Soma Double Cross Reborn and Another Recipe

I wrote awhile ago about getting back into cyclocross this season. Unfortunately that fell a bit short this year, mainly due to work being a real huge P.I.T.A. with it being a budget development year. New Hampshire builds a biennial budget and this was my first one in my new job. Needless to say, it kind of sucked and it pretty much killed my fitness at the end of the season.

Anyhow…I did manage to get a killer deal on a Kona Jake The Snake frameset. This required a tear down of the Soma Double Cross to build the Jake.

In general I have a hard time letting frames sit around. I had a bunch of parts to rebuild the Soma. It did require a few purchases, and now the Soma has been rebuilt into a potential touring bike/crappy weather ride for Mia. I’m not positive I can get it to fit her correctly, at which point it may go up for sale at the S&W bike swap in the Spring.

I put a hodge-podge of parts on this sucker. 9 speed LX rear derailleur, 12×34 cassette, tiagra rear shifter, veloce front shifter, Tektro RX5 front brake, Tektro CR720 rear brake, 700×42 continental cyclocross speed tires, FSA front derailleur. It looks funky, but it all works.

Leeks & Pancetta Pasta

I think I may been watching a little too much Food Network lately. I picked up another recipe from Pioneer Woman. This one is a leek and pancetta pasta recipe that sounded really good.
Here is the recipe courtesy of Food Network

Ingredients

12 ounces shaped pasta, such as farfalle
3 ounces chopped pancetta
2 whole leeks, sliced thin
1 tablespoon butter, optional
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Shaved Parmesan, for serving

Directions

Cook the pasta according to package directions to al dente and set aside, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

Saute the pancetta in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat is rendered and it starts to brown. Add the leeks and cook, about 8 minutes. When you add the leeks, you can also throw in a pat or 2 of butter if you want to. This’ll give the dish some scrumptious flavor.

After 8 to 10 minutes, pour in the wine, and then cook until reduced, an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, and then pour in the cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in some Parmesan.

Toss in the pasta, adding a little pasta water to thin as needed. Serve with Parmesan over the top – delicious!

It came out really good. Usually I am not a fan of cream based sauces, but this one only uses half a cup so it is not overpowering. I think this one will be making it into the normal routine of recipes. It takes very little time to make and you get leftovers too.