Creamy Pasta Pomodoro Food

PASTA POMODORO

Steps:

• Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the 1/4 cup olive oil and heat until hot. Add the onions, garlic and a large pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Stir in the red pepper flakes and tomatoes and season with salt and black pepper. Tie the oregano and thyme together with a piece of butcher's twine, then add to the sauce. Bring to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti 2 minutes less than the time indicated in the package directions. Remove the herb bundle from the sauce and discard.
• Add the spaghetti to the warm sauce along with 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Let the spaghetti finish cooking in the sauce, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, basil leaves and a good drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan over the top.

BASIC PARMESAN POMODORO

Steps:

• Heat a medium nonreactive saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 cup of the oil and the garlic, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the garlic, stirring often and mashing gently with a wooden spoon, until golden brown and beginning to soften, 5 minutes. Add the basil, tomatoes and their juices, the carrots and cheese rinds. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Bring to a simmer and adjust the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 35 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
• Remove the rinds, carrots and basil. At this point you can use an immersion blender to puree slightly or leave it as a chunky sauce.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the penne 2 minutes less than the package directions. Meanwhile, rewarm the sauce in a large, straight-sided skillet set over medium heat. Using a spider, strain the pasta from the water and add it directly into the pan with sauce, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Before stirring, sprinkle the pasta with the grated cheese. Toss the pasta, cheese and sauce together. Add the butter, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the reserved pasta water and continue to cook until the sauce is creamy and the pasta is al dente. Serve topped with more cheese if desired.

PASTA POMODORO FOR TWO

Steps:

• Puree the tomatoes using an immersion blender or food processor. Set aside.
• In a saucepot over medium heat, combine the olive oil, pepper flakes and garlic. Gently toast the garlic until golden brown, being careful not to burn it. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer; simmer 5 to 8 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rigatoni and cook for 2 minutes less than the package instructions. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
• Add the pasta to the pot with the sauce. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the butter, half of both cheeses and half of the basil and cook, tossing frequently, until the pasta is nicely coated. Season with salt if necessary.
• Transfer to a serving bowl, top with the remaining cheese and basil and drizzle with olive oil.

CREAMY PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, place the cottage cheese in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Turn on the machine, and add the milk with the machine running. Blend until the mixture is smooth and there is no sign of graininess. Blend in the olive oil and the Parmesan, taste, then add salt and pepper as desired. Scrape the cottage cheese mixture into a large pasta bowl.
• When the pasta water comes to a boil, add the pasta. Cook al dente, following the timing instructions on the package (about eight minutes for penne). Before draining the pasta, add two to three tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to the cottage cheese mixture and stir together.
• Drain the pasta, toss immediately with the cottage cheese mixture, and serve, passing additional Parmesan at the table.

PASTA POMODORO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• Pour olive oil in a large deep skillet over high-heat. Saute onions and garlic until lightly browned. Reduce heat to medium-high and add tomatoes, vinegar and chicken broth; simmer for about 8 minutes.
• Stir in red pepper, black pepper, basil and cooked pasta, tossing thoroughly with sauce. Simmer for about 5 more minutes and serve topped with grated cheese.

CREAMY SEAFOOD PASTA POMODORO

Steps:

• Cook spaghetti in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp. oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add shrimp, scallops and 1/4 tsp. crushed pepper; cook 3 min. or until shrimp and scallops are lightly browned, stirring frequently. Remove from skillet; cover to keep warm.
• Add remaining oil and onions to skillet; cook and stir 5 min. or until onions are crisp-tender. Stir in garlic and remaining crushed pepper; cook 1 min. Add tomatoes, bouillon and water; stir. Bring to boil. Add mussels; cover. Cook 4 min. Return shrimp and scallops to skillet; cook, covered, 2 min. or until all the mussels have opened and shrimp and scallops are done and heated through. Discard any unopened mussels. Combine cream cheese spread and milk until smooth.
• Drain spaghetti. Return to pan. Add cream cheese mixture; toss to coat. Stir in seafood mixture and basil. Top with Parmesan.