Table of Contents
Sauces
Stu’s Best Spaghetti Sauce>
Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca
Quick Tomato Sauce for Penne or Other Pastas>
Spaghetti With Garlic and Oil/With Shrimp and Garlic Sauce>
Sarah's Favorite Linguine With Clam Sauce>
Lemon Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta>
Fettuccine Alfredo>
Wendy’s Walnut, Parsley, Basil Pesto>
Arugula, Basil, and Walnut Pesto>
Simple Pasta Primavera>
Casseroles
Wendy’s Ziti>
Penne Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Mushrooms>
Lasagna with Italian Sausage>
Salads
Basic Pasta Salad>
Shrimp Pasta Salad>
Chicken Pasta Salad>
Other Considerations
Macaroni and Cheese>
Wendy’s Spaghetti Sauce Chili>
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Sauces
Stu’s Best Spaghetti Sauce
This is not just the best sauce for Stu, but the best sauce anyhoo. Enough said.
two cups chopped onion
three cloves ( or more) minced garlic
three large cans whole plum tomatoes
one can tomato paste
two cups chicken broth (or one
cup broth/one cup red wine --over 21)
one or two bay leaf(s)
one teaspoon or more to taste oregano and basil
1. Sauté the onion and garlic in three tablespoons olive oil on medium-high heat. This will take about three minutes. The garlic should not brown, but cook until both are soft. Stir often.
2. Put the tomatoes a can at a time in a food processor and process quickly about two or three zooms (or use a fork or potato masher to cut up the tomatoes). Add to the softened onions. Also add the paste, broth, bay leaf, and one-half teaspoon pepper and one half teaspoon salt.
3. Simmer the sauce for about three hours stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add liquid from time to time to keep the sauce from getting too thick. Right thickness is between watery and sour cream. After about two hours of simmering, add the oregano and basil. Adjust seasonings at this time also.
Serve with garlic bread and a nice salad. For the meat eaters, you can throw a pound or so ground beef into a fry pan, cook until brown, pour off the fat and add to the sauce at end of hour two. You can also cook Italian sausage and add to the sauce at the end of hour two.
You can use this sauce for lasagna.
Also use the sauce to make a quick chili (see recipe).
Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca
This takes some time to prepare but the sauce doesn¹t cook long.
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can plum tomatoes (1lb 12 oz)
one quarter cup pitted halved oil cured olives
two teaspoons rinsed small capers
one teaspoon red pepper flakes
one teaspoon oregano
pinch black pepper
one small can flat anchovies, drained, blotted dry and chopped
two tablespoons parsley
one pound spaghetti
1. Cook the garlic in three tablespoons of hot oil about a minute. Do not brown. Stir in everything but the anchovies and parsley and simmer about 15minutes. Cut up the tomatoes in the pot with a fork while the sauce is cooking.
2. Stir in anchovies and parsley and cook two more minutes.
3. While sauce is simmering, cook the spaghetti. Toss with sauce.
Serve with garlic bread. That¹s all you need folks!
Quick Tomato Sauce for Penne or Other Pastas
Ok. So, some days you just don¹t have time to make the three hour spaghetti sauce. So, here is a 20 minute substitute which will work just fine. This will serve four.
One quarter cup olive oil
two teaspoons finely minced garlic
dash of red pepper (highly optional)
one 28 ounce can plum tomatoes ( do not drain)
eight ounces penne or whatever pasta (can double this)
two tablespoons chopped parsley (or use basil and/or oregano)
1. Heat oil in a skillet over low heat. Add the garlic and red pepper if using. Stir until the garlic is golden (not brown).
2. Mash up the tomatoes (if you have a processor use it). Stir into the oil and simmer (that¹s low low heat) for 20 minutes. If using oregano and/or basil, sprinkle on before simmering. If using parsley, sprinkle over the sauce after it¹s cooked.
3. Cook the penne, or whatever, while the sauce is simmering, and then toss with the sauce boss.
Now that¹s darn quick and the sauce tastes vury vury good y¹all.
Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil/ Spaghetti with Shrimp and Garlic Sauce
One pound cooked spaghetti
one garlic head peeled and minced
black pepper to taste
two tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1. Sauté the garlic in one third cup hot olive oil. Cook at medium heat until the garlic is golden brown. Do not burn.
2. Toss the garlic and oil with the spaghetti. That is it!
With Shrimp:
Increase the oil to two thirds of a cup. Peel and devein about a pound of shrimp for four people. This is a picky process, requiring attention to detail. Find a friend to do this for you. Cook with the garlic and oil until the shrimp are pink and the garlic is golden. Toss. Eat. Ah how sweet it is!
Sarah’s Favorite Linguine With Clam Sauce
When it came to shell fish, there weren’t many favorites for Sarah. So, when this recipe came around and she liked it, well, that was a happy day!
1 quarter cup olive oil
at least two garlic cloves sliced thin. Consider many more.
one quarter teaspoon crushed dried red pepper
one ten and one half ounce can chopped clams with juice
one pound linguine
two tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over low heat. Stir in the garlic and heat about two minutes (do not brown). Add the red pepper and heat another minute. Add the clams with their juice and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
2. In the meantime, cook the linguine until ready (see package directions for timing). Drain, reserving one quarter cup of the cooking water. Add the cooking water to the pasta and toss with the clam sauce and the parsley. Black pepper is a very nice addition too, thank ya very much.
That’s all folks.
Lemon Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta
Well this is a delicious little dish, like an Alfredo Sauce but with shrimp (yay, what a great idea). Cook this for people ya love.
one nine ounce package of angel hair pasta (this is really skinny and cooks fast, so follow the directions carefully)
one tablespoon olive oil
one clove garlic, chopped
juice of one half to one lemon
one half cup chicken broth (use low sodium if you can)
one pound large shrimp peeled (get a friend to do this, also, try to pull out the black stringy vein--ick)
one quarter cup cream
one half cup Parmesan cheese
zest of one lemon (zest is a fancy word for grate the rind off a lemon)three tablespoons chopped cilantro (yeah)
1. Cook the pasta so it is ready to toss with the sauce.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and saute until soft. Add the lemon juice and chicken broth. bring to a boil.
3. Add the shrimp and cook about three minutes until they pink up. Reduce heat to low and add the cream, cheese, and lemon zest. Cook three minutes more but be sure not to boil it. Toss with the pasta and cilantro and eat eat eat.
Fettuccine Alfredo
one pound fettuccine
one stick butter (prefer unsalted)
one half cup Parmesan cheese
black pepper
1. Cook the fettuccine using package directions. Meanwhile, take the butter and cut it up into slices and put them in a large warm bowl.
2. Toss the fettuccine with the butter and add the cheese. Toss well. Add the pepper.
I still think this is a sophisticated macaroni and cheese (and very fatty). Consider halving the butter. You can supplement with olive oil if too dry. Of course, I never do this. Try it and let me know if it works.
Wendy’s Walnut, Parsley, Basil Pesto
This is a very sophisticated dish but very easy to make. You can impress your friends by cooking it. Also the word “pesto,”
sounds cool so try often to include it in a sentence.
three cups, any combination, fresh basil and fresh parsley. You can also just use one or the other. You can use a little of the basil stems, but stick mostly to the leaves or the sauce won¹t grind up properly.
one or two large garlic clove, chopped
one half cup walnuts (you can use pine nuts which is what
recipes usually call for, but I prefer walnuts)
one quarter teaspoon salt
three quarters cup olive oil (this is a lot. You can add less for a
drier more crumbly pesto)
one third cup Parmesan cheese
1. Put the garlic, walnuts, basil/parsley into a food processor and chop. Add the salt. With the processor still running, add the oil in a slow steady stream. Fold in the cheese. If you want to freeze some of this, do so before adding the cheese. You can add the cheese later when the pesto is thawed.
2. After cooking the pasta, add one half cup of the water used to cook the pasta to the pesto to make it more runny. Then toss the pesto with the hot cooked pasta. Remember, the flavor is pretty strong so you don’t need much to flavor the pasta. Add a little then taste, then add more if necessary.
Arugula, Basil, and Walnut Pesto
This is milder than most pestos, but the arugula adds a slightly peppery flavor. Serve it with linguine, and consider adding some shrimp too.
one quarter cup walnuts
two cloves garlic, crushed
two cups loosely packed arugula
two cups loosely packed basil leaves
two tablespoons olive oil
two teaspoons fresh lemon juice
three quarters teaspoon salt
one quarter teaspoon black pepper
one half cup water
Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor until well mixed and chopped small. If you are cooking pasta to go with, use the cooked pasta water for the one half cup water. Consider adding grated Parmesan cheese. That’s so it!!!
Simple Pasta Primavera
one pound dried fettuccine (I use the spinach variety)
two teaspoons olive oil
two tablespoons shallots, minced
one or two or more garlic cloves, minced
one pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into one inch pieces
optional extras: one half zucchini, chopped thin, one half sliced onion, one half green pepper, diced, or whatever else you’d like to throw in)
one quarter cup water
one pound cherry tomatoes, halved
one cup chicken broth (use low salt and low or no fat)
one teaspoon tomato paste
one quarter cup chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
optional: pinch of red pepper flakes
fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1. Make the fettuccini according to package directions.
2. Heat oil, and sauté shallots and garlic for a few minutes. If using, add the zucchini, green pepper, and onion, and sauté a few minutes until slightly softened.
3. Add the asparagus and the water. Cover the pan and cook until the asparagus is green, only about three minutes.
4. Stir in the basil, season with salt and pepper and the red pepper if using. Drain the fettuccine and add both the fettuccine and the vegetables back into the pot and stir together. Serve with the Parmesan cheese.
Casseroles
Wendy’s Ziti
This recipe uses leftover spaghetti sauce. The more sauce, the more ziti you can make: simple as that.
one pound ziti cooked
about two quarts spaghetti sauce
one large block grated mozzarella cheese (pizza cheese)
Parmesan cheese (see below)
1. Cook the ziti until done. Drain ziti then pour into a large casserole dish. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
2. Mix in about one third of the mozzarella cheese, about two tablespoons Parmesan cheese and the tomato sauce. There should be enough sauce mixed in to coat the noodles well, without it making the casserole watery. I am guessing we use about two quarts for each pound of ziti, but it could be more or less. You¹ll be able to tell.
3. Top with another tablespoon or so Parmesan cheese and the rest of the mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Check after 20 minutes using the fork test described below. The odds are it won¹t be ready yet, so cook it some more. The cheese on top should be golden brown, not burned, and the sauce should be bubbly when it’s done.
Serve with garlic bread and a salad.
Fork Doneness Test: stick a fork into the middle of the casserole and if it burns the crap out of your finger when you pull it out and touch it, guess the ziti is ready.
Penne Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Mushrooms
There is another recipe for making ziti, which is similar in concept to this recipe, except that it is a way to use leftover spaghetti sauce and this one is from scratch. So, you can figure out which one you want!
Three and one half pounds hot Italian sausage, casings removed, crumbled
Three tablespoons olive oil
One and one half pounds mushrooms, thickly sliced
Three cups chopped onions
One and one half cups chopped fresh basil (divided)
One-fourth cup chopped fresh oregano
Six large garlic cloves, chopped
One cup dry white wine
Five cups canned crushed tomatoes with added puree
Two cups diced tomatoes (about four medium large tomatoes)
One large box penne pasta (or really any similar type pasta you want)
One and one half cups grated pecorino cheese (about four and one half ounces—you can substitute grated parmesan)
1. Sauté sausage until brown (about 12 minutes). Drain fat. Add oil to the pan.
2. Sauté mushrooms and onions until tender and brown.
3. Stir in one cup chopped basil, the oregano, and garlic and sauté one minute. Add wine: cook until almost absorbed, about four minutes.
4. Add sausage and crushed tomatoes and simmer about 25 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and simmer until soft, about another 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and mix into the sauce (use your judgment about the amount of pasta versus sauce that you want). Add one half cup cheese and one half cup basil and combine. Serve, making the left over cheese available at the table.
Lasagna with Italian Sausage
This is ridiculous it’s so good. Don’t get all namby pamby and substitute some weird chicken sausage for the real hot Italian variety. If you want chicken sausage that’s fine: just don’t expect to make lasagna with it. Leave out the sausage idea altogether if you’re thinking of using chicken sausage for God’s sake!!!
Sauce
Two tablespoons olive oil
To cups chopped onion
Four tablespoons minced garlic (or more to taste)
Two handfuls chopped mushrooms
One pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
One fourteen-ounce can diced tomatoes, any variety
One half cup tomato paste
A large bloop or two of good red wine
One half cup chopped fresh basil
Two tablespoons dried oregano
One teaspoon red pepper
1. Heat oil in a large pan. Add onions, peppers, garlic and mushrooms and sauté until soft (but not browned). Set aside.
2. In a separate pan, heat the sausage until cooked through and there is no more pink meat, about five minutes. Drain fat. Add to the vegetables in the big pot and add remaining ingredients. Simmer about fifteen minutes, or until it tastes terrific.
3. Set aside and work on the noodles and filling.
Noodles and Filling
12 Ounces lasagna noodles
Two fifteen-ounce containers part skim ricotta cheese
One cup grated Parmesan cheese (divided)
One and one-half cups fresh basil leaves, minced
Four and three fourths cups mozzarella cheese
Two large eggs
I prefer using the boiled noodles, but that’s because I don’t have a lot of experience with the other kind and I don’t mind handling large pots of boiling water. You might want to add more fluid to the sauce, though, if you use the no-boil kind.
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook noodles until almost tender, about seven minutes. Drain and lay out on wax paper. Don’t let the noodles touch or you’ll have a sticky thing going on.
2. Combine ricotta and three-fourths cup Parmesan cheese. Mix in basil. Season with salt and pepper. Add eggs. Mix together.
Assemble the Lasagna
1. Spread one half-cup sauce over the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch pan (or equivalent). Place five noodles over sauce, overlapping to fit.
2. Spread half the ricotta mixture over the noodles evenly (or dabbing here and there). Sprinkle two cups mozzarella cheese evenly over the ricotta. Spoon one and one half cups sauce over cheese spreading to cover evenly.
3. Repeat layering with five noodles, remaining ricotta, two cups mozzarella and one and one half cups sauce.
4. Arrange the last five noodles over the sauce. Spread remaining sauce over the noodles (here you might want to pour some into the corners to get some more sauce down into the layers). Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese (about three quarters of a cup), one-fourth cup Parmesan cheese over the noodles.
5. Cover baking dish with tin foil and bake 40 minutes with the cover on, then take it off and bake until it’s hot and bubbling, about another 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
Salads
Basic Pasta Salad
one pound macaroni, penne, small shells, whatever, cooked and cooled. Cooled means you drained out the boiling water and ran cold water over it. Then you take your hands and with the water still running cold, toss the pasta until it cools. This is fun.
two or three chopped scallions
chopped green pepper ( or red pepper if cheap that week)
a few tablespoons minced fresh (don¹t use that dry stuff) parsley
another green vegetable such as zucchini, broccoli, green beans, peas, etc.
1. Mix macaroni and everything else together.
2. Make a dressing (you¹ll need about a cup) using
mayonnaise alone, or a mix of mayo, plain yogurt, and prepared mustard (equal parts) to taste. Or, use your favorite salad dressing. Add also salt and lots of pepper to taste.
3. Taste the dressing before you mix home made dressings into the pasta.
4. The mayo/yogurt dressing can be spiced a number of ways:
option #1(usual): one teaspoon dill weed or dill seeds (or more to taste)
option #2 (Greekish): Add one quarter cup sliced pitted Greek olives and some crumbled feta cheese instead of mustard
option #3 (Indianish): Add one teaspoon curry powder
option #4 (Mexicany): Add one quarter cup chopped cilantro, one teaspoon cumin, and a chopped jalapeno pepper
Shrimp Pasta Salad
NOTE: If you have left over plain pasta salad you can simply cook up the shrimp and add them. You may need more dressing to keep the salad moist. The method of cooking shrimp, by the way, is fine for eating the shrimp plain without the salad, as an appetizer.
one pound or more shrimp for four
one pound cooked penne, seashells, elbows, or twisty pasta
one green pepper chopped small and/or cucumber
one small onion or several chopped scallions
one medium tomato chopped small
one tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1. If over 21, pour one beer into sauce pan and heat to boiling. Put in shrimp, which has been peeled and deveined, and cook until pink. Taste to see if done. Drain and put aside. You might cut the shrimps in half if they are large. If under 21, sauté the shrimp in two tablespoons oil until pink. Cool.
2. Mix chopped vegetables with the shrimp and add to the cooked pasta.
3. Make a dressing. This can be your favorite salad dressing, or:
mix one half cup mayonnaise and one half cup plan yogurt. Season with a tablespoon brown mustard (Grey Poupon), dill weed or seeds, salt, pepper, and parsley or use the variations for pasta salad. Mix with shrimp and pasta.
Serve with croissant or crusty bread and fruit salad. You can also skip the pasta and make the shrimp salad for a sandwich.
Chicken Pasta Salad
This is the same as shrimp salad substituting cooked chicken. Use about a cup or two of cooked chicken. However, omit the tomatoes (if you like) and add a half cup chopped cashews. You can also add a half cup raisins.
Consider using the spice variations described under pasta salad.
After all, this is only blah chicken otherwise.
You can also serve the chicken minus the pasta as a sandwich with lettuce and tomato. Consider putting it in a pita.
Other Considerations
Macaroni and Cheese
Now, don’t pooh pooh this. It is really very good, especially if you add some extras.
one pound macaroni
two recipes cheese sauce (see separate recipe)
one half cup buttered bread crumbs (take bread crumbs and place in one tablespoon melted butter. Stir)
1. Heat oven to 350.
2. Cook the macaroni and set aside.
3. Make the cheese sauce and mix with the cooked macaroni in a buttered casserole dish. Cover the top with the bread crumbs.
4. Bake until the top browns about twenty minutes or so. Don’t worry if it takes longer, just don’t dry it out.
You can add some fun things to this dish, prior to baking, such as sautéed onions, chopped tomatoes, cooked and crumbled sausage, or thin chopped slices of pepperoni.
Cheese Sauce:
1. Melt two tablespoons butter in a sauce pan
2. Add two tablespoons flour and blend until smooth
3. Slowly add one cup milk and cook on medium high heat stirring all the time until the sauce thickens. Take off the heat immediately. Don’t let it boil over.
4. Immediately add two cups grated cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese melts.
Wendy’s Spaghetti Sauce Chili
Basically, the purpose of this chili is to use up left-over spaghetti sauce in a creative and delicious way. You could try substituting a mediocre (there is no other kind) jar sauce for the home made tomato sauce, but it just won’t be as good. The more sauce you have, the more chili you can make.
one tablespoon olive oil
one very large onion, chopped
cloves of garlic (to taste, use at least two, peeled and chopped)
one pound ground beef
at least three cups leftover spaghetti sauce
one 16 ounce can red or pink kidney beans, drained
one green pepper, chopped (optional)
two tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional but really necessary)
red pepper flakes, to taste (use at least a teaspoon)
chili powder, one tablespoon, or to taste
cumin, one to two tablespoons (you guessed it, to taste)
salt and pepper
1. Heat the olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add half the onion, the green pepper, if using, and all of the garlic and cook gently a few minutes. Add the ground beef and cook it until it is entirely brown (not crusty). Drain the fat (don¹t skip this step or you¹ll be sorry).
2. After draining the fat (you get the hint), add the rest of the onion, the spices, and cover with the left-over spaghetti sauce. Add some of the beans, stir in, and decide whether you really want the whole can in or not. Allow to simmer about ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is bubbly and the beans are hot. Adjust your seasonings (e.g. add a ton more
spices).
