With Oral Fixation, I hope to provide a repository of recipes, tips, reviews, and thoughts that help make good food accessible to everyone.
I tag/label my entries with relevant clues to the subject: the preceding entry, for example, was tagged with ingredients ("bacon"), cuisines ("Italian"), and references ("Bittman"). By clicking on a label (the full list of labels is on the left side of the screen), you will be provided with a list of all other entries that share the label. (For example, if you're looking for an asparagus recipe, click the "asparagus" label to be linked to all asparagus recipes in the blog.) Other labels may occasionally be assigned, like "cookware" or "Alton Brown."
Generally speaking, the food habits of America are in a deplorable state: we're terrified of fat, calories, hydrogenated oils, pesticides, genetic modifications, Mad Cow, e. coli, salmonella; yet the consumption of crap is at an all-time high. To counter this, many companies have now come out with additional crappy foods to keep you "regular." These foods (yogurts, cheeses, even juices) do the marginally easy job of keeping your bowels flowing predictably when the food we eat just won't cut it.
Cooking* doesn't have to be difficult, expensive, or time-consuming. In fact, it can help you unwind after a long day. Cooking at home can save you money, and oftentimes you can feed a family of two or three for the cost of one plate at a mid-grade restaurant. Finally, cooking can and will change your relationship with food for the better. It's a sensual, intuitive process that connects you to your ingredients and your tools. The pleasure of watching a meal come together and later be enjoyed by the people you love (or just yourself) is a sadly underrated one.
So experiment. Enjoy. Expose yourself to new flavors, scents, and textures. The more you know, the better you'll get. Life's too short to eat crap.
-Alex
Please send questions, comments, whatever to: alexinthegreenroom@gmail.com with "Oral Fixation" in the subject line.
*Please note that the author's personal definition of "cooking" generally does not involve a Crock-Pot.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Pasta With Onion and Bacon (Linguine all'Amatriciana)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped pancetta or good bacon
1 small onion, minced
1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes, drained
1 pound linguine, spaghetti, fettuccine, or other long pasta
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
Minced fresh parsley leaves
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Place the oil and bacon or pancetta in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the meat becomes crisp, about 10 minutes.
3. When the meat is done, remove it with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it browns. Turn off the heat for a minute (this will reduce the spattering when you add the tomatoes).
4. Crush the tomatoes with a fork or your hands [The editor strongly recommends using your hands for maximum kinesthetic pleasure] and add them to the pan. Turn the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the mixture becomes saucy, about 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, salt the boiling water and cook the pasta until it is tender but firm. Drain it, toss it with the sauce, and top with the reserved bacon, the Parmesan, and the parsley. Serve, passing additional Parmesan at the table.
-From Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, 1998
So a good majority of America was raised on Prego-slathered spaghetti and frozen meatballs, no? I'm not saying all of us were, but they are out there. At first, this recipe may appear a little disarming. When it is finished, the pasta-to-sauce ratio weighs in at about 3-to-1. Those of us who are used to the aforementioned Pasta alla Sauce may be tempted to dress up the finished product with additional tomatoes or olive oil. But heed my cautionary call of "STOP!" This is a traditional, Italian-style pasta recipe, and we must give it the respect it is due.
Taste it first and make your own decision. The fat of the bacon and olive oil coats the pasta in a pleasant, understated way. The high-pH sweetness of the tomatoes enhances the salty crisp of the bacon (and this recipe calls for a good amount; the bacon becomes a pleasant surprise instead of an every-forkful occurance), and the onion provides an appropriate, muted backdrop.
Moral of the story: resist the primal urge to douse your pasta with gallons of puréed, fructosed "tomatoes." Give each ingredient the opportunity to shine on its own. In my opinion, one food should never be merely a vessel for another. That's what forks are for.
-Alex
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped pancetta or good bacon
1 small onion, minced
1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes, drained
1 pound linguine, spaghetti, fettuccine, or other long pasta
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
Minced fresh parsley leaves
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Place the oil and bacon or pancetta in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the meat becomes crisp, about 10 minutes.
3. When the meat is done, remove it with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it browns. Turn off the heat for a minute (this will reduce the spattering when you add the tomatoes).
4. Crush the tomatoes with a fork or your hands [The editor strongly recommends using your hands for maximum kinesthetic pleasure] and add them to the pan. Turn the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the mixture becomes saucy, about 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, salt the boiling water and cook the pasta until it is tender but firm. Drain it, toss it with the sauce, and top with the reserved bacon, the Parmesan, and the parsley. Serve, passing additional Parmesan at the table.
-From Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, 1998
So a good majority of America was raised on Prego-slathered spaghetti and frozen meatballs, no? I'm not saying all of us were, but they are out there. At first, this recipe may appear a little disarming. When it is finished, the pasta-to-sauce ratio weighs in at about 3-to-1. Those of us who are used to the aforementioned Pasta alla Sauce may be tempted to dress up the finished product with additional tomatoes or olive oil. But heed my cautionary call of "STOP!" This is a traditional, Italian-style pasta recipe, and we must give it the respect it is due.
Taste it first and make your own decision. The fat of the bacon and olive oil coats the pasta in a pleasant, understated way. The high-pH sweetness of the tomatoes enhances the salty crisp of the bacon (and this recipe calls for a good amount; the bacon becomes a pleasant surprise instead of an every-forkful occurance), and the onion provides an appropriate, muted backdrop.
Moral of the story: resist the primal urge to douse your pasta with gallons of puréed, fructosed "tomatoes." Give each ingredient the opportunity to shine on its own. In my opinion, one food should never be merely a vessel for another. That's what forks are for.
-Alex
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
