Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Pasta Stay-Cation Last year, AngelFood donated a gift certificate to the United Way of Warren County. The gift certificate was used at a silent auction in a combined package that added up to a Stay-Cation; things to be enjoyed at home instead of away. The winner of the package recently called to redeem her gift certificate and we decided that her Gourmet Meal for Two would be delivered the day she and her husband returned from their real vacation of scuba diving in Belize. (Talk about a hard act to follow!) The menu: Baby Spinach with Hearts of Palm and Toasted Pine Nuts with Citrus Vinaigrette, Fresh Rolls and Butter, and Lobster Ravioli with an Americaine-style sauce, Fresh Lemon Asparagus. All topped off with Strawberry Frangipane Tart drizzled with Chocolate Ganache. Taking time out of an otherwise non-cooking Saturday to cook an elaborate meal for two persons does have its downside. There are a bunch of dishes to do and there's a bunch of food prep to do. The upside is that it is a chance to slow down and create some beautiful food and the leftovers allowed my family to enjoy a stay-cation of their very own. You see, lately I have had a hard time with food. I feel weary of thinking of it, shopping for it, smelling it, eating it and dealing with using up what's left over. I don't even find myself hungry most days and that can lead to poor nutritional choices. The end of winter has seemed like an uphill food struggle. But, I persevered and got to making pasta! I almost always ONLY use semolina flour. I have, in emergencies, used all-purpose flour, but have found A.P. flour to produce a dough that is too soft. The key to pasta flour is having the correct moisture level. The flour must have enough moisture to allow the gluten (protein) to develop and that's what give it its stretch. Not enough moisture equals tough, crumbly dough. Too much makes a sticky mess that is unmanageable. I use the recipe on the bag of semolina from Bob's Red Mill. Here it is (the instructions are mine): Basic Pasta Recipe: 1 1/2 cups Semolina Flour 1/2 tsp. salt, optional (I think not optional. I always use it.) 2 eggs or 3 egg whites, beaten (I always use whole eggs for the fat and protein in the yolk) 2 Tbsp. water 2 Tbsp. olive oil Combine semolina and salt. Beat the eggs with the water and oil. Either in a mixing bowl or on a clean, dry table, make a well in the center of the flour. Add the wet ingredients and mix to make a stiff dough. Knead about 10 minutes or until dough is elastic. If after 10 minutes, the dough still has a lot of flour grains and is not elastic, you probably need to add a bit more water, in DROPS. Wrap dough in a towel or plastic wrap and let rest 20 minutes. On a lightly floured surface (I don't usually need extra semolina for this step), roll out to desired thickness and cut as desired. For the ravioli, I end up rolling to a thickness of 5 on the Atlas Machine (by hand-crank). This is a tough call. I would like to EAT ravioli rolled all the way to 6, but getting the ravioli to survive the process with that thin of a skin might not happen.

To fill the ravioli, I took two small lobster tails, removed from the shells-SAVED the shells, and made a forcemeat by pureeing in the food processor with seasoning and heavy cream until it was paste. I could have added a bit of white bread crumbs to lighten the texture and maybe an egg or even ricotta cheese. In this case, I did not. I take the pasta sheet and gently fold it in half. I then cut it. You'll see why. I then mark the first sheet with one of my many ravioli cutters. The pasta sheet needs to be very lightly brushed with egg wash so the pockets seal properly. GREAT TIP: Fill a pastry or plastic bag with the filling (cut corner off of plastic bag) and squeeze out the filling where needed. I put a dollop of filling on the marked areas of the pasta sheet. Don't overfill or the ravioli will burst when they are being simmered. Lay the other pasta sheet over (See, isn't that a nice fit?) and cut out. While the pasta was resting, I created the sauce. I took the lobster shells (I also save shrimp shells for this same type of sauce) and sauteed with butter, olive oil, shallots or onions, garlic and tomato paste.

I deglazed with Madeira wine. Cognac, brandy or even white wine would be fine. I add about 1/4 cup and scrape up all the tasty, colorful bits for intense flavor. The ingredients then got covered with water, I threw in some parsley stems and dill stems. After about 45 minutes of gentle simmering, I tasted the stock and finding it substantially flavored, I strained it. In the empty pot, I made a roux with butter and flour and returned the stock to the pot. I tasted the thickened sauce for seasoning. I adjusted the salt and pepper and hit it with a bit of lemon juice, a tablespoon or so of fresh lemon zest and a few fresh fronds of dill. A splash or two of heavy cream rounded out the sauce. Upon completion, I realized that my long-absent hunger had returned with a vengeance. The act of cooking a meal using classic, age-old techniques, no matter how detailed and intense those techniques are or how many dishes they create, transports my spirit to a comfortable, invigorated, excited place. A place my soul likes to call home. A perfect place for a Pasta Stay-Cation.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Knights to Remember

It took me about 15 years to proudly make the statement, "I am a graduate of a Vo-Tech." My graduation occurred almost 25 years ago, but when I was a student, going to Tech was mainly for Stoners wearing Army jackets and kids who wouldn't survive college prep classes. It was considered an insult to education. Few people saw it as a brilliant strategic move in the development of a lifelong career. A few of us did, however.
Now, Middle Schoolers have to interview to be selected for a few coveted classroom spots (the Tech in Warren County is an all-day program, half is academics). Who knew it would become the cool place to be?
I am beginning to forge a friendly relationship with Warren County Technical School's Culinary/Hospitality Program students and instructor, Mr. Fortun. I have been fortunate to employ, Erin, a Culinary Goddess (who still comes to visit but currently works elsewhere) and now, Karl, Man about Town and Steward Extraordinaire. It's Karl's job to get me prepped up and then clean up after me. He's new, but we really like him around here.
Upon Karl's suggestion, I invited my friend Anna H. from the United Way of Warren County to lunch at the technical school's restaurant, Knights Cafe. The reviews are in: We were both very impressed. Karl (on the right in his blue coat) was our server and he was attentive and polite.
Our soup was hot and delicious, our salads were fresh and prepared in front of our eyes by Erin, Culinary Goddess!
Mr. Fortun strolled the dining room making friends and he reminded us to save room for dessert. Anna is displaying the fried apple pies that both of us chose. Tasty!
Am I a tough customer when it comes to dining out? I sure am, but not in this restaurant. Before I would expect these culinarians to pump out 5-star cuisine, I want them to know basic sanitaion, beginning food preparation and good customer service and it looks like they are well on their way.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Oh, Those Jazzy Apples

I never thought the day would come when my children would complain that our household was out of fruits and vegetables. Sure, I knew that the supply was dwindling, but when 14-yr. old Boy laments, "There is NOTHING to eat in this houuussseee" because he's out of apples, it's time to get myself to the market. Apples are not in season. That season would be late summer into Autumn. To begin with, I am not a big apple fan. When in season, I like MacIntosh apples because, when picked or purchased fresh, and refrigerated, their flesh is not mealy and they taste tangy, not overly sweet. Boy loves Red Delicious. Recently I was in the market with 6-yr. old Girl. We stumbled upon a new appled called Jazz. Because she takes Jazz dancing lessons, I offered to buy her some and they turned out to be fantastic. Even better than my favorite Macs. First of all, they are a perfect size. I don't need two and I can easily finish one. The flesh is denser than a Mac, closer to a Red Delicious, but the flavor is sweet and so less tanic than a Red Delish. Tanin is the acid (also in walnuts and many other foods) that gives it color but also draws your mouth astringently. I keep my Jazzy apples in the refrigerator in order to retain their crispness and keep them juicy. They don't last long. Which apple is your favorite?

Friday, March 12, 2010

Some Things I could do without in my Food-Centric Life

Yesterday we hosted our second Warren County Lunch'n Learn. I've been blessed with an invitation to partner with the area's topmost computer experts, Andrea Kirchuk of Computer Images Web and Jeff Jewell of Computing Solutions to present hour-long lunch and information seminars geared towards businesses. Our first series of seminars focus on dipping your toes in the Social Media waters and protecting your computer as you go. Molly McGrath of CIWeb also joined us. These folks really know their stuff and for as much as I invest in marketing AngelFood via the web, I have a lot to learn. Lunch'n Learns are one of my favorite types of catered meals to prepare. The menu is fresh and simple, easy to execute and low stress. It's during these times that my mind wanders. It was also during this preparation that I remembered a thorn in my paw. I can't stand the twist ties the produce people put around a head of lettuce. Sometimes they are wrapped too tight and invariably the silvery tie strangles and mangles the lettuce. I could also do without styrofoam egg boxes. While I don't know all the environmental/financial facts regarding packaging, I do know that styrofoam is often a less expensive way to package foods plus, it gives the eggs a tiny more bit of bounce while they're man-handled during shipping. My town has made it possible for me to recycle almost every bit of non-food trash in my house but not the styrofoam egg cartons. I could do without cellophane snack bags. At least the ones that tear as soon as I try to wrestle them open in my desparate attempt to get to the pretzels that will accompany my Cheddar and Barefoot Merlot. Why do some snack bags "work" better than others? I find this quite mysterious. And those "recloseable" bags that tear in the wrong place as you're wrestling open the package? Yeah, you can keep those, too. What things could you live without in your Food-Centric life?

Friday, March 5, 2010

That First Blank Page

Facing that first blank page of any writing project can be daunting, as any writer will tell you. Even those of us who are accustomed to laying ourselves wide open for public scrutiny still cower when there's writing to be done and you're just not in the mood. But, here I am. Molly of Computer Images Web has set up the blog area of my website and removed my excuses. What's funny is that on any given day I have a constant stream of thoughts, many related to food, running through my head. It's time to stick my toes in the water. Today's projects include attending my favorite monthly networking meeting, AM Biz. This month the group is celebrating their 7th Anniversary and AngelFood supplied cake and fruit salad. We're also getting ready for the Warren County Regional Chamber of Commerce's Business Expo held tomorrow at the Warren County Vo-Tech. I prepared some display cakes and will be offering samples of Asian Pasta. On the right is a one of tomorrow's display cakes featuring an Edible Image of a sweet, little girl. We can put any photograph or logo on a cake or cookie. My biggest news is that tomorrow, after the Expo, I am going to pick up my new 20-quart mixer! I've waited a long time to make this major purchase and I'm so excited I think I'll knock on all the neighbors' doors asking if they have anything BIG they want mixed.