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.

Tequila! Cupcakes

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.

First up, Anne with an e from Milwaukee who is known for her fancy footwork in and out of the kitchen (see A Flan to Remember). For the past four years she has completed the New York MS Society's Climb to the Top challenge, hoofing it up 66 flights of stairs to the top of Rockefeller Center.This year, however, her dogs are tired and she has passed the torch to two of her kids. But, she put her best foot forward for a fundraiser for their effort, and thus these drunken cupcakes courtesy of Brown Eyed Baker. Known to imbibe, I am not surprised that she chose dessert with a kick. One thing, though, Anne never stumbles when it comes to decorating her baked goods, as she cut her teeth icing frozen confections at Baskin-Robbins in high school. 

 They do come with a warning : Don't eat and drive. 

The Big Shoe Dance needs no introduction....

The Recipe:

For the Cupcakes:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
Zest and juice of 1½ limes
2 tablespoons tequila
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk

To Brush the Cupcakes:
1 to 2 tablespoons tequila

For the Tequila-Lime Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2¾ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons tequila
Pinch of coarse salt

DIRECTIONS: (take it one step at a time)

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

3. In an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

4. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract and tequila. Mix until combined. (The mixture may start to look curdled at this point, but don't worry, it will all come back together, power on!)

6. Reduce the mixer speed low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated, using a rubber spatula to give it one last mix by hand.

7. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until just slightly golden and a skewer shows only moist crumbs attached, rotating the pan at the halfway point.

8. Allow cupcakes to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the 1 to 2 tablespoons of tequila. Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely before frosting them.

9. To make the frosting, whip the butter on medium-high speed of an electric mixer using the whisk attachment for 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, and gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl until all is incorporated. Give it a mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add the lime juice, tequila and salt mix on medium-high speed until incorporated and fluffy. If the frosting appears a bit too soft, add some additional sugar, one spoonful at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frost cupcakes and garnish, if desired, with lime zest, an additional sprinkling of salt and a lime wedge. Make one dozen boozed up cakes in a cup.

Three is a Magic Number

Celebrity deaths always come in threes, and last week was no exception with Shirley Temple, Sid Caesar and Ralph Waite. I must admit, as in the case of Sid Caesar, I I might have guessed he was already dead (that is if I was playing Dead or Canadian? which here would certainly be called Dead or Canadian Bacon?). A Pioneer of TV comedy, Americas first sweetheart (born in the same year as Mickey Mouse and more popular than in her day than Clark Gable) and my tv dad - the trifecta of celebrity deaths.

Three recipes follow: Sid Caesar salad (which goes great with Imogene Cocoa), Shirley Temple's Shirley Temple and Walton's Mountain Saw Mill Gravy. Remember, the number is three - four is right out.

Three is a magic number, and no where else was that more evident than in the 1970s classic psa series  Schoolhouse Rock. Who says you can't learn everything you need to know from television? How else would I know the function of a conjunction, or where to get my adverbs, or that a bill is just a bill? Interjection!

The Recipe:

3 ounces lemon-lime soda
3 ounces ginger ale
Dash grenadine
Marachino cherry for garnish

Pour the lemon-lime soda and ginger ale into a collins glass with ice cubes. Add a dash of grenadine.Serves 1 on the Good Ship Lollipop.

The Recipe:

1/2 cup high quality extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled, smashed, then minced
1 baguette, preferably a day old, sliced thin
1/4 cup freshly juiced lemon juice (plus more to taste)
4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon anchovy paste, or 1-2 anchovies, smashed and minced
2 eggs
Freshly ground black pepper (1/4 teaspoon or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4-6 small heads of romaine lettuce, rinsed, patted dry, wilted outer leaves discarded

1 In a very large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and garlic. Let sit for half an hour.

2 While the oil is sitting, make the croutons. Spread the baguette slices out over a baking sheet (may need to do in batches), lined with parchment paper or Silpat. Brush or spray with olive oil (or melted butter, or if you want garlicky croutons, dip pastry brush in the garlic infused oil you have sitting in step 1). Broil for a couple of minutes until the tops are lightly browned. (Note: do not walk away, these can easily go from browned to burnt.) Remove and let cool.

3 Add anchovies and eggs to the oil garlic mixture. Whisk until creamy. Add salt and pepper and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Whisk in half of the Parmesan cheese. Taste, add more lemon juice to taste. The lemon should give an edge to the dressing, but not overwhelm it.

4 Using your hands, tear off chunks of lettuce from the heads of lettuce (do not use a knife to cut). Add to the oil mixture and toss until coated. Add the rest of the Parmesan cheese, toss.

5 Coarsely chop the toasted bread and add (with the crumbs from the chopping) to the salad. Toss. Serve immediately. Like comedy, it's harder than it looks.

The Recipe:

1 pound bulk sausage
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper

Cook sausage in a cast iron skillet. When done, remove sausage from pan and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Whisk flour into the fat and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in milk a little at a time. Return to medium-high heat and stir occasionally while the gravy comes to a simmer and thickens. (Be sure to scrape up any brown bits that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan, that's where the flavor is.) Check seasoning, add crumbled sausage and serve over toast or biscuits. You will roux the day, roux I tell you!

Skinny and Sweet Chicken Marsala

Here was my dilemma: after perfecting a recipe for Chicken Marsala for the Julia child (see I Dream of Chicken Marsala), I realized that every time she asked me to make it that the heavy cream weighed on my heart and mind. There had to be a better, lighter method. And voila! A quick trip to foodtv.com gave me just what I needed. A recipe (courtesy of Tyler Florence) that omitted the deadly ingredient entirely. Yes, a little bit of butter was the substitute, but all in all easier on the waistline. Additionally, this one relied upon sweet Marsala wine (while the other demanded dry).  But how do I achieve a thicker consistency you ask so the sauce adheres to the chicken and the pasta? Well, I ad lib and shake in a little flour at the end, stirring constantly and bringing the sauce to a boil for a few extra minutes. From all outward appearances it even looks the same as the heavy cream version. And, it fools even the most discriminating palates every time. You can't taste the difference

Lily Tomlin, native Detroiter, comic genius.  And, to continue the great movie quotes I use at least once a day, we travel to 1980 and 9 to 5. Workplace comedy ensues when three women who are barely gettin by (Tomlin, Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton) are pitted against their male chauvinist pig boss who is all takin and no givin. In my favorite scene Tomlin puts rat poison instead of artificial sweetener  in the boss's coffee "accidentally" due to a shopping error by Fonda who says: "It looked just like  Skinny  and Sweet except for the skull and crossbones on the label".  Leading Tomlin to lament that this will cost her her job : "I'm no fool. I've killed the boss, you don't think they are going to fire me for a thing like that?" You would think she'd deserve a fat promotion, she wants to get ahead but the boss won't seem to let her, I swear sometimes that man is out to get her.

The Recipe:

4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts 

All-purpose flour, for dredging (and shaking/thickening)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces crimini or porcini mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thin

1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them; pound with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly.

Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet. When the oil is nice and hot, dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Slip the cutlets(like you would a mickey) into the pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden, turning once do this in batches if the pieces don't fit comfortably in the pan. Remove the chicken to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm. Lower the heat to medium and add the mushrooms and saute until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly. Stir in the butter and return the chicken to the pan; simmer gently for 1 minute to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with linguine.

Blogger tip: This is a great dish to make ahead and serve for large gatherings or dinner parties where you want all of your attention on your guests. Cook the chicken as described above, but layer in a baking dish. Make the sauce (I usually double the recipe) and pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to serve. Preheat oven at 350  and reheat for 20 minutes.