Homemade Pasta

Mmmmm is all I have to say. Nothing is quite like homemade pasta. I bought the pasta maker at an antique shop in Silver City, NM this weekend. A bit pricey at $40 but came with 5 attachments including one for ravioli.

So excited about it that when I got home today I HAD to go get some semolina flour at the coop and try that sucker out. I used the most basic Italian pasta recipe I could find online. It's the same recipe on many a site but seemed to me to be universal.

Pasta:

1 cup semolina

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs

Optional:

pinch salt

some olive oil

You can put it all in a food processor, you can use a Cuisinart or you can do it by hand on a flat surface. If you are doing the latter you must make a "well" in the dry ingredients (or a small hole like the top of a volcano), pour in wet and slowly mix. Otherwise you just dump everything in and hit "on".

After this you run it through the pasta maker at its widest setting and then slowly get thinner and thinner to desired weight. This recipe ended up shredding when I tried my pasta maker's thinnest setting (7). I ended up going only to 5 for fear of the shred factor. I may try it again or try a different recipe because I do like thin pasta.

Boil until the pasta rises to the top. It's fresh so it doesn't need long, 5 minutes max. I let it dry until it feels dry. Others say much longer but if it's fresh, it can be fresh.

The Sauce:

I totally winged this one with ingredients I had in the fridge already. I leave it here to inspire you to do the same with your next pesto.

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup Gruyere cheese

1 cayenne pepper

4 cups greens

1 handful cashews

2 tablespoons capers

8 black peppercorns

1 shallot

dash maple syrup

salt to taste

I think that was all but I could be wrong. I basically threw it all into the processor and processed it to a pesto-y consistency.

Enjoy.

Winter Gardening

Truly I'm a novice to gardening, winter or summer. I have been successfully gardening outdoors in the summers now for four years. There are good years and there are bad years, but every year I cannot get it together to plant for a winter garden. I really should have already planted, but we are seemingly having a longish warm season this year and fall has not completely arrived. I consider this a grace period. Today I readied one bed for winter planting. I only plan on using two beds so as to conserve water in our arid environment. I planted Swiss chard, spinach, and two types of kale (a dwarf blue curly variety and willy's). All of these greens dig cool air and can handle freezing temperatures. Some say the flavors even improve with a freeze. Last year I attempted a winter bed. The chickens ate it all. I was devastated, they were still hungry, go figure.

While cleaning the beds I was pulling out all the lettuce that I had let go to seed (see picture below). I always let the lettuce go to seed. A part of me likes to watch as they bolt, begin to flower in all directions, and then form tufts of white fuzz like dandelions so the wind can scatter their seeds in all directions. In fact, there are already some volunteer lettuce plants coming up. To encourage more (because they can also stomach the cold) I facilitated their spread by shaking, rubbing and scattering them throughout the newly turned beds.

I saved an envelope of seeds for next years planting. Mostly black seeded simpson but also some red and green curly leaf varieties that I cannot name. In the other bed I will plant other winter hardy plants like radish, carrot and beet. Looking forward to digging up my sweet potatoes! Until then...

Stir Fry Noodles

Who ever thought that one up? To stir fry your noodles? Delicious. Oily, crunchy, chewy, soft, crispy, tasty. The list could go on indefinitely but the point is: yum. I don't particularly care much for stir fries. I think it is a nightmarish recollection of my childhood. One of those meals that was a constant in our home but in my opinion never done right. Sure I was under the age of ten and had not developed any Epicurean sensibilities. Irregardless, I still cannot stand water chestnuts. That texture of waxy succulent and flavor of watery milk? Disgusto. Nonetheless I make exceptions for stir fried noodle dishes like pad Thai or drunken noodles. I particularly have a fondness for stir fried rice noodles and sometimes even crave them. I have had the hankering for them for the past week and have not felt inspired to drive up to Vegan Thai* or Siam Cafe and had most of the ingredients lying around so....I made them. And viola (repeat adjectives above)!!

Ok, this is how we do it... (or how I did it)


Ingredients

2 handfuls Rice Noodles (Typically the stir fry variety are bigger and flat)

1/4 block Tofu, cubed

1/2 large Onion, slivered

1 potato, cubed

Fresh Veggies (I used lettuce, basil, carrot and avocado)

2 Tbsp. Braggs
1 Tbsp. Saracha

1 Tbsp. Black Sesame Oil

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

2 Tbsp. Agave Nectar (could use sugar or any other sweetener if desired)

Put water onto boil while sauteing onions and potatoes in the olive oil (use a large pan so you can throw everything, aside from the fresh veggies, in the pan). When the water boils submerge noodles. When the potatoes are just about done throw in the tofu, 1 tbsp. braggs, and 1 tbsp. agave. Saute until everything looks cooked, about 5 minutes. As all is cooking chop up your fresh veggies so they are ready to go once everything is cooked. Once the noodles are "soft but firm" (whatever that means...this is what the package said...) drain and rinse with cool water. Put noodles in the frying pan with the remaining braggs, agave, black sesame oil, and saracha (hot sauce). Saute until the noodles are all coated in saucy-ness and have begun to burn a little. The burnt noodles are the tastiest!

When the noodles are irresistible to the point of your inability to stop testing them you may dish some into a large bowl and fill to brim with fresh veggies. Eat with braggs and saracha in case you desire extra saltiness or spiciness.

For your nutritional edification: Rice noodles are gluten free, fat free, high in complex carbohydrates (the ones that break down slower) and though not nutrient dense contain some B vitamins, iron and selenium. My opinion is that wheat pastas are eaten too frequently. You can find variations of pastas using all sorts of exotic flours from quinoa to brown rice at your food coop, specialty grocer or, if you are lucky enough to have one in your area, Trader Joe's. Although the rice noodle is largely devoid of fiber, unlike it's cousin, unhulled rice, you can still enjoy them as a carb that will leave very little residue in the digestive tract. Love them!

*Link to Thai Vegan: Check them out, and watch out for a restaurant review on your favorite blog...mine of course.

Summer is for Salsa!

...And for cooling peppermint lemon infused water! So that's what I made today: a black bean, roasted green chile, minced onion, cilantro and lime salsa as well as a peppermint lemon water to have on-hand chillin' in the fridge. Seriously, this is the only way to escape the unbearable, oppressive, over 100 degree heat wave that has swept over Albuquerque these past two days. I highly recommend stocking your fridge with fresh homemade salsas and cooling waters. So easy and so good.

Peppermint Lemon Infused Water

1/2 Lemon, sliced fine

Handful of peppermint spears

A gallon of filtered water

You get it right...put it all together and chill for a couple of hours...soon you'll be drinking plenty of water to beat the summer into fall.

Black Bean & Roasted Green Chile Salsa

1/2 cup black beans

4 large roasted chiles, retaining some of the seeds

1/4 large onion minced

small handful cilantro, chopped fine

juice of 1 lime

Roast the chiles, peel the chiles, remove the tops, sliver long ways, then chop the other way. (You could also roast jalapenos if green chile is not available in your locale...but be careful, they are a bit hotter.) Chop onions & cilantro. Stir in with the beans, chiles, onions, cilantro and lime juice. Add salt to taste. Salsa is also for chips. The happy medium (pun) is a blue corn tortilla chip. Perfect for this salsa and pretty too...though I am sure it would be equally tasty atop a quesadilla with a little fresh avocado..

Blue Potatoes, Flowers in the Salad & Willy's Kale

You have to love summer. Maybe not the temperature as much as you love your garden, that is, if you have a garden. I noticed my potatoes dying back last week, a sure sign that says "dig us up". So I did this morning. I had planted Adirondack blues, a small purple potato, back in March. I only dug a small section of the plant but was able to unearth 6 potatoes ranging in size from a thumbnail to a fist. I knew what was for breakfast!

But before digging the potatoes I had already picked some fresh lettuce greens and nasturtium flowers. Salad for breakfast? Hells yes!

While plucking the lettuce I had also picked a bunch of kale. It's a variety that goes by the name of "Willy's Kale" on the seed package but I have seen a similar looking variety at our Co-op labeled as "Red Russian Kale". Regardless of monikers, it is a beautiful curly leaf variety that ranges in color from purple to green. The leaves don't seem to grow as big as other varieties but that could also be the consequence of the soil. Gardening is an art and a science. There are so many fine details of chemistry and biology that I have reverted to good ole' fashioned prayer. You plant it, say a few kind words to it, and pray that it grows. Tends to work mostly.

So the next question for me, and you if you're perceptive, was greens for breakfast? Mmmmm hmmmm. This is not an uncommon breakfast side dish at my house. Both of us love greens. LOVE greens. We would eat them all day if I had grown enough.

So that was breakfast: purple fried potatoes, lemony kale and nasturtium salad. So yummy...so simple...so I'll give up the recipes.

Purple Fried Potatoes

A handful and a half of Adirondack blue potatoes, cubed

1/4 onion, slivered

Olive oil, just enough to coat pan

Salt, to taste

Pepper, the same

You know the deal: cut em' up, place in pan, turn on med-high heat and watch, stirring occasionally. The browning process is up to you. I like my potatoes a little crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. I usually wait until I see some browning happening and then go about five more minutes. Always do a taste test. Mine were ready fairly quickly, perhaps because they were fresh. Different varieties have different cooking times so always taste test even if they look like they're browning. If they are burning and not cooking, turn it down, duh.

Nasturtium Salad

Greens from the garden

Nasturtiums, a couple for each salad

Olives, 2-4

Feta, sprinkled on top

No explanations necessary for salad right?

Dressing: Olive oil drizzle, olive juice from olives and fresh spritz of lemon.

Nasturtiums have been my favorite new addition to my garden this year. They add this festive neon orange, screaming firetruck red or mottled tie died peach and white to any salad (which you know is what you need to make it awesome). Aside from color, the taste is like a delicate petaled peppery radish. You can also eat the greens...bonus!

Lemony Kale

This has been my absolute favorite way to cook fresh greens this summer. So simple, so easy, so tasty that it almost requires no instructions like the above salad.

Bunch Kale, rolled up then sliced into centimeter slices

Olive Oil, enough to coat pan

3/4 of a lemon

Salt, to taste

Pepper, the same

Heat up the oil, place the kale in the pan, stir, add 1/2 a lemon and some salt and pepper. Cook this down until the greens have turned a forest green and look slippery. Do not overcook. Most people overcook greens and I think they are less tasty that way, plus some vital nutrients are probably cooked out. Turn off heat, squeeze the last wedge of lemon on, stir it up to evenly coat and of course enjoy.

Best Breakfast Ever!

Nutrition Factoid: Did you know one serving of potatoes has 100% of your daily recommended vitamin C? It does.

Two Recipes

Two common, yet amazing, recipes are following this sentence:

Cream of Radish Green Soup

and

Boule

Get psyched!!

In my last post I discussed the uses of radish greens. Yes the tops. If you can eat it, you should. (new motto)

The recipe is on tons of websites from Martha Stewart to well, mine.

Here she goes:

Tons o radish greens (bout as many as you can process)

Your heart (also as much as you can process)

6 cups veggie stock

an oninon

a couple potatoes (this makes things creamy, aside from the cream)

1/3 cup cream

Cook it like it sounds. Saute onions. Put in potatoes and radish greens, stir. Pour in stock. Boil for a while, cool, then blend. Add cream, stir, heat, eat. Oh, you might want to cut the onion...diced perhaps? Also, just a note: radish greens are very stringy, some recipes suggest straining, I strain through my teeth, you do what you want.

The Boule

Pronounced with a french accent, boule is a no fuss, no knead bread. Awesome! So simple you might wonder why you never thought of it before....or why they can get away with selling it for so much...not sure which is the better question... Let's wonder about that one together whilst we pour over the recipe:

3 cups warmish water

1 & 1/2 tbsp yeast

1 & 1/2 tbsp salt

6 & 1/2 cups flour (flowers)

basically you just mix it up. Don't worry about the salt killing the yeast because that actually does not happen. You should probably mix the first three ingredients first and then add the flour slowly. I only used 6 cups. Must be the altitude. Regardless, have 6 and a half cups on hand. As pictured, this is a very strong starter. We used it for bread (pictured) and pizza dough (sadly not pictured).

You best enjoy both recipes!!

Radishes!

We are up to our ears in radishes...really...no joke. We have three types: daikon or some other obscure Korean variety our friend Peter gave us, the red globe variety that is probably what you're used to finding in the grocery stores and watermelon radishes. I had high hopes for the last type...they're white on the outside and pink on the inside. The greens looked large and healthy but today I noticed they were starting to bolt. Upon pulling them I discovered that they were teeny-tiny. Oh well.

One thing I learned this season is that radish greens are not only edible but also delicious. My friend Peter (the same one who grew the daikons) informed me that in Korea (where his wife is from) many radish varieties are grown for the green and not the root. I'll be! So we've been cooking them up. We had radish green, Oaxacan cheese, blue corn quesadillas the other night...delicious. Some varieties have furry greens that are a little weird raw, so you might as well cook them. I'm going to experiment with a radish green soup tonight...I'll let you know how it goes.

Today though I am going to make a Remoulade, a french condiment that is mayonnaise or tartar sauce like. It can be made with a variety of key ingredients from pickles to curry. The recipe I found is from Marquita Farms. They have a lot of neat radish recipes if you're like me and am drowning in this early season veggie. Check them out at www.marquita.com/recipes/radish/html.

The recipe goes something like this:

Daikon Radish Remoulade

1 lb. daikon

3 tbsp. mustard

4 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. wine vinegar

1/4 cup minced parsley (I don't have this last thing so may add tarragon or mint...we will see)

Grate daikon. Mix mustard with 3 tbsp. hot water, whisk, add oil slowly, whisk until emulsified, whisk in vinegar and pepper to taste. Stir in daikon and parsley.

PS: Daikons are really high in Vitamin C and low in calories so eat em' up!