Sheet Pan Dinners With A Twist

One of the latest trends in home cooking right now is sheet pan meals. These are an easy cook and mix of the main meal and sides. Now there's another layer added to this - pasta. It gives a new texture and taste to a popular dish.

Melissa Clark decided to tackle this and write about it in her A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Any sheet pan meal is an easy make.It's just spreading out your desired ingredients on a baking sheet that's usually reserved for cookies and square  pizzas. She makes a roasted broccoli pasta. This is unusual in the sense that the main ingredient isn't a meat such as chicken or pork but pasta. Ms. Clark uses chiocciole , a  macaroni shaped kind, however, home chefs can also use fusilli or ziti.Using pasta does require the extra step of boiling it, but then it's really no different than boiling the wide noodles for lasagna. Vegetables are a must for any sheet pan meal. Broccoli is used because it roasts well,,with the florets becoming crispy. That and the pasta, which will become crisp too will pair nicely with the addition of fresh ricotta.The cheese will burnish and caramelize.Ms. Clark also adds a good sprinkling of Parmesan spiked breadcrumbs and lemon zest for more zing.

Even novice home chefs can create this tasty dish, perfect for a weekday dinner or weekend lunch.It does start off with a very hot oven. Ms. Clark recommends a 425 degree Farenheit oven Use a rimmed baking sheet. The broccoli is tossed with olive oil along with red pepper flakes, a pinch of sea salt  and cumin for flavor( you can swap out the pepper if it proves to be too spicy). Roast until tender and brown between eighteen and twenty-five minutes. Toss halfway through to make sure that all the florets are evenly cooked. The sheet pan is removed from the oven and it's time to turn on the broiler. At this point, the pasta should be boiled and then drained.It's also at this time that the
 breadcrumbs have to be spiced. Ms. Clark uses panko bread crumbs but I don't see why regular or homemade ones can 't be used. Toss the breadcrumbs with the grated Parmesan,  lemon zest and salt and pepper. The pasta and broccoli are then tossed together on the pan then dollops of  the ricotta is added..It's then sprinkled with the breadcrumbs , along with getting a generous drizzle of olive oil. Broil for about two to three minutes or until browned and crisped. It's served with a squirt of lemon juice. Other veggies such as cauliflower and eggplant can be subbed in for the broccoli  while Camembert can be used for the ricotta.

A sheet pan meal is an easy meal. Add pasta to make it special and tastier. It's a nice spin on a new trend.

Cool Salads That Are Hot

Pasta salads are a staple during this sweltering days. As cooling as they are , they can be a bit boring.After all there's only so much you can do with macaroni doused with runny mayo.However zing and zest can be added for a new twist.Toss in a few exotic ingredients and you have more than just a simple bowl, you have an adventure. David Tanis explored this in his A City Kitchen column in yesterday's New York Times Dining section.He recommended Also mixing the pasta at times and trying something different such as couscous.He combines pearl or Isreali couscous.This is slightly different than regular couscous, in the sense it is smaller and nuttier tasting.Mr. Tanis brings the flavors of the Middle East with dashes of turmeric,cinnamon and cumin.It has homespun American familiarity with potatoes,roasted peppers green beans and tomatoes.Torn mint is scattered on top for more color and another layer of flavor.The finished salad is bright and colorful,perfect on it own or as a side to any kind of kabob or grilled lamb.Regular couscous can be used too , although it won't be as flavorful as the pearl variety. Couscous and it's cousin bulgar are great in cold salads and they're a nice alternative to lettuce and pasta.Incorporate these grains in your summer dining to liven up meals and parties. Mr .Tanis also gives his take on the pasta salad. It 's a kind of riff on Pasta al a Norma.This is made with eggplant and unlike the hot pasta dish ,the vegetables which include tomatoes are cooked separately.The first is cooked over a stove top grill while the tomatoes are broiled.Mr.Tanis recommends cooking ziti, his pasta of choice,in very salty water until al dente.The dressing is a simple olive oil mixed with pepper flakes,or peperoncino as well as garlic.Another pasta spin is on cold buckwheat noodles that are much beloved by both the Japanese and Koreans.The soba noodles are usually served in cold to ice cold broth however Mr. Tanis nixes the broth, opting instead for a second bath in ice cold water and then patted dry with a paper towel.He adds traditionally used vegetables such as cucumbers,scallions and radish sprouts.The dressing is a mix of sweet and hot,miso mixed with mirin and soy sauce.Cayeene pepper is added for zing while sugar brings the undertone of sweetness.Lime juice is also put into to give a burst of citrus.This salad is just perfect on it's own, great after a Sunday at the beach. Pasta salads need not be those sad mayo drenched affairs that evoke grimaces and upturned noses.These are bright and fun, exotic and fun.Serve this to liven up your summer table.

Volunteer Meals

Hurricane Sandy has taught us that volunteer work matters a lot. Helping out anywhere is a plus. If you can cook, that's more of a plus . Fire stations and even senior citizen center kitchens always need an extra hand. Even clean up is most appreciated too.

Most volunteers  usually just help set up food tables and ladle out food .However if you can pitch in with food prep do so. Most firehouses have their own chefs with their own favorite recipes. Some will accept another cook with new dishes. You can make dishes at home and bring them in. Lasagna, baked ziti and any casserole is easily made and transported. Also bringing in hot dogs and hamburgers along with turkey and veggie burgers are another good idea,, if local businesses haven't already donated them. You can make potato salad or baked beans if that's the case.

If your oven is working, then think about baking cookies and muffins for volunteers. Although they may not be nutritionally good, they;re still a rush of much needed sugar for energy. Slice and bake chocolate chips are the easiest to bake en masse. They;re also the easiest to transport too. You can also make slice and bake sugar cookies too. Muffins, whether big or small are great too/ These can be eaten for breakfast too with a hot cup of coffee. You can also vary the recipes for  the large and the mini. Try blueberry or chocolate chip  along with corn and cranberry as well. These , too, can be easily brought to any firehouse or center.

Volunteerism is needed during these tough times. Any way you can, contribute your cooking and baking skills.They will be much appreciated and much needed.

Baked Pastas Winter Comforters

Cold weather calls for hearty pasta dishes. The problem is that now that  it's February , everyone is kind of tired of th e usual spaghetti or fettucine. Ravioli doesn't cut it anymore either.It's time to step it  up a bit with baked pasta. This is just as fillingand delicous as the boiled but with added texture and flavor.

The most popular and well known baked pasta dish is lasagna. Every southern italain has their own family recipe handed doen for genrations. A true lasagna is made with not a pure tomato sauce but a bechamel one with butter and cream Tomato is added later for flavor and color. It is made usually with chopped beef and spinach along with the creamy ricotta cheese. This last is used a a binder.The dish is then layered with boiled lasagna noodles or sheets and baked.Lasagna can have variations. It can be made with a combo of beef and pork or strictly vegetarian. This  last  can have layers of zucchini and eggplant  interspersed with the noodles and cheese.

Manicotti is another baked pasta that's perfect for a winter's dinner. These are giant shells (not to be confused with lumarche - the snail shaped pasta from Italy) that are filled with a mix of ricotta  and again ,spinach. Chopped onion is also thrown in to give it more dash.For another variation, nix the  spinach and add chopped Italian sausage and herbs such as rosemary and oregano.  For a less troublesome pasta dish consider baked ziti, . This is layered tubular pasta , combined with ground beef  and a mix of beaten egg and ricotta altough some recipes call for sour cream instead. It is then topped with spaghetti sauce and grated Parmesan  cheese before baking for 45 minutes . Ziti is a great covered dish to bring to anyone's house or to a church supper.

Winter calls for hearty pasta dishes. Instead of making the traditional boiled,  take it a step further. Bake a pasta dish that's not only nutritious but satisfying and warm.