Mushroom and Black Pepper Pasta ala ~DKBB~

Mushroom and Black Pepper Pasta ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from www.thepioneerwoman.com)

 

Photo from The Pioneer Woman

Kosher salt
8 oz. linguine (or similar type pasta)
3 Tbsp. salted butter
8 oz. each of two kinds of mushrooms (what’s available where you live will dictate this)
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 shallot, diced
1 Tbsp. fresh cracked black pepper
1 Tbsp. Trader Joe’s ground fermented black garlic (optional)
¾ c. heavy cream
¼ c. ground parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus additional for serving (or any other such cheese you may prefer)

Fresh parsley (optional)

• Bring pot of lightly salted (using kosher salt) water to a boil and add the pasta; cook for 2 minutes less than package directions.
• Using a glass measuring cup or heatproof pitcher, scoop 1½ cups of pasta water out, then drain the pasta and set aside.
• Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat; add mushrooms, garlic, and shallot and cook, stirring until the liquid cooks off and the mushrooms are golden (7 to 8 minutes).
• Add a pinch of kosher salt and the black pepper (it will look like too much pepper, but it’s not) and black garlic; stir and cook for another couple minutes.
• Pour in the cream, stir it in well, and let it boil gently and thicken (about 2 minutes).
• Reduce heat to low and add the cheese, stirring it in well, then the drained pasta; make sure to coat the pasta well with the sauce.
• Add in some of the reserved pasta water if the sauce gets too thick.
• Dish up the pasta with lots of mushrooms and sprinkle on more cheese and sprinkle on fresh parsley if desired.

Black Garlic Honey Barbecue Chicken Pizza ala ~DKBB~

Black Garlic Honey Barbecue Chicken Pizza ala ~DKBB~
(original recipe from www.foreignfork.com)

Black Garlic Honey Barbecue Sauce
1 tsp. cornstarch
⅔ c. water
1 c. barbecue sauce (I use either homemade or Sweet Baby Ray’s)
6 Tbsp. honey (I use 2-3 Tbsp. black garlic honey, 1 Tbsp. Carolina Reaper honey, and 1 Tbsp. regular honey)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce (I prefer low-sodium)
1 Tbsp. minced (regular) garlic
 
Pizza/Toppings
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 head black garlic
1 pizza crust (I prefer Boboli crusts, but you can sure make your own)
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast
Mozzarella cheese (block/ball and shredded)

• Combine the softened butter with 3-4 cloves of black garlic, mixing well.
• In a small bowl, combine water and cornstarch and mix together until cornstarch is dissolved.
• In a medium pan, over medium-low heat, combine the barbecue sauce, honey, soy sauce, minced garlic, and water/cornstarch mixture.
• Cook on medium-high heat until sauce starts to bubble and thicken, stirring occasionally; remove from burner when thickened; allow sauce to cool for about 30 minutes.
• Divide completed sauce in half, reserving half for pizza sauce. Pour the remaining half into a Ziploc bag with the chicken breast and allow to marinate for an hour or so.
• When the chicken is done marinating, grill it (or bake it); when it is done cooking, let is set for about 10 minutes, then dice it up.
• Cover the pizza crust with the black garlic butter; add on the barbecue sauce that had been set aside using a spatula; cover this with mozzarella cheese (preferably not shredded); add the rest of the black garlic and the diced chicken.
• Cover all with a light layer of shredded mozzarella cheese, then drizzle the remaining unused sauce lightly over all.
• Grill or bake the pizza per usual practice.

Black Garlic Pappardelle Pasta ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from www.cookingontheweekends.com)

photo from cookingontheweekends.com

1 lb. dry Pappardelle pasta
¼ c. olive oil (for the pasta and the pan)
¾ c. black garlic cloves (about 3 heads)
1-2 cloves (regular) garlic, minced (optional)
1 c. shallots, thinly sliced
1 c. dry white wine
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

• Cook the past in a large pot of boiling, salted water until it’s al dente, 8 to 10 minutes (the pasta should be tender, but with a bite); drain the cooked pasta, then toss with a couple tablespoons of the ¼ c. olive oil and set aside.
• If you need to, peel the garlic and roughly chop it, keeping it in relatively large chunks.
• Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with the remaining olive oil and place the pan over medium heat; add the shallots (and regular garlic, if you are so inclined) and cook until they are soft and beginning to brown (about 4 minutes); add the black garlic and toss with the shallots.
• Add the wine and turn the heat to high, letting it reduce to about 1/3; add the butter and swirl the pan around until it’s melted in the wine; season generously to taste with Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.
• Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the sauce and very gently toss everything together.