One Day Bread

Bread baking novices everywhere, myself included, dream of baking crusty, moist artisanal boules. All of them, like me, are deeply saddened when they discover that home ovens just cannot produce the same creations. You see, professional ovens actually bathe the loaves in steam. Home bakers have tried everything, from trays of water in the oven to babysitting your loaf and misting it every three minutes as though you were a diva's assistant. Nothing seems to replicate the process... 

Except for a wet dough in a dutch oven. (Genius!) This recipe, popularized by Jim Lahey of the amazing Sullivan Street Bakery, could not be simpler (no kneading at all). There also aren't too many variations, some add a little more salt or a little less water, I think you should start here and figure out what works best in your home's/oven's climate.

Ingredients:
3 cups of flour (You can use all purpose. I repeat, you don't need any fancy bread flour.)
1/4 tsp active yeast (usually found in your dairy aisle)
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 tsp salt
1 5/8 cups of water (Again, no need to seek out fancy water. I used tap, and it worked beautifully.)

Special Equipment:
1 cloche or dutch oven, ceramic or cast iron (I bought one for thirty bucks on Amazon)
I've yet to experiment, but I believe that a really sturdy and deep Pyrex or roasting pan would do the trick with a little tin foil for a lid. If you try that, let me know!

Instructions:
1. Stir everything but the water together in a large bowl (the goal is even distribution) Add the water, stir until combined. Put plastic wrap over the top and let it sit in a 65-72 degree environment for 18 hours. (That's why I call it One Day Bread)

2. Fold the dough once or twice on a thoroughly floured surface, sprinkling a little flour on top. You will think you are doing it wrong because the dough is practically liquid and difficult to control. If you need reassurance, check out these instructional videos. But really, what you are doing will work. Trust me. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes.

3.  Transfer to a well floured kitchen towel (not terrycloth). Lahey says to shape it, others don't. I found shaping difficult, but getting your hands dirty is fun so I suggest you try to shape it into a ball. Leave on floured towel, flour the top of the dough, and cover with another towel. Let sit for 2 hours.

4. An hour and a half after you put the dough in the towels (30 minutes ahead of use), preheat your oven to 450 with your baking dish inside.

5. Transfer dough to hot vessel (I, literally, just rolled it off the towel with very little finesse. I didn't even take the pot out of the oven.) Put the lid on, bake for 30 minutes. Take the lid off, and continue to bake for 15 to 30 minutes of until the crust is beautifully golden.

6. Transfer to a wire rack, cool. Marvel at how amazing and simple it was to get a perfect crust and moist bread.

For those put off by the time involved, there is very little active time. Additionally, I screwed up at every one of those simple steps (including napping while the bread was baking and leaving it in too long) and what came out was so beautiful Jack asked if we could make it a couple of times a week.

One last thing: The super moist dough begs for adornment. Maybe some olive oil poached garlic cloves, currants/cranberries/raisins and nuts, olives or rosemary. Explore!

Homemade Ricotta

I've been holding on to a few ricotta recipes for about a year, but was put off by the fear of blandness. My ricotta, I promise you, is far from blah.

Modeled after Salvatore Bklyn's recipe, among others, my easy method uses lemon juice instead of citric acid. That change is crucial to giving the ricotta  bit of flavor it would otherwise lack.

Ingredients:
1 gallon of whole milk
1 teaspoon of salt (approx)
the juice of 3 or 4 lemons (2/3 - 3/4 of a cup)-- pulp encouraged. I used some aging Meyer lemons from the depths of my fridge. I would highly recommend doing using Meyer lemons if you have the opportunity. It makes for a very special cheese.

Some people add a splash of cream, however, I don't find it necessary.

 Equipment:
1 large pasta pot with lid (non-reactive)
1 colander
1 large bowl
fine weave cheese cloth or butter muslin (NOT the kind you get to clean with)
thermometer (If you do not have a thermometer, I highly encourage you to buy one. They are inexpensive and make difficult recipes into simple tasks. Run, don't walk!)

 

Directions:

Pour the milk and the salt into the large pasta pot.  Put the lid on, but stir every few minutes to prevent scalding.  Heat until the thermometer is between 185-195 degrees, until the milk is thick but not boiling.



When the temperature is right, remove the pot from the heat and add the lemon juice.  Stir until it curdles (only a couple of minutes), then let it sit undisturbed for 5 to 10 minutes.  Pour into cheesecloth lined colander, and let drain for an hour.
  

Enjoy! Seriously, that's all there is to it. It takes only about 20 minutes of active time, and tastes infinitely better than store bought ricotta. Made on a Friday night or Saturday morning, this recipe will keep for the weekend in an airtight container in the fridge.

Mario's Bolognese

My boyfriend Jack loves Bolognese. He will make a pot big enough to feed thirty and eat it all himself. He's proud of his recipe and labors, and the results are really quite delicious.

However...

We went to Del Posto for lunch today and were blown away by Mario's bolognese. A quick search of the internet rendered many copies of the same "Mario" recipe (below). I know, however, that this can't be all there is to it (no chef gives away his signature dish's secret ingredient). The dish is beautifully rich and salty, reminiscent of pecorino cheese (was it just the pork fat, or was there anchovy?). Not only that, his meat seemed to be a mix of shredded and ground. It was served on spinach pasta, just coated delicate tubes, simply folded by hand. The spinach pasta added a nice bitter/green note to the rich sauce. It was heavenly.

Mario Batali's Ragu Bolognese (courtesy of the interwebs.)

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp butter
1 carrot, finely diced
1 medium onion diced
1 rib celery finely diced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 lb ground veal
1 lb ground pork
1/4 lb pancetta or slab bacon, ground
1/2 tube of tomato paste
1 cup milk
1 cup dry white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating

In a 6 to 8-quart, heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and garlic and sweat over medium heat until the vegetables are translucent and soft but not browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the veal, pork, and pancetta and stir into the vegetables. Add the meat over high heat, stirring to keep the meat from sticking together until browned. Add the tomato paste, milk, and wine and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from the heat.

Add pasta to pan, coat evenly.

P.S.- Lunch at Del Posto, what a deal!!!!

Yes, please.

The more meat varieties, the better.
If it is in the New York Times, does it make it OK to eat? I think so, I do.

Garden Day Dreaming

Image: freegardenideas.com

When I perch at my desk, I often look out the window, beyond my landing, to the view of downtown Manhattan. Unfortunately, that view is quickly being obstructed by scafolding. Never one to let anything interfere with my day dreaming, I've started planning which plants I'd like to perch on that landing come spring. 

This summer I moved from a full sun apartment to partial shade. While many of my plants gracefully made the transition, a long and dry (Christmas vacation?) winter finally killed them off. My thyme soldiers on, but that's all I have left. 

In my day dream, I'll have built two tiered planters to attach to the railing. The top levels will host sage and oregano, and the lower tiers chives, parsley, and cilantro. Or perhaps I will be lucky enough to find a non-ugly version of this planter to the right (currently sold on Overstock.com. Did somebody say strawberries?

Sigh, back to January.... (or not: more dream foder)