Pantry pasta recipe

My father called me the other day.  My father never calls.  He always jumps on the phone when I’m speaking with my mother, but he is not in a habit of actually dialing my number unless there is something that is nagging him.  “I have looked at your website, and I want to ask you a question.”  Here it comes.  “I think you do not have enough Italian food represented.  You are Italian!”   That’s not a question, but a partially true statement nonetheless.  I am definitely Italian (and proud of it), but I wouldn’t say the majority of the recipes on my website are Italian.  I have, however, eaten and cooked more than my share of Italian food in my life.  Growing up, we probably ate pasta four times per week with crusty bread on the side.  It’s a wonder we aren’t all gluten-intolerant!  Or are we?  Hmmm…

The food I teach in my classes is very representative of the food I make for my family and those recipes are making their way to my website.  I love Italian food and I love pasta, and a satisfying pasta dish is one I can whip up even if I have nothing more than salt, olive oil and garlic.  However I don’t consider pasta a “health food” that I want to be eating regularly.  So I have come to rely on it as a weekly lunch box staple with pesto for the girls and something to make when I need to clean out the fridge.  Very often at the end of the week and before a farmer’s market shop, I have a few stray vegetables lingering in the crisper.  Last night I found a few mushrooms, 1 1/2 zucchini, a couple of carrots, a red bell pepper and a handful of kale or chard.  When I pair these with a few pantry staples such as canned chick peas, jarred tomatoes, onion and garlic, I’ve got the makings of “Pantry Pasta!”

As you can imagine, I’ve never made Pantry Pasta the same way twice because it’s really just a way of using up what I’ve got.  But it always manages to be tasty and a more healthful way to eat pasta since the dish ends up being half veggies & beans and half pasta.  Even better is that everyone loves it, even Mr. Picky who will just pick out any color that is out of favor at the moment.  I love Pantry Pasta because I feel good that I am using my food efficiently and I can pull together an easy dinner in very little time.  Chop your vegetables first, put the pot of water on for pasta and then start sauteing the vegetables.  The key to this recipe is saving a good cup or two of the pasta cooking water just before you drain the pasta.  This is a valuable ingredient in many pasta dishes since the starchy liquid can add a nice richness for the foundation of a good sauce without having to add extra oil or cream.  When I had more time to exercise, I used to add a pat of butter to the pasta just before serving and before I had Mr. Picky, I would stir grated cheese into the pasta at the same time as the pasta water.  He claims he doesn’t like parmesan cheese.  Would it do any good if his grandfather reminded him that Mr. Picky himself is half Italian?  Of course, you can make these delicious vegetables and serve them atop cooked millet or quinoa instead of pasta.  Just don’t tell my dad.

Buon appetito!

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Pantry Pasta
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Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 1 pound whole wheat or other pasta of your choice
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • Vegetables in the fridge, such as last night's lot:
  • 2 carrots, julienned or roughly chopped
  • a handful of mushrooms, roughly chopped
  • 1½ zucchini, roughly chopped
  • 1 sweet bell pepper, sliced
  • 6 leaves of black kale, stems removed and discarded, leaves coarsely chopped
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 jar or half a jar chopped tomatoes or whole tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 ½ cups cooked beans, such as chickpeas or Great Northern
  • A couple tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, parsley, thyme, mint or a combination
  • Grated Pecorino-Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Instructions
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  2. In the meantime, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender and translucent. Stir in remaining prepared vegetables, except the leafy greens. Season with two pinches of sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper and sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes.
  3. To the pot of boiling water, add kosher salt and pasta. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
  4. Into the skillet pour in the chopped tomatoes and beans and simmer ten minutes. Sprinkle with another pinch of sea salt. Stir in chopped greens and fresh herbs and cook until wilted.
  5. When pasta is cooked until al dente, remove two cups of pasta cooking water and reserve. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the vegetables and toss. Add enough pasta water to coat the vegetables and the pasta. Taste for seasoning and serve with grated cheese if desired.
Notes
Other additions: chopped celery, cauliflower florets, peas, chopped Swiss chard, beet greens or baby spinach leaves instead of kale

Notes: You can also add a splash of white wine to the vegetables as you are sauteing.

Do ahead: chop your vegetables in the morning and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Asian noodle salad recipe

Asian Noodle Salad | Pamela Salzman

Asian Noodle Salad | Pamela Salzman

I really don’t think anyone needs another way to get pasta into his or her diet, or peanut butter for that matter, but I can’t help myself here.  I taught this Asian noodle salad in a class last year and I still haven’t tired of it.  However, the pasta in this dish isn’t just your run-of-the-mill white flour spaghetti, which you certainly don’t need to eat any more of than you already do, but soba.  Soba noodles are a Japanese pasta made with buckwheat.  Most of the soba noodles I see in the markets are a wheat and buckwheat blend.  But you can find ones made with 100% buckwheat, which is not a wheat at all, but a seed related to the rhubarb plant.  Buckwheat also happens to be gluten-free, full of fiber and protein and contains a very cool compound called rutin which is helpful in lowering blood pressure.

Asian Noodle Salad | Pamela Salzman

If you are trying to limit your gluten, I would not only give you a pat on the back, but I would like to encourage you to try the all-buckwheat noodles.   Let me just forewarn you of a few things.  Be prepared for a much nuttier, more assertive flavor than a traditional noodle, almost earthy.  I will say, it works perfectly with a peanut sauce.  It is quite a bit more expensive, too, almost $8.00 for 8 ounces.  But more importantly, it demands a bit of babysitting when you’re cooking it.  There’s a gumminess that leaches into the cooking water that can foam up and overflow all over your stovetop in an instant.  One minute you’re stirring your pot diligently but you turn to your daughter to say, “how was your test today?” and the next minute you have a volcanic eruption that puts out the gas flame on your stove.  Not to discourage you or anything, I’m just saying this could happen to you if you’re not paying attention.

Asian Noodle Salad | Pamela Salzman

I love any recipe where I can work in a few more vegetables.  Here I went the basic route with some Napa cabbage, a few shreds of purple cabbage and carrots because not much else is in season right now.  But I have been know to add in raw red bell pepper strips and cucumber in the Summer and blanched asparagus and sliced raw sugar snap peas in the Spring (Mr. Picky’s favorite).  If you’re like me and you don’t think cilantro tastes like soap, you can chop a few sprigs and add that, too.  This makes a perfect dish to bring to a potluck since it can be made ahead of time and stays well at room temperature.  Your lunchbox radar should be going off right now — perfect for school lunches provided your school allows peanut products.  If you can’t eat peanuts, try this with sesame tahini or cashew butter instead.  For a gluten-free version, again, look for 100% buckwheat noodles and wheat-free tamari instead of the shoyu.

Asian Noodle Salad | Pamela Salzman

Chinese New Year is coming up on February 3rd, so look out for a few more posts before then to get you in the spirit!

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Asian Noodle Salad
Author: 
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup unrefined, cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2-3 Tablespoons creamy, natural peanut butter, preferably organic
  • ¼ cup shoyu or wheat-free tamari
  • 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 2 Tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup or raw honey
  • 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
  • 1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 8-10 ounce package soba noodles (or noodle of your choice)
  • 5 cups shredded Napa cabbage
  • 1 large carrot, julienned
  • Other add-ins, according to the season: thinly sliced scallions, sweet bell pepper, julienned cucumber, sugar snap or snow peas, rehydrated arame (sea vegetable)
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, peanut butter, shoyu, sesame oil, rice vinegar, maple syrup, fresh ginger and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
  2. Place the shredded cabbage in a colander in the sink.
  3. Cook the soba noodles according to the package instructions. Do not go check your email.
  4. Drain the noodles into the colander with the cabbage, which will just wilt the cabbage so you don't have to blanch it in another pot and have an extra thing to wash. Rinse the noodles and cabbage with cold water and shake the colander to drain everything really well. This is important so the dressing adheres to the noodles.
  5. Transfer the noodles and cabbage to a serving bowl. Add the carrots, dressing and any additional vegetables you like and toss well.