Showing posts with label Pasta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pasta. Show all posts

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Fried Udon Noodles with Sesame Seeds


I have been making homemade noodles for a long time. They taste better. Our family enjoys the process of working with the dough. My kids think its cool to get their hands in the dough. Homemade noodles are a bit time consuming because you do have to prepare the dough a few hours before dinner. This allows the dough to rest. 

This is a list of some of the homemade pasta recipes on the blog:


Yep. We like our pasta and I make a lot of it for my family.

A friend of mine posted about this new cookbook by Morimoto that introduced Japanese cooking to the home cook. I love Japanese food and had to have this book. It's beautiful. I bought the book not knowing what to expect because I have other Japanese cook books that are filled with ingredients that I can't easily get here in Newport.  Not this book. He sticks with easy to find ingredients and basic recipes. I really enjoyed the photography, the easy recipes, and his story that he shared in the beginning of the book of his training and early family life. Oh, by the way, this is not an ad for his book. This is just me telling you about his book and why I love it.


We usually buy Udon noodles from our local Asian market here in town. I buy them frozen.  When I saw his recipe I knew that I wanted to give this a try.  They were easy to make. The dough is three ingredients: water, flour, and salt.  The pasta dough does need to sit for an hour before you roll it out but we had plenty of time in our day so this was not a problem.

Once the dough was rolled out I used a very sharp knife to cut the noodles into long strips.  I recommend having a long straight edge knife and lots of flour. I boiled my water. These noodles are thick so they do need to boil for 12 minutes. They puffed up and came out perfect.


I heated a small amount of vegetable oil, with a dash of sesame oil, some sesame seeds, and tossed my noodles into a very hot pan. I fried the noodles for about 5 minutes and sprinkled them with soy sauce.  Served hot with our homemade GYOZAS.  Dinner was delicious this night.

In addition to serving the noodles with a splash of soy sauce, I also put a few sauces that we like to eat with our noodles on the table,  for our guest to pick and choose, like: plum sauce, sweet and spicy sauce, and tonkatsu sauce.



I do not have permission to share the full recipe on my blog as this is a personal choice to write about his cookbook and not a sponsored event, but Steamy Kitchen  has a review along with permission to share the recipe on their site.

Follow the link to get the recipe for Homemade Udon Noodles by Chef Morimoto HERE.

I do hope that you try making homemade pasta and definitely try frying the noodles up with a little bit of sesame oil and sesame seeds.  They are fat, chewy, and oh so yummy!

We ate the noodles so fast (they are best hot) that I did not have a chance to snap a picture of the finished noodle dish. I will making these again in the future and will update the post with a picture at that time.


Finnley likes to help in the kitchen too. This little video is her working with some flour as I was preparing the udon noodles. Apparently, her batch needed a bit of air.

Friday, June 17, 2016

Pink Pasta...Because Why Not.


Can I tell you how excited I am to be back at work.  It has been two long years of juggling 4 kids, a move cross the USA, a husband that works from home and than my choice to return to school and all that entails.   The last two years has taught me a lot.  I have learned that I need to be constantly learning and improving or I get depressed. My brain needs stimulation or it goes crazy.  I enjoy what I do and I want to be better at it.  I want to write more and cook more.  It's been forever since I have felt that way.  

I have a gap in kids that will allow me to find the time to squeeze in a few more years of education. Isabella is 9 and that leaves me with 9 years to "edu-ma-cate" my silly self.  I am pretty excited.


My busy life has forced me to simplify my cooking.  My eating habits have evolved as well.  I find myself in the kitchen with less prep, tastier dishes, and more time to do other things.  I made macarons the other day with my daughter and holy shit those take a long time.  SOOOO much work! Secretly, they tasted amazing; but, I realized how much my approach has changed in the last two years and I love it.  

I love simple foods, with whole ingredients.  I like having my shopping cart bulging to capacity with vegetables.  My family appreciates this too. 


This recipe is fun.  It made the kids smile to see pink noodles.  Easy slip of a bit of red food coloring during the final stages of boiling the noodles and presto-bammo you have a kid friendly dinner.  

Cory made the sauce the night before (he is a keeper that guy of mine) which made dinner even better because all I have to do is reheat the sauce and grate some cheese.  


I even had Cory pose with the spaghetti.  This is a comical process seeing how our 2 year old is not used to both of her parents being tied up with photographing food. She wanted in on the action and while I snapped away, she tried to climb Cory's legs.  We laughed so hard at our life.  We are almost 50 and dealing with a two year old.....crazy!  She does keep us young and we love her so much.


Cory's sauce is simple (recipe below).  Add the following ingredients and let it simmer until reduced to the desired thickness.

Ingredients:  1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1/4 diced red onion, 1 cup of fresh mushrooms sliced, 1 small zucchini sliced, and two cans of diced tomato with juice, and one can of tomato sauce.  For the fresh herb he added fresh basil and oregano.

He's a man that does not cook in the kitchen very often so his technique is "throw it in a pan with some oil and let it simmer".  Seriously, this is what he does and it turns out great every time.

As I always recommend with my recipes, taste the sauce and make your own assessment.  Be your own quality control and add salt as needed.  Let me know if you have any questions. I'm around.

Friday, June 10, 2016

Pasta Salad with Corn, Tomatoes, and Avocados



As promised, a few recipes about food.  This salad is delightful.  Each bite is creamy and packed full of flavor. I love the combination of avocado, corn and tomato.  You also have a lot of freedom with this recipe.  If you need to use gluten free pasta you can.  The sauce is pretty basic but feel free to mess with the flavor profile. Use fresh herbs or dried.  I will always encourage my readers to alter any recipe to fit into their family's comfort zone.

A side note, if you will.  Typing with single space and not double space is so WEIRD!  I have been in school these past six months and everything is double spaced with size 12 font.  I feel like such a rebel typing in single space.  Honestly, I kind of like it.

Thank you friends who took the time with my last post to send me messages (public and private).  It meant so much to myself and to my husband.  I didn't know how Cory would react with me sharing such a personal story and experience with the world.  His comment to me was one of relief.  He said it felt good to finally let everyone know that we are not perfect and that our marriage is fragile at times.  We make mistakes and try to learn from them.  I had to agree.  I felt a release too.  Cory said we weren't hiding the fact that we had a dip in our relationship, we just never openly talked about it.  Twenty-eight years is a long time to be married.  If in that time we did not have a few hiccups along the way, I believe, we would never grow as a couple.



Again, thank you for the support and kind words.  I appreciate each comment. They always touch me more than you know.  The private messages tug at my heart.  I believe with all my heart that we are each living and doing our very best at any given time.  Could we be better? Absoultely.  That's not the issue though.  Now is our only reality and it's now that we must live.  Now is how we will shape our future and deal with our past.  Now is sometimes easier than others.  Staying present and living the best NOW that I know is keeping me positive and on track.  Allowing myself to have a down moment is okay too.  It's easier to work my way through those feelings or disappointments instead of harboring them.  When they say to push through your each moment, good or bad,  I really do believe this.

Living an authentic life is raw and complicated.  Living an authentic life will make you more free than anything else.  Being the real you is better than trying to be something you are not.  A lesson that took me a few decades to figure out.

Love you.  It's okay.  Give yourself permission to be okay with yourself.

Oh, and make some pasta salad.


Pasta Salad with Corn, Tomatoes, and Avocados

1 package of your favorite pasta, cooked according to directions
1-2 avocado, diced small
1-2 tomato, diced small
1 cup of corn (frozen or canned) 
1/2 cup cubed cheese (omit if vegan or use vegan cheese)
1/4 cup mayonnaise or Vegannaise 
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
1/4-1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic
salt and pepper to taste
garnish--Chow Mein Noodles (if these fit into your diet plan)
garnish--fresh curly parsley

1.  Prepare ingredients.  Toss together in a large bowl.  Taste and adjust.  You can always add more seasoning but it's hard to adjust if you add to much.  Top with garnishes.

2.  Refrigerate any leftovers.  Good for 3-5 days.


Recipe and Photo's by Sherron Watson

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Ramen



Ramen rules the roost in our house.  I bet we make it twice a week. It is a dish everyone in our family will like and slurp up.  I rarely hear grunts, moans or words of displeasure of what we are having for lunch or dinner on these nights.

Our recipe for this dish is simple.  We use Japanese ramen noodles that I buy from Mai's (our local asian store in town) and use a vegetable broth seasoned with Tamari Sauce (gluten free soy sauce).  I have also thrown in a spoonful of miso soup base for added flavor. We include carrots, green onion, red onion and mushrooms.  We have also added: zucchini, hard boiled eggs, meat (if our guest eat meat), and celery.

Honestly, you can add anything you want to your ramen bowl.  The broth is a blank canvas and you can fill it up with what your family enjoys.  Make it your own. This is just what we do because its quick and makes the kids happy.  The kids don't want fancy or sophisticated.  It took me a while to figure this out but I am finally catching on to this whole parenting thing....kind of.

In fact, we eat ramen so much in our house during these cold and rainy days that I invested in a set of Ramen bowls.  I love them.  I tried to buy them all a bit different. I love how they all work together with their own vibrant patterns showing off their own ramen noodles.  I paid about $14.00 a piece for them.  I have no idea if this is a good deal or not...but, they have been used a ton in the last month we have owned them.

A few weeks ago Cory brought home a selection of ramen noodles.  I am not talking about the prepackaged/all in one ramen noodles that sell for 5/1.00.  These are ramen noodles sold like Italian pasta noodles.  We tried fresh, frozen and dried.  They were from 5 different countries.  To be honest, the differences were minor but we kept going back to the Japanese brand as our favorite.  The taste and texture fit with what our expectation of a ramen noodle should be like.

The kids could care less...they just want ramen noodles.

The Japanese ramen noodles were the most expensive so beware of price.  They all have different price points and different ingredients.  Some were made with 2 ingredients and others had 5-6.  If this is important to you then read the labels.

Ramen
This is enough for 4 bowls.  The amounts will vary based on how many bowls you are preparing.  We usually plan on one cup of broth per bowl.  People are here for the noodles..LOL

4 cups of broth-vegetable, beef, or chicken
1-2 tablespoons of Tamari or Soy Sauce
1/4 cup of sliced red onion
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup green onion
1/4 cup sliced carrots
1/5 cup sliced mushrooms

optional additions are: meat, hard boiled egg, zucchini, or what ever you want

1.  Cut vegetables into small slices, dices or pieces.  Add to broth.

2.  Heat broth to very hot.  We never boil the broth.  Keep broth very hot until vegetables are tender.

3. In a separate pot bring desired amount of water to a boil (see noodle instructions).  Add noodles and cook.  Drain and add to individual bowls.  Our noodles take about 6 minutes to cook.

4.  Add broth and veggies to noodles.  Add any other toppings to your ramen bowl. Serve.

This is a version where we used larger rice noodles and added fresh cilantro.  Keepin' it different!





Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Cheese-Filled Ravioli #gluten free

These have been fried in a little bit of olive oil.  The boiled picture is at the very end.  

When I started making homemade gluten free pasta for my family the options were wide open and they started requesting specific things.  Mainly, stuffed pasta.  They missed the little pillows filled with cheese and sprinkled with more cheese.  I wonder if they just did not miss the cheese?

I make two types of stuffed pasta: tortellini and raviolis.  The gluten free tortellini recipe will be out soon. Here is the recipe for my raviolis.

We are split in our home between having them boiled or boiled and then lightly fried.  Me personally?  I love them fried in a hot pan for just a few seconds on each side and then drizzled with brown butter and topped with grated parmesan cheese.    My mouth is watering as I type this and I just made them again yesterday.

You can use this filling in a regular batch of homemade stuffed pasta too. The filling is the same it is just the pasta that is different.  My homemade GLUTEN FREE pasta dough recipe can be found here.  I have included lots of pictures and specific instructions to help you be successful with gluten free pasta making.

Ravioli, of the two stuffed pastas that I make, are by far the easiest.  This is a great stuffed pasta to start with.  It just requires a Ravioli Maker with Rolling Pin . Click on the links or see the pictures below to see which tools I have in my own kitchen.


The only thing I would have you keep in mind when preparing the ravioli' is the cook time.  This pasta needs to be cooked all the way through.  It will be tempting to toss them in your boiling water and wait a minute and take them out.  You might be disappointed.  Have patience and let them cook until tender.  I would recommend testing a pasta pillow after about 3 minutes.  Find your perfect "bite" to this pasta and not this on the printed recipe.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe.  Please leave me a comment or ask any questions and I will get back with you as soon as I can.

Enjoy!



Cheese-Filled Ravioli  #gluten free
I will estimate that this makes about 75 raviolis in a tray


Filling:

1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons of green onion, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated fine
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
pinch of salt
dash of pepper

5 fresh basil leaves, diced small (optional)
or
1/4 cup fresh spinach, diced small (optional)

1.  Bring a large stock pot, filled with water, to a boil.  Add 1 tablespoon of salt to every 8 cups of water.

2.  Combine filling ingredients in a medium bowl.  Set aside until pasta dough is rolled and ready to be filled.

3. Roll out pasta dough in to long sheets.  See this post if you need instructions on how to do this.  You will notice that I usually am able to roll the pasta wide enough for 2 full rows.  This is because the gluten free pasta does not go through the pasta machine past 4 or 5.

 4.  I use potato starch to sprinkle over the ravioli tray.  Use a generous amount so the pasta will not stick to the inside of the pan.  Fill each ravioli with a small amount of filling. Do not over fill the pouches.  I use maybe 1/2 a teaspoon in each ravioli.  It depends on the size of tray you use.

5.  Lay a second sheet of pasta across the top and with the rolling pin, roll the pasta.  By pressing down and rolling across the tray you will create the ravioli.  Gently pull any left over pasta dough away and wrap in plastic wrap for later.   Dump the pasta ravioli out.  

6.  Toss in the boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes.  Test the pasta starting at 3 minutes.

7.  Serve with your favorite sauce and cheese. To fry your raviolis, add a small amount of oil to a frying pan and add a single layer of raviolis.  Fry for 1-2 minutes on each side and remove.  Add your favorite topping or eat them with a bit of salt.  


Written by Sherron Watson



Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Homemade Pasta #glutenfree


This recipe has been in the making for two years.  I have tried so many different versions of gluten free pasta made from scratch that I was about to get discouraged and quit.  In fact, there were a few months that I shed a tear out of frustration because of the ingredients I wasted.

I can say that this recipe is tested.  I have made it so many times fearing that each time something would go wrong. It hasn't yet.  It comes together in my Kitchenaid just like my pasta doughs made with wheat flour.  It rest for 30 minutes, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, just like my wheat based pasta doughs.  It works in my pasta machine. 

Simply put--it works.

Taste great.

Kids love it.

I won't go on and on about the pasta other than to say it is the closest "gluten free" pasta to the real thing, that I have had and is freshly made. I have my favorite store brands that I will continue to buy. I don't always have the time or energy to make pasta from scratch. That is not the point. The point is now I have one that I trust will work for my family and our taste buds. I can check one more thing off of my list of can't haves.
 
I love to make pasta from scratch and I missed the process.  Really, Really missed the process.  In our family it is a family affair.  The kids are involved in rolling, making and cooking their dishes.  Now I feel I have brought a family tradition back into our home.

Gluten free anything is going to be a bit different from the original.  Please keep this in mind and don't get frustrated if it doesn't turn out the first time.  Mine didn't.   There are variables that play into any recipe: ingredients, humidity, equipment used and our own experience with cooking.  

I will gladly answer any questions that you may have for this recipe.  Leave a comment below.

UPDATE: 7-23-2014 I wanted to let everyone know that last night I wrapped my left over pasta dough and refrigerated it until today.  I took it out an hour before I wanted to use it and brought it to room temperature.  It was perfect!  I actually used my large rolling pin and pizza cutter to create some fun noodles for the Littles--Isabella and Finnley.  


I have tried my best to provide a lot of pictures for you to visually see each step.  This recipe is pretty sturdy compared to some I tested but you still need to treat it gently.  Don't push the pasta too far. What I mean by that is don't over cook it, don't try one more roll through the pasta machine.  I did all of that and absorbed the disappointments so that you won't have to do it. 

Two things to note.  Depending on what you decide to make with the pasta dough, it needs to be fully cooked.  Unlike our wheat pasta cousins that take a dip in boiling water and jump right back out this is not like that.  You will get a bite, but it won't taste good.  The pasta noodles need to boil for 3-4 minutes.  Test, test, test to see where you palate likes the noodle to be.  I liked mine to be fully cooked.

Secondly, you can reuse the pasta dough but it needs to rest for a few minutes.  I am mostly referring to the use of the dough to make stuffed pastas.  Often I will have scraps from my ravioli tray.  In this situation, I ball them up and wrap them in plastic wrap and set them off to the side.  It needs time to rest or the dough will be dry.  Working the dough may help but I found that patients was my friend for the second round of using the leftover dough pieces.  This won't apply if making spaghetti  or any other noodle because you will use all of the dough the first time.



If you don't need a gluten free version, I have two other recipes that my family enjoyed the years before I went gluten free.

Regular recipes are: Spinach Pasta Dough and Pasta Dough

Check back because I will be sharing our gluten free stuffed pasta recipes soon. 




Homemade Pasta #glutenfree


Makes one large ball of pasta--feeds my family of 6 or makes 75 raviolis using a tray

All pictures are following the recipe.  I did this to keep it simple for those that don't need the step by step pictures.  I have used a variety of substitutions with this recipe and THIS is the one that works.  I cannot guarantee it will turn out if you start substituting something else.  You need a scale for this to turn out perfect each time.  I use this Food Scale at home.  The estimated cup measurements are just that, estimated.  


166 g (1 cup) white rice flour, fine
70 g (1/2 cup) millet flour

50 g (1/3 cup) potato starch
50 g (1/3 cup) tapioca starch
3 teaspoons Guar Gum 
pinch of salt
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons water, as needed


1.  In a kitchen stand mixer, add all dry ingredients.  Use the whisk attachment and turn mixer to low. Mix dry ingredients well.

2.  Stop mixer  and change to the bread hook. Add eggs and oil. Continue to mix on low speed.  The dough will be dry.  Add one tablespoon of water at a time until the dough starts to pull together and form a ball.  If dough gets too wet, don't panic, add a sprinkle of rice flour to bring it back to ball form.

3.  Turn mixer to medium high and work dough for 2 minutes.  Remove dough and tightly wrap in plastic wrap. Let set for 30 minutes on the counter.

4.  Start a pot of water with salt on stove top.  Bring to a rapid boil.

5.  After dough has rested.  Open plastic wrap and cut into 4 pieces.  Take one piece and rewrap the remaining three.  Dust your area with potato starch and flatten the piece to about 1/4 inch.

AT THIS POINT YOU NEED A LARGE ROLLING PIN TO ROLL DOUGH OUT OR A Pasta Maker .  I have shared the link to the brand I use.  I also have the spaghetti attachment.

6.  Lightly dust your dough with potato starch. Too much and it will not go through the machine.  Start your machine at 0 and work you way up to 4 or 5.  The thinner you go the better but again, don't push it.  The dough will tell you how much it can take. If it starts to stick or tear--then you have rolled it too thin.

7.  Place long pieces of thin dough to dry on counter for 2 minutes.  Change the handle and roll your dough through the desired pasta attachment: spaghetti, fettucini, etc... 

8.  Gently pick up pasta pieces and add to boiling water. Stir them once.  Cook for 2-4 minutes depending on size of noodle.  Thicker noodles require more time.

9.  Remove with slotted spoon and serve with your favorite sauce.  My personal favorite: brown butter and parmesan cheese.

PICTURES BELOW
















Written by Sherron

NOTE:  There are links to my Amazon store to show you specifically which products I use at home.  There is no obligation to purchase these items through me.  I do make a small percentage off of each sale that helps pay for ingredients used on the blog.   Thank you!

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Homemade Cheese Tortellini


This recipe is not gluten free.  I contribute a variety of recipes to several non gluten free clients.  I made Tortellini and Sausage Soup for Capital Style Magazine a few months ago.   I know that I normally share gluten free recipes but this was a family favorite and I want my family to have it for their virtual cookbooks.

I am trying and testing gluten free pasta doughs all the time.  I have yet to find one that I like or that I can consistently make without a failed attempt.  It has been frustrating for me.  When I need a gluten free filled pasta I shop at Whole Foods and buy the brand they have in their cheese section.  

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STOP THE PRESSES AND IGNORE THAT LAST PARAGRAPH ABOUT NOT HAVING A GLUTEN FREE PASTA FOR STUFFING--I DO NOW!

Update:  I wrote this last week and I have fretted over the fact that I cannot provide my gluten free readers with a reliable gluten free pasta dough that I have successfully made.  These things do keep me up at night. I have tried a variety of recipes but nothing quite tasted or felt right.  

I woke up yesterday with an epiphany of what I was doing wrong.  I was close but always missed the mark on the dough ever so slightly.  Today--nailed it!  I have successfully made stuffed gluten free pasta in the shapes of tortellini and ravioli.  

So what is next?  I need to make it 3 more times this weekend to be 100% sure that it will work. Please come back next week and I will be posting the recipe for the gluten free pasta dough. 

...continue reading.  {insert happy dance here}

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So with that said, here is a recipe that I use for pasta.  It works well in my pasta machine and my family likes the flavor.

First, don't be afraid to make pasta from scratch. It may seem overwhelming your first time but it gets easier the more you do it.  Pretty soon you will be making it without a recipe.  It takes a bit of planning but it is worth the time and effort.  

I promise.

Second, making stuffed pasta is equally as enjoyable but it does take a bit more time and planning. Again, once you make it a few times it will get easier and easier.   Stuffed pasta is fun because you can make a variety of fillings.  The filling recipe I am sharing is a basic cheese  filling that my family, especially the kids, enjoy.  

I own a ravioli tray--LOVE IT! That is an option if you don't want to make the tortellini.  These tortellinis are made using your two hands.  Be patient with your abilities the first few you make.  It took me about 5 before they looked like the picture at the top of this post.  My daughter helped me make a bunch too.  

Kids love to make pasta!

When I make pasta, it is standing room only.  What I mean by this is that my family is standing in the kitchen with bowl in hand waiting for me to take the pasta out of the boiling water.  They go and sit and eat.  Then they start the process over.  I work on an island in the middle of my very small kitchen and whip these puppies out as fast as possible.  I am standing too!

I know this looks like an overwhelming night in the kitchen and it might be your first time.  I would just encourage you to give it a try once.  

Let me know how they turned out for you and your family.

ENJOY!


I used some of the tortellini in this Tortellini and Sausage soup.  Recipe coming tomorrow to the blog.

Pasta (Filling ingredients listed below)

1 batch of pasta is enough to feed my family of 5.  It will make about 50 tortellini's depending on how large of a circle cutter you use.

3 cups of all purpose flour
4 large eggs
pinch of salt
3 T. water (possibly more depending on dough)

1.  Mix the salt and flour together and dump on a clean table. Make a well in the center of the flour and add your eggs and 3T. water.  With a fork, start mixing the eggs into the flour.  I also like to have a metal pastry scrapper so that with one hand I am mixing and the other one I am keeping my flour from going all over the place.  Work the dough into a ball.

I keep a bowl of water nearby.  As I start to knead the dough and if it feels too dry I wet my hands and go back to kneading.  I might do this 3 or 4 times.  The dough should not be dry. 

2.  Kneading time will be about 10 minutes.  Around 8 minutes into the kneading you will notice the dough start to become softer. 


3.  After you have kneaded the dough, cut the ball into 4 sections.  I wrap each section in saran wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.  

NOTE:  The instructions above are for mixing the dough by hand.  I don't do this every time because I don't always have, well, the time.  I do make this in my Kitchen Aid too.  I add all of the ingredients to the bowl.  Add the dough hook.  Slowly start the mixer until everything is combined and formed into a ball.  If the dough is too dry, add a teaspoon of water.  If the dough is not shaping into a ball, add a dusting of flour until it has pulled away form the bowl. Once the dough is in a ball and pulled away from the bowl, knead for 5 minutes at a medium speed.  Once dough is kneaded, follow step 3 above.

Ravioli Filling

1/2 cup of Ricotta Cheese
1/4 cup of diced green onion, chopped fine
1 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup of parmesan cheese, grated fine
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 tsp of pepper
1/2 tsp of salt
5 leaves of fresh basil, chopped fine

1.  Mix the filling ingredients together in a small bowl.

2.  Keep in refrigerator until ready to use.

To make the tortellini

1. Prepare your pasta and filling.  (Instructions above)  Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.

2.  Roll out your dough into long pasta sheets.  Do this by hand rolling with a rolling pin or using a pasta machine.  If you need help with how to use your pasta machine--go here for more detail.

3.  I use a 3 inch round cookie cutter to make the circles.  Add a 1/2 teaspoon or less of filling to the center of each circle. See picture below. You can do more but I find they are harder to close with a very full center.


4.  To shape the tortellini.  I lift each circle, dip my finger in a bowl of water and run it around the edge of the circle. Fold the circle in half. Lightly pinching the dough together . See picture below. I flip the pasta so that the straight edge is next to the tip of my fingers.  Using both hands, and with my thumb and pointing finger, I grab the edges and have them meet together. I overlap the corners and push together to seal.  Add a touch of water if they are not staying.  When you bring the two edges together the rounded part of the halved shape will start to curl up.  See pictures.




5.  Add filled tortellini to soups or boiling water to cook.  They take about 5-6 minutes to cook through.  The size does matter so if they are bigger they may take longer to cook.

6.  Remove tortellini from boiling water and serve with your favorite sauce, browned butter or grated parmesan cheese.

7.  Leftover cooked tortellini can be kept in the refrigerator and reheated the next day.  Leftover dough can also be refrigerated but not for more than 2 days.



Written by Sherron Watson

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Greek Pasta Salad


I love Greek food.  Annapolis just had its Greek Festival last week and we missed it. BOO

The primary reason we missed it was because taking a baby to the festival just did not sound fun to me.  I am usually up to packing Finnley to almost every event but the Greek Festivals are different.

The food is always soooooooo, did I mention, soooooooo good. The music is amazing.  I can never get enough of watching the dancing numbers.

The Greek Festivals is a day long event in my mind.  I want to stay and watch it all.  Take in the whole experience.

I am already planning next years visit.  Finnley will be older and can stay with a baby sitter, her older sister or come with us and nap at the festival.

To keep myself happy I made this Greek Salad with a nice greek yogurt dressing.  I love feta cheese and any type of olive.  The addition of crunchy cucumbers paired with the noodles is simply enjoyable.

I hope your summer is off to a great start.

ENJOY!


This was from a few years ago.  We haven't changed much.

Greek Pasta Salad and Dressing

Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 30 minutes

Salad Dressing

1 (16 oz) plain Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh dill
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
3 cloves of garlic

1.  Add all of the dressing ingredients to a high power blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  Refrigerate while preparing the pasta salad.  

*Can be prepared the day before.

Greek Pasta Salad

1 (16oz) box of Penne Pasta, cooked
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
1 cup of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and halved
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup fresh dill
1/4 cup green onion, diced

NOTE:  I use my favorite gluten free pasta to substitute the regular penne pasta listed above.

1.  Toss the above salad ingredients in a medium size bowl.


2.  Add salad dressing to salad and refrigerate until ready to serve.


Thursday, May 22, 2014

Browned Butter Noodles





Everyone has their favorite dish and this is mine.

I love the combination of noodles, browned-butter and Mizithra cheese.

With this recipe you can use homemade noodles or packaged noodles.  Wheat noodles or gluten free noodles.  Long noodles or short noodles.

Browned-butter and Mizithra cheese work with most noodle types.  In fact, I have yet to meet a noodle I don't like drenched in browned-butter. Okay maybe drenched is a bit too much; but not really.

Making browned-butter is easy.  Take a cube of butter (salted or unsalted) and melt in a small sauce pan.  Keep your heat around medium.  You can go up to medium high if you are going to watch the butter.  Burned-butter is not our goal and if you don't watch it closely this is what you will have.  The melting and browning process takes about 7 minutes.  Every stove will be a bit different so the cooking time may vary.  

If you make it often, you will learn the stages:  melted, bubbly/ foamy, two distinct layers,and finally, browned specks at the bottom of the pan.

Use the browned-butter immediately or store the rest in the refrigerator.  It will form into a hard disk.  I usually break off with my fork a small amount and melt it in the microwave for individual lunch portions. If you are not going to use it immediately, I would suggest transferring it to a bowl.  Even with the heat turned off the butter will continue to brown.

Are you wondering why I shot this with chopsticks when it is clearly not an oriental dish?  Our family uses chopsticks for most meals.   In our drawer we have a spot for the normal utensils: forks, spoons and knives.  We also have a spot for chopsticks.  I think I might have a slight addiction to buying them too.

We go to HMart once a month and I always come home with a couple new pairs.  My latest pair are black and gold.  I haven't shown the kids yet because I want to surprise them with a fun meal first.

I wanted the picture to show how we eat our food.  I could have used a fork,  but why when chopsticks are a bit more fun and more true to how my family eats our dinners.

Serve with your favorite vegetable or side salad.

Another simply gourmet dish that will WOW your friends and family.



Browned Butter Noodles with Mizithra Cheese

1 batch of homemade noodles or prepared noodles/pasta, cooked and drained
1 stick of butter, soft
1 cup of Mizithra cheese, grated
salt, to taste


1.  Prepare noodles according to package directions.  Set aside.  If using homemade noodles then bring water to a rolling boil, add noodles, boil under done, drain and set aside.

2.  In a small sauce pan over medium heat melt butter.  Butter will start to foam and then  begin to form brown specks at the bottom of the pan.  Watch closely as not to burn the butter.  Stir until the aroma is nutty and the butter is a nice golden brown color.  Remove from heat.  See comments above.

3.  Serve noodles tossed in browned butter or have guest pour butter onto noodles themselves (I have done both).  Add cheese--lots of cheese.

4.  Serve immediately.  Store any leftover butter in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

Written by Sherron Watson



Friday, January 4, 2013

Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese



This new year has brought several changes into my life.  I value change because it usually means that I am evolving, life is moving and my future is progressing.  

I tend to make very few New Year resolutions because with change can also bring uncertainty and I want to be open to all of the opportunities that come my way whether they are for professional or for personal reasons.  I think to myself, if I make a list then I am disappointed at the end of the year because I failed or that this list will cause me to be focused in one area of my life and I will miss out on something else.  It is probably my mind over thinking the simplest of things: a list.  

Lose weight.

Exercise more.

Learn a language.

Try yoga.

Play my flute more.

These are just a few things that I have had on my list in previous years, then again, these are things that I am always trying to work on and squeeze into my life.  

It's funny how in the process of not writing a list of resolutions, and chatting her about not having said list-that in turn, I have started a small list of goals, resolutions or ideas to improve my life.  hmmmmm

Some of the things on this list will be a little bit harder to find the time for than last year because of the changes I referenced above.

The one change that will affect me the most, is our decision to homeschool Isabella.  We hummed and hawed about this over the summer and opted to have her start at the elementary school near our home.  I needed those few months to work and to figure a few things out with Simply Gourmet, but once my work load eased up I  missed her.

I missed teaching her and spending the hours each day watching her blossom into a reader, a writer and the unrelenting desire, that she possesses, to learn.  Most kindergarteners are eager to learn new things and she is no different.  My Mom asked me if my 24 hour a day homeschooling was going well.  I laughed because she knows Isabella well---she never is not learning, or doing, or asking questions, or still---her little mind and body are a constant train of motion.

I love to learn and I hope that she never loses that desire.  Our week has started off well; I feel good about this change.  She is also enjoying the process of having more time to spend on certain subjects, more art projects and more reading.  



It has required that I change the way I work at home a bit, but to me it is worth every late night or early morning.  It may sound strange, but I am actually accomplishing more in one day with her home than I did before.  I am organized and on top of my schedule-two things I struggled with before Christmas.  

I could organize Simply Gourmet, but not the house work; or the house was clean but I had not cooked in a week.  I was concerned that if I added one more item onto my to do list, it would sink me-I learned that it was what tipped the scale and allowed me to strive and be organized.  I think before, I had too much time on my hands and therefore found reasons to not do things because tomorrow was always around the next corner.

As you can see, time management will be something that I should add to my list and that is where recipes like this one come in to play.  I have heard of making macaroni in the slow cooker before but wasn't sure if it was something I would find appetizing.  Not to mention, I was not sure that gluten free noodles would hold up under the heat of being cooked for so long.  

I thought that the whole dish would turn to mush.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the cheesy macaroni and cheese turned out creamy, cheesy and full of whole elbow macaroni pasta pieces---not mush.

I do believe if you over cook the macaroni and cheese this could be the case, so be careful to not over cook the pasta.

I will be honest, if you are looking for Kraft Macaroni and Cheese--this is not the recipe for you.  The flavor is mild, the texture creamy and the ingredient list is not long.  

Using a variety of cheese can change the flavor of this dish so I do encourage you to change those every now and then so that you can find the best blend of cheese for your family.  We love combining these types of cheese into ours: cheddar, jack, swiss, fontina, cream cheese and cottage cheese. Not necessarily all at the same time, usually choosing three of the six listed.

I can't wait to see what doors will open this new year and how my family and I will respond to the changes that are sure to come.  I hope that we will embrace them with open arms, open hearts and with a diligence to persevere--I may be optimistic but I know that not all change can be what we seek or want at any given time.  Life can be challenging, that is a given.

Recipe:  Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese

1.5 cups of whole milk
1 (12 oz) can of evaporated milk
1/4 cup of melted butter
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of small curd cottage cheese
3 cups of  grated cheese: cheddar, swiss, jack, etc (see note above)
1/2 pound of elbow macaroni (I used gluten free)

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese to sprinkle over the top

Boil a large pot of water and cook your noodles for 5 minutes.  Do not over cook or cook until tender.

Drain and add to the bottom of the slow cooker.

In a bowl, combine milks, butter, salt, eggs and cottage cheese.  Add cheese and mix.

Pour over the elbow noodles and stir.

Cook on high for 30 minutes.  At the end of the 30 minutes, stir a few times and lower heat setting to low.

Cook for 2 hours.

NOTE:  During the two hours I usually stir it one more time.  This is because my slow cooker has a tendency to over cook things around the edges.  After the two hours you may see a little bit of the milk liquid still on top.  Turn heat off, stir this in and let sit for 15 minutes.  The mac and cheese will get thicker.  If you choose to let it continue cooking, the noodles will get very soggy---still taste good just not texturally pleasing to some folks.

I like individual portion sizes and this is how I served mine.  See below.

I portioned the mac and cheese into white ramekins, added a bit of parmesan cheese and broiled until the cheese started to brown and melt OR you can add the parmesan cheese to the slow cooker during  the last 30 minutes and let it cook into the macaroni and cheese.

Written by Sherron Watson




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