Fresh, Home-made Pasta (Fettucine)

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21ST, 2009

4 stars (out of 5 - delicious but a time-consuming process!)

When we returned from Italy last year, we went into a total pasta withdrawal and craved the home-made fresh pasta that we had been living off of for the previous three weeks. We decided to buy a pasta-maker and try it out ourselves. Now we're addicted!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour*
4 eggs (large)
1 tbsp olive oil
Pasta machine**

{*Note. You will also need some extra flour for the rolling process... perhaps another 1/2 cup at most}.

(**Note. If you do not have a pasta machine, you can cut the pasta with a knife, although this will probably make an already time-consuming process even longer, so I don't know if I would recommend it!}.

1. First, we measured the flour into a medium-large bowl. Although you are supposed to sift the flour first, we are always too lazy, and it turns out well, regardless. You want to then hollow out a little hole in the middle of the mound of flour.

2. We then added the eggs to the dipped area of the flour.

3. We then stirred the mixture in the bowl, until it was all mixed into a dough (this becomes quite tough and you need good arm muscles!!). With our hands, we then kneaded the dough (adding flour as we needed when it became too sticky) until it was a fairly evenly kneaded, and pretty dry ball.

4. When it looks like the picture below, we then wrapped it in Saran wrap and placed it in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

5. After it had set in the fridge, we started to roll out the dough. Use a lot of flour here so that it doesn't stick. Also, the dough needs to be pretty dry to be able to go through the pasta machine without a mess.

6. Along the way, we made it into an elongated shape, so that it would fit through the pasta machine. You can see the width of the pasta machine in the third pic below.

7. Once it was about the right shape and about 1/2 inch thick, it was ready to go through the machine. However, because the machine elongates the dough so much, we first cut it in half!

8. We then put it through the pasta machine on the largest setting ("7" in our case).

9. We then kept putting it through the pasta machine on a subsequently lower setting each time ("6" then "5" etc.). At some point it will become very long again and you will need to cut it. Please remember to keep adding flour to each step. If your dough becomes too sticky, it becomes very tricky not to make a mess.

10. Finally, we finished on the "4" setting. This is for very thick noodles, which we like. However, you may find that a "3" or a "2" works better for you.

11. Once it was at the desired thickness, we put it through the other side of the machine, which cuts the pasta. It's a good idea to have a clean plate waiting for the pasta on the other end.

12. This is how it looks on the plate. We have found that it separates it pretty well, but that there is always 2 noodles stuck together which you have to separate by hand (pretty easily if you have added enough flour along the way).

13. We then piled the separated pasta on another plate. Because it can become so compacted, make sure to add more flour at this point so that they don't stick together, and fluff the noodles up once and a while.

14. We then just added them to a pot of boiling water for about 2 minutes (for VERY al dante... 3 for less so, depending on the thickness). Serve it then with some of you favourite pasta sauce.

Here is SB's served with his mom's great salmon recipe (http://etryingtocook.blogspot.com/2009/06/salmon-dinner-guest-recipe-merci-eliane.html):

Overall, the home-made pasta is a great treat. I can't really comment on the effort (although I know it is pretty time-consuming), since SB really takes care of the majority of it, with me as his assistant. I don't know if my arms could handle it! It's a bit of trial and error to find the right thickness and cook-ness for yourself. One other warning: after getting used to home-made pasta, it's hard to go back to the store-bought!! Now, we have to find a great home-made pasta sauce recipe... sigh.

Double Baked Stuffed Potatoes - Brocolli & Chive

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1ST, 2009

4.5 stars (out of 5 - a bit of a hassle to make, but worth it in the end!)

These are one of my all-time favourite sides. They are a bit fussy to make (specifically, I tend to burn my hands trying to hollow out the baked potatoes), but I think worth it in the end. They are a great side dish to a meal (albeit filling!), and I sometimes even eat these as a small meal on their own (or with a salad).

Ingredients (for 2-4 people):

2 large potatoes*
~1 cup grated old cheddar cheese**
~2/3 cup chopped green onion**
1 1/2 cups broccoli**
Sour cream***
Milk***
Salt and pepper***

{*Note. 2 large potatoes will make enough for 4 people if you give them each half (as part of a bigger meal). I usually do 2 potatoes for SB and myself alone, as I will eat a whole one myself (in the place of meat) or save it for lunch the next day.}

{**Note. These amounts are all approximate. You can see the amounts from the pics below, but I do it all to taste. I end up putting quite a bit of green onion in, as the flavour isn't very strong. I just have one suggestion, which is to stir in the broccoli gradually (see below), so that your mixture doesn't end up too dense.}

{***Note. These are suggestions for making the mashed potato part of the recipe. You can use whatever you normally use to make mashed potatoes.}

1. First, I baked the potatoes in the microwave. This usually takes about 6 minutes. Don't forget to pierce them with a fork first!

2. While the potatoes were cooking, I chopped and steamed the broccoli. I usually cook it until it is tender, rinse under cool water (to prevent them from continuing to cook and turning into mush), and set them aside.

3. I also prepare the cheese and green onion during this time.

4. Once the potatoes were cooked, I (carefully!) cut them in half, leaving the skin intact, and let them cool for a little while. Watch out, they're hot!

5. Once the potatoes were cooled to a point I could handle them, I scooped out the inside, leaving a few millimetres around the edge and on the bottom, and placed the extra potato in a medium-sized bowl.

6. I then added the sour cream, milk, salt, and pepper to the potato, and mashed them together. You can add whatever ingredients you wish, and make the mashed potatoes your regular way (e.g., with butter, etc.). Just make sure they're not too runny.

7. After making the mashed potatoes, I stirred in the broccoli, chives, and 1/2 the cheddar cheese, and added salt & pepper to taste.

8. I then scooped this mixture into the potato shells...

9. ... and sprinkled them with the remaining cheese.

10. I baked them at 425F for about 20 minutes (until hot).

Although this recipe can be a bit time-consuming to make, I think it's worth it. In addition, I have made this recipe for company before, and it was very stress-free, as I could prepare them ahead of time, put them (covered) in the fridge, and then pop them in the oven 20 minutes before we were ready to eat. I also like how you can play around with the ingredients to your own taste. Overall, a nice, substantial complement to a meal!

Meat (and Veggie) Lasagna

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28TH, 2009

3.5 stars (out of 5, with potential for 4.5 stars out of 5)*

{*Note. I was befallen with yet another cooking disaster... this one out of my hands! SB gave the final product 3.5 stars because we ended up with only the veggie version. He said that he would probably have given the meat one 4.5 stars. You may be asking: "What happened to the meat one?"... see below!}

This was a meal I had been planning to make for a long time. We had frozen ground beef in the freezer, and some extra in the fridge from burgers we had made last week, and I thought: a lasagna would be perfect to 1) use these ingredients, and 2) have leftovers for the weekend so that we don't have to cook each night. Well, it was a good idea; unfortunately, it did not turn out to last as long as I had anticipated. BTW, this is yet another recipe from PW from her blog: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/the_best_lasagn/

Ingredients:**

{**Note. These are the ingredients for a full-sized lasagna, as directed from PW. However, my pictures depict smaller versions (approx. half), as I only have a small convection oven that fits a 9" square pan.}

Meat sauce:

1.5 lbs. ground beef***
1 lb hot breakfast sausage (ground)***
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cans whole tomatoes
2 cans tomato paste***
2 tbsp dried parsley
2 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp salt

Filling:

3 cups cottage cheese (low fat)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the stuff from the bottle)
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt

Other layers:

1 lb sliced mozzarella cheese (real mozzarella, but pre-sliced!)
1 package lasagna noodles

{***Note. For my veggie version, I added 1 package ground round. For a full veggie lasagna, I would suggest adding two packages, which should be plenty. For the sausage, mine was not really ideal as it had an outer skin. However, I was able to break it up quite well. I am not sure where to get ground up sausage without the skin. Finally, if you are going to buy tomato paste, may I recommend another brand besides Hunt's? See below...}

1. First, I cooked the ground beef and sausage, with the garlic, over medium-high heat. I ended up switching to my wok, as I was afraid that the meat would overflow! As you can see, the sausage is a bit chunky here, so I broke it up as I cooked. As a vegetarian, this was probably one of the grossest things to cook :(

2. Once it was cooked and browned, you can see how much better the sausage mixed in. So, if you are unable to find the proper sausage, I think any hot Italian sausage will ultimately work.

3. PW recommends draining 1/2 the fat. Our meat was extra lean, but I still thought this was a good idea. I left about 1/3 of it in there.

4. Leaving it over the heat, I then added the whole tomatoes, tomato paste and the herbs...

5. ... unfortunately for me, and this recipe, I found this little gem in my can of Hunt's tomato paste. I say unfortunately because I had already added most of the can to my meat. Eggshell, anyone? Ewwwww...

This is what it looked like before I chucked it out :(

6. Having had to discard my meat dish (I'm sorry, but I couldn't let SB eat that - I have no idea how that shell got in there, where it had been, or how much I had missed. Not worth the risk!), I turned now to my vegetarian version. I was very lucky to have been cooking this at the same time, therefore having a back-up to the "Eggshell Debacle", but it is missing the sausage component/flavour. Oh well. You then simmer this meat sauce for 45 minutes, uncovered. I wasn't sure if the liquid would reduce from the tomatoes, so one suggestion I have is to not add the entire can of liquid with the tomato. This is what it looked like, all ingredients in the meat sauce.

7. As this simmered, I cooked the lasagna, rinsed in cold water, and set them out on a flat. surface You want it al dente.

8. I then made the filling by adding the cottage cheese to a bowl...

9. ...beating the two eggs, and stirring them in with the cottage cheese.

10. Finally, I added the Parmesan cheese...

11. ... along with the parley flakes and salt.

12. I stirred the mixture well, and set it aside until the meat was finished simmering.

13. Once everything was ready, we were on to the layering part. First, SB made me butter the bottom, to prevent sticking. Then we layered, starting with a layer of noodles (overlapping a bit)...

14. ... followed by about 1/2 of the cottage cheese filling, evenly spread...

15. ... and half of the mozzarella cheese (note: we didn't have enough to cover the entire layer, and it was still very cheesy!).

16. We then topped the cheese with just less than half of the meat sauce, spread evenly...

17. ... and repeated the process, starting with the noodles and the rest of the cottage cheese mixture...

18. ... followed by the remainder of the cheese, and topped by the meat sauce.

19. Finally, we topped it off with a generous layer of Parmesan cheese (note, this is the shredded stuff that comes in a bottle).

20. We then cooked it at 350F for 30 minutes until bubbling (although this took a bit longer in our oven!!), and let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

Overall, this was a delicious lasagna, and we ate it all by the afternoon the next day. It was very disappointing to have to throw out the meat one, but I will definitely try it again (perhaps with another tomato paste brand!). We both really enjoyed all of the flavours, and the ingredients were things that I had in my household regularly, so it wasn't a stretch. One final thing that I liked, was that it was a no stress recipe. You just kinda cook everything at your own pace.