Tuesday, January 31

TORTELLONI!!

y'know what the difference is between tortellini and tortelloni?
one's bigger, better, burlier, and full of MORE stuff!
you therefore can make an assumption of which i'm all about,
based on what you know about how i do what i do, am i right?
yup!
too much is the right amount,
and that makes me positive that the big O is better than i.
(that's a spelling joke, bud)
guys!
homemade pasta!
homemade filling!!
homemade everything!!!
why?
because rules is rules,
and i already told you the other day-
i'm on that making vegan-italian-food-molto-for-the-people sh!t.
that's the stuff.
take at little look at what was poppin' last night:

SOUP IS DOPE WHEN THERE'S 'LLONIS IN IT!!!
that's no joke.
i had my burners going crazy as i got everything ready.
for starters,
i made a pretty expert filling for my pasta.
yup.
1 diced potato;
plus the bottoms of 4 green onions;
1 T minced leek;
and 2 cups chopped escarole,
boiled until tender in salty water.
easy.
drain it, mash it, add some black pepper, GPOP, olive oil,
and a big ol' punch of nootch,
and you've got a pesto that's so rich, you'll imagine you've won the lottery.
-
while that cooled, i started my pasta dough.
it's so easy, you'll wonder why you don't do it more often.
1/2 cup flour;
1/2 cup semolina flour;
1 T olive oil;
1/4 tsp salt;
1/2 cup warm water.
^!!^
seriously, that's it.
roll it out thin, and start cuttin'.
i got 26 2.5' circles from mine,
rolled out with a generous layer of flour to keep it from sticking.
a small scoople of 'tato magic in each,
and a flapover fold-up has got you well sorted
in the pasta pesto pouch-o department-
my torte pinch improved by the last few, for sure.
think of making dumplings.
with a few extra folds where you make the edges hold hands.
awwwww.
s'kyooooooooot!
i let 'em rest, and dry out just a tad, not long,
but long enough not to be wet and fall apart when boiled.
i boil mine in water that isn't the broth they'll be living their last moments in.
nope.
i don't need that to get all starchy and dumb.
but,
speaking of broth-
neighbors, i am onto something here!
1/2 cup of minced leek;
1/4 cup petite diced carrot;
two cloves crushed garlic,
and a pinch of salt-
sauteed in olive oil,
deglazed with 3 T red wine vinegar,
and submerged under 2 cups of hot water,
with >1 tsp better-than-bouillon vegan solution!!!
a little GPOP,
a dash of oregano,
some cracked black pepper,
and suddenly, everything was a tangy, tasty, exxxtra-sexxxy soup!!!
i let it simmer for about twenty minutes while i made my pasta.
and while my tortelloni were drying,
i fried up some tomato halves.
woooooooooooord!!!
a little olive oil, a very hot pan, and those little red cherry tomtoms,
face down, until browned.
i did hot 'em with a torch. yeah.
i had too.
i wanted them blackened, man.
for the aesthetic.
-
so, we got boiled tortelloni.
(they're done when they float)
we got simmered soup.
we got tomatoes.
what else?
arugula!
yessssssssssssssssssss.
fresh leaves, wilted in hot broth,
so the peppery bite of each leaf is undiminished.
expert.
 few parsley sprankles, because i'm not an A*-hole,
and we've got ourselves a suppertime victory for the record books.
.......and yeah, naturally i had custom sourdough for dippin'.
it's not my first day at eating, man.
***********
so,
january is all but over.
it was more like jaun-uary.
because these jauns were off the hinges.
work hard'
cook harder.
walk more,
play less.
get busy,
live lonely,
eat 'llonis.
yup.
it's been a big year so far,
even in this small small world;
never quiet, never soft.....

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