summer flavours

with summer almost upon us, the days have warmed up considerably and certainly gotten longer in terms of the number of hours of sunlight we are getting. warmer temperatures also mean eating fare which is both quick and easy to prepare and considerably lighter than that of winter days gone by.

salads and appetizer-type dishes are one of my favourites for this time of year. i enjoy eating dishes that are cold or room temperature to counteract the heat and humidity of my area. of course, i won't pass up a barbeque either.

one appetizer dish i especially like is the greek tzadziki sauce — a cool and creamy mixture of cucumbers, garlic and rich yogurt. making it is a breeze and the flavours seem to improve over the next day or two. i have found over many trials of different versions over the years that the best way to make this is to use seedless [english] cucumbers, a very thick mediterranean yogurt if available, and garlic which has been worked to a paste, enabling you to use less and still get a very strong garlic flavour.

if you cannot get the mediterranean style thick yogurt (8.5% MF), then the next best option is to use a full fat one and drain it for a few hours until it is thick and use as is, or add sour cream. i like the addition of sour cream as it adds a lot to the finished tzadziki.


tzadziki
garlic-laced cucumber & yogurt appetizer

ingredients:

1 1/2 - 1 3/4 c mediterranean style (very thick) yogurt or,
2 1/4 c regular yogurt, drained & 1/3 - 1/2 c sour cream added later
1 large cucumber, peeled and finely grated* (all hard seeds removed)
1 large clove garlic or 2 small ones, worked to a paste with some salt

salt and sugar to taste

final (optional) seasonings:
1 -2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil,
1 tbsp lemon juice (or vinegar) and 1/8 tsp black pepper

method:

before starting: if not using the mediterranean yogurt, drain the regular yogurt for about about 3 to 4 hours until it has reduced considerably and is very thick. once drained place in a bowl and add the sour cream and refrigerate or leave it as is. the cucumbers will add moisture and loosen it up if you aren't adding any. (it really is better with!)

peel cucumbers and seed them if necessary. the small gelatinous ones are fine to keep. *some versions include unpeeled cucumbers or coarsely grated ones. you'll have to decide how you prefer it — mine is for finely grated and peeled.

grate the cucumbers finely into a bowl. add 1/2 tsp salt and mix it together. place the mixture in a fine sieve and let it drain for about 1/2 hour.

notice that a ton of cucumber juice will be released. discard it.

in the meantime, make a paste of the garlic with a little bit of salt to help break it down. this is best done in with a mortar and pestle.

once the cucumber has drained, rinse it under cold water to get rid of the salt and press it with a spoon to get as much water out as possible.

in a bowl, place the garlic and cucumber and mix together. add the yogurt and mix well.

add salt to taste and a bit of sugar. finally, season with some extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice or vinegar and pepper. this is optional as not all versions contain it.

refrigerate it for at least 2 to 3 hours but overnight is best.

serve with warm pita and enjoy!

butterflies and bowties

this will be the second part to my earlier post this week about orecchiette pasta. this dough, however, is made with eggs and is the standard [fortified] pasta dough of northern italy. while the dough for the orecchiette can be used as a substitute, the egg rich dough is more yellow due to the yolks and the texture a little different.

the dough, in this case, was used to make farfalle, or little butterflies. these easy to make shapes are also know as bowties and used in a haimishe (home-y) jewish comfort food dish called kasha varnishkes or kasha with bowties. left to sit out over a day or two to dry, if not cooking the same day, the pasta can be stored indefinitely for later use. the fresh ones can also be frozen after sitting out and drying a bit.

admittedly, this shape is a little more work than the orecchiette. the satisfaction you will get from having made your own, though, is well worth the hour or two of effort it takes. it is also a good project to involve kids with as they actually get to see where REAL pasta comes from!

i, again, use a combination of durum semolina and regular all purpose flour for this dough but it can be made with just all purpose or a combination of all purpose and whole wheat. i would only use a 1:1 or 2:1 combination (ap & wholewheat respectively) for a whole wheat version. too much whole wheat flour would make it impossible to roll out by hand.


farfalle or bowtie pasta

ingredients:

1/4 c durum semolina*
3/4 c + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg mixed with 2 tbsp water

-extra flour and water, as needed

*you can omit and use only AP flour or whole wheat

method:

mix flours together with salt.

make a well in center of flour and add egg with water.

beat the egg in the center and slowly incorporate flour.

trying not to break the well until as late as possible, gather up the dough and start kneading.

either add more flour or a bit of water at this point to make a kneadable dough. it really depends on how much the flour absorbs and the humidity in the air.

take note: though some people say it's the opposite, i feel it is better to err on the side of adding too much water than too much flour initially. it is much more difficult to hydrate a dry dough than it is to add more flour to a wetter one.

the dough should be fairly soft yet firm.

cover the dough well and let rest for at least an hour. it can sit for a few hours.

cut the dough into 3 equal pieces. cover the other two pieces to prevent drying out.

on a large, very well-floured board, roll out the dough to about 1/8" thick.

you will need to take your time and flip the dough over quite a few times, rolling and reflouring each time. with practice you will be able to get it quite thin. this is important or the pasta will end up too thick.

roll the dough from north to south and then flip it and roll from east to west to try to expand it as much as possible.

with a fluted cutter (you can also just use a knife), cut around the periphery of the dough close to the edge to make either a rectangle or square. place the scraps with the remaining dough and work them in when you roll the next batch.

now cut the dough into rectangles which are approximately 2 inches by 1 1/4" inches. you can make them the size that you want really but these dimensions make a nice bowtie.

take one of the rectangles and with your two fingers start to push on either side of the 1 1/4" part.

with your pointing finger, on either on the same hand or your other one, place it in temporarily the center and press the edges together tightly, removing your finger!!

do this over and over again until all the farfalle are formed. important note: if drying these, do not close them up too tightly or they won't cook through to the center well. not a good 'mouthfeel' ;P. you want to close them at their centers so they retain their shape.

you can now either cook them or let them dry on a tea towel for a day or two, depending on your weather. flip them over after several hours so they dry on each side.

do not store them unless they are completely dried or they will grow mould.

cooking time depends whether they are fresh or dried. i don't think i need to tell you how to do that! and remember, well-SALTED water!! none of this 1/4 tsp business. 1 to 3 tsp depending on how much water you use.

enjoy!

sunday afternoon entertainment

making your own pasta can be a fun & rewarding afternoon project provided you have a little patience and in the end, something to revel at once you're all done. the only caveat here is that depending upon how much dough you make and how you will form it, it can either end up being a relaxing activity or very tedious. with a larger amount, there is a lot of rolling involved for some shapes. then again, if you have some extra hands helping you, the job goes fairly quickly. something to be mindful of before starting.

i appreciate making pasta myself in that the fresh product cooks in no time compared to the dry store-bought kind and the excess can be dried and stored for later use. if you've never made your own, i'd suggest starting with a small amount of dough to get the hang of it and the next time around going for a larger amount. you can make pasta with the use of a pasta machine if you have one, but making it by hand is not difficult at all. in fact, this recipe is a no-machine one.

while there are countless traditional shapes you can make without the aid of a machine, today's post is for the classic rounded and indented one in the shape of an ear, called orecchiette, a very pugliese type shape. the version i making here is a bit different, shape-wise, in that it is more rustico (rustic). this means, it is a little thicker than the ones you buy at the grocer and the shape is more like a true ear rather than a round disc with thicker edges one commonly sees. when cooked, these "ears" have bite to them and are quite filling. the indentations in them provide a perfect little container to hold the sauce you serve them with.

the dough for the following pasta is composed of 3 flours, some salt and water; no eggs involved here today. its yellow colour comes from durum semolina flour (aka pasta flour or farina di grano duro, easily found at the supermarket) which also provides a denser texture to the finished pasta. sometimes i will just use durum semolina flour, salt and water to make the dough; this is really optional. often the flour used is the harder-to-come-by italian "zero-zero" (00) with a lower protein content than all purpose. to approximate this you can use equal proportions of all purpose and cake flour. of course, just all purpose will work, too.

i'm not really giving exact amounts here, only ratios. you have to experiment. it is easy and you'll not have a problem. so go for it!

oops, a bad blurred photo!
accidentally erased the good one, grr.

orecchiette fresche e semplice
southern italian hand-made eggless pasta

ingredients:

1 part durum semolina (pasta flour)
0.5 part all purpose flour*
0.5 part cake flour*

OR 1 part all purpose flour

OR only durum semolina

salt, to taste

warm water, enough to make a stiff but malleable dough

method:

place the flours and some salt in a bowl and mix it together.

add water little by little and mix until you get a stiff but workable and soft dough. if you add too much water, add a bit more semolina. the softer your final dough is, the more difficult it will be to cut into neat rounds.

knead the dough for about 5 minutes.

cover and let rest for minimum 1 hour. this is essential; do not skip. once rested, the dough will be much easier to work with and much more malleable.

cut the rested dough into 1/3's or 1/4's. take one piece and cover the rest so it doesn't dry out.

flour your board and roll out the dough into a rope about 1/2" to 3/4" thick.

on a well-floured surface, cut the rope into discs which are about 1/8" thick. separate them as you cut.

take one and place it flat on its cut surface making sure it is well floured. with a finger, press into the disc of pasta dough and press and pull towards you.

the dough should form into a little ear. the first ones may not be so perfect; don't worry. it takes a bit of practice. note that the traditional way to do it is to place the disc in the floured palm of one hand and press it with the finger of the opposite hand. some people also use a blunt rounded knife (like a butter knife). it's up to you; i prefer this method.

place them on a floured tea towel to dry out as you form the rest of the orecchiette.

different sizes, big & small ones

once all finished, let them dry for an hour or so.

cook them in well salted water until they are al dente. they will float to the top as an indication they are ready.

these are chewy pasta so they won't be all soft and mushy. taste every few minutes to see if they are cooked enough for you. drain them and serve with your favourite sauce or use them in a salad with tomatoes, basil and ricotta and olive oil, salt and pepper.

enjoy!

pistachio pleasures

made from rice flour, these shortbread type cookies are lightly scented with rose water and topped with beautiful emerald green chopped pistachios. the recipe comes from my iranian friend's mother who also provided another rice flour cookie recipe here. if the rose water is not available to you, try them with vanilla or almond extract.

these cookies are great with a strong cup of coffee or tea and store well either refrigerated or frozen. i bet they won't last that long, anyway.

rice flour butter cookies

makes 24 cookies

ingredients:

1/2 c butter, cubed
1/2 c icing sugar
1 egg yolk

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 c rice flour (see recipe)
1 1/2 tsp rose flower water (meh'ward)

1 egg white
2 tbsp semi coarsely ground pistachios

method:

place the butter in a mixing bowl and let it come to room temperature.

add the icing sugar and with a mixer blend until creamy.

add the egg yolk and cream again.

add the rose flower water and blend once more. add the rice flour. depending upon the type of rice flour you are using, you may need up to 1 1/2 c. using the least amount will result in a softer more delicate cookie however it may also be harder to shape and they will spread more in the oven.

after mixing the rice flour in, cover and let it sit for a half hour at room temperature. then put it in the fridge for another 30 minutes.

preheat the oven to 350 F and line a cookie sheet or two with parchment paper.

take a heaped teaspoon of the dough and roll it into a ball. i find it helps to have a small dish of water beside me and i dip the ball into the water to wet it to help with the shaping.

place the ball on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and with your fingers shape a crescent which is a good 1/4 inch thick. don't make them thinner or they will not bake properly. i find it helps to make the shape pointed at each end.

after making all the cookies this way, take the side of spoon and make indentations as per the photo below.

coat the cookies with the egg white and then sprinkle the pistachios over the cookies.

bake the cookies for only 15 minutes; the tops should remain white. if they are browning turn the heat to 325F.

remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely. if you try to move them beforehand, they will fall apart.

once completely cooled, remove to a plate or container with a spatula. they should be stored in the fridge.

enjoy!