peas and pancetta
March 18, 2013 § Leave a comment
Served on rice with a sprinkling of parmesan.
Years ago I had a friend who spent a few years in Italy. She fell in love, married an Italian man and they moved to America. They ended up in my home town. We began sharing weekly meals together over the course of a year or so. It was as though I was in cooking school! She always made sure to include me while she was cooking. Whether it was chopping, grating or stirring, I felt “involved”. Sadly, she moved away. She found her dream job working for a winery in the Alexander Valley area of Northern California, catering their special events. What I wouldn’t do at the time to follow her!
This peas and pancetta recipe came from one evening cooking with her. I have changed it a little. She actually used ham. I think it was because the town we lived in didn’t have a market for good quality proscuitto or pancetta. Bacon is another good substitution. I think if I was to use bacon I would cook it crispy before adding it to the peas. This is a very italian style pea recipe. They become thick and creamy after simmering for a good 15 minutes. Delicious served on rice. That is how we had it for dinner tonight. With a generous sprinkling of parmesan.
- 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 lb. fresh or frozen peas
- Salt/Pepper to taste
- About 4 oz. pancetta, proscuitto or 4 slices of crispy cooked bacon
Melt about half of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook slowly until it is softened and aromatic. Add the peas, stir to combine, and then add the remaining butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the peas are tender and sweet, about 15 minutes. Add your choice of cured meat and stir to mix. Then turn off the heat, cover the skillet, and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Taste, and season as needed.
Serves 4
buon appetite!
simple arugula salad
March 17, 2013 § 3 Comments
Serve this salad next time you make a steak. It’s perfect. I buy baby arugula in the little clear box, already cleaned and ready to eat. You can either use a sweet yellow or red onion. And always use freshly grated parmesan cheese!
What you will need for this dish:
- 2 big handfuls of arugula
- two tablespoons pine nuts
- 1/4 red or sweet yellow onion, sliced very thin
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- good sprinkling freshly grated or shaved parmesan cheese
- pinch salt
Using a non stick skillet on medium high heat, toast the pine nuts. Give the skillet an occasional shake to brown all sides. Remove from heat and let cool.
Place the arugula in a large salad serving bowl. Spread the onion on top. Next sprinkle the pine nuts and a generous amount of grated or shaved parmesan. When you are ready to sit down, drizzle the olive oil on top, salt a little and toss well.
Serves 2
buon appetite
I perfected, in my humble opinion, the brussels sprout!!
March 13, 2013 § Leave a comment
As much as we love brussels sprouts in this house, it was time to find other ways of cooking them. I kept going back to the default recipe. Saute’ with olive oil and garlic and squeeze some lemon. However, this time with bacon in the fridge I knew it would be a great pairing. I have been using this same lemon dressing to top off swiss chard for years and it was natural to whisk up a small bowlful. Once I slid them into the serving bowl I felt it needed another “color”…purely for presentation, feta cheese! Nice.
Everything you will need for this dish:
- 6 cups brussels sprouts
- olive oil
- four slices thick cut bacon
- a lemon
- few garlic cloves
- salt/pepper
- feta cheese
First of all, here is the one and only way to cook bacon as far as I’m concern…
Preheat oven 350 degrees
Line a jelly roll pan (cookie sheet) with foil
Place bacon slices on foil 1/4″ apart
Bake in oven until crisp, approx. 20 minutes, keep your eye on it.
lemony brussels sprouts with bacon
- 6 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 1/4 cup olive oil + 4 tbs.
- 4 slices thick cooked bacon, chopped
- 1/2 lemon
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed
- sprinkling of salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
In a skillet sauté the brussels sprouts in 1/4 cup olive oil until brown and tender, approximately 20 minutes.
While the brussels sprouts are cooking…
In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice, pressed garlic, 4 tbs. olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
When brussels sprouts are nice and brown add the chopped bacon and combine well. Pour the lemon dressing over and toss. Slide the sprouts into a serving bowl and top with crumpled feta.
Serves 4 as a side dish.
COTTAGE GROVE HOUSE 