Salmon Pasta

This is a recipe I threw together a long time ago. Every time I make it, something varies.  Add whatever vegetables you want.  Right now I love artichoke hearts, so the below could not go without.  I usually add tomato and green onion, opposed to the artichoke hearts and asparagus.


Ingredients:
2 fillets of smoked salmon (I am fortunate enough to have fresh from my dad)
2 cups sour cream
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and cut in half
1/2 cup asparagus, cut into small pieces
1 bunch green onion


Let the butter melt over medium heat, add in garlic, and salt.  Saute until you start to smell the garlic.  Add in the sour cream and place a lid over the pan.  Let the sour cream and butter cook down together.  If needed, add a  little bit of milk.  This should take about 15 to 20 minutes of simmering.  Make sure you taste it at this point and the sour cream taste has weakened.  Once it has simmered, add in ingredients.  Let everything simmer for about 10 minutes to heat thoroughly.  Make sure you keep the salmon in chunks.  You do not want to break up the pieces beyond bite size. 


Serve over fettuccine noodles cooked according to packaged directions.  Garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Orzo Pasta

Orzo pasta is one my new favorite side dishes.  You are able to add anything you want really; cheeses, vegetable, etc. So this isn't really a recipe but a suggestion for mixing up your meals.  Its a nice break from the usual rice, potatoes, or pasta.  When cooking your Orzo, opposed to using just water for cooking, replace half the amount of water with chicken broth.  When the Orzo is almost done, add in the vegetables to allow them to heat thoroughly.

In the above picture, I had mixed artichoke hearts, green olives and spinach.  I would also suggest bacon.  Bacon makes everything taste great.   

Gnocchi

Original recipe found in Williams Sonoma Comfort Food.

This was my first attempt at gnocchi and it was excellent.  I ended up having to add a lot more flour than the recipe called for, about 1 1/2 cups more.  The dough finally started to firm up after adding more.  I am not what caused that, but in the end everything turned out.  Another suggestion would be to double the recipe and freeze some for next time!

 Ingredients:

1 2/3 pounds potatoes

Salt

2 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups flour, or as needed

In a large sauce pan, combine unpeeled potatoes with salted water to cover by 1 inch, cover pan and bring to a boil at high heat.  Reduce heat to medium low and summer until tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cold running water until easy to handle.  Peel the potatoes and return them to the sauce pan.  Cook over medium low heat, shaking the pan often, to evaporate excess moisture, about 2 minutes.

Press the warm potatoes through a ricer.  Stir in the eggs and 2 teaspoons salt.  Gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough.  Turn dough out on to lightly floured work surface and kneed gently a few times until smooth.  Add just enough flour to prevent sticking.

Lightly flour a rimmed baking sheet. 

I worked with small balls of dough to roll into strips about 3/4 inch in diameter.  This made the ropes shorter, but a lot easier to handle.  Cut the ropes into 1 inch lengths and transfer to a prepared baking sheet.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add half the gnocchi to the water and simmer until they rise to the surface.  Use a skimmer to transfer gnocchi to a warmed serving bowl and cover to keep warm.  Repeat with the remaining gnocchi.

I added pesto and chicken to my gnocchi and served a dinner.  Feel free to add any sauce you want.  Gnocchi will hold up in thicker sauces as well.

Artichoke Pasta

Original recipe found here

This is a quick and easy dish I found online.  Use it as a side dish to accompany the rest of your meal, or add chicken or beef to create a delicious man course.

Ingredients

1/2 lb. tri-colored pasta (or elbow macaroni)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 (14-oz.) can artichoke hearts, quartered
1 (12-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce

Cook the pasta according to the directions. While the pasta is cooking, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the diced tofu and sauté for 2 minutes, then add the artichokes, tomatoes, and tomato sauce.  Top pasta with the sauce.

Mac N Cheese

 This is pretty basic homemade macaroni and cheese and very easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 package of pasta, your choice on noodles.  I use whatever I have, in this case, bow tie

1 cup sour cream (I used low-fat)

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

8 strips of bacon (bake in the oven at 375 for about 15 minutes, it will turn out crispy)

1 can of condensed cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook pasta as directed.  Lessen the time by a couple minutes to keep firm.  Mix pasta in with the rest of the ingredients.  Pour into a 9 x 13 in pan that you have sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Bake until cheese bubbles around the edges, should take about 45 minutes.

*karisa*