Pasta Rustica

Nick went on and on about Pasta Rustica for quite some time. I, being the ignorant non-Italian, had no idea what Pasta Rustica was. So, when I put it on the weekly menu, I needed a starting point. I turned to his family cookbook and grabbed his Aunt Denise's recipe.

Making up the weekly grocery list, I realized that almost all of the ingredients were what we consider pantry items, so we actually didn't need anything for this recipe. I already liked it. Any recipe that can be made with easily found on hand pantry staples is one I love. I do like to experiment with odd ingredients and ethnic cuisines, but there is definitely something to be said for pantry recipes. I love to have these types of recipes as fall backs in case I'm stuck late at work or realize that I forgot an ingredient for another recipe I was planning to make.

And especially one this delicious. The creaminess of the cheeses, the spicy flavors of the sausage and  topped with sauce tastes like a crispy version of lasagna, but so much easier to prepare. It also freezes well, so don't let any of those leftovers go to waste!

Pasta Rustica
serves 6-8

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 lb. hot Italian sausage, casings removed (we used Nick's homemade pork sausage)
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 can (28 oz) tomatoes in puree (tomatoes coarsely chopped and puree reserved)
salt, to taste
1 lb. penne pasta
1 1/4 c. ricotta cheese (we used re-hydrated Ricotta Salata)
2 c. Landana Mild Goat Cheese**
1/2 c. grated Pecorino Romano

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large dutch oven, over medium heat, warm oil. Add onion and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring for about 1 minute. Add sausage and cook, breaking it up into bite size pieces, until no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Stir in basil, oregano and red pepper flakes. Add tomatoes with puree and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10-12 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Lightly oil a baking dish*.

Cook the pasta until barely al dente and drain well.

In a large bowl, toss pasta with sauce, ricotta and the goat cheese. Spread in a prepared baking and sprinkle with Pecorino Romano. Bake until cheeses are melted and tips of pasta are crusty (about 30 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

*We used one 9" x 9" baking dish and one smaller dish to freeze for a later meal. If you are making all of it at once, I recommend a 9" x 12" dish.

** This was a mild, semi-soft goat's cheese with a rich, buttery flavor.

Paper Towel Rehab: How to Curb the Habit

Hi, I'm Jessica and I was addicted to paper towels.

Whew. I said it. We would buy in bulk and although they would last a while, I was probably going through a roll a week. Extreme house cleaning and Nick would joke about buying stocks in Bounty. Eek. I wanted to get better and reduce my usage, but the "unpaper towels" that were out there (here and here) were too expensive and it seemed like there could be an easier (read: cheaper) way. I could just buy a ton of dish towels or the expensive unpaper towels, but some of the things I use paper towels for are pretty gross and I never wanted to use my dish rags for, so would I use the pretty new towels? Probably not.

So when Nick said that he needed new t-shirts, a light bulb went off. People have used cut up old t-shirts as rags for as long as they've had worn out t-shirts, so of course I would give it a try. But the thought of having a giant pile of cut up t-shirts just seemed overwhelmingly disorganized. So, I thought about what I liked about paper towels and how I could use t-shirts in the same way without giving up the convience factor.
So, what did I come up with?

This jar, filled with rolled, cut to size t-shirt rags. Meeting all of my criteria, it was a great solution and makes the change from paper towels much easier.

What you'll need:

$0.00
Fabric shears or sharp scissors
Ruler or template
Clean glass jar
Old T-shirts
Cleaning Solution (Optional)

I started with those old, grungy t-shirts Nick was tossing. I started by cutting out the seams and laying them flat. I had a total of 8 shirts, so they could be cut together, but any more and I would split them into two piles. Figure out the layout. I was able to get seven 6" x 11" rectangles out of one of Nick's shirts, but depending on the size, you may get more or less. Cut the shirts into rectangles of the proper size.

To roll the "towels," overlap the first towel with the second towel by one or two inches. Roll the first towel until a few inches sticks out from the second. Overlap a third towel onto the second towel by one or two inches and roll. Continue overlapping towels until you get about 20 or so in the roll. This amount fits in a 3"  jar pretty tightly. For dry towels, you can simply add the towels into the jar and set on the counter. Reach into the center and pull up the first towel and it should leave an inch or so of the next towel up, just like a wipe dispenser.

Since most of the time, I use these for cleaning, I've also made them into pre-moistened cleaning wipes. Simply wet the rags with the cleaning solution of your choice and ring out excess before placing into the jar.

Since I got about 60 from Nick's shirts, I was able to roll 3 "rolls" of towels. I also have some additional rags from the sleeves I can use for small jobs. Since the paper towels we were using have about 56 in each roll, we can easily use these for a week and then launder.

Teaser: Coconut Cake Prep

We're making coconut cake next weekend. This past weekend, we had to do a few things in preparation - make coconut milk, coconut cream, coconut extract and shredded coconut. We could have certainly bought store bought ingredients as substitutes, but never having had coconut cake before, I wanted to try the real, honest to goodness cake so if I used store bought ingredients in the future, I would be able to accurately compare it to the real deal. It really helps I think, when you are starting to cook, or if you are cooking something unfamiliar, so that you can judge the flavors of store bought substitutes. Plus, it's just plain fun.

First you have to open the coconut, which is easier said than done. We Nick used a powder drill to drill out two of the eyes of the coconut. We then drained the coconut water from the coconut into a plastic container with a lid. Once all the water has drained, strain the water (we used a reusable coffee filter) and close the container. Place in the refrigerator for later use (it keeps for up to a week).

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Next, place the drained coconuts into the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. The coconut should have cracked in several places while baking. Remove the coconuts from the oven and allow to cool until they are able to be handled.

Nick wanted a picture of the coconut's spooky faces.

After baking, notice the large crack.

After the shell is removed.

Once cooled, crack them open with a dull blade (we used a screwdriver) to seperate the hard shell from the brown husk. Then, using a vegetable peeler, peel the husk from the white meat of the coconut. Rinse the coconut and pat dry to remove any remaining husk. Break the meat into 2 or 3 inch pieces and grate the coconut.

Milk and Cream infusion

Coconut milk infusion

Coconut cream infusion

Squeeze!

To make the coconut milk, pour 1/2 c. boiling milk into a glass container. Then add 2 oz. of freshly grated coconut. Seal tightly and allow to sit for 1 hour. Strain the mixture through a tea towel or cheese cloth into a container. Seal and reserve in the refridgerator for later use.

To make the coconut cream, pour 1/2 c. boiling milk into a glass container and add 4 oz. freshly grated coconut to the milk. Seal tightly and allow to sit for 1 hour. Strain the mixture through a tea towel or cheese cloth into a container. Seal with a lid and reserve in the refridgerator for later use.

To make the extract,  pour 1/2 c. vodka into a glass jar and then add 1 1/2 oz shredded coconut. Seal tightly and allow to sit for 5 to 7 days. After the week or so, strain out the solids and reserve for later use. (But I'm sure by now you just want to make the cake already, right?)

All the coconut milk products and the shredded coconut will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator and 1 month in the freezer. The extract can be stored in the pantry.

 Stay tuned next week to see how the cake comes along!

Awkward & Awesome Thursday

Awkward:
1. Climbing into our really tall bed, getting about halfway up and then tumbling back out to land on the floor. While Nick was watching.
2. Going onto the porch to turn off the grill, but walking into the closed screen door instead.
3. Getting laid off for the second time in two years. Yuck.
4. Coconuts. Or rather, trying to get them to give up their goodness. Who saw them and thought, maybe if I hit these hard enough and the shell cracks open, there will be something tasty inside?
5. Calling our still twinkling Christmas porch lights "Valentine's Day Lights" because they are still up and still twinkling.

Awesome:
1. When I was feeling under the weather, Nick made me a big pot of tea and put it in the fridge, so my sicky self only had to pour and hit reheat on the microwave. I know I'm spoiled.
2. Scrubbing Bubbles Extended Clean Bathroom Cleaner. Seriously. This stuff is magic.
3. The Rolex 24 Hour race. Nick and I had so much fun. We even got free chili tickets from a guy and his girlfriend who bought too many. He told us "Here, to a fellow PBR drinker" and gave us more tickets than we could use. We passed off the rest to the last person in line when we left.
4. Having your former employer help land you an interview the first official day you're unemployed. Woo Hoo!
5. The Steelers are going to the Superbowl! Here we go!

Steak with Flame Sauce: The Remix

We all remember this right? Okay.

Well, we decided to do it yet again. Because it is delicious. Except this time, instead of having a beef tenderloin in the freezer (resulting in filets), we had purchased a large strip that Nick had cut into steaks. It's a great cut of meat, but it is a bit meatier than the melt in your mouth filets, so we wanted to switch up the flavors as well.

We more or less followed the original recipe, but with a few new twists. We added Szechuan peppercorns and allspice berries in addition to the regular peppercorns in the rub and tossed a few mushrooms into the cream sauce.

It tasted surprisingly well. I thought that the new spices added some depth and warmth to the sauce and that those complimented the earthy, meaty flavors of the mushroom and steak nicely.

Strip Steak with Flame Sauce and Mushrooms

Ingredients:
2 tenderloin steaks, 6 to 8 ounces each and no more than 1 1/2" thick
coarse sea salt
2 tbsp whole peppercorns
2 allspice berries
5 Szechuan peppercorns 1 tbsp unsalted butter 1 tsp. olive oil 1/3 c. Cognac, plus 1 tsp. 1 c. heavy cream
5 large mushrooms, sliced thin


Remove the steaks from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour prior to cooking. Sprinkle all sides with salt.

Coarsely crush the peppercorns and allspice berries with a mortar and pestle. Coat each side of the steaks with the mixture.

In a skillet (we used cast iron) over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil. As soon as the butter and oil begin to turn golden and smoke, gently place the steaks in the pan. Cook about 4 minutes a side. When the steaks are cooked to your liking (we prefer medium rare on the rare-ish side), remove them from the pan and onto a plate. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest. Pour any excess fat from the pan (we sop it up with a paper towel and then discard). Do not, however, clean the crusty bits from the pan.

Remove the pan from the heat and add 1/3 c. Cognac to the pan and ignite with a stick lighter. Shake the pan a bit until the flames die and the alcohol has burned off. 


Place the pan back on the stove and add the cream and mushrooms. Bring the mixture up to a boil and whisk until it coats the back of a spoon and the mushrooms are tender. Add the remaining tsp. of Cognac and season with salt.
  
Add the steaks back into the pan and coat with the sauce. Serve the steaks with a heavy drizzle of the cream sauce.