Veal stew with vinegar and green beans

This dish is a takeoff on Marcella Hazan's lamb stew with vinegar and green beans. I made the substitution after buying humanely raised stewing veal from a nice man at the Roslindale farmer's market, and damned if it wasn't some of the best, most flavorful meat I've ever had. When I sauteed the onion, I threw in some lovely green garlic from the farm as well. Nutty brown rice was the perfect foil for the tangy, juicy meat.

1 pound fresh green beans
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 pounds stewing veal or lamb, cut into cubes
1 medium onion
salt and black pepper
1/2 cup good red wine vinegar

1. Snap the ends off the green beans, wash them in cold water and set aside. Chop the onion.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot on medium high and slip in as many pieces of meat as will fit loosely without crowding. Brown the meat deeply on all sides, then transfer to a plate and repeat.

3. When all the meat is browned and set aside, put the onion in the pot and cook, stirring, until it turns pale gold. Return the meat to the pot and add salt, pepper and the vinegar. Bring the vinegar to a brisk simmer for 30 seconds, turning the meat and scraping loose brown bits from the pan with a wooden spoon. Turn the heat down to cook at a slow simmer, add the green beans with a little more salt and pepper, and cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar.

4. Cook for about 1 1/2 hours until the meat is very tender, then serve. The juices in the pot should be sufficient, but if you find they are drying up, replenish with 2-3 T. water. At the end, the only liquid remaining in the pot should be the oil and natural cooking juices.

Spaghetti carbonara

Spaghetti carbonara was my favorite food when I was little, and it's easy to see why. Cheesy pasta flecked with bacon is like ambrosia to little-kid palates, and probably yours as well. I highly recommend this dish for parents. Both you and your kids will love it, and it takes 20 minutes from start to finish. As you may know, the sauce comes from eggs, not cream.

Adapted from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking:

1. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Meanwhile, cut 8 ounces of guanciale, pancetta or slab bacon into 1/4-inch slices. Smash and peel four garlic cloves. Grate 1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano and 1/4 cup romano plus extra for serving. Finely dice 2 T. Italian flat-leaf parsley.

2. When the water is boiling, add a pound of spaghetti and cook al dente (about 9 minutes). While the pasta cooks, heat 3 T. olive oil over medium high and saute the garlic cloves until they are deep gold, then remove the cloves from the pan. Add the chopped meat and saute until its edges begin to crisp. Add 1/2 cup white wine to the pan, cook 1-2 more minutes and turn off the heat.

3. Crack two eggs into the large bowl you will use to serve the pasta. Beat lightly, then add the parsley, the two cheeses, salt and pepper and mix well. When the spaghetti is done, drain, add the the pasta to the bowl, and toss well. You may want to reserve a small amount of the cooking water to add in case the mixture is a bit dry. Now add the contents of the bacon pan to the bowl and toss once more. Serve with extra grated cheese and black pepper.

Bucatini all'Amatriciana

This is my first foray into my newest cookbook, Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. I've learned a lot about cooking already from reading this excellent book. Hazan has very specific ideas about how things should be done in the kitchen. I particularly love this passage on making pasta:

"In the sequence of steps that lead to producing a dish of pasta and getting it to the table, none is more important than tossing. Up until the time you toss, pasta and sauce are two separate entities. Tossing bridges the separation and makes them one. The oil or butter must coat every strand thoroughly and evenly, reach into every crevice, and with it carry the flavors of the components of the sauce. When you add the sauce, toss rapidly, using a fork and spoon or two forks, bringing the pasta up from the bottom of the bowl, separating it, lifting it, dropping it, turning it over, swirling it around and around.

Once the pasta is sauced, serve it promptly, inviting your guests and family to put off talking and start eating. The point to remember is that from the moment the pasta is done, there should be no pauses in the sequence of draining, saucing, serving and eating."

My Amatriciana sauce was immeasurably enhanced by South End Formaggio's house-cured pancetta, bursting with the flavors of fine pork, pepper and white wine.

-2 T. olive oil
-1 T. butter
-1 medium onion, chopped fine
-a 1/4 inch thick slice of pancetta, cut into thin strips 1/2 inch wide and 1 inch long
-1 1/2 cups canned imported plum tomatoes, drained and cut up
-chopped red hot chilli pepper
-salt
-3 T. freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
-2 T. freshly grated romano cheese
-1 pound bucatini

1. Put the oil, butter and onion in a saucepan and turn on the heat to medium. Saute the onion until it turns pale gold, then add the pancetta. Cook for 1 minute, stirring once or twice, and splash in some white wine if you like. Add the tomatoes, chilli pepper and salt, and cook in the uncovered pan at a steady, gentle simmer for 25 minutes. Taste and correct for salt and hot pepper.

2. Cook the pasta al dente, then drain and immediately toss with the sauce. Add both cheeses and toss thoroughly again. Feeds 4.

Shrimp scampi

Even though about five people read it, I had been updating this blog every day like a good blogger. I fell off the wagon a month ago after my trip to Portland, Oregon, where I ate such delicious foods at each meal that I became overwhelmed by the prospect of documenting them. I still plan to do so without too much more delay, but today I'll ease back into posting with something simple. Even people who don't cook should learn to make this dish. It's a universal pleaser, and hardly anything could be easier.

1. Cook a pound of spaghetti al dente in lots of heavily salted water and drain, reserving a little of the pasta water. Meanwhile, peel and devein a pound of shrimp and sprinkle with salt.

2. Peel and chop half a head of garlic and half a bunch of Italian parsley. Heat a swirl of olive oil and a large knob of butter in a large saute pan, then add the garlic, half the parsley and a bit of salt. Saute until it releases its aroma, being careful not to burn. Turn the heat down to medium-low, add the shrimp and a dash of white wine and saute until just pink. Squeeze with the juice of half a lemon.

3. Add the pasta to the pan, tossing well and moistening with reserved pasta water if needed. Stir in the rest of the parsley and a generous dash of red pepper flakes and serve.

Sandy's spaghetti

Ever since my friend Sandy posted this recipe on her own blog, it's become a weeknight classic for us. No health food, this, but it is quick and addictive with notes of sharp romano cheese, fresh basil and the rich umami goodness of anchovies and bacon. I find this serves three — two for dinner and one lunch the next day.

1. Boil a pound of spaghetti al dente, drain and reserve a little of the cooking water. Meanwhile, peel a whole head of garlic and pulse it the food processor with a small jar of anchovy fillets and its oil.

2. Dice four strips of bacon, sprinkle with red pepper flakes and saute until crisp. If it releases excessive fat, spoon some off. Lower the heat, add the garlic and anchovy paste and cook a few minutes until the garlic browns.

3. Now stir in the spaghetti and a bit of the cooking water to help it all meld. Serve topped with grated romano and fresh torn basil.