Sometimes you really don't have the energy nor the willingness to really cook anything. You come back from work after an exhausting day, you don't even want to think about food, or any other chore for that matters. You ask your family if they have something special in mind. They either come up with elaborate menus or, worse, they simply tell you "Oh, anything is fine!" Of course they don't realize that "anything is fine" is really not fine at all. But you have to feed your family, and if mine is any indication, you have to be creative and always give them something they'll like. In these cases your best bet is pasta.
Growing up "Italian", this was our "passe par tout" solution, a meal that doesn't need much, a meal that you can whip up with what you have at hand, and you'll never run out of options or variety. You're sure that you'll get a different dish every time: just boil some pasta, make a sauce, toss and enjoy. At that time we didn't name our pasta: it was simply pasta, or the kind of pasta used, with this or that. Our pasta was never arrabiata, or of any other name. It's only when I got older and started going out to restaurants that I realized that what I've been eating anonymously for years, actually had a name!
PASTA PUTTANESCA
If you know what this word means, you can imagine that no nun would ever serve this kind of pasta to the students in her school. Nor mammina would call this sauce by that name and serve it to us. So, for years and years this was always pasta (penne or spaghetti) with sauce and olives. Now that we are all grownups we can call it what we want!
I came across many recipes for this dish, some really from scratch using fresh tomatoes, some using canned tomatoes. It doesn't matter. My pasta is usually made with what I have around, sometimes with fresh tomatoes, or canned tomatoes, sometimes with both. Actually this is what I used for the dish today: I had 3 fresh tomatoes that became too soft to use in a salad, and a leftover cup of crushed tomatoes that I had used yesterday in another dish. They'll do just fine. Before we start I have to tell you 2 things: the original recipe uses a pinch, or more, of red pepper flakes. I don't. We don't eat hot food at all, but you can add them to your taste. Also, if you are going to use fresh tomatoes, the original rule is that you drop them in salted boiling water for just a couple of minutes to be able to peel them. Then you should seed the tomatoes before using them in the sauce. To tell you the truth, I didn't do that. Why? I had crushed tomatoes, which have peel and seeds, so I just beat the fresh tomatoes in the blender and used them. You'll need:
3 large tomatoes
1 cup crushed tomatoes (both can be substituted with whole canned tomatoes)
1 (6oz) can black olives, pitted
3 tsp capers, drained
3 garlic cloves mashed and finely chopped
1 (2 oz) can anchovies
3/4 box of penne (I used 3 and 1/2 handfuls of penne). You can also use spaghetti
3 tbsp grated Parmigiano cheese
1 tsp olive oil
Drain the anchovies and finely chop them. Cook the anchovies in the tsp oil in a large skillet, then add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Work the fresh tomatoes in a blender, add them with the crushed tomatoes to the anchovies in the skillet. Let them cook on medium heat until the oil comes to the surface. In the mean time, cook the pasta according to the package direction, until al dente. Chop the olives in quarters lenghtwise and add them to the sauce. Add the capers and turn off the heat. Add the cheese and mix well. I used the cheese to replace the red hot pepper flakes. If you are using them, make sure to add them with the garlic, at the very beginning so that they can infuse their flavor to the sauce. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Toss and serve. You can also sprinkle some chopped parsley on top. You may have noticed that I didn't add any salt to the sauce. We're using anchovies, olives and cheese in the sauce, and cooked the pasta in salted water, so you'll not need to add any extra salt.
BAKED TORTELLINI
This kind of pasta causes a huge dilemma in our house: mom loves it, but my husband doesn't. For him pasta is always penne, and sometimes spaghetti. Nothing else. So today I thought that maybe if I cooked it this way he may be tempted to try it. It worked in a way: he had a taste, said that "it was OK, no, no, it was good", he said, but he then had another helping from the moussaka I had served. But don't be discouraged by his opinions: we love it, and also some friends and family who tasted it, loved it too. It's a nice departure from the regular pasta dish, and with the added cheese it is really satisfying and delicious. Also when you cook it in the oven, it gives you a sense of accomplishment: when you get the dish out of the oven, you feel that you have made something difficult, while in reality it was so easy to make.
As usual I always make it with what I have around, and the quantities are always approximate: I buy a big bag of tortellini and keep it in the freezer to use cup by cup as needed. I also tweak the recipe to accommodate the ingredients I have at hand. I also like to add some green element to the dish, usually it's green peas. Remember the whole idea is to make things easier for you, not to add to the shopping list or to the difficulties in our lives. Besides, I discovered that even with the same ingredients, you'll never cook the same dish the same way twice: there will always be something different every time you cook it. So why not make it deliberate and feel free to tweak as much as you can without feeling guilty? You'll need:
1 and 1/2 lb tortellini
1/2 bag frozen peas, about 2 cups
1 (2oz) can anchovies
1 (14 oz) tomato sauce
6 oz mascarpone cheese
1 and 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano
1/2 bloc Queso Blanco (or ricotta salata, or mozzarella)
Chopped parsley
I always have a bloc or two of Queso Blanco. It's a white cheese, a bit similar to feta, but firmer and less creamy. Its saltiness is just right, you can eat it as is, or use it in a cooked dish. It usually comes in 4 inch blocs, in packages of two.
Add the tortellini to a big pot of salted boiling water. When they start popping to the surface, add the frozen peas. In a non stick skillet, cook the anchovies for a couple of minutes until melted. Add the tomato sauce and cook on medium heat for about 6 to 7 minutes. Remove the sauce from heat and start adding the mascarpone cheese and stir to dissolve. Add the Parmigiano and stir to incorporate. Drain the tortellini and add them to the sauce. Stir to combine. Transfer to an oven proof dish, or if you used a skillet that goes from stove to oven (this is what I actually used), slice the Queso Blanco in thin slices and arrange them over the pasta to cover it. Bake in a 375 degrees oven until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
TIP: You can cook the dish on the stove: just cover the skillet and cook on very low heat until the cheese is melted.
