Cheese Gnocchi
Sunday Dinner.
A tradition in many cultures. Lots of family, lots of food, lots of fun. We had two out of three, today. Lots of food, lots of fun - but just a little family. Victor's mom, brother and sister-in-law.
We decided we'd do the Monday Pasta today. Sunday Dinner... Italians... It seemed the right thing to do.
Tonight's dish was Ricotta Gnocchi. Lighter than their potato cousins, they're also more flavorful. They work equally well with a red sauce, a cream sauce, or a simple butter sauce.
Ricotta Gnocchi
- 1 lb ricotta cheese
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
- Stir together the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan Cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large bowl until evenly combined. Mix in 1 cup of flour. Add additional flour if needed to form a soft dough.
- Divide the dough into 3 or 4 pieces, and roll into 1/2-inch-thick ropes on a floured surface. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces, and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- While sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Boil the gnocchi until they float to the surface, 1 to 2 minutes, then drain.
- Place gnocchi into a serving bowl, and spoon sauce over top.
They are actually pretty easy to make. I've made them many times in the past rolling the little gnocchi off the tines of a fork. The gnocchi board really makes it easier, although the fork tines are not difficult by any means.
You definitely want a soft dough to begin with. Work it just enough to get everything mixed together, and although the recipe doesn't call for it, wrapping it and letting it rest for about 20 minutes or so will help bring it together and allow the flour to absorb the liquids.
And then it just becomes the rolling, cutting, and forming process.
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The recipe makes a goodly amount. We got two sheet pans - one went into the freezer!
I made another loaf of bread, and Marie brought over some great blondie-brownies. And we had some of the Bananas Foster Bread from last night.
We ate really well.
A good time was had by all, the Giants beat the Padres, and life is good!
Bananas Foster Bread
I was looking at some pretty ripe bananas yesterday. Really ripe; as in use them right now or throw them away really ripe.
I decided to use them.
Fortunately, the latest issue of Cooking Light magazine was sitting here. The cover picture was - banana bread.
Banana bread is one of those things I just tend to throw together. I've made it enough times over the years that I have a recipe memorized. But... I'm always willing to look at ideas.
There was a recipe for a Bananas Foster Bread that looked promising. Cook the bananas with some butter, brown sugar and brandy before mixing everything together? Sounds like a plan.
I tweaked the ingredients a bit (what a shock!) by adding wheat bran in place of ground flax seed and lots more spices. We ended up with a really good dessert - and possible breakfast!
Bananas Foster Bread
- 2 cups mashed ripe banana
- 1 cup packed brown sugar, divided
- 5 tbsp butter, melted
- 3 tbsp brandy or dark rum
- 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup wheat bran
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- pinch nutmeg
- Cooking spray
Glaze:
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 tbsp brandy or dark rum
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine banana, 1/2 cup brown sugar, butter, and brandy in a nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat; cool. Place banana mixture in a large bowl. Add yogurt, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, and eggs. Beat with a mixer at medium speed.
3. Combine flour, wheat bran, soda, salt, cinnamon allspice, ginger, and nutmeg. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; place on wire rack.
4. Combine melted butter, brandy, and powdered sugar; stir until well blended. Drizzle over the warm bread.
It may be the first time I haven't used walnuts or pecans in my banana bread. It worked quite well without them, but would work equally well with. Add 'em if ya have 'em.
And the glaze really makes it special. That little amount of butter with the brandy made for the perfect finish.
Pansotti with Fresh Tomato Sauce
Several weeks ago, Victor made Pansotti con salsa di noci for his Monday Pasta. The recipe made quite a bit of the pasta, so into the freezer it went - until tonight.
Victor had made tomato sauce a couple of days ago from the horde of tomatoes we've harvested and I was in the mood for EyeTalian. A dinner was born.
I had about a half-pound of mushrooms and about the same amount of filet tips, so I sauteed them off in a bit of olive oil and garlic, added a couple of cups of the fresh tomato sauce, a couple of ounces of grated grana padano, and a pinch of fresh herbs. I cooked off the frozen pansotti, tossed everything together and sliced up some of yesterday's bread.
It was a treat not to really have to cook, but have a fresh-made dinner.
So to celebrate not really having to do anything, I made a Bananas Foster Bread from Cooking Light Magazine.
Pumpkin Soup
Mmmmm... Soup..... I've been dreaming about soup for weeks, now. It's what happens to me towards the end of every season - I start thinking about the foods that are coming up. Soups and stews and casseroles are on the horizon. Even more fresh-baked breads... These are some of my most favorite foods - mainly because they generally don't take recipes or cook books to create. They tend to just come together with things in the kitchen. That's not to say that recipes are out for the next few months, but soups, stews, and the like are pretty instinctive for me. Probably comes from being from a large family. But I do find them to be the easiest things to make. Seriously, they're pretty hard to screw up.
So tonight's dinner was brought to us by that big ol' pumpkin I cooked up yesterday. I have pumpkin for days in the 'fridge. I'll probably freeze some of it tomorrow - but I do have a couple of ideas to ponder first...
The soup tonight was based upon a recipe we created at work many moons ago.
Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 pork tenderloin, cubed
- 3 cups pumpkin puree
- 2 cups chunk pumpkin, cooked
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp chipotle powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- salt and pepper, to taste
- sour cream for topping
Saute onion until translucent. Add cubed pork tenderloin and lightly brown. Add spices and cook about a minute.
Add pumpkin puree, cream, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer.
Add black beans and cubed pumpkin and heat through.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream.
It's rich, thick, and creamy, without being heavy. It's also really simple and lends itself to many different variations. You can add curry powder instead of the chipotle, coconut milk instead of the cream.
Use chicken or beef - or neither and make it vegetarian with the addition of vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Throw in some other vegetables.
It's the beauty of the season - anything goes!
Cinderella Pumpkin
I picked up a big ol' Cinderella Pumpkin today. Big.
The Cinderella Pumpkin is a Vin Rouge D' Etampes - an heirloom pumpkin from France. They have a deep orange-red skin and are slightly ribbed and flat. And they taste fantastic! Naturally sweet without being sweet, if you know what I mean. Great for eating because they're meaty and not totally full of water.
I didn't think to take a picture of this beautiful pumpkin until after I had cut it open. What can I say... I'm not always the brightest color in the crayon box. But they really are cool-looking. Did I mention they taste fantastic?
I cut it up, peeled half of it and cut it into cubes. The other half I roasted skin-on. 4 sheet-pans of pumpkin went into the ovens at 425° for about 25 minutes.
With all this pumpkin around, it was a no-brainer to figure pumpkin was going to play a role in tonight's dinner.
We had 7 Hungarian peppers from the back yard that needed eating, so I seeded and sliced them, and then sauteed them with a small chopped onion.
Next into the skillet went a cut-up boneless, skinless chicken breast and then a pinch of salt, pepper, and cumin.
I added about a cup and a half of pumpkin puree and maybe 2 cups of cubed pumpkin.
Mixed it all together and served it over whole-grain black rice.
A classic fall flavor tweaked with mildly-hot peppers and served over rice. It worked on a variety of levels. I tried to play off the minimalist recipe creation we've been experiencing with the Monday Italian Pasta dishes. This was an easy one to let go on its own... the peppers added the balance to the pumpkin and the cumin - just a dash - brought the two flavors together. It actually would have worked just fine without the chicken and could easily become a vegetarian or vegan dish.
I'm psyched. We're gonna have pumpkin around for a while. And when this one is gone, I have a Fairytale Pumpkin to cook up, next.
I love fall. Now... if the weather would just cooperate.....
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
I needed a cookie fix today. The weather forecasters are calling for torrential, biblical, end-of-the-world, monsoon rains to hit this evening and continue into Friday.
Sounds good to me. I love Mother Nature at her finest.
But... While we can still cook in a possible over-the-top-storm-induced power outage, we have electric ovens. If I wanted cookies, I had to make them today to be safe.
So I did.
These are a pretty simple and basic cookie. The ingredients are what every home should have readily available. And they're really good.
Adding a pinch of baking powder and not flattening the cookies makes for a softer finished cookie without going the expensive-gourmet-bakery-under-baking route. I prefer my cookies cooked but I also like them slightly soft and slightly thick. This seems to work just fine.
If you're feeling adultish, you can switch out a tablespoon of the water with a tablespoon of bourbon or whiskey. Makes for a subtle change that's unexpected but really good!
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 2 cubes butter (1 cup)
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 375°.
Cream butter and sugars together until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add vanilla and water and mix well.
Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add slowly to butter mixture, mixing well. Add oats and mix well.
Add chocolate chips and walnuts and mix until blended.
Scoop onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake about 14 minutes. (I use a #30 scoop - about 2 1/2 tbsp per cookie.)
Strozzapreti e Capesante al Limone
We had friends arrive from Rochester last night for a layover on their way to Paris. Weather delayed them by several hours, so we finally arrived at the ol' homestead about 9pm. Just in time for a late dinner.
Victor planned a variation of the Linguine al Limone he made last month because it was something that could be tossed together rather quickly. We know all too well the joy of air travel. We planned for them not being on time. And we were right.
The pasta was just perfect. It has a bright lemon flavor that is not at all overwhelming for being as pronounced as it is. It's one of those recipes that just works.
Victor chose small bay scallops for the dish. They blended in perfectly.
I also baked a loaf of the egg white bread. It totally rocks.
Strozzapreti e Capesante al Limone
- 1 pound strozzapreti or other pasta
- 1 1/2 pounds bay scallops
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 lemons
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano plus more for sprinkling
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp whole milk
- 3 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tbsp finely chopped chives
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente.
Quickly saute scallops in a drizzle of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter. When barely heated through, drain excess liquid from pan.
Meanwhile, place egg yolks in a large bowl. Grate the zest of 1 lemon into the bowl. Add cheese and pepper; whisk to combine, then whisk in cream, milk, parsley, chives, and generous pinch of salt.
When pasta is al dente, drain and add to scallops. Immediately add egg mixture and toss together to combine well, then divide among serving bowls. Grate fresh lemon zest (from the remaining lemon) and cheese over the top. Serve immediately.
This is one of those recipes that is so simple to prepare and so incredibly wonderful to eat, it's going to be a staple in our home from now until forever.
And as I type this, Ann and Julie are jetting across the pond to Gay Paree.
I hate them.
Beef Stew and Fresh-Baked Bread
The weather was wet and chilly all day long. Perfect for a pot of stew and a loaf of bread. I've been craving a stew for a while now, but the weather just wasn't cooperating. It finaly did, today.
My recipe for stew is pretty basic - beef, potatoes, onions carrots and celery. Garlic powder, a splash of red wine, beef broth... I don't go too crazy when I'm making plain ol' comfort-food stew. No recipe. I just throw the stuff in the pot .
My mom used coffee in her stew. It made for a really rich broth. Back in those days, we had a coffee pot going in the house 24/7. Someone was always brewing or drinking a cup. It was easy to add - it was always available.
I tend to eschew the coffee in favor of a cup of red wine, although if there's coffee in the pot, I'll always throw it in. It really does add flavor and you don't taste "coffee" when you do it.
And I made more bread.
This egg white recipe really rocks!
It is crusty-crunchy, soft and chewy. It's my favorite of the no-knead breads I've tried thus far! And it is so simple. It's adding 3 egg whites in the measuring cup to make 3 cups total of liquid, following the basic recipe, and brushing the bread with an additional egg white before going into the oven.
It is seriously good!
Roasted Butternut Squash with 6-Cheese Tortellini
After playing tourist in Philadelphia all day, we needed sustenance when we got home.
We had seen this recipe concept in the latest Wegmans magazine. It was a throw-together using packaged soup and pre-cut squash. We liked the idea, but not of using pre-made ingredients.
We started from scratch!
Butternut Squash Soup
- 1 butternut squash, roasted
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 4-6 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
- 1 tsp sage
- salt and pepper, to taste
Saute onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil. Add roasted squash and mash into pot. Add about 4 cups of broth and sage and, with an immersion blender, puree everything to a smooth soup. Add more broth as needed to come to your desired consistency. Taste for salt and pepper and add, as desired.
Roasted Butternut Squash with 6-Cheese Tortellini
- 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
- 3-4 cups butternut squash soup
- 1 tsp sage
- tortellini or pasta of your choice
- salt and pepper, to taste
Heat soup. Add roasted squash, and sage. Check fopr seasoning and add S&P, as desired.
Cook tortellini according to package instructions. Drain, mix with sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and enjoy!
This is one of those dishes that is simplicity to make - but dayum, is it good!
It can easily be made vegetarian, and, depending on the type of pasta used, can be a vegan entree, as well.
The final part of the meal was homemade rolls.
Y'all have heard me wax poetically about the no-knead artisan bread. I make variations of it all the time.
The latest variation is to add three egg whites to the water - still making it three cups of liquid - to the 6 1/2 cups of flour. Follow the basic instructions. forming the dough into rolls. Let rise, brush with egg white, slice top, and bake at 450° for 25 minutes.
These are really good - perhaps my favorite, yet. The egg white makes for a slightly lighter interior, and a really crunchy crust.
They were so much of a hit, I just made a couple more for tonight!
Pizza
There haven't been many posts the last few days, but it's not because we haven't been cooking. It's because we've been cooking a lot for friends visiting from Seattle - and I'd rather cook and talk with friends around the table for hours than get up and make a blog post.
Selfish, I know, but... it's all about me, right?!?
The pizza dough is pretty much the recipe I used to make when I worked at Pirro's 40+ years ago, except I use olive oil. It's hard to believe I was hand-spinning pizza back in 1968. Time certainly flies when you're having fun.
Pizza Dough
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (100º to 105º)
- 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 4 cups “00” flour or unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- olive oil for bowl
Sprinkle yeast over warm water in bowl of mixer fitted with dough hook. Let proof about 5 minutes.
Mix together flour and salt. Add to yeast mixture. Mix on low speed about 4 minutes or until dough forms a coarse ball. Stop mixer and cover bowl with a towel. Let dough rest about 5 minutes, then remove towel and continue mixing another 2 minutes or so.
Lightly oil a large bowl. Form dough into a ball, transfer to bowl and turn to lightly coat with oil. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes, then refrigerate overnight.
Punch down dough, re-roll, and return to bowl. Tightly cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
Divide dough into 2 pieces; shape pieces into balls and place on a lightly floured work surface. Loosely cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise at warm room temperature until doubled, about 2 hours.
I actually made two pizzas. One with pepperoni, above, and another with sundried tomato pesto that Victor made a while back, and assorted veggies; green and yellow zucchini, red bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms... and both of them were made with fresh buffalo mozzarella and some pecorino romano sprinkled on top.
Homemade pizza and good friends.
It doesn't get much better.
Chicken and Chorizo
The calendar is saying one more day to Fall. The thermometer is saying it's definitely still Summer.
So out to the grill we go.
A couple of chorizo sausages, a chicken breast, onion, and red pepper put onto a skewer. How easy is that?
And last night's rice mixed with a can of black beans and a can of chopped green chiles.
Seriously simple.
Tagliatelle con Broccolo Romanesco
It is actually becoming difficult to describe how wonderful and delicious our Monday Pasta is... Me. The guy who can talk all day - is having trouble coming up with words to describe light-as-a-feather hand-made pasta with a couple of simple ingredients.
But I tell ya, I'm gonna have fun trying!
What started out as a bit of a lark has turned into a real learning experience for both of us. We both grew up on the heavy southern Italian red sauce - with lots of beef and pork, meatballs and sausages. I absolutely love it. But all of a sudden, there are a bazillion ways to dress pasta - with just a couple of ingredients. Now, restraint has never been a word I would say, see, or hear in a kitchen, but these dishes are all about restraint. They're about a couple of ingredients standing on their own.
Tonight's pasta was a prime example. Cauliflower, anchovies, dried chiles, a garlic clove, and a can of tomatoes. I could taste every flavor, yet not one overpowered another. The balance was unbelievable and another perfect learning experience for the king of culinary excess.
And Victor has the pasta-making down to a science. It's uncanny what he is able to do with a couple of eggs and a cup of flour. Unbelievable.
So here's another fantastic Monday Night Pasta Dish... With more to come!
Tagliatelle con Broccolo Romanesco
Tagliatelle with Romanesco Cauliflower and spicy tomato sauce
- 2 ½ lbs cauliflower (preferably Romanesco)
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 flat anchovy fillets
- ½ tsp dried red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
- 1 28 oz. can whole plum tomatoes in juice
- 1 lb Tagliatelle or other long pasta
- ½ cup flat leaf parsley finely chopped
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut cauliflower into 1 inch wide florets. Cook florets in the boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. Reserve water, transfer cauliflower to a colander to drain, then rinse under cold water to stop cooking.
In a large, high sided skillet with a lid, combine garlic, oil, anchovies and pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes and juices (I break up the tomatoes), bring to a simmer then add cauliflower. Gently simmer sauce, covered, stirring once or twice for about 20 minutes or until sauce starts to thicken a bit. Meanwhile return the water to a boil.
Five minutes before sauce is ready, cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente. Drain pasta and transfer to a large service bowl. Immediately add sauce and parsley, toss to combine. Serve immediately with grated Pecorino Romano cheese.
The pasta is a total key-player in these dishes. If you can make it, all the better. if you can't, at least get the best fresh pasta you can find. And if you can't get fresh, the best packaged. And if the best packaged is a store-brand, well... go for it, anyway!
Tagliatelle
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- Coarse sea salt
Special equipment: parchment or waxed paper
Instructions
On a clean work surface, mound flour and form a well in the center. Add eggs and egg yolks to the well. Using a fork, gently break up yolks and slowly incorporate flour from inside rim of well. Continue until liquid is absorbed, then knead for 10 minutes. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes.
Divide dough into 3 pieces. Cover 2 pieces with plastic wrap. Flatten remaining dough piece so that it will fit through the rollers of a pasta machine.
Set rollers of pasta machine at the widest setting, then feed pasta through rollers 3 or 4 times, folding and turning pasta until it is smooth and the width of the machine.
Roll pasta through machine, decreasing the setting, one notch at a time (do not fold or turn pasta), until pasta sheet is scant 1/16 inch thick.
Cut sheet in half widthwise; dust both sides of sheets with flour. Layer sheets between floured pieces of parchment or wax paper. Cover with paper and repeat with remaining dough.
With the short end of 1 pasta sheet facing you, loosely fold up sheet, folding sheet over two or three times from short ends toward the center. With a large chefs knife, cut folded sheet into ribbons, a scant 1/4 inch wide. Unroll strips and lightly dust with flour; spread on a lightly floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pasta sheets.
To cook the tagliatelle, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain pasta, transfer to a large serving bowl and toss with sauce. (If serving with Ragu all Bolognese, use 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups of the sauce.)
It's worth buying a pasta roller. Really.
Oh... and just as an aside... I actually went out and purchased 2 cans of San Marzano canned tomatoes. DOP Italy, the whole bit. I'm going to play heretic here, but neither of us saw them as worth three times more than our normal canned store-brand plums. Yes, they're good, but our fresh-from-the-garden plums are better.