Pasta With Fresh Tomato Sauce and Ricotta

This wonderful pasta is made with nothing more than fresh tomato sauce and good ricotta, plus a little pecorino. It’s most delicious if you keep the pasta quite al dente; use just enough sauce, no more; give it a good pinch of crushed red pepper; and season it with enough salt of course. For the best results, use good quality imported noodles made from hard Durum wheat.

4 - 6 servings

Ingredients

1 pound dried pasta, such as farfalle or penne

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons butter, softened

Crushed red pepper (optional)

2 ½ cups Quick Fresh Tomato Sauce, warm  (*see recipe)

6 ounces ultra-fresh ricotta, at room temperature

Grated pecorino

Basil leaves, for garnish

* Quick Fresh Tomato Sauce

Preparation

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted water, making sure to keep it quite al dente.
2. Put butter in a wide deep skillet over medium heat. Add drained pasta to the pan and season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper, if using.
3. Add tomato sauce gradually and stir to coat pasta, using only enough sauce for a light coating (you may not need the entire 2 1/2 cups).
4. Transfer pasta to a warm serving bowl and dot top with spoonfuls of ricotta. Sprinkle lightly with pecorino and garnish with a few torn basil leaves.

Recipe by David Tanis

Check out this website https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipe

for 39 Bright and Beautiful Summer Pastas.

Shrimp and Pineapple Skewers with Peanut Sauce

Do you love a peanut sauce? 

This recipe called out to me and I want to give it a try.  ~Shelly

Ingredients

½ cup smooth peanut butter, preferably natural

3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk

1 ½ tablespoons lime juice, more as needed

2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons grated ginger root

1 garlic clove, minced

½ teaspoon sriracha or other hot sauce

¼ teaspoon plus a pinch kosher salt, more as needed

1 ½ tablespoons peanut oil

⅛ teaspoon crushed red chile flakes

1 pound cleaned large shrimp

2 cups pineapple chunks

Whole cilantro leaves and torn basil leaves, for garnish

 

Preparation

1.            In a food processor or blender, combine peanut butter, coconut milk, 3 tablespoons hot water, lime juice, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sriracha and a pinch of salt. Purée until smooth. Add more lime juice and or salt to taste. Scrape into a bowl.

2.            Heat oven to 500 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together peanut oil, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and chile flakes. Thread shrimp on skewers; brush all over with half the peanut oil mixture. Thread pineapple on separate skewers; brush with remaining oil mixture. Arrange shrimp and pineapple skewers on a large rimmed baking sheet.

3.            Roast skewers, turning them halfway through, until shrimp is opaque, about 5 minutes, and pineapple is lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes (use an oven mitt to remove shrimp skewers as they finish cooking but leave the pineapple in for longer). Sprinkle skewers with herbs and serve hot, with peanut sauce for dipping.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016117-shrimp-and-pineapple-skewers-with-peanut-sauce