My name is Jason Sheasby. I am not qualified at all to write a cooking blog. I like to cook with my daughters, my niece and nephew, and someone suggested I share the actual recipes.
Cheese and Pepper Pasta Without the Cow and the Chicken
Is it possible to make cheese and pepper pasta without anything from a cow or a chicken? Maybe.
What pasta to use? Egg pasta is not an option. Semolina (yellow) pasta generally has no eggs.
What cheese to use? The standard cheese to use would be parmesan. Parmesan comes from a cow, so that is no good. There are other options. Romana cheese is made from sheep’s milk.
Here is the plan:
(1) In a bowl grate 3/4 of a pound of Romana cheese.
(2) Grate the yellow skin only of a large lemon. Don’t grate the underlying white skin, it will be too bitter.
(3) Grate 1 table spoon of fresh horseradish root.
(4) Crush into large chunks black peppercorns, put them in a pan and cook them for 3-4 minutes on medium heat. This makes a toasted pepper smell in the kitchen. Then add two tablespoons of olive oil and cook on low heat for an additional 2 minutes. Butter would be better. But you need something to mix with the cheese.
(5) Mix the oil, pepper and cheese in a bowl.
(6) Pour two teaspoons of salt into a large pot of water and bring it to a full boil.
(7) Add one package of semolina pasta, stirring until the pasta is just a bit firm.
(8) Take a glass measuring cup and scoop out ¾ of a cup of the water. It will be cloudy. That is good.
(9) Drain the pasta and then immediately dump it in the cheese bowl. Add the ¾ of hot water and stir until the pasta is completely coated.
(10) Then add on top the grated lemon skin and the horseradish.
Fermented Pizza Dough
Adding extra sugar to the yeast starter makes the dough fluffier, and allows for the dough to ferment. Fermented dough has a richer taste and cooks more evenly in an oven.
Step 1
- Combine 3/4 cups of warm (not hot) water with two heaping tablespoons of live yeast and three heaping spoons of sugar. (Adding more sugar than normal creates a large and robust yeast colony.) Wait 7 minutes for the yeast to grow.
Step 2
- Add in 2 cups of flour, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and 1 tablespoon of salt. Salt kills yeast, so add it only after the flour.
Step 3
- Knead together. The dough will be sticky.
Step 4
- Place in an oiled bowl and wrap tightly in double Saran Wrap so it is airtight. Immediately place in a 40 degree Fahrenheit refrigerator. Let it slowly rise for 72 hours. When you remove it there will be a strong smell of beer. Yep. Beer.
Step 5
- Let the dough return to room temperature. Perhaps 15 minutes. Then knead again and roll out. Then let the pizza dough rise again for 1 hour.
Step 6
- Dress with toppings and sauce and cook in a pizza stone in an oven at 500 degrees Fahrenheit.