It's ironic that after throwing up all day yesterday, I spent all night laying in the dark, thinking of food. If I only had a kitchen.
I would start off by making a chunky marinara sauce. I would love to say I make mine by scratch, but I usually just combine two jars of different pasta sauces (I usually buy Classico, Barilla, or Bertolli's, whichever is on sale, but avoid Prego, Ragu, Hunts, or anything too cheap or too expensive). Then I'll add some Italian stewed tomatoes and Italian diced tomatoes, and then some tomato paste to thicken it. Next I'll add large chunks of green peppers, onions, roasted garlic, and button mushrooms; and add enough ground beef to make the whole concoction thick enough too stick a spoon straight up in it. Serve it on a toasted garlic rolls with a bit of Parmesan. My version of an Italian Sloppy Joe.
Yesterday I went to Pagliacci's before seeing Watchmen and had a slice of their Primo Pizza, which was fantastic, and got a Pesto Pasta Salad to go. I love their pesto salad and it reminds me of one of my favorite potluck dishes.
First I usually boil two packages of rainbow spiral pasta. Drain the pasta and let it cool. Barely saute, in pesto, one pound of sliced mushrooms. Add mushrooms to cooled pasta, along with one can of sliced black olives, one cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes, one small bottle of capers, one cup of toasted pine nuts, and one cup of diced salami. Finally add one 20 oz. bottle of Caesar salad dressing (I prefer Cardini's). Mix and let sit in the refrigerator until chilled.
It's a lot more complicated in flavor than that of the pesto salad at Pagliacci's, but has always been a big hit for me at the potlucks. It is also not all that complicated to make (it takes less than a half hour) and can be a side dish or the meal itself.
I would start off by making a chunky marinara sauce. I would love to say I make mine by scratch, but I usually just combine two jars of different pasta sauces (I usually buy Classico, Barilla, or Bertolli's, whichever is on sale, but avoid Prego, Ragu, Hunts, or anything too cheap or too expensive). Then I'll add some Italian stewed tomatoes and Italian diced tomatoes, and then some tomato paste to thicken it. Next I'll add large chunks of green peppers, onions, roasted garlic, and button mushrooms; and add enough ground beef to make the whole concoction thick enough too stick a spoon straight up in it. Serve it on a toasted garlic rolls with a bit of Parmesan. My version of an Italian Sloppy Joe.
Yesterday I went to Pagliacci's before seeing Watchmen and had a slice of their Primo Pizza, which was fantastic, and got a Pesto Pasta Salad to go. I love their pesto salad and it reminds me of one of my favorite potluck dishes.
First I usually boil two packages of rainbow spiral pasta. Drain the pasta and let it cool. Barely saute, in pesto, one pound of sliced mushrooms. Add mushrooms to cooled pasta, along with one can of sliced black olives, one cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes, one small bottle of capers, one cup of toasted pine nuts, and one cup of diced salami. Finally add one 20 oz. bottle of Caesar salad dressing (I prefer Cardini's). Mix and let sit in the refrigerator until chilled.
It's a lot more complicated in flavor than that of the pesto salad at Pagliacci's, but has always been a big hit for me at the potlucks. It is also not all that complicated to make (it takes less than a half hour) and can be a side dish or the meal itself.
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1 comment:
Sorry I missed you! I would have liked to say hi.
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