In search of my cooking mojo…

I know, I know, it’s been a long time since I last blogged. I hope that this post can make up for any feelings of abandonment that you may have experienced during my absence in March. Unfortunately I have had some of life’s other challenges to deal with as we all do from time to time. Quite frankly, they’ve consumed all of my energy so I just have not been inspired to cook or blog.

So how have I nourished myself? Well certainly not with fast food or frozen dinners. I’ve eaten predominantly raw food. Why? No peeling, no cutting, no dish-washing and no mess. Just wash and eat. I’ve eaten my way through about 15-20kgs of fruit and vegetables per week. But not all of it was raw. On the adventurous nights, I went all out: I roasted vegetables simply with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Has there been anything positive from all of this? Yes, I caught a glimpse of my abs for the first time in years! Let’s see how long I can keep them as my appetite for low-n-slow ribs, marbled steaks and patés is starting to grow.

Whilst the healing continues, I’ve managed to find enough motivation to work on one from the photo archive. Hopefully by going back to the glorious happy-in-the-kitchen days, I’ll be able to find my cooking mojo. I need to find it now as I have a Lebanese feast to prepare this weekend! Please read on, it does get better, I promise.

I have always wanted to make cheese but had thought that it was too complicated and time-consuming. Earlier this year in January, I decided to order the kit online. It came with everything needed to make Mozzarella in 30 minutes. Yes 30! My first trial took an hour because I had to fumble between the instructions, thermometer and precise measurement of each ingredient. Actually it was a disaster (see tips below). The second took 45 minutes and the third about 35 minutes.

What is Mozzarella made from? Milk, rennet, calcium chloride, lipase, citric acid, patience and strong hands to knead hot curds. The science behind cheese making is simple: coagulate the milk solids to separate them from the whey. Think about how many varieties of cheese are made using that simple process! Perhaps thousands.

Was it worth all the effort? Yes. It melts beautifully and tastes creamier than the rubbery and tasteless one that you get in the supermarket.

Before I get into the step-by-step instructions, I wanted to share with you some of the tips that I have learnt so far. In my mind, they are far more important than measuring everything precisely.

Milk

• Buy the freshest milk that you can find. Make sure its full cream, permeate-free and not ultra-pasteurized. The first time I attempted to make Mozzarella, I bought organic milk thinking that it would be creamier and tastier. I failed to read the label. But I’m only human and who would have thought that organic milk would be ultra-pasteurized and result in very few curds?
• Another nasty anti-curdforming ingredient is permeate. What is permeate? Permeate is essentially whey, a by-product from the cheese making process sometimes mixed with fresh milk to “bulk it up”.
• Four liters of milk yields about 400g of Mozzarella. If you have a large pot, use it. It’s the same effort whether its four liters or ten.

Technique

• Lay out all your ingredients in order of use. Label each of the dissolved ingredients as they all look the same once mixed with water.
• Do not get over sensitive about heating the milk to the exact temperature or stirring the milk constantly. Also the kit comes with lipase (most do) and it’s supposed to make the cheese taste better. However, I didn’t detect any difference so have stopped adding it.
• Follow the instructions and be patient. Okay, it’s fun watching the curds form the first time around but there’s no need to stand over the pot.
• Cut the curds but don’t get hung up if they’re not perfect cubes. Eventually you’ll squeeze them together during the kneading process.
• To make Bocconcini, roll out with both hands into a long uniform sausage like when making Gnocchi. Then cut with a sharp knife and roll each individual piece before dropping them into the whey.
• Don’t use a cheese cloth. Use a colander to save washing the cloth as it’s difficult to remove all curds.

Photo-instructions

Just scroll over each photo with your cursor to view a description of each step.

And yes I think I can feel a spark. Perhaps I’ve found my cooking mojo!

Roasted Pumpkin Spelt Gnocchi with Sage Butter Sauce

This was dish number 4 out of the 7 course dinner which I recently prepared in Vancouver. By this time, I was running late!  To be quite frank, I’m not very good at making gnocchi. It’s a dish that requires practice and I have not practiced enough. This was the third attempt at making gnocchi but the first using pumpkin.

Surprisingly, it turned out really well. The gnocchi was light, soft and didn’t leave us feeling like we’re too-stuffed-for-the-next-course. The sage butter sauce combined well with the golden pan-fried gnocchi. I think that a cream based sauce would work too.

Unfortunately I don’t have any photos to go with this post as I ran out of time. However, I have included a few photos from a recent cooking class at Mondo Organics (Post to follow) on pasta which also included making gnocchi.

If you’ve made it before, I’d like to hear about your experience. Tips are welcome too!

Serves 2 (with leftovers)

Ingredients

• 1 small butternut pumpkin, peeled, seeds cored out and cut into small pieces (about 300g)
• 2 medium-sized potatoes (about 300g), boiled in unsalted water
• 1/2 cup of spelt or strong flour (you may need more depending on the mixture)
• 2 egg yolks (optional)
• 6-8 sage leaves
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt to taste

Method

Wrap pumpkin pieces in foil and roast in hot oven (180C) for about 30-40mins. Whilst pumpkin is roasting, boil the potatoes for about 30mins or until tender.

Once potatoes are tender (should be easy to pierce with fork), drain and transfer to a large bowl. When cool enough to handle, remove skin then mash with a fork.  Use a potato ricer or Moule if you have one. Make sure that there are no lumpy bits.

Mash the pumpkin in a separate bowl and then combine with the potatoes using a fork. It’s important to do this when everything is still warm to make sure that the gnocchi ends up light and fluffy.

Fold egg yolks into potato/pumpkin mixture, then add flour gradually, about a tablespoon at a time until the mixture is no longer wet. It should be firm enough to handle and not sticky. Don’t over do it on the flour (more flour = firmer gnocchi). Let it rest for 5 minutes or so.

Divide mixture into four, roll each quarter into a sausage shape 2cm in diameter on a floured surface, then cut into 3cm lengths. Dust with flour and cover with moist tea towel to stop it from drying out.

When ready to use, cook the gnocchi in boiling salted water for about 3 minutes or until they float. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate or transfer to a pan and fry lightly or add to the sauce of choice.

Sage Butter Sauce

• 50 g salted butter
• 8 small leaves of sage
• Grated pecorino or parmesan to taste

Place chopped butter into pan over medium heat and cook until melted. Add sage leaves to pan, cook until butter has turned a nut-brown colour and sage leaves are crisp (5mins or so). Add the gnocchi and pan-fry for a couple of minutes until the edges turn golden.

Tip: If you’ve made a large batch and have more than you need, just place gnocchi on well floured plate, transfer to freezer until frozen then drop them into freezer bag and use when ready.