Fettucine with Meat Sauce (Bolognese)

This sauce always reminds me of home - sitting on the floor of my room doing my homework, getting the call from my dad to come taste the sauce off the spoon. I'm probably not doing it full justice, but I have to say this was delicious, even on a hot night (OK, we had the A/C on).

I used fettucine tonight, as you can see, but rigatoni is a favorite, or shells (!), or penne - anything with ridges or with holes/pockets for the sauce to get into.

Here's all it takes:

1 lb pasta
3-4 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 small handful or so baby carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, trimmed and sliced
Pinch dried "Italian Seasoning" (actually, I think the mix I have called it "Pasta Sprinkle"...in any case, just oregano works, plus a little basil if ya got it)
1 lb lean ground beef
A splash or two white wine
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
Grated cheese for serving - parmesan and/or romano

Start the water boiling for the pasta (this sauce actually takes longer than the pasta takes to cook, which is different than usual, but it doesn't hurt to have the water ready to go).

In a sauce pot, make a sofrito: drizzle olive oil into the pan over medium-high heat, add the carrots, celery, and garlic, and a pinch of your choice of "pasta sprinkle". Mix the ingredients together in the pan as they become aromatic. When the ingredients start to soften, add the ground beef and mix in to begin to brown the meat. When it's about halfway-3/4 browned, add a splash or two and let the alcohol cook off. When the meat is browned, add the tomato sauce and stir. When the sauce starts to boil, turn the heat to low and let simmer, stirring occasionally. Lick the spoon.

Let the sauce simmer for a minimum of 10 minutes, then cook up the pasta. Drain, add sauce, and serve with grated cheese - parmesan is good, romano is better, and the two together are best. Lick the plate.

Tequila-Lime and Lemon-Mustard Chicken Marinades

Wow, I have been lazy, haven't I? This is the only problem with a food blog - it keeps track of how well I'm doing at making my own food rather than ordering Thai or driving to Chipotle.

In any case, after weeks of forty-degree weather, Madison finally jumped right into the 90s today, and the 80s last night, which is when we grilled chicken on our friends' penthouse rooftop (ooh, sounds fancy). We finally found some time to actually marinate chicken (about 3-4 hours), and I say "we" because Joef and I each made our own marinades, according to our tastes. Yes, you guessed it, Joef's had habanero, and mine had garlic. Actually, Joef says he would have "quadrupled" the amount of habanero, and for once I agreed with him that it wasn't overly spicy (it was just about right, really, in my opinion). In any case, these (as always) can be adjusted to your own personal taste.

We each marinated a pound of chicken tenders (man, those things shrink on the grill) by mixing the sauces, adding the chicken, and letting the flavors blend in a bowl or ziploc bad in the fridge for about three hours.

We also both approximated the quantities as we went, so unfortunately our record-keeping in that area is a little sketchy. My sense is, though, that you could vary the quantities according to your taste, just making sure that there's enough sauce to cover all the chicken.

TEQUILA-LIME MARINADE (on the right)
Chili paste/sauce
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 habanero, chopped
Tequila
Juice of 1/2 a lime
Soy sauce

LEMON-MUSTARD MARINADE (on the left)
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
Dijon mustard
Olive oil
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Rosemary leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
Ground pepper
Salt (optional)

Devil's Food Cupcakes

(from Martha Stewart's "Cupcakes")

I think - no, I know - this was the first time I had cupcakes (by choice) on my birthday. What is this brave new world? The only catch with these was that the icing just didn't come out as planned at all. I mean, it was gooey and delicious, but something must've gone wrong somewhere, because it didn't look like cupcake icing. I'd recommend the icing I used for the Devil's Food Chocolate Layer Cake.

(Makes 12 cupcakes - for easier measurements, and more cupcakes, double the amounts below)
3/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/8 cup hot water
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
5/8 tsp coarse salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/8 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
1/2 tbsp plus 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream, room temp
(Plus frosting)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

2. Melt the butter with the sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat and pour into a mixing bowl. Turn your electric mixer to medium-low speed and beat until mixture is cooled. Add eggs one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, beating until just combined after each addition.

3. Divide the batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through cooking. At about 20 minutes, use a piece of spaghetti to test if the cupcakes are done by inserting it into a cupcake and seeing if it comes out clean.

4. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool before spreading cupcakes with frosting.

Empanadillas

(from "Tapas: Seasonal Small Plates from Spain", by Joyce Goldstein)

This cookbook (an engagement gift from our friends Shauna and Maher) is one of my favorites. We had friends over for lawn games and grilling, and these are neither of those, but they were yummy. I'd make a few changes the next time - for example, I had some trouble with the dough - I used the water they recommended and it was much too dry, so I added some beer to moisten it up. I'll just include what the cookbook says in case I did it wrong - if it gets too dry, just add some more liquid till it feels right. I'd also cut the rounds bigger so I could fit more of the delicious filling in each one. (The filling, of which there was about a ton left over, is good on a french bread sandwich the next day.) Finally, I replaced the ham the recipe called for with pancetta - good choice - and added just a dash of paprika to the filling, near the end with the pepper.

And here we go:

DOUGH
2 cups flour
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp solid vegetable shortening
1/4 cup whole milk, water, or beer
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
(plus one egg, lightly beaten and set aside)

FILLING
3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (that was messy)
2 cloves garlic, minced
About 4 oz diced pancetta
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and coarsely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper and paprika

To make the dough, put the flour in a bowl and make a well in its center, adding the oil, shortening, water (or milk or beer), baking soda, and salt to the well. Use a wooden spoon to gradually work the wet ingredients into the flour, mixing until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a bit till it comes together, then shape it into a ball, cover it, and let it sit for about 20 minutes at room temp.

While the dough is resting, you can make the filling. Heat the oil over medium in a saute pan, then add the onions and cook until they soften and turn a pale gold (stir occasionally). Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes juices have evaporated (5-8 minutes). Add the pancetta and cook until its cooked through. Remove from heat and add the eggs. Season to taste with pepper and a pinch of paprika. Let it cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 and come back to the dough. Roll out the dough until its about 1/8 of an inch thick or less, then use a glass (wide as you can - recipe says 3 inches, but I'd say larger) to cut out rounds. Once you have all of your rounds, spoon the filling into each one, using the egg to dampen the edges of the dough. Fold the dough over the filling in a half-moon shape, using the tines of a fork to press the edges together.

Put the pastries on a baking sheet and brush with egg, then bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

Pasta Fresca

Yes, the name is made up. It felt right, though. Better suggestions welcome! (Joef suggests Pasta Caprese.)

Tonight's pasta would make a great summer meal. That being said, tonight it's raining and in the low 40s, and we still liked it.

Fresh basil, torn into pieces
4-5 fresh roma tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2-3 tbsp or balsamic vinegar, or to taste
1/3 cup or so extra virgin olive oil
Red pepper flakes, if you want
3/4 lb pasta
Fresh mozzarella, about 1/2 cup
Prosciutto, in small pieces (assuming your "butcher" doesn't shave the meat instead of slice it, leaving you with a pile of mushy, tasteless meat...curse you, Super Target)
Salt (if it needs it) and shredded parmesan to taste

Combine the olive oil, basil, tomatoes, balsamic, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a bowl; stir and let sit while you start boiling the water for the pasta. When you add the pasta to the boiling water, add the mozzarella to the other ingredients.

Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce, adding the prosciutto. Add salt if you want it and shredded parmesan as desired. It's nice with sliced french bread. And that's it!

(Sunflower courtesy of the husband!)

Guest Recipe: Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

And my lovely mother, Jill, to thank for this recipe! (Happy Mothers' Day, Ma!) My mom is the best at pies, and this was no exception. With fresh rhubarb from the Farmers' Market, this was a hit, as always. Plus, she showed me a much simpler (and equally delicious) recipe for pie crust that I'll be hanging on to.

(Also, this is another 3-recipe day, so scroll down for Baked Cod and Toothpick Caprese!)

Preheat oven to 350.

FILLING
1 heaping (more like 1.5) cup strawberries (measure, then slice)
2 lbs rhubarb (roughly 10 stalks), sliced into roughly 1 inch sections
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch (maybe more? it was a very juicy pie, but we think we cooked it too quickly - have adjusted this recipe to reflect what we think is a better cooking time)

Combine these ingredients in a bowl, then set them aside while you make the crust.

CRUST
1 1/2 cups flour
1 stick butter, cut roughly into tablespoons
1/4 cup cold water

The less you handle the crust mixture, the better - it makes for a flakier crust. Combine the flour and butter in a bowl, and mix with your hands until fluffy and combined. Add the cold water, and again mix with your hands until you have dough that you can roll out. Add flour if it's getting too sticky. Place floured wax paper on your counter and roll out the dough on the paper (lightly flour the rolling pin, too) until it's about the thickness you want for your crust. Lift the dough over your pie tin, press down into the tin, and trim the edges (save them). Patch as necessary, then pour in the filling.

Take the remaining dough and roll it out again. Slice it into strips and then arrange/weave them in a lattice pattern (the hardest part) over the pie filling. Use your fingers and thumb to pinch together the edges of the pie to get that ripply effect.

Place the pie in the oven and cook for 45 minutes or until crust is golden-brown (check it at 30 minutes to see how it's going). Remove from oven and allow to cool. Serve with vanilla ice cream, or on its own.

Guest Recipe: Baked Cod with Potatoes and Rosemary

You (and I) have my dad, Steve, to thank for this fantastic, easy, delicious recipe. What's extra-great about it is that it's simple enough to make on a weeknight or a whim, and fancy enough to make for guests. Definitely being added to the repertoire.

Even better, we went to the Dane County Farmers' Market yesterday morning, where we bought both purple potatoes (for this recipe) and fresh rhubarb (for the pie), and delicious maple syrup for the waffles this morning.

Here's all you need to serve four:

Olive oil
6-8 cloves garlic, chopped
Several sprigs fresh rosemary
2 lbs cod fillets (or similar fish)
Purple (or other) potatoes, thinly sliced
Fresh ground black pepper
Salt
Breadcrumbs (plain)
Lemon

Preheat oven to 350/375. Prepare two casserole dishes by drizzling them with olive oil and sprinkling 3-4 cloves of chopped garlic into each dish. Add a generous amount of rosemary leaves.

Cut the cod roughly in halves, or so you can fit two-three pieces in each dish (they should touch, but not overlap). Rub the fillets around in the oil in the dish so that both sides pick up the oil/garlic/rosemary. Add more rosemary leaves as needed. Next, arrange the sliced potatoes around the fillets so the bottom of the dish is covered. Do the same with the potatoes as you've done with the fish so they're coated in the sauce. Grind fresh black pepper on top to taste and add just a little salt. Place in the oven.

Cook until the flesh of the fish becomes white and begins to flake, about 15-20 minutes. When the fish is flaking, sprinkle breadcrumbs over the fish and potatoes in the oven. Then, turn on your oven's broiler and let it cook until the breadcrumbs begin to brown, about 5-6 minutes. Serve with lemon or without, and maybe with the obligatory arugula salad on the side.

Toothpick Caprese

My cousin Jake tells me it's been a bit of a dry spell over here. So Jake: here are three recipes today to remedy that problem!

I actually did very little, if any, cooking this weekend, because my parents visited for Mothers' Day. This means that the blog gets the added benefit of two recipes from two highly-accomplished chefs (i.e., not me): my mom and dad. This toothpick caprese salad was my only contribution. It is rather tasty, though - a nice appetizer for the rest of the meal.

All you need is fresh basil, grape tomatoes (or cherry, if you halved them), fresh mozarella (in our case, by local Crave Brothers Farm), ground pepper, olive oil, and vinegar. Use toothpicks to skewer the mozzarella, basil, and tomato together until you have as many as you want. Place them on a platter, and lightly drizzle with olive oil and less vinegar. Grind black pepper on top.

UPDATE: No toothpicks? Just put all the ingredients in a bowl and eat it like a salad:

Black Forest Cupcakes

(from "Martha Stewart's (omg) Cupcakes")

Another first for me (cupcakes) and another embarrassing retraction: yes, I like cupcakes now. Well, at least these cupcakes. And I still don't like the ones you get from the grocery store. But these - yes, these are delicious.

(Also, I went blog-wild today - don't miss the two posts below this one, mint juleps and oysters on the half shell!)

Makes 12 cupcakes (I halved the recipe in the book and it worked fine).

CUPCAKES
1 1/16 unsalted butter (1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp), plus more for tins
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for tins
1 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/16 tsp salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 large eggs (that was NOT easy)
3/8 cup sour cream
3/4 cup buttermilk
12 oz
2 tbsp cherry or blackberry-flavored brandy
Pastry cream (see below)
Chocolate ganache glaze (see below)

1. Preheat over to 350. Rub butter inside the muffin tins, then lightly dust with cocoa powder, tapping out the excess.

2. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, mix the butter and the granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the brown sugar and combine with the mixer until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until they're incorporated into the mixture. Mix in the sour cream. Reduce the speed to low, and add the flour mixture (above) in three batches, alternating with two batches of buttermilk, mixing until just combined after each addition. Your batter is done.

4. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through. (At this point you can start on the pastry cream and the chocolate ganache, below.) Tops should be firm to the touch, and a piece of spaghetti inserted in the top should come out clean - about 20 minutes. Take the tin out of the over and let cupcakes cool completely before removing from the tin (continuing to work on your pastry cream and ganache).

5. As the cupcakes cool, reserve 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp of the cherry juice, and combine with the brandy. Cut each cherry in half. When the pastry cream and ganache are done, use a serrated knife to gently (sawing motion) split the cupcakes in half. Brush both cut sides with the cherry-brandy mixture, then brush the tops. Arrange the halved cherries over the cupcake bottoms, spoon a heaping tablespoon of the pastry cream over the cherries. Replace the top halves. Finish by spooning about 2 tbsp of the glaze over the tops.

PASTRY CREAM
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Pinch of salt
2 cups milk
1 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Whisk the egg yolks until smooth in a large bowl.
2. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan, and heat over medium. Stirring constantly, gradually add the milk in a slow, steady stream, and cook until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble. (Be patient.)
3. Whisking constantly, slowly pour about 1/3 of the milk mixture into the egg yolks (you do this first to prevent curdling). Now pour this into the remaining milk mixture in the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils and is thick enough to hold its shape. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
4. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve (gets rid of any pieces of egg white). Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it right onto the surface to keep a skin from forming. Directions say to refrigerate until chilled and firm, about 2 hours - but who has time for that? I popped it in the freezer until the cupcakes were ready to go, but I found it a little too stiff. I'd probably just go with the fridge next time.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE GLAZE
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp light corn syrup

1. Place chocolate in a small saucepan or heatproof bowl.
2. Bring cream and corn syrup just to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate. Let it stand without stirring until the chocolate begins to melt.
3. Use a flexible spatula to gently stir the chocolate and cream together until totally combined. It helps to begin near the center of the bowl and slowly work your way out. Don't overstir. Will be smooth and glossy. (This would make a great ice cream topping, too, btw.)

Kentucky Derby Mint Juleps

Who says a food blog can't do drinks, too? Joef is a master drink-mixer. This is his own recipe, and a must for derby-watching. (I won, by the way: both first and second place!)

Let the guest blogging begin!
"Serves 4:

8 oz. Bourbon (140 proof) – George T. Stagg – Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
8 oz. Water*
4 oz. Sugar Cane Simple Syrup
30 mint leaves, plus mint to garnish
Paper Towels
Ice

1. Soak the mint leaves in 3 oz. of bourbon in a small bowl for 15 minutes.
2. Remove the mint leaves from the bourbon and roll them into a paper towel.
3. Soak the portion of the paper towel containing the mint in the bourbon and wring the towel into the bowl; resoak and repeat several times. The bourbon should smell thoroughly minty after repeating this process multiple times.
5. When complete, discard the mint and paper towel.
6. Add an additional 5 oz. of bourbon to the minty bourbon along with 8oz. water and 4 oz. sugar cane simple syrup.
7. Stir the mixture with a spoon.
8. Freeze for 30 minutes.
9. Pour contents into four highball glasses filled with ice.
10. Garnish with mint sprigs.
11. Cheer for your horse of choice!

*I used an especially strong bourbon. Hence, I chose to cut the mixture with water. If you are using a lower proof bourbon, I would recommend using less water and more bourbon, aiming for a water/bourbon mixture that is approximately 40% alcohol."

Because this drink is primarily the bourbon, it's probably worth biting the bullet and getting a good one. Here's what we used, along with the sugar cane syrup:

Oysters on the Half Shell

Technically, this isn't a recipe. I'm just kind of excited we had oysters at home. I love oysters. And we found this great little fish market in Madison that we'll definitely be heading back to. Joef did the honors opening them up, then we served them over ice with fresh lemon and a choice of fresh-ground horseradish or cocktail sauce. Oh, and this probably should have grossed me out, but we found a LIVE CRAB inside one of the oysters. There was nothing left in that shell but that little guy. Wild.

In any event - a great way to kick off the derby - off to the races!