Don't be afriad to get subversive with your bolognese

I remember the first time I watched Secrets of a Restaurant Chef with Anne Burrell. She made pasta bolognese on that first episode and the reason I remember it so vividly is because even though Anne started her first show with a very simple recipe, her manifesto on that show and every show from that day forward was "brown food tastes good," imploring over and over again the need to brown your food for ultimate flavor.

For bolognese, Anne says she was doing it wrong until she went to Italy and they told her that her vegetables weren't cooked enough. She thought they were cooked plenty, but they hadn't achieved that brown "gunk" at the bottom of the pan that is the base of all flavorings for sauce.

So from then on, her mantra became "brown food tastes good" and she advises her viewers to brown the veggies in your bolognese almost to the brink of disaster.

I don't follow her recipe to the letter anymore the way I used to, but I always make sure to follow that sound piece of advice. I haven't made a bad bolognese yet.

I'd say this is close to the brink of disaster. Time to deglaze. 

Another thing I learned from Anne is that a bolognese is not a sauce and it shouldn't have a lot of liquid, so this will need to reduce down.

Mmmm... now I'm hungry. Glad I have some leftover in the freezer.

Check out Anne Burrell's pasta bolognese recipe and always remember that "brown food tastes good." :)

The first step is admission...

I have a confession to make. I have the word Foodie in my blog name, but I am somewhat of a picky eater. In fact, if this were a straight-up food blog, I might be so inclined to name it The Finicky Foodie. That doesn't mean my blog name is a lie. I do consider myself a foodie. I love trying new and unusual flavor combinations and I have a great appreciation for well thought out, passionately crafted meals. I just have very strong preferences as to what my food should taste like. Actually, taste is only part of the equation. I am extremely attuned to texture with food. My husband is constantly making fun of me for this because, in his mind, if it tastes good, it is good. For me however, it can taste good, but if the texture is off-putting, I won't eat it.

Which is why I was very excited to come across this healthier type of pasta about a year ago at Whole Foods. Instead of whole wheat pasta, which I abhor for textural reasons, it's quinoa pasta.

For those of you who don't know, quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WA) is an ancient grain-like seed that is packed with protein. It looks and eats like a grain, but it is much higher up the scale of health benefits than wheat or rice.

Since I adore pasta but know its health benefits are slim to none, I have tried all different kids of pasta alternatives: whole-wheat pasta, brown rice pasta, buckwheat pasta, you name it, I've tried it. But all of them have failed to satisfy the taste and texture of semolina pasta -- until I discovered quinoa pasta.

The texture is identical to semolina pasta and the taste is pretty darn similar. The quinoa pasta is a tad bit nuttier, but all in all, if I were serving it at a dinner party, I doubt anyone would notice, let alone balk at the flavor and texture.

In fact, this pasta is so good, I often just serve it with just some garlic, olive oil, parmigano and a sprinkling of basil. I like the pasta itself to shine because it further emphasizes my elation that I found a healthier pasta alternative that doesn't make me wince at the awkward texture and/or flavor.

So I encourage you to give it a try sometime if you haven't already. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much you can't tell the difference between the healthy pasta and the less-than-healthy pasta. Mangia!

Improvising is my favorite method of cooking

When I started getting really into cooking about 6 years ago, I was very much about following the recipe to the letter: exact measurements, no substitutions, follow every instruction precisely. But that quickly became tiresome - mostly because that sort of perfection and precision does not match my personality. I'm more of a "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of person - even in my classroom. I find that sudden moments of inspiration keep me excited and motivated to keep at it.

So lately I'm finding myself following fewer and fewer recipes than what I used to. I'll look in the fridge or the pantry, see what's available and think to myself, "This would taste great with that, and oh, I'll put some of this in for some nice crunch."

Yesterday for lunch, I did just that, and I realized while I was making the dish that it was a modified version of Giada DeLaurentiis's Orecchiette with Toasted Breadcrumbs. I've made this dish a couple times before, but it was a very long time ago - and, dare I say? my version was better than hers!

Here are the ingredients: (measurements are approximations)

• 1 lb. dried orecchiette
• 3 slices prosciutto
• 1/2 cup coarse breadcrumbs (not the ones from the store that have the texture of sawdust)
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 C shredded white sharp cheese such as Vermont cheddar or Gruyere
• 1 T butter
• 2 T EVOO
• 2 T chopped chives

1. As much as I love prosciutto, I have noticed that it can sometimes have a metallic taste to it depending on the quality. One of the ways to mask this is to crisp it up in a nonstick saute pan. Using nonstick prevents you from having to add any extra fat to the pan, so all you're doing is adding a crispy texture and a salty bite.

2. While prosciutto is crisping, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente.

3. Using the same pan as you crisped up the prosciutto, add butter and EVOO. Once butter has melted, add garlic and shallot. Saute until fragrant. Add breadcrumbs and distribute evenly through the fat. Add the cheese. Take the pan off the burner and let the cheese melt just through the warmth of the breadcrumbs. Add chopped chives to top of breadcrumb mixture.

4. Once pasta is drained, mix together with breadcrumb mixture and then crumble crispy prosciutto on top. Enjoy!