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Linguine With Sea Urchin and Caviar

OnSugar Blog — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:01:25 PST

Sea urchin is often a polarizing ingredient. Yoo Eatz encourages us to muster some courage and embrace this culinary adventure in the form of pasta.

What's so gross about sea urchin? Even some of the most adventurous eaters I know will make the most horrific faces when the topic comes up.

I asked my husband about this - he generally recoils when I suggest that we share a pair of nigiri at the sushi bar - and he offered that it's a textural thing. Some people say it resembles phlegm (or worse), and I heard one person characterize the briny bits as "little orange tongues" (although, let's face it: the truth of what uni is may actually be harder to stomach!). But a lot of these same people will tell me that the flavor doesn't bother them; in fact, they find it quite pleasant.

For more, plus a recipe, keep reading!

Truffle Mac and Cheese

OnSugar Blog — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:55:45 PST

Winter's prime time for comfort foods, and what could be more reassuring on a bleak day than truffle mac and cheese? Cooking in Pajamas expounds.

You could go to a restaurant and pay $15 for a bowl of this decadent pasta, or simply make it at home for a fraction of the price. That's right. You can make this at home for a surprisingly reasonable price. The secret is truffle oil.

The use of truffle oil has become controversial in culinary circles. Ask any chef what they think of truffle oil, and they will most likely turn up their noses and declare it to be an unacceptable substitute to the real thing. One of the biggest reasons for this is that many truffle oils on the market do not contain any actual truffles. They use a synthetic ingredient to duplicate the aroma of the truffle, but their are a few brands that contain natural truffle to infuse the oil.

Keep reading for her truffle macaroni and cheese secrets.

Spaghetti Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncino

Camilla Salem — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:45:17 PST

Translated: spaghetti with garlic, oil, and chili pepper flakes.

This is the kind of meal that makes you stop and think that the simplest foods are often the most wonderful. With only a few ingredients that are staples in most pantries, you can create a beautiful, flavorful, heartwarming meal from scratch.

Spaghetti aglio, olio, e peperoncino is a traditional Italian pasta dish. It's well loved by many because it's so easy and inexpensive to make. This is a perfect solution whenever you're in a bind. For example, if guests come over and you've got nothing to serve, they are certain to be wowed when you present them with this meal.

It packs quite a kick from the minced garlic and chili pepper flakes, and I highly suggest enjoying this dish with fellow garlic lovers. Keep on going for more.

8 Tricks to Trim Pasta Calories

FitSugar — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:22:37 PST

Pasta may have gotten a bad rap, thanks to the no-carb craze, but there are healthy ways to prepare pasta without derailing your diet. Trying to trim down in the New Year? Enjoy pasta guilt-free by following these eight tips for healthier noodle dishes.

Source: Flickr User Bryan Ochalla

Reader Recipe: Nap-Time Bolognese

OnSugar Blog — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:50:10 PDT

If November has you craving comfort foods, cook up a rich, nap-inducing bolognese sauce courtesy of OnSugar blogger Food Orleans.

Rainy, gray November days beg for something warm and fortifying, and this is certainly both. You might not be ready to run a marathon afterward, but you'll be ready for a marathon sleep. Cheers to that!

Sauce Bolognese is perfect on fettucine, penne, or ladled over gnocchi, with lots of fresh Parmigiano Reggiano (that's the real stuff) grated over the top. One of its traditional uses is as the sauce component of lasagna, as in Lasagna Bolognese - but you could also turn it into a baked ziti, or a soup, or even a very cheeky chili. It's also highly adaptable, so feel free to add veggies or substitute other meats (or non-meats) as you wish. In other words, you have permission to get artsy with your food. Just another perk of living in the best restaurant city in the universe: a great tip from a neighbor about using veal, which was spot-on

Read on for the recipe.

Black and Orange Halloween Pasta's Both Trick and Treat

Susannah Chen — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:30:00 PDT

If you're looking for a more low-key way to ring in Halloween, then enjoy a festive, color-coordinated pasta dish at home. If you loved electric-pink rigatoni this time last year, then you'll find black-and-orange pasta just as fun. Squid ink provides the midnight color while roasted butternut squash lights the dish up with an incandescent glow. Make it even creamier by adding a generous pat of butter and a shower of freshly-shaved pecorino romano. For the spirited and spooky recipe, read on.

Fast & Easy Seafood Dinner: Spicy Scallops With Capellini

Susannah Chen — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:01:20 PDT

As much as I love chili and a simple meatloaf, they often become an all-too-regular part of my weeknight meal rotation. The best cure for a rut, I've discovered, is to stray for a moment from the usual suspects (chicken, beef, tofu) and opt for something less habitual.

The last time I did this, I sat down to a light but piquant plate of briny scallops tossed together with angel hair pasta and a chipotle-and-garlic-inflected Chilean pil-pil sauce.

To keep the dinner from being price-prohibitive, I subbed bay scallops instead of sea scallops, but the latter would be a nice splurge. The whole dish is extremely quick-cooking; prepare to sit down within the half hour! For the recipe, read ahead.

Low-Carb, Low-Calorie, and Gluten-Free Pasta Alternatives

Leta Shy — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 00:06:27 PDT

Anyone on a low-carb diet thinks of pasta as the enemy. Even with whole wheat pasta alternatives, many people forgo their favorite Italian dish in order to cut back on carbs or can't eat it because of gluten. But the lure of a comforting plate of spaghetti is so much that there are plenty of pasta-esque dishes to calm cravings. Here are five low-carb, low-calorie, or gluten-free (or all of the above) pasta alternatives!

Source: Flickr User Kasia Wyser-Pratte

Fast & Easy Dinner: Bacon and Tomato Pasta

Katie Sweeney — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:22:28 PDT

Amatriciana is a classic Italian pasta sauce that's made of guanciale, tomatoes, and pecorino cheese. The quick and delicious pasta recipe that's shown here takes inspiration from the traditional Roman dish. Bacon replaces the guanciale; fresh, in-season tomatoes make up the fragrant scrumptious sauce; and parmesan is used instead of pecorino. The sauce comes together in the same amount of time that it takes to boil the water and cook the spaghetti, so you'll have an amazing dinner on the table in under 30 minutes. Read more if you are interested in the crowd-pleasing recipe.

Try This! Cook Pasta in Tomato Sauce

Katie Sweeney — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:13:53 PDT

Over the weekend at SF Chefs, I watched Italian stallion Cesare Casella (who flew in from New York for the occasion) demonstrate how to make the perfect pasta pomodoro. A native of Tuscany, Casella started by sautéing red onions and guanciale in a large pot. It seemed like there was nothing too special about his technique for cooking the classic Italian sauce, until he dumped the uncooked spaghetti into the bubbling tomato mixture!

In order for the pasta to really soak up the flavor of the tomatoes and aromatics, he recommends cooking it not in a pot of boiling water, but in the sauce itself. Thin the sauce with water and stir the pasta every now and then (like you would risotto) to ensure that it doesn't stick to the pan. Cook time for the spaghetti will take longer (about 15 minutes), but it's worth the effort. I tasted the finished pomodoro and it was amazing! Have you ever made pasta in the sauce rather than in boiling water?

Source: Flickr User citymama