Category — Slow Food

I jumped on the bandwagon on Michael Ruhlman’s blog to join in on this summer’s BLT From Scratch Challenge, which was one to creatively make a BLT sandwich entirely from scratch, making the bread, the bacon, growing the tomato and lettuce, making the mayonnaise, and then sending in a writeup of the results.

Here is the basis for my entry, Panino del Po,  (Bacon Butty Italian Stylie, in Jamie Oliverese)

I made the  basic pancetta recipe from Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing with friends M and B some time ago.  Here is a picture of us with our lovely tied rolls of pork belly, ready to hang for curing.  As you can see, I was wearing the official Team Bacon t-shirt when we did it.

Pancetta, Rolled and tied, ready for cure

Here is what the results look like, sliced, before cooking.

Slices of cured goodness for the sandwiches

The tomatoes have been growing along, pretty slowly, but have changed to some lovely colors.  I think the micro climate near our driveway has been warmer than that of many others this year, despite our Minnesota locale.  I picked out two pretty tomatoes for the project.

A Jubilee and a Cuor di Bue

The one on the left is a Jubilee (I think).  The one on the right is a Cuor di Bue, which has taken over as one of my favorite tomato varieties.  You can see that it is shaped somewhat like the heart of an ox, which is the meaning behind its name.  Both of these varieties have dense “beefsteak” texture, and are juicy but not watery when you slice them. In the interest of giving credit where it’s due, I’d need to thank Whitewater Gardens for starting the seedlings, and my DH for helping with the watering of the plants.

While my love of Italian flavors is influencing my overall product, good toast was an essential for my sandwiches.  My current favorite bread for toast and club sandwiches is Pain de Mie.

The prepared pan and risen dough

I used Nick Kindelsperger’s recipe from The Paupered Chef.  I had better luck with this recipe than I have had with others.  This is the first time I’ve had a perfectly even colored crust. Since it came out so well, I’m happy to say I’ve now checked #78 of the Cook’s 100 off my list.

Even shape and even browning

For the mayonnaise (or otherwise emulsified sauce, also #54 of the Cook’s 100),  I chose the basic recipe using one egg yolk from Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking, also by Michael Ruhlman, but not without prior research in the works of Julia Child and Simone Beck.  The main tipping point was not that quoting Michael Ruhlman again might provide me with a better chance at a prize in the challenge, but for the simple reason that I didn’t need two and a half cups of mayonnaise for only two sandwiches.  Ruhlman’s recipe yields about a cup, which was more than enough.

Mise en place for arm-strong mayo

I decided to use the mayonnaise as my arm workout for today.  And I’m glad I did.  It’s very satisfying to improve one’s understanding of the egg and emulsion, as Julia Child might say.  Beating the 1 yolk, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. lemon juice together with a teaspoon of water, then drizzling 1 cup of canola oil into it very very slowly while whisking constantly does, really, create a cup of mayonnaise.

After tasting the basic mayo, I flavored it with some balsamic vinegar (1-2 tsp.) to fit in with the other Italian flavors.

"Arm-strong" Mayonnaise

Finally, while Panino del Po was completely homemade, it does not contain lettuce, since we never got any lettuce planted.  Instead, to stay with the Italian flavor profile, and still use home grown ingredients, I used large basil leaves which we grew alongside our tomatoes in containers.

Sandwich fillings, ready while the bread is sliced and toasted

Here’s how the sandwich finally looked:

The end result, ready to eat

I’m no Donna Ruhlman, so the photos of this may not do the sandwich justice. This was a lot of fun to make and to eat.  It was well worth the effort.  This project entertained me several times.

The Homemade Version, brushed with melted butter

Oh, how we took things for granted in our youth.  Those boring little everyday things like these.

I recently had leftover cooked lobsters, and decided the best way to serve the cold lobster meat was in Lobster Rolls.  Living as I do in Minnesota, it is not possible to purchase the appropriate rolls for lobster rolls.  And we all know that your basic bratwurst bun, while perfectly fine for bratwurst, is NOT a suitable vehicle for the lobster roll, as the sides have a crust, and cannot reach the appropriate texture of toastiness when buttered and grilled as the immortal New England style Split-Top bun.  Here is a photo of what I’m trying to explain.  Doesn’t that look DIVINE?

Jeffrey Steingarten, food writer for Vogue magazine,  in his book It Must Have Been Something I Ate, explains the importance of having the right kind of roll when you make a lobster roll, much like the folks at http://theslowcook.blogspot.com/ and http://www.rootsandgrubs.com/ do, with more eloquence than I could.

What’s a Mainer in Minnesota to do?  Make her own, of course.  The King Arthur Flour people have sold special pans for these in the past, but they go out of stock quickly, and I couldn’t get one before the lobster got devoured anyway.

So, I searched for a recipe to start from, and I found this one, so thanks to Sally the submitter, whomever she is.  I modified this slighty, and we made it with the KitchenAid, so my directions reflect that method.

Equipment:

• Electric mixer with dough hook
• scale
• dry measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• pastry cloth/board
• rolling pin
• liquid measuring cup
• mixing bowl, large
• baking pan(s) (9×13 is OK, but  I think 2 7×11 pans would be better)
• oven
• instant read thermometer
• pastry brush (optional)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup butter  (or 1/2 stick, in the USA) , plus some (optional)
• 23 oz. all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading, rolling, and shaping
• 0.85 oz. sugar (2 Tbsp)
• 0.25 oz instant yeast (1 envelope, or approx. 1 tsp.)
• 0.17 oz  table salt (5 grams, or 1 tsp)
• 1 egg

Procedure:

1. Melt the butter. (I used the microwave, and a large Pyrex measuring cup.) Add the milk and water.  Take temperature of the liquid.  If 120 degrees F (50 degrees C),  you’re ready to go.  If not, heat until you reach a temperature between 110F and 120F, but not over. (Hotter will kill the yeast.)
2. Mix 8.75 oz (1 3/4 cups) of flour, yeast, sugar, salt together in the large mixing bowl.  Add the milk/butter mixture, and beat together using the paddle attachment on your mixer. Add the egg, and beat it in.  Beat in the remaining flour, 2.5 oz. (1/2 cup) at a time, beating well between additions.  When the dough has pulled together, switch to the dough hook, and let it knead for 8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Divide the dough into 12 pieces, (3.5 to 3.75 oz).  Roll each piece into a 6 x 4 inch rectangle.  Roll them up along the longer side, and pinch the ends together to seal them.  Place them seam side down in the greased baking pan, close together, so you will get the fluffy sides when you separate them.
4. Let them rise 20-25 minutes in the pan before baking.  Bake 10-14 minutes, or until golden brown.  Brush top crusts with melted butter (optional) for that lovely shine.
5. Remove from pan and let cool completely before separating and slicing.
6. To make the top slice, separate a single bun at a time from the “loaf”. Slice vertically through the center top crust, until 3/4 through the bun.

Some photographic evidence of the process is below.  Thanks to DH for taking the photos.

Making the dough balls for each roll

Using the scale to get reasonably even sized pieces

Rolling, rolling, rolling

Forming the hotdog bun shape

Formed Rolls in Pan

Here to the right you can see the lovely lobster that I’d removed from the shells, and was rinsing and drying before refrigerating, for the eventual lobster rolls. And YES, they were delicious!

Baked Hotdog Buns

I think I’d make these in a narrower pan next time, so they’d be a little shorter and wider.  I think a 7 x 11 brownie pan would be the right width.   This is a remarkably delicate and tasty roll, however, and I’m going to make them again, soon.  Might have to make sausages to put in them this time. Or maybe some other kind of filling that would be good with the grilled sides.

The best blue food

After my parter in canning, C, had an adventure picking blueberries, and gave me some, I needed to make some blueberry pie.  This is not just because  a double crust pie is on the Cook’s 100.  As a Mainer, it’s important for me to have some Maine regional specialties every summer, and blueberry pie is a common Maine summer dessert.  The fact that I’m making them to coincide with my annual lobster dinner (I know it’s tough, but I as a Mainer, I MUST) this Saturday is just a happy coincidence.

As I had never made a blueberry pie before (though I’ve made many two crust pies), I sought the advice of those other New Englanders and cheffy types, the folks at America’s Test Kitchen. (That link will get you the recipe.  On their site you should be able to see a video of them making this pie, too.)

This recipe has two great culinary revelations, one in the crust, and the other in the filling.  The crust revelation is that they use vodka as some of the liquid in the crust, and the alcohol prevents the creation of gluten (as more water would), but evaporates away in the cooking.  This means that the dough is easy to roll out, but still comes out flaky.

The filling revelation is the use of an apple for added pectin for thickening, to help out the minute tapioca, as well as some tart flavor notes. You squeeze out most of the moisture from the apple (as in the kohlrabi recipe previously seen here on Slow and Sew), but the pectin remains.

I’m particularly proud of us for making these pies (I had the help of DH) on a weeknight after work. , and it’s a great reason to pull out the good tools:

It's not just for lefse, ladies and gents!

Once the pie crust is mixed up, and chilled, you roll it out.   Chris Kimball has a different shaped rolling pin, and rotates the  dough a quarter turn each time.  I think I’d need to really practice that method to get good at it.

Ready for the Onslaught of the Rolling Pin

I rolled out the two bottom crusts, put them in their pans, and set them in the fridge to stay cold (That’s Rose Levy Berenbaum’s biggest secret to great pie crust.  Keep those ingredients COLD.  Use your freezer, too.)

Keeping it Cold

Look- I’m even letting you see the inside of our refrigerator.  I knew you’d be thrilled.

With the shells chilling and ready for filling, it was time to address the filling portion of the recipe…   Time to cook down a portion of the blueberries into a jam, to cook out the moisture that would bubble out, or spill when cutting the pies.  This is accomplished with the saucepan, potato masher for squishing berries, and heat.

We're really cooking here.

Of course, the wooden spatula is now permanently navy blue and tan, but it was worth it.  After cooking half the berries down, then mixing the minute tapioca, sugar, and lemon zest with the remaining berries, and adding the hot and not hot berry mixtures, we had the filling.

Doling out tooth-staining goodness to the shells

Then, it’s back to the rolling action for the lid crusts.

With pretty little holes so the berries can breathe, and not explode

And then, to my best Bridget Lancaster impersonation, crimping the crust edges.

Seal 'er up, and get her in the oven! Egg wash Optional.

And finally, after baking in a 400F oven for 30 mins, and 30 mins more at 350F, here’s our result:

Aren't these pretty? I can't wait to cut into them!

The Biggie - Our Inherited Stock Pot

While doing a little freezer management this weekend, I decided it was time to pull out the bags of bones we got and make some stock.  Since we were left a lovely large stockpot by the previous owners of our house, this was a great time to pull it out and use it for what it was intended.  I knew we’d be around the house most of the weekend, so having something simmering away on the stove or roasting in the oven was no big problem.

Simmering but Not Boiling

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the definition of SLOW food.  Luckily, like making bread, this is a project that requires attention, but not immediate attention all the time,  once you get a few details right.  Understand in advance that timing is not exact, temperatures are not exact, and the quality of the result is mostly a factor of your patience, persistence, ( stubbornness,) and willingness to Do The Right Thing the Right Way.  It’s up to you to decide where on that continuum you are willing to be, whether your audience for the end result is going to know the difference, and how much your stock means to you.

Strained Stock Cooling In Ice Bath

Since this is my first attempt, I did not uphold the CIA standard (being able to read the date on a dime in the bottom of the pot) when it comes to straining, and my veg may have been roasted for less than the optimal level of caramelization.  I know that this does not make my stock suitable  for the base of a good quality demi-glace, but I know (hope!) the quality of ingredients alone will help make this better than your cheapo canned broth.  I am aiming low on the first try.

Freezing Stock in Ice Cube Trays

If nothing else, I know what it takes to do this now, and I’ll do a better job on my second time through.

I should mention that my source for basic rules and proportions is Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook, so we don’t go to the detail that Ruhlman does in The Making of A Chef, or as Madeline Kamman does in her books.  But Bourdain is adamant that YOU MUST NOT LET IT BOIL – EVER!, among other points that he won’t compromise on.  I really enjoy his writing style in the Les Halles cookbook.  He provides detail where necessary, but admits that even a basic stock is better than canned, even if you don’t have the time to go to the lengths of the CIA version, which I’m sure is excellent.

I didn’t use salt or peppercorns in mine, so I won’t have the typical over-seasoning issues you can run into with canned broth, which can be very salty.  Feel free to consult some of these or any other sources, and Do What You Think is Right.

And remember, once you have the right simmer temperature on the stove, making stock gives you plenty of opportunity to read a book, nap, or catch up on TV.  And no reason for guilt about it either- you’re REALLY COOKING!

Equipment:

• Stock pot
• Roasting pan(s)
• Pot holders
• tongs
• Spoon for skimming
• Pyrex measuring cups
• ice cube trays and plastic containers for freezing
• bowl similar vessel for skimmed dregs
• strainer
• cheese cloth
• large pot for holding skimmed results

Ingredients:

• Beef bones  (for those of us who are near where they raise veal, but can’t buy it or its bones anywhere, or those who don’t like veal, for whatever reason)
• Onions
• Celery (half as much as you have onions)
• Carrots (half as much as you have onions)

Process:

1. Roast your bones in a medium low oven, turning them occasionally, until everthing is brown but not black.
2. Peel and chop the onions, carrots, and celery into big chunks. Roast them in the oven until they are well caramelized.
3. Put bones and roasted veg in stock pot with COLD water.
4. Put the pot on the stove at medium low heat, and bring it up to a simmer.
5. Do Not Let Your Stock Boil. EVER.
6. Keep the stock at a simmer (See #5) for about 8-20 hours.
7. Skim off the fat, scum, and icky stuff that rises to the top regularly.
8. When your stock is clear of scummy stuff and an appropriately long time has passed, allowing flavor to develop,  strain the stock into a large pot through cheese cloth.
9. Strain it again.  Repeat as many times as you can stand.  You can dispose of the bones and other detritus now.
10. Cool the stock by placing the pot in an ice bath.  This is important to get the temperature down from the safe high temps to a safe low temp (through the icky bacteria zones) as quickly as possible.
11. Refrigerate, or freeze, in ice cube trays for small amounts, or in larger containers.  (After the ice cube blocks are frozen, transfer to a zipper bag for easier storage)

Note to Readership:  Rather than provide crystal clear, journalist-quality photographs, or magazine-quality “food porn” shots, the staff at Slow and Sew and her partner(s) are experimenting with artistic variety and time lapse in the documentation process.  Please enjoy our latest efforts.*

Dilly Beans, Ready for Maturing

C, author of Zig Zag, and my cohort in canning, became my partner in pickling this week.  She’d gotten about 25 pounds of green and yellow beans, and wanted help making Dilly Beans, since her family likes pickles.  I was happy to help, because cooking with C is fun, and I’d actually made dilly beans last summer with L, my “local Mom”, and they turned out well.   Did I mention that dilly beans are EASY????  The recipe below, modified from one we found on cooks.com, is for 4 pints of dilly beans.  We tripled this, to make about a dozen jars.

Equipment

• water bath canning kettle with lid and rack
• jar gripper
• pint jars with new canning lids and rings (wide mouth ones make this easy)
• paring knife
• cutting board
• colander
• large bowls
• sauce pan
• large pot
• liquid and dry measuring cups
• tongs
• spoon or spatula

Ingredients

• 2 pounds green beans (or mix of green and yellow), trimmed
• 4 cloves of garlic (or more)
• 4 heads of dill (or more)
• jalapeno chilies, cayenne peppers, or banana peppers (4 or more)
• 1/4 cup canning or pickling salt
• 2 1/2 cups white vinegar
• 2 1/2 cups water

For those of you who have not canned or pickled anything, here are two of your best friends:

Acid medium- also doubles as window washer, Roundup substitute, and french fry condiment

Basic white vinegar is what provides the acid necessary for the preservation, as well as that tangy flavor.

Pickling/Canning Salt, which kills bacteria

As the label says, it’s Plain Salt, Nothing Added (no iodine, anti-caking agents, etc). This is your other pal in the preservation chemistry.

Process:

1. Wash your jars in very hot water (if your dishwasher has a sterilizing rinse, this is a great feature) and soap to get them as clean as possible.  For extra safety, you can boil them in water for five minutes.
2. Trim the ends of your beans, and wash and drain them.
3. Peel the garlic cloves
4. Cut your chilis to suit (remove seeds, slice in pieces, or leave whole), depending on your tolerance for hot things.
5. Put the salt, vinegar, and water in a pot to boil, so that the salt completely dissolves.
6. Put the lids for your jars in water, and boil it.
7. Stuff beans into the jars, with garlic cloves, chilis, and dill heads.
8. Fill the jars with the salt/vinegar/water solution (aka a brine), leaving 1/4 inch head space in the jars.
9. Put lids on jars, screw down the rings.
10. Put sealed jars in the canning kettle with boiling water, and cook for 10 minutes.
11. Remove jars (with tongs- they’re HOT!) and let them cool.
12. Store jars in a cool, dark place for at least 2 weeks to allow the flavor to develop.

Here are some photos of our processing….

Peeling garlic by shaking them around in two bowls

Really, this method does work.  Take your garlic cloves, throw them in a bowl, and put another bowl the same size on top of it, rim to rim, and then shake it.  Makes the papery stuff come right off.  Also an opportunity to work on your maraca technique.

Adding lids after filling jars

Here we’re adding the (HOT) lids to the jars, before processing.

The Canning Kettle, from our local hardware store

Unloading the beans from the canner

Arty Time Lapse Photo

* Yes, the dorks are still trying to figure out the camera, but it sounds so much better when we present it that way, doesn’t it?  Who says engineers can’t do spin like marketeers?

July 4th morning, at the Farmer's Market

I’ve promised an update on our local Farmer’s Market, and here it is.  This all started this morning around 8AM, when Mr. Mike Rupprecht called.  He’s the husband half of Earth Be Glad Farm in Lewiston, MN.  He called to tell me that my chickens were ready, and I could pick them up at the Farmer’s Market (last year we drove over to the farm to pick them up).

After my morning coffee, I got on my shopping bike with my wallet and bags, and rode to the Farmer’s Market.  The picture above shows that the number of vendors has more than doubled since I last documented a visit.

Earth Be Glad Farm's Booth

Here is Johanna Rupprecht, on the left, Mike and Jennifer’s daughter, who helped me out, shortly after I took this photo.  Mike is on the other end of the table, helping many customers.  Jennifer’s arm is visible between them, lifting the freezer lid.   The Rupprechts’ specialty is grass fed beef, but they raise the chickens each year, and Jennifer makes lovely bouquets to sell, too.  Her gardens were one of the real treats of visiting the farm last summer.

I had ordered 8 chickens, but I came home with 10, since Mike said they had a few extras, and not much freezer space.  Most of these chickens are much bigger than what you see in the supermarket- these averaged 6-8 lbs.  We only got 4 last year, and we were really bummed when they were all gone.  Now that we’ve got a big freezer, we may have one left when it gets cold.

We loaded up my bags that I have in my bike basket, Johanna jotted up my total, and I wrote a check.  A colleague of my husband and avid gardener came up to the stand while I was writing, and asked about my baskets..  This is what’s fun about the farmer’s market- friendly interchange.

I got these friends to take a picture of my bike, which was by then rather challenging to balance, with about 80 lbs. of chickens in the baskets.

The Shopping Bike, doing its best work

I did manage to get myself to another booth, run by Shao, who is from La Crosse, WI.

Shao, a vendor from La Crosse, WI

Not only does Shao sell vegetables ( I bought two bunches of garlic scapes), she also makes beautiful bouquets.  Note the price.  Florists should be scared!

Aren't these good value?

After the brief ride home, I stuffed all but one of the chickens into the freezer, deciding that Beer Can Chicken would be a perfect 4th of July dinner.

I counted 30 little tomatoes on our plants tonight after coming home.   Little Brandywines, Paul Robesons, Sun Golds, and Siberian Annas are all peeking out at us.  So here’s to the cool wet weather we’ve had… now bring on that hot sun! 

And just in time….  Ruhlman’s blog has  got a HomeMade BLT challenge on for the summer.  I’m DEFINITELY in for this one.  Who wants to join me here in Southeast Minnesota?  Should we get together for some summer bacon-making?  I can call the pork farmer tomorrow….

Warning- no real value add by me on this one, but I still hope you like it!

I love the fact that there are people who know how to make video and post them to YouTube, and are using this new media to inform and entertain.   This one was made over a year ago by FreeRange Studios.

I originally saw it on Bob Del Grosso’s A Hunger Artist blog, and got such a kick out of it that I decided I wanted to post it here.

Extra thanks to Vladimir Prelovac for his Plug-In that makes embedding YouTube in WordPress so easy. 

Hurray!  The Farmer’s Market is back for the season.  This is an enjoyable addition to my Saturday morning shopping trip.  I’ve gotten my shopping bike back out, and it’s great to get back into the seasonal ritual of  perusing the market and socializing with friends and neighbors.  The Farmer’s Market in Winona, MN, starts on the first Saturday in May and runs through October.  It’s a reminder that spring really is here, and summer IS coming soon, even if we still need the woolies for the first few weekend mornings.  For me, it’s a reminder that it’s (almost) safe to plant things outside, and time for me to pick out my seedlings.

Unfortunately, I lost my piece of paper with my notes at my next errand stop, so I am sure I will get some names wrong.  I’ve omitted ones I’m sure I can’t remember to avoid embarrassment. I hope to correct this next week.  My apologies to the vendors.

John S, manning the booth

Here is John, the youngest son of Mrs. S, who has been a vendor for many years at the Winona Farmer’s Market.  They farm south of Winona, close to the Iowa border.  Best sellers at this booth are the pies and canned goods.

This woman is Lucille Feyen,  from across the river in Wisconsin , I think, and has been a vendor here at this market for at least seven years.  I purchased two kinds of basil plants from her, and was reminded not to plant them outside this week unless I want to come back and buy more next week.   All this, and a sense of humor, too.

These ladies are from Whitewater Gardens, and are where I usually buy my tomato plants.  They have a wide variety, and have been vending at this market for 14 years.  This year I bought  Sun Gold, Anna Russian, Paul Robeson, Cuor Di Bue, and a red Brandywine.

This is Linda Sue, I think.  She’s a nearby vendor with chia topiaries and little cacti.  She’s a new vendor to this market, and she said she’s providing plants that survive in houses with cats, and things which complement the other vendors in the market.  An excellent strategy as a new vendor, I think.  I’m sorry I didn’t take a closeup of her cute little cacti.

This is Laurie Timm, from Fairview Farm in Altura, MN (from their brochure, which didn’t get lost). She’s also been a vendor here for many years.   I purchased a Boston lettuce and two rosemary plants from her.  She was also very fortunate to be on the sunny side of the site.

This is not an exhaustive list of the vendors, and I hope to show more of the market as the season goes on.  I just figured I’d start with a few who had time to speak with me.

I hope you have a similar Farmer’s Market where you are.  It’s great to know the people who grow your food, and farmer’s markets are great for you (low cost, great ingredients), the farmers (no middlemen), and, as it turns out, our food security, according not just to “locavore elites”, but also folks at the USDA and other state governments.

I’ve also found it’s a great place to catch up with friends I don’t see regularly.

If you don’t know of a Farmer’s Market near you, LocalHarvest is a great resource.

Photo credit to DH, copyright 2009

I am the type of person who would like to move to Emilia Romagna for a month to have some elderly woman teach me the proper way to make homemade fresh pasta by hand, and to spend a month or so making it at least once a day to be sure I can actually do it correctly.  While I have a passport, and can speak Italian, the likelihood of this happening soon in my life is remote.

I do, however, have good cookbooks, access to eBay, and some lovely KitchenAid appliances at my disposal.

First, the cookbook:  Marcella Says…, by Marcella Hazan.  Marcella has made a career teaching Italian cooking to Americans and others, in the USA and in Italy.  This book is one of the first cookbooks I bought when I moved to the midwest.  I read through Marcella’s description of making homemade pasta, and I read that she herself, in her advanced age, no longer uses the hand crank pasta machines one often sees.  She uses the pasta roller and cutter attachments made in Italy for Kitchen Aid.  So, the pasta attachments became a wish-list item for me.

Five Years Later….

I was  perusing eBay looking for a used ice cream maker (thanks to a wonderful visit with Adelia and Burt in Stillwater, OK), and ended up bidding on the KitchenAid pasta rollers.  I’m pleased to say I won the auction, and got them for less than retail.

Pasta Roller on Mixer

This weekend, I took the lovely rollers out of their box, and checked it all out.  It was time to refer back to Marcella for the basic recipe.  She doesn’t tell you how easy it is, as Jamie Oliver does, and show you how much fun it is to energetically mix it with your hands.  She’s much more direct.  I will paraphrase/embellish the directions here.  For enough pasta for 2-4 people (2 as a generous main dish or 4  primi piatti (first course), IMHO):

1. Put your metal blade in your food processor.  Add a heaping cup of all-purpose flour and two eggs.  Process until it clumps together.  If it’s sticky, add flour by the tablespoon, pulsing between until it isn’t sticky.  If it’s too dry, add water by the tablespoon until it comes together in big clumps.
2. Gather the dough into a ball and knead it for one minute, pushing it away with the heel of your hand against the worksurface.  Turn, fold, and repeat.  The heat of your hands and the pressure will make the dough smooth.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap or foil and let rest (15 min. to 1 hr.)
3. Roll and cut with the pasta roller and cutter, according to the manufacturer’s directions.  Either cook the pasta immediately in boiling water (2-4 minutes), or let the pasta air dry on tea towels, and store for later.

Doesn't this dough look well rested?

Okay, so there’s none of the romance of making it completely by hand, of a special skill gained learning to roll the pasta with a dowel.  But it is fast, easy, and delicious in the way that dried pasta can never be.  It’s tender, tasty, and has a texture all it’s own.  You can understand why this has a special place in the hearts of Italians by taste alone.  The fact that it’s made with love by mamma, well, books have been written about that.

We made this pasta twice this weekend.  (First to try out the tools and a quick sauce recipe, and the second time to avoid the mistakes of our first effort, cutting too-sticky pasta by hand. And to use up the sauce.  And because we were hungry.)

Roller in Action

Honestly, it IS possible to go from eggs and flour to cooked pasta in about 35 minutes (15 min. of resting time) with the food processor and the KitchenAid pasta roller and cutter. If you add another 20 minutes on the front making a quick tomato sauce, in an hour it’s a really great dinner.  OK, we’re aided by some sophisticated machinery.  But it does pass Michael Pollan’s test for real food.  We can identify all ingredients, and we combined them together at home.  And Michael Pollan never said sophisticated cooking machinery was not allowed. (Imagine the backlash…)

I can see why this might be too much effort for some people.  But I am pretty sure this is not a flash in the pan gadget for us.  Tonight, while we were cooking the pasta pictured here, DH mentioned that this might be a great first course at a dinner we’re cooking for a silent auction.  Or that we might want to do this at another dinner party.  Marcella would be proud.  I’ve introduced another person to the joys of homemade pasta all’uova, and he can tell how good it is.