Now, you ask, why oh why would I give a pasta dish a french moniker? Simple. Classic french ingredients. Chevre, spinach, lavender buds… You can substitute more cream cheese for the chevre but it won ‘t be quite as tangy. If you can find a local dairy that makes homemade chevre then go for itl. That is what I use.

This is my entry to Presto Pasta for this week, hosted by Sara of I’m a Food Blog.

Pasta avec Trois Fromages

• 1 lb pasta, your choice, cooked and drained
• 4 oz. of fresh chevre
• 4 oz. of cream cheese
• 4 oz. raclette or mozzerella
• 1 lb fresh baby spinach
• 1/4 cup culinary grade lavender buds
• 1 1/2 cup half and half or raw goat’s milk
• 2 tbs unsalted butter
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375F
2. Place the pasta in a buttered casserole.
3. Mix in the spinach, no need to cook.
4. Soften the chevre, cream cheese and raclette in the microwave and stir in the milk. Microwave until smooth.
5. Add the lavender buds, salt and pepper.Pour over the pasta.
6. Bake for 35 -40 minutes until top is crusty

serves 6

Post from: Baking Delights

I love alfredo anything! Cheese is probably one of the best things known in the world.  I wanted to do something a little different for this week’s  Presto Pasta Night.  By the way, just to let you know…I get to host Pasta Presto in December..so stay tuned! If you want to join in on the weekly fun check out Presto Pasta .

This is Alfredo with a bit of a twist in more than one way.  I used the rotelle pasta so that more of the sauce would be caught in every bite of the pasta.

The sauce is creamy an rich, I made it plain but it would be great with grilled spicy shrimp or chicken breast.  I use raw goats’ milk in my recipes because we have dairy goats.  That makes the recipes a little different in texture since goats’ milk has a bit more fat and is creamier.  You might try adding a bit more cream to get the same effect with whole milk.

Southwestern Alfedo  Pasta

• 2 lbs cooked pasta
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cloves garlic cut in half
• 2 onions chopped
• Dried chipotle to taste ( or omit)
• 2 red bell peppers chopped
• 1 can green chilis
• 1/4 cup chunky picante sauce
• olive oil for sauteing onions and garlic.

1. Bring the milk and the cream just to the simmer.  remove from heat and place the cut garlic halves in the pan.  Cover and set aside.
2. In a saute pan, saute the onions, chipotle, peppers, and garlic until soft and tender.  Set aside.
3. Heat the cream mixture back up and remove the garlic halves (discard them).
4. Add the cream cheese and the Monetery Jack and stir until smooth over low heat.
5. Stir in the onion mixture, chilis and picante
6. Simmer until the sauce has thickened and pour over the pasta.  Serve at once.

Serves  8-10

Image:Marye Audet

Post from: Baking Delights

I don’t know about you, but my grocery budget is getting harder to manage. I try very hard to buy organic, fresh, local… but living so close to Dallas means that even a trip to farmer’s market will often result in overpriced produce from South America.

And prices are going up almost minute by minute!

So often if I see something on clearance I buy it, even if I am unsure about it. At my Tom Thumb (Safeway) store the other day they had their brand of organic sausages on sale for 1.50. It was organic chicken and mushroom sausage and not something I am used to working with but I bought it figuring that I could do something with it.

Wow. This was absolutely one of those meals where even I had nothing critical to say! I used Fiori, a flower shaped pasta, and the sausage. If you can’t get the sausage any mild white sausage should be fine. I served it with a Tropical Spinach Salad: fresh organic baby spinach, chunk pineapple, french bread cubes, and macadamia nuts in a dressing made with orange juice and pineapple juice, rice vinegar and organic coconut oil. I will try to get the recipe for that up in the next day or so.

This recipe serves 12 easily. You can half it and freeze with good results. Just thaw and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. You may need to add a little milk or cream if it dried a little in the freezer..

Chicken & Mushroom Fiori Alfredo

1 lb organic chicken and mushroom sausage or any mild white sausage.

1 lb fiori pasta, cooked a la dente

1 tall can quartered artichoke hearts

1 onion, sliced

1/4 lb mushrooms, sliced

Saute sausage, onion, and mushrooms in olive oil in a pan until vegetables are tender and sausage is slightly browned. Add drained fiori and artichoke hearts and mix well. Set aside.

Alfredo

2 c half and half

1/2 c heavy cream

1/4 c flour

1/4 tsp salt

4 tbs unsalted butter

1/2 lb grated parmesan

Mix half and half, cream, and flour until smooth. Add salt and cook until thickened. Remove from heat and add butter, salt, and parmesan. Adjust salt to taste. Stir until smooth and then pour over the sausage mixture, stirring well. Spoon into greased casserole and add a little cream or milk if there does not seem to be enough sauce. Sprinkle with more parmesan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

This will also be my entry for this week’s Pasta Presto Night from Ruth at Once Upon A Feast! 

Post from: Baking Delights