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.
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.