Arsip Tag: parmesan

corn, bacon and parmesan pasta – smitten kitchen

Dipublikasi pada Desember 5, 2023 oleh pbnbigesdi

Oh, hi, I am ready for summer now. What did I miss?

Because the first half of this summer was so busy — a manuscript due, a redesign set off into the world, a birthday, and a zillion other bits of happy work/life chaos — I’m in this funny position of looking up for the first time mid-July and realizing that no mysterious person has arrived while I was buried in winter recipe testing and font fine-tunings and filled my freezer with popsicles, put a bowl of heirloom tomatoes on the counter, ready for their caprese closeup [realistically, this doesn’t happen even if I had been paying attention, but let me enjoy this rose-colored Pinterest fantasy just the same] and beach? Hadn’t seen it since May. I have about seven weeks left to catch up, except I know at least five of those will be buried under recipe testing and book edits, which basically means it’s now or never to do all the summer things I haven’t yet.

Beach? Check. Swimming? Check. Grilling? Check, check, check. Scheduled 7-hour flight with 4 adults and 5 children to a faraway beach town in the name of vacation? I’m scared but: check! Do everything I can with sweet summer corn while it lasts? Let’s get to work!

We had some leftover corn on the cob after Father’s Day and I shaved it off the cob and sautéed it in the renderings left behind from crispy bits of bacon (also tangentially related to Father’s Day), tossed the two with al dente pasta and a bit of cooking water with parmesan, chives and basil and it was really lovely and very summery and, because this is 2016, took a picture of it and posted it on Instagram and promised to share the recipe later and three weeks later, here we are! I am sure everyone was at the edge of their seat. Let my ridiculousness not hold you up: this should be a new summer staple, so easy, happy, kid-friendly and welcoming of all matter of laziness (you can decide to make this 20 or so minutes before you eat it) and adaptations (bacon not your thing? add some diced tomatoes at the end).

Redesign: Thank you for all of your feedback. I’m sorry we’ve had some glitches (notably, an email newsletter that went out blank save some tacky ads, obviously, I hope, a mistake I hope we’ve now fixed). Do know that I am going through your concerns one by one and making adjustments, yes, including that ad on top (soon). In the meanwhile, there’s a search bar back in the sidebar, seasonal links are back there, the In Season tab should be working now too, and the comment form is back up at the top so you don’t have to scroll through. Soon, soon, we will have everything right and well again. In the meanwhile, happy cooking!

One year ago: Very Blueberry Scones and Look What Else We Baked!
Two years ago: Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches and Easiest Fridge Dill Pickles
Three years ago: Grilled Bacon Salad with Arugula and Balsamic and One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes
Four years ago: Bacon Corn Hash and Peach Pie
Five years ago: Flatbreads with Honey Thyme and Sea Salt and Whole Wheat Raspberry Ricotta Scones
Six years ago: Mango Slaw with Cashews and Mint and Thai-Style Chicken Legs
Seven years ago: Watermelon Lemonade, Light Brioche Burger Buns, Blueberry Boy Bait and Lemony Zucchini Goat Cheese Pizza
Eight years ago: Zucchini Strand Spaghetti, Project Wedding Cake: Mango Curd and Swiss Buttercream
Nine years ago: Quick Potato Pirogi, Ratatouille’s Ratatouille, Red Bean Chili and Double-Layer Chocolate Cake

And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Butterscotch Pudding and Mushroom Marsala Pasta Bake
1.5 Years Ago: Chicken Pho and Pear and Hazelnut Muffins
2.5 Years Ago: Gnocchi in Tomato Broth
3.5 Years Ago: Carrot Soup with Tahini and Crisped Chickpeas and Ethereally Smooth Hummus
4.5 Years Ago: Carrot Soup with Miso and Sesame and Apple Sharlotka

Corn, Bacon and Parmesan Pasta

Think of this as a close cousin to the bacon corn hash in the archives. I think this would also be delicious with farro or another grain instead of pasta. If you’d like a creamier pasta, a big spoonful of mascarpone stirred in at the end would be otherworldly; use a little less pasta cooking water if so.

8 ounces dried pasta (I used spirals here and radiatore in the past)
1/4 pound bacon, ideally thick-cut, diced
2 ears corn, shucked and kernels cut from cob
Salt and freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan
Fistful of fresh basil and chives, chopped

If you’re hoping to pull this all off in one pan, cook your pasta in a large deep saute pan* until al dente, or 1 to 2 minutes before it is done. Reserve a cup of pasta cooking water and drain. Wipe pan dry if using for the next steps, otherwise, you can get started in a large frying pan.

Scatter bacon in pan over medium-high heat, no need to heat the pan first. Cook, stirring, until evenly browned and crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon bits to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon bacon fat from pan (save for other fun stuff, like frying eggs) and add corn to it. Season corn with salt and pepper and cook, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes, until crisp-tender. Add pasta and a couple splashes of the cooking water and half the parmesan and toss, toss, toss the pasta with the corn, seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed and adding more cooking water if it doesn’t feel loose enough. Add scallions and stir to warm. Stir in bacon and transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and fresh herbs. Dig in.

* this is my go-to for a lot of things these days because it is both shallow saucepan with a lid and and a big deep frying pan

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Ditulis pada judi | Tag bacon, corn, kitchen, parmesan, pasta, smitten | Tinggalkan komentar

eggplant parmesan melts – smitten kitchen

Dipublikasi pada Desember 4, 2023 oleh pbnbigesdi

You can cook the eggplant one of three ways, all listed below: breaded and fried, breaded and baked, or baked without breading. If without breading, of course skip the flour, eggs and panko-dredging steps.

Cook eggplant: Trim eggplant and cut into 1/4-inch slices.

To bread and bake or fry: Set up three wide, deep bowls on your counter, one with flour, one with the three eggs and one with the breadcrumbs. Season the flour very heavily (at least a teaspoon of kosher salt and many grinds of black pepper) and stir to combine. Beat the eggs until combined. Dip each slice of eggplant in the flour, tapping off excess, then the egg, letting excess drip off, and then the breadcrumbs, packing them on.

To bake breaded eggplant: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place two racks (such as a metal cooling rack for cookies) over two large baking sheets and brush or spray them with olive oil. Arrange breaded eggplant slices in one layer on racks, season well with salt and pepper, and bake for 20 minutes on first side and 15 on the second, until edges are crisp and eggplant inside is soft. Set aside.

To fry breaded eggplant: Heat a large skillet with 1/2-inch olive oil over medium/medium-high heat. Feeling stingy with the good olive oil? Use half olive oil and half of another good oil for frying, such as sunflower, safflower, vegetable, grapeseed or canola. (Most restaurants do!) Once hot enough that a droplet of water hisses and splatters when added to the oil, fry breaded eggplant, a few slices at a time, until golden underneath, about 3 to 4 minutes, then flip and cook until browned on the second side, 2 to 3 minutes more. Drain on paper towels and immediately, while they’re still very hot, season with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining slices.

To roast un-breaded eggplant: Brush two large baking sheets with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Arrange eggplant slices in one layer and season well with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully flip each piece: the undersides should be blistery, dark and a bit puffy and should release from the pan with no effort. If they’re not, let it cook longer. Once flipped, sprinkle them with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper and return the pan to the oven for another 10 to 12 minutes or so, until the undersides match the tops.

Meanwhile, make sauce: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add garlic and cook for one minute, until faintly golden. Add tomato puree, which is going to sputter and splash, so step back. Season with salt, black pepper, pepper flakes and stir in oregano. Simmer, stirring from time to time, for 15 minutes.

Assemble melts: Heat broiler. Split bread in half and briefly run under broiler, just to lightly toast it so that the sauce doesn’t make it soggy. Split each bread half into 6 smaller toasts and arrange on 1 to 2 large baking sheets that have been lined with foil. Spread a little prepared sauce over each toast and sprinkle with some of the parmesan. Add a few eggplant slices to each, fanning them out. Top with more sauce (to taste, but not so much that eggplant is drenched), parmesan and then place a slice or so off mozzarella over the top of each, enough that when it melts, it should drape down easily. Run trays of melts under the broiler until cheese on top is melted and blistery, 5 minutes in my oven but possibly more or less in yours, so please keep an eye on it. Garnish with additional basil and dig in.

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Ditulis pada judi | Tag eggplant, kitchen, melts, parmesan, smitten | Tinggalkan komentar

fried rice with zucchini, tomatoes and parmesan – smitten kitchen

Dipublikasi pada November 28, 2023 oleh pbnbigesdi

No matter how you make this, the key thing is to season, season, season. I like to season each vegetable addition with a little salt and pepper, to build in the most flavor I can while cooking.

I approached the eggs two ways in each batch, half a frying with scrambled eggs within (more kid-friendly) and half with a crispy fried egg on top (hello, ILY).

While I’ve never been in the add-cubed-chicken-to-it camp to bulk up a meal, here, I think it could be excellent if you’re into that sorta thing. But do know without it, you shouldn’t find it to be missing a thing.

To make the rice, I actually used this method and kind of loved it, although everything on my stove cooks in less time.

Olive oil
1 medium-large sweet onion, diced or 1/2 a large onion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus red pepper flakes for heat if desired
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound zucchini or other summer squash (about 2 small/medium), diced
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup small red cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick if large, halved if tiny
2 1/2 to 3 cups cooked, ideally day old, short-grain white or brown rice
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, divided
Handful chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 large eggs (for scrambled method) or 4 large eggs (for an egg on top of each portion)

The quickest method: Heat a large, heavy frying pan to medium-high heat. Once hot, add 1 to 2 tablespoons oil, then onion. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned at the edges, about 4 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add zucchini and thyme, season well with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until softened and a little browned at the edges, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook 1 minute more. Add a little more oil then rice. Season well with salt and pepper (sense a theme?) and stir-fry together until mixed well and a little browned. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Stir in half of parmesan and parsley.

The slower method: Heat a large, heavy frying pan to medium-high heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon oil, then onion and cook, stirring, for 5 to 10 minutes, until quite browned at edges. Season well with salt and pepper. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Scrape onion and garlic into a bowl.

Add another tablespoon oil to pan. Add zucchini and spread evenly in pan. Season well with salt and pepper and cook, not stirring at all, until beginning to blister in brown spots underneath, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir and flip zucchini, then add thyme, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes more, until there are browned spots throughout. Add tomatoes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape zucchini and tomatoes into a bowl.

Add another glug of oil to the pan and add rice, pressing it in one layer. Cook until beginning to brown and crisp underneath, about 5 to 7 minutes. Give it a stir, season it well with salt and pepper, and repeat the press-and-crisp process for a few more minutes. Return onion/garlic and zucchini/tomatoes to pan and cook together for one minute. Stir in half of parmesan and parsley.

Both methods, for scrambled eggs: My super-lazy method is to push the fried rice to the side and crack eggs directly into the cleared area. Use a fork or spatula to break them up and half-scramble them (I like them a little unmixed) in the pan, then stir the chopped scramble back into the fried rice. Serve with remaining parmesan on top.

Both methods, for fried eggs: First scoop the rice into bowls or onto plates before cooking them as you prefer (or as I prefer), and top each portion with an finished egg. Serve with remaining parmesan on top.

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Ditulis pada judi | Tag fried, kitchen, parmesan, rice, smitten, tomatoes, zucchini | Tinggalkan komentar

stuffed eggplant parmesan – smitten kitchen

Dipublikasi pada November 19, 2023 oleh pbnbigesdi

If you’d like to make your own tomato sauce, here’s how I do it: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pot over medium, add 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and a pinch or three of red pepper flakes, and a little dried oregano, if you wish. Cook for one minute. Add a 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (it will splatter, be careful) and stir. Cook at a simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until you get the saucy consistency you want. This yields 3 cups.

2 medium eggplants (about 3/4-pound each); use more if fairytale (small) eggplants
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 pound ground sausage meat (I use mild Italian pork or chicken)
1 1/2 cups tomato marinara sauce, prepared (use your favorite brand or the recipe in Notes)
1 handful fresh basil leaves, torn
2 tablespoons panko-style breadcrumbs
6 ounces (about 1 1/3 cups) low-moisture mozzarella, coarsely grated, divided
2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) finely grated parmesan, divided

Prepare your eggplant: Heat oven to 400°F. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise. Use a paring knife to outline a 1/2-inch border all around the eggplant half, then use a spoon or melon baller to remove the eggplant flesh, being sure not to cut through the bottom as you create boats out of the eggplant halves. Rub each half with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange halves cut sides up in a lasagna pan, 9×13-inch baking dish, or 3-quart casserole dish and roast until eggplant is tender and browned at edges, about 25 to 30 minutes. Leave oven on.

Make the filling: While the eggplant roasts, prepare the filling. Chop the scooped-out eggplant flesh into about 1/2-inch chunks and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add sausage meat and use your spoon to break it up and cook it just until no longer pink, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add chopped eggplant, season the mixture well with salt and black pepper, and cook, stirring as needed, until eggplant is soft and wants to stick to the pan, about 7 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of prepared marinara sauce and a bit of the basil and warm through. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Remove from heat and mix in half the mozzarella and parmesan.

Assemble and finish: When eggplant boats are soft, remove them briefly from their dish and pour remaining 1 cup prepared marinara sauce in the bottom and stir remaining basil into it. Arrange eggplant boats back in dish and stuff them with as much filling as you can (you’ll probably have a little extra which can be baked in a smaller dish). Sprinkle stuffed eggplants with remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Drizzle a teaspoon of oil and pinch of salt over the breadcrumbs and stir to evenly coat the crumbs, then sprinkle them over the cheese.

Bake stuffed eggplants for 10 minutes, just to marry the flavors, and then run under your broiler until brown and blistered on top, anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes, depending on how robust your oven is.

Serve: Let eggplant rest for 5 minutes before serving, spooning some extra sauce from the pan over each.

Do ahead: You can assemble this dish up to two days before baking it, and it also reheats well, keeping in the fridge for 2 to 4 days (the smaller length of time if you assembled it two days earlier). I haven’t frozen this dish but expect it to freeze well.

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Ditulis pada judi | Tag eggplant, kitchen, parmesan, smitten, stuffed | Tinggalkan komentar

roasted cabbage with walnuts and parmesan – smitten kitchen

Dipublikasi pada November 18, 2023 oleh pbnbigesdi

Don’t use too big a cabbage. I’ve gotten some shockingly large ones from the grocery that were too dense inside to get a nice crisp to them, without steaming first. Go with two small rather than one giant one, if you have options.

1 medium-large (1 3/4 pounds) or two small heads savoy cabbage
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Scant 1/2 cup (1.75 ounces) walnut halves and pieces
1 large or 2 smaller garlic cloves
1 large lemon
Red pepper flakes, such as Aleppo (optional)
Grated parmesan, to taste

Heat oven to 475ºF. Remove any damaged outer leaves of cabbage and cut it 8 (for small ones) to 12 (for a large one) wedges. Coat a large baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Arrange cabbage wedges in one layer, drizzling or brushing them with 2 more tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, until charred underneath (don’t panic if you see a few thin black edges; they’re going to taste amazing). Use a spatula to flip each piece over and roast for 5 more minutes, until the edges of the cabbage are dark brown.

Meanwhile, while cabbage roasts, place nuts on a smaller tray or baking dish and roast them next to the cabbage for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove and scatter them, still hot, onto a cutting board and coarsely chop them. Scoop into a bowl and finely grate the zest of half a lemon and all of the garlic over it. Add remaning 3 tablespoons olive oil to walnuts, a few pinches of salt and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. If you’ve got a couple minutes to let it all infuse as it cools, let it rest. When ready, squeeze the juice of half your lemon in and stir to combine. Adjust flavors to taste, adding more lemon if needed; you want this dressing to be robust.

The moment the cabbage comes out of the oven, spoon the walnut dressing over the wedges. Grate parmesan all over, to taste. Serve immediately, while piping hot. There will be no leftovers.

Tools: This is forever my favorite spatula, and particularly helpful here when you have unweidly wedges to flip. I prefer a Microplane rasp with more surface area and use this one.

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Ditulis pada judi | Tag cabbage, kitchen, parmesan, roasted, smitten, walnuts | Tinggalkan komentar

parmesan oven risotto – smitten kitchen

Dipublikasi pada November 14, 2023 oleh pbnbigesdi

I always save parmesan rinds because they provide an amazing boost in simple bean soups, minestrones, and even vegetable broths. You can freeze them almost forever. If you don’t have any saved — but you promise to going forward, right? — I’ve found that most stores that sell grated parmesan they’ve packed themselves also sell the rinds they have leftover, or will if you ask. Here, if you have any, throw them for extra flavor. You can either do this right away, or if you have 10 minutes to spare, you can infuse them further in a quick broth.

1 tablespoon (15 grams) olive oil or unsalted butter
1 medium white or yellow onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine, 1/3 cup (80 ml) dry vermouth, or 2 tablespoons (30 ml) white wine or champagne vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
A couple parmesan rinds, if you have (optional, see Note)
5 cups (1.2 liters) water
1 cup (195 grams) uncooked arborio, carnaroli, or another short-grained rice, such as sushi rice
3 tablespoons (45 grams) unsalted butter, divided
3/4 to 1 cup (about 85 to 90 grams) grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven: To 350°F.

Make risotto: In 4-quart Dutch oven or deep, oven-safe saucepan with a lid, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.

If you’re using parmesan rinds and have 10 minutes to spare: Add wine or vinegar to onion and garlic and cook until it boils off. Add water, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, many grinds of black pepper, and your parmesan rinds and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover pot, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes. This gives the rinds a chance to infuse the broth a bit more deeply before making the risotto. Leave the rinds in the pot, add the rice, and give it a stir. Replace the lid, and transfer the pot to the oven.

If you’re not using parmesan rinds, or you’re using them but are in more of a hurry: Add rice to onion and garlic mixture and cook, toasting gently, for 2 minutes. Add wine or vinegar to rice mixture and cook until it boils off. Add 5 cups water, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, many grinds of black pepper, and parmesan rinds (if using) and bring mixture to a simmer. Place lid on pot and transfer to the oven.

Both methods: Bake risotto in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed, but it looks a tiny bit watery.

To finish: Transfer pan to a trivet or cooling rack on your counter. Remove lid, fish out and discard parmesan rinds, and stir mixture for 2 minutes, or until the mixture looks more creamy and risotto-like. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper to your taste. Add most (about 2 1/2 tablespoons) of the butter to the risotto and stir well to combine. Reserve 1/4 cup grated cheese to finish, and add the rest — using the smaller amount for a moderate parmesan flavor and the larger amount for a more robust one, stirring to just combine.

To serve: Scoop into a serving bowl. Finish with remaining pat of butter, more black pepper, and reserved cheese.

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Ditulis pada judi | Tag kitchen, oven, parmesan, risotto, smitten | Tinggalkan komentar

simple eggplant parmesan – smitten kitchen

Dipublikasi pada November 7, 2023 oleh pbnbigesdi

Prepare the eggplant: Arrange eggplant slices on a large (half-sheet) baking pan in one layer. Sprinkle with about 2 teaspoons kosher salt and set aside for 30 minutes.

Heat oven: To 425°F (220°C) degrees.

Roast eggplant: Transfer eggplant slices to paper towels and blot them of as much excess water as possible. Dry the baking sheet, too, and coat it with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle the oil with several grinds of black pepper. Arrange eggplant slices in one layer. Drizzle with 2 more tablespoons of oil and more grinds of black pepper. Roast until nicely browned underneath, 20 to 25 minutes. Use a thin spatula to turn eggplant slices over and roast until browned underneath on the second side, another 10 minutes. It’s okay if they’re not cooked through yet. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F (175°C).

Meanwhile, make sauce: While eggplant roasts, open your can of tomatoes and use kitchen shears or very well-washed scissors to chop the tomatoes into small bits. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium/large saucepan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add onion and cook until it softens, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook another minute. Add tomatoes (beware the splatter!), oregano, and season with 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste. Let mixture simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you’d like the sauce smoother than it is now, you can mash the tomatoes further with a potato masher as it cooks, or use an immersion blender for a completely smooth sauce. Stir in basil then taste the sauce; adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble: In a 1.5- to 2-quart baking dish (holding 6 to 8 cups; I’m using this), spoon about 1/2 cup of the sauce. Arrange about half of the eggplant slices, slightly overlapped, in one layer. Spoon another 1/2 cup sauce over and spread it evenly. Arrange remaining eggplant slices, then ladle more sauce over it so it’s as saucy as you like. [Keep unused sauce in fridge for another day; it will keep for 4 to 5 days.] Sprinkle top with mozzarella and parmesan.

Bake: For 30 minutes, until cheese has melted and sauce is bubbling all over. For more color on top, you can run it briefly under your oven’s broiler.

To serve: Once baked, let the eggplant parmesan rest at room temperature, if you can bear it, for 15 minutes before digging in — this helps the ingredients settle and come together more. It’s not mandatory, but this is excellent with a side of garlic bread.

Do ahead: Eggplant parmesan keeps fantastically in the fridge for up to 5 days. Rewarm in a 350-degree oven, covered for the first half of the time, for about 25 to 30 minutes. You can also freeze it, well wrapped, for a few months.

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Ditulis pada judi | Tag eggplant, kitchen, parmesan, simple, smitten | Tinggalkan komentar