Two More

I forgot two more recipes in my last post and those came to me last night as I fell asleep, for whatever reason.  Isn't the twilight of the mind interesting that way? 

Anyway, we definitely liked the bread but the pasta was not popular with the kids . . .

Smitten Kitchen's Coconut Bread
(*I had unsweetened coconut so I used a bit more than called for and added a few extra tablespoons of sugar)

2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups (295 ml) milk
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt (see Note)
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (Bill calls for 2 but I preferred 1, so that it didn’t dominate)
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
5 ounces (140 grams) sweetened flaked coconut (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, melted or melted and browned, if desired
Vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray for baking pan

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Add sugar and coconut, and stir to mix. Make a well in the center, and pour in egg mixture, then stir wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. Add butter, and stir until just smooth — be careful not to overmix.

Butter and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or coat it with a nonstick spray. Spread batter in pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, anywhere from 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool in pan five minutes, before turning out onto a cooling rack.

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NYTimes One Pot Pasta with Lemon and Ricotta

 Kosher salt

1 pound short, ribbed pasta, like gemelli or penne

1 cup whole-milk ricotta (8 ounces)

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino (2 ounces), plus more for serving

1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest plus 1/4 cup lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)

 Black pepper

 Red-pepper flakes, for serving

¼ cup thinly sliced or torn basil leaves, for serving (optional)

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PREPARATION

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.

In the same pot, make the sauce: Add the ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and stir until well combined.

Add 1/2 cup pasta water to the sauce and stir until smooth. Add the pasta and continue to stir vigorously until the noodles are well coated. Add more pasta water as needed for a smooth sauce.

Divide the pasta among bowls and top with some of the sauce that’s pooled at the bottom of the pot. Garnish with grated Parmesan, black pepper, red-pepper flakes and basil, if using.