Tag: butter

Daniel Gritzer’s Fettuccini Alfredo

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 4

I’ve read Alfredo recipes that add cream, which I think is akin to adding cream to Carbonara. It’s amazing in a dodgy pizza restaurant in Newtown or Brooklyn, though hardly traditional or subtle.

This recipe from Serious Eats goes back to the original recipe with nothing but pasta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, butter and salt: no pepper, nothing else.

In terms of pure joy, this is it.

As part of Nat’s search for the World’s Best Pasta and in a slipstream of cooking the simplest pasta, the original Alfredo made the cut and came out way ahead.

If you can make your own fettuccini, power to you.

It really is pure joy.

Use a younger Parmigiano-Reggiano, pour a glass of cold Riesling and sit in the sun with a bowl of this pasta and prepare to be amazed.

Pure joy.

Ingredients

115gm good unsalted butter, diced
115gm grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese plus more for serving
Salt flakes
500gm fresh fettuccine pasta

Method

  1. In a large heatproof bowl, combine butter and cheese.
  2. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente; drain, transfer the pasta to the bowl with the cheese, retaining 1/2 c pasta water.
  3. Add the pasta water to the pasta, butter and cheese and using tongs, toss the pasta repeatedly until the butter is melted and a creamy, emulsified sauce forms. Add more pasta water if the pasta seems too dry. Season with salt, sprinkling more cheese at the table.

Maricruz Avalos’s Tamales De Elote (Sweet Corn Tamales)

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 8

We did a long Sunday afternoon Argentinian lunch this weekend.

A wonderful Beef Empanadas to start.

And then rump cooked over charcoal served with Chimichurri. Smashed potatoes.

And these quite wonderful Sweet Corn Tamales. Much better than cornbread in my opinion and far more… well, Argentinian.

It was in itself an absolutely love lunch with some wonderful flavours.

Though wow, these Tameles are just a great side. Chicken, a braise, a wonderful piece of steak: a great, great accompaniment.

The original receipe asks for the Tamale to be cooked within the corn husks, though this didn’t seem practical to me. My husks were not large enough and so I used baking paper which worked the trick.

Just add some kitchen twine.

These won’t win any awards, though as a side – kid-friendly too – they’re great.

Note: the original recipe asked for Masa Harina and Cornmeal, neither of which I had. I substituted plain flour and polenta and this worked perfectly well.

Ingredients

1kg corn kernels (about 5 – 6 corn ears) with husks
1/2 c butter
1/2 c caster sugar
1/2 c Masa Harina (substitute plain flour)
1/2 c cornmeal (substitute Polenta)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Method

  1. Cut off the two ends of each corn ear and with a sharp knife, remove the kernels. Working in batches, place the corn kernels in a food processor and grind them until you have a paste.
  2. Drain any liquid from the corn in a colander and place in a large bowl.
  3. Beat the butter and egg until nicely fluffy. Add the buter mixture and the rest of the ingredients to the corn and mix until well combined.
  4. In a large, reserved corn husk – or on baking paper – place several large tbsp of the corn mixture and make into a log. Fold over the sides of the husk/baking paper and roll into a tube, securing with kitchen twine if necessary.
  5. Add the tamales in the rack of a steaming pot, making sure the open side is upwards. Steam for 90 minutes, adding more boiling water as necessary.

Valeria Necchio’s Casoncelli – Pork, Beef, Raisin and Amaretti Ravioli

.Reading time 4 minutes.

Serves: 6

Holy shit, this recipe is just incredible.

“Decident” said Nat. “Marvellous” I said. “I don’t want this to end” said Nat.

And boy, wasn’t that the truth.

Yes, in our pre-baby #4 quest to find the world’s greatest pasta, this is truly, truly in the running.

This pasta separates itself from the wonderful though simple Lidia Bastianich and Antonio Carluccio pastas we have been pushing, taking it up a level in finesse and clarity.

This pasta jumps over this otherwise incredible white ragu, being more sophisticated: less steam train, more race car.

And look, this Rodney Dunn Mushroom Cannelloni with fresh pasta sheets was one of the best pastas we have cooked.

Though in terms of peak genius, this Casoncelli is just so much more refined. Just so much more ‘in the moment’ special.

We used sliced roast beef from the supermarket. Otherwise, everything is straightforward.

Slightly depressed to read this is a common dish in the Bergamo and Brescia parts of Italy, though I guess we’ve always known the Italians have truly the best food lives. I guess we have our beaches here in Sydney however. (I know which I would take!)

If you are like us and want to chase the Saturday-night pasta hit, this my friend is unquestionably the next rung in the ladder.

Ingredients

Pasta dough

Make my Kitchenaid Pasta dough

Filling

1 tbsp unsalted butter
150gm Italian sausage meat, crumbled
100gm roast beef, minced
120gm breadcrumbs
1 medium egg
70gm Parmesean, grated
10gm Amaretti biscuits (about 3), crushed
10gm raisins, soaked, squeezed and then chopped
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Sauce

80gm unsalted butter
80gm pancetta, cut into thin strips
4 sage leaves
80gm Parmesean, grated

Method

  1. Make the pasta per my Kitchenaid Pasta Dough Recipe.
  2. Make the filling: brown the sausage meat with the butter over a medium heat, then add the roast beef and cook for a few minutes, stirring often, so the flavours can mingle together. Transfer to a bowl, then add the breadcrumbs, egg, Parmesean, amaretti and raisins. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
  3. Roll the pasta in a pasta machine to setting 2. Using a round 7 – 8cm ravioli cutter, cut out as many circles of pasta as you can get.
  4. Place a tsp of the filling at the centre of each circle, then gently fold it over to form a half moon. Press the edges together using a fork.
  5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, in a frypan set over a medium heat, melt the butter for the sauce. Add the pancetta and sage and fry for a few minutes, until crispy.
  6. Cook the casoncelli in boiling water for a few minutes until they float to the top. Drain with a slotted spoon and transfer to the frying pan with pancetta and butter sauce. Sauté for 30 seconds, until evenly dressed.
  7. Serve immediately with a dusting of grated Parmesean.

Nadia Sawalha’s Herby Garlic Bread

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 4 – 6

A few weeks back, we catered a lunch for my mother-in-law.

Italian cheeses and meats to start.

And for mains, wonderful chicken ragu and Gordon Ramsay’s slow beef cheek ragu. Greens with classic vinaigrette.

As well as this excellent herby garlic bread, a nod to a meal Nat and I had had a few weeks prior where the large pastings of butter, herbs and garlic on large toasted baguette were just great.

Homemade garlic bread has always been chalk and cheese with the store-bought crap that can never be calorie justified: this garlic bread makes one of the strongest arguments for why you should have at least two slices with dinner.

Ingredients

1 long French baguette

For the herby garlic butter

225gm quality, unsalted butter
2 tbsp finely chopped lemon thyme
1/2 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
4 tbsp inely chopped fresh parsley
10 – 15 garlic cloves, crushed
Salt and pepper
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200c.
  2. In a pestle and mortar, pound your butter, herbs and garlic. Season well with salt and pepper and stir through the lemon zest and juice.
  3. Slice the baguette thickly, though keep the pieces together so the loaf’s shape is intact. Place on a piece of foil large enough to wrap around it later. Slather each slice on both sides with the butter. If any is left over, spread over the crust.
  4. Fold the foil over the baguette and cook for 20 minutes.

Sam Sifton’s Soft-Boiled Eggs with Anchovy Toast

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: As many as you want

Nat is on an absolute bread and pasta tear and so when we nominated this as our starter for a Saturday night Italian meal, she immediately set about on an incredible artisan loaf.

Though hats off to this recipe, the bread was just the start of something really memorable.

This is an absolutely 1-hat starter. Incredible.

The anchovy butter is magic. And then add that soft-poached egg.

I should have sprinkled some chopped parsley or chives, though plenty of time for that. We now have the butter frozen in the freezer for next time.

As long as you have a crusty bread, this is a phenomenal dish. Breakfast, evening starter, it is special either way

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
Tin of anchovies
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 – 3 pinches of paprika
Juice of half a small lemon
Pepper
Soft poached eggs to serve
Toasted, crusty slices of artisan bread to serve
Finely sliced chives or parsley to serve

Method

  1. Drain the anchovies, rinse and pound in a mortar and pestle.
  2. Combine the anchovies with the remaining ingredients.
  3. Toast your bread, butter liberally and place a poached egg on top. Sprinkle over chives or parsley and serve warm.

Woodle’s Butter Cookies

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Makes: 40

Course #6 at our Long Lunch/Wedding was called ‘Cookies and Cream’.

Plates of assorted cookies served with a shot of Baileys. A really nice, comfortable way to end a long lunch.

This particular cookie – expertly baked by Nat’s best friend Woodles – was the perfect pair to the cream; think shortbread with even more butter.

And Baileys.

Boom!

Woodles (and Billy) mean a lot to us and we’ve had some pretty crazy times together. Baiting Woodles is one of my favourite pastimes, especially when it comes to food.

What I wont disagree with was how wonderful these cookies were, nor how important it was that we had Woodles and Billy at our long lunch.

Here’s to our next meal guys!

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk for brushing
1 tsp vanilla extract (or almond extract)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180c and line two baking trays with baking paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whist together the flour and salt.
  3. In another medium bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy: 4 – 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Divide. The dough in half.
  4. In a small bowl, beat egg yolk with two teaspoons of water. On a floured surface, roll each dough out evenly to a bit over half a centimetre thick.
  5. Punch out round with a 5cm cookie cutter, placing them about 3cm apart of the prepared baking trays.
  6. Use the tines of a fork to create a “+” pattern on the cookies, then brush tops of cookies with egg wash.
  7. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until edges are beginning to turn golden. Cool completely before serving.
  8. Eat with Baileys.

Curtis Stone’s Corn and Bacon Muffins (with Herb Butter)

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Makes: 12

I am a sucker for savoury muffins though apart from my popular Spinach and Feta Muffins, it would seem the house has a sweet tooth.

Therefore your decision to cook this particular muffin recipe really will come down to whether you like savoury muffins or are all-in the sweet camp.

If you are like me – and Curtis Stone – you should pass GO, collect $200 and have these baking tonight.

Because if you’re like me, you’ll agree they are really great, savoury muffins.

(Like muffins should be.)

Ingredients

350gm smoked bacon, coarsely chopped
2 ½ cups self-raising flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 ¼ cups whole milk
3 large eggs
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup fresh yellow corn kernels (cut from a cob)
⅓ cup coarsely chopped fresh chives

For the herb butter
115gm softened unsalted butter
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200c.
  2. In a large pan, cook the bacon over a medium heat for about 8 minutes until brown and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels and reserve the bacon drippings.
  3. Grease 12 muffin cups/tins with some of the reserved bacon drippings.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt and cayenne pepper to blend. In a separate large bowl, whisk the milk, eggs and the remainder of the bacon drippings to blend; stir in the bacon, 1 ½ cups of the cheese (leaving ½ cup), the corn kernels and the chives. Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture until just blended.
  5. Spoon the mixture into the greased muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with the remaining cheese.
  6. Bake for about 18 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
  7. For the herb butter: combine the butter ingredients. Use immediately on the muffins or form into a log on some baking paper, roll and twist and refrigerate.

(Not) Butter chicken

.Reading time 2 minutes.

(Not) Butter chicken

Serves: 4

The last ‘generic’ curry I I typed up, I commented that I had always steered clear of the Indian take-away favourites – Rogan Josh, Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken – because, well, they’re the sold-out, hardly Indian curries. 

In fact, butter chicken was the worst of the lot.

Often a flavourless, nuclear yellow/orange goop, I literally only entertain it because the boys will eat it: validation that it must be bland. (Sorry boys).

So by typing this up, you must have guessed it.

This is a seriously good curry. A seriously good, rich, flavoursome, moorish butter chicken, so much so, that you’d say it isn’t butter chicken.

So maybe after-all I haven’t cooked butter chicken.

Either way, you will love it. Just tell them it’s not butter chicken.

Ingredients

1 kg chicken thighs
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 bsp grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 stems, curry leaves
1 red chilli, chopped including seeds
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 x 400gm can crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
165ml coconut cream
1 tsp golden syrup
½ concentrated chicken stock cube

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.
  2. Season the chicken thighs well and add to the pan; cook until golden brown. Set aside.
  3. Add the butter to the pan and when heated, add the onion and cook cover a medium heat until softened. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
  4. Reduce the heat to low and add the curry leaves, chilli and spices and cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree and coconut cream; add the golden syrup and stock cube and stir to dissolve.
  5. Return the chicken and cook on a low heat for at least an hour; several more if you have the time.
  6. Check the seasoning and serve garnished with the fresh coriander and steamed white rice.

Sylvia’s Cornbread with Bacon and Chive Butter

.Reading time 2 minutes.

sylvias-obama-sharpton.jpg
Obama at Sylvias. Note the cornbread in the basket!

Serves: 15

Nat and I visited the famous Slyvias Restauarant in Harlem two years back. Starting her restaurant 1962, Slyvia was known as the Queen of Soul Food and everyone has eaten there.

It is a complete institution.

Among other things – fried chicken, you name it – we had cornbread. And as far as cornbread goes, it was amazing.

Come last Saturday and we’re cooking as part of a big Southern American themed meal – fried chicken, you name it – and we nominated this cornbread complete with a butter we felt befitted the theme.

The bread is fabulous. Served warm with butter, it is simply heaven.

You’ll explode (in goodness) if you eat this as a side with every meal, though as an amazing once in awhile, this bread will have you coming across as a genius baker to anyone lucky enough to get a slice.

Ingredients

Cornbread

2 c yellow cornmeal (polenta in Australia)
2 c all-purpose flour
1 c granulated sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp salt
2 ½ cups milk
1 c vegetable oil
5 large eggs

Bacon and chive butter

3/4 c butter, softened
2 tbs fresh chives
2 strips bacon, finely diced and cooked
1 clove garlic, minced

Method

Cornbread

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
  2. Grease a baking dish.
  3. In a large bowl, sift or stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the milk, oil and eggs. Add the cornmeal mixture and stir until just combined. (Batter will be wet and a little lumpy.) Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cornbread is pulling away at the edges.
  5. Cool in the pan, then cut into 15 squares.

Bacon and chive butter

  1. Stir all of the ingredients together in a bowl until combined and evenly distributed.
  2. Spoon onto a piece of cling film and roll into a cylinder. Twist the ends and refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours.

Whole Fish with Roast Capsicum and Chilli Butter

.Reading time 2 minutes.

 Serves: 4

I typed this recipe up a few years back though haven’t made it since.

Next weekend, I will right that wrong.

Using whole ocean trout as your fish – truly the most beautiful fish in the world – and cooked in foil on the BBQ, when fish meets chilli butter and with perhaps some greens and potatoes on the side, something special happens.

Sure, it isn’t quite restaurant fare though it’s certainly bistro fare and it is a great recipe to dip your toe into the ‘cooking whole fish on the BBQ’ trick.

Of course, you could cook the fish in the oven by laying them down on baking paper, cutting two or three slashes into the thick flesh and baking, though I think the BBQ adds to it.

Ingredients

4 whole ocean trout
2 tbs olive oil, plus extra to brush
1 roasted red capsicum (or a jar of chargrilled capsicum, drained)
100gm unsalted butter
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 1tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
1 small red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Method

  1. Heat the BBQ to medium-hot. Brush the fish with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. By all means, stuff lemon and coriander and garlic and butter and whatever else your grandpa included into the cavity of the fish. Wrap in foil and cook for 10 – 12 minutes, turning once.
  2. Meanwhile, very finely chop the capsicum then place in a small saucepan with the olive oil, butter, lemon zest and juice, coriander, chilli and garlic. Season. Stir over a low heat until butter is melted and well combined. Keep warm.
  3. Serve the fish with the capsicum and chilli butter drizzled on-top.