Pasta à la Monique and Sourdough Bread!

Even though the first week or so of spring has been challenging weather-wise, I have had a delicious, savory time in the kitchen!

Recently, Monique at La Table de Nana, shared this delightful pasta dish with rapini, bacon and pine nuts that included dry sherry.  I had just used sherry in a stir fry recipe not that long ago, and when she mentioned using sherry in her pasta dish I knew it would taste terrific.  And it did :)

I didn't have any penne pasta which Monique uses, but the campanelle pasta that I did have in the pantry worked fine and I love the spirally trumpet shape.

My pea shoots are still going strong so decided to add some as a garnish. It would be nice to stir them into the dish right at the end so they wilt slightly too. Such a good dish!  My husband loved it too.

I added a little more sherry and pasta water to make it even more saucy and tossed in lots of grated parmesan, as Monique suggests.  You can see Monique's instructions here.  I served it with some freshly made sourdough bread.

See that rabbit shape on the far right? That's the shape I was happy to finally create  :)

I've been keeping my sourdough starter alive for over a year but I've never been able to achieve the type of bread I'd been longing for until after I ordered a couple of books to read.  The bread above was made with Ken Forkish's levain ingredients and ratios from his book Flour Water Salt Yeast.  The whole wheat flour added to my starter feeding really made a difference.

Sort of fitting for Easter, don't you think?  My rabbit even has eyes and what looks like a hind leg :)

I used the techniques I found in Emilie Raffa's book Artisan Sourdough Made Simple.   She really does simplify the long process.  So far, I've tried two of her recipes and both worked very well with the greatest success coming from the 'high hydration' recipe.  It was so good I couldn't stop eating it myself :) The crust was amazing. Still not as 'holey' as some breads I see on Instagram but I'm happy with my first new results so far and I'll keep working on it!  I know a lot of people aren't into nurturing sourdough starters, and making bread, but if you are, just send me a private email and I can tell you what I did.

The past couple of weeks we've celebrated two birthdays in our family (including yours truly) and have two more coming up in the next two weeks with my husband's birthday falling on Easter Sunday this year.  Fun times ♥ 

Wishing you and your family a safe and joyous Easter or Passover weekend!

Monique's pasta would make a delicious side dish for your holiday menu :)

Pasta à la Monique for Two - 

1 diced shallot
3 or 4 cloves of minced garlic
1 small bunch of rapini, cleaned and cut into 1-2" pieces, discarding the tough ends
Toasted pine nuts
Cooked bacon, as much as you like - perhaps 2-3 pieces per person, diced
Cooked pasta, perhaps 1/2 pound of dry pasta - save a half cup of pasta cooking water before draining
1/8 cup dry sherry...or more :)
Lots of grated Parmesan - perhaps 4 oz or to your liking
Red Pepper Flakes, a pinch
Salt and Pepper to taste
Fresh basil, parsley or pea shoots for garnish :)

Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium high heat. Saute the shallot and garlic about a 30 seconds or so being careful not to burn.  Add rapini and cover pan to let it steam-cook for about 3 minutes until just barely tender.  Remove cover and toss in the rest of the pasta, pine nuts and bacon. Add the sherry and a splash of pasta cooking water and toss.  Add the parmesan and seasonings and toss.  Add more sherry or cooking water if you like.  Pass the Parmesan and red pepper flakes at the table.  Simple and tasty!!

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Italian Bacon and Cheese 'Snail' Rolls

First of all, let me tell you that these delicious rolls were a 'labor of love'! I first saw the charming, snail-shaped rolls called "Lumachelle of Orvieto" on Chiara's Italian blog La Voglia Matta in January. Lumaca means snail in Italian and Oriveto is the city in Umbria where they are popular. I immediately put the recipe to the top of my stack of recipes to try. And, try and try I did, with the first real success coming today after two previous attempts.

For the first attempt, I made the dough in my bread machine and made the rolls in muffin tins.  I used smoked ham instead of pancetta and used sharp cheddar cheese. While they looked good and had a nice crumb while warm, they hardened too much after cooling.

For the second batch, I used another recipe that I found on the internet that didn't call for any butter or lard as the first recipe did but use more olive oil.  I kneaded by hand, as the recipe states, and used cooked bacon and grated, aged Pecorino Romano cheese.  These also hardened way too much after they cooled.  Little hockey pucks! I could have given up then and just posted a nice picture and kept my fingers crossed that you had better luck than I - but I just couldn't do that. 

It was then that I decided that the hardening was likely due to using American flour instead of fine, Italian flour.  It's also possible that I didn't add enough water to the dough as it is very dry in the house here in winter. The other factor could be that the original Italian recipes call for uncooked bacon or pancetta which could add additional fat while they bake and make them more tender.  However, I was afraid of using uncooked bacon. 

Whatever the reason, I decided to switch gears and try a totally different dough recipe because I still thought the idea sounded delicious.  I picked the famous Jim Lahey recipe for No-Knead bread dough that ferments on the kitchen counter overnight for 12-18 hours.  It was an Aha! moment when I tasted the first of these rolls!

The rolls were crusty on the outside and tender on the inside, just like a good baguette!  Hours later, I tasted one again and the interior was still soft and delicious (even though I got distracted and baked them a couple of minutes longer than I should have).

A soft and delicious crumb in the center and crusty goodness on the outside with bits of bacon and sharp cheddar cheese.  Yum! They would be delicious for breakfast with an omelette or as an on-the-go breakfast or lunch.  As is true with most delicious rolls, they are best eaten the same day.

All three attempts were formed in the same way by rolling small 50 oz balls of dough into ropes and then wrapping them around and around one end to make the snail shape. Here's a video if you'd like to see how an Italian bakery makes them. 

Whenever I make a European recipe I'm always so glad I have a digital kitchen scale so I can convert ounces to grams!

I think these two are going to love them ♥

If you'd like to try making your own Lumachelle of Orvieto using the original recipe follow the links to Chiara's Blog and the blog that was her inspiration below. 

Italian Bacon and Cheese Rolls

"Lumachelle of Orvieto" - Original Recipes found on La Voglia Matta, and Anice and Cannella, which I adapted using Jim Lahey's No Knead Dough

Printable Recipe

Note: This is the original dough recipe cut in half and it yielded 9 rolls.  You can follow the link to the original Jim Lahey recipe above and use half the dough for these rolls and half for a small loaf of bread - great idea!

1-1/2- cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more for dusting
1/8 teaspoon instant yeast

1/2 rounded teaspoon salt

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup diced lean bacon, cooked until fat is rendered, drained and cooled

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add water, and stir until blended.  The dough will be sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest on the kitchen counter at least 12 hours and preferably 18, at room temperature, about 70 degrees. The dough is ready when the surface is dotted with bubbles.

Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it.  Pat the dough out into a rectangle and add the cooked bacon and shredded cheese. Sprinkle with a little more flour and fold it over on itself several times until the bacon and cheese are incorporated. Form a ball with the dough and cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Cut the dough into 9 equal pieces and roll each piece into a rope.  Make a spiral shape with the ropes but do not roll too tightly.  Place spirals on a silicone or parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet dusted with a little flour. Dust surface of rolls with a little bit of flour and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to rest at least 1 hour or up to 1-1/2 hours. 

About 20 minutes for the resting time in finished, preheat the oven to 450F. 

When ready to bake, remove plastic wrap from rolls and place in hot oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack.

Spinach Cobb Salad

I received my August issue of Sunset Magazine yesterday.  Don't ask me why I get a magazine about living in the western part of the United States when you live in the Midwest it's called wishful thinking, but I also subscribe for the great recipes! 

I was inspired by a salad recipe in this issue that had fresh spinach, bacon and hard-boiled eggs but I had to switch things up just a touch.  I have a favorite spinach salad dressing the I've been using for years and it is always such a hit with my husband and family.  With a sweet and sour blend, it's the perfect compliment to spinach.

I also love Gorgonzola cheese and sliced, toasted almonds on my spinach salads - so those had to be added to the list of ingredients.


My husband loves this salad but, then I don't know many guys who don't love bacon and eggs :) The fact that he's eating fresh spinach is an added bonus!

The recipe:

Bacon, Egg and Spinach Salad
Inspired by Sunset Magazine, August, 2010

Printable Recipe

Serves 2 as a main course salad, 4 as a side salad

Salad Ingredients:

4 large eggs, boiled, peeled, chilled and quartered
6 slices thick bacon (preferably sulfite-free) cooked, drained and torn into large pieces
12 oz baby spinach
8 oz sliced button mushrooms
1 large organic carrot, cut into thin ribbons with a potato peeler
1/2 cup crumbed gorgonzola cheese
1 large avocado, diced
2 oz sliced almonds, toasted

My spinach salad dressing ingredients:

1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 green onions with some of the green part, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil such as Canola

In food processor or blender combine all ingredients. Process until smooth.

Place salad ingredients in a large salad bowl, add some of the dressing and toss.  Add additional dressing as needed. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.