Taste & Serve

The Boyfriend’s Birthday Brunch 4.10.2012 I borrowed Martha...

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:20:19 -0400

The Boyfriend’s Birthday Brunch

4.10.2012

I borrowed Martha Stewart’s recipe for poached eggs and smoked salmon with hollandaise sauce over baked biscuits, baked home fries and Emril’s Bella Bella Bellini recipe (peach puree + champagne). I looked all over the neighborhood for raspberries but there were none to be found, so the cocktails weren’t exactly like I wanted them. I messed up the hollaindaise sauce twice and had to start all over; third time is a charm. Despite a little cursing and frantic flailing in the kitchen, I think everything came out well. :)

Dinner The Other Night: trying out a little Austrian...

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:19:10 -0400

Dinner The Other Night: trying out a little Austrian cuisine

Pork & Chicken Schniztel, Cucumber & Onion salad, Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese salad (okay that’s not Austrian, I just love beets) and Red Cabbage slaw with raisins and toasted sesame oil.

Austrian/German food is becoming a close favorite.

I should do my graduate school work. Recipes soon to follow.

A fun diagram to learn about the different cuts of meats and...

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:34:53 -0500

A fun diagram to learn about the different cuts of meats and their uses, click here.

Valentine's Day: Steak au poivre, roasted purple idaho potatoes, garlicky squash medley

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:30:48 -0500

What do you do when you know spending over 100 dollars in NYC on a meal you can make yourself isn’t worth it? You call up your boyfriend’s wonderful aunt, ask to use her country home upstate and schlep it up there with your own groceries ;)

Click ‘read more’ for recipe

Okay, so it wouldn’t be fair to say I didn’t follow Food Network’s Alton Brown’s Steak au Poivre recipe almost to the T.

The tweaks?

I don’t understand how he used 4 steaks and those quantities for the sauce. I used only 2 steaks and roughly the same quantities and would have liked my sauce a little more creamy (although it really was perfection). My boyfriend and I both agree (to the dismay of your arteries) that butter and steak, just belong together. So if you really want to know, Alton’s suggestion of 1 tablespoon of butter, really doesn’t cut it. The shameful yet delicious reality? We used 3/4 of a stick of unsalted butter instead. Next time we make this (oh please oh please, let there be a next time) I would also add an extra 1/2 cup of heavy cream for a creamier sauce. We used E&J’s brandy for cognac. If like me, you don’t find brandy the least bit desirable to drink, your liquor store sells small bottles (I think a pint). Get a nice cut of steak, don’t skip on this one.

Reasons to stay on the couch: Chicken burgers w/ sweet potato fries!

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:06:32 -0500

Whipped up in less than 40 minutes from start to finish: Chicken burgers made with fresh herbs, topped with swiss cheese and mushrooms. A side of sweet potato fries and crunchy baby carrots. Dip ‘em in a homemade roasted garlic dip and you may never leave the couch today. Click ‘read more’ for recipe.

Sweet potato fries: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel 2 large sweet potatoes. Cut into 1/2 inch thick wedges. Place in a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Sprinkle a tablespoon of paprika and a teaspoon of powdered garlic. Toss to coat. Place on middle rack of oven. Bake first for 15 minutes.

Next: Turn up oven to 400 degrees. Move a rack to the top part of the oven (sweet potato fries should be underneath). Peel 4 cloves of garlic, drizzle them with olive oil and place them in a covered foil pouch. Roast garlic for 20 minutes until tender. After 10 minutes, take out the sweet potato fries and keep covered.

While all of the baking is going on…

[Recipe adapted from Rachel Ray’s “Herb Chicken Burgers”. Ingredients were added and quantities adjusted]

In a good processor (or with a knife) finely chop:

2 medium sized garlic cloves
1 small handful of fresh parsley
1 small handful of fresh basil
1 sprig of fresh oregano
2 sprigs of fresh dill
1/2 sprig of fresh rosemary

Chicken and herb burgers: In a mixing bowl, combine 1lb of ground chicken, add the chopped herbs (minus half of the dill to be used for the dip later) and garlic and use your hands to gently combine ingredients. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of cumin. Divide the meet into 4 equal patties with your hands, about 1 inch thick each. Heat up a skillet large enough to fit the four patties on medium high heat. Drizzle patties with olive oil and cook about 7 minutes per side until chicken is cooked through. Remove patties from skillet and top each with a slice of swiss cheese and keep covered.

Roasted Garlic Dip: The garlic should be done roasting by now. Remove from the oven and turn off the oven. In a bowl, add 1 cup of greek yogurt, 1/2 cup of mayonaise (optional if you’re counting calories) 1 tablespoon of paprika and the roasted garlic. Mash the garlic with a fork and whisk into the yogurt and mayo mixture. Add the reserved chopped sprig of dill. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate.

Place the burger patties inside the over, which should still be hot from 400 degrees in order to keep warm and melt the cheese. Slice 4 kaiser rolls open and place them in the oven to warm too. Throw the sweet potato fries back in there to keep warm too!

Burger topping: Slice 6 white button mushrooms into thick slices. Sautee with a tablespoon of unsalted butter on medium high heat until they are tender (about 7 minutes). Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth (optional; gives more flavor) and cook until chicken broth dries.

Remove the patties and bread from the oven. Top each patty with a spoonful of mushrooms. Add lettuce and/or tomatoes to your burger. You can use the dip as a mayonaise for the burger or use mayo, ketchup and/or mustard (eaters choice!). Serve the dip with the sweet potato fries and crunchy veggies such as baby carrots or celery.

Rock out with your guac out ;)

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 11:28:00 -0500

Easily done in a food processor or the good ole fashion way with fork and bowl. Click ‘read more’ for recipe

3 ripe Haas avocados, peeled
1/4 red onion, peeled
3 green onions
1/4 jalapeno, without seeds
2 medium sized garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 tablespoon of ground coriander
juice of 1.5 limes
1 firm vine ripe tomato, finely diced

If using a food processor: coarsely dice avocado, red onion, green onion and jalapeno. Add the garlic, jalapeno, green and red onion and pulse chop on the food professor 10 times. Scrape the sides of the processing bowl to push food back to the center. Add the diced avocado and tablespoons of cumin and coriander. Pulse on chop 10 times and then chop continuously for 15 seconds. Add the lime juice and chop continuously for 5 more seconds. Guacamole should be somewhat smooth but not pureed. It’s good to leave a few small chunks of avocado in there! Transfer guacamole to a bowl. Stir in finely diced tomato. Add salt to taste. Serve with tortilla chips and more lime.

If you don’t have a food processor: Finely chop the red onion, green onion and jalapeno. Finely mince the garlic. In a bowl, mash the avocado and the lime juice with a fork until smooth but not pureed. Add the cumin and coriander and continue to mash/stir. Stir in the chopped onions, jalapeno and garlic. Add the finely diced tomatoes and combine. Add salt to taste. Serve with tortilla chips and more lime.

Enchiladas..perfect for having few pots and pans to clean and...

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:27:00 -0500

Enchiladas..perfect for having few pots and pans to clean and having a lot of food. Try it when some friends are coming over on a week night.

Ingredients:

1 pound of chicken breasts chopped into chunks (note: you can also be extra lazy and buy a cooked rotisserie chicken at your supermarket and shred the chicken off)
If using raw chicken: 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of ground Cumin
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 pint of grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 large red onion, chopped
1/2 of a jalapeno seeded and chopped
1 4oz can of green chiles (look for it in your international food isle)
4 oz of tomato sauce
1 packet of Sazon Goya
A handful of chopped cilantro
1 cup of shredded Montery Jack Cheese
1 cup of shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 bag of 8 ct tortillas (the small, 8” diameter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Sour Cream to serve with

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Season chicken chunks with onion, garlic and cumin powder
Heat olive oil in a skillet and sautee chicken on medium heat until no longer pink
Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside
Add the garlic and onions and cook for about 2 minutes
Add grape tomatoes and jalapenos and cook for about 2 more minutes
Add the tomato sauce, black beans and green canned chiles
Simmer on low heat, stirring every once in a while
While the mixture is simmering, use 2 forks to shred the cooked chicken
Take a ladle full of the mixture and spread it on the bottom of a baking dish
Transfer the chicken back to the skillet and stir
After 5 minutes, turn off heat, add cilantro and let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes to thicken
Lay tortillas on a flat surface. Spoon a large cooking spoon of the chicken and bean sauce and roll up the tortilla. Place it seam side down on the baking dish.
Repeat with all of the tortillas, making 2 rows of 4
Top with the montery and cheddar cheese. Make sure to add cheese in between and on the outside of rows.
Top with some grape tomatoes and cilantro.
Place in the oven for 15 minutes, enough for the cheese to melt and start to become a little crispy on the edges
Serve with sour cream, salsa verde (can be found bottled or canned) or your favorite hot sauce

Variations: If you are vegetarian, leave out the chicken and these will taste pretty damn good anyway! Sometimes I make yellow rice and black beans on the side. Also try serving with guacamole on the side. I am dying to try these with steak instead of chicken.

A Romantic Dinner In Minutes : Pasta in Sage Butter Lemon...

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:04:17 -0500

A Romantic Dinner In Minutes : Pasta in Sage Butter Lemon Sauce, a side of Balsamic glazed asparagus and a strawberry mushroom goat cheese salad.

I was inspired to make this on the walk home from class the other day when I spotted strawberries and asparagus on sale and was in the mood for pasta. If you want to do this all at once, I recommend starting the asparagus in the oven, moving on to the pasta, finishing the asparagus, finishing the pasta and then easily making the salad last.

Ingredients for Pasta + Sauce:

1lb of your favorite brand store-bought tortellini or ravioli
4 tablespoons of butter
8 sage leaves
Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
1/4-1/2 cup of grated Parmesan (depending on how much you love cheese)

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed on package
When pasta is 3-4 minutes from being cooked…
Melt the butter in a skillet (big enough to hold the pasta later) on medium-low heat (careful, butter burns easily)
When the butter starts to brown, remove from heat
Add sage leaves and lemon juice and stir
Drain pasta and add it to the sauce pan, toss to coat the pasta in sauce
Return to heat, on low
Add grated Parmesan and toss until cheese starts to melt
Taste and serve ;)

Ingredients for Balsamic Glazed Asparagus:

1 bunch of fresh asparagus, trim off the ends
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
Salt and pepper
Cooking spray (or more butter)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F).
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or grease with butter
Arrange the asparagus in a single later and season with salt and pepper
Roast for 15-20 minutes, until tender
Melt the butter in a small pan until it starts to brown on medium heat.
Add soy sauce and balsamic vinegar and reduce until the balsamic vinegar starts to become a bit sticky
Turn off heat and let sit for a minute. When the asparagus is ready, take out of the oven, and pour sauce on top. Toss to coat.
Tip: If you’re not done with remaining dishes, turn off the oven and stick the asparagus back in to keep warm until you’re done.

Ingredients for Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad:

5 strawberries, sliced
1 cup of baby spinach leaves
1 oz of goat cheese, crumbled
5 mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of Apple Cider or Red Wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of organic sweetener (try real Maple Syrup or I used Blue Agave syrup)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place all vegetable, cheese and fruit in a salad bowl
Season with salt and pepper
In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar and syrup
Pour over salad and toss

Feel free to add any variations to salads. Try different fruits or veggies. You can also substitute asparagus for something like brussel sprouts!

Butternut squash soup, curried chick peas and cauliflower, fresh...

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:38:53 -0500

Butternut squash soup, curried chick peas and cauliflower, fresh salad and buttered multigrain bread. It was one of those nights were we weren’t feeling the meat and wanted a variety of dishes. Unfortunately, I only made the soup. My wonderful boyfriend steps up to the cooking plate on nights I come home later from class.

Soup Ingredients (feel free to double the quantities for more):

1lb butternut squash peeled and chopped into roughly 1 inch squares
4 white button mushrooms, sliced
1 small white onion, diced
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
2 cups of low sodium chicken broth
8 sage leaves
A splash of heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F).
Place the chopped butternut squash in a baking pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast on top shelf of oven for about 15 minutes or until you can easily pierce a square with a fork.
Meanwhile, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a large enough saucepan for all of the ingredients and sautee the mushroom and onion until tender.
Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until the squash is done.
When the squash is ready, remove from oven and transfer the squash to the saucepan. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil once more for about 10 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the squash, onions and mushrooms from the saucepan and transfer to a blender or food processor
Puree until all chunks are no longer visible but maintain a thick puree consistency.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the broth. Stir thoroughly to combine on low heat.
As soon as it begins to bubble, remove from heat. Add a splash of heavy cream and the 8 sage leaves, stir to combine.
Let soup stand for 5 minutes. Remove sage leaves before serving.

Variations

This recipe results in a savory butternut squash soup, if you prefer a sweeter flavor, omit the mushrooms and stir in 1 whopping tablespoon of apple sauce at the same time as the heavy cream and sage leaves.
For the savory recipe, try adding other vegetables, like another type of squash or celery.

Dominican Style: Beef-filled empanadas

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:20:27 -0500

Although fried foods are definitely not the healthiest, every once in a while you have to get your fix of comfort food. Empanadas hit the spot for me every single time. They are relatively simple to make and for me, the taste is all in the perfect filling. I cheat and use the ready-made dough discs. In my experience, for things like this (empanadas, dumplings, wontons…) the ready made dough doesn’t taste much different from the dough made from scratch. Next on my list is Colombian Empanadas, which do require a specific type of dough that I will be making from scratch. Stay Tuned! Click ‘Read More’ for recipe —>

Yield: 10 empanadas

Ingredients:

1 package of frozen empanada discs (package usually includes 10; find it in the frozen food section; look for brands like Goya) *I prefer the ones without the orange food coloring but it really doesn’t affect taste either way

For the filling…

.5 to .75 lbs of beef (I’ve done it with either quantities; it really depends on how beefy you like your empanadas. Okay, really it depends on how hungry you are when cooking and how likely it is you’ll be snacking as you cook! 1/2 lb is definitely enough)
1 medium sized Vidalia (yellow) onion
1/2 of a green pepper
1/2 of a red pepper
A healthy handful of fresh cilantro, chopped finely
2 large garlic cloves, minced (you have to use fresh garlic)
1/4 a can of Goya: Tomato Sauce (salsa de tomate)
1 packet of Sazon Goya (found in your spanish isle at the grocery store; orange box)
1 teaspoon of Adobo seasoning (Note: some people use a lot of Adobo as their main seasoning to cook. I prefer to use it in place of salt but let the fresh vegetables and herbs give the seasoning to my food; If you like saltier food, you may want to add more to taste; From my tasters, I gather that this is the perfect amount!)
1 teaspoon of ground Cumin
1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (this is really the secret)
Leaves off 1 fresh sprig of Oregano, chopped (or 1 teaspoon of the dry herb)
Fresh ground pepper to taste
2 teaspoons of olive oil (or extra virgin olive oil if you prefer)
some flour for dusting (This is the secret if you are scared of splattering during frying, like I am!)
vegetable oil for frying

For serving

Lime wedges
Your favorite hot sauce
A beer (optional) ;)

Instructions:

Leave the frozen discs out on the counter to thaw out a bit (they generally do not come frozen solid from the store. You want to be able to separate the discs)
In a mixing bowl, combine: beef, apple cider vinegar, packet of Sazon Goya, cumin, adobo, chopped oregano, fresh ground pepper, half of the minced garlic and the chopped cilantro. Use your hands to really mix the ingredients well; let stand covered while you follow the rest of the steps.
Meanwhile, chop the green and red peppers very finely (I like to do this because it ensures they mix well through out the filling. Some people prefer larger chunks of pepper; your choice). Chop the onions finely.
Heat a non-stick skillet large enough to fit the meat with the 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the the other half of the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the onions, green and red peppers and cook until vegetables are tender (about 5-7 minutes). Add about 1/4 of the can of Goya: Tomato Sauce. (Note: things will splatter a bit). Stir. The goal is to make a nice cooking base for the meat.
When the tomato sauce is heated through add the beef and using a wooden (or plastic) spoon, break up the meat into small chunks and cook until brown. It is important to cook the meat all the way through (it will all be an even brown color) but not overcook it until it is dry. This filling should be juicy. You want to reduce some of the tomato sauce but still let the filling have a “squishy” consistency. The beef will also cook some more during frying.
Turn of the heat and let the filling stand for 5 minutes. This will also let it dry out a bit more. Stir the filling well before the next step.
Lay out a flour disc. The amount of filling is really up to you. Anywhere between 1 to 1.5 tablespoons is usually good. Scoop the filling onto the center of the disc. Fold the disc in half and press so that the edges meet all the way around. Using a fork, press the dough closed all around so that you get the ridges pictured above. Make sure the empanadas are fully closed so that they don’t open up again during frying. Repeat for all 10 discs.
Dust the empanadas lightly with flour on both sides.
If you have a deep fryer, excellent (you probably know where to go from here). If not, a large, bottom heavy skillet will work. You want something that heats evenly all the way through. Fill it with vegetable oil enough to fully cover an empanada and heat the oil on medium high. When the oil starts to get “wavy”, you can see it start to ripple, add an empanada. It should start to sizzle right away.
Fry on each side about 2 minutes until golden brown like pictured above. Be careful, these can burn easily. Add as many empanadas that can fit in one layer on the skillet or as many as you think you can handle watching. When they are golden brown on both sides, transfer to a plate with a paper towel.

Now you’re ready to eat! Although these will be hot! Serve with lime wedges and your favorite hot sauce. I like to take a bite off the top to open up a nice hole, squeeze lime into it and a dash of hot sauce: bite and repeat. A nice cold beer doesn’t hurt either.

Variations: You can add raisins or olives (if you like them) to the filling. The raisins do give a nice sweet taste. The olives offer a tangy taste, although I’m not a fan of olives. If you want to add either one, use about 1/4 of a cup. You can leave the raisins whole, but chop the olives into quarters. You would add these to the raw meat mixture in step 1.

Taste & Serve what exactly?

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:05:50 -0500

I’ve been toying with the idea of creating a food blog for some time now. Since I love my personal Tumblr so much, I figured Tumblr would be a good platform to try it out and see how it goes. Here’s a few things I thought followers might want to know:

I’ve been cooking for many years now and probably made my first successful dish at around age 12. Cooking started mainly as a result of necessity because my mom worked 2 jobs at the time and my sister…well, never enjoyed cooking quite as much. It has transformed into not only a hobby, but a passion of mine and a way to balance out the other side of me that is knee deep in psychology, science and PhD goals.
I used to be really jealous of my friends who could make music or draw beautiful things until I learned that I have my own talent for art; in the kitchen.
I’m not much of a baker. I’ll use the same argument everyone uses. I love to experiment, be inexact, and throw things around in any order. Baking is more of an exact science. Steps matter, amounts matter—even the amount of times you stir something matters. That drives me crazy. I’m involved in science in other major aspects of my life. For the kitchen, I just want free flowing creativity.
That said, I am interested in all things kitchen; so I will be venturing into some baking experiments on here.
Because of my ethnicity, I began with Dominican/Latin cooking but in the past 2-3 years I’ve had a deep and limitless curiosity to explore cuisine from all cultures. That is what you’ll find here.
I cook dinner almost every night. I live with my boyfriend and a good friend of ours and they are perfect guinea pigs.
So now what’s with the name? The BEST and I mean, absolute BEST part of cooking, is the eating, of course. For this reason I could probably never work in a restaurant or be a professional chef. Every meal ends with 2 steps: Taste and Serve.
I need to get a better camera. It’s on my wish list; in the meantime, I’ll try my best to take good pictures.
How this will work: I’ll post a picture of each of my creations. For more difficult things I’ll try to post pictures of intermediate steps. Click the ‘Read More’ link for the recipes. I’ll also include my inspiration for the dish (especially if I borrowed a recipe) and tidbits about my experience making them. At the bottom of the page there is an “Ask Me” link where you should feel free to ask any questions or recommend/request recipes.

Pasta: Spaghetti w/ Fresh Mozarella, Tomato and Spinach

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:55:52 -0500

Anyone in the world can make this pasta in about 15 minutes. Click the ‘Read More’ for recipe.

Inspiration: I’ve been craving fresh ingredients more than anything lately and remembered my boyfriend’s mother makes this delicious pasta. I definitely added some tweaks and guessed my way through the recipe based on the tastes I remembered.

Ingredients:

1 lb thin spaghetti (or regular spaghetti or angel hair)

1 pint of grape tomatoes

8 oz fresh mozarella cheese (you really do need good cheese, it just tastes better)

1 large handful of fresh uncooked spinach, then another smaller handful.

2 large cloves of garlic

1 small onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 sprig of oregano, chopped

salt and pepper

olive oil

truffle oil (or if you’d like to save money, truffle flavored olive oil)

Step 1: Fill a 4-qt pot with water, a teaspoon of salt and some olive oil. Bring to a boil. Then add spaghetti. *You really should start with cold water first. Don’t ask me why, it just works better that way.

Step 2: Separate the spinach leaves from the long stems (leaving a little stem on is okay) and roughly chop. Cut grape tomatoes in half. Cut mozarella into smallish chunks. Put all ingredients except spinach in a large bowl. Throw in the chopped parsley and oregano. Salt and pepper to taste.

Step 3: Peel and chop the 2 cloves of garlic and 1 small onion. Chop the garlic into fairly coarse pieces, not tiny. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil to a pan on medium-high heat. (**If you are using truffle flavored olive oil, do 1/8 of the flavored and 1/8 of the regular. If you are using real truffle oil, this will be used in step 6**). Add onions first and cook until transparent (not brown). Add garlic and cook about another minute or two. Garlic should not brown. Turn off the heat and remove pan from the burner. Let the oil cool until it stops sizzling. The oil should smell of garlic and onions now. *If it doesn’t, this means you need to cook things a little longer.

Step 4: When the oil has cooled (but is still warm), dump it into the bowl with the mozarella, tomato and herbs. Mix this around. Adjust salt and pepper if needed.

Step 5: The spaghetti should be just about done by now. I like to cook mine just 6 minutes. Drain. Add chopped uncooked spinach to the bottom of the still-warm pasta pot. Top with cooked pasta. Mix around. This will “cook” the spinach leaves a little bit and make them wilt. Then add the bowl of tomatoes, mozarella and oil. Mix around. The tomatoes will also “cook” a little bit with the heat of the pasta and the mozarella will start to melt some.

Step 6: This is when you add 2-3 quick splashes of truffle oil, if you’re using the real stuff. Be careful here. The real stuff packs a lot of flavor and you don’t want to overpower everything. Toss away! The key is to really get all the ingredients moving. This has a lot of taste even if you can’t “see” a sauce. I moved my pasta from the pasta pot to the large skillet pictured above so I could mix things better. Some ingredients tend to sink to the bottom. Don’t let them!

Step 7: Grate some fresh (again fresh is best. not the already grated cheese, but the cheese in the block) parmesan on top. You’ll also want more for each serving.

Notes: This is one of the easiest pasta dishes you can make and very quickly too. I came home from class and made it for lunch and I have plenty of leftovers. The best part is with all of the fresh ingredients you get a lot of taste, without having to use a lot of different things. I already had truffle oil, fresh parsley and fresh oregano at home but I bought the rest of the ingredients for 13.00 dollars. I fed myself and 2 hungry men and still have pasta to do it all again.