Salad Days

This morning I made my own pasta. I had a recipe for making pasta but I had lost it and looked on line for a recipe a few months ago.  The pasta was dry and took forever. Then last week my old recipe turned up.  It is so easy to make in a stand mixer.  Then I used my Atlas pasta machine to roll out the dough. 

Pasta Flavors

 I flavored the dough with powdered cheddar and Berber spice from my last trip to Surfas (a food supply source in Culver City).  They can also be ordered on line at surfasonline.com. Berber spice is a combination of North African spices (paprika, coriander, chilies, and cinnamon).  It has a rich, deep orange/brown color.  I have also made spinach pasta from a powdered flavor purchased from Surfas.  

Basic Homemade Pasta

1 cup semolina

1 cup all-purpose flour (with flavor added)*

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

Measure the semolina into the bowl of your stand mixer. *Place 1 or 2 tablespoons of the flavoring into your 1-cup measuring cup adding the all-purpose flour and leveling off.  Add to the mixing bowl along with the salt.  Add eggs, one at a time and mix on low speed until incorporated.  Continue to mix on medium speed for 4 minutes or until dough is smooth.  

Remove dough from bowl and knead on a lightly floured board until dough is no longer sticky.  Divide dough in 4 parts.

Pasta machine with Spinach leaves

Starting with the widest opening of the pasta machine (# 7 setting), extrude the dough.  Each time the dough is extruded, change the setting until dough reached desired thickness.  At this point attach the noodle maker to the machine and cut desired length.  Alternately you may choose to leave the dough on the board and cut with a small hors d'oeuvre cutter.

Italian Pasta Salad

1/2 pound pasta (use flavored pasta for color and flavor)

1 16-ounce can cannellini beans (drained)

2 tomatoes, washed and drained

1/2 cup Pesto Sauce (recipe follows)

Basil leaves to taste
Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil adding salt and olive oil to the water.  Add pasta and boil 3-4 minutes until al-dente.
Drain.  Transfer to serving dish.
  

Italian Pasta Salad

Place drained cannellini beans over the center of the pasta leaving a 2-3 inch border.

Add cut tomatoes in a ring shape around the beans. Pour Pesto sauce over all. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and add a few cut basil leaves for garnish.

Pesto Sauce

2 cloves (or more) garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon basil leaves, rinsed

1/2 cup olive oil

Mince garlic on food processor.  Add other ingredients until smooth.  Pour Pesto Sauce over all and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and garnish with basil leaves.  

Picnics for Kids

Great Picnic Recipes for Kids

There can't be a better dining experience that a good picnic in the mountains. Here are a few ideas if you have young kids along.  I am currently developing recipes for an Eastern Sierra cookbook in which one chapter focuses on picnics.  This picnic will showcase Chicken Pops,   Carrot Flowers, and Strawberry BabyCakes. Chicken Pops are similar to Chicken Croquettes but are formed into a ball shape with a stick inserted to resemble a lollypop.  You can use a mold as I found in my local Vons supermarket or roll the chicken mixture into a ball and insert a stick- freezing for an hour before cooking.  They can be made the night before and refrigerated overnight.                                                             

Chicken Pops

Chicken Pops

Makes 8 servings

1/2 boneless, skinless chicken breast (cooked)

1/4 cup slivered almonds (pureed in a mini prep or ground)

2 eggs (one for the Pop and one for the coating)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (divided)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons oil

• Grind or puree in a food processor the cooked chicken. 
• Puree or grind the almonds and stir into chicken.
• Add 1 egg and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese to the chicken/almond mixture.  Mix thoroughly in food processor.  
• Form the ball shapes.  If using the cake pop press, overfill the holes with the chicken mixture.  Pack firmly   Insert the sticks.  Close the lid; trim excess. Save excess for the next batch.  The press has 5 holes. 

• Freeze the press with chicken for 45 minutes.  Remove from freezer and let sit for 15 minutes before trying to remove from the mold.  The next batch will yield 3 more balls. 
• For the coating, dilute the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and whisk until combined.  Roll each pop in egg and roll in Parmesan to coat. 
• Combine butter and oil in a medium skillet and  preheat until butter is melted and oil is hot.  Cook pops, turning until all sides are golden brown.  Drain on paper towel.  
• Pops can be eaten warm or cold for a picnic.  

Carrot Flowers

Carrot Flowers  are made from large carrots cut crosswise.  The best flavor comes from cutting your own but they can  be found pre-cut in the market.  Put a dab of whipped cream cheese in the center and place 1 blueberry on top to form the flower.  

Strawberry BabyCakes can be made a day ahead.  If you make the Whipped Cream Rosettes, be sure to transport the BabyCakes in an ice chest.  An altern
ate easy version would be to use canned frosting with pureed strawberries folded in.

Strawberry BabyCakes

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup whole milk

1 large box strawberries

Strawberry Whipped Cream (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat butter and sugar in a stand mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each.  Add flour, baking powder and salt alternately with milk and vanilla.  Mix in the mashed strawberries and continue to beat until mixture in an even light pink.  Small pieces of strawberries may be visible. Line a mini-cupcake pan with paper liners.  Bake until firm to the touch, 15-20 minutes.  Cool. 

Strawberry Whipped Cream

1 cup whipping cream

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

 6 strawberries, pureed in food processor

Beat whipping cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until stiff.  Add sugar, vanilla and strawberry puree.  Continue to mix until color is mostly smooth.  For a fancy look, pipe the Strawberry Whipped Cream through a pastry bag fitted with a rosette tip.  

  

A Unique Restaurant Review

A "Restaurant" Review

Unless you're a golfer or a local in Mammoth, you may not know about this hidden gem.   It is not listed in Sierra Menus- the tourist guide to the best restaurants.  There is no parking (with the exception of golf carts).  The menu is limited. Some of the seats are broken and none are really comfortable.  It is called "The Divot" and their grilled Bratwurst with sauerkraut, chopped red onions, and mustard is worth the walk.  Their location is off the bike path between Meridian and Main Street.  

It happens to be near my condo.  When my kitchen floor was being installed, I made the 5-minute walk and ordered brats for my workers (my son, Dave & daughter-in law, Anne)  who were happy to have a hot lunch on their break.  

I'm not the only local who loves the place.   Scout, my next door neighbor and his family and friends also love to eat here.  However, he and his "kind" are not always welcome at the Divot since he doesn't pay for his meal and generally has bad table manners and sometimes trashes the place.  So he is forced to come after closing and try to break into the refrigerator.  The personnel has had to disguise the refrigerator with a poster. 

Scout is like any other young  male- always hungry, loud, adventurous,
somewhat immature
and hungry all the time.  He also happens to be a 
bear so he can't read.
 but he can see the welcome sign and clearly it seems to indicate that bears are welcome.  Would you not agree?  


Hours are haphazard and weather permitting. but the staff is generally friendly (except to the bear population) and the dogs are always cooked on the grill as you wait.  They have bar drinks, beer and soft drinks and bagged chips and condiments.  

Black Eyed Susans

Not long after my new kitchen floor was in, I drove to Escondido for my granddaughter's dance recital in which she was fabulous (of course).  On my return trip to Mammoth, #2 son, Tim (do I sound like Charlie Chan?)  came with me to see what was wrong with my spa heater.  There was concern that I might need a new heater or pump but he managed to fix the problem in a matter of minutes.  I had brought a paint sample to redo my kitchen cabinets and Tim took over that project.  

While he was here, I made one of his favorite cookies- Black Eyed Susans.  They will be a featured dessert recipe  in my proposed cookbook, Wild and Restless in the Kitchen.  It is proposed to be a beginner/intermediate cookbook for young men.  Black Eyed Susans are the easiest cookie imaginable.  I make the dough with my stand mixer and used a star template in my cookie gun.  One batch makes about 100 cookies.  When I suggested taking a few to my neighbors,  Tim thought we might not have enough left. 

The recipe was given to me when I was about 16 years old on a trip to Iowa when we visited my

mother's cousin, Floy Maxwell who was a fabulous cook.  

Black Eyed Susans

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 scant teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Semi-sweet chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix butter with sugars until well blended.
• Add egg and vanilla and mix into dough.
• Add peanut butter and mix into dough.
• Add flour, baking soda, and salt and thoroughly blend. 
• Using a cookie press with a star design, press cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  
• Place 1 chocolate chip in the center of each cookie.  Bake until set, about 10 minutes.