laura k – Page 15 – The Kitchen Illiterate

Another mushroom pizza

Mushroom Pizza

I don’t know what’s gotten into me lately. I’m not sure why I’m suddenly eating so many mushrooms. And putting them on pizzas, over and over again. Whatever the reason, I suspect it’s not going to stop anytime soon, and this one was a winner, so why complain?

And just look at that pizza crust! Glorious…crispy, golden, chewy but still light and doughy. It was pretty spectacular, which was all the more surprising considering how much I had to struggle with it to stretch it out and convince it not to stick to every surface in the kitchen. The dough? Peter Reinhart’s recipe, which I made a big fat batch of a few weeks ago. This had been in the freezer for at least a week, and I let it thaw in the refrigerator for two days, and then out at room temperature for 45 minutes. At higher than room temperature, because the temperature in the room was hellish and probably over 80 degrees. Why did I decide that this, one of the hottest days so far this summer, was a good one to heat the oven to 550F? I have no idea.

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Herbed Ricotta-stuffed Chicken Breasts with Sauce Aurore

Stuffed Chicken

I have a newfound respect for those 1950s housewives. How they managed to have dinner ready and on the table when hubby walked through the door and still clean the house, clean the kids, and make sure there was a cocktail waiting for the mister is something I will perhaps never understand. I find it difficult enough to time dinner so it’s ready when Crystal gets home, and last night was certainly a challenge in that area. It was also a challenge in the dish-doing area, because I used almost every saucepan and skillet I have. But it was so worth it.

I wanted to do something kind of fancy, in honor of Crystal’s return (and this after yesterday’s screed about simplicity in the kitchen). She spent ten days in California, and is only here for two weeks before her departure for Spain, and graduate school. I am trying not to cry here, thinking about it. This was certainly fancy, and perhaps one of the best things to come out of the kitchen all summer. Crystal thinks so, at least, and I have to say for once I could find nothing I would improve or fix or change next time. It all worked out quite well, which is shocking considering I was kind of making it up as I went along. And struggling to make sure it was all finished by the time Crystal got home from work.

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Cellentani with Zucchini and Pancetta

Cellantani

Sometimes I wonder if it’s really worthwhile posting these simple, basic pasta recipes. I mean, it’s not as though they require instruction, or any special knowledge. There are no interesting techniques involved. This is basically boiled pasta and cooked vegetables. Then I remember there are entire cookbooks devoted to simple pasta and I feel better about it. The thing I love about pasta is its simplicty–only a small handful of ingredients and basic cookery techniques and you end up with an absolutely delicious meal. Occasionally perhaps I feel the urge to get more involved with some elaborate stove side acrobatics, but mostly, I hunger for fresh, easy, basic preparations, that let the ingredients themselves do all the heavy lifting. And this was exactly that kind of dish.

I had originally planned to fancy it up just a little bit by finishing it off with a bit of heavy cream, just to coat everything and give it that “Yay this is fancy!” oomph. But alas, I opened up our container of cream to realize it had gone very, very bad. It seems things just aren’t lasting very long in our refrigerator these days. I turned the cold up in there and hopefully that will help. So what you have here is simple: cellentani with some sauteed pancetta, zucchini, fresh mozzarella, and basil. Summery and satisfying.

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Baby Bok Choy and Beef

Fresh Bok Choy

For the past week and a half I’ve been sadly deprived of fresh vegetables in anywhere near the quantities I like. Running out of money will do that to a lady–I was nearly subsisting on peanut butter and pickle sandwiches! Thankfully, I got paid yesterday, and the first thing I did was run to the market and fill my basket with fresh vegetables–eggplant, broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, snap peas, and something I’ve never cooked before: baby bok choy.

It just looked so cute there in the store, with its gently curving green leaves and tiny round white stems. And I’d been wanting to try it for months, so into the basket it went. Of course, I wasn’t entirely sure how to prepare it, but I figured it couldn’t be too different from other vegetables, so I wasn’t worried. Maybe I should have spent a little more time reading up on the baby bok choy because I kind of overcooked it. But you know? It was still pretty good–delicate, slightly crunchy, and full, I’m sure, of all kinds of minerals and vitamins, which my poor body felt sorely lacking.

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Mr. X Saves the Day

Steak and Toast

I only wish I had a better picture of last night’s dinner, and maybe some video of its super speedy preparation, of Mr. X jumping into action in the hippy mart when I realized they were out (OUT!?) of chicken breasts and that all my carefully orchestrated dinner plans were crashing down around me, my brain too addled to think of anything else to cook. I wish I had a picture of the nearly bare meat aisle of the aforementioned hippy mart. I mean, it was barren, bereft. It was so empty it brought me to near rage, because I am just so, so tired of having to shop at the hippy mart and deal constantly with its uselessness and overpricedness. But that is a rant for another time. Today, I have to share with you how awesome it was to watch Mr. X save dinner last night.

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Summery Zucchini and Chickpea Salad

Zucchini and Ceci Beans

I finally made it to the farmer’s market yesterday here in JP. I can’t believe it’s already been going on for a month and it took me until yesterday to head over there. What kind of an organic-favoring, local-food-loving person am I? A forgetful one, that’s what kind. Well, when I woke up yesterday morning I had this feeling in my belly that I’d been overdosing on meat and dairy and all I wanted was fresh, colorful vegetables. Then I remembered that the farmer’s market runs on Tuesdays and I rushed over right away to see what I could find.

What I found was a whole lot of awesomeness: oceans of corn, piles of new and unusual squash varieties, lettuces, tomatoes, and of course, the uniquitous July treat: zucchini. Sadly, I only had five bucks on me, so I had to make do with a beautious zucchini, a shiny red tomato, and a cucumber. I would have piled my little string hippy mart bag with so much more if I wasn’t completely broke.

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Perfect Strawberry Sorbet plus something sweet and salty

Stawberry Sorbet

The ice cream maker has not been silently resting, just because my writing skills have taken a break. Oh no, I’ve been playing and testing and taking full advantage of my fun new toy to help cool off during the unpleasant days of this New England summer. Our freezer is packed with frozen treats and I just want to keep making more. It’s so much fun. I get a ridiculous, child-like kick out of watching the liquid custards and purees slowly freeze and turn into dessert in front of my very eyes. And I get an even bigger kick out of realizing that I can bring all of my ice cream fantasy flavors to life. It’s like having my very own Ben & Jerry’s factory in the kitchen.

Not like I’ve been that creative yet. I’m definitely one of those types who likes to learn the basics before jumping into the crazy shit. And after my disastrous watermelon sorbet attempts, I felt even more strongly that I had some technique perfecting to do. Thankfully, my next sorbet turned out perfectly.

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Mushroom Ragu Pizza

Ragu Pizza

Ever since I made a chicken cacciatore pizza, I’ve been pondering other different and unexpected things to put on pizza, and the thing that kept running through my head was an incredibly rich and tangy mushroom ragu I made last winter. It seemed a perfect thing for pizza–the sauce and toppings all in one, and with two familiar pizza components, sausage and mushrooms, with a little twist. Different, unexpected, potentially awesome. I had to try it.

I’ve been having some serious dough problems lately, though. More than anything else I’ve experimented with, pizza dough seems to be the most difficult to perfect. It turns out sticky, or too stiff, or rises too much or not enough. I can’t seem to figure out that brilliant tossing technique to get perfect, round, even surfaces. I end up with holes all over and dough that sticks to the surface and is impossible to slide onto the pizza stone. I just can’t seem to figure this one out, and whenever I do end up with a good batch, it seems like a fluke. Well, I’ve given up on Giada’s dough, after three out of four experiments have turned out badly, and this time I decided to go back to Peter Reinhart‘s recipe for Neapolitan pizza dough, from American Pie.

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Taco Thursday

Taco Thursdsay

I have been experiencing a bit of the old writer’s block lately. Hence, it’s taken me three days to write about Taco Thursday, and I still don’t really know what what to say other than “We made tacos! Hurray!”

I’d been planning tacos for weeks–I wanted to make them just the way my dad did when I was growing up. Taco dinners were a special treat, and because they’re also a pain in the arse, dad didn’t make tacos too often. There’s a lot of oil involved, and standing over the stove, not to mention chopping of vegetables and doing all the dishes when you’re done. But it is so, so worth it. This being the first time I made tacos myself I was a little unsure about the tortilla frying, but after the first two chewy mishaps, I finally perfected the technique and managed to pull off some crispy, delicious shells to hold all kinds of yummy food stuffs. Just like dad used to make.

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Cheater Ravioli, or Awesome Sauce Lobster Ravioli from Trader Joe’s

Update! – This post has long been a popular post here, and I decided it needed a little update. I’ve added new, prettier photographs, and revamped the recipe a bit to make it easier to follow. This is a super simple cream sauce that is perfect with any kind of ravioli, really, and in fact, with any kind of pasta. This sauce is one of the first things I learned to cook, and I love it because it’s very fast and requires only a small handful of ingredients. If you’re looking for a sauce for Trader Joe’s lobster ravioli this is a great choice, because it really lets the lobster shine. Now, back to the original post.

Yesterday I got to borrow the housemate’s car and drive myself out to Trader Joe’s, one of my favorite places in the world and one I don’t get to visit very often, seeing as it’s not very accessible by public transport. Not only did I get to buy cheap vinegar, delicious marinated meat stuffs, and the above pictured lobster ravioli, I got to drive around town all day, revelling in the freedom and glory that is being behind the wheel of a vehicle. God, how I’ve missed it these past four years. God, how I wish I could afford to buy myself a little zippy car to zip around town in. Times like these I am forced to admit that I am a southern California girl at heart, wedded to her stick shifts and safety belts.

This afternoon of vehicular freedom was allowed provided I could transport Crystal to and from work–a guaranteed two hours’ driving time for me, but also a guaranteed late dinner. By the time we got home it was nearly 9:00 and I wanted something simple, fast, and light (it was very hot and sticky in our apartment).
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