Archive Page 14

Pappardelle with Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs and Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce

Published May 21, 2010 Beef , Italian , Main Course , Pasta 74 Comments

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There are a couple of ways you can make this (or any) pasta: by hand on your counter or in a food processor.  My mom has told me stories about her grandmother (Grandpa Julio’s mother) making it on the dining room table, starting with a mountain of flour and a little salt and gradually incorporating the eggs by hand.  I used a food processor which saves a significant amount of time, but means this post lacks the requisite iconic photo of a mountain of flour on my dining room table.  This is a great meal to make in advance, as all elements can be done well before mealtime.  The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week, and the meatballs can be assembled and then frozen for much longer than that without sacrificing any quality.

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Paella

Published May 18, 2010 Chicken , Main Course , Rice , Sausage , Seafood , Spanish 1 Comment

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I’ve been told that the preparation of Paella in Spain shares two characteristics with grilling in the US – first, it’s generally done outside, and second, it’s frequently done by men (including those with no other interest or skill in the kitchen).  I’ve made this dish outside over a fire in the past, but I seem to get better results when I cook it on the stove.  Because my paella pan is larger than my largest burner, I rotate it throughout cooking so it cooks evenly.  One important note on this preparation: once you add the rice, DO NOT STIR.  The rice on the bottom will get slightly burnt, forming the socarrat that makes this dish really work.

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Halibut with Sweet Corn, Tomatoes, Chickpeas, and Grilled Cornbread. Oh, and Bacon.

Published May 14, 2010 Bacon , Main Course , Seafood 5 Comments

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This is one of those recipes that appears much more difficult than it really is.  At lunchtime today, I went to the kitchen, made the cornbread, put it in the oven, zested a lemon, seasoned the fish, put it in the fridge, made a sandwich, ate the sandwich, took the cornbread out, transferred it to a cooling rack, covered it, washed the pan, put it away, and went back to the office.  Total elapsed time = 45 minutes.  Once you’ve done that, the rest couldn’t be easier.

As I mention below, this can be done in three separate skillets if you really want everything to be piping hot.  Alternatively, you can make everything in one skillet.  I highly recommend this.  Once the fish is done, you can transfer it to a plate and allow it to rest for a few minutes while you clean, dry, and put-away the skillet you used.

Thanks to my uncle Jeff for sending this recipe along.

Continue reading ‘Halibut with Sweet Corn, Tomatoes, Chickpeas, and Grilled Cornbread. Oh, and Bacon.’

Eastern North Carolina-Style Barbecue

Published May 10, 2010 Grilldome , Make-ahead , Pork , Sandwich 4 Comments

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Right after my wife and I got married, we moved to Raleigh, NC where we lived for almost seven years.  During that time, I learned a great deal about Eastern North Carolina-style barbecue.  First, let me get the definitions out of the way.  North Carolina has two entirely different styles of barbecue: Lexington-style (sometimes “Western North Carolina-style) and Eastern North Carolina-style.  Eastern North Carolina-style features slow-cooked pork (whole hog or shoulder only) with a vinegar-based sauce.  Lexington-style uses a tomato-based sauce.

In addition to living in Raleigh, my job provided many opportunities for me to head “down east” to Wilson, Rocky Mount, Tarboro, Greenville, etc.  As a result, I sampled some of the best barbecue that the region had to offer (Bill’s in Wilson, Parker’s in Wilson, B’s in Greenville, Wilbur’s in Goldsboro, Pete Jones in Ayden, etc).  I also have a good friend with a retired-state trooper dad who knows a thing or two about cooking a pork shoulder.  There is plenty of debate about the right way to cook this (whole hog vs. shoulder, coal vs. gas, etc), but I’d like to think this recipe is authentic enough that Benny’s dad would be proud.

From my perspective, there are only a few things required to make outstanding pork barbecue.  They are:

  1. Set your grill or smoker to somewhere between 210 and 230 degrees, ideally indirect heat.
  2. Cook the pork until it reaches 190 degrees internal temperature, then let it rest for 30 minutes or so, during which time it will increase to 195 degrees.
  3. Baste or “mop” occasionally to add moisture and flavor.

That’s all there is to it!

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Ratatouille

Published May 3, 2010 French , Make-ahead , Sides , Vegetarian 1 Comment

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When Pixar made the film Ratatouille, they engaged Thomas Keller in a consulting capacity.  The producers spent time in Keller’s kitchen at the French Laundry to get a feel for how a commercial kitchen operates.  They also asked Keller “if you wanted to serve Ratatouille to a restaurant critic, how would you prepare it?” The result is, essentially, this recipe.  If you’ve seen the film, you’ll recognize almost every step in the preparation.

A couple of notes.  First, this calls for Japanese eggplant which I’ve always included.  I couldn’t find it this weekend, so I just omitted it.  If you can find it, definitely use it.  Second, I generally use an oval dish so I can spiral the vegetables out from the center.  I didn’t have access to one this weekend, so I just went with rows in a rectangular dish.

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Meyer Lemon Yogurt Cake with Blueberry Sauce

Published April 25, 2010 Dessert Closed

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This recipe is from the always-excellent Smitten Kitchen blog.  I changed it from lime to Meyer Lemon because 1) Meyer lemons are delicious, and 2) my friends Tim and Virginia have a Meyer lemon tree in their backyard that produces more fruit than one family could possibly use.

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Santa Maria-Style Tri Tip

Published April 25, 2010 Beef , Grilldome , Main Course Closed
When we first moved to California, I saw tri tip everywhere.  It wasn’t a cut I was accustomed to seeing in the other places I’d lived, and for some reason I didn’t pay much attention to it.  Eventually I had it cooked Santa Maria-style and loved it.  This has become the stand-by cut of beef I serve if I want to cook something on the grill.  Traditionally, Santa Maria-style barbecue is cooked over an oak wood fire, so adding a couple of chunks of oak to the coals makes all kinds of sense.

Momofuku Bo Ssam

Published April 25, 2010 Asian , Main Course , Pork , Rice 1 Comment

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I received the Momofuku cookbook as a Christmas gift and quickly zeroed-in on this recipe.  It includes the words “pig candy,” so it’s pretty much a sure thing.  The list of ingredients (and this is true for most of the recipes in the book) includes several items that my usual grocery store doesn’t carry.  Fortunately there is a large Asian supermarket right across the street from where we live, so finding everything I need is no problem.

The whole idea of this recipe is to make all of the accompaniments and serve them on the side of a huge hunk of sweet, crispy, fatty pork shoulder.  People take a lettuce leaf, add some rice, add some pork, and add one of the sauces.  You’ll be surprised how much pork six adults can consume in this manner.

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Bucatini all’Amatriciana

Published April 17, 2010 Bacon , Italian , Main Course , Pasta Closed

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Traditionally this dish is made with Guanciale, a cured jowl bacon from Italy.  Pancetta is certainly close enough, and infinitely easier to find.  There were 5 kids eating this dinner, so I went a little easy on the crushed red.  If I were to make it again for adults, I’d use 2 tsp for sure.  Finally, while any tomato-based pasta sauce will do, I made a batch of my Grandma Joanne’s  famous sauce.  (Browned pork, garlic, onion, olive oil, oregano, basil, italian seasonings, black pepper, salt, and canned tomatoes and/or sauce, browned pork.  You said pork twice.  I like pork!)

Evelyn seems to like it.

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Cajeta Apple Tarts with Berry Salsa

Published April 12, 2010 Dessert , Mexican , Rick Bayless 2 Comments

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We ran out of ingredients for making ice cream sundaes last night, but wanted to figure out some kind of dessert for the kids (and ourselves).  I decided to try a Rick Bayless recipe that calls for Cajeta, the ubiquitous goat milk caramel that’s so popular here in Mexico.

These tarts are supposed to be free-form and rustic, so perfect assembly isn’t called for here.  This is good news for me since I don’t normally cook desserts and therefore don’t have the dessert-prep-mojo that my friend Virginia does.

The berry “salsa” really makes this recipe.  Especially with access to ripe berries – I’d eat this on just about anything.
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