- [Host] This episode of Basics
is presented by the Singleton.
The Singleton is an award-winning single malt
that tastes great from the first sip.
It's great neat, over ice, or mixed into a cocktail,
perfect for someone who's new to scotch.
Today, I'll be mixing it up in a bright and summery cocktail
to accompany your favorite summer dishes like pasta salad.
Let's get down to basics.
(cheerful music)
All right, so we're finally edging in on picnic season.
That means big bowls of macaroni soaked in mayonnaise.
I'm both gonna try to improve the classic mac salad
and present two delicious variations.
And since mayonnaise is indeed such a prevalent ingredient,
our first upgrade is homemade mayo.
This might seem like overkill, but trust me,
it's way better than anything you've ever had out of a jar.
First, we're cracking two whole eggs into a narrow container
about the same width as the head of our immersion blender,
along with one teaspoon of Dijon mustard,
the juice of one lemon of average juiciness,
about two tablespoons worth of freshly squeezed stuff,
one clove of garlic, cut into a few more blendable pieces,
and half teaspoon of kosher salt.
We're starting by giving these guys a few pulses
with the immersion blender until they're nice and smooth.
Then slowly and carefully pouring two cups of vegetable oil
down the side of the container.
This is so that it settles in a separate layer
on top of the egg mixture.
Then starting at the bottom,
we're gonna pulse the immersion blender on and off,
and slowly move it higher and higher throughout the oil.
This is gonna emulsify together the oil and the egg
into a thick, flavorful mayonnaise, one that looks the same,
but tastes worlds better than the store-bought stuff.
This is good to hang out in your fridge for one to two weeks
unless you're using pasteurized eggs,
in which case you can enjoy its contents for up to a month.
Next up, the far too often gestural veggies.
Most mac salads add them seemingly only for color,
but I like for mine to be positively laden with them.
First up, four small carrots,
peeled and cut into small distributable pieces.
Then an equal amount of celery,
about three large ribs worth.
And of course, bell pepper,
often considered difficult to chop
due to its unwieldy shape.
But let me show you how to make it easy.
First, cut off its top entirely,
reach inside and rip out its heart.
Then cut off its base, retaining a ring for garnish.
Place one cut down its side, press it flat,
cut out its pith, and boom, you have nice,
easy to chop squares of bell pepper.
I'm also gonna add some red,
or maybe more accurately purple, onion,
for which I've got some more tricks.
First slice the darn thing in half,
cut off the pointed tip of the onion,
leaving the root system intact,
and pull back the top layer of the onion,
but leave it attached, giving you a sort of handle
to hang onto while you're chopping.
Place evenly-spaced lateral cuts, and one longitudinal cut,
and enjoy your fine, consistently-minced onion,
about a quarter cup's worth.
The next question pertains to pasta.
The name mac salad is derived from macaroni,
but I think that the ideal pasta shape
for this medium is orecchiette.
Each pasta piece is shaped like a little bowl,
serving as a perfect net
in which to capture crunchy veggies.
We're just cooking the pasta in some salted water,
business as usual, but we want to cook it
about one minute shy of the package recommendation.
Both likely and ideally,
you're gonna make your mac salad ahead of time,
and as it hangs out overnight in the fridge,
it's going to absorb a lot of moisture.
So ever so slightly undercooking the pasta
helps prevent soggy noods.
This is also one of the very few times in history
that you're gonna wanna rinse your pasta with cold water.
This both rinses off excess starch
and rapidly cools the pasta.
You do not want hot pasta going into the cold mayo.
All right, all of our mise is en place,
which means we need to start assembling.
For a pound of pasta,
I've got three quarters of cup of our homemade mayonnaise,
to which I'm gonna add a third of a cup of sour cream
for a little extra bite, along with two tablespoons
of either vinegar or pickle brine,
one tablespoon of Dijon mustard,
and a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder,
fresh garlic being a little bit too harsh and spicy
for something like a mac salad.
Then of course, we're seasoning to taste with kosher salt
and freshly ground black pepper, and then the thing
that elevates salad dressing of any kind, fresh herbs.
I got a bunch of fresh dill and parsley here
that I'm chopping up finely, about four tablespoons of dill
and two tablespoons of parsley, post chop.
Add that stuff to the mix,
and then I'm giving this a thorough whisking
to make sure that everybody's well incorporated
before adding any veggies or pasta,
which are headed into the bowl next,
all of our nice pre-chopped veg
and our cooled and rinsed pasta.
Give everyone a spirited mixing,
and taste repeatedly for seasoning,
both to make sure you get the seasoning right,
and because it's really, really terribly good.
We give attention and care to every element
and it shines through in the final product.
You and your picnic will be stronger for it.
But how can we introduce some variety?
How about a pesto pasta salad?
I'm modeling this off of Ligurian pesto,
which is basically pasta, pesto, green beans, and potatoes.
So I got eight ounces of trimmed, rinsed green beans
that I'm cutting into bite size pieces,
along with eight ounces of Yukon gold potatoes
that I'm peeling and cutting into little bits.
In addition to the pasta,
these guys are all getting parboiled including,
interestingly enough, the basil,
two packed cups worth that we're gonna blanch for 30 seconds
until it turns an even brighter and livelier shade of green,
immediately scooping out and dunking into an ice bath.
Once cooled, we're laying everybody out
onto a clean kitchen towel and squeezing them dry.
This par-cooking process is gonna prevent
the basil from oxidizing in the fridge,
which would turn your once beautiful pesto pasta salad
to a ghastly shade of brown.
With the basil dried and out of the way,
it's time to do the same with the green beans,
albeit for a longer period of time.
These guys are getting boiled for two and a half
to three minutes until tender crisp,
and then likewise going into an ice bath
to halt their cooking.
Last but not least, the taters are going in
for six to eight minutes until completely cooked through,
spreading out on a rimmed baking sheet to cool.
Next up, we're making our pesto,
ideally prepared in a mortar and pestle,
but a processor will pull through in a pinch.
First, we're grating in one and a half ounces
of Parmesan cheese,
adding one clove of roughly chopped garlic,
one ounce of toasted and cooled pine nuts,
and one teaspoon of kosher salt.
Process together for 15 to 30 seconds,
until it has the consistency of wet sand.
Then we're adding the basil leaves,
and as soon as we mash go on the food processor,
we're carefully streaming in five ounces
of extra virgin olive oil, stopping the machine as soon
as the pesto is formed so as to not over-process the oil,
which can make the pesto bitter.
And there you have it, a quick fridge-proof pesto.
Next up assembly, and first I'm gonna halve a whole bunch
of mini mozzarella balls.
And then for our pasta, I'm going with fusilli,
or corkscrew pasta, lots of surface area
for all that delicious pesto,
and a similar form factor to our green beans,
but that's a bit of a stretch.
Add the drained and dried green beans, the mozzarella,
the cooled potatoes, and of course the green stuff.
Make sure that everybody's well mixed, taste for seasoning.
And there you have it, the literal representation
of the difference between macaroni salad and pasta salad,
a lovely cheesy, herby mozzarella and garlic affair,
pesto pasta salad.
Last but not least, I want to do a sort
of lemony spring vegetable affair,
which I want to top with some homemade ricotta.
Making ricotta's pretty simple.
You just bring four cups of high quality whole milk,
not ultra pasteurized, to a bare simmer, kill the heat,
and add one tablespoon of lemon juice
and a half teaspoon of kosher salt.
Mix for even distribution
and let it sit for five to 10 minutes, after which time,
you should see large curds of cheese forming.
If you don't, try adding another tablespoon or two
of lemon juice or white vinegar
and letting it sit for another five to 10 minutes.
Once you see some nice cheesy chunks forming in there,
it's time to drain.
We're lining a fine mesh sieve
with four to eight layers of cheesecloth,
pouring in the admittedly unappetizing mixture,
and letting it sit for 45 minutes to an hour.
The longer you let it sit, the drier a ricotta you'll get,
as the saying goes.
Now for my spring vegetables,
I'm starting with some asparagus
that I'm first cutting in half lengthwise
and then chopping into bite-size pieces,
thinly slicing three ounces of radishes
by hand or via mandolin,
and to reduce their horseradish-like spiciness,
I'm gonna let them chill out in an ice bath for 10 minutes.
The asparagus, meanwhile, is getting the standard blanch
and shock treatment, two to three minutes in boiling water,
during the last minute of which
I'm gonna add four ounces of frozen peas,
shocking everybody in ice water once they're cooked.
Now to assemble, I'm starting with four and a half ounces
of our homemade mayonnaise, the zest of one lemon.
Make sure you're only zesting
the very outer layer of the lemon.
Plus, we're gonna squeeze in the juice of said lemon,
along with a third of a cup of extra virgin olive oil
and all of the fresh herbs,
a healthy pile of mint, dill, chives, and tarragon.
It's my opinion that you can't really
over-herb your pasta salad, so go crazy.
Season the dressing to taste
with kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.
Add the cooked, rinsed, and cooled pasta,
in this case, some gemelli,
our cooked and cooled asparagus and peas,
our ice water bathed and drained sliced radishes,
and two ounces of toasted and cooled pine nuts,
for a little nutty balance.
Mix it up, adjust seasonings as necessary,
and there you have it,
a bright, fresh lemony herby pasta salad
with spring vegetables front and center,
and a big dollop of homemade ricotta.
A veritable trifecta of picnic-y summertime goodness,
each taking less than an hour to make,
and only getting better with time in the fridge.
Now all we need is a bright and summery cocktail,
like my current favorite, the paper plane.
First, we're adding one ounce
of the Singleton 12 year old to a cocktail shaker over ice,
followed by one ounce of amaro, a medicinal digestif,
one ounce of Aperol, a summer cocktail essential,
and one ounce of freshly-squeezed lemon juice,
the juice of the common lemon.
Shake with seasonal vigor,
strain into a rocks glass over ice,
or optionally, this cocktail can be served up
in a coupe glass, but either way,
we're garnishing with a twisted lemon peel.
And there you have it, a cocktail as easy to make
as its namesake, the paper plane.
Thanks again to the Singleton single malt scotch whiskey
for partnering with me on a number of episodes
over the last few years.
If you're intimidated by scotch, don't be.
The Singleton 12 year old is easy to enjoy
because it's light, slightly sweet, approachable,
and most of all, versatile.
For example, a cocktail like this paper plane pairs well
with summer cookout favorites, but also with something rich
and bright like the pasta al limone I made on Basics.
You can actually order a kit on Food 52 today
to get everything you need to make a Singleton paper plane
and two custom rocks glasses from the Babish cookware line.
The link is in the video description. Cheers.
(laid back music)