Penne Pasta with Tuna

Do you ever get tired of tomato sauce? I do. Don't get me wrong, I adore marinara, bolognese, and all things containing tomatoes. Sometimes however, I feel like every time I make pasta I end up with tomato sauce. Lately I've been eating more pasta, because I have it in my pantry and it's fairly inexpensive. Well I discovered when I was ready to make this meal, I had no meat in the freezer to defrost, and no time to hit the store to purchase some. This was born. I'm a big lover of tuna. My very favorite meal (other than pot roast) is my Moms Tuna Casserole. It is creamy and cheesy and full of tuna, it's also not very good for you. I could eat an entire container by myself. Not that I ever have.

*cough*

Back to the matter at hand. This is... different to be sure. The first bite has that moment of.... wait, I'm eating this? (I think it's the briny flavor of the capers and olives that gives me pause.) And then the flavors melt onto your tongue and it's creamy and tangy and satisfying.



Olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
2 cans tuna, with juices
1 Tbsp capers, drained and chopped
1/4 c Kalamata olives, drained and chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
Salt
Pepper
1/4 c cream cheese
Penne pasta

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a medium pan heat olive oil, add onions. Saute until softened slightly. Add garlic, saute about a minute. Add in your tuna, with the juices. Add in capers, olives, and spices. Stir together well. Dollop cream cheese on top of mixture. Let heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Add a bit of pasta water if you need to thin it. Add your pasta and toss.

I added a bit of parsley on top but you don't need to.

Enjoy!



Onions and garlic

Add the tuna.

Add olives and capers.

Cream cheese and spices.

Serve over warm pasta.

Bolognese Sauce

Simple, classic, and clean flavors. That is my own personal description of this sauce. I love this sauce for many reasons, one of which is simplicity. This is a simple, easy and absolutely delicious sauce to add to any pasta. Whenever I make this sauce regardless of what I put it on, there are no leftovers. It's that good. Don't believe me? Try it. Prove me wrong.

Ingredients:
olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled, and finely chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled, and finely chopped
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, very finely minced
5-10 roma tomatoes, chopped (I know this seems vague, but it's based on your taste, I like more tomato) OR you can use a can of crushed tomatoes if you don't have fresh
1 lb pork sausage (I like hot italian)
1 lb ground veal (Usually I use 2 lbs italian sausage)
1/2 c to 1 c heavy cream
2 Tbsp butter
Salt and Pepper
Parsley, chopped

In a large pot over medium low heat add your onion, garlic, carrot, and celery.  Add your tomatoes. Cover and keep on medium low/low for 15 minutes until tomatoes start to fall apart. Squish all the veg to the outside and add your meat to the center of the pot. Break the meat apart into very small pieces, but try to keep it contained. Then cover and cook another five or so minutes at medium. Uncover and vigorously stir the meat into the veg. If the meat is all the way cooked, you're just about done add in your cream, and butter. If the meat is not cooked leave it a few more minutes and then add the cream and butter. Salt and Pepper to taste. Serve with pasta and sprinkle with parsley.

I tend to use this as a quick sauce, but as with any sauce the longer you simmer the more developed and deeper the flavors. If you have the time, let it go for a while, you won't be sorry.

Enjoy!

Onion

All the veg

Simmering away

Add the cream

Buttery

Gnocchi

I cannot think of anything to say. Sorry guys.

I received these potatoes from the lovely gentleman we buy our pumpkins from every year. He is soooo awesome. I asked for the cost, and he told me they were free. *squee* I love free.

I also love Purple Potatoes.

Gnocchi can be scary. I'm not gonna lie, I was terrified the first time I made it. Turns out it's WAY easier than you think it will be. It does take a little time, ok a lot of time. It's worth it though.

Ingredients
2 lbs potatoes (I ALWAYS weigh them)
1/4 c egg, lightly beaten (this is about an egg and a half)
1 c flour
salt
pepper
and/or your seasoning of choice i.e. thyme, rosemary, oregano

Boil potatoes in a large pot with salted water. Potatoes are done when a fork pierces them easily. Remove potatoes one at a time. Peel, work quickly and be careful! These babies are hot. I find that running a paring knife down one side makes it easier. If your fingers can't handle it, just use the knife to hold the peel and rotate the potato with a fork. It will basically rip the peel off for you. Using a fork mash up the potatoes as you go. I mash them onto a sheet pan. Don't get overzealous here, you want a very even crumbly mashed potato. Remove any hard bits.
Once all potatoes are peeled and mashed let cool twenty to thirty minutes. If you can stir them halfway through that would be good. You're looking to dry out the potatoes as much as possible.
When ready to build you gnocchi, pull them into a loose pile and drizzle with your egg. I use a bowl scraper and mix this very gently, folding, so bottom to top. Then cover with about 3/4 of your cup of flour. Keep using your scraper to gently fold over and over until the flour is coating everything. At this point go ahead and season the gnocchi. If you are adding herbs put those in too. You want a little salt and a little pepper. NOT TOO MUCH. Then start to knead. Be gentle. Very gentle. The dough should not be sticky. If it is, continue adding flour until it doesn't stick to you anymore. The dough will be nice and moist. I use almost all of the flour, it just depends on the day. Now you might be asking, why don't we just chuck all of the flour in? Well, because you don't want too much flour. Too much flour will make your gnocchi heavy, and floury. We want light fluffy potato pillows, not chewy potato rocks.
Remember when you were a kid and you made snakes out of clay? Generic log snakes? That is what we're doing here. You want the log to be about the size of a sharpie marker, or a little bit larger. Take your paring knife and cut the log into inch or so sized pieces. Take a fork, hold it so the rounded size is up. Take a gnocchi, Gently push it onto the tines of the fork. You want stripes on the back, and a dimple of the front. These will help your gnocchi hold sauce. Lay them out in a single layer on a sheet pan or plate.
Cook gnocchi in boiling water ( I used my potato water, because why the heck not?) groups of 25 or so at a time. They will float to the top of the water when they are done, I leave them in just a tiny bit longer, I find they fluff up a bit more. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon. I like to put some of my sauce down before I start plating the gnocchi. I find they continue to absorb the sauce while they are warm. When your gnocchi are done, top with the rest of your sauce. Enjoy!

Please only make as much as you are eating right then. Gnocchi in my experience make not very good leftovers. They get kind of chewy and weird.

If you are not using the entire recipe (I never do) then put them in a single layer on a sheet pan and pop them in the freezer. Once they're good and frozen, transfer to a ziploc freezer bag, label, and leave in the freezer for... well forever. I've never had a batch go bad. When you're ready to cook them, just take and put them directly in salted boiling water. Yes, directly from the freezer.


Onto the pictures!


Unassuming delicious potato.... mmmmm....

Secretly it's a purple potato!

While the potatoes are boiling, assemble the troops.

Now it's all cooked.

Make a cut down the entire length of the potato.

See how easily they peel?

Once it's peeled, place it on your sheet pan or cutting board.

Take a fork and scrape around the potato. You're mashing! Yay! Don't over mash.

Mmmmm... purpley...

Drizzle with egg.

Use a bowl scraper or spatula to gently fold egg in.

Add your flour.

Fold in gently until the flour is coating everything.

See?
Then knead. Chunk off pieces to roll.

Our gnocchi dough ready to be rolled. See how cool and purpley it is???

Roll out. Be gentle, you want these fluffy.

Cut into one inch pieces.

Roll down the tines of your fork. You want a good dimple, it holds sauce!
Put the finished gnocchi on a sheet pan, sprinkle with flour, then be ready to cook!

Put them in boiling water, when they float let them go just a little bit longer, and then pull them out. The water looks weird because I used the water I cooked the potatoes in. It turned kind of green... weird...


I made a very simple sauce to go atop the gnocchi. You want a lighter sauce, the gnocchi are so delicate you don't want to overpower them. A little bit of browned butter with some sage would be lovely here. But... I wanted fancy. :D So here you go.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp butter, divided
4 or 5 slice thick cut bacon, chopped
1 large shallot, finely diced
2 large cloves garlic, finely diced
6 Baby bella mushrooms (half a package), sliced. Stems finely chopped.
1 - 2 c spinach, chopped
1 c milk or creme
Salt and Pepper

In a saucepan put your oil, and 2 Tbsp of the butter. Melt. Add the bacon and cook for a few minutes, until it's almost done. Add in your shallot and garlic. Sautee until shallot is translucent. Add in your mushrooms. The mushrooms soak up the butter, so go ahead and add the rest of your butter. Add the spinach, start to wilt. Then add in your milk or creme. Simmer a few minutes until reduced.


Bacon and butter.

Added the onions and garlic. Sautee until nice and translucent.

Add the mushrooms and stir. Then add more butter.

Spinach in!

Add the milk or creme.