We have been trying to reinstate “Vegetarian Saturdays” since the new year began and because we ate a lot of food last year over the holidays. But then, I’ve also made Flank Steak Roll-Ups Pinwheels and Braised Short Ribs, so we’re not all that vegetarian-y lately. Anyway, this was a recent no-meat Saturday meal. I made it without the pancetta listed below and with vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Next time, I will use maybe half the pancetta called for and probably the chicken broth (just because it’s what I normally have on hand).

That said, this was a good pasta dish! And I love it whenever you can use the pasta water to help make the sauce. I did want a little more fennel, though, so I adapted the recipe below to use three fennel bulbs instead of the original two. I also caramelized the fennel first to give it even more flavor. I can’t imagine how good it would have been if I did that in the pancetta fat.

Anyway, use meat, don’t use meat, this is still a good, satisfying pasta meal. Below, I listed the recipe with the pancetta and chicken broth but just omit/sub those as you wish. Oh and it really wasn’t that spicy at all.

Spicy Spaghetti with Fennel and Herbs
Adapted from Bon Appétit
1 3-ounce package pancetta (Italian bacon), chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 large red or green jalapeño chiles, seeded, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
3 large fennel bulbs, stalks trimmed, cut into thin wedges with some core attached
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro, divided
2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1.5 tsp crushed fennel seeds
1 tsp dried oregano
1 pound spaghetti
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2+ cups finely grated Pecorino Romano or Pecorino Toscano cheese, divided
2 green onions, chopped

Sauté pancetta in large skillet over medium heat until pancetta is golden. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels. Add 1 tablespoon oil to drippings in skillet. Add fennel; cook until beginning to get golden, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and chiles; sauté over medium heat about 3-4 more minutes.

Mix in broth, 2 tablespoons parsley and 2 tablespoons of cilantro, lemon juice, oregano, and fennel seeds. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until vegetables are very tender, 10 minutes or so. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

While pasta is cooking, uncover skillet with fennel mixture and return to high heat. Cook until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Cook pasta until tender; drain. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid.

Add pasta to fennel mixture. Stir in 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 cup cheese, and pancetta. Add cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if dry. Toss pasta; transfer to serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining parsley and cilantro, as well as the chopped green onions over. Toss. Serve with more cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

Completely Unrelated and Frivolous: Recently, I read this Slashfood post: 10 Hottest Men in the Food Industry and was kind of befuddled by a lot of their list. Plus, it got me to thinking that I have a little TV Chef crush on Michael Symon. Seriously, how did he not make the list? With his love of pork, meat-themed tattoos, and the goofy, high-pitched, laugh-giggle thing. And he’s really hot too.

This is a very quick, seasonal meal and I get to proclaim that orecchiette is my favorite pasta type ever. Some say ‘little ears’ but I think they look like little UFOs! We used a combination of two tomatoes from the garden and one heirloom local tomato procured elsewhere. I like using orecchiette here, as it is about the same size and shape as all the chopped vegetables.

The sauce is super quick, just tomatoes, veggies, olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar. You can marinate your own mozzarella balls or just buy the already-marinated ones. They will melt into the sauce and you will like it.

Summer Pasta with Veggies and Marinated Mozzarella
12 oz Orecchiette Pasta
2 tbsp + more olive oil
1/2 white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 yellow, orange or red bell peppers
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3-4 tomatoes (heirloom or garden fresh are great!)
1 tbsp capers
2 tbsp basil, chopped
10 small marinated, fresh mozzarella balls (Boccini), halved
salt & pepper to taste

Start your pasta water (get it boiling). Cut the bell peppers in half and remove the cores and seeds. Push down flat on a foil covered baking sheet and stick under the broiler to roast. Let the skins get all blackened.

Put them in a plastic or paper bag and let steam for a few minutes. Peel and chop. Set aside.

Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large pan and saute the onion for 7-8 minutes. You want them soft and with a little color. Then add the garlic and saute for a minute or so more. You can cook the pasta about now.

Chop up the tomatoes and toss in a bowl with a little more olive oil, the capers and the balsamic. Give it a little salt and pepper. You could seriously just eat this with a spoon now, but if you add it to the pasta, it will be even better.

Add the chopped, roasted bell peppers to the pan with the onions, along with the tomato mixture. Toss a bit to mix.

When the pasta is done, add it to the pan and toss. You only want the tomoatoes in the hot pan for a few minutes, so plan when your pasta is done accordingly. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Add the basil, mix and pour the pasta out into a serving bowl.

Add the halved mozzarella balls, toss again and serve.

So simple and tasty for Summer — or, the end of Summer.

I love asparagus season. And speaking of, this is a great recipe for the end of April/beginning of May. The goat cheese makes an amazingly tasty sauce, no cream needed. Instead of fresh, chopped tomato, you can also use sundried tomatoes, just rinse them first if they are packed in oil or rehydrate if they are dried.

Linguine Primavera with Goat Cheese and Mint
Recipe adapted from Whole Foods Market
2 tbsp olive oil
1 orange, yellow or red bell pepper, cored and diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces thin asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces whole wheat or spinach linguine
3/4 cup fresh or frozen shelled peas
4-5 ounces herb-and-garlic flavored goat cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup chopped mint leaves, divided

Heat oil in a large skillet and saute onion and bell pepper until soft. Add garlic and asparagus and cook about 5 more minutes. Turn off heat.

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. While water is heating, place peas in a colander in the sink. Cook pasta to desired tenderness; before draining, reserve one cup of cooking water, set aside.

Pour remaining cooking water and pasta over peas in the colander–the hot water will gently cook the peas while the pasta drains; do not rinse. Return pasta and peas to the skillet with the asparagus, onion, bell pepper and garlic.

Turn heat to low and stir in goat cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano, tomatoes and half the chopped mint. Add reserved cooking water, a few tablespoons at a time, stirring until you have a creamy sauce.

Taste and salt and pepper as needed. Sprinkle with remaining mint and serve immediately.

Went back to Uwajimaya again and got more wonderful things — like tons of Thai basil and coconut milk (2 cans for $1.50!), assorted frozen dumplings and some white miso paste. Soon we will steam all the dumplings in one sitting and have Janet Reno’s Dance Dumpling Dumpling Dance Party. But for now, there are Spicy Sesame Noodles with tons o’ Thai Basil.

Oh! Also I am entering this contest and I have (I think) perfected my recipe. jwa thinks I should make another test batch though…I think he just wants more chocolate!

Spicy Sesame Noodles with Thai Basil
Adapted from Bon Appétit Magazine
1 tbsp peanut oil
2 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp Asian sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
11/2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp hot chili oil
1 tsp salt
12 oz dried noodles (any Asian noodle is fine or even a linguine or spaghetti-type noodle will work)
8 green onions (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced
1 orange bell pepper, sliced into small strips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted peanuts
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh Thai basil leaves
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Heat peanut oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Transfer to large bowl. Add next 6 ingredients; whisk to blend.

Cook noodles in boiling water. Drain thoroughly and toss with sauce. Add sliced green onions, bell pepper strips and toss to coat noodles.

Let stand at room temperature until noodles have absorbed dressing, tossing occasionally, about 1 hour.

Stir in peanuts and Thai basil; toss again.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.

I recently watched an episode of the Jamie Oliver* show on Food Network and he made this. I was transfixed. And even though jwa is not crazy about zucchini, I knew we would be having this soon. Wow. This was good. I used some diced pancetta from Trader Joe’s and zucchini I got from the farmers market.

Sure there’s cream and egg yolk and pancetta in it. But hey! There’s also zucchini. Eat up.

Zucchini Carbonara for Two
Recipe from Jamie Oliver
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 small - medium green and yellow zucchini
1/2 pound penne (or other tube shaped pasta)
2 large free-range or organic egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 good handfuls freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
6 thick slices pancetta or lean bacon, cut into chunky pieces
A small bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped, flowers reserved (if you can get hold of flowering thyme)
Optional: a few zucchini flowers

Jamie says: “Before you start cooking, it’s important to get yourself a very large pan, or use a high-sided roasting pan so you can give the pasta a good toss.” I agree, a very large pan is awesome. Go get one. We’ll wait.

Okay, boil a large pot of salted water on to boil. Halve and then quarter any larger zucchini lengthwise. Cut out and discard any fluffy middle bits, and slice the zucchini at an angle into pieces roughly the same size and shape as the penne. Smaller zucchini can simply be sliced finely. When the water is boiling, so add the penne to the pot and cook according to the package instructions.

To make your creamy carbonara sauce, put the egg yolks into a bowl, add the cream and half the Parmesan, and mix together with a fork. Season lightly with salt and pepper and set aside.

Heat a very large frying pan (you know, the one you just got), add a good splash of olive oil and fry the pancetta or bacon until dark brown and crisp.

Add the zucchini slices and 2 big pinches of black pepper, not just to season but to give it a bit of a kick. Sprinkle in the thyme leaves, give everything a stir, so the zucchini is coated with all the pancetta-flavored oil, and fry until they start to turn lightly golden and have softened slightly.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water. Immediately, toss the pasta in the pan with the zucchini, bacon and lovely flavors, then remove from the heat. Drizzle the reserved cooking water to the creamy sauce, whisking together quickly.

Now, take that sauce and add it to the big pan of pasta and zucchini. Toss and serve.

* I think I need to pre-order Jamie at Home. But, probably at amazon, as it’s cheaper.