Warm Mushroom Salad

Ina Garten is #39 on Gourmet's list of Women Game-Changers in Food. She is known for using fresh ingredients and de-mystifying recipes so that the average home cook can truly make them. Her circular path to the top of the Food Empire is well-known. She spent years in Washington D.C. as a White House Nuclear Policy Analyst. Somewhere along the way there was a seemingly impulse buy of the Barefoot Contesssa (A gourmet food store) in the Hamptons. (This is one smart woman - not sure how much of an "impulse buy" this truly was!) The Barefoot Contessa led the way to creating recipes for her store. She was mentored by such luminaries as Eli Zabar (from Eli's Manhattan in NYC) and Martha Stewart. Cooking and catering led to cookbooks. Cookbooks led to a cooking show and Garten remains on the map as a mover and a shaker in the food world.

(Ina Garten at a book signing in Chapel Hill, NC 2006; photo from Wikipedia)

I own two of her cookbooks. My husband's side of the family is - numerous! When I have a family gathering 40-45 people of all generations will show up.That is not the time to try out your 12-step recipe! I have found  her recipes add elegance to the proceedings and her food is packed with flavor - because the woman is not afraid of using fat!

It's been written that the ease and success of her recipes is because she is very careful to have the recipes tested by others again and again before she publishes them. I chose Garten's Warm Mushroom Salad from Barefoot in Paris. In the opening paragraph, Garten admits, "It's Italian!"

Mushrooms - you love them or you hate them (especially if you are a child). In this recipe - you love them. There's an early spring brewing around the country. Although in Minnesota - we are skeptical.

"Does this mean it will snow for 8 months next year," asks my daughter.

"Does this mean we will have 100-degree weather all summer," I muse.

A smart person would tell us to turn off our thoughts, get outside and enjoy the early warmth. Think of this March as a gift - instead of worrying what Mother Nature in Minnesota is really planning!

The warm mushroom salad is indeed perfect for spring - it's fresh, a tad meaty (and you can certainly omit the prosciutto to make it vegetarian; all right - you want vegan? Eliminate the cheese, too!) Garten suggested cremini mushrooms for this - I used a mushroom blend. Portobello mushrooms would also be delicious in this. It's hearty enough for a proper lunch. And if I had leftovers - I would be nibbling this for breakfast.

Ina Garten's Warm Mushroom Salad - serves 4
16 ounces cremini mushrooms, wiped clean (use your favorites)
2 tablespoons butter (I used Earth balance and I used less)
4 tablespoons olive oil - divided (I used less)
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked pepper
4 bunches (I used 4 cups) fresh arugula - cleaned
8 slices good Italian prosciutto (I used 4)
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (I used a little less but oh do love sherry vinegar!)
Chunk of Parmesan cheese for shaving
8 sun-dried tomatoes - drained and cut into slivers
Italian parsley for scattering

Clean mushrooms by brushing them with a sponge - do not wash or immerse in water. Remove stems and save for another use (I just used them.) Slice the caps 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. When all is bubbly add the mushrooms, salt and pepper. Saute 5 minutes over medium heat - stirring.  Lower the heat and saute another 2-3 minutes until cooked.

Arrange arugula on plates - 1 cup for each plate. Drape your prosciutto over the arugula. When the mushrooms are cooked, add the sherry vinegar and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir. Spoon the warm mushrooms on top of the arugula and prosciutto. With a vegetable peeler, shave parmesan on top of all. Sprinkle Italian parsley and sun-dried tomatoes about. Finish with a bit more of the salt and pepper. Serve.

It's perfect. It's spring. It's robins in my backyard, ducks in my front yard and geese flying overhead.

Please check out what the other bloggers are doing for Week 39 of Female Chef Gourmet Game Changers. And if you want to join in the fun, e-mail Mary at  One Perfect Bite. Mary started this delectable journey. 

Val - More Than Burnt Toast, Joanne - Eats Well With Others, Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed

Susan - The Spice Garden, Heather - girlichef,

Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney, Jeanette - Healthy Living, 

Mary - One Perfect Bite, Kathleen - Bake Away with Me

Sue - The View from Great Island, Barbara - Movable Feasts

Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds, 

Linda A - There and Back Again, 

Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits, Veronica - My Catholic Kitchen

Annie - Most Lovely Things, Alyce - More Time at the Table; Amrita- Beetle's Kitchen Escapades

The Utah, Birthday, Hockey, Sundance, Moon Cake

This is a tale of a cake. But it's not any cake. Out of the oven it's humble, crackly. But the dense chocolate mousse center proclaims it's worth. It's butter, sugar, chocolate and eggs. It's not for the weight watcher. It is for the joyous celebrator.

I came home from Utah the day before one of the happiest days of my life - my son's birthday. I came home from Utah on the first day of the high school hockey tournament. (I follow baseball, the Olympics and the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament.) I came home from Utah after three days of teaching playwrighting, rehearsing and watching Under a Midsummer Moon capture hearts and mind of. (Whew ... )

I came home from Utah after three days of breathing mountain air and being astonished by the views every time I went outside.

I had a few 12-hour days and one morning off. And that morning - I walked. Every which way. To see - this. Wouldn't you? (The cake is coming... it's insanely rich - you need to take a walk before you eat it. Consider this your walk.)

And inside, I was treated to14 students throwing their considerable talents into my play.. visiting the Viet Nam Era ... the day of the Moon Walk . They costumed themselves; one extraordinary student did a mock-up of a set that astonished - it sits in my work room. When you write a play in a room where you have to periodically scratch the cat's back - you have no expectation that this play written on a keyboard covered with cat fur and pretzel crumbs will take you to Utah! And connect you with more young lives.

I worked on small plays with the school. I was treated to openings of plays in verse, going back in time, in the midst of hardship on a  playground - I was "back with the kids" and everytime I was with the students, it felt like home.

And then there was Sundance... just five minutes of stolen time.

Because of Mindy. I wish I had baked this cake for Mindy - if I am ever in Utah again - with a kitchen - I will. My fearless, enthusiastic director. Mindy Young can bring out talents in students they didn't they had. She can whisper a transition, make it sing, make it shout. She knows her students. And she cares about them in the way a force of nature truly cares about you.

And she wouldn't let me leave Utah without visiting Sundance.

So in-between lunch and a rehearsal, she took me there. 

Lined with trees of all ilks, she let me bask in mountain-glow.

"Imagine this in the autumn, Claudia. Can you see it?"

And then she told me a tale of an Indian maiden and the mountain.

I baked this cake for Matthew. But it's also for Mindy and my Utah cast. And for the two teams that battled it out last night to become 2012 State High School Hockey Champs. My children's alma mater have been to State many times (becoming one of the "teams you love to hate" in the state tournament). But this year - they weren't even seeded.   So it was a surprise when - they were there! The won at the right time. My son texted me the scores to the first game while I was coming home. I broke into a huge smile at the Denver airport and laughed as I read the text- no doubt surprising the tired people sitting next to me. My kid's school had unexpectedly won - easily. And on my first day home, they blew through another game and again won - unexpectedly. I was starting to expect the unexpected.  

Bear with me - the cake is worth waiting for. The story bears telling. In December a young hockey player - Jack Jablonski -  "Jabs" from another school was checked from behind and was paralyzed from the neck down. He is a sophomore. And his excellent school team was heartbroken.  And yes, they made it to the tournament. As did "Jabs" - in a private suite at the Xcel Energy Center - to watch his team. And my kids' alma mater (Hill-Murray) - which ferociously raised funds for "Jabs" (his Dad graduated from Hill) played against Jabs team for the championship. Jabs school - Benilde sported "Jabs" number 13 and the fan base chanted "We love Jabs."   And the Hill students countered with "We do, too." May I state that these are much kinder chants than others I have heard in years past? 

And when Benilde scored the first goal, the cameras of course cut to Jabs in his suite and Jabs arms were cheering - his arms! He wasn't supposed to regain the use of them - and there they were up in the air! In celebration. I hope that euphoria helps to carry him through difficult rehab years ahead. 

And when Benilde outplayed Hill all evening - with one player making all five goals with a final score of 5-1, there was more emotion. When the honorary captain of Hill-Murray came on the ice to accept the 2nd place trophy, there was history. Four years ago Duke Pieper (honorary captain) was a freshman at Hill - on the Varsity hockey team. Bleeding in the brain from a tumor sidetracked his life. Partially paralyzed and with huge physical challenges, Duke proudly held up the 2nd place trophy. In another universe, Duke would have been playing on the ice with his team. I'd like to bake Duke and Jabs and the Benilde and Hill teams this cake.

It emerges from the oven fairy ugly - crackly and then I added to the ugliness with a heavy hand with the cocoa powder (it's been an emotional week). 

But look closely at this baked mousse. Every forkful melts on your mouth. Shivers of goodness fill your being. It's worth a day on the treadmill - being grateful that you can do the treadmill.

Chocolate Mousse Cake - Dorie Greenspan - Around My French Table
I know I've crossed the boundary between Italy and France. What I love about this book - is Dorie has made everything so accessible and every recipe I have made from here - has pleased. I adore French Chocolate mousse - but am always suspect - because of the liberal use of raw eggs. But here the mousse is baked - into a gateau or a tart. And my worries about killing dinner guests subside.

For best results - do this the day before you want to serve it. I love do-aheads. More time with guests.

1/4 pound bittersweet chocolate - coarsely chopped
1/3 cup hot espresso or strong coffee
7 tablespoons unsalted butter (find some decadent, rich stuff - go whole hog)
2/3 cup sugar
2 pinches of salt
4 large eggs - separated
Cocoa powder for dusting (I shouldn't have done that)

Optional;: Whipped cream, ice cream, and I also puddled Stonewall Kitchen's Black Cherry Cognac Sauce - which I heartily recommend.

Place rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter the sides of an 8-inch springform pan (you won't be using the bottom - although in hindsight - you could; but I shall give you Dorie's directions since she knows more than me.).

Melt the chocolate on the top of a pan set over simmering water (don't let water boil up to hit the pan). Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. (I sprayed it.) When the chocolate is smoothly melted, whisk in the coffee. Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the butter - 1 tablespoon at a time. Gently whisk in the sugar and a pinch of salt. Then, add the yolks one at a time and softly whisk. It's gorgeous! Winter velvet.

In a stand mixer (or with hand-held mixers) whisk the egg whites with another pinch of salt until firm and glossy. Gingerly whisk about 1/4 of egg white mixture into the chocolate  to lighten it. Then, with a spatula, gently fold the rest of the egg whites into the chocolate.

Put 1/3 of the mixture into the buttered ring of the pan. Cover and refrigerate remaining mousse. (If you're not afraid of raw eggs - take a taste - chocolate bliss). Bake the cake for 15 minutes (in hindsight - I would have baked it 10 minutes - it was .... very well baked). Let the cake cool to room temperature. Then chill the base in the fridge for at least an hour. The unbaked mousse should be chilled for a few hours. (I chilled it for four.)

When ready to continue, again preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Scrape the remaining mousse onto the chilled base (still on the baking sheet). Dorie says to bake for 30 minutes - until the top is dry and cracked. I did it for 20 minutes - I really wanted it velvety-smooth. It cracked a bit (note photo) but the end result was cloud-like, melting perfection.

Cool to room temperature and then cover and chill - at least six hours or overnight. I did bring the cake out of the fridge a wee bit early in the day so I could serve it at room temperature. It does beg for a wee bit of whipped cream or ice cream or that Black Cherry Sauce I mentioned.

Thanks for bearing with me - I will resume visiting tomorrow and will strive for shorter posts... at least until my NYC trip.

Taralli (Fennel Bread Rings)

Periodically my husband goes to a small town in Italy for work. I don't accompany him because the travel is longer than the stay and there are civilized rules about that (except in American business travel). Of course he returns waxing poetical about the dinner he had. Often he will call me from Italy to describe his meal in detail. He knows I am in Minnesota rethinking my travel rules.

But when he is sings praises of settling down after work with a glass of wine and these hard little pretzel-cracker rings - I didn't know what to think. I am the pretzel eater in this house. I am the cracker eater. And when he found a bag of Taralli when we were in Tuscany - I finally got the point. They're addictive. It's not like eating a pretzel (which is my salt lick). It's not like today's gussied-up crackers with rosemary, cracked pepper and cheese. It's not a burst of flavor. It's simple. Understated.  And when you are reaching for your fifth one - you get the point.

It doesn't dazzle. It just is. No bells and whistles and although I served them with salami and cheese tonight - tomorrow Paul and I will read in the living room with a glass of wine and a small bowl of taralli and enjoy a quiet normalcy. A lovely settling in for the night.

It's quite perfect for a late winter's eve. I love fancy and excitement has its place. But it's the simple and repetitive motions of putting together the taralli and then sharing them that ushers in contentment.

Taralli (Fennel Bread Rings) Ingredients (from Williams-Sonoma Savoring Italy)
(Note: makes 6 dozen! Feel free to divide in half)

1-1/2 teaspoons (1 package) of active dry yeast
1/2 cup (4 ounces) warm water (105-115 degrees F)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semolina flour
2 tablespoons fennel seeds*
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup olive oil

*If you feel a call to the more fanciful, these are also good using crackled black pepper, sea salt or freshly-grated Parmesan. (Instead or with the fennel - your call.)

And be warned - they do make a lot. Go to your Zen spot or freeze half the dough.

Preparation
1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water.
2. In a large bowl, stir the all-purpose flour, semolina flour, fennel seeds and salt.
3. Add the yeast mixture, wine and oil. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead for about 8-10 minutes - until dough is smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a bowl.
4. Oil a large bowel and put dough into it - turning once so all is coated. Put plastic wrap on top of bowl and let it sit to rise in a draft-free spot. Let it rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
*Mine never did double - even after 2 hours - maybe my Minnesota kitchen is not warm enough - but the Taralli turned out fine... wonderful.... delicious.
5. Turn dough on to lightly floured surface. Divide into 8 equal pieces. Cover remaining dough as you work with one piece at a time.
6. Pinch off "grape-sized" pieces of dough. (Large grapes - not champagne grapes or you will be forming these until 2013.) Roll into a ball and then a 3-4 inch rope. Shape the dough into a ring - pinching the ends together to seal (some of mine... unsealed). Repeat. A lot.
7. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the dough rings - about 8 at a time and boil for one minute (they will rise to the top). Remove with a slotted spoon and let them drain. They should not touch.(They will stick together). I drained them on paper towels - but you need to remove them after about 30 seconds - or they will stick to the towels. Repeat until all are boiled.
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange the Taralli on a baking sheet. Cook for about 45 minutes (until browned.) Turn off oven and let Tarelli sit in oven with door slightly ajar for about ten minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely. They will keep in an airtight container for about two weeks.

And I finally see - why after taking 3 planes, renting a car and driving for two hours - making it just in time for a meeting and then a day's work - why it is so soul-satisfying to sit in a piazza with a glass of wine and some taralli - it's just so real. Nourishment in a crispy bite.

Edna Lewis's Busy Day Cake

Texture. It threads its way through everything. Through art, through relationships, through nature and of course through food. I think about the textures of my days - my silky ones versus my woolly ones. Texture brings vavoom to the days, doesn't it? Even though there may be days when you truly want the vavoom to stay away. It certainly makes things interesting.It's the texture that brings the vavoom to Edna Lewis's "Busy Day Cake."  

For Week 36 of Gourmet's Women Game-Changers in Food, I have left pasta behind and visited the rural American south. Edna Lewis is our guide and I have had a week of amazement as I researched Lewis and her accomplishments. She has drawn me into her world more than any of the web-based mega-recipe developers of recent weeks.  I am glad to have been acquainted with her but now - I crave more.

Photo by John T. Hill, NY Times

This is a woman/chef/cookbook author/restaurant owner who knew a lot about texture. The threads of her life reach back into rural Virginia, to New York City and into the blossoming local food movement in California. Credited with refining southern food and bringing southern cooking into its own, Edna Lewis life's and cooking was multi-facted - knobby and silky, brightly-colored and shaded in subtlety.

Born in 1916 in rural Freetown, Virginia, Lewis was the grand daughter of one of the three founders of Freetown - all emancipated slaves. She credits her Aunt Jenny with her cooking skill - a skill learned on a wood-fired stove. No measuring spoons were to be had so baking powder was measured on the top of a penny, baking soda was on a nickel and salt was measured on a dime. 

At sixteen, Lewis left Freetown and headed up north. She was hired in a laundry and spent three hours ironing before her ironing skills left everyone unimpressed and she was dismissed. She fared better as a seamstress eventually sewing copies of Dior for Dorcas Avedon (Richard Avedon's wife). She worked for the Communist newspaper The Daily Worker and eventually married a retired merchant seaman Steve Kingston who was a communist. This was a time when being a communist put you under great scrutiny. 

But it was her friendship with antiques dealer John Nicholson that changed the course of her life. Together they opened a restaurant in 1948 called The Nicholson Cafe in which Lewis was the cook and part owner. Remember that this was 1948 in New York city - African-American female chefs/restaurant owners were few and far between.  It became a huge success - the darling of the "bohemian set." Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon and Marlene Dietrich were frequent patrons. Her husband criticized the glittery following.

"This restaurant should be for ordinary people on the street. You're catering to capitalists," he would say. Lewis remembered those admonishments and said she thought "it was such a bore."

In the late 1960's after breaking her leg, Lewis used this time to write down her recipes. Along with her recipes, she included the history of the recipe and her reflections on growing up in the rural south. The book, The Edna Lewis Cookbook was lauded and others soon followed. There is so much more to this  remarkable woman - for further insight into her life and how she changed the face of southern cooking, please check out:

The Grand Dame of Southern Cooking

Edna Lewis: The NY Times

The more I read about Lewis, the more I want to know.

Molly from Orangette has a beautiful post about Lewis and a soul-satisfying description of this Busy Day Cake. She calls it "Like a Lullaby." Please check out her post here. It's worth the cyber-trip.

"Is it cornbread-cake?" I was asked.

No, it's a white sugar cake - pure and simple - but the sugar does bring out the texture and there is a beauty of the middle soft, crumbly cake slowly stretching itself to a bit of browned, crunchy edge of sweetness. Plus you have to love a recipe that calls for 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract - that is aromatic bliss in my kitchen. 

I used the recipe and advice from Orangette.  Finding Edna Lewis's cookbooks proved problematical - but it has set me on a mission to unearth one of her cookbooks. (Can you tell I am smitten?)

Edna Lewis's Busy-Day Cake Ingredients

1 stick of unsalted butter (8 tablespoons) at room temperature

1-1/3 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pinch of freshly-grated nutmeg (perhaps measure it on a dime)

1/2 cup whole milk or buttermilk at room temperature

Edna Lewis calls for a 10' x 10' square pan. Molly used a 9" round springform pan which is what I used since that is what I own. I have yet to collect an arsenal of baking pans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease or spray your pan. Use a stand mixer or hand-held mixers. In a large bowl mix butter and sugar until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time - mixing well between each addition. Add the extract and again - mix well.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add 1/4 of the flour mixture to the butter and eggs and mix. Add about 1/4 of the milk and mix. Alternate flour and milk until all is combined well.  Scrape the sides of the large bowl to get all the sugar mixture into the buttery mix.

Pour the mixture in the prepared pan (I poured it directly into the center and let it spread evenly - I then had to help it a bit with a spatula and well... I still had a few waves.) Bakes 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Molly advised tenting the top with some foil after 20 minutes so that the top did not brown (which I did). Serve alone, with whipped cream, with berries (I mixed berries with a touch of sugar), creme fraiche, sweetened mascarpone or what you will. It is indeed easy enough for a busy day - and satisfying for all days. I am wondering about adding a little lemon zest to the batter next time.... because I cannot leave well enough alone. 

I look forward to seeing what the other bloggers have cooked from Ms. Lewis. She has certainly sparked my mind and spirit.

Please check out what the other bloggers are doing for Week 36 of Female Chef Gourmet Game Changers. And if you want to join in the fun, e-mail Mary at  One Perfect Bite. Mary started this delectable journey. 

Val - More Than Burnt Toast, Joanne - Eats Well With Others, Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed

Susan - The Spice Garden, Heather - girlichef,

Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney, Jeanette - Healthy Living, 

Mary - One Perfect Bite, Kathleen - Bake Away with Me

Sue - The View from Great Island, Barbara - Movable Feasts

Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds, 

Linda A - There and Back Again, 

Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits, Veronica - My Catholic Kitchen

Annie - Most Lovely Things, Alyce - More Time at the Table; Amrita- Beetle's Kitchen Escapades

Spaghetti Carbonara Muffins

I made plans - very good plans. For Carnevale weekend I was going to make a tortellini pie - the sort of dish made in the Renaissance. The kind of sumptuous pie that would take three days to make. I even knew what music I would be listening to as I as I made ragu, meatballs, pastry, etc. I just never look at any dates. And when I realized on Sunday - that I was halfway done with Carnevale weekend, I knew the tortellini pie wasn't happening.

I also was sated from an evening out at The Birchwood Cafe which culminated in my consuming a Tres Leches Raspberry Cake which left me sure I would not need to eat until Eater Sunday. And made me grateful that I did not have a tortellini pie to assemble.

But as Sunday wore on, I did get hungry. And I started browsing blogs. Looking for small pick-me-ups. The requirements were: every ingredient needed to be in the house. Even better - the ingredients needed to fit the odds and ends of my food-stuff.

And then I saw the Spaghetti Fritattas on Marie's Proud Italian Cook blog. I had bookmarked that recipe over a year-and-a-half-ago. Just as with the tortellini pie, I was running a little late. Marie made these baby fritattas with spaghetti, mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan and fresh basil. I had the spaghetti, Parmesan and provolone. Looking good. Marie mentioned that she saw them on Foodalogue's blog - so I went there. Joan's recipe also had bacon and peas. I had 3 pieces of a bacon to use up as well as an open bag of frozen peas.  Looking better and better.

Marie and Joan both baked them in mini-muffin tins. I've been meaning to buy a mini-muffin tin - for about twenty years. As expected, I did them in a regular tin - but I am thinking I may finally buy a mini-muffin tin - love two-bite appetizers. And am enchanted with the possibilities:

- leave out the bacon (or go whole Italian hog with pancetta, prosciutto, salami)
- make a primavera 'spaghetti fritatta' with asparagus and spring mushrooms
- make a summer fritatta with zucchini, tomatoes, eggplants
- play with onion and garlic, scallions and chives...

Imagine just sauteing mushrooms - until small, dark and woodsy and then letting them crunch up a bit while baking....

The melty-cheese, crispy bacon, egg-coated spaghetti that went into the muffin tins reminded me of a carbonara. I used fewer eggs than Marie and Joan - I didn't really want a fritatta - I just wanted the egg to hold everything together. Next time - I will try doing this with only one egg.

I put a dab of marinara sauce on them - but they didn't need it. You could also play with a dollop of pesto on them - especially if you're already incorporating basil and Parmesan. I wonder how they would do with a few toasted chopped nuts?

Spaghetti Carbonara Appetizers - makes 12 in a regular muffin tin
1/3-1/2 pound spaghetti - broken into fourths
3 slices of bacon - cooked and crumbled
2/3 cup frozen peas - cooked
1-2 slices of garlic - minced
1/4 cup freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 cup provolone (I used some lovely aged provolone for a sharper taste)
1/4 cup Fontina cheese
2 eggs, beaten (as I said I think this work with one egg)
salt and pepper to taste

*Optional: Marinara sauce, pesto

*These are approximate measurements - this isn't a wedding cake - it's a spaghetti mixture in a muffin tin! Feel free to add or subtract ingredients - just make sure it doesn't overwhelm the spaghetti!

Spaghetti Carbonara Appetizer Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a muffin tin. Cook your spaghetti al dente. In a small frying pan, cook your bacon until crisp. Drain bacon. Pour out almost all of the oil. Then add your peas and garlic and cook - stirring - for about 1 minute.*

*Or to reduce the fat - cook peas separately and add the garlic to the bacon in the last minute of cooking. If not using bacon, briefly saute the garlic. Or mix the chopped garlic into the mixture and let it cook in the oven.  Whatever works for you - this is not world peace, it's spaghetti-muffins.

In a large bowl, mix the cheeses together. Crumble the bacon and add it to the cheeses. Add the peas and garlic and mix. Add your spaghetti and mix well. Add the beaten eggs and carefully stir to make sure the egg coats all the spaghetti strands. Salt and pepper to taste. (I barely salted - the Parmesan takes care of that - I was generous with the pepper.) Divide mixture evenly into the muffin tins. Bake for about 20 minutes. You'd like the end of the spaghetti strands to be a wee bit browned and delicately crunchy and the egg will settle on the bottom - and be somewhat fritatta-like. Serve warm or at room temperature. (I can see how many dozens of these in a mini-muffin tin would be great for a buffet).  

No, it's not the spectacular Tortellini Pie worthy of a Medici. It's sort of silliness and fun - spaghetti strands pointing each and every way. Beckoning you into their secret stash of creamy cheeses and a hint of garlic. It's a party tease worthy of Carnevale and Mardi Gras. The celebration before the last 40 days or so of winter. A delectable treat before the days of tulips arrive.

And the true wonder of this is - I always have a splashing of these ingredients in the house. If Uptown-son says he's coming over, I can whip them up. If Husband-on-diet is desperate for a carb, I can make these. And if a crowd of 40 people are descending upon my home for a holiday dinner - these are worthy. It's uptown-downtown, city-country, plain and fancy.

Do check out Marie's version here: Proud Italian Cook
And Joan's version here: Foodalogue