Welcome back!  Today, we have a great recipe for a homemade pasta sauce: Pesto! Pesto is a wonderful green sauce hailing from Genoa in the north of Italy, with its iconic blend of basil and pine nuts. It's something that you can really just enjoy with some good pasta by itself, or combined in part of a larger meal. The name pesto  actually just comes from the word "to pound" (think like a pestle with a mortar), as traditionally the nuts and garlic and pounded in a pestle. Perhaps doing so is more traditional and fun, but there's nothing wrong with using a food processor like we did. Homemade Pesto Ingredients: 2 packed cups (60 grams) basil 1/4 to 1/2 cup pine nuts (you can substitute for cashews) 2 small cloves garlic, minced 3/4 cups extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (35 grams) Parmesan cheese, grated Directions: Wash the basil and dry with a paper/dish towel. Remove the stems. In the oven, lightly toast the nuts at 300°F for 8-...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a delicious recipe for a Northeastern classic: the Lobster Roll! These sandwiches are a great way to enjoy lobster by putting it in a convenient-to-eat dish that really highlights the flavor of the star ingredient. There are actually two main types of lobster rolls: one from Maine and one from Connecticut, featuring two types of lobster preparation. The Maine variation dresses the lobster in just mayo while the Connecticut one uses melted butter; we, on the other hand, decided to incorporate both into our recipe - and it tastes great! Lobster Roll Makes about 4 lobster rolls Ingredients: 1 pound lobster tails 2 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup mayo 1/4 cup celery, chopped 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon chives, chopped A pinch salt A pinch ground black pepper 4 brioche hot dog buns Directions: In a bowl, mix the mayo, celery, lemon juice, chives, salt, and black pepper. Cook the lobster tails by steaming. You want to cook about one minute per ounce; ea...

Welcome back!  Today, we have the final of our four Roman pastas: Pasta all'Amatriciana! This pasta is actually named after its origin near Rome, in Amatrice, though it is widely found in Rome now with some slight variations. With the addition of tomato, this dish certainly stands out from the other three Roman pastas in terms of color and flavor. This sauce is also the one that sees the most variation from recipe to recipe, many give it a twist that start to turn the sauce into something of a classic  pomodoro  sauce. However, the addition of ingredients like garlic and white wine do still serve to enhance the dish, even if it is a little less traditional. Pasta all'Amatriciana Makes about 4 servings Ingredients: 12 ounces pasta (we used bucatini, which is most commonly used in Rome) 3-4 ounces guanciale 1 1/2 ounces grams Pecorino Romano 28 ounces (about 2 containers) canned/crushed tomatoes 3 tablespoons white wine 1 clove garlic 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/2 teas...

Welcome back!  Today, we have the third recipe in our series of the Four Roman Pastas: Pasta Carbonara! This is probably the most popular of the four, and it's no surprise, because this dish is the perfect comfort food: flavorful, rich, and creamy. The sauce may remind you of something like alfredo sauce, but the difference could not be larger: modern Alfredo sauce is largely based on cream, while the body of carbonara sauce is actually egg!  Pasta Carbonara Makes about 4 servings Ingredients: 12 ounces spaghetti (or any other pasta, but spaghetti is traditionally used) 2 whole eggs 2 egg yolks 2 ounces Pecorino Romano, finely grated 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 ounces guanciale You'll also need some pasta water, probably around a cup Directions: In a bowl, beat the whole eggs and egg yolks together. Add in the Pecorino Romano and black pepper and mix it all together.  In a pan, saute the guanciale in the olive oil until crispy, for ...

Welcome back!  Today, we have the second in our series on the four Roman pastas: Pasta alla Gricia! This builds off of the concepts found in the Cacio e Pepe, this time introducing a new ingredient, guanciale, or cured pork jowl. This fatty cut is where this sauce gets its richness from, as the oils derived from the meat is what everything is eventually cooked in. You might also see this called "carbonara without egg", which may be technically true, but doesn't really capture the differences of the dishes. Pasta alla Gricia Makes about 4 servings Ingredients: 12 ounces pasta (we used rigatoni, spaghetti is also used) 6 ounces guanciale 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 3 ounces Pecorino Romano, grated Don't forget to save some pasta water, about 1/2 to 1 cup. Directions: In a pan, cook the guanciale in the olive oil for about 5 minutes, until crispy. Once done, take the pan off the heat and remove the guanciale, but save the oil/fat. Crush the black p...

Welcome back!  Today, we have the first in the series of four Roman pastas: Cacio e Pepe! Cacio e pepe is an amazingly simple yet flavorful pasta that we will use to introduce the common techniques found in these four pastas. The sauce is really just comprised of a few things: black pepper, cheese - specifically Pecorino Romano - and an oil to cook the pepper in. Because of the simplicity, it's important to use good ingredients and not cut corners in order to take it to the next level (instead of just being like a glorified mac and cheese). Cacio e Pepe Makes about 4 servings Ingredients: 12 ounces pasta (tonnarelli is traditionally used) 4 tablespoons butter (or olive oil, or even a combination of the two) 1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (use whole peppercorns) 3 ounces Pecorino Romano, grated Don't forget to save some pasta water! You'll need about 1/2 of a cup. Directions: In a pan, toast the the whole black peppercorns. Once the pepper flavor comes out, take this off the he...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a quick recipe to enhance something very simple: corn! This method of preparing corn is inspired by the viral dish, "corn ribs", but it's really not anything too complicated, consisting primarily of just a seasoning rub over the corn. The interesting component to this dish is how the corn sort of curls when cooked because of being quartered the way it is.  Oven-Baked Spiced Corn Ingredients: 2 ears corn 1 tablespoon melted butter/oil 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon salt Pinch of cayenne (optional) Directions: Cut the corn into quarters to create four long strips. This will be easier if you cut the corn in half first, giving you eight shorter strips. Mix the melted butter/oil, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and cayenne together in a bowl. Rub this mixture on the corn. Bake in the oven at 425°F for 10-12 minutes. For an oven like ours with an air-fry setting, you could air-fry it at 400°F for about 10 minutes. Honestly...