Cooking with Confidence

1. Make your dough (then wait 6 to 8 hours) What You Need: • 1 1/2 cups flour • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 3/4 cup warm water • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon yeast • 1/2 teaspoon sugar SEr water, sugar + yeast Mix in flour, oil + salt Mix together Cover, and wait for 6 to 8 hours 101

2. Roast one head of garlic (takes 1 hour) a. b. Peel most of the paper off a Cut off the top of the garlic head of garlic. (about 1/4 inch off the top). c. d. Drizzle a liAle oil over top. Wrap in some En foil. Bake at 400 degrees for an hour. e. Gently squeeze the cloves out of their paper. They’ll keep in the fridge, wrapped in En foil or in a plasEc bag, for a few days. They taste great on toast, in a sandwich, on a salad… 102

3. Preheat oven to What You Need: 500 degrees 4. Oil a pan and press First layer of pizza: dough onto pan. • 5 to 10 garlic cloves (depending Layer toppings and bake unAl brown. on how much you like garlic) • 2 tablespoons olive oil To layer over the oil: • handful of spinach leaves • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese • 1/4 cup feta cheese Auer removing from oven, add: • fresh or dried thyme, to taste • big pinch of oregano + drizzle of olive oil Remember that it is very delicious to Remember: if you’re add oil and herbs awer removing pizza short on fridge space, from the oven you can safely store cooked pizza in a cold 103 oven for up to 2 days.

Notes for next time… Pizza Dough Next Eme… ________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Roasted Garlic What I like about it ___________________ Might be good with ___________________ Feta Cheese What I like about it ___________________ Might be good with ___________________ What other ingredients might taste great on this pizza? _________________________________________________________ 104

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Pizza Margherita Dough adapted from the back of a Fleishman’s yeast packet Pizza Margherita - always made in the colors of the Italian flag (green for Italy's plains and hills, white for the snowy mountains, and red for the blood spilled in the war for independence) 106

Taste: Mozzarella Low-moisture mozzarella (pre-shredded) Best for mel3ng What I like about it ____________________ Might be good with ___________________ Fresh mozzarella (Oien seen in a caprese salad) What I like about it ____________________ Might be good with ___________________ Mozzarella di bufala Cheese made from a water buffalo’s milk What I like about it ____________________ Might be good with ___________________ 107

1. Make your dough (then wait 6 to 8 hours) What You Need: • 1 1/2 cups flour • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 3/4 cup warm water • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon yeast • 1/2 teaspoon sugar SEr water, sugar + yeast Mix in flour, oil + salt Mix together Cover, and wait for 6 to 8 hours 108

2. Roast one head of garlic (takes 1 hour) Wrap in En foil and bake for 1 hour in a Remove paper 400 degree oven. from a head of Carefully squeeze garlic, and chop garlic cloves out of 1/4-inch off the their paper. top. Drizzle with oil. 3. Preheat oven up to 500 degrees 4. Slice tomatoes in half, and chop cheese (if using fresh) 5. Oil a pan and press What You Need: dough onto pan. Top with garlic, oil, and First layer of pizza: tomatoes. Bake for five • 5 to 10 garlic cloves (depending minutes. *Auer 5 minutes, on how much you like garlic) add cheese to melt • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 2 handfuls cherry tomatoes Auer five minutes in the oven: • 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese (baked unEl melted) Auer removing from oven, add: • handful of fresh basil leaves • big pinch of oregano + salt 109

Notes for next time… Pizza Dough Next Eme… ________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Roasted Garlic, Mozzarella + Tomato What I like about it ___________________ Might be good with ___________________ Fresh Basil What I like about it ___________________ Might be good with ___________________ What other flavors might taste great on this pizza? _________________________________________________________ 110

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Pizza Dough Roasted Garlic Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Peel most of the paper off of a head of garlic. In a large bowl, stir together 1/2 teaspoon dry Chop about 1/4-inch off the top of your garlic instant yeast, 3/4 cup warm water, and 1/2 teaspoon head. sugar. Lay your garlic down on a piece of En foil and When the yeast’s dissolved in the water, add in 1 1/2 drizzle with olive oil. cup flour, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt. Wrap in En foil and bake in a 400 degree oven for Keep mixing the dough together with your hands. If 1 hour. it’s too dry, add a little water. If it’s too wet, add a Let garlic cool, then carefully squeeze roasted little flour. After a few minutes, it’ll come together garlic cloves out of their paper. into a smooth, shiny ball of dough. Set dough aside for ten minutes. Decide on your pizza toppings. Oven times vary. Check after five minutes, and then check again every few minutes. Pizza’s done when the crust is golden brown on the bottom. Anchovy + Red Pepper Pizza Vegetable Pizza Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Using a blow torch or the fire from your stovetop, Make your pizza dough, oil a baking sheet, and blacken the skin of a red pepper. Use tongs to press your dough as thin as you can onto the hold the pepper. baking sheet. When the pepper cools down, rub it all over in a Spread some olive oil (or garlic confit) over the kitchen towel or paper towels to remove the dough, using the back of a spoon. blackened skin. Slice the pepper into thin strips. Place your vegetables over the oil. Open a can of anchovies, and rinse 8-10 of them Ideas: under cold water to remove some of the salt. Make your pizza dough, oil a baking sheet, and • Whole spinach leaves press your dough as thin as you can onto the • Sliced sweet peppers baking sheet. • Sliced mushrooms and part of a mild pepper • Halved cherry tomatoes, cut-side down Spread a liAle red sauce over the pizza dough, ScaAer about four ounces of cheese over the using the back of a spoon. ScaAer some vegetables. anchovies and pepper slices over the red sauce. Bake unEl the boAom of your pizza is golden Top with some cheese. brown. Drizzle oil over top, and sprinkle with Bake unEl the boAom of your pizza is golden 112oregano. brown.

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STAMP HERE Try It Again! Pick one recipe from this chapter and make it yourself (or with some help) outside of group. What did you make? ___________________________________________________ What would you do differently next Ame? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Would you make it again? ______________ What did you do well? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ 114

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Pasta Noodles! Sauce! What could be beAer? 116

Rainy Day: Fresh Pasta Adapted from Samin Nosrat’s “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” (NeTlix) What You Need: To make sure to get rid of egg whites, pour • 1 cup regular flour the egg into your • 1 whole egg hand. The whites will • 2 egg yolks fall through your • 1 teaspoon warm water fingers. • 1/2 teaspoon salt a. b.Shape your flour and salt into a Sowly, slowly… mountain SEr the eggs… Then hollow it out into a volcano Carefully pour your egg and yolks Slowly bringing in into the mouth of the volcano more flour… c. d.At first, it will be a shaggy mess. In Eme, it will Add the teaspoon of water and become a smooth begin kneading your dough by ball of dough. hand. e. Flour your surface. f. Cut into thin noodles. Wrap extra noodles Begin rolling with a rolling pin. and sEck in the fridge. They’ll be Pick up dough, move around, and good for a couple keep rolling unEl it’s almost see- days. though 117

Why Make Fresh Pasta? What do you prefer: making something that’s quick and easy, or making something that takes some Eme and effort? For most of us, quick and easy’s best. Dry pasta with some canned sauce or a cheese packet works just great! If just cooking for yourself, it can feel stupid - or even terrible - to bother making even box mac + cheese. We think: “Don’t waste Eme making dinner if it’s just for me. What’s the point?” Why is it so hard to treat ourselves? The feeling of making yourself something really delicious is a damn good feeling. Even better if it’s fresh noodles, yummy sauce, and a very tasty dinner (and maybe tomorrow’s lunch). The best feeling in the world - to my mind, anyway - is when I can give myself permission to be extra nice to myself. “Sauce from scratch just for me today!” It’s like permission to give myself a hug. And when I do have the funds and energy to cook, I almost never feel like I’ve wasted my time. Usually, it’s kind of fun. Most of the time, it lets me shut off the parts of my brain that need to worry about other things. And, cooking tends to be the one experience that, as long as I kind of follow the directions, at the end of it I’ll have something tasty to eat - and a feeling of success at doing something well. Of course we can’t all make fresh meals from scratch every day - and thank goodness we don’t have to! But every once in a while? It’s the best. 118

119

Box Mac + Cheese: Add a Vegetable Let’s make this childhood favorite just a liAle more nutriEous. (It’s preAy great on its own!) 
 120

What Tastes Good with Mac + Cheese? Circle what you like! Spinach Broccoli Brussels sprouts Garlic Kale Onion Corn Cauliflower ArEchoke hearts Bell peppers Olives Asparagus Potato Tomato Mushrooms Sweet potato Carrots 121

1. Gather your ingredients What You Need: (Margarine will work just fine.) CARBOHYDRATE If you’re using sEck buAer, there • 1 box of noodles should be a line to help you know where to cut into the buAer (“cut PROTEIN here if you want 1 tablespoon,” etc). • check the box: how much milk does it call for? 2. Chop your vegetable • check the box: how much chop it about bite-sized buAer do you need? VEGETABLE • 1 handful, your choice (we’ll be pracEcing with broccoli) 122

3. Boil noodles and veggies a. Turn a burner to high heat. Fill a pot with hot water. Add a bunch of salt and put the pot on the burner. b. First the water will have some liAle bubbles. When it’s at a “rolling boil” (lots of big bubbles), then it’s Eme to add the noodles. Add chopped veggies to the pot. When they’re bright green, taste to see if they’re as sow as you’d like. c. Check the package to see how long noodles should be boiled. Then drain - don’t rinse! Return veggies and noodles to the warm pot. 4. Add cheese packet, milk, and buTer. SAr well to combine. 123

Notes for next time… Box Mac + Cheese Next Eme… ________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Adding a vegetable Flavorful? __________________ Worth the Eme? ____________ Texture? _________________________________ What other ingredients might taste great in mac + cheese? _________________________________________________________ 124

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Homemade Mac + Cheese Sauce adapted from a recipe by Deb Perelman (SmiXen Kitchen) 126

Taste: Cheddar American cheese A blend of cheddar sweetened with annaXo (a tropical fruit’s yellow seed) What I like about it ____________________ Might be good with ___________________ Sharp Cheddar - aged 9+ months NoEce a difference? ___________________ What I like about it ____________________ Might be good with ___________________ Extra Sharp Cheddar - aged 15+ months NoEce a difference? __________________ What I like about it ____________________ Might be good with ___________________ 127

1. Boil noodles If using homemade noodles, cook for 4 minutes. If using Boil a pot of hot water dry noodles, check the and salt over high heat. package to see how long When it’s at a rolling noodles should be boiled. boil, add your pasta. What You Need: 2. Make your Mornay CARBOHYDRATE (Cheese Sauce) • 1/2 cup cooked noodles Melt buAer in a small pot on medium heat. PROTEIN (MORNAY) Add flour and sEr constantly to make a • 2 tablespoons buAer roux. • 2 tablespoons flour Add milk or cream • 1/2 cup milk or cream and bring to a boil. • 3/4 cup grated cheddar EXTRA FLAVOR • salt and pepper to taste Add cheese and stir fast to combine. Add spices if you like. Add drained pasta to the sauce and stir until it all comes together. 128

Building a Sauce Beschamel + Mornay: two of France’s “Five Mother Sauces” WHAT A ROUX IS: ROUX + MILK = BESCHAMEL Equal parts FAT (like buAer or oil) and FLOUR cooked together (Think of gravy, poutine, or chicken pot pie) to make a paste. This will thicken the liquid you add next. BESCHAMEL SAUCE + CHEESE = MORNAY (Think of mac + cheese) Fun fact: Fettuccini Alfredo (invented by Alfredo de Lileo in 1914) is just warm noodles tossed with butter and freshly grated Parmesan - no milk or cream! 129

Notes for next time… Fresh Pasta Next Eme… ________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Mornay (Cheese Sauce) What I like about it ___________________ Might be good with ___________________ Not using herbs and spices? Next Eme… ________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ What other flavors might taste great in this pasta? _________________________________________________________ 130

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 Noodles with Peanut Sauce Seasonings add flavor, and vegetables add a liAle crunch, but all you really need to make this yummy, protein rich meal is peanut buAer, noodles, and soy sauce. 132

1. PracAce making pasta (or, use dry pasta, boil and drain) INGREDIENTS: To separate the yolks from the whites, • 1 cup regular flour pour the egg into • 1 whole egg your hand. The • 2 egg yolks whites will fall • 1 teaspoon warm water through your fingers. • 1/2 teaspoon salt a. b. c. Slowly, sowly… Add a liAle water Roll out as thin as Combine flour and and knead by hand. you can. It should eggs. be almost see- though. d. e. f. Cut into noodles. Place fresh pasta Scoop out of the into boiling water boiling water and for four minutes. drain. 133

2. Make your sauce What You Need: In a medium bowl, smash together CARBOHYDRATE soy sauce, sugar, spices, and peanut • 1/2 cup cooked noodles buAer. Taste and adjust seasonings. PROTEIN 3. Cook your vegetables • 1/4 cup peanut buAer and opAonal meat • op?onal: 1 chicken breast VEGETABLES • 1 handful, your choice EXTRA FLAVOR • 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar • 2 tablespoons soy sauce • dried cayenne, red pepper flakes, garlic, and/or ginger, to taste Put a little oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Add chopped vegetables and stir until tender or the texture you like best (4-10 minutes, checking often). Move veggies aside. If using chicken, add chicken to the pan and cook for about 15 minutes, flipping once. Meat should be white in the middle when it’s done. When noodles are cooked, dump sauce and noodles into the vegetables and stir well to warm and combine everything. Add water to thin, if you like. 134

Easy Noodles for the Week Smash together 1/4 At the beginning on your week, chop cup peanut buAer some vegetables into bite-sized pieces. and 2 tablespoons Cook over medium heat unEl sow soy sauce. enough for you. Cover and refrigerate. Add sugar or spices if you want. When it’s Eme for dinner, boil 1/4 of a box of any pasta according to the package’s direcEons. Drain. Mix in peanut sauce and a handful of veggies. Homemade dinner in ten minutes! 135

Notes for next time… Fresh Pasta Next Eme… ________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Peanut Sauce What I like about it ________________________ Might be good with ________________________ What other ingredients might taste great in this pasta? _________________________________________________________ 136

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Pasta Primavera Adapted from Amanda Hesser (New York Times) Spring vegetables (primavera is Italian for spring), lightly cooked, in a creamy parmesan sauce - delish! 138

Recipe Basics: Knife Skills Q: Why does it maAer how small you chop something? A: If the vegetable’s more firm, chopping it small helps it cook quicker. If it’s sower, Eny pieces will turn to mush more quickly. If the flavor’s more intense, chopping it small helps thin out the flavor. But! It’s your meal. If you learned how to do things one way, and it feels not great to do things a different way - you do you ������ 
 “Chunk,” “Cube,” or “Large Dice” “Dice” penny-size (or bite-size) squares pea-size squares “Mince,” “Chop fine,” or “Small Dice” “Chop” as small as you can get the thing don’t worry, just cut the thing up 139

1. Chop some fresh spring vegetables Hold the broccoli by What You Need: its stem, and cut across the top and CARBOHYDRATE into the florets. Keep slicing down the stalk. • cooked pasta Hold each end of an PROTEIN (MORNAY) asparagus stalk in each hand - snap off • 2 tablespoons buAer the tough, stringy end • 2 tablespoons flour (the part without the • 1/2 cup milk or cream flower) and discard it. • 3/4 cup parmasean Slice zucchini into VEGETABLES thick coins. Cut tomato in half. Scoop out seeds (they’re watery and can • fist-sized piece of broccoli be hard on some folks’ digestion). Dice. • 1/2 bunch asparagus Remove paper from garlic cloves. Mince. • 1/2 small zucchini • 1/2 Roma tomato 140 • 2 garlic cloves EXTRA FLAVOR • salt and pepper, to taste • dried parsley, to taste

2. Boil noodles and decide how you’d like to sauce them a. Turn a burner to high heat. Fill a pot with hot water. Add a bunch of salt and put the pot on the burner. * You can’t add too much salt, honest * b. First the water will have some liAle bubbles. When it’s at a “rolling boil” (lots of big bubbles), then it’s Eme to add the noodles. * Many people like to eat about 1/4 of a box of dry pasta if pasta and sauce is the whole meal * c. If using homemade noodles, cook for 4 minutes before scooping out.. If using dry noodles, check the package to see how long noodles should be boiled. Thai-style: Awer cooking everything, cooks toss noodles with everything else together in a hot pan and toss to combine flavors and reheat. This way, the sauce coats every noodle and vegetable equally. Italian-style: Cooks add pasta directly to sauce and sEr (with a liAle olive oil and buAer) to combine. This adds a different texture to the sauce. American-style: Cooks ladle plain boiled pasta to bowls, then spoon sauce over top. This way, guests can add as much or as liAle sauce as they’d like to their dish. 141

3. Cook your vegetables Toss green vegetables into Scoop greens out and place in an ice water boiling pasta water. Boil for bath. (This is called blanching - it stops four minutes. things from conEnuing to cook in their own heat, and becoming wilted or overcooked.) When cool, drain. Coat a pan on medium heat with oil. Cook tomatoes and garlic together unEl warm but before mushy, about four minutes. 4. Make your Mornay Melt buAer in a pan over medium heat. Add flour and sEr constantly unEl a paste (roux) forms. Pour in milk, sEr, and let it come to a boil. Take off the heat and sEr in cheese. Add vegetables to pasta and sauce. SEr to coat everything in sauce and dried parsley. 142

Notes for next time… Mornay (Cheese Sauce) Next Eme… ________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Boiling green vegetables Next Eme… ________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ What other flavors might taste good in this pasta? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ 143

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Pasta Salad, Two Ways Lemon Pasta Salad adapted from Giada de LaurenEis’s Everyday Italian Cooking’s so fun, and so good for us, but we can get caught up in the “right” and “wrong” way to eat certain things - “that’s not good for me,” “that’s too hard,” etc. Here’s a couple opEons for pasta salads. Choose for yourself, or choose something else - it’s your meal. 145

2. Decide on the flavors and textures you'd like today: MAYO PASTA SALAD LEMON PASTA SALAD Mayonnaise is delicious! An acidic, bright mix of flavors CARBOHYDRATE CARBOHYDRATE • 1/4 of a box of pasta noodles • 1/4 of a box of pasta noodles VEGETABLE VEGETABLE • 1 handful cherry tomatoes • 1 handful cherry tomatoes DRESSING - MAYO DRESSING - VINAIGRETTE • Enough mayonnaise to coat • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 3 tablespoons lemon juice EXTRA FLAVOR • zest of 1/4 of a lemon • 3-5 basil leaves, or 1 tsp dried • salt and pepper to taste • 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese EXTRA FLAVOR • salt and pepper to taste 146

1. Roast your cherry tomatoes (takes 90 minutes) a. Preheat oven to 300 degrees b. Cut tomatoes in half c. Sprinkle with salt d. Drizzle with oil e. Bake for 90 mins RoasEng brings out a deeper flavor and makes for a chewier texture 2. Boil noodles Fill a pot with hot water and salt and put over high heat. When it’s at a “rolling boil” (lots of big bubbles) add your pasta. If using homemade noodles, cook for 4 minutes before scooping out. If using dry noodles, check the package to see how long noodles should be boiled. For pasta salad: drain and rinse with cold water. 147

Recipe Basics: Vinaigrette 2 tablespoons Fat Any oil you like or have on hand! Lots of people like olive oil, but lots of us use olive oil just because we think we're supposed to. 3 tablespoons Acid Any vinegar you like, or lemon/ grapefruit/orange juice - or a combinaEon! 148

Only if you like: A splash of something creamy Honey, mustard, maple syrup… Only if you like: Some extra flavor Spices, herbs, garlic, salt… 149

3. Make your dressing a. b. If making the Lemon version, mix For the Lemon version: zest one your acid (lemon juice), your oil, lemon. (You can use a peeler and minced basil, and cheese in a mince it, or use a zesEng tool.) bowl. Zest is the bright yellow parts If using mayo, you’re done! (not the biAer white parts) of the lemon peel. Taste a piece! c. Taste! Does it need more basil now, or more salt? More acid, or more fat? Add a liAle something and taste again. Don't forget black pepper! Fold in your noodles, and gently add the tomatoes last. 150