Posts Tagged ‘pasta’

Mamma Mia

// May 31st, 2011 // No Comments » // Blog, Restaurant Reviews

Tin Chef Chuck

I usually know better than to try out Italian Restaurants when I am out of town.  Oh, sure I have been to some really spectacular places, but I have been to even more that were nothing short of horrendous.  The problem is that I am a bit of a snob when it comes to Italian food.  First, I grew up in Youngstown, Ohio.  Nobody makes better meatballs than my mother, period, end of discussion.  In Northeast Ohio there were tons of little corner mom and pop places that served authentic and nothing short of amazing Italian food.  Then I traveled to Italy several times.  So I am really hard to please.  I admit it.

So I am not sure what possessed me to stop in Mamma Mia’s Italian Restaurant in Heath, Ohio.  The parking lot was empty and I was the only patron.  The red flags were going up everywhere.  Yet I sat down.  I quickly looked over the menu and ordered the sliced Italian sausage as an appetizer, a side salad and egg plant parmigiana.  Much to my chagrin, they were out of the eggplant parm.  My second choice was the manicotti.  To be complete, I ordered a pepperoni and mushroom pizza to go.

While I waited for my order, I chatted with the owner.  He told me how business has been pretty slow.  He shared that he had been open for about four months.  He then excused himself and went to bring my sausage.  I wasn’t getting my hopes up, but it did look interesting, thin slices of sausage in a spicy marinara sauce.  It was a pretty large serving, and I was already anticipating having a few bites and then focusing on my pasta dish to come.  The owner told me he made everything from scratch- really, in Heath, Ohio.  So I started to eat it as he told me how he learned to cook from his mom and trained and worked in other Italian restaurants.  It was amazing, the sausage was tender and flavorful, and the sauce was truly spectacular.  Fortunately, the place was empty and no one saw me licking up the sauce.  The manicotti was very good.  Manicotti a simple dish’s that’s relatively easy to make and usually taste pretty good.  The only big mistake is to over season it- this one was perfect.  Being the snob that I am, no gold stars for manicotti, I was waiting for the tiramisu.  I always order tiramisu; it’s my barometer of a good Italian restaurant!  This one was home made and was over the top!  The pizza was incredible as well.

So I am sold- I found my new favorite place to eat while in the Newark area.  I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow.  If you live in the area or are passing by, stop in and support this place.  Restaurants like this need to survive!  It’s a special place were fresh ingredients are used by someone who obviously has a passion for what they are doing and does it well. With a little luck, I can get a glass of wine next time I am there!  Good food, fair prices and really nice people working there.  Check it out:  Mamma Mia’s, 773 Hebron Road, Heath, Ohio, (740) 522-0000.  They are open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:00am to 9:00pm.  See you there.

TC Chuck

Columbus Again… Plus a few other things

// December 9th, 2010 // No Comments » // Blog

Tin Chef Chuck

First there’s Lola’s.  Then last night I had to pick up my son in Columbus.  OSU is finished for the Christmas break.  So my wife Carolyn and I do the familiar Columbus road trip last night.  We made it in time to hit some of our old favorites.

First we managed to stop by Vincenzo’s just before they closed.  I love this place.  We used to get take out there all the time when we live in Columbus.  Now it always seems when we make it to Columbus, they are closed.  Anyway, we made it.  I ordered my old standby, the ”Italian Sub”.  It seems expensive at $14.99-  but it is an entire loaf of delicious homemade Italian bread.  Well worth it.  We also picked up a bunch of stuff for the kids, lasagna, eggplant parm, etc.  If you are in the Dublin area, and lucky enough to be there during business hours, stop by. 
We then stopped by the Gallery Art Center in Upper Arlington.  We have been going there for years.  I took my oldest daughter there when she was a few days old.  Wow time passes by in a flash.  It was great to see our old friends again. 
We finally picked my son up and then we had to check out Jeni’s Ice Cream  after Josh’s post.  I ordered the cocoa zin (awesome), sweet cream with Appalachian elderberries (Didn’t like this one so much), and the salty caramel (SPECTACULAR!!)  Chuckie and Carolyn had some other neat flavors which I can’t remember right now…  I was parked illegally and the tow truck was circling, so I had to run back to the truck!  Josh was right, over the top flavors. 
For all of you in Northwest Ohio-  good news!  I spoke with Walt Churchill and he carries Jeni’s Ice Cream, so you can pick it up locally at Churchill’s Market. 
Speaking of ice cream, Handel’s  will always be on of my all time favorites.  Call it nostalgia-  but Handel’s started in Youngstown and I remember going there during my high school and college years.  Their chocolate pecan will always be my favorite.  They’ve franchised and we now have them here in Toledo.  It’s almost as good, but I am not sure it can ever surpass the original location- although I admit it may all be in my head.  Handel’s was founded by Alice Handel in 1945  and the original location is still in Youngstown,  located on Handel’s Court on Youngstown’s South Side.  Handel’s has been  recognized as “One of the Best Ice Cream Parlors in the Country.”  In 2002, USA Today rated Handel’s as one of the top ten best ice cream businesses in the country.
You know, it’s really never too cold for good ice cream.
Tin Chef Chuck

 

Tin Chef Chuck’s Homemade Pasta…

// July 29th, 2010 // No Comments » // Recipes

Tin Chef Chuck

Ingredients

  • 1 pound semolina or all-purpose flour (about 4 cups)
  • 4 whole eggs, plus 1 yolk
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons water

Directions

Put the flour on a clean dry cutting board. It should look like a small mountain.  Now, flatten it out to a height of 2 inches or so.  Now create a hole or well in the center.  Make sure it is wide enough to accept all of the eggs, bigger is better!   Crack all of the eggs and the yolk into the hole and add the olive oil, salt and water.  If this is your first time, you can break the eggs into a bowl and beat the wet ingredients first, then pour it into the well.

Use a fork to beat the eggs together with the olive oil, water and salt. Begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture.  Take your time and try not to break the “flour bowl”.  If this happens, no biggie, just use a dough knife to push it back into the flour.  Once you get it to the point that the eggs will not run all over the place, wet your hands and start to mix it by hand on the board.  Once it is well mixed, you can start to knead it.  You can use a mixer and dough hook to do all of this, but personally, I prefer to do by hand.

A small flour well with eggs

Now this has been the part that has been a learning curve for me.  Some common mistakes is to either not knead the dough enough or to have too wet or too dry of a mixture.  It should be smooth and supple. Kneading the dough creates the important gluten structure that holds the pasta together.  If it’s too flaky, add a little water, and if too sticky, add a little flour.  Use a small amount at a time.  I have used one of those automatic mixing pasta machines in the past, and the dough needed to be on the dry side.  This will not work for an old fashion crank machine or one that you attach to your mixer.

Using the heels of your palms, roll the dough to create a smooth, supple dough. When done the dough should look smooth and feel almost velvety. Plan on working the dough for 8 to 10 minutes, but it may take longer, especially if this is your first time.

When the pasta has been kneaded to the perfect consistency, wrap it in plastic and let rest for at least 1 hour. If you are making the dough ahead of time, place in the frig, otherwise just let it rest at room temperature.

Tips for using a pasta machine

After the dough has rested, you need to decide what to do with it.  You can role it by hand and cut it into what ever size you desire.  I suggest using a dough knife and cutting the ball of dough into quarters first.  If you’re working with only a portion of the dough at a time, keep the remainder wrapped in plastic to prevent it from drying out.

Kitchen Aid Pasta Attachment- works great!!

If you use a pasta machine, then I sprinkle the cutting board with a little flour.  I also sprinkle flour into the machine and onto my hands.  Use the machine for the final kneading. Set the pasta machine to it’s widest setting (usually 1).  Turn it on low speed or start cranking and feed the dough into the rollers.  When it comes out, fold into thirds, and roll again. Continue this process until the dough is shiny and elastic.

Now, keep repeating the process, each time moving the rollers a setting closer.  Keep doing this until you reach your desired thickness.  If you are making ravioli, you should try to go to a setting of at least 6, although it’s personnel preference here.

Be aware that the dough can be several feet long and a helper can make things a lot easier.  I have used a lot of recipes and tried this many times before it worked well, so don’t feel bad if it doesn’t work perfect the first time.  However, if you follow the recipe and advice, you should be pretty close.  If your pasta dough tears, develops holes or comes out messy, the consistency wasn’t right.  Another hint, if you are using the pasta attachment for a Kitchen Aid® mixer, make sure that it is fully seated.  There is a small notch in the mixer and a small table sticking out of the pasta attachment.  If it is not pushed in far enough, the whole attachment will start to spin and roll up all of your pasta!  Maybe I should of read the instructions….yeah right.  Fortunately, we weren’t filming for a video!

Once you get this down and are comfortable- the whole process takes less than half an hour (not including the rest time).  In a pinch, you can skip letting the dough rest, but it may just be a little more difficult to get it perfect.  Just don’t skimp on the kneading!

Fresh pasta cooks quickly, small angel hair  can take less than a minute, while ravioli might take up to five minutes, or until the filling is heated through.  It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days, or frozen for up to a month, but  it is raw dough, so any moisture can easily damage it. Freeze it carefully, but why wait,  just eat it all now!

Enjoy!

Tin Chef Chuck