Pastaathena Recipes

PASTA ATHENA

Steps:

• In a large pot, boil salted water and cook the pasta as directed on the box. Meanwhile, heat a LARGE skillet to medium-high heat.
• Add oil and butter. Once melted, add the garlic and shrimp. *If you like a thick cream sauce, sprinkle the shrimp with 2 tsps. flour before adding them to the skillet.
• Cook about one minute, then add the wine and cream. Toss and cook another minute, then add olives and tomatoes. Cook another minute or two.
• Finally, mix in the strained pasta and spinach leaves. Remove from heat once the spinach wilts. Salt and Pepper to taste. (Season carefully, the olives and feta add a lot of salt!).
• Divide onto plates and top with feta cheese.

PASTA AMATRICIANA

Steps:

• Make sure to have a pot of boiling salted water for pasta going before starting this dish. You will not cook the pasta all the way as you will finish it in the pan with the sauce.
• Drop the pasta into the boiling water to start the cooking process.
• Meanwhile, in a saute pan heat some oil over high heat and add the pancetta. Saute until the pancetta is rendered (most of the fat melts away), and then turn the heat down to medium. Pancetta should look like crispy bacon. Add the onions and stir constantly making sure the onions do not burn. Once the onions are soft and cooked through, add the red sauce. Cook for 1 minute, and then add the cheese and pepper flakes, stirring to incorporate.
• Turn off the heat on the sauce and add the cooked pasta to the pan with the sauce. Turn the heat back on to low and toss the pasta constantly so that the sauce will stick to the pasta (the sauce should be thick and shouldn't create a pool on the plate). Transfer the pasta and sauce to a bowl and sprinkle more cheese on top to serve.

PASTA ALL'AMATRICIANA

Steps:

• Cut guanciale into 1-inch by 1/8-inch strips.
• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add guanciale and cook until well browned and fully rendered, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a bowl. Leave all fat in the pan.
• Start pasta: Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook rigatoni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until not quite done, about 10 minutes. You want it undercooked by at least 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
• At the same time, add wine to the guanciale fat in the saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in tomato sauce and pepper; bring to a simmer.
• Transfer the almost fully-cooked pasta into the sauce using a slotted spoon; it's okay if some water gets in the sauce. Add guanciale and stir to combine. Season with salt. Cook and stir until pasta absorbs the sauce and finishes cooking, and the sauce thickens up, about 3 minutes. If the sauce gets too thick, add a splash of the pasta water.
• Turn off the heat and add some of the Pecorino cheese. Stir until melted, then repeat until all cheese has been added.
• Ladle into 2 bowls and serve.

PASTA ALLA NORMA: NORMA'S PASTA

Steps:

• Cook the penne in a pot of boiling salted water. Stir to prevent the pasta from sticking together. While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce.
• To make the sauce: In a saucepan, heat up 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Gently saute the chopped onions until tender, then add the plum tomatoes and liquid from the can. With the back of a wooden spoon, break up the tomatoes into little chunks. Season the sauce with salt, and pepper, to taste. Cook the tomato sauce for a few minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
• In another pan, heat olive oil and fry the eggplant cubes until golden.
• Drain the eggplant cubes on a paper towel to remove the excess oil. Drain the pasta approximately 2 minutes before the 'al dente' stage and add the pasta to the saucepan. Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. Add the fried eggplant, basil leaves and sprinkle with ricotta salata. Mix the ingredients together well in the saucepan so that the pasta and the sauce are well amalgamated or combined. Be careful not to overcook the pasta. Transfer the pasta to a warm serving bowl or divide the pasta among warm plates and sprinkle extra ricotta salata on top and serve immediately.

CAJUN PASTALAYA

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage and cook for 2 minutes. Add celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cook until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink inside and juices run clear, 5 to 7 minutes more. Add tomatoes, paprika, Creole seasoning, and cayenne pepper; bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add broth to the pot and return to a simmer. Add penne and simmer for 8 minutes. Add shrimp. Continue to simmer, stirring constantly, until pasta is tender but firm to the bite and shrimp are cooked through, about 7 minutes more.
• Stir in cream. Stir in thyme, oregano, and basil. Cook until just heated through, 3 to 5 minutes more. Serve topped with green onions and Parmesan cheese.

CHICKEN ATHENA

Steps:

• Place chicken in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until a thermometer reads 170°.

PASTA ALLA NORMA

Steps:

• Toss the aubergines with the salt, then tip into a colander set over a bowl for 30 mins, to extract any moisture.
• Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a casserole dish or saucepan. Tip in the onion and a pinch of salt, and cook over a low heat for 10 mins. Add the garlic and chilli, and cook for 1 min. Tip in the tomatoes and sugar, and bring to the simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 20 mins, stirring occasionally. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.
• Pat the aubergine dry with kitchen paper, then toss with the remaining oil. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast for 25-30 mins until softened and golden around the edges. Meanwhile, cook the pasta following pack instructions, reserving 100ml of the cooking water.
• Stir the aubergine into the sauce with the basil and capers. Season to taste, then toss the spaghetti in the pan with the sauce and a splash of the pasta water. Divide between four bowls and top with the ricotta and extra basil, if using.

PASTA ATHENA

Steps:

• 1. Saute grapeseed oil and pepper over med. heat until pepper is soft. 2. Cook pasta according to directions 3. To peppers and broth, feta and dill. Cook until cheese melts. Add salt and pepper to taste. 4. Toss peppers and sauce with pasta. Garnish with a small amount of feta.

ATHENA'S LEMON GREEK PENNE PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and then stir in 1 oz oil to coat pasta.
• While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a medium sauce pan over low heat, then add heavy cream. Increase heat to medium-high stirring occasionally and when the mixture begins to bubble, add in the Parmesan cheese and blend until the cheese has melted. Add in lemon juice and lemon zest and stir. Season with black pepper and salt to taste.
• Add cooked pasta and mix well. Bring sauce back to just under a boil and then serve. You may wish to garnish your pasta dish with some additional Parmesan cheese, parsley, or even a couple of capers. This dish does not re-heat well, so plan on enjoying this dish in one setting.

PASTA AMATRICIANA

Steps:

• In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add guanciale and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. To the skillet, add tomatoes, black pepper and red-pepper flakes, and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally and smashing tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon, until tomatoes have broken down and sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to package directions until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain.
• Add pasta, tomato sauce and ½ cup of pasta cooking water back to the large pasta pot and stir vigorously over medium-high heat until pasta is evenly coated in the sauce, about 1 minute. (Add more pasta water if sauce is dry.) Remove from heat, stir in the cheese and season to taste with salt.
• Divide pasta among bowls and garnish with more cheese and black pepper.