Last winter in Texas, with the helpful guidance of a friend in our park, I made my first attempt at Cacio e Peppe. Cacio translates to cheese and Peppe to pepper. Those are the ingredients in this spaghetti dish that’s apparently a favourite in Rome.
With only three ingredients, you’d think the dish would be easy. It’s far from that.
Pecorino Romano Cheese and Black Peppercorns are the two ingredients The peppercorns are ground small with a mortar and pestle, and the cheese is grated to a fine consistencyWhile the pasta is cooking for half the normal time, the peppercorns are heated in a heavy skilletPasta water is added to the peppercorns in the pan and then the pasta to continue cookingMeanwhile, hot pasta water is added to the cheese and stirred with a fork until it’s a smooth paste
The cheese paste is then added to the pasta in the pan and stirred with tongs to coat – then served immediately (feature photo)
The reward for the required attention to detail is a pasta dish with a creamy, peppery cheese sauce.
My second attempt turned out even better than the first and hubs claims it as his favourite pasta dish.
Some days the baking stars all align and I know from the time that I see this exact meringue stiffness that my macarons will be perfect.
The lemon macs from the merengue in my feature photo turned out nicely.
As I’ve said in previous posts about these divas of cookies, my ocd-ish personality loves the attention to detail and perfection that’s required in every step.
Since returning home from Texas, I’ve been struggling with my French macarons.
A part of the problem was adjustingto my new oven.
Good/OK: The first batch I baked, using the Swiss Method, looked OK, but the shells were so fragile that you couldn’t touch them without leaving a dent. The shells weren’t shiny and they sported a bumpy surface. Plain shells with vanilla bean ganache. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my Callebaut Belgian chocolate, so the filling was just as “iffy” as the shells.
“Good” (OK)
Better: Back to the drawing board for my next batch. This time, I adjusted the cook time, because I had a feeling that my new oven wasn’t holding stable temperatures.
I used Swiss method again. This batch wasn’t as fragile. The shells were espresso flavoured and the filling was an espresso French buttercream. I tried some new edible glitter to decorate, but didn’t care for the end result. The surface, even without the glitter dust was shinier, but still too bumpy for my liking.
“Better”
Best: My feature photo was my third bake, with the troubleshooting adjustments I figured out along the way.
I purchased a finer strainer for sifting the dry ingredients.
I switched back to the French Method that I’d always had good success with.
I increased the bake time by two minutes.
My order for Callebaut Belgian chocolate finally arrived.
These were almond flavoured shells coloured with a hint of pink gel food colouring. I used sanding sugar to decorate. The filling is a white chocolate strawberry ganache flavoured with freeze dried strawberry powder.
These are the best this non-pastry chef can turn out and I’m happy with them.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve become intrigued by the simplicity of sheet pan meals.
These easy-to-prepare creations are limited only by what ingredients you have on hand, your imagination and the oven temperature.
My most recent attempt used farmer sausage, potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, and onions. While the oven pre-heated to 425° F, I cleaned, chopped, and cut the veg and sliced the sausage. I then just tossed it all into a bag and coated everything with a mixture of olive oil, herbs, and spices. From there, the mixture got spread out on a parchment paper lined, rimmed, baking sheetand baked until veggies were fork tender. (Approximately 1 hour)
Because carrots are more dense than potatoes, they take a bit longer to bake. Next time, I may cut them into thinner slices to compensate for this.
All in all, the meal turned out tasty and hubs-approved.
Because the pan was large and I couldn’t think of appropriate props, the dish was challenging to photograph. I decided that fill the frame was the best option.
Since returning home from Texas and after listening to rave reviews from my sister on Instant Pot Yogurt, I decided to finally give it a try.
My sister has been making her own IP Yogurt for some time and says she prefers the flavour and texture to store bought.
I’ve now made my second batch and to say I’m impressed is an understatement.
From one gallon of skim milk, I get 10 cups of Greek Yogurt (the container with the red lid contains 2 cups). It’s fat free and preservative free, and has the creamy consistency of Fage.
In addition, I’m saving the whey (in the jar on the left) from straining, to add to smoothies, soups, and baking.
Not only is the taste and texture better than store bought:
>The gallon (4 litre) jug of milk I use costs on average $6.50 Cdn ($4.72 USD)
>The 10 cups (2500 mls) of Greek Yogurt that the recipe makes would cost, on average around $21 CDN ($15 USD)
So, considering the no preservatives, the usefulness of the whey, the price point, and the better texture and flavour, the lengthy process is a win, win, win,win.
Today, I decided to celebrate Cinco de Mayo all day via my food choices.
Breakfast was one of my faves – avocado toast with salsaLunch out with my sister in law, who also winters in south Texas – Quesadillas de Pollo. That’s not tequila by the way … it’s just ice water with a lemon in it. In hindsight, I should have requested a limeDinner I prepared for hubs and me – Pork Carnitas with Guacamole, Salsa, and Sour Cream
“More popular in the United States than in Mexico,Cinco de Mayo has become associated with the celebration of Mexican-American culture.” (From Wikipedia)
Because we live half of our retirement lives in South Texas, in an area with a significant Mexican American population, I feel pulled towards celebrating the culture too. In my world (as a foodie), food is a key elementof every culture.
Do you like poached eggs? If yes, how do you prepare yours?
Yesterday morning, as the sun was coming up and peering through our balcony’s big sliding doors, I was looking for something for breakfast to both photograph and enjoy.
I came across a recipe on Facebook for air fryer poached eggs.
I love poached eggs and have made them using many different methods but never the air fryer.
As I looked for a spot on my table to set up for a photo, it didn’t matter what spot I chose, the sun coming in the adjacent balcony doorscaused long, dark shadows. I was hungry, so decided to just go with it.
My air fryer poached eggs were a disappointing fail of epic proportions. After the time given in the recipe, they hadn’t set one bit and were just slimy, unpalatable blobs, mocking me from the ramekins they were supposed to be “cooked to perfection” in.
I increased the temp a bit and added two minutes. The eggs were slightly more set, but still not edible. I like my poached eggs to have soft yolks but the whites have to be completely set.
I added three more minutes. Now, the whites weren’t great but just slightly more set, and the yolks were overcooked. The surface was wrinkled and not one bit appetizing in appearance.
I plated it up anyways, took the photo, and grudgingly ate my brekky.
One of my favourite cold weather comfort foods is chili con carne. People seldom use the full name anymore and have shortened it to chili.
Although this dish was originally Tex Mex (from the border area of Texas and Mexico), I can recall my mom at home in Canada making her version of it when I was a child. Mom always called it by its full name.
In researching chili for this post, I was surprised to learn that the dish was introduced to eastern Canada in the early 1900’s. I wondered, given the distance, how that could be? Further reading explained that a group from San Antoniointroduced it at a chili stand at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. This explained a lot, because Chicago is much closer and Canadians were very well represented at that fair.
There are many variations of this hearty meat stew, and I make it a bit differently each time.
The one in my feature photo has carrots, red bell pepper, button mushrooms, onions, celery, and three bean varietieswith the lean ground beef and diced tomatoes. I prepared it in my Instant Pot, as I do all of my soups and stews. Pressure cooking has a way of locking in and enhancing flavours, which is key in one-pot meals.
We like our chili either over a baked potato, or with a side of toast.Sometimes I garnish it with shredded cheese and/or sour cream.
If you eat this dish, what sides do you enjoy with it? I’m always looking for new ideas.
I used the Touch Retouch App to clean up the bowl. As I did this, I recalled cooking competitions on TV, and how the chefs always wipe the edges of the dishes and bowls before serving.
By doing this task digitally, I was able to finally realize why that’s done.
Here’s the dish before cleanup.
Much more appealing with the dishing up smears removed, I think. Do you agree?
For my past several posts, I’ve been writing about my foray into ChatGPT.
These posts have included notes about ai assistance I’ve received with indoor decor, painting cabinets, landscaping, lesson preparation for a workshop I teach, exercises to boost metabolism, and art work guidance.
Another area where I’m receiving extraordinary help is in that of a sustainable diet – also intended to boost metabolism.
After the usual question and answer format, the ChatGPT app developed an eating program specifically for my age, activity level, and health status that is both doable and liveable.
Regular check ins are a part of it, and the always kind and supportive approach worked into the algorithm is most helpful.
As I enter week three of the eight week reset developed for me, I’ve lost 2.5 lbs, and 1/2 inch from my waist. These are the measurable victories.
The things that matter far more to me than rapid results and/or the numbers on the scale are: slow and sustainable results, a healthy higher protein and lower carb eating plan, and my clothing fitting better.
Radically Retired 