So Good We Forgot to Take a Picture

I know that one of my culinary adventures has been successful when Chris insists that I post it to the blog immediately, "so we don't forget about the recipe." For all of you who know Chris, you also know that this level of culinary dedication is totally out of the ordinary--so this recipe must be damn good. So damn good that we completely forgot to take a picture!!

Chris and I were ravenous when I made this Tagliatelle with Chestnuts, Pancetta, and Sage--from a 2005 issue of Gourmet--and it turned out even better than I could have hoped for. Yes, the chestnuts were remarkably expensive at the grocery store (11.99 a jar--I probably shouldn't have bought them right before Thanksgiving, when the price was probably jacked up), but the pasta honestly tasted like a 50-dollar creation. The combination of the sage and chestnuts creates a crumbly, heady sauce that enrobes every delicate strand of egg pasta. As usual, we didn't have pancetta on hand, so I subbed bacon, which was completely fine. I used all the sage that I had on hand, and it didn't overwhelm the other flavors one bit.

Beverage Note: Chris and I had a bottle of wine with this dish (per usual), but I honestly can't remember what the varietal was. The pasta blew my memory of the vino to bits. Yes, this pasta is that good--just try it!!!

Serves 3-4

3 ounces pancetta (Italian unsmoked cured bacon), chopped (scant 1 cup)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage (I used an entire package of sage. It was worth it)
8 ounces bottled peeled roasted whole chestnuts, coarsely crumbled (1 1/2 cups)
8 ounces dried flat egg pasta such as tagliatelle or fettuccine
2 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Cook pancetta in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and 1 tablespoon sage and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in chestnuts and remove from heat.

Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Reserve 1 1/2 cups cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander and add to pancetta mixture in skillet. Add 1 cup reserved cooking water along with cheese and butter and cook, tossing constantly, over high heat until pasta is well coated (add more reserved water if necessary), about 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve sprinkled with parsley and remaining tablespoon sage.

Lazy Girl's Indian

So, faithful reader, at this point you probably think that:

1. Kari is a lush.
2. Kari spends hours cooking EVERY NIGHT. Totally not my style.

As I sit here sipping my chocolate martini (martini purists, I don't wanna hear it!)...I can't deny #1. Alcohol + food = heaven.

However, with regard to #2, that isn't really true...I have lots of "short-cut" recipes that I use on weekdays, that require maybe 5-10 minutes of prep, and then maybe 5-10 minutes of puttering in the kitchen. Really easy, stress-free cooking.

The key to tasty, quick, luxurious meals? Knowing when prepared/frozen foods work, and when they don't. Frozen peas, baguettes, and blueberries work well; frozen strawberries and oily dishes, not so much. In the same vein, Rao's jarred pasta sauces are preservative-free, all-natural, and probably more delicious than anything I can prepare, but other brands--Progresso, Contadina, even Emeril's--just don't cut it. That's not to say that I don't use fresh blueberries in season, or that I don't make my own raw tomato sauce in the summer, but rather that there is a time and a place for frozen and prepared foods.

Indian cuisine, to me, is one of those places. Most people--except, perhaps, my good friend Ivan, who prepares vegetarian Indian cuisine like a native Punjabi--consider Indian food to be quite the undertaking, due to the number of exotic items and spices involved, as well as the time often taken to simmer sauces to an appropriate level of tastiness. Chris and I *love* Indian food, but we 1) can't afford to eat out all the time and 2) like to restrict our level of ghee consumption.

That's where Shere Khan and Geeta's prepared Indian jarred sauces come in. Chock-full of fresh-tasting onions, tomatoes, garlic, spices, and chilis, these sauces reduce hours of cooking to a simple pop-and-pour. They're also incredibly low in sodium and fat, because there's no ghee involved (at maximum, there's a bit of coconut that adds a little fat). Both brands are available at Cost Plus WorldMarket (sensing a trend, here?) and they're pretty economical (~5 bucks a jar).

There's no set recipe for this kind of cooking (although I've indicated some generalities below), but usually it involves browning some meat, adding the sauce to the pan, then adding the desired vegetables for some gentle steam-cooking. These sauces are excellent for vegetarians as well--just add more of the green stuff to your liking to replace the meat. Let the sauce, meat, and veggies simmer for a bit while the basmati rice finishes cooking, pop open a Kingfisher, and voila!--your healthy, spicy, impressively complex-tasting dinner is done in 25 minutes flat, rice cooking time included.

Beverage Note: We had this with Cline's Ancient Vines Zinfandel, perhaps my favorite red under $20.

Chicken breast, frozen peas, and canned chickpeas simmer away happily.

Try this concoction on simple coconut rice--you won't regret it.

Ingredients for 3-4 servings (alter at will)
About 3/4-1 pound of meat (chicken, lamb, etc), preferably organic, cut into bite-size chunks
2-3 cups of vegetables (canned chickpeas, frozen peas, cauliflower, eggplant, broccoli, potatoes, spinach, etc), made bite-size
1 can reduced-fat coconut milk
2 cups of rice, preferably long grain (basmati or jasmine)

Start the rice going--I love my cuckoo rice cooker, but it's perfectly acceptable and traditional to do it over a proper flame! Add the rice, coconut milk, and water to the pot (If using long-grain rice, use about 1.5 cups of liquid to every cup of rice; if using medium-grain, do a little more than 1 cup liquid to 1 cup rice. 1 can of coconut milk is a little less than 2 cups). If desired, add a little salt to the rice.

Brown the meat in a nonstick pan with a little oil over medium to medium-high heat (the Geeta's brand of sauces comes with a packet of spices to brown the meat in. So use those, if you're using Geeta's). If using eggplant, saute that at the same time as the meat. Lower the flame and add the jar of sauce. If using potatoes, add those now and let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes before adding more veggies. Add the remaining veggies, and let simmer til it is cooked to your liking.

Plate the rice, and spoon the Indian goodness over. That's it. Enjoy!

When Supereasy, (Sorta)healthy, and Superyummy Collide

I arrived home on Tuesday to a humongous package on my doorstep, which held my new, GLORIOUS KitchenAid Artisan standing mixer (an engagement present from my extraordinarily generous future parents-in-law!!). It had been a stressful day--I'd just finished an afternoon of briefings--and I knew nothing would calm me down like cooking up a storm. I started with a delicious chicken stirfry from The Breath of a Wok and a delicious bottle of Virginia rose from Chester Gap Cellars, but I felt an intense need to use my brand-new mixer before the night was out.

I had three sticky-ripe bananas on my kitchen counter, so I knew I wanted to use those; my friend Lauren had sent me a "Classic Banana Bread" recipe from Cooking Light just a week or so earlier, and that sounded like the perfect thing. The recipe itself is low-fat and pretty low-cal, but I added chocolate chips so that probably sinned it up a bit!! The bread was ridiculously delicious--soft, moist, and full of intense banana flavor. It also kept very well for about two days (at the end of which we had gobbled up the entire loaf!!). The baking prep was pretty much nonexistent--it was probably 10-15 minutes from the time I started mashing up the bananas to when the loaf was happily baking in the oven.


2 cups all-purpose flour (per Lauren, whole wheat pastry flour would also work well here)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I used Greek yogurt, and that was just fine)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
chocolate chips (optional)
Cooking spray (I like Pam for baking!)

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

3. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in chocolate chips, if using. Spoon batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Yield: 1 loaf, 14 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

CALORIES 187 (21% from fat); FAT 4.3g (sat 2.4g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.3g); IRON 1mg; CHOLESTEROL 40mg; CALCIUM 20mg; CARBOHYDRATE 34.4g; SODIUM 198mg; PROTEIN 3.3g; FIBER 1.1g

I Really, Really Love Gnocchi

I debated for a bit whether or not to post this recipe, because it's good, but not knock-your-socks off good. But the gnocchi in this dish--buttered, browned, lightly sprinkled with nutmeg--are so amazingly delicious that they are worth making just on their own. The other components of the dish--the chicken in a fig-and-red-wine-sauce, and the crunchy bacon on top--I could take or leave. But I'll most likely make the gnocchi in this dish again, and perhaps amp up the flavor with some chili flakes or other savory addition.

The recipe, Montalcino Chicken with Figs and Buttered Gnocchi with Nutmeg is from Rachael Ray's Express Lane Meals. This dish isn't as all-out yummy as some of Rachael's other creations, but the gnocchi alone make it worth it. I'm very particular about my brand of gnocchi--the ones available at Trader Joe's are quite good--but my ultimate favorite are the sweet potato gnocchi from Gia Russa, which are available at CostPlus World Market. The sweet potato gnocchi cut down on the glycemic index of the gnocchi, since they're made with nutrient-rich sweet potatoes and whole wheat flour, and their slightly sweet, slightly caramelized flavors go very well with this dish.

Beverage Note: Chris and I drank a delightful bottle of sangiovese with this meal--that's also the wine that we used in the fig-chicken sauce.



4 Servings

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I didn't need much olive oil, since the bacon was pretty fatty)
1/3 pound thick-cut (1/4 inch thick) pancetta, cut into sticks (or sub bacon, like I did)
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, breasts and thighs, cut into large chunks
Salt and black pepper
Flour, for dredging
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
14 to 16 dried black mission figs, quartered
1/3 bottle Rosso di Montalcino wine (or any other dry red wine)
1 cup chicken stock plus up to 1/2 cup more if needed
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful, chopped
Zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, 4 sprigs
1 12-to-16 ounce package fresh or frozen gnocchi
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3 tbsp chopped or snipped chives, 10 blades

1. Place a pot of water on the stove to boil for the gnocchi.

2. Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and the pancetta or bacon, and brown it for 3-4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.

3. While the pancetta browns, season the chicken chunks with salt and pepper and dredge them in a little flour (I put the flour in a gallon-size freezer bag and shook the chicken in it, shake-and-bake style). After removing the pancetta/bacon from the pan, add the chicken. Brown the pieces for a few minutes on each side over high heat, then scoot the meat to the edges of the pan and add the onion, garlic, and figs. Saute 5 minutes, combine the chicken with the onions and figs, then add the wine and cook it down for 5 minutes or so until only 1/3 cup of liquid remains. Add 1 cup of the chicken stock, the parsley, lemon zest, and thyme to the chicken and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes, while you make the gnocchi.

4. Add salt and gnocchi to the boiling water and cook them according to the package directions. Drain. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Melt the butter and brown it (til it smells nice and nutty). Add the drained gnocchi to the browned butter. Raise the heat to medium high and lightly brown the gnocchi. Season the gnocchi with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and add the chives. Toss and remove from heat.

5. Adjust the seasonings on the chicken with figs. If you would like a little more sauce, add another half cup of stock to the pan. Serve the chicken and figs in shallow dishes, the gnocchi piled in the center of the bowl on top of the chicken. Garnish with the crisp pancetta/bacon sticks.

One Of My Favorite (Easy) Things

Yes, I'm on a blog roll! Chris is gone for this entire holiday weekend so he's left me alone to post lots of recipes without him pestering me to cook him things (in truth I'm lonely. really lonely). Sooo anyhoo, here is fabulous, healthy side dish that you can make with supermarket green beans that are clearly past their prime--Roasted Green Beans, from Cook's Illustrated. Don't do this recipe with fresh, crisp haricots verts--use this when you have raggedy old string beans from the bargain bin at Safeway.

As Cook's Illustrated helpfully explains, roasting the over-the-hill string beans produces deeply flavored, caramelized, crisp-on-the-outside and tender-on-the-inside green beans that are as poppable as french fries. The roasting also encourages the Maillard reaction, which gives the beans these beautiful dark brown spots. This recipe is also extremely healthy, as it only requires 1 tbsp of olive oil per 4-6 servings.

This roasting method is also fabulous with cauliflower--resulting in cauliflower "popcorn"--and I'll likely post that recipe sometime in the near future as well!

1 pound green beans, stem ends snapped off
1 tbsp olive oil
Table salt and black pepper
(yes, that's it!!)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 450 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; spread beans across the foil. Drizzle with oil; using hands, toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt, toss to coat, and distribute in an even layer. Roast 10 minutes

2. Remove baking sheet from oven. Using tongs, redistribute beans (or just shake the pan, if you are lazy like me). Continue roasting until beans are dark golden brown in spots and have started to shrivel, 10-12 minutes longer.

3. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, transfer to serving bowl, and serve.

An Ode to Truffle Oil

All of you know by now how much I love soups during autumntime, so I won't wax poetic about that again here!! This is another one of my absolute favorites: Yukon Gold Potato and Cauliflower Soup with Truffle Oil, by my favorite chef-lady in the whole world, Andrea Immer (you can find this in her Everyday Dining with Wine). I absolutely adore pureed cauliflower--I don't follow the low-carb diet craze, but it IS a great substitution for mashed potatoes--and here it is blended with shallots and creamy yukon gold potatoes for a rich yet surprisingly healthy treat. Andrea recommends that you drizzle the soup with white truffle oil (not the kind you get from Giant, but rather the legitimate truffle oil you can basically only get via Italian producers), but the soup is still delicious without it. After having it with the truffle oil...well...I would never make this without having that oil in stock!!

Beverage note: Andrea recommends drinking this with stainless-steel fermented or barrel-fermented white burgundies. I went the trashy route and had a rum-spiked cocktail with it (hey, it's Friday!).


1 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped (I used 3--I really like the flavor of the shallots)
1 head cauliflower, cored and broken into florets (big florets are fine)
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (regular white potatoes are fine too)
1 tbsp unsalted butter
Kosher salt
Freshly ground white pepper (black pepper is fine, it'll just leave specks in the soup)
2 tbsp white truffle oil, for drizzling

1. In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil on medium and add the shallot(s). Cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the cauliflower and potatoes to the pot. Cover with cold water. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook at a simmer, uncovered, until the cauliflower and potatoes are tender, 15-17 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and drain (I drained the water into a fine-mesh sieve, so I wouldn't lose any good bits), reserving some of the hot cooking liquid. Use an immersion blender to blend the cauliflower-potato mixture, with the butter, salt, and pepper, and about 1/2 cup of the hot cooking liquid, until smooth (if you don't have an immersion blender, puree the soup in batches in a regular blender). Add additional liquid as needed to reach the desired soup consistency. To serve, ladle into warm bowls and drizzle each portion with a teaspoon of truffle oil or more to taste.

The Best Autumn Squash Soup

There's something about early fall that really makes me crave intensely flavorful, deeply colored soups and stews that are healthy but totally fulfilling. This soup is one of my favorite fall standards, and it's easy to tell why--it's intensely pumpkin in color, luscious on the tongue, super-healthy (chock full of Vitamin A, natch), and is easy to create on a weeknight. The original recipe for this Silky Butternut Squash Soup, which you can make with any hard winter squash (acorn and pumpkin would be good), is from Cook's Illustrated's Fall Entertaining from 2007.

Being the huge nerd that I am, I love that Cook's Illustrated really explains the reasoning behind their recipes. The secret to this recipe is that all the "guts" of the squash are simmered in water then strained out of the final product, which produces an incredibly flavorful yet simple soup.

The original recipe called for heavy cream, but since I had none in stock I left it out. I drizzled the finished product with freshly grated nutmeg and heady white truffle oil, which I use in everything I can, but other good garnishes include a thick aged balsamic vinegar or a smattering of paprika.

No picture for this recipe--yet--because I starting slurping as soon as the soup left the pot! I'll post some the next time I make this, which should be soon.

Beverage note: Dry riesling or Gruner Veltliner would be great here!

Makes 6 Cups, Serving 8 As A First Course

To make ahead: The soup may be completed up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Warm the soup gently over medium-low heat before serving.

4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 medium shallots, minced (abt 4 tbsp)
3 pounds butternut squash (about 1 large; 2 acorn squash, kabocha pumpkin, etc can be
subbed), unpeeled, squash halved lengthwise, seeds and stringy fibers scraped with spoon and reserved (about 1/4 cup), and each half cut into quarters
Table salt
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
1 tsp dark brown sugar

1. Heat butter in large Dutch oven (or a large heavy-bottomed pot) over medium-low heat until foaming subsides; add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent, about 3 min. Add squash scrapings and seeds and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and butter turns saffron color, about 4 min. Add 6 cups water and 1 1/2 tsp salt to pot and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low, place squash cut-side down in steamer basket, and lower basket into pot. Cover and steam until squash is completely tender, about 30 minutes. Off heat, use tongs to transfer squash to rimmed baking sheet; reserve steaming liquid. When cool enough to handle, use large spoon to scrape flesh from skin into medium bowl; discard skin.

2. Pour reserved steaming liquid through mesh strainer into second bowl; discard solids in strainer. Rinse and dry Dutch oven.

3. In blender (or put everything in the pot, and use an immersion blender), puree squash and reserved liquid in batches, pulsing on low until smooth. Transfer puree to pot, stir in cream and brown sugar and heat over medium-low heat until hot. Add salt to taste; serve immediately.

Bring On The Zins!

Okay: before I begin this post, a caveat--chili is really hard to photograph and make look pretty. So don't judge the food based on how it looks below--it is REALLY REALLY TASTY, I promise. Have I ever let you down before?!?!

So after that false start--HAPPY FALL!!! Welcome to my favorite season of the year! It is the time of Oktoberfest lagers, pumpkin (pies, ales, seeds toasted with rosemary, whatever), crunchy leaves that you go just a bit out of your way to step on, roasts, root vegetables, stews, and spiked apple cider (heavy on the apple brandy). Especially during this early part of the fall, we've still got all the gorgeous late-summer vegetables lingering even as a snappy cold character enters the air. It's the best of both worlds.

I'm a big fan of stew-and-bread combos during this season, and this post is no exception. To me, there is nothing better than a healthy, hearty chili, stew, or soup paired with a buttery, less-healthy bread (sorry, but bread without butter or cheese isn't worth the flour it's baked with. And don't give me that white-flour-is-bad-for-you nonsense, everything is good in moderation. I promise!). If you insist, you can nix the biscuits in this recipe, and I'll just pretend it didn't happen.

The great thing about this Chipotle Chili and Baking Powder Drop Biscuits recipe combo is how flexible both recipes are. The original recipe for the Chipotle Chili calls for ground turkey, for example, but you can easily sub in ground beef if it is all you have (it will be fattier, but so what? Maybe cut down on the butter in the biscuits if that's the case). You can also add more tomatoes or beans to your heart's content; I majorly upped the spice content by adding an entire can of chipotle chilis in adobe sauce. The Baking Powder Biscuits are quite similar--you can add grated cheese and/or cayenne pepper, like I did, or make them with other binding ingredients (yogurt, buttermilk, etc). Since I don't keep buttermilk or plain yogurt on hand, I added jalapeno cheddar to the mix, which went really well with the spicy chili (if you do want to use buttermilk or yogurt, bring it down to 7/8 cup and bring the baking powder down to 3 tsp).

The Chipotle Chili is originally by Rachael Ray (shaddup, she may be annoying but she's a damn good cook), and the Baking Powder Biscuits are from the trusty How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.

Beverage Selections: The drinky-drink world is your oyster here. I love this chili with a spicy, rich Zinfandel, perhaps from California, or another hearty red like Shiraz--basically anything that goes with barbecue will go with this chili. If you're not a red-wine drinker, pick a white that will stand up to the spices in the dish--think of what you would drink with, say, Indian food (maybe an off-dry Riesling or Gewurtztraminer). Beer-wise, I would love to have this with Bell's Two-Hearted Ale, Magic Hat's Jinx, or even Blue Moon Harvest Moon (or similar pumpkin-scented ales). Enjoy!!

I may not be pretty, but my flavors are in the right place.

Buttery, cheesy, flaky warm biscuits are the perfect accompaniment for hot chili.

Chipotle Chili--serves four, generously

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped (I used more. Of course)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons chili powder (Used more of this as well. Mexican-style works well here)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (Skipped this. Subbed cumin)
1 tablespoon tomato paste (Skipped this--didn't have on hand. Subbed more adobe sauce)
1 chipotle chile en adobo, coarsely chopped, with 1 tablespoon sauce (No--used the whole can)
1 pound ground turkey (try healthy turkey breast, or low-fat ground beef, preferably organic)
1 (12-ounce) Mexican lager-style beer (I used Sam Adams Boston Lager)
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juice (I used diced--no need to chop!)
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained (You can also sub black beans here)
Optional: Sliced scallions, cilantro sprigs, avocado, sour cream, grated Monterey jack cheese, and/or tortilla chips, for garnish (we didn't use any of these--the biscuits are accompaniment enough)

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, salt, chili powder, and oregano (and/or cumin) and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and the chipotle chile and sauce; cook 1 minute more. Add the turkey, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until the meat loses its raw color, about 3 minutes. Add the beer and simmer until reduced by about half, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes--crushing them through your fingers into the skillet--along with their juices and the beans; bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 10 minutes.

Ladle the chili into bowls and serve with the garnishes of your choice.

Bittman's Baking-Powder Drop Biscuits--recipe yields about 10-12 biscuits; I usually halve the recipe

2 cups (about 9 oz) all-purpose or cake flour, plus more as needed
1 scant tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2-5 tbsp cold butter
1 cup milk (if you're using nonfat or lowfat milk, compensate with more butter)
Optional: 1/2 cup grated cheese, like cheddar, gruyere, fontina, blue, or parmesan, along with 1/4 tsp cayenne

1. Preheat oven to 450

2. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl or food processor (food processor is easiest here). Cut the butter into bits and either pulse it in the food processor or pick up a bit of the dry ingredients, rub them with the butter between your fingers, and drop them again (just buy the food processor). All the butter should be thoroughly blended before proceeding.

3. Use a large spoon to stir in the milk and cheese, if using, just until the mix forms a ball. Drop tablespoons (or about 1.5 tbsp, if you like bigger biscuits, like I do) onto a greased baking sheet (I like Pam for baking).

4. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until the biscuits are a beautiful golden brown--be careful not to overcook!! Serve within 15 minutes, preferably dunked into steaming bowls of chili.

I'm In Love With Andrea Immer

My favorite cookbook of all time, you ask? Why, that would be Everyday Dining with Wine, by the indomitable Andrea Immer, wine goddess and chef extraordinaire. In this book, Andrea walks you step by step through all the varietals, and offers up gorgeously delicious recipes that are well-matched to particular categories of grapes. Admittedly, however, since Chris and I don't drink much on weekdays we often eat Andrea's food without wine. And it is still AMAZINGLY GOOD.

Andrea's Linguine with Walnuts, Arugula and Olives is one of my favorites from the book so far (others include the Yukon Gold Potato and Cauliflower Soup with Truffle Oil, the Warm Wild Mushroom Salad with Black Truffle Vinaigrette, the Oven-Crisped Potatoes with Thyme and Pumpkinseed Oil...honestly the list goes on and on). In this recipe, the pasta isn't surrounded by tame-tasting liquid--it's enrobed in olive oil "spiked" with a few intense ingredients--fleur de sel, peppery arugula, salty olives, garlic, parmigiano-reggiano, and toasted walnut pieces. The combination is making my mouth water just thinking about it. So try it!!

Note: Andrea recommends pairing this dish with Cabernet Sauvignon--she notes that "the toasty walnuts and arugula highlight the toastiness of oak in the wines, while the vegetal flavors of the olives and arugula pick up Cabernet's cedary-tobacco-minty notes."

Ingredients
1 pound linguine fini or other thin, flat noodle
1/3 cup walnut pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups tightly packed baby arugula leaves, washed and dried
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling, if desired)
1/3 cup pitted, chopped black olives
1/4 cup grated Manchego or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Coarse sea salt such as fleur de sel

1. Add a tbsp of salt to a large pot filled with 4 quarts of water. Bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook to al dente.

2. While pasta is cooking, place walnuts in a large dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan frequently, and cook until browned and fragrant, 3-4 min. Set aside to cool slightly, then chop roughly and reserve.

3. In the same skillet heat the 2 tbsp olive oil on medium, and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until the garlic begins to soften and turn golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water, and transfer it to the skillet with the garlic. Turn heat to medium. Stir in the arugula and the 1/4 cup olive oil and toss to coat the pasta with the oil and wilt the arugula. Stir in the walnuts and olives, tossing to combine. If the pasta seems dry, add a little of the reserved pasta water.

5. Remove the pasta from the heat and drizzle with a little more olive oil, if desired. Stir in the cheese, adding more to taste, black pepper, and a sprinkling of the fleur de sel. Serve immediately.

Linguine Carbonara, Redeemed (Partly!)

My boss at work, whom I adore, passed me this recipe by Jamie Oliver for "Beautiful Zucchini Carbonara"--basically penne, luscious carbonara sauce, bacon, and zucchini melded together. Anyone who knows me knows I am OBSESSED with creating the perfect carbonara, and this recipe comes really darn close. The use of some starchy pasta water in the sauce makes it creamy and lush, but not too thick and eggy; the use of only egg yolks, not whites, prevents curdling; the zucchini adds an extremely pleasing smoky, tender note; and the copious amount of freshly cracked black pepper prevents the feeling I get from most carbonaras--"this is tasty, but it's missing something!" This is definitely my favorite carbonara recipe yet, and I've tried many. One thing to note is that carbonara does not reheat well, so this recipe basically begs for a pasta pig-out fest--or lots of guests crowding around the pan.

I tweaked this recipe a bit. First, I used linguine fini instead of penne, because the idea of doing carbonara with anything besides long pasta leaves me befuddled. I cut the zucchini into slender strips, so that it could be scooped up easily on the fork along with the strands of pasta. I also used lean center-cut bacon and poured out all but one tbsp of bacon fat after rendering it down in the pan. I also used half-and-half instead of cream, with great results (gotta cut down the fat somewhere!). Lastly, I tossed out the thyme/zucchini flower recommendations--I couldn't be fussed on a weeknight. The recipe below notes all of these changes, but the original recipe can be accessed above via the hyperlink.

The zucchini-bacon mixture in the pan. Note the copious amounts of black pepper!

Not the best shot--but still yummy-looking nonetheless.

So ready for its close-up.

Ingredients

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3-4 medium green and yellow zucchini
1 pound linguine fini or other long flat thin pasta
4 large free-range or organic egg yolks
1/2 cup half-and-half
2 good handfuls freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
12 thick slices pancetta or lean bacon, cut into chunky pieces

Before you start cooking, it's important to get yourself a very large pan, or use a high-sided roasting pan so you can give the pasta a good toss.

Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Halve and then quarter any larger zucchini lengthwise. Cut out and discard any fluffy middle bits, and slice the zucchini into slender strips (a bit larger than julienne). Your water will now be boiling, so add the penne to the pan and cook according to the package instructions.

To make your creamy carbonara sauce, put the egg yolks into a bowl, add the half-and-half and half the Parmesan, and mix together with a fork. Season lightly with salt and pepper and set aside.

Heat a very large frying pan (a 14-inch is a good start - every house should have one!), add a good splash of olive oil and fry the pancetta or bacon until dark brown and crisp. Pour out excess fat, if desired. Add the zucchini slices and 2 big pinches of black pepper, not just to season but to give it a bit of a kick. Give everything a stir, so the zucchini is coated with all the lovely bacon-flavored oil, and fry until they start to turn lightly golden and have softened slightly.

It's very important to get this next bit right or your carbonara could end up ruined. You need to work quickly. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water. Immediately, toss the pasta in the pan with the zucchini, bacon and lovely flavors, then remove from the heat and add a ladleful of the reserved cooking water and your creamy sauce. Stir together quickly. (No more cooking now, otherwise you'll scramble the eggs.)

Get everyone around the table, ready to eat straightaway. While you're tossing the pasta and sauce, sprinkle in the rest of the Parmesan and a little more of the cooking water if needed, to give you a silky and shiny sauce. Taste quickly for seasoning. Eat immediately, as the sauce can become thick and stodgy if left too long.

Ridiculously Yummy Summery Soup

What comes to mind when you think of minestrone soup? Chunks of too-soft carrots, potatoes, and peas? Globules of starchy, overcooked pasta? A salty broth, perhaps with a tomatoe-y tang?

Now turn your conception of minestrone around 180 degrees, and TRY THIS SOUP. This version of minestrone--featured in a 2007 article in LA Times that was recently published as an "encore"--includes lots of summer vegetables in a parmesan-scented vegetarian broth (the whole soup can be made vegan, even), and is topped with an incredibly flavorful garlic-and-parsley pistou. I made the soup as a tribute to the summer diet gods, but it has turned into a new obsession. I'll be making it again this weekend!

Note: I topped the soup with shredded parmesan, and then a dollop of pistou. The parmesan really adds a level of unparalleled flavor. I also substituted/added several things in the recipe, and I'll note those substitutions below.



Summer minestrone with parsley pistou

Total time: About 1 hour, 40 minutes

Servings: 6 to 8

Note: From test kitchen director Donna Deane. Save the rinds from Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to add to the soup pot. It gives added flavor and substance to this vegetarian soup.

3/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1 bulb fennel, cored and cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
6 cloves minced garlic, divided (I used more garlic)
2 large tomatoes, cored, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (canned would also work here)
2 (2-inch) pieces Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
21/4 teaspoons salt, divided
3/8 teaspoon white pepper, divided
2 cups parsley leaves
1 yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1 zucchini squash, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 cups green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (I'm not wild about green beans, so I used more squash instead)
1/2 cup tube pasta (such as tubetti), cooked according to package directions, about 8 minutes and drained (I subbed yukon gold potatoes, cut in 1/2 inch dice. let the chunks simmer for 25 minutes)

1. Heat one-fourth cup of the oil in a large pot over high heat until hot. Add the onion, and reduce the heat to medium. Sauté the onion until it begins to brown around the edges, about 5 minutes. Stir in the fennel and continue to sauté until the fennel is tender and just begins to brown around the edges, about 5 more minutes. Stir in 2 cloves of the minced garlic during the last minute of sautéing.

2. Add the tomatoes and 6 cups water. Stir in the cheese rinds, 2 teaspoons of the salt and one-fourth teaspoon pepper. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and then cover and simmer 20 minutes. (Put the potatoes in after 5 minutes of simmering time so that they get 25 minutes total of cooking time)

3. While the soup is cooking, prepare the pistou. Purée the parsley and the remaining minced garlic cloves in a food processor. Add the remaining one-fourth teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. With the motor running, drizzle in the remaining olive oil until emulsified. Set aside.

4. Add the squash and the beans to the pot, and continue to simmer until the beans are just cooked, about 10 minutes. Remove the Parmesan rinds from the soup, and stir in the cooked pasta. Ladle the soup into large flat bowls. Spoon a dollop of pistou onto each serving. Serve immediately.

Each serving: 251 calories; 3 grams protein; 15 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 21 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 685 mg. sodium.

Little Morsels of Ridiculousness

Very rarely do I come across a recipe that is easy, pretty in its presentation, and insanely delicious. I made Parmesan-Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon last night, and the result was a food orgasm. Dates--parmegiano reggiano--and bacon are already indulgent and delicious on their own; combining them created a captain planet-like food superhero. Words cannot describe how the sweetness of the dates, salty pungency of the parmegiano, and pork fat smokyness of the bacon combined to produce a Perfect Food. If you've ever been to A.O.C. or Cobras and Matadors and had these before, just know that for the $8.95 you spent on a tapas dish, you can make 30-something of these little critters. And we (4 of us) ate every last one. The recipe is from a 2005 issue of Gourmet.

Can you hear them? They're saying, "eat me."

I'm pretty sure that this one is now in my belly.

Lookin goooood on a simple white platter.

I doubled the recipe below, with great results.

Ingredients
18 (1- by 1/4-inch) sticks Parmigiano-Reggiano (from a 1/2-lb piece)
18 pitted dates (preferably Medjool)
6 bacon slices, cut crosswise into thirds (I used center cut bacon--30% less fat, natch--and used half a slice per date)
18 wooden picks

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.

Stuff 1 piece of cheese into each date, then wrap 1 piece of bacon around each date, securing it with a pick. Arrange dates 1 inch apart in a shallow baking pan.

Bake 5 minutes, then turn dates over with tongs and bake until bacon is crisp, 5 to 6 minutes more. Drain on a paper bag or parchment. Serve immediately.

Note: Dates can be stuffed and wrapped in bacon 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before baking.

Chocolate Pudding Cakes (and...I'm Back!)

Yes yes, I know, it has been a very long time since I have blogged. Wedding preparations have majorly gotten in the way (how is it economically viable, I ask, that wedding invitations--the cheap, unengraved kind--cost $10 a person? how???)...Anyhoo--wah wah wah I know you missed me, but I am back, *DIGICAM IN HAND*. Please give me a round of applause, it took me 6 months to figure out how to upload photos from this thing.

Here are my sumptuous, pillowy, scrumptious pudding cakes for your perusal:

Even ignoring the loads of alcohol in the background that accompanied the consumption of these precious beauties, the pudding cakes were deeelicious. The outside has a faint crackle to it, the inside is melty and gorgeously thick--it is chocoholic paradise. And even better yet, they are super-easy to make, and can even be prepped in advance--perfect for a party.

This is another recipe from The Essence of Chocolate, from my high school bestie (and bridesmaid-to-be) Lauren. Use the best chocolate possible with this--I recommend Valrhona or Scharffenberger.

Alcohol note: we had these with a classic 10-year tawny port--I highly recommend the budget-friendly Whiskers Blake brand.

Ingredients
Unsalted butter or butter spray for the ramekins
1/4 to 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder for coating the ramekins
7 ounces 99% unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
2 cups heavy cream
8 tbsp (4 oz) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
4 large eggs
Whipped Cream (optional)

Serves 8-10 (bigger ramekins-->fewer servings)

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325.

2. Butter (I used butter baking spray) ten 5-6 oz ramekins and coat the insides with cocoa powder.

3. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl.

4. In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and butter to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat, add the chocolate, and let sit for 1 minute to melt the chocolate. Whisk until the chocolate has melted completely and the mixture is smooth.

5. Position a fine-mesh strainer over a large measuring cup with a spout. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in the eggs. While whisking, gradually add the chocolate mixture. Strain into the measuring cup and divide the batter evenly between the ramekins. (The ramekins can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temp before baking.)

6. Bake until the surface is puffed and cracked, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving (if you can wait that long!). Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.

Chocolate Molten Cakes

I have to say--my friends know me really well. So when my best friend since 8th grade, Lauren, bought me The Essence of Chocolate by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg for the holidays, Laur knew that I'd be hightailing it to the kitchen for some chocolate madness. I love the first section of the book, which focuses on really simple recipes that focus entirely on the quality of the chocolate at hand.

Chris and I were celebrating our 5-year anniversary for the 3rd or 4th time last night, this time to enjoy our traditional bottle of Mer Soleil 2005 Chardonnay, which we've had for 3 years in a row now (sadly, I think it's time to move on from Mer Soleil--their focus on french oak flavors has increased in the past couple years, IMO, and no longer has a unique palate. Or, maybe, our palates are the ones that are changing). To add to the celebration, I decided on a whim to make these cakes, which use entirely pantry-available ingredients. We had them with tawny port, but a ruby port or dessert wine would also go quite well. Our tawny was Whisker's Blake Classic Tawny, a very wallet-friendly and highly-rated port that has been aged for 8 years.

I altered the recipe a bit—I served the cakes still in the ramekins instead of unmolding them, so I didn’t need to cover the ramekins in butter or parchment—I just used a bit of baking nonstick spray. Gotta cut down on calories somewhere! And remember, the quality of the chocolate really matters here—I’m a huge fan of Scharffenberger’s Bittersweet for cooking. It can be very intense, though, so I think the Semisweet version would also work well in this recipe.

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray for the ramekins (you'll need 4 5- to 6-oz ramekins, or 6 4-oz)
6 ounces 70% bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
¼ granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1½ tbsp all-purpose flour
Ice cream (we used chocolate peanut butter…but vanilla might be best)


It is best to bake these on the floor of the oven. If that's not possible, position a rack on the lowest level of the oven. Preheat to 400. Spray the ramekins, and arrange on a baking sheet.

Place the chocolate and butter in a double-boiler, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or, in my case, use a large bowl and a hand-held mixer) fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs, yolks, sugar, and salt and beat on high speed for 4 or 5 minutes, or until the mix is thick and pale. when the whisk is lifted and the batter runs back and forth over itself, it will hold a slowly dissolving ribbon.

With the mixer on low speed, sprinkle the flour over the batter, and mix until combined.

Fold the egg mix one-third at a time into the chocolate mixture.

Fill the ramekins with batter within 1/4 of the top. (At this point, the ramekins can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring back to room temp before baking).

Bake for 8-10 min, or until the sides of the cake are firm--centers will be soft to the touch but set (I had to take it to 12 min).

Let stand for 1 minute, and serve with ice cream and port!