So Long Gourmet/Ten Minute Dinner

Gourmet magazine is folding. I know that this is no longer news, but it is still shocking to me. I have loved this magazine for as long as I can remember, when I was younger flipping through the pages and gazing at beautiful pictures fueled my love for cooking and food. Since then, it is has always the magazine I buy at airports, my stoic companion for fun, uncertain, and sad trips alike. I imagine that something new and "better" is already in the works, but for me Gourmet will remain the first and the best. Really, I am just grateful to the people who devoted their lives to this beautiful publication; their hard work and love for this magazine did not go unnoticed.

Last night for dinner I wanted to make Orecchiette with Pancetta and Broccoli, one of Gourmet’s “ten-minute mains.” Although it has often been regarded as the food magazines for connoisseurs, in the past ten years big efforts were made to make Gourmet more accessible to everyone. Ten-minute mains are the perfect example, they combine gourmet tastes with not-so-gourmet schedules. These range from pasta dishes, to burgers, to cold salads, no matter what you like I highly suggest you browse through the archives on the website and print a few out, they are delicious and always satisfying. This pasta was just the quick, in-between seasons meal I needed tonight, it's already getting wintry and cold up here in Montreal and I refuse to fall into winter food patterns just yet.

One of the best things about these dinners is that they are easily adaptable. I used bacon instead of pancetta and I didn't have the orecchiette on hand, so I used gigantoni (which take 20 minutes to cook, so I guess wasn't really a ten minute main, oops) but breaking the rules a bit only made it better. I like almost all my food to be spicy so I drizzled my pasta with spicy olive oil and I also crumbled goat cheese on it, which added a nice creaminess. If you're in a rush any night, make this. It comes together quickly and it's hearty, the perfect one-dish dinner. I am sad that I will no longer have the new issue of Gourmet to look forward to every month, but the good news is I may finally be able to get through all the Gourmet recipes I have on my to-make list. I look forward to writing about these recipes when I do make them and I hope they will serve as a quick reminder of the greatness that is and has been Gourmet.

Orecchiette with Pancetta and Broccoli
from Gourmet Magazine
serves 4

Ingredients:
3/4 lb orecchiette
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, smashed
3 tablespoons pine nuts
3 oz sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped
5 scallions, thinly sliced
10 oz frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, drained, and patted dry

Directions:
1) Cook orecchiette in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente.
2) While pasta cooks, heat butter and oil with garlic in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until garlic starts to sizzle. Add nuts and cook, stirring, until pale golden. Discard garlic and stir in pancetta and scallions, then cook 1 minute. Stir in broccoli and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and cook over high heat, stirring, 4 minutes

3) Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta and stir into broccoli mixture. Add some of reserved water to moisten if needed.