Kitchen Garden Journal

Last week the New York Times printed a recipe in their food section for a spring vegetable-inspired version of puttanesca. While the recipe sounded pretty good to me, the fresh, seasonal ingredients seemed an insult to the character of puttanesca. 

Puttanesca, named for the Neapolitan prostitutes who supposedly made pasta this way, is traditionally spaghetti with a sauce of tomatoes, chilies, anchovies, capers and olives. Its beauty lies in the fact that it can be made from what you already have in the pantry. Apparently, the prostitutes worked at night and slept too late to get to the market before the produce stalls had been packed up. But that didn’t stop their creativity in the kitchen.

So why put all those fresh flavors of spring in there, straight from the farmers’ market? 

Why not put them into a carbonara? After all, carbonara (named for charcoal makers who work in the winter and early spring in the forests) is an egg emulsion. And egg emulsions are classically employed to dress up springtime delicacies. 

Asparagus and hollandaise anyone? How about some spinach on those Eggs Benedict? So why not spring garlic (or spinach or asparagus, for that matter) in your carbonara? I love spring garlic with eggs! 

And it seems to me that if those Apennine wood cutters found a way to keep some pigs and chickens around, they most certainly would have planted themselves a little patch of garlic, too. 

A quick perusal of the internet turned up this recipe for a garlic scape-based carbonara from the very nice Italian cooking blog Sarah’s Cucina Bella:

Garlic Scape Carbonara

• 1/2 lb campanella pasta, or shape of your choosing
• 4 slices bacon (about 3 1/4 ounces), chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped garlic scapes (or spring garlic)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese

Set a pot of water to boiling on the stove and cook the campanella pasta (or desired shape).

While it’s cooking, cook the bacon over medium heat until browned. Remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and add the garlic scapes. Cook until soft (2-3 minutes). Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. (Drain both the bacon and the garlic scapes on a paper towel).

Whisk together the eggs, salt and red pepper flakes.

When the pasta is done, quickly remove it from the stove and set a different burner to low heat. Drain the pasta and add it back to the pot, on the burner set to low. Stir in the garlic scapes and bacon. Add the egg mixture and stir feverishly for 3-4 minutes until sauce is thick and creamy. Don’t let it overcook or it will be gloppy. Sprinkle the romano cheese in, a little at a time, and stir to combine. Don’t add it all at once or it won’t mix throughout the pasta as well (since it will clump).

Serve immediately.

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La pasta fatta in casa. Mmmm.... Fresh, homemade pasta. I couldn't think of a better way to use the hearty whole grains from our local-grain share than by making pasta. And with a little preparation and a little practice, it can become a fairly quick and easy way to get a decadent yet healthy dinner on the table. (The kids will love it, too!)

This post will show you step-by-step how to get from raw whole spelt berries to a finished, sauced pasta. The first thing you want to do is wash and dry your grain by rinsing it in a large bowl of water and pouring off any dust and impurities that float. Next, spread the grain in a single layer on a baking sheet and dry it in a low oven, 200 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring it around from time to time.

Once your grain is ready to grind, bring it to your local communal mill, or, failing that, grind it with a hand grinder. The folks at Wheatberry Bakery and Cafe in Amherst (who organize the grain CSA) have installed for public use a little electric-powered stone mill that makes quick business of grinding your own high-quality fresh flour. (They also sell locally grown whole grains for grinding on site.) On a recent morning I spent about half an hour there and left with several large sacks of flour (wheat, rye and spelt) and a delicious cup of fair-trade organic coffee. 

Spelt Fettucine with Alfredo Sauce

• 2 1/2 cups whole spelt flour 

• 3 eggs

• salt

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 3 Tbsp salted butter

• 2/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano cheese 

• the slightest hint of freshly grated nutmeg

Now, if you read Mark Bittman, he recently suggested that making homemade pasta was intimidating with all the boards covered with flour and wells for eggs and all that (and offers an alternate way of making the dough). But I think he does us a disservice because once you practice the traditional method it becomes clear why people have done it this way for centuries: there's no way to mess it up. And after a few times, it becomes second hand.

1. Mix the dough. Pour the flour on to a clean surface and make a little hole in the center. Crack the eggs into the hole and begin to beat them with a fork. Scoop up flour from the edges with your other hand and sprinkle it into the center as you stir. Two tips: always mix in the same direction (clockwise, usually) and do not put down the fork until your dough comes together. The photo above shows the proper consistency for switching between fork-stirring and hand-kneading.

2. Knead the dough, incorporating as much of the remaining flour as possible. (Sometimes it helps to scrape up the stuck bits of eggy flakes along with the rest of the flour and sift it all through a fine sieve, so that you're left with only pure flour and no crusty bits.) Knead flour into the dough until it becomes a smooth ball and is no longer sticky, but before there is too much flour that the dough no longer absorbs it. Like so:

3. Rest the dough.Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and rest it for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. Failure to rest the dough will result in lots of problems when rolling it into sheets. 

4.Roll out the dough. Lily and Oliver demonstrate how to use the pasta rolling machine. Cut off a chunk of dough about the size of a golf ball and coat liberally with flour (I used AP flour for this step). Run the dough through the machine on the widest setting (1) a couple of times, dusting with flour and folding it over itself before running it through again. This is a kind of final kneading to make sure the dough is dry enough to run through the thinner settings without getting sticky. Then dust with flour again and roll the dough to the desired thinness. (My machine has thickness settings 1-6, I roll the dough using 1, 3 & 5. I find 6 to be far too thin for most applications and the 5 thickness gives the pasta a nice chewy texture.)   

5. Cut the dough into fettucine pasta. Most pasta rollers come with a cutting attachment that is pretty straightforward to use. Cut each sheet as soon as it you roll it out, as it's easier to leave the cut pasta lying around than it is to leave the sheets. Spread out the finished pasta on a floured board and finish rolling and cutting the rest of the dough. 

(Note: in a dry house in the wintertime you can take certain liberties with fresh pasta. If you are making pasta in the summer, extreme care must be taken to prevent the cut pasta from absorbing moisture from the air and sticking together. An old-fashioned dowel clothes dryer works well.) 

6. Boil the pasta. Bring 5 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add 2 Tbsp salt. (I use the kind of sea salt that looks like you could spread it on your driveway.) Add the noodles and cook until "al dente," or about 3-5 minutes. Do not overcook them, especially with spelt, or they will disintegrate. 

7. Drain the pasta into a sieve and plunge it into a large bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. This will both prevent the pasta from getting mushy and wash away the excess starch from the noodles that might cause your sauce to do weird things. Once cool, drain again and toss with a little bit of vegetable oil to prevent them from sticking together. (This also gives you greater flexibility in serving; if you are making fresh pasta for company, all this can be done well in advance. Refrigerate the pasta until ready to serve.) 

8. Make the sauce. Add the cream, butter, cheese and nutmeg to a pot or pan large enough to hold the pasta. Heat gently and simmer until the cream reduces and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes, stirring often. (This sauce couldn't be easier or more basic, which begs the question why alfredo sauce usually comes from a packet. It's one of those head-scratchers.)

9. Mix and serve with additional cheese and fresh pepper. (I use this photo to show that Caroline really did have a hand in the cooking. ;) Buon'appetito!

"Papa, this is the best thing I have ever eaten."

 

 

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Photo by Candace Hope

In the first apartment I ever had, when I was 18 years old, a vegetarian, and new to cooking, I made this at least twice a week. The recipe has evolved somewhat since then, but the basic concept is the same: noodles, peanut sauce, fried tofu, and vegetables. It’s also my favorite thing to order at two of my favorite local restaurants: The People’s Pint and The Lady Killigrew. Always fills you up. Never lets you down. 

1 lb pasta: whole wheat spaghetti, buckwheat soba, or udon noodles

Peanut sauce: 2/3 cup natural peanut butter
¼ cup tahini sesame paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 hot chilies, minced, or 1 tsp cayenne
3 Tbsp soy sauce or 2 Tbsp soy and a heaping spoonful of miso paste
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp sesame oil 1/2 -1 cup water, to thin the sauce

Garnishes:
Fried tofu slices Blanched broccoli florets
Shredded cabbage
Shredded carrots
Sliced radishes
Sliced cucumber
Chopped scallions
Chopped cilantro 

Method:
Boil the pasta until al dente, drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Toss with a little  sesame oil and set aside.

Prepare the sauce by mixing together all the ingredients and diluting it with lukewarm water to the desired consistency. It should be moderately thick: thin enough to coat the pasta without clumping but not at all runny.

For the fried tofu, cut a block of firm or extra firm tofu into thin (3/16”) slices. Dip the slices in soy sauce and fry them in hot canola oil until crispy, turning once, like you would fry bacon. Drain on paper towels and chop coarsely into bite sized pieces. Put in a serving dish on the table.

Toss the sauce with the noodles and serve each person clump in a large bowl. Prepare the rest of the vegetables and herbs and arrange artfully on the table for the diners to serve themselves. 

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Napa Cabbage is great in stir fries of any kind. I love to make these curry flavored stir-fried rice noodles at home almost as much as I like ordering them in Chinese restaurants.

Recipe adapted from Rasa Malaysia

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
8 dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms
12 ounces of fine dry rice vermicelli (Wai Wai brand recommended)
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
2 cups napa cabbage, cut into fine ribbons
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
8 green onions, root end trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, or
1 pound char siu (Chinese barbecued pork), cut into matchsticks
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

For sauce:
3 tablespoons Madras (hot) curry powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 cup chicken broth
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons hot chili paste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Method:
1) If using dried shiitake mushrooms, soak them in hot water for half an hour. Drain, then cut off the stems. Slice the mushrooms thinly.
2) Put the rice vermicelli in a large bowl and soak in enough hot water to cover, until the noodles are soft (about 8 to 10 minutes). Drain noodles and set aside.
3) Start by heating up 2 tablespoons of oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the curry powder, the ginger, and the minced garlic, and saute until fragrant. Add the chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar, and chili paste. Stir to combine and then cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
4) Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large wok over high heat. Add in the remaining garlic and ginger, and stir-fry until the garlic starts to become golden. Add in the celery, onion, pepper, cabbage, sprouts, green onions, and mushrooms. Stir-fry for 3 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. Set the vegetables aside in a bowl.
5) Heat the last 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok over high heat. Add in the shrimp and stir-fry until they start to turn pink on both sides. Or simply add the char siu and toss to combine.
6) Add in the noodles and the vegetables. Mix the ingredients thoroughly to coat all the noodles and incorporate all the vegetables.
7) Serve hot.

Note: you can buy an acceptable pre-cooked version of the Chinese pork at Trader Joe’s.

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• 1 lb penne pasta
• 5-6 brightly colored sweet peppers
• Olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 8 oz sweet Italian sausage meat
• 1 pint tomato puree
• Salt & pepper ½ cup heavy cream
• Freshly torn basil leaves

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove stems and seeds from peppers and cut into bite sized pieces. Toss with a liberal amount of olive oil. Roast peppers for 1 hour on a large baking sheet, stirring from time to time, until limp and blistered. Set aside. Heat the pasta water. Brown the sausage meat in a little olive oil in a wide heavy skillet. (We like to use Pekarski’s sausage from their family smokehouse in S. Deerfield. They use plenty of fat and a nice amount of fennel seed in their mix.) If you have links, squeeze the filling out of the casings. When the meat is nice and brown, add the finely minced garlic and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato puree and roasted peppers. Cook the sauce for 10 minutes or so to meld the flavors (just long enough for your pasta to cook).  Remove sauce from the heat and stir in the cream and basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (For a spicy version, add a few shakes of pepper flakes when you add the garlic.) Combine with the pasta and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Even better the next day.

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Red or white?  This is our version, a nice compromise.

• 1 lb. spaghetti, linguine, or cappellini
• 2 lbs. steamer clams, or 24 littlenecks
• 1-2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 head garlic
• 1/2 glass white wine
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• fresh basil and/or parsley, chopped
• salt & pepper

Scrub the clams and soak them in cold water for an hour or so to reduce the sandiness. Put up some water for the pasta.  Meanwhile slice or chop the garlic as desired and sauté gently in the olive oil in a large pan with a tight fitting lid. When the garlic is not yet brown but starting to get sticky, toss in the clams, tomatoes, and herbs. Put on the lid and cook over high just until the clams open, shaking everything around from time to time. Remove from heat and discard any unopened clams.  Sprinkle with pepper and taste for salt.  Now, at this point you have two options*: you can fish out the clams and scrape their bodies back into the sauce (makes it less messy and time consuming to eat) or you can simply toss your al dente pasta right in the pan and serve it up, steaming, brothy, shells and all.  Almost as good as being at the Cape! (Better yet, take your veggies with you and make it out there!)
*If using steamers, you’ll need to shell and de-”sock” them before returning them to the sauce.

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• Fresh egg pasta:
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 5 eggs

Pour out the flour directly on your countertop or a very large pastry board, making a well in the center like a volcano.  Crack the eggs into the center of this well and begin to beat with a fork.  Little by little, incorporate flour from the walls of the volcano.  Try not to let the egg mixture break through the walls and go spilling everywhere.  Patience is the secret to fresh pasta: beat it with the fork until you can't bear it anymore. When the dough ball is ready to be worked by hand, relinquish the fork.  If you proceed to hand kneading too soon, though, you will make a sticky, eggy mess of your hands.  Knead the dough by hand, incorporating as much of the remaining flour as possible.  Next, the dough needs to rest.  Wrap your precious golden ball in plastic wrap and leave on the counter for 30 minutes.

After the dough rests, it's time to roll.  (If you don't have a pasta rolling machine, now would be too late to go buy one.)  Have some extra flour ready.  Cut off about a quarter of the dough ball and roll it out using the machine.  My method is to make a round disc by hand, coat it with flour, and roll it through stage 1.  Dust again, fold the piece in half, and send it though 1 again.  Now dust, proceed to 3, dust again, and proceed to 5.  I usually stop at the second to last stage because if you go all the way, the dough gets really thin and tears easily. You will find, through practice, your own method that works in your kitchen.

• Spinach-Ricotta filling:
• 1 lb spinach, blanched, cooled, squeezed, and chopped
• 1 quart ricotta
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until incorporated.

• Simple tomato sauce:
• Olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can whole peeled tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste 

Saute the garlic in the oil until just beginning to brown. Add the tomatoes and their juice and simmer until reduced, about 15 minutes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon along the way.  Season with the salt and pepper and toss in a few basil leaves if you have them.

Manicotti are the simplest type of filled pasta.  Just cut your pasta sheets into large rectangles, boil them until they float, and then drain.  Roll them with the filling, slather with sauce and some additional parmesan cheese, and bake for 25 minutes at 350.  Buonissimo!

Shortcut: use no-boil lasagna sheets and either just make it into a lasagna, or cut the sheets in half and boil them for a few minutes until soft enough to be rolled.

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This recipe is adapted from Cooking by Hand by Paul Bertolli. We have a little Italian hand-crank mill or mulino we like to use to make flour from buckwheat groats. This recipe serves 8 so feel free to cut it in half.

• 2/3 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups extra-fancy semolina flour
• 2 eggs
• 5 teaspoons salt
• 2 large or three medium boiling potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 -inch thick
• 1/2 large head savoy cabbage, separated and torn into pieces
• 7 tablespoons butter
• 8 to 10 sage leaves
• 1 garlic clove, chopped fine
• 1 cup grated Fontina val d'Aosta cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Place the buckwheat flour and semolina in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the eggs and one-fourth cup plus 2 tablespoons water. Use a fork to stir the mixture together. When the dough begins to form a shaggy mass, alternately squeeze and press it with the palm of your hand. Press any loose bits of flour into the dough. If it is too dry, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together. When the dough feels tacky and the flour is fully incorporated, transfer it to a clean, lightly floured surface and knead for 4 tor 5 minutes, or until it loses its surface moisture, is a uniform color and springs back when pressed. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour before rolling.

2. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/8-inch thick, then cut it into wide strips 6 inches long.

3. Heat the broiler.

4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the salt. Add the potatoes to the boiling water, then after 2 minutes, add the cabbage. Boil the vegetables for about 5 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender but not soft. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon and keep the water boiling.

5. Meanwhile, place a wide sauté pan over medium heat; add the butter, sage leaves and garlic. Lower the heat so the garlic does not brown, and swirl the pan a couple of times so the butter melts and the flavors merge. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

6. Cook the pasta in the same water as the vegetables to al dente, about 4 minutes; drain well and add to the sauté pan. Over low heat, stir to coat with the butter mixture. Remove from the heat.

7. Butter a 10-inch gratin or baking dish and assemble by layering one-third of the pasta, vegetables and cheeses. Repeat, until all the pasta, vegetables and cheeses are used. Place the gratin under the broiler for 2 to 4 minutes until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Serve at once.

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 One of our favorite recipes is winter squash ravioli with sage butter.  We try to make it at least once a year, but it takes all afternoon to make and all evening to clean up, with about 5 blissful minutes somewhere in the middle.  Recently we found that you can get much of the effect just by cutting up a roasted squash into bite sized cubes and dousing them with some sage infused melted butter. By the way, the best way to roast a squash is to cut it in half the long way, scoop out the seeds and place face down on a baking pan or cookie sheet with a bit of water to prevent sticking.  Roast at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.

• 1/2 butternut squash (about 1 pound)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 recipe basic pasta dough
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 8 fresh sage leaves
• 1 large amaretti cookie (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 °F

Cut the squash in half, remove the seeds, drizzle with the olive oil, and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 25-35, or until the squash is very soft. Remove from the oven, let cool, the scoop the flesh from the skin.

In a large bowl, combine the cooled squash, cheese, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.

Roll out the pasta dough (see below) to the thinnest setting on a pasta machine. Using a biscuit cutter or water glass, cut out 2-inch circles. Pipe or carefully spoon a rounded tablespoon of filling onto the center of half of the rounds and cover the filling with a second pasta round. Press the edges together firmly to seal.

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Drop the ravioli in the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a 12- to 14- inch sauté pan until it foams and subsides. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water and whisk to emulsify. Drain the pasta and add it to the butter. Add the sage leaves and toss gently for 1 minute over medium heat to coat the pasta with sauce. Divide the ravioli among four warmed plates, grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano and amaretti over each plate, and serve immediately.

Basic Fresh Egg Pasta

• 3 cups all purpose flour
  5 eggs

Pour out the flour directly on your countertop or a very large pastry board, making a well in the center like a volcano.  Crack the eggs into the center of this well and begin to beat with a fork.  Little by little, incorporate flour from the walls of the volcano.  Try not to let the egg mixture break through the walls and go spilling everywhere.  Patience is the secret to fresh pasta: beat it with the fork until you can't bear it anymore. When the dough ball is ready to be worked by hand, relinquish the fork.  If you proceed to hand kneading too soon, though, you will make a sticky, eggy mess of your hands.  Knead the dough by hand, incorporating as much of the remaining flour as possible.  Next, the dough needs to rest.  Wrap your precious golden ball in plastic wrap and leave on the counter for 30 minutes.

After the dough rests, it's time to roll.  (If you don't have a pasta rolling machine, now would be too late to go buy one.)  Have some extra flour ready.  Cut off about a quarter of the dough ball and roll it out using the machine.  My method is to make a round disc by hand, coat it with flour, and roll it through stage 1.  Dust again, fold the piece in half, and send it though 1 again.  Now dust, proceed to 3, dust again, and proceed to 5.  I usually stop at the second to last stage because if you go all the way, the dough gets really thin and tears easily. You will find, through practice, your own method that works in your kitchen. 

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• 1 lb. eggplant
• 1-2 lbs. tomatoes, chopped
• 1 head garlic
• canola oil for frying
• olive oil
• a few sprigs fresh basil
• salt & pepper 

Slice the eggplant into 1/2-inch rounds and fry them over medium high in a wide skillet with 1/4-inch of canola or other frying oil. When things get going, the eggplant slices will absorb the oil and you will gradually see it penetrate through to the top.  Make sure that they don’t get too brown on the bottom before this happens.  If the eggplant slices absorb all the oil and still don’t look wet, you must add more—but don’t worry, because they will release much of it as they cook.  When they look like they have absorbed enough oil and they start to get nice and brown on the bottom, flip them over and brown them on the other side.  If the pan is dry at this point, don’t add more oil because the slices have absorbed enough to fry themselves.  When they’re done, drain the slices on paper towels and sprinkle them liberally with salt.  Don’t neglect to taste a few slices now, as eggplant properly fried and meltingly sweet is one of the real delights of summer.  Continue with another batch until all the eggplant is fried.

In the meantime, boil some water for the pasta (penne or rigatoni) and salt it well.  Cook the pasta al dente.  Prepare a simple tomato sauce by sautéing some garlic in olive oil until it just begins to get sticky.  Before it browns, add the chopped tomatoes and cook over high heat about 15 minutes or until the liquid is cooked out.  Salt & pepper to taste and remove from the heat.  Stir in the basil, tearing the leaves right over the pan.  Cut up the mozzarella into cubes.  When the pasta is cooked, add everything to a large bowl and mix well.  Buon appetito!

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