Pancetta Pasta with Crème Fraîche

So last night I made pasta with some of the items we had laying around the house.  I used crème fraîche, asparagus, pancetta and tomato. Mmmmmmmm

It turned out pretty damn good if I do say so myself.

I have to admit, I’m becoming a HUGE fan of pasta mixed with a little cooking water and crème fraîche.  It gives it a creamy taste without all the heavy cream and cheese.  You don’t need to go to the specialty store to find crème fraîche since it’s available at most grocery stores now; even our soviet acme down the street has it!  I’ve found that most brands taste the same so pick up whatever floats your boat.

You should also be able to find the pancetta in your grocery store.  It can come pre-packaged diced or you can buy the slices and dice it yourself.  If you can’t find the diced the best way to dice up the slices is to pop them in the freezer for a few minutes, then chop as usual.

If you don’t like pancetta you can use regular bacon or leave it out all together for a vegetarian friendly meal.

Ingredients

1 pkg     Diced Pancetta

1 pkg     Fresh Asparagus, sliced on the biased
5-10      Quartered Cherry Tomatoes
1 tbs      Minced Garlic
2 c         Pasta
½ c        Crème Fraîche
2 tbs      Pasta Cooking Water
Salt
Pepper

In a large stock pot, boil your water and prepare pasta as per package instructions.

Heat a large sauté pan on medium high. Add the pancetta and sauté for about 1 – 2 minutes, then add in your asparagus. Sauté until the asparagus is fork tender and bright green.  Add in your garlic and tomatoes.

 

**Omit the pancetta and add a little olive or for a vegetarian friendly meal.**

When pasta is cooked to your preference, reserve 2 tablespoons of the cooking water.  Drain the pasta and add with the cooking water to the pan with the pancetta, asparagus, garlic and tomatoes.  Now add in your crème fraîche and the salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.

This would also be good with some fresh herbs added in as well. 

Tuna Tartare and Spinach Cups

Another weekend passed and yet again we were able to get the block together for Friday night apps.  This week I made spinach dip bites and Tuna Tartare.  Bill being the wonder man that he is ran to the market for me on his way home.

The spinach bites are pretty easy so I am not going to include that recipe.  They are basically just the Knorr Spinach Dip recipe with a few extras like green onions and mozzarella cheese.  Put them into wonton cups and bake until the cups are crisp.   

Now the tuna tartar… ahh that recipe is below.  It’s fresh with just a little hit of heat and sweet. I have seen a lot of different recipes for this but sometimes what is in them just does not sound appetizing to me so I have pulled from various recipes and created my own.

Easy Tuna Tartare

Sharp Knife
1 lb Sushi Grade Tuna
1 avocado, diced
1 tsp Chopped Cilantro

For the Sauce

3 tbs Soy Sauce
2 tbs Sweet Chile Sauce
1 tbs Rice Vinegar
2 tbs Siracha
2 tbs Sesame Oil
1 tbs Minced Ginger
2 tbss Mayonnaise
 
Cutting the Tuna
Cut against the grain. Holding the knife at an angle and try to make slices about 1/4 inch thick.  Next you want to cut with the grain into small bite size cubes. Place the tuna in a large bowl

Dicing the Avocado

Using a sharp chef's knife, slice through the avocado lengthwise until you feel the knife hit the pit. Then rotate the avocado to make a cut all around the pit. Twist the two halves apart.

Take your knife and whack the pit of the avocado, twist the knife to pull out the pit. Then score lines about ¼ inch part without breaking the skin of the avocado. Then slice diagonally to create little squares like a grid. Scoop out with a spoon into the bowl with the tuna.

For the Sauce

Combine all of the ingredients above in a bowl and whisk until combined. Pour over the tuna and avocado mixture; add the cilantro stir gently until combined.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to combine.

 

 

Asian Pork and Asparagus

So since I am no longer sitting at home and I am back to the daily grind I've realized how much it stinks coming home and cooking. Now while I love cooking, taking care of Bill and making him tasty dinners the past few nights I have just been pooped.

Traffic has been a beast and I have just been plain tired. I forgot what it's like getting up at 6 am and going to work. I have to say as much as unemployment sucked, I miss sleeping, watching all day marathons of Roseanne and making special dinners.
 
Before I started work this week I took a few staples out of the freezer to defrost. Since we ate amazing ribs and dill potatoes leftovers from our neighbor The Simple Cook, (Shmuff'’s Kitchen Check out her blog) on Monday I figured pork would be better than steak.
 
I made an Asian inspired stir fry with the pork, asparagus and some left over hoisin sauce I didn’t want to spoil. It turned out pretty good, but I think next time I will get the rice wine and not use the rice wine vinegar.  While it was tasty, I think it needed the sweetness from the wine not the acidity of the vinegar.

Asian Pork and Asparagus

1 lb  Asparagus, sliced on the bias

2 tsp Cornstarch
1/4 c Rice Wine Vinegar or Rice Wine
2 Boneless Pork Chops
2 tbs Soy Sauce
3 tbs Hoisin
2 tbs Sesame Oil
1/4 cup water
1 tbs Minced Garlic
3 Scallions, sliced on the bias

1 bag Uncle Ben’s 90 Sec Rice

Whisk together cornstarch and wine in a medium bowl. Cut pork into bite sized pieces then add to cornstarch mixture and toss until covered.

Mix together soy sauce and hoisin sauce, set aside.

Heat 1 tbs oil in a wok over high heat, add asparagus and stir until they turn a darker green.  Add water, cover and cook over medium heat, until tender.  Transfer asparagus to a bowl and set aside.

Add remaining oil to pan and add garlic. Stir pork mixture and add to pan. Cook the pork stirring constantly, until pork in no longer pink. Add hoisin mixture and the asparagus to pan, until mixed well and heated.

heat up your rice, and serve the pork and asparagus on top.  Garnish with the scallions.  

Lamb and Fig Oh My

I am a little behind with adding some recipes.  I’ve either made something and didn’t take a photo or didn’t write down my exact measurements or I have just plain forgotten to do it. Shame on me, commit or quit right?

Last weekend we decided to do block appetizer dinner night.  I have to say this is truly becoming my favorite night of the week and my favorite thing to do with the block. Everyone makes a little something to nosh on and we sit around and chat.  Plus it lets me try out new recipes and make some of my old favorite appetizers.

So what did I make do you ask??? I made my Lamb Chops…  Oh lamb chops how I love you… you are the perfect food, no utensils required.  Just grab one and go. 

 

I season them with a little fresh herbs and brown them until they are perfectly medium rare and them serve them with probably the best dipping sauce ever!  I could eat an entire plate of these bad boys.  Bill is always asking me what my favorite meal is and I have to say I think this is it.  This is the same recipe I have on Group Recipe, I just changed the herbs.

I am hoping we will do this again this weekend or the following weekend so I can make my crab dip or my duck confit quesadilla.  It’s rich and super delicious…. What do you think?

 Lamb Lollipops with Fig Reduction

 2 lbs  Lamb Lollipops (about 16 pieces)

2 lg Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped (about 2 table spoons)

2 lg  Sprigs of Fresh Thyme, , finely chopped (about 2 table spoons)

Salt and pepper

2 tbs Olive Oil

3/4 c  Balsamic Vinegar * this is an approximate, I didn’t measure just poured

2 tbs  Fig Jam

2 tbs  Honey

1 lg  Shallot, minced

Season lamb chops well with herb mixture and salt & pepper. 

Heat oil in a large shallow pot over med high heat. Once heated sear lamb chops until browned about 3 – 4 minutes depending on thickness and your desired level of doneness.  Remove and set aside to rest, keep warm.

Add your shallots then deglaze pan with balsamic vinegar scraping up all of the bits on the bottom. Add fig and honey to the pan, bring to a boil then reduce the heat medium low. Whisk frequently until the volume has reduced down.  Serve with the Lamb Chops

Cast Iron Apple Pie

So last week I was at the mall and I was walking by Williams and Sonoma.  They had some cast iron skillets in the display so I decided to walk in and check them out.

They were reasonably priced so I decided to be a good little fiancé and get Bill an “I love you” present.  When we registered the only thing he put on the registry was a cast iron skillet and a teakettle.  I didn’t want him to wait until next year to get the ONE thing he really wanted so I picked up a 10’ Lodge skillet and brought it home to surprise him, and boy did I!  He was like a kid in a candy store; he couldn't wait to make something in the pan.

I have to admit; I was the first one to use the pan.  I made sausage on Friday for stuffed potatoes and bacon on Saturday morning but I know Bill was itching to use it.   We were going to a block dinner so he decided to make some dessert and use the cast iron.  Bill found a recipe for cast iron apple pie and it was delicious.

The recipe Bill used is below, it’s slightly adapted from the original found here. We couldn’t find Braeburn apples so we only used Granny Smith.  If we make this again, I will change it around use my apple pie recipe.  I use a little Jack Daniels, Vanilla Extract and Nutmeg in my recipe.

Ingredients

4 lbs Granny Smith apples

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 c granulated sugar

1/2 c butter

1 c firmly packed light brown sugar

1 (14.1-oz.) package refrigerated piecrusts

1 egg white

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Peel apples, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Toss apples with cinnamon and 3/4 cup granulated sugar.

Melt butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat; add brown sugar, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, and place 1 piecrust in skillet over brown sugar mixture.  (NOTE: I know this sounds strange to put the crust on top of the sugar mixture, but it does work!)

Spoon apple mixture over piecrust, and top with remaining piecrust. Whisk egg white until foamy. Brush top of piecrust with egg white; sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar. Cut 4 or 5 slits in top for steam to escape.

Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly, shielding with aluminum foil during last 10 minutes to prevent excessive browning, if necessary.

Cool on a wire rack 30 minutes before serving.

Dijon and Mascarpone Pork Chops

So about a week ago I bought some mascarpone as a substitute to the cheese I use with one of my crab dip recipes, but I decided against making it. I didn’t want the mascarpone to go bad so I wanted to use it in something but I wasn't quite sure how to use it.  

Now I have never used mascarpone cheese and the only time I have ever heard of it being used was in desserts like tiramisu.  So the question is… can I use mascarpone in a savory recipe?  I gave it a little taste and it's almost like cream cheese and crème fraîche got together and had a baby and it was delicious. So the answer to that question is YES!

I have made chicken cutlets before with a dijon and tarragon cream sauce so I thought I could substitute the cream with the mascarpone.  We had some pork chops so I used those and rather than tarragon I used thyme.  It really turned out to be a great dinner.

Now the recipe below if only for two but you could double

Dijon & Mascarpone Pork for Two

1 tsp Olive Oil

2 Pork Chops

¼ c White Wine

½ tsp Minced Garlic

3 tbs Mascarpone

2 tbs Dijon Mustard

1 tbs Fresh Thyme

Salt

Pepper

Pre-hear you pan on medium and add your olive oil.

Dry your pork and sprinkle liberally with salt and black pepper on both sides.  Brown the pork chops on both sides, about 3 - 4 minutes per side depending on thickness.

Remove the pork chops and set aside.  Deglaze the pan with the wine; be sure to scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pan.  Add the garlic, when fragrant add in your mascarpone, dijon and thyme.  Whisk until combined.  Add in a little salt and pepper.  Let reduce for about a minute then add the pork chops back into the pan.  Heat until the pork chops internal temperature is about 145 degrees.

We also had some roasted potato slices; I put these in about 15 minutes before I started making the pork chops.

Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees

5 Baby Potatoes, sliced on a mandolin

2 tbs Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Red Pepper Flakes

Slice the potatoes and coat with the olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.  Roast for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 300 degree.  Cook until your pork is done. 

  

BBQ Chicken Pizza

So we had some left over chicken tenders from the salad on Saturday night so I decided to make Bill some BBQ Chicken Pizza on Monday.

This is similar to the BBQ Chicken Pizza they have at California Pizza Kitchen, but this is my version.  This is a great recipe whenever you have any left over chicken.  It's a quick and easy dinner to throw together that tastes good!

I also did this pizza on some of the naan bread that I had.  I always seem to have this laying around.  It's great for so many different recipes.

Ingredients
3 - 4 Chicken Tenders
1 Naan 
1/4 Red Onion, Sliced Thin
Handful of Cheese
1/4 c BBQ Sauce, plus extra
1/4 c Cheese, we used Cheddar Jack
Handful of Cilantro

Pre-Heat Oven to 350 degree

Toast your naan bread on a cookie sheet for about 6-8 minutes.  This will help  the crust become crispy once you add the other ingredients and put the naan back in the oven. You can skip this step but I like a crispier crust.

Pre-Heat a large skillet and add your chicken and BBQ sauce.  Since my chicken already cooked and seasoned I only wanted to heat it up with the BBQ sauce so they chicken would absorb the flavor.  Heat this for about 3 minutes, until chicken is warm.  You can also do this with uncooked chicken.  You would just need to season and cook until the chicken is fully cooked.

Add a little bbq sauce to the naan and top with the chicken.  Next, add your onions, cheese and a sprinkle of cilantro.  Pop back in the oven for about 3 - 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and gooey.