Spaghetti with Roasted Tomatoes and Pancetta

Though this recipe is indeed time-consuming, it's incredibly simple to prep and a fun dish to serve! 

To eat, you just crush your tomato on top of your pasta... it makes for a nice, albeit light, sauce.  I have found while devouring this that the meal itself is actually quite dry... I don't know if I just need more crushed tomato topping per serving or if the noodles need to be tossed in a separate marinara first, but it definitely needs some kind of extra sauce.  Do a little experimenting yourselves and let me know!

SPAGHETTI WITH ROASTED TOMATOES & PANCETTA

3 oz diced pancetta 
(bacon can be used as a substitute, though I'm a little over this "bacon is the best" trend... 
I would sub in proscuitto if anything)

6 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the pasta

2 anchovy fillets... or more.  They are surprisingly delicious when added to meals!

1 cup coarse bread crumbs

4 tomatoes, tops sliced off, seeds scooped out

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 

small handful fresh thyme, parsley, or basil leaves, chopped

salt and pepper

8 oz spaghetti

  

1.     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.   

2.     Fry the pancetta in a skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp around the edges.  Lift the pancetta out of the skillet to a plate.  Leave the rendered fat in the skillet.   

3.     Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the anchovies to the same skillet.  Use a wooden spoon to mash the anchovies until they dissolve.  Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring often, until they are golden. 

4.     Put the tomatoes, cut side up, in a baking dish and slip some garlic into each tomato.  Mound some bread crumbs onto each tomato, getting some inside the tomatoes.  Scatter herbs on top.  Drizzle 4 tablespoons of olive oil over all.   

5.     Roast the tomatoes in the oven until they have browned a bit and the interior is supple but the tomatoes have not collapsed, about one hour. 

6.     Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water.  Drain, but reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. 

  

7.     Return the pasta to the pot and remove the tomatoes from the baking dish and set aside.  Stir the oily tomato juices and any bits of bread crumbs from the bottom of the tomato roasting dish into the pasta.  Add a little olive oil and the reserved pasta water and toss.   

8.     Pour the pasta into a serving bowl, place the tomatoes on top, sprinkle the pancetta over all and serve.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

I, being of a relative "foodie-limited" upbringing in good ol' Rice Lake, WI (pop. 8000), decided to branch out one fine Boston afternoon.  The opportunities were endless!  Fresh overpriced oysters? Terrible burritos at the less-than-authentic taco joints of MA?  Italian cuisine that your Italian boyfriend can make better at home?  Ethiopian?  

Yes, Ethiopian.  A Boston cuisine that had yet to tantalize / disappoint my taste buds.  Now, mind you, Boston does indeed have some deeeeeeeeeeelightful dining options.  Today was just one of those "glass-half-empty" kind of days, so Boston culinary scene, here's my wrath.

But back to the Ethiopian.  One, you eat it with your hands.  Two, they had some fine stuffed bell peppers.  Perhaps I was only jazzed because it was my first (yes, first) stuffed bell pepper experience, or perhaps they really were that great.  Either way, I vowed to make them at home.  Granted, I failed to try a more "Ethiopian" version, which would call for the emission of the pasta sauce and cheese, including instead more spices and herbs (cumin, cilantro, mint, tumeric, red pepper, mushrooms, etc)... 

However, this was the recipe I tried.  It was lovely regardless.  Om nom nom. 

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

1 medium green bell pepper

1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 of a medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced 

 4 oz ground protein (beef, turkey, chicken, tofu, etc.)

1/3 cup cooked rice

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/3 cup your favorite pasta sauce

2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella

1.     Preheat oven to 350F.

2.     Fill medium pot about 2/3rds of the way with water. Bring to a boil. Chop off top inch of green pepper. Take out seeds and white membranes of interior. Parboil the pepper for 5 to 8 minutes, until it bends ever-so-slightly to the touch. Once finished, make sure there is no water in the pepper and put the pepper into a glass baking dish, open side up.

If the concept of "parboil" makes you wrinkle your forehead and feel inferior, here is a helpful link on finding instructions:

What is parboiling?

3.     In medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until crisp-tender (not soft). Add garlic. Cook 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add meat. Cook until meat is browned, breaking up the chunks as you saute. Add rice, oregano, and 2/3rds of the sauce. Cook until hot / warm throughout. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4.     Carefully use your spoon to stuff the pepper with the meat mixture, exceeding the top of the pepper by about 1/4 to 1/2 inch.** Pour the rest of the tomato sauce on top of the pepper.

5.     Cover dish loosely with tin foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes (if baking several peppers, increase baking time to 45 mintues). Uncover. Top with cheese. Bake without cover for another 10 or 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

**Any remaining meat mixture in the skillet makes for great "sloppy joe-esque" leftovers.

Mexican Burrito Pie

A surefire crowd pleaser, it's not rare for two or three of these to be served at once to a full house.  I've fed entire house parties with them, and have been asked for the recipe more than once.  Be sure to keep extra sour cream handy for a tasty topper!

Be sure, first, to have a case of Modelo Especial and some fresh-cut limes.  This will get you in a festive mood to create such a dish.  Without it, you will feel like a bland American phony.  Sombrero optional.

MEXICAN BURRITO PIE

1 large, very ripe avocado 
1 garlic clove, minced
2-3 green onions, finely chopped 
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 [19-oz] can beans (pinto, black, kidney, mixed... your choice!
1 cup salsa of your choice
2 tablespoon pickled jalepenos, minced (or chopped green chiles for a milder    heat
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
5 flour tortillas, burrito-size
1 and 1/2 cups shredded cheese (Mexican blend)... more is recommended for a full coverage when layer. Who doesn't love cheese?  It's appreciated even if you aren't from Wisconsin.

1.   Preheat oven to 350F.

2.   In a small bowl, mash together the avocado, garlic, green onions, sour cream, and lemon juice until smooth. Set aside.

3.   In a medium bowl, mash together the beans, salsa, jalapenos, chili powder, and cumin. Set aside.

4.   Lightly oil a deep dish 8-inch pie plate (a spritz of cooking spray also works) and start to layer. Lay down a tortilla, then half the bean mixture. Follow with another tortilla, half the avocado mixture, and 1/2 cup of cheese. Continue with an additional tortilla, the remaining bean mixture, another tortilla, the remaining avocado mixture, 12 cup of cheese, and a final tortilla.       

5.   Cover with tinfoil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove cover, top with remaining cheese, and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese has melted. Cut into wedges and serve.