I find myself in the kitchen wanting to make something out of nothing.
Even though I’m in Florida, it is January and I’m still programmed to feel that it’s winter. I’m gravitating toward taking time, using my hands and the magic of flour and water and yeast to conjure breads and pastas and sweet rolls. I want to practice patience while dough gently rises in a corner of my kitchen.
I didn’t grow up learning these tricks. Everyone was always so busy.
Once a year, Mom used phyllo dough and made strudel. She mixed flour, water, and egg to make dumplings to nestle on top of chicken paprikash.
Most of the time, she made sure that we had ready made items at hand. She stocked the freezer with store bought bread dough, ravioli, pierogies, and pie dough. She kept cylinders of biscuits and sweet rolls in the fridge, Bisquick in the cupboard.
Mrs. T’s frozen pierogies were one of my favorite meals. Mom boiled them and fried them up with sliced onion. At the table, she served the pierogies with kielbasa and generous dollops of sour cream.
Years later, we decided to make them from scratch. We donned our aprons and spent the day in the kitchen, making the potato and cheese filling, mixing flour, egg, a little butter or sour cream to create the dough. Armed with a rolling pin, we rolled out the pierogies, filled them, sealed them, and boiled them. We felt like champions at the end of that day. We each had a freezer stash of homemade pierogies for the winter!
I had success making scallion pancakes this month. That inspired me to experiment and make pita bread for the first time.
I’d planned to make a fancy bread at Christmastime but it didn’t happen. I still had the ingredients so I broke out the Kitchen Aid and dough hook and made David Lebovitz’s fougasse from his cookbook, My Paris Kitchen.
Yes, those are hazelnuts, dried cherries, and chunks of bittersweet chocolate tossed with orange zest. Is your mouth watering yet?
This recipe made two loaves. One was gone within minutes.
I still strive to be a person who can go to the freezer and retrieve homemade items like stock, soups, meatballs, or doughs. With this wintering mood, I’m going for it this year.
Last month I had a craving for my mom’s ravioli casserole. I bought a bag of frozen cheese ravioli for the recipe. Let’s just say that the dish didn’t live up to my nostalgic expectations. I vowed that I would make my own ravioli from then on.
A serendipitous episode of America’s Test Kitchen treated me to a meat-filled ravioli recipe I had to try.
A dough made in the food processor, a ground pork filling, a quick tomato sauce. Now that’s what I’m talking about.
And just like that, my freezer is stocked with homemade pasta.
I care about you. Please don’t forget to eat your greens.
YUMMMMMMO!
Alice’s dad always made homemade spinach ravioli at Thanksgiving. He was very special ( as you are!). See you soon.