The Frugal Kitchen: Black Olive Pesto Pasta

Yesterday was a lazy day for DD and I, but I still needed to get supper on the table.  I looked through my cabinets and decided to make a black olive pesto/tapenade to serve on pasta.

Black Olive Pesto

1 large can black olives, drained
1 small can sliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves
1 handful of fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste
olive oil, enough to get right consistency

Add all ingredients, except oil, to the food processor bowl.  Pulse until you reach a fine consistency.  Add olive oil until it reaches a paste consistency.  Heat in a large pan until hot, then add your al dente pasta.  Mix well and serve.

This was a hit with my family and super easy to put together.  Enjoy!

God bless,
Pam

Preparing Pasta For Casseroles

First of all, thank you for your patience.  I am recovering from my surgery, which went smoothly and busy caring for my mother, who was just referred to Hospice.  My posting will be occasionally sporadic, but hopefully beneficial.

In order to cut down on preparation time when making casseroles that contain pasta I have learned to bypass the step of boiling the pasta.  Fill a bowl or the casserole that you will be using with very hot tap water.  Soak your pasta in this water for twenty minutes.  It should now be soft enough to use when constructing your casserole.

Twenty Minutes in Hot Water

This method works well in casseroles that use wet ingredients, such as lasagna.  You will still need to boil pasta for dry ingredient casseroles like macaroni and cheese.  Add a little bit of water to the bottom of the casserole before baking if you are unsure.

During the summer, with such hot weather, it is nice to avoid heating the kitchen with a hot stove top and boiling pot.

God bless,
Pam

The Frugal Kitchen: Marscarpone Pasta Sauce

I am all about staying out of a hot kitchen during the summer months (it's in the 80's already in Florida), so I look for recipes that use very little cooking time.  One creamy pasta recipe follows:

8 oz. marscarpone
5 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1 handful basil leaves, rough chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Cook your pasta according to the package directions.  In a fry pan on low heat melt together the marscarpone, lemon juice and zest.  Stir in the basil, salt and pepper.  Mix the sauce and pasta together.  You may want to save a few basil leaves for garnish (which, you will see by the photo, I didn't).

God bless,

Pam

The Frugal Kitchen: Lemon Artichoke Pasta

An easy dinner made even simpler by the fact that the pesto sauce can be made in advance.  All of the ingredients are easy to find and reasonably priced.

Ingredients
1/4 cup cilantro
6 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/8 - 1/4 cayenne pepper to taste
1 cup walnuts
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup canola oil
Salt to taste
8 oz. package frozen artichokes, quartered
1/2 cut parmesan cheese, grated

Old Reliable At Work Again

Directions
Place first 8 ingredients in a food processor or blender.  Process until smooth.  Cook pasta according to package directions; add artichokes for the last 5 minutes.  Drain, but hold aside 1 cup of the pasta water.
Pour pesto into large bowl.  Stir in pasta, artichokes and cheese.  Thin sauce with some of the pasta water if needed.  Garnish (if you wish) with more cilantro and parmesan.

Finished Pesto

This is a great dish with pleasant mouth feel and subtle flavors.  Except the garlic; you may want to cut down on it if your family doesn't like alot of garlic.  Tastes rich and creamy.  Do use the garnish as it can look pretty plain on the plate.

Sob!  So Plain

God bless,
Pam