Oyster Linguini

Ingredients:
-approx 20 oysters (reserve liquid/liquor)
-1/2 lemon
-1/2 small onion
-3 cloves garlic
approx 5 shiitake mushrooms
-1 c. (packed) chopped spinach (substitute chard)
1/2 lb dry linguini (or 2 eggs worth of basic egg pasta)
2-4 tbsp. butter
dash salt & pepper
1/4 c. dried tomatoes soaked in oil

Prep: If your tomatoes didn't come in olive oil, cover them and start soaking 24 hours in advance. Chop onion, garlic, spinach, shiitakes. Check oysters for pearls and bits of shell, then squeeze lemon over them. Start salted pasta water (or make pasta ahead of time and toss with olive oil).


1. Saute onions in butter over a medium heat until translucent. Toss in chopped garlic and cook together until onions show light browning on the edges. Remove from pan and set aside.

2. Add more butter and increase the heat to medium high/high. Saute sliced shiitakes (DO NOT CROWD) until the edges start to brown and the texture is firm. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3. Place the onions back into the pan, allow to warm again, and deglaze with white wine. Reduce heat to a simmer (med). Add liquor from the oysters, a ladle of pasta water, and chopped dried tomatoes, allow to simmer and thicken.


4. As the liquid thickens, add chopped spinach and oysters. Season to taste with black pepper and salt then add shiitakes.

5. Serve oyster mixture over pasta with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.



Serves 2-3

Meringue

• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Dash salt
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• decorative dry ingredients
  

Directions

1. Place egg whites in a medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.

2. Add cream of tartar and salt to egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks forms (tips curl).

3. Gradually add the 1/2 cup superfine sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed until stiff peaks form ( tips stand straight) and sugar is nearly dissolved.

4. Transfer meringue to a decorating bag fitted with a 3/8-inch round tip. Pipe shapes on top of paper or foil. Sprinkle with the decorative ingredients.

5. Bake all of the meringues at the same time on separate oven racks for 10 minutes.

6. Turn off oven; let meringues dry in oven with door closed for 1 hour. Lift meringues off paper or foil. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely.

If desired, melt chocolate chips in a double boiler & spread on bottom of cured meringues.

Basic Egg Pasta

Ratio: 1 egg to 1/2 c. flour + about 1/2 tsp of salt
Allow 1 egg worth of recipe/ person for a main dish, 1 egg/2-3 people as a side.

Ingredients:
Fresh eggs,
Flour (high-gluten is best, don't do pure Whole Wheat)
salt

Procedure:

1. heap flour on a clean countertop, and make a depression in the middle for egg. (keep your walls even, you don't want the egg to escape)

2. crack egg(s) into the flour and sprinkle salt over. Using a fork, stir the eggs, slowly incorporating the flour until the egg-y-ness is firm enough to mix the rest of the flour in.

3. knead dough until elastic & surface shines, then cover with a damp cloth and set aside for 20 minutes. Use this time to clean your countertop, you'll need a LOT of space.

4. lightly flour the countertop (and rolling pin) and roll out as thin as possible- you want cardstock thickness.

5. Allow sheet to air dry until it feels slightly leathery, then cut into your preferred shape and stuff if desired (if stuffing, make sure to dampen the edges before you fold the dough over to make it stick)

Red Beet Pasta w. Balsamic Vinegar, Poppy Seeds & Mint

Ingredients

• 4 T poppy seeds
• 6 T unsalted butter
• 1 lb raw fresh red beets, peeled and grated
• 1 lb fusilli or other "ribbon style" pasta
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2⁄3 c grated parmigiano-reggiano
• 4 T balsamic vinegar

Instructions

In a large heavy saucepan toast the poppy seeds over high heat, stirring, until they are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.

Add butter to the same saucepan and cook over medium heat until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beets and season with salt and pepper, balsamic vinegar. Cook until soft, then puree & return to pan on low heat to thicken.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted water, boil the pasta until al dente. Drain and reserve about a coup of the pasta water...which should be added to the pureed beets.

Continue to thicken sauce until it seems likely to coat the pasta then transfer the pasta to the pan with the beets and stir until coated. Move to serving dish then toss the pasta with the grated cheese, poppy seeds and garnish with mint.

Good hot or cold.

Variation:

1. Generate beet sauce and reduce to nearly paste thickness.

2. Make 2 eggs worth of basic pasta, substituting one egg for 2tbsp of beet sauce & mixing in poppyseeds.

3. drain then toss...and follow recipe the rest of the way.

Inspired & derived from SippitySup, but modified.

Leftover Handpies

yields 6-12 pies

One recipe of Pate Brisee
leftovers (savory & complex flavors work best)
1 egg
3tsp milk


Make one recipe of Pate Brisee, chill then roll out discs. (Next time I'm using a tortilla press...maybe it'll work.)

I rolled mine between sheets of parchment paper, then stuck them in the fridge.

Chill the rolled out crusts, and use that time to prepare your leftovers.

Preheat the oven to 375

place crusts on a baking sheet (you don't need to grease it...do you realize how much butter is in there?!) I found that leaving my crust half-stuck to the parchment paper really helped in the fold-over step.

Fill along the seam of the crust & fold the top over.

Pinch & crimp the edges

beat egg and milk together, and wash over the pies...make sure you get the edge.

poke some kind of hole in the top to allow steam to vent (I used a fork and made patterns)

Bake for 15 - 25 minutes, or until golden. Check every 5 minutes over 25.

I stole & reworked this from The Kitchn blog. I used Thanksgiving turkey, gravy and cranberry relish...but since the stuffing had all been consumed, I faked a filling by sauteeing leeks, celery, garlic, carrots and mushrooms with rosemary. I deglazed that mess with turkey stock, then tossed in a handful of croutons. I simmered it all together, adding more stock, until the croutons were soft and most of the stock absorbed. Then I added spoonfuls of gravy, and continued cooking until it was nice and thick. I tossed in my cubed turkey and killed the heat. Once I lay out my crusts, I spread relish on the inside, then spooned in my filling. I think they turned out rather well!

Pate Brisee (Pie Dough)

Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9- to 10-inch pies

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Directions

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc* and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

*Pressing the dough into a disc rather than shaping it into a ball allows it to chill faster. This will also make the dough easier to roll out, and if you freeze it, it will thaw more quickly.