Pizzoccheri is what the Italians call buckwheat pasta. It's not made entirely with buckwheat flour, but rather with a combination of all-purpose and buckwheat. I encountered so many variations of this that I finally just almagamated several ideas into my own very satisfying version.
It has a deliciously nutty flavor and is extremely easy to do in a food processor (which also obviates the need for much kneading).
The dough enhancer is important due to the lack of gluten in buckwheat.
Buckwheat pasta (4 servings as linguini or ravioli)
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp dough enhancer
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup warm milk
Put the flours, salt, and enhancer into a food processor and buzz for a second or two. Drop in the egg yolks and process until thoroughly combined. With the motor running, drizzle in warm milk only until the contents gather into a ball.
Each time I make this I find I have to incorporate more all-purpose flour on my cutting board to get the right consistency. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and allow to sit for 30 minutes. If you make this a day ahead, refrigerate it, but take it out of the fridge a couple of hours ahead to get the dough to room temp.
Now for the pasta machine. I bought one Ebay a couple of years ago. It's an Italian one made by Markato. I love it. Start with the widest setting (1 on my machine). Cut the dough into 4 pieces and form each by hand into a rectangle thin enough to feed through the pasta maker.
Reset the machine to 2 and run each strip through again. Repeat with settings 3 and 4. The machine has a cutter for spaghetti or linguini. If making ravioli, I cut it by hand. Let the finished pasta sit for an hour or two before cooking.
It will take only 3-4 minutes max in a big pot of boiling, well-salted water to cook. Transfer with a spider into a large pan containing your favorite sauce.
What to fill the ravioli with? I've done pureed squash and most recently sauteed mushrooms (1/2 and 1/2 white buttons and reconstitued dried shiitakes with some salt and pepper and a bit of ricotta cheese).
Showing posts with label linguini. Show all posts
Showing posts with label linguini. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Friday, March 27, 2009
Linguini carbonara (serves 2)
Yesterday we had a blizzard here in Denver. I got out to the grocery store in the morning for just a few necessities. It was the perfect kind of day for the carbonara we had been contemplating for a few days.
Peter bought some pancetta and pecorino Romano cheese earlier this week (we had had some warning about the impending storm). He assigned me the task of researching various recipes so that we could come up with our own version, one that would satisfy our urges for comfort food, cheese, pasta, bacon, eggs, all the things that make life worthwhile.
My search took me to Lydia Bastianich, Tyler Florence (both TV chefs), "Joy of Cooking," and a couple other sources. The recipe below is a synthesis, incorporating an element or two from each. It was surprising how different each approach was: how many eggs (or combination of whole and yolks); whether to use heavy cream or not; bacon or pancetta; how much pepper; etc. Even the final assembly process varied.
In the end, Peter and I discussed and arrived at what we thought would be our ideal carbonara (and it was). I am fussy about my food being hot when I sit down to eat it. Hence, we always heat our serving vessels in our excellent countertop convection oven. Also, please note, the heat was not shut off under my giant skillet until just at the moment of adding in the egg mixture.
One last thing: if you live at a mile above sea level as we do, you already know that pasta takes longer to cook when your water boils at 204 degrees. The linguini box told us 9-10 minutes to al dente. It took 12 minutes and it was perfect.
Linguini carbonara
1 whole egg plus 2 egg yolks
1/8 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp black pepper
2/3 cup pecorino cheese, grated
8 oz. linguini
1 tsp olive oil
5 oz. pancetta, diced ¼”
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 tsp black pepper
2/3 cup pecorino cheese, grated
8 oz. linguini
1 tsp olive oil
5 oz. pancetta, diced ¼”
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/8 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Put the eggs, cream and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk lightly (have these ingredients at room temperature). Add the pecorino and stir again. Set aside.
Heat a large pot of water over high heat. When boiling, add 2 tbsp salt and the linguini. Cook for the length of time suggested on the box, checking just before the end to ensure the pasta is cooked but still al dente.
While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. When hot, add the pancetta and cook under the fat is rendered and it is crispy, about 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the shallot and garlic. Cook, stirring often until the pasta is done.
Save 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the linguini and immediately add it to the skillet with the pancetta. Toss until thoroughly coated with the fat in the pan. Turn off the heat under the skillet.
Add the egg mixture and toss until the eggs set and have completely coated the pasta. If the mix seems too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water. Place the linguini in heated serving bowls and garnish with some of the parmesan. Serve, accompanied by a salad or green vegetable of your choice.
Put the eggs, cream and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk lightly (have these ingredients at room temperature). Add the pecorino and stir again. Set aside.
Heat a large pot of water over high heat. When boiling, add 2 tbsp salt and the linguini. Cook for the length of time suggested on the box, checking just before the end to ensure the pasta is cooked but still al dente.
While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. When hot, add the pancetta and cook under the fat is rendered and it is crispy, about 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the shallot and garlic. Cook, stirring often until the pasta is done.
Save 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the linguini and immediately add it to the skillet with the pancetta. Toss until thoroughly coated with the fat in the pan. Turn off the heat under the skillet.
Add the egg mixture and toss until the eggs set and have completely coated the pasta. If the mix seems too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water. Place the linguini in heated serving bowls and garnish with some of the parmesan. Serve, accompanied by a salad or green vegetable of your choice.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
The best liver dumplings with buckwheat pasta and braised cabbage you will never make
These dudes will not win any beauty contests, but they are delectable. I must apologize for the fact that this posting is of the most labor-intensive recipe I have shared to date. You can go out and find buckwheat noodles (if you can), but if you have a pasta machine they are satisfying to make.
My inspiration came from finding a nearly 1-pound package of beef liver in the "Manager's Specials" bin at the Safeway. The meats you find there on at their last date (or 1 day away) for "best by." I have a confession to make. If there is something I want I pick up the package and poke a small hole in it and have a sniff. Never had to put a package back yet!
Chris Cosentino wrote a recipe for malfatti as a companion to a decades-old formulation which appeared in the NY Times Sunday magazine a few months ago. I didn’t care for his idea much, but a concept began its evolution in my culinary cranium. A second source of motivation came from one of Ming Tsai’s cooking shows in which he cooked Italian-style dishes using buckwheat soba noodles.
We bought a several-pound bag of buckwheat flour a while back. It was incredibly inexpensive. Using my favorite recent purchase, a Markato hand-cranked pasta machine, I made buckwheat ravioli with a squash filling. We loved it. This first attempt at making pasta was not an unqualified success. I really had to tinker in order to get a reasonable texture with the dough.
To make a long story shorter, I cobbled together these ideas into a plan for buckwheat linguini with liver dumplings in a sage sauce with braised cabbage and mustard greens. Sounds strange, don’t it? Well, my life-partner, Peter, and I nearly wet ourselves over the result. (At my age that is an imminent danger in the best of times…just kidding.)
I researched buckwheat dough recipes and dumpling recipes and came up with what I will call my very own plan for an unusual and extraordinary meal. Of all the recipes I have submitted to this blog, I consider this my best to date.
The most efficient sequence is to make the dough first. While it rests, assemble the dumpling mixture. While this is in the fridge, prepare the ingredients for the sauce.
When it’s time to cook, get the pasta water and the dumpling water ready on the stove. Start the sauce. When you get to the point where the sauce gets covered, start cooking the dumplings. Then drop in the pasta. Final assembly is to put the pasta and cabbage into heated serving bowls, top with dumplings, pour over the sauce liquid and drizzle with olive oil.
We bought a several-pound bag of buckwheat flour a while back. It was incredibly inexpensive. Using my favorite recent purchase, a Markato hand-cranked pasta machine, I made buckwheat ravioli with a squash filling. We loved it. This first attempt at making pasta was not an unqualified success. I really had to tinker in order to get a reasonable texture with the dough.
To make a long story shorter, I cobbled together these ideas into a plan for buckwheat linguini with liver dumplings in a sage sauce with braised cabbage and mustard greens. Sounds strange, don’t it? Well, my life-partner, Peter, and I nearly wet ourselves over the result. (At my age that is an imminent danger in the best of times…just kidding.)
I researched buckwheat dough recipes and dumpling recipes and came up with what I will call my very own plan for an unusual and extraordinary meal. Of all the recipes I have submitted to this blog, I consider this my best to date.
The most efficient sequence is to make the dough first. While it rests, assemble the dumpling mixture. While this is in the fridge, prepare the ingredients for the sauce.
When it’s time to cook, get the pasta water and the dumpling water ready on the stove. Start the sauce. When you get to the point where the sauce gets covered, start cooking the dumplings. Then drop in the pasta. Final assembly is to put the pasta and cabbage into heated serving bowls, top with dumplings, pour over the sauce liquid and drizzle with olive oil.
These recipes will serve 4.
Buckwheat linguini
1 ½ cups buckwheat flour
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp dough enhancer (wheat gluten)
3 egg yolks
½ cup warm milk
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
a few tablespoons cold water, as needed
In a large bowl, use a whisk to thoroughly incorporate the flours and dough enhancer.
In another bowl, lightly whisk together the egg yolks and warm milk.
Place the flour mix, egg and milk, salt, and olive oil in a food processor. Turn on the motor and wait until the dough gathers together in a quasi ball. If it seems to moist, add a bit more all-purpose flour. If it does not gather, add cold water, one tbsp at a time and pulse.
Put the dough ball on a well-floured surface, mold it firmly together and knead for 8-10 minutes. Reshape into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and let it sit for at least 15 minutes or several hours according to your timeline for dinner.
When you are ready to make the linguini, cut the dough ball into 8 equal-sized pieces. Set your pasta machine to the widest setting. Roll out each piece of dough to a thickness that will go through that setting on the machine. Using the machine now, process each piece of dough, resetting the thickness to the next thinner setting until you reach the approximate thickness of the linguini cutter on the machine. Use the linguini cutter to slice the dough sheets. Lay the strands on a rack and set aside.
To cook the noodles, heat a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it well (2 tbsp salt should do it) and drop in the noodles. Stir with a pair of tongs for 15 seconds to assure the noodles don’t stick together. Cook the noodles for 3 minutes and test for doneness. They will be more dense than standard pasta. Remove them to the pan of sauce when you estimate they need 1 more minute to cook completely.
1 ½ cups buckwheat flour
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp dough enhancer (wheat gluten)
3 egg yolks
½ cup warm milk
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
a few tablespoons cold water, as needed
In a large bowl, use a whisk to thoroughly incorporate the flours and dough enhancer.
In another bowl, lightly whisk together the egg yolks and warm milk.
Place the flour mix, egg and milk, salt, and olive oil in a food processor. Turn on the motor and wait until the dough gathers together in a quasi ball. If it seems to moist, add a bit more all-purpose flour. If it does not gather, add cold water, one tbsp at a time and pulse.
Put the dough ball on a well-floured surface, mold it firmly together and knead for 8-10 minutes. Reshape into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and let it sit for at least 15 minutes or several hours according to your timeline for dinner.
When you are ready to make the linguini, cut the dough ball into 8 equal-sized pieces. Set your pasta machine to the widest setting. Roll out each piece of dough to a thickness that will go through that setting on the machine. Using the machine now, process each piece of dough, resetting the thickness to the next thinner setting until you reach the approximate thickness of the linguini cutter on the machine. Use the linguini cutter to slice the dough sheets. Lay the strands on a rack and set aside.
To cook the noodles, heat a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it well (2 tbsp salt should do it) and drop in the noodles. Stir with a pair of tongs for 15 seconds to assure the noodles don’t stick together. Cook the noodles for 3 minutes and test for doneness. They will be more dense than standard pasta. Remove them to the pan of sauce when you estimate they need 1 more minute to cook completely.
Liver dumplings
3 oz. fresh crusty bread, cubed
½ cup heavy cream
1 tbsp butter
½ medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp dried thyme
4 sage leaves, torn into pieces
2 tbsp white wine (or red)
1 lb. beef liver, trimmed of fat, gristle or blood vessels and cut into large chunks
3 egg yolks
½ cup dry bread crumbs
¼ cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
extra-virgin olive olive for serving
Heat a large pot of water to a simmer and then salt it well.
Place the bread and cream in a bowl and smush together.
Heat the butter in a sauté pan until melted and foam has subsided. Add the onion, garlic, thyme and sage. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent but not colored. Add the wine and let it evaporate. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool completely.
Put the bread, onion mixture, liver, and egg yolks in the food processor. Turn on the motor and process into a paste. Remove to a large bowl and stir in the bread crumbs, flour, and salt and pepper. Using a tablespoon, scoop up a heaping spoonful and drop it into the simmering water. Cook for 7 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon. Taste for seasonings and adjust the rest of the mixture to taste. The dumpling should still be a bit pink in the center.
Put the liver mixture into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to firm up. Spray a large plate with Pam, form the dumplings and put them on the plate (the mixture should make about 20 pieces). When ready to cook, slide the dumplings into the simmering water. Turn up the heat until it comes back to a simmer but start the timing right away.
3 oz. fresh crusty bread, cubed
½ cup heavy cream
1 tbsp butter
½ medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp dried thyme
4 sage leaves, torn into pieces
2 tbsp white wine (or red)
1 lb. beef liver, trimmed of fat, gristle or blood vessels and cut into large chunks
3 egg yolks
½ cup dry bread crumbs
¼ cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
extra-virgin olive olive for serving
Heat a large pot of water to a simmer and then salt it well.
Place the bread and cream in a bowl and smush together.
Heat the butter in a sauté pan until melted and foam has subsided. Add the onion, garlic, thyme and sage. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent but not colored. Add the wine and let it evaporate. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool completely.
Put the bread, onion mixture, liver, and egg yolks in the food processor. Turn on the motor and process into a paste. Remove to a large bowl and stir in the bread crumbs, flour, and salt and pepper. Using a tablespoon, scoop up a heaping spoonful and drop it into the simmering water. Cook for 7 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon. Taste for seasonings and adjust the rest of the mixture to taste. The dumpling should still be a bit pink in the center.
Put the liver mixture into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to firm up. Spray a large plate with Pam, form the dumplings and put them on the plate (the mixture should make about 20 pieces). When ready to cook, slide the dumplings into the simmering water. Turn up the heat until it comes back to a simmer but start the timing right away.
Sage and cabbage sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
4 or 5 sage leaves, left whole
½ small head green cabbage, sliced as if for slaw
½ tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp garlic, finely minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp butter
Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Drop in the sage leaves and fry for 1 minute. Add the cabbage, thyme, garlic and salt a pepper and toss with tongs. Cook the cabbage for a few minutes, just until it begins to color. Add the chicken stock, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Mount in the tbsp of butter. At this point the sauce is ready for the addition of the pasta.
1 tbsp olive oil
4 or 5 sage leaves, left whole
½ small head green cabbage, sliced as if for slaw
½ tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp garlic, finely minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp butter
Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Drop in the sage leaves and fry for 1 minute. Add the cabbage, thyme, garlic and salt a pepper and toss with tongs. Cook the cabbage for a few minutes, just until it begins to color. Add the chicken stock, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Mount in the tbsp of butter. At this point the sauce is ready for the addition of the pasta.
For a free excerpt of my book, “A Year of Food,” in which I opine, report, cook, muse and philosophize about everything that passed my lips for an entire year, write to me at: scrout1944@msn.com.
Monday, October 27, 2008
The power of ramen
Behold the lowly, cheap, ubiquitous ramen noodle. A package can be had for 15 cents, sometimes less. Prepared simply according to package directions they are a quick and tasty small meal. Doctored up or used like pasta, without the flavoring packet, they are versatile and offer countless possibilities.
Let’s say you need a fast meal. Would you rather wait 10-12 minutes for pasta or have your food ready in 3 minutes? I vote for the 3-minute choice.
While the water boils you can rummage through your fridge and find whatever you can: scallions are an excellent choice. Toss them in with the noodles while they boil if you prefer to get the rawness out of them. Toss in a few cherry tomatoes or leave them raw and quarter them.
Any leftover meat in there? Cut it into bite-size pieces. Nuke it. Or, take those scallions, tomatoes and the meat and warm it in the microwave. Nothing will prevent you from being ready to chow down in only the amount of time required for boiling the water and cooking the ramen.
Toss the hot noodles with some parmesan cheese and garlic, add tomato sauce if you have it. Ecco - Italian food! Leftover lamb, chicken, or beef and a splash of good yogurt – you’re now in the eastern Mediterranean. Open a pouch of tuna, warm it up, add those scallions again and maybe some jack cheese – tuna noodle casserole. Mac and cheese with noodles? Why not.
The possibilities (I risk repeating myself) are indeed endless. Eat them in a taco, a pita, between slices of bread. A noodle sandwich? Well, the other day (actually for two successive days) Peter and I ate eggplant parmesan jammed between the halves of steak rolls with slices of crispy bacon. Marvellous!
Perhaps you have looked at those packages of ramen noodles in the supermarket and mentally wrinkled your nose. I am not suggesting you should forgo pasta, only that when time is of the essence (or your budget), there is this alternative.
A meal for one is what 1 package is. Just think, for 30 cents and the leftovers you can make a lunch or late-night snack for 2.
Stir a dab of peanut butter into ½ cup of chicken broth, add scallions and a splash of nam pla (fish sauce) and chili flakes. You’ve just transported yourself to Thailand.
Add a can of clams with their liquid, some grated cheese, a bit of mashed garlic and you have a very serviceable substitute for linguini and white clam sauce. Make it a quasi-red sauce by mashing up some cherry tomatoes or adding spaghetti or tomato sauce you may have. Now you’ve got a red sauce.
Throw some medium sized shrimp in (shell them first) with the noodles, add something for a sauce (maybe even just the flavor packet they come with) and you’re hunger pangs will be gone. If the shrimp are small or already cooked, add them for the last few seconds of the 3-minute cooking period.
There’s always parsley, cilantro, oregano, or tarragon with grated cheese for a simple vegetarian version (got any leftover veggies on hand, or frozen ones?).
The secret of ramen is, first, to have them in your pantry. Buy 10 packages ($1.50 – big deal) of mixed types. If you don’t use the flavoring packet all the noodles are exactly the same. Have all of the ingredients I’ve suggested above on hand. Who doesn’t have peanut butter, maybe tuna, something leftover? You may not have nam pla. If not, it’s worth trying.
I’ve gone on long enough. Just wanted to share.
For a free excerpt of my book, “A Year of Food,” in which I opine, report, cook, muse and philosophize about everything that passed my lips for an entire year, write to me at: scrout1944@msn.com.
Let’s say you need a fast meal. Would you rather wait 10-12 minutes for pasta or have your food ready in 3 minutes? I vote for the 3-minute choice.
While the water boils you can rummage through your fridge and find whatever you can: scallions are an excellent choice. Toss them in with the noodles while they boil if you prefer to get the rawness out of them. Toss in a few cherry tomatoes or leave them raw and quarter them.
Any leftover meat in there? Cut it into bite-size pieces. Nuke it. Or, take those scallions, tomatoes and the meat and warm it in the microwave. Nothing will prevent you from being ready to chow down in only the amount of time required for boiling the water and cooking the ramen.
Toss the hot noodles with some parmesan cheese and garlic, add tomato sauce if you have it. Ecco - Italian food! Leftover lamb, chicken, or beef and a splash of good yogurt – you’re now in the eastern Mediterranean. Open a pouch of tuna, warm it up, add those scallions again and maybe some jack cheese – tuna noodle casserole. Mac and cheese with noodles? Why not.
The possibilities (I risk repeating myself) are indeed endless. Eat them in a taco, a pita, between slices of bread. A noodle sandwich? Well, the other day (actually for two successive days) Peter and I ate eggplant parmesan jammed between the halves of steak rolls with slices of crispy bacon. Marvellous!
Perhaps you have looked at those packages of ramen noodles in the supermarket and mentally wrinkled your nose. I am not suggesting you should forgo pasta, only that when time is of the essence (or your budget), there is this alternative.
A meal for one is what 1 package is. Just think, for 30 cents and the leftovers you can make a lunch or late-night snack for 2.
Stir a dab of peanut butter into ½ cup of chicken broth, add scallions and a splash of nam pla (fish sauce) and chili flakes. You’ve just transported yourself to Thailand.
Add a can of clams with their liquid, some grated cheese, a bit of mashed garlic and you have a very serviceable substitute for linguini and white clam sauce. Make it a quasi-red sauce by mashing up some cherry tomatoes or adding spaghetti or tomato sauce you may have. Now you’ve got a red sauce.
Throw some medium sized shrimp in (shell them first) with the noodles, add something for a sauce (maybe even just the flavor packet they come with) and you’re hunger pangs will be gone. If the shrimp are small or already cooked, add them for the last few seconds of the 3-minute cooking period.
There’s always parsley, cilantro, oregano, or tarragon with grated cheese for a simple vegetarian version (got any leftover veggies on hand, or frozen ones?).
The secret of ramen is, first, to have them in your pantry. Buy 10 packages ($1.50 – big deal) of mixed types. If you don’t use the flavoring packet all the noodles are exactly the same. Have all of the ingredients I’ve suggested above on hand. Who doesn’t have peanut butter, maybe tuna, something leftover? You may not have nam pla. If not, it’s worth trying.
I’ve gone on long enough. Just wanted to share.
For a free excerpt of my book, “A Year of Food,” in which I opine, report, cook, muse and philosophize about everything that passed my lips for an entire year, write to me at: scrout1944@msn.com.
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