I know, i know, I’ve been gone and didn’t even post this past week’s foodblog-a-round. Can I use the excuse that I was too busy stuffing my face with Singaporean / Malaysian specialities during a whirlwind trip to Singapore? I was and I’ll see if I can dig up any pics of that for later this week.

In the meantime, we’ve been trying to get back to cooking more at home in the cJ household. Tonight we’re headed out to dinner (I <3 Camino) but I thought I’d throw in a quick bonus post on a lusciously lovely pasta we ate yesterday.

This pasta has hearty flavor and even perhaps a touch of creaminess to it despite no cream. I think it’s the light sprinkling of cheese that gives it a little more depth, plus the lingering essence the vodka that brightens the flavor. It might taste a little like autumn as described here, but it could be dressed up for springtime easily by adding freshly shelled peas or some nice asparagus and a squeeze of lemon. It would make a good main course or side dish (we ate it next grilled rack of lamb and sauteed broccoli rabe… Yum).

Take a healthy portion of fresh mushrooms — I used about a pound but I’d probably recommended closer to 1 1/2 to 2 lbs, remember they will cook down a bit — and slice. Slice several cloves of garlic and a shallot. Heat oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and shallots and stir until slightly soft (don’t let them burn) and add the mushrooms. Allow the mushrooms to brown in the pan, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle sea salt and freshly ground pepper over the mushrooms. When the mushrooms are nicely browned, pour in some vodka. Use your own judgement but at least 1/4 cup… Allow vodka to mostly boil off. Taste the mushrooms and add more vodka if desired to up the flavor in the mushrooms. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Add 3 tbs of olive oil (or more) and heat through.

In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil to cook the pasta. Grate fresh parmagiano reggiano, roughly 1 cup. Cook the noodles — I chose pappardelle because it is so beautiful and wide and has a lovely drape to it. Pappardelle takes about 5-7 minutes to cook. Drain the noodles and return to pan.

Pour the olive oil, mushroom, garlic and shallot mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle some of the grated cheese on top and toss to combine… Continue adding cheese and tossing to spread the cheese throughout the noodles. Squeeze lemon on top if you like.

This week I observed that the stock at Ciao Bella Gelateria on Shattuck in Berkeley was getting thinner and thinner and got down to the reason for it yesterday: they were closing. I stopped by yesterday and I’m sad I didn’t pick up one last treat (I would have if I had known it was their last day). Well, now there is just more excuse to make my own gelato.

Since the hubby has been out of town I have cooked almost nothing (multiple pots of popcorn probably don’t count). But my mouth is still watering over the blog posts I’ve been reading… and I’m looking at some of the Quickies but Goodies: Hummus with Green Goo over at 101 Cookbooks and Capellini with Fresh Ricotta at Serious Eats. I love the hummus idea and doesn’t it look cool with the eerie green parsley / jalapeno / garlic “goo” on it? Heidi calls for soaking and cooking dried chickpeas, which will definitely make the best hummus, but as with other recipes it can be sped up by using canned chickpeas, which is why I think of it was quick. Or prep the chickpeas over the weekend and bust them out as needed during the week.

Image of Hummus with Green Goo from 101 Cookbooks

And then we are onto the meat… yum… definitely worth the time…

Slow Roast Wild Boar Belly with Cider and Puy Lentils caught my eye over at Eat Like a Girl. Oh my god it looks so lusciously brown and lovely. I don’t even like lentils that much but I’m willing to give them a go in this dish since they’ve been in there with the boar belly and all of that fatty goodness… ok, my mouth is watering again. The only real question is how to get hold of the wild boar. I’m going to hold tight though and as soon as I see it this is first up on my list.

And then onto dessert: Hazelnut Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies at Smitten Kitchen. I’m not kosher (or Jewish at all for that matter), so I like that Deb made two recipes: one for Passover, and, as she puts it, “for the other 357 days of the year.” I’m crazy about hazelnuts and chocolate, and hazelnut and chocolate together is a dream combo. Just ask Nutella. Now I just have to overcome fear of baking and get back in the kitchen. And put my new Kitchenaid mixer to work.

Here we go, continuing our quest to cook our way through Mark Bittman’s Kitchen Express with Winter recipe #89. The colors are really beautiful, and the combination of the beans, the meat and the toothsome pasta give it some heft as well. Not to mention the addition of the greens, which pretty much means nearly all the food groups are included. Multiple sources of protein and the potential to include whole grains? Healthy, tasty, and fast? (Don’t lecture me on whether the Italian sausage is healthy… substitute your sausage of choice, chicken or even fake sausage, as long as it’s flavorful).

Put some water on to boil with a pinch or two of salt. Cook the pasta. We’re trying to eat more interesting grains and less wheat, so we went with a farro penne, but you can use any pasta you want. I like the short shaped pasta for this dish because it’s easier to grab a forkful off all the stuff together but if you like long noodles, why not? Anyway, cook till done (my farro pasta about 10 minutes), drain and reserve some of the cooking liquid.

While the pasta is cooking, fry up some Italian sausage meat, breaking into small pieces and browning / cooking through. You can either get the meat loose or in sausages and just remove the casings. Bittman recommends “a couple of sweet Italian sausages” — I used approximately a pound of sausage meat. Drain a large can of diced tomatoes as well as a can of chickpeas, and add both to the pan. Add in a tablespoon of crushed fennel seeds and a pinch of red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. The fennel and red pepper help bring the “sauce” to life and give what it really a very simple combination some depth and complexity.

Toss the pasta with a couple of handfuls of greens and let the greens wilt. The recipe says arugula but really any tender green will do, and I used a mix of baby spinach, arugula and radicchio (one of those organic salad mixes). Add the pasta into the sausage mixture, and if you want it a little moister, this is where to use the reserved pasta water. I didn’t use any.

Eat up. It’s hearty. And next time, I would grate some fresh parmigiano on top. What’s not to love about cheese? Plus, adding the dairy food group to make this truly a well-rounded meal.