Archive for the 'Pasta' Category

Roast pork with walnut pesto on pasta

Published
by
admin
on April 15, 2008
in Pasta and Pork
. 10 Comments

One of my favorite things about leftovers are the things you can turn them into. While most home cooks wouldn’t slow roast a hunk of pork to make a pasta dish, if you happen to have some sitting around, there are lots of awesome possibilities that open up.

This is something I was contemplating while the pork was still roasting in the oven on Sunday. It’s a bit unusual for me in that I actually have a great dislike for walnuts (unless they are candied and in a salad), but for some reason, as the aroma of ginger, garlic and 5-spice wafted through the apartment, all I could think about was how well it would go with walnuts.

The following is a ludicrously simple recipe (assuming you have roast pork sitting around) that tastes a lot more complex than it actually is. I didn’t want chunks of walnuts, interrupting the texture of the al dente, pasta, so I pounded the walnuts into a paste with a mortar and pestle with some olive oil and Pecorino Romano cheese. The cheese adds a slightly sharp saltiness that compliments both the rich pork and walnuts nicely. I wanted to make this with orecchiette (little ear pasta), but unfortunately my groceries didn’t show up when I thought they were going to, so I had to make due with boring old linguine this time.

1/3 C walnut halves
1/4 C grated pecorino romano cheese
2 Tbs olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

1 C roast pork cut into 1/2″ cubes
8 oz cooked pasta

Using a mortar and pestle (or food processor), crush the walnuts until a fine paste. Add the cheese, olive oil and black pepper and combine.

When the pasta, is done, drain and add the cubed roast pork into the hot pot along with the pasta and pesto. Toss to thoroughly coat the pasta with the pesto then serve immediately.

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Chicken stroganoff

Published
by
marc
on April 2, 2008
in Dinner and Pasta
. 1 Comment

Chicken Stroganoff

Growing up, my mom did most of the cooking. On the rare occasion that she didn’t, and my step-father cooked, which meant we were in for one of 2 meals: meatloaf or beef stroganoff. I can’t say that either dish was mind-blowing, but I do remember him fishing out a tattered yellowing 3 x 5″ recipe out of a metallic green box, and the anticipation as the smell of cooking onions and mushrooms wafted out of the kitchen. Since leaving the house, I often find myself craving both dishes… like today.

I never did ask for the recipe, but after years of experimenting, I’ve come up with something that sates my cravings, and is a bit healthier to boot. This version uses chicken instead of beef, olive oil instead of butter and yogurt instead of sour cream. I find that the mushrooms give it a nice meaty flavor without the beef, but if you’re in the mood for beef, by all means, substitute away (hint: I’ve found that quickly seared strips of fillet mignon work the best). I’ve also cut out a step of making a roux by dusting the chicken in flour first.

4-5 skinless boneless chicken thighs washed, dried, trimmed of excess fat and cut into bite size pieces
sweet hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs flour for dusting

1/2 medium onion diced
8 oz. mushrooms cleaned and sliced

1/4 C vermouth or sherry
1/2 C chicken stock
1 Tsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/4 C plain yogurt
salt and pepper to taste

chopped parsley (optional)

Prep the chicken then sprinkle with salt, pepper and a generous amount of paprika. Dust with flour.

Get a heavy bottomed stainless steal saute pan hot over medium high heat then add some olive oil. Use tongs to place a layer of chicken down (you might need to do in two batches). And allow the chicken to brown before attempting to turn over (this makes some great fond and prevents the chicken from sticking to the pan). Flip the chicken and brown on the second side before removing to a plate. Repeat with a second batch if necessary.

Add some more oil if needed then add the onions and mushrooms. Get these nice and brown tossing to make sure nothing gets burned.

Deglaze the pan with the vermouth then add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and bay leaf. Turn down the heat a bit and let the chicken cook, stirring to mix the coating on the chicken with the liquid to help it thicken.

Once the chicken is done and the sauce is nice and thick, turn down the heat to low and add the yogurt. Taste it and add some more salt and pepper if you like.

Finish with some chopped parsley and serve over egg noodles.

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Bright and sunny lemon linguine

Published
by
marc
on March 25, 2008
in Pasta and Side
. 0 Comments

Bright and sunny lemon linguine

This simple dish was inspired by Mario Batali’s Bavette Cacio & Pepe. The list of ingredients may make it sound like a boring side, but try a bite and you’ll want to turn it into a meal.

I go for a slightly healthier take on Batali’s dish replacing some butter for olive oil and adding some lemon zest for a little bit of sunshine.

This goes nicely with some Ratatouille.

8 oz linguine
1 Tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 C freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 Tbs unsalted butter (optional)

Boil the linguine according to package directions and drain well.

Toss with the rest of the ingredients and serve immediately

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Kabocha browned butter pasta

Published
by
marc
on March 19, 2008
in Dinner, Fall, Pasta and Vegetable
. 0 Comments

Kabocha browned butter pasta

If you’ve never had kabocha, stop reading right now and go buy one. They keep forever and they’re quasi-decorative, so I almost always have a small one sitting on my counter ready to become a side, main course, or desert. Yes, you read that right:-) Its sweet, firm flesh is somewhere between a butternut squash and sweet potato, which makes it very versatile. I’ve even used it successfully in ice creams and custards (I’ll post a recipe one of these days).

This dish is simple (took me 30 minutes start to finish and I was trying to document a recipe) but the nutty browned butter plays nicely with the kabocha and sage and creates a rich flavorful coating for the pasta without being overly greasy or heavy.

On a slightly unrelated note, this blog has been up a few weeks, but I haven’t seen much feedback in the comments. To get things rolling, let’s hear how you like to prepare kabocha!

8 oz pasta cooked al dente
4 Tbs unsalted butter
1 C Kabocha (japanese pumpkin) cut into 1/4″ cubes
1 small shallot minced
2 Tbs chopped sage

freshly grated parmesan cheese

Boil the pasta according to the package directions in salted water.

While the pasta is cooking, put the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat and allow it to foam and start to turn brown while swirling regularly.

Add the kabocha and shallots when the butter is a nice tan color and saute until the kabocha is fork tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add the sage and then the well drained pasta and toss to coat the pasta with the butter. Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

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Cod roe linguine

Published
by
marc
on March 18, 2008
in Japanese, Pasta and Seafood
. 0 Comments

Cod roe linguine

When it comes to pasta’s I like simplicity that highlights the quality of a few fresh ingredients. This recipe is about as simple as it gets and yet there’s something exotic about an Italian inspired Japanese dish (… or is it the other way around?) The creamy olive oil tames the spicy brininess of the cod row, while the shiso offers fresh relief from the intense essence of the sea.

If you’re not much of a seafood fan, this might be one you want to pass on, but if you love anchovies in your pasta, this should be right up your ally. You can get spicy cod roe at Japanese or Korean markets and the shiso and sushi grade squid should be available at most Japanese grocery stores. If you’re having trouble procuring the squid or the shiso, try buying some from your local sushi joint (shiso is that green leaf that often comes as a garnish for sashimi).

2 Tbs spicy cod roe (also known as karashi mentai)
1 Tbs good quality olive oil
6 oz linguine or spaghetti cooked al dente
2 oz sashimi grade raw squid sliced into “noodles”
4 green shiso leaves cut into thin ribbons

Cod roe typically comes in membranes and looks like an oblong sausage. Squeeze the cod roe out of the membrane into a bowl and add the olive oil. Stir to combine.

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box and drain well. Add it to the cod roe mixture and toss until well combined. Add the squid and half the shiso and toss.

Serve the pasta and top with squid and reserved shiso.

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