Pasta Alla Ladd Food

PASTA ALLA TRAPANESE: TRAPANESE-STYLE PASTA

Steps:

• To make the sauce also called 'pesto alla trapanese': Put the tomatoes, garlic and basil in a large mortar. Add the extra-virgin olive oil, salt and use a pestle to crush the ingredients into a paste. If the pesto looks too dry, add more olive oil. Crush the ingredients until the pesto sauce is even in consistency. Alternatively, place the above ingredients in a food processor and puree.
• Heat up extra-virgin olive oil in a saucepan and fry the eggplant until golden.
• Place the fried eggplant on an absorbent paper towel to drain the excess oil. Season the eggplant, while hot, with salt. Follow the same procedure to fry up the potatoes. Place the spaghetti in a pot of boiling salted water. Stir initially to prevent the strands from sticking.
• Drain the spaghetti when it is 'al dente'. Place the spaghetti in a large mixing bowl, add the pesto sauce, half the quantity of the fried eggplant, potatoes, Pecorino cheese, and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a large serving bowl and top with the remaining eggplant, potatoes and Pecorino cheese. Serve immediately.

PASTA ALLA LADD

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until starting to turn translucent, a couple of minutes. Add the garlic and stir, cooking 1 minute, making sure not to brown the garlic.
• Add the ground beef and cook until brown. Drain off most of the excess fat. Add the ground thyme, red pepper flakes and some salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Dump in the canned tomatoes with their juices. Stir, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Uncover the pot and cook an additional 30 minutes.
• Cook the rigatoni according to the package directions-don't overcook! Drain and place individual portions into bowls.
• Stir 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan into the sauce. Check and adjust the seasonings. Ladle the sauce over the cooked pasta, top with more Parmesan and serve with extra Parmesan for sprinkling.

RAVIOLI ALLA BOBBI

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the ravioli in the boiling water according to the package instructions.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the garlic and onions. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the broccoli and asparagus and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Splash in the broth, then cook until the liquid reduces a bit, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir the cream into the skillet and reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir in the ham, Parmesan and pesto and cook for a couple of minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.
• Drain the ravioli, then add them to the sauce with the tomatoes and toss. Sprinkle with the basil and extra Parmesan before serving. Enjoy.

PENNE ALLA BETSY

Steps:

• Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the penne until al dente (firm yet tender). Drain and set aside.
• Begin by peeling and deveining the shrimp and rinsing them under cold water.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. When the pan is hot, add the shrimp. Stir and cook on both sides until just starting to turn opaque, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and allow to cool slightly.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the garlic and onion. Stir to combine and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Pour the wine into the pan if using. Stir and allow it to evaporate, about 45 seconds. Pour in the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low. Pour in the cream. Mmmm. Stir well to combine; reduce the heat to simmer.
• And now for the fun part: remove the tails from the shrimp, chop the shrimp into medium-size pieces and add them to the sauce. Stir gently to combine.
• Next, dump in the parsley and basil and stir. Add the cooked, drained pasta. Stir gently to coat. If the sauce is too thick, splash in a little milk to get it to the right consistency. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper. Be sure to taste the seasonings at the end, adjusting if necessary.
• Serve directly out of the skillet, or pour the contents of the skillet into a pretty serving bowl. Serve with crusty French bread - and more wine.

PASTA ALLA GRICIA

Steps:

• Add the bacon to a large skillet. Place over medium heat and cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy, about 20 minutes. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pan. Stir in the pepper and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Season it generously with salt. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions, about 8 minutes. Add 1 cup of the pasta water to the pan with the bacon, return the pan to medium-high heat and cook, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon, until slightly reduced, about 1 minute.
• Using tongs, remove the pasta from the water and add it directly to the pan with the sauce. Sprinkle the pasta with the cheese and begin to toss the pasta with the sauce. Continue to stir over low heat and toss until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta and the pasta is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. (Through this process, you may need to add more pasta water to help cook the pasta and maintain a sauce. This could take up to a cup more pasta water.) Serve topped with more cheese if desired.