Aug
03
After work pasta
Almost everyone I know has their own slapdash little pasta dish, you know that dish where you kind of just add whatever you like. Some people like just butter, garlic and salt..while others like to add a long list of ingredients- tell me what is your combination maybe I will try it. I’ve worked on my version for a couple of years. First it was just broccoli, salt, and garlic..and then I added clams..and then I wanted some spicy sausage in it too..Then I stopped adding stuff…This is exactly what I like to eat after a long day especially if I’m tired and it’s rainy like tonight. I pick up some clams and spicy italian sausage from the supermarket, add some leftover broccoli (chopped), white wine for the sauce and fettucini pasta. In fact I just had some tonight, it was delicious.
Lots of garlic and red hot chili peppers required. I use about 5 clams.
My God, the smell of sausage frying in a hot pan with olive oil. It’s way too intoxicating.
I like to add the garlic after because it burns if you add it first.
Deglaze the pan with white wine you’d drink.
Add the chopped broccoli to the pan straight from the cutting board. The clams will open up and the steam will cook the broccoli. If you like really snappy broccoli just add it a little later. Make sure to salt this, while the sausage is salty the broccoli are not.
Okay so here is my secret to delicious clam pasta- maybe it’s not a secret for some of you. Pick up lots of clam broth from the market and boil the fettucini in clam broth, not water. Salt the broth generously so it flavors the pasta too. It is amazing and makes all the difference. The best part is that the starchy clam broth that cooks the pasta is something you can also ladle into the sausage/broccoli/clam combo so you have a substantial sauce. The pan goes straight from the boiler to my table, obviously.
I always cook way too much, but I love leftover pasta. There is leftover pasta but never any leftover clams.
Goodnight!
Looks awesome! I actually love the creamy flavor of peanut butter and the starchiness of lentil beans with broccoli and some spinach that’s just dipped in boiling water so it’s slightly cooked but still a little crunchy. The peanut butter flavor goes really well with shrimp, and some sesame sauce and oil. Then sometimes I mix it up with cold cucumber strips, red pepper flakes, or soy sauce.
looks delish!!!
i think i shall attempt to whip that up for moms bday dinner tomoz
✘leonie
http://www.monstrexi.com
looks amazing
my favorite is cavatappi with sauteed onions in butter with shredded swiss cheese melted in and lots of fresh cracked pepper. to die for. that’s also how my family cooks spaetzle
This reminded me of a pasta dish we make in my house, but instead of sausage I use bacon. The rest of the ingredients are broccoli (of course), baby bella mushrooms, onions, artichokes, cream cheese, and when everything is mixed together, I add fresh chopped cilantro.
My go to Pasta is Linguine with Walnuts,
Fry up olive oil, onions, garlic, hot chilli flakes, chopped walnuts and the zest of a lemon
Add to cooked linguine with a 1/3 cup cooking water, chopped parsley and about 1/3 cup parm cheese
I love the idea of a signature slapdash pasta! I do quick pastas too, but they are always different depending on my mood. Yours looks and sounds absolutely delicious.
Looks delicious, even though I don’t particularly like clams. My family doesn’t have a go-to pasta dish. We literally throw leftovers in and call it lunch.
YUM!
I like chorizo (Argentine sausage), portobello mushrooms, and mascarpone.
Looks delicious!
I usually end up eating pasta that consists of olive oil, garlic, peppercorn, cilantro, mint, lemon verbena, parmesan (or any cheese really!), with tortellini or fettuccine. So tasty, but terrible for my low-carb diet.
Whenever I’m REALLY hungry I’ll cook some buckwheat or rice noodles, saute some cauliflower and peppers or whatever vegetables I have around, and make a dressing with lime juice, redcurrant jelly, rice vinegar, soy, red chilli and spring onion. I place the noodles on some salad greens, top with vegetables and maybe some toasted cashews, pour the dressing over and crush up some mint leaves on top. It’s a vegan version of a cross between a Vietnamese beef salad and a British lamb, redcurrant and mint jelly dish. Love it.
This looks so amazing. I need to try this some time.
This looks perfect.
Mine: linguini, kielbasa, red pepper, red onion, peas, garlic, olive oil, black pepper and parmesan!
Bart’s dish sounds amazing, too!
Your last photo of the clam looks positively erotic!
My go-to-pasta? Hot linguini with freshly picked garden tomatoes, a bit of roasted garlic and basil, then melt fresh buffalo mozzarella over the top and drizzle with olive oil.
oh my days, this looks so good. i’ll have to try it. and the way you always present your dishes – heavenly!
Decidedly scrumptious. Love the constant blogging!
oh this looks fab … my instant perker upper is garlic, fresh chilli, lemon olive oil and a fistful of capers … I love the salty kick … next time I’ll add walnuts to the mix … a la Michael !
I like adding tomatos, finely chopped fennel, salami strips, pepper and bread crumbs to my pasta
Perfect for an empty stomach after a long day!
fantastic meal! now I m hungry!!
Looks really good!
Ooh how I love broccoli + hot sausage pasta… i like it the traditional way with orrechiete pasta…
My go-to pasta dish is wholewheat pasta (for the health factor) with olive oil, garlic, broccoli and fava beans, and sometimes peas. I just toss the veggies in with the pasta, in chicken broth. Ultimate comfort food.
And for a balanced version, I add canned tuna (the really good kind that is preserved in olive oil, from la belle iloise which is an amazing french preserve store)
Linguini, olive oil, garlic, cherry tomatoes, clams, chilli and white wine.
Since it is tomato season, I’ve made sauce about 7 times this week from the garden: tomato, garlic and/or onion, salt, basil, olive oil and/or butter, pretty simple really. If I feel luxurious I’ll poach some eggs in it, and add some leftover bread crusts.
Seconded (thirded?) on the garden tomatoes…I have so many right now! I love sauteeing halved cherry tomatoes in great olive oil, sprinkled with plenty of chopped garlic, basil (also bolting in the garden at the moment), kalamata olives, hot pepper, sea salt, and black pepper. Then, when the skins are starting to wrinkle, I smush the whole thing a bit against the side of the pan to make a vaguely saucy mix. Be careful about *frying* in olive oil though, unless it’s a very good one: http://www.oliveoilsource.com/page/heating-olive-oil better to saute anyway and preserve that luscious taste!
i gotta try this. one of my favorite go-to pastas (that’s not garlic butter pasta with lots of parmesan cheese) is sauteed salmon tomato sauce pasta. all i’d need is:
any kind of pasta (linguine is great with this)
tomato sauce
garlic
salt, pepper and basil
lightly sauteed half salmon filet (cooked in just garlic and olive oil)
i like to mix the salmon into the pasta, then cook the pasta for a little bit after it’s done inside of the sauce mixture (with the salmon). season with lots of salt and pepper, and it’s done. really easy.
long time reader, first time commenter.
my favorite pasta for when i’m alone and hanging out at home:
tagliatelle, a saute onions+broccoli+garlic+olive oil+fresh black pepper, combined in a round cake pan/casserole with a fried egg on top (fried in the pan of the saute) sprinkled with fresh parm and chopped tomatoes. bake until sizzling.
AMAZING. it doesn’t work without broccoli…
ha, i do this all the time — i’m a huge fan of making whole-wheat spaghetti or tricolour rotini and tossing with thinly sliced yellow squash, a can of diced tomatoes, and some baby spinach leaves, all of which i always seem to have in my fridge. sauce is just plenty of olive oil, garlic, fresh ground pepper, and a little bit of grated cheese on top — sometimes something unusual for pasta like a swiss, goat, or gruyere. sometimes i’ll add some basil or another herb if i have it in the fridge.
alternately if i’m feeling particularly indulgent — i’ll cook some bacon, toss some onions + garlic into the bacon grease and cook, add some frozen peas, and then make a really simple light cream sauce from a roux (butter, flour, milk, salt, parmesan) and toss with farfalle or orecchiette. delicious!
I am drooling copious amounts of saliva all over my work table.
Looks so delicious, I’ll have to try it out! Love all your food posts, or, your whole blog, really…
My go-to pasta is fettucine, which I cook first and then add olive oil, cream, loads of carlic, mushrooms, ham, basil and thyme, but the real difference came when I added mint… I also make way too much, but then I can eat it again and again!
Oh, and you have to add cheese, and after it’s done cooking, you add an egg : )
That looks so good! I like to do a spicey sausage, crimini mushroom, feta, olive oil, and penne pasta combo a lot.
Angel hair pasta with peanut sauce (peanut butter + garlic + ginger + soy sauce + drop of sesame oil)
that’s a beautiful forkful!
I go for olive oil, artichoke hearts, and capers myself
I once made up a pasta dish just based on what I had in my fridge, now I grocery shop specifically to make it. Kinda a Greek, Italian fusion. Diced tomatoes, artichoke hearts, kalmata olives, broccoli, onions, chicken, spices. A minute before I’m ready to take it off the stove I add Parmesan
and feta and mix it into the sauce.
Clam broth – great idea!
Pasta à la moi is with feta cheese, basil oil, sundried tomatoes and baby arugula.
My go to pasta dish has chicken thigh fillets fried in sesame oil until tender with garlic, pepper flakes, shitake mushrooms and hoisin sauce tossed with spaghetti. Add crushed peanuts and chopped leeks before serving. Yum!
Very quick and simple: any tomato sauce (passata), garlic, any sausage, peas and stir in mascarpone.
These are things that I always have, the mascarpone makes the sauce rich and creamy and never fails to satisfy, it is deceptively simple but can be jazzed up with some fresh herbs.
buckwheat noodles – hot chili oil, szechuan pepper corns, garlic, fresh ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, crushed peanuts and fresh cilantro.
or the old capellini with browned butter and mizithra – can’t go wrong.
very simple!
great!
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looks yum, I’ll remember to try out clams with mine next time…
I like to add sundried tomatoes to mine =) what I put in changes everytime but I always try to have something red, something green because it just makes the dish so visually appetising.
what a woderfully delicious and easy peasy meal. thank you so much for sharing. i’ll definitely give this a try.
your photographer skillz are so enviable.. i always love visiting you.
hope you’re having a delightful day!
xx Love & Aloha
I love my pasta with just pesto and some ricotta. It’s best on gnocchi but actually tastes amazing on pretty much everything. I happened to turn in my recipe to a Trader Joe’s competition a while ago and it will be published in one of their cookbooks soon!
@everyone
Amazing suggestions, some of them even sound quite complex and fancy! I will definitely give these a look when I want to change up my routine.
Among other pastas I love (including your vodka sauce recipe) – I’d suggest to look up BOTTARGA recipes. Bottarga is a sardinian thing – a salted/dryed mullet roe. Just make sure to buy whole thing, not pre-grated – it looses a lot of aroma in a can.
Makes amazing pastas with simple ingredients: mainly bottarga and garlic.
This looks so insanely good! I am trying this out soon.
i really love a basic aglio olio with spicy shrimp. simple but absolutely delicious
I love doing grilled chicken, tomatoes, pepper flakes, white wine, garlic, onion, and eggplant. Sounds a little lengthy but it’s to die for!
This looks absolutely delicious. Even though the the thought of eating a clam before this post would put me off, I’m very curious to try them now. What do clams taste like anyway? I’ve heard they’re kinda sweet?
Eric: the best way to describe a clam? WHEN COOKED CORRECTLY, they are tender and almost sweet, similar to many other shellfish, and very slightly reminiscent of crab (only in flavor). They need some sharp or strong herbal flavor to balance on the palate, such as a good cheese or a wild herb broth.
My favorite lazy pasta dish is whole wheat pasta with sliced fresh avocado, tomatoes, portobello mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, and wasabi sauce. Sounds weird, tastes amazing.
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Wow I tried making this today- it was sooo delicious!! especially with the chilli flakes
thanks for sharing your recipe!
my most lazy pasta dish is just garlic, parma ham & a good cheese.. back when I was living in Europe. but now that I’m back in Asia it’s hard to come by good ham & good cheese so I haven’t been making it much these days
DO MINE WITH BOK CHOY AND SINCE I AM A REDNECK I PARSE SOME RED CHILI FLAKES INTO THE MIX……WHEN I AM REALLY NECKING OUT IT IS SRIRACHA SOMEWHERE NEAR THE PLATE…..USUALLY HAVE TO HAVE SOUNDTRACK OF “BIG NIGHT” FULL BLAST THOUGH.
Okay, change of plans. I think I may serve this dish instead of the Hot Pot. Pasta, seafood and sausage just sounds like a winning combination and I can not turn down a good pasta dish with sausage.
My after work pasta combos: Smoked salmon/marinated Persian fetta/rocket or grilled prosciutto/same fetta/grilled peach
Ugh god
Ps your blog is my comfort read.
Today’s lazy pasta sauce was this: Sundried tomatoes, rosemary, and lemon zest — put all in a bowl and cover with hot water to soak. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid. Mince it all up with crushed, toasted pine nuts, a bit of grated garlic, and salt. Toss with pasta, using the soaking liquid and a dash of olive oil to loosen the sauce. Top with grated Parmesan.
Pretty awesome.
In my book, the absolute best pasta topping is real butter (margarine just tastes… off), a bit of freshly ground black pepper and sea salt, then a thin fillet of Swai (or trout, depending on availability) that has been pan-fried with tarragon and sliced on the bias and served over the pasta with just a smattering of fresh lemon juice. Yum!
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