One thing that I have noticed, since my cooking kick started, is how good food tastes when it's home made. I'm not talking about a burger or a steak, I'm talking about all the way down to the main ingredients. Today I really tore up the kitchen getting ready for our camping trip. I made some coleslaw, guacamole, peanut butter, mayonnaise and fresh burgers out of top sirloin.
I mean, I'm sure most people have made guac before, so that's not a huge deal. But have you made your own mayonnaise? It's really good and you can select what kind of mayo you want. Want a herb infused blend? Easy. Want some wasabi mayo? Easy. Does it allow for a long shelf life? Heck no. Why? Because you're taking out all the preservatives and other crap that keeps it good for long periods of time.
The peanut butter I made today is pretty good, although I have some room for improvement on the recipe. I added some locally produced honey that was made with bees who fed off local avocado trees, which added a nice flavor to it.
Have you ever had a freshly ground burger? I mean, I never know what is in the raw hamburger when I buy it. But by doing it this way, you can control what cuts you use and how much fat you allow to be in it. A NY Strip burger is especially tasty. The KitchenAid meat grinder works very well for this. I'm sure I could use my Cuisinart, like I do on a lot of other things, but this is one of those instances where I like the consistency that the KitchenAid produces.
Anyway, I challenge YOU to make a fresh meal out of nothing processed. Like my fettuccine from a post ago. Is it going to take you longer? Yup, sure is. But you add so much more pride, not to mention flavor, when you do it this way. Good luck!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Roasted Red Pepper Fettuccine
Well, I figure it's been a waayy too long, so it's time for an update. I got a new tool (And by tool, I mean kitchen toy!) today. A Cuisinart Elite 16 Cup Die-Cast Food Processor. Now I know what you're all saying: "Oh Brian, you've already got more than adequate knives.." or "Brian, you've got a blender and a KitchenAid, what more do you need?" Well, here's what I have to say to that: This thing rocks. This thing is a pure workhorse. A rock star for a kitchen tool. So, after getting it home, I couldn't just let it sit there until I decided to cook something, so I had at it.
Roasted Red Pepper fettuccine w/ Fresh Tomato Roasted Pepper Cheese Sauce
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Roasted Red Pepper fettuccine w/ Fresh Tomato Roasted Pepper Cheese Sauce
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Pasta Dough
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2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Wheat All-Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp Salt
2 Large Eggs
1 Egg Yolk
3 Small/Medium Red Peppers
1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil
First, you're going to want to make your red pepper puree. Preheat your oven on to 425°. Next, using a brush, coat your peppers with the olive oil. Put some down on the baking sheet, too. Put the peppers in the oven and let them roast for about 15 minutes. Rotate them to the next side. Repeat that until nice and blistery. When complete, remove the peppers from the oven and place in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the peppers sweat for about ten minutes. Strip the peppers of their skin, seeds and tops. Puree them in a food processor or blender.
Next, (Now, I'm going to explain how I did it with the Cuisinart. You can accomplish the same goals here by making a nice mound with the flour and making a well in it and mixing it all together) put all the dry ingredients into the mixer with the dough blade in. Pulse the mixture a few times to make sure it gets evenly devided. Put the top on and open the feed spouts. Mix the eggs, yolk and about 2/3rds of your pureed red peppers together. Start the mixer on the dough setting and slowly pour in the wet ingredients. You will see it start to form into a ball. Stop the machine and see how sticky the ball is and if it is too sticky add a bit more flour. Once it is to the consistancy you like, (I like mine with a little bit of sticky, but not too crazy) pull it out, place it in a bowl and cover it with a damp towel. In about thirty minutes you can flatten it and cut it.
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Tomato Roasted Pepper Cheese Sauce
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4lbs of Fresh FIRM Tomatoes
3-4 Fresh Sprigs Oregano
8-12 Basil Leafs
5-10 Garlic Cloves (At least five.. I like more)
1 Large White Onion
1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Start off by peeling the tomatoes. You could always steam them, but I don't like cooking them twice. You don't need to get every little piece of skin off, but if you're OCD like me, you will. Remove the stems, too. Place them aside. Mince your garlice, basil and oregano. Lightly puree your tomatoes. I like to leave some chunks. Put a fine chop on your onion. In a pan, on medium-high heat, pour in your olive oil. Next, put in your garlic and onions and let them soften up a bit. Once they are to that point, pour in your tomato puree and the remaining roasted red peppers along with your herbs. Let this cook for a bit, test it and add salt and pepper to taste. Let this simmer for about an hour then add your cheese. Let the cheese melt in then enjoy it over some of your freshly made fettuccine. Garnish with some additional cheese and oregano.
I loved it. A lot. Lena and Madeline did too. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did!
Pasta Dough
-
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Wheat All-Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp Salt
2 Large Eggs
1 Egg Yolk
3 Small/Medium Red Peppers
1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil
First, you're going to want to make your red pepper puree. Preheat your oven on to 425°. Next, using a brush, coat your peppers with the olive oil. Put some down on the baking sheet, too. Put the peppers in the oven and let them roast for about 15 minutes. Rotate them to the next side. Repeat that until nice and blistery. When complete, remove the peppers from the oven and place in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the peppers sweat for about ten minutes. Strip the peppers of their skin, seeds and tops. Puree them in a food processor or blender.
Next, (Now, I'm going to explain how I did it with the Cuisinart. You can accomplish the same goals here by making a nice mound with the flour and making a well in it and mixing it all together) put all the dry ingredients into the mixer with the dough blade in. Pulse the mixture a few times to make sure it gets evenly devided. Put the top on and open the feed spouts. Mix the eggs, yolk and about 2/3rds of your pureed red peppers together. Start the mixer on the dough setting and slowly pour in the wet ingredients. You will see it start to form into a ball. Stop the machine and see how sticky the ball is and if it is too sticky add a bit more flour. Once it is to the consistancy you like, (I like mine with a little bit of sticky, but not too crazy) pull it out, place it in a bowl and cover it with a damp towel. In about thirty minutes you can flatten it and cut it.
-
Tomato Roasted Pepper Cheese Sauce
-
4lbs of Fresh FIRM Tomatoes
3-4 Fresh Sprigs Oregano
8-12 Basil Leafs
5-10 Garlic Cloves (At least five.. I like more)
1 Large White Onion
1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Start off by peeling the tomatoes. You could always steam them, but I don't like cooking them twice. You don't need to get every little piece of skin off, but if you're OCD like me, you will. Remove the stems, too. Place them aside. Mince your garlice, basil and oregano. Lightly puree your tomatoes. I like to leave some chunks. Put a fine chop on your onion. In a pan, on medium-high heat, pour in your olive oil. Next, put in your garlic and onions and let them soften up a bit. Once they are to that point, pour in your tomato puree and the remaining roasted red peppers along with your herbs. Let this cook for a bit, test it and add salt and pepper to taste. Let this simmer for about an hour then add your cheese. Let the cheese melt in then enjoy it over some of your freshly made fettuccine. Garnish with some additional cheese and oregano.
I loved it. A lot. Lena and Madeline did too. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did!
Imperia Pasta Maker
Well, another tool (Said: Toy) for my kitchen: An Imperia Pasta Maker from Williams Sonoma. I love this little bugger! Yes, I could have gotten the fancy one that attached onto my KitchenAid stand mixer, but there was just no way in hell I was paying twice the price for the same thing. I already paid for the motor, why should I get nailed again? I like doing it by hand anyway, so that I can control the speed. I have fond memories of this pasta maker as my dad used to have one.
Anyways, making pasta isn't hard. ESPECIALLY if you have a KitchenAid or a Cuisinart. It's almost too easy. For a simple recipe, you can use 2 cups of all-purpose flour, a tablespoon of salt and three eggs. It doesn't get any simpler than that, really. It tastes SO much better than the store-bought stuff. Making sauce isn't much harder. Anyways, if you're interested in pasta, these little machines cost a whopping $69.95 and will be your new best friend. You can make lasagna noodles, spaghetti, angel hair and fettuccine.
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