March 14, 2011

Caesar Spaghetti



I'll be the first to admit that I find Rachael Ray a little over-the-top perky and I have to be in the right mood to watch her show.  When I saw her latest cookbook, Look + Cook, at the library I hesitated a little before adding it to the stack I was borrowing.  And then I forgot about it.  Well, not enough to earn me a library fine, but enough to give me just one quick look through before it was due.  I have to say that there were a few recipes that peaked my interest.  One recipe that jumped out at me was Caesar Spaghetti, and I quickly noted the recipe before I placed the book in the return basket.

Caesar Salad is a favorite around here, so I figured that these flavors in a spaghetti dish would be popular too, and I was right.  It is very easy to put together and the flavors were good.  I wish the sauce had been a little thicker, so I might play around with that a little.  I also found that the recipe was missing the croutons that you would expect to find on a Caesar Salad.  To fix this problem I cut some Hawaiian Sweet Bread rolls in half and lightly toasted them, and then gave them a nice schmear of garlic butter.  Problem solved.




I did have to make a few adjustments.  I looked everywhere but I could not find escarole.  Suitable substitutions are kale and spinach, so I went with spinach and it seemed to work out well.  Also, my daughters are not fans of little fishies (anchovies) so I omitted them and used the full tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.  Leftovers were good too.


Caesar Spaghetti
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

  • salt
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
  • 6 anchovy fillets, drained
  • 4 large cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 medium heads escarole, washed
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano
Directions
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. 
  2. Once boiling, salt the water and then add the pasta and cook until just shy of al dente, according to package directions. Before draining reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking water.
  3. While the pasta is cooking, put a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the extra-virgin olive oil. Add the anchovies and cook until they've melted into the oil, about 2 minutes. 
  4. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic, stir 1 minute then add in Worcestershire. 
  5. Shred the escarole and add several handfuls at a time, wilting the greens in the garlic oil. 
  6. Dress the greens with lots of pepper and a little nutmeg, then squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the pan. 
  7. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually add the reserved starchy cooking water to temper them - do this slowly or you will get scrambled eggs.
  8. Turn off the heat and add the drained pasta and the egg mixture. Stir to combine. 
  9. Add half of the cheese and toss vigorously for 1 minute. 
  10. Dress the pasta with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and transfer to a serving dish. 
  11. Pass the remaining cheese at the table.
Recipe by Rachael Ray

18 comments:

  1. Ah I am excited that I am not the only one that checks out cookbooks from the library! :) It is the best way to 'test-drive' new cookbooks and find new recipes - like this once, since I although I have made pasta like this before I never thought to call it Caesar!

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  2. I really love the idea of Caesar spaghetti :) salad is really great and your spaghetti look really delicious too

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  3. I like your version with the spinach and no anchovies. My library borrows are usually cookbooks too. It's nice to be able to make the handful of recipes you like without having to sink $20 or more into a book.

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  4. Caesar spaghetti? Sure, why not? Sounds quite good and your photos make it look delicious.
    LL

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  5. Caesar salad is one of my favorites and love the idea of it on spaghetti!!

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  6. Your pasta sounds wonderful, and your pics are gorgeous. My husband like Caesar salad, so we might make this recipe, but would have to "tinker around" with the sodium content. Thanks for sharing.

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  7. Our library has been under construction for what seems like years, I miss being able to do that. This pasta sounds delish! He He I just wonder where she gets all her energy, wish I had more.
    -Gina-

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  8. What an interesting recipe!! I love it, and thanks for the tip of going to the library for cookbooks, why did I never think to do that?!

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  9. I am a library cookbook fiend, too. Kudos to Rachael Ray for creating something I wouldn't have thought of on my own. I know people hate her, but I have a developed an appreciation for her. (Don't tell!)This looks great, I'm definitely going to have to try it.

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  10. this looks delicious .. will love this dish anytime

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  11. I'm not a big Ray Ray fan either, however, I've tried a couple of her recipes and I have to say they were easy to do and hits all the way around. This one, minus the little fishies as well, is looking like another winner.

    Thought of you as I walked our side of the Pacific today with my own "tropical breezes", we got to 74 with just a light breeze!! Calm, glassy water filled with surfers. A good day!! (But I'll still take yours....)

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  12. this looks so good! and very interesting.. thank you for sharing this and have a great day.

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  13. Looks like it would be very tasty and hardy. My two favorite characteristics in a pasta:)

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  14. This sounds really good actually - I shy away from Rachel Ray as well but this looks like a good one to try! Photos are looking good!

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  15. This reminds me of the caesar salad soup that I made a while back. The flavours go so well together and I can see how it might be even better with a pasta! :)

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  16. Love the idea of taking the flavors of a ceasar salad and putting it in a pasta dish.

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  17. I agree, 100% with your Rachael Ray comment. I actually can't deal with her most of the time. But this spaghetti looks really yummy!

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