Duck Egg Pasta...The Best Pasta Ever

The other day I decided to splurge on duck eggs on a shopping expedition to Chinatown. At $8.50 a dozen they were extravagant, but I rationalized the purchase by using them in a post, making a dessert with them, and an upcoming article I'm doing later on for Easter. I have been intrigued by duck eggs for a while as they have larger yolks and thicker shells. Duck eggs have many applications and are wonderful in rich egg based pastries. You can see in the first photo the side by side comparison between the duck egg and regular hens egg.

Being Sunday, and the weekend, Certain Someone wanted pasta. I didn't have any dried pasta in the pantry so I decided to make some with the duck eggs. He fussed as he thought it would be a big ordeal, as my previous pasta making attempts. I knew he was thinking of the tape I made for  the Master Chef Auditions, in the messy condo undergoing  repainting. and the long wait for dinner that night. I have to say that was my worst pasta even  , as I added to much liquid and was more worried about the camera, than product. It stuck all over my new Kitchen Aid pasta rollers that Certain Someone gave me  for Christmas. But I dusted myslef off, and the rollers, and tried again. Tell me a cook or chef that doesn't have a failure now ad then. That's how we achieve perfection. Substituting duck eggs for regular, I achieved a dense, rich, golden dough.

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After letting it rest, dividing it in four, it was the easily, most pliable dough to roll. I managed to whip out some rich fettuccine noodles in a fraction of the time of my previous attempts with an easy clean up.

 With Spring in the air I wanted to make  Pasta  Primavera, but he wanted MEAT!  So I threw in some meat, and tons vegetables like zucchini, various hued peppers, spices, onion and garlic in a red sauce. Certain Someone fussed about all the vegetables, but admitted it was my best handmade pasta ever.  If you can find them, I highly recommend you substitute the duck eggs for hens   next time you make and egg based pasta.

 Duck Egg Pasta 

(adapted from Kitchen Aid's Egg Pasta Recipe)

4 Duck Eggs

1 1/2 tablespoons water

3 1/2 cups All purpose four or Italian 00 flour ( the best for pasta, breads, and pizza)

1/2 teaspoon Salt

In Kitchen Aid mixer bowl  mix all ingredients with flat paddle for 30 seconds on low speed ( 2).

Switch out flat beater for dough hook and knead all ingredients for 2 minutes at same low speed.

Turn dough out and knead for 2 more minuted by hand. The dough will be very stiff.

Place in plastic , seal able bag, and let rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, This allows to gluten to relax and dough will be easier to work with.

 With a bench scraper or knife, divide the dough into four pieces.

Process with  Pasta Sheet roller.

1. Roll out piece on no setting at low speed . Fold into thirds each time and re roll until until it starts to look smooth and uniform.
2.  Take setting up to 2 and process sheet. Don't fold.
3. Take setting up to 3 and repeat on each setting until desired thickness. I processed my fettuccine up until setting 6.
4. Take the fettuccine attachment and process each thin sheet through it.  Set aside.
5. Repeat with other 3 sections.

Fresh pasta only requires a 2-5 minutes in rapidly boiling , salted water .  Drain .

Thanks all of you for the great, positive feedback I am receiving regarding Coco. I decided  to embed an issue  here on the blog for you to read. Of course, it cant compare to actual paper edition, but enjoy.

Carnation Evaporated Milk...Stuffed Shells Florentine and Carnation Famous Fudge Recipes

Most of us have grown up seeing evaporated milk in the pantry. But did we really use it? Evaporated milk seems like a throw back to out parents and grandparents generations. I admit I buy a can here and there when I see it on sale. I recall my Nigerian father used evaporated milk everyday in his tea. It was product he had no choice to use growing up in a tropical climate. He continued with it even moving over to the United Sates. I have come to find out Carnation , otherwise known as the cooking milk,is a a great substitute for cream, half and half, because its lower in fat. Mostly when I have used canned evaporated milk , its been for sweet recipes. But Carnation works just as well in savoury. Researching the Carnation site , I saw great recipes for salad dressings,and even a spicy peanut sauce using evaporated milk.Anywhere you use milk, think of Carnation as a replacement for more flavour.When the people of Carnation contacted me to try their products and create an original recipe and make one out of their Holiday recipe book, I said of course. I love a challenge to create recipes. I will disclose that Carnation and One 2 One Network gave me a gift card to purchase the groceries and coupons for free Carnation product. My opinions, however are my own.

With Certain Someone finally home, I envisioned a pasta dish of stuffed shells filled with spinach, chopped ham, and ricotta. The Carnation Evaporated Milk would be used to make a creamy cheesy Becahmel style sauce with added Mozzarella. The Stuffed Shells Florentine is a crowd pleaser that can go a long way in feeding the family. After a long day, Certain Someone gave his approval on the dish. I find its tasted better even the next day. Next time I may use shrimp or crab, rather than ham.






Stuffed Shells Florentine
1 box Jumbo Shells
1 15 oz Ricotta Cheese
2 eggs
Pinch of nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste
2 cup mozzarella cheese shredded ( I for Ricotta Mixture and 1 for sauce)
1 cup chopped ham
1/2 cup thawed frozen spinach( drained)
2 12 oz cans Carnation Evaporated Milk
1/4 cup flour
6 tbsp butter

Boil the Jumbo Pasta shells until al dente ( 12-13 minutes). Rinse and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl combine Ricotta, eggs, spinach, nutmeg, salt, pepper, 1 cup mozzarella, and chopped ham. Mix well and set aside.
In a saucepan melt butter and add flour at medium heat. Do not burn butter. Mix until flour is dissolved in the butter. Allow to cook for a few minutes. Gradually add the Carnation Evaporated Milk to the flour and butter and with a whisk stir until well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Whisk while mixture starts to simmer and thicken. Remove form heat and add the remaining cup of Mozzarella Cheese.
Preheat Oven to 350F.
In a baking dish , pour a layer of sauce. Fill pasta shells with Ricotta mixture and place in layers in baking dish. Cover a completed layer with sauce and continue process. Cover top with remaining sauce . Cover baking dish with aluminum foil or lid and bake for 30-40 until bubbly .

With Halloween and the Holidays approaching , who doesn't like fudge? I got this recipe from the Carnation Holiday book which I have provided a link for below. I stuck to the recipe , but took the liberty of adding some chopped pecans on top of fudge as well as in the mixture. I imagine coconut, dried cherries, walnuts, almonds would work equally well. Next time I will also play around with various extracts and flavours. For Halloween I can imagine piping the squares with white royal icing in the shape of spider webs.

Carnation Famous Fudge
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup (5 fl oz can Carnation Evaporated Milk)
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups Nestle Toll House Semi Sweet Morsels
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 tsp vanilla extract

Line 8-inch square baking pan with foil.
Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter, and salt in medium heavy duty saucepan. Bring to full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly for 4-5 minutes, Remove from heat.
Stir in marshmallows, morsels, nuts, and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until marshmallows are melted. Pour into prepared baking pan. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan, remove foil. Cut into 48 pieces.

Holiday Recipe Booklet full of sweet and savory recipes:

http://bit.ly/CEMholiday

Cooking Benefits of evaporated milk:

http://bit.ly/cookingbenefits

Nutrition Info:

http://bit.ly/o2onutrition

The different types of evaporated milk:

http://bit.ly/rightmilkforyou

Carnation Virtual Kitchen:

http://bit.ly/carnationvirtualkitchen

Additional Recipe Ideas:

http://bit.ly/additionalrecipes

Recipe Personality Quiz:

http://bit.ly/recipepersonalityquiz

Garafalo Pasta... Roasted Balsamic Vegetables and Penne

Garafalo contacted me last month and offered me some samples to try. Who am I to say no? What I didn't realize upon delivery was that I have been using this product for the past few years. Their packaging is distinct, but the small script label never registered with me. Certain Someone and I always stock up on Garafalo while shopping at Costco. In these lean times it can stretch a meal and provide me lunch at work. So I guess this cant be called a review because the product has been in repertoire for some some time. Not only did they send me Penne, but Spaghettini as well. Garafalo has 21 Signature Neapolitan pasta offerings . Costco normally mixes up a few in their multi packs.

I have made some changes to my diet on doctors orders. I'm pre hypertensive and need to control my salt intake. As a result I am using balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, Non salt blends in my cooking. In less than 2 weeks my taste buds have become accustomed to the natural flavors of food. Tricks like roasting really coax out the goodness of vegetable and more than make up for the lack of salt. When tasting processed or prepared food now, I can taste the excessive salt. So its good that I'm adjusting.

One of my favorite ways with pasta is a simple toss of pasta and my roasted balsamic vegetables. Certain Someone is more of a meat and heavy cream man. But I like it on the light side.

Penne with Roasted Balsamic Vegetables

1 head Cauliflower

1 zucchini

1 pint mushrooms

Green or Red Peppers

1 large Onion

1 carrot

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar

Dried herbs of your choice ( oregano, thyme,basil)

Garlic minced

Cracked Black Pepper

1 package Garafalo Penne

Clean , seed,and chop, or slice vegetables into pieces. In a large glass bowl toss vegetables, herbs, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.Let rest for at least 1/2 hour.

Preheat oven to 375F. Boil water for pasta. Add pasta and cook until al dente.

In a roasting pan or cast iron skillet place the vegetables. Roast for 40 minutes or until caramelized and soft .

Toss the pasta in the pan with the vegetables until well Incorporated and coated . At this pint you can add your salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a shaving of Parmesan cheese.

Thanks for all the entries for the Military Wives Cookbook. I drew a name out of a hat...and the winner is Junie Moon! Congrats!

Kochen Sie Deutsch? Ham hocks and Spaetzle.

I have been seeing a lot of ham hocks around the blogosphere lately.Its funny because ham hocks are widely used in the black culture in soul food. I have seen first hand a love hate relationship with this cut of swine. Its been widely substituted by smoked turkey to season greens and such.And most of us wouldn't be caught dead eating it in polite company . But its cheap and tasty and I'm happy to see a foodie resurgence. In Germany I loved the Eisbein which is the lower more meatier part of the ham hock. A typical ham hock has to much bone, fat, gristle , and skin, to eat alone. But the chunks of meat you get are out of this world. The Eisbein I had in Germany was meat fall of the bone succulent with crispy skin. I tried to recreate this with the lowlier ham hocks. I didn't get a lot of meat, but I got. The rest went in the trash bin. But it was enough to enhance my homemade spaetzle. I didn't have a fancy Spaetzle maker, but used a colander with large holes. This dish is for my Certain Someone. You know how some people talk dirty when their loved one is away? Me I cook this German style meal I know he would love to entice him to finish his business abroad and come home quick.

The ham hocks were cooked in a pressure cooker with about 3 cups of water, peppercorns, and 3 cloves of garlic for 45 minutes at a pressure of 15 lbs. I have had a pressure cooker for years and am just starting to discover the joys of it. I cooled it down quickly to release the pressure with the cold water method( running water over the pot and waiting till it cools down enough to release safely). I then roasted them on high to get the skin crispy. The skin is gelatinous but with patience you will get some crispy parts.

Certain Someone would be so proud of me. I made Spaetzle from a cookbook written in German! Maggi Kochstudio. Easy and straightforward. I converted the weights and measures.

Spatzletig for 2

1 3/4 cups flour ( 250 grams)

3 eggs beaten

2/3 cup water ( 1/8 liter)

salt

nutmeg

Water for boiling( approx 2 liters)

Boil your water in a pot.In a bowl place your flour. Add beaten egg,water, salt, and nutmeg. Mix thoroughly ( I used a whisk). Take a large holed colander and place a little mixture in at at time. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon run the mixture back and forth across the hole until it drops in the boiling water. The spaetzle dumplings will rise to the top of the water when done. Remove with a slotted spoon. Season to taste.

I seasoned and tossed mine with a leek sauteed in butter and the garlic from the pressure cooker.Salt , fresh ground pepper and a grating of Parmesan cheese.

Next time when Certain Someone comes home I will got to the butcher and get the Eisbein cut to ensure we have more meat. But this was a tasty trial run.

Roasted Vegetables on Squid Ink Spaghetti

I have been a bad blogger this week. OK, I posted twice last weekend, but I have been slow in visiting others and commenting. This was an intense week at work with all my focus going towards a presentation. And I'm a wee bit lonely. Certain Someone is still in Sweden and his trip has now been extended until the end of next week. Work! On top of all that I'm not really inspired. I normally don't mind cooking for one, but I'm just not in the mood or can think of anything blog worthy. I'm in more an artistic mood and have been working with some gum paste deigns to add to a cake, if I ever get motivated or an occasion.

Tonight I just threw this together. In that artistic frame of mind ,I was more motivated by the colors of veggies against the black squid ink pasta rather than taste. Although it was good! But who hasn't had buttered and oiled spaghetti . Takes me back to those starving student days. I just threw in some balsamic roasted veggies for a twist. Until the next time....

Sunday Dinner, Another Wedding, and More Travel Woes

So this week I have been kind of AWOL. I have tried to keep up with my reader . My cooking attempts have been dismal. I wont even describe it.But I hadn't been grocery shopping yet since our return and needed to use what was on hand. Friday evening I caught another flight to Washington D.C for my cousins wedding. She was a former Miss Maryland and first runner up in Miss America. Not only had I lost my cooking mojo, but the travel curse continued. I was calmly informed that my flight was delayed and I would miss my connection in Detroit( it was the cheapest fare!).I almost secretly sighed oh goody , I get to turn around and crawl back to my sweet bed and have a weekend to me!But no, the most efficient airline agent got me on direct flight with my nemesis airline of last week. So I had to go. But more delays and I finally arrived at BWI .I crawled into the hotel bed at 3:00am finally and had to wake for a early morning wedding. I don't recognize my hometown at all. Downtown Silver Spring is not what I remembered from 10 years ago.There was some film festival going on connected with the Discovery Center.Lobby talk was of being in Tokyo, So Ho, Tribeca,Sydney etc. on their documentary assignments.Since when did Silver Spring become so glamorous? I guess you cant really go home again. The bride was gorgeous naturally and all the aunts started grilling me as to when I would become legal. You know the usual good natured meddling. I was the oldest cousin and still single. Certain Someone wasn't there because he was stretched to thin with work, time , etc after the events of the past few weeks. It was all just to much going on. We left the hotel that night /morning at 3:30am to catch or early 6:00 am flights. I had been riding in my youngest aunts rental car. We missed our exit and turned around only to be slammed in the rear by some young kids rushing to their internships at 4:00 am. More drama , but no serious injuries or damage. When the police came I had to chuckle when my aunt started with why we were here, to attend the former Miss Marylands wedding,surely you know her,etc. The officers admitted he didn't keep up with the beauty pageant circuit. We made our flights down to the wire and alas I'm home.After eating crap all week I wanted a nice home cooked meal.

I decided to take the last of the pork loin in the freezer and cook it like Certain Someones mother taught me . Only I took extra measures and studded it with garlic gloves, added my own rub of spices and juniper berries on top with rosemary, and then baked it in a bed of salt. Nuria did a post on this last week. Its an amazing way to cook meat. Missing Sweden I served it alongside with Ligonberries. I also made a nice egg noodle dish with cream, leeks, oyster mushrooms, red peppers and a fine drizzle of Black Truffle oil. Certain Someone said I got my cooking mojo back and all is right with the world.

Seasonal Lasagna...Golden Beet Chicken Lasagna

My Vegetable Box finally arrived after postponing my order. It was chock full of Golden beets, Red Swiss Chard,regular Swiss Chard,assorted lettuces, garlic, zucchini, spinach, green beans,parsnips, and I'm sure I few other things I am forgetting.Because of the organic nature I have to consume them quickly. I made the mistake of leaving some out on the counter last time and they turned quickly. No pesticides require refrigeration. Anyway I never get to use the beets in time before the greens turn. I wanted yo use them in a recipe. I remember the current Top Chef contestant made a lasagna with rutabagas, So why not Golden Beets? Normally my lasagne's uses red sauce and no Bechamel. I decided to try to make Bechamel and use it with ground chicken., fresh sage, sliced portabellos, garlic,sliced golden beets,beet greens which had been Chiffonade, Farmers Cheese( a low fat alternative to cream cheese, and in place of Ricotta),Gouda, Mozzarella, etc. Certain Someone was impatient to eat and was pleasantly surprised by it. Of Course he had seconds.


Golden Beet Chicken Lasagna

1 package of Lasagna Noodles

1 lb Farmers Cheese

3 Golden Beets with their Greens

2 eggs

4 Cups of Bechamel

3 cups grated Gouda

1 cup low moisture mozzarella

Parmesan / Regianno or both

Fresh Sage

1 pound ground Chicken

1 cup fresh Portabello Mushrooms sliced

Garlic to taste

salt

pepper

nutmeg

olive oil

Boil Lasagna noodles and set aside. I drain mine and soak in water to keep moist and workable.Prepare Bechamel. Wash beets , peel, cut off tops, and slice thinly.Now the choice is yours to precook the beets a bit. I didn't , but they cooked up fine as long as they are cut thinly.Take the greens, and roll. Slice them in a Chiffonade. In a bowl mix the Farmers cheese, 1/2 cup of mozzarella, greens, eggs, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Set aside . Brown ground chicken, sage, garlic, and mushrooms. Oil bottom of Lasagna pan. Place first layer of Lasagna . Take half of Farmers Cheese/greens mixture and smooth over. Sprinkle half of chicken/mushroom mixture.Add half of the thinly sliced golden beets. Sprinkle some Gouda and Mozzarella. Pour some bechamel. Repeat with 2nd layer of lasagna ,Farmer's cheese chicken,golden beets, etc. Save some grated cheese and Bechamel for the top. Cover with 3rd layer of lasagna. Pour remaining Bechamel liberally. Add some grated cheese and Parmesan. Cover with Foil . Bake in a Bain Marie at 375 degrees for at least 45 minutes.Take off foil and brown for a additional 15 minutes.

Certain Someone...Not A Guest Blogger

....Although he should be.Certain Someone was just to shy to blog today.To many times I think mates point out the negative more so than the positive. Its not that we don't appreciate our mates. But when they get under our skin we tell we world .For the most part Certain Someone and I have a stable relationship. In May we celebrate our 2 year anniversary. While I don't see a engagement ring eminently, he's content enough for me to be his partner( Euro Style) until we reach the old age home.Needless to say that doesn't sit well with a lot of 'in -laws' types.He knows my views and goals . My parents were divorced and at my age I haven't rushed into marriage, so why now.So what does this have to about food. Everything! One of my biggest joys is cooking,and cooking for him when he's home and our schedules permit. A lot of modern types don't understand and think I pamper him a bit to much. But its a mutual pampering society because he does more for me than I will reveal in this blog. Lets just say he's a patient , generous partner who has given me a enviable life.When the chips are down he's there.Plus he supports my efforts in all I do. But does he cook you ask? Rarely, but when he does it pretty damn good with his limited repertoire.

The above picture was what he whipped Sunday. We were both totally zonked out. It was one of those weekends we lived in Pajamas.I didn't even want to go to the store as we were both travelling in the week ( Canada for me, Sweden for him).Anyway he took these leftover ingredients and made us Pasta a la Certain Someone. I didn't have to lift a finger.Thick Spaghetti,Heavy Cream, Tomato Paste, A few strips of bacon, Onion,secret spices and herbs( curry , chili pepper namely), a lone pork chop, sun dried tomatoes, and spinach!

All cooked down to hearty , tasty meal. He channeled his poor student days and came up with a pasta dish better than what we get in a lot of restaurants. So I going to to try to praise more and appraciate the small gestures as well as the grand.

A Lazy Saturday Meal

I'm getting ready to go to sunny Ft Lauderdale on a trip related to my new role in the company. I cant wait. Its only for a few days, but I worry about my Certain Someone. Normally he's away, not me. Then the following week I'm flying up to Toronto for some more work,and will get to meet Peter hopefully.Anyway Certain Someone and I were totally lazy and exhausted. We slept in but had some familial obligations and errands to run.Before we knew it half the day was gone. I was determined to make a meal revolving around some items that needed to be used quickly from this weeks organic vegetable box. My beets were getting soft and some onions were calling to be used. I got like 6 large onions . I immediately thought of caramelizing and cooking down four of them. I planned to toss them in a plain buttered linguine.I also peeled,cubed my beets and roasted them with a splash of oil, brown sugar, and balsamic. I planned to serve them along with some sliced cucumber and radish( in the box) and some feta cheese.I don't even think we need to dress this cold salad. Its so warm and lovely out today. I wasn't planning on a meat course, but Certain Someone requested the cheese breaded pork chops encore!For dessert I made a quick one from my newly delivered Baking From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan. Yes Ive joined the cult following after the recent Daring Bakers exercise. She had a Real Butterscotch Pudding that caught my eye. I had all the fixings and Certains Someones fine single malt collection at my beck and call. Ssshhh. Don't tell. I used a wee dram of his Bowmore Mariner aged 15 years. I also topped it with buttered pecans.He raged afterwards and asked if I was nuts. From now one I'm regulated to Glenfiddich . At least he didn't take back the new burgundy Blackberry Curve he just bought me. He said he tasted the smokiness of the Bowmore and I should have used one not known for smokiness.Like I would know the difference!

Carmelized Onions and Rosemary
4 large onions
2 sprigs fresh Rosemary
olive oil
butter
1/4 sherry or brandy
salt
pepper

Slice onions.In a large skillet add a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter.Add onions and slowly brown, This should take a awhile.Add the rosemary.Stir occasionally do the onions don't stick and burn. About after 20 minutes add some sherry. Continue to slowly brown the onions as they wilt and turn translucent. Add the remaining sherry in stages to deglaze the pan.Season with salt and pepper. Onions should be golden brown in color.
You can toss with pasta, use in cheese tarts, add to meat,top with pizza, etc.

Real Butterscotch Pudding ,Baking From My Home To Yours ,by Dorie Greenspan
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 3/4 cups of milk
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/4 cup of cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons butter ,cut into 4 pieces
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Scotch Whiskey,preferably a strong single malt
Whipped Cream and Buttered pecans optional.

Place brown sugar and water in sauce pan. Heat on medium and bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Lower heat and and boil for 2 minutes.
ADD 1 1/2 cups of milk and cream and bring to a boil. The mixture will curdle .
While the milk is heating mix cornstarch and salt in a food processor.Put on a piece of wax paper and set aside. Add sugar and yolks to food processor and blend for 1 minute,Scrape down sides of bowl and add the remaining 1/4 cup of milk. Add the dry ingredients and pulse a few times to blend. Very slowly pour in the hot liquid as the machine runs.Process and pour it all back into the sauce pan. Whisk until thickened. Do not boil. Scrape the pudding back into processor and add the scotch , vanilla, and butter. Pour pudding into ramekins and chill for at least 4 hours. Add plastic wrap to keep film from developing.

Improvisation Can Be A Good Thing

I wasn't planning on being home tonight , nor cooking.My catering job was cancelled due to water main break. Certain Someone had to fend for himself the night before with his favorite 'Cluck, cluck',Harold's Fried Chicken. I bet you he was anticipating it tonight too. No such luck. I took some frozen beef cubes and placed in the Dutch oven to roast a few hours until he came home.I knew I wanted to use these spices I picked up at World Market the other day.And this beautiful Swiss Chard that screamed healthy! I have a zillion cookbooks but still find myself referring to Internet searches for ideas .I love the look of Star Anise , but feared it due to bad experience with Chinese 5 Spice once. Chef uses it quite a bit in passed appetizers and seared tenderloin.So I wanted to revisit this spice. The meat was roasting nicely and called me to do something. I ground the Star Anise and threw it in. I saw on searches that cinnamon , star anise, and beef seemed to be a popular theme. I threw in some Sherry, vinegar, Soy Sauce, Thai Chili's,onions,and water to the pan. The result was a slow cooked caramelized melange of aromatic spices and tender beef. Certain Someone came home and sniffed the air. The one drawback was that he wanted his noodles and more of a sauce. No to worry. Although I said I was trying to avoid his 'Big Ass Food'( ie: noodles).He retorted who was I calling Big Ass! I added more water to the roasting pan to deglaze, and boiled up some noodles. The result was this.A rather good improvisation if I do say so myself. Even Certain Someone agreed.

Coco's Asian Style Beef with Red Swiss Chard
* this recipe was improvised so measurements were approximated.
1 lb beef cubes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2-3 ground Star Anise
1 cup sliced onions
1 bunch Red Swiss Chard
1 cinnamon Stick
2 Thai Chili's
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 Sherry
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups of water
Asian noodles

Roast beef cubes in oiled covered Dutch Oven seasoned with salt and pepper for 1 hour. Add sliced onions , spices,Soy Sauce, Sherry, Vinegar, sugar, garlic and continue to roast covered for another hour. Check pan periodically and add water as needed . You want a small amount of broth /sauce in the final product.
Wash and stem the Swiss Chard. Roll leaved and slice like chiffonade. Oil fry pan. Saute Swiss chard until just wilted. Salt and Pepper to taste.
Prepare noodles.
Assemble beef atop noodles. Top with Swiss Chard and drizzle with juices from the roasting pan.

While Certain Someone is Away...Seasonal Bounty Angel Hair Pasta

Certain Someone asked me in a email while waiting for takeoff, why don't I make him a pasta dish like this. I had told him I was roasting veggies and tossing them with angel hair pasta. I replied that if I said we were having veggies and pasta for dinner,he'd ask me to cook him a sausage!As I mentioned in a earlier post when he's gone, I tend to lean towards less meat.And without having to worry about his likes and dislikes, I was free to cook. Hyde Park Produce had some excellent Oyster mushrooms that were begging me to take them home. I chose some assorted zucchini, squash, oil/salt cured black olives, carrots, onion, and big sprigs of fresh basil.

Courtney's Seasonal Bounty

Angel Hair Pasta
zucchini sliced very thin
yellow squash
onion
several cloves of garlic
carrots
oyster mushrooms
cured black olives( use according to taste as flavor is strong)
capers ( according to taste)
fresh basil for a chiffonade
truffle oil to drizzle
salt
pepper
olive oil
oregano
balsamic vinegar

Thinly slice veggies with a mandolin. Toss veggies and garlic cloves with salt, pepper, olive oil, oregano, and balsamic vinegar.Roast in a cast iron pan at 375 degrees for approx half hour or until tender and juices have mostly evaporated.
Boil water for pasta and prepare. Cut pits out of the olives,and add both olives and capers to mixture of veggies.Toss pasta with veggie mixture.Roll basil leaves and slice for a chiffonade to top the pasta. Add grated Parmesan , and drizzle with truffle oil.