Thursday, April 28, 2011

HomeFood, Stratford, CT: Fettuccine con Ragu Finto



Before I knew about Homefood, I read an article in the New York Times several years ago about how people in Palermo have opened eating establishments in their houses (not entirely legal, but not offensive enough to warrant government intervention), their dining rooms spilling out onto the sidewalks of the city, allowing hungry people to walk in and enjoy a sampling of local cuisine, basically whatever the owner decides to put on the menu for that day.

Having my buddy over recently for a sort of short notice dinner made me think how nice it would be, maybe in simpler times, to have an informal establishment of my own that would welcome people in to dine on whatever offerings I thought of on a given day.  Not a full fledged restaurant with all its liabilities and constraints, just a little lunch spot like Louis' Lunch or something, albeit with more spontaneity, at least in the beginning.      

When Asher asked for some tagliatelle if I was up for it on a Sunday evening, the gears started cranking and this recipe is what I came up with.  Since he keeps kosher, the easiest option was to stay vegetarian. 

It's Spring now, but the weather wasn't exactly harbinger-ing Summer's warm breezes prior to this week, so I wanted to highlight some of the sweet green sprouting things of the moment but also stay hearty and satisfying for a one dish meal.  

Ragu Finto describes the application of mushrooms in this case, ground up prior to cooking to resemble in appearance and texture a meat sauce.  Never too liquidy when I'm at the helm, the sauce coats the strands of fresh pasta kind of like a thick pesto, but it's cooked and reduced some, so I think it qualifies as a sauce or ragu.    

To make the pestata or pasty base for the ragu I processed the onion, celery and garlic just as I would later do for the shrooms into tiny bits to make it homogeneous (leave a couple mushrooms just diced for the fun of it).  With some red wine and Thai fish sauce (just a tad) substituting salted anchovies, the end product had depth of flavor and earthiness that I thought would do well to support a final garnish of truffle oil, the inclusion of which Asher requested.  Anchovies or fish sauce you ask?  Why, yes...not to impart fishiness to it, just to add a curious element of flavor and salinity that you will appreciate but not easily discern as coming from the sea. 

To bring Spring into the fold, I cut the tips off asparagus and threw them in to just cook through in the ragu for a few minutes before plating.  I took the remaining portion of the asparagus and very thinly sliced them, mixing in at the last second without cooking because I wanted that raw sweetness and crunch against the woodsy sauce.  Some more fresh pop from parsley, along with Parmigiano Reggiano and truffle oil, and I think we hit most or all of the notes. 

We currently have seating for 6 and reservations 4 hours or more in advance are greatly appreciated...

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 1/2 - 3 lbs. mushrooms (your choice, but try to mix in some more flavorful ones and even some dried)
1 bunch of asparagus
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
2 ribs celery
1 cup red wine (nothing too fruity)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Pinch or two of hot pepper flakes
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed well, or 2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce
Optional: 1/2 cup light cream
Optional: 1 cup meat, chicken or vegetable stock
Salt & pepper to taste
Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
Parmigiano Reggiano to garnish
Optional: fresh truffle or truffle oil for garnish

1 recipe fresh egg pasta cut to fettuccine or tagliatelle, recipe follows

Pulse all the mushrooms, save a handful, until they are finely minced and set aside.  Dice the handful into 1/2" pieces.  Then process the onion, celery and garlic until it becomes almost a paste.  Heat the olive oil on medium and when it shimmers add the onion, celery and garlic and cook, letting the considerable liquid sweat out, 10-12 minutes.  When the onions begin to brown, add the mushrooms and turn the heat to high.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid, 15-20 minutes.  



Add the red wine a cup at a time and let it mostly evaporate.  Add the cream, then add the anchovies or fish sauce, the pepper flakes and some water or stock and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally and adding ladles of liquid to keep it from getting too dry, for about 40 minutes. 

In the meantime, cut the tough ends off the asparagus and remove the tips, setting them aside.  Take the stalks and slice very thin, using a mandolin if you prefer.  When the sauce has finished cooking, season to taste with salt and pepper, turn off the heat and add the tips of the asparagus. 


To finish the dish, cook the pasta 2-4 minutes in salted water, then drain and toss with some of the ragu in a bowl or frying pan, adding pasta water if need be to make it adhere well to the noodles.  Serve with Parmigiano Reggiano, parsley and some thinly sliced truffle or truffle oil for us wannabes.

Egg pasta for 4:
4 jumbo eggs
400 grams or about 3 1/2 cups 00 or AP flour

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Mound the flour on a work surface and make a well about 8 inches in diameter.  Add the eggs to the well and scramble with a fork, then add the oil.  Using the fork incorporate the flour from the inner walls into the egg.  Be careful not to break the wall and lose the eggs before you have a fairly well composed mass of dough.  Put the fork aside when most of the wet and dry are mixed and form a rough ball.

Knead the dough for 8 to 12 minutes, adding flour conservatively if it's very wet and resting periodically, until the dough stretches and is supple and smooth.  Wrap it in plastic and let rest 20 to 30 minutes.

To make the tagliatelle or fettuccine, using a pasta roller or rolling pin roll out segments of dough until it's thin enough for light to pass through.  Cut it into a rectangle that's 10 inches long on one side (that'll be the length of the noodles).  Lightly flour the dough if it's sticky and roll it over itself from bottom to top.  Then take a knife and cut every 1/4 inch or thereabouts and unravel the noodles.  Alternatively, follow instructions for a pasta machine or attachment.  
Form the noodles into little nests of about a serving apiece.  Lightly flour with semolina or cornmeal.  Freeze it if you don't place on using it immediately.  To cook it later do not thaw--go from freezer to boiling water. 

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Fast n Feast: Fish n Chips



"She had fish fries and cookouts, on my child's birthday I ain't invited..."   

What a sad story...nobody should have to miss out on a fish fry, even in the midst of a nasty custody war.  I feel for Big Boi, although by now he's probably straightened things out. 

Few things for me are as enjoyable as deep fried dinner. It's not something I do regularly, so when it happens, it's got to be good. 

When dealing with a gallon or so of hot oil I regret that after the one meal it'll be discarded, but maybe someday it'll be easily applied as fuel for something else.  In the meantime I just make the most of it.  Perhaps you too can take inventory of your pantry and fridge, and try frying up anything conceivably tasty while you've got the oil primed.  But be safe!   

My taste memory of fish n chips elicits a vision of plastic food baskets lined with red and white checkered paper, soaked in the residue of a fish fillet and wrinkled fries at some place vaguely near the ocean.  The inspiration to make it recently was not with a seaside Summer in mind though, but another Lenten meal to please a crowd.  I'm not really a faster, but many people around me are, so this classic is probably the best idea someone has suggested for a casual, comforting and ironically festive dinner that keeps one in good graces.
    
If you have reasonably good ventilation in your kitchen, deep frying will prevent smoke and the smell of the sea from filling your entire house, leaving behind just the welcoming aroma of well-oiled home cooking.

Frying potatoes twice makes them; the first round just cooks them through without their gaining much of any color or crunch.  The second fry transforms them into proper chips. 

Batter for the fish can be as simple as flour and water, but beer adds some flavor and aeration, while the whipped egg whites in this recipe make for extra puffing of the crust.  The result is abundantly crunchy even though it may not be traditional according to some British commoners. 

Serves 6 (makes a lot of fries, but chances are they'll get eaten) 

Ingredients:
5 lbs. russet potatoes, washed and cut (skin on for health reasons) into sticks about 1/4 thick, but don't discard irregular nubs
1 gallon vegetable oil for frying
3 lbs. uniform pieces of whitefish such as Cod, Haddock or Tilapia, cut into fillets about 4" long or so
4 cups all purpose flour
16 oz. medium dark beer
4 egg whites
Optional: a pinch of Old Bay

Equipment:
Candy thermometer
1 or 2 deep cast iron pot(s) suitable for deep frying
5-10 sheets absorbent paper such as paper towel or newspaper
Wire skimmer for retrieving things from hot oil

Make the batter up to an hour in advance by whisking the beer into the flour and Old Bay if you're using it.  Stir enough to get out any lumps.  Whip the egg whites to soft peaks, then fold into the batter.  Refrigerate until ready to use. 


First bring the oil to a steady 320° F.  Fry the potatoes, in batches, for 2-3 minutes.  They won't be browned or crunchy at this point, just cooked through and flimsy.  Remove to absorbent paper and then a cooling rack if you have one, and let cool to room temperature. 

Preheat an oven to 200° F, convection if possible. 


For the second fry of the potatoes, bring the oil to 375° F and fry again, in batches, for 2-3 minutes until they are golden and crisp.  Remove to absorbent paper and salt immediately.  Put them in the oven to keep warm and crisp until time to serve.   


After the chips are done, bring the heat down to 350° F.  Dip the fish pieces in the batter, letting excess drain off for a second, then place them in the oil, not overcrowding it, and fry for 6-8 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the fish is cooked through. 


Serve with lemon wedges or malt vinegar and tartar sauce (just mix mayonnaise and sweet relish together to taste and refrigerate, preferably an hour or more in advance).  And ketchup of course for the chips.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Everybody Wants a Piece of the Crock (Pot) BBQ Beef Brisket




I got a crock pot for Christmas, and it's proven useful for making soups and long braised meats when you don't want to stick around the house all day monitoring the oven or a pot on the stove.  But I wondered how it would do in a dry rubbed application left to cook low and slow for the better part of a day.  

The crock pot or slow cooker is so simple that it's difficult to spend a lot of money on one.  I've seen them for as little as $18, and they're rarely more than $50.  Obviously someone has devised a way to market $200 versions, and at one point I thought I should spend all the extra for a cast iron base to be able to brown meats first on the stove, but I make do with my other cast iron ware just fine.   

I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived home at dinner time recently to what looked like a thoroughly cooked hunk of cow meat that had slimmed down quite a bit, floating in hitherto nonexistent liquid.  I admit having a bit of anxiety that something would go wrong and it would look the same as I left it at 7am.  The result though was a success...it didn't get the char of something cooked in the smoker or indirectly on the grill, but the flavor was not far off.  The rub fully penetrated the meat between the overnight marinade and the long cooking. 


When it was finished the final mass displaced 20 oz. or so of juices and rendered fat that I made into a balm for Nicole to assuage her fears of stretch marks as her girth increases with child.  She smells like Reba McEntire's favorite, Fritos, but her skin looks glorious.  The meat barely stayed together when lifted out of the cooker, and cut easily across the grain.  When prodded with a fork it easily gave way to tender little shreds. 

You'll want a good, spicy bbq sauce to go along with this, even glazing the meat in the final 30 minutes or so of cooking if you're around.  We enjoyed the fork tender brisket with some steaming hot collards that were simply cooked in stock, the recipe of which follows.   

Brisket Ingredients:
1 4 lb. beef brisket, rinsed in cold water and patted dry
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons paprika (Spanish pimentรณn if you can)
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt

Mix the rub ingredients together and then massage them into the entire surface area of the meat, using all the rub.  Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight covered in plastic wrap. 


Bring the meat back up to room temperature, then place it, in a couple pieces if necessary, in the crock pot and set it to low for 11 hours.  When it's done, remove to a cutting board, let sit 5 minutes, then cut into strips across the grain.  Serve with bbq sauce. 


Quick Braised Collard Greens Ingredients:
2 bunches collard greens
1 medium onion
32 oz. chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons olive or other cooking oil to saute
Optional: bacon or other salted pork product
Salt & pepper to taste

Thoroughly rinse and drain the collard greens.  Cut out the spine of each one and discard.  Layer the greens on top of each other, then roll them up and cut across into strips an inch or so thick.  Heat the oil on medium high and when it's smoking add the onion and pork if using it, and cook until the onion is translucent.  Add the greens and stir to help them wilt.  After 2-3 minutes add the stock and a cup or so of water to mostly submerge the greens.  Bring to a boil then turn down to low heat and cook another 20 minutes or until the collards are tender.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve hot or warm.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Lemon Scented Spaghetti With Shrimp
























Fridays come around and it seems like the family is usually getting together, which begs the question "what to eat?"  There are a lot of palettes and likes/dislikes to account for, and for all the [good] Catholics out there meat is out of the running until later in the month.

This gets quite a pop of lemon that coats each strand of pasta, each bite as you twirl it 'round your fork, replacing the need for as much salt as otherwise with its bright citrus flavor.  The sea-fully savory yet sweet shrimp thrives, and it's worth getting the good stuff, wild and fresh if you have any say.  I like my pasta tight, dressed more like salad, whereas Nicole likes hers wading in abundant liquid.  I agree that the latter approach works really well in this endeavor, so reserve your pasta water rather than tossing it when the pasta's done to make the broth. 

Serves Four (just double it for a famiglia meal)

Ingredients:
1 lb. of spaghetti or other long thin noodle
2 lbs. of shrimp, peeled and cleaned
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 2 medium lemons
Fresh parsley finely chopped to yield about 1/4 cup
1/2 cup white wine, at room temperature or warm
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more to finish off the sauce and garnish
Hot pepper flakes to taste
Salt & Pepper to taste

If you need some guidance on cleaning shrimp:
Use your thumbs on the underside where the legs are to peel away the shell, and remove it segment by segment, leaving the penultimate one and the tail intact.  Squeeze the penultimate one and then gently pull, which should separate and come off cleanly.  Or leave it on for presentation.   

Take a pairing knife and run it down the length of the convex side of the body, about 1/8" deep. Then take the tip of the knife and pry up the digestive tract (some may be totally clean). You should be able to, by being gentle, take the tract out in one fell swoop.  You may notice a dark line running the inside of the concave side, but you don't need to bother with this, it's not the same as the other side. 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it abundantly.  Figure about 10 minutes from start to finish for the sauce, so 'trow the pasta in accordingly to time its finish, shortening the cooking time 2 minutes from what the box says.   

To prepare the shrimp and sauce, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large fry pan over medium high heat.  When it's shimmering but not quite smoking, add the shrimp in one layer.  Let them cook, undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes, then toss or flip.  Add the garlic at this point and stir around with the shrimp, letting it cook but before it browns add the white wine and deglaze the pan, letting most of the wine cook off.  Add a couple ladles of the salted pasta water at this point and let it simmer to create the broth. 

When the pasta is nearly done, add the lemon juice to the fry pan, then the pasta and toss to meld all the flavors, continuing to cook for another 2 minutes.  Toss most of the parsley in, reserving some to garnish individual plates.  Add more pasta water for a brothy result, tasting for salt each time to prevent over-salting, adding plain water if that's the case.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Plate the pasta with some of the shrimp on top.  Garnish with more parsley, pepper flakes and extra virgin olive oil if you like and serve.