Three Meat Cannelloni

I have been trying to experiment with new pastas, trying anything that is different.  Recently, I thought about making cannelloni, but I wanted to use fresh pasta.  I though to myself, how am I going to make those tubes?!  Then, I thought, why not just roll out sheets of pasta, with the filling and seal the "tube" with a seam.  In thinking about the process, I definitely knew I was going to have to make this more than once, but it was actually surprisingly easy!

Ingredients;

1 28oz can of tomato puree
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp crushed red peppers

2.5lbs of a combination of pork, beef and veal
1 medium onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 red pepper, minced
1/4 c chopped parsley
1/3 c Parmesan Romano cheese
1/3 c mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper to taste

Pasta recipe can be found here

Combine the tomato sauce, bay leaf and crushed red peppers into a pot, and simmer on low heat.

In a large saute pan, brown meat, drain the grease from the meat, set aside in a medium bowl.  Add the garlic and onion to the pan.

Once the onions are opaque, add the red peppers.

 After sauteing for about 5 minutes, add the onion mixture to the same bowl as the meat.  Add the parsley, salt and pepper - mix to combine.

Add the Parmesan Romano and mozzarella cheese.  Add the crushed red peppers, the egg, salt and pepper.  Add 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce, from the pot.

Mix everything together.
In the bottom of a large pan, spread some tomato sauce, to cover the bottom.

Take a rolled out pasta sheet and add some of the meat mixture.  Form in the shape of a log.

Roll the pasta over the meat mixture.  Cut the dough according to how much pasta you need and wipe water across the seam.

Seal the "tube".  Place in the baking pan, seam down.

Cover the pasta with sauce and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Once they are finished, you can chop basil and top with the basil and some finely grated Parmesan Romano cheese.

Thyme 2 Taste....

Fig & Goat Cheese Salad with a Warm Port Dressing

The best thing about the winter is warm food, especially food that is comforting.  I like to combine different flavors for a prefect balance.  This salad is also a great starter at a dinner party, as the first course.  Let me know what you think...

Ingredients;
1 shallot, minced

6 large dried figs or 12 small, stems removed
1/3 c port
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
dash of salt and pepper
1/4 c olive oil
1 package of baby romaine
1/2 log of goat cheese

Cut the stems off the figs.

Evenly distribute the baby romaine into bowls and crumble the goat cheese, set aside.

Turn the heat on high and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the shallots and saute for 2-3 minutes, until they are soft.

Add the figs, and saute for about a minute.  Add the port, simmer for about 2 minutes, add the balsamic vinegar.

Add the olive oil and simmer for another minute.

Pour on top of the baby romaine and sprinkle with goat cheese.  Serve immediately.
Thyme 2 taste....

TIP: You can also add walnuts to the salad, if you want to mix up the texture and dress it up some more.

Pork Ragu with Pasta

Last winter, after I received my pasta maker, I made almost every kind of sauce or ragu to pair with pasta.  The best thing about ragu is it cooks very slowly, allowing the meat to fall apart, turning out super tender.  I also like to cook down the sauce, so that it is thick and covers the pasta perfectly.  Now that I have made you hungry, I guess I should give you the recipe......

Ingredients;
Sauce -
3-4 lb boneless pork shoulder
1 onion, minced
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeling and cut in half
4 cloves of garlic
1 cup of white wine
1 28oz can of stewed tomatoes
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 bay leafs
4-5 sprigs of thyme
1 sage leaf
1 tsp dried rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Parmesan Romano cheese to grate on top

Pasta -
The recipe for fresh pasta is HERE

Salt and pepper the pork shoulder.  Trim excess fat from the meat.  Chop the vegetables and set aside.

 Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in the bottom of the pan, turn on high heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the pork in the pan.  Sear each side of the meat, remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the garlic, onions, celery into the pan.  Saute for about 5-7 minutes, until they are tender and the onions are opaque.

Add the wine into the pan, and let the wine simmer until it's almost all cooked down.  Add the meat back into the pan.

Add the whole tomatoes, crushed tomatoes and herbs.

Bring the sauce to a boil, and turn down on low heat.  Simmer for about 1-2 hours.  Once the meat is getting tender, start to shred the meat into the sauce.

 Remove the carrots and the bay leaf.  Add the Worcestershire sauce as well as the salt and pepper to taste.  Turn the heat up to medium, and simmer down until the sauce is thicker, about 30 minutes.

Boil the pasta, strain and place in a large pot.  Add the sauce into the pot and stir.  Divide up into bowls, grate Parmesan Romano on top.  Serve immediately.

Thyme 2 taste...

Roasted Eggplant Dip

When I was in Southern Italy last summer, it was an amazing experience - walking around the small towns, buying fresh seafood from the fisherman and vegetables from the farmers.  When we arrived, we go a little too excited about all of the fresh vegetables.  We bought 4 eggplants.... I decided to take the eggplants, roast them along with some fresh tomatoes and make a eggplant dip before dinner one evening.  It was exactly what I was hoping it would be, and it was gone right away!  When I came back from Italy, I replicated it a few times and it was just as delicious.  So, I thought would share the recipe with you.  Especially since it's that time of the year when people are coming by, and it's nice to have some food out.

Ingredients;
1 large eggplant
1-2 tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
1/2 c crushed tomatoes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Chop tomatoes and eggplant into 1 inch chunks.  Place on a cookie sheet.  Add cloves of garlic to the cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Place in the oven for about 30-45 minutes or until the eggplant is soft and golden.

Place the roasted vegetables into a medium size pot on low heat.  Add the tomato sauce and simmer until it's cooked down, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.  I sometimes let it simmer longer.  Optional - you can also add a few chili flakes if you want to give it a little bit of a kick!

I think the best way to serve it is with a baguette.  I also like to put 2 different dips on the same plate sometimes.  It depends how many guests you are having over.

Thyme 2 Taste...

Focaccia Bread

One of my favorite memories from Italy is the morning that we had fresh Focaccia bread for breakfast.  All I remember is not being able to stop eating it!  When I was flipping through my Michael White cook book and saw the recipe for Focaccia bread, I knew I had to try it.  Now, I am not really a very good baker, since everything has to be precise with baking, but I figured I would give it a shot... and I nailed it.
So, for Thanksgiving, I decided to go big and try Focaccia stuffing. Go big or go home, right?  haha

The recipe is broken down into 2 parts because you have to let the dough sit in the fridge overnight.

Ingredients;

For the poolish;
1 c water
1 1/2 cups King Arthur bread flour
3/4 tsp active dry yeast

For the dough;
1/4 cup water
3/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 c King Arthur bread flour
2 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/6 c Olive oil, plus more for oiling the bowl and brushing the dough
Flakey sea salt

For the poolish;
Add the bread flour, water and yeast in a mixing bowl and whisk together.  Let it proof at room temperature for 3 hours, then seal completely and securely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

For the dough;
Stir together the water and yeast in a bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment until the yeast dissolves.

With the mixer off, add the poolish, bread flour, and salt in that order then turn on the mixer, starting at a low speed and increasing to a high speed.

Continue to mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.  Lower the speed to medium and slowly add the olive oil and continue mixing until the dough again pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 8 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a large, lightly oiled bowl.  Cover with a damp towel and let it sit for about an hour or until it doubles in size.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Fold over first from left to right and then top to bottom to form a square.  Line a 12x17 baking sheet with parchment paper and brush lightly with olive oil.  Set the sough in the center of the baking sheet, brush the top, very lightly, with olive oil, cover loosely with plastic wrap.  Let the dough proof for 40 minutes or until the dough can be pulled without retracting.

Position the rack in the oven to the center and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Remove the plastic wrap and stretch out the dough to fit the pan.  Prick it with a fork and drizzle it lightly with additional oil.  Let the dough rise for 15 minutes.

Bake the focaccia for about 30 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown, almost fried.  Remove the sheet from the oven, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.  Let it rest for about 10 minutes  Transfer to cutting board and serve.
I added rosemary to the top to give it a nice taste.  You can vary what you add on top of the bread.

Thyme 2 Taste...