#cmpompette

Homemade Pasta for 2

Flour, eggs and extra virgin olive oil. That’s it. That’s all you need to make fresh pasta at home in minutes. Start off with a food processor to make the dough, let it rest, then move on to the pasta attachment. It’s that simple and 100% worth the effort.

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for rolling pasta)

2 eggs

2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Place flour, eggs and oil in a food processor or a stand mixer with a dough hook.

Pulse until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed or combine on low speed in a mixer. The mixture will look like small pebbles, but it should hold together when pinched between your fingers. If it doesn’t, add a 1/4 teaspoon of water and repeat.

Dump the mixture out onto a board and press into a ball. Knead briefly, until the dough holds together and gets slightly smoother. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for an hour.

Flatten the ball out into an oval shape and dust both sides lightly with flour.

Using your pasta roller:

Set your pasta roller on the widest setting (usually setting #1).

Feed the oval of dough through the roller.

Fold the strip of dough into thirds and press it together.

Continue feeding the dough through the roller and folding it into thirds several times, rotating the dough so that the rough edges feed through first. Dust with flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.

When the dough is very smooth, change the setting to the second widest setting (#2). Feed the dough through twice. At this point, if you like, cut the strip of dough in half and work with one-half at a time. Cover the second piece with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.

Set the roller one setting thinner and feed the dough through. Continue feeding, advancing the roller setting one notch each time, until you’re at the next-to-last setting.

The dough should be thin but not transparent. Depending on how you like your pasta and what you’re using it for, you may want to roll it through on the last setting as well. If the dough is at all sticky at any point, sprinkle it lightly with flour.

Cutting and cooking your pasta:

Cut the pasta however you like, or use the sheets in lasagna or for ravioli. At this point, if you’re making fettuccine, spaghetti or linguine, you can either cook the pasta right away or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Sous Vide Soy-Braised Chilean Sea Bass

This dish is deceptively simple to make and sure to please even the most discerning palate. I have used this marinade on chicken thighs multiple times and then one delightful day I tried it on sea bass. With sea bass (or any other firm fish like halibut or flounder), I find it's best to marinate no more than 5 hours, with chicken, however, I'd recommend overnight. Why sous-vide? Well I love the sense of security I get not to mention the perfect texture and flavor.

Ingredients:

¼ cup dark brown sugar

¼ cup of soy sauce

¼ cup mirin

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

4 garlic cloves, finely grated

¼ teaspoon cayenne

Tip: store unpeeled ginger in a freezer zip lock bag and simply break off a piece and grate whenever needed.

Whisk together ingredients in a small bowl. Lightly season the sea bass with salt and pepper and place inside a vacuum sealable pouch or zip lock with a couple of tablespoons of the marinade. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 5 hours. Set aside the remaining marinade for later.

Set the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 134ºF and the timer to 30 minutes. Place the bag in the water bath and attach it to the side of the pot.

When there's about 5 minutes left, heat up marinade in a small pot.

When the fish are finished cooking, remove the bag from the water bath, carefully remove the filets from the bag and transfer to a sheet pan.

Broil until brown and serve with the heated sauce. Garnish with fresh scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

Tortilla Española + Cazuela de Garbanzo y Chorizo

Vale. What can I say? Iberico Club is the gift that keeps on giving. What was supposed to be just a few months subscription has turned into a highly anticipated monthly delight we just can't seem to cancel. To accompany our superbly buttery, smooth, and incredibly tender jamon iberico, I whipped up a tortilla Española along with some garbazonos and chorizo. The perfect tapas Sunday.

Cazuela de Garbanzo y Chorizo

Ingredients:

2 onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped

2 bay leaves

3 carrots, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 can of garbanzos

2 spoons of olive oil

1 chorizo

1 spoonful of paprika

Salt and pepper

Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of a pan or small pot. Add onions, carrots, bay leaves, pepper, garlic and a tablespoon of paprika. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Now add your chorizo, chickpeas, a cup of water and salt and pepper (to taste) to your pan. Cook for 1 hour at medium high heat, until tender.

Next up:

Tortilla Española

Ingredients:

5 large eggs

Kosher salt

1 cups extra-virgin olive oil

4 small potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced on a mandolin

3 yellow onions, thinly sliced on a mandolin

Bunch of chives, chopped for garnish

In a large bowl, beat eggs vigorously with a large pinch of salt until frothy. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a 10 inch pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add potatoes and onions; they should gently (but not vigorously) bubble in the oil. Regulating heat to maintain a gentle bubbling, cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and onions are meltingly tender, about 25 minutes. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a heatproof bowl and drain potatoes and onions of excess oil. Reserve oil.

Transfer potatoes and onions to a medium heatproof bowl and season generously with salt, stirring well to combine. Beat eggs vigorously to re-froth, then scrape potato and onion in and stir until thoroughly combined. Set aside for 5 minutes.

Add 3 tablespoons reserved frying oil to skillet and set over medium-high heat until shimmering. Scrape egg mixture into skillet and cook, swirling and shaking pan rapidly, until bottom and sides begin to set, about 3 minutes. Using a heatproof spatula, press the edges in to begin to form the tortilla's shape. Continue to cook, adjusting heat to prevent bottom of tortilla from burning, until beginning to set around edges, about 3 minutes longer.

Place a large overturned flat plate over the pan and, in one very quick motion, invert tortilla onto it. Add 1 more tablespoon (15ml) reserved oil to skillet and return to heat. Carefully slide tortilla back into skillet and continue to cook until second side is beginning to firm up, about 2 minutes. Use rubber spatula to again press the sides in all around to form a rounded puck shape. Continue to cook tortilla until lightly browned on second side but still tender in the center when pressed with a finger, about 2 minutes longer.

My new quarantine obsession: HAR GOW (Shrimp) Dumplings!

Ingredients:

1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled, de-veined and patted dry

1 teaspoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon minced or grated ginger

1/4 cup finely chopped bok choy (bamboo shoots or Napa cabbage work here too)

1 pack of wonton wrappers, makes approximately 40 dumplings

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Mix everything together but the bok choy; whip in one direction for a few minutes until the mixture starts to look sticky. Now add the chopped bok choy, and mix everything together. Cover and refrigerate until ready to fill the dumplings.

To assemble and cook the dumplings:

Soupe à l’oignon | French onion soup

Soup always comes to mind whenever the temperature drops. And when it drops to 50 degrees in Miami, taking 3 hours to make French Onion Soup is beyond satisfying..to me, anyway. This dish always takes me back to when my brother gave me a copy of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. That’s where the inspiration for this blog came from. While this dish was the first recipe I ever posted, it’s been adapted over the years from Julia Child’s version. The onions need a long, slow cooking in butter and oil, then a long, slow simmering in stock for them to develop the deep, rich flavor. Serve yourself a glass of rosé and count on 2 and half to 3 hours at least from start to finish. Bon appétit!

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

4-5 cups of yellow onions, thinly sliced

2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp of butter

¼ tsp of sugar

salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tbsp of flour

½ cup rosé wine

5 cups of boiling beef stock or broth

1 baguette, cut into rounds and toasted with extra virgin olive oil

3 cups of grated gruyère cheese

1 gruyère rind

3 tbsp of cognac

Cook the onions slowly with the butter and oil in a covered saucepan for 15 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat to moderate, and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook for 40-45 minutes stirring frequently, until the onions have turned an even, deep golden brown. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 3 minutes.

Off heat, blend in the boiling beef stock. Add the wine, gruyere rind and season to taste. Simmer partially covered for 45 minutes or more, skimming occasionally. Correct seasoning. (You can set aside uncovered until read to serve. Then simply reheat to simmer.)

Zucchini Basil Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup shallots or onions, chopped

1 cup of potatoes, peeled & chopped or 3 tablespoons of flour

3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 - 3 clove garlic, minced or grated

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 ½ cups chicken broth

2 cups chopped zucchini

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, plus some leaves, for serving

Preparation:

Heat the oil or butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, thyme, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring, until the potatoes are well coated, 2 to 3 minutes more. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the zucchini, bring back to a simmer and cook until tender, about 10 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a simmer. Remove from the heat, discard the thyme and let cool at least 5 minutes. Stir the basil into the soup and carefully puree until smooth with a handheld immersion blender or in 2 to 3 batches in a blender (do not fill the blender more than halfway full).

Reheat the soup if necessary, adjusting the consistency and seasoning with additional broth, if needed, salt and pepper.

Serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil, topped with basil leaves and a parmigiano reggiano crisp*.

Artichokes with Rémoulade

Artichokes:

2 large artichokes

1 lemon, quartered

3⁄4cup olive oil

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1⁄2teaspoon ground black pepper

Rémoulade:

2 cups mayonnaise

3 tablespoons green sweet relish

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons capers

1 tablespoon anchovy paste(optional)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1⁄2teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

For the remoulade: in a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for several hours prior to serving.

Trim the tops and ends of leaves from the artichokes, cut in half lengthwise and remove the fuzzy choke. Squeeze a bit of lemon on immediately to prevent browning. If preparing artichokes ahead of time, place them in a bowl of lemon water until ready to boil.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, preheat a broiler or outdoor grill for medium-high heat.

Add artichokes to boiling water, and cook for about 15 minutes. Drain well.

Squeeze the remaining lemon wedges into a medium bowl. Stir in the olive oil and garlic, and season with salt and pepper.

Brush the artichokes with a coating of the garlic dip, and place them on a baking sheet in the oven under the broiler or directly on the preheated grill.