Portland observer., March 06, 2019, Page Page 16, Image 16

Page 16
March 6, 2019
F OOD
Winter Weeknight Dinners in Under an Hour
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Winter Minestrone
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
• 1 pound dry spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces pancetta or slab bacon, cubed or sliced into
small strips
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more
for serving
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
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Directions:
1. Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure
that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce
is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when
adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks
the raw eggs in the sauce.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta
and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as
they say in Italian “al dente.”) Drain the pasta well, re-
serving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the
sauce if you wish.
3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over me-
dium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3 min-
utes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss
the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to
soften.
4. Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2
minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs
and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to
prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the
egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until
the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the
heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce
with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches de-
sired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns
of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound
the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and gar-
nish with chopped parsley. Pass more cheese around the
table.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 russet potato, peeled and cubed
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 (1-ounce) Parmesan rind
3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped
1 pound Swiss chard, destemed, coarsely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 (15-ou.) can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed, divided
2 (14-ounce) cans low-sodium beef broth, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions:
1. In a large, heavy stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over
medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, pancetta, and
garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translu-
cent, about 10 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and potato.
Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Stir
in the tomatoes and rosemary sprigs. Bring the mixture to
a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chard is wilted
and the tomatoes are very soft, about 10 minutes.
2. In a food processor or blender, combine 3/4 of the beans
with 1/2 cup of broth. Blend until almost smooth. Add the
pureed bean mixture, remaining broth, and Parmesan rind
to the vegetable mixture. Simmer, stirring occasionally,
until the potato pieces are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir
in the remaining beans and the parsley. Simmer until the
beans are heated through and the soup is thick, about 2
minutes. Discard the rosemary stems (the leaves will have
fallen off) and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle
the soup into bowls and serve.
Marinated Pork Chops
Ingredients:
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1/4 cup plus 1 tspn vegetable oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon Sriracha
2 teaspoons sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Zest and juice of 1 orange
2 green onions, sliced
Eight 4-ounce thin pork chops, bone-in (1/4-inch thick)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Directions:
1. Place 1/4 cup vegetable oil, sugar, vinegar, ginger, sri-
racha, sesame oil, garlic and orange juice and zest in a
food processor and process for 15 seconds. Put the pork
chops in a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag. Add half
of the marinade and reserve the other half until serving.
Squeeze out the air, seal and move the chops around in the
bag to coat evenly. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 30
minutes, and up to 8 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Remove the chops from the bag. Place the reserved
marinade in a small saucepot. Bring to a boil to reduce
and thicken the sauce a bit, about 2 minutes.
4. Heat large stainless saute pan over medium-high heat
and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Brown the chops in
the hot pan, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Place the saute pan in
the oven and cook until done (155 degrees F internal tem-
perature). Serve with a spoonful of the glaze, with cilantro
and sliced green onions sprinkled on top.