Hakuna Frittata

Pasta never tastes quite as good the day after.  Sure, the sauce develops some depth, but the pasta itself is always cooked to shit when reheated.  In the Villani household, the preferred method of  dispatching pasta leftovers is via frittata.

While frittata preparation is simple, it does require a certain level of care and finesse.  Over the years, I've found that a two-pan method works best, but you can achieve similar results w/ a stove-to-broiler approach.  You can use any type of left-over pasta, but long strands -- like spaghetti or linguine -- work best.

Left-over Pasta Frittata

4 eggs
1/2 cup half & half
1/2 cup grated cheese
4 cups left-over pasta
salt & pepper to taste

1. Beat the eggs, half & half, and cheese together in a large mixing bowl.  add the pasta, and toss to  combine.  add a heavy pinch each of salt and pepper.
2. Heat an 8-inch, non-stick skillet over high heat.  coat liberally w/ cooking spray.  add the egg/pasta mixture, cover and reduce heat to low.  cook, covered on low for 20 minutes.  
3. Once the frittata is almost set -- heat a 10-inch, non-stick skillet over high heat.  coat liberally w/ cooking spray. flip-flop the frittata over to the 10-inch skillet and cook over medium heat until crisp on both sides- this shouldn't take more than 5 minutes.
4. Carve up as you would a pizza, top w/ a simple salad and enjoy!

© 2012 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable - http://www.missioninsatiable.com

Pretense w/ a Payoff

Bohemian doesn't have a website, a sign out front, or disclose their phone number.  It's a perfect storm of hipster hogwash bullshit -- the type of place you'd poke fun at on account of its absurd pretension.  Naturally, I had to experience it for myself.

Bohemian Restaurant
57 Great Jones St
New York, NY 10012

I forget all the hoops I had to jump through to get the contact info, but it involved locating an email address on a bogus website and waiting several weeks for a response.  I finally secured a reservation for last weekend, and I was pleasantly surprised by the laid-back service, lack of pretense and reasonable prices.

Clandestinely located in what was once Andy Warhol's art studio, Bohemian sports a minimalist decor complete w/ full bar and Zen rock garden.  The space seats 24, and is a great atmosphere for parties of 2 - 4.  They have a $55 5-course tasting menu, but I would advise against this option, as two "courses" were veggie fondue and cold cuts.  We ended up ordering a la carte:

Overwhelmed w/ flavor, I stopped snapping pics after the second course.

Short Rib Sashimi
Fried Sweet Potatoes
Uni Croquet
Pan-roasted Whole Branzini (w/ seasonable veg.)
Foie Gras Soba
Dessert Trio (sake panna cotta, triple berry ice cream, and chocolate creme brulee)

© 2012 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable - http://www.missioninsatiable.com

Time to Make the Donuts

It's been almost two weeks and my metabolism is still reeling from the unabashed gluttony of the Holidays.  Much was consumed, but nothing more decadent than the "home made" doughnuts we had for dessert on Christmas.

These deep fried Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits taste more like a zeppole or beignet than a doughnut, but they do the trick.  I whipped up some vanilla cream cheese frosting and distributed the sprinkles and cinnamon-sugar liberally.

1 can (7.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1 qt canola oil

Frosting

sprinkles

Cinnamon-sugar

• Get the oil up to 375°.

• My fry station consisted of a 12-inch cast iron skillet, a quart of canola oil, and a candy thermometer.  If you don't have a thermometer, you should consider picking one up -- deep fat frying isn't the best time to "wing it".  

• While the oil comes up to temp, crack open a pack of the biscuits and poke a little whole in each one creating the "doughnuts".  Let rest under damp paper towel while you work and fry.

• Fry the doughnuts in batches, making sure to maintain a consistent temperature.  Fry for about 2 minutes each side, or until golden brown and delicious.

• Let the doughnuts cool for a few minutes, then slather with frosting and other other toppings you have on hand.

Enjoy!

© 2012 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable - http://www.missioninsatiable.com