Homemade Pasta in honor of my 100th Post!

When I started this blog I really didn't think that far ahead. I never thought of my 100th blog but now that I'm here I'm really excited! I wanted to make something special and decided homemade pasta would be perfect. I've tried making homemade pasta on my own in the past and was semi-happy with the results but that was a long time ago. I cannot begin to tell you how I felt trying it again this time. I don't know if it was that I felt more confidant this time, or if I was just thinking a lot about Nanny but I was really overcome with emotion. Once the dough was made I was constantly reminded of how it felt when I made it with Nanny. The smell of the took me back to that place about 20 years ago when I kneeled on her dining room chair and got my hands in the dough. When I asked Steve to smell it he couldn't really smell much but for me it was very familiar. I have to say I was filled with regret at never really having the patience to learn everything that Nanny knew about cooking. I watched and touched and tasted but never tried to do it on my own when she was around to help me and guide me. If you have someone in your life who you admire and want to learn from, whether it's cooking or baking or anything else, do it now. It may be hard to imagine but there will be a time when you wish you could ask a question or need their opinion and it's too late. Ask everything while they are still around.

Okay, now that I depressed you all (sorry!) let's get to the recipe and my results. I had a lot of fun making this and probably got a little carried away with making sure it was thin enough. When Nanny rolled it by hand and when I got impatient and wanted to cut it she always said it wasn't thin enough. So I think I made the pasta too thin. I used my pasta attachment for my kitchen aid mixer and put the pasta through twice through each setting 1-6 and then once through 7. I put it through twice because I remember watching Mario Batali doing that but the directions of the recipe I followed said NOT to do that. I loved using the attachment, it's so much quicker and easier than rolling it out by hand. However, if you can knead it and roll it out by hand go ahead and do it, I'm sure it's a very cathartic experience. You can also make the dough in a food processor.

Pasta Dough

Recipe from Biba's Taste of Italy

(makes a little over 1 lb of fettuccine)

Ingredients:

5 eggs
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt (I added this on my own - not sure if it makes a difference)


Directions:

In bowl of stand mixer beat eggs and salt. Attach dough hook and flour a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase the speed and knead the dough for 5-6 minutes, until smooth, soft and pliable.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured wooden board of other work surface. Flour your hands lightly and knead the dough for a minute or two. If the dough seems too firm, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, then knead the dough again for about a minute.

Biba's tip: Making the dough with a machine requires a little less flour than making it by hand. Reserve 1/2 cup or so of the flour called for in the recipe. After the dough has been kneaded, touch it. If it is silky and slightly moist, it is ready; if it is too sticky, work in the reserved flour.

This tip was great. I did not need to use the 1/2 cup reserved flour. If I used it the dough would have been too dry.

To roll out the dough with pasta attachment:

Set the rollers of the pasta machine at their widest setting (1 - for Kitchen Aid) Cut off a piece of dough about the size of a large egg and flatter in under the palm of your hand. Keep the rest of the dough wrapped in plastic wrap. Dust the flattened piece of dough lightly with flour and run it once through the machine. Fold the dough in half, pressing down on it with your fingertips, and run it through the machine again. Repeat this step four to five times, dusting the dough lightly with flour if needed, until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky; the dough will become firmer since the machine is actually kneading the dough. Do not skimp on this step, or, as you think the pasta, it may stick to the rollers.

Adjust the rollers to the next setting and run the dough through once; do not fold the dough again. Adjust the rollers to the next setting and run the rollers once; continue to adjust the rollers and roll the pasta through the machine until it reaches desired thinness.

If you are making stuffed pasta, cut and stuff the dough immediately, before rolling out another piece. For string pasta or ribbon noodles, roll out the remaining dough and allow the sheets to dry before cutting them into noodles.

Biba's Tip: If the sheet of dough sticks to the pasta machine, dust it lightly with flour. Be sure to run the sheet of dough once through each setting; don't skip a setting or the dough may tear.






To cut pasta using attachment:

Spread a clean tablecloth on a large work surface and lay out the rolled-out sheets of pasta on it. Let dry for 8-10 minutes, depending on the temperature of the room, until the sheets of pasta are no longer sticky and are beginning to curl up slightly at the edges.

Run the sheets of pasta through the widest setting for tagliatelle or the narrow setting for tagliolini. Arrange the noodles in bundles on a wooden board or tablecloth. They can be cooked immediately or allowed to dry, uncovered and cooked later; they an be kept at room temperature uncovered for several days.

Nanny's Baked Rice and A Rice Cooker

Fridays during lent are always meat free for Catholics and when you get tired of pizza or ailo oilo (pasta with garlic and oil) you need to use a bit of creativity. Nanny would make some white rice, mix it with sauce, mozzarella and grated cheese, put it in a pyrex, top it with some breadcrumbs and bake it until the top becomes crispy. It was always very satisfying for me. When I decided to make this for Steve the first time I knew that he would want a little more added to it for it to be considrered a whole meal. That's how I came up with this. Nanny's version is like a rice ball and mine is like a sicilian rice ball. Make this either way or both ways, they are both great. If you don't like peas you can leave them out or put less in. When I made this last night I only had a couple of handfuls of peas in my freezer and it was still great.

Thanks to my friends over at Bakespace I purchased a rice cooker and used it for the first time yesterday. Eric found this great deal for a 3 cup rice cooker for only $9.99!!!



It was great! I never have to worry about my rice being too mushy ever again! The best part is that it's small enough for me to find a space for in the closet. That was my biggest concern but it turned out to not to be an issue at all. Thanks Eric and all my bakespace friends!

Nanny's Baked Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup of white rice, uncooked
1 can crushed tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 lb 85% ground beef
1 small package of frozen peas, defrosted
salt and pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp sugar
1 package of shredded mozzarella
Parmesan cheese, to taste
Italian Style breadcrumbs

Directions:

Cook rice, set aside. Meanwhile in a small saucepan sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add basil and let it cook for 1 minute to let flavor release. Add tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and sugar; if too thick add a little water (swish in can). Let cook for 30 to 40 minutes, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. While sauce is cooking prepare ground beef. Season beef with salt pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder and brown in a nonstick pan (no oil needed if using a nonstick pan). Be sure to constantly break up meat with a wooden spoon. Drain fat. Ladle a little sauce on the bottom of a large rectangular Pyrex dish to prevent rice from sticking. In a large bowl combine rice, mozzarella, ground beef, peas and Parmesan cheese, adding a little sauce at a time. Do not want it to be too wet or too dry. May not need to use all the sauce. Add mixture to baking dish, spreading out and pressing down with spatula. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs and cheese.

Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes. Place under broiler to crisp the top if necessary

It's been 2 years

Two years ago yesterday Nanny passed. It's so sad. I know it's crazy but it seemed like Nanny would always be in my life. I can't believe I've gone through two years without her. She may be gone but she is not forgotten. I love you Nanny!!!

Nanny would be very proud of her fig tree this year! Take a look at these!

Happy Birthday, Nanny

I know, it's weird. I'm wishing my deceased grandmother a happy birthday. It's really hard not to miss her, especially on special days like today so even though I'm a little behind on the food portion of my blog I thought it important to acknowledge her. Nanny would have been 100 years old today. I wish she would have made it to 100. I bet we would have had a big party. She did make it to 98 and that's more than a lot of people get with their grandparents and I'm very thankful for that. So, Nanny, If you're reading this from somewhere on the other side (and yes she was able to read and write english very well), know that I miss you and love you and wish you were here to celebrate your 100th year.

Breakfast of Champions

When I was a child there were mornings when I woke up and just wanted to be in Nanny's company. Even before I was old enough to understand why, I knew that Nanny was special. There were days that I'd pretend to be sick so I could stay home from school and hang out with Nanny. That meant special food all day long. One of the special things Nanny made for breakfast was french toast. I bet you're thinking that french toast is not that special. Well, her's was different and that's what made it special to me, my brother and my sister. The main difference in Nanny's French Toast was that you didn't put syrup on it. Nanny never had syrup in the house. There were many "American" things that we liked but Nanny would never touch. Syrup was one of them. Her topping for french toast was the same as her topping on her zucchini flowers. Granulated Sugar. These days since we are always watching our fat intake, a sugar topping just isn't practical. Today though, we are honoring Nanny so this is what she did and this is what I did.

Nanny usually used some white italian bread (loaf style sliced bread with some seeds...never wonder bread) but if she had some leftover bread like I did today, she would use that too. Mix in an egg with some milk, cinnamon, a little sugar and vanilla. I had a leftover round Italian bread from Whole foods and I cut two thick slices. I used two eggs since the bread was thicker. When the bread absorbed most of the egg mixture I fried it in a nonstick pan. Normally, I'd use Pam nonstick cooking spray or if I'm feeling like being indulgent I'd use a little butter. But Nanny never touched either of these things. Butter was a forbidden ingredient in her kitchen. It was very rare that she would use it. She claimed she was allergic but we all know she wasn't. She just didn't like it. Nanny used oil a lot. For most dishes she used Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I guess this is why her skin was always so soft. She never worried about her weight...she used a ton of oil but never had any issues with clogged arteries or high cholesterol. I guess this what they call the Mediterranean diet. So back to the french toast. I fried the french toast in a little bit of canola oil until it was a nice golden color. Sprinkle that with some granulated sugar and you're all set! I figured with all that thick bread I should balance it off with a sunny side up egg. Afterall, Nanny did like the combination of sweet and savory!

From the Pantry Dinner - What can YOU come up with?

It's been a long week and I'm truly exhausted. In fact, I have no idea how I'm awake and typing up this entry. Anyway, today is Friday...in our house that means pizza night. Growing up Friday was always my Mother's day off since she cooked dinner the other 6 days of the week. We usually ordered a pizza, brought home some Chinese food or in the wintertime we made our own pizza. Sorry to disappoint you but this is not a blog about pizza. I just wasn't in the mood for pizza tonight so I threw together a few things I had in the fridge and pantry and we had a delicious pasta dish. So delicious in fact, that I ate enough for two people...two very large people that is. :-)

So here is what I made. This isn't an exact recipe since things were just thrown together. I hope this will inspire you to come up with something new out of your pantry staples!

Saute 1 sliced onion in extra virgin olive oil. Add 3-4 cloves of sliced garlic. Let garlic lightly toast being careful not to burn it. Add crushed red pepper and italian seasoning. Add two chopped tomatoes that have been seeded. Let them soften. Add 1 can of tomato paste (I used some that I had in the fridge, about 3/4 of a can)and a handful of chopped mushrooms (use as much as you like. I had about 4 shitakes) deglaze pan with about 1/2 cup of white wine. Stir to combine. Add 1 can chicken broth a little at a time to create sauce. Add in one can of drained artichoke hearts (in water not oil) and some sliced kalamata olives. Throw in some torn basil, chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Let cook while spaghetti is cooking. Don't bother to drain pasta, just pick it up with tongs and add to saucepan. Any water left on the pasta will help make a nice sauce.

That's it. Simple and delicious!

Something tells me that Nanny would definitely approve. Wish she was able to taste it!

Rice Croquettes

Most people are familiar with the traditional rice ball. I love them. I love the Sicilian ones too (shhh! Nanny wouldn't be happy about that! lol) but this is something much more simple than that. This is a great way to use up leftover rice, they can be a great appetizer maybe even served with a dipping sauce of your choice or you could have them the way Nanny intended...as they are. I don't remember that there was ever a actual reason or occasion that she made these. She made them, we ate them, end of story. They are delicious and simple and again remind me of my childhood. Thanks again to Mom and to my Aunt Maryann who helped me out and told me how to make the croquettes.

Ingredients

1 cup of Carolina rice, prepared according to box and rinsed (makes 3 cups cooked)***

1 egg, beaten

About 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

3/4 cup - 1 cup plain breadcrumbs

Fresh or dried chopped parsley, optional

salt and pepper, to taste

Canola oil, for frying

***NOTE - Rice must be very cold and dry. Cook rice the day before and refrigerate for best results.


Directions

1. Add all ingredients (except for oil) to bowl with cold rice and mix. Rice should stick together nicely. If mixture is too wet add more breadcrumbs.

2. Add oil to a nonstick pan and let it get hot enough for frying.

3. Meanwhile, form rice mixture into egg shaped patties.

4. When oil is hot, gently place croquettes into oil. Do not touch them until nicely browned, then flip.

5. Place croquettes on a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil.

Makes approx 15 croquettes.


ENJOY!!!

Nanny's Special Touch - Danielle's Reflection

My sister Danielle wrote a few words describing her memories of Nanny. Stay tuned for the recipe and photos of Nanny's Baked Rice.


"Wow…I have so many memories of Nanny. She really was such a special person to everyone. When it comes to food, Nanny was on the top of the list of the yummiest, quick, creative and simple dishes. I think about the things she made all the time and wish that I was smart enough to pay more attention to all the things she made so well. My food memories of her go from the littlest of desserts to the large meals she prepared.
Nanny had a way about her cooking that no matter what it was she made, it just tasted better because she made it. Even when she would make vanilla pudding and tapioca pudding it just tasted better. I remember she would call up to me at night from the bottom of the stairs telling me to come down to the basement. She would have a little serving of the pudding waiting for me and we would enjoy it together. Even breakfast was delicious. She would make farina from a box but put an egg in it and who knows what else and it was so good. I really wish I knew what it was because I think my kids would enjoy it. When she didn’t know what to make for lunch, I remember her making a little bit of pastina and you would just crave more of it. She would add an egg, then she would take out a frozen container of sauce from the freezer and just scoop some out (frozen and all…for an elderly person she was very strong) and add it to the pastina. Oh my gosh…it tasted DELICIOUS!!!! This is what I mean when I say she was creative. She would just mix a few things together and there you have it….an outrageous lunch or dinner.
One of my favorite dinners that Nanny made was her Baked Rice. Again, it was nothing complicated but it was so good. It was rice with chopped meat, mozzarella cheese, grated cheese, and sauce all mixed together in a pyrex dish. She would put it in the oven and there you have it. It was so good I can taste it now. That is one recipe of hers that I make often in the winter. Sofia and TJ don’t eat it (they don’t eat anything) but Thomas, myself and Emily really enjoy it. My food memories of Nanny go on and on. I could write a book with just the little things that she did. Thinking back I see how lucky we were to have her living with us thoughout our childhood. Because she was always there we are able to keep her memory alive even with the little things."

Fried Zucchini Blossoms

When we lived in Brooklyn, Nanny had a beautiful vegetable garden. She grew tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, eggplant, string beans, figs, rasperries, grapes and of course, zucchini. Zucchini plants grow beautiful vibrant orange flowers that are edible. I've seen them on menus in restaurants and I've watched Chefs like Mario Batali make them, however, I've only seen them stuffed which was not the way Nanny made them. She mixed them in a batter, fried them and topped them with sugar. Strange you make think but I assure you, they are very delicious. If you just give them a chance maybe they will become part of your summer food memories as they are an important part of mine.

My mom has taken over making the fried zucchini flowers (as she called them) since Nanny has passed and I have to say, I'm impressed. She figured out on her own how to make them and they taste just like I remember. This past weekend I visited my parents in Staten Island. My mother had a big bag of blossoms in the fridge that she picked off the zucchini that she and my father grew this year. She kept her promise to teach me how to make these treats and on Sunday we made them together. Here's what we did.

Nanny always said to pick the flowers in the morning while the blossoms are open. I don't know why this matters since they close once they are picked but that's what she said so that's what we do. So first you pull off the bottom piece that holds the flower together. Then you gently tear open the delicate flower and pull out the bud. You then wash off all the pollen and any insects that may be inside. Let them dry in a colander and then drain excess water on a paper towel. (I had pictures of all of these steps but they were taken with my mother's camera which didn't come out very well. The pictures that we did get were taken with my brother's new high tech camera. Thanks Gennaro!)



Make batter by mixing 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of water, 2 eggs, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp of baking powder.



Add blossoms and gently mix them until coated with batter. Some pieces may break off but that's okay.




Heat a pan with vegetable oil. When oil is hot drop a large spoonful of batter into the pan. Try to get one blossom per spoonful if possible. When browned turn and fry the second side.



When they are done let them drain on a paper towel and then sprinkle with granulated sugar. Eat them while they are warm. I couldn't get a great picture because everyone was eating them before I could get a nice pile on the plate! I think this made at least 20 and they were devoured within minutes.



So next time you consider throwing out those zucchini flowers think of me and my Nanny and give this recipe a shot. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Thanks Mom for figuring out this recipe. If you didn't it would be lost!

Stracciatella Soup

Nanny was great at using leftovers to make an entirely new meal. She was a big fan of adding an egg to soups or pasta for extra flavor and as she always said "to give you strength". I used some of the leftover ingredients from the bakespace challenge to make an incredibly hearty soup that Nanny would be proud of. This recipe just came to me in a dream. I'm not kidding. I woke up several times throughout the night because I was so excited about the soup. I don't have an exact recipe with measurements since I used leftovers but feel free to change this up however you like. In my mind this is a kicked up stracciatella soup (roman egg drop soup).

I sauteed onions, celery and carrots in extra virgin olive oil until they were tender. Then I added water and chicken bouillon and the rind from a hunk of parmigiano reggiano cheese. When that came to a boil I added the spinach, some shredded rotisserie chicken and a couple of tablespoons of tomato sauce. That's a trick my mom always does to add some color to soups and stews. We usually use very small cans of Del Monte tomato sauce but this time I had some in my fridge that I already made myself. In a seperate bowl I beat two eggs with some grated locatelli romano cheese. I lowered the heat and beat in the egg and cheese mixture in a slow stream to create little egg "rags". This is similar to the look of chinese egg drop soup but without the thickness you get from the cornstarch. I then cooked some tortellini right in the pot with the soup and veggies.

Hearty and delicious!

Now let's hear from my brother

Since I got such a great response to my first blog entry, I thought it would be nice to hear from some of my family members. We each were touched by Nanny in our own way and she had a way of making us all feel special. What we do share, though, are the memories of her in the kitchen and all her wonderful creations. Here's a memory that my brother wanted to share.

"I have to say that one of my favorite food memories of my Nanny was from when I was in grammer school. I attended a Catholic school and every Wednesday we had a half day so that the public school children could use the school for Religious instruction. I used to race home because I knew that Nanny would be there with a pot of sauce and a plate of linguini waiting for me. I have to say that she cooked the best sauce. She used to make a whole pound and I used to eat most of it sharing the rest with my sisters and some friends if they were there.

I also remember Saturdays in the summer when she used to cook the flowers from a zucchini plant and make little fried cakes with sugar on it. There was never enough to go around and my family and I used to fight for the last one."

The zucchini blossoms were incredible! In fact, my mom has started making them the last couple of summers. It took her a couple of tries but she finally got the consistency just right! Later this summer when my mom makes them and teaches me, I'll post the recipe along with some pictures!

How it all began

When I think back as far as I can remember to some of my first food memories my grandmother is always there. Well she was there all the time, she lived with us my whole life. She was a part of that house on East 22nd street. When I think of that home, I think of her. When I was just a child maybe around 7 years old, I can remember making pasta with nanny. She made manicotti, ravioli, cavatelli and taglioline all from the same dough. She didn't make crepes in a pan on the stove, her manicotti were rolled out so thin you could see through it...just as thin as a crepe. The dough was made with the well method. A big pile of flour, eggs and water. It amazed me how it all came together. She had a big wooden board which she layed out on her dining room table and a long skinny rolling pin. It's not like the ones that you see Chef's use on tv. She rolled that dough until it was paper thin. It seemed to take forever. She let me try to roll it out but I didn't have the strength to really push it hard. Instead I always got my own piece of dough to work with....most of it I ended up eating. You'd be amazed if you saw her work the dough, kneading and rolling and making it slap against the board when she rolled it out. Once it was time to cut the dough she always let me help. She had a ravioli cutter which she used to make the ravioli and manicotti. She let me help with this that was always the fun part. Any mistakes were forgiven and the strips were cut off and put aside for later. She also let me help with the ricotta filling...again, half the mozzarella ended up in my mouth! After they were made we put them in the freezer to harden and then put them in bags and went back in the freezer. The best part were the strips we put aside. Those were what she called Taglioline. With this she made us lunch. She used it as noodles for soup or she made a quick thin sauce and we ate it like fettucine. It was the greatest thing I ever ate. I could still taste it. It saddens me that I never really learned how to make Nanny's fresh pasta. She didn't measure and it was so hard to do. I've tried making pasta in my kitchen aid stand mixer. Not bad. Not like Nanny's but still I know she would be proud.