Tasty on a Budget: Fun with Pasta (Beet Greens Carbonara, Penne with Parmesan Sauce)

Alright, let's be honest. I may have talked last post about my desire to get away from pasta sometimes--and not without good reason--but all a week without it did is sharpen my desire to have it again. And in any event, the cause of  Pasta Monotony lies not so much with pasta, but with that red menace, jarred tomato sauce. It can be a lifesaver of course--it's a quick easy way to make 50 cents worth of pasta and 50 cents worth of vegetables and/or meat taste pretty good, and so long as the other stuff you toss in is tasty enough and you don't do it too often, there's no reason for it not be a pantry staple. But I've found, at least for myself, that if I try to eat pasta and red sauce too often,  especially for multiple days in a row the flavor quickly becomes oppressively same-y and dull.  (Homemade red sauce is, of course, an entirely different and far more wondrous beast, but it's anything but quick and easy). Pesto, especially when it's homemade, is significantly less prone to this, but I've even got sick of it too sometimes. But these are by no means the only two things you can do with a pot of pasta, and there are multiple other fun approaches that you can take that can produce seriously exciting dinners with no less speed and hardly any more expense.

Pasta with Tuna, Garlic and Lemon

Some recipes are so simple, they almost seem to disappear right off the page. When I first came across this one, some two years ago, I wasn't impressed. Huh, I thought, pasta, canned tuna, garlic, a little lemon: sounds kind of nice, but what's so special about that? When I finally got around to trying it, though, I realized that—as is so often the case—freshness and care in choosing ingredients make all the difference. Using freshly-crushed garlic simmered in quality olive oil, fresh lemon and parsley, premium tuna, and finishing with fluffy Parmesan you grate yourself, this simple recipe really sings.

 Pasta with Tuna, Garlic and Lemon

This is my take on a recipe by Adam Reid,

which originally appeared in the
Boston Globe Magazine, September 26, 2010

1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
2 cans water-packed solid white tuna*, undrained
2 teaspoons zest and 1/4 cup juice from 1 or 2 lemons
salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste
1 pound short and stubby or tubular pasta: shells are fun, but ziti or elbow macaroni also work fine
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

Tasty on a Buget

Hello from Cape Town, and welcome back to Everything Tasty.

I've been here in South Africa for just over 7 weeks now (well, technically I was in Malawi for 8 days of that) and have overall had a really good time. The city is lovely, and when I haven't been at the office I've managed to get out and see some really terrific places, and--of particular interest to readers of this blog--gone to some excellent restaurants. Those I intend to cover later this week in a 2-part review of Cape Town food, which should be a lot of fun. However as good (and comparatively inexpensive) as restaurants have been here, I realized pretty quickly my first few weeks that I was going to have to start cooking more at home, at least where dinner is concerned. (I still eat lunch out [at the cheapest places I can find], in large part because we don't have a fridge or microwave available for office use.)

Sherry's Russo's Ravioli Dinner

Here's what our friend Sherry had for dinner last night:

it looks so gorgeous and tasty, I can't stand it!

This is what she had to say about the meal:
"I went to Russo's [our wonderful local fresh food market: http://russos.com/] and bought butternut squash ravioli, goat cheese, lots of mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes.  Cooked the mushrooms with garlic and chopped lots of fresh basil and hazelnuts for the top. Yummy."
It sounds fast and straightforward to prepare: just the thing after a long, hungry day.  This definitely qualifies as an 'Off  The Top Of My Head' recipe.  Thanks,  Sherry, for one of those genius ideas that makes you wonder, 'why didn't I think of that?'

e-mail us: you can send your comments, recipes, or a personal message to Anne and Colin at: everything-tasty@annedesigns.com

Carbonara, part 2--With Recipe!

Well, the Carbonara came out pretty nicely. We went to HEB Central Market here in Houston, which is without a doubt the most amazing supermarket I’ve ever been to. The place is vast—occupying an entire shopping center by itself—and the selection is marvelous. There were fruit of every imaginable variety, potatoes both large and fingerling in 10 or so varieties (including purple!), and a selection of olive oils, vinegars, and pastas to rival the best of Italian specialty stores.

I was going to just use basic applewood bacon, which I know my girlfriend’s father is fond of, but at the deli counter they had some imported Italian pancetta that looked absolutely marvelous, so I decided I might as well get it.

Now, as Anne can tell you, I can never leave any recipe well enough alone,