revisiting italy: pasta al crudaiola

I don't know why grape tomatoes seem to be in good shape at any time of year that I look for them, but in the dead of winter when any typical tomato is sad and lackluster, you can usually find a little box of nice grape tomatoes.

For my second attempt at recapturing our Italian honeymoon - this Pasta Al Crudaiola is inspired by a lunch we had at Trattoria Trebbi in Bologna. This is actually a Pugliese dish, from Southern Italy, which makes sense because it is so light and summery. Incredibly simple, incredibly fresh, dishes like this are why I love Italian food so much. You can taste every element, nothing overwhelms, and the flavors complement each other so nicely. It is also a super quick meal being as how the word "crudaiola" means raw - nothing is really cooked except the pasta. For my taste, I throw the tomatoes into a saute pan for just a minute before adding the cooked pasta and tossing, just to take the edge off of the rawness, but you could certainly skip that step and just toss the pasta with all raw ingredients.

What made me especially happy about this dish was that it essentially provides a canvas for you to grate excessive amounts of ricotta salata over. I'm rather obsessed with ricotta salata, a pressed and salted dry ricotta. It is softer than most grating cheeses, and the briney flavor more subtle. It goes especially well with vegetables, like one of my favorite pastas with cauliflower and walnuts. Recipe after the jump:




PASTA AL CRUDAIOLA

1 lb pasta of your choice (I used fresh linguine, but traditionally this is made with short pasta like penne)
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
6-7 leaves fresh basil, chiffonaded
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup grated ricotta salata, to taste

Prepare the pasta according to package directions and drain. Combine the tomatoes, garlic, and olives in a large saute pan with a teaspoon of the olive oil and saute for no more than a minute. Add the drained pasta, fresh basil, pine nuts, and additional olive oil to coat and toss well to combine. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve in warm pasta bowls and grate the ricotta salata over individual bowls.

Continue Reading "revisiting italy: pasta al crudaiola"

r is for ramps

Ramps have become code for "foodie". Perhaps not in the most flattering way. If someone asks me what I'm making for dinner and it happens to contain ramps, I get one of two reactions:

1. What the hell is a ramp?
2. You're such a f*&%ing foodie.

Why?



It's still not so easy to find ramps, you generally have to trek to a farmer's market or specialty produce store, but seriously I saw some in the Key Foods recently and that place is full-on ghetto. They are only in season for a couple of weeks, but I don't know if that's reason enough to find them snobbish.



Because, after all, what's not to like? Slightly oniony and a bit garlicky, those are two of the bestest flavors on the planet. To me, ramps are a sign that spring has really arrived, along with fresh peas, good strawberries and rhubarb. So last night's dinner was a simple pesto of peas, ramps, and lemon, followed by a strawberry-rhubarb cobbler. Call me a foodie, I don't care, at least my life is always delicious.

PASTA WITH RAMP AND PEA PESTO

1 1/2 cups fresh shelled English peas
1/2 pound wild ramps (about 6-7 medium-sized ramps), trimmed at the root end
zest of 1 lemon
1 large garlic clove, peeled and smashed
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup grated parmiggiano-reggiano cheese
1 tsp kosher salt, to taste
1 lb fettucine or other long flat pasta

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Blanch the peas for 3 minutes, then remove from the water with a skimmer to a bowl of cold water. Add the ramps to the boiling water and blanch for two minutes, also removing with a skimmer and setting aside. Add a handful of kosher salt to the water and bring back to a full rolling boil before adding the pasta, cooking as directed on the package or until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, drain the peas and add 1 cup to the bowl of a food processor, reserving the remainder. Coarsely chop the blanched ramps and add to the food processor with the pine nuts, garlic, and lemon zest. Turn on the processor and begin to slowly drizzle half of the olive oil through the lid opening until a paste forms. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the salt and cheese and begin to process again. Continue drizzling the remaining oil until a shiny paste forms, you may not need all of the oil to reach your desired consistency.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain well, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. In a large bowl, toss the hot pasta with the pesto, adding enough cooking water to loosen the paste. You want the pesto to coat the pasta well without being too thick and clumpy. Add in the reserved peas and toss. Serve with additional grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

NOTE: This recipe makes more than enough for a pound of pasta, so store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, with a layer of olive oil on the surface to preserve the green color. It is excellent spread on crostini with some fresh ricotta cheese.

Continue Reading "r is for ramps"

10 minute dinner: garganelli with zucchini and ricotta salata

It's the week when you scramble to make and/or buy presents for everyone on your list, plan the necessary baking, realize at the last minute that you have all the presents but nothing to package them in, attempt to keep the cats out of the strange big tree in the living room. The last thing I think about is what to make for dinner. So it's a good week for a 10-minute dinner. It's not exactly zucchini season, but I occasionally break with seasonality to bring a bit of brightness to the beginning of winter. Recipe after the jump:

GARGANELLI WITH ZUCCHINI, LEMON, AND RICOTTA SALATA

1 lb garganelli or similar short pasta (penne or cavatini is great for this)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise then sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
juice of 1 small lemon
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup grated ricotta salata

Boil a large pot of salted water for the pasta. When the pasta goes in, heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a heavy bottomed saute pan or large skillet. Saute the onions until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another minute. Add the zucchini and saute until tender crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. When the pasta is al dente, drain and add to the pan with the zucchini. Toss to mix well, then add the parsley. Serve top with the grated ricotta salata.

Continue Reading "10 minute dinner: garganelli with zucchini and ricotta salata"

signs of spring: asparagus pesto

After a long couple of weeks of nonstop work, I was WIPED OUT by Sunday evening, and my plans of ice cream experimenting and pie making and who knows what else was slowly slipping away. I needed a simple easy dinner that left very little clean-up, but I still wanted SPRING. So, the logical decision, take a cue from Mark Bittman in this week's NY Times, and turn that lovely asparagus into a pesto.

It doesn't get much easier than breaking out the food processor and blending a bunch of stuff up and tossing it with pasta. All it takes is about 8 minutes of blanching (in the same water I ended up boiling the pasta in), and the asparagus was ready to toss in the processor with the classic pine nuts, cheese, and olive oil. I tweaked his recipe a bit, adding in a bit of basil and more lemon juice. I also iced the asparagus after blanching thinking it might help preserve the vibrant green. I'm not sure that it was really necessary. Tossed with some fresh fettuccine, this dinner was wolfed down enthusiastically. Recipe after the jump:



ASPARAGUS PESTO
Adapted from a recipe by Mark Bittman, New York Times

Salt
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch segments
1 clove garlic, or more to taste
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup olive oil, or more as desired
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add the asparagus and cook until fully tender but not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well, reserving some of the cooking liquid, and let the asparagus cool slightly.

2. Transfer the asparagus to a food processor and add the garlic, pine nuts, 2 tablespoons of the oil, Parmesan, a pinch of salt and a couple of tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Process the mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container if necessary, and gradually add the remaining oil and a bit more of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten if necessary. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste, pulse one last time, and serve over pasta, fish or chicken (or cover and refrigerate for up to a day).

Yield: 4 to 6 servings (about 1 1/2 cups).

Continue Reading "signs of spring: asparagus pesto"

faycat and j-cat cook: romantic pork cheeks and gnocchi

I cook him meat. He cooks me carbs. I knew we were meant to be. This Valentine's Day, J-Cat and I decided on a collaborative dinner, which really is more romantic than any meal we've had on previous Valentine's Days, even if we never bothered setting a table or, um, turning off the TV to eat it.

And is there a more romantic cut of meat than pork cheeks? Pork Cheeks is going to be my new pet name for J-Cat. And gnocchi. That's a sweet word, too. So here I give you - Pork Cheek Ragu with Truffled Polenta Gnocchi.



I got a couple pork cheeks with our pork CSA, which made me decide on the pork cheek ragu. But I only had two cheek medallions, so I went up to my friendly neighborhood totally awesome butcher and asked for some more. They very kindly pulled some pig heads out of the walk in and sliced them off for me. Now that's romantic!

And the gnocchi. Well, J-Cat has lately been OBSESSED with gnocchi. Cooking it, not just eating it. He made gnocchi three times in two weeks. Mostly he was focusing on gnudi, the riccota-based gnocchi, so I thought this would be a nice change. The polenta gnocchi had a lovely grainy texture and were delightfully crisp from a pan saute. The addition of a splash of truffle oil in the dough brought the indulgence to a new level.



This recipe tasted luxurious, rich, and so so savory, but was actually the ultimate in rustic, inexpensive peasant food. The pork cheeks (a very affordable and tasty cut) cooked low and slow and fell apart into deeply flavorful, tender chunks. Set atop the crisp truffled gnocchi, this dish was everything you want in comfort food, with a bit of a fancy twist. And yes, that is one giant bowl that we both ate out of. Awwww.

PORK CHEEK RAGU WITH TRUFFLED POLENTA GNOCCHI
Adapted from a recipe by Chef Travis Hyde, Z Cucina Ristorante, Columbus, OH.

Gnocchi:
1½ cups semolina
1½ cups cornmeal
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups milk
1 Tbsp. truffle oil
to taste, salt and pepper

Pork Cheek Ragu:
1 medium sweet onion, julienne
1 Tbsp. garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 lb. pork cheek medallions
10 cremini mushrooms, quartered
1½ cups chianti wine
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
to taste, salt and pepper
to garnish, Parmesan cheese

For gnocchi: Combine cornmeal and semolina. Bring liquids to a simmer and add truffle oil to bloom flavor; add seasoning. Slowly whisk in dry mix until completely incorporated and mix until it begins to pull away from sides of pan. Pour onto tabletop surface dusted with semolina to prevent sticking. Allow to cool for 10 minutes until you can work with it. (The warmer the polenta, the easier to roll out cylinders to cut gnocchi.) Sprinkle a baseball-size piece of polenta with semolina and roll into a cylinder about ¾" diameter. Cut into ½" pieces and dust with semolina before placing on parchment-covered sheet pan.

For pork cheek ragu: Sweat the onion in 1 Tbsp. oil until tender. Add garlic and bloom. Season, then add cheeks and raise heat to caramelize them a little, along with onions. Add vinegar and allow to reduce by half. Add wine, tomatoes, herbs and mushrooms; reduce heat to medium low and allow to simmer for 1 hour. Cook until pork cheeks just start to fall apart. Season with salt and pepper and mix in last Tbsp. oil.

To compose dish: Heat extra virgin olive oil to medium high; add gnocchi, making sure to coat in oil so they do not stick to pan. Allow to brown and crisp on sides; toss for 4-5 minutes on heat. Pull off heat and place in bowl. Ladle ragu over gnocchi and sprinkle with shaved Parmesan. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil if desired.

Continue Reading "faycat and j-cat cook: romantic pork cheeks and gnocchi"

the relief of pasta: pappardelle with lamb ragu

It should come as no surprise that as soon as our stove top was turned on, the first thing I NEEDED to cook was pasta. I was dying for pasta. I can't even believe that I went as long as I did without pasta, but the rice I was eating every day was reminiscent of my childhood, so I made it through. The stove finally got turned on right as the really cold weather hit, so I needed to focus on warm, filling, gutsy food, and preferably something that would give me an excuse to go up to my new cute local butcher. Mmmmm meat.

I wanted a meaty ragu of some sort. I've done ragus with duck, rabbit, beef, veal, but strangely enough I've never made any with lamb. I found this recipe from Andrew Carmellini, who I love, and was excited by some of his simple but different touches. Fennel seed, coriander, cumin, a touch of fresh mint to finish. The result was a deeply umami sauce that was perfect for a cold winter night, and it was really simple to put together. Recipe after the jump:



ANDREW CARMELLINI'S LAMB RAGU WITH PAPPARDELLE
From Food & Wine Magazine

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 carrot, finely diced
1 onion, finely diced
1 celery rib, finely diced
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup dry red wine
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 1/4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
3/4 pound fresh pappardelle
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3/4 cup fresh ricotta cheese
2 tbsp chopped mint

1. In a large cast-iron casserole, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the carrot, onion and celery and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, 5 minutes. Add the lamb, coriander, fennel, cumin, rosemary and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the liquid evaporates, 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the wine and cook until evaporated, 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices, along with the stock and bring to a boil. Cover partially and cook over moderately low heat until the liquid is slightly reduced, 25 to 30 minutes.
2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, shaking well. Add the pasta to the sauce. Add the butter and the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and toss over low heat. Serve the pasta in bowls, topped with the ricotta and mint.

Continue Reading "the relief of pasta: pappardelle with lamb ragu"

in season: hide the cauliflower

That's not a particularly attractive dish right there. But it's one of those special recipes with hidden surprises. It is perfect fall food in several ways. Cauliflower is at it's best right now, and nothing is more warming and yummy on a chilly autumn day than a bowl of steamy, creamy risotto. This is a cauliflower and leek risotto. You can't really see the cauliflower hiding amidst the rice, but you take a bite and it bites back, just a tiny bit. Surprise. Need I say more? Recipe after the jump:

CAULIFLOWER LEEK RISOTTO

3 tbsp butter, separated
1 medium leek, chopped into half-moons
1 small head cauliflower, about 1 to 2 lb, cut into small florets
1 cup arborio or carnaroli rice
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth (vegetable broth if you prefer this dish vegetarian)
3/4 cup parmiggiano-reggiano, or more to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the chicken broth in a medium saucepan until boiling, then lower to a low simmer. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a heavy 4-quart pot over medium heat until foam subsides. Add the leeks and cauliflower and saute until just starting to loose the raw color, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and toast, stirring about 1 minute. Add the wine and stir, allowing a strong simmer until the liquid is completely absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth and repeat the stirring and simmering process. Continue to add broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring and simmering, until the rice is tender and creamy looking, about 25 minutes. You may not need all of the broth. Remove from the heat, add the cheese, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Continue Reading "in season: hide the cauliflower"

sorry to the swine

Pardon my absence last week. I had been feeling rather craptacular for several days, and wondered if my commitment to a 16-week quarter hog share with The Piggery CSA resulted in a bit of porcine revenge in the form of swine flu. I don't really know if that is what I had, but it seemed like everyone around me was afflicted and it dragged on and on and on. Anyway, to get back in the cooking saddle, I focused on - what else - bacon. A pasta that truly highlights the smokey, fatty, delicious cured meat - Pasta alla Carbonara. Technically carbonara calls for guanciale, but this is one case where I break from tradition because the bacon-based carbonara is what we in the US grew up on, and thus what I was craving on a very rainy, cold weekend.



Carbonara is pretty much the simplest pasta you can make. It takes no more time that whatever you need to boil your pasta. You may have twinges of guilt when you realize that the entire point of this pasta is egg and bacon fat, but you get over it pretty quickly. I balanced out the richness with some broccolini. Okay, I sauteed that broccolini in the excess bacon fat...recipe after the jump:

PASTA ALLA CARBONARA
Serves 4

1 pound spaghetti
6-8 ounces thick cut good bacon, pancetta, or guanciale, sliced 1/2-inch thick
3 garlic cloves
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated pecorino romano (or parmiggiano reggiano)
freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. As soon as you drop the pasta in, start to saute the bacon pieces and the whole garlic cloves, rendering the fat just until the bacon starts to brown and crisp around the edges. You don't want to get the bacon too crispy or it will not incorporate nicely into the pasta. Remove the garlic cloves and let the bacon sit until the pasta is ready. Break the eggs into your serving bowl and whisk with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. When the pasta is done, drain, then immediately transfer to your serving bowl with the eggs and quickly toss to coat the pasta. Add the bacon, it's fat (as much as you need to coat the pasta nicely), and the cheese and toss well. Taste and adjust for pepper. You may not need to add any salt depending on the saltiness of your cheese and bacon. Serve immediately.

Continue Reading "sorry to the swine"

manti vs. manty

I find myself eating a lot of lamb in the summer. Perhaps that's a little odd given the hot weather, but I'm guessing it might have something to do with the abundance of lovely fresh mint. I'm craving middle eastern food quite often, so Melissa Clark's recipe for Pasta with Turkish-Style Lamb, Eggplant and Yogurt Sauce from the NY Times seemed like the perfect make at home fix. She gets the inspiration for this dish from Turkish manti, little lamb-stuffed dumplings served with yogurt.



Recently, while out having dinner with my mom, Brother #2, and his wife, we saw manti on a menu. Having had Uzbeki "manty" I assumed it would be very similar, and encouraged #2 to order it. It turned out to be rather different from the pastry wrapped lamb pies at the Uzbeki restaurants, but you could see the similar influences. It was also a very pleasant surprise. This pasta actually comes reasonably close in flavor to those little dumplings, and it's certainly a lot easier to make at home. Recipe after the jump:

PASTA WITH TURKISH-STYLE LAMB, EGGPLANT, AND YOGURT SAUCE
From a recipe by Melissa Clark in The New York Times

1 large eggplant, about 1 pound, in 1/2 -inch cubes
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt, more to taste
3 fat garlic cloves, minced
1 large shallot, minced
1 pound ground lamb
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, preferably Turkish or Aleppo (see note), more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or dill, more to taste
1/2 pound bowtie or orecchiette pasta
2 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, to taste
2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt.

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Bring a pot of water to boil for pasta.

2. Toss eggplant with 4 tablespoons oil and a large pinch of salt. Spread on a baking sheet, making sure there is room between pieces, and roast until crisp and brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. In a large skillet, heat remaining tablespoon oil. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and the shallot and sauté until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add lamb, 1/2 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes and black pepper to taste. Sauté until lamb is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in mint or dill and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir eggplant into lamb. Taste and adjust seasonings.

4. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter: the amount is to your taste. Let cook until it turns golden brown and smells nutty, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together yogurt, remaining garlic and a pinch of salt.

5. Drain pasta and spread on a serving platter. Top with lamb-eggplant mixture, then with yogurt sauce. Pour melted butter over top. Sprinkle on additional red pepper and more mint or dill. Serve immediately.

Yield: 2 to 3 servings.

Note: Turkish or Aleppo (Syrian) red pepper flakes are sold at specialty markets and at kalustyans.com. You may also substitute ground chili powder. Do not use crushed red pepper flakes; they will be too hot for this dish.

Continue Reading "manti vs. manty"

in season: ramps!

Springtime hits, ramps come back in season, NYC foodies go wild. I try to be low-key about it because really, am I such a dork that I get so crazy excited about a seasonal wild onion? Um, yeah. Sorta. I mean, it's no Meyer lemon insanity, but I do love me some ramps. And what's not to love? A little bit scallion-y, a little bit leek-y, a little bit garlic-y, it's like all great allium qualities all rolled into one tiny vegetable.



Ramps are still not the easiest thing to find in markets. They are extremely seasonal, showing up in early spring and only sticking around for a few weeks. Since it seems that the general public isn't terribly familiar with them, I guess it is not worth it for bigger grocery stores to bother stocking them. Here in the city, you can usually find them at larger greenmarkets or specialty grocers. Luckily, there is a specialty fruit and vegetable market right in my building here at work. I spied some lovely ramps the other day and almost yelped in the market.



The best thing about ramps is that they have such lovely flavor that they are best when prepared super simply. Let their flavor shine through and don't go crazy. My favorite use is with pasta. Really, my favorite use of anything is with pasta. So I grabbed those ramps and some lovely fresh peas, then went over the the Italian market for some fresh fennel sausage and fresh fettuccine. OMG. It's like my dream meal. Recipe after the jump:

PASTA WITH RAMPS, PEAS, AND ITALIAN SAUSAGE

3/4 pounds fresh pasta
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage (if you can find one with lots of fennel, that is best)
1 cup shelled fresh peas
1/4 pound ramps, sliced into thin ribbons
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
freshly grated parmiggiano-reggiano
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to boil for the pasta. When the pasta goes into the water, heat up a large skillet with the olive oil. Remove the sausage from the casing and crumble into the skillet. Brown well and set aside. When the pasta has about 4 minutes left to cook (total cook time will depend on size and shape of pasta), add the shelled peas to blanch. When pasta and peas as tender, drain well, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Add the pasta and peas to the skillet and toss well to coat with the oil and sausage fat. Add pasta water to moisten well and let simmer for a minute or two. At the last minute, add the ramps and the lemon zest and let the greens just wilt. Serve piping hot topped with a generous amount of grated parmesan.

Continue Reading "in season: ramps!"

where have i been?

It was like a perfect storm of circumstances preventing me from cooking this week. One reason was the endless delicious, filling, utterly unhealthy foods that I was constantly surrounded by on the set of a brand new show, which I will be telling you all about shortly. I was coming home every evening too overindulged to cook actual meals. Then a weekend trip up to Flushing Chinatown to binge at the Roosevelt Mall Food Court ended up backfiring when I woke up Sunday morning - my cooking day - sick as a dog. There really is nothing more cruel for an obsessive foodie to cope with than food poisoning. Back to set on Monday for more food food food, and a magical Fette Sau BBQ feast for last night's wrap party. Today, it's back to the regular routine, and day one of my attempt to at least somewhat cleanse myself from a week of constant gluttony and/or illness.



So my first cleansing meal was found in last week's NY Times dining section, part of Martha Rose Shulman's Recipes for Health series. This Buckwheat Pasta with Kale was sort of a head scratcher when I first read it. Soba noodles, kale, leeks...and cheese? It didn't seem to make complete sense to me, unless you tell yourself to think of the soba as pasta, and not as an Asian noodle. What's the difference, after all? And I was pleasantly surprised by this dish. The real star for me was actually the leeks, sauteed until buttery and sweet, and a lovely pair to the fresh, mild kale. The parmesan cheese complemented the sweet leeks wonderfully. I would say, however, that the choice of fontina cheese threw me off a bit. I think that a cheese as strong as fontina didn't quite work for this dish, overpowering the sweetness of the leeks and the nuttiness of the soba. For my - ahem - second bowlful, I left out the fontina and went with a touch more parmesan, and found that balance much more suitable. Recipe after the jump:



BUCKWHEAT PASTA WITH KALE
From Martha Rose Shulman's Recipes for Health series

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or omit butter and use 2 tablespoons olive oil)
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced and cleaned
4 fresh sage leaves, cut in thin slivers
Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste
3/4 pound kale, stemmed, washed thoroughly, and cut crosswise in strips
Freshly ground pepper
2 ounces Parmesan, grated (1/2 cup)
2 ounces fontina or Gruyère cheese, cut in 1/4 inch dice
3/4 pound buckwheat pasta (pizzoccheri or soba) or whole wheat fettuccine

1. Begin heating a large pot of water. Meanwhile, heat the butter and oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and sage, and cook, stirring often, until the leeks begin to soften, about three minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and fresh pepper, and continue to cook, stirring often, until the leeks are tender, about five minutes. Remove from the heat.

2. When the water comes to a boil, add a generous spoonful of salt and the kale. Boil for four minutes, until tender but still bright. Using a slotted spoon or a skimmer, transfer to the pan with the leeks and stir together. Keep warm over low heat.

3. Bring the water back to a boil, and add the pasta. Cook al dente (soba will cook quickly, usually in under five minutes, while pizzoccheri and whole wheat fettuccine will take longer). When the pasta is al dente, add 1/2 cup of the cooking water to the pan with the kale and leeks, then drain the pasta and toss in the pan or in a warm pasta bowl with the leeks, kale and the cheeses. Serve at once.

Yield: Serves four to six

Advance preparation: You can make the dish through step 2 several hours ahead. Remove from the heat, then reheat when you cook the pasta.

Continue Reading "where have i been?"

sunday supper: aida's sausage lasagna

Boy, do I wish I had some of this with me right now. Why didn't I take any to work today? Through the snow and wind and bitter cold, all I want right now is something hot, gooey, cheesy, sausagey, saucey. This lasagna recipe, from the lovely Aida Mollenkamp, may not be technically authentic, but it is certainly just as tasty as the mess I made a while back. And it's a lot easier, mostly because it requires far fewer pots and pans.



I still managed to make a mess because I insist on building lasagnas too tall for the dish that I have, but in the end, no one cares, as long as it's yummy. Recipe after the jump:

AIDA'S SWEET SAUSAGE AND THREE CHEESE LASAGNA
Adapted from foodnetwork.com

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings and crumbled
1/2 pound lean ground pork
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 (28-ounce) containers crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 medium dried bay leaves

For the lasagna:
1 (9-ounce) box no-boil lasagna noodles
24 ounces part skim ricotta cheese
1 pound part skim mozzarella cheese, low-moisture or fresh, thinly sliced
2 cups finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 2 ounces)

For the meat sauce: Heat oil in a Dutch oven or a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add onion and garlic, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook until just softened. Add sausage and ground pork and stir to break up meat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat starts to color, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add wine and cook, scraping bottom of pan to incorporate browned bits, until the alcohol smell is cooked off. Add tomatoes, 1 tablespoon salt, basil, oregano, bay leaf, and season well with freshly ground black pepper. Stir until well mixed and tomatoes start to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour.

For the lasagna: Heat oven to 375 degrees F and arrange rack in middle.

Spread 2 cups sauce in a thin layer over the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Layer 4 noodles over sauce, top with 2 cups sauce and spread it evenly over the noodles. Evenly dollop 1/4 of the ricotta across the sauce, top with 1/4 of the mozzarella, and sprinkle evenly with 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cover with foil and bake until liquids are bubbling and noodles are beginning to soften, about 40 minutes.

Remove foil and continue baking until top is golden brown and noodles are completely tender, about 20 minutes more. Allow to rest 20 minutes before cutting.

Continue Reading "sunday supper: aida's sausage lasagna"

ten-minute dinner: mushroom goat cheese pasta

This dish was inspired by something I had one night at Il Passatore, in my hood. I love fresh pasta with very minimal, simple flavors, and this one was excellent. My version pairs fresh fettuccine with sliced cremini mushrooms, a generous amount of butter, goat cheese, and a sprinkling of parsley. Earthy, rich, yet light and fresh. Recipe after the jump:



PASTA WITH MUSHROOMS AND GOAT CHEESE

1 lb fresh fettuccine (short pasta like campanelle would also work great)
1 lb sliced cremini mushrooms
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 ounces soft goat cheese
3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Boil a large pot of well-salted water for the pasta. As soon as the pasta goes in the water, melt 3 tbsp of butter over medium-high heat is a large heavy skillet or saute pan. When the butter foam subsides, add the mushrooms and saute until just beginning to soften. Add the wine and let it simmer away. If the wine simmers completely away before the mushrooms are fully cooked, add a bit of pasta water to keep it moist. When the pasta is ready, drain and add to the mushrooms. Toss well, add the remaining butter and the parsley. Toss to coat well. Serve dotted with goat cheese and sprinkled with additional parsley.

Continue Reading "ten-minute dinner: mushroom goat cheese pasta"

easy weeknight (dead of winter) dinners: beef stroganoff

A small disclaimer about this recipe: I'm guessing this is not particularly authentic, but I've been making Beef Stroganoff this way for so many years that it is now how I always want it. Especially when it's 16 degrees outside and I'm starving. It also happens to be that I devised this recipe during one of my healthier stints so there are a few attempts at lowering fat built in. I don't, however, think that flavor or texture suffers at all, and there are not too many times that I will say that so confidently. As with any of my "healthified" recipes, the key is cutting where it counts, and never cutting completely. Lower fat dairy products, but never non-fat. Less butter, but never no butter. Lean meat, but still a lot of meat. Recipe after the jump:



SIMPLE BEEF STROGANOFF

1 lb sirloin or tenderloin, sliced into 1/2-inch wide strips
1 tbsp butter
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup shallots, finely diced
2/3 up beef broth, or one bouillon cube dissolved in 2/3 cup hot water
1 1/2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
1 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup lowfat milk
1 cup lowfat sour cream
salt and pepper, to taste

1 lb wide egg noodles

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper and sear until browned on both sides. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Add the shallots and mushrooms to the skillet and saute until the shallots are translucent and the mushrooms begin to give off liquid. Return the meat to the skillet. Mix together the broth, worchestershire sauce, flour, and milk and pour into the skillet. Bring liquid to a simmer and allow to cook and thicken while the noodles cook. When the noodles are cooked, drain and plate. Take the beef off the heat and mix in the sour cream. Serve over the egg noodles.

Continue Reading "easy weeknight (dead of winter) dinners: beef stroganoff"

the other perfect veg

I was beginning to worry about my brussels sprouts obsession, and could not remember the last time I cooked a different vegetable. It's not entirely my fault. The other night I asked J-Cat what he would prefer with the Chicken Adobo - brussels sprouts or bok choy. He just looked at me like, do you really have to ask? Whenever he eats brussels sprouts he has a tendency to wistfully sigh and state that he loves them so much. If he ever leaves me for a vegetable, I'll know which one.

But if you remember not so long ago, I was in a different vegetable obsession phase, with my other dear friend cauliflower. I have a feeling this internal battle will go back and forth repeatedly and I'll never be able to declare a victor, but I feel like I can confidently state that my favorite of all time is one of the two. Or beets. Damn. I really love beets.



This is one of those easy easy pastas that tastes like so much more than it is. The pancetta is lovely, but more than the crunchy porky bits is the fat that renders and coats every piece of pasta and cauliflower with an almost buttery flavor. Topped with lightly toasted bread crumbs for crunch, this pasta hits all of the important elements of deliciousness. Recipe after the jump:

GARGANELLI WITH CAULIFLOWER, PANCETTA, AND BREAD CRUMBS
Adapted from Serious Eats, Nov. 4, 2008

1 pound garganelli, or orecchiete, or cavatelli
1 large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds)
1/4 pound pancetta or bacon, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs
3 tbsp olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
freshly grated Parmesan

1. Bring a large pot of salty water to boil for the pasta. In the meantime, prepare the cauliflower and grate bread for crumbs, if necessary.

2. In a large heavy skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, then add the bread crumbs. Toast, stirring often, until golden and slightly crisp. Remove to a small bowl and wipe the skillet clean.

3. Cook the pancetta in the same skillet over medium-high heat a few minutes until the fat renders, then add the cauliflower pieces, garlic, and a good pinch of salt. Cook, stirring only very occasionally, until the pancetta is crisp and the cauliflower is caramelized and golden.

4. In the meantime, cook the pasta until al dente, reserving a cup of pasta water. Drain and add pasta to the skillet, tossing to combine. Add olive oil and pasta water as needed to achieve a rich, slightly creamy consistency.

5. Serve with a shower of breadcrumbs, black pepper, and Parmesan cheese.

Continue Reading "the other perfect veg"

veggie obsession: brussels sprouts pasta

The only vegetable that I eat more often than cauliflower is probably brussels sprouts. This is partly because they are literally the easiest vegetable to make. They require barely any prep, will cook in a myriad of simple ways, are best with little adornment, and make you feel like a giant. I also recently read that brussels sprouts are the "it" vegetable right now, I guess in the restaurant world they're what fennel was last year. As proof, I had an amazing crostini at 'inoteca last week featuring shaved brussels sprouts, lemon oil, and I think a bit of pecorino cheese. A couple of days later I had a pizza with brussels sprouts and speck at Motorino. Both were freaking fantastic.



This recipe for Pasta with Brussels Sprouts and Pine Nuts takes the diminutive wild cabbage one step further into the spotlight for a main dish, offset with toasted pine nuts and served with simply seared diver scallops. Recipes after the jump:

FETTUCCINE WITH ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND PINE NUTS
1 pound fettuccine, preferably fresh
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 pints brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the brussels sprouts with 2 tsp olive oil and generously salt and pepper. Place in a baking pan and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until tender and lightly charred. You can toast the pine nuts during the last 5 minutes but watch them carefully as they should not be over browned.

In the meantime, bring 4 quarts of salted water to boil for the pasta. When pasta is ready, drain and add to a large mixing bowl with the remaining olive oil, the butter, the brussels sprouts and the pine nuts. Toss to coat well, and taste for salt and pepper. Serve with grated parmesan.


SEARED DIVER SCALLOPS
The best scallops for searing are "dry" scallops. The "wet" scallops are treated for moisture and will never develop a good brown sear. Despite being dry, you should still pat your scallops dry with a paper towel before cooking to insure the best sear.

4-6 large dry scallops
1 tbsp unsalted butter or ghee
1 tbsp vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Heat the oil and butter in a nonstick skillet over high heat until the butter foam subsides. Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel, then season generously with salt and pepper. Place the scallops in the hot pan, being careful not to overcrowd them. If the scallops are too close together, they will steam instead of sear. Do not touch the scallops for at least 2 minutes to insure a good brown crust. When they are nicely browned, flip the scallops and continue to cook for another minute or two. The scallops should still be a bit springy and not too firm. The second side will not brown as nicely as the first, just serve that side down. Remove the scallops from the pan and serve immediately.

Continue Reading "veggie obsession: brussels sprouts pasta"

sunday supper: bolognese of my dreams

Marcella Hazan's magical bolognese. As far as I'm concerned, there is no reason to go looking for another recipe. This is exactly what you want bolognese to taste like, smell like, look like, sound like. This is the sauce you turn to when you're simply craving pasta in it's classic and true form. And the only thing difficult about this recipe is having the patience to cook it as long as you should - no shortcuts allowed. If I had one complaint - one teeny, tiny, probably sacrilegious complaint - it's maybe that this can be quite greasy. I know fat is a good thing and I use the fattier chuck meat, but I couldn't stop myself from skimming off a little bit of the fat as it cooked. I don't know, I have a problem. Recipe after the jump:



MARCELLA HAZAN'S PERFECT BOLOGNESE
From Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

NOTE: I took a few liberties with ingredient amounts, which I've noted below. Still awesome.
1 Tbs vegetable oil
3 Tbs butter plus 1 Tbs for tossing the pasta
1/2 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped celery
2/3 cup chopped carrot
3/4 pound ground beef chuck (I used a whole pound)
Salt
Black pepper, fresh from the mill
1 cup whole milk
Whole nutmeg
1 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice (I used a whole 28 oz can)
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds pasta (I used 1 pound of dried rigatoni)
Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Put the oil, butter, and chopped onion in the pot and turn the heat to medium. Cook until the onion's translucent, then add the celery and carrot and cook for 2 minutes more until coated well.

Add the ground beef, a large pinch of salt, and a few grindings of pepper; crumble the meat with a fork and stir until the beef has lost its raw, red color.

Now the cool part: add the milk and let it simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely. Add a tiny grating--about 1/8 teaspoon--of nutmeg and stir.

Add the wine, let it simmer until it's evaporated, then add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly to coat all the ingredients.

When the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down so the sauce cooks at the laziest of simmers (just an intermittent bubble here and there). Cook, uncovered, for 3 hours or more, stirring from time to time. While the sauce is cooking, you are likely to find that it begins to dry out and the fat separates from the meat. To keep it from sticking, continue the cooking, adding 1/2 cup of water whenever necessary. At the end, however, no water at all must be left and the fat must separate from the sauce. Taste and correct for salt.

Cook pasta, drain, then add the pasta to the sauce with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Toss to coat evenly and serve with grated parmiggiano-reggiano.

Continue Reading "sunday supper: bolognese of my dreams"

sunday supper: pasta e lenticchie

Homey, filling, simple and tasty, all the makings of a perfect Sunday Supper on a chilly fall day. It's a one pot meal that results in a rich-tasting but ultimately extremely healthy dish. A very classic dish from the Campania region, it is often made using the odds and ends of leftover pasta, or pasta mista. I used capellini, broken into 2-inch pieces, so that it would cook quickly in the same pot as the lentils. I also used way more pasta than the recipe actually calls for because I am a carb freak, so the proportions were probably pretty different. No matter, it was delicious. Recipe after the jump:



PASTA E LENTICCHIE (PASTA AND LENTILS)
Adapted from Naples at Table by Arthur Schwartz

6 cups water
3/4 cup lentils
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped canned plum tomatoes, with some juice
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
3/4 pound vermicelli or capellini, or small tubular pasta, or pasta mista
2 rounded tablespoons finely cut or snipped parsley
Optional: Extra-virgin olive oil and hot red pepper flakes or hot pepper oil for garnish

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a rolling boil, add the lentils, and cook, covered over medium-high heat, until nearly but not entirely tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, the olive oil, the tomatoes, the salt, and the pepper. Reduce the heat, cover, and continue to simmer briskly for another 10 minutes, stirring a few times, or until the lentils are fully tender.

3. If using capellini, break it into 2- to 4-inch pieces and add them to the lentils. Cook, covered, at a steady simmer, stirring several times and scraping the bottom of the pot when you do. Cook until the pasta is just done, stirring more frequently as it gets closer to that point. If using a small tubular pasta or pasta mista, cook the pasta at least halfway in plenty of salted boiling water. Drain the pasta, add it to the lentils, and simmer to finish cooking the pasta.

4. When either pasta is cooked to taste, remove the pot from the heat, stir in the parsley, cover the pot, and let stand about 5 minutes before serving.

5. Serve hot, passing hot pepper oil or the best-quality extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling on top.

Continue Reading "sunday supper: pasta e lenticchie"

basil-walnut pesto

There is really nothing special about this pesto other than the fact that I used walnuts rather than pine nuts. Walnuts are cheaper than pine nuts. I guess that's special. Or maybe it's special because it does actually taste different, subtly, and is worth trying just for a change. It was a nice pretty green.



Then I put a crazy amount of butter and cheese in it. And it became a creamy cheesy magical pesto. Go ahead. Just eat it right off the spoon. Recipe after the jump:




BASIL-WALNUT PESTO
2 cups packed basil leaves (approx. 2 oz)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons softened butter (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

Pulse basil, walnuts, garlic and salt in food processor until it becomes a uniform paste. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil with the processor running. Add Parmesan and butter and blend 5-10 seconds more. If serving with pasta, add a couple tablespoons of pasta water to loosen.

Continue Reading "basil-walnut pesto"

borscht pasta. srsly?

Srsly! Well, why not? It just hit me yesterday. I was craving pasta, something light, veggie, summery. And I thought to myself that I've made pasta with so many different veggies, but I've never made one with beets. How could it be bad? So what flavor profile would work for a beet pasta? Dill. Onions. Hmm, this is sounding like a certain delicious summer soup that I love. Borscht. Genius (if I do say so myself).



So how to execute? I didn't want to beets to be cooked to the point where they lost too much texture, but I wanted the pieces of beet to be super small, to completely lose themselves among the pasta, which would inevitably turn the same color as the beets. That way when you took a bite, you may not even see the beets hiding among the noodles, but you'll get that crisp texture. So I broke out the mandoline and used the julienne blade for the thinnest matchsticks I could get. That way, I could saute the beets very quickly and bring them just to the point of tenderness without breaking down too much.



To round out the borscht-y flavor: tons of dill, thinly sliced onions, a touch of hot red pepper, a splash of vinegar for tang, and the crowning touch - a dollop of creme fraiche atop the hot pasta. Yes. Recipe after the jump:

BORSCHT PASTA
1 pound fettucini
1 bunch beets, about 4 medium
1 medium yellow onion, very thinly sliced into half-moons
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp hot red pepper flakes
3 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup creme fraiche

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. While it is boiling, peel the raw beets and slice into thin matchsticks with a mandoline. You could also grate the beets with a box grater. When the water has come to a boil, add the pasta. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan at medium heat. Add the onions and saute until just translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes on a hot spot in the pan and allow to sizzle in the oil for about 1 minute. Add the beets and saute until just tender, about 5 minutes. Salt and pepper liberally, then add the vinegar and taste. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Add a ladle of pasta water to the beets and allow to simmer until the pasta is done. When the pasta is about 1 minute short of al dente, remove from the water and add to the saute pan. Toss with the beet sauce, adding additional pasta water if it is too dry. Add the dill and toss until incorporated. Serve pasta topped with additional chopped dill and a large dollop of creme fraiche.

Continue Reading "borscht pasta. srsly?"