Madhu Knits and Cooks

Quick and Satisfying Tofu, Spinach, and Sesame Stir-Fry

Just as I question if my online cooking subscriptions are worth it, I'm reminded that not only can I make great recipe-based dishes from online sources, but also get inspiration for new standard cooking approaches moving forward. 

The latest such dish was NYT Cooking's Spinach, Tofu, and Sesame Stir-Fry, which taught me a great, adaptable sesame and vegetable base for stir-fry meals moving forward.

The final dish was nicely spiced and sharp from the toasted sesame oil garnish and red pepper flakes, and with both spinach and tofu, it was a complete meal with some rice. 

A few modifications that I made (see, the recipe is adaptable!):

• I probably didn't fully toast the sesame seeds because I was afraid to burn them
• Used 1 block of tofu, cut and drained in paper towels for 1.5 hours
• I doubled the recipe ginger and garlic amounts
• I added some Shaoxing vinegar with the soy sauce for more diversity of flavor

The Pasta Roller Arrives! Homemade Pasta-Making is Here to Stay!

I finally did it friends.  I purchased a hand-crank pasta roller, the famed Marcato Atlas 150 machine.  And sure, some may say that it's just another kitchen tool that I may not use (cough, cough ice cream maker), but after my first use, I knew this machine is going to get a lot of use in our kitchen.

First, it's incredibly easy to use.  Incredibly intuitive.  Second, it makes pasta making SO FAST.  I am used to the laborious, hand rolling of my pasta sheets, which has had me shy away from making pasta more than once a year or so.  This smooth moving pasta roller almost makes homemade pasta a weeknight appropriate dish.  

For this inaugural pasta machine attempt, I used the King Arthur Flour Italian Style Flour Blend (their version of 00) and their accompanying pasta recipe.  I made two slight modifications - I let the eggs come to room temperature before starting the dough (tip from the Marcato guide) and I used the flour well method to incorporate the eggs into the flour.

After the dough rested, the fun began!  I have to admit I was nervous I would break the machine before getting started, but once I got over that fear, it really almost rolled itself!

I first used a test piece, as instructed by the manual, to go through the roller and cutter settings to clean the machine.  And then I got started with the "real" dough, having it go through the thickest setting several times before feeding it through the tighter roll settings.  Each progressive roll through the machine required a good dusting of flour on each side to make sure there wasn't any sticking to the machine.

And then through the machine one last time for the cutting of the strips, which was really, really fun.

The pasta then cooked really quickly - about 3.5 minutes - in a pot of well-salted boiling water.

The noodles were springy, salty, and really delicious after they were cooked.  I was almost tempted to eat them plain! 

I decided though to use the sauce I had been cooking while the pasta was resting, a butternut squash sauce that will be posted later this week.  The final product was fantastic.  The noodles took to the thick sauce well, and it was really a delight to eat these chewy, well-salted, and silky noodles.

Thank you, thank you Marcato for your product!

KAF Chocolate Dreams - Great Shortbread Wafers Shaped with My New Geometric Stamps

I have to admit that I've been on a bit of months-long shopping spree at King Arthur Flour's online store.  Among my recent purchases have been a Chocolate Butter Cookie Set, huge 16 oz. container of vanilla extract, biscuit cutter set, and a pasta flour blend.  

What prompted this rash of (impulsive) purchases?  The absolutely delightful geometric cookie stamps that have perhaps transformed me into an actual cookie baking enthusiastic.  The first time that I used these stamps to fashion homemade cookies convinced me that I may be starting a new phase in my baking life.

My first use of these tools were on an almost equally awesome KAF recipe, Chocolate Dreams.  Chocolate Dreams is a simple chocolate shortbread recipe that produces a slightly crisp and dense cookie.  I think their rich chocolate flavor makes them particularly good for adults, though my five-year old niece ate several in succession one afternoon!  

I made just a few modifications to this recipe - I made the cookies slightly larger, resulting in 38 cookies instead of 48, and reduced the baking time to 16 minutes to get slightly softer cookies.  

Out of the oven, they were slightly soft (yet firm) and crumbled a bit.  The next day, they were certainly more crispy and flaky.  And thankfully, both days, they were rich with chocolate flavor and delicious!