It's summer somewhere........

I've been feeling lately that my food hasn't been leaving a big enough carbon footprint lately. That's why last night, rather than trying to convince myself that those pencil thin stalks of asparagus at QFC were from some local greenhouse (local...at $1.99/#...sure), I just grabbed what I needed without thinking about jet fuel, ozone depletion, and the fact that there was a good chance some 6-year old picker was shuffling sadly through the fields from whence this came (I mean who's hands are better suited to deftly plucking these slender stalks than a 6-year old, right?). I went home and with, okay, maybe a tinge of guilt, and set about chopping and combining with some smoked salmon (excellent smoked coho from Trader Joe's) and some fresh tagliatelle from Pastaworks. The result? A dish that inspired w's initial comment "This seems so summery". Well...duh...it IS summer wherever this asparagus came from! I actually didn't say that. I have to admit I didn't even think that. I wish I would have but that response just came to me. Rats, another missed opportunity! I found the basis for this pasta (that tastes pretty effing good in mid-winter, fyi) on epicurious, and twisted it ever so slightly to amp up the flavor quotient. It was super fast, terribly easy, and incredibly delicious. I popped the cork on a 2008 Antoine Simoneau Touraine-Sauvignon Blanc from the mecca of sauv blanc, France's Loire Valley. The wine was spectacular with this dish. The citrusy, minerally, racy sauv blanc flavors pairing perfectly with the briny-smoky salmon and cutting right through the rich lemon-cream sauce and washing away those remaining flashes of guilt. Man, I dig it when it all works out!
*** *** *** *** ***
Tagliatelle in Lemon Cream Sauce with Asparagus and Smoked Salmon
adapted from epicurious
yield: Serves 4 as a main course

ingredients:
1 pound asparagus
2 large shallots
2 lemons
6 ounces smoked salmon
1 pound dried Tagliatelle (pappardelle or fettuccine would work just as well)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup heavy cream

method:
1-Trim asparagus and diagonally cut into 1" thick slices. Finely chop shallots. Finely grate enough lemon zest to measure about 1 tablesppoon (a little extra is not a problem) and squeeze enough juice to measure 4 or 5 tablespoons. Cut salmon into 2 x 1/2-inch strips.

2-Fill a 6-quart pasta pot three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil for asparagus and pasta. Have ready a bowl of ice and cold water. Cook asparagus in boiling water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes, and with a slotted spoon transfer to ice water to stop cooking. Reserve water in pot over low heat, covered. Drain asparagus and set aside some asparagus tips for garnish.

3-In a deep 12-inch heavy skillet cook shallots in butter with salt and pepper to taste over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and zest and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons lemon juice and remove skillet from heat. Return water in pot to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water, stirring occasionally, until al dente and ladle out and reserve 1 cup pasta water. Drain pasta in a colander and add to sauce with asparagus, 1/2 cup pasta water, three fourths salmon, remaining lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat mixture over low heat, gently tossing (and adding more remaining pasta water as needed if mixture becomes dry), until just heated through.

4-Serve pasta garnished with reserved asparagus tips and remaining salmon.

Wild Mushroom Pasta: lusciously local!

Maybe this whole locavore thing isn't such a bad idea. You know, the thought that you should get most of your food from within a certain small radius around your immediate community. I came to this conclusion as I was sitting at the wine shack at the end of the day fucking around on the computer, or as I like to call it, doing some important "internet research". Walking through the door is my friend Kate bearing bags of just gathered mushroomey goodness. AND she's in a sharing mood! It seems she and her friend Andrea were up in the woods about 40 minutes out of town gathering early season chanterelles. By the way, I can't even tell you how cool it is to live in a place where just outside of town you can gather incredible wild mushrooms! Anyway, when they got to her secret gathering spot (and if you didn't know, mushroomers are notoriously secretive types about their favored hunting grounds. Ask them and you get the "I'd tell you but then I'd have to kill you" look) and as she was opening her car door, she literally looked down and saw this GIANT cauliflower mushroom right next to the car. That's just a small piece of it she gave me in the top pic.

Now earlier in the day when I was thinking about dinner I had halibut with remoulade in mind. But when someone throws this kind of bounty down in front of you, you bet your ass mushrooms were suddenly going to appear on tonight's menu! I mean, what sounded better last night: watching Barack and John arguing like schoolgirls while they try to impress someone named Joe the Plumber or playing with my new mushrooms? Yeah, that's what I thought, too! With something this fresh...I mean it had literally been in the woods about 60 minutes earlier...you don't fuck around with it. Simple is definitely better. My first thought was risotto, then the siren song of pasta started to sound even better. Something where you could fill up your senses with the full, glorious, unadulterated aromas and flavors. I had made this pasta a couple of years ago, and had wanted to remake it with a couple of tweaks...which means I really could have done better. This was the perfect opportunity. And so it was, and this dish absolutely nailed it. Sautéed in a little butter and olive oil, with onion, a little thyme and parsley, a splash of cream, it was absolutely stellar. One of those things with each bite you are swooning, like tasting nature. Really crazy stuff!

These mushrooms were so fresh they released a lot of liquid, but rather than boiling it off as some recipes call for, I let it be part of the sauce. I mean it was like built in mushroom stock (pic at left), especially infused with the butter, olive oil, and onion flavors. Incredible!

Thanks for sharing Kate...your generosity was much appreciated at our dinner table!

To drink with it I opened a bottle of what in my semi-informed opinion is one of the two best American pinot noirs made, a 2002 Thomas "Dundee Hills" Pinot Noir. More on that tomorrow, I promise! Any good, earthy red would work. A Barbera from Italy's Piedmont would also have been a nice choice. Just nothing too heavy, like a big cabernet or syrah, which would have overwhelmed the rich yet delicate flavors of the mushrooms.
*** *** *** *** ***
Wild Mushroom Pasta
an eat.drink.think. original
serves 4

ingredients:
3/4 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 to 1 pound mixed wild mushrooms sliced and chopped into not too small pieces
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 pound dry pasta
salt and freshly ground black pepper

parmagiano-reggiano for sprinkling

method:
heat 1 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat in large sauté pan. When hot, add onions, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and sauté until soft, about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minutes more. Add mushrooms and sauté until softened, about 8 minutes. While mushrooms are sautéing start pasta water. Turn heat under mushrooms down to low and add heavy cream. Grind in a bit of fresh pepper, stir, and bring to a boil. Gently stir for one minute, then turn heat to lowest setting. I think letting this sit in the pan at low heat while the pasta cooks helps the flavors of the onions, mushrooms, thyme and cream come together. When pasta is done, drain, add to mushroom mix. Add parsley, saving some for garnish. Adjust salt and pepper, plate, sprinkle a small amount of parsley on top, and serve immediately. Pass grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and enjoy!

Duck Ragu: it's worth the search!

Sometimes it's all about knowing where to source your ingredients. I had seen this recipe for what looked like a fabulous duck ragu in Mario's book Molto Italiano. The only problem was it called for fresh duck legs, which I can't exactly go down to my local supermarket and grab. Duck confit I can score at will. Duck breast, no problem. But after stopping by two of the most likely sources here and getting the "sorry pal" treatment I was stumped. Then I remembered my buddy Norm had mentioned how he had picked up some duck fat from a local food wholesaler called Nicky USA. Now these guys handle some of the more esoteric game animals and the parts enclosed within. I figured if they have duck fat, then the legs must be waddling around there somewhere too. Sure enough it was one call to confirm they do have the sought after appendage, they do sell to the public with a very reasonable minimum buy, and I was flying down to the inner southeast side of PDX. 10 minutes later I was the proud possessor of eight duck legs. Since the recipe only called for four, I can see some confit in my future.

So I get home and pull these beautiful hunks of fowl out of the bag. They had to be skinned (you can see the skinned legs in the photo), and I'm here to tell ya the duck does not want to give up his skin like that wimpy chicken. It was a struggle to get off, plus ducks are so much more fatty than chickens that it was a slippery proposition. But with some careful knife work, a lot of vigorous pulling, and liberal use of "you think you're better than me, motherf*cker?", I soon had them ready. After this the dish came together quickly, and I have to say deliciously. Basically a standard braise, the finished product tasted eerily close to bouef bourguignon, and over the penne it was awesome. The duck doesn't get fall apart tender like chicken would, so it keeps a good chew. I didn't make the fancy-ass fresh garganelli pasta that tubby recommended (if you want to make it, the recipe is in his book), but took up his suggestion for all of us non-fresh pasta making pussies to sub dried penne and it worked just fine. With cooler weather coming, grab some duck legs and get this cooking. It's a perfect fall dish!
*** *** ***
Penne al Ragu d'Anatra
Penne with Duck Ragu
from "Molto Italiano"

ingredients:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 duck legs, skinned, cut apart at joint, visible fat removed, rinsed and patted dry.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium Spanish onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 rib celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
4 fresh sage leaves
2 cups dry red wine
1 cup chicken stock
One 6-ounce can tomato paste
16 to 18 ounces dried penne pasta
Parmigiano-Reggiano for grating

method:
1- In a Dutch oven heat the oil over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Season the duck pieces with salt and pepper and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to plate.

2- Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and sage to the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the vegetables are softened, 7 to 9 minutes. Add the wine, stock, and tomato paste, stir well and bring to a boil. Add the duck, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for one hour.

3- Transfer the duck pieces to a plate (keep the sauce at a simmer). When cool enough, pull or cut all the meat off bones, return meat to pot and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is quite thick. Season with salt and pepper, and transfer to 10 to 12-inch sauté pan, and keep warm over low heat.

4- Bring six quarts water to a boil, in a large pasta pot, add 2 tablespoons salt, add pasta, and cook to just al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Add the cooked pasta to the ragu and toss over high heat for 2 minutes to combine, adding a splash of pasta water to loosen sauce if needed. Divide pasta between four bowls, grate Parmagiano over each bowl and serve immediately.

über-seasonal, ultra-delicious: Orecchiete with Salsa Cruda and Ricotta Salata!

First off, just let me say that I really like that picture. It reminds me of those old Gourmet Magazine covers from the 50s & 60s. Okay, now that I'm done patting myself on the back, the thing I like more than that pic is this awesome pasta dish. Have a few tomatoes flooding your countertops, threatening to roll off onto the floor with a resounding "splat"? If you're like me the answer is yes, then you're always on the lookout for something new and delicious to use them in. And if like this recipe it also happens to be easy, then all the better! I stumbled across this on epicurious a few weeks ago, and had it on my to-make-list as something I needed to experience (you can only imagine how long that list is!). This incredibly simple and über-seasonal plate of pasta totally exceeded my expectations. I tweaked the original recipe a bit, adding ricotta salata rather than the called for regular ricotta (I could also see using feta and chopped kalamatas as one of many options) and adding pine nuts. I also upped the garlic and basil because when it comes to those ingredients, isn't more almost always better? The result was a fresh, bright, incredible flavorful plate of goodness that I wouldn't hesitate to make for guests. It is also perfect for the vegetarian set, and for the...ugh...vegans, I suppose they could leave out the cheese. But come on vegans, isn't savagely chopping tomatoes to bits and mercilessly crushing garlic cloves a form of murder? Hell yes it is, so get a grip and grab a hunk of cheese, for christ's sake!

Um, sorry for that digression. Geez, vegans...of all the people to get distracted by. Anyway, while the season is flush, put this on your own personal eating list. You'll be loving it, I promise!
*** *** ***
Orecchiette with Salsa Cruda and Ricotta Salata
adapted from Gourmet/Andrea Albin
makes 4 servings

ingredients:
1 medium shallot, minced
4 small garlic cloves, forced through a garlic press
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, chopped
1/4 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
1/2 cup coarsely chopped basil
1 pound dried orecchiette
1 cup ricotta salata (preferably fresh)
toasted pine nuts
Garnish: small basil leaves

method:
1-Stir together all ingredients except pasta and ricotta in a large bowl with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Let stand, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes.

2-Meanwhile, cook orecchiette in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 qt water) until al dente.

3-Drain pasta and toss with tomato salsa and ricotta salata. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with pinenuts.

Beating the heat: Shrimp-Zucchini-Cherry Tomato Pasta

When it comes to food, I'm what you might call a carb-whore. Bread, pizza, especially pasta....all good! It's 96* out as I type this and on a day like this I don't even want to stand next to a grill to take the heat outside. But I would want something fast, easy, light, and most of all delicious. This super seasonal pasta is just that. I know some people lose their appetite when it gets hot. Sadly, I'm not one of them. I could have the devil jabbing my ass with his pitchfork in hell and I'd still be eyeing the never ending pasta bowl. Oh wait, that sounds like Olive Garden, doesn't it? Hell....Olive Garden...hm, same thing I guess. Anyway, the point being that this bowl of happiness is just the ticket to put down on your dinner table when it's to effing hot outside. You would also be wise to throw a bottle or two of Italian white in the fridge. Maybe a refreshing Tocai-Friulano or a crisp Vermentino. Just make sure it's all stainless fermented so that nasty oak taste doesn't get in the way of your edible enjoyment!
*** *** ***
Shrimp-Zucchini-Cherry Tomato Pasta
serves 3 or 4

ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil if you must)
16-20 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 or 5 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes (or to taste)
2 medium zucchini or other summer squash, cut into 1/4" slices
1 or 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 pound dry pasta, fusilli or penne rigate
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

method:
Bring water to boil in large pasta pot. Add small handful of salt, then pasta. Cook to desired doneness. Meanwhile, melt butter (or put olive oil) in large (12") sauté pan over medium high heat. When butter melts, add garlic and chili flakes and stir for 30-45 seconds. Add shrimp and cook about 1-2 minutes per side, until done. Put shrimp into bowl and set aside. In same pan add one tablespoon butter. When melted add zucchini and sauté until slightly softened, but still firm, about four minutes. Add shrimp back to pan, stir in tomatoes and chopped basil. Drain cooked pasta and add to sauté pan. Mix together carefully to combine. Serve immediately with grated parmigiano and generous helping of white wine!

Eating spring: Asparagus, Meyer Lemon, and Pancetta Pasta

Every time I wander out in the backyard behind the wine shack, I always look longingly at my beloved dwarf Meyer lemon tree. I get excited by it not only because I love the bright, happy yellow fruit that hangs from it, but also I love the fact that I can grow any kind of citrus here in soggy Portland (this spring especially... this weather has been fucking brutal!). It's been producing a bounty of lemons lately, and I'm always trying to come up with new ways to use them. I've had following rolling around my food-obsessed dome for a couple of weeks now, and last night was the time to put it to the test. I had this feeling that the sweetly tart Meyers would get along perfectly with fresh spring asparagus, plus I have several chunks of portioned out pancetta just waiting in my freezer at home and any opportunity to use the glory that is a cured pork product is one not to pass up!

So after remarkably little effort and a kitchen filled with this mixture of head swirling and appetite inducing scents...garlic infused olive olive oil, fried pancetta, tart-sweet citrus....I have to say that this was absolutely freaking delicious and racked up a huge score on my pleasure meter. Served alongside a crisp bottle of Sancerre, this was food and wine heaven!
*** *** ***
Asparagus, Meyer Lemon, and Pancetta Pasta
serves 4

ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Four or five smashed, peeled garlic cloves
1 Meyer lemon, cut into thin slices and chopped up, saving the juices
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut on the bias into 1" pieces
4 to 5 ounces pancetta, chopped into 1/4" dice
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 pound dried pasta
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

method:
1-Put large pasta pot with water on to boil. When it comes to a boil, add three tablespoons salt and pasta and cook to desired doneness (I admit, I'm not a big al dente guy).

2-Put olive oil into large non-stick sauté pan over medium-high heat, add garlic cloves and let them infuse oil, turning occasionally. Remove cloves when they turn golden brown (do not let them burn!). Add chopped pancetta and fry until crisp, approximately 8 minutes. When pancetta is crisp, carefully drain off about half of rendered fat.

3-While pancetta is cooking bring small saucepan of salted water to boil. When it comes to a boil, add asparagus and cook for three minutes. Quickly remove from heat and dump into ice bath to stop cooking. Set aside.

4-When pancetta is done, turn heat down to medium-low and add lemon (with the juices) and asparagus and heat through for a couple of minutes. When pasta is done, drain and return to pasta pot and add pancetta mixture. Add 1/2 cup grated cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine. Serve immediately, passing remaining cheese for sprinkling on top.

Things I Love: pt. 2

Okay, I'm not really chowing down on raw rounds of pancetta....but I want to! But when I chop 'em up, cook 'em until they render a little porky juice (I used to drizzle a little bacon "juice" on my old basset hound's kibbles. Sounds so much healthier that bacon fat, don't you think?) and get that crispy edge, they provide untold pleasure. I could eat Marcella's glorious spaghetti alla carbonara perhaps every week if w would put up with it. Scrambled into eggs....the perfect way to start my day. Sprinkled like meaty, smoky croutons on top of a salad....heaven.

I recently picked up a new pancetta supply from local food wholesaler Provvista Foods here in PDX. A beautiful five pound round of the best pancetta I have yet tasted, Venetian Brand, made appropriately enough in Toronto, Canada (?!). It has an exquisite balance of smoky, salty, and baconey flavors and a perfect meat/fat ratio that only skilled Italian...um, I mean Canadian, charcuterie masters can attain. I slice it into five or six ounce portions, wrap them up and freeze them then pull it out as needed.

I am always looking for new ways to bring porky deliciousness into my world, and last night when I needed a quick, easy pasta I consulted epicurious while I was at "work", and came up with this gem. It had to be fast, because I was simultaneously cooking tonight's dinner of braised lamb shanks (more on that soon!). Two dinners cooking at the same time in one night....that is my kind of multi-tasking! In any event, this is one to try because it is fresh, light yet substantial, and gives you a nice hit of tomato and basil goodness, one of the world's greatest food combinations. A perfect family meal, or a nice pasta course at your next dinner soirée.
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Penne with Pancetta & Tomato-Cream Sauce
from epicurious

Using the fresh-tasting canned diced tomatoes eliminates the chopping step.
Makes 4 servings.

ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped pancetta or bacon (3 ounces)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 141/2-ounce cans petite diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup torn basil leaves, divided
1 pound penne

method:
Cook pancetta in large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 10-12 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain. Add olive oil and garlic to pancetta drippings and sauté 30 seconds. Add tomatoes with juices, wine, and cream. Bring sauce to boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce is slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup basil. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta and divide among 4 plates. Spoon sauce over pasta. Sprinkle pasta with pancetta and remaining 1/4 cup basil and serve.

Bucatini w/ Raw Nut Pesto and Tomato Sauce

This is what happens when I get to many recipes backed up in the to-do file. I miss out on something that tasted really different, and really good. I looked at the date in my recipe folder when I copied this into it. January '07. Over a year ago. I could have had this fab pasta at least two or three times in that period. Better late than never, I guess.

I'm always looking at different things to do with my beloved pasta (the other half in the addictive carb union with bread). I remember this one caught my eye in the New York Times because it was so different...a raw pesto made from four different kinds of nuts. Since that was out of my scope at that time, I knew it was something I had to try. I just didn't know it'd take me a year+. C'est la vie, It was worth the wait, and if you want something out of the ordinary...and not that I care but vegetarian friendly... to spring on your jaded palates, you've got to rock this great dish!
*** *** ***

Bucatini With Raw Nut Pesto and Tomato Sauce
(Bucatini alla Lipari)
Time: About 40 minutes

for the tomato sauce:
1⁄4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 pound (about 2 cups) canned whole peeled tomatoes, with juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

the nut pesto and tomato sauce


for the pesto:
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups mixed whole raw nuts, like pine nuts, walnuts, pistachios and hazelnuts
3 to 4 leaves of fresh mint
Freshly ground black pepper

for the pasta:
Salt
1 pound bucatini
Fresh mint leaves, for garnish
Grated sheep’s milk pecorino.

1. For tomato sauce: In a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat, heat oil and sauté onion until translucent. Add garlic and tomatoes with their juices, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer uncovered until most of the juices have evaporated, 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare pesto.

2. For pesto: In a food processor, combine garlic, hot pepper flakes, olive oil, nuts and mint. Pulse to make a smooth paste (a slightly coarse nut butter). Season with black pepper to taste and set aside.

3. For pasta: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add bucatini and cook until al dente (firm to the bite). Set aside 1⁄2 cup pasta water, and drain pasta well. Return pasta to the warm pot and add pesto and tomato sauce. Toss well to coat, adding reserved water as needed to thin the sauce. Transfer to a warm serving bowl and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Serve with pecorino cheese passed separately.

Yield: 4 servings.

cooks note: a good quality pecorino is really key here, as it adds an essential saltiness to the dish. Also don't be shy with the pasta water as the nut pesto really thickens up.

Super Bowl Bolognese

What says love more to your crew than a pot of something simmery that has been on the stovetop for over four hours? NOTHING, that's what! And what is more deliciously simmery that a big 'ol pot of Bolognese sauce? That's right, class, nothing again! So yesterday for some post Super Bowl dinner fun, I rocked an awesome batch of Bolognese sauce all day on the stove. For this version, made twice now with resounding success, I've combined the best of two recipes, making it about 80% Dean and Deluca Cookbook, and 20% Marcella's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. With the predictable 100% satisfaction factor! And man, does the house smell good with this bit of loveliness going all day, plus there's plenty of leftover sauce even after taking care of five hungry appetites. You can freeze it in smaller containers, or if you're Bolognese whore like me, eat it again in a couple of days because it's too fucking good to stay away from!!
*** *** ***

Bolognese Sauce
adapted from "Dean and Deluca Cookbook" and "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking"

ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced celery
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 pound ground beef (pref. ground chuck)
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
1/4 pound chicken livers, chopped
1/2 cup whole milk
2 cups canned San Marzano tomatoes, chopped with juice
1 1/2 cups beef stock
1 cup dry white wine
freshly grated nutmeg

method:
1- Heat olive oil and butter over moderate heat, Add onions and sauté u7ntil opaque, about 8 minutes. Add chopped carrot, celery, kosher salt, and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.

2- Add ground beef, veal, and pork and crumble with a wooden spoon. Cook until meat is no longer pink, ad add chicken livers and milk (the milk is Marcella's idea, she says: "cook the meat in milk before adding tomatoes and wine to protect it from the acidic bite of the latter". Makes sense to me. -BB). Simmer for five to ten minutes until milk is mostly evaporated away.

3-Add tomato sauce, 1 cup beef stock, and white wine. Stir well and simmer, uncovered, over very low heat (an occasional bubble should break the surface) for 1-1/2 hours. Add remaining beef stock and simmer for another 1-1/2 or more hours. Add nutmeg and adjust seasonings.

Cooks note: some chefs, myself included, like to add a little cream at the end to finish the sauce. Thickens it up slightly and seems to ad just the right richness. Marcella recommends fresh tagliatelle, which we had. Also good are DeCecco penne and fusilli.

Getting Our Crab (pasta) On!

Like all couples, w and I have developed certain rituals. For our purposes here, and because you really don't neet too much information, I'll keep this post on one of our food related rituals. Not that you'd be interested in the others or anything, right??! I had meant to post this for the last several days, since it is all about Christmas Eve dinner at our place, but in the course of ingesting immoderate amounts of food and alcohol and other bits of social holiday cheer over the past several days, it didn't quite get from the "in my head" phase to the "on the page" phase. But now, with cranial clarity finally returning, and with we lucky souls here in the NW being in the heart of Dungeness crab season, this is actually the perfect time for this particular sharing moment.

You probably read a few posts ago about my deep and abiding love for Dungeness crab and all its sweetly satisfying pleasure that lies within its prettily pinkish carapace. Not to mention that smugness I feel at buying said goodness for about $5 a pound. Plus eating crab right out of the shell is one of those primal food pleasures that is really without equal. But for those of you who like me crave diversity in your crabbish comestibles, then this pasta is guaranteed to wow you, your family, and any lucky friends who get invited to partake. The sweet crab is perfectly set off by the faintly bitter radicchio, pungent garlic, and zesty lemon. So quick, so EASY, and insanely good!!
*************************

Linguine with Crab, Radicchio, and Garlic
serves 4

ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 shallots, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon red chile flakes
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound linguine
3/4 to 1 pound fresh crab meat (from 2 whole crabs)
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon zest
1/2 head radicchio, shredded
2 scallions, thinly sliced

method:
Bring 6 quarts water to boil and add 2 tablespoons salt.

In a 12 to 14-inch saute pan, heat the oil until smoking. Add the shallots, garlic, and chiles and saute until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, then add the butter, and remove from heat. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, until just al dente, and drain.

Add the drained pasta to the pan with the wine mixture and return pan to heat. Add crab, radicchio, lemon zest, and scallion and toss until radicchio is wilted, about 1 minute. Pour into a warm serving bowl and serve.


Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Medium
Yield: 4 servings

You CAN always get what you want.......

What if you could have whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted? Imagine the possibilities. GWB would wake up one morning and decide to "establish" yet another democracy and alienate the other half of the world without any pesky questions. Senator Larry Craig could have the run of airport restrooms around the country where he could "borrow more toilet paper". And for a long time I would gladly have had at my beck and call a plate of Portland's 3 Doors Down Café's iconic dish of Penne alla Vodka, the best version of this homey Italian classic I have ever had. Sadly, for so long it was not to be, and I could only have it at the restaurant. I would go there for one of my regular visits and ignore the rest of the menu, which is awesome by the way, just so I could get my fix. Then one day a couple of years ago, I was looking up their phone number on their website, and came across the "recipe" tab. Hmm.....one click later, magically the rest of their menu opened up to me, because now I can make my beloved 3DD PaV at home! Now I could actually try something else on their menu when I walked in their doors. Just so you know, nobody knows roast chicken like chef/owner Dave Marth!

Yesterday, I found myself with the 3 hours necessary to make this staggeringly luscious and addictive pasta for dinner, and once again I blessed Al Gore for inventing the internet so I could make this discovery. And with all due respect to Mick Jagger, sometimes you can always get what you want!

If you're looking for a pasta dish that is guaranteed to make your friends worship your culinary skills, this is it. It's incredibly easy, and the reward given to effort expended ratio is off the charts!
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Penne alla Vodka
from 3 Doors Down Cafe

ingredients
1 Cup Vodka
6 Mild Italian Link Sausages
1 Cup Whipping Cream
2 Tbl Unsalted Butter
1 & 1/2 Tbl Tomato Paste
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
1 Lb Penne Pasta
1 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 Cup Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
56 Oz Canned Italian Tomatoes
Fresh, Chopped Oregano, For Sprinkling

method
In a large pot, bring water to boil. Add the sausage links and boil for 10 minutes. Remove the links and set aside. In a heavy-bottomed sauté pan or skillet, melt the butter and add onion and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium-low heat until onion is translucent. Stir in the whole tomatoes with liquid and simmer for one hour. Add the sausage links and vodka and continue to cook at a simmer for another hour. Turn the heat to high, add cream and tomato paste and stir constantly for 10 minutes. Reduce to simmer and continue to cook for another 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Drop the pasta in the boiling water and cook, stirring frequently until molto al dente (about 1 minute from al dente-which is tender but firm to the bite). Drain well and toss pasta and sauce in casserole dish with 2/3 cup grated cheese. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup cheese on top. Sprinkle with oregano and serve. Make sure to serve with a nice crusty Italian como or ciabatta bread for dunking in the sauce. We like to drizzle a tiny bit of extra virgin Olive oil over the top right before serving. This is a great dish for company.