April 10, 2008

Pasta or Passion?

Well . . . it’s really not that difficult. If I had to choose between the love of my life or pasta, he would win. Fortunately, however, there are days when he is not around, and that’s when I get to cheat.

See . . . my sweet hubby has a condition known as celiac disease. He can’t tolerate gluten, so foods containing wheat, oats, rye, and barley are all verboten. Yeah . . . that meant no more dinner rolls, chicken fried steak, pasta, pizza or even beer. (Thank heaven for Anheuser Busch’s Redbridge!) The adjustment period was a little tricky, but we figured out how to plan around what he CAN have rather than what he CANNOT have and it was definitely worth it,

Still . . . one or two nights a week, he has activities at the church, so that’s when the kids and I get our gluten fix. Last night it was Enrica Zocci’s Pasta Alla Caprese . . . a family favorite for many many years, but one that I haven’t had in ages. Mmmmmm! It was as simple and delish as I remembered. I’ll share the recipe.

4 large tomatoes, sliced thin
1 sweet red or green pepper, sliced thin,
3 cloves garlic, minced
20 leaves fresh basil, torn (or 1Tbsp dry, crushed)
½ c of the best olive oil you can afford
1 tsp salt
a healthy dose of fresh ground black pepper.

Toss all this into a large bowl, cover with a clean cup towel, and let it sit at least two hours. Just before serving, cook pasta (rigatoni, penne, or ziti) and cube about ½ lb of mozzarella. Toss the hot pasta and cheese into the bowl and mix gently. Top with fresh grated Parmesan at the table.

It’s supposed to serve 6, but the three of us devoured it all!

Try it! You'll like it!

April 10, 2008

Pasta or Passion?

Well . . . it’s really not that difficult. If I had to choose between the love of my life or pasta, he would win. Fortunately, however, there are days when he is not around, and that’s when I get to cheat.

See . . . my sweet hubby has a condition known as celiac disease. He can’t tolerate gluten, so foods containing wheat, oats, rye, and barley are all verboten. Yeah . . . that meant no more dinner rolls, chicken fried steak, pasta, pizza or even beer. (Thank heaven for Anheuser Busch’s Redbridge!) The adjustment period was a little tricky, but we figured out how to plan around what he CAN have rather than what he CANNOT have and it was definitely worth it,

Still . . . one or two nights a week, he has activities at the church, so that’s when the kids and I get our gluten fix. Last night it was Enrica Zocci’s Pasta Alla Caprese . . . a family favorite for many many years, but one that I haven’t had in ages. Mmmmmm! It was as simple and delish as I remembered. I’ll share the recipe.

4 large tomatoes, sliced thin
1 sweet red or green pepper, sliced thin,
3 cloves garlic, minced
20 leaves fresh basil, torn (or 1Tbsp dry, crushed)
½ c of the best olive oil you can afford
1 tsp salt
a healthy dose of fresh ground black pepper.

Toss all this into a large bowl, cover with a clean cup towel, and let it sit at least two hours. Just before serving, cook pasta (rigatoni, penne, or ziti) and cube about ½ lb of mozzarella. Toss the hot pasta and cheese into the bowl and mix gently. Top with fresh grated Parmesan at the table.

It’s supposed to serve 6, but the three of us devoured it all!

Try it! You'll like it!