Pioneer Woman Monday: Ranch-Style Chicken and Fluffy New Potatoes

November 2, 2009 in Potatoes and Other Starchy Veggies, Poultry | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 comments

Ranch-Style Chicken and Fluffy New Potatoes

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Ew. It’s Monday. Mondays are so fail.

But…

I’m meeting the Pioneer Woman today!!!!!!!!!!! I’m SO EXCITED!!!!

Ahem. I apologize. I get a little more fangirl every hour closer I am to meeting Ree. Rachelle, my friend and macaron conspirator, is going with me to Ree’s cookbook signing tonight. Rachelle and I love the Pioneer Woman. We instant message during the day, and Rachelle will be like “Did you see PW is giving away a red Kitchenaid mixer today???” Or I’ll be all, “Did you see PW is giving away a Le Creuset set today???” You know, we like to keep each other informed of free cookware. Because that’s what friends do.

Anyhoodle, because today is such a momentous and holy day, I made two (count ‘em, TWO) P-Widdy recipes for dinner last night. I made her Ranch-Style Chicken, which is a chicken breast marinated in lemon juice, honey, dijon mustard, paprika, and crushed red pepper, topped with bacon and melted cheddar. Mr. Kitchenette devoured this one; P-Widdy is right when she says this is “Cowboy Food.” I liked the chicken best by itself without the bacon, but I think maybe the bacon I used was just too strong in flavor. Regardless, this chicken will now be part of my Poultry Rotation (the few recipes I make over and over again) along with the Balsamic-Roasted Chicken I love.

I also made PW’s Fluffy New Potatoes, which were kind of DE.LI.CIOUS. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned my love for potatoes before, but they are my Kryptonite. For serious. I would eat potatoes with every meal, if my thighs wouldn’t balloon to the size of tree trunks. In light of my desire to fit my thighs into my favorite jeans, I relegate my potato consumption to Thanksgiving, and the occasional Holy Day. Today is a Holy Day. So I ate potatoes to celebrate. And I’m so glad I did, because these potatoes were WORTH IT. Basically, you halve the potatoes, bake them, scoop out the middle of each half, and mix the potato with cream cheese, sour cream, garlic, chives, and monterey jack. (Yes, I know. These potatoes are the Devil’s creation.) Then you fill the potato halves back up with the mix and bake until the middle is all warm and gooey.

I tried to restrain myself, and I still ate 4 halves of these potatoes. I totes have a muffin top consisting entirely of sour-cream-and-potato this morning. That’s how good they are.

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Ranch-Style Chicken

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

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Ingredients:
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 slices bacon
canola oil
1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese

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Directions:
Mix the mustard, honey, lemon juice, paprika, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes in a Ziploc bag. Pound the chicken with a mallet or heavy saute pan until 3/4 inch thick. Add the chicken to the bag and close; toss to cover the chicken with the marinade and refridgerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Saute the bacon in a saute pan over medium-high heat, until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set on paper towels to drain. Add canola oil to bacon fat (you want about equal parts bacon fat and oil). Add chicken to pan, and sear until browned and crispy on one side. Repeat sear on other side of chicken. Remove chicken and lay on sheet pan; cook chicken on sheet pan in oven for 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Lay bacon on top of chicken, and garnish chicken with grated cheese. Return chicken to oven for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

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Fluffy New Potatoes

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

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Ingredients:
1 pound red potatoes or Russet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup sour cream
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 garlic clove, grated
salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Rinse and dry the potatoes; cut in half. Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes (or until you can hold a potato without withstanding 1st degree burns). Scoop out the insides of the potatoes into a bowl and mash, or use a potato ricer, such that the potatoes are a fluffy consistency. Mix mashed potato with sour cream, cream cheese, cheese, chives, and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fill the potato halves with the filling, and bake for another 10 minutes or until the filling is melted. Hoover, and don’t let anyone steal the last piece.

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Now Playing in the Kitchenette: Bon Iver and St. Vincent / Roslyn – This is from the New Moon soundtrack. Yes, I’m excited for the New Moon movie to come out. Yes, I’m 25 years old. Are we done now?

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A note for some of my less-tech-savvy readers: click on the title of this post, and scroll to the bottom of the new page, to leave a sweet comment telling me what you think of this recipe. Or to tell me to stop posting Gossip girl clips. Or to tell me to post MORE Gossip Girl clips. Or whatever you want, really.

 

My Favorite Things Right Now

October 29, 2009 in Legumes (Beans for the common folk) | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 comments

Frijoles a la Charra

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Guess what?! IT’S THURSDAY! You made it past Hump Day! It’s almost the weekend!

The weekend makes me happy. And in the spirit of being so happy, I’m sharing with you guys two of my favorite things…

Favorite Thing One: Empire Records.

If you haven’t seen this movie, get thee to a video store. STAT. It may very well be my favorite movie of all time. It’s about the staff of an independent CD store, that is in danger of being taken over by a corporate music company. And there’s lots of great music in the movie, and the characters are absolutely unforgettable.

Voila, my favorite scene…

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The fella in the black turtleneck is Lucas. When I was little, I used to dance EXACTLY like Lucas. And not because I had terrible dancing skillz - I was awesome, of course – but just because I thought Lucas was the SHIZZ. I wanted to be like Lucas when I grew up. I specifically remember my mom asking me to stop dancing in public places.

Also, Ethan Embry in this movie is brilliant. I heart his face so bad!

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Oh, and Johnny Whitworth is in this movie. Which means that you get to watch this the entire 2 hours:

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AJ_Empire Records

Swooooooon

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This weekend I’m getting the Empire Records Special Edition DVD. With deleted scenes!!! Be still my heart!

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Favorite Thing Two: Magical Spicy Pinto Beans.

It is now Thursday, and I made these beans Monday night. I’ve eaten them for lunch both Tuesday and Wednesday, and I swear… they just keep getting tastier. Perhaps I shall now refer to them as “the magic beans.” Would that be weird?

I used bacon from our frozen bacon collection (we have over 10 packs of frozen bacon in the freezer – you know, JUST IN CASE.) The combination of the bacon and tomatoes and jalapeno is to. die. for. It’s smoky and spicy and almost sweet all at the same time. These are excellent served over rice – it’s filling, but it won’t send you into a Food Coma. And it’s peasant food (read: super freaking cheap food). So, I implore you to get to a grocery store, buy some beans, and make this immediately! You won’t regret it. <space>

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Frijoles a la Charra

Adapted from the Homesick Texan

Printable Recipe

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Ingredients:
1 pound (2 cups) dried pinto beans
1/4 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup diced onion
1/4 cup jalapeno juice (from canned jalapenos)
1/4 pound salt pork
4 slices of bacon, chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes, or 1 14-oz can of diced
3 jalapenos, chopped
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped
1 cup of chopped cilantro, plus additional for garnish

Soaking the Beans:
Fill a large bowl with room temperature water. Sort through the beans to ensure there are no pebbles in the beans. Put the pebble-free beans into the bowl. The water should cover the beans by at least an inch. Add more water if necessary. Soak for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

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Frijoles a la Charra - Salt Pork

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Frijoles a la Charra - Bacon

Can we say pork products?

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Cooking the Beans:
Drain the water from the beans. Put the beans into a large stockpot. Cover with 7 cups of fresh water. Add the garlic, onion, jalapeno juice, and salt pork to the pot. Bring to boil, cover, and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 1 hour. Test the beans for doneness as the 1 hour mark approaches. The beans are done cooking when they are tender and no longer grainy. Remove salt pork and discard. Strain beans and onions from cooking liquid; reserve cooking liquid for later use.

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Frijoles a la Charra - Charra Sauce

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Making the Charra Sauce:
Saute the bacon in a large stockpot over medium heat until crispy. Add the tomatoes, jalapenos, chipotles in adobo, and cilantro to pot. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Let bacon mixture cool, add 1 cup of bacon cooking water and puree in a food processor. Return puree to saucepan and add in the cooked beans. Add 1 additional cup of cooking liquid and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve beans over rice. Garnish with additional cilantro if preferred. Makes 8 servings.

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Frijoles a la Charra - Big ole pot o' beans

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Now Playing in the Kitchenette: The The / This Is the Day – Best. Song. Ever.

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The Only Housekeeping I Actually Like Doing

October 28, 2009 in What does this have to do with food? ... It's not like this is a FOOD BLOG | Tags: , , , , , , | 4 comments

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Hello, my dear, sweet readers! All four of you, anyways.

Since you have been so good to me, reading the blog and leaving comments and such, I wanted to do something for all of you. Nice try, it’s not a giveaway… yet. Hopefully one day, Mr. Kitchenette and I will sponsor one of you to fly to New York and go on a dream vacation and eat at all the best restaurants. Or else, I dunno, I’ll ship you a pack of my mishapen macarons or something. I can hear the squeals of excitement from all across the country!

Anyways, I’ve been hard at work on the blog as of late. I’ve added some super awesome features and switched some things around, all to make sure that the blog is shiny and pretty for each of you:

1. I bought my domain! (That would be www.the-kitchenette.com for the technology-not-so-savvy.) I’m sure this earned a big, fat, resounding “DUH” from most of you, since I switched the website over from wordpress to the domain waaaaaay back in September. But whatever. So, this post will be going up once on wordpress and once on the domain name, just for any people that were following the feed. Yes, this post will go up twice. DO NOT ADJUST YOUR TELEVISION.

2. Since I know a fair amount of you have no idea how to use Google Reader (coughMOMcough), I’ve added a handy link (right over to the left, right between the Twitter feed and the search function) where you can subscribe to The Kitchenette via email. Everytime I post, you’ll get an email notifying you that there is a new post to read. I wish I could set it up so that it would deliver each of the subscribers a basket of cookies with each notification email, but sadly, FeedBurner doesn’t have that capability yet.

3. Because my dear friend MPWastingMorn is eating gluten-free, I’ve started tagging my recipes as they go up with “gluten-free.” We don’t discriminate against celiacs here at The Kitchenette. Wouldn’t be prudent. I’ve also started tagging the recipes “vegan” or “vegetarian,” since we love the veggies here, too.

4. I upgraded my WordPress account to include Videopress! Now I can bombard you with Gossip Girl clips as well as tasty recipes! Mwahahahaha! My evil plan is working…

5. I’ve formatted the posts so that the entire post now shows up on the home page of the blog. But as soon as I did this, my mother whined to me that she didn’t like it that way. So I ask you, dear readers… weigh in on my dilemma.

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6. All recipes from here on will have a print-friendly link; I’m in the process of adding a link for the recipes already posted. Here’s an example of a print-friendly link:

Pasta with Sausage and Pumpkin – Print-Friendly Recipe

Please leave me a comment if you like or dislike the way I’ve formatted the print-friendly function!

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Are you tired yet of all the non-foodie info? Well, here’s your happy foodie moment for the day. Isn’t this cake gorgeous?

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courgette_&_chocolate_cake_main_image

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It’s on my list of recipes that I want to make immediately if not sooner. Have I mentioned that this list is like a million items long? Anyways, you can find the recipe here, if you’re so inclined.

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Now Playing in the Kitchenette: Anna Ternheim / What Have I Done

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The Only Housekeeping That I Actually Like Doing

October 27, 2009 in What does this have to do with food? ... It's not like this is a FOOD BLOG | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 comment

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Hello, my dear, sweet readers! All four of you, anyways.

Since you have been so good to me, reading the blog and leaving comments and such, I wanted to do something for all of you. Nice try, it’s not a giveaway… yet. Hopefully one day, Mr. Kitchenette and I will sponsor one of you to fly to New York and go on a dream vacation and eat at all the best restaurants. Or else, I dunno, I’ll ship you a pack of my mishapen macarons or something. I can hear the squeals of excitement from all across the country!

Anyways, I’ve been hard at work on the blog as of late. I’ve added some super awesome features and switched some things around, all to make sure that the blog is shiny and pretty for each of you:

1. I bought my domain! (That would be www.the-kitchenette.com for the technology-not-so-savvy.) I’m sure this earned a big, fat, resounding “DUH” from most of you, since I switched the website over from wordpress to the domain waaaaaay back in September. But I didn’t realize that I had to inform the subscribers on the wordpress feed of the change. I’m sure you thought I had completely disappeared off the face of the earth, not posting for 2 months! So please change your feed to http://the-kitchenette.com/feed/.

2. Since I know a fair amount of you have no idea how to use Google Reader (coughMOMcough), I’ve added a handy link (right over to the left, right between the Twitter feed and the search function) where you can subscribe to The Kitchenette via email. Everytime I post, you’ll get an email notifying you that there is a new post to read. I wish I could set it up so that it would deliver each of the subscribers a basket of cookies with each notification email, but sadly, FeedBurner doesn’t have that capability yet.

3. Because my dear friend MPWastingMorn is eating gluten-free, I’ve started tagging my recipes as they go up with “gluten-free.” We don’t discriminate against celiacs here at The Kitchenette. Wouldn’t be prudent. I’ve also started tagging the recipes “vegan” or “vegetarian,” since we love the veggies here, too.

4. I upgraded my WordPress account to include Videopress! Now I can bombard you with Gossip Girl clips as well as tasty recipes! Mwahahahaha! My evil plan is working…

5. I’ve formatted the posts so that the entire post now shows up on the home page of the blog. But as soon as I did this, my mother whined to me that she didn’t like it that way. So I ask you, dear readers… weigh in on my dilemma (but since this is a duplicate post, please do it here.

6. All recipes from here on will have a print-friendly link; I’m in the process of adding a link for the recipes already posted. Here’s an example of a print-friendly link:

Pasta with Sausage and Pumpkin – Print-Friendly Recipe

Please leave me a comment if you like or dislike the way I’ve formatted the print-friendly function!

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Are you tired yet of all the non-foodie info? Well, here’s your happy foodie moment for the day. Isn’t this cake gorgeous?

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courgette_&_chocolate_cake_main_image

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It’s on my list of recipes that I want to make immediately if not sooner. Have I mentioned that this list is like a million items long? Anyways, you can find the recipe here, if you’re so inclined.

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Now Playing in the Kitchenette: Anna Ternheim / What Have I Done

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Vanilla and Chocolate Ganache Macarons

October 27, 2009 in Sweets | Tags: , , , , , , | 17 comments

Vanilla and Chocolate Ganache Macarons

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I’m looking at you, macarons. I OWNED YOU this challenge.

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

Even though you’re not supposed to tell others what the DB challenge is for the month, I may or may not have whispered to my friend Rachelle that I was going to try making macarons this month, and she (may or may not have) offered to help me try and make them the first time. For our first batch, we tried making pistachio macarons, but for some reason they turned out flat and sticky. For the second batch, we made the vanilla macarons pictured above, and we lengthened the baking time by 2 minutes. We still didn’t get any “feet,” but I considered that a small price to pay. I’ve done some investigation as to how you can get better feet at high altitudes; we are baking at 5280 feet above sea level, and me thinks that might have made a difference in how the cookies “rose.” The vanilla cookies were good, but the pistachio cookies had much better flavor. When I make them again, I plan to make pistachio ones.

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David Lebowitz - Good Feet

Um, yeah. Not my macarons. But see the little area around the filling that’s all crinkly? Those are “feet.” Although my macarons are feet-less, they were still a huge feat for me. hahaha See what I did there???

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These cookies are way easier than I thought to make. There seem to be an unending wealth of information out there on how to make your macarons better; how to make the egg whites more stable, how to make sure that the feet rise high enough. And yes, if you’re concerned about these delicate details, then these tips are invaluable. However, if you’re just happy that your macarons were tasty, then you can overlook those details until you’re preparing for Iron Chef Battle Macaron. These cookies are definitely going on the list of “Foods that I Effed up the First Time but I Actually Have the Courage to Try Making Again.”

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Vanilla and Chocolate Ganache Macarons

Adapted from The Daring Kitchen 

Makes 2 dozen sandwich cookies

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Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups (225 grams) confectioner’s sugar
2 cups (190 grams) almond flour (i.e. almond meal)
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 egg whites, room temperature

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Making the macarons:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Combine the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a medium bowl. If grinding your own nuts, combine nuts and a cup of confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor and grind until nuts are very fine and powdery.

Beat the egg whites in the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.

Sift a third of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold gently to combine. If you are planning on adding zest or other flavorings to the batter, now is the time. Sift in the remaining almond flour in two batches. Be gentle! Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients.

Spoon the mixture into a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. It’s easiest to fill your bag if you stand it up in a tall glass and fold the top down before spooning in the batter.

Pipe one-inch-sized mounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with nonstick liners (or parchment paper). 

Bake the macarons for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and raise the temperature to 375 degrees. Once the oven is up to temperature, put the pans back in the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or lightly colored. 

Cool on a rack before filling. To make sandwich cookies, fill with the chocolate ganache, recipe follows.

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Chocolate Ganache

Yields 2 cups

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Ingredients:
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate 
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

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Directions:
Fill a saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer. Place a heatproof bowl on the saucepan, and add the chocolate and cream to the bowl. Heat over the simmering water until the chocolate melts. Stir while over heat to ensure that the chocolate  melts evenly.

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Now Playing in the Kitchenette: Ray Lamontagne / A Falling Through – I love me some Ray Lamontagne. His voice sounds like love.

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Pasta with Sausage and Pumpkin

October 26, 2009 in Pasta | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 comments

 Pasta with Sausage and Pumpkin

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So, remember how I bought all that squash a couple of weeks ago? Like 20 pounds of pumpkins and other various edible squash varieties?

… I bought even more since I wrote that post. I HAVE A PROBLEM. It’s called I-can’t-resist-a-good-produce-sale-itis. There is no known cure.

So yes, Squashapalooza is really becoming a trend here in our house. Methinks Mr. Kitchenette is not pleased, but… I cook the food so he can shut it. Besides, I have grand plans for all of our little squashes. (Do you like how I talk about them like they are my babies? That’s because I have no children, but I have to project on something.)

I bought this giant pumpkin as part of my shopping spree. Do you remember it?

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 Pasta with Sausage and Pumpkin

Squash. I haz it.

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I mean, this sucker is BIG. I’m thinking at least 10 pounds (although I’m historically terrible at guessing weights and volumes… but it’s like, really big and stuff, so go with it.) I really just bought it for the seeds. I haven’t had pumpkin seeds in years, and I wanted to give them a try. But, in case you know me in real life (some of you do), you may not have noticed that I’m turning into somewhat of a hippie. Blame in on the proximity to Boulder. And I couldn’t trash the rest of the pumpkin just to get at the seeds! That’s too much waste. So I did some research on using pumpkin “flesh.”

(Note: what else does one call the insides of the pumpkin? I called it the “flesh” and Mr. Kitchenette made fun of me; he said I sounded like Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs. What-EVER, dude.)

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Basically, I found a lot of recipes that called for pumpkin puree from “sugar pumpkins,” but none that said “oh yeah, you can use the old Jack-o-lantern pumpkin that you didn’t carve this year.” So I called my mother – whom I always call for advice, she’s my oracle – to ask her whether I could use a regular ol’ pumpkin instead of a sugar pumpkin. This is how it went down:

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Me:          So, I bought this massive pumpkin but I don’t know what to do with it. Can I even cook with this thing?

Mom:      Sure, why not?

Me:          All the recipes I’ve looked at call for a sugar pumpkin. I’m wondering whether I should just use a sugar pumpkin for the recipe I’m looking at making.

Mom:      (Insert sassy Southern voice here) Well, that’s just not how we do it here in the South. When I was little, we used to just cut it in half, oil the pumpkin, and cook it in the oven cut-side-down.

Me:          Hmmm… you’re still alive, so it can’t be that bad for you.

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Well, I decided to try it. After all, I did buy my pumpkin at the grocery store. It’s not like I bought it at a massive pumpkin patch… plus, I would only eat a little bit, so that I could make sure I didn’t die as a result of eating pesticide-laden pumpkins.

I found this recipe for pasta with pumpkin, and I decided (mostly from the picture – I love your pics, Jen) that I had to try it with my massive amounts of pumpkin flesh. I’m not going to lie; I thought the recipe sounded a little weird. It sounded almost… sweet. And pasta using cinnamon? Odd. But I have faith in Jen, so I decided to try it anyways. I have a rule of trying new recipes the exact way that they’re written the first time; no modifications. After all, how can you tell what it’s supposed to taste like if you make a million changes to the recipe?

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Pasta with Sausage and Pumpkin - Roasted Pumpkin

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So I made this with the exact proportions called for, except that I used bulk breakfast sausage from the grocer, as I couldn’t find maple sausage this week. I suppose I could have added a teaspoon of maple syrup, but I’m glad I didn’t add it, as I think it might have overwhelmed the taste of the pumpkin. The pumpkin puree I ended up with was exceedingly delicate, not at all like what I thought it would taste like. I guess I thought it would be sweeter rather than savory, but it is a squash. The resulting pasta dish was light, delicate, not at all what I expected. First you taste the sausage, and the sage and spices in the sausage, and then you taste the pasta, and there is this all-permeating taste of squash, with just the tiniest hint of sweetness.

To roast your own pumpkin, cut it in half horizontally, and oil the cut side of the pumpkin. Cook the pumpkin cut-side-down on a rimmed baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for at least 1 hour, until the flesh is cooked through. Scoop out the flesh and puree using a food mill. My pumpkin yielded about 10 cups of pumpkin puree. The puree was quite watery, so I’ve set up the puree in a sieve in the fridge, so that it will drain some and I’ll end up with something more concentrated. I’m going to freeze the rest of the puree in 1-cup increments, but I’m not sure what to do with the rest yet. I’m on the hunt for new recipes to try, of course, so I’m excited because there are a lot of possibilities.  

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Pasta with Sausage and Pumpkin

Adapted from My Kitchen Addiction

Serves 4

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Ingredients:
10 ounces farfalle
1 pound pork sausage
1 large onion, diced to into medium-large pieces
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup white wine
1 cup pumpkin puree
fresh grated parmigiano-reggiano

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Directions:
Cook the farfalle according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the sausage, breaking it into bite-size crumbles as it cooks. Once the sausage is caramelized around the edges, add the onion, sage, and cinnamon, and saute until the onions are soft. Season with salt to taste.

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Pasta with Sausage and Pumpkin - Adding the Pumpkin Puree

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Deglaze the pan by adding the white wine to the pan, and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the pumpkin puree. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a few minutes, until a sauce forms from the pumpkin and wine.

Add the cooked pasta to the saute pan, and stir to coat. Transfer to serving dish, and top with freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano.

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Now Playing in the Kitchenette: The Temper Trap / Sweet Disposition

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Balsamic Vinegar Pasta with Goat Cheese and Scallions

October 23, 2009 in Pasta | Tags: , , , , , , | 5 comments

Balsamic Vinegar Pasta with Goat Cheese and Scallions

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Mr. Kitchenette and I are pretty addicted to Iron Chef. I know, I know… we’re old school. Nowadays everyone is watching Top Chef and don’t get me wrong – we love that show, too. But there’s something kind of awesome about Iron Chef… I think it’s that the Iron Chefs are established, and that they make dishes that the normal person at home would never even dream of making.

A few weeks ago, we watched “Battle Balsamic Vinegar.” I think they created this battle just for me, honestly… practically every dish I make has balsamic vinegar in it. I heart balsamic vinegar. Well, anyways, Bobby Flay - my favorite chef – made balsamic vinegar pasta dough. I KNOW. Where does he come up with this stuff?!

So the next morning, I was recanting my undying love for Bobby over Twitter, and Lan of Angry Asian Creations was all “I want that balsamic vinegar pasta dough,” and we agreed that someone needed to make it. So I made a valiant effort, and this is the result. Not exactly what Bobby made on IC, but to tell you the truth… I don’t really remember what he made exactly… (I know, I’m so ashamed!)

I made this using my Kitchenaid mixer to mix the dough, and then I used the mixer’s pasta roller attachment for the noodles. I try not to post recipes where you might need to buy a new kitchen tool, but… I really love my stand mixer and pasta maker, and I think every cook should get one if they can afford it. If you don’t have a mixer, then you better get to the store quickly! Just kidding. You can roll the dough by hand with just a rolling pin, but the noodles won’t be as thin. Katy over at Sugarlaws has excellent instructions for making the noodles by hand.

This is the first recipe I’m posting that is totally and completely from my brain only, so please let me know what you think!

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Balsamic Vinegar Pasta Dough

Serves 8 to 10

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Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups (830 ml) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) kosher salt
3 eggs
6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
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Directions:
Mix together flour, salt, eggs, and balsamic vinegar. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together when you squeeze some in your fist. (You may need only a little water, or you may need a ton – it all depends on a variety of factors such as the humidity level in the air, the altitude you’re making this at, how old your flour is, whether you’re making this on the 3rd Saturday of the month, and whether God wants to smite you that day or not. You get the point. I needed about 1/2 cup of water, but you may only need a few tablespoons.)

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Balsamic Vinegar Pasta with Goat Cheese and Scallions - Mixing the Dough

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Working in batches, knead the dough for 2 minutes (per batch) on a Silpat or floured countertop. If the dough seperates when you try to knead it, add more water (a tablespoon at a time) to make it more pliable.  Pat the dough into flattened circles and let it rest for 20 minutes before proceeding to make the noodles.

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Balsamic Vinegar Pasta with Goat Cheese and Scallions - Pasta Dough

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Attach the pasta roller attachment to the stand mixer. Starting in the “1″ setting (the thickest setting), feed the dough through the roller. Your first attempt probably won’t be pretty, but simply lay the pieces flat and press together, before sending the piece through the roller again.

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Balsamic Vinegar Pasta with Goat Cheese and Scallions - Rolling the Dough

First pass through the rollers. What? This doesn’t look edible to you? Pffff.

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Once your dough comes out in one piece, fold into thirds, and pass through the rollers again before moving to the next setting.

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Balsamic Vinegar Pasta with Goat Cheese and Scallions - Rolling the Dough

Balsamic Vinegar Pasta with Goat Cheese and Scallions - Rolling the Dough

Balsamic Vinegar Pasta with Goat Cheese and Scallions - Rolling the Dough

Balsamic Vinegar Pasta with Goat Cheese and Scallions - Rolling the Dough

Balsamic Vinegar Pasta with Goat Cheese and Scallions - Cutting Dough into Noodles

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Pass the dough through the rollers at least twice, for every setting 2-5. You can continue to roll the dough out to settings 6,7, or 8, but setting 5 will get you very thin noodles that are perfect for sphaghetti or linguine.

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Balsamic Vinegar Pasta with Goat Cheese and Scallions - Storing leftover noodles

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Since this recipe makes a shatload of pasta, I like to freeze the leftovers, and then use them later. As I feed the dough through the cutter to get noodles, I lay the noodles out on wax paper. I guess and put about 1 serving’s worth of pasta on each sheet, and I make sure to lay the noodles out flat so that they don’t get tangled. Dust with a little all-purpose flour, and stack the wax paper sheets. Then you can put all the sheets in a ziplock bag and stash in the freezer. Then, the next time you’re too tired to make anything for dinner, just whip out your pre-made fresh pasta noodles. It’s fun to live like kings, no?

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Balsamic Vinegar Pasta with Goat Cheese and Scallions

Serves 2

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Ingredients:
1/4 Balsamic Pasta Dough, recipe above
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 bunch scallions / green onions, green parts only, thinly sliced
4 oz goat cheese, seperated
salt and pepper

Directions:
Bring to boil a large stock pot full of water. Salt the water generously.

Heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Grate the garlic into the oil and butter, and add the crushed red pepper. Cook for approximately 2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant. Do not let the garlic or red pepper burn! (If it does burn, just start over! It will taste terrible – I know from experience.) Add 2 oz of the goat cheese, crumbling it with your fingers as you add it to the pan. Remove the pan from heat. Allow the goat cheese to melt into the butter and olive oil while you cook the pasta.

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Balsamic Vinegar Pasta with Goat Cheese and Scallions - Making the Sauce

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Add the pasta noodles to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, or until the pasta is tender but not mushy. Remove the noodles and add to the sauce, and toss gently to coat the noodles with sauce.

Transfer noodles to plate. Crumble remaining 2 oz goat cheese over pasta, and garnish with scallions. Serve immediately.

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Now Playing in the Kitchenette:  Laura Marling / Ghosts  – Someone has a girl crush… I’ll give you a hint… it’s me.

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Kale with Lemon and Parm

October 22, 2009 in Vegetables | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 4 comments

Kale with Lemon and Parm

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So, before I became The Kitchenette (I say it like I stepped in the closet Bruce-Wayne style and emerged a Superhero), I was kind of a picky eater. I think my mother would agree that my brother and I were both extremely picky, actually. I didn’t like a lot of foods… especially vegetables. I was pretty much a potato-and-carrots-only vegetable eater.

But once I started cooking regularly, I really just wanted to try new things. At first my curiosity leaned towards trying new ways to cook the things I liked already; I tried various meatball recipes before finding one that has now become my staple. Then I began cooking things at home that I could buy or get only at restaurants; I tried making falafel at home (a big failure – it’s still on the list of “Recipes to Master”). Lately, I’ve really been inspired to try new foods entirely. In the past year, I’ve found that I was secretly harboring a love for sweetbreads (neither sweet nor bread), veal cheeks, and oysters. Who knew?

I’ve also been reevaluating those vegetables that I turned my nose up at before. Kohlrabi, broccoli, and yes… even asparagus. (There’s no hope for asparagus. It’s disgusting and you know it.) Before, I would never have dreamed of eating kale… in fact, I didn’t even really know that kale existed until a few years ago. It’s not a very yummy-looking vegetable, either. If you really think about it, it basically looks like a wrinkly leaf off of a tree. Ew. But instead of going straight for the time-honored-but-never-really-yummy dish of overcooked garden greens with added flavor from bacon/ham/unidentified-pork-product, I chose instead to try kale in a variety of ways. I tried it in soup, I tried it flash-cooked, in pasta dishes. But out of all the ways I’ve tried eating kale, this is my favorite.

This is the epitome of the food I like to cook – simple, cheap, local food that is dripping with flavor.

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Kale with Lemon and Parm

Adapted from The Kitchn

Serves 4

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 Ingredients:
2 large bunches kale, washed and trimmed of stems/stalks
6 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
4 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper
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Directions:
Roll the kale leaves together and cut each roll into small strips. Transfer kale to a large bowl.

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Kale with Lemon and Parm

This is me chopping up kale. Notice the stems of the kale in the sink. Also notice my hot pink dishwashing gloves in the background. Sexy!

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Mix the olive oil and lemon juice together, and whisk vigorously to combine and form an emulsion. Drizzle dressing over kale and toss to coat. Let kale sit at room temperature for at least one hour, until the kale has wilted slightly. Toss with cheese and serve.

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Now Playing in the Kitchenette: Dirty Pretty Things / You Fucking Love It – it’s just a punk kind of day! DAMN THE MAN

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Salmon with Citrus Vinaigrette

October 21, 2009 in Fish and Seafood | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 comments

Salmon with Citrus Vinaigrette

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Today is exceptionally dreary here in Denver. It’s disgusting – 34 degrees and snowing. I would much rather be at home, in my sweatpants, instead of being at work today. Today would have been one of those days in which I slept in until 11 am and then watched back episodes of Glee all day long while eating this salmon for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Do you watch Glee? Because I’m addicted. That show is the best thing since… Gossip Girl. What did you think I was going to say? Sliced Bread?

The first episode that I watched ended with this scene:

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The football team dancing to Beyonce? This show was made for me. We are soulmates.

Glee and this salmon – two of my favorite things. There are many varied recipes for salmon out there, but I feel like they generally are a baked salmon with some sort of glaze or topping. This salmon is served with, I kid you not, a dressing. And not a tiny amount of sauce, I’m talking copious amounts of dressing. It’s like the seafood equivalent of dunking Oreos in milk. And it’s so so so good.

The original recipe (on Serious Eats, where I found it) calls for grilling the salmon. But as I don’t have a grill at my disposal, I used the oven instead. Which is probably better now that summer is over – I mean, who wants to stand out at the grill when it’s below 30 degrees out? The white balsamic vinegar is key here – it may be a little hard to find, but once you do, it’s a great staple in your pantry. I have some in my pantry at all times, as it’s a great alternative to white wine vinegar or regular ol’ balsamic vinegar.

And as always, make sure that you’re using sustainably- and wild-caught salmon if at all possible!

When I made this salmon, it was so good that… Mr. Kitchenette and I ate it out of a bowl – like cereal. I kid you not. We are heathens.

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Salmon with Citrus Vinaigrette

Adapted from Serious Eats and the Big Sur Bakery Cookbook

Serves 2

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Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (I prefer regular, not course-grain)
3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
2 pounds salmon
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
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Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring the orange juice to boil in a small saucepan. Reduce over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Combine with the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper, and lemon juice. Add the 1/3 cup oil in a slow stream, whisking vigorously to get an emulsion.

Toss the salmon with the parsley and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Bake at 375 degrees until the salmon is opaque throughout. Whisk the vinaigrette to ensure it hasn’t seperated, then pour over the salmon before serving.

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Now Playing in the Kitchenette: The Everybodyfields / City Noise - this is on repeat today. Her sweet voice, the harmonies that just make you tear up because they are just that beautiful. It’s a great song for such a gloomy day.

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Don’t forget… it’s Glee Day! I’ll be on my couch at approximately 7:58 tonight, if anyone wants to come join me.

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Pasta with Summer Squash and Ricotta

October 20, 2009 in Pasta, Vegetables | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 comments

Pasta with Summer Squash and Ricotta

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Oh. mah. God. I’m seriously dying over the Gossip Girl from last night! It is the Greatest Show of Our Time. Chuck Bass totally pwns me. I’m building a shrine to him in my closet right now. I’ve got a scarf and a purple ascot so far, and I’m attempting to get my hands on this tshirt so that I can secretly wear it under all of my clothes.

 I love Chuck Bass T ShirtAlso, in vocabulary lessons for the day, the word “pwn” is defined as:

An act of dominating an opponent; originally dates back to the days of WarCraft, when a map designer mispelled “Own” as “Pwn”. What was originally supposed to be “player has been owned.” was “player has been pwned”.

(This definition is for my mother, who will undoubtedly read this post and then call me and ask me what “pwn” means. I’m sorry I’m so much cooler than you, Mom. Now watch those Mickey Mouse Club youtube videos I sent you this morning.)

In case you missed it, here’s the kiss seen round the world!

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Blair gets extra points for “Out, you cableknit queen!” I died, seriously. And then came back again just to blog about how awesome that line is. Speaking of blogs that love Gossip Girl, if you enjoy the show, you should mosey over to the Daily Intel right quick – they do the best recaps of GG. And I quote,

Chuck’s purple paisley nightgown is perfect, as is his teeny espresso mug and morning Carey Grant hair. Plus 3, because we think the reason he wasn’t in bed with Blair must have been that was he was in the bathroom taking out his rollers.

So much about P.J. Buckley is spot-on, from his popped collar to the fratty guys hanging around behind him to the perfect dick look he gives the photo of Trip Vanderbilt, to the fact that he seems a lot more upset about his sister gaining 30 pounds than being brokenhearted. But Plus only 2, because his accent sounds more Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing than J.R. Ewing, and are we really meant to believe he just sits around a big round table all day, in a lair straight out of the Batman comics, waiting to be challenged to high-stakes poker games?

And my personal favorite:

Why does Gossip Girl still call Dan Lonely Boy? Minus 1, because he is clearly not. Look at him in that last scene, surrounded by friends and family, like it’s the Olive Garden or some shit.

Yes!!! Chris and Jessica are my people, because they hate the Olive Garden, too. That place is The Gross. I’m just saying. I can’t watch their commercials, it’s full of people being like “oh I can’t choose between all of your delicious pastas” when you know the actor is thinking “I would never eat this in a million years because this creamy parmesan sauce would harden into rock-hard cholesterol in my veins and kill me before I even got paid.” We used to go there sometimes as a kid, before I knew what good pasta tasted like. And good pasta tastes like this summer squash and ricotta delicacy.

I seem to have a problem finishing my “series” of posts. I totally didn’t finish my Market Week posts. FAIL. I didn’t post the other ricotta recipe I made using my homemade ricotta I made a few weeks ago, either. FAIL. I think I have an attention span problem! So this is the 2nd ricotta recipe (here’s the first).

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Pasta with Summer Squash and Ricotta - Adding the Ricotta

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This is a great pasta to use up with any leftover zucchini or summer squash you have on hand, and it lends itself easily to customization (read: whatever is in your fridge). Feel free to substitute another type of pasta for the gemelli that I used here, and you could substitute another cheese for the ricotta, too, such as feta or goat cheese or even parmesan (I’d add a little bit of milk if using parm, though, to help the sauce come together). And if this is your main course at home, I would throw in some extra veggies, like spinach or broccoli, just to up the veggie factor. This is an easy, simple pasta dish, that’s pretty cheap, too. Don’t forget to salt generously if you’re using homemade ricotta!

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Pasta with Summer Squash and Ricotta

Adapted from Sugarlaws

Serves 4

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Ingredients:
1 box gemelli pasta, or similar pasta
2 fresh summer squash, cut into matchstick
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup ricotta
2 tbsp parsley, minced
salt and pepper

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta and reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water for sauce if necessary. In a separate saucepan, saute squash in olive oil until the squash is tender but not mushy. Add the ricotta and a small amount of pasta cooking water (about a tablespoon or two). Mix gently over medium heat until a light sauce forms. Add in the hot pasta and toss to coat. Transfer pasta to serving dish, and sprinkle with parsley.

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Pasta with Summer Squash and Ricotta - Adding the Pasta

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Playing in the Kitchenette: Karen O and the Kids / Capsize – From the “Where the Wild Things Are” soundtrack; the entire soundtrack is completely To. Die. For.

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The Kitchenette

(Usually) simple, (frequently) tasty, (generally) slow-food-based recipes served with a hearty dose of snark.

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Contact me at thekitchenettelady@gmail.com