Cacio e pepe, ramen-style.

This recipe comes from the very first issue of Lucky Peach magazine - which I just picked up a couple days ago, and is truthfully wonderful. (As my luck would have it, this edition is devoted to ramen.) Dave Chang, one of the editors, puts forth this dish as "an insult to traditional Italian cooking, I'm sure, but it's the apogee of dorm-room cooking, another way to stretch that dollar." I would call it cute hybrid monster baby ramen that wants to be mafia when it grows up.
This is not the most attractive dish you will ever make - but it is quite tasty and very simple. I may have a slight bias based on how much I love the combination of pecorino and fresh pepper, though.

Makes 2 servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cups grated pecorino Romano
• freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
• 2 packages instant ramen, seasoning packets discarded

Directions:
Combine water, butter, oil, and "a healthy dose" of fresh black pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring it all to a boil. Stir. Reduce heat so the mixture simmers quickly and steadily. Stir in the cheese, then immediately add the noodle bricks and keep stirring so the cheese doesn't clump up.
Once the noodles start separating, stir them constantly. If it looks like there is way more liquid than the noodles will absorb, pour some out. After 3 or 4 minutes, the noodles should be loose and rehydrated. Most of the liquid should be gone.
Split the noodles between two serving bowls. Grind more black pepper over each, and more cheese if desired.

Chang notes - and I'll back it up - that this should be eaten quickly. After awhile the lovely goopy cheese sauce thickens up so much that it turns the ramen into a sticky brick.

Slow-baked Salmon with Lemon and Thyme

This is very good, and very easy. I got the original recipe from the May 2011 issue of Bon Appetit - I've amended it here to serve 1. Because I don't like to share. 

Technique: Slow-baking Salmon
Baking the salmon longer at a lower temperature melts the layers of fat in the fish much more slowly, resulting in an extra moist, extra tender fillet.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 salmon fillet, skin on
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• lemon zest (from about a 1/4 a lemon)
• salt (preferably pink) and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• lemon wedges (for serving)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 275. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy cleanup). Brush with 1/2 tbsp. of oil. Place salmon fillet, skin side down, on prepared baking sheet. Mix remaining oil, thyme, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Spread thyme mixture over salmon fillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let stand 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
Bake until salmon is just opaque in center, 15-18 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Tomato/Cucumber Salad

Guess what's in season in Alabama right now? That's right. Tomatoes and cucumbers. These two go together like peanut butter and chocolate - only a billion times better for you. This is an extra-easy, summery side dish, and I happen to be eating it for lunch.

Makes two servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 large cucumber
• 2 medium tomatoes (I like the "on the vine" variety from the grocery, but homegrown is the absolute best)
• 3 tbsp. italian dressing (I use Kraft)
• cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:
Chop or slice the cucumber and tomatoes into desired portions. I like them sliced and quartered as shown above, so that they're more bite-sized. My mother prefers to leave them in whole slices.
Place in bowl. Crack a little pepper over them. Toss gently with dressing.
It's recommended to prepare this salad a little ahead, and let the veggies marinate in the fridge for at least half an hour.
This will keep in an airtight container, refrigerated, for at least a week.