Pasticciata Bolognese : Part 1 Spinach Pasta

OK... I am on a pasta jag... can't seem to shake it. After making the Chestnut Pasta a few days ago, I was reminded how truly great fresh pasta is and how I have neglected making it for a very long time. I promise, after this post I will do some local fish and veggie posts...maybe even with pasta? Meanwhile, please travel with me to Italy where soft velvety pastas and complex layered flavors of long cooked sauces delight our senses. In making this dish, you will share with your guests and family something quite special, a gift of your time and love, something that is rarely found on menus in the US and something that is even more rare and wonderful here on Hawai'i Island.

Pasticciata Bolognese is quite simply Lasagna made a very special way. I happen to think that it is one of  the best pasta dishes ever. It is also a bit on the messy side and it is something that requires a good deal of production time. However, it is so worth the effort. Much of this dish can be broken down into components that can be made ahead of time. I spent about 8 hours (much of which was simmering time for the sauce) of a single day making it, but you could easily do the pasta one day, the Bolognese Sauce another day  and the Besciamella & assembly another day. So, that is the way I am going to give this formula to you, starting today with the Spinach Pasta. Of course the Spinach Past is good for other forms of pasta. It can be cut and shaped into nearly any shape of pasta, so keep this recipe on hand for other uses too. I love it for ravioli with fresh ricotta and lemon zest filling. And all the while, this is also a great way to add spinach to foods for those who do not get enough of this important vegetable.

Spinach Pasta

There are two ways to make this pasta, one with fresh spinach and the other is with chopped frozen spinach. While I love fresh spinach (especially in salads) unless you have a huge garden of it, I must admit that frozen chopped spinach is perfect for this recipe and no compromises are made in nutrition or texture.  Keep in mind that spinach pasta is more moist than some pastas, so it will cook more quickly. I am giving instructions here for using frozen spinach, but you can easily cook raw spinach for about 5 minutes and then do the draining and squeezing with it.

Preparing the Spinach

Thaw the frozen spinach in a bowl in the refrigerator over night, then place in a strainer and squeeze the spinach by hand. Once you have done this, let it rest for a few minutes and then place in an old linen towel and twist it into a ball, squeezing even more. Just when you think you have removed all of the moisture, squeeze again. The dryer the spinach, the better the pasta.

Making the Dough


Ingredients: 

• One ten ounce box of frozen chopped spinach (completely drained as instructed above)
• 2 Cups all-purpose flour (plus additional for rolling and kneading the pasta)
• 2 large whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Method: 

Break apart the spinach in the bowl of a food processor and puree it, scrape down the sides with a spatula. In the bowl of the processor, add the flour to the spinach, pulsing till the spinach is completely incorporated into the flour.

In a measuring cup with a spout, whisk together the eggs, yolks and oil. While the processor is running slowly pour the egg mixture into the spinach flour mixture. Processs briefly and then scrape down the sides of the bowl and then process just until it starts to cling to the blade or form a ball.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth and elastic. Wrap well in plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour before rolling. At this point you can store it in the refrigerator for up to three days and up to three months in the freezer. If you do this, make sure that you allow the thawed dough to rest and completely come to room temperature before rolling.

In part 2 we will be making the sauces, then in part 3 we will assemble the Pasticciata Bolognese.

Homemade Chestnut Pasta

I have been making pasta from scratch for over 20 years. I like trying different flours and methods and recently found some chestnut flour at Abundant Life. I used to be able to find chestnut flour when I lived in Chicago, and rarely when we lived in the bay area, so I was really surprised to find it here... and on sale no less! I suppose we can thank Abundant Life's new section of Gluten Free Products for some cool finds and this is one of them. If you are doing this gluten free, use 100% chestnut flour, but your pasta will be a little more difficult to handle than if you do a 50/50 blend using all-purpose flour. Imported farina de castagne (flour of chestnut) is widely available in specialty markets and on a variety of web sites.

Here is the method and a simple recipe for the Butter, sage, rosemary and walnut sauce I used for the pasta.

*note, this pasta, like all pastas can be made by hand, but it is one that works very well with the food processor method.

Ingredients:

• Dry:  1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 cup chestnut flour
• Wet: 2 large whole eggs, 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons water

1. Fit the regular steel cutting blade in the bowl of a food processor
2. Measure the flours into the bowl
3. Process for a few seconds to aerate 
4. Drop the eggs into a spouted measuring cup & beat briefly with a fork to break up. 
5. Mix in the measured amounts of oil and water. To minimize the chance of overheating, use cold eggs and water. 
6. Start the machine running with the feed tube open. Pour the wet mixture into the bowl and quickly scrape out any remaining eggs out of the cup. 
7. Let the machine run for about 30 seconds. A dough should form quickly; most of it should clump or ball up on the blade. some may spread on the sides of the bowl where it will twist and knead. Let the machine knead the dough for about 10 seconds (no more than 50 seconds total processsing.)
8. Turn the dough on to a floured board and lightly knead another 30 seconds or so, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Wrap and rest the dough in plastic wrap. It can be stored for up to 3 days in the refrigerator, but should be allowed to come to room temp before rolling. 

Rolling the pasta: 

I often use a simple rolling pin to make pasta and have a variety of ways to cut and shape it, but for beginners it is probably best to use a pasta rolling machine to get the dough into thin, smooth sheets. If doing this method, divide the dough into workable sheets and then starting with the widest setting, run your dough through the rollers reducing the size of the setting until you end up on the narrowest setting. Allow these sheets to rest on a floured surface, covered by towels. 

Cutting the pasta: 

There are a variety of ways to cut the pasta, the simplest being using a knife or pizza cutters to cut it into narrow strips. I used the linguine cutter on my pasta roller for this particular pasta, but I often use a chitarra, or Pasta Guitar for cutting narrow pastas. These devices are not expensive, but   here are directions about how to make your own  Chitarrra . 

Once the pasta is cut, it needs to dry a bit before cooking. You can use a rack or just toss with some flour and make small piles of the noodles. These nests work especially well if you want to freeze your pasta. 

Cooking the pasta: 

For 1 # of fresh pasta bring 6 quarts of water to boil stir in 1 tablespoon of sea salt. Before adding the pasta to the water, shake off excess flour. drop the pasta into the pot in several batches, stirring with each addition so the pasta does not stick. 

Return the water to a boil until the pasta rises to the top, sample the pasta and if it is tender then remove and strain, Drop with clinging water into the sauce and toss. 

Butter, Sage, Rosemary Walnut Sauce

1 stick butter 

10 fresh sage leaves

1 stick of rosemary , needles pulled off

1 cup of chopped walnuts (or chestnuts if you can find them)

1 Cup freshly grated Parmagiano Reggianao

Melt the butter in a skillet large enough to hold pasta. Scatter the sage leaves and rosemary needles around the pan. When the butter begins to sizzle add the walnuts in a hot spot. Toast them until light brown. Ladle in 1 cup of the pasta water and simmer for about 3 minutes for the flavors to blend and allow the sauce to thicken slightly. Finish sauce with cooked pasta, tossing and cooking together over low heat. Remove from heat and add cheese, tossing. Serve with crushed red pepper and freshly grated black pepper. 

Wordless Wednesday : Oysters Half Shell Happiness

An Evening with Roseanne Barr

A couple of nights ago we were invited to see Roseanne Barr try out her new stand up routine on some of her neighbors in Honokaa. It was a fund raiser for the "Dental Bus" that goes around the Hamakua Coast servicing providing dental care for children. It was an evening of hilarity and great music with friends.

The event was held at the Old Mac Nut Factory, which is now a studio for artists and has a barn space where concerts and events are held. We are lucky enough to be friends with some of the artists who are located in the space as well as friends that own two vacation cottages in Honokaa. Teri Suggs is an artist that I worked with at the Walnut Creek Clay Arts Guild and who moved to the big island several months before we did.

Roseanne has a radio show on public radio, you can find archives and free pod casts here:
Tipping Point KPFK

Roseanne's boyfriend of 7 years is musician Johnny Argent played with several other musicians in the Old Mac Nut Factory. It turned out to be a perfect venue for the pair, who were able to rock the house with music and rib busting laughter. Speaking of rib busting laughter, my ribs ached the next morning from laughing so hard all night.

The evening was a BYOB potluck and as usual the group at the Mac Nut Factory had lots of good food.

In my research, I learned that Roseanne met Johnny after he posted on a forum on her blog back in 2001 and finally won her over. She fell in love with him before ever seeing him and then was pleasantly surprised in 2002 when they finally met. I think he must be good for her in many ways. For one thing she has gone natural in her hair color and seems to be a little less angry with the world in general. Her comedy is irreverent and occasionally offensive, but it is difficult not to laugh at her views of life,  I especially loved her menopause jokes.

Photo by Sarah Lee

For those of you wondering what kind of  house Roseanne lives in here... I can share this arial view. You can see she is surrounded by plenty of land and enjoys her well deserved privacy. The 46 + acre farm was purchased in 2007. At that time, Roseanne told  Reuters that she had bought a property in Hawaii that grows macadamias, quipping, “I always knew I would end up on a nut farm, and I’m going to.”

And here is the place Roseanne calls home in Hawaii. It is where she gathers her family, enjoys cooking, making her own hot sauce and crackers and other good things.

Christmas Cinnamon Rolls

I posted earlier about one of our Christmas Traditions, Chiles en Nogada. Another is cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. Today we went to a brunch and I brought along my Christmas Cinnamon Rolls. I am including the very easy recipe for you here. I varied the icing as I sometimes do, by adding tangerine juice and zest.

Cinnamon Rolls

This is the basic recipe my great grandmother used. These freeze well and can be re-heated. You can also make and proof the dough the night before and then refrigerate the dough. If you do this, it will take longer for the rolls to rise in their second fermentation.

Prep Time: 2-3 hours (depending on rising time)

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

·                        1-1/2 packages (about 3-1/4 teaspoons) dry yeast

·                        1/4 cup warm water

·                        1/2 cup shortening, lard or butter (I usually use home rendered lard)

·                        1/3 cup sugar

·                        1-1/2 teaspoon salt

·                        1 cup milk or cream (I use cream)

·                        2 Tablespoons fresh lemon or orange zest

·                        1 egg

·                        4 to 5 cups sifted flour

·                        Softened butter (about 1/3 a cup, maybe a little more)

·                        brown sugar

·                        cinnamon

·                        Vanilla Frosting

·                        2 cups powdered sugar

·                        1 teaspoon vanilla ( I make my own)

·                        Milk, cream or fruit juice plus zest ( 4-5 tablespoons)

Method:

Add the warm water to the yeast and soak 10 minutes.

Scald milk; pour over the shortening. Add sugar, zest and salt and cool to tepid. Add the dissolved yeast and beaten egg. Add 4 cups flour adding one at a time beating after each addition.

Dough should be soft yet firm enough to handle. Knead on floured board until elastic and smooth. Avoid too much flour. Turn dough into well oiled bowl. Let rise for 1-1/2 hours.

Softly press dough down and shape into a rectangle. Roll dough out into a rectangle about 18 inches wide and 8 inches tall. Cover with the soft butter. Layer with a generous layer of brown sugar. Sprinkle on cinnamon as desired Roll up jellyroll fashion.

Using scissors or a piece of dental floss cut off slices about 1-1/2 inches thick. Place slices in an 9 X 13 inch buttered pan. Press rolls down to even out and fill pan. Let rise until rolls fill the pan generously. This could take about an hour.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 20 - 30 minutes. If rolls get too brown, cover with a piece of tine foil until the end of baking. Do not over bake rolls. Make sure the center rolls are cooked all the way through by testing with an instant read thermometer. It should read about 200 degrees. Cool on a rack.

For the Frosting:
In a medium bowl, place sugar and vanilla. Then whisk in enough milk, juice or cream to reach a thick, hardly-able to stir consistency. If you are using zest add it.

Spread over warm rolls as soon as they are placed on a plate to let the frosting melt and run into the rolls.

Valentine pleads for a taste... 

Chiles en Nogada

Feliz Navidad! Mele Kalikimaka!


This recipe truly is a labor of love. It takes hours and hours of prep time, but it is a tradition at our house every Christmas and instead of making it just for three of  us for Christmas dinner, we made it as one component of our Christmas Dinner Party for some friends visiting from the mainland and some close friends from Hawaii. Along with the Chiles en Nogada, I also smoked a Beef Brisket in Mesquite and a Ham in Apple wood with chipotle, beer, mustard and brown sugar glaze.  All that remained after 16 guests filled their plates a few times was a ham bone.

So, without further ado... here is the recipe. I urge you to set aside a full day to make this and have an extra set of hands for the walnut peeling! My son Jay (aka Butchy Fuego) was kind enough to help me with the walnuts. This tedious (but worthwhile) part of the sauce making can be done a day ahead and the walnuts stored in milk.

Chiles en Nogada

I first learned how to make Chiles en Nogada while in Cooking School in Cuernavaca Mexico. This is a signature dish of the Morelos region and it is traditionally made for the Christmas Holidays. It represents the flag of Mexico, with the red, green and white colors. This recipe serves 8 people and takes about 3 hours to make, it is one of those dishes that is well worth the effort.

Walnuts for the sauce:
2 cups (7 ounces) walnut halves and pieces, you’ll need 50 (about 1 ½  pounds) very fresh walnuts in their shells

For the chiles and pork-and-fruit stuffing:
1 1/2 pounds ground pork shoulder with 2 ounces of chopped ham (or equal parts of veal, beef & pork with two ounces of chopped ham)
3 tablespoons lard or oil
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 small white onion, diced
16 very large (about 2 pounds) fresh poblano chiles, choose good-looking chiles with their stems intact if possible
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Cups of chicken broth
½ cup raisins rehydrated in hot water & drained
2 generous tablespoons dried mango, candied biznaga cactus or citron, cut into 1/4 -inch dice
1 small pear, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 - inch dice
1 small Jonathan or McIntosh apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 - inch dice
2 medium fresh peaches (or extra pears or apples), peeled, pitted and cut into 1/4 - inch dice
1 ripe, medium-small tomato, seeded and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon dried marjoram or Mexican Oregano
A pinch of saffron
A pinch of ground cloves
A pinch of ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, preferably freshly ground Mexican canela
Salt, about 1 generous teaspoon
1/3 cup (about 1 3/4 ounces) silvered blanched almonds.
1 ripe, medium-size plantain, peeled and cut into 1/4 - inch dice.
For finishing the sauce:
1 to 1 1/2 cups milk
1 slice firm white bread, crusts removed
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt, about 1/2 generous teaspoon
1 cup of dry brandy
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, preferable freshly ground Mexican canela
1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream or Mexican crema or crema fresca

For the garnish:
1 pomegranate
8 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

1. Peeling the walnuts. If using mature-green walnuts, break away the soft, green, outer layer with your hands. Working with 5 or 6 at a time, crack open the nuts, remove the meats in the largest pieces possible. Drop the walnut pieces into a small pan of boiling water, immediately remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel, then peel: the thin, brown skin that covers each piece will peel off in fairly large pieces if the nuts are very fresh; use a small pick or pointed trussing needle to help lift the skin out of the crevices. Continue until all are peeled. Store the nuts in a bowl of milk.

2.  Heat the onions and garlic in the oil till the onions are translucent. Add the meats and then the tomatoes. Add the chicken broth and cook till most of the broth has evaporated and the meat has become tender.

3. Roasting the chiles. The open flame method: Place chiles directly over the gas flame or on a medium hot charcoal or gas grill. Roast, turning occasionally, until blistered and blackened on all sides but not soft, about 5 minutes. The broiler method: Lay chiles on a baking sheet set about 4 inches below a preheated broiler. Roast, turning occasionally until blistered and blackened on all sides but not soft, about 10 minutes. Place in a plastic shopping bag to steam. Peel the charred skin off the chiles and rinse them if necessary. Make a long slit in the side of each chile and carefully remove the seeds and veins.

4. The stuffing. Before you start cooking, complete all the initial peeling, coring & chopping  of the stuffing ingredients (put the fruit in a little sprite to prevent browning, though a little oxidizing of the apples and pears won’t spoil the appearance of the dish.)

Into the meat, stir in the raisins, candied fruit, pear, apple, peach, the tomato, herbs and cinnamon. Mix well, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the skillet and simmer until the apple and pear are tender (but not mushy) and the flavors are blended, about 10 minutes. Season with salt, usually a generous teaspoon.
While the meat mixture is simmering, heat  2 tablespoons of oil in a medium-small skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and fry, stirring nearly constantly, until they are a deep golden color, about 3 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon and cool. Add the diced plantain to the skillet and stir it frequently until nicely browned and sweet, 3 or 4 minutes. Add to the meat mixture along with the almonds. Remove the filling from the heat and let cool uncovered. (There will be about 6 cups).

5. Stuffing the chiles. Stuff the chiles with cooled filling, packing it in well and re-forming them in their original shape. Place on a baking sheet and cover with foil.

6. Completing the sauce. Within a couple of hours of serving, prepare the sauce. Put the peeled walnuts into a blender jar along with 1 cup of milk (from soaking the walnuts), the bread, sugar, salt, brandyand spices. Blend until a drop of the puree no longer feels gritty when rubbed between your fingers (this will be more successful with the mature-green walnuts); if the mixture should clog in the machine or if only the mixture at the bottom is moving through the blades, add more milk a little at a time, until all the mixture is moving through the blades again. Finally add the cream and blend for just a few seconds; add additional milk if necessary to achieve a medium consistency. Taste for salt and sugar; the sauce should have a slightly sweet edge with just enough salt to bring up the flavor of the walnuts. Set aside at room temperature.

7. Finishing the dish. Half an hour before serving, place the chiles in a 250-degree oven to heat through. Break the pomegranate apart under water, pick out all the seeds and place them in a small dish.
When you are ready to serve, add a little cream to the sauce if it is thicker than a medium-consistency custard sauce. Place 1 or 2 chiles (depending on how you have chosen to serve them) on each warm dinner plate. Spoon the room-temperature sauce over the warm chiles, generously covering them half away from the stem. Sprinkle the sauce generously with the pomegranate seeds, garnish with the parsley, and serve at once. Or, you can serve them traditionally on a round plate with the chiles in a circle.

COOK’S NOTES:


Timing and advance preparation: Start a day or so ahead, peeling the walnuts (allow 1 1/2 to 2 hours); they will keep for a couple days in the refrigerator tightly wrapped. Finishing the dish will require a little less than 2 hours. The chiles may be prepared and the stuffing made a couple of days in advance; store them separately, covered and refrigerated. Complete Steps 5 through 7 shortly before serving; the sauce can gray if prepared too far ahead.