The Essential James Beard Cookbook (45 page)

MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

For the Green Noodles

5 or 6 cups all-purpose flour

6 large eggs

½ pound fresh leaf spinach, stems removed, well washed, and cooked according to the Editor’s Note
here

For the Sauce

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

¾ pound ground beef round

¾ pound ground pork

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 celery rib, finely chopped

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup
Beef Stock

1 tablespoon tomato paste

¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1 or 2 tablespoons heavy cream

To make the noodles: On a work surface, make a ring of the flour, and place the eggs and spinach inside. Blend and knead very well by hand until smooth and supple, about 10 minutes. (Or combine and mix the ingredients in a heavy-duty stand electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.) Roll out several times in a pasta machine. Allow to dry 15 to 20 minutes. Using the pasta machine, cut into strips about ¼ inch wide. [
Editor: There are detailed instructions for this procedure on pages 195 to 200.
]

To make the sauce: Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and ground pork, onion, carrot, celery, parsley, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until nicely colored, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add half the stock. Boil until the stock is cooked down. Stir in the remaining stock and the tomato paste. Cover, and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour longer.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Drain the noodles well and return to their cooking pot. Add the sauce, grated cheese, and cream and toss well. Serve with more cheese passed on the side.

KREPLACH

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

There are 10 dozen ways of doing kreplach, and 10 times that number of people telling you that theirs is the traditional way. This one is idiotically simple, but the sage and chives make a nice combination of flavors. Use plenty of chives. I grow them in my backyard, and they’re usually the first thing up in the garden, so to me they taste like springtime. Here the kreplach are sautéed in butter (or chicken fat) until they are lightly browned to serve with pot roast or chicken. But you could also add the cooked kreplach to chicken soup.

½ pound ground beef chuck

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, or ½ teaspoon dried sage

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon Tabasco

Basic Egg Pasta

3 tablespoons unsalted butter or rendered chicken fat, as needed

Mix the ground beef, parsley, sage, chives, salt, and Tabasco. Roll out the dough thinly in the pasta machine. Then, using a pastry wheel, cut it into 2-inch squares. Place a scant teaspoonful of filling toward one corner of each square. Moisten the edges of the square, fold one corner over another to make a triangle, and seal tightly.

Let the kreplach sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before you cook them. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Drop the kreplach into the water, about 8 at a time. Cover the pot and cook each batch for about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to an oiled baking sheet and add more kreplach to the pot.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. In batches, add the kreplach and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, adding more butter as needed. (You may have to keep the batches warm in a 200°F oven until all of the kreplach are cooked.) Serve hot.

NOCKERLI

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

Nockerli
are tiny dumplings made by pinching off bits of dough and rolling them into tiny balls. They are nice cooked in a rich beef broth, or mixed with a hearty vegetable, as in the
Noodles with Cabbage
.

For the Nockerli

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

¾ cup water

2 quarts
Beef Stock
or water

To make the nockerli: In a large bowl, mix the flour, eggs, and salt. Add the melted butter and water and beat with a wooden spoon for 4 minutes. Let sit for at least 20 minutes. Then, using your lightly floured hands, pinch off bits of dough and roll them gently between your palms to make tiny balls.

Bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the nockerli and cook. They are done when they float to the top.

ANGEL HAIR WITH LIGHT TOMATO SAUCE

MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS; ENOUGH FOR 1 POUND PASTA

This recipe forms the basis for a nearly limitless number of variations. It also has the advantage of using canned tomatoes, so that you aren’t dependent on the season or the quality of the fresh tomatoes in your market.

Editor: Fresh herbs are especially good here, so use 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons of the other recommended dried herb, if you wish.

For the Light Tomato Sauce

One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes in purée

2 small onions, sliced

1 teaspoon dried basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, marjoram, or thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

1 pound angel hair pasta

To make the tomato sauce: Cook the tomatoes, onions, and basil over medium-high heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently, and seasoning with the salt and pepper. If you want a smooth sauce, strain it through a wire sieve or purée it in the food processor. I prefer to leave the sauce with lumps, just breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Then add the butter and continue to cook until it melts. Keep the sauce warm.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and return to the cooking pot. Add the sauce, mix well, and serve.

VARIATION

LIGHT TOMATO SAUCE WITH GARLIC:
Add 2 minced garlic cloves to the tomatoes and onions.

FETTUCCINE WITH ZUCCHINI

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

A very pretty dish when it is made with yellow egg noodles, green zucchini, and red pepper strips, like the Italian flag.

1 pound fettuccine

½ cup olive oil

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

1 pound small, firm zucchini, trimmed and cut into thin strips about 2 inches long

2 red bell peppers, broiled until the skins blacken, peeled, and seeded, and cut into thin strips about 2 inches long

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped, or one 16-ounce can whole tomatoes in purée

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes

Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Heat the olive oil in a skillet, and sauté the onions, zucchini, bell peppers, and garlic for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes, salt, and hot pepper flakes, and cook over very low heat for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta to the water and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander. Return to its cooking pot, add the sauce, and toss well. Sprinkle with lots of grated cheese. Transfer to a warm serving bowl and serve hot.

NOODLES WITH CABBAGE

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

I made this up years ago, when I wanted something to serve with sausages and beer. Try it with wide egg noodles, noodle squares, or
Nockerli
.

One 2-to-3-pound green cabbage, cut into quarters, and hard core removed

5 tablespoons (½ stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter or bacon fat

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¾ cup light cream

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound wide egg noodles

Put the cabbage through the slicing blade of the food processor. Melt the butter or fat in a large skillet and sauté the cabbage until it is lightly browned. Cover and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle on the flour and continue to cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Then add the cream, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce comes to a simmer and thickens. Keep the sauce warm.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook according to the package directions until almost tender. Drain well. Return the noodles to their cooking pot. Add the sauce and let everything bubble together over medium heat for a few minutes to blend the flavors.

PASTA WITH PARSLEY PESTO, CHERRY TOMATOES, AND DILL

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

Editor: Beard doesn’t specify what kind of pasta, but a delicate angel hair (capellini) or thin spaghetti would be appropriate with a light vegetarian sauce like this one. You won’t need all of the pesto. It can be refrigerated in a covered container, with olive oil poured over the top to cover pesto surface, for about 1 month. Stir in the oil before using.

For the Parsley Pesto

4 to 5 bunches fresh flat-leaf parsley, stems removed

1 cup whole walnuts

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 large garlic cloves

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 pound pasta of your choice

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

¼ cup chopped fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dried dill

1 pound cherry tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

To make the pesto: Combine the parsley, walnuts, olive oil, cheese, garlic, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process the ingredients until well combined into a thick sauce. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until al dente, timing it so the pasta and tomatoes are done at the same time.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Add the chopped dill and the tomatoes. Toss the tomatoes to coat with the dill butter and warm just long enough to heat through, about 3 minutes.

Drain the pasta, but only briefly, so the pasta remains moist. Return the pasta to its cooking pot. Toss with the oil. Divide the pasta among individual bowls. Top each with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the pesto, then equal amounts of the cherry tomatoes and dill butter. Serve at once.

PASTA PRIMAVERA

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

In Italian,
primavera
means “spring,” and a primavera sauce should be made with the first, tiny vegetables that pop out in the spring. In the winter, of course, you would use the freshest vegetables you could get at that time, such as broccoli, red bell peppers, and zucchini, but I’ve suggested a springtime combination that would be just delicious. Just don’t be formal about it. Use what you have in the garden or in the refrigerator. You can even cut up a couple of stalks of celery and add them for the bite.

1 pound angel hair, linguine, or even orzo