RECIPE: Rec: From Al Forno in Boston. Made the penne and it was great.

RECIPE:

clofthwld

Well-known member
BostonHerald.com - the Edge: Hitting the sauce -

Quick pasta dishes star in new cookbook from Al Forno’s

Hitting the sauce - Quick pasta dishes star in new cookbook from Al

Forno’s Killeen, Germon

By Mat Schaffer

Wednesday, October 25, 2006 - Updated: 08:23 AM EST

Fifteen years after Johanne Killeen and George Germon published

their first cookbook, the chefs/owners of acclaimed Al Forno

restaurant in Providence finally have a second. ‘‘On Top of

Spaghetti” (HarperCollins, $24.95) is a godsend for pasta-loving

cooks and the people they cook pasta for.

I may be biased. I’m an old friend of Killeen and Germon and

came up with the title for this book. It was originally going to be

called ‘‘Midnight Spaghetti” - named for an informal competition the

couple began when they got home after a long day at work.

‘‘We’d didn’t really live in our house; we just slept there so

we didn’t keep a lot of food there,” Killeen explained during a

recent visit to Boston. ‘‘So we started putting together (pasta

dishes) that were pantry-related. The whole idea was that it had to

be fast and good. The competition was who could do the best sauce in

the time it took for the pasta water to boil and the pasta to cook.

That was our midnight dinner.”

You’ll find many of those midnight dishes in ‘‘On Top of

Spaghetti” along with a slew of other recipes, including traditional

sauces, modern interpretations of traditional sauces and several of

the baked pastas that Al Forno patrons adore.

‘‘Some of these dishes take time to make but most everything in

the book is simple to reproduce,” Germon said. ‘‘All you need in

your pantry is spaghetti, tomatoes, olive oil and cheese.”

You may also want to have chicken stock, butter, fennel seeds,

organic tomato juice, fresh herbs, meats and fish. If you want to

try Germon’s homemade pasta (made in a food processor), you’ll also

need flour, eggs and sea salt.

‘‘There are very few ingredients that you can’t get in your

local supermarket - I don’t think you have to go beyond that,”

Killeen said. ‘‘This is unintimidating food you can make everyday,

depending on your mood. If you’re a discriminating shopper, you can

produce great dishes with this book.”

MOSTACCIOLI WITH TOMATO PESTO

3/4 c (one 6-ounce can) tomato paste, preferably organic

3/4 c plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 c plus 1 tablespoon pine nuts

1/4 t sea salt

1/4 — 1/2t cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes

2 T tomato juice, preferably organic

2 plump garlic cloves, trimmed, peeled and roughly chopped

1 lb dried mostaccioli, penne or rigatoni

Freshly grated pecorino romano

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Combine the tomato paste, olive oil, pine nuts, salt, cayenne,

tomato juice and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Run the

motor until you have a smooth puree. Set aside at room temperature

while you cook the pasta. (You can cover and refrigerate the pesto

but be sure to bring it to room temperature before boiling the

pasta).

Generously salt the boiling water and drop in the mostaccioli.

Cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain, reserving about a cup

of the pasta water. Transfer the mostaccioli to a heated serving

bowl. Add enough of the pesto to coat the noodles generously. Add a

little pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, if it seems too thick.

Sprinkle with cheese and pass more Pecorino Romano and remaining

pesto at the table.

Serves 6 to 8 as a first course or 4 to 6 as a main course.

FETTUCCINE WITH A DELICATE TOMATO SAUCE

1 c. homemade chicken stock

3/4 c. tomato juice, preferably organic

1/2 t. sea salt

8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 lb. dried fettuccine

Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino romano (optional)

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

Combine the chicken stock, tomato juice, salt and 4 tablespoons

butter in a large straight-sided skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce

the heat to moderate and reduce by a quarter.

Generously salt the pasta water and drop in the fettuccine. Cook

until al dente.

Just before draining the pasta, add the remaining butter to the

tomato sauce in the skillet. Swirl the butter in the pan until it is

completely absorbed. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if

necessary.

Drain the pasta and add to the skillet. Toss over moderate heat

until every strand is coated. Serve right away in heated bowls. Pass

the cheese at the table if you like.

Serves 6 to 8 as a first course or 4 to 6 as a main course.

PENNE BAKED WITH EGGPLANT, TOMATO AND MOZZARELLA

4 c. diced eggplant

1 c. finely chopped onion

6 c. tomato juice, preferably organic

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

1 plump garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 t. sea salt

Pinch of cayenne

1 lb. dried penne

2 c. (12-14 oz. total) diced fresh buffalo or cow’s milk

mozzarella

Freshly grated parmigiana-reggiano

Heat the oven to 500 degrees.

Combine the eggplant, onion, tomato juice, olive oil, garlic,

salt and cayenne in a small saucepan. Cover, bring to a boil, lower

the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes or until the eggplant and

onions are soft. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Set aside.

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

salt the water and drop in the penne. Cook, stirring often, for 4 to

5 minutes (the pasta will be parboiled and too hard to eat; it cooks

further in the oven). Drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Top

with the eggplant and tomato sauce. Fold in the mozzarella. Transfer

to a large shallow baking dish or individual shallow baking dishes

and bake until the pasta is bubbling hot and beginning to brown on

top, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve right away with parmigiano-reggiano

passed at the table.

Serves 6 to 8 as a first course or 4 to 6 as a main course.

 
cloftwld, Just a note Al Forno is in Providence, Rhode Island and I've said this many...>

times is absolutely one of the best italian restaurants. Thank you for posting the recipes from the new book. Must go get a copy.

 
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