Penne with Summer Squash, Ricotta and Pine Nuts

-Put salted water on to boil for 1 pound penne pasta.

-Remove 1 cup whole milk ricotta from the fridge and spoon onto a plate so it will warm to room temperature.

-Slice about 1½ pound summer squash into thin strips about the size of the penne.

-Heat 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil in a sauté pan and add the summer squash.

-Sauté until golden, about 5 minutes.

-Add 2 cloves of chopped garlic. 

-Remove the pan from the heat.

-Season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

-When the water boils, cook the pasta until al dente, then drain and add it to the summer squash.

-Toss together, season with more sea salt and pepper and then add spoonfuls of the ricotta until all is incorporated.

-Top with the following:

Shaved Parmesan or dry jack cheese

1-2 TBS finely chopped parsley, cilantro, basil or dill

3 TBS toasted pine nuts

Penne with Rainbow Chard, Italian Sausage and Fresh Mozzarella

-Bring a pot of salted water to boil.

-Add 1# penne pasta and cook according to package directions until it is just tender.

-Slice 4 spicy Italian sausages into rounds.

-Cook stirring often until browned, about 5-7 minutes.

-Cut 1 bunch of rainbow chard into thin ribbons.

-Chop up the stems into small pieces.

-Add to the sausage along with the following:

¾ tsp fennel seeds

Cook for 6-8 min.

-Then add 1 pint sungold cherry tomatoes cut in half.

-Cook for 3 more minutes and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

-Cut a tub of fresh mozzarella balls into small slices.

-Serve with the following:

Chopped basil

A sprinkle of red pepper flakes

-Top with the sliced mozzarella and serve.

Penne with Kalamata Olives, Feta and Greens

-Mix 1 tsp lemon zest and 4 clove of finely minced fresh garlic. Set aside.

-Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

-Chop up 1-2 bunches of greens, you can use rainbow chard stems and all and/or the greens from your beets.

-Add the greens to the water and cook for 3 minutes. Skim out greens and drain in a colander.

-Return water to a boil and add 12 ounces penne and cook according to package directions until just tender.

-Drain off water reserving ¾ cup of the water.

-Return pasta to pot, add greens and 3 TBS olive oil and toss.

-Stir in ½ cup coarsely chopped Kalamata olives, ½ cup crumbled feta and the juice from the lemon.

-Add enough reserved pasta water to moisten.

-Season with salt and pepper.

-Transfer to a bowl and drizzle with 2 more TBS olive oil, sprinkle with the garlic/lemon zest mixture and serve.

Penne with Escarole, Sungold Cherry Tomatoes and Romano Cheese

-Bring a pot of salted water to boil.

-Add 1 pound penne pasta and cook according to package directions until just tender.

-Slice 4 spicy Italian sausages into rounds.

-Chop up 1 fennel bulb.

-Melt 1 TBS of butter in a large sauté pan.

-Add the sausage and fennel and cook stirring often until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes.

-Cut 1 head of well-washed escarole into thin ribbons.

-Add to the sausage along with ½ tsp fennel seeds.

-Sauté another 8 minutes.

-Add the pasta to the sausage and fennel and mix.

-Halve ½ pint of Sungold cherry tomatoes or chop up 2 slicing tomatoes.

-Add to the pasta and toss gently.

-Season with salt and pepper and serve with grated Romano cheese and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

Penne with Escarole, Italian Sausage, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Romano Cheese

-Bring a pot of salted water to boil.

-Add 1 pound penne pasta and cook according to package directions until just tender.

-Slice 4 spicy Italian sausages into rounds. Cook stirring often until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes.

-Cut 1 head of well-washed escarole into thin ribbons.

-Add to the sausage along with 1 sliced leek and 3/4 tsp fennel seeds.

-Sauté another 6-8 minutes.

-Then add 3 TBS thinly sliced oil packed sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 3 more min.

-Season with salt and pepper and serve with grated Romano cheese and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

Penne with Eggplant and Ricotta

-Cook 1 pound penne pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package instructions.

-Drain pasta; return to pot.

-Cut 2 long thin eggplants into 1 inch chunks.

-Put in a large bowl and fill the bowl with cold water and some ice cubes.

-Let the eggplant soak for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.

-Slice 4 cloves of garlic into thin slices.

-Cut 1 pound of tomatoes into ½ inch chunks.

-Heat 4 TBS extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the following:

¼ tsp crushed red pepper

The sliced garlic

-Cook, stirring often for about 2 minutes.

-Add eggplant to skillet; season generously with salt and pepper.

-Cover, and cook until eggplant begins to release juices, about 5 minutes.

-Uncover; cook, stirring, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes (if bottom of pan browns too much, add a few tablespoons water, and scrape with spoon).

-Add the following to the pan:

2 TBS tomato paste

The diced tomatoes

1/4 cup water

-Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.

-Chop up a handful of flat leaf parsley leaves.

-Toss sauce and basil with pasta; gently reheat if necessary.

-Top each serving with a spoonful of whole milk ricotta and garnish with more parsley.

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Fresh Parsley and Breadcrumbs

-Preheat oven to 475 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds.

-Set a large pot of salted water to boil.

-Cut 1 cauliflower into bite sized pieces.

-Chop up 1 fennel bulb, a few stalks of celery and 5 cloves of garlic.

-On a rimmed baking sheet, toss cauliflower, fennel, celery and garlic with 2 TBS olive oil; season with sea salt and pepper.

-Roast on lower rack until lightly browned and tender, 20 minutes, tossing once.

-Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine 4 slices white sandwich bread with 2 TBS olive oil; pulse until coarse crumbs form.

-Spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake on upper rack until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes, tossing once.

-Cook 1 pound pasta (Orecchiette? Cavatappi?) in boiling water until al dente.

-Reserve ½ cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

-Chop up ¼ cup parsley and grate up ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.

-Add cauliflower mixture, Parmesan and parsley to the pasta; toss to combine.

-Tossing pasta, gradually add enough pasta water to form a thin sauce that coats pasta.

-Serve topped with breadcrumbs and more Parmesan.

Pasta with Roasted Broccolini, Arugula and Prosciutto

-Cut 1 bunch of broccolini (stems and all) into smallish florets.

-Preheat oven to 425°F.

-Lay out broccolini in a roasting pan, coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

-Roast until just lightly browned and cooked through, about 15 minutes.

-Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (1 teaspoon salt for every quart of water).

-While water is heating, pulse 4 cloves garlic, 5 large sage leaves and 4 ounces prosciutto together in a food processor until coarsely chopped.

-Once broccolini has browned lightly, remove from oven, toss with garlic prosciutto mixture, and return to oven to cook for 5-7 minutes more.

-Soak about ¼ cup sundried tomatoes in some boiling water for 10 minutes. Then cut into thin strips.

-Boil 1 pound orecchiette pasta uncovered (rolling boil) for 9-10 minutes until firm, but done (al dente).

-Reserve one cup of pasta liquid. Drain water from pot.

-Add the broccolini to the pasta.

-Leaving the rubber band on, cut a bunch of arugula into thirds. Wash and spin dry.

-Stir the sundried tomatoes and arugula into the pasta, along with 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

-Stir in enough cooking water to moisten. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pasta with Roasted Broccoli, Fresh Parsley and Breadcrumbs

-Preheat oven to 475 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds.

-Set a large pot of salted water to boil.

-Cut 1 broccoli into bite sized pieces.

-Chop up 1 fennel bulb and 5 cloves of garlic.

-On a rimmed baking sheet, toss broccoli, fennel and garlic with 2 TBS olive oil; season with sea salt and pepper.

-Roast on lower rack until lightly browned and tender, 20 minutes, tossing once.

-Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine 4 slices white sandwich bread with 2 TBS olive oil; pulse until coarse crumbs form.

-Spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake on upper rack until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes, tossing once.

-Cook 1 pound pasta (Orecchiette? Cavatappi?) in boiling water until al dente.

-Reserve ½ cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

-Chop up ¼ cup parsley and grate up ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.

-Add broccoli mixture, Parmesan and parsley to the pasta; toss to combine.

-Tossing pasta, gradually add enough pasta water to form a thin sauce that coats pasta.

-Serve topped with breadcrumbs and more Parmesan.

Pasta with Fennel, Cannellini Beans, Capers and Lemon

-Boil 1# of pasta, according to package directions, Penne works well.

-Thinly slice 1-2 fennel bulbs.

(To cut up fennel, trim a thin slice off the bottom/root end of each bulb and discard it. Cut the top several inches off

the bulb so that there is mostly only white left. Stand the bulb on its root end and slice in half the long way. Then lay the cut end flat and cut in

half the long way again. Dice those 2 pieces up into thin strips.)     

-Chop up 1-2 cloves of garlic. 

-Sauté in olive oil until tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

-Sprinkle with sea salt.

-Toss the vegetables with the cooked pasta and sprinkle in some capers or pitted Kalamata olives and a can of rinsed and drained

cannellini beans and cook until warmed through. 

-Add the zest and juice of 1 fresh lemon.

-Sprinkle the top of the pasta with lots of freshly grated Parmesan and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Serve warm.

Pasta with Arugula, Roma Tomato, Olives and Feta

-Boil 1 pound of penne pasta according to package directions.

-Stem and dice 4-5 Roma tomatoes.

-Pit and coarsely chop 12 Kalamata olives.

-Leaving the rubberband on, cut 2 bunches of arugula into fourths, discarding the last 2 inches of the stems. Wash and spin dry.

-Heat 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until very hot.

-Add the chopped olives and cook for 1 minute.

-Then add the drained pasta/arugula and gently stir.

-Season to taste with salt and pepper and top with ¼ cup crumbled chevre or feta cheese.

Pasta e Fagioli with Fresh Beans

-Shell 1 pound of Dragon’s Tongue beans, then discard the shells. 

-Dice 4 slices of thick cut bacon.

-In a large pot, add the diced bacon and sauté until golden and crispy. 

-Chop up the following into small dice:

1 onion

1 carrot

1 celery stalk or a small piece of fennel

-Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pot and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes. 

-Chop up 1 tomato.

-Add the chopped tomato and the shelled beans.

-Pour in 4-6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the beans are tender. 

-Remove half the beans from the pot, puree and then add them back

-Chop then add some fresh parsley, rosemary or cilantro and continue simmering another 5 minutes. 

-Cook 8 ounces of pasta or spaghetti al dente in a separate pot of boiling salted water and combine with the bean soup just before serving.

Orrechiette Carbonara

-Dice up 4-6 pieces of thick cut bacon and cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 7-8 minutes.

-Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon and transfer to a paper towel to drain. Keep bacon fat in pan.

-Chop a large handful of snow peas.

-Chop up 1-2 turnips (if you have some).

-Chop up 4 green onions and set aside.

-Mince 3 cloves of garlic.

-Wash and chop up 1 bunch of rainbow chard or beet greens, stems and all.

-Add the greens and turnips to the bacon fat (adding some butter if necessary) and sauté until tender, about 6-8 minutes.

-Stir in the snow peas and fresh garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Set pan aside.

-Cook 10 ounces of orecchiette pasta in a large pot of boiling water until just tender, about 6-8 minutes.

-Drain pasta reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.

-Whisk 2 room temperature eggs and ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl until blended.

-Gradually whisk in ¼ cup of the pasta water.

-Add cooked pasta to the vegetable mixture and stir to heat. Remove pan from heat.

-Pour egg mixture over pasta and stir until sauce is just creamy and eggs are slightly cooked, about 2 minutes.

-Add some more of the remaining pasta water if necessary.

-Stir in the chopped green onions.

-Serve pasta with additional Parmesan.

Linguine with Rainbow Chard and White Beans

Simple, easy and highly adaptable.

-Cook 1 pound of linguine according to package directions.

-Chop the following:

2 cloves of garlic

1 fresh onion.

-Cut the stems off of 1 bunch of rainbow chard, then stack up the leaves and then cut them into thin strips.

-Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat.

-Add 1 TBS ghee or butter.

-Once it melts add the chopped onion.

-Sauté for a few minutes.

-Add the garlic and the rainbow chard.

-Cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.

-Then add the following:

1 can of cannellini beans, drained

½ bunch parsley or cilantro, finely chopped

A pinch of sea salt

Some freshly ground black pepper

-Cook until warmed through.

-Toss the vegetables with the pasta.

-Serve with lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Linguine with Prosciutto, Radicchio, Blue Cheese and Figs

-Cook 1 pound of linguine according to package directions.

-Drain and return to pot.

-Heat 3 TBS olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

-Add the following:

1 thinly sliced radicchio

4 ounces sliced prosciutto

1/2 cup sliced stemmed dried black Mission figs

-Sauté 2 minutes.

-Add half a cup crumbled blue cheese.

-Season pasta lightly with sea salt and pepper.

-Toss gently and serve.

Linguine with Fresh Shell Peas and Walnuts

Start heating a pot of water for the pasta.

-Boil 1# fresh linguine until al dente and then drain.

 -In a small frying pan, toast a handful of chopped walnuts in butter, being careful not to burn them.

-Shell 1 pound of fresh shell peas.

-Chop up or put through a press, 1-2 cloves of garlic.

-Melt 1-2 TBS butter in a wide skillet.

-Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

-Add the shelled peas and cook until they’re bright green and tender about 1-2 minutes.

-Season with salt and pepper.

-Add the pasta to the peas, along with 2 TBS butter, 3 TBS finely chopped herbs (mint, dill and/or green onions and the walnuts.

-Toss together.

-Serve along with a dish of freshly shaved or grated Parmesan cheese.

Basil-Arugula Pesto

This pesto is a nice twist on traditional basil pesto; serve it with pasta or on crostini.

-To the work bowl of a food processor add ¼ cup olive oil, 1 bag basil leaves (stems and all), 1 bunch arugula leaves (washed and spun dry), ½ cup grated pecorino Romano cheese, 1/3 cup pine nuts, 2 cloves of garlic and ½ tsp lemon zest. 
-With the motor running, add ¼ cup more olive oil and 1 TBS water. 
-Blend until smooth and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ava Genes Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Hazelnuts

-Preheat your oven to 350.

-Put ½ cup of hazlenuts on a rimmed baking sheet.

-Cook until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice while they cook.

-Let cool then coarsely chop.

-Cut 1 pint of cherry tomatoes in half.

-Put cherry tomatoes in a large bowl and season with 1 tsp Celtic sea salt.

-Cook 12 ounces spaghetti or linguine in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.

-Drain pasta, reserving ¼ cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

-Puree the following together in a food processor:

3 tomatoes

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 tsp finely chopped rosemary

1 tsp Celtic sea salt

3 TBS of the chopped hazelnuts

-Blend until smooth.

-Add to the bowl with the salted cherry tomatoes.

-Coarsely grate 2 small summer squash.

-Add the summer squash, spaghetti, pasta cooking liquid along with the following:

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp finely chopped rosemary

Freshly ground black pepper

-Divide the pasta among bowls, drizzle with more oil and top with the following:

1 oz shaved ricotta salata

The remaining hazlenuts

-Serve.