Creature Comforts: Barefoot Contessa's Chicken Pot Pie

Wonderful and comforting displays of affection often greet me as I walk through the door after work...a kiss and hug from my man, a nice warm house, glass of wine already poured, and the aroma of Barefoot Contessa's Chicken Pot Pie.  Girls, it doesn't get much better than this!

John often doubles this recipe so we can freeze portions of the filling for those evenings when we want to prepare something quick and delicious.  You can make the pastry from scratch, or use frozen puff pastry or pie dough.

Chicken Pot Pie

Adapted slightly from Barefoot Contessa's recipe

3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 chicken bouillon cubes
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons course mustard
2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

For the pastry:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock (if using canned chicken broth, we add some chopped carrot, celery, onion, a few sprigs of thyme, and the chicken bones, to the stock and let it simmer for about an hour).  In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, heavy cream, and mustard. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions, thyme and parsley. Mix well.

For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

This is a homemade short crust pastry dough, with a little chopped thyme added

This one is made with frozen puff pastry, with some Parmigiano-Reggiano sprinkled on top

Especially comforting and satisfying on a cold winter night

Recreating a Favorite Restaurant Dish at Home: Not Your Momma's Lamb Meatloaf, from Urban Solace

Urban Solace, located in the heart of the North Park community of San Diego, offers New American Comfort Food. We've dined at the restaurant twice, and I absolutely love Chef Gordon's Not Your Momma's Lamb Meatloaf, made with ground lamb, figs, pine nuts, and feta cheese, drizzled with fig jus, served with sweet potato mash, and garnished with crispy onions.

During our last visit, I inquired about the recipe and was told it had been featured as one of the winners of San Diego Home & Garden Magazine's 2009 Silver Fork Awards. I immediately searched the web, located the recipe, and added it to my "must try at home and blog about" list.

Yesterday, while enjoying a crackling fire, our beautiful Christmas tree, and Bocelli playing in the background, I spent a relaxing Sunday afternoon in the kitchen recreating this dish.

The published recipe states it makes one loaf, but with close to 4 lbs. of ground lamb, and all of the other ingredients, that would be one mighty large meatloaf! I made the full recipe, and used two, regular-sized loaf pans. I guess you could cut the recipe in half if you're not feeding the neighborhood, but I think freezing the extra uncooked meatloaf would work well.

The list of ingredients seems quite long, but it really doesn't take that long to prepare (30-40 minutes) plus cooking time of 1 hour and 15 minutes. It's definitely worth the effort for the incredible and unique flavors. I love the chewiness of the figs, crunch of the pine nuts, slight kick from the cayenne, and sweetness of the jus.

Not Your Momma's Lamb Meatloaf
Chef Matt Gordon, Urban Solace, San Diego

Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion, finely diced
1/4 cup celery, finely diced
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1/4 cup sherry wine
3 3/4 lb. ground lamb
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups chopped dried black figs (soak for a few minutes and chop them wet)
1 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup toasted pine nuts
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
1/4 cup steak sauce (A-1 or Heinz 57)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh marjoram
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/2 tablespoon plain paprika
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 strips bacon for molding loaf pans

All the ingredients, with the exception of the bacon, are mixed together in a mixer bowl with the hook attachment. As you prepare the ingredients, just start adding them to the bowl.

Start by toasting 1 cup of pine nuts.

Sauté onion and celery in olive oil, until softened. Deglaze the pan with sherry or dry white wine and let reduce. Remove pan from heat and set aside to cool.

Soak dried black figs (I used another splash of white wine) and then coarsely chop them. Measure 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese.

Chop the fresh herbs: Basil, mint and marjoram (I was unable to find fresh marjoram and substituted about 2 tablespoons dried)

Add Worcestershire sauce, A-1 steak sauce, and Pomegranate Molasses.

Ground Lamb

Mix all ingredients, with the exception of the bacon, in a mixer bowl with the dough hook, until combined.

Prepare the loaf pans by lining, lengthwise, with three strips of bacon

Press half of the meatloaf mixture into each pan and lay the remaining strips of bacon lengthwise over the tops of the loaves.

Invert the pans onto a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F.

Remove from oven and lift off the pans. Return to the oven to brown the outsides and remove when internal temperature is 130 to 135 degrees F. Let rest about 15-20 minutes, slice, and serve.

The published recipe does not include the fig jus, which really does add nice flavor. For the jus, I sautéed a large minced shallot in a little olive oil, and then added 1/4 cup chopped figs, 1 cup red wine and 1/2 cup port. I reduced this by about half, added 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses, and reduced until slightly thick. I then added a tablespoon of cold butter and strained the jus. I sautéed some sliced shallots, until crispy, for garnish on top of the mashed potatoes.

Jim (head of the table) and Melinda arrived in town and joined us for dinner. Meatloaf is one of Jim's favorites and they both loved it! Melinda, really, cooking is fun!

Happy Holidays!

The Daring Cooks are Rolling in Raw Fish, and Lovin' It!

The November 2009 Daring Cooks challenge was brought to you by Audax of Audax Artifex and Rose of The Bite Me Kitchen. They chose sushi as the challenge.

I LOVE sushi.  My first introduction to sushi was in my law school days, about 20 years ago...(ouch, that means I'm 40-something!).  Prior to this challenge, I attempted to make sushi once.  At least once a week, I crave the whole sushi bar experience - it's fun, it's social, and you can sit back with a glass of sake and be entertained by the Master Sushi Chef as he creates an incredible variety of nigiri and specialty rolls.

However, it's a good thing, attempting to make sushi at home.  It was enjoyable, educational, and expensive!  We could have dined at Mille Fleurs!

I shopped at Nijiya, a local Japanese market, and wandered through the aisles like a kid in a candy store.  After stocking up on some of the essentials, I stopped by Bistro d' Asia and sweet-talked Eric, my regular sushi chef, into selling me some small pieces of Tasmanian Salmon, Hamachi, and Searied Albacore - my three favs.  The Tasmanian Salmon is so buttery, melt-in-your-mouth-delicious.  I chatted with Eric about the Challenge and he gave me a few tips.  I previoulsy blogged about Eric, and Coronado's Bistro d'Asia, here.

There were four parts to this Challenge:  1)  Sushi Rice; 2) Nigiri; 3) Decorative Sushi Roll; and 4) Dragon Roll

PART I:  Sushi Rice

The ingredients for Sushi Rice consist of Short or Medium Grain Rice, Rice Vinegar, Sugar, and Salt.  Optional ingredients are Kombu and Sake.

The rice must be gently swirled around in a bowl of water and drained, 3-4 times, and then set in a strainer to drain again for 30 minutes

The Kombu adds a refreshing light ocean taste to sushi rice.  According to the Kombu Seaweed Encyclopedia, the unique Umami (savory taste) of Japanese foods cannot be achieved without kombu seaweed, the "secret ingredient."

A small piece of dashi kombu is added to the rice while it soaks prior to cooking, remains with the rice while it cooks, and is then removed and discarded.  Sake is added just before cooking the rice.

Recipe for Sushi Rice

(7 cups of cooked sushi rice)

Preparation time: 1¾ hours, consisting of:  Rinsing and draining rice (35 minutes); Soaking rice (30 minutes, which includes 5 minutes making the vinegar dressing); Cooking and steaming time (25 minutes); Finishing the rice (15 minutes)

Ingredients:

2½ cups uncooked short grain rice
2½ cups water (for superior results use equal volumes of rice and water)

Optional Ingredients
3 inch (75mm or 15 grams) square dashi konbu (or kombu) (dried kelp seaweed), wiped with a damp cloth to remove white powder, and a few slits cut in the sides to help release its flavors; 2½ teaspoons (12.5 mls) of sake (Japanese rice wine)

Sushi vinegar dressing

5 Tablespoons (75 mls) rice vinegar
5 Teaspoons (25 mls or 21 grams) sugar
1¼ Teaspoons (6.25 mls or 4.5 grams) salt

Directions:

Rinsing and draining the rice:  Swirl rice gently in a bowl of water, drain, and repeat 3-4 times until water is nearly clear. Don't crush the rice in your hands or against the side of the bowl since dry rice is very brittle.
Gently place rice into a strainer and drain well for 30 minutes.

Soaking the rice:  Gently place the rice into a heavy medium pot with a tight fitting lid (if you have a loose fitting lid use a piece of aluminium foil to make the seal tight). Add 2½ cups of water and the dashi konbu.
Set the rice aside to soak for 30 minutes, during this time prepare the sushi rice dressing.

Preparing the Rice Vinegar Dressing:  Combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pan and heat on low, stirring until the mixture goes clear and the sugar and salt have dissolved. Set aside at room temperature until the rice is cooked.

Cooking the rice:  After 30 minutes of soaking add sake (if using) to the rice. Bring rinsed and soaked rice to the boil. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and simmer, covered, until all the water is absorbed, 12-15 minutes. Do not remove the lid during this process. Turn off heat. Let stand with the lid on, 10-15 minutes. Do not peek inside the pot or remove the lid. During this time the rice is steaming which completes the cooking process.

Finishing the rice/Turning out the rice:  Lightly moisten a flat thin wooden spatula or spoon and a large shallow flat-bottomed non-metallic (plastic, glass or wood) bowl. Do not use metallic objects since the vinegar will react with it and produce sour and bitter sushi rice. Remove the dashi konbu (kelp) from the cooked rice.  Use the spatula to gently loosen the rice, and invert the rice pot over the bowl, causing the cooked rice to fall into the bowl. Always work with the rice gently so the rice grains do not get damaged.

Dressing the rice with vinegar:  Slowly pour the cooled sushi vinegar over the spatula in into the hot rice. Using the spatula, gently spread the rice into a thin, even layer using a 45° cutting action to break up any lumps and to separate the rice. Don't stir or mash rice. After the rice is spread out, start turning it over gently, in small portions, using a cutting action, allowing steam to escape, for about a minute.

Fanning and Tossing the rice:  Continue turning the rice, but now start fanning (using a piece of stiff cardboard) the rice vigorously as you do so. Don't flip the rice into the air, but continue to gently slice, lift and turn the rice occasionally, for 10 minutes.  Cooling the rice with this fanning method give it good flavor, texture and a high-gloss sheen. The vinegar dressing will be absorbed by the hot rice. Using a small electric fan on the lowest speed setting is highly recommended. Stop fanning when there is no more visible steam, all the vinegar dressing has been adsorbed, and the rice is shiny. Your sushi rice is ready to be used.

Keeping the rice moist:   Cover rice with a damp, lint free, cloth to prevent the rice from drying out while preparing your sushi. Lleave on the counter covered at room temperature; do not store sushi rice in the refrigerator.  Sushi rice is best used when it is at room temperature.

* TIP:  To prepare a differnt quantity of rice, for each cup of rice use:  1 cup of water, 2 Tbs rice vinegar, 2 tsp sugar, ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp sake. For superior results use equal volumes of rice and water when cooking the sushi rice since the weight of rice can vary.

PART II:  Nigiri or Nigirizushi

Nigirizushi, hand-formed sushi, consists of an oblong mound of sushi rice that is pressed between the palms of the hands, usually with a bit of wasabi, and a topping draped over it. Toppings are typically fish such as salmon, tuna or seafood.

Here, I used Tasmanian Salmon, topped with a thin slice of lemon, and a sprinkling of green tea powder and Hawaiian Lava Salt.  Before eating, I picked up the lemon and rubbed it, tea/salt side down, over the top of the salmon, and then discarded the lemon slice.  You can also dip the nigiri in wasabi-soy sauce or Ponzu sauce.

Nigiri Sushi
Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 1¾ hours to make the sushi rice
Yield: 14-16 pieces
Ingredients:

2 cups prepared sushi rice
8 pairs of assorted toppings, 200 gms/7 ozs total of fish, meat or vegetables (see note below)
1 tablespoon Wasabi (paste, reconstituted powder) or any other paste to adhere topping to rice
Optional garnish, such as pickled ginger

Directions: 

1.  When handling sushi rice, make certain your hands are very clean. To keep the rice from sticking to our hands,  moisten your hands with vinegared water.

2.  Form nigiri sushi by scooping up a small amount (about 2 tablespoons) of rice with your forefinger and second finger of your right hand and placing it in your cupped left palm.

3.  Use the fingers and thumb of your right hand to form it into a long, narrow mound (about 2 inches x 1 inch wide or 50mm x 25mm) in your cupped palm.

4.  Press enough to make the rice hold firmly together. Place the nigiri on a damp cutting board flat side down. Don't let sushi touch or they'll stick to each other. At this point, you can cover the sushi with plastic wrap, and they'll keep at room temperature (not the refrigerator) for several hours.

5.  Smear a thin line of wasabi on top of the rice and place the topping piece on it. You may need to press the topping down lightly with your fingers and adjust the shape of the rice accordingly to form an attractive piece of nigiri sushi.

6.  Garnish as desired and use strips of nori to tie the topping to the nigiri if needed.

7.  It is customary to make nigiri sushi in pairs, so make two of each variety.

NOTES:

Use ONLY sushi/sashimi grade fish, from a reputable market or your local sushi bar.  You can also use cooked shrimp, crab, meat or vegetables.

PART III:  Spiral Sushi Roll

(I made my Spiral Sushi Roll with spicy scallops, asparagus, roasted red pepper, burdock root, Tasmanian salmon and cucumber)

The Spiral Sushi Roll is the easiest 'decorative' sushi roll.
Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 1¾ hours to make the sushi rice
Yield: One Roll, cut into 8 pieces

Ingredients: 

2½ cups prepared sushi rice
2 sheets of toasted nori, each sized 7”x8” (17.5cmx20cm)
Six assorted fillings (Use colorful fillings that complement each other)

Directions:

1.  Join 2 sheets of nori by moistening the adjacent edges and overlapping them about ½ inch (12mm).

2.  Place this double sheet shiny side down on a rolling mat, part of the nori will extend beyond the mat.

3.  Using moist fingers place 2½ cups of rice on the nori and gently rake your fingertips across grains to spread rice evenly, leaving ¼ inch (6mm) nori showing on the both ends of the sheet. Do not mash or squash the rice onto the nori.  The rice should appear loosely packed and be evenly distributed over the entire sheet, but you should be able to see the nori sheet in a few places.

4.  Using your fingers, form six grooves (in the same direction that you will be rolling the mat) at even intervals across the bed of rice. Make each groove about a finger-width wide to hold about 1-2 tablespoons of filling.  Make the first groove about 2 inches (50 mm) from the edge of the nori sheet. Form the grooves by pushing the rice away, do not mash or squash the rice, leave a loose one grain layer of rice in the bottom of the grooves. Level the areas between the grooves where you have pushed the rice.

5.  Place your fillings in the grooves. Fill the grooves a little higher than the surrounding rice bed.

6.  Roll the sushi up from the edge closest to you.  This will form a spiral pattern of nori, rice and fillings inside the roll.

7.  Slice the roll into 8 pieces with a very sharp, wet, knife, wiping the blade with a damp cloth after each cut.

8.  Place the pieces on a platter and garnish.

PART IV:  THE DRAGON or CATERPILLAR ROLL

The dragon roll, often referred to as a caterpillar roll as well, is a uramaki roll, an outside thick roll of eel and cucumbers that are wrapped with thinly sliced avocado. The green layers of the avocado resemble the scales of a dragon. Grilled eel are sold in Japanese supermarkets in refrigerated or frozen packages.  You then broil the eel before using it in the roll.  Unagi is the Japanese word for freshwater eels.  Anago refers to saltwater eels.

My Slayed Dragon (headless) was filled with unagi, asparagus (instead of cucumber) and roasted red pepper, and topped with some Tobiko and Eel Sauce

Dragon Roll

Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 1¾ hours to make the sushi rice
Cooking time: about 5 minutes (grilling the eel)
Yield: 2 inside-out (uramaki) sushi rolls

Ingredients:

1 sheet 7”x 8” (17.5cmx20cm) of toasted nori (dried seaweed sheets), cut into halves
1/2 Japanese cucumber
2 cups of prepared sushi rice
Glazed Barbecued Eel (ungai) (about 3½ ounces or 100 grams)
1 Avocado
Vinegared Water – ½ cup of water combined with a dash of rice vinegar
Various small amounts of sauces to use as the flames of the dragon (or legs of a caterpillar)
Optional:  2 tablespoons (25 grams or 1 oz) Fish Roe (Fish eggs)

Directions:

1.  Cut cucumber into strips ¼ inch (6mm) x 7” (175mm) long, then salt, rinse & dry the strips.

2.  Grill (broil) the eel for about 2-5 minutes until bubbling. Cut into two lengthwise strips.

3.  Halve, pit and peel the avocado. Cut the avocado halves into thin even 1/8 inch (3 mm) slices. Fan out the cut avocado into a 7 inch (175 mm) overlapping pattern.

4.  Cover bamboo mat with plastic wrap. Place a sheet of nori shiny side down, lengthwise, on the edge the mat.

5.  Moisten lightly your hands in the bowl of vinegared water.

6.  Place one cup of rice on the nori and gently rake your fingertips across grains to spread rice evenly. Do not mash or squash the rice onto the nori, the rice should appear loosely packed and be evenly distributed over the entire sheet, you should be able to see the nori sheet in a few places.

7.  Flip the rice-covered nori over (so the bare nori is now on top) and place on the edge of the mat closest to you.

8.Arrange one of the eel strips across the length of the nori, not quite centred on it but a little closer to you. Place half the cucumber sticks next to the eel.

9.  Lift the edge of the mat closest to you with both hands, keeping your fingertips over the fillings, and roll the mat and its contents until the edge of the mat touches straight down on the nori, enclosing the fillings completely. Lift up the edge of the mat you're holding, and continue rolling the inside-out roll away from you until it's sealed. Tug at the mat to tighten the seal. If the rice doesn't quite close the roll add more rice in the gap and re-roll using the mat to completely cover the inside-out roll. Place the roll on a damp, clean smooth surface.

10.  Spread about 1 tablespoon of the optional fish roe along the entire top of the rice-covered roll. Using the plastic covered mat gently press the fish roe so it adheres to the rice.

11.  Slide a knife under one fan of avocado and transfer it onto the top of an inside-out roll. Gently spread out the avocado layer to cover the entire roll. Lay the plastic wrapped mat over the avocado-covered roll. Squeeze very gently to shape the roll.

12.   Lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the roll. Slice the roll into 6-8 equal, bite-sized pieces, wiping your knife with a damp towel before each slice. Discard the plastic wrap. Repeat the above to make one more roll.

13.  Arrange the cut pieces on a serving plate with the sauces so the finished dish appears as a dragon breathing fire and flames (or a caterpillar with many legs).

GRAND FINALE:  Calamari & Seaweed Salad

As soon as Eric sees me walking through the door of Bistro d' Asia, he knows to start preparing this salad for me!  It is made with seaweed, fried calamari, red grapes, mango, cucumber, and pieces of various raw fish (usually albacore, yellowtail, salmon, or octopus), and tossed in a spicy Ponzu dressing.  This was very easy to duplicate at home, but Eric's orignial version is the best!  Sometimes, certain things just taste better when someone else prepares them.

Our version started out relatively healthy, with only a few pieces of fried calamari.  However, when John saw the deep-fryer and bowl of batter, he immediately started scrounging about for other things to dip in Alton Brown's Fish and Chips Batter.

Although we feasted on sushi throughout the weekend, I went a bit overboard on ingredients and fish for the two of us.  As I hinted at earlier, it was quite an expensive ordeal.  However, for a dinner party, I would attempt this again.  In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy the sushi bar experience, and Eric's creations, on a regular basis.

Thank you again, Rose and Audax, for this Challenge, and thank you to our Daring Kitchen founders, Lis of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice.  Please visit The Daring Kitchen for a link to the complete recipes and links, and the Daring Cooks' blogroll, to peruse the fabulous array of sushi creations by some of our fabulous Daring Cooks' members.

Kanpai!

The Way to a Man's Heart - Bucatini Carbonara

John requested Pasta Carbonara last night for dinner.  I couldn't deny him such a simple request.  I've made Tyler Florence's Ultimate recipe countless times.  This pasta is truly one of life's ultimate pleasures.  I used Bucatini pasta and uncured Pepper Bacon in my version.  Don't deny your man.

The Ultimate Spaghetti Carbonara
Slightly adapted from Tyler's Ultimate: Brilliant Simple Food to Make Any Time
Serves 4

Ingredients

Kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
8 slices Uncured Pepper Bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
4 large eggs
6 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 lb. Rustichella Bucatini pasta
Cracked black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil for the bucatini.

While waiting for the water to boil, heat a 3-count of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon, onion, and shallot, and cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until the onion and shallot is caramelized and the bacon is crisp.

By now, your water should be boiling.  Add the bucatini and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until al dente.

While the bucatini is cooking, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, and cheese in a medium bowl.  When the onion-shallot-bacon mixture is done, transfer it to the egg mixture, along with the bacon fat and whisk again to combine.

Cook the bucatini 8-10 minutes or until al dente.  Scoop out about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and add that to the bowl with the bacon and eggs. Drain the bucatini, put it back into the pan you used to saute the onions, shallots and bacon, and pour the egg mixture over the top of the pasta.  Gently toss the pasta to combine and cover the pan for 5 minutes.

Plate the pasta, and add a sprinkling of parsley and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Valentine's Day Progressive Aphrodisiac Party

Photos from our First Annual Valentine's Progressive Aprodisiac Party

Thomas Keller's Cassoulet

Tyler Florence's Grape and Blue Cheese Truffles

Oysters Rockefeller, prepared by Kai

Our first progressive party, Valentine's Day Aphrodisiacs, commenced at our house with Grape and Blue Cheese Truffles Oysters Rockefeller, served with Champagne. For our second course, we enjoyed Thomas Keller's Cassoulet, paired with Italian Red Wine.

After several other stops around the neighborhood for additional aphrodisiacs and wine, we concluded the evening back at our house to enjoy John's Candied Fig, Hazelnut and Orange Cheesecake with Port Sauce, and a choice of Frangelico or Port.