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Stanley Tucci's Pasta Casserole

2/20/2024

This recipe has come up in my food feeds for a while now and it looked yummy, but I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com when I finally went looking for it. And there Stanley told them that he'll even eat it for breakfast because it's so good. It all started out when he was trying to find a use for some leftover farfalle pasta.

When I tell you how Ah-mazing this was, I am not exaggerating. I was a big Stanley Tucci fan before, but now I might be his biggest fan. Needless to say, this was a huge hit in the Delaney Test Kitchen.

And yes, I also had it for breakfast the next day. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil or butter, or as needed
1/2 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces pancetta, diced
6 ounces frozen peas
8 ounces cooked farfalle pasta
2 cups béchamel sauce (or other jarred creamy sauce)
2 tablespoons butter (optional)
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Heat olive oil or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, then add garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in pancetta and frozen peas. Cook until warmed through and pancetta has crisped up a bit.
Combine cooked pasta, béchamel, and pancetta mixture in a casserole dish. Dot with butter and top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake, uncovered, until the sauce is bubbly and the top is lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

Saffron Chicken Korma

2/17/2024

This recipe from Eating Well was an instant hit. My husband even saved all of the extra sauce to use with rice at another meal. The flavors are wonderful, but this is NOT a quick weeknight meal. You need to give yourself a little more time with this one - it took no less than 1hr and 15 minutes total.

I served it with basmatic rice, but it would be great with naan as well.

INGREDIENTS:

5 tablespoons grapeseed oil, divided
5 cups thinly sliced onions
¼ cup unsalted cashews
¼ cup water
1 ½ cups low-fat plain yogurt
2 teaspoons garam masala
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon crushed saffron threads
½ teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Optional: Coarsely chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions
1. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until caramelized and slightly crispy, 25 to 30 minutes.
Transfer to a blender and add cashews and water. Blend until smooth.

2.  Combine yogurt, garam masala, cardamom, cayenne, coriander, turmeric and saffron in a medium bowl. Set aside.

3.  Place the pan over medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
Add peppercorns (I used freshly ground black pepper), the bay leaf and the cinnamon stick and toast until fragrant, 10 to 15 seconds.
Add chicken, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken starts to brown, 5 to 7 minutes.

4.  Stir in the pureed onion mixture, the yogurt mixture, the broth and salt. Adjust heat to maintain a low simmer, partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, about 20 minutes.
Discard the bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

Busy MOM DINNERS

Stanley Tucci's Pasta Casserole

Saffron Chicken Korma

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