldn’t overpower the truffles. For white wines, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, or Viognier would work.