Utica Greens Penne with Cream Sauce

Yes there is such a thing.  I just whipped up a batch with a small amount of leftover Utica Greens  (I know who has leftover greens), Pasta, heavy cream and chopped hot cherry pepper mix.

Everyone in my family loves Utica Greens.  It has become a standard dish in many area restaurants and at many functions in and around our area.   They are often sold as appetizers and come with crusty bread for sharing with others at the table (yes they are for sharing). 

I ordered an extra order to go this week so that I could try them on a pizza and to make this dish.   Both turned out exceptionally well and I can't wait to try them again with my family.

Utica Greens Penne with Cream Sauce

If you haven't tried Utica Greens you really should.  They are a combination of escarole, onions, pancetta, chicken stock, hot cherry peppers and their juice, bread crumbs and parmesan.    We prefer ours a little spicy.   You can make them as hot or not as you like. Of course you can omit the peppers when cooking it and allow people to add their own at the table.

When you add the greens to the heavy cream, the bread crumbs and cheese  mix with the heavy cream and make an exceptionally  delicious sauce.

I have not put together a Utica greens recipe, but there are many on the world wide web for you to google and choose from.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

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What the heck is a Garlic Scape?

They have been around for a long time but are popping up in the local food markets everywhere lately. But what are they? What do you do with them?

A garlic scape is the flower stem of a garlic plant. Garlic growers cut them off so that the energy is not wasted on flowering but rather sent into the growth of the garlic bulb. The stems are cut in two spots. The first cut is made as close to the bottom of the stem as possible. The second is to remove the flower bud. All the inbetween is edible.

Cooks are using them in the same ways that you would use a garlic clove. They are very versatile in that you can saute them as is, chop or slice thinly to use in salads or garnish, make soups, jellys, pickles or pesto just to name a few ideas.

I have attempted a few recipes so far and have enjoyed them all immensely. I am a garlic lover from way back.

The first recipe I experimented with was Double Garlic Soup posted on the NY times website. If you love soup, garlic and garlic scapes this is a wonderful recipe by Melissa Clark called Double Garlic Soup. I gave it a try with a few tweaks here and there. It was silky smooth and delicious. Would be an elegant soup to serve for any occasion.

You can google the recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/reci…/1018493-double-garlic-soup

Here are my photos from lunch last week.

Today, I made Garlic Scape Pesto and then turned that into a cream sauce for my pasta.   It was sooo gooood!

Pesto can be made in a flash with a few simple ingredients.  It can also be made with just about any greens these days.   With garlic scapes on hand todays choice was garlic scape pesto. 

Pesto has a variety of uses:  Veggie dip as is or mix with sour cream,  Use it to marinate your meats, poultry and fish, put it on a sandwich, or use in your sauces or soups. 

Today's plan was to mix it with some heavy cream and use it over cooked pasta.  

I have used others pesto's in this manner too!  Even the jarred pesto's.  Makes for a quick and easy pasta sauce.   

Here are both the pesto and the Creamed Garlic Scape Pesto recipes.   Enjoy!

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Penne ala Vodka aka Vodka Riggies

Everyone likes pasta because it is so versatile, easy to prepare and reasonably priced. It works well when serving as a main dish or as a side.   

This Vodka sauce is reasonably easy to make and tastes yummy. Roasted peppers and salty prosciutto jump into a saucepan with crushed tomatoes, parsley, cream and vodka for a tasty sauce. Add Parmesan cheese to finish and serve and the cheese lover in your house will be a happy camper. Once you have the sauce to your liking you can add or take away the remaining ingredients to suit your taste.



You can get the recipe here..........

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Stuffed Peppers over Pasta

Stuffed Pepper Sauce

Meatball:
2 lbs. hamburger
1 cup bread crumb
1/3 cup Asiago cheese
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
salt
pepper
fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder

Mix together and stuff into 3 large peppers. Will have extra to make regular meatballs. Fry as usual.

Sauce:
3-4 cloves of garlic
1/2 onion diced small
olive oil
2 tsp. basil
3 28 oz. cans crushed tomato
salt
pepper

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil. Add meatballs, stuffed peppers and crushed tomatoes. Simmer for an hour or two.

Serve over pasta of your choice.

 



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