Black Beans and Rice...and Cuban Picadillo

Being on WeightWatchers is so much fun, and versatile with all the interesting and delicious foods you can prepare, right out of the cookbook, or get recipes online. Not only that, but you can create your own menus, as long as they are not too fatty, or too much carbs. I love beans, any kind...especially black beans. Here is South Florida we have a huge population of Cuban/Americans that have brought their culture, and cuisine with them to carry on and you can find a Cuban restaurant, or market all around town, here in West Palm Beach, but mostly in Miami!

It's so easy to make Black Beans and Rice, very satisfying with the addition of the Picadillo, which is stirred into the ready made Black Beans and Rice, and if you want to keep it vegetarian...just omit the Picadillo. I will include the basic ingredients for the Picadillo, which is a Cuban hearty ground beef dish, that can be also served with rice, just by itself...combining it with the black beans is really, so hearty and delicious with a simple salad on the side!

Black Beans and Rice
by; Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook

4 teaspoons olive oil
1 green bell pepper seeded and chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
5-6 garlic, minced
1 (16-ounce) can black beans, rinsed
and drained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup vegetable stock, or broth
4 teaspoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
4 cups cooked white rice

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil. Saute the bell pepper, onion, and garlic, until very soft, about 15 minutes. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, stock, sherry, thyme, bay leaf, oregano, pepper sauce, and water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. If the mixture becomes too thick, add hot water to thin to desired consistency. Stir in the cilantro, and season with the salt and pepper; discard the bay leaf. Serve over the rice. Makes 4 servings.
Points Value: 9

Note: with the addition of the picadillo, another 3, or 4 points are added. What I did, was have my usual coffee at breakfast, and ate an entire grapefruit (0 points)...NO OATMEAL...I saved my 4 points to have the Picadillo

For the Picadillo:
Saute 1 medium onion, 4 cloves chopped garlic, in small amt. of olive oil. Add 3/4 cup tomato sauce, 3/4 cup beef broth, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon cumin, few dashes of red hot sauce, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir in 8 to 10 pimento stuffed green olive (you can cut them in half) and chopped cilantro. Simmer for an additional 15 minutes. You can serve them over rice, or add, and stir in with the Black Beans and Rice.

Linking to: Cookbook Sundays @ Couscous & Consciousness

Out With the Old...and In With the New Year!

Savory Stuffed Cabbage Rolls- click on the link, for the recipe!

With the new year quickly approaching upon us, where as in Australia, New Zealand, China, Malaysia, and Japan, already has celebrated the New Year 2012...we will be be doing the same, at midnight! I will be featuring some of my dishes from 2011 that in our Hungarian/Italian tradition we celebrate.Savory Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, or Sweet Stuffed Cabbage Rolls is our tradition, to start the New Year off. The ground meat stuffed cabbage, is made with beef, but the fresh sausage is pork, and pork is traditionally eaten, for good luck!

Italian Sausage with Grilled Cheddar Polenta-click on the link for recipe

Here's another suggestion: Italian Sausage with Grilled Cheddar Polenta. One of our very favorites, but if you're a vegetarian, you can omit the sausage...in fact, don't omit the sausage, just try the delicious polenta, filled with chopped jalapeno pepper, and grilled potatoes, onions, and zucchini, is sure to satisfy your hunger, and it's such a fabulous meal combination.

Garden Lentil Balls

No...these are not meatballs, they are actually Garden Lentil Balls and are packed with fresh gremolata, made with a combination of fresh herbs and fresh garlic, of course. Check for the recipe for the gremolata, as well. You can use lemon, in place of orange to make it traditional.You can also add Marinara sauce on top of these yummy lentil balls, and eat it as a main dish, with past

In Southern Italy, there is a tradition: OUT WITH THE OLD...meaning, on New Year's day, you throw out old objects, out the window, or over the balcony...just with caution!

Last...but not least, another Italian tradition, I don't know exactly which region it comes from, but listen to this one...WEAR RED UNDERWEAR!...yes, it's a tradition, but not just any old "ratty" red underwear, it has to be a new one!...most importantly, a gift from someone...LOL

...another suggestion for New Year's, is brunch... too early for breakfast, and maybe you want to chuck the suggested tradition, and go with BRUNCH!

Home fries-click on the link for recipe

There's nothing more comforting for a brunch than Home fries, bacon, scrambled eggs, or pancakes, waffles, and most comforting and so yummy, are the french toast!

Mark Bittman's Perfect Pancakes

 ...or how about these totally delicious and perfect pancakes...Mark Bittman's Perfect Pancakes. I was on a blueberry "kick, when I made these yummy pancakes! So amazing, really good!

It has been such a blessed year, with family, and friends, my life is fulfilled with such joy, you have all given me...by supporting my blog with all your sweet comments, love, and caring!

Wishing all of you a Very Happy New Year, in health and prosperity...with Love!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days o’ lang syne!

Chorus:

For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne,
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet
For auld lang syne!

Garden Lentil Balls, and Gremolata

If you are looking for something pretty...this isn't the dish you should be looking at, but if you are looking for something healthy, and good-for you vegetables made into meat balls...actually there's no meat in them just all vegetables mashed up, egg whites, and bread crumbs to bind them.

I almost forgot to mention the incredible gremolata which was mixed into the vegetables that really added the flavor to the lentil balls. Inspired by Joy Bauer's Slim and Scrumptious "Garden Lentil Burgers" recipe, I re-created something entirely different from a few basic ingredients. I will certainly make the Lentil Burgers next time, which has brown rice, soy sauce, and different kinds of veggies, and spices.

Chunky Tomato Soup, and a Winner!

I made this chunky tomato soup, on the same day that I made the sausage and the polenta, just to have a comforting soup on hand, since I had all the ingredients. I gave a huge amount to my daughter, not to mention the huge pot of chicken soup I made for them, coming back from cold, and freezing NYC. The first thing she asked me was, "did you take a photo of the tomato soup?"...and I said, no! "It's too mediocre"...on second thought, which was a day later, when I heated up the soup..."why not?"...yes, I will take a photo of it, along with my "creme fraiche" topping.
But wait!...I only have about half a portion of soup left over! Oh well!...no worries, still tasted so good, I would have loved a nice grilled cheese sandwich with that, but did not have sliced American, or Cheddar slices on hand, so I just enjoyed the soup with crackers!

Old-Fashioned Date and Nut Bread-Cookbook Sundays

Not again, not another banana bread?...you're probably wondering. Well it's not, it is a super wonderful Date bread, with walnuts, from another "thrift find" book of mine, which cost only $2.49, from Goodwill. This book does not have any pictures, it is, what it is! Just simple, and I love it, because these are recipes from backs of labels on cans, boxes,  jars, you name it...these are the forgotten, and tossed away recipes, compiled into one super great book.

I made this bread for my family, to have with their extremely early breakfast at about 4:00AM, for their caffe latte. They were rushing off to catch their plane to New York City...it's beyond me...why at this time for the year, would you wand to spend 3 days in snow, ice, and sleet in the city? ...the answer is...NEW YORK, NEW YORK..."the city, that never sleeps". It's a city that welcomes you 365 days a year, and 24/7. Also when you are in the restaurant business, as my son-in-law is, He likes to check out the restaurants in Miami, and the best ones, in New York.

I am staying away from the extreme cold and snow, but for them, it's an adventure. The little ones have never seen snow. My children got all bundled up in their snugly winter gear, from head to toe. For the last three days my daughter Lora was gathering stuff for them from her friend who has children their age. Her friend and little family spend every Christmas in Idaho with their family, so obviously they have all the winter clothes.
I've been away from the cold climate in Ohio for over 35 years, and that's a long time. Your blood thins out when you are not used to such cold weather, they say. We had our lowest temperature here, in South Florida, which is a record low of 29 degrees with a 12 degree wind chill, which cooled it even more into the teens. I was not about to budge and venture out that day.

Sweet Potato Latkes and Pickles?

These are the best sweet potato latkes I've made, this year, for the first night of Hanukkah, and my camera went "blank" on me...the screen, just totally gave out. My nine year old granddaughter, (bless her little heart) stepped right in, to take the first shot...and that's the only photo I have of this, while still frying in the cast iron skillet, she took such a nice pic. I finally got my new camera-Canon SX130 IS, which I will be taking my photos of my foods. Gabriella did not waste any time, checking out my camera, while I was still reading the instruction book, she already took such amazing photos of the Christmas tree, and her little brother, and figured out the video. Fort the sweet potato latkes, the real secret to it, as far as I'm concerned, the best way to make it crisp, and not come out soggy, you have to add a couple of Idaho potatoes to it, and make sure, you use matzo meal, instead of flour.

I have been wanting to make my homemade pickles for quite a while now, but not been able to, because I could not find the small cucumbers for pickles. I really like the Kirby brand, but cannot  find them anywhere. While at Costco's, I found a bag of these cute gourmet mini cukes and got all excited, about jarring them...and the jar?...yeahh..."thrift find" a quart size  light blue mason jar, 2 of them, from Goodwill, for $.99. each.
All you have to do is to sterilize the jar in the dishwasher, just run it through a regular wash with the other dishes, prepare the brine= vinegar and water, and pack them tightly in the jar with the boiled water/vinegar, and the herbs. I will post the recipe for the latkes, and the pickles. I also have a Tagging to pass to 15 bloggers., with 7 questions...tthanks to my sweet friend Jo, from Chic & Gorgeous, who passed the tagging to me, last week. So, I'm posting the recipes, and also the tagging.

Baked Eggplant with Roasted Potatoes #3





Just when you thought I had enough potatoes...here comes more!...OK, enough of the potato "show"...or not! This dish is so classic, so easy, and the potatoes have of course, my Indian inspired spices, along with my Hungarian paprika. Simple spicy Italian dressing, right from the bottle is what I used for marinating the eggplant slices for about an hour, and just patting a thick layer of Panko crumbs on it, and bake it very nicely along with the vegetables for almost an hour, until it gets nicely brown and crispy...oh my, what a treat...tastes so rich, it's so yummy, and satisfying, if you have any leftover, the next day you can just make a sandwich with the eggplant, and eat it cold. It's that good!

Baked Eggplant with Roasted Potatoes

1 large eggplant

2-4 large baking potatoes

2 whole garlic

1 onion

1/2 cup spicy Italian dressing

or (oil, and vinegar+spices)

3Tbsp vegetable oil

cooking spray

1/2 cup plain water

a mixture of Indian inspired spices+

Hungarian hot, or sweet Paprika

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice eggplant into 1/2 inch slices.( you need it a little thick, so it can have a good bite and flavor to it.). Soak the eggplant slices in salty water for about 20 minutes. Cut potatoes into quarter wedges, and set aside in a bowl of water. Cut the onion into quarters, cut the tops of the garlic off.

In order to get the spices coating the potatoes, just put the potatoes in a large Ziploc baggie, and put the spices directly in there, give it a good shake, and it's done. Do the same thing with the eggplant and the dressing.

 Put the eggplant with the dressing in a large Ziploc baggie, let it marinade for at least 30 minutes than just dip them in Panko, or course breadcrumbs on a platter, adding more marinade as needed, because, you have to pat them on with your hands, to make sure it's adhered. Layer everything, in a single layer on an aluminum lined large baking pan, pour the oil right under the vegetables, along, with starting out with 1/4 cup of water, adding the rest after about 30 minutes. (For the garlic, drizzle extra right on top)

Spray all the veggies, and eggplant with Pam, or other cooking spray, to prevent dryness, and to assure nice even baking. Bake for about 45 minutes, adding the 1/4 cup of the reserved water, to assure even baking.

That's really how you make crispy oven baked vegetables, especially eggplant. Serves 4.

note: Hungarian Paprika source-BENDE

Truly, the best imported Hungarian Paprika, you can find. I have ordered from them for the last 10 years, they ship promptly, and surprisingly the shipping charge is very minimal. Always satisfied, with the best products, and beautifully packaged, and generous amount for a very fair price...can't get these products in a store, elsewhere, because everything is either made on their premises, or imported.

Just when you thought I had enough potatoes...here comes more! This one is Italian spices inspired. Same roasting method! OK...so maybe I'm Irish, and don't even know it. Actually, not!
Just a blend of "Heinz 57, as they say"...a nice mixture of Mediterranean, and Eastern European!...yes, that's my heritage,my dear friends.
 

Braised Red Cabbage with Cider & Apples





I finally got around to making my foodie friend's recipe for this Braised Red Cabbage with Cider & Apples posted on her blog. She has the most amazing blog, called Angie's Recipes.Every kind of dish, weather it's comfort food, ethnic, or some fabulous dessert, you will want to stay, and explore the rest of her blog. Just when you thought you found the best recipe, there' a lot more to find....so be patient, because she has no less than about 65 comments, and more a day. But you know what?...she will respond back to you. She is totally laid back, and super nice.

Thank you Angie, like I mentioned, I even have the same lead crystal glass dish...unfortunately, I just didn't want to empty all those wonderful shells that I collected on the beach, here in Palm Beach, Florida. By the way, the glass dish was purchased at Goodwill last year, for $2.99, again, another great thrift find, and a wonderful recipe. If you want this recipe, you have to click over to Angie's blog!

Broccoli Rabe with Mushroom Gnocchi

I know many of your anti-broccoli haters will take one look at this dish and say YUK...UGHH!...Oh, common, this is not your ordinary broccoli, and yes, it's in the same family but this is the Italian version of it. It is pungent, bitter, crunchy, and so good, healthy for you.The gnocchi is imported from Italy, and it is vacuum sealed. This particular brand is a wild mushroom one that pairs so well with the broccoli rabe. 

Having lunch at Cafe Sapori, in my neighborhood in West Palm Beach, surely encouraged me to make the same dish for dinner. I did not adapt this from any recipe, I just know the simplicity of this dish.

Broccoli Rabe with Mushroom Gnocchi


1 bunch of broccoli rabe, washed, stems cut, and chopped coarsely
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 17. oz pkg. of gnocchi, or orecchiette
salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese


If you don't have a steamer basket (which I couldn't find, when I needed it)...In a large skillet, pour about 1/2 cup of water, and place the coarsely chopped broccoli rabe. Cover with a lid, or a large piece of aluminum foil, and on a high heat, steam for a few minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water. In the same large skillet, saute garlic,  in the olive oil...add the crushed red pepper flakes and  the broccoli rabe. Add the salt and pepper, and combine it with the cooked gnocchi, or the orecchiette pasta. Serve immediately, and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Simple, and delicious!

Note: Please click on the link for the broccoli rabe, to further assist in explaining what it is. Also, mushroom gnocchi, is simply a pasta dish with wild mushroom added inside the dough. You can see the specs of the mushrooms, and certainly taste the goodness of the wild porcini mushroom flavor. It really balances out the flavor of the bitter broccoli rabe, or as they call it in Italian, rapini, or broccoli raab.Whichever name, or if it its all bulbs, then it would be broccolini.

Fabulous lunch a Cafe Sapori, encouraged me to go all the way with the broccoli rabe!




Beautiful beet salad with goat cheese, from Cafe Sapori

 

Related articles

• Recipe: Ricotta Cheese Gnocchi (nytimes.com)
• Gnocchi with wild mushrooms (independent.co.uk)


 

Stuffed Artichokes

I've been wanting to make stuffed artichokes for the longest time, but was not quite satisfied with the looks of them. They have to be large, firm and a beautiful deep green color, in order for me to buy it. This pair was a perfect match for stuffing and steaming, and served with a olio, aglio sauce...in our language, a nice dipping sauce with easily made with the combination of your best mayo, extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, and red wine vinegar.

The proper way to call these artichokes is Poached Stuffed artichokes. They are poached in a large pot, in small amount of boiling water for about 45 minutes. Make sure you cut the core off almost all the way to the bottom, so they can stand up. Snip the prickly leaves all around. They are no use. Also, with a serrated knife, cut the top off, about 1 inch, to expose the "heart". Wash well in water, and immediately rub with cut lemon, or lime juice, or white vinegar. After they're cooked, it's such a fun way of eating them, they have superb flavor. You simply peel off leave one-by-one, and dip them in the accompanying sauce, and the best part is, when you get to the heart, which has a rich, soft, butter flavor. Yumm!

Recipe, to follow.

Stuffed Artichokes (Poached)

2 nice large artichokes

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic chopped

salt and pepper to taste 

juice of 1 whole lemon, or lime

a handful of fresh parsley chopped

or (1 container of Tabbouleh...fresh, store bought)

( I used fresh parsley, and leftover Tabbouleh, from the 

Middle Eastern market)

In a small bowl, mix together all your ingredients, if not moist enough add a little more oil, or small amount of water, for a pasty effect. Stand artichokes upright, make sure you rub all over with the lemon, or lime, stretch the leave out, being careful not to tear them and lightly pack them with the stuffing...no special way, just wherever you can pack the stuffing lightly, all around. Now, drizzle a little more oil on top, and  place them in a large pot, just the way you see it in my photo, on top. Add water, 1/4 way up, and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, and gently simmer, over medium to low heat for about 45 minutes. You might have to add more water, as it cooks down. With a tong, gently remove to a platter, and make the dipping sauce for it. Serves, 2-4..depending how many persons want to try it.

Olio Aglio Sauce, or American version of Garlic and Oil 

1 cup of excellent quality, Mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove minced

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients, except the olive oil, With a whisk, carefully drizzle the olive oil, whisking well after each addition. Adjust the seasoning, and serve it on the side for the artichokes. Very good dipping sauce for the stuffed poached artichokes.

Baba Ghanoush

As you can see, from my previous eggplant posting, that we love eggplant, of any kind, but Baba Ganoush, the Middle Eastern dish is one of our all time favorite. It is easy to just simply roast in the oven and cut it open, let it cool a little, and scoop out all that goodness from the pulp. Just chop it up with a potato masher, and add all the nice spices that it calls for...and don't forget the Tahini!

 Baba Ghanoush

2 large eggplants

1/4 to 1/2 cup Tahini (sesame paste)

3 garlic cloves, minced

juice of 1 lemon

a pinch of ground cumin

a pinch of dry oregano (fresh is even better)

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

a small handful of fresh chopped parsley

1/4 cup brine-cured black olives, or Kalamata olives

On a baking sheet, line aluminum foil, prick the eggplants all over with a fork, drizzle with a small amount  of vegetable oil and roll it around, so that it's all covered with the oil. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 35t-45 minutes and test to see if it's soft. (It has to be totally soft.)

Remove from the oven, and cut in half, as show in photo, let it cool a little before scooping the pulp out. Place the eggplant in a bowl, and with a potato masher mash it to a nice paste. Add the Tahini, the garlic, the spices and lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning, if needed. Transfer the mixture to a nice serving dish and drizzle a little more extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with the parsley, and place the olives around the sides. Serve with toasted pita bread, or crostini. Naan is very good too to serve with. Serves 6.




 

Mediterranean Eggplant with Peppers, and Onions

So much for making my Eggplant balls. My daughter bought a ton of baby Japanese eggplants from our local Latina Produce market for about 10 for $1.00. Wow, how can you not want to get some? The trick is, finding a way of making these babies so they can still "shine" and show off their cute and tiny appearance. Unfortunately, after being roasted in a 375 degree oven, they come out looking like an over baked...or should I say "over tanned" wrinkled old lady. But do not "fret."...that's the best part. You can now, savor the flavor, of the tender,  little eggplants.
Treat them gently, and not peel them to discard their skins, or mash them up into a "Baba Ganoush" which I was about to do. Just let them be, and let their personalities flourish!

Mediterranean Eggplants with Peppers, and Onions
10 small Japanese eggplants
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 large tomato
1 green pepper
1 red, and/or yellow pepper
1/2 cup white wine
1 sprig fresh rosemary, peeled
2 Tbsp olive oil (not extra virgin)
1/2 teaspoon dry oregano (fresh better, if you have it)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prick the eggplants a few places with a fork, and lay them on a baking sheet with aluminum foil lined, drizzle them with a Tablespoon of olive oil a few drops of water, and bake them for about 45 minutes. They should feel soft to the touch, brown and somewhat wrinkly. If you have room on the same sheet, (I prefer a separate baking sheet) for the vegetables, and bake them at the same time as the eggplant.
To prepare the vegetables:
Cut peppers in half and clean out the seeds, cut onion in half and cut slices lengthwise also.Cut tomatoes in large cubes. In a bowl, mix them all together with the chopped garlic, the rosemary, oregano, salt and pepper, and place them on the baking sheet, adding the wine, and roast them at the same time, as the eggplant. When both are done, wait for the eggplant to cool a little so you can slice them in thirds and in an oven proof dish, carefully mix the two together. By now, they have gotten a little cool; you can serve them this way, or put the dish back into to oven for about 15 minutes, to thoroughly heat through. Serves 4.





Hungarian Cabbage Noodles

 

I've been talking about my Hungarian Cabbage noodles on Twitter, and on Foodbuzz several days ago, when I decided to make this. Bought a beautiful perfect head of cabbage, but I had so many other things that was in my refrigerator that I had to deal with, that I kept procrastinating with one excuse, after another. First, I kept saying to myself that I have to make home made noodles for this, second, it will take too long to make...yes, this one is true. You literally have to stand in front of the stove for at least 45 minutes, longer than making a risotto, third, I will really have to make this from memory, because the original recipe has way too much salt, and cooking with lard, is cholesterol "overkill." Actually, I have a 5th excuse too. All the other recipes found on the Internet are not the way I want to make it, and NO, I don't want to add poppy seed to my cabbage, as I saw one recipe out there, call for it. My 1963 Hungarian cookbook which I have inherited from my aunt Mariska, is a good source, which I am grateful that I can read it in Hungarian, but understanding the old European metric system is not going over too well for me. Although, I did figure how much 10dkg. of lard is; a whopping 2/3 cup! Wow!...and it goes on, and on with all the other recipes as well. Very short versions, no photos, you really have to know what you are doing, because they don't give you directions too well, or cooking time in most recipes. So here goes, I once again had to create my own, from memory, but without all the extra fat, and salt. Recipe will follow, along with photos.
 Hungarian Cabbage Noodles 
1 nice large head of green cabbage, grated, or hand sliced
1/2 a package of a (17oz) Flora fresh dried Pappardelle
or any other dry noodles
salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup pure vegetable oil
1 pat, ( a Tbsp) butter (opt.)
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup cooking water saved, from the pasta

Halfway through the sauteing process

Grate, or slice finely with a good sharp knife, by cutting the cabbage in half, cutting out the cores, and discard the outer dark leaves. Cut cabbage into smaller wedges that can fit into the chute of a food processor, of slice the wedges into fairly thin slices. Heat oil in a large skillet and add the cabbage and chopped onion, directly into the skillet, Don't worry if it seems a lot, it will cook down, just have patience sauteing it, and slightly caramelizing it. Add salt, and pepper, start stirring, on med. high heat, and lowering heat, when it starts to get some color, and starts to get translucent, along with the onions. At this stage, you can add the sugar to start to caramelize. Don't leave it alone, you constantly have to stir, probably in all, about 45 minutes to an hour. No joke...unless you want to have a burned awful mess, because the sugar caramelizes quite fast, so at this point you have to lower the temperature to low. In the meantime, boil the noodles, or Pappardelle, and drain, saving at least 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add the cooked pasta, right into the skillet, the 1 Tablespoon butter if you like, and add the reserved water, to loosen it. This will give it a nice body, and texture. Add more salt, and pepper to it, and serve. This is at least 4 servings, and very tasty, if you are a cabbage lover, like we are. Great, as a leftover to heat up, and serve as a side dish.