Creamy Pappardelle with Bacon and Leeks

Hey guys!  This recipe is originally from Bon Appetite but I found it here at Epicurious.  We are still slogging through season 2 of 90210.  I am serving it with an arugula salad to make us feel better about eating a pasta with sauce made of cream and bacon fat.

It turned out really good!  I did it pretty much according to the directions but I left out the oil and butter in the beginning, which seemed like bringing sand to the beach.  I had been planning to serve it with a poached egg on top to make it more brunchy but I forgot.  It was great on its own.  I will definitely make this again!

Also I wanted to let you guys know at Trader Joes they have this amazing applewood smoked bacon that is around $10 a pound, but they also have "ends and pieces" of the same stuff for $3 a pound which was perfect for this recipe.  I bought a condo so I am frugal now.


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 2 medium leeks, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise
• Kosher salt
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 pound pappardelle or fettuccine
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano

Preparation:

Heat oil and butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring often, until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, 5-8 minutes. Add leeks and season with salt. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, until leeks begin to brown, 5-8 minutes. Add cream, thyme, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and coats the back of a spoon, 5-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid.

Add pasta, Parmesan, and 1 cup pasta cooking liquid to sauce and stir to coat. Increase heat to medium and continue stirring, adding more cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta.

Nicoise Sandwich

• • 
    
    
    Hi  Laurel here...
    
    
    These sandwiches turned out really good!  They are a little messy which I don't mind, but if you wanted to make them for a picnic or something I think if you put a little less filling per sandwich they would be more manageable.  
    
    
    The recipe I worked off of was from Epicurious, you can find it here.  Although I did take a few liberties...
    
    
    I ended up not using any white onion (there's already red onion and scallions I didn't see any need to turn this into a triple onion party), also I didn't add any additional olive oil.  I'm not sure about other brands but the tuna I used (Ortiz) had plenty of oil in the can to complete the dressing for my taste.  In order to let the onions do their thing I just put everything for the dressing and the tuna with oil together and let it sit for a little.
    
    
    I couldn't find good kaiser rolls so I tried an olive bread and a regular baguette.  The flavor of the olive bread with the sandwich was great, but the bread had really big air pockets in it, so I thought the baguette version turned out a little better because the baguette was better at soaking up the awesome juices of the filling.
    
    
    I also used a little less anchovy, and what I did use i chopped into quarters so you didn't end up with a big ol' mouthful of anchovy.
    
    
    I chose romaine lettuce which I thought added a nice crunch.
    
    
    Other recipes that I saw recommended using an olive tapenade instead of nicoise olives which I think would be great, also some recommended wrapping the sandwiches in plastic wrap, and squeezing them in the fridge overnight with a cast iron skillet.   I didn't try it this time but I'm intrigued to try it another time.  the only thing I would be wary about is refrigerating the tomatoes overnight but maybe those could be added the day of, or you could leave them out like in this recipe from martha stewart
    

    
    
    
    
    1/4 of white onion, thinly sliced
    1/8 of a small red onion, thinly sliced
    2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
    1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar, plus additional to taste
    1/4 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste
    black pepper to taste
    1 6-ounce can tuna packed in olive oil (see above) including olive oil
    lemon juice to taste
    
    2 kaiser rolls, plain
    lettuce leaves, combination of Boston, green-leaf, or other green leafy lettuce
    8 tomato slices
    6-8 hard-boiled eggs slices
    4 anchovy fillets, drained
    Niçoise olives
    scallions, chopped
    radishes, slices
    
    
    
    
    Combine the red and white onion with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of black pepper in a bowl.

    Using your hands, mix and squeeze everything together for 5 minutes. (Don't rush through this part; the onions need time to release their juices and mellow.)

    Work in can of tuna in olive oil, including the oil. Season with fresh lemon juice, red-wine vinegar, and salt, then add pepper to taste.

    Cut kaiser rolls in half crosswise and spread each bottom half with lettuce leaves. Use a couple of varieties—whatever looks good—for the difference in texture.

    On top of each lettuce layer, arrange 4 tomato slices (skip this step if you don't have good—really good—tomatoes on hand). Then add about half the tuna mixture and 3 to 4 slices of hard-boiled egg.

    Crisscross each sandwich with 2 drained anchovy fillets and strew with Niçoise olives (pit them if desired), chopped scallion greens, and sliced radishes. Then drizzle generously with more olive oil and top with the remaining kaiser halves, pressing gently but firmly.
    
    

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Hi!

I made these for dinner when Kristen was our guest blogger.  Mark and I tend to really go for it with these blog meals since it's not an every day thing (we get together for dinner a few times a month) which I love...but for this meal I was looking for something delicious but a little lighter, these really fit the bill.  They are super healthy and super delicious.   These are fine as a main course if you have a filling side (we had baked sweet potatoes) but if you are serving these on their own I would make 2 caps per person.

Also I had some leftovers of the filling fixin's and I cooked them up and topped with a poached egg for breakfast.  yum!  The recipe is from Epicurious.

Yield: Serves 2 2 portobello mushrooms 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar Salt and black pepper 1 leek, thinly sliced and rinsed clean (white and light green parts only) 2 cups spinach leaves 1/2 cup canned white kidney or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese Preheat the oven to 450°F. Set the mushrooms gill side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat. Add the leek; cook for 5 minutes, stirring. Add the spinach a handful at a time, stirring constantly, until it cooks down. Stir in the beans and salt and pepper to taste; cook for 1 minute to combine the flavors. Fill the mushroom cavities with the spinach mixture. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for 10 minutes, until the mushrooms are warmed through and the cheese is melted. Serve.

Fish Tacos

Hey!

These fish tacos were really good.  They weren't exactly like the kind that seem the most common in here Los Angeles (fish in chunks, lots of cabbage) but I liked trying them a different way.  The marinated onions were especially good, and the seasoning in the fish was spot on.  I got the recipe from Epicurious.  I've made them both with Mahi Mahi and with Tilapia...Both versions were good but I liked the Tilapia better.  I also used creme fraiche instead of crema.

I served these with a black bean, corn and rice salad that was also super good.

Yield: Serves 4

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
About 1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish
1 jalapeño, stemmed and chopped
1 pound flaky white fish (such as mahi mahi or cod), cut into 4 pieces
Salt
8 fresh corn tortillas
Mexican crema, homemade or store-bought
Fresh Tomato Salsa
2 limes, cut into quarters

Marinate the Onion

Put the onion in a small bowl and pour in enough red wine vinegar to cover well. Set aside for at least 30 minutes or up to several weeks.

Marinate the Fish

Pour the olive oil into a small bowl and add the ancho chile powder, oregano, cumin, chopped cilantro, and jalapeño. Mix well. Place the fish on a dish and pour the marinade over it, making sure to coat the fish well on both sides. Allow to marinate for 20 minutes.

Cook the Fish

Heat a nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Remove the fish from the marinade and place in the hot pan (there is no need to add more oil). Season the fish with salt. Cook the fish for 4 minutes undisturbed, then turn over, and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and flake the fish into the pan with a fork, making sure to mix in all the marinade that has stuck to the bottom of the pan. Check for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Set aside.

Heat the Tortillas

Place four of the tortillas on a plate and sandwich them between two slightly dampened sheets of paper towel. Microwave on high for 45 seconds. Place the warm tortillas in a towel-lined basket or plate and cover. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Assemble and Serve

To assemble the tacos, place a heaping spoonful of the marinated flaked fish onto the center of a tortilla. Top with the marinated onions. Serve accompanied by Mexican crema and salsa.

Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Fish-Tacos-352976#ixzz2OswIPtZr