The Pasta Man

Pizza with mussels and green garlic

Tue, 29 May 2012 09:14:57 -0400

Most cooking is easy. Pizza requires skill. I grew up in the best pizza state in the universe, Connecticut, so my standards are high. Delicious toppings are the easy part. You can one-up the delivery chains with just a little foodie hipster smackdown. Two-up them. Seven-up them, even. (Hey, just got that one.) But a perfectly cooked crust, crispy but chewy with flavor and char, that takes work. Talent. Awesomeness. Even if you buy the dough already mixed from Whole Foods.

I’m working on it….

As for the toppings, well, kid stuff. White clam pizza is a New Haven classic. There was this New York Times post about clam and green garlic pasta and this one about pizza with mussels. Kablamo: like New Haven clam pizza, but with mussels — cheap, easy, and available at Whole Foods [insert “your mom” joke here] — and fresh from the farmer’s market. I pre-roasted the green garlic in the oven with some olive oil and salt. Now if I could only get the pizza to make a circle…. Pasta Man Nation: any tips for stretching out pizza dough?

Classic beef tacos

Fri, 25 May 2012 09:12:14 -0400

With rice pilaf, charred corn, refried beans. The meat has some sauteed onions and jalapenos as well as a basic spice mixture. Tex-mex, I guess.

Edamame-miso pesto

Tue, 22 May 2012 07:59:00 -0400

It’s wedding season, and if there’s one thing that’s better than true love, it’s passed appetizers. I was recently at a wedding event catered by the Rickshaw Dumpling truck, and holy sign-of-the-times, Batman, the vegetarian dumplings were the best of the bunch and absolutely delicious. If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then stick a chopstick in me, I’m soy.

And that’s not even mentioning the crazy umami from the miso…

I had classic basil pesto in mind for mimicry, and really this was child’s play: miso for umami (a la parmesan), ginger for the herb (a la basil), garlic for the garlic (a la garlic), and edamame for substance and nuttiness (a la pine nuts). A la, I’m tired of saying a la. The red stuff you see is gojujang. Make this!

EDAMAME-MISO PESTO

1 lb frozen shelled edamame, thawed (I left mine on the counter all day)
4 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 large piece ginger (about 4 inches), peeled and sliced
2 tbl red miso
1/3 cup olive oil (or more to taste)
2 tsp salt

1. Blend garlic and ginger in food processor, scraping down sides as needed.

2. Add 2/3 edamame, miso, olive oil, and salt to processor. Process until well-blended, scraping down sides as needed.

3. Add remaining edamame and pulse a few times.

Roasted chicken and potatoes, roasted beets with sour cream and chives

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:28:23 -0400

Chicken chicken chicken beet beet beet potato potato potato, chicken chicken chicken beet beet beet…..

Fried oysters, sriracha mayo, brussels with fish sauce

Tue, 15 May 2012 09:16:41 -0400

I have a deep fryer, with which I fry things. There is something in the world better than a fried oyster, and that is a fried Ipswich clam, a delicious sea creature that is certainly unavailable for retail purchase in the District. (Long live Lenny’s of Branford, CT!) But oysters are delicious and available everywhere. Roasted brussels sprouts with equal parts water, sugar, and fish sauce compliment the oysters perfectly, and sriracha mayo, well, I could put sriracha mayo on a piece of moon rock (also not available in the District) and it’d be delicioso. While we’re on the subject, here is a zen koan for you: is it brussel sprouts or brussels sprouts? Discuss.

Gay marriage pork chop

Thu, 10 May 2012 09:40:00 -0400

All right, there’s no connection, but the recipe really is delicious! I’ve combined two Chris Kimball recipes: his “basic” pork chop spice rub, which accompanies a recipe for grilling, and his easy pan-sauteed pork chop recipe. Total winner. The pan-saute produces a pork chop that is juicy and succulent, with a nice crispy crust — an all-too rare combination for pork. And the spice rub, though deemed “basic,” is anything but: it includes curry powder! Cook’s Illustrated tends to be a little on the, erm, conventional side, so this was a pleasant surprise. The curry gives a fantastically complex, even beguiling flavor to the rub. Total winner. Just like gay marriage.

PORK CHOPS COOKED IN PAN WITH SPICE RUB

2 thick bone-in pork chops (extra rub will remain for later use)
1 tbl ground cumin
1 tbl chili powder (I use chipotle chili powder for spicy smoke)
1 tbl curry powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp brown sugar
veg oil
kosher salt

1. Pat chops dry and salt both sides with kosher salt, thoroughly. Mix spices together and rub on one side of each chop; press rub into meat. (There will be extra rub; retain for later use.)

2. Heat burner to medium heat without pan on heat. When burner is hot (medium hot, that is), add glug of veg oil to pan and move pan to heat; add chops and press chops down into pan. Cook undisturbed until nice crust forms on chops, about six minutes.

3. Flip chops, lower heat to low, and cover pan. Cook until chops are done (135 degrees on a meat thermometer if you have one), about five minutes (depending on thickness of chops). Remove chops from pan and tent with foil; retain pan juices.

4. After five minutes, serve chops, pouring pan juices over them.

Crab cakes, polenta, asparagus

Tue, 08 May 2012 09:05:50 -0400

Crab cakes, without fresh crab! That are just as good as fresh crab cakes! That was the promise of this recent recipe from Chris Kimball. And my man over at My Year with CK agreed. So were the cakes as good as they say? As good as cakes with fresh crab? In a word: no. They were tasty, but an awful lot of work for something not quiite as good as the real thing. I’d recommend these guys if you really need to spare a buck, or if you’re living in Denver, but otherwise, stick to the real thing.

Pork ragu

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:12:00 -0400

When people think of pasta with meat sauce, usually they’re thinkin’ beef. I do love me some spaghetti and meatballs, having created the single best version of that dish in the history of the world, but really pork gives beef a run for its money when it comes to pasta. Exhibit A: Bacon. Bacon. Bacon. Bacon bacon bacon. Do I need to say more? Yes, because this weekend I made an incredible pork ragu (no bacon) that will rock your world.

Your silly, silly world:

When you cook pork forever, something magical happens. Pulled pork. Carnitas. Pernil. Every culture knows about slow-cooking pork. This is an Italian take on that pearl of wisdom, and the recipe is pretty basic: brown some fatty meat (rib or shoulder). Saute some aromatics. Add tomatoes and wine. Cook forever. Serve, with fresh basil. Mmmmm.

PORK RAGU

2 lbs pork, boneless and fatty (rib or shoulder, not loin)
2 onions and 2 peeled carrots, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
1 tsp each of dried oregano, basil, and thyme
2 bay leaves
chili flakes
1 cup red wine
42 oz canned tomatoes (I used 28 oz whole tomatoes and 14 oz crushed)
6 oz can tomato paste
fresh basil, sliced
olive oil

1. Add glug of olive to large oven-safe pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Rub pork on all sides with kosher salt and ground pepper. Add pork to pot and brown on all sides. Remove pork to plate.

2. Add onions and carrots and cook until softened, about five minutes. Add garlic and spices and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add red wine and cook five minutes. Add tomatoes and pork and raise heat to high until boiling.

3. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Cover pot with lid, leaving small crack, and put in the oven. Cook for four hours until meat is falling apart. (Alternatively, simmer on stovetop at slight bubble, monitoring carefully to avoid overcooking.)

4. Remove pork and discard bay leaves. Shred pork with two forks. Return pork to sauce. Cook on stove-top over medium heat for 20-30 minutes. Serve with pasta and garlic bread.

Scallops and sorrel, lemon brown butter, asparagus and rice

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:37:02 -0400

A spring take on a Bittman classic.

Rub it in chicken

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 07:02:35 -0400

Lately, I’ve been feeling like spice rubs are underutilized in American cooking. Aside from the occasional blackened fish fillet and maybe some Texas brisket, it’s a relatively rare technique. That’s really too bad, and this great spice mixture from Chris Kimball - applied to a piece of poultry a few hours before roasting - should make a convert out of you. (If you have chipotle powder in the house, substitute it for the chili for a spicy, smoky treat.) I’ll offer two bits of wisdom for making a spice rub the star at your next meal: 1) don’t skimp on the spices or the salt, and 2) don’t be squeamish about touching the chicken - you just have to get your hands dirty and get the mixture all over the bird and under the skin. As my personal hero and mentor, Crash Craddock, puts the point in this extraordinary instructional video, “rub it in, rub it in.” I think I even heard the chicken singing along before I roasted him in the oven.

Where the wild leeks are: Ramps, eggs, polenta

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:47:43 -0400

And when I came to the place where the wild leeks are,

they roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth,

‘til I said “BE STILL!” and tamed them by sauteing them with butter and garlic.

I’LL EAT YOU UP!

Best light egg salad, from the pantry

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 09:17:00 -0400

My stomach does not miraculously fill itself. I need to put things in my mouth and chew those things in order to become full. Unusual, I know. Daunting, even. Your sympathy is appreciated, but it isn’t necessary. I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it. It is what it is.

As a result of my… condition, I’m always on the look-out for healthy, tasty things to bring with me to work that are easy to prepare. In the course of that endeavor, I have stumbled across a method for low-fat egg salad that can be made completely from pantry ingredients that is extremely delicious.

Just making the best of a bad situation, I guess….

The red egg was leftover from Easter, but you don’t need a red egg to make this egg salad. What you do need are breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs are your secret weapon here. Why is that… A number of reasons. In general, mayo-based salads need a binder to keep everything rich and tied together. Also, light mayonnaise will start to break down if it gets a little warm, and the breadcrumbs keep it all together, so the breadcrumbs are especially important for light egg salad and especially especially important if you’re bringing it to work. And then there’s the seasoning… I use a mixture of seasoned breadcrumbs and regular breadcrumbs. (You don’t want to use modish panko here because you don’t want crunch, just texture.)

Then a littttle bit of dijon mustard adds some meatiness (I actually think that is the right word, though odd), ground garlic gives it another layer of flavor, and lemon pepper gives it a bit of citrus and bite. And there you have it. The best light egg salad ever. Just in case you need to consume food some time. Like I do. Every single day.

BEST LIGHT EGG SALAD, WITH PANTRY INGREDIENTS

3 hard boiled eggs (use the Bittman method, if you like), roughly chopped
2 tsp seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tsp unseasoned breadcrumbs
2.5 tbl light mayo
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp dijon mustard
several grinds lemon pepper

1. Mix all ingredients.

Rethinking tacos: brisket

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:18:00 -0400

Hello tacos my old friend,

I’ve come to eat you again,

Because the passover seder,

Left me brisket to eat later,

And the flavor that was planted in my mouth,

Still remains

with the taste

of tacos….

Spring Green Pasta

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:14:04 -0400

Has swiss chard always existed? Did someone in an alternate universe create swiss chard a few years ago and decide to insert it here through the fourth dimension, altering our recollections and adding references to it in all forms of media? Has swiss chard always existed, but our memories of it before 2009 were wiped out by radiation from the flux capacitor? Alternatively, am I just the only person who didn’t know about swiss chard until a few years ago?

I’m going with the fourth dimension guy….

This pasta was the product of a farmer’s market bounty: swiss chard, spring onions, and parsley. I just fried up some garlic chips and bread crumbs and sauteed and steamed the produce simply in olive oil with some butter thrown in at the end for extra flavor. The whole thing was sent over the top by some fancy pasta from Fairway supermarket, donated to the blog by a member of The Pasta Man Nation (TPM Nation). Thank you, groupies!

PASTA WITH CHARD, SPRING ONIONS, AND PARSLEY

1 lb pasta
1 large bunch green onions, chopped
1 large bunch swiss chard, chopped with stems separated from leaves
3/4 cup chopped parsley
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 cup panko
olive oil
1 tbl butter
salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes

1. Boil pasta until al dente in salted water.

2. Over medium heat, saute garlic slivers in olive oil until starting to brown (but not burn) - about 4 minutes. Remove garlic chips from pan and place on paper towel, leaving oil in pan. Toast panko in remaining oil, stirring regularly, about 3 minutes. Remove to bowl.

3. Over medium heat, saute green onions in a glug of olive oil, with salt and red pepper flakes to taste, until onions are soft and fragrant - about 3 minutes.

4. Move onions to edges of pan. Add another bit of olive oil to center and place saute swiss chard stems in the oil until starting to soften, about 4 minutes. Add a tablespoon of water directly on top of chard stems and cover pan, letting stems soften as water steams for another 1-2 minutes.

5. Mix everything in pan together. Add chard leaves and parsley, stir. After 2 minutes, add several tablespoons of pasta cooking water and cover, allowing greens to cook down — but not to become totally mushy — about 2 more minutes.

6. Combine pasta, butter, and greens mixture; add pepper to taste. Top with garlic chips and bread crumbs. Serve, passing parmesan.

Passover Brisket

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:10:00 -0400

When Passover was at hand,

Let my brisket go!

Meat not tough as rubberband,

Let my brisket go!

The Secret to great brisket, in my (and Chris Kimball’s) opinion, is twofold. First, you need to braise the meat, getting a delicious flavorful crust from a sear in the pan and then cooking it forever in tasty liquid. Second, you need to strain the fat off so that the sauce isn’t unpalatably greasy. Chris recommends cooking the brisket the day before and then cooling it off so that the fat is easy to skim, but you can also just skim it off the top. In any case, this brisket is delicious: the red wine and onions, as well as fresh thyme and a bay leafprovide a huge amount of depth and flavor, and the braise provides both flavor and the fall-off-the-bone texture (though there is no bone). This one feeds a crowd and is good enough to make all year round, not just on passover.

BRISKET

1 beef brisket , 4 to 5 pounds
3 large onions, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 tbl brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tbl tomato paste
1 tbl paprika
1/4 tsp red pepper
2 tbl flour (or matzah meal, for passover)
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup red wine
3 bay leaves
3 springs fresh thyme
2 tsp cider vinegar

1. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Line baking dish with two sheets of heavy duty foil, positioning sheets perpendicular to each other and allowing excess foil to extend beyond edges of pan. Pat brisket dry with paper towels. Place brisket fat side up on cutting board; using dinner fork, poke holes in meat through fat layer about 1 inch apart. Season both sides of brisket liberally with salt and pepper.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon veg oil in 12-inch pan over medium-high. Put brisket fat side up in skillet and weigh brisket with heavy object. Cook until browned, about seven minutes. Remove object; flip brisket and cook on second side without weight until browned, another 7 minutes. Transfer brisket to platter.

3. Pour off most of fat from pan; stir in onions, sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt and cook until onions are soft and brown, ten to 12 minutes. Add garlic and cook, until fragrant, about 1 minute; add tomato paste and cook two minutes. Add paprika and red pepper and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Sprinkle flour (or matzah meal) over onions and cook until well combined, about two minutes. Add broth, wine, bay, and thyme; bring to simmer and simmer about five minutes until thickened.

4. Pour sauce and onions into baking dish. Add brisket. Fold foil over and seal but do not crimp foil. Add to oven and cook until brisket is very tender, about 3.5 to 4 hours. Transfer everything to a large bowl and remove bay leaves and thyme. Cool (overnight is fine) and scrape off excess fat.

5. About 45 minutes before serving, heat oven to 350 and add everything to baking dish, cover with foil, and heat through, about twenty minutes. Serve.

The Hunger Pestos

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:55:00 -0400

I roll over in bed. Is it… today? It feels like any other day. I consider braiding my hair… then remember my hair is too short to braid. I slide onto my bike and hightail it to the farmer’s market, sack (Trader Joe’s grocery bag) slung over my shoulder. Is it… today? (Ramp) reaping day? I arrive, and there they are. Ramps. The funkiest leeks in the world. The harbinger of spring. But wait. Next to them, ramps’ age old friend, now turned enemy, now turned frenemy…. green garlic. [Chapter ends.]

[New chapter:] A perfectly plausible plot solution: a pesto death match. [Chapter ends.]

Who will prevail? The ramps? Or the garlic? The suspense is killing you… But not literally.

Who won the battle? That’s like asking whether Katniss or Peeta won. OK, it was Katniss. And Katniss is… probably the ramps. That earthy, leeky, funkiness. Mmm. Get them before spring is gone.

PESTO

1 bunch herbs
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
juice of about half a lemon
salt to taste

1. Process. Don’t under-salt.

Spanish chicken

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:20:36 -0400

Do you ever think to yourself, “Boy, I’d like to take in a bullfight today!”? Or perhaps you say: “It’s time for some flamenco dancing!” When you find yourself lusting for the fiestas of Spain, I have a solution that doesn’t involve taffeta or being chased around by a large angry animal.

Unless that floats your boat…

This recipe is from Food52 and, man, does it pack a lot of flavor. Smoked paprika! Lemon zest! Olives! Fennel! Cinnamon! Wine! Mmm, it’s good. Or should I say… muy bien.

SPANISH CHICKEN

1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds, cut into parts
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
3 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium lemons
2 large yellow onions, sliced
1 large fennel bulb, halved and sliced
12 whole garlic cloves, peeled
3/4 cups pitted green olives
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 cup whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
1 cup white wine

1. Pre-heat oven to 425. Combine 1/2 cup flour and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika in bowl. Heat the oil in a big pot over medium-high. Dry the chicken with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in the flour mixture. Add chicken to pan in batches and brown, then remove to plate.

2. Zest the lemons and juice them. Add the onions, lemon juice and zest, fennel, garlic, olives, remaining 2 tsp smoked paprika, and cinnamon to pot. Cook until softened, about ten minutes. Taste for salt. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoons of flour and cook for two minutes. Add tomatoes and wine and bring to boil for a minute or two.

3. Add chicken back to pot. Put in oven and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Serve.

Meatball sub with Philly provolone and caramelized onions

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 07:03:00 -0400

When life gives you the best meatballs ever….

Don Draper spaghetti (with the best meatballs ever)

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 07:45:35 -0400

This blog is not about Pasta As You Know It. This blog is about pasta expansion. About going boldly where no pasta has gone before. Red sauce Italian: it’s literally a cliche. But, you know, sometimes you need to break old ground. Connect it to the return of Mad Men, if you like. What’s in now? What was in then.

Incidentally, these were the best meatballs I’ve had in my whole life. Better than anything Don and Betty ever had.

Retro only goes so far…

How do you think he does it? What makes these meatballs so good? Chris Kimball has a few tricks up his sleeve for this one. The meatballs get tang and texture from a yogurt-milk-bread mixture and flavor from a blend of beef and pork. Parsley adds freshness. Salt keeps it tasty. Frying them up on all sides for crust. Don’t overpack for texture.

These meatballs are juicy and crunchy and complexly flavored. Just like you get at Lutece. That sentence is… wrong in so many ways. Sorry, Don.

SPAGHETTI WITH MEATBALLS

For meatballs:
3/4 lb ground beef chuck
1/4 lb ground pork
2 slices sandwich bread, crusts removed, cubed
6 tbl plain yogurt mixed with 2 tbl milk
1/4 cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving
2 tbl minced parsley
1 tsp garlic, chopped
1 egg yolk
3/4 tsp salt

For pasta:
1 lb pasta
28 oz can tomatoes
2 tbl tomato paste
1 tbl minced fresh basil leaves

1. Cook pasta in heavily salted water until al dente.

2. Combine bread and yogurt-milk in bowl. Let sit for ten minutes and press with fork.

3. Mix paste with other meatball ingredients. Lightly form meatballs into about a dozen meatballs.

4. Add large glug of vegetable oil to pan over medium-high heat. Cook meatballs on all sides until well-browned; if necessary, cook in batches. (Cook on all sides, leaning meatballs up against each other if necessary.) Remove to paper towels.

5. Add sauce ingredients to pan and bring to boil. Lower heat to medium and cook ten minutes, stirring. Taste for salt and salt.

6. Mix pasta and meatballs with sauce. Serve, passing parmesan.

Steak

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 07:17:16 -0400

Steak. From CostCo. Mmm.