Thoughts on New Lagostina Cookware and Whole Wheat Linguine with Roasted Italian Sauce with Mushrooms

Wednesday morning we picked up our new Lagostina Collezion Pro 12 Elite Series cookware that had finally arrived via rain cheque.  We bought the set at a fantastic 60% off.  The cookware was bought to upgrade our cookware at home while allowing us to take our existing pot set down to our vacation home.  It was also bought with the goal of reducing the number of pots and pans needed to prepare certain dishes.  Instead of searing in a fry pan then transferring to a casserole dish, these pieces will allow us to do everything in one pan, stovetop to oven.  I have to be honest with you, aside of oogling the new cookware and reorganizing the cabinet to accomodate it, I did not use any of the cookware until this morning when I started a pot of navy beans for baked beans as part of our Easter dinner tomorrow.

We bought a set of Italian made Lagostina Renaissance pots about 10 years ago.  They still look great and perform quite nicely.  As far as pots go, these are a delight to use with their heavy tri-clad bases that eliminate hot spots.  The handles have faded a bit from going through the dishwasher but they still have the high polish protective coating that keeps them shiny.  The only downside to this particular set, is they cannot be used in the oven due to the handles.  Other than that, they are great performers.  I really would not have thought of replacing them had it not been for our cooking style changing a bit and wanting a better set of pots for our vacation home.

We got a rain cheque for the Lagostina Collezione Pro cookware the day after the sale flyer came out.  It took almost two weeks for them to arrive.  We chose this set because it is a multi-material set.   Cookware is currently available in aluminum, stainless steel, copper, and cast iron.  A non-stick coating is a popular edition.  If buying non-stick, I highly recommend ceramic over tefalon for safety and durability.  At one time, Pyrex had a line of glass cookware available but there were shattering issues so it was removed from the market.  You can still find it at resale shops and yard sales from time to time.  Each of the cookware materials have pros and cons.  The best cookware is actually a combination of more than one material to give even heat conduction and distribution.  As you cook more, you come to realize to realize certain cookware material gives better results than others.  For example, a good sear is best done in a hot stainless steel pan because a non-stick pan cannot be brought to a high enough temperature for a good sear.  If you are getting creative with cooking, then a matching set like the Lagostina Renaissance is not a good choice unless you don't mind buying specialty pieces.

The Collezione Pro cookware consists of two tri-ly clad sauce pans for true even heat distribution (eg. sauces, vegetables, soups), one bi-clad sauté pan with anodized exterior for even heat (eg. braising, searing, flambéeing), one tri-ply copper exterior saucepan (delicate sauces, reducing liquids), one tri-ply copper exterior casserole for precise cooking control and an enamel coated cast iron dutch oven for superior heat retention (eg. soups, stews, casseroles).  All of the cookware have matching lids. All of the cookware can be used on the stovetop and in the oven.  The set comes with a lifetime replacement warranty and if a piece is replaced under that warranty, the replacement piece is also covered by the original warranty.  Of not, the guarantee does not apply to any damage resulting from abuse, misuse, negligence, accidents, improper repair, commercial use or dishwasher.  Needless to say, this cookware will not be going into the dishwasher!

My concern was missing the Dutch oven from my old set.  It will take a bit of getting used to the new cast iron dutch oven.  It is more of a conceptual thing with me because the new Dutch oven doesn't look like it can be used on the stovetop.  I've seen the celebrity chefs using this style on the stovetop and so far this morning, the beans are cooking nicely.  I'll report back on those results shortly.
 

Pots and pans do not always come with everything you want or need.  We do a lot of steaming, often have more than one steamed dish cooking at the same time so really needed steamer baskets.  Our pastaiola came with two steamer baskets, a rather deep one perfect for larger quantities of vegetables or cooking pasta then lifting out for quick draining, and a shallower one (with handle) that fit the Dutch oven of the Renaissance set perfectly.  I kept the steamer basket out of our first rice maker when it quit.  This basket fit the largest saucepan of the Renaissance set perfectly.  Neither of these steamer baskets fit the new Collezion set perfect but they are useable.  The larger one fits down into the new Dutch oven still leaving space between the water level and basket.  The smaller one fits the larger tri-ply clad stainless steel saucepan, sticking up by about a half inch but it will still work.  In the meantime, I will keep checking the resale shops for steamer baskets that might fit a bit better.

My husband and I really enjoy our pastas!  There are so many varieties of pastas that we just never really tire of it.  We enjoy both dry pasta and fresh made pastas using the Kitchen Aid pasta attachment.  I have been working towards making some of our favourite pasta meals a bit healthier.  All of my tomato based pasta sauces are home canned or homemade from scratch.  While they are rich, full bodied and flavourful, I seldom add salt so they are low sodium.  All have a little olive oil in them which makes the anti-oxidant lycopene more accessible to the body, making them a healthy sauce.  I often top pasta dishes with chopped fresh herbs and vegetables along with a little shredded cheese.  There are now a lot of healthy choices for dried pastas.  Some are made with whole grains while others have vegetables added and some are a combination of both.

Catelli has a line of dry pastas called Healthy Harvest.  I bought a 375g box of their whole wheat linguine that gives 75% of the daily recommended whole grain servings and is a high source of fibre.  It only takes 9 minutes to cook to perfection.  I topped the pasta with home canned roasted Italian sauce with mushrooms, shredded Asiago cheese, chopped green onions and chopped tomato for a lovely, healthy and meatless dinner that was low sodium and low fat.  The entire meal took under 15 minutes to prepare! 

If you have not tried whole wheat pastas, they are well worth the slightly higher price.  I like the whole grain pastas.  They have just a bit  firmer texture than white wheat pastas.  There is a bit more texture, just a slightly noticeable grainy texture.  Whole grain pastas cook up more of a light tan than a pale creamy yellow.  Other than that, whole wheat pastas can substitute in any pasta dish.  This pasta is available in various shapes.  A multi-grain line of pastas is also available from Catelli so you are sure to find one to please.

Spaghetti with Blush Sauce

Pasta is such a versatile food! It comes in a variety of shapes and sizes so there is no end to the meal possibilities. It can be served either hot or cold with a variety of sauces, used as the main course or as a side and as a meatless meal. Pasta is easy to cook, usually boiled or baked. It is an excellent meal stretcher as well. In general sauces tend to be tomato, cream or milk, oil or butter, or gravy based. This results in a lot of possible sauces!

Blush Sauce

A béchamel sauce (white sauce) forms the basis of cheese sauces for pasta and white gravies. This is one of the easiest sauces to master. Melt about 2 tbsp of butter in a sauce pan. Slowly stir in about 2 tbsp of unbleached flour. Stir until nicely combined then continue stirring while slowly adding 2 cups of milk. Continue cooking and stirring until sauce thickens. Season with salt and peper.

I used 2 cups béchamel sauce and 1 cup roasted tomato sauce to make a blush sauce. A blush sauce is a great way to use up left-over tomato sauce that there isn't enough for a full meal. This is a unique, yet richly flavoured sauce ideal for spaghetti. As you can see the sauce is almost pink hence the name. I topped the pasta with the sauce then sautéed vegetables and served with cluster buns for an easy, tasty meatless and frugal dinner.

Souped Up Tomato Soup

A well stocked pantry is always an inspiration for my cooking. I have a large walk-in pantry that I'm in and out of several times most days. Quite often I get a glimpse of something in the pantry that forms the basis for a meal. This is one reason why menu planning with the exception of special events simply does not work for me. At heart I love the creativity of pantry cooking!

Souped Up Tomato Soup

I have posted many times about the various foods I can but sometimes how I use them is not always apparent. Since home canned foods play such a huge role in my pantry it only stands to reason that many meals are inspired from home canned foods. A couple of days ago I wanted a quick to prepare meal. Home canned tomato soup caught my eye for dinner but as Canadian Chef Michael Smith would say not any tomato soup, a special tomato soup. Michael Smith shows how to cook without a recipe on on Food Network Canada's Chef at Home. He gets his inspiration from one ingredient then builds from there. This is such a wonderful way to cook!

I started with home canned tomato soup made from scratch using garden fresh ingredients. The taste of this condensed soup beats store bought condensed tomato soup hands down! I decided to build on this soup base to create a souped up tomato soup. I added in home canned mushrooms, corn niblets, broccoli and red onion along with a bit of milk and Rooster Brand Instant Noodles to create a tasty, meatless soup that took less that 15 minutes to prepare. If you recall these are a healthier version of instant noodles than Ramen noodles Rooster Instant Noodles contain 0% fat making this a healthy soup as well.

Method: I heated 2 - 500 ml jars tomato soup then stirred in home canned mushrooms, frozen corn niblets, broccoli pieces and chopped red onion. Once the broccoli was lightly cooked I stirred in 500 ml of whole milk and brought to just a simmer then stirred in ¼ package of Rooster Instant Noodles. Cook 1 minute then ladle into bowls for serving.

Lazy Weekend Food

We had the best of intentions for the past weekend. Plans included shopping and getting more work done around the yard and house. Friday night we went shopping and stopped for all-you-can eat fish and chips. It wasn't a real late night but it was very tiring! We woke to rather chilly weather late Saturday morning. Sleeping in late is not normal for either of us. It ended up being more of a grazing type day rather than sitting down for an actual meal. Sunday was cold and rainy so we stayed in, puttering a bit and watching football. So it was a lazy, relaxing weekend.

Garlic Bread

Garlic bread is always a welcomed appetizer or snack. It can be made with fresh garlic or garlic powder and a variety of cheeses. The bread is usually a French style of bread. My husband used part of the second loaf of French bread I made Thursday to make garlic bread for a snack. Instead of topping with mozzarella cheese he used Wisconsin mild white cheddar.

Method: Melt 2 tbsp butter. Stir in finely chopped fresh garlic or about 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Allow the garlic to warm but not overheat. Cut loaf of French bread in half, lengthwise. Spread garlic butter on the bread. Top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350ºF until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. Remove from oven. Cut into individual servings.

Pizza Snacks

This snack goes back to the time our kids were little except we used hamburg buns and more toppings. Likely every Mom at one time has made a version of these using processed cheese slices. The problem with using processed cheese slices is just that. They are processed! They lack flavour as well. You can get a lot more flavour by using a variety of shredded cheeses and don't just limit your choice to mozzarella or cheddar. Try Asiago, Emmental, Colby, Monterey Jack or even flavoured cheeses.

We now make a grown-up version as an appetizer usually with only cheese as a topping. By simply changing the sauce or the cheese you can get a lot of nice variations. My husband wanted to make pizza snacks using home made pizza sauce. I can pizza sauce each year and since it is into tomato processing season we are completely out of pizza sauce! He used home made pasta sauce instead. This is a smooth, flavourful sauce that I can and looking at my dwindling supplies of it I will be making extra this year. He used the rest of the French bread and Wisconsin mild white cheddar for the snacks.

Method: Cut loaf in half. Spread sauce on loaf half. Top with shredded cheese of your choice. Bake at 350ºF until cheese is slightly browned and bubbly. Remove from oven. Cut into individual servings.

Baked Rigatoni

Rigatoni is a wide, tube shaped, ridged pasta with blunt ends. It has a larger diameter than penne. The ridges allow the rigatoni to hold more sauce. This pasta works well with a variety of sauces from hearty vegetable sauces, chunky meat sauces or creamy sauces. There was a half jar of home made pasta sauce left-over from the pizza snack but not enough for baked rigatoni so I used another jar as well. Topped with that lovely Wisconsin mild white cheddar mixed with sharp cheddar it was a comforting meal on a cold, rainy day.

This really is a budget stretching type of meal. It's meatless and using homemade sauce it is just pennies per serving. Yet it tastes anything but inexpensive! If you don't make homemade tomato sauces then a similar meatless sauce would be something like Ragu® pasta sauce. Shred your own cheese for extra savings and use cheeses that have a lot of flavour because you can use less (aka save money) but still get excellent results.

Method: Bring salted water with a little oil to a boil. Stir in the rigatoni (450 g). Cook 12 minutes or until al dente. Drain. Pour into baking dish. Pour pasta sauce over the rigatoni, mixing well. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 350ºF until cheese bubbles. Remove from oven and serve.

Mediterranean Pasta (Vegetarian)

Sunday was cold and nasty with rain on and off most of the day. It stopped raining long enough for me to cook angel hair pasta on the side burner of the grill. By the time we were eating dinner it was raining again! Doing without the normal kitchen amenities stimulates the creative juices.

Mediterranean Pasta

I decided to make a vegetable based pasta dish that was a bit different. Instead of a heavier sauce I tossed the hot angel hair pasta with a Mediterranean salad dressing containing kalamata olives, feta cheese, sundried tomatoes and herbs. Then I topped the pasta with steamed broccoli, fresh red onions, cherry tomatoes and jumbo stuffed olive slices. The olives are the kind bought in the deli section not in jars. The cherry tomatoes are from one of my tomato plants grown in a container. This plant is producing tomatoes faster than we can use them which highlights what I've been saying all along. A lot of produce can be grown in a small space and even in containers.

Mediterranean Pasta

1 454 g (1 lb) package angel hair pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
salt

½ c small broccoli flowerettes, cooked
½ c cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ c red onions, chopped
8 stuffed jumbo olives, sliced
½ c Mediterranean salad dressing with sundried tomatoes

Fill a large sauce pot half full with water. Add olive oil and a good sprinkling of salt. Bring to a boil. Stir in the angel hair pasta. Boil about 5 minutes or until al dente. Drain. Toss the hot pasta with the salad dressing. Plate. Top with vegetables.