Agnolotti: Foodie's Word for Ravioli

Hello Everyone!! 

No PHYSICAL accidents this week to tell you about!  However, my clumisness took a turn for the worst.  If you know me at all then you know I must have my glass of wine within arms reach while I'm cooking (It helps bring out my inner sous chef). I elbowed my wine glass onto the stove.  I know it looks like murder.  Let us take a moment of silence for the loss of my perfectly perfect glass of Blue Fin Pinot Noir.

Now, let's pour another glass of wine and get started!

This week I made agnolotti from scratch.  It looks like ravioli, it tastes like ravioli, therefore I will call it ravioli.  If you recall, I made my own pasta from the Ratio book I got for Christmas.  What's great is the author tells you how to make pasta dough and then gives you ideas on what to do with it.  There are many recipes in the back for different fillings, as well.  I chose the chicken and herbs filling.  My parents got me a Fluted Pastry Wheel for Valentines Day and I really wanted to use it on this! 

First, I made the dough.  9 oz of flour and 6 oz of egg.  I ended up with 9 ozs of flour and 3 eggs were 5 ozs so I added a bit of water to the mixture.  Check out my Pasta Post to see more details on the ratio and how to prep the dough.  After cutting the dough into 4 and rolling it out - you have 4 sheets approximately 18 in x 4 in.  I just kind of rolled it out until it was really thin.  Then, I used my pastry wheel and cut away. 

Note my fingers at a safe distance from the cutting tool.  Bravo!



After I made my little squares I tubed the filling in.  The recipe for the filling was from the book but you can find anything online.  The one I used was chicken and herbs.  1/2 lb of chicken thighs diced, 1 tsp of chives and tarragon, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper, 1/2 cup of cream... mixed in a food processor. 

I egg-washed the squares so they would stick together, put the slices on top of each other, and then pinched the sides.  They actually looked like ravioli!!

Alas, I did not learn my lesson from the last time I made pasta and made my squares a bit big.  When I boiled them... they expanded.

After making this all from scratch, I popped open a jar of the finest $2 (2 for 1 at Publix!) tomato sauce and heated it on the stove.  Don't judge me, we can't all be Martha Stewart. 

In the end, it was fantastic!!! Great flavor and they just looked so cool!  I highly suggest people try this with different fillings.  It's not that difficult and kind of fun.

xoxo Peace, Love, and Good Food!

My Adventures in Making Pasta

I just moved into my own apartment and started a new job.  I'm 23 years old and I live paycheck to paycheck (but who isn't!?).  I had under $100 in my checking account yesterday and I decided to spend $14 on three bottles of wine at Trader Joe's because I obviously have my priorities in line.  The cheapest thing at the grocery store you can buy is pasta and at my Publix it is 77 cents a box.  In order to afford my cheap TJ's wine I have to cut back somewhere else and this week it's pasta.  Yes, I made my own pasta.

It started with the book "Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking" written by Michael Ruhlman.  I'm going to go on a bit of a rant about this book.  I'm a little bit of a nerd and love knowing the science and numbers behind things.  This book breaks down every basic kitchen staple (and even more complicated things like pate a croux) into ratios.  Basic pasta dough?  3 parts flour : 2 parts egg.  BOOM.  DONE. 

First of all check out my cool new gadget.  Most ratios are broken down by WEIGHT and not VOLUME so this purchase was necessary although he does break it down by approximate volume in the recipes, as well.

Ok sooo... I already gave you the recipe.  3 parts flour : 2 parts egg.  For two large portions I used 9 ounces of flour and 6 ounces of egg (3 large eggs).  Part of the reason I wanted to try this particular recipe so badly is because they say its fun.  You literally put your flour in a mound (mine in a bowl because of counter space) and put the eggs in the middle and stir around with your fingers!

After you mix it well you knead it for 5 to 10 minutes until smooth.  Fold over and push down with the heel of your hand.  The dough then needs to rest wrapped in plastic wrap for 10 minutes.  Once it is done "resting" you cut into four equal pieces and " roll them to desired thinness and cut".  Alright.  This is where I got lost. 

First of all, oops, I don't have a rolling pin.  I got a bit creative and used a double-shot glass...  classy, yes, but I'm not giving up now! 

Second, I figured I didn't need a fancy cutting machine for my pasta.  I'll just cut it with my knife.  Ok, it'll be a little thick but maybe it will taste like fettuccine?

Third, THAT'S WHERE IT ENDS.  Now what?!  Do I let it dry?  The book stops talking about anything else relative to COOKING the pasta. Anytime I go to Italian restaurants they have dried pasta sitting in jars.  The pasta I buy for 77 cents is dried.  Am I allowed to just cook it right now or do I have to wait weeks to use these giant flaps of pasta?

Well, I put my big-girl decision-making panties on and I popped those suckers into the boiling water.

... and it expanded.  Brains for dinner anyone??

OK so it doesn't look that appetizing.  In the end it kind of tasted like gnocci but I blame that on how thick it was and not the ratio/recipe.  I ended up covering it with a sauce I made several weeks ago and froze (Giada DeLaurentiis) and some fresh ground beef.  Maybe I'll try this again when I have the tools for it.  Until then, I'll stick to 77 cent boxes of pasta. I hope you all try this and let me know how it goes!

Orzo Salad, The Pasta Not The Rice

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and when it comes to being in the kitchen after lock-down in the 5x12 death-trap for 4 days, nothing else seems so true.  Now I’m back and ready to work on the relationship. 

I love dishes that combine all the necessities… the meat, the carbs, the veggies.  Paella, risottos, etc, are all so beautiful and so flavorful. I wanted to try this recipe for that very reason.  When combined, all the ingredients looked so colorful, tasty, and healthy (in the cookbook).  Time to see if I could make it look and taste that great!



Lovely serving bowl thanks to Molly and Jim!!! It makes my food look good!

Salmon, Asparagus, and Orzo Salad with Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette from Cooking Light

6 cups water

1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces

1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)

1 (1 ¼ lb) skinless salmon fillet

Salt

Pepper

Cooking Spray

¼ cup thinly sliced red onion

Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette (below)

1.       Preheat Broiler.

2.       Bring water to boil in large saucepan.  Add asparagus; cook 3 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Remove asparagus from water with tongs or slotted spoon, reserving water in pan.  Plunge asparagus into ice water; drain and set aside.  (I just put the asparagus in a colander and rinsed with cold water.)

3.       Return reserved water to a boil.  Add orzo, and cook according to package directions, omitting fat and salt (… or not… I kept the salt).

4.       While orzo cooks, sprinkle fillet with salt and pepper.  Place fish on a foil-lined broiler pan coated with cooking spray.  Broil 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.  Using 2 forks break fish into large chunks.  Combine fish, orzo, asparagus, onion, and Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette in a large bowl; toss gently to coat.  Yield: 6 servings about 1 ¼ cups each.

Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette

1/3 cup feta cheese (I got the fat-free kind)

1 tbsp chopped fresh dill

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp EVOO

Salt/pepper

1.       Mix all ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk.  



Thanks for your help, Pierre!

All in all, I am very pleased with this recipe.  It wasn't overly lemon-y, salmon-y, asparagus-y and it tasted really light and flavorful.  I would recommend it!  Although I am very afraid of my broiler since my stove is so old and makes rumbling fire noises - the salmon turned out OK and I didn't burn down my apartment complex.  You're welcome, neighbors. 

Check out my final product below.  Also, note the table trays my parents got me for Christmas and the lovely flowers my boyfriend got me!  For no reason!  This is why I let him eat the amazing food I make.  Actually, I make him try it first in case the results are fatal.  Just kidding...