Vin Brulè
Ingredients:
mugs of Italian red wine
slice of an orange for each mug
slice of a lemon for each mug
dash of nutmeg for each mug
1 cinnamon stick for each mug
1 or 2 whole cloves for each mug
1 or 2 teaspoons sugar for each mug (to taste)
Method:
Pour the wine in a non-reactive heatproof dish (I use the small Crock Pot).
Add the lemon and orange slices, (or a bit of lemon or orange zest), cinnamon, whole cloves, and nutmeg to the wine.
Heat, but don't boil.
Strain, and divide fruit and spices among the mugs and serve with panetonne.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Flour Basics
Flour provides the structural element for most baked goods including the pizza dough, pasta and breads we have been writing about here on the blog.
Choosing the right flour for a particular use will have a direct influence on the texture (tooth), quality, and appearance of the finished product.
The strength of flour is measured by the percentage of gluten. Gluten is a protein composed of equal proportions of the substances glutenin and gliadin.
Glutenin gives the dough strength to hold in the gases produced by yeast during the fermentation process (read more about this in the malt post) and determines the final structure of the baked product.
Gliadin is responsible for providing elasticity to dough that makes possible the "baker's window pane" test for the length of time spent kneading.
* Bread flour or high-gluten flour. At one time all bread flour was basically created equal. But with the advent of bread machines, bread flour no longer is the same from one bag to the next. Bread machine flour contains the highest percentage of gluten-forming hard protein used for raised (yeast and sourdough) breads.
* Whole Wheat Flour is flour that has been milled from the whole wheat kernel. Whole wheat flour has a lower percentage of protein because the flour contains other elements such as wheat bran (the outer layer of kernel fibers) and the germ, which white flour does not. Whole wheat flour should also be combined with high-gluten flour when making whole wheat bread or the dough forms a rather too-dense loaf.
* All-Purpose Flour has been blended from high and low protein wheat flour. Adding vital wheat gluten can increase the strength of all-purpose flour. The strength can also be decreased for making cakes by removing two tablespoons of flour from each cup and replacing it with cake flour for biscuits. All-purpose flour is not the same from brand to brand or from region to region. Southern bakers swear by White Lily brand flour for biscuits. The addition of cake flour to the All-purpose flour we have here in the mid-west makes for a more "back home" tender buscuit.
* Cake or Pastry Flour is produced from soft winter wheat to create a flour that is high in starch and low in protein. This flour produces cake that is tender and soft.
* Self-Rising Flour is all-purpose flour which has had baking powder blended in. Be aware that this may contain sodium aluminum sulfate. (We use orthophosphate baking powder by Rumford, the same company that makes Clabber Girl Baking Powder.)
* Instant-Blending Flour is a light, starchy flour with a very low protein content that comes in a shaker can like Wondra. It is specially formulated for thickening sauces and gravies.
* Semolina is coarsely ground durum (hard) wheat that is highly glutinous. Often used for pastas, it is available milled as fine, medium and coarse.
There are other types of flours available, for example, rice, tapioca and oat flours.
Choosing the right flour for a particular use will have a direct influence on the texture (tooth), quality, and appearance of the finished product.
The strength of flour is measured by the percentage of gluten. Gluten is a protein composed of equal proportions of the substances glutenin and gliadin.
Glutenin gives the dough strength to hold in the gases produced by yeast during the fermentation process (read more about this in the malt post) and determines the final structure of the baked product.
Gliadin is responsible for providing elasticity to dough that makes possible the "baker's window pane" test for the length of time spent kneading.
* Bread flour or high-gluten flour. At one time all bread flour was basically created equal. But with the advent of bread machines, bread flour no longer is the same from one bag to the next. Bread machine flour contains the highest percentage of gluten-forming hard protein used for raised (yeast and sourdough) breads.
* Whole Wheat Flour is flour that has been milled from the whole wheat kernel. Whole wheat flour has a lower percentage of protein because the flour contains other elements such as wheat bran (the outer layer of kernel fibers) and the germ, which white flour does not. Whole wheat flour should also be combined with high-gluten flour when making whole wheat bread or the dough forms a rather too-dense loaf.
* All-Purpose Flour has been blended from high and low protein wheat flour. Adding vital wheat gluten can increase the strength of all-purpose flour. The strength can also be decreased for making cakes by removing two tablespoons of flour from each cup and replacing it with cake flour for biscuits. All-purpose flour is not the same from brand to brand or from region to region. Southern bakers swear by White Lily brand flour for biscuits. The addition of cake flour to the All-purpose flour we have here in the mid-west makes for a more "back home" tender buscuit.
* Cake or Pastry Flour is produced from soft winter wheat to create a flour that is high in starch and low in protein. This flour produces cake that is tender and soft.
* Self-Rising Flour is all-purpose flour which has had baking powder blended in. Be aware that this may contain sodium aluminum sulfate. (We use orthophosphate baking powder by Rumford, the same company that makes Clabber Girl Baking Powder.)
* Instant-Blending Flour is a light, starchy flour with a very low protein content that comes in a shaker can like Wondra. It is specially formulated for thickening sauces and gravies.
* Semolina is coarsely ground durum (hard) wheat that is highly glutinous. Often used for pastas, it is available milled as fine, medium and coarse.
There are other types of flours available, for example, rice, tapioca and oat flours.
Typical of the Rustic Breads
Pane Semolina (Semolina Bread)
Ingredients:
1 3/4 teaspoon yeast (12 g)
1/4 cup water 60 ml
1 1/2 cups + 1 teaspoon water 300 ml
2 1/2 cups semolina flour (400 g)
3/4 cup onbleached all purpose flour (100 g)
1/2 teaspoon malt - (2.5 g)
2 teaspoon salt (10 g)
Method:
Disolve the yeast in 1/4 cup water and allow it to stand for approximately 5-10 minutes. Add the additional water (1 cup plus 1 teaspoon water), to the dissolved yeast. Gradually add the semolina and unbleached flours (2 1/2 and 3/4 cups), malt and salt to this mixture and continue to mix until the dough begins to hold together. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in a bowl, and cover it. Set the dough in a relatively cool, draft-free area and allow it to rest for 35-40 minutes. Gently punch the dough down and rest it for an additional 1-1 1/3 hours. (The total fermentation times is 2 hours.)
Dust bench with flour and turn out dough. Divide and shape the dough into a filone (elongated), a pagnotta (round), or pagnottine (rolls)and place on lightly floured parchment paper on top of wooden peel for easy transfer. If you trust your skills, place the dough on lightly floured peel directly. Cover the dough with a towel, and allow it to rise for approximately 30-40 minutes.
As the dough is rising, place a baking stone in the oven and set the temperature to 450 F. Allow the oven to heat for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Slide the parchment paper from the peel onto the baking stone. Allow the dough to bake for approximately 20-25 minutes).
Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool on a rack. Okay, so it never gets cooled entirely at our house before we eat it.
Ingredients:
1 3/4 teaspoon yeast (12 g)
1/4 cup water 60 ml
1 1/2 cups + 1 teaspoon water 300 ml
2 1/2 cups semolina flour (400 g)
3/4 cup onbleached all purpose flour (100 g)
1/2 teaspoon malt - (2.5 g)
2 teaspoon salt (10 g)
Method:
Disolve the yeast in 1/4 cup water and allow it to stand for approximately 5-10 minutes. Add the additional water (1 cup plus 1 teaspoon water), to the dissolved yeast. Gradually add the semolina and unbleached flours (2 1/2 and 3/4 cups), malt and salt to this mixture and continue to mix until the dough begins to hold together. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in a bowl, and cover it. Set the dough in a relatively cool, draft-free area and allow it to rest for 35-40 minutes. Gently punch the dough down and rest it for an additional 1-1 1/3 hours. (The total fermentation times is 2 hours.)
Dust bench with flour and turn out dough. Divide and shape the dough into a filone (elongated), a pagnotta (round), or pagnottine (rolls)and place on lightly floured parchment paper on top of wooden peel for easy transfer. If you trust your skills, place the dough on lightly floured peel directly. Cover the dough with a towel, and allow it to rise for approximately 30-40 minutes.
As the dough is rising, place a baking stone in the oven and set the temperature to 450 F. Allow the oven to heat for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Slide the parchment paper from the peel onto the baking stone. Allow the dough to bake for approximately 20-25 minutes).
Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool on a rack. Okay, so it never gets cooled entirely at our house before we eat it.
Ravioli -- to Fry or Not to Fry?
Panzarotti di Mozzarella e Prosciutto - Cheese and Ham Panzarotti
Panzarotti are quite like Ravioli except that they are deep fried rather than boiled.
Ingredients:
Dough:
1 2/3 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg yolk
A little milk, as needed
Filling:
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, chopped
2 ounces prosciutto, cut in slivers
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Pinch nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs, beaten with a little water
Fat for deep frying, (half oil and half lard)
Method:
Sift the flour with the salt onto a board in a mound, hollow out the center, and pour in the butter and egg yolk. Work the flour into the liquid with the fingers, adding a little milk from time to time, as needed, to make a smooth, well-blended, firm dough. Wrap it in a clean cloth and let it rest for half an hour.
Then put the dough on a lightly floured board, roll it out, and fold it over on itself twice. Wrap it in the cloth again and let it rest while you prepare the filling. Put the chopped mozzarella, prosciutto, grated Parmesan cheese, and parsley in a bowl; season with the salt, freshly ground black pepper, and nutmeg. Add the eggs, and blend thoroughly. Divide the dough in half and roll out two sheets, each 1/8 inch thick. Brush one sheet with beaten egg and space small heaps of the filling on it 1 1/2 inches apart.
Brush the second sheet with beaten egg and lay it over the first sheet. Press the fingers on the dough all around the spots of filling. Then, with a pastry wheel, cut out squares, each containing a knob of filling. Press the edges of each square down again to make sure that none of the filling escapes during the cooking. As you finish the panzarotti, line them up on a lightly floured cloth, taking care that they do not touch each other. Heat the fat in a deep fryer or skillet to 375 degrees. Dip the panzarotti into the beaten egg and drop them at once into the hot fat. Remove them with a slotted spoon after about 6 minutes. They should be crisp and golden. Drain on an absorbent paper.
Source: Flavors of Apulia Nancy Harmon Jenkins Broadway Books.
Panzarotti are quite like Ravioli except that they are deep fried rather than boiled.
Ingredients:
Dough:
1 2/3 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg yolk
A little milk, as needed
Filling:
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, chopped
2 ounces prosciutto, cut in slivers
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Pinch nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs, beaten with a little water
Fat for deep frying, (half oil and half lard)
Method:
Sift the flour with the salt onto a board in a mound, hollow out the center, and pour in the butter and egg yolk. Work the flour into the liquid with the fingers, adding a little milk from time to time, as needed, to make a smooth, well-blended, firm dough. Wrap it in a clean cloth and let it rest for half an hour.
Then put the dough on a lightly floured board, roll it out, and fold it over on itself twice. Wrap it in the cloth again and let it rest while you prepare the filling. Put the chopped mozzarella, prosciutto, grated Parmesan cheese, and parsley in a bowl; season with the salt, freshly ground black pepper, and nutmeg. Add the eggs, and blend thoroughly. Divide the dough in half and roll out two sheets, each 1/8 inch thick. Brush one sheet with beaten egg and space small heaps of the filling on it 1 1/2 inches apart.
Brush the second sheet with beaten egg and lay it over the first sheet. Press the fingers on the dough all around the spots of filling. Then, with a pastry wheel, cut out squares, each containing a knob of filling. Press the edges of each square down again to make sure that none of the filling escapes during the cooking. As you finish the panzarotti, line them up on a lightly floured cloth, taking care that they do not touch each other. Heat the fat in a deep fryer or skillet to 375 degrees. Dip the panzarotti into the beaten egg and drop them at once into the hot fat. Remove them with a slotted spoon after about 6 minutes. They should be crisp and golden. Drain on an absorbent paper.
Source: Flavors of Apulia Nancy Harmon Jenkins Broadway Books.
Malted Anyone?
Rustic breads often call for malt. One of the things that I have been frustrated with lately is finding malt that isn't an amalgamation of chemicals, sweeteners and foreign sounding ingredients or an extract. A recent study found that even the products labled 'pure malt extract' are often mutts with corn sweetener added!
It sounds like it would be easy to find a product made from such a common thing as barley, right? Well apparently not. The local home brew store here closed so my supply of malt and cake yeast evaporated. And not all malts are created equal. I am not sure I can make malt at home without killing anyone, so I will continue my quest.
While Carnation Malted Milk is yummy, it contains wheat flour, milk, soy lecthin, salt and sodium bicarbonate. That may not affect the malted milkshake you have on a hot summer day, but it certainly changes the chemical balance where yeast breads are concerned.
Bob's Red Mill has a malt extract product I am going to order online and try if I cannot find malt.
With the only readily available product malt extract (a sugar) leads me to suspect that I will need to reduce the sugar in any recipe so that the yeast does not go crazy in the fermentation process.
More about how bread works. Fun experiments for the kids!
What does malt do? More about malt although this article is about beer. . .perhaps the two are more closely related than we think!
(My apologies for all the ads on the How Stuff Works site. . .it used to be a whole lot less commercial!)
It sounds like it would be easy to find a product made from such a common thing as barley, right? Well apparently not. The local home brew store here closed so my supply of malt and cake yeast evaporated. And not all malts are created equal. I am not sure I can make malt at home without killing anyone, so I will continue my quest.
While Carnation Malted Milk is yummy, it contains wheat flour, milk, soy lecthin, salt and sodium bicarbonate. That may not affect the malted milkshake you have on a hot summer day, but it certainly changes the chemical balance where yeast breads are concerned.
Bob's Red Mill has a malt extract product I am going to order online and try if I cannot find malt.
With the only readily available product malt extract (a sugar) leads me to suspect that I will need to reduce the sugar in any recipe so that the yeast does not go crazy in the fermentation process.
More about how bread works. Fun experiments for the kids!
What does malt do? More about malt although this article is about beer. . .perhaps the two are more closely related than we think!
(My apologies for all the ads on the How Stuff Works site. . .it used to be a whole lot less commercial!)
Pane and More Pain
In an earlier post I lamented the loss of my sourdough starter "biga" (pane lievito naturale), but when the weather is not quite so damp (after dry weather for months on end, I am not complaining), I will attempt to make the Pane Rustica (sourdough) again and try my hand at a new bread for me, Pane Pugliese (a young bread, or one with a starter that is hours, not days or weeks, old.) The first bread mentioned is of Roman origin and, if the legend is true, dates back to ancient Roman times. The starter is made by fermenting green grapes (or red grapes without skins). When it is warmer (it's about 45 degrees in my computer room -- no heat or air vents in here) and I am not typing in gloves I will attempt to type it in as I inherited it.
I would also like to point readers to other blogs called Real Baking and Pane Pugliese Bread
Out to warm up and rest from sitting up. . . .and dream of a home of my own with a wood-fired bread oven. . . .
I would also like to point readers to other blogs called Real Baking and Pane Pugliese Bread
Out to warm up and rest from sitting up. . . .and dream of a home of my own with a wood-fired bread oven. . . .
Pane Pain Pane
The weather here is so cold and damp, I had difficulty with last night's pizza dough. . .even using the hardest durham wheat flour (unbleached bread machine flour) the dough was too soft when I rolled it out in the semolina bench flour, but making "pane" can be a pain when it's humid.
For those who have asked me about the name of the blog, Pugliese is pronounced "Pool-Yee-Ay-See" and is named for Puglia, a region of southern Italy. In English one finds "Puglia" written as "Apulia" frequently.
Apulia is a large, flat, fertile region that forms the heel of the Italian boot. Nearly all other Italian regions are mostly hilly or mountainous and less suitable to grain production, but the relatively flat Tavoliere Plain grows much Italy's wheat and other grains.
Two of Apulia's most important cities, Bari (the regional capital) and Brindisi, were already central ports at the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans with semolina wheat and olive tree products trading fare. (Puglia is still Italy's most prolific wine producer, outputting an average of 340 millions of wine annually!)
I find the history of food fascinating and hope you, too, will read more about the relationship of shepards and wheat at cuisine and history of Apulian history.
For those who have asked me about the name of the blog, Pugliese is pronounced "Pool-Yee-Ay-See" and is named for Puglia, a region of southern Italy. In English one finds "Puglia" written as "Apulia" frequently.
Apulia is a large, flat, fertile region that forms the heel of the Italian boot. Nearly all other Italian regions are mostly hilly or mountainous and less suitable to grain production, but the relatively flat Tavoliere Plain grows much Italy's wheat and other grains.
Two of Apulia's most important cities, Bari (the regional capital) and Brindisi, were already central ports at the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans with semolina wheat and olive tree products trading fare. (Puglia is still Italy's most prolific wine producer, outputting an average of 340 millions of wine annually!)
I find the history of food fascinating and hope you, too, will read more about the relationship of shepards and wheat at cuisine and history of Apulian history.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Yup.
I never really wanted to admit to myself how helpful it is to let the pizza-dough rise overnight. But I left a portion of yesterday's dough in the refrigerator so I could use it today. What a difference. I'll never mix and bake on the same day again.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
The Feast of Seven Fishes
After two days of red beans and rice we are looking forward to the Feast of Seven Porks. Okay, the Feast of Seven Fishes is the tradition, but I gave that up when I gave up cooking naked. That was the Christmas Eve I dumped a pan of stuffed squid down my apron, only it went between bare skin and the apron and burned like crazy!
We have:
Calabrese salame (salami)
Sopressata salame (salami)
Salame Panino (rolled with mozzarella)
Panceta
Proscuitto
Rotola
Rotola with Sundried Tomato
Rotola with Basil
We also have roasted red peppers, mixed Greek Olives (green, black and Kalamata), marinated artichoke hearts and mushrooms.
For cheeses we have provolone, mozzarella fresca and Scamorza Affumicate (smoked mozzarella-like cheese) and of course, fresh green basil leaves. Good tomatoes are difficult to find, so the traditional 'Italian Flag' plate I make by alternating slices of fresh mozz, tomatoes and basil leaves won't be going on. . .
No eggplant caponata this year because of the drought.
The bigga for the pane died (molded) so we have fresh Italian and Ciabatta bread from Whole Foods to round out the meal.
The one tip of the hat I am giving to the Feast of Seven Fishes is the Seafood Salad at the end of this post.
We may not fast, but we are thankful for the blessings we have received and that includes all our family and friends who read and post to this blog!
Insalata di Frutti di Mare
Poaching liquid
1 quart organic vegetable stock (or a mixture of white wine and vegetable stock)
Juice of one lemon, squeezed
1 pound cleaned calamari, cut into 1-inch-thick rings
1/2 pound bay scallops, "foot" removed
1 pound 71-80 shrimp
1 pound octopus
Mussels, if desired
For the salad:
1 cup julienned celery about 3/4 inch long
1 cup julienned carrots about 3/4 inch long
1/2 cup julienned red bell pepper about 3/4 inch long
1 scallion sliced thinly, white and green both
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
2 large garlic cloves, minced
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 additional lemons)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin first cold pressed olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Hot Pepper Sauce to taste
Poach the seafood in the vegetable stock, one seafood at a time to avoid over-cooking, adding more vegetable stock if necessary to completely cover. The squid, scallops and shrimp take about 1 to 3 minutes each, but the octopus may take 45 minutes. As each seafood item is removed, drain and chill.
Toss the julienned celery, carrots, bell peppers, scallion, parsley, basil, and garlic together in a serving bowl. Add the seafood and toss. Add the lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil and toss well. Season with freshly ground pepper. Pass the Hot Pepper Sauce around the table and let guests heat it up to taste.
We have:
Calabrese salame (salami)
Sopressata salame (salami)
Salame Panino (rolled with mozzarella)
Panceta
Proscuitto
Rotola
Rotola with Sundried Tomato
Rotola with Basil
We also have roasted red peppers, mixed Greek Olives (green, black and Kalamata), marinated artichoke hearts and mushrooms.
For cheeses we have provolone, mozzarella fresca and Scamorza Affumicate (smoked mozzarella-like cheese) and of course, fresh green basil leaves. Good tomatoes are difficult to find, so the traditional 'Italian Flag' plate I make by alternating slices of fresh mozz, tomatoes and basil leaves won't be going on. . .
No eggplant caponata this year because of the drought.
The bigga for the pane died (molded) so we have fresh Italian and Ciabatta bread from Whole Foods to round out the meal.
The one tip of the hat I am giving to the Feast of Seven Fishes is the Seafood Salad at the end of this post.
We may not fast, but we are thankful for the blessings we have received and that includes all our family and friends who read and post to this blog!
Insalata di Frutti di Mare
Poaching liquid
1 quart organic vegetable stock (or a mixture of white wine and vegetable stock)
Juice of one lemon, squeezed
1 pound cleaned calamari, cut into 1-inch-thick rings
1/2 pound bay scallops, "foot" removed
1 pound 71-80 shrimp
1 pound octopus
Mussels, if desired
For the salad:
1 cup julienned celery about 3/4 inch long
1 cup julienned carrots about 3/4 inch long
1/2 cup julienned red bell pepper about 3/4 inch long
1 scallion sliced thinly, white and green both
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
2 large garlic cloves, minced
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 additional lemons)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin first cold pressed olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Hot Pepper Sauce to taste
Poach the seafood in the vegetable stock, one seafood at a time to avoid over-cooking, adding more vegetable stock if necessary to completely cover. The squid, scallops and shrimp take about 1 to 3 minutes each, but the octopus may take 45 minutes. As each seafood item is removed, drain and chill.
Toss the julienned celery, carrots, bell peppers, scallion, parsley, basil, and garlic together in a serving bowl. Add the seafood and toss. Add the lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil and toss well. Season with freshly ground pepper. Pass the Hot Pepper Sauce around the table and let guests heat it up to taste.
Friday, December 23, 2005
Foccacia
By all means, John, let us know how it turns out! . . .and whether you use fresh or dried rosemary. . .I don't try to bring my rosemary bushes inside before frost. . .they end up looking like sticks by Christmas time, so I just cut them and dry them. I would love to have the knack of raising rosemary indoors, but I barely keep the parsley, basil and cilantro alive. . .matter of fact, I don't have any cilantro at all right now. . .but I have several pots of ginger, galangal and gkrachai growing. . .and am planning on starting some tumeric rhizomes if I can. . .the lemon grass is a favorite kitty treat, so it isn't growing as well as I had hoped this time around. . .but the kitty is happy, so I am happy, too!
Muttloaf
Muttloaf that is entirely human grade and edible by canine, feline or homo sapiens
Muttloaf
Ingredients:
5 pounds ground turkey
6 eggs
1 cup wheat germ (NOT BRAN)
1 cup flax seed meal
2 tablespoons brewer's yeast
Method:
I use the stand mixer and the paddle blade to mix all the ingredients. Bake 30 minutes at 350, stir the inside to the middle, middle to the outside to promote even cooking. Cover with foil, insert instant read thermometer in the center and check again when the temperature reaches 170 degrees.
Stir the inside to the middle, middle to the outside and take the temperature again. If it remains at the 170 mark, remove to cool and package in to serving portions. Make sure that your pet has adequate fresh water and clean ceramic or stainless steel bowls and a daily vitamin and mineral suppliment.
Muttloaf
Ingredients:
5 pounds ground turkey
6 eggs
1 cup wheat germ (NOT BRAN)
1 cup flax seed meal
2 tablespoons brewer's yeast
Method:
I use the stand mixer and the paddle blade to mix all the ingredients. Bake 30 minutes at 350, stir the inside to the middle, middle to the outside to promote even cooking. Cover with foil, insert instant read thermometer in the center and check again when the temperature reaches 170 degrees.
Stir the inside to the middle, middle to the outside and take the temperature again. If it remains at the 170 mark, remove to cool and package in to serving portions. Make sure that your pet has adequate fresh water and clean ceramic or stainless steel bowls and a daily vitamin and mineral suppliment.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Focaccia Attacks
Ah, the pizza dough recipe brings me back to the old days -- before Cookie and Mojo, back in Valhalla, with nothing to do on weekends but knead out dough.
Y'know, I think I can get something in the works for Christmas... A nice focaccia... maybe a few different kinds... To put out before the ham is ready (ham the Alton Brown way). I know I can make the dough the day before and let it rise in the refrigerator (in fact, it's even better that way). I'll try to keep track of what I do (I tend to not measure anything -- not a particularly good idea when it comes to bread-making) so I can write it up here. I'm thinking garlic, oil, and olives. And maybe another with rosemary and sage.
Y'know, I think I can get something in the works for Christmas... A nice focaccia... maybe a few different kinds... To put out before the ham is ready (ham the Alton Brown way). I know I can make the dough the day before and let it rise in the refrigerator (in fact, it's even better that way). I'll try to keep track of what I do (I tend to not measure anything -- not a particularly good idea when it comes to bread-making) so I can write it up here. I'm thinking garlic, oil, and olives. And maybe another with rosemary and sage.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Pizza Crust
Pizza is our Sunday night meal. Joe takes a slice of cold pizza with him to work every day for his brunch. Stick us, we bleed cheese. No wonder my total cholesterol was 295 this week!
Pizza Crust
Ingredients:
1 pkg yeast
2 1/4 cups Bread Machine Flour (or the hardest durham wheat flour available)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon garlic powder (not salt!)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup warm water
semolina
Method:
Fit dough hook on mixer. Place yeast and water in bowl. Let stand a few minutes to proof. Add olive oil, sugar, garlic powder and flour. Add salt lastly. Turn mixer on the proper speed to mix and knead. Add a little more flour (up to a quarter cup) if the dough seems sticky.
On my current machine the setting is "2" on the old Oster Kitchen Center it was "8" . . .knead for 10-12 minutes or until a marble sized piece of dough can be stretched until you can form a nearly translucent window pane without the dough becoming holey.
Hand roll the pizza dough into a ball on a lightly floured bench. I always like to finish off my pizza dough by hand to get a feel for how it will work.
Wash the mixer bowl and oil it thoroughly but lightly. Place dough ball in bowl and roll over once to completely coat with oil lightly. Cover with a towel and let rise until double in bulk. If you have time, let it rise in the refrigerator 8 hours, removing about 1/2 to 1 hour before time to bake.
Hand toss or roll out to desired thickness with grano duro (semolina) as bench flour this time. At a medium thickness this makes a 10" pizza. Top with cheese, then sauce, toppings and more cheese. Bake in 425 degree oven until crust is brown and cheese is bubbly.
Hint: keep the center of the pizza 'clear' of heavy toppings so it doesn't become soggy.
This recipe may be doubled.
Pizza Crust
Ingredients:
1 pkg yeast
2 1/4 cups Bread Machine Flour (or the hardest durham wheat flour available)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon garlic powder (not salt!)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup warm water
semolina
Method:
Fit dough hook on mixer. Place yeast and water in bowl. Let stand a few minutes to proof. Add olive oil, sugar, garlic powder and flour. Add salt lastly. Turn mixer on the proper speed to mix and knead. Add a little more flour (up to a quarter cup) if the dough seems sticky.
On my current machine the setting is "2" on the old Oster Kitchen Center it was "8" . . .knead for 10-12 minutes or until a marble sized piece of dough can be stretched until you can form a nearly translucent window pane without the dough becoming holey.
Hand roll the pizza dough into a ball on a lightly floured bench. I always like to finish off my pizza dough by hand to get a feel for how it will work.
Wash the mixer bowl and oil it thoroughly but lightly. Place dough ball in bowl and roll over once to completely coat with oil lightly. Cover with a towel and let rise until double in bulk. If you have time, let it rise in the refrigerator 8 hours, removing about 1/2 to 1 hour before time to bake.
Hand toss or roll out to desired thickness with grano duro (semolina) as bench flour this time. At a medium thickness this makes a 10" pizza. Top with cheese, then sauce, toppings and more cheese. Bake in 425 degree oven until crust is brown and cheese is bubbly.
Hint: keep the center of the pizza 'clear' of heavy toppings so it doesn't become soggy.
This recipe may be doubled.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Veal Parmigiana
This is so simple, I almost hate to post it!
Veal Parmigiana
Ingredients:
veal, thinly sliced and pounded even thinner
milk
Panko
Italian seasoning
Parmigiana Reggiano cheese, grated
eggs
butter
Method:
Soak veal in enough milk to cover from the time of purchase until time to make meal.
Place oven-proof dish in oven with enough butter to cover bottom. Remove dish when the butter is melted.
Mix equal portions of Panko and grated cheese into pie plate. Season with Italian mixed herbs.
Beat eggs in second pie plate.
Dip veal into eggs, then in to Panko, lay out flat in the dish with the melted butter.
Bake until desired degree of doneness registers on instant read digital thermometer.
I bake low and slow while most recipes call for frying the veal and then baking it in the sauce.
After the meat is done (for us that is medium) spoon tomato sauce on top of the veal portions and top with more grated cheese. (I usually top it with the 4/5 cheese mixture.) Put back in to oven until heated through and the cheese is bubbly. Serve with pasta.
Veal Parmigiana
Ingredients:
veal, thinly sliced and pounded even thinner
milk
Panko
Italian seasoning
Parmigiana Reggiano cheese, grated
eggs
butter
Method:
Soak veal in enough milk to cover from the time of purchase until time to make meal.
Place oven-proof dish in oven with enough butter to cover bottom. Remove dish when the butter is melted.
Mix equal portions of Panko and grated cheese into pie plate. Season with Italian mixed herbs.
Beat eggs in second pie plate.
Dip veal into eggs, then in to Panko, lay out flat in the dish with the melted butter.
Bake until desired degree of doneness registers on instant read digital thermometer.
I bake low and slow while most recipes call for frying the veal and then baking it in the sauce.
After the meat is done (for us that is medium) spoon tomato sauce on top of the veal portions and top with more grated cheese. (I usually top it with the 4/5 cheese mixture.) Put back in to oven until heated through and the cheese is bubbly. Serve with pasta.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Meatball Lasagna
This recipe is best done on day 2 with the meatballs and sauce pre-made.Now that we have both the sugo and meatballs, we can make lasagna. This makes a full-sized roasting pan full and costs at least $50 to make. . .no wonder Joe is always a hit a pot luck suppers when we take lasagna or ravioli or ziti!
Meatball Lasagna
Ingredietns:
Meatballs 1/2" to 1" in size
One to two recipes of tomato sauce (Joe likes a lot of sauce to soak in to the lasagna noodles)
fresh parsley
4 pounds of ricotta cheese
4 eggs
1 pound of 4 or 5 white shredded cheese blend (or straight parmesan cheese shreds if you prefer)
1 pound of mozarella (or more if you like it really cheesy and your pan is big enough)
double batch of noodles cut for lasagna and par boiled, drained and dried on towels
olive oil
Method:
In large bowl mix eggs, ricotta cheese and 1/2 of the cheese blend and all the chopped parsley you have on hand. I try to half about half a cup, but I don't always have that much growing in my window sill at a time. Refrigerate while you make the lasagna noodles and/or meatballs if you have not already made them.
Note: If you buy ricotta cheese and it looks watery, by all means, punch holes in the container and let it drain overnight in a bowl in the refrigerator. If you have watery ricotta, you have lasagna soup.
Oil a large, deep rectangular roasting pan. Ladle sauce on to bottom of pan and lay out your noodles. Next, make a layer with half the ricotta and cheese filling and meatballs. Spoon a layer of sauce over the meatballs and sprinkle with mozarella shreds. Repeat with a second layer of noodles, ricotta and cheese filling, meatballs, sauce and mozzarella. Top with a layer of noodles and sauce well. Add a layer of mozzarella and 4/5 cheese blend.
Top with foil and bake at 325 until thoroughly cooked, about an hour an a half for such a large batch. Refrigerate when cool. Re-heat and serve the next day when all the cheeses and flavors have had a chance to 'marry.'
Yes it takes 3 days to make this.
Serve with a salad and Venturini Amarone della Valpolicella or your favorite Valpolicella. (This wine is about $40 a bottle, so we have it once a year if that often.)
Meatball Lasagna
Ingredietns:
Meatballs 1/2" to 1" in size
One to two recipes of tomato sauce (Joe likes a lot of sauce to soak in to the lasagna noodles)
fresh parsley
4 pounds of ricotta cheese
4 eggs
1 pound of 4 or 5 white shredded cheese blend (or straight parmesan cheese shreds if you prefer)
1 pound of mozarella (or more if you like it really cheesy and your pan is big enough)
double batch of noodles cut for lasagna and par boiled, drained and dried on towels
olive oil
Method:
In large bowl mix eggs, ricotta cheese and 1/2 of the cheese blend and all the chopped parsley you have on hand. I try to half about half a cup, but I don't always have that much growing in my window sill at a time. Refrigerate while you make the lasagna noodles and/or meatballs if you have not already made them.
Note: If you buy ricotta cheese and it looks watery, by all means, punch holes in the container and let it drain overnight in a bowl in the refrigerator. If you have watery ricotta, you have lasagna soup.
Oil a large, deep rectangular roasting pan. Ladle sauce on to bottom of pan and lay out your noodles. Next, make a layer with half the ricotta and cheese filling and meatballs. Spoon a layer of sauce over the meatballs and sprinkle with mozarella shreds. Repeat with a second layer of noodles, ricotta and cheese filling, meatballs, sauce and mozzarella. Top with a layer of noodles and sauce well. Add a layer of mozzarella and 4/5 cheese blend.
Top with foil and bake at 325 until thoroughly cooked, about an hour an a half for such a large batch. Refrigerate when cool. Re-heat and serve the next day when all the cheeses and flavors have had a chance to 'marry.'
Yes it takes 3 days to make this.
Serve with a salad and Venturini Amarone della Valpolicella or your favorite Valpolicella. (This wine is about $40 a bottle, so we have it once a year if that often.)
Monday, December 12, 2005
Drunken Sailors
Drunken Sailors
Ingredients:
3 pounds mussels in shells, washed and picked over
1 stick of butter
1 cup of white wine
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and chiles
as much garlic as you wish!
Method:
Melt butter in heavy, large, lidded pot. Saute garlic until soft
Add mussels
Add wine
Add Rotel
Bring to a boil
Pop on the lid and check every 3 minutes. When mussels have opened they are done. Discard any mussels that fail to open.
Pour contents of pan into large bowl. Serve with a seafood fork each and crusty bread for dipping in the sauce.
Ingredients:
3 pounds mussels in shells, washed and picked over
1 stick of butter
1 cup of white wine
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and chiles
as much garlic as you wish!
Method:
Melt butter in heavy, large, lidded pot. Saute garlic until soft
Add mussels
Add wine
Add Rotel
Bring to a boil
Pop on the lid and check every 3 minutes. When mussels have opened they are done. Discard any mussels that fail to open.
Pour contents of pan into large bowl. Serve with a seafood fork each and crusty bread for dipping in the sauce.
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Meatballs
The Meatball (forcemeat) or Polpetiini is an ancient and honored food according to The Food Timeline. While it is unusual for spaghetti and meatballs to be served together in Italy, (it's an American thing) each region of Italy is famous for this second-course offering! Who needs a recipe? Each of us makes meatballs to our own taste with what we have in the kitchen!
Meatballs are such an individual thing that we are a house divided. I grew up with a meatier meatball and a meat-less sauce, while Joe was raised with a meat-flavored sauce (broth or drippings added) and meatballs made with milk-soaked bread simmered in the sauce like they serve at the Sons of Italy where he eats at Thursday lunchtime.
I suppose we could blog until the end of time and not exhaust the subject of meatballs and in the next life time, blog on what makes a sauce a sauce or a gravy.
In our family's tradition, 'gravy' or 'ragu' is slow-cooked for hours with meat (southern Italian or Pugliese) and sauce is short-cooked like pesto sauce, carbonara sauce, etc. In addition, in Bari or Pugliese cooking, the meat in the ragu is almost always a 'chunk' meat like bracciole rather than ground meat.
Here's the recipe on which Joe and I have compromised.
Neapolitan Meatballs (Polpette alla Napoletana)
Ingredients:
3 cups day-old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
milk
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground veal or turkey when we can't get veal
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
1/2 pound hot Italian sausage
3 eggs, beaten
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup pecorino, grated
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted for 2 minutes in a 400 degree oven
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
tomato sauce, our recipe follows
Method:
In a shallow bowl, soak the bread cubes in enough milk to cover. Remove the bread cubes and squeeze by hand to wring excess moisture. In a large bowl, combine the bread, ground meats, eggs, garlic, pecorino, parsley, pine nuts, and pepper, and mix by hand to incorporate bread into meat. Or mix with heavy-duty stand mixer and the paddle blade.
With wet hands, form the mixture into meatballs, size depending upon usage. When I am making meatballs for lasagna, I make them about 1 inch, but make them much larger for pasta and meatballs.
Heat a cast iron or other oven-proof heavy skillet. Add the oil (hot pan/cold food to avoid sticking). Add the meatballs, working in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan, and brown on all sides.
In separate pan, make sauce and then combine meatballs and sauce and cook through in a moderate oven until desired state of doneness is reached. (I think they are best at medium or about 150 degrees when a digital thermometer probe is inserted. Remember, the temperature continues to rise when the meat is removed from the oven. If you are concerned about e coli, cook to 160 degrees for ground meat.) Joe cooks his on top of the stove, but I hate the splatter, so I cover it and cook it in the oven or crock pot.
Basic Tomato Sugo
Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped in 1/4-inch dice
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons Italian herbs (more or less according to taste: rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme)(Joe likes more oregano, I like more basil)(neither of us likes bay leaf in the sauce)
2 cups red wine
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 quart beef stock
red pepper flakes to taste
sugar to taste
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved
Heat a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven or other,large, heavy pot. ( Add the oil (hot pan/cold food to avoid sticking). Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft. I saute the onion and garlic and transfer it all to an enamelled roaster because I put it in the oven to cook slowly.)Add the red wine and beef stock. Reduce to half. Add the tomatoes and the tomato paste bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 5-6 hours.
If you notice, our recipe does not contain carrots or celery as does the traditional Sugo Alla Bolognese. Don't ask me why. It's just the way I learned to make sauce and frankly, mine is easier than cooking down the holy trinity (celery, onion, carrots). You may 'brighten' the sauce with a hint of lemon zest (organic) at the end of the cooking time.
Meatballs are such an individual thing that we are a house divided. I grew up with a meatier meatball and a meat-less sauce, while Joe was raised with a meat-flavored sauce (broth or drippings added) and meatballs made with milk-soaked bread simmered in the sauce like they serve at the Sons of Italy where he eats at Thursday lunchtime.
I suppose we could blog until the end of time and not exhaust the subject of meatballs and in the next life time, blog on what makes a sauce a sauce or a gravy.
In our family's tradition, 'gravy' or 'ragu' is slow-cooked for hours with meat (southern Italian or Pugliese) and sauce is short-cooked like pesto sauce, carbonara sauce, etc. In addition, in Bari or Pugliese cooking, the meat in the ragu is almost always a 'chunk' meat like bracciole rather than ground meat.
Here's the recipe on which Joe and I have compromised.
Neapolitan Meatballs (Polpette alla Napoletana)
Ingredients:
3 cups day-old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
milk
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground veal or turkey when we can't get veal
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
1/2 pound hot Italian sausage
3 eggs, beaten
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup pecorino, grated
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted for 2 minutes in a 400 degree oven
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
tomato sauce, our recipe follows
Method:
In a shallow bowl, soak the bread cubes in enough milk to cover. Remove the bread cubes and squeeze by hand to wring excess moisture. In a large bowl, combine the bread, ground meats, eggs, garlic, pecorino, parsley, pine nuts, and pepper, and mix by hand to incorporate bread into meat. Or mix with heavy-duty stand mixer and the paddle blade.
With wet hands, form the mixture into meatballs, size depending upon usage. When I am making meatballs for lasagna, I make them about 1 inch, but make them much larger for pasta and meatballs.
Heat a cast iron or other oven-proof heavy skillet. Add the oil (hot pan/cold food to avoid sticking). Add the meatballs, working in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan, and brown on all sides.
In separate pan, make sauce and then combine meatballs and sauce and cook through in a moderate oven until desired state of doneness is reached. (I think they are best at medium or about 150 degrees when a digital thermometer probe is inserted. Remember, the temperature continues to rise when the meat is removed from the oven. If you are concerned about e coli, cook to 160 degrees for ground meat.) Joe cooks his on top of the stove, but I hate the splatter, so I cover it and cook it in the oven or crock pot.
Basic Tomato Sugo
Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped in 1/4-inch dice
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons Italian herbs (more or less according to taste: rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme)(Joe likes more oregano, I like more basil)(neither of us likes bay leaf in the sauce)
2 cups red wine
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 quart beef stock
red pepper flakes to taste
sugar to taste
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved
Heat a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven or other,large, heavy pot. ( Add the oil (hot pan/cold food to avoid sticking). Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft. I saute the onion and garlic and transfer it all to an enamelled roaster because I put it in the oven to cook slowly.)Add the red wine and beef stock. Reduce to half. Add the tomatoes and the tomato paste bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 5-6 hours.
If you notice, our recipe does not contain carrots or celery as does the traditional Sugo Alla Bolognese. Don't ask me why. It's just the way I learned to make sauce and frankly, mine is easier than cooking down the holy trinity (celery, onion, carrots). You may 'brighten' the sauce with a hint of lemon zest (organic) at the end of the cooking time.
Leftover Sunday
Okay, I'm doing something a bit unorthodox today (moi?). Instead of making a pot of gravy, I'm using the single bowl of gravy left over from last Sunday's eight-hour sauce. Since we tore through every last meatball when we sat down to eat one week ago, the sauce is unladen. So I just threw together some meatballs.
I would normally not want to use gravy that was one week old. But it has been well-refrigerated. No bad odor. No hair growing in little island-colonies. I think we'll do fine.
Still, I failed to take any measurements of the ingredients I used for those meatballs... which, as I said elsewhere, makes my contribution to a recipe site pretty useless.
I would normally not want to use gravy that was one week old. But it has been well-refrigerated. No bad odor. No hair growing in little island-colonies. I think we'll do fine.
Still, I failed to take any measurements of the ingredients I used for those meatballs... which, as I said elsewhere, makes my contribution to a recipe site pretty useless.
Posting to The Table
My philosophy on blogging: no censorship at The Table, especially since I am not a gov't or quasi-gov't entity. I am a free speech anarchist especially if you define "censorship: (as) The use of the state and other legal or official means to restrict speech.--Culture Wars, Documents from the Recent Controversies in the Arts, edited by Richard Boltons or as "The Removal of material from open access by government authority." The ALA further distinguishes various levels of incidents in respect to materials which may or may not lead to censorship: "Inquiry, Expression of Concern, Complaint, Attack, and Censorship." --The American Library Association.
Again, friends and family, post whenever or whatever you wish to The Table although I would appreciate it if it is at least marginally food related. However, since ". . .power inevitably creates a privileged situation for the men who exercise it. Thus it violates, from the beginning, the equalitarian principle." [Voline, The Unknown Revolution, p. 249] even if there is not a morsel of food in the post, it is welcome here.
Email me for an invitation to post! All are welcome here.
Again, friends and family, post whenever or whatever you wish to The Table although I would appreciate it if it is at least marginally food related. However, since ". . .power inevitably creates a privileged situation for the men who exercise it. Thus it violates, from the beginning, the equalitarian principle." [Voline, The Unknown Revolution, p. 249] even if there is not a morsel of food in the post, it is welcome here.
Email me for an invitation to post! All are welcome here.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Italian Roast Beef Sandwiches
Italian Roast Beef Sandwiches
Ingredients:
3 pounds (approximately) beef rump roast
2 cups Paisano or other red wine
2 Tablespoons roasted garlic puree
3 Tablespoons mixed Italian herbs
Thoroughly rub inside of cast iron Dutch oven with roasted garlic paste. Place rump roast in oven and add Paisano and Italian herbs. Insert digital thermometer probe in roast, cover pot with lid and cook at 250 until 145 degrees or rare registers.
Remove roast and tent with foil. Allow roast to rest half an hour, then remove probe. Turn roast over and return to cooled Dutch oven so that the top is now soaking up the wine. Refrigerate several hours or over night.
Slice roast thinly across the grain.
Sandwich Ingredients:
Italian rolls
roasted garlic paste
your favorite mustard
peperoncini
griled onions
smoked provolone slices
Split rolls and rub garlic paste inside both halves. Broil until bubbly and only lightly browned. Remove from oven and layer on mustard, beef, peperoncini, and grilled onions. Top with smoked provolone slices and return to broiler until cheese melts.
Reduce the sauce and serve on the side, or reserve sauce and use as the base for spaghetti sauce.
Ingredients:
3 pounds (approximately) beef rump roast
2 cups Paisano or other red wine
2 Tablespoons roasted garlic puree
3 Tablespoons mixed Italian herbs
Thoroughly rub inside of cast iron Dutch oven with roasted garlic paste. Place rump roast in oven and add Paisano and Italian herbs. Insert digital thermometer probe in roast, cover pot with lid and cook at 250 until 145 degrees or rare registers.
Remove roast and tent with foil. Allow roast to rest half an hour, then remove probe. Turn roast over and return to cooled Dutch oven so that the top is now soaking up the wine. Refrigerate several hours or over night.
Slice roast thinly across the grain.
Sandwich Ingredients:
Italian rolls
roasted garlic paste
your favorite mustard
peperoncini
griled onions
smoked provolone slices
Split rolls and rub garlic paste inside both halves. Broil until bubbly and only lightly browned. Remove from oven and layer on mustard, beef, peperoncini, and grilled onions. Top with smoked provolone slices and return to broiler until cheese melts.
Reduce the sauce and serve on the side, or reserve sauce and use as the base for spaghetti sauce.
Spaghetti alla Carbonara di Parma Arrabbiata
"Angry" Spaghetti Carbonara with Proscuitto di Parma
Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 c. olive oil
1/4 lb. Proscuitto di Parma, cut into 1/4"-1/2" square dice
3 eggs (pasturized, if available)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream (note, purists do not use cream!)
2 tablespoon white wine
1 teasooon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (the Arrabbiata)
parsley, to garnish
1 lb. homemade spaghetti pasta
Method:
Saute garlic in olive oil until soft. Add prosciutto and heat through. Deglaze pan with white wine. Keep warm.
In serving bowl, beat eggs with fork until just blended. Add both cheeses, cream, salt, paper and red pepper flakes.
Cook spaghetti, drain well and combine with prosciutto, stirring to coat the spaghetti with the oil and pan drippings.
Add the egg mixture. Toss to coat. The delicate balancing act is to add the egg mixture when the pasta is still hot enough to cook the eggs, but not so hot as to scramble them.
Pasturized eggs are difficult to find but will eliminate any fear of salmonella from under-cooked eggs.
Variation:
Carbonara con i Funghi:
Add mixture of wild mushrooms to the garlic and oil.
Variation:
Carbonara alla Pancetta:
Substitute Pancetta for the pruscuitto. (Pancetta is an Italian bacon that is cured with salt, pepper, and other spices, but is not smoked.)
Variation:
Carbonara alla Guanciale (gwahn-TCHAH-leh)
Substitute guanciale for the pruscuitto. (Guanciale is the meat from the cheek of a pig that is rubbed lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper or chili pepper, then cured for three months.)
Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 c. olive oil
1/4 lb. Proscuitto di Parma, cut into 1/4"-1/2" square dice
3 eggs (pasturized, if available)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream (note, purists do not use cream!)
2 tablespoon white wine
1 teasooon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (the Arrabbiata)
parsley, to garnish
1 lb. homemade spaghetti pasta
Method:
Saute garlic in olive oil until soft. Add prosciutto and heat through. Deglaze pan with white wine. Keep warm.
In serving bowl, beat eggs with fork until just blended. Add both cheeses, cream, salt, paper and red pepper flakes.
Cook spaghetti, drain well and combine with prosciutto, stirring to coat the spaghetti with the oil and pan drippings.
Add the egg mixture. Toss to coat. The delicate balancing act is to add the egg mixture when the pasta is still hot enough to cook the eggs, but not so hot as to scramble them.
Pasturized eggs are difficult to find but will eliminate any fear of salmonella from under-cooked eggs.
Variation:
Carbonara con i Funghi:
Add mixture of wild mushrooms to the garlic and oil.
Variation:
Carbonara alla Pancetta:
Substitute Pancetta for the pruscuitto. (Pancetta is an Italian bacon that is cured with salt, pepper, and other spices, but is not smoked.)
Variation:
Carbonara alla Guanciale (gwahn-TCHAH-leh)
Substitute guanciale for the pruscuitto. (Guanciale is the meat from the cheek of a pig that is rubbed lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper or chili pepper, then cured for three months.)
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Bracciole di Asinello: Mule Steak Rollup
Okay, just having a little fun. But it --is-- available in Italy as is horsemeat bracciole. Actually horsemeat bracciole is fairly common.
Confused about the spelling or the names? So are we! Some call them braciolone if they're big, bracioline or braciolette if they're small. And yes, sometimes you find it spelled with two "c's" and sometimes with one. . .
Confused about the spelling or the names? So are we! Some call them braciolone if they're big, bracioline or braciolette if they're small. And yes, sometimes you find it spelled with two "c's" and sometimes with one. . .
Bracciole di Maiale
Stuffed Pork Rollups
Ingredients:
8 thick slices pork loin, butterflied
1/2 cup golden raisins plumped in 1/2 cup rum
8 slices prociutto
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1/2 cup pignolis (pine nuts)
2 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
28 oz can tomatoes
1 cup vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
salt
pepper
cayenne pepper
Method:
Place butterflied pork between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a mallet or heavy cast iron skillet until thin. Do not use a meat tenderizer (sometimes called a steak hammer) that is ridged as it will often go right through the meat and leave holes.
Lay all the pork slices out and place a slice of prosciutto on each. Drain raisins, reserving rum. Divide raisins, capers and pinenuts evenly among the pork slices. Roll up and tuck in sides; tie with cotton twine and a butcher's knot.
Heat olive oil and butter in Dutch oven (cast iron is best) and brown the pork on all sides, turning with tongs, not a fork so that your bracciole doesn't spring a leak. Remove from pan and tent with foil to stay warm.
Deglaze pan with rum. Add stock and tomatoes to Dutch oven, breaking up tomatoes and simmer until desired consistency is reached. Return bracciole to Dutch oven and simmer in the sauce until medium well done. Remove butcher's twine and slice the bracciole into 3/4 to 1 inch slices.
Pour gravy over pasta of your choice and arange bracciole slices attractively on or at edge of pasta. Top with freshly grated pecorino cheese. Garnish with parsley and serve with a salad, wine and a crusty bread.
Ingredients:
8 thick slices pork loin, butterflied
1/2 cup golden raisins plumped in 1/2 cup rum
8 slices prociutto
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1/2 cup pignolis (pine nuts)
2 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
28 oz can tomatoes
1 cup vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
salt
pepper
cayenne pepper
Method:
Place butterflied pork between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a mallet or heavy cast iron skillet until thin. Do not use a meat tenderizer (sometimes called a steak hammer) that is ridged as it will often go right through the meat and leave holes.
Lay all the pork slices out and place a slice of prosciutto on each. Drain raisins, reserving rum. Divide raisins, capers and pinenuts evenly among the pork slices. Roll up and tuck in sides; tie with cotton twine and a butcher's knot.
Heat olive oil and butter in Dutch oven (cast iron is best) and brown the pork on all sides, turning with tongs, not a fork so that your bracciole doesn't spring a leak. Remove from pan and tent with foil to stay warm.
Deglaze pan with rum. Add stock and tomatoes to Dutch oven, breaking up tomatoes and simmer until desired consistency is reached. Return bracciole to Dutch oven and simmer in the sauce until medium well done. Remove butcher's twine and slice the bracciole into 3/4 to 1 inch slices.
Pour gravy over pasta of your choice and arange bracciole slices attractively on or at edge of pasta. Top with freshly grated pecorino cheese. Garnish with parsley and serve with a salad, wine and a crusty bread.
Welcome to The Pugliese Table
Welcome to The Pugliese Table. Come in, sit down, eat. Second helpings (or third) are always available.
The Family origins at The Pugliese Table are in Bari, Italy. While this is a members-only blog, just ask for an invitation if you love cooking and eating as much as our baresi family does. We always have room for one more at The Table; after all, your hostess here was raised in an Italian home without a drop of Pugliese DNA.
Are we dining al fresco? Check the weather in Bari.
The Family origins at The Pugliese Table are in Bari, Italy. While this is a members-only blog, just ask for an invitation if you love cooking and eating as much as our baresi family does. We always have room for one more at The Table; after all, your hostess here was raised in an Italian home without a drop of Pugliese DNA.
Are we dining al fresco? Check the weather in Bari.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Orrecchiette con Bracciole
Basic Semolina Pasta
Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups finely ground Semolina pasta flour
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2-3 eggs
1 tablespoon first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
Method:
On a flat work surface combine 2 cups flour and salt in a mound, add eggs and oil. Mix to make a stiff dough. Add one tablespoon of flour at a time while combining mixture, until desired consistency is achieved (moderately stiff dough). Knead 10 minutes or until dough is elastic. Wrap dough in towel or place in plastic bag and let rest for 30 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface (unbleached AP flour is fine for bench flour) roll into ropes about an inch in diameter. Cut dough crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces. Lay out circle pieces and use your thumb or a table knife to make an 'ear' shape indentation in the dough, wider at the top, narrower at the base. Cook in boiling water as you are finishing up the bracciole and gravy.
Bracciole
Ingredients:
6 slices of beef about 5-6 inches more or less square--cut from partially frozen beef roast (freezing makes it much easier to slice thinly)
6 slices prosciutto
6 slices pecorino (we substitute smoked provolone as it is our favorite and use pecorino for the presentation)
minced garlic to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley (grow your own in a sunny windowsill)
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup beef stock, preferably home made
28 ounce can of whole tomatoes, peeled and seeded
Method:
Lay beef between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound beef with a mallet or heavy cast iron skillet until thin. Do not use a meat tenderizer (sometimes called a steak hammer) that is ridged as it will often go right through the meat and leave holes. Also, be careful not to pound the beef unevenly with the edge of the skillet or your filling leaks out into the gravy. Use the flat bottom and be firm but careful. It's still delicious if the cheese leaks out, but it isn't as pretty when served.
Lay all the beef slices out and place a slice of prosciutto on each and top with a slice of cheese and a sprinkling of fresh parsley. Roll up and tuck in sides, tie with cotton twine and a butcher's knot.
Heat olive oil in Dutch oven (cast iron is best) and brown the beef on all sides, turning with tongs, not a fork so that your bracciole doesn't spring a leak. Remove bracciole from the pan.
Add the chopped onion and saute until translucent. Deglaze pan with red wine. Add beef stock and tomatoes to Dutch oven, breaking up tomatoes. Return bracciole Dutch oven and simmer in the sauce until medium to medium well done. If a thicker gravy is desired, remove bracciole, tent with aluminum foil to keep warm and reduce the gravy.
Remove butcher's twine and slice the braciolette into 3/4 to 1 inch slices.
Pour gravy over orrecchiette and arange bracciole slices attractively on or at edge of pasta. Top with freshly grated pecorino cheese. Garnish with parsley and serve with red wine and a crusty bread.
Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups finely ground Semolina pasta flour
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2-3 eggs
1 tablespoon first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
Method:
On a flat work surface combine 2 cups flour and salt in a mound, add eggs and oil. Mix to make a stiff dough. Add one tablespoon of flour at a time while combining mixture, until desired consistency is achieved (moderately stiff dough). Knead 10 minutes or until dough is elastic. Wrap dough in towel or place in plastic bag and let rest for 30 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface (unbleached AP flour is fine for bench flour) roll into ropes about an inch in diameter. Cut dough crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces. Lay out circle pieces and use your thumb or a table knife to make an 'ear' shape indentation in the dough, wider at the top, narrower at the base. Cook in boiling water as you are finishing up the bracciole and gravy.
Bracciole
Ingredients:
6 slices of beef about 5-6 inches more or less square--cut from partially frozen beef roast (freezing makes it much easier to slice thinly)
6 slices prosciutto
6 slices pecorino (we substitute smoked provolone as it is our favorite and use pecorino for the presentation)
minced garlic to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley (grow your own in a sunny windowsill)
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup beef stock, preferably home made
28 ounce can of whole tomatoes, peeled and seeded
Method:
Lay beef between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound beef with a mallet or heavy cast iron skillet until thin. Do not use a meat tenderizer (sometimes called a steak hammer) that is ridged as it will often go right through the meat and leave holes. Also, be careful not to pound the beef unevenly with the edge of the skillet or your filling leaks out into the gravy. Use the flat bottom and be firm but careful. It's still delicious if the cheese leaks out, but it isn't as pretty when served.
Lay all the beef slices out and place a slice of prosciutto on each and top with a slice of cheese and a sprinkling of fresh parsley. Roll up and tuck in sides, tie with cotton twine and a butcher's knot.
Heat olive oil in Dutch oven (cast iron is best) and brown the beef on all sides, turning with tongs, not a fork so that your bracciole doesn't spring a leak. Remove bracciole from the pan.
Add the chopped onion and saute until translucent. Deglaze pan with red wine. Add beef stock and tomatoes to Dutch oven, breaking up tomatoes. Return bracciole Dutch oven and simmer in the sauce until medium to medium well done. If a thicker gravy is desired, remove bracciole, tent with aluminum foil to keep warm and reduce the gravy.
Remove butcher's twine and slice the braciolette into 3/4 to 1 inch slices.
Pour gravy over orrecchiette and arange bracciole slices attractively on or at edge of pasta. Top with freshly grated pecorino cheese. Garnish with parsley and serve with red wine and a crusty bread.
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