Late Night Pasta

I was watching an episode of Martha Stewart featuring James Beard Award-winning chefs recently, and Martha asked each of them to share their favorite thing to make when they got home from their restaurants late at night. I always wonder what kinds of things chefs cook when they're not at work so it was cool to get some insight. There was truffle popcorn and scrambled eggs, fried veggie chips, mashed potatoes and more; frankly, it all looked pretty amazing, but one dish really caught my eye: the late night pasta. If my cooking skills had extended beyond grilled cheese and macaroni and cheese (from a box, of course) in college, this late night pasta is one of the dishes I know I'd have made time and time again. It is late night comfort food to the max!



The chef who made this pasta was Alfred Portale of Gotham Bar and Grill, and he described it as a cross between cacio e pepe (pasta with cheese and black pepper) and pasta carbonara. You start by crisping up some bacon in a skillet, then add black pepper and onion, allowing the onion to soften in the rendered bacon fat before adding just a tiny bit of garlic for more flavor. To this mixture, butter, Parmesan cheese and reserved pasta cooking water are added to create a simple sauce, which is then tossed with spaghetti. Each dish of pasta is topped with a fried egg and a sprinkle of parsley to finish.

It was so utterly satisfying to break the yolk and watch it run over the pasta. Not surprisingly, it was even better to eat! I haven't fried an egg in so long I'd forgotten how ridiculously good they can be. I reduced both the amount of cheese and butter in this recipe, and it was still plenty rich for us. I never know how a meal that doesn't involve a sizable piece of meat is going to be received by Shane, but he was still talking about this pasta hours after we ate, which to me is always the surest sign of a recipe worth repeating.

Late Night Pasta
adapted from Martha Stewart

6 oz spaghetti
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-1/2-inch pieces
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

While the pasta cooks, add the bacon to a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders and the bacon is crisp. Add the onion and pepper to the pan, and continue cooking until the onion softens.

Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small skillet set over medium-low heat. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook just until the whites are set (the yolks will still be runny). Remove the pan from the heat and keep warm.

Add the garlic to the pan along with the bacon and onion and cook, stirring constantly, just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water, scraping the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits. Reduce the heat to low, and add the drained pasta to the pan, followed by the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter has melted, turn off the heat under the pan. Gradually add the cheese, tossing the pasta with tongs to incorporate. After you've added all of the cheese, you can adjust the consistency of the dish with the remaining reserved pasta cooking water.

Divide the pasta between two bowls, and top each serving with one of the fried eggs. Garnish with the chopped parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Crispy Steak Fries

Since we were good and made zucchini fries yesterday, it's totally legit to balance things out with the real deal today, right? :)

There was a time not all that long ago that 99 out of 100 times I'd have picked the sweet snack over the salty. I still have a major sweet tooth, but these days I'm really loving all things salty - potato chips, pretzels, popcorn, and especially french fries. It always seems that at this time of year when we start grilling burgers, my cravings for fries increases tenfold. Burgers and fries, they're just meant to be together! I almost never have potatoes on hand, though, so in reality we probably only make french fries at home two or three times a year, placing them squarely in the "special treat" column for us.



When I was working on last week's meal plan I penciled in burgers for Friday night. And then I decided if we were having burgers, why not also grab some potatoes and make french fries to celebrate the start of the long weekend? I knew we'd discovered a few great baked versions, but I was in the mood to fry! (Side note - I've become way more comfortable frying in the past year, still trying to decide if that's a good or bad thing...) As I scanned my archives, I realized we'd only ever made baked fries, and had yet to try our hand at frying them. It was time to remedy that!

We decided to go with steak fries, for no real reason other than it saved us the step of peeling the potatoes. The recipe was surprisingly simple and though there are a few steps, you can do some of the prep ahead of time so these fries are even a viable option when you're short on time. Potato wedges are first soaked in ice water, then fried twice - first with the oil at a lower temperature just to soften them and start cooking the insides, and afterward at a higher temperature to crisp them up and brown the exterior. It was all we could do to let them cool for a minute so we wouldn't burn our tongues when we tried them. They were completely irresistible: golden brown and crisp on the outside with a tender interior. As good, if not better, than any we've ever had out at a restaurant, take-out or sit down. Our only challenge going forward is to exercise the necessary restraint to keep these fries from becoming a summer staple :)

Crispy Steak Fries
from Cook's Illustrated

4 large russet potatoes, (about 2 1/2 lbs), scrubbed
2 quarts canola or peanut oil, for frying

To cut the potatoes into wedges: Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and then cut each of those halves in half lengthwise so you end up with each potato quartered. Slice each quarter into 3 wedges (lengthwise again), so you end up with approximately 3/4-inch thick wedges.

Add the fries to a large bowl and cover them with cold water by at least an inch. Add ice cubes on top to cover. Refrigerate the fries for at least 30 minutes, or for as long as 3 days.

Pour the oil into a large Dutch oven and set the pot over medium-high heat (make sure you use a large pot - the oil will bubble when you add the fries so you need room at the top). Heat the oil until it reaches 325 F on a candy thermometer.

Meanwhile, drain the potatoes then dry them thoroughly with a kitchen towel. When the oil reaches temperature, add the fries a handful at a time until you've added them all. (The oil temperature is going to drop quite a bit (as much as 60 degrees) so don't worry if that happens.) Fry the wedges, stirring frequently with a spider strainer, until they soften and become golden in color, about 10 minutes. Remove the fries from the oil with the strainer and transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Allow the wedges to rest for at least 10 minutes. (At this point you can leave them at room temp for up to 2 hours, or wrap in paper towels and freeze in a resealable plastic bag for up to a month.)

Heat the oil to 350 F. Add the wedges back to the pot and, stirring frequently, cook for 8-10 minutes, or until browned and crisp. While the potatoes are frying, set a wire rack inside of a baking sheet and line the rack with paper towels. Remove the fries from the oil with the strainer and transfer to the rack. Immediately season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately for the most crisp fries. They soften slightly as they sit, but are still really good.

Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries with Sriracha Lime Mayo

My veggie consumption of late has been abysmal, to put it mildly. Most of the time my meal planning only centers around our main course, and side dishes fall by the wayside. (And veggies are always side dishes here, and never included in the main course, since Shane doesn't like them.) I'll usually grab some sort of produce without a specific plan and figure it out as I go during the course of the week. Sometimes that works well - like when asparagus is in season as I'm perfectly content to eat it every night simply roasted or grilled with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Salads are good options too, I really only need greens, tomatoes and cucumbers with a simple vinaigrette to make me happy.

Other veggies, though, require more advance planning because I just don't love them enough to eat them the same way all the time. Luckily, with a wider variety of summer produce options beginning to make its way to our local farmer's markets and grocery stores, I have some new inspiration to get better about the planning. Besides, how am I going to justify all the burgers I want to grill if I don't have veggies on hand to balance them out?



Zucchini is still pretty low on my list of most desirable veggies, but it's abundant and cheap, so every year I try to convince myself it's good, and useful for more than just baking :) And given the right preparation, I'm starting to believe that can be true. These zucchini fries are a recent favorite. They're coated with a flour, egg, and Panko/Parmesan breading then baked until they're golden brown and crispy on the outside with a tender center. I threw together a quick sriracha mayo for dipping - it's just a little spicy and makes these fries even more fun to eat but feel free to substitute your favorite dipping sauce or skip it entirely. I may not love zucchini fries as much as I love regular french fries, but I definitely feel about 1000x better after I eat them!



Crispy Baked Cheesy Zucchini Fries with Sriracha Lime Mayo
fries adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride, mayo adapted from White on Rice Couple

Fries
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 lb zucchini (about 1 medium)

Mayo
3 tablespoons mayo
1 1/2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
1 teaspoon lime juice

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place a wire rack in the baking sheet.

Add the flour to a resealable plastic bag. Combine the egg and water together in a shallow dish, and beat lightly with a fork. In a second shallow dish, mix together the Panko, Parmesan, salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper.

To cut the zucchini into fries: Slice the top and bottom off the zucchini. Cut into about 3-inch fries - I found this easiest to do by cutting the zucchini half and then continuing to cut the pieces in half again and again.

Add the zucchini to the resealable bag containing the flour. Shake to coat them evenly. Working with one fry at a time, shake the excess flour off, then dip in the egg mixture and dredge in the Panko mixture, pressing to coat completely. Place the fries on the wire rack. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the coating is golden brown and crisp.

While the fries bake, make the sriracha lime mayo by adding all of the ingredients to a small bowl and stirring to combine. Serve the fries with the mayo. These are best served immediately (or shortly after baking).

Tunnel of Fudge Bundt Cake

Sometimes when I find myself in a baking rut, unable to come to a decision on what I want to make next, I turn to Shane for advice. The only problem is that 99% of the time I ask him what he's in the mood for, he responds with chocolate crinkle cookies. He's a creature of habit, that's for sure. I often wonder if he loves those cookies so much because they were pretty much the first thing I ever baked and blogged. Don't get me wrong, they're tasty, but I'm pretty sure I've made better things since, so I think more than anything they're a sentimental favorite :)



Recently I was surprised when I posed the "what should I make?" question and actually got a different response - chocolate cake! And luckily, I had the perfect recipe in mind. I flagged this tunnel of fudge cake the minute I saw it on Annie's site. I've had my eye on a very similar recipe in one of my cookbooks for ages, but that one had nuts unfortunately. I wasn't sure how critical they were to creating the tunnel of fudge effect, and since the recipe didn't indicate either way I hadn't tackled the cake yet.



This is easily one of the coolest cakes I've ever made, I am so in love with it! I don't know how or why it works, but as the cake bakes, two distinct textures are created. Along the outside edge, a rich chocolate cake, and in the center, a fudgy, almost molten tunnel of goodness. I took a chance at halving the recipe and baking the cake in a 6-cup bundt pan, hopeful the result would be just as good as with a full-size cake. I definitely held my breath as I cut the first piece of cake, crossing my fingers I'd find the tunnel effect inside, and I was delighted that I did. The cake is topped with a thick chocolate glaze adding to the richness, and making this a chocolate lover's dream!



We enjoyed this one so much Shane decided not to take it into the office to share with his coworkers. Sorry guys, I'll have to come up with something else for you later this week :)

Tunnel of Fudge Bundt Cake
slightly adapted from Cook's Illustrated Entertaining, Holiday 2010 (via Annie's Eats)

{Note: you can halve this recipe and bake in a 6-cup bundt pan. See instructions for reduced cooking time. Also, the recipe makes a ton of glaze. Next time I'd probably make 1/2 to 2/3 of the recipe.}

Cake
1/2 cup boiling water
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 cups (10 oz) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (2 1/4 oz) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 cups (8 oz) confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup (7 oz) granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed (5 1/4 oz) light brown sugar
20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Glaze
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour.

Place the chocolate in a small bowl, then add the boiling water. Let stand for about a minute, then whisk the mixture until smooth. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, confectioners' sugar and salt together into a large bowl. In a measuring cup, whisk together the eggs and vanilla until combined.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then, with the mixer on low, add the egg/vanilla mixture and beat just until incorporated (the mixture might look a little curdled, it'll come together don't worry). Pour in the chocolate mixture and beat until combined. With the mixer still on low, gradually add the dry ingredients, beating just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the edges of the cake start to pull away from the pan and the top springs back when lightly pressed (if you halve the recipe and bake in a 6-cup bundt, the baking time will be less, mine was about 32 minutes).

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for about 1 1/2 hours before turning it out onto the rack. Let the cake cool completely on the rack before glazing, about 2 more hours.

To make the glaze: Add the heavy cream, corn syrup and chocolate to a small saucepan. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Let the glaze stand for about 30 minutes to allow it to thicken slightly, then drizzle over the cake. Allow to set for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Perfect No-Cook Strawberry Ice Cream

Ahhhh, long holiday weekends, I love them! Hope you've all been able to relax and enjoy a little time off too. After quite a few rainy days this month, we've been spoiled with the most gorgeous weather the past few days, which has been especially nice. Shane and I took advantage of the sun to get out and do some yard work. We also went shopping for flowers, and finally picked up some of the herbs and veggies I've been so eager to get planted this spring. I've been growing herbs in containers on my deck for a few years now, but this year I've decided to branch out and try a few veggies for the first time too, I'm so excited!



I still haven't completely decided on everything I want to grow, so today we just grabbed a few things. Parsley is non-negotiable, it's the herb I use most so I love having it on hand. I turn to mint a lot in the summer so that was in the cart as well. Basil and rosemary rounded out the herbs, though I may still pick up thyme at some point too. The veggies are where I remain most undecided. I don't have a lot of room to grow them so I need to do some more research. Today we started with a jalapeno plant, and it's probably the most excited I've ever been about a plant in my life. Let's just hope I can keep it alive long enough to get one or two peppers :)



With Memorial Day weekend marking the unofficial start of summer, I thought it was as good a time as any to share an ice cream recipe with you. We've already made a few trips to our favorite local ice cream shop, but I really love having homemade ice cream in the freezer too, it really is the best. If you've been nervous about making your own ice cream at home, this is a great first recipe. It's Philadelphia-style (versus French style), which means you don't have to fiddle with cooking egg yolks to make the base. Instead, here you'll puree strawberries, some sugar, a little bit of lemon juice, salt and half and half for the base. It really is as easy as it sounds.



I've made a French-style strawberry ice cream in the past, and it had chunks of strawberries in it, which did get quite firm in the freezer. I liked them, but I don't think everyone was as keen, so I pureed all of the strawberries in this recipe to give the ice cream a really smooth texture (though you can see the seeds, I really couldn't taste them at all). This ice cream is rich and packed with sweet strawberry flavor, it was the perfect way to use up some berries I'd neglected in my fridge. If I have one tiny criticism of this recipe it's that the ice cream froze quite hard - I definitely had to let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before I could scoop it. Next time I make it I'll probably try to add a little bit of alcohol to keep it a bit softer. So yeah, the "perfect" in the title was the author's, not mine, but it's a keeper for sure :)

Perfect No-Cook Strawberry Ice Cream
adapted from Gourmet, August 2009

1 lb strawberries, stemmed and hulled, halved if large
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups half and half

Combine the strawberries in a large bowl with the sugar, lemon juice and salt. Use a potato masher to mash them until coarse. Let the strawberry mixture stand for 10 minutes, stirring and mashing every few minutes.

Transfer the strawberry mixture to your blender and add the half and half. Puree until smooth, then pour the mixture into a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or until very cold. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Store in an airtight container in your freezer.

Makes about 1 1/2 quarts

Coconut Lime Squares

For half of this week I was trapped at home while my car was out getting some much needed repairs. It's something I'd been putting off for a while but I could no longer deny the serious need for new brakes (and, as it turns out, about 10 other things I didn't realize also required immediate attention). Yay for car repairs...

On the up side, since I couldn't go anywhere, I was left with plenty of time to play in the kitchen. I was cooking and baking up a storm, finally tackling some of the recipes I've had bookmarked forever. While I was at it, I also used up some of the produce in my fridge that was starting to look questionable - just in time for tomorrow morning's trip to the grocery store to load up again. There won't be any shortage of sweet treats for us to enjoy over the long holiday weekend, that's for sure! I was especially glad to have something chocolate-y on hand when I received the call detailing the money I'd be putting into the car :)



My recent obsession with limes meant I had a whole bag of them on my counter, so I paired them with one of my other favorite summer flavors, coconut, to make these coconut lime squares. If you've ever had lemon bars, these are basically their lime counterpart, with a little bit of toasted coconut worked into the crust and also sprinkled on top for the last few minutes of baking. I know coconut tends to elicit strong reactions from people, it seems you either love it or hate it. If you're a coconut hater, I can tell you the lime is the predominant flavor here, you might not even notice the coconut flavor. If the texture is a problem for you, just skip the coconut on top of the bars. The squares are, as you'd probably expect from something made with lime, on the tart side but in a good way. I don't love overly tart things and these were perfect to me. The recipe is really simple and pretty quick too once you get finished juicing all of the limes, which is a bonus. If you're hosting or attending any Memorial Day parties this weekend I think these squares would be a welcome addition!

Coconut Lime Squares
from Gourmet, January 1995

Crust
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted and cooled
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 5 limes)
1 tablespoon lime zest (from about 2 limes)
1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted and cooled

Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on opposite sides to lift the squares out afterward. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

To make the crust: Combine the flour, butter, coconut, confectioners' sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on low until the butter is cut into the dry ingredients, and the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer to the prepared pan and press into an even layer to make the crust. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Remove the pan to a wire rack and lower the oven temperature to 300 F.

To make the filling: Whisk the egg and sugar together in a medium bowl until well combined. Add the flour, lime juice and lime zest and continue whisking until completely incorporated. Pour the mixture over the warm crust and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven. Sprinkle the top of the bars with the toasted coconut and continue baking for an addition 5-10 minutes, or until the filling is just set. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow the bars to cool in the pan. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting into squares (I would even recommend letting them sit in the fridge overnight. It makes them super easy to cut the next day).

Turkey Fried Rice with Crushed Potato Chips

Do you guys watch Top Chef? If so, you may remember Angelo from the season in D.C. (and All Stars too, I think). He was all about Asian-inspired cuisine, and though his giant ego made him a bit tough to root for at the start, it definitely made for good tv. He popped up in this month's issue of Food & Wine, where he was challenged to create a dish using a five ingredient basket selected by the magazine. He also had access to pantry staples and could select any two additional ingredients he wanted. One final rule - the dish had to be ready in 30 minutes or less. If you've ever watched Chopped on Food Network, it was basically along the same lines, minus the always entertaining commentary from some of the tougher judges (I'm looking at you Alex, Scott and Geoffrey).



Anyway, Angelo's basket of ingredients included potato chips, ground turkey, lemongrass, cooked rice and mint, and this fried rice was his creation. I love the fried rice from my local Chinese restaurant, but I've never actually tried to make my own. I'm not sure what inspired me to start now, but it was super easy. You really need to prep all of your ingredients ahead of time, which typically I never do, but things move fast here so if you're stopping to chop lemongrass or crack eggs, you're likely going to overcook, or worse, burn something else. I probably spent 5 minutes prepping ingredients and about 10 cooking the dish, definitely one of the fastest dinners I've ever made.

I wasn't sure how this dish would be received by Shane, but he wound up really enjoying it. That said, I think he thought it was going to be a side dish, and was left wondering where the rest of his dinner was :) I forgot to pick up the mint for the dish, so I threw in some parsley (mostly for color, this isn't exactly the most visually appealing dish), but I think the mint really would worked better here so be sure to include it, if possible. Shane skipped the potato chips completely on his portion, but I liked the crunch they added so your call there. I'm itching to try other fried rice recipes now so this probably won't be the last one you see here!

Turkey Fried Rice with Crushed Potato Chips
from Food & Wine, June 2012

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced lemongrass
4 oz ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups leftover (cold) cooked rice
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped mint
1/2 cup plain potato chips, lightly crushed
hot sauce, for serving

Set a large work or nonstick skillet over medium-high to high heat. Let it get very hot, then add the oil, ginger, garlic and lemongrass. Cook, stirring constantly, just until fragrant, about 30 seconds (if you let the garlic go too long, it'll burn and get bitter). Add the turkey and the salt and use a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is just cooked through and no longer pink. Create a well in the center of the ground turkey and add the eggs, cooking just until they set into large curds, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook until it is heated through and the individual grains are separated, about 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and let the mixture continue cooking until the sauce is absorbed. Mix in the sesame oil and transfer the fried rice to bowls for serving. Add some of the scallions and mint to each bowl and garnish with the potato chips.