Penne with Tomatoes, Olives and Two Cheeses

Sharing recipes – a while back, while at our post office, I ran into Katie Moore who was nice enough to tell me she enjoyed my little cooking column. (The Kent post office is the best place in town to find out what’s happening.) Katie asked if I was interested in one of her favorite recipes and I said I would be happy to pass it on as this month’s column.

All of us, who enjoy cooking, are always looking for new things to prepare and different techniques. When I have dinner parties at my home, I am always flattered to be asked for my recipe for whatever I serve. It’s easy to pass on the ingredients and directions, but the “personal touch” makes each finished recipe a little different. When dining out, I often ask the restaurant for their recipe for something I particularly enjoyed. Most times it is impossible to duplicate from the information they share – they always leave out something to insure my return. However, once dining at the old Inn on Lake Waramaug, I asked for their recipe for their delicious Indian Pudding.  I was told to look on page 1024 in the Joy of Cooking! So much for gourmet cooks.

Meanwhile, before I get to Katie Moore’s contribution which she adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine, here are some quick hints from me:

1.     You can use your favorite tomato sauce or even a ready-made brand name sauce from a jar, if you’re in a hurry. But Katie’s tomato sauce is very simple to make albeit time consuming.

2.     Havarti and Parmesan work great! Using real cheese as opposed to commercially grated cheese will only enhance your finished dish.  Invest in a nice grater ($10-$15) and splurge on a chunk of genuine Parmesan-Romano cheese. You can also mix other semi-hard cheeses if you can’t find Havarti.

3.     As Katie says, add fresh basil leaves at the last moment. I find chopping fresh basil leaves to be rather messy.  A better way is to roll the leaves up (several at a time) and then cut them with your kitchen shears to make nice ribbons.

4.     This is the season for ripe tomatoes and this recipe works best using fresh fruit. Our friend Rudy is complaining that he’s got too many tomatoes!

Ingredients

·        6 Tbsp olive oil

·        1 ½ cups chopped onion

·        1 tsp minced garlic

·        3  cans (28oz each) Italian plum tomatoes, drained

·        2 tsp dried basil

·        1 ½ tsp dried crushed red pepper

·        2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth

·        1 lb penne

·        2 ½ cups packed grated Havarti cheese

·        1/3 cup sliced Kalamata olives

·        1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

·        ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil

Preparation

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion is translucent, about five minutes.  Mix in tomatoes, dried basil and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil, breaking up tomatoes with back of spoon. Add broth; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium; simmer until mixture thickens to chunky sauce and is reduced to six cups, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat over to 375º. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain well. Return pasta to same pot. Toss with 3 tablespoons oil. Pour sauce over and toss to blend. Mix in Havarti cheese.  Transfer pasta to 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with olives, then Parmesan cheese. Bake until pasta is heated through, about 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with fresh basil.

To round out this menu, a tossed green salad and Italian bread make good accompaniments.

Enjoy!