Baked Pasta Emmy Night Sunday Night Dinner

Hi Everyone! Welcome to Sunday Night, a very special Sunday Night. In honor of Hollywood on Emmy Night and an its strict diet restrictions, I made a carb and cheese filled Sunday Night Dinner. Suck it, Hollywood.

Okay! Here's the menu:

Sausage and Zucchini Baked Rigatoni

NO. SALAD.

What.

This recipe is a Tyler Florence Ultimate Dinner. Seriously, go get his cookbook. Its one of my favorites ever. The major difference between Tyler's recipe and what I made is that he uses eggplant and I use zucchini. I'm not a giant fan of eggplant, I find it gets super mushy super fast. I'm big on food texture.

Begin by browning some SPICY Italian sausage. If you want to use links, go ahead, if you want to use bulk, super. Just make sure it is around one pound of hot sausage. Heh. You are just searing the outside, don't worry if it doesn't cook through, it will continue to cook in the oven. If it is bulk sausage, leave it in bite sized chunks. If it is links, sear the outside of the links and then after you take then out of the pan, chop them into bite sized chunks. Either way, get a good sear on it, and then pop it out of the pan and into a large casserole or baking dish. In the same pan, pour a two count of olive oil and then throw in two large zucchinis that you have roughly chopped. You want the sausage pieces and the zucchini to be about the same (bite) size. Season with salt/pepper. Again, you just want to get some color here, do not over cook or the zucchini will mush out too, ewww. One they've got some color but are still firm, toss the zucchinis into the casserole with sausage.

Meanwhilst, simultaneously in a separate, large skillet, heat a four count of olive oil, then throw in one chopped onion. Let that soften for a few minutes, then smash three to four cloves of garlic and chop. Toss that in and let it cook for about a minute. Deglaze the pan with a few glugs of your favorite red or white wine. Remember, if you won't drink it, don't cook with it. It concentrates the flavor, for reals. Let the wine cook down for a few moments, then put in one 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes. I like to use the kind that has italian seasonings in it because it saves some chopping and sometimes I'm super lazy. True story. Turn the heat down to medium-medium low and simmer the sauce for at least 1/2 hour. Add some chopped Italian parsley. Be sure to salt and pepper and taste often for seasoning.

Again, meanwhilst (lots of multitasking here, people!), pre-heat a large pot of water. Once boiling, salt generously and toss in 1 pound of rigatoni. Cook the rigatoni to just baaaaaarely al dente. It will continue to cook in the oven. Before you drain the pasta, fill half a coffee mug with the starch pasta water and set aside.

Okay, while all this was going on, pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Add your pasta and red sauce to the casserole along with the sausage, zucchini, and 4 ounces of FRESH mozzarella (the kind that comes packed in delicious mozzarella water) that you've chopped in large pieces. Buy the eight ounce container, use half to mix into the pasta, and half you will sprinkle on top. Mix the pasta, sauce, sausage, zucchini, half a cup of pasta water, and half of your mozzarella in the casserole. Once well mixed, spread the rest of the mozzarella with some grated parmesean on top of the mix. You want to make a nice crust, so be sure to get some good cheese coverage. Pop that delectable mix into the oven for fifteen to twenty minutes. Keep a weather eye on it, once it looks browned an bubbly, take it out.

Let the pasta sit for at least ten minutes (this will be hard). Trust me, though, kids. You will sear the roof of your mouth otherwise, and no one wants that.

Your pasta bake should be cheesy, spicy, saucy, and delicious. Give it a try, especially on a night when you want to give a big, fat, carb filled middle finger to all those couture wearing biatches.

I'm not bitter.

XO,

D

Tuesday Night Sunday Night Dinner

Hi everyone! I am sorry that tonight's dinner wasn't on a Sunday Night. I had to make some cash Sunday night to support my cooking, and last night was a very important birthday party. Next week will be all Sunday Sunday Sunday, I promise! Or not. You don't own me.

Any hooooooo.

Tonight's menu:

Chicken Marsala: Revamped!

Spinach Salad

So this Sunday Night Dinner isn't as involved as usual because it's a Tuesday Night Sunday Night Dinner. You could totally do this after work, even if you have to stop at the store for ingredients. Give it a shot.

I've been making chicken marsala for a while now, but I saw a Giada recipe today with a twist, so I added some things from her recipe while keeping a few of my favorites.

Start by filling a large pot of water to cook the pasta. Seriously do this first. That is one of my biggest flaws. I never put the pasta water on to boil soon enough. Just do it. If it boils too soon, tough. Let 'er boil away. A watched pot never boils. It's totally true.

Or not at all. Whatever. Just put the pot on.

While the water gets all hot and ready for your pasta, take four chicken breasts that you've pounded flat with a meat mallet - DO NOT try to take your meat mallet on a plane with your carry on luggage, right Karla? Preheat a pan (I used my larger cast iron skillet, ten inches) with a three to four count of olive oil. Salt and pepper those guys and throw them in the pan. You want to get some good color on them, but do not over cook. If they are underdone, totally fine. You are going to put them back in the skillet with the sauce later to finish cooking. Probably four to five minutes per side, depending on how thin they are. Take them out and put them aside.

Slice up some prosciutto and add it to the pan, I'd say four ounces or so. While it cooks, slice a medium sized onion. I'm not a fan of chopping onions. I've become a grown up lately about onions, I can eat them in their cooked form, the more cooked the better. So I find when I slice them they brown faster. Go figure. When the prosciutto has cooked a bit (but not too much - you don't want it to burn - I'd say one minute), throw the sliced onions in with one tablespoon of butter (yup, even on a Tuesday) and some salt/pepper. If the pan looks dry, and a little more oil. Whilst your onions cook, slice some mushrooms. DO. NOT. WASH. MUSHROOMS. Lightly wipe them with a damp cloth. If you wash them they get all rubbery, and I think they have a tendency to be rubbery to begin with. But I am trying to become a grown up about mushrooms too. So after the onions have cooked for a few minutes, toss the sliced mushrooms in. You want those to get some color on them as well. While the mushrooms cook, smash and chop a few cloves of garlic. Put those in only after the mushrooms have cooked at least eight or so minutes. Let the garlic cook just a minute or so until you smell it, then add a cup and a half of marsala wine. MMMM, delish. Let that simmer for two to three minutes to cook the alcohol off. Next add one and a half to two tablespoons of dijon mustard. I made it with two tablespoons and looooved it, but my other half found it to be a little mustardy, so I think it depends upon your love of mustard. I'm Daddy's girl, so I love me some mustard. With the mustard, also add half of an eight ounce container of mascarpone cheese. This will really thicken the sauce and make it deliciously creamy. Once the mustard and mascarpone cheese are mixed in, slice up the chicken in large slices and add them back to the skillet, along with any accumulated juices. Be sure to taste taste taste for seasoning. I found I wanted more garlic, so I added a few shakes of garlic powder. Also add some chopped Italian parsley at this point. It really brightens up the flavor.

Did you put the pasta in the water? You should have put the pasta in around the time you put the mushrooms in. I used farfalle, it's really great to hold this sauce. But you could go with linguine or spaghetti if you like the twirling effect. Once the pasta is al dente, drain it and add a little olive oil so that it doesn't stick.

And you're done! Build your plate with pasta on the bottom, chicken and sauce on top, and a lightly dressed spinach salad on the side. The sauce is velvety and creamy, but still has that unmistakable Marsala taste. It's really delicious, and I urge you to give it a go! Thanks, Giada, for the inspiration!

As always, let me know how it goes with you!

-D

Carne Asada according to Sunday Night Dinners

Hello All! I'm back in California from a lovely trip to Minnesota. What better way to celebrate being back than to grill some Carne Asada? Seems about right. Here was the menu tonight:

Citrus marinated flank steak and shrimps

Fresh grilled corn and black bean salad

Guacamole

Flour and/or corn tortillas

Brewskies by way of Pacifico

It was a really great summertime meal with bright, simple flavors. For the steak, you can use either flank or skirt steak. I asked the butcher for a piece that would feed about six. To marinate the flank steak, I put it in a plastic freezer bag along with the following:

-The juice of two limes, as well as the husks.

-The juice of one lemon, as well as the husk.

-The juice of half an orange, as well as the husk (sensing a theme here? Why not chuck the whole thing in after you've juiced it and get as much flavor as you can? That's what I thought).

-One chopped jalapeno pepper. I took the seeds and ribs out, but if you want more heat, by all means leave them in. It totally won't hurt my feelings.

-Two or three chopped cloves of garlic.

-Salt and pepper, depending on your taste. I threw in a couple of good pinches of salt and grinds of pepper.

-An eight to ten count of olive oil.

-A couple of splashes of beer. A little for the marinade, a little for me.

I sealed the bag and mooshed everything up together and threw it in the fridge. I only had time to marinate for an hour, but you could go up to two or three. The marinade for the shrimps was quite similar but, but I didn't put jalapeno pepper. Instead I added a dash of cayenne pepper. Also there were way less shrimps than steak, so I just eyeballed it and cut back on the marinade. The shrimps were purchased already peeled and de-veined, by the way. No need to do that yourself. Shudder.

While the meat was in the fridge getting delicious, I made the guacamole. This is my wonky version, but I find it to be pretty popular. Add or change as you feel, but only if you're super lame. I took four ripe Haas avocados and added the juice of one lime, two grated cloves of garlic, some chopped cilantro (although I had to omit the cilantro tonight on account of my dear friend, let's call her Shmannie), a few splashes of beer (another theme this evening), and some salt and pepper. I mixed this all up together and mashed the chunks of avocado with a fork - I like my guacamole fairly smooth. Be sure to taste and taste until you get the seasoning just right.

Next I made the corn and black bean salad. I shucked four ears of fresh corn and brushed them with some olive oil and salt/pepper. Adam threw those guys on the hot grill for a few minutes to give them a nice char, but not too much. You don't want them to be over cooked. Once the corn had cooled a bit, I cut it off of the cob into a bowl. I then added two cans of black beans that I had drained and rinsed. In a separate bowl, I made a vinaigrette with four table spoons of red wine vinegar, two tablespoons of dijon mustard, a few......splashes of beer (yes, again. Deal.), the juice of half a lemon, some salt/pepper, and half a teaspoon or so of chili powder. Whisked that, then streamed in a quarter of a cup of olive oil. You don't want this vinaigrette to be too thick, so watch the consistency, and add more beer if necessary. To the vinaigrette I added half a red onion that I sliced thinly and a chopped jalapeno (again with the seeds removed, you know the drill). When I put raw onion or shallot in a salad, I like to let it sit in the vinaigrette first to take out some of the raw bite. After the the onions and jalapeno soaked for about ten minutes, I added the mixture to the corn and black beans. I tossed in some chopped parsley (should have been cilantro, but whatevs. I love Miss Annie) and some Manchengo cheese. You could also use a softer cheese here: a feta, ricotta solata, or cojita would all be super tasty. Finish it off with another squeeze of lime, and as always, taste for seasoning. A few dashes of sriracha or tabasco would be yummy too.

Okie, so that was the side dishes. As the steak marinated, I made sure to toss the bag around a few times so that the marinade was evenly distributed. I wrapped some flour and corn tortialls in foil and had Adam throw those on the grill with the steak. I really like flank steak medium rare, and it depends on the thickness of the steak but it seemed as though it was around seven minutes for the first side to get a good sear, and about four or five for the second. As it rested, Adam skewered the shrimps and threw those on the grill for really no more than five minutes total. Apparently overcooked shrimps aren't so tasty. As if I would know. I'm a giant baby and don't like seafood. Yeah yeah yeah I know. I don't know what I'm missing blah blah blah.

This last step is super important kids: after the meat has rested a bit, slice it AGAINST the grain of the meat. It will be super tender if you do so. Then it was time to build some tacos! Guac, black bean and corn salad, cilantro (hooray!) carne asada and mmmmmmmmmmmmm. I ate too much but it was totally worth it.

Do it.