The Houndstooth Gourmet

 As I reported in the most recent At The Market, I bought a large bunch of really fresh and fragrant dill last Sunday from Gardener’s Gourmet. The first dish in which I incorporated the dill is gnocchi. Gnocchi (roughly pronounced NYOK-kee) are Italian dumplings and are named for gnocco, which is slang for “lump”.

Gnocchi are made from potatoes and other ingredients. They can be used as pasta and be accompanied by a variety of things, from a light tomato sauce, to braised meats, to butter and cheese.

Gnocchi recipes reach back to as far as the 12th century are are most common to Northern Italy. Typically, gnocchi are made by boiling potatoes, followed by ricing them, adding flour, egg and salt. Kneading this dough together is quick and portions of the dough are then rolled into batons and cut into 1 inch long pieces. The gnocchi pieces are then rolled on a fork, or gnocchi roller to give them their signature ridges which are great for holding sauce. Once formed, the gnocchi are quickly cooked in boiling water and are done when they float to the top.

After cooking, gnocchi can be added to a dish, or fried in butter to name just a couple ways to use them.

Here’s a recipe for gnocchi which is adapted from Mario Batali’s recipe on Food Network’s website. You will notice that I chose to use Yukon Gold potatoes as a change from more traditional Russett potatoes. The result was still light, yet creamy and the dough came together quickly without having to add more flour (which has unfortunately been a problem which has bitten me in the ass before- I call those gnocchi “sinkers”).

I served the gnocchi browned in butter and topped with Pecorino Romano cheese. The recipe makes about 90-100 gnocchi, but don’t fear, they freeze well and cook up frozen only a bit slower than when fresh.

To freeze, place the gnocchi on a lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until solid. Store frozen gnocchi is an airtight Ziploc baggie.

Herbed Gnocchi with Dill and Pecorino

makes 90-100 gnocchi

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes
• 2 cups All Purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup finely chopped dill
• 1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese (more for garnish)

Directions

Peel and quarter potatoes, keeping size uniform. Rinse potatoes in cold water. Place potatoes in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and allow potatoes to simmer, partially covered, until a fork is easily inserted (about 20  minutes).

Drain the potatoes in a collander and allow to cool for several minutes. Using a food mill or ricer, run potatoes through onto a lightly floured surface. Bring milled potatoes together and make a well in the center. Sprinkle all of the flour, dill and Pecorino cheese over the potatoes. Place egg and salt in the center of the well, and using a fork, stir into flour and potato. Once the egg is mixed in, bring the dough together by kneading it gently until a ball is formed. Knead for 3-4 minutes until the ball is dry to the touch.

Lightly four surface and your hands. Cut a 1 inch thick slice of the dough ball off. Gently roll into a baton or rope, until 1 inch thick throughout. Cut the rope into 1 inch pieces. Using your thumb, roll each piece (uncut side) on the tines of a fork, or gnocchi roller. Here’s a great pictorial from Food Network to guide you through this technique.

To cook gnocchi, place in boiling water and cook for 1-2 minutes, until they float. Transfer to sauce, or as I did, fry them up in a bit of butter, until browned, in a non-stick skillet. Sprinkle with extra Pecorino Romano.

Enjoy!

*Weekend Herb Blogging is a weekly event started by Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen. This week, WHB is hosted by Thyme For Cooking.

Tags: cheese, herbs, pasta, potatoes, Recipe by Ramona
11 Comments »

Cookthink is a great recipe website and blog where you can retrieve recipes based upon what you have on hand, what meal you are making, and even what mood you’re in. They began the Root Source Challenge several weeks ago. Each challenge is based on a specific ingredient, which you use or feature in a recipe. This week’s Root Source Challenge is orzo.

Orzo is a small pasta which means “barley” in Italian. It is often used in soups and can be used for making a risotto.

For this challenge, I wanted to incorporate orzo into a recipe in an unusual manner. What first came to mind was timpano-you know, like from the movie Big Night. Timpano uses rigatoni or ziti along with many other ingredients to create layers within baked dough.

It seemed a bit daunting.

So, I thought “hey, what about stromboli?” Instead of traditional Italian stuffing, I could use ingredients more reminiscent of Greece and the Mediteranean region in general. Hence, “Mediterranean Stromboli”. Layers of seasoned ground beef with onions, orzo with spinach, Manchego cheese, roasted red bell peppers and kalamata olives are combined to put a twist on the traditional pizza shop turnover. However, I served it with the traditional marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

The result was delicious and well worth the effort, especially since the recipe makes 2- 12 inch stromboli. The orzo added an unexpected creaminess to the stromboli.  Mediterranean Stromboli would make a great snack or appetizer and would work well in a buffet. Most of all, I wish I had thought of this for the Superbowl.

Mediterranean Stromboli

makes 16-18 servings

Ingredients

for the dough

• 1 1/4 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F.)
• 1 Tablespoon yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3-31/2 cups All Purpose flour

for the filling

• 1 lb. ground beef (80/20 mix)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 cup orzo, cooked according to package directions
• 1 10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 8 oz. Manchego cheese, roughly shredded
• 4 roasted red bell peppers, skins peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch strips ( I used jarred fire roasted peppers)
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten (1 egg for orzo and spinach mixture, and 1 egg for brushing the dough before baking)
• 1 Tablespoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce for dipping on the side (optional)

Directions

Add 1/4 cup warm water, yeast and sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer. Stir, then allow to sit for 5 minutes until it gets foamy. Add the remaining water, olive oil and salt. Using a dough hook, turn mixer on low to medium low speed. Gradually add in 1 1/2 to 2 cups of the flour and mix until smooth. Add an additional cup of flour and continue to mix dough until it begins to pull away from the sides.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead dough for 10 minutes, using additional flour as needed to stop sticking.

Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover with a dish towel. Allow the dough to rise for approximately one hour in a warm place. The dough should double in size.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

While the dough is rising, cook orzo according to package directions and combine it with the spinach. Once the mixture is cooled, add one egg and stir to incorporate.

For the meat and onions, place a skillet over medium high heat and add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Add onions and cook for approximately 5 minutes until transluscent. Do not brown. Add meat and begin to brown. Chop the meat with a flat wooden spatula to get it to separate into small pieces. Add garlic powder, oregano, marjoram and cinnamon. Once browned, check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

Punch down the dough and transfer it onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough in half. Roll each half into a 10 inch x 12 inch rectangle. Layer half of fillings evenly over dough; meat and onion mixture, orzo and spinach mixture, manchego cheese, peppers and olives. Leave about 1 inch of the dough’s edge uncovered.

Carefully begin to roll the dough and stuffing. Towards the end of rolling, tuck in the edges and fold them under the bottom seam. Repeat with other half of dough. Transfer stromboli to a greased or silicone lined baking sheet. Cut slits on top of dough approximately 2-3 inches apart, depending on how big you wish to make each serving.

Brush egg wash over dough, avoiding the slits. Place baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Turn the baking sheet half way through cooking for even heating.

Allow stromboli to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into serving pieces.

Optional-serve stromboli with a side of your favorite marinara sauce, warmed, for dipping.

*Cookthink holds a weekly Root Source Challenge where winning recipes get published on their site and a prize is awarded to the winner.

Tags: beef, cheese, pasta, Recipe by Ramona
7 Comments »

Sicilian Chicken is one of those dishes which reminds me of the Italian restaurants from where I grew up in Philadelphia. In these ever-present establishments, simple Italian-American meals are served with a salad and a  side of plain old spaghetti, topped with spaghetti sauce and grated cheese which I won’t say is cheap but let’s just say it comes in a green can. And I love it. “Oh, that dish doesn’t come with a side of spaghetti?”. “Let me order one that does”.

Coincidentally, my favorite neighborhood Italian place in Philadelphia shares the name of my Houndstooth Gourmet cohort husband, Frank. Frank’s Spaghetti House is low on ambience, but big on value. Plastic booths and laminated tables yield to paper napkins and mismatched cutlery. Salads, which always begin the meal, are iceberg lettuce, cucumbers and flavorless tomatoes, sprinkled with shaved carrots. Bread, always gratis, is reminiscent of a Pillsbury loaf right out of the oven. The side of spaghetti, as I mentioned, is a heaping bowl of pasta, topped with sauce on top of which you can sprinkle grated powdered cheese from a glass shaker. Sprinkling it over your pasta  goes something like this-shake, shake, shake…..turn the shaker over to knock it on the table a few times (curse under your breath) to unclog the holes….shake, shake, shake.

It’s the Italian version of a meat and two and I pine for it.

Then there’s the hot cherry peppers which are so ubiquitous in Philly. Huge bowls of these little pain inducers are omnipresent  at corner hoagie and cheesesteak joints. Not just a garnish, but whole seeded peppers are a staple to put along side your sandwich on the paper it came wrapped in. Growing up, it was a badge of honor just to eat one.

Here’s a recipe for Sicilian Chicken, inspired by a beloved South Philadelphia restaurant called Villa di Roma. Villa di Roma serves up Italian-American fare in a no nonsense, no frills atmophere. The dishes are hearty and huge and you might just be called “hon” by your waitress(not servers-waitress….or waiter in ‘yo Philly).

Sicilian Chicken

serves 4

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 boneless, skiness chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 2 cups porcini mushrooms, halved
• 10-12 hot cherry peppers, seeded and cut in half
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1 cup Spanish olives
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 Tablespoon paprika
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• Kosher salt and pepper

For the spaghetti

• 1 box of spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
• 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
• freshly grated parmesan or pecorino (sorry, I just can’t recommend the green can)

Directions

Liberally season chicken with kosher salt and pepper

Heat a skillet over high heat and add olive oil. When oil is very hot (starts to shimmer and smoke just a bit) add chicken. Brown chicken on both sides and remove to a bowl and sprinkle paprika over chicken. To the pan, add onions, mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Scrape up browned bits (fond) from chicken. Add capers, olives and peppers. Sautee for 3-5 minutes to heat through.

Bring heat to high and add white wine. Allow wine to reduce for 2-3 minutes. Add butter to sauce and return chicken to pan. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes to finish chicken.

While the chicken is cooking, heat your favorite pasta sauce and serve it over cooked spaghetti as a side to the chicken. Pass the grated cheese at the table to sprinkle over the spaghetti and the chicken.

* Presto Pasta Night is a really fun weekly event sponsored by Ruth at Once Upon a Feast.

Tags: chicken, pasta, Recipe by Ramona
3 Comments »

Hard Times Cafe is a casual and fun restaurant in Alexandria, VA and has over a dozen outposts throughout Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina. It’s a chili parlor with other good food that’s bad for you, like burgers, ribs and wings. I first tried their chili 10 years ago when visiting  friends in Alexandria. They told me to boil some spaghetti while they went out to pick up the chili. What?

You see, I had never heard of chili mac. Chili mac, for the unitiated out there among you, is chile over spaghetti. Now, forget about what constitutes “real” chili, whether beans should be banned or visible vegetables are verboten. This ain’t about what kind of chili you like or is from your “neck of the woods”. It’s about taking that favorite chili and piling it on top of spaghetti. Topping such as cheese and diced onion are good too. Whatever you like, you put it on. For me, it’s shredded cheese, sour cream and chives. I can do without the chives really, but the cheese and sour cream are a must. In fact, when I made this last Sunday, we had to make a stop at our closest market just to pick up some sour cream. It’s essential in the Houndstooth household.

One of the best things about chili mac is the tasty mess that it turns into as all the ingredients get mixed. It actually improves as you eat it!

If you are in the area, do take a hand from the Hard Times Cafe chili mix by stopping in and buying some mix. Or, order it from their store. You’ll be glad you did! I go for the Cinncinati style mix which has slight heat and permeates the meat with cinnamon. Plus, it’s so damn easy to make. No chopping, no cutting. I just brown the meat, open a couple cans of beans and a can of tomato puree. Then, it can simmer on the stove and fill the house with wonderful smells.

There is a recipe on the back but of course I ignore it and make it my way (for one, it calls for boiling the meat. Uh,no). Here’s what I do:

Ingredients:

2 lb. ground beef (I use 80/20 mix)

2 cans beans, such as kidney or pinto

1 large can tomato  puree

1/2 cup water

1 box Hard Times Cafe chili mix

Directions:

Brown meat in heavy bottom pan. Drain grease if you want.  Pour chili mix over meat and add water. Stir to evenly coat. Add beans and tomato puree. Simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, covered. Stir every 5 minutes. Serve over spaghetti and add your choice of toppings.

* Presto Pasta Night is a weekly blogging even held by Ruth at Once Upon A Feast.

Tags: Alexandria, beef, Chili, Hound Picks, pasta, Recipe, Restaurants, Virginia by Ramona
7 Comments »

Hi, I’m Ramona and I’m a herbaholic. And a spiceaholic. Yes gentle readers, in my cupboards and drawers (and even in my freezer) is an enormous collection of dried herbs and spices and I can’t stop. With each new cuisine I endeavor to cook and with every visit to a store, I seem to add another bottle, tin or bag of olfactory pleasing herbs and spices. While I’m at it, I’ll also admit that I’m not all that dedicated to replacing them when I should. I usually wait until my red pepper flakes are looking brown, or my thyme is past it’s time to act.

This soup is made with chicken stock but could easily become a vegetarian dish by substituting vegetable stock. If you happen to be fortunate enough to have a Parmesan rind around, feel free to throw it in as the soup cooks.

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth

2 cups water

1 t. dried basil

1 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. dried thyme

2 t. dried onion flakes

1/2 t. dried shallots (optional)

1/8 t. dried red pepper flakes

2 cups cannelloni beans, drained

3/4 cup elbow macaroni (or other small pasta such as ditalini)

1 cup frozen chopped spinach

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan or pecorino cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

To saucepan, add chicken stock and water. Increase heat to medium and add pasta, herbs, beans and spinach. Bring to a low boil and skim any “scum” off the top (some herbs will come out with it, but that’s OK). Lower to simmer and cover. Cook soup with pasta for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cheese and combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with freshly grated cheese on the side.

*Weekend Herb Blogging is a weekly event for bloggers all over the world to submit their recipies and pictures featuring herbs. Join Kalyn at Kalyn’s Kitchen for the doubly delicious 2 year anniversary celebration of this event!

Tags: pasta, Recipe, soup by Ramona
3 Comments »