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Fried Egg BLT

BLT

Fried Egg BLT

It doesn’t get much simpler than a BLT.  It’s one of those things that you don’t want to mess with.  Toasted bread, crispy bacon, lettuce, tomato,  and lots of mayo.  That’s all you need. Oh, and don’t forget to throw on a fried egg.

Fried eggs really do make everything better.  They also have the magical ability to turn any meal into breakfast.  Sure, there is nothing wrong with a plain old BLT with out the egg, but the runny yolk takes it to the next level and after having it once, you won’t want BLTs any other way.

There really isn’t much that needs explaining about this recipe.  I used a sourdough, but you can use any bread you want.  Same goes for the lettuce.  I like the crispness of iceberg but any greens will do.  You could go for romaine, or change it up and use arugula or even kale.  I personally like to stick with mayo on my BLTs, anything else feels a little wrong to me.

BLT

Don’t forget to give the sandwich a good squish to burst the yolk before eating it.  You want it to drip all over the bacon.  Napkins may be necessary.  This recipe is a for one sandwich, so adjust the amounts depending on how many you want to make.

BLT

Fried Egg BLT

Ingredients

  • 2 slices of sourdough bread (or any sliced bread)
  • 4-5 slices of bacon
  • 1 egg
  • Torn Iceberg Lettuce
  • Sliced Tomato
  • Mayo
  • ½ tbsp. Butter or olive oil, for frying the egg
  • salt and pepper

Method

  • Start by preheating the oven to 400°F and lining a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Lay bacon flat on sheet and place in preheated over for 15-20 minutes, keeping an eye on it as exact cooking times will vary.
  • As bacon cooks, preheat a non-stick pan over medium low heat and either melt in butter, or drizzle in olive oil. Carefully crack the egg into the pan and allow it to fry until the whites are set leaving the yolk runny, this will take about 3-4 minutes.
  • When ready to build the sandwiches, toast the bread and spread mayo on 1 side of both pieces of bread. Pile on the bacon, lettuce, and tomato and then season to taste with salt and pepper.  Carefully place the fried egg on top adding a bit more salt and pepper if desired.  Place the top piece of bread on mayo side down and give it a quick squish to burst the yolk.
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Creamy Pumpkin Bucatini with Bacon

Creamy Pumpkin Bucatini with Bacon

Pumpkin pasta

If you read my last post on pumpkin cinnamon rolls, you’ll know that I was never much of a pumpkin fan.  I didn’t necessarily not like it, it was just something that I tended to avoid for whatever reason.  After making those rolls and really enjoying them, I had a whole bunch of leftover pumpkin purée that I needed to use up.

I was in the mood for pasta and I knew that pumpkin would make a great base for a sauce.  One of the great things about this recipe, and many other pasta recipes is that it can be made with ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry and fridge.  I used a few fresh ingredients like sage and thyme but if you don’t have those, you could easily skip it or use dried herbs.

Pumpkin pasta

Dried pasta is also something that I always have around. If you aren’t familiar with Bucatini, its kind of like a thick spaghetti.  It’s really good and perfect for hearty sauces like this or something like a bolognese.  If you don’t have it, regular spaghetti is a good substitute.

Also, you can easily make few substitutions to make this pasta vegetarian.  Obviously skip the bacon.  You don’t need to replace it with anything but I think a good textural substitute is sun-dried tomato.  They go crispy but still keep their chew when fried kind of like thick cut bacon.  And you can swap the chicken stock with vegetable stock or even just some extra pasta water.

Pumpkin pasta

Make sure you taste the sauce and season it to your liking as you’re cooking.  I like to add a little bit of salt here and there throughout the cooking process. As the sauce cooks, the flavors change and meld together.

Needless to say, I will definitely be making this pasta again.

Creamy Pumpkin Bucatini with Bacon

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 5 slices of bacon
  • 2 medium shallots, finely chopped
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp thyme leaves
  • 6-8 sage leaves
  • 1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin purée
  • 3/4 cup canned tomato, crushed
  • 3/4 cup chicken stock
  • 3/4 cup pasta water
  • 1/4 cup parmesan, grated
  • 1/2 cream (or half and half)
  • pinch of ground cinnamon
  • pinch of ground nutmeg
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 500 grams Bucatini
  • Micro greens for garnish (optional)

Method

Start by bringing a large pot of heavily salted water to boil.  Don’t be shy with the salt.  Cook pasta about 2 minutes less than package directions so it’s very al dente.  It will continue to cook once it’s in the sauce.  Make sure to save at least 1 cup of the pasta water once the pasta has been cooking for a while.

While the pasta water is heating, get a large pan going on medium heat and fry the bacon until it’s crisp.  Remove bacon to paper towel.  Add the onions along with the sage and cook until the onions are translucent stirring often, about 5-7 minutes.  When the onions are translucent, add in the garlic and thyme and allow them to cook for about a minute more, stirring so the garlic doesn’t burn.

Add the pumpkin  to the pan as well as a small pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg and allow it to cook in the oil for a few minutes while stirring.  Add in the tomato and chicken stock and allow it to reduce slightly.  Now it’s time to add the Pasta.  If you were able to time it right, you can transfer the pasta directly from the cooking water into the sauce but if you already strained the pasta that’s fine too. Crumble most the bacon on top and then add the reserved cooking water and cream to the pan along with the parmesan and toss everything together really well.  I like to get in there with a pair of tongs and really mix everything up.  If the sauce is too thick at any point just add a bit more pasta water or stock.

Transfer the pasta to plates or bowls and top with remaining bacon and some more fresh thyme if desired.  I also topped my pasta with some micro greens for a bit of additional color.

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Spaghetti Carbonara

Spaghetti Carbonara 

So simple, yet so delicious.  By the time your pasta is finished cooking, it’s basically done.

Ingredients

  • 1 Spaghetti
  • 3 Large eggs + 1 yolk
  • 6-8 slices bacon, sliced into small pieces*
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan + extra for serving
  • Salt & fresh cracked pepper
  • Handful flat-leaf parsley chopped, for garnish (optional)

Method

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta for 8-10 or done to you’re liking.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water and drain.
  2. While pasta is cooking, combine the eggs (beaten) and parmesan in a bowl, set aside.
  3. Also while the pasta is cooking, heat a large pan over medium heat and add the bacon.  Fry until crisp and fat has rendered.  Drain excess fat but leave a little. Remove from heat
  4. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and a splash of the reserved cooking water.  Slowly pour in the egg mixture while constantly tossing the pasta in order to prevent it from scrambling.  Ensure the pan is not too hot before adding the eggs.  The residual heat will be enough to cook the eggs.  Add more cooking water if necessary.
  5. Season with salt (if needed, it probably won’t because of the bacon) and a generous amount of black pepper. Garnish with chopped parsley
  6. I like to top mine with a sous vide yolk, but that is completely optional**

 

*Pancetta is more authentic but bacon works great and it is what I usually use.
**I use the Nomiku immersion circulator to sous-vide the yolks (use code “THECHEFDAN” for $50, if you’re interested in it)