Something Old, Something New

I'm on a pasta roll for sure.

Once of the best things about pasta is that you can toss it up with almost anything, and sometimes the best combinations are those that were "chapalang" thrown together from anything and everything in the fridge.

It's a great way to use leftovers too. I had to fix dinner quite quickly with just a stark supply of food, and came up with the following: Spinach, Cheese (Always have this in your fridge please), Garlic (this too), Anchovies, Fresh Fettucine, and Frozen Chicken

So my thoughts as follows: "hmm... all the necessary ingredients for Aglio Olio, except without the pepper flakes & pasta - but definitely some good flavor going on there with the garlic & anchovies." *Ding Ding! Eureka!

It was an easy decision - saute the spinach in the garlic and toss everything together like an Aglio Olio - then serve it with roast chicken, and it's a complete meal with the protein, carbs & veg! Turned out fantastic (why am I not surprised) so here's the recipe.

I've been having thoughts of publishing a book about 101 ways with pasta - what do you think? Am I up for the challenge?





Updated Aglio Olio

1 Bag Baby Spinach leaves
6 cloves Garlic, sliced thin
3 Tbs Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5 ea Anchovy Fillets, chopped fine
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Noodle Pasta for 2

1. Cook the pasta and well salted boiling water, and drain well
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbs of olive in a saute pan
3. Gently cook the garlic slivers until they are slight translucent, but not brown
4. Add the spinach and cook to wilt
5. Toss the sauteed spinach and garlic with the anchovies, pasta, cheese and remaining olive oil
6. Serve immediately

Pretty Perfect Pancetta-Pea Pasta!

I had a craving for pancetta and peas (per my tweet about a week ago), and by chance had fallen upon some lovely pancetta from AG Ferrari!

It took me only 20 minutes to throw this together, and I think it qualifies as one of my signature pasta dishes now, along with Seafood & Carbonara, which has never failed to win praises :D

The traditional recipe isn't creamy like this, but I was in the mood for some comfort food, which in my mind equates to added lux (as in, more fat) - hence the addition of cream, & egg yolk.

The very last steps of the recipe are almost like a carbonara. Although there are not as many egg yolks, you will need to make sure that the pasta is hot enough to cook the yolks, but the sauce is not hot enough to curdle the yolks. To do this right, don't skip the tempering step (step 7), which heats the yolks slightly, so it doesn't shock when tossed with the pasta or sauce.

Also, I would recommend tossing the pasta with the sauce first, then pouring the yolk mixture over and re-tossing with parm.

You could use any kind of pasta, but I chose conchiglie (shells), because the bits of peas and pancetta fit nicely into their pockets. You can also substitute bacon for pancetta, but COME ON!

Enjoy!

Pancetta & Peas Pasta Recipe

1 cup Frozen Peas
4 oz Pancetta, diced
1/4 ea Yellow onion, brunoise
1 cup Chicken Stock
1 cup Heavy Cream
3 ea Egg Yolks
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

Pasta shells for two

1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta to al dente
2. Heat a heavy saucepan and fry the pancetta until crisp on the outside
3. Remove pancetta from pan and reserve
4. In rendered pancetta fat, add the yellow onion and saute till lightly browned and translucent
5. Add the heavy cream and chicken stock and bring to a boil
6. Reduce sauce until about 1/3 cup
7. Whisk the egg yolks until thick in a separate bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the reduced sauce, quickly whisking to prevent curdling
8. Add frozen peas to the cream sauce and cover until liquid comes to a boil again
9. Add the reserved pancetta and toss pasta into the saucepan coating with cream sauce
10. Add egg yolk mixture and cheese and toss until sauce thickens
11. Serve immediately

Chef Laura's Easy Entertaining Cooking Class!

One of my biggest passions in addition to cooking is teaching, and what better way to combine the two than to host a cooking class!

Because this was organized by SGConnect, I had little insight to the skill and interest levels of the participants. So, to keep things interesting, I opted for more unusual ingredients, but stuck with the simple technique.

We had the privilege of using Ben's & Unhui's kitchen in Oakland, and it is the perfect setting for a group class, with an island in the middle, and tons of space to walk around.

The class started with a little getting to know you session, with each group of 2 or 3 bidding for their project.



I had a ton of fun teaching the class, and I think everyone learned at least one thing!



Knife Skills - Small Dice, Batons, Mince



Boning & Butterflying a Whole Chicken



Sauce Making 101
Roasting Vegetables without a Grill
Folding & Whipping Techniques in Dessert Making

After about 1.5 hrs of hard core cooking and preparation, we had a short Plating & Presentation 101 session on how to make food look good, before partaking in the feast!




Crab Salad with Melon



Caramelized Garlic Roasted Chicken, with Heirloom Tomato Sauce



Creamy Parmigiana Polenta

Salsa Verde Salad with Buffalo Mozzarella



Peanut Butter & Banana Pie

This was a great idea to get to build connections with strangers or stronger bonds with your friends. There's something about preparing a meal together that draws people closer together, and afterwards, when you feast, you can really taste the fruit of your labor!



For a session like this, contact me at cheflaurafu@gmail.com

*Photos Courtesy of Mark Sin - More here