LtDan'sKitchen.com

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Penne alla Pastora - Shepherd's Penne

Inspired by Lidia as featured on her show, Lidia's Italy on the Calabria episode, I'm presenting another pasta dish. There was not much that I changed to the recipe but I used penne pasta instead of rigatoni which was used on the show, hence the change in the recipe name as well. I knew it was time to try this out when I was given free basil leaves by a friend today. Since they don't last very long and I don't really fancy making pesto sauce right now, this pasta dish will have to do.

I'm also slowly getting the hang of completing the cooking process for the pasta in the sauce that will be used to dress it up. It actually improves the taste I think and gives you more control on how much sauce to use, if using any. This also gives me a newfound respect for pasta water which was previously relegated to being just the liquid to cook the pasta in and is discarded without any thought afterwards. Now, I try to have it on the side just in case I will need more liquid whenever I'm cooking pasta dishes.

*Penne alla Pastora - Adapted

1 lb Italian sausage
1 lb penne pasta
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
3 tbsp olive oil plus extra
basil leaves

1. Heat a pot of water and bring to a boil.

2. In a deep saute pan, poach the sausages in 1/2 cup water until the water
has evaporated and the sausage is sligthly browned. Remove from heat
and chop sausage into smaller pieces. Return to the same pan over
medium heat and add the olive oil. Meanwhile, add a tbsp of salt to the
boiling water and add the pasta.

3. Cook the sausages until slightly toasted. Add the pepper flakes and mix.
Add about 2 cups of pasta water and simmer.

4. When the pasta has cooked for about 8-9 minutes, transfer them to the
sausage mix and continue cooking until al dente. Add more pasta water
if needed.

5. Once the pasta has cooked, add the ricotta and mix well. Turn off the
heat and add the parmigiano. Dress with a drizzle of olive oil and serve     with shredded basil leaves.

* PBS, Lidia's Italy - Calabria, Praise the Shepherd episode: 2010

Monday, August 29, 2011

Sacher Torte

Sachertorte, is the signature cake from Vienna, Austria. There are a lot of versions of the torte but the original recipe has never been made public and is a national trade secret to Austrians. The available recipes for the cake are mere approximations of the real thing and so you have to be careful that you find a good recipe to try out. I have two versions of the recipe and I just found the version that Lidia used on her show. However, I am sticking to the recipe that I know works and will be using the recipe from my Chocolate Ecstasy cookbook.

After looking at pictures of the actual cake, I decided to make a little bit of change to the assembly of the cake. There are differing number of layers to the cake. I've seen one with just one layer and another with the cake sliced in half and filled with the apricot glaze. I've also been reading a couple of blogs about the authentic Sachertorte and the reviews run the gamut from being very simple yet expensive to kind of dry and quite ordinary. To counter the dry comments, I made sure that the glaze did soak the cake to ensure maximum moistness. I also added an extra layer of chocolate ganache since the way they described the chocolate glaze was that is was quite sugary and has a brittle texture. The addition of an extra layer of chocolate ganache afforded me enough extra chocolate frosting to pipe rosettes to achieve a clean look to the cake.

*Sachertorte - Adapted

Cake:
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup supefine sugar
8 eggs, separated
1 cup flour

Glaze:
1 cup apricot jam
1 tbsp lemon juice

Chocolate Glaze:
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
scant 1 cup superfine sugar
1 tbsp corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache:
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and line it with
wax paper.

2. Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl over hot water. Set aside.

3. Cream the butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy for about 3 minutes.
Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in
the melted chocolate. In a second bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg
whites until stiff.

4. Fold in the sifted flour alternately with the egg whites. Place batter in
prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

5. To make the glaze, heat the jam with the lemon juice and once warm,
pass the mixture through a sieve. Set aside.

6. Once the cake has cooled, slice the cake in half and spread both layers
with the apricot glaze on the cut side. Set aside and prepare the
chocolate glaze.

7. Combine the ingredients for the chocolate glaze in a pot and heat gently
with stirring until the mixture is thick and smooth. Pour a third of the
chocolate glaze on top of the lower layer and allow to cool and set in the
fridge. Leave the rest of the glaze at room temperature.

8. Once the chocolate glaze has set on the lower cake layer, cap with the top
layer, the apricot-glazed side facing the chocolate glaze layer. Spread the
rest of the apricot glaze on the sides and top of the cake. Cool in the
fridge for about 15 minutes.

9. Put the cake on a cooling rack set on top of a baking sheet and pour the
rest of the glaze over the cake. Return the cake into the fridge until the
glaze sets. Let the glaze set for at least 4 hours.

10. To make the chocolate ganache, heat the cream over low heat. Pour
the cream over the chocolate and mix until smooth and satiny. Add the
vanilla. Let the glaze cool to room temperature and when it starts to
thicken, pour the glaze over the cake and let it set in the fridge for at
least an hour.

11. Transfer the cake to a serving platter and you can scoop out the glaze
that dripped on the baking pan and pipe rosettes on the edge of the cake.
Serve with whipped cream.

* France, C.; Chocolate Ecstasy; Annes Publishing Limited: London, 1996

Pancit Molo

The name of this soup is a bit of a misnomer since pancit in the local language means noodles. Hence, the dilemma since there is no noodle in this soup but instead, a wrap that resembles ravioli pasta. This soup is however aptly named after the city where it first originated, Molo, in the province of Iloilo, the home province of both my Mom and Dad. There are variations to making this soup but I've learned from the best molo maker in the family, my Nanay Mercy. The recipe is fairly simple and the flavor actually depends more on the broth and not what comprises the soup which is ground meat wrapped in the thin pasta-like wrap. Most grocery stores carry the Nasoya wonton wrappers and those work perfectly for this soup. Asian stores do carry dumpling wrappers which are a bit thinner and I prefer those whenever I can get hold of them.

The secret according to my Nanay is a good broth. Thus, I make my own broth from scratch using soup bones available in the grocery stores. If you can find one with the marrow still in it, the better, as they make the best broth. Go for beef or pork soup bones. Chicken will do but it won't be as intense as the other two. To make the broth, just saute a few cloves of garlic (minced) and a diced medium-sized onion in a little bit of olive oil and once browned, add the soup bones and add lots of water. Season well with salt and pepper. Depending on how patient you are, a good simmer for about an hour or so will yield a rich broth. If pressed for time, canned or bottled broth is perfectly fine with me.

Pancit Molo

Wrap:
1 packet Nasoya wrapper or dumpling wrapper

Filling:
1 lb ground pork
1/4 cup green onions, finely minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp soy sauce
salt and pepper

Mix all the filling ingredients and check for flavor by taking a tsp of the mix and poaching it in hot water until the meat loses its pink color. Once the flavor has been corrected, it is time to stuff the wrap with the filling. There is a specific way to prepare the filling where it resembles tortellini but the more crucial thing to remember, is to be a bit more conservative on the amount of filling used. About half a teaspoon of filling per wrap is about right and I say that no matter how you wrap it as long as you secure it well, that is good enough for me. The idea is to make sure that it does not fall apart in the simmering broth. Water is usually used to bind the wrap by wetting the edges but a beaten egg yolk will also work.

Now, traditionally, you check the broth for flavor and you basically dunk the dumplings into the broth, soup bones and all. It does not take them too long to cook so you have to do this just when you are ready to serve the soup. Otherwise, the wrappers will absorb most of the broth and you end up with an engorged dumpling which in itself is still good eats. If you are going after presentation though, strain the broth in a sieve and bring back to a simmer. Add the dumplings to cook just before serving the soup. To serve, a simple garnish of chopped green onions and a drizzle of sesame oil is all you need. You will need about 10 cups of broth for the given amount of filling. You may also end up with extra filling which you can either add unwrapped into the soup or freeze for future use.

TimTam Slam

Tim Tams are biscuits from Australia and gained prominence here in the US via the TimTam slam (or explosion). The first time I learned of the slam was by watching "The Graham Norton Show" while he had Natalie Imbruglia as his guest. Natalie being from Australia explained to Graham the orgasmic delights of the slam. To achieve this state, you will need a hot cup of coffee or tea with your bag of Tim Tam and you are set to go. It is best if I just let Natalie explain the details of the slam but I'm telling you, it is quite delicious and addictive. Tim Tams retail for about $4 here in the US so I try not to indulge in this delight for reasons that involve a tight budget on food and a regulated intake of sweet goods.

I bought myself a pack of Tim Tams this weekend to vent off my frustration while looking for annatto seeds. I needed the seeds to make the peanut sauce for the stew I was cooking but for some reason, the stores were all out of it. I had about a tablespoon in my cupboard which was way less than I needed. Thus, being both pissed at this inconvenience and the fact that I was at the World Market store, I decided to vent by indulging in a pack of Tim Tams. I haven't done the slam yet but that will be happening very soon.

Baked Tilapia

Grilling fish is a very common way to cook fish back home. My Mom would either buy fish at the market or buy it from street vendors who walk around the community selling fresh fish early in the morning. I used to hate grilled fish but as I grew older, I came to realize that the flavors are actually more pronounced when the fish is cooked simply. With just a bit of salt on the fish, that was all that was needed to season a fresh fish.

Living in the US, finding fish from the sea is quite difficult if not expensive. The most affordable for me is tilapia which is a pond fish grown back home in fisheries close to the beach. The kind they sell here are on the larger scale compared to what I was used to so the usual way we cook them back home is not the ideal way to go. However, I found that baking them in a pouch of foil enhances the flavor of the fish and is I think the best way to go about cooking this fish.

Baked Tilapia

Tilipia, cleaned and scaled
tomatoes, diced
onion, diced
salt and pepper
olive oil

1. Slice the fish on a diagonal on both sides without cutting through. Set
aside. Prepare equal amounts of tomato and onion and stuff the cavity
of the fish.

2. Season with salt and pepper and place seasoned fish on a sheet of foil.
Drizzle olive oil over the fish and seal.

3. Bake at 350°F for an hour. Serve while still in the foil.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Spaghetti with a Zing

Now, this dish was inspired by Lidia as I saw in her television show in the Basilicata episode of Lidia's Italy. With no recipe available online but with the basics laid out on her show, I figured I'd give it a try and give it my usual twist. I'm using the term "zing", not just as a catchy descriptive name for the dish. It really is zingy in the sense that the sauce is prepared with red chili powder. It is a very simple dish and dressed simply with cheese and parsley. Just a word of caution, use chili powder made from dried chili peppers and not the chili powder blend used to make chili con karne which contains other additional spices. As Lidia said in her show after tasting the dish, "Fire!" I did wuss out and used a mild variety of red chili powder!

Spaghetti with a Zing

1 lb spaghetti
1/4 cup garlic, sliced
1 1/2 tsp California red chili powder
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup olive oil

1. Cook the spaghetti noodles as per packet instructions.

2. Once the pasta is in the pot, heat the olive oil in a deep saute pan over
medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until slightly browned.

3. Lower the heat and add the red chili powder and cook for one minute.

4. Add two cups of pasta water to the pepper mix and increase the heat to
medium. Transfer the noodles into the saute pan and finish cooking until
the noodles are al dente and the sauce has thickened. Add more water
if necessary.

5. Off the heat, add the chopped parsley and the cheese and serve.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Mei's Cold Noodle Dish

This is another dish I learned from a Chinese friend of mine, Mei, who gave me the list of ingredients but found it hard to explain how to actually prepare it. I've seen her do it numerous times and the few times I tried, the more frustrated I got by not being able to replicate how she prepared the dish. It did nothing to lessen the craving I have for it though. As with most Asian dishes, it is mostly prepared by taste, feel and most important of all, experience. However, I think that my best bet is to change things around and make it my own and at the same time, stay true to how the dish was prepared.

It was actually while writing the post about Lidia's Fiery Spaghetti that I remem-bered this dish. My friend used angel hair pasta but I figured a Japanese noodle might be a better option so I decided to use Somen noodles. You might be concerned about the amount of oil I used but the oil is necessary as it is used for both frying the seasonings and as a dressing. The sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds are my own addition to the dish as a garnish. A word of caution though, this dish does not keep well so make only enough that will last for a day at the most. This recipe is probably the closest thing I could ever get to Mei's version.

Mei's Cold Noodle Dish

4-5 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tsp coarse salt
2 tbsp Hatch New Mexico chili powder
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp brown sugar
16 oz Somen noodles
1 small cucumber
sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds (to garnish)

1. In a deep sauce pan over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic and
cook until slightly toasted. Add the salt.

2. Very carefully, add the chili and mix well. Turn off the heat. Add the
vinegar, honey, and brown sugar. Check for flavor. Set aside.

3. While making the chili sauce, boil the water and cook the Somen
noodles per packet instructions. Once cooked, shock the noodles in ice
water to stop the cooking process and to cool them off fast.

4. Peel or partially peel cold cucumber and slice thinly. Set aside.

5. To assemble, drain the noodles and add to the chili dressing. Toss to
combine. Add the cucumber and mix well. Serve with a drizzle of
sesame oil and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds.

Recipes

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Monday, August 29, 2011

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Wednesday, August 24, 2011