Another Variation On The Classic Carbonara (With Asparagus, Eggs and Pancetta)

I've done Carbonara before with step-by-step photos.  (Click on the Link)

Here is another variation - this time, instead of adding mushrooms (which is not the Classic Recipe either - the classic is just olive oil, pancetta and eggs and black pepper) I've added asparagus which is in the markets now, thanks to springtime in South America, I presume.

Asparagus is a perfect companion to eggs and "bacon" - in this case, pancetta.

I sautéed the garlic and the diced pancetta.

(DO NOT USE BACON!!!! Nothing imparts the saltiness and taste of real pancetta and smoked bacon is just nasty in this dish)

Then I added the asparagus which I had cut into about one-inch pieces and let them cook "al dente" - no mushy asparagus here.

I had prepped the eggs, beaten them well with black pepper and had the pot of water boiling with the pasta. Use spaghetti, linguini, white or whole wheat, even fettuccine. Work quickly to get all the ingredients ready at the same time. Drain the pasta and toss immediately into the beaten eggs. Add in the asparagus and pancetta garlic sauce.

Sprinkle on grated Romano or Parmigiano cheese.

Dinner was ready! And so were we!

I cooked almost a pound of linguini and Leon and I ate ALMOST the whole bowl. Benni had the rest.

Carbonara is perhaps my favorite pasta dish next to traditional tomato sauce with meatballs, sausage and pork.

YUM!

Shrimp & Orzo; Zucchini & Fresh Tomato Salsa - Party Leftovers Into A Meal

Sorry, we ate the whole thing before I even thought about posting this, so there are no photos. 

On Labor Day we had a a houseful of folks over for cookout and a kind of pot-luck.  People brought salads, desserts, appetizers and there was a lot of stuff left.

I had made "Italian Salsa" to go with the corn chips: diced fresh garden tomatoes, garlic, finely diced jalapeños, parsley, basil (NO CILANTRO) and a little sugar.

My cousin Rose had made a nice casserole of orzo and there was a good portion left.

Another guest brought cooked shrimp and there were 12 - 18 shrimp left.

There was a plastic container with lots of sliced onions untouched by the burger lovers.

I'll make it brief. This is just an example of how you might create something wonderful from what's in the fridge. And it was done in less than thirty minutes - probably closer to twenty.

My cooking mind went to work, thinking basically "shrimp" "garlic" "orzo" but I needed a vegetable:

I put a handful of sliced onion into a skillet with a little olive oil to sauté.

[I'm not sure anything I cook is sautéed as the flame is always on "high" - as the song goes: I never do anything "Nice" and "Easy" just "Nice" and "Rough"]

I went out to the garden to get swiss chard but instead decided on two medium size zucchinis. I cut them up and tossed them in with the onion. Let them cook a bit, even get just a little golden color on some of the zucchini slices.

Ah! I remembered the Italian Salsa, so I put two or three ladles of that juicy tomato and jalapeño and basil mixture in to cook with zucchini.

While that simmered, I peeled and chopped some garlic, sautéed that in olive oil and tossed in the left over cooked shrimp and let them get good and garlicky.

Then I added a couple of ladles of orzo with a little water so it would steam-heat. I kept stirring it all so it wouldn't burn.

When it was heated through we had delicious zucchini with tomato-jalapeño and garlic shrimp with orzo.

Didn't matter if the zucchini mixed in with the shrimp and orzo because it was even better that way than keeping each separately! A little parmesan cheese on top. Yum.

Oh, was that good!

So, have a party! Use up those left-overs! Be creative! Dinner's ready!

Cole Slaw Plain and Simple

For this summer cookout salad you will need 1 head of cabbage or 1/2 head each of a green cabbage and a red cabbage, cider vinegar, salt, sugar, mayonnaise, prepared horseradish, baby carrots, raisins and or dried cranberries.

I start by hand shredding some cabbage. I like to mix green and red cabbage, about half a head each. Here is just a small head of green cabbage because I didn't have any red on hand.

It shreds to about 8 cups. Then add 1/4 cup of cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons of salt, and enough water to cover the cabbage. Allow to soak in the vinegar water for at least 30 minutes to an hour while you prepare the rest of the ingredients and go read a chapter of my memoir.

I like the baby carrots because I am too lazy to peel carrots; besides we always have some in the fridge because our dog, Benni, likes them as a bedtime snack. 

 Grate up about a cup of carrots.

Drain the cabbage, but do not rinse it.

Add about 1/3 cup of mayonnaise, 2 heaping tablespoons of prepared horseradish and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Mix well. Then add the shredded carrots, 1/2 to 2/3 cup of raisins and/or dried cranberries.

NOTE: This is not my preferred brand of horseradish - there is a local brand - Martin Rosol's White Horseradish - that is much better and I think it makes all the difference in the flavor. It is coarse ground white horseradish.

Add those ingredients and mix well to coat all the cabbage with the mayo and horseradish. Let the coleslaw sit in the refrigerator for several hours. (read a couple of chapters of my memoir).

Serve with your barbecued chicken, grilled hot dogs, bratwurst, or kielbasa.

Happy summer! Dinner's (almost) Ready!

(Almost) Instant Mac and Cheese (and Healthier Too)

Baked cod, roasted tomatoes, asparagus and quick mac and cheese with cauliflower.

I came up with this side dish tonight to go with some baked cod (frozen cod from Costco) with roasted tomatoes, and asparagus.

I put the cod and the halved tomatoes in a casserole and drizzled all with olive oil, sprinkled the tomatoes with salt, pepper and oregano and the cod with black pepper and Italian style bread crumbs.

That all went into the oven at 375, for about 20-25 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish) and I got a pot of water boiling and put the asparagus in a skillet with a little butter and white wine, ready to go on the fire.

I had about 1/3 box of quick-cook Ronzoni penne pasta (which cooks in 3 minutes) and when the cod was close to being done, I got the pasta into the pot to boil while the cauliflower (which was last night's leftover - roasted in the oven with olive oil and garlic, so I knew it would go good with pasta) was in the microwave to reheat - also 3 minutes.

When the pasta was done, I put the asparagus on to cook in the skillet on high heat for just a few minutes.

I drained the pasta, put in two heaping tablespoons (+/-) of plain non-fat yogurt and approximately 3 heaping tablespoons (+/-) of grated Romano cheese, added in the cauliflower with its garlicky sauce and tossed the whole thing together.

Easy and healthier mac and cheese

The fish was done and so was the asparagus. All in less than 30 minutes. Rachael Ray, eat your heart out.