Crazy Girl's Kitchen

Get ready:

• 1/2 thick sliced bacon, chopped
• 6 links sweet Italian sausage
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 Chinese eggplant, diced
• 6 cloves garlic , minced
• 2 14oz cans diced tomato
• 1 6oz tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 Tsp dried oregano
• 1 pound rigatoni
• 3 cups shred mozzarella
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• salt and pepper

Get Ready:

• 1 lb Rotini Pasta, cooked
• 1.5 lb broccoli florets, cooked
• 2 Tsp granulated garlic
• 1 Tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp dried basil leaves
• 3/4 cup sliced black olives
• 5 Tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

Now let’s play:

Toss everything together.

After-play thougths:

I think Rotini is the best shape of pasta for this recipe, but you can substitute it with any other shape desired. Also, there are couple of ways to cook broccoli – saute, bake, blanch, steam, etc. The best and simplest way I find is to use a very large pot for cooking pasta, pour broccoli into the pot 3 minutes before the pasta is done, and then drain the whole thing.

Get ready:

• 1lb (16 counts) lasagna noodles, cooked to barely al dente, drained, and sprinkled with olive oil
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 14 1/2-ounce cans tomato sauce
• 4 cups ricotta cheese
• 4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp dried basil leaves
• 1 Tsp dried parsley leaves
• 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• salt and pepper
• extra Parmesan and shredded mozzarella, for topping

Now let’s play:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat up 2 Tsp olive oil in a large saute pan, add beef (seasoned with salt and pepper) and brown until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Add onion and garlic to the pan, and saute for another 5 minutes. Stir in 2 cans tomato sauce.

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, eggs,, basil, parsley, oregano, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the lasagna: Measure 4 cooked noodle to the width of the pan and cut off  the portions where the noodles are longer then the pan width. Coat the bottom of a 14 inch lasagna pan with olive oil and 1/4 can of tomato sauce. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer on the sauce. Then, line one end of the pan with a lasagna noodle that was measure to the width of the pan. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the pasta (make sure to cover the edges). Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the ricotta, and top with 1/4 can of tomato sauce. Repeat with the next layer of noodles (the only difference is to line each end of the pan with a cut-off portion of the lasagna noodles from step one), cheese mixture, meat mixture, and tomato sauce. Top last layer with noodles as the bottom layer, tomato sauce, extra shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. Tap the pan to force out air bubbles. Bake for 1 hour, and let lasagna rest for 30 minutes on the counter top before cutting and serving.

After-play thoughts:

For the best result, a large deep lasagna pan or a small roasting pan should be used. From my own experience, the Pyrex 13*9 baking dish is too shallow for the job.

Get ready:

• 2 Tsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 cooked chicken breasted, diced
• 2 medium zucchini, diced
• 2 cups black olives
• 2 14oz cans tomato sauce
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 lb spaghetti, cooked and drained (reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water)
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated Parmesan cheese if desired

Now let’s play:

Heat up olive oil in a large saute pan at medium high heat, and saute minced garlic with red pepper flakes for two minutes. Add zucchini, saute for 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken, olive, tomato sauce, white wine, dried thyme, and dried basil. Stir together well, and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss with drained pasta (if sauce seems dry, add reserved pasta water). Serve immediately (4-6 servings).

After-play thoughts:

If you use chicken breasts baked at home, chicken stock can be substitute with the juice from baking. Also, you can shred the chicken cubes to make it almost like some sort of chicken ragu sauce.

Get ready:

• 2 Tsp olive oil
• 2 lb butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 lb rigatoni, cooked and drained
• 2 baked chicken breasts, skin removed and cubed
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 tsp dried theme
• salt and pepper to taste

Now let’s play:

Heat up olive oil in a large saute pan. Add garlic and brown a little. Add squash cubes and saute for 3 minutes. Add chicken stock. Bring to broil and then simmer till squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Pour the squash mixture into a food processor and puree. Pour the puree back to saute pan, and add milk. Stir till the sauce is creamy and well combined. Toss with rigatoni and chicken, and serve immediately (4-6 servings).

After-play thoughts:

You can substitute with any kind of squash you desire, and also you can toss it with shrimp or topped it with pan-seared salmon, cod, tilapia…

For the pan-seared sea scallops:

Get ready:

• 12 sea scallops, thawed and towel-dried
• 4 slices thick-cut smoked bacon, cut into bites
• salt & pepper
  

Now let’s play:

Turn the heat to medium high. Sear the bite-size bacon until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to take the bacon bites out, and reserve them on a plate for the pasta. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Sear the scallops in the bacon fat about 1.5 minutes on each side. Don’t crowd the pan. Set the scallops later to plate over the tortellini (3 servings).

After-play thoughts:

Searing scallops in bacon fat give scallops a nice smoky flavor that neither  butter or olive oil would.

For the tortellini:

Get ready:

• 12 oz frozen cheese tortollini, broiled according to instruction on the package and drained (reserve 1 cup pasta water)
• 1 Tsp olive oil
• 2 ears of grilled corn (or 2 cups of frozen corn, sauteed and drained)
• 2 roma tomato
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tsp basil
• 1 Tsp thyme
• salt & pepper

Now let’s play:

Add the olive oil to the pan that was used to sear the scallops (Don’t clean the pan). Sauteed the garlic for 1 minute. Then add tomato, corn, basil, and thyme. Sauteed for 2 minutes. Mix with tortellini. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add some reserved pasta water if there isn’t enough sauce. Serve immediately with scallops (3 servings).

After-play thoughts:

Use bacon bites and grilled corn give this dish a nice overall smoky aroma, very complementary to the scallops.

Get ready:

• 2 Tsp butter
• 2 Tsp olive oil, plus extra for finishing
• 1 lb orzo
• 2 cloves diced garlic
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 (28oz) can diced tomato
• 2 diced English cucumber
• 1 cup sliced black olive
• 1 Tsp dried oregano
• 1 Tsp dried basil
• salt & pepper to taste

Now let’s play:

Turn the heat to medium high. Melt the butter with olive oil in a 5 qt sauce pan. Toast the orzo with garlic until slightly golden brown (stir frequently). Pour the chicken stock into the pan and bring to boil. Stir frequently until the orzo absorbs all the liquid. Drop the heat to medium low.  Stir in the diced tomato, diced cucumber, sliced black olive, dried oregano, and dried basil. Cook for about two minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Drizzle some olive oil on the mix. Serve immediately (6-8 servings).

After-play thoughts:

Cucumber is not an traditional ingredient in pasta dishes, but it is incredibly delicious. Give a try; otherwise, substitute it with zucchini.