Kielbasa Alfredo Pasta Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 (10 ounce) package wide egg noodles
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 (16 ounce) package kielbasa (Polish) sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 (16 ounce) jar Alfredo Sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced kielbasa, and fry until toasty at the edges. Drain excess grease, and stir in the alfredo sauce. Stir in the noodles, and season with salt and pepper. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Prep Time: 10 Min

Cook Time: 20 Min

Ready In:30 Min

6 serving

source : allrecipes.com

Spaghetti with Garlic, Basil and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

(serves 3)

I bought a jar of sun-dried tomatoes on a lark. They were packed in olive oil and looked interesting. I was planning on saving them for when the supply of fresh juicy tomatoes began to dwindle, but I couldn't help myself and opened the jar.

Those sun-dried tomatoes were delicious; sweet and slightly chewy. I just had to make some pasta!

1/2 lb whole wheat spaghetti
3 tbsp olive oil, or the oil the sun-dried tomatoes were packed in
8-9 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp anchovy paste (if not using, then add salt to taste instead)
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
3 tbsp fresh basil, sliced into strips
freshly ground black pepper

freshly grated or shredded parmesan cheese

Cook the spaghetti according to the directions on the package.

Meanwhile heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat and saute the garlic until it's golden brown; about 5 minutes. Add the anchovy paste if using and the sun-dried tomatoes and stir well. Then add the basil and stir to combine. Season with the pepper and/or salt if you aren't using the anchovy paste.

Drain the spaghetti and add that to the skillet and toss until it's evenly coated. Divide evenly among three plates and pass around the parmesan cheese.

Pesto

(about 1 cup)

This seems to be that time of year when some gardeners feel a bit overwhelmed by an abundance of goodness in their gardens. My neighbour very apologetically dropped off a huge bunch of basil. He told me the plants had taken over his herb garden.

To say the least, I was thrilled to take the basil off his hands. I love the smell of it!

The following recipe can be doubled or even tripled, because pesto freezes really well. Just think, you could defrost some it and add a bit of sunshine to your hot spaghetti, long after those pesky plants took over the garden.

2 cups fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
3 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place the basil, cheese, pine nuts and garlic into the bowl of a food processor. Turn on the motor and slowly pour the oil down the chute. You might have to stop it once or twice to scrape down the sides. Process until smooth.

Adjust the seasoning with the salt and pepper.

Beef and Spinach Ravioli

(about 6-8 servings)



I have a tendency to do similar things in little spurts. I'll read several books of the same genre back to back, or watch several films, or visit several plant nurseries that happen to specialise in something in particular. The same applies to cooking. My pasta machine is still out on the counter and I'm still thinking of ravioli. I got up early this morning and made double this recipe; most of which will be frozen.

The very first time I ever made ravioli, I made a beef and spinach filling similar to this.  I started adding mortadella or prosciutto in recent years, which seems to work well.

dough
2 1/4 cup unbleached flour
1 cup semolina flour
1 tbsp beet powder, optional (I'm just adding this for colour)
1 tsp salt
4 large eggs
2 tbsp olive oil
1-3 tbsp water, if needed

Place the flours, beet powder and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a dough blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the eggs and oil; pulse a few more times. The mixture should look like moist bread crumbs that easily form into a ball if you pinch a few together. If the mixture seems too dry, then add the water a tablespoon at a time until the consistency is right.

For ravioli I like it when the crumbs are on the verge of forming a ball. The mixture is dry enough that it's not necessary to dust everything with flour, yet there's a slight tackiness present.

Gather up the dough and knead a few times. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest while you make the filling.

filling
2 tsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 lb lean ground beef
2-3 slices of mortadella, diced or 2 oz prosciutto, chopped
1 10 oz pkg of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry and finely chopped
2/3 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and fry for about a minute. Add the onion and cook stirring until the onion becomes translucent. Add the beef and continue to cook, breaking up the meat as you stir until the meat begins to brown. Add the spinach and continue to cook and stir until the mixture appears dry. This takes about 10-15 minutes.

Place the meat and onion mixture into a large bowl and add the mortadella or prosciutto, ricotta and parmesan cheese, egg, salt and pepper. Stir to combine everything well. Set aside.

To assemble and serve
olive oil or butter
grated Parmesan cheese

Remove enough dough to roll out 2 rectangles of dough to about 1/8" thickness to fit the ravioli mold, if you are using one. I do this with a pasta machine, but a rolling pin works well too. Place one sheet of dough on a ravioli mold and press with the top to make indentations. Fill the indentations with the meat mixture.

Brush a bit of water all around the edges of the squares. Place the 2nd pasta sheet on top. Roll with rolling pin until the ravioli are cut out.

Continue until all the dough and filling is used up.              *The photos above are from my mushroom ravioli.

At this point you can place the ravioli in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze them for about 10 minutes and then bag them for further freezing.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil and cook the ravioli in batches. They should float up to the top and be done in about 2-3 minutes.

Drain the ravioli and toss in a bit of olive oil or butter. Sprinkle with cheese

Mushroom Ravioli

(about 6-8 servings)

Last week I dug out my pasta machine after I came across some beet powder. I'm on a bit of a pasta roll at the moment, and decided to make some ravioli this weekend.

In the past I've usually made fillings with spinach and ricotta cheese, but I'm quite fond of mushrooms and decided to make a mushroom filling after finding some very nice looking baby portabella at the grocery store.

Filling
1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1/2 cup hot water

1-2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 1/4 lb mushrooms, cleaned and finely chopped
1/4 cup marsala
1-2 pinches dried thyme
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Soak the porcini mushrooms in the hot water for at least 30 minutes. Remove and chop; reserve the liquid.

Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the garlic and fry for about a minute, then add the onion and saute until it's transparent and has a light golden hue.

Add both the porcini and chopped fresh mushrooms, the reserved mushroom liquid, marsala and thyme. Cook until the mixture becomes somewhat dry; about 15-20 minutes.

Remove from heat, cool a bit. Stir in the mascarpone cheese. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

pasta
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cup unbleached flour
1 1/2 cup semolina flour
1 tsp salt
4 large eggs
1-3 tbsp water

serve with
lightly browned butter and grated parmesan cheese

Place the 1 1/2 cups flour (to start), semolina and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine.

Add the eggs and 1 tablespoon of water to start. Pulse a few times. If the mixture seems too dry, sprinkle a bit more water over the mixture.

The dough should have the consistency of fresh bread crumbs, and be moist enough to stick together if you gather a small amount and gently squeeze it together. Some people add enough water until the dough forms a ball inside the bowl, but I prefer mine to be somewhat dryer. If I have added too much liquid and get a ball, I add a bit more flour until the ball breaks up again.

by hand
Gather up the dough and knead for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface until you have a smooth ball. Cover and allow to rest for about 20 minutes.

Roll out the dough to about 1/8" thickness in whatever shape you need for how you will make the ravioli. I am using a ravioli form which I will describe below.

with pasta (crank) machine
Gather a small handful of dough and squeeze together. Flatten the piece and run it through the pasta machine at the widest setting a few times. Fold and pass through a few more times, tightening the setting each time. This helps develop the gluten.

Crank out a piece long enough to cover the ravioli form. Place over the form and gently push the pasta sheet down using the plastic domed sheet.

Place a bit of filling into each indentation, wet the edges with a bit of water. Roll out a second sheet of pasta and place over the first pasta sheet and fillings. Roll over with a rolling pin to cut the ravioli; turn over and separate.

Repeat until the dough and filling is used up.

Boil the ravioli in batches in lightly salted boiling water for about 2-3 minutes. Drain and toss with butter and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

(about 6 - 8 servings)

If there's any leftover, the cooked meatballs and sauce freeze quite well.

meatballs
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb pork sausage meat
1 onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
small handful parsley, chopped
2/3 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs, (I made these in the food processor)
1 large egg, slightly beaten
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1-2 tbsp oil for frying

Combine all of the ingredients (except the oil) in a bowl and shape into 2" balls.

Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet and fry the meatballs in batches until browned on all sides. Set aside.

sauce
1 tbsp oil
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 onion, chopped
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced olives or 2-3 tbsp capers, (optional)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine or 2-3 tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the garlic and fry for about 1 minute, then add the onion and continue to cook until the onion softens and turns a light golden brown.

Add the tomatoes, olives or capers, tomato paste, and the red wine or vinegar and oregano. Stir to combine everything well, lower the heat and simmer, covered for about 25 minutes.

Add the meatballs, and continue to cook (uncovered) until the meatballs heat through and are done; about another 15 minutes or so. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

spaghetti
about 1 1/2 lbs dried spaghetti, cooked according the package directions
grated parmesan or romano cheese

Portion out the spaghetti between plates and top with the meatballs and sauce.
Serve with grated cheese.

Beet Tinted Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

(2 servings; double or triple this recipe for more)



I make this when tomatoes are in season. It's one of those weekend type dishes for me where I chop a few things up in the morning and then get back to making the rest of it later in the day.

This dish is fine without cheese and I don't really miss it.  If you'd like to add some cheese though, I do think a bit of crumbled goat cheese might be nice in this.

Don't worry about the beet powder if you can't find any. I happened to notice some in the bulk spice section the other day, and brought some home. I also used yellow and orange tomatoes. What can I say, I love seeing different colours on my plate.

tomato sauce
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 1- 1 1/3 cups)
1 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped, (parsley, chives, mint, dill; anything you have on hand and like)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and allow to sit for a few hours.

beet pasta
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour, (or use 50/50 unbleached flour and semolina flour)
1 tbsp beet powder, (optional)
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 large egg
1-3 tbsp water

Place 1 1/4 cup flour, beet powder and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine.

Add the egg and 1 tablespoon of water to start. Pulse a few times. If the mixture seems too dry, sprinkle a bit more water over the mixture.

The dough should have the consistency of fresh bread crumbs, and be moist enough to stick together if you gather a small amount and gently squeeze it together. Some people add enough water until the dough forms a ball inside the bowl, but I prefer mine to be somewhat dryer. If I have added too much water and get a ball, I add a bit more flour until the ball breaks up again.

by hand

Gather up the dough and knead for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface until you have a smooth ball. Cover and allow to rest for about 20 minutes.

Roll out and cut as desired


with pasta (crank) machine

Gather a small handful of dough and squeeze together. Flatten the piece and run it through the pasta machine at the widest setting. Fold and pass through a few more times, tightening the setting each time. This helps develop the gluten.

When you have the desired thickness, run it through the cutter.

Repeat, until the dough mixture is used up.

Drop the pasta into lightly salted boiling water, and cook for 2-4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pasta.

Drain and toss the pasta with the tomato sauce. Serve.

Linguine with Bacon, Brie and Caramelized Onions

(serves 2-3)

The first time I made this I used cream and triple cream brie. My pasta was swimming in oil, but it was very good, lol.

Whenever I plan to make it now, I look around for very lean bacon (which I purchase by the slice) and low fat brie. The resulting dish still seems quite rich to me. I love it, but just don't make it too often.

1/4 lb very lean peppered bacon, chopped
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt, to taste
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup milk
3 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 lb low fat brie, cubed (leave the rind on)

1/2 lb spinach linguine, cooked and drained

Add the bacon to a skillet and turn on the heat to medium-low. When the bacon starts to brown and release it's fat, add the onions and garlic. (If the bacon is too fatty, then remove some of the rendered fat from the skillet first.) Saute over low heat for about 20 minutes or until the onions are soft and golden brown.

Stir in the salt and vinegar. Cook for about a minute.

Add the milk, parmesan and brie. Cook and stir until the brie melts, and the mixture gets creamy.

Toss with the hot and drained linguine, and serve.

Spaghetti Carbonara

(serves 2)

This is a nice quick dinner. You can easily double or triple this recipe to feed more.

1/2 lb whole wheat spaghetti
4 slices of lean thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 large clove of garlic, chopped 
1 large egg, beaten (at room temperature)
1 tbsp milk or cream
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of nutmeg 
1/2 cup freshly grated romano cheese 

Bring a few quarts of salted water to boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente; about 10 minutes or according to the package directions.

While the spaghetti is cooking, place the cut up bacon into a skillet and turn on the heat to medium. Add the garlic when the bacon begins to crisp. The garlic should flavour the bacon and not be allowed to burn. Stir a minute or two until the bacon is crispy. Remove the bacon and place on a paper towel to drain.

Combine the eggs, milk or cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg (in a mixing bowl large enough to hold the spaghetti) well. Set aside.

Drain the spaghetti, and add to the egg mixture immediately and toss, coating the pasta evenly. The spaghetti  should be hot enough to cook the eggs. Add the bacon and the cheese and toss until well combined.

Serve with salad