Pot Roasted Pappardelle

To avoid holiday hostess stress, I’ve come to realize that it is best to prepare dishes that can cook uninterrupted and unattended for long periods of time. Whether in a crock pot or an oven safe casserole dish, your one pot pièce de résistance will simmer, thicken, and marinate on its own while you mingle with guests (and charm them with your wit and wile). And when it’s time to sit down (or stand as is often the case in our San Fran apartment), your meal is ready to be plated and served with little hassle.

Another tip and host/hostess time saver is to purchase fresh, handmade pasta from your local Italian deli or pasta shop.  Nothing compares to freshly rolled and cut pasta and it makes quite a conversation starter as an added bonus.  My favorite neighborhood spot is Pasta Gina on Diamond and 24th.

Sodium Saving Tip: Most handmade pastas are sodium free as classic Italian recipes generally do not add salt to their pasta dough. Many shops also offer flavored pastas like lemon, pepper, herb, garlic, and egg.  Just to be safe, be sure to ask the person working at the counter if they are salt free. Once you’ve picked your flavor and pasta shape, watch them handily cut your noodles on the spot. And when you are ready to get cooking, the noodles will take mere minutes to cook since they are so fresh. No proverbial waiting for the water to boil.

So with these two cooking and shopping tid bits in mind, on Wednesday night, I set out to prepare for my own little dinner party with a time efficient and hostess friendly menu:

Pappardelle Pasta with Pot Roasted Lamb Ragù

To spice up the more traditional recipes I found online and to avoid using store-bought broths, I decided to make these following alterations: I added fennel for a hint of licorice; I substituted white wine for red to create a lighter sauce; I bought a combination of lamb chops and stew meat since the bone supplies a meaty richness; and I chose to use radishes in place of carrots because it is fun to be different.  As the ragù steeps in its own juices, these alternative ingredients help create more complex and rich flavors.

So give this rustic pasta dish a try over a winter dinner party and remember to chow (and chat) on.

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 2 lamb chops and 1/2 pound of lamb stew meat
• 1/2 a pound of pappardelle (or ask the counter attendant for the appropriate amount)
• 1 bulb of fennel, diced
• 1 small turnip, diced
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, casually chopped
• 1 tablespoon of flour
• 1 wine glass of white wine
• 3 beefsteak tomatoes (because I find them easier to cut)
• orange zest from one orange
• 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• ground cumin, red pepper flakes, black or white pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Directions:

1. Set your oven to 350 degrees.

2. In your casserole dish, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat.

3. Once oil is hot, add the onion and garlic and stir occasionally until the onion has softened and the garlic has browned. If it begins to stick to or brown your casserole dish, use some white wine or champagne vinegar to deglaze the pot and steal some of that charred flavor for the sauce.

4. Add the turnip and fennel and continue to cook over medium heat until softened and browned.

5. Add the diced tomatoes, rosemary, wine, cumin, pepper flakes, and pepper, increasing the heat until the mixture begins to boil.

6. In a pan, heat the second tablespoon of olive oil. When hot, brown your pork chops, about 3 minutes on each side, and add them to the ragù stock.

7. In the same pan, brown the lamb stew meat for about 5 minutes and add it to the ragù stock.

8. Cover cassarole and put it in the oven for 1.5 to 2 hours until the lamb can fall right off the bone.

9. About ten minutes before eating, take the lamb ragù from the oven and put back on the stove, low to medium heat. Begin heating a second pot of boiling water for your pasta.

10. In a separate small bowl, mix some of the ragù juice with your flour. Whisk until there are no clumps and add the thickened sauce back to the rest of the pot.

11. Once the pasta water is boiling, put in the pappardelle and cook for 3-5 minutes. Drain and add a little olive oil if the noodles are sticking together.

12. When you are ready to serve, plate the noodles and ladle the sauce on top. Garnish with the fresh parsley and grated orange zest.

A Big Bowl of Warm

Yesterday, I had a bad case of the coldies. The skies were gray and I left my house well guarded with 4 layers of shirt/sweater/coat/and scarf, a large coffee, and one orange umbrella. But none of this winter armor could protect me from the fierce chill we are experiencing here in the Bay. Clearly, exterior fixes were not the answer. I needed something that would heat me up from the inside. Aka, the belly.

When I finished braving the stormy weather, I decided to brave a new dinner recipe – minestrone. Believe it or not, I’ve never eaten minestrone before. I know, totally weird. So I can’t say that I knew exactly what flavors I was going for. But I had an inkling that I wanted my low sodium soup to have a light but meaty broth, with lots of good veggies for slurping, and a subtle spice.

Minestrone is the casserole of soups – whatever you have will work. Of course there are the basics you want to use to create the soup base – garlic, onions, carrots and/or celery, and tomatoes. But as for the other “meat” of the dish, any leafy greens and fall or winter vegetable will work nicely.  So I started my adventure by hitting the fridge to see what goods I already possessed.

Lucky for me, I had garlic, shallots, Italian parsley, carrots from my Capay Farm CSA, some wilting kale, and a head of Savoy cabbage. Perfection. To round out the cornucopia of pre-owned produce, I also picked up no salt Cannellini beans, no salt added Fire Roasted Tomatoes, a handful of oyster mushrooms, and one zucchini. Usually I would have used fresh tomatoes for the stock, but since I wanted to create rich flavor quickly, the boost of the pre-roasted tomatoes was a big plus and a big time saver.

You can spend anywhere between 30 minutes and 3 hours building the flavors of this soup. A longer simmer time guarantees a more intense blend of the spices and natural juices. But if you have limited time, use fresh herbs, champagne vinegar, a splash of red wine, a few drops of flavored oil, and my secrete spice – freshly ground nutmeg – to create a more complex broth.

So enjoy this heart warming meal by your hearth (or heater) and stay out of the cold.

Ingredients:

• 2 shallots, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped or in rounds (I did rounds for more varied texture)
• 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 can no salt added fire roasted tomatoes (or a cup of diced tomatoes)
• 2 cups quart low sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups chopped kale
• 2 cups chopped Savoy cabbage
• 1/2 cup of oyster mushrooms, chopped
• 1 zucchini diced
• 1 can no salt added Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup of pasta (Farfalle, Fusilli Conchiglie – anything with scoop shapes that will hold onto the soup)
• 1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
• Black pepper, freshly ground nutmeg, 3 teaspoons champagne vinegar, splash of red wine, flavored olive oils (truffle, blood orange), red chili pepper flakes to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat and cook garlic and shallots until clear.

2. Add in carrots and zucchini, allowing them to brown (not burn) in the oil.

3. To prepare the kale, you cut off the stems and spine, and chop the leaves. While some recipes call for discarding the stems and spine, I like to dice those parts and add them into the soup as well.

4. Add all the kale to the pot and throw in your pepper, red chili flakes, and champagne vinegar as well. Let the greens soften for 15 minutes, stirring constantly.

5. Move vegetables to one side of pot and add the diced tomatoes, allowing them to simmer and caramelize for 5 minutes.

6. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add a splash of red wine if you have it (no more than 2 tablespoons). Leave uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or longer if you have the time.

7. Ten minutes before serving, add cabbage, mushrooms, beans, and parsley to the soup.

8. Turn off heat and add your pasta. Cover pot and let the pasta cook for another 5 minutes. This way it will be al dente when you are ready to eat.

9. To serve, top with more fresh parsley, some farmers cheese if you have it, a little extra pepper and flavored oils.

I’m off to dig into some leftovers now. Chow on.