Joanna Curtis Wins Post’s Recipe Contest

Joanna Curtis is the winner of the first-ever Palisadian-Post recipe contest, which was held in conjunction with the Pacific Palisades farmers market. Recipes needed to utilize fresh, organic produce and ingredients from the market, and Curtis’s winning entry won her a $500 gift basket that included produce and other items from Sunday’s Swarthmore market.
Curtis, who lives in the Alphabet streets with husband Charles, son Joey, 4, and daughter Violet, 11 months, grew up in the Palisades and attended Corpus Christi school. Her parents, Kevin and Nancy Niles, still live here.
“I’ve always really enjoyed cooking and one of my favorite things to do growing up was spending time cooking with my grandma,” Curtis told the Post.
Her winning recipe, Pasta alla Nicole, had its origins 15 years ago while visiting her Aunt Amalia in Italy, who was a terrific cook. Though Curtis spoke some Italian, she found “there’s not as much of a language barrier when you’re cooking.” When she returned home, she worked to create her own version of the recipe.
Cooking for her family means “making creative dishes that they will eat, that are healthy, nutritious and delicious.” Her husband and son are picky eaters, while her daughter enjoys carne asada and tri tip. Curtis says she “loves to cook pasta because I’m part Italian,” and uses a lot of chicken, ground beef and ground turkey in her recipes.
Curtis, who attended Corpus Christi School and Marymount High School, has been a teacher for 11 years, and currently teaches sixth grade in Inglewood.
As much as Curtis loves cooking, there is another tradition in her household. Friday night dinner is always at Kay ’n Dave’s on Sunset.

Joanna Curtis’s Pasta alla Nicole

1 onion
2 celery stalks
3 carrots
1/3-cup parsley, chopped
3 Italian sausages, casing removed
4 oz. Alfredo sauce
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1-cup chicken stock
¼ cup butter
¼ cup olive oil
1 lb. pasta cooked
salt & pepper

Sauté sausages in a pan with olive oil.  Remove sausage from pan and add butter, onions, celery and carrots. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. When the vegetables are soft, add the cooked sausage and parsley. Remove from heat. Puree the vegetables and sausage in a blender or food processor. Slowly add stock to the mixture while blending. Stir in Parmesan and Alfredo sauce. Pour over pasta and serve.