cook like james

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Spaghetti and Fried Eggs with Garlic and Black Sea Salt Flakes

I found this recipe in Cooking for Two and thought it sounded quick and tasty. The soft yolk in the fried egg creates a savory sauce with the pasta and parmesan cheese. Read the recipe a couple of times, there are several steps and it all comes together pretty quickly, so have everything prepped and ready to go.

2 slices Hearty White Sandwich Bread

6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste

½ pound spaghetti

¼ cup parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives or Italian parsley

2 large eggs, cracked into a small bowl

Black Sea salt flakes, or freshly cracked pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pulse the bread in food processor to coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Transfer crumbs to bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Spread the crumbs on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and dry, about 20 minutes.

2. Begin to bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot.

3. Meanwhile, place 2 more tablespoons of olive oil in a 10 inch non stick skillet and add garlic, pepper flakes and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Cook over low to medium low heat for 8-10 minutes, until garlic foams and is sticky and straw colored. Transfer the garlic mixture to a small bowl and set aside. Wipe out skillet with a wad of paper towel and set skillet aside.

4. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to boiling water and add pasta, cook, stirring often until al dente.

5. Just before draining pasta, return the skillet to low heat for 5 minutes (to use to fry eggs)

6. Reserve ½ cup pasta water and then drain pasta and return it to pot. Stir in ¼ cup of pasta water, garlic mixture, 2 more tablespoons of olive oil, parmesan cheese, ¼ tsp salt and herbs. Cover and set aside to keep warm while making eggs.

7. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to skillet and swirl to coat pan. Quickly add the eggs to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook the eggs until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, 2-3 minutes. Uncover eggs and remove from heat.

8. Loosen the pasta with remaining ¼ cup of reserved pasta water and divide between 2 plates. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Carefully slide 1 egg on top of each plate and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and a few flakes of black sea salt.

Easy Lasagna – Bake One, Freeze One!

This is a great lasagna, and I find it very handy to make 2 small pans of it, one to bake right away, the other to freeze for another time.

Meat Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 medium onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)

6 medium cloves garlic , pressed through garlic press or minced (about 2 tablespoons)

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

1 pound ground beef

½ pound ground pork

1/2 teaspoon table salt 

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 

1/4 cup heavy cream 

 1 can (28 ounces) tomato puree 

 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes , drained

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

1 tsp sugar, honey, or agave

Ricotta Layers

15 ounces ricotta cheese (whole milk or part skim), 1 3/4 cups)

2 1/2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/4 cups)

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil 

2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

¼ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon table salt 

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 

Pasta and Cheese Layers

1 pound no-boil Barilla lasagna noodles from one 8- or 9-ounce package

16 ounces whole milk mozzarella , shredded (4 cups)

Instructions

1.     Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.

2.    Heat oil in large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add ground meats, salt, and pepper; cook, breaking meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until meat loses its raw color but has not browned, about 4 minutes. Add cream and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates. Add pureed and drained diced tomatoes and bring to simmer; stir in herbs and sugar and reduce heat to low and simmer slowly until flavors are blended, about 30 minutes; set sauce aside. (Sauce can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days)

3.    Mix ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, basil, parsley, eggs, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in medium bowl with fork until well-combined and creamy; set aside.

4.    Assemble lasagna. Spread 1/4 cup meat sauce over bottom of two 8 inch square pans. (You can also just bake one 13 by 9-inch.)  Place 2 noodles on top of sauce, evenly space 8 tablespoons ricotta mixture over noodles, and spread gently with an offset spatula; sprinkle ricotta evenly with 1/2 cup mozzarella; spoon 1/2-3/4 cup sauce over cheese. Repeat layering of noodles, ricotta mixture, mozzarella, and sauce two more times. Place 2 remaining noodles on top and spread with remaining sauce. Cover with remaining mozzarella and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

5.    To Bake One: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover dish with foil that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake until sauce begins to bubble around edges, about 10-15 minutes. Remove foil and continue bake until hot throughout and cheese is browned in spots, about 20 minutes longer.

6.    To Freeze One: Wrap 1 square pan with plastic wrap and then cover tightly with foil and freeze for up to 2 months. To Serve: Remove from freezer and place in refrigerator 24 hours before serving. The next day, remove from refrigerator, unwrap pan and cover with foil that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and cover lasagna. Bake 25-30 minutes, then remove foil. Return lasagna to oven and continue to bake until cheese is spotty brown and sauce is bubbling, about 25 minutes longer. Cool lasagna about 10 minutes; cut into pieces and serve.

Skillet Lasagna

My friend Claire has asked me for this recipe at least 5 times – she says it’s a family favorite. Use a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe.

Serves 4 to 6 

1 (28-ounce) can Muir Glen diced tomatoes  

 Water  

1 tablespoon olive oil  

1 medium onion, minced 

Table salt  

3 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon) 

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes  

1 pound 85% lean ground beef  

10 curly-edged lasagna noodles , broken into 2-inch lengths 

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce  

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus 2 additional tablespoons 

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

 Ground black pepper  

1 cup ricotta cheese  

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil   

1. Pour tomatoes with their juices into 1-quart liquid measuring cup. Add water until mixture measures 1 quart.

2. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, herbs and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add ground meat and cook, breaking apart meat, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

3. Scatter pasta over meat but do not stir. Pour diced tomatoes with juices and tomato sauce over pasta. Cover and bring to bubbling simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.

4. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan and Mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper. Dot with heaping tablespoons ricotta, cover, and let stand off heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Serve.

Penne with Butternut Squash and Sage

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

8 large fresh sage leaves , plus 1 tablespoon minced

1 medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 tablespoon unsalted butter 

6 scallions, sliced thin (about 1 cup)

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 

1 teaspoon sugar 

 Table salt and ground black pepper 

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 

1 pound penne pasta or other short, tubular pasta

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

4 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon

1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Instructions

1. Cook bacon in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Add whole sage leaves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into small bowl, reserving bacon fat and bacon-sage mixture separately.

2. Return skillet to high heat, add 2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat (adding olive oil if necessary) and heat until shimmering. Add squash in even layer and cook, without stirring, until beginning to caramelize, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until spotty brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Add butter and allow to melt, about 30 seconds. Add scallions, nutmeg, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper, and minced sage; cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions are softened, about 3 minutes. Add broth and bring to simmer; continue to cook until squash is tender, 1 to 3 minutes longer.

3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta. Cook until just al dente, then drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water, and transfer back to Dutch oven.

4. Add squash mixture to pasta; stir in 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and reserved bacon-sage mixture, adjusting consistency with reserved pasta liquid. Serve, passing almonds and Parmesan separately.