Tag: main course
Spaghetti Carbonara
Spaghetti Carbonara
Carbonara dates back to Rome right after WW2 when American army soldiers were living in Italy. It was said that bacon and eggs were incorporated to the pasta, calling it “spaghetti breakfast.” The preparation of carbonara consists of spaghetti tossed in the fat of guanciale or pancetta. A mixture of eggs, pecorino romano, and black pepper is tossed with the pasta off the heat to prevent the eggs from curdling. Then the pork is tossed back in with the pasta. Other variations of this dish include using bucatini, fettuccine, linguine, or penne pasta; parmesan cheese instead of pecorino; and adding peas, broccoli, mushrooms, leeks, and onions.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry spaghetti
- 3 tbsp salt
- 8 oz pancetta or guanciale or bacon; diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 4 oz pecorino romano or parmesan; shredded
- 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil with the salt. Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions 2 minutes shy of being done; reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta without rinsing.
- In a large sauté pan, brown the pancetta until crispy over medium heat; about 7-8 minutes. Remove from the pan, reserving the fat.
- Toss in the garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add in the pasta, coating with the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Beat together the eggs, pecorino, and black pepper.
- Turn off the heat and toss in the egg mixture and pasta water; coating the spaghetti.
- Toss the pancetta with the spaghetti.
New England Clam Chowder
New England Clam Chowder
I absolutely love chowders of all types; especially clam chowder. Quality clam chowder can cost you an arm and a leg. This chowder is so good that you’d think that it came from a high-end restaurant. For what you’d normally pay for 2 servings eating out, this recipe will yield enough to serve 8.
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon diced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 small white onion diced
- 3 ribs celery diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/3 cup flour
- 4 cups half and half
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 8 oz clam juice
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 lbs red potatoes diced
- 16 oz chopped clams
Instructions
- In a large pot, brown the bacon until crispy. Remove from the pan, reserving 2 tbsp of the bacon grease.
- Add in the butter. Sauté the onions and celery for 5 minutes over medium high heat.
- Add in the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, oregano, parsley, thyme, and smoked paprika. Cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the chicken stock and half/half.
- Stir in the clam juice and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally stirring.
- Add in the potatoes and continue simmering for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the clams and half of the cooked bacon. Simmer for no more than 5 minutes.
Garnish with more crumbled bacon. Serve with oyster crackers.
Octopus with Spanish Chorizo
Octopus with Spanish Chorizo
Octopus sautéed with dried chorizo and crispy potatoes is a classic Spanish dish that May looking intimidating to make, but is actually pretty simple and straightforward. The key here is to find good quality precooked octopus tentacles. If you can only find fresh octopus, you will have to boil them on the lowest setting your oven can go for an hour. Beyond that, once you add the cooked octopus to the dish, you only should cook it 2-3 minutes max or you’ll be chewing on rubber.
Ingredients
- 1 lb red potatoes diced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 6 oz dried Spanish chorizo small dice
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 24 oz cooked octopus tentacles cut into 1/2” pieces
- 1 tsp Spanish paprika
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Simmer the potatoes for 10 minutes until they are just cooked through. Remove from the pot and drain.
- Toss the potatoes in a bowl with the olive oil, thyme, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large sauté pan over medium high heat, cook the dried chorizo and garlic for 2 minutes. Remove from the pan.
- Add in the potatoes and onion. Sauté until the potatoes are crispy for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the octopus and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the chorizo back in and cook for a minute. Turn off the heat.
- Stir in the parsley. Season with the paprika and cracked pepper.
