Cheesy Baked Pasta

This cheesy, crusty, super flavorful pasta is the ultimate mid-January satisfier. And, you could easily add some cooked cauliflower or broccoli if you want to balance it out.

Preheat the oven to 400, then boil and drain half a pound of short pasta, cooked al dente. Rinse with cold water to keep it from cooking further.

In a large straight sided pan or pot, sauté a chopped red onion until translucent. Turn the heat down to low and add a couple of cloves of minced garlic, half a tin of chopped anchovies, a couple tablespoons of capers, half a cup of milk, the optional chopped vegetables, and a large pinch of red chili flakes. Cook for two minutes then remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Thirty minutes before you want to serve, add a cup of shredded Mixed Italian or Mozzarella cheese, the cooked pasta, and a healthy grind of black pepper. Mix well and spoon into a baking dish. Top with a mixture of half a cup each of bread crumbs and grated pecorino or parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes.

Celery Root Remoulade

It’s root vegetable season and they don’t all have to be boiled, baked, or steamed. This classic French bistro salad is served cold, and packed with flavor.

For the sauce, mix together a half cup of mayonnaise, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, two tablespoons each of chopped capers and relish, a healthy squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and some chopped parsley. Salt and pepper to taste.

Shortly before serving, add about a pound and a half of peeled and shredded celery root and mix well.

Pickled Pepper Sauce

This is my kind of sauce, easy, tasty, and adaptable…I didn’t change a thing from a Sam Sifton recipe I found in NYT Cooking. I served it on pork chops, but could have also been chicken or beef.

In a small sauce pot, sauté a few sliced garlic cloves in a splash of olive oil. Once translucent, add the brine from a jar of hot pickled red peppers, the halved and seeded peppers, and a cup of white wine. For even more heat, add a pinch or two of chili flakes. Cook on medium heat until the liquid is reduced by half then set aside.

Salt the pork chops and cook over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. Once the meat is browned on both sides and cooked to your desired doneness, remove from the pan.

Turn down the heat to medium-low then pour the reduced sauce into the pan along with a couple tablespoons of butter. Stir until the butter melts and forms a velvety consistency. Salt and pepper to taste, then serve over the chops.