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Pasta with Corn, Burrata, Pancetta, and Chilies

Published

on August 10, 2010

. 10 Comments

I’m not usually a bossy gal, but you must make this pasta dish. I bookmarked it months ago when I came across it on Local Lemons, but never got around to executing for some reason or another. I was given the reminder that I needed when it was featured on Serious Eats last week. Two gentle nudgings was all it took for me to pick up the necessary ingredients and prepare a double batch.

Let me tell you, this pasta rules! From the basil-infused breadcrumbs to the creamy hunks of burrata to the spicy dash of chilies and sweet summer corn, there are so many amazing flavors and textures in every bowl-full. Each bite is exciting, fresh, and deliciously different. I hope to prepare this pasta several more times before summer fades into fall and fresh corn disappears from the market. I encourage you to do the same.

1/2 pound dried or fresh wide noodles, like pappardelle or fettuccine
1/2 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, plus more to garnish
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to season
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta
2 ears of corn, kernels removed
4 dried red chilies, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup Parmigiana Reggiano, shredded
1/4 pound burrata

I purchased all of the ingredients at Trader Joe’s and a local Mexican supermarket. I already had the panko bread crumbs in the pantry.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, stirring often. Drain, reserving a 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the breadcrumbs and sauce. For the breadcrumbs, place the panko, basil, and salt in a food processor and grind until small. Drizzle the breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and pulse until well incorporated.

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Fisherman’s Paella (Paella a la Marinera)

Published

Gastronomer

on July 20, 2010

in Recipe, Spanish and Valencia

. 12 Comments

Not too long after arriving home from Spain, I tried my hand at making Fisherman’s Paella (Paella a la Marinera). Taste memory is a very powerful asset in the kitchen and I wanted to take full advantage of it while the flavors of Valencia were still fresh in my mind. I also wanted to use the saffron and rice that I picked up at the Mercado Central while they were at their absolute best.

I turned to Saveur magazine, an authority on authentic recipes, to guide me through the homemade paella process. According to the recipe developers, there are six principles to achieving really fabulous paella. The ones I found most important were steeping the saffron at the very beginning and sautéing the seafood in hot oil to build a strong flavor base. “The key is to build flavors from the bottom of the pan up,” the editors emphasized. Paella pans are designed for this purpose, though a wide skillet of the same size will work, too.

The seafood used in this recipe was provided by I Love Blue Sea, a web-based sustainable seafood company in San Francisco. The Gulf shrimp were caught using turtle-free nets, the squid came from the Northern California coast, and the clams were a combination of Littleneck and Manila. The original recipe called for monkfish, but I decided to eliminate it from the recipe after learning that it is overfished and caught using bottom trawling, which decimates the ocean floor. Try as I might to keep abreast on the dos and don’ts of sustainable seafood, I can’t always remember everything I read. I was thankful to have a trusty consultant in I Love Blue Sea to point me in the most eco-friendly direction.

My homemade Fisherman’s Paella turned out as pretty and tasty as I had hoped. The rice was cooked perfectly al dente, while the seafood was sublime. Best of all, I was able to achieve the subtle flavors that made the paella in Valencia so special. I have just enough rice and saffron to prepare the recipe two more times. I will have to space out the occasions carefully to fill the interval until my next visit to Spain.

25 threads saffron, crushed (a heaping 1⁄4 tsp.)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs. extra-large head-on shrimp in the shell
1 lb. cuttlefish or small squid, cleaned and cut into 1″ pieces
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
4 medium tomatoes, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped
1 small onion, minced
7 cups chicken broth
2 1⁄2 cups short-grain rice, preferably Valencia or bomba
2 lbs. small clams, cleaned

Put saffron and 1⁄4 cup hot water in a small bowl; let sit for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a 16″–18″ paella pan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, lightly salt, and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes; transfer to a plate and set aside.

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Bison Burgers with Cheddar and Onions

Published

Gastronomer

on June 7, 2010

in Burgers and Recipe

. 15 Comments

I am generally quite fearless in the kitchen, but have always shied away from grilling. In spite of my liberal leanings, I long held onto the silly notion that cooking over an open flame was dude territory. As a result, all of the grilling in our household was assigned to The Astronomer and his little Smokey Joe. I was content with baking and sauteeing—you know, chick stuff.

Our longstanding division of kitchen duties came to a halt two months ago when I received a fantastically fun photography assignment that required me to grill like I’d never grilled before. From loins to shoulders to burgers, I did it all, and in the process, I discovered a great appreciation for the sport. I love how grilling makes me feel like a culinary badass and how it requires me to trust my instincts. I also like how cleaning up entails scrubbing a metal brush back and forth and little else.

For my first non-work-related grilling session, I decided to prepare bison burgers. Bison meat is often lauded for its nutritional prowess*, but doesn’t have the greatest reputation for moistness due to its lower fat content. However, this recipe for Bison Burgers with Cheddar and Onions from Cooking the Cowboy Way by Grady Spears makes an extremely flavorful, juicy, and satisfying specimen. And as an awesome bonus, it’s actually good for you. Grill on!

2 pounds ground bison** or chuck beef
3/4 cup grated white cheddar cheese
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
12 English muffins or hamburger buns

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill to medium-high heat. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground meat, grated cheese, onion, salt, and pepper thoroughly with your hands.

Divide the mixture into 12 small patties, making sure they are compacted and firm. Place the patties on the hot grill and cook for 5 minutes on each side, or until they register an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.

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