"Linguine and Clam Sauce" with "Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pepperoni"

July 9, 2017 Rich at Definitely Delish

It's been a very busy couple of months here at "Definitely Delish"

Not only has it been fourteen hour work days at my regular job, the travel company business, seeing my beautiful goddaughter as much as possible and birthdays..

I've also been working in the little off time I have on creating a surprise for my sweetheart at home—an outdoor spa oasis with hot tub, hanging lights, lanterns and statues..

This took quite a bit of my little free time I had left, but the finished results looks great and I'm happy with it..

That's not to say I haven't on occasion been cooking but it's mostly just been dishes I've done a whole lot of times before or have already blogged about, so it wouldn't do to repeat..

Now I've decided to get to you a new, long overdue recipe—an that is this delish dish..

A yummy, flavorful helping of "Linguine in White Clam Sauce" but with a kick—a extra dose of taste has been added with the addition of pepperoni and sun-dried tomatoes to the mix..

So sit back, enjoy and try it for yourself—because I think you'll find it is oh so "Definitely Delish"

"Kicked Up Linguine" with "White Clam Sauce"

Ingredients:
1 pound linguine (I used GK-Skinny Pasta)
1/2 cup Olive Oil plus 1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon Butter
6 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
3/4 cup dry White Wine
2-3 tablespoons dry Sherry
18 Littleneck or Chowder Clams
1/4 cup Clam Juice
1/4 cup of Chicken Bone Broth
Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
1 tablespoon fresh Thyme
1/4 to 1/2 a cup Sun-dried Tomatoes in Oil (depending on personal taste)
1 small Zuchinni, matchstick cut with mandolin (or use big side of cheese grater for larger matchstick pieces)
2 ounces (or less) of sliced Pepperoni, cut into quarter wedges
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian, flat leafed Parsley (plus extra for garnish)

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta, following the package instructions, until al dente..
2. Meanwhile, warm 1/2 cup of the olive oil, and tablespoon of butter, in a high-sided saucepan (big enough for your clams to rest in a single layer) set over medium-high heat..
3. Add the garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes, until golden (Be careful not to burn)
4. Add the wine and sherry allowing it to cook away slightly, about 1 minute..
5. Add the clams, clam juice and chicken bone broth—an then season with sea salt and black pepper..

6. Add fresh thyme leaves and half the parsley—then cover pot and cook until the clams open. About 5 minutes..
7. Add drained sun-dried tomatoes (more or less depending on personal taste), pepperoni and zuchinni. Reduce heat to medium and stir to combine..
8. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining parsley..
9. Drain the pasta (reserving a 1/2 cup of cooking liquid) and toss in a serving bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil—adding reserved cooking liquid if needed..
10. Distribute the pasta evenly among six pasta bowls. Top each with equal portions of the sauce, and serve immediately garnished with parsley..

Notes:
1. You can also toss the sauce with the pasta before distributing it to your pasta bowls..
2. Goes well with a nice light white wine, a Sauvignon Blanc or Chateu St. Michelle Reisling is nice..
3. Serve with Sesame Semolina Italian bread with butter..
4. You can also remove some of the clams from their shells, lightly chopping them and tossing with the sauce before serving..

"Pasta e Fagioli-An Amazing Italian Tradition"

April 22, 2016 Rich at Definitely Delish

"Pasta e Fagioli" is a typical Italian dish, which has its origins in the countryside tradition, and of which there are an endless supply of regional variations...

Indeed there is no actual "official" recipe for Italian pasta and beans, but there's practically a recipe for almost every area...

Maybe, in the end, it's the most "national" dish of Italy; present in all regions, from the Alps to the Mediterranean...

This is just my version, created over time and taking influences and ideas from a variety of sources and regions—in no way is this the definitive version...

Even so, though my "Pasta e Fagioli" recipe has a few personal touches outside of what you might consider the norm (the addition of arugula) - I still love it and any well made pasta and beans soup recipe...

I hope that you'll give it a try—you may just find you enjoy it as much as me and my family does; because it is, oh so "Definitely Delish"

"Pasta e Fagioli"

Ingredients:
1 (32 oz.) can of Crushed Tomatoes
1 small can of Tomato sauce (14 oz.)
1 Sweet Vidalia Onion, chopped
9 cloves Garlic, sliced thin
1 can (14 oz.) of Cannellini Beans
1 can (14 oz.) of Butter Beans
1 can (14 oz.) of Dark Red Kidney
1 can (14 oz.) of Chick Peas
10 oz. of thick cut lean Prosciutto, diced
1 pound Ditalini pasta
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 cups low sodium Chicken Broth
1-2 cups of Arugula
Sea Salt & Pepper to taste
Fresh chopped Parsley
Fresh Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions:
1. Sauté onion, garlic and prosciutto in the olive oil for 4-5 minutes on medium heat, till onion begins to soften and prosciutto begins to brown...
2. Add crushed tomatoes and sauce and cover, reducing heat to a simmer...
3. Meanwhile rinse off canned beans in a colander, then add to the pot—simmering for 20 minutes...
4. While the soup simmers; bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta till al dente, follow the box directions...
5. Reserve 1 cup of pasta liquid and drain; then add pasta & reserved cooking liquid to the beans and sauce mixture, stirring on low heat...
6. Add salt, pepper, parsley and arugula to the pot; adjusting the salt or pepper to personal tastes, also add 2-3 tablespoons grated cheese at this time and mix well...
7. Let stand on low heat for 5-10 minutes to meld flavors; if it's too thick you may add some Chicken broth, a little at a time, to reach your desired consistency...
8. Serve while hot with crusty Italian bread and butter...

Notes:
1. I like to mix and match beans, sometimes using Roman or pink, small or large white etc—use what you enjoy best and be creative...
2. When I make Pasta e Fagioli; I prefer it nice & thick, then watery like a soup—an usually serve it as my main meal with hot crusty buttered bread and more grated cheese on the side...
3. Greens are optional, I'll occasionally add Arugula or fresh chopped Escarole for color and flavor—you could also mix the two, or add some chard or kale even but be careful it doesn't change the flavor to much...

"Veal Bolognese Balls with Pasta & Garlic in Oil"

March 3, 2016 Rich at Definitely Delish

I love coming home, or getting up on a weekend and throwing a huge pot of sauce on to simmer the whole day. Especially when it's my "Sunday Gravy" or "Bolognese Sauce" recipes; which are just full of a ton of yummy, delicious flavors & meats...

Time, though, is not always on my side. So not to long back I worked out a way of cutting the time down on my personal "Bolognese Sauce" recipe from 6 or 7 hours of slow cooking, simmering, goodness to a more manageable 3 hours or less - which has been nothing short of incredible if you ask me...

Now after years of doing certain things a certain way; my "Bolognese" perfected, my meatball recipe for my "Sunday Gravy" set - I decided it was high time to try to play around with everything and make something new out of thin air...

So taking up some of my very best, tried and true recipes; I then force-ably smashed them together, and from the scattered remnants I started picking through the fragments of tasty puzzle pieces left hither & thither across the length & breadth of my kitchen island...

From these bits and pieces of culinary invention I began to cobble together a new, imaginative, culinary creation for me and the family to enjoy - and that's where this delicious dish first sparked to life...

So fitting some of the tastes and ingredients of my "Bolognese" with my recipe for "Meatballs" and throwing that in with a slightly altered version of my "Capellini Aglio e Olio" I ended up with this extremely tasty dinner treat; which, for want of a better name, I am calling for now "Veal Bolognese Balls with Pasta & Garlic in Oil" or "Vitello Bolognesi Sfere con Capellini & Aglio e Olio"

I know, I know; I definitely need to figure a better name down the road for this tasty pasta dish but for now it'll do, because regardless of what it's called - it is, oh so "Definitely Delish"

"Veal Bolognese Style Meatballs with Pasta & Garlic in Oil"
(Vitello Bolognesi Sfere con Capellini & Aglio e Olio)

Ingredients:
For Meatballs:
1 pound ground Veal
4 ounces lean Pancetta (or Prosciutto), thick cut & diced
1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan, Asiago & Romano cheese, grated & mixed
1/4 White Wine
1/4 Red Wine
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
2 cloves fresh Garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup Fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
2 Eggs, room temperature
1/2 sweet Vidalia Onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon each of Sea Salt and Black Pepper

For Pasta:
1 lb dried Capellini pasta
1/2 cup Olive Oil
4 tablespoons Butter
9 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup fresh parsley, minced
3/4 cup white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)
1 teaspoon fresh Basil, minced
1 teaspoon fresh Oregano, minced
1/4 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 cup Parmesan, Romano & Asiago cheeses, freshly grated & mixed together
1 teaspoon Pink (or Sea) Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ground black pepper
1 lemon, juiced

Directions:
For Meatballs:
1. Place ground Veal (Beef or Beef substitute if desired) in a bowl and then add both the red and white wine; mix them together, then allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes...
2. Meanwhile grate your cheese, chop your parsley and mince your onion and garlic in preparation...
3. At this time heat a small frying pan over medium to medium high heat and cook your pancetta (or proscioutto) till it just begins to brown, 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat. (Do not overcook, it will cook more in oven)
4. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (see Notes for options); then add all of your meatball ingredients to the bowl containing your meat, and mix extremely well using your hands...
5. Take out a cookie sheet or baking tray with a lip and begin rolling your meatballs; I try not to pack them overly tightly, and stick to medium and small sizes so that you make a good amount of meatballs from the bowl of mix...
6. Place each meatball onto the baking tray, and once you've used up all of the meat, place them into the oven to bake for 30 minutes or cooked through. (Do not overcook to avoid drying them out) While they bake, prepare your pasta...

*"Baked Meatballs with Pasta and Garlic"*

For Pasta:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the pasta, cooking until al dente, about 3 minutes (for Capellini); reserve 3 cups of cooking liquid from the pot on the side, then run the pasta itself under cool water to stop the cooking process....
2. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat...
3. Add garlic and stir frequently until the garlic is nice and golden...
4. Then add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper...
5. Next add 4 tablespoons of butter and melt, stirring...
6. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes more, then add in the 3/4 cup of white wine and cook for an additional minute or two before adding the pinch of basil and dash of paprika...
7. Add the Al dente cooked Pasta directly to the pan. Toss until it is thoroughly coated with the garlic oil, add reserved cooking liquid (1/2 cup at a time) as needed to thin the butter/wine/garlic/oil sauce on the pasta...
8. Add several pinches of parsley and a couple of tablespoons of fresh grated Parmesan, Romano & Asiago cheeses along with the juice from 1 lemon and stir...
9. Now add the baked Veal Meatballs to the pot, mix in and cook - stirring to meld flavors for a couple minutes more....
10. Remove pan from heat; add the remaining parsley, grated cheeses and then toss well. Check for flavor and adjust the salt & pepper if necessary. (If needed add additional reserved cooking liquid)
11. Garnish with more Parsley and Parmesan if desired—then serve and enjoy....

Notes:
1. Serve with a nice white wine; such as a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Also, hot crusty Italian bread with plenty of softened butter as well as extra grated cheese is a must in our home when serving this up...
2. Alternatively you can cook the Meatballs in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until cooked through...
3. If you are against veal, or dislike beef or pork you can also try this with ground turkey or chicken - though the taste will be different depending on the meat or meat mix you use...