A MAGAZINE FOR AND ABOUT LOUISVILLE
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recipes | top chef recipes | BY ROBIN GARR | PHOTOS BY DAN DRY
 
What could be more comforting than a ration of steaming pasta, ladled into a warm bowl and topped with a savory sauce? There's something about pasta that pastes a smile on any diner's face, whether you're digging into something as simple and old-fashioned as spaghetti and meatballs with tomato sauce, or something as new-fangled as, well, Chef Kimberly Jones's shrimp and penne pasta with citrus- and cilantro-scented sweet-pea sauce.
We invited them both to come up with new, creative pasta dishes that a moderately experienced home cook can put together, and they've favored us with four intriguing recipes. The dishes bid a respectful salute to the Italian side of pasta's heritage, but also go well beyond sunny Italy with innovative "fusion" touches that provide an international accent. Jones said she chose the Latino flavors of cilantro and citrus, for instance, not only to brighten her shrimp penne dish, but also to make it fresh and appetizing for spring. "It's a light dish," she said. "The cilantro and lime tend to perk up flavors in food, and they marry nicely with the shrimp. With peas coming into season, it's delicate and fresh, and would make a nice luncheon or brunch dish or even a light summer dinner." Her chicken with rustic tomato sauce is an old family favorite, she said: "I call it Sunday chicken, so easy to make that I prepare it at home for myself. It has good, fresh flavors, it's low in fat, low in cholesterol, simple but hearty, and it's versatile ... you could substitute a grilled chicken breast, or modify it for sautéed shrimp or even grilled sausage in place of the chickens. Once you've got the sauce, everything else is secondary." Engle said he toyed with international possibilities before deciding to stick with Italian-style dishes. "I tried to go away from everyday things to create more innovative dishes," he said. "I've been playing around with lobster for a test I have to do for certification. And, of course, seafood goes well with pasta, so I thought, let's go with lobster ... people don't usually think about lobster with pasta." His lasagna, too, is a nontraditional version, adding creamy, cheesy Alfredo sauce to the usual ingredients and perking up the dish's hearty layers by stuffing in spicy chicken bits and sautéed vegetables.
(Serves 8-10) For the noodles: 1/2 pound dry lasagna noodles 2 quarts water 2 teaspoons salt Olive oil 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Put the water in a large pot and add the salt. Bring the water to a boil, add the lasagna noodles and cook until they're just soft. Drain the noodles and run them under cool water to stop the cooking. Toss with a small amount of oil and set aside. (As a labor-saving alternative, you may use the "no-boil" lasagna noodles that are designed to cook during the baking process.) For the filling: 1 pound boneless chicken breasts 1 tablespoon dried red-pepper flakes Salt Black pepper 1 small onion 1 stick celery 1 small carrot 6 ounces white button mushrooms 1 teaspoon oregano, chopped 1 tablespoon basil, chiffonade 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup peas 1/2 cup heavy cream 4 eggs 1. Prepare the chicken: Rub the chicken breasts with the red-pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until brown, and then finish in the 350-degree oven for 20 minutes or until their internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove from oven. 2. Make a vegetable sauce: Dice the onion, celery and carrot into 1/4-inch pieces. Slice the mushrooms into 1/8-inch pieces. Chop the fresh oregano and cut the fresh basil leaves into a chiffonade by rolling several leaves together and cutting them crosswise into very thin slices. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and add the chopped onion, celery, carrot and mushrooms. Sauté until soft, and then add the peas, cream, oregano and basil. Cook until the cream thickens a bit. Set aside to cool. 3. Hard-boil the eggs: Put them in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover them and then bring to a boil. After 12 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and refresh by running cool water over the eggs. Shell the eggs and cut them into 1/4-inch slices. For the Alfredo sauce (courtesy of Michael Hungerford) 1 quart heavy cream 1 shallot, cut in half 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 3 ounces freshly grated Romano cheese 2 sticks butter, softened to room temperature 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg Salt Pepper 1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, put both halves of the shallot into the heavy cream. Scald the cream by bringing it just to a boil. Strain it through a chinois or fine strainer and discard the shallot. 2. Place the cream back on low heat and gradually stir in the Parmesan, about one-fourth of it at a time, until it is incorporated. 3. Add the Romano cheese until incorporated, and strain again. 4. Place back on low heat and whisk in the butter and egg yolk. Continue stirring as you add nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Use immediately. Assembly: All the ingredients prepared above, plus: 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese 11/2 cup Romano cheese, grated Oregano leaves for garnish Diced tomato for garnish 1. Cut the mozzarella into 1/4-inch cubes. Tear the chicken into bite-size pieces. 2. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles in an oiled 8-by-8-inch ovenproof dish. Top with about half of the hard-boiled egg slices, followed by about half of the mozzarella, chicken, vegetable sauce and 1/2 cup of the Romano cheese. Top with another layer of noodles, press down, and repeat the layering process with the rest of the egg, mozzarella, chicken, vegetable sauce and another 1/2 cup of the Romano. Top with one more layer of noodles, then the remaining Romano. Bake in the 350-degree oven for approximately 20 minutes or until the dish is heated through and browned on top. 3. Serve hot, topped with the Alfredo sauce and garnished with the oregano and diced tomato. FETTUCCINE WITH LOBSTER SAUCE (FETTUCCINE ALL'ARAGOSTA) (Serves 4) For the lobster sauce: 2 lobsters - 11/2 pounds each 1 small onion 1 clove garlic 3 pounds ripe tomatoes or 4 cups canned plum tomatoes 1/4 cup butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 tablespoons brandy 11/2 cups dry white wine 2 tablespoons chopped parsley Salt Pepper 1. Boil the lobsters for approximately 8 minutes in enough salted water to cover them by several inches. Remove from heat and stop the cooking process by running cool water over the lobsters. 2. Break off the claws and remove the lobster meat, reserving the shells. Break off the legs and reserve. Separate the tail and remove any roe or coral, then remove the tail meat, reserving the tail shell intact. 3. Roughly chop the onion. Peel and smash the garlic clove. Peel, seed and dice the tomatoes if you're using fresh. 4. Using one-half of the butter and all of the olive oil, sauté the lobster legs and shells in a large skillet or sauté pan together with the onion and garlic until the vegetables are soft. (Take care to remove any small shell fragments) Pour in the brandy all at once and light it with a match to "flame." When the blue flame has died down, add the tomatoes and wine. Cover and simmer the sauce for 20 minutes. 5. Remove the shells and legs, then process the sauce in a blender. Put it back on low heat, stir in the remaining butter and parsley and heat through. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. For the fettuccine: 1 tablespoon salt 1 pound fettuccine Olive oil Put 1 gallon of water in a large pot, add the salt and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente ("to the bite," meaning just tender). Drain and toss with a small amount of olive oil and set aside in a warm bowl. Assembly: All the ingredients prepared above, plus: 2 tablespoons fresh basil, sliced into a chiffonade (see recipe above) 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1. Coarsely chop the lobster meat and add it to the sauce. 2. Toss the sauce with the fettuccine and serve garnished with the basil and cheese. (If you prefer, you can reserve the 4 claws whole and place them on top of the pasta dish, or reserve the lobster tail pieces, cut in half lengthwise, to serve as holding "cups" for the fettuccine).
(Serves 4) For the sauce: 2 cups spring peas, fresh or frozen 1 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon salt 1. Combine peas, broth, cilantro and lime juice in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook 15-20 minutes. 2. Remove from heat and puree with a handheld blender. 3. Return to heat. Add cream and stir to incorporate. Season to taste with salt and keep warm. For the shrimp: 3 or 4 cloves garlic 1 cup mushrooms 1/2 cup artichoke hearts 1/2 cup olive oil 11/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and de-veined 1/4 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced 1. Peel and mince the garlic, which should be enough to make about 1/4 cup. Slice the mushrooms and quarter the artichoke hearts. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add the garlic, mushrooms and artichokes and cook until the mushrooms are golden brown. Add the shrimp and lime juice and cook until the shrimp are light pink, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and toss with the parsley. For the pasta: 1 teaspoon salt 6 cups water 1 pound penne pasta Dissolve the salt in the water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, add the pasta and cook 8-10 minutes or until pasta is tender. Assembly: All the ingredients prepared above, plus: Chopped cilantro Lime wedges Toss the sauce and pasta together and divide among four serving bowls. Divide shrimp among the four bowls, and then garnish with cilantro and lime wedges. STUFFED LASAGNA WITH ALFREDO SAUCE (Serves 4) For the tomato sauce: 1/4 cup olive oil 2 full heads fresh garlic 1 pint cherry tomatoes 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves 1 quart chicken broth 1. Separate the garlic heads into individual cloves and peel them. 2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add all the garlic cloves and cook to a deep golden brown. Rinse and add the cherry tomatoes, stir to coat with the oil, and continue cooking until the skin on the tomatoes begins to blister. Add the basil leaves and the chicken broth; simmer for 45-60 minutes. Using a handheld blender, puree the sauce and keep it warm. For the chicken: 2 whole roasting chickens 1 cup olive oil 1/2 cup fresh thyme, picked from stem 1/2 cup fresh rosemary, picked from stem and minced 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced 1/2 cup garlic, minced 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup kosher salt 1/2 cup black pepper, coarse ground Butcher's twine 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. Remove neck and organ meats from cavity of chickens, if necessary, and rinse them well inside and out. Place the chickens on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. 3. Combine 1/2 cup of the olive oil with all the fresh herbs and garlic. Using your index and middle fingers, gently separate the skin from the flesh of the chickens and rub the herb mixture generously onto the meat of the chicken underneath the skin. This process is called "barding," an ancient cooking term that once referred to covering roast meats with a layer of fat. 4. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt and pepper. Rub this mixture over the skin of the entire chicken. Using the butcher's twine, tie each chicken's legs securely together. Place the pan in the preheated oven and roast approximately 11/2 hours or to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. When the chickens are done, remove the roasting rack and allow them to cool 10 minutes before cutting in half. 5. Meanwhile, on top of the stove, add 1 cup of the rustic tomato sauce to the roasting pan, stir to scrape up the pan drippings, and return the pan contents to the tomato sauce. For the pasta: 1 teaspoon salt 6 cups water 1 pound package tagliatelle or other ribbon pasta such as fettuccine or linguine Combine water and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil, stir in the pasta and cook 8-10 minutes until pasta is tender. Assembly: Place half of a chicken and one-fourth of the pasta on a dinner plate, and pour 1 cup of sauce over the pasta. |
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