Looking for bread?

Some people like surprises, some don’t, but I think almost all love surprises in the form of a delicious bread factory! Last weekend as I was driving with my mom to the lumberyard near fresh pond, I came across the Iggy’s store in Cambridge. When you first walk through the big glass doors, a big gush of warm, baked air engulfs you. There are breakfast goods like bagels and croissants, and during lunch hours they also make pizza and tomato sandwiches. My first visit was overwhelming. My mom and I settled on a slice of pizza to share for lunch and we bought a piece of Iggy’s deep dish focaccia to eat with dinner. The pizza had a crispy crust and delicious flavor. The focaccia was heavenly. I highly recommend you check this place out!

http://www.iggysbread.com/main.html

130 Fawcett Street
Cambridge, MA
02138


We also experimented in baking our own bread (blog to follow soon).

Brownies!

The other night I was sitting at home feeling in the baking mood when I decided to tackle brownies. For some reason I had this notion that good brownies were difficult to make, but boy was I pleasantly surprised when I tried this recipe. First off, my mom has an extensive baking drawer in our kitchen and we had all the ingredients so prep time took all of ten minutes (cooking adds another 20)!

Mrs. Kupler’s Brownies aka The Best Brownies in the World
Makes 9 X 13” pan to make18 or more brownies, depending on how you slice them

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, sliced in 1-inch pieces, plus a little for the pan
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, cut in 1-inch chunks
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups “broken” walnuts
1. Set a rack on the middle shelf of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-X-13-inch baking pan with foil and butter the foil (or use non-stick foil, no butter). Whisk the flour and salt together in a bowl to thoroughly mix them.

2. Melt the butter, chocolate and sugar and vanilla in a large heatproof bowl over hot (not boiling) water. Set aside to cool for a few minutes. Alternatively, combine chocolate etc. in a microwave safe bowl and heat at full power for 2 minutes, stirring after one minute. If the chocolate has not completely melted, give it a little resting time while you beat the eggs, and zap it at 15 second intervals if it still doesn’t cooperate.

3. Beat the eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer (whisk or beater attachment) until light and thick. Stir the chocolate into the eggs and when all the ingredients are thoroughly combined, stir in the flour and salt. Break the nuts in pieces with your hands and stir them into the batter. Spread the batter in the pan, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon, and bake for 25 to 28 minutes. A knife poked in the center of the pan should emerge clean but moist. Cool the brownies in the pan for at least 10 minutes before cutting them.



Notes:
I didn't have any walnuts so I used pecans ... SO GOOD. Also, I heated the butter and such in the microwave it was easy and had little clean up (because I could just stick the bowl in the dishwasher rather than have to clean a pot). I also sprinkled nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips on top of the brownies before I put them in the oven. This added an extra level of deliciousness!

Cheers!
-Emma

Roast Chicken

Roast Chicken
Serves 4
Time: Pre-Prep: Take the chicken out of the fridge one hour beforehand. Prep the chicken (10 minutes) Roast the chicken (1 ¼ hours). Let the chicken rest (10-15 minutes).

13.5-14 lb chicken, preferably organic and hormone free
About 1 tsp coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 fresh thyme sprigs (or sage)
2 to 3 garlic cloves
½ lemon
2 tablespoons butter (softened to room temp.)

1. Heat the oven to 425° F. Lightly oil a roasting pan or an ovenproof skillet that is just large enough to accommodate the chicken snugly.
2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. (Don’t forget to check the cavity for chicken parts and fat and remove them). Remove the wishbone by slicing on both sides of the bone and pulling them out with your thumb and index finger. Set the chicken in the roasting pan with the breast side up. Rub the outside all over with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper liberally both inside and out. Squash the garlic cloves with the flat of a large knife just enough to crack the outer peel. Don’t bother to peel them. Drop the cloves into the cavity of the chicken with the thyme sprigs. Squeeze the lemon over the chicken. If you like, tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Press slices of butter over the top of the breast and thighs. Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh.
3. Roast the chicken until the thermometer registers 165°. This should take about one hour and fifteen minutes. After 20 minutes of cooking baste the chicken with pan juices every 10 minutes for the rest of the cooking time. If you do not have a thermometer, pierce the thigh with the tip of a knife. If the juices run clear and the legs move easily up and down then the chicken is done. If the juices are still pink place the chicken back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes. You can also tip the chicken and see if the juices that have collected in the cavity are either pink or clear.
4. Remove the chicken from the oven and transfer it to a warm platter. Leave it to rest in a warm place for at least 10 minutes. Carve the chicken into serving pieces and serve with pan sauce or resting on bread salad with chestnuts and grapes.

Experience:
Cooking a chicken seems to be a simple enough task, but this week we learned it’s an art that is hard to perfect. The long list of variables including cooking time, mixtures of spices and the way to carve a chicken made the kitchen full of busy cooks but we kept smiles throughout. Sally showcased her master skills in carving chicken, which is definitely a talent that us youngsters will have to develop over time. After hours of cooking we were able to enjoy our roast chicken along with freshly mashed potatoes as well as roasted asparagus straight from the oven. So far in our project, cooking with sally has definitely been an activity that we look forward to with great excitement. Who ever thought Mondays could be so delicious?!

Pasta Time With Emma's Mom

After our first lesson with Sally, we decided to try out some other pasta recipes.

We made a delicious Sweet Potato Gnocchi in a Browned Sage Butter Sauce (This was my favorite!!), and a Homemade Vodka Sauce with Fresh Pasta.

Emma's Mom's Sweet Potato Gnocchi Recipe


1 pound of mashed potato – either sweet or regular about one large potato (potato is either boiled or roasted, skinned, and mashed until smooth)
1 tea salt
1 egg
1 ½ cups white bread flour

1) Heat the potato in the microwave until soft.

2) Stir all the wet ingredients together, then add flour. If the mixture is too moist add more flour.

3) Make dough into coil snake, cut, and shape gnocchi.

COOKING

IMPORTANT: Cook in a deep pot. Put the gnocchi into the water and let them float to the top. Once on the surface scoop them out. It is key to use a deep pot so that you can differentiate between pasta that is almost at the surface and that is actually at the surface. A deeper pot also allows for a slightly longer cook time.


Brown Butter sauce:

½ stick of butter melted slowly and cooked until it just turns brown around the edges of the pan. Swirl occasionally.

Add roughly chopped (or whole) leaves of fresh sage.
Add roughly chopped hazelnuts.




Fresh Pasta

This recipe comes from a pile of print outs in my mom's collection. It's titled Dave's Fresh Pasta (Somerville, MA).

2 eggs
about 3/4 cup duram flour
3/4 cup semolina flour
pinch of salt

1) Pour flour and pinch of salt into bowl, shape it into a mound and scoop out the center to form a deep hollow.

2) Break the eggs into the center and beat gently with a fork for 1-2 minutes (as if you were making scrabbled eggs). Begin to draw some of the flour from the edges over the eggs until the flour is incorporated. The dough will be very, sticky, but after a little more stirring with the fork resort to blending the dough with your hands. (If still too sticking add more flour).

3) Knead the dough with your hands for about 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth yet stiff. To properly knead, use the heel of your hand and push against the dough (away from you). Fold the dough over and repeat.

4) Let to dough rest. Return it to the bowl, cover with a damp, clean towel and let the gluten develop in the flour. Dough can rest anywhere between 15 minutes to 2 hours.

5) Unwrap the dough. If it still feels sticking add more flour (and flour your hands). Knead for another two minutes.

6) Follow the instructions on your pasta Maker.

COOKING
Drop the cut and shaped dough into a pot of boiling, salted water. Stir 1-2 minutes and take it out. Fresh Pasta cooks REALLY fast.



Pasta with Vodka Sauce and Sausage (Note that we did not use Vodka)

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2005

NOTE: This is for ONE serving.

Ingredients
• 1/4 pound spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 pound Italian sausage, removed from the casing and crumbled or chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes (we used one small can for 4 servings)
• 3 tablespoons vodka (we used just 3 TB for four servings) (being under 21 we negated this part of the recipe)
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chiffonade of fresh basil leaves
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for garnish
• Sprig fresh basil, for garnish
Directions
Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until just al dente, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain in a colander and return to the saucepan.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until browned and all pink has disappeared, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onions, salt, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, until thick, about 2 minutes. Add the vodka and cook until the sauce reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the cream and cook until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Stir in the basil and remove from the heat.
Toss the sauce with the pasta to coat evenly and transfer to a pasta bowl for serving. Top with cheese and sprig of basil and serve immediately.

Photos From Our First Gnocchi Endeavor

My computer shut down the last time I tried to load pictures of our creations, but here are a few pictures from the first time we cooked with Sally!



"The Shaping and Cutting Process"




"The final dish!"

Our First Cooking Adventure

Last week, we began our 8 week adventure in the kitchen. Izzy, Lydia, and Emma learned how to make Gnocchi al Francese and homemade tomato sauce with renown chef Sally Vargas. Needless to say there were a few bumps in the road, including overcooking our first batch of gnocchi so that they all fell apart and mushed together (mmmmmm ... Emma still ate it). What we discovered through this is when cooking gnocchi its important to have a deep pot and take the gnocchi out as soon as they rise to the top. The reason for the deep pot is so that you can actually distinguish between the gnocchi that have risen to the top and the ones that have not, giving the pasta enough time to cook.

Below is the recipe we used from "The Tao of Cooking" by Sally Vargas.

2 pounds (3 to 4 medium) russet potatoes (Idaho baking Potatoes), unpeeled
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into several pieces
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
Salt
Pepper
Tomato Sauce (recipe sauce)
1 Cup grated Swiss or Gruyere Cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Fill a large pot with about 3 inches of water and bring it to a boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer while you complete steps 2-5. Generously butter a large, flat baking dish.

2. Cut the potatoes in half if they are large and place them in a medium saucepan. Cover them with cold water and set the pan over medium heat. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and peel the potatoes while they are still hot. Spread them on a pie pan and put them in the oven to dry for 4 to 5 minutes. (The dryness is what keeps the gnocchi light).

3. Meanwhile, combine the butter and milk in a medium saucepan and bring the milk to a rolling boil over high heat. When the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the flour all at once. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Return the pan to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir for 2 to 3 minutes to cool the mixture slightly. Beat the eggs one at a time, incorporating the first egg completely before adding the second one. The dough will separate and look slippery, but it will come back together. It will be stiff and sticky.

5. Remove the potatoes from the oven and transfer them to a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher until no longer lumpy, or pass them through a potato ricer. Do not overmix or the potatoes will become gummy. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup flour and when it is incorporated, stir in the pate a chou (eggy dough).

6. Add a large pinch of salt to the simmering water and begin dropping the dough into the water by rounded teaspoons. The gnocchi are done as soon as they rise to the top. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place them in the buttered baking dish.

7. Turn on the broiler and heat the tomato sauce. Pour the sauce over the dumplings and top with grated cheese. Place the baking dish under the broiler and heat just until the cheese melts. Serve immediately.

(To use a pastry bag: Fit the bag with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Fill with with the gnocchi mixture and rest the edge of the tip on the side of the pan of simmering water. Squeeze the bad with one hand and cut through the snake of dough at 1-inch intervals with a paring knife with the other hand.)



The World's Simplest (and tastiest) Tomato Sauce

2 Cans of "La Bella San Marzano" Brand Whole Tomatoes
3 Cloves of Garlic

Squeeze the whole tomatoes so that they break up. It is best to use whole tomatoes because they 1) come in a great tomato liquid and 2) tend to be softer.

Thinly chop the garlic and throw them into a lightly oiled, medium heat saucepan. Add the tomato mixture and let it simmer for a while.



Hope you have fun, trying this meal!!! It's delicious!

Stay tuned for further messy adventures!