Archive for June, 2008
al dente pasta holds the oscar
John, Deb and Miles
OK, it’s not really Al Dente Pasta holding the Oscar. It’s actually Deborah Gaydos, wife of the Oscar winner, holding the pasta. Let me explain. Many fellow U of M alumna have gone on to Fame (with a capital “F”) and John Nelson is certainly one of them. Among our group of friends, it was certainly an exciting moment when we got to watch John receive an Oscar for Special Effects in the movie, Gladiator! Now John just finished as Special Effects Director for this summer’s hit “Ironman”. Whenever John comes back to Ann Arbor, Jim Kruz gathers us together for an evening of fun, frolic and fantastic food. We get to catch up with John, Deb and Miles and take delight in how wonderful it is to connect with old friends, even when it is just once a year.
The Theme of the Party: Fresh and French
Pasta Salade Nicoise Fit Perfectly!
Al Dente Pasta Salad Nicoise
1 bag Al Dente Pasta (I used Basil Fettuccine)
1 can (high quality) tuna fish, drained
3 tomatoes, chopped or pint of cherry tomatoes
1/2 lb. green beans, blanched in salted, boiling water until tender
3 scallions, chopped
1 cup black olives, halved
1 tablespoon capers (optional)
1/2 cup feta or fresh mozzarella
For the dressing:
1/4 cup vinegar (white wine or white balsamic)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup chopped parsley
salt and pepper
Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and seasonings. Slowly add the oil until combined.
Cook Al Dente Pasta as directed for 3 minutes. Drain well and rinse in cold water. Combine pasta with dressing and all other ingredients. Season to taste. Serve at room temperature.
Other “Famous” People Spotted Holding the Pasta
Lisa Marra, one of Michigan’s finest Interior Designers, and Al Dente’s First Employee
Vicki Honeyman and Nina Cambron: Artists, Entrepreneurs and Long-Time Friends
A Toast to Jim Kruz (left front)! Our host, who also was Al Dente’s First Photographer.
3 comments June 25, 2008
fearless cooking for teens
There is nothing like the satisfaction of knowing when you’ve come up with the perfect gift idea. That is how I felt the day I offered my friend, Marra, a cooking class for her 18th birthday. I could tell by the look on her face that there was nothing better I could have given her.
Last week, Marra and her friends joined me at the lake house for their first lesson. Five minutes before they arrived, I sat down at the computer and jotted down a few quick thoughts. Little did I know how central these words would be to our cooking class.
Rule #1. There is nothing to be afraid of. Granted, I realize that the kitchen doesn’t scare me, a new recipe doesn’t scare me, cooking along side a famous chef doesn’t scare me. But, trust me. I know fear. I understand that fear is not always rational. (Marra’s mother, Lisa, made certain to reveal to the girls that for the first 50 years of my life, I was afraid to light a match). Neverthless, when something is holding us back, we need to figure out how to rise above it. (I am proud to say that I lit a match on my 50th birthday and have been lighting them ever since.) That is going to be my goal with Marra and her friends today. I am hoping they will walk out of my kitchen with the confidence to tackle any recipe, anytime, anywhere. I plan to show them a bit of technique. I will show them how to look at a recipe and decide if it sounds good to them. I want them to know how to follow a recipe, but also how to modify it.
Sure enough, the first words out of Marra’s mouth as she walked into kitchen were, “I’m so scared”. That is why I immediately read them rule #1. As you can see from the picture, they weren’t scared for long.
Al Dente Pasta with Hot Italian Sausage, Artichokes and Sundried Tomatoes
12 oz. bag of Al Dente Pasta (we used Roasted Garlic Linguine)
1 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced. (reserve oil)
1 lb. Italian Hot Sausages
16 oz. frozen artichoke hearts
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1.5 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus additional for garnish
8 oz. water-packed fresh mozzarella, drained and cubed.
1 tsp. salt and pepper to taste.
Heat the oil reserved from the tomatoes in a heavy, large frying pan over medium-high heat. Squeeze the sausage out of the casing, into the skillet and cook until brown, breaking up the meat into bite-size pieces, about 8 minutes. Transfer sausage to a bowl. Add frozen artichokes and garlic to same skillet and saute for 2 minutes. Add broth, wine and sun-dried tomatoes. Boil over medium high heat until the sauce reduces slightly.
Meanwhile, bring large pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook for 3 minutes, until “tender but firm”. Drain pasta. Add pasta to skillet with sauce, sausage and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with mozzarella, parsley and/or basil and extra Parmesan.
(this recipe was inspired by Every Day Italian, Giada DeLaurentis)
I discovered that the commentary when cooking with teenagers was priceless, especially when it came to getting the sausage out of the casing.
“What do we do with the skins” “Oh, it’s coming out of both ends” “This is so much fun”
“Monique, aren’t you proud of me?”
My words of wisdom while we made this dish were:
1. When using a non-stick pan, only use a wooden or plastic stirring spoon.
2. Don’t be afraid of the meat. (I was told by Marra’s mother that she repeated this phrase frequently as she made the dish on her own)
Next we made Al Dente Fettuccine with Alfredo Sauce.
They could not believe how easy it was to make one of their all-time favorite pasta dishes. The comment when sampling this dish was, “it tastes even better than anything I”ve had in a restaurant, and I made it myself.” Of course I told them that you can add a number of tasty addtions to the basic Alfredo Sauce: Eg. Shrimp, peas, cubed turkey, ham, sweet red pepper, chicken, etc. etc. etc. Also, I like to show that you don’t need massive amounts of cream to make a great Alfredo Sauce.
Al Dente Fettuccine Alfredo
1 bag of Al Dente Pasta (we used Egg Fettuccine)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for pasta. In the meantime, melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add cream. When cream begins to thicken and small bubbles appear, add Parmesan, nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook pasta, testing after 3 minutes. When pasta is done to tender but firm perfection, drain. Add to skillet with Alfredo sauce, stirring until pasta is coated. That’s all there is to it. Emily’s quote at this point was, ” I really like these noodles. I like the texture. They’re not really thick.” (So glad she noticed!)
Rule #2. Never eat standing up.
For desert we will make a Blueberry Cobbler that Marra loves and has enjoyed it many times over the years. She never imagined that anything this good could be so easy to make. This super simple, healthy and delicious desert is from Jane Brody’s cookbook. I first had it in Colorado while visiting my high school friends, Jill and Jim, more than 20 years ago. Thank you, Jim, for turning me on to this great recipe. I usually double or triple this recipe.
Jane Brody’s Blueberry Cobbler
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1.5 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 cup skim milk
2 Tbsp, butter, melted. (I melt the butter in my baking dish, in the oven, while oven is heating up.)
2 cups blueberries. (I used frozen blueberries this time, but result is much better with fresh, so from now on this recipe will be reserved for summertime enjoyment when blueberries are in season. On the other hand, I will make it with frozen peaches in the winter.
1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the milk and mix the batter until smooth.
2. While oven is preheating to 350 degrees, melt the butter in your glass or ceramic baking dish in the oven. When melted, pour in batter and sprinkle blueberries on top.
3. Bake cobbler in oven for 40 minutes, until top is lightly browned. Size of baking dish will depend on whether you double or triple recipe like I do. Single recipe requires a 1 or 1.5 quart baking dish. Cobbler is great for breakfast or brunch as well as for desert.
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1 comment June 24, 2008
the experiment
My name is Aly Croen, I’m an intern for Al Dente Pasta this summer, and this is where my story begins. It was dark, gloomy, rancid, and full of pizza boxes. No, I’m not talking about a garbage dump (though not far from), I’m referring to a college apartment. On this fateful Thursday, I gathered three of my friends to participate in a moderately risky experiment. I have to be honest, these friends were very brave participants. The experiment, embarrassingly enough, was if I could actually make a decent meal. Our hypothesis was of course that, no, I would not be able to do so. As a University of Michigan student, Monique’s alma mater (Go Blue!), I often do not have time to prepare anything more than a sandwich, frozen dinner, or if I’m feeling particularly creative, a salad. Therefore, we had various Ann Arbor delivery places on call for the moment they tasted my food.
would taste. Once I distributed the pasta, garlic bread, and wine to my guests, the moment of truth had finally arrived. My heart was pounding as I slowly moved the fork toward my mouth. Questions began popping into my head left and right. Would it be good? Did I even finish cooking the chicken? Will there be enough flavor? How slowly am I moving my fork towards my mouth that I can come up with all of these questions?
And then…contact. The pasta, after quite some time, entered my mouth. To my surprise, a multitude of delicious flavors rushed through my taste buds. As I looked up, three other mouths were full of noodles. This dinner was fantastic and all the plates were licked clean. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m ready for Iron Chef, but I realized that Thursday evening with a product like Al Dente, even I could make a great tasting meal. I was successful in both satisfying my dinner guests, and realizing there are easy meals that can be made besides peanut butter and jelly.
2 comments June 19, 2008
father’s day favorite
Living in Michigan, I try my hardest not to let the weather influence my mood or my decisions. So, what was I thinking when I tried to cancel the first official Pasta and Peonies party due to the pouring rain and dark clouds? Thank goodness Lisa Dengiz, with her usual “the party must go on” attitude, encouraged me to think positively and start cooking. 
Sure enough, the evening turned into a warm and sunny pasta extravaganza. One of the recipes was such a hit with all of the men, I decided I had to quickly post it just in case you still needed the perfect dish for Father’s Day. You can look forward to a full report on the party next week, but in the meantime be nice to the men in your life and cook up some Special Spicy Father’s Day Pasta.
Al Dente Pasta with Hot Italian Sausage, Artichokes and Sun-Dried Tomatoes.
12 oz. bag of Al Dente Pasta (we used Roasted Garlic Linguine)
1 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced. (reserve oil)
1 lb. Italian Hot Sausages
16 oz. frozen artichoke hearts
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1.5 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus additional for garnish
8 oz. water-packed fresh mozzarella, drained and cubed.
1 tsp. salt and pepper to taste.
Heat the oil reserved from the tomatoes in a heavy, large frying pan over medium-high heat. Squeeze the sausage out of the casing, into the skillet and cook until brown, breaking up the meat into bite-size pieces, about 8 minutes. Transfer sausage to a bowl. Add frozen artichokes and garlic to same skillet and saute for 2 minutes. Add broth, wine and sun-dried tomatoes. Boil over medium high heat until the sauce reduces slightly.
Meanwhile, bring large pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook for 3 minutes, until “tender but firm”. Drain Pasta. Add pasta to skillet with sauce, sausage and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with mozzarella, parsley and/or basil and extra Parmesan.
(this recipe was inspired by Every Day Italian, Giada DeLaurentis)
5 comments June 15, 2008
a heavenly pasta inspiration
What makes this recipe “heavenly” is that it was inspired by my friend, Vicki Honeyman, who owns a wonderfully eclectic shop in Ann Arbor called Heavenly Metal. In the same way that Dennis and I, back in the 80’s, combined our two businesses under one roof to have the world’s only Pasta Factory/Windsurfing Store, one of Vick’s claim to fame is that she has the world’s only gift store where you can also get a haircut. The really great news is that Heavenly Metal is now “online”. This will allow people from all over the country to have access to the great things Vick discovers as she scours the world for what is cool, functional and beautiful.
Heavenly Metal is just around the corner from the Ann Arbor’s Farmer’s Market so, whenever possible, Vick buys local produce there. She sent a recipe to the aldentecanoodler using greens from the Farmers Market and her recipe inspired this one. I think it reflects the way most of us cook on a day to day basis. You come home from work and are really hungry and have just a few things in the fridge. In my case, I had leftover green beans, already cooked, from my Memorial Day picnic. I had 4 slices of bacon that somehow got past my son and his friends. I always have good olive oil and I always have Al Dente Pasta! And, even though I don’t do the gardening thing like all of my friends, those wonderful chives are always there for me, year after year. So, here it is:
Al Dente Pasta with Green Beans, Bacon and Chives
Serves 2 as a main dish, 4 as a side dish
1/2 Bag of Al Dente Pasta. (I used Al Dente Egg Fettuccine)
3 cups slender green beans, cooked
4 slices bacon, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
chives, snipped with scissors
Parmesan, if you have some
Salt and Pepper to taste
Bring large pot of salted water to a boil.
Cook bacon. Place on paper towel after cooking. Drain off most of bacon grease. Add olive oil to skillet and saute green beans. After cooking pasta, drain and toss with bacon and beans. Garnish with lots of chives, salt and pepper and Parmesan. Heavenly!
Add comment June 7, 2008
pasta favorite for the college grad
photo by Lisa Monahan
A Special Pasta Dish for a Special Young Woman
All of my kids have their designated favorite pasta dish named after them. Today, in celebration of my God Daughter’s graduation from Ferris State University, I would like to honor her by officially publishing Jenise’s Favorite on the Aldentecanoodler. Lisa Monahan, a wonderful photographer with a specialty in food photography, was able to capture both the gorgeous peony, grown by Lisa Dengiz, and the lusciousness of the shrimp from Monahan’s Seafood. We are so lucky to have one of the best seafood stores in the whole country, right here in Ann Arbor. Yum.
Tangy Pasta with Shrimp and Spinach
(Jenise’s favorite!)
Serves 4-6
1 bag of Al Dente Pasta-your favorite flavor (lemon chive fettuccine?)
1 lb. peeled and deveined large shrimp
(substitute cubed chicken breast, if desired)3 Tbsp. Olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (or red onion)3/4 cup chicken broth
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 tsp. salt
10 oz. fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp. Capers
Directions
1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil.
2. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; saute 30 seconds. Add shrimp; saute 3 minutes, just until cooked. Add chicken broth, lemon juice and salt to pan. Bring just to a boil.
3. Cook pasta and add to pan with spinach and capers, heating until spinach wilts. (optional additions-pinenuts, roasted red pepper strips, chopped tomatoes). Delicious!
Congratulations, Jenise. You’ve made “the village” proud!
P.S. Now, Jenise is seeking an internship in the Printing Industry in the Ann Arbor area.
Please contact us with opportunities.
6 comments June 5, 2008
a creative culinary expression
The aldentecanoodler is serving its purpose, that’s for sure! I’ve heard from friends from all around the world. Taking it one step further, I’m also making new friends. Like Todd White, who is the author of one of my absolute favorite blogs, Culinary Expressions. I love his style of cooking and so will you. Check out his recipe for Short Rib Ragout served over Al Dente Spinach Fettuccine. I’m trying it tonight!
Al Dente Spinach Fettuccine-Made with REAL spinach
2 comments June 4, 2008
