Valentine's Dinner

We don't celebrate Valentine's Day, but it happened that hubby's daughter and boyfriend came over for dinner and we decided to treat them and celebrate on their behalf.

 

From our Pasta Making class, not only did we learn how to make spaetzle, but also half-moons and ravioli. The dough for the half-moon pasta can also be used to make lasagna noodles, spaghetti, fettucini, and so on.  For our Valentine's Dinner, we decided on pesto linguini with home-made alfredo shrimp sauce!

End result?  Success!  Here it is below:

Pasta Dough:

note - this recipe makes enough dough for 5 meals, serving 4-6 people. If you do not need that much dough, 1/2 or 1/4 the recipe for a single serving.

• 6 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups semolina (if you cannot get this, use 7 1/2 cups flour instead)
• 12 eggs
• 150 mL olive oil
• dry pesto mix (I used a pre-made organic powder blend)

In a mixer, combine flour, semolina, pesto mix and oil.  Add eggs one at a time and mix until it looks kinda like cookie dough.  Remove from bowl and knead until it is smooth and elastic-y. For those accustomed to making bread, the dough feels 'heavier' and more dense, but you are still looking for a smooth, velvety texture, like play-doh.

Wrap dough ball(s) in plastic wrap and let sit in fridge for 2 - 24 hrs.  Dough will keep up to 7 days, but best used right away.

When ready to cook the pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.  Keep the water at a boil to sustain movement int he pot.

Using a pasta machine, roll out the dough into thin sheets.  You can use a rolling pin, but *beware* - will cause extensive forearm strain as the dough is quite tough.  Using the cutting tool on the machine, run the dough sheets through to get your pieces (we did linquini).


Blanch fresh pasta, cooking 2-4 minutes depending on your preferred texture.  Remove from water and toss in olive oil or prepared sauce.

Auntie M's Alfredo Shrimp Sauce:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup parmasean cheese
• 3 cups cream (10% or higher)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 bag (30-40) uncooked shrimp

Defrost shrimp and set in a bowl nearby.

In saucepan over medium-low heat, combine butter and flour to make a roux base, stirring with a whisk until there are no lumps.

Add cream and continue stirring until blended.  As bubbles form, reduce heat and let simmer, stirring constantly (don't let it burn!!)

As the sauce thickens, add salt & pepper to taste*.  Let sit for 5-7 minutes.

* For a spicy flare, you can also add ground chili flakes or cayanne pepper *


Stir in shrimp.  The juices from the shrimp should give the sauce a more fluid texture, and will provide body to the flavor.  Cook until shrimp are just turning pink.

Pour over prepared pasta, mix, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve HOT!

Handmade Spaetzle!

Hubby and I attended a cooking class last week to expand our experiences.  What a delight it was.  Even my husband exlaimed, "That was so much fun; let's do it again!" which, coming from him, is a HUGE compliment.


What I liked best about the class was they gave handouts for the recipes to take notes for tips and tricks to better understand what you're looking for when making it yourself.  In addition, we got to sample each dish on the list!

What I did not like was that it wasn't hands-on learning, so that when you get home you kind of have to guess how the textures should feel when you're working with the dough either in preparation or cooking.

Below is my first experience making a German doughy-delight: Spaetzle!  Though not served in a traditional fashion (baked with an inordinate amount of cheese and bacon and sausage), it was a decent first attempt.   Hubby Rating: 7/10

In a large bowl, whisk together

• 6 large eggs
• 1/4 cup milk or cream

Add to this

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tbsp butter, softened

Stir ingredients together thoroughly; the dough will seem to pull away from the bowl.  Keep mixing until you feel your forearms start to burn... fiercely!  Dough should be like super-thick pancake batter (not runny).  Let sit in fridge 15-20 min.

Bring to a rolling boil a large pot of salted water. Prepare an ice-water bath in a large bowl (water with ice cubes in it; cold refrigerated water works too, but has to be replenished after every use).

Using a spaetzle maker, push batter through into the boiling water, making sure to create movement in the water so the pieces don't clump together.  Cook for about 2 minutes.

With use of a porous spoon or basket ladle, scoop spaetzle noodles out of the boiling water and deposit in ice-bath to cool and set.  Remove and drain.  Toss in olive oil.

It is normal to either bake or fry the spaetzle once made.  I tried to fry ours but the batter was a little too moist and the noodles were a tad on the gluey side, so didn't fry up so well.  While the noodles were being cooked, I had heated up some roast beef and diluted gravy we had from a previous dinner.  This was poured over top the noodles and served hot.  Super delicious, even if the texture was off!

Black & Beany Spinach Rotini

Stove Top
Pot 1 - boil noodles as per directions on package (I like to use whole wheat or flavored noodles.)

Pot 2 - combine the following ingredients and warm over medium heat:
- 3/4 jar (750 mL) prepared tomato sauce
- 1/4 jar (430 mL) mild or medium salsa
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 tablespoons black bean sauce
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey

In Sink
Drain and rinse one 540 mL can of black beans
Drain (but do not rinse) noodles
Rinse, drain and chop 1/2 bundle of fresh spinach (approx 2 cups)

Mix above ingredients into an oven-safe pan. Bake at 350 F for approximately 30 min, or until noodle edges are slightly crispy.

** Alternative **

When dairy isn't a problem, mix about 1 cup shredded mozzarella along with the rest of the ingredients. Top with parmasean cheese before baking.