Our CSA farm, Potomac Vegetable Farms, takes great pride in their sweet onions. Onions’ flavor is heavily dependent on the soil they are grown in, so great onions require careful treating of the soil and are a good indicator of a farmer’s commitment to the land. Carrots from our farm are likewise sweet and flavorful, and carrot puree from our CSA share was one of my son’s favorite baby foods. He has a more fickle attitude towards raw carrots now, so I came up with this creamy risotto as a way to get some of that vitamin-A rich carrot into him. The husband was skeptical but surprised that it didn’t taste “too healthy.” People often think risotto is unhealthy but in fact a lot of the creaminess comes from the starch of the rice, and you can make perfectly rich risotto with just a little butter and cheese, no cream needed.

Rice is traditionally a heavily pesticide-treated crop, so in addition to the dirty dozen produce items, look for organic rice when you can. I love Lundberg’s organic California-grown rices for most other uses, but use an organic Italian carnaroli, from Cascina Belvedere, for risotto.

Recipe: Organic Carrot Risotto

Ingredients:

• 4 large organic carrots, peeled
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 shallots, diced
• 1 1/2 cups organic carnaroli or arborio rice
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cups water (including reserved carrot water)
• pinch of white pepper
• 1/4 cup parimigianno reggiano, grated
• minced parsley to garnish

Instructions: Cut carrots into 1/2-inch pieces and steam until just tender, approximately 10-12 minutes. Reserve the water, and puree cooked carrots with in food processor until smooth. Add spoonfuls of cooking water as needed to thin the puree; it should be about the same consistency as apple sauce.

Add water to reserved carrot water to make 2 cups. Combine with stock in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and leave to simmer while you begin the risotto. In a dutch oven or large saucepan, heat butter over medium low until melted. Cook shallots until soft and translucent (do not brown), about 5 minutes. Stir in carrot puree and cook 2 minutes. Stir in rice and cook 1 minute. Ladle in broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring and letting cook until liquid is absorbed between each addition. Repeat until all the liquid is added and rice is thick and creamy, about 25 minutes. Stir in pepper, salt and cheese; stir and remove from heat. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Makes 4 servings. Enjoy!

Shared with Presto Pasta Nights, created and hosted this week by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast.

Ruth’s Presto Pasta Nights was one of the first foodblogging events I stumbled across when I began my blog, and I am thrilled to now be hosting the holiday edition! One of the great things about the event is getting a peek at how pasta is enjoyed all across the world, and our first submission comes to us from Greece!

Ivy of Kopiaste to Greek Hospitality writes from Athens, Greece, to share Tagliatelle with Chicken and Veggies.

Navita of Zaayeka shares a Spaghetti Americana.

Kitchenette of Got No Milk creates a lactose-free Tetrazzini Reconstructed.

Ferdzy of Seasonal Ontario Food submits an easy weeknight Whote Wheat Noodles with Stir-Fried Vegetables.

Gilli of So So Simple cooks up an Italian Chow passed down from her mother-in-law, for a holiday buffet.

Robin of Made with Love shares Ham & Shells Casserole, with a ziti twist.

City Girl of City Girl Lifestyle adds a Greek twist to Shrimp Scampi Pasta with Feta.

Daphne of More Than Words writes from Perth to share a celebratory Chinese Seafood Mee Sua; stop by and congratulate her on passing her University exams!

And another submission from the South Pacific, Ning of Heart and Hearth in Manila shares Cheezy Beefy Twirls.

Back in the Northern hemisphere, Katie of Thyme for Cooking writes from Lot et Garonne, France, with Chicken with Cauliflower Pasta.

Mary of One Perfect Bite shares Thai Rice Noodles with Beef and Spinach.

And Marye from Baking Delights writes with a dish that combines three of my favorite things, Artichoke & Parmesan Pasta.

Our founder Ruth of Once Upon a Feast received an early gift of Giada’s Kitchen and prepared her Pasta with Shrimp, Arugula & Lemon Oil.

As for me, I’m still enjoying leftovers of the Cherry Coconut Kugel I baked for my son’s daycare holiday potluck.

Thanks everyone for participating and thanks to Ruth for allowing me to host this week! Presto Pasta Nights is now officially on holiday vacation. Visit the archives to get your pasta fix between now and January 9, and submit your latest creations to our founder Ruth of Once Upon a Feast, ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com, by January 8 to be included in the first round-up of 2009. Happy Holidays!!

As mentioned previously, I’m hosting this week’s Presto Pasta Nights round-up. Hanukkah starts this weekend, so it’s only fitting to share a traditional Jewish kugel (noodle casserole) for the holiday edition of PPN. I am the non-Jewish spouse in our family, so I didn’t have the benefit of family recipes when learning how to prepare all the requisite holiday dishes. On the flip side, my mother-in-law is not a big cook so I had some freedom in not having to make dishes exactly the way my husband had always had it. Sweet noodle kugel has been one my favorite dishes to experiment with, probably because it appeals to my pasta-loving Italian roots. I did learn a trick from a friend who did have a Jewish grandmother, which is to blend the sauce ingredients before mixing them into the noodles to eliminate the graininess of the cottage cheese. I often serve this with brisket for dinner, but it also makes a great brunch dish for Hanukkah or Christmas (or Chrismukkah!) – it can be made ahead and served warm or cold.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. wide egg noodles
• 1 pound cottage cheese
• 1 pound sour cream
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 ounces dried cherries

Topping:

• 1 cup crushed corn flakes
• 1/2 cup grated unsweetened coconut
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Instructions: Bring pot of water to a boil and cook noodles for 2 minutes less than recommended time, drain. Meanwhile, combine cottage cheese, sour cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla in blender or food processor until smooth. Combine with noodles and cherries and pour into lightly oiled 9 x 12 baking dish. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over noodles. (Omit brown sugar if using sweetened coconut.) Bake 45 minutes, until top is golden. Cool at least 10 minutes before cutting. Great the second day, straight from the fridge or reheated. Makes 12 servings. Enjoy!

To submit a favorite pasta recipe for Presto Pasta Nights, send me an email at foodietots at gmail dot com. Check back for the round-up Friday afternoon!

Now that the weather has turned colder I am getting back into our Tuesday pasta night routine. And one of my favorite weeknight pasta tricks is to stop off at my cheese shop to pick up some fresh cheese, meats and even fresh pasta. Cooking with flavored pastas eliminates the need for sauce, and you can instead focus on pairing a few favorite ingredients to make your pasta de jour.

Of course you don’t have to visit a cheese shop to make a gourmet pasta dish; at the grocery, just pick out a few high quality items from the deli counter. Because you only need a few slices of meat, you can splurge on a good prosciutto or salami.

With a quarter pound of spicy salami, a small container of creme fraiche, the roasted tomatoes and pasta, this made four servings of pasta for under $20. That’s cheaper than Olive Garden, and ready in less time the average Friday night wait for a table!

Recipe: Roasted Tomato, Salami & Saffron Pasta (aka Cheesetique Pasta)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound saffron angel hair pasta
• 1 bunch curly kale (or other greens), sliced into ribbons
• 6 oz. roasted tomatoes, in olive oil (can use sundried tomatoes)
• 1/4 pound salami, sliced into thin ribbons
• 4 ounces creme fraiche
• salt & pepper

Instructions: Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Cook pasta according to package instructions, adding kale for the final minute of cooking time. Drain pasta and kale, reserving some of the cooking liquid. In a large serving bowl, layer the tomatoes (reserving oil), salami and creme fraiche. Pour pasta and kale over top and use tongs to toss and combine. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved tomato oil and a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid, as needed to moisten the pasta. Season with a little salt and pepper (try red pepper flakes for an added kick), and enjoy! Makes 4 servings.

Shared with Presto Pasta Nights, created by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast and hosted this week by Venielje Kitchen.

The first CSA tomatoes of the season arrived in our bag yesterday, which means a quick stop at Cheesetique for pasta and cheese is all that’s needed to put together a fast, fresh pasta dish.

This week, I used red pepper pappardelle. I had orange Roma tomatoes, which I quick roasted in my cast iron skillet until they were just beginning to burst. I sauteed a chopped sweet onion in olive oil, added a handful of green beans broken into 1 inch pieces, then quartered the roasted tomatoes and returned them to the pan. Simmered a few minutes longer, added salt, pepper and fresh basil, then tossed it all with the papardelle and fresh goat cheese. (I used 4 oz. goat cheese which was a little much for 4 servings of pasta – but the toddler and I love our goat cheese.)

Typically I would use garlic, but the sweet onions from our CSA have just been incredible this summer, so I thought I’d give them a turn to star.

Toddler verdict: He slurped the noodles with glee, laughing “bye bye noo-noo” after each one. But when he discovered the green beans at the bottom of his bowl, he promptly requested ketchup. When we said no, he asked for a cup of frozen peas for dessert. Such an odd little kid.

Shared with Presto Pasta Nights, created by Once Upon a Feast and hosted this week by Thyme for Cooking.