Sweet Sausage and Smoked Mozzarella Pasta

Smoked mozzarella is very different from fresh ones.  The taste is intense and very meaty, whereas the fresh ones are sweet and very clean tasting to the palette.

The combination of dried tomatoes packed in olive oil and sweet sausages is amazing.

I like my smoked mozzarella to be cubed because this way some will still be in chunks.  The taste of this cheese is unlike all the other cheeses I have tasted.  This is now one of my favorite pasta dish because of the flavors.  These are all strong flavored ingredients but they somehow all work well together in this dish.


Ingredients

• 1/2 pound Penne
• 1/2 cup smoked mozzarella, cubed
• 6 dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped
• 4 cooked sweet sausages, sliced
• 1 bunch broccoli 
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup pasta water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook pasta as instructed, add the broccoli the last 2 minutes before the pasta is cooked.
2. Melt butter then add flour and cook for about 1 minute to get the raw flour taste out.
3. Slowly stir in milk and pasta water. Keep whisking until the flour is dissolved.
4. Add smoked mozzarella and simmer for about 6 minutes until half the cheese are melted.
5. Add dried tomatoes, sausages, parsley and broccoli. Cook for 2 minutes to combine the flavors
6. Add pasta and combine everything. Serve right away.

Ziti With Fresh Tomatoes

When tomatoes goes on sale and the color is that bright vibrant red, I tend to buy more of it.

Yummy lunch!

I work in midtown Manhattan in NYC.  There are many places for quick and tasty lunch.  However they are not exactly cheap and healthy.  Even the salad is loaded with dressing and cost more than $5.00.  So I bring lunch on most days.  One can eat so many slices of pizzas or other fast food before you get sick of it.  Beside a girl got to watch her waist line ; ).

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ziti
• 3 plum tomatoes, diced
• 1 cooked chicken breast, cut into strips
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/3 cup pasta water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Parmesan cheese 

Directions

1. Cook ziti as instructed and set aside.
2. Melt butter in oil, add dried parsley and oregano and cooked for 1 minute.
3. Add diced tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add pasta water then chicken strips to combine the flavors.
5. Add cooked pasta and toss to combine.
6. Add parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Mac & Cheese 2

I love Mac and Cheese, such a comfort food for me.  Sometimes I add tomatoes on top to add sweetness to the dish.  I add grated parm cheese on top of the tomatoes and broil it to a golden brown after the mac and cheese is done.

Ziti

This is a meatless baked Ziti, fresh mozzarella cheese makes all the difference in the world.  It gives it a fresh clean taste that I love.  I love the Barilla Marina sauce with this because it is sweeter and has tomatoes in it too.

Mac & Cheese

Mac & cheese is definitely a comfort food for me.  It took me more than a year to finally make edible mac & cheese.  Everyone always says it is the easiest thing to make and cannot mess up on it.  Trust me, it was a disaster in the beginning and almost always inedible.  I finally look up a recipe and I have to say the cheese makes all the difference.  I use a mix of Cracker Barrel Sharp Cheddar, Cracker Barrel White Cheddar and Gouda.  I also add 1/2 tablespoon of fresh ground pepper and 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoon of Red Hot.  I love the color it gives and it gives it a little spiciness to the background.