Pasta from Scratch at the Culinary School of the Rockies

I am really becoming a big fan of the Culinary School of the Rockies here in beautiful Boulder, CO. I learned some knife skills, how to make rustic bread, and pasta from scratch. I am well on my way to being VERY self sufficient in the kitchen and purchasing fewer and fewer pre-made items in my quest to be a whole foods, start-from-scratch home cook.

I made a short slideshow so you can see how much pasta we made in class. Overall, I am very satisfied with the pasta class and the Culinary School of the Rockies Classes for Home Cooks. It is best viewed in it’s own little small screen rather than full screen size. But, technical stuff aside, enjoy it… and start making pasta with me!

The Best Pizza in Boulder (updated 3.12.11)

I enjoy making pizza from scratch. I plan ahead and make my dough, get some great ingredients assembled, and have fun rolling out little pies and baking them on my pizza stone. There are times when I am too busy to go through the whole pizza process, so we look towards others to supply our pies. When we first moved to Boulder (more than 5 years ago now) we’d go to Lefty’s since we live in Gunbarrel and it is close to us. We’d often bring the pizza home and put it in the oven for a while to crisp it up a bit.

Then we heard about this place called Proto’s. We gave it a try and loved it. For the past couple years we’d usually go to Proto’s for pies whenever I decided not to cook. It was a reliably delicious decision.

We hadn’t been to Proto’s in a while, and, while downtown recently, decided to give the new BOP a try. Result? A soggy bottom in the middle of the pizza by the time we got it home.
The very next week I was working at a dinner party downtown until quite late, so I planned to pick up some pizzas. We (though I state clearly here that it WAS NOT my idea) decided to try BOP once again since it was conveniently located close to the party where I was working. Result? A soggy bottom again.
I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be a pizza snob, but a soggy bottom is just totally unacceptable to me in a pizza.
So, back to my story… The soggy bottom pies led to a conversation reminiscing of Proto’s pies and how good they were. We had just eaten pizza two weekends in a row, so we weren’t about to go to Proto’s just for the hell of it. But, we recalled it fondly.
Fast forward a few weeks and we decided to try Basta, the new pizza place in the Peloton. We were pleased with Basta- they have a wood-fired oven, nice toppings, crisp crust, nice wines, etc. We had a good meal and tried to compare it to Proto’s. It had now been quite some time since eating a Proto’s pie, so we had trouble comparing. We knew Basta made good pies. That was for sure.
Fast forward another few weeks and we decided it was time to try Proto’s again. We were replacing our floors- ripped out the carpet and laid down a wood floor on a Friday night until past 10:00 pm. I showered first so I could pick up our pies and was SO EXCITED and hungry and Friday is clam pizza night, which is FANTASTIC! And then the news… Proto’s closes at 10. We called at 10:30 to place an order for pick-up. Worst. Moment. Ever.
I whipped up something… oh yeah, I remember now. Nachos.
The next day we were laying down floors and getting our place in order until 9 pm. Not too late for Proto’s! Just no clam pizza. OK. So, I picked up our pizzas, brought them home, opened the box and smiled, and took my first bite. I instantly declared it to be the best pizza I’ve had in Boulder. Hands down. Thin, crisp crust. Not too many ingredients, but good ingredients. Not too doughy. Just right. Just right.
This pizza taste-test led to a conversation with someone who had purchased a BOP pie. I warned her of the soggy bottom. We talked of Proto’s and Basta, as well as Abo’s, a place I had never frequented for a pie. The same week my friend with whom I discussed pizzas gave me a gift certificate to Abo’s. Cool… let the pizza pie challenge continue.
And so, I bought some Abo’s, brought it home, and was absolutely shocked at how big, dense, and heavy this pie was. Seriously. Big, dense, and heavy is all I can think of to describe the pie. I’m just not into that kind of pie. I don’t want that much crust and that many toppings. That’s just not enjoyable pizza to me.
The bottom line: Proto’s is the best pie. I know there are people making great pies in Boulder, like Laudisio, which is always a fabulous pie. But I’m talking here specifically about pizza places where lots of customers order pies for take out. I’m talking about places that really specialize in pizza, not gourmet restaurants that also make pizza. Proto’s wins my unofficial pizza challenge.

I need to edit this- My new fav is Pizzeria da Lupo! No doubt about that one!

Where’s your favorite place to get a pie in Boulder. Let me know. I’ll check it out and add it to my pizza challenge.

Mushrooms and Bok Choy in Black Garlic Sauce

I am finding uses for the Korean Aged Black Garlic I recently bought. It has a very unique flavor that pairs well with mushrooms and soy sauce for a complete umami experience. Have you tried cooking with black garlic yet? I don’t know a lot about it, but I’m interested in finding some new flavor combinations to play around with.

For this dish, I coarsely chopped some black garlic. You’ll see for yourself upon handling black garlic that it is easier to give it a coarse chop than a fine mince. It is very soft, yet not as soft as roasted garlic. It’s interesting. I like it. It is also black… very black.
I had some of my favorite mushrooms on hand- Hazel Dell, of course. I sliced up some cinnamon cap, cremini, oyster, and shiitake mushrooms, as well as some bok choy I received from my CSA with Ollin Farms.
This side dish is very simple to make.
Heat up a pan with 1/2 TB peanut oil and 1/2 TB butter. When this is hot, add your mushrooms and get them going. After a few minutes when they start to almost stick to the pan, add a TB of soy sauce, some chopped black garlic, and give it a stir.
After a few more minutes, add the chopped bok choy and 1/3 cup or so of white wine to get a little sauce going.
When the bok choy is bright green, it’s done. I sprinkled some toasted sesame seeds on top.
I kept this really simple for three reasons. 1) I wanted to taste the black garlic. 2) the mushrooms and bok choy were super fresh, so I wanted to allow their flavors to show through without added spice. I just might change that if I make this again without farm-fresh foods. 3) I served it with my super flavorful Best Grilled Shrimp.

Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery Maple Bread Pudding

I came home from Rudi’s Gluten-Free Gourmet Dinner at Root Down, Denver, with a loaf of Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bread and a recipe for the delicious gluten-free bread pudding that had been served for dessert. Root Down made a really good bread pudding, so I was eager to re-create it using my gluten-free loaf of bread.

I cut off most of the crust and cubed one loaf of Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery Bread for this recipe.
I altered the recipe slightly to accommodate the ingredients I had on hand. Here’s what I mixed up:
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • a pinch of sea salt

I poured my liquid mixture over the bread cubes and let it sit, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Then, I added 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, mixed it one more time, and poured it into a pyrex baking dish to bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes, until it was golden brown and cooked through the center.
I patiently let it cool, then served it with farm-fresh strawberries, some peach, and a drizzle I made with equal parts heavy whipping cream and maple syrup.
This recipe is a winner! It is definitely some of the BEST bread pudding I’ve had.

Stoller 2007 Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, OR

Every time I take my first sip of a glass of Oregon Pinot Noir, I decide then and there that Oregon pinots are the best wines. Period.
That is exactly what happened upon my first sip of Stoller’s 2007 estate grown pinot noir. My taste buds understood exactly what the label said about being “an extremely approachable” wine.

Two thumbs up to 2007 Stoller. I highly recommend it.

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A Bolder Table is a place where I bookmark my favorite recipes for later along with some occasional musings. It's my personal digital recipe compilation... Let's say it's my cookbook. Thanks for stopping by! -Megan
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