Fusilli Carbonara

Pasta + bacon + egg + leeks + 15 minutes = happy me.

And really, can you blame me for that? A bowl of hearty, filling comfort food (did I mention the bacon and eggs?) in about as much time as it takes to cook a pot of pasta. I even splurged a bit and got some Niman Ranch uncured applewood smoked bacon for this... out of this world. The leeks add a mild sweet onion flavor that complements the saltiness of the bacon very well.



Recipe: Orrechiette Carbonara (Bon Appétit, April 2008)

Grilled cheese with onion jam, Emmentaler, and escarole

Got this recipe out of February's issue of Gourmet, and I have to say, it's a nice way to make grilled cheese into something a bit out of the ordinary.

I didn't see Taleggio cheese at Fresh Market, so I got a little brick of French Emmentaler instead. It doesn't have as strong of a flavor as the Taleggio would have had, so I tried to go light on the onion jam so the cheese wouldn't be completely overpowered. Of course, I'm addicted to the jam anyway, so there could have been no cheese at all and I probably still would have been happy (Stonewall Kitchen Roasted Garlic Onion Jam, for those who are curious). The sweetness of the jam, the nuttiness of the cheese, the bitterness from the escarole, the slight tang from the sourdough bread... everything balanced well.

Recipe: Grilled Cheese with Onion Jam, Taleggio, and Escarole (Gourmet magazine, February 2008)