Creamy cashew milk, a comforting matcha latte, and what we're making on Christmas Eve.
Plus, a bit of This & That.
Cashew Milk
Even though I make a lot of homemade almond milk, I've been testing out other nut milk recipes and have fallen in love with this cashew milk. The milk is creamy, smooth, and even easier to make than almond milk. If you have a powerful blender, like a Vitamix, there is no need to strain the milk to remove the pulp like you have to do with almond milk. Soak the cashews overnight, drain, rinse, add water, and any other ingredients you would like to flavor it, and blend away! The result is a rich, decadent nut milk that tastes delicious in matcha lattes, over hot cereal, or in a morning smoothie. I often make it unsweetened, but it's also really good when you add a couple of dates, some vanilla bean, cinnamon, cardamom, and a pinch of sea salt.
CASHEW MILK
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight at room temperature
4 cups water (I’ve also made it with 2 cups coconut water/2 cups regular water, this combo gives it a nice sweetness)
Optional: pitted dates, honey, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla bean
Drain the soaked cashews and rinse with water. Add the cashews and four cups of water to the blender. If you're adding other ingredients like dates or cinnamon, add them now. Blend on high for a minute or two until the milk is smooth and creamy.
Matcha Latte with Cashew Milk
I brought back my favorite matcha to Italy and have been using it all week for our afternoon pick-me-up, a Matcha Latte with Cashew Milk. I like to use 1 teaspoon of matcha powder to 8oz of liquid but feel free to play around with the amount depending on how strong you like the matcha flavor.
MATCHA LATTE WITH CASHEW MILK
1 teaspoon matcha powder
8oz homemade cashew milk
Optional: honey to taste
In a small saucepan, warm your cashew milk. Once hot, add one teaspoon of matcha powder. Blend the cashew milk and matcha with an immersion blender or frother until thoroughly combined and no clumps remain. If you don't have a frother or immersion blender, you can try doing it by hand with a whisk or pour the mixture into a blender and blend on low to combine and get that frothiness (just be careful to let the heat escape while blending so it doesn't explode).
A Christmas Eve Tradition
Our go-to Christmas Eve dish has been a big batch of Pasta e Fagioli for the past few years. Not only is it one of the most delicious comforting foods to be had, but most of the recipe can be made ahead of time, which is perfect for a night like this when things tend to get a little chaotic. I know we've shared this recipe before, but I wanted to add a few notes and tips in case you want to try it this year for your holiday celebration.
PASTA FAGIOLI NOTES:
If you want to make it vegetarian, leave out the pancetta and substitute vegetable broth for the chicken stock. Jump straight to sautéing the onion, carrot, and celery, adding a few tablespoons of olive oil to the pan, as you won't have the fat from the pancetta for the veggies to cook in.
If you want to take the soup to the next level, make a batch of Rachael's Chicken Stock ahead of time and use this for the chicken stock in the recipe.
If you want the dish to be a bit brothier, add more stock until it meets your desired consistency.
If making ahead of time, stop at the point in the recipe where you add the pasta. This step should be done right before you are ready to complete and enjoy the dish.
Adding an aromatic herb like rosemary to the dish can add another dimension of flavor.
We just had a Pasta Fagioli in Torino that had a splash of red wine vinegar stirred into it. It added a wonderful tangy flavor to the dish. I definitely want to try doing this, too!
This & That
If you have a little one and want to get them started learning how to snowboard, this is the one to get.
Just bought this Doen coat and I’m obsessed!
If you’re in LA, here are four shops that have really unique and well curated gift selections: Counter-Space, OK, Tortoise General Store, and General Store.