The Cooking Chronicles: Pasta Cravings

When I crave pasta, I can think of having nothing else. I’m not sure what it is – the carb lover in me, the association of comfort – but when it hits me, there’s no question what we’re having for dinner.

This week, we tried out two new pasta recipes which were quite different from one another. But they both hit the spot, and satisfied my craving.

One-Pot Macaroni and Cheese

Alberta Milk’s recipe for a one-pot macaroni and cheese stretches the truth, because in reality, it calls for at least an additional bowl or vessel used to blend the sauce. But it didn’t matter that night because after staring me in the face for twenty days (since flipping to “March” on our fridge calendar), I was making that mac and cheese one way or another.

We used a food processor to combine the milk, old cheddar, flour, mustard and seasonings, which we added to the prepared pasta. Heated for a few minutes, the sauce thickened up nicely, and dinner was done!

One-pot macaroni and cheese

Mack even commented that this was better than KD – and it didn’t take that much more time to prepare, either!

Pasta Primavera

I was flipping through Giada De Laurentiis’ very first cookbook, Everyday Italian, the other day, and her recipe for pasta primavera grabbed me. Yesterday, anyway, it did resemble spring outside, and a bowl bursting with sweet, roasted vegetables seemed like a good way to commemorate it.

Sliced August Organics onions, Peas on Earth carrots, zucchini and bell peppers were tossed with olive oil and herbs, then roasted in a hot oven for over twenty minutes. I actually ended up leaving the vegetables in the warm oven longer while I prepared the rest of the ingredients, and it just helped matters, intensifying the flavours even more.

Roasted vegetables

I cooked up some Sunshine Organic chicken to add some protein to the dish (given it was intended to be a meal and not a side), and instead of cherry tomatoes, just used some whole Doef’s tomatoes we had on hand. Tossed together with some of the pasta liquid, plus some chicken stock that I had deglazed the cooking pan with, it was one of the best pasta dishes I have made in some time.

Pasta Primavera

The caramelized vegetables were so sweet – the onions had nearly melted away, while the zucchini, carrots and peppers were soft and tender. It was a light meal, but still quite satisfying.

One of the pasta dishes I can’t wait to make is seasonal in nature (and depends on access to fresh, ripe tomatoes), but summer’s just around the corner – I can’t wait! Are there any pasta dishes you crave?