The Pat Conroy Cookbook (2 page)

PASTRY SECRETS

The success of pie pastry (or any pastry) depends on keeping the shortening and the flour cold and using ice-cold water
.

Pastry in a pinch: When blending the butter and the flour, pinch a few crumbs together with your fingers. If the dough sticks together, you’re ready to add the water. If it doesn’t stick together, you have to add more shortening
.

In the South, we use White Lily self-rising flour because it’s the very best for pie crusts and biscuits
.

Leave it alone: the less handling of the dough, the better. The pastry will be lighter and better if you don’t try to smooth out every lump of butter
.

All pies should be cooked in the lower portion of the oven so the bottom of the pie will cook. When making fruit pies, place a heavy-duty baking sheet in the oven while it is preheating. Place the pie on the hot baking sheet to bake; it will crisp the crust and catch the overflow
.

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1. Pour flour out on a clean, dry, smooth work surface and make a well in the center of the mound. Keep the sides of the well high enough and thick enough so the eggs will not leak over or through the sides of the flour wall. Slowly pour the eggs into the well.

2. While lightly beating the eggs with a fork, slowly incorporate the flour from the sides while you use your other hand to keep the sides of the well from collapsing. Using your hand, slowly sweep the flour up the sides of the well, building a thicker wall and at the same time letting a little flour fall from the top onto the eggs. You will use less than half the flour for the actual pasta dough. (If the eggs do manage to seep out beyond the wall of flour, all is not lost. Use the fork to push some flour over the puddle of eggs and scrape the mixture back into the main mass.)

3. When the mass begins to resemble dough, remove the excess flour. Wash your hands to remove extra flour.

4. Now start to knead the dough. If the dough is too sticky, add a little flour (sparingly). If there is too much flour in the pasta, the dough will dry out, becoming difficult to roll. Using the heels of your hands in an under-and-over motion, knead the dough (rotating it frequently) until it is smooth and elastic, at least 10 minutes.

5. When the dough is smooth and satiny, sprinkle it with a light dusting of flour, cover with a clean dish towel, and let it rest for half an hour. You will need the rest as well because the next step is rolling out the dough.

6. Divide the dough into three sections (or one section for every egg used) to make it more manageable when rolling. Rolling the dough by hand (instead of using a pasta machine) makes pasta that is uniquely yours because you can roll it out to the exact thickness you desire and cut it into the precise width you want.

7. Uncover the dough and knead it a few times. Using a rolling pin (preferably a pin about 20 inches long without handles, for better control), roll across the dough (back and forth) about 6 times; turn the dough 90 degrees and roll back and forth again. You want to stretch the dough to the desired thickness (about ⅛ inch or less).

8. Using a sharp knife, cut the sheet of dough into strips: ⅙ inch wide (tagliarini), ⅛ inch (fettuccine), or ¼ inch (tagliatelle). Drape the noodles over a thin rod (or broom handle) to dry.

If you are serving the pasta immediately, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the noodles for less than a minute. If you decide to wait (recommended), carefully gather up the noodles and curl them into loose nests, placing them on floured baking sheets. You can let them dry for several hours or freeze for up to 2 weeks. Depending on the thickness of the noodle, the cooking time will be anywhere from 45 seconds to 3 minutes. To test for doneness, snip off the end of a pasta strand and taste
.

Two 2½-pound chickens

2 large yellow onions, peeled and halved

3 large carrots, peeled and halved

3 whole celery stalks (with leaves), halved

Sprig of fresh thyme

1 garlic head, unpeeled and cut in half horizontally

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

2 teaspoons coarse or kosher salt

1. Remove giblets from the chickens. Under cool, gently running water, rinse chickens inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels.

2. Place all the ingredients in a large stockpot (at least 10 quarts). Add 5 quarts water (completely covering chickens) and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 hour, occasionally skimming foam from water’s surface with a slotted spoon.

3. Remove the chickens. Let cool slightly, pull the meat off the bones and reserve for another use. Return the chicken bones to the simmering stockpot. Depending on the stock’s use, cook for another hour (a light stock) or up to 5 hours (a richer, deeper stock).

4. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve (or double thickness of cheesecloth) into a large heatproof storage container with a tight-fitting lid. Discard solids. Bring stock to room temperature,
cover, and refrigerate overnight. (To freeze, portion the strained stock into smaller containers.)

The stock will keep refrigerated for a week or frozen for several months. (After 8 weeks the stock begins to lose favor.) Always skim the hardened (solid) fat from the surface of the stock before reheating
.

2 pounds mild, lean fish and fish trimmings (skeletons,
^*2
including heads and gills, removed)

1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 whole celery stalk (with leaves), coarsely chopped

1 cup dry white wine

1 strip lemon zest or juice of 1 lemon

Small bunch flat leaf parsley

1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1. Rinse the fish. Place the fish and vegetables in a large stockpot. Add the wine and 2 quarts cold water. Over medium-high heat, bring stock to a simmer. Use a slotted spoon to skim off foam on surface of the liquid. Add the lemon zest, parsley, salt, and peppercorns.

2. Simmer gently for 20 to 30 minutes. Depending on the stock’s use, cook for another hour (a light stock) or up to 5 hours (a richer, deeper stock for gumbo and Creole dishes). Let the stock cool and strain it through a fine-mesh sieve (or double thickness of cheesecloth) into a
large heatproof storage container (with a tight-fitting lid). Discard solids. Bring to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate overnight. (To freeze, portion the strained stock into smaller containers.)

The stock will keep refrigerated for a week or frozen for several months. (After 8 weeks the stock begins to lose favor.)

5 pounds beef bones (with a little meat still attached), cut into 1 -inch pieces by your butcher

2 large yellow onions, peeled and halved

2 carrots, peeled and halved

2 whole celery stalks (with leaves), halved

1 large ripe tomato, halved

5 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2. Put the bones in a large roasting pan and roast in preheated oven until well browned, about 30 minutes. Add the vegetables and garlic and continue roasting for another 15 minutes (roasting will caramelize the vegetables and beef, resulting in a rich, complex stock).

3. Using long tongs, transfer beef and vegetables to a large stock-pot (about 10 quarts). Add the bay leaf, peppercorns, and 4 quarts cold water (enough to cover the beef by 2 inches).

4. Over medium-high heat, slowly bring the mixture to a boil. Use a slotted spoon to skim foam from the surface of the liquid. Skim the foam frequently, being careful not to actually stir the
stock. Simmer gently until the stock is deeply colored, about 5 hours. (You may have to add a little water to keep the meat and vegetables covered.)

5. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve (or double thickness of cheesecloth) into a large heatproof storage container with a tight-fitting lid. Discard solids. Bring stock to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate. (To freeze, portion the strained stock into smaller containers.)