making a list, checking it twice
Slowly but surely I am ticking items off my "want to make" list of dishes!
Next up: Pasta in garlic-almond sauce from Gourmet.
Yum. Hubby had seconds and said, "Well, that is repeatable!" High praise. Leftovers were today's lunch. That was from half the recipe! The sauce is creamy, but with just a small amount of Parmesan cheese, it's not terrible for you like a traditional white cream sauce. The recipe is actually pretty simple, the only downside to me was washing the blender.
The recipe calls for cavatappi, but rigatoni, penne, or even macaroni would work, too. The rigatoni ended up being a little too big and peas would get stuck inside. It still tasted fine! Mmm, peas. I used frozen (which the recipe calls for), but fresh would probably make for an amazing spring dinner. Is anyone else suuuuper antsy for spring? O_O
The roasted almonds sprinkled on top added a nice touch. I just chopped mine roughly and spread them on a pan, popped them in the toaster oven and toasted them (watching closely!) until they started to brown. Nuts are extremely easy to burn, so be careful!
Blanching almonds sounds scarier than it is. Just place your almonds in a bowl, pour boiling water over them, and let stand for one minute. Drain, rinse, and drain again. Then, do what I did not and gently remove the skins. The brown flecks on my pasta are from blending the almonds with the skins still on. I was hungry, what can I say?
Pasta in Garlic-Almond Sauce
Serves 6
Gourmet April 2009
* 3/4 cup whole blanched almonds (4 oz)
* 3 garlic cloves, smashed
* 3/4 cup water
* 1 lb cavatappi or other small tubular pasta
* 2 tablespoons extra-virigin olive oil
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
* 1 (10-oz) package frozen peas
* 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano plus additional for serving
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
* 1/2 cup basil leaves (torn if large), divided
* 1/3 cup mint leaves (torn if large), divided
* 1/3 cup chopped roasted almonds (2 oz)
* Purée blanched almonds, garlic, water, and 1/4 tsp salt in a blender until smooth.
* Cook pasta in boiling salted water (3 Tbsp salt for 6 qt water) until almost tender. Drain pasta, reserving 3 cups of pasta water.
* While pasta is cooking, heat oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until foam subsides. Add almond purée and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups reserved cooking water, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper and simmer, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in remaining 2 Tbsp butter until melted. Add pasta and peas and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente (sauce will be thin), 2 to 3 minutes. Add cheese and lemon juice and stir until combined well. Remove from heat and stir in half of basil and mint and salt and pepper to taste. Serve pasta in bowls topped with chopped almonds, remaining herbs, and additional cheese.
Next up: Pasta in garlic-almond sauce from Gourmet.
Yum. Hubby had seconds and said, "Well, that is repeatable!" High praise. Leftovers were today's lunch. That was from half the recipe! The sauce is creamy, but with just a small amount of Parmesan cheese, it's not terrible for you like a traditional white cream sauce. The recipe is actually pretty simple, the only downside to me was washing the blender.
The recipe calls for cavatappi, but rigatoni, penne, or even macaroni would work, too. The rigatoni ended up being a little too big and peas would get stuck inside. It still tasted fine! Mmm, peas. I used frozen (which the recipe calls for), but fresh would probably make for an amazing spring dinner. Is anyone else suuuuper antsy for spring? O_O
The roasted almonds sprinkled on top added a nice touch. I just chopped mine roughly and spread them on a pan, popped them in the toaster oven and toasted them (watching closely!) until they started to brown. Nuts are extremely easy to burn, so be careful!
Blanching almonds sounds scarier than it is. Just place your almonds in a bowl, pour boiling water over them, and let stand for one minute. Drain, rinse, and drain again. Then, do what I did not and gently remove the skins. The brown flecks on my pasta are from blending the almonds with the skins still on. I was hungry, what can I say?
Pasta in Garlic-Almond Sauce
Serves 6
Gourmet April 2009
* 3/4 cup whole blanched almonds (4 oz)
* 3 garlic cloves, smashed
* 3/4 cup water
* 1 lb cavatappi or other small tubular pasta
* 2 tablespoons extra-virigin olive oil
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
* 1 (10-oz) package frozen peas
* 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano plus additional for serving
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
* 1/2 cup basil leaves (torn if large), divided
* 1/3 cup mint leaves (torn if large), divided
* 1/3 cup chopped roasted almonds (2 oz)
* Purée blanched almonds, garlic, water, and 1/4 tsp salt in a blender until smooth.
* Cook pasta in boiling salted water (3 Tbsp salt for 6 qt water) until almost tender. Drain pasta, reserving 3 cups of pasta water.
* While pasta is cooking, heat oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until foam subsides. Add almond purée and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups reserved cooking water, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper and simmer, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in remaining 2 Tbsp butter until melted. Add pasta and peas and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente (sauce will be thin), 2 to 3 minutes. Add cheese and lemon juice and stir until combined well. Remove from heat and stir in half of basil and mint and salt and pepper to taste. Serve pasta in bowls topped with chopped almonds, remaining herbs, and additional cheese.