Ragu You

Posted: December 15, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: meat, pasta, sauces & gravy | Tags: , , , , , | 5 Comments

those are leftovers??

As part of a pre-New Year’s resolution, I’ve been trying to do more with my leftover and let fewer things go to waste. My root beer braised short ribs were so good the first time,  but could they get even better the second time around? The addition of crushed tomatoes and pasta did the trick, as I turned short ribs into a hearty meat sauce. This recipe is incredibly easy to make, so it’s perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Braised Short Rib Ragu with Pappardelle
– ½ cup of diced white onion
– ¼ cup of diced carrots
– 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
– 3 to 4 braised short ribs, cut into small pieces
– 1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
– 2 tablespoons of red wine
– ¼ cup of beef broth
– Dried oregano
– Olive oil
– Salt and pepper
– Parmesan
– Pappardelle, or similar wide pasta

In a Dutch oven, heat some oil on medium-high heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook until soft, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another two minutes. Add the short ribs and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, wine and beef broth, season to taste with oregano, salt and pepper, and let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes. Serve over pappardelle, and top with shaved Parmesan.

I didn’t include it in the ingredients, but I also threw in some leftover mushrooms that I had sautéed in some olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. I decided to use pappardelle since it’s such a thick pasta and really held up under the chunky sauce. While eating this dish, I totally forgot that most of the stuff that went into this ragu were leftovers, which is pretty cool.

Hunting for Chicken Cacciatore

Posted: November 14, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: chicken, meat, pasta, sauces & gravy | Tags: , , , , , | 6 Comments

the hunt is over

So, I eat a lot of chicken. Like, at least 4 times a week. But I can’t help it. I really like chicken. It’s usually super easy to make, and can be prepared in hundreds (maybe even thousands!) of ways. Like cooked in a chunky sauce loaded with vegetables.

If you don’t know chicken cacciatore, it’s time you did. It’s a classic Italian dish, sort of a rustic stew if you will, made with tomatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms, wine and either chicken or rabbit. Cacciatore is Italian for hunter, and you can almost picture a hunter returning from the hunt with his fresh game, tossing it into a giant pot with a ton of veggies, pouring in some wine, and then letting everything simmer away until it’s all soft and tender and incredibly flavorful.

That’s basically what happens here, except I added some heat by way of cracked red pepper and chili garlic sauce. (Yes, I know chili garlic sauce is typically an ingredient in Asian foods, but just go with it.)

Spicy Chicken Cacciatore
– 1 to 1 ¼ lbs of thinly sliced chicken cutlets, cleaned, dried & cut in half
– ½ cup of flour
– ½ of a large yellow onion, diced
– 1 cup of white mushrooms, roughly chopped
– 2 celery stalks, diced
– 2 carrots, peeled & diced
– 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
– 1 teaspoon of fresh oregano, chopped
– 2 14.5oz cans of diced tomatoes
– ½ cup of red wine
– 2 teaspoons of chili garlic sauce
– Olive oil
– Butter
– Salt and pepper
– Cracked red pepper

In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper and ¼ teaspoon of cracked red pepper. Lightly coat the chicken pieces with the flour mixture.

In a large pan or Dutch oven, heat a little oil on medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned on both sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Add a tablespoon of butter to the pan. When nearly melted, add the onions and cook for a few minutes. Add the mushrooms, carrots, celery and garlic, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it gets too dry, add a splash of oil or extra butter. Add the diced tomatoes, the wine and the chili garlic sauce. I added 2 teaspoons, but you can add more or less depending on how hot you want the sauce. Stir in the chopped oregano and bring to a low boil. Return the chicken pieces to the pan. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Turn the chicken pieces every 10 minutes while cooking. Serve over linguine or your favorite pasta, and eat!

stew fit for a hungry hunter (and me)

Don’t you love the way the chicken nestles into the sauce? It’s so chunky and rich. Each vegetable offers a different flavor and texture. I think some red or green peppers would pretty great in there, too. And my Asian fusion part — the chili garlic sauce — really does give it a nice, spicy kick. My mouth was a little tingly. And my stomach was very, very happy.

More Sausage and Penne, Peas

Posted: October 24, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: pasta | Tags: , , , , | 6 Comments

so colorful, so tasty

So, it’s fall.

There’s a way I can tell. And not just because the calendar tells me so. Or that I’ve been wearing more long-sleeve shirts to work. Or the plethora of apples & pumpkins everywhere. Or even that a new season of The Walking Dead has started. No, none of that.

It’s the fact that it gets freakin’ dark so freakin’ early.

Doesn’t it seem like only yesterday that the sun was shining at 8:30pm, and you felt summer would last forever … ?

Sigh.

But one good thing about fall is that it’s a chance to make some real comfort food. Like this pasta dish with Italian sausage, peas and a rich, creamy sauce. The flavors just work so well together. It’s a hearty dinner that makes a lot — seriously, you’ll be happily eating this for days — and is really easy to make. Perfect for one of those chilly fall nights. When it’s pitch black at 5.

Italian Sausage, Peas and Penne
– 4 or 5 links of hot Italian sausage
– 1 lb of penne
– 1 medium white onion, chopped
– 3 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
– 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
– ¼ cup of fresh oregano, roughly chopped
– 1 cup of heavy cream
– 2 cups of peas, blanched
– ½ cup of grated Parmesan
– Olive oil
– Salt & pepper

Heat your oven to 350º.

Place the sausage links on a baking sheet and roast them for about 15 minutes, until golden and just cooked. Flip sausages halfway through. Remove from oven, let them cool slightly and then cut into bite-sized pieces.

While the sausages are roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the penne until al dente. (A little bit of olive oil in the pot will help them from sticking together.)

In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and let cook another minute. I used my garlic press to really squish the garlic into a paste. Add the tomatoes and oregano, season with salt and pepper, and let the sauce simmer for 15 minutes. Then stir in the heavy cream and continue simmering until thick and creamy.

Next add the sausage, peas and cheese. Mix together and cook for a few minutes. Fold in the penne and serve. Top with additional Parmesan if you want, and eat.

rich & creamy

This sauce is so rich and creamy. You get a little bite from the peas (along with that bright green color!), some spice from the sausage. And the fresh oregano adds great flavor. Pair it with a salad and some Italian bread, and those dark fall nights get a lot brighter. Yes, peas!

To blanch the peas: Submerge peas into boiling water – 2 ½ minutes for fresh, 1 minute for frozen. Strain and plunge them in cold water to stop the cooking process. Strain again and set them aside until ready to use.

 

 

Mangia, Mangia

Posted: September 21, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: pasta, sauces & gravy, veggies | Tags: , , , , , , | 11 Comments

eat, eat, eat

So, last week I was on vacation. (Yeah! Which also explains why I haven’t posted in a while.) My friends and I rented a house by a pond in the mountains of New Hampshire. It was eight days of relaxing and eating … and eating. One day we stumbled upon a little roadside farm stand not far from the house. And inside it we found this giant zucchini. More than 15 inches long! It was so big and ridiculous, we just had to buy it.

(almost) too big for my cutting board

But then … it just sat on the counter for the rest of vacation. I think we were all afraid of it. Would it be good to eat? Would it be too tough? Is it just some abnormal veggie for us to take photos of and compare in size to the 11 month old baby that was with us?? When we packed up to leave, my friends all decided that I should take it and try to make it into … something. I wasn’t quite sure. My summer adventure with zucchini had led me to zucchini bread and zucchini corn fritters, even a zucchini and potato tortilla. What else could I do? But then I remember someone telling me about zucchini parmigiana they had. Aha! I could whip up a nice sauce to go with it and have a weeknight Italian feast. So that’s what I did.

However, once I cut open that bad boy I discovered that more than half of it was filled with big, pumpkin-like seeds. No way were those edible. Luckily, the top portion of the zucchini was seedless. So that’s the part I cut into slices, breaded, fried, covered with sauce and cheese and baked ’til golden and bubbly. And even though I doubt everyone will have a giant zucchini for this meal, I’m pretty sure normal-sized ones would work just as well.

Zucchini Parmigiana
For the zucchini:
– Zucchini
– Breadcrumbs
– 2 eggs, lightly beaten
– Olive oil
– Mozzarella, shredded
– Marinara sauce (my recipe below)
– Baking dish

For the sauce:
– 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
– ½ of a white onion, diced
– Minced garlic
– Tomato paste
– Red wine
– Italian spice mix
– Salt and pepper
– Olive oil
– Spaghetti

Heat your oven to 400º.

Slice the zucchini into ¼ or 1/8 inch thick pieces, but the thinner the better. Put breadcrumbs and the beaten eggs into two separate shallow bowls. Heat a little bit of oil in a large skillet on medium-low heat. Dip the zucchini in the egg, then in the breadcrumbs, shake off the excess and place into the hot skillet. Fry the zucchini until golden brown on both sides. Place on a plate and continue until all the zucchini slices are fried.

Add 3 spoonfuls of sauce to the bottom of the baking dish. Place a layer of fried zucchini in the dish and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. Continue layering the zucchini until the dish is full. On the final layer (I had 3), add sauce on top of each piece of zucchini and more mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Let cool slightly and serve with spaghetti and additional sauce.

baked goodness

Here’s how to make my go-to red sauce. Why buy the stuff in a jar when you can make it yourself in no time?

In a medium-sized pot, heat some oil on medium-low. Add the diced onions and cook until soft and translucent. Add a large tablespoon of minced garlic and let cook another minute or so. Add the can of crushed tomatoes, 1 or 2 teaspoons of tomato paste and season with Italian spices and salt and pepper. I like to add a splash of red wine if I have it in the house. This night I had a bottle of cabernet sauvignon, so that’s what I used. Give it a good stir and let the sauce come to a slow boil and then simmer for another 10 minutes or so. You can leave it covered on low heat until you’re ready to eat it.

Gno Way

Posted: August 22, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: pasta, sauces & gravy | Tags: , , , , , , | 6 Comments

gno way? yes way!

I was feeling ambitious this weekend. With the latest issue of Cooks Illustrated in hand, I decided to make potato gnocchi.

Now, I love gnocchi. Gnocchi in vodka cream sauce is one of my favorite dishes. I’ve even made a reasonably tasty version of these little dumplings out of ricotta. But the real thing? Never.

Well, there’s a first time for everything. And while I consider this definitely the first attempt out of many to come — I’m pretty happy with the results. I also learned a few things while making potato gnocchi from scratch.

Things I learned while making potato gnocchi:

1. Warm potatoes are extremely messy. (My kitchen table is still covered with a starchy film.)

2. I have little to no patience, especially when trying to make fork indentations on small pieces of squishy dough.

3. It really sucks to make a labor-intensive meal in a hot and humid kitchen. (See #2.)

4. It takes about 45 minutes to make 86 gnocchi. (Yes I counted. The heat slowed me down a bit. I think.)

5. A sauce made of butter, shallots and sage is mighty tasty, and really easy to put together.

So, the next time you’re feeling ambitious and have some hours to kill, try making your own gnocchi. Why not? Just go for it.

Potato Gnocchi in a Browned Butter & Sage Sauce
For the gnocchi:
– 2 lbs of russet potatoes (about 4 really large potatoes)
– 1 large egg
– ¾ cup of flour plus more for dusting
– 1 teaspoon of salt (plus for more salting water)

For the sauce:
– 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
– 1 small shallot, minced
– 1 teaspoon of minced fresh sage
– 1 ½ teaspoons of lemon juice
– ¼ teaspoon of salt

Heat your oven to 450º.

Poke each potato 8 times with a pairing knife. Microwave the potatoes until slightly softened at the ends, about 10 minutes. Flip the potatoes halfway through cooking. Transfer potatoes directly to the middle rack of the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. The potatoes should yield to gentle pressure.

Holding each potato with a clean kitchen towel or potholder, peel with the pairing knife. Process potato through a ricer or food mill (see photo!) onto a rimmed baking sheet. Gently spread the potato bits into an even layer and let them cool about 5 minutes.

it's like that play-doh toy, but for adults

Transfer 3 cups of warm potatoes to a large mixing bowl. Using a fork, gently stir in the egg until just combined. Sprinkle flour and 1 teaspoon of salt. Still using fork, gently combine until no pockets of dry flour remain. Press mixture into a rough ball, transfer to a lightly floured counter and gently knead until smooth but slightly sticky, about 1 minute. Lightly dust counter with flour as needed to prevent sticking.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with flour. Cut the ball of dough into 8 pieces. On a floured counter, gently roll each piece into a ½ inch thick rope. Cut rope into ¾ inch pieces. Holding a fork with the tines facing down, press each dough piece cut side down against the tines with the thumb of your other hand to create an indentation. Roll dough down tines to form ridges on sides. (See note.) Transfer formed gnocchi to the baking sheet and repeat process with the remaining dough.

a little army of gnocchi

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until butter is browned about 1 ½ minutes. Off heat, add minced shallot and sage, stir until shallots are fragrant about 1 minute. Stir in the lemon juice and salt. Cover to keep warm.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Carefully add the gnocchi into the water and cook until firm and just cooked through, about 90 seconds. They will rise to the top after 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked gnocchi to the skillet with the sauce. Gently toss gnocchi with the sauce, serve and eat.

mmm butter (and shallots and sage)

These potato dumplings are fluffy, just like tasty little pillows. Although mine look like pillows someone stitched together in the dark. Or caterpillars. But still, I tried! The brown butter and sage sauce — while probably not the best thing for you — is rich and oniony. It goes great with the gnocchi.

Cracking the Carbonara Code

Posted: April 1, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: pasta, sauces & gravy | Tags: , , , , , | 2 Comments

ciao bella

This week I learned some interesting things about Pasta alla Carbonara. Did you know that carbonaro means charcoal burner in Italian? It’s even rumored that the dish was either created by or named in honor of secret society of Italian charcoal men.

Or, that the rich sauce is typically made with just eggs, parmesan and pepper? Traditionalists don’t use milk or cream to thicken it. And lately, it seems to be a very popular dish for late-night restaurants, because it’s made using common ingredients and can be whipped up in a flash. Or so they say. I decided to see for myself.

But first, a small confession. Before making my version of pasta carbonara, I wasn’t a big fan. I really don’t know why — bacon, eggs, parmesan and spaghetti are all things I love. But for some reason it always seemed greasy and heavy. So, I wanted to do away with all of that and make something that I’d love. I also added a few things (mushrooms, spinach leaves) so it wasn’t ALL bacon, eggs and cheese. And it really does come together fast.

Pasta Carbonara
– 1/2 lb of spaghetti
– 4 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
– 2 large handfuls of baby spinach
– 1 cup of crimini mushrooms, diced
– 4 eggs
– 1 cup of grated pecorino romano cheese, plus a little more to sprinkle on top
– Salt & pepper
– Cracked red pepper flakes

Start by boiling a pot of salted water. Because everything needs to happen all at once, it’s best to have the water ready to go for the spaghetti.

Next, fry the bacon on medium heat in a large pan. (I used the biggest pan I have, since everything is mixed together at the end.) When cooked, place on a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Once the bacon is done, add your spaghetti to the boiling water and cook until al dente.

Then saute the mushrooms for about 3 or 4 minutes in the bacon fat. (You can add a little extra oil or butter if you want.) Then add the spinach, season with salt & pepper and saute another 4 minutes. Then add the bacon back to the pan.

Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a medium-sized bowl. Add the pecorino romano, salt & pepper to taste, a few sprinkles of cracked red pepper flakes and mix really well with a fork. Set aside.

When the spaghetti is ready, drain and add it to the pan with the bacon, mushrooms and spinach. Turn the heat down to low, and add the egg and cheese mixture. Stir everything together, and keep stirring, for about 1 minute until it turns into a creamy sauce. Be careful that the pan isn’t too hot because the eggs could scramble — and you don’t want scrambled eggs and pasta. Or, maybe you do. But that’s a different recipe. After a minute or so, it’s ready to eat.

the secret is out

You’ll discover that the dish isn’t heavy or greasy. Instead, the eggs and cheese form this unbelievably smooth and creamy sauce. It’s really flavorful, and the pecorino gives it a nice salty bite. The fact that this dish comes together so quickly is also a plus. Pair it with garlic bread and a simple salad — and presto! — you’ve got the perfect Italian meal fit for any night of the week.

If there really is a secret society based around this dish, sign me up.

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