Monday, May 23, 2016

Pasta machine usage.

1 - cup flour
1 - large egg
Salad oil preferably olive oil. Just enough.
Salt


Mix all till homogeneous

Flatten pasta thin enough to go into the machine. Run though at widest level.




Fold into thirds to make a square. keep doing this until it is square.

The feed though the dough slowly decreasing the width till you can see though the dough. Add flour as needed to keep the dough semi-dry.


Feed the flattened pasta into one of the pasta cutters so it becomes noodles.  Some people just use a knife. Add a little flour to keep the noodles separated.




Boil several minutes till done and all the noodles have floated to the top.


Drain and then add sauce of choice.  Melted butter and sage is one simple sauce.

Hand made shapes:  http://www.instructables.com/id/Home-made-pasta-shapes/

Udon noodles:

When you get the dough to desired thickness, fold dough in thirds (like a letter fold) and slice into 1/8″ thick noodles.



Sandwich bread.




Easy Sandwich Bread
From America's Test Kitchen, Season 15

- Makes one 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf -

2 cups bread flour
6 tablespoons whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
2 1/4 teaspoons (one 1/4 ounce packet) instant yeast
2 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for brushing the baked bread
1 teaspoon honey
1 1/4 cups water, at 120 degrees
3/4 teaspoon table salt
Egg wash (egg beaten with touch of water and small pinch of fine salt)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk the flours and yeast together.  Add melted butter, honey, and water to the bowl.  Beat on low for 1 minute to combine.  Raise speed to medium and beat for 4 minutes, scraping halfway through with a greased spatula (the dough will be relatively wet and sticky).

Thoroughly scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Dissolve salt with 2 tablespoons water.  Add salt water to dough.  Place bowl back on to the stand mixer and mix on low for 40 seconds.  Mix on medium-speed for another minute.

Again using a greased spatula, scrape the dough into a greased 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.  Nudge the dough to the edges of the pan using the spatula.  Cover pan with plastic wrap and let sit for 10-15 minutes at room temperature.  Remove plastic wrap and allow bread to rise another 5-10 minute (this way, the surface of the bread won't touch the plastic wrap).  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brush the top of the bread with egg wash.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, until bread has domed and reaches an internal temperature of 208-210 degrees.

Carefully remove bread from the loaf pan.  Brush the top and sides of the bread with 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of melted butter (for flavor as well as to soften the crust of the bread).  Let bread cool completely before slicing.

Bread is best the day it's baked but can be wrapped and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.  Freeze for up to 1 month.

Sodium carbonate






Sodium bicarbonate is CHNaO3 while sodium carbonate is Na2CO3. Simply heat baking soda or sodium bicarbonate in a 200°F oven for about an hour. Carbon dioxide and water will be given off. Dry sodium carbonate will remain. This is soda ash. The compound will readily absorb water, forming the hydrate. You can store the dry sodium carbonate in a sealed container or with a desiccant to keep it dry or allow it to form the hydrate, as desired.

Sodium carbonate is a food additive (E500) used as an acidity regulator, anticaking agent, raising agent, and stabilizer. It is one of the components of kansui, a solution of alkaline salts used to give ramen noodles their characteristic flavor and texture. Also could be used as part of a water softener.

Chinese noodle dough:

1 cup cake or pastry flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup water
1 - 2 tsp  sodium carbonate (or baking soda)
1 - 2 tsp cooking oil
1 -2 tsp salt

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Risoto




Ingredients:
Aborio rice
finely dice onions
wine or apple juice
pepper
Chicken stock or water.

Method:

  1. Heat the oil. Pour the oil into a separate, heavy 4-qt (4-L) saucepan or stockpot. Set the pan on the stove over medium-low heat.
    • Allow the oil to heat up for 30 to 60 seconds before continuing. It should not create smoke, but it should become warm enough to spread over the bottom of the pan with ease.
  2. Cook the onion. Add the chopped onion (or chopped shallot) to the hot oil. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes or until it becomes soft.
    • In addition to softening, the onion should also become slightly translucent and more fragrant.
  3. Cook the garlic. Add the garlic to the oil and onion. Cook while stirring for another 30 to 60 seconds, or until the garlic becomes more fragrant.[3]
    • Note that the garlic may also begin turning golden-brown, but you should not allow it to darken beyond that stage. Burnt garlic can easily ruin the flavor of the dish.
  4. Add the rice and salt. Add the dry Arborio rice to the onion and garlic. Sprinkle everything with the salt, then stir well to combine.
    • Continue stirring for 2 to 3 minutes. The rice should be well-coated with oil and salt, and the edges should begin turning translucent. Note that the center should remain opaque, however.
  5. Ladle in a small portion of broth and wine. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup (125 to 185 ml) of the warm broth to the rice, immediately followed by a splash of white wine. Cook for several minutes, or until the rice absorbs the liquid.[4]
    • Stir frequently while the rice continues to cook. Make sure that any rice gathering along the sides of the pan get turned back into the center of the mixture.
    • When it's time for the next step, the rice should begin sticking together. Drag the spoon along the bottom of the pot; the resulting trail should hold its form for at least several seconds before collapsing again.
  6. Gradually add the remaining liquid. Add the remaining broth in 1/2 to 3/4 cup (125 to 185 ml) increments, following each addition with another splash of wine.
    • Stir and cook after each addition, allow the liquid to absorb in between each one, as well.
    • After 25 to 35 minutes, nearly all of the liquid should be used and absorbed. The rice should be creamy and tender, but it should still be "al dente." In other words, it should have some firmness or "bite" in the center of the grains.
  7. Stir in the cheese and pepper. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the Parmesan cheese and black pepper to the risotto, then stir to combine.
    • Cover the saucepan with a lid and allow the risotto to sit for another 5 minutes off the heat.
  8. Serve with additional cheese. Transfer the risotto into individual serving dishes while it's still warm. If desired, enjoy the dish topped with additional Parmesan cheese.

Zabaglione


Ingredients:
egg yolks
wine or even just soft juice such as apple juice
Honey

Method.

Stir egg yolks in a double boiler until they become light double in volume, and the ingredients are combined.

Garlic infused oil.





Smash and peel cloves of garlic. Transfer to a medium pot, add olive oil, and heat over medium-low until bubbles form around garlic, 3 minutes. Let cook 10 minutes, reducing heat to low if garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, 45 minutes.

Alternative for cooked garlic. use an cast iron skillet  and use the garlic cloves with just the wrappers and cooked on medium for fifteen minutes turning occasionally. Mince after they have cooled and the papers removed.

Rag soup.


Rag soup is a nutritional poor man's soup. The basic ingredients are chicken stock, spinach, and eggs. Cheese can be added if you want it. In this case, I added cornbread and a little corn flour. Just heat it until the soup thickens up.

Peanut butter,




Peanut butter.

Ingredients:
1 - typical bottle of salt free peanuts.
1/4 to 1/3 - cup good extra virgin olive oil
Some people used hot chicken broth instead.

Method:
Optional pan dry the peanuts in a cast iron pan for 10 or so minutes.
In a medium sized food processor add the peanuts and the olive oil.
Grind till pulverized.
Refrigerate. Use within a week (if it lasts that long.)