Linguine and meatballs with a tomato-cream gorgonzola and marjoram sauce

This came out as a result of an intense craving for a creamy-gorgonzola-y pasta dish a few weeks ago after a run.

I had all meatballs in the freezer I needed to use (click here for a recipe) and pretty much everything else was idly sitting in my pantry and fridge.

Here's what happened in Poupette's kitchen that day.



INGREDIENTS (2 people):
- 1/2 pack of dry linguine
- a large handful of small meatballs (click here for a recipe)
- a handful of fresh cherry tomatoes, reserve a few on the side for decoration
- 1 small basket of fresh cremini mushroom
- 1 medium onion
- 1 splash of olive oil
- 1/3 cup of heavy cream
- 1/4 cup of crumbled gorgonzola
Note: if you can, use gorgonzola dolce (a creamy, soft and almost sweet gorgonzola). I used the super acidic crumbly kind you can find easily in supermarkets here in the US, but it would have been orders of magnitude better with the dolce.
- 2 to 3 sprigs of fresh marjoram (oregano or thyme would work well as substitutes)
- freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving



RECIPE:
- bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the linguine al dente

- while the pasta is cooking, brown the meatballs in the olive oil over medium-high heat until golden but not yet cooked through, about 2-3 minutes

- in the same pan, saute the diced onion and sliced mushrooms over medium-high heat and deglaze the meatballs drippings with the moisture of the mushrooms, cover if necessary to create a steamy environment

- after 4-5 minutes, add the marjoram and fresh tomatoes and cook over medium heat until the tomatoes are soft (about 1-2 minutes). If it gets a little dry and starts to stick to the pan, add a ladleful of pasta cooking water and stir

- add in the cream and crumbled gorgonzola and cook over low heat until the meatballs are cooked through

- drain the pasta and serve hot sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper, a few fresh tomatoes and a healthy dose of parmesan shavings
- bon appetit!

Sage, sour cream and cremini mushrooms country-style pork ribs (Slow cooker recipe)

I was doubly excited yesterday to try this new recipe.

First, I was recently gifted a slow cooker by my friend F. who wasn't using it at all, and I was just dying to use it for a comforting stew.
Second, my other friend R. (who is friends with F. coincidentally) had been raving about the French dish "Porc au lait et a la sauge" (pork with milk and sage) for weeks, and since we are indeed in the midst of Autumn, crisper weather, leaves yellowing and all, I figured it would be the absolute perfect time to do this!

The original dish calls for a roast and whole milk, but I adapted to what I had available: country-style ribs and sour cream. I'd seen Chef John at Foodwishes use a mixture of creme fraiche and chicken broth for his version of the similar Italian dish "Maiale al latte", so I figured I could do the same. I also mixed in cremini mushrooms for an added veggie-dimension.

It was a first, like I said, and I will admit that although it was very good, I felt like something was missing. And after a few minutes analyzing my dish, I figured it out: BACON! I missed bacon. Not really surprising, since the original version also contains lardons (diced cured pork belly).

So here it is guys, my recipe for slow-cooked pork ribs, with sage and cream. I will be adding notes in italics with suggestions that I think will improve the final result.


Please excuse the horrid photography, but I started to cook at 8AM with little to no natural day light...

INGREDIENTS:
- 4 lbs bone-in country-style pork ribs
- one 8oz basket of cremini mushrooms
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 large onion, sliced thick
- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1/4 cup chopped sage (I used flash frozen fresh sage, but would highly recommend using fresh for this dish - mine was a bit old and the flavor was a bit lost in the final dish).
- salt and pepper
- a splash of olive oil
- optional: 4 strips of bacon (thick cut, diced)


RECIPE:
- season the pork really well with salt and pepper to taste and brown in a skillet, with a splash of olive oil. You really want to sear the meat so that it develops a lot of flavor and a golden crust

- place the meat on a bed of sliced onions in your slow cooker, add the garlic cloves and chopped sage

Note: if you decide to go the bacon route, now would be the time to sprinkle the diced bacon on top of the meat
- pour the chicken stock over the meat and start the slow cooker, set on HIGH for 5:30 hours

- when you have about 1:30 hours to go, open the lid of the slow cooker and add the cream and quartered mushrooms

Note 1: you can spoon out some of the rendered fat at this moment, before adding the cream and mushrooms.
Note 2: I noticed at the end of the cooking that the sauce was more watery than I would have liked and I think that precooking the mushrooms in a little butter or olive oil and browning them would be better than adding them raw. That way, they would not release that much moisture in the final dish
- at the end of the cooking time, the meat should slide right off the bone and be the most tender you've ever had. Serve with a spoonful of sauce over a bed of creamy polenta, mashed potatoes, egg pasta or rice (I had polenta, and I think it really was a good choice of starch)

Note: if the sauce is too liquid still, you can transfer it into a pot and thicken it over high heat, using a splash of cornstarch diluted in a little water and stirring until you reach the consistency you want

- Enjoy!

Oven-dried tomatoes

There is literally nothing simpler than making oven-dried tomatoes. And the good thing is that for about 5 bucks, you'll have a ton more than a can of store-bought sun-dried tomatoes :)
Those tomatoes are so versatile! You can use them in salads, as a base for a tomato sauce, chopped up in pasta, on a pizza, or if you're like me just as a snack...

The only drawback is the cooking time: it will take about 5 hours in the oven and a few more to cool down, but you do this once and you're set for a couple of months!

Here's a golden tip for you: set up your tomatoes in the morning and forget about them while you clean your house, vacuum, laundry, etc... Kill two birds with one stone ;)


INGREDIENTS:
- tomatoes (however many you want, of whatever species you want: I used about 2 lbs of Roma)
- salt, pepper
- extra virgin olive oil


RECIPE:
- turn on your oven on the lowest setting (about 200F on mine)
- line a cooking sheet with aluminum foil (parchment paper would be fine too), place the tomatoes on the sheet, spaced evenly (try not to pack them too close to one another, they need to dry), cut side up

- sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil

- put the tomatoes in the oven and forget about them for about 5 hours (but do check on them every once in a while to make sure things are going well, but do not turn them)
- after 5 hours, turn off your oven and leave another 3 hours in the closed oven; the tomatoes are now shrivelled and packed with concentrated tomato-flavor!

- when the tomatoes are at room temperature, put them in a jar and cover with extra virgin olive oil

- store in the fridge and use at your convenience :)
- enjoy!

Fish and shrimp risotto

This is more of a what-ever-can-i-come-up-with-to-empty-the-pantry-and-the-freezer kinda mishmash recipe, but it works!

I was craving tomato rice the day I made this recipe, and since I had a TON of frozen fish (that I got for a bargain at the supermarket), I decided to incorporate this maritime ingredient into a risotto.

I made this quite a long time ago, but never really had the time to edit it into a blog entry. Since my next recipe will take another couple of days before I can post it up, I decided to tackle that one and have it ready for you for the weekend.

Hope you'll like!



INGREDIENTS (for 2 to 3 people):
- 1.5 cups arborio rice
- 1 15oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 to 3 cups of water (use 2 and then add more if needed)
- 1/2 cup white wine
- olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 1 clove of garlic, slivered
- 2 lbs of mixed fish and peeled deveined shrimp, cubed (I used frozen shrimp and fish that I thawed and drained, my personal fish mix was cod, tilapia and flounder)
- salt, pepper
- grated Parmesan cheese to taste


RECIPE:
- in a skillet, heat a glob of olive oil and saute the shallot and garlic until transparent. Do not let it brown.

- add the rice, and coat with oil. Cook for a minute or so on medium-high heat, until the rice is opaque and bright white. Do not let it brown.

- add the wine and a ladle of water, and stir until the liquid is absorbed.

- add the tomatoes and their liquid. Stir until the liquid is absorbed.

- add the rest of the water ladle by ladle, stirring until each ladle has been absorbed before adding the next one, until the rice is almost cooked through (about 25 minutes)
- when the rice is a few minutes shy of being done, add the shrimp, fish cubes, salt and pepper and cook for 5-8 minutes (or until cooked through)

- finish with a healthy dose of grated parmesan cheese

- serve hot, sprinkled with italian parsley

- Enjoy!