Posts Tagged 'John Mariani'

Recipe.com adds a magazine to its mix

Published July 21, 2011 tidbits 0 Comments
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From couponing to home gardening, grocery shoppers are looking for ways to stretch their dollars.
Recipe.com has created a magazine companion that is filled with recipes that include a per-serving cost analysis. The first issue includes topics such as 10 dinners for $10, a month of low-cost meals, using pasta to stretch a budget, and recipes for making popular take-out items at home.
There’s also a free mobile tag-reader app that allows you to scan tags throughout the magazine and download recipes to your phone. If you don’t have a smartphone, type Recipe.com/tags into your browser to access an interactive list of all the tagged recipes in the publication.

The best ‘right now’

Esquire food blogger and author John Mariani listed the “Best Restaurants in Kentucky Right Now” in a recent post and includes several in Central Kentucky. They are:
Lexington’s Dudley’s on Short, 259 West Short Street; Jonathan at Gratz Park, 120 West Second Street; Malone’s, 3347 Tates Creek Road; and Yamaguchi’s Sake and Tapas, 125 Codell Drive; and Midway’s Holly Hill Inn, 426 North Winter Street, and Heirloom, 125 Main Street.
You can read what Mariani has to say about each at Esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/kentucky-restaurants-070511.

Pick and choose

Courtney Farms in Bagdad has created a “virtual farmers market” to sell produce directly to consumers.
Mary and Shane Courtney, owners of the 94-acre farm in Shelby County, have offered community supported agriculture memberships for two years, but their new A La Carte program is designed for people who want to pick and choose their vegetables. Consumers can go to CourtneyFarmsCSA.com and choose among six locations in Shelbyville and Louisville to pick up their orders.
The program offers vegetables grown at Courtney Farms. They include: beets (candy-striped, golden and red), rainbow Swiss chard, cucumbers, garlic, green onions, squash (yellow and Zephyr, which is part yellow and green), and zucchini. For additional A la Carte offerings, Courtney Farms collaborates with a number of local farmers. They include:
Swallow Rail Farm in Simpsonville: asparagus, blueberries, herbs, eggs, lamb, specialty vegetables.
Mulberry Orchard in Shelbyville: apples, peaches.
Stone Cross Farms and Cloverdale Creamery in Taylorsville: beef, pork, and English-style farmstead cheeses made from local milk in four flavors.
Highland Livestock in Waddy: frozen hamburger patties and ground beef, beef jerky in hickory-smoked original and black pepper.
Debbie Young in Finchville: Hampshire-Suffolk cross lamb.
Cedar Haven Farm in Waddy and Shelby Countian Suzi Rice: blackberries.
David Davidson in Henry County and the Hogg family in Shelbyville: eggs.
Franklin County producer Mike Salyers: mild and hot sausage, asparagus.
Franklin County beekeeper Joel Shrader: raw honey.
Fayette County producer Todd Clark: whole chickens and turkeys.
Smiley’s Strawberries in Washington County: strawberries.
Gilkison Farms in Winchester: black raspberries.
Steve Isaacs in Nonesuch: table grapes.

All dressed in white

It is Christmas in July at Southern Living. The magazine is challenging readers to create a white cake, and the winning recipe will be featured on the cover of the December issue.
The contest winner will receive $1,000. Two runners-up will receive $500 each, and their recipes will be featured in the dessert story in December.
Here’s how to enter: Start with one of Southern Living’s five favorite holiday cake batters listed on the Web site, then make it your own. The deadline for submissions is July 31. Go to Southernliving.com/cakecontest.

Ky.’s foodie destination

Grub Street, New York magazine’s food and restaurant blog, has compiled a list of the top foodie destinations in each state, with the Kentucky Bourbon Trail representing Kentucky. Here is what Grub Street had to say about it:
“It wouldn’t be too difficult to chart your own tour of Kentucky’s distilleries, but why bother when the Kentucky Distillers’ Association has done the work for you? Just head for the official site to get all the info you need to plan your pilgrimage to America’s boozy Promised Land.”
The blog also suggests adding Buffalo Trace to the itinerary and stopping at The Brown Hotel in Louisville for its signature hot Brown. Go to Newyork.grubstreet.com/2011/05/51_foodie_destinations.html#photo=18×00055.

10 summer food trends

If you would like to jazz up your summer menus, take a look at Betty Crocker’s top 10 summer food trends, then try a new recipe for each.
The trends and recipe ideas include:
Cheeky tiki. Originally inspired by South Pacific culture, the fun tiki trend is back in a big way. Make mai tai tiki pops. Rum-spiked frozen treats take the flavors of a tiki cocktail – the mai tai – and turn it into a fruity (and boozy) ice pop.
New takes on cupcakes. Dessert lovers are inventing interesting twists on the classic cupcake – even looking to retro refrigerator, or “icebox,” desserts for inspiration. Try lemon-ginger icebox cookie cupcakes made with cookies – which, when stacked between layers of whipped cream and then chilled, become cakelike.
Spice it up. Bold and big flavors are all the rage, updating classic foods through new flavor combinations and cooking techniques. Make fresh sriracha refrigerator pickles by adding a hot, Thai-inspired sauce that spices up your garden bounty – no canning equipment required.
Move over, meat. With vegetarian – and flexitarian – eating gaining popularity, more and more people are seeking meatless options that don’t skimp on flavor. Prepare a monster veggie burger loaded with fresh vegetables and tasty chickpeas. It moves veggies from the side to the center of the plate.
Easy freezy fun. Frozen ice cream novelties are the ultimate summer treats for adults and kids, leading to interest in homemade ice cream and frozen pops. Fruity fro-yo fun bars call for four ingredients and a few simple steps, so it’s easy to make with the kids.
Thrillin’ grillin.’ Grillmasters everywhere are taking lessons from the “tableside” preparation trend, using the grill to bring flavor to unexpected dishes. Make grillside guacamole with fresh avocados, sweet onions and other veggies.
Kid food grows up. The foods that we loved best as children always inspire special memories. Make beer snow cones from granita-style beer “snow” and a drizzle of fruity simple syrup.
Pie lovin.’ This has been declared the “Year of the Pie,” and we are seeing (and eating) creative takes on pies, from sweet to savory. Take crunchy graham crackers, melty chocolate, and marshmallows, and put them into a handheld pie pocket.
Back-yard green grocer. More people than ever are “shopping” in their own gardens – or at local farmers markets – to create flavorful summer dishes full of their favorite veggies. Make green garden fries from fresh veggies.
Switch up the ‘wich. Sandwiches are the ultimate comfort food from old favorites like PB&J and grilled cheese to new obsessions like Korean tacos. We’re seeing this trend in everything from food trucks to restaurants devoted to a singular type of sandwich. Serve Greek grilled cheese tacos, a Mediterranean-inspired dish that reinvents the familiar grilled cheese sandwich in taco form.
Recipes are at Bettycrocker.com/redhot.

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Roll your own homemade pasta

Published June 2, 2011 Cooking school , Recipes 0 Comments
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Spring’s fresh-picked asparagus, greens, lettuce and onions from local farms are the perfect accompaniment to winter-weary pasta dishes.

The glorious vegetables take well to any shape and brand of pasta, but to really enjoy their freshness and grandeur, pair them with homemade pasta.

Making pasta from scratch doesn’t appeal to many cooks. Why spend time kneading dough when you can buy freshly made pasta at a farmers market or choose from dozens of high-quality dry pastas at the supermarket?

“After one has a fresh pasta experience, they will not want anything else,” said Diane James of Lexington, who has made fresh pasta for years. “What I love most about fresh pasta is its exceptionally tender texture and fresh flavor.

“It has a sensation of melting in one’s mouth. There are so many options when preparing your own pasta. Thin or thick. Wide or narrow. Long or short. Different flours may be used.

“Spinach, carrots, beets and other ingredients add flavor and vivid colors to the noodles. Fresh pasta is easy to make, especially with the help of a food processor and a manual pasta machine (about $50).

“After a little practice, one gets a feel for the pasta dough and can prepare it faster than driving to the grocery to purchase boxed pasta,” she said.

John Mariani, food and travel columnist for Esquire magazine and author of How Italian Food Conquered the World, said fresh pasta “has a taste and texture that always makes it a little more special, especially stuffed pastas like ravioli and agnolotti.”

“The basic tenet of authentic Italian cookery is that the pasta, not the sauce, should be the focus of the dish, so that sauces and other ingredients enhance and do not overwhelm the taste and texture of the pasta,” said Mariani, who visited Lexington restaurants in March. “In this regard, the delicacy and freshness of spring vegetables is ideal, and Italians yearn for the first appearance of spring basil, asparagus and mushrooms.”

Mariani encourages first-time pasta makers to not “bother with silly things like colored ribbon fettuccine, whole-wheat pasta or spinach pasta. Leave that to the pros.”

Keith Snow, author of The Harvest Eating Cookbook, said you do not need to buy a pasta maker. “Some stand mixers have pasta-making attachments. Otherwise, cutting the pasta with a knife or perhaps with small cookie cutters will work just fine.”

Snow advises: “Unleash your inner Italian grandma. Learn how to make fresh pasta from scratch. Find out why it tastes so much better fresh than boxed.”

RECIPES

Here is Snow’s recipe for fresh pasta.

Fresh pasta

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup whole wheat flour

4 eggs

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Mix well until a dough forms. Turn out dough onto work surface. Continue to knead in additional flour until dough is no longer sticky, and is smooth. Allow dough to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before cutting or shaping.

This recipe for fresh egg pasta is from Cook’s Illustrated and has more detailed instructions for the first-time pasta maker.

Fresh egg pasta

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)

3 large eggs, beaten

Pulse flour in work bowl of food processor that is fitted with metal blade to evenly distribute. Add eggs; process until dough forms a rough ball, about 30 seconds. (If dough resembles small pebbles, add water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time; if dough sticks to side of bowl, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, and process until dough forms a rough ball.)

Turn dough ball and small bits out onto a dry work surface; knead until dough is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for at least 15 minutes and as long as 2 hours to let it relax.

Using a manual pasta machine, roll out dough. Leave pasta as is for use in filled pastas. Cut pasta sheets into long strands to make fettuccine.

Step by step

Rolling out and cutting pasta dough:

■ Cut about 1⁄6 of dough from ball and flatten it into a disk. (Cover remaining dough with plastic.) Run disk through the rollers set to the widest position.

■ Bring ends of dough toward middle and press down to seal.

■ Feed open side of the pasta through rollers. Repeat steps 1 and 2.

■ Without folding again, run pasta through widest setting twice or until dough is smooth. If dough is at all sticky, lightly dust it with flour.

■ Roll pasta thinner by putting it through machine repeatedly, narrowing the setting each time. Roll until dough is thin and satiny. You should be able to see the outline of your hand through the pasta. Lay sheet of pasta on clean kitchen towel and cover it with damp cloth to keep it from drying out. Repeat with other pieces of dough.

■ To make fettuccine, run each sheet through wide cutter on the pasta machine. Each noodle will measure 1⁄8 to 1/4 inch across.

Dough differentials

■ Perfect dough: Dough that has the right amount of moisture will come together in one large mass. If some small bits remain unincorporated, turn contents of work bowl onto a floured surface and knead them together.

■ Wet dough: If the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl, it is too wet. Add 1 tablespoon flour at a time until dough is no longer tacky.

■ Dry dough: If the dough resembles small pebbles after 30 seconds of processing, it is too dry. With motor running, add 1/2 teaspoon water. Repeat one more time if necessary.

As various vegetables turn up at your market, you can change this recipe for added variety.

Pasta with asparagus and zucchini

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

Sea salt

4 small zucchini, 2 diced and 2 grated

3 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped

1 bunch thin asparagus spears, trimmed and stalks cut into 3 pieces each

¼ cup dry white wine

1 to 2 teaspoons capers, rinsed and chopped

Zest of 1 lemon

12 ounces penne or other tube-shaped pasta

Handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Parmesan cheese, grated, to serve

Heat oil in large frying pan, add onion and a pinch of salt, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until onion is soft and translucent. Add zucchini, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until it has cooked down and softened. Don’t allow it to brown.

Stir in garlic and asparagus. Add wine, raise the heat and allow to boil for 2 to 3 minutes, then return to a simmer. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until asparagus softens, then remove from heat and stir in capers and lemon zest. For a creamier sauce, add a splash of cream once the wine cooks down, during the final minutes of cooking.

Meanwhile, cook pasta until it’s tender but still has a bit of bite to it. Drain, reserving a tiny amount of cooking water. Return pasta to the pot with reserved cooking water and toss together. Add zucchini mixture and parsley, then toss again. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

From The Kitchen Garden Cookbook

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