Shortly after we first started dating, I made a batch of cookies for Paul. He had been feeling under the weather, and I wanted to do something sweet to cheer him up.

I pulled out my brand-new copy of the Joy of Cooking and paged through the Cookie section until I found a recipe that met the few requirements I had:

• It had to be a cookie that was familiar to me
• I had to have all the ingredients in my very limited pantry
• It had to be easy (I had very little patience for baking back then)

Oatmeal cookies fit the bill perfectly. Paul ate them with enjoyment, and in the many years since, they have become a familiar friend in our home. Where I once had to look up the page number in the back of the book, it now falls open automatically at the right spot. And that page is beautifully marked with speckles of vanilla, flour and sugar.

So when I was notified that I was selected to participate in the Marx Foods Fregola Sarda recipe challenge, this family favorite kept begging me for consideration.

I was skeptic, however. The key ingredient that I had to utilize in a dessert was Fregola Sarda pasta – little toasted balls of pasta. When cooked, they bear a striking resemblance to tapioca pearls. Taste-wise, they are a little chewy with a slight nutty flavor.

Along with the pasta, Marx Foods also provided me with star anise, vanilla beans and saffron. I had to use at least one of these in a dessert recipe.

My thought was that I would simply substitute the Fregola for the oatmeal in the recipe. So I boiled up a bit of the Fregola with half of one of the vanilla beans, and mixed it in to the dough.

That first batch of cookies was – uh – yucky. Apparently the oatmeal provides a lot of bulk to the cookies.

For the second batch I added extra flour. Hot out of the oven, they were pretty good. The pasta added a light, pleasant chew. I thought I had it nailed.

But then they cooled. And the pasta became little balls of gummy rubber. Not good.

At all.

I tried baking them less time, more time, hotter and cooler. Nothing worked. They always reverted to an unpleasant chewiness when they cooled.

By this time, I only had enough Fregola left to try one more time. So I boiled the pasta way beyond any definition of al dente. Where I had originally cooked them about 12-15 minutes, this last time I had them going for 23 minutes. There was no bite left at all.

And I met with resounding success! After cooling, the cookies developed a very slight, and very pleasant chew to them. To finish them off and make them beautiful, I used the saffron to create a beautiful and delicious glaze. Update: Voting is happening now. Please visit Marx Foods Fregola Dessert Recipe Challenge to vote.

I must say, the infusion of the vanilla flavor into the Fregola is amazing! The flavor permeated the pasta, leaving behind a delicious pop of vanilla with every bite. I imagine that the pasta would pick up other flavors just as readily. I intend to get some more and explore it’s savory use as well.

Vanilla Pearl Cookies with Saffron Glaze

• 1/2 cup Fregola Sarda pasta
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split down the middle
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 c butter, room temperature
• 1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 c granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. milk
• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Glaze:

• 2 Tbsp. hot water
• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 1 c powdered sugar

Cook Fregola, vanilla bean and salt in boiling water until pasta is very soft – approximately 20-25 minutes. Drain and cool completely. Remove and discard the vanilla bean. Measure 1 cup of Fregola.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together.

Mix in egg, vanilla extract and milk. Beat until smooth.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir thoroughly into butter/egg mixture. Stir in 1 cup cooked and cooled Fregola pasta.

Drop cookies 2 inches apart onto a cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown.

Remove cookies from pan and cool on cooling rack. When cooled, combine all glaze ingredients and drizzle over cookies.

Yield – about 24 cookies.

Disclaimer (please read really quickly and quietly)- Marx Foods
provided me with the Fregola Sarda, vanilla beans, saffron and
star anise (which I did not use). This recipe was adapted from
the Joy of Cooking Quick Oatmeal Cookies recipe. If this recipe
is selected as a winner in the Marx Foods Fregola Sarda dessert
challenge, I will win a Marx Foods gift certificate.

It’s been a rough couple of days in our household. My mother came down with a stomach flu on Tuesday, and Austin and I were copycats and decided to be sick on Wednesday. This morning, Austin was better, but I wasn’t, and Ryan was.

Usually when I’m sick I can still read about food. I think maybe its because when I read about food, its more of a fact-finding process rather than an imagining-what-it-tastes-like process. I read food blogs and cookbooks for the articles, not the pictures.

But yesterday, I couldn’t even do that.

By about 10:30 this morning, however, that all changed. I got hungry and food sounded good. And I even wanted to get up off my butt and cook something.

So I made soup noodles.

I pulled out a quart of frozen homemade chicken broth, dumped it in a pan with 2 cups of water, some chopped onions, a crushed clove of garlic and a couple of chopped up carrots. When it came to a boil, I added soy sauce until it tasted salty enough, then two “bunches” of my favorite organic udon noodles. Boil 5 minutes to cook the noodles, and we’re good to go. Better than packages of ramen, but without all the crap.

Garlic, dear garlic, how do I love thee?
Let me count the ways…

But don’t worry…I wrote one good poem back in sixth grade. It was a Haiku. It was really good and I don’t think I can top it. So I’m not going to try.

Ever.

So, instead of writing a poem proclaiming my love to this sharply frangranced, near perfect food from the gods, I’ll just give you a terrific recipe instead.

It’s for chicken scampi, and its a great thing to do with leftover roasted chicken. If you like shrimp scampi, you’re gonna love this.

Chicken Scampi

4 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded

4 T butter (c’mon, keep breathing. Use 1/2 olive oil if it’ll make you feel better.)

2 cloves garlic

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 T fresh basil, chopped (or 1 tsp dried basil)

1 T fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 tsp dried oregano)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 c lemon juice

1/2 c dry white wine

1/4 c heavy whipping cream

1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped

1 pound penne pasta, cooked

In a large pan, melt butter. Saute garlic and onions 2-3 minutes. Add shredded chicken and saute 2-3 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. (Add the basil & oregano here if you’re using dried. For fresh herbs, add after you’ve reduced the liquid in the next step.)

Deglaze the pan with lemon juice and white wine. Continue cooking until liquid is reduced by half. Add basil, oregano and cream.

Cook until heated through.

Garnish with parsley and serve with pasta.

Serves 4 -6.

This may not look like its poisonous, but believe me, it is. And we ate it for dinner tonight

Ages, eons and centuries ago, when Nick was 5 or 6, we were having dinner at Olive Garden. Nick, as usual, was having Fettucini Alfredo and (gasp!) there was a penne noodle in with his fettucini.

And being the loving, kind-hearted and caring parents we were, Paul and I managed to convince Nick that eating different kinds of pasta together created poisonous toxins. We even got the server to back us up!

Eventually Nick’s common sense kicked in, however it took a couple of years. which was nice, because its always good to have easy entertainment as close at hand as a box of spaghetti mixed with a couple of pieces of farfelle.

Now fast forward to tonight. Once again, I found myself with partial boxes of fettuccini, linguini and spaghetti noodles. So I combined them and served them together.

And thus, I have poisoned my family.

Deliciously.

Garlic Lemon Shrimp Pasta
Cook according to directions on box and drain, reserving approx. 1/2 c of the
pasta water: 1 box fettuccini (c’mon, be daring and mix in some linguini)

Combine in a bowl and marinate 15-20 minutes
1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined
3 cloves garlic, crushed
zest from 1 large lemon
2-3 T olive oil

Heat additional 2 T olive oil and 2 T butter in a large skillet
Add 2-3 cloves garlic to oil and saute until it starts to smell delicious
Add marinated shrimp (cook in two batches if necessary to avoid crowding)
Season with salt & pepper

When shrimp is cooked, remove to bowl; set aside.
Squeeze juice from 1 lemon into pan
Add 1/4 cup heavy cream.
Season to taste with salt & pepper
Add a pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired.

Add pasta to pan and mix to combine. Stir in shrimp.

Serve with grated Parmesean.

Tonight’s dinner was the same pink sauce that Anna and I made with the gnocci last month, only this time I served it with fettuccine and shrimp.

Hush. I don’t care that it looks like spaghetti. It’s fettuccine. I didn’t forget to buy fettuccine. And you can’t prove it.

Cause it’s gone. Gobbled up.

You should have heard the table. Nobody was talking. We’re not supposed to talk with our mouths full.