Udon Pork Ragu

When my sister moved to California about a month ago, she cleaned out her pantry and I became the lucky recipient of dried pastas and noodles, oils and vinegars, and spices -- even saffron threads. Many of the noodles were Asian-style noodles like udon and soba, which I had never bought or cooked with before. I was excited to try some recipes with these new additions to my pantry.

This may sound strange, but I was flipping through my Williams-Sonoma catalog one evening, and I noticed a recipe for udon pork ragu. As I scanned through the ingredient list, I knew it was exactly what I wanted to make with all the udon noodles my sister left me.

The recipe calls for tons of heirloom tomatoes, which get cooked until they break down into a sauce. Pair that summery sauce with browned ground pork, fresh herbs, and chewy udon noodles, and you've got one spectacular dinner -- and lots of leftovers! (I only made half the recipe, and we still had tons!)

Udon Pork Ragu (adapted from Williams-Sonoma)

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork
1 yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 pounds heirloom tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch dice
Kosher salt
14 ounces udon noodles
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving

Preparation

In large skillet over medium-high heat, cook pork, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Add onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes.

Stir in garlic powder and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, season with salt, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until tomatoes start to break down, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare udon noodles according to package directions.

Uncover tomato mixture, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, 10 to 12 minutes.

Add prepared udon noodles to sauce, and stir to coat them with the sauce.

Transfer pasta to bowls, garnish with parsley and basil, and sprinkle the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top.

I loved finding a dish that incorporated not only the newly gifted udon noodles but tons of wonderful heirloom tomatoes -- one of the things I love most about summer. It also doesn't hurt that the dish is relatively quick to throw together and only takes two pans.

Have you ever cooked with udon noodles? What have you made?

Summer Squash Fritters

I know summer produce, as much as we love it and look forward to it, can sometimes get overwhelming, so it's good to have a bunch of ideas at the ready for ways to use it up -- and use it to its full potential -- before it goes bad or loses its luster. This is one of those really simple recipes for everyone who's overloaded with summer squash and zucchini (or people like me who just can't buy enough of them at the farmers' market) and looking for creative ways to use them.

Summer Squash Fritters (adapted from Food & Wine, August 2011)

Ingredients

1 medium summer squash (about 7 ounces), ends trimmed
1 medium zucchini (about 7 ounces), ends trimmed
1 small yellow onion, ends trimmed, peeled, and halved
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and black pepper
3/4 cup flour
Olive oil, for frying

Preparation

Set up food processor with shredding blade, and shred squash, zucchini, and onion. Transfer to a large bowl.

Stir in the garlic, ricotta, eggs, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Once combined, stir in the flour just until incorporated.

Line a large baking sheet with paper towels, and heat a layer of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Using a medium cookie scoop (1 1/2 tablespoon-capacity), add mounds of the batter to the skillet and use the back of the cookie scoop to carefully flatten and spread the mounds.

Fry the fritters for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown and crisp.

Transfer fritters to paper towels to drain, and lightly sprinkle them with kosher salt if desired. Repeat with remaining batter.

The fritters are best served hot, but they can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours.

They can also be refrigerated once cool and then rewarmed in the toaster oven (or in the oven or microwave). I rewarmed some the next morning to enjoy with eggs.

The fritters are both crisp and creamy and full of flavor from the garlic and lemon. (I used half the amount of lemon zest originally called for and still found the lemon to be the strongest flavor.)

What are some of your favorite squash and zucchini recipes?

Frikandel, The New Sausage Sandwich At Saus

Last Monday night I met up with Daisy, Erica, and Rachel at Saus. We had all been there before to gorge ourselves on crisp pommes frites; various, creative dipping sauces; liege waffles; and sweet dessert sauces, but this time we were there for something new. Answering customer requests for something more substantial to eat, the owners decided to add frikandel to the menu.

Frikandel is basically a deep-fried sausage/burger sandwich. It's a well-known Belgian street food that is typically made from processed meat, so the owners experimented with a lot of different recipes to avoid using processed meat until they came up with one that was tasty, homemade, and had flavors of the traditional sandwich. They offer the sandwich four ways, and we got to try all four.

But of course, first we started with a small cone of pommes frites, and the newest dipping sauce: andalouse. I can't remember everything in the andalouse sauce, but it was sort of a tomato-onion mayo.

After whetting our palates with some frites, we started in on the sandwiches. I decided to try the burger-style frikandel, which is topped with andalouse sauce, pickles, and chopped onions, first. I really enjoyed the pickles on this version and found myself thinking I would put pickles on every version. The sausage itself was crisp and well seasoned. And the bun was brushed with a thin layer of the andalouse sauce and then grilled.

Next, I went for a piece of the double cheddar sandwich. As with the other sandwich, the bun is brushed with a teeny bit of house-made mayo and then grilled. Next some shredded cheddar is sprinkled on the bun and the hot deep-fried sausage is placed on top (so the cheese melts) and coated with the cheddar Duvel ale sauce. (You may remember that this one was one of my favorite sauces during my first visit.)

I probably don't even have to tell you how good this sandwich was... especially if you love cheeseburgers. It reminded me how much I liked the cheddar Duvel ale sauce.

Next, I went a little out of my comfort zone and tried the spicy sandwich. This one comes topped with ole chipotle sauce and spicy jalapenos. I picked the jalapenos off my piece of the sandwich (and Daisy gladly added the extras to hers). This left the sandwich with just enough of a kick for me, a more subtle spiciness.

We saved the most traditional sandwich for last. The toppings on the speciaal are typical of what you would find in Belgium: curry ketchup, mayo, and chopped onions. I'm not a huge fan of curry, so this one made me a little nervous, but the curry component of the ketchup is not overpowering, and I enjoyed this sandwich as well.

I highly recommend all four versions of the sandwich, and I'm already planning to stop in there next time Jeff and I head to a Bruins game so he can try the double cheddar version. I love that Saus is slowly adding new items to the menu, making sure to test, try, and re-try everything to keep it as traditional as possible and make it as delicious as possible.

And speaking of delicious menu items, we couldn't leave without sharing a waffle. We had all four dessert sauces (homemade Nutella, salted caramel, berry berry, and lemon cream) with the waffle. I wish I had pictures to show you, but we all dug in without thinking about it!

Our food was complimentary, but as always, my opinions are my own. A huge thank you to Renee and Chin for inviting us in and preparing such great food for us to sample.

Have you been to Saus yet? What's your favorite thing to order there?

Deconstructed Eggplant Parmesan

I've never made deconstructed anything before -- at least not intentionally. But I had plans to make eggplant parmesan at the same time a recipe for deconstructed eggplant parmesan showed up on NYTimes.com, so I figured I'd give it a whirl.

A deconstructed dish typically takes all of the elements of the original dish apart and puts them together in a new way. With that in mind, I made some changes to the NYTimes.com recipe -- the main one being that I didn't use any ricotta because I never use ricotta when I make eggplant parmesan. It seemed like an odd addition. I would use ricotta in lasagna but not in my chicken or eggplant parmesan. The other changes had more to do with the cooking method or ingredients I happened to have available.

Deconstructed Eggplant Parmesan (adapted from NYTimes.com)

Ingredients

1 large eggplant, sliced in 1/4-inch thick rounds
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
Black pepper
Olive oil for frying (about 3/4 cup)
5 garlic cloves
1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes, diced
4 sprigs oregano
3 sprigs basil, plus extra leaves for garnish
5 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1/4 cup panko
Shredded mozzarella, for topping

Preparation

Season the eggplant slices with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and place them in a colander set over a bowl. Let stand 10 minutes, then pat dry with a paper towel, and season with salt and pepper.

Working in batches, heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add as much eggplant as will fit in the skillet in one layer, and cook for 4 minutes. Flip the eggplant slices, and cook them for another 3 to 4 minutes, until dark golden brown. Transfer slices to a paper towel-lined plate, and repeat with remaining eggplant slices, adding more oil as necessary.

Reduce heat to medium and add or remove some oil until there's about 3 tablespoons in the skillet.

Smash and peel 4 garlic cloves, and add them to the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown.

Carefully add the tomatoes. (The oil may sputter a little.) Then add the oregano, and cook for 10 minutes.

Stir in the basil sprigs and 4 tablespoons of the Parmesan. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

While the sauce simmers (or while the eggplant is frying if you like multitasking), in a small skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mince 1 garlic clove, and add the garlic to the skillet along with the panko. Toast until panko is golden brown, stirring frequently. Turn off heat, and stir in 1 tablespoon Parmesan and a pinch of salt.

Remove the oregano and basil sprigs and smashed garlic from the sauce.

Arrange the eggplant on a platter (or on plates to make individual servings), and top with the sauce. Toss the panko mixture and then some mozzarella on top, and garnish with basil.

I actually planned to make the eggplant parmesan to bring for lunch at work, so I ended up taking the deconstructed elements and building them into stacks in my lunch containers.

Have you made a deconstructed version of anything?

Red Bell Pepper Gnocchi With Red Bell Pepper-Tomato Sauce

When we went to DePasquale's Homemade Pasta Shoppe in Boston's North End on the Bertolli tour, I picked out a package of red bell pepper gnocchi to bring home. I figured it would make a quick meal for Jeff and me one evening.

I had asked the woman at the pasta shop what sort of sauce she would make to go with the gnocchi, and she suggested sauteeing red bell peppers and doing a tomato or cream sauce, so that's just what I did.

Red Bell Pepper Gnocchi With Red Bell Pepper-Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut in thin 1-inch long pieces
1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 large basil leaves, torn
1 package red bell pepper gnocchi from DePasquale's Homemade Pasta Shoppe

Preparation

Put a pot of salted water on to boil for the gnocchi.

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil, and then add onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in the garlic slices, and cook for 1 minute.

Add the bell pepper slices, and cook just until peppers start to soften, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the plum tomatoes, tomato paste, and basil.

Let sauce simmer for about 10 minutes, or until it thickens.

While the sauce is simmering, cook the gnocchi according to package instructions.

Stir some of the sauce into the gnocchi, plate, and serve. (You may have leftover sauce.)

I really loved the way the sauce came out, and I thought the gnocchi was so good. I do wish I had tried a piece of gnocchi before coating it in sauce though because once it was covered in the bell pepper sauce, it was hard to tell how much bell pepper flavor the gnocchi itself had.

I had some of the red bell pepper-tomato sauce leftover and decided to use it for another pasta dish the next night. I cooked some Italian sausage and then added the sauce to the pan, and let it simmer while I cooked some mini farfalle. I stirred the mini farfalle and some mozzarella cheese into the sauce and created a completely different meal for us than we had the night before. It reminded me of a sort of stove-top baked ziti.

What's your favorite pasta shape?

I love just about anything besides spaghetti (thin spaghetti is okay though) and wagon wheels. Mafalde, orecchiette, and pappardelle are some of my favorites, but the list just goes on and on!