Have it your way Spaghetti Carbonara

Yes, I am not repeating myself. Yes, I have posted a very good in my estimation recipe for spaghetti carbonara (see bringing home the bacon). Yes, this is a new recipe that I clipped from the New York Times foodie section. Yes, it turns out the Julia child likes it better this way, and I try to be accommodating as possible. The difference lies in how the eggs and cheese are incorporated into the pasta and the bacon.  Traditionally, the beaten eggs are tossed with the cooked pasta (and quickly so as not to create a scramble) and then tossed with bacon and then the grated cheese. The twist here is that the beaten eggs are then whisked into the grated cheese and set aside while the pasta and bacon are melded on the stove top and then they all come together in a large serving bowl. The result is decidedly creamier and seems to please every palette. Now, when I say we are having carbonara for dinner, the Julia child asks "are we having it my way?".

Special orders don't upset us - a total dig at Mickey D's have it our way or the grill order wait 20 minutes highway attitude -courtesy of Burger King, who wants you to have your 1000 calories your way.And besides, I just love the big hats in this commercial....

The Recipe:

Salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 ounce (about 1/3 packed cup) grated pecorino Romano
1 ounce (about 1/3 packed cup) grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon olive oil
hold the lettuce
extra pickle
hold the onion
you won't upset us
1/4 pound slab guanciale, pancetta or bacon,sliced into pieces about 1/4 inch thick by 1/3 inch square
12 ounces spaghetti (about 3/4 box)

Place a large pot of lightly salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Fill a large bowl with hot water and set aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, and cheese. Season with a pinch of salt and generous black pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat add the pork and saute until the fat just renders, on the edge of crispness but not hard. Remove from heat and set aside. Cook pasta and drain. Add to pork skillet over low heat and stir for a minute. Empty serving bowl of hot water, Dry it and add hot pasta mixture. Stir in cheese mixture. Serve immediately. Serves 4 your way.

Swiss Mis-Steak

Our third and final installment:

The Ann's have it. Yes, for the next 3 weeks my blog will turned over to Ann(e), my two friends since high school. Back in the day, whenever we would meet new people (i.e. boys) they would say "hi, we're Ann(e)" - which I always thought was so cute and clever. Fast forward an unmentionable amount of years and they still never fail to entertain. 

Definitely a photo that bums the yum because Anne says that  this version of Swiss Steak tasted good. The recipe comes from Savuer -  the creme de la creme of food magazines. And, from the state of the art fancy-schmancy kitchen of Anne's that was featured in Milwaukee's most fancy kitchens monthly, or some such publication - I may not have the name right. What I do know is that it was no accident that we became friends (even though she says she only introduced herself to me because she felt sorry for me). I would be remiss if I didn't relate the story of our first dinner party. It consisted of canned ravioli, box macaroni and cheese and chocolate pudding all served on a Twister mat turned table cloth - the catch? No utensils, I'm going to err on the side of caution and not post any pictures from said  event. Needless to say, we've come a long way since then. Presumably, Anne and her family ate this dish with a knife an fork.

In my opinion, the best cocoa is Dutch, and I prefer to make my hot chocolate with real milk, on the stove top. Call me crazy. My mother, however,  completely bought into the "start your day with a yodel" campaign - as the hissing tea pot was the way she roused us out of bed on cold mornings.

The Recipe: (straight from Saveur - no faux pas here)

Heat oven to 350°. Heat 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tbsp. butter in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Put 3⁄4 cup flour on a wide plate. Season one 2 1⁄2"-thick top round steak (about 3 lbs.) generously all over with salt and pepper, then dredge both sides in flour. Brown steak in dutch oven, turning once, until deep golden brown, 12–14 minutes in all. Transfer steak to a large plate; wipe clean. Heat 1 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in dutch oven over medium heat. Add 4 finely chopped cloves garlic, 2 whole cloves, 1 finely chopped onion, 1 finely chopped carrot, 1 finely chopped rib celery, and 1 bay leaf and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 6–8 minutes. Stir in 2 tbsp. tomato paste, 1 tbsp. sweet paprika, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, 5–6 minutes. Meanwhile, tie 8 flat-leaf sprigs parsley and 3 sprigs thyme together with butcher's twine; add to pot along with two 12-oz. bottles beer and one 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes (with purée), crushing them with your hands as you add them. Bring to a boil; add reserved steak. Cover dutch oven with foil, then the lid. Transfer dutch oven to oven; braise for 1 hour. Uncover dutch oven, flip steak over, and add one 12-oz. bottle beer; cover again with foil and lid. Return to oven; braise steak until tender, about 1 hour more. Uncover dutch oven and discard foil; return to oven. Cook until sauce has thickened and steak has browned, 15–20 minutes more. Discard herb bundle. Season sauce with salt and pepper; transfer to a large platter. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley, if you like. Serves 6.

Split Peabody and Sherman Soup - The Movie

I know this is supposed to be week three of "Ann(e)" - but the trifecta has been pre-empted to bring you this special re-post in honor of the theatrical release of "Mr Peabody and Sherman". Becasue everything old is new again some Hollywood genius thought a full-length feature film of the beloved, wry and punny 1960's shorts from Rocky and Bullwinkle would be a good idea. I must admit, it gave me paws, but I tried it and I liked it. Well, you know, every dog has his day...

My parents swore by their crock pots (both literally and figuratively) all throughout my formative years. My dad was always making soup or chili or stuffed peppers in his. I mainly remember my mother making her "secret" chili (in which she used bloody mary mix) in hers, child of divorce that I am, but it was a kitchen fixture in both houses from about 1973 onward. I recently inherited my mother's avocado green Rival model (to match the rest of our then appliances). I must admit to never being much interested in slowing cooking. Slow food, yes, but the notion of throwing raw foods into a cooker, turning it on and leaving home for eight hours never much appealed me.  I also saw much humor in the way the crock pot has made a comeback renamed "Slow Cooker", which is apt, since the new ones are trendy stainless steel and no longer actually have a pottery "crock" like mine. And, up until now, I was home all day to cook. So, enter the revolutionary 70s culinary tool, designed to make cooking easier in every American home (until the microwave was invented). I am also lucky enough to have the original recipe booklet with mine, which is where today's concoction comes from. I have never made split pea soup, but am sure that this is the recipe I ate while growing up. I also love some of the other recipes in the book like "Pork Chop Abracadabra" and "Hot Dog -Perfection" . If someone was so inclined, cooking from this recipe book could be a blog in and of itself - but don't get any ideas. Nevertheless, I must admit, it is a great use for that leftover Christmas ham bone, and couldn't have been easier to make.

So, now that our Way Back Machine has been set to 1973, let's revisit one of the best cartoons ever -
Peabody's Improbable History. Shown as a short during the Bullwinkle and Rocky Show, it featured Mr . Peabody (a genius glasses wearing, pipe smoking dog) and his nerdy sidekick Sherman (because every dog should have a boy). Mr. Peabody and Sherman used the Way Back Machine to travel through time, witnessing historic events and making sure they did not go awry, thus not disturbing the time-space continuum. Not being a huge fan of time travel in general, it is surprising that I loved this show so much. But the cheesy puns that ended every episode helped me over the hump.  On any given week Sherman and Peabody came to the aid of such figures as Ponce De Leon, who foundered on his way seeking the fountain of youth in 1513. Or Paul Revere, whose famous ride almost wasn't had Mr. Peabody not suggested he ride a live horse instead of a statue of a horse. But perhaps the best is when they help General Custer at Little Big Horn and when Sherman questions the presence of a hot dog vendor, Mr. Peabody retorts "Come now Sherman, everyone's heard of Custard's last stand". All's well that ends well, especially when Sherman wails "Oh, Mr. Peabody."

The Recipe:

1 pound dry green split peas (soak them first, even if the package says you shouldn't. Trust me.)
2 quarts water
1 pound meaty ham bone
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery leaves
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
salt to taste

Throw it all in. Cover. Cook. On low for 10-12 hours, on high for 5-6 hours. Go to work. Have lunch. Workout. Pick-up the dry cleaning. Get the kids from school. Do homework. Enjoy the soup. Makes 2 1/2 quarts.

I'm on a Mexican To-ma-to

Welcome to week two:

The Ann's have it. Yes, for the next 3 weeks my blog will turned over to Ann(e), my two friends since high school. Back in the day, whenever we would meet new people (i.e. boys) they would say "hi, we're Ann(e)" - which I always thought was so cute and clever. Fast forward an unmentionable amount of years and they still never fail to entertain. 

Up this week is Ann with no E who still lives in the D. For more on her culinary chops see Gouda Times. I credit Ann for my entree in a closed facebook group known as the Virtual Dinner Club, which is essentially food porn from home cooks around the country who are somehow linked to a guy who was friends with a friend of ours (Pam - see Beauty and the Beet Pasta Salad) in college. Make sense? Anyway, one night during this winter of my discontent. Ann and her better half were dining with us. They were talking about their trip to Costco earlier in day, and Ann mentioned that she bought a large crate of yellow tomatoes, but had no idea what to do with them. So I said, "where are they from?" And what does she say? "Costco". Holding back my bemusement, I said "I mean, country of origin". "Oh" she answered "I don't know". Clearly, I was on a wave length far from home. They turned out to be from Mexico. She made salsa.

A one hit wonder of 1983 (a very good year that had more than it's share) Wall of Voodoo's Mexican Radio is truly a stand out. This is quite possibly my favorite 80s food video (if you don't count I Want Candy by Bow Wow Wow - although, come to think of it, that may not be about candy at all....). Anyway, why the pot of beans, you ask? No comprende it's a riddle.

The Recipe:

(Ann's Note: Except I added the vinegar before roasting and gave it a little extra time cause it was a bit soupy at first, used fresh corn)

In a roasting pan combine:

2 pints of yellow cherry or heirloom tomatoes, halved

1 small red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3/4 cup corn kernels

2 teaspoons dried cilantro

Sea salt

Drizzle with:

Olive oil

White balsamic vinegar

Pre-heat oven to 375. Toss to coat the veggies in olive oil. Roast in oven until the tomatoes are soft and sweet, about 25 to 30 minutes. Stir the mix half way through roasting. Cool before storing. Store covered in the fridge. Before serving, allow the salsa to come to room temperature. Add  fresh chopped cilantro or barbecued iguana.