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Browned Butter Squash Noodles with Lemon Basil Pasta and Chicken

June 24, 2014 by arfoodie

 

Browned butter squash noodles with fettuccine, lemon thyme and chicken.

Browned butter squash noodles with fettuccine, lemon basil and chicken.

As mentioned previously, I visited the Bernice Garden Farmers’ Market on Sunday to load up on veggies. One of my wonderful finds was a huge load of Zephyr and zucchini squash from Hardin Farms.

I’ve used them a few ways already, but I think tonight’s dinner gets a special mention.

First, I cooked some gluten-free fettuccine noodles (Le Veneziane, the only kind worth using in this), just three of the six nests in a package, to al dente in salted water. I held it in a colander in the sink, tossed with a bit of olive oil, until everything else was ready.

Results of the amazing DeBuyer mandoline. Not sponsored, just true.

Results of the amazing DeBuyer mandoline. Not sponsored, just true.

I’ve had my trusty DeBuyer mandoline for years, but I’d never used it to make veggie noodles. Before I ran out to buy one of those fancy noodles machines I’ve seen lately, I decided to give it a shot. Using just the right combination of the two reversible blades, I got these babies. Amazing, crunchy, long squash noodles. I ate a quarter of them before I ever got around to cooking them or anything else. I used three largish squash, finding that the larger ones are easier to run across the mandoline.

I will tell you this: real French mandolines work great, but they often collect a penance in the form of a piece of your finger. Be wary. I even had to skip the safety shield and pusher so I could shove the whole squashes across. If you do that…may the force be with you.

Chicken cooking in the incredibly not non-stick pan

Chicken cooking in the incredibly not non-stick pan

I had a couple large chicken breasts in the freezer, so I thawed them in the fridge overnight. I sliced them into 3/4-inch slices, seasoned with salt and pepper, and tossed them with a bit of olive oil. Then I seared the slices in a large, stainless steel (as in not-nonstick) pan and cooked until they were just done, turning once. They may stick a bit, but they should turn just fine when they’re properly seared. I moved the finished pieces out of the pan and into a separate dish, covered with foil, while I did a second round. Two chicken breasts made plenty for four people!

Are you cooking along? Oh, good! DO NOT clean your pan. All those brown bits are about to make this dish amazing.

This stuff is gold, people. If you scrub it off, we can't be friends.

This stuff is gold, people. If you scrub it off, we can’t be friends.

I added a tablespoon (ahem, or more) of butter and cooked it until browned, which didn’t take long since it picked up some of the pan’s yummy goodness. Then I put in a half-cup or so of chicken broth to fully deglaze the pan (fancy terms for picking up all those yummy bits), whisking the whole time to scrape them up. The squash noodles went in next, tossed a bit with tongs. Then I added the GF noodles and half of my fresh lemon basil, tossing a bit over the heat. You can add the chicken back at this point if it needs reheating.

The whole shebang now went into a serving dish, with the chicken (if you didn’t add it earlier) and the rest of the lemon basil. Top each serving with a bit of fancy salt, if you have it.

squash noodle close

I’m not writing this one out recipe style, so if you have any further questions, just leave a comment below!

Filed Under: Gluten Free, Main Course Tagged With: chicken, lemon basil, noodles, pasta, squash

House-Made Cheese and Bubble Gum Pink Ravioli

November 1, 2011 by arfoodie

Our finished plate of pink pasta, with lemon cheese filling, strawberry and white chocolate sauces.

In Garde Manger class, we’ve been studying cheeses and making a few of them ourselves.

There’s something about this that makes me giddy. I told several people, “It’s like, making food. From nothing.”

Last week, our group made a fresh (meaning unaged) lemon cheese, and our homework assignment was to develop a dessert recipe to prepare the next week. We decided to make a dessert lasagna, using a strawberry puree (tomato sauce), chopped chocolate (ground beef) and the cheese. There was some fiddling around with gluten-free options for my sake, but the supplies for such things are low at the school. So we decided to go with phyllo dough, making it more of a napoleon.

This week, the chef turned us loose to create our goodies. We made the napoleon, as pictured above. The sauce was particularly fun…I got creative (er, bossy) with my group and added balsamic vinegar and red wine to some strawberry puree and sugar, and cooked it down. De.LISH.

So, long story short, we present our napoleon to the chef, and she loves it. We think we’re done. We mention that the original idea was using real pasta, and she says…”Okay, make me one like that.” Oooookayyy…

No problem, actually. This class is fun because we get to play and make stuff up on the fly, even if the beginning is a prompt from the instructor. One of my group partners is quite adept at making pasta, so he whipped up a quick batch, adding some red food coloring as the instructor requested.

We decide on making raviolis, filling them with the lemon cheese and dressing them with two sauces, the strawberry and a white chocolate sauce. While Pasta-Guy and I have done this, the other two students hadn’t, so much of the rest of their class was spent playing and filling. PG and I boiled the pasta and finished the sauces and the plate, which turned out pretty nice, considering its impromptu provenance.

It was also a fanTAStic week in Food IV. And that is saying a lot. Things are looking up; I may know how to cook after all. More on that later.

Happy cooking!

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Filed Under: Desserts, PTC_ACS Tagged With: Arkansas Culinary School, cheese, garde manger, lemon, pasta, Pulaski Technical College, ravioli

Killer Easy(ish) Marinara Sauce

August 21, 2009 by arfoodie

Let me issue a disclaimer up front: I am not Italian. I picked up a few tips from Italian folks on TV, but this recipe is all my own. It’s a yummy combination of a little bit of work, a little bit of cheat, considering the all-day simmering original.

I’m also not feeling the greatest today, thanks to ragweed season, so I’m gonna keep it short. (Hooray, the reader says.) I’ll get more into the ratatouille later.

Marinara Sauce Mise en PlaceThe mise en place (all your ingredients set out beforehand) looks remarkably like a pantry shelf, and therein is the beauty.

This couldn’t be simpler. Get out your biggest pot. No, no, not the gargantuan pasta boiler for 30, but pretty big. Open the following cans and dump in:

  • Two 28 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes (use San Marzano for an upgrade)
  • One 28 oz. can of tomato sauce
  • One half of a 6 oz. can of tomato paste
  • Two tablespoons beef demi-glace (optional)
  • One half-cup dry red wine (optional, especially if you use the demi-glace)

Also get together the following:

  • Two garlic cloves
  • Five to eight fresh basil leaves
  • Two sprigs fresh thyme
  • One sprig fresh rosemary
  • Dried onion flakes
  • Kosher salt
  • Pepper grinder

I like my sauce pretty herby and spicy, so if you don’t, just cut down on the herbage.

Press the garlic cloves directly into the pot. If you don’t have a press, GET ONE for goodness sakes, but meanwhile you could mince them to death until they’re almost paste.

The basil part is pretty fun. Sure, you could throw in some dried basil, and I’ve done it before. But my mom had bushes of the stuff begging to be used.

Basil chiffonadeLay all the leaves on top of one another in a stack, then roll upChopped Basil the stack. Cut the roll into slices, and you’ll end up with lovely little ribbons called chiffonade. This refers to both the resulting ribbons and the technique. Now, chop up your ribbons (or don’t, up to you) and dump into your pot.

Next, hold the sprig of thyme securely on the woody stem end. With fingers of the other hand, strip off the leaves while pulling away with the stem. Put your results in the pot.

Rosemary, we have a problem. You’re too woody and bristly to just go right in. We don’t enjoy chewing you or picking you out of our teeth. So, you’re just gonna have to get pulverized.

Rosemary + Kosher SaltUse the same technique as the thyme to remove the rosemary leaves onto a cutting board. Add a bit of kosher salt for traction, and using a chef’s knife, chop the bloody heck out of it. Get as close as you can to a grainy paste. Rosemary CarnageAdd to the mix.

Now add about three tablespoons of dried onion flakes. I’m actually allergic to the fresh variety, so I got stuck on doing it this way. It’s easier, and you get to skip the traditional step of sweating the onions and garlic.

If you like a little heat, add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Word to the wise: kids don’t usually like this.

Add kosher salt (I did about two tablespoons, but I like salt!) and about a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.

Whisk everything together; you’ll have to put a little effort into breaking up the tomato paste and demi-glace. Cover and bring to a boil, then take back to a simmer, uncovered, for as long as you can….let’s say at least twenty minutes, and one hour would be better. All day is not necessary.

Confession: I HATE having tomato spatter all over my cooktop, so my sauce usually spends a good bit of time with the lid just cocked sideways. But I don’t get the evaporation necessary to get a really fabulous, rich sauce as quickly that way. Guess I need to invest in one of those spatter shields.

This should be enough sauce to use for one meal and freeze for one or two more.

Ratatoullie

Morgan and I made our ratatouille tonight (OK OK, I’ll give you one photo), and froze the remainder in two gallon freezer bags.

P.S. Sorry about the grainy, poorly lit photos. I’ve taken to using my iPhone for just about everything, but the camera just isn’t cutting it in the kitchen light. Will try other ones.

P.P.S. Guess I lied about keeping it short. But you’re still reading! 😛

Happy cooking!

Filed Under: Main Course Tagged With: basil, herbs, marinara, pasta, sauce, tomato, tomatoes

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