Ya Gotta Ricotta

May 30, 2011

Weight = 176.8

Weeks loss = 3.2 lbs
Exercise since last flog = zip, zilch & nada

On the menu = Fresh made Ricotta

Artichoke Mushroom Ricotta Raviolis

Marinara

Dutch Apple Pie

Wheat Bread

Dutch Apple Pie

Ricotta Cookies

Aromatic Meatballs

Lemon Ricotta Tuile (FAIL)

Our Plus One = Vard McGuire

On Friday after work I came home and straightened the house a bit and then went to a meeting. It was 9pm when the meeting ended and my lunch wore off about 3 hours earlier and I was hungry enough to eat paper! I always go though this process of trying to determine what do I want to eat and what can I eat. I decided to go to the new Whole Foods at Trolly Square and window shop for my tummy.

This amazingly handsome man, hispanic with long hair and beanie offered me a slice of the pear that he was arranging. OMG! Wow so good! Sweet. Juicy. Tart. And it had that perfect pear aroma. I bought four. I meandered my way to the meats. What the hell! This store ages their own meat! There it is - behind glass just hanging there in its perfectly climate controlled environment taunting me. $19.99 per pound for ribeye! Whoa! Well this is Whole Foods and it is organic. "Can I get one ribeye". Another incredibly handsome young man (there must be a gay manager doing the hiring) wrapped it up and handed it to me with a smile. EEK! $15.46! [voices in my head] "DO IT!"

I be lovin' me some meats and over the years have spent a few paychecks in pursuit of kick-ass carne. When I got home I made a simple salad. I sprinkled salt and pepper on the steak and cooked it about 7 minuted on each side in butter.

When i took my first bite I knew for certain that I could never be a vegetarian. This was the BEST ribeye I have EVER had. It was worth 1546 pennies! So go there for some AMAZING beef!

I woke on sunday morning with an hankering for italian. I decided to make fresh ricotta. When you go to the store to buy ricotta It has a lot of goop I do not want to eat in it. Plus it is so easy to make you will never buy it again.

Fresh Ricotta

1 gallon whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

6 tablespoons white vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

In a large non-reactive pot heat the milk and cream on medium heat until it reaches 185 degrees. Stir it often. DO NOT BOIL!

Remove from heat. Add salt and stir for 30 seconds.

Add vinegar and stir for 30 seconds.

Set aside for two hours.

Line a colander with about 6 layers of moist cheese cloth in a large bowl or in the sink. Be sure the cloth goes over the edges.

Then with a slotted spoon gently remove the curds from the pot and into the colander. Discard the whey. Place the cloth over the curds and let the curds sit for 30 minutes gently pressing them down occasionally to remove the remaining whey.

Ta Da! Ricotta! It will store in the fridge for about 3 days. You can freeze it but it looses some of the freshness.

Simple Marinara

1 28 oz can whole tomatoes

1 6oz can tomatoes paste

1/4 cup olive oil

1 onion chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 cup red wine

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional)

Heat oil and add garlic and onion. Cook until translucent.

Add remaining ingredients. Simmer covered on the low for at least two hours stirring occasionally so it does not burn. I simmered mine for 8 hours while i cooked all my other stuff. mmmmmmmm!

Mushroom Artichoke Raviolis

Pasta

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon black pepper, finely ground (optional)

2 eggs

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 tablespoons water

Filling

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup shallots, chopped

1/4 cup Olive oil

1 cup shredded portabello mushroom

1/2 cup fresh artichoke hearts, cooked and finely chopped

1/2 red wine

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup fresh ricotta

Pasta

Place all ingredients in a mixer with a dough hook and let her rip for about 5 minutes on a low setting. A firm ball of dough should magically appear. Wrap it up in plastic wrap and leave in fridge for at least an hour.

Filling

While your dough is chillin lets make your fillin.

Over medium heat, heat olive oil and add garlic and shallots.

Then add mushroom, artichoke, wine, salt and pepper. Let this simmer uncovered over low heat until all the liquid is gone and you are left with a smooth paste. Let cool in a bowl.

When it is cool add your fresh ricotta. and mix well. Place in fridge until you are ready to fill your ravs.

Assembly

1 egg

1/4 cup water

Boil a large pot of salted water.

Cut you dough into four sections.

Roll out the sheets of pasta with a pasta maker. I roll to the number 6.

Lightly run the sheet through some flour. Lay the sheet over the rav maker. Gently place a small amount of the rav filling into the divots.

Mix egg and water well in a bowl. With a paint brush, apply the egg mixture in the edges of the ravs.

Roll out another sheet of pasta like the one before and place it over the filled form.

Then work the air out by gently pressing with your thumbs from one end to the other.

Then use a wood rolling pin and roll over the form to serrate the edges of the ravs.

Gently pull the ravs off the form and place on a floured cookie sheet.

When you are ready to eat pull all the ravs off the sheet on put them on a plate. Bring the plate over to the boiling water and dump the entire lot in the boiling water. Cooked ravs (with no air pockets) will float when they are ready. I like to cook about two-three more minutes after they float.

Use your favorite sauce (like the marinara on the stove).

Dutch Apple Pie With Apricot Crumble

Filling

4 Granny Smith Apples, Cored, peeled and 1/2 inch slices

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup butter, melted

Juice of half a lemon

Topping

3 cups old fashion rolled oats

2 tablespoons flour

1 firm apricot, diced tiny

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat of=ven to 350 degrees

Crust

Marie Calendars! (I have tried to make one this good . . . can't be done.)

Filling - put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix it up real good.

Topping - put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix it up real good.

Put the filling in the crust.

Put the topping on the filling - don't be stingy!

Bake for one hours on a cookie sheet.

Amish Honey Wheat Bread - This is a Food.com Recipe

Ricotta Cookie - I had a lot of ricotta left over and wondered if there ever existed in the history of the universe a ricotta cookie . . .yup! It kicked ass! i only used powder sugar!

Aromatic Meatballs (Originally Aromatic Balls)

1 pound ground pork

4 tablespoons parsley, chopped fine

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon fennel seed

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon caraway seed

1 teaspoon coriander seed

1 teaspoon cardamom pods

1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix pork, parsley and salt.

Place all herbs in an ovenproof dish and back for 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Crush in a motar an pestal or a spice grinder.

Add to Ground pork.

Make small meatballs and place in a greased pan.

Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Ricotta Tuile (FAIL)

It sure sounded like a good idea! Ricotta, lemon zest, parmisan, tomato paste, madera wine and bake it till it crunches. Well it never crunched and the lemon with the wine was gross! Everyone agreed! I will try it again though.