5-WEEK SUMMER DETOX AND WELLNESS REFRESHER - WEEK 4 PASTA PARTY
Week Four: PASTA PARTY
This week, it’s a Pasta Party. The idea is to try your hand at making homemade pasta, make it
from scratch, get a pasta machine. Whatever works for you. Make a big bowl of
pasta and create mix-and-match toppings – basil pesto, homemade tomato sauce with
fresh tomatoes, creamy mushroom sauces and whatever you can think of. Whatever you
don’t use, you can freeze. It’s a great way to end the summer with sun-kissed cooking from
the Mediterranean – The French Riviera and Italy. Soak up the sun, listen to some classic and
pop opera music. Savor the moment. Stop and appreciate the sun, the breeze, the slow days
as summer comes to an end.
Inspiration: Joel 2:18-32
BEAUTY:
One of the keys to wellness is making sure you review the ingredients you use in your skincare and beauty regimens. The more natural, the more you can make exactly the kind of things your body needs and loves – the happier you and your skin will be.
DIY Deodorant: Basic recipe: DIY Deodorant requires a bit of trial and error. You need to
know what works best on your skin. A lot of recipes you’ll find include baking soda. We find
baking soda is too harsh and prefer recipes without it.
Here’s a simple base recipe we love: ¼ cup raw shea butter (Ghana), ¼ cup arrowroot
powder/tapioca powder, 2 tablespoons of cosmetic-grade beeswax/organic cacao butter
wafers, 10-15 drops of essential or fragrance oils. You can opt for deodorant paste or a
deodorant spray. We prefer the paste, but we’re eying a lovely recipe using aloe vera gel or
juice.
Here are some great tips on making DIY Deodorants – Making DIY Deodorant: What Worked & What Didn’t
When making your own beauty products, try to source from small businesses or family
owned businesses. Many big-names unfortunately often compromise on quality. Supporting
your local farmers, small producers from around the world – definitely makes the world a
happier and more beautiful space.
Here are some of our favorite essential oil/fragrance oil shops. A little goes a long way.
Brambleberry - based in Washington State, USA
Enfleurage - based in New York City, USA
Eden Botanicals - based in California, USA
DE-STRESS: Listen to 1 hour of Classical Pop Opera. This week’s Pasta Party brings a little
of the French Riviera, Italy and the Mediterranean to your home, and the beautiful sounds of
operatic singing can transport you to a beautiful space and time. Some of our favorite
singers: Check out Josh Groban’s 2006 Awake album, Cecilia Bartoli’s Queen of Baroque and
Jessye Norman’s Sacred Songs collection. Some lesser-known favorites: L’Amant Anonyme
Opera by Le Chevalier De Saint George, our favorite Classical Music composer. Haymarket
Opera Company did a fantastic production and album in 2023.
MEAL PLAN: PASTA PARTY – The center piece of this week is homemade pasta and
homemade tomato sauce. The end of summer has a plethora of tomatoes, zucchinis,
squash, eggplant, cantaloupes. Homemade pasta has about 4-5 ingredients and you can
make it with or without eggs. The benefit is that homemade pasta is not gluten intensive, and it’s simplicity pairs well with homemade tomato sauces and pestos. Making homemade
pasta is time-consuming. A great investment is a pasta machine that does all the kneading
and cutting for you. You can use your pasta machine to make noodles of any kind. If you buy
pasta in the stores – look for pasta that is air-dried or uses a bronze die cut pasta. The bronze
die cut uses more traditional methods of making pasta and is a slower process and much tastier.
Homemade Pasta
End of Summer Vegetable Soup – (Soup Nights by Betty Rosbottom)
Eggplant Caviar – (Cuisine Nicoise: Sun-Kissed Cooking from the French Riviera by
Hillary Davis)
Tomato Sauce with Rose Wine (Cuisine Nicoise: Sun-Kissed Cooking from the
French Riviera by Hillary Davis)
Cantaloupe Soup with Raw Beet Salad – (Cuisine Nicoise: Sun-Kissed Cooking from
the French Riviera by Hillary Davis)
Italian/Mediterranean Charcuterie Board (Last Minute Brunch Party by Amelia
Wasiliev)
Tomato Mustard Tart (The French Market Cookbook: Vegetarian Recipes from My
Parisian Kitchen by Clotilde Dusoulier)
Chocolate Sorbet (Cuisine Nicoise: Sun-Kissed Cooking from the French Riviera by
Hillary Davis)
KITCHEN STAPLES: Make home-made versions of these kitchen staples – fresh, healthy
and super-delish without all the preservatives and other toxins you get from overly
processed foods
Homemade Pasta- See Recipe
FRESH JUICES AND TEAS:
Lavender Cantaloupe Smoothie—(The Art of the Smoothie Bowl: Beautiful Fruit
Blends for Satisfying Meals and Healthy Snacks by Nicole Gaffney)
Strawberry Kompot - See Recipe
Frose (Frozen Rose) with Fresh Strawberries – See Recipe
Searing the Beef
Sear beef fillets on high heat for 2 minutes per side to form a golden crust. Let it cool before proceeding to keep the beef tender.
Mushroom Duxelles
Cook the mushrooms until all moisture evaporates to prevent soggy pastry. Aim for a thick, paste-like consistency.
Puff Pastry Handling
Keep the puff pastry cold to avoid softness. Chill if it becomes too soft, and score the top lightly without cutting through.
Notes
1
Season the good fresh beef fillets with salt and black pepper. Heat olive oil in a pan over high heat and sear the fillets for 2 minutes per side until it fully browned. Remove the beef from the pan and brush with a thin layer of mustard. Let it cool.
2
Chop the Chestnut Mushrooms. now u can Blend it , Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and add the mushrooms and thyme. Cook for 10-15 minutes until all moisture from the mushrooms has evaporated. Set aside to cool.
3
Lay plastic wrap on a flat surface. Arrange Parma ham slices in a slightly overlapping layer. Spread the mushroom mixture evenly over the ham. Place the cooled beef fillets on top, and roll tightly using the plastic wrap. Chill for 20-30 minutes in the fridge.
4
Roll out puff pastry on a floured surface. Unwrap the beef from the plastic wrap and place it in the center of the pastry. Wrap the pastry around the beef, sealing the edges with egg wash. Brush the entire pastry with egg wash and chill for 15-20 minutes.
5
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and add the beef trimmings. Sauté for 5 minutes to brown. Add the shallots, peppercorns, rosemary, bay leaf, and thyme, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the red wine vinegar and cook for 1 minute, then pour in the red wine. Simmer until the wine reduces by half. Add beef stock and bring to a boil. Simmer until reduced to a sauce-like consistency. Strain the sauce before serving.
Instructions
Quality Fresh 2 beef fillets ( approximately 14 ounces each )
Quality Fresh 2 beef fillets ( approximately 14 ounces each )
Quality Fresh 2 beef fillets ( approximately 14 ounces each )
Beef Wellington
Head Chef
Sarah Baker
Recipe - 2
Beef Wellington is a luxurious dish featuring tender beef fillet coated with a flavorful mushroom duxelles and wrapped in a golden, flaky puff pastry. Perfect for special occasions, this recipe combines rich flavors and impressive presentation, making it the ultimate centerpiece for any celebration.
4 Servings
813 Calories / Serve
Prep Time
10 min
Cooking Time
45 min
Rest Time
15 min
Total Time
1 hour 30 min
Comments