"Pasta" Carbonara

Simple Shopping List:
Costco has Black Bean Spaghetti -- similar texture to a Soba noodle (or sub a second zucchini)
2 eggs
2 large cloves of garlic
1 medium zucchini
50-100 g parmesan and / or pecorino
3-4 thick pieces bacon or equivalent pancetta
Salt & Pepper

put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the spaghetti,
then using the smallest julienne blade on your mandolin
cut the zucchini the long way into ribbons

separate the ribbons into "pasta"

cut the bacon into bacon bits and start frying
in a large deep pan.
 (everything will end up in this pan)

Drop the pasta and cook according to box less 1 minute

bruise the garlic using the flat of your knife

 

Add to the bacon

Remove bacon and garlic

Separate one egg, and set the yolk aside and beat the whites with the remaining whole egg
grate the cheese(s) into the the egg with plenty of salt and pepper

add zucchini to the bacon fat

cook until just softened

shut off the heat, and add the cooked pasta

add the bacon and garlic back in and mix gently

using tongs to separate the pasta slowly add the egg/cheese mixture to coat the pasta
the goal here is to slowly raise the temperature of the egg with the residual heat in the pasta,
not the pan because it will turn into scrambled egg

Serve with the egg yolk on top, making sure that you break it while the pasta is still hot

Shepard's Pie with Sweet Potato

Shepard's Pie with Sweet Potato

Shopping List:
1 lb ground lamb
2 rashers thick-cut butcher's bacon
1 can cream corn
1 medium fennel bulb
1/2 red onion
1 cup frozen peas
1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce (Heinz is wheat free, but L&P isn't)
1 sprig of rosemary
Salt & Pepper to taste
----
2 large sweet potatoes / yams
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
Salt & Pepper to taste

using your mandolin, slice celery (3mm)

Carrots get the julienne blade 

mandolins make prep easy!

so does the fennel

and onions

cut the bacon into bits

render down, and remove the bacon from the pan, but leave the fat!

add all the veg and rosemary, and lower to medium high, and sweat the veg down

add a fair amount of salt as it will help break the vegetables down

while that is sweating, peel and chop your yams, and put in a large pot, with water and crank it!

once the veg is softened, push it aside, and turn up the heat

season and start browning the lamb

slowly pull the vegetables in as the lamb starts to cook

add the bacon back in as it starts to brown

turn off the heat, and add garlic

cream corn - this is the secret from girlTerry's family cookbook

Worchestershire sauce

and peas

Filling is done

drain the yams, and in the pot add the milk

and butter, and bring to a boil on high

as soon as it boils, turn to low heat, and start mashing your yams

Nice and smooth.  Add S&P now.

layer into a deep-dish casserole, or lasagna pan

bake at 450ºF until edges turn brown and delicious.  Let cool for 10 minutes before diving in!

Braised Pork Belly with Asian-Style Slaw

Braised Pork Belly with Asian-Style Slaw

Lauren,

The pork belly part of this recipe will take a day or two to make, so plan accordingly.

Braised Pork Belly

1 Cheap bottle of unoaked white wine
3 tbsp Ground cumin
3 tbsp Garlic powder
3 tbsp onion powder
1 heavy pinch Salt
lots of grinds of Pepper
1/2 cup Brown or Demerara sugar
Optional:  2 Star Anise, 1/3 tsp Cloves, 1/3 tsp Cardamom, 1 tsp Caraway seeds, 1 whole Nutmeg grated
(Substitute with 2-3 tbsp of good chinese 5 spice)
1/4 cup GF/Wheat Free Soy Sauce
1/3 cup Rice vinegar (Substitute with 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar)
2 Carrots
3 Ribs Celery
1 Shallot or Small Onion
1 Head Garlic
1 lb Pork Belly

 combine all spices with sugar in a large bowl and mix thoroughly

 carefully remove the skin from the pork belly

coat all sides 

 wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate overnight and save the spice mixture

 in the morning roughly chop the vegetables and put them in a large pot

 put the pork belly in the middle of the pot

 bake in of 450° oven for half an hour

 mix the spices left over from yesterday with the soy sauce vinegar and white wine

 add to your pot until the pork belly is nearly covered
 if you do not have enough liquid just add water
Return the pot to the oven and reduce the temperature to 250°F
Let it cook on this low temperature for 7 to 10 hours

 it should look like this when it's done

 remove from the liquid and refrigerate both the pork belly separately for a couple hours

 after a couple of hours the fat should have floated to the top of the liquid and solidified

Remove the fat

 put the liquid into a small frying pan on high heat

 the pork belly should have firmed up enough be be able to cut it in half

 add the pork belly to a hot and dry frying pan

 reduce the liquid by about a third

 Sear all sides of the pork belly

 in a small container place about a tablespoon of cornstarch

 add COLD tap water and mix thoroughly with your finger. Making sure there are no dry parts

Pour the cornstarch slurry into the liquid stirring constantly

 in less than a minute it should start to tighten up. turn off the heat at this point

 coat the pork belly in the sauce and it is ready for plating.

Asian-Style Slaw

Lauren,

This recipe is a guideline, if you want to just use a bottled asian dressing, feel free, but make sure that the ingredients are safe. It makes a very large salad as everything is scaled to the cabbage

 one small head of Napa cabbage
 Half a bag of bean sprouts
 a bag of washed  Snow peas or sugar snap peas
One bunch cilantro
One bunch radishes
One lemon
1/4 cup of sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of wheat free soy sauce
 3 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
 1/4 cup of canola oil ( or other neutral vegetable oil)
not pictured:
 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon tahini
 one small bunch of green onions

 chop the scallions
 in a small blender cup add all the liquid ingredients,  the sugar, space and the tahini
 add the zest of the lemon ( always use the zest of the citrus, as it contains the oils that have all the flavour)
Add the juice of half the lemon
Blend your dressing, and adjust to taste.  I would tend to make this on the tart side because the pork belly can be rich.

 and a large salad bowl add your scallions and bean sprouts

 next,  slice and add your peas

Slice up to your head of cabbageInto pieces half an inch thick

 wash and spin the cabbage before adding it to the salad

 chop and add the cilantro

 next slice a couple of radishes and add them as well

 in a dry pan lightly toast your sesame seeds if they are not already toasted

 add to your salad

 pour your dressing over the salad

 toss it until thoroughly mixed

Plate with the pork belly

 bon appétit