Linguine carbonara

linguine carbonara
Originally uploaded by Siddity.

As comfort food goes, there's nothing quite like pasta. It's an incredible vehicle for the comforting tastes we crave: fat, salt.

Needing a bit of comfort, I reached for the spaghetti carbonara recipe I'd found in Ruth Reichl's memoir, Garlic and Sapphires, and made a few mods: linguine in place of spaghetti, extra bacon, the addition of asparagus. Start to finish, with interruptions and no concept of mise en place, this meal took about 40 minutes to prepare, and about three to inhale.

Ingredients:
2/3 lb fresh linguine
2/3 lb bacon, chopped into 1/2"-3/4" bits
1 lb asparagus, cut into 1"-1 1/2" spears
2 eggs, beaten
2 cloves garlic
1/2 c. grated parmegiano reggiano, grated
salt and pepper to taste

According to Reichl, the pasta should come first, but since I used fresh instead of dried, I actually prepped that last.

Cook bacon for 2 minutes. Add garlic, peeled and coarsely slivered. Cook until bacon is just crisp around edges--not fully crisp. Turn off heat.Quickly steam asparagus and remove from heat when bright green. Set aside. Beat eggs in a large mixing dish, and add pepper. Set aside. Boil pasta in salted water, about 3 minutes (10 if using dried pasta). Drain pasta and dump immediately into beaten eggs. Mix. The heat of the pasta will cause eggs to cook into a sauce. Add bacon, with fat and garlic, to egg and pasta mixture. Toss. Add asparagus. Toss. Finally, add grated cheese and toss one last time. You're done!

Serves about four.

St. Patty's Day Brekkie!

St. Patty's Day Brekkie!
Originally uploaded by Siddity.

Aidell's Maple Bacon sausages--delicious chicken suasages filled with sweet potato, maple syrup and bacon--amazingly good, and only 90 calories ber link (they are only slightly smaller than hot dogs.

Two fried eggs.

A side of my favorite homefries: one potato, coarsely diced, tossed with one minced clove of garlic, one quarter cup minced onion, cumin, salt and pepper to taste, sauteed in olive oil or roasted at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Not quite bangers and mash, but the sentiment (and base ingredients) is there!

Get your Irish on!

yummy comfort food

Baked potato soup
makes 10 cups.

4 large baking potatoes
2/3 c. butter or margarine
2/3 c. all-purpose flour
6 c. milk
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 green onions, chopped and divided
12 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled and divided
1 1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 8 oz. carton sour cream

Wash potatoes and prick several times with a fork. Bake at 400 degrees for
an hour or until done. Let cool. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop
out pulp. (I kept the skins on and also just chopped up the potatoes in cubes. I've also boiled the potatoes instead of baking to speed up the process.)

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add 6 cups milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly.

Add potato pulp (or potato cubes), salt, pepper, 2 tbs. green onions, 1/2 c. bacon and 1 c. cheese. cook until thoroughly heated; stir in sour cream. Add extra milk, if necessary, for desired thickness. Serve topped with remaining onions, bacon and cheese.

My friend said jalapeno pepper cheese mixed with cheddar made the soup nicely spicy. I've added jalapenos (canned or pickled works just as well as, sometimes better than, fresh), which also adds a nice kick.

You can also use low-fat cheese, milk and sour cream, if you like.

Take the edge off Autum chill with Curried Pumpkin Soup

pumpkin soup
Originally uploaded by Siddity.

Ingredients:
2 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped carrot
1.5 c. chopped white mushroom
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. chopped boniato (white sweet potato)
4 tbs. butter
8 cups chicken stock
1/2 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. sugar

In large stock pot, sautee onions, garlic, carrots and mushrooms in butter over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add boniato and sautee additional 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, raise heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes. Add canned pumpkin, one cup at a time, stirring until dispersed. Add curry powder, cumin, cinnamon and sugar and stir, then simmer additional 10 minutes on very low heat.

Remove from heat and serve topped with slices of green apple and cold, roasted chicken.

Serves about 10. Without the chicken and apple, soup is approximately 132 calories per bowl, packed with vitamins and in-season, fall harvest vegetables. Warm, fragrant, spicy and delicious.

Enjoy!

what is this, velvet?

what is this, velvet?

i baked this cake for one of my friends, who requested it for her birthday. this cake is supposedly a southern specialty, but i didn't hear of it until last year. at any rate, this cake is smooth, fluffy, delicious; but the flavor of it can't really be tamped down. it's not really chocolate, it's definitely not vanilla -- it's just red velvet.

Red Vevet Cake

Vegetable oil for the pans
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce)
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
Crushed pecans, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour 3 (9 by 1 1/2-inch round) cake pans (i made 2 layers, instead of 3).

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.

Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.

Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely.

Frost the cake. Place 1 layer, rounded-side down, in the middle of a rotating cake stand. Using a palette knife or offset spatula spread some of the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake. Spread enough frosting to make a 1/4 to 1/2-inch layer. Carefully set another layer on top, rounded-side down, and repeat. Top with the remaining layer and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with the pecans.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using. May be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days (if you do two layers, you will most definitely have extra).


recipe courtesy of cakeman raven confectionary via food network

beignets

beignet
Originally uploaded by immjay.

i got a craving for something sweet, so i made these one evening. it works best if you have an oil thermometer; i didn't get the right color until about the third batch b/c i didn't know the oil's temperature.

Sweet Beignets
about 2 dozen

corn oil, for frying, or another oil with high smoke point, such as safflower or peanut
3 1/2 cups sifted flour, plus extra for rolling
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar, for serving

Fill a large, heavy-bottomed, wide-mouthed pot halfway with corn oil and heat over a medium-high flame until oil reaches a temperature of 360 degrees F.

While the oil is heating, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In another large bowl whisk together sugar and eggs. Stir canola oil and milk into sugar-egg mixture. Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture until a biscuit-like dough forms.

Lightly flour a work surface and turn out the dough. Sprinkle dough lightly with flour and, using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough out to a thickness of 1/8-inch. Using a sharp knife or dough scraper, cut into 2-inch squares (i used a sharp knife that i kept dipping in flour). You will have scraps leftover but do not try to remix these as that will cause tough dough; just fry as are.

Use the dough scraper to lift dough squares off the work surface. Fry the beignets in small batches about 4 minutes, or until golden, turning several times to color evenly. Using a slotted spoon gently remove the beignets and drain thoroughly on paper towels. Place powdered sugar in a sieve and shake over the beignets to cover with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

recipe courtesy of emeril

puerto rican-style black bean soup

blackbean
Originally uploaded by immjay.

i LOVE this recipe. it's so quick, easy and hella tasty! you can halve this for a hearty one serving. run the fan when browning the seasonings. it's a little pungent and makes me cough if i'm not careful.
Puerto Rican-style black bean soup
serves two

1 tablespoon caribbean jerk seasoning blend
2 15- to 16-ounce cans caribbean-style or regular black beans, drained (now, i've never seen "carribbean-style black beans" in the store. i usually get goya)
1 1/4 cups canned vegetable broth (you can also use chicken broth; i've used both)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
lime wedges

Stir 1 tablespoon seasoning blend in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until fragrant and slightly darker in color, about 4 minutes. Transfer seasoning to processor. Add black beans, vegetable broth and olive oil to processor and purée until mixture is almost smooth, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Transfer purée to same saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Mix in lime juice. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with lime wedges.

courtesy of epicurious

lemon bars

lemon
Originally uploaded by immjay.

i made these cos i got a craving one day after seeing paula deen's lemon bars on tv. these aren't paula deen's, but it's a recipe that's from the food network. my friend loved the crust so much that she wanted me to just make the crust for her!

Lemon Bars
makes 24

COOKIE BASE
1 cup unsalted butter, melted (i actually just cut my cold butter into little chunks)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups unbleached allpurpose flour

LEMON FILLING
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons unbleached allpurpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon rind

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together butter, powdered sugar and flour until well blended (since my butter was melted, i mixed it until all the ingredients were mixed well together, with the butter in little flecks through out the dough). Press mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch glass baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes.

Sift together sugar, flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add eggs, lemon juice and lemon rind. Beat by hand or with electric mixer until well blended. Pour mixture over crust and bake for 25 minutes.

Allow bars to cool, then dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares.

turkey cutlets with rosemary and corn-meal-dusted ravioli

turkey
Originally uploaded by immjay.

Turkey Cutlets with Rosemary and Corn-Meal-Dusted Ravioli
serves 4

RAVIOLI
1 package (12 to 14 ounces) fresh ravioli, either filled with cheese, spinach and cheese, or mushroom and cheese (found on dairy aisle of most markets; i used spinach, artichoke and cheese ravioli)
salt, to taste
1 cup corn meal
1/4 cup parmigiano or romano grated cheese (a couple of handfuls)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter

TURKEY CUTLETS
1&1/3 pounds turkey cutlets
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped, the yield of a few sprigs, stripped
salt and coarse freshly ground black pepper
a few sprigs of freshbay leaves, 1 for each cutlet, (available in produce herb section), or, small dried bay leaves
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
the zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
1 tablespoon butter

Place a large pot of water to boil over high heat and cover. When it comes to boil, add a healthy dose of salt and cook ravioli to package directions for al dente.

Pour corn meal onto a plate and combine with grated cheese, then mix in nutmeg and black pepper.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over moderate heat and add oil and butter. Drain ravioli. Dust hot ravioli (it is important that they are hot; the cornmeal mixture will stick better that way) in corn meal on the plate, then add to the skillet and brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Set aside.

When pasta is cooking, preheat a large skillet for turkey cutlets over medium to medium-high heat.

Season cutlets with chopped rosemary, salt and pepper. Choose small fresh or dried bay leaves or halve large leaves with kitchen scissors. Press a small bay leaf or half leaf into each turkey cutlet. Add olive oil to the pan, then the cutlets, bay leaf side down. Saute in a single layer, working in 2 batched if necessary, 4 or 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a warm plate. Add the lemon zest and juice to the pan and deglaze with wine or vermouth, pulling up and pan drippings with a whisk. Add a pat of butter, whisk it in and pour the sauce down over the cutlets. Serve alongside the fried ravioli with a green tossed salad.

-- from 30-minute meals 2 by rachel ray

noodle bowls

another goodie from rachel ray. it's basically ramen, just healthier and MUCH tastier. this recipe puts chicken in it, but i decided to nix the chix and just go for a vegetarian noodle bowl (well, with chicken broth). what's great about this recipe is that it's very adaptable. there's 50 million variations you can do to this.

it's also great when for cooking for one; you can chop all the veggies, store in a plastic bag, and heat up broth and noodles, one serving at a time.

Noodle Bowls
serves 4

3 quarts vegetable stock or chicken broth
1&1/2 pounds fresh linguine (available on the dairy aisle, but i just used boxed linguine)
1&1/2 pounds chicken tenders, cut into bite-sized chunks, or chicken breasts cut for stir-fry
8 scallions cut into bite-sized pieces on an angle
2 cups shredded carrots (available in pouches in produce section)
1 package fresh shiitake mushrooms (about 24 mushrooms) coarsely chopped (i used baby bella)
1/2 head bok choy, trimmed and shredded (i used 2 heads of baby bok choy)
1/2 pound snow peas, cut in hald on an angle (i used sugar snaps)
chopped fresh cilantro and/or chives, for garnish (optional; since this was just for me, i nixed this)

Bring 3 quarts of vegetable stock or chicken broth to a boil in a soup pot (i added some extra seasoning here -- seasoned salt and pepper).

In a large separate pot of boiling salted water, cook fresh linguine 3 minutes. Drain pasta just before it's done, as it will finish cooking while it steeps in your soup bowls. (since i used box pasta, i cooked it for 7 minutes, instead of the recommended 9. in other words, just take 2 minutes off the recommended cook time.)

Divide cooked fresh pasta into 4 equal amounts and place into 4 deep bowls.

Add chicken to boiling broth and poach chicken 5 minutes.

Add veggies to bowls of pasta. Ladle brothe and chicken equally into the four bowls to cover vegetables and noodles. Cover bowls tightly with small plates and let the soup steep 5 minutes.

Uncover your noodle bowls and serve. Garnish with cilantro and/or chives for extra zing, if you prefer.