Bucatini alla Carbonara (2 versioni)

Ciao di nuovo! It's been another long while since I've posted. I have not been cooking anything interesting. In fact before making this yummy Carbonara, I made a mushy pot of black beans and brown rice . . . trust me; it wasn't blog-worthy. Also these past few weeks have been stressful because of constant teaching and grading.  So in order to retain the little bit of sanity I have left from my busy schedule, I still think about my blissful months in Reggio Calabria, Italy.

Daring Cooks?: Creamy Mushroom Sauce and Homemade Pasta

I wrote "Daring Cooks" with a question mark in the title because I didn't really follow the instructions in this challenge (and I'm two days late!), but I was inspired by one of the dishes we were requested to make with one of the nut butters.

The July 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Margie of More Please and Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make their own nut butter from scratch, and use the nut butter in a recipe. Their sources include Better with Nut Butter by Cooking Light Magazine, Asian Noodles by Nina Simonds, and Food Network online.

One of the dishes suggested was Chicken with Pecan Cream and Mushrooms from Cooking Light. Well, most of you know that I don't like any type of nut, so I decided to make a chicken and mushroom dish with homemade pasta to make this dish a bit more fussy so that it could still be sort of a challenge even though I've made pasta before. So, I'm aware that this dish doesn't count as a Daring Cooks' Challenge; however, I tried to make it work for what I like. Do I get half of a point for doing that? :D

 I highly suggest clicking on this photo or opening it on another tab and doing a close-up of the cooked, fresh pasta. It is almost translucent and looks so different from the store-bought, dried pasta. I cooked this pasta for 3 minutes and regretted it because it wasn't al dente, but it was still fantastic. Cook fresh spaghetti for 2 minutes.

Anyway, I took some chicken out of the freezer to defrost for the next day and forgot to put it in this dish! I didn't realize I had forgotten to include the chicken until my mom and I had sat down to eat! After taking one bite of this dish, though, I forgot all about that missing ingredient. This sauce was AMAZING and so flavorful. I made adjustments to the recipe based on the highest rated comment on allrecipes.com and based on what I had in my kitchen and will never turn back. This sauce was so quick to make that I could eat it at least once a week every week for the rest of my life. I loved the addition of sage and the meatiness of the mushrooms. For any lovers of meat, this dish would be perfect as a Meatless Monday meal or any type of meal; you really won't miss the chicken. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make this sauce. This sauce is so good and quick to make. I will be making this again very soon.

As far as the pasta is concerned, it came out perfectly. I usually make fettuccine with my pasta cutter, but my mom wanted spaghetti, so I made that. I don't know if my mom had fresh pasta in Italy, but she claimed that this time was her first known experience eating it fresh. While my mom and I were happily eating this pasta dish, we got into an interesting discussion about the role of homemade pasta versus store-bought pasta (and sandwich bread) when mixed with a good sauce or other ingredients.

HOMEMADE PASTA VS. DRIED, STORE-BOUGHT PASTA: We both agreed that many, not all, store-bought pasta and sandwich bread act more like mere vehicles for sauces, meats, and other ingredients. In other words, some store-bought items serve as a means to a end, i.e., transporting the the savory sauces, and what have you, into your mouth.  Homemade pasta and bread, however, play a larger role in dishes and at times become the star in a dish even if the other ingredients are quite flavorful. In other words, the homemade pasta and bread themselves become refreshing and delectable edible "plates".

Now, the fresh pasta and this creamy mushroom sauce that my mom and I enjoyed were great complements to each other. Both the pasta and the sauce stood out so beautifully that I don't know if I could ever eat this sauce with the store-bought kind.  Okay. . . okay. . .I'm sure that on my lazier days, I will try it out and will just think back to how amazing this dish tasted with the fresh pasta. 

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOMEMADE VS. DRIED, STORE-BOUGHT PASTA OR BREADS?

All of these spaghetti came from only half of the ball of dough you will see below.

Pasta Dough

For the pasta dough, I've learned that true Italian pasta dough does not call for any water at all despite the other recipes I've seen online. As I always do when I want an authentic, Italian meal, I turned to ItalianFood.Net for a recipe for my pasta dough. This is now my go-to recipe for pasta dough.

From ItalianFood.Net (click here for the video)

Reduced for 4 people; the source recipe would be more for 6, not 4, people.

100 grams 00 flour (You could sub AP flour. I bought my 00 flour from a local Italian market)
100 grams semolina/durum wheat flour (I used this flour and bought it from Central Market)
Pinch of salt (I used kosher)
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp - 1 Tbsp olive oil (you may need to add more oil if your ball of dough is dry like mine)

Mix the two flours and salt in a bowl and form a hole or well in the middle. Place the eggs and olive oil in the middle. Mix the mixture with a fork well. Form a ball in the bowl, and transfer the ball to a flat surface. Add flour if the ball of dough is too wet, and add more oil if it is too dry.

That little ball of dough is enough for 4 people's worth of pasta. That little cut piece on the bottom left created those two lonnnng layers of pasta in the lower right photo.

Knead the dough until the ball of dough becomes smooth and homogeneous. Cover the ball of dough completely, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes so that the gluten can relax. Work with 1/4th of the dough at a time to form the pasta. If you have a pasta roller/cutter, follow the instructions for your machine. If you do not have a pasta roller, roll out the pieces of dough as thin as you can with a rolling pin as instructed on the video on italianfoodnet.com.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta

adapted from allrecipes

8 oz of fresh or store-bought fettuccine (I used spaghetti)
1 1/2 Tbsps olive oil, separated (1/2 Tbsp for pasta water and 1 Tbsp for sauce)
1 shallot or small onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 oz of fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/2 Tbsp of unsalted butter
1 Tbsp of AP flour
1/4 - 1/2 of a chicken or vegetable bouillon cube or 1/4th cup of chicken/vegetable broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp sage (trust me!)
salt and pepper to taste (don't use too much salt b/c the bouillon is salty. I didn't need any at all.)

Prepare pasta water and pasta:
Bring a large pot of lightly-salted and oiled water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes (2-3 minutes for homemade pasta!), or until al dente. Reserve some of the pasta water to thin out the mushroom sauce later.

While waiting for the pasta water to boil, make the sauce: 
Heat olive oil in a medium skillet or saucepan over medium heat, and cook shallots and garlic until transparent. Stir in mushrooms, and cook until tender. Add the butter, and add the flour after the butter melts to form a roux to thicken the sauce. Stir the roux with the sautéed vegetables for 2-3 minutes to cook out the flour taste. (Don't forget about the boiling water for the pasta! It should be boiling by now!)

Mix in heavy cream and sage. Cook and stir until thickened. If too thick, use some pasta water (i.e., the leftover water from the cooked pasta) to thin out the sauce a bit. You can either toss the sauce with cooked pasta, and season with salt and pepper to serve, or add salt (I didn't add any salt) and pepper in the sauce, and serve it atop the pasta.

BBQ Chicken and Macaroni & Cheese

I was craving barbecue. I was sifting through one of my now favorite blogs, Deep South Dish. I found a recipe for BBQ chicken on it. I looked for a recipe for a copycat of my favorite BBQ sauce at my FAVORITE BBQ restaurant, Rudy's BBQ (the "sauSe"). I ran to the kitchen and made BBQ chicken, macaroni and cheese, and green beans. I took photos. I prayed for my meal. I ate the meal heartily. I thanked God again for the ability to make such a wonderful meal. The End.

I hope you make this meal soon. It would be even better on the grill, but if you don't feel like using it like me, then make it in the oven. Just be sure to line your jelly roll pan with foil for easy cleanup!

BBQ Chicken

adapted from Deep South Dish

Brine for a moist, flavorful chicken:
2 lbs drumsticks (about 6), with or without skin based on your preferences
2 Tbsp of kosher salt
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Fill a large pot or container with enough water to cover the chicken well. Whisk the salt into the water until dissolved; whisk in the vinegar. Add the chicken, and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.

Dry Rub Marinade for added flavor, spice and a kick!:
2 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp freshly-cracked pepper
1 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp celery seed (didn't have)
2 tsp of Cajun seasoning, or to taste
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Remove the chicken from the brine, and drain well. Discard the brine. Pat the chicken pieces dry, laying out on a platter or baking sheet that will fit in the fridge. Combine the dry rub ingredients and rub the chicken well with the dry rub, cover loosely, and refrigerate one to several hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the rubbed chicken pieces on a rack on a foil-lined large baking sheet. Bake for approximately 45-60 minutes. [Use your tongs for this!] Turn the chicken over after 25-30 minutes. After 40-50 minutes, add the BBQ sauce on both sides with a brush or via a squeeze bottle. If you're a sauce lover like me, add more sauce once they are done.

For instructions on how to grill the chicken, go to the source.

Copycat Recipe of Rudy's BBQ Sause (with an "s")

from Beth's Favorite Recipes who adapted it from Chaos in the Kitchen

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice (2 lemons)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp coarse black pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Simmer until slightly reduced.Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Quick Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

1/2 lb macaroni shells
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp regular flour
2 cups WARM milk
2 tsp mustard or dry mustard
kosher salt to taste
pepper to taste
1-2 cups of cheese that melts, to taste (I used regular American cheese because that was all I had)

Cook pasta according to instructions (al dente). Make a roux by melting the butter in a separate saucepan and then adding the flour. Cook the roux for about 3 minutes, and stir frequently. Add the WARM milk 1/4 of a cup at a time at the beginning. Stir between each addition. Once you can no longer see the bottoom of the saucepan, add more milk in generous portions until you use it all. Add the mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir in the cheese until it tastes cheesy enough for your tastes. Turn off the heat.

Immediately, add in the al dente pasta, and then stir well. Once pasta is well-coated, you're done.

Black-Peppered Egg Noodles

Click on the above photo and enlarge it to see this beautiful pasta closely.

On our way back from the berry farm, my mother and I stopped at one of our favorite places - Barnes & Noble Booksellers. If you're not familiar with this place, it is essentially a big bookstore with a café serving Starbucks coffee.

Of course, I quickly sashayed (yeah, I don't sashay) to the cookbook section and picked up a bunch of stuff. The cookbook I spent the most time on was Mario Batali's Molto Italiano cookbook. I copied down many recipes to use for later, and my head continued to think about those recipes hours after I had left the bookstore.

The recipe I thought the most about was for these black-peppered egg noodles. It was mentioned nonchalantly as a variation of the regular egg noodles, but it appealed to me so much that I could not wait to pull out my pasta maker to make them.

Speaking of my pasta maker, I have a question for you: If you received a $100 Amazon card from your Chase Visa Rewards, what would you buy? Well, I used it for a Kitchen Aid Pasta Roller and Cutter Set that was on sell for 115.95 and paid only 15.95 out of pocket, and I don't regret the decision. Although I don't use the roller & cutter set much, I know I never would have been able to buy this coveted item (at least by me) on my own.

Anyway, these noodles were fantastic, flavorful, and oh so fragrant (oooh alliteration)! They looked so ugly at first that I thought I had wasted 5 eggs (I'm stingy with my eggs.). The dough was much rougher than regular pasta dough b/c of the black pepper. However, on a positive note, the black pepper prevented the dough from sticking together as much as the plain variety.

This ugly duckling became a beautiful swan!

If you have a similar pasta roller/cutter, I suggest working in small batches. I first divided the dough into four balls, but had to later divide those balls into two more smaller balls for a total of 8. This was way too much for one person, but I have dried out the noodles and plan to eat more as the week progresses.

Don't be deterred by how the noodles look and feel at the beginning; you will be rewarded in the end. They become lovely noodles after you boil them for merely 2-3 minutes. Stay tuned for what else I did with these noodles. You didn't think I just ate the noodles by themselves, did you?

Black-Peppered Egg Noodles

adapted from Mario Batali's Molto Italiano

3 1/2 cups Tipo '00 or AP Flour
5 large eggs, room temperature
2 Tbsp black pepper (I used the powdery, cheap variety)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika (optional; I added this because of what I prepared with it)
1-2 Tbsp olive oil, based on desired consistency

Place the flour in a large bowl or atop a flat, wooden surface and make a well in the middle for the other ingredients. Next, add in the eggs, black pepper, salt, and paprika (if using).

With your hands or a fork, mix the ingredients together until you form a ball of dough (I would suggest using a stand mixer for this because the dough was somewhat coarse and hard to put together in a ball. Don't mix it too much, though). Add the olive oil as it mixes.

Keep on trucking. This ugly, questionable, brain-looking dough ball will form pretty noodles in the end; I promise!

 

Once you form the ball of dough, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature before using. Next, separate the dough ball into 8 smaller balls. Flatten the balls of dough and put them through the pasta maker according to the instructions for your machine (I went up to the penultimate or next-to-last notch on the roller). Flour each layer so that the dough layers won't stick.

[From left to right: 1) dough balls that I had to divide into two again. 2) flattened dough ball that was still too big to fit into the pasta roller. 3) The layer of dough after going through the first notch on the roller. 4) the final product up to notch 7 with flour on top.]

 

Cut the flattened layers of dough into fettuccine noodles, or use the fettuccine cutter attachment. Make sure you sprinkle flour on the noodles so that they won't stick to each other.

Freshly-cut, floured, uncooked noodles that turned out much prettier than I'd expected.

**If making the noodles immediately, prepared boiled water with a bit more olive oil and kosher salt. Add the noodles, and cook them for 2-3 minutes.

***If using the noodles later, lay them out on a flat surface and allow them to dry out for a few hours. Store the dried noodles in a closed container for 2-3 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer. More info here. You're welcome :).

Chicken Carbonara

Chicken Carbonara?! What?! But Carbonara is supposed to have guanciale (pork cheek), pancetta or at least bacon! Well, I didn't have any of those items, and I was broke at the end of April, so I decided to improvise and use chicken strips in place of the traditional meat for this dish, and guess what? IT. WAS. FANTASTIC!

Oh my goodness. Now I think I'm going to make my carbonara like this in place of the traditional way because 1) it's cheaper 2) not as fatty if you use chicken breasts 3) it tastes lighter. Now, don't get me wrong, the traditional version is much more flavorful because of the flavorful pork, but the other ingredients in carbonara helps retain the same yummy flavor in this chicken version.

I used the recipe I always use, which comes from a video on Italian Food Net (I mentioned this site before when I made the indimenticabili (unforgettable) lasagne al ragù for my friend). I rely on this site for almost all of my traditional, Italian, savory dishes. I love how the videos are in Italian, and the food always looks amazing.
Before I offer you the modified recipe, let me tell you a little story about my first taste of Pasta alla Carbonara (feel free to skip this story and go directly to the recipe :D!):

On my last day in Venezia (Venice), I had a few hours to spare while waiting in the airport. I became hungry and wanted to try out the pasta in Venezia since I had missed out on a lot of savory dishes during my time in Italy after eating copious amounts of gelato al limone.

I approached one of the airport restaurants and asked for Spaghetti alla bolognese, but they were out! My heart sank because I really wanted to try out this dish in Italy. Instead of lamenting over this missed opportunity, I ordered the only other pasta dish available - Pasta alla carbonara.

I had absolutely no idea what this dish was. I just knew that it had a white-looking sauce, so I was disappointed that it didn't have tomatoes in it. I am normally a very picky person, so I was a bit hesitant about trying out this new dish. I sat down slowly, inspected the dish closely, twirled my fork around the pasta, gulped, and took a bite.

Words cannot describe how I felt after that first taste. All of a sudden, nothing existed but this dish and my tastebuds. I was in pasta heaven. I completely forgot I was in an airport with other people around. The feeling was similar to how I felt when I ate the gelato in the sense that I don't really recall what happened after that first bite. I came out of my pasta-induced coma only after the last bite.

As soon as I came back home, one of the first things I did was look for that recipe. I was surprised that that white-looking sauce was basically the amalgamation of eggs and pasta water along with a few other ingredients. When I made it at home for the first time, I was once again transported to that time in Venezia.

Now, with this chicken dish, I didn't have the exact same feeling as I had in Venezia, but I was in pasta nirvana without a doubt. This dish is truly amazing. I am so glad I chose to make this dish in lieu of going out to eat for a quick bite. Please make this dish tonight! If you use store-bought or already-prepared pasta, it doesn't take long to make at all.

Guess how much this plate was?! If you guessed more than 1 U.S. dollar then you've guessed too high. Yep.

Chicken Carbonara

adapted from Italian Food Net
I adapted this recipe for one person, but the full recipe is below.

360 gr. (12.69 oz.) Spaghetti
60 gr. (2.11 oz.) cut, skinless chicken (I used breasts, but you could try other cuts)
80 gr. (2.82 oz.) Parmesan cheese
80 gr. (2.82 oz.) Pecorino cheese (I had only parmigiano reggiano, so I used just that)
4 Eggs, room temperature (one egg per person)
1 Teaspoon black pepper (try to use fresh ground black pepper)
Extra virgin olive oil

Pour the extra virgin olive oil into the frying pan, add a handful of cut chicken breasts, 1 tsp of black pepper, and put the pan on a low heat.

Meanwhile crack the whole egg (1 per person) into a dish, beat it with a fork, add a pinch of black pepper, 1 Tbsp of fresh grated pecorino, 1/2 Tbsp of parmigiano reggiano, and beat it again to incorporate all of the ingredients.

Now put spaghetti into a pot of boiling salted water, 90-110 Gr. (3.17-3.88 Oz.) per person.

Continue to cook the chicken on low heat until it is cooked and brown around the edges. Don't overcook, or it will be too dry.

Once chicken is ready, add a little pasta cooking water into the pan so that the starch of the water helps to mix all the ingredients. Turn off the heat, and wait until the pasta is done cooking (preferably al dente (less cooked than some are used to, especially in the States)!

Once Spaghetti are cooked al dente, do not drain; instead, add more pasta water to the chicken to create a sort of watery "sauce". Next, drain the pasta (reserving the pasta water), and put it into the pan, add a little more pasta cooking water.

Take the cheese/egg mixture; beat it again, and pour it into the pan. (I suggest turning off the heat at this point, but the cook in the video kept it on. I had some scrambled eggs at the bottom of my skillet by following his method)

Stir slowly, sautè, add a little pecorino cheese, a little parmesan cheese, and a little more pasta cooking water. Stir again over low heat, and if the pan is too hot remove it from heat.

Transfer the pasta to a serving dish garnished with a little pecorino and a parmesan, add the sauce (i.e., the pasta water and oil leftover from cooking the chicken) all over the spaghetti and serve in a HOT dish.

Lasagne al Ragù

More than three years ago, I joined an online weight-loss group on xanga.com. I had lost a lot of weight, gained it back, lost it again, and then gained it back. Through all of those ups and downs, I also had gained a lot of online buddies. Once I began to stray away from this site, I lost all of those friends...except for one -- Laurian.

Laurian and I have met only once, but she knows me more than most of my friends who live close-by. We have much in common. She is an intelligent, graduate student studying Anthropology in Philadelphia, and I'm glad that we still stay in touch.

About a year ago we briefly had discussed the makings of true, authentic lasagne, and I told her that Italian lasagne usually have besciamella (beh-shyah-MEL-lah) or béchamel, instead of ricotta (ree-COAT-tah) or cottage cheese.
Well, last week, we were chatting with each other on MSN Messenger, and she told me that she was looking at my food blog as usual. I didn't know that she visits my blog regularly, but I was happy to know she does. She asked me why hadn't I made that lasagne for her. I told her that I didn't know that I'd promised to make lasagne for her, and she said, "Well, you didn't." She just wanted me to do it haha.

So, this post is entirely dedicated to my best, virtual friend in the world.
Questo è per la mia migliore amica. Ti voglio bene! I love you!

LASAGNE: Because I was making this dish for my friend, I put in a lot of effort and love into it. I bought fresh herbs and vegetables. Also, I purchased lasagne noodles, parmigiano reggiano, and '00' flour imported from Italy, etc.

I am thankful for knowing so many languages, such as Italian, because I was able to find a close-enough to authentic recipe given in the lovely Italian language. I found this video and recipe on Italianfoodnet. It is a fabulous website that contains a bunch of videos of popular, Italian recipes. There are English subtitles on most (but not all) of the recipes, and there are text versions of all the recipes in English. The video for this dish was in Italian, and I couldn't believe that I had understood about 90% of it! I was shocked!

Anyway, I stuck to the recipe pretty closely. I even made the ragù on the site instead of the one I usually make. I thought that this new version of lasagne wouldn't be seasoned well enough, so I added a bit more ingredients such as extra salt, cream, and Italian seasoning. Interestingly, even though the meat sauce or ragù wasn't seasoned as much as my other standby, its flavor matched perfectly with the other components of this dish. You don't want a meat sauce that overpowers the besciamella, parmigiano grattugiato (grated parmigiano), and lasagne noodles. Everything was perfectly balanced.
Surprisingly, I'm not crazy about lasagne. I've tried lasagne at various restaurants, and I'm never impressed by the taste. However, this particular recipe has changed my perspective completely. The besciamella really boosted up the flavor. The lasagne had a lot of oil on and in it, so I will reduce that the next time I make this, and there WILL be a next time. I also didn't add extra butter on top of the dish as the cook does because it just wasn't necessary. Nevertheless, everything was perfect. Please make this dish soon. You won't regret it.

Ragù alla Bolognese

adapted from Italian Food Net (video)

1 lb 3 oz (600 gr) (21 oz) Ground Beef
2 Litres Tomato Sauce (I used about 52 ounces of Pomì crushed tomatoes; it was more than enough)
1 Tomato Paste Tube (4.5 oz)
1 Big Carrot (½ cup) chopped
1 Celery Rib (½ cup) chopped
1 White Onion (½ cup) chopped
3 Glasses of Red Wine (I used about 8 oz of Fre Red Wine, a non-alcoholic wine!! Yeaa!!)
1/4-1/2 cups heavy cream (optional)
1-2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1-2 Tbsp Fresh Sage
1-2 Tbsp Fresh Rosemary
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Black Pepper

Heat a large saucepan. Pour in olive oil. Add celery, carrot, onion, and let them brown over medium heat. Then add sage, rosemary, and cook the mixture for 1-2 minutes.

Add the ground beef, divide it well, and cook until the liquid has evaporated (about 5-10 minutes), then season with salt and black pepper.

After 10 minutes of cooking pour in the red wine, and let it evaporate. Add tomato paste, stir well, and add tomato sauce, cover and let it simmer for 1 ½ hour on a low heat. Make sure you season this sauce well before assembling the lasagne.

La Besciamella
adapted from Italian Food Net (video)

4.2 cups (1 Litre) (33.8 fl oz) Whole Milk
about 1 stick (100 gr) (3.52 oz) Butter
about 1 cup (100 gr) (3.52 oz) 00 Flour (I used '00' flour, but you could use AP flour)
A Pinch of Salt (I used more than a pinch of salt. Season to taste)
Fresh, grated nutmeg

Pour the milk into a large saucepan, add salt, some grated nutmeg, and place the pan on medium heat.

Put the butter into a medium saucepan, and place the pan on medium heat. As soon as the butter melts, add the flour, and let the mixture cook for about 3-4 minutes over medium-low heat whisking constantly. When the mixture is ready, remove the pan from heat and let it rest.

As soon as the milk reaches the boiling point, pour it into the mixture little by little, whisking briskly to avoid lumps from forming. When the milk is incorporated, return the pan over a medium-low heat, and let it cook for 15 minutes whisking continuously.

When your béchamel is ready, remove from heat. If not using the mixture immediately, transfer it to a large bowl. We suggest you let the béchamel cool to room temperature, and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the béchamel, to prevent a skin from forming while the sauce cools.

Le Lasagne al Ragù

adapted from Italian Food Net (video in Italian)

20-25 fresh Lasagna pasta sheets (Soak your lasagna sheets in a pot of hot water if they are hard)
about 8 cups (1½ Litres) besciamella (use the sauce you made; you will have more than enough)
8 cups (2 Litres) Ragù (sauce from above; you'll have more than enough)
2-3 cups (250 gr.) (8.81 oz.) Grated parmesan
80 gr (2.82 oz.) Butter (I only used the butter to butter the pan. I didn't add more on top; it was oily enough from the olive oil)
Extra virgin olive oil

Butter the baking tin, spread ragù along the bottom (I forgot to take a photo of that!) , lay lasagna sheets over ragù and press along the rims of the baking tin.

Spread ragù, add besciamella, sprinkle with grated parmesan and extra virgin olive oil.

Repeat layers: Lasagna sheets, ragù, besciamella, parmesan, olive oil until you got to the rim of the pan. Fold Lasagna sheet sides so that they will not burn.

Top with ragù, which must cover all Lasagne. Add a little more besciamella. Sprinkle the top with grated parmesan. Add some knobs of butter (optional) and a little extra virgin olive oil.

Preheat oven to 250 C (482 F). Once you place the dish in the oven, lower the temperature to 180 C (356 F), and bake lasagne for about 20 minutes. Remove lasagne from oven, and let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Chili Macaroni

I have a paper due on the 10th of February, and it is an important paper that will determine if I will be a PhD candidate or not. Therefore, I will not be as active on the blog for a few weeks, but I will still post regularly. I will just be a bit more terse. (PLEASE PRAY FOR ME, OR SEND GOOD KARMA MY WAY!)
Nevertheless, I'm glad I have been taking advantage of the winter break by making a lot of dishes that I had always wanted to make like tamales, a rosca de reyes, and bagels. I now want to make churros, pretzels, and perfect my puff pastry-making skills. I will worry about all of that later, though.

Anyway, I made this chili macaroni yesterday, and it is beyond delicious. That little puny bowl of macaroni you see just teased and prodded my tastebuds haha.
I've been trying to use my cookbook more lately, so I got this recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook. The feminist in me doesn't like the title of the cookbook, but it does have a lot of good recipes and tips in it. Below the recipe, I have also included a Southwestern variation of this dish. I also added some optional additions in italics that were not mentioned in the cookbook. You can make this a vegetarian meal easily by adding more beans or tofu. Enjoy!

Want some?

Chili Macaroni

from Betty Crocker's Cookbook: Bridal Edition

1 cup (3.5 oz) uncooked elbow macaroni (I would add 1/2 - 1 cup if you like a more even ratio of pasta)
1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey, ground chicken, tofu, or nothing at all)
1 med onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can (15-16 ounces) kidney beans, drained (use another can if not using meat)
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained (or whole tomatoes, cut up)
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1-2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional; my addition)
2 slices of Velveeta (optional; my addition)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese (I shredded it myself from block cheese. YUM!)

Cook macaroni as directed on package. While macaroni is cooking, cook beef, onion, and garlic in 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over med-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown. Drain (I didn't).

Drain macaroni, and add it to the meat. Add in the remaining ingredients with the exception of the cheese (I actually added two slices of Velveeta to the sauce itself). heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Then, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Sprinkle mixture with cheese, or add cheese to individual bowls.
Southwestern Chili Macaroni: Use black beans instead of kidney beans, rinsed and drained. Add shredded Monterey Jack cheese instead of cheddar. Add 1 can of chopped green chiles. You could also add cilantro on top of individual servings.

"Over The Rainbow" Macaroni and Cheese

I have been wanting to blog about this dish for a very long time. This is my go-to mac-n-cheese, and it comes from Patti LaBelle, a popular R&B singer from the 60s to the 80s. The recipe calls for 5 different cheeses, lots of butter, and half-n-half. Also, there's no need to make a roux for the cheese sauce.

On a similar note, here is the Christmas dinner my mother and I had. Since it was just the two of us, we didn't have to make loads of food, but it still turned out to be much more than we could handle because we still have leftovers of everything but the gravy.

My mom made potato salad and green beans. (Notice out traditional, holiday drink: Welch's Sparkling Red Grape juice cocktail! YUM! I can drink a whole bottle w/o the use of a glass!)
I brined and roasted a whole chicken (the only way to roast chicken and turkey in my opinion). I also made yeast rolls (not pictured), the "famous" crockpot dressing, "Over the Rainbow" Macaroni and Cheese (recipe below), and chicken gravy (chicken drippings + roux + salt to taste). (Do you see the standing globe in the background? That is the present I gave my mom for Christmas. She was so excited about it that she wanted it in almost all of my photos haha.)

For dessert, I made chocolate peanut butter tarts, which I will blog about next.

I hope you try out this macaroni and cheese dish. It is fabulous. Please grate your own cheese instead of buying the already grated kind for a cheesier, creamier result, and don't be afraid of the Velveeta. :D

"Over the Rainbow" Macaroni and Cheese

adapted by LaBelle's cuisine: Recipes to Sing About.
Recipe posted on Oprah.com (here is a video of her making it with Oprah Winfrey)

1 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil
1 lb elbow macaroni (454 grams) or any other small-shaped pasta
8 Tbsp (1 stick) plus 1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Muenster cheese (Use more of the other cheeses in place of this if you don't have it)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded mild Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup (8 ounces) Velveeta , cut into small cubes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp seasoned salt (I use Lawry's)
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a deep 2 1/2-quart casserole.

Bring the large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the oil, then the elbow macaroni, and cook until the macaroni is just tender, about 6-7 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain well. Return to the cooking pot.

In a small saucepan, melt eight tablespoons (one stick) of the butter. Stir into the macaroni. In a large bowl, mix the Muenster, mild and sharp Cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheeses. To the macaroni, add the half-and-half, 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese, the cubed Velveeta (all of it), and the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the buttered casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and dot with the remaining one tablespoon of butter.

Bake until it's bubbling around the edges for approximately 30-35 minutes.

Meatballs

I apologize for the photos. I'm still trying to figure out how to operate my camera and lens correctly...

Barbara from Barbara Bakes asked me a question that had been burning my brain for a few days now. It was such a simple, innocuous question, but it did intrigue me. After making the homemade Italian rolls and Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches, she asked me, "What are your plans for the other loaves?"

I didn't know what I was going to do with them until I decided to make meatballs. I searched on Google for a new recipe to try that was different from others I've tried and found one on allrecipes.com.

Instead of using store-bought breadcrumbs, I used a food processor and crumbled half of one of the two, leftover loaves of bread that had been sitting in the refrigerator and added it to the meatball mixture. After making the meatballs, I decided to make a meatball sandwich with the other bread loaf.

I placed freshly-sliced provolone (pronounced [pro-vo-LOW-neh], based on U.S. English pronunciation) on top of the meatballs. The sandwich was good, but the bread to meat ratio was off with the former being much thicker and pronounced than the meat.

The next day, I accompanied the leftover meatballs with a marinara sauce using a brand I'd never heard of called Pomì that my friend had found in Wal-Mart. I then poured the delicious meatball sauce on top of store-bought spaghetti. I took one bite, and I was smitten. This was seriously the best spaghetti and meatballs I had ever had. I didn't expect to enjoy the dish that much, but I did. In fact, after I finished, I kept repeating to myself, "Wow. That was so good."

I topped this spaghetti with freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and provolone.

I am not 100% sure of what made that dish so fantastic, but I am quickly becoming convinced that the sauce was the primary factor (even another blogger raved about this sauce). The sauce was so good that I didn't have to dump a bunch of cheese on top for it to taste better. I will have to try out that sauce again.

I seasoned the sauce with various spices and allowed it to reduce for an hour because I was too hungry to wait longer than that. The juicy, flavorful meatballs complemented the sauce perfectly. Because I played around with the sauces, I have only a formal recipe for the meatballs from allrecipes and a list of the seasonings I used for the sauce.

What did I do with the other half of leftover bread? I converted the other half of the last loaf of bread to garlic toast by placing a generous amount of margarine (I use margarine for my savory dishes to save money haha) with garlic powder and Italian seasoning. I then baked and broiled the bread in the oven. Now, I only have a little bread left that I will use with more leftover spaghetti and meatballs today.

Yummy garlic toast...

TIP: Make the full meatball recipe or double it, parbake the meatballs (350 degrees for 10-15 mins), or fully fry them, and place the extras in the freezer for later use.

If you've heard of Pomì and have tried it, please leave a comment below about your experiences with it.

Meatballs
adapted from allrecipes

1 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground veal (I used 1 lb of ground beef and 1 lb of ground pork)

1/2 pound ground pork

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 eggs

1 cup freshly grated Romano cheese

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf

parsley

salt and ground black pepper to taste

2 cups stale Italian bread, crumbled (I used half of my last loaf of homemade bread and placed in the food processor.)

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (or milk, heavy cream, or half-n-half)

1 cup olive oil

	Combine beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl (I placed the non-meat ingredients in the bowl first so that I didn't have to handle the meat as much. Handling the meat too much can make it tough). Add garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.
	Blend bread crumbs into meat mixture. Slowly add the water 1/2 cup at a time (I only used 1/2 cup in TOTAL because I was afraid of using too much water. Next time I will use milk, half-n-half, or heavy cream to make it richer). The mixture should be very moist but still hold it's shape if rolled into meatballs. Shape into meatballs.
	Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Fry meatballs in batches (You can also bake the meatballs, but I don't have the instructions for that). When the meatball is very brown and slightly crisp remove from the heat and drain on a paper towel. (If your mixture is too wet, cover the meatballs while they are cooking so that they hold their shape better.)

Marinara Sauce

1 box of Pomì tomato sauce or any other sauce
oregano
parsley
salt and pepper
1 tsp of sugar
garlic powder
onion powder (or use freshly-chopped onions)
Cooked meatballs
Homemade or store-bought pasta

Pour in the sauce, and add the seasonings. Once the seasonings are fully integrated into the sauce, allow the sauce to cook over low heat for one to two hours. If cooking for one hour, add in the cooked meatballs within 30 minutes of the process. If two hours, add the meatballs after one hour. Serve on top of any pasta you like.

Chicken Spaghetti

I'm leaving for Oklahoma tomorrow morning to spend Thanksgiving with my grandmother, mom, aunts, and cousins. I'll be cooking the majority of the food since only one of all the aforementioned family members know how to cook.

I don't mind, though. I enjoy cooking and baking all of these goodies and knowing that they are eating hearty, from-scratch food made with lots of love. Now we no longer have to order food from Luby's or some grocery store in order to have a decent meal haha.

I have homemade croissants and rolls in the freezer. My veggies are chopped up. I have one sweet potato pie made and another about to go into the oven. The turkey is thawing in the refrigerator. Also, I have most of the dry ingredients together in a cloth bag.

I plan to pack up my "old" KA mixer (hehe I still haven't received my new mixer. I will post a photo of it when I do, though!) that my mother bought for me and thus can never get rid of. I also will be packing up my new food processor, and my crockpot is already in the car.
Anyway, I have made this dish twice now, but I wish I could make it more because it is so good. I don't make it as much as I would like because of the process of cooking the chicken. I don't know; I just do boil chicken very often. However, this time around, I had put a whole chicken in the crockpot after 8 to 12 hours of brining it. Then, I was thinking about what I was going to eat with it and thought about this dish.

I plan to reserve the rest of the chicken broth for the crockpot dressing I'll be making for this Thanksgiving holiday. Even though the main dish won't be part of Thanksgiving, which is the requirement for the giveaway, the broth from the chicken will. I hope that counts haha!

This chicken spaghetti is extremely good and versatile. You can add or subtract any ingredients that you like. Also, you could use another type of pasta, if you want. Enjoy!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING again to all those who celebrate this yummy holiday!!

Chicken Spaghetti

by Pioneer Woman

• 2 cups Cooked Chicken
• 3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
• 2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
• 2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• ¼ cups Finely Diced Green Pepper (didn't have)
  
• ¼ cups Finely Diced Onion
• 1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained (don't like)
  
• 2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
• 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• ⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
• Salt And Pepper (to Taste)
• 1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese (I used Kraft Deluxe sliced cheese because I ran out of the other cheddar cheese)
  

Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

Turkey Bolognese Sauce & Whole Wheat Pasta

This past weekend, I decided to make more homemade pasta and the same bolognese sauce I have made for a few months now. I have made this sauce so much now that I didn't need to look at the recipe this time around.

I started up the sauce as soon as I woke up so that it could simmer for 2-3 hours without affecting my hunger levels. I used two pounds of lean turkey instead of beef to make the sauce healthier. I seasoned the turkey well with Lawry's Seasoning Salt before adding it in the pot. After adding all of the other seasonings in the sauce, you will never know that the meat was turkey. Making this sauce is the best way to cook ground turkey.

While the sauce simmered, I made the pasta. I used a different recipe for this pasta than the one I used in the old post. With the addition of the whole wheat, the dough was harder to roll. I really need to work on making the dough thinner; they keep coming out too thick. Either way, the pasta tastes great.

I made the full recipe so that I could have leftover pasta to eat for the entire week. I still have sauce left but sadly there's no more homemade pasta. I had to use the store-bought stuff today. Even after eating this dish for about four or five days in a row, I am still not tired of it. I still have enough for one or two more days!

Both pasta recipes yielded basically the same result in taste and texture. I didn't notice a difference in taste outside of the addition of the wheat flour. I didn't use white wheat flour; I used the regular wheat flour.

Homemade Wheat Pasta
adapted from Big Red Kitchen

4 large eggs
scant amount of water
2 1/2 cups unbleached AP flour
1 cup whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour

In a liquid measuring cup break eggs and whisk lightly. Add enough water to equal one cup liquid (with four eggs, I had almost exactly 1 cup). In a stand up mixer or on the countertop with your hands, mix the egg mixture with the flours until it pulls together into a dough. Turn onto a flour surface, knead lightly and cover with plastic wrap and let rest at least ten minutes. Then cut into pasta using whatever machine you like- electric, hand crack, or the old-fashioned way of rolling out and hand cutting. Use noodles immediately or dry slightly and then place in boiling water and cook 3-5 minutes or until al dente. Pasta not cooked immediately can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for one week or frozen I guess up to 6 months. (I hung my pasta on hangers for a few hours before storing the pasta.)