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Sunday, April 28, 2024

Pasta Carbonara ala ~DKBB~

Pasta Carbonara ala ~DKBB~

2 egg yolks at room temperature
1 whole egg at room temperature
Freshly cracked pepper
1.5 oz. grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. spaghetti
1 tsp. salt
5 oz. pancetta OR 5-6 slices thick-cut bacon

Egg Mixture:

·       In a 2-cup or larger liquid measuring cup, whisk together the egg and egg yolks, grated cheese, and plenty of freshly-cracked pepper; set aside.

Cook Pork:

·       If using bacon, cut into small pieces before cooking.

·       Cook the pork in a large sauté pan over medium heat until browned and crispy (use a pan large enough to eventually hold all of the pasta); remove pan from heat; using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked pork to a paper-towel-lined plate. Do not clean out the pan.

Cook Pasta:

·       Add water to a large Dutch oven or stockpot; the water should be shallow because it needs to be very starchy; bring water to a boil; add 1 tsp. salt and then add spaghetti.

·       Cook pasta uncovered just a bit shy of al dente, stirring often so spaghetti does not stick.

·       Using tongs, transfer the spaghetti to the sauté pan with the pork drippings; mix in the minced garlic, set aside.

 Temper the Eggs:

·       While vigorously whisking the egg mixture with one hand, slowly drizzle ½ cup starchy pasta water into the egg mixture 2 Tbsp. at a time until incorporated (never stopping the whisking); set aside.

 Combine:

·       While continuously tossing the spaghetti, very slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the pasta; continue tossing until the cheese melts and the eggs thicken to form a glossy sauce.

·       Thin sauce with additional pasta water if needed.

·       Add the pork and toss to combine.

·       Transfer to a serving bowl (to remove from pan so eggs do not continue to cook); season to taste with more freshly cracked pepper and red pepper flakes if desired. Serve immediately.

Sunday, April 14, 2024

Spring Pea and Radish Salad ala ~DKBB~

Spring Pea and Radish Salad ala ~DKBB~
(original recipe from www.tasteofhome.com)
original photo from tasteofhome.com 

½ lb. fresh wax or green beans
½ lb. fresh sugar snap peas
2 cups water
6 large radishes, thinly sliced (you can use sliced daikon radish)
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. dried tarragon
¼ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. coarsely ground pepper
  • Snip ends off beans and sugar snap peas; remove strings from snap peas; cut beans into 1-inch pieces.
  • In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil over high heat; add beans and reduce heat; simmer, covered, 4-5 minutes; add sugar snap peas; simmer, covered, until both beans and peas are crisp-tender, another 2-3 minutes; drain.
  • Toss beans and peas with radishes; stir together honey, tarragon, salt and pepper and drizzle over vegetables.
  • Serve salad warm/room temperature; heat the dressing just a tiny bit in the microwave so the honey flows freely and drizzles well.

Saturday, April 6, 2024

 Balsamic Green Bean Salad ala ~DKBB~
(original recipe from www.tasteofhome.com)

photo from tasteofhome.com

2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1½ inch pieces
¼ cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. ground mustard
½ tsp. white pepper
1 large red onion, chopped
cherry tomatoes, halved
crumbled feta cheese

  • Place beans in a 6-qt. stockpot; add water to cover; bring to a boil; cook, covered, 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain and immediately place in ice water; drain and pat dry.
  • In a small bowl, whisk oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, garlic powder, mustard and pepper; drizzle over beans; add onion; toss to coat.
  • Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour (but the longer, the better).
  • Mix tomatoes, feta cheese, salt, and cracked black pepper to taste into individual servings to taste.

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Gochujang Grilled Pork Chops ala ~DKBB~
(original recipe from www.theendlessmeal.com)
 
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 to 2 Tbsp. gochujang
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. oil (vegetable or canola)
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 to 4 pork chops 
  • In a medium-sized bowl whisk the first five ingredients.
  • Place pork chops in resealable bag and pour in marinade; seal bag and squish around a bit so the pork chops are well covered.
  • Refrigerate for 1 to 12 hours, turning now and again to make sure all is well covered.
  • Grill the pork chops.
  • Pour marinade into small pan over high heat and boil for 2-3 minutes until thickened (like a runny BBQ sauce); serve with chops.
  • Optional (we fell on this accidentally): Serve with roasted red pepper hummus – goes together amazingly well.
You can increase the amounts (double or more) of this recipe and use it for pork tenderloin as well.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole ala ~DKBB~

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole ala ~DKBB~
(original recipe from www.thepioneerwoman.com)
 
¾ cup salted butter, divided
photo from thepioneerwoman.com
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
½ cup Wondra (or all-purpose) flour
4 c. chicken broth, divided
2 to 3 12.5 oz. cans shredded chicken breast
1 to 1½ cups frozen peas
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. white pepper
¼ tsp. ground turmeric
12 oz. savory herb or chicken stuffing mix
1½ tsp. dried parsley
  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • In a Dutch oven, melt 3 Tbsp. of the butter over medium-high heat; add the onion, celery, and carrot and cook until the vegetables are beginning to soften; sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
  • Gradually stir in 2 cups of the chicken broth; bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, for about 5 minutes; stir in the chicken (with the water it’s packed in), peas, cream, thyme, salt, pepper, and turmeric; return to a simmer and cook for at least 3 minutes more (cook until it thickens significantly, adding more flour if needed).
  • Melt the remaining 3 Tbsp. butter in the microwave; stir it into the stuffing mix along with the remaining broth (add broth a bit at a time, you might not need all of it); let this stand for a few minutes so the stuffing mix can absorb the broth/butter (this should be well-soaked but not squishy).
  • Spray a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and pour in the chicken mixture; top chicken mixture with stuffing mixture (by the spoonful, covering the top as evenly as possible).
  • To avoid a mess in your oven, place the baking dish on a cooking sheet with sides; bake 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbly around the edges.
  • Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley before serving, if desired.

Saturday, January 20, 2024

Biscuits & Sausage Gravy Breakfast Casserole ala ~DKBB~

Biscuits & Sausage Gravy Breakfast Casserole ala ~DKBB~
(original recipe from www.carlsbadcravings.com)

INGREDIENTS:

Sausage Gravy
½ lb. ground bulk pork sausage (maple or sage)
2 Tbsp. + ½ tsp. flour (I use Wondra)
1¾ cups milk
½ tsp. beef bouillon (I use Better Than Beef bouillon)
½ tsp. each garlic powder, dried parsley
¼ tsp. onion powder
⅛ tsp. each ground sage, salt, pepper
Smidgen each dried thyme, red pepper flakes

Eggs
3 eggs
¼ cup milk
¼ tsp. each paprika, ground mustard
Smidgen each salt, pepper

Biscuits and Cheese
1 5-count can Pillsbury Grands biscuits (if you can’t find the 5-biscuit size, use the full size and only cut up 4 or 5 biscuits, baking the rest later)
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:
  • Prep: Preheat over to 350°F; spray 8x8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Par-Bake Biscuits: cut each biscuit into 8 pieces; evenly space ½ the biscuits pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; bake for 8-10 minutes, then remove from oven.
  • Egg Mixture: In bowl (or liquid measuring cup), whisk together all egg ingredients. Set aside.
  • Make Sausage Gravy: In a medium skillet, cook and crumble the sausage over medium-high heat; once browned, reduce heat the medium, sprinkle with flour, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly; reduce heat to low and pour in the milk slowly, stirring constantly; stir in the beef bouillon and seasonings.
  • Thicken Gravy: Bring to a simmer, stirring often until it thickens (8-10 minutes); taste and season with additional salt, pepper, and/or red pepper flakes as desired. Set aside.
  • Assemble: Put the par-baked biscuit pieces in the bottom of the prepared baking dish and pour the egg mixture over all, then top with ½ of the cheese; evenly pour 1¼ cup of the sausage gravy over this (reserving the remainder for later); add the remaining unbaked biscuit pieces evenly spaced over the top.
  • Bake: Bake uncovered at 350°F for 2-25 minutes or until eggs have set and top biscuits are golden (internal temperature should be 160°F).
  • Add Remaining Gravy: The remaining gravy will likely have thickened, so stir in additional milk as needed as it reheats; remove casserole from oven and top with remaining gravy and cheese; return to oven and bake an additional 5ish minutes to melt the cheese.
  • Rest: Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving; garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

Sunday, January 14, 2024

Chinese Braised Daikon Radish ala ~DKBB~
(original recipe from www.omnivorescookbook.com)

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. ginger
1lb. ground meat (beef, pork, chicken, or turkey)
2 tsp. Doubanjiang, or Gojuchang, paste
2 lb. Daikon radish (sliced and quartered)
2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock or water)
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. Chinese 5-spice powder
¼ to ½ tsp. red pepper flakes to taste
¼ tsp. fine sea salt, or to taste
  • Heat a medium-size Dutch oven (or heavy-duty pot) over medium heat until hot; add oil; add green onions and ginger; cook for 1 minute to release flavor.
  • Add ground meat; cook until no pink remains; add doubanjiang or gojuchang and mix in well so the meat is evenly coated, then add the radish; cook and stir to mix well.
  • Add the wine, chicken stock, soy sauce, sugar, 5-spice, and pepper flakes; cook over medium high heat until it comes to a boil; reduce heat to medium low and simmer 15-20 minutes, or until radish is tender; add salt to taste.
Serve with steamed rich or by itself.