Wordless Wednesday My Tardy Christmas Cactus

This Christmas Cactus is ten years old, but really it is far older. It is a cutting from a very old Chicago family Christmas Cactus given to us by our dear friend Larry Heinemann when we were married in 2000. When he gave it to us, it was a cutting in a six inch pot with three little stems. If you live in Hawaii, let me know and I will give you some cuttings. The whole ordeal of being shipped here may have something to do with it's tardiness at blooming this year. We'll see what happens next year.

Caught One!

The coqui frog is the bane of most Hawai'i residents existence. It is an invasive species that makes a loud chirping noise and seems to breed faster than rabbits. It has no natural predators in Hawai'i. We don't have many of them around our house and the ocean blocks out the sound of those that are around us. However, I know a few people who love the sound of them and some who are driven nuts by the noises they make.

Meanwhile, I have never been very good at catching them. And... then last week when I was in the garden I found a BIG one and he made his way into a zip lock bag in my freezer. Today I pretty much hit the coqui jackpot, I found an adult male sitting on a nest of eggs. Usually the eggs need to be in water and these may have been laid in water, but they were just in the bottom of a pot that had an orchid in it. I was changing out the pot and discovered this little nest.

Bad Boy!

This video/audio clip was taken down by the river in Hilo where the coquis are quite dense. It gives you a good idea though of what they can be like.

Smoked Duck Tortilla Soup

I smoked a duck and made duck tacos last week. And then what? I made duck stock and reserved the remaining meat for soup. I made a big pot of Smoked Duck Tortilla Soup a few nights ago. You can find whole ducks in the freezer section of most grocery stores. Here in Hawaii, they are a rare "find" and when someone in our group finds them we buy enough for everyone because they go fast.

Here is the recipe:
The Stock
1 duck carcas
2 heads of garlic cut in half
2 carrots quartered
2 stalks of celery
1 Large onion quartered
2 Bay Leaves or cinnamon leaves if you can get them
6 dried ancho chiles (can sub Dried New Mexico or California red chiles)stemmed and seeded.

Place all in a stock pot, simmer on low for 10 hours, do not allow to boil. Then strain with cheese cloth. Chill stock and remove fat (save 3 Tablespoons for soup). Reserve meat and garlic (remove from bulb) for soup. Remove the chiles and place in a blender with 1 cup of stock and puree, then set aside.  This should make about 6 quarts of stock.

The Soup

4 quarts of duck stock

Reserved duck meat (note if you did not have much meat left, you can sauté a breast and chop it up)

3 tablespoons reserved duck fat

2 sweet onions  or 4 chopped

3 ribs of celery (including tops) chopped

2 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly

1 bunch of kale or chard chopped roughly

Reserved chile puree

Reserved meat

Reserved garlic

1 package of fire roasted frozen corn or fresh corn off the cob

In a large soup pot sauté the onions in the duck fat. When they are beginning to sweat, add celery, garlic and carrots and sauté another couple of minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer for about 30 minutes. Taste and season with salt, pepper and red crushed pepper. It should be slightly spicy, but not extremely so.

The Garnishes

4 tortillas sliced thinly and fried till crispy

1/2 cup green onions (scallions)

1 medium avocado diced Finely shredded cheddar or jack cheese

Chopped cilantro

Crema (Mexican Sour Cream)

To serve fill a bowl with the tortilla strips and avocado chunks. Ladle the hot soup over the strips and then top

with cheese, green onions, cilantro and drizzle crema lightly over the top.

Pasticciata Bolognese Part 3

For those of you following this recipe and planning to make it, this is the final installment in the making of Pasticciata Bolognese. For those of you just jumping in on the subject, you can find  the first two installments by clicking on the links below. If you are wondering exactly what Pasticciata Bolognese is, it is a wonderfully complex and rich form of lasagna which has traditional slow cooked Bolognese sauce, Besciamella sauce, cheese and of course the spinach pasta.

In Part 1 we made spinach pasta, which is used for many dishes, not just this one.

In Part 2 we made the sauces and finally, now we are assembling the dish and baking!

The spinach pasta dough now needs to be rolled out, blanched and then cooled in ice water before assembly. You can use a rolling pin to roll out the sheets of pasta, or you can use a pasta roller. I used a pasta roller this time. Basically you want to roll out about 20 ounces of the pasta out as thinly as possible. As the pasta gets thinner, of course it also gets longer. I cut my strips in half when they start to get unmanageably long. Place all of the pasta sheets on floured linen towels. You can flour the counter instead, but that is a lot messier.

In a large wide pot, get the water boiling and add a generous pinch of salt. Slide a strip of pasta in and if you have room a second strip, but no more than that. Have a roasting pan or shallow bowl ready with ice water. Spinach pasta cooks quickly. Within about one minute, it should be done. Using a slotted spoon or spider, gently remove the pasta from the cooking water and plunge into the ice water just like a Swede coming out of a Sauna and jumping into a cold plunge.

Pick up the cooled pasta sheets and allow excess water to drain off and then place on towels again to dry a bit.

You will need:

• 1 recipe fresh spinach pasta
• A double recipe of besciamella
• 4 Cups Ragu Bolognese  
• 2-3 tablespoons of butter for the baking pan
• 2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 4 cups of low-moisture mozzarella shredded or sliced very thinly

Method: 

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees

The first two sheets of pasta are going to form a strong base for the dish. A thin layer of the sauces and cheeses separate the pasta sheets so that they do not get gummy. After you have made the base, you will make three filling layers with plentiful amounts of the sauces and cheeses, then the last layers of pasta are again thinly dressed. 

Coat the bottom and sides of the dish thinly with Besciamella. Apply 1/3 cup of  Bolognese on the bottom over the Besciamella. Drape the pasta sheets the length of the pan so that they cover it completely, allowing the excess to hang over the edge of the pan. 

• Spread 1/3 cup of the Besciamella over the pasta. 
• Spread 1/3 cup of Bolognese over the Besciamella

Drape the next layer of pasta sheets perpendicular to the first, across the width of the pan, allowing the excess to lay on each side of the pan evenly (should be about 6" on each side. 

• Spread 2/3 cup of Besciamella over the pasta
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the Parm over the sauce
• Spread 1 cup of Bolognese in a thick layer
• Top with 1/3 of the Mozzarella 

Add another layer of pasta, but this time trim the sheets to fit the pan. and replicate the steps above to create another thick layer of filling. 

Make another layer of trimmed pasta sheets and fill with a final thick filling layer.

Arrange another trimmed layer of pasta over the final filling layer. 

• Spread  1/3 cup Besciamella on the layer of pasta
• Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of Parm all over 
• Repeat with a final layer of pasta, then besciamella and then the 3 tablespoons more of  Parm. 

Fold all of the overhanging flaps of pasta over on to to the pasticcata. If they do not meet and cover the top, add an additional piece to cover. Spread the remaining Besciamella and Bolognese on and top with the remaining Parm. 

At this point, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator or you may bake it right away. Before you put the pasticcata in the oven, tear a long sheet of foil to form a tent over the pan. Arch the foil over the pan so that it does not touch the cheese. Pierce the foil in a few places to vent any steam. 

Set the pan on a baking sheet and then into a 350 degree oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the pan on the baking sheet from the oven to remove the foil and then return to the oven for about 20 minutes, until the top is deeply colored and crispy. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for another 20 minutes to firm up. 

Cut into squares and serve. 

Wordless Wednesday: My Mahjongg Girls!

Pasticciata Bolognese : Part 2 The Sauces

Pasticciata Bolognese, as described in my earlier post is a rather luxurious type of lasagna. The main sauce used in this recipe is a Bolognese Sauce, also known as the queen of sauces.


Deeply flavored.  Rich.  Seductive. Velvety.  The Queen of Sauces; Bolognese, is all of these things. It is also history, tradition, and a serious achievement for any serious cook in Italian cuisine. 


The earliest reference I have found to 'Ragu' alla bolognese is a 15th century recipe, which describes lining a casserole dish with prosciutto and strips of pork fat, laying chopped onion, (no garlic - Italian patricians for centuries abhorred garlic smells on the breath, which was looked down on at Court) carrot, celery and fresh wild herbs, which would be parsley, sage, rosemary and origano, and laying over that best quality finely chopped beef. The whole would then be covered in dry red wine and beef stock, and cooked over a slow fire for at least four hours, or until the meat was dark brown with a 'burnt' appearance. A little cream should be added at the end of cooking, to ennoble the dish.

Tomatoes didn't come into the equation until late on in the 15th century, reaching italy through Spain, where potatoes, maize, peppers of all kinds, tomatoes and American beans were introduced by the triumphant Conquistadores.The whole of Southern Italy was under Spanish Bourbon rule at the time, and it is said that these new foodswere first introduced into Palermo, Sicily, and thence found their way up the Italian peninsula and becoming part of the main staples of  Italian food, and tomatoes soon found their way into some - though not all - meat sauces, including Bolognese.


My sauce is made with three kinds of meat, beef, pork and cured pork (pancetta) but some recipes also include veal. I also am of the "milk" school. As you will see by the list of ingredients, this sauce is probably equal to some of the complex and multilayered  moles of Mexican cooking which I also adore. 


The other sauce used in this recipe is a traditional cream sauce, Besciamella. I will give the recipes for both of these in Part 2 and then in Part 3, I will give you the final instructions in assembly and baking.. 


Ragu alla Bolognese Ricetta Antica 


2# ground beef (15% fat)
2# ground pork (15 % fat)
2 cups dry vermouth
8 ounces pancetta or bacon
6 fat garlic cloves
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large red onions minced
2 large stalks of celery, minced in a food processor
2 carrots, minced in a food processor
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 tablespoons tomato paste
8 cups hot milk
nutmeg for grating (about 1 teaspoon)
2 Cups or more turkey, veal or beef stock
freshly ground black pepper


* I have also used porcini mushrooms in this sauce, but they are not traditional, so I am omitting them

• Put all 4 pounds of ground meat in a large mixing bowl. With your hands, crumble and loosen it. This is easier if you allow the meat to achieve room temperature. Pour the Vermouth over the meat and mix completely together. Allow to rest.

• To make the pestata cut the bacon or pancetta slices into 1 inch pieces and put them in the bowl of a food processor with the peeled garlic. Process this into a fine paste. 

Cooking the sauce Base: 

• Pour the olive oil into a heavy sauce pan and scrape in all of the pestata. Put the pan on medium heat and break up the pestata and stir it around the pan bottom to start rendering lard. Cook for 3-4 minutes stirring until the bacon and garlic are sizziling and the garlic starts to turn golden. 

• Stir in the minced onions and cook till the onions begin to sweat. Stir in the carrot and celery and cook till the vegetables are wilted and gold over medium-high heat (about 4-5 minutes.) 

• Turn up the heat and move the veggies off to the side and put all of the meat into the pan. Sprinkle the salt on. Allow the meat to brown, then stir and continue to brown until all of the meat is browned. Cook an additional 30 minutes or more until all of the liquid has concentrated. As the liquid level goes down turn the heat down so you do not burn the meat.

• Slowly heat the milk and stock to be used. 

• When all of the meat has been cooked off, drop in the tomato paste on a hot spot and allow to toast for a minute. Then blend in to the meat. Cook for another few minutes, stirring. 

• Pour in two cups of the hot milk and stir into the meat; add more as needed to cover the meat. Grate in the nutmeg. Stir well, being sure to clean the bottom of the pan with the spoon, pulling up any caramelized bits on the bottom. 

• Bring the sauce to a simmer. Cover the pan adjusting the heat to maintain slow steady cooking. The sauce should be bubbling just a bit. 

• The sauce needs to simmer for 3 hours. During which, check the pot about every 15 minutes and add hot milk as needed to cover the meat. every 15-20 minutes there should be a reduction of 1 1/2 cups to 2 cups. After all of the milk has been used, start using stock to replenish the liquids. This step is important and creates the complex flavor of the sauce. If the sauce level is falling too fast, lower the heat. 

• During the finishing of the sauce, the meat should appear suspended in a rich velvety sauce. If the meat is still  under liquid increase heat and reduce further. 

• Taste and add salt or pepper if needed. cook for an additional 5 minutes. 

• Stir the sauce and and allow to cool. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for a few months. It is a great thing to have on hand. Aside from the recipe provided here, this sauce is also quite good over polenta, risotto, pasta, gnocchi or to sauce ravioli. 

Besciamella -Béchamel or Cream Sauce (this is a double recipe needed for the Pasticcata)

4 cups milk

Pinch of salt

Pinch of white pepper

2 Bay leaves

3 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons all purpose-flour

6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmagiano Reggiano 

• Pour the milk into a large saucepan. Add seasonings and bay leaf. Bring almost to a boil and then reduce heat but keep warm. 

• Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat and when the butter starts to foam, add the flour, whisk to form a roux, allow the roux to darken slightly. 

• Stir in the milk, stirring constantly until the sauce begins to boil. Keep the pan at a slow simmer, stirring constantly as the sauce thickens. This should take 3-4 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the grated cheese. 

• Remove from heat and place plastic wrap directly to the sauce so that a skin will not form. The sauce can sit like this for a few hours at room temperature. It can be refrigerated for a day or to, but I prefer to do t his sauce on the day of assembly. 

Coming next, part 3, the final assembly.