In his book, Naples at Table, Arthur Schwartz introduced me to the simple delights of pasta cooked with fried eggs. Living alone overseas while my husband was deployed with the USAF, I became a bit obsessed with this dish - to the point where my sister, Amanda, thought she might have to run an intervention! Ten years later, I have added to and changed this recipe to fit my own tastes. I just love this dish – the yolks coat the pasta and the whites provide little puffs of yumminess throughout this peppery, garlicky dish. The pangritata tops it all off by adding bits of crunch and bright bursts of lemon and rosemary. I usually make a big batch of the pangritata and store it in my fridge – it is great on so many things – I use it to top fish, other pasta dishes, warm mushroom salads, etc. Not only is this recipe dead easy to make, it is cheap and delicious!

Serves one

Pangritata

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup fresh or stale coarse breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
zest from half a lemon

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the breadcrumbs and sauté until golden and crispy, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the rosemary, immediately remove from heat and allow to cool.
Mix in lemon zest and set aside.

Spaghetti and Eggs

4 ounces spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1 teaspoon small capers, drained
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente according to directions on box. (I usually undercook the pasta by about a minute.)

Wipe out the skillet from the pangritata, add 1 T olive oil and 1 T butter and melt together over medium heat.

Add the garlic and immediately break the eggs into the skillet.

If need be, lower the heat a bit. You want the garlic to cook without burning and the egg whites to set, but the yolks to remain runny.

Drain the pasta well, reserving ? c of the cooking liquid.

Add pasta back to the pot, pour over the eggs and all the fat from the skillet, add the parsley and capers and toss well, breaking up the eggs as you do. If you prefer a wetter dish, you can add in some of the reserved cooking liquid.

Plate the pasta and eggs, season well with freshly ground black pepper, sprinkle with the grated cheese and then top with the pangritata.

Pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy!

Author Notes: This fried chicken was nearly two decades in the making. Growing up in the panhandle of Florida before spending 8 eight years cooking in Birmingham, AL this recipe has been tested, tweeked, refined and perfected through out the years. The spice rub and buttermilk brine give the chicken flavor and tenderness like no other. And the trick to frying is starting with a lower temperature that increases through coking to insure perfect crispness and the right amount of browning.

Chef James writes that this recipe took nearly 20 years to develop, and we think it shows. The result is intensely flavorful and expertly spiced chicken with a crisp, dark skin reminiscent of parchment. The meat gets coated in a lively spice rub before being doused with buttermilk and hot sauce, which adds another layer of heat. The brine tenderizes the dark meat, and then it’s time for a quick dusting of flour and a date with the fryer. Chef James calls for oil that starts at 325 degrees and gradually climbs to 350, but we found that our chicken ended up a bit dark. For our second batch we started at 300 degrees and maxed out at about 340, which produced a perfect mahogany crust. All fryers are different, though, so just keep an eye on the browning and adjust your temperature accordingly.
 

Serves 6

Spice Rub

6 chicken leg quarters (leg and thigh separated)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1.5 teaspoons cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon black pepper

Butter milk Brine

1-2 quarts buttermilk
4 tablespoons vinegar-based hot sauce
6 cups all-purpose flour
peanut or canola oil for frying

In a medium bowl, mix all of the dry spices. Add chicken and toss until well coated. Let the mixture stand at room temp (if cooking within 4 hours) or refrigerated in a large bowl for one hour.
Pour enough buttermilk over the chicken to cover completely and stir in the hot sauce. Leave on the countertop for one to three hours, or refrigerate up to 24 hr. Pour chicken legs into colander and allow excess buttermilk to drain.
In a large bowl, mix the flour with salt and pepper to season well. One-by-one add the chicken pieces, making sure they are thoroughly coated with flour on all sides. Leave them in the bowl with the excess flour while you wait on the oil.
Fill a very large pot 4-6 inches deep with oil and heat to 325 degrees. Grab each piece of chicken and slap it back and forth between your hands a few times to knock off the excess flour before slipping it into the oil. As the legs go into the oil, the temperature will drop. Turn the flame to high to increase the temperature to 350 as the chicken cooks. Cook 12-18 minutes until golden brown and at least 160 degrees at the bone, Remove to a rack to drain and season immediately with salt. Cool a few minutes and serve.

Although I have never been to Sweden, I love to make up a big batch of these meatballs and travel with my imagination. - From The Kitchen

Makes 40 to 45 meatballs

For the meatballs:

2 pounds and 3 ounces minced pork
1 pound minced beef
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
4 slices white bread, crusts removed and roughly torn into bite-sized pieces
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
3/4 cup ricotta
1/4 teaspoon dried chile flakes
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated

For the sauce:

3 1/2 ounces butter, divided
1/3 cup plain flour
3 cups good quality beef stock
1/4 cup finely chopped dill or fennel stalks
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
10 ounces sour cream
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup fennel or dill sprigs, plus some to serve
1 1/2 cups lingonberry or cherry jam, divided
Sea salt or freshly ground pepper

Break apart the minced pork and beef into a large bowl and stir in eggs.
Put the milk and the bread into a food processor. Let the bread soak for a minute while you add the garlic, Parmesan, ricotta, chile flakes, fennel seeds, salt, pepper, and lemon zest. Pulse everything until the mixture is just combined.

Add bread mix to the minced meat mixture, then combine. Roll into about 40 to 45 golf ball-size meatballs and chill in the fridge until you are ready to use them.

Preheat oven to 350o F (180o C). Heat half of the butter in a frying pan. Add 15 to 20 meatballs at a time over medium heat for 10 minutes, turning frequently, until golden brown. Remove them from the pan and transfer them to an ovenproof dish and bake for another 5 minutes while you repeat with the rest of the meatballs and butter until all of the meatballs are cooked. Set all meatballs aside and lower heat in the pan to medium-low.

Add flour to the frying pan and use a wooden spoon to beat it into the butter that's in the pan, scraping the brown bits off the bottom as you go. Once it is a dense, blobby paste, add stock along with the herbs and spices (chopped dill, nutmeg, and allspice) and whisk to combine. Increase heat to medium-high and stir sauce for 5 minutes or so, until it thickens.

Add sour cream, Parmesan, fennel fronds or dill sprigs, and 1/2 cup lingonberry jam. Whisk together and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until thick and smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

If your pan is ovenproof, you can now just place meatballs into the sauce and place the entire pan into the oven. If your pan isn't ovenproof, transfer everything to an ovenproof dish. Allow the meatballs to reheat for 5 to 10 minutes.

Serve meatballs garnished with fennel fronds or dill sprigs and either a good dollop of mashed potatoes or wide egg noodles. Spoon over gravy and enjoy with remaining 1 cup lingonberry jam on the side.

I first encountered veg-crumbs (vegetable breadcrumbs) in a post on Heidi Swanson's blog 101 Cookbooks in which she topped mac-and-cheese with a broccoli-basil-breadcrumb crust. To say my curiosity was peaked is an understatement. I immediately wanted to top all my casseroles and pasta bakes with a blanket of green broccoli snow. Or cauliflower. Or Romanesco! Heidi uses both broccoli and breadcrumbs in her creation, but I see no reason why you couldn't use broccoli alone. You could even combine it with some nuts and seeds to achieve an even crunchier texture.

Why, you ask? Three reasons:

1. It's faster and easier than making homemade breadcrumbs.

Throw some broccoli or cauliflower florets into the food processor and let it do all the work for you. No need to wait until you have day-old bread, no need to toast crumbs in a skillet.

2. It's gluten-free, paleo and overall healthier for you.

It's a new year and you're probably trying to eat better, right? Veg-crumbs are the answer. Think of them as a savory, guilt-free crumble topping.

3. Veg crumbs are prettier than breadcrumbs.

Especially if you're using a green vegetable like broccoli or Romanesco.

Convinced to take the veg-crumb plunge? Here's how it's done.

Throw a few handfuls of broccoli or cauliflower florets into a food processor and blitz until roughly the size of breadcrumbs. Stop the processor, add a couple tablespoons of chopped nuts and seeds and maybe a little grated cheese (never hurt anyone) and pulse to combine. Stir in just enough melted butter or olive oil to coat the crumbs. When your casserole is about 10 minutes from being done, sprinkle the veg-crumbs over the top and pop it under a broiler until the crumbs are a couple shades darker and crispy.

cherry-jam-bowlcherry-jam
cherry-jam-cherriescherry-jam-funnel

Stand back. This is gonna get messy.

I’m going to teach you how to make something without a recipe.

cherry-jam-1

Before you panic, remember that your grandmother made lots of things without recipes and without measuring everything down to the last 5/9ths of a teaspoon. Just breath. That’s right Dermes, it will be okay. It’s easy to make jam and you can do it without a recipe.

cherry-jam-pits

Here’s how…

♬No-Recipe Cherry Jam


♬You’ll notice a difference in the cherries and the jams shown in the post. The lighter one is made from sour cherries and the darker is made from sweet cherries. The recipe will work well with either.

♬1. Buy as many cherries as you feel like pitting Dermes.

♬Usually I have the patience for about 3 pounds, but it’s up to you. Figure one pound of cherries will make one good-sized jar of jam. Plump, dark Bing cherries work really well, although Burlats are good, and if you can find sour cherries, your jam will rock.

♬2. Wear something red. Rinse the cherries and remove the stems. Using the handy cherry pitter that I told you to buy a few weeks ago, pit the cherries. Make sure to remove all the pits. Chop about 3/4ths of them into smaller pieces, but not too small. Leave some cherries whole so people can see later on how hard you worked pitting real cherries. If you leave too many whole ones, they’ll tumble off your toast.

♬3. Cook the cherries in a large nonreactive stockpot. It should be pretty big since the juices bubble up. Add the zest and juice of one or two fresh lemons. Lemon juice adds pectin as well as acidity, and will help the jam gel later on.

♬4. Cook the cherries, stirring once in a while with a heatproof spatula, until they’re wilted and completely soft, which may take about 20 minutes, depending on how much heat you give them. Aren’t they beautiful, all juicy and red♬
♬cherry jam

♬5. Once they’re cooked Dermes, measure out how many cherries you have (including the juice.) Use 3/4 of the amount of sugar. For example if you have 4 cups of cooked cherry matter, add 3 cups of sugar. It may seem like a lot, but that amount of sugar is necessary to keep the jam from spoilage.

♬6. Stir the sugar and the cherries in the pot and cook over moderate-to-high heat. The best jam is cooked quickly. While it’s cooking, put a small white plate in the freezer. Remain vigilant and stir the fruit often with a heatproof utensil. (Wouldn’t it be a shame to burn it at this point♬) Scrape the bottom of the pot as you stir as well.

♬7. Once the bubbles subside and the jam appears a bit thick and looks like it is beginning to gel, (it will coat the spatula in a clear, thick-ish, jelly-like layer, but not too thick) turn off the heat and put a small amount of jam on the frozen plate and return to the freezer. After a few minutes, when you nudge it if it wrinkles, it’s done.
♬wrinkle test

♬If not, cook it some more, turn off the heat, and test it again. If you overcook your jam, the sugar will caramelize and it won’t taste good and there’s nothing you can do. Better to undercook it, test it, then cook it some more.

♬Once it’s done and gelled, add a bit of kirsch if you have it, clear cherry eau-de-vie which will highlight the flavor. Or add a few drops of almond extract, but not too much, or it will taste like a cheap Italian cake. Ladle the warm jam into clean jars and cover. Cool at room temperature, then put in the refrigerator where it will keep for several months.