Lemon Fettucini with Broccoli and Pancetta Croutons

I have a new favorite lunch spot. And by favorite, I mean I've been there once. Me. A lunch spot What? I don't even eat out for lunch....ever. It is usually the diced tofu with the steamed broccoli, canned tuna with steamed broccoli, or chicken noodle soup. Chicken noodle soup in the summer - you can't beat it. Well, today was a new day - and I blame the slightly crazy schedule at work for my lack of motivation to be creative at lunch time. I came empty handed today and was out of canned tuna at my desk. I could have walked downstairs to get some, but just didn't feel up to it. Instead, I walked next door to Bockwinkle's - the local grocery store that is right close to work. We sometimes refer to it as "The Bock". Really it just makes for a great reason to get up from your desk, take a few steps outside to get some fresh air, and to do a bit of socializing.

I've told you before that I used to work at Kalck's Butcher Shop - a place that I absolutely love. One of the best things about working there - besides the people of course - was the fact that you could make a fresh deli sandwich for lunch. I usually went with whole wheat bread, buffalo seasoned chicken, havarti cheese, thinly sliced pickle, tomato, lettuce, shaved onion, and mustard. I can't think of anything better than a sandwich made fresh from the deli slicer. You get spoiled really.

So today, as I headed to Bockwinkle's, my intention was to make a salad from their salad bar. But woah. I became distracted by the deli counter - of which I had never noticed before. They had Boar's Head - the same brand of deli meat that Kalck's has. And.....they make sandwiches. I was hooked. Smoked turkey on seven grain, with mustard, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, onions, cucumbers, and hot peppers. I'm going back tomorrow.

I am all of a sudden really liking the idea of pasta for dinner. I think it has something to do with the fresh pasta that is available in the deli section at the Whole Foods in Lincoln Park. Pasta just tastes so much better when it's fresh. I find myself searching for pasta recipes - ones that are popular in the summer months - and ones that use the freshest ingredients that might be available to us right now. In my walk to "The Bock" today I was searching for suggestions of pasta dishes. Caitlin mentioned pasta with broccoli and sausage. I did a quick search and found the perfect recipe. And by quick, I mean, I was allowing myself 5 minutes in the day to search for something to make for dinner. If I didn't find it in the first 5 minutes, I was going to resort to eggs, polenta, and marinara for dinner.

This recipe has simple ingredients: pasta, lemon, broccoli, pancetta, basil, tomatoes, and Parmesan. I'm not sure where the term "pancetta croutons" come in - but yes, there is pancetta in the dish. The broccoli boils just as the pasta finishes cooking, the pancetta gets cooked - and BAM - you have a meal.

Lemon Fettuccini with Broccoli and Pancetta Croutons

adapted from Epicurious.com

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4 ounces 1/3 inch thick slices pancetta, cut into cubes

5 cups broccoli florets

1 pound dried fettucini

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped basil

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Saute pancetta in heavy medium skillet over medium high heat until almost crisp and brown. Transfer to paper towels.

Cook broccoli in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer broccoli to bowl. Add pasta to same boiling water, Cook until tender.

Drain pasta. Return to pot. Add next 5 ingredients. Toss over low heat to coat. Add pancetta, broccoli, and cheese. Toss to blend.

Linguini with Fresh Corn Pesto

There is quite a bit to catch you all up on.....

I spent the 4th of July on the rooftop at Lisa's apartment - 60 floors up. It was amazing to see the buildings and lights in the city. You could see fireworks at various locations throughout the city and the suburbs. If only I could spend more time 60 floors up enjoying the Chicago scenery like that.

I bought a wetsuit and signed up for a 5k swim race on September 11th. I had Andy time me to see how long it would take me to get into my wetsuit for the first time. I did it in 3 minutes, 30 seconds - which I don't think is bad at all. I've been swimming out at Ohio Street beach about 2 times a week and absolutely love it. If only I could keep my calves from cramping up. My longest swim so far is 2 miles - 1 more mile to go and I'll make be set for the 3 mile event. I'm also raising money for the American Cancer Society while training for the event. If you want to make a donation to me, you can visit my page at http://main.acsevents.org/goto/emilyphillips.

Ben's getting married this weekend. Anne's bachelorette party was a few weekends ago and we had such a fun time. I'm looking forward to an awesome wedding weekend.

Andy competed in his first 1/2 Ironman race up in Racine last weekend. For those of you that may be wondering - a 1/2 Ironman is a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike, and a 13.1 mile run. You could say it's kind of a big deal. There were 4 from Andy's training group that participated in the race and so did 6 from our ACS DetermiNation committee. I don't think I could ever participate in a race that lasted for over 6 hours - but it was amazing to cheer everyone on and see them finish.

I loaded up the cooler with ice, bottled water, a Diet Coke so that I could have caffeine at the ready if a Starbucks was nowhere in sight, some freeze pops that never actually got frozen, and blue Gatorades for the weekend. I also took the liberty of offering up my services to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as transition snacks for Andy. Naturally, I went to my 365 chunky blue top peanut butter from Whole Foods and grape jelly.

Come race morning, Andy was having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast. He took one bite and gave me a slightly weird look. "Crunchy peanut butter....really?" Note to self - don't buy the peanut butter that I like, when the one you are making the sandwiches for enjoys creamy peanut butter. There I go again, putting my own peanut butter needs before everyone elses.

And what's been cooking in my kitchen? Between the tuna salads, the eggs in marinara over polenta, and the food on the grill - it's been pretty status quo. I finally took the liberty of paroozing some recipes the other day. I kind of miss it actually. Between work, and working out, and other evening activities, I haven't had enough time to really spend quality time in the kitchen. Last night was different though.

I found a recipe on Epicurious.com for a pasta with fresh corn pesto. It sounded simple, yet gourmet. It wouldn't take all night to cook, and it is something that both Andy and I would like. I ran into Whole Foods and got some fresh corn, some bacon, some fresh pasta from the deli counter and some pine nuts. The fresh basil growing on the porch was the perfect accompaniment to the meal.

You might be fooled by the word pesto - thinking the basil goes inside the pesto. That isn't the case. The corn pesto is made up of garlic, toasted pine nuts, Parmesan, and fresh sauteed corn. The pesto gets mixed with the fresh pasta, and then you toss it with the cooked bacon, fresh basil, and remaining corn kernels. I will continue to by the fresh pasta from Whole Foods. It is leaps and bounds better than your average dry pasta.

Give this one a try. It's awesome!

Linguini with Fresh Corn Pesto

adapted from Epicurious.com

print this recipe

3 bacon slices, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces

4 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 5 large ears)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/3 cup olive oil

8 ounces fresh linguini

3/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves, divided

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet. Add corn, garlic, salt, and pepper to drippings in the skillet. Saute over medium heat until corn is just tender but not brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer 1 1/2 cups corn kernels to small bowl and reserve. Scrape remaining corn mixture into processor. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan and pine nuts. With machine running, add olive oil through the feed tube and blend until pesto is almost smooth. Set pesto aside.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. Add corn pesto, reserved corn kernels, and 1/2 cup basil leaves. Toss pasta mixture over medium heat until warmed through, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to think to desired consistency. Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining basil leaves and reserved bacon and corn.