Friends, Hustle and Meatballs for All!
Hi friends!
Happiest holidays to everyone! We are in the thick of the year-end hustle and bustle. This month at Coco’s to Go-Go, we made it our mission to get out there for a few special events. We’ve spent our last two Sundays in Ojai at Rory’s Place cooking up a special Sunday supper. My good friends Rory & Meave McAuliffe (the sister duo behind the brilliant space) shared their kitchen with us so we could feed you all pasta and meatballs and chicken piccata!
Rory’s finesse on the floor is heartfelt and thoughtful–it’s palpable and shines through everyday at Rory’s Place. She has a playlist for every occasion and just knows how to have–and curate–a good time.
Cooking with different teams is so special. I always come off the line with more than I started. More stories, more tricks, more connections. Meave is an amazing Chef–a force in the kitchen. She pushes everyone around her to keep pushing themselves in a way that only Meave can. Thank you for having us, Chef. And for teaching me to never pull my beans out of their liquid while they cool. :)
My incredible team made 500 ravioli each weekend for our collab at Rory’s Place. Pasta making is a trade that allows for constant growth. For those of you who have experience with dough, there are so many variables. What kind of flour? Egg or no egg? How much water? Can I use a mixer? Do I need a pasta sheeter?
Over the years I have tried SO many different techniques, read endless pasta cookbooks, watched videos, phoned friends, etc. etc. Repetition is the biggest key to success in cooking. When you take knowledge and learned technique, and integrate that with instinct and heart, you learn to pay attention to how something should feel, smell, or taste. It’s okay to start over. It’s okay if your first attempt isn’t your best. You will get there. Sometimes we get so caught up with recipe and technique, we forget to pull back and rely on instinct. Instinct in cooking comes with repetition. I always try to remember to think like a nonna. It’s okay if you don’t have a scale or even a measuring cup if you feel the dough as you go. Get out of your head and into your hands, if that makes sense. Practice makes things delicious.
Speaking of Pasta…
Let’s talk sauce. A go-to classic and must have in my fridge / freezer is pomodoro. For our Rory’s Place x Coco’s collaboration, my team and I used the last of Munak Farm’s incredible heirloom tomatoes. The length of southern California’s tomato season spoils us all! We didn’t want them to go to waste and I was happy to take them off of their hands. Processing fresh tomato sauce is a labor of love. We scored each tomato, blanched them in boiling water for about a minute, then into an ice bath they went (video to come soon)! We peeled the skin and processed through a ricer before adding to our onions, garlic and butter, as you see in the recipe below. A fresh tomato sauce makes a big difference, so I’ll be sure to revisit with you all this summer :)!
There’s a version of this in every Italian cookbook and in every Italian family. This is mine! Take what you love, leave what you don’t. Every brand of canned tomatoes tastes different. Make sure to adjust your salt and add a pinch of sugar (a la the Godfather) as it cooks–and taste your sauce as you go.
This recipe is quick and is inspired by Marcella Hazan, one of my favorite chefs. Keep an eye on your heat throughout cooking and don’t forget to keep stirring. You don’t want your sauce to burn. Low and slow (for you too)!
XO
Coco