Reason Why I Love Pasta - Pantry Raider

Not panty raider...sinners. The great thing about pasta is it's an easy and delicious way to clean out your pantry and fridge. These are dishes that I enhanced by going through the fridge to see what I needed to get rid of.

Farfalle with Roasted Broccoli and Croutons
I love roasting broccoli until it gets almost blackened. You really taste the sweetness of the broccoli that way and get a nice roasted flavor. I had some leftover bread, so I toasted up some croutons which added such a nice nuttiness and texture to the overall dish.

Ingredients
1/2 box farfalle
5 cloves garlic thinly sliced
2 bunches of broccoli, trimmed and cut into pieces similar in size to the farfalle
extra virgin olive oil
3 slices of multigrain bread (any bread would work)
Parmiggiano-Reggiano

1) Add olive oil to cover both sides of the bread slices. Toast until crispy. Cut into cubes and add salt and pepper.
2) Set pan to medium high heat and add oil. Add broccoli stems only and add salt and pepper. Turn until sides are really dark brown or almost black. Flip and repeat on the other side. Remove stems.
3) Add the broccoli crowns - salt and pepper again. Make these nice and caramelized as well. You can do this method in the oven, but it takes much longer to get it to caramelize. Add garlic and remove from the heat after 1 minute - make sure garlic doesn't burn.
4) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a large handful of salt and throw in the farfalle.
5) Add all the broccoli pieces back to the pan on high heat. Add farfalle to pan when it's almost al dente - 1 minute under the box time. Add a little pasta water (if needed) to loosen up the mixture. Always taste the pasta to make sure it's perfectly al dente.
6) Add farfalle and broccoli to the pan. Add bread crumbs around, top with grated parmiggiano, and finish with more oil.


Linguine Octoberfest
So I was thinking of doing some type of sausage and cabbage thing. When I looked in the fridge, I saw a nice German wheat beer leftover from one of the UFC fights, so I said why the f not. The dish came out great - the beer adds such a rich flavor almost like an intense stock. I added balsamic vinegar cause I was thinking apples and cabbage are usually a good combo. Didn't have any apples, so I added balsamic vinegar to get the sweet sour thang that Italians do love.

Ingredients
1/2 Box Linguine
Some type of Italian Sausage (preferably not from the grocery store)
4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
extra virgin olive oil
2 boxes Brussel Sprouts
1 bottle of your favorite wheat beer
2 tablesppons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

1) Half the brussel sprouts, remove the core, and slice up the sprouts.
2) Add a gallon of hot water to a large pot. When water comes to a boil, add a large handful of salt and the pasta.
3) Set a large pan to medium high heat and add the oil. Brown the sausage on both sides and remove from the heat. When cooled, slice into bite sized portions.
4) In the same pan, add brussel sprouts and sautee with garlic using the sausage fat still in the pan. Salt and pepper. Add maybe 1/2 the bottle of beer (should 1/2 cover the sprouts) and place the sausage back in the pan. Add the vinegar, cover the pan, and finish cooking the sausage, but make sure not to overcook. More beer may need to be added if not the pot, then to your belly.
5) Add the linguine when it's just about al dente. Cook another minute or until the pasta is perfectly al dente.
6) Plate the dish and finish with some oil. Buono appetito or guten appetit!