Yogurtsoda Gratuitous food and travel.

Of all the types of dishes I like to cook, the pasta and seafood combination is my favorite. Part of it is personal taste and preference, but I really think you can’t go wrong with shellfish and noodles. This dish in particular is super easy to make for a weeknight meal; you probably already have most of the ingredients in your pantry or freezer. And unlike heavy cream-based Alfredo sauces, this one uses sour cream. Which is a good thing, since you’ll want to go back for seconds. (And thirds.)

Ingredients:

8 oz. linguine
3/4 cup frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped, divided
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon each chopped parsley
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried red chile flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 pound peeled shrimp

1. Cook linguine according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, reserve 1/4 cup artichoke hearts. In a food processor,
whirl remaining ingredients except shrimp until blended but
still slightly chunky.

3. Pour sauce into a medium saucepan. Stir in shrimp and
reserved artichokes; cook over medium heat until sauce begins to boil.
Reduce heat and cook until sauce thickens, about 8 minutes.

4. Drain pasta, put in a serving bowl, and pour sauce on top.

I know, I know. Hot wings are overdone. They’re on every party menu and come in a million variations. But these are baked! And taste like they’re fried! I guess you could call these healthy hot wings, except that they’re doused in their fair share of butter. Still, they’re tried and true, and I’ve been getting requests to make them for nearly every casual gathering lately.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 pounds chicken wings
3 tablespoons red hot sauce, preferably Frank’s Red Hot
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 500°. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with vegetable oil. In a bowl, mix the flour with the salt. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Spread the chicken on the baking sheet in a single layer.

2. Roast the chicken for 45 minutes, turning once at the halfway point, until browned and crispy. In a bowl, whisk the hot sauce with the butter. Add the chicken wings and toss. Serve warm.

I am forever wishing there were more ethnic restaurants in Sonoma County to explore. To be fair, things have come a long way in the last few years; after all, Santa Rosa now boasts more than a few Vietnamese restaurants and there’s even an Ethiopian restaurant (and a good one at that).

One of my newer favorites is Khoom Lanna, a Thai restaurant located in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square. I visited on a Saturday night, and was struck by the simple, elegant interior. This theme carries over into Khoom Lanna’s food, as each dish is beautifully prepared but isn’t overdone or stuffy.

My dining companion and I shared two entrees. The first was eggplant with beef.

Stir-fried with ample basil and chili, the eggplant was soft and buttery and the beef was well-seared. Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables, so I really enjoyed this dish and found myself wishing the serving size was a little larger.

The next entree we shared was the drunken noodles.

I can’t seem to visit an Asian restaurant without ordering at least one noodle dish, and I’m glad I chose this one at Khoom Lanna. The wide rice noodles were stir-fried and had that great chewy, slightly charred flavor that I love. Strips of beef, basil, chili, garlic, and vegetables rounded out this dish.

Unable to resist the siren call of fried bananas and coconut ice cream, I also split a dessert.

This was a decadent dessert to say the least and definitely meant to share. I don’t have much a of a sweet tooth, but I’m a sucker for Southeast Asian ones. Warm, crispy bananas with molten interior against cold, tropical ice cream? Yes, please.

The service at Khoom Lanna is great too: attentive without being pushy. I left feeling excited not only for my next visit, but finally, for the state of ethnic food in Sonoma County. We’re headed in the right direction.

Shellfish stir-fried with black bean sauce is a classic Cantonese method of cooking seafood, and it’s common on many a Chinatown menu. It’s simple to prepare and full of briny, garlicy flavor. Best of all, it’s versatile. I like this dish best with clams, but you can also substitute mussels if you prefer.

Ingredients:

2 pounds medium hard-shell clams, scrubbed clean
2 tablespoons black bean garlic sauce
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 green onions, cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

1. Prepare the seasonings: Stir the black bean garlic sauce, chili garlic sauce, ginger, and garlic together in a bowl.

2. Prepare the broth: Stir the chicken broth, soy sauce, and rice wine together in another bowl.

3. Pour 2 cups water into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the clams, cover, and cook until they open, about 5 minutes.

4. Drain the clams, discarding any unopened ones, and set aside.

5. Heat a wok over high heat until hot. Add the oil and swirl to coat the sides. Add the seasonings and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to medium and add the clams and green onions. Stir gently to coat the clams with the sauce. Add the dissolved cornstarch and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens, about 30 seconds.

6. Scoop the clams and sauce onto a serving platter and serve warm.

I don’t know how else to put it: this lasagna is epic. There are a million iterations of lasagna: mushroom, bechamel, spinach, pesto – I could go on forever. This lasagna recipe is more traditional but be forewarned: it’s really hearty. It contains beef and sausage; ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan, for starters. It may be time-consuming to make, but it’s worth it. Plus, it makes enough servings to just about feed an army. (Well, a small army at least.)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground beef
4 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 28-ounce cans Italian peeled tomatoes, chopped, juices reserved
1 28-ounce can tomato puree
2 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
6 thyme sprigs, tied together with kitchen string
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
2 pounds ricotta cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoons dried basil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound packaged mozzarella, shredded
1 egg, beaten
1 package dried lasagna noodles

1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the beef and cook over moderately high heat, breaking up the meat into large chunks, until no pink remains. Add the garlic, oregano and crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until the meat is coated. Add the tomatoes and their juices and the tomato puree along with the chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme and sugar. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to 7 cups, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet. Add the sausage meat in large pieces and cook over moderately high heat until browned and just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Crumble into 1/2-inch pieces with back of wooden cooking spoon as sausage is cooking. Drain the sausage and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta with the parsley, basil and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Add two-thirds of the shredded mozzarella and season with salt and pepper. Beat in the egg.

4. Cook the lasagna noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain the noodles and rinse under cold water.

5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a large glass or ceramic baking dish. Line the dish with 4 overlapping noodles. Spread one-third of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, then top with one-third of the sausage, 1 cup of the sauce and another 4 noodles. Repeat the layering two more times with the remaining ricotta, sausage and another 2 cups of sauce. Top with 4 noodles and cover with remaining sauce. Toss the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan and sprinkle over the lasagna.

6. Bake the lasagna for about 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and crisp around the edges and the filling is bubbling. Let the lasagna rest for 20 minutes before serving.