Fresh Pasta, Tomato sauce and Chicken Cutlets

** Preview of my Pasta Class, June 26th at the Center for Living Peace, Irvine, CA

 

 

New Pasta Roller for my KitchenAid Mixer

So after many many years of using the old-fashioned, hand crank pasta makers I have finally come into the 20th Century (yes, these are not new by any means.) Because I need or the roller to be easily transportable and usable in a variety of settings, including those lacking a true "ravioli" table like my grandmother, Mimi, had, I finally decided to go electric.

It arrived around 4 PM and I had pasta dough rolling through it about 30 minutes later!

Rolling out dough can be a bit daunting. Over the years, I've learned a few tricks to help. First after making the dough rest for 30 minutes or so. Don't put it in the fridge or you'll have to then wait for it to warm up before rolling it out. Cut a piece just larger than an egg. Set the rollers to 1, the thickest setting, and start the machine (or crank the old-school one) Feed the dough in slowly. It won't look like pasta yet; more like a slightly flattened lump. Fold the dough in half, flour heavily, and feed through again. Repeat this until it smooths out. Now go to setting 2 and repeat. For noodles I usually go to 4 for filled pasta I go to 5 or 6 depending on my dough that day. When you're happy with the piece, flour both sides heavily, and fold in half, then quarters, then eighths. them cut the pasta to the desired width. For this wide noodle I opened the pieces up and curled them into nests, dusted with more flour. I froze half the batch on a small sheet pan.

 You can also hang them to dry over a broom stick or with one of the cool pasta drying racks out there. I the end I was very happy with the quality and ease of the pasta. Below are the recipes for the pasta, tomato sauce and my chicken cutlets...

My basic pasta

2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
water or olive oil

Mix the salt in the flour in the bowl of a mixer, food processor or if going old-school in a mound on a large board. Beat the eggs for a second and add to the flour. With the electric machines, they can be running or not. It takes longer if they are not but the process is actually much closer to the hand-made process. For the old-school method, make a depression in your pile of flour, add the mixed eggs, and then using a fork, slowly combine with a circular motion. It takes practice, and even Mimi, (she never wanted to be "grandma" or any other similar name) agreed that the power tool pasta was as good, or close enough to, the hand-made. Plus it takes a fraction of the time. Finally if the dough still seems a little dry add very small amounts of water or oil until you get a nice smooth dough. If it seems wet, remember a lot of flour gets worked in during the rolling.

Quick Creamy Tomato Sauce

28 oz whole tomatoes

5 cloves garlic, smashed

Bunch of scallions, chopped using the white and some green...

Olive oil

1 tsp. fish sauce

1 tsp. balsamic

1/8 cup or a handful, whole leaf mixed fresh herbs

1/2 cup sour cream

Heat oil. Brown garlic and scallions. Stir often so the garlic doesn't burn. Add the whole can of tomatoes with liquid and the fish sauce/balsamic. It will be very watery. Do not despair.

Reduce heat and simmer for 20 mins. Stirring often and breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon. The sauce will remain chunky. When the sauce is reduced stir in the sour cream and stir to blend. Finally stir in the herbs and serve.

 

Chef Jeff's Famous Chicken Cutlets

2 chicken breasts, on the bone*
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 cups breadcrumbs, panko, unseasoned store bought, or homemade
salt and pepper

*I always try to purchase meat especially chicken on the bone. It is much cheaper by the pound and the skin and bones can be saved to make stock essentially for free!

Remove the skin from the breasts. With a sharp kitchen knife, starting at the pointed end of the breast, cut horizontally (parallel to the cutting board) to get thin 1/2" slices. Repeat until all are done. Spread them out on a plate and prep the eggs and crumbs.

I usually season the crumbs rather than the chicken. Salting the meat tends to draw out moisture, dry the meat out and can lead to the moisture leaking out and making your crust slide off. You can add fresh or dried herbs, garlic powder or whatever other flavorings you like.

Next beat the eggs with a splash of water until well combined. Set up three bowls, one each for the flour, eggs and crumbs. Dip the first cutlet into the flour making sure it's well covered, then the eggs, and then the crumbs. Repeat until all are done and set aside on a large plate in a single layer. At this point I usually wait 10 minutes or so, to allow the crust to set. Next heat a Tbsp of oil in a fry pan, and cook the chicken until crispy and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side depending on thickness. Serve with tomato sauce, pesto or even BBQ sauce.