Fettuccine with mushroom Bolognese

One of my joys as a Mom is having a shared passion with my children. For us (Ian and I) that would be cooking and baking. He is very enthusiastic to help around the kitchen especially tasting. 

His interest was caught by the commercial of Chef Curtis (feed your family under $10) on how to make Fettuccine with mushroom Bolognese. Ian loves pasta and he knows that I like to work on a budget. It's a win-win situation. I promised to help him by chopping the ingredients. 

Fettuccine with mushroom Bolognese

(original recipe)

Ingredients:

1 small brown onion,finely chopped
3 Tbsp Olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
250g cup mushrooms, sliced
500g  minced regular beef
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
400g can Italian diced tomatoes
350g fettuccine
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 loosely packed cup of fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Procedure

1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan until hot. Cook onion and garlic for 2 mins, then add the carrot and cook for 1 min, or until just softened. Add mushrooms and cook for 2

mins. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Add the beef and stir over high heat for 3 mins, or until lightly browned and no lumps of meat remain.

3. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, allow to bubble for 1 min. Add the tomatoes.

4. Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine according to packet directions. Remove 1 cup of the pasta water carefully and add it to the sauce. Cook the sauce for a further 10-12 mins, until slightly thickened. Turn off the heat and add the extra virgin olive oil. Drain the fettuccine.

5. Add the fettuccine to the sauce in the pan and mix well. Scatter over the basil. Divide between four bowls and serve with the Parmesan cheese.

Ian and I had fun cooking. I was amazed with his enthusiasm and attention to details (e.g., measuring the volume and weight of the ingredients). He is also gifted with a sensitive palate, he knows what seasonings and spices to add. Well done, Ian!!!

As a homeschool mom, I think cooking a great tool to teach math (measurements), science (chemical reactions and nutrition), reading and comprehension (following instructions), and creativity (food presentation) to name a few. 

Word of Encouragement:
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Pepperoni and Bacon Quiche

I  noticed in gatherings that pie is always a big hit. It doesn’t matter what kind of pie – apple, pecan, walnut, lemon, chicken, beef, tuna, etc. So, I decided to finally try baking a Quiche – a savory pie for our weekend family dinner. I am always drawn to the elegance and savory flavor of Quiche but I never had the guts to make it. Maybe it was because of the seemingly complexity of the recipe or the effort that goes into preparing it. Well, whatever the reason was, it didn’t matter. I decided to conquer my fear. No guts, no glory!

I used The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, The New Classics’ Tart Dough, page 586, a reference. I followed her Tart Dough recipe and I kinda improvised for the filling by adding additional flavorings.

Tart Dough

Makes one 11-inch

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp coarse salt

¼ cup coarsely chopped chives, rosemary, or thyme (optional)

9 Tbsp (1 1/8 sticks) cold unsalted butter

1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, beaten

3 Tbsp ice water

Instructions:

A. Preparing the dough

Process the flour, salt, and herbs (if using) in a food processor until combined.

Add the butter, and process just until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Whisk together the egg mixture and the water in a small bowl.

With the processor running, pour in the egg mixture;

process until the dough starts to come together.

Shape the dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

 

B. Rolling and Baking the dough (still from Martha)

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into ¼ inch thick. Cut out a 13-inch circle from the dough. Press the dough circle on the bottom and up the sides of an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom; trim the dough flush with the top edge of the pan. Prick the bottom all over with a fork. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Freeze until firm about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Line the tart shell with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the dough starts to feel firm on the edges, about 20 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and weights; continue baking until the crust is pale golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

 

Filling

200 g bacon, diced

1 Pepperoni Sausage, diced

1 medium onion, diced

5 cloves of roasted garlic, diced

1 tsp of Italian seasoning

¼ cup Basil, chopped

2 Tbsp Spring onions, diced

Salt and pepper (to taste)

3 large eggs

1 cup cream

1 cup milk

Instructions:

Brown the bacon in a skillet under a medium heat. Remove from heat and dry the bacon with a paper towel.

Use the oil from the bacon to sauté the onions and garlic. Add the sausage and cook for another minute. Turn off the heat. Stir in the bacon, Italian seasoning, basil, spring onions, pepper, and salt.

On another bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, and milk. Combine the meat mixture with the egg mixture until well combined.

Then, pour into the tart shell. Bake for about 30 minutes. Let cool at least 40 minutes before serving.

There were some leftover filling so I baked them in ramekins and served them as breakfast the next morning. I recommend that for just the right amount of filling, reduce the sausage and bacon into half.

The effort and time I exerted for this dish was worth it. The flavor was what I expected – flavorful and distinct. Next time, I will lessen the salt because the Pepperoni Sausage is tasty already and will add more herbs like parsley and thyme.

Pizza Rustica

I borrowed Nigella Lawson’s Domestic Goddess book from a good friend. Since then, I've been itching to try recipes from her book. Her writing style is so encouraging for home cooks like me because of the simplicity of the recipes, very easy to follow instructions, and elegant presentation of each dish.


For me, Pizza Rustica is like a big Calzone but with a thinner crust.

I followed the book’s recipe for the pastry but I improvised for the filling.

Pizza Rustica

Serves: 8-10

For the Pastry: (Domestic Goddess, page 86 Pies)

Please note that my comments are in parenthesis after some of the ingredients.

250 g plain flour, preferably Italian 00 (I used all purpose flour)

125 g cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 cm cubes

2 egg yolks

2 Tbsp iced water (but you can add a little more if the dough is dry)

1 heaped tsp salt

1 Tbsp caster sugar (I used brown sugar and it worked well too)

22 cm, Springform tin, buttered

Instructions:

Put the flour and butter in a dish, and put this dish in the deep freeze for 10 minutes. Stir together the yolks, water and salt in a cup, and put this cup in the fridge. Then, when time’s up, tip the flour and butter into the bowl of the processor, add the sugar and pulse to combine: you want a soft crumbly mass, somewhere between sand and porridge oats. Bind with the egg yolks, water and salt, and when it looks like it’s on the verge of coming together (you have to stop slightly short of this actual happening), tip the pastry out and wodge (Mitch's note: wodge means to lump) it together with your hands. Don’t worry though, if the pastry is a little too damp: I find one of the miracles of this pre-freezing pastry technique is that it makes it more foolproof on every level. It always seems to roll out well.

Divide into two discs, one somewhat larger than the other, and put both into the fridge to rest wrapped in clingfilm.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/gas mark 6, put in a baking sheet, and get on with the filling.

For Filling: (This is now my own recipe using ingredients on hand).

1 Tbsp Olive oil

½ Kilo ground chicken (you can also ground beef or pork)

250 g minced bacon

1 medium sized minced onion

2 Tbsp red wine (optional)

5 cloves of roasted garlic (I love garlic so you might find five too

much and you can use less to suit your taste)

3 medium sized minced tomatoes (seeds removed)

3 Tbsp chopped basil

1/3 Cup minced mushrooms

½ Cup mild Cheddar cheese

½ Cup Quick melt cheese

¼ Cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

2 eggs, slightly beaten

2 Tbsp Breadcrumbs

Instructions:

Fry the ground chicken and bacon in the oil for 6 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, tomato and mushroom. Cook for another 2 minutes.

Let it cool then add the rest of the ingredients except the breadcrumbs and mix thoroughly.

Assembling the pie:

Egg wash: 1 egg white, 1 Tbsp milk, and pinch of salt (mix them together)

Roll out the larger disc of dough and put it inside the springform to cover the bottom and sides, allow the dough to overhang. Sprinkle evenly the bread crumbs on the bottom of the pasty-lined pan then, fill it up with the filling.

Roll out the smaller disc of dough and place it on top of the filled pie, turn over the edges of the overhang bottom dough to form a border.

Before baking, brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and make steam holes by poking the pie with the prongs of a fork.

Put the pie on the baking sheet in the preheated oven. Bake for ten minutes at 200 degrees C/gas mark 6, then lower the temperature to 180 degrees C/gas mark 4, and bake for another 35-45 minutes.

Let it cool for about 10 minutes before serving.  

It was a big hit! Pizza Rustica is now officially part of my must-cook recipes. My husband and I finished 2/3 of the pie in just a day.

Kain na! (Bon Appetit in Tagalog)

Pan Grilled Rib-eye Steak

We went out for our family lunch date. It has been our tradition to go out for a date as a family (my husband, my son and I) once a week. We expected that traffic was heavy due to an on-going road construction, surpisingly the traffic was light so we arrived at the mall early (too early for lunch). We ended up going to the supermarket to kill time which was a bad idea because we went out there with three bags of nice to have things such as Rib-eye steak. Now I proved the saying that one should never do groceries with an empty stomach.

Pan Grilled Rib-eye Steak

Serves: 2-3

½ kilo of Rib-eye Steak (2-3 pieces around 1-inch thick each)

Salt and pepper

1-2 Tbsp gourmet mustard or honey mustard

Directions:

1. Rub the steak with salt and pepper then generously spread the mustard on each side of the meat.

2. Place the meat inside the refrigerator for 2-3 hours to allow the flavoring to get through the meat.

3. Preheat the pan (a sturdy one) over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. The pan must be really hot. Grill each side for about 3 minutes for medium rare) and around 4-5 minutes for well-done.

For the side dish, I served the leftover Mango Salsa which I liked but my husband was not so crazy about it. I think next time I will serve my usual complementary dish like Mashed Potato, Sautéed Mixed Vegetables, or Sautéed Mushrooms.

Learning for the day, fresh and quality ingredients are critical to great cooking. Bon appétit!

Cannelloni with Ground Beef Filling

While watching an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, our taste buds were aroused by the Cannoli of Marie (the mom of Raymond). Funny thing we thought Marie said the dish was Cannelloni. To satisfy our hunger, we decided to give it a go – Cannelloni for our family dinner. A totally new recipe for me.

As described by Wikipedia, Cannelloni are rectangular are rectangular pasta sheets that are rolled into a cylindrical shape encompassing a filling
I looked at my cookbooks but unfortunately, I didn't find any Cannelloni recipe. So, I looked for different filling recipes for fresh pasta. Walaah! I found the recipe that I believed suited my needs from How to Cook Everything of Matt Bittman. I modified it according to my palette and available ingredients. Here’s my own take:

Cannelloni Meat Filling

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 minced medium onions

½ kilo Ground lean beef (sirloin)

1 cup red wine (I used my left over wine from Christmas)

Salt and ground pepper to taste

5 cloves of roasted garlic*

¼ cup minced parsley (better if you use flat leaf parsley)

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (preferably freshly grated)

1 egg

¼ cup bread crumbs (preferably homemade)

Pasta Sauce

2 cups Italian Spaghetti sauce

2 cups béchamel sauce

Instructions:

Pour the olive oil in a medium, deep skillet and turn the heat to medium. Add the onions and cook until it is translucent (around 2 minutes). Add the ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up any lumps.

Add the wine with salt and pepper then turn the heat to very low. Cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally until the meat is tender and the sauce thickened.

Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Cool thoroughly, and then stir in the parsley, parmesan, egg, and bread crumbs.

Fill the Cannelloni pasta immediately and arrange it on a single file on a baking dish.

Pour the Italian Spaghetti sauce then béchamel sauce. Cover the baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes at 375F (please follow the cooking instructions at the back of the Cannelloni package).

* I decided to use 5 cloves of roasted garlic because I love the sweetness and unique taste of garlic once it’s roasted. (I learned this from Martha Stewart, one of the people I admire).

The package of the Cannelloni recommended baking the dish for 20 minutes, however, after trying one pasta tube I found it a little hard so I cooked it again for another 7 minutes.

At first, I thought I overcooked my beloved Cannelloni. As dinner started, I looked at each one on the table as they passed around my Cannelloni. I felt like I didn't blink an eye until Tomas, my brother-in-law, gave his verdict, "umm, yummy".  And everyone gave their yummy-proval. Yeheey!

For tonight, I think I made it. Goodnight for now!

Cook, eat, celebrate, and love!!!