Pasta with Garlic and Oil (Aglio e Olio) - How to cook your own Pasta at home

JD

October 03, 2019

0

delicious-pasta-recipe, tasty-food-recipe

Call it the simplest spaghetti dish, a pantry dinner mainstay, or a favorite midnight meal among Italians, but don’t call it plain. Our take on aglio e olio is packed with flavor, thanks to a whopping 12 cloves of garlic. Cooking most of the garlic slowly over low heat softened its edge, turning it golden, nutty-tasting, and subtly sweet. Stirring in raw garlic off the heat delivered some bite to the sauce, while lemon juice balanced the oil’s richness. With such a minimal sauce, getting perfectly al dente pasta is critical, as its texture can make or break the dish. So taste often to avoid overcooking. And reserve some of the cooking water before draining the pasta; the water is used to loosen the texture of the sauce. For a twist on this dish, try sprinkling toasted bread crumbs over the individual serving bowls.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 garlic cloves, minced (4 tablespoons)
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons lemon juice
¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound spaghetti
Grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure

1. Cook 3 tablespoons oil, 3 tablespoons garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt in 10-inch nonstick skillet over low heat, stirring often, until garlic foams and is sticky and straw-colored, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in parsley, lemon juice, pepper flakes, remaining 3 tablespoons oil, and remaining 1 tablespoon garlic.
2. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until almost al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain pasta in colander and return it to pot.
3. Stir 2 tablespoons reserved cooking water into garlic sauce to loosen, then add sauce to pasta and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add remaining reserved cooking water as needed to adjust consistency. Serve with Parmesan.

Variation

Pasta with Garlic, Oil, and Artichokes

Transfer cooked garlic mixture to bowl before combining with other ingredients at end of step 1. Heat 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 9 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and patted dry, and ⅛ teaspoon salt and cook until artichokes are lightly browned and tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add cooked artichokes to pasta with garlic sauce.

PASTA PERFECT

Pasta is one of those things that is easy to cook, but hard to cook just right. We prefer pasta cooked al dente, with a little bite left in the center (al dente is Italian for “to the tooth”). Follow these simple steps for perfect pasta every time.

Use Plenty of Water

Pasta leaches starch as it cooks; without plenty of water to dilute the starch, it will coat the noodles and they will stick together. We recommend 4 quarts of water for 1 pound of pasta. Use a pot with at least a 6-quart capacity, and fill it with cold tap water; warm water can pick up off-flavors from your water heater. Make sure to bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat; pasta cooks best (and fastest) in boiling, not simmering, water.

Salt the Water, Don’t Oil It

Once the water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon of salt to flavor the pasta. Don’t add oil: It does nothing for the pasta and also prevents the sauce from adhering. When You Add the Pasta, Give It a Stir Stirring the pasta when you first add it to the water, and occasionally as it cooks, will prevent it from sticking.

Check Often for Doneness

Several minutes before the pasta should be done, begin tasting it— that’s really the only way to know when it’s ready. When the pasta is almost al dente, remove the pot from heat. Because the pasta continues to cook after it is drained, you need to compensate by draining when it is just a little underdone.

Reserve Some Cooking Water Before Draining

Get in the habit of saving about ½ cup of the cooking water before you drain the cooked pasta. Then, when you add your sauce to the pasta, add some (or all) of the starchy reserved water. This helps spread the sauce and gets it to the proper consistency.

Sauce in the Pot

Returning the drained pasta to the pot and then saucing it ensures evenly coated, hot pasta.

Healthy Quinoa Pilaf with Herbs and Lemon - How to make your own quinoa at home

JD

October 03, 2019

0

healthy-food, tasty-food-recipe

While in theory this “supergrain” should be appealingly nutty and crunchy, cooked quinoa often ends up a mushy mess with washed-out flavor and an underlying bitterness. For a simple quinoa pilaf with light, distinct grains and great flavor, we used less water than most quinoa recipes to avoid any mushiness. We also toasted the quinoa to develop its natural nuttiness before simmering. We flavored our pilaf with onion sautéed in fat and finished it with herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice. Quinoa is also easily adapted to a variety of other flavor profiles as in the variations. We like the convenience of prewashed quinoa; rinsing removes the quinoa’s bitter protective coating (called saponin). If you buy unwashed quinoa (or if you are unsure whether it’s washed), rinse it and then spread it out over a clean dish towel to dry for 15 minutes before cooking.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups prewashed white quinoa
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1¾ cups water
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, parsley, chives, mint, or tarragon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Toast quinoa in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until quinoa is very fragrant and makes continuous popping sound, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to bowl.
2. Melt butter in now-empty saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and salt and cook until onion is softened and light golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in water and toasted quinoa, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until grains are just tender and liquid is absorbed, 18 to 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking.
3. Remove saucepan from heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff quinoa with fork, stir in herbs and lemon juice, and serve.

Variations

Quinoa Pilaf with Goat Cheese and Chives

Substitute 4 minced garlic cloves for onion; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, before adding toasted quinoa. Use chives for chopped herbs. Sprinkle with ½ cup crumbled goat cheese before serving.

Quinoa Pilaf with Olives, Raisins, and Cilantro

Add ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, and ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon to saucepan with onion. Stir in ¼ cup golden raisins halfway through cooking quinoa. Substitute ⅓ cup coarsely chopped pimento-stuffed green olives and 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro for chopped fresh herbs, and 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar for lemon juice.

Quinoa Pilaf with Apricots, Aged Gouda, and Pistachios

Add ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper to saucepan with onion. Stir in ½ cup coarsely chopped dried apricots before letting quinoa sit for 10 minutes in step 3. Substitute ½ cup shredded aged gouda; ½ cup shelled pistachios, toasted and chopped coarse; and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint for herbs.

WHAT IS A PILAF?

You may associate pilaf with rice, but the pilaf method can be used to cook any grain. It is a simple but elegant approach where the grain is toasted before being simmered slowly in liquid until it’s tender and superflavorful. We use the pilaf method for many grains, including rice, bulgur, quinoa, barley, and millet, as well as pasta and couscous. It produces grains with a light, fluffy texture and an extra layer of nutty, toasted flavor that you don’t get from just boiling the grains. Many pilaf recipes also add sautéed aromatics like onion, garlic, or shallot to the grain for an extra-flavorful dish. Other ways to build complex flavor in this simple preparation include swapping in chicken broth for water and stirring in chopped fresh herbs, dried fruit, cheese, or other additions before serving, as in the variations here. Make sure you use a sturdy, heavy-bottomed saucepan with a tight-fitting lid for any pilaf recipe so the rice or grain will cook evenly and not scorch or stick to the pan.

Cooking Delicious Foolproof Baked Brown Rice - The easy way!

JD

October 03, 2019

0

rice-recipe, tasty-food-recipe

Brown rice is ultimately satisfying, with nutty flavor and serious textural personality. While it’s often steamed, baking it in an aluminum foil– covered dish ensures more even cooking and makes it a simple, hands off endeavor. We found that we needed less liquid than the 2:1 water-to-rice ratio usually advised by rice producers and recipes. Adding boiling water jump-started the cooking process. A small amount of oil complemented the flavor while keeping the rice fluffy. For an accurate measurement of boiling water, bring a full kettle to a boil, then measure out the desired amount. If your baking dish has a lid, it may be used instead of the aluminum foil. To double the recipe, use a 13 by 9-inch baking dish; the baking time does not need to be increased. You can use long-, medium-, or short-grain brown rice. This method also works for long-grain white rice with a few modifications; see the variation.

Serves: 4 to 6
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

2⅓ cups boiling water
1½ cups long-grain, medium-grain, or short-grain brown rice, rinsed
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Procedure

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine boiling water, rice, oil, and ½ teaspoon salt in 8-inch square baking dish.
2. Cover dish tightly with double layer of aluminum foil. Transfer dish to oven and bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 1 hour.
3. Remove dish from oven, uncover, and fluff rice with fork, scraping up any rice that has stuck to bottom. Cover dish with clean dish towel and let rice sit for 5 minutes. Uncover and let rice sit 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Foolproof Baked White Rice

Basmati, jasmine, or Texmati rice can also be used in this recipe. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine 2¾ cups boiling water, 1⅓ cups rinsed long-grain white rice, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, and ½ teaspoon salt in 8-inch square baking dish. Cover dish tightly with double layer of aluminum foil. Transfer dish to oven and bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove dish from oven, uncover, and fluff rice with fork, scraping up any rice that has stuck to bottom. Cover dish with clean dish towel and let rice sit for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to

taste and serve.

JAZZING UP PLAIN RICE

To add some oomph to plain rice, try one of these ideas to turn it into a flavorful side dish in no time.

• Add butter, minced fresh herbs, and/or citrus zest.
• Stir in a compound butter (see this page).
• Mix in heartier ingredients for a more substantial side dish to match the flavors of your meal. Some combinations we like are chopped dried fruit, toasted nuts, and goat cheese, or sliced olives, feta, and pine nuts. Or use black beans, cilantro, and lime juice for a Latininspired dish.
• Let the rice cool, then toss with a vinaigrette (see this page) to make rice salad.

Luscious Pan-Seared Thick-Cut Pork Chops - The salting procedure secret!

JD

October 03, 2019

0

tasty-food-recipe, tasty-pork-recipe

Thick-cut chops are decadent, restaurant-style fare, but come with the challenge of cooking the inside without overcooking the exterior. For perfect chops, we flip-flopped conventional logic and started them in a low oven, letting the meat gently tenderize before finishing by searing them in a hot pan to create a beautifully caramelized exterior. Buy chops of similar thickness so that they cook at the same rate. We prefer the flavor of natural chops over that of enhanced chops (which have been injected with a salt solution and sodium phosphate to increase moistness and flavor), but if processed pork is all you can find, skip the salting step in step 1. Serve the chops with Salsa Verde or your favorite applesauce.

Serves: 4
Total Time: 1 hour (plus 45 minutes for salting)

Ingredients

• 4 (12-ounce) bone-in pork rib chops, 1½ inches thick, trimmed
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 1–2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Procedure

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Pat chops dry with paper towels. Using sharp knife, cut 2 slits, about 2 inches apart, through outer layer of fat and silverskin around edge of each chop. (This membrane contracts faster than rest of meat and can cause buckling if left intact.) Sprinkle entire surface of each chop with 1 teaspoon salt. Place chops on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and let stand at room temperature for 45 minutes.
2. Season chops liberally with pepper; transfer baking sheet to oven. Cook until thermometer inserted into centers of chops and away from bones registers 120 to 125 degrees, 30 to 45 minutes.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat until just smoking. Place 2 chops in skillet and sear until well browned and crusty, 1½ to 3 minutes, lifting once halfway through to redistribute fat underneath each chop. (Reduce heat if browned bits in pan bottom start to burn.) Using tongs, turn chops and cook until well browned on second side, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer chops to plate and repeat with remaining 2 chops, adding extra tablespoon oil if pan is dry.
4. Reduce heat to medium. Use tongs to stand 2 pork chops on their sides. Holding chops together with tongs, sear sides of chops (with exception of bone side) until browned and chops register 140 to 145 degrees, about 1½ minutes. Repeat with remaining 2 chops. Let chops rest, tented with aluminum foil, for 10 minutes.

A REVERSE SEAR

It’s difficult to cook thicker steaks (1½ to 1¾ inches thick) such as filets mignons and pork chops entirely on the stovetop; you often end up with a burnt exterior and a raw center. Even if you can manage to avoid burning the exterior, the meat around the perimeter is usually overcooked by the time the center comes to temperature. The secret to getting a great crust on extra-thick chops and steaks without making them tough is to cook them in a very low oven, then quickly sear them. This is called reverse searing. The gentle oven heat minimizes moisture loss and promotes a natural enzymatic reaction that breaks down connective tissue in the meat and makes it especially tender. We also roast the meat on a wire rack, which allows the hot air to circulate and dry the surface of the mat. The drier surface helps the meat brown even better in the skillet. After their time in the oven, the chops brown in record time, and since the meat is in the pan for just a few minutes, there isn’t time for it to lose much moisture or become overcooked.

Easy-Peel Hard-Cooked Eggs - The easy trick in cooking

JD

October 02, 2019

0

egg-recipe, tasty-food-recipe

A hard-cooked egg that’s just cooked through, with no chalkiness (or greenish tinge) to the yolk, is plenty good on its own sprinkled with salt, and it can also be used in myriad other ways. Cooking methods abound,
but we found that steaming, followed by an ice bath to halt the cooking, not only guarantees perfect eggs but also results in shells that slip off easily. Why? Hot steam hitting cold eggs rapidly cooks the outermost egg white proteins, which shrink away from the membrane. Be sure to use large, cold eggs that have no cracks. You can cook fewer than six eggs without altering the timing, or more eggs as long as your pot and steamer basket can hold them in a single layer. If you don’t have a steamer basket, use a spoon or tongs to gently place the eggs in the water. It does not matter if the eggs are above the water or partially submerged. Unpeeled cooked eggs can be stored in their shells in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Ingredients

6 large eggs

Procedure

1. Bring 1 inch water to rolling boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Place eggs in steamer basket. Transfer basket to saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook eggs for 13 minutes.
2. When eggs are almost finished cooking, combine 2 cups ice cubes and 2 cups cold water in medium bowl. Using tongs or spoon, transfer eggs to ice bath; let sit for 15 minutes.
3. Crack wide end of each egg against a hard, flat surface. Starting at wide end of each egg, peel away shell. When done, dunk peeled egg back into ice bath to remove any stray bits of shell (if necessary).

Soft-Cooked Eggs

With a set white and fluid yolk, these have the appeal of poached eggs but are less fussy and can be eaten out of the shell. Precise timing is critical, so use a digital timer. You can use this method for one to six large, extra-large, or jumbo eggs without altering the timing. We recommend serving these eggs in egg cups and with buttered toast sticks, or soldiers, for dipping, or simply use the dull side of a butter knife to crack the egg along the equator, break the egg in half, and scoop out the insides with a teaspoon and serve as you would a poached egg—over toast, salad, or cooked vegetables. After adding steamer basket with eggs to saucepan of boiling water, reduce heat to medium-high and cook for 6½ minutes. Remove cover, transfer saucepan to sink, and place under cold running water for 30 seconds. Remove eggs from saucepan and serve, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

THE EGG-DONENESS CONTINUUM

The fundamental challenge in egg cookery is that an egg is not really one ingredient but two: the white and the yolk. And each solidifies at different temperatures: Whites start to thicken at 145 degrees and are fully set at 180. Yolks begin to thicken at 150 degrees and are fully set at 158; this narrow range means that just a minute or two of timing can completely change the consistency of your eggs, from creamy to fully set to overdone, as the photos below show. Our steaming method ensures a consistent temperature, allowing us to nail down more precise timing than boiling would, since adding eggs to a pot of boiling water lowers the temperature of the water. Just make sure to set a timer!

Dinner Style Fried Eggs Variation - How to cook your own at home

JD

October 02, 2019

0

egg-recipe, tasty-food-recipe

This method produces diner-style fried eggs with crisp edges and a runny yolk. If, like us, you have struggled with whites that never fully set up or yolks that overcook, it’s a game changer. The first thing to do is to reach for a nonstick skillet; there’s no point in frying eggs in anything else. Next, don’t skip preheating: It ensures the pan’s surface will be evenly hot, which is extra important for quick-cooking foods like eggs. Once you raise the heat, don’t dawdle: Each step from here takes under a minute. When checking the eggs for doneness, lift the lid just a crack to prevent loss of steam should they need further cooking. To fry just two eggs, use an 8-inch nonstick skillet and halve the amounts of oil and butter. You can use this method with extra-large or jumbo eggs without altering the timing.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 large eggs
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and chilled

Procedure

1. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over low heat for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, crack 2 eggs into small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining 2 eggs and second small bowl.
2. Increase heat to medium-high and heat until oil is shimmering. Add butter to skillet and quickly swirl to coat pan. Working quickly, pour 1 bowl of eggs in 1 side of pan and second bowl of eggs in other side. Cover and cook for 1 minute. Remove skillet from burner and let stand, covered, 15 to 45 seconds for runny yolks (white around edge of yolk will be barely opaque), 45 to 60 seconds for soft but set yolks, and about 2 minutes for medium-set yolks. Slide eggs onto plates and serve.

Variation

Egg in a Hole

Use 6 eggs. Adjust oven racks to lowest and top positions, place rimmed baking sheet on lower rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Spread 2½ tablespoons softened unsalted butter evenly over 1 side of 6 slices
hearty white sandwich bread. Using 2½-inch biscuit cutter, cut out and remove circle from center of each piece of buttered bread. Remove hot sheet from oven, add 2½ tablespoons softened unsalted butter, and let
melt, tilting sheet to let butter cover sheet evenly. Place bread circles down center of sheet and bread slices on either side of circles, buttered side up. Return sheet to lower rack and bake until bread is golden, 3 to 5
minutes, flipping bread and rotating sheet halfway through baking. Remove sheet from oven and set inside second (room temperature) rimmed baking sheet. Crack 1 egg into each bread hole. Season eggs with salt and pepper. Bake on upper rack until whites are barely set, 4 to 6 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer sheets to wire rack and let eggs sit until whites are completely set, about 2 minutes. Serve. Makes 6 toasts.

PUT AN EGG ON IT

Adding a fried egg on top of pretty much any dish makes it richer, heartier, and more luxurious. In addition to bulking up the protein content of your meal, a fried egg also comes with its own built-in sauce from the silky, runny yolk. This makes it a great topping for simple pasta dishes (try it on top of our Pasta with Garlic and Oil) or for salad greens to turn them into a light meal (spinach is especially nice).
Other recipes in this book that feature fried eggs as their finishing touch are our Bacon and Cheddar Breakfast Sandwiches, Brown Rice Bowls with Roasted Carrots, Kale, and Fried Eggs, and Vegetable Bibimbap. We also recommend trying one on top of Hash Browns, mixed into Faster Steel-Cut Oatmeal for a savory take on breakfast porridge, or as the ultimate decadent topping for The Burger Lover’s Burger.