The Best Garlic Bread

 Garlic Bread

The Best Garlic Bread.  Crusty on the outside, soft in the middle and drenched in verdant butter, this garlic bread has no equal. It makes a little more garlic butter than you need, but you can use it to top broiled fish or baked potatoes. To save energy, throw the garlic in when you’re already using the oven for something else.

Ingredients:
2 heads garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp (1 mL) finely grated garlic
1/4 cup (60 mL) chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt to taste
1 white baguette, cut in half horizontally
Finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano for serving
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).

Cut a layer off the top of garlic heads, just enough to expose the tops of cloves. Place in a square of foil. Brush tops generously with oil. Wrap tightly and place on a small baking pan. Bake on the middle rack until very soft, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, carefully open the foil and cool completely.

Squeeze garlic out of papery husks and place in a food processor with butter, grated garlic, parsley and salt. Pulse, stopping to scrape down the bowl several times, until smooth. Transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before using.

 Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C).

Place baguette halves, cut-sides up, on a parchment-paper-lined baking tray. Spread generously with garlic butter, laying it on thick and going right to edges. Save rest for another use.

Bake on the middle rack until golden brown at edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle very lightly with cheese. Cut into pieces and serve immediately.   Serves 6 to 8

Pasta Cacio e Uova (Neapolitan Pasta With Eggs and Cheese)

Pasta Cacio e Uova 

Neopolitan Pasta With Eggs And Cheese

Why It Works:  Throwing an additional yolk in with the whole eggs increases the overall creaminess without exaggerating the egginess.

The hot pasta cooking water and the residual heat from the toasted pasta indirectly and gently cooks the eggs without scrambling them. Just a little garlic gives flavor depth to this quick and simple dish.With constant stirring and tossing, the eggs tighten up just enough to form a silky sauce. I like to finish the dish with a handful of chopped parsley for a little freshness to cut through the richness of the eggs and cheese. Next time you're out of guanciale or pancetta, but in the mood for carbonara, don't despair! Make cas' e ova instead.

Ingredients:

2 large eggs (110g), plus 1 large egg yolk (15g)
2 ounces (60g) finely grated Pecorino Romano
2 ounces (60g) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, extra-virgin olive oil, or lard 
2 medium garlic cloves (10g), lightly crushed
Kosher salt
12 ounces (340g) dried small tubular pasta such as tubetti, mezze maniche, maccheroncini, or mezzi rigatoni (see note)
1 loosely packed cup (1/2 ounce; 15g) fresh parsley leaves and tender stems, finely chopped (optional)

Directions:
In a large heatproof mixing bowl, whisk together whole eggs and yolk, Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and black pepper. Set aside.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring and turning cloves occasionally, until garlic begins to soften and turn pale golden, about 3 minutes. Turn off heat.

Meanwhile, in a pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente. Right before pasta finishes cooking, remove garlic cloves from skillet and discard. Using a spider skimmer, transfer pasta to skillet; be sure not to drain boiling pasta cooking water, and reduce heat to a simmer.

Stir and toss pasta rapidly in skillet to evenly coat with butter, then transfer to bowl with egg-cheese mixture, using a rubber spatula to scrape all of the butter into the bowl. Add 3/4 cup (180ml) of reserved pasta cooking water to bowl, and stir to thoroughly combine.

Set bowl over pot of simmering pasta cooking water (making sure bottom of bowl does not touch water) and cook, stirring and scraping down sides of bowl constantly with a rubber spatula, until sauce thickens to a creamy, silky consistency and leaves trails as you stir, about 1 minute, adding more pasta cooking water in 1 tablespoon (15ml) increments as needed to adjust consistency of the sauce.

Remove bowl from heat, add parsley (if using), and stir to combine. Season with salt to taste. Divide between warmed serving bowls, and serve.

Pasta Primavera With Asparagus And Peas

Pasta Primavera With Asparagus And Peas

 

Ingredients:
¼ pound sugar snap peas, stems trimmed
½ pound asparagus, ends snapped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup fresh English peas
¼ cup thinly sliced spring onion, white part only (or use shallot)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, more as needed
Black pepper, more as needed
12 ounces fettuccine or tagliatelle, preferably fresh 
⅔ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, at room temperature
½ cup crème fraîche or whole milk Greek yogurt, at room temperature
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon

Directions:
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.

While the water is coming to a boil, slice snap peas and asparagus stems into 1/4-inch-thick pieces; leave asparagus tips whole.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add snap peas, asparagus, English peas and onion. Cook until vegetables are barely tender (but not too soft or mushy), 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute more. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

Drop pasta into boiling water and cook until al dente (1 to 3 minutes for fresh pasta, more for dried pasta). Drain well and transfer pasta to a large bowl. Immediately toss pasta with vegetables, Parmigiano-Reggiano, crème fraîche and herbs. Season generously with salt and pepper, if needed.

White Asparagus And Crab Souffle

White Asparagus And Crab Souffle

White asparagus is an expensive treat. It’s less assertively flavored than green, and shouldn’t be fussed with too much. Use true Parmigiano-Reggiano here, and look for high-quality lump crabmeat in the refrigerator section rather than purchasing the stuff in shelf-stable cans. Serve alone as a first course or as a main alongside a delicate green salad.

Ingredients:
4 oz lump crabmeat, drained
½ lb white asparagus stalks peeled
Pinch finely grated black pepper
¼ tsp salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter
Fine bread crumbs
2½ oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup warm whole milk
3 large eggs, separated

Directions:

1. Using your fingers, shred the crabmeat while picking over for bits of shell. Set aside.

2. Cut the asparagus into 2-inch lengths. Cook in boiling salted water until tender, 6 to 9 minutes, depending on thickness. Drain and dry on paper towel. Purée, along with the pepper and salt, in a food processor; reserve.

3. Preheat oven to 375°F

4. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; remove from stovetop. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the inside of a 6-cup soufflé dish with butter. Coat dish with a thin layer of bread crumbs.

5. Measure a scant ¼ cup of the Parmigiano and set aside for the top of the soufflé.

6. Return butter to medium heat and sprinkle flour over; stir to combine. Cook until very lightly golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk, a little at a time. Once smooth, let boil 2 minutes longer, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, whisk in egg yolks, the larger measure of the Parmigiano, then asparagus purée. Stir in reserved crab; set aside.

7. In a large clean bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Stir about one-quarter of egg whites into asparagus mixture. Carefully fold in remaining egg whites using a rubber spatula. Scrape into prepared dish, sprinkle with remaining Parmigiano and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Serves 4 to 6  
Serve with Sauvignon Blanc or Reisling wine.