Rotini with Spicy Italian Salami

This is week is the first week that I have worked "outside the home" in a long time. I have a corporate client -- yay! -- and I had to video tape a users conference and produce some testimonial videos for their web site. It feels so great to be working a little bit and this kind of job is perfect. While it is serious and professional, it is not incredibly high stress like the Times jobs tend to be sometimes. And really, at the end of the day, it is just nice to go out and talk to people about things other than babies, even if it's about a programming software I know very little about.

Don't get me wrong, I could talk about babies -- my baby -- all day long, everyday. But, sometimes when I work, I am reminded that there is still another side to me and even though it is work, it's rejuvenating. It awakens a side of my brain that doesn't get quite as much exercise these days.

So thank you to Questionmark for a good shoot week and for inspiring me to get back to things like this blog and new recipes.

As for today's recipe, well, I wish I could say I loved this one, but it was just okay. I'm going to share it anyway because I think others might like it more and I think with a few adjustments, it would be better. I got if from a cookbook my sister gave me for Christmas. It's a Curtis Stone cookbook, the hot Aussie who I have often seen flirting with Kathie Lee and Hoda on the Today show. It's very simple and can be made in about 20 minutes. He uses Rigatoni. I used a whole wheat rotini which could have been one of the reasons I didn't think it was so great.

Anyway, here is the recipe, straight from the source - The "Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone - Recipes to Put You in My Favorite Mood" cookbook.

Rigatoni with Spicy Italian Salami, Baby Tomatoes, Olives and Capers
20 cherry tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes and they were the best part)
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
8 ounces spicy salami, such as Sopressata Vicentina, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced (I crushed them, of course)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/4 cup extra fine capers
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (which I thought I had, but didn't so it was not included in my recipe)
8 to 10 ounces rigatoni pasta

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. On a baking sheet, drizzle the tomatoes with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast them in the oven for about 8 minutes or until the skins start to split. Remove them from the oven and let them cool a bit.

Boil a large pot of salted water for the pasta.

While it's coming to a boil, heat up the tablespoon of olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the salami and cook for 30 seconds on both sides, until light golden in color. Remove from the pan and reserve.

Return the pan to the heat and add the garlic. Saute for a minute and then add the tomatoes and saute for 3 more minutes. Add the wine and simmer for 3 minutes or until the wine has reduced by half. Add the olives and capers and toss gently. Bring the mixture to a simmer and add the salami and parsley.

Meanwhile cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente. Drain the pasta and then add it to the sauce.

We served it immediately and sprinkled freshly grated parmasean cheese on top. Again, it was fine, but not great. I think next time I will add a little bit of butter at the end. I just felt the sauce was too light and the ingredients didn't really come together the way I had hoped. But, because of that "lightness" I think people who are a little more health conscious might appreciate that. I'm almost 6 months pregnant -- I need richness. Plus, it gave me heartburn.

And I know, I have to try and remember to take pictures. I'm just getting back into the swing of things here....