Mexi Pasta Salad

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I am always on the hunt for a good summer cookout side.  There are only so many times a person can make a great Potato Salad before you feel like you have potato salad coming out your ears!  I have always enjoyed a good pasta salad though.  So, I made it my mission this summer to perfect a great pasta salad and by golly, I think I got it… In fact, I know I got it.

This pasta salad is something different, out of the box and packed with fresh ingredients and delicious flavors all marrying to become one heck of a side dish.  I served it at a cookout just yesterday along-side some BBQ chicken and grilled Montreal Steak.  But, I can totally see it with some Southwest Turkey Burgers or even just topped with some fresh avocado and Grilled Shrimp or chicken.

The trick is not to gobble it all up before you get it to the party!  I call it “Mexi Pasta Salad” because although I am pretty sure there isn’t an Abuela in Mexico throwing this together, it gives a good solid nod to the flavors of Mexico. With all your basic taco toppings thrown in and some cumin to spice things up, this salad is not your run of the mill deli get.

Add salt to a good size pot… a pot larger than you think you need for the pasta if possible.

Campanelle Pasta is what I am using today, you can really use any type of pasta for this.

Be sure to stir the pasta a few times throughout the cooking process to ensure nothing sticks together.

Here are some of the fresh ingredients you will need.

Some halved grape tomatoes.

Dice up that jalapeno into a nice small dice after removing seeds and ribs. (Unless you like a kick, then you can leave in as much of the innards as you like haha)

Dice up the bell pepper (any color is fine, I like red for it’s sweetness and color)

Once you dice up half your red (it’s really purple, I never understood why we call them red onions) pepper be sure to soak them in water for a bit to take out that onion tang that makes you cry, it’s a bit too strong for a pasta salad.

Roughly chop up half a bunch of cilantro.

Roughly chop a can of black olives. You can use freshly brined black olives if you like, but there is just something about the canned variety I like here.

Now for the little to no prep ingredients… Start with about 3/4 of a bag of frozen corn… If you happen to have fresh, please use that, I didn’t have any handy.

Rinse out a can of black beans.

Drain your pasta… I cook mine just past aldente.  Also, I did not feel like having to wash another bowl, so my extra-large pot (Magic Pot from Pampered Chef) was perfect for mixing everything in together!

In a small mixing bowl, add in 1 cup of may.

To that, add about 1/2 cup of sour cream. This may seem like a lot of moisture, but we are adding a lot to this pasta.

Now the zest of one lime.

You could add in the juice of the lime, but I find the zest strikes just the perfect balance and the juice is really not needed… Save the juice for your Blueberry Mojito!

Next add in about 1/2 tsp of ground cumin.

Now a good pinch of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Mix your dressing.

Add corn.

Add beans.

Add dressing.

Drain onions and add in.

Add your chopping block stuff.

Mix together.

And for some extra crunch, add in half a diced english cucumber. If you prefer to use a cuke from your garden, just be sure to seed it first to reduce water content.

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Mexi Pasta Salad

Serves 10-15 as a side

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta, cooked in salted water

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced small

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 red onion, diced and soaked in water, then drained

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

1/2 English cucumber, diced

1 can black olives, drained and roughly chopped

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 bag frozen corn or 2 ears fresh corn grilled

For the dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

zest of 1 lime

1/2 tsp. cumin

kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:

Prepare all ingredients as stated in ingredient list.  Drain pasta.  In a small bowl mix together mayo, sour cream, cumin, zest, salt and pepper.

Add dressing to pasta. Add beans, corn, both peppers, drained onion, tomatoes, cilantro, cucumbers and black olives.  Mix well.  Taste for salt. Pour into serving bowl and chill at least 2 hours.

 

Basic Spaghetti & Meatballs

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It’s not often that you can find a meal that is as great as a Sunday dinner as it is a week night meal, but Spaghetti and Meatballs fits that bill.  We are talking REAL Spaghetti and Meatballs, the kind where you actually roll the meatballs with your own two hands.

I must make this dish a dozen different ways, but this is a nice basic recipe.  If you like to add parmesan to yours, feel free, if you like to add anchovies, go for it… But, this recipe is simple, not too complicated and because the meatballs are slowly simmered in the sauce instead of baked or pan-fried, they are nice and tender and help to flavor the sauce at the same time.

This sauce and these meatballs are also great when you make a big batch and freeze them!  So, put in the effort on a Sunday afternoon, have it for dinner, freeze the rest and a week later, you have a great Wednesday night meal!  Just boil up some more pasta and you are good to go!

Start with ground beef.

Grab some parsley.

Add in some bread crumbs.

Then some Worcestershire sauce.

Add basil and half and half to moisten the bread crumbs.

Saute some onions.

Add in an egg as a binder.

If you wet your hand, it’s easier to form the meatballs.

Make golf ball size balls.

Get them ready for the sauce.

In a large pan start with olive oil.

Saute some onions.

Add in some garlic when your onions are soft.

Next add in som San Marzano whole tomatoes. You really want the whole tomatoes here, because you know they aren’t just giving you left over scraps, these are good.

Add into your pot with your onions.

Take a potato masher gently to the tomatoes. If you go crazy here, you will be wearing tomatoes, so easy does it.

Get them good and mashed.

Now add in some tomato paste.

You need to give it time to melt in.

Mix it in well.

Add some Worcestershire sauce here as well.

Now a palm full of Italian seasoning mix.

Mix.

Gently drop meatballs in.

Make sure they are all nestled in well.

Get some sauce over top of them.

Cover and simmer on low.

Add in some parsley.

Stir it in.

Cook your pasta to package instructions for aldente pasta and drain.  I am using Barilla’s Spaghetti Rigati because it has ridges that help to hold on to the sauce!

Ladle in a ladle or two of sauce to coat pasta, do not over sauce!


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Spaghetti & Meatballs

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 lb. Spaghetti Rigati (or your favorite cut of pasta), cooked aldente to package instructions

Meatballs:

2 lbs. ground beef

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 onion, small diced and sautéed until tender

1/2 cup half and half or whole milk

1 egg

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1/4 cup basil, chopped

2 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. Italian seasoning mix (optional)

Sauce:

2 large cans San Marzano whole tomatoes

1 small can tomato paste

1 onion, diced

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1/4 cup basil, chopped

4 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 tsp. Italian Seasoning Mix

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper

1/2 cup red wine (optional)

Directions:

For Meatballs:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Wet hands and form golf ball sized balls.  When sauce is ready, place in sauce and gently simmer.

For Sauce:

Saute onion in olive oil.  When tender, add whole tomatoes, mash with potato masher until broken down to your liking.  Add remaining ingredients.  Add meatballs, bring to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes.

To plate:

When pasta has come to aldente (after sauce is ready), drain and add in 2 ladles of sauce.  Coat pasta with sauce. Top with meatballs.  Serve hot and enjoy!

 

Spaghetti Frittata Pie

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I have a family of four, two of the four happen to be toddlers.  So, when we make spaghetti in our house inevitably there are left overs.  None of us are terribly big fans of re-heating left over spaghetti, so I decided to come up with a recipe to use up that left over spaghetti in a whole new way.  Hense, I give you the Spaghetti Fritatta Pie!

This simple pasta and egg dish is the perfect solution to my left over dilemma and the funny thing is, we like the pie left over too!  I made some angel hair pasta (my kid’s favorite) with some homemade sauce and some Italian sausage (my husband’s favorite).  I hate to waste food, especially a home-made sauce, so I put it in the fridge in a Tupperware container.  8 eggs, a pie plate, a block of cheese, and just a few more staples later and wala, a brand new meal.

This may seem odd to you and to be honest, I wasn’t sure about it when I started out.  But, I love Pasta Carbonara and this has a lot of the same element, so I gave it a try.  You don’t know until you try right?

Start with a pad of salted butter in a pie plate, this one is 9″.

Use a paper towel to spread your butter.

Your pie plate should be well buttered.

This is my left over Angel Hair with Sweet Italian Sausage and tomatoes with some basil.

Add into buttered pie plate.

Fill your pie plate up with spaghetti. This is about 2 full cups of cooked and prepared left-over Angel Hair pasta.

In this shot I have 6 eggs, but for my 9″ pie plate, I actually ended up adding in two more for a total of 8 eggs.

Beat them well.

Add in a good pinch of Italian Seasoning blend. this is about 1/2 tsp.

Beat the seasoning into the eggs.

Add in a good pinch of kosher salt, again this is about 1/2 tsp.

Beat into the eggs.

Pour the egg mixture right over your spaghetti or in my case Angel Hair.

This is what you should have.

Slice up some grape tomatoes.

Dart the top of your pie with grape tomatoes.

Add on some Fontina cheese, I am using about 4 oz.

Hand shredding is the way to go, although I’m not sure you can find pre-shredded Fontina anyway.

Add on some shredded parmesan cheese. This one is pre-shredded.

Just add cheese right up on top.  Pop this in the oven for about 45 minutest until the middle has almost set.  Then take it out, tent with foil and let rest for about 10 minutes. The center should set right up for you and the rest will settle nicely.

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Spaghetti Frittata Pie

Serves 4-6Ingredients:

2 cups left over Angel Hair pasta and sausage (or whatever pasta you have)

8 eggs, beaten

8 oz. Fontina cheese, shredded

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shaved

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning mix

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

6-8 cracks black pepper

1 cup left over sauce for topping

1 tsp butter

Directions:

Butter pie plate.  Place pasta and sausage in buttered dish.  Beat eggs and add in Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper.  Add in shredded Fontina cheese.  Pour evenly over pasta and sausage.  Dot with tomatoes and sprinkle with parmesan.  Bake in oven for 40-50 minutes until set.  Remove from oven and tent with foil for 10 minutes before serving.  Cut and drizzle with warmed left over sauce. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Orzo in Sage Butter

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I love Thanksgiving! Each year we string together a line of tables accommodate anywhere between 15-22 people! I love that my family all comes together to dine around a long formally set table.  I love the traditions that come along with this holiday from watching the Macy’s Day parade on T.V. as I am cooking in the morning to ending the night with a slice of pumpkin pie and coffee and leafing through all the Black Friday store flyers with my mother, sister’s, aunts and cousins!  But, most of all I love making my family happy by serving everyone’s favorite dishes and enjoying all the dishes that my family brings to the table too!

I always prepare a large turkey of course and my dad loves getting the leg. My sister Vicky loves my stuffed eggs, my sister Lindsey brings everyone’s favorite scalloped potatoes, my mom loves my turnips and carrots and so on and so forth.  But, each year I love to add one or two dishes that are new just to keep things lively.  This year, I have developed a side dish that I am quite sure will become a new family favorite!  Butternut Squash Orzo in Sage butter is a velvety sweet and savory side dish that has a few different levels of flavor and will definitely hold its own along side my mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce!

If you are looking to spruce up your holiday menu, give this one a try… I’ll show you how I do it…

Here are some butternut squashes… If you are looking for a squash pay attention to the color… the darker the color, the sweeter and more ripe your squash… so the one on the bottom is the one we will be using today.

There are a couple of ways to tackle this oddly shaped vegetable. I like to start by slicing it down the middle to give you a stable surface to work with.

Look how nice and orange that flesh is.

Scoop out those seeds along with their connective tissue… You can totally roast these just like pumpkin seeds.

Here is one method of removing the skin. Start by slicing it up into 1″ slices.

Now just remove the skin from each slice.

The other way to do this is to leave the half squash whole and just carefully peel.

Cover a cookie sheet with some parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

Dice up the peeled squash and spread out on the cookie sheet.

Add on a couple tablespoons of olive oil.

Toss the diced squash in the oil. Pop this in a 350°F oven for about 20-25 minutes until fork tender.

Meanwhile get a pot of salted boiling water going on the stove and add in a box of orzo. Cook to the box instructions.

In a large skillet, melt a stick of salted butter.

Grab a couple of shallots.  If you don't have shallots... just use an onion, dice and soak in water for a few minutes.

Grab a couple of shallots. If you don’t have shallots… just use an onion, dice and soak in water for a few minutes.

Dice up your shallots.

Grap a handful of fresh sage leaves, this is really an important ingredient, fresh is best here.

Chop it up.

Add your shallots and sage into the butter.

Pull your squash out of the oven and be sure it is fork tender.

Add the squash into the skillet and coat with the butter, shallots and sage.

Drain your orzo.

Once the squash is coated, add in the orzo into the skillet and toss for a few minutes until the flavor has time to penetrate the pasta.

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Butternut Squash Orzo in Sage Butter

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

1 lb. cooked orzo

1 butternut squash, peeled and diced

1 stick salted butter

6 fresh sage leaves

2 shallots, diced

olive oil

kosher salt

fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Start a pot of water boiling and add some salt, cook orzo to package directions for al dente.

On a parchment lined cookie sheet, spread out diced squash.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes until fork tender.

In a large skillet over med/high heat, add in butter.  Add in shallots and sautée until tender.  Add in sage.  When squash comes out of the oven, add it into the skillet and toss in the buttery sauce.  Then drain the orzo and add it to the skillet.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

 

 

Easy Cheesy Pasta Bake

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My husband often works pretty late and on occasion, I will have a meeting to get to late into the evening as well.  On nights like that I am thankful to have the support of my parents who adore my children.  And my kids love going over to Vavó and Vavô’s house!  But, my mom also works all day, so when they will be there up until bed time and the kid’s need supper, I like to bring by something ready to put in the oven when I can.  something easy and portable is this “Easy Cheesy Pasta Bake”!

Of course if I am making this and bringing it to my parent’s house, then that leaves my husband to fend for himself, not to mention a hungry me when I get home… So, what I decided to do to solve that issue was to make one big batch and divide it among two smaller baking dishes, which was more than enough to feed both homes! (Of course you could make this recipe and freeze half too! – just freeze before the final step of popping it in the oven)

This recipe is great for kids because it has a fun cork screw pasta, cheese and it’s not spicy at all… Of course you could kick it up by using a spicy sausage and spicing up the sauce a bit, but my kids love this version and since Mom and Dad were out working late, the kids win.  It’s got all the same ingredients of a lasagna, but it’s got some semi-homemade ingredients like an easy jarred marinara and it takes about 20 minutes tops to prepare! Then, just pop it in the oven and serve!

This meal is easy enough to be a week night meal, pack away as a freezer meal or serve to a crowd! Let me show you how I did it…

Pick a fun tubular pasta with ridges… I like Cavatappi, it looks like a cork screw. Start this boiling before you do anything else so it can be ready when you finish with the other steps.

Take one package (5-6 links) of Italian Sausage, sweet or hot and take the casings off… Today, I went with sweet because it’s meant to feed the kids. Place in a large skillet over medium heat. I like using sausage in this because it cuts down on some of your work be providing flavor right off the bat, plus my husband loves Italian Sausage.  But, if you wanted to use some ground beef or turkey, that would be fine too! You could even make the sauce without any meat at all!

Dice up an onion.

Add the onions right in with the sausage and add just a splash of olive oil right on top to help them get going.

You want to render out the fat from the sausage and bring everything to a golden brown color. If you have some extra fat in the pan you can either drain it or leave it… I didn’t have much fat left in my pan at all.

Now here is the “Easy” in “Easy Cheesy Pasta Bake”… Add in one jar of your favorite ready-made Marinara Sauce.

For some additional moisture and body add in one can of diced tomatoes… If your family is not a fan of chunks of tomatoes in their food, you should still add in one can of tomato sauce.

Add the tomatoes right in, you want them to cook down a bit.

Add in about 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper.

Place two cups of ricotta cheese in a bowl.

Add two eggs in with the ricotta.

Here is another “easy” ingredient… Add in 1/2 cup of pre-grated parmesan cheese.

Stir together making sure to really work those eggs in.

Next, add in some shredded mozzarella cheese.

Once you have a smooth consistency, add in some Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

Once your pasta is drained, add in cheese.

Stir together.

Either divide among two baking dishes like I did, or use one 9″x13″ baking dish.

This is a block of mozzarella… You can find it right in the regular dairy case.

For this recipe, you can dice up about half the block.

Dot the top of cheesy pasta with half of your cubed mozzarella.

Pour the sauce on top.

Spread the sauce.

Dot the top with the remaining cubed mozzarella and some additional shredded mozzarella. Then add on a dash of grated parmesan. Now you are ready to wrap this and pop in the fridge for later or bake.  Whenever you are ready to bake, just place in a 350°F oven for 30 mins.

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Easy Cheesy Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

1 box Cavatappi Pasta, cooked to al dente

For the sauce:

5-6 links Italian Sausage, casing removed

1 onion, diced

1 tsp. olive oil

1 jar marinara sauce

1 can diced tomatoes

1 tsp. Italian seasoning mix

salt and pepper to taste

For cheese mixture:

2 cups Ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1/2 cup shredded 3. cheese

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 dash salt

1 dash pepper

For topping:

8 oz. block mozzarella, cubed

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

1 Tbs. grated parmesan

Directions:

Cook off pasta to one minute less than the package ingredients, drain.

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown sausage while chopping it into smaller bits with a wooden spoon.  Add in onions and oil.  Render the fat out of the sausage and drain if needed.  Once sausage and onions are brown, add in jarred marinara and can of diced tomatoes.  To the sauce add in Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine ricotta, grated parmesan, eggs, shredded mozzarella, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

Add cheese mixture to drained pasta.  Place in a baking dish.  Directly on the cheesy pasta add on 1/2 the cubed mozzarella, then sauce.  Now dot the top with remaining cubed mozzarella, shredded mozzarella and parmesan.

Bake in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes.  Serve, enjoy!

*Note: If making this recipe gluten-free, just use a gluten-free pasta and follow all instructions.

 

Portuguese Bean Soup (Molho de Feijão)

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This amazingly creamy and hearty soup was one of my Vavó Olinda’s specialties! She would always make a batch of this at the same time as she made a batch of Feijão Assado (Portuguese Baked Beans). The soup would always get eaten up first and then all week long, the baked beans were there to enjoy… I’ve never been able to decide which one I prefer more, but I can tell you I love them both. My Vavó passed away in 2007, she was 93 years old and sharp as a whip and not a day goes by that I don’t miss her and think about all the wonderful time we had together shopping and cooking, eating and talking, and just spending quality time with one another.  I was truly blessed to have the special connection I had with my Vavó and this is one of those recipes that brings her right back to me.  Funny how food does that.

My Vavó always referred to this soup as Molho de Feijão although many refer to it as Sopa de Feijão.  Whatever you like to call it, it’s a simple recipe really.  Under 10 ingredients, no soaking of beans, no special tools needed.  The creaminess comes from the combination of the pasta, potatoes and beans, no milk at all. A bowl of this soup and a nice fresh Portuguese Pop-seco bread roll is all you need for a hearty lunch or even dinner.  It freezes beautifully, so I highly suggest making the full batch even if it is too much for your size family.

Here is your bag of beans. Any white bean will do it, but my Vavó always prefered the smallest bean available.

I wash the beans twice… The first rinse in a strainer just to get out any dirt that might be left behind.

Then I get a pot going with some water…

Pour the beans in…

and agitate them with my hand to reveal any stray pebbles or bad beans, I pick them out and carefully pour the water out leaving the beans in the pot… The water usually takes with it anything I missed in the first rinsing.

Then I fill the pot again with water and set over high heat on the stove.

While the pot is starting to heat up on the stove, I chop up one onion into a fairly small dice.

Add that onion into the pot.

Crush, peel and mince two cloves of garlic.

Crush, peel and mince two cloves of garlic.

Then add that into the pot.

Bring the water to a boil and cover and turn the flame down to the point where the water is at a gentle boil. DO NOT ADD SALT.

While the pot is set to simmer for a couple of hours you can prepare your ingredients… 5-6 potatoes.

Peeled and washed.

Peeled and washed.

Diced into a relatively small dice.

1/2 lb. of chouriço. This is hot Portuguese Chouriço.

Peel and slice.

After a couple of hours on the stove, this is what you get… Do not stop boiling until your beans are to this point of tenderness. If you look closely you will see many of them are starting to bust open.

At this point you can add salt.

Add in your potatoes.

Add in your chouriço.

Add in a couple of tablesspoons of ground red pepper. BE CAREFUL here. I put in a couple of tablespoons because as you can see, my pepper is mostly lacking seeds, if you have a spicier version of this pepper, reduce the amount, more can always be added at the end, but once it’s there, you can’t take it away. Stir this all together and cook for about a half hour until the potatoes are fork tender.

Now add in your pasta and stir. My Vavó loved the small shells in this soup, and so that is what I am using today. However, you could also use a Dilatini. Something short and hearty, but still fine. An elbow is a bit too much.

You want to over cook the pasta here… this is not a place for al-dente… After about another half an hour, this is what you should see…

Add in half a small can of tomato sauce. Taste for salt and you are done.

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Portuguese Bean Soup (Molho de Feijão)

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

1 16oz. package dry white Navy Beans, rinsed and picked through

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves, garlic, crushed and minced

1/2 lb. Hot Portuguese Chouriço, peeled and sliced

5-6 medium potatoes, peeled, diced

1/2 package small shells pasta

1/2 8oz. can tomato sauce

2 Tbs. ground red pepper (wet)

1 Tbs. kosher salt, plus more to taste

Directions:

Fill a large pot about 3/4 with water.  Add in dry beans, onion and garlic.  Bring to a boil, cover and cook for about 1 1/2 -2 hours until beans are very tender.  Most of your water will have evaporated, refill the water.  Add in chouriço, potatoes salt and red pepper.  Bring back to a boil and cover,  cook for about 30 more minutes until potatoes are good and tender.  Add in pasta, cook for an additional 30 minutes.  Add in tomato sauce and taste for salt.  Serve with  fresh bread… Enjoy!

*Note – a gluten free adjustement for this recipe is to either simly omit the pasta or use a gluten free pasta, it will be just as delicious!

Stacy’s Meat Lasagna

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One of the first truly big meals I learned to make as a kid was lasagna.  My dad just loved the stuff… so he asked me to make it once a week… kind of a funny request for a Portuguese man… but I have always loved making my Daddy happy so weekly lasagna it was!  Over time, I started learing to tweak things here and there. I developed my own methods and preferences.  It was really one of those repetitive recipes that unknowingly taught me how to cook… After all, I wasn’t following a recipe, I would do it week after week and almost each week something would change, some times I kept the change and sometimes not so much.  What better cooking lesson could there be?

Through all this trial and error I learned that meat lasagna is the way to go. Although this recipe has taken me just about 25 years to perfect, it is pretty basic and pretty classic, but has an unbelievable flavor that is both simple and complex at the same time. Homemade meat sauce, hand mixed cheese and mozzarella along with thin flat pasta noodles are what makes up this delicious dinner.

This recipe is a rather large recipe, but you have options.  If you have a big family, you can get 12-16 generous portions here, so great… If you would like to use it for a party, even better!  But, if you just don’t need a huge lasagna, it’s still worth making and splitting half into a pan for the freezer!  You are doing the same work, might as well get two or even three meals out of it!

Here’s how I do it…  There will be 4 layers in all.

Let’s start with the sauce…

I start by mincing an onion.

Place onions in a pan with some heated olive oil over medium heat.

Here are the flavors that you will need to layout head of time… this method will make for a less stressful cooking experience.

Once the onions are starting to caramelize, add in the dry spices… crushed red pepper flakes and italian seasoning. This will allow their flavor to really bloom. Also, add in your minced garlic at this point so it doesn’t really get a chance to burn. Sautée for a minute or two with the onions.

Add in browned ground beef. I happened to have some that I browned up earlier in the week. If you don’t then be sure to brown and drain separately from the onions as draining the fat will take a lot of the flavor of the onions and spices away with it and won’t allow you to get the desired effect with the caramelization.

Add in a few swigs of Worcestershire sauce. This gives you an amazing background flavor you can’t get from much else.

Add in two extra large cans of tomato puree.

This ingredient is indispensable. Add in one full can of tomato paste.

This is what your can looks like when you are through adding in the puree, that won’t do.

Add some white wine into each and swish it around so you can get the remainder of that puree! I hate wasting. You could use red wine here, but I find it to be a bit too strong for a lasagna, so I use white.

Now this is a little more acceptable.

Mix it all together over med/low heat. Be careful! It starts to sputter at this point!

Strip the thyme leaves off the stiffer little branches.

Chop or rip up your basil.

Chop or rip up your basil.

Add in your fresh herbs now.

Cover up your skillet… as you can see, before I even got to my camera, the sputtering has continued.

Now let’s start on the cheese mixture.

You are putting so much work into this recipe… please use a real block of parmesan cheese (the best you can afford) and shred the cheese yourself, it makes a huge difference here.

This is the left over parmesan rind from the block of parmesan I used for the cheese, don’t throw that out! As a matter of fact, if you ever end up with a rind for another recipe and feel the urge to throw it out, avoid that urge and just freeze it for times when you are making sauce!

Toss that in the sauce.

Shred up your cheese and divide a handful of it out to reserve for later.

For this large lasagna, you are going to need a large container of whole milk ricotta cheese.

For this large lasagna, you are going to need a large container of whole milk ricotta cheese.

Dump that into your mixing bowl. You’ll want a medium to large mixing bowl.

Add in your parmesan along with about 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. (You can cheat with the mozzarella if you choose to get the pre-shredded stuff or you can shred your own.

To the cheese add in a bunch of fresh cracked black pepper.

Then add in a good pinch of italian seasoning mix.

Add in two eggs.

Add a good pinch of salt.

MIx together.

This is what you should have when all mixed.

Now we just need to gather two more ingredients and we are ready to build our masterpiece!

The first is the pasta… I use this oven-ready pasta for three reasons 1. the big step of pre-cooking pasta before hand gets eliminated 2. the noodles are flat with no ripples and 3. they are thin… all things that make for a great lasagna!

And the next is the mozzarella … This is the cheese that I discovered as a kid and it really makes a big difference in the body of the lasagna.

Now we build!

This is an extra-large lasagna pan… this recipe won’t go all the way up the sides of this really big pan, but if you use a 9″x13″ pan, it certainly will.

Start off by ladling some sauce into the bottom of the pan… this serves a couple of purposes… 1st I always like to sauce the bottom and 2nd the pasta won’t stick to the bottom.

Place the pasta on top of the sauce.

Because we are using oven ready pasta, I like to put a sort of skim coat of sauce on top of the noodles.

Add on the cheese mixture.

Spread the cheese mixture as evenly as you can.

Add the mozzarella slices on top of the cheese mixture.

Now start on the next layer by ladling on more sauce.

when you start a new pasta layer on top of another layer of sauce, you always want to make sure you are laying them out in a different pattern so that when you cut into it, it’s got pasta running from the top of the slice to the bottom.

Finish off the top with a good coating of sauce.

Add some shredded mozzarella to the top.

Grab the little pile of parmesan we set aside earlier and sprinkle right on top.

At this point, bake for 45 mins to 1 hr until the cheese on top is thoroughly melty, but not burned.

When it comes out of the oven, let it set for a good 10-15 minutes before cutting.

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Stacy’s Meat Lasagna

Serves 12-16

For the sauce:

2 28oz. cans of tomato puree

1 6-8oz.can tomato paste

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef, browned and drained

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup hot water

1 med. onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbs. fresh basil

1/2 tsp. fresh thyme

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. dry Italian seasoning

1 tsp. kosher salt

Parmesan rind

Directions:

In a large skillet or shallow pot, sautée onion in olive oil over medium heat.  When caramelized, add in red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning and garlic, sautée for a couple minutes.  Add in ground beef, continue to sautée. Add Worcestershire sauce, continue to sautée.

Next, add in tomato sauce and paste.  Rinse tomato cans with white wine and add in to sauce.  Add in parmesan rind and cook over low heat for 30 mins.  When done add in 1 cup of hot water to loosen if needed.

Check for salt at this point.

For the Cheese Mixture:

1 large container of Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 eggs

1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together.

Build your lasagna:

Ingredients:

1 box oven-ready lasagna noodles

2 packages sliced mozzarella cheese

meat sauce, prepared

cheese mixture, prepared

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.  In a large lasagna pan, start by adding sauce to the bottom of the pan.  Next, layer on the noodles.  Skim coat the noodles with a bit more sauce.  Next, add on a layer of the cheese mixture.  Next, add on the mozzarella slices.  Repeat until you reach the end of your ingredients. Be sure to think about how large your pan is and how to divvy up the layers.  End by covering in sauce and adding on the shredded mozzarella and shredded parmesan.

Bake for 45 minutes or until all the cheese on top has melted and started browning nicely.  Enjoy!

4-Cheese Mac&Cheese

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This is the time of year that people start to crave Mac&Cheese. Whether for a football party, a church pot luck, Thanksgiving or a Sunday side or a regular ole weeknight meal, Mac&Cheese is on the menu for many Americans starting in September and continues until you just don’t want to turn your oven on anymore sometime in June.  Now, we are talking baked macaroni and cheese here, this is clearly not the boxed stuff.  Although, the boxed stuff has its place, I see them as two totally different animals entirely.

I never really had REAL Mac&Cheese growing up.  This is not a Portuguese meal and I was never exposed to it.  Not until maybe the last 10 years or so did I really even come to understand the appeal.  I had tried it a few times in my 20’s and honestly I don’t remember who made it, but it just wasn’t very good. Not having grown up with the dish, I had no real point of reference to fall back on.  But, people would always tell me just how much they love it, so I didn’t want to give up on trying it.  There were a few times I gave some a try at a party or gathering and was starting to see where people were coming from, but it still wasn’t there for me, honestly, I found it kind of boring.

So, I set out to create a Mac&Cheese that I could really get behind.  It definitely took a lot fails.  Learning to get that sauce just right took a lot of practice and I got to see just why I had tried so many mediocre versions of the dish.  Eventually, I got it to good.  Once I got it to good, then I could tweak it to really good. From there, I worked on it until it became what we have today, a delicious, not boring, really yummy, 10-years-in-the-making 4-Cheese Mac&Cheese.

I start by filling a large pot with well salted water.

Once you set your water to boil over high heat, you want to start prepping your cheese…

Here are your four cheese. Notice how they come in block form… the key to a good mac&cheese starts with shredding your own cheese. Not just because cheese you shred yourself turns out better, fresher and isn’t dried out by preservatives like flour or corn starch, but because you get to choose exactly what kind of cheese to use. Most of these varieties of cheese are not found in the preshredded bags hanging in the dairy aisle.

Shred each kind and leave each in their separate little mound.

Each cheese is chosen for a specific reason… Muenster has a lovely flavor and is a great melting cheese, so it adds in a smoothness to the recipe.

Monterey Jack is also a great melting cheese, but adds in a little more bite as it is a jack cheese.

Then forget about boring mac&cheese we are adding in some Pepper Jack! This is also a nicely melting cheese, but it is full of delicious flavor with that kick of pepper.

And last but not least a nice sharp aged cheddar. Use whatever your favorite is, but I have been addicted to Cabot Creamery’s Alpine Cheddar. I eat it nearly every morning with a cup of tea. It’s got these beautiful little crunchy bits from the aging process, OMG, yum!

Now that your cheese is set, your water should be boiling, so start the macaroni going…

I like a to use a macaroni that has ridges. I go back and forth between these medium shells and Barilla's elbows. I say Barilla's, because their elbows have ridges.

I like a to use a macaroni that has ridges. I go back and forth between these medium shells and Barilla’s elbows. I say Barilla’s, because their elbows have ridges.

Once the water is boiling, add in the pasta.

Once the water is boiling, add in the pasta.

Give it a stir right away. You want to cook covered over low heat (enough to keep it boiling) until about 1 minute under the package instructions, al dente.

Give it a stir right away. You want to cook covered over low heat (enough to keep it boiling) until about 1 minute under the package instructions, al dente.

In a large sauce pan add in 4 Tbs. of butter. You want to set your burner to med/low.

To that add in about 4 Tbs. of flour. You want to cook this flour for about a minute to get rid of that raw flour taste. If you are making this dish with a gluten free pasta and wish to keep this a gluten free dish, just use the same mesurements in corn starch, but you don't need to cook it off, just wisk to combine and move on.

To that add in about 4 Tbs. of flour. You want to cook this flour for about a minute to get rid of that raw flour taste. If you are making this dish with a gluten-free pasta and wish to keep this a gluten-free dish, just use the same measurements in corn starch, but you don’t need to cook it off, just wisk to combine and move on.

Wisk that until somewhat smooth, if its a little lumpy, just add the next step in very slowly until you get a smooth mixture.

Wisk that until somewhat smooth, if it’s a little lumpy, just add the next step in very slowly until you get a smooth mixture.

Slowly add in 3 cups of whole milk. The first cup should be added extra slowly to ensure your wisking allows for no lumps.

You should come up with a nice smooth base sauce.

This is one of those secret ingredients that can only be done if you do it exactly like this. If you have fresh nutmeg, grate some in. If you only have the kind of nutmeg that comes powdered, skip this step, it will kill your recipe.

Add in one cheese at a time, wisking slowly after each addition until fully combined.

I won’t go through pictures of all four as it looks pretty much the same for each step, just take it slow. This isn’t something that can be rushed.

Once all four cheeses have been combined, this is the kind of thickness you should have in your sauce.

To this add a fair amount of fresh cracked black pepper.

Before draining your macaroni, reserve one ladle of the pasta cooking water.

If your sauce is at the end stage after you’ve added in the black pepper, then great, add in the entire ladle of water to the sauce…. I know, you are ruining that lovely creaminess, but trust me, the sauce is too thick right now… remember, it still needs to be baked and our macaroni is al dente, so it needs to finish cooking. If the sauce is too thick, you will get a clumpy, dense macaroni and cheese. And nobody wants that.

After adding in that ladle of cooking water, this is now your sauce consistency. See how it got loosened right up?

Now that your sauce is set, hopefully it is timing out to be the same time as when your macaroni is ready, so let’s take care of that next…

You have already reserved a ladle of pasta cooking water, so now it’s time to drain out the rest and get to mixing.

Return your drained macaroni to the cooking pot. Your shells will naturally hold on to a little bit of the water, not to worry… This is cooked al dente, so it’s perfectly ok.

Pour your sauce over the macaroni.

I know this looks way too saucy right? It’s not, trust me.

Taste for salt at this point and add if needed. When I say taste, I mean taste with a piece of macaroni, you want to make sure the seasoning is right and this is your last shot.

I like to spray with cooking spray although it may not be necessary if you have the right dish.

Now you can add in to your baking dishes. This is a 12″x12″ baking dish and all of the Mac&Cheese would fit here, but for my family, we are only two adults and two small children, so I decided to divide it into one large dinner size portion.

One portion to freeze for later in this metal pan.

And one small casserole as an individual serving for my husband to bring to work.

Next and final step is the topping!

These are the scraps left on the cutting board from shredding your cheese… you want to gather those up and use them for the start to your topping.

Place them in a smallish bowl.

Baked Mac&Cheese just isn’t the same without a nice crispy topping. Start off with dicing up some butter.

Now, panko breadcrumbs, in my opinion, are the only way to go here. Add them in to your cheese and butter. (If you are making this gluten-free, I would suggest doing 1/2 gluten-free bread crumbs and half grated parmesan cheese, making it 5 cheese mac&cheese!)

Sprinkle with some salt and that’s it.

Just take a fork and combine, slicing with the side of the fork further breaking down that butter and cheese and folding the bread crumbs into it.

Liberally sprinkle over top.

Don’t forget the extra dishes…. However, I want to say, if you are freezing some, great, add this on… but, if you are refrigerating until the next day, hold off on adding the topping until just before baking. If you refrigerate the panko, they tend to soften up, hard to have a crispy topping with softened bread crumbs.

Bake the larger dish on 375°F for 40 mins, less for smaller dishes (I kept the individual one in there for 30 mins)… Everything is cooked, the goal here is to let the sauce marry with the macaroni and the topping to crisp up and brown a bit.

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Recipe for 4-Cheese Mac&Cheese:

(serves 6)

1 cup Muenster Cheese, shredded

1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded

1 cup Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded

1 cup Aged cheddar cheese, shredded (Alpine cheddar preferred)

4 Tbs. flour

4 Tbs. Butter

3 cups milk

1 cup macaroni cooking water

1 lb. medium shells macaroni, cooked with salted water to al dente (or elbows with ridges)

 

fresh cracked black pepper

kosher salt to taste

For topping:

2 Tbs. butter, cubed

1 cup panko bread crumbs

real nutmeg, grated

1/2 cup combination of above shredded cheeses

1 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:

In a large sauce pan over med/low heat, melt butter. Wisk in flour and cook for a minute.  Slowly add in milk while wisking slowly.  Heat through until hot enough to melt cheese.  Add in each of the four portions of cheese separately, being sure to wisk each one in to combine fully before adding the next.  Your sauce should now be pretty thick.  Add in a few grates of nutmeg.  Then add in a few cracks of black pepper.  Now continue wisking and wisk in one ladle of the hot macaroni cooking water (about 1 cup). Your sauce should be a bit more thinned out now.

Drain macaroni and place back into large cooking pot.  Pour sauce over macaroni.  Mix together and taste for salt.  Add salt if needed.  Pour into prepared sprayed casserole.

In a small bowl combine all the ingredients for the topping and mush together with a fork.  Liberally sprinkle over top of the casserole.

Bake at 375°F for 30-40 mins. until golden brown on top.

Enjoy!

*Gluten-free adjustments can be found in the tutorial portion of this recipe. (use gluten-free macaroni and replace flour with corn starch also replace the panko bread crumbs with 1/2 gluten free bread crumbs and half grated parmesan cheese)

Grilled Shrimp Scampi

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Easy entertaining is all about good preparation.  I have a book club with my mom, sisters and some very close friends.  Last month was my turn to host and I am just getting around to sharing with you all my menu…

Dinner for 8: All Grilled Menu… 1st Course – Grilled Romaine Salad topped with bacon, avocado and a homemade buttermilk ranch dressing.  2nd Course – Grilled Shrimp Scampi over linguine Fini and a Grilled Tostada.  3rd Course – Grilled Pound Cake with strawberries and grilled peaches dressed with a simple syrup and topped with homemade whipped cream.  Um… yum.

Grilling food is a great way to take a classic menu and give it a smoky twist. Grilling your fruit helps to bring out natural sugars in the caramelization process.  And grilling things like your lettuce, keep your guests on their toes!  And if you have everything prepared ahead of time, grilling keeps you out of the kitchen and outside with your guests!

Today we will start with the main course.  I didn’t focus on cooking the linguine fini, just follow the package instructions for that.  We will cover the Grilled Shrimp, the scampi sauce and the Grilled Tostada.

Start with your marinade:

Add in about 1-2 cups of dry white wine. This depends on your prep bowl, you need enough to cover the shrimp.

Add in a few slices of lemon and the juice of about 1 lemon.

Add in a few slices of lemon and the juice of about 1 lemon.

Add in some dried red ground pepper.

Add in some dried red ground pepper.

Add in a healthy pinch of kosher salt.

Stir all together and let marinade for about 20-30 minutes tops

Just before your guests arrive, skewer your shrimp and set aside. Having the shrimp on skewers helps to portion it all out.  Be sure to reserve the marinade liquid, it will be used in the next step.

For the scampi sauce:

Start off by melting one stick of butter into a large skillet… Remember, this is going to feed 8 people! (Be sure your skillet is really big, because all your pasta is coming in here a little later)

Thinly slice one whole onion.

Saute the onion until translucent over medium heat.

For the scampi, you will want about 8 cloves of garlic roughly chopped… I like one per guest.

Chop up some parsley and add in to your skillet.

Add about one cup of the reserved shrimp marinade in to the skillet.  Allow this to come to a simmer for about 5 minutes… you want to cook off both the alcohol from the marinade and the raw shrimp juices that made their way into that marinade. To this add in your drained pasta.  Allow it to cook together for a few minutes.

Place all your pasta in a large serving bowl and shave some parmesan cheese and some torn parsley over it.

Continue with the shrimp:

Grill your shrimp until you get nice grill marks on them and they turn pink. Don’t over cook them, that’s easy to do. Just 3-4 minutes on each side should do the trick. Also add lemons to your grill… I do one half a lemon for each guest… so I did 4 lemons.

For the Tostada:

For your Tostada, start with one loaf of french bread. (Italian is ok too)

Slice your loaf of bread on a bias.

Melt in a stick of butter into about a half cup of olive oil.  remember this is going to feed 8 people!

Melt in a stick of butter into about a half cup of olive oil. remember this is going to feed 8 people!

You will need three cloves of garlic.

Using your garlic press.  Press all three cloves of garlic into your warmed butter and oil.

Using your garlic press. Press all three cloves of garlic into your warmed butter and oil.

Last step in your garlic butter oil is to add about one teaspoon of kosher salt.

Last step in your garlic butter oil is to add about one teaspoon of kosher salt.

Brush one side of the bread liberally with garlic butter oil… I only do one side because I really like the flavor of the unbrushed side as much as the brushed side… If you want to do both sides, go for it.

Set aside the bread until your guests arrive.

When you place your shrimp on the grill, you can place the bread oil side down on the grill.

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From here people can either serve themselves… or you can plate each.  To plate:

On each person’s plate be sure to place pasta, a grilled lemon and a tostada. The shimp doesn’t take long to cook at all.

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Recipe for Grilled Shrimp Scampi with Garlic Tostada:

(serves 8)

Shrimp:

4 lbs. shrimp

2 lbs. linguine fini, cooked to al-dente

2 cups dry white wine

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

8 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 stick salted butter

5 lemons, divided

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shaved

Tostada:

1 loaf french bread, sliced on bias

1 stick salted butter

1/2 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, through press

1 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:

For the shrimp:

Marinade – Combine wine, juice of one lemon, lemon slices, salt, red pepper flakes and shrimp.  Allow to marinade for about 20-30 minutes.  skewer. Set aside.  Reserve marinade.

Scampi sauce – Melt 1 stick of butter into a large skillet.  Saute onion until translucent.  Add in garlic, saute another minute or so. Add in parsley. Add in 1 cup of marinade liquid.  Simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add in drained pasta.  Allow to cook together for a few minutes.  Transfer to serving bowl and top with torn parsley and parmesan cheese.

Shrimp – Grill on each side for a couple minutes until pink on either side.

Tostada:

Thickly slice french bread on the bias, set aside.

In a small sauce pan melt butter with olive oil.  Add in garlic that has been run through a press. Add in salt.  Simmer for about a minute over medium heat.  Turn off and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Brush one side of each slice of bread liberally with garlic butter oil.

Place oiled side down on the grill for about 3-4 minutes per side.

Serve along side pasta.

Enjoy!

 

Pasta alla Carbonara

Pasta alla Carbonara1

My husband and I were lucky enough to spend some time in Italy on our honeymoon.  We got to see the Colosseum in Rome, stayed in a 16th century private villa with an olive grove in Florence, toured Pompeii, rode on a Gondola with a singing Gondolier in Venice and even got a glimpse of that leaning tower as we passed through Pisa on a train ride.  We loved every moment of it… Did some shopping, site seeing and I even got in some cooking in that villa!  But, the food.  The food in Italy was amazing.

Each region offered up something new and delicious.  Pizza in Naples, Lasagna in Florence, Salami in Genoa.  I even made a red sauce that I paired with some fresh pasta, yum.  All of which was paired with a red wine… it had no name, just red, which was perfect.  My husband, however, ordered the same dish everywhere we went… Spaghetti alla Carbonara.  Sure, he would always try a bite of whatever I ordered, but he just couldn’t get enough of the Carbonara.

So, when we returned stateside, I had to learn how to make it.  I discovered there are lots of variations to the famed Italian dish… But, the basics are all the same. There is cheese, egg, fresh herbs and bacon. I will try to explain some of the variations throughout the recipe guide below, but if you see something you like more or less, then add more or less of it!  Make it your own or follow my recipe, either way it will be a quick, delicious and satisfying meal your family is sure to ask for again and again!

This dish is all about the preparation.  It is very quick and easy to put together, but can be screwed up royally if your ingredients are not prepped and ready to go when they need to be.  Timing is everything!  Follow these steps and you will be eating this delectable plate of pasta in under 20 minutes!

 

bacon

First start off with bacon or pancetta. (Pancetta is uncured Italian bacon.) Today, I had bacon on hand, so that’s what I used. The important thing to remember is that the bacon should not have any sort of flavoring. Try to avoid ‘applewood smoked’ or ‘maple’. A nice smoked or uncured bacon is fine here. Fry it up to the style you like your bacon. We like crispy, but not burned in my family.

bacon2

Drain bacon. I like to set aside about 2 pieces per person to be served. I hide the bacon at this point so it is not confiscated by passers-by! Reserved the rendered bacon fat in the pan.

boil pasta

Next, you will want to set a pot of water to boil. While the water is coming to a boil, you should have enough time to prepare the rest of your ingredients. Once the water comes to a boil you can add in the pasta (we will get to which variety of pasta in a minute). Cook to the package instructions or a minute less if you like it aldente.

cracked eggs

Crack a couple of eggs in a bowl large enough to include not only the eggs, but the parmesan cheese.

scrambled eggs

Scramble the eggs. Set aside.

shredded parm2

Shred up the parmesan. Some people like to use Parmigiano-Reggiano, and hey, if you have it, use it… I happened to have Parmesan at my disposal. The two are similar although the Parmesano Regiano is a higher grade and more traditional. Also, some like to use Pecorino cheese here as well… I say, use whatever you have on hand and whichever you like. Any hard, salty, italian cheese will do just fine.

egg and parm

Add the parmesan into the scrambled egg you have set aside.

parsley

Now onto the parsley. This is Italian Flat Leaf Parsley. It is not the same as the curly variety you may see garnishing buffet tables across the country. This parsley has a distinct flavor and adds a great pop of freshness to the dish, please don’t skip this, It’s like a buck at the grocery store fresh. note: Do not confuse this with Cilantro although they are similar in appearance, they have two totally different flavors.

chopped parsley

Chop up about a cup of parsley, set aside.

chopped bacon

Now chop up your bacon. Set aside.

fetuccini

Now let’s talk about your pasta. After all that chopping, your water is probably boiling, so it’s time to drop the pasta. (Don’t forget to salt the water! – Like the sea… I typically use about 3T. kosher salt for 6 qts of water) But, I digress… you can really use any type of pasta you like. This dish is traditionally made with spaghetti. I have here Fetuccini Rigata. The Rigata is denoting the ridges that are on this pasta. I normally like to get Spaghetti Rigata or Rigati… But the grocery store didn’t have it, so I got the Fetuccini Rigata this time. I like the ridges because it holds on to the sauce better, but if you just have plain ole spaghetti, use it! (My kids like this with Angel Hair, so sometimes I do that for them too)

all ingredients

OK… So, after reading that last paragraph on the pasta, your pasta is probably almost ready to come out of the water. Let’s make sure you have everything you need because once the pasta comes out, it’s go time! So, in addition to the scrambled eggs with parmesan, chopped bacon and chopped parsley, you will need some kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper and about a cup of frozen peas.

add pasta

Once the pasta is done… Be sure your reserved bacon fat is still warm, if not turn it on medium. Then, drain the pasta and coat all the noodles in fat. Just wiggle it around a bit and stir.

add egg

Now, this is important. While the pasta is piping hot, pour the egg and parmesan mixture over it and have a pasta tool at the ready to very quickly stir it in. Your goal here is not to end up with scrambled eggs… you want to coat the pasta with the egg mixture just like you did with the rendered bacon fat. This must be done quickly.

add peas

Again, while it is all still hot, quickly add in the peas and the parsley and stir. The heat from the pasta will be enough to cook the frozen peas.

mixed pasta

Add in the bacon and stir again… Now drizzle with some olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Please taste this before plating it.

Pasta alla Carbonara2

Shred some additional parmesan atop the pasta and add just a touch more of the fresh parsley and enjoy!

 

Pasta Carbonara Recipe:

(serves 6-8)

1 lb. dry pasta, spaghetti, fettuccine, Angel Hair etc.

6 qts. water with 3 T. kosher salt

1/2 lb. bacon or pancetta, fried, chopped, rendered fat reserved

3 eggs, scrambled

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 cup shredded parmesan

1 cup frozen peas

salt and pepper to taste

Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Prepare all ingredients in recipe.  Boil pasta.  Add drained pasta to the rendered bacon fat, coating pasta.  Add parmesan to the scrambled eggs, quickly stir into hot pasta.  Add in parsley and peas.  Add in bacon.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Shred additional parmesan over the top with some additional chopped parsley.  Enjoy!