Linguine with Peas, Pancetta, and Parmesan

Time to get back to what I know, for goodness sake! Way too long since I had pasta. This was an experiment, and it turned out pretty tasty. Here's what it takes:

3/4 lb linguine
3-4 tbsp butter
1 pkg pancetta, diced
1/2 package frozen peas, thawed
Red pepper flakes to taste
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus to taste for serving
Black pepper to taste

(Boil the water for the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water.)

Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan. Before the foam subsides (or after, I suppose), add the pancetta. Stir it around in the butter for a few minutes, then add the peas. Stir that all together until the peas are tender and well-heated. Add red pepper flakes - earlier if you want the pasta hotter, later if you don't. Add pinch of pepper, and salt if you'd like (taste it first, since the pancetta and the parmesan should provide more than enough saltiness). Turn heat to way low.

Add the now-cooked pasta to the peas and pancetta, and add the reserved pasta water if it seems dry. Mix in the parmesan cheese and toss together. Remove from heat and serve.

Chicken Potpie and Banana Splits

(taken from "Comfort Food" by Rick Rodgers - Williams Sonoma)

It's starting to get warm in Wisconsin, so it's last call for hearty dishes like chicken potpie. (Oh, who am I kidding, I make unseasonal meals all the time.) This was another first for me. I didn't really have the right pot, so the crust fell in and didn't cook as well as it might have. But the filling was very good. Here's the deal:

CRUST
Flour, 2 1/2 cups
Salt, 1/2 tsp
Unsalted butter, 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp, chilled
Vegetable shortening, 3 tbsp, chilled
Ice water, 1/2 cup

Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter and shortening into chunks and scatter over the flour mixture. Mix the butter and shortening into the flour mixture just until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs.

Pour the ice water over the flour mixture and toss it together with a form until the dough forms moist clumps.

Form the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.

FILLING
You can do this while the dough is chilling. The recipe calls for dividing all of this into smaller ramekins - I just made it all in a big dutch oven - which is maybe why the crust fell in. In any case...

6 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 pound quartered mushrooms
1 cup chopped leeks, white and green parts
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 cup peas
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp flour
4 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup dry sherry
2 tbsp tarragon, minced
4 cups cooked, shredded chicken (from purchased rotisserie, if you want)
Salt and pepper
Crust from above
1 egg

In a large frying pan, melt 1 tbsp of the butter over medium. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally until they start to brown. Then stir in the leeks and carrots, cover, and cook, stirring from time to time until the leeks are tender. Remove from heat and stir in the peas.

In another large saucepan, melt the rest of the butter (5 tbsp, gasp) over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and let it bubble for about a minute. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock and sherry and then the tarragon. Bring it to a boil, whisking. Stir in the chicken and the veggie mix and season with salt, pepper. Let it cool (they suggest an hour, if you have it).

Preheat the oven to 400 and place the filling in an oven-proof container - I used a dutch oven.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, lightly dust the top of the dough with flour, then roll out the dough until it's about 1/8 in thick. Beat the egg with a pinch of salt. Lightly brush the dough with the egg, then place the crust over the dutch oven with the filling in it, removing extra crust if needed. Make sure the crust is taught and sticking to the edges of the dutch oven. Lightly brush with the egg. Pop it in the over until the crust is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Done!


Er, luckily we worked out today. We finished this off with banana splits, which Joef taught me how to make:

1 banana
3 scoops vanilla ice cream
Whipped cream to taste
Hot fudge to taste

(One could make one's own whipped cream and hot fudge - but we'll do that another night.)

Split the banana in half, position it around the ice cream, top with fudge and finish with whipped cream.

Lemon Meringue Pie

(taken from "Comfort Food" by Rick Rodgers - Williams Sonoma)

Went out of my cooking comfort zone yesterday - and today - to bake my first pie! I'm usually not one for anything that takes more than a half hour of prep, but it seems to have been a success.

I started this on Saturday night, ran out of time, and had to finish the next day. Also, I took some shortcuts on the crust. Advance warning - this is a long one - both length of the recipe itself and the time it takes to make.

OK, here goes:

CRUST
Flour, 1 1/4 cups
Sugar, 1 tbsp
Salt, 1/4 tsp
Unsalted butter, 5 tbsp, chilled
Vegetable shortening, 2 tbsp, chilled
Ice water, 1/4 cup

Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter and shortening into chunks and scatter over the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender (what?) or 2 knives (I used my hands, frankly), cut the butter and shortening into the flour mixture just until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs.

Pour the ice water over the flour mixture and toss it together with a form until the dough forms moist clumps.

Form the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes or up to two hours. (Note - I was running out of time, so I stuck it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Then I ran out of time while I was rolling it out, so I ended up refrigerating it, formed into the pie dish, overnight. Turned out good enough despite all that.)

FILLING
Crust (above)
Eggs, 8
Sugar, 2 cups plus 2 tbsp
Cornstarch, 1/4 cup
Fresh Meyer lemon juice, 1 cup
Salt, 1/4 teaspoon
Unsalted butter, 4 tbsp, cut into tbsp
Finely-grated Meyer lemon zest, from 3 lemons

Unwrap your dough onto a floured work surface and dust it with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a round about 12 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick (you don't have to worry about it being too even, because you'll have to trim the sides anyway). Transfer to a 9-inch pie dish, fitting the dough to the bottom and sides of the dish. Trim the over-long edges off, leaving a bit of an overhang. Fold the overhang under itself, then "flute" the edge with your fingers: give it ridges just along the edge. Use a fork to pierce the dough all over. Line it all with aluminum foil and freeze for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 375. Put the dough-lined dish on a baking sheet and fill it with pie weights. (What? I know. Turns out you can just fill it with rice. It keeps it from getting bubbly. Note that the aluminum is still on at this point.) Bake about 12-15 minutes. Take it out, remove foil and weights, put it back in until it's golden brown - another 12-15 minutes. Take it out and let it cool while you make the filling. Raise the oven temp to 400.

Beat the 3 eggs until blended. Separate the yolks and whites of the remaining 5 eggs, adding the yolks to the beaten whole eggs and putting the whites in a separate large bowl. Cover those whites and set them aside at room temp. Beat the yolks into the beaten eggs. In another bowl, whisk 1 1/2 cups of the sugar and the cornstarch, then whisk in the beaten eggs, lemon juice, and salt. Transfer this to a heavy saucepan over medium heat, and heat it until it comes to a full boil, whisking almost the whole time. It should get nice and thick. Reduce the heat to low and let it bubble for 30 seconds. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the butter. Strain through a coarse mesh sieve into a bowl to get rid of any pieces of cooked egg white. Stir in the lemon zest, then pour it all into the baked crust.

OK, almost done! Using a handheld mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Beat in the remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar, one tbsp at a time, until it becomes very thick and shiny. Use a spatula to spread this over the filling, making sure the meringue touches the crust on all sides. Swirl the meringue around and make peaks. Pop it in the oven until the peaks get golden brown, about 5 minutes. Take it out and let it cool for at least 3 hours. If you like it nice and cool, put it in the fridge.

Lambchops with Couscous and Arugula Salad

Something a little different tonight.

In high school, whenever my dad was out of town on business trips, my mom and I made it a tradition to make lamb chops. Not that we couldn't have - or didn't - have lamb chops when my dad was home, too, but there was something about quickly cooking up a chop after school and plopping down in front of the TV to enjoy it. So, tonight, when Joef was out of town on business, I went back to the tradition.

Lamb Chops
2 lamb shoulder chops (at room temperature)
Garlic, sliced
Rosemary
Salt and pepper

Heat the broiler. While it heats up, trim the chops of some of their fat. Take the garlic and push it into a few key places on the chops - in between meat and bone, if you can; do this on both sides. Do the same with a couple of rosemary leaves. Salt and pepper to taste, and put a couple of droplets of olive oil on top if you want. Cook about five minutes on each side, or until done to your liking.

Couscous
OK, I just used the stuff from the box - Near East. Done.

Arugula Salad
Take a handful of arugula, two parts olive oil (say, 1 tbsp) to one part balsamic vinegar (say, 1/2 tbsp), mix it together. (In general, go for more oil and less vinegar.)

Risotto with Rosemary, Prosciutto, and Mushrooms

(adapted from cookthink.com)

I made risotto from scratch for the first time, woot! It was a little more time-consuming, obviously, than making it from a box, but there was a certain satisfaction in learning the process and gradually adding the broth. Here's what I used:

6 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter, plus 1 tablespoon for later
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup grated parmesan
3-4 large mushrooms, sliced
Prosciutto bits to taste

1. Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and keep the broth hot.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat in a pan. When the foam subsides, add the onion and a little salt and pepper. Cook the onion, stirring often, until it's translucent but not brown, 3-5 minutes. Add the rice and stir until coated with the onions. (I added the mushrooms here. And the prosciutto. Maybe a little too early. Added a couple rosemary leaves.) Cook, stirring once or twice, until the rice turns opaque, 2-4 minutes.

3. Add the wine and enough of the simmering broth to cover the rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is mostly evaporated and absorbed. Keep adding the broth, 1/2 cup or so at a time, until the rice is al dente.

4. Stir in the parmesan, remaining tablespoon of butter and black pepper to taste.

On the side I cooked some spinach with a little olive oil and a little bit of the chicken broth. See? Vegetables.

Baked Eggs with Prosciutto

(adapted from Mark Bittman)

My best friend was in town for the weekend, so it was time to get cookin'! Joef managed the waffles, while I...well, I WAY overcooked these potentially-delicious baked eggs...however, the concept is there. I'll trust the cook time on the recipe next time, and the fact that these will continue to cook even after they've been taken out of the oven because of the heat of the ramekin. Also - the prosciutto could be added afterwards; it adds a lot of salt to the dish. If you want to bake the prosciutto with the eggs, you certainly don't need to add salt.

Preheat the oven to 375. Put tomato and prosciutto in a ramekin, then break an egg over it. Pop them in an oven on a baking pan. Cook for about 10-12 minutes. Top them with a little parmesan cheese and red pepper.

Homemade Whipped Cream

Also by Joef. ("Joef, how'd you make this?" "Just take the cream...and whip it.") Heck, why not make your own delicious whipped cream when it's that simple? Who knew?

So - yeah. Heavy whipping cream. Sugar (or cane sugar syrup, in our case) to taste. Whip it up.

Belgian Waffles with Ice Cream Batter

This is Joef's creation, and it was seriously delicious! All you do is replace water in the boxed waffle mix recipe with melted ice cream. Truly decadent.

For 4-5 waffles, you'll need:

Krusteaz Belgian Waffle Mix, 3 cups
Eggs, 2
Oil, 1/3 cup
Melted vanilla ice cream, 1 cup (replaces water)

Blend the ingredients together with a whip, and you're ready to spoon it onto your waffle maker. When done, top with homemade whipped cream and fresh berries.

Mussels; Aglio e Olio; Arugula Salad

My best friend was in town for the weekend, so I decided to actually prepare a full-out meal, with sides and salad and everything. Mussels are a great way to go - they're delicious, truly easy, and significantly less expensive than clams. Plus, I'll eat seafood any chance I get.

1. Mussel with White Wine, Shallots, and Thyme (from www.cookthink.com)
Black mussels (scrubbed, de-bearded), 2 pounds
Butter, 2 tbsp
Small shallots (minced), 3
Garlic (minced), 2
Fresh thyme, 3 sprigs
White wine, 1/2 cup
Chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 cup

Put the mussels in a large pot of cold water; scrub each one clean and remove the beard and any grime on the shells. Drain them in a collander.

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. When it's hot and foaming, add the shallots and cook 2-3 minutes, until they just begin to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the thyme, wine and mussels. Stir, then cover the pot and turn the heat up to medium-high. Steam the mussels until they open. (Throw them out if they don't.) Sprinkle over the parsley and stir to combine the mussels with the sauce.

2. Aglio e Olio
Garlic (minced), 3 cloves
Olive oil
Salt
Red pepper flakes
Pasta

Start heating the olive oil (a generous amount, since it makes up most of the sauce) over medium heat. Add the garlic and let it simmer - don't let it burn. It should get nice and golden. Depending on the level of heat you want, add the red pepper flakes either early, with the oil, or late. Once the garlic is golden, mix the sauce into the spaghetti. Add a little fresh parsley if ya have it.

3. Arugula Salad
Arugula
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

Put arugula in a bowl, drizzle some olive oil over it, and add less balsamic vinegar. Mix it up.

Bagels & Lox

This is another meal with more endless variations - and great for when you don't feel like turning on the stove, or are out of ideas for dinner. For this guy: sesame bagel, plain cream cheese, arugula, avocado, tomato, lox.

Endless Sandwich and Panino Combinations

For when we want something delicious and insanely fast. And we haven't done dishes in a week. By the way, the New Glarus Honey Bock is fantastic.

Usually we use arugula, but Target was out tonight. Here's what we made:

Joef:
French bread, goat cheese brie, prosciutto, lemon pepper tuna, mustard vinaigrette, romaine lettuce.

Julia:
French bread, goat cheese brie, prosciutto, mustard vinaigrette, spinach, tomato, rosemary - toasted in the panini press.

For the mustard vinaigrette, just combine white or regular balsamic vinegar with dijon or stone-ground mustard and mix it together.

Mmm, shoulda used the leftover pesto sauce...

Pesto!

Mmm, pesto makes me endlessly happy. Growing up, we used fresh basil grown in the backyard. The stuff we bought at the store worked almost as well.

You'll need a food processor for this one. A blender will work, too.

Fresh basil leaves (2-4 oz)
Garlic (2-3 cloves) (note that this makes a VERY garlicky sauce)
Olive oil (1/2 cup)
Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup grated)
Salt to taste
Pasta - something with ripples or ridges to hold the sauce (1 pound)

Put the garlic in the food processor first. Chop it up and scrape it off the sides as needed. Next, add the basil and do the same. Add the olive oil a 1/4 cup at a time - grind it up until it starts to make a paste, scraping off the sides as needed. Add salt as desired. This will be pretty potent.

Put the paste into a small bowl and mix it with the parmesan. Pour it over the pasta and mix it until all the pasta is coated. Serve with more parmesan cheese as needed.

Squid with Green Sauce

(adapted from TAPAS, by Joyce Goldstein)

This is a nice tapas/appetizer. The recipe calls for clams, but suggests you can try it with squid, too. So let it be done, as my father would say!

Squid, cleaned (eight or more)
Flat-leaf parsley (1/4 cup)
Green onions (2 - the whole stalk)
Garlic (2 cloves)
Fresh lemon juice (2 tablespoons)
Olive oil (1/2 cup)

In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients but the squid.

Rinse the squid and cut it into squares, triangles, or strips. Put the squid into a hot saucepan and cook until they turn white and start to curl a little.

Drain out any excess liquid from the squid and mix it with the rest of the ingredients you've combined. Ready to go.

Pan-fried Shrimp and Chicken Breast

(from Babette de Roziere's Creole cookbook)

You'll need:

Jumbo shrimp, with tails removed (deveined, uncooked, peeled - however many are in a bag at the supermarket)
Chicken (1 pound)
Peanut oil (2 tbsp)
Chervil, chopped (2 sprigs)
Fresh ginger, chopped (2 tsp)
Serrano chiles, cut into thin strips (2)
Red bell pepper, chopped (1)
Green bell pepper, chopped (1)
Balsamic vinegar (2 tbsp)
Fresh lime juice (1 lime)
Salt, black pepper, and sugar (to taste)
Basil leaves (5-6)
Rice (1 cup)

Thinly slice the chicken breast and prep all the ingredients.

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the chervil, garlic, ginger, chiles, and peppers and fry over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Then add the balsamic vinegar.

Add the chicken and lime juice right away. Cook for another couple minutes, stirring constantly. Add the shrimp. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook until its all cooked through.

Add a pinch of sugar when you remove it from heat. Garnish with basil leaves, torn up. Serve over rice.

Moroccan Couscous with Quatre Epices

I made this from memory from watching my parents make it, so this is pretty rough. You'll need enough of the following to fill a crockpot:

Zucchini (1)
Baby carrots (1/4-1/2 bag)
Onion (1/2-1)
Chick peas/garbanzos/ceci beans (1 can)
Chicken drumsticks (1 package)
Lamb (whatever you can get)
Couscous (1 package)
Chicken stock (the very large size...memory fails me)
Quatre epices: cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, turmeric

Prep all the ingredients - slice the zucchini, quarter the onion, drain the chick peas. Get your crockpot ready to go.

Place the chicken in a sauce pan and lightly sprinkle with all four spices. Brown the chicken. Remove, and do the same with the lamb.

Layer veggies and beans in the crockpot. Vegetables - or whatever takes longest to cook - should go at the bottom. Add the meat, and pour in the chicken broth. It should just cover all the ingredients. If it seems like there's not enough, add a little water. Now, sprinkle some of all the four spices and stir if you'd like. Add salt to taste.

Cover, turn your crockpot on low, and leave it for the day to do its thing. The meat should be falling off the bone.

When it's done, you'll have a soup that you can serve over your couscous (follow instructions on the box). Harissa is a great addition if you want to make it nice and hot.