The Recipe:
Zucchini Linguine1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
12 ounces dry linguine
1 1/2 pounds fresh zucchini, thinly sliced
3/4 cups freshly grated Parmiginao-Reggiano cheese, plus additional for serving
1. In large serving bowl, toss tomatoes with garlic, basil, oil, parsley, salt and red pepper flakes; set aside to marinate while pasta cooks.
2. Heat large covered saucepot of salted water to boiling over high heat. Add pasta and cook as label directs. Add zucchini to pasta and water at last minute of cooking. In large colander, drain zucchini and pasta.
3. Transfer zucchini and pasta to tomato mixture; toss until well combined. Add cheese; toss to combine. Serve pasta with additional cheese to sprinkle on top. Makes about nine cups.
Active time: 20 minutes Total time: 30 minutes Serves: 4
Where do I find this? Most of this ought to be extremely easy to find in your local market/grocery store. However, not everyone may know where Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese would be kept. Of course, you can always check the deli, but I found some in the refrigerated section worked perfectly well for me. If you are looking for the latter, check near the milk and cheese. It will be in a plastic cylinder, much like powdered Parmesan cheese is sold in.
I can't find it. What do I do? If you can't find Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese exactly, don't fret. Regular Parmesan cheese will work just as well. Just make sure you get the shredded stuff, not the powdered.
The Cook's Comments:
Simplicity
An especially easy meal to make. No, it's not as simple as PB&J, but the hardest part of this dish was chopping, slicing, and making sure the noodles didn't stick to the pan. On a scale of 1-10, with one being the mac and cheese easy, I'd have to put this at a two, three at the highest.
Complications and Suggestions
Honestly, I did not have any complications while making this dish. However, be aware that if you are not using fresh basil, you definitely need to use less or the spice will be much too strong.
Taste
For the first time, I was not overly impressed. However, I did overspice on this go and decided to use an extra two ounces of noodles. I don't think it will be a favourite dish of mine, but considering the simplicity and ease of making it (and the fact it still tasted pretty good), I can definitely see me making this several more times. On a 1-10 scale, I'd give the taste a six for the first run, but if it wasn't overspiced, it'd be at least a seven.
Other Comments
Not only was the dish easy to make, it was easy to present. With all the red, greens, and yellows, it is eye popping on it's own and requires no skill to make it look smashing and mouthwatering.
Recipe:
Cheesy Garlic Bread
1 tube (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust dough
2 teaspoons drained roasted garlic
1 package (8oz) shredded Italian cheese blend
nonctick cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Remove pizza dough from tube; unrolls dough unto centre of cookie sheet. With fingertips, press dough into 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Spread roasted garlic lengthwise over right half of dough. Sprinkle cheese over garlic.
2. Fold left half of dough over filling; pinch edges together to seal. Spray top of dough with nonstick cooking spray; sprinkle with garlic salt.
3. Bake bread 11 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Slice bread crosswise into six slices to serve.
Active time: 10 minutes Total time: 21 minutes Serves: 6
Where do I find this? The pizza dough took me a while to find, and I noticed none of the employees really knew where it was kept either. Check with the biscuits and cookie dough.
The Cook's Comments:
Simplicity
Again, this is an extremely easy recipe. The hardest part was rolling out the pizza dough. I'd give it a two on the scale.
Complications and Suggestions
Well, I was unable to find a tube that held 13.8 ounces of the pizza crust so I was stuck using ten. No big deal, but I'd suggest using less garlic if this happens. Actually, you may want to cut back by at least half a teaspoon anyway unless you have a strong liking for garlic. I also only had garlic powder and not garlic salt. However, it was about the same for the dish so if that's all you have, don't worry.
Taste
The bread was excellent. Although, I didn't mind the garlic so much, I could tell it was a bit strong. It was good on its own as well, but I think a dipping sauce may have made it better.
