walton_eats

Omigosh, it's been a while, hasn't it? Well, here ya go!

A splash of olive oil
About 6oz guanciale* (Stephen who grew up in Italy says three pieces about the size of thick-cut bacon, but I used a little more than that :)), cut into half-inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, diced
A pinch or two of crushed red pepper
A cup or so of dry white wine
8 oz pecorino romano, grated
1 28-oz can of whole San Marzano tomatoes, smushed
1lb bucatini



In a large pan (the whole dish is going to end up in this pan, so make it *large), render the fat from the guanciale in a bit of olive oil - you want to render the fat but not brown the guanciale, so this will be low and slow, giving it a stir every now and then. Be patient, this will take a while. You can add the crushed red pepper at this point, too. Once you've rendered the fat, up the heat a notch and add the onion, which you want to sweat, not saute. When the onion is soft, up the heat a sconch more (hey, that's a technical term!) and add the wine. Cook the wine all the way down to the point where you hear the fat sizzle again, then add the tomatoes and simmer.



In the meantime, you should have a large pot of salted water sitting on another burner, having brought it to a boil, covered and left on low heat. When you add the tomatoes, turn the heat back up under the water and bring to a boil, then add the bucatini. Bring back to the boil then simmer for 5-6 minutes. Drain and add to the pan with the sauce, and add the pecorino romano. Toss it all together on the heat and cook for another minute as you blend everything together. Serve immediately, on warmed plates, with more cheese on the side.



*Pancetta can be subbed for the guanciale, but they aren't quite the same. AG Ferrari sometimes has guanciale (although I think it's domestic, not imported - Stephen brought guanciale back from Rome for me!). There is a decided difference in flavor, but there's nothing wrong with pancetta - hey, pork product! - but it is different. So get guanciale if you can.

Also, you might feel compelled to add salt. Don't. There is plenty of salt in the guanciale and the cheese, so salting the pasta water is enough added salt.

Tonight I made lasagna rolls with homemade spinach pasta and homemade ricotta. This is an amalgam of several different recipes.

Ricotta

1 gallon whole milk
1 quart buttermilk

Mix milks together in a heavy pot over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Once the milk starts to give off steam, stop stirring. When the mixture reaches around 175F, it will break into curds and whey. Gently run a spatula across the bottom to free up any curds sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Spoon the curds into a large colander placed in the sink or a large bowl, the colander lined with 6-8 layers of cheesecloth, lifting the sides of the cheesecloth to allow more of the whey to drain. Do not squeeze. When all of the curds are spooned into the colander, tie the corners of the cheesecloth together and let the cheese drain for around 15 minutes.

Move the cheese to an airtight container. Use within 5 days. Makes about 1 lb.

Pasta

250 grams unbleached all-purpose flour
250 grams semolina flour
1 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach
4 large eggs
Additional flour if necessary

Cook the spinach according to package directions. Let cool, then squeeze as much moisture out of the spinach as possible. Then squeeze some more. Then squeeze a little bit more.

With a sharp knife, chop the spinach as finely as you can. Alternatively, pulse the spinach in a food processor until finely chopped. Place the flour, spinach and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the bread hook, mix on Speed 4 until the dough comes together. Change to Speed 2 and knead dough for 5-7 minutes, adding flour if the dough seems too wet.

Remove dough from bowl and knead by hand for a couple of minutes, until dough feels silky. Wrap tightly in plastic and let rest at room temperature for at least an hour.

This recipe takes about half this dough. Run enough dough through a pasta machine to make 12 12"x4" sheets. (ETA: I run them through to #6 on an Atlas hand-crank pasta machine.) Lay out on baking sheets to dry for about an hour. Wrap the rest of the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. I'll make fettucine with the rest tomorrow :).

Cook pasta sheets in boiling, salted water for about three minutes. Remove and lay out on baking sheets to cool.

Filling

16 oz whole milk ricotta
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or put through a press
1 large egg
1 cup grated or finely shredded parmesan cheese
3 ounces minced pancetta
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Bechamel

3 tbsp unsalted butter
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Pinch freshly-ground nutmeg

Melt butter in heavy-bottomed saucepan on medium-high heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 2-3 minutes. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly, and cook until sauce is thick and smooth. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Additional Ingredients

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2-3 cups of your favorite marinara sauce
Additional parmesan

Assemble

Preheat oven to 450F. Butter a 9"x13"x2" non-metal baking dish. Cover the bottom with the bechamel. Working one at a time, spread about 3 tablespoons filling on a pasta sheet, roll up, and place, seam side down, on top of bechamel, two to a row, in six rows, without touching. Top with 1-2 cups marinara. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and additional parmesan.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes until sauce is bubbling and cheese is browned. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes.

Serve with additional heated marinara on the side.

Well, it's been awhile. Hi!
( click for recipe and *lots* of photos )

I've been looking for a great Osso Buco recipe, and I think I've found it.

http://www.newitalianrecipes.com/osso-buco.html

I made this tonight, with the diced tomato option, and it was... incredible. Served with smashed garlic potatoes (made with red potatoes with the peels still on, mashed with butter, half&half, salt, pepper and a head's worth of roasted garlic), the flavors were deep and rich and so satisfying.

Me being me, I'll play with it. But as written it is perfectly *lovely*. Although I added a tablespoon of veal demi glace (with the chicken broth), and thickened the sauce with a small amount of flour slurry at the end (and simmered for another five minutes), so I didn't make it *exactly* as written.

No pictures, we were too hungry. Don't neglect the marrow in the bone. Dig it out and spread it on a slice of the good rustic bread you'll want to serve with this (because you have to have something to soak up the sauce).

i am happily wallowing in garlicky goodness.

I sautéed 6 oz. pancetta in olive oil until crispy, then added one large sweet onion, chopped; 3 small waxy potatoes, chopped; 2 stalks celery, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; and 1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped, to the pot, along with a good bit of kosher salt and black pepper. After the onions became translucent, I added 1 1-quart container chicken broth, 1 1-quart container vegetable stock, and 1 large can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed, along with the juice in the can, followed by three carrots, sliced; 1 turnip, chopped; 1/4 lb green beens, trimmed and cut in 1-inch lengths; a good splash of Marsala wine; 1 tablespoon dried basil; and 1 tablespoon dried oregano. I let the soup simmer until the potatoes and carrots were done, then added about 8 oz. sliced button mushrooms, some shredded Napa cabbage, a small can of cannellini beans, and more salt and pepper to taste. In a separate pot I cooked 8 oz of mini penne in salted boiling water until al dente, then drained it and added it to the soup, then let the soup simmer another minute or two.

Served with shredded Asiago cheese, a hot loaf of Ciabatta, and some Ruffino Chianti Classico, it was the perfect meal for a cool, rainy, Autumn night.

It's *so* good to be cooking again!

Last night was Chicken Cacciatore.

1 pkg chicken breast halves, each cut in half to make six pieces
1 pkg chicken thighs (6)
flour
salt
pepper

Several tablespoons olive oil
1 large or 2 medium yellow onioins, sliced
1 large or 2 medium red bell peppers, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
dried basil
dried oregano
kosher salt
sugar
red wine
1 large can whole roma tomatoes w/basil
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 lb button or crimini mushrooms, sliced

1 lb pasta (I usually use penne)

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Mix a good cup or so of all-purpose flour with a generous amount of salt and a good grinding of black pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture. Brown well in olive oil on both sides, 3 pieces at a time, in a large pot or dutch oven. Set aside each batch as it is browned. When chicken is browned, saute onions and peppers until soft, then add garlic and saute until fragrant (don't allow to brown). Add chicken back to pot, then add crushed tomatoes. Moosh the whole tomatoes with your (clean) hand then add to pot. Add a good splash of red wine, some dried basil and oregano to taste, a tablespoon or two of sugar, and salt to taste. Stir well so everything is mixed well and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes until chicken is done. Add mushrooms and simmer until mushrooms are tender.

Keep warm while cooking pasta. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta and finish with a good grating of parmesan.

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Tonight was stir-fried pork.

1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into strips

Marinade
2/3 cup mirin
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder (I use Penzey's)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
2 tblsp peanut oil
4 or 5 drops Mongolian Fire Oil
pinch ground cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp corn starch

Mix the marinade ingredients together and marinate the pork strips for at least an hour. Pour pork and marinade into a sieve over a bowl so that marinade drains into bowl. when meat has drained, whisk cornstarch into marinade.

Peanut oil
3 large carrots, sliced on the diagonal
3 ribs celery, sliced on the diagonal
1 large yellow onion, cut into chunks
1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, sliced
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
A good handful of mung bean sprouts

Steamed rice


Heat a wok on high heat and add the peanut oil, heat until almost smoking. Stir-fry the pork until almost done and remove from wok. Add a little more peanut oil, then stir-fry yellow onion, celery and carrots for about five minutes. Add the garlic, green onions and red bell pepper and stir-fry for another minute. Add a tablespoon or two of water, cover, and let vegetables steam for about five minutes. Add mushrooms and stir into mixture, cover again and cook at high heat until mushrooms are tender and release their moisture. Remove cover, push vegetables to one side, and let juices cook down somewhat. Return pork to the wok and add bean sprouts and cook until bean sprouts are heated through but still crispy. Push mixture aside and add marinade-cornstarch mixture to juices in wok. Bring to a boil and let sauce thicken, the mix into stir-fry until everything is coated with sauce. Serve immediately with steamed rice.