Spaghetti alla Carbonara

This might be my favorite thing.

Recipe used: Spaghetti alla Carbonara. Recipe originally found in People magazine August, 2010.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

 2 large eggs

0.5 cups freshly grated Parmiagiano-Reggiano cheese

0.5 cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

4 oz. pancetta cubed

1 lb. dry spaghetti

1 tbsp. salt

freshly ground pepper

1.) Whisk the eggs in a small bowl until just combined. Whisk in the cheeses. Set aside.
2.) Place the pancetta in a large saute pan and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the bacon is crisp on the outside and much of the fat has rendered out, 12 to 15 minutes.
3.) Meanwhile, bring a large pot water to a boil and add the salt. Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Before draining the pasta, reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water.
4.) Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the pancetta. Over medium heat, toss the pasta well, making sure it is piping hot. Remove from heat and stir in the egg mixture quickly, tossing to coat he pasta evenly.
5.) Season with plenty of black pepper and toss again. Add a little of the reserved pasta water (start with 1/4 cup) to think out to the desired creamy consistency. Add salt to taste if needed.
6.) Divide among heated bowls, top each serving with a few grinds of pepper, and serve immediately.

Serves 6

385 calories per serving

Bacon Cheeseburger Deluxe Pizza

The yummiest pizza of all time.

Bacon Cheeseburger Deluxe Pizza

1 Boboli Pizza Crust (it's just easier this way)

2 Boboli Pizza Sauce packets

.5 lb ground beef

bleu cheese (optional, but yum)

jalepenos (optional, but yum)

pickle slices (not at all optional)

shredded cheddar cheese (as much as you can handle)

1 clove minced garlic

Preheat oven to 450

Season ground beef as you would for your favorite burger recipe (I use the hamboigah hamboigah recipe). Brown ground beef in a nonstick skillet over a medium high flame. Remove from heat. 

Remove pizza from wrapper and place on pizza pan. With the back of a spoon spread pizza sauce onto the pizza. Sprinkle garlic into sauce. All of the other ingredients evenly over the pie, saving the cheese for last. Place in oven. 

Ten minutes later, remove from oven and allow to cool for a minute or two. Slice pizza using a pizza slicer. Put pizza slices into your face. 

You don't want to know the calorie count.

Tools Used

Pizza Pan

Pizza slicer

Black Bean-Corn Burger

For my veggie friends.

Okay this is my first attempt at a homemade veggie burger. And it's the shit!!!

Recipe used: Black Bean-Corn Burger. Recipe by Marge Perry from Self Magazine.

Black Bean-Corn Burger

 1 can (15 ounce) low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained 

3/4 cup corn, thawed if frozen 

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice 

1/4 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs 

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 

3 large egg whites, lightly beaten 

1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chile in adobo 

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 

2 Tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided 

8 cups baby spinach 

Pinch of nutmeg

In a bowl, combine beans, corn, bell pepper, breadcrumbs, cilantro, egg whites, chipotle, oregano, cumin and flour. Form bean mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick patties. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook patties, turning once, until browned, 5 minutes per side; remove from pan. In same skillet, sauté spinach in remaining 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat until wilted, 3 minutes; season with nutmeg and salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place 1/4 of cooked spinach on bottom of each bun, then 1 burger and cheese (if you like). Top with other bun half.

400 calories per serving

 

This recipe was inspired by this recipe.

Tools Used

Bowl

Non-stick frying pan

Spatula

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

As delicious as it is unpretty.

Recipes involved: Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf. Recipe given to me by Nicole Bryan Romero. The very same Nicole who runs the Pampered Chef site posted in earlier recipes.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Meatloaf (you can buy premixed meatloaf meat, that's what I did)

.5 cup crumbled bacon

.25 cup ketchup

.25 cup mustard

.5 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350

In a bowl mix together all ingredients, really get in there and make sure they are mixed well. Put all into a small loaf pan. Put into the oven. Bake for 45 minutes. Open oven sprinkle more cheese on top of the meatloaf. Put back into oven for 10 additional minutes. Remove, allow to cool a little bit, enjoy. 

The potatoes are totally instant, I just wasn't in the mood to make mashers. 

The peas and corn instructions are on the side of the cans. 

Question

I'm thinking about doing a vegetarian meal once a week on the blog. Should I venture down that path?

How far should I venture? All the way to veganism?

Post comments to let me know what you think.

Hamboigah! Hamboigah! Hamboigah!!!

Welcome to hamburger Tuesday. Every Tuesday (when I remember) I'm gonna feature a different hamburger recipe.

This week: Black Peppercorn and Roasted Garlic burger stuffed with Bleu Cheese Crumbles.

Recipe used: Um, Black Peppercorn and Roasted Garlic burger stuffed with Bleu Cheese Crumbles (obvious cook is obvious). My recipe (all measurements approximate).

Boigah!!!

serves 1

.5 lb ground beef (the higher the quality the better, I prefer ground brisket. It's spendy)

1 Tablespoon of bleu cheese crumbles

1 Tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper (yes, that much)

2 cloves of minced roasted garlic

1 small onion, .25 minced, .75 thinly sliced

1 Tablespoon of bacon bits (real bacon)

2 strips of thick cut bacon

sharp cheddar cheese

ketchup

mustard

Miracle Whip

In the biggest skillet you have, melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion slices and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, until they take on just a little bit of color. Reduce the heat to very low and let cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until a soothing golden color and a soft, soft consistency.

While the onions are becoming perfection, put the bacon strips on the George Foreman grill. (Hey, it's seriously how bacon should be prepared in my opinion) Cook until desired crispiness, remove to paper towels.

In a medium sized bowl, mix the ground beef, black pepper, roasted garlic, and bacon bits. Form into a ball when thoroughly mixed together. Using your thumb, push an indent in the middle of the ball, stuff this with bleu cheese (sometimes I put jalapenos in there too!). Roll meatball concealing the bleu cheese within. Flatten (not completely, it will still be quite thick, see photo) You should not see the bleu cheese.

The burger can be cooked one of two ways, heavy cast iron skillet or Foreman grill. I realize that I'm going against nature, but I swear by the George Foreman. There's less fat left for the burger to sit and soak in and I feel like I'm getting more of the flavor without that fat wading pool. Once the burger is done to your liking, remove from grill and set on paper towel and cover in foil. Let it rest for 5 minutes.

Place burger on bun, top with crispy bacon, caramelized onions, mustard, ketchup, and miracle whip. Slice cheese to desired thickness, place on top of mountain of loveliness. Place top bun on top. Serve with fries.

I cheated on the fries, they're just Ore-Ida.

Lemon Rosemary Roast Chicken w/ Mushroom-Saffron Risotto

Recipes involved: Lemon Rosemary Roast Chicken, Mushroom Saffron Risotto. Recipes by Ted Allen (my commentary in parentheses).

Lemon Rosemary Roast Chicken

serves 4

4.5 lb roasting chicken (make sure you get a roaster and not a fryer. The whole chicken!)

1 lemon quartered and zested (zesting shall be explained)

1.5 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, plus several sprigs for stuffing.

1 Teaspoon kosher salt

.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced (I use the jarred stuff for this, I find the difference negligible)

.25 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 large onions (about 1 lb) quartered (I use vidalias, they're like candy!)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Rinse the chicken inside and out, then pat dry with paper towels. 

In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest, chopped rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic. Dump half this mixture into the cavity of the chicken, along with the flesh of the lemons and the sprigs of rosemary. 

Add the olive oil to the bowl of seasoning, and whisk with a fork, forming a paste. Massage this mixture all over the outside of the chicken. 

Place the onions in the bottom of a roasting pan. Set the chicken breasts on the onions, and put in the oven. Bake for 1 hour, basting occasionally with the juices from the bottom of the pan onto the top of the bird (it's gonna be a little while into the process that juices will appear, but appear they will) (oh yeah, you're gonna need a baster. They're cheap).

Raise the temperature to 400 F and roast until the skin browns a bit, about 15 minutes. Carefully turn the chicken, using tongs or long handled forks (you don't have either of these? buy both.), so the breast faces down. 

(psst...this is the PERFECT time to start the risotto!!!)

Continue to roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until the skin has browned and crisped. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes or so before serving. 

To carve, use your 8 inch butcher knife (go buy it now...I'll wait). You'll be able to cut it into quarters straight down the middle, both ways. You'll end up with 2 breast wing combos as well as 2 leg thigh combos. Serve with the onions. They are De. Li. Cious. 

268 calories per serving.

Citrus Zest

The zest is the out layer of the citrus rind, the part with the texture and color. The inner layer, called the pith, is white and bitter; you don't want this. To get the zest, rub the fruit along the smallest holes of a box grater, or better yet, buy a zester!  Be careful to leave the pith on the fruit.

Mushroom Saffron Risotto

serves 2 as an entree, 4 as a side dish

6 cups (1.5 quarts) boxed organic broth

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

.5 lb portobello mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned, and thinly sliced

.5 lb cremini or shitake mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned and thinly sliced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1.5 cups Arborio rice

.5 cup of dry white wine (I typically use 2 buck chuck)

2 Tablespoons herbed butter (see previous post)

.25 cup chopped fresh chives

.5 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (meaning that YOU grated, not that garbage in the green bottle)

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

.5 Teaspoon saffron threads

On a rear burner of your stove, in a small pot, heat the broth to just below the boiling point. turn the flame to very low and keep at the barest simmer, add saffron. On the burner in front of your broth, heat 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over a medium high flame. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they've wilted and released their juices, about 5 minutes. Empty the contents of the skillet - mushrooms and oil - into a small bowl. 

In the same skillet, add the remaining tablespoon of oil and warm over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often with a wooden sppon, until totally wilted but not browning, about 5 minutes. Raise the heat to medium high, add the rice, and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes; the rice will take on a little bit of color, but be careful not to let it stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. 

Pour in the wine and stir until it is absorbed by the rice, about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring all the while. Once the wine is gone, repeat the process with the warm broth - add .5 cups at a time, stir, and wait for the liquid to be absorbed before you add the next .5 cup. Stir constantly. (Yeah, it's a little tedious, but SOOO worth it). Keep this going for a total of 15 to 20 minutes of broth additions, until the rice is cooked through but still a little firm (al dente) to the bite. You may not need all the broth, and the end result should be slightly soupy - just a little liquid among the grains of rice. 

When the rice is done, return the sauteed mushrooms to the pan. Stir in the butter, chives, and parmesan, and add salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pan and let it sit for at least 2 minutes, and then serve immediately. 

250 calories per serving as a side. 500 as a main. 

Tools Used

sauce pan

roasting pan

nonstick skillet

bowl

8 inch butcher knife

baster

wooden spoon

tongs

rotary grater

Most of these items are available for sale from my friend Nicole's webstore, The Pampered Chef. Those you cannot find there, can be found at Amazon.

All recipes presented in this post are either exact from Ted Allen, or variations of his recipes. The original recipes for this post can be found in Queer Eye for the Straight Guy book, which can be found on Amazon or at your local bookstore.