spaghetti alla carbonara

I seem to be on a pasta kick lately. Maybe the late summer heat has me craving carbs? Maybe I'm just tired of making salads and pizzas? Whatever the case, I've been revisiting old favorites and trying out new ones. Carbonara is a dish that was big in Rome when I studied there, but I haven't attempted to make myself until now. Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 pound spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 pound pancetta, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste

bucatini all'amatriciana

There's seriously nothing better than a spicy pasta in my book. If you follow the blog, you've seen it pop up pretty often. No one does spicy pasta better than the Romans, and last night I tried an easy recipe for one of the quintessential roman sauce - amatriciana. Here's what you'll need:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces thinly sliced guanciale (or pancetta ... or prosciutto ... or just bacon if you can't find any of those)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 28 ounce can peeled tomatoes
• 12 ounces dried bucatini (spaghetti will totally work as well)
• 1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino

shrimp & pancetta over polenta

Last night I was in the mood for something different. I've been in the chicken/beef rut lately. I was pondering shrimp, then pork, then I came across this recipe that combine both, so I figured why not? Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 cup instant polenta
• 1/4 pound pancetta, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 (14-ounces) can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 pound cleaned large shrimp
• Parsley for garnish

Cook the polenta according to the package instructions in a medium saucepan until thickened and creamy, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt, then cover and set aside.

Cook the pancetta, garlic and red pepper flakes in 2 tablespoon oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, stirring until the garlic is pale golden and the pancetta begins to crisp a bit, 5 minutes or so. Add the tomatoes with their juice and simmer until the liquid is reduced, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until they're just cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Spoon polenta into bowls and top with shrimp mixture. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon oil, season with pepper and sprinkle with parsley. Done and done.

Bon chappétit!

fettuccine w/ fresh corn pesto

As my last post mentioned, or as you may have gathered if you've been reading the blog - or ever met me for that matter - pasta is my standard go-to cuisine. You seriously can't beat pasta. Whether it's simple or complicated (it should never be complicated); traditional or fusion; red sauce or creamy - it's just awesome. Dan and I tried out a completely new recipe this Sunday and - shocker! - it was freakin' delicious. It's a really summer-appropriate dish, now that fresh corn is abundant. Here's what you'll need:

• 8 thick slices of pancetta
• 4 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 6 large ears or so)
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces fettuccine
• 3/4 cup coarsely torn fresh basil leaves, divided

Cook the pancetta in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown, stirring often. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from the skillet. Add the corn, garlic, salt and pepper to drippings in the same skillet. Sauté over medium-high heat until corn is just tender but not brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer 3/4 of a cup of corn kernels to small bowl and reserve.

Scrape the remaining corn mixture into a food processor processor. Add the Parmesan and pine nuts. With the machine running, add the olive oil through feed tube and blend until pesto is almost smooth. Set pesto aside.

Cook the pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Return the pasta to the same pot. Add in the corn pesto, reserved corn kernels, and 1/2 cup of basil leaves. Toss pasta mixture over medium heat until warmed through, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta to large bowl. Top with remaining 1/4 cup basil leaves and reserved pancetta (roughly chopped).

Seriously, delicious. We were blown away by how awesome the corn pesto turned out. Definitely give it a try while corn is in season.

Bon chappétit!

pasta primavera

As Sunday was the last official day of Spring, and as I was totally craving some pasta for dinner (it had been DAYS), what could be better suited than a pasta primavera? This does happen to be one of those rare Italian dishes that I don't actually have a family recipe for, so I went searching through some of my favorite food blogs. Broke Ass Gourmet (check it out if you haven't already) had a great looking recipe up, so I decided to try it, with a few changes (mainly, more meat). Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 lb. penne
• One small carton of heavy cream (like half a pint or something? The small one)
• 1/4 cup fresh Parmesan
• 1 head of broccoli, chopped up
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• A few mushrooms
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1 bunch fresh basil, coarsely chopped
• Some pancetta (I got a 1/4 lb., however I ate half of it before it went into the dish...so 1/8 lb?)

Begin by boiling a large pot of water and cooking the pasta per the box directions, about 10 minutes or so. While that's going, take a large non-stick pan and cook up the pancetta so that it's nice and crispy, about 7 or 8 minutes. When that's done, place on a dish with a paper towel to dry. Once dried, simple crush it up into little bits.

In the same pan, sauté the garlic and oil for just a few minutes over medium heat, until the garlic turns golden. Next, add the broccoli, pepper and mushrooms and sauté these as well for another 3-5 minutes. By this time, your pasta should be cooked and drained. Add the two dishes together in the pot the pasta was cooked in. Add in the peas, cream, cheese and half of the pancetta. Cook over medium heavy for just a few minutes, until the cream begins to thicken.

Serve immediately while hot, and top with the remaining pancetta. This dish was quick and delicious. These veggies gave a nice balance to the creamy cheesiness, and you seriously can't go wrong with pancetta. Ever. It may have been in honor of Spring, but it'd definitely be a great meal anytime year-round.

Bon chappétit!

fusilli all'amatriciana

Amatriciana is onen of the quintessential Roman sauces. Like any great pasta from the Eternal City, it's got a little bit of tomato, spice, cheese and, of course, pancetta. After Fooding with Emily tried her hand earlier this week, I got hungry for it myself. Here's my spin on the classic dish:

• 1 28oz can peeled Italian plum tomatoes
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 small dried red chiles, stemmed and coarsely chopped
• 6 ounces pancetta, sliced 1/4 inch thick and cut into thin strips
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 lb of pasta (I had fusilli on hand)
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino cheese

Begin by heating the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, chiles and garlic and cook over low heat until the onion is softened, about 10 minutes. Then add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta is lightly colored, about another 10 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, making sure to use a fork to squish the tomatoes. Simmer over moderately low heat, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened, about 40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the sauce and the pecorino, toss and serve.

Note: Do not skimp on the cheese - good cheese is priceless!

Bon chappétit!

fettuccine with peas, asparagus & pancetta

So I was reading up on fooding with emily's blog, and it got me hungry for some creamy pasta carbonara. However, that can be quite heavy, and with the weather warming up, I was in the mood for something slightly more Springlike. I had this fettuccine recipe set aside for sometime, weary of adding all that lemon and lemon zest to my pasta. I'm glad I went for it though - the flavors blend seamlessly, and the lemon adds a great dimension to a traditional dish. Here's what you'll need:

• 12 ounces of fettuccine (3/4 of a box)
• 1/2 lb. of pancetta, chopped (could do proscuitto as well...could also do a whole pound if you're feeling lucky)
• 1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (or more, if you're like me)
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (plus additional for serving)
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (the smaller container on the shelf
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of one squeezed lemon
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
• 1 bunch of sliced fresh basil

Begin by boiling the water and cooking your pasta per the box directions. Drain, saving 1/4 of the pasta water.

While the pasta's boiling, add 1 tablespoon of oil to a medium-hot skillet and cook the pancetta until crisp. Slice and place on a paper towel to drain.

In the pancetta grease, add the garlic cook until browned. Next, add in the asparagus and cook until bright green (3-5 minutes). Then add in the peas, cooking until thawed (they'll turn bright green as well). Turn the heat down to keep warm until the pasta is done.

When the pasta is done, add the vegetable mix into the pot. Add to that the lemon juice, lemon zest, basil, heavy cream, parmesan, remaining olive oil, pancetta and the 1/4 cup of pasta water. Mix until the cheese melts, and serve (probably about 4 servings.) It took under a half hour total to cook, and made a pretty awesome pasta dish for Spring.

Bon chappétit!

rigatoni w/ pancetta & onion

This is another one that came out pretty amazing but was totally quick and easy to make. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 sweet red onion
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tblspn extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 lb of pancetta (I used more...)
• 1 lb rigatoni
• 6 tablespoons grated pecorino romano cheese

First start boiling your water. And cook to al dente directions on the package. That always seems to take the longest.

Then in one small pan over low heat, combine the chopped up onion, vinegar, olive oil, sugar and a little salt. Cook until the onion wilts, then set aside.

In a second pan (a little bigger, as the pasta will be in this one soon), throw a little olive oil in and fry the pancetta until it's pretty crispy...10-15 min or so. Take half out and set aside in a bowl. Then add the onion mixture to this pan and stir.

By now the pasta should be done. Drain, and add to the pancetta pan. Remove from heat and toss to mix. Then throw in most of the cheese and toss again. The cheese should melt all over and kind of disappear.

Serve by topping with the remaining pancetta (which should be insanely crispy-delicious by now) and the rest of the cheese. A little pepper was nice on top as well.