Cook pasta. Reserve 3/4 to 1 C pasta water, then drain and keep warm.
Heat pan, add butter and oil. Let it brown over medium heat. Add broccoli, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook over medium or medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Whisk pasta water with mustard, lemon juice, and maple syrup. Pour over broccoli and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and let stand while you grate the parmesan cheese. Toss the pasta with the cheese.
Notes
You could change this up so easily to suit your tastes, and what’s in your pantry. Squash, cauliflower, fennel, carrots, onions, more garlic, less garlic… you get the picture. Use what you have and what you like!
1/4 to 1/2 C cooked ground beef (I used leftovers)
1-2 C spinach (I used some that I’d frozen from fresh)
1 egg/serving
parmesan cheese, grated, for topping
Instructions
Heat salted water for pasta.
In another pan, heat pan (if you’re using raw meat, cook it now, when it’s almost finished cooking, drain beef, add oil and go to onion step), then add oil. When oil is hot, add onion, carrot, and 1/2 t salt; cook 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add balsamic vinegar, stir in, and cook 1 minute.
Add tomato paste, stir in and cook 1 minute. Add paprika, pepper, 1/2 t salt, beef, and pasta water. Cook 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook 1-2 minutes.
Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and add sauce to pasta. Stir. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Cover and keep warm.
In sauce pan, or a new pan, add a little more oil. Add eggs to pan and cook, covered, over low heat. Flip, turn heat off, and let them continue to cook until yolks are to desired doneness (I like mine “over medium” – whites set, yolks slightly runny).
Serve pasta topped with parmesan cheese and an egg.
Notes
Caesar Salad or Garlic Bread would go great with this dish!
This week marks a year since A Cooking Show with Rachel O made its debut into the world of culinary entertainment (or whatever you want to call it). Armed with my Minestrone Soup recipe and a lot of excitement, I began. Now, a year later, I’ve learned a lot, eaten a lot… I’m not sure which I’ve done more of… I’ve also burned myself, pinched my hand, scared the dog with my horn thingey (that was today), dropped tons of food on the floor, eaten lots of veggies, laughed a lot, knocked the iPad/second camera off the counter‚ pronounced things incorrectly, learned how to cook new things, invented dishes I’ve loved, made a few things I wasn’t absolutely crazy about, learned some more, ate some more, chopped about a million veggies, and developed a new found respect for those who wash dishes and/or edit video for a living. Neither is my favorite part of the job (although one is definitely more favorite), but both are necessary.
My favorite part of the job… favorites actually: Chopping food, the smell of Bari‘s olive oil, the smell of garlic when it hits a hot pan, photographing food, editing my photos, the inspiration that comes when I open the box of Abundant Harvest Organics produce, planning a menu, writing furiously so I don’t forget the recipe idea that popped into my brain, hearing Husband exclaim “MMMMMMMMMmmmm” after taking his first bite (it happened with this meal!), watching the dog pretend not to watch us eat because he too would like a bite, laughing at myself, eating amazing organic produce, working with a company I respect, sharing my love for food with you… I could go on for hours. I feel truly blessed to do what I do.
Thank you for being a part of that. Thanks for watching, for reading, for commenting, for telling me that you liked a recipe. It means so much to me. I create these dishes, write about these foods, share my ideas because I think they taste good. But, I also share them because I want you to enjoy them just as much as I do. I hope this is happening.
I also hope you like Mac and Cheese as much as I do. We can still be friends if you don’t, but it is one of my favorite go-to/comfort/quick meals. I know it’s tempting on a tired night to grab a box of the really quick stuff. I’m not judging if you do. I’ve done it. Buuuut, I’ve also discovered that homemade Mac and Cheese is almost as fast. Really! You have to wait for the water to boil regardless. So while you’re standing in the kitchen, starving, staring at the water, willing it to boil, trying to keep from eating peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon, grab some milk, olive oil, salt, pepper, and flour, grate some cheese and make a simple sauce. If you have a few more minutes, roast some fennel and add it to some sautéed onion and garlic. It’s a good idea.
I didn’t think I liked fennel. Then I roasted it. Roasting is the key to making almost any vegetable a thousand times better (even though I usually like them just the way they are! Here’s how: Buy olive oil (personally, I like Bari‘s). Turn on oven. Combine olive oil with halved fennel. 350F. Done. Boom. Roasted. Good right?!
Now it’s your turn. Have fun!
Happy Eating!
Roasted Fennel Mac
Recipe Type: Main, Pasta, Dinner, Oven, Stove Top
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-4
When fennel is roasted it becomes sweet and slightly caramelized. It’s paired with pears and Gruyère and added to traditional Mac and Cheese to dress it up.
Ingredients
1/2 to 1 C onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, halved
3-4 T plus 1 t olive oil
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 carrot, grated
1/2 to 1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 t apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 C cheese (combination of Gruyère and Parmesan), grated (1/4 C reserved for topping)
2 T flour
1/4 C cream
1/2 to 1 C milk
1/2 to 1 C vegetable stock
1/4 C pasta water
2 C pasta
1 pear, thinly sliced (for topping)
Instructions
Drizzle fennel with 1 t olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place cut side down on baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes (or until fennel is tender).
Cook pasta.
Heat pan over medium heat. Add 2 T oil. When oil is hot, add onion, carrot, and a pinch of salt. Cook 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more.
When fennel is done, remove from oven and let cool slightly. Chop. Add to pan with veggies.
Move veggies to one side. Add 1-2 T more oil. When it’s hot, whisk in 2 T flour, cook 30-60 seconds. Slowly, a little bit at a time, whisk in milk, stock, cream, and pasta water. Let it thicken a little after each addition of more liquid. Add pasta water. Cook until just before it boils.
Remove from heat and whisk in cheese, apple cider vinegar, and pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Toss pasta with sauce. Top with thinly sliced pear, and top pear with cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and melted.
Roasted broccoli and carrots are paired with a fried egg, bacon, almonds, and a delicious sauce… oh and don’t forget the pasta!
Ingredients
2 heads broccoli, cut into large pieces (use the stem too – cut/peel the tough outside and use the tender inside)
1 carrot, grated
pinch cayenne
1/2 t garlic powder
salt
pepper
1 t or half a sprig fresh tarragon
1/2 t fresh oregano
1/2 sprig fresh thyme
1 T dijon mustard
1/2 C balsamic vinegar (reduced to about 2-3 T)
2-4 T olive oil
3/4 – 1 C pasta water
1 slice bacon/serving (for topping)
1/4 C parmesan cheese (for topping)
1/4 C almonds (for topping)
1 egg/serving (for topping)
penne pasta
Instructions
Toss broccoli with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast broccoli at 400F for 20 minutes. Halfway through add grated carrots (also tossed with a bit of oil, salt, and pepper).
Meanwhile, cook and drain pasta, reduce balsamic vinegar (watch carefully so it doesn’t burn), and cook bacon.
Whisk together the mustard, reduced balsamic vinegar, herbs, cayenne, garlic powder, salt, pepper. Stream in 2-3 T olive oil as you whisk. Add the pasta water.
Right before serving, fry the egg(s) (I cooked mine covered so the top would set quicker).
Combine pasta, sauce, and veggies. Top with an egg, 1 halved piece of bacon, almonds, and parmesan cheese.
Roasted squash and garlic are paired with Gruyère and a bit of cream to make a delightful pasta.
Ingredients
4 T cream
4 T butter, unsalted
1 1/2 butternut squash
4-6 cloves garlic
3/4 to 1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1t balsamic vinegar
6 fresh sage leaves
3/4 to 1 C pasta water
Gruyère, finely grated, for topping
1/2 lb. fresh, homemade pasta
Instructions
Heat oven to 350F. Halve squash, scrape out seeds. Drizzle with olive oil. Place cut side down. Bake for 1 hour, or until flesh is soft. Let cool and scrape flesh from skin.
Cut tips off garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap with foil. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool and squeeze pulp from skin.
Over med-low heat, cook butter, with sage leaves, until it’s browned (I usually partially cover it because it tends to splatter a lot). Add squash and garlic, mash in with a fork. Add salt, pepper, vinegar, and cook over low heat for a few minutes. Remove from heat.
