Gemelli with Mushroom Bolognese
Jews have lived and cooked in Italy for over 2,000 years, and both cultures share a love of family and food. A cherished staple of Italy’s Emilia Romagna region, bolognese sauce is a deliciously rich meat sauce. Our version replaces the meat with mushrooms to make this a vegetarian—but still hearty and deeply flavorful—dish. The vegetables and the mushrooms must be cut small so that they almost melt in the sauce to achieve the traditional texture. For a super-rich sauce, add a little bit of cream and grated cheese to finish it. Gemelli—twisty pasta spirals—are a perfect vehicle for the sauce.
SERVES 6 TO 8
½ cup vegetable stock
⅓ cup crushed dried wild mushrooms, such as porcini
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped (about ⅓ cup)
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 medium celery stalks, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
¾ pound mushrooms, such as porcini or cremini, cut into thin strips
1 to 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup dry red wine, such as cabernet or barolo
2 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (about 1 cup), or 1 (14-ounce) can of diced tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound gemelli pasta
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
In a small saucepan, heat the stock over medium heat just until hot. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the dried mushrooms. Allow the mushrooms to soak until rehydrated, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the mushrooms, chop finely, and set aside. Strain the liquid through a paper towel–lined sieve, and reserve the liquid.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
In a large heavy sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and sauté until soft and golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms and thyme and sauté until the mushrooms soften, 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and wine and cook for 10 minutes. Add the soaked, chopped dried mushrooms with their liquid and the tomatoes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the mixture has thickened, 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the gemelli to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 11 minutes (or follow package directions). Drain, reserving some of the cooking water.
Add the pasta to the sauce and toss until the flavors have blended, 2 to 3 minutes. If the sauce seems dry, add some of the pasta cooking water. Transfer to a platter, season with pepper, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve.
Spaghettini with Garlic and Oil
Sometimes the quickest preparations are the most beloved. For those of us who keep kosher kitchens, this pasta makes adults and kids equally happy when we are serving a non-dairy meal. To dress up the simple pasta, include the optional cherry tomatoes and the gremolata.
SERVES 8 AS A SIDE
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (optional)
1 pound dry spaghettini
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Gremolata (recipe follows, optional)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until just golden, 3 to 5 minutes. If using tomatoes, add them now and cook 2 minutes, until they have begun to wilt. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
Cook the pasta in the boiling water until slightly undercooked, 5 to 6 minutes (or follow package directions). Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
Transfer the pasta and 3 tablespoons of the water to the pan with the garlic. Toss over low heat to finish cooking the pasta. Add the parsley, season with the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes or gremolata, if using. Toss again and serve.
Gremolata
Combine the zest, garlic, and parsley in a small bowl.
Grated zest of 1 medium lemon, preferably organic (about 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Whole-Wheat Pasta with Caramelized Red Peppers
When we have kids coming home late from swimming or gymnastics practice, spouses getting stuck in the office, and we’re juggling it all, this is the perfect dish to prepare quickly. It’s done, start to finish, in about 20 minutes. Serve with a salad and you’re good to go. And once you taste this hearty vegetarian pasta, you’ll make it again and again. The nutty whole-wheat pasta complements the fresh flavor of the sweet peppers beautifully. If you can find farro pasta, by all means use it—it takes the whole-wheat pasta experience to another level.
SERVES 4 TO 6
1 pound whole-wheat (or farro) penne or any other sort of tubular pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 to 3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 large or 5 medium red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced about ¼ inch thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
1 cup fresh basil leaves cut into thin ribbons
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes (or follow package directions).
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until just beginning to color, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, immediately transfer the garlic to a small bowl and set aside.
Add the peppers to the pan and sauté over medium heat until soft and slightly wilted, about 5 minutes. Return the garlic to the pan and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the pasta to the pan and heat through. Transfer to a serving dish and toss with the Parmesan and basil. Serve with more Parmesan.