by Sam Tackeff | Nov 25, 2013 | Challenge, chicken, Pantry Staples, Pasta
For someone who loves food and cooking so much, some nights it’s awfully hard to make a decision and get food on the table. This evening threatened to be trashy takeout night– we didn’t get home until 8:30, and it took all of my willpower not to order in. I usually reserve Sunday afternoons for batch cooking, but yesterday I was out and about, and didn’t have time to cook. I did however pick up a package of organic free range chicken thighs at Trader Joe’s, which was my starting point for tonights meal.
First I added a spoonful of coconut oil to my All Clad and heated up the pan on medium high heat, seasoned my chicken thighs (about a pound and a half) with Maldon salt and black pepper, and seared them on one side for about five minutes without touching them. Once nicely browned, I flipped them over and started rummaging through my cupboards for something to cook with them. I had some garlic, just a few cloves, which I sliced and added to the pan. Then I decided on shredded brussels sprouts, a few large handfuls, which I added after the chicken was cooked through (about 12 minutes). I tossed the chicken and sprouts, and added a pinch of urfa biber (Turkish hot pepper), and covered the lid to let the sprouts steam. At this point, I took the picture, thinking that we’d eat, until I spotted a lone portion of soba noodles, one of those single portions, maybe 2 or 3 ounces, which I decided to quickly boil and add to the pan. To finish the dish, I grated on a massive amount of parmesan cheese, which just makes everything in life better, and tossed everything together.
by Sam Tackeff | Mar 30, 2009 | Baking, Challenge, Daring Bakers, Italian, Pasta
Daring Bakers. The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.
Every month, hundreds of bakers across the world band together in an effort to push their own culinary boundaries. Daring bakers is certainly not thirty minute meals. This month, we were making lasagna of Emilia-Romagna, a three part adventure which included home made spinach pasta, a home made ragu, and a creamy béchamel.
Ok, I thought. I’m going to make lasagna from scratch this month. Well I have another confession to make. I really, really, really enjoy Stouffers lasagna. Somehow, even after microwaving the stuff instead of baking it, it fulfills my every need and want. Somehow, this microwave boxed food is entwined with thoughts of Italian grandmothers slaving away in the kitchen, and remarkably the deception pulls itself off. Somehow, even though it pains me to say it, I love the stuff. So the idea of making a real lasagna, all from scratch… a challenge that would no doubt be fun to make, and delicious, was intriguing… but could it beat my trusty standby? You laugh, maybe you even scoff, but I was skeptical.
Challenge part #1: Homemade spinach pasta. Home made pasta is incredibly easy to make. You take just a few ingredients, usually just flour and egg, and mix, knead, roll, and voila- just a few minutes in a boiling pot of water, and done! The only difficult part: rolling out the dough. I’d highly prefer doing it with a Kitchen Aid mixer with the pasta attachment, but alas, all I have here is my own forearms, and a nice silpat rolling pin.
Another wonderful bonus of home made pasta is that the pasta dough is another good place in which to hide vegetables in for the picky eater. For this pasta, I used two eggs, 3.5 cups of flour, and I added spinach, about 6 ounces of defrosted frozen spinach, which I had emulsified with my hand held emulsifier. This makes the paste smooth, and easily workable into the dough. If I were to do this dish again, I’d probably add some basil as well, but you could easily puree any vegetable and add it to a basic dough.
Challenge part #2: A delicious ragu. For this part, I did a cheat move, using jarred pasta sauce as a base. I added meat, and cooked it for about an hour, so ultimately it doesn’t save any time, just imparts some fantastic flavor. Yes, part of it was jarred, but I don’t feel bad. The stuff is delicious.
“Cheats Ragu”
1/2 onion
an ounce of bacon
1/2 lb ground veal
1/4 cup of red wine
a jar of really good store bought tomato sauce
(I used Trader Joes Rustico- Southern Italian sauce), but I might easily have substituted barilla.
Saute the onion for about ten minutes, with some good olive oil. Add the bacon, and saute, add the half cup of wine, and cook for a minute, dump in the jar of pasta sauce. Cover really loosely (more of a stain catcher), and stir occasionally, cooking at a slow bubble for about 45 minutes or more.
Challenge part #3: A Bechamel (white sauce) This is the key to a rich, hearty lasagna. In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter, and then sift in 4 tablespoons of flour, whisking it all until smooth. Slowly whisk in 2 2/3 cup of milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps forming. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir until the sauce thickens, about seven or eight minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and most importantly some freshly grated nutmeg. The nutmeg imparts the most wonderful flavor that gives the whole lasagna something special.
Finally, with the three parts prepared, I put together the lasagna, layering the (boiled) pasta, sauces, and some freshly grated parmesan, and baked it all (covered loosely with foil) for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Ultimately, this lasagna was delicious. Painfully delicious. As in my forearms. All of the rolling. I spent three days eating it, hot, cold, microwaved, for breakfast, until I could lasagna no more. Was it better than my Stouffers? Er… Yes. Would I make it again? Yes. Although, probably sooner if I had a Martha Stewart Blue Kitchen Aid Mixer. (Hint, hint…. nudge, nudge…) Until then, I’ll savor this experience.
Aside: If anyone is interested in slaving away recreating this, I have the longer, much more detailed recipe for the pasta and assembly that I would be more than willing to email.
by Sam Tackeff | Feb 13, 2009 | Holidays, Pasta, Random
Yesterday was Darwin day, a fantastic day for a fantastic man, commemorated in the UK by the printing of special stamps.
Tomorrow is Valentines day, and most people have been posting delicious things on their food blogs, including all varieties of cookies with pink frosting, truffles, and molten chocolate cake (a little bit cliché if you ask me).
I’d rather discuss today, Friday the 13th of February, and give it it’s own moment in the spotlight. I generally like this unlucky and mysterious day, and at one point as a child, I “reclaimed” it as my good luck day. To be fair though, I also claimed that I enjoyed getting shots, and really that was just a tactic to avoid the fact that I really hated them.
Friday the 13th, which occurs infrequently when the calendar aligns with the sun and the stars is filled with superstition, and a large amount of uncertainty as to its origin.
Some say it’s roots date back to a somewhat tragic Norse tale, where Frigga (Friday), a mythological goddess gets banished when the Norse convert to Christianity, and subsequently gathers with 11 other witches and the devil to plot her revenge. You almost feel bad for poor Frigga though, who as a fun lovin’ free spirited goddess was banished and replaced with a strict, reserved Scandinavian culture. At least they brought us cured salmon. The day is also associated with The Last Supper, which was attended by thirteen, and occurred right before Jesus was crucified on Good Friday. Now, sitting down at at a table of thirteen remains a dinner party faux-pas, although, really, it seems as if the real problem is that you have to somehow afford to pay for all of the food to feed this large number of people. I’d say that your budget would be the one that is unlucky.
Perhaps most importantly, today is National Tortellini Day. Isn’t it fantastic that Tortellini gets it’s own holiday? Maybe some superstitious folks will make their tortellini with squid ink and serve it to a party of thirteen.
by Sam Tackeff | Jan 24, 2009 | Pasta
For me, pasta is one of the ultimate comfort foods. There is really so much that one can do to make quick, easy, and flavorful pasta dishes using just a few simple ingredients.
I keep a variety of different pastas on hand to create fast meals at the end of the week when I’m running low on food and less inclined to go out to the store. This dish, like many in my kitchen creates itself from the leftovers and staples that I keep in my pantry. The beans are delicious addition to pasta, and are filling, which helps me avoid eating the whole box of pasta, something I have been known in the past to do.
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