Three Things Thursday - Books about Food

Since I love to read, and I love to cook, I thought it would be appropriate to mix the two together for this Three Things Thursday entry. I give you, reviews by some of my favorite bloggers on the subject of food.



1. First up is a review of Farm City from the blog Muffin Top. It is the story of how Novella Carpenter turned a vacant lot in downtown Oakland into a farm. I've never heard of this book, but it certainly sounds interesting.

2. Jacki at lovely little shelf has reviewed The Emperors of Chocolate by Joel Glenn Brenner. This book tells the story of the big name chocolate manufacturers Hershey and Mars.

3. Lastly, a cookbook that Kim at Stirring the Pot reviewed. I just had to include this one because I love Giada so much. She never disappoints with a recipe, and it looks like Giada's Kitchen is no exception to this statement.

HAPPY READING!

Penne with Vodka Sauce

Last week my husband took over the kitchen again. He decided to make a simple penne with vodka sauce recipe from Giada over at food network. He made it even simpler by using some store bought marinara sauce as a base. It was a perfect dinner for a Sunday night. We spent most of the afternoon painting furniture, studying, and picking up some new home accents for the house, so we were were running around all day.

Penne with Vodka Sauce
courtesy Giada de Laurentiis

Ingredients
1 quart Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought marinara sauce, blended until smooth
1 cup vodka
1/2 cup heavy light cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 pound penne

Directions
Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat.



Chef's Notes
I'm not sure if the vodka taste was too strong because of the vodka we used (Ketel One) or because the recipe called for too much. The first night we ate this, my mouth tingled a little bit from the vodka. The next night it must have cooked down a little more when we reheated the sauce because the taste was not as strong. I would recommend cooking the sauce down a little longer, maybe 30 minutes.

We also used light instead of heavy cream to make the meal a little more health conscious. The result was a sauce that was not quite as pink as a vodka sauce you would get in a restaurant. It was just as delicious, though, so I'm not complaining.

If you want to make the sauce from scratch instead of using a jarred sauce, you can find the recipe on the food network site (see link above). Since we didn't use the recipe, I didn't post it.

Authentic Pasta E Fagioli

Before I get to this recipe, a little bit about my experiences with Italian foods. I grew up in a half Italian, half Irish household. My mom is Italian, and her specialty is spaghetti and meatballs. Every Sunday, we would have a fresh pot of gravy (yes, gravy not sauce) cooking in the kitchen. The smell of fresh food cooking like that was so great. My mom never really ventured beyond that and chicken parm, as far as Italian cooking went, thanks to a picky husband and son. (Side note: Interestingly enough, when we went to Italy on our honeymoon, we found out that chicken parm isn't really Italian - I don't think we saw it on one menu during our entire stay.)

Now that I am on my own, and have a husband who will eat almost anything, I find myself diving a little deeper into Italian cooking. A few years ago, I dug up The Olive Garden's version of Pasta E Fagioli and thought it was excellent. Then we started going to more authentic Italian restaurants and realized that what the Olive Garden makes (much like all of their dishes), is not what true Pasta E Fagioli is supposed to look or taste like.

Determined to master the more traditional soup recipe, I set out looking for a new recipe this weekend. My first stop was Giada's page on Food network's website. I didn't have to look very long to find a recipe that I thought would resemble what you get in a restaurant.

Pasta E Fagioli
Giada De Laurentiis of Food Network

Ingredients
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 ounces pancetta, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
5 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 (14.5-ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup elbow macaroni
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
Wrap the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and secure closed with kitchen twine.(I didn't have a cheesecloth to secure the spices in, so I just threw them in the pan and fished them out with a slotted spoon before serving.) Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, pancetta, and garlic and saute until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, beans, and sachet of herbs. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the sachet. Puree 1 cup of the bean mixture in a blender until smooth*. Before putting the puree back into the soup, add the macaroni and boil with the lid on until it is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Return the puree to the remaining soup in the saucepan and stir well. Season the soup with ground black pepper and red pepper flakes.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with some Parmesan and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil just before serving.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.



Recipe Notes
This soup was fantastic. A lot of the reviews said that it was too salty, but I didn't think that it was. As long as you use the low sodium chicken broth, I don't think you'll have a problem with the salt. The only thing I may add the next time I make this is a can of diced tomatoes or some roasted red peppers. I think the flavor would balance out nicely with beans.

My only other complaint is the reheatability of the soup. The next night the soup was a lot more congealed than I thought it would be. If you are going to use this as leftovers, I would make sure that you have some extra broth on hand to add to it before reheating it.

Baked Whole Wheat Penne with Roasted Vegetables

I saw this recipe on Kelsey's Apple A Day blog.  Every time I cook something "Italian" it is usually plain old pasta or pizza. In an effort to branch out, I though I would try this. I was a little bit skeptical because I don't normally cook with zucchini, so I wasn't sure how it was going to come out.

Baked Whole Wheat Penne with Roasted Vegetables

adapted from Kelsey's Apple a Day, originally from Giada DeLaurentiis

Ingredients:

2 red pepper, cored and cut into 1 in wide strips

2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1 in segments

6 baby bella mushrooms, halved

1 red onion, peeled and sliced into 1 inch strips

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt, divided

2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp dried Italian herb mix

1 lb whole wheat penne pasta

3 c. homemade marinara sauce

1 c part skim mozzarella

1/2 c Pecorino Romano, half reserved for top

Directions:

Preheat the over to 450 degrees.  On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs.  Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.  Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes.  Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain.

In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted veggies, marinara sauce, cheeses, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.

Pour the pasta into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Top with the remaining pecorino romano and bake until the top is golden and cheese melts (about 25 minutes).

Servings: 10-12

Modifications:

1. I don't really like mushrooms, so I used asparagus as a substitute.

2. Instead of olive oil, I used olive oil cooking spray. I think it may have worked out better because it was easier to coat the vegetables that way. 

3. To make the marinara, I just used a large can of tomato puree, a small can of diced tomatoes, and spices (garlic and onion powder, black pepper, and some sugar). 

4. I used Parmesan cheese on the top because that's what I had.

Review: 

This recipe was really great. It was so simple that I'm thinking of making it for a dinner party we're having in a couple weeks. Maybe I will make two, and add chicken or sausage to one of them for my carnivorous friends! The husband liked it, too, so that's also a plus. 

The next time I cook it, I will only put it in the over for about 18-20 minutes. I left it in for the full 25 and the top got a little too crispy.