penne all'amatriciana

Tonight Christy prepared Penne all'Amatriciana with a simple salad and oregano vinaigrette. She and I both love Italian cuisine and just happened to have most of the ingredients on hand. This popular dish originated from the town of Amatrice (in the mountainous Province of Rieti of the Lazio region). It is typically based on either guanciale (dried pork cheek) or pancetta and spaghetti. In this case, she substituted prosciutto and penne.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
20 ounces prepared tomato sauce, recipe follows
kosher salt
1 pound penne
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for serving

TOMATO SAUCE
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 28-ounce can diced tomato
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

To make the sauce, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the diced tomato and paste, sugar, Parmesan, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/2 cups water. Simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

DIRECTIONS
In a large, deep skillet, cook the prosciutto over medium heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the prosciutto to a plate. Pour off all but two tablespoons of the rendered fat in the skillet. Add the onion and crushed red pepper and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is slightly browned, about 6 minutes. Return the prosciutto to the skillet. Add the tomato sauce, season with salt and simmer until very thick, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Add the pasta to the sauce along with the parsley and the reserved cooking water and stir over medium high heat until the pasta is evenly coated, 2 minutes. Serve the pasta with passed cheese at the table.

The salad consisted of mixed greens and small tomato wedges. For the oregano vinaigrette, she used the following recipe.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup organic balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
1 tablespoon sugar
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients and blend.

She started by going out to the herb garden to cut the oregano. Luckily, we have a perennial out there that refuses to be anything but prolific. Next she put together the sauce and simmered into existence one of the finest bouquets to grace this little house- and there have been many. Soon after, she moved on to sauteing the prosciutto, red onion, and garlic which made the whole house smell like we were making pizzas. With water at a rolling boil the pasta took the plunge to end up al dente which Christy explained means "to the tooth". Minutes later we were out on the porch enjoying the sunset, minted tea, and a delicious, somewhat spicy pasta entree. As a guy who loves meat, I would probably double the amount of prosciutto or even try the more traditional pancetta. Otherwise, she truly knocked it out of the park.

Life is a combination of magic and pasta. ~Federico Fellini

mahi mahi and black-eyed pea cakes with spicy cilantro sauce

This is my first post, so I'll just jump right in. Tonight I prepared a meal for us consisting of roasted Mahi Mahi, black-eyed pea cakes with a spicy cilantro sauce, and a fruit and vegetable salad with ginger dressing.

For the Mahi Mahi, I used two 5 ounce portions from an entire fillet. After applying olive oil, salt, and pepper, I covered the fish cuts and put them in the refrigerator. Later after preheating the oven to 400 degrees F, I baked the fish for 15 minutes.

The black-eyed pea cakes were a little more labor intensive. I used the following recipe.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 large garlic cloves
1 2/3 cups cooked and seasoned black-eyed peas
2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped fine
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup yellow cornmeal
vegetable oil, for frying
spicy cilantro sauce, recipe follows

SPICY CILANTRO SAUCE
3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped fine
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 large garlic cloves, minced
juice of 1/2 lime
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 adobo chili, minced
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
pinch cumin
pinch chili powder

Stir together cilantro, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, lime juice, honey, chili, cumin, and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper.

DIRECTIONS
Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft. In a bowl, mash 1/3 of the black-eyed peas with a fork and stir in the remaining beans, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the eggs.

Form bean mixture into 8 (4-inch) patties (mixture will be wet and soft). Gently dredge patties in cornmeal and transfer to a large plate lined with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cakes for 30 minutes and up to 12 hours.

Pour enough oil in a heavy skillet to reach 1/4-inch up the side. Heat the oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches, cook the patties, turning once, until well browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer cakes to paper towels to drain.

Divide the cakes among plates and serve with the sauce.

The salad consisted of various lettuces, cucumber, carrot, roasted beets, and strawberries. For the ginger dressing I used the following recipe.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup orange juice
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons fresh peeled ginger, minced
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients and blend.

I made the salads first and put them in the refrigerator while the oven was preheating and the oil was getting hot. I started cooking the fish, waited five minutes, enjoyed a glass of sweet tea, and then began frying the cakes. Everything finished at the same time as my fiancee walked through the door. I made our plates as she washed up. Each plate received a portion of fish near the rim and one pea cake with the spicy cilantro sauce creating a border between. The salads in their cold bowls received fresh ground pepper and a moderate dressing. I have to say it was a success. The meal was not only inexpensive and tasty, but also quite nutritious. I'm so thankful beets and strawberries are back in season!

When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste. ~Laiko Bahrs