Cheesy Potato Soup

Ingredients:
1 Russet Potato

1 Medium Red Onion

1 Green Pepper

1/4 lb deli ham OR 1/4 lb taylor ham 

1 1/2 tbsp butter 

1 tbsp flour

1 cup 1% milk

1/4 lb block cheddar cheese shredded

2 tbsp sour cream

* Croutons

* Chives

* Cheddar cheese (shredded for garnish)

* Olive Oil

* Salt

* Black pepper

* Garlic Powder

Tools:

Large non-stick skillet with lid

2 qt saucepan

Preparation: 
Heat olive oil in skillet over medium high heat. Dice all vegetables and ham into 1/2" cubes, place in skillet and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir regularly and cover until potatoes are browned and all vegetables are tender. 

In a sauce pan, melt butter adding flour and milk to make a roux. Once steam begins to rise, add cheddar cheese and stir until well incorporated.  Use sour cream as needed to thicken but should otherwise have a brothy consistency. 

Add vegetables and ham once cooked to cream sauce and simmer on low heat. 

Garnish with diced chives, croutons, and additional cheddar cheese

Serving: 

Serves 2. 

Handmade Raviolis

Ingredients: 
2 Cups Flour
1 Egg
1 Egg White
1 Cup of baby spinach (optional)

1/2 Cup of Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Cup of Mozzarella Cheese 

*Extra Flour for dusting
* Sea Salt
* Cornmeal - this is used only to keep pasta from sticking together 

Best if using: KitchenAid Pasta Roller And Cutter - KPRA (Google Affiliate Ad)


Preparation:
Using a stand mixer with a dough hook, mix together the flour and egg. Keep the mixer going until all flour has been incorporated and dough has a firm texture (not sticky).[If making the spinach dough, chop spinach finely and add to the dough mixture as it is kneading].  Add flour if necessary to smooth out. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 - 2 hours. 

Using a pasta roller attachment on the stand mixer, start rolling dough until you have a long sheet. For reference on how best to roll out pasta dough, see this previous article:Rolling Pasta Dough. Once the dough thins (use flour if necessary to avoid sticking) begin reducing the roller thickness from 1 - 5. Hang sheets on a drying rack but do not allow them to dry out as we will need them to be moist. 

Use a food processor/blender to shred mozzarella cheese into tiny pieces. Mix mozzarella and ricotta together in another bowl.  Spoon this mixture into a ziploc bag and cut the corner off (leaving about a 1/2 - 3/4" hole in the bag. 

Keep a small bowl handy with some water to help seal the pasta together. Lay one sheet of dough down, using the ziploc bag with the filling, squeeze a small dollop approximately every 1 - 1 1/2 inches lengthwise and if you can fit 2 across with a 1/4 - 3/8" border, do so otherwise only use 1 row to start. Once all filling is down, use your finger in the water and outline (square) around each dollop of filling.  Press another sheet of dough over and apply pressure specifically over the seams that were just moistened. Using a pizza cutter (or ravioli stamp) cut out around each ravioli. 

Allow raviolis to sit before cooking on a sheet of parchment paper dusted with cornmeal. If they will not be cooked right away, ensure that the container they are put in has a fair amount of cornmeal and parchment paper and freeze. 

Boil salted water (should taste like the sea) and cook raviolis until they float.  They will rise up quickly, let them cook for about another minute once they float to the surface. 

Serving:
If making a spinach dough, this goes well with: Alfredo Sauce
If making a non-spinach dough, this goes well with: Joe's Homemade pasta sauce

Rye Bread

Ingredients: 
2 Cups White Flour
1 Cup of Rye Flour
1 pkg Active Dry Yeast
1 1/4 cup of warm water
1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 Tbsp of Caraway Seeds split 2 1/2 and 1/2
1 Egg (whites only yolk removed)

It is recommended to use a silicone loaf pan: Smartware Silicone Loaf Pan - Terracotta (Google Affiliate Ad)

Preparation:
In a large bowl, mix together yeast, water and sugar. Using a whisk stir vigorously until bubbles form. Mix in flours, salt, oil and 2 1/2 tbsp of caraway seeds. Knead dough together until well incorporated and not sticky, if dough is still sticky mix in additional white flour 1 tbsp at a time. Let rise in a the bowl for approximately 1 1/2 hours. 

Punch down and load into loaf pan with a small amount of flour in the bottom of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for another 1 - 1 1/2 hours. 

Cut 3 slices across the top, wash with egg white and cover with remaining caraway seeds.  Bake in oven at 350 degrees for between 25 and 30 minutes. 

Remove from oven, allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing. 

Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients: 
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Flour
3/4 Cup of heavy cream 
56 g of grated Parmesan Cheese

Preparation:
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter until softened (do not let it completely liquefy).  Mix together with flour and create roux then add in heavy cream stirring until well incorporated.  Add Parmesan cheese and continue to stir until all cheese melts and sauce becomes creamy. 

Reduce heat to low and cover stirring occasionally.  


Serving:

This is best served by adding cooked pasta to the sauce to ensure maximum coating of the pasta. 

Recommended Serving Suggestion:

Grilled Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo