Spring Shells & Cheese

I am always excited when I get my Food Network Magazine in the mail. As I saw the Spring Shells and Cheese in the picture I couldn't wait to try it. Just be aware that this is no 30 minute meal, it's under their section for Weekend Meals.

Ingredients:
2 pounds medium zucchini
Kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
6 cups whole milk
4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1 pound medium pasta shells
4 shallots, minced
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
4 ounces parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
4 ounces gruyere cheese, grated (about 1 1/4 cups)
4 ounces baby spinach

Directions:
Grate the zucchini into a colander using the large holes of a box grater. Toss with 1 tablespoon salt, then place in the sink to drain, about 15 minutes. Squeeze out the excess liquid.


Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, nutmeg, cayenne, 2 teaspoons salt, and black pepper to taste and mix with a wooden spoon to make a paste. Cook, stirring, until the paste puffs slightly, about 3 minutes.


Slowly whisk in the milk, then add the thyme, bay leaves and lemon zest and bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened slightly, about 25 minutes. Strain into a bowl; discard the herbs.


Meanwhile, position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and add to the sauce.

Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring, until almost tender, about 4 minutes. Add the zucchini mixture to the pasta along with the egg yolks and all but 3 tablespoons of both cheeses; stir to combine, then add the spinach.


Transfer the mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and sprinkle with the reserved cheeses. Bake until browned on top and heated through, 25 to 30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.


The Verdict:
This was a big hit. I had my cousin over for dinner and she really liked it and even took some leftovers for her lunch. The total preparation and cook time was about an hour and a half. The sauce takes about a half hour to simmer and then you need about a half hour to bake the dish once it's prepared. I would not make this dish again during the week but since the Doc home on vacation, I was able to give my undivided attention to the kitchen!

I really thought the flavor was excellent and the boys had no idea they were eating zucchini! Next time I might even add some cooked chicken to the bake.

Eggs Florentine Get Wacky with Waffles

Eggs Florentine Get Wacky with Waffles is Rachael Ray's title, not mine! But this is something I have made a couple times now that and I wanted to share because it is really good, fast and the kids like it! This dish comes from her Yum-o cookbook.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 small onion, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 box frozen chopped spinach (10 ounces), defrosted and excess water squeezed out
A little freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chicken stock
4 frozen whole grain frozen waffles
4 slices Canadian bacon
8 eggs, beaten
A couple dashes of hot sauce (optional)
1 vine-ripe tomato, sliced into 4 pieces
1 cup grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese

The How To:
Pre-heat broiler to high. Set rack on second slotting from the top.

Place a medium size skillet over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO, about one tablespoon, and one tablespoon of butter.

Once the butter has melted, add the onion and garlic and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook, stirring every now and then, for 2-3 minutes or until the onion starts to get tender. Add the spinach, season with a little nutmeg and stir to combine.


Sprinkle the spinach with the flour, stir to combine and cook for one minute. Add the milk and chicken stock and bring up to a bubble and simmer until thick, about 3-4 minutes. Turn off and cover to keep warm.



While the spinach is thickening, toast up your frozen waffles.

Place a second large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO, about one tablespoon. Add the sliced Canadian bacon and cook on each side for 1-2 minutes until lightly browned, then remove and cover to keep warm. Return the skillet to medium-low heat and add the remaining tablespoon butter.

While the butter melts, beat the eggs with a splash of water, some salt, pepper and a couple of dashes of hot sauce. Add the eggs to the skillet with the melted butter and cook, while stirring, until desired doneness.

To serve, assemble the Canadian bacon on top of the toasted whole grain waffles, top with the spinach, followed by the eggs, sliced tomato and the cheese. Transfer to the broiler to melt the cheese, a couple of minutes, then serve.





The Verdict: David really like scrambled eggs and waffles so he really liked this dinner. I am not sure he cared much for the spinach but he at least tried it!


I make this as a dinner because generally I am too lazy in the morning, and if I want a fancy breakfast I prefer to go to Jac's and order their delicious french toast! I am the kind of person who loves to have breakfast for dinner. I also like it because it's quick and I generally have all the ingredients on hand. Tonight we substituted the canadian bacon for regular bacon and we used swiss cheese. I prefer the gruyère but it's much more expensive so we generally don't use it.

Pasta Carbonara

It is no secret that I am a HUGE fan of the Pioneer Woman. I have her cook book and swear by her website for recipes. Back a few months ago I tried out this recipe for Pasta Carbonara. It's from her friend Pastor Ryan, a contributor to her blog. We liked it but my execution needed some work so I wanted to try it out again and wouldn't you know, second time is a charm!

Ingredients:
1 pound Bacon Or Pancetta
1 pound Linguine Pasta
1 whole Large Onion
8 cloves (to 12 Cloves) Garlic
1 cup White Wine (or Substitute Another Cup Of Stock)
1 cup Chicken Stock
4 whole Eggs
1-½ cup Parmesan Cheese
1 bunch Parsley
½ sticks Butter
1 Tablespoon (to 2 Tablespoons) Black Pepper

The How To:
First, slice up 1 pound of bacon into pieces about one inch wide. Once they’re sliced, just toss your bacon pieces into a stainless steel pan. Cook until browned and crisp.


While the bacon’s cooking, set a pot of salted water (I use about 2 tablespoon of salt for a gallon of water) on the stove for our pasta. When it comes to a boil add your linguine and cook until al dente, tender-firm.

Next, chop your onion. When the bacon is cooked, scoop it out with a slotted spoon and set it onto a plate. Reserve the bacon grease! We still need that stuff. Throw the diced onions into the bacon grease. Give the onions a quick stir and let them cook down over a medium-high heat for a couple of minutes.


In the meantime, thinly slice the garlic. After the onions have cooked for a couple of minutes, throw in the garlic. Adding it after the onions have cooked a little will prevent the garlic from burning. After the onion and garlic have cooked for another couple of minutes, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. Discard the grease.

Place the pan back on high heat until it starts to smoke a little. As soon as the pan begins to smoke, pour in the white wine (or chicken stock). Whisk until pan is thoroughly deglazed and all of the brown bits have come off of the bottom of the pan. Add 1 cup of chicken stock. Return bacon, onion and garlic back to the pan. Let simmer over medium heat.

Crack four eggs into a large bowl. Add most of the Parmesan cheese, and rough chop the parsley, adding it into the eggs as well. Leave a little Parmesan and parsley out for a garnish.


Mix well with a fork.


Drain the water from your pasta. Be sure the pasta is very hot. Add the pasta to the egg mixture and then add the bacon/onion mixture. Finally throw a ½ stick (1/4 cup) of butter in there. Mix it all together well. Pepper to taste. Garnish with parmesan and parsley.


The Verdict:
Like I said above, the second time is a charm. I worked out the kinks the first time I made it and all I can say is YUM! It was good the first time but this time it was DELICIOUS! According to the Doc this one is a winner, which is pretty much the best compliment I could get from him! I would highly recommend this dish.

I served it with a salad and some crusty Italian bread. I also didn't have linguine on hand so I used bucatini instead. The key is to under cook the pasta just slightly before al dente!



For better pictures and a step by step process, click on the hyperlink above!