Fresh Summer Pasta

It's still a gazillion degrees outside but we just had pasta - and it was heavenly!

Light, refreshing, full of the flavors of summer.  Pasta.

Victor made fresh tagliatelle pasta today.  It's a pasta he has seriously mastered over time.  It is pure silken perfection.

And atop that pure silken perfection was an uncooked sauce comprised mostly of fresh garden produce.  It was unbelievably fresh-tasting; the perfect hot-weather meal.

The tomatoes, peppers, and basil came from the yard.  Fresh asparagus, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes pretty much finished it off.

There are no measurements for the sauce.  Use what you have to make as much as you need.

Salsa di Tagliatelle Fresche

  • olive oil
  • cherry tomatoes
  • bell peppers
  • roasted red and yellow peppers
  • asparagus
  • garlic
  • sun-dried tomatoes
  • fresh basil
  • parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Cut asparagus and quickly blanche.  Drain and drop into ice water immediately to stop cooking and chill.

Meanwhile, halve the cherry tomatoes and slice the peppers and place in bowl with asparagus, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and olive oil.  Add minced fresh basil, shredded parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper, to taste.

Leave at room temperature for flavors to meld up to an hour or so.

Tagliatelle Fresche

Ingredients

  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • Coarse sea salt

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.

It really brought out the flavors of summer.  I had actually been craving ravioli for the past few days but kept thinking about how heavy they can be - and I just didn't need heavy food with this weather.

This solved the ravioli craving and brought summer's bounty indoors.

I made a loaf of beer bread at the last minute just to have something to sop up the juices on the plate.

Quick Beer Bread

  • 3 cups self-rising flour
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 12 oz beer

Use a 4″ x 8″ bread pan. Mix ingredients and place in buttered pan.  Top with melted butter and bake at 350° about 1 hour.

There was enough of the vegetables left over to have as a salad for lunch tomorrow.

A perfect summer dinner.


Stuffed Peppers

Another bell pepper harvest!

Victor brought in 5 beautiful peppers from the yard today and decided he would make stuffed peppers for dinner tonight.

What?!?  Me argue?!?  I don't think so!  You're cookin', I'm eatin'.

The filling was a mixture of rice, Italian sausage, portobello mushroom, chopped asparagus, and garlic, moistened with a bit of his maranara sauce.  He then topped them with bread crumbs and a bit of parmesan cheese.

Oh.  Yum.

The peppers have been really good.  A really rich bell pepper flavor.  I can't wait for the tomatoes!

We painted the back bedroom today and he pulled the dinner together between cutting in corners and awaiting the first coat to dry.

A multi-tasking guy.

The room came out a good shade lighter than we were expecting - and we were expecting light.  I really like it after the bold gold color it was.  We both decided we're over the wall-color-as-a-statement period in our lives.  I'm liking the neutrals.  Besides, it will now make things like our hand-made quilt stand out even more.

We're going to move into that room next weekend.  It's the same square footage as our room right now - it's just configured a little differently.  Time for something different.

Cybil will probably go into a neurotic fit.  She doesn't always handle change well.  Moving her bed from one room to the other will probably send her right over the edge.

She'll get over it.

And dinner came out perfect.  The last decent meal I'll probably have until Wednesday.  Victor's off to NYC for a few days for business.

I tend to eat a lot of hot dogs and/or chili burgers when he travels on business.

I don't do cooking-for-one very well, anymore.

Cybil likes it, though...

 

 


Stuffed Pork Chops and Grilled Romaine

I just love Victor being home on Saturday watching cooking shows.  There is always something fun and special awaiting me when I get home.

I came home today to find the guest room carpet cleaned and one wall painted (we won't mention the paint spill that necessitated the carpet cleaning...) and dinner just ready to go into the oven.  Stuffed pork chops!

Victor made a stuffing of bread crumbs, sun-dried tomatoes, celery, carrots, and goat cheese.  Into a 350° oven for about 30 minutes. (They were thick chops)

But the new and fun thing was Grilled Romaine Lettuce with a Creamy Caesar Dressing!

Fun, indeed!

He was watching Alex's Day Off and saw a grilled caesar salad that sounded too good not to make.  He decided we needed a creamy Caesar rather than the one she made.  We never do seem to really follow recipes around here.

For the romaine, it is simply cut down the center, brushed with olive oil, and grilled for a couple of minutes.  You're not cooking it all the way through.  Plate and top with dressing.

Creamy Caesar Dressing

  • 2 small garlic cloves, minced and mashed with
  • 3 anchovy fillets
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Whisk together the garlic and anchovy paste, lemon juice, mustard, and worcestershire sauce.  Add the mayonnaise, parmesan, and pepper to taste.

This was really good and a  bit unexpected.  I can see us doing this a bit more often.

With the guest room started, I guess we'll finish it tomorrow.  We've been thinking of switching rooms for a while.  It's a perfect excuse to clean out the closets, get rid of junk - and give both rooms a sorely-needed reorganization.

Life is good.

 


Rice and Shrimp

One of the benefits of working Saturday is Victor being home and able to watch cooking shows.  Saturday night dinner can really be a treat.

Last night was a perfect case in point.

A shrimp and rice dish he saw Giada De Laurentiis make...

Nonna Luna's Rice

  • 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, divided, at room temperature
  • 2 cups parboiled long-grain rice, such as Uncle Ben's
  • 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 pounds small shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium nonstick saucepan, heat 1/2 of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken stock and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer covered for 20 to 25 minutes until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and rest covered for 5 minutes.

In a large skillet, melt the remaining butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 to 2 minutes until aromatic. Add the shrimp, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the shrimp is pink and cooked through.  Stir in the cream and heat through. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Using a fork, fluff the rice and arrange on a platter. Spoon the shrimp cream sauce over the rice and serve.

Naturally, Victor played with the recipe a bit.  Neither of us are very good at following recipes exactly.

He used carnaroli rice - a medium-grained rice from northern Italy.  It's a great risotto rice and worked perfectly with this recipe.  It made for an extremely creamy rice.

He also added grated Locatelli cheese and fresh peas - perfect additions.

Some crusty french bread was all the plate needed.  And even that was superfluous...

 

 

 


Peanut Butter BBQ Sauce

Yes, you read that correctly!  Peanut Butter BBQ Sauce.

Victor was searching for a different BBQ sauce to make tonight and this one from Paula Deen struck his fancy.  And mine!

It's a thin vinegar-based sauce along the lines of a North Carolina regional sauce.  This ain't KC Masterpiece, so don't expect it.

I liked it a lot in the pan - it has a great peanutty flavor that's really intriguing, - but it wasn't that strong once the meat was done. It was good, but I think just a bit more oomph would have sent it over the top!  A bit more heat - and more peanut butter!

It was funny reading the reviews on the website.  People slammed it left and right.  Almost every complaint was that it was too vinegary.  Uh...  It's a vinegar-based sauce.  It's the main ingredient.  I mean, really!  Get a clue.

The ribs were from Polyface Farm.  Nice babybacks.  I haven't had them in quite a while.  Meaty and tender with lots of flavor on their own.

Spicy BBQ Sauce

Paula Deen

  • 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 lemons, juiced
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons celery seed
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 4 tablespoons butter

Directions

Bring all ingredients to a boil until peanut butter dissolves. Stir to avoid sticking. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, the knee is coming along.  Today it's been sore and stiff but I'm walking on it unaided.

I don't plan on running any marathons any time soon, but it's really coming along well.  I'm pleased, and I'm sure the Dr will be when I see him Thursday.  In the meantime, there's plenty to keep me busy.

I think I may have to attempt dinner tomorrow night.  I lovelovelove having Victor cooking, but he's going to need a break soon.

We shall see.....

 

 

 


Lyle's Chinese Chicken

Victor is still in the kitchen.

Last night he was looking for something different to do with chicken when he happened upon the Lyle's Golden Syrup jar.  For those not in the know, Lyle's Golden Syrup is a British mainstay.  It's a cane syrup - actually a byproduct of sugar refining - and has been around for over 125 years.  It's probably found in every British household in the world.  And ours.

I use it interchangeably with Karo syrup although it has a stronger flavor than the light vanilla-accented Karo.   (Karo, by-the-way, has finally removed HFCS from its light syrup!)  It works really well for sugar glazes and the like.

The recipe on the jar was for chicken wings, but Victor tweaked it a bit for boneless breasts.

Lyle's Chinese Chicken - Victor-Style

  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp Lyle's Golden Syrup
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp sambal oelek (chili paste)
  • sesame seeds

Mix all ingredients and marinate about an hour.  Drain and roll in sesame seeds.  Bake at 375° about 30 minutes. (Depending upon size of breasts.)

The Lyle's version didn't call for the sambal oelek, but it's another staple in our home and we both really like sweet and spicy combinations.  He served it with parsley potatoes, peas, and the last of the bread stuffing disks from the other night.  They were a fun accompaniment.

The knee is coming along.  This morning it was sore and stiff, but moving around has helped it out.

Slowly but surely...

 


My First Texas Tommy

It's no secret that hot dogs are one of my most favorite foods.  Real hot dogs, that is...  made with quality ingredients and definitely skin-on.  I love that snap and pop when biting into one.  They can be plain, covered in any number of types of mustard, and are especially good with Happy Hal's Jalapeno Relish.

Years ago there was a fast food chain called Der Weinerschitzel in San Bruno where I would get any number of fun dogs.  (The chain is still around, but that location has been gone for years.) They had Chili dogs, Corn dogs, dogs with mustard and kraut.  But no Texas Tommy.

It seems the Texas Tommy is a Philadelphia invention.  Cheese-stuffed, bacon-wrapped, and deep fried.  Victor used to get them all the time at the Lombard Swim Club in town.  I had never had one - until today.

I have to admit that they're pretty remarkable!  Of course, how could it possibly be bad?!?  It's bacon and cheese with one of my all-time favorite foods!

I had to look these things up and found out that they're pretty much on any Philadelphia restaurant menu that has a grill and serves hot dogs.  Nowadays they are generally split and grilled, with the bacon and cheese being added after the fact.  Cheese Wiz is also used a lot. They trace their history back to the 1950's and a few places still do the deep-fry.

This is another item I could see with a bazillion-and-one variations... Different cheeses, mustards, heaps of Happy Hal's...  Onions.  Lots and lots of chopped onions.

I can't wait to get back into the kitchen, but it is really fun having Victor cook!  Last night he did an Asian chicken with baby broccoli and pineapple over rice and I'm sure there will be something rather spectacular tonight.  Not thinking about what to cook is rather odd, but...  a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do.

The knee is coming along perfectly.  Today is usually the worst day as far as swelling and pain go, but there's very little swelling and virtually no pain.  Granted, the Vicodin is helping immensely, but this is definitely a testament to my surgeon, Dr Joseph Vernace. The man knows what he's doing!

Actually, everyone involved in the procedure was great, from the lovely young woman who did the initial admit to the staff nurses, anesthesiologist, recovery room, and the lovely lady who walked us to the car.  At every juncture, there was competence, concern, empathy - and humor.  It was obvious the staff liked each other and they worked as a complete team.

THAT is why I'm feeling good, today!

Texas Tommy's also help.

 

 

 


Stuffed Pork Tenderloin and Friends in Cairo, IL

When I think of pork tenderloins, I usually think grill or cut into cutlets.  When Victor thinks pork tenderloin, it's stuffed.

Yummy-stuffed!

Before leaving for work this morning, I took a tenderloin out of the freezer with the intention of doing a quick marinade and grilling it for dinner.  Nothing fancy, just a quick, easy meal.

When I got home, Victor said that dinner had just gone into the oven - stuffed tenderloin!  Love it!

As I have said many times before, I love cooking - but I also love someone else cooking.  If you're cooking, I'm eating and not complaining.

And I'm especially not complaining if Victor is cooking.  He's a really good cook.

Tonight's gastronomical delight was the aforementioned pork tenderloin stuffed with breadcrumbs, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella, with baby broccoli and rice.

Classic goodness.

And to make a perfect meal even better, there's apple cake for dessert!

A perfect meal.

And as I sit here and write about my perfect meal, friends of ours have just evacuated from Cairo, Illinois.  Lori and Ev have had to leave all of their earthly goods and their beautiful home with no idea what is going to happen.  Their home could literally be under water at any moment.  Missouri House Speaker Steve Tilley (R) actually stated that it would be better to flood Cairo than to open up the floodway and flood farmland.  Farmland that is specifically set aside since 1928 for such a disaster.   Missouri actually sued to keep the Army Corps of Engineers from breaching the levees because farmland is more important than poor people in a small town.  Fortunately, they lost.  The bastards.  It's unconscionable.

So... Think of them tonight and send positive thoughts to the southern tip of Illinois.

They need it.

 


Baked Ravioli with Broccoli Rabe

I mentioned to Victor before I headed to work yesterday that we had some broccoli rabe that needed using up.  I came home to baked ravioli with broccoli rabe and pancetta.  I love how making such a simple statement can lead to such a fabulous meal!

It was cold, and storming outside, and warm and filling inside.  It was the perfect meal for the day.

Baked Ravioli with Broccoli Rabe

  • 1 pound ravioli
  • 1 bunch broccoli rabe
  • 4 oz pancetta
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/2 tbsp butter
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Cook ravioli about 3/4 done.  Drain and set aside.

Saute pancetta in a bit of olive oil until crispy-brown.  Add minced garlic and quickly saute.

Add broccoli rabe and cook until wilted.

Add milk and scrape pan to get up all small bits.  Stir in cheese.  Add raviloi and mix well.

Pour into buttered baking dissh, cover, and bake about 15 minutes at 350°.

Remove cover, add bread crumbs mixed with butter.  Continue to bake another 20 minutes, or until bubbly nd bread crumbs are browned.

It was extremely good! The flavors blended perfectly, the broccoli rabe added just the right amount of bitterness to the creamy cheesy ravioli and salty pancetta.

 

 

 


Ricotta Rollatini

It is so nice being married to a man who loves to cook!  As much as I like being in the kitchen, it truly is great to come home to a delicious homemade meal.

And tonight's homemade meal really was a show-stopper!

The recipe concept came from Giada De Laurentis.  The result is pure Victor!

Giada's recipe is a spinach and ricotta roll that she puts under a broiler and serves with a marinara dipping sauce as an appetizer.

Victor reworked it to a baked entree.  A much better idea, if ya ask me.  Granted, I'm just a bit biased as I was the recipient of the entree, but... that's just the way of it!

Giada's recipe calls for the pasta to be made in a  food processor.  Victor made his by hand because he has totally mastered the art of pasta making.  Like bread making or anything else, recipes give you quantities of ingredients, but it's the feel of the dough that makes it work.  It's why your grandmother could never tell you exactly how she made a pie crust or a rolled dumpling - she just did it and knew when it was right.

Ricotta Rollatini

Pasta:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • water, if needed

Filling:

  • 4 oz diced prosciutto
  • 4  cups whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated Locatelli
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 minced flat-leaf parsley
  • freshly ground black pepper

Make pasta.

Mound flour on counter and make well.  Add eggs and yolks and gradually work in the flour to make a firm but pliable dough, adding a few drops of water, if necessary.  Divide into two pieces, cover, and let rest about 30 minutes.

Make filling:

Fry prosciutto until crisp.  Drain and set aside.

Mix ricotta, eggs, cheese, pepper, and parsley.  Stir in cooled prosciutto.  Set aside.

Roll pasta to a 15" x 7" rectangle.  If you have a pasta roller, bring it through to about 15" on level three and then roll it width-wise to about 7".

Spread half of filling on pasta sheet and brush ends and edge with egg.  Roll jelly-roll style and seal ends and edge.

Repeat with second roll.

Wrap each pasta log in cheesecloth and tie ends with kitchen twine.

Lower into barely-boiling water and cook for 15 minutes.

Remove from water and place on racks to cool.

Remove cheesecloth and slice each roll into 3/4" slices.

Cover bottom of baking dish with marinara sauce and lay out slices.  Drizzle with marinara and sprinkle with additional grated Locatelli.

Cover with foil and bake until heated though - about 30 minutes at 350°.

Serve with additional sauce, if desired.

This is one of those creations that just works on every level.  Rich, creamy, just-salty-enough from the cheese and the prosciutto.  Victor didn't add any salt to the filling, at all.  The pasta was perfectly al dente.

Cooking hint:  If you have a fish poacher (thank you, Ruth!) it will make cooking them much easier.  Victor actually forgot about it and slightly curved them to fit in a large pot.  When we make these for Easter, we'll be using the poacher, for sure!

Spicy Italian sausage went well with these, but it was actually a bit of over-kill.  They weren't necessary.  The pasta was so good, they were almost a distraction.

I can't wait to have this one, again!


Orange Chicken and Fun Surprises

There is just nothing better than walking in the door after a crazy Saturday to the sumptuous scents of dinner cooking away in the oven.

And what a dinner.

Victor marinated chicken breasts in fresh-squeezed orange juice and a bit of olive oil all day.  He drained them, breaded them with homemade bread crumbs and toipped them with parmesan cheese.  Into a 425° oven for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, he cubed a couple of red potatoes, chopped a couple of carrots and a red bell pepper and roasted them in the same 425° oven.

The chicken really had a pronounced orange flavor that was both unexpected and totally delightful.  I really liked it.

It's definitely giving me some ideas for Spring!

In the meantime, I received a couple of real treats at work today!  Before Christmas I had been speaking with a customer about our Christmas cookies and, as she is German, was mentioning the Springerle cookies I had made.  She said she had a spice cookie that was excellent and would bring me in the recipe.  Today, she brought in the recipe for Anisplätzchen - the anise cookie, plus a short dough Butter cookie, and her mother's Kraftkuchen - a spice cake!

I am psyched!

Tomorrow is supposed to be a rainy day, so I may just have to make a spice cake!

There are just so many foods and so little time!

The second treat came in the form of a woman I have emailed with for years - my counterpart from Batavia, IL!  Finally, after all these years, I finally got to meet her in person!  Anne and I traded recipes and ideas back in the good ol' days and she has contributed several recipes to the "Quick and Easy" section.  She's even more fabulous in person!

A great day, indeed!


Ravioli del Formaggio Cinque

This is a platter of homemade 5-cheese ravioli in a sauce of speck, sun-dried tomatoes, and langostino.  I can't even begin to describe how happy my tummy is right now.  My taste-buds have been doing cartwheels for 45 minutes.

I am one happy dude.  I can't believe it isn't soup.

A couple of weeks ago Victor said he wanted to make ravioli.  I, of course, immediately stated it was a fantastic idea and I was ready to eat them the moment he made them.

And then I caught a cold, he had to go to Chicago on business...

But today, while I was toiling away at work, he did his magic.

And magic, it was.

Clouds of cheese-filled heaven in a sea of tomatoes.  It amazes me how he can make something so rich and so filling - and so light at the same time.  It really is magic.

Ravioli del Formaggio Cinque

Dough

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp olive oil

Make a mound of the flour on a counter.  Make a well and add the eggs, oil, and salt.  With your fingers, slowly incorporate the flour into the liquid.

Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.  It should feel silken and smooth.

Cover and let rest about 30 minutes.

Cut dough into three pieces and roll through pasta rollerfolding and refolding the first few times as it gets thinner.  Continue rolling to the 7th setting.

Filling

  • 1 lb ricotta
  • 1 cup shredded cheeses (Victor used fontina, assiago, parmesan, and provelone)
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp minced parsley
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients.

To assemble

Lay out one strip of dough on counter and place heaping tablespoons of filling about every three inches just to the left of center.

Fold dough over.  Use biscuit or other cutter to cut ravioli.  Crimp edges with times of fork.

Lay out on lightly-floured sheet pans and cover with kitchen towels until ready to cook.

To cook

Bring salted water to a just-barely boil in large, shallow braiser or skillet.  Add ravioli a few at a time and cook about 3-4 minutes, or until done.  Do not hard boil as they will fall apart.

Drain and serve with your favorite sauce.

The favorite sauce tonight was, as mentioned earlier, a simple tomato sauce with speck - a type of prosciutto - sun-dried tomatoes, and langostino.

The red sauce worked fabulously with the ravioli, but I think just about any sauce would work, from a butter and walnut or sage to a light vodka sauce.

The ravioli will stand up to anything!

We're doing Easter this year for the family and I'm thinking these would be a perfect accompaniment to whatever we're serving.