PAPPARADELLE TO BUCATINI

 

                                Papparadelle to Bucatini

           As you can tell from the title, this column is about pasta dishes. Unless you have a large family or a couple of ravenous teenage sons still living at home, it is useful to take periodic inventory of one’s pantry and rotate for use items that may have been forgotten on the back of the shelf. This is a necessity at our house since half used boxes of different pasta tend to accumulate due to different recipes inspiring the use of different pasta.

          The turnover of often used spaghetti noodles is not a problem, but other less common varieties of pasta sometimes get forgotten. My back-shelf find of flat noodles that provide hearty fare for the cold days of January was timely. Lasagna, the widest of flat noodles, are the basis for everyone’s comfort food and provided an Italian sausage and 4 cheese lasagna. Less time consuming for preparation are Papparadelle, originally from Tuscany.  Pappardelle are significantly wider than Tagliatelle and Fettucine and can support a hearty chorizo and kale topping for a warming dinner.

                                                 Four cheese lasagna

          Cook 9 lasagna noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside. Brown 1 lb. crumbled Italian sweet of spicy sausage meat, drain and set aside. In a bowl mix 12-14 oz. prepared spaghetti sauce with 1 beaten egg, 2 tblsp chopped Italian parsley, 1 tblsp. basil leaves and 1 tsp. oregano. Have on hand: 8 oz. ricotta, ½ cup shredded aged Asiago or Parmesan, 1 cup shredded Mozzarella and 6-7 slices provolone cheeses.

          Coat an 11x7 inch baking dish with baking spray, 3 tblsp. sauce and line with 3 lasagna sheets. Cover with ½ sausage meat, ½ ricotta, Asiago, Mozzarella cheeses and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat with 3 more lasagna sheets, cheeses and the sauce. Top with the last 3 lasagna sheets and the rest of the sauce. Layer provolone slices on top. Cover tightly with non-stick aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the cheese is slightly browned. Cut into squares and serve warm. This dish reheats and freezes well.

                                          Papparadelle with chorizo and Feta

          In a large pan sauté 1 medium sliced onion, 1 seeded and julienned red pepper for 5 minutes, stir in 2 chorizo sausages sliced lengthwise in half, cut in ¼ inch slices and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in 3 cups kale, de-ribbed and torn in pieces and cook to wilt. Add 2/3 cup chicken broth, 2 tblsp. Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 2 minutes and stir in 2 oz. crumbled Feta cheese. Serve warm in shallow bowls over Papparadelle cooked according to package directions.

          Bucatini pasta originates from the region around Rome, looks like very thick spaghetti with a hole through the center and makes a hearty pasta dish with a creamy sauce. Here bucatini is paired with shrimp and artichokes for a delicious meal.

                                       Bucatini with shrimp and artichokes

          Remove the shells and devein 1 lb. large shrimp. Sauté shrimp in 1 tblsp. olive oil with one chopped garlic clove until shrimp are pink and set aside. In the same pan sauté 4 oz. sliced mushrooms with 2 sliced shallots and ½ yellow seeded pepper cut in julienne in 1 tblsp. olive oil and 1 tblsp. butter for 5 minutes. Stir in ½ cup frozen peas and ½ cup chicken broth mixed with 2 tsp. corn starch. Cook until liquid is thickened, add 1 cup drained artichoke hearts (not pickled) and heat for another minute. Cook bucatini according to package directions, drain and divide among 4 plates, spoon the shrimp mixture on top and sprinkle with black sesame seed before serving.

          As we contemplate the first real snowstorm of the season with hearty pasta dishes, fond memories of Italy may balance the temperature outside. After all, January is the coldest month in the Northern Hemisphere, but should you find yourself in the Southern Hemisphere, it is going to be the hottest month of the year.

    (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day” and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)