White whole wheat pappardelle

The Italian grandmother in me loves making homemade pasta. I've done it a couple times now, and it's always exciting. This time I opted for a whole-wheat version. I'm obsessed with white whole wheat -which comes from a different variety of wheat than normal whole wheat flour. It's still a whole-grain, but has a softer texture that I've found works well as a substitute for AP flour.

Ingredients



2 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour (King Arthur's)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
A tiny bit of water, as needed


Mound the flour on a clean work surface and make a large deep well into the center. Crack the eggs into the well and add the salt.

Stir the eggs and salt together and then gradually incorporate the flour from the sides of the well. Work the ingredients together until it forms a rough and sticky ball. If dough is too sticky, add a small amount of flour. If dough is too dry, add a few drops of cold water.You can also mix everything in your kitchen aid w/the dough hook attachment.

Scrape the dough that sticks to the countertop or cutting board and press the dough into a rough ball and knead as you would bread. Knead for 5 minutes. Dough should be very smooth and elastic.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.

Unwrap the ball of dough and cut into 1/8 pieces (golf-ball size), keeping the remainder wrapped in plastic wrap.

Following your pasta machine manufacturer's instructions, feed the flattened piece of dough into the machine. Fold the dough into thirds, then feed again into the machine. Repeat folding and rolling two additional times.

Increase the roller setting one notch. Sprinkle the pasta lightly with flour and feed through the rollers again, unfolded.

Turn the roller setting another notch and repeat the rolling, then continue without folding the dough until you get to size 6 or 7. I made mine a little thick, so next time I want to get it thinner.

Cut the pasta using a pizza cutter into fat strips.

To freeze pasta, place loosely in a large ziploc bag and place flat on a freezer shelf. Thaw frozen pasta for about 15 minutes before cooking in boiling water. Do not store at room temperature - your pasta will attract mold.

Serve w/your favorite tomato sauce or rabbit ragu.

Wintry Rabbit Ragu w/homemade wheat pappardelle

According to the Chinese calendar, we are currently in the year of the Rabbit. My off-beat sense of humour decided that my rabbit ragu is a really tribute to the upcoming year. If the year is as delicious as my creation, then oh what a sweet time we'll all have. However, something as wonderful as rabbit stew does not come cheap. First, rabbits are expensive ($30/rabbit!). Second, not all high-end grocers have rabbit (I got mine at central market). Third, you probably have to thaw your little 4-legged friend, which takes longer than expected.

So, a word of caution: allow ample time to procure/thaw/debone your rabbit. Otherwise, you'll end up like naive me: eating dinner at 10:45pm... Oops!

Rabbit Ragu

Adapted from a New York Times recipe found on http://mixbakestir.com

Ingredients:

1 rabbit (~3 lbs), cut into 8 pieces, bone in
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
Pinch of red-pepper flakes (mine was generous!)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup seeded, chopped San Marzano tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
12 ounces pappardelle
Pecorino Romano cheese, for grating


Preparation

Step 1: Thaw your rabbit ahead of time!! If you don't have the time, however, you can give the rabbit a "bath" of lukewarm water to thaw. Change the water every 10-15 minutes. It will probably still take an hour, but you can start chopping and prepping everything else.

Step 2: Watch a video on how to butcher a whole rabbit. I was lucky enough to have practiced during a cooking class last May, however, it was still VERY tricky. You will need a boning knife and I found kitchen shears very helpful. Alternatively, have your butcher do this step for you!

Now you are ready to.....


Pat the rabbit pieces dry and season with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the oil and brown the pieces, working in batches if needed to avoid crowding. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots and celery, stirring until soft, about 5 minutes. Then add the red-pepper flakes, garlic and tomato paste, stirring for another minute. Deglaze the pan with the wine, turn the heat to high and boil to burn off the alcohol, about 4 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, broth, bay leaves and thyme. Return the rabbit pieces to the pot, spacing them evenly so they are partly covered by the liquid. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rabbit is falling off the bone, about 2 hours.Turn the pieces at least once. Time enhances the flavor and gives the rabbit it's texture, so don't be in a hurry.

Turn off the heat and discard the thyme and bay leaves. Remove the rabbit from the sauce and let cool; then pull the meat from the bones (Don't eat too much of it!). Shred some pieces and leave others large. Return the meat to the pan and simmer the sauce until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the butter, piece by piece. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pappardelle until al dente. Before draining, save a cup of the pasta water. Toss the pappardelle with the sauce over low heat, adding pasta water as necessary if the sauce is too thick. Divide among pasta bowls and top with the grated cheese.

This makes about 6 servings - Boyfriend and I had rabbit ragu for at least 2 more full meals!

Enjoy!

Life on the beach

Work-related travel definitely came between me and my blossoming food blog. What a tragedy! Recently, however, I've been living the good life of a consultant "on the beach" (read: not staffed). This grace period has been a lovely break from the M-Th grind of business travel and resulted in some fruitful cooking adventures.

I have ambitious plans to update with new recipes and photos, but in an effort to take the first baby step, I'm going to post some long-due photos from previous kitchen endeavors. No recipes, because frankly, I've forgotten them by now! I hope you still enjoy the pictures.

Simple & delicious grilled cheese and tomato sandwich



Summer Quinoa salad



Blueberry steel cut oatmeal



A trip to the farmer's market: Grilled flank steak & peppers, sauteed greenbeans, bitter greens salad w/radishes and reduced balsamic vinaigrette



The accident: Quinoa cookie squares (quite yummy actually!)



Indian spiced okra

My yelp career

In an effort to give back to the yelp community, I've started to review restaurants and local businesses. Since my job is probably going to take over my life for the next 6 months to infinity, I'll probably have more time to review restaurants than actually post recipes (sad, I know!). Still, I will link to my reviews in case you care to check out what I think about everything & anything!

Recently reviewed:

Afrah - Middle eastern/lebanese.
5 stars

Oishii Sushi - Japanese
4 stars

York Street - amazing, modern american
5 stars

The Jalopy (Austin) - Rotisserie chicken paninis
5 stars - if only I give more....

I don't only give good ratings..

Deep Sushi - sushi bar
2 stars

Banh Mi Ba Lee- Vietnamese sandwiches
3 stars

I'll keep linking my reviews - let me know if they are helpful!

Perfect poached eggs

Breakfast - I can't find the words to describe how much I love this meal. I used to skip breakfast in lieu of coffee and perhaps a piece of toast. Then two important people in my life made me see the endless possibilities for this meal. Both my boyfriend and my sister are breakfast aficionados. In particular, they like eggs. Fried eggs, poached eggs, scrambled eggs... runny yolk - always, please.

After a long battle to learn how to poach "pretty eggs" - you know, restaurant style - I've finally mastered the art. It's not that hard, but sometimes I think my lack of coordination impairs me in the kitchen :P

For anyone else who has struggled poaching eggs - this is the post for you. It's nothing new - I didn't reinvent the poaching wheel. It just works for me.

Poached egg

Ingredients:
Egg (organic, cage-free & fresh!)
1 tablespoon white vinegar (I've used other kinds when not available)

Tools:
Small pot
Ramekin or small cup/bowl
Bowl of cold water (if you are poaching multiple eggs)
Slotted spoon (it's almost impossible to get the eggs out of the water without one)

Heat water until it's just about to boil, but not boiling. If you have a thermometer, 180-195F is perfect. Add vinegar.

Crack your FRESH egg into a the small bowl. It's important to have a fresh egg because the whites will cling to the yolk better and thus stay together as you poach.

Create a whirlpool in your hot water with a wooden spoon. Don't be shy with the speed of your vortex, you need this motion to encourage the egg whites to wrap around the yolk. This step is the KEY to a "pretty" poached egg. So, create your whilepool and then pour your egg into the center from the ramekin. Do this as close to the water as you can to keep everything clean.

Set a timer for 4 minutes and wait patiently.

With a slotted spoon, remove your beautiful bundle of egg-iness and place into the cold water bath. Then, poach the rest.

Once you are down poaching like a maniac, you can warm up all the eggs together in hot water for 30 seconds. This way- you can serve everyone at the same time!

Long live eggs!

Piquillo "Rouille"

I put quotes around "Rouille" because technically, I did not make a traditional Rouille. What is Rouille? you ask. According to wikipedia, it means "rust" in French and is a spicy saffron-y cousin of aioli (mayonnaise). To me, it holds much more appeal than mayonnaise ever will. While you have to be careful not to separate your concoction, fresh Rouille will be a staple accompaniment to seafood dishes (like mussels) in my kitchen. This recipe was adapted from F&W magazine.

My crime in making the "Rouille" - I did not use saffron. Oops? Maybe next time.

Piquillo Rouille

Ingredients

1/4 cup homemade fish stock (plus 2 tablespoons to dissolve saffron)
Large pinch of saffron (in my kitchen, you can omit this)
One 1/4 inch slice of peasant bread, no crust
1 egg yolk - fresh & organic for best results
1 jarred piquillo pepper, chopped
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, smashed in mortar & pestal or chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Dash of Cayenne pepper
Salt to taste

Preparation

I had a little trouble using Poin's food processor for the job because it was too big. I ended up using the mortal and pestal, which I read is an option. If you have a smaller food processor, I think it would work or just use the M&P from the beginning.

So, if you are using the saffron - heat 2 tablespoons of fish stock in the microwave for 30 seconds and add the saffron to dissolve.

In a large bowl, soak the bread in the remaining 1/4 cup fish stock.

In the food processor or M&P, puree the soaked bread, egg yolk, piquillo pepper, garlic and lemon juice until smooth. Add the saffron stock. With the machine on, SLOWLY, and I repeat, SLOWLY pour in the olive oil. Seriously, if you do it too fast, then your Rouille will separate and you'll be heartbroken. If you are using the M&P, add the olive oil little by little and mix well before adding more.

Season with cayenne and salt and serve!

This will keep for a few days, but don't wait too long to consume because the flavor changes after 1 night in the fridge and the raw egg is (sorta) a hazard.

Fennel Mussels

I may be behind the curve, but I recently discovered that Food & Wine magazine is quite the publication. I picked up a copy at CM the other day and found a myriad of interesting recipes. When I read an article on a Sonoma winemaker who "forages mussels from the nearby coast," I was instantly attracted to the idea of cooking my own. Poin and I tend to judge restaurants on how well they make mussels, so I decided to put myself to the test. Turns out... mussels... ain't that hard! And... bonus ... $12.00 will feed two people easily - much cheaper than ordering a bowl at a good restaurant. Btw - for Dallasites, The Grape makes a scrumptious batch.



Served with piquillo rouille and made with homemade fish stock.

Fennel Mussels

Ingredients

2 lbs of Mussels (Prince Edward Island or PEI)
1 head of fennel, cored and diced plus 1/4 cup of chopped fronds
1 medium onion (I used half of a large white), diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 3/4 cups of fish stock (or bottled clam broth)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt

Preparation (less than an hour)

In a large pot, heat up your olive oil. Be sure to always heat your oil when cooking because if you don't, then your onions tend to soak instead of cook. Add the diced fennel, onions, and garlic and cook for approx 7 minutes on medium-high heat. Add the red pepper and cook for another 30 seconds. Pour in the fish broth and bring to a boil. The F&W recipe calls for 1/2 cup of Pernod, but I omitted this b/c I didn't feel like buying it. Turned out fine!

Add the mussels, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Shake the pot as the mussels cook and try not to open the lid because the steam is important! After 5 minutes, you should find that all of the mussels have opened. Pile them into a bowl and discard any that stayed closed. Stir in the butter to the broth (don't worry, it's not very much butter!) and add the fennel fronds and parsley. Season with salt and pour broth over the mussels. Serve & enjoy!