Baked spinners with cauliflower and taleggio

Type of Pasta – Durum Spinners (cooking time 10-12 minutes)

Our recipe on Food and Wine, March 2013. Serves 4-6

• 1 lb Baia Pasta Durum Spinners
• 1 medium head of cauliflower (1 3/4 pounds), cut into 1-inch florets
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced rosemary
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (6 ounces)
• 1/2 pound Taleggio cheese—rind discarded, cheese cubed
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• salt

Preheat the oven to 450°. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and fill a large bowl with cold water. Boil the cauliflower until tender, 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cauliflower to the cold water and let cool slightly. Drain and pat dry; keep the cooking water hot.

In a large, deep skillet, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic and rosemary, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the cauliflower and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until browned in spots, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and boil until evaporated. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the cream, 1 cup of the Parmigiano and the Taleggio.

Return the water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Scrape the cauliflower and cheese sauce into the pasta and toss well. Spread half of the pasta into a 3-quart baking dish and top with 2 tablespoons of the bread crumbs. Top with the remaining pasta, 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs and 1/2 cup of Parmigiano.

Bake the pasta for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden and crisp. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

MAKE AHEAD The unbaked assembled pasta dish can be refrigerated overnight. Return the pasta to room temperature before baking.

Baked paglia e fieno Mohawks with lemon & thyme

Type of Pasta – Paglia e Fieno Mohawks (cooking time 10-12 minutes)

Adapted from whatever’s left. Serves 4-6

• 1 lb Baia Pasta paglia e fieno Mohawks
• 1/2 lb ricotta
• 1/3 lb buffalo mozzarella (torn in pieces)
• 1/3 lb mascarpone
• 6 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped thyme

Boil the pasta in salted water for 6-7 minutes. Meanwhile mix everything else except 50 grams of the mozzarella in a mixing bowl. Mix the drained pasta with the cheese mix and season with salt and pepper to taste…some extra pepper here tastes nice.
Place in a baking dish and sprinkle with reserved mozzarella. Bake for about 20 minutes at 450ºF.

Kamut™ Mohawks with pumpkin sauce

Type of Pasta – Kamut™ Mohawks (cooking time 10-11 minutes)

Adapted from Martha Stewart. Serves 4-6 people

• 1 lb Baia Pasta Kamut™ Mohawks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
• 15 ounces pumpkin puree
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for garnish (optional)

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. While the pasta cooks, heat oil over medium in a big pot. Add rosemary and fry, stirring, until starting to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer rosemary to a paper towel, leaving oil in pot. Carefully (oil is hot and will spatter) add pumpkin puree, garlic, half-and-half, parmigiano, vinegar, red-pepper flakes, and 1 cup of the water the pasta is boiling in. Season generously with salt. Stir sauce until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the pasta, add to the sauce and toss to coat. If sauce is too thick, add some reserved pasta water. Serve pasta sprinkled with fried rosemary and, if desired, more red-pepper flakes.

Roasted eggplant macs

Type of Pasta – Durum Macs (cooking time 10-11 minutes)

Adapted from Aida Mollenkamp. Serves 4 people

• 4 medium Japanese eggplant (or 1 large globe eggplant), ends trimmed 
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for garnish 
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme or oregano 
• 12 ounces penne pasta 
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 
• 1 (14 ounce) can tomato puree 
• 1 tablespoons balsamic or sherry vinegar 
• 1 teaspoon unrefined granulated sugar (optional) 
• 1 handful fresh Italian parsley leaves, thinly sliced 
• 3 ounces feta or goat cheese, crumbled

Heat oven to 450°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Cut eggplant into 1-inch cubes then combine with 2 tbsp of the olive oil and the thyme or oregano in a medium bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss to combine. Spread on a foil-lined baking sheet in one even layer and roast, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. When it boils, cook the macs until al dente (10 minutes). Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain pasta. Set aside. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add garlic and cook until golden brown and fragrant. Stir in vinegar and cook until the vinegar is gone. Stir in tomatoes, season with salt, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in eggplant and simmer until heated through. Taste, and, add more vinegar is sauce is sweet, or, as needed, add sugar to make the sauce sweeter. Add reserved pasta and stir to coat. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and stir unti each piece of pasta is just coated with the sauce. Add additional pasta water as needed to help the sauce coat the pasta. Remove from heat, stir in parsley and season with additional salt and pepper, as desired. Divide pasta among serving bowls, top each some of the cheese, drizzle with a bit of additional olive oil and serve.

Wilde Weide summer paccheri

Type of Pasta – Whole Wheat Paccheri (cooking time 10-11 minutes).

San Francisco’s summer is so unpredictable–in the shift from warm sunny park-going days to foggy and windy hoodie days, I can never decide what I want to eat this time of year! I came up with a pasta recipe for either kind of day; it combines rich, “stick to your bones” flavors in a light and healthy way. The recipe features our Wilde Weide (which means “wild meadow” in Dutch), an organic farmstead Gouda made by Jan and Roon van Schie on an island in the south of Holland.

• 1 box Baia Pasta whole wheat pac-macs
• 2 yellow onions, sliced 
• 1 basket cherry tomatoes 
• 3–4 slices bacon 
• 2 garlic cloves 
• ½ cup white wine for cooking 
• ½ lb Wilde Weide Gouda 
• 1 bunch fresh basil 
• 1 bag spinach 
• 2 lemons, zest & juice 
• olive oil 

Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss cherry tomatoes in olive oil, salt & pepper and spread out on sheet tray. Put in preheated oven to slow roast, approximately 20 minutes (once tomatoes get a little color, turn oven down to 250°F). Heat skillet over low heat, add olive oil. Add onions and caramelize to bring out sweetness. Heat a large pot of salted water. Bring water to a boil, add pasta, and cook until al dente. Drain pasta. Meanwhile, dice bacon and sauté in separate pan, then add to caramelized onions. Add garlic and sauté until aromatic (about one minute); deglaze pan with white wine. Add grated Wilde Weide Gouda to pan and let melt into the mixture, then add that to vegetable mixture. Chiffonade ½ cup (or 10 large leaves) fresh basil and add to the vegetable mixture along with the zest of both lemons. Add fresh spinach and let lightly wilt, then season heavily with salt and pepper. Add cooked pasta to mixture, and season with lemon juice, plus more salt and pepper if necessary. For the garnish, slice small raw squash, dice larger squash, and chiffonade additional basil. Garnish pasta with the sliced squash and additional basil.

Nutshells with cauliflower ragu

Type of Pasta – Whole Spelt Nutshells (cooking time 10-11 minutes)

Adapted from Lupa (NYC). Serves 4 people

• 1 lb Baia Pasta whole spelt nutshells
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
• 1 cauliflower, separated into florets, stems thinly sliced and kept separate
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese 

In a large pan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sliced cauliflower stems and the onion, and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden and the cauliflower has begun to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Lower the heat and add 1/2 cup of water. Simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, for 15 minutes. Add more water if the mixture begins to dry out. Add the cauliflower florets, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and 1 cup of water, season with salt and pepper, and simmer, partially covered, until the florets are falling apart and the mixture has broken down into a rough sauce, about 30 minutes. In the meantime, cook the nutshells in a large pot of boiling salted water. When “al dente”, drain and add to the cauliflower ragu’ tossing until well incorporated, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the cheeses and serve.

Durum accordions with peas and ham

Type of Pasta – Durum Accordions (cooking time 10-11 minutes)

Adapted from Amy Tornquist. Serves 4 people

• 1 lb Baia Pasta durum accordions
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• one 10-oz package of frozen peas
• 1/4 lb thinly sliced country ham or prosciutto, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1/3 cup chopped dill
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper 

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat until golden, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the accordions in a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the peas and ham to the skillet and cook until the peas are hot and the ham is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the cream and simmer over moderate heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Use some pasta water to dilute the sauce if it gets too thick. Drain the accordions and toss them in the skillet with the sauce. Add the Parmesan and dill and season with salt and pepper. Serve in bowls.

Twins with onions, gorgonzola cheese and walnuts

Type of Pasta – Whole Wheat Twins (cooking time 10-11 minutes).

Serves 4 people

• 1 lb Baia Pasta whole wheat twins 
• 2 large onions, peeled
• 1 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
• 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
• 4 oz. firm Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt & black pepper

Cut the onions in half, and then cut into wedges. Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the onions until they are softened and are beginning to brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute or two. Remove from the heat and mix in the balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cook the pasta until it is al dente, and drain, reserving some of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the skillet and Saute’ with the onion mix a bit. If the pasta seems a little dry add a little bit of hot pasta water. Add the crumbled cheese and walnuts and toss briefly. Enjoy while it’s hot.

Paccheri with asparagus, ricotta and pecorino

Type of Pasta – Durum Paccheri (cooking time 10-11 minutes).

Serves 4 people

• 1 lb Baia Pasta durum paccheri
• 1 bunch of asparagus
• ½ lb fresh ricotta
• 2 oz grated pecorino
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt & white pepper 

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. In the meantime, clean the asparagus, reserve the tips, and remove the white woody parts from the stems with a potato peeler. Chunk the stems and quickly blanch them in the boiling water. In the meantime, heat some olive oil in a pan and slow fry the garlic clove. Then add the asparagus stems and cook, adding some water if needed, for 5-10 minutes. Then add the tips and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes (asparagus should be soft but still have a crunch – the cooking time really depends on the thickness of the asparagus). In the meantime, add the paccheri to the boiling water used to blanch the asparagus and cook until al dente, reserving some water. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the asparagus. Saute’ to mingle the flavors, adding some water if the pan gets too dry and season with some freshly-grated white pepper. Add some dollops of fresh crumbly ricotta, a dash of grated pecorino and maybe even a few drops of lemon juice…and you’re golden.

“Cinco de Mayo” ringlets aglio e olio

Type of Pasta – “Cinco de Mayo” Durum Ringlets (cooking time 10-11 minutes).

We made this pasta specifically for our CSA and for a few months it’s been available in the store. You can substitute them with regular durum ringlets.

Serves 4 people

• 1 lb Baia Pasta “Cinco de Mayo” ringlets
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 oz. green garlic, cleaned and julienned
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
• freshly ground black pepper
• grated pecorino
• sea salt

Boil pasta in salted water until al dente and reserve some cooking water. While the ringlets are cooking, heat 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil in small sauté pan over medium heat. Add green garlic and chili flakes, sauté for 2 minutes or until translucent. Remove from heat and add the cooked pasta. Add remaining olive oil and toss to coat. Season to taste with pecorino and pepper.

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