D.I.Y. Delicious: Recipes and Ideas for Simple Food From Scratch (13 page)

To make the filling: In a large, heavy skillet or wok over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring until soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the spinach and a few pinches of salt and stir until it is wilted and cooked down (you may need to add the greens gradually and let them cook down before adding more). Add the dill, stir, and continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Transfer the spinach mixture to a colander set in the sink and drain for a few minutes, pushing down on it with the back of a wooden spoon to release excess moisture. Transfer the spinach mixture to a cutting board and chop coarsely. Transfer it to a bowl, add the cheese, and mix together until well blended, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Select a 2-quart, 2-inch-deep baking dish of any shape. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion of dough in the shape of the baking dish, but slightly larger. Lay it carefully in the dish, stretching and shaping it with your hands if needed, so it comes up and over the sides of the dish. Transfer the spinach-ricotta mixture to the dish, distributing it evenly over the dough. Roll out the other piece of dough in the size and shape of the dish and place it carefully over the filling so it meets the edge of the dish, stretching and shaping if needed, and trimming if it’s too large. Pinch the edges to the edge of the dish to seal. Puncture the top of the crust with the tines of a fork in several places.

Transfer the pie to the oven and bake until it is brown and crisp all over, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Brush the top of the pie with oil about 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Cut and serve immediately or at room temperature. Cover any leftovers and refrigerate for up to 4 days, reheating in a low (250-degree-F) oven until hot.

The batter for these easy crêpes is enriched with the sweet, buttery homemade Fresh Whole-Milk Soft Cheese. They’re great for desserts and savory preparations. For dessert, fill them with
Plum-Verbena Jam
, fresh fruit,
Mascarpone Cheese
, or caramelized apples, or simply drizzle with honey or maple syrup and
Crème Fraîche
. For filling savory crêpes, try cured or smoked meats and fish or roasted or grilled seasonal vegetables. If making a savory crêpe, skip the sugar. You’ll need waxed paper or oiled parchment to separate the finished crêpes as you cook them
.

TIME REQUIRED:
about 30 minutes active; 20 minutes passive (excluding cheese and butter preparation)

YIELD:
8 or 9 crêpes

1 cup whole milk

cup unbleached all-purpose flour

½ cup
Fresh Whole-Milk Soft Cheese

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons
Cultured Butter
or store-bought butter, melted, plus more for cooking

1 tablespoon sugar (omit for savory crêpes)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined, about 2 minutes. Set aside for 20 minutes to allow the flour to absorb the liquid thoroughly.

Heat a crêpe pan or an 8-inch nonstick pan with low, sloped sides over medium-high heat. Add about ½ teaspoon butter. When the butter melts, use a spatula to distribute it evenly. Pour
cup batter into the pan and swirl quickly with a few flicks of the wrist before the batter fully sets, so that the batter covers the bottom of the pan entirely. Return to the heat and cook until the edges become brown and lacy, about 2 minutes. Flip, using a small spatula and your fingers, very carefully to avoid tearing, and cook until set on the second side, 15 to 20 seconds more. Stack the crêpes between sheets of waxed paper while you finish cooking the remainder of the batter. Fill as desired and serve immediately. You can reheat them in a 250-degree-F oven wrapped in foil. Or wrap them well and store for 3 days in the refrigerator or up to 2 months in the freezer.

This is such a wonderful way to enjoy spring asparagus and homemade cheese! The flavors and textures combine so well, you won’t believe how simple it is to make. This recipe is one that represents the principles of the D.I.Y. kitchen perfectly. Store-bought pasta and store-bought ricotta would make a fine dish, but not transformative, as this is
.

TIME REQUIRED:
15 minutes active (excluding butter, cheese, and pasta preparation)

YIELD:
4 to 5 servings

1 bunch (about ¾ pound) fresh, in-season medium asparagus

2 tablespoons
Cultured Butter
or store-bought butter, softened

½ pound
Fresh Whole-Milk Soft Cheese
, drained to a moist, slightly crumbly texture

3 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs (parsley, mint, chervil, savory, marjoram—anything you like)

1 lemon for zesting

1 pound
Fresh Pasta
or store-bought whole-wheat fettuccini

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Grasp one end of each asparagus spear in each hand and bend until it snaps at its natural breaking point. Discard (or compost) the lower fibrous ends. Cut the remaining parts of the spears into bite-sized pieces. In a vegetable steamer, steam the asparagus until tender but still vibrant green, 2 to 3 minutes. Submerge it in ice water to stop the cooking, drain, and pat dry. Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, put the softened butter in a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients, and have the cheese, chopped herbs, and lemon ready, as this dish comes together quickly.

Add the fresh pasta to the boiling water and cook until it is tender but still chewy, 2 to 3 minutes (if using store-bought pasta, follow package instructions). Drain immediately, do not rinse, and add the pasta to the bowl with the butter. Toss to coat the pasta, and then add the cooked asparagus, cheese, and herbs to the hot pasta. Toss and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the pasta to plates. Using a Microplane, or the small holes of a cheese grater, grate lemon zest over each serving and top with a few grindings of fresh pepper. Serve immediately.

Crème Fraîche is a wonderfully easy dairy product to make yourself. It’s perfect for beginners because success is virtually guaranteed. Making your own will save you a lot of money because store-bought crème fraîche is fantastically expensive. The basic technique is simple. Just warm up a little cream, culture it, and let it sit out at room temperature until thick. Crème fraîche is one of the more versatile items in the dairy world. Spoon a little over a creamy pureed vegetable soup like
Artichoke Soup
, drizzle it over
Sourdough Buckwheat Pancakes with Caramelized Apples
, use it to top a fresh fruit cobbler, or simply dip fresh strawberries into it. Crème fraîche’s other nifty trick is that it can be cooked without curdling. I like to use yogurt as the culturing agent because I generally have it around, but you could also use sour cream or buttermilk. Ultra-pasteurized cream doesn’t culture properly because in pursuit of increased shelf life, it is superheated, which kills all desirable microorganisms
.

TIME REQUIRED:
10 minutes active; 12 to 24 hours passive

YIELD:
as desired

Fresh heavy cream (not ultra-pasteurized)

1 tablespoon yogurt, buttermilk, or sour cream per cup of cream

Pour the cream into a saucepan and turn the heat to low. Heat until slightly warmer than lukewarm (95 to 100 degrees F). Stir in the culturing agent and pour the mixture into a glass jar, such as a 1-quart mason jar. Fasten the lid and shake to blend. Leave it out in a warm area of your kitchen, such as near a pilot light or on top of the stove, for 12 to 24 hours. Check every 4 hours after the initial 8 hours to see if it has thickened. Remember that it will become even thicker after refrigeration. Taste it. It should taste tangy but not sour and it should smell clean, not funky. Once it is about the thickness of pancake batter, refrigerate it and use within 5 to 7 days.

Yogurt can be the mother culture for all the cultured dairy products in this book. If you use yogurt to make your Crème Fraîche, you can use that Crème Fraîche to create two other dairy products in this book. Whip it to make
Cultured Butter
or drain it to make a tangy-style
Mascarpone Cheese
.