I’ve been eating a lot of Guacamole lately.

Perhaps you could say it may be too much. But I have to make it every day, so why not enjoy the fruits of your labor right?

If your looking for a scientific approach, I wrote an article, How to make Salsa, some time ago that will walk you through some procedure.

So lets get to the recipe!

Guacamole Recipe

Recipe makes 1 qt

• 6 Avocados
• 2.5 fl oz Lime Juice (or lemon)
• 4Tbsp Green Onions, sliced
• 1 Bunch Cilantro, Fresh, chopped
• 1 tsp Garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp Oregano, dried
• 1 Jalapeno, seeded, chopped
• 3 Tbsp Tomato, seeded, diced
• TT Salt

Procedure

1. Cut avocados in half. Spoon out entire inside from the peel with a large kitchen spoon and discard seed.
2. In a bowl break up the avocado. Add the lime juice, sliced green onions, cilantro, garlic, and spices and mix.
3. Now your peppers will vary in flavor so, start adding in small amounts and test for flavor. They can be very hot. (If you want to be smarter than me the other day I would advise using gloves and do not touch your eyes! for hours!)
4. Keep the tomatoes separate until ready to serve.

Notes

1. The fresher your ingedients the better your flavor will be. Adjust meausrments accordingly.
2. Your guacomole will turn brown if left out in the air. Cover with plastic wrap, and put a wet towel on directly on the surface of the guacamole.

My basil plants are looking good and are ready for a little harvest. And what’s everybody favorite recipe featuring these little guys, Pesto. (At least most of the people I know).

The Pesto

Photo by sa_ku_ra cc

Category of food: Condiments

Yield Amount: 1 cup

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
2. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Pesto Chicken

Now to make our basil pesto into a nice dinner how about making a pesto chicken, perhaps with a fresh salad or pasta. Since its summer time, tonight turned on the grill for a nice grilled pesto chicken over fettucini and added some cherry tomatoes. The opportunities for pesto are endless, even without a widespread imagination.

What’s your favorite Pesto dish or recipe?

While making yogurt yesterday I figured while I was at it I would make some cheese as well. And that plan turned out to be a good one, for I used it tonight for dinner. Homemade Ravioli was on menu. Its really quite simple and a wonderful feeling when you make an entire dish from scratch.

The Pasta

First get your pasta ready. If you are unsure how to make pasta I wrote the article Preparing Fresh Pasta some time ago to help you along.

The Filling

Ingredients

1/4 pound Ricotta cheese, drained. Learn to make your own here.

2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

1 lightly beaten egg

dash of black pepper to taste.

If you are making your own cheese it is important to drain it well. The excess liquid will cause your raviolis to break when cooking them off. I would even drain store bought ricotta as well.

You can add some extra flavor in the filling as well, but watch your moisture content. Tonight I cooked down some spinach before hand and added it in chopped. Your fresh pasta should only need a minute or so to cook off, so if you plan on using a meat product of something that needs to be cooked, make sure it is before mixing it into your filling.

Procedure

Once your pasta is rolled out spoon you filling to desired size onto your pasta, leaving roughly 2 inches in between. Now, around your filling spread a thin layer of egg wash (you could also use water). This will act as an adhesive and seal your filling in tight. Lay another equal size sheet of pasta over and smooth down the sides. When sealing your filling in make sure you work from the middle outward to prevent air pockets from forming.

Once your filling is sealed cut into squares are fork the sides to make it look all fancy and professional. Cook off in boiling water for 1-3 minutes until finished and enjoy!

Photo: sobodda

A couple weeks ago I presented a video tutorial on making Homemade Cheese from a recipe I got from my godmother (Greek Orthodox). Well she also gave me a couple more great milk based Greek recipes while she was at it. One of these is Homemade Yogurt.

Making yogurt is something I have been waiting to tackle for some time now, but the weather has been all but permitting. When making yogurt from this recipe you must let it sit out in a very warm area, so it has been too cold. Now that June has approached and this heat advisory has rolled up on us here in Philadelphia, the perfect yogurt making weather has come.

Ingredients

• 1 Gallon Whole Milk or 2% depending on preference
• Small Package Quality yogurt that has “active cultures” that is plain with no fruit or sugar added

Procedure

1. To begin bring 1 Gallon of milk to a simmer.
2. Mix 3 tablespoons of yogurt to one cup of warmed milk.
3. Once mixed, Add the remainder of warmed milk.
4. Leave and let rest 6 or more hours, with lid on, in very warm area with no draft, to thicken until a water appears on top.
5. Hang the yogurt up in cheese cloth to remove liquid until desired thickness is reached (approximately 4-6 hours)
6. Chill and Serve.

For a more Greek style yogurt let hang for the greater portion of time. The more whey that drains the thicker the yogurt will be. You can also use a splash of white wine vinegar to help the curds separate from the whey with a dash of salt.

This yogurt can replace sour cream and milk in recipes and is excellent served with fresh fruit, raisins, nuts or sweetened jams.

Shelf life is usually 2 weeks, but I would keep a close eye.

Enjoy!

-Jimi

If your interested in other milk based Greek recipes:

• Feta: My post on homemade cheese, just substitute the cows milk for raw goats milk.

You may also be interested in our article on Vitamin D in Milk

Mmmhmmm, Pasta. The meal that joins me regularly on my weekly menu. Pasta is such a beautiful thing, tasteful, substantial, and simple. In my opinion there is only one thing slightly better than pasta, and that is fresh pasta. Today I want to share just how simple these favorite foods of mine are to make.

So let’s talk about pasta. Where shall we begin? Ribbons, Tubes, Spirals, There are so many varieties. Most of us can identify the basic shapes and corresponding names, but there are hundreds of varieties. But are there? In terms of shape, yes there is, but we can categorize pasta in a few ways to make identifying slightly more manageable.

From the basics, Pasta is unleavened dough of flour mixed with a liquid. The type of flour can be from almost any grain: wheat, buckwheat, rice or a combination of grains. The liquid is usually egg and/or water. Another categorical stipulation may include coloring and flavorings added in the dough from pureed vegetables, herbs or other ingredients.

Making Basic Pasta Dough

Amount

4 pounds

Ingredients

Flour: 2 lb 8 oz Semolina

Liquid: 15 eggs

1 fl oz Olive oil (optional, for flavor)

Flavor: 1 Tbsp Salt

I like to use Durum/Semolina flour. It creates finer, stronger, smoother, colorful pasta, but in result makes a more difficult dough to work with by hand. A ½ semolina ½ all purpose flour dough works well.

Since making fresh pasta is a little time consuming, I usually make more than necessary and store the left over in the freezer. A basic ratio for pasta dough is roughly ¾ cup flour for every egg used.

Procedure

1. Mound flour on a clean surface and make a well.
2. Pour eggs (liquid) and flavoring into well.
3. Gradually incorporate flour into eggs with a fork.
4. Knead dough on a floured surface until silky smooth and resilient, a firm yet pliable texture. Knead for 7-10 minutes.
5. Wrap the dough to prevent a crust from forming and let rest for 20 minutes.
6. After the dough has rested, roll it into flat sheets. I recommend if you plan on rolling by hand that you work with small amounts at a time to prevent it from drying out.
7. Once rolled, I like to lay down a pinch or two of corn meal, and let rest to ensure uniformity. If a finger print can be made, the dough is still too wet.
8. Cut into any desired shape.
9. Boil in water (allow 1 gallon for each pound of pasta) until firm but tender.

Enjoy!

Continuing the making your own condiments series from salsa previously, Today I want to focus on something that always seemed a little foreign. Something many of us eat regularly, but does not give the impression of being a food at all. I’m talking about Mayonnaise, the poster child for processed foods. Perhaps it was just my upbringing -and no not one in which we had better and fancier things to eat, we always had the Hellmann’s which was used regularly by my sisters- but I never understood it. I knew it was egg based, but that was all. To me it seemed like this lab created product.

You might be able to imagine my surprise and enthusiasm during the beginning weeks my culinary education when I found out that I was supposed to reenact this extraordinarily feat in food science. I checked my bag for safety goggles. I looked for the Bunsen burners and Erlenmeyer Flasks. Nothing. How was I supposed to complete this assignment?

As my amateur nature showed and I continued to read, I found out that even though mayonnaise may setback science in some ways, it is really quite basic. Vegetable oil, Water, Egg Yolks. That will get you a basic mayonnaise.

Mayonnaise is an emulsified sauce. This concept is where the science comes in. Ever try to mix water and oil? If you haven’t, or never really bothered to notice, they will separate every time. Egg yolks, specifically the protein emulsifier Lecithin contained within, are added to overcome this phenomenon. When added, the lecithin will surround the oil droplets, preventing them from contacting each other and regrouping, thus providing us with the ability to achieve this combination. When making mayonnaise, vinegar (containing water) is often used for flavor. The balance of vinegar, oil, lecithin and agitation (whipping motion) is crucial to achieve a proper emulsion. The more oil to vinegar, the thicker the sauce will be.

Now that we have the science out of the way for all those fearful people like me - if there are any- let’s make some mayonnaise. If you plan on making this my hand, warm up your whisking arm and put some music on. You will need some time to kill.

photo credit: madcache

What we will need for 1 qt of Mayonnaise:

4 Egg yolks (pasteurized for safety, or if fresh farm eggs ensure the freshness. Egg will not be cooked)

1 tsp Salt

White Pepper to taste

1 tsp Dry Mustard (optional, for flavor)

3 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar

28 fl oz. Oil (The choice of oil is up to you. For a traditional mayo I would use something flavorless like peanut or safflower, but being not much of a fan, I prefer olive oil mostly because it dominates the flavor and is good for sauce like purposes opposed to condiment uses.)

Lemon Juice to taste

Procedure:

1. Let your ingredients reach room temperature. This will allow them to emulsify with ease.
2. Whip the egg yolks, by hand or food processor, until frothy and lemon-colored.
3. Add seasonings to the yolks and whip to combine. We add the seasoning now for they will merge with greater ease now opposed to in the finished product.
4. Add a small amount of vinegar and combine.
5. Now continue whisking vigorously and add the oil very slowly until the emulsion forms. It is important not to add the oil to fast. If too much is added before the lecithin has time to fully cover the molecule, the oil will combine with itself and break your mixture.
6. Once the emulsion is formed the oil can be added slightly faster. Less agitation is also needed, but be careful and watch what is occurring. If the mixture begins to break, add a couple drops of boiling water to reestablish the emulsion. One large egg can emulsify up to 7 fluid ounces of oil.
7. The mayonnaise will become thicker as more oil is combined. Alternate between oil and the vinegar until all has been incorporated.
8. Adjust seasonings, add lemon juice to taste.
9. Refrigerate until needed.

Storage:

Safety Alert. The raw eggs in freshly prepared mayonnaise make it a potentially hazardous food. Keep below 41 degrees Fahrenheit, well covered, and use within a couple days.

Today we will be making a white curd cheese. This is an old recipe from my Greek god mother, she used goats milk and called it feta. For ease of availability I am going to use pasteurized whole milk. The end result will more a ricotta style cheese. Get out a gallon of milk, 2 cups of white vinegar, a little kosher salt and we’ll get started:

What you will need:

1 Gallon Milk (Whole milk or you could use 2%)

2 cups White Vinegar

Kosher Salt

Cheese Cloth

Procedure:

First we are going to bring our gallon of milk to a boil. It is important that you do not use pots that may react with milk and acidic products, such as aluminum, brass or copper. Stainless steel is a good choice.

Stir generously. This will prevent any burning at the bottom and give you an even consistency. Milk also has the tendency to boil quickly and rapidly once it is brought to your point. Keep a close eye and stir it often.

Once your milk has come to a boil, lower the heat and add your vinegar. Stir. You will see the vinegar pull the curds away from the whey.

Once stir in add salt, mix and remove from heat.

Line a strainer with cheese cloth over a bowl. Straining into a bowl will allow us to use the whey latter.

Drain all the liquid out of the cloth. If you prefer a harder cheese hold the cloth up and allow to drain. The less liquid the harder the cheese will be.

Put onto a plate or bowl, cover with a pinch of salt and from.

This could right in a stuffed shells etc. or place it in the refrigerator where it will last a week.

Best of luck,

Jimi

Today marks the start of week three at RooftopKitchen.com. In celebration we are going to introduce the Cooking column, a place for recipes and articles for cooking environmentally and economically healthy cooking. In our first article in cooking we will make a salsa from scratch, in three easy steps. A perfect condiment for all of those wonderful vegetables we will be growing.

Salsa (Spanish for “sauce”) is not always the chunky mixture of raw vegetables and chilies ladled over Mexican food or eaten with chips. Though their wonderfully intense fresh flavors are great for these purposes the generally cold mixture of herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables can be used as sauces for meat, poultry, fish and shellfish. The great thing about salsas, other than there taste, is that they are a low fat a low calorie food, and are incredibly easy to prepare. Make your own in three easy steps:

Step 1: Cut and Chop Ingredients

Out first step in making a salsa, like all recipes, is to gather all our ingredients and prepare them appropriately. For vegetables make sure they are washed and peeled, then get started and go ahead on your dicing. For a salsa a small dice is an appropriate size (a cube with dimensions of 1/4″ x 1/4″ x 1/4″). This we make you salsa easy to eat.

Step 2: Precook

If you are using items that need to be cooked off in your salsa, make sure you cook them throughly and then cool them down. Chilling them will prevent cooking of items in your salsa that are not meant to be heated up, giving you a perfect balance.

Step 3: Combine

Toss all ingredients together and refrigerate the mixture. Keep cold for at least 30 minutes. This will allow all the flavors to combine, producing a wonderful salsa to enjoy.

Pico de Gallo

Now once that we have the basic understanding of how to prepare a salsa let us celebrate Cinco de Mayo and prepare a great traditional condiment from Mexico, the Pico de Galo or salsa mexicana.

This Pico de Gallo recipe will make 1 quart (1lt):

1. Following the steps above we are going to cut and prepare are ingredients. You will want to concasse the tomatoes and remove the seeds of the vegetables before dicing.
2. Step 2 calls for cooking off any thing that needs to be, in this case nothing needs to be cooked.
3. Combine all ingredients and gently toss. Add seasonings and adjust to taste. Then refrigerate.

Once the flavors are finished combining, savor it and celebrate the Mexican heritage.

More salsa recipes:

• Guacamole

Enjoy,

Jimi