Pasta with Bagna Cauda Sauce, Rosemary Orange Thumbprint Cookies

Our unsolicited and biased opinions:

A day filled with art exhibits, lunch and wine tasting required a Saturday Night Special we could assemble in someone else’s kitchen.  Meg did the bagna caulda sauce two days before and I cleaned and blanched the vegetables.  We choose asparagus, green beans, yellow squash (blanched) and added julienned red and yellow bell peppers to the pasta water at the last minute. What a riot of color. There were five of us sitting around the table while the pasta water boiled and the bagna caulda reheated. It came together easily while we enjoyed luscious Bella Di Cerignola olives and Manchego cheese with our wine.  We served the pasta with a simple romaine salad dressed with a vinaigrette.

Everybody had different opinions about the pasta. The sauce was surprisingly mild given all the anchovies and garlic.  We used a narrow fettuccine and we think a thicker spaghetti (bucatini) or rigatoni would hold the sauce better. The sauce tasted good but seemed thin. Some thought that the addition of some parmesan at the end would thicken the sauce.  Another suggestion was to forgo the cream altogether (for a more traditional bagna caulda flavor) .We all agreed the next time we will reheat the vegetables  briefly in the microwave, add them once the pasta is fully drained and then add the sauce. This recipe easily serves 6.

We served Vin Santo with the rosemary cookies which was a perfect accompaniment to these wonderful cookies. The recipe for the cookies came from Sue’s mom and we don’t know the source.

Garden-Style Straw and Hay Pasta with Bagna Cauda Sauce

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Prep Time:  30 min

Inactive Prep Time:  8 hr 0 min

Cook Time:  30 min

Level:  Easy

Serves:  4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 bulbs hard neck garlic (about 24 cloves), cloves separated and skin left on
• Sea salt
• A couple handfuls each of assorted farm-fresh vegetables: asparagus, baby golden beets, baby carrots, baby zucchini, cauliflower or purple cauliflower, haricots verts, pattypan squash and/or sugar snap peas (1 1/2 to 2 pounds total)
• 1/4 cup EVOO
• Two 2-ounce tins or one 4-ounce jar good-quality flat anchovy fillets, drained
• 1 pint heavy cream or half-and-half
• 1/2 stick butter (4 tablespoons)
• Freshly ground pepper
• 8 ounces egg pasta, such as tagliatelle
• 8 ounces spinach pasta, such as tagliatelle
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped

Directions

Bring a small pot of water to a low boil, then add the garlic and simmer for 20 minutes. Let cool, then drain, peel and mash into a paste. Season with sea salt.

Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a large pot and season with salt. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Cut the vegetables into similar shapes and sizes but keep them separate. Blanch the vegetables, one kind at a time, until tender-crisp. Delicate vegetables like thin beans will take 1 to 2 minutes, firmer vegetables like squash will take 3 minutes. After each batch, transfer them to the ice bath to cool using a spider or a small strainer. Drain well.

Heat the EVOO in a small pot over medium heat. Add the anchovies and stir until they break down and melt into the oil. Add the heavy cream, butter and garlic paste, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Let the sauce cool, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight (or longer).

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta and season with salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the vegetables in the last 2 minutes of cooking to reheat them. Reheat the bagna cauda sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat.

Toss the pasta and vegetables with the sauce and the parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook's Note: You can blanch the vegetables ahead of time. Store them in a re-sealable plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Weight Watchers: 31 Points for 4 servings, 21 points for 6 servings  Watchers Points: 10 points per serving

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Rosemary-Kissed Orange Thumbprint Cookies

Prep time:  30 minutes, chill: 1 hour

Serving: 24 cookies

• 1 c all-purpose flour
• ¼ c cornstarch
• 1 t finely snipped fresh rosemary
• ¼ t salt
• ¾ c butter, softened
• ¼ c powdered sugar
• almond extract – a few drops
• ¼ c orange marmalade

In small bowl stir together flour, cornstarch, rosemary, and salt; set aside.  In a medium bowl beat butter with mixer on medium/ high speed for 30 seconds.  Add powdered sugar and almond extract and beat until combined.  Add the flour and cornstarch mixture, mixing well.  Wrap and chill dough 1 hour or until easy to handle.  (I find it easier to get a consistent size for the cookies if I make a log about 1 ½ inches thick before refrigerating the dough.  When ready to make the cookies, cut log into quarters, then into six slices each.)

Preheat oven to 325’.  Line a baking sheet with parchment or silicone liner; set aside.  Shape dough into 24 balls.  Arrange about 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet.  (They don’t change much in size during baking.  Use thumb or small spoon to make indentations in each cookie. (If you dip the spoon in water occasionally, it won’t stick to the cookie dough.)   Spoon about ½ t marmalade into the  center of each cookie.

Bake 14 minutes or until edges are lightly golden.  (17 minutes in my oven in Reno)  Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet.  Remove and cool completely on wire racks.  Makes 24 - 1½ inch cookies.

Weight Watchers:  2 points for 1 cookie, 5 points for 2 cookies  Watchers Points: 10 points per serving

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WINE

Apex Ascent Sauvignon Blanc, 2010, Columbia Valley  / $11.99 at Total Wine

Yes, this price was over our stated limit but we actually only paid $8.99 for the bottle with the multiple bottle discount!