Lamb Ragu

So on the eve of the last day of winter, I decide to make a very hearty pasta dish, Lamb Ragu! I have been on a bit of an Italian kick with good reason, Italians make some of the best food.

Lamb Ragu

for two

3/4 of a pound of flayed leg of lamb, cubed
1/2 a large onion, finely chopped (I use my Quisinart!)
1/2 a carrot, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (as if there is any other kind!)
a handful of fresh basil leaves, about half the bunch, finely chopped
1/4 lb pancetta or bacon, sliced into small bits
1/2 cup dry white wine
a little more than half a can of San Marzano crushed tomatoes
2 servings FRESH fettuccine or other thin flat pasta

In a deep sauce pan, over medium high, heat up the olive oil until very hot, almost smoking. Add the onions, carrots, basil and bacon or pancetta. Cook until all the fat is off the bacon. Season the lamb with plenty of salt and pepper. Brown the meat thoroughly in the pan. It always takes longer than you think, but browned food tastes better!.

Add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Let cook for about 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, 2 cups of boiling water and season with salt and pepper. Cover, lower heat to medium and simmer until the meat is tender, maybe about 20 minutes.

Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and keep warm. Add the pasta to the hot sauce and heat back up a medim high for about 2 minutes until the pasta is al dente. Serve immediately.

The Gang's All Here

It's been a while since 312 Square Feet hosted a proper party and what started as a small dinner snowballed into a delicious gather of some of my brightest friends. The crew; Art, Evers, J-Tron, the Ghoast, Czyz, Haeyoung, 80's Malin, Chelsea, L.K. Webs, and your hostess.

We enjoyed a dinner of scallops wrapped in bacon, fennel and orange salad, a main of Brazilian fish stew with coconut rice, and dessert provided by one ex-Teuscher employee, Craig, of amazing Swiss chocolates. Chocolates that seemed to perfectly cap the evening. Libations we flowing plentifully and the evening devolved into some homemade karaoke madness! Including an impromptu MCQ performance of our one cover song, "I'm on Fire"!

Brazilian Fish Stew
serves 6-8
2 ounds cod cut into about 8 oz portions
1 1/2 pounds of shrimp
1 1/2 (about 6) tomatoes, cubed
1/4 cup (about 2 limes worth) lime juice
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons salt
3-4 cloves gralic, chopped or put through your handy garlic press
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 flat italian parsley, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Marinate the cod in the lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 of the garlic cloves, and the pepper for 30 minutes. Add the shrimp and toos to cover. Marinate another 30 minutes, but not too long. The citrus will start to cook the fish and you will have civiche and not stew!

Line the bottom of a really big pot with the tomatoes, add the rest of the garlic and 1/2 teaspsoon of salt. Layer on top the chopped onion, then peppers. Arrange the fish in a layer on top, reserving the marinate. Put the herbs in next and then layer the shrimp on top. Lastly, pour the oil and the reserved marinate over it.

Bring to a simmer and then cover. Cook for about 20-25 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and opaque.

Wishing for a celebration of the porcine

Turns out that there is a yearly celebration of bacon in Atlanta, GA. Since I am not inclined to travel that far for my love of pig, how about we get this party going in Brooklyn. I would call it, "The First Annual Brooklyn Baconfest and Pigout". Can we make this happen people?

Quiet weeknight

During the hectic semester and New York City life, I don't often get the chance to truly indulge in home cooking on a week night. I got a little break from running around and read and working, enough time to make a light tomato sauce with monkfish then served over linguine. Simple, satisfying and warming on this cold March night.

Comforting Continued - Bourbon Pecan Pie

It's still cold out. Ronnie and I are still kind of nursing ourselves back to some kind of health, emotional and physical, what ever. What better way to do that than to whip up a pie that has three or four of my favorite things:
1. Pecans!
2. Bourbon
3. Dark Chocolate
4. Butter
With the added bonus, it's PIE!

So we spent this Saturday after class napping and baking and feeling self indulgent.

Bourbon Pecan Pie - HungryGhoast told me that this is also called a Derby Pie. He had a hand in suggesting the chocolate addition.

Bourbon Pecan Pie

for the crust
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4-6 tablespoons ice water

for the filling
1 1/2 cups roughly chopped Pecans
3 generous shots bourbon
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
3 egss
1/2 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate (you can add more for more chocolately goodness)

Soak the nuts in the bourbon for several hours. I put mine in and then went for a 3 hour nap. Then made the crust, which needs to be refrigerated for an hour, while I watched Dollhouse. So, I'd say mine were soaking in the sauce for 4.5 hours.

Make the crust. I tell you how here.

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Combine all the ingredients, except the nuts and chocolate. Beat well. Add the nuts and chocolate. Pour into the shell. Bake for an hour. Don't over bake. It will continue to cook and set when you take it out of the oven. Mine was undulating, popping and hissing like a cat in tub of water.

Also, this pie is delicious and very addicting. In fact, it was my breakfast.

Another added bonus, here is Ronnie yesterday, enjoying her favorite treat of lettuce. I know, she's a weird cat. She takes after her mother.

MCQ Practice Dinner

MCQ is getting back into the groove on a snowy night with some delicious but simple food. There's no real recipe for this but here's what went into it. These are all estimates, I didn't measure a thing making this, but it came out great!

Artichokes with White Beans and Spinach with White Wine Cream Sauce and Lemon Parrapedelle

Garlic maybe 3 cloves
Olive Oil
Tablespoon Butter
1/2 a bag of frozen artichoke hearts
1 can Cannellini Beans
1 Bunch Spinach
1 cup of white wine
1/2 cup cream
Juice of half a lemon
Plenty of Salt and Pepper
Plenty of Parmesan Cheese grated into the sauce and some reserved for serving
Fresh Basil - shredded over the top for serving
Parrapedelle Pasta

Comfort Food

It's cold out and changes of all sort have been a foot. The best thing to turn to is an old friend. One that you know will always be steadfast no matter what the window dressing is. And this week, that friend is the apple pie or my take on it.

Tart Apple Pear Pie with Gruyére

for the crust
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup butter cut into 1/2" cubes and chilled
1 teapoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6-8 tablespoons of ice water

for the filling
6 Granny Smith Apples
2 large Comice pears or Barlett pears
Juice of half a lemon
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Gruyere Cheese for grating on top

In a food processor or the old fashioned way with a pastry cutter, mix the flour, salt, and sugar together. Add the chilled butter. I like to put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes and I also freeze my flour. Storing flour in the freezer saves space in my tiny kitchen! Plus the food processor 6 - 8 times until the butter is broken up into the flour but not thoroughly blended. Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time and pulse, repeating until the dough forms small beads and sticks together with a pinch. It should not be wet all all. Roll into two balls and wrap in plastice warp and chill for at least an hour. It will keep up to a week.

Thinly slice the apples and pears. Squeeze the lemon over them and toss. In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar and spices, add the apples and thoroughly toss.

Pre-heat the oven to 375. Roll out the dough and line a pie dish.

Add the filling and cover with the other piece of dough. Brush with water and sprinkle with a little sugar. Cut in slits at the top for venting.

Bake for 45 minutes on the low rack. Then add lots of cheese grated on the top and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the cheease just starts to brown.

Let cool and serve how you like, with ice cream, more cheese or whipped cream.