Pots and Pins

Pastry Cloth...It makes a Great Last-Minute Gift!

We woke up to SNOW this morning!  Yay!  It's so, so pretty here when it snows - which it rarely does - so this is a treat!  Of course it won't last, the rain will return and wash it all away probably before the day is done but for now, I'm looking at a Winter Wonderland and loving every flake!

Speaking of flakes...Do you know how to have the flakiest pastry ever?  Well read on, doughboy, you're about to be schooled! 

Until recently I didn't even know what a pastry cloth was!  I know!  That's as shocking as a toaster in a tub but here's something more shocking, I'm still capable of learning!  A dear friend mentioned how much she loves her pastry cloth, which she got when she was first married, and said she needed a new one because hers is now full of holes.  I really didn't understand the benefit of rolling dough out onto a canvas cloth, wouldn't it get messy and be just one more thing to wash?  And what if you wanted to use it but it was in the hamper?  And wouldn't it get rancid and smell if an oily dough was rolled on it?  And what about those holes???  After a little on-line research, this is what I learned:

When flour is rubbed into a canvas pastry cloth, it will prevent dough from sticking, and you use much less flour, thereby keeping the pastry light and flaky...the flour goes into the cloth not the dough!

 

The other great advantage to using a pastry cloth is you don't have to wash it all the time - even if you use an oily dough.  After you use your cloth, you simply shake off any excess flour over your sink, fold the cloth up into a small little square and keep it in the freezer!  Of course, you can wash it as often as you want (and then you can keep it in a drawer), and with every wash the canvas cloth itself will become softer and softer.

Pastry cloths have been around for ages - the Pioneers used them!  And probably the Pilgrims, too!   I keep mine in the door of my freezer so it's easy to find...right next to my Cider "Bugs", which make great little gifts, too!  You can find pastry cloths on-line or you can make your own...purchase 100% cotton canvas at a fabric store, cut it to the desired size (32x32-inches is a good size but maybe you want something larger to accommodate a huge pizza dough - then make it 36x36...or maybe make several, small and large depending on what you're making...I made mine 30x20) and hem the edges - that's it!  A pastry cloth would make a really nice gift for your favorite Foodie this year...my friend, who had holes in her much-worn cloth, now has a new one and she told me it was "the best gift she's ever received!"  Only a true-blue-bonafide foodie would say that! 

 

The park behind our house is filled with kids and sleds - hardly enough snow for sledding but they just couldn't wait to get out there - as soon as the "sun" (hahahaha, as if) came up they were ready to go!  It's so pretty, I wish it would last!  Today I'll be using my pastry cloth over and over - it's time to make the Christmas Cookies! 

Two Great Things...

First, I recently discovered a wonderful cookbook...a cake book...it's as beautifully written as the recipes are delicious. 

Miette, just as the book says, is a charming pastry shop in San Francisco - definitely worth the trip if you're in the area.  But if not, then you can order this book from Amazon.   The word Miette is French and it means crumb...speaking of French, if it's true, that we are what we eat, then I am currently French through and through...if I could get the wifi to work I could show you just how French I truly am!

 

 

 

 

I've "dog-earred" almost every page in the book - for cakes and pastries I must make.  Miette specializes in little cakes - 6-inches in diameter - perfect for so many different occasions.  And they are all SO beautiful!!

Admittedly I am a cookbook fiend, but this book is worth the price, which is only about $15...and it would make the perfect gift for a Foodie Friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second great thing I have for you today are these AMAZING baking papers!!  They are brand new and they are made by Welcome Home - so be sure to look for them at Sur LaTable or any other nice kitchen shop.  (I know City Kitchens in Seattle carries these!)  Now here's the great thing about them, you don't need a muffin tin!  You can put these paper cups right on your baking sheet, fill them and bake in them and then serve in them, too!  They come in all colors, designs and a couple of packages of them would make great stocking stuffers for your Foodie Friends...and just in case you're wondering, Christmas is about 75 days away!!!  I plan to use these little babies on Halloween...I'll bake up some nice pumpkin cupcakes and then I'll deliver them to some deserving Ghouls when I'm out ding-dong-ditching!  Hurry now, get them while they last!

 

New Roll-Out Kitchen Drawer...

Just one, so far, but it's a beauty!  I have my bakeware, some pans, and lids all in the cupboards under my island...it's one giant headache to retrieve anything!  Thanks to The Container Store, I discovered I could install pull-out drawers myself!  They said they were EASY to attach...and anyone could do it...which meant the mister didn't have to get involved...no ranting or raving about all the stuff I didn't need which was making it necessary to install drawers, no trip to the emergency room because he mashed his thumb with something...no drama...I installed this beauty myself...and it works like a charm!!!  Although I did have two screws left over...I'm sure they were extras, right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since I wasn't entirely sure I had the right size (I forgot to measure ahead of time!) I only purchased one roll-out drawer.  I'll be going back for the other FIVE soon as they are all ON SALE!  It is absolutely amazing - open cupboard, pull out drawer, select lid, continue on....as opposed to - open cupboard, have something fall out and hit me on the toe!  I don't know why I didn't do this before!  Now it's a pleasure to open my cupboards and look for a lid! 

One down, five to go!  This is almost as good as going to Disneyland...that's how much I love it!  And speaking of Disney...while you're reading this I'm walking in the front gate...it's better than I remember...after all, it IS the happiest place on Earth!

Eggplant Parmigiana - Parmigiana di Melanzane...

Eggplant Parmigiana, this side of the Atlantic, is usually a heavy dish slathered in a thick spaghetti style sauce with tons of cheese and flavorless eggplant.  In Italy one of the first things I ordered was Eggplant Parmigiana...and it was SO DIFFERENT!  The sauce was fresh, lite, with a hint of garlic and fresh basil.  The eggplant itself had a nutty-buttery taste and the fresh mozzarella enhanced the dish instead of smothering it...in a word?  Delizioso!

 

 

 

 

In Florence we ate at Cafe Nerone, a rather dark, bohemian kind of place but the food was excellent.  I ordered my first real Italian Eggplant Parmigiana and while waiting for our food to arrive we struck up a conversation with the ladies at the table next to us.  We soon discovered one was a tour guide so we quizzed her about all to see and do - she was very helpful...and then she launched into how Italians love Americans, especially older American men because many can still remember G.I. Joe coming in to save their prosciutto during World War II...  Of course, the mister is all to happy to talk about war, any war, but when the lady asked, "WERE YOU IN WORLD WAR TWO?"  The mister's jaw fell into his antipasti!  Seriously funny...For him to have been in WWII he'd have to be about 90 years old!  Of course I laughed to the point of a grand mal seizure and finally gained my composure just short of having my drink squirt out my nose...but then the mister said, "That's it, I'm getting a face lift!"  As if there were a scalpel big enough!!

 

     

 

 

 

 

Please allow me one more mister moment in Florence...artists routinely display their work on the ground, as seen in one of the pics above...the mister was walking along, reading the map, and did not see the paintings until he stepped onto TWO of them!  I was about 10 feet ahead of him...heard the commotion and turned to see him apologizing profusely to the young artist, who was waving his arms and screaming obscenities in Italian!  The two paintings were of naked women, each with a $90 euro price tag.  It looked like we'd be buying them as souvenirs and I quickly ran down my list of people I was shopping for to see who I could pawn them off on...I'm not a prude but hanging paintings of nude women in my home would just be wrong...people would naturally assume they were self-portraits!  The artist got on his hands and knees and began brushing off his paintings while we stood there holding our breath...finally he pronounced them okay, and shooed us off like flies...Stupido Americanos!  In hindsight, IF we'd had to buy those paintings just think of the YEARS of ammunition they would have given me!!

 

 

 

 

 

Two souvenirs that will make it into my Will are pictured above...these dish towels, purchased on a whim (later when we looked at the receipt we discovered they weren't FOUR euros like I thought but 40 euros each...making them about $55 US DOLLARs a piece!!  Stupido Americano!  I hereby bequeath one to The Boy and one to The Girl) and my Vulcania terra-cotta pan that goes from the cooktop to the oven to the table - I'm IN LOVE with it!  (I shall not disclose what I paid for this because IF the mister EVER read this he would turn into his alter-ego, Mt. Vesuvius and explode!)  

Now, back to Eggplant Parmigiana...the one I had in Florence was exceptional, the one I ordered in Sorrento was divine as was the one I ate for lunch in Positano...but the best of them all was the one we made ourselves at Chef Andrea's class in Rome...and I was able to recreate it at home - it was every bit as good as it was in the Old Country!

Eggplant Parmigiana - Adapted Ever-So-Slightly-From Chef Andrea Consoli

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggplants (Use the small, thinner eggplants, their seeds are not bitter)

1/2 cup sunflower oil (Chef Andrea advises using this oil, however I used vegetable oil because that's what I had on hand)

1 28 oz. can whole San Marzano tomatoes, drained and chopped or 1/2 lb. fresh Roma tomatoes, skinned, chopped  (to skin a tomato quickly, dip in boiling water for 30 seconds and then in ice water, skin will practically fall off)

1 clove garlic, smashed but with the skin left on

3 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped, divided

1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

Make the sauce first.  In a large frying pan over low heat, add the olive oil and stir in the clove of garlic, sauteing until the garlic begins to brown.  Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes.  Add salt and 1 tablespoon of the freshly chopped basil. Cover with lid and remove from heat.

Meanwhile, slice the eggplant as thinly as possible, into circles, less than 1/4-inch. In a large, deep pan, heat oil until very hot.  In small batches, fry the eggplant, about 3 minutes on each side, until lightly golden.  Remove to drain on a paper-towel lined tray.  Sprinkle lightly with salt.  Repeat until all of the eggplant has been cooked.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spoon a little of the sauce into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish (if you don't happen to own a fabulous terra-cotta casserole dish!) and top the sauce with eggplant slices.  Top each eggplant slice with a bit of sauce, mozzarella, fresh basil and Parmesan, then repeat, layering all the ingredients until they're gone.  Bake the eggplant until hot and bubbly, about 10 minutes.  Serve with additional Parmesan cheese and a sprig of basil. Serves 4 to 6.  Can be served hot or cold.  (I ordered cold Eggplant Parmigiana in Sorrento, with a chaser of green olives - man - that was livin!)

 "He saith little that loveth much."  ~ Italian Proverb

Dutch Oven Cooking 101...

My new best friends, Khara and Jamie at Cookware.com, were kind enough to write up a little info about Dutch Ovens.  You know I cook with mine all the time and I've only had it for a few years and I seriously wonder how I EVER cooked without it!  I hope you enjoy this bit of schooling - and if you need a new Dutch Oven then get yourself over to Cookware.com right now - well, after you read what Jamie has to say - because they are offering free shipping on orders over $69.00!!   

 

Dutch Oven 101

Since its original inception back in 17th century Europe, the Dutch oven has only evolved slightly, proving that a really solid design concept doesn't need modification. Simply put, a Dutch oven is a thick-walled iron cooking pot with a tight fitting lid. Used in a variety of cooking styles including boiling, baking, frying, and roasting, Dutch ovens are known for being as durable as they are versatile.

While many might associate a Dutch oven with one of those Colonial American museum displays or TV Westerns, a Dutch oven is very much relevant today. While many foodies might prefer the ease of one those stainless steel cookware sets, cast iron has many advantages.

Healthy Cooking

Cooking with cast iron has been shown to contribute to a healthy lifestyle. A well-seasoned cast iron Dutch oven is virtually stick-free, requiring less or no oil, which is good for a healthy heart. Additionally, by cooking with cast iron, you get more iron in your diet as trace amounts of iron are absorbed into the foods you cook. According to the World Health Organization, iron deficiency is the most prevalent nutritional disorder in the world, so wherever you can get that extra boost of iron you should take advantage.

Long Lasting

A high quality, well maintained cast iron Dutch oven will last you for a lifetime. When caring for your Dutch oven, make sure that you follow proper cleaning instructions. You want to let it cool before washing and never pour cold water while the oven is still hot, as this will crack the cast iron. You also want to avoid using soap, as this breaks down Dutch oven's naturally non-stick surface. Once the oven has cooled, put in some water and let it boil off. Scrape down the sides and empty out the dirty water. Put more water in and boil for a second time. Once it’s empty, rub in some oil at the bottom of the oven with a paper towel. This will help maintain your cast iron's seasoning.

Energy Efficient

Another advantage of cooking with a cast iron Dutch oven is how energy efficient cast iron can be. Cooking with cast iron uses less heat than other materials, as cast iron absorbs and retains heat very efficiently. This helps you cook your food much more evenly than you might be able to with a standard casserole or baking dish.

In comparing the job my Dutch oven does versus a casserole or baking dish, the flavors just always come out better in the Dutch oven. The tightly-fitting lid seals the juices and flavors in, producing a moist, flavorful better tasting meal. Don't let those images from the past scare you away from using a Dutch oven for your next meal. After just one meal, you'll be able to see the benefits and advantages that a cast iron Dutch oven has to offer.

Thanks Khara and Jamie - I couldn't have said it better myself!  Oh one more thing...Dutch Ovens come in all sizes and in all prices - the one above on the right is only $40.00!!  Get yourself a Dutch Oven - you'll thank me!