October has been designated National Pasta Month, and to commemorate, we asked local food experts — culinary arts instructors and chefs — as well as Aroundabout Local Media writers and employees to contribute their favorite noodle recipes.
Around the World Pasta
Recipe and photo courtesy of Tiffany Hughes
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 19 ounces frozen cheese tortellini
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound your favorite sausage
• 1 small head cabbage, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons Korean BBQ seasoning, divided
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt, or more to taste
• 2 teaspoons crushed garlic
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Bring chicken broth to boil in a medium pot over medium-high heat, then add tortellini. If liquid does not cover pasta, add water. Cook just until pasta floats to the top. Do not drain. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet, then add sausage (if using kielbasa, cut into pieces before cooking). When sausage is done, add cabbage and toss to coat with oil, then add 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon BBQ seasoning, garlic salt and crushed garlic. Cook until cabbage is wilted, stirring frequently. Transfer tortellini and pasta water into pan with cabbage. Add remaining butter and stir to combine. Add remaining BBQ seasoning. Stir well, then reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until pasta water has reduced (10-15 minutes). Remove cover and add Parmesan. Toss to coat then serve.
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Recipe courtesy of Kat Holt
• 3 chicken breasts
• Garlic and herb seasoning, to taste
• Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, to taste
• Smoked paprika, to taste
• 1 box penne pasta
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons garlic
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¾ cup chicken broth
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• Fresh parsley
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Lemon juice
Butterfly the chicken breasts. Season with garlic and herb seasoning, Creole seasoning and smoked paprika. Sear chicken in a large skillet for about 4 minutes on each side and baste with some butter. Set chicken aside. Cook penne pasta according to package directions. In the chicken skillet, add butter, garlic and tomato paste and mix. Then add chicken broth and heavy cream. Simmer on low, then add parsley, Parmesan cheese, a little lemon juice and more garlic and herb seasoning and Creole seasoning. Set aside some of the sauce. Add cooked noodles to the skillet and mix. Slice the chicken. Plate noodles and add sliced chicken on top. Pour extra sauce over chicken. Top with parsley and Parmesan cheese.
Authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Recipe courtesy of Anne Alejandro
• 1 pound macaroni
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 carrots, shredded
• ¼ cup onion, shredded (optional)
• 2½ cups Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise (no substitutes!)
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• Salt and pepper, to taste
Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain well and place in a large bowl (I like to use one with a lid for easy refrigeration later). While macaroni is still hot, sprinkle on vinegar and add carrots and onion. Toss together until well combined. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until cooled. In a smaller bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, milk and sugar. Fold mayonnaise mixture into the macaroni until all the noodles are evenly coated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours (best if overnight). Gently stir before serving. Add a little more milk, if needed, but no more than a tablespoon or two.
Creamy Tortellini, Spinach and Chicken Soup
From 365 Days of Slow Pressure Cooking, contributed by Amanda Bowen
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 14.5-ounce cans petite diced tomatoes
• 1 to 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 4 cups frozen or fresh cheese tortellini
• 3 cups packed spinach (more, if desired)
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
In a microwave-safe bowl, add onions, flour, basil, garlic and tomato paste and drizzle with olive oil. Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring every 90 seconds (the mixture will be pasty and weird looking). Put in slow cooker. Add broth, tomatoes, chicken, salt and pepper. Stir. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours (or until chicken is very tender). Remove lid and use a fork to remove chicken. Add tortellini, spinach, Parmesan cheese and warm cream (should be warmed to prevent curdling). On a cutting board, shred or cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Add chicken. Replace lid and cook on high for about 10 minutes, or until tortellini are cooked through. Ladle into serving bowls. Yield: 8 servings
Gnocchi Carbonara
Recipe and photo courtesy of Mark Maier
• 4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• 3 large eggs
• ¼ cup ricotta cheese
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Poke potatoes all over with a fork and place directly on oven racks. Bake until easily pierced with a knife, about 60 minutes. Let cool. Once cool enough to handle, cut potatoes in half, and continue cooling. Once steam has escaped and potatoes are dry, scoop out insides. Discard skins. Run potatoes through a ricer or mash well with a fork. In a large bowl, combine riced potatoes, 1 cup flour, eggs, ricotta cheese, salt and a little pepper and mix; add more flour a little at a time as needed until a dough forms. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide dough into 8 pieces. Using your hands, roll each piece into a long rope, about ¾-inch in diameter. Cut ropes into 1-inch pieces. Place pieces on a lightly floured baking sheet. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi until it floats to top, about 2 minutes. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water (for carbonara sauce), then drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown butter over medium heat, and once it’s nutty and fragrant, add the cooked gnocchi. Season with several cranks of black pepper and salt, if needed. Saute about 2 minutes, until golden in color.
Carbonara Sauce
• 4 ounces bacon, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Black pepper and salt
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 3 whole eggs
• ½ cup finely grated Parmesan
• 1 small handful chopped parsley
Add bacon and oil to a cold pan and saute over medium heat (add generous amount of black pepper while bacon is cooking) until bacon is crisp and fat is rendered. Add garlic during the last minute of cooking. Mix eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl. Remove bacon from heat, set bacon aside and add gnocchi to pan. Working off the heat, pour egg/cheese mixture into gnocchi, mixing quickly until the eggs thicken but do not scramble. Thin out sauce with reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste. Mound the pasta into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley.
Fettuccine Alfredo
Recipe and photo courtesy of chef Ale Peek
• 1 pound fettuccine pasta
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1¼ cups shredded Parmesan cheese
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons Italian parsley (optional)
Boil fettuccine according to package directions. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add cream and bring mixture to a simmer. Cook, whisking often, for 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook for another minute. Add Parmesan cheese and whisk until melted. When you add cheese, the alfredo sauce will thicken. If not thick enough, allow it to stand for 2-3 minutes before serving. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and parsley. Toss in fettuccine.
Leave a Reply