Scallop Pappardelle

I think, perhaps, my favourite pasta is pappardelle.  These wide egg noodles are so thick and chewy, they feel so substantial.  Whenever I see pappardelle on a restaurant menu I order it.  It's my intention to someday make an authentic Bolognese sauce with pork, carrot, milk (!) and a little tomato paste to top the pappardelle but, until then, these seared scallops were a great match.  

I used this recipe from Martha Stewart and added in some asparagus.  I particularly loved the toasted breadcrumb topping and plan to use it often!

Here's what you need:

Pear Pecorino Ravioli

Pretty pasta.

I stumbled upon this interesting looking ravioli and decided to give it a try.

I have to admit, the cute stripes were part of the appeal.

But I wasn't sure what kind of sauce would work with this delicate flavour.  Google to the rescue.  The suggestion was no sauce at all, simply butter and that old standby, pasta water.

So I boiled the ravioli.

And then carefully removed it from the water with a slotted spoon rather than dumping it in a colander.

For the "sauce" I melted a bit of butter in a pan. 

I let it brown a little. 

Then added a bit of the hot pasta water. 

And carefully placed the drained ravioli in the pan.  

I also toasted a few pine nuts and steamed some green beans to add to the pasta.

And served with a bit of grated parmigiano reggiano because I didn't have any pecorino romano.  Very tasty and cute!    

Short & Sweet Sunday - I love pasta water!

I've already posted about this amazing, fresh, delicious roasted vegetable pasta.

But I wanted to strongly encourage you again to try it.  We've been eating it weekly with a variety of garden and market vegetables and it is so tasty every time.

This time we used leftover barbecued chicken with zucchini, onions and multi-coloured cherry tomatoes.

We roasted the veggies while the pasta cooked.

I can't believe the simple secret ingredient in this dish is pasta water!  It makes the dish creamy and moist and it's a simple thing most people would just throw down the drain.

Mixed with hot pasta, vegetables and a bit of parmesan cheese, the pasta water creates a silky sauce that tastes incredible.  I wish I'd known this secret sooner so I'm sharing it in the hopes that everyone uses this magic ingredient to make healthy, delicious pasta!