Comfort food is a real thing. It's part of the reason why I became a chef. I always aim to cook dishes that taste amazing and warm the soul. With all of the craziness happening in the world today, comfort food is needed now more than ever. I know plenty of y'all are making pasta for dinner. If you've been making the classic spaghetti with red sauce for the past couple weeks, it might be time to try a new pasta recipe. This week, I'm sharing two of my favorite ones.
The first recipe I'm sharing is my Fettuccini with Scallops, Avocado and Lime. When's the last time you had fettuccini without Alfredo sauce? While I love fettuccini alfredo, it's not my favorite recipe for this thicker pasta. I prefer to make a buttery sauce with a kick of citrus, like the one in this recipe. Instead of using a jarred sauce, I reduce a cup of chicken broth before whisking in butter, lime zest and red pepper flakes. You'll also get a huge dose of flavor from the sautéed scallops seasoned with cumin and paprika. Finally, you'll top the pasta with diced avocado and garnish it with cilantro. This pasta is sure to be a hit with your family!
The next recipe I'll share is my Bucatini Amatriciana with Bacon. That's right, this recipe has pasta, cheese and bacon all in one dish! You're probably looking at the picture above and wondering where the bacon strips are. You can't see the strips because you're going to be dicing the bacon into small chunks after pan frying them.
This is a great recipe for those who love tomato-based pasta sauces. You won't be making the sauce completely from scratch. You'll be using a can of tomato sauce and a can of crushed tomatoes. The best part is that you'll get to season the sauce to your liking. In the recipe, I listed ingredients I prefer to use when seasoning tomato sauce. You can't go wrong with adding garlic, red pepper flakes and oregano to your dish. However, feel free to add other spices to your sauce as well!
When making pasta, there are two products that you're definitely going to need. The first is a large pot to boil the noodles.That's where the Le Creuset Stockpot comes in handy. It's super durable and comes in several sizes from 6 QT to 20 QT. When making pasta, you're going to want to use at least an 8 QT pot. The second product you'll need to have is a colander to strain the pasta. The one pictured above is from Golden Rabbit. Not only is it functional, but it has a chic finish and comes in several colors.
I love making pasta because it's leftover friendly. There are some foods that don't taste great when reheated. However, pasta is not one of them. You can make a huge batch of either of the two recipes and the leftovers will taste amazing the next day!
Over the past week on CORA-ntine Cuisine, I got to reunite with several friends that Nicole and I have made over the years. Our incredible guests included Maria Shriver, Sheila E, Debi Mazar, Chef Gabriele Corcos, Chef Karen Akunowicz and the Shirley Temple King! Many of the guests spoke of the importance of taking care of your health and eating foods that boost your immune system.
Hey y'all! This past week was one for the books. Not only did we celebrate Greek Easter, but it was also my son Caje's birthday! I got to chat with some incredible special guests including Cameron Mathis, David Burtka, Scott Evans, Chef Andrew Zimmern and superstar film director Tate Taylor! I'm going to share a few of my favorite recipes from last week and fill you in on some of the topics we discussed.
I've had so much fun on CORA-ntine Cuisine this past week. I got to chat with several special guests including Chef Ingrid Hofffman, Chef Dominique Crenn, Cake Wars host Jonathan Bennet and my partners at the Little Kitchen Academy, Felicity and Brian Curin. There's been one common theme in all of my chats so far and that theme is positivity.
