forget resolutions: eat more fettucine alfredo

Leave it to Marcella Hazan to finally clear it up for me: this famous pasta is actually called "all-Alfredo" after a restaurant owner in Rome. She simply calls it "cream and butter sauce" in her Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. This is my ultimate comfort food, since the process of making homemade pasta is so cathartic to me, and nothing is more reassuring than creamy cheesy sauce. Just be sure to do about 10 extra miles on the treadmill the next day...

Grocery list: 1 pound fresh pasta (or 1/2 pound dry), 1 cup heavy cream, 2 T butter, 2/3 grated parmesan, nutmeg.



In a large saucepan (one that would fit the cooked pasta), heat 2/3 cup cream and the butter over medium heat. Allow to cook until the butter has melted and they just start to thicken, about one minute. Cook the pasta to al dente (2-3 minutes for fresh pasta; follow package directions for dried).



After draining the pasta, transfer it to the pan with the butter and cream, and turn the heat to low. Toss the pasta to completely coat it with the sauce.



Add the last 1/3 cup cream and all the parmesan, a generous pinch of salt, fresh cracked pepper, and a tiny speck of grated nutmeg. Continue to toss until the parmesan is melted and the pasta is thoroughly coated.

broccoli parmesan gratin

I make at least one vegetable side with every meal. A lot of the time, the effort goes into the main dish meat, and I have no time or inspiration leftover for the side. (We eat a lot of steamed asparagus and steamed broccoli around here.) I saw this recipe in February 2009 Gourmet and wanted to try it. I don't know if it's worth the extra calories for an everyday vegetable side, but it's definitely a good choice for dinner parties.

Grocery list: 1 bunch broccoli, 1 cup whole milk, 1/2 cup cream, 1 cup grated parmesan, 2 eggs, 1 cup bread crumbs, olive oil.



Wash the broccoli and cut into bite-size pieces. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain.



Whisk together the milk, cream, parmesan and eggs, and season with salt and pepper.



Place the broccoli in a baking dish, then pour the milk-cheese mixture over top. In a shallow pan, toss the breadcrumbs with a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat for a few minutes, until they start to toast. Pour over top of the broccoli. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes (the custard should jiggle when the dish is gently moved; if it still acts liquid-y in the middle, it needs to cook a few more minutes). Broil for a few more minutes to get the top as golden as you like.

steak with parmesan butter, balsamic glaze & arugula

A lot of food blogs have had posts lately about "the last cookout of the year," but we're fortunate in Atlanta that grilling is not limited to any season. If I've had a bad day and need to feel better, or if I've had a great day and want to celebrate it, a steak is my go-to meal. This recipe from October's Bon Appetit is perfect for any occasion. They describe the steak salad as "simple and sophisticated" - and I can't say it any better.

Grocery list (for 2 entree salad): 1 or 2 rib-eye steaks, 1 package arugula, grated parmesan + parmesan shavings, 1.5 T butter, olive oil, 1/4 c balsamic vinegar, 1/4 c chopped shallots, pinch dark brown sugar, 1 lemon.



Soften the butter to room temperature, then mix in 2 T grated parmesan, and salt & pepper to taste.



Season steak with salt and pepper, then grill over medium high heat. (Note, the recipe calls for sauteing steak, and then finishing off the glaze in the same pan - I opted for the outdoor grill.) Cook to medium rare, transfer to plate, and allow to rest under foil.



Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a small saucepan (or the same pan you cooked the steaks in, if you go that route), then add vinegar, shallots and sugar.



Boil until reduced to glaze - I found it took about 5 minutes. Divide arugula and parmesan shavings between 2 plates, squeeze lemon juice over the top.



Slice the steak and top with the butter, then serve the steak over the arugula. Drizzle the glaze over top.

cheesy baked penne with cauliflower and creme fraiche

The full page photo of this dish in October's Bon Appetit sucked me in - I'm always a sucker for a new mac-and-cheese recipe. This proved to be the most complicated m&c dish I've ever attempted, but also the richest and most flavorful. The different cheeses are all pricey though, so it won't be something I make all the time. (Yes, I do realize how contradictory this is with my last post about choosing cheaper cuts of meat. There's a reason I don't work in finance...)

Grocery list: 1 head of cauliflower, 2 large heirloom tomatoes, 5 T butter, 1 bunch green onions, 2 T AP flour, 1c heavy cream, 3 c grated Comte cheese (half Fontina & half Gruyere is listed as the substitute if you can't find Comte - approx 9oz), 3/4 c grated Parmesan, 1 c creme fraiche, 1T whole grain Dijon mustard, 3.5 (10oz) penne, 1 cup breadcrumbs (I substituted panko).



Bring a large stockpot of salted water to boil. Wash and chop the cauliflower into 1 inch florets, then cook in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove from water with slotted spoon, then drop in both whole tomatoes and boil for 1 minute.



Carefully remove them from the water and turn off the heat. Set the hot water aside though, so you can reuse it for cooking the pasta.



Blanching the tomatoes will help you peel them, as the skin should almost fall off. Chop the tomatoes. At this point you should grate the Comte, chop the green onions, and get everything set up for making the cheese sauce.



Melt 2T of butter in a large skillet over med-high heat, then cook the cauliflower for 5 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and the chopped green onions and cook for another minute.



Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.



Melt 2T of butter in a saucepan over med-low heat, then add flour and stir for 2 minutes. Whisk in the cream slowly.



Now, this was different than most white sauces, since the cream has such a higher fat content. I kept whisking it, but the fat started separating out and I thought the whole thing was ruined. But I turned down the heat and kept whisking and it reconstituted once I added the cheese in, but wanted to point this out in case the same thing happens.



Add 2 cups of the grated Comte, and whisk until melted. Stir in 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, then the creme fraiche and 1 T Dijon. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Bring the large pot of water back to a boil and cook the penne for 10 minutes. Drain and immediately return to the pot. Stir in the cheese sauce and the cauliflower mixture.



Spoon half the pasta mixture into a baking dish, then sprinkle 1/2 cup Comte. Layer the rest of the pasta and the Comte on top.



The recipe calls for melting 1 T of butter and toasting the breadcrumbs at this point, but I skipped this step. I mixed the rest (1/4 cup) of the Parmesan with a cup of panko and spread across the top of the casserole.



Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, until bubbling and golden on top.

cookbook review: raising the salad bar

I heard about this cookbook on NPR, where they were reviewing their favorite 10 new cookbooks, and had to order it. Here's a little background: I already cook what I believe to be "healthy." This doesn't mean dieting or counting calories at all; my definition of healthy involves eating organic fruits and vegetables, hormone- and antibiotic-free meats, seafood harvested in a sustainable way, whole grains, and above all, no processed foods (i.e. "made from scratch" whenever possible). Because A has a ridiculous daily requirement for protein, I've found myself cooking a less-than-ideal ratio of meats to everything else. This has been bothering me lately, and I won't get into all the reasons here (some related to consuming more than my fair share of natural resources, some purely health related). So I'm going to make an effort to make more creative salads and vegetables as the focus, with smaller portions of meat, and fish in lieu of red meat more often. That's why this book really caught my attention.

I started by making the cover recipe, an arugula and avocado salad, with a light lemon and olive oil dressing with a little shaved parmesan. (I took half a leftover chicken breast, combined it with walnuts and grapes, mayo & dijon, to make a small portion of chicken salad, stuffed into a small pita pocket - a great "side" to the salad!) The recipe makes 4 servings; I halved it for 2 salads. The half recipe is below.



The dressing was simple: one garlic clove, minced, plus the juice of half a lemon and a couple of tablespoons of good olive oil. Toss this with 2 cups of arugula, and divide onto 2 plates. Slice half an avocado and arrange the slices over the salad. Add a few strips of shaved parmesan, a pinch of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper on top.



Here's the result - looks pretty similar to the photo on the cover, right? The fact that the recipe turned out like the picture is one of my criteria for a positive cookbook review; the other is the actual recipe tasting delicious. So far so good! I'll post another salad later and see if the trend continues...

green 3 cheese ravioli + tomato sauce with garlic and basil ("alla carrettiera")

In Marcella Hazan's "essentials of classic italian cooking", she talks about the "only" 2 ways to EVER make fresh pasta dough: basic egg pasta (covered numerous times, albeit imperfectly, on this blog), and "green" pasta. Green pasta incorporates fresh spinach right into the dough - and why did I think I needed even more of a challenge? It's not like I've perfected pasta in the first place, so why make it more complicated? Because after steaming, draining and mincing the spinach, and adding it to egg and flour, there was nothing but a soggy sad mess on my counter. I was THIS close to wiping it all straight into the disposal. But then I added a little more flour and started kneading. And then more flour, more kneading. After a few minutes, I had this bright green ball of pasta dough, ready for rolling. Who knew? So if you try this recipe, expect it to get very ugly before you see anything that resembles a potential dinner. And if the idea of slaving over green pasta isn't appealing - just try this sauce. Wow.

Grocery list: (pasta) 10oz fresh spinach, 2 cups flour, 3 eggs; ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella cheeses plus parsley and 1 egg for the filling. For the sauce, 1 large bunch fresh basil, 2 pounds fresh ripe tomatoes or 2 cups canned imported italian plum tomatoes, 5 cloves garlics, 5 T olive oil.



After making a regular batch of egg pasta dough, you mash in the minced spinach, cooked and drained as dry as possible (any extra moisture is going to make it impossible to knead the dough). Keep adding flour and kneading it till the texture is familiar, and the dough isn't sticking to your skin.



Then, you know the drill - break the pasta dough into 6 equal portions, and roll with the pasta machine. Each strip needs to be fed through the pasta machine 6-7 times before it's ready to start rolling through the thinner and thinner settings. When you've got the pasta strips rolled out, set each one on a dry dish towel to rest. Drying at least 10 minutes on the towels will help the dough not stick together when you make the ravioli.



The filling for this is as simple as it gets - equal parts mozzarella (shredded), ricotta, and grated parmesan, with 1 beaten egg, and a handful of chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper.



To fill the ravioli, spoon bits of filling along one side of each strip of pasta. Then, you fold over the pasta strip and press the dough in between each dollop of filling (this will make one long strip of raviolis, which you just have to cut apart). Cut, then press the tines of a fork around the edges to make sure the edges won't burst at the seams when cooking.



This sauce doesn't start the usual way (by sauteing onions and garlic in olive oil as a base, then adding the rest). You actually put the can of tomatoes and a few T of olive oil right into the pan, THEN turn on the heat. Break up the tomatoes while the pan heats up. Chop the garlic (at least 5 cloves if not more), then add to the tomatoes. You want the heat just so the liquid from the tomatoes is barely simmering, not popping and boiling like crazy. The idea is to poach the garlic - it retains the flavor but becomes more fragrant and rich as opposed to potent (hard to describe). The juice will slowly cook out, till you have a thick almost syrupy consistency. After about 15 minutes, add handfuls of torn basil leaves, keeping a few aside to top the pasta with later.



The sauce will be done after about 20-25 minutes. Cook the pasta (fresh ravioli takes about 3 minutes) in boiling salted water, drain and mix with the sauce. This sauce is great because it really coats the pasta, much different than fresh tomato sauce. Top with grated parmesan and a little more fresh torn basil.

mushrooms and leeks with pecorino fonduta

It should be fairly obvious by now that I have an obsession with Food & Wine magazine, and especially any of their Italian recipes, so this recipe from their April 2008 issue is right up my alley. According to the article, fonduta is basically Italian fondue. You serve this easy-as-possible cheese sauce over sauteed leeks and mushrooms, which rest on top of crusted slices of baguette. So simple and unique.

Grocery list: butter, 2 pounds leeks, 4 garlic cloves, 1 pound wild mushrooms, rosemary, half-and-half, parmesan cheese, pecorino cheese, balsamic vinegar, grilled italian bread slices.


Start by melting a stick of butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced, and the leeks. (Side note: to prepare leeks, chop off the tough green leaves and the very end of the white root; slice lengthwise and rinse under cool water, trying to separate the leaves to get the water into all the crevices. Chop the white and tender green parts only, about 1/2 inch slices, then place in a bowl of cold water. Let them soak for a few minutes, then squeeze and shake one handful at a time and remove to the pan you're cooking with.) Cook until softened, about 10 minutes.



Add the wild mushrooms and cook until the excess liquid has evaporated and they are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp minced rosemary, season with salt and pepper, then keep warm.



In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup half-and-half (the original calls for cream, but I don't use cream unless it's absolutely necessary) to a boil and reduce to 2/3 cup, about 7 minutes. Turn off the flame and stir in 1/2 cup grated parmesan and 1/4 cup grated pecorino.



Drizzle the mushrooms with a few teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, then serve over the bread slices. Top with the fonduta.

pappardelle with porcini mushrooms and garlic roast chicken

A recipe for "pappardelle with porcini and pistachios" was recently featured in Food & Wine magazine, from the chef at Cru restaurant in NYC. I decided I wanted to try it, but needed to add roast chicken (if I want to make pasta at home, it is absolutely mandatory that I find a way to include protein, or my boyfriend will insist on skipping dinner and just having a protein shake). I also substituted pine nuts for the pistachios, and used dried porcinis instead of fresh. The result? My sweet aforementioned boyfriend rated this dish one of his all-time favorites. The caramelized onions are a surprising sweet contrast to the garlicky chicken and earthy mushrooms.

Grocery list: 2 boneless chicken breasts WITH skin (about 1-1.5 pounds), garlic, lemon, thyme; pappardelle pasta (could substitute fettucine), large red onion, 1 pound fresh porcini or 2 packages dried porcini mushrooms, 1 shallot, chicken stock, parsley, pine nutes, lemon, dried red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese for serving.



I've covered roasted chicken before, but this variation involves stuffing a garlic and thyme paste and a few lemon slices up under the skin, so that the chicken is more flavorful. I saw this on the well fed food blog and it looked amazing -- it's perfect for this recipe. The picture above is a technique to easily get the peel off a clove of garlic -- is this something everyone does? I can't remember where I learned it but it's so useful. Chop off the hard end of the garlic, and lay the flat side of your knife blade down on the garlic. Whack it one time, in a quick motion. The garlic clove crushes on the inside, and the peel will fall right off.

Mince 3 garlic cloves, and mince a couple of stems of thyme. Pour some salt right on the garlic and thyme, and mash with the flat side of your knife blade slowly, massaging the garlic until it turns into paste.



Smear the garlic paste under the skin of the chicken, forming a little pocket, and insert a couple of lemon slices. Place skin-side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil, and grind salt and pepper on top; bake 25 minutes at 425 degrees. Let the chicken rest.



When you remove it from the pan, it should easily separate from the skin (the skin will stay on the pan), and then you can shred it and set aside for later.



Let's cover the prep work for the mushroom sauce first. If you're using dried mushrooms, rinse them very well in cold water, then put into a bowl. Boil about a cup of water, and pour over the dried mushrooms. Let them sit for 20 minutes. Remove from the water and set aside. While they are sitting in the water, you can caramelize the red onion by sauteing it in 3T melted butter over medium heat for at least 15 minutes. Slice a couple of garlic cloves as thinly as you can, and mince 1-2 shallots.



The original recipe calls for fresh porcinis, so if you're using them instead, you would remove the onion from the pan and cook the fresh mushrooms in a few more tablespoons of butter for 8 minutes. I realized this step is unnecessary if you're using dehydrated mushrooms -- at this point in the process, just add the mushrooms to the onion in the pan. Season with salt and pepper, then add the garlic and shallot and cook for about 1 minute.



Next, add 2 cups of chicken stock and a handful of chopped parsley to the pan, and simmer over medium-high heat till it is reduced down to the consistency of a thick sauce (about 10 minutes). Stir in the juice of half a lemon, a pinch of red pepper flakes, a handful of pine nuts, and the shredded roast chicken.



Cook the pappardelle according to the package directions, and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta and the 1/2 cup of cooking water in with the mushroom sauce and chicken, and top with grated parmesan to serve.

parmesan chicken tenders

An easy, crunchy, Italian version of fried chicken, which is a combination of my 2 favorite types of food... Grocery list: 1 pound chicken tenders, parmesan cheese, italian bread crumbs, and buttermilk. For the vinaigarette, you'll need 3 garlic cloves, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. The recipe below is for one pound, but you can adjust for more/less.



Start by soaking the tenders in about a cup of buttermilk, for at least 15 minutes in the fridge. In a shallow bowl, mix 3/4 cup parmesan with 1/2 cup breadcrumbs. Dip the tenders in the crumb mixture to coat, then place on a baking sheet lined with foil (brush the foil generously with olive oil first). Then drizzle more olive oil across the chicken tenders, and bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees.



To make the vinaigrette, mince 3 garlic cloves and place in a small bowl or ramekin. Mash salt into the garlic, season with pepper, then pour 3 T of balsamic and 1/4 -1/3 cup olive oil. Serve the vinaigrette alongside the tenders for dipping.