Also known as Haluski, this Eastern European dish translates as "noodles". I first heard about this amazingly simple (and CHEAP!) dish from a distant cousin who was old enough to learn recipes first-hand from my Austrian Great-Grandmother. If you know me, you know that I love family ancestry, but let's just say my Scandinavian, Austrian, and Polish background doesn't lend to many mouth-watering recipes! So I'm super excited to share this one with you because IT'S ACTUALLY GOOD!

The only thing that you need to afford yourself before diving into this recipe is PATIENCE. Take your time caramelizing the bacon and onion, because this step will carry the dish. If you don't bother, be prepared for bland. Also, don't be shy with the salt. Seriously.

1 lb. bacon, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 head cabbage, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper
1 pkg. wide egg noodles, cooked and drained

The first step is to caramelize the bacon and onions. In a large, deep skillet, cook the bacon and onions over medium-high heat. It will feel like forever until the bacon starts render down and turn brown in color, but that's OK. The onion is slowing it down. Continue to saute for 20-30 minutes, turning the heat down if necessary, until the bacon is finally crisp and the onions are translucent. Set aside and DO NOT DRAIN THE GREASE.
Next, add the chopped cabbage to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes. You'll want to brown the cabbage almost as if it were charred all while cooking it through. The leafy pieces of the cabbage will cook down fist while the core pieces will stay more crisp -- this texture variance makes a bit of interest, so it's OK. Salt and pepper the cabbage liberally to taste. Add the minced garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl (or the empty stock pot from making the noodles), toss together the cabbage and noodles. Using a slotted spoon, scoop in the bacon to the mixture so that the grease is left behind. Once all the bacon is added, add in as much of the grease as you like. I used roughly 3 tablespoons. Salt and pepper yet again to taste.

A co-worker brought in leftovers of this pasta dish and highly recommended it. So of course I pinned it and promised to give it a try. The result? I liked it. I didn't love it. But I still managed to go back for seconds. I wish it had a little more zing. Not sure what could add that component...Maybe a splash of vinegar next time? Some tomatoes? I don't mean to downplay this recipe, you really should try it. The best part? It's all made in one pot! Love that type of easy clean up!

Recipe courtesy of Host the Toast

I have to give my sister credit for this one. She made this for our cousin's baby shower a long time ago and it was awesome. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) it's the type of pasta dish that you can't stop eating. For example, I just finished making the salad and was waiting for the oven to pre-heat for the rest of the meal to go with it, but I had this issue with continuously coming back for a bite or two. Well, let's just say I probably ate more the of salad in passing than I had with dinner.

My favorite way to eat this is right away while the ingredients are still lukewarm. But it's also great refrigerated. Just be warned, the longer you refrigerate this, the more likely the sun-dried tomatoes are going to bleed onto the pasta giving it dark spots (it still tastes the same - it just looks a little less appealing).

1 cup orzo pasta
1/2 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 C. re-hydrated sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 small can black olives, chopped
3 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion
1/4 C. chopped fresh basil
2 oz. feta cheese

Dressing:
1/4 C. olive oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice (1 whole lemon, juiced)
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. sugar

Cook 1 cup orzo, drain, and set aside. Whisk together dressing ingredients and then add it to the pasta while it's still warm. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Enjoy.

A few week's ago I ordered a dish called papardelle with stout braised lamb, oyster mushrooms, spinach, and pecorino at a local restaurant called Zelo. The wide papardelle noodles, oyster mushrooms, and braised lamb were the standout players in the dish while there was a sauce...a red one i think -- that went unnoticed but rounded out pasta with just the right flavors. 

For some reason my memory was a little foggy on the ingredients when I stopped by the grocery store with the intention of making it at home. I got lamb, shiitake mushrooms, and lots of crushed tomatoes for a ragu sauce. Needless to say, my version was quite different than the inspiration, but still quite good. I have a love-hate relationship with lamb, so if you don't like "game-y" tasting meat, I would suggest substituting italian sausage. I only used 1/2 lb. of lamb, and a shank cut, and thought that was plenty for my taste buds. The original recipe called for shoulder, so I recommend trying that cut instead.

Recipe adapted from Men's Health

1/2 - 1 lb. lamb shoulder (or 1 lb. ground italian sausage - skip the braising part)
2 C. chicken broth (only if making lamb)
Olive oil
2 carrots, diced small
1 medium onion, diced small
2 stalks celery, diced small
3 C. red wine
54 oz. crushed tomatoes (about 2 cans)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried thyme
4 bay leafs
1 8oz. package shiitake or oyster mushrooms
Crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. cooked pappardelle noodles (I used bucatini, but papardelle would work much better)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Begin by braising the lamb in a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven. Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil over high heat and then brown the meat on all sides -- about 5 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock and add enough water to bring the liquid halfway up the sides of the meat. (I decided to use a little red wine and tossed in some of the mire poix veggies for extra flavor). Cover, and bake a 300 degrees for 3 hours, or until the meat is falling apart. Remove from pan, allow to cool, then shred into small pieces. Now, I hope you didn't clean that pan yet, because we're going to deglaze it's lingering flavors and start the sauce. Discard the remaining liquid from the braising pan and bring back to the stove. Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil and over medium-high heat, add in the carrots, onion, and celery. Saute for 5 minutes or so until the vegetables become translucent. Pour in the wine and delglaze the pan by scraping down all he brown bits and incorporating them into the liquid. Add the tomatoes, garlic, thyme, and bay leafs. Reduce heat to low, and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for an hour. Add the mushrooms and red pepper to taste. Continue to cook until mushrooms are soft - about 30 minutes. Boil the noodles and top with the sauce and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.