Pasta & Vegetables in Wine Sauce

6 servings

Ingredients:
9-ounce linguine
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium thinly sliced red onion
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh garlic
2 medium (2 cups) yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise, sliced 1/8-inch
1 medium (1 cup) tomato, cubed 1/2-inch 1 pound
(24) asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into thirds
1 medium red or green pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill weed or 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese
Freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese

COOK linguine according to package directions; drain.
MELT butter in 10-inch skillet until sizzling; add onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened (3 to 4 minutes). Add squash, tomato, asparagus and red pepper. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisply tender (8 to 10 minutes). Stir in wine, dill weed, salt and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until heated through (3 to 5 minutes).
SERVE over linguine; sprinkle with 1/4 cup Asiago cheese. Serve with additional Asiago cheese.

Mediterranean Pasta with Pistachios

4 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups onion, cut into narrow wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil (can use oil drained from tomatoes)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 cup pistachios
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in olive oil
1 tablespoon dry basil
1 tablespoon dry oregano
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley (optional)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces angel hair pasta (capellini), broken up

SAUTE onions in oil in 12-inch skillet for 5 to 10 minutes or until cooked through. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Stir flour into onions and garlic; add wine and cook, stirring until mixture comes to a boil and thickens slightly. Add pistachios, tomatoes, basil, oregano and parsley to pan and heat through. Keep warm.
COOK pasta in boiling water 3 to 5 minutes or just until tender (note package directions). Drain.
Combine pasta and sauce; sprinkle with cheese and toss lightly. Offer additional cheese as garnish, if desired.

Ravioli in Sage Cream Sauce

4 servings

Ingredients:
1 package cheese-filled ravioli
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup finely chopped white onion
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage (fresh only, do not used dried)
3/4 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

COOK ravioli according to package directions.
MELT butter in large skillet over medium heat; add onion and sage to skillet. Sauté about 30 seconds. Add wine and cream. Increase heat and boil, uncovered, until sauce is reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes.
ADD ravioli to sauce; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.

TIP: Cheese-filled tortellini can be substituted for the ravioli, if desired.

Spaghetti con le Vongole

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh clams
1 pound spaghetti

3 cups chopped canned tomatoes

1 clove garlic

1 cup dry white wine

pinch of red hot pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

salt to taste

COVER the clams with cold water in a bowl and add a fistful of salt. Let them stand for 30 minutes. Then rinse the clams well under cold running water discarding any clams that are open.

HEAT one cup of dry white wine in a pan and then add the clams. Cover and cook at a high heat for about five minutes or until they open. Once they've opened remove them from the heat and then scoop the clams out from their shell and set them aside, leaving a few in the shell for decoration.

FILTER the liquid the clams were cooked in and set it aside. In a large pan put the olive oil and a pinch of red hot pepper and cook it for a couple of minutes and then add the clove of garlic finely chopped, the tomatoes and the liquid from the clams. Simmer uncovered until it starts to thicken and salt to taste if necessary.

COOK the spaghetti as directed. When the sauce has thickened up add the clams and the parsley to the sauce and simmer for another two minutes. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Mix and serve.

TIP:Choose small clams and ake sure that you discard any clams that are already opened.

Penne in Cream Sauce with Sausage

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound sweet Italian sausage

2/3 cup dry white wine

14 1/2 ounce can diced peeled tomatoes

1 cup whipping cream

6 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

1 pound penne pasta

1 cup Parmesan cheese

MELT butter and oil in a heavy large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until golden and tender, about 7 minutes.

REMOVE sausage from casings, crumble and add to skillet and saute until golden brown and cooked, breaking up with the back of a spoon, about 7 minutes. Drain excess drippings. Add wine and boil until almost all liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice and simmer 3 minutes. Add cream and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in 4 tablespoons parsley. Season to taste.

COOK pasta until tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta and pour into a warm large bowl. Pour sauce over pasta, add 3/4 cup of cheese and toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and cheese and serve immediately.

Angel Hair Pasta with Tuna and Tomato Sauce

4 Servings



Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded, chopped
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno chili
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 drained canned diced tomatoes
1/2 cup bottled clam juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 6 to 8 ounce tuna steaks
12 ounces angel hair pasta
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
additional chopped fresh cilantro


MELT 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium high heat. Add both bell peppers, jalapeno and minced garlic; saute until peppers are almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, clam juice, 1/3 cup cilantro, wine, water, lemon juice and dried red pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until flavors blend, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.



MIX flour and garlic powder in shallow bowl. Season tuna with salt and pepper. Coat with flour mixture, shaking off excess.



MELT remaining 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil in another heavy large skillet over high heat. Add tuna to skillet and saute until just opaque on the outside, about 2 minutes per side. Bring sauce to simmer over medium heat. Add tuna; cook until opaque in center, about 2 minutes.



COOK pasta and drain. Transfer to a serving bowl. Spoon sauce over. Sprinkle with Parmesan and cilantro and serve.

Pasta Surprise

4 servings

Ingredients
400g fresh or dried fettuccine or tagliatelle
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
25g dried porcini mushrooms
40g fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
125ml white wine
1 tsp finely chopped long red chili
1 tsp of dried thyme
A handful of grape or cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
20g – 30g pine nuts, roasted
Parmesan, to serve
Basil or fresh thyme to garnish

Sauce
Olive oil
½ onion, chopped
400gm canned cherry tomatoes, puréed
Salt, sugar and pepper to taste

FRY onion with olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add tomatoes and cook for 10 mins or until sauce is thickened. Season to taste with salt, sugar and pepper.

SOAK the porcini mushrooms with 1 cup of hot water for 15 mins. Squeeze out the excess water from the mushrooms, coarsely chopped. Reserve the soaking liquid.

HEAT oil, add garlic & thyme and cook until soft. Add chilli, mushrooms and cook for 3 mins. Add wine, reserved mushroom liquid and the tomato sauce. Simmer until the sauce thickens.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta as per package direction. I used fresh pasta, which took 3-4 mins to cook.

ADD the chopped grape tomatoes to the sauce and heat through. Toss the pasta with the sauce. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and shaved parmesan. Serve immediately.

Artichoke and Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

30 Minutes to prepare
10 Minutes to cook

4 servings

INGREDIENTS
1 (8 ounce) package fresh fettuccine
4 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (8 ounce) package sliced mushrooms
1/2 medium onion, chopped

10 fresh asparagus

m10 ounces marinated artichoke hearts
2/3 (8 ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
1 (2 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 ripe tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 taplespoons of sliced black olives
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup Parmesan cheese

COOK pasta in boiling water until done and drain.

MELT butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Saute onions, mushrooms, and garlic until tender. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, asparagus, wine, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by a third, about 4 minutes.

TOSS pasta with sauce. Top with tomatoes, lack olives and cheese, add pepper to taste, and serve.