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What is/was for dinner?
- Thread starter Gutwrench
- Start date
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Not sure that I'd see myself as either basic or accomplished in terms of the culinary arts, but rather, merely greedy.
We got the new Blackstone pizza oven that was released recently, we're going to make pizzas tomorrow
Wow.
I am impressed.
Let us know how you got on with this amazing new piece of technology, and the very best of luck with it.
Tried out my new cast iron/enameled lasagna dish last night..
Pretty good result for a first run! A little more char than I'd like, but I'll work out the kinks the more I use it
Attachments
Wow, super cool beans. Cant wait to see the pies, should be fun time.
Never mind, they just came in. Looks amazing, I love that black part on the crust. 👍
Looks great. The cast iron looks really cool dont think I have ever seen one like that.
I am mulling over trading in my Ooni for one of these.
I love the self rotating stone. You could use some super high hydration dough with that, and not worry about the crust setting before it burns.
Trying out khachapuri for the first time at the local Skalka in Seattle. Very hearty dish! I think I made the right choice with the beef stroganoff flavor, but would have preferred the pickles be chopped into finer pieces to get a bit with each bite.
I spent a few years (work related) in Georgia, and always found khachapuri rather "heavy" although some of my colleagues loved it.
Personally, I think that Georgian cuisine is brilliant, and some dishes were fantastic, but not - to my palate - khachapuri.
While the calendar has slipped into February, outside, it is still dark, cold, damp, and utterly, unspeakably, miserable.
Tonight, I treated myself to homemade Pasta Carbonara, soothing, comfort food, perfect for winter.
The recipe can be found on these very pages, from some time ago.
Tonight, I treated myself to homemade Pasta Carbonara, soothing, comfort food, perfect for winter.
The recipe can be found on these very pages, from some time ago.
Owed a friend a good dinner for a favor he did, so I had him and his wife over tonight.
From scratch butternut squash ravioli in brown butter sauce with toasted walnut.
Shaved raw brussel sprout salad in a citrus Dijon dressing.
Ricotta lemon cake with local lilikoi butterr.
From scratch butternut squash ravioli in brown butter sauce with toasted walnut.
Shaved raw brussel sprout salad in a citrus Dijon dressing.
Ricotta lemon cake with local lilikoi butterr.
That sounds (and looks) absolutely delicious.Owed a friend a good dinner for a favor he did, so I had him and his wife over tonight.
From scratch butternut squash ravioli in brown butter sauce with toasted walnut.
Shaved raw brussel sprout salad in a citrus Dijon dressing.
Ricotta lemon cake with local lilikoi butterr.
I think authentic khachapuri like you experienced was probably quite rich. There were options for extra cheese and butter. I think the place I went to was probably lighter to appeal to American palates.
Had the paccheri nero with prawns, ‘nduja, and a citrus gremolata from Cortina at Union Square this evening.
Actually, I found that the authentic khachapuri was not so much "rich" (in general, I like "rich" food) but very "heavy" and extraordinarily filling; it remains about the only Georgian dish from my two year stay in that country that I don't much care for, as most of the rest of their cuisine is really excellent and very tasty.
Now, I did love khinkhali, Georgian dumplings; you will find a similar dish all the way across central Asia, usually called manti, or mantu, - they are similar to large wontons.
Cauliflower Quiche with Oatmeal Crust -- interesting ingredient was boiled peanuts. Amazing
Pasta All'Amatriciana was for dinner.
This is a classic Italian (Roman, actually), surprisingly easy (and extraordinarily tasty) pasta dish to prepare, with a handful of ingredients.
As wth many such traditional dishes, it stands or falls on the quality of the ingredients.
The key ingredients are, firstly, guanciale, (pig's cheek), which is diced; pancetta will work well, but guanciale is better.
Other ingredients are: Tomatoes, (I used a tin of Italian tomatoes, by the excellent San Marzano company, fresh tomatoes may work well in summer, but, at this time of year, a good quality tin of Italian tomatoes, such as San Marzano, yield far better flavour); a little extra virgin olive oil - to sauté the diced guanciale in, (very gently), freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (to add at the end), a small glass of white wine (for deglazing the pan with the diced guanciale before adding the tinned tomatoes), salt and black pepper to taste and, of course, pasta.
That's it.
Now, some people do add diced onion, and/or a chilli pepper, and/or a crushed clove of garlic (or two); that is entirely up to the preferences of the chef, (I didn't use any of these ingredients this evening), but it may not find favour with the purists.
Recipe:
The first step is to prepare the guanciale, the pig's cheek.
Cut off the rind and the peppered side, and discard (although the rind can be retained and used to flavour stock, or soups).
Slice it, and then dice it, and put it into a large pan (I used a large copper sauté pan) where a small quantity of olive oil has been heating. The diced guanciale will become translucent and transparent, the fat will render (and will give a glorious flavour to the sauce) and blend with the olive oil.
When the diced guanciale has rendered - and you can stir it with a wooden spoon - the meat soft, the fat luscious and succulent, add a small glass of white wine to the pan, and stir, allowing the alcohol to burn off.
Meanwhile, prepare the tomatoes: These will come from a tin - San Marzano (an excellent Italian brand, for preference); Open the tin, and tip the contents into a bowl or dish, where you mash them and cut them up; season them (with sea salt, - some recipes insist that this is not necessary as the guanciale is already quite salty - but I am of the opinion that tomatoes, in common with potatoes and eggs, that tomatoes also require the addition of some salt - freshly ground black pepper, and a dash of sugar, I used organic brown sugar); this is then added to the sauté pan, where the chopped and sautéed guanciale awaits; let this cook, at a simmer, stir occasionally, for around twenty minutes.
After around twenty minutes, shortly before the pasta is ready to be added to the sauce, add around six tablespoons, or small ladles, of the starchy pasta cooking liquid to the tomato sauce mixture.
While the sauce is simmering, prepare a green salad if you wish: Today, I decided to forego salad, not least because I didn't have fresh greens to hand, and it was snowing and sleeting outside and I preferred not to venture out.
I also grated some Pecorino Romano, to be served with the finished dish.
Water (rather than stock, the sauce will be sufficiently flavoursome, the pasta does not need the addition of being cooked in stock to enhance its flavour) is put to boil, with a little salt and olive oil added, and the pasta is then added once it has reached the boil. When almost ready, the pasta is drained, and added to the sauté pan, and a little of the pasta cooking water is retained, should a little more liquid need to be added to the sauce; today, I added six small ladles of this starchy liquid to the tomato sauce.
And this is when dinner is served.
This is a classic Italian (Roman, actually), surprisingly easy (and extraordinarily tasty) pasta dish to prepare, with a handful of ingredients.
As wth many such traditional dishes, it stands or falls on the quality of the ingredients.
The key ingredients are, firstly, guanciale, (pig's cheek), which is diced; pancetta will work well, but guanciale is better.
Other ingredients are: Tomatoes, (I used a tin of Italian tomatoes, by the excellent San Marzano company, fresh tomatoes may work well in summer, but, at this time of year, a good quality tin of Italian tomatoes, such as San Marzano, yield far better flavour); a little extra virgin olive oil - to sauté the diced guanciale in, (very gently), freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (to add at the end), a small glass of white wine (for deglazing the pan with the diced guanciale before adding the tinned tomatoes), salt and black pepper to taste and, of course, pasta.
That's it.
Now, some people do add diced onion, and/or a chilli pepper, and/or a crushed clove of garlic (or two); that is entirely up to the preferences of the chef, (I didn't use any of these ingredients this evening), but it may not find favour with the purists.
Recipe:
The first step is to prepare the guanciale, the pig's cheek.
Cut off the rind and the peppered side, and discard (although the rind can be retained and used to flavour stock, or soups).
Slice it, and then dice it, and put it into a large pan (I used a large copper sauté pan) where a small quantity of olive oil has been heating. The diced guanciale will become translucent and transparent, the fat will render (and will give a glorious flavour to the sauce) and blend with the olive oil.
When the diced guanciale has rendered - and you can stir it with a wooden spoon - the meat soft, the fat luscious and succulent, add a small glass of white wine to the pan, and stir, allowing the alcohol to burn off.
Meanwhile, prepare the tomatoes: These will come from a tin - San Marzano (an excellent Italian brand, for preference); Open the tin, and tip the contents into a bowl or dish, where you mash them and cut them up; season them (with sea salt, - some recipes insist that this is not necessary as the guanciale is already quite salty - but I am of the opinion that tomatoes, in common with potatoes and eggs, that tomatoes also require the addition of some salt - freshly ground black pepper, and a dash of sugar, I used organic brown sugar); this is then added to the sauté pan, where the chopped and sautéed guanciale awaits; let this cook, at a simmer, stir occasionally, for around twenty minutes.
After around twenty minutes, shortly before the pasta is ready to be added to the sauce, add around six tablespoons, or small ladles, of the starchy pasta cooking liquid to the tomato sauce mixture.
While the sauce is simmering, prepare a green salad if you wish: Today, I decided to forego salad, not least because I didn't have fresh greens to hand, and it was snowing and sleeting outside and I preferred not to venture out.
I also grated some Pecorino Romano, to be served with the finished dish.
Water (rather than stock, the sauce will be sufficiently flavoursome, the pasta does not need the addition of being cooked in stock to enhance its flavour) is put to boil, with a little salt and olive oil added, and the pasta is then added once it has reached the boil. When almost ready, the pasta is drained, and added to the sauté pan, and a little of the pasta cooking water is retained, should a little more liquid need to be added to the sauce; today, I added six small ladles of this starchy liquid to the tomato sauce.
And this is when dinner is served.
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@Scepticalscribe Sounds great! What kind of pig cheek are we talking about here, fresh, cured, smoked? I don't think I have ever seen it here at my butcher shop but was thinking of asking if they can "make" it.
Guanciale is cured pig cheek, and is a specialty of central Italy (and of central Italian and Roman cooking).
It is regarded as an essential ingredient when preparing Pasta All'Amatriciana, (the recipe described above), and Pasta Carbonara; a really good delicatessen may stock it - or, in my case, my cheesemonger does stock it.
In truth, you can use it whenever you might think to use pancetta, and pancetta is a perfectly adequate substitute if you cannot lay hands on it; however, it is 'softer' in texture, and - to my palate - far tastier than is pancetta.
On a low heat, (for, a high heat will burn it, and do bear in mind that it cooks quite quickly) with a little olive oil to start it off, the fat becomes soft and renders beautifully, which means that the olive oil you are cooking the dish in becomes exquisitely flavoured.
These days, I substitute guanciale for pancetta - in other words, not only do I use guanciale in the recipes that actually call for it, but, increasingly, I have come to prefer to use it instead of pancetta in recipes where I would have used pancetta in the past.
Actually, recently, on a few occasions, I used diced (slowly sautéed) guanciale when preparing scrambled eggs for breakfast or lunch. Divine. Delicious. Recommended.
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Pasta e fagioli (Pasta and Beans).
This is an old peasant dish, classic country peasant comfort cooking, rib-sticking joy in cold climates or during cold spells of weather, cheap and easy to prepare, nutritious and delicious to eat.
The first time I ever encountered this dish was well over a decade ago, when I was invited to dinner in the flat of a former student of mine, who had become a teacher himself, and who had married a lady from Italy, who prepared this dish.
She was apologetic; it was mid week, she was busy with work, and this - what she insisted was basic peasant comfort food, "the sort you would never see at formal dinners, when inviting guests, or never see in restaurants, just basic comfort food for friends and family," was all she was able to offer at short notice.
I was stunned with delight; this was delicious (she confirmed that her husband, my former student, - much to her surprise - also loved this dish), and I asked about it, requesting details.
As this is peasant style cooking, the preparation of the actual dish is both relaxed and flexible, and you can tweak some ingredients to taste.
However, as this dish uses few enough ingredients, as with much such cooking, it stands or falls on the quality of the ingredients.
The key ingredients are beans (I used tinned beans - actually, a jar of good quality Spanish cannellini beans).
Some use dried beans which means overnight soaking and changing the water, and then cooking the beans for a few hours, adding considerably to the time needed - not to mention advance planning needed - to prepare the dish. Use whatever suits, but be aware that dried beans will add time and will oblige you to plan the dish at least a day in advance. For convenience, I use tinned or jarred beans, a good quality Spanish or Italian brand. Cannellini beans (which are white, or cream coloured), or borlotti beans (which are known as - or referred to, or described as - cranberry beans, I think, in the US) are the beans to use in this recipe.
Then, pasta; onion, garlic, stock; other ingredients, aromatics (rosemary, thyme, tomatoes, or tomato paste, pancetta, or guanciale, chilli flakes, or chilli pepper - for flavour - are all optional). This is an excellent dish to use pancetta or guanciale rinds (if you keep them), and/or a rind of parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano), as it will lend a wonderful flavour to the stock.
Sometimes, I prepare this with two pots (i.e. that means that you cook the pasta separately, and add it to the bean mix when both pasta and beans in their sauce have been cooked).
However, yesterday, I prepared it all together, in one pot. Both methods are equally valid, and both taste equally good.
And, as yesterday was a filthy day, pouring rain, with lashing, driving rain all day, I was obliged to use what was to hand in the house, as I didn't venture out to the farmers' market.
Thus, I decided to forego the usual soffritto, the finely diced medley of carrot, onion and celery (plus garlic) that is the usual starting point for a great many Italian recipes, as I didn't have either carrots or celery to hand in the house.
Instead, I started off with a little olive oil into a large (copper) saucepan, to which I added a finely diced large onion, and several, seven in fact, (most recipes - the ones that use garlic - call for between one and three cloves of garlic; I like garlic, - no, scratch that, I love garlic - and some recipes did comment that you could put as much or as little garlic in the recipe as is your preference) cloves of very finely diced garlic.
This lot were sautéed on a low heat until soft; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper were added to taste; then, (as I also lacked fresh tomatoes), I added two dessertspoons of tomato paste/tomato puree, and stirred them through; some finely diced guanciale was added, as were the retained rinds from both the guanciale and from a hunk of parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano) cheese.
These ingredients were sautéed together, whereupon I added a generous quantity of chicken stock to the saucepan, brought it up to the boil and then added the (rinsed) cannellini beans, reducing the heat to a simmer.
Some people will choose to remove a few spoons of the bean mixture (and blend it separately, returning it to the saucepan, in order to thicken the sauce; I didn't do that - the sauce will become quite thick enough anyway, once you add the pasta and the starch from the pasta works its magic in the sauce).
With this step, the thing to remember, is that if you wish to thicken the sauce with some of the bean mixture, you must remove the bean mixture (and blend it, with something such as a stick blender) and return it to the sauce before you add the pasta.
Remove the scum that floats to the top with a spoon.
When the beans have been sufficiently introduced to the remaining ingredients (which takes far less time, 15 or so minutes, with beans from a jar or tin, than from dried beans which you will have to have cooked for hours, in addition to their earlier overnight soaking), you can consider adding the pasta to the sauce.
There are two things to note at this stage: The first is that the pasta will take several minutes longer to cook than it says on the packet - you are adding it to a saucepan full of other ingredients, rather than simply to boiling, salted, water. Thus, be prepared to add several extra minutes to the cooking time for the pasta, depending on the pasta you choose to use. This means that a pasta that normally takes 12-15 minutes will take closer to twenty minutes to cook, whereas a pasta that the packet advises may take 9-11 minutes to cook will take closer to fifteen when used in this recipe.
The second thing to note is that, at this stage, while your heat will be lower than usual for cooking pasta, these ingredients can stick to the bottom of your pan, and burn; thus, this is not the time to check your social media while cooking; instead, remain in the vicinity of the cooker (or stove), and remember to stir the pot every one or two minutes, to ensure that nothing sticks to the bottom of the saucepan.
When the pasta is cooked (and yes, it will be tested by removing and tasting), the dish is ready to serve (and eat).
Have some grated (freshly grated) Parmesan cheese - Parmigiano Reggiano ready to hand; ladle the pasta into bowls, not plates; drizzle olive oil over it (be generous) and sprinkle it with the freshly grated cheese (be generous).
Bon appétit.
This is an old peasant dish, classic country peasant comfort cooking, rib-sticking joy in cold climates or during cold spells of weather, cheap and easy to prepare, nutritious and delicious to eat.
The first time I ever encountered this dish was well over a decade ago, when I was invited to dinner in the flat of a former student of mine, who had become a teacher himself, and who had married a lady from Italy, who prepared this dish.
She was apologetic; it was mid week, she was busy with work, and this - what she insisted was basic peasant comfort food, "the sort you would never see at formal dinners, when inviting guests, or never see in restaurants, just basic comfort food for friends and family," was all she was able to offer at short notice.
I was stunned with delight; this was delicious (she confirmed that her husband, my former student, - much to her surprise - also loved this dish), and I asked about it, requesting details.
As this is peasant style cooking, the preparation of the actual dish is both relaxed and flexible, and you can tweak some ingredients to taste.
However, as this dish uses few enough ingredients, as with much such cooking, it stands or falls on the quality of the ingredients.
The key ingredients are beans (I used tinned beans - actually, a jar of good quality Spanish cannellini beans).
Some use dried beans which means overnight soaking and changing the water, and then cooking the beans for a few hours, adding considerably to the time needed - not to mention advance planning needed - to prepare the dish. Use whatever suits, but be aware that dried beans will add time and will oblige you to plan the dish at least a day in advance. For convenience, I use tinned or jarred beans, a good quality Spanish or Italian brand. Cannellini beans (which are white, or cream coloured), or borlotti beans (which are known as - or referred to, or described as - cranberry beans, I think, in the US) are the beans to use in this recipe.
Then, pasta; onion, garlic, stock; other ingredients, aromatics (rosemary, thyme, tomatoes, or tomato paste, pancetta, or guanciale, chilli flakes, or chilli pepper - for flavour - are all optional). This is an excellent dish to use pancetta or guanciale rinds (if you keep them), and/or a rind of parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano), as it will lend a wonderful flavour to the stock.
Sometimes, I prepare this with two pots (i.e. that means that you cook the pasta separately, and add it to the bean mix when both pasta and beans in their sauce have been cooked).
However, yesterday, I prepared it all together, in one pot. Both methods are equally valid, and both taste equally good.
And, as yesterday was a filthy day, pouring rain, with lashing, driving rain all day, I was obliged to use what was to hand in the house, as I didn't venture out to the farmers' market.
Thus, I decided to forego the usual soffritto, the finely diced medley of carrot, onion and celery (plus garlic) that is the usual starting point for a great many Italian recipes, as I didn't have either carrots or celery to hand in the house.
Instead, I started off with a little olive oil into a large (copper) saucepan, to which I added a finely diced large onion, and several, seven in fact, (most recipes - the ones that use garlic - call for between one and three cloves of garlic; I like garlic, - no, scratch that, I love garlic - and some recipes did comment that you could put as much or as little garlic in the recipe as is your preference) cloves of very finely diced garlic.
This lot were sautéed on a low heat until soft; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper were added to taste; then, (as I also lacked fresh tomatoes), I added two dessertspoons of tomato paste/tomato puree, and stirred them through; some finely diced guanciale was added, as were the retained rinds from both the guanciale and from a hunk of parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano) cheese.
These ingredients were sautéed together, whereupon I added a generous quantity of chicken stock to the saucepan, brought it up to the boil and then added the (rinsed) cannellini beans, reducing the heat to a simmer.
Some people will choose to remove a few spoons of the bean mixture (and blend it separately, returning it to the saucepan, in order to thicken the sauce; I didn't do that - the sauce will become quite thick enough anyway, once you add the pasta and the starch from the pasta works its magic in the sauce).
With this step, the thing to remember, is that if you wish to thicken the sauce with some of the bean mixture, you must remove the bean mixture (and blend it, with something such as a stick blender) and return it to the sauce before you add the pasta.
Remove the scum that floats to the top with a spoon.
When the beans have been sufficiently introduced to the remaining ingredients (which takes far less time, 15 or so minutes, with beans from a jar or tin, than from dried beans which you will have to have cooked for hours, in addition to their earlier overnight soaking), you can consider adding the pasta to the sauce.
There are two things to note at this stage: The first is that the pasta will take several minutes longer to cook than it says on the packet - you are adding it to a saucepan full of other ingredients, rather than simply to boiling, salted, water. Thus, be prepared to add several extra minutes to the cooking time for the pasta, depending on the pasta you choose to use. This means that a pasta that normally takes 12-15 minutes will take closer to twenty minutes to cook, whereas a pasta that the packet advises may take 9-11 minutes to cook will take closer to fifteen when used in this recipe.
The second thing to note is that, at this stage, while your heat will be lower than usual for cooking pasta, these ingredients can stick to the bottom of your pan, and burn; thus, this is not the time to check your social media while cooking; instead, remain in the vicinity of the cooker (or stove), and remember to stir the pot every one or two minutes, to ensure that nothing sticks to the bottom of the saucepan.
When the pasta is cooked (and yes, it will be tested by removing and tasting), the dish is ready to serve (and eat).
Have some grated (freshly grated) Parmesan cheese - Parmigiano Reggiano ready to hand; ladle the pasta into bowls, not plates; drizzle olive oil over it (be generous) and sprinkle it with the freshly grated cheese (be generous).
Bon appétit.
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