Down to hEarth

Bringing flavors together in this dish was fairly straightforward. I have found  with Italian cooking that if the components like red sauce or a filling taste good - the overall dish usually is great. I know how I like my red sauce to taste: fresh and sharp with that tang of good herbs and garlic. I want the meat - whether sausage or ground - to be seasoned well. Fillings: use good pesto or fresh basil. Fresh cheeses. Good pasta - homemade if possible. Cooking outside of my own markets on the other side of the world means I have to try different products to get the right fresh flavors - and it has turned out to be pretty straightforward. For me, Italian cooking will aways mean using the best farm to table ripe vegetables and fresh ingredients. I'm learning that this is true for any cuisine. And when one sees large pasta shells at the store - one must do something with them, right? 1. Prepare the Red Sauce and the Shell Filling Red Sauce: Here in Malaysia, I go with what I can find....

I had lemon slices, fresh basil and the meyer lemon linguine.  I always have pesto in the pantry or fridge - there was shrimp in the freezer and leftover salmon in the fridge. Add garlic and shallots, a little wine - how can this be anything but delicious?  In a saute pan: Add 2-3 T of olive oil and heat up the pan. Add about 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots. Let shallots soften and just start to brown - and then add about 2T chopped garlic. Add 1-2 T butter and saute until aromatic. Add in 1.5 T good pesto sauce. Add half a lemon - chopped up with rind etc. The lemon melts into the saute. Add about 1 cup of white wine - I used a Sauvignon Blanc, salt and pepper - and simmer until liquid reduces about half way. Don't dry out the pan.  Optional: I added in about a 1/4 cup of chopped sun dried tomatoes and a good pinch of chopped basil (keeping most the basil to garnish after pasta is in serving bowls) Bringing this together requires cooking up the pasta before you add in th...