Pasta

Ingredients 12 oz pasta (long spaghetti or similar works) 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 lb brussel sprouts, cut into half or quarters if they are large 1/2 lb cauliflower, cut into 1 inch pieces Salt and black pepper 1 medium onion, diced small 4 large garlic cloves, minced 4 plump oil packed anchovies, minced (one tin or two if you want) 1 tsp crushed red pepper 1 tsp chopped rosemary 1 tsp chopped thyme 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs 1 cup parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano (the good stuff NOT the powder) Instructions Boil pasta according to package direction. SAVE 1/2 cup of the cooking water when you drain In a large, deep skillet, heat half the olive oil (1/4 cup) on medium heat and cook brussels, cauliflower, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook 5 minutes until slightly charred on bottom. Add the other 1/4 cup along with onion, garlic, anchovies, red pepper, rosemary and thyme. Cook uncovered until onion is slightly softened (3 minutes). Then cover and cook another 3 minutes until sprouts/cauliflower are tender. Keep warm Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp oil in small skillet and roast the bread crumbs on moderately high heat. Must stir or it will burn. Pull off when golden and crisp Add pasta, reserved cooking water to skillet with veggies. Cook on medium heat until water is nearly absorbed Remove from heat and stir in half the cheese Serve and have bread crumbs and remaining cheese at table to stir in

Ingredients Sauce: 6 tbsp butter 1 huge onion (or two med) diced 7-8 cloves of garlic minced Tbsp red pepper flakes Salt to taste 1-2 6-oz can tomato paste (only one is required) two 14-oz can whole peeled tomatoes 2 cups heavy cream 1/2 cup vodka or more to taste 5 oz parmesan cheese (or fancier parmesan if you got it) 1 lb pasta, dealers choice 2 lb meatballs Instructions In a large (3- or 4-quart) saucepan or small Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes, season lightly with salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft but not browned, about 15 minutes; lower heat if needed to prevent Browning. Meanwhile, in oven or toaster oven, cook the meatballs per package directions. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until tomato paste is fragrant and thick, about 3 minutes. Stir in canned tomatoes with their liquid. Bring to a simmer, then cook, stirring often and crushing the whole tomatoes roughly with a spoon, until sauce has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Add cream, and stir to incorporate. Transfer sauce to a blender, and blend until very smooth (you may be able to make an immersion blender work, but in our tests the sauce level was too low to safely avoid splattering). Wipe out pot, then return blended sauce to it. Season lightly with salt. In a medium pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until just shy of al dente, about 3 minutes less than the package directs. About 1 minute before you transfer pasta to sauce, add vodka to tomato sauce and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Add meatballs and simmer a minute. Using a spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer pasta directly to sauce pot along with 1/2 cup (120ml) pasta water (alternatively, reserve 2 cups pasta water, then drain pasta in a colander, then add to sauce with 1/2 cup of the reserved water). Increase heat to high, and cook, stirring constantly, until pasta is well coated in sauce and reaches the al dente stage, about 3 minutes. If sauce thickens too much before pasta is ready, add more pasta water in 1/4 cup (60ml) increments as needed. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until thoroughly incorporated into a smooth and creamy sauce. Taste for salt, and season with more if needed. If you can’t detect the vodka at all, you can add a few drops more and stir it in before serving; exactly how boozy you want the sauce is a question of taste, but be careful because a heavy hand will ruin the dish. Spoon pasta and sauce onto warmed serving plates and top with additional grated cheese. Serve immediately.

Ingredients 1 large Spaghetti Squash Salt Olive oil Instructions Microwave the squash for 2 minutes (to make it easier to cut) and then cut in half lengthwise Drizzle on cut side of each half olive oil and salt Flip over onto a baking pan (with tinfoil) and bake for 45 minutes at 400°F

Ingredients (sauce) Olive oil 2.75 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth) 3 cloves garlic minced 1 tsp italian seasoning 1 tsp each salt and pepper or more to taste 1, 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes (drain the liquid and use it, do not discard). 1 bell pepper diced large, 0.5in pieces or so 1 cup orzo pasta ½ cup frozen peas 2 cups cauliflower florets 8 green onions cut into thirds 1 cup broccoli florets Instructions In med to large pot, bring broth to simmer with garlic and italian seasoning. Drain the tomato juice from the fire roasted tomato can and add to broth. Add salt and pepper plus more to taste In a separate frying pan, get hot with minimal oil and sear tomatoes (without juice) and bell pepper. This is quick, 30 seconds or so, if you have the pan already hot. This will not cook them, just sear. Set aside veggies in bowl for a minute. Add orzo to searing pan and slightly brown, <30 seconds, do not burn though! Add pasta and peas to broth pot and stir. Without stirring, add cauliflower florets on top as well as green onions, tomatoes and bell pepper pieces arranged colorfully. Do not stir! Cover and simmer lightly for 11 minutes. Turn off heat, add broccoli to top (without stirring), cover, and let sit for 10 minutes to finish cooking and steam the broccoli. If you don’t want slightly undercooked broccoli, keep the simmer going for the first 5 minutes of this section. Serve