Zucchini Carbonara with Penne

This is a slightly modified recipe of Jamie Oliver's, using ingredients I already had in my kitchen. This is really summery--as it uses summer veg--and it's also forgiving to your AC system, as it cooks pretty darn fast!

Carbonara is really the only "true" Italian cream sauce. You probably didn't know this, but Fettucine Alfredo is NOT Italian!--Just like pizza. Italians generally eat pasta plain with olive oil, or with vegetables or meat, in non-creamy sauces. This Carbonara sauce is the closest thing to a cream sauce that they get.

Now what exactly is a Carbonara sauce? you may ask...Well, it's a cream sauce that is made by adding egg and a touch of cream directly to the hot pasta and vegetables. The hot environment cooks the eggs immediately, leaving a smooth, creamy sauce that is delicate in texture and flavor. This is very much unlike our thick bechamel sauces, which are, in fact, French in origin. The trick with the Carbonara is that you must work quickly, ensure that the just-drained pasta makes it directly into the pan with the veg, take it off the heat, and combine the cream and eggs as soon as humanly possible, stirring the pot, or else the eggs with scramble and then you have "Eww, Pasta with Scrambled Eggs" instead of "Pasta Carbonara."

Now enough yacking...Let's get into the specifics.


Ingredients:

-12 rashers of bacon, cut into small pieces
-3 zucchini, halved and sliced thinly on an angle
-3 yellow squash (or just more zucchini), halved and sliced thinly on an angle
-1 lb. penne, NOT pre-cooked!
-4 eggs
-1/2 cup heavy cream
-1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
-1 tsp. dried thyme, or 1 small handful of fresh thyme leaves, no stems
-salt and pepper


Heat a wide-bottomed pan with tall sides to medium heat. Once you wave your hand over it and feel hot air, add the bacon.

At this time, you can slice up your vegetables.

After the bacon browns and gets crispy, add in all of your sliced veg (leave the bacon fat in there so the vegetables will crisp up!). Toss them around, and add in the thyme and 1 tsp. pepper.

Set your pasta water to boil, being sure to add enough salt so that the water is "salty like the sea" (about 2 tbsp. for a large pot). Continue tossing the veg every 5 minutes or so, leaving time enough for them to get golden and crisp in the bacon fat.

Add your pasta to the pot when the water is boiling.

While you are waiting for the vegetables and pasta to cook, add your eggs and cream to a bowl with half of the cheese (1/2 cup). whisk together with 1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper.

Set aside. This is what you will be pouring into the pasta in a bit.

When your pasta is just about done, take a mug out of the cabinet and scoop out half a mug's worth of pasta water. Set it aside.

Now this is part where it is critical to work quickly--no standing around! Get everyone ready at the table. Then, take the vegetables in the pan off of the heat. Strain the pasta and immediately add it to the pan. Directly pour in the egg mixture and toss the pasta in the sauce with tongs. Pour in a bit of the pasta water to loosen the sauce. Taste a noodle. Add salt as needed. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of Parmesan on top of each dish.

Butternut Squash and Sage Lasagna (Vegetarian)

My husband and I both enjoy meat, and all things hearty, however neither of us are great fans of lasagna. I decided to try this recipe by Martha Stewart, to see if it was possible to change my mind about this unusual, layered thing.

Like butternut squash ravioli, this is rich and satisfying--a real treat! Even if I don't prefer regular lasagna, I can be a proud promoter of this spin-off.


Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces 
-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
-Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 
-1 pound whole-milk ricotta cheese 
-1/2 cup heavy cream 
-2 large egg yolks 
-1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated (1.5 cups-ish) 
-Freshly grated nutmeg 
-2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
-1/3 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped 
-1/2 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock 
- 1 pound of lasagna noodles, cooked
-4 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/4 cups)


Preheat oven to 425F. First, cut and peel the squash. The easiest way is to cut off the straight part from the round part, peel each section individually, and then half the round section, scrape out the goop, and dice everything all up. 

The orange squash is from my garden this summer! Look at the difference in color between it and a store-bought one. Mine also has a very delightful fragrance. The contrast was so distinct in every way.

Scatter the squash onto a foil-covered baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper, and mix it all around with your hands so it's fully coated. Bake until golden brown and soft--20-25 minutes.

In the meantime, cook your pasta minus 2 minutes of the cooking time (so that it doesn't get mushy in the oven). Toss in cold water, and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, cream, egg yolks, mozzarella, and a dash of nutmeg. Set aside. 

Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat, and chop sage, and toss into the butter. Let cook until fragrant and slightly browned. 

When the squash is done, scrape into a bowl with the stock and the sage and butter mixture. Mash it halfway with the back of a spoon, leaving some chunks. Just make sure that it's not watery, but creamy. 

Set the oven to 375F. Butter a 9x13 baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of ricotta mixture into the bottom. 

Lay one layer of noodles (4 slightly overlapping) over this. Spread half the squash mixture. Add another layer of noodles.

 Repeat with half the remaining ricotta, then noodles, the last of the squash, the last of the noodles, then ricotta. Sprinkle the top with the Parmesan. 

Bake about 30 minutes until browned. Cool for about 10 minutes to allow the juices to settle. Serve!

 

Rustic Ragu with Shredded Pork Shoulder

You know it's good when your man is  silent at the dinner table with his head focused on his plate. It doesn't look like much, but this is the most PERFECT, wintery, yummy dish!! It combines buttery smooth, melt-in-your-mouth pork shoulder with a robust sauce and shell pasta that gently cradles the heavenly goodness....All of those fantastic spices you see below are the secret to sauce greatness.

(See the happy husband....)


This is a modified version of a recipe from Domenica--a New Orleans restaurant. I am so glad I came across it!

Ingredients:

-1 lb. boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt) cut in 1 1/2 inch pieces
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1 small onion, finely chopped
-2 medium parsnips, peeled and finely chopped
-5 mushrooms, diced
-1 garlic clove, chopped
-1 sprig of rosemary
-1 sprig of  oregano (or 1/2 tsp. dry)
-1 bay leaf
-14 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
-1/2 cup red wine
-1/4 tsp. black peppercorns
-1/4 tsp. nutmeg
-1/8 tsp. ground cloves
-8 oz. shell pasta
-1 bunch of kale, ribs and stems removed, torn into 2 inch pieces
-3 tbsp. unsalted butter
-1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil on medium-high in a wide, high-sided pan or a pot. Brown the meat in the pan, until golden and encrusted on all sides. Set aside on a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium and cook the onion, parsnips, mushrooms, and garlic. Stir occasionally, and cook until golden brown--about 8-10 minutes. Color means flavor!

Tie the rosemary, oregano, and bay leaf together with kitchen twine (or not...if you don't mind fishing around for them later!), and add to the sauce. Add the pork, tomatoes, wine, peppercorns, nutmeg, and cloves.

Add enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, adding more water as needed (approximately 1 cup over the course of the cooking process), for about 45 minutes until the meat is very tender.

Discard the herb bundle, and shred the meat using two forks. Continue to cook uncovered for another 10 minutes to thicken the sauce.

Cook the pasta in salted water, drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.

Add the kale to the meat sauce along with the pasta water. Sprinkle the parmesan over the top, close the lid, and simmer for another 5 minutes to wilt the leaves. Taste, and add salt as needed. Add in the pasta.

Serve, topped with more Parmesan. 

Tamarind Thai Noodle Salad: A Beautiful, Far-East Accompaniment to Summer Barbeques and Picnics

 

3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, minced
½ medium red onion, thinly sliced with a wide grater
A handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced

Combine these ingredients and pan sear them with ½ tbsp. butter for 5 minutes over medium heat, until the ginger and garlic become fragrant and the onion starts to soften. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
Cook 1 pound of flat, long rice noodles (the type used for pad thai, shahe-fen) and cool in some cold water until room temperature. Strain and put into the serving bowl. Toss with a splash of olive oil. 

1 carrot, grated
1 bundle of scallions, sliced thinly
A few leaves of fresh mint, chopped
3-4 handfuls of coleslaw mix (shredded red and green cabbage and carrot)
½- ¾ cup of fresh peas

Add all of these to the bowl with the pasta. Toss to combine. 

Next, in the bowl with the onion and garlic mixture, add in zest and juice of one lime, 1 tablespoon of tamarind paste, 2 teaspoons of tamarind date chutney (find both of these at an Asian or Indian market; it gives the pasta a sweetness and some tang), ¼ cup of Szechuan sauce (the kind you can buy in the Asian food section of your grocery store), a splash of rice wine vinegar and of soy sauce, and lastly 4 drops of hot sauce. Stir this into the noodles. 

In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons of sugar with ¼ cup of boiling water. Stir to dissolve a little and then add this to the pasta as well. Taste the pasta and add more sugar, Szechuan or tamarind as desired.

Hearty, Pan Seared Gnocchi

In my family, we have a lot of meat-eaters. And when I say meat-eaters, I think you know what I am talking about...MEN. It is NOT ACCEPTABLE to have a meal without meat! So, when I went off to college and started cooking without meat (as it is expensive, and for some reason girls don't have a bodily need for the substance), my father and brother were aghast! And even now, my fiance is aghast when I try to cook without meat. 

So here's my ode to meat! Something pretty simple to cook up, but also pretty beautifully meaty and hearty. We've got crispy mini pork meatballs, beautiful, soft, Italian potato dumplings, asparagus (because green is a necessity in my cooking), and of course--bacon. Tell me what you think.

The Recipe:

1lb. ground pork (such as Jimmy Dean)--make sure it's got fat in it
1/2 package of bacon, diced
1 vidalia onion
2 cloves of garlic (BIGGUNS!)
2 tsp. butter
2 teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1/3 cup Marsala wine/chicken stock
3/4 cup chopped asparagus
1 lb. mini gnocchi (find it in the pasta section, the mini ones cook easier in this dish)
SALT--to taste



Set a medium pan over medium heat. take ground up sausage meat, roll it into balls and toss them into the hot pan.

At the same time, chop one vidalia onion and 2 cloves of garlic and toss them into a large pan that is over medium heat. Wait until the pan is hot, add in a tablespoon of butter, and after it begins to sizzle and melt, add in the onion. After the onion softens a bit, put in 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves. Continue to cook until golden brown and soft.

Do not immediately toss the sausage meatballs...let them have a chance to brown up on the bottoms and use a spatula to get underneath them and flip them all over after a few minutes.

Once they are brown on all sides, add in half a package of bacon, chopped into small pieces using kitchen scissors. continue to cook down until the meatballs are no longer pink in the middle and the bacon is cooked.

Place all of the meat on a paper towel to soak up the grease and pour off all that is left in the pan except about 1 tablespoon.

Meanwhile, once the onions are soft, turn up the heat to medium-high. When you hear the pan begin to sizzle, pour in 1/3 cup of marsala wine (or chicken stock for all of ya'll under age ;) and let it bubble away for a minute until mostly dissolved and turn the heat back down to low.

Add in 3/4 cup of chopped asparagus.

 

pour 1 package of mini gnocchi (1lb) into the hot pan that the sausage just came out of. using a spatula, continually scrape the bottom of the pan so as to prevent them from getting stuck. Add in more of the fat if necessary. cook them like this for about 2 minutes, they should still be somewhat firm.  

 

Combine everything back together in the large pan with the onions. Turn up the heat to medium and toss it well. Taste, and add salt as necessary. Make sure the gnocchi are soft to the bite.    

 Yumm...