Fettucine with Peas, Asparagus and Pancetta

The minute the May issue of Bon Appetit hit my front door step, I had a hankering for the cover recipe for Fettucine with Peas, Asparagus and Pancetta. Mind you mine wasn't nearly as beautifully plated or photographed, but it certainly was delicious.

Recipe from Bon Appetit magazine, also found on Epicurious.com: •12 ounces fettuccine or penne •3 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped •1 1/4 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces •2 cups shelled fresh green peas, blanched 1 minute in boiling water, drained, or frozen peas (do not thaw) •1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, white and pale green parts separated from dark green parts •2 garlic cloves, pressed •1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving •1/3 cup heavy whipping cream •3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil •3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice •1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel •1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided •1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided *I also added two or three large handfuls of fresh baby spinach as well. Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. Meanwhile, cook pancetta in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon drippings from skillet. Add asparagus to drippings in skillet; sauté 3 minutes. Add peas, green onions, and garlic; sauté until vegetables are just tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vegetable mixture, 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid, baby spinach, 1/2 cup Parmesan, cream, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon peel, half of parsley, and half of basil to pasta. Toss, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if needed. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle pancetta, remaining parsley, and basil over. Serve, passing additional Parmesan cheese. Though the sauce had some heavy cream it in, the acidity of the lemon and the freshness of the herbs really lightened up the flavors. Using the pasta cooking water is a great way to avoid using much cream to get a silky sauce.

I had thin pancetta slices from the deli counter. It still crisped up nicely however I would have preferred to have heartier pieces. If you can get a solid chunk that can be diced into cubes, you'd probably get more flavor and better texture.

Note: New Posts Added Below

I lost a battle to blogger.com today and though I have two new posts this week, they are posted below the recent Derby Day and Grilled Pork entries. Scroll down to read more about my latest creations.... Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble and Grilled Lamb Chops with Grilled Vegetable Quinoa!

Derby Day! The Perfect Mint Julep and Derby Pie Squares

Its DERBY DAY!!!!!! As a new/soon to be Kentuckian, I'm particularly excited about this year's running of the roses. The weather forecast in Louisville is looking rather grim with thunderstorm and flash flood watch warnings last I checked- so I'm not particularly bummed about watching/celebrating from afar here in sunny Charleston. Our friend Leslie is having a Derby party and I'm in charge of two CRITICAL items... the mint simple syrup for juleps and the derby pie.

As I was working on these items this morning, John suggested I get on the A.S. immediately to share the recipes with all of you in case you're looking for last minute ideas. After all, what good is a stellar julep and Derby Pie Square recipe the day AFTER the derby?? (or knowing me, a week after).

I remember my mom making juleps for her HUGE derby parties over in Saudi Arabia when I was a kid. Mom made the syrup, polished the silver julep glasses, and dad crushed loads and loads of ice in a little ice crushing machine. I remember wanting so badly to have one of my own... I'm fairly confident mine was some concoction of mint and ginger ale or something of the sort- but holding that frosty silver glass overflowing with crushed ice and sipping through that little straw felt festive and glamorous even then...

(Had to borrow a picture from the web as I haven't assembled one yet today...)

The Perfect Mint Julep:

Combine equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Meanwhile clean half a bunch of mint and remove all of the leaves. I put the leaves into a Tupperware container (you want something with a lid) and bruise the leaves with a muddle or the back of a spoon to release all of the oils. You don't want to make them black or anything, but just barely start to bruise them. Let the syrup cool 10 minutes in the pan and then pour it over the mint leaves in the container and stir together. Cover the syrup and refrigerate until you're ready to use. Its best if you give it a few hours though it will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

When you get ready to make your julep- use the real cups if you've got'em, if not, a rocks glass will do. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of syrup into the bottom of the glass and add 3-4 additional mint leaves. Muddle or crush it up together, then fill the glass to the brim with crushed ice. Pour over a generous shot of HIGH QUALITY bourbon (my favorite is Maker's Mark but Woodford Reserve, Knob Creek, Blantons, any top shelf brand will do), garnish with a sprig of mint and a straw cut to just peak out of the ice.

Derby Pie is also a festive Kentucky classic- its similar to a pecan pie, spiked with semi-sweet chocolate and bourbon... a HEAVENLY combination if you ask me. (Refer back to my post from last year for a pie recipe.) I decided to try a square/bar version for today. I figured it would be finger-friendly for a casual gathering and one recipe would serve more people than a single pie.

Derby Pie Squares (adapted from Epicurious.com)

The shortbread crust:

1 1/2 sticks of butter, cold and cut into cubes 1 1/2 cups of flour

2/3 cups of sugar

pinch of kosher salt

1 egg- slightly beaten

Combine butter through salt in a food processor and pulse until mixture resembles wet sand. Then add the egg and pulse until mixture forms a dough. Press into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with non-stick spray and bake at 350 for 2-25 minutes until JUST starting to turn golden.

Chocolate-Pecan Filling:

1 stick of butter- softened

1 cup of light brown sugar- packed

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tablespoon bourbon (quality not as important here)

pinch of kosher salt

1/4 cup flour

3 cups pecan pieces

1.5 cups good quality semi sweet chocolate

Cream the butter and sugar in the electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well each time. Add the vanilla through flour and mix until combined. Lastly stir in the pecans and chocolate with a spatula at the end. Mixture will be very very thick.

As soon as the crust is done, spread the filling over top and place back in the 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top.

The result is a butter crumbly base with a decadent chewy top layer. The bourbon gives it that little extra something to make it the perfect festive treat. Get your hats and have yourself a great Derby Day!

HINT: My pick for the race today is Paddy O'Prado. He had a very solid showing in the Blue Grass Stakes race at Keeneland in April (one of the Derby qualifier races) and has an affinity for racing in the mud.

Happy Birthday Granny! Thinking of you while celebrating today!

Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble

Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble is a classic spring/summer dessert that I've always wanted to try. I love crumbles of almost any variation and the sweet-tart combination of strawberries and rhubarb is absolutely wonderful. If you don't cook with it, Rhubarb stalks look similar to pink/red celery and they have a tart crispness similar to apples. I don't recommend eating it raw by any means but it bakes up beautifully in desserts. You can find it in the produce section of almost any grocery store. I found this recipe at the very end of last month's Bon Appetit magazine and decided to give it a try. I halved the recipe, using a smaller (8x8 would be ideal) square glass baking dish instead of a 9x13. First I preheated the oven to 375. Then I cleaned and sliced the fruit (2 cups strawberries, halved and approx 4 stalks of rhubarb, cut in half length wise and the into 1/2 inch pieces) and tossed it with 1/4 cup of sugar that I'd mixed with the seeds of half a vanilla bean.

I set the fruit aside while I made the crumble topping: 1/2 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes Scant 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats 1/4 cup husked hazelnuts, toasted , coarsely chopped 1/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour small pinch of salt

I mixed it all together in my standing mixer with the paddle attachment until it started resembled a struesel texture (about 4 minutes on a medium-low speed.)

I poured first the fruit into the baking dish sprayed lightly with Pam and then sprinkled the topping over. I baked it in the middle of the oven for 35-40 minutes until the topping was barely golden brown and juice at the edges of the pan were bubbling.

I served it still warm with a generous scoop of John's favorite Mayfield Vanilla Ice Cream and it was fantastic. The filling was the perfect blend of sweet and tart, complimented nicely by the crunchy topping. The added flavor from the hazelnuts really made it. So yummy...

We ate left overs for a day or two and I'd venture to say it doesn't keep much longer than that in the fridge- it starts to get a little soggy...

Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Vegetables

The chaos of selling/buying houses, planning for the move to Kentucky, working, etc. has me a wee bit behind in the blog posts... my apologies...but Masters Sunday, we had friends Morgan and Guy over to watch the end of the tournament and to grill some dinner. We had an open house earlier in the day so I was in search of a make-ahead recipe. Thumbing through one of my many Ina Garten cookbooks I decided on her Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloin recipe. I followed the recipe to the letter, leaving the pork in the marinade about four hours. (On second thought I used only two pork tenderloins so I cut back on the ingredients proportionally.) The pork was INCREDIBLY flavorful. Ina says she lets them go overnight but there is so much lemon juice in the marinade that I'm sure any longer than 5-6 hours would start to "cook" your pork. I promise you that four hours was plenty in terms of packing in lots of yumminess. I also made a separate marinade for the grilled veggies. I mixed together: 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar juice of half a lemon 3 tablespoons of olive oil 1 tsp honey 1 scant tsp dijon mustard 1 clove of garlic- minced leave from 2 sprigs of fresh thyme 4-5 basil leaves, sliced thinly pinch of kosher salt and cracked black pepper I let this sit for a few hours and then poured it over the vegetables an hour or so before grill time. I used two green zucchini, one yellow, one red bell pepper and one red onion for lots of color. I cut them into roughly one inch pieces and then threaded them onto skewers before grilling. John grilled both the pork and the veggies to perfection. The pork was just medium, barely pink in the center and the veggies were tender but still had a crispness to them. I decided against a starch because we'd snacked on home made pimento cheese toasts before dinner while sipping Arnold Palmer's- a delightful combination of sweet tea, lemonade and vodka. I made my own pimento cheese in this case but you could easily use store bought. I toasted baguette slices under the broiler for barely one minute per side. I then layered a generous spoonful of pimento cheese and a thin roma tomato slice on top. I sprinkled the top with a tiny bit of salt and pepper before sticking them back under the broiler for 20-30 second or just until the top was barely bubbly. After all, it wouldn't be the Masters without pimento cheese.

Grilled Lamb Chops with Grilled Vegetable Quinoa

When the weather's nice, there's nothing easier than throwing something on the grill after work. (Maybe that's because John mans the grill and therefore I'm only responsible for prep and clean-up while he does the "cooking." Nonetheless he never complains when we have lamb chops on the menu. I cut one rack of lamb into double chops, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. I did the same with two zucchini squashes (sliced length-wise, approx 1/2 inch thick) and one red onion (sliced into rounds approx the same thickness). Grilling veggies is tough. You either grill them on a piece of tin foil- losing some of the charring and grill flavor or you risk losing them through the grill rack while flipping. Onions are particularly dangerous because the rings separate and they slip through the cracks even easier. This time I attempted to thread the onion slices onto a sharp metal skewer so that John could just flip them all at once. Unfortunately the skewer broke many of the onion rings which caused them to fall but I think it helped a little.

While John was grilling, I cooked some quinoa per the package instructions, I think it was about one cup of dry quinoa. If you're not familair with quinoa, it is a delicious and super healthy alternative to rice or cous cous. It cooks up quickly like cous cous but has all of the health benefits (and many more) of brown rice. According to a website that I consulted: •Quinoa is 100% whole grain and is close to being a perfect food source in the balance of nutrition it provides. Technically it's not a grain but the seed of a leafy plant related to spinach. Quinoa is an excellent source of protein - 12% to 18%. According to The National Academy of Sciences, quinoa is "one of the best sources of protein in the vegetable kingdom".

I also prepared a quick garlic vinaigrette to pour over the lamb chops:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

juice of half a lemon

one large garlic clove, finely minced or pressed

one tablespoon of chopped fresh chives

pinch of kosher salt and some black pepper

I like the idea of a vinaigrette with grilled meats when you don't have time to wait on a marinade. You can use any combination of vinegars/oils/spices/herbs/etc. to add flavor at the very last minute.

The lamb chops cooked quickly, approx 3 or 4 mins per side for medium rare. The veggies took approximately the same out of time. While the chops rested, I diced up the grilled vegetables and tossed them into the cooked quinoa with 1/4 cup or so of chopped fresh chives and a generous pinch of kosher salt and pepper.) I served two double chops a piece alongside a generous pile of the grilled veggie quinoa and passed the garlic vinaigrette at the table to drizzle over top. Lucky for John I wasn't quite ambitious enough to eat both chops so he ended up with left overs for lunch.

With dinner we enjoyed one of my new favorite Malbec's from Layer Cake. The Layer Cake Shiraz has gotten a lot of hype recently however I much prefer the Malbec. Its around $15 a bottle and absolutely fantastic.

Grouper Puttanesca

If you're familiar with pasta puttanesca, you know that it has a briny, savory sauce made of tomatoes, olives, capers, onions and such. Many years ago I saw Giada De Laurentiis make a fish dish with a similar combination of cooked vegetables. I can't seem to find her recipe anywhere but I've adapted it a few times into my own since- it comes out a bit differently each time. I found some beautiful, wild-caught grouper at Whole Foods. I purchased a whole filet, approx one inch thick - weighing not quite 1.5 pounds and cut it into three pieces. (My brother in-law Nate was joining us for dinner.) I drizzled it very lightly with olive oil, seasoned it with kosher salt and pepper and placed in a glass baking dish sprayed with Pam.

Meanwhile I prepared a tomato-based vegetable concoction to serve with the fish: 1 medium yellow onion- thinly sliced 1 medium fennel bulb- top removed and thinly sliced 1 teaspoon of honey 4 cloves of garlic- minced 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 cup white wine zest and juice of half a lemon 1 large can of petite diced tomatoes- with the juice 1 tablespoon of capers- drained 1/4 cup of pitted calamata olives- barely chopped 1-2 tablespoons of fennel frawns (the top of the fennel, looks like dill) - chopped I started with some olive oil in large saute pan over medium high heat. I cooked the onion, fennel and honey for 8-10 minutes or until tender and beginning to caramelize. I then added a pinch of kosher salt, some black pepper, the garlic and thyme and cooked 1-2 mins more.

In the meantime, I broiled the grouper in the oven for approximately 8-10 minutes until golden brown on the top and barely firm to the touch. (Its better to slightly under cook it because it continues to cook for a minute or two in the tomato mixture before serving.) Next I deglazed the onion and fennel pan with the white wine, zest and lemon juice and cooked for 2-3 minutes until the liquid had mostly evaporated. I lowered the heat to medium-low and added the can of tomatoes (not quite the whole thing, about 3/4 of the can) and cooked for 15-20 minutes or so, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid had evaporated. At the very end, I added the capers, olives, and chopped fennel frawns-mixing gently- turning the heat down to a low/simmer. While the sauce was simmering, I quickly sauteed some french green beans in a saucepan with some minced garlic (1-2 cloves), olive oil, salt and pepper- covering with a lid for a few minutes- using the steam to cook them through.

Just before serving I tucked the fish filets into the vegetable mixture, covering them completely to let the sauce flavor the fish. I then plated the fish with a generous heap of the mixture on top. (Though it actually might make for a nicer presentation if you served this in a shallow bowl- setting the fish filet on top of a bed of the veggies. I'll try that next time.)

The sauce would be delicious served over pasta, chicken, just about anything- though it really goes perfectly with a flaky white fish. It packs a ton of flavor into VERY little fat and calories too. The green beans were very tasty with this however a simple green salad would work too.

Nate and I sipped a glass of Shoo Fly Buzz Cut white wine featured in a recent post and it was very nice with the meal. John had a light French Pinot Noir that worked well too. I think you could go either way, playing off either the white fish or the tangy tomato sauce.