Author: Michael

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Classic Fresh Egg Pasta

I used this pasta for the lasagna recipe. I rolled to a 6 (Kitchenaid), next time I think 4 is probably thin enough.

Making fresh pasta can be an intimidating process, especially if you’re not used to working with flour and water. But it’s also an imminently achievable skill, and once you’re comfortable with the basic technique, there’s really no reason why you can’t reap the rewards on a regular basis. This recipe is for a light, springy, delicate fresh pasta that’s as well-suited to slicing into noodles as it is to making stuffed pastas, which require super-thin, pliable sheets of dough.

Why It Works

  • Using a higher ratio of egg yolks to egg whites ensures delicate, rich, yellow noodles with a classic Italian flavor and texture.
  • Kneading by hand allows for optimal control over the quality of the dough.
  • Adding salt to the dough provides a more balanced flavor.

Ingredients

  • 10 ounces (280g; about 2 cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting (I used 00 flour)
  • 2 whole large eggs (110g; about 4 ounces)
  • 4 yolks from 4 large eggs (70g; about 2.5 ounces) (I ended up using almost a whole extra egg)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for salting water

Directions

To Make the Dough: On a large, clean work surface, pour flour in a mound. Make a well in the center about 4 inches wide. Pour whole eggs, egg yolks, and salt into well and, using a fork, beat thoroughly. When combined, gradually incorporate flour into the eggs until a wet, sticky dough has formed.

  1. Using a bench knife, scrape excess dough from fork and fingers. Begin to fold additional flour into the dough with the bench knife, turning the dough roughly 45 degrees each time, until dough feels firm and dry, and can form a craggy-looking ball, 2 to 5 minutes.
  2. Press the heel of your hand into the ball of dough, pushing forward and down. Rotate the ball 45 degrees and repeat. Continue until dough develops a smooth, elastic texture similar to a firm ball of Play-Doh. If dough feels too wet, add flour in 1 teaspoon increments. If dough feels too dry, add water slowly using a spray bottle.
  3. Wrap ball of dough tightly in plastic wrap and rest on countertop for 30 minutes.

To Roll the Pasta: Meanwhile, place a sheet of parchment paper on a tray or cutting board and dust lightly with flour. Unwrap rested dough and cut into quarters. Set one quarter on work surface and re-wrap remaining dough. With a rolling pin, flatten the quarter of dough into an oblong shape about 1/2 inch thick.

  1. Set pasta maker to widest setting and pass dough 3 times through the machine at this setting.
  2. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface. Fold both ends in so that they meet at the center of the dough, and then fold the dough in half where the end points meet, trying not to incorporate too much air into the folds. Using rolling pin, flatten dough to 1/2-inch thick. Pass through the rollers 3 additional times.
  3. Narrow the setting by 1 notch and repeat Step 7. Repeat once more (the dough should now have passed through the third widest setting). Continue passing the dough through the rollers, reducing the thickness by 1 setting each time until it reaches the desired thickness. It should now be very delicate and elastic to the touch, and slightly translucent.
  4. Place rolled dough onto a work surface or baking sheet lightly dusted with flour or lined with parchment paper, folding the dough over as necessary so that it fits; sprinkle with flour or line with parchment between folds to prevent sticking.
  5. Cover dough with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel to prevent drying, then repeat Steps 5 through 9 with remaining dough quarters. If making noodles, cut dough into 12- to 14-inch segments.

To Cut Noodles: Adjust pasta machine to noodle setting of your choice. Working one dough segment at a time, feed dough through the pasta-cutter. Alternatively, cut folded dough by hand with a chef’s knife to desired noodle width.

  1. Divide the cut noodles into individual portions, dust lightly with flour, and curl into a nest. Place on parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and gently cover with kitchen towel until ready to cook. Pasta can be frozen directly on the baking sheet, transferred to a zipper-lock freezer bag, and stored in the freezer for up to three weeks before cooking. Cook frozen pasta directly from the freezer.

To Cook: Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta, stir gently with a wooden spoon, chopsticks, or a cooking fork, and cook, tasting at regular intervals until noodles are just set with a definite bite, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Drain, toss with sauce, and serve.

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Pasta Al Forno con Gamberi E Spinaci (Baked Lasagna with Shrimp and Spinach)

Ultimate Pasta – Julia Della Croce P.133

In my opinion this is a 10/10. It was a bit of work (would be a lot less if I hadn’t made my own pasta. I made the pasta so thin that the recipe only used a tiny fraction of the pasta that I had made.

  • Ingredients
  • ½ quantity fresh egg pasta (1/2 lb/250g)
  • Salt, to taste

For the filling

  • 2lb spinach washed and stems removed
  • lb (500g) fresh raw shrimp, washed and shelled
  • 4 TB unsalted butter
  • 1 large onion, very finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
  • freshly ground white or black pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) plain tomato sauce
  • ~2 cups bechamel  (500ml) flavored with nutmeg (I used about extra 1/4-1/2 cup)
  • 1/2 cup (60g) freshly grated Parmesan (I used more than this b/c I spread some between each layer)

Directions

1.Roll the pasta as thin as possible (I think about a 4 on the kitchen aid is good enough I went with 6 and think it was too thin). With a knife or fluted pastry wheel, cut the sheets of pasta into 3 1/2 x 4 1/2 in (8 x 11cm) rectangles and let them rest on dry dish towels for at least 15 minutes.

  1. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts (5 liters) of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 ½ tablespoons of salt and slip in the pasta, two or three pieces at a time, and cook for a total of 1 minute. Retrieve with a slotted spoon and immediately immerse in a bowl of cold water (do not put ice in the water as it will make holes in the pasta). Lay the strips on a damp dish towel and finish cooking and cooling all the pasta in the same manner. Do not overlap them. Pat dry.
  1. Place the spinach in a large, deep, lidded pan with no water except the drops still clinging to the leaves after washing. Steam the spinach until tender, tossing occasionally for even cooking, 5-10 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain, and leave until cool enough to handle. Using your hands, squeeze out most of the excess water. Finely chop the spinach and set aside.
  1. Using a small knife, make a slit down the back of each shrimp and remove the dark intestinal vein. Rinse well under cold running water, pat dry, then finely chop and set aside.
  1. Warm the butter in a skillet and add the onion. Saute over medium heat until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add the shrimp and saute quickly just until they turn pink, stirring to cook evenly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chopped spinach, salt, and pepper.

6. Preheat the oven to a temperature of 400°F (200°C).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Combine the tomato sauce and the béchamel. Select a 10 x 14in (25 x 35cm) baking dish. Smear a very thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Carefully place a layer of the lasagna noodles over the sauce, making them touch without overlapping, and covering the entire surface area.

  1. Smear a thin layer of sauce over the lasagna. Spoon some of the spinach- shrimp mixture over it. Over that, scatter some of the grated Parmesan. Lay down another layer of lasagna, making sure there are no gaps and no overlapping. Repeat the process of layering, ending with a layer of lasagna topped with bechamel sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan.
  1. Slip the dish onto the middle oven rack. Bake until the sauce forms a light golden crust, about 20 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove the dish from the oven and leave to settle for 10 minutes. Cut into squares, and serve hot.

 

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Summer Vegetable Galette

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016759-summer-vegetable-galette

I think this is a 10/10.  This took a long time. Much longer than they said. I had to roast the veges in batches since there were so many. I cooked down stuff more then they said so I started with more and ended with the amount In needed. Feel like this is a very flexible template. Great use for end of summer veges if you have them


  • YIELD 8 servings
  • TIME 2 hours plus at least 2 hours’ chilling

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

A savory galette is the easier and more streamlined cousin of a classic quiche. It has a buttery pastry filled with any combination of vegetables, cheeses and meats, but without the need to make a custard to anchor it all. In this galette recipe, roasted summer vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes) are combined with goat cheese and fresh red chiles for a ratatouille-like mix with a bite, all nestled into a hearty whole-grain crust. Feel free to use any combination of cooked vegetables instead, even leftovers from the fridge. You’ll need three cups total. Serve it as you would quiche, with a salad for lunch or a light dinner.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE DOUGH:

  • ⅔cup/80 grams all-purpose flour
  • ⅔cup/90 grams rye flour or whole-wheat flour
  • 1teaspoon/5 grams sugar
  • ½teaspoon/3 grams fine sea salt
  • 1large egg
  • Heavy cream, as needed
  • 1stick/113 grams unsalted butter, cut into big pieces
  • 2teaspoons/10 milliliters lemon juice
  • ½teaspoon/4 grams grated lemon zest (optional)

 

FOR THE FILLING:

  • 2medium eggplant (about 1 pound), trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 2medium zucchini (about 3/4 pound), trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 1pound plum tomatoes, cored and thinly sliced
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
  • Kosher salt, as needed
  • Black pepper, as needed
  • 2hot chile peppers, such as cherry peppers, seeded and minced
  • 3ounces goat cheese, softened
  • 1small garlic clove, grated or pressed
  • 1teaspoon thyme leaves

 

PREPARATION

  1. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, or in a large bowl, pulse or mix together the flours, sugar, and salt. In a measuring cup, lightly beat the egg, then add just enough cream to get to 1/3 cup. Lightly whisk the egg and cream together.
  2. Add butter to flour mixture and pulse or use a pastry cutter or your fingers to break up the butter. If using a food processor, do not over-process; you need chickpea-size chunks of butter. Drizzle the egg mixture (up to 1/4 cup) over the dough and pulse or stir until it just starts to come together but is still mostly large crumbs. Mix in lemon juice and zest if using.
  3. Put the dough on lightly floured counter and knead to make one uniform piece. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for 2 hours, or up to 3 days.
  4. When you are ready to make the tart, roll out dough to a 12-inch round (it can be ragged). Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and chill while preparing the filling.

 

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spread out eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes in one layer on three separate sheet pans or cookie sheets. Drizzle generously with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables, tossing zucchini and eggplant occasionally, 35 to 40 minutes. Eggplant and tomatoes will be golden at the edges; zucchini will be tender. Don’t let the vegetables get too dark because they will continue to brown in the tart. Transfer vegetables to a bowl (you want to have about 3 cups of them) and toss with chile peppers.
  2. Decrease oven temperature to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine goat cheese, garlic and thyme leaves. Spread mixture in a thin layer over crust, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border all around. Arrange vegetables evenly over goat cheese. Fold up edges of crust, pleating to hold it in (sloppy is fine). Brush pastry generously with leftover egg and cream mixture.
  3. Transfer galette to oven and bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Have you cooked this?  Mark as Cooked

 

Michele1 year ago

This is fantastic . . . but be aware that it takes a long time to make. The better the goat cheese, the better the galette in this case, since dri-er cheese will not meld properly.

15 This is helpful

Cristina1 year ago

I made with Eggplant, leeks, and foraged Agaricus mushrooms. Very yummy but a verging on too rich. Next time I would use less butter in the crust. I didn’t have goat cheese. I used queso fresco so did not get the goat cheese tang which would have been nice.
Make the dough ahead of time; it is supposed to be refrigerated for 2hour-3days.

12 This is helpful

Aarti1 year ago

Galette can refer to different types of free-form pastries or the savory buckwheat crêpe you mention above, which is more precisely termed galette bretonne or galette de sarrasin. Another galette is the famous galette des rois, which is traditionally made with a pastry dough (pâte feuilletée) enclosing an almond pastry cream and eaten on the Festival of the Epiphany in France. The galettes referred to here have pastry crusts that are folded free-form around a fruit or vegetable filling.

7 This is helpful

Alan1 year ago

Cop out and use a good store bought whole wheat pie crust. Sounds like this recipe would fill 2 crusts. Switch onions and peppers for zucchini which, lets face it, is ONE BORING VEGETABLE!

4 This is helpful