Pink Cacio e Pepe!
Plus Caesar Brussels Sprouts and M&M Cookies
Hi Friends!
It’s Valentine’s Week! I must confess I’ve never been a big Valentine’s Day person. Steve and I have been together for 18 years and I can count the number of times we’ve celebrated on one hand; this week he’s traveling for work so we won’t even be together on Friday!
But now that my daughter is in preschool, Valentine’s Day is growing on me. We’ve been making cards for all her classmates, and celebrating with lots of pink (already her favorite color!). So now I’m carrying over that spirit into my cooking, with not one but two pink foods!
To start it off, though, is our Snack: a Shaved Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad with Bacon. I love a good Caesar salad, but I’m always looking for ways to mix it up. Same goes for brussels sprouts - they are a great winter vegetable, but there’s only so many times I can roast them and not get bored. By thinly slicing them we can eat them raw, but punch up the flavor with bacon, parmesan, breadcrumbs, and a caesar vinaigrette!
For our Dinner, we have a Pink Peppercorn Cacio e Pepe. I love using pink peppercorns because they are a little sweeter and milder than black pepper, but they still bring great flavor. They are not related to black pepper but are in fact a dried berry; they are actually a relative of the cashew, so avoid them if you have a tree allergy.
Finally, for Dessert I’m taking advantage of the pink Valentine’s M&Ms that are everywhere and making some classic M&M Cookies! These are simple to make and do not require any chilling time. Read on for the recipes!
The Recipes
The Snack: Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Bacon
Prep Time 20 Min | Serves 4 to 6
This salad only has a few ingredients but packs great flavor. I love a shaved brussels sprouts salad because are bright and crunchy, but have a little more heft than lettuce. If your food processor has a slicing disc, you can use that to quickly slice the sprouts. Otherwise, carefully use a mandoline slicer or a sharp knife. This recipe uses toasted panko breadcrumbs rather than croutons; although I love a good crouton, I like the way that breadcrumbs disperse more evenly throughout the salad, providing some extra flavor in every bite. Sometimes I serve this with a chicken cutlet on top, bumping it up from a salad to a full meal.
Ingredients
4 to 6 bacon slices
1 tbsp butter
½ cup Italian-seasoned Panko breadcrumbs
1 lb brussels sprouts, with stems trimmed
½ cup shaved Parmesan
Caesar Vinaigrette
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbps lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsps Dijon mustard
2 tsps Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Recipe:
Cook the bacon according to the package instructions. My preferred method is to oven-bake by heating the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then lay the bacon on top. Cook the bacon for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it is cooked to your crispiness preference. Remove from the oven and place on a piece of paper towel. Once it is cool enough to touch, roughly chop.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, then add the breadcrumbs. Stir the breadcrumbs frequently so they toast evenly and do not burn. Once they are golden brown, about 5 minutes, remove from the pan and set aside.
Remove any browned leaves from the brussels sprouts. Use a mandoline slicer, the slicer disc on your food processor, or a sharp knife to carefully slice them. Toss any thick stems.
Place the sliced brussels sprouts in a large bowl and add the bacon, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan. Toss with your favorite Caesar dressing, or make my Caesar vinaigrette by combining the ingredients in a bowl or jar and mixing until well-combined. Toss with the salad and serve.
The Dinner: Pink Cacio e Pepe
Prep Time 10 Min | Cook Time 15 Min | Serves 2
Bring on the pink! Pink peppercorns add color and fun to a simple cacio e pepe. You can get pink peppercorns here, but I have to mention again that pink peppercorns are not related to black pepper but are in fact dried berries and are related to cashews, so don’t eat them if you have a tree nut allergy! Even though they are not related to black pepper they still have a great peppery taste, so you can use them in many dishes. They are softer than black peppercorn, though, so they will clog up your pepper mill if you try to grind them. Instead, use a mortar and pestle or place them in a plastic bag and crush them.
Ingredients:
8 oz pasta of choice
2 tbsp pink peppercorns
1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tbsp butter
Recipe:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Use less water than you normally do when making pasta – this will allow the water to get really starchy and help thicken our sauce. Once it is boiling add the pasta and cook until it is al dente. Reserve about a cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and set aside.
While the water is boiling, grind the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or place then in a plastic bag and roll over them with a rolling pin. Do not use a pepper mill, as these soft peppercorns will clog it.
3. After the pasta has been cooking for several minutes, remove about a quarter cup. Let it cool for 2 to 3 minutes, then place the grated cheese in a bowl and add about a tablespoon of water. Mix them together until a paste forms; you may need to add a little more water. Stir in the pepper.
Once the pasta is drained, place the butter in the pot and add about a tablespoon of the pasta water. Melt the butter over medium heat and stir to combine with the water. Remove the pot from the heat, then add the pasta and the cheese paste. Stir the ingredients as the cheese slowly melts and emulsifies into a smooth, creamy sauce. You may need to add more pasta water (a spoonful at a time) or more cheese until you reach the right consistency. Once the cheese has melted and you have a silky sauce, serve.
The Dessert: M&M Cookies
Prep Time 15 Min | Cook Time 30 Min | Makes 18-24 cookies
Make your cookies festive for Valentine’s Day! These are simple to make but taste amazing! In our house we tend to back half a batch right away, then leave the rest of the dough in the fridge and bake the cookies as we want them. Fresh cookies on demand!
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
10 oz bag of M & Ms
Recipe:
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cream the butter and sugars together using a stand mixer or hand mixer until they are well-mixed, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and continue mixing until they are incorporated.
In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until they are just combined. Add the M&Ms and mix until just incorporated.
You can refrigerate the dough to firm it up allow the flavors to develop, or bake them right away. Scoop the dough into small balls (about 1 ½ tablespoons), then place them on the baking sheet. You should be able to bake between 6 and 9 at a time.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges of the cookies start to brown. Let them cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Continue baking the rest of the cookies.