Jamie Oliver's Linguine alla Carbonara di Salsiccia

One of the cookbooks I received for Christmas was Jamie Oliver's Jamie's Italy. It's a wonderful book full of great authentic Italian recipes and pictures. Jamie travelled the country cooking with the locals and learning the proper way to cook Italian food. There was actually a companion television show that I saw the final installment of. The show I saw was very funny, I'll definitely need to find the other shows. The first recipe I chose to make was Linguine Carbonara with Sausage. It looked easy enough and I thought it would be good on a very cold evening. It was simple to make and I only made minor changes to the recipe, due in part to time and available ingredients. I did not make little sausage balls because my sausage was still slightly frozen, I just removed the casings and sliced off 1 inch pieces. I also used a 3 ounce package of thinly sliced pancetta, because my store did not have anything else to choose from. His recipe calls for reserving some of the pasta cooking liquid to be added to the finished product. He called for a couple of spoonfuls. I reserved about 1/4 cup of the water, but felt I could have added at least a 1/2 of a cup. It was pretty sticky and I would have preferred it to be smoother. Otherwise the flavor was very good and the lemon zest added a nice hint of citrus.

Linguine alla Cabonara di Salsiccia

4 good-quality Italian Sausages
olive oil
4 slices of thickly cut pancetta, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. dried linguine
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 oz. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
zest of 1 lemon
a sprig of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
extra virgin olive oil

With a sharp knife, slit the sausage skins lengthwise and pop the meat out. Using wet hands, roll little balls of sausage meat about the size of large marbles and place to one side. Heat a large frying pan and add a good splash of olive oil. Gently fry the meatballs until golden brown, then add pancetta and continue cooking for a couple of minutes, until golden. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to the package. In a large bowl, whip yolks, cream, half of the Parmesan, lemon zest and parsley. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the pasta water. Immediately toss the pasta and the egg mixture in the pasta pot. Add the hot sausage and toss everything together. The egg will cook delicately from the heat of the pasta, just enough for it to thicken and not scramble. the sauce should be smooth and silky. if the pasta becomes a little sticky add a few spoonfuls of the reserved cooking water to loosen it slightly. Sprinkle over the rest of the Parmesan, season if necessary, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and serve. Eat immediately!

Teocali

Last night, a group that we dine with on occasion, tried a new Mexican place. Our friends Dan and Larry suggested it and we thought we would give it a try. The place is a little off the beaten track, but well worth checking out. Kansas City has a growing collection of great Mexican restaurants and this one can be added to the list. The place is small and and bright and very clean. The floors looked like you could eat off of them. They have a well stocked bar with 2 televisions.I hear that Grandma is the main cook and the food is authentic Mexican. The service was very good. Our waitress was very attentive to her group of eight. The food is good and the sauces are great. Their salsa has a nice kick, but not so hot that you can't eat it. The guacamole is wonderful and fresh, nice and smooth with some nice chucks of avocado. They serve a wonderful queso with jalapenos, smooth with the perfect bite of heat.
I had the Carne Azada, which came with rice, the creamiest beans ever, guacamole and really good pico de gallo. The steak was perfectly cooked and tasted great in the corn tortillas provided. My Dan had the chicken fajitas and he seemed to enjoy them, because there was none left to be brought home. We all enjoyed the food and the company. Teocali is definitely one to go back to. The prices are good and the portions are perfect. They are located at 2515 Holmes, phone number 816-221-4749. They are back behind the Crown Center area.

Oven Roasted Asparagus

I love this recipe. It's so easy to make and so good. When you cook during the week, quick is a necessity. You can substitute broccoli florets in this recipe and use whatever spices you like. I sometimes add garlic powder or crushed red pepper flakes.

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch asparagus, cleaned and bottoms trimmed
1 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Remove some of the excess water from the cleaned asparagus and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss, until all pieces are coated. Spread out on baking sheet and place in preheated 375 degree oven. Bake for 10 minutes.

Williams-Sonoma Cheddar-Ale Soup

The other day my sister went to Penzey's and wanted to know if I needed any spices. Of course I did! She brought them over to me with some of Penzey's recipe cards. There was also one in the bag from Williams-Sonoma that I thought looked good. I decided to try it out this past weekend. The only changes I made were slight. I used skim milk as opposed to whole milk, organic natural white sharp cheddar and chipotle chili seasoning. I used a bottle of Stella Artois for the ale, it's one of my favorites and that's what we had on hand. You can never go wrong with a Stella!

Cheddar-Ale Soup

4 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
1 bottle (12 fl. oz.) ale
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 3/4 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
salt, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste

In a soup pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and whisk in milk and stock. bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Return the mixture to the pot and set over medium heat. Add the ale, Worcestershire and mustard and simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk in the cheese 1/2 cup at a time, letting each addition melt before adding more; do not allow the soup to boil. Season with salt and cayenne. Ladle into warmed bowls and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.

Dan's Turkey Chili

Dan's turkey chili is one of my all time favorite things to eat. The first time he made it, I was a little sceptical, but after 13 years it remains one of my favorites. He uses Six Gun Chili Mixin's as his base. It's a great mix because you can control the heat and the thickness. It comes with a packet of ground chili and a packet of Masa Harina along with the regular seasonings. Just follow the instructions on the package and you have a great pot of chili. Dan uses turkey instead of beef and it works well in this recipe. He also adds a can of drained and rinsed black beans for the bean part. The unusual part is the carrots and the mushrooms. He thickly slices 7 white button mushrooms and 3 carrots. The carrots are my favorite part, because they are kind of crunchy when the chili is done. I know it sounds strange, but it is so good!! Try it, you'll get hooked!!

Corn Bread

The other night, Dan decided to make his great turkey chili. I love his chili because it is so different. I will post that recipe after this one. You have to make really good cornbread to go with chili, so here is my favorite recipe. It's easy to make and tastes great too.

Corn Bread

2 (8.5 oz) boxes corn muffin mix
2 eggs
2/3 cup skim milk
1 cup Colby/Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
1 (11 oz) can Mexicorn, drained

Preheat the oven to 400. Mix the ingredients in a bowl until blended. Pour into a 11x8 glass dish and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, butter the top and place back in oven for another 5 minutes.

Easy Beef Stroganoff

A few weeks ago, my sister Gina asked for a beef stroganoff recipe. This one comes close to the one I used to prepare, but lost in an unfortunate computer accident. I put this together tonight and it turned out great. I used lower fat items when making it so it has less calories than regular stroganoff.

Easy Beef Stroganoff

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (10.5 oz) can Cream of Mushroom Condensed soup, 98% Fat Free
1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1/3 cup skim milk
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef and onion;seasoned with salt and pepper,until the beef is cooked through. Drain fat, return to heat and add garlic, cook for 1 minute. Add soup, mushrooms, milk and Worcestershire sauce.Bring to a boil and adjust seasonings. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for additional 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook 6 oz. of wide egg noodles according to package, drain and toss with 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of chopped flat leaf parsley. Stir sour cream into beef mixture and serve over noodles.

Back Home

I have been in Atlanta for the past four days at the Gift Mart. Wow, there was so much to see and so many people! I will post about the restaurants that we visited, including Ray's Seafood and the standby Hard Rock Cafe. We thought we would not get home yesterday because of freezing rain, but our great Delta pilot landed the plane on the only open runway in KC, VERY SCARY!! It is great to be back home and taking a snow day from work. I refuse to drive the 40 miles one way, when there is this type of weather! I need a job that is closer to home. More later...

Pasta and 2 Bean Soup

This is a soup recipe that I have recently adapted. While it is hearty, it is also lighter. The recipe called for 2 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni, but I think you could easily get by using 1 cup uncooked or 1 1 1/2 cups, my pot was exploding with pasta. I'm a big pasta fan, but others might like less. I use Barilla whenever cooking with pasta. They have so many great kinds to try. For this recipe I used their elbow macaroni, I love the shape of theirs, they are a little twisted and twisted can be fun. You could also add escarole or spinach or even cooked chicken for a heartier soup.

Pasta and 2 Bean Soup

2 cups elbow macaroni
1 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid
1/2 cup white onion, chopped
2 tbs. olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14oz) can Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup frozen baby lima beans
1 (15 oz) can cannellinni beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbs fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp. Herbes de Provence
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated parmesan cheese, for garnish

Cook pasta in salted water for 4 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta and set aside. Saute onion in olive oil in soup pot, on low, for 5 to 6 minutes. Add red peppers and garlic; cook for 3 minutes more. Add broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, lima beans, parsley, herbes de Provence and reserved pasta water. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce haet and cover, simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Add cannellini beans and pasta. Continue to simmer on low for about 15 more minutes. Serve topped with Parmesan.

Fewer Calories Please!!!

Now that the holidays are over, it's time to get back to eating lighter fare. Tavie will be glad to know that I have some lighter recipes that I will be trying out starting this week. I personally want to lose 20 pounds and it's not going to happen unless I eat better. The great thing is there are so many things you can eat that aren't bad for you and taste great too.

It will be a slow start, because I will be going to Atlanta for the gift mat next weekend. But after that, look out, I'll start throwing some lighter fare your way!

GO CHIEFS!!

Popovers

Another recipe from my New Year's Eve dinner was the Ina Garten's popovers. I watched her holiday show and thought "Hmm, those look easy". Well, they were easy and probably would have been perfect if I followed the instructions to the letter.

First of all , you need a popover pan. I did not have one, but thought I could go to Target on New Year's Eve and buy one. Alas, my favorite store disappointed me because they did not have the desired pan. I then thought,"What the heck, I can use my muffin pan". Wrong! They won't pop over in a muffin pan. The flavor was great, they just looked like muffins. Needless to say, I went to Williams-Sonoma (my other favorite store) the next day and bought one.

Ina says there are 3 secrets to perfect popovers; pan needs to be hot before poring the batter, fill each cup no more than 1/2 full (on the show she said 2/3rds) and do not open the oven door while they are baking.

Ina Garten's Popovers

1 1/2 tbs unsalted butter, melted + butter for greasing pans
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt
3 extra large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups milk, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Generously grease pans with softened butter. Place pans in oven for exactly 2 minutes to preheat. Meanwhile, whisk together flour, salt, eggs, milk and melted butter until smooth. The batter will be thin. Fill the pans less than half full and bake exactly 30 minutes.
12 servings.

Hot Mulled Cider

One of my favorite shows on The Food Network is The Barefoot Contessa. Ina's holiday show featured some great food and I based my New Year's dinner on that show. She made a hot mulled cider that looked really good. I made it and it was! Everyone liked it. You can add rum to it, if you so desire, after you ladle it into the mugs. I'm not a fan of rum, but Ryan tried it that way and really liked it. Ina's recipe called for 6 star anise which I left out, because the grocery store did not have any. My recipe is below.

Hot Mulled Cider

1 gallon of really good apple cider
4 cinnamon sticks
2 oranges, peels and juice
8 whole cloves

Combine all ingredients in a stockpot and simmer over low heat for at least 30 minutes. Ladle in to mugs and serve.

Dreamgirls

Okay folks, this one is not about food. I went to see Dreamgirls this weekend and if you have not seen it, you need too. Jennifer Hudson as Effie is worth the price of admission alone. Her version of And I'm Telling You is truly one of the most incredible scenes to make it to the big screen. She also does a phenomenal job of acting and should be nominated for Best Actress.

The rest of the cast does a fine job, especially Eddie Murphy. Who knew he could sing like that! Much better than his Party All The Time days. I would definitely see this one again! A very moving film with some of the best performances.

Lemon Cream Gelato

For dessert on New Year's Eve I served this recipe that I adapted from one of my favorite magazines, Tastes of Italia. The recipe makes a very thick custard, almost a little too eggy for what I would consider true Gelato. It was very good fresh and okay by the third day. Try to prepare and serve this the same day.

The only thing I changed in the recipe was that they called for 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon zest. I used the zest of 2 lemons, finely chopped. This made about 2 1/2 teaspoons. It adds such a nice subtle lemon flavor to this frozen treat. This will make 4 to 6 servings.

I received an ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer this Christmas. This was the perfect recipe for testing out the attachment. It worked quickly and quietly. We had gelato in about 15 minutes. What a great gift and and a great attachment!

Lemon Cream Gelato

2 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon zest

In a medium saucepan, heat milk and cream over medium heat until bubbles form at edge of pan. Remove pan from heat. In a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs and sugar until well blended. Slowly add milk mixture, continuing to beat. Stir in vanilla and lemon zest. Return mixture to saucepan and heat on medium for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture slightly thickens. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Pour into bowl and refrigerate for 3 hours. Process chilled mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Hash Brown Potato Casserole

I did not have a recipe for this, but I kind of knew what I wanted it to be. I actually forgot to put it together, so I baked it at a higher temperature than you would normally do. This baked at 375 for 15 minutes, then at 400 for 30. It was in the oven with the popovers and I thought it was getting too brown, but the trick to popovers is not to open the oven!

Hash Brown Potato Casserole

1 (30 oz) bag Country style Hash Brown Shredded Potatoes, thawed
1 (10 3/4 oz) can Southwest Pepper Jack Soup
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Colby-jack cheese, shredded
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 8 x 11 baking dish with cooking spray. Combine all the ingredients in medium size bowl and place in baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbly.

New Year's Eve Dinner

This year we celebrated New Year's Eve with my Mom and my son Ryan, both in town for the holidays. The menu included Standing Rib Roast, Oven Roasted Asparagus, Mixed Green Salad, Popovers, Potato Casserole, Lemon Cream Gelato and Panettone. All went well for the most part.

I had everything planned out and even the times written on the recipes as to when to start each item. Since I did not have a recipe for the potatoes, I forgot to make them. Dan asked about them about the same time the popovers were to go into the oven. I hastily put the casserole together and put it into the small side oven that we were going to use for the asparagus. The rib roast was a little rare for our liking so we sliced off the ends and put it back into the oven. I did not have a popover pan so I used a muffin pan, you don't get the same results. They tasted fine, they just did not popover.

The dinner went well and the desserts were great. The company was even better! It was a great way to end the year and look forward to the next! I will have the recipes to the dinner in follow up posts.

Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

I just finished reading Julie Powell's book Julie & Julia. This was a fun and quick read, although I got a little bored with it in the middle. Julie decides to spend an entire year making every recipe from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She even makes things like kidneys and sweetbreads and all that gross offal. Julie Powell is one of those people that you can really relate too, she is a big flaming liberal Democrat afterall.She blogs about it and becomes famous. The story really comes down to her discovering the joy of her own life and really finding herself. Definitely worth picking up at your local bookseller.