Homemade Dutch Oven Bread
Yield Three loaves
Ingredients
- 6 cups lukewarm water, between 90˚-110˚F
- 6 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 12 cups all-purpose flour, lightly packed and leveled off, plus more for dusting
- 5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 teaspoon olive oil
Preparation
- Stir the yeast into the water and allow the yeast to bloom until foamy.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt by hand. Once incorporated, create a small well in the middle and pour in the water and yeast mixture.
- Mix by hand, wetting your working hand before mixing so the dough doesn’t stick to your fingers. The water and flour should come together and a form rough dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour in small increments, about 1 tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Once the dough comes together, cover and let rise until doubled in size (about 1 ½-2 hours).
- Uncover the dough and give it a few pokes with your finger. If the dough has risen properly, it should indent under the pressure of your finger and slowly deflate.
- Using your hand or a rubber spatula, start from the rim of the bowl to work the dough loose from the sides and fold it up and towards the center of the bowl. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until all the dough has been pulled from the sides and folded towards the center.
- Once finished, cover and let the dough rise again for another 1 ½-2 hours.
- Once the dough has doubled in size again, gently transfer it from the bowl to a lightly floured surface.
- Sprinkle a bit of flour on top of the dough. Using your hands, begin to shape it into a loaf. Fold the dough under itself several times to form a ball, then pinch together the seams of dough underneath.
- Place the dough seam-side down in a clean bowl that has been lightly coated with olive oil and dusted with flour.
- Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, place a 6-quart Dutch oven (or heavy cooking pot with oven-safe lid) inside the oven. Preheat the oven to 450˚F (230˚C) with the pot inside for 45 minutes-1 hour.
- Carefully remove the pot from the oven and place it on a trivet or heat-safe surface. (Be careful! It’ll be VERY HOT.)
- Turn the proofed dough over onto a lightly floured surface and carefully place it inside the pot.
- Cover with the lid and return the pot to the oven.
- Bake for 45 minutes, removing the lid for the last 15 minutes.
- Remove bread from pot, cover, and let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
Spinach and Three Cheese Ravioli With Red Pepper Alfredo
Yield: 48 ravioli
Ingredients
1 recipe Pasta Dough for Ravioli
Filling:
- 2 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 32 oz fresh buffalo mozzarella, water drained and shredded
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach, finely chopped
- 2 large egg
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt and 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 lbs pasta
Directions
- Make the pasta dough as directed in the recipe.
- To make the filling: Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, stirring to incorporate.
- Beat 1 egg to make an egg wash. Dust the counter and sheet of dough with flour, lay out the long sheet of pasta, and brush the top surface with the egg wash, which acts as a glue. Drop tablespoons of your favorite filling on 1/2 of the pasta sheet, about 2-inches apart. Fold the other 1/2 over the filling like a blanket. With an espresso cup or fingers, gently press out air pockets around each mound of filling. Use a sharp knife to cut each pillow into squares and crimp the 4 edges with the tins of a fork to make a tight seal. Dust the ravioli and a sheet pan with cornmeal to prevent the pasta from sticking and lay them out to dry slightly while assembling the rest.
- Cook the ravioli in plenty of boiling salted water for 4 minutes; they’ll float to the top when ready, so be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Lift the ravioli from water with a large strainer or slotted spoon. Bath the ravioli in your favorite sauce to lightly coat and serve.
Sauce Ingredients
- 2 cup heavy cream
- 3 cup half and half
- 3 tbsp flour
- 4 oz unsalted butter
- 2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
- 1 tbsp Prosciutto chopped and crisped
- 1 tbsp anisette
- 2 roasted bell peppers (See Chef)
- 1 cup chopped spinach
Sauce Directions:
- Heat butter in heavy pot
- Add prosciutto and cook slighlty
- Add flour and cook slightly
- Add anisette
- Add cream and half & half
- Add spices
- Add peppers and spinach
- Sprinkle in cheese and stir to incorporate.
- Toss into pasta and top with more grated cheese and chopped parsley.
- Serve immediately.
Ravioli filling:
- Mix together all ingredients
Spaghetti Bolognese
Yield 24 Servings
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 6 tablespoons butter plus 1 tablespoon for tossing the pasta
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped carrot
- 2 pound ground beef or pork or a combination of both
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 2 tsp Black pepper
- 2 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 2 cup dry white wine
- 6 cups canned chopped tomatoes
- 2 pounds pasta
- Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese at the table
PREPARATION
- Put the oil, butter and chopped onion in the pot and turn the heat on to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it has become translucent, then add the chopped celery and carrot. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring vegetables to coat them well.
- Add ground beef, salt and pepper. Crumble the meat as it cooks, stir well and cook until the beef has lost its raw, red color.
- Add milk and let it simmer gently, stirring frequently for about five minutes. Add nutmeg and stir.
- Add the wine and simmer 5 minutes. then add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks at the laziest of simmers, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through to the surface. Cook, uncovered, for 2 hours or more, stirring from time to time.
- If sauce starts to look dry, add chicken stock a cup at a time. Sauce should be thick when served.
- Toss with cooked drained pasta, adding the butter and serve with freshly grated Parmesan on the side.
LEMON GARLIC PARMESAN SHRIMP PASTA
24 SERVINGS
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Pasta
- 8 Tablespoons olive oil
- 24 Tablespoons butter
- 16 cloves garlic minced
- 4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 pound large shrimp
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 teaspoon italian seasoning
- 12 cups baby spinach
- 2 cup parmesan cheese
- 8 Tablespoons parsley chopped
- 4 Tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large pot cook the pasta in salted boiling water. Drain and set aside.
- Heat olive oil and 2 Tablespoons of butter in a large pan. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant.
- Add the shrimp and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the shrimp start to turn pink. Add italian seasoning and spinach and cook until wilted.
- Add the pasta back to the pot with the remaining butter, parmesan, and parsley. Still until mixed and butter is melted.
- Add the lemon juice before serving and serve while hot.
Cannoli Cream recipe
Servings: 20
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1 15- ounce container whole milk ricotta cheese, strained
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup grated chocolate
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Place the cream into a small bowl and set aside.
- In the same mixing bowl, add the ricotta cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Fold in the whipped cream and chocolate chips.
- Fold the whipped cream and chocolate into the ricotta cheese mixture.
- Chill the cream for at least 2 hours before filling the cannoli shells.
Chef John’s Basic Pasta Dough
Yield 2 pounds raw pasta
Ingredients
| Eggs | 8 each | |
| oil, olive | 1/2 fl oz | |
| salt | 1/2 tbl | |
| flour, bread | 3/4 lb | |
| flour, semolina | 3/4 lb |
Directions
- Place the eggs, oil and salt in a large mixer bowl.
- Use the paddle attachment to combine.
- Add one-third of the flour and stir until the mixture begins to form a soft dough. Remove the paddle attachment and attach the dough hook.
- Gradually add more flour until the dough is dry and cannot absorb any more flour.
Remove the dough from the mixer, wrap it well with plastic wrap and set it aside at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. - After the dough has rested, roll it into flat sheets by hand or with a pasta machine. Work with only a small portion at a time, keeping the remainder well covered to prevent it from drying out.
- While the sheets of dough are pliable, cut them into the desired width with a chef’s knife or pasta machine. Sheets can also be used for making ravioli, as illustrated next.
- Semolina flour can be substituted for all or part of the bread flour in this recipe, although it makes a stronger dough that is more difficult to work with by hand.
