Archive Page 7

Poulet Mistral Le Preiuré (Mistral’s Chicken with Garlic)

Published May 18, 2008 Chicken , French , Recipe 6 Comments
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Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic seems like a good idea until you need to peel the garlic. And, of course, I won’t cheat by using pre-peeled garlic. It doesn’t help that I’m somewhat allergic to garlic (it makes my fingers dry-out and crack; I have to wear gloves when I work with it).

But, really, garlic is good enough to be worth it. I could launch into a diatribe worthy of Cook’s Illustrated about how every other recipe for Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic was bad until I perfected it (or, in my case, found this recipe). It’d be somewhat be true. I have tried several other recipes in the past (with the requisite garlic peeling) and have found them wanting. The chicken never appropriated the garlic flavor. They were simply not worth the effort.

This recipe sort of snuck in under the radar. For one, it’s not called Chicken with Cloves of Garlic. It does, however, sneak those 40 cloves of garlic into the ingredients list. I got suckered in by the idea of chicken with garlic (how could that not sound good?) without realizing exactly what it was. By the time I realized exactly what it was, I had already committed.

I hate having to peel that much garlic

And that was a good thing because this is good. The chicken picks up a mild garlic flavor while still being juicy. The sauce is also quite tasty. It’s almost as good to dip bread in it as the sauce from Poulet Sauté aux Herbes (Sautéed Chicken with Herbs) (but not quite).

This is particularly good served with Gratin Dauphinois Madame Cartet (Madame Cartet’s Potato Gratin).

Yet another random picture of chicken cooking

Poulet Mistral Le Preiuré (Mistral’s Chicken with Garlic)
Adapted from Bistro Cooking

1 chicken, cut into pieces
salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
about 40 cloves of garlic, crushed and peeled
1/2 cup white vermouth
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp butter, softened

  1. Season the chicken with salt up to a day in advance.
  2. In a large skillet, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the pepper. Brown both sides of the chicken, working in batches if necessary, about 5 minutes per side. Set the chicken aside when done.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic cloves. Place the chicken on top of the garlic. Sauté, shaking the pan occasionally, 10 minutes to lightly brown the garlic.
  4. Deglaze the pan with the vermouth and the chicken stock. Simmer, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
  5. Remove the chicken from the pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Bring the sauce to the boil to reduce until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the softened butter.
  6. Serve the chicken covered with the sauce and garlic.

Serves 4.

Meyer Lemon Tart

Published May 17, 2008 Dessert , Recipe 5 Comments
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This recipe is specifically posted for Christina, my cousin Jesse’s wife. They came to visit us in California and, after I had served the Meyer Lemon Tart as well let slip about this food blog, Christina asked if it was going to be posted here. Well, Christina, here it is. And the rest of you can read it too.

I made this mostly by accident. Shortly after making the Meyer Lemon Sorbet, some one at work left a bag filled with Meyer lemons in the kitchen area. Given the success the previous recipe was, I snatched up more than my fair share (I initially took less but when there were some left over as I was leaving, I grabbed a few more). To make me seem like an even worse person, the Meyer lemons have sat in my fridge since then.

After awhile, I decided that it was finally time to do something with the Meyer lemons. While more sorbet always is good, I wanted to do something different with them. So I finally decided on this recipe because I like tarts and Angela likes lemons (there’s a joke in there somewhere but I can’t quite find it).

I’m pretty sure this is the only recipe I’ve ever made that required more than a dozen eggs. This recipe is not for the faint of heart. It is rich and over-the-top. It uses just under a pound of butter, a good amount of sugar, and the previously mentioned eggs. But, then again, when you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right.

As you might’ve guessed given the prior statement of a recipe request, it was pretty good. To me, it was the perfect balance between lemon, sweet, and tart. Angela though it wasn’t tart enough (but she’s wrong). We didn’t need to eat a lot of it as a small piece was quite enough to suffice. It went quite well with the Lucas & Lewellen 2005 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc.

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Meyer Lemon Tart
Adapted from The New York Times Dessert Cookbook

1 1/2 cups plus 3 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
8 large egg yolks
1/2 tbsp milk
12 oz. all purpose flour (about 2 1/3 cups)
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp salt
1 cup Meyer lemon juice
zest from 5 or 6 Meyer lemons
5 large eggs

  1. Allow 1 cup of butter to soften then cut into tablespoons.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the softened butter and 1/2 cup sugar.
  3. Add 1 egg yolk and the milk and mix to combine.
  4. Mix the flour with 1/4 tsp salt and then slowly add it to the electric mixer. Continue mixing until the flour is incorporated.
  5. Divide the dough into two balls, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Reserve one ball of dough for a future use.
  6. Grease a 10-inch tart pan. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it on a lightly floured surface to 1/8″ thickness. Place the dough into the tart pan and prick the bottom with a fork. Place the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
  7. In a nonstick saucepan, place the lemon juice, lemon zest, 1 cup sugar, 11 tbsp butter, and 1/8 tsp salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the butter melted.
  8. In a bowl, combine the whole eggs and the 7 remaining egg yolks and whisk until well blended. Temper the lemon mixture into the eggs slowly. Return the lemon and egg mixture to the saucepan.
  9. Heat the saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to a pudding like consistency. Remove from the heat. Strain the lemon curd into a bowl.
  10. Remove the tart pan from the freezer. Place a sheet of aluminum foil over the tart shell and fill with pastry weights. Bake for 10 minutes.
  11. Remove the aluminum foil and pastry weights and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the tart shell is golden.
  12. Pour the lemon curd into the tart shell and smooth with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes.
  13. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving.

Serves 8.

Mao Shi Hong Shao Rou (Chairman Mao’s Red-Braised Pork)

Published May 14, 2008 Chinese , Pork , Recipe 1 Comment
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There’s something about this dish that just seems, well, un-American. First of all, it’s Chinese. But even more so, it’s associated with that despicable character Chairman Mao. And it’s red-braised pork. It’s even Communist in the name!

Luckily, I’m not actually Joe McCarthy and I don’t care about those things. What I do care about is whether or not it tastes good.

This is one of those foods that can only be described as tasting interesting. Interesting can be code for both good and bad but in this case it just means different. Caramelized sugar isn’t frequently encountered in savory dishes in the west. Neither is cinnamon. I’m also not particularly used to meat that’s quite as fatty as pork belly.

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None of these things make the dish bad, just different. And, in this case, different really is good. I don’t like it as much as Chairman Mao did but I wouldn’t mind having it on occasion.

I was intrigued by the texture difference between the fat and meat but Angela wasn’t such a big fan of that. I’d probably consider making it with pork butt in the future simply to alleviate her concerns. I’d also consider thickening the sauce at the end with a corn starch-water slurry as it never really became thickened and I think that the sauce might be better that way. It probably wouldn’t be authentic but I think I’m okay with that.

I also noticed a lot of scum coming to the surface as it was braising. I think the first simmering is supposed to remove the scum from the meat but didn’t for whatever reason. I just skimmed the surface of the scum and went on with it.

This pairs quite well with plain white rice as well as a stir-fried vegetable. I did button mushrooms with a bit of ginger which was good if not particularly Chinese.

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Mao Shi Hong Shao Rou (Chairman Mao’s Red-Braised Pork)
Adapted from Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province

1 lb. pork belly, skinless
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
a 3/4″ piece of ginger, skin left on, sliced
1 star anise
2 dried red chilies
1 small cinnamon stick
light soy sauce
salt
sugar
scallion greens from 2 scallions, sliced

  1. Bring a pan filled with enough water to cover the pork belly to the boil. Plunge the pork belly into the water and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pork belly from the water and discard the water.
  2. When the pork belly has cooled enough to handle, cut the pork belly into bite-sized pieces.
  3. Heat the oil with the sugar in a wok over medium-low heat until the sugar melts. Raise the heat and stir regularly into the sugar caramelizes.
  4. Add the pork and Shaoxing wine. Add enough water to cover the pork and add the ginger, star anise, chilies, and cinnamon stick. Simmer for 40 to 50 minutes, skimming any scum off the surface.
  5. At the end of the cooking period, increase the heat to reduce the sauce. Season the sauce to taste with the light soy sauce, salt, and sugar.
  6. Serve the pork covered with the sauce and sprinkled with the scallion greens.

Serves 4.

Piadena (Griddled Flat bread from Romagna)

Published May 12, 2008 bread , Italian , Recipe 5 Comments
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When the Atkin’s diet became popular and low-carb was all the rage, flat bread began showing up everywhere. Any place there was a sandwich previously, there now was a wrap. They even showed up at my work’s cafeteria.

Personally, I don’t subscribe to the low-carb mythos. In reality, I’m only on the eat-what-I-want diet (this one is a lot of fun, you should try it out). But, I do like flat bread where appropriate (how can you say no to tacos?).

As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew that I had to make it. It was simple enough to be lunch but interesting enough to not be a throw away meal.

And it was, on both counts. It’s a simple and fast recipe. But it’s also quite tasty. I dressed up mine with prosciutto, arugula, and olive oil. Angela went a bit less Italian and piled her’s with turkey, ham, and swiss cheese (and, for the curious, it really ended up being too much meat for her to eat). It also was good drizzled with honey later (credit goes to she-who-must-be-obeyed for discovering the combination).

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Piadena (Griddled Flatbread from Romagna)
Adapted from Enoteca: Simple, Delicious Recipes in the Italian Wine Bar Tradition

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup water, or more
1/4 cup milk, or more

  1. In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
  2. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the olive oil. Add most of the water and most of the milk.
  3. With a fork, slowly incorporate the flour into the liquid. Add the remaining water and milk to the bowl. Continuing mixing until it forms a dough. Add more water and milk if needed.
  4. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead on a floured surface until smooth, about 10 minutes.
  5. Divide the dough into 6 pieces.
  6. Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over high-heat.
  7. Roll out one pieces of dough until it’s 1/8″ thick. Place the dough in the skillet or griddle. Cook for 30 seconds on one side, turn it over and cook for 30 more seconds. Remove from the skillet and set-aside. Repeat with the remaining dough.
  8. Stuff with meat or cheese or vegetables and serve immediately.

Makes 6 flat-breads.

Hot Italian Sausage

Published May 10, 2008 Charcuterie , Italian , Recipe , Sausage 13 Comments
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Sausage has a reputation as a pedestrian food. You eat it at a cook out, at a baseball game, or while camping. It’s something you eat to satiate your hunger, not because it’s good.

But why can’t sausage, in the words of Rodney Dangerfield, get no respect? When it’s good, it should. Most are based around pork with enough added fat that it isn’t dry. And you can do things with seasonings in a sausage that just wouldn’t work in a whole cut of meat.

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If you can’t tell, I rather like sausages. But every since I realized that some sausages from the grocery store contained high fructose corn syrup, I’ve decided to stick with the homemade variety. It doesn’t hurt that they taste significantly better. It’s also particularly rewarding to cook up a sausage and realize that you made it.

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While I tend to like authentic ethnic recipes whenever possible, this is much more Italian-American than Italian. I’m going to let it slide as it’s pretty tasty. When I make it again, I’d probably use less (or possibly no) coriander seeds. It dominates the flavor a bit too much for my taste. It’s particularly good when sautéed and served with good Dijon mustard and grilled onions.

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Hot Italian Sausage
Adapted from Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing

2 kg boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2″ cubes
225 grams pork belly, cut into 1 1/2″ cubes
100 grams pancetta, cut into 1 1/2″ cubes (optional)
40 grams kosher salt
32 grams sugar
16 grams fennel seeds, toasted
8 gram coriander seeds, toasted
16 grams smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
24 grams fresh oregano leaves, chopped
24 grams fresh basil leaves, chopped
12 grams red pepper flakes
6 grams coarsely ground black pepper
3/4 cups ice water, chilled
1/4 cup red wine vinegar, chilled
10 feet hog casings

  1. Combine all ingredients except water, vinegar, and casings in a large bowl. Toss to distribute the seasonings evenly. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  2. Place the hog casings in a bowl of water and refrigerate overnight.
  3. Several hours before grinding, place the food grinder, mixer bowl, paddle attachment, and any other attachments in the freezer.
  4. Remove the meat mixture from the refrigerator and place in a bowl of ice and salt. Grind the mixture through the small die into the mixer bowl set in a bowl of ice and salt.
  5. Add the water and vinegar to the mixture. Beat the mixture with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 1 minute. Mix until the mixture is uniform. Refrigerate the bowl until ready to stuff.
  6. Sauté a small portion of the sausage in a small bit of oil and taste for seasoning.
  7. Remove the hog casings from the refrigerator and rinse both the inside and outside of the casings in running water.
  8. Setup the sausage stuffer using the largest stuffing attachment. Place meat in the sausage stuffer and turn on to low speed until the meat is just at the end of the attachment. Slide the opening in the casing onto the stuffer and then push the remaining casing onto the stuffer until there is about an inch hanging off. Tie off the end of the casings. Slowly push the meat mixture into the sausage stuffer while holding the casing and letting the meat fill it (this is a two person job). The speed is determined by the speed of the meat being putting into the stuffer not the speed of the mixer. When there is no more casing, tie it off and repeat this step with the remaining casing.
  9. Twist the sausage into 6 inch long segments and cut with shears.
  10. Cook the sausage to an internal temperature of 150ºF.

Makes 5 lbs. of sausage.

Rigatoni con Prosciutto, Pomodoro, Panna e Peperoncino (Rigatoni with Prosciutto, Tomato, Cream and Hot Chile Pepper)

Published May 7, 2008 Italian , Pasta , Recipe 1 Comment
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One can not have too many simple pasta recipes.

I’m certain that will one day be a universal truth. I find few things more satisfying than pasta. Doublely so when it’s uncomplicated.

I subscribe to the Italian idea that when eating pasta, it’s all about the pasta and not about the sauce. The sauce merely accents the natural flavor of the pasta, not overpowers it.

This recipe is almost too simple. The prosciutto is cooked slightly in butter to release its flavor into the sauce. Then, tomatoes and a bit of cream are added to make the actual sauce. It’s cooked quickly so that the fresh flavor of the tomatoes shows through. A little bit of red pepper gives it a little bit of bite. And it’s served with enough cheese for it to be noticed but not so much that it’s feature attraction.

I love recipes like this partially because they’re simple and fast but more so because the flavors meld together well. It’s balance and perfection.

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Rigatoni con Prosciutto, Pomodoro, Panna e Peperoncino (Rigatoni with Prosciutto, Tomato, Cream and Hot Chile Pepper)
Adapted from Trattoria Cooking: More than 200 authentic recipes from Italy’s family-style restaurants

4 tbsp butter
2 oz. prosciutto, diced
pinch of red pepper flakes
28 oz. canned tomatoes run through a food mill
1/3 cup heavy cream
salt
1 lbs. rigatoni
1/2 cup grated parmesan

  1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the prosciutto and red pepper flakes and cook for 30 to 40 seconds.
  2. Add the tomatoes and cream to the skillet. Season with salt to taste. Cook uncovered at a low simmer for 7 to 8 minutes or until the sauce has a medium-thick consistency.
  3. Cook the rigatoni in boiling water for 1 minute less than the instructions list.
  4. Drain the rigatoni and place in the skillet. Simmer for 1 minute stirring to coat the rigatoni completely.
  5. Serve immediately with the cheese sprinkled on top.

Serves 4.

Black Raspberry Ice Cream

Published May 6, 2008 Dessert , Ice Cream , Recipe 30 Comments
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I like ice cream. I like ice cream a lot. And really, who doesn’t? Unlike many of you, my favorite flavor is a little bit more unusual. I don’t prefer chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry. No, my favorite is black raspberry. It doesn’t hurt that it also goes well with chocolate (sprinkles or syrup).

There’s one disadvantage to liking black raspberry ice cream so much: it’s only available in the mid-Atlantic states. I have yet to figure out why exactly this is. The same brands that make black raspberry in Maryland don’t sell it in California (I’m looking at you Breyer’s). I couldn’t even find it in Upstate New York when I was in college.

For a long time, black raspberry ice cream was one of those things that I made sure to enjoy when I visited my parents (usually, steamed crabs are one of the others). However, one of our wedding presents was an ice cream maker.

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This only solved half of my problem as I had no idea where to buy black raspberries. In fact, I had never seen one. But, perusing the frozen foods aisle at Trader Joe’s, I noticed they sold them frozen! I finally had the last part of the equation.

And then the black raspberries sat in my freezer throughout the winter. Now that the warmer weather has come, I decided to indulge myself.

And I can’t believe I waited this long. After dinner, I’ve taken to eating directly out of the container with a bit of chocolate syrup drizzled on top.

The recipe I adapted from one for raspberry ice cream. It does come out a tad bit sour so it could use more sugar if you like desserts sweeter but that will decrease the prominence of the black raspberries. Served with chocolate syrup it’s pretty good as it is.

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Black Raspberry Ice Cream
Adapted from Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments

2 10 oz. bags of frozen black raspberries, defrosted
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
1 tbsp lemon juice

  1. Run the black raspberries through a food mill fitted with a disc with the smallest holes to create raspberry purée.
  2. Warm the milk and 1 cup heavy cream in a medium saucepan.
  3. Pour the cream into a large bowl with a strainer over top.
  4. In a different bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly temper the warm milk into the egg yolks, then return the milk to the saucepan.
  5. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat until the mixture because thick enough to coat the back of a spatula.
  6. Pour the milk-egg mixture into the bowl of cream via the strainer.
  7. Mix the raspberry purée and lemon juice into the bowl.
  8. Allow to cool and then refrigerate until cold.
  9. Mix in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Makes about 1 quart.

Farmer’s Market

Published May 4, 2008 Farmer's Market 2 Comments
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Our local farmer’s market is on Sunday mornings. I figured it might be fun to share what I bought and what I want to use it for:

  • Tomatoes – Probably some sort of pasta sauce
  • Carrots – Good to have on hand. May end up as a vegetable side dish.
  • Corn – It’s only the second week that corn was available (it was too picked over last week to buy any). We may eat it on the cob or perhaps in creamed corn.
  • Fava Beans – I’ve wanted to try these for awhile and I finally have a chance now that they’re in season. Possibly a side dish or as part of a pasta.
  • Cucumbers – These are being turned into Kosher Dill Pickles as we speak (er, type).
  • Red Onion Scallions – I like scallions and I like red onions.  They intrigued me.  I think I might use them in Macaroni & Cheese.
  • Mint – For use with the fava beans.
  • Dill – For use with the pickles.
  • Rosemary – Angela picked out this one. It’s sort of the herb-of-the-week to be used however it fits into a meal.

Roasted Cornish Game Hen

Published May 1, 2008 Chicken , Recipe 2 Comments
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Frequently found in grocery store freezer cases, Cornish game hens seem to be more exotic than they are. In reality, they’re just miniature chickens (sure to impress all the women out there who think everything smaller than normal is cute; I’m looking at you Angela).

This was the first time that I had ever had one. I had seen them numerous times in the freezer ghetto of the grocery store but had passed them by as being unfamiliar and possibly too much trouble for the benefit. I only deigned to buy one (well, two really as they come frozen in two packs) when they were on sale. And they promptly went into the freezer for longer than I want to admit.

Why did I choose to rescue them from their frozen entombment? Mainly I wanted to reclaim some freezer space.

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My first step after defrosting them is to figure out what to do with them. Unfortunately, despite my collection of cookbooks (which is either minimally sized or overly-large depending on which family member you ask), I was unable to find a recipe that really attracted me (or that I had all the ingredients for). So I decided to improvise. With a little bit of Gourmet and a little bit of Alton Brown as well as just general ideas, i think it turned out pretty well.

For a family of two, there are a number of advantage to the Cornish game hen: namely, one is enough food for two people (with a little left over to spoil our cats with). But, what really surprised me, was that it was good. The breast meat was moist and the thighs were tender. And, I should add, that this was without brining or pre-salting or any other extraordinary effort (or preparation as it’s normally called); from a frozen mass-produced bird.

I think, that in our household at least, Cornish game hens will become frequent visitors. I bet our cats will like that.

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Roasted Cornish Game Hen

1 Rock Cornish game hen
3 tbsp, softened
1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1 tbsp minced shallots
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp butter, softened (optional)

  1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place two cast-iron frying pans into the oven.
  2. Spatchcock the game hen (cut out the backbone so the the game hen lays flat).
  3. Mix together the butter, thyme, and garlic to create an herb butter. Season it with salt and pepper.
  4. Rub the herb butter under the game hen skin on the breast and thighs. Rub the remaining herb butter onto the outside of the game hen. Season the game hen with additional salt and pepper.
  5. When the frying pans are hot, remove the frying pans from the oven. Place the game hen skin side up in one of the frying pans. Place the other frying pan on top of the game hen helping to flatten it. Return the frying pans with the game hen into the oven.
  6. Cook the game hen until its internal temperature reaches 160ºF about 25 minutes.
  7. Remove the frying pans from the oven. Remove the game hen from the frying pans and set aside, covered with aluminum foil.
  8. In the bottom frying pan, add the shallots and cook over medium heat about 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock, scrapping up any browned bits. Bring to a boil and reduce until the sauce is thickened.
  9. Remove the aluminum foil and cut the game hen in half laterally.
  10. Serve each half with the sauce poured over it.

Serves 2.

Spaghetti alla Carrettiera (Spaghetti with Fried Bread Crumbs, Garlic, and Anchovies)

Published April 29, 2008 Italian , Pasta , Recipe , Uncategorized 11 Comments
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Some pasta dishes can only be described as strange. Perhaps I should explain that a bit better. There was a time when, to me, pasta meant tomato sauce (as further proof, I almost called it “spaghetti sauce”). And the tomato sauce came in a can and got mixed with sautéed ground beef. Then I discovered alfredo sauce and had multiple choices for my pasta. But, I then went to Italy and realized that there were nearly an infinite number of choices of pasta sauces. This is still the strangest.

I’m probably one of the three people in the United States who likes anchovies. I think they can add a unique flavor to foods. However, I’m still a bit hesitant about any food that tastes primarily of anchovies. And that’s what makes this strange.

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I was hesitant to even post this recipe here but, when I thought about it, I rather liked Spaghetti alla Carretiera. It’s strange but then again so am I (as my wife will most certainly corroborate) and I consider my strangeness to be an endearing quality. It’s the same with the pasta.

Yes, it tastes primarily of anchovies. But it’s not objectionable (well, it was to Angela but that’s beside the point). It’s different but that’s why I like it not in spite of it.

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Spaghetti alla Carrettiera (Spaghetti with Fried Bread Crumbs, Garlic, and Anchovies)
Adapted from Trattoria Cooking: More than 200 authentic recipes from Italy’s family-style restaurants

3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp bread crumbs
1 large clove garlic, finely diced
1 salt-packed anchovy fillet
1/4 cup milk
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and black pepper
1/2 lbs. spaghetti
1 tbsp finely diced fresh parsley

  1. De-bone the anchovy fillet and soak in the milk for 10 minutes. Discard the milk and dry the anchovy well. Chop the anchovy.
  2. Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water for 1 minute less than the directions. Drain the pasta and reserve at least 1 cup of cooking water.
  3. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring, for 5 to 10 seconds. Remove the skillet from the heat. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Add the anchovies, garlic, and red pepper flakes to the skillet and stir for 20 seconds.
  5. When the pasta is finished, add 1/2 cup of pasta water to the skillet. Add the spaghetti to the skillet and bring to the simmer. Cook for 1 minute until the sauce is thick and coating the pasta well.
  6. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the parsley.
  7. Serve immediately.

Serves 2.

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