Lemon Cream Sauce

I often serve this over cheese ravioli, but any pasta will work fine. Another absolute favorite of mine even if Patricia's instructions are a bit over the top. heh heh heh....mmmm.....

Pasta with Lemon Sauce

from "Trattoria" by Patricia Wells

4 T unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
Grated zest of 3 lemons (please buy yourself one of these for zesting they are amazing)
3 T fresh flat-leaf italian parsley, snipped (chopped) with scissors
Freshly grated Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for the table (optional)

In a skillet large enough to hold the pasta later, combine the butter, cream, and lemon juice over low heat. As soon as the butter is melted, remove the skillet from the heat, cover, and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. Add 3 T salt & the pasta, stirring to prevent the pasta from sitcking. Cook until tender. Drain, leaving a few drops of water clinging to the pasta so that the sauce will adhere. (memorize this technique and use it every time you make pasta.)

Transfer the pasta to the skillet, off the heat and toss to blend. Add the lemon zest and toss once more. Cover and let rest for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Transfer to warmed shallow soup bowls, shower with the parsley leaves and serve immediately. (make sure you shower the parsley, don't just drop it willy nilly! ha ha ha) Pass freshly grated cheese if desired.

Crab & Shrimp Fettucine

A decadent recipe I made up, influenced by Anthony's crab & shrimp fettucine and Biba Caggiono's Gorgonzola cream sauce. I will do my best to come up with measurements, but I've never written down this recipe before. If you are ready to splurge, use frozen crab meat ($12-$23 per lb, already removed from the shell) from the seafood counter and the tiny pink bay shrimp. If you are feeling a bit stingy, try using just prawns instead.

Crab & Shrimp Fettucine

serves 2

4 T butter
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms (1/4 inch)
1 cup sliced & halved zuchinni (1/4 inch, 1/2 moon shape)
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola
1/4 - 1/3 lb of fresh crab meat (buy it removed from the shell, previously frozen is ok)
1/2 lb bay shrimp (the small pink ones) picked over to remove bits of legs & shell
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped & seeded (only use the outside flesh)
1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh parmesan, plus more for garnish
1/2 - 3/4 lb linguini

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil once you have the ingredients for this dish ready. Put the linguini in as you start melting the butter for the sauce, they should be ready about the same time.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat until melted. Add garlic & cook for a few seconds. Add mushrooms & zuchinni. Stir once & then let them sit a couple minutes so that they sear & turn golden brown on the bottom. Stir and let them sit again for a minute or so. Once they are browned & starting to soften, add white wine. Reduce for 2 minutes. Turn heat to medium and pour in the cream & gorgonzola. Stir until cheese melts into sauce, but do not let the sauce simmer or boil. (turn heat down if you need to) Reduce heat to low and add the crab, shrimp and tomatoes & let them heat and soak up the sauce for a couple minutes. Stir in the parmesan. Put individual servings of pasta (you don't need to use it all) into bowls & pour sauce over top. Serve with more parmesan and lemon wedges. (or squeeze a bit of lemon over the sauce before serving.)

Spaghetti Puttanesca

This is another all time favorite that I make for company all the time. My Dad found it on the internet years ago (9 years!) and its been a family favorite ever since. Except my parents like to slice up Italian sausage, fry the rounds separately and add at the very end to their plate of spaghetti. Since I was still a vegetarian when they came up with this, I never really liked the idea, but nowadays I have to admit a sausage round or two can be sort of tasty.

Spaghetti Puttanesca

from "100 Great Recipes from the Innovative Restaurants of Berkeley, California" by Paul Johnston. As served by Caffee Venezia

1/3 c olive oil

9 anchovies (these melt away and you will never know they are there, I promise)

8 whole garlic cloves

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

28 oz can chopped tomatoes w/ juice

12 kalamata olives, pitted & halved

2 tsp capers, drained

5 garlic cloves choppe

1/3 c fresh parsley, chopped

1 T fresh basil, chopped (I use a ton of it - at least 1/3 cup, equal to the parsley)

1/2 to 3/4 lb spaghetti

Start your pasta water in a large pot with a couple tablespoons of salt.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add anchovies and whole garlic cloves. (make sure the heat isn't too high or the anchovies will brown & clump together) Cook until the garlic cloves brown and the anchovies fall apart. Add the red pepper flakes and cook a few seconds more. Add the tomatoes, olives and capers. Simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes. (mine always thickens in 15-20 minutes, maybe I cook it too hot?) Cook the pasta while the sauce thickens. Add the chopped garlic, parsley and basil to the sauce and simmer a bit longer.

Toss 1/2 of the pasta with the sauce until well coated. Arrange pasta on a platter and pour the remaining sauce on top.

Lemon Souffle Blueberry Pancakes

My favorite place to have breakfast used to be the Stalk Exchange on Phinney Ridge and I would always order the Lemon Souffle Pancakes with Marionberies. Unfortunately it closed, which may be lucky for me since they charged an arm & a leg (or $8.95) for them which was a bit ridiculous. Here's the closest I've come to duplicating the recipe. I need to keep experimenting with the lemon zest & oil combination, but I'm putting it up here for my friend who requested it.

Lemon Souffle Blueberry Pancakes

adapted from "How to cook everything", Light and Fluffy Pancakes, by Mark Bittman

1 cup milk

4 eggs, separated

1 cup flour

Dash of salt

1 T sugar

1/2 t baking soda

finely grated zest of lemon, to taste (no more than one whole lemon)

1 T fresh lemon juice

A couple drops of pure lemon oil (optional, can replace lemon zest for a finer texture)

1 cup Blueberries, fresh or frozen

Butter or oil

Preheat griddle over medium-low heat while you make batter

Beat together the milk and egg yolks. Mix the dry ingredients. Beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry.

Combine the dry ingredients and milk-yolk mixture, stirring to blend. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites; they should remain somewhat distinct in the batter.

Add 1 t butter or oil to the skillet and when it is hot, add the batter by the heaping tablespoon, making sure to include some of the egg whites in each spoonful. Immediately sprinkle a few blueberries over each pancake. Cook until llightly browned on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes, then turn and cook until the second side is brown. Serve, or hold in a 200 degree oven for up to 15 minutes.