Farfalle with Braised Leeks, Prosciutto and Porcini Pangrattato

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-at-home/cheats-pappardelle-with-slow-braised-leeks-and-crispy-porcini-pangrattato-recipe/index.html

This is a modified version of a Jamie Oliver recipe, which can be found by clicking the photo. I substituted farfalle for paparadelle because it was the closest thing I had in the house at the time. I’ve also made this with fettucine, which works well in a pinch. The leeks and braising liquid makes a light sauce that delicately coats the pasta. Two neat things about this recipe:

1. He suggests covering the leeks with a layer of prosciutto to lock in the moisture during braising and the added flavor is absolutely amazing. 

2. Because this is a white wine sauce, it works well with the porcini pangrattato, which gives it a nice kick at the end. If memory serves, pangrattato is sort of like peasant cheese, because it’s inexpensive. This one is made by pulising stale bread with dried porcini mushrooms and rosemary. Then it’s toasted, giving the pasta a wonderful crunch. If you have the patience required to clean leeks (yes, big pain in the ass because they need to really be soaked to remove all the dirt and grit), then I highly recommend this dish. I made it for my boyfriend and father one night and it knocked their socks off.

Your Love Is Better Than Cupcakes

Thirteen hand-mixed shades of buttercream=my love for you.

New Cookbook Love

Well, crush, I guess, considering I've only ordered it and haven't even leafed through it yet. But it's getting great reviews and I watched a video of Aida explaining her thought process behind each chapter of the book. It's laid out in a very clever way and seems to be geared towards instruction, not just the "California eclectic" recipes she's known for. The video can be found on amazon. If you click on picture 4 it will automatically come up. Watch it! I promise you'll be sold!

The Shelf Life of Food InfoGraphic

The Shelf Life of Food

Passing the Bar Dinner

After three long years of days and nights when we didn't even see eachother--Keith either studying, practicing for mock trial, or fighting the good fight as SBA president--law school was over last spring. Hooah! Although, I shouldn't speak so soon, since I just found out he's returning as a coach for this year's mock trial competition, using up his Sundays for the next two months, (and of course, let's not forget the still looming Saturday nights of waiting tables). Still, school is over. And then he studied arduously for "the hardest test you ever take in your life" as he puts it. After three months of fretting over the results, they finally came in last Friday, and hallelujah, he passed. On to bigger and better things, like paying off student loans, credit card bills, and all the other lovely things that come with being a student for seven plus years. It finally feels like it's time to celelbrate. Plus, I'll be done student teaching in December, and then once I write my thesis in the spring, I'll be done with school forever. Then again, I'm hearing from just about everyone, that it makes sense to get a 6th year, but I've got some time before I'll even start to consider that.

So, onto the dinner. My brother is also visiting from Colorado (a rare treat), and I made a killer pasta dish. No recipe. It was just a flying by the seat of my pants sorta night. I started with al dente penne and fork tender Brussels sprouts. Then I made a white wine sauce with sauteed shallots and garlic, deglazed with white wine. Then I hit it with some heavy cream to thicken it up, and dropped in some crumbled gorgonzola. I finished it off with some black pepper, and roughly chopped flat leaf parsley. Et voila! Meal fit for a newly sworn in attorney. So proud, and that's an understatement.

Autumn's Creepin' In

Fall Favorites

Kitchen Repairs and Stir-Fried Rice

I'm currently acting as watchdog, making sure my cats don't knock a sink off the kitchen table that has been precariously propped up on foam gardening mats, while my dad runs to the store to grab some more plumber's putty. Woo, that was a mouthful, and dangerously bordering on a run-on. After 30 some-odd years, he is putting in new fixtures, fixing a leak, and re-puttying the sink. Is re-puttying a word? If not, I just invented it. "Circle C"! Sorry, I can't help but add that in at the end. My boyfriend just took the bar exam, so peppering in some intellectual property lingo can't be helped.
Back to the guarding of the sink-I'm stationed in place and can't leave my post, but that can't prevent me from having a great lunch, right? I must mention that this is a leftover rice dish from the other night, so all I had to due was add a little homemade peanut sauce and sprinkle a few soybeans over the top before heating it in the microwave. Still, it's a nice blog-worthy meal, and since I didn't post the original version, I figured I'd make the most of my time (at my post) taking pictures of my iPhone and blogging.

The rice dish itself couldn't be more simple. It's just some jasmine rice, steamed veggies, garlic, ginger, soy, and rice wine vinegar. However, I have this secret ingredient that really elevates the dish. It's thai coconut curry broth made by College Inn. They have a whole line of culinary broths, and while I usually refrain from using anything but low-sodium chicken, this was hard to pass up. The broth is light and clear, yet very fragrant, with sweet lemongrass and mellow coconut. I'll admit, I use it to spice up boring rice dishes when I'm short on time, and I've even added small amounts to thai curry when I make it.