The Greezy Wop

I must be in a bit of a baker's mood lately, because yesterday I took the time (most of it waiting) to make some homemade french baguettes. The recipe was surpisingly easy, especially with the KitchenAide's dough-hook. Here's what I ended up with:

• 3 to 3½ cups HG bread flour
• 1 TB vegetable oil (I should have used olive oil though)
• 1 t salt
• 1 TB sugar
• 1 pkg Active Yeast
• 1 cup of warm water (I used 115°)

I sifted all the dry except about a cup and a half into the bowl and blended it well. Then I added the warm water, and the oil (together actually) and got the mixture going. I gradually added the rest of the flour until it balled up on the hook. I removed it and dropped it on the floured cutting board and began kneading it. It took about 10 minutes to get it to the texture I wanted and then I sprayed a metal bowl with oil and dropped it in, turning it around a bit to coat it lightly. I covered it and began the 1st proof. This wait took almost 2 hours actually, not because the yeast wasn't active, but because this type of bread needs a longer proofing time, which gives it its distinctive body.

After it had doubled in size, I punched it down and rolled it out to a decent rectangle. I had to spray it with some water to get it to hold its shape, and that really worked out well. The gluten in the dough was very strong by this time and was really springing it back into a rounded shape. I halved it and rolled the two pieces to about a 2" diameter logs, tapered the ends and placed them on a sheet that I greased lightly and sprinkled with cornmeal. I sliced the dough about ¼" deep on an angle and brushed it with iced water. This helped tighten the outside and produce that really heavy crust you find in good french bread. This led me into the 2nd proofing stage, which only took about an hour.

After the rolls had doubled in size, I preheated the oven to 375° and brushed the tops with an egg white mixed with about a tablespoon of iced water. Then baked for about 25 minutes. The bread turned out spectacular, and was appropriately so, some of the best bread I've ever eaten. I sauteed perogie in some onion, garlic, pepper and extra-virgin olive oil and a bit of 2005 Blackstone Pinot Noir. I then added the rest of the sauce from the other night's spaghetti. There was actually a lot more sauce than there should have been, but it was easily mopped up with the fresh bread. A glass of the same Pinot topped off the meal.

In all, the entire process was great fun. Just like the pasta before, I'm definitely going to be making my own bread as often as I can. The trick now is to get it down where I don't have to look at a recipe to do it.

Ciao

Posted by The Greezy Wop at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I made fresh spaghetti last night. I did things a bit differently than I had before, as I said I would. This time, I used 3-4 cups of high-gluten bread flour (an exact measurement is out of the question, really). I also modified the recipe to only 3 whole eggs and about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. I prepped it in the well-method and kneaded it about 10 minutes, then let it rest another 15 or 20 in the fridge while I prepared the press and bench.

I pressed it out a few times on each number to about a 3-4 width, then cut it down with the spaghetti wheel. I floured it again with the HG flour and let it rest about 30 minutes while I cooked the sauce.

The sauce I used was actually out of a jar. Yeah yeah, but I at least modified it enough with a good base of some tomato paste, a bell pepper and about a 1/2 cup of stiff white wine, reduced down to almost a syrup. I then added the jar of Archer Farms Vodka Tomato Sauce I got from Target a while back. I have to say, the sauce right out of the jar was great, but after the initial caramelization of the tomato paste and bell pepper in the saucepan, the actual condiment came out spectacularly good. Of course, just as the sauce was finishing up, I dropped the pasta into the water, which had already been at the boil for almost 45 minutes. I sliced a loaf of pugliese I picked up from Albertson's deli, brushed it with the same olive oil and rubbed it with garlic, some salt and a little oregano (I was out of basil). I then oiled up a saute pan and fried the bread to a golden, crispy brown. By the time the bread was done (really quick), the pasta came out and into the sauce. Salads were prepped and and everything came out great.

I have to say, that even with the jarred sauce, the pasta was better than almost any I've ever had. The texture was perfect, the taste was absolutely astounding. Eaten uncooked, you could taste the olive oil in it. Cooked, it was just perfectly flavored with the right amount of salt (added at the drop) and oil.

I could have made it better, but compared to the normal "Americanized" Italian food I've had all my life here, this was ten times the flavor, ten times the texture and ten times the fun to do. I'm hooked on fresh pasta.

Ciao.

Posted by The Greezy Wop at 7:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ghirardelli Intense Dark Espresso Escape Chocolate

Ghirardelli introduces Espresso Escape™ fused with finely ground deep-roasted espresso beans.

This stuff is from God's secret stash of chocolate and coffee excellence. The taste is relatively bitter with a hint of acidity. You can't taste the espresso until after the chocolate is already melted, which blends well on the tongue. Just incredible, especially paired with a fine cup of Italian espresso, made the traditional way.

Posted by The Greezy Wop at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yes, those are the colors of the Italian flag, with WOP stenciled right in the center.

I LOVE IT.

Posted by The Greezy Wop at 6:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I made pasta this evening. I used the semolina that I've had for several years, and I can tell you, it definitely adds an "old & stale" taste to the final product. I probably won't use it again, but I put about half of the pasta itself in the freezer so I could make more later.

The recipe I used was as follows:

• 2.5 cups Semolina "pasta" flour.
• 4 eggs

Create pile (well-method) with about 2 cups of the flour. Add about 2 eggs and start the mixture until it's not running everywhere. Gradually add the other 2 eggs, one at a time until the whole ball comes together. Add the rest of the flour as needed to keep from sticking and to make it drier. Kneed for approximately 10 minutes and seal in plastic wrap to let rest for about 10.

Note that this comes out a little dry and has to be run through the pasta press a few times per setting, folding in half each time, to keep it from tearing. The best bet is to use fairly small balls of dough and flatten them out very well before you run them through.

The next time I do this, I'm going to add about 1-2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil to the initial eggs to keep some moisture in the final product. This should keep the rollers from tearing the dough as it goes through initially.

I started boiling the water (almost a gallon) before I even started the mixture on the board. It was lidded and boiling rapidly before I got a chance to cut the pasta. Most definitely the best way to do it. Be careful of the amount of salt you add in the water at the start. Always add salt when you add the pasta, but if you added too much beforehand, it will make the pasta taste more salty.

Keep a hearty bowl of semolina or normal flour around the rollers and on the board surface to keep the pasta sheets dry and not sticky when it goes through the machine. Also it seems best to cut the sheets before they get too long, or you'll have some VERY long pasta by the time you cut it. That can be a pain to eat I think.

The dough was super easy to make, and I'm definitely hooked on the fresh pasta thing. once I refine the recipe and get some decent flour, you can bet I'm going to be making this all the time.

Ciao.

Posted by The Greezy Wop at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)