Cholesterol be damned... it’s time for Grandma Ursillo meatballs and This Nana’s sauce

in

Sauce and meatballs

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My husband is part Italian. His mom, Mimi, was a Christian woman. She was truly altruistic. Cooked and baked for many gatherings and never expected anything in return. The only thing that would offend her was when someone went for seconds before everyone was fed. She died of ovarian cancer. The lady was tough. By the time she explored why she wasn’t feeling well the cancer had spread. She was the glue to that family and is sorely missed. Mimi’s house represented something that many of us experience, a house where the doors are always open and no one is turned away. Feeding people is feeding ones soul. Mimi did this quietly with no fan fare. So many of my fondest memories were around food. I have said to Genevive that a memorable meal is so much more than the food itself. It’s the company, how hungry you are, and where you are. Mimi brought love and memorable meals to so many.



This recipe is from her grandmother…Grandma Ursillo 

The sauce is mine, the volume is tricky but I’m going with feeding 8 people

When John came off the ball field…starving, the snack was 2 meatballs with sauce on wonder bread…thats right I said…WONDER BREAD! 

sauce:

a 4 count good quality olive oil

1 whole sweet onion

3-4 cloves of garlic ( depends on how fresh your garlic is)

1/2 fennel 

1 zucchini (optional)

1 stalk of celery (this is optional

1/4 c of the Pernod (think licorice)

1 Tbs brown sugar

1 Tbs salt

1 Tbs oregano 

1 Tbs dried basil 

Chili flake ( to your liking)

4-5 cans good quality canned tomato puree (we like Cento) saute the onions and fennel on medium heat until soft and slightly caramelized add garlic and cook until fragrant

add zucchini and celery

add the Pernod and sauté until booze has evaporated 

Add the tomato purée 

add the brown sugar and salt, oregano, basil, chili flake

simmer for 20m to let flavors marry  



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meatballs

a good quality ground beef (not lean)

4-5 eggs for ever pound of beef (bet that got your attention)

1c bread crumbs…more if you are doing a large batch

mix ..should be slimy

add 1 tbs dried basil

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2c parmasan

 1 tbs salt

1/2 tsp pepper

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form into balls to the size you prefer…..drop raw into a bubbly sauce.....yes RAW

leave for 3-4 hours

Comfort food for sure😌…..mangia! mangia!













 









 

The king of bread....MULTIGRAIN!

in

I’ve made a lot of bread. I’ve experimented with many formulas. I knew that this was a winner when I gave  this bread to my family members that had opposing palettes and they both loved it! 

When I owned the bakery, I had children calling it “crack bread” because it was so addictive. My dad would eat it every morning...“ keeps me regular “. I would send cases to my father-in-law, that’s all he wanted for his birthday. It’s so worth the effort. Since many of us have more time at home, I thought it was time  to unveil this gem….

I will take some of that time and explain the logic. if you dont care skip this part

  • Biga: a quick pre-ferment that will give your loaf a better chew

  • Honey: a natural preservative and great sweetener 

  • Buttermilk: to give a softer crumb 

  • Cooked rice: white or brown for moisture retention and texture 

  • Brown sugar: just because I like it🤫

  • Multigrain mix: any variety of seeds and grains ( think bird food): oats, sunflower seeds, poppyseeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, groats, cracked wheat... it what ever you have... but the oats, sunflower seeds, poppyseeds, sesame seeds are a must. This is “ la raison d’être “ for the bread

  • Yeast:  wild yeast if you have the time,  otherwise active dry or instant 

  • Salt : bread without salt is paste

  • Flour: I am a snob but for good reason... King Arthur does extensive tests to maintain consistency, and making bread is an 8 hr job, don’t be cheap 

  • Whole Wheat flour: adds good fiber

  • Water: hydrating a dough takes fineness. Too little and you will have a dry and crumbly loaf , too much and you won’t get good gluten structure. Always more in the winter... everything is dry

Here we go!

Biga: Get that scale I told you to buy and start weighing your ingredients: biga first

  • Flour 11.0 oz

  • Water 6.8 oz

  • Yeast. 0.2 fresh yeast .... you can look up the conversation on line for the yeast you have

Let proof 3-6 hrs

In the mixing bowl put the  developed biga and all wet ingredients together Add all dry ingredients and mix on low speed until wet, biga and dry  ingredients are are well incorporated :

Wet:

  • Biga

  • Buttermilk: 5.7oz

  • Honey: 2.6oz

  • Water : 8.9oz


    Add

  • Yeast : 0.4 oz fresh ( look up the conversion of your yeast on line)

  • Salt:  0.5oz

  • Brown sugar: 2.0oz

  • Brown rice:  2.0oz

  • Multigrain mix: 3.5oz

  • Whole wheat flour: 3.2oz

  • Bread flour or Galahad: 17.3oz

Mix on first for 3 min

Mix on second for 5 minutes , at this point you can adjust you dough ( more water if it’s too dry, more flour if’s too wet

this is what the dough should look like as it is pulling from the sides…and yes this is messy work

this is what the dough should look like as it is pulling from the sides…and yes this is messy work

The dough should pull away from the wall of the bowl and form a good gluten structure  Bulk ferment for 90 min until double in bulk 

Divide into 2 rounds at 29-32 oz

exciting times

exciting times

Round and rest  for 20 minutes  Shape into loaves by stretching into a square and folding  the top and bottom to the middle place the loaf seem side down and using the friction of the counter push the loaf with the thumb and heal of your hand away, it should pull the loaf tight

achieving tension

achieving tension

Roll it on a damp cloth and then in a tray of the seed mixture 

worth the extra effort

worth the extra effort

almost there

almost there

Place in a 5x9 loaf pan ... grains facing up Proof for 70-90 minutes until it crowns the rim of the pan Bake at 350 for 40-45 min  Let cool in pan for 15 min  Remove... never cut into a fresh loaf until it has cooled. The crumb will collapse and flavor profile will not be fully developed 

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yea baby

yea baby

You are going to love me for this one... you’re welcome 😋






Quality Quarantine with Carbonara

in

Of course I am going to talk about the virus.  A topic that has the world’s attention is worth the ink. Like war this has become a universal, life-altering problem. Unlike war, we are all on the same side.  

I am grateful that the effect of the outbreak was not vastly different than the way we live. We were already deeply rooted in our time together, and our home. Cancer will do that to a family. We were already familiar with creative ways to do things together. Disability taught us that one. We love to cook fresh so when Genevive went to the store, or the farm, produce and dairy were still on the shelves. When we were without eggs, my kind neighbor offered her eggs to us— not once but twice!

As a family we are familiar with suffering. What I find beautiful and inspirational, is the wave of kindness that is surging. When you face suffering (which can wear many faces), things become primal. You see your family as the priority not the job (if you can, and if you can’t we as a society are in debt to you). You care about health more that stuff. You realize that living matters and lives matter. So you stay home.

 Before the real quarantine started , We were fortunate to have 2 beautiful grandchildren for the weekend .. children are eager to learn. They just need a stimulating platform.  They went for a hike and learned about the importance of nature—how peaceful and beautiful it can be. They made cookies, and much to your benefit they made homemade pasta with a carbonara sauce. If you are short on pasta, but have flour, eggs, and time go for it! The kids can help.

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 My grandchildren love to cook! These sous-chefs light up at the chance to play with food. Flour, eggs right on the counter...they’re in! 

the FOCUS wow!!

the FOCUS wow!!

I’m not the star in this post, but my mini me is, Genevive is the queen of pasta!

I am encouraging you to get a scale for all your baking. For consistency and accuracy, it’s a must:

Pasta for 5:

400 g flour

4 eggs

The recipe is super simple and easy to remember. For every egg, 100 grams of flour is used. When making egg pasta, a softer wheat flour is preferred. All-purpose flour will do, but if you can get your hands on “tipo 00” flour, it is by-far superior. This is a link if you want to purchase it from amazon https://www.amazon.com/Antico-Molino-Napoli-Antimo-Caputo/dp/B00BR0K5AW/ref=sr_1_6?crid=AWGUV7PEM3W6&keywords=tipo+00+flour&qid=1585596953&sprefix=tipo+00%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-6. It is wonderful because of how incredibly fine the grain is milled. The grains absorb the egg more evenly, and create a much smoother pasta. 

Now to showcase these vary simple ingredients, you will knead ;) to roll up your sleeves and use some elbow grease. Firstly, drop the flour on the counter and create a well. Then, crack the eggs into the well. Use a fork to whisk the eggs together, and slowly incorporate the flour. Be very careful not to spill the eggs over the sides of the well, and onto the counter. You have to be patient. And yes, these are kids, and yes there was spillage. If you do have egg leaking across your counter, simply create a wall with a scraper or your hand and continue to work. Eventually, you will get to the point when the eggs will no longer run. When this happens you can switch to two bench scrapers (if you have them) to fold more flour into the dough. You can also continue to use the fork.

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When the dough no longer sticks to your hands, you can begin to knead it. You will work the crap out of this dough for 10 minutes. But like actually 10 minutes. I recommend setting a timer. Oh and while you are thinking, “why the heck am I doing this??” just remember home workouts, time sucking projects, and actually having pasta are all really trendy things right now!!! So you are pushing, you are folding, and you are pulling. You finished those 10 brutal minutes…congratulations!! You should have a smooth dough that bounces back slowly when you push your finger into it. Now wrap that baby up in plastic and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

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Ok now the fun part. Divide the ball up. If you made the exact recipe, quartered is good. Flatten the triangles with your hand, and fold the tip in to create a rectangle. Set your pasta machine to 0 & run it through. Fold both sides into the middle, and run it through again. Repeat once more. This builds elasticity into the dough. Now bump the machine up to 1 and roll it through. Continue to do this until reaching setting 6. Now it is ready to be noodle-ized or noodle-ified or whatever. We ran our pasta through as tagliatelle but you have the power of creative freedom and can HAVE FUN WITH IT!! After we separated the pasta and tossed it in semolina flour to coat the strands and prevent stickage. Then for the pretty picture I bundled the stands and twisted them for safe keeping. 

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If you do not have a pasta machine, you have another workout coming. You can roll the dough out with a rolling pin. You want to get it to be thin enough to see your hand through the dough. You may need to let it rest a couple times during the rolling process, because the gluten will fight you. When it is thin enough, dust it with semolina and fold the dough on top of its self 3 times. Use a large, shop knife to cut the pasta to your desires thickness. If it is uberlong, divide it into your desired length. 

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La carbonara for 5:

6 eggs

1.5 cups of parmesan

2 tsp black pepper

3/4 cup of cut up bacon, pancetta, or guanciale

Salt 

If you haven’t had enough, and want to make the tagliatelle alla carbonara. Let’s get saucy. Carbonara is a little complicated because what is supposed to be a rich silky sauce, may turn to scrambled eggs. 

You should start by boiling the water, and salting it HEAVILY. I learned that it should taste like the sea. Some may disagree, but it’s how I like it. 

Crack 6 eggs into a bowl, and grate 1.5 cups of parmesan into the eggs. Add 2 tsp of black pepper ( we like it spicy) to the eggs. Mix well. Grab your bacon, pancetta, or guanciale (if you can find some please tell me where!!) Fry the little cubes or cut pieces in a large skillet until the fat is rendered, and the pork is crispy. Turn off the burner. Cook the pasta. When you are cooking, the time depends on the type of pasta. For this tagliatelle, I let it rise in boiling water, then pull it straight out to place throw it in the sauce. Larger, or thicker pasta takes a little longer. For good measure I check with a nibble. Use tongs to remove the pasta from the water and add them it to the skillet. Mix the pasta, rendered fat, and 1/4 cup of pasta water. Add the egg mixture. Toss very well. You should be left with a silky, rich, golden sauce that melts your heart. 

The lack of finished pictures is testimony to how good it is. Hungry kids come before photos! Enjoy 😊

There is Nothing New Under the sun

in

A friend of my husband one said ; there is nothing new under the sun. I haven’t forgotten that philosophy. When I began the good loaf I read countless books on bread baking. I took the stuff I loved about different formulas and compiled them to create my own spin. Bread has been around for over 6,000 years. I don’t think I can create something new with that kind of history. That’s is what you will find here in both cooking and baking. I would like to share recipes and baking formulas that have given my family, friends, and customers a pleasant experience.

Caesar salad

half of the enjoyment of this salad are the croutons. ..make your own from any stale bread you have .Cubed or tear it

melt on low heat;

50% olive

50% butter

2 fresh garlic cloves

1 TBS dried basil

1 TBS oregano

pepper

chili flake  (optional)

adjust the quantity according to the amount of croutons you have

bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 min until slightly darker that golden brown  

dressing;

2-3 cloves of garlic

1/2 can of anchovy’s

1 TBS dijon mustard

1 TBS Worcestershire sauce

1/2-1 whole lemon (depending on how juicy 

1 egg

1c olive oil (or more if you need more volume )

with the food processor running add the garlic, anchovies, dijon, Worcestershire , and lemon until pulverized. drop in the egg while the machine is still running slowly add the olive oil the dressing should be thick and creamy. if too thick drizzle in a little water.

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