Vermicelli with Sauce alla Sofia

First, I must credit this recipe to Gourmet.Com. I found out my cholesterol is higher than it should be, so I've been trying to find dishes that are lower in cholesterol and bad fats than things I typically eat (oh goodbye for now red meats). So I'm trying to cut out things out of my diet that could potentially put me at risk for heart diseases. I'm too young to have to worry about shit like this, but such is life. Granted, I haven't made the decision to completely opt out of red meat, but it is severely getting cut back into things I can and cannot eat. Anyway - I decided pasta would do me some good and since I got a food processor for Christmas and hadn't used it yet, it was the best way to go!

So I found this recipe and while it looks like pesto, it isn't. However, unfortunately when I was processing the sauce, I couldn't find the damned capers. I was sad, because I think they would have given this sauce the extra kick it could have used (because I felt a little too much olive in each bite). I did add a little more salt to make up for the lack of capers. Now where they went is the question.

Vermicelli with Sauce alla Sofia Recipe

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 small onion, sliced (1 1/2 cups)
4 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and chopped
1/3 cup brine-cured green olives, pitted
2 teaspoons drained bottled capers
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 lb vermicelli (thin spaghetti) or linguine

Directions

1. With a food processor running drop in garlic until finely chopped. Stop the motor and add parsley, onion, anchovies, olives, capers, salt, and pepper. Process until finely chopped.

2. With motor still running add 1/2 cup of oil, blending until incorporated.

3. Cook pasta in boiling salted water. Drain well and toss with extra 1 tsp of olive oil. Pour sauce over pasta and serve immediately.

PPN: Pasta, Pesto, and Peas

Like I mentioned in my last blog post, I really am wanting to get interested in these blog events, so when I found out about Presto Pasta Nights, I was excited! Not only do I love love pasta, I'm moving on Saturday/Sunday and probably won't have time to cook until after the move. Since I made a big pot of these delicious noodles I'm thinking they should get me through the rest of the week and the weekend, unless some of my piggy roommates attack the pot (which actually wouldn't be very unlikely).

So these wonderful Presto Pasta Nights of delicious is the baby of Ruth from Once Upon A Feast but this week the event is being hosted by Hillary from Chew On That.

I found this recipe on The Food Network's website. It is one of Ina Garten's delicious dishes, that I can't help but have my mouth water when I even think of them. This was actually my first time cooking one of her dishes (or anything from The Food Network actually). I was impressed with how simple this dish was, but at the same time how much flavor the doctored up pesto sauce has. And the spinach and peas in the dish are good, because I really haven't been eating enough vegetables (oh yay young adult attempting to live on her own and cook for herself!)

Pasta, Pesto, and Peas

Ingredients

3/4 lbs of fuslli pasta

3/4 pound bow tie pasta

1/4 cup good olive oil

1 1/2 cups pesto

1 (10-oz) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed ry

3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/4 cups mayonnaise

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 1/2 cups frozen peas, defrosted

1/3 cup pignolis (pine nuts)

3/4 tsp kosher salt

3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the fusilli and bow ties separately in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until each pasta is al dente. Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the mayonnaise and puree. Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the Parmesan, peas, pignolis, salt, and pepper. Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature.

NOTES: Since I had a can of canned peas I used those instead of frozen peas. I just drained the water off of them first. And I sadly am grocery store stupid and too vain to ask for help from the sales people, so I have no idea where to get the pine nuts in my local Safeway. So I didn't have those in the dish. But I have to say, delicious!!