Parmesan Popovers

If you haven't guessed it yet, from the many recipes I tried of Giada de Laurentiis and showed in my foodie blog, yes indeed she's on top of the list of my fave chefs on Food TV Network. Here's another of her dishes, the Parmesan Popovers, a perfect partner to any pasta dish. These popovers are light and airy and can be eaten at lunch or dinner.

PARMESAN POPOVERS

INGREDIENTS:
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence (recipe here)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese (about 5 ounces)

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a blender, combine the eggs, flour, salt, pepper, herbes de Provence, and parsley. Blen on medium speed. Turn the blender to low and slowly add the milk, then the cheese.

2. Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake until puffed and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Remove the popovers from the muffin pan and serve hot, or cool on a wire rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

YIELD:
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Chicken Carbonara

The traditional carbonara is made of eggs, pancetta, Parmesan cheese, and spaghetti, but this one has a different twist for added texture. Instead of pancetta which is kind of pricey I just used strips of bacon. This is another recipe from Giada de Laurentiis of Everyday Italian.

CHICKEN CARBONARA

INGREDIENTS:
2 tsps olive oil
4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta or bacon, chopped
2 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
8 large egg yolks
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tsps minced garlic
4 cups coarsely shredded chicken (from 1 roasted chicken)
salt
1 lb spaghetti
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped (see how to toast nuts here)
1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy frying pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and saute until it is brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Cool until lukewarm.

2. Whisk in the cream, cheese, yolks, basil, parsley, and garlic. Stir in chicken.

3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add teh spaghetti and cook, stirring often to prevent the pasta from sticking together, until tender but still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes. Drain.

4. Add the spaghetti to the cream mixture and toss over medium-low heat until the chicken is heated through and the sauce coats the spaghetti thickly, about 4 minutes (do not boil). Season the pasta to taste with pepper.

5. Transfer the pasta to a large, wide serving bowl. Sprinkle with the walnuts and lemon zest, and serve.

YIELD:
Makes 6 main course servings.

Rotini with Broccoli and Shrimp

This is my own twist to Giada's recipe of Farfalle with Broccoli. I used whole grain instead of regular pasta to make it healthier; Rotini (spiral pasta) instead of Farfalle (bowtie pasta); and added some shrimps for more flavor and texture .

BENEFITS OF WHOLE GRAIN:
A grain is considered whole when all three parts – bran, germ and endosperm – are present. Most people know that fruits and vegetables contain beneficial phytochemicals and antioxidants, but many do not realize that whole grains are often an even better source of these key nutrients. In fact whole grains are a good source of B vitamins, Vitamin E, magnesium, iron and fiber, as well as other valuable antioxidants not found in some fruits and vegetables. Most of the antioxidants and vitamins are found in the germ and the bran of a grain.

ROTINI with BROCCOLI and SHRIMP

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound whole grain Rotini pasta
24 pcs medium shrimps, shells removed
2 heads broccoli, trimmed to florets (about 4 cups)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, chopped
8-10 anchovy fillets, diced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

PROCEDURE:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally.

2. After 5 minutes, add the broccoli florets to the pasta and stir and cook for another 4 minutes. Drain pasta and broccoli, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.

3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, anchovies, and red pepper flakes and cook for 3 minutes.

4. Add the shrimp and cook for another 2 minutes.

5. Add the broccoli, pasta, salt and pepper and toss. Add some of the reserved pasta water, if necessary, to make a light sauce.

6. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Close Encounter With Giada

Italian food is one of my favorite dishes and I'm an avid fan of Everyday Italian hosted by Giada de Laurentiis at Food TV Network. I'd say that my cooking is mostly inspired by her recipes which are very simple and easy to make. I don't like very fussy and complicated dishes, I always go for the more convenient and practical ways to prepare meals for my family.

In 2006 when I learned that she's coming to MA to do book signing, I was very eager to go to see her face to face. I went with my girlfriend Lea to The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Sur La Table where she did the book signing. A lot of cooking aficionados showed up and we waited in line for hours to have our cookbooks signed by Giada. She's very pretty and petite and very nice, she answered questions from the fans. I remembered I just tried to cook a fish dish of hers where she used Tilapia, but I told her I used Salmon instead, she beamed and told me "there you go, it's good with other fish too."