A Stack of Dishes

Something good is cooking...

fresh pasta

Lasagna, as Individual as Mom is….

by

Early May is a busy time for celebration in my family. It’s my Mother’s birthday, my eldest baby’s birthday (now 25!!) and, of course, Mother’s Day. These events come in rapid succession and sometimes overlap.
We are a family of eaters and celebration, and getting together is always delicious. Whomever is at the helm of the stove for the day gets full reign over what is to be served- though additions of sweets and treats are always welcome. There is no competition, just a welcoming platform of besting ourselves for everyone else’s enjoyment. You never know what’s going to appear on the tables and counter- but it’s all so wonderful.
My take was to do something classic, but slightly different, and also a little lighter. I love lasagna with it’s gooey drippiness, but this version is so lovely and simple, that you can taste the nuances before they get drowned in melty cheese. The best part is they don’t weigh you down, so there is plenty of room for dessert!
Individual Lasagne with Fresh roasted tomato
 serves 4
2 14oz boxes of crushed tomatoes
1 container of tomatoes on the vine
2 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
2T olive oil
S & P and a pinch of sugar
20 oz container of Fresh Ricotta, or freshly made
1.5 oz freshly grated parmesan
2 healthy pinches of fresh oregano leaves, whole and slightly bruised
12 oz fresh pasta sheets or freshly made
S&P
Olive Oil for pan
Preheat oven to 375˚
In a saucepan combine the crushed tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and seasoning. Cook over a low heat to reduce slightly and meld the flavors. Set aside.
In a bowl combine the ricotta, parmesan, oregano and S&P and stir to combine.
Cut the sheets of noodle into 16- 4″ squares, as evenly as possible.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the squares a few at at time to al dente. Drain and rinse in a bowl of cool water, then set aside until all are done.
In a shallow roasting pan add a T or two of olive oil onto bottom of pan and a spoonful or two of sauce. Lay a set of squares on the bottom. Spoon some of the ricotta mixture onto each and continue to layer for 4 layers.
Top the individual lasagnas with the sauce and place washed tomatoes on the vine on top.
Set into the oven and bake for 35-40 mins. The tomatoes will deflate and the edges of the pasta will brown just a touch.

Spaetzle: Delicate Dumplings

by

Fresh herb spaetzle
Most have heard of them, delicate knobby egg dumplings that often accompany a chop or roast. Pronounced “Shpetsluh”, they are of Swabian origin-meaning the region of Southern Germany, Switzerland, Northern Italy etc. and as common there as pasta or noodles anywhere else. The beauty of these little beauties, is that they come together in a snap- by the time the water is boiling the batter is made. The cooking time is short and sweet, making them a much better go to than dried pasta for a mid week dinner.
As is often the case with something so simple and ubiquitous, no two households make them the same. I was taught by my dear friend Uta in Munich, but even still, mine are much different than hers. I like mine fluffier and plump lumpier- she, longer noodle-y strands. There is no right or wrong to that, just personal taste- or maybe it’s a regional thing- not sure about that.
When it comes to the recipe, I make my batter by feel, much the way I make my crepe batter. For you, dear reader, fear not- I worked it out in the “lab” and have put together my fool proof version. Try it this way first and then feel free to adjust the next go round.
There are also several different methods of making the shape of the dumplings. The traditional method is to slop the batter onto a board and then over boiling water scrape off bits and let them fall into the boiling water. Tedium infinitum. There are extruders and some use the holes of a colander (never tried it). I have a scraper version Spaetzle maker that I bought in Munich years and years ago, and I am very happy with it. There is a little lip in the bottom that hinges on the pot. A bit of batter is placed into the bowl portion and the whole thing slides back and forth. Gravity pulls the dumplings down, and the scraper cuts them into little lengths.
After a few minutes of boiling they are ready to go. Like fresh pasta when it rises to the top of the pot they are ready. I like to give mine another minute to cook out the floury taste and plump them up a bit. Then I simply toss them with some olive oil, salt and fresh chopped flat leafed parsley. This version has graced many an Easter table in my house and just so delicious.
Often you see the dumplings refried and tossed with a little cheese. I’m less a fan of this presentation as the refrying makes them tough compared to the fresh, but still yummy. Fresh spaetzle have a tender chewy mouth feel that is pure heaven and not to be missed.
Spaetzle is also served tossed with tangy cheese, like an emmentaler, and baked. A nifty version of mac and cheese if you will. Add in some caramelized onions for the full on experience.  I would do this with any leftovers, completely divine, and my second favorite way to eat them.
I hope you give these a try. They really are so easy to make and so good. Once you get the hang of them they can land on your dinner table in no time.
Fresh Spaetzle
serves 6
 
2c AP flour
3 large eggs
1t salt
1c milk
2T olive oil
3T fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
 
Dump it all into a bowl and mix away. The batter should be much thicker than a pancake batter but still loose.
 
Stir until you start to see the gluten threads form when you pull the spoon through. Over mixed batter makes a tougher dumpling, but you do need some heft.
 
Boil a large pot of salted water. If the pot is large enough you can cook the entire batch at once, or skim off smaller batches.
 
Once the dumplings are in the water (don’t worry, they won’t stick together), I give the pot a quick stir so they cook evenly. Let them cook until they rise to the surface and then give them a minute more. This makes them less floury in my opinion and a little plumper.
 
Drain into a colander and toss right away with butter or oil and the parsley. Season with a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

Weds Pasta: Floppy Noodles With Fresh Ricotta and Basil Oil

by

It all started with too much milk ordered for the cake business. I don’t like things going to waste, so what to do with it? Naturally, I made fresh ricotta. So crazy simple, and I know just about everyone has blogged about it- but it really is kitchen magic and a delight every time. I tried a different method today and the results were SO much better. Nice juicy curds and a greater yield. I let them drain a little longer making them a little drier, which will make fantastic ravioli.

I made the ricotta this early afternoon as our day was getting rolling. A friend of ours stopped over for an afternoon Christmas visit. Pam was so excited about the ricotta that she dragged the still draining bowl with hanging cloth for Camille to see. “Look what Gail made! and smell it!” Needless to say they were both so deeply impressed that I felt guilty about how easy it was.

After Camille left I threw together a batch of fresh pasta and cranked it out. Snap! no problem. HA! Just kidding- that was a bit of work, but sometimes….. well sometimes you have to justify all those appliances that spill out of your cupboard.  In addition to that, on the darkest day of the year, which happened to be rainy and bleak- standing over a counter cranking out pasta sounds just about right to me. It’s also something Pam and I can do together in the kitchen which is great relaxing time shared. The hardest part really is climbing under the counter to find the pasta machine and then setting it up. Once in gear it all goes quite nicely. Soon lumps of nondescript dough have turned into satiny sheets of pasta.

Rather than make traditional fettucini or linguini I opted to rough hand cut the sheets into what I considered to be rags, or ragged strips. It was fun to just have at it and end up with a messy floppy pile of noodles.

I made a simple white wine and lemon sauce and then gently tossed the noodles in with it right in the pan. I finished it off with Basil Oil that I made last week as part of my gifting series. Finally a grind of fresh black pepper and a grating of lemon zest, and Wednesday pasta it is!

Fresh Ricotta
Yielded 4c
 
1 gallon whole milk
.5t salt
6T lemon juice
 
In large pot warm milk and salt to boiling, stirring often to prevent scorching.
 
Stir in lemon and lower heat to simmer. Continue to constantly stir for another 2 mins as curds form.
 
Drain curds through a sieve lined with either cheesecloth or a open woven cotton cloth that is placed over a bowl to collect the whey.
 
The whey can be saved and used in soups etc- highly nutritious and terrible to waste.
 
Allow the curds to drain for about an hour. The longer the drier.
 
Fresh Ricotta will keep in the fridge for several days.
 
 
Fresh Pasta Dough
makes approx 1.5# of fresh pasta
 
2.75c AP flour
3 eggs
pinch salt
4T olive oil
2T water
 
In a food processor place flour and salt and pulse to combine
 
With motor running add the eggs one at a time. Process until there are even textured granules
 
Slowly drizzle in olive oil. The dough should start to come together and form a ball in the bowl.
 
Mine was not quite pulling together so I added in stages another 2T of water.
 
The result is a satiny mass.
 
Cover and rest for one hour to relax the gluten before rolling out into pasta