Perfect Pizza Dough - No Machine, No Kneading, No Fuss

This is THE pizza dough, the pizza dough I've been making for many years. Needs no special equipment or skill. You don't need a heavy-duty stand mixer or a food processor or to know how to knead yeast dough. 

I have a heavy-duty stand mixer and a food processor, and I have been kneading yeast dough since I was a young girl; so why do I make my pizza dough this way? Because it's better this way. Better texture, better flavor.

This isn't exactly the technique of any of the famous bakers, but it's how I do it and it always gets raves. So I hope you'll give it a try. There's no fussiness about temperatures, or hydration percentages or folding techniques that leave you wondering why you didn't just make a kneaded dough in the first place.

Just stir it up in a big bowl, divide the dough into three portions, put each into a covered bowl, put the bowls in the refrigerator and let time do its magic on the dough. If you want to make a larger or thicker crust, divide the dough in half instead of thirds.

If you want to make one now and two at a later date, after the dough has been in the fridge for three days, wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap or put it in a freezer bag* and pop them in the freezer.

*If you have these freezer-safe 4-cup Pyrex round dishes with lids, you can skip the plastic.

The day before you want to use a piece of dough, move it from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw and do its slow-rise thing. Then proceed the same as for the dough that was simply refrigerated.

I haven't frozen any dough in ages because we love pizza and will happily eat one three times in one week. And if you're cooking for more than one or two people, you'll want to make two or three pizzas on the same evening. 

See my original Make Real Pizza at Home - Part Three post for my precision timeline for making and getting two pizzas (you can easily extend it to three) made and served in a timely fashion.

And you'll find sauce, topping and baking details at The Best Homemade Pizza post. Are you a pizza fan? 

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No Knead Pizza Dough

(Makes three 12-ounce crusts for three 12-inch pizzas)

4 dip-and-sweep cups (20 ounces/567 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour, divided

1 tablespoon (12.5 grams) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons (9 grams) salt
1 teaspoon (0.125 ounces/3.5 grams) instant yeast
1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces/59 ml) extra virgin olive oil

1 3/4 cups (14 fluid ounces/414 ml) water, room temperature

1 In large bowl, stir together 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and instant yeast. With dough whisk or wooden spoon, stir in the oil and water until thoroughly combined. Stir for a minute. Stir in remaining flour a half cup at a time. The finished dough will be elastic and sticky.

2 Oil three 1-quart lidded bowls and their lids; set aside. Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Cut the dough into 3 equal (12-ounce) pieces; I weigh them, of course, on digital kitchen scale. Sprinkle flour over the dough. With floured hands, gently round each piece into a ball.

3 Dip each dough ball into one of the oiled bowls, rolling the dough in the oil, flatten it a bit, and then put the lid on. Rest the dough in the refrigerator for three days. You can use it anytime from two to seven days after making it, but I like to give it three days to develop and build flavor. Be warned: At some point, the lids will likely pop loose because of the fermentation process, so be sure to weight down the lids so that a skin won't form on the top of the dough.

Note: You can also freeze the portions of dough, well wrapped in plastic or in the glass storage containers for up to a month. Move the frozen dough from freezer to refrigerator to thaw the day before you want to use it.

Tip: I use the Lodge Pro-Logic Cast Iron Pizza Pan just like a pizza stone, preheated in the oven. You'll find my directions in the two posts linked to above the recipe.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

Pasta with Bacon, Mushrooms and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

First of all, let me apologize for that title. Pasta with Bacon, Mushrooms and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. I'm sorry. 😔 I hate recipe names that are an ingredient list, but what else could I call it? At least I didn't include every ingredient.

But first, let's talk pasta. Mini penne is my favorite for this; you can use something else if you prefer. But I take issue with the cooking instructions on the pasta packages: "Bring 4 to 6 quarts of water to a boil." That's for one little pound of pasta, so they would have you boil 2 to 3 quarts for the half pound in this recipe. No.

Don't haul out your huge pot and waste a bunch of water and salt. In a 2- to 3-quart pan, bring 1 quart of water with 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a boil. That's all you need to cook 8 ounces of dried pasta. 

I hope you'll try this easy weeknight meal and let me know how you like it.

Pasta with Bacon, Mushrooms and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

(Makes 3 Servings)

2 slices (2.5 ounces/71 grams) bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
1/3 packed cup (1 ounce/28 grams) sun-dried tomato halves, cut into 1/4-inch strips
3 tablespoons hot water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 pound (8 ounces/227 grams) button mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 2x1/4-inch strips
1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces/60 ml) dry sherry
Optional: 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces/118 ml) heavy cream
1/2 cup or more grated parmesan or finely shredded mozzarella

1 In large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to small bowl. There will probably be about a tablespoon of bacon drippings in the pan.

2 In small bowl, add the hot water to the sun-dried tomatoes, cover and let stand until needed.

3 Add a tablespoon of the olive oil to the drippings in the skillet along with the chopped onion. Cook over medium-low heat until onion is very soft, about 5 minutes (or longer, if you like). 

4 Add the mushrooms to the skillet, sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes. 

5 In the meantime, bring 1 quart of water with 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan. Proceed with the recipe until the water is ready, then cook the pasta for the length of time specified on the package; drain well.

6 Add the bell pepper and reconstituted sun-dried tomatoes (minus any leftover soaking liquid) to the skillet. Cook for about 4 minutes.

7 Add the sherry and, if using, heavy cream (I sometimes use it, sometimes don't; this batch in the photos is without cream). Cook, stirring frequently, for a few minutes.

8 Stir the well-drained pasta into the sauce along with the bacon, then taste and adjust seasoning. I find that the small amount of salt I used on the mushrooms is quite enough because of the salt in the bacon and sun-dried tomatoes. Plate up and sprinkle with cheese.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

Fresh Tomato Pasta

My two tomato plants that grew so huge that I call them tomato trees are still giving me more tomatoes than I know what to do with. But I kinda do know what to do with them because I never tire of this fresh tomato pasta or my Tomato Galette or Tomato Tart.

Watercolor sketch of my biggest gardening success ever.

These cherry, or grape, tomatoes just keep on coming.

I've made this with fresh herbs when I have them, but have written it down for you with dried herbs because everyone always has those. My herbs, planted near the tomatoes like always, were soon completely obliterated by these two giant tomato plants, so I've been using dried.

This is so quick and simple, you might find yourself making it a lot! Just toast a few slices of Sourdough Artisan Bread, pour the wine and call it Dinner! 

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Fresh Tomato Pasta

(Makes 2 to 3 servings)

4 tablespoons (2 fluid ounces/59 ml) extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 pound (8 ounces/227 grams) mini penne pasta, cooked and drained
2 to 4 tablespoons grated parmesan

Garnish: fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley

1 Boil the water for the pasta. I boil about a quart of water with 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a 2-quart saucepan for 1/2 pound of mini penne pasta. No need for the huge amounts of water called for on the pasta boxes!

2 Heat the oil in a large skillet and cook the onion over medium heat for as long as you like, but at least until softened, about 5 minutes.

3 Add the halved cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, basil. oregano and crushed red pepper flakes to the pan and cook over medium heat for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes release their juices and form a sauce with the olive oil.

4 Drain the cooked pasta and add it to the skillet; stir over low heat for a minute to coat the pasta well with the sauce. Divide between two or three plates, top with a sprinkling of grated parmesan, garnish and serve. 

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

One-Pan Skillet Lasagne

I was craving lasagne this week but was not inclined to go all out and make my classic Lasagne. And I really wanted to make it a true one-pan thing, so for the first time in my life I picked up some no-boil lasagne. Now I’m kicking myself in the heinie for not trying it sooner!

Just be sure no pieces of the pasta are sticking up out of the sauce when you pop it into the oven because they will come out just the way they went in. Of course, if I’d baked it with the lid on for the first 15 minutes, maybe I wouldn’t have had that one uncooked bit? Next time.

I decided to use cream cheese instead of ricotta because it’s easy to use up the rest of an 8-ounce package of organic cream cheese, but the rest of a 15-ounce container of ricotta would have gone to waste around here this week. And I really hate that!

My favorite thing about one-pan dishes like this? You use just one pan! My regular lasagne would have used the skillet, the big pot and colander and the baking dish. Do you like one-pan dishes?

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Skillet Lasagne

(Serves 4 to 6)

Sure, my full-on classic Lasagne has a few things this doesn’t, but it’s a process I’m just not up for this day/week/month. So this is my quick, no-muss-no-fuss version, meaning it is baked right in the skillet.

The Meat Sauce

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion
1 pound extra lean ground beef
2 tablespoons tomato paste, optional
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 cup drinkable dry red wine or water
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
A pinch to 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf

The Pasta

4 ounces (113 grams) no-boil lasagne, broken into 3 or 4 pieces

The Cheese

3/4 cup (2.5 ounces/71 grams) shredded Parmesan

3 ounces (85 grams) cream cheese
3 ounces (85 grams) mozzarella or unsmoked provolone slices, cut or torn into about 4 pieces

1 In large oven-proof skillet (I use the All-Clad 5112 Stainless 12-Inch Fry Pan), heat oil and cook chopped onion for about 5 minutes, or until very soft. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat, until it is well browned. Take the time to cook off most of the liquid. With extra lean ground beef, there will be no excess fat to drain off. Stir in the tomato paste, optional, cooking for a few minutes to "toast" it. Stir in remaining sauce ingredients. Bring to a simmer. Simmer, loosely covered, for about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning.

2 When you start the simmering, preheat oven to 350F/180C/Gas4. Off heat, stir the broken lasagne noodles into the sauce, leaving them sort of spread out flat and evenly distributed throughout the sauce.

3 Sprinkle on the Parmesan. Pinch off little chunks (about 25 or so) of cream cheese and distribute evenly. Add the pieces of sliced mozzarella, tucking some of them in over the chunks of cream cheese and placing some of them on the top.

4 Bake for about 25 minutes, or until crusty and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving, or just scoop out.

Note: Can be assembled the day before. If I did that, I'd probably pour on about 1/2 cup of water just before putting it in the oven. 

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites.

Jean

Chicken and Mushroom Penne Pasta

Chicken and Mushroom Penne Pasta is one of those dishes that’s special enough for company and easy enough for a weeknight family dinner. You can put all sorts of things into one of these dishes, but I like to really savor a few simple ingredients instead of throwing the kitchen sink at it.

I made the batch pictured here with the smaller measure of sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms, but I like it even better with the double amounts. If you use the larger amounts, do throw in an extra splash of brandy.

So many creamy pasta recipes call for huge amounts of butter, cream and cheese – but you can get delicious results with far less. In fact, my recipe is made without any butter and cream at all and just a small amount of cheese.

Sometimes I prefer just enough sauce to coat each bite of chicken and mushroom and each piece of pasta, as shown here. Other times I like to have more sauce, so I splash in the cream. It's very flexible.

I think the dish is best with a ridged (rigate) tube pasta. Penne was my favorite until I met mini penne a few years ago. But either will do. Of course, it’s delightful with a red meat sauce, but I do love a creamy chicken pasta.

Chicken and Mushroom Penne Pasta

(Makes 4 to 6 servings)

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 small (4 ounces/113 grams) yellow onion, finely sliced
1/4 to 1/2 firmly packed cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely sliced and microwaved for 15 seconds with 1 or 2 tablespoons water
1/2 to 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, divided
1 1/2 pounds (24 ounces/680 grams) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
3 tablespoons brandy
1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces/118 ml) milk
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour shaken with 1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan, more to sprinkle over plated pasta
3/4 pound (12 ounces/340 grams) mini penne pasta
Reserved pasta water

1 In 5-quart pan, bring 3 quarts of water with 1/2 tablespoon of salt to a full boil. While it’s heating up, make sauce. You will add the pasta to the boiling water about the same time you start cooking the chicken. But if the water is not up to a rapid boil by then, the sauce can sit quite happily.

2 In 12-inch straight-sided* skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and saute the onion while you slice and hydrate the sun-dried tomatoes and slice the mushrooms.

* If your 12-inch skillet is not straight-sided, you’ll need to cook the chicken in two batches. So if you have a straight-sided one, use it.

3 Add the tomatoes to the skillet and cook for about a minute until the liquid evaporates, then add another tablespoon of oil, mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook over high enough heat to make the mushrooms sizzle, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are done, about 6 to 10 minutes. Remove vegetables to a bowl.

4 Add 2 tablespoons oil to skillet and cook the chicken, seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper, over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and cooked through. Deglaze the pan by stirring in the brandy and scraping up any browned bits. Add the milk and the slurry of flour and water, cooking and stirring until thickened. Stir in the basil, thyme, red pepper and Parmesan.

5 Drain the pasta, reserving a cup of the pasta water in case your sauce needs thinning. Stir the drained pasta into the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning. 

Homemade Handmade Pasta - A Tutorial

Homemade Pasta is something I hadn't made in years - it just sort of slipped off my radar. But over the weekend I got in the mood to make something fun. There are all sorts of "formulas" for making it, but I remembered the one I'd settled on years ago: 1 large egg, 1/2 cup (2.5 ounces/71 grams) flour, 1/8 teaspoon salt for about 4 ounces of pasta.

Even if you're just cooking for one or two, you might want to stir up more than that while you're at it. You can refrigerate the kneaded dough for a few days or freeze it for a few months. Of course, you can mix and knead the dough in a food processor or stand mixer, but my arms can really use the exercise these days!

I never made homemade pasta frequently enough or in such huge quantities that I felt the need for a pasta machine. And I'm not crazy about cleaning a pasta machine! So, handmade it is. All you really need is a bowl, fork, rolling pin, bench scraper, knife or pizza wheel and a cutting board.

The same dough is perfect for any shape. The photo below shows it in the form of wide egg noodles in chicken soup. Mr Delightful doesn't like long pasta, so I made just a little batch of fettuccine for myself (shown in the final photo).

I should also mention that you don't need to track down any special flour. Some cooks swear by semolina or Italian 00 flour, but I used my usual organic unbleached all-purpose flour and did not find it lacking in any way. Eventually I'd like to get out all my gluten-free flours and starches and come up with a version for my GF friends.

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Homemade Handmade Pasta

(Makes about 8 ounces)

2 large eggs
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour*
1/4 teaspoon salt

* Plus more, perhaps about 1/4 to 1/3 cup, for kneading and rolling

1 In 2- to 2.5-quart mixing bowl, with a dinner fork, stir together flour and salt. Add eggs, break the yolks and slowly incorporate the eggs into the flour to form a sticky, not too stiff dough.

2 Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface (keep the bowl handy, you'll need it again) and knead the dough until it is satiny and very stretchy, about 10 minutes. Use enough flour to keep the dough from sticking horribly to your hands and surface. And this step is where the bench scraper comes in handy. The finished product should be tacky but not sticky.

3 Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Cover the dough with the inverted mixing bowl, and let it rest for an hour before rolling it out. (I love my big Weck jars for flour.)


4 Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll it (I prefer a maple French rolling pin) into about a 12x6-inch rectangle and stretch and fold it in half. Repeat 3 times. Then roll it out to roughly a 15-inch square about 1/32 inch thick, so thin you can sort of see through it. I could see the pattern of my quartz countertop through it.

5 You will be lifting and turning the dough throughout the rolling process so that it does not get stuck to the counter. By the time you have your thin square rolled out, the dough will be extremely thin but quite sturdy. Let it rest, uncovered, about 20 minutes, just to dry a bit without getting crusty.


6 To cut shorter shapes, use a plastic pizza wheel and a straight edge (my straight edge is half of an aluminum yardstick, cut years ago for cake decorating purposes). I cut this batch, for chicken noodle soup, into 1/3-inch wide strips, then into 1 1/2-inch lengths.

To cut long noodles, fold or roll the sheet of dough into a loose spiral, place it on a cutting board and cut crosswise into strips with a sharp knife.

7 Let the cut pasta rest, uncovered, for 20 to 60 minutes before cooking.


8 Cooking times vary but are very short, so watch closely and test frequently. I cooked the short noodles in hot, not boiling, soup and they were done in 2 minutes. Cooking time could be even shorter in boiling water. The long noodles took a minute or so longer, having dried out for a longer period of time. 

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Pasta with Chicken and Spring Vegetables - and Why I'll Never Be a Minimalist

I've been reading a lot about minimalism and decluttering in recent years. I admire minimalists, but I know I'll never be a real one. Though I like to keep my possessions down to MY minimum, I'll never get them pared down to the point where I can actually count them. 

Having grown up with a mother who, shall we say, kept a huge inventory, I was always determined to not get carried away. Since a very dear maternal aunt, unchecked by a husband as my mother was, really had a problem, I figure a predisposition to hoarding is in my genes, so I am ever vigilant.

When my adult life began, I knew instinctively that having a small house, small garage and no storage sheds or off-premise storage units would help keep a lid on things. And I've followed the one-in-one-out rule for decades, so my limited storage space is never outgrown.

In a post at the beginning of 2015 I wrote about tackling a specific issue (no, I'm not going to tell you here, you'll just have to read it!). It took nearly the entire year, but the gradual process not only solved the problem but actually seems to have cured the root cause.

Lately I've been feeling the need to get rid of more things, not to make space for new things, but just to enjoy the space. Please understand that I do not mean this as a criticism of people who are enjoying their stuff. I'm not one of those people who feels superior about whatever it is I'm up to at any given time.

Here's something (actually, 20 "somethings") that's going out in this latest purge. Snack sets. They were given to me by the aforementioned dear aunt many years ago. 

Hazel-Atlas Glass Company, Pattern Number 1305, Ball & Ribbed Design
Snack Plate and Cup Set aka Snack Sip and Smoke Set

Can you see that slot where the handle of the little spoon is resting? That was actually made to hold a cigarette! That little section of the snack plate is, yes, a built-in ashtray! (I googled "glass snack set with built-in ashtray" and found a seller on Etsy calling them "Snack Sip and Smoke Sets.") My aunt couldn't recall what year she bought these, just that they were from the heyday of smoking during the 40s and 50s. She never smoked (and, consequently, lived to nearly 95) but was fascinated by that feature.

When I used them for tea parties, I got the brilliant idea of using that slot for the tiny spoons I use for tea. These snack sets are really lovely for bridal and baby showers because the cup can be used for punch, coffee or tea, and the plate is large enough to hold some serious snacks.

But I no longer do events like that in my home. I will make food or bake and decorate a cake for such occasions held at a friend's house, but I don't foresee ever again having more than a dozen people over. So these, lovely as they are, can go. It's time. I still have plenty of china for my afternoon teas and dinners.

Why will I never be a minimalist? I'm in the business of food, and that involves a lot of equipment. But I'll be cutting back. Really. I will. In the meantime, finally, here's ...

The Recipe

Springtime Pasta

Farfalle with Chicken and Spring Vegetables

(Serves 4)

8 ounces farfalle (bow-tie pasta), cooked according to package directions
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon coarsely-ground black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons finely minced shallot
3/4 pound thin asparagus, cut into 1½-inch pieces
1/2 pound young sugar snap or Chinese pea pods
1 large red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream (I use Organic Valley)
1 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, more for garnish
1/2 cup freshly grated (not shredded) Parmesan

1 Forty-five minutes before serving time, start heating 4 quarts water with a tablespoon of salt for cooking pasta. Prepare ingredients. 

2 Five minutes before adding pasta to the boiling water, start sauce. In 12-inch skillet which has a lid, heat olive oil. Pat dry the chicken pieces and season with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add to hot oil and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

3 Add minced shallot and continue cooking for a minute or two. Add wine and deglaze pan. Add asparagus (except tips), pea pods, red bell pepper and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat until vegetables are nearly crisp-tender, about 2 or 3 minutes. 

4 Uncover and stir in asparagus tips, cream and dill. Simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan; taste and adjust seasoning (it's important to stir in the Parmesan before adding more salt). Pour over hot, drained pasta. Mix well, divide onto four warm plates, and garnish with more dill and Parmesan. 

(Recipe first posted 09 May 2013. I was making it this week and thought I'd see if I couldn't take a better photo of it than I did three years ago. Not sure that I did! New one at top of post, old one just above the recipe.) 

Spaghetti Sauce - Meat Sauce

Though I'd been cooking with my mother and grandmothers for years, I'd never made spaghetti or meat sauce. That I learned from my mother's friend Maggie when she came to spend a week with us shortly after we moved away when I was 13. Maggie was an alcoholic, so there were two Maggies. The drunk wild woman I couldn't stand and the sober intelligent woman who intrigued me.

She was on her best behavior during her stay, so I was treated to intelligent and witty conversation, introductions to books I'd never read and glimpses of the southern belle who'd been married to several men from all walks of life. It was during that "dry" week that her talents in the kitchen were revealed. Besides showing me how to make spaghetti, she gave me An Early Lesson in Mise en Place.

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My friend Jo was recently lamenting the fact that she had no recipe for a really good spaghetti sauce that didn't call for Italian sausage or ground pork or anything else the average home cook isn't likely to just have on hand all the time.

So I went to work on that, and I think I've come up with a nice little meat sauce that captures some of those flavors without anyone having to run out to the shops to buy anything special. Most of us omnivores keep some ground beef in the freezer at all times. I always buy extra lean so there's no need to drain off the fat.

All the herbs called for are dried herbs because most of us don't have a ready supply of affordable fresh herbs all year round. It calls for a little wine (which you can skip if you don't use alcohol) because I almost always have about half a cup of leftover wine in the refrigerator. 

You can make it from start to finish in about an hour and a half, including the simmering time. Since I was just cooking for one today, I measured 2 cups (enough for 2 people) of sauce into each of 3 freezer containers for future meals and just ate the remaining cup myself over spaghetti.

Update 08/30/16: Here's how to make Shepherd's Pie Freezer Meals.

If you are out of marjoram (or never had any to begin with!), this is the time to get some. I taste as I go when I'm developing a recipe; and when I had everything in this sauce but the marjoram, there was just a little something not quite right. I thought, I bet a little marjoram would mellow this out just right. And it did!

Of course, with Mr. Delightful's aversion to "messy" foods, we'll be having this sauce on penne or rigatoni rather than spaghetti. How about you? Do you like long pasta or shapes?

 

Spaghetti Sauce

(Makes about 6 servings)

1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 pound (454 grams) extra lean ground beef
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 14.5-ounce (411 grams) can crushed tomatoes
1 14.5-ounce (411 grams) can diced tomatoes
1 8-ounce (227 grams) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup water
1/2 cup dry red or white wine, optional

1 In large skillet or wide pan (I use a Le Creuset 3.5-quart stainless steel saucier), toast the fennel seed over low heat; pour toasted seeds onto chopping board or into grinder.

2 Heat olive oil in the now empty pan. Add chopped onion, green pepper and carrot; cook until softened, about 10 minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, chop or grind the fennel seed; stir it in.

3 Add ground beef to pan and cook, breaking up into fairly fine pieces. As it browns, sprinkle on the Worcestershire sauce and salt.

4 Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Simmer, loosely covered, for about 45 minutes. Of course, you can add more liquid and simmer longer with great results, if you have the time!

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

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One-Pan Penne Pasta Verde

Years ago I discovered the joy of cooking pasta right in the sauce. It doesn't work for everything, of course; but any time I can turn something into a one-pan meal, I'm happy!

Then, while I was selecting my favorite organic canned tomato products, I discovered my store had added a new item to the section: organic crushed tomatillos. I was so excited! Right away I thought of two things I just had to make with it: chicken enchiladas and a chicken pasta concoction.

So here's my one-pan chicken pasta concoction. It's nice to get out of my tomato-y pasta rut once in a while! I prefer the mini penne when I can get it. If you use regular penne, you might need to add a few minutes to the cooking time.

Use your own judgement on the jalapeno pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. I like a little heat, but not enough to make my face sweat! Where do you stand on that issue? 

One-Pan Penne Pasta Verde

(Serves 4 to 6)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, divided
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno pepper
3 cups lower sodium chicken broth
1 cup crushed tomatillos (I use Muir Glen organic)
2 packed tablespoons chopped cilantro plus more for garnish
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 pound mini penne pasta, uncooked
8 ounces jack cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1 In large skillet that has a lid (I use the 12-inch straight-sided All-Clad Stainless 6-Quart Saute Pan) over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil until very hot. Add the chicken seasoned with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and cook until lightly browned and done, 7 to 10 minutes; remove from skillet.

2 Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and cook onion for 4 minutes. Stir in the crushed red pepper flakes, red bell pepper, jalapeno and remaining salt and pepper; cook for 1 minute. 

3 Stir in the broth, tomatillos, cilantro, cream and pasta. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 14 minutes, until pasta is tender.

4 Over low heat, stir in the chicken, cheese and lime juice for about 3 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff is something I hadn't made in a very long time until my husband brought it up the other day, saying I hadn't made it in probably 20 years. So I thought ... hmm ... seems like I'm not running that one into the ground, think I'll make it. It's kind of a retro thing, isn't it?

I used a more affordable cut of organic beef, "stir-fry" beef, and simmered the meat in the sauce for about 20 minutes. It probably needed two or three times that long to render it really tender, but I was in a hurry so it was a little chewy. Mr. Delightful suggested I loosen the purse strings next time and get a tender cut of beef and cook it briefly. Hmph! What a spendthrift!

But the sauce was lovely. I just sort of made it up as I went along and wrote it down in case I wanted to make it again. And I do! I seem to recall using wide egg noodles in the past, but I used fettuccine this time. How about you? Are you a Stroganoff fan? 

Beef Stroganoff

(Serves 2)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons (1 ounce/28 grams) unsalted butter
4 ounces (113 grams) mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces (227 grams) 3x3/8-inch strips of lean "stir-fry" beef
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
Pinch allspice
Pinch nutmeg
1 1/2 cups (12 fluid ounces/355 ml) lower sodium beef broth, divided
6 ounces (170 grams) dried fettuccine
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (4.25 ounces/120 grams) sour cream

1 Heat olive oil in skillet, and cook onion until softened, about 5 minutes, seasoning with about 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Pour into 1-quart bowl. Add 1 tablespoon butter to skillet, and cook mushrooms until tender, about 5 minutes, seasoning with about 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add to onions in bowl. 

2 Add 1 tablespoon butter to skillet and increase heat to medium-high. Add beef strips to hot pan and cook until well-browned, seasoning with about 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and the paprika, tarragon, allspice and nutmeg. Stir in 1 1/4 cups of broth, deglazing pan. Cover and simmer over low heat for 40 minutes, or until tender.

3 After 10 minutes, in 3.5- to 4-quart pan, put 2 quarts of water, salted with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, on to boil. When the water comes to a boil, stir in the fettuccine and cook for as long as indicated on the package.

Note: I used my gorgeous Le Creuset 3.5-quart tri-ply stainless steel saucier so I could serve it right in the pan. 

4 Meanwhile, shake together the flour and remaining 1/4 cup broth until smooth. Stir it into the beef and broth. Stir in the onions and mushrooms. Continue simmering until the fettuccine has been cooked and drained. 

5 Stir the sour cream into the beef mixture, then pour the Stroganoff into the fettuccine and toss until combined. Serve immediately.