the honey eater » gourmet http://thehoneyeater.com Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:06:09 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Spaghetti Carbonara http://thehoneyeater.com/2009/11/spaghetti-carbonara/ http://thehoneyeater.com/2009/11/spaghetti-carbonara/#comments Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:25:04 +0000 naomi http://thehoneyeater.com/?p=332 spaghetti carbonara

This is what I cook for myself when Amir is out. It is one of the rare recipes that is designed to serve just one person and that’s exactly how it should be eaten. Sure, you could double it to share with another person, but why? This is the kind of dish that is best enjoyed completamente da solo.


Spagetti Carbonara
adapted from Gourmet

Sure this isn’t an “authentic” carbonara, but it is so enjoyable to break into the poached egg, and then stir the yolk into the pasta, so who really cares?

2 bacon slices, cut in half (if using thick-cut bacon, you only need one)
3 oz spaghetti
1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 large egg
salt and pepper, to taste
chopped parsley or tarragon, if you have it

Set a pot of salted water to boil.

Fry the bacon until cooked but not too crispy. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.

Cook spaghetti until just al dente. Reserve 1/3 cup of the cooking water. Remove the pasta with tongs and keep the pan on water simmering.

Pour off all but 2 tsp of the bacon fat, then mix the bacon fat with the butter over medium-high heat. Add the Parmesan, reserved cooking water, pasta, and a healthy dose of ground pepper and cook until the sauce is thickened and almost completely absorbed, about 2-3 minutes. Add bacon and herbs, if using. Transfer to a plate.

Crack the egg into a cup and gently slide it into the simmering water. Poach for about 2-3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, place the poached egg on top of the pasta. Enjoy!

*I’m sorry about the photo, but it gets dark here sometime around 4:30 and seeing as I’m rarely home (or at least cooking dinner) by then, getting a good photo is becoming harder and harder to do.

]]> http://thehoneyeater.com/2009/11/spaghetti-carbonara/feed/ 0 squash and pepper pilaf with cannellini beans, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes http://thehoneyeater.com/2009/11/squah-and-pepper-pilaf-with-cannellini-beans-spinach-and-sun-dried-tomatoes/ http://thehoneyeater.com/2009/11/squah-and-pepper-pilaf-with-cannellini-beans-spinach-and-sun-dried-tomatoes/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:19:25 +0000 naomi http://thehoneyeater.com/?p=304 spinach with cannellini beans, squash and pepper pilaf

Yesterday morning we were leafing through the last issue of Gourmet (sigh) wondering what to make for dinner when these beautiful dishes jumped out at us. Healthy, quick, and tasty, it’s the perfect dinner to make at the end of a long day (and after the tedium of my Bilingual Exceptional Child class.)

squash and pepper pilaf

Squash and Bell Pepper Pilaf
adapted from Gourmet

I cannot overstress how simple, and how delicious both of these dishes are. There are so few ingredients, the recipes are so easy, and most of the time you’re just waiting for the rice to cook (or writing a paper on Italian syntax and letting the rice burn), and yet they are so flavorful and so fulfilling.

The original recipe calls for a red pepper, but I had an extra green pepper loafing about in my fridge, so I used that instead. I replaced the long-grain white rice with a mix of brown rices I had in my cupboard because I prefer the chewiness and nutty flavor of brown rice.

3/4 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch squares
1 bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup rice
2 cups water
1/2 cup raw green (hulled) pumpkin seeds, toasted
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook squash, bell pepper, onion and bay leaf, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in olive oil in a 12-inch medium skillet (or medium pot) over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables start to brown, about 8 minutes.

Add rice and stir until coated. Add water and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook until rice and vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with seeds before serving.

cannellini beans with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes

Spanish White Beans with Spinach
Adapted from Gourmet

The recipe asks for 19-oz cans of cannellini beans, I don’t know where they’re shopping but I could only find 15 oz. cans, which seems to be the standard can weight for beans.

1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (they say oil-packed, mine weren’t, it was fine)
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika (I used regular paprika)
2 (15-oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
2 (10-oz) bags spinach (I used on 16-oz container)
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook onion and sun-dried tomatoes in 1/4 cup oil with some salt and pepper in a large (5-6 qt) pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is browned, 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and paprika and cook for another minute.

Stir in beans, water and spinach and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes (honestly, it took about 5 minutes just to get all that spinach mixed in). Season with salt and pepper and serve.

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