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9 Pro Tips and Recipes for Camp Cooking

April 20, 2021

With this warm weather, I have camping on the brain and am gearing up for my first trip of the season. Camp cooking is my thing! I have catered weddings for 100 people in the backwoods with no running water or kitchen to speak of, and have been responsible for keeping food safe for large crowds while transporting and storing it in coolers. Now that I am more or less retired from the catering biz, I put all that energy and thought into planning a trip’s menu, delegating who brings what, and how to keep food safe 4 days in after the ice melts. Here are my tips for cooking in the woods.

9 pro Tips for Camp Cooking

Keep it simple.
Prep the food ahead of time as much as possible.
Plan and pack strategically.
Extend Ice Life
Eat fresh, ready-to-eat foods first.
Keep a clean camp
Incorporate Wild Foods
Choose the Right Cooking Method For Your Trip
Understand Basic Food Safety

Keep it simple

One thing that I learned early on in my catering career is that, you may want rare beef tenderloin for dinner but if you’re serving it out of chafing dishes at a buffet, it ain’t gonna be what you want it to be. It’s better to adjust your expectations to the realities of your cooking set-up, budget and event logistics and choose items that will work well with what you have to work with.

Depending on what type of camping you are doing you may have single jet burner or a full camp kitchen with a grill over the fireplace and multiple gas burners. No matter what, you will be limited in “refrigeration space.” Whatever your setup, you want to make sure that the dishes you plan and prepare will work for you.

If you have a single jet burner, you should only be cooking meals in one pot, or 2 pots if they are really quick. Breakfast should consist of boiling a pot of water that you use for coffee and oatmeal. If you have a larger camp setup you will have more options but you should still do yourself a favor and keep the preparation as simple as you can so you can spend more time relaxing, because that’s what its all about.

Prep the food ahead of time

I can’t stress this enough. It always seems like there is so much to do as you are preparing to get out of town for a long weekend that it is natural to want to throw everything in the car and deal with it when you get there. But trust me, you want to take the time to prep your food as much as possible before you leave your house. Veggies should be cut and bagged up. Ingredients should be measured out and grouped by meal. Raw meat should be cut and seasoned and very carefully double-bagged in the cooler. Eggs should be cracked and put into mason jars. Pancake mixes should be made. Burritos should be filled, rolled, and wrapped in foil. Tinfoil pouches should be filled and sealed.

You want to do this food prep ahead of time for 3 reasons: 1) to have more time drinking beer, fishing and relaxing around camp 2) to cut down on what you need to bring, 3) for food safety.

Prepping food at camp will never be as efficient as prepping at home. Plus, it takes a lot of stuff to prep food, stuff that you are likely to forget (at least on thing) as you are rushing off – cutting boards, knives, mixing bowls, tongs, whisks, multiple pots and pans, all different seasonings, measuring cups, a sink with running water, and soap. You can leave most of this stuff at home if you prep your food there. If you are prepping raw meat or cracking eggs at camp, it is really hard to wash hands and sanitize cutting boards and surfaces without hot running water. Prepping all ingredients ahead of time means less mess around camp to attract critters, flies, and hornets.

Plan and Pack Strategically

Make a packing list ahead of time, when you are not frazzled. Sit down in a quiet place with a notebook and walk through every meal you are going to make in your head. I use to do this for every catering job I was planning. What will you need to cook and serve it – spatula, tongs, large pot, small pot, frying pan, burner, fuel, grill plate….? What about salt and pepper to finish seasoning it, hot sauce, a squeeze of lemon. Write this all down in list form.

When planning your meals for the camping trip you will want to consider how long your ice will last (probably 2-3 days in an average cooler if you are careful) and bring a mix of shelf-stable snacks and ingredients like dried sausages or jerky, chips, pasta, rice, tortillas, dry soup mixes, dehydrated meal kits, canned beans (if you’re not worried about pack weight), dry milk powder for coffee. If you have space you may want to bring vegetables and fruit that can be held at room temperature for several days (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, squash, cabbage, avocado, and most fruit).

Drinks should be packed in their own cooler so you don’t loose the cold in the food cooler every time someone grabs a drink. If the overnight temperatures are in the 40s or lower, you could go without a drink cooler altogether and just keep the drinks in the shade during the day. They might not be the coolest come evening, but hey… you are roughing it.

Extend Ice Life

One trick I have learned over the years is prepping and freezing meals and using those frozen meals as ice in the cooler. This works great for chili, gumbo, chowder base (minus the cream), breakfast burritos, hotdogs/sausages, and meat. Place these frozen meals in the bottom of the cooler for the 2nd, 3rd or 4th night of your trip. This is especially handy if you don’t have a YETI. If you do have a YETI, you want to be a little careful not to load the cooler up too much with frozen stuff as it may freeze your fruits and veggies.

In the morning, check on the meal you plan to cook for dinner and pull it out as needed to thaw.

Also, don’t buy ice cubes for camping. These are pretty much useless as they will melt in 1-2 days and are not suitable for putting in your drinks. I repeat, do not use the ice floating around in the cooler for your drinks, that’s gross. If you do want ice for your drinks, put cubes in a ziplock back and use them only for that purpose. Use ice blocks instead of cubes. They last way longer. You can also save some money and make these yourself by freezing water in empty juice jugs ahead of time. This way, they won’t leak water all over your food. (If you’ve been reading this blog you probably know by now that food floating around in water is a food safety nightmare of mine).

Eat Fresh, Ready-To-Eat Foods First

In the restaurant industry, ready-to-eat (RTE) foods are considered the riskiest for food born illness. These are foods that will not be reheated and often contain things like mayo, cooked eggs, meat products, or dairy. Think potato salad, egg salad, ranch salad dressing, cut vegetables, sliced turkey, sandwiches, etc. When we are camping, we tend to rely on these dishes because we want to eat fresh foods (not just canned beans and jerky), and we don’t want to cook every meal. Plan on eating these fresh RTE foods in the first and second day of the trip while cooler temps are optimal and save those items that can take a little abuse for the 3rd and 4th day and beyond. Things like salsa, yogurt, cheese (esp. hard), hard salami, fermented and pickled things, and butter will be ok for 1-2 days of non-optimal temperatures so long as they are not contaminated with germs from your hands, surfaces, utensils, other foods or yucky lukewarm germ-filled cooler water. Make sure to check the cooler temperature. It should be under 41 F (industry standard), but you can get away with 45 F for 1 day. RTE foods that are at or above 45 F for prolonged periods should be discarded. You can buy a thermometer to put in the cooler and I recommend you do. I bet you will be shocked by how fast a cooler warms to the danger range, unless you have a YETI, because those things stay cold!

Anything left in your cooler after the trip is done should be discarded unless the cooler maintained a temperature of 41 F or less the whole time.

Keep a Clean Critter Free Camp

This is much easier if you do the bulk of your food prep at home before the trip. But no matter what, there will be dishes to clean, food packages, garbage, the smell of food cooking over the fire…. All these things attract flies, hornets, mice, raccoons, coyotes, and bears.

To keep a critter free camp:

Cook and wash dishes away from the tents. Preferably 100 ft or more. Your eating space and cooking space should be separated from your sleeping space.
Dump sink water as far away from your camp as possible or clean your dishes in streams, rivers or lakes away from camp, at least 100 ft.
Wash your hands and face before you go to bed. Did you know bears can smell over a mile away? Some estimate that they can smell over 10 miles away! You don’t want to smell like your dinner as you are laying in your tent asleep.
Store all food (including that granola bar in your day pack), and garbage away from animals. Either hang it in trees (don’t forget the rope and carabiner), in bear-proof canisters, in the trunk of your car, in bear lockers if the campsite provides them, in your bear-proof Yeti, or in your boat – pushed offshore.
Burn all your paper garbage and food scraps in the fire. Scrape plates after the meal into the fire and make sure everything is burned by the time the last person goes to sleep and puts out the fire. Don’t burn plastic or cans. Those should be the only thing in your garbage bag.
Wipe any counters or food prep areas and remove all scraps (to the fire), and all food to the bear-proof containers.
If you are in an undeveloped camp with no bathroom, go do your business away from camp by preferably 100 ft or more and bury that shit by at least 6 inches. Don’t forget the shovel. It doesn’t hurt to cover it all up with a big rock if available.

Incorporate Wild Foods

One of the best things about camping is catching and gathering wild foods. It fills the days between meals and keeps the kids busy and entertained. Huckleberries, thimbleberries, blackberries, wild strawberries, morels, turkey tail mushrooms, miner’s lettuce, chickweed, salmon, trout, clams, mussels, and crawdads are all great scores. I highly recommend picking up a book on edible plants in your area and taking it with you. Make space in your meal plan to work these items in but don’t rely on them. For example, pack sausage gumbo and if you are lucky to catch a bunch of crawfish, add them to the meal. Or plan on making pesto pasta and if you catch fish or clams, incorporate those into the dish. If not, no one will go hungry.

Rice, Gumbo and Crawfish on Camp Chef Stove

Camp Gumbo with fresh caught crawfish.

Choose the Right Cooking Method for your trip

Some factors to consider are your skill level, your menu, how big your group is, how far into the woods you have to haul your stuff, what kind of fuels are allowed where you’re going.

CAMP FIRE COOKING

Campfire cooking is the most rewarding method and it requires you to bring the least amount of stuff, however, it also takes the most skill. If you have never done it, practice in your back yard a couple times before your trip. The possibilities are endless with campfire cooking. You can grill, bake, smoke, rotisserie and cook with pots and pans. Some of these methods are pretty advanced and require elaborate set-ups at camp. However, grilling and cooking in a pot over coals is something everyone can do.

When cooking with a campfire the most important thing to remember is you do not want to cook over flame! You want to get the fire burning ahead of time to make a bed of coals, spread the coals out and place your pots and pans or grill rack over the coals. You should start your fire at a bare minimum, 1 hour before you plan to start cooking and factor in extra time during cooking too. You also want to rig the cooking set up so there are hot spots, medium-heat spots, and low-heat spots. You do this by piling the coals up high and close to the grill grate for the hot spot and letting them taper off for the medium and low-heat spots.

If you’re camping in California/the West you may run into fire restrictions which is definitely a consideration. If you are free to have a fire and gather wood for it, make sure that you are clearing adequate space around the fire ring. It should be bare dirt for 5 ft or more. You can use your foot to sweep away pine needles and dry leaves. Make sure there are no tree branches immediately above your fire ring. And don’t make a fire bigger than it needs to be. A slow steady fire will require less wood gathering and will last longer.

Charcoal Grills

I never use them. In my opinion if you are going to cook over charcoal you might as well cook over a campfire. That being said, I know a lot of people do use them and if that’s what you are comfortable with and you have space for the charcoal and the grill, by all means, have at it.

Propane burners

I have used a 3 burner Camp Chef to reheat food for parties of over 100 people and camping trips for 10. This stove breaks down pretty small relative to its capacity, requires one standard propane tank, is really easy to use, can accommodate large pots, has the ability to both simmer and crank the BTUs. You can also stand while cooking instead of being hunched over a single burner on the ground or a fire ring, which is an added bonus. For groups of 10 or more, I highly recommend this method. This stove requires you to be able to drive a car or boat to your camp site.

Propane camp grills

These are easily portable grills that accommodate either burners or grill grates and use small propane tanks. These are great for groups under 10 when a 4 quart pot is the largest pot you will be using. For larger groups you will need, or wish you had, more than one of these and if you’re going to bring more than one, you probably have space to bring a Camp Chef instead.

Single Burners

These are used primarily for backpacking as they are small and lightweight. I have used an old Coleman single burner stove that uses white gas for decades in the back country. I don’t think they make my model anymore. As I have been slowly upgrading my camping gear over the years, this is one item I haven’t switched out for the newer lighter more efficient technology. It is heavy compared to the featherlight backpacking stoves but you can adjust the heat from low to high which for me, is really important. Many of the other lightweight stoves just blast the heat and are meant to boil water for dehydrated backpacking meal kits or coffee and not much else.

UNDERSTAND BASIC FOOD SAFETY

There are a couple of food safety protocols that every camper and camp cook should know. Here they are:

Avoid Cross-Contamination

Cross contamination happens when germs/pathogens from one person/surface transfer to another location. When it comes to food, the classic example is cutting raw chicken on a cutting board and then cutting raw salad ingredients.

There are many less obvious examples. For instance, many people carry the bacteria staph. aureaus on their skin. On your skin, it is benign. When this bacteria is able to grow and reproduce under the right circumstances (RTE foods at room temp. for prolonged periods of time), it can cause violent severe illness. If you have this bacteria on your hands and use your hands to touch RTE foods, and those foods hang out in sub optimal temperatures for hours, you could ruin your whole party.

Also, if your camping and prepping raw meat and don’t have the ability to wash your hands with soap in hot running water for 20 seconds (industry standard), then you probably have some potentially harmful bacteria under your fingernails. When you reach your hands into the water in your cooler from melted ice, you have transferred those bacteria to your cooler water. Now, the exterior of every single container that is in contact with that cooler water is contaminated with those pathogens and when you grab them to make lunch, you transfer them to the foods you are touching.

Now, don’t freak out! There are a couple simple solutions. 1) Don’t use your hands to touch RTE foods and never submerge your hands in cooler water (drain it as the ice melts) or any other liquid that contains food (pickles, etc). Use utensils! 2) Wash your hands the best you can and use hand sanitizer. 3) Prep raw meat at home and use tongs or gloves to handle raw meat at camp.

KEEP RTE FOOD COLD

It is especially important to keep foods that will not be cooked and are not acidic (like pickles) out of the danger zone 45F-130F.

Germs like lukewarm to warm moist environments. That’s their happy place. That’s where they grow and multiply and some reproduce and create harmful toxins in that environment.

KEEP THINGS DRY

Germs don’t jump (at least the common food born pathogens don’t), they swim. Puddles of water, wet foods and meat juices are the method that these germs use to move from one surface to another. Let your dishes air dry. Hang your cooking utensils using a string tied between trees in your camp kitchen, or a low branch. Drain cooler water as the ice melts. Avoid leaving anything in pooled water.

When in doubt – cook it longer

Most of the world relies on cooking, not refrigeration, to make food safe to eat. If you have travelled to Central and South America, Africa and Asia and been to the open air food markets there, you likely saw chicken meat and sides of beef covered in flies at tropical, humid, warm temperatures all day. Stacks of eggs are commonly kept at room temperature. These aren’t the eggs to poach or make aioli out of! These are for scrambling or baking cakes. And perhaps you know the safest foods in these places are soups and street foods, cooked right in front you and hot of the grill. It is commonplace throughout much of the world to make a big pot of soup for the week, leave it on the stove top and reheat it every time you want to eat it. Our health guidelines in the US do not recommend this. You can get ill from cooked food held in the danger zone for prolonged periods of time that are not reheated thoroughly.

If your cooler gets too warm, all is not lost. Just make sure you heat your food thoroughly!! Planning ahead will ensure that the foods left in cooler at the end of your trip are foods intended to be reheated. Even botulism, the scariest and hardest food born illness to control for, can be prevented by holding food above 180 F for 10 minutes. The boiling point is 206-220 depending on altitude. In the absence of a good, accurate thermometer, rely on boiling as your temperature gauge and boil your food for 10 minutes.

More camp how-to:

Leave No Trace

5 Rookie Mistakes to Avoid When Cooking Over An Open Fire.
How to cook over a campfire (without a grill)

19 Tips for Camping With Kids

FAVORITE CAMP-FRIENDLY RECIPES FROM THIS BLOG (and how to adapt them for camping):

Click on the pic to go directly to the recipe.

Home-Made Canadian Bacon, it’s easy.

April 12, 2021

The links in these recipes are for products that I use and recommend.

Canadian bacon is a cured and smoked pork loin. It is leaner than regular bacon and is typically served on Eggs Benedict, which we just made for Easter. Making Canadian Bacon at home is not hard but it does take about a week, so you will want to plan ahead.

This recipe makes for a sweet, savory, herbaceous Canadian Bacon. Seasoned with maple syrup and sage. You can play around with the herbs and spices in the brine as much as you want as long as you don’t change the ratio of the salt, sugar, curing salt, and water. I smoked this on my Traeger. If you don’t have a smoker, you can substitute some of the salt for smoked salt and cook it in the oven. Or omit the smokiness altogether. It will still be delicious.

This recipe calls for a little bit of curing salt, optional. If you want to try this recipe but don’t want to purchase a pound of this stuff, and you are one of my subscribers, shoot me an email with your mailing address and I’ll send you a little bit.

I hope you enjoy this fun DIY kitchen project. Let me know how it worked out for you in the comments and feel free to share this with others.

Home-Made Canadian Bacon, it’s easy.

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Author: Kara Taylor- Home Cooks Guide
Prep Time: 4 days
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 100 hours
Yield: 2 1/2 lbs 1x
Category: Charcuterie
Method: Cured and Smoked
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free

Print Recipe

Description

Sliced thin, this Canadian Bacon is delicious with Eggs Benedict, Hawaiian Pizza or in anything you would use ham in.

Ingredients

Scale

2 1/2 lbs center cut pork loin

1 qt boiling water

1 qt ice water

80 g (1/2 cup) salt

50 g (1/4 cup packed) brown sugar

75 g (1/3 cup) maple syrup

28 g (4 teaspoons) Curing Salt #1 (optional but recommended)

8 g (1 small handful) fresh sage sprigs

8 g (1 small handful) fresh thyme sprigs

10 g (1 Tablespoon) whole peppercorns

25 g (10) crushed garlic cloves

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Instructions

Add all ingredients to the boiling water except the pork loin and ice water. Stir and simmer until the salt and sugar have thoroughly dissolved and the herbs and spices have had a little time to steep. About 5 minutes.

Remove the brine from the heat and add the ice water. Stir to melt all the ice. Check the temperature. If it is room temperature or colder, it is ready to use. If it is still pretty warm, let it cool for a bit to room temperature.

Once cooled, place the pork loin in a gallon size zip lock bag. Pour the brine over the pork loin. Seal it up and place it in the refrigerator (on a sheet pan in case it leaks).

After 2 days, flip the bag and return to the refrigerator.

On the 4th day, remove the pork loin from the brine. Submerge it in fresh water for 30 minutes. Then remove it from the water and pat it dry all over.

Place the pork loin on a sheet pan, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 1-2 days to dry and form a pellicle (if you’re not smoking it, you can skip this step).

Preheat your smoker (or oven) to 200 F, place the cured loin on the center of the rack and insert your probe thermometer into the center of the meat. Set it to alert you when the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145 F.

When the internal temperature reaches 145 F, remove the loin from the smoker and allow it to cool. Refrigerate it until you are ready to use it. TIP: if you want nice clean slices, it needs to have cooled all the way before you slice it.

Equipment

| Nordic Ware Half Sheet Pans (2) |

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| Traeger Smoker and Grill |

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Notes

IMPORTANT

Curing Salt #1 goes by many names – Prague Powder #1, DQ Curing Salt #1, Insta Cure #1, Pink Salt #1. This is a mixture of salt and sodium nitrite for smoked and slow-cooked meats. It is dyed pink so it is not confused with table salt – which would be dangerous. Curing Salt #2 is for uncooked cured meats like salami. It is a combination of salt and sodium nitrate.

Do not substitute Himalayan Pink Salt or Morton Tender Quick for Curing Salt #1– they will not act in the same way. I’m sure there is a way to use Morton Tender Quick for curing hams, but you would need to follow a recipe specific to that product. I have never used it.

In some products, the use of curing salt is necessary to prevent botulism. This is not one of those products so curing salt is optional. However, it is what gives cured meat its rosy hue, extends its shelf life, and prevents an oxidized flavor that otherwise develops after a couple of days.

The Best Water Purifiers for Home, Camping and Emergencies

April 10, 2021

berkey ceramic water filter for well water

Let’s all agree that 2020 was a crazy year. First, there was the pandemic, then there were food and supply shortages at the grocery stores, then there was social unrest, power outages, wildfires, and extreme smoke. Once it started raining, there were reports that our water would be contaminated by all the smoke particulates in the environment. By then I had just had it!

I’m not gonna lie, having been pregnant and postpartum through all of this, by the time the autumn rolled around I had gone into full-blown prepper-survival mode🤣! I started getting my things in order – food, supplies, evacuation kit, and water. I started dreaming of root cellars, big gardens, collecting chicken eggs, foraging for food in the woods, and trapping small critters to eat. I’m kind of kidding, but….I’m kind of serious too and I don’t think I was the only one losing my mind a little bit. It was during these doomsday ruminations that I discovered the Berkey Gravity Fed Water Filtration System.

Aside from putting my mind at ease during the darkest days of 2020, my Berkey has truly become one of my favorite things in my kitchen and I would recommend it to you even if you are not at all anxious about impending disasters.

Berkeys are the Best Water Purifier for Everyday Home Use

10 Reasons Why I Love My Berkey Water Purifier

The water tastes great!
It’s easier than the sink for my daughter to use and she drinks a lot more water now that we have the Berkey.
It filters water quickly. We don’t have to prioritize our filtered water. We cook with it, make coffee with it, even make soda water with it in a 3 G keg.
It looks cool on my counter.
The filters last 4-5 years and are not very expensive to replace.
If you buy water in gallon jugs (or 5 Gallon jugs), you are probably spending around $1/gallon. With the Berkey, you pay around $0.02/gallon.
It requires no power.
It filters out microplastics, trace contaminants, metals, pharmaceuticals, and pathogens.
It can also filter untreated water for camping trips, vanlife, and off-the-grid living.
It’s really easy to assemble and use.

If you live in California…

I love how much the State of California cares about consumer protections, but sometimes their regulations just get in the way of a good thing. If you live in California, you can only buy select CA-approved products from Berkey. However, you can buy whichever Berkey Filtration System you want from eBay😉.

The Best Water Filter for Camping and Emergencies

The Berkey is ideal for everyday home use. If you are looking for a water filter for camping or to have on hand for emergencies, I highly recommend Life Straw Gravity Bag Water Filter. I can’t tell you how many hours I have spent in the backcountry hand pumping water into 1-liter bottles and cleaning ceramic filters. Camping gear has come a long way in the last 10 years! With this filter, you simply fill a gallon-sized bag, hang it in your camp kitchen and let gravity do the work. The filter part can be separated from the unit and used as a “straw” for slurping up filtered water from ponds and puddles on your day hike. The whole thing is light weight, packs flat for efficient storage and easy transport and is currently under $50. I highly recommend this filter for camping, backpacking, and your emergency kit.

Mixed Berry Pavlovas – Easy, Delicious and Gluten Free

March 31, 2021

The links in these recipes are for products that I use and recommend.

Mini Berry Pavlovas on wooden table. — Pavlovas are light and airy, fresh and seasonal and naturally gluten free.

What’s a Pavlova

A pavlova is a meringue, crisp on the outside, soft and marshmallowy on the inside, topped with whipped cream and fresh seasonal fruit. This is one of my all-time favorite spring desserts. Perfect for Easter and Mother’s Day. Pavlovas can be easily adapted to use fall fruit like figs, poached pears and persimmons, or coffee and chocolate flavors during the winter.

My daughter doesn’t like cake and ice cream, weird huh? But it works out great because I don’t like baking or frosting cakes. I made these palm-sized pavlovas for her recent 6th Birthday instead. She loved them! I have made mini pavlovas about 2 inches wide for wedding desserts and bridal showers and we had them on a summer menu at the restaurant at one point. These individual pavlovas are the perfect light dessert for Easter, Mother’s Day, and The 4th of July. You can also make them into a large pie-sized Pavlova for sharing. Make the meringue shell ahead of time and assembled just before serving.

I like to make mini meringue cookies with any extra. I double the meringue portion of this recipe, make as many meringue shells as I need, and then mix in some other flavorings and make a batch of bite-sized meringue cookies with the rest.

So many possible variations:

The fruit can change with the season. I’ve made Pavlovas with sliced peaches, mixed berries, sliced strawberries, cherries, persimmons, and figs with walnuts and honey. Strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries make a great red-white-and-blue combo for a 4th of July dessert.

You can also play around with different fillings. Whipped cream is traditional. I like my whipped cream just barely sweetened to balance out the sweetness of the meringue and fruit. Lemon curd is also delicious as a filling as is pastry cream and chocolate mousse.

You can flavor the meringue itself with lemon zest as I do here in this recipe. Almond extract, amaretto, vanilla extract, cocoa powder or instant espresso make great variations.

I would love to see the fruit, filling and meringue combinations you come up with! If you make this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment below or #homecooksguide in your instagram post.

Mixed Berry Pavlovas

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Author: Kara Taylor – Home Cooks Guide
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 8 1x
Category: dessert
Method: baking
Diet: Gluten Free

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

For the Meringues

5 egg whites

1 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (or 1/2 Tablespoon white vinegar)

1 1/4 Tablespoons cornstarch

zest of a 1/4 lemon (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

For the Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream

1–2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar

For the Fruit

2 cups fresh berries or seasonal fruit (If using strawberries, cut and remove stems. If using grapes, halve. If using cherries, remove pits).

2 Tablespoons Honey (or 1 Tablespoon sugar)

Optional Garnishes

Toasted coconut

Chopped nuts

Shaved chocolate

Powdered Sugar

Edible Flower Petals

Mint, thyme, or tarragon

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Instructions

To Make the Meringues

Remove eggs from the fridge and allow to come up to room temperature.

In a small mixing bowl, combine sugar, cream of tartar, cornstarch and lemon zest

Preheat oven to 300 F. Line a couple of half sheet pans with parchment paper.

Separate the egg whites and egg yolks. Put the whites in the bowl of a stand mixer or mixing bowl (if using a hand mixer). It is crucial that no yolks break and mix with the egg whites and that the bowl used to whisk the egg whites is completely clean of any grease. Fat will prevent egg whites from forming stiff peaks.

Whisk the whites. Once frothy, begin adding the sugar mix little by little, a couple of tablespoons at a time. Once soft peaks form, add vanilla extract (or other flavoring extracts). Continue whisking until stiff peaks form.

Meringue whipped to stiff peaks on kitchen aid whisk.

Whip to stiff peaks.

Transfer mixture to a piping bag and pipe out meringue shells to your desired size. Alternatively, you can use a spoon to dollop the mixture out onto the sheet pans and then use the spoon to create an indent in the middle of each mound. Approximately 1/2 cup of meringue mixture will make a nice palm-sized individual pavlova portion and this recipe will make about 6-8 palm-sized shells.

Place meringues in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 200 F. Bake for 40 minutes for small shells, or 1 hour for a large pie sized shell.

Meringue Shells with Kitchen Aid Mixer and Lemon on Table

Cooked Meringue Shells ready for garnishing.

Let meringues cool completely and then store in an airtight container until ready to use. If you don’t have a good airtight container, store in any container you have and then wrap it completely with plastic wrap. This is especially important if you live in a humid climate. Humidity will make these really sticky as they sit which is not what we’re going for. If this happens, you can preheat the oven to 200 F, put the meringues back in, turn the oven off and let them dry in there for a couple of hours or overnight (but you may lose the marshmallow-like softness of the inside). Meringues will last for a week if stored properly.

To Garnish

Put your cut fruit into a bowl, drizzle with honey (or sprinkle with sugar) and let it sit until it becomes a little saucy.

Whisk cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Grab the meringues you plan to serve and eat, leave any remaining tightly covered for garnishing at a later time. Spread the whipped cream over the meringue shells. Top with fruit. Serve and enjoy.

These are best enjoyed right after garnishing. They do not refrigerate or freeze well. Only garnish the ones you plan on eating.

Equipment

| Disposable Piping Bags |

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| Kitchen Aid 6 Qt Stand Mixer |

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| Nordic Ware Half Sheet Pans (2) |

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Couvé: Quick and Easy Collard Greens, the Brazilian Way.

March 27, 2021

The links in these recipes are for products that I use and recommend.

Brazilian-Style Collard Greens are a quick, easy and versatile vegan side dish.

Collard greens are a dark leafy green in the brassica family, widely used in the Southern US, Brazil, Portugal and Spain, Africa and the Balkans. Collard greens, prepared in certain ways, can be a bitter, difficult-to-love vegetable. There are 2 methods that I have found to counteract its bitter nature and make it not just palatable but exceptional. The first is to slow cook them in a flavorful broth, as in Southern Braised Collard Greens with Bacon. The other method is to very thinly slice them and quickly sauté as in Couvé á Mineira, or Brazilian Style collard greens.

Couvé was my first introduction to collard greens as a college student and I quickly fell in love with this simple, fast, and easy vegetable side dish that effortlessly compliments another staple of my diet – stewed, smoked, and barbecued meats. Despite the fact that I tend to serve this vegetable dish alongside meat, it is on its own vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free. Collard greens are a powerhouse of nutrition. A rich source of vitamins A, K, B-6, and C, as well as calcium and magnesium. Collard greens even contain a significant amount of protein.

Thinly slicing the collard greens drastically increases the surface area that can now be coated with salt (which balances bitter flavors), garlic, olive oil, and citrus juice. These are cooked in a flash in a hot skillet with lots of garlic. The brief cooking time ensures that all the important nutrients are retained and the color remains a vibrant green. Couvé is the typical side dish for Feijoada, Brazilian black bean stew. This is a delicious and versatile vegetable side dish that complements a wide range of meats, stews, legumes, and grains.

Couvé: Quick and Easy Collard Greens, the Brazilian Way.

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Author: Kara Taylor- Home Cooks Guide
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Category: Side Dish
Method: Sauté
Cuisine: Brazilian
Diet: Vegan

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Description

This healthy, easy, quick, and versatile side dish is vegan and gluten-free.

Ingredients

Scale

2 bunches of collard greens

2–3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

10 garlic cloves, sliced or minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 lime, halved

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Instructions

De-stem the collard greens and rinse them really well in a bowl of water. Shake off the access water and tightly roll the greens into a tight log (you will need to do this in 3-4 batches for this amount of greens). As thinly as you can, slice the collards into little ribbons. Set aside.

Slice collards in thin ribbons to increase surface area for salt and oil.

Mince the garlic cloves and halve the lime, (see note below)

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil. If the pan is hot enough, the oil will begin immediately dancing around the pan. Add the garlic and after just a couple of seconds (before the garlic turns brown or burns), add the collard greens and about 1 Tablespoon water. Stir.

Add the salt. Stir. Cook for about 2-3 minutes. Squeeze half the lime juice and taste. Add more lime juice if desired.

Equipment

| Blue Diamond Non-Toxic Nonstick Frying Pan |

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Notes

TIP! Once you start adding things to the hot skillet, everything moves really FAST. Make sure you have everything sliced/minced and nearby before you start adding ingredients to the skillet. This is one of those recipes where it is important to “mis-en-place” your ingredients.

Demi-Dehydrated Beets on the Smoker (Smoker optional)

March 27, 2021

The links in these recipes are for products that I use and recommend.

Partially dehydrated beets in a mason jar.

These beets are poached in a vinegary brine and then smoked until semi-dehydrated. They take on a rich dark color, with mysterious smokey notes, a pleasant pickle-ness, and a chewy candy consistency.

Now, you might be thinking, what on earth would I do with these? Well… you could put them in a salad with goat cheese or feta and they wouldn’t bleed all over everything and turn the cheese pink (I hate it when that happens). Or you might mince them real fine and mix them with capers, lemon zest, onion, olive oil and herbs and serve as a “beet tartare” appetizer to amuse and surprise your dinner guests.

It’s been a long time since I’ve stumbled upon a new cooking technique that really got me excited until I stumbled upon “demi-dehydrated” things in the The NoMad Cookbook.

This is a beautiful cookbook from The NoMad Restaurant and Hotel in New York City. I was given this book as a Christmas gift right around the time I had my first child and decided to open a restaurant. This is to say I was given this book right around the time that I stopped reading books. This discreet black tome of a book sat unopened on my shelves for years until the other day when I picked it up for the first time and started reading recipes. Several of the recipes call for demi-dehydrated fruits and vegetables, and it was like a whole world of new culinary possibilities suddenly popped into my mind.

The NoMad’s Process for Demi-Dehydrating

Cook the ingredient in a vinegary liquid in a sous vide bag set in boiling water.
Shock the ingredient in an ice bath, while still sealed in the bag
Remove the ingredient from its liquid and dry in the oven at 200 F for several hours until dry and shriveled.
Cool and store in an airtight container until ready to use.

I don’t have sous vide bags at home and I have a feeling many of my readers don’t either. I fiddled with the process to make it more user-friendly for home cooks and then I thought: “Hey if I’m going to dry this at 200 F for hours, why not do it on my Traeger smoker and make these even more interesting?” I was very pleased with the result. If you don’t have a smoker, you could make these in the oven which is how the pros do it at The NoMad.

Home Cooks Guide Process for Demi-Dehydrating

Simmer the ingredient in a vinegary liquid.
Transfer to a ziplock bag with some of the liquid. Submerge this partially sealed ziplock into the ice water up to the zipper seal to push out any air. Finish sealing the bag. Be careful not to let water into the bag.
Once cooled, remove the ingredient from its liquid and dry in the smoker (or oven) at 200 F for several hours until dry and shriveled.
Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Demi-Dehydrated Beets on the Smoker

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Author: Kara Taylor- Home Cooks Guide
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 3 1/2 hours
Total Time: 0 hours
Yield: 10 servings 1x
Category: Side Dish
Method: Oven/ Smoker
Cuisine: New American
Diet: Vegan

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Description

These partially dehydrated smoked beets have a funky concentrated flavor, and a candy-like texture. Use them for salads and garnishes. The best part – they wont bleed all over your plate and make a mess of your presentation.

Ingredients

Scale

2 1/2 lbs beets (about 5 large ones)

8 cups white vinegar (or red wine vinegar)

3 cups water

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup salt

1/4 cup peppercorns

1 bunch dill

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Instructions

Combine all ingredients except the beets in a pot that will fit the beets tightly. Bring to a boil and dissolve the sugar and salt. Add the beets, cover and simmer on low for 30-90 minutes depending on the size until the beets are fork tender.

Transfer the beets to a large ziplock bag, add a couple ladlefuls of the cooking liquid and submerge the bag in ice water. Keeping the zipper part out, open a corner, push the rest of the bag under the water to push out the air, and reseal.

When the beets are cooled, peel them and break them into irregular 1 inch pieces by hand.

Preheat your Traeger, or another smoker (or oven) to 200 F (see note below).

Lay the beets out on a sheet of tinfoil. Transfer to the smoker (or oven) and poke holes in the tinfoil to allow the smoke to penetrate it. Cook at 200 for 3 1/2 hours or until the beets are smokey, and dry but not hard.

Equipment

| The NoMad Cookbook |

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| Traeger Smoker and Grill |

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Notes

SMOKER TEMPS: Some smokers, like my Traeger, have a temperature setting of 180 F and 225 F so I spend half the time at 180 F and the other half at 225 F for an average temperature of 200 F.

METHOD VARIATION: If you have heat-proof vacuum seal bags/ sous vide bags, go ahead and scale the brine ingredients by 1/4 and cook the beets with the liquid in the sous vide bags.

YOU WILL HAVE EXTRA BRINE: This recipe (without sous vide bags) will result in a lot of extra vinegar solution. You could save this for your next batch of demi-dehydrated beets or use it to pickle carrots, little tokyo turnips, onions, cauliflower, or anything else you want that would look nice with a pink hue added.

Southern Braised Collard Greens with Bacon: American Comfort Food At It’s Best!

March 14, 2021

Braised Collard Greens with bacon in a pot.

Southern slow-cooked collard greens are the perfect accompaniment to fried chicken or catfish, smoked meats, stewed black eye peas, and pure and simple grits. These salty, porky, sweet, spicy collard greens are melt-in-your-mouth tender. The nutritious “potlikker”, the flavorful savory cooking liquid, is worth sipping on its own and sopping up with your cornbread. This is American comfort food at its best. And it’s worth noting here that, like many of the South’s most iconic dishes (gumbo, okra, sorghum, watermelon, and black-eye peas…), collard greens were first introduced by African slaves and their place in American Southern cuisine represents the melting pot of our cultural and culinary food heritage.

I’m a big fan of bitter greens. Quick and easy-sauteed swiss chard and kale is one of my go-to dinner sides. I put escarole in chicken soup. Grilled endive drizzled with an anchovy-lemon-garlic dressing makes me really happy. I know that these bitter cruciferous and chicory greens are an acquired taste. And I believe if you haven’t already acquired it, it’s worth putting in the effort to appreciate these ingredients. Collard greens, like many of these vegetables, are rich in vitamins A, K, B-6, C, calcium, iron and magnesium. They also contain a significant amount of protein (rare for vegetables) and fiber, making them a great choice for vegetarians (though this recipe is not vegetarian). Of all the greens, collards fall on the bitter end of the spectrum. They are also tougher than most. This opens up the door to slow braising, a technique that wouldn’t be appropriate for more tender greens like swiss chard or spinach.

The slow gentle heat used to braise collards leaches out the bitterness of the greens into the potlikker and transforms this cooking liquid into a nutritious, sweet, and earthy broth over the duration of the cooking time. Bacon adds porky goodness and salt which balances everything out and makes your kitchen smell amazing. I use my Dry-Cured Bacon for this, an ingredient that makes everything better and one that I try to keep consistently stocked in my freezer. You can certainly use store-bought bacon or substitute ham hocks or a leftover ham bone.

You cannot really overcook braised collard greens. You can however undercook them. This recipe here is a relatively quick preparation, 45 minute boiling time. You could easily throw this together in a crock pot and let it go all day. It may be tempting to stop cooking them 5-10 minutes in, when they are still a beautiful bright green color, but trust me, to experience this dish you want to let it go.

Foods that Compliment Braised Collard Greens

Pure and Simple Grits
Cheesy Grits
Fried chicken
Fried Catfish
Smoked Pork, Ham, Bacon, Sausage
“Hoppin John” or Southern Black Eyed Peas
Cornbread
Red beans and rice
Barbecue and smoked meats like Smoked Pork Ribs

Another way to use collard greens

Braising collard greens is one way to mitigate their bitter flavor. Another way to combat the bitterness is to slice them very very thinly (“chiffonade” in culinary-speak), and quickly sauté with salt, olive oil, and lots of garlic. By thinly slicing the greens you are drastically increasing the surface area available to coat with other flavors. Cooking in this manner allows you to retain most of the nutrients of the greens, it is also vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free and makes for a very quick side dish, assuming you have the knife skills needed to slice it thinly. This method is popular in Brazil and was my first introduction to collard greens as a college student. Brazilian Collard Greens (Couve á Mineira) are typically served with Feijoada or Brazilian Rice and Black Beans.

Southern Braised Collard Greens with Bacon

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Author: Kara Taylor- Home Cooks Guide
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Category: Side Dish
Method: Braise
Cuisine: Southern
Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

These braised collard greens are American comfort food at its best. Salty, porky, sweet and spicy. Even the kids will be going back for seconds.

Ingredients

Scale

1 standard bunch collard greens (about .75 lbs on the stem), stem removed, and torn into 1-2 inch pieces

1/3 cup bacon, diced

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 Tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 pinch red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicy)

1–1 1/2 Tablespoons Honey

1 1/2 cups water or broth

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Instructions

Melt the butter in the braising pot, sauté the bacon until it renders out most of its fat. Add the onion and sauté until transparent. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 45 minutes or longer.

Remove from the heat and serve with the braising liquid.

Pure and Simple Grits

March 13, 2021

Grits are a southern staple. They are the American version of polenta. A porridge of coarse ground cornmeal that is high in iron, B vitamins and contains fiber and protein. Grits make the perfect vessel for spicy grilled shrimp, poached egg, braised collard greens, slow-cooked barbequed and stewed meat, and gumbo.

When you think of grits, you probably think of cheesy grits first. And don’t get me wrong, I love cheesy grits and you could certainly add cheese to this recipe if you wanted. But these grits are grits in their simplest purest form. This recipe proves that Southern food need not be excessively indulgent. It proves that grits are an ingredient worth showcasing for their own merit. These grits require only a handful of simple inexpensive ingredients and this side dish is dairy-free, gluten-free and can easily be made vegan. The cost per serving for this hearty and versatile side dish is less than 25 cents. If this dish isn’t part of your regular weekly meal plans, it should be.

Its worth making a big batch of these grits for leftovers. The next day, you can enjoy grits topped with a poached egg and bacon lardons or sausage, one of my favorite breakfasts. Aside from being incredibly economical they are also efficient for the home cook. Leftover grits can be transformed easily into an entirely different side dish for an entirely different meal later in the week- grilled grits cakes. Simply pour the porridge out in an oiled rectangular dish 1/2-1 inch thick and cool overnight in the fridge. The next day (or days later) the grits can be cut into “cakes” and grilled or pan-fried.

Because this recipe is all about highlighting grits, it is important to use the highest-quality grits you can find. I use white corn grits from Early Bird Farm and Mill out of Nevada City, California. It’s worth seeking out the best grits you could possibly get your hands on for this recipe. But if you are not motivated to do so (no judgement here) and just want to pick something up at the store, Bob’s Red Mill makes a pretty good product that is widely available all over the U.S.

Grits Variations

Cheese Grits. Once the grits have finished cooking, remove from the heat and stir in grated cheese one handful at a time to your liking. I like a good sharp cheddar for this.
Grits cooked in whey. Whey is the clear protein-rich, slightly sweet liquid byproduct that is left after making ricotta, and other cheeses. Whey and corn is a magical pairing. I recommend adding whey to creamed corn, cornbread and corn chowder if you have it. Cornmeal cooked in whey is one of those things that I enjoyed making at the restaurant with one of our kitchen byproducts. I realize that this is less practical for the home cook… but if you try my Home-Made Ricotta + Whey recipe, you too can have some whey on hand to play around with.
Sweet grits. A sweet breakfast porridge (or dessert). Simply omit the garlic and bay. And add sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, or sorghum syrup. Serve with fresh fruit.

Pure and Simple Grits

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Author: Kara Taylor- Home Cooks Guide
Prep Time: 8 passive hours
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 0 hours
Yield: 6 servings 1x
Category: Side Dish
Method: Boiling
Cuisine: Southern
Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

This classic Southern staple is made with just a handful of inexpensive ingredients and can feed a group for just pennies per person. It’s worth making extra for grilled grits later in the week.

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup grits

7 cups water

1– 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 bay leaves

2 garlic cloves or Smoked Garlic Cloves

1 Tablespoon fat (butter, oil, duck fat, chicken fat, or bacon fat)

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Instructions

In the morning, combine the water and grits in the pot you will use to cook them. Stir them and let sit until dinner time.

Using a fine mesh sieve, skim the surface of the water to remove the …….

Stir the mixture and turn on the burner. Bring the grits and water to a boil, stirring often. Add the salt, garlic, and bay.

Turn the mixture off and let it sit, covered, for 30 minutes.

Bring the pot back to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, stirring the pot and scraping the bottom frequently for 30-45 minutes. If you would like the grits thicker, continue cooking and stirring until thickened to your liking (beware of molten splatters).

Serve the grits right away.

Leftovers should be poured into a shallow dish while still pretty warm and liquidy. The next day, or whenever you plan to use them, you will be able to cut into squares or rounds and pan fry or grill the grits cakes. You can also reheat as a porridge with more water (or milk/broth) and whisk until smooth.

Notes

Variation:

1) For a special treat, substitute all or some of the water for whey, a byproduct of making ricotta and other cheeses.

2) For cheesy grits, after the grits are finished cooking, stir in grated cheese one handful at a time until it reaches your preferred level of cheesiness.

3) For sweet grits, omit the garlic and bay and add sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple or sorghum syrup.

Healthy-ish Carrot Beet Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

March 10, 2021

The links in these recipes are for products that I use and recommend.

This Carrot Beet Cake may look humble on the plate but it is anything but plain. This cake is moist and delicious, laced with vegetables, nuts, and dried fruit, and topped with a whipped and weightless maple cream cheese frosting.

I developed this recipe for my daughter’s second birthday. It was her first bite of cake and I wanted to make it as “healthy” as possible. This recipe is relatively low sugar. It was so good that I went on to serve it at the restaurant for years, dressed up with a sprinkle of chopped nuts and edible flower petals.

This recipe makes 1 large cake (4 rounds/ 2 rectangles) or 2 medium size cakes. I make 2 cakes and freeze one for later.

Carrot Beet Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting.

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Author: Kara Taylor- Home Cooks Guide
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: two 9“x13” cakes 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

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Description

This delicious carrot cake is loaded with vegetables, dried fruit and nuts and topped with a delicious buttery cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients

Scale

3 3/4 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking soda

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 1/2 cups vegetable/canola oil

8 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups brown sugar

eggs?

2 cups chopped nuts (pecans/walnuts/pistachio work best)

2 cups grated beets

4 cups grated carrot

2 cups dried fruit (any combination of raisins, craisins, currants, dried cherries)

For the frosting

2 lbs cream cheese, softened

2 2/3 cups butter, softened

2/3 cup maple syrup, room temperature

6 cups sifted powdered sugar

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Instructions

To Make The Cake

Grate the carrots and beet into a bowl. Chop the nuts and measure out the dried fruit into the bowl with the grated veggies.

Preheat your oven to 350 F, non-convection.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, oil, and sugar.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and whisk to combine.

Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and using a wooden spoon, stir for 1-2 minutes until fully mixed.

Sift the flour into the wet ingredients.

Add the grated carrot, beets, nuts and dried fruit. Stir with the wooden spoon until well incorporated.

Prepare your baking pans. (See Note Below)

Spray the baking pans with oil. Cut out a piece of parchment and press it into the pan. Spray that with oil as well.

Line pans with parchment and oil well.

Evenly divide the batter among the baking pans. Rotate the pans every 20-30 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean 30-50 minutes depending on the size and shape of the baking pans. (two 10-x12″ rectangle takes 50 minutes).

To Make The Cream Cheese Frosting

Soften cream cheese and butter and bring the maple syrup up to room temperature. You can actually leave these out on the counter overnight (that’s what professional bakeries do 😉).

Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl.

In a standing mixer or using a handheld mixer, whip the butter and cream cheese for 2 minutes. Slowly add the maple syrup and continue whipping for another 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is light and airy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, little by little.

Once the frosting is made and the cake is cooled all the way- frost the cake. This recipe makes enough frosting to frost all around 4 layers of 8 inch round cakes. If you are making sheet cakes (like it did in these images) there will be some frosting leftover. I’m sure you’ll be able to find a way to use it😉.

Equipment

| Ultra Cuisine 10″ x 14.75″Cooling and Roasting Rack |

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| Stainless Steel Measuring Cups, 5 Piece Stackable Measuring Set |

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Notes

For the frosting – it is really important that all the ingredients are the same temperature, otherwise the frosting with break.

This recipe makes four 8 inch round cake pans or two 1/2 hotel pans (10″x12″ or 9″x13″). You could make one 4 layer round cake or two 2 layer round cakes. Or 2 sheet cakes. I make two sheet cakes and freeze one. You have lots of options here.

Rustic Home-Made Egg Noodle Recipe for Soups, Sides, and Stroganoff

February 23, 2021

The links in these recipes are for products that I use and recommend.

These rustic egg noodles are a fun and easy kitchen project. Perfect for a side dish, stroganoff or Chicken Noodle Soup. This dough recipe uses a dozen eggs for 6 servings and makes rich noodles, dense in calories and nutrition. Who says pasta is full of empty calories?

I like to roll these out by hand, leaving the sheets fairly thick, and cutting them in a way that accentuates their “rustic-ness” and calls out “These are home-made, damn it!” When rolled out this way, they are toothy and sturdy and can hold up to prolonged cooking. For a more delicate noodle, use a pasta machine or roll out into thin sheets 1mm or less (that’s harder to do by hand).

Rustic Home-Made Egg Noodles

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Author: Kara Taylor- Home Cooks Guide
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6 servings 1x
Category: Pasta
Method: Boiling
Cuisine: German
Diet: Low Lactose

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Ingredients

Scale

2 eggs

10 egg yolks

3 cups flour

1 Tablespoon oil

2 Tablespoon Water

Pinch of saffron (optional)

Pinch of salt

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Instructions

If using saffron, heat the water in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Add the saffron and let steep while you begin your prep.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk salt and flour together. Make a well in the middle of the flour.

Crack the eggs into the well, separating out the whites from the 10 yolks and putting the whites in a separate bowl for another use and the yolks in the well. Add the oil and saffron water/water to the well.

Using a whisk, whisk together the eggs, oil, and saffron water/water, gradually incorporating the flour little by little until all the flour has been incorporated.

Kneed the dough with your hands until it forms a ball. Cover and refrigerate for 1-24 hours.

Using a floured cutting board and a rolling pin, or a pasta machine, roll the dough out to about 1 mm.

Cut the dough to your liking.

At this time you may cook, freeze or dry your noodles.

To cook the noodles

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the pasta in, stir, and cook until it reaches desired doneness. If rolled out thin, it will cook in 3-5 minutes. For thicker pasta, it may take 10 minutes or longer. Check every couple of minutes.

To dry the noodles

You may dry your pasta by leaving it out at room temperature for a couple of days. Spread it out on a towel-lined sheet pan, moving the noodles around every half-day until completely hard and dry. Or you can drape the noodles over a clothes hanger or something similar.

To freeze the noodles

Sprinkle the noodles with flour (ideally semolina) and let dry for an hour or so so they don’t stick together. Portion the noodles in amounts that work for your family and freeze in a ziplock bag. Thaw the noodles in the fridge and when ready to cook, stir into boiling water and cook like you would fresh noodles.