How cute are these organic alphabet pasta shapes from Trader Joe’s?! I’m 28 years old and I still couldn’t resist adding the package to my cart. I’m trying to decide what scrumptious dish I should make with them. So many possibilities…so little time. So what do you guys think? Any special recipe suggestions for the most adorable pasta shapes to ever grace my kitchen?

Remember the song I’d Do Anything from the musical Oliver? Well while making this recipe I realized that I would obviously do anything for Jamie Oliver, even cook with *gasp* anchovies. If Jamie and I were doing this little duet on a stage in the West End somewhere it might have gone something like this:

[Erin (sung)]
I’ll do anything
For you Jamie anything
For you mean everything to me.

I know that
I’ll cook anything
For your cheeky smile, anything –
For your cheeky smile, ev’rywhere –
I’d see.

[Jamie]
Would you make that cannelloni I banged out on my show the other day?

[Erin]
Anything!

[Jamie]
Chop up broccoli and cauliflower and cook it till it’s mush?

[Erin]
Anything!

[Jamie]
Turn CK’s mouth into a four alarm fire with too many chiles?

[Erin]
Anything!

[Jamie]
Even cook with anchovies?

[Erin]
What? Fish?!
*crickets* I’ll have to think about that…um.  Ok?!
I’d cook anything
For one kiss — everything
Yes, I’d do anything…

[Jamie]
Wow!  Even Fish?! What a brilliant girl!

[Erin]
Anything for you!!

Incredible Baked Cauliflower and Broccoli Cannelloni
Originally included in the cookbook Jamie at Home scheduled to be published on September 16, 2008

Sea salt
1 pound broccoli, washed, florets and stalks chopped
1 pound romanesco or white cauliflower, washed, florets and stalks chopped
Olive oil
7 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 small bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked
1 (1-ounce) can best-quality anchovies in oil, drained and chopped, oil reserved
2 to 3 small dried chiles, crumbled (Note: I used 4 because Jamie used 4 on the episode.  It was seriously spicy, which I was OK with, but you should probably stick to 2 or 3).
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups good-quality tomato sauce
Good-quality red wine vinegar
2 cups creme fraiche
7 ounces Parmesan, finely grated
16 cannelloni tubes
1 small bunch fresh basil, leaves picked
7 ounces good-quality mozzarella cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil
4 large handfuls arugula leaves, washed and dried
1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and drop in the chopped broccoli and cauliflower. Boil for 5 to 6 minutes, until cooked, then drain in a colander, reserving the cooking water.Heat a wide saucepan, pour in a couple of good glugs of olive oil and add the garlic. Fry for a few seconds, then add the thyme leaves, anchovies, anchovy oil and chiles and continue frying for a few seconds more before adding the cooked broccoli and cauliflower with around 4 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water. Stir everything together, put a lid on the pan leaving a little gap, and cook slowly for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring regularly - overcooking the vegetables not only intensies their flavor but gives you the texture that you need for this recipe. Remove the lid for the last 5 minutes to let the moisture evaporate, then use a potato masher to crush the vegetables. Take the saucepan off the heat, taste the vegetables and season carefully with salt and pepper. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet to cool. Meanwhile, get yourself another baking dish or roasting pan (the right size for fitting the cannelloni tubes snugly side by side - I test this by actually laying the tubes into the dish, then remove them and put to 1 side) and pour in the tomato sauce with a pinch of salt and a swig of red wine vinegar.

Now, to make a really quick and easy white sauce, mix the creme fraiche with half the Parmesan, a sprinkling of salt and pepper and a little of the reserved cooking water to thin it down.

Spoon your cooled broccoli and cauliflower mixture into a large sandwich bag and cut off the corner. Twist the top of the bag and squeeze it to pipe the filling into the cannelloni tubes. (If you prefer, use a teaspoon to push the mixture into the cannelloni or use a piping bag.) Fill the tubes up - don’t be stingy! - and place them in a single layer on top of the sauce. Lay the basil leaves over the cannelloni and spoon your white sauce evenly over the top. Season with black pepper, sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan and tear over the mozzarella. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden and bubbling on top.

Dress the arugula leaves with a squeeze of lemon juice and about 3 times as much extra- virgin olive oil. Serve the cannelloni with the arugula and some good crusty bread.

My Boston Organics adventures this summer have really allowed me to experiment with a number of ingredients that I would never buy simply browsing the local produce aisle. So when I received a huge bunch of dark leafy collard greens one week I definitely felt a little stumped. What could I do with them? Since I’d never had them before I didn’t even know what they tasted like, so I didn’t feel comfortable deciding what flavors might go well with them in a dish. So they sat in the fridge for a few days until I started googling for recipes. Thankfully I happened upon an older post at Kaylyn’s Kitchen that sounded exactly like something I’d like full of spicy sausage, red pepper flakes, and pasta.

In the end I made a few minor changes to the original recipe. Perhaps a little out of laziness, I decided to only use one pot to boil the sausage, greens, and pasta. I like to think that this gives the pasta a little extra flavor. I also used six turkey links instead of five as the turkey sausage I use comes in packages of six. I also used farfalle pasta for the simple fact that I think it’s pretty. Finally, I finished each bowl of pasta, sausage, and greens with an extra few dashes of red pepper flakes, a drizzle of olive oil, and a healthy grating of Parmesan cheese.

The funniest thing happens when you make this recipe. The sausage blows up to a disturbing size in the boiling pot of water. This immediately reminded me of the turkey hot dogs I ate as a kid that would blow up to ridiculous proportions on the grill. Does anyone else remember that phenomena? It’s pretty hilarious. Sometimes the turkey dogs would even develop bubbles and they’d look like total science fair projects on a bun.

I can’t recommend this recipe enough! My experimental dinner turned out delicious and I was surprised to discover that the collard greens have a slightly peppery taste. I’ve received collard greens twice more from Boston Organics since I originally freaked out over what I could do with this so-called “mystery ingredient” and both times I’ve returned to this recipe.

Pasta with Sausage and Collard Greens
Slightly altered and based on the recipe in The Best Recipes in the World cookbook by Mark Bittman originally discovered online at Kaylyn’s Kitchen.

1 bunch collard greens (about 1 lb.) stems removed, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced crosswise into half inch slices
3 T olive oil
1 T minced garlic
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
6 links hot turkey Italian sausage
16 oz. pasta (Note: I used farfalle).
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add sausage and cook at low boil 10 minutes. Let sausage cool and slice. Add sliced collard greens and boil 5-7 minutes, until tender but still bright green. Remove collards from water, keep water in the pot and bring back to a boil. When water comes to a boil, add pasta and a small amount of salt and cook 9-10 minutes, until done but still quite al dente. Drain pasta, reserving about one cup of cooking liquid.

While pasta cooks, in large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add sliced sausage and brown until well browned on both sides. Add remaining tablespoon olive oil and garlic (and the red pepper flakes if using) and cook 2 minutes, scraping bottom of pan to get browned sausage bits. Add collards and saute 2 minutes, then add pasta and enough cooking liquid to moisten dish, and cook 2 minutes more. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. (Note: In addition to the cheese, I also drizzle a little more olive oil on top and a few extra shakes of red pepper flakes).

There’s a brief scene in the movie The Holiday where Kate Winslet decides to cheer up Jack Black by making him Christmas Fettuccine (start around 3:20 on the video above). So if it’s good enough for Kate Winslet, it’s good enough for me. I attempted searching around a little bit to see if this was a common practice that I’ve been missing out on, but it appears that unless I grew up in an Italian family Fettuccine really isn’t a go-to holiday meal. Although I did find it in a menu for “An Italian Holiday Party” on Cooks Illustrated (you’ll need to have a paid account to view the details though). So break out the green pasta, zest up a lemon or two and enjoy something a little less traditional during your holiday get together.

Fluffy Parmesan	Zest & Juice
Heat and Melt	Boil the Pasta
Warm the Bowls	Combine
Mix	Merry Little Christmas

Fettuccine Alfredo (Originally Published by Giada De Laurentiis)
Serves 6

18 ounces fresh fettuccine
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Drain.Stir 2 cups of the cream and the lemon juice in a heavy large skillet to blend. Add the butter and cook over medium heat just until the butter melts, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Add the pasta and toss. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of cream, and Parmesan to the cream sauce in the skillet. Add the lemon zest, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Toss the pasta mixture over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.

Note: Cooks Illustrated suggests heating your individual serving bowls with hot water before plating. This will keep the pasta and sauce creamy longer. No one wants to eat congealed Christmas Fettuccine!

The Sopranos may or may not have disappointed last night, depending on who you talk to, but my baked Ziti definitely didn’t. No wonder Tony Soprano is so fat. This dish has some serious cheese in it. With the exception of the spicy turkey sausage I used, I think even Carmela would have approved, but really the biggest compliment to any cook is when someone asks for seconds.With Frank Sinatra crooning in the background, I followed Robin Miller’s basic recipe and ingredient list with the following changes: I used fresh herbs and garlic instead of dried, spicy sausage instead of sweet, and Pastene Kitchen Ready Tomatoes (my personal favorites to make sauce with) instead of the “diced tomatoes with seasoning” — that would have just been gross. Never buy canned tomatoes with extras (celery, spices etc…) Yuck!I can’t wait to eat the leftovers for dinner tonight! Now, am I the only one who thought that their DVR broke or cut off the end of the episode when the screen went blank? I wonder if the screams of HBO users across the country could be heard from space…

Remove the Casings	Brown
Prepare the Sauce	Set the Table
Bada Bing!

I’m starting to wonder if I should change the tag line of this website to Erin Cooks:  An Ellie Krieger Retrospective.   What do you think?  Anyway, here’s another yummy option to wow your friends with:   Fettuccini with Creamy Red Pepper-Feta Sauce.  I couldn’t find whole wheat fettuccini so I used linguine.  My one quibble with this recipe is the use of parsley.  Next time I plan to use chopped basil as a garnish since I found the parsley to be a little bitter.

Onions, Peppers & Garlic	Blitz
Whole Wheat Goodness	Who Needs the Olive Garden?  Not Me!