Pasta Salad

What's new you ask? Well, I've finally started volunteering at Swedish Hospital in their pharmacy! If I've been on this path to becoming a pharmacist, I better get some experience don't ya' think? It's better late than never is what I always say!

Let me tell you, volunteering at Swedish is 10X better than working at Macy's. No more sales goals, no more managers breathing down your neck to get sales when they took away commission and no more following customers around helping them find jeans and then being forced to up-sale and say "You should buy a belt as well." Maybe I'm just crazy but I tend to like to browse and look at clothes myself without a sales associate following me around and suggesting things that they "think" I need. Am I the only one that feels that way? That's why I hated retail because I hated having to follow customers around when I personally wouldn't want that as a customer myself.

I'm just glad I'm finally working in an environment with professionals that have reached the goal that I want to reach. I still have a lot to learn but I love volunteering at Swedish so far! Not to mention, it brings me back to my high school days because my high school is just across the street.

Now, let's get back to the food. This post is all about Pasta Salad, pasta meant to be cold. Add in anything on hand with pasta and some dressing and it's a great accompaniment to a protein like chicken, for lunch.

Last post I introduced my idea for a cooking show and because of that, I will now feature a new segment at the end of each post called "AJ's Secret". Really, it's just a tip to have a fool proof dish. So, here goes!

AJ's Secret:

• Cook the pasta not to "al dente", but past it until it's fully cooked. Because the pasta is eaten room temperature or cold, the pasta will firm up in the fridge because of the starches present in the pasta. An "al dente" pasta is just too firm.
• Before mixing the dressing with the pasta, make sure the pasta is completely at room temperature or cold. With creamy dressings, I notice that if you add in the dressing while still warm, it eventually causes the dressing to separate especially when making it ahead. Vinaigrette type dressings can be added warm or cold however.
• Red Onion can be a bit strong in flavor. To take away the intense flavor, I pickled mine with vinegar and sugar. Blog post on Pickled Red Onion will be up soon!

Pasta Salad

Recipe by Me

Ingredients

1 lb Rotini Pasta

1/2 cup Caesar Dressing

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

1/4 Red Bell Pepper, roasted and diced

1/4 to 1/2 cup Sundried Tomatoes packed in oil, drained and sliced

1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced (I pickled mine)

1/4 lb Feta Cheese, cubed

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley (for color)

Directions

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add salt and the dried Rotini Pasta. Cook the pasta until it is past the "al dente" stage. Drain and rinse with cold water until the pasta is no longer hot. Set aside.

The following ingredients are nothing more than cubing, grating, slicing and dicing. 

• Grate parmesan cheese
• Use jarred roasted red bell peppers or roast off a fresh one. I used a fresh one, only cutting a 1/4 piece from the pepper, rubbing with olive oil and popped it into a toaster oven on broil until the skin turns black. Remove and place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 5-10 min. Remove the skin and dice.
• Slice sun dried tomatoes
• Thinly slice red onion
• Cube the feta cheese to bite sized pieces

Assembly: Toss the pasta with the Caesar dressing, salt and pepper. Then add in the parmesan cheese and toss. Add in the roasted red pepper, sun dried tomatoes and red onion, toss. Finally, add in the cubed feta, being careful not to break the cheese too much. Finish off with a sprinkling of parsley.

-Aaron John

Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola (Penne w/ Vodka Sauce)

Well, another year of UW has come and gone and here I am, still stuck at this University as a Super Senior next year. I'm not going to lie, seeing the photos that my friends had posted on their big day made me jealous. I should've been up there with them, celebrating with them, entering into the real world with them but a decision made here and there, led me to this point. I can't wait until that day comes and I know it will come sooner than later.

I'm extremely proud of my friends that graduated and I congratulate the UW Class of 2013. Only bigger and better things are to come. Until then, let's cheers with some Vodka! ha.

I'm not a huge fan of alcohol, surprise surprise. For one, I get that wonderful "asian glow" and turn as red as an apple and two, people say alcohol has tons of calories so I'd rather drink a milkshake. ha. But cooking with alcohol is a different story. It definitely adds something you can't get otherwise. This Penne Alla Vecchia Betolla (Penne w/ Vodka Sauce) is no different.

Vodka is pretty flavorless overall but it definitely added something to the tomato sauce. Don't worry, you don't taste that "rubbing alcohol" flavor. It's tomatoey, creamy and has a bit of a kick in the back of the throat from the red pepper flakes. Serve it with your protein of choice, mine was chicken, and it becomes a meal.

Nick & Toni's Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola (Penne w/ Vodka Sauce)

Recipe by Joseph Realmuto

Ingredients
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 cup vodka
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled plum tomatoes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound penne pasta
2 tablespoons fresh oregano
3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large oven proof saute pan over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the red pepper flakes and dried oregano and cook for 1 minute more. Add the vodka and continue cooking until the mixture is reduced by half.

Meanwhile, drain the tomatoes through a sieve and crush them into the pan with your hands. Add 2 teaspoons salt and a pinch of black pepper. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and place it in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes.
 Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente. Drain and set aside. 

Place the tomato mixture in a blender and puree in batches until the sauce is a smooth consistency. Return to the pan.

Reheat the sauce, add 2 tablespoons fresh oregano and enough heavy cream to make the sauce a creamy consistency. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and simmer for 10 minutes. Toss the pasta into the sauce and cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Serve with an additional sprinkle of Parmesan and a sprinkle of fresh oregano on each plate.

-Aaron John

Cajun Chicken Alfredo

It's been a while but it's time for a blog post quickie! My life has really revolved around school these days. Trying to pass my classes, working out my schedules where I can graduate a little bit early, looking up Pharmacy Schools I would like to attend...the list goes on and on. But no matter how busy I am, you best believe I will never forget about food. 

I took a break from studying for midterms literally 2 hrs ago to make this Cajun Chicken Alfredo and let me tell you, this is a MUST MAKE! Don't be afraid of the Blackening/Cajun seasoning either. I was at first but it mellows out and flavors the sauce really well. Creamy, cheesy, tangy from the sun dried tomatoes, juicy chicken and pasta. Now I'd say that was a break from studying well worth it. 

Well, that's it for now. Eat well my peeps! Back to studying for me...Two midterms this week! Yikes!

Cajun Chicken Alfredo

Recipe by Guy Fieri

Ingredients
Kosher salt
Four 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 pounds)
Blackening/Cajun Spice Rub
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup roughly chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
1 pound fettuccine
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion, for garnish

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over very high heat. 

Dredge the chicken breasts in the Blackening Spice Rub. Place in the cast-iron skillet. Blacken both sides of the chicken, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet and place in the oven until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and slice the chicken into strips on the bias.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and lightly brown it, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the wine. Pour in the heavy cream, bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce is reduced by half. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and chicken slices.

Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine al dente, according to the package directions. Drain.

When the cream sauce is at the desired consistency, stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, the sea salt, pepper and pasta. To serve, toss the pasta with the cream sauce and serve on large rimmed plates. Garnish with the green onions and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

-Aaron John

Macaroni Salad

Macaroni Salad has been on my mind lately. Why? Who knows. I mean, who the heck starts thinking about Macaroni Salad? Never in my life have I ever said "Macaroni Salad sounds soooo good right now". Never, I mean NEVER! It's like the stories where they say pregnant women eat strange combos of food like pickles and peanut butter. Well, me eating straight up Macaroni Salad is strange in and of itself.  (BTW, type "peanut butter and pickles" in google and you get a bunch of sandwich pictures. Can you say "future blog post"?? Maybe if I'm desperate...)

So when something is based in mayo, who do you turn to? Paula Deen Ya'll!! The queen of butter, potatoes and mayo. When a cooking show is based on these three items, she better know her stuff and pretty much she does. It's a simple recipe with everything you want in a Macaroni Salad.

Honestly with a Macaroni Salad, you can really put anything you have left in the refrigerator as long as it's reasonable. I, myself, decided to add in some carrots. You can even put pickles in here, but leave out the peanut butter, unless you're adventurous!

Macaroni Salad

Recipe by Paula Deen

Ingredients
2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
2 tablespoons diced green onions
1 tablespoon chopped pimento
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Directions
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Cover and put into the refrigerator until ready to serve.

-Aaron John

Spaghetti w/ Meat Sauce

Well, that's it. I've finished my third year of college! This has been one of the hardest years by far and I'm just glad that it's over. I have so much to look forward to this Summer. It will be filled with job hunting, barbecues, my 21st birthday, a trip to California and so much more!

This Summer will also be filled with more blogging! A lot of recipe testing, some croissant making, some cake making, cookies of course and whatever I feel like creating. First up, another savory post. I've noticed when I cook savory food for my family, I end up focusing on Italian food a lot. Well, we can always use another Italian recipe right?

 

This recipe I came up with uses a jarred Marinara sauce as it's base. These days, they have some great quality Marinara Sauces out there and sure you can make your own, but this makes things much simpler!

Spaghetti Sauce

Recipe by Me

Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 lbs ground beef
1-32 ounce jar of Marinara Sauce (I used Clasico Tomato and Basil Sauce)
16 oz Tomato Sauce
1 ½ tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce
3 tbsp Ketchup
2 tsp salt
2 teaspoon sugar
1 ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning (Optional)
Pepper to taste
2 cups water

Directions
In a pot, heat up the olive oil. Once hot, add sliced onions and cook until soft, about 4-5 min. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add ground beef and cook until browned and you hear the beef start to sizzle in it’s own fat. Discard any fat that renders from the ground beef, a little fat left in the pan is fine.

After removing some of the fat, add in 1 jar of Clasico Tomato and Basil Sauce, tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt, sugar, pepper and 2 cups of water. You may also add in the Italian seasoning if you have it on hand. I've made it without it, and it's still great because of the flavor from the Marinara sauce. Cook for 1 1/2 hrs, with a lid semi-on, stirring every 10 min to prevent burning on the bottom of the pan.

If the sauce it too acidic after the 1 ½ hrs, add a bit more sugar. Other than that, I made this recipe by taste so the measurements are rough estimates.

-Aaron John

Pasta Bolognese

You may be saying to yourself, Pasta Bolognese? Looks just like meat sauce for spaghetti. But oh no, this stuff is way different. Well, not WAY different but it definitely is not spaghetti with meat sauce.

Unlike a regular spaghetti meat sauce which I find to be a sort of saute, dump and simmer, Pasta Bolognese takes the time to develop flavors by browning every single step from the veggies to the meat. The browning really is where all the flavor comes from and develops. By the end of the whole process, you end up with a deeply, rich sauce that's on a whole other level.

The interesting ingredient in this recipe is actually the cinnamon. After looking through tons of recipe for bolognese, a common ingredient is cinnamon or nutmeg. That may sound weird but it's definitely necessary. It adds a deep, warmth and "spiciness" that works well with the deep flavor from browning the meat. So, if you're in the mood for something other than a spaghetti meat sauce, try a Bolognese sauce. Definitely worth a Sunday dinner!

Pasta Bolognese

Recipe by Me!

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 ½ celery stocks, roughly chopped
1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb ground beef
1 ½ cups red wine
1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 cup water
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions 
Heat a pot with olive oil on medium heat. Meanwhile place the roughly chopped celery, carrot and onion in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Once the pot is hot, add your finely chopped celery, carrot and onion and cook for about 10 minutes until the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables have just begun to brown.

Add the minced garlic to the pot and cook for an additional 1 minute. Then add in the ground beef and proceed to break it up and cook for about 15 minutes. You really want the ground beef to brown in this stage. Once browned, remove any excess fat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Deglaze the pan with the red wine and cook for about 8 minutes until the wine has reduced by half. Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, bay leaf and water and stir to combine. Season again with salt and pepper. Cover the pot partially, reduce the heat to a medium-low, and cook for about 30 minutes until thick and rich. Once cooked, add in the ground cinnamon. Serve with pasta.

 -Aaron John

Baked Ziti (Rigatoni)

I've been MIA for the past couple of weeks! I've been swamped with everything going on in classes. This week is officially dead week. Dead week is really a nickname for the week before finals and let me tell you, that name is true in every way, shape and form. It's not even the first day of dead week and I'm already feeling the pressure.

In honor of dead week, I have cooked up something savory, Baked Ziti, or in this case, Baked Rigatoni! Essentially, it's lasagna without all the layering. Plus, it makes a ton of food and keeps for a long time in the refrigerator. Baked Ziti is perfect for people who don't have the time to always be cooking throughout the week. Plus, with it, you always know that you have something to eat and have nothing to worry about! :)

Tips
-To the garlic, I added 1/2 a medium onion and I added 1 lb of ground beef as well to give the Baked Ziti a heartier appeal. (Can definitely be omitted.)

-I used a 32 ounce jar of marinara sauce instead of using the canned tomatoes. Makes everything a lot easier. In a way, I just made a basic meat sauce.

- I cooked the Rigatoni Pasta until Aldente. Make sure not to overcook the pasta!

Results
Taste: Aldente Rigatoni pasta, tanginess and meatiness from the meat sauce, creaminess from the béchamel sauce with a hint of nutmeg as an undertone and, of course, the ooey-gooey melted cheese that everyone loves!

Texture: Aldente pasta and heartiness and creaminess from all the sauces

Scuderi Kids' Fast, Fake-Baked Ziti
Recipe By Rachael Ray


Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 a medium onion
1 lb ground beef
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)* If San Marzanos are not available, add a teaspoon sugar to your sauce, optional (I used a 32 ounce jar of marinara sauce)
Coarse salt
A handful fresh basil leaves, torn
1 pound ziti rigate, with ridges (I used Rigatoni)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
A generous grating nutmeg (I used 1/8 tsp nutmeg)
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup sliced fresh mozzarella
Crusty bread, to pass at table

Directions
Put pasta water on to boil.

In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, saute garlic and onions in extra-virgin olive oil. Add 1 lb of ground beef and brown. Chop whole tomatoes and add them to the pan. Add crushed tomatoes and salt and simmer 10 minutes, add basil and simmer over low heat 10 minutes more. Instead of adding the tomatoes, use one 32 ounce jar of marinara sauce. Season to taste

Add salt and pasta to boiling water and cook 6 minutes, leaving pasta a little chewy.

While pasta cooks, melt butter in a small pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour, then cook 1 minute, adding salt and pepper and nutmeg to flour. Add milk and bring sauce to a bubble. Reduce 5 minutes.

Drain pasta and transfer to a large casserole dish. Pour the tomato and basil sauce over the pasta and turn to coat the pasta. Pour the bechamel over the already coated pasta. Cover the top of the pasta with Asiago, Parmesan and mozzarella. Place the casserole under hot broiler and melt the 3 cheeses until brown and bubbly, 3 to 5 minutes.

-Aaron John