Food, Photography and Bon Mots
Elaine’s fettuccine alfredo. If it was good enough for Jackie Kennedy-Onassis, this fettuccine alfredo recipe is worth a try. (Kennedy-Onassis said it was “terrific, ” by the way.) As recipes go, this is a simple one. Like so many gourmet dishes, the magic is in…
Have you ever found that the cheese that comes bagged and pre-shredded in your supermarket performs differently in your recipes than cheese you’ve grated yourself? I have. According to articles I’ve read (including the KCET link below), pre-shredded cheese frequently contains additives that are not…
This savory pasta pie was featured on David Lebovitz’s blog yesterday. While I am looking far and wide for great recipes to try, I confess that I’m a Lebovitz “groupie.” If he posts it, it must be good. So, I gave this recipe a quick try. Wonderful.
All you have to do is look deeply into the pasta goodness of this dish–ribbons of spaghetti bound together by creamy cheese and eggs–to lose your heart to this dish.
Here is my adaptation of the Lebovitz recipe. The link to his blog and the original recipe appears at the end of this post.
Recipe: Spaghetti Pie
1 pound dried spaghetti
1 1/2 C. whole milk
3 large eggs (room temperature)
1 1/2 t. kosher salt
2 t. freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of read pepper
3/4 C. finely grated pecorino cheese
3 C. grated gruyere cheese
3 C. grated fontina cheese
Directions:
Grate cheeses. Set aside 1 cup of grated cheese.
Put dried spaghetti into a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil until spaghetti is al dente. When pasta is al dente, drain and cool.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Butter a springform pan and wrap the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Wrapping the bottom of the pan in foil protects you from any leaks from the springform pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together milk, room-temperature eggs, salt, black pepper and red pepper and grated cheese.
Stir slightly cooled spaghetti into the milk cheese mixture. Pour mixture into springform pan. Use your hand to smooth the top of the spaghetti mixture . Sprinkle with reserved grated cheese.
Set filled springform pan on a baking sheet and bake 30-35 minutes. The pie should be just set in the center. Turn on the broiler in your oven and brown the top of the pie. This will happen quickly, so be watchful. Remove from oven and run a sharp knife around the edge of the spaghetti pie. Let pie rest for another 10 minutes and then release the slide of the springform pan.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Here is the link to the original recipe and to David Lebovitz’ blog:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2016/02/spaghetti-pie-torte-recipe-cacio-e-pepe/
Are you a gastronaut? The Urban Dictionary defines a gastronaut as “a person who is willing to go to great lengths to find exotic and often bizarre foods to eat.” I don’t know about the bizarre part, but I confess that I’m a…
A couple of years ago, my friend Sarah took me to a charity lunch and they served a deep dish quiche that was both beautiful and delicious. I wanted to make my own deep dish quiche, so I combined a Martha Stewart filling recipe with…
The Wall Street Journal recently ran what I think is an excellent article on choosing and serving cheese. In addition to giving advice about pairing cheese with wine, the article includes some suggestions for cheese vendors. Here is the link:
One excellent cheese vendor not mentioned in the article is California’s Cowgirl Creamery. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed their artisanal cheeses. I’m particularly enamored with their triple-cream Mt. Tam. You can buy some of their cheeses at Whole Foods, but I’ve found Cowgirl’s on-line mail order service to be prompt and reliable. Their cheese collections make great holiday gifts, too.
