I just love making homemade salad dressings, don’t you?
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parmesan
30 Minute Pasta with Pears and Gorgonzola Cheese
I know what you are thinking, “who puts pear with pasta and gorgonzola”…was I right? Well I never thought of putting pear with pasta until recently and let me tell you…I just loved it! I have to share how this pasta dish with pear and gorgonzola came about. I am currently teaching cooking classes at the Conejo Valley Adult School with my girlfriend Susan (you may recall her as I did her Thumbprint Cookies back in December) and together we are doing a “Fall Series” collection of recipes which included a class on “appetizers” and then last week we did “sides”.
For the sides class I was baffled as I had offered to do a “fall” pasta dish and I really wanted a recipe to knock it out of the park. I made so many different recipes including pasta, rice and quinoa and here is the thing, I had limitations as I wanted something that didn’t include squash (we already were using squash in other recipes) and I wanted a recipe that didn’t include using the oven…nothing was working for me so I knew I had to reach out to Tim. Tim was the chef who taught my culinary class, he is very creative and experienced and if you ever need a caterer, you have to try him as you will not be disappointed (click here if you’d like his information), he gave me the inspiration for this recipe. I have to say I was very grateful he did and so were the students in my class.
Because I wasn’t originally using this for my blog, my photos do not represent the recipe so use the photos as a guideline as I modified the recipe as I went along. The recipe below is the exact recipe though.
Put your water on to and cook your pasta according to the instructions on the box…in the meantime;
Put some oil in my pan and then put my nuts in the same pan and “browned” my nuts…once browned, I removed my nuts from the pan and left the oil in the pan (in my photo I used hazel nuts but for my recipe I liked the walnuts better, either nuts will work)
I then cooked my sliced shallots in that oil, I cooked the shallots until they were crispy, then I removed the shallots and placed them on the same plate as my nuts
in the same pan of the nuts and shallots, I put my pear in the pan and cooked them down
I put my cheeses in the same pan as the oil and added the shallots and pear to the sauce
I then added my milk
I stirred and let it cook together
I then added 1/2 of my chopped spinach
added my cooked pasta
I tossed my pasta with the sauce and added my now chopped nuts
I tossed it all together and served it warm
I have to say that I was amazingly surprised at how good this recipe was…and when I made it for the students of my class, they loved it too. I love that Chef Tim gave me the inspiration for pear with my pasta. Again, I did my dish with hazelnuts but walnuts work out great at well. If there is a recipe that you have tried that is different and unique and you are willing to share it with me, I’d love to experiment and blog about it.
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Thank you for visiting my site and I hope you enjoy this recipe.
I do love comments so please feel free to leave me your comment or suggestions. If you would like to be kept up to date with all my new recipes or reviews, please subscribe in the box listed on the top of the page “Subscribe Via Email”.
*** If you subscribe, you will be emailed by me with a link to confirm the subscription so be sure to click on that link.
Thank you again ~ Patty Limatola-Tanenbaum
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Pasta with Pears and Gorgonzola Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound Pasta
- 1 bag Spinach, chopped / fresh not frozen
- 1/3 cup Walnuts (or hazelnuts), chopped
- 2 Pear, sliced into pieces
- 1-2 Shallots, sliced thin
- 1-2 tablespoons Oil
- ½ cup Milk
- 4 ounces Gorgonzola Cheese
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese, cut into bits
- ¼ cup water, more if needed
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese
Directions
- Cook your pasta according to instructions.
- In a frying pan, add your oil and your nuts, sauté for just a few minutes. Remove your nuts. To the oil, add your shallots, cook until browned, and remove from the pan. Add the pears to the pan, cook the pear until they are soft and lightly browned.
- With your pear still in the pan, add the gorgonzola cheese, the cream cheese, the milk and the water. Add the cooked shallots stir until mixed well.
- Add ½ of the fresh spinach to the cheese mixture. Mix with your pasta, add the remaining spinach, parmesan cheese and toss. Add your nuts, toss and serve.
Recipe belongs to Patty @MmGood.com, please contact me to use for personal use
Brussels Sprouts with Dates
Do you like brussels sprouts? Being Italian, I do not recall growing up and eating brussels sprouts let alone liking them when I first was introduced to them. Boy have things changed when it comes to brussels sprouts, brussels sprouts have such a popular vegetable, you can enjoy them raw, steamed, pan fried or roasted and I can promise you, if you are willing to give them a chance, you will love them!
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Pasta with Tomatoes…in less then 10 minutes
When my ex husband offered to send me to culinary school for my birthday a few years back, it sounded like fun and a great opportunity for me to finally learn how to prepare food for our parties and entertaining so I said yes. Since I had never worked in the food industry and my mother always cooked food to eat right away, I thought maybe I could learn a thing or two about making food in advance. The culinary school I attended did not teach us how to prepare food in advance and the biggest thing they did teach me to always try everything. Over time, I figured out a few things on my own in how to prepare things in advance, so I thought I’d share a simple pasta and tomatoes dish that if you prepare properly, it can be made in less then 10 minutes.
I often make pasta on Monday and leave it in the refrigerator for Kelsi, especially during soccer season and when she gets home from school, she loves to make different meals for herself with it.
To prepare your pasta in advance, cook your 1 pound of pasta based on the instructions on the package, drain it, add 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 tablespoon of lemon. Toss it all together, let it cool and place it in the refrigerator. When you are ready to use it all you need to do is uncover it, toss it in the pan with your favorite sauce and enjoy!
Here is my prepared pasta
I chopped my garlic
I removed the flesh from the tomatoes
and chopped my tomatoes, this is very important, when chopping your tomatoes, look at the size of your pasta and try to keep everything in portion, I used mini Farfalla so I chopped everything small
I put my pan on the stove top and added the oil, then i added the tomatoes after a minute or two I added the garlic
I tossed it all together and cooked it for another minute or two
Added my pasta and red pepper flakes
added a little water, covered and warmed the pasta through
I then put some chopped Italian parsley
tossed it all together, platted it, added some grated Parmesan cheese on top…and YUM presto…you are all done!
So, for all those working moms and dads, this is the kind of stuff you can make for your family when you get home in less then 10 minutes. You can also make this easy dish for yourself if you have an evening alone and just want a delicious meal for yourself.
Thank you for visiting my site and I hope you enjoy this recipe. I do love comments so please feel free to leave me your comment or suggestion. If you would like to be kept up to date with all my new recipes, I only post twice a week, please subscribe in the box listed on the top of the page “Subscribe Via Email”. You will be emailed with a link to confirm you are interested in the subscription so be sure to click on that link too.
Thank you again ~ Patty Limatola-Tanenbaum
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Pasta with Tomatoes…in less then 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound Pasta, prepared in advance (cooked with 2 tablespoons of oil 1 tablespoon of lemon)
- 2 whole Plum Tomatoes, flesh removed and chopped small
- 1 clove Garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian Parsley
- pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
Directions
- Over medium heat, place your pan over the heat and put some oil in it. Place your chopped tomatoes in the pan and cook for about about a minute. Place your garlic and red pepper flakes in the pan and toss all together for about 2 minutes.
- Add your cooked pasta and water, cover cook until warmed through for about 3-4 minutes. Toss in your Italian parsley, plate it and add grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Recipe belongs to Patty @MmGood.com, please contact me to use for personal use
Amazing Garlic Bread Recipe…my way!
It’s “Scrumptious Saturday” did you think I’d forget?
I’m sorry for the late post but today is also my daughters birthday. So I must say that while most people are preparing for the Super Bowl with lots of appetizers…like hot wings, dips and sandwiches, I have a house filled with girls wanting pizza, salad and cake. So I thought I’d have a little fun by making some garlic bread (my way). While at the market I found a sourdough bread, it had a nice hard crust and thought it looked fine for what I wanted to try.
I cut preheated my oven to 350 degrees and sliced my bread. In slicing the bread, I did it without cutting the bread all the way through so it looked like little cubes.
I then melted some butter and added garlic, since it is garlic bread and then added some Parmesan cheese
I had some monterey jack cheese that I sliced and stuck in between my sliced bread (I’m hoping the visuals are helping as I’m struggling describing this one for some reason…lack of sleep maybe lol)
I ladled the melted butter, garlic and Parmesan cheese on top of the bread….see where this is going??? lol I wrapped the bread with aluminum foil, placed it on a baking sheet and baked it for 15 min or so.
I took it out and checked to see if the cheese was melted, not quite where I wanted it.
I uncovered it and baked it for an additional 12 minutes or so…YUMMY…the kids loved it! and I have to say…so did I, I hope you do as well, enjoy!
PS – Don’t forget to subscribe (i have a box labeled “subscribe” to get all my new recipes emailed to you!
Amazing Garlic Bread…my way!
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Bread
- 1 stick Butter
- 2 tablespoons Garlic, chopped (or more if desired)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (or more if desired)
- 1 package Monterey jack cheese, sliced thin
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Slice your bread into cubes carefully not to cut through to the bottom. Add your monterey jack cheese between the sliced bread.
- Melt your butter and add garlic and Parmesan cheese. Once melted, ladle your melted butter, garlic and Parmesan cheese over the bread and cover with the aluminum foil.
- Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven, uncover and place back into the oven for an additional 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and bread is crusty.
- Try and resist eating straight from the oven try and let it cool, if you can, as I can not be liable for burnt tongues or roof tops
Recipe belongs to Patty @MmGood.com, please contact me to use for personal use
Authentic Italian Sauce for Spaghetti (Pizzaiola) Recipe
Here is one of my favorite dinners ever (I’m sure I’ve said that before but I do love food). When I was pregnant with my son, I was lucky to have had my grandmother (nonna) visit me from Italy to help me out. She stayed for several months and it was great for me as I ended up on bed rest. One day we went to the market and she said she was going to make me Pizzaiola…I didn’t know what Pizzaiola was by name but I knew that my nonna was an amazing cook so it had to be great!
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