Burrow House

one local summer, week 6

No matter how it may seem right now, my life is NOT all about cooking.  I swear I have stories to tell!  Somewhere, way down deep I have a tale or two.  I just have to find them.  I have a feeling that as soon as the first school bell rings, they will flow like spring run-off on the first warm day.

Til then, you get food.  Good food. Local, sustainable food.

My contribution this week:  PASTA

Fundamentally, pasta is very simple. Flour, eggs, and a little salt; all kneaded together by hand until the gluten forms.

Then rested, and rolled, and rested, and sliced, and rested, and boiled.

Easy peasy, right?  Right.  It is remarkably simple. And FAR superior to anything you can buy in a store. And people are understandably awed by your greatness when you say, "Yes, I make my own pasta."

First, steal a pasta machine from a good friend.  

Then:

Mound 4 cups of all purpose flour either in a bowl, or directly on the counter.  Then make a well in the center.

Into the well, crack 6 eggs.

Add 1 teaspoon of salt (optional)

Gently beat eggs with a fork until they are slightly frothy, pulling in a bit of the flour as you go.

Then pull in more flour.  And more.  And more.  And more.  Now lose the fork and use your hand.  Squeeze and squish and knead until totally combined and the texture becomes smooth and elastic.

Divide evenly into 4 balls and loosely cover with plastic wrap.  Let rest for 30 minutes.

Lightly flour one of the balls and run it through the rolling machine (set to a wide setting) 3 or 4 times. Lay it on a lightly floured surface.  Repeat with the remaining dough.  Let it all rest/dry for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Now, roll the flour through the cutting side of the roller, and lightly flour the strips so they don't all stick together.

Let them all rest for about an hour.

And they're ready to be dropped in boiling water with a couple of tablespoons of oil in it.  Cook until al dente.  About 5-7 minutes.

I tossed this in a sage/butter infusion and topped with still-warm-tomatoes-right-out-of-my-garden. Alfresco. Fantastico.

Stop and check out some of the other local eating going on here and here

Oh! And I DO have a story! My baby cousin and his wife had their first baby this week. Welcome to the world Liam. I can't wait to get my hands on you.

one local summer, week 5

Wow.  How is it already week 5!?!  

This is a little quickie post.  I've just gotten home from taking the boy to camp.  Again.  It POURED rain the entire way.  I mean, you-can-barely-see-the-road-in-front-of-you rain.  Like, your-wheels-slip-as-you're-trying-to-climb-a-hill-and-scare-the-crap-out-of-you rain.  Slightly frazzling, and I REALLY need a little nap.

Okay, here goes:

Braised Short Ribs

Roasted Potatoes

Sauteed Green Beens

For the ribs:

Preheat oven to 350

3 lbs. trimmed short ribs

rub with oil and season with salt, pepper, and fresh chopped sage

brown and remove from pan (I use a cast iron skillet)

In drippings, cook 2 onions until translucent.  Add 1 1/2 or 2 cups beef stock and bring to a boil.  Place the ribs back in the skillet, cover, and bake until tender.  About 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Pour off the juices, and top with barbeque sauce.  Broil for just a couple of minutes until the sauce crisps a bit.

For the potatoes:

This is my FAVORITE way to have potatoes.

Wash and cube as many potatoes as you will need (I like small red ones).  Toss in oil, then salt and pepper generously.  

Normally I would cook these at 400 for an hour or so, but since I'm making ribs at 350, I'll just stick them in at the same time. I like them pretty crispy!

I'm pulling oodles of green beans off of my bush plants.  WOO HOO!  We've had the first of our own carrots too, by the way.  But those never made it to the pan.

For the beans:

Clean green beens

lightly tossed in butter

and a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup

Saute until tender.

Still haven't made pasta this week.  Soon.  Very soon.