With 2009 finally at a close, we want to wish everyone a Happy New Year. There were plenty of good memories to look back upon in 2009, so we’re already looking forward to what 2010 has in store. Cheers to good cooking, eating, and drinking to you all!
Just a sneak peak at what was going on in our kitchen last night. Plenty of food and cooking to bring in the New Year.
Sun shine. Music on blast. Chefs showcasing their culinary flare. Food from some of the best in the nation.
The Great American Food & Music Festival in Mountain View featured everything a food fanatic could ask for. Not only did you have chef demonstrations from local Bay Area chefs like Nancy Oakes and Chris Cosentino, but Food Network celebrity chefs made appearances as well.
The highlight of the event was having the opportunity to sample…
Katz’s Deli Pastrami Sandwiches
Pink’s Hot Dogs
Graeter’s Ice Cream
Anchor Bar Chicken Wings
Barney Greengrass Bagels
Southside Market Barbecue Brisket and Sausage
Zingerman’s BLT Sandwiches and Bacon Platters
Tony Luke’s Cheesesteaks and Roast Pork Sandwiches
Junior’s Classic Cheesecake
Burger Meister’s Hamburgers
June Taylor’s Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
A Selection of Charles Chocolates
and Bouchon Bakery’s Chocolate Bouchons
You can picture the long lines now. And, believe it, the lines were epic.
Here’s a collection of photos from yesterday’s event.
Bite into Katz’s Pastrami Sandwich & Tony Luke’s Philly Cheesesteak
Clockwise: Chef Nancy Oakes, Aida Mollenkamp, Chuck Siegel, and Chef Bobby Flay
Continue Reading » The Great American Food & Music Festival Photo Recap
We had another weekend potluck party planned. Instead of making Rose’s Filipino Style Spaghetti, we wanted to try something new. Where would the inspiration come from?
It came to me when I flipped through January’s copy of Bon Appètit and saw a recipe for Fettuccine Carbonara with fried eggs. The photo in the spread made the dish look delicious. I had to see if it tasted as good as it looked.
The recipe called for rabe broccoli and egg fettuccine. It was odd that our local Trader Joe’s didn’t have either. Perhaps I just overlooked it because I was too excited to make the dish. So, I opted to buy regular broccoli and instead of having smaller fettuccine pasta, I purchased larger pappardelle pasta. Time to get the stove fired up.
This recipe by Jill Silverman Hough was featured in Bon Appètit, January 2009:
Ingredients
8 large eggs
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 oz thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon), finely chopped
12 oz egg fettuccine
1 medium bunch broccoli rabe (rapini), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Preparation
Whisk 4 eggs, both cheeses, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl; set aside. Cook pancetta in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to small bowl. Reserve skillet with drippings.
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender (about 3 minutes less than package directions); add broccoli rabe. Cook just until broccoli rabe is crisp-tender and pasta is tender, about 3 minutes longer. Drain pasta-broccoli rabe mixture, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Return hot pasta-broccoli rabe mixture to pot (off heat). Immediately add egg-cheese mixture, pancetta, and 1/4 cup hot cooking liquid; toss to combine, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls to moisten as needed. Season to taste with salt and more pepper, if desired. Cover to keep warm.
Heat skillet with drippings over medium heat. Crack remaining 4 eggs into skillet; sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until whites are opaque, about 2 minutes. Carefully turn eggs over; cook just until whites are set but yolks are still soft, about 1 minute longer. Remove from heat.
I opted not to top the dish off with fried eggs. It still managed to be very delicious. I also enjoyed the fact that I was able to work with cheese as a main ingredient. Yes, you read that right, cheese. I don’t use it too often in my cooking. It was fun to try something new like that. That’s the beauty about cooking… You get to try new things and learn along the way.
Penzeys Spices has opened its 40th retail store in Menlo Park, CA. The place is loaded with plenty of spices, herbs, and seasonings for you to try to experiment with. It literally is a cook or baker’s paradise. There are apothecary jars where you can open up and smell all of Penzeys offerings. It’s a unique place to spend some time at.
