Pasta

Like most cooks, when I decide to have a dinner party, I usually pick the main course first, then figure out the rest of the menu. Rarely does a side dish become the inspiration for a meal. This past week, however, after testing a recipe for buttered orzo tossed with peas, fresh mint and parmigiano-reggiano cheese, I changed my mind. I was so excited about this delectable spring pasta and vegetable creation that I planned an entire menu around it for a coming dinner for friends. Orzo, the oval-shaped pasta that looks like large grains of rice, can be cooked simply in boiling salted water for a few minutes until tender, then drained, tossed in butter and if desired, seasoned with some grated cheese such as parmesan.

I love the bitter taste of radicchio in salads, but some people do not. Cooking this colorful member of the chicory family tames its flavor without obliterating it. In this pasta dish, the rich sweetness of the blue cheese further tempers the radicchio. Joe Gray writes for the Chicago Tribune, which provided the recipe analysis. Fusilli With Radicchio, Chicken Sausage and Blue Cheese Serves 4 -- Total time: 35 minutes 8 ounces fusilli or other shaped pasta 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 chicken sausages (about 3/4 pound)

VINCENT DEDOMENICO, 92 Rice-a-Roni inventor Vincent DeDomenico, co-inventor of Rice-A-Roni, whose catchy TV jingle paid homage to San Francisco and made the pasta dish famous, died Thursday in Napa, Calif., with his wife, Mildred, by his side, his family said. He had kept working until the day before his death. Along with his brothers, Mr. DeDomenico, the son of Italian immigrants, created the packaged side dish of rice and pasta for their San Francisco-based family business. "The San Francisco treat" became known in the 1960s through TV commercials that featured the city's cable cars.

Cooking. aol.com/ tyler-florence This site offers free streaming video of the new show Cooking With Tyler Florence, in which the Food Network chef demonstrates original recipes. Brad Schleicher KITCHEN TIP Grill lots of chicken breasts and veggies Sunday to make several days' worth of easy dinners. Do fajitas one night; mix in with pasta sauce and cooked pasta another night. Chop it all up and make chicken salad for sandwiches. One morning, throw the remaining chicken in a slow cooker with cannelli beans, chopped onions, chicken broth and crushed green chiles for white chicken chili.

My version of seafood cooked in a tomato-vodka sauce is quick, easy and festive. Any type of seafood can be used, but crab is particularly good in the sauce. Jumbo lump crab - large pieces of unbroken meat - is best, but backfin crab meat, which includes broken pieces, can be used. Both are usually sold in cans in the refrigerated section of the seafood department. Along with this colorful pasta dish, serve a crisp radicchio-and-romaine salad and your favorite bottled dressing. A crisp chianti would go well with the high-acid tomato sauce.

California's Napa Valley tends to produce a much different style of zinfandel than fruit from Sonoma County or other parts of the state. This offering from Ravenswood is an excellent example, with its hints of raspberrry, vanilla and spices. Some zins "shock and awe" the palate; this one seduces it. It's racy rather than rumbling. There's something to be said for each style. It's fully ready to drink now, and the wine's finish is long and smooth. Serve with roast poultry, pasta and red meat.

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Pollio Dairy Products has created a quick recipe featuring the company's Polly-O ricotta and mozzarella. Other brands of cheese should work as well.Speedy Skillet PastaServes 4 to 61 pound ground beef1 (28-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce2 cups water3 cups pasta, uncooked1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheeseBrown meat in large skillet until cooked through. Drain off excess fat.Stir in spaghetti sauce and 2 cups water and bring to boil.

Each day of the week offers a menu aimed at a different aspect of meal planning. There's a family meal, a kids' menu aimed at younger tastes, a heat-and-eat meal that recycles leftovers, a budget meal that employs a cost- cutting strategy, a meatless or "less meat" dish for people who may not be strict vegetarians but are trying to cut down on meat, an express meal that requires little or no preparation, and an entertaining menu that's quick.Sunday/FamilyYour family will stand in line for this Old-Fashioned Pot Roast With Carrots and Potatoes (see recipe)

When Anna Marie Darlington-Gilmour took over as president of the Annapolis Opera, she said her main goal was "to make opera accessible and enjoyable to a wider audience."Saturday, she succeeded spectacularly with a sold-out dinner and opera concert at the U.S. Naval Academy Officers' Club. Some 180 guests enjoyed Alfredo's pasta and Puccini's music in an intimate setting.Ronald J. Gretz, the Annapolis Opera's artistic and music director, chose the right composer and program to appeal to an audience that ranged from opera neophytes to cognoscenti.

When friends come to visit, I don't like to spend hours toiling over meals for them, yet I still want to serve food that is special. So I look for simple dishes that can be assembled without much effort at the last minute. That's exactly what I did last week when one of my oldest and dearest friends arrived for an overnight stay.After searching through recipe files for ideas, I settled on a main course of penne with sausage, red peppers and broccoli to offer with a mixed-greens salad and a basket of warm, crusty Italian peasant bread.

Savor a taste of Italy in only minutes with fish fillets topped with fresh tomato slices and melted parmesan cheese. Penne pasta tossed with fresh spinach completes this colorful dinner. Buy whatever white fish looks best at the market or use flash-frozen fillets, which I've found have a fresh flavor. Measure the thickness of the fish and cook 10 minutes per inch. Wine suggestion: I'd sip a nice Italian chianti. spinach penne pasta Cook: 10 minutes Makes: 2 servings 1/4 pound penne pasta 4 cups washed, ready-to-eat spinach 2 teaspoons olive oil salt and freshly ground pepper Bring 3 to 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Cook pasta 10 minutes or according to package instructions.

G. Franco Romagnoli , 82 Star of 1970s Italian cooking show on PBS G. Franco Romagnoli, who, with his wife, Margaret, helped introduce Americans to authentic Italian home cooking on the 1970s PBS series The Romagnolis' Table and in a series of best-selling cookbooks, died Monday in Boston. His son Marco confirmed the death but did not give a specific cause. At a time when many Americans believed that spaghetti with meatballs was an Italian dish, Mr. Romagnoli, a Roman by birth and upbringing, translated the basics of Italian cooking on a low-key show that emphasized simple dishes made with restraint.

With a name that conjures up white tablecloths, lobster tanks and snooty waiters, Sapore di Mare sounds a lot fancier than it is. It's not fancy at all, and that is its greatest strength. Sapore di Mare is the kind of place you'd come to when nobody feels like cooking, but no one feels like making a big deal out of dinner either. Located on a short commercial strip in Joppa, in what used to be a High's store, it's just a little more done up inside than your average pizzeria or sub shop.

On November 23, 2008, MARY ANTKOWIAK (nee Kowalczyk), beloved wife of the late Frank J. Antkowiak, Sr., loving mother of Barbara Schneider and her husband Walter, James Antkowiak, and his wife Thelma, Frank J. Antkowiak, Jr., and his wife Mary; dear grandmother of Madeline Pasta, Tiffany and Brian Antkowiak; cherished great-grandmother of Dylan Hooper and Kathleen Pasta; devoted sister of Tony Kowalczyk and his wife Gerry, Theresa Piasecki and the late...

NY Pizza Company is family-owned, and it's the only restaurant the Pann family owns. It's just the name that makes it sound like a chain. The Panns have done a really nice job of making NY Pizza look like an old-fashioned pizza parlor. Any place with a black-and-white tile floor, emerald-green tablecloths and high-back leatherette booths puts me in a good mood. Like almost any place, NY Pizza would look and feel better with people in it. It was a rainy night when we visited, and we had the place to ourselves, although we did see people leaving when we came in and coming in when we left.

I can see you asking, "Why do we care whether a restaurant is located in a strip mall?" For several reasons. First, there are hidden gems here. If you didn't know they were good, you might overlook them because of the location. Second, it gives me a chance to highlight some restaurants in the 'burbs that aren't chains. Third, you don't have to worry about parking. Here's my list, in alphabetical order: 1 Aida Bistro in Columbia: . Italian food, small plates and a wine bar. 2 Asean Bistro in Columbia.

This version of classic linguine and clams comes together quickly if you keep canned clams in your pantry. For a simple end-of-summer side dish, toss cubed cucumbers and cubed tomatoes with salt and pepper. Saving tip: : Compare the unit prices on cans of chopped clams. You might be able to save by buying bigger clams and chopping them yourself. shopping list Linguine: $1 Garlic: 30 cents Onion: 40 cents Clams: $3.89 Parsley: 74 cents Lemon: 50 cents Wine: $1.25 Chicken broth: 35 cents Tomatoes: $2 Cucumber: $1.50 From the pantry: salt, pepper TOTAL: $11.93* Note: Prices are based on the amount of each ingredient used in the recipe.

Grano, the new Hampden pasta joint, is indie-movie cute. You know those movies where some type-A executive loses it all, rediscovers his muse and ends up opening the place of his dreams, a modest bakery or a sweet little cafe, the kind with just a couple of tables and a handful of stools at the counter, where the hero's quirky friends can chat while the emotionally restored hero prepares their meals. Grano is a place like that, and the hero is being played by none other than Gino Troia, known best for the long-running Cafe Troia, the widely admired Towson restaurant open since 1984 with which he is no longer directly involved.

The flavor of garlic is essential for the kitchen, beloved by cooks and gardeners alike. But you don't have to grow garlic to reap its taste fresh from your garden. There's an easy-to-cultivate plant - Chinese chive - that resembles other members of the onion family but offers that mild garlic flavor and doesn't produce a bulb. Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum) has many common names, including garlic chive, Chinese leek and, in Japan, nira. It's been used for centuries in Asian cooking, but can add something different to Western dishes, too. It's flat-leafed and has a beautiful white flower that comes up about a month after the first tender green shoots.

This vegetarian Italian "casserole" is mostly a stove-top preparation. Instead of making our own marinara, we're using a good-quality jarred version. (But nothing's stopping you from using your own!) Cooking the ingredients on the stove top, then popping a pan into the oven just long enough to melt the cheese and warm all the ingredients together, gives this entree the feel of a long-cooking casserole, minus the long cooking. If you want meat, add chopped pepperoni to taste when you heat the sauce and mushrooms, or just use a meat-based pasta sauce.