Mushroom and Artichoke Pasta

I have been cooking for my mother lately. She isn't as fond of cooking as I am, and since I see her at work all the time, I get to bring her lunch at least once a week. Now I'm sure that you have realized that I am a big fan of mushrooms by now. And she is a big fan of artichokes, so I decided to combine those too things into a really delicious meal that takes very little time to prepare.

It went over well.

Mushroom and Artichoke Pasta

1 lg onion, sliced thinly
3 tbsp Zesty Onion Olive Oil
1 can of artichoke hearts, drained
1 lb mushrooms, quartered
chopped fresh parsley
2-4 leaves chopped sage
1 pkg penne pasta, cooked
1/2 cup Port Wine

Heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onion. Saute 5-7 minutes. It should be slightly caramelized by now. Add in the mushrooms and a little salt. Cook for 3-5 minutes then add the wine and artichokes.

Increase the heat to a simmer. Let it cook for another 5 minutes. Add in the parsley and the sage and stir to really pull it through everything. Stir the pasta in and make sure that everything is warmed through.

Serve with really good bread and enjoy!

Penne with Sardine and Fennel Sauce

I've made some easy recipes, but this has got to be one of the easiest.

The only thing that would have made it easier is if we sold precooked pasta too!

Penne with Sardine and Fennel Sauce

Penne Pasta, cooked

Sardine and Fennel Pasta Sauce

Wild Porcini Sea Salt

Cook the pasta. Drain and place back in the pan. Toss some of the pasta sauce in with it and cook on low heat for about 2 minutes so the sauce has time to get hot. 

Pour into bowls and serve with Porcini Sea Salt sprinkled on top.

Pasta a la Gypsy

Big thanks to Joumana of Taste of Beirut for this amazing recipe. I'm sorry for not following it more closely, but I just can't make things easy for myself. What can I say? I'm just too impatient.

Pasta a la Gypsy
adapted from Taste of Beirut

1 eggplant
1 16oz can tomatoes, chopped or crushed
2 onions
2 anchovies*
1/2 cup milk
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp red pepper paste*
4 tbsp fresh parsley
1 bag Maesti Pastai Penne*
1/4 cup Garlic Olive Oil

Peel and cut the eggplant into small chunks. Toss with salt and let sit in a colander about 30 minutes.

Chop the onions thinly and saute in the Olive Oil over medium heat until they start to soften. Rinse the eggplant and shake dry. Add to the onions and add to the pan. Saute for another 5-10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and simmer about 15 minutes.

Mash the anchovies and stir in the milk. Add the mixture and the parsley into the pan and simmer another 10-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta to al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water or use 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Stir the pasta and water or broth into the eggplant sauce. Mix well and serve warm.

*All starred items can be found in out store or ordered by phone.

Penne With Balsamic Butter Sauce

This recipe earned a thumbs up from my picky husband. And permission to make it again! So that's even better. I can imagine this with roasted butternut squash in the fall.


Penne with Balsamic Butter Sauce
Inspired by Food and Wine

1 lb broccoli, cut into pieces
1 lb penne (I love our Maestri Pastai brand)
1/4 cup Fig Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 lb butter, cut into quarters
2 tbsp Roasted Garlic Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste


Heat the oven to 400degrees. Toss the broccoli with 1 tbsp Roasted Garlic Olive Oil and some salt and pepper. Roast about 10 minutes.

Cook the penne until it is al dente, about 11-13 minutes.

Toss cooked pasta with veggies, salt and pepper and balsamic.