Pesto Rigatoni

In hot and humid Chicago summer days, when the AC is almost always on, (don’t remind me of the electricity bill), the last thing I want to do is spend the afternoon in the kitchen having the oven or stove on. I admit, I need an effort to become creative at whipping out dishes (decent ones, mind you) under one hour. I usually take refuge doing something on the grill, but there are days when I couldn’t bear the sight or smell of barbecued meat (as much as I love it!). So then, what do I do? Start by opening the fridge veggie bins for some inspiration. That quickly turns me off since sometimes all I find are some pathetic wilted scallions or forgotten half bell peppers. I am a very clumsy meal planner, so most of the time I have to improvise with what’s at hand. And oh look! What’s on our counter!! A beautiful bouquet of fresh basil that my brother in law brought over from his garden! My creative wheels start to turn. I open the freezer, there lies a package of walnuts. A jar of sun dried tomatoes in the fridge. Enough garlic to feed an army. I look at the clock – it’s 5:15 p.m. Heck, I might be able to pull it off too feed them for our religious 6 o’clock-dinner-on-the-table time. It’s Pesto!

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Read the rest of Pasta Pesto (472 words)

© Gabi for Mamaliga, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: basil, italian cuisine, liguria, parmigiano reggiano, Pasta, pasta recipes, pecorino romano, pesto, pesto alla genovese

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Spinach Ravioli

This Wordless Friday’s cooking was (among others) a superb spinach ravioli with a 4-cheese filling (Blue, Feta, Parmesan and Cream cheese) sprinkled with sauteed sage, and in a fennel-butter-anchovies sauce. As always, let me know if you need the recipe.

© Gabi for Mamaliga, 2009. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: anchovies, cheese, fresh pasta, Italian cooking, ravioli, wordless friday

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I enjoy cooking with store bought pasta (Barilla) but for certain dishes I like having home made fresh pasta (Pasta Fresca), since it adds a whole new dimension to the equation.

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Read the rest of Pasta Basta (or home made pasta) (1,071 words)

© Gabi for Mamaliga, 2009. | Permalink | 55 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: fresh pasta, home-made pasta, Italian cooking, mediterranean cooking, Pasta, pasta fresca, pasta from scratch

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Mushroom Sauce

It has a sublime texture, aroma and taste using simple but excellent ingredients such as garlic, plum tomatoes, mushroom and olives.
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Read the rest of The Universal Mushroom Sauce (172 words)

© Gabi for Mamaliga, 2008. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: durum flour, fresh pasta, Italian cooking, linguine, linguine pasta, mushroom sauce, mushrooms, Pasta, Semolina

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