Daring Cook’s September 2011 challenge, “Stock to Soup to Consommé”. Italian Wedding Soup served with Herb and Garlic Brioche

Italian Wedding Soup served with Herb and Garlic Brioche.
(please note that the pictures will be coming soon...can't find my file card...lol!)

*The Only PreMade Dried Pasta I buy!

Peta, of the blog Peta Eats, was our lovely hostess for the Daring Cook’s September 2011 challenge, “Stock to Soup to Consommé”. We were taught the meaning between the three dishes, how to make a crystal clear Consommé if we so chose to do so, and encouraged to share our own delicious soup recipes!

I grew up on brothy soups. My mom would always make her chicken soup, Italian style of course and she would laddle it on top of cooked rice. We would pile on the freshly grated Parmesan Cheese or Romano Cheese and have some Italian bread around and enjoy our soup. Some people wait to make soups when it's cold outside. My mom made it all year round. It was a magical quick dish for her and it would fill our bellies. I will later share that soup for you but that is not the soup I want to make for this challenge. I decided I am going to make Italian Wedding Soup. Yes this soup is served at weddings but my family also has it for Thanksgiving before the big Turkey Feast. It just seems natural because you can use Turkey to make Italian Wedding Soup if you don't want to make it with Chicken. However since Chickens are readily available and I have no use for a 13 pound Turkey, I am going to make the Chicken Italian Wedding Soup.

Let's make a side note for those precious little pasta that goes in the soup, the best to use is Acini di Pepe.  Basically meaning Peppercorn Balls.  You can use Ditalini, but I like Ditalini more in legume soups with lentils or cannelini beans.  But I love those little pearl pasta, Acini is my favorite and if you noticed the poster above, I choose to buy Barilla Dried Pastas the most.

This recipe will include the Italian Wedding Soup accompanied by Peta's own recipe for Herb and Garlic Brioche. It looked divine when she made it so I am going to challenge myself to make my own Brioche. This is going to make a lot, so looks like I'm inviting people over for dinner. The Herbs and Garlic in the Brioche is going to be perfect to pair up with the Italian Wedding Soup.

This is a side note: You can make your own Chicken Stock and you can certainly buy it already made. However you choose to do it the end result may vary in taste but certainly taste great no matter what. Also you can make your own mini meatballs or you can buy them. We have a great Italian import store that makes them perfect for this dish. You can use ground meat using pork, beef, chicken, turkey, lamb or even a combination. It's up to you.

I chose to make my own stock just like my mom. I am also going to make my own meatballs, they are easy to make. This is a straight up recipe from my mom, how we've eaten it always. This is Authentic Baby!

You can decide to make the Brioche before or after the soup. I choose to make it after since I want my soup's flavors to mingle for awhile but not reducing it too much. So let's start off with the recipe for the Brioche....

Peta's Herb and Garlic Brioche

2 cups all-purpose plain flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk, warm
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon chopped chives
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon Italian mixed herbs
1 teaspoon freshly crushed garlic

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.
2. Slowly mix the warm milk, butter, herbs, garlic and 2 of the eggs into the flour mixture.


3. Knead until the dough is smooth. The dough is ready to rise when it is completely smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
4. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise until it is doubled in size.
5. Transfer the dough from the bowl onto a floured work surface and punch it down a few times.
6. Finely chop the fresh herbs and mix with the garlic.
7. Press the dough out into a rectangle then spread with the chopped herbs.


8. Roll up like a swiss roll and place on a lined baking tray.


9. Cover the pan and allow the dough to rise until it is doubled in size.
10. Preheat the oven to moderately hot 400°F.


11. Remove the dough covering, gently brush the loaf with the remaining beaten egg, bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderate 350°F and bake for an additional 25 minutes, until the brioche is golden brown. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, and then transfer it to a wire cooling rack.


Italian Wedding Soup

Meatballs:
4 Slices White Bread
2/3 cup of Milk
1 Egg
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Pounds of Ground Beef or Turkey
1 Medium Onion, finely diced
3 Tablespoons Freshly Grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon dried or chopped fresh parsley

Soup:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 2 cups finely diced carrots
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 4 to 4 1/2 quarts (16 to 18 cups) chicken broth, homemade or purchased
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs
• 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach or fresh chopped kale or spiniach
• 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 2/3 cups of Acini di Pepe Pasta (they look like little round pearls) or you can use Ditalini

Directions:


Meatball Prep:

Combine the bread, egg, milk, and salt, stirring till everything is well moistened. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes to soften.

Add the ground meat, onion, cheese, and herbs. Mix gently till thoroughly combined.

Shape 1 inch tiny meatballs. Using a level teaspoon scoop makes about the right size (you can use a cookie scooper if you want to). Place the meatballs on a parchment-lined or lightly greased cookie sheet, and refrigerate them while you prepare the soup.

Soup Prep:
Using a large pot, at least 6-quart capacity. Pour the olive oil into the bottom of the pot, and add the onions and carrots. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for another couple of minutes.


Add the broth and herbs, bring to a simmer, and cook gently for 10 minutes.

Add the frozen chopped spinach or chopped fresh kale or spiniach, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, total; the soup will take awhile to come back to a simmer, due to the frozen spinach. Help it along by breaking it up with a fork as it cooks.

Gently drop the meatballs into the soup. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes or so, then stir in the pasta, cooking till it's al dente.

Add salt and pepper to taste,

Serve the soup garnished with freshly grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese.


Buon Appetito,
Annamaria

The Daring Bakers July 2011 Challenge: Fresh Fraisiers!

Jana of Cherry Tea Cakes was our July Daring Bakers’ host and she challenges us to make Fresh Frasiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the beautiful cookbook Tartine.

This recipe looked intimidating. I was nervous to make it and I really thought it was going to be a flop. I amazed myself when it actually came out pretty delicious. The only thing that I didn't like was putting the raw layer of almond paste. It was very overpowering and I didn't want to eat it. I did try it with a cake and it in itty bitty pieces with the cake bites it wasn't so bad. To have the whole piece of almond paste wasn't that great and no one ate that layer. I'll leave the almond paste out next time. This cake would be really yummy frosted with a layer of whip cream and fresh fruit. I may even put some of the almond paste in the cake batter.

All in all this was a great cake and it was certainly didn't turn out to be as intimidating as I thought it was going to be. Le Fraisier is so versatile that you can put any fruit inside and along side. I used Strawberries and Bananas. I used my own custard recipe and didn't add the gelatin. My cream filling held up and the strawberries showed through around the edge of the cake. I used Maraschino Cherry syrup from the jar of cherries as my simple syrup. It provided a little of an Amaretto flavor.

I froze the cake once complete overnight. Then defrosted it in the fridge or you can leave it out because it will take overnight to defrost.

Another thing I recommend is to have lots of clean bowls. Big bowls and Medium bowls. I went through so many dishes. Expect to make a mess in your kitchen and table.

So here is the recipe for the Fresh Frasier...

FRESH FRASIER:

Make the custard first, it gets it out of the way.

Custard

2 Cups Milk
1/4 Cup sugar
2 Egg Yolks
1 Egg
1/4 Cup Cornstarch or All Purpose Flour
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Lemon Peels from 1 Lemon
2 Tablespoons of Butter

Adding After Custard is Cooled is:
8oz. Heavy Whipping Cream

In a heavy saucepan, stir together the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and egg. Stir together the remaining sugar and cornstarch; then stir them into the egg until smooth. When the milk comes to a boil, drizzle it into the bowl in a thin stream while mixing so that you do not cook the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the eggs don't curdle or scorch on the bottom. Add Lemon Peel if desired.

When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from the heat and remove lemon peel.

Stir in the butter and vanilla, mixing until the butter is completely blended in.

Pour into a heat-proof container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled before using.

When Custard is cooled Whip Heavy Whipping Cream until stiff peaks form.

Gently fold in little at a time to your custard until well incorporated. Then you will get a light cream filling.

Chiffon Cake:

1 cup + 2 tablespoons All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
3/4 cups Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
3 large egg yolks
1/3 Cup + 1 Tablespoon Water
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
3/4 teaspoon Freshly Grated Lemon Zest

Folded In Later to Batter, Whipped Egg Whites:
5 Large Egg Whites
1/4 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar

Preheat the oven to moderate 325°F

Line the bottom of an 9 inch spring form pan with parchment paper. Do not grease the sides of the pan.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder. Add in all but 3 tablespoons of sugar, and all of the salt. Stir to combine.

In a small bowl combine the oil, egg yolks, water, vanilla and lemon zest. Whisk thoroughly.

Combine with the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly for about one minute, or until very smooth.

Put the egg whites into a stand mixer, and beat on medium speed using a whisk attachment on a medium speed, until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat on a medium speed until the whites hold soft peaks. Slowly add the remaining sugar and beat on a medium-high speed until the whites hold firm and form shiny peaks.

Using a grease free rubber spatula, scoop about ⅓ of the whites into the yolk mixture and fold in gently. Gently fold in the remaining whites just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. I did mine for 45 minutes. It was Perfect.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack. To unmold, run a knife around the sides to loosen the cake from the pan and remove the spring form sides. Invert the cake and peel off the parchment paper. Refrigerate for up to four days.

Fraisier Assembly:

Components:
1 baked 8 inch (20 cm) chiffon cake
1 recipe pastry cream filling
⅓ cup (80 ml) simple syrup or flavored syrup
2 lbs (900 g) strawberries
confectioners’ sugar for dusting
½ cup (120 ml) (5 oz/140 gm) almond paste

Directions:

Line the sides of a 8-inch (20 cm) spring form pan with plastic wrap. Cut the cake in half horizontally to form two layers. Fit the bottom layer into the prepared spring form pan. Moisten the layer evenly with the simple syrup. When the cake has absorbed enough syrup to resemble a squishy sponge, you have enough.

Hull and slice in half enough strawberries to arrange around the sides of the cake pan. Place the cut side of the strawberry against the sides of the pan, point side up forming a ring.

Pipe cream in-between strawberries and a thin layer across the top of the cake.
Hull and quarter your remaining strawberries and place them in the middle of the cake. Cover the strawberries and entirely with the all but 1 tbsp. of the pastry cream.

Place the second cake layer on top and moisten with the simple syrup.

Lightly dust a work surface with confectioners' sugar and roll out the almond paste to a 10-inch (25 cm) round 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) thick. Spread the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of pastry cream on the top of the cake and cover with the round of almond paste.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
To serve release the sides of the spring form pan and peel away the plastic wrap.
Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

I molded a flower out of almond paste and cut a heart out to decorate the top. I could of been more creative but it was late and I was tired. LOL!

The perfect Slice...YUMMMM!

So my final thought is that you should at least make this once. Then you can rip up the recipe and make it your own version. I really loved the cake part and will use it again. I love my custard. It doesn't make that much so I double it just to eat custard. The filling is great for any type cake or pastry. Like I said before I didn't use gelatin because I don't like jello or the whole idea of gelatin and what it's made from. You can use Agar which is a non animal based gelatin. But you can eliminate the whole idea of gelatin in the recipe. I am sure there are many things that I eat that has gelatin in it but I prefer to leave it alone.

It was nice to make something from scratch and that I've never done before or haven't heard of and of a different culture. I guess that's what made it a good Challenge. Thank You!

ENJOY!

Sweet Dreams,
Annamaria

The Daring Cooks July 2011 Challenge -Homemade Pasta

Steph from Stephfood was our Daring Cooks' July hostess. Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine. She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with!

We were also encouraged to do a recipe from our own background so with mine I plan on to make Cavatelli or Gnocchi.

So I decided to do Cavatelli. It was so easy, just 3 ingredients. The most labor was when I had to form the pasta. I sat at my dining room table and rolled, pinched and floured all the noodles. It took me back to when I was a little girl and watched my mom make homemade noodles, whether it be fettuccine, lasagna or cavatelli. I have made potato gnocchi before so I decided to do cavatelli as it was the whole point to challenge myself.

Talking to my mom on the phone she told me to let the dough sit overnight. I don't know if it made much a difference but I was amazed at how delicate and soft the dough was. I was imagining how great and tender these morsels were going to be. The ricotta in the dough made it so beautiful. It was soft as a pillow. I cut the dough into quarters and worked each one individually. I pinched off dough and made them into ropes and pinch off pieces for the size of the cavatelli. I felt that it was easier to take each little piece roll them in a ball in my hand and then spin them off into little rolls, you'll see in the pictures. I would spin them off my hands and into a Tupperware container floured. When a next layer of noodles topped the others I would flour that layer to prevent sticking.

When I was finished which didn't seem to take as long, I seemed to of been in zone. I was ready get dinner ready. Dessert was in the fridge (see Daring Baker's blog). So a hot pot of water salted. Brought to a boil and in went the Cavatelli. They are done when the Cavatelli float to the top just like dumplings do. I strained them and in the mean time of the water comes to a boil, I prepared the sauce. I thought a Chicken Broccoli Alfredo was a good change to the typical red sauce. But I did take a short cut to the sauce, I bought Bertolli's Garlic Alfredo sauce. It's a great base that I use to add some other ingredients to the sauce like Parmesan, Cream Cheese, a tad bit of garlic and some pinches of Romana cheese. It's a cheese overload but it is soooo good. It gives it more of that homemade taste. I wish I had some mushrooms to add and I should of put some Marsala in but my husband hates mushrooms. I didn't want to put Marsala in without the mushrooms as they seem to best compliment each other.

Enticing Picture for You:

Now brings me to the recipe. Here is the step by step process in completing tonight's dinner for you to try out. I encourage you to make homemade pasta as it beats any box of pasta!

Here we go:

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Pasta with Homemade Fresh Cavatelli

HOMEMADE CAVATELLI:
Adapted from the recipe of:
What's Cookin' Italian Style Cuisine!

8 ounces of whole milk Ricotta
2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
2 eggs
Pinch of Salt

Start off by washing your hands.

In a large bowl, place 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour and make a well in the middle by pushing flour to the sides of the bowl.

Add the eggs, salt and ricotta into the well.

Start mixing ingredients with a spatula then with your CLEAN hands. Mix dough well and ingredients are well incorporated. Form into a circle or square.

Then wrap your dough with cling wrap. In this case I had red cling wrap for some reason. I think I got the one red left over cling wrap from the holidays and didn't notice. LOL!

Let dough rest by refrigerating for at least an hour or overnight like I did which was for my family's Sunday dinner.

Take out your rested dough and remove from cling wrap and cut dough into quarters. I think it's easier to gradually work the dough in increments. Also flour your surface to prevent sticking.

Pinch off pieces of the dough quarter and roll into a ball in your hand then shape ball into a tubular shape. When you finish making them into tubes, you then flour your index finger and press down in the middle of the noodle and you fling backwards with your finger. Gradually you'll fill the container, I recommend you flour between layers.

To cook the pasta bring water that has been lightly salted to a boil and drop in pasta. Pasta is done when pasta floats to the top.

Strain noodles in a colander and toss with your favorite sauce.

Broccoli Chicken Alfredo Sauce:

The ingredients here are pretty much to your eye sizing. I tried Tyson grilled cubed chicken which surprisingly was really good for frozen semi cooked chicken. It was really good meat pieces. Bertolli makes a great Alfredo sauce, I use it as a base and add ingredients to it. Also Knorr makes a great powdered mix to make Alfredo sauce by adding milk, and I also use this as a base.


Half a package of Tyson's frozen grilled diced chicken. (You can find this in the freezer section by the Tyson Products, it's a green bag)
1 Jar of Bertolli Garlic Alfredo Sauce
Frozen Broccoli Package
4 ounces Cream Cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup Romano Cheese

Take frozen chicken and place into a skillet and cook until browned and cooked thoroughly.

Add frozen broccoli or steamed broccoli into pan with chicken. If using frozen broccoli, steam in skillet until hot over light heat and place lid over skillet. Cook until broccoli is tender and hot.

Add the Bertolli Garlic Alfredo Sauce and Cream Cheese and mix everything in the pan and make sure the cream cheese is thoroughly mixed in. Add your Parmesan and Romano cheeses. Mix well.

I know you can't believe I didn't make my own Alfredo sauce but I also had to do a Baker's Challenge and it took me 2 days. So I think my legs, back and feet well appreciated the shortcuts...lol!

*Note: I know fresh cheese in your supermarket can be expensive. If you buy a big enough chunk, you can put half of it in a freezer ziploc bag and freeze it until you run out of your other chunk. I can't emphasize enough how a difference in taste it is to use freshly grated Parmesan and Romano Cheeses. Don't buy those cans of the grated cheeses. It's gross and have been sitting on those shelves and the cheese isn't fresh. Get the real chunks. If you have a food market, you may even be able to find it cheaper right from the Cheese Specialty Shops or Stands. It makes a world of a difference in your recipes and topping off your dishes.

Take your cooked pasta and toss with hot Chicken Broccoli Sauce in a large Pasta Serving bowl. Serve onto individual plates.

Grate fresh Parmesan Cheese on top of pasta. Most importantly.... Buon Appetito!

Finished Dish:

Wishing you Great Eats!
XO,
Annamaria

*If you do use this recipe, please let me know how you liked the dish or what you did to make it your own. =)

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