Friday, September 4, 2015

August Supper Club - Cold Buffet

In August, we met at Katharina's house for a Cold Buffet.

Katharina made a vodka-cranberry punch:

Lauren made a Quinoa Tabbouleh:
From Epicurious: 
Yield: 6 servings
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
  • 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large English hothouse cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers, cut into 1/4" pieces
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  1. Bring quinoa, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
  3. Spread out quinoa on a large rimmed baking sheet; let cool. Transfer to a large bowl; mix in 1/4 cup dressing. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover remaining dressing and quinoa separately; chill.
  4. Add cucumber, tomatoes, herbs, and scallions to bowl with quinoa; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle remaining dressing over.
 
Katharina made a potato salad and meatballs:

Sara made a rice salad:

Rice Salad (Insalatone di Riso)

This dish is a very typical Italian summer favorite, it is easily prepared with pickled vegetables (called "giardiniera" in italian) and canned tuna, cheese, fresh peppers and tomatoes, hot dogs, boiled eggs and much more...There are infinite variants of this dish and anyone can come up with their own, depending on their creativity and/or what was left in the fridge... :) This dish is often brought to picnics and pot lucks during the summer.

Ingredients for 4 people:

- 1 cup Riso Arborio (get an Italian brand, like Gallo or the one they carry at World Market)
- 1 jar Artichokes hearths in olive oil and spices
- 1 can tuna in oil (best in olive oil) 
- 3 boiled eggs
- 1 jar baby pickled cucumbers 
- 1/2 cup white cheese
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt

Cook the rice according to the instructions in salted water and immediately after draining, set under cold running water until cold. Pour the rice in a bowl with two table spoons olive oil and mix well, add more oil to make sure the grains don't clump.
Rinse the cucumber under running water, and drain the oil from the tuna. Discard half of the marinade of the artichokes, save the rest to add flavor to the rice salad. 
Cut all the ingredients in small pieces (cubes) and mix everything together with the rice. Adjust the salt, oftentimes it is not necessary to add any because of the salty nature of the ingredients.
Cover with plastic film and let sit in the refrigerator overnight, this brings out the medley of flavors of the salad. 
    


Rebecca made rye bread:


Sprouted Vollkornbrot 

Recipe from Peter Reinhart's Bread Revolution 
Makes 8 mini loaves

5C plus 2 Tbsp. sprouted rye flour
2 1/3 C sprouted whole wheat flour
1/4 Cup sunflower seeds, lightly toasted
3 Tbsp. whole flax seeds
1 1/2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
2 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups water, at room temperature
3 Tsp. molasses
5 tsp. instant yeast

In the bowl of a mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl, stir together the water and molasses and then dissolve the yeast in that mixture.

Add the molasses mixture to the flour mixture and stir until incorporated.  The dough will be coarse and wet.  Mix for 2 more minutes on low and then a few seconds on medium.  The dough will be wet and just firm enough to hold its shape.  Add more water or flour as needed to get this texture.

Cover the dough with oiled plastic wrap and let it for 1 hour at room temperature  It won't rise much. 

Grease 8 mini loaf pans.  

Transfer the dough to a floured surface.  Shape into 8 equal oblongs and place into the greased loaf pans.  Cover with greased plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for an hour.  The dough will not rise much.

Preheat the oven to 500F and place a baking pan on the lower rack.

Put the loaves in the oven on the middle rack and pour 1 cup of hot water into the baking pan on the lower rack.  Lower the temperature of the oven to 350F. 

Bake for 30 minutes and then rotate the loaf pans.  Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes until the crust is hard and the loaves soud hollow when thumped on teh bottom.  The internal temperature should be at least 190F.  The tops may crack.

Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool before slicing.



Kim made the best cake in the world:

Lauren made a honeydew melon-mint fruit salad:

I cut up some honeydew, added mint leaves, and some lime juice.

Sunday, June 7, 2015

May (in June) Supper Club - Late Spring and Early Summer Ingredients Brunch

The theme was late spring/early summer ingredients for a brunch, and based on the dishes we cooked, I think that means eggs, fresh veggies, and fruit.

To drink, I made cold-brewed Iced Tea and Fresh Lemonade.  We made Arnold Palmers (half tea and half lemonade) from the 2 beverages.  Katharina also brought Coffee.

For the main course I made a hybrid of french toast and bread pudding. I also baked some croissants from Trader Joe's and served some homemade jams (Jams not made by me, one was a cranberry orange marmalade from Katharina, the fig apricot, and plum jams all came from other friends.)

 
The next Supper Club (July?) will be hosted by Katharina.




Iced Tea Recipe
5 Earl Grey tea bags earl grey
5 Black tea bags
8 cups Water
  1. Add tea bags to water and refrigerate overnight.
  2. Remove tea bags.
  3. Strain tea into a pitcher and chill or serve.


Fresh Lemonade
6 Lemons or enough for 1 cup juice
7 cups Water
1 cup Sugar (I used 1/2 cup stevia/sugar blend form C & H)

  1. Juice the lemons to get 1 cup juice.  Reserve rinds and excess pulp.
  2.  Put juice in small saucepan and add sugar.  Heat on medium until sugar dissolves. Take off heat and cool.
  3. Bring 7 cups water to a boil, then add reserved rinds/pulp and let steep for 10 minutes.
  4. Strain Liquid into a container, press gently on rinds with a spoon to get extra flavor.
  5. Mix lemon juice and strained water in a pitcher and cool/chill until ready to serve.  Adjust sugar, lemon, or water to taste.

Baked Apple-Cinnamon French Toast

Makes: 12 servings
Active Time:
Total Time:

Ingredients

  • 3 cups nonfat milk
  • 2 cups pasteurized liquid egg whites, such as Egg Beaters
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1-pound loaf sliced whole-wheat bread
  • 1 cup chopped dried apples, (3 ounces) - her I used fresh apples.  I added 2 large Fuji apples, chopped.
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I fresh ground this)
  • 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar (I forgot to add this)

Preparation

  1. Whisk milk, egg whites, honey, vanilla and salt in a large bowl.
  2. Trim crusts off 8 bread slices and set aside. Cut the crusts and the remaining bread into 1-inch pieces. Toss with dried apples, raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg in another large bowl.
  3. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Transfer the bread mixture to the pan. Lay the reserved crustless slices evenly on top, trimming to fit. Whisk the milk mixture one more time, then pour evenly over the bread. Press the bread down with the back of a wooden spoon, making sure it’s evenly moist. Cover with parchment paper, then foil, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
  4. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  5. Bake the casserole, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until puffed, set and lightly browned, about 20 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes; dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve.

Tips and Notes

  • Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 3 and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Kim made Shakshuka, an Israeli dish.  I started out by using this food52.com recipe, which looked interesting because of the cooked farro.




Shakshuka with Grains and Feta
Serves 2 (I doubled the sauce ingredients, but used 6 eggs)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
Salt and pepper
16 ounces tomato or marinara sauce
1 medium tomato, chopped
Pinch of cayenne (optional)
4 eggs
1 big handful of greens, chopped (I used Trader Joe's mixed baby greens - chard, spinach and kale)
2 cups cooked grains (I used farro)
2 ounces feta, crumbled

1. Sauté onion in olive oil with salt and pepper in a medium-sized pan with a high lip for a few minutes, over medium heat, until soft and fragrant.

2. Mix in sauce and tomato (and cayenne if using) and cook to heat everything through. Lastly, add the chopped greens and fold in.

3. With a spoon, make four little pockets in the saucy mess into which you can crack the eggs. Crack them in, then sprinkle a little salt and pepper on each egg, and drag the whites through the sauce. Don’t break the yolk. You know this. Mama didn’t raise no fool.

4. Put a lid over the pan and let cook until the whites are just set, about 4 minutes. Pile some of your cooked grains at the bottom of a bowl, then top with big scoops of saucy mess and an egg. Add a little crumbled feta. Devour.

But, when I tasted the sauce, it was too bland for my taste.  The shakshuka I have had before had more kick.  I went to David Leibovitz's blog and used his recipe to doctor up the food52 one.
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2013/02/shakshuka-recipe-eggs/
(I would recommend just using his recipe in the future)

To the sauce I added:
3 cloves garlic, peeled and put through a garlic press
1 chile pepper (or to taste), stemmed, sliced in half and deseeded, finely diced/minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika, smoked or sweet (I used smoked)
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric

I also followed David Leibovitz's instructions for individual servings, starting with a layer of farro on the bottom, tomato sauce, making a well in the center and cracking the egg into it and then adding more sauce to cover the egg a little.  I baked them at 375° for 20 minutes to get the eggs on the firm side.


Katharina made an Asparagus and Bacon quiche.



Sara made a Zucchini and Eggs dish (maybe there is an Italian name for this such as Zucchini e Uovo?).

Zucchini e Uova

- zucchini
- butter
- eggs
- salt and pepper
( amounts vary according to desired number of servings, I generally make one egg and 1/2 or 1 zucchino per person)


Cut about 4/5 medium zucchini in round slices about 0.5cm thick.
Warm 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan and then add the zucchini slices and sprinkle with salt. Cook on low heat, without lid mixing regularly to avoid burning. When the zucchini are softer but not completely done, rapidly crack the eggs on top trying to cover the whole surface.
Cover and cook on low heat until the eggs reached the desired consistency (some people like them runny, some firm...)
Sprinkle black pepper on top before serving.




Rebecca made a Berry and Yogurt Parfait.



There was no real recipe for these easy parfaits!  I used about 3 cups of 2% plain Greek yogurt.  I mixed 2-3 tablespoons of lemon curd into the yogurt to sweeten it a little bit.  I chopped up 1 cup or so of strawberries and mixed those with some blueberries and blackberries.  Layer the yogurt and the berries in 1/2 pint jars and then sprinkle the tops with granola.  You should get about 6 parfaits.



Sunday, March 29, 2015

March Dinner - Soup Night

For our March 2015 dinner we had a soup and hot cocoa night.

Rebecca made White Almond Gazpacho with Grapes.


White Almond Gazpacho with Grapes
from Olives and Oranges by Sara Jenkins

1 cup blanched almonds
2 garlic cloves
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons ice water
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Two 1/2-inch-thick slices stale bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (2 cups)
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 cup green or red grapes (optional)

Finely chop almonds and garlic in a blender.
With motor running, slowly add 1 cup water, sherry vinegar, and salt, blending to incorporate. Add bread in 2 batches, blending well (some of the bread will not be entirely incorporated until the next step; this is okay).
With motor running, slowly add 1/2 cup oil, followed by remaining 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, followed by remaining 1/2 cup oil.
Transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Serve in individual shot glasses, garnished with a grape if using.


Dani made Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Sweet Corn Sticks and Lemon Orzo Soup.

Sweet or Savory Corn Sticks
from Flavor Flours by Alice Medrich

Makes 24 sticks

45 grams unsalted butter
110 grams corn flour
75 grams sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs at room temperature

Melt the butter in a large heavy bottomed skillet. Take it off the head, add the corn flour, and stir to coat all of the flour grains with butter. The mixture will have the consistency of slightly damp sand. Return the skilled to the stove and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula or fork; scrape the bottom and sides of the pan, turning the flour, and spread or rake to redistribute it continuously so that it toasts evenly. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture colors slightly and smells toasted; it may begin to smoke a little. Toasting the flour will take 4 to 6 minutes. Scrape the flour into the lined baking pan and spread it out to cool withal preheating the oven.

Position a rack in the loser third of the over and preheat to 350F.

Combine the sugar, salt, baking powder, and eggs in the bowls of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed for 3-5 minutes until thick and light. Poke and mash any large lumps in the toasted flour and then pour it over the egg mixture. Fold just until evenly mixed. Scrape the better into the lined baking pan and spread it evenly; it should be a think layer only about 1/2 inch deep.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and springy to the touch. Cool on a rack. Lower the oven temperature to 300F. Slide a slim knife around the edge of the pan to detach the baked sheet. Invert the pan onto a rack and peel off the liner, then turn the sheet right side up on a cutting board. Cut in in half lengthwise with a sharp serrated knife. Cut each half crosswise in slices approx. 3/4 inch wide. Arrange slices slightly apart on an unlined baking sheet. Bake at 300F for 20-25 min until slightly golden brown.


Broccoli, Cannellini Bean & Cheddar Soup
from EatingWell: September/October 2007

Makes 6 servings

2-3 14- ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth , or vegetable broth 
8 cups broccoli crowns , trimmed and chopped (I used frozen) 
1 14- ounce can cannellini beans , rinsed (see Tip) 
1/4 tsp. salt 
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper 
1 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese 

Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add broccoli, cover and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in beans, salt and pepper and cook until the beans are heated through, about 1 minute. Transfer half the mixture to a blender with half the cheese and puree. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining broccoli mixture and cheese. Serve warm.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
adapted from Twopeasandtheirpod.com

Makes 8 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch thick
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
8-12 cups of chicken broth
Zest of 4 lemons
Juice of 4 lemons (about 2/3 cup)
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste 

1. In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery until tender, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, bay leaf and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until orzo is tender. Add the chicken and heat for about 5 minutes.

3. Remove the pot from the heat. Discard the bay leaf and stir in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve warm.

Note: You can use shredded rotisserie chicken in this soup. If not eating immediately, cook orzo separately and add before serving.




For dessert, Dani made Cocoa mix with Cinnamon Simple Syrup and Nilla Knockoffs.

Nilla Knockoffs
from Seriouseats.com

Makes approx 100 tiny cookies

8 ounces flour
4 ounces unsalted butter
3 1/2 ounces sugar
1 ounce honey
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 ounce vanilla extract or paste
4 egg yolks
3 ounces cream, plus extra for washing

1. Make the cookie batter: Preheat the oven to 325°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment, set aside. Sift the flour in a sieve. With a hand or stand mixer (fitted with a paddle attachment), cream together the butter, sugar, honey, baking soda, salt and vanilla extract. Cream for about 5 minutes on medium speed, until light and fluffy. About halfway through the mixing, scrape the bowl down with a rubber spatula. After 5 minutes, with the mixer still running, add the eggs yolks, one at a time. Let each addition fully incorporate before adding the next. Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour all at once. While it is mixing, drizzle in the cream. Continue mixing until homogenous. Use a rubber spatula to transfer the batter to a piping bag, fitted with a 1/2" plain tip.

2. Pipe and bake the cookies: Pipe the cookies into 1" wide rounds on the prepared cookie sheets. Don't worry if they have little peaks, you'll fix those later. Just try to keep the cookies all roughly the same size to ensure even baking. Once all of the cookies have been piped, brush each one lightly with a pastry brush dipped in cream. You're not looking to coat the cookies, but to smooth the peaks down and give them an even, smooth surface texture. Once the cookies have been brushed, bake approximately 18 minutes or until the cookies are firm to the touch and golden brown. To make perfectly round wafers, use a 1 1/2" cookie cutter to trim each cookie before they cool. Transfer the cookies, while still slightly warm, to an airtight container and seal. This will slightly steam the cookies and give them that less than crisp Nilla texture. If you prefer a crisper wafer, allow the cookies to cool completely before storing. The cookies will keep, at room temperature, for several weeks.


Hot Cocoa
from Foodnetwork.com

Make 5 1/2 cups dry mix

2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)
2 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pinch cayenne pepper or cinnamon, or more to taste
Hot water

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and incorporate evenly. In a small pot, heat 4 to 6 cups of water. Fill your mug half full with the mixture and pour in hot water. Stir to combine. Seal the rest in an airtight container, keeps indefinitely in the pantry. This also works great with warm milk. Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Cinnamon Simple Syrup
from Real Simple Magazine

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 cinnamon sticks
1 tbsp cinnamon

In a saucepan stir together 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, and 4 cinnamon sticks, broken in half. Over medium high heat, stir until sugar is dissolved and bring to a gentle boil. Remove from heat and mix in 1 tbsp cinnamon. Let cool. Once cool, discard cinnamon sticks. Store syrup in a glass bottle in the refrigerator.

I (Lauren) made a dessert soup from blueberries, specifically Blueberry-Thyme Soup with Honey Vanilla Mascarpone.



Blueberry - Thyme Soup with Honey Vanilla Mascarpone
From Shared Appetite Website
 

Ingredients:
For the Blueberry - Thyme Soup
  • 6 cups (about 3 pints) fresh blueberries
  • 2 cups water
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 lemon, zested
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
  • Pinch of Kosher Salt
For the Honey-Vanilla Mascarpone
  • 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ - 1 lemon, juiced
For Garnish
  • Fresh Blueberries
  • Crushed Graham Crackers or Crushed Shortbread Cookies , optional
Instructions
  1. In a medium pot, add the blueberries (keep a few of the blueberries to the side for garnish), water, sugar, zest of one lemon, fresh thyme, and a dash of salt. Stir to combine.
  2. Bring the pot to a boil over medium heat then lower to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook until the blueberries start to break down and the mixture thickens slightly, approximately 20-30 minutes,
  3. Allow blueberry mixture to cool, then transfer to a blender (or use one of those fancy immersion blenders I love so much). Puree until smooth (make sure if the mixture is still warm while blending, hold the top of the blender down to prevent the steam from popping the lid off... not a fun mess to clean up!).
  4. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl. Transfer the blueberry mixture from the blender into the sieve (in batches if your sieve doesn't hold the full amount). Use a spoon or spatula and stir the mixture through the sieve, discarding the solids. Chill the soup until ready to serve (up to a day ahead of time).
  5. Before serving, make the Honey Vanilla Mascarpone. Combine the mascarpone cheese, honey, vanilla extract, and the juice from ½ lemon. Stir to combine and taste. If you taste a hint of lemon, you're good. If you prefer a little more lemon taste, add the juice from the other ½ of lemon.
  6. To plate, add the blueberry soup, a dollop (or quenelle, if you want to be fancy) of the honey-vanilla mascarpone, a couple fresh blueberries, and a sprinkle of the crushed graham crackers/shortbread cookies (optional).

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

January Dinner - Pasta Making

For our first dinner of 2015, Kim thought it would be fun if we made pasta together.

Kim made ricotta using this recipe (but substituting goat's milk).

Homemade Ricotta

As the milk mixture heats to 170°, be sure to stir gently and occasionally; if you stir too vigorously or too frequently (more than every few minutes), the curds may not separate as effectively from the whey. And don't stir after the milk mixture reaches 170°, or the cheese will become grainy and thin. If your kitchen sink has a gooseneck faucet, it might be difficult to hang the cheesecloth bag on it. If so, lay a long wooden spoon across one corner of the sink, and hang the bag on the handle.

Yield: about 3 cups

Ingredients:
1 gallon 2% reduced-fat milk
5 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation:
Line a large colander or sieve with 5 layers of dampened cheesecloth, allowing the cheesecloth to extend over outside edges of colander; place colander in a large bowl.
Combine milk and buttermilk in a large, heavy stockpot. Attach a candy thermometer to edge of pan so that thermometer extends at least 2 inches into milk mixture. Cook over medium-high heat until candy thermometer registers 170° (about 20 minutes), gently stirring occasionally. As soon as milk mixture reaches 170°, stop stirring (whey and curds will begin separating at this point). Continue to cook, without stirring, until the thermometer registers 190°. (Be sure not to stir, or curds that have formed will break apart.) Immediately remove pan from heat. (Bottom of pan may be slightly scorched.)
Using a slotted spoon, gently spoon curds into cheesecloth-lined colander; discard whey, or reserve it for another use. Drain over bowl for 5 minutes. Gather edges of cheesecloth together; tie securely. Hang cheesecloth bundle from kitchen faucet; drain 15 minutes or until whey stops dripping. Scrape ricotta into a bowl. Sprinkle with salt; toss gently with a fork to combine. Cool to room temperature.
Note: Store in refrigerator up to 4 days.

Cooking Light, April 2005
Micol Negrin

The ricotta was used for this filling:

Cheese Filling for Ravioli
from Weight Watchers Simply the Best: Italian

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
1/2 egg white
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine the cheese, parsley, egg white, pepper and nutmeg.

For the pasta, she made this pumpkin pasta recipe.

Pumpkin Pasta Dough
from The Glorious Pasta of Italy by Domenica Marchetti

Fresh egg noodles in Italy are a gorgeous, rich golden color that is hard to replicate elsewhere. This is because of the intense red of the yolks (indeed, in Italy the yolk is referred to as il rosso, “the red”). I’m still not sure what inspired me one day to add just a little bit of pumpkin puree to my pasta dough—actually it was buttercup squash, which has sweet, dense, deep orange flesh. I happened to have some leftover in my fridge from a pumpkin cheesecake that I had made for Thanksgiving. Into the dough it went. The resulting pasta sheets were even better than I had imagined, golden in color and subtle in flavor—a perfect match for pumpkin lasagne. But you can also cut them into pappardelle or fettuccine and serve them with a simple tomato sauce.–Domenica Marchetti

Ingredients:
1/3 cup puréed cooked pumpkin or winter squash, such as buttercup or kabocha (or substitute canned pumpkin puree)
2 large or extra-large eggs
2 to 2 1/4 cups “00” flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons semolina flour, plus more for the work surface
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and 1 of the eggs.
2. Place 2 cups “00” flour, the semolina flour, salt, and nutmeg in a food processor. Pulse briefly to combine. Add the pumpkin-egg mixture and pulse briefly. Add the remaining egg and pulse until the mixture forms crumbs that look like small curds. Pinch together a bit of the mixture and roll it around. It should form a soft ball. If the mixture seems dry, drizzle in a few droplets of water and pulse briefly. If it seems too wet and sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse briefly.
3. Turn the mixture onto a clean work surface sprinkled lightly with semolina flour and press it together with your hands to form a rough ball. Knead the dough by using the palm of your hand to push the dough gently but firmly away from you, and then fold it over toward you. Rotate the dough a quarter turn, and repeat the pushing and folding motion. Continue kneading for several minutes until the dough is smooth. Form it into a ball and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping into your desired shape pasta.
4. To form lasagne noodles, stretch the dough as thin as you comfortably can, no thicker than 1/16 inch. If you lift a sheet with your hand, you should be able to see the shadow of your hand through it. Because lasagne noodles are layered, they need to be very thin. Using a sharp chef’s or similar knife, cut each sheet into rectangles about 4 inches by 5 inches.


We started by putting the dough through the pasta machine a couple of times at the largest setting, then we turned the dial to a smaller setting and put the dough through again.  We continued to pass the dough through increasingly smaller settings until it was thin enough to make the ravioli

Putting pasta through the machine

 filled and cut

          
ready to be boiled for 3 minutes

Rebecca brought appetizers for us to munch on while we worked.





Crostini with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Chickpeas

From Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis

Crostini:
1 baguette, cut into 24 diagonal slices 1/3-inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
Dip:
1 large garlic clove
1 (15½ ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves

 

Crostini: Preheat the oven to 375º. Place the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, and lightly brush with oil. Toast in the oven until golden, about 8 minutes. (You can toast the bread 1 day ahead. Cool, then store airtight at room temperature.)

Dip: Mince the garlic in a food processor. Add the chickpeas, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water, salt, and pepper. Process until the mixture is almost smooth. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Process until the mixture is completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the work bowl occasionally. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and dried herbs. Blend until the tomatoes and herbs are finely chopped. (The dip can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) To serve, spoon 1 teaspoon of the dip on each crostini, and garnish with the lemon zest or fresh herbs.




Olive and Sun-dried Tomato Tapenade with Endive Leaves

From Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis

3 (8-ounce) cans of pitted Kalamata olives, drained
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 heads endive (about 1/2 pound)
In the bowl of a food processor, add the olives, sun-dried tomatoes and the olive oil it was packed in. Pulse until smooth, but still chunky. Add more extra-virgin olive oil if mixture is too dry. Spoon into a serving bowl. If not serving immediately, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days. Be sure to bring it to room temperature and to mix it thoroughly before serving.

Gently pull off the leaves from the endive, being carefully not to tear the leaves. Wash thoroughly with cold water and dry completely.

Place the bowl of tapenade in the center of a large platter. Decoratively circle the tapenade bowl with the endive leaves working your way to the rim of the platter.

 Dani made two kinds of gnocchi

Winter Squash Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage
from Foodandwine.com

Note: I actually served this with a beet green pesto instead of the brown butter sauce.

1 head of garlic, top third cut off
Extra-virgin olive oil, for rubbing
1 pound baking potatoes
One 2-pound butternut squash—peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 stick unsalted butter
10 sage leaves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 375º. Place racks in the lower and middle thirds of the oven. Drizzle the garlic with olive oil, wrap it tightly in foil and roast on the bottom rack of the oven for 50 minutes. Lightly rub the potatoes with olive oil, prick them all over with a fork and bake on the lower rack for 45 minutes, until fork-tender. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Add the squash and rub with olive oil. Bake on the upper rack for about 30 minutes, stirring once, until soft.

2. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins into a small bowl and mash to a paste. Peel the hot potatoes and pass them through a ricer into a large bowl. Add the hot squash to the ricer and pass it into the bowl with the potatoes. Let cool slightly. Add the egg yolks, ricotta, parsley, 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of the mashed roasted garlic (reserve any extra for another use). Stir until combined. Sprinkle on the 1 1/4 cups of flour and gently stir it in. Scrape the dough onto a floured surface and knead gently until smooth but still slightly sticky.

3. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and dust with flour. Cut the gnocchi dough into 5 pieces and roll each piece into a 3/4-inch-thick rope. Cut the ropes into 1/2-inch pieces and transfer the gnocchi to the baking sheet.

4. Lightly oil another baking sheet. In a large, deep skillet of simmering salted water, cook half of the gnocchi until they rise to the surface, then simmer them for 1 to 2 minutes longer, until cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi.

5. In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the sage and thyme and cook for 20 seconds. Add the gnocchi and cook for 1 minute, tossing gently. Season with salt and serve, passing the cheese shavings at the table.

Make Ahead The gnocchi can be prepared through Step 3 and frozen on the baking sheet, then transferred to a resealable plastic bag and frozen for up to 1 month. Boil without defrosting.






Gnocchi with Squash & Sweet Corn
 from Thekitchn.com

1 (16 ounce) package vacuum-sealed gnocchi (from the dried pasta aisle) (see recipe for Gnocchi below)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 small zucchini, very thinly sliced
1 small yellow squash, very thinly sliced
1 cup sweet yellow corn kernels (from about two ears)
2 small cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Squeeze of lemon
2 ounces soft goat cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add gnocchi and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Toss warm gnocchi with 1 tablespoon butter and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a large, flat-sided sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the butter until it begins to bubble and turn light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn. Add the zucchini, squash, corn, and garlic and sauté until warmed through, another 2 - 3 minutes.

Turn off heat and stir the cooked gnocchi into the vegetables. Add a generous squeeze of lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with small hunks of goat cheese and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.


Home Made Gnocchi
 from Thekitchn.com

3 pounds all-purpose potatoes
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt
1 to 2 cups flour

1. Fill the saucepan with water, and stir in 1 tablespoon salt. Add the potatoes. Boil the potatoes, in their skins, until they are nearly falling apart.

2. Drain the potatoes and let them cool just until they can be handled (about 5 to 10 minutes).

3. Use a towel, a paper towel, or a spoon to rub or scrape the skin off the potatoes.

4. Now rice or mash the potatoes as finely as you can into a large bowl. We did not have a ricer or a food mill, and so we simply mashed the potatoes with a masher and a fork. This left some rather large lumps, and we realized afterwards that we could have pressed the potatoes through a colander. (It's OK, though, if your potatoes aren't perfectly fine; you'll end up with a more rustic, lumpy dough, but they'll still be delicious.)

5. Stir the salt and egg into the mashed potatoes.

6. Spread the flour out on a kneading surface and turn the potato mixture out on top. Knead it together with your hands, adding more flour as you go, if necessary.

7. Depending on how much moisture was in your potatoes, you may need to add up to a cup of flour.

8. There is a lot of variability in potatoes, so simply add until the dough feels mostly smooth, and just slightly sticky.

9. Cut the dough into quarters, and then divide each quarter into four pieces. Roll each piece into a long, 1-inch-wide rope.

10. Cut the rope into walnut-sized pillows. You can leave the pieces as is, or you can roll them over the back of a fork to create ridges.

11. To form the ridges on the gnocchi, take a bite-sized pillow of dough, and roll it down and off the tines of a fork. Don't worry if they look lumpy or rustic! These are not meant to look perfectly shaped; they are usually a little uneven (at least, ours always are). Place the finished gnocchi on a baking pan dusted with flour, and sprinkle a little flour over top.

12. To cook the gnocchi, heat a saucepan of salted water to boiling. Add the gnocchi and cook. They will float to the top of the pan as they cook. Cook for about 2 minutes after they float to the top. (About 4 minutes cooking time total, depending on their size.)

I (Katharina) made a meat sauce for the pasta;


 This recipe for "sugo di carne"(meat sauce) came from The Fine Art of Italian Cooking by Giuliano Bugialli
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1 carrot, scraped
1 celerey rib
1 med. red onion, cleaned
8 sprigs Italian parsley, leaves only
1 large clove garlic, peeled
Small piece of lemon peel
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 pound beef sirloin, in one piece
1/2 cup dry red wine
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound canned plum tomatoes (imported Italian if possible), drained
1 Tbsp tomato paste (imported Italian, if possible)
2 cups hot meat or chicken broth, preferably homemade

Soak the mushrooms in 2 cups of lukewarm water for 20 minutes.

Finely chop the carrot, celery, onion, parsley, garlic, and lemon peel. Heat oil in a flameproof casserole (preferably terra-cotta), then add chopped ingredients. Saute very gently until golden (about 15 to 20 minutes).
With scissors, snip the meat into tiny pieces and add to the contents of the casserole. (The authentic sauce uses snipped pieces of meat rather than ground meat; this way the pieces retain their identity and flavor instead of amalgamating into a homogenous mixture.) Saute the meat pieces for 12 to 15 minutes, then add the wind and cook unitl it evaporates (15 to 20 minutes).

Taske for salt and pepper, then add the tomatoes and tomato paste and let cook very slowly for 20 to 25 minutes.

Drain the soaked mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid. Rinse mushrooms, removing sand attached to the stems. Strain mushroom water several times through paper towels to remove sand. 
Add the mushrooms to the sauce and simmer very slowly for at least 1 1/2 hours, adding hot broth and the mushroom water as liquid is needed, until all the broth and mushroom water have been added. (The sauce should be of medium thickness, neither too liquid nor too dense.)

I made the following changes: Used mixed dried mushrooms instead of porcini only (which I couldn't find at the store); used a shallot instead of a red onion; used regular parsley instead of flat-leaf; and I cut the meat with a knife instead of scissors into roughly 1/8 - 1/4 inch chunks, which worked very well as the meat was still partly frozen. I used domestic tomato paste and store-bought chicken broth.
The flavour came out a little too mushroomy for my taste. If doing it again, I would omit the mushrooms or just use some button mushrooms. But I really liked the way the meat came out.


Lauren made a salad



Sara brought tiramisu for dessert

Sara's Tiramisu'


This tiramisu' is a family recipe and it is not the traditional Italian one. But it is definitely our favorite at home!
It has no alchool and you can make it with decaf coffee to enjoy it with children or without coffee at all and use some milk to soften the savoiardi (ladyfingers). 

Ingredients (for 10 servings):

- 2 boxes of mascarpone cheese of 8 OZ each.
- 5 eggs.
- 200 grams (approx 8OZ) sugar.
- 150 grams of dark chocolate (NO Hershey! Lindt, Ghirardelli would do, only dark though).
- One/two packages of savoiardi cookies (ladyfingers, I think the cheapest ones are at the Milk Pail).
- 1 bowl of cold coffee slightly sweetened, espresso better but American coffee works too.
- Cocoa powder unsweetened for garnishing.

Preparation:

1. Chop coarsely the chocolate and set aside.

2. In a bowl mix the mascarpone cheese and the egg yolks until the mixture is creamy and smooth.

2. In a bowl whip the egg whites and the sugar until really stiff, the firmer the better.

3. With a big table spoon slowly add the beaten egg whites to the mascarpone cheese/yolk cream. Mix slowly with a upward movement of the spoon as to incorporate air in the mixture and avoiding undoing the whipping of the egg whites. Proceed this way until all the egg white mix is finished.

4. Add the chopped chocolate to the cream, still mixing slowly.

5. Get a nice serving dish (a bowl or a 4 inches deep baking pan will do).

6. In a deep dish pour some of the coffee then dip two savoiardi cookies for few seconds on one side and then turn them on the other side. Avoid soaking them too long, even if they look still dry they absorb the coffee really fast.

7. Cover the bottom of the serving dish with the coffee wet cookies.

8. Pour a layer of the cream on top and distribute it evenly.

9. Make another layer of wet cookies and proceed until the cream is finished. Generally I only make 2 layers of cookies and 2 of cream.

10. With a fine strainer sprinkle the top of the tiramisu' with cocoa powder. The top can be decorated with coffee soaked savoiardi cookies cut in different shapes and arranged or whipped cream puffs. Be creative but do not over do it!


11. Refrigerate one hour or until ready to serve. This dessert contains uncooked eggs so it is imperative to keep it in the fridge at all times and to consume it within 3 days after making it.