Text 35476, 169 rader
Skriven 2013-03-31 02:22:24 av Janis Kracht (1:261/38)
  Kommentar till text 35339 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: picky 324
=================
Hi Michael,

>> May I sleep on the comfy chair again?
>> Oh don't be silly.. Of course you can.

> The main issue is if there's someone poorer than me
> who needs the space. I'm in a profligate phase.

I think it will be fine.  So far I'm just figuring that you and Nancy will stay
here at the house, and that's fine.  I also heard from one of my points in
Italy who said he may attend. I hope he can, it would be great to meet Pietro.
He's a reader here, but he hasn't posted here so far.  Works for me :)  Pietro
is from Milano Italy.

>> No Parmesan.. definitely an allergy killer because it's made with
>> cow's milk.. I use only Sheep's milk pecorino locatelli.

> Ah. I am not fond of pecorino. Is buffalo milk cheese also
> a no-no?

That should be fine, but for Calimari and say for Ravioli and Lasangna you want
that bite that peccorino gives you.  In stuffings like in Squid, or in filling
like Ravioli it makes the dish IMO.  That would be something to try at the
picnic.. Ravioli or Squid made with some mild cheese like parmesan, and some
made with Peccorino.  I think once you taste the difference, you'll agree with
me.  Then at least for Ravioli, there's Mom's Northern Italian family's Mint in
Ravioli as opposed to Dad's Southern Italian use of parsely rather than Mint. I
have some mint from my garden in Windsor that was used really just for that. If
that's gone now, I can get more once spring hits since we still haven't put the
house on the market :)  Soon we'll do that I hope.

>> ==Stuffed Calamari  in Tomato Sauce==

> Your sauce is similar to mine, but I use oregano and perhaps
> thyme and bay in addition to the basil (and I am judicious
> with the basil). For the stuffing, rice instead of breadcrumbs,
> sausage instead of cheese.

I never have bay in the house it seems ... I guess that's because long ago
(real long ago) Ron expressed a dislike for bay leaves. I don't think I've ever
used oregano in fish sauce either.. parsely though is good with most fish
sauces.

Generally for marinara I often also use Thyme.. but for a quick tomato Marinara
I just use basil.  For pizza and for meat sauce I use oregano and basil and
thyme.  One thing I've found is that for a good sauce in general, when all else
fails, add more olive oil and garlic salt :) Never fails it seems.

> And now for something somewhat different -

> ---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.01

> Title: Squid Stuffed with Ricotta and Spinach

> SQUID STUFFED WITH RICOTTA AND SPINACH

> Do not overstuff the squid or they may split while they cook.  Rice and
> braised fennel go well with this dish.

Oh yeah.. those guys will burst if you overfill them :) And ruin the sauce as
well :(

> 1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Clean the squid and chop the
> tentacles finely. Set them aside.

> 2.  Saute the onion and the garlic in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the
> butter until the onion is soft.  Add the tentacles and cook for 2 minutes.
> Add the spinach and saute, stirring, until it has wilted.  Drain off any
> extra liquid and cool the spinach.

> 3.  In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, parsley, and the cooled
> spinach mixture.

Basis of some Ravioli.. goes well together.  I made my own Ricotta and
non-gluten Ravioli the other day.. wow, came out great.  And no agita from
Gluten 'ronies haha

> Mix thoroughly and season with salt, pepper, and hot
> pepper flakes.

Very nice.

> 6.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the squid is tender and the sauce

Nice idea, using the oven.. I've seen it before for Squid and also meatballs
but I don't think I've ever been able to make myself not do both on the stove
top.. it's just so normal and fills the house with such great smells.  For me,
it's quite addictive.

==Non-Gluten Ravioli==
These really taste like "real gluten ravioli".

2 cups non-gluten flour like Bob's Red Mill all purose flour 2 cups tapioca
flour
4 egg yolks
2 whole eggs (Yeah, sounds like a log of eggs but the flour needs them) 2
teaspoons guar gum (Xanthum gum is made from Corn I hear) 1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
some water

Mix all ingredients with a mixer, then gather into a ball and wrap in plastic
wrap and let sit for 20 minutes.  If it's too dry to gather into a ball, add
water a few teaspoons at at a time.  If it's too wet (not crumbly and able to
be gathered into a ball) add more Tapioca flour.  The nice thing about
non-gluten ravioli dough is that the dough can be remixed with more water or
oil and not be overprocessed like regular flour macaroni.

Ricotta cheese Filling
2 cups 2% milk
2 cups whole milk
(part of the whole milk can be resonstituted dry goat's milk for the best
flavor - maybe 1 cup or less.  It's the closest to the water buffalo's used in
Italy from what I've read)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup lemon juice

Add the salt to the milk.  Heat the milk to almost boiling.   If you do this at
med-high heat or high heat(lazy way) stir often.  When you see tiny bubbles
around the edges of the pot and it's just about to boil, it's time to add the
lemon juice. Once you add it, stir at reduced heat for one minute, then the
cover the pot. Let the pot sit covered, undisturbed for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes you should see large curds in the milk,  Strain with either a
cheesecloth (best) or a large strainer until most of the water is drained. Some
people can stand the wait like for 3 hours.  I've never been able to wait that
long :)

When you are ready to start making Ravioli, first, make the filling:

Mom's Classic Ravioli filling:

Mix the drained Rigottta cheese (you should have about 2 cups+) with 1/2 cup
peccorino cheese, 1 beaten whole egg, a pinch of salt, touch of pepper, and
either 1 tablepoons finely chopped dried mint or chopped 3 tablespoons fresh
Italian flat leaf parsley.

Now flatten the ball of macaroni dough into an oval shape with the palms of
your hands. Cut off about a 2-3" section and keep the remaining dough covered
in plastic wrap.  Use a rolling pin to roll out the cut section of the dough
into a very thin long wide strip.

Place a teaspoon or more of the ricotta filling about every two inches.  If
your macaroni stip is at least 4-5 inches wide, fold the the stip to cover the
ricota.  If it is not wide enough roll out another strip and cover the stip
with the new stip of dough.  Press an indent between the teaspoons of ravioli
filing with your thumb.  Cut with a knife at the indents.  Use a fork dipped in
water to seal the edges of each ravioli.  Cut off excess edges with a sharp
knife. Place the formed ravioli on a lightly floured surface using either non
gluten flour or tapioca flour. Don't put the shaped ravioli on an a clean
counter top without any flour or the filling will stick to the counter when you
are ready to put them in the pot of boiling water to cook them.

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add the ravioli and reduce
the heat to a simmer.  Stir gentley to keep them from sticking to the bottom of
the pot. Cook until the ravioli rise to the surface of the water.  Check one of
the ravioli with a thick crust for doneness (you want then chewy -al dente- but
not raw).

When done, remove the ravioli with a slotten spoon onto a large platter.  Don't
just pour them into a colendar or they will break.  Spoon some sauce over them
to keep them from sticking.

===

Take care,
Janis

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