Bolognese alla Carbonara Bucatini
I’m not too sure what to call this recipe, for it is not a traditional bolognese, and it is certainly not a traditional carbonara. On the other hand, it combines elements of both of these dishes into a hearty, satisfying pasta fitting for Sunday dinner.
I start with a base of good quality Italian Sausage, crumbled. Into that goes diced pancetta, onions and garlic. This is browned, and the richness of this sauce starts right at the beginning with the addition of cream to the meat as finishes browning. Allow the meat to absorb the cream completely. Follow this by adding red wine and allowing the sauce to simmer.
Add coarsely chopped tomato once the sauce begins to simmer. The key to this sauce is that it is not a tomato sauce. It is a sauce with tomatoes in it. This is an important distinction, so keep it in mind as you add the tomato. Let the sauce simmer for up to two hours, adding cream as you go to maintain desired consistancy.
The carbonara portion of the recipe comes as you being to put together the dish for serving. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and cream. Add cooked, hot pasta to the egg mixture and toss thoroughly to coat the pasta. Then add the sauce to the same bowl, tossing to complete.
Serve topped with grated parmesan cheese and chopped basil.
Popularity: 1% [?]
05.11.2008
by Irene
Category Dinner, Uncategorized
No Comments →
Just a heads up - it’s that time of year again! If you are in the Madison, Wisconsin area and you are starting to plan your Farmers Market season, http://CookingOutOfTheBox.com is here to help! Check out the 2008 season listing here!
Popularity: 9% [?]
04.17.2008
by Irene
Category Cooking Out of the Box, Farmer's Market
No Comments →
Every now and then I get the hankering to enter a recipe contest. It doesn’t happen very often, mind you, but I’ll point out that according to the Wisconsin State Journal, I have the best potato salad in the kingdom of Madison… even if they didn’t understand what it meant when I called for a chiffonade of basil. Heh.
That honor won me top billing in a potato salad story along with a cookbook. Clearly, I won’t get rich off of recipe contests.
At any rate, Cuisine Capers was sent a press release about the latest recipe contest hosted on the FoodNetwork.com, featuring Bobby Flay and Columbia Crest wine. While I haven’t decided if I’ll enter it, I’ll pass along the info for those how might be interested:
COLUMBIA CREST WINERY AND FOOD NETWORK STAR BOBBY FLAY PRESENT THE “FLAYVORS OF WASHINGTON” RECIPE CONTEST
Acclaimed Washington State Winery to Sponsor Contest on FoodNetwork.com with World-Renowned Chef
Paterson, Wash. (January 24, 2008) – Columbia Crest Winery, in conjunction with Chef Bobby Flay, today announced the upcoming launch of the “Flayvors of Washington” recipe contest. The month-long contest, which launches April 15, 2008, will be hosted on the Food Network Web site. The contest is part of a partnership between the Washington-based winery and Flay that highlights the unexpected rewards of dining with Columbia Crest Grand Estates wines.
The “Flayvors of Washington” contest challenges food and wine lovers throughout the United States to create and submit an original recipe inspired by Columbia Crest wines and utilizing ingredients from Washington state. As one of the leading agricultural producers, the state offers an abundance of flavorful and fresh ingredients from which to draw culinary inspiration. The entries will be reviewed and the top-10 recipes will be narrowed to a selection of five finalists by Columbia Crest Winemaker Ray Einberger and Seattle Times restaurant critic and local NPR food commentator Nancy Leson. Flay and Food Network Executive Chef Robert Bleifer will then judge the top-five recipes and select a first-, second- and third-place winner.
“As a chef, I understand how pairing the right wine and food can enhance the overall dining experience,” said Flay. “I use regional ingredients in my cooking, so I’m eager to see what recipes and pairings people will create using the flavors of Washington.”
The winner of the contest will enjoy a trip to New York City, where he/she will have the opportunity to cook his/her winning dish with Flay and then enjoy a special dinner at one of his restaurants, featuring wine pairings from Columbia Crest.
“We encourage fans of Bobby Flay and Columbia Crest, as well as anyone who is passionate about food and wine, to explore all the delicious and inspiring flavors Washington state offers,” said Miles Johnson, senior product manager for Columbia Crest.
In May 2007, Columbia Crest and Flay announced their partnership to demonstrate how simple it is to have a great food and wine experience, everyday. In addition to the contest, the partnership includes a Columbia Crest Grand Estates print advertising campaign starring Flay, as well as holiday and spring menus created by Flay to be featured on the Columbia Crest Web site, and wine pairings that he will develop exclusively for the winery.
The contest will begin on April 15, 2008, and all entries must be received by midnight on May 31, 2008. To submit an entry or find out more about the “Flayvors of Washington” contest, please visit www.foodnetwork.com/columbiacrest beginning April 15.
About Columbia Crest
In 2008, Columbia Crest Winery celebrates 25 years of winemaking in Washington state. Columbia Crest has grown from a small winery in a relatively unknown wine region to one of the most significant wineries in the United States and a major force behind Washington state’s emergence as a world-class wine region. In 2007, the Grand Estates Merlot was selected from a field of 15,000 90+ rated wines as one of the “Top 100 Wines of the World” by Wine Spectator, marking the 14th “Top 100” placement for Columbia Crest in the past nine years. More information about the winery can be found at columbia-crest.com.
About Bobby Flay
Chef Bobby Flay’s critically acclaimed restaurants include New York’s Bar Americain; Bobby Flay Steak in the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City; and three outposts of his famed Mesa Grill in New York, Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, and The Cove Atlantis in the Bahamas. A graduate of the French Culinary Institute, Flay also shares his enthusiasm for food through his cookbooks, most recently The Mesa Grill Cookbook, and a variety of national programs on the Food Network including the Emmy-winning “Boy Meets Grill.” Flay regularly informs audiences about seasonal, fresh dishes and ingredients as a food correspondent for “The Early Show” on CBS.
Popularity: 11% [?]
04.12.2008
by Irene
Category Contests, Events
No Comments →
Orechiette with Sausage, Beans, and Mascarpone
There are few episodes of “Everyday Italian” that I watch that do not inspire me to make something… immediately. We affectionately call Giada the “Skinny Italian Chick” around these parts. We watch her Food Network show, get really hungry, and refuse to believe that she eats more than the mere bite or two that she savors as she cooks for the cameras.
The other day I was certain that I had had my fill of pasta for a few days. We had been binging on Italian-like foods, and I was a bit tired of it… until I watched the Skinny Italian Chick make her Orechiette with Sausage, Beans and Mascarpone. I did not make the recipe as she made it. As is usual, I borrowed heavily from it and modified it to our tastes.
1 pound orechiette pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon Oregano
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
In a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, garlic and onions. Break up the sausage into bite-sized pieces as it browns.
Continue cooking until the sausage is golden and the onions are tender. Add the beans and oregano cook for 2 more minutes. Add the cup of pasta cooking liquid and stir, scrapping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the mascarpone and parmesan cheese and stir until it dissolved into a light sauce. Add the salt, pepper, and hot pasta. Stir until coated and serve.
Popularity: 67% [?]
12.30.2007
by Irene
Category Dinner, Recipes
2 Comments →
I made a recent trek to our neighborhood Italian deli to pick up some Orecchiette and some Mascarpone cheese. While there, I browsed the shelves, because, well, that’s what I do there. You never know what unique item you’ll find here.
And did I ever find a unique item! They had gotten a small supply of MonteVina Teroldego in stock. I had never heard of Teroldego, and so I picked up a bottle.
I got it home and we uncorked it that day. It was a great wine, full of body and flavor. Again, surprised that we had not heard of this grape before, I did some research. Here’s what I found from a fact sheet produced by the winery itself:
VINEYARD & VARIETAL INFORMATION:
Teroldego is native to the Alto Adige DOC of Northeast Italy. It generally produces rather austere reds or more commonly used to produce rosé and sparkling wines; except in Rotaliano, a valley in the foreground of the Swiss Alps, and on Montevina’s Burke Ranch just outside of Plymouth. Our rocky shallow soil is similar to the gravelly plain of Rotalinoand the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains stand in place of the Alps. It took a mere eleven years from the decision to plant Teroldego to the release of the first varietal bottling. Proving that patience, persistence, and wild ideas pay off, Teroldego has developed a huge following among Montevinians who aren’t afraid to drink something different.
Here are the tasting notes:
WINEMAKER NOTES:
Opaque and beet like in color 2004 Montevina Teroldego stains your tongue, your lips, and the tablecloth like India Ink. A bouquet brimming with stewed blackberries, black fig, and orange zest dominates the nose. A blanket of blackberry and pomegranate flavor is laced with Mexican chocolate, coffee, and sweet oak.
We LOVED it, and we’re going back to buy as much of it as we possibly can!
Popularity: 55% [?]
12.29.2007
by Irene
Category Wines
2 Comments →
I start with a base of good quality Italian Sausage, crumbled. Into that goes diced pancetta, onions and garlic. This is browned, and the richness of this sauce starts right at the beginning with the addition of cream to the meat as finishes browning. Allow the meat to absorb the cream completely. Follow this by adding red wine and allowing the sauce to simmer.
Add coarsely chopped tomato once the sauce begins to simmer. The key to this sauce is that it is not a tomato sauce. It is a sauce with tomatoes in it. This is an important distinction, so keep it in mind as you add the tomato. Let the sauce simmer for up to two hours, adding cream as you go to maintain desired consistancy.
