Favorite homemade pasta dishes

good old alfredo
heavy cream
Parmesan
asiago
milk
garlic
butter
little bit of nutmeg

My pesto sauce, made from basil picked from my garden, on penne. I had a Italian taste it, stand up, walk around the table and kiss me. I wish he hadn't, but it was a compliment.

quote:

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good old alfredo
heavy cream
Parmesan
asiago
milk
garlic
butter
little bit of nutmeg

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Add some shrimp and crabmeat, money!

Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil

For the lemon oil:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested

For the pasta:

1 pound linguine pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 ounces frozen shrimp
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 lemon, zested
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces arugula (about 3 packed cups)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

For the lemon oil:

Combine the olive oil and the lemon zest in a small bowl and reserve.

For the pasta:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked linguine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine. Turn off the heat and add the arugula. Using a mesh sieve, strain the lemon zest out of the reserved lemon olive oil and add the oil to the pasta. The zest can be discarded. Add the chopped parsley to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Sounds great Stewart, hear is my favorite pesto:

Pesto

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method
1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Serve with penne pasta or whatever your favorite pasta is.

Penne alla Vodka

I use more vodka than the recipe suggests, crushed tomatoes instead of chopping them in the food processor and I don't fish out the garlic cloves.

Here's an easy one that's healthy.

Whole Wheat Pasta (box runs about 1100 calories)
Broccoli (a head or two, or buy the bag of prepared)
Peppers (I use green, yellow and red)
Spinach
Mushrooms (bag is good)
Parmesan Cheese (5 or 6 ounces)
Garlic (as much as you like)
1.5 lbs Shrimp
Olive Oil

Marinade the shrimp how you like. I'm good with a little oil to coat, lemon juice, italian seasoning and garlic.

Boil the Broccoli for about 10 minutes. Pull out the Broccoli (it won't be done) and cook the pasta until done but firm. Reserve a cup of the water before draining pasta.

Cook your mushrooms and peppers in a dry pan, adding the spinach at the end and pull it all outout. Heat a little olive oil (couple of tablespoons) and throw in your garlic for a couple of minutes with some Cayenne. Then add the broccoli and cook until it's done. Pull out and then cook the shrimp, adding a little olive oil if necessary.

In the pot you boiled pasta in, combine the cooked pasta along with all of the vegetables and shrimp. Add in the cup of water you reserved and heat over medium to medium-high heat. The goal here is to heat the ingredients back up with the water.

The water will mostly cook off/evaporate. Toss in the parmesan cheese and mix until blended.

This whole thing makes a big pot with a total of around 3,000 calories. I usually split it into thirds for big meals. I can eat a third in a seating (which would fill an average size tupperware container), while my wife will eat a half of a third. All in you can get 2 full meals for a guy and a girl out of this running 1,000 calories for the guy and 500 for the girl. Serve with a salad or something and cut the portions down if you need.

Very easy and tasty for a healthy meal.

Notes: These crepes are the true Italian way of making lasagne, manicotti, and many other dishes needing large pieces of pasta. It also really impresses guests.

2 cups half and half
1 cup flour
4 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 pinch salt
butter to fry crepes in

1. Mix ingredients except butter, and refrigerate between 1 hour and overnight. This batter will be thicker than regular crepe batter.

2. In large frying pan, brush melted butter on cooking surface. Spread batter thinly and cook till brown on both sides. Remove to warm platter.

I love meat manicotti...so I make these crepes and fill with the chuck meat out of my pot of red gravy...top with a litle gravy and heat up in the oven. All very easy ...and if they remember grandma's lasagne....they will be in heaven.


You did say, "Homemade Pasta"

Whole Wheat is definitely a little dry. I'll look into your suggestion.

Regular pasta works, just not as healthy. For this meal I'm going for maximum amount of food with lower calories.