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baked pasta with broccoli rabe and sweet potato

January 29, 2014 by Butter Loves Company

I like Boston seasons. Snow is so pretty. Winter isn’t too long…

My brain has been trying to convince my body all of these things are true as I shiver through layers of blankets with my hood up and cinched. The unpredictable temperature is taking its toll.

Much to our frustration, we haven’t been able to seek refuge from the cold within the ~500 sq. ft. of our apartment: old building + broken heaters + -10 degree weather outside = 40 degree weather inside. Because of this, I’ve been craving every warm food that fits into the “comfort food” category; a category that baked pasta certainly is part of. I’ve started relying on baked pasta as a meal that re-heats well throughout a busy week (and as a way to warm me up when no more layers will do!).

My current recipe of choice, adapted from The Smitten Kitchen, has just the right combination of gooey, creamy pasta on the bottom and crispy, cheesy burnt bits on top. Greg and I both go directly for the burnt bits. I try making myself feel better about the heavier béchamel base by always adding different vegetable combinations. Broccoli’s slightly bitter brother, broccoli rabe, is a great choice because it holds up pretty well to cooking. It also has a nicely contrasting flavor to sweet additions like yam or butternut squash. If you can’t find broccoli rabe, regular broccoli works just fine. Every time I make this I use a combination of sweet and hot Italian sausage. I find a touch of spice is well received.

The Smitten Kitchen recipe suggests multiplying the cheese and béchamel by 1 ½ if you prefer your baked pasta creamier. To me, this one is just perfect.

I’ll continue it to make through the rest of winter, even with our new working heaters!

Pouring the béchamel on the pasta is the best part. So is saying béchamel.

baked pasta with broccoli rabe and sweet potato

Recipe Type: Dinner

Author: adapted from The Smitten Kitchen

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 50 mins

Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

Pasta and assembly—
1 pound chunky pasta of your choice (I prefer anything that sauce can sneak into)
1 bundle broccoli rabe, stems and leaves cut into 1-inch segments
1 cups diced sweet potato or yam (1 large potato peeled and diced into ¾ inch cubes)
1 pound Italian sausage (sweet or spicy pork or chicken), casings removed
2/3 cup grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese
6 ounces mozzarella, cut into small cubes
Bechamel—
2 cups milk, full fat is ideal (I used 2%)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
Few gratings fresh nutmeg

Instructions

Cook the pasta, rabe, and yam: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and five minutes before its cooking time is up, add the broccoli rabe and sweet potato. It will seem like too much for the water, but with a stir or two, the rabe should wilt and cook alongside the pasta. Drain the broccoli rate, sweet potato and pasta together and place in a large bowl.
Cook your sausage: Meanwhile, heat 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, wide saucepan (you will use this for the bechamel in a few minutes; you could also use your pasta pot, once it is drained) over medium heat. When hot, add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it starts to brown, about five minutes. Remove with slotted spoon or spatula, leaving any fat behind. Eyeball the drippings (pork sausage will leave some; chicken usually does not) — use one tablespoon less butter next if it looks like there’s a tablespoon there. Any less, don’t worry about adjusting the butter.
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Make the bechamel: Melt your butter in same saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add your flour and stir it into the butter until smooth. Cook the mixture together for a minute, stirring constantly. Pour in a small drizzle of your milk, whisking constantly into the butter-flour mixture until smooth. Continue to drizzle a very small amount at a time, whisking constantly. Once you’ve added a little over half of your milk, you’ll find that you have more of a thick sauce or batter, and you can start adding the milk in larger splashes, being sure to keep mixing. Once all of the milk is added, add the salt, garlic, nutmeg, and few grinds of black pepper, and bring the mixture to a lower simmer and cook it, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Assemble and bake: Add the sausage and bechamel to the bowl with the pasta, broccoli rabe, and sweet potato. Stir in mozzarella and half of grated parmesan or pecorino until combined. Pour into a deep 9×13-inch baking dish or 3-quart casserole dish and coat with remaining parmesan or pecorino. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the edges are nicely bronzed.
Eat warm. Reheat as needed

beignets

January 20, 2014 by Butter Loves Company

One year ago today Greg and I took our first real trip together. We were excited for a break from another frigid Boston winter, but we were more thrilled to go on an adventure in a city that has earned dozens of honors as “top U.S. city for food lovers.” It’s a city known as much for its parties as for its cuisine—The Big Easy; New Orleans.

Our long weekend was filled with food and fun. We listened to great jazz music on Frenchman Street, walked down the lively Bourbon Street, and watched the first Mardi Gras parade of 2013. Had a French 75 at the bar where it was created, explored voodoo shops and museums, and ate French Creole dishes at John Besh and Emeril Lagasse restaurants—as well as at tiny family run joints. We tried our first po’ boys, gumbo, couchon, king’s cake, and pralines. We did it all, but one of the most memorable parts of the trip was eating beignets covered in mountains of powdered sugar at the famous Café Du Monde.

Located on Decatur Street in heart the French Quarter, on the banks of the Mississippi river, Café Du Monde is the premier spot to get the classic French fried dough treat. Throughout our stay, whenever we passed their green and white awnings, Café Du Monde had a line that snaked around for at least half-a-block. We were lucky to catch an opening one sunny morning and enjoyed cafés au lait with a plate of hot rectangular beignets piled high with powdered sugar. It took every ounce of self-control for me not to blow the mound of powdered sugar across the table like snow. The texture of the beignet is a cross between an old-fashioned donut and fried dough. If you ever travel to New Orleans, I encourage you to add a trip to Café du Monde to your To-Do list.

A line of people waiting for beignets outside of Cafe Du Monde.

The beignets from Cafe Du Monde. They really love the powdered sugar! I held back a little on mine.

To pay homage to our trip, I made my first batch of beignets thismorning. This recipe is adapted from a cookbook recently added to our collection, Family Table, by Michael Romano and Karen Stabiner. I had to prepare the dough last night to give it ample time to set.

Prepare the beignet dough the day before you’d like to make them.

Roll out the dough, cut it into rectangles and add the twist, if you’d like!

Fry them up!

Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

beignets

Recipe Type: Dessert

Author: adapted from Family Table

Prep time: 15 hours

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 15 hours 20 mins

Serves: 12-15 beignets

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1/2 vanilla bean split, seeds scraped out and reserved OR 1/2 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), at room temperature
Peanut oil, for frying (I have been told Canola works as well but can’t vouch for any differences it may have)
1 cup confectioners’ sugar for finishing

Instructions

Sprinkle the yeast over 2 tablespoons warm water in a small bowl and let stand for 10 minutes, or until foamy.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, sift together the flour, sugar, and salt.
Change the mixer’s attachment from whisk to dough hook and add in the eggs, yeast mixture, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed for 10 to 15 minutes. The dough will be sticky at first and then it will come together around the dough hook.
Reduce the speed to low, add the butter, and mix until it is incorporated, about 5 minutes.
Put the dough on a floured plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a ¼ inch thick rectangle. Cut the dough into 2×4 inch rectangles. Make a 1-inch vertical slit in the center of each piece and tuck one end of the rectangle through the opening to make a twist (I made some twists and some without).
Arrange the beignets on the baking sheet and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes, up to 1 hour.
In a large deep saucepan, heat 2 inches of peanut oil over high heat until it reaches 350 degrees on an oil thermometer. Fry the beignets 2–3 at a time, to avoid crowding, for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon or wooden chop stocks and drain briefly on paper towels.
Shake confectioners sugar over the warm beignets and serve immediately.

apple galette or free form apple tart or lazy man’s apple pie

January 14, 2014 by Butter Loves Company

Apples are one of those ingredients that you can find anywhere at any time of year in the Northeast. I can even count on the grocery store* down the street from my apartment to have apples consistently, which is truly telling (the store has been less reliable for butter or even eggs in the past). Because of this, an apple galette, or free form apple tart, is never too far away from my dessert table.

The galette begins with a flaky yet sturdy pie crust and the edges of the crust are effortlessly flipped onto simply seasoned apples for a rustic dessert. While it bakes, the apple galette gives off the same luscious sugared sweet and buttery aroma as apple pie around the holidays, because it basically is a lazy man’s apple pie.

I’ll admit this recipe is a lot better in the late summer or early fall when you pick the apples fresh off the tree – maybe while holding a cider donut in the other hand. But it is January and the galette still satisfied my craving for baked apples. It would have been even more satisfying with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side, but unfortunately it was too cold for us to go out to grab some (polar vortex!). Greg did make a caramel sauce to drizzle on top of our slices out of the sugars and juices leftover from the spiced apples. I think we may be watching too much of Food Network’s Chopped!

* Using the term very loosely in this case

First, you’ll prepare the dough.

As you can see, I am a messy baker!

While the dough is chilling, prepare the apples.

When the dough is firm, roll it out on a floured surface. You can tell this will be flaky because you can see the butter!

Arrange the apples on the prepared dough.

Feel free to pile them on!

Fold the edges over and it is ready for the oven.

Ready to eat!

Needed to give the caramel sauce a shout out!

apple galette or free form apple tart or lazy man’s apple pie

Recipe Type: Dessert

Author: Butter Loves Company

Prep time: 1 hour 30 mins

Cook time: 1 hour

Total time: 2 hours 30 mins

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

Dough:
1 ¼ cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced and re-refrigerated
½-¾ cup cold water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
4-5 baking apples peeled and sliced ¼-1/2 inch thick (Cortland, Granny Smith, or Pink Lady are some options but feel free to pick whatever you prefer, or mix varieties)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon flour

Instructions

In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt and pulse for 10 seconds to combine.
Drop in the diced, cold butter and pulse until the butter is the size of small marbles but larger than peas.
Begin adding ice water in 1/8th cup increments, pulsing between additions, until the dough comes together and the butter is pea sized but still visible. You may not need the full amount of iced water.
Transfer the dough to a work surface, gather it together and pat into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, one to two hours.
While the dough is chilling, peel and slice the apples.
In a large bowl, combine the apples with lemon juice, both sugars, cinnamon, and flour.
Once the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll out into a circle about 12 inches in diameter and 1/8th inch thick. Shake off excess flour and transfer dough to the prepared baking sheet.
Arrange apples on the dough, leaving 2 inches of pastry around all sides. Fold edges of the dough onto the apples and crimp edges to create the crust.
Brush the entire crust with 1 tablespoon melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake until the crust is golden and the apples are tender, 55-60 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

carrot ginger soup

January 8, 2014 by Butter Loves Company

I’m not sure what it is, but this week I have caught myself on the train daydreaming about sweets on more than one occasion. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if the people I ride the train with could hear my thoughts. Yesterday, the woman on my left would have heard a buttery biscuit stuffed with juicy, roasted strawberries and whipped cream; and this morning, the man on my right, a moist, nutty carrot cake with rich cream cheese frosting and a fudgy chocolate brownie with salty caramel sauce. I’m not sure what it is, but I think maybe, just maybe, these ‘sweet thoughts’ are my brain’s attempt to resist all of the “New Year’s” diet advertising flooding TVs, magazines, and websites.

Because I too indulged a bit over the holidays, today I’m surrendering myself to the “New Year, new you” campaign with a light, easy, veggie focused dinner. I do love veggies and their ability to make you feel great.

I chose this Carrot Ginger Soup for a number of reasons:

I really like making soup because I think the leftovers are perfect to bring to work for lunch.
It has very few ingredients and requires only a couple of dishes and one pot, which is something those of us without dishwashers love.
Carrots have been long associated with eye health, and anyone around me knows that I have been obnoxiously complaining about my weakening vision. If I tell my boyfriend, Greg, one more time that I can’t see the score on the TV, the same TV I told him I couldn’t see the score on the night before, and the night before, and the night before, I fear even the best gentleman may change the locks on the door!

So, with that, I give you the Carrot Ginger Soup I’ll be enjoying the rest of the week. It’s not necessarily groundbreaking, but is a great addition to the weeknight rotation a few times a year and would also be excellent as a first course at a dinner party.

I promise I’ll also post something sweet this week to satisfy my cravings (and maybe yours!). If I don’t, I’m afraid next time I might daydream so long I miss my stop!

: Step 3

Step 4

Voilà!

Carrot Ginger Soup

Recipe Type: Soup

Author: Butter Loves Company

Prep time: 25 mins

Cook time: 60 mins

Total time: 1 hour 25 mins

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced
2 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
6 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Salt and pepper
Sour cream or Greek Yogurt, for serving (optional)
Scallions or chives, sliced thin, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, cover and cook over low heat until tender and lightly colored. About 25 minutes.
Add carrots, ginger and 4 cups chicken broth and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 30 minutes.
Either puree soup in batches with a blender or food processor or use an immersion blender right in the pot. Blend until smooth. If using a blender, return the soup to the pot.
Add soy sauce and 1-2 additional cups chicken broth to reach desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with sour cream and scallions or chives.

maple oatmeal scones with maple glaze

January 6, 2014 by Butter Loves Company

When someone tells you that you have ruined other scones for them forever, you know you have a winning recipe. That is what my (now) boyfriend said after biting into one of the Maple Oatmeal Scones with Maple Glaze I brought to the restaurant we both worked at a few years ago. To me, scones are a very underrated baked good and they are fairly often my breakfast pastry choice. At a time of day when my eyes are usually adjusting the to light of day, scones have just the amount of sweetness I need.

Whether savory or sweet, one important detail in making scones is the texture. I’ve tried recipes that ended up too dry or too soggy, too crumbly or too hard. Of all the scone recipes I have tried, this has to be my goldilocks. It is the ‘just right’ texture I had been looking for. Because it has a light flavor, it is good accompanied by nice butter or jam. It can also act as a canvas for other scone creations. When I made them most recently, I added in about a cup of dried cranberries and omitted the glaze.

One little tip I have for making these scones is to dice the cold butter and re-refrigerate it before you start with the rest of the recipe. The butter should be very cold when you add it to the dough, which helps the scones rise and adds flakiness. Prepping this beforehand will save you time as you run through the rest of the recipe.

I must direct the credit of this winning recipe to Ina Garten, a woman who I have found to have consistently reliable recipes. Ina, my boyfriend and I thank you each time we enjoy one of these with our morning coffee!

maple oatmeal scones with maple glaze

Recipe Type: Scones

Cuisine: Breakfast

Author: Ina Garten

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Serves: 14 scones

Ingredients

Scones:
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 pound cold butter, diced
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or water, for egg wash
Glaze:
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar and salt. Blend the cold butter in at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-size pieces. Combine the buttermilk, maple syrup and eggs and add quickly to the flour-and-butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough may be sticky.
Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4 to 1 inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut into 3-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are crisp and the insides are done.
To make the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup and vanilla. When the scones are done, cool for 5 minutes and drizzle each scone with 1 tablespoon of the glaze. I like to sprinkle some uncooked oats on the top, for garnish. The warmer the scones are when you glaze them, the thinner the glaze will be.

aviation

January 5, 2014 by Butter Loves Company

On a cold winter’s day in Boston, I would like nothing more than to fly off to a tropical island and catch some rays. With a -12 degree wind chill, the cabana life couldn’t feel further away, so I got to thinking. If I couldn’t board a plane out of the chilly city, I could at least make an Aviation right here in my warm(ish) apartment!

The Aviation is a light and refreshing classic gin cocktail that first took flight in the early 20^th century. The drink was reportedly created by Hugo Ensslin—the head bartender at Times Square’s Hotel Wallick—as a combination of gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, and violet liqueur. Supposedly, the recipe was altered around 1930, omitting the hard to come across violet liqueur. Since I sipped my first Aviation at Harvard Square’s Russell House Tavern, I have seen and enjoyed the cocktail made both with and without violet. The ingredient does add a nice floral note to the drink, not to mention its signature light blue tint. Don’t fear if you can’t find Crème de Violette. It’s still delicious without.

My memories of florescent red maraschino cherries in Shirley Temples made me initially hesitant to try the drink, but the maraschino liqueur itself is clear and adds a necessary subtle sweetness balancing the botanical gin and tart lemon of the drink. Though a little on the pricey side, the Luxardo deep red maraschino cherries I used changed everything I had previously thought about maraschino cherries. I do aim to make my own at home soon, so stay tuned for a future post.

The drink is often served in a martini or coupe glass, but I have also seen it served in small rocks glasses – whatever you have on hand (a rocks glass for me because I have not yet stocked the apartment with martini glasses).

Even though I didn’t physically get to the tropics, I was spirited away from the blustery winter for a cocktail or two.

Aviation

Recipe Type: Cocktail

Cuisine: Beverages

Prep time: 5 mins

Total time: 5 mins

Serves: 1

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 ounces maraschino liqueur
1/4 ounce crème de violette (optional)
Maraschino cherry, for garnish

Instructions

Add the gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, and crème de violette to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake until thoroughly chilled, strain into a martini, coupe, or rocks glass, and garnish with a maraschino cherry. Enjoy.

cinnamon pinwheel cookies

December 30, 2013 by Butter Loves Company

Each December, my mom and I embark on what I have coined a Christmas cookie marathon (instead of 26 miles, think 26 types of cookies). Our non-stop baking day results in a lengthy list of cookies, which includes some of our winter classics — snickerdoodles, whoopie pies, and molasses – along with a handful or two new experiments. When the stand mixer has reached its limit and our hands are aching from scooping dough, we assemble the cookies, bars, and toffees on platters for our neighbors, family, and friends to enjoy throughout the holidays. We include a cookie guide with each platter so a ginger hater doesn’t mistakenly reach for the rosemary ginger squares.

As a kid, one of the first cookies I was trusted with was the Cinnamon Pinwheel Cookie. It is a sugar cookie base swirled with cinnamon and brown sugar, a simple and elegant combination. While we make them at Christmas, these are fitting for any time of year and I am pretty sure they are breakfast appropriate. Try to be patient enough to chill the dough until it is very firm before you cut it. This will ensure you get circular cookies.

Cinnamon Pinwheel Cookies

Recipe Type: Cookies

Cuisine: Dessert

Prep time: 2 hours 35 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 2 hours 55 mins

Serves: About 50

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (or more if you are extra fond of cinnamon)

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and 3/4 cup granulated sugar until smooth. Add the egg and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated (the dough will be stiff).
On a floured surface, separate the dough into two piles and roll each into 8 x 12 inch rectangles. Use a knife to even the edges so they are clean when you roll the dough in step 6.
In a small bowl, mix together the 1/2 cup granulate sugar, 1/2 cup light brown sugar and the cinnamon for the cinnamon sugar filling. Sprinkle generously on each rectangle of dough.
Starting from a short side, roll each rectangle into a log. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1-2 hours.
When the dough is firm, preheat the oven to 350° F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the dough logs ¼ inch thick and bake on sheets until just beginning to brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

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