Bear Cuisine

A Working Girl's Pasta

Tomato season will soon be upon us. Then it will be time to make this beautiful pasta dish.

Puttanesca Pugliese

PUTTANESCA PUGLIESE

(serves 4 to 6)

 

1. About 4 cups ice cubes
2. 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
3. 3 tablespoons tightly packed basil leaves
4. 1 teaspoon each tightly packed fresh marjoram and Italian parsley
5. 1 clove garlic
6. Generous pinch of hot red pepper flakes
7. 1/4 teaspoon salt
8. 2 oil-packed anchovy filets, rinsed
9. 1/3 cup brine-cured olives such as Kalamata pitted and coarsely chopped
10. 3 pounds richly flavored tomatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch dice
11. 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
12. 1/2 cup crumbled ricotta salata cheese
13. 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
14. 1 tablespoon tomato paste
15. Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. 1 pound spaghetti
2. Abundant boiling salted water
3. 1/3 cup tightly packed arugula, coarsely chopped

 

Put half the ice cubes in a medium bowl,add the onion and top with the rest of the cubes. Cover with cold water. Refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes.Drain. (Chilling the onion in ice water makes it crisp and mild.)

Mince together the herbs, garlic, and hot pepper with the salt. Turn into a big serving bowl.Add the anchovies, olives, tomatoes, vinegar, cheese and oil and blend in the tomato paste. Taste for seasoning, add a little freshly ground black pepper if needed.

Cook the pasta in rapidly boiling salted water, stirring often, until it is "al dente" (barely tender but firm to the bite). Drain in a colander.

Put the pasta pot back over medium-high heat. Spoon most of the sauce's liquid that has formed into the pot. Stir in the drained pasta and cook a few minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Turn the pasta into bowl with the sauce and add the drained onion and fresh arugula.

Taste for seasoning, toss and serve.

Source: Christine Hickman

 

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.

The Souffleed Omelet

This idea comes from Sara Moulton and is a perfect way to use leftover cheese or vegetables. In this case I used the leftover Asparagus,Pea and Fava Bean Salad. As Sara says, "consider this a clean-out-the-fridge dish."

souffleed omelet

The Souffleed Omelet

(serves 2)

1. 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or vegetable oil
2. 5 large eggs, separated
3. 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour*

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Melt the butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet with a heatproof handle; tilt the pan to coat the bottom with butter and remove from the heat. Whisk the egg yoks with the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until the mixture is fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they hold soft peaks: fold them into the yolk mixture gently but thoroughly and pour the egg mixture into the skillet, spreading it evenly.

Bake the omelet in the center of the oven for 10 minutes, or until it is puffed and almost cooked through Spoon the filling down the center, and with a spatula fold the omelet in half to enclose the filling. Bake the omelet in the center of the oven for 2 minutes more, or until the cheese is melted and the omelet is cooked through.

Serve with a green salad.

*The flour is here to give the omelet/souffle structure. If you are wanting to avoid wheat, you could try using rice or chickpea flour. If you do try this, let me know how it works.

Okonomiyaki (Stuffed Savory Pancake)

I have wanted to make these ever since watching a Japanese movie which showed,in obsessive detail, a couple making them . I was so hungry by the time the scene was finished that I could barely concentrate on the rest of the movie. So here is Debra Samuels describing this great food and providing the directions for making it. These are easy to make and absolutely delicious. A variety of flavors and textures make for a very satisfying meal. These have quickly become a family favorite.

"Everywhere in Japan there are restaurants devoted to letting customers design their own version of this humble pancake and make it on a griddle at their table. Everyone gets their own blunt edge spatula and starts cooking. Okonomi means "as you like it," so menus are filled with lists of seafood, vegetables and meat that diners combine and add to the standard batter and cabbage. An electric skillet makes a great way to enjoy this as a communal meal at your own table at home."

STUFFED SAVORY PANCAKE

(Makes 2 six-inch pancakes)

Batter

1. 1 cup flour
2. 1 cup water
3. 1 egg white, beaten until foamy

Fillings

1. 2 cups shredded cabbage
2. 10 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off
3. 2 ounces pork, thinly sliced into 3- inch lengths
4. 1 tablespoon pickled red ginger
5. 4 scallions cut in half, lengthwise and then into 4 pieces
6. 4 large eggs
7. 2 tablespoons oil

Toppings

1. 2 tablespoons dried seaweed shavings (aonori)
2. 2 tablespoons dried shredded bonito flakes (katsuo-bushi)

Sauce

1/2 cup Quick Tonkatsu Sauce

To make the batter, combine the flour, water and egg white in a large mixing bowl, then divide the batter into two medium bowls.

To make the filling, put half the cabbage, shrimp, pork ginger and green onions into each bowl. Make a well in the center and break an egg into the well.

 

Heat half the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until just hot.

Lightly mix the egg and filling of one bowl together until just blended. Pour the entire batter into the skillet to make one pancake. Cook on low-medium heat for 3 minutes, until the bottom is golden.

Flip the pancake and press all around to flatten. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Flip the pancake 2 more times, cooking it for 1 minute on each side or until done.

Set the pancake on a plate and brush or drizzle on the sauce. Sprinkle on the seaweed and fish flakes.

To serve, cut the pancake into wedges. Serve with extra sauce. Repeat with the remaining bowl.

 

QUICK TONKATSU SAUCE

(makes 3/4 cup)

1. 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
2. 2 tablespoons tomato paste
3. 1 tablespoon sugar
4. 2 tablespoons grated apple (skin on)
5. 1/4 cup water

Combine the Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, sugar and apple in a small saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat and cook for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and simmer another 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the water.

 

 

Toad-in-the Hole Italiano

This is another quick-and-easy dish for a family supper from Sara Moulton's Everyday Family Dinners.As it happens, all of these ingredients are available in our fridge and freezer most of the time. So for us this is the perfect fallback dinner. Sara calls it Italiano because she uses Italian sausage rather than an English variety and she has added bell peppers and cheese to make it a legitimate one-dish meal. If we think of recipes as guidlelines rather than blueprints, we should feel free to make changes that suit our tastes as well.

TOAD-IN-THE-HOLE ITALIANO

(serves 4)

1. 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2. 1 1/4 pounds sweet or hot Italian sausages or a mixture of the two
3. 1 medium red bell pepper
4. 1 medium green bell pepper
5. 1 1/2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano
6. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
7. 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
8. 4 garlic cloves
9. 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
10. 2 large eggs
11. 3/4 cup whole milk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet with an overproof handle over medium heat until hot. Add the sausages and cook until browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the red and green bell peppers (about 1 cup each). Grate the cheese using a microplane or the fine side of a box grater (about 1/2 cup) and , if using the fresh herb, chop the oregano (about 1 1/2 teaspoons). Chop the garlic into a small dice.

Remove the sausages to a plate and let cool; reserve the drippings in the skillet. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, the bell peppers and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Cut the sausages into 1-inch chunks and stir into the mixture.

 

Combine the flour, cheese, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl. whisk the eggs in a large glass measuring cup until frothy, whisk in the milk, 1/3 cup water, and the remaining 2 tablespoon olive oil. Gradually whisk the milk mixture into the flour mixture just until the batter is combined. It can still be slightly lumpy.

 

Pour the batter over the sausage mixture and bake until puffed and golden 30 to 40 minutes.

Serve immediately.