Keep Calm & Carry On

I can never turn away a hungry person.

Largely, the joy in cooking comes from seeing others enjoy my food, and while it's a rare gift to always be able to satisfy an appetite, I've learned to use it well.

I've also made it a habit to always have something available in my fridge, so that I can put together a meal quickly and easily, because often, there isn't time to go to the store when I have surprise guests.

By far, my most outstanding meal, was a dinner that I prepared for 6 people (myself included), with about 5 minute notice. I had some friends stop by, and invited them to dinner - so it was originally just 3 people at the last minute. Then, friends of friends showed up, and within minutes, the dinner table had expanded 100% to 6 people.

The initial dinner plan for 3 people was a light & casual gnocchi dish with bacon and peas, tossed in that awesome Pesto a le Monde. However, with this extended guest list, I had to think of something more appropriate (That would severely undermine my talent as a chef). The bacon and peas were already in the pan cooking, and so I decided to extend this and make a creamy pesto sauce, and toss it with spaghetti instead.

Pancetta and Peas is always super successful, so I brought the technique of mixing in egg yolk and cream into the sauce to stretch out that last bit of pesto that I had left.



In line with my philosophy to always store something in the fridge, I quick braised some frozen OMG meatballs in a half bottle of red wine that I also had left from spaghetti & meatballs a week ago.



Now that I had the entree and side protein sorted out - the only thing that was missing was a salad. My cheese drawer had some fresh bocconcini, so I tossed that with some fresh avocado, good olive oil (a must have in anyone's pantry), and ripe apricots, which are of course in season right now.



To much surprise, it really wasn't that difficult to pull off, and really, I could never turn strangers away, for without knowing, some have entertained angels in disguise.



Pesto, Peas, and Pasta

Serves 6

8 oz Bacon Rashers, diced
12 oz Frozen Peas
1 cup Pesto

1 cup Half & half
4 ea Egg Yolks

1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

6 portions Noodle Pasta, like linguine, fettucine, or spaghetti


1. Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil, and add the noodles
2. In a smaller pot, add scald the half and half, and reduce by about half
3. Heat a heavy sautepan, and add the bacon rashers, until browned
4. Remove most of the bacon drippings, leaving about 2 tablespoons
5. Add the frozen peas, and cover, cooking till peas are thawed out and hot
6. Quickly whisk the egg yolks and slowly temper in the hot half and half
7. Strain pasta, and then toss egg mixture, peas, bacon, and parmesan together
8. Season with freshly cracked pepper and serve immediately

Dinner in 30 Minutes (How To)

In anticipation of the major food fest that I'll be getting when I get to Korea, I whet my appetite last night with a healthy home cooked dinner. I had some leftover produce anyway, and wanted to use it up. Fridge inventory check revealed - 1 bag of Bloomsdale Spinach, 2 avocados, and chicken breasts.

Pantry staples that contributed to this meal - Quinoa, Garlic, Anchovies, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice

From the Garden - Thyme

After setting quinoa on the stove, I made delicious green goddess dressing by mincing up the garlic, and then combining that with the avocado, lemon juice, olive oil & anchovies in the food processor (10 minutes). Then, I marinated the chicken breasts in some balsamic vinegrette, the garden thyme, olive oil & salt, before firing up the grill. Once the chicken breasts were marked on both sides (10 minutes), I closed the hood then went back to cook the spinach.

I love spinach because it's absolutely so healthy, delicious, versatile, and best of all, easy to cook. In a large sauce pan, a splash of water, add all the spinach and then cover for about 10 minutes. By the way. this timing works for farmed spinach, but if you want to get that wilty stuff in a bag, then cover for 1 minute instead.

Just when the spinach was done, the chicken was ready to come off the grill, and the quinoa was also well prepared and fluffy.

It's amazing what a good sauce can do to zazzle up some simple ingredients, and it doesn't always have to take a day to make!

Here's the recipe for a green goddess dressing

Green Goddess Dressing

Makes 1 cup

2 ea Avocados
2 fillet Anchovies
3 ea Garlic Cloves, minced
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

If desired, 1 egg yolk for added richness

1. Pulse all ingredients except oil in a food processor until smooth
2. With processor running, slowly add the olive oil in a stream until incorporated
3. Add salt & pepper to taste

If making ahead, cover tightly with plastic wrap to prevent browning