Presto Pasta - Vietnamese Pork and Noodles

You guys. Oh, you guys. I had a big intro to this post planned, talking about the differences (for me) between big city and smaller city living. What I miss about Calgary, including certain restaurants and cuisines. About how I have gone from eating Vietnamese food once or more a week to having it only once (ONCE!) in the past year and a half. sob. How I haven't wanted to try making Vietnamese food at home cause I've been afraid of messing it up, but that I found a recipe I'd saved in my del.icio.us that sounded so good and easy I had to try it.

I was going to write all about that stuff, but then I had the first bite of my dinner and damn, my brain is fried mush with the deliciousness of it all.

Here's what I did to make a (in my opinion, and Scott's opinion too) mind blowing - yummy - pretty close to our favorite restaurant dish - Vietnamese Pork and Noodles.

First prepare your pork. The pork recipe comes from Waterlily at Group Recipes. I made a couple of small changes.

1 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 shallot, finely chopped (substitute 1/2 small mild onion, if necessary)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 pound boneless pork loin, chopped fine (I pulsed mine in the food processor)

Whisk together the molasses, soy sauce, garlic, shallots and sugar. Mix into the pork and mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, or overnight.

You'll also need -

rice noodles
lettuce
green onions
bean sprouts
spring roll sauce
hoisin sauce

When you're ready to cook, start by preparing your rice noodles according to the package directions. What I did for mine was to bring a pot of water to the boil, then add the noodles and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Then I removed them from the heat, covered, and let them sit until I was ready to plate.

When your noodles are sitting, form your pork mixture into small patties. Heat a large pan over medium heat with a bit of vegetable oil. Cook the patties, turning once or twice, until brown and cooked through.

While the patties are cooking, finely chop your green onions and shred your lettuce into long thing strands. When the patties are done, drain your noodles.

To plate, start by placing a handful or so of shredded lettuce in the bottom of each bowl. Then top with some noodles.

Place your pork patty on top, then scatter your chopped green onions and your bean sprouts. I took the final photo at this stage, because what I do next to my own dish isn't pretty.

The dish that is like this that I order in restaurants comes with sliced spring rolls on top and a side of dipping sauce. What I like to do is eat the spring rolls first, then pour the rest of the dipping sauce over the bowl and mix it all up. What I did here was to use my fork to chop the pork patty into pieces, then drizzle the dish with spring roll sauce and hoisin sauce, and mix it all together. Looks horrible, tastes divine. I had planned to make my own sauce, like this one, but we were late to start dinner so I used a bottled spring roll sauce instead.

This was GOOD. The pork makes enough to feed at least 4 people, and I just winged it on amounts for the rest of the ingredients. We were both surprised at how great this was and were a little piggy about how much we ate. But I'm sure the lettuce, onions and bean sprouts make up for that, right?

Since this dish is fully of noodle-y goodness, I'm sending it to Ruth for her Presto Pasta Nights. Ruth is hosting this week, so make sure you get your pasta posts to her by Friday.

(Original pork recipe here)

Presto Pasta - Vietnamese Pork and Noodles

You guys. Oh, you guys. I had a big intro to this post planned, talking about the differences (for me) between big city and smaller city living. What I miss about Calgary, including certain restaurants and cuisines. About how I have gone from eating Vietnamese food once or more a week to having it only once (ONCE!) in the past year and a half. sob. How I haven't wanted to try making Vietnamese food at home cause I've been afraid of messing it up, but that I found a recipe I'd saved in my del.icio.us that sounded so good and easy I had to try it.

I was going to write all about that stuff, but then I had the first bite of my dinner and damn, my brain is fried mush with the deliciousness of it all.

Here's what I did to make a (in my opinion, and Scott's opinion too) mind blowing - yummy - pretty close to our favorite restaurant dish - Vietnamese Pork and Noodles.

First prepare your pork. The pork recipe comes from Waterlily at Group Recipes. I made a couple of small changes.

1 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 shallot, finely chopped (substitute 1/2 small mild onion, if necessary)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 pound boneless pork loin, chopped fine (I pulsed mine in the food processor)

Whisk together the molasses, soy sauce, garlic, shallots and sugar. Mix into the pork and mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, or overnight.

You'll also need -

rice noodles
lettuce
green onions
bean sprouts
spring roll sauce
hoisin sauce

When you're ready to cook, start by preparing your rice noodles according to the package directions. What I did for mine was to bring a pot of water to the boil, then add the noodles and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Then I removed them from the heat, covered, and let them sit until I was ready to plate.

When your noodles are sitting, form your pork mixture into small patties. Heat a large pan over medium heat with a bit of vegetable oil. Cook the patties, turning once or twice, until brown and cooked through.

While the patties are cooking, finely chop your green onions and shred your lettuce into long thing strands. When the patties are done, drain your noodles.

To plate, start by placing a handful or so of shredded lettuce in the bottom of each bowl. Then top with some noodles.

Place your pork patty on top, then scatter your chopped green onions and your bean sprouts. I took the final photo at this stage, because what I do next to my own dish isn't pretty.

The dish that is like this that I order in restaurants comes with sliced spring rolls on top and a side of dipping sauce. What I like to do is eat the spring rolls first, then pour the rest of the dipping sauce over the bowl and mix it all up. What I did here was to use my fork to chop the pork patty into pieces, then drizzle the dish with spring roll sauce and hoisin sauce, and mix it all together. Looks horrible, tastes divine. I had planned to make my own sauce, like this one, but we were late to start dinner so I used a bottled spring roll sauce instead.

This was GOOD. The pork makes enough to feed at least 4 people, and I just winged it on amounts for the rest of the ingredients. We were both surprised at how great this was and were a little piggy about how much we ate. But I'm sure the lettuce, onions and bean sprouts make up for that, right?

Since this dish is fully of noodle-y goodness, I'm sending it to Ruth for her Presto Pasta Nights. Ruth is hosting this week, so make sure you get your pasta posts to her by Friday.

(Original pork recipe here)

Presto Pasta - Peas and Ham Pasta

Peas are one of my favorite vegetables. Although you can't beat them fresh in the summer, we've found an organic frozen product that is pretty darned good. I have long been a fan of pasta and peas together, along with combos such as the one below, and my spinach fettucini with peas and proscuitto, one of my favorites was at Chianti's Restaurant in Calgary; we'd go for their Monday night cheap pasta special and I'd always get the pasta with chicken and peas in tomato sauce. So good.

The recipe is originally from Nigella Lawson and I have long had this on my list to try but never had a craving for pasta at the same time I had some ham on hand. But after Easter there is always some leftover ham in our fridge, so all I needed to do was pick up some cream to be ready to go.

This pasta is ridiculously fast to make - put the pasta on to cook, and in the 10-ish minutes it takes to cook, chop your ham, get out your peas and cheese, measure out your cream. Once the noodles are ready, you'll be eating in a flash. I have altered her recipe slightly, most noticeably by using light cream in place of heavy. If you are not worried about fat, go full cream if you like.


Peas and Ham Pasta

200 g short pasta (I love fusilli)
200 g frozen peas
100 g diced ham
1/2 cup light cream
3 or 4 TB grated parmesan cheese
pepper

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. When the pasta is 1 or 2 minutes away from being done, add the peas into the pot. Drain and set aside. Place the empty pot back on the stove and add the ham, cream and cheese. Season with pepper and stir until warm, this should only take a minute. Add the pasta and peas in and stir well. Add more cheese if desired, and serve.

This will serve 2-4 people, depending how large or small your servings are. This is good the next day, you may want to add a little splash of cream.

A lovely dish for Presto Pasta Nights, this week hosted by Hillary at Chew On That!

Presto Pasta - Peas and Ham Pasta

Peas are one of my favorite vegetables. Although you can't beat them fresh in the summer, we've found an organic frozen product that is pretty darned good. I have long been a fan of pasta and peas together, along with combos such as the one below, and my spinach fettucini with peas and proscuitto, one of my favorites was at Chianti's Restaurant in Calgary; we'd go for their Monday night cheap pasta special and I'd always get the pasta with chicken and peas in tomato sauce. So good.

The recipe is originally from Nigella Lawson and I have long had this on my list to try but never had a craving for pasta at the same time I had some ham on hand. But after Easter there is always some leftover ham in our fridge, so all I needed to do was pick up some cream to be ready to go.

This pasta is ridiculously fast to make - put the pasta on to cook, and in the 10-ish minutes it takes to cook, chop your ham, get out your peas and cheese, measure out your cream. Once the noodles are ready, you'll be eating in a flash. I have altered her recipe slightly, most noticeably by using light cream in place of heavy. If you are not worried about fat, go full cream if you like.


Peas and Ham Pasta

200 g short pasta (I love fusilli)
200 g frozen peas
100 g diced ham
1/2 cup light cream
3 or 4 TB grated parmesan cheese
pepper

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. When the pasta is 1 or 2 minutes away from being done, add the peas into the pot. Drain and set aside. Place the empty pot back on the stove and add the ham, cream and cheese. Season with pepper and stir until warm, this should only take a minute. Add the pasta and peas in and stir well. Add more cheese if desired, and serve.

This will serve 2-4 people, depending how large or small your servings are. This is good the next day, you may want to add a little splash of cream.

A lovely dish for Presto Pasta Nights, this week hosted by Hillary at Chew On That!

Presto Pasta Night - Breaded Ravioli

I had breaded and fried ravioli once, years ago, as an appetizer at the Olive Garden. We enjoyed it, but I never really thought it was something you would make at home. Then a year ago Jenny posted a recipe for Giada DeLaurentiis' fried ravioli. They looked so good and I saved her post.

A while later we were at the Italian deli downtown and they had some gorgeous fresh raviolis in the display case. The fillings sounded so good, and they were so cute that I had to buy some. Scott asked if they were for dinner. Yes, I said, but not boiled. We are going to bread them like they do at the Olive Garden!


I'd long forgotten the ingredients called for in Giada's recipe so I didn't have buttermilk on hand and I wasn't in the mood to deep fry. So instead we dipped them in beaten egg and dredged them in bread crumbs mixed with a little cheese and some salt and pepper. Then we pan fried them.


I really enjoyed these. We warmed up some marinara sauce for dipping and it of course went very well with the crispy pasta. My favorite was the butternut squash ravioli, so creamy and soft in the middle with a crisp crust.


I'm sending this easy and delicious dish off to Ruth for her weekly Presto Pasta Nights roundup. Who knows what noodle-y deliciousness will be sent to her this week!

Presto Pasta Night - Breaded Ravioli

I had breaded and fried ravioli once, years ago, as an appetizer at the Olive Garden. We enjoyed it, but I never really thought it was something you would make at home. Then a year ago Jenny posted a recipe for Giada DeLaurentiis' fried ravioli. They looked so good and I saved her post.

A while later we were at the Italian deli downtown and they had some gorgeous fresh raviolis in the display case. The fillings sounded so good, and they were so cute that I had to buy some. Scott asked if they were for dinner. Yes, I said, but not boiled. We are going to bread them like they do at the Olive Garden!


I'd long forgotten the ingredients called for in Giada's recipe so I didn't have buttermilk on hand and I wasn't in the mood to deep fry. So instead we dipped them in beaten egg and dredged them in bread crumbs mixed with a little cheese and some salt and pepper. Then we pan fried them.


I really enjoyed these. We warmed up some marinara sauce for dipping and it of course went very well with the crispy pasta. My favorite was the butternut squash ravioli, so creamy and soft in the middle with a crisp crust.


I'm sending this easy and delicious dish off to Ruth for her weekly Presto Pasta Nights roundup. Who knows what noodle-y deliciousness will be sent to her this week!

Preso Pasta's 100!

Everyone should head over to Once Upon a Feast (after finishing this post of course) and wish Ruth a very very happy 100th Presto Pasta Nights! I thought for this very special occasion I'd share my current favorite pasta dish - Linguine with Lemon, Feta, and Basil.

My Mom found this recipe, which comes from Gordon Ramsay's latest book Cooking for Friends, in a food section of a newspaper in the Fall. She made it for us using fresh pasta she'd bought from an Italian deli on the north shore, and after one bite, we decided to add it to our menu for our Italian themed Christmas dinner. Unfortunately we had too much food planned and scrapped the pasta at the last minute. I knew this was the dish to make to celebrate Ruth and PPNs big milestone.

This dish is extremely quick and easy to make. The sauce takes only minutes to prepare; all your waiting time is in cooking your pasta. I've had this with both fresh and dried pasta, and while fresh is always tastier, dried is almost as good. The recipe calls for pine nuts, which I don't really care for. I omitted them in this version.


Linguine with Lemon, Feta and Basil
Gordon Ramsay

500g fresh (or 300g dried) linguine
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
Juice and zest of 1 lemon (I only use the juice)
5 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
Leaves from a handful of basil
200g feta cheese, crumbled (I use a soft feta)
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts (I omit)

Cook the fresh pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 2 minutes; if using dried pasta, cook according to pack instructions until al dente.

Tip the pasta into a colander and drain off most of the water, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan. Return the pasta to the pan and add the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, parmesan, basil and three-quarters of the crumbled feta. Toss well and check the seasoning. Divide among warmed plates and scatter over the remaining feta and pine nuts. Serve at once.

Cheers to Ruth, and congrats on 100 editions of Presto Pasta Nights! Here's to many more.

Preso Pasta's 100!

Everyone should head over to Once Upon a Feast (after finishing this post of course) and wish Ruth a very very happy 100th Presto Pasta Nights! I thought for this very special occasion I'd share my current favorite pasta dish - Linguine with Lemon, Feta, and Basil.

My Mom found this recipe, which comes from Gordon Ramsay's latest book Cooking for Friends, in a food section of a newspaper in the Fall. She made it for us using fresh pasta she'd bought from an Italian deli on the north shore, and after one bite, we decided to add it to our menu for our Italian themed Christmas dinner. Unfortunately we had too much food planned and scrapped the pasta at the last minute. I knew this was the dish to make to celebrate Ruth and PPNs big milestone.

This dish is extremely quick and easy to make. The sauce takes only minutes to prepare; all your waiting time is in cooking your pasta. I've had this with both fresh and dried pasta, and while fresh is always tastier, dried is almost as good. The recipe calls for pine nuts, which I don't really care for. I omitted them in this version.


Linguine with Lemon, Feta and Basil
Gordon Ramsay

500g fresh (or 300g dried) linguine
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
Juice and zest of 1 lemon (I only use the juice)
5 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
Leaves from a handful of basil
200g feta cheese, crumbled (I use a soft feta)
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts (I omit)

Cook the fresh pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 2 minutes; if using dried pasta, cook according to pack instructions until al dente.

Tip the pasta into a colander and drain off most of the water, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan. Return the pasta to the pan and add the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, parmesan, basil and three-quarters of the crumbled feta. Toss well and check the seasoning. Divide among warmed plates and scatter over the remaining feta and pine nuts. Serve at once.

Cheers to Ruth, and congrats on 100 editions of Presto Pasta Nights! Here's to many more.

presto pasta night - mac & cheese with tomato and chorizo

When I say Macaroni and Cheese, what do you think of?

Do you think of ooey, gooey 4 cheese macaroni and cheese that your Mom or Grandmother used to make, oozing all over your plate? Do you think of little squares of firm mac that stay together until you cut into it with the edge of your fork? Does your favorite macaroni and cheese have buttered breadcrumbs scattered on the top before baking? Do you add exotic ingredients like onions and wine, and fancy cheese? Or are you loyal to Cheddar only?

Or, are you like me, and when you think mac n cheese do you think of this?

Yeah, you're like me aren't you.

Good old Kraft Dinner. KD. Splat, as we called it in high school, after hearing the, well, splat sound it made when a scoop of it hit the wall during a fight between my friend and her younger sister one night.

For most of my life Splat was the only macaroni and cheese I knew. It's cheap. It's easy. It's fast. And while no other mac could ever replace it in my life and bottom pantry shelf, I have discovered an interesting, tasty, more decadent recipe that I plan on making from time to time. Spicy Macaroni and Cheese with Chorizo Sausage from the show A Neely Family Holiday that the food channel aired here before Christmas. We don't get the Neely's show here (although I have seen a commercial that their new travel food show will be coming soon) so I was really interested to see it. Pretty much while they were still doing their intro with the dishes they'd be making, I was on the American food channel website looking for this recipe. People, this is darn good.

Their recipe makes 6 to 8 servings, so I made a half batch, with some changes.

Fancy Splat with Tomato and Chorizo
(Or Macaroni and Cheese with Tomato and Chorizo)

1/2 pound penne pasta
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 chorizo sausage, casing removed and finely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups skim milk, warm
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded monterey pepper jack
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 of a can of fried onions

Preheat oven to 350'.

Cook the pasta in salted, boiling salted water until al dente. Drain in a colander and pour into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.


While the pasta is cooking, place the cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, until plump and softened.


Heat a large pan over medium heat. Saute the chorizo in a saute pan until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towel.


Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a pot over medium heat. Add flour, stirring for 1 minute. Whisk in the warmed milk and bring to a boil. Continue to whisk constantly. Stir while adding the mustard, hot sauce and Worcestershire. Mix both kinds of cheese together in a small bowl. Set aside 1/2 cup of the mixed cheese for the top of the dish. Stir the 1 cup of cheese into the sauce. Cook and stir until the sauce is thick.


Mix together the pasta, cheese sauce, chorizo and tomatoes.


Pour into a baking dish.


Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and the fried onions.


Bake for 35 minutes.

And then inhale it.


Since this has noodles in it, and since it's been a long time since I've joined in Presto Pasta Nights, I'm sending this to Ruth to share. It will knock your socks off with its cheesy, tomatoey, just a little bit spicy goodness.

Cheers!

presto pasta night - mac & cheese with tomato and chorizo

When I say Macaroni and Cheese, what do you think of?

Do you think of ooey, gooey 4 cheese macaroni and cheese that your Mom or Grandmother used to make, oozing all over your plate? Do you think of little squares of firm mac that stay together until you cut into it with the edge of your fork? Does your favorite macaroni and cheese have buttered breadcrumbs scattered on the top before baking? Do you add exotic ingredients like onions and wine, and fancy cheese? Or are you loyal to Cheddar only?

Or, are you like me, and when you think mac n cheese do you think of this?

Yeah, you're like me aren't you.

Good old Kraft Dinner. KD. Splat, as we called it in high school, after hearing the, well, splat sound it made when a scoop of it hit the wall during a fight between my friend and her younger sister one night.

For most of my life Splat was the only macaroni and cheese I knew. It's cheap. It's easy. It's fast. And while no other mac could ever replace it in my life and bottom pantry shelf, I have discovered an interesting, tasty, more decadent recipe that I plan on making from time to time. Spicy Macaroni and Cheese with Chorizo Sausage from the show A Neely Family Holiday that the food channel aired here before Christmas. We don't get the Neely's show here (although I have seen a commercial that their new travel food show will be coming soon) so I was really interested to see it. Pretty much while they were still doing their intro with the dishes they'd be making, I was on the American food channel website looking for this recipe. People, this is darn good.

Their recipe makes 6 to 8 servings, so I made a half batch, with some changes.

Fancy Splat with Tomato and Chorizo
(Or Macaroni and Cheese with Tomato and Chorizo)

1/2 pound penne pasta
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 chorizo sausage, casing removed and finely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups skim milk, warm
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded monterey pepper jack
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 of a can of fried onions

Preheat oven to 350'.

Cook the pasta in salted, boiling salted water until al dente. Drain in a colander and pour into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.


While the pasta is cooking, place the cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, until plump and softened.


Heat a large pan over medium heat. Saute the chorizo in a saute pan until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towel.


Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a pot over medium heat. Add flour, stirring for 1 minute. Whisk in the warmed milk and bring to a boil. Continue to whisk constantly. Stir while adding the mustard, hot sauce and Worcestershire. Mix both kinds of cheese together in a small bowl. Set aside 1/2 cup of the mixed cheese for the top of the dish. Stir the 1 cup of cheese into the sauce. Cook and stir until the sauce is thick.


Mix together the pasta, cheese sauce, chorizo and tomatoes.


Pour into a baking dish.


Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and the fried onions.


Bake for 35 minutes.

And then inhale it.


Since this has noodles in it, and since it's been a long time since I've joined in Presto Pasta Nights, I'm sending this to Ruth to share. It will knock your socks off with its cheesy, tomatoey, just a little bit spicy goodness.

Cheers!

Presto Pasta - Chicken Tetrazzini

I can't believe it's been a couple of months since I last took part in Ruth's Presto Pasta Nights! And speaking of time flying, summer is over! And how the hell is it October??? The time, it really do fly.

Anyhoo, this week I am sharing a dish I learned how to make when I was just a young lass. I don't know where my Mom got the recipe from, but it has always been a favorite of mine. Chicken Tetrazzini. I love this, especially in the fall and winter. It's hearty, warming, tasty and easy. And you can have it on the table in around an hour.

I've made a few changes since I first copied down this recipe in my Sara's Cookbook #1 all those many years ago. My tetrazzini, let me show you it.

Ok, heat 1 tb of oil in a medium or large pan over medium high heat. Chop up a small onion and 2 or 3 garlic cloves. When your pan is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring, until starting to soften. Add the garlic and cook a couple more minutes. Then add some skinless chicken - this dish is going to make 4 servings, so I usually use 2 breasts or 4 drumsticks - and brown the chicken on all sides.


Then add a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, 3/4 of the soup can of milk, and a can of mushroom pieces (drained). Whisk until smooth. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, turning chicken pieces once or twice.


While the chicken and sauce are simmering, cook yourself up some pasta, enough for 4 people (maybe 1/2 lb? I never measure). Stir the pasta into the sauce. Pour the pasta into your baking dish and top with the chicken.


Top with grated parmesan cheese.


Bake at 400' for 20 minutes.


Slice up the chicken breasts, plate up and enjoy!



Check back with Ruth next Friday for the weekly Presto Pasta Roundup!

Presto Pasta - Chicken Tetrazzini

I can't believe it's been a couple of months since I last took part in Ruth's Presto Pasta Nights! And speaking of time flying, summer is over! And how the hell is it October??? The time, it really do fly.

Anyhoo, this week I am sharing a dish I learned how to make when I was just a young lass. I don't know where my Mom got the recipe from, but it has always been a favorite of mine. Chicken Tetrazzini. I love this, especially in the fall and winter. It's hearty, warming, tasty and easy. And you can have it on the table in around an hour.

I've made a few changes since I first copied down this recipe in my Sara's Cookbook #1 all those many years ago. My tetrazzini, let me show you it.

Ok, heat 1 tb of oil in a medium or large pan over medium high heat. Chop up a small onion and 2 or 3 garlic cloves. When your pan is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring, until starting to soften. Add the garlic and cook a couple more minutes. Then add some skinless chicken - this dish is going to make 4 servings, so I usually use 2 breasts or 4 drumsticks - and brown the chicken on all sides.


Then add a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, 3/4 of the soup can of milk, and a can of mushroom pieces (drained). Whisk until smooth. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, turning chicken pieces once or twice.


While the chicken and sauce are simmering, cook yourself up some pasta, enough for 4 people (maybe 1/2 lb? I never measure). Stir the pasta into the sauce. Pour the pasta into your baking dish and top with the chicken.


Top with grated parmesan cheese.


Bake at 400' for 20 minutes.


Slice up the chicken breasts, plate up and enjoy!



Check back with Ruth next Friday for the weekly Presto Pasta Roundup!

Presto Pasta - Thai-ish Beef and Broccoli Noodles

I've really been craving Asian food lately - rice, noodles. I found a recipe to try the other night, but much like my last pasta dish for Ruth's Presto Pasta Night I struck out when I went to the grocery store for ingredients. I couldn't find the right noodles, the right sauce ingredients. By the time I was done, what I ended up with had little in common with the recipe I started out with. It's still a work in progress, but I'm pretty happy with what I've got so far.

Thai-ish Beef and Broccoli Noodles

serves 4

200g lean beef, cut into thin strips
2 tb oil
1/4 lb wun tun noodles (or noodles of your choice)
400 g broccoli, chopped into smallish bite sized pieces
1 tb (or to taste) black bean garlic sauce
1 tb oyster sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1 cup water

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the beef, and cook until the meat is about half cooked. Add the broccoli, black bean sauce, and oyster sauce. Stir the cornstarch into the water. Add to the pan, and cook until the sauce is thickened, and the broccoli is tender crisp. While the beef is cooking, cook the noodles, drain, and place on your serving dish. When the broccoli is ready, pour the beef and broccoli mixture over the noodles. Serve straight away.

Gay from A Scientist in the Kitchen is hosting Presto Pasta this week. Check with her for the round up on Friday!

Presto Pasta - Thai-ish Beef and Broccoli Noodles

I've really been craving Asian food lately - rice, noodles. I found a recipe to try the other night, but much like my last pasta dish for Ruth's Presto Pasta Night I struck out when I went to the grocery store for ingredients. I couldn't find the right noodles, the right sauce ingredients. By the time I was done, what I ended up with had little in common with the recipe I started out with. It's still a work in progress, but I'm pretty happy with what I've got so far.

Thai-ish Beef and Broccoli Noodles

serves 4

200g lean beef, cut into thin strips
2 tb oil
1/4 lb wun tun noodles (or noodles of your choice)
400 g broccoli, chopped into smallish bite sized pieces
1 tb (or to taste) black bean garlic sauce
1 tb oyster sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1 cup water

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the beef, and cook until the meat is about half cooked. Add the broccoli, black bean sauce, and oyster sauce. Stir the cornstarch into the water. Add to the pan, and cook until the sauce is thickened, and the broccoli is tender crisp. While the beef is cooking, cook the noodles, drain, and place on your serving dish. When the broccoli is ready, pour the beef and broccoli mixture over the noodles. Serve straight away.

Gay from A Scientist in the Kitchen is hosting Presto Pasta this week. Check with her for the round up on Friday!

Presto Pasta Nights - Yummy pasta in less than 30 minutes

For Presto Pasta Night this week apparently I am delusional. I have made a fast no cook pasta sauce perfect for those hot summer days when you just can't stand to be in the kitchen. Except. Except it's chilly....maybe even cold here right now. Who took the warm weather away? To have to wear socks and shoes and jeans and sweaters in June is just so wrong.

Last week I got my weekly email from Vegetarian Times with a link to some no cook, 30 minutes or less pasta sauces. Two caught my eye, and the other night I went shopping to pick up the ingredients for the first one - Strozzapreti with Cheese and Green Peppercorns. But I couldn't fine strozzapreti pasta, romano cheese or brined peppercorns. So I made some changes, came up with the delicious dish below and am so glad I made it anyway, instead of passing it by because of a couple of hard-to-find-here-ingredients.

Pasta with Zucchini Mint and Capers.

2 servings

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 TB chopped fresh mint leaves
1 TB olive oil
1 tsp capers, drained
1 cup grated zucchini
1 garlic clove
5 oz dry pasta, i used penne


Place the cheese through garlic in a blender or mini chopper. Grind until everything is chopped up. Place in a bowl and mix with the zucchini. Season with salt and pepper.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook the pasta. When the pasta is done, drain and toss with the zucchini-cheese mixture. Serve.

Presto Pasta Nights - Yummy pasta in less than 30 minutes

For Presto Pasta Night this week apparently I am delusional. I have made a fast no cook pasta sauce perfect for those hot summer days when you just can't stand to be in the kitchen. Except. Except it's chilly....maybe even cold here right now. Who took the warm weather away? To have to wear socks and shoes and jeans and sweaters in June is just so wrong.

Last week I got my weekly email from Vegetarian Times with a link to some no cook, 30 minutes or less pasta sauces. Two caught my eye, and the other night I went shopping to pick up the ingredients for the first one - Strozzapreti with Cheese and Green Peppercorns. But I couldn't fine strozzapreti pasta, romano cheese or brined peppercorns. So I made some changes, came up with the delicious dish below and am so glad I made it anyway, instead of passing it by because of a couple of hard-to-find-here-ingredients.

Pasta with Zucchini Mint and Capers.

2 servings

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 TB chopped fresh mint leaves
1 TB olive oil
1 tsp capers, drained
1 cup grated zucchini
1 garlic clove
5 oz dry pasta, i used penne


Place the cheese through garlic in a blender or mini chopper. Grind until everything is chopped up. Place in a bowl and mix with the zucchini. Season with salt and pepper.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook the pasta. When the pasta is done, drain and toss with the zucchini-cheese mixture. Serve.