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Dinner, My Place: Baking, Science, and Killer Pasta

October 20, 2010 by ericriveracooks

Aw yes, lobster mushrooms. They look like cooked lobsters on the outside and they have a nice meaty texture when cooked….. Put some salt and pepper on the ox tail and braise it with some veal stock and smoked ham hock…..yes, excellent. It’s going to be a ragout for the pasta. Make some fresh rosemary pasta then cut it and work on something else. (Duck eggs, rosemary, “00″, Semolina, Contadina, Water) Mushrooms, golden beets, and butternut squash go into […]

Categories: Baking & Pastry, Beef, Duck, Pasta • Tags: Agar, Cooking Blog, Dinner, Food, Ox Tail, Pasta, Ragout, recipe, Terrine

Armondo’s (Renton, WA)

August 13, 2010 by ericriveracooks

(Sponsored Post) The folks over at Armondo’s invited me over to their restaurant to check out their revamped menu and to debut their new chef. Armondo’s has been open in Renton for over 25 years and has served the locals well over that time. So much so that they were a small 10 seat pizzeria that transformed itself into its current location that has had every seat full since opening. With constant change in the restaurant industry one thing has […]

Categories: Restaurants • Tags: Armondo's, Cooking Blog, Food, Italian Food, Pasta, pizza, recipe, Renton, Restaurant

Saffron/Oregano Pasta

July 6, 2010 by ericriveracooks

When I was out on Orcas Island I learned how to make some pasta that would be edible. I have made it a few times before but it never turned out the way I wanted……in steps Chef Nakamura. After a few tips and making 12 orders (24 sheets total) I got it down. Thanks Chef! Eric

Categories: Pasta • Tags: Blog, Cooking Blog, Dinner, ericriveracooks, Food, Pasta, recipe

Spicy Italian Sausage Pasta with Fried Basil Leaves

June 20, 2010 by ericriveracooks

Fried basil….pretty cool stuff. Thyme, Basil, Chicken stock, Spicy Italian Sausage, Crushed red pepper, olive oil, extra virgin olive oil, cerignola olives, sweet onion, chardonnay, sel de mer, garlic, and mangalitsa fat. Eric

Categories: Chicken, Pasta • Tags: Cooking Blog, Dinner, Food, Pasta, Sausage

Wild Alaskan King Salmon Pasta

June 7, 2010 by ericriveracooks

Was given some salmon trim from work so I decided I would take it home and create something spectacular. This is the best salmon you’ve never had……that’s right……Mindy said so Golden Glen Creamery’s basil cheese, Beecher’s cheese and some Golden Glen Creamery Butter then some heavy cream. Wild alaskan king salmon, sel de mer, black pepper, white wine, capers, homegrown tarragon, and some spaghetti noodles…….all of these ingredients are out of order…it’s your job to experiment and unlock the awesomeness […]

Categories: Pasta, Seafood • Tags: Blog, Cooking, Cooking Blog, Dinner, Food, Pasta, recipe, Salmon, Wild Alaskan King Salmon

Handmade Pasta Noodles with Tempranillo Puttanesca

April 25, 2010 by ericriveracooks

Grow micro greens…….use them on everything! I’m experimenting with making my own pasta noodles. I’ve done it before but I’m using different flours in order to achieve different pastas that will work with specific types of sauces. I know, that’s a little particular but that’s what this is all about. First up was this tempranillo puttanesca sauce with a thicker noodle to soak up a medium-thick sauce…..not a cream sauce but something that has a nice texture by itself. This […]

Categories: Pasta, Pork, Sauce • Tags: Anchovy, Cooking, Cooking Blog, Food, kalamata olive, Pasta, Puttanesca, recipe

Cucina Fresca’s Lazy Lasagna: I get the first box, that’s right!

March 5, 2010 by ericriveracooks

It’s nice being the first person to have something. I’ve spent hours in line waiting to be the first person to grab an Xbox, Xbox360, Nintendo Wii, NES, and SNES. I’ve even waited in lines for concert tickets and Mariners tickets. Those days are over! Start a cooking blog, be a halfway decent person that can crack a couple moderately funny jokes here and there and you become first in line. Yes, I speak in third person….Rickey Henderson style. Actually, […]

Categories: Restaurants • Tags: Blog, Cooking Blog, Cucina Fresca, Dinner, Lasagna, Lazy Lasagna, Pasta, recipe, Whole Foods

IxaRiveraCooks: Pasta and Shrimp Day

February 25, 2010 by ericriveracooks

I f’ing love pasta and shrimp day. I need to go to Puerto Rico….. Take it away mom! “Hello boy! Today was one of those busy days. All I wanted was to hurry up, get home and fix something quick, fresh and yummy. Well, while I was driving I said to myself, “it is pasta and shrimp day”. Here is the finished product. All the herbs are fresh from my garden and of course the aji dulce. “ LYA, Ixa

Categories: IxaRiveraCooks • Tags: Cooking, Day, Food, O, Pasta, Pasta and Shrimp Day, recipe, shrimp

Cucina Fresca Gluten Free Penne + Smoked Tomato Sauce + adding a few more things = Awesome

December 30, 2009 by ericriveracooks

Chef Glaberson sent me a package on Christmas Eve that had some sauces and his new gluten free penne. On Christmas I cooked his Puttanesca sauce with the pasta and it was a hit. Today, I’m at home so I decided to step out of the box a little… The thing with Cucina Fresca’s products is that you don’t have to add anything additional for them to taste great. I’m an a mad man so I add things, it’s what […]

Categories: Pasta, Seafood • Tags: Anchovy Paste, Clams, Cooking Blog, Cucina Fresca, Dinner, Food, Gluten Free Penne, Lobster, Pasta, recipe, Salt, Smoked Tomato Sauce

Puttanesca Pasta

December 29, 2009 by ericriveracooks

(Serving things family style doesn’t really make for great pictures………….oh well) The sauce made for whores……not kidding. Anyway, here is my take on puttanesca pasta. The original idea behind this pasta was that you use what you had available around the house and then made it for whores. I don’t know any whores but I do have a few things lying around the house. The times I have had this there were three flavors that stood out to me…..kalamata olives, […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: Anchovy, Capers, Cooking Blog, Dinner, Food, Garlic Salt, Parmesan, Pasta, Puttanesca Pasta, recipe, Red Wine, Sauce, tomato

Christmas in Longbeach, WA……Cater out!

December 26, 2009 by ericriveracooks

(Morning) Mindy’s parents and sister were visiting Longbeach, WA during the holidays so Mindy and I decided to make a little Christmas Eve trip over. Mindy got off a little later than expected from work so we made the three hour trip and finally arrived at 8:45. Eric, who cares……why are you telling us…this is a cooking blog!!! Calm down voice in my head, I wasn’t about to show up on Christmas Eve without a little food. While Mindy was […]

Categories: Random Rants • Tags: Christmas, Clam Chowder, Cooking Blog, Creme Brulee, Cucina Fresca, Dinner, Food Blog, Ham, Longbeach, Pasta, Purple potato, recipe, Washington

Cucina Fresca Gluten Free Penne

December 24, 2009 by ericriveracooks

Got a little knock on the door a few minutes ago and to my suprise was a courier with a box addressed to “Chef Eric Rivera”…..I joked with the guy and told him he had the wrong place, there is no Chef here…..yet! Have I told you how much I love Cucina Fresca? They’re not paying me to say it, they just keep sending me awesome stuff to cook with! In today’s round of Cucina Fresca awesomeness they have sent […]

Categories: Pasta, Random Rants, Restaurants • Tags: Cucina Fresca, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Pasta, Pasta, Seattle

80+ years later and it’s still feeding hungry friends, family, and whoever else shows up

December 24, 2009 by ericriveracooks

(Cab. Sauv. Pasta) My mom sent me a great gift for birthday/Christmastravaganza. It’s an old pot that was her grandmother’s. She told me that she remembers her grandmother cooking all types of meals in it and she gave it to me because I could do the same. The cool thing about this is that I already have a pot that was my grandfather’s and that spoon you see in the pot was his. Good stuff. Eric

Categories: Pasta • Tags: Cooking Blog, Food, Food Blog, Pan, Pasta, Pot

Brussels Sprouts Creamy Basil Pesto Pasta

November 18, 2009 by ericriveracooks

Ingredients: 1 container Cucina Fresca Creamy Basil Sauce 1/2 container Cucina Fresca Basil Pesto Brussels Sprouts, cleaned, blanched, shocked, and done vichy style Toasted Pine Nuts Cucina Fresca Pappardelle Pasta Parmesan Cheese Salt and black pepper, tt Procedure: Heat up pesto and before you reach a simmer add the creamy basil sauce Cook pasta then strain and place in bowl Add sauce, sprouts, pine nuts, cheese, salt and pepper! I really needed this, so much work to do. Eric

Categories: Pasta • Tags: Basil, Cooking Blog, Cucina Fresca, Food, Food Blog, Pappardelle, Pasta, Pesto, recipe, Sauce

Cucina Fresca: Seattle, WA