Pastravaganza at Rossini

So I am back at school and without a kitchen, though I have friends with kitchens (hint hint, friends). But even better than friends with kitchens are friends whose family owns a restaurant. Sergio Zanetti, owner of Rossini Restaurant here in Toronto, was kind enough to invite me to learn to make gnocchi with their chef, Marco. While originally the plan only included gnocchi, things quickly escalated. I'm not including recipes as most of this was made in large batches and measured largely by eye, but I will try to include some helpful hints should you attempt pasta making.
We started off with gnocchi, sort of a soft noodle dumpling made from Russet potatoes, egg and flour. I'd originally asked my friend for a recipe because I had had some amazing lobster gnocchi at Rossini. You want to use as little flour as possible so that they are not overly gummy.
Marco took care of preparing the dough, and we got to work shaping the gnocchi. After rolling out thin ropes, we cut small pieces (these were probably about 3/4" but you could go slightly smaller or larger as long as they are consistent) and used a fork to give them a nice design (optional). Fold the fork firmly against the counter and roll the cut side of the gnocchi up to get this pattern. Work quickly and allow the gnocchi to chill in the fridge before cooking.

Next we made several kinds of pasta, all from the same basic dough. The only ingredients are eggs and flour, seriously. The restaurant has an industrial dough hook but if you were making a small batch it would be manageable in a home kitchen.
Pappardelle (like wider fettucine) was first. Pieces of the dough were flattened out by hand and then fed through the pasta machine (theirs is electric, though I've used a crank machine at home) at thinner and thinner settings, until the dough was almost paper-thin and translucent. Once it is rolled out, the dough is folded into thirds widthwise and then cut into strips of the appropriate size.Spaghettini starts the same way as papparelle, but instead of cutting the strips by hand they had a convenient attachment that cut the tiny strands.Next were tortellini and cappelletti, which are very similar. Marco mixed a filling of braised beef, parmesan and some bread crumbs, and dough that had been rolled out into thin sheets is cut into large squares. The folding is a bit finicky but oddly satisfying and something you get the hang of quite quickly. Of course you could do all kinds fillings, and sauces as well.
Ravioli are prepared by placing balls of the filling on a half of a long sheet of pasta, spaced out into even squares. Beat an egg in a bowl and brush on in between the squares as a sealant. Then fold over the remaining sheet and firmly press down, trying to remove as much excess air as possible while doing so (a lot like dumplings). Once they are all sealed up, cut them into squares and once again squeeze out any air trapped inside.It ended up being quite the day. I had a blast and learned a lot. You do need some equipment (hand-cranked models are not prohibitively expensive) and some practice, but once you have the techniques down, making fresh pasta is stress-free and rewarding. And wayyyy better than boxed.
Thanks again to Marco and Rossini for letting me come in! Also thanks to Martina for taking the pictures! Marco and I with the fruits of our labour:

Bruschetta and Beer-can Chicken

With the barbecue on for chicken, why not toast some bread for delicious bruschetta? Cut a baguette/similarly shaped loaf into thick slices and toast on barbecue (this will go very quickly, remain alert!) Rub some crushed garlic onto the bread and mix coarsely chopped tomato, fresh basil, a bit of olive oil and salt in a bowl, and then top with tomato mixture. Serve immediately!

Now: do you like beer? Do you like chicken? Have a barbecue? Well, do I have a recipe for you. Once you get the technique down (not hard), there are endless variations to this impressive/succulent take on roasted chicken.

Beer Can Chicken

• 1 can beer
• 1 chicken, 3-4 lbs
• 2 tbsp all-purpose bbq rub
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 cups wood chips of your choice
  

1. Pop the tab off the beer can. Pour half of the beer over wood chips or drink if not using wood chips. Using a church key-style can opener, make 2 additional holes in its top. Set aside.
2. Remove chicken's inside stuff. Rinse inside and out under cold running water and drain and blot dry, inside and out with paper towels.
3. Sprinkle 1 tsp of the rub inside the body cavity and 1/2 tsp inside neck cavity. Drizzle oil over the outside and rub or brush it all over the skin. Sprinkle the outside of the bird with 1 tbsp of rub and rub in. Spoon remaining rub into the beer through the hole in the top of can. Beer will probably foam up, no worries.
4. Hold the chicken upright and lower it onto the beer can, so the can fits in the cavity. Pull the chicken legs forward to form a tripod. Tuck the tips of the wings behind the chickens back so they don't get scorched.
5. Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium. If using charcoal, place a large drip pan in the centre. If using gas, place all the wood chips in the smoker box or in a smoker pouch and preheat on high until you see smoke, then reduce the heat to medium.
6. When ready to cook, if using a charcoal grill, toss all of the wood chips on the coals. Stand the chicken up in the centre of the hot grate, over the drip pan and away from the heat. Cover the grill and cook the chicken until the skin is a dark golden brown and very crisp and the meat is cooked through, 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours. If using a charcoal grill, you'll need to add 12 fresh coals per side after 1 hour. If the chicken skin starts to brown too much, loosely tent the chicken with aluminium foil. Using tongs, hold the chicken by the can and carefully transfer it in an upright position to a platter. Let it rest about 5 minutes and then, being sure not to spill hot beer/burn yourself, lift it off the can. Carve the chicken and serve.

Pizza-pie

So I made pizza. Mostly this is an excuse to post this gem from the CBC Archives.

Note the pronunciation.

First I made the dough and let it do its thing for a while.
Then I made the sauce. If opening a can of San Marzano tomatoes, adding some olive oil and salt and simmering for 20 minutes counts as making. I will say yes.
I made pizza margherita (tomato sauce, cheese (I used bocconcini) and basil leaves over top after baking and classed up hawaiian, with prosciutto replacing ham.