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.

Joining 

 Beth at Beth Fish Reads for her fun Weekend Cooking Party. Every weekend. It's open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share! Go on over and see some fun posts.
 

AND

 Mosaic Monday  at the Little Red House

AND 

 Food on Friday at Carole's Chatter 

 

Tweet

Roasting!

One of my all-time favorite cookbooks would be All About Braising by Molly Stevens. So when she recently came out with All About Roasting, it was on the top of my wish list! I have the book only a few days and already made two dishes. Both simple. Both easy. Both fantastic. And I have at least ten more recipes bookmarked!  

Roasted Snap Peas with Toasted Sesame Salt. I made it exactly, well pretty much exactly, as it was written and it went over big. They loved it. No leftovers to pick at tomorrow, the picky one would have had a third helping. We all thought it was that good.

Roasted Snap Peas with Toasted Sesame Salt
Source: All About Roasting by Molly Stevens
adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook
Printable Recipe

1 pound of sugar snap peas, peel off the fibrous center string, if it's there, trim stem ends)
2 tablespoons white or black sesame seeds (or both)
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven  to 475°F.

Arrange the snow peas on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and roast for about 14 minutes, or until they are browned and crisp in spots and starting to shrivel. While they roast, spread the sesame seeds out in a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Toast until they start to turn golden and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Remove immediately from the heat and let them cool on a plate. When cooled, mix them with the salt in a mortar or spice grinder. Not too fine. As soon as the peas are done, transfer them to a serving bowl and sprinkle the sesame salt mixture on top of the roasted snap peas. Serve hot, warm or even cold!

Joining 

Beth at Beth Fish Reads for her fun Weekend Cooking Party. Every weekend. It's open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share! Go on over and see some fun posts.
 

Tweet

Brown Rice with Mushrooms and Peas

I had leftover peas from the chicken dish I made the other day. A small half bag. Destined to be lost forever in the freezer, squished in and passed over for the corn, the string beans or whatever else was in there, only to be found a year later, a solid block of green freezer burn. So I had to use those vibrant green beauties.

I'm getting a bit tired of potatoes, lately we've had them roasted, frenched, baked, boiled, mashed and smashed, it was time for rice. And I had mushrooms that looked perfect but I just didn't feel like stuffing them. Not to mention I was out of kitchen practice and didn't feel like getting involved. A roasted chicken with rice was easy enough. So made it even less fussy and cheated. Boil in bag rice. Brown rice. I still tried to be somewhat healthier even if I cheated. Ten minutes in the micro. No crunch. Have I mentioned that I am rice challenged? My family was getting used to crunchy rice by the time I discovered this gem. Really is perfect for a last minute decision. And this was very last minute. My fingers were just about to dial that takeout number. Good thing, too, because this dish went perfectly with the roasted chicken and was a HUGE hit. Even with the pickiest.

Brown Rice, Mushrooms and
Recipe by There's Always Thyme to Cook
Printable Recipe

olive oil, for pan
1/4 cup shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups brown rice, cooked to package directions (4 cups cooked rice)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
10 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cups frozen peas

Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add shallots, garlic, and thyme. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook until the shallots soften and start to brown.  Raise the heat to medium-high, add a little more olive oil, if needed, and then add the mushrooms.

Stir occasionally, until the mushrooms are cooked and slightly browned. Add the wine and chicken broth and stir. Reduce the broth and wine for about five minutes. Season to taste. Stir in the cooked rice and cook until the juices are all absorbed into the rice. Mix in the peas, leave on the heat for another minute or two and then serve.

Joining Beth at Beth Fish Reads for her fun Weekend Cooking Party. Every weekend. It's open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share! Go on over and see some fun posts.

Tweet

Back to cooking...

Finally! It's been so long I almost forgot how.  And I finally made something to blog about! Been on the to try list since before the summer of heat waves, torrential downpours, an earthquake and a hurricane. Have to say a hurricane is enough to make you forget how miserable the heat was. Pretty scary when you have to evacuate. We were very lucky to come home and not to have any damage. Extremely lucky!

School starts tomorrow so we can all get back to some kind of routine here. My routine will definitely include cooking. There is nothing left to order in, so I tried Chicken Vesuvio Chicago Style from Cathy @ Wives with Knives (original recipe by Marie @ Proud Italian Cook) and it is a great way to get back into cooking. Delicious!

Easy recipe, except I did have some issues with browning. Zero patience. Couldn't wait to get it browned in batches, so I got it sort of browned and then threw the whole thing in the oven. So it might not look so browned and pretty or even close to perfect but it sure does taste fantastic. Very forgiving recipe. I added a can of artichoke hearts and some sliced shallots. It did brown in the oven, but presentation isn't my strong suit! They're just happy to have a home cooked meal finally. Let's see what tomorrow brings :)

It's been a very long summer here. But remind me when I start complaining about blizzards. Anyway, it's good to be back.

Chicken Vesuvio
Source: Cathy @ Wives with Knives
Author: Marie @ Proud Italian Cook
Adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook
Printable Recipe

3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (I cut the breasts and thighs in half)
salt and pepper
dried oregano
granulated garlic
potato wedges, about 4 russets or 6 reds
equal parts white wine and chicken broth (1-1/2 cups of each)
10-12 whole garlic cloves
1 cup frozen peas (I used a bit more)
*I also added 2 sliced shallots and a can of artichoke hearts

Season chicken with salt, pepper, oregano and garlic.

Coat the bottom of a large, heavy skillet with olive oil and brown chicken pieces and potato wedges. Remove to a large roasting pan.

Add garlic cloves and shallots to the skillet and cook until golden brown.

Deglaze pan with wine, then add chicken broth. Cook down for several minutes and pour over chicken and potatoes. Add peas and artichokes the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Bake at 375°F until chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Tweet

How Easy is That?

That's the question the Barefoot Contessa's new book asks!  It's rhetorical and I can't help but answer it! I just got my copy in the mail and really enjoyed it so far. Great recipes, beautiful pictures, hey, it's Ina Garten, so I'd expect nothing less! It delivers a ton of easy recipes, already bookmarked!   So the answer to "How Easy is That?" would be a resounding "VERY EASY!"

First recipe I tried was the Snap Peas with Pancetta! Just happen to have Pancetta in the freezer for just in case. Hey, you never know when you might need some Italian bacon!  You could use regular bacon, too, if you wanted. I loved it, and ending up serving it warm, but would be just as nice as a cold side! Even Miss Picky liked it! I made the peas ahead and although when I reheated it after shocking it, the green wasn't as bright, it was still so good! Would have been better if I remembered to sprinkle the Pecorino on. Can't remember everything. And I usually don't!

Snap Peas with Pancetta

Source: Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That? by Ina Garten, 2010

adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook

Printable Recipe

1 tablespoon salt
1 pound sugar peas, trimmed
1/4 pound pancetta, diced
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 cup minced red onion
5 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper

My notes -- Instead of blanching you can also steam the snap peas in the microwave on high power for about 6 minutes, then drain in a colander and immerse in ice water. I also served it warm, so I heated it again in the microwave for about 2 minutes before I added the vinaigrette and bacon. If you make the peas in advance and reheat, it loses it's bright green color but still tastes delicious!

Bring 2-3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add 1 tablespoon salt. Fill a large bowl with ice water and have a colander ready in the sink. Put the snap peas into the boiling water for about 15 seconds, drain in the colander in the sink, and immediately put them in the bowl with the ice water. Cool completely and drain. Cut each snap pea in half lengthwise and place in bowl.

Place the pancetta and 1 tablespoon of water in a medium saute pan and cook over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until the pancetta is browned evenly and crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to cool.

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice. Pour vinaigrette over the snap peas, add the red onion, pancetta, and Pecorino. Toss well and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

And I'll join Suzy from Kitchen Bouquet with an Ina Garten Flashback for Flashback Friday. If you haven't tried it, The Barefoot Contessa Guacamole Salad is a really big, big favorite here. Click here to see the post on Guacamole Salad!

Tweet

Chopped Liver? Liver Pate? NOT! It's Mock.

Mock Chopped Liver, also known as Vegetarian Chopped Liver. Vegetarian Pate. Mock Pate. Call it what you want, I'm calling it delicious. Could have fooled me. Really. It was a great substitute. And there's no comparison when you see all the cholesterol in chopped liver. Heart attack on a plate. We were pleasantly surprised.

This is lighter, healthier and has a very similar taste and texture, which was very surprising. No kidding. I've heard of it made with lentils, string beans, eggplant, mushrooms, there's so many variations. I got this recipe from an old friend, her mother's recipe! This one is made with canned baby peas, chick peas, walnuts and hard boiled eggs. This mish mash of stuff was going to taste good? You have got to be kidding. I didn't believe her. But she was right, it was excellent. The entire bowl disappeared. OK, granted we were all starving, dying for dinner to be ready, and considering we thought UGHHH when we heard the ingredients, it really is so good. Comes together in a delicious way. So I had to try to make it myself. And we're glad I did. Good stuff. Go figure.

Serve with crackers as an appetizer, on a sandwich with rye bread. It's a nice change from the usual.

Vegetarian Chopped Liver

Source: Shelby

Printable Recipe

Yield: This recipe makes a lot, more than a quart

2 15-oz cans Le Sueur Very Young Early Peas 

1 15-oz can chick peas
2 large sweet onions, sliced or chopped

8 oz shelled walnuts
3 tablespoons olive oil or grapeseed oil
4 eggs, hard-cooked and shelled
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a skillet, saute the onions in the oil until they turn golden brown.

In a food processor or a blender, combine the chick peas, walnuts and baby peas and pulse it a bit, to a smooth consistency. Remove to a medium size bowl. Then blend the eggs and the onions together in the food processor (or blender) and pulse to a smooth consistency.

Add the eggs and onions to the chick pea, walnuts and peas in the bowl and mix it all together; add salt and pepper to taste. It should resemble chopped liver somewhat! Serve chilled.

Joining Mary's Mosaic Monday. For more mosaic's stop by the Little Red House!

Tweet