Carbonara

CARBONARA

The quintessential Roman dish. That true to roots Italian delicacy. That dish that Americans have turned into a cream base. What is it? Carbonara!!! Delicious, Rich, Simple, and only 4 ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Reggiano
• Black pepper
• Sliced guanciale
• Spaghetti

1. In a large saute pan, dice up about 1/4 cup of fresh guanciale into small dime size bites. guanciale is the cheek of the pig that has been cured. Saute until crisp and brown. Remove and let drain on a paper towel.

2. In a small bowel whisk together the eggs, Parmesan Reggiano cheese and lots of black pepper.

3. Once pasta is cooked. remove hot pan from stove you cooked gaunciale in and toss it back in. Toss in pasta and stir. Then quickly mix in the egg mixture to coat the pasta. Serve with more fresh cheese on top.

This is simple, delicious, and very RICH. You will never go back to eating a fake cream sauce version again.

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Serves: 2

Ricotta Spinach Pistacchio Pesto

Ricotta Spinach Pistachio Pesto

    Here is one of those dishes you sort of come up with impulsively. I went into my fridge one evening and noticed I had left over ricotta and some spinach in a bag. I also typically have pistachios lying around. "Here's a good idea, why not combine them into a delicious new pesto sauce for fresh pasta?" This turned out to be one of those flavor combinations that saved the day. Ricotta Spinach Pistachio Pesto.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1-cup fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup pistachios
• Parmesan cheese
• Garlic
• Pasta of choice

1. In a blender combine ricotta, spinach, pistachios, Parmesan cheese, and garlic and blend until creamy. Add oil if needed to thin out a bit.

2. Cook pasta as normal and then stir with the pesto sauce.

3. Top some crushed pistachios and Parmesan cheese.

As weird and interesting that this pasta dish is, the flavor combination was amazing....

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2+

Irish Shortbreads (Leonas)

   

Irish Shortbreads

      So these traditional Irish Shortbreads were made in honor of my Irish grandmother Leona. I made these for Christmas and have since made them again because they are so good. The tribute to Leona has to do with not only the cookie itself but also the addition of the flavor, grapefruit. The reason behind this is that every Sunday morning growing up, after mass, everyone in the family would gather at grandma and grandpa Binns' for a big breakfast. Each breakfast typically consisted of everything from eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, toast, coffee, and initially started with a nice plate of a half a grapefruit. Never a fan of the fruit, even with sugar sprinkled on top, but thought I would add the flavor to brighten up these cookies. Irish Shortbreads (Leonas).

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of Irish butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 large grapefruit zest and 2 tbs juice

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. In large mixer cream together softened butter and sugar.

3. Add in zest of large grapefruit and tbs juice.

4. Slowly mix in the flour in small batches until it forms a ball.

5. Roll out onto floured surface until about 1/4 inch thick and cut into shapes using cookie cutter.

6. Bake about 30 minutes. 

     These cookies are so delicious. Very buttery and silky with a perfect crisp to them. The addition of the citrus gives them that slight freshness when you bite into them. Give them a try!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 20-30 cookies.

Frank's Calabrian Fusilli

Calabrian Fusilli

     So this pasta is something we never grew up on. As far as I can tell, according to my mother, Grandpa may have made this once or twice, but he died a long time ago. The type of pasta is from his area of Italy and definitely will take a few more tries to get it perfected. The dough I used was also a traditional one with just flour and water with a little salt. I highly recommend using equal parts AP flour and Semolina but for this time I used only AP. Fusilli is a spiral type of pasta that sort of resembles a screw. The store bought kind are typically not what it looks like when homemade. I have been looking for the specific "ferro" tool used to perfect these but until then I used an old coat hanger. I combine a few specific flavors to the Calabrian region for the sauce and the outcome was AMAZING!. Frank's Calabrian Fusilli.

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 1 lb ground Italian sweet sausage
• 12 oz tomato sauce
• 1/2 diced white onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup chopped green olives
• 1 cup white wine
• Pinch rosemary
• Pinch sage
• Salt/ pepper

Pasta:

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cups water
• 1 tsp salt

1. Make the Fusilli. Simply combine the flour, salt, and water into a ball. Kneed for roughly 5-10 minutes until dough is firm and soft at same time. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for over an hour.

2. To make the pasta, cut off chunks of the dough and roll into long slender snake like shapes. Pinch off about a 1/2 inch chunk and gently with a ferro, or in this case a coat hanger, roll and spin around to make the traditional spiral shape. Continue until all noodles are complete. Cook in boiling water for roughly 5 minutes. (See below Video).

3. Make the sauce. In a large saute pan brown the ground sausage until cooked through.

4. Add in chopped onion and cook until tender. Then toss in garlic.

5. Pour in white wine and simmer until reduced.

6. Add in tomato sauce, olives, sage, and rosemary and bring to a low simmer. Cover and cook about 10 minutes.

7. Toss with pasta and serve immediately. 

Prep Time: 20-30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 2+

     This dish was just perfect and I am sure my grandpa would be proud. I definitely need to practice making this kind of pasta though. Practice makes perfect!

Easy Beef Stir Fry

Beef Stir Fry

 

This easy and quick stir fry is so much better when made at home and in the convenience of your own kitchen. Easy to make and the perfect combination of flavors. No need for take out now.   Beef Stir Fry.

Ingredients:

• Thinly sliced beef strips
• Worcestershire
• 1/4 cup Soy sauce
• 1 tsp fresh diced ginger
• 1 tsp sugar
• Small bag mixed stir fry vegetables
• Vegetable oil
• Cornstarch
• Rice
• Salt/pepper

1. Toss beef strips with some shakes of Worcestershire sauce. Salt and pepper Dredge in some cornstarch.

2. In a wok drizzle some vegetable oil and bring to a sizzle over high heat.

3. Cook steak in wok until browned. Remove

4. In same wok saute the ginger and mixed vegetables until tender.

5. Combine soy sauce and sugar in a bowl and pour into wok.

6. Toss beef strips back in and simmer on low until sauce thickens. Serve over cooked rice.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2+

Korean Bulgogi Cups

Korean Bulgogi 

     Have always been a fan of certain Korean dishes and decided to test my hand at a fairly simple one that packs a ton of flavor. This was an easy weeknight meal that anyone can throw together and is also a bit healthy as well for those watching what they eat. Korean Bulgogi Cups.

Ingredients:

• 1 steak or 1/2 lb small beef roast cut into thin strips
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp minced ginger
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• Sesame seeds
• Cooked white rice
• Bibb, Boston or Butter lettuce
• Shredded carrots

1. Slice beef into thin strips and place in a plastic sealed bag.

2. In a bowl combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, garlic, rice wine and a few sesame seeds. Whisk together and pour into the bag of beef to marinate for at least 1 hour or even overnight.

3. In a large wok, drizzle the other 1 tbsp sesame oil. Remove beef strips from bag and saute until cooked through. Only should take a few minutes.

4. Pour in the sauce and let it reduce a bit and thicken up.

5. Take a bit of lettuce and spoon in some cooked white rice. Top with a few beef strips and some shredded carrots. Consume.

      These were so good and felt like I was being healthy eating them. Packed full of flavor with the combination of sugar, soy, and sesame and definitely left me wanting more. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 2+

Jill's Midwest Pork Sandwich

I have a dear friend who is originally from Indiana. She talks about this sandwich which is famous out in the Midwest. A simple sandwich made with simple ingredients but packed full of flavor. So one day out of the blue I attempted to make this amazing sandwich and surprise her with a tasting. Of course I added my own twist to it with an interesting cherry mayo. Jill's Midwest Pork Sandwich.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb pork tenderloin 
• 1 sleeve saltine crackers
• 1 egg
• Flour
• Hamburger buns
• Lettuce
• Dill pickle
• 1/2 cup cherry preserve
• Mayo

1. Cut the pork tenderloin into 2 inch medallions. This should make roughly maybe 3-4 separate sandwiches. With a mallet and under some plastic wrap or carefully on a cutting board, pound the individual medallions down into large cutlets of pork.

2. Meanwhile take saltine crackers and place in a plastic bag and pound down into crumbs. Sit a dredging station up with flour in one bowl, egg mixture in another and then the cracker crumbs.

3. Dredge in flour, then in egg, then in crumbled saltine crackers.

4. In a large saute pan pan fry the pork cutlets in butter for at least 3 minutes on one side and then flip until golden brown. Remove and let drain on cooling rack.

5. Combine cherry preserve and mayo in a bowl.

6. Now for the construction part, spread some mayo on the bun. Place pork cutlet on other side. Top with some lettuce, dill pickle and serve.

This sandwich was DELICIOUS. Jill stated she loved the addition of the cherry mayo and made her miss home a bit.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 2+

Gold Medal Medallions

A friend turned me on to Garam Masala, a wonderful interesting combination of spices and heat from India. I have also been slightly obsessed with cherry preserve recently and decided to combine the two to create a fantastic combination of spices, heat, and sweetness into a dish. Pork tenderloin medallions rubbed in the spice mixture, grilled and coated with a cherry soy sauce glaze. Perfection!. Gold Medal Medallions.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pork tenderloin
• Garam Masala
• 1/2 cup cherry preserve
• 4 tbs soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic minced

1. Rub down the pork tenderloin with the Garam Masala spice mixture and let sit for an hour.

2. In a bowl combine the cherry preserve and soy sauce along with the minced garlic. Separate into 2 bowls.

3. Slice the pork tenderloin into small medallions. Over a grill with high heat cook each medallion on one side for at least 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for another 3 minutes. ( I prefer my pork medium. May take a few flips).

4. Take one of the bowls of the cherry sauce and baste each side of the pork medallions as you are cooking them. Remove and take remaining cherry sauce to baste before serving.

These pork medallions were a massive hit with my family. So much so that we have since made them again and again. The combination of the heat, spices, and cherry and soy are amazing together.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: Varies 10 minutes
Serves: 4+

Lemon Spaghetti, (Chitarra alle limone)

This quick and easy recipe is so simple, yet so full of flavor and perfect for your summer time meal. Fresh, light, crisp and filling. Lemon Spaghetti.

Ingredients:

• Zest from 1 lemon
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• Basil
• 1 diced garlic clove
• Black pepper
• Spaghetti

1. Make pasta accordingly. I made homemade chitarra pasta for this.

2. In a small bowl combine the zest from 1 whole lemon and the juice from same lemon with Parmesan cheese, diced garlic and some black pepper.

3. Toss pasta with this mixture and mix in some fresh chopped basil leaves.

Viola!

Amazing how a little freshness can change an entire entree.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0
Serves: 2

Grandpa's Cavatelli al Pastore

Cavatelli al Pastore

So I am sure I've mentioned before that my grandfather was from Calabria. Growing up we never had that many dishes that I knew of that were from his region of Italy. We always had dishes that were mostly from my grandmother's area with exception of some seafood dishes that we were told were his. I came across in one of my many cookbooks a recipe specifically from his region of Calabria. I was intrigued by the pasta as well as the simple, yet delicious sounding sauce. This was one of those times I picked up the phone and called my mother to see if she knew of this dish. In typical mom style as soon as I started describing the pasta dish she blurted out, "yes!, grandpa made that all the time!". Not at all to be surprised by this I questioned why it was never carried on. Of course the response was always the same; "I just didn't feel like it." So I decided to give it a try and bring back this family classic. The pasta for this dish was quite different from the typical egg pasta I was used to. This was simply made with just flour and water. The structure of the shape of this is very similar to gnocchi but with a different twist of the fingers. Grandpa's Cavatelli al Pastore.






Cavatelli dough

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cups water
• 1 tsp salt

Sauce:

• 1 lb Italian Sweet Sausage
• 1 can Diced tomatoes drained
• 12 oz Ricotta
• Black pepper
• Pecorino Cheese

1. Make the Cavatelli dough. Simply combine the flour, salt, and water into a ball. Kneed for roughly 5-10 minutes until dough is firm and soft at same time. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for over an hour.

2. To make the pasta, cut off chunks of the dough and roll into long slender snake like shapes. Pinch off about a 1/2 inch chunk and gently with your index finger and middle press down and roll towards you till you have a small shell shape. Continue until your pasta is complete. (see link below for quick video on pasta production).

3. Cook pasta in a large stock pot of boiling salted water.

4. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, cook your Italian sausage until slightly brown.

5. Toss in diced tomatoes and cook until tender.

6. Stir in ricotta cheese until incorporated.

7. Stir in lots of black pepper and a handful of pecorino cheese.

8. Take about 1/2- 1 cup of pasta water to make the sauce more pliable and thicken up a bit.

9. Toss your drained cavatelli pasta into the sauce and serve.




This pasta dish, and new creation to myself, was fantastic! The heartiness of this dish was perfect for a slightly cool evening. So happy to carry down this traditional dish from my grandfather. It is a must for anyone looking for something new to try.

Prep Time: 20-30 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 4+