:::Cooking Apps:::

Man, I am loving this iPod. I've downloaded just a few apps, my two favorite so far being Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, and Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. Last night I stopped by Safeway after I got off the metro, connected to their wi-fi network*, and found a simple, quick, and delicious pasta recipe from Martha.

Spaghettini with Lemon Zest and Chives

Serves 4

• 1 pound spaghettini, or thin spaghetti (I used linguine and it worked very well. In fact, I think it worked better than thin spaghetti would.)
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 stick butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup ricotta salata cheese, or Parmesan, coarsely grated
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, or scallion greens, thinly chopped
• Salt and pepper
• My sinful addition -- 1 egg to add to lemon sauce

Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook 1 pound of spaghettini, or thin spaghetti, until al dente according to package instructions.
2. Grate the zest of 1 lemon into a large pasta bowl. Juice the lemon, and add juice to the bowl. Stir in 1 stick butter, cut into small pieces, and 1 cup coarsely grated ricotta salata cheese or Parmesan.

• 2a. If you decide to add the egg, first scramble it in a separate bowl, then temper it with a ladle or two of the boiling pasta water. Then, add to lemon sauce. When the hot pasta is poured on top of the sauce, it will finish cooking egg.

3. Add drained pasta to lemon sauce, and sprinkle in 2 tablespoons thinly chopped fresh chives or scallion greens. Season with salt and pepper. Toss well, and serve.

I ate some of the leftovers today for lunch with the addition of some grilled chicken and a couple tomatoes. Reheat the pasta in a pan over low heat, then toss in the chicken and diced tomatoes. Yum.



This evening I made the most delicious Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Pancakes based on a variation of Mark Bittman's Basic Pancake recipe.

Basic Pancakes


Think of this as a nice, old fashioned pancake recipe that your grandma would have kept tucked in her recipe box on a faded index card.These pancakes weren't too light or too heavy, and cooked beautifully. I hate pancakes that are too light and foamy, but the hockey puck type aren't preferable either. This is my new go-to recipe.

Serves 4

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 or 2 eggs
• 1½ to 2 cups milk
• 2 Tbsp. melted and cooled butter (optional), plus unmelted butter for cooking, or use oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla (optional)

For Chocolate-Chocolate Chip variation add the following to the dry mixture --

• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 handful of chocolate chips

1. Preheat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat while you make the batter.

2. Mix together the dry ingredients. Beat the egg(s) into 1½ cups of milk, then stir in the 2 tablespoons melted cooled butter and vanilla (if you are using them). Gently stir this into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to moisten the flour; don’t worry about a few lumps. If the batter seems thick, add a little more milk.

3. If your skillet or griddle is nonstick, you can cook the pancakes without any butter. Otherwise, use a teaspoon or two of butter or oil each time you add batter. When the butter foam subsides or the oil shimmers, ladle batter onto the griddle or skillet, making any size pancakes you like. Adjust the heat as necessary; usually, the first batch will require higher heat than subsequent batches. The idea is to brown the bottom in 2 to 4 minutes, without burning it. Flip when the pancakes are cooked on the bottom; they won’t hold together well until they’re ready.

4. Cook until the second side is lightly browned and serve, or hold on an ovenproof plate in a 200-degrees oven for up to 15 minutes.



 My favorite thing about having these recipe apps is that it will help me avoid wandering around the market trying to figure out what I could possibly make for dinner. The funny thing is that last week I thought that I should print out a few go-to recipes to keep in my wallet, but now that I have my iPod I have a variety of recipes at my disposal!

I've heard good things about Epicurious's app, so I'll be sure to check that out soon.

Hope your weekend is going well.


*Martha's Everyday Food app requires internet access to run. I don't think Mark Bittman's app does, which is awesome.