cold cantaloupe soup with prosciutto crisps

I may or may not be part Italian and I may or may not have grown up eating cantaloupe wrapped in prosciutto at every sort of formal family occasion, which is where I may or may not have developed a love of all things salty and sweet.

To freshen and glam up the traditional dish, my best friend and I, as part of a five course meal we prepared ourselves – because we are out of control and love to cook together (even in a 2′ x 2′ kitchen) - pulled together this fresh and delicious cold soup.   It is perfect for a hot, humid summer day and looks pretty darn impressive if you ask me.

Cold Cantaloupe Soup with Prosciutto Crisps

This soup can serve anywhere from 4 to 16+ servings.  It makes about 4 big bowls or can be divided down into smaller portions – even into little shot glasses.  Just remember that you will need as many pieces of prosciutto as you have servings (unless you are a glutton like me and want more than one crisp per serving).

The soup can be made a day ahead of time and chilled overnight in the fridge.  The crisps should not be prepared too much before the time you intend to serve the soup to ensure they do not lose their crispness.

The total hands-on time for this soup is minimal and in reality it can probably be completed from start to finish in about 25 minutes if you have all of your ingredients ready to go.

• 1 cantaloupe
• 1/4-1/2 c plain greek yogurt
• salt and pepper to taste
• prosciutto slices
• 1 avocado (optional)
• Basil (or another herb like mint, parsley, chives, etc)
• olive oil for garnish

Slice the cantaloupe in half and scrape out the seeds.

Scoop out or chop up the cantaloupe flesh and place in a blender or larger bowl if you are using an immersion blender.

Begin to puree the cantaloupe smooth and taste to see how sweet and ripe tasting your melon is.

If you have a large, juicy, very ripe and sweet cantaloupe, you may need the full 1/2 cup of greek yogurt to give it a more creamy texture and mellow out the sweetness slightly.  If your cantaloupe isn’t very ripe or juicy, you will probably only need a 1/4 cup of yogurt.  Start by adding the 1/4 cup of yogurt, blending, then tasting to see if it needs more.

Add salt and pepper to taste.  You don’t want the soup to be salty, but a little salt and pepper will enhance the melon’s sweetness and lend a hint of savoryness to the soup.

When the soup is completely blended and smooth, refrigerate the soup until ready to serve – this chilling time eliminates the frothy bubbles that formed during the blending process leaving you with a smoother soup.

While the soup is chilling, pre-heat the oven to 375.  Lay the slices of prosciutto out flat on an aluminum foil or parchment lined baking sheet – do not let the pieces overlap.

Bake the prosciutto for 5 minutes and then turn the slices over and rotate the pan and bake for another 5 minutes until the prosciutto is crispy, but not burned.  Set aside to cool.

Chop or slice the avocado and set aside.

Remove the chilled soup from the fridge (it can be served chilled, slightly cooled, or even at room temperature depending on your preference).

Divide most of the avocado among the serving dishes, setting some aside for garnish.

Ladle the soup on top of the avocado.

Garnish the soup with the remaining avocado, prosciutto slices, chopped basil, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately or else the crisp will get soggy, and no one likes a soggy crisp.

Enjoy!

fresh 100% semolina flour pasta

I have been meaning to make fresh pasta for a while – especially since we have a pasta machine stored away in a closet, but have never gotten around to it.  While Jed was away this weekend, I decided to try out a recipe on myself. 

A few weeks ago I had armed myself with a big bag of semolina flour, so I was ready to go.  A little side savings tip: Specialty flours like semolina and Tipo ”00″ are available in many grocery stores, but can be pretty pricey.  For a price cut, try an Italian provisions shop who buys those flours in bulk/wholesale then divides them into smaller (like 5lb and 1lb) bags, passing on considerable savings to the customer.  Alternatively, if you know of a bakery, pizza shop, or maybe even a local restaurant that uses the flour you are looking, stop in and ask if they will sell you a few pounds.  This will most likely be cheaper as well (unless they are immoral jerks) since they buy wholesale/bulk as well.

Making the pasta by hand (with a rolling-pin) seemed more reasonable than getting the shiny new machine dirty for a half pound of pasta, so I skipped the machine this time.  When researching the dough, I came across some people commenting that 100% semolina dough was difficult to handle.  I did not have any issues with this at all, but I did let the dough chill for an hour or two which may have helped. 

Fresh pasta is really simple to make and absolutely rewarding, as the flavor and texture rocks.  Do make sure you knead the pasta long enough and have plenty of extra flour on hand when kneading and rolling.  Lastly, if you are using a rolling-pin, take the time to roll the dough as thinly as possible.

Please ignore my really bad photography job this time, I was using my camera phone.

Fresh pasta tossed with herbs and tomato paste sautéed in butter and olive oil.

Semolina Pasta Dough

Makes: 1/2 pound

• 1 cup semolina flour + more for dusting
• 2 eggs
• dash olive oil
• pinch of sea salt

On a board/counter or in a large bowl, place the 1 cup of flour and make a well in the center.

Crack the eggs into the well and add the salt and olive oil.  Beat the eggs lightly with a fork, or break the yolks with your fingers.

Slowly begin mixing in the flour from the edge of the well working outwards.  The key is to not “break” the well too early on, or all of your egg will run all out over the counter.

As the dough begins to take shape, you can work much more aggressively to form a ball.

Knead the dough, adding more flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking, for 10 minutes or until it feels smooth and a bit shiny – I hate to say this, but almost like playdough.

 Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but I would recommend an hour or longer.

When you are ready to finish the pasta, remove the ball from the fridge and divide in half (or thirds, or fourths if you prefer). Place half on a well floured surface and wrap the remaining dough in the plastic wrap and set aside or return to the fridge.

Roll out the dough as thin as possible – less than an 1/8″ (if you can roll it thinner than I did, you should do it) - adding flour to keep it from sticking to the surface or rolling-pin.

 Keep rotating the dough as you roll to make sure it is an even thickness.

From this point on, you can cut it into any shape you like with a knife, pizza wheel, or pastry cutter.  I made a “rustic” noodle shape that is somewhat a cross between fettucine and tagliatelle.

Dust the cut pasta with extra flour.  Separate and “fluff” the pieces and place into a pile.  You can cook them immediately, freeze them, or dry them like a bird’s nest (or flat on a towel, or hanging over a drying rack/hanger).

Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Cook in salted boiling water for 1-3 minutes depending on the shape and thickness of your pasta.  Taste test for ideal doneness and toss with your favorite sauce.

Guiltless Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Sportsglutton was hanging out with the boys last night and I was on my own for dinner.  Having pulled a four-year stint as a vegetarian, I still have a soft spot for tofu.   While I admit that it is tasteless, I also see this lack of taste as an opportunity.  I have been sneaking Silken Tofu into Sportsglutton’s food over the past week, successfully I might add, and still had some leftover in the fridge.

After a long day at school, making pasta was just about my speed… and there was a jar of sauce in the fridge.  You can’t get much easier than that, but when I went to get it out, I saw the tofu and it was saying “Please don’t let me spoil and go to waste… Please Lady!” 

Yes my friends, someday after a long day of work or school your tofu might talk to you as well. 

There were also some lonely Shiitaki mushrooms in there as well, but I really didn’t have the energy to chop anything.  This was all becoming way more complicated than that jar of sauce.  So I pulled out my mini food processor, and this delicious meal was born.

It is vegetarian for all you non-meat eaters out there.  This dish was sooo easy, healthy and delicious.  This really made enough sauce for two servings, but the sauce rocked and I liked my pasta swimming in it.  It felt so sinful, yet it wasn’t at all.  You can double, triple, and quadruple the recipe without a problem and maintain the same amount of ease.  If you are a hater of mushrooms, they can be omitted. If you don’t have Shiitakis available, sub in a different type (though some may not pack quite a flavor punch like the Shiitakis do).

Lastly, please forgive the terrible picture.  I was hungry and lacked the enthusiasm that decent photography requires.

Guiltless Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

• 2 ounces, dry Pasta, any shape
• ¼ block Silken Firm Tofu
• 1 clove Garlic, peeled
• 5 whole Fresh Shiitaki Mushrooms, stems removed
• ½ cups Tomato Sauce, jarred Or homemade
• 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
• Salt And Pepper

1.) Start water boiling in a pot for the pasta.  Season with salt.
2.) While the water is heating, puree the tofu in a blender, mini food processor, etc.
3.) Rip the Shiitaki mushrooms into smaller pieces and toss into the food processor with the tofu, season with salt and pepper.  Puree those up some.
4.) Once the water boils, throw the whole peeled clove of garlic into the water and pull out after 1 minute. Add that to the food processor as well.  Puree until smooth, add a little oil or water if it is too thick to blend.
5.) Add the pasta to the boiling water.  Cook according to package directions until al dente.
6.) Heat a skillet over medium-low heat, add olive oil and a little cooking spray if needed.  Add the tofu mixture once the skillet is hot and cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes.
7.) Add the tomato sauce to the skillet and stir to combine.  Let the mixture simmer, stirring often, until the pasta is cooked. 
8.) Add the cooked and drained pasta to the sauce and cook 1 minute more. 
9.) Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle on some Parmigiano cheese, herbs, whatever you like.