Homemade Pasta

I have been meaning to make homemade pasta for a very long time. I don't know why I've left it so long since I am obsessed with pasta. I even got a pasta machine for Christmas 2010!

I guess this just goes to show how time really can pass us by. So no more stalling! I made my first small batch of homemade pasta (fettuccine noodles to be exact) this week. After a bit of struggling with stickiness, breakage, re-kneading and re-rolling, I must say I am quite impressed with my homemade pasta

The homemade pasta recipe is very simple. It will take some practice to get to know the consistency you want but after using the pasta machine this understanding should come quite quickly


500g (1lb) flour *
5 eggs

* I used sifted all purpose flour since that is all I had in my cupboard, but I've read that using semolina or extra fine flour such as 00 works best. 00 flour is also lower in gluten than all purpose

Instruction:
- Place the flour on a clean counter top or bowl. Make a well in the center and break the eggs into the well. Using a fork, beat the eggs, gradually pulling in the flour until the dough begins to form a homogeneous mass.
- Dust the work surface with flour and begin kneading the pasta dough.
If the dough is too dry or crumbly, drizzle with a little room temperature water. When the right texture has been reached, form a ball and wrap in plastic and place to rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes
- Roll out the dough using a roller pasta machine (as per the machine's instructions). Keep the dough dusted lightly with flour at all times to prevent from sticking. Fold up and roll a second time and put through the roller again a couple times until it becomes smooth. Continue to roll each sheet, gradually decreasing the setting until you've reach the desired thickness.
- To make ribbon noodles there are a couple ways to do this; roll up the sheet like a jelly-roll, and slice to desired width to make noodles, or use the cutter attachment of your pasta machine. If you use the machine make sure the sheets have enough flour dusting otherwise you could have a sticky situation

Fresh pasta only needs about 2-5 minutes, depending on thickness, of cooking in vigorously boiling salted water

Coat your homemade pasta with your favourite pasta sauce. One of my favourites is Fettuccine Alfredo

Enjoy!

How to soften butter quickly

Here is a great way how to soften butter quickly. I would need a dozen hands if I were to count how many times I've forgotten, or not even realized soon enough, to get the butter out of the fridge in time for a recdipe that requires room tempearture butter

If you're anything like me you'll want to know these tips:

• You have some time on your hands: cut the butter into small cubes and let it sit out at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes.
• You have practically no time on your hands: microwave the butter on defrost setting in 5 second spurts. I don't recommend this as your first alternative since it's so easy to accidentally melt the butter. So be careful if using this method
• If the butter is frozen: Grating it should be fairly easy

Now you know how to soften butter quickly! :) 

Happy baking!

How to season a cast iron pan

Dear fellow foodies!

Today I would like to share with you a trick that I learned about how to season a cast iron pan. Some of you might have read my older blog post about a Chantal cast iron pot review which has been very popular so I have decided to open up my cast iron horizon for you even more and share this beautiful tip how to create a non stick cast iron pan. 

So what is the reason you might want to season a cast iron pan? Quite simply, this process creates a stick-resistant coating using oil. Imagine a layer of vegetable oil or animal fat is cooked onto the cast iron pan. Once this layer is there, it protects your wonderful cast iron pan from rusting. More importantly for me, it gives my pan a non-stick surface and gives me a piece of mind that the iron of the pan will not react with the food I make.  Some of the best chefs recommend this process and they like to repeat it once a year.

When you buy a cast iron pan that is not already pre-seasoned or if you use your pan and forget to season it or dry it well, you need to season it up. And here I am going to show you how to season a cast iron pan step by step. If your iron skillet has any rust, it is really important to scrub it well. What do I scrub it with you might ask? Well a great solution would be to use hot soapy water! Here are the precise steps how to do this.

1.       Dry your cast iron pan with a cloth both inside and out

2.       Heat up your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit

3.        Pout a little bit of canola oil on the surface of the cast iron pan and smear it all over (it is good practise to do the handle of the pan as well as the bottom).

4.       Put the cast iron pan into your pre-heated oven for a couple of hours (250 degrees) but make sure you place it on a cooking sheet and turn it upside down on the over rack (this ensures that if there is any oil that concentrates in the middle of the pan, it will drip off).

The heat in the oven opens up the pores of the cast iron pan; the oil seeps in the pores and when you pull it out of the oven, the pores close and create a magnificent non stick surface

5.       Pull the skillet out of the oven (be very careful as it is very hot)

6.       After you bring the cast iron out of the oven, wipe it out again with a paper towel or a cloth (this gets rid of some of the excess oil) and voila!

More tips:

- When you cook with a cast iron pan, it is very important not to use any harsh detergents to clean it as this process would take the seasoning off and you would have to repeat the process all over again. 

- After you wash the skillet (in a mild soap), dry it, put it back on the stove, turn the stove on warm temperature(and again what this does it opens up the pores), make sure the surface is dry and now it is ready to go and it will never rust!

And now I am ready to cook, what shall I do? You will find out in my next post! :)

Healthy Desserts: Coconut Balls

It's nothing new that this time of year is the toughest time to eat healthily. Being surrounded by irresitable treats such as shortbread, mince pies and sausage rolls make it nearly impossible! But it's not completely impossible

A bite of these coconut balls leaves you with the taste of Christmas in your mouth yet the feeling of health in your body!

Orange and Cranberry Mini Loaves

One of my greatest pleasures in life is to reach loved ones' hearts through their stomach; and what better time to do this than at Christmas time?! Christmas time just gives me an excuse to cook and bake tones more than just to feed my household :)
Normally I'm inspired to bake a certain dessert from reading cook books or online research, but this loaf was inspired all due to the beautiful packaging you see in the photo. As soon as I saw the festive mini loaf trays with the charming wrapping I was immediately inspired to find the right recipe and give as gifts. Look how sweet it looks, and how professionnal :)
The packaging matches very well with what's wrapped inside too. This Cranberry and Orange Loaf is stunning! Eat it warm, spread with butter. Yum!!