August 7, 2011: Thai Pasta Salad Recipe

Wondering what to do with leftovers from my peanut sauce recipe? This side dish is a great way to use them up and pairs perfectly with the beef and mushroom kebabs recipe I shared yesterday.

The ingredients are low volume but that’s because it’s just my husband and I eating at home now that our niece is back in New Mexico. Feel free to double this recipe or even triple it for a larger amount of diners.

BTW, I bought a container of Thai pasta salad from the Safeway deli recently (the night before my new kitchen counter tops were scheduled to arrive and my kitchen was torn apart) and it was barely edible. This version is way tastier and really simple to prepare.

Tip: For a main dish salad, just add shredded chicken.

Thai Pasta Salad

4 ounces fettuccine noodles
2 T. shredded carrots
1 green onion
1 can water chestnuts or bean sprouts, drained
1/3 cup Thai peanut sauce (find my peanut sauce recipe here)
1 T. soy sauce

Cook fettuccine according to directions on the box; drain and rinse with cold water. Slice the green onion on the diagonal. In a medium-sized serving bowl, combine the shredded carrots, onion slices, water chestnuts or bean sprouts, peanut sauce and soy sauce. Mix together then toss in fettuccine noodles. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Serves two.

February 19, 2011: Red Chile Fettuccine Recipe

Being from New Mexico, I love adding chile (that's chile with an "e", as in chile peppers) to just about anything. I ran across this old recipe I clipped from The Albuquerque Journal the other day and remembered making it many years ago – and loving it! It’s more of a special occasion recipe than one you would make weekly - full of fat calories, - but well worth the extra effort and diet-busting for a once-in-a-while treat.

Tip: It’s recommended you use fresh pasta for this dish and if you are good at making your own pasta (or adventurous enough to try), go ahead and use your favorite recipe but add 2 T. red chile powder to the flour. You can also use packaged fresh fettuccine from the refrigerated case at your grocery store.

That's my cache of red chile powder in the photo there on the right. I got a bag of it last summer from the Deming, New Mexico farmer's market stand where my folks regularly shop. They were kind enough to buy extra dried red chile and share with me. I store it in a clean spice bottle so it's easy to shake or pour out.

Red Chile Fettuccine with Piñon Romano Sauce

Fresh fettuccine pasta
¼ lb. butter
¼ cup heavy (whipping) cream
½ cup freshly grated Romano cheese
½ cup shelled piñon nuts, toasted and chopped
1 T. red chile powder (not chili powder, this is powder made from dried red chiles and should be found in the Mexican food aisle of your grocery store)
1 clove garlic, minced

Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the cream slowly. Add Romano cheese, piñons, red chile powder, and garlic; beat until combined.

Add this sauce to the fettuccine immediately after cooking and draining the pasta. Toss gently until every strand is coated. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6

This makes a great side dish to accompany grilled shrimp, chicken breasts or steaks and a crisp green salad – the spicy flavor shouldn’t compete with strong flavors in the other foods so keep the seasonings on the meat simple (lemon and garlic is good).