The third monthly Harvest Potluck is September 19th at Charlie's:
3605 Martin Drive
Boulder, CO 80305
If you haven't heard of the harvest parties yet, but want to come - Ask me!
Hope to see you all there.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Chez What?
Ever tried making fresh pasta? As long as you're not in a rush (this is a *long* process), turns out it's pretty easy and you probably have the ingredients already. These directions describe how to make two types of egg pasta ravioli.
Making the Dough
First, start with the pasta dough. Here's an easy recipe which makes about a pound of fresh pasta:
2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour (semolina is a good choice, too)
3 happy chicken eggs
Yeah, that's it. Feel free to throw in some salt, herbs, spices, etc. I've tried a little olive oil. You'll need a big bowl, a clean countertop dusted with flour and a plate with a damp cloth. You'll also want your ravioli filling ready to go at this point - that recipe follows
Grab the big bowl, and pour in the flour. Form a pool in the middle of the flour and break your three eggs into the pool. (Save your egg shells for adding calcium to the garden.)
Slowly break the eggs, blending them into the flour until the forming clump is well mixed. Add a little water if it's very dry, add a little flour if it's really sticky. This is the time for adding those optional ingredients.
Now on the countertop, knead the dough. Once it's consistent, form it into a mound and cover it with the damp cloth. Wait at least 15 minutes. One recipe recommended a full hour.
In order to press the pasta into sheets, you'll use a pasta press if you're lucky and a rolling pin if you want a work out. The press is worth it; it makes prettier pasta (including fettuccine or spaghetti cuts) and it cuts at least an hour out of the prep time. Use either the rolling pin or the pasta press to make your sheets. Dust the sheets with flour.
Ravioli Filling
Pesto-Squash-Goat Cheese filling
Mix the following:
- Cilantro pesto
- Squash puree. Saute squash with garlic and then puree it
- Goat cheese. Other cheese probably equally as delicious
Eggplant Puree filling
Mix the following:
- Pureed eggplant, garlic and onions. Lightly saute the vegetables first.
- Chopped arugula and/or basil
- Pine nuts
- Goat cheese.
Now you're back with your pasta sheets and your ready-to-go filling. Grab a basting brush (or something to smear egg batter) and a small bowl with egg batter - just one egg will do. Brush a manageable piece of sheet with egg batter. Drop *small* spoon fulls of your filling. While you're getting the knack for this, space the filling quite a bit to give yourself some room for error. Feel free to reapply some egg yolk around the filling (this will help seal the first sheet to the second). Brush a second sheet, equal in size to the first, with egg yolk and carefully place it (eggy side down) over the filling-covered sheet. Now, carefully press the top sheet around the mounds of filling, being sure to push the air out before sealing the raviolis. Cut your ravioli however you like and then dust them with flour.
Boil the ravioli for about 4 minutes and enjoy!
Making the Dough
First, start with the pasta dough. Here's an easy recipe which makes about a pound of fresh pasta:
2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour (semolina is a good choice, too)
3 happy chicken eggs
Yeah, that's it. Feel free to throw in some salt, herbs, spices, etc. I've tried a little olive oil. You'll need a big bowl, a clean countertop dusted with flour and a plate with a damp cloth. You'll also want your ravioli filling ready to go at this point - that recipe follows
Grab the big bowl, and pour in the flour. Form a pool in the middle of the flour and break your three eggs into the pool. (Save your egg shells for adding calcium to the garden.)
Slowly break the eggs, blending them into the flour until the forming clump is well mixed. Add a little water if it's very dry, add a little flour if it's really sticky. This is the time for adding those optional ingredients.
Now on the countertop, knead the dough. Once it's consistent, form it into a mound and cover it with the damp cloth. Wait at least 15 minutes. One recipe recommended a full hour.
In order to press the pasta into sheets, you'll use a pasta press if you're lucky and a rolling pin if you want a work out. The press is worth it; it makes prettier pasta (including fettuccine or spaghetti cuts) and it cuts at least an hour out of the prep time. Use either the rolling pin or the pasta press to make your sheets. Dust the sheets with flour.
Ravioli Filling
Pesto-Squash-Goat Cheese filling
Mix the following:
- Cilantro pesto
- Squash puree. Saute squash with garlic and then puree it
- Goat cheese. Other cheese probably equally as delicious
Eggplant Puree filling
Mix the following:
- Pureed eggplant, garlic and onions. Lightly saute the vegetables first.
- Chopped arugula and/or basil
- Pine nuts
- Goat cheese.
Now you're back with your pasta sheets and your ready-to-go filling. Grab a basting brush (or something to smear egg batter) and a small bowl with egg batter - just one egg will do. Brush a manageable piece of sheet with egg batter. Drop *small* spoon fulls of your filling. While you're getting the knack for this, space the filling quite a bit to give yourself some room for error. Feel free to reapply some egg yolk around the filling (this will help seal the first sheet to the second). Brush a second sheet, equal in size to the first, with egg yolk and carefully place it (eggy side down) over the filling-covered sheet. Now, carefully press the top sheet around the mounds of filling, being sure to push the air out before sealing the raviolis. Cut your ravioli however you like and then dust them with flour.
Boil the ravioli for about 4 minutes and enjoy!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
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