Common Scenario
You: "Oh, this fettucine with mushroom and chicken cream sauce is so tasty, but if I take another bite I’ll have no room for tiramisu. I know, I’ll bring it to work tomorrow for lunch."
The Next Day
You: "Gross, what happened? I put my pasta in the microwave for two minutes and now it’s an oily mess."
When it comes to ordering creamy pastas the best thing you can do is share because they will never be as good reheated, but there is a way to salvage those leftovers if you really have to.
The trick is to heat it low and slow. The quick transition from cold to hot makes the bonds that hold your sauce together so unstable that they break creating all that unappetizing oil, so you have to slowly ease that congealed block of calories into a tasty meal
Set your office microwave to the second lowest power level, add about a tablespoon and half of milk for a block a pasta the size of a pack of instant ramen, and microwave covered for 3 minutes. Microwave temperatures differ, so you may want to check after the first minute to make sure it’s not heating too fast.
Don’t stir up the pasta until just before you eat and you will have a leftover lunch that is almost as good as the first time.
Hanami Season: An Idea for the Weekend
Looking for something a little different to do next weekend? Cherry Blossoms are now in bloom and they are a great excuse to pack a picnic and get outside.
Your own picnic can be as simple as stopping by a store on the way to the park. Even the most basic supermarkets have a fresh roll section. Bagging your own rolls means you get a greater variety to chose from and the exact number you want. At the deli counter, you can buy just enough fresh cold cuts for your picnic and they usually have mustard and mayonnaise packets, so grab a few. Fruit wise, oranges and bananas are a great because you don’t have to wash them and salty snacks like olives and potato chips travel well. Add a blanket and bottle of wine from home and you’ve got an inexpensive way to enjoy the weekend.
In Japan the devotion to this springtime ritual is so great that companies encourage their employees to take afternoons off and enjoy lunch under the blossoms with their coworkers. On weekends, parks across the country are packed with people equipped with bento boxes, beer, and sake. Hanami literally means looking at flowers in Japanese, so even if you don’t have cherry blossoms nearby you can still honor the tradition by getting out of the house and under the trees.
Like this post? Click here for free updates via email.
Photo: Japanese House Philadelphia, PA
What’s the Deal with Pasta Water?
Are you pouring kitchen gold down the drain? After Monday’s pasta boiling post, one reader suggested I follow up with this critical kitchen secret.
Pasta water added to your favorite sauce makes a more evenly coated, well bound finished product. Think about one of those white wine sauces and you’ll get what I mean. Two tablespoons of that starchy, hot, salty water, added two minutes before finishing, will turn your slippery shrimp scampi into a pasta loving silk coating every linguine strand.
In Italy I learned that this also works great with pesto. A tablespoon of that pre-seasoned water thins the sauce just enough for it move and mix with your pasta without diluting the pesto flavor.
If you’re not convinced, take a look at Bill Buford’s book Heat. After months working as a lowly kitchen apprentice for Mario Batali, he is convinced that the restaurant's pasta water should be bottled and sold.
Like this post? Click here for free email updates
Pasta water added to your favorite sauce makes a more evenly coated, well bound finished product. Think about one of those white wine sauces and you’ll get what I mean. Two tablespoons of that starchy, hot, salty water, added two minutes before finishing, will turn your slippery shrimp scampi into a pasta loving silk coating every linguine strand.
In Italy I learned that this also works great with pesto. A tablespoon of that pre-seasoned water thins the sauce just enough for it move and mix with your pasta without diluting the pesto flavor.
If you’re not convinced, take a look at Bill Buford’s book Heat. After months working as a lowly kitchen apprentice for Mario Batali, he is convinced that the restaurant's pasta water should be bottled and sold.
Like this post? Click here for free email updates
5 Easy Tips to Making Better Pasta
Everyone knows how to boil pasta, right? -Think about the last soggy rigatoni salad you ate before you answer.- The good news is that making perfect pasta is easy is if you know the rules.
1. Use plenty of water, (About 2 quarts for every cup of pasta).
Cleaning bigger pots is a pain, but sticky clumps of pasta are worse, more water means more room for your pasta to move
2. Bring water to a full boil before adding pasta
Do I need to mention the clumps again? A full boil means you can stop adding oil to your water to keep the pasta from sticking, hooray!
3. Season your water
Bland is a really mean food description. Seasoning your water is seasoning your pasta. Italians say that pasta water should taste like the ocean which is roughly 1 teaspoon per quart of water. Those with salt concerns should check out this article in the New York Times.
4. Set a timer
Pasta cooked al dente holds its own against your sauce instead of soaking it up like a soggy sponge. Every package of pasta has a recommended cooking time that varies by pasta shape and size. Two minutes can mean the difference between magic and mush, so most Italians and serious cooks use a timer to keep track.
5. Do not wash the pasta
Pretty basic, right? Give these tips a try and I’m sure you’ll see a difference. I had to make a lot of mistakes in various Italians kitchens to win this wisdom, so use it assured that there is only one RIGHT way to boil pasta.
Hot Dog Nightmare
“What’s pink sauce?” I was standing in front of a low take out counter, three large flat screen TV’s flickered the menu over my head far too quickly to read. The darkness of the room and strobe like flashing made me feel like I was in a Reggaeton video and disoriented me just enough to inhibit my common sense. How else could I explain ordering the house special at Los Perros?
Picture it, an all beef hotdog with mozzarella cheese, ketchup, mustard, sour cream, pink sauce, pineapple sauce and grinded potato. I was visiting my friend, Mira, in Ft. Lauderdale and her neighbors had raved about the place. After reading the menu, I was inclined to believe them. The flavor combination was so bold and out there that it had to be great, right?
It took me two big bites to realize what I was really eating. The grinded potatoes were actually chip crumbs, and pink sauce was ketchup and mayonnaise blended together. As I write this now, my stomach turns. The cheese, which was not mozzarella, coated the dog like a thick white water proofing, but the myriad of sauces still managed to soak the bun.
As if waking from a dream, I looked around wondering how I got to this place. Why was I eating the teenage boy’s dream sandwich?
Personal recommendations are my favorite way to find great places to eat. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I can’t go wrong, but the other one percent… I’m like an overconfident AIG executive- destined to fail.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)