What do you want for dinner...
...and orecchiette with white bolognese and capers...
Back in the era of 2005-2011 B.K. (before kid), we used to spend our weekend mornings lounging in bed, lazily drinking our coffee. He’d check the Amazon deals, and I’d make the grocery list. I would look over and chipperly ask, “what do you want for dinners this week?” only to be met with an exasperated sigh and “I haven’t even finished my coffee yet!”
It became our thing - I’d ask what he wanted for dinner early in the morning knowing I would get “the look”.
These days I still get that look, but it’s from both boys (Husband and Kiddo) as they spend their weekend mornings together on the couch laughing at YouTube videos. Boy, times have changed.
Usually I can at least get the younger one to holler out “orecchiette!” (more on that below) or “vodka pasta!” Almost always, noodles of some sort are involved.
So, much as I take requests from my boys, I thought it would be fun to take requests from you, the readers, as well. As we approach nine months of this newsletter, in which I’ve just been doing my own thing, I wondered if I am at all meeting the needs of what you might want? If so, then yay, go me! I’ll just keep on! But if you ever say, “gosh, she’s awesome and almost perfect, but I wish she’d do more fill-in-the-blank”, then hit the comment button and let me know!
Maybe you want more 30-minute meals, or vegetarian ideas, or one-dish dinners. Maybe you need ideas for more salads or sides. Maybe it’s not dinners you’re interested in, but you have a sweet tooth. Tell me what you want, what you really, really want, and I’ll work on working it in!
For this week’s recipe, I have one of the Kiddo’s most requested pasta dishes. He just says he wants orecchiette, but what he means is Orecchiette with White Bolognese and Capers.
Orecchiette are a type of pasta in which the name translates to “little ear”. The small cup shape is perfect for catching and holding onto sauces and other ingredients. In this case I wanted a meat sauce, but I wanted it lighter, brighter, faster, and easier than an all-day ragu. Enter in a white bolognese. Made with ground pork and white wine, it has no tomato as in a red bolognese, but it does include the traditional little bit of milk to help balance the wine and tenderize the meat.
This sauce comes together fairly quickly and only simmers for 20-30 minutes, making it a great weeknight option. Finished with fresh herbs, capers, and parmesan cheese, it’s rich yet not heavy. And it’s just saucy enough to justify eating it with a big spoon. Which I highly recommend.
MONDAY - Sheet Pan Gnocchi
Family favorite easy dinner! But, this time I’ll change up the veggies to include some squash and zucchini from the market with grape tomatoes and onion slices.
TUESDAY - Calzones and Wedge Salads
I’ll make a quick homemade pizza dough (but you can also grab fresh dough in most grocery stores!), and we’ll stuff calzones with sausage, pepperoni, olives, and cheese. Wedge salads with homemade ranch to round it out.
WEDNESDAY - Anniversary Date Night
Our anniversary is this week, so I’m going to make the Hubby take me out somewhere nice! I love a seasonal, farm-to-table menu with things I wouldn’t normally make for us at home.
THURSDAY - Grilled Pork Chops with Chimichurri and Smashed Potatoes
Bone-in chops get dressed up with a zesty garlic and herb sauce blitzed in the food processor. Smashed Parmesan Potatoes are an easy side - take a small bag of baby gold potatoes, boil for 15-20 minutes in salted water until tender, drain and return to pot. Drizzle in some olive oil, add garlic, salt and pepper and stir to coat. Move the potatoes to a rimmed baking sheet, smash down with the bottom of a glass or the back of a spatula. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, sprinkle with parm, bake another 5-10 minutes until crispy around the edges.
FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY - Out of town!
We’re heading out for another little weekend mini-trip. Soaking up all our summer!
LUNCHES for this week -
I impulse bought a jar of olive salad mix, and now I can’t wait to make muffuletta sandwiches! I don’t have that special round loaf of bread, but I do have some homemade sourdough that I think will work just fine. I’ll play gourmet sandwich shop this week!
EXTRAS for this week
My cookie dish is empty, so I think I’ll make up a batch of our favorite shortbread cookies. I might have to double it since dad will want at least half!
Orecchiette with White Bolognese and Capers
Makes about 6 servings.
· 2 pounds Ground Pork
· 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
· 1 medium Onion, diced
· 2-3 stalks Celery, diced (about 1 cup)
· 4 cloves Garlic, minced
· ¼ teaspoon kosher Salt (Morton or other store brand)
· ¼ teaspoon ground Black Pepper
· 1 cup White Wine
· 2 cups Chicken Broth
· ½ cup Heavy Cream
· 1 ½ teaspoons fresh minced Thyme Leaves
· 1 teaspoon fresh minced Rosemary Leaves
· 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (plus extra for serving)
· 2 tablespoons Butter
· 1 pound Orecchiette Pasta
· 1 tablespoon fresh minced Parsley
· 1/3 cup Capers, drained and rinsed
In a large skillet with deep sides, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ground pork and season it with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook pork for about 7 minutes, breaking it into small pieces, until almost all of the pink is gone.
Add the diced onion and celery and cook for another 5-7 minutes until cooked through (onion will turn transparent and celery will be bright green). Stir in the garlic and cook for one more minute.
Stir in the salt, pepper, and white wine and continue to cook until liquid is reduced by half, 5-10 minutes. Stir in broth and cream, reduce heat to medium, and simmer sauce for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
During this time, boil a large pot of salted water and cook the orecchiette pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.
To the Bolognese sauce, stir in the thyme, rosemary, parmesan cheese, butter, and cooked pasta. Continue stirring until butter is melted. Remove pan from heat and set aside for 5 minutes.
Stir in parsley and capers. Taste to see if more salt is needed.
Serve into wide rimmed pasta bowls and top with extra parmesan cheese.
That’s all for now, thanks for reading! See you back here next week!
(Don’t forget you can see all of the past newsletters and recipes at the archive link below!)
I wonder if you ever use an air fryer when developing a recipe. We have one of the Emeril oven type and love it. I'd love to see some recipes that take advantage of this time saving device.