Fried Pasta Ribbons

We had some leftover pasta dough from sheets we had rolled out for lasagna recently and put in the freezer. Lisa suggested we cut them into strips, give them a twist and fry them. Great idea! Here is how they turned out after being fried in olive oil. We left half of them plain and half sprinkled with powdered sugar. 

We dipped the plain strips in a garlicky tomato sauce. A melted cheese sauce, pureed white beans or hummus would work well too. The sugar dusted strips are good with a cup of coffee. 

Rustic Lasagna Baked in Cast Iron Skillets

For Christmas Day dinner we planned on making lasagna, and in keeping with the Homegrown, Homemade, Good Stuff for the Soul theme of this blog, we wanted to make sure we made as much from scratch as we could and include as many ingredients that we had grown ourselves - the tomato sauce had Roma tomatoes, garlic, basil, fennel seeds, oregano, a Calabrese pepper and parsley all from our garden, and the wine was from our Norton grapes. We made the pasta and rolled the lasagna sheets out with a pasta machine. And now that we have a wood-fired clay oven, it only seemed appropriate to bake the lasagna in it. Using cast iron skillets gave the lasagnas a very cool rustic look and cooking them in the wood-fired oven gave them a wonderful warm, but not smokey, aroma. We will be making them this way again! 

This will make enough for two 10" lasagne, for four to six people. 

I baked this for about 40 minutes in the clay oven, keeping an eye on it. 

*** To make these in a conventional oven, preheat to 375 and bake for 30 - 35 min.

So, here we go, follow along -

Ingredients for the pasta (or use store bought dry lasagna noodles)

3 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup water

1 egg

Ingredients for the lasagna

tomatoes

grape tomatoes

onion

garlic

basil

flat leaf parsley

fennel seeds

oregano

Optional - hot chili pepper (keep whole)

2 Italian sausage links, casing removed

1 lb ground chuck

ricotta

mozzarella

pecorino

olive oil

salt and pepper

Procedure

Make the pasta dough by measuring the flour into a mixing bowl and forming a well in the middle. Add the egg and water to the flour and work them together until you get a raggedy dryish dough. With the help of a spatula, dump the dough out and on to a firm work surface and knead the dough for about 10 minutes (a plastic dough scraper is handy here) until it all comes together in a smooth firm ball. It will be stiff and difficult to work with at first  but don't add any more water until you see how the dough is forming up. You don't want it to be sticky and the moisture will be distributed better after it rests. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let the dough rest for about half an hour. 

While the dough is resting, put the sauce together - brown the meats and saute the onions.

Then roll the dough out into sheets with a pasta machine. Take it down to #6 - not too thin and not too thick and lay the sheets out to dry,maybe another 30 minutes.

Quick boil/blanch the pasta sheets for 1 minute. 

And immediately put in cold water to stop the cooking.

Quick boiling the fresh pasta sheets firms them up while at the same time giving them an elasticity. This is good because it makes them easy to work with and they wont easily tear. They also won't get mushy while cooking. Lay them out on damp kitchen towels.

The browned sausage and ground beef

For the sauce, used Roma tomatoes we grew in our garden this summer and froze, garlic, onion, basil, fennel seeds.

Cook the sauce until it is fairly dry.

Layer the ingredients just like a typical lasagna but start with a tablespoon of olive oil to coat the bottom of the skillet and up the sides. 

1 - A sheet of pasta and a layer of tomato sauce

2 - Add the sausage and beef mixture

3 - Then ricotta, mozzarella and pecorino and dusted with a little oregano

Repeat the layer and top with sliced grape tomatoes, cheese and parsley. Drizzle with olive oil

Oh yah! On the plate with some homemade wine.

Rich Pork Ragu for Pasta

Want to make your house smell so good that it makes you want to go outside and come back in just to get a fresh hit of the wonderful aroma? This slow cooked pork ragu will make you want to do just that, and you won't even feel funny about it!

Some tomato sauces are quick cook, like marinara sauce. Almost as soon as the ingredients are all in and cooked through, it can be used. They have bright punchy flavors. Some are long simmered, beef based, sophisticated and luscious like Bolognese sauce. Then there are other more rustic slow cooked sauces, that develop deep rich savory flavors with a few simple ingredients, like this southern Italian inspired pork ragu. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb pork country spareribs

2 links sweet Italian sausage

1 medium onion chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

2  28 oz cans whole peeled tomatoes preferably San Marzano

3 sprigs fresh rosemary roughly chopped

1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley chopped

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1 bay leaf torn in three pieces

1 dried hot chili pepper - leave whole

Olive oil

Salt & fresh ground pepper as needed

Pecorino cheese 

Procedure

Season the pork ribs with salt and pepper and brown in a heavy sauce pot along with the sausages with a tablespoon of olive oil and the fennel seeds. 

Remove to a plate and cut the sausage into inch long pieces.

Add the onion and garlic to the pot and saute until soft and translucent.

Deglaze with the wine then add back the meat along with the rosemary and parsley. Stir together and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes by squeezing them apart with your hands into the pot. Add the can juice and enough water to cover the meat.  Add three small bay leaves or one torn in three pieces.

Cover and simmer on low for two hours or more checking back every now and then adding water if the sauce gets too thick. 

With a wooden spoon, break apart the rib meat.

Serve with a substantial pasta like rigatoni, ziti or penne, or our favorite - homemade fileja. Top with grated pecorino.

My Kids Made Beef Wellington!

Beef Wellington is one of those intimidating “wow factor” dishes consisting, with some variation, of a seared filet mignon smothered in a whole-grain mustard and duxelles (mushrooms that have been pulverized into a paste), and puff pastry. The whole package is then baked until the crust crisps up and the meat reaches medium-rare perfection. It looks damn impressive and holds delicious layers of flavor. 

Here, my daughter and son-in-law are taking on this ambitious project putting together individual Beef Wellingtons that they adapted from Gordon Ramsay's version, along with pan roasted tri-colored fingerling potatoes and haricots verts, to celebrate several recent events in their life - George's birthday, his earning a PhD and their first dinner in their new home. Important life passages like those require a special meal like this! 

Check out these photos - 

How it's done - 

INGREDIENTS

For mushroom duxelles:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 pound cremini mushrooms, coarsely chopped

For herb crepe:

2 eggs

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chives, minced

1/2 cup whole milk

1/4 cup water

4 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more if needed for pans

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

For Beef Wellington:

2 pounds filet mignon

Salt and black pepper, to taste 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1/4 cup whole-grain Dijon mustard 

1/2 pound prosciutto di Parma 

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed 

1 egg yolk 

1 tablespoon whole milk

DIRECTIONS

To make mushroom duxelles:  

Add mushrooms to a food processor and process until completely smooth. The consistency is similar to wet hummus.

In a pan over medium heat, add mushroom paste, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the mixture evenly over the surface and cook on a medium-low heat until the moisture in the paste has reduced and the mixture has the consistency of a spreadable pâté. Remove from heat and let cool.

To make herb crepes: 

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, eggs, sugar, salt, and chives. Whisk in milk, water, and 1 tablespoon of melted butter, until smooth and emulsified.

Heat a crepe pan or large skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. 

Add 1/4 cup of the batter. Rotate pan in a circular motion over the heat to completely cover the surface with the batter. The edges of the crepe will begin to curl slightly as the crepe cooks. Cook for approximately 45 to 60 seconds, then flip crepe to cook the other side. Each side should be a pale golden brown. Remove from heat. Add more butter if needed to the pan and repeat process with the remaining batter. Set crepes aside.

Preheat the oven to 400º F.

To make steaks: 

Pat filet mignon dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and black pepper. 

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. When the oil begins to smoke, add the filet mignon and brown from 1 to 2 minutes on all sides. You want to create a nice sear on the outside of the steak but leave the inside raw. Remove from heat and place on a cutting board to cool.

Cover cooled filet with Dijon mustard.

To roll the beef Wellingtons: 

On a cutting board, lay out a long piece of plastic wrap. In the middle of the wrap, lay out a crepe. Spread mushroom duxelles over the crepe. Lay out the prosciutto on top of the duxelles. Place filet in the center of the crepe and gently wrap the crepe around the filet. Trim off any excess and use the plastic wrap to tightly wrap the steak.

Lay out a clean, long piece of plastic wrap. Gently roll out puff pastry until it is a 1/4-inch thin. Place the wrapped steak on one end of the puff pastry and wrap. Pinch the ends closed and trim off any excess puff pastry. Use the plastic wrap to tightly seal the puff pastry. Pop it in the fridge for about 5 minutes to let it firm up again.

In a bowl, mix together egg yolk and milk.

Place a sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil on a baking sheet. 

Remove Wellington from fridge, remove the plastic wrap, and lay the Wellington seam-side down on the baking sheet. Baste the top of the puff pastry with the egg wash and bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the steak reaches 125º F, or to whatever temperature you prefer your steak.

Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing into medallions. 

Serve warm.

Horseradish Sauce

Well, it was supposed to be artichoke root stock...

When it started coming up out of the ground, it looked like this -

As it grew, it developed leaves like this - 

This is not what artichoke plants look like. These leaves are huge. Is it tobacco? I did some research and found out what we had was horseradish. Not what we wanted but we let it grow. The leaves are edible, so we cut some and sauteed them up. They taste just like you'd expect horseradish leaves would taste - like horseradish. The leaves are mild, it is the root that has the real pungent sinus opening punch. Grated Horseradish root is what is used in horseradish sauce for prime rib, to make cocktail sauce and Chinese mustard. The root is typically harvested after the cold weather in the fall kills back the above ground leaves.

Here are some of the roots I dug up  on December 14.

We thought about making Chinese mustard but since we had a couple strip steaks, we figured a creamy horseradish sauce would go great with them. You can find horseradish root in most supermarkets. It will be larger than what we harvested from our garden, more like the size of a small turkey leg. You would need to peel and grate it.

Ingredients:

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated for minced fresh horseradish root
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

After cleaning the roots, cut them into pieces and chop to a fine texture in a small food processor, then add the rest of the ingredients and blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow flavors to meld. The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2 to 3 weeks.

Lisa's OCD sometimes comes in handy as evidenced here in how she put all the ingredients together!  : )

The sauce was very good, perfect with the grilled strips.

Rustic Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread or Oatmeal Whole Wheat Bread

Some breads are meant to be part of a cold meat sandwich, some to be grilled for bruschetta, some are meant to be enjoyed with sharp aged cheese and some for a simple peanut butter sandwich. This rustic bread - so simple and easy to make and so good - is one of those breads that is meant to be served warm and slathered with butter, real butter, not margarine that supposedly tastes like butter. Fresh homemade bread slathered with butter is one of those simple pleasures in life you have to let your family experience. 

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 packet instant yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup rolled oats

Process

Combine warm water with yeast in a large mixing bowl and let set for 5 minutes.

Add the whole wheat and all purpose flours and salt stir together. The dough will be a sticky, rough dough.

Lightly grease another bowl, wet your hands and lift the dough out and into the second bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for an hour. It will double in size.

Sprinkle the dough with flour and transfer to a generously floured work surface. 

Knead a few times adding flour as needed to make it easier to handle – a dough scraper will help – then add the oats a little at a time and knead until they are incorporated and the dough is no longer sticky.

Place on lightly greased baking sheet and sprinkle a light coating of flour over the top. Let rest for 45-60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450°F and place a metal or cast iron pan on the lowest oven rack, and have 1 cup of hot water ready.

When ready to bake, make 2 -3 slashes in the top of the dough, making a cut about ½-inch deep.

Place bread in the oven and carefully pour half a cup of hot water into the shallow pan on the rack beneath. Close oven door quickly. The steam produced will help the dough expand in volume quickly when it hits the heat in the oven. This is called ovenspring. It will also help form a better crust.

Bake the bread for 25 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown and crusty.

Remove the bread from the oven and cool on a rack.

Once cooled, but still warm, cut a few pieces for you and your loved ones and slather with butter – REAL BUTTER, damn it – and ENJOY!

Note: In case you are wondering, this cool cutting board, in the shape of the State of Pennsylvania, was a gift from my son Michael and daughter-in-law Miranda.