Lazy to Learned: Pasta Dough

Today I made a fantastic discovery. I have apparently been a lazy chef when it comes to making pasta dough. I have been putting all the ingredients in my mixer and expecting it to come out perfectly. Well, it has been a bit of a disaster, and I was becoming discouraged with the abilities of my mixer.

Ok, the discovery:

Last night, as I was laying in bed about to fall asleep (I know, it’s sad, I daydream about pasta) I had a sudden inspiration. I thought I should try to start out with only half the required flour, mix it up really good, and then add the rest a little at a time. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before; I guess I just wanted to get it done fast. This method is similar to how you make bread dough, and I’m quite learned in making bread dough, so it’s silly that I didn’t figure it out sooner. I think I assumed bread and pasta were different enough that they couldn’t be compared.

Well, I tried it out…and voila! Perfect. Yep, perfect. The mixer did a wonderful job. The pasta dough actually came together with the dough hook, formed a nice dough ball, and I was able to knead it fully in the mixer. Neat-o! I’m absolutely ecstatic.

Now that I have the method figured out I’m excited to work with pasta some more. I’m still on my bean path, but today I’m combining the two. I am trying a chicken white bean pasta noodle, and I’m going to serve it with a white bean cream of chicken soup. In the soup I am adding black beans and veggies. It should be interesting, if nothing else. I think it’ll be delicious…or maybe I’m just starving right now and so I would think glue is delicious?

I’ll let you know how it turns out…and then I’ll post those recipes...

OK, here's the update:
Boy #2 said "oh no not pasta, i hate pasta". to which i replied "this is a new one, i have to keep trying new ones until we find one you like". Boy #1 said "don't tell me we're having pasta for dinner". to which i replied "ok, i won't tell you"
...in the end they all ate it, but didn't all love it. Boy #1 ate it all, and didn't complain, Girl actually asked for seconds, Boy #2 only finished his to get a brownie, and littlest only ate one bite--after much convincing.
Myself, I thought it was pretty good (and my honey even had seconds). I served the soup over the pasta and enjoyed it, but it does have a somewhat distracting bean flavor (imagine that? hm), but once i put the pasta and soup all on top of a piece of garlic toast it was amazing. yum! so, be sure to serve it with garlic toast...and don't forget the brownies, in case you need bribes.

Related Recipes:
Cream of Chicken White Bean Soup
Chicken White Bean Pasta Noodles
Garlic Toast
Black Bean Brownies

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Discovering Beans

A few months ago I discovered a 25 lb bag of pinto beans for only $12, at Costco. I have been obsessed with that bag of beans ever since, but haven’t allowed myself to actually purchase it. I decided I need to learn to use beans before I can own that many of them. Up until the bean obsession took over I had no idea how to even cook beans. I usually have “pork n beans” in my pantry that I mix with ground beef—and some other stuff—to make Beans n Meat; which by the way happened to be my ultimate favorite meal as a kid (and my own kids love it too). I also have canned chili (with beans) that I usually serve on top of Kraft Mac n Cheese, as well as canned black beans that I mix with ground beef for Taco Salad. The funniest part is that I have ALWAYS had dry beans on hand…just never for eating. I keep thinking I will cook them some day; and they keep sitting there, winking at me…and then I end up making bean bags out of them (but I always buy more…I know, weird).

So, in order for me to buy the hypnotic bag of beans I need to first figure out how to incorporate dry beans into my regular menu.
Thus my journey begins…

I’ve done some searching for uses and recipes over the last few weeks, but I’ve only started experimenting this week.

Here’s an overview of what I’ve learned:

Beans are super good for you; they are full of nutrients, fiber and protein, and they are low in fat and salt.

Yesterday I actually came across an article that gave me permission to put beans in my wheat grinder and make flour! I could hardly contain my excitement. I LOVE flour. In that same article I learned that you can substitute up to ¼ the amount of regular flour with bean flour, in a recipe. You can also add a few tablespoons to any dry mix to make it healthier. It’s great as a thickener for gravy or sauce, or you can just add water and cook for 3 minutes to make a quick and creamy soup; add pasta, veggies, extra beans, etc to make a quick meal out of it.

Another way to use beans is to cook them, and then puree them to use as a fat substitute in recipes. I’m sure you’ve heard of using pumpkin or applesauce in recipes. Well, beans can do the same thing! It reduces the fat, and also makes a more moist and fluffy result in brownies and muffins (don’t add too much, though, it will turn crumbly).

And of course there is the traditional use for beans, where you cook them and add them directly to the recipe. It’s best to soak before cooking to reduce the cook time. There’s an overnight soak method, and then a quick soak method where you boil for 3 minutes and then let soak for 1 hour.

As I have merely begun this bean-ish adventure I have only a few bits of wisdom to share; I’ll add recipes and tips as I figure them out.

Here’s what I’ve tried thus far:

Black Bean Brownies

These were amazing. We LOVED them. But I am one who loves soft cakelike brownies, and that’s how they turned out. I haven’t been able to figure out how to get a moist brownie without a crispy top layer, until now. These were so soft….magical even. Littlest--who recently turned 3--casually ate 6 of them in one afternoon. He was too cute to be stopped.

BBQ Pinto Beans (with chicken)

These were good too. I’m used to the texture of beans from a can, and the freshly cooked beans were more firm than I had hoped for or expected. I haven’t decided yet how firm they are actually supposed to be. I actually reread the recipe and noticed there is a little foot note that says to “reconstitute before using”, so I’ll keep working on that. The recipe was originally for just the beans, but I added chicken to it to make a whole meal. Definitely a keeper.

Cornbread Cake (with bean flour)

I served this with the BBQ beans. I have made it previously and the original recipe is fabulous! This time I tried adding bean flour to the recipe. Something went wrong, and it was a disaster. I don’t know if it was the bean flour, or because the butter didn’t blend properly before I poured it in the baking dish. I’ll have to try it again and see what happens.

Blueberry Muffins (with bean flour)

Today I was in a hurry but really wanted to try these muffins. I distractedly rushed through the recipe and didn’t take time to figure out how I wanted to do it. They turned out really yummy, but I think they could be better. They weren’t quite as moist or fluffy as I had hoped, and all the blueberries sank to the bottom. I also used half wheat flour, which I love to do, but I think they’d be fluffier with all white. Adding it to my collection; gonna try it again.

That’s all for now. I’ll add more recipes and tips as I go along.

Until then, Happy Bean-ing!

Recipes from this article:

Beans n Meat

Taco Salad

Black Bean Brownies

BBQ Pinto Beans (with chicken)

Cornbread Cake (with bean flour)

Blueberry Muffins (with bean flour)

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Something about Homemade Pasta

Here is a simple, basic recipe for homemade pasta: Homemade Pasta
I've used it the most often. It can be cut or shaped any way you like. I have a pasta machine with two different cutting heads: fettuccine and tagliatelle (flat spaghetti). I’ve also rolled it thin and used small cookie cutters to make animal shapes (fun!).

About flour
Semolina is the traditional flour used for pasta, but it isn’t entirely necessary. It is more durable for the rolling and cutting process, and can be pretty tough to work with. It also has a slightly different flavor than regular white or wheat flour, and for me it has taken some getting used to. You can make pasta fully with semolina, or you can mix it with other flours, or even omit completely. Try different combinations until you find one you like. Semolina is also difficult to find in most areas. I first found a tiny bag of it in the specialty flour section of my local Smith’s store. Then, a friend of mine saw it in bulk at Winco…so that’s where I buy it, and I keep it in my deep freezer.

Making the dough
There is a traditional way of making pasta dough, where you put the flour on a flat surface, make a well/hole in the center and add the eggs and liquid. Then you gently beat the eggs with a fork, as the flour slowly falls into the egg and gets mixed together. You add more flour and knead by hand until smooth and elastic, and no longer sticky. That seems neat, but I haven’t actually tried it that way.
I just put all the ingredients into the bowl of my stand mixer. I start with the paddle attachment, and mix until it is well combined. Then I switch to the dough hook. It doesn’t work quite the same way as bread, so I’m still figuring out the details. I let it knead for a few minutes, then I use a spoon to scrape the dough off the sides of the bowl. The flour must be too tough for my mixer, as it never fully forms a ball. So, I continue like that, adding small amounts of flour or water as needed, until it’s smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky. Then I take it out of the bowl, and knead it by hand for a few minutes.
After kneading, it is important to let the dough rest for a while, so the gluten will relax and be easier to roll out. Form the dough into a ball, and wrap tightly in plastic; I then leave it on the counter to rest. Some people say to wait 20 minutes, and some say an hour. I usually try for somewhere in the middle, depending on what else I’m doing at the same time. Sometimes I’ll even forget about it and come back an hour later, to find it patiently waiting for me.

Rolling the sheets
After letting it rest you can begin to roll it out. Pinch off a small ball of dough, around the size of a golf ball, and then tightly recover the rest. If you don’t have a pasta machine you can do it by hand, it just takes a little more time, and can be a good workout for your arms. I purchased my pasta machine online before I ever tried to make pasta. But, it took so long to arrive that by the time I got it I had made 3 different batches by hand. It’s a good experience to learn to do it both ways. Either method you use you will still work with a small piece at a time.
Rolling--with pasta machine:
Using the palm of your hand flatten the dough to around less than ½ inch thick; in kind of an oval shape. Start with the pasta machine on the thickest setting. Turn the handle and start to roll the dough through the flattener. If it bunches up you can gently pull up on the dough that hasn’t gone through yet, to help it go more smoothly. Once it comes out fold the sheet into 3rds and repeat the process. Fold into 3rds one more time and repeat (so you will have run it through the highest setting 3 times). Don’t fold the dough the next time, and move to the next lower setting. Run the sheet through. Continue in this way, rolling through each setting, one at a time, until you reach the desired thickness. If at any time the dough bunches or tears, you can start over from the beginning.
Rolling-- without pasta machine:
Use a rolling pin to roll the small piece as thin as possible, to the desired thickness of the noodle you are making. It works best, for space, if you can roll it in a long thin strip, but doing it by hand usually ends up in a more rounded sheet.

Set each sheet aside to dry, and repeat the process until all the dough is flattened. You can pretty much dry your pasta anywhere you like. I started out by laying them on long sheets of paper towel, on the counter, but then I realized I don’t need to waste the paper towels, and now I just put them directly on the counter. There are 2 separate drying times involved in making pasta. The first drying time starts once the sheet is rolled flat. It only needs to dry for about 20 minutes, so that it will be easier to cut and not sticky. Usually by the time I am done rolling out all the dough the first sheet is ready to cut. If it gets too dry before cutting then the sheet will be brittle and break into pieces.

Cutting the noodles
Cutting—with pasta machine:
Attach cutter head to past machine. Line one end of a sheet up to the cutter. Turn the handle and roll the sheet through. This is usually easiest if you have someone helping you. I am never at a loss for extra hands, so it is easy for me. If you have to do it on your own, it just takes a little more fancy maneuvering. Pull the noodles out gently as they are cut, so they don’t bunch up, and then find a place for them to dry a second time.
Cutting—without pasta machine:
Without a pasta machine you can still have fun and be creative. It’s difficult to make uniform strips for spaghetti or fettuccine, but it’s nice for giving it a homemade feel. You can buy hand held pasta cutters (which I have never used), or you can use what you have around the kitchen. I have used a pizza cutter, a regular sharp knife, and even cookie cutters. Choose the size and shape depending on the dish you plan to serve it with.

Drying/cooking the noodles
You can buy fancy pasta drying racks for this, but I’m cheap, and it can really be done anywhere. For long noodles I have draped them over the backs of the kitchen chairs, laid them flat on the counter, and I am considering using my clothes drying rack. For shorter noodles or shapes you can dry them on a plate, or on the counter or table. Be sure to move them around occasionally so they don’t stick to the counter or to each other (It’s ok if they stick together a little, they will come apart once cooked, or when they are completely dry for long term storage). Let the final pasta noodles dry for about an hour before cooking them.
Homemade pasta cooks faster than store bought pasta, so it only takes about 3-5 minutes in boiling, salted water.

Long term storage
A lot of people make fresh pasta and then eat it that same day. I haven’t found a whole lot of info about how to store it for long term use (I’m sure there’s info out there, I just haven’t found it yet). To me, it makes more sense to make a bunch at one time and store it for later. If you make an eggless pasta (which is basically just flour, water, and salt--maybe some oil, and whatever seasoning you want to add) you can dry it completely and store it in your pantry. If the pasta has egg in it the reason it isn’t smart to store it in the pantry is because of the potential for salmonella. It is technically a food safety hazard. I bought a can of processed dried whole egg, and I’m planning on trying that in my egg pasta. If it works out to be tasty then I imagine it would be perfectly safe in the pantry. To dry the pasta for pantry storage let it dry completely. If you live in a humid area you will need to check it occasionally and rotate it so that it dries even and doesn’t mold. I just leave mine out over night and it’s completely dry in the morning. You can also use a food dehydrator if you have one. Otherwise, you can dry it to almost dry but slightly moist and soft, and then freeze it. Whether frozen or dry it still cooks the same. Frozen pasta may need an additional minute or two.

Packaging
Packaging and drying are the two things I haven’t found very much info on. I’m still figuring them out. I made 1” long fettuccine noodles for chicken noodle soup and left them spread in a thin layer on the counter over night. They were dry by morning, and I just put them in a plastic bag in the freezer (they had egg in them). I made lasagna noodles and let them dry partly, then layered them on wax paper, gently rolled the paper and put it in a plastic bag in the freezer. I plan to completely dry some noodles (but haven’t tried it yet), and store them in plastic bags in the pantry. Basically, my strategy is that if you can put it in a plastic bag, then do it. I may also try glass or plastic containers with lids for in the pantry (but that would mean I’d have to actually buy some of those).

Pasta Update:
Lazy to Learned: Pasta Dough

Related Article:
Today I Chicken-Noodle-Souped

Related Recipes:
Homemade Pasta Recipe
Chocolate Pasta

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Today I Chicken-Noodle-Souped

I’ve been trying for a long time to figure out how to make chicken noodle soup from scratch; especially since I’ve learned to make my own pasta. I have an aversion to recipes that seem complicated or have too many ingredients (or require ingredients that I don’t keep on hand). For some reason I’ve never found a simple recipe for Chicken broth, or soup, so I just haven’t gotten around to trying it.

I use a lot of canned chicken broth for various things, and one day while I was reading through recipes--or blogs, or something like that--I saw something that talked about using chicken bouillon to make broth. I decided that would be a great way to have broth on hand, instead of taking up space (not to mention the expense) in those cans. On my next grocery trip to Costco I found a large bottle of powdered chicken bouillon. I was ecstatic, because I really don’t like those little hard cubes; they are a pain to work with. The kind I bought is supposed to be 1 tbsp = 1 cube.

From there I developed a plan in my head, to attempt chicken noodle soup. The end result was actually satisfactory.

Here is how it went:

I planned several hours in the afternoon (on a Sunday) to work on this project. First I made the pasta dough, then I rolled it and cut it into fettuccine (I only have 2 pasta cutters to choose from), about 4-6” strips. While those were drying I started on the soup.

I got out a package of frozen chicken breasts (2/package) and put it in the microwave to defrost. Then I got a large pot (maybe 6 quarts? I’m not sure the actual size) and filled it about 2/3 full of water; put that on the stove to boil. Once the chicken was mostly thawed I cut off all the fatty pieces and cut each breast into fourths, so they’d cook faster. In the pot they went. I set the timer for 30 minutes (intending to check on them after 15, but I got busy). Once they were cooked I put them on a cutting board to chop into bite sized pieces.

I poured the liquid (I’ll call it broth now, because I think that’s what it is) through a strainer into a bowl, to get all the foam and bits off. There was a rim of foam stuck on the pot, so I had to wash it off before pouring the broth back in.

The rest was easy. I put into the broth:

all the chicken pieces, ½ lb frozen peas & carrots, 5 stalks of celery that I chopped up, and I meant to add a can of corn, but I forgot.

I then added seasonings:

1 tsp onion powder, 1 tbsp onion flakes, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, a pinch of garlic powder, 2 tbsp chicken bouillon, and 6 additional cups of water (to fill the pot to about an inch below the rim).

I let all of this come to a boil, and then turned heat down slightly to simmer for 10 minutes. After my timer beeped I added the noodles, and let those cook for 3 minutes (fresh pasta cooks faster than store bought).

Voila! Delicious chicken noodle soup…

Yes, it actually was pretty good.

We did however come up with a few things to try for next time:

Up the salt to 3 tsp, it was lacking something until we salted our individual servings, then it was great. Cut the pasta to 1-2” strips, the longer ones were sort of difficult to serve. Boil the veggies longer, the celery was still a little crisp, and we like it soft. Don’t forget the corn, and maybe some fresh onions would be good.

I was pleased that the kids actually liked it! Well…they were sort of torn:

One ate it, but said he likes beef stroganoff better, one gobbled up the peas and didn’t cry when we made her take bites of the rest but ate nothing else, one was in LOVE with the broth and couldn’t stop dipping his bread in it and expressing how delicious it was, and the 4^th child ate it all very quickly and with few words expressed that he enjoyed it.

In the end, I’d say it was a success!

Here is the recipe for the revised version:

Chicken Noodle Soup

Homemade Pasta (basic recipe)

Perpetual Peppermint

I am in LOVE with Peppermint...

Last spring I planted 2 little peppermint plants. I had wanted to do it the previous year, but by the time I thought of it there weren’t any plants left in the garden shop. So I settled for apple mint instead. The apple mint, while it is certainly interesting, wasn’t exactly what I had hoped for. So as soon as spring was near (last season) I made a specific effort to find peppermint as soon as they were available for sale.

I bought and planted 2, just in case; I think they cost around $3 each. I knew pretty much nothing about mint, or growing mint, or even cooking with mint…it just sounded neat. I plunged right in and gave it a try.

Lots of advice I found on the internet said to not plant them in the garden, as they tend to “take over the world”, and they are better in pots. I didn’t really follow this advice. I just planted them out in the backyard in a corner, near my grape vines and irises. They didn’t get very big the first season, so I was ok with that. I also figured I would be using them so much that I would keep them under control. I think the key is to trim them regularly and keep them under control…or they just might become a weed.

I enjoyed fresh mint tea all summer long. It was fabulous. I also collected and dried an entire quart size mason jar of mint leaves, hoping to get through the winter. Sadly, just as winter happened along, I dropped my silly glass jar, and of course it shattered. Boo. I had to make due with the apple mint I had dried (which wasn’t very much), and was actually pleased that apple mint does pretty good in tea as well. Not the same, but good enough.

Ok, fast forward to this week. Winter is almost done and a few days ago I went out and found my mint plants. They had already begun to grow. The apple mint needed a haircut, as I didn’t tend to it in the winter. So I trimmed off all the dead leaves and left just the stems and new leaves. The nice thing about apple mint is that it doesn’t spread as much as peppermint (although I have seen it try to put out runners occasionally) and the leaves seem to grow faster and are bigger.

The two peppermint plants had taken different routes. One was small and compact, with all the leaves growing out of a general area, kind of like a bush. The other was putting out runners and reminded me of a viney plant you see in horror movies. Spreading its tentacles and crawling along the dirt in all directions. So I trimmed them both. The bush one I just had to trim off the dead leaves. The tentacle one had started to put down roots along the runners. I thought it was kind of neat, but also want to keep it somewhat under control. Without having any education or experience in the area of mint plants (or any plants for that matter) I decided to trim all the vines. I separated from the main plant the ones that had taken root. And the ones that were just loose I trimmed near the main roots. I will watch and see what happens.

I’m calling it an experiment in peppermint propagation (totally not related to my little dog, who also happens to be named Peppermint). I gathered up the runners I had trimmed off completely and am attempting to make starts out of them. There was a garden pot sitting on the deck that was full of dirt but no plants. I put the runners into the dirt, burying both ends (just in case), so they look like little arches; nothing fancy. Then it got really cold and started to snow. Looking out the window it appears as though the leaves are healthy and growing. I may be delusional, but it just may work!

I’m hoping to take peppermint to my new house, so I’m trying to figure out how to do it in the meantime. I also have strawberries, raspberries, and sage that I intend to move as well. The grape vines I am still contemplating, and the blackberries not likely (I don’t love them as much, and I absolutely hate thorny plants). But it will all just depend on how much time I have and what else catches my attention this summer.

Read more about growing and using mint:
Homegrown Mint

Free Onions

Last spring I planted some onions that I had bought in a bunch from Walmart. They grew through the summer and were mostly all ready around the same time, near the end of summer. I don’t use a whole lot of fresh onions, so I had way too many. I used what I could, and just ignored the rest. I left them alone when I dug up the rest of the garden for winter.

Winter happened, and then once the snow began to melt, nearing spring, I started to see little green shoots coming up. Even though it’s now officially spring, the sun is still eluding us, and we keep getting random blankets of snow. Yesterday, we had a break in the snow, and it was warm enough to work in the yard for a little while. I dug up a few of the sprouted onions and realized that they had been making “babies”.

Congratulations to me! I’m a grandma!

Or, at least that’s what I think is happening. I separated the few that I had dug up and replanted them in another spot. Of course, it’s snowing again today, so I don’t know what they’re doing out there, but I’m thinking I may end up with a whole herd of “free” onions this year.

I’m excited to see how this will pan out…‘cause I’m all about “free”.

Hamburgers with Griddled-bread-buns

The same day that I tried to make ice cream with butter I also planned hamburgers for dinner. We had frozen ground beef, but no buns. I originally planned to make the buns (from scratch, of course) but ran out of time. So instead of making the buns I improvised. My honey took care of making the hamburgers—as he does--and grilled them on the outside bbq.

I pulled out my trusty (aka inefficient/gimpy) griddle. I used homemade wheat bread (that I already had on hand), buttered one side of each slice and toasted them on the griddle; as I would for grilled cheese sandwiches. After golden brown I flipped them over and lightly toasted the non-buttered side.

We served the buttered side facing out, and the unbuttered side touching the meat. It turned out pretty tasty, and was a good alternate to buns.

Recipes mentioned:

Hamburger buns (from scratch)
Griddled-bread-buns
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Homemade Wheat Bread
Hamburger patties

Vanilla Ice cream into bread

The other day I was running low on grocery money, but really wanted some ice cream. I have been occasionally making homemade ice cream and use a simple vanilla ice cream recipe that requires heavy cream, half & half, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Of course, I never have any cream on hand, it’s just not something that is easy to store; and I don’t use it often enough to justify buying it without a purpose. I remembered that I had found a substitution for heavy cream and decided I would try it out. The substitution is basically butter and milk. Well, you may be laughing already, but it sounded brilliant to me. So, I tried it out. I made sure the butter melted and the sugar dissolved and it was all blended together. I poured the concoction into my ice cream maker, and waited 30 minutes. Voila! Delicious vanilla ice cream. Haha, or something like that. It smelled and looked great, but--you guessed it--the butter separated and returned to a solid form, as butter does.

We actually ate half of it, and the kids only kind of noticed that it was a little strange; I had to throw mine out after a few bites that were full of tiny balls of grease. The other half, I decided to try another experiment with. I thought that maybe if I cooked it on the stove the butter would bind with the milk, and all would be rainbows and sunshine. So, that is what I did today.

You guessed it: didn’t work. Oh well, I tried.

I hate to be wasteful and I felt bad throwing out this yummy smelling sweet liquid. So, i came up with one final experiment as a last resort to salvage. I’m not always smart enough to know when to quit and cut my losses. I threw together some more ingredients, without a recipe, and attempted to create some kind of bread out of it.

Good news, it actually turned out pretty decent. Kind of like a white sweet bread…and if you pay close attention you can even taste a hint of vanilla ice cream! I’m not a huge fan of white bread (I think I’ve developed an aversion to its unhealthiness) so I probably won’t add it to my collection of regulars, but the kids sure liked it. I think they get tired of wheat bread, and consider white a treat (kind of like ice cream—2 treats in one!).

Here are the respective recipes (click to follow the link):

Easy Vanilla Ice Cream
Heavy Cream Substitute
Vanilla Ice Cream Bread