1/2 lb. thick cut pancetta
1 medium yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
1 pkg. spaghetti noodles
3 eggs
2 c. pecorino romano, grated
olive oil
salt
pepper
parsley
oregano
Directions
Set out three eggs to warm to room temperature. Bring a pot of water to boil, add in package of noodles.
Combine onion, garlic, and 1 tbsp. olive oil in a food processor, dash of salt and pepper. Pulse until smooth.
Coat bottom of large pan with oil. Heat over medium until shiny.
Slice pancetta thinly against the grain and add to oiled pan; cook on all sides. When pancetta starts to brown, add in onion and garlic paste. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Add in 1 tbsp. chopped italian parsley, 1 tsp. chopped oregano, salt and pepper. (My cheese was very salty so I went light on seasoning). Don’t let the onion brown. Turn to medium low if noodles are not done.
Beat the eggs in a bowl.
Turn large pan back to medium and add al dente noodles to pan, reserving the pasta water. Toss noodles with pancetta and spices. Add 1/2 – 1 c. pasta water to help make sauce. Reduce to medium low.
Add in cheese, mix well. Pour in egg, and use tongs to coat evenly. Cook covered on medium low until the pasta starts to thicken, stirring often.
6-8 thinly sliced/pounded chicken breasts
1 package wide noodles, like fettucini
1 medium package button mushrooms, sliced
4-5 large garlic cloves, pressed
2 c. sweet white wine, like Marsala
1 c. chicken stock, homemade is preferable
1/2 large lemon, juiced
1 tbsp. capers (optional)
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. oregano, dried
1/2 tsp. basil, dried
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt
pepper
good olive oil
Directions
Coat the bottoms of a deep fry pan (needs to have a lid) and a medium one with a decent amount of good olive oil and heat over medium heat. In a bowl, combine flour, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper and mix well. Dredge the chicken breasts through the flour mixture and place in the large fry pan. In the smaller one, brown the mushrooms and pressed garlic.
Flip the chicken regularly to ensure even cooking until the coating starts to brown (additional flour can be added if the coating won’t stick). Add in the lemon juice, wine, chicken stock, capers, butter, and browned mushrooms and garlic. Cover and let simmer for 10-15 minutes on medium-low heat.
Bring water to a boil for the noodles. Strain noodles when al dente, keeping some of the pasta water.
Check that the chicken is cooked all the way through and remove the chicken breasts from the sauce. If the sauce is thin, let it simmer uncovered for a few minutes. If the sauce is too thick, whisk in some of the pasta water. Salt and pepper to taste.
Add cooked noodles to the sauce and toss thoroughly. Serve the chicken breasts over the noodles.
Note
If you are not a caper fan, this recipe is just fine without them. You can also reduce their saltiness by rinsing them before putting them in the sauce.
2 – 2.5 lb beef brisket
1 package noodles (I used tricolor artisan noodles)
1 large package button mushrooms, sliced
1 large yellow onion, cut into half-moons
5-6 large garlic cloves
2-3 c. good, dry red wine (merlot, burgundy)
2-3 c. beef broth
1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 & 3 tbsp. butter, divided
1 tbsp. thyme
2 bay leaves
flour
Kosher salt
black pepper
sugar
good olive oil
Directions
Pat beef brisket dry with a paper towel. Season the outside of the brisket liberally with Kosher salt and pepper. In a medium fry pan, heat up some olive oil on medium heat. To test the temperature of olive oil, simply flick a drop of water in it – if it sizzles, it’s ready. Place the brisket in the oil and sear on all sides. Note that you are not trying to cook the brisket in this step so don’t overdo it, just make sure all sides of the brisket are nice and brown. Place brisket in medium crock-pot.
Heat another medium fry pan over medium-high heat, this time without oil. Once the pan is well heated, place the onions in there to caramelize. When the onions begin to brown, add in sliced mushrooms. Stir occasionally to brown the vegetables on all sides. If onions stick to bottom, simply scrape them off. Add in butter and coat vegetables. Using a garlic press, squeeze the garlic cloves into the pan. Stir well.
Pour the beef broth to the pan until the vegetables are well coated. Stir in tomato paste. If your pan is big enough, add in the wine as well. If you are tight on space, don’t worry it’ll go in later. Add thyme, bay leaves, and a pinch of sugar and let simmer for 5-7 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer the contents of your pan to the crock-pot. The brisket should be mostly covered. Add wine as needed. Cook the brisket on low for 4-5 hours and 1 additional hour on high. (You can also cook the brisket 6-7 hours on low if you plan to be gone longer.) Your brisket is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 160º F.
- Later -
Remove brisket and let rest for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves.
While the brisket rests, boil a pot of water for the noodles. Also, in a soup or stock pot melt 3 tbsp. butter over medium heat. Add roughly 2 tbsp. flour to melted butter to form a roux. Brown roux until golden. Add in liquid from the crock-pot to the roux. Whisk to form a hardy gravy.
If the brisket is still solid, cube the meat and add back to the gravy. If the brisket falls apart, simply shred the beef and do the same.
Serve over noodles and enjoy alongside a crusty baguette.
1 8-10 lb. pork loin
3-4 shallots
4 cloves garlic, minced
6-pack dark lager beer
1 c. red wine
barbecue sauce
1 loaf ciabatta bread
olive oil
salt
pepper
garlic powder
paprika
Directions
In a large soup or stock pot, caramelize shallots until brown. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil, add garlic and brown.
Pat pork loin dry with paper towel and generously season the outside with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Brown the outside of the loin in the stock pot. Pour in wine and rotate the loin, scraping any onions from the bottom.
Transfer contents of stock pot to a medium crock pot and pour enough beer to mostly cover the loin. Roast the pork on low heat for 6-7 hours until it falls apart.
3 hours into cooking, check the liquid levels and add more beer if necessary.
Remove finished loin from crock pot and let rest on a cutting board for at least 15 minutes. During that time, transfer liquid from crock pot back to the stock pot and reduce the liquid by boiling off the water until it reaches a sauce-like consistency, stirring regularly (this can take a while – just be patient).
Shred pork and add it back to the reduction. Pour in 2 c. or more of your favorite barbecue sauce to coat the meat. Serve on toasted ciabatta and enjoy alongside sweet potato fries. For a more tropical flare, grilled pineapple slices would go nicely on the sandwiches.
There is this killer German restaurant in town called Marikka’s, but it seems that every time I’m craving it, namely on Sundays, they are closed. So to get my German fix, I had to create an Auflauf (casserole) containing nothing short of an interesting combination of German ingredients. Fortunately like most of my creations, this one ended up coming together in a very delicious way.
Ingredients:
1 c. cooked sliced smoked pork sausage
3 medium potatoes, sliced into half-moons
1 – 14 oz. can sauerkraut, strained
1 c. heavy cream
1 c. chicken broth
2 tsp. paprika
1tsp. salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. caraway seeds, or fennel seeds
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 c. grated cheese
Fresh cracked pepper
Directions:
Layer potatoes, sauerkraut, and sausage in a 9″ x 9″ glass casserole dish. Sprinkle caraway/fennel seeds on each layer.
In a large bowl, mix together cream, broth, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic, and sugar. If you love sauerkraut, you can cut back the amount of sugar in the dish, but if you aren’t sure if you’ll like the tartness, add all 2 tbsp. You can even cut down the amount of sauerkraut if you’d like.
Pour liquid and spice mixture over the casserole and ensure that the potatoes are fully covered.
Cook covered at 375º for 45 – 55 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove casserole from oven, sprinkle evenly with cheese, and set the casserole under the broiler until the cheese is golden.
Note:
To speed up the cook time on this recipe, feel free to fully cook the potatoes beforehand. They can either be boiled in water or microwaved until soft. Be sure to poke holes in the potato if you microwave them!
1, 26 oz. can condensed tomato soup
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 c. white wine
2 ½ c. warm water
4-5 slices prosciutto
2 tbsp. butter
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
½ tsp. garlic salt
Directions
In large soup or stock pot brown prosciutto, remove and chop. In same pot, melt butter and scrape bottom to dissolve any prosciutto fat solids.
Add onion and sautee over medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and cook until vegetables are lightly browned. Pour in white wine and simmer for a 2-3 minutes.
Add condensed soup, water, basil, chopped prosciutto, and salt. Stir together, cover, and simmer on low.
While soup is simmering, pour whipping cream into a bowl. With an electric hand mixer (or a whisk if you are ambitious), whip the cold cream until firm. 5 minutes prior to serving, fold whipped cream into soup and mix well (you can store it in the fridge if you prepared it too early). Once uniformly heated through, serve soup warm, garnished with some shredded cheese and crumbled prosciutto on top.
Note
You can also use bacon instead of prosciutto, but I prefer the subtler flavor of the ham.
1 small rotisserie chicken, 3-5 bones reserved
2, 32 fluid oz. cartons organic chicken broth
1 c. sweet white wine or champagne (room temperature)
½ lb. wide Amish homestyle noodles (can substitute egg noodles or broken spaghetti)
1 c. mixed freshly grated parmesan, asiago, and romano cheese
1 package baby portobello mushrooms
1, 14.5 oz can sliced carrots
1 half white onion, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 large lemon
½ c. flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp butter
Directions
Remove all of the meat from the chicken and either cube or shred the large pieces. Leave the skin on for an even better flavor. Reserve 3-5 small bones from the legs and wings of the carcass.
In a large soup or stock pot melt butter over medium heat. Brown onion first, then add garlic and mushrooms. While the vegetables cook, roll the lemon around on the cutting board to release the juices, cut in half, and squeeze the lemon juice into a cup, removing any seeds. Once the mushrooms have begun to brown, pour the wine/champagne over the vegetables. Simmer 1 minute.
Add in chicken broth, drained and washed carrots, bay leaf, lemon juice, and chicken bones and bring the soup to a slow boil.
Reduce heat and add in the chicken, noodles, and cheese. Cover and let soup simmer until the noodles are cooked. Add in chopped parsley 5-10 minutes before serving.
Don’t forget to remove and discard the bay leaf and chicken bones before enjoying this soup.
Serve alongside grilled cheese on sourdough and enjoy!
Tip
If you are nervous about losing the chicken bones in your soup, you can use cheesecloth to create a small flavor pouch to place in the soup.
Simply cut a piece of cheesecloth around 1 ft square and place your chicken bones and bay leaf in the middle. Pinch the four corners of the cloth together and tie in a tight knot. Place this in the soup during cooking and simply pull out and discard when you are finished. Remember to wring out the cloth to make sure you don’t lose any flavor in the fabric!
I had initially been tempted to call this dish Black Bean Étouffée, but in doing my research learned that in order to be considered an étouffée, the dish must incorporate at least chicken or seafood, neither of which I chose to go into this recipe. While my process is arguably similar to that of an étouffée, it is distinctly lacking some critical ingredients needed to bolster such a status.
At any rate, here is my take on cajun food with my Black Beans and Rice.
Vegetables
1 green pepper, sliced in medium sized pieces
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1-2 jalapeños, sliced into half-medallions
1 pkg sliced button mushrooms
2 cans black beans
Spices
2 bay leaves (dried are fine)
1/3 c. hot sauce (I used Frank’s)
½ – 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional – depends on your heat threshold!)
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tbsp. minced garlic
½ tsp. onion salt
salt (to taste)
Other
4 tbsp butter
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 bottle light lager beer (I used Redstripe)
2 cups brown rice (uncooked)
Directions
Pour half of the beer into a bowl and place the bay leaves in the beer to partially rehydrate. In a rice cooker or medium sized saucepan, cook the 2 cups of brown rice. Brown rice takes around 40 minutes to fully cook so make sure you start it right away.
Melt 3 tbsp. butter in large stock pot over medium to medium-high heat. Brown onion and garlic in butter. Then, add mushroom, pepper, and jalapeño. Cook until the mushrooms have started to brown and the peppers have lost some of their firmness. Use a straining spoon to transfer the vegetables to a separate bowl. Allow the butter to drip from the vegetables.
Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the stock pot and add ½ c. of flour to the butter to form a roux. You have the right consistency in your roux when after stirring it together, it will start to spread out on its own slowly. If it doesn’t do this, then add another tablespoon of butter. Brown the roux to a golden-brown color. Watch your temperature carefully during this part – turn down the heat as needed. Nothing tastes or smells worse than a burnt roux!
Pour the vegetables back on the roux and mix everything together well. Remove bay leaves from beer and pour the beer in to quench the roux. Partially drain one can of the beans and leave the other undrained. Pour both of these into the pot and stir.
Depending on the amount of flour you used, this may be too little or too much liquid. If too little, add more beer. If too much, add more flour to thicken.
Bring to a light simmer and add in bay leaves, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, cumin, and salt. Taste your mixture periodically and adjust its saltiness according to your liking.
If your rice is not done cooking by this point, cover and reduce heat to low until the rice is ready.
Serve over rice and enjoy!
Note:
After enjoying my black beans and brown rice for a few meals, I ended up running out of rice. Instead of making more rice, I discovered that the black beans were also quite enjoyable when eaten with crackers.
Nearly everyone has used an online translator at one point or another, myself included. If you count yourself among the linguistic corner-cutters, you are also likely one of the 99 percent of online translator users who realizes that these programs are generally terrible.
After feeding a few lines of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities back and forth between German and English, I got an interesting end result from where I started.
Original: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity…
The Back Translation: It was that the best of times, that were, which is worst of the times it was the age of intelligence, it was the age of the stupidity, it was the epoch of the faith, it was the epoch disbelievingness….
Yes, it did translate incredulity back to disbelievingness [sic].
Now as much as I find these translators more trouble than utility, they have improved tremendously over the years. In fact, I know of one site that downright impresses me.
That said, I was wary a few years ago when I saw Google had decided to make its foray into the online translation business. Google has always been a company to consistently put out a good product with far-reaching utility. This move seemed nothing more than a proverbial shot in the foot. After all, does anyone else remember the days of Yahoo’s acquisition of Babelfish from Altavista? I’m pretty sure Babelfish has seen about as much development as Altavista since then (i.e. not a lot).
Well, in my online stumblings, I came across a video where two ladies use Google’s Translation & Text To Speech (TTS) capabilities to order Indian food via phone in Hindi. I was completely impressed. Check out this video for yourself – it’s pretty cool. Maybe I misjudged you, Google.
Of all the dishes I’ve posted on this blog so far, this is one of the few that I can confidently say that most everyone has already have heard of. This particular dish was featured in a Pixar movie by the same name: Ratatouille. If you haven’t seen the movie, do. It’s pretty heartwarming.
Ratatouille is a very humble dish that originated from the southernmost part of France nearest Italy, more commonly known as Provence. Provence is a region steeped in history, boasting early Greek and Roman settlements, seascapes painted by Monet, and the origins of many staples in French cooking technique. Adjacent to the Mediterranean sea, Provence is where traditional northern French food meets Greek and Italian influence – a truly delicious combination.
Traditionally a summer dish, Ratatouille is a very simple combination of pan fried vegetables in a light tomato sauce. It is either eaten served warm or at room temperature, depending on when in the summer it is prepared.
As winter slowly – or actually rather quickly – creeps up on us, I felt a heartier version of Ratatouille was in order. Here is my spin on this French favorite.
Ingredients:
1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
1 thin eggplant
1 package portobello mushrooms
1 large green bell pepper
1 large red bell pepper
1 medium onion
1 – 1 1/2 cup chopped, seeded tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup flour
1 stick butter
1 cup chicken or vegetable bouillon (dissolved in water)
1 cup red wine
Salt, Pepper, Paprika
Directions:
Before cooking, be sure to prep all of the vegetables and herbs. Cut the squash, zucchini, and eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds. Slice the mushrooms into long, thin pieces. Chop the onion, tomato, bell peppers, basil, parsley, and thyme. In this recipe, I used canned chopped organic tomatoes, no salt added.
In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once melted, add the flour and mix well. This recipe’s beginning uses a famous French cooking method, better known as a roux. A roux is often used in soups and stews as a thickening agent. It serves as the base of many Cajun and creole dishes and some traditional American holiday favorites like gravy. Cook the roux until the mixture becomes golden brown.
Raise the heat to medium and add in the onions and garlic. As you cook the onions and garlic, stir and fold the mixture frequently. If the roux smells like it is burning at any point, turn down the heat and continue cooking. Add in the chopped peppers, pinches of each of the herbs, and 1 tsp paprika. Hydrate the roux with the wine, broth, and tomatoes. Mix together well, reduce heat, salt and pepper to taste.
Coat the bottom of a second pan with oil and heat until shiny. Sauté the mushrooms and eggplant with some garlic until both have started to lose their firmness. Pour these vegetables into the roux and mix well.
Pour the roux into a crock pot, leaving some in the pan, and then layer the zucchini and squash rounds on top. Pour the remaining roux over the vegetable rounds. If your moisture levels are low, add some more broth.
Cover the crock pot and cook on low heat for 5-6 hours or on high for 2-3. Serve warm over ‘No Yolks’ egg noodles.
Dane DeSutter is a Purdue Alumnus, with a degree in Physics, Chemistry & specialties in Mathematics and German Language and Literature.
He is an advocate of digital and open source education. He currently teaches with a popular online instruction service. DeSutter is also an avid pianist and a dabbling chef.
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