spaghetti, grown up

when i was young i would often come across my mom reading cookbooks, sitting on the couch or on the bed with several spread out in front of her. i remember especially her copy of James Beard On Bread, and a cookbook devoted to chocolate desserts that really struck me with the cover photo. an odd gelatin-like dessert, displayed between the other cakes, cookies and truffles; smooth and shiny and kind of a light-brown, pinkish color. (i knew i would never eat that!) my mom’s cookbook-reading kind of fascinated me… we were big on books in our family (every friday was library day for these homeschoolers), but i didn’t quite get how she could be so interested in books with no stories. no pictures, even!

i have come to love reading cookbooks and magazines, too. (though they must have photographs. a lot of photographs.) its not a storybook, but i can read and imagine what people will think, what we will be talking about, where we will be when we’re eating that dish together. i love my food magazine subscriptions, smart recipe blogs, pinterest.com, my cookbook collection, the cookbook section at the library….. oh i love reading recipes. when i have an occasion coming up that i’ll be cooking for, it’s almost an agonizing process to narrow it down and decide what dish i’ll make. a process i love! i get really excited about menu planning and i get pumped to try new dishes, new techniques. just to see if i can.

but what i realize more and more is that there are too many amazing recipes in the world! — even if i cooked one every single night for dinner for the rest of my life i would never get to try them all! seriously?

this, like my iPod, makes me really sad. there is so much good food (or music) to try, and to fall in love with in my lifetime. i’ll never be able to do it all. overwhelming.

despite this realization… i make the same dishes repeatedly for dinner if they’re great. of course i do! (especially if my husband requests them.) so i thought i would share one of the classics… not a new idea by any means, but a dish that is easily mastered; beginning with simple, humble ingredients, that together are kind of an elegant, cultured bacon and eggs in dinner form. and it is delicious. super creamy, a little garlic kick, crunchy bacon?! it is a beautiful way to treat humble spaghetti noodles, and it tastes like you worked hard making it, even though you don’t. this is a dish i will repeat even more times in the future, no matter the sacrifice of new-recipes-un-taste-tested.

(so this possibly may not be the most healthful dinner out there (ha). i was kind of surprised to find the recipe did not direct draining the drippings from the bacon… then to add a quarter cup of olive oil on top of that. i felt that was unnecessary; as much as i trust everything America’s Test Kitchen says. so, go for a good family walk afterwards perhaps. it’s worth it!)

spaghetti carbonara

adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

serves 4

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup parmesan, grated
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1/2 lb bacon (about 8 slices) snipped into small pieces with kitchen shears, or chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 lb spaghetti

1. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and then combine with grated cheese and garlic. Set aside at room temperature.
2. Get a large skillet heating over medium-high and cook the bacon until browned and crisp. Fight your instincts and don’t drain off the drippings. Pour in the white wine (carefully, it may spatter) and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Cook spaghetti in a large pot until almost-al-dente but not quite. You want a little bite left because it won’t end it’s cooking journey here. Grab a measuring-cup full of pasta water to set aside, then drain the pasta, leaving it a little wet. Quickly add the spaghetti to the large skillet with awaiting bacon/wine. Stir to combine.
4. Add the egg/cheese/garlic mixture one dollop at a time, tossing well between each addition(a pair of tongs works wonders here) (incorporating the room-temperature eggs, slowly, prevents them from curdling at high heat). Add pasta water a few tablespoons at a time, tossing in between, to make a smooth sauce.

leftovers rating: B-

i halved this recipe for my husband and myself and there were nooooo leftovers. i remember though, that the last time i made this i thoroughly enjoyed eating the cold leftovers. in the middle of the night, standing in front of the fridge in my socks. i’m kidding — i ate them for breakfast. the leftovers will turn into a solid cake of noodles and cold sauce, which i found delightful to cut into with a fork. i can’t speak for re-heating.

risotto cakes and why leftovers rule

i’m kind of the queen of leftovers. i really can’t stand to let food go to waste, yet an interesting phenomenon happens when i cook for my husband and myself while most recipes are written to serve four. yes: leftovers!

but containers full of the previous night’s dinner rule on a few levels. less time is required to fill a week with meals, because many will get two nights or more in the spotlight, requiring only reheating (big batches of soup/chili/stew, whaaaat). it’s a money-saver. it’s lunch the next day: nothing easier than grabbing leftovers from the fridge on my way out the door! who didn’t have to buy bologna for that day?! THAT’S RIGHT.

i’m kidding, i don’t even like bologna.

do you think some dishes are more awesomer in their leftovers afterlife than they were in their original incarnation?

i’m not sure, but risotto cakes come pretty close.

i always make a huuuggge batch of risotto, because. my eyes are much bigger than my stomach. but also risotto is easy and CHEAP to make and so tasty, uses just about anything i might have on hand, and does well reheated in my office’s microwave the next day for lunch. but what if that delicious leftover risotto was breaded and fried?!

crisp risotto cakes

adapted from history which has been making these smart little fritters for hundreds of years, most likely

• Leftover risotto (any kind will do! I had made pumpkin, leek and sausage risotto, which explains the orange-y color)
• Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) (normal ‘Merican breadcrumbs will do well too)
• Olive oil

directions

1. Either scoop up the risotto with a spoon and form into ball, then flatten into 1/2-inch thick patties.. Or, if you had some forethought (I never do), you’d have put your leftover risotto onto a piece of wax paper, rolled it up into a log, and stowed it in the fridge so when you were ready for Risotto Round 2, you only needed to slice rounds off of that for risotto cakes.
2. Pour some panko breadcrumbs into a shallow plate or bowl.
3. Take your breading as far as you like, but I don’t think these even need an egg dipping step. What you see here is only panko and I think it was solidly perfect — and I am all about fewer dirty dredging dishes. So gently press your patties or slices of cold risotto into the panko breadcrumbs and set aside on a large platter or piece of waxed paper.
4. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan. When it shimmers and shimmies, fill the pan with the panko-crusted cakes, but don’t let them touch.
5. Fry until golden brown and crispy, then flip. Repeat with remaining cakes, adding oil between batches if necessary. If you’re serving a crowd, keep warm in the oven.
6. Serve alongside a glass of wine and a glorious salad like the one my mom made (recipe to follow) and congratulate yourself on making one awesome meal into TWO.

these were beautifully crisp on the outside, and creamy and melty from the leeks and parmesan on the inside. my favorite part about serving this at my parents’ house for Sunday lunch was my baby brother’s reaction (not such a baby anymore! 18 years old next month!): “sophie, what IS this?!” and not in a grossed-out way, but in a pretty-much-digging it way. it pleases me to please a picky eater.

leftovers rating:

i don’t know if i can say! rating the leftovers of leftovers?… getting kind of Inception-y isn’t it? but i wouldn’t put it past these babies to go into the fridge for the night and be reheated beautifully on a skillet the next day. hell, for breakfast. oh my gosh with an egg on top.