Make Your Own Pasta

In a recent LA Times story, Evan Kleiman, the host of KCRW's Good Food radio show and the woman behind the great Caffe Angeli on Melrose in LA (which I adored when I lived there), wrote about why shoppers should not buy supermarket "fresh" pasta.

"If imported Italian dry pasta were choice A and fresh pasta were choice B and I could only choose one to eat for the rest of my life, there would be no contest. I’d choose A, dry pasta. Many home cooks, bamboozled by the glut of fresh pasta in restaurants, have come to believe that if it’s the chef’s choice, then it’s the better product. It is not."

Now while she acknowledges her story is about her love of dry durum wheat pasta, she also readily acknowledges that fresh pasta made well and served with appropriate sauces is a great dining experience.

Making really good fresh pasta demands quality ingredients and skill--and it's something that with practice home cooks can do for themselves. Back in the 80s, the idea was to make it, then hang it on "pasta racks" or broom sticks to dry and then cook later. Today, of course, we recognize that you can put a big pot of water on the stove to heat and make your pasta while the water is coming to the boil.

Because I've spent a lot of time with a several chefs who have shown me their techniques--and because with summer almost upon us and fresh tomatoes being a perfect foil for a good pasta in many cases, I thought I'd do a round up of four of my favorite pasta-making experiences with San Diego chefs. And next week, I'll have a new one for you from Daniel Wolinsky, chef de cuisine at Cucina Sorella in Kensington, whose tagliarini is in the photo above.

Here they are:

Fabrizio Cavallini's Organic Handmade Pasta: Who better to teach the art of pasta making than an Italian chef? Fabrizio Cavallini of Bencotto and Monello demonstrated how seemingly easy it is. All it requires is high quality 00 flour and organic semolina, both of which are available locally at Mona Lisa, and eggs. Oh, and skill. But I have a video of Fabrizio's demo, which shows how you go about making the dough.

Nick Brune's Dark Roux Noodles: Nick Brune is a Louisiana native who lives in California and has combined his culinary understanding of the two states to create a Cali-Creole cuisine that was the focus of Local Habit in Hillcrest. No longer there (both Nick's affiliation with the restaurant and then the restaurant itself), Nick has turned his focus to his longtime catering company Eco Caterers. When I came for a visit, he taught me a dish that combined his Creole background with Southeast Asian flavors, based on his travels there. This dish places dark roux noodles into a pho-like soup, which is stunning. But you can also enjoy the noodles as pasta with your favorite sauce? What's the secret to these dark noodles? You'll have to read to find out!

Ryan Studebaker's Roasted Vegetables and Goat Cheese Raviolini: Ryan, of MIHO Catering, makes a lovely egg pasta that he turns into little pockets of savory cheesey appetizers, thanks to a variety of seasonal roasted vegetables blended with goat cheese. You can take his recipe full hilt with the raviolini or simple enjoy the pasta recipe, make noodles, and top them with his vegetable goat cheese mixture.

Amy DiBiase's Ricotta Gnudi: Okay, technically this may be considered the "anti-pasta" since "gnudi" means naked, as in ravioli without the pasta. But why not make a tender, creamy pasta-like dumpling that so easily takes a good sauce. Amy, who is now with Grand Restaurant Group, taught me this dish while she was at Tidal. It's so luxe it's a whole meal, depending on how you sauce it.


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Ryan Studebaker's Roasted Vegetable and Goat Cheese Raviolini

The first time I encountered Chef Ryan Studebaker was several years ago at a Collaboration Kitchen event. I can't remember who the main attraction was that evening, but there was a bit of time at the end and ringleader--much more accurate than ringmaster--Tommy Gomes spotted Studebaker in the audience and dragged him up to the cooking dais to have him do an impromptu cooking lesson in making, I believe, salmon fillets. Studebaker, at the time the chef at Gingham in La Mesa, was a great sport. Whatever fear he may have had in performing without notice in front of a crowd of 75 or so people was undetectable. He made a terrific dish and did himself proud. I wasn't the only one who was impressed with this young guy.

I also fell in love with his food. He invited me to dine at the posh Gaslamp restaurant Encore Champagne Bar and Dining Room, his next gig, and prepared some stunning dishes that clued me into his range. There was the New York Strip Carpaccio. The Potato Gnocchi with Lardon. Braised Pork Cheeks. And a lovely Scottish Salmon. Oh, and dessert? Yes, he does dessert. Like an Apple and Black Fig Tart.

But Encore didn't make it. Now, this Michigan native who learned to cook at his dad's restaurant and got his first job in San Diego at Mr. A's, is running the kitchen at MIHO. Originally a top food truck in San Diego, Studebaker explained that the business is branching out to events and catering. Weddings now make up 70 to 80 percent of their business, but they are also engaged in large events, like the upcoming Art Alive at the San Diego Museum of Art in April. So, MIHO Gastrotruck is transitioning to A MIHO Experience that includes The Vetted Table, the business' catering arm.

Studebaker is relishing this new gig. "There's so much more I get to do than in a restaurant," he says. "For instance, I get clients who want something they've seen somewhere else, like a slider. But I couldn't find any great slider buns, so I started experimenting with making my own. I tried four times and failed before finally succeeding. Now I'm the bread master! I love those opportunities we have when we're a little slow to do research and test recipes."

That includes making his own pastries, which is a pressure situation given that he's married to one of San Diego's premier pastry chefs, Rachel King of NINE-TEN. Friend him on Facebook or follow him on Instagram to watch his progress.

I finally got into the kitchen with him last week and he showed me his tricks for making a sublime roasted vegetable and goat cheese raviolini--a dish that will actually be a passed app at Art Alive.

Before we dive into the recipe, here are a few tips Studebaker shared for successfully making this dish:

• Anytime you roast or saute vegetables, get the color you want first before seasoning. Cooking pulls out the water from vegetables and your seasoning may get pulled out with it--and you won't get the color you're after.
• Studebaker oven roasts the vegetables for this dish, but for this small batch he sauteed them. Individually. "Saute vegetables one at a time because different vegetables cook at different rates," he says. "You can oven roast a variety of vegetables together as long as they have a similar density."
• To saute or roast the vegetables use a 75/25 blend of canola oil and olive oil. "Olive oil can be too strong a flavor and it will smoke once you reach a high heat. Canola oil creates a more neutral flavor for you to incorporate other herbs and spices and it has a higher smoke point."

Raviolini with Seasonal Vegetables, Pistachio Pesto, and Parmesan
from Ryan Studebaker
(printable recipe)

Serves 4 to 6

This dish is hugely flexible--in the type of vegetables you use and the pesto. For the pesto, use your favorite recipe and substitute traditional pine nuts with pistachios and you're good to go.

Filling
3 cups of seasonal vegetables (In our version, he used yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, and red bell pepper), small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
75/25 blend of canola and extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Whatever herbs and/or spices you want to include
3/4 cup goat cheese

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Toss the vegetables, garlic, and shallots in the oil mixture and spread onto a heavy baking sheet or pan. Roast until caramelized. Alternately, you can saute each of the vegetables, including the shallots and garlic, separately until they begin to brown and then mix together. Let cool and drain. Once the vegetables reach room temperature mix in the goat cheese. Set aside.

Egg Pasta Dough
Yield: About 1 pound

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon milk

Let's address making the pasta, which is the one issue many home cooks will find intimidating, although Studebaker calls it a labor of love. I videoed Studebaker in two crucial steps so that you can see how simple this actually is.

On a clean and dry table or counter, create a well with flour. (Studebaker suggests making the well wide so you have more room to move your hand and not break the wall.) Pour yolks, egg, olive oil, and milk into the center. Using your finger, break the yolks and begin swirling without spilling over the edge of the well.

Continue this motion while occasionally pushing small amounts of flour into the center, making sure you're slowly incorporating the flour to avoid lumpy dough.

Once the dough begins to pull away from the table, begin adding flour more quickly by sprinkling it over the top and kneading.

Continue kneading the dough until it has a nice sheen. The kneading process can take 10 to 15 minutes. The dough is ready when you can pull your finger through it and it snaps back into place. You cannot over-knead this dough.

Wrap in plastic and let rest at least one hour before rolling out. If refrigerated, let the dough come to room temperature before handling.

Now you're going to put it all together. Using a pasta machine or attachment, set the stop at number 1. Pull off a chunk of dough and flatten it so it fits into the opening and run it through. You'll do this four times, increasing the stop each time until you reach number 4.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add plenty of salt.

Make a wash with egg and water. Place about a tablespoon of filling in mounds along one piece of dough. Gently cover with a second piece of rolled out dough. Then gently push the top dough around the filling mounds and push out any air. Lightly brush with the egg wash.

Using a round 2-inch cookie cutter, cut each of the raviolini circles. Using a fork, press the tines gently around the edges to seal.

 
Boil the raviolini about two minutes and drain. Plate the raviolini, top with pesto and freshly grated parmesan.

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How to Buy Caviar on a Budget

One of the downsides of being a movie buff is that no matter the topic, there always seems to be a scene from a movie that provides just the illustrative image you don't want to have. For caviar, there are two and both involve Tom Hanks. The first is the holiday party scene in Big, when Tom the boy/man digs into some caviar not knowing what it is and when he finds out, he pushes it out of his mouth in the way only a grossed out kid can. The other is in the romcom You've Got Mail when he and Meg Ryan's character--also at a party--get into an argument after she discovers he's the Fox of Fox Books trying to take her down and he starts scooping up all the pricey caviar garnish to eat just to irritate her.

Tom Hanks aside, caviar usually gets much more lofty treatment. In fact, it's one of those foods that is considered elite and unreachable for the masses. And, the good stuff... the really luxurious good stuff is. I can't get enough of it when given the chance, but my budget prevents me from wildly indulging. But this year I've come across a wide variety of caviars that are very tasty and pretty budget friendly. And I'm not talking about the questionable uber salty jars of fish roe you'll find on shelves at places like CostPlus. A visit to Whole Foods and Catalina Offshore Products will offer a variety of options that you can enjoy without breaking the bank. And, they're perfect for the holidays, when you're feeling oversaturated with hams and crown roast of beef and turkey.

This year Catalina Offshore Products is offering a lovely Dom Petroff white sturgeon caviar, the Royal ($24.95 for 10 grams). It's a sustainably farm-raised product from Northern California. This is the first year Dom Petroff has created small containers of their products, complete with a little plastic caviar spoon and suggestions for how to enjoy it. The white sturgeon has a taste similar to Ossetra. The roe is medium sized, dark, and with a sweet buttery texture. I couldn't stop eating it with a spoon, but it's delicious on a blini with creme fraiche and a little smoked salmon or tossed with butter in fettucine. Buy some for yourself to enjoy with sparkling wine or buy a package to give as a hostess gift.

Catalina also has salmon roe, which you might recognize from Japanese menus as ikura. I can't get enough of this roe ($13.50 for 6 ounces). These big, juicy beads create a wonderful salty, tangy explosion when you bite into them.

Clockwise from top left: Dom Petroff white sturgeon caviar royal, salmon roe, tobikko, and capelin roe

I've enjoyed these on scrambled eggs, on blini, on a bagel with cream cheese (best brunch dish ever), and as a topping on stuffed mushrooms. Those stuffed mushrooms also incorporated the capelin roe ($3 for a 3-ounce package), sometimes known as smelt roe--or masago on sushi menus--and the tobikko, or flying fish roe ($14.00 for a 6-ounce package), which glistens like black diamonds in light. I blended the masago with sour cream and creme fraiche and chopped mushroom stems, which I used to stuff the mushrooms. Then I topped the mixture with the salmon roe and a dab of tobikko.

You can also use the capelin roe to make taramosalata, a terrific Greek dip. Or use it for sushi or as a garnish. Both the capelin roe and tobikko are quite sweet and flavored with soy sauce.

Dom Petroff sent me some samples in addition to the white sturgeon royal, and you can order these online. I got to try the Paddlefish roe, a small dark grey bead that looks like classic caviar, Ossetra, an imported farm-raised sturgeon roe that has a brown medium sized bead, and Hackleback roe, from wild Hackleback sturgeon native to the rivers and lakes of Tennessee and Illinois that is darker and smaller and quite briny. Cousins of the Paddlefish, to me they looked like pretty little French puy lentils.

Ossetra and Hackleback caviar on Dom Petroff blinis (just heat quickly in the microwave), smoked salmon, and creme fraiche

The company also sent me a jar of trout roe, which looks and tastes a lot like salmon roe. I couldn't resist putting them on a hollowed out everything bagel with whipped cream cheese.

Catalina Offshore Products salmon roe and Dom Petrov trout roe

Whole Foods carries several varieties of the Caviar Russe brand. Yes, you can get a pricey ounce of imported Caspian ossetra Russian sturgeon ($89.99), but if that isn't feasible, try the whitefish caviar ($13.99 for 1.75 ounces) from the Great Lakes region, salmon caviar or ikura ($13.99 for 1.75 ounces), tobika ($13.99 for 1.75 ounces), or--what I took home and enjoyed--hardwood smoked caviar ($15.99 for 1.75 ounces). Get your splurge back on with imported Siberian Russian sturgeon ($59.99 for 1 ounce).

You can also pick up a package of the brand's cocktail blinis ($7.99 for 20 count). Like the Dom Petroff prepared blinis, they are easy to heat up quickly and, while not quite as good as homemade, they are just fine and make life a whole lot easier for a busy holiday party host.

A very popular offering at Whole Foods is wild salmon caviar from Echo Falls ($11.99 for 2 ounces). This is King salmon roe from the Seattle area.

Caviar Russe smoked salmon roe on scrambled eggs

I thought long and hard about how to enjoy the smoked salmon roe and for total indulgence, made scrambled eggs in butter that I topped with the caviar. It was perfection.

Now, it's all well and good for me to rhapsodize about these various roes, but given that in January Encore Champagne Bar and Dining Room is opening on F St. in the Gaslamp, I thought I'd ask executive chef Ryan Studebaker for some input. Along with champagne and sparkling wines, the menu will feature classic caviar.

Studebaker discovered his love of caviar at a meal at Mr. A's. "I loved it and when it's available, I love to have it whenever possible. Caviar for me has been a social experience--when you're out to a nice meal with friends everyone can get a taste and it brings up great conversation."

Studebaker points out that not all caviar is salty. Yes, the lower end ones are, especially salmon roe, but "once you get into the middle and higher-end products, it's more of an oceanic taste and very rich and creamy." The California white sturgeon and Russian Ossetra fall into that category, he notes.

At Encore Gaslamp, Studebaker plans to start with dishes that showcase the different levels of caviar in terms of flavor, quality, and affordability. "As we grow as a restaurant, you'll see it make appearances in other dishes as well. Think blinis with house-smoked salmon, creme fraiche, and chive with paddlefish or California white sturgeon caviar. We'll also have the classic full ounce platters with California white sturgeon or Russian Imperial ossetra with traditional seived eggs, red onion, and capers."

Studebaker gave me two recipes to share--one for his buckwheat blinis and the other for smoked salmon. Both are pretty easy. Buy a container of creme fraiche and the caviar of your choice and you'll have an impressive appetizer for a party.

Buckwheat Blinis
From Ryan Studebaker
(printable recipe here)

Yield: About 12 blinis

2 tablespoons buckwheat flour
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup whole milk
1 egg, separated
1/4 cup butter, melted but not hot

Whisk together dry ingredients. Add milk and egg yolk and whisk until smooth. Whisk egg whites to soft peaks and folk into the batter along with 2 tablespoons of the butter.

Brush a nonstick pan with butter and heat over medium heat until hot. Drop five to seven level tablespoons of the batter at a time onto the pan and cook until bubbles form (about 45 to 60 seconds). Flip the pancakes and cook an additional 45 to 60 seconds.

Serve immediately if you can. Otherwise, hold them at room temperate and reheat in the oven briefly later if needed.


Smoked Salmon
From Ryan Studebaker
(printable recipe here)

5 pounds salmon filet, pin bones removed
1 quart salmon rub (below)

Rub salmon with cure and let sit overnight (minimum 12 hours, maximum 24 hours). Rinse and place on sheet trays with racks. Smoke at 140 degrees F for two to three hours.

Salmon Rub
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup salt
2 tablespoons dill weed, dried
2 tablespoons oregano, dried
2 tablespoons fresh thyme

Combine the ingredients.

You can also use this rub with the salmon to make gravlax if you don't want to smoke the salmon. Let the salmon cure for two to three days, depending on the thickness. Tail pieces will be finished before the thicker center cut. It's done with the texture is semi firm. Flip the salmon over after each day to ensure even curing. You can even put al amount of weight on it to assist in the curing process, but it's not necessary.





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Summer Crab Fuji Apple Salad

In June, Catalina Offshore Products' Collaboration Kitchen--a monthly evening of often wacky BYOB seafood cooking demos with "hosts" Tommy Gomes and Dan Nattrass playing off each other like the car guys, Tom and Ray Magliozzi--went "back to basics." Meaning that instead of featuring a local star chef, it was Tommy and friends demonstrating seafood recipes.

We started with delightful and unusual Mauritian "soul food" from Fazil Osman, who has a blog called Martian Foodie. Wild Mexican shrimp were doused in a fragrant and spicy tomato sauce and paired with crispy "gateau piments," spicy fried little ringlets of split yellow peas, turmeric, and hot chile.

Then Tommy grilled up his white sea bass fish tacos, wrapped in flatbread instead of a tortilla, filled with cabbage crunch.

Tommy's buddy Ken Gardon followed with his first dish, white sea bass picatta--unusual in that it was sans flour. So, you had the pure sea bass flavor with white wine, olive oil, and capers mingling with pan-grilled summer veggies topped by a balsamic glaze.

We did have a couple of professional chefs in the audience--Olivier Bioteau of Farm House Cafe, scoping out the event in anticipation of his appearance in September, and Ryan Studebaker of Gingham, just there to hang out. Tommy pulled Ryan out of the audience and all of the sudden, the prep chefs in the back were quick fire prepping salmon and vegetables for an impromptu demo by Ryan. Kudos to them--and to Ryan--for speed, accuracy, and deliciousness.

The evening ended with what turned out to be my favorite dish, made with one of my favorite ingredients, crab. Ken Gardon's Crab Fuji Apple Salad is the perfect summer lunch. It also makes for a great appetizer. The ingredients are straightforward (you can get a container of pasteurized crab at Catalina Offshore Products, of course) and the dish itself is easy to make--perfect for a 4th of July party. Ken gave me the recipe to share.

Crab Fuji Apple Salad

from Ken Gardon

(printable recipe)

This recipe will provide 4 servings as a luncheon, or meal salad, 6 as an appetizer, and approximately 14 as an amuse bouche.

Ingredients:
1 pound container of Baja Stone Crab meat
1 medium sweet or Maui onion
2 tablespoons golden brown sugar
3-5 celery stalks, tops and butts removed
2 Fuji, or similar apples
2 large lemons
Cranberry walnut or similar bread, sliced about ½ inch thick
Unsalted butter
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (homemade or premium store bought)

Method:
Turn crab out into large, non reactive bowl. Break apart lightly with hands, endeavoring to maintain “chunkiness.”

Add finely diced onion, sugar and mayo and combine lightly. Take care to keep mixture as “dry" as possible, adding mayo a bit at a time.

Once combined, cover with plastic wrap, place in coldest spot (bottom) of refrigerator for at least an hour, preferably 3 hours for flavors to combine.

Shortly before serving time, prepare the bread by removing the crusts, cut into desired shape (triangles have least waste), butter lightly both sides with unsalted butter, and toast in a pan on stovetop. A light golden brown color is your goal. Set aside on a tray to cool and do not allow overlap of slices.

Finely dice the celery, make a small julienne of the apples. Place apples in a bowl and squeeze lemon juice over them, tossing to coat.

Remove chilled salad, correct seasoning with sea salt, and fold in celery.

To serve, place a toast on serving dish, use a tablespoon to create a quenelle (football-shaped ball) or a sherbet scoop for a sphere, and place on top. Garnish with a tent of apple “matchsticks” and serve immediately.

Recommended wine pairing: crisp Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc , Prosecco, or of course, Champagne.

Catalina Offshore Products teams up with Specialty Produce for "Collaboration Kitchen" events monthly on Sunday evenings. Follow them on Facebook to learn when they'll be held and to buy tickets. Proceeds support non-profits around town. I'm especially excited about the August event, since Tommy and crew will be dedicating the proceeds to the San Diego Food Bank's Food 4 Kids Backpack Program during our Dollar-a-Dish fundraiser.
 

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