Lasagna Verde with Béchamel

I have fallen in love with my new pasta roller attachment for my Kitchen-Aid mixer. Due to the large amount of noodles generated every time I make fresh pasta, I had extra chlorophyll dyed pasta dough after the ravioli production. This was turned into thin sheets (#7 cam setting) of lasagna noodles. These noodles were layered in a lightly greased pan in between alternating layers of béchamel, gruyere, Parmigiano-Reggiano, fresh basil, and a mixture of sautéed pork and beef. This was then covered and put in the fridge for supper the following evening, hoping it would hold up well. The next night it was baked at 350 degrees for about thirty five to forty minutes. This was served along side a pomegranate vinaigrette tossed salad and a piece of homemade sour dough bread with Maître d'Hôtel butter. I have never been a fan of lasagna, but this was something else entirely. Looking forward to the next pasta night!


After a recent request, I have decide to post more on this entry for the béchamel mother sauce. After a little research I have discovered that we made Auguste Escoffir's recipe as presented in Saulnier's Répertoire. This is what many chefs would regard as the authoritative recipe: "White roux moistened with milk, salt, onion stuck with clove" (aka onion pique). 

Béchamel:
1 gallon whole milk
1 onion
4 large bay leaves
14 cloves, whole
7 1/2 oz butter
7 1/2 oz flour
tt. salt, pepper, nutmeg

Make a roux with the butter and flour. Set aside to cool. Cut the onion in half and remove the skin leaving the root end in tact if possible. Stud each half onion with 7 cloves and make two knife slits. These slits will be used to hold the bay leaves and keep them from floating. Pour the milk into a large sauce pot and add the onion pique's. Bring to a low simmer and hold for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the onion pique's, and add the roux slowly while whisking. Refine the sauce by passing it through a fine mesh filter, or shinwa.

Daughter Sauces:
Cheese Sauce - Add to 1 qt. béchamel, 8 oz cheddar cheese, dash of Worcestershire sauce, and 1 T dry mustard.
Mornay - Add to 1 qt. béchamel, 4 oz Gruyere, 1 oz parm., thin with scalded cream, remove from heat and swirl in 2 oz whole butter.
Nantua - Add to 1 qt. béchamel, 4 oz heavy cream, 6 oz crayfish butter, paprika for color, garnish with diced crayfish meat.

Poached Pears with Mango Ice Cream

This was a late night snack that doesn't need a lot of explanation. It seems like an unassuming desert, but packs a flavor that is hard to match. A bosc pear poached in white wine with cinnamon, vanilla, star anise, orange zest, and sugar. These flavors are slowly infused into the pear while barely simmering to create this soft and aromatic desert. My recent batch of mango ice cream made a nice creamy and cool pairing that was pleasing to the pallet. Try this poached pear at home, simple and hard to resist.

Smore Reconstructed

This dessert came to me after a request for something chocolate. Due to the lack of such snacks in the house, I foraged through the kitchen for ideas. I found two squares of bakers' semi-sweet chocolate and graham crackers. Sounded like a start. I made a simple graham cracker crust with a little butter and sugar in the food processor. I pressed this mixture into four ramekins and baked them for just a few minutes while I prepared a chocolate custard filling. This consisted of a couple egg yolks, sugar, cream, pinch of salt, and the bakers' chocolate. The whites were whipped with a little powdered sugar and vanilla extract until they reached stiff peaks. I filled the ramekins with the custard and topped them with meringue before baking one last time at about 400 degrees. Somewhat unintentionally they came out tasting like a smore with the toasted fluffy meringue, warm chocolate center, and crunch graham cracker crust. Not too bad for a 30 minute dessert.

Kale and Potato Soup

Two months ago I was helping prepare soup for the Bistro at the Fort Omaha Campus. The two soups that I worked on were egg drop and a kale soup with great northern bean. I learned a few tricks when preparing the egg drop that I had never thought of using. The most useful of these tricks being a whisk to feather the eggs into the broth to keep them light and thin. The real surprise came with the kale soup. This sturdy green cooked wonderfully in a rich and savory vegetable stock with sautéed mirepoix. The extra beans came from the Tuscan Minestrone preparation for the Ron Sailors event which occurred just a few nights before. The great northern beans added contrasting color and a creamy texture that made the soup very satisfying. After a number of months with kale on the brain, I spotted some at the local grocery store. My rendition of this soup used gold potatoes and thick cut bacon crumbles instead of the beans. Sautéed mirepoix and vegetable stock that I had prepared is the base of the soup. A simple herb, garlic and pepper sachet helped develop additional layers of flavor. The entire batch was eaten without any going in the freezer. I will be making this again.

Chicken Fried Steak

Last night I realized something while putting together what I would consider a traditional Midwestern dinner, that chicken fried steak might not be as familiar to as many people as I think. So I have decided to become more diverse in my postings; attempting new renditions on childhood favorites, include discussions of success and failure in the kitchen, and bringing to light more of my culinary influences. I have always believed that the art of cooking is developed throughout our life by experiences and exposure to food.

I was extremely happy how this meal came out. The chicken fried steak coating is seasoned with a mixture of three peppers; fresh cracked black pepper, cayenne, and red pepper flake. It rests on top of a bed of sautéed turnip greens, and is topped with parsnip and potato puree. The sauce was based on a bourguignonne seasoned with onion, shallot, red wine, with the addition of espagnole (classic mother sauce). This was made by quickly sautéing the aromatics, deglazing with wine, and reducing. The reduction is then added to a beef stock thickened with a dark roux. The sauce was strained, seasoned, and finished with a little butter. The flavor combinations for this dish really worked well for me. The parsnip puree gave a creamy burst of flavor immediately on my pallet, followed by savory meat and crunchy breading with the slightest heat on the back of the tongue. This along with the sautéed turnip greens tossed with balsamic vinegar finished it all off with just the right amount of acidity. What can I say about the sauce, it was good on everything.

Stuffed Artichokes with Parsnip Puree

Artichokes have long been one of my favorite vegetables. I can remember requesting them for my birthday supper as early as the age of 8. We ate them in the Greek style; minimally cleaned, often steamed whole, and served with melted butter. Each layer of petals promised more and more tender flesh at its base, until reaching the unforgiving choke. Quickly removed with a spoon it rarely slowed my progression to the heart, the final and most satisfying finish to this uninviting vegetable. I appreciate the many ways of cleaning and breaking down an artichoke, but in most of my preferred applications I leave the majority of it in tact. I now remove at least the tips of the petals and take out the choke. So when I was on a trip to my local grocery store and saw some of the most delicious looking fresh artichokes, I had to buy a few for dinner. I steamed them and stuffed them with chopped seared shrimp, fire roasted tomatoes, a dash of balsamic vinegar, and squeeze of lemon juice. This was then topped with hollandaise and fresh toasted coconut. I served this along with a parsnip puree that was deliciously smooth and creamy. I will definitely do another rendition on this dish again.

Meat Stuffed Ravioli with Béchamel

I am starting a new chapter in my culinary adventures at home, fresh pasta. Before I get too far, I must say that pasta has always seemed some what intimidating. I have had numerous attempts at home with varying success. All of my previous creations consisted of thick hand rolled egg noodles, or extruded pasta through the use of my Kitchenaid with the grinder/pasta attachment. Although these dishes were delicious, they lacked refinement and delicacy when it came to the pasta. Don't get me wrong, a rustic chicken noodle soup is still one of my favorite rainy day starters. I have now entered a new era of pasta in the home with the help of my new favorite Kitchenaid toy, the pasta roller and cutting attachments. Now with only two cups of flour, three eggs, and a pinch of salt, the possibilities seem endless. This starting point can give rise to nearly any pasta that you can imagine, and yield more than you could ever believe. After browsing thru one of my most recent book purchases, "The Pasta Bible" by Christian Teubner, Silvio Rizzi, and Tan Lee Leng, I decided to make green pasta dough for my meat ravioli. This dough should not be confused with Spinach pasta dough, even though spinach is used to obtain the color. The process used to obtain the color of this dough is done in such a way that the chlorophyll is extracted without bringing any of the flavors of the spinach. To accomplish this, puree a small batch of fresh spinach with as little water as possible, followed by more batches of fresh spinach. The goal is to obtain the thickest slurry of spinach possible. The next step is to separate the unwanted plant matter from the chlorophyll rich liquid. While over top of a pan to collect the brilliant green liquid, pour the puree into a strainer lined with enough cheesecloth to fold around the pulp mass. Squeeze the cheesecloth until it is free of liquid and discard the solid material. Slowly heat the liquid to 150 degrees Fahrenheit and skim using a small mesh strainer (smaller the better). This precipitate that is collected is the chlorophyll colorant. As it is collected, force it through the fine mesh using a spatula into the well of the flour with the eggs. Force the pulp through the mesh to insure that the pasta has an even smooth color. After this is complete, roll the pasta into workable size sheets and stuff with the meat mixture. I also tried squash stuffed ravioli in order to practice on my vegetarian cookery (due to my inspiring vegetarian mother). In the end, the béchamel was a wonderful pairing for these meat/squash stuffed raviolis.

Fennel Avocado Citrus Salad

This salad combination was truly surprising. The creamy avocado with sweet and sour citrus fruits paired nicely with the crisp texture and fresh taste of raw thin sliced fennel. The juice collected from the cutting of the fruit was blended with honey, lime juice, and a pinch of salt. The salad was immediately consumed. The only disappointment was that the dressing lacked enough thickness to adhere to the other components. A possible 20 minutes may have given the dressing more time to incorporate. For its second recreation a small amount of avocado will be pureed with the citrus juice and honey to add body to the dressing. In addition to the garnish of fennel fronds, some minced fronds will also be included in the avocado citrus dressing.

Recipe: Yields 4 servings

1/2 bulb fennel, trimmed cored and sliced thin (reserve some fronds for garnish)
1 orange, segments removed and course chopped
1/2 grapefruit, segments removed and course chopped
1 Chilean Hass avocado
1/2 T honey
1/2 T lime juice
tt. salt

Fraternizing with Fennel

Fennel is a relatively unfamiliar vegetable to my fridge. Today is the beginning of my latest exploration into the world of intriguing and possibly misunderstood vegetables. I have purchased two Florence fennel bulbs today along with a variety of other fresh produce and basic seafood. The licorice like flavor often associated with this plant is frequently paired with shrimp and fish. The base proteins that I have decided to start with are shrimp, scallop, and Tilapia to explore this flavor pairing. To familiarize myself with some raw applications as well, I have decided to try some salad combinations and sauce blends. Future posting will follow my progression.