20 March 2018 Baked Ditali Pasta and Creamy Tomato Sauce

Baked Ditali Pasta and Creamy Tomato Sauce

March 20, 2018 By

pasta and creamy tomato sauceThis baked ditali pasta and creamy tomato sauce casserole is delicious and simple to make. This is a Blue Apron pasta recipe that was a huge hit at our home for its taste, ease of preparing and for its cheesy, comforting qualities.

I love that the broccoli and pasta are cooked at the same time in one pot – how fab is that!? The garlic/breadcrumb topping is packed with bold flavors and provides a nice crunch.

Ingredients:

  • 6 ounces ditali (also called ditalini) pasta (or other small tubular pasta)
  • ½ pound broccoli, cut into small florets
  • 1 yellow onion, small diced
  • 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning (mix of basil, sage, oregano, savory, rosemary, thyme and marjoram)
  • ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 1 cloves garlic, finely chopped then smashed into a paste
  • ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. capers
  • 4 ounces fresh Mozzarella cheese, torn into small pieces

Pasta and Broccoli Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 475°F.
  2. Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling on high.
  3. Add the pasta and broccoli pieces to the pot of boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally, 8-9 minutes (or two minutes less than package directions), or until the broccoli is bright green and the pasta is al dente (still slightly firm to the bite). Turn off the heat. Reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water, drain thoroughly and return to the pot.

Sauce Directions:

  1. While the pasta and broccoli cook, in a large pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the diced onion, Italian seasoning and as much of the red pepper flakes as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until slightly softened.
  2. Add the tomatoes (carefully, as the liquid may splatter); season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
  3. Add the heavy cream and cook, stirring frequently, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until thoroughly combined. Turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Casserole Assembly Directions:

  1. Place the garlic paste in a bowl and add the breadcrumbs, olive oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Stir to combine and set aside.
  2. To the pot of cooked pasta and broccoli, add the sauce, capers and the reserved cooking water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Transfer the pasta mixture to a baking dish (9×9 or 11×7). Evenly top with the cheese and seasoned breadcrumbs.
  4. Bake the casserole 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbly around the edges. Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle with olive oil. Let stand for at least 2 minutes before serving.

Makes 2 generous entrée-sized portions or 4 side dish portions.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: Cheese, Entrees, Indian, Pasta, Sides, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,
6 March 2017 Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

March 6, 2017 By

I love Indian food and the deep flavors of the various dishes I’ve tried thus far. Over the years, I’ve fine-tuned my recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala that’s slow cooked and delicious, but this past weekend, I decided to pull the old Crockpot out of the attic and make this comforting recipe in it. So perfect for a cold winter day!

Nothing could be simpler to make, as long as you have the necessary spices. All are easy to find at local grocery stores, but if you live very remotely, perhaps the Garam Masala might give you a bit of trouble to find. Luckily, there’s Amazon to the rescue!

There’s just one issue with this recipe – your house will smell intoxicatingly amazing all day long….it’s best to make this recipe on a day you’ll be out of the house or else you’ll be salivating (like we did) most of the day!

If you want to make this vegetarian – simply replace the chicken with a 29-ounce can of rinsed chickpeas! 

Long Simmering Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1½-inch chunks
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 29-ounce can of tomato purée
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. Garam Masala
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 2 tsp. ground coriander
  • 2 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. turmeric
  • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. cayenne pepper (if you don’t love spicy food, make this ¼ tsp.)
  • ½ tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 2 bay leaves

Finishing Ingredients:

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 Tbsp. corn starch
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • Chopped cilantro, optional (could also use flat leaf parsley)

Directions:

  1. Coat the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray (or rub with olive oil).
  2. In the slow cooker, combine all the “Long Simmering Ingredients” and stir well to coat all the chicken pieces with the spices and tomato puree. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
  3. In a bowl, whisk together the cream and the corn starch until smooth. Add to the chicken mixture, stir well to incorporate and cook for 20 minutes.
  4. Add the lemon juice, stir to incorporate.
  5. Serve with Easy Basmati Rice and chopped cilantro, if using.

Makes 6 servings.

Enjoy!

Veronique

 

Recipe inspired by this.

Filed Under: Chicken, Entrees, Indian, Slow Cooker Tagged With: , , , ,
30 January 2016 Turmeric, Cauliflower and Carrot Purée

Turmeric, Cauliflower and Carrot Purée

January 30, 2016 By

When I went to the market last weekend, I found the biggest cauliflower head I think I’d seen. Knowing bigger isn’t always better, I still bought it to make a soup with Indian-inspired flavors.

It’s simple to make, very comforting on a chilly day and, most importantly, tastes like a million bucks.

Note that I made this soup with homemade chicken broth I had in the freezer, but it can easily be made with vegetable broth for a meatless version. I added carrots since I had some on hand and they add a nice sweet touch to the soup, but you could omit.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 medium Spanish onion, finely chopped
  • 3 celery ribs, finely chopped
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 1 large cauliflower head, chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 1 tsp. each salt & pepper
  • ½ tsp. each turmeric, garlic powder and onion powder
  • ¼ tsp. cumin and paprika
  • 32 ounce container chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream, optional

Directions:

  1. In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté the onion, celery and carrots for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cauliflower and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the seasonings and broth. Simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes.
  3. Add the cream, if using, and warm for 2 minutes.
  4. Purée with an immersion blender until completely smooth, about 3 minutes. Alternatively, add the soup to a blender and puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Return the puréed soup to a clean saucepan and gently heat for 2 minutes.
  5. To serve, ladle soup into bowls.

Serves 6 as a starter or 4 as a main course.

Filed Under: Indian, Soups, Vegetables, Vegetarian Tagged With: , ,
20 February 2013 Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala

February 20, 2013 By

Chicken Tikka MasalaI love Indian food but the idea of making it at home always seems daunting to me. This week, I decided to try to replicate Grace Parisi’s Chicken Tikka Masala as featured in Food & Wine. The results were incredible and the aroma that permeated my home was straight out of an Indian restaurant.

For those of you who prefer not to eat chicken, replace it with cubed paneer, a fresh cheese from India.

 

Marinade Ingredients:

  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tbsp. finely grated fresh ginger
  • 1 ½ tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 ½ tsp. ground coriander
  • ¼ tsp. ground cardamom
  • ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
  • ¼ tsp. ground turmeric
  • ½ tsp. each salt and pepper
Roasted Almonds

Roasted Almonds

Chicken Ingredients:

  • 2 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup slivered almonds
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
  • 1 ½ Tbsp. Garam Masala
  • 1 ½ tsp. pure chile powder
  • ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
  • One 28-ounce can peeled tomatoes, finely chopped, juices reserved
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ tsp. granulated sugar
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Easy Basmati Rice recipe
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Onions with Spices

Onions with Spices

Marinade Directions:

  1. In a gallon-size zip top bag, combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cayenne, turmeric, salt and pepper.
  2. Using a sharp knife, make a few shallow slashes in each piece of chicken. Add the chicken to the marinade, seal the bag and rub the marinade into the chicken. Refrigerate overnight.
Chicken Simmering

Chicken Simmering

Chicken Directions:

  1. Preheat the broiler and position a rack about 8 inches from the heat.
  2. Remove the chicken from the marinade, scraping off some of the marinade. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
  3. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread the pieces of chicken on it. Broil the chicken, turning once or twice, until almost cooked through and browned in spots, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut it into 2-inch pieces.
  4. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add the almonds and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until golden, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a paper towel-lined plate and let cool completely. In a small food processor, pulse the almonds until finely ground. Set aside.
  5. In a large cast-iron casserole or skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes.
  6. Add the Garam Masala, chile powder and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
  7. Add the tomatoes with their juices, the water and the sugar. Cover partially and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
  8. Add the cream, ground almonds and the chicken and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes.
  9. Serve with Basmati rice and chopped cilantro.

Makes 4 servings.

{Inspired by Food & Wine Chicken Tikka Masala)

Filed Under: Chicken, Entrees, Indian Tagged With: , ,