Carb Loading: Muffaletta Pasta

I have had this recipe in my Favorites for a while now.  I would visit it every so often on the Taste of Home website and then decide not to make it.  Since we're eating mandatory pasta once a week, I've been pulling all of the pasta recipes on my list.  We've had tomato based pasta for the last few weeks, so I wanted to try something different last Friday.

I love this picture because you can see all of the different colors of the ingredients.  This was very tasty!  Even my husband, who is NOT a fan of olives, liked it.  (He liked it so much that he ate some of the leftovers the next day!)  But, really, with a butter and cream sauce, how can it not be tasty?

Muffaletta Pasta
8 servings

1 package (16 ounces) bow tie pasta
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons plus 1/4 cup butter, divided
1 package (16 ounces) cubed fully cooked ham
1 jar (12.36 ounces) tapenade or ripe olive bruschetta topping, drained
1 package (3-1/2 ounces) sliced pepperoni
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Italian cheese blend
 
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onions and garlic in 2 teaspoons butter until tender. Add the ham, tapenade and pepperoni; saute 2 minutes longer. Cube remaining butter; stir butter and cream into skillet. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes.

Drain pasta; toss with ham mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.
 
 
NOTES: I used turkey pepperoni.  You know, to save a few calories. *wink*  Honestly, in a recipe like this, I don't think it matters much.  But the turkey kind was on sale.  So that's what I got.  Also, I didn't buy pre-cubed packaged ham.  I had some leftover ham in my freezer--so I cubed it myself.
 
I spent 10 minutes looking for tapenade at my usual grocery store.  I looked near the pickles, near the mayo, near the cheese, near the deli...and never could find it.  I was just going to add chopped olives.  But, I ended up going back to a different store before I made this.  I was almost immediately successful at locating the tapenade.  BUT, it was $9 for about a cup.  There was NO WAY I was paying that much for chopped up olives.  Instead, I bought a can of chopped black olives and a jar of green olives and attempted my own tapenade using a little lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and garlic.  It turned out great!
 
As far as the cheese goes, I put the pasta in a big bowl and sprinkled the cheese on top.  Between the time I put it on the table and we ate, the cheese melted and cooled a bit on the top.  Next time, I would put the cheese in a bowl on the table and add it to the individual portions. 
 
Would I make this again?  For the taste, YES.  It was good!  The one thing that would hold me back is the cream sauce.  So, this one will have to wait for some special occasion to make another appearance.

Carb Loading: Summertime Spaghetti Sauce

My husband, Ryan, will run his fourth marathon in about 4 weeks.  In addition to these races, he has run a few 5k's, half-marathons, and a triathlon.  His long training runs happen Saturday mornings--thus from now until the marathon, every Friday is dedicated to carb-loading.  Instead of doing the standard spaghetti sauce over noodles, I've been finding new and interesting ways to present the needed carbs.  Last Friday, Taste of Home (June/July 2009) provided me with the recipe for Summertime Spaghetti Sauce.

It was definitely different than the spaghetti standard and we both enjoyed it.  Ryan commented a few times that it was good, but tasted different than he expected.  That's probably because he didn't see the recipe and expected it to taste like normal, boring red sauce.  He also said that it's probably something he would request again.  That's always a good sign.

Summertime Spaghetti Sauce
5 cups of sauce

3 Italian sausage links (4 oz. each)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 medium onions, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
3 cups chopped, seeded, peeled tomatoes (about 8 medium)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Remove casings from sausage; cut into 1-in. pieces.  In large skillet, brown sausage over medium heat.  Drain and set aside.  Heat oil in same skillet; add onions and green pepper.  Cook and stir until tender.

Add tomatoes, jalapeno, brown sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.  Return sausage to the pan.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 12-15 min. or until meat is no longer pink and sauce is thickened.

Serve over spaghetti with parmesan cheese.

NOTES: I used 5 Italian sausages.  Mine came in a pack of 5 and I no other use for the extra 2--so I added them.  Also, after I removed the casings, the sausages had nothing to help them keep their shape.  I still cut them into chunks and added them to the pan.  I carefully sauteed them and didn't break them up.  They ended up looking like little meatballs. 

After cooking the sausage, there wasn't a ton of grease.  There was just enough to give a sheen to the bottom of the pan.  So, instead of cooking the veggies in oil, I just added them to the pan.  Their small amount of liquid helped loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  YUM!

I used a yellow bell pepper, (it's what I had), and only 2 onions.  I also used Roma tomatoes, and since they're more firm than other varieties, I didn't seed or peel my tomatoes.  (Really, I just didn't see that instruction.  But, honestly, who has time for that?)  The sauce was probably meant to be a little thicker, but it still tasted fantastic.  If you choose not to seed your tomatoes and want thicker sauce, just plan for it to simmer for an hour or two so it can cook down a bit.

One more thing: Remember when handling the jalapeno that it is spicy.  Don't rub your eyes, touch your face, etc. immediately after cutting it.  I used a strawberry huller to scrape out the seeds from mine and then washed my hands.  There was definitely a slight burning before I washed them!