Summer Carbonara

When my kids want pasta, bacon, and corn on the cob for dinner I say Hurray! Let’s all have it. But I one up them by combining everything into one yummy carbonara dish. If you get everything prepped in advance this dish is actually really easy to prepare and OMG, its so good! A complete and hearty meal that everyone will love.

What you need:

4 slices thick bacon

1 zucchini, shredded with a cheese grater

2 ears of corn removed from the cob

3/4 cup loosely packed grated Parmesan cheese

2 room temperature eggs

2 cups cavatappi or ridgy noodle

salt and pepper

Handful fresh basil

First crack two eggs into a bowl and stir in the grated Parmesan cheese, if your eggs were cold this will allow them to come up to room temp while preparing everything else. Working simultaneously fill a pot with water to boil two cups of pasta, add about a tsp of salt to the water and bring to a boil. Roughly chop 4 slices of bacon and brown it in a skillet then remove and set aside on paper towels to cool. Drain off most of the bacon fat from the pan but do not clean it. Cook your pasta according to the package directions. Remove 1 cup starchy water from the pot before draining the pasta and set it aside. Place corn and zucchini shreds in the pan that the bacon was cooked in and stir occasionally over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. The water from the zucchini should help to deglaze the pan. Scrape up any brown bits and incorporate with the corn and zucchini as you stir. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Now turn off the heat and dump the drained pasta into the pan with the zucchini and corn and stir in the egg and cheese mixture. Stir quickly to get everything incorporated. Add about 1/4 cup of starchy pasta water to the dish to help emulsify the sauce. Depending on how watery the zucchini was that may be enough water or you may need to add in a few more splashes. Keep stirring until you have reached the desired consistency. Add a few cranks of fresh pepper. Stir in the chopped basil. Serve immediately and garnish with more grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Enjoy!

Macaroni and Cheese

What’s more comforting than a bubbling warm dish of baked macaroni and cheese? Another damp snowy day of what feels like the longest January in history calls for this family favorite. I’ve made many varieties over the years, some of which are annoyingly complicated (albeit delicious). I finally settled on this super basic yet quintessential version. I sort of threw it together one day and the proportions of cheese to noodles seems just right and you need to do very little measuring. Everyone loves it and I promise you will too.

What you need:

1 lb of dried cavatappi or favorite noodle

1 8 oz block cream cheese

1 stick salted butter (1/2 cup)

1 tbsp dijon

1.5 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar (or one 8 oz block, grated)

1/4 - 1/2 cup half and half or milk (half and half tastier if you have it!)

salt and pepper

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan and 1/2 cup Ritz cracker crumbs (or similar) for the topping

Preheat oven 375 and boil a pot of water for your pasta. Set out all of your ingredients and grate your cheese. I think its important to use freshly grated cheese if you have the time versus the prepackaged kind. The simplicity of this dish calls for really good ingredients. The better the cheese, butter (Kerrygold is great for this), etc…the better it’s going to taste. Cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain. While the pasta sits in the colander add the butter, cheeses, and dijon to the pot (set to medium/low) and begin to melt and stir slowly to combine. Add in the half and half last and stir so that it gently bubbles. When everything is thoroughly melted and mixed together turn off the heat and sprinkle in pepper to taste and a pinch of salt. Add the noodles to the melted cheese mixture and then pour into a baking or casserole dish. If it seems dry, add a little more half and half. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and Parmesan evenly over the top and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. I like to broil for 1-2 minutes at the end to brown the top. Enjoy!

Creamy Grits with Fresh Corn

I was listening to the radio this morning and Kathy Gunst was talking about all the wonderful ways we can use summer corn and her description of creamy corn soup made my mouth water. I immediately went to the store and bought some beautiful Silver Queen corn. I decided that mixing the fresh corn with some grits might be the “corniest” dish I could make to really highlight that sweet summer corn flavor. This is a pretty basic dish with only a few ingredients and it turns out so creamy and sweet. It’s so delicious, I can’t even put it into words….it‘s just really good. You begin by boiling some corn on the cob and then making a broth to cook the grits in. It may seem laborious but the outcome is worth it.

Start by removing the husks of 4-5 ears of corn and adding the corn to a big pot and cover with water (this is up for debate, some people add the corn after the water is boiling…I don’t really think it matters). Bring the pot to a boil and allow to simmer for a minute or two. I don’t like to cook the corn very long. With a set of tongs remove the corn and set aside. Turn off the burner. Place a large colander over the top of the pot of water. Working with one corn cob at a time, hold it in the center of the colander and use a paring knife to carefully slice the corn off the cob. I like to do it this way so that any corn milk drips into the pot of water and isn’t wasted. Now set the corn kernels aside and place the cobs back into the pot of water. Add a roughly chopped Vidalia onion to the pot of water and a tsp of salt. Bring the pot back to a boil and then simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until its reduced to about 2 - 2.5 cups of broth.

After allowing the broth to cool for a moment remove the corn cobs and onions. Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and pour the broth through the strainer to remove any unwanted silks or corn bits from the pot. Once you have strained the broth return it to your pot, you should have around 2 cups. It will a beautiful yellow/gold broth. Add one cup of grits and bring to a simmer. Stir often scraping the bottom to make sure its not burning. Add another tsp of salt and continue stirring while the grits thicken up. Once it starts getting quite thick like oatmeal, add a 1/2 cup of milk and stir it in. Continue cooking and stirring over low simmer until it has thickened again. Taste with a spoon and see if the texture is right. Regular grits take about 20 minutes to cook and stone ground grits can take much longer. Keep stirring and adding splashes of milk until you are satisfied. Remove from the heat and stir in 2 tbsp of butter and the corn kernels. Add a dash of fresh ground pepper. A sprinkle of parsley or your favorite herb is a great idea too. Enjoy!

** A note about grits, do not use instant grits…they will turn to mush! Quaker grits are fine but make sure they are not instant. If you can find locally milled grits, they will taste even better. I like Wades Mill in my area. If the label says Stone Ground, you must first quickly soak them in water and allow the chaff to float to the top, scoop out the chaff (hard dried husk pieces). I have made the mistake of forgetting to remove it in the past and you will have crunchy bits that are annoying in your final product. It just takes a minute and is worth the time. Otherwise, buy regular grits : )

If you want a nice monochromatic dish use white corn with white grits or yellow corn with yellow grits : )