Chocolate Orange Challah Bread

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It looked delicious and complicated and just what could tackle on vacation.

It has proven to be all three. It takes forever. The recipe and instructions are so complex that I'm simply including the link to the original blog post from Yin and Yolk. It was worth the challenge, however. If you dare...

http://yinandyolk.com/2015/09/27/chocolate-orange-challah-bread/

Bolognese

I love slow Sunday suppers. I enjoy having all afternoon in the kitchen, experimenting with flavors and putting my own spin on recipes. However, we often find ourselves so busy over the weekend that it's hard to devote that kind of time.

This weekend's subzero temperatures afforded me the opportunity to hunker down and go for it. I had no interest in leaving the house for any reason. This was the perfect weekend for a four-hour Bolognese. You have to make the time for this recipe, but the best part is that it makes a generous amount, affording you with leftovers to freeze and enough to share with a fellow foodie. It's best over a flat noodle. Today, I used my fettuccine and served it up with a slice of Dutch oven bread and an arugula salad. 

You need:

2 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. olive oil

4 oz. pancetta, chopped

1 lg. onion, chopped

2 med. carrots, chopped

stems of 1 head fennel, chopped (about 1 cup)

3 lb. meatball mix (beef, pork, veal)

2 c. dry red wine

1 1/2 c. whole milk

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 28oz. can San Marzano tomatoes, undrained

1 rind of Parmesan cheese

In a large Dutch oven, heat butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until just starting to brown, about five minutes. Add onion and cook five minutes more. Add carrots and fennel and cook for an additional two minutes. Add the meat and season with 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper. Break up the meat and cook until browned. Add the wine, stir, and simmer, uncovered, until the wine has evaporated. Add milk and nutmeg. Simmer, uncovered, until the milk has evaporated. Add tomatoes, crushing in your hands as you add them, as well as their juices. Bring to bubbling simmer. Add Parmesan rind, reduce to low, and simmer for three hours. 

Dark Chocolate Pudding

Our Valentine's Day dessert this year came at C's request. He's a pudding man. Thanks to Parents magazine for this very easy pudding. 

You need:

3/4 c. sugar

3 tbsp. cornstarch

2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

3 c. half and half or whole milk (I used 1 1/2 cup of each)

1 tbsp. butter

2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

8 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (I used 4 oz. each)

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and cocoa powder. Add the milk or half and half and cook slowly over medium hear, stirring frequently until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. Add the butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the chocolate until melted. Ladle into bowls and chill for up for 24 hours. 

Fennel and Citrus Salad

I made a lovely Bolognese today, but it only called for the stems of the fennel. I despise food waste, so I decided to use up the bulb and some leftover grapefruit and oranges from our last produce box. The result was such a fresh and flavorful salad, welcome on these cold days where summer seems miles away. This recipe makes about enough for 2-3 people.

You need:

1 bulb fennel
2 grapefruits, peeled and segmented
2 oranges, peeled and segmented
1 shallot, minced
zest of a lemon
1 tsp. fresh thyme
4 tbsp. olive oil (I used blood orange)
2 tbsp. white or champagne vinegar (I used cranberry pear)
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Using a mandoline, slice the fennel very thin. Add to a large bowl. Add the grapefruit, onions, shallots, lemon zest, and thyme. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Dress the vegetables. Garnish with a few fennel fronds.

Fresh Pasta

Almost seventeen years ago, my Aunt Clem bought me a pasta maker for my wedding gift. Today, I finally used it. I don't know what allowed me to let it rest peacefully in the appliance graveyard in our basement, but a good friend got me thinking about fresh pasta and I decided to give it a whirl. I'm glad I did.

This recipe is simple, and you don't need a pasta maker to do this. A hand held, crank pasta machine will suffice, as will rolling the dough thinly and slicing with your pizza cutter. If you are going for a noodle, and I used it for fetching, the pasta maker or hand crank works well. If you are making a flat or shaped pasta, such as a ravioli or tortellini, do the whole thing by hand. Follow the directions for your pasta maker. The directions below are for hand crafted or crank pasta. It makes about a pound of pasta, just enough for four as a main course.

You need:

2 1/4 c. all purpose  or semolina flour
3 eggs
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. olive oil
1 to 2 tbsp. water

Mound the flour on your board. Form a well in the middle. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and pour into the well. Add the salt, olive oil, and one tablespoon of water. Mix with a fork, gradually lifting the flour into the center and incorporating the ingredients. Once fully incorporated, gently knead until dough is smooth. Shape into a flattened disk and let rest for about a half an hour.

Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the kind of pasta you need.  To cook, add to boiling water, just about 2-3 minutes.

Adventures in Baking #3: Dutch Oven No-Knead Bread

I have made a valiant effort to go as gluten-free as possible. A little less than a year ago, I realized that, while I didn't suffer from any form of Celiac disease, I certainly suffered from "wheat belly" and decided it was time to severely limit gluten products - bread, pasta, crackers, etc., and it really made a difference.

Enter Dave.
Our friend Dave has a passion for all things in the kitchen, and in this we are kindred spirits. Weekends are often spent sharing recipes and culinary achievements, with portions reserved to share at work. Although he would call himself a "hack" in his baking skills, his bread has caused me to often turn from my gluten-free ways and indulge in his famous Dutch oven loaf. We have been blessed with so many loaves sent our way, so I decided my first risen loaf in these baking adventures had to be a clone of his bread. After all, as Chicago would have pined, had Peter Cetera the chance to sample Dave's bread, "you're the meaning in my loaf/you're the inspiration."

And it really was easy. 

You need:

6 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. instant or active dry yeast
2 1/2 tsp. salt
2 2/3 c. cool water

In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water and stir until all the ingredients are well incorporated; the dough should be wet and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest 12-18 hours on the counter at room temperature. When surface of the risen dough has darkened slightly, smells yeasty, and is dotted with bubbles, it is ready.

Lightly flour your hands and a work surface. Place dough on work surface and sprinkle with more flour. Fold the dough over on itself once or twice and, using floured fingers, tuck the dough underneath to form a rough ball. Place a full sheet/large rectangle of parchment paper on a cotton towel and dust it with enough flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran to prevent the dough from sticking to the parchment paper as it rises; place dough seam side down on the parchment paper and dust with more flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran. Pull the corners of parchment paper around the loaf, wrapping it completely. Do the same with the towel. Let rise for about 2 hours, until it has doubled in size.

After about 1 1/2 hours, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot, such as a cast-iron Dutch oven, in the oven as it heats. When the dough has fully risen, carefully remove pot from oven. Unwrap the towel and parchment paper from around the dough and slide your hand under the bottom of the dough ball; flip the dough over into pot, seam side up. Pull the parchment paper off, scraping any stuck dough into the pan. Shake pan once or twice if dough looks unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 10-15 more minutes, until the crust is a deep chestnut brown. The internal temperature of the bread should be around 200 degrees. You can check this with a meat thermometer, if desired. Remove the bread from the pot and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Maple Syrup

Yes. Maple Syrup.

I love maple syrup.

Last year, with the help of a colleague from whom we bought our first house and the owner of our favorite local foods shop, we tapped our trees and gave it a shot. We tapped late and ended up with little more than some maple sugar and a tablespoon of syrup to call our own, but this year, I promised to do better.

Enter the 2016 maple syrup project. I managed to work out a deal with said colleague to loan another colleague (and very dear friend) his authentic and legit maple syrup boiler system. Last weekend, my friend and I made twenty taps in his shop, drilled his maple trees, hung the twenty or so buckets I picked up on the way, and waited for the sap to flow. Then I headed back to my own house in the suburbs and, with antique taps gifted by that same shop owner mentioned above, and tapped my own wee sugar maples. After a few days, I managed to collect two gallons of sap.

The plan this spring, as March approaches, is to help my friend boil the sap I collect and his own, and produce some serious syrup. But yesterday, as I was stuck in the house with freezing temperatures and snowy roads, I decided to break out the brew pot, dump the sap in, and see what happens.

About six hours later, I had six ounces of the most delicious, dark syrup. And I'm not sharing.

Except with my babies, who want half of it for breakfast.

Adventures in Baking #2: Overnight Orange Refrigerator Rolls

Two weeks ago, I held a family-style brunch for a dear friend's birthday. A few days before the brunch, I noticed that he repinned a recipe I saved for Blueberry Sweet Rolls. I decided then to add the rolls to our list of morning delights, only to find them an epic fail. EPIC. The didn't rise, despite my efforts to follow the recipe according to every detail. It was an 18-hour total disaster.

I refused to give up. Enter February break.

I love to get adventurous in the kitchen over vacations, so I headed to the library and checked out seven cookbooks - French recipes, Italian dinners, pastry ideas, a Jamie Oliver text, preserves, and, of course, baking. I've always been a fan of Food52 blogging, and I knew their Baking cookbook wouldn't steer me wrong. I marked all of the recipes I want to try out in the next few weeks, but I decided to start with these rolls. I had to prove that I could do it. And they turned out PERFECTLY. I'm so excited. And as soon as I'm done with this post, I plan to eat another one.

For the dough:

1 c. water
1/4 c. unsalted butter
1/4 c. shortening
7 tbsp. granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 pkg. active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp.)
1 egg, slightly beaten
3 c. flour, plus more if needed

For the filling:

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. grated orange zest

For the glaze:

2 c. confectioners' sugar
1/4 c. orange juice


Start with the dough. Boil 1/2 c. water in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, add the butter and shortening, and stir until melted. Add the granulated sugar and salt and stir to combine. Let cool until lukewarm. Heat the remaining 1/2 c. water until it is between 105 and 115 degrees. Pour into the bowl of your stand mixer (or large bowl) and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Stir to dissolve the yeast. Stir in the butter mixture and the egg. Add the flour and, using the dough hook or your hands, mix thoroughly. If the dough is still sticky, add a little more flour. Cover and refrigerate for 8-10 hours. If you do this right before bed, you can start the next process as soon as you wake up.

Eight to ten hours later, take the dough out to rest. While it is resting, make the filling. Stir together all filling ingredients until completely combined. Set aside.  Line two muffin pans with paper liners or butter three 8 or 9 inches square baking pans (I used muffin pans). Turn the dough onto a floured work surface. Divide in half and roll out each portion into an 8 by 12 inch rectangle. Spread half the filling over each piece of dough. Roll up to make an even, firm log and slice each into 12 equal rounds. Put each roll into a lined muffin cup or arrange them in the prepared pans. Let rise for two hours (the original recipe said 1.5, but it's cold as cold here, so I gave it two hours.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes if using the muffin cups or 20 minutes if using the square pans. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Whisk the confectioners' sugar with the orange juice until smooth. Drizzle over warm rolls. Try not to eat them ALL at once.

I'm giving half to our neighbors. Because it's Lent. And I want to eat them all.

Slow-Cooker Kielbasa and White Bean Cassoulet

We are forever looking for slow cooker ideas during the winter months because our schedules become so hectic. This recipe was so easy to  put together and it was absolutely delicious. Enough said.

You need:

1.5 c. dried white beans (your choice)
1 lb. kielbasa or other polish sausage, cut into 1 in. pieces
3 c. low sodium chicken broth
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes with juices
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp. chopped thyme leaves
salt and pepper
8 1/2 in, slices of baguette, buttered and toasted and cut into cubes
1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Combine the beans, sausage, broth, tomatoes, onion, garlic, thyme, and 1/2 tsp. salt in slow cooker. Cover and cook for 7-8 hours. Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with the baguette cubes and parsley.

Double-Duty: Easy Peasy Risotto and Baked Arancini

Last month's Parents magazine offered a series of recipes that allowed for two meals made out of one primary ingredient. We tried a few, but our favorite by far was the set of rice dishes. My children love rice and anything creamy, so we knew it would be a hit.

The planning is simple: the risotto is meal one and the reserved cooked arborio rice serves as the foundation of meal two. You simply reserve three cups of the risotto in the stage marked with an asterisk below. Enjoy!


Easy-Peasy Risotto

You need:
8 c. unsalted chicken stock
6 strips bacon, fried and chopped OR precooked sausage of your choice, sliced in medallions
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 c. arborio rice
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. frozen peas, thawed
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Heat the stock in the saucepan until barely simmering. Keep warm. Cook the onion with a little olive oil OR the reserved drippings from the bacon (about 2 tbsp. worth), about five minutes. Add the rice and cook for one to two minutes or until the rice begins to turn translucent. Add seven cups of the stick and the salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, about 15 minutes. Add the peas. If the rice looks dry, add more stock. Cook one to two minutes more or unit the risotto looks moist and creamy*. Add the bacon or sausage, parmesan cheese, butter, and lemon juice. Serve with additional Parmesan.


Baked Arancini

You need:

nonstick cooking spray
3 eggs
3 cups reserved risotto
1/4 tsp. salt
3 oz. mozzarella, cut into 12 cubes
1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 c. panko bread crumbs
jarred marinara sauce, warmed

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a foil lined baking sheet with cooking spray. In a large bowl, lightly beat one egg. Add the risotto and salt. Stir to combine. Using moist hands, form into 12 even disks. Place a cube of mozzarella in the center of one disc and encase it in risotto. Roll  into a ball, sealing the cheese inside. Repeat with remaining discs and cheese. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. In a separate shallow bowl, lightly beat the remaining two eggs. Put the panko in a third shallow bowl. Roll each ball in flour, egg, and panko. Transfer to a baking sheet, lightly coat with cooking spray, and bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with marinara for dipping.