Linguica: by night and by day

What to do with this smoky-sweet Portuguese treat?  Here’s a couple quick fix meal ideas with plenty of flavor…

By Night: Hawaiian-flavored fried rice with grilled Linguica

While 1 cup (uncooked) brown rice is cooking, saute a fine dice of 3 bell peppers (one each red, yellow, green) and 1 sweet onion over medium high heat until they soften and start to brown.  Remove the cooked veggies and set aside.  Brown the linguica in the same pan until brown and caramelized.  Remove, keeping the excess oil in the pan.

Dump the cooked rice into the hot saute pan let cook for 2-3 minutes folding as you go.  Add a mixture of 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp ginger powder, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp sesame seeds into the rice.  With a hole made in the middle of the rice, fry one egg, breaking the yolk and mixing into the rice once it’s cooked. 

Add the cooked veggies, along with the juice from 1/2 lime and 1/8 cup chopped cilantro.  Serve.

By Day: Open-face breakfast sandwich with Mama Lil’s herbed relish

To make the relish, gather 1/4 flat leaf parsley leaves, a good pile of chives, 1 clove garlic, a few Mama Lil’s peppers, with a pinch of salt, a dash of red wine vinegar and a good drizzle of olive oil.  Set aside.

To prepare the breakfast, sear the sausage in a saute pan, removing once cooked and the fat released.  Brown a brioche roll in the linguica fat.  Cook a few soft-yolk eggs and assemble as shown.  This is a breakfast that has all the flavor you need to get you started.

If this doesn’t make your mouth water, there’s something wrong with you.  Or you’re a vegetarian - not that there’s anything wrong with that…

There might not be a more enjoyable way to spend a Saturday afternoon than working over a hot paella (a favorite of this blog) pan in the backyard. 

This version includes handfuls of smoky sweet linguica, seared chicken thighs, tender mussels and manilla clams, well-reduced sofrito, roasted peppers, fresh asparagus, peas, and that all-important saffron chicken broth that runs throughout it all. 

Cheers!

From humble beginnings: pasta carbonara

• Pasta
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 5 egg yolks
• 4 slices bacon, diced and rendered (or pancetta, etc)
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• Olive oil

That’s it. 4 non-pantry ingredients, and even that’s a stretch as many of us have pasta, eggs, cheese and even bacon ready all times (and if you don’t, maybe you will after trying this…)

With anything this simple though, there’s a bit of finesse that goes into the prep.  Here’s some tips:

Quality ingredients matter.  The fewer number of ingredients that are in a dish, the bigger impact high-quality ingredients have.  Try to grate your own parmesan and use the freshest organic eggs you can get your hands on.  After multiple trials, I’ve decided on a 5 yolks:1 cup of grated cheese ratio, with extra cheese reserved for topping.  Your pepper and olive oil (up to about a tbsp) is then added.

Don’t neglect your pasta water.  Yes, be sure to aggressively salt your water before cooking your pasta, but even more important here is to reserve 3-4 tbsp of that pasta water in your pan after cooking.  It’ll help to temper the egg/cheese sauce and create that silky texture that’s paramount to a luscious carbonara.  Add the cooked pasta back to the reserved water and warm pan (do not do this over direct heat!), spoon in your cheese/yolk mixture and add your cooked bacon.  Stir until well-combined, adding a bit of olive oil or warm tap water if your sauce is too tight. 

Small servings, big taste.  This isn’t a dish where you need a huge amount per person.  The bowls shown are our everyday cereal bowls, and this with some crusty bread more than makes a meal for 2-3.  After all, your sauce is egg yolks, cheese and bacon.  It’s a little rich.  After plating, top with a little italian parsley and reserved cheese and serve immediately.  A great tip, per bon appetit, is to serve in warm bowls so the sauce doesn’t seize up on you. 

Enjoy!