Rigatoni with ricotta

This rigatoni with ricotta is a simple, delicious pasta dish from Rachael Ray.  It's like a riff on lasagna with the ricotta and red sauce, but without the layering!

RIGATONI WITH RICOTTA

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 32-ounce can whole tomatoes (I used crushed)

1 small onion, peeled and halved

A few leaves of basil, torn

1 fresh bay leaf

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

3 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup mint, finely chopped

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded or cut into fine dice, divided

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 lb box Rigatoni pasta

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a small saucepot, heat olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add butter and melt. When it starts to foam, add garlic, stir a minute and add tomatoes, mashing them up. Add onion, basil and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper; simmer 30 minutes over low heat. Remove onion. Add butter to sauce to finish.

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta.

Combine ricotta with salt, pepper, thyme, parsley, mint, lemon zest, half the mozzarella and half of the Parmesan cheese.

Salt the pasta water. Boil rigatoni about 7-8 minutes, under-cooking it a minute or so to al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of starchy cooking liquid. Drain pasta and return to hot pot, stir in ricotta mixture and add starchy cooking water to combine as needed. Transfer to a baking dish

Pour tomato sauce evenly over top of pasta in baking dish, top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake until bubbly and the cheese is browned, 15-18 minutes--being careful not to dry the pasta out.

French dip panini

This french dip panini from Rachael Ray is a staple in our house.  We make it often because it's that magical combination of EASY and DELICIOUS!

FRENCH DIP PANINI

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 cups beef broth

1 pound sliced deli roast beef

1 baguette, split lengthwise and sliced crosswise into 4 sections

4 slices pepper Jack or Provolone cheese

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cornstarch and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the beef broth.

2. Add the roast beef to the sauce and warm over low heat.

3. Preheat a nonstick grill pan over medium heat. Spread the remaining 2 tablespoons butter on the split sides of the baguette sections. Using tongs, top half the sections with the warm roast beef, reserving the sauce. Top with the cheese and the remaining baguette sections.

4. Place the 4 paninis on the hot pan. Weigh down with a heavy skillet and cook for 2 minutes, then flip the paninis and cook for 2 minutes longer.  Remove paninis from the heat and serve with the dipping sauce.

Chicken flautas

Here's another fine option for Cinco de Mayo (or any other day of the year).  These chicken and cheddar flautas from Food & Wine are pan fried - and out of this world.  The beauty of this recipe is that there are countless combinations and ingredients you can sub to create your own version- steak, ground turkey, vegetarian- you name it, I bet it will be delicious!

CHICKEN FLAUTAS

Yield: 12 flautas

Ingredients

2 jalapeños

2 cups finely shredded cooked chicken

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

12 corn or flour tortillas

Vegetable oil, for frying

Sour cream, for serving

Other filling ideas are cliantro, lime juice and red onion

Instructions

1. Skewer the jalapeños on a metal skewer or fork and roast over a flame until blackened, 3 minutes. Wrap in foil and let cool slightly. Rub off the skins and remove the seeds, then finely chop.

2. Transfer the jalapeños to a bowl and add the chicken, cheese and cumin. Season with salt and pepper; toss well.

3. Wrap half of the tortillas in a towel and microwave at high power for 1 minute, until pliable. Arrange the tortillas on a surface and pack half of the chicken filling into cylinders across the bottoms. Tightly roll the tortillas around the filling, securing with toothpicks. Repeat to form the remaining flautas.

4. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of oil. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Fry half of the flautas over moderate heat, turning, until golden and crisp all over and heated through, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Fry the remaining flautas.  Remove toothpicks and serve the flautas with sour cream.

Mexican chorizo strata

Another delicious option for Cinco de Mayo is this Mexican chorizo strata from Rachael Ray.  I love that this is a make-ahead dish, spending the night in the fridge so the bread soaks up all the custardy goodness.  This dish was fantastic, and the avocado cream is a great finishing touch.  Ole!

MEXICAN CHORIZO STRATA

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

Extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil

1 pound fresh Mexican chorizo or other spicy bulk sausage

7 to 8 slices (1-inch thick) stale white or egg-based bread, cut into large cubes

Two 4-ounce cans chopped green chilies, well drained

2 cups milk

1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, melted and cooled

1 tablespoon hot sauce

6 large eggs

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar

1 cup sour cream

1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled

Juice of 1 lime

Diced tomato, for serving

Cilantro leaves, torn, for serving

Instructions

Heat a drizzle of oil in a skillet. Add the chorizo and cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until browned. Drain off the fat.

Arrange the bread in a casserole dish. Top with the chorizo and then the roasted chiles.

Whisk together the milk, butter, hot sauce and eggs in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper; pour over the chiles. Top with the cheese. Cover and refrigerate at least overnight and up to 2 days.

To serve, bring the strata to room temperature and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bake the strata for 1 hour. Meanwhile, mix together the sour cream, avocado and lime juice in a food processor and season with salt and pepper.

Top the strata with tomatoes, cilantro and dollops of the avocado sour cream.

Chicken carne asada tacos

I have a few Mexican recipes to share this week in honor of Cinco de Mayo.  First up, are these chicken carne asada tacos from Cooking Light.  A tasty taco with quick pickled onions, chicken, and lovely avocado (which somehow was absent when I took this photo-  0ops.  Do as I say, not as I do).

CHICKEN CARNE ASADA TACOS

Yield: 8 tacos

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 orange) 

1/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes) 

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 medium red onion, thinly vertically sliced 

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts, trimmed and cut into thin strips

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp  freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

8 (6-inch) corn or flour tortillas

1 avocado, diced 

1/2 cup cheese (Cotija, Feta, Monterey Jack or Pepperjack)

Lime wedges, optional

Instructions

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Place onion in a small saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; drain and plunge onion in ice water. Drain onion; add to juice mixture. Chill until ready to serve.

2. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Sprinkle chicken with oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper; toss to coat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned and done, stirring occasionally.

3. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide chicken evenly among tortillas. Drain onion; divide evenly among tortillas. Top each tortilla with 2 tablespoons avocado and 1 tablespoon cheese; fold over. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.