Paccheri Carbonara

We love Carbonara. But it's one of those dishes that is either really good or really bad. And some restaurants try to put their own special "touch" to it. It's basically just eggs and cheese, but some places have to put their own touches to it and make it their own. We found a place like that and their version was delicious. So I wanted to recreate it. Close but no cigar. I also don't think their dish was a true Carbonara but they can call it whatever they want, we called it fantastic. But mine didn't come close. We liked, not loved, so it needs more tweaking!

I found a recipe online by Barbara Lynch at Bon Appetit. Then just added what I remember was in the original dish. Mushrooms, peas. I think it must have also had cream, which to me would make it more like an Alfredo but that's a whole new discussion. I didn't use the cream. Next time.

The recipe from Bon Appetit used rigatoni but I used the same pasta the restaurant did, a large tube-shaped pasta called Paccheri, sort of like a big fat rigatoni. This wasn't exactly like we remember but it was still pretty good. The Paccheri is nice because it's big, hollow and hearty and when it's cooked it flattens and grabs a lot of sauce, except mine didn't flatten much because it was really al dente. It needed a tad more cooking time but on the bright side it wasn't crunchy. I also need more work on technique it's been a long time since I made a Carbonara. The sauce was a bit diluted, I added way too much pasta water this time because I was rushing to get dinner on the table and I didn't pay attention. Story of my life. But it was good. Just not great. So next time will be perfect. Maybe.

Paccheri Carbonara
adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook
Source: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/04/the-silkiest-carbonara, recipe by Barbara Lynch
Printable Recipe

1/4 pound pancetta, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
7 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1 pound rigatoni, paccheri or penne (spaghetti works well, too)
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas
kosher salt
1/2 cup finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan plus more for garnish
1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper (or you can use a blend of pink, green and black peppercorns)
 
Put the pancetta in a large skillet and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until fat renders but the pancetta is not browned, about 5 or 6 minutes. Saute the mushrooms until softened, add the peas and cook for another minute. Pour into a fine-mesh sieve set over a small bowl; reserve drippings. Transfer the pancetta, mushrooms and peas to a large bowl and let cool slightly. Add egg yolks and egg to bowl; whisk to blend.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid.
 
To egg mixture, immediately add the pasta, 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta cooking liquid, and 1 teaspoon of the pancetta drippings; toss to coat. Working in batches, gradually add the Parmesan, stirring and tossing to melt between batches. Add freshly ground pepper and toss until sauce thickens, adding more pasta water by the spoonful if needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
 
Divide into bowls and top with more grated cheese. Serve immediately.

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Wordless Wednesday: Nice Day at the Beach

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Barley and Mushrooms

Definitely on a mushroom kick, can you tell? Almost every other recipe lately has mushrooms! We just love them and when I saw this recipe that Barbara at Moveable Feasts posted I knew my family would love it! And they did. Really a fantastic recipe. Couldn't get them to have it with the yogurt or even a swirl of sour cream in theirs, but I used the Greek yogurt for mine and it was really even better. I've made this twice since Barbara first posted and we look forward to it again and again. And due to a severe cookbook addiction I also ended up buying the book it came from, Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, and have lots more recipes bookmarked!

Barley and Mushrooms with Greek Yogurt

adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook

Source: Barbara @ Moveable Feasts

Recipe from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup pearl barley

about 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

about 1/2 ounce dried chanterelle mushrooms

1 cup lukewarm water

4 cups shiitake (stems removed) and button or cremini mushrooms

4 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons butter

2-3 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves only or 1 teaspoon dried

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup white wine

2 tablespoons chopped parsley, some extra for garnish

fresh lemon juice (1/2 lemon)

Greek yogurt for topping

salt and black pepper, to taste

Rinse the barley with cold water, then place in a medium-sized saucepan and cover with fresh water. Simmer for 30-35 minutes, or until tender. To rehydrate the dried mushrooms, place the porcini and chanterelles in a bowl and pour the lukewarm water over the mushrooms, set aside and let them sit for a while to soften.

Put the fresh mushrooms in a hot pan with the oil, half the butter and the thyme, and saute for about 8-10 minutes, until the mushrooms soften, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and wine and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Add the porcini and chanterelles and the soaking liquid, you may have to strain the liquid to get rid of any grit left in the bowl or just don't pour the liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining butter with the parsley, lemon juice and cooked barley. Add more water if needed and taste for seasoning.

To serve, top with a spoonful of yogurt and a sprinkle of parsley or coriander.

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Lighter Loaded Potato Skins

The hubby and I loved it, the kids didn't, they aren't fans of ground turkey. I'll try it again with beef or chicken. Probably beef.

Turkey Chili Loaded Baked Potato Skins

adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook

Original recipe and source: Loaded Turkey Santa Fe Baked Potato Skins 

by SkinnyTaste.com

Printable Recipe

6 russet potatoes, washed, scrubbed and dried

For the filling:
1/2 lb lean ground turkey
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 jalapeno, chopped fine
1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
1 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

For the topping:

shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup chopped scallions

sour cream or Greek yogurt

Pierce the potato with a fork in a few places. In a microwave safe dish cook on high about 5 minutes per potato. When finished, allow the potatoes to cool, enough so you can handle them. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the center of the potatoes leaving about 1/4-inch thick wall.

In a large skillet brown the turkey. When the turkey is browned, add onion, garlic, black beans, jalapeno, tomatoes, ancho chili powder and cumin. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and simmer on low, covered, for about 30 minutes. 
Remove lid, add corn and simmer an additional 5-10 minutes or until all the liquid reduces.
Heat  oven to 450° F. Place the potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and bake skins for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven, fill the potato cavity with meat filling. Top with shredded cheese and bake until cheese is melted about five minutes.
Top with sour cream and scallions and serve.

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Matzoh Farfel

I finally have the right recipe, right technique, the right whatever to make a a matzoh farfel that everyone loved! My very good friend came to the rescue when I got sick and couldn't cook a thing, had to cancel holiday dinner for 28 people. After this I am never going back to that bland, mush of a farfel pudding I always ended up making. Normally when I make it it's like a casserole, you cut it into squares. It's good, not the greatest. This was so good. Light and moist, great flavor. Really good. And grandma didn't seem to be bothered by the extra load of pepper! This is our new favorite.

Thanks to Susan, Larry and Cindy. A terrific family and a delicious family recipe!

Matzoh Farfel with Mushrooms and Onions

Source: Susan, Larry and Cindy

Printable Recipe

1 box matzoh farfel

1 1/2 lbs onions chopped, more or less

12 – 16 oz sliced mushrooms, more or less

2 cans chicken stock, more or less

2 eggs beaten with a little water

paprika

salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a large skillet with a little vegetable oil. Saute the onions until golden brown. Then saute the mushrooms until soft. Salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Toss matzoh farfel with salt, pepper and paprika; set aside. Season the egg with salt, pepper and paprika. Heat large skillet with about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil. Mix egg and dry farfel well. Add egg/farfel mixture to pan a little at time, stirring constantly until lightly browned. Slowly add chicken broth one ladle at a time. This is the tricky part. You want the farfel moist but not too soft. You may use all the broth or not, it depends.

Mix farfel with the seasoned mushroom and onions and bake at 350° F for about 15-20 minutes. This will also help to dry the farfel.

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