The (Not Barefoot) Contessa's Fish Pasta

The saltiness of the capers and olives along with the fish really made this dish for me. It will definitely be my new go to pasta dish for the week. I used red snapper for the fish.

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 12 or so oil cured olives, depitted and chopped
• 1 pound white fish, like striped bass or snapper
• 1 tablespoon salted capers
• half a glass of white wine
• 4 big and fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 packet linguine or spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped roughly
• salt and pepper

1. Chop tomatoes roughly.
2. Dice garlic.
3. Deskin fish and cut into bite sized chunks.
4. Saute three tablespoons of oil with garlic for two minutes or so over medium heat.
5. Add fish, stirring carefully until browned, try not to break it up.
6. Once browned, add salt and pepper, then half glass of white wine and turn up heat. stir carefully till wine is nearly evaporated.
7. In the meantime, heat pot of hot water for pasta, generously salted.
8. When wine is nearly evaporated, reduce heat, add tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes or so.
9. Add capers (i prefer just to shake the salt off them rather than wash them), parsley and olives. again stir carefully: you don't want to turn this into fish puree. When the tomato juice is released and the sauce is just thickening, turn off heat. You want the tomatoes a little raw.
10. Cook pasta al dente.
11. Carefully add the sauce to the pasta over a little heat. Stir gently for a minute or two and serve. 

Source: http://food52.com/recipes/264-the-not-barefoot-contessa-s-fish-pasta

Whole-Grain Pasta Soup with Greens and Parmesan

After getting home at 10:00 at night, I really didn't feel like making anything for dinner but was starving. This recipe did the trick. It was super quick, easy, and yummy. The cheese was a bit of a splurge (about $5.50 for 5 oz. of Parmesan-reggiano), but all the other ingredients were so cheap, it made the cheese worth it. For such a simple recipe, it had a lot of taste. The recipe also says that the soup is meant to be made just before serving; after a few hours in the broth, the pasta will turn soft and gummy.

• 10 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (or homemade chicken stock)
• 3 cups very thinly sliced kale leaves (stems removed)
• 8 ounces whole-grain angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti, broken into small pieces
• 6 ounces parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• Red chile flakes (optional)

1. In a large pot over high heat, bring chicken broth to a boil. Add kale, reduce heat to medium-high, and cook 2 minutes. Add pasta and cook until tender but not soft, 4 to 7 minutes or according to package instructions. While pasta is cooking, use a vegetable peeler to shave cheese into strips about 3 in. long and 1/2 in. wide (strips do not need to be exact).
2. Just before serving, stir in lemon juice, then divide soup among 6 bowls. Top each bowl with cheese and a sprinkling of chile flakes, if you like.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Source: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1575586

Warm Pasta Salad with Shrimp, Sesame Seeds, and Honey

I love finding easy shrimp recipes, and this seemed to fit the bill. The magazine also suggests that it can be made with scallops.It was pretty simple, and I loved the dressing, however it might have been a little too much cabbage for me. Next time I make it, I will probably use less cabbage.

• 8 jumbo shrimp, thawed, peeled, and deveined or 8 scallops
• 4 oz multigrain spaghetti (I ended up using 6-8 oz whole wheat pasta because I love spaghetti)
• 6 cups shredded Savoy or Napa cabbage (I used 5 cups of savoy)
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 4 tbsp white wine or rice vinegar
• 6 tsp canola oil
• 2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tsp honey
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp sesame seeds (I used a bit more, about half a tbsp)

1. Rinse scallops or shrimp and pat dry. Cut each in half and set aside.
2. Cook spaghetti, rinse, and drain. In a serving bowl, combine pasta, cabbage, carrot, and onion.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, 2 tsp oil, soy sauce, honey, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
4. Heat 4 tsp oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook scallops or shrimp 3 to 4 minutes. Place scallops or shrimp over cabbage mixture. Add dressing and sprinkle iwth sesame seeds, then gently toss to coat.

Rating: 3 ½ stars out of 5

Source: Ladies Home Journal, July 09