My Italian friends will tell me if I have completely misused their language but hopefully I have tempted you with the name.

I like to use Gemelli pasta for salads and for large recipes.  I find it has just enough twists and is just the right size.  Barilla  is a good brand but there are others.

This recipe will feed 6 and may leave you with some leftovers.  Serve with tossed salad

Start with two boxes of Gemelli pasta

12 to 15 medium mushrooms washed and sliced in thirds lengthwise ( my feeling is that it is difficult to have too many mushrooms.  But some might think differently so this is a guide)

4 cloves of garlic

1/2  jar of tomato puree

1 bunch green onions diced

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

If you can find oven roasted tomatoes (We will make some together in a few weeks) add 1 cup.  I love oven roasted tomatoes.  They far outshine sundried in flavour and health benefits.

And Finally, the secret ingredient to this recipe.  The leftovers from your Tomato, Basil, Feta and PEACH salad.  Puree in food processor or blender for 5 seconds.  Just long enough to break it down but not enough to make it completely mushy.  We don’t as a rule like mush at ‘Pam’s Kitchen’.  Set this mixture aside.  I suggest you have two cups!

If you do NOT have this salad on hand and would still like to make this recipe, use the whole jar of tomato puree and 1 cup basil leaves.    You could also add a couple of peaches which will give it a bit of a tangy, sweet flavour. Peel them and dice them and either mash or puree them.   You can also add 1/2 cup of chicken stock (It might be in your freezer) which always adds great flavour to a dish if you aren’t sure what to add and need a bit of  extra taste.   This recipe will taste slightly different but will be option B.  Still very yummy.  I have made this dish many times and you may have made a variation of it.

Using the leftover Tomato, Basil, Feta and PEACH just gives it a richer more interesting flavour.

METHOD:

In a medium frying pan melt 1 TBLSP. butter on medium heat.  Do not let the butter get brown.  Add mushrooms and cook until golden.  You may need to reduce the heat so they cook slowly.  They should not be FRIED.  Sauteed is a slower and more gentle way to cook.  I suggest you do the mushrooms in two batches so you don’t crowd your pan and end up sweating the mushrooms instead of browning them.  REMEMBER:  Browning food adds flavour.  For the second batch, you may need to add another TBLSP. of butter  add a pinch of salt as they cook.

While mushrooms are cooking, peel garlic and chop fine.   When mushrooms are almost cooked, add garlic to pan and cook for approximately 5 minutes.  When they are finished cooking, add chopped green onions and set aside.

In separate saucepan on medium heat, place pureed tomato/peach mixture, along with 1 cup of tomato puree from the jar and roasted tomatoes.  If you don’t have the roasted, don’t worry.  The dish will still be delicious.

Bring large pot of water to a boil.

add 1 tsp. salt to the water

Add 1 1/2 boxes of pasta and cook until el dente.  Drain and put it back into the pot.

***Here is a tip from me!  Someone who has on many occasions ended up with too much pasta  and wished I had not added so much.  My Tip is that you add the pasta to the sauce instead of vice versa.  This way you will have a much better idea of what the combination needs.  Put pasta, a bit at a time, into the sauce (which has now been removed from the element)  Give it a toss and add a bit more pasta.  This recipe is not intended to have a thick and juicy, saucy pasta.  **You can decide what you want the consistency to be.  Add as much pasta as you want and pour into large bowl.  Sprinkle with parmesan and serve.

**I learned to cook by trial and error.  If your recipe does not taste the way it did last time or you think it looks different than it is supposed to look, don’t fret.  It’s not a problem.  This time might be the beginning of a new creation.  Relax and enjoy making your meal.  If it isn’t your favorite, change it up next time.  No right or wrong!!  Every time is an adventure.

Now, For a twist (which I used on the night of the creation of this dish) you may add Chicken.  My very favorite multi purpose recipe for chicken is this one.  You can cook it earlier in the afternoon and have it already taken off the bones and broken into appropriate pieces.  (I much prefer broken chicken to evenly cut pieces.  This gives the dish a more organic, natural look and I also think it tastes different)  If you choose to use this chicken recipe you will have some  stock in your chicken pan.  Use 1/2 a cup of this in the pasta and it will be wonderful.  You can decide whether it should have chicken or not but either way I hope you and yours enjoy it.

As you may have noticed, I have actually provided you with two different recipes for gemelli pasta.  One with leftover salad and one with all new ingredients.

Either/Or!

You pick!