I’m sure you know them. The mornings where you wake up juuuust five minutes too late and no matter how fast you run throughout the day, you never seem to catch up.
Hopefully, you also know the other type of mornings. The ones with time. Time to really wake up. Time to enjoy the walk with the dog. Time for cafe latte. And time for a different breakfast – like this omelette with kale and parmesan.
This omelette has fried Tuscan kale and shavings of umami rich parmigiano reggiano on the top. Let the day begin!!
Heat oil on the pan and fry the kale at high temperature. Season with salt and pepper.
Whisk the eggs in a small bowl.
Pour the eggs over the kale and reduce the heat. Fry the omelette for around two minutes and turn it around. Fry the other side for another two minutes.
Place the omelette on a plate and top with flakes of parmesan. You may use a carrot peeler to make the thin flakes.
Cacio e pepe is a very very simple dish which originally comes from Rome in Italy. The signification of the name is ‘cheese and pepper’ and that is exactly the two main ingredients. The trick is to use the pasta water which contains starch to melt the finely grated cheese and with the correct temperature you create a creamy sauce. Pure magic!
There are several ways of making the sauce. You can mix pasta water and cheese to a creamy sauce. Or you can mix water, pasta and cheese together. It is all about melting the cheese and avoiding big rubber lumps due to a wrong temperature. A tablespoon of butter is your helper in this process.
It sounds so easy and yet I found it a bit hard to make the perfect sauce by mixing hard cheese and pasta water. I did get the lumps. But every time I melt the cheese when mixed with pasta and pasta water, I succeed.
If you want to dig into the nerdy details, please read this wonderful article, which really goes into details with the dish and the method behind.
Or you can try my version of Cacio e pepe – see recipe below.
Boil the pasta until it is ‘two minutes before al dente’. Put aside 2 1/2 dl / 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta.
While the pasta boils, toast the peppercorns on a hot, dry frying pan for a couple of minutes. Crush the peppercorns in a mortar.
Melt the butter in a deep pan, add pepper and mix. Stir in half of the water you set aside. Add the boiled pasta and mix.
Add the cheese and stir until it is melted. Add more water if you need more sauce.
Sprinkle with thyme and serve immediately.
A few words about the cheese
Originally, this dish was made with pecorino romano. It is quite salty and sharp which brings character to the dish. I have used pecorino sardo, another sheep milk cheese which also has a lot of taste but is more balanced in my opinion. You may also use parmigiano reggiano, grana padano or another matured cheese which can be grated finely.
Think about the cheese as you would do with spices – which taste of cheese do you want in the final dish?
These beautiful roses are elegant on a plate. Eighter as an element on a mixed plate for starter or as a side to a main course.
It takes a little bit of patience to make them – but I think it is worth the effort. I have used emmental which melts well and gives a nice taste of cheese. You can of course choose other cheeses depending on the taste and intensity you want.
Wash the vegetables and peel the carrot. Use a mandolin (or a carrot peeler) to make long and thin ribbons.
Mix herbs with oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Place two ribbons of zucchini on a board, brush with oil and sprinkle with cheese. Add a layer with carrot, brush and sprinkle. Top with a layer of potatoes, repeat with oil and cheese.
Let the two piles overlap. Now you have one long ribbon with three layers of vegetables. Carefully you role the ribbons until you have a rose. Place it in a greased muffin form. Make five more roses.
Bake the roses in the oven (180°C / 350°F) for 40 minutes until the cheese is golden and the vegetables are tender.
Baked camembert is an easy way to make your own fondue. You can use a cheese baker – or find another small ovenproof bowl.
It is the season of mont d’or AOP – but you can also bake other cheeses. Maybe you have already done it this year? A camembert is (also) perfect to enjoy melted. Below is my recipe – you can of course also make your own experiments.