Polpette! and the Ile d'Orleans

I didn't know what I wanted to make for dinner until I stumbled upon Staffan Terje's (Barbacco) polpette recipe in 7x7 magazine. Having never made meatballs in my life, I decided now would be a good time to start. Now, I may have never made meatballs myself but I have definitely consumed my fair share and I will say, these were yummy. Terje's recipe is for a Sicilian-style meatball made of pork and complemented by some sweet raisins, bringing a nice lightness to a food that can often be heavy. 

A charming window at the museum, Le Manoir Mauvide-Genest

Some of the charming architecture on L'Ile d'Orleans

I made a half recipe which I think easily would have served 4, there were two of us and we had ample leftovers. To begin, whisk together an egg and a half cup milk in a large bowl, throw in a half cup panko and set the mixture aside for 10 minutes. I then added 1 pound pork along with 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon red chile flakes, 2 cloves minced garlic, a half a bunch of parsley finely chopped, a half cup grated parmesan, a generous half cup of golden raisins, 1/2 tablespoon salt and a generous sprinkling of pepper. 

The sheep and garden at the B&B Dans Les Bras de Morphee

The view of Quebec City from the Ile

 Form the meat mixture into large round patties and then fry until browned on the outside in some olive oil. Once browned, set aside and make the tomato sauce, I made a version of Terje's, found here. Put the meatballs in a baking dish and cover partially with the tomato sauce. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. I served mine over linguine and sauteed chard finished with some fresh lemon zest for a little brightness. (Note: The original calls for pine nuts but I chose to omit those, up to you)

The final course of the deliciously decadent breakfast at Dans Les Bras de Morphee

View from Dans Les Bras de Morphee

Nettle Pasta with English Peas and Spring Garlic

 Spring is here and along with it more exciting produce at the farmer's market! I think ripe peach and nectarine season is still my favorite but there is something pretty darn thrilling about the market expanding beyond chard and apples come springtime (not that I don't love both those items). I had no idea what I was going to do with what I found but I couldn't resist getting all of it - I found a big bag of stinging nettles, super sweet english peas and beautiful stalks of fresh spring garlic - the rest was history. As I walked back from the farmer's market I popped into the local grocery and picked up some nice ricotta from Bellwether Farms to compliment my pasta and add a little creamy goodness. Scroll on down for my little throw together recipe.

At Balboa Park, San Diego

Oh yeah, and I topped it with a fried egg so the yolk would add to the sauciness. Mmm

Carnitas Snack Shack, San Diego

Carnitas Snack Shack, San Diego

Balboa Park, San Diego

Mac N' Cheese

In keeping with my cravings for unhealthy, hearty food, I decided to make some mac and cheese. I justified this by telling myself that our friend was in town and he would eat a lot of it . . . I ended up making so much that we ate mac and cheese for about nine days straight. 

Anyway, I stumbled upon Martha Stewart's 'perfect' mac and cheese. As a firm believer in the mantra, 'everything is better with bacon,' I amped up Martha's recipe with a few tweaks and the addition of bacon. It turned out to be really yummy, although I do recommend serving it with a light salad just to keep those arteries flowing.

*Addendum: I chopped up two thick slices of bacon and sauteed them in the skillet before making the roux. I took out the bacon but let the roux cook in the bacon fat and then added the bacon back in along with the cheese and pasta.

A Faux-Forager's Delight - Morels

I never liked mushrooms. That is, until one day, when I was in 4th grade, during a trip with my family to Costa Rica. We were each served a bowl of mushroom soup, and I begrudgingly agreed to try it. One creamy, earthy taste and I was sold . . . going on to lick my bowl clean and then greedily eat most of my mother's portion as well. I now have an intense love of mushrooms and am prone to order any mushroom-y menu item when out on the town. 

My mother is visiting, and I took her to my version of Disneyland - Berkeley Bowl. It is an amazing produce-centric market in Berkeley with the most incredible array of fruits and veggies from around the globe. Walking through the mushroom section we both locked our eyes on the box of morels and began to drool. Then we noticed that the price was outrageously affordable (only $15/pound – if that sounds like a lot, they are $40/pound at my neighborhood grocery), and we dove in.

As for preparation, with such a luxuriously lovely ingredient I wanted to keep it simple and just enjoy the morel. I sauteed one diced shallot in butter. Once translucent I added in one diced clove of garlic. After a minute of letting those flavors marry, I added my half-pound (!) of morels and sauteed over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. To finish, I seasoned them generously with salt and pepper, reduced the heat to low and poured in about 3/4 cup of heavy cream. I let the sauce cook for 10-15 minutes over very low heat, until the cream was infused with a nice mushroom-y-ness.

We ate the mushrooms over plain pasta . . .

 . . . and savored every last morsel.

My dishwasher.

Pasta Inspiration

The latest issue of Bon Appetit sucked me into trying more than the just the Rhubarb Crostata. They had an article discussing 10 steps to making fabulous pasta dishes and I have thrown myself into that, trying a different sauce using the same basic method each week. The first one I tried was the pasta with sun gold tomatoes.

It is not tomato time yet but I couldn't help myself. I bought two baskets of cherry tomatoes and tossed them in a saute pan with a few cloves of minced garlic, a coating of olive oil and some sea salt and crushed red pepper flakes.

I partially covered the pan as instructed, swirled and waited for the tomatoes to blister. Meanwhile, I added my pasta to a pot of boiling salted water. The pasta was supposed to cook for 7 minutes and I pulled it out after 4ish - which seemed to work well. Before dumping the pasta water reserve a few cups to add to your sauce (I always reserve more than is actually called for - can't hurt to have extra on hand). I popped all the tomatoes (a very satisfying process) and added in the ultra al dente pasta and 3/4 cup pasta water. Keep tossing with your trusty tongs (another Bon Appetit must and common restaurant staple). 

Once the sauce has thickened, add in 1/2 cup cheese and some shredded basil (they say to add in more cheese and some olive oil - I didn't think it needed that much and just added a little more salt and pepper, to taste). I love this recipe - I love my tongs and my pasta water and the simplicity - and I loved the addition of the toasty breadcrumbs on top. 

P.S. There were no leftovers.