Bacon and Asparagus Pasta

At the beginning of every month, I look forward to getting the new Food Network Magazine in the mail. My sister-in-law ordered it for us for Christmas a couple of years ago and we have been loving it ever since. The recipes are always seasonal, easy, and very tasty.

My husband is a bacon lover. I think it's probably the thing he missed most over the last 40 days. When I saw this recipe in the magazine I thought it would be perfect! The original recipe calls for prosciutto, but we substituted bacon instead (gotta keep the bacon lover happy).

Bacon and Asparagus Pasta
Kosher salt
1/2 c diced bacon
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 t chopped fresh thyme
1/2 c dry white wine
Freshly ground pepper
1 c heavy cream
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
12 ounces fettuccine
1 1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it renders some fat and begins to brown, about 2 minutes (drain off excess grease). Add the garlic and thyme and cook until the garlic just begins to soften, about 30 seconds. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the wine. Return to the heat and cook until the wine evaporates slightly, about 2 more minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Add the cream and nutmeg and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 3 more minutes.

Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook as the label directs, add the asparagus for the last minute of cooking. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta and asparagus.

Add the cheese to the cream sauce and stir to combine. Add the pasta and asparagus and toss to coat, adding some of the reserved cooking water to loosen, if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls and top with more cheese.

I didn't add any extra pasta water, because the sauce was thin enough, but I think it's generally a good idea to reserve some past water just in case.

Pesto Gnocchi

I love Italian food, especially pasta. Usually I just buy dried pasta when making it at home, but I had a Sunday free and thought I'd try something different. I used Mario Battali's gnocchi recipe as a base. The pesto sauce is actually one we made at the end of the summer with our remaining basil. This is the last of it from the freezer. Pesto freezes wonderfully!

Gnocchi
3 pounds russet potatoes (I used Yukon Gold, because it's what I had)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, extra large
1 pinch salt

Boil the whole potatoes until they are soft (about 45 minutes). While still warm, peel and pass through vegetable mill onto clean pasta board - I don't have a vegetable mill, so I just mashed them with a fork to get rid of lumps.

Set 6 quarts of water to boil in a large spaghetti pot. Set up ice bath with 6 cups ice and 6 cups water near boiling water.

Make well in center of potatoes and sprinkle all over with flour, using all the flour. Place egg and salt in center of well and using a fork, stir into flour and potatoes, just like making normal pasta. Once egg is mixed in, bring dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed. Knead gently another 4 minutes until ball is dry to touch. I attempted to do this on a cutting board, but my cutting board was not big enough, so next time I'll just do it directly on a clean counter top.

Roll a baseball-size ball of dough into 3/4-inch diameter dowels and cut dowels into 1-inch long pieces. Flick pieces off of fork until dowel is finished. Drop these pieces into boiling water and cook until they float (about 1 minute). Meanwhile, continue with remaining dough, forming dowels, cutting into 1-inch pieces and flicking off of fork. As gnocchi float to top of boiling water, remove them to ice bath. Continue until all have been cooled off. Let sit several minutes in bath and drain from ice and water. Toss with pasta sauce of choice.

Pesto
I don't remember which pesto recipe we used, since this has been the freezer for a bit.  Next time I make fresh pesto, I'll be sure to post the recipe.

This was delicious!  I think I made the gnocchi a little too big, so next time I will make smaller gnocchi. I also think that it would be better to let the gnocchi stay in the boiling water for a few extra seconds once they start to float, I think they were just a tad under cooked.

This made a ton, so I took the extras that we didn't eat and froze them on a cookie sheet for about 15 minutes and then stuck them in a Ziploc bag for a future, easy meal.

Hello!

I've thought about starting a blog for a while now and decided there's no time like the present! This blog will be mostly food focused (because that's how my mind works), but I may include some other interesting (hopefully!) tidbits from time to time.

I actually made this dinner last week, but just got around to blogging about it today. I'm hoping this is not an indication of how the blog will go, but we shall see. I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs (How Sweet It Is) and it just looked too good to pass up.

Brown Butter Parmesan Chicken Linguine (www.howsweeteats.com)

serves 4

1.5-2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium sweet onion, sliced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

4 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 pound whole wheat pasta (I used spaghetti)

2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese + more for topping

fresh chopped parsley for topping

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add vegetable oil. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel then toss with salt, pepper, and paprika. Add to the skillet and brown on all sides, cooking for about 8-10 minutes total. Remove and set aside in a bowl. Turn heat down to low and add 1/2 tablespoon butter. Add sliced onions with a pinch of salt and stirring occasionally, cook until caramelized – about 15 minutes.

While the onions are caramelizing, heat a small saucepan over low heat and add 5 tablespoons of butter. Whisk constantly until butter has brown bits on the bottom, then immediately remove from heat. Set aside. At this time also prepare the water for your pasta and cook according to the directions.

After the onions have caramelized, set them aside in a bowl. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter and add mushrooms. Cook for 5-6 minutes. Place onions back in the skillet, add garlic, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Increase the heat to medium and add wine. Let the wine bubble and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken and pasta to the skillet, tossing multiple times to coat. Turn off heat and stir in grated cheese. Drizzle the brown butter over top, tossing to coat a few more times. Serve with additional cheese and chopped parsley.

I don't think there is much better than caramelized onions and brown butter, so this was definitely a win in my book. I do think I went a little light on the salt and pepper, so I would suggest tasting the sauce and adjusting the seasoning before adding the pasta back to the skillet.