Thursday, July 1, 2010
An old-fashioned kind of girl
A few weeks ago Lena Horne died. Aside from being a lovely woman and a marvelous screen actress, she was responsible for popularizing the song Stormy Weather. I'm particularly attached to this song, because when I was a young thing of 16, I auditioned to sing this song with my high school jazz band. Actually singing with them on stage was like a dream - a huge audience, a full band, and I was singing by myself with a mic, in a pretty dress. It was magical. Did I know anything about stormy weather? Well, not really. But doesn't every sixteen-year-old think she's intimately acquainted with tragedy?
Enjoy this video of Miss Horne, and when you're done check out her bio on wikipedia here.
Sue me for neglect
Here are the recipes I've made and haven't told you about in the past month:
1. Chocolate Bundt Cake
2. Little Pear Friands
3. Lemon Lavender Tea Cakes
I'm sorry. I'm also super sick in bed, which is either the best excuse not to blog ever, or a terrible excuse since I have all this time...if it makes you feel better, staring at the computer screen is giving me a terrible headache. Also I can't get my photos on my computer without plugging my phone in, which I'm much too lazy to do right now. It's terrible, I know.
What is everyone up to this summer? Other than work I've been dashing all around town with my family and friends (although Mom was out of town this whole week). Last weekend I went to San Francisco for a friend's birthday and hung out in the park and on the Castro during pride celebrations. It was so epic! The park was jammed with people, mostly lesbians, who were waiting for the dyke march to begin. A girl right in front of us was wearing knit lederhosen and nothing else! Pride weekend is so wonderful here in San Francisco, there's a feeling of freedom with an edge of crazy and a big helping of positive energy. Participants are energetically reaching out and celebrating people's differences. There's nothing passive about this festival in San Francisco; it's loud and pushy and fabulous. Also, the costumes? Yeah, Epic. I'm just sorry I missed the parade this year, especially since I heard the Backstreet Boys showed up!
What else have I done? Well my loyal partners-in-crime Mountaineer and Boy Scout bought us all tickets to see the Giants play the Dodgers in AT&T park in the city. My response when I opened my present was "awesome! I hate the Dodgers!!" We had a great time eating junk food and beer, and booing the Dodgers and their creepy fans. On the train home we had the misfortune to sit behind these "thugs" who were from our hometown (largely white, rich, upper-middle class). I am not joking when I tell you they were bragging about getting caught drinking in an elementary school playground and running from the cops. It was the most ridiculous piece of theatre I've ever witnessed in public.
There is always so much to do here! Even when I'm just watching TV or hanging around, there are things to look forward to and people to see, and an energy to life that was completely missing in Switzerland. Right now I'm a little too tired to look forward to the future, but when I'm not sick any more I'm looking forward to looking forward.
1. Chocolate Bundt Cake
2. Little Pear Friands
3. Lemon Lavender Tea Cakes
I'm sorry. I'm also super sick in bed, which is either the best excuse not to blog ever, or a terrible excuse since I have all this time...if it makes you feel better, staring at the computer screen is giving me a terrible headache. Also I can't get my photos on my computer without plugging my phone in, which I'm much too lazy to do right now. It's terrible, I know.
What is everyone up to this summer? Other than work I've been dashing all around town with my family and friends (although Mom was out of town this whole week). Last weekend I went to San Francisco for a friend's birthday and hung out in the park and on the Castro during pride celebrations. It was so epic! The park was jammed with people, mostly lesbians, who were waiting for the dyke march to begin. A girl right in front of us was wearing knit lederhosen and nothing else! Pride weekend is so wonderful here in San Francisco, there's a feeling of freedom with an edge of crazy and a big helping of positive energy. Participants are energetically reaching out and celebrating people's differences. There's nothing passive about this festival in San Francisco; it's loud and pushy and fabulous. Also, the costumes? Yeah, Epic. I'm just sorry I missed the parade this year, especially since I heard the Backstreet Boys showed up!
What else have I done? Well my loyal partners-in-crime Mountaineer and Boy Scout bought us all tickets to see the Giants play the Dodgers in AT&T park in the city. My response when I opened my present was "awesome! I hate the Dodgers!!" We had a great time eating junk food and beer, and booing the Dodgers and their creepy fans. On the train home we had the misfortune to sit behind these "thugs" who were from our hometown (largely white, rich, upper-middle class). I am not joking when I tell you they were bragging about getting caught drinking in an elementary school playground and running from the cops. It was the most ridiculous piece of theatre I've ever witnessed in public.
There is always so much to do here! Even when I'm just watching TV or hanging around, there are things to look forward to and people to see, and an energy to life that was completely missing in Switzerland. Right now I'm a little too tired to look forward to the future, but when I'm not sick any more I'm looking forward to looking forward.
It's a warm, buttery Summer
A couple weeks ago I wanted buttermilk biscuits. Why? I don't remember. Besides, since when do my food cravings have to be tied to rational thought? It's a well known fact that everything makes me hungry, including and especially the phrase "I wish I were hungry." Good thing I just ate lunch. Now where were we?
Ah yes, Buttermilk Biscuits. This recipe is courtesy Joy the Baker. I could say things about it, but I won't. Just make them. You will understand.
Buttermilk Biscuits
(slightly modified from Joy the Baker, posted March 26, 2009)
Arrange the biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake them for 12 - 15 minutes, until they are slightly golden and fluffy. Enjoy with jam, butter, or anything else you fancy (I've heard mustard and ham is good).
Ah yes, Buttermilk Biscuits. This recipe is courtesy Joy the Baker. I could say things about it, but I won't. Just make them. You will understand.
Buttermilk Biscuits
(slightly modified from Joy the Baker, posted March 26, 2009)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, cold
Arrange the biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake them for 12 - 15 minutes, until they are slightly golden and fluffy. Enjoy with jam, butter, or anything else you fancy (I've heard mustard and ham is good).
A Very Merry Un-Birthday to You!
Last week was my birthday! I spent a wonderful, lovely, quiet day baking my extravagant birthday cake. The best birthday present I could have asked for was flying back to California the day before. See, I never did get a work permit in Switzerland. After three months I had to leave, and now I'm on the hunt for a new job in a new city. Don't we all dream about what we would do if? It's as if someone has freed me from every responsibility or concern and said "Martha, go out there and make your life look exactly the way you want." I had a glorious moment contemplating my wildest dreams as potential realities, discovering that my wildest dreams really aren't very wild at all. Problem?
If you could have or be or do anything you want, what would it be? Last week this cake was all I could want out of life:
It's dreamily called Buttermilk Yellow cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting. Shall we rename it? How about Heavenly Cake, Scrumptious Cake, or Brown Sugar Dream Cake? Any ideas? The reason I chose this cake is because a) we had a bit of extra buttermilk in the fridge and buttermilk makes everything taste better and b) how good does brown sugar buttercream sound? I mean really now. I thought it would be a bit more tan, but as it turns out the egg whites really dominate this frosting. My only modification would be to add a little less salt to the frosting. On the other hand it gives it this intriguing salty-sweet caramel taste and prevents the whole cake from being too sweet.
As you can see the cake was almost purely white, which meant that after being assembled and frosted it looked like a wedding cake. To tell you the truth I hadn't thought past the baking stage so I really had nothing in mind for the decoration. Fortunately my sister and mom gave my dad a bunch of French lavender plants for the garden, which are beautifully in bloom right at this very moment. It only took a few minutes to pluck a few stems and arrange them artfully on the cake! (side note: it may still have looked like a fancy wedding cake. I do not care.)
Let's get into how I made it...and I want to remind you that it took all day. Still, you should try it sometime, there's nothing more satisfying than a perfectly iced three-layer cake.
Buttermilk Yellow Cake
(originally Moist Yellow Cake published in Bon Appetit, August 2004)
I had to make my own cake flour this time because I ran out...Fortunately making cake flour is quite easy! You will need cornstarch and all-purpose flour. For every cup of flour take out two tablespoons. Replace the two tablespoons of flour you took out with two tablespoons of cornstarch. For three cups of cake flour, you would take out six tablespoons of flour and replace them with six tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift the mixture together about five or six times and you're ready to go.
After you've made your cake flour add in the baking powder and salt and sift it together again. Sifting will keep the flour very light and will allow the wet ingredients to permeate better. It will also lighten the crumb and prevent the cake from getting too heavy.
Spend a little time with the mixer on medium high creaming the butter. It should be fluffy and light-colored after a couple minutes. Now you want to add the sugar a quarter cup at a time continuing to beat the butter. This will allow the sugar crystals to break through the butter fat, keeping the cake light. One by one add the eggs, beating well after each one.
Mix the vanilla extract with the buttermilk. Now you're ready to mix it all together! Start with the flour, mixing in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and ending with the flour. It's very important that you not over mix! Keep the mixer on medium speed and mix only until the ingredients are combined. After you've added everything scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix briefly.
Add the batter to the pans, filling each equally and smoothing the tops (this will help the cake avoid doming). Place in the center of the oven and cook until the top is golden and it starts to pull away from the side of the pan (about 35 minutes for me with three pans). A knife in the center should come out clean. Don't worry if they get a teensy bit overcooked, as it will actually make it easier to assemble and frost.
Now that the cake is in the oven, let's move on to the hard part!
Brown Sugar Buttercream
(originally seen in Gourmet, January 2001)
First things first. Add the salt to your room temp egg whites. The salt will help make sure the whites fluff enough, but it will also make the frosting a wee bit salty, not in a gross way but noticeably. I would add only half a teaspoon next time, and see what happens. Once your egg whites and salt are combined (in a very clean, dry, room temperature stainless steel or copper bowl) set them aside.
Take out a small saucepan and mix the brown sugar and water in it. Put them over the stove on medium high and bring to a boil. Make sure it doesn't burn by stirring occasionally. While it's boiling, occasionally brush down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush soaked in water. Right when the simple syrup starts to boil, start mixing your egg whites. Once they get to a frothy stage, add the lemon juice and continue beat until it forms soft peaks.
I didn't have a candy thermometer so I used a meat thermometer, but you want to let the sugar boil until it gets to about 240 degrees F. Just eye-balling it I would say this is the point where there are lots of bubbles coming up and it looks a little frothy. As soon as it reaches this point, pour it out into a heat-proof container.
Now you are going to slowly add the simple syrup to the egg whites while beating with a mixer. In a slow, thin stream add the syrup to one side of the bowl, beating at a high speed. Continue beating the egg whites for 6 minutes, scraping down the pan. It should be cool to the touch when you are done. It should also be shiny and look really pretty and fancy.
Now you need your butter. It's in pieces (about 1-inch should do the trick) and it's softened (but not melty). Adding one piece at a time, mix the butter into the meringue. Make sure each piece is thoroughly mixed in before adding another. This part is a little freaky, because your formerly pretty meringue is going to start looking a little icky and curdled. That's ok! It will come together again (I promise). If it starts to get too soupy (mine did) place the bowl in some ice water for a few minutes. By the time you've added all the butter the buttercream should have come together again and look like fluffy yummy frosting. Don't forget to add the vanilla at the very end. Nicely done!
Assembling the layers
You didn't forget the cake in the oven, did you? The cake should be out of the oven and cooling on a rack. When it's about room temperature take a bread knife and smooth out the top of it a bit, if it's domed. Don't worry about making it too perfect, the frosting should be able to help you out. After it's smoothed out and completely cooled, wrap each layer in saran wrap and tinfoil, and place it in the fridge for an hour or so. Trust me, it'll help you frost.
Make sure the frosting is room temperature and don't chill it, or it will make it more difficult to spread. Now let's assume the layers are cool and you're all ready to assemble the cake. Start off by putting the first layer down on the cake plate. A helpful tip I once read said to smear a little frosting underneath it so it doesn't scoot around too much. now you want to layer a thick amount of the buttercream on the top of the cake, ignoring the sides. Place layer two upside-down on layer one. If the frosting layer is thick enough, you can press the cake down where it's uneven to straighten it out. Repeat the same thing with layer three, placing it upside-down on layer two and generously frosting the top. Now you're gonna move on to frosting the sides of the cake. This is a little tricky but you can do it! Take a spatula with a flat edge and start spreading the frosting on pretty thick. The first round will look globby and kinda bad. That's ok! After you have plenty of frosting on the side of the cake, clean the spatula off and start smoothing it down. Try to use long strokes, going around the cake and not pressing down too much. Clean off the spatula frequently. When the sides look smooth you can smooth off the top. Here are a few photos (also proof that I did not buy this cake as some suggested!):
If you could have or be or do anything you want, what would it be? Last week this cake was all I could want out of life:
As you can see the cake was almost purely white, which meant that after being assembled and frosted it looked like a wedding cake. To tell you the truth I hadn't thought past the baking stage so I really had nothing in mind for the decoration. Fortunately my sister and mom gave my dad a bunch of French lavender plants for the garden, which are beautifully in bloom right at this very moment. It only took a few minutes to pluck a few stems and arrange them artfully on the cake! (side note: it may still have looked like a fancy wedding cake. I do not care.)
Let's get into how I made it...and I want to remind you that it took all day. Still, you should try it sometime, there's nothing more satisfying than a perfectly iced three-layer cake.
Buttermilk Yellow Cake
(originally Moist Yellow Cake published in Bon Appetit, August 2004)
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (two sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
I had to make my own cake flour this time because I ran out...Fortunately making cake flour is quite easy! You will need cornstarch and all-purpose flour. For every cup of flour take out two tablespoons. Replace the two tablespoons of flour you took out with two tablespoons of cornstarch. For three cups of cake flour, you would take out six tablespoons of flour and replace them with six tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift the mixture together about five or six times and you're ready to go.
After you've made your cake flour add in the baking powder and salt and sift it together again. Sifting will keep the flour very light and will allow the wet ingredients to permeate better. It will also lighten the crumb and prevent the cake from getting too heavy.
Spend a little time with the mixer on medium high creaming the butter. It should be fluffy and light-colored after a couple minutes. Now you want to add the sugar a quarter cup at a time continuing to beat the butter. This will allow the sugar crystals to break through the butter fat, keeping the cake light. One by one add the eggs, beating well after each one.
Mix the vanilla extract with the buttermilk. Now you're ready to mix it all together! Start with the flour, mixing in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and ending with the flour. It's very important that you not over mix! Keep the mixer on medium speed and mix only until the ingredients are combined. After you've added everything scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix briefly.
Add the batter to the pans, filling each equally and smoothing the tops (this will help the cake avoid doming). Place in the center of the oven and cook until the top is golden and it starts to pull away from the side of the pan (about 35 minutes for me with three pans). A knife in the center should come out clean. Don't worry if they get a teensy bit overcooked, as it will actually make it easier to assemble and frost.
Now that the cake is in the oven, let's move on to the hard part!
Brown Sugar Buttercream
(originally seen in Gourmet, January 2001)
- 3 large egg whites at room temperature
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Special equipment: candy thermometer
First things first. Add the salt to your room temp egg whites. The salt will help make sure the whites fluff enough, but it will also make the frosting a wee bit salty, not in a gross way but noticeably. I would add only half a teaspoon next time, and see what happens. Once your egg whites and salt are combined (in a very clean, dry, room temperature stainless steel or copper bowl) set them aside.
Take out a small saucepan and mix the brown sugar and water in it. Put them over the stove on medium high and bring to a boil. Make sure it doesn't burn by stirring occasionally. While it's boiling, occasionally brush down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush soaked in water. Right when the simple syrup starts to boil, start mixing your egg whites. Once they get to a frothy stage, add the lemon juice and continue beat until it forms soft peaks.
I didn't have a candy thermometer so I used a meat thermometer, but you want to let the sugar boil until it gets to about 240 degrees F. Just eye-balling it I would say this is the point where there are lots of bubbles coming up and it looks a little frothy. As soon as it reaches this point, pour it out into a heat-proof container.
Now you are going to slowly add the simple syrup to the egg whites while beating with a mixer. In a slow, thin stream add the syrup to one side of the bowl, beating at a high speed. Continue beating the egg whites for 6 minutes, scraping down the pan. It should be cool to the touch when you are done. It should also be shiny and look really pretty and fancy.
Now you need your butter. It's in pieces (about 1-inch should do the trick) and it's softened (but not melty). Adding one piece at a time, mix the butter into the meringue. Make sure each piece is thoroughly mixed in before adding another. This part is a little freaky, because your formerly pretty meringue is going to start looking a little icky and curdled. That's ok! It will come together again (I promise). If it starts to get too soupy (mine did) place the bowl in some ice water for a few minutes. By the time you've added all the butter the buttercream should have come together again and look like fluffy yummy frosting. Don't forget to add the vanilla at the very end. Nicely done!
Assembling the layers
You didn't forget the cake in the oven, did you? The cake should be out of the oven and cooling on a rack. When it's about room temperature take a bread knife and smooth out the top of it a bit, if it's domed. Don't worry about making it too perfect, the frosting should be able to help you out. After it's smoothed out and completely cooled, wrap each layer in saran wrap and tinfoil, and place it in the fridge for an hour or so. Trust me, it'll help you frost.
Make sure the frosting is room temperature and don't chill it, or it will make it more difficult to spread. Now let's assume the layers are cool and you're all ready to assemble the cake. Start off by putting the first layer down on the cake plate. A helpful tip I once read said to smear a little frosting underneath it so it doesn't scoot around too much. now you want to layer a thick amount of the buttercream on the top of the cake, ignoring the sides. Place layer two upside-down on layer one. If the frosting layer is thick enough, you can press the cake down where it's uneven to straighten it out. Repeat the same thing with layer three, placing it upside-down on layer two and generously frosting the top. Now you're gonna move on to frosting the sides of the cake. This is a little tricky but you can do it! Take a spatula with a flat edge and start spreading the frosting on pretty thick. The first round will look globby and kinda bad. That's ok! After you have plenty of frosting on the side of the cake, clean the spatula off and start smoothing it down. Try to use long strokes, going around the cake and not pressing down too much. Clean off the spatula frequently. When the sides look smooth you can smooth off the top. Here are a few photos (also proof that I did not buy this cake as some suggested!):
Monday, June 21, 2010
These times they are a changin'
Oh my readers, I have been neglecting you. I'm sorry! Between a two-week trip to California and other things which shall go unmentioned, I have not been spending much time on this blog. I still have to update you on the new buttermilk biscuit recipe I tried out (and subsequently used three times in a single week) and the ginormous chocolate bundt cake which would make you cry with happiness. Here's a picture:
More updates soon, but let's just say that the blog isn't the only thing that's changed recently.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Paris, and a small dissertation on dissatisfaction
I'm going to start with Paris, because maybe by the time I'm done I'll be (mercifully for you) too tired to expound on the second point. We live and hope.
PARIS! I went there, I saw things, I visited friends. It was chilly, it was snooty, it was delightful. You would think that going to the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Pompidou would be on my list of tasks, but oddly enough (and I know you'll all be surprised to hear this) I really just wanted to eat my favorite foods! I didn't feel like wading through tourists most of the time, so my trip consisted of walks, and walks, and long long walks. I went to Versailles as well (combining wading through tourists and long walks, whew!). Here are some pictures:
A Medici fountain in the Luxembourg Gardens. It's always shadowy and melancholy, in spring time or winter, but especially in the fall when all the leaves are falling in it. Also, there are ducks.
So, everyone knows what this picture is, right? Oh, you don't? Pshaw, guess you have to be a Parisienne...nah, just kidding. This picture (which my friend Jon helpfully pointed out would not turn out right) was taken from a cafe at the base of a staircase going up to Sacre Coeur. They have a large terrace with whimsically colorful tables and chairs, and the trees are strung with light bulbs. Even when it's a little chilly outside, it's pretty magical at sundown. This picture does not capture the magic, but you forgive me, right?
This is a view of the Petit Trianon, a little palace that was built for Madame de Pompadour and later given to Marie-Antoinette. It's a nice little house, but it's not the reason I love this area. Marie-Antoinette had a little village built next to the palace so she could play shepherdess. Now a lot of people ridicule good old M-A for being "crazy" or "irresponsible" but I feel a little differently. As we were walking into the village an older French woman was describing Marie-Antoinette to her grand-daughter, "imagine she was far from home, only 16 years old, she didn't have any friends or family around, she didn't know what to do or how to run a country." I have some sympathy for a young, innocent girl in a foreign country far from her friends and family, speaking in a foreign language, expected to handle more responsibility than she ever had before with almost no training. I visit her garden feeling a little like she did: escape! It's comforting to be surrounded by trees and fields and no people. And, you know, to have a box of pastries too. Comforting.
Which brings us to this picture:
If you walk off the beaten path into the long grasses at the far corners of the estate, you can pretend that you're all alone in a field of wildflowers. (All alone except for the person taking your picture, obviously :-) )
That's about it, I didn't take many photos from my trip but I'm pretty fond of the ones I got. I'll be happy when I finally have my camera charger from home. Oh, that's right, I'm flying back to California on Thursday afternoon! I'm pretty psyched to see my parents and friends, and to engage in a little food-ourism (gastro-tourism? that sounds gross). This means: in'n'out, cupcakes, frozen yogurt, mayfield, bistro elan, sushi, brown rice sushi, pancakes, scones, and cookies! Also: swimming, the dish, interval training, going to the movies, walking to California ave, dance classes and blissfully nothing at all. Too bad I'm not actually on vacation, I'll still have lots of work to do!
Well I guess it worked, I've finished telling you all about Paris and I'm no longer in the mood (exactly) to whine. I'm sure if I can even adequately explain in this platform, so maybe I'll just continue to pretend that I'm blissfully happy. Bliss! Bliss! Flower petals are falling from the sky at all times.
PARIS! I went there, I saw things, I visited friends. It was chilly, it was snooty, it was delightful. You would think that going to the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Pompidou would be on my list of tasks, but oddly enough (and I know you'll all be surprised to hear this) I really just wanted to eat my favorite foods! I didn't feel like wading through tourists most of the time, so my trip consisted of walks, and walks, and long long walks. I went to Versailles as well (combining wading through tourists and long walks, whew!). Here are some pictures:
A Medici fountain in the Luxembourg Gardens. It's always shadowy and melancholy, in spring time or winter, but especially in the fall when all the leaves are falling in it. Also, there are ducks.
So, everyone knows what this picture is, right? Oh, you don't? Pshaw, guess you have to be a Parisienne...nah, just kidding. This picture (which my friend Jon helpfully pointed out would not turn out right) was taken from a cafe at the base of a staircase going up to Sacre Coeur. They have a large terrace with whimsically colorful tables and chairs, and the trees are strung with light bulbs. Even when it's a little chilly outside, it's pretty magical at sundown. This picture does not capture the magic, but you forgive me, right?
Which brings us to this picture:
If you walk off the beaten path into the long grasses at the far corners of the estate, you can pretend that you're all alone in a field of wildflowers. (All alone except for the person taking your picture, obviously :-) )
That's about it, I didn't take many photos from my trip but I'm pretty fond of the ones I got. I'll be happy when I finally have my camera charger from home. Oh, that's right, I'm flying back to California on Thursday afternoon! I'm pretty psyched to see my parents and friends, and to engage in a little food-ourism (gastro-tourism? that sounds gross). This means: in'n'out, cupcakes, frozen yogurt, mayfield, bistro elan, sushi, brown rice sushi, pancakes, scones, and cookies! Also: swimming, the dish, interval training, going to the movies, walking to California ave, dance classes and blissfully nothing at all. Too bad I'm not actually on vacation, I'll still have lots of work to do!
Well I guess it worked, I've finished telling you all about Paris and I'm no longer in the mood (exactly) to whine. I'm sure if I can even adequately explain in this platform, so maybe I'll just continue to pretend that I'm blissfully happy. Bliss! Bliss! Flower petals are falling from the sky at all times.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Asparagus, Pancetta, Shallots and Feta Pasta
Yesterday I made the most delicious pasta in the history of my pasta making. Seriously, Laura (S.) remember that bacon tomato pasta sauce? Yeah, this is better.
Let's jump right in, shall we? This is easy enough that anyone who likes pasta and has a half an hour should try it out. You can use this pasta cooking technique for almost any combination of vegetable and cheese that you like, and if you're a vegetarian you can, of course, forgo the pancetta.
Ingredients: Olive oil, salt, pepper, pancetta, chicken broth, pasta, asparagus, shallots, feta cheese
Get out a medium pot, or any kind of pan with high-ish sides. Whatever vegetable you want to add should be cooked and cut into pieces roughly similar to the size of the pasta you have chosen. This dish works best with pasta like penne, rigatoni, farfalle or rotini. You're going to start by crisping up your chopped pancetta in the bottom of the pan (the pieces should be not too big, not too small). Keep the stove between medium and high, you shouldn't need to adjust the heat at all throughout the recipe. Once the pancetta is crisped and browned take it out of the pan and set it aside (you'll be using it soon enough). Make sure you don't pour it out, because you want that yummy fat in the pan to brown your shallots.
The shallots should be sliced thin before you toss them in the pan. Stir and flip them around so they get nicely covered in the fat, and if you've added it, the olive oil. You don't want them to get too brown to fast, so if they start to get to hot pull the pan of the burner and shake them around a bit. To get it right you can pull it off the burner and put it back as much as you'd like. After a couple of minutes they should have softened and will start to look cooked. At this point you should put the pasta in the pan with the shallots, stirring and tossing for a minute until they are slightly toasted and covered in oil/fat. Yum.
Add chicken broth to the pan until the pasta is just covered. This should be enough that after the broth has been absorbed, the pasta will be cooked through (but not overdone). Make sure you stir it frequently so the pasta cooks evenly.
While the pasta is cooking, and in between stirring, you chop up the feta cheese. When the pasta is almost done, add the asparagus and mix it in. When the liquid is almost completely gone and the pasta is cooked, pour it into the dish in which you'll be serving, topping it with the feta and pancetta from earlier. Don't salt it too much, the cheese and pancetta should give it plenty of flavor already.
Then you're ready to eat! Doesn't cooking it this way make up a nice sauce for the pasta? Really rich and tasty. Next time I might add some lemon juice to the chicken broth, and top it with zest afterward. I think the original recipe called for that but I was too lazy to zest a lemon last night.
Let's jump right in, shall we? This is easy enough that anyone who likes pasta and has a half an hour should try it out. You can use this pasta cooking technique for almost any combination of vegetable and cheese that you like, and if you're a vegetarian you can, of course, forgo the pancetta.
Ingredients: Olive oil, salt, pepper, pancetta, chicken broth, pasta, asparagus, shallots, feta cheese
Get out a medium pot, or any kind of pan with high-ish sides. Whatever vegetable you want to add should be cooked and cut into pieces roughly similar to the size of the pasta you have chosen. This dish works best with pasta like penne, rigatoni, farfalle or rotini. You're going to start by crisping up your chopped pancetta in the bottom of the pan (the pieces should be not too big, not too small). Keep the stove between medium and high, you shouldn't need to adjust the heat at all throughout the recipe. Once the pancetta is crisped and browned take it out of the pan and set it aside (you'll be using it soon enough). Make sure you don't pour it out, because you want that yummy fat in the pan to brown your shallots.
The shallots should be sliced thin before you toss them in the pan. Stir and flip them around so they get nicely covered in the fat, and if you've added it, the olive oil. You don't want them to get too brown to fast, so if they start to get to hot pull the pan of the burner and shake them around a bit. To get it right you can pull it off the burner and put it back as much as you'd like. After a couple of minutes they should have softened and will start to look cooked. At this point you should put the pasta in the pan with the shallots, stirring and tossing for a minute until they are slightly toasted and covered in oil/fat. Yum.
Add chicken broth to the pan until the pasta is just covered. This should be enough that after the broth has been absorbed, the pasta will be cooked through (but not overdone). Make sure you stir it frequently so the pasta cooks evenly.
While the pasta is cooking, and in between stirring, you chop up the feta cheese. When the pasta is almost done, add the asparagus and mix it in. When the liquid is almost completely gone and the pasta is cooked, pour it into the dish in which you'll be serving, topping it with the feta and pancetta from earlier. Don't salt it too much, the cheese and pancetta should give it plenty of flavor already.
Then you're ready to eat! Doesn't cooking it this way make up a nice sauce for the pasta? Really rich and tasty. Next time I might add some lemon juice to the chicken broth, and top it with zest afterward. I think the original recipe called for that but I was too lazy to zest a lemon last night.
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