Faultless Recipes

Cavatelli pasta (~4 oz per person)
Olive oil
Garlic (3 cloves, roughly chopped)
Broccoli
1/2 cup chicken broth
Parmesan reggiano, for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, and cook the pasta until al dente (9 mins for the Rao's brand that I used, but taste it as you go).

Meanwhile, cut the broccoli into bite sized florets. Steam in a pot with steamer insert (or microwave) for a couple minutes, until bright green. Drain.

In a medium saute pan, heat olive oil (medium-high), and saute the garlic until tender. Add broccoli, chicken broth, salt, and pepper, and simmer for 4-5 minutes.

Drain pasta and return to pot over medium heat. Add broccoli mixture and toss for a minute until well mixed. Serve with grated cheese.

My new favorite quick breakfast is a scramble of eggs and whatever veg, meat, and cheese I have on hand. This one is eggs, red peppers, spinach, and goat cheese crumbles. Took less that ten minutes, including slicing the peppers.

Start by sauteeing the peppers in a little fat for a couple minutes (I used coconut oil). Remove from pan into your serving bowl. Then cook the scrambled eggs. A minute or two before the eggs are done to your liking (i.e. still a little too wet), add in the spinach and stir until wilted. Add back the red peppers and mix. Serve with blue cheese crumbles.

This is the second time we've made these, but I had two additional pieces of kitchen gear that made it much easier this time around: a food processor, and a cast-iron skillet.

For 12-15 small/medium latkes:

3 good sized russet potatoes, washed and peeled
2 cups diced onion (about 2 medium onions)
2 eggs
1/2 to 3/4 cup matzo ball mix
salt to taste (several tsp -- more than you'd think)
applesauce and/or sour cream, for serving

Shred the potatoes using the grater disc of a food processor. Dump the shredded potatoes in a piece of cheesecloth, folded over twice. Tie the corners around a wooden spoon and twist the bundle to wring out as much moisture as you can over a very large bowl. Get the potato as dry as possible.

Set the potato aside, and let the bowl of potato water sit undisturbed while you dice up the onion. Then carefully pour off the water (which will be red-brown), leaving the off-white potato starch in the bottom of the bowl.

In the cast-iron skillet, heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil over medium-high heat.

Dump in the shredded potato and diced onion, and mix well with the starch (you could use a spoon, but it's easier if you get your hands dirty). Add an egg, followed by 1/4 c. of matzo mix, then the other egg, then another 1/4 c. of matzo mix, mixing after each addition. If necessary, add some more matzo mix, until the consistency is such that it all holds together when you make a patty. Add salt.

When the frying oil is hot, make a small test latke (about the volume of a golf ball), and use a spatula to slide it into the hot oil and press flat. Fry a few minutes on each side, until golden brown. Put several layers of paper towel on a plate to pat dry. Taste to see if it needs more seasoning, and repeat if necessary.

In a 12" skillet, you can fry up 3-4 latkes at a time, if they're smallish (about the volume of a kiwi fruit). Best served hot, topped with applesauce or sour cream (but not both in the same bite ;).

Adapted from Serious Eats; see this post for more latke tips.

This was slightly modified, as I (a) prefer cooked garlic to raw, and (b) wanted to add bacon. Because bacon. So leave out the bacon, and it'll be vegetarian again. Far superior to any alfredo sauce I've had out a jar.

5 ounces grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for sprinkling
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 large egg
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound fresh fettuccine, or 12 ounces dried fettuccine
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz bacon (about 5 slices), diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Minced fresh parsley or chives (optional)

Combine cheese, heavy cream, egg, cornstarch, and olive oil in a large bowl. Season lightly with salt (there'll be plenty in the pasta water later) and black pepper to taste. Whisk to combine, then set aside.

In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until cooked but still very firm (not quite al dente), about 45 seconds for fresh pasta or 1 minute less than package directions for dried pasta. Drain pasta into a colander set over a large bowl. Transfer 2 cups of cooking water to a liquid measuring cup and discard the rest. Transfer pasta to the now-empty bowl. Add the butter and toss to coat.

In the still-hot saucepan, sauté the bacon until desired level of crispiness. Toss in the garlic for about 45 seconds. Drain excess bacon fat and discard, then dump bacon & garlic into the pasta and toss to coat.

Whisking constantly, slowly add 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water to the bowl with the cheese mixture. Transfer the cheese mixture to the now-empty pasta cooking pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens (about 1 min). Transfer pasta to sauce mixture and turn to coat. Just before serving, stir in more pasta water to thin the sauce out as necessary.

Serve immediately, sprinkled with minced herbs, black pepper, and cheese (if you're feeling fancy).

via Serious Eats

3 ounces finely grated Gruyère or comté cheese (or any soft cheese)
2 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-reggiano
2 cups heavy cream (1 pint)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced (I use 4)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8th-inch thick on a mandoline slicer (~5 medium potatoes; you can also slice by hand if you've got good knife skills, like D :)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Combine cheeses in a large bowl. Transfer 1/3 of cheese mixture to a separate bowl and set aside. Add cream, garlic, and thyme to cheese mixture. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add potato slices and toss with hands until every slice is coated with cream mixture, making sure to separate any slices that are sticking together to get the cream mixture in between them.

Grease a 2-quart casserole dish with butter. Pick up a handful of potatoes, organizing them into a neat stack, and lay them in the casserole dish with their edges aligned vertically. Continue placing potatoes in casserole, working around the perimeter and into the center until all potatoes have been added. Potatoes should be very tightly packed. If necessary, slice additional potato, coat with cream mixture, and add to casserole. Pour excess cream/cheese mixture evenly over potatoes until the mixture comes half way up the sides of the casserole. You may not need all excess liquid.

Cover tightly with foil and transfer to oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until top is pale golden brown, about 30 minutes longer. Carefully remove from oven, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and return to oven. Bake until deep golden brown and crisp on top, about 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven, let rest for a few minutes, and serve.

via Serious Eats

1 glove garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 quarts Veggie Broth [I used 2 parts homemade chicken stock & 1 part water]
3/4 cup barley
1 cup ditalini pasta
2 small carrots, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 medium 6oz peeled potato, diced
salt & pepper to taste
parmigiano reggiano, at the table

In a large pot, cook the garlic and onion in the olive oil over medium heat about 4 minutes. Add the broth and barley, bring to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, and potato, season to taste with the salt and pepper, and cook for another 15. Add the pasta and cook for 6 minutes.

Remove from heat, cover, and let rest about 15-20 mins. Serve with parmigiano reggiano and crusty bread.