| August 15, 2009 |
| Editor's Note |
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It is hard to believe that September is only a couple of weeks away. Summertime will soon come to an end and the kids will be back in school.
The hectic pace of Summer will soon be replaced by the hectic pace of Fall with school, soccer and football practice, and an array of other tasks. It seems that as life gets busier, there is the continuing struggle to find the time to cook healthy and flavorful meals during the week.
Time is always the biggest obstacle. So there seem to be three alternatives: quick fix, ready made meals from the grocery, hastily thrown together simple one dish meals (is Hamburger Helper still around) or find time to prepare more tasty and fulfilling options. It is this third alternative where the new style pressure cookers come into the picture.
In this newsletter we will share with you a great recipe for tasty homemade bolognese sauce that cooks in just minutes in a pressure cooker, but tastes like it has simmered for hours. We will also share with you a great way to add excitement to your pasta, by making it at home. Our guest writer will share with you the surprisingly easy art of making homemade pasta, which can be made on demand or ahead of time.
Our featured products are the Fissler Blue Point Pressure Cooker and our useful pasta machine. Fissler stainless steel cookware is the most durable, flexible and elegant option for any type of cooking need. The Fissler Pressure Cooker produces amazing results with no steam, no sound and easy clean up. Our easy to use pasta machine is a wonderful aid in the kitchen when making homemade pasta, saving you time and creating even textures for your homemade pasta. You will wonder how you ever lived without these great items once you start using them.
Terry Retter
Editor, Chef Wannabee's Smart Kitchen
chef@YourSmartKitchen.com
Have a great pressure cooker recipe or tip that you want to share? Share it with us on our blog at www.chefwannabee.com. We will give a $25.00 gift certificate for the best submission and we will publish it in our blog. |
Homemade Pasta, The Way Grandma Used To Make It....Well, Sort Of |
By Allison Baloglu, for Your Smart Kitchen
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Recently I was inspired to make our own homemade pasta. After dining at my brother and sister-n-law's house and realizing just how easy it was for them to make their own pasta, I decided to give it a try.
Growing up I always heard my Mom talk about going to her Grandma's house on the weekends, and watching her make homemade noodles. My great Grandma was from a generation of Hungarian women that made their own bread daily, used a crank washer and made homemade noodles every week. My Mom used to talk about how her Grandma would dry the noodles on the backs of her dining room chairs.
 My great Grandma could knead the dough quickly, and make pasta with such precision. I guess if you do anything that often, you are bound to be good at it. I recently discovered that kneading dough should really be a form of upper body strength training. It can be hard work if you aren't used to it! But I soon found out that it is totally worth it, there is no comparison between store bought pasta and homemade pasta. Homemade pasta wins, hands down.
Armed with a recipe from a cookbook we received as a wedding present, a desire to honor my Hungarian roots, and a taste for fresh pasta, I started our journey. There could not be a more simple recipe than just adding flour and eggs, and rolling them out to make dough. After letting the dough rest briefly, we rolled it out to the right thickness and then began to cut the dough into our desired noodle width. We then cooked the fresh pasta right away, although we could have let it dry and used it later as well.
I was surprised at how easy the recipe was. What I did quickly learn to appreciate was my mixer with a dough hook.
We were also amazed at how much more evenly shaped the noodles look, and how  much thinner they can be, when you use a pasta machine. We also discovered that when making ravioli, the pasta machine is worth its weight in gold. You simply cannot get the dough thin enough by hand rolling it. Well maybe my stronger Hungarian relatives could, but I certainly could not! We also found that you don't need a special dough cutter for ravioli, we used a pizza cutter and it worked just as well.
My husband and I were most thrilled with of the wonderful taste that fresh pasta delivers. The texture is much softer and absorbs the sauce better, especially when the pasta is enjoyed right away and not dried. The richness of the flour and the dried herbs is unbelievable. My noodles were of varying sizes when we hand cut them. So I may not have perfected the art of homemade pasta like great Grandma did, but you have to start somewhere right? And really as long as it tastes good, I guess I am on the right track! (Editors note: Mario Batali takes the well dusted pasta dough, folds it in half and the in half again. Then using a large chef's knife, cuts even strips. Unfold the strips and let dry for a few minutes. This yields more consistent great looking noodles.)
Hopefully my great Grandma would be proud of my husband and I as we attempted our first batch of homemade pasta. I can't imagine eating pasta any other way now.
Featured Products
Fissler Blue Point Pressure Cooker
Save time and energy with the one pan that does it all. The 4.2 quart skillet is equipped with the patented Novogrill frying surface, the energy saving Cookstar base and comes with a pressure cooker lid, glass lid and steamer basket. The Blue Point pressure cookers combine perfect technology and attractive modern design with their patented safety valves and large indicator rods. They are safe, simple to use, and especially easy to clean. This set is perfect for easily preparing foods of all kinds in a healthy, gentle, and nutritious manner. Unlike the pressure cookers of the past, each Blue Point pressure cooker is silent and features multiple safety mechanisms including an automatic pressure valve, so you can relax while the cooker prepares a wide variety of meals for you in no time.
Pasta Machine by Prime Pacific
 When making homemade pasta, the pasta machine is your trusted tool of choice. The pasta machine by Prime Pacific has an adjustable steel roller for kneading, seven thickness settings, a removable handle and clamp, a stainless steel cutting blade, and recipe booklet. Now you can easily create beautiful dough for ravioli, lasagna, spaghetti, fettuccine, noodles and much more.
Tips
Pressure Cooker Tips
A few noteworthy tips when using a pressure cooker (Editor's note: Fissler Blue Point Pressure Cookers eliminate nearly all of the concerns regarding older pressure cookers)
- Always read the instructions carefully. I know sometimes we don't always read the manual for the machines in our lives, but knowing the ins and outs of your pressure cooker is really important. Make sure you read how to properly secure the lid, using the cooker and caring for your cooker.
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Many slow cooker recipes can be converted to pressure cooker recipes. Usually the cooking time is less than a quarter of the time, and the end result is just as tender. But be wary of foods that can foam such as split peas, dried beans, some fruits and pasta. Only fill the cooker less than halfway when using these ingredients.
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Timing counts. You can easily over cook vegetables and other foods in the pressure cooker, so be sure to follow your machine's and your recipe's guidelines for cooking times carefully.
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Liquids are the key to steam. Be sure to use the amount of liquids called for in your recipe. T he pressure cooker needs liquids in order to create the steam needed for cooking, however, frequently the ingredients will have sufficient moisture.
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Recipes
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Pressure Cooker Bolognese Sauce
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yields: about 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
- 2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. fresh oregano leaves
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 can stewed tomatoes (28 oz.)
- 1 can tomato paste (6 oz.)
Preparation
Brown the beef in a 4 or 6 quart pressure cooker. Drain the fat from the cooker. Add the remaining ingredients to the cooker.
Lock the pressure cooker lid in place and bring the cooker up to high pressure. Cook for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring pot of water to a boil at the same time and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and keep warm by placing pasta in colander over a pot of simmering water.
After 10 minutes, quick-release the pressure and remove the cooker's lid. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
Serve the sauce over warm pasta. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Homemade Pasta
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Yields about 1 pound of pasta
Ingredients
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp finely crushed dried basil, marjoram, or sage (optional)
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tsp olive oil
Preparation
In a small bowl, mix the eggs, water and olive oil and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, dried basil and salt. Make a well in the middle. Add the egg mixture and stir to combine. Lightly sprinkle a clean kneading surface with flour. Knead the dough mixture until it is smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Cover with a clean towel and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. (Editor's Note: watch this video from About.com for an simple way to make the pasta.)
Divide the dough into 4 equal portions, and roll each portion into a 12-inch square, about 1/16 inch thick. If using a pasta machine, pass each portion through the machine according to your machine's directions until dough is 1/16 inch thick. Let stand, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Cut the dough to desired thickness, about 1/8 inch thick for linguine or ¼ inch thick for fettuccine.
To serve immediately, let the freshoy cut pasta dry for a few minutes then cook in a large pot of boiling water, adding a little at a time. Cook only for about 1-2 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Drain in a colander.
To serve later or to store, spread the cut pasta over a cooling rack and let pasta dry overnight or until completely dry. Store in an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Or dry the pasta for at least 1 hour and place it in a freezer bag and freeze. It should be good for up to 8 months. When ready to cook the dried pasta, increase the cooking time above by 1 to 2 minutes.
Tip: Use a free afternoon to double or even triple the recipe above, and freeze the cut pasta in order to have fresh pasta on the ready for months to come.
Food photography by Allison Creative
Photography of products from Your Smart Kitchen |
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