Another way to cook pasta – Pasta "risottata" with fava beans, zucchini and tomatoes

After this past few weeks, I needed to eat something to soothe my mind…Pasta especially pasta in bianco (with  parmigiano, butter and parmesan) I am not Italian, but I have a love of food and cooking ethnic food from around the world. There are indeed many ways to cook pasta, one less known method is called “risottata“, meaning like a risotto where broth is added gradually. I did not come up with it, it’s a very old Italian method of cooking pasta! so, no pasta is not always boiled in salted water, drained and served topped with sauce. There is an interesting and funny article in English about the different cooking methods and cooking time of pasta on Identità Golose.



Pasta risottata being cooked a long time, takes longer than the usual way of boiling it in water. The risottata method allows it to keep its starch, therefore develop a particular creaminess......can you just imagine the deliciousness of the pasta while having absorbed all that flavorful broth? It’s really my newest favorite way to cook and eat pasta. You need to try to believe it. For this cooking method, you need short pasta (pasta corta) such as small penne or fussilli or a small shell, or anything that size.
The recipe is quite simple, the greatness of the pasta comes first from the risottata method, then the combination of the ingredients make it a real treat.
Ingredients for 4

• 16 oz brown rice pasta fissilli
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh fava beans, pod removed
• 4 zucchini, diced in small cubes
• 1 can diced organic tomatos in rich juice
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 chopped red onion
• 1 garlic clove
• olive oil and butter
• Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
• salt and pepper

Preparation
Heat 1 T. oilive oil and 1 T. butter in a pan and add garlic, stir for a few minutes, then add zucchini, cover and let cook until the zucchini start to be cooked but firm, then add tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Set aside.
In the meantime, blanch fava bean grains in boiling water for about 2 minutes depending on the size of the grains. IF the grains are small and tender, one minute is enough. Drain and peel beans. Add to the pan with the other vegetables.
In a pot, heat olive oil, add red onion and saute. Add pasta and proceed like you would for a risotto, adding gradually broth to cook it. When the pasta has reached the desired consistency (it will need to be slightly creamy), add vegetables and parmesan. Stir well and serve hot.

Short Ribs in a Red wine sauce

3-4 lbs beef short ribs 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons oil 1 can (14 oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained 1 medium onion chopped 8 oz sliced mushrooms 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1/2 cup red wine 1/2 cup GF beef broth, I use Kitchen Basics 1 tablespoon GF Worcestershire sauce 1/4 cup water 2 tablespoons cornstarch Browning the ribs Browned ribs, placed on top of onion, mushrooms and tomatoes Ready to slow cook Season ribs with salt and pepper, Add oil to pan, over medium high heat brown short ribs in pan. Spray crock pot with cooking spray, add tomatoes, onion, mushrooms and tomato paste to crock pot, stir to combine. Once ribs are brown add ribs to crock pot, add wine, broth and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours. When done take out ribs cover and set aside. mix water and cornstarch....add to sauce and cook on high for 10 minutes. Serve sauce over ribs. Serve with mashed potatoes, polenta or GF noodles and a salad or vegetable.

Chard and Sausage

What better to do on a brisk Sunday morning in February, than take a trip to the Marin Civic Center Farmers Market. It has been years since I have been to this market, maybe more so because it is a 45 minutes drive from where I live. The snow capped mountains around the North Bay, the sunshine, after a week of cold rain, what a beautiful day. Now I believe this is one of the biggest Farmers Markets in the Bay Area and what a treat it was. Booths of everything you could every imagine. My main inspiration for this trip was to check out the GF baked good from Mariposa Bakery. What a treat. I got a delicious loaf of vegan Faux Rye Bread, a baguette, 4 glazed GF Chocolate donuts and a cookie. Yummy. I was so surprised to see all of the Gluten Free samples from various vendors. Lots of GF spice blends, dips, cheeses, hot foods. The abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. I got a bunch of purple kale, to make kale chips, a bunch of red chard and a bunch of rainbow chard. Also some blood oranges, seedless mandarins, Asian pears, fresh strawberries. I also picked up a pack of local organic GF chicken andouille sausage, wow that a delicious treat. Now what to make. Hum.... I have chips to make from the kale, the rye bread will be sliced and topped with Swiss cheese for sandwiches. The baguette will make an amazing garlic bread. The donuts will be breakfast tomorrow. My cookie was eaten while I sipped on a cup of organic coffee. Now for the chard and chorizo. I'm thinking, slow food, stewed tomatoes, garlic, chard, sausage, maybe some cannelli beans served with GF garlic bread using the Mariposa Baguette.

 Now it is all coming together. Local, Organic, GF, sustainable food. What could be better.

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 chicken andouille sausage links, cut into ¼-inch dice
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 heads Chard, I used one red chard and one rainbow chard, tough stems removed. Leafy greens coarsely chopped
2 cups high-quality canned diced tomatoes, I use Muir glen organic
1 14 oz can of cannelli beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon oregano
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Sauteing the sausage. Set a deep skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Put the sausage and garlic into the hot oil. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is golden-brown, about 2 minutes. (Don’t burn it!) Add the red pepper flakes. Stir. Add the chard and stir, cooking until the chard starts to wilt.

Finishing the stew. Immediately add the tomatoes and oregano. Stir. Add a couple of pinches of salt and pepper and stir until the liquid comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the chard is softened, but not entirely soggy, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the cannelli beans. Stir to incorporate.  Remove the pot from the heat and cover it, and then allow it to sit for 10 minutes. Take the lid off the pan and season with salt, pepper, and as much of the apple cider vinegar as tastes good to you.