Creamy Macaroni with Eggs and Bacon

If carbonara and mac and cheese had a baby, this would be it. Seven eggs might sound crazy, but this dish is super filling with fewer calories than traditional carbonara or mac and cheese. Gently cooking the eggs creates a luxuriously creamy sauce that is lighter than a cheese-based one (not to mention easier to make.) 

This is one of those pasta recipes where once you start boiling the pasta water, everything is finished cooking around the same time. Try not to overcook the noodles--taste one every 30 seconds or so after 6 minutes. You want them chewy with a bit of springiness for the ideal texture.

Creamy Macaroni with Eggs and Bacon

Cooking Time
20 minutes

Serves
2 eggheads

Tools
Chef's knife and cutting board
Large, heavy-bottomed skillet
Pot to cook pasta
Heatproof rubber spatula

Ingredients

7 large eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
Kosher or sea salt
Black pepper
6 oz. bacon, chopped
2 large scallions or 3 medium scallions, thinly sliced (reserve a handful of sliced green section for garnish)
1 cup frozen peas
12 oz. elbow macaroni
1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Steps
1. Whisk together eggs, cream, and 2 tablespoons cool water until thoroughly beaten. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

2. Sauté bacon in skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned but not completely crisp, about 7 minutes. Drain most of the bacon fat with paper towels, leaving just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add scallions and sauté until softened, about 30 seconds.

3. Remove skillet from heat and stir in all but 1/4 cup egg mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula to stop large lumps from forming, until eggs are thick but still quite runny, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately stir in frozen peas.

4. Meanwhile, cook macaroni in salted boiling water until chewy, about 8 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving a couple of tablespoons of cooking water.

5. Off heat, stir drained macaroni and reserved pasta cooking water into egg mixture. Stir in reserved 1/4 cup egg mixture and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until eggs have have thickened into a rich, luxurious sauce, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper (we like a lot of pepper) and serve immediately, sprinkled with reserved scallion greens.

Semi-Homemade Dry Chili Chicken

Long time no see. We've been on hiatus during the past few months because of new jobs and new apartments (still in NYC--now in Brooklyn), but we're back. In even better news, we're going to be posting every Tuesday and Friday from now until... the next big change in our lives that leaves us without a dining table.

Today's recipe is for dry chili chicken, a.k.a. Chongqing chicken, a famous Szechuan dish that is basically deep-fried popcorn chicken in a metric ton of chilies, salt, and Szechuan peppercorns, a uniquely simple combination that draws its flavor from the aromatics caramelizing into a dry paste around each little nugget of meat.

Dry chili chicken is not on the menu in most Chinese restaurants. We've had to seek out places specializing in Szechuan cuisine to get it, even in big cities like Boston and NYC, so your best bet is to make it at home. While traditional recipes call for a wok full of frying oil, we just make it semi-homemade and use the frozen chicken pieces from Trader Joe's popular Mandarin Orange Chicken. 

Pro tip: get a backup bag.

Semi-Homemade Dry Chili Chicken

Cooking Time
20 minutes

Serves
2 Chongqing tablescapers

Tools
Chef's knife and cutting board
Sheet pan
Large, heavy-bottomed skillet

Ingredients

1 package Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon cracked Szechuan peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil
Kosher or sea salt
2 tablespoons chili oil
Thinly sliced scallion greens, for garnish (optional)

Steps
1. Open bag of chicken. Throw out sauce packets. Cook chicken according to package directions. Make sure to get it crispay.

2. Sauté garlic, chili flakes, Szechuan peppercorns, black pepper, canola oil, and a big pinch of salt in a large skillet over medium heat until very aromatic but not burned, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chili oil.

3. Stir together chicken and seasoning mixture. Add more salt to taste. Serve over white rice, garnished with scallions if you're looking to impress.

Griddled Lamb Burgers with Tzatziki and Pickled Red Onions

When we make a classic hamburger, we like to keep it simple—just coarsely ground meat, salt, and pepper, with no crazy sauces. Anything else feels wrong. So for us, changing up the meat is a license to try something new. This burger was our take on a gyro, complete with Greek-style seasonings and a creamy, herbaceous tzatziki sauce. Marjoram just makes meat taste "Greek" somehow, so no, you can't substitute dried basil/parsley/thyme/oregano/Italian seasoning/Mrs. Dash.

Even if you don't feel like lamb this weekend, give the pickled red onions a try. They take 25 minutes start to finish, they look gorgeous and professional, and they keep in your fridge for months. We love them with grilled meat or seafood and as a garnish on Asian rice bowls and noodle dishes.

Griddled Lamb Burgers with Tzatziki and Pickled Red Onions

Cooking Time
30 minutes

Serves
4 big fat Greek eaters

Tools
Chef's knife
Paring knife
Cutting board
Mixing bowls
Cast-iron griddle or skillet
Metal spatula
Small saucepan
Whisk

Ingredients
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
Cayenne

1 lb. ground lamb
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 small pitas
1 recipe herbed tzatziki

Steps
1. Place sliced onion in medium heat-proof bowl. Whisk together vinegar, water, and sugar in small saucepan over high heat. As soon as vinegar mixture comes to a boil, immediately remove from heat and pour over onions. Stir in cayenne to taste. Put a small plate on top of onions to keep them submerged. Let rest 20 minutes at room temperature. At this point the onions can be refrigerated, covered and in their brine, for several weeks.

2. Mix together lamb, cayenne, marjoram, salt, and pepper in medium bowl. Divide evenly into 4 burgers and shape into rough disks about 1" thick.

3. Heat griddle over medium heat until evenly hot, 10 to 20 minutes. Increase heat to medium high, add oil, and heat until smoking. Place burgers on griddle. Using metal spatula, press each burger into 3" disk. Sear until a light brown crust has formed, about 2 minutes. Flip burgers and press down lightly with spatula. Sear until a light brown crust has formed on second side, about 2 minutes.

4. Flip burgers again. Sear until deep brown crust has formed on first side, about 1 minute. Flip again and sear until deep brown crust has formed on the second side, about 1 minute. Transfer to plate, tent with foil, and let rest while you prepare pitas.

5. To heat pitas, arrange on plate, cover with damp paper towels or a clean dish towel, and microwave until hot and pillowy, about 40 seconds. Cut a 3" pocket along the edge of each pita with paring knife.

6. Gently place a burger in each pita. Top with tzatziki and pickled onions.

Any-Season Spicy Jambalaya

Several months ago, our good friend Dana (her adorable husky Nikolai is featured in this picture of us) asked us if we took requests; she wanted us to make jambalaya. At the time, jambalaya seemed to be more of a cold-weather dish, and we were worried it might not fit in with grilling-and-salads season. However, yesterday was Dana's birthday, so we decided to finally fulfill her request and turn up the A/C to pretend it was a chilly evening on the bayou. Our jambalaya turned out tasty enough to enjoy no matter the weather, especially if you like slow-burning spicy food.

Most recipes we looked at used chicken stock. Since we didn't have any on hand, we improvised by using the shrimp peels and heads to make a quick stock that kept the jambalaya light and accentuated the shellfish flavor (the leftover stock went into this morning's ramen). This meant buying unpeeled, head-on shrimp and cleaning (peeling, deveining, decapitating, de-tailing) them ourselves, which sounds like a lot of work but is actually strangely satisfying, if a little gruesome. The cleanest way to devein shrimp is to do it in a bowl of water so that the gritty digestive tract (i.e. the vein) sort of floats away. One caveat: don't squeeze too hard when you take off the heads, unless you want orange shrimp brains under your fingernails.

Any-Season Spicy Jambalaya

Cooking Time
1 hour

Serves
5 Yankees who had to look up the difference between étouffée, jambalaya, and gumbo

Tools
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Paring knife
Tongs
Wooden spoon
Slotted spoon
Paper towels
Fine mesh strainer
Large saucepan
Large, heavy-bottomed skillet with lid

Ingredients
1 lb. unpeeled, head-on shrimp
1 box or large can (~26 oz.) chopped tomatoes, such as Pomi
1 tablespoon canola oil 
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (~1 lb. total)
Kosher or sea salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
12 oz. andouille sausage, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2" thick wedges
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
2 yellow onions, finely diced
1 rib celery, finely diced
2 large or 3 medium scallions, whites separated from greens, whites finely diced, greens thinly sliced
2 dried bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme, stripped from stems
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups medium- or long-grain rice, such as jasmine or Carolina
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
4–6 shakes Worcestershire
4–6 shakes Tabasco
1 large handful parsley, picked from stems and coarsely chopped

Steps
1. Peel and devein shrimp. Remove heads and tails. Transfer shells, heads, and tails to a large saucepan.

2. Strain tomatoes with a fine mesh strainer. Add tomato liquid to shrimp trimmings in saucepan. Keep half of strained tomatoes for Step 8 and discard or refrigerate the rest.

3. Add enough cool water to saucepan to submerge shrimp. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain with a fine mesh strainer and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet over high heat until smoking. Trim any large globs of fat from chicken thighs. Pat dry with paper towels and season lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Add thighs to skillet and sear until lightly browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

5. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add andouille and sauté until sausage has browned and fat has rendered, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside.

6. Add bell pepper, onion, celery, scallion whites, bay leaves, thyme, and butter to skillet. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and lower heat to medium. Sauté until vegetables are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until no longer raw, about 1 minute.

7. Rinse rice in cool water until water runs clear-ish to get rid of excess starch. Drain rice. Add to skillet and stir until every grain is coated with fat, about 30 seconds.

8. Add reserved strained tomatoes, browned andouille along with any accumulated juices, 3 cups shrimp stock, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cayenne, 4 shakes Worcestershire, and 4 shakes Tabasco. Stir. Raise heat to medium-high and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover skillet, and steam for 15 minutes.

9. Place chicken thighs on top of rice, along with any accumulated juices. Cover skillet and steam for 5 minutes. Flip thighs. Cover skillet and steam until thighs are just cooked through (the juices will run clear), about 5 minutes. Transfer thighs to a plate and set aside.

10. Arrange shrimp on top of rice in a single layer. Cover skillet and steam for 5 minutes. Flip shrimp. Cover skillet and steam until shrimp is just cooked through (the centers will be slightly translucent and lukewarm to the touch), about 2 minutes.

11. While the shrimp cooks, tear chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. Once the shrimp is cooked, add shredded chicken, scallion greens, and parsley to skillet. Turn off heat and stir to combine all ingredients and dislodge any bits of crispy rice from the bottom of the pan. Taste for seasoning and add more Worcestershire and Tabasco if desired.

12. We don't have any fancy serving suggestions for this dish. Scoop from pot, plop in bowl.

Grilled Pork Chops with Cherry-Vodka Gastrique

The cherry pitter tops any list of kitchen tools taking up valuable space in your kitchen; it gathers dust in the pantry for about 10 months out of the year but sees extensive use in July and August when grocery stores are nearly begging you to buy your share of the annual cherry harvest. To pair with cherries, we considered duck breast but ultimately opted for thick-cut, bone-in pork chops because we enjoy the sight of caveman meat on top of a fine French sauce. A fragrant spice rub takes grilled meat over the top, especially if it has a bit of heat. We've included instructions for the rub we used, but feel free to use whatever old standby you break out every summer.

The sauce is a variation of a gastrique, essentially a sweet-and-sour reduction. It's not only a great use of the cherry pitter (don't sweat it if you don't have one, there are plenty of alternative methods for getting the pits out); it's also easy to cook and quick enough to make while the pork chops rest. Plus, it's a great way to make the proprietor of your local liquor store raise an eyebrow when you select cheapest, smallest bottle of vodka... for uhh, cooking. 



Grilled Pork Chops with Cherry-Vodka Gastrique

Cooking Time
1 hour (30 minutes active)

Serves
2 people looking for some way to use the 5 lbs. of cherries they just impulse-bought

Tools
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Grill brush
Tongs
Wooden spoon
Small skillet for toasting spices (optional)
Large, heavy-bottomed skillet for making sauce
Paper towels
Cherry pitter (optional)
Spice grinder or mortar and pestle (optional)

Ingredients
2 thick bone-in, center-cut pork chops
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon cumin seed
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/2 teaspoons Turbinado sugar
~1 tablespoon oil to grease grill grates

1/4 large red onion or 1/2 medium red onion, very finely diced
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 lb. cherries, pitted and halved
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup vodka
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 small handful tarragon, picked from stems and very thinly sliced

Steps
1. Rub pork chops all over with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Score the rind of fat with a sharp knife at 1/2" intervals. Refrigerate and allow to cure uncovered for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 hours.

2. Meanwhile, heat half of a grill to high heat. (If using charcoal, burn half a chimney of coals until covered in white ash and arrange on one side of the grill. If using gas, turn all burners to high to heat the grates, and then turn off half of the burners so all the heat is coming from one side.)

3. To make the spice rub, toast peppercorns, fennel seed, cumin seed, and dried thyme in small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Coarsely grind and mix with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, and Turbinado sugar. (Note: we like to toast and grind our spices, but the recipe will work with pre-ground spices too.)

4. Pat pork chops dry with paper towels. Coat all over with spice rub.

5. Prepare grill by scrubbing grates with a grill brush and greasing with an oiled paper towel held in a pair of tongs.

6. Sear pork chops on hot side of grill, flipping every 30 seconds, until a deep, lightly charred crust has formed, about 4 minutes. Stand pork chops on their sides and sear rinds until fat has rendered and crisped, about 1 minute (you may need to move the chops around every few seconds to avoid flareups).

7. Transfer pork chops to cold side of grill, with bones facing hot side. Cover grill and cook until medium (the chops will feel firm but somewhat pliable to the touch, and will register an internal temperature of ~135 degrees), 7-10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover with aluminum foil. Scrub grill grates with grill brush before coming back inside.

8. While the pork rests, make the sauce. Sauté onion in butter in large skillet with 1/4 teaspoon salt over medium-high heat until soft and translucent, about 1 minute. Add cherries, water, vodka, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and raise heat to high. Cook at a lively simmer until cherries have begun to soften and give off their liquid and alcohol has cooked off, about 3 minutes (you can flambé the vodka with a match or lighter if you're feeling frisky). Add vinegar, honey, and any juices that have accumulated under the resting pork chops. Simmer until liquid has reduced to a light syrup, about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat and stir in tarragon.

9. Plate pork chops with generous scoops of sauce. Garnish with a little tarragon. Serve with grilled vegetables. Stare at plate before eating because that is some damn fine food you've just made.

Simple Juicy Cheeseburgers

There are a million burger recipes out there forcing you to choose between easy or delicious. Want an easy burger? Buy some ground beef, shape it into a puck, and pan-fry or grill. It won't be awful, but the texture will be all tight and meatloaf-y. Want a delicious burger? Grind beef yourself into coarse coils and form the patties with great care, time, expense, and clean-up.

These easy burgers are tender and juicy enough to satisfy any burger snob. The key is buying ground beef that comes loosely packed and not in direct contact with plastic wrap. If you buy ground beef that's pressed down into the package by plastic wrap, you'll inevitably end up with tight, mealy patties instead of the melt-in-your-mouth, fall-apart texture that makes for a memorable burger.

When it comes to flavor, it's all about the crust. Using this recipe, by the time the sides are deeply browned, the interiors will be perfectly pink--a little past the medium rare we prefer for steaks but just right for juicy ground beef.

Simple Juicy Cheeseburgers

Cooking Time
10 minutes

Serves
2 lazy but picky burger fiends

Tools
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Heavy-bottomed skillet
Metal spatula
Broiler pan or sheet pan topped with a rack

Ingredients
12 oz. (3/4 lb.) 80/20 ground beef (we buy 1 lb. and freeze the leftover 1/4 lb. to use for Dan Dan noodles)
Kosher or sea salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
Black pepper
2 hamburger buns (we like potato rolls)
Enough sharp cheddar to cover two burgers (~2 oz.), thinly sliced
   
Steps
1. Divide beef into two portions. Loosely roll each portion to make a cylinder about 2" thick.

Pre-squishin'. Note how the patties are rolled instead of packed so the coils of meat are aligned.

2. Heat skillet over highest possible heat. That thing should be smoking. Seriously. Turn on your fan. Open a window. Season burgers all over very generously with salt.

3. Add oil to skillet. As soon as it starts to smoke, add burgers. Press burgers down with a spatula to flatten them out until they're roughly the same diameter as your hamburger buns. Season generously with pepper. Sear until a light brown crust has formed on the first side, about 2 minutes.

3. Carefully flip burgers, making sure to scrape up any meaty bits from the bottom of the skillet. Lightly press down again so the second side makes full contact with the pan. Generously season again with pepper. Sear until a light brown crust crust has formed on the second side, about 2 minutes.

4. Carefully flip burgers again, being sure to scrape up any meaty bits from the bottom of the skillet. Sear until the first side has an even, deep brown crust, about 45 seconds. Flip and sear until the second side has an even, deep brown crust, about 45 seconds.

5. While the burgers cook, toast the interior sides of the buns under the broiler until light brown. (Toasting times will vary depending on your broiler. Just don't burn them.)

6. Let burgers rest on bottom buns for 1 minute. Top with cheddar and slide under broiler to melt cheese, about 30 seconds. Serve immediately with toppings of your choice (we like homemade pickles) and a green salad, or fries/chips if you want to go whole hog.

Trader Joe's Sweet and Hot Grilled Cheese

People say you can't buy everything at Trader Joe's, but for recipes without fresh produce, you can!

Trader Joe's actually has a decent selection of cheap, unique cheeses like this cheddar with caramelized onions mixed throughout. (Another one we're into is Unexpected Cheddar, a sharp combination of parmesan and aged cheddar.) What's bad about cheddar in grilled cheese is that it isn't as stringy and oozy as a Kraft single. What's good about cheddar in grilled cheese is everything else.

Hot pepper jelly is a weird ingredient. We don't use it for much, but a jar of it lasts just as long as any other condiment in your fridge door. It provides the perfect piquant complement to the savory, rich cheddar and sweet caramelized onions. When the jelly and cheddar caramelize as they drip onto a hot skillet through the holes in the bread, you get one of the best grilled cheeses of your life.

    

Trader Joe's Sweet and Hot Grilled Cheese

Cooking Time
18 minutes

Serves
1 person who lives near a Trader Joe's

Tools
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Non-stick skillet with lid
Pastry brush (optional)
Spatula

Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
2 large slices sourdough or other rustic bread
4 teaspoons Trader Joe's Hot and Sweet Pepper Jelly (you can substitute any pepper jelly)
3 oz. Trader Joe's Cheddar Cheese with Caramelized Onions, thinly sliced (you can substitute any sharp cheddar)
Pinch of Maldon salt or other coarse sea salt
   
Steps
1. Brush one side of each slice of bread with butter.

2. Toast bread butter-side down in skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. It helps to weigh the bread down with a plate or press it down with a spatula.

3. Spread 2 teaspoons pepper jelly on the toasted side of each slice of bread. Arrange cheese evenly on top of jelly on one slice of bread, and then top with the other slice of bread jelly-side down to form the sandwich. Brush the top of the sandwich with butter.

4. Heat remaining butter in skillet over medium low. Add sandwich butter-side up. Cover pan to help melt cheese. Cook until cheese is melted and the first side of the sandwich is golden brown, about 6 minutes.

5. Flip sandwich and continue cooking until the second side is golden brown, about 6 minutes.

6. Sprinkle lightly with Maldon salt and serve immediately with soup or salad, or just eat it right away standing up. We won't judge.

Penne with Fiery Tomato Sauce, Bacon, and Mushrooms

This is a dish for when you can't make hard choices and refuse to accept that there can be too much of a good thing.

As far as we know there's no real classic Italian sauce combining chilies AND bacon AND roasted mushrooms, but these are three of our favorites and if we're going to take the time to make a sauce that requires slowly crisping bacon and gently simmering whole tomatoes until they release all their sugars we want it all, damn it.

One bite of chewy penne coated in meaty-smoky-spicy indulgence and any feelings of shame will be overwhelmed by pure sybaritic bliss. Plus, there's spinach in it, so it's healthy!

Parmigiano-Reggiano regrettably not pictured, onion regrettably washed out

Penne with Fiery Tomato Sauce, Bacon, and Mushrooms

Cooking Time
1 hour

Serves
3-4 indecisive pasta fiends

Tools
Chef's knife
Cutting board
2 heavy-bottomed skillets
Pot for cooking pasta
Slotted spoon
Wooden spoon
Paper towels

Ingredients
1/4 lb. slab or thick-sliced bacon, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium or 1/2 large yellow onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons + 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher or sea salt
28 oz. (1 large can) whole, peeled plum tomatoes
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb. penne
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 lb. cremini or shiitake mushrooms, rinsed, stemmed, and quartered
2 big handfuls baby spinach (~3 cups)
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated, plus more to garnish
   
Steps
1. Sauté bacon in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat until rendered and crispy, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it seems like it's off to a slow start, try covering the skillet for a minute or two to coax out some of the liquid. Remove bacon from skillet with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour off fat.

2. Add butter, onion, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté over medium heat until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes, splashing a little water around the sides of the can to get out the last drops of their liquid. Add pepper, bacon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are soft and sweet, around 35 minutes. Break up tomatoes with a fork or the back of a wooden spoon every few minutes as they cook.

4. While the sauce cooks, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium-high heat in the other skillet. Add half the mushrooms, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and sauté until well-browned, about 4 minutes. Add to sauce and repeat with remaining mushrooms.

5. When the sauce has been simmering for 15 minutes, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil with 2 tablespoons salt. Add penne and cook until 1 minute shy of package directions, about 8 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain.

6. Return pasta to the stove over medium-low heat. Add sauce and reserved pasta water. Simmer until pasta is nicely al dente (slightly chewy) and has absorbed some of the sauce, about 2 minutes. 

7. Taste and correct seasoning--you may need to add a little more salt. Turn off heat and stir in spinach and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve immediately, garnished with more Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Savory and Tender Matzo Meatballs

Honestly, there are a million strange breeds of meatballs out there, but as long as you know this basic equation, you don't really need a recipe:

meat + binder + seasoning= meatballs

We were in the mood for regular meatballs that would work in a regular Italian tomato sauce. After reading the Chowhound forums, we learned that milk and bread are what bind and tenderize meatballs in most recipes. Dilemma: no usable bread and our breadcrumbs were settled at the bottom of a bag marked, "Expires July 2011." 
Matzo meal, on the other hand, was bountiful (and conveniently in season, though the meat/dairy/pasta combination means this dish is definitely not kosher for Passover).

The savoriest meatballs are also browned and seared, developing a flavorful crust to provide textural contrast to a melt-in-your-mouth interior. You're here for easy and impressive, right? 

Savory and Tender Matzo Meatballs

Cooking Time

35 minutes

Serves

4 bad Jews

Tools

Chef's knife

Cutting board
Cheese grater or microplane
Small non-stick pan
Large heavy-bottomed, oven-safe skillet
Baking sheet
Parchment paper (optional)

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef (we used 80/20)

1 big handful Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated

1/2 cup matzo meal
1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano
1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup of your favorite tomato sauce (here's ours)
1/2 cup water

   

Steps

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Mix together all ingredients except oil, tomato sauce, and water. Check meat mixture's seasoning by cooking a teaspoon of it in a small pan. Taste for salt/pepper/cheese/parsley.

3. Form meatballs that are ping pong ball-sized with an ice cream scoop or your fingers and roll them lightly between the palms of your hands.

4. Heat oil in skillet over high heat until smoking. Add meatballs in a single layer, making sure not to crowd the pan (you may have to sear them in two batches). Sear until the first sides are browned, around 2 minutes. Flip each meatball and sear until the second sides are browned, around 2 minutes. Transfer meatballs to a parchment-lined baking sheet and wipe down skillet with paper towels.

5. Roast meatballs until the centers are only slightly pink, around 7 minutes. Go ahead and cut one open to check.

6. Return meatballs to skillet. Add tomato sauce and water and place over medium heat. Simmer, basting occasionally, until the sauce has reduced to a nice glaze that coats the meatballs, about 5 minutes.

7. Serve with spaghetti and more tomato sauce, topped with a little more cheese.

Pesto Farfalle with Peas and Spinach

Pesto. Sounds expensive. Piles of fresh herbs, pine nuts at $10.99/lb. And sure, you probably already have a recipe that calls for visiting that fridge in the grocery store keeping the prefab pico de gallo and hummus "fresh."

We made this pesto recipe so easy, so delicious, and so cheap that we made it for dinner two nights in a row. This is a pretty traditional recipe except:

• Substitute walnuts for pine nuts, which cost much more and are no more delicious.
• Balance all the flavors with lemon juice.
• Forego finicky, restaurant-y methods like blanching vegetables or using a mortar and pestle.

The best pasta to use in pesto is farfalle (bowties), with its little ridges that get deliciously filled with sauce. If you're feeling fancy, try adding a tablespoon of unsalted butter and using a 50-50 cheese mix of Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino. Who knows--maybe you'll end up making it three days in a row instead of two.

Pesto Farfalle with Peas and Spinach

Cooking Time
20 minutes

Serves
4 people. This is really filling.

Tools
Small nonstick pan
Wooden spoon
Pot to make pasta
Salad spinner or paper towels
Food processor
Rubber spatula
Cheese grater or Microplane

Ingredients
2 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 clove garlic
1 large handful Italian parsley leaves, picked from stems (~1 cup)
3 large handfuls basil leaves, picked from stems (~3.5 cups)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
~1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 lb farfalle
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
2 large handfuls baby spinach

Steps
1. Boil 6 quarts water with 2 tablespoons salt. Meanwhile, heat canola oil in a small nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add walnuts and toast until well-browned, about 3 minutes, stirring intermittently to make sure they don't burn. Set aside.

2. Rinse basil and parsley in cold water and spin dry or pat dry with paper towels.

3. In a food processor, pulse toasted walnuts and garlic for a few seconds. Add basil and parsley and purée until evenly mixed, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, about 45 seconds.

4. Slowly drizzle in about half the olive oil while puréeing for five more seconds. Stop and scrape down sides. Repeat with the rest of the olive oil.

5. Add in red pepper flakes, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and lemon juice. Purée until incorporated. Taste for seasoning; if it's too "green," add more cheese.

6. Cook pasta according to package instructions minus 1 minute. Save 1/2 cup of pasta water and drain. Turn heat to low.

7. Add peas and reserved pasta water to cooked pasta. Add pesto, using the rubber spatula to get every bit out of the food processor. Stir until everything is incorporated. Add spinach and let wilt, about 1 minute.  

8. Serve and top with extra Parmigiano-Reggiano, of course. Try to resist getting thirds.

Thai "Teriyaki" Chicken Thighs

 

This is the dish to impress your friends in less time than it takes to suffer through an episode of Girls. You'll be pleased with your ability to make a restaurant-quality glaze with minimal effort; the chicken stays juicy and develops a teriyaki-like veneer.

Fish sauce sure smells rotten while raw, but you won't taste anything disturbing in the finished dish--just a subtle savoriness and depth of flavor. The kick of chili flakes and the brightness of lime juice round everything out.

Cilantro is optional, but not really since it counts as your vegetable.

Thai "Teriyaki" Chicken Thighs 

Adapted from Donna Hay's The Instant Cook

Cooking Time 

20 minutes

Serves 

2 people slightly embarrassed to eat over half a pound of chicken each

Tools 

Large nonstick pan

Wooden spoon

Cutting board

Chef's knife

Microplane or grater

Ingredients 

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and grated

3 tablespoons fish sauce

Juice of 1 large lime (~3 tablespoons)

1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed

~1.25 lbs of boneless and skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into thirds

Picked cilantro leaves to garnish

Steps 

1. In a large nonstick pan, heat oil, red pepper flakes, and ginger over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Add fish sauce, lime juice, and brown sugar. Stir and simmer until sugar is incorporated into the sauce, about 30 seconds.

3. Add chicken to pan in a single layer. Cook for 8 minutes.

4. Flip chicken. Turn up heat to high and cook for 5 minutes. This is when the MAGIC HAPPENS and the sauce starts to stick to the chicken.

5. After five minutes, flip the chicken again. Continue flipping until both sides are browned and glazed. Make sure the sauce stays a deep brown color and doesn't burn.

6. Garnish with cilantro and serve with white rice.