Bear Cuisine

A Forager's Supper

No, I haven't taken to the woods or high desert in search of supper ingredients. This version of foraging involves standing in front of the refrigerator and the pantry shelves to see what is available. This perusal offered spaghetti, heavy cream,a really good hunk of Parmigiana-Reggiano,ham and frozen peas. The dish came together so easily it hardly merits a recipe.

Spaghetti with Ham and Peas

 

Spaghetti with Ham and Peas.

(serves 2)

1. 5 ounces cooked peas.
2. 1 cup chopped ham
3. 8 ounces spaghetti
4. 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
5. 1-1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
6. Parsley, chopped roughly (optional)

 

Cook the peas quickly in boiling salted water. Drain and set aside.

Chop the ham and set aside.

Cook the spaghetti in boiling, salted water.

While the spaghetti is cooking, heat the cream in a large saute pan and reduce to about 1 cup. Stir in the grated cheese. When the spaghetti is finished cooking, drain it and stir into the cream and cheese mixture. Stir in the ham and peas. Stir until the spaghetti is throughly coated withe sauce and the ham and peas are evenly distributed. If needed add a bit of the pasta cooking water to make the sauce creamier.

Put the pasta into serving bowls and top with chopped parsley if desired.

I have to say that this was incredibly quick to make and incredibly delicious to eat.

An Italian Dinnner

One of my readers chastised me for not providing recipes for the food described in my last post. Mea culpa. So, here are a few recipes that will help you put together an Italian dinner of your own. And a quick reminder that Bear Cuisine now has a search function as well as recipe categories if you are looking for a particular recipe or type of food.

Bruschette

There are several varieties of bruschette in this picture. Here is the link for a recipe of a particularly delicious one that we enjoyed in one of Christine's classes a few years back.

Ricotta Gnocchi with Basil Pesto Sauce

RICOTTA GNOCCHI

1. 10 ounces whole milk ricota
2. 1/2 to 3/4 cup unbleached flour
3. 1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano or ricotta salata cheese
4. 1 egg
5. 2 egg yolks
6. Pinch of salt
7. 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Strain the ricotta 4 hours or longer in a fine-meshed strainer or cheesecloth place over a bowl in the refrigerator.

Pass the ricotta through the fine disk of a food mill into a large bowl. Lightly beat the eggs and add to the ricotta along with the remaining ingredients, mixing lightly just until combined and using the lesser amount of flour. Gather into a ball and place on a lightly floured surface.

Take a tiny portion of dough and shape into 2 or 3 gnocchi-size pieces. Test cook in boiling water and add more flour if necessary-1/8 cup at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.

Divide the dough into 4-6 pieces and roll into finger-thick ropes. Cut into 3/4-inch pieces and press over the reversed tines of a fork, a butter paddle or wodden gnocchi "press", if desired. Place finished gnocchi on a lightly floured tray.

Bring a very large pot of water to boil (no less than 1 gallon), add 1 tablespoon of salt, then drop in the gnocchi, cooking no more than half the batch at a time.

Have ready a large bowl with 1/2 the desired sauce portioned into it, as well as heated serving bowls. As the gnocchi rise to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon, toss with the sauce, garnish as desired and serve immediately. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi and sauce.

Makes about 120 gnocchi serving 4-6 persons.

This is a good gnocchi for stuffing or sauteing because the dough is very easy to handle and keeps its shape.

If you need a primer on making gnocchi, click here.

For a recipe for Basil Pesto click here.

 

 Chocolate Olive Oil Cake with Mascarpone Cream

 

CHOCOLATE OLIVE OIL CAKE

with cream and seasonal berries

 

1. 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2. 2 cups sugar
3. 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
4. 1 teaspoon baking soda
5. ½ teaspoon salt                                                
6. ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil                                          
7. 1 tablespoon white vinegar
8. 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
9. 2 cups cold water

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Butter and flour 2  9-inch cake or spring form pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together into a large bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer.  With a hand mixer or the standing mixer on low speed, beat in the oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water until smooth.  Pour the mixture into the prepared pans.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  Do not overbake.  The cake should be firm to the touch.

Place the cake pans on cooling racks and cool for 15 to 20 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans to cool completely.

 

Makes 2  9-inch layers

 

 

 

This cake is so dense, super-chocolaty, and moist that it keeps well for a week in the refrigerator.  It may be frosted with a simple cream cheese frosting or frosting of choice, dusted with confectioners’ sugar and served with whipped cream and fresh fruit, or with

Crème Anglaise.  The batter can also be used to make cupcakes.

The recipe is written for Santa Fe:  high-altitude (7000 ft.).  At sea level, use 2 teaspoons baking soda and 2 tablespoons white vinegar.  Decrease flour to 3½ cups.

 

 

 

MASCARPONE CREAM

1. 1 cup mascarpone, at room temperature
2. ¾ cup heavy cream
3. ¾ teaspoon finely grated orange zest
4. 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
5. Pinch salt

 

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the mascarpone with the cream, orange zest, confectioners’ sugar and salt until soft peaks form.  Chill until ready to use.

 

 

 

SONO MARCELLA

 

Christine Y. Hickman

 

 

 

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Szechuan Noodles

This is another sure-fire drecipe from Ina Garten.  I pair it with Eli's Asian Salmon, but it can easily stand on its own as a filling and substantial salad. It would be perfect to take on a picnic.

 

SZECHUAN NOODLES

(serves 6 to 8)

1. 6 garlic cloves, chopped
2. 1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3. 1/2 cup vegetable oil
4. 1/2 cup tahini(sesame paste)
5. 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
6. 1/2 cup good soy sauce
7. 1/4 cup dry sherry
8. 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
9. 1/4 cup honey
10. 1/2 teaspoon hot chili oil
11. 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
12. 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
13. 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
14. 1 pound spaghetti
15. 1 red bell pepper, julienned
16. 1 yellow pepper, julienned
17. 4 scallions, sliced diagongally (white and green parts)

Place the garlic and ginger in a food processor. Add vegetable oil, tahini, peanut butter, soy sauce, sherry, sherry vinegar, honey, chili oil,sesame oil and ground peppers. Puree the sauce.

Cook the spaghetti until it is just cooked with a bit of bite to the noodles (al dente). Drain the pasta, place it in a large bowl and while still warm, toss with three-quarters of the sauce. Add the red and yellow bell pepper and scallion and toss well. Serve warm or at room temperature. The remaining sauce may be added, as needed, to moisten the pasta.

 

Broccoili with Feta Cheese and Pasta

This is adapted from Sara Moulton. The woman is an absolute genius when it comes to creating recipes that taste great and don't take all day to prepare.

Peppery Broccoli with Feta Cheese and Pasta

(serves 4)

1. 1 bunch broccoli (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2. 12 ounces pasta
3. 2 cups chicken stock*
4. 1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
5. 6 ounces feta cheese
6. Kosher salt

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cut the broccoli tops into bite-sized florets;trim and peel the stems and slice them 1/2-inch thick (about 7 cups total).When the pot of water comes to a boil, add the broccoli. Cook for 3 minutes; remove the broccoli to a bowl using a slotted spoon.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, following the package directions. Drain well and return the pasta to the cooking pot.

Meanwhile, combine the vegetable stock and red pepper flakes to taste in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Crumble the cheese (about 1 1/2 cups).

Add the broccoli, vegetable stock and cheese to the drained pasta. heat over medium heat until hot; add salt, if needed and serve.

*You can easily make this vegetarian by using vegetable stock.

Stephen's Summer Spaghetti

ok, ok. The Autumnal Equinox has come and gone, but there are still warm days ahead and,even more important,fabulous tomatoes are still in the markets. This is another winning dish from Canal House. It's now part of my repertoire and I think it should be part of yours.

SUMMER SPAGHETTI

(serves 4)

1. 1 pound spaghetti
2. salt
3. 1/2 cup olive oil
4. 4 cloves garlic
5. Large bunch of basil, leaves chopped
6. 6 tomatoes, halved, cored, squeezed of seeds and juice, chopped
7. pepper
8. 1 cup finely grated parmigiano reggiano

Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water over high heat.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until it softens and turns a little golden. Remove the garlic and discard. Add all the basil, then the tomatoes, and stir around until just heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When the pasta is about three-quarters cooked, drain out most of the water, leaving about 1/2 cup pasta cooking water in the pot. Return the pot with the spaghetti to the heat. Pour in all the tomatoes, oil and basil from the skillet and let it finish cooking for about 5 minutes. Stir in the grated cheese. Serve with a little more olive oil and more cheese.