Bucatini Carbonara

Bucatini Carbonara
as found on The Kitchen Sink

Ingredients:

1/2 pound bucatini (I used a fine linguini)
2 ounces pancetta, finely diced
1 leek, trimmed and sliced in half moons
1 egg, plus 1 egg per serving (i.e. if you’re serving two, you’ll need 3 eggs)
1/3 cup freshly grated parmigano-reggiano
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
splash of vinegar

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the bucatini until almost al dente.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta to skillet and cook until slightly browned. Add the sliced leek and cook for a minute until the leek is softened. Transfer the leek-pancetta mixture to a large bowl.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 egg, cheese, and pepper.

Once the pasta is almost al dente, transfer it to the large bowl holding the pancetta and leek. Reserve the pasta water and hold it at a simmer. Add a splash of vinegar to the water and crack the remaining eggs into small cups. Then gently pour the racked eggs into the simmering water. For a runny egg, cook the eggs for 2 to 3 minutes and remove carefully with a slotted spoon.

Whisk a tablespoon or so of the reserved pasta water, in a slow stream, into the egg mixture. Add the egg mixture to the bowl holding the pasta and pancetta-leek mixture. Toss for several minutes, until the sauce is thick and creamy.

Serve the pasta in bowls and top each bowl with a poached egg and, if desired, more freshly cracked black pepper. Serves 2-4.

Crack Pot Pot Roast

My roommate owns a Crock Pot. No one's ever used it. I felt it was my duty.

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs chuck roast
2 large onions, sliced
4-5 medium potatoes, diced into 1-inch pieces
2 large carrots, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp oil
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper



Season a 3 to 4 pound roast with salt and pepper then dust with flour.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once oil is hot, brown meat in skillet on all sides. Remove to a plate.

Add 1/2 cup beef broth to the skillet; stir to loosen browned bits. (I like my roast with a little more stew, and added in 1/2 cup of red wine as well.) Remove from heat.



Place onions, potatoes, and carrots in the bottom of a 3 1/2-quart (or larger) Crock Pot. Place browned roast on the vegetables.

Pour skillet juices over the roast and vegetables, and season with a little more salt and pepper. Add in 2 bay leaves.

Cover and cook on the LOW setting for 9 to 11 hours, or on the HIGH setting for 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours. Remove the roast and vegetables to a serving platter; keep warm until serving.

Barley Risotto with Beans and Greens

Barley Risotto with Beans and Greens
as found on Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

5 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock (LOW SODIUM)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
1 cup pearled barley (7 ounces)
1 cup beans, canned or precooked (white would be great; I used some Red Nightfall Beans mostly because they were languishing in my cabinet)
3 cups chopped escarole
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Salt and freshly ground pepper





In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.

In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and thyme and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 6 minutes.



Add the barley and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine if using and cook, stirring until absorbed, about one minute.



Add 1 cup of the warm stock and cook, stirring, until nearly absorbed. Continue adding the stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until it is nearly absorbed between additions. (The recipe calls for six additions, leaving 1 cup of stock left in the pot. I ended up using almost all of the stock, based on how thick i wanted my risotto.) Most barley risottos are done when the barley is al dente and suspended in a thick, creamy sauce, about 35 minutes.

Stir it in until the risotto is on the loose side, then add the beans and let them cook for a minute.



Add the escarole and let it wilt and then cook for an additional minute.

Stir in the 1/2 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano and the butter and season with salt and pepper. Serves 4.





THIS MAKES DELICIOUS LEFTOVERS. perfect for bringing to work and making everyone incredibly jealous.

Blackberry Coffeecake

(Recipe found over at Smitten Kitchen)

Notes:

Not having any rhubarb on hand, nor the faintest idea how to go about finding it, I substituted 6 oz of blackberries, with 2 tablespoons of sugar and the 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, which turned out delicioso. i'd personally use a little bit more flour next time. The cake turned out fantastic, but there was barely enough batter for an 8 x 8, and it was very dense. and (cringe) moist. but following this recipe to a T, it should turn out great great great.

‘Big Crumb’ Coffeecake with Rhubarb
Adapted from The New York Times 6/6/07

Ingredients:

Butter for greasing pan

For the rhubarb filling:
1/2 pound rhubarb, trimmed
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

For the crumbs:
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 3/4 cups cake flour (all-purpose is fine)

For the cake:
1/3 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup cake flour (all-purpose is fine)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons softened butter, cut into 8 pieces.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. For filling, slice rhubarb 1/2 inch thick and toss with sugar, cornstarch and ginger. OR, gently crush 6-8 oz blackberries and toss with sugar and cornstarch. (I skipped the ginger throughout, which worked fine for me. i didn't want my coffeecake too spicy.) Set aside.

For the crumbs: in a large bowl, whisk sugars, spices and salt into melted butter until smooth. Then, add flour with a spatula or wooden spoon. It will look and feel like a solid dough. Leave it pressed together in the bottom of the bowl and set aside.

For the cake: in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add butter and a spoonful of sour cream mixture and mix on medium speed until flour is moistened. Increase speed and beat for 30 seconds. Add remaining sour cream mixture in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the sides of bowl with a spatula. Scoop out 1/2 cup batter and set aside.

Scrape remaining batter into prepared pan. Spoon rhubarb (blackberry filling) over batter. Dollop set-aside batter over rhubarb; it does not have to be even.

Using your fingers, break topping mixture into big crumbs, about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in size. Sprinkle over cake. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean of batter, about 45 to 55 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

pretend this photo shows the cake with powdered sugar. much better.