Oh hello, my dear blog! Long time no see. Roughly two months ago, I started a new job that involved a commute to a mysterious land called “the Peninsula” (that’s south of San Francisco, for you non-Bay Area folk). I spent 3 1/2 hours commuting on a good day and when there were delays, up to 5 hours a day. I was transferred to the San Francisco office a few weeks ago and I’m finally adjusting back to life as usual and getting into the habit of cooking on a daily basis – and of course, blogging! Much of what I’ve been cooking the last couple months are tried and true old favorites, but I’ve started to wipe the dust from my cookbooks and RSS reader again. I’ve had Turkish cuisine on my mind a lot lately, as Cory and I recently sown the seeds of planning a two-week trip to Turkey next April, and have started to dip my toes into exploring Turkish food. Those recipes will have to wait for another day, though.

Most of the cooking I do now is on Sundays, fresh from shopping for the week, when there is a seemingly endless amount of fresh produce at my disposal. I’ve been experimenting with making mini-feasts with mezzes, or pasta dishes when I don’t feel like cooking for three hours. Although fava beans can be a bit of a pain to prepare, I always look forward to fava bean seasonn. The nuttiness of fava beans lends well with pasta dishes. And it’s hard to go wrong when cooking with bacon and cheese!

Oh, and! Last Sunday was my 26th (!) birthday. I am generally not very big on birthday celebrations, but I am a fan of using my birthday as an excuse to eat whatever I like.

It’s true. Despite my love for Mediterranean food, what do I choose to eat on my birthday? Diner food and ice cream from Fentons Creamery in Oakland. Diner food is kind of my secret shame, but it’s also what I grew up eating. I suppose I won’t have to worry about splurging on diner food until Cory and I make the cross-country trek to the Midwest at the end of the summer. In any case, on with the pasta!

Pasta with Fava Beans, Kale, and Bacon
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4 slices bacon, cooked and cut into 1″ pieces (reserve 1 tablespoon bacon grease)
1 cup fava beans, shelled (that’s roughly 1 pound in the pod)
1 pound pasta of your choice (I used macaroni)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch of kale, stems removed and torn into small pieces
1/2 cup parmiggiano reggiano
salt & pepper, to taste

Prepare the pasta:
Fill a large pot with water and boil pasta according to package directions. Rinse and set aside.

Prepare the bacon:
In a large stockpot, cook bacon over medium-low heat. Once cooked, transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and drain. Once bacon has cooled, cut into 1″ pieces and set aside. Reserve about a tablespoon of bacon grease.

Prepare the fava beans:
Bring another large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, remove the beans from their pods. By now, the water should be boiling. Blanch the beans for about 2 minutes and drain in a colander. Rinse thoroughly with cold water. Peel off and discard the outer shell. Set the fava beans aside.

Bringing it all together:
Heat oil to a large pan (you may want to use a large pot, your pan may get very crowded). Once hot, add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the kale and cook until Cook until the cabbage has wilted, about 8-10 minutes. Once wilted, add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the kale and saute for 2-3, or just until the kale is beginning to wilt. Toss in the bacon, bacon grease, pasta, pasta, fava beans, parmiggiano reggiano, salt and pepper. Continue to saute until pasta is heated through. Serve immediately.

Serves 6

Try the recipe index for more ideas!

Related posts:

1. spaghetti with fava bean sauce
2. pasta with bacon, red cabbage, toasted walnuts, and rosemary
3. ham and walnut pasta

Mixed Seafood Pasta
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1 lb frozen & cooked mixed seafood (mine was a mix of baby octopus, squid rings, shrimp, mussel meat, and imitation crab meat)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 cup white wine
32-oz can of tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried oregano
red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, to taste
salt & pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 lb spaghetti or bucatini

Place seafood in a large bowl. Cover with water for 20 minutes and drain.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain, rinse, and set aside.

Add oil to a large stockpot over medium heat. When hot, add the shallots and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another or so seconds, until fragrant. Add the white wine to the pan, scraping up any brown bits, continue cooking until most of the white wine has been cooked off. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes or cayenne, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally. Season the sauce according to taste, adding more salt and pepper, if necessary. Stir in the basil, most of the parsley, and the seafood. Gently toss in the pasta and simmer for another 5-7 minutes, or until heated through. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the remaining parsley.

Serves 6

Try the recipe index for more ideas.

Related posts:

1. ham and walnut pasta
2. pasta with bacon, red cabbage, toasted walnuts, and rosemary
3. pasta with fava beans, kale, and bacon

Spaghetti with Fava Bean Sauce
(inspired by the fava bean puree from this NPR article)
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2.5 cups shelled fava beans (that’s roughly 2.5 pounds in the pod)
butter and olive oil
1 small onion, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, chopped
red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
salt & pepper
1.5-2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 lb spaghetti or bucatini

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, remove the beans from the pod and listen to an episode of This American Life to make time go by much quicker. By now, the water should be boiling. Blanch the beans for about 2 minutes and drain in a colander. Rinse thoroughly with cold water. Peel off and discard the outer shell. Set the bright-green beans aside.

Heat oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the onion and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, some salt, pepper, and cook for about 30 seconds. Add a cup of broth and the fava beans to the pan. Cook for a few minutes, stirring often. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Add salt, pepper, parmigiano reggiano, parsley, olive oil, a half cup of broth, and the fava bean and onion mixture to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. If the mixture is still too thick, add the remaining half cup of broth to the mixture and blend again. Add more salt and pepper, if necessary.

Serves 3-4

Not quite what you had in mind? Try the recipe index.

Related posts:

1. puréed fava bean soup
2. ful mudammas (egyptian fava bean breakfast)
3. green bean curry

Ham and Walnut Pasta
(adapted from Hapa Bento)
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8 oz spaghetti
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 lb ham, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped toasted
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
salt & pepper (optional, to taste)

- Cook pasta according to package instructions.

- Meanwhile, cook hamsteak according to package directions. Cool until it’s easy enough to handle, cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

- Heat olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. When hot, garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the walnuts and saute for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant. Add ham and cook until heated through.

- Drain pasta and mix in the ham mixture. Stir in parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Add salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.

Serves 2-4, or one Ponyo.

Not quite what you had in mind? Try the recipe index.

Related posts:

1. pasta with bacon, red cabbage, toasted walnuts, and rosemary
2. mixed seafood pasta
3. back to the basics: toasted walnut pesto

Tip: If you’re going to make a meatless version, I suggest you reduce the vodka and cream to 1/3 cup and leave out the fresh tomatoes unless you want a lot of sauce.

Penne with Vodka Sauce and Meat
(adapted from The Joy of Cooking)
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1 pound penne
1 onion, finely chopped
1 pound ground meat
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
5 tomatoes, chopped
1 28 oz can tomatoes, with their juices
1/2 c vodka
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/2 c heavy cream
12 leaves basil, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste
freshly grated parmesan

- In a large sauce pan, boil pasta in salted water according to package directions. Rinse, drain, and set aside.

- Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add onions and meat. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and drain most of the fat.

- Return the saucepan to the stove. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, vodka, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes.

- Give the sauce a taste. If the alcohol is too strong, cook a few minutes more. Stir in heavy cream, chopped basil, and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Toss sauce with pasta and serve with freshly grated parmesan.

Serves 6

Not quite what you had in mind? Try the recipe index or request a recipe.

Related posts:

1. back to the basics: tomato sauce
2. mixed seafood pasta
3. spaghetti with fava bean sauce