Girl Meets Farm (2018–…): Season 10, Episode 2 - Northern Plains Practice on the Farm - full transcript

[Molly] I am putting together
a hearty Italian-inspired

feast for Nick's new
brass ensemble.

This house is bumping.

With my
sausage-forward spaghetti,

and huge Juicy Lucy meatballs.

Those are some balls
with a capital B.

Charred broccolini on creamy
home-made Ricotta.

I don't think I've ever been so
excited about broccolini in my life.

A lively and bright
marinated bean salad.

Party beans.

And for dessert, buttery
Italian bakery cookies



sandwiched with raspberry jam
and dipped in chocolate,

with sprinkles, of course.

It's sure to be one
sassy, brassy

deliciously good time.

[Molly] Oh, yum!

Yay!

[Molly] Hey, this is me,
Molly Yeh.

This is my husband, Nick.

This is our growing family.

And, this is our home,

our farm on the North
Dakota-Minnesota border,

the place where I eat,
sleep and breathe food.

Nick joined a brass quintet...

which I think is so cool.



They are over here
rehearsing in the basement

and afterwards, we're gonna
have a big dinner.

So, for dessert, I am making

classic Italian bakery cookies,

Those buttery sandwiches

with that sticky layer
of jam in the middle

that are dunked in chocolate
and sprinkles.

The guys are gonna love them.

So will I.

To get going on my dough,

I'll first combine
my dry ingredients.

Two cups of all-purpose flour.

This is basically just
a sugar cookie

that you pipe out,
from a piping bag.

A quarter teaspoon
of baking powder,

and a half teaspoon
of kosher salt.

These are really easy to make.

And I'll whisk together.

I ate a ton of these cookies
when I was a kid.

There were all of these
great Italian bakeries

outside of Chicago
where I grew up.

And, of course,

these cookies with the sprinkles

were my favorite.

And, I figured they'd be
the perfect dessert for today

because I am making
a huge Italian feast.

These guys are really
working up an appetite,

blowing into their
brass instruments.

[man 1] Cheers!

[man 2] Prost!

Cheers!

Or at least I assume so.
I don't know.

Next, I'll mix up
my butter and sugar.

I've got one cup of
softened, unsalted butter.

These cookies are extra buttery,

makes them so good and crumbly.

And, three quarters
of a cup of sugar.

And, I'll beat this up
until it is pale and fluffy.

I'll add my egg in.

I'll splash in one teaspoon
of vanilla extract,

and a quarter teaspoon
of almond extract,

which is my favorite part
about these cookies,

other than the sprinkles.

I'll reduce this to low.

And then add my dry ingredients.

And I'm just mixing this
until it comes into a dough.

Now it's smelling like
a bakery in here.

That looks good to go.

I've got a big piping bag

fitted with a nice,
large star tip.

And, that's gonna give me those

signature Italian bakery
cookie ridges on top.

I'll scrape my dough
right into the piping bag,

smelling buttery,
and almondy and sweet.

I've got my baking sheet here,

lined with parchment paper
so that cookies don't stick.

And...

it's time to shape.

This is really fun.

So, smush all the dough down
to the end of the piping bag,

making sure to grab
the top end of it

so that it doesn't smush
out of the top.

To shape, I'll hold
my piping bag

straight up and down,

and use my muscle
to pipe a line.

So pretty.

The release at the end

sometimes looks a little ugly,

but that's the part
you dip in chocolate.

So, it doesn't matter.

I'll keep on piping
and then get them

in the oven at 350 degrees,

for about 12 to 15 minutes,

until they are just
starting to turn brown

It smells like a bakery in here.

I'm going to check
on my cookies.

Oh, yeah!

These look adorable!

Look at their cute plump shape,

and the ridges
held really nicely.

So, I'll let these cool,

while I get their filling
and decoration ready to go.

It's cookie sandwich time.

I have bittersweet chocolate
melted with some coconut oil

to thin it out.

And tangy raspberry jam.

I'll get my sprinkles ready.

I find it easiest to
pipe from a piping bag.

You can use a zip top bag,

or just spread it.

I'll snip off the top.

I'll take a cookie
and then pipe about

a teaspoon of jam
right into the center,

so that when I sandwich
the other cookie on top,

it doesn't squeeze out the ends.

Looking good.

That's a great ellipsoid.

I'll locate the ugly end,
and cover it up

with chocolate.

Dunk this a third of the way in,

and let the ridges
catch that chocolate.

Oh! Looking good already.

Sprinkle with sprinkles.

Don't be shy.

Both sides.

Great color palette
of sprinkles.

Just like that.

And, I'll keep on dunking
and sprinkling

until these are all glitzed up.

I worked up an appetite.
I deserve this.

[moans]

Ah, they are so nostalgic.

That tart jam in the center
of those buttery cookies,

the chocolate and the sprinkles.

Everything works together
in perfect harmony.

Just like Nick's group.

Coming up,

Juicy Lucys, but make
them meatballs,

my stuffed sausage wonders
explode with melty mozzarella.

I feel like every brass
player I've ever known

really loves meat.

So, for a meaty main course,

I am making my spaghetti

and Juicy Lucy meatballs,

which will be a bed of spaghetti

with gigantic, sausage-y
balls of meat,

stuffed with melty mozzarella
surprises in the center.

To start, I've got
a pound of ground beef

and a pound of Italian sausage
which is awesome for meatballs

because sausage
is so flavorful already.

They've got a really
easy boost there.

I'm gonna season this with
1-and-1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt.

I'll crack in a couple of eggs
to bind these together.

[egg cracking]

They're gonna be, like,
softball-sized meatballs.

A cup of breadcrumbs which
will also help them hold together,

and provide some nice texture.

Parmesan, for extra flavor,

and then, I'll grate
half yellow onion.

And, that'll create
some nice small pieces

that will incorporate in
with the meat really nicely.

I'll chop in about a quarter
cup of fresh parsley.

And, I'll chop
two cloves of garlic.

My family loves meatballs.

And, we're Minnesotan.

Minnesota is where the Juicy
Lucy burger originated.

So, we like these especially
in the winter when

it's too cold to grill burgers,

but, we still like to have
some melty, oozy cheese

inside of our meat.

Before my hands
get really meaty,

I'll open up my
mozzarella balls.

This is what makes
these meatballs

Juicy Lucy meatballs.

Because, a little bit
of mozzarella in the center

will melt down and get oozy

and it'll be that
perfect little surprise.

I'm mixing up my mixture
just until it's combined.

You never wanna
overmix meatball mixture

because then you
can get tough balls.

Okay, to shape these,

I'm gonna divide it
into eight equal parts.

Like I said,
these are gonna be huge.

And, I'll take
an eighth of the meat,

stick a ball of cheese
right in the center,

hide it,

like a meat dumpling,

sealing it well so that the so
that the cheese doesn't melt out.

Just like that.

I'll stick it onto
my baking sheet now,

and then keep on
shaping my spheres.

Balls are looking good.

I'll bake these now at 400
degrees for 18-22 minutes

until they are browned all over.

And in the meantime,
I'll get going

on the rest of my spaghetti.

I'm keeping it simple
when it comes to the sauce.

Let the meatballs can be
the star of the show.

I'm starting with some
olive oil in my brazier here.

And, I'll add
half a sliced onion,

little pinch of salt.

We'll just stir these around
and let these onions soften.

It is smelling really good
in here already.

And, it's sounding
good in the basement.

This house is bumping.

In goes loads of garlic,

and a little crushed
red pepper for some heat.

And a teaspoon
of oregano would be nice.

I'll stir this around
and I just wanna cook this

for another minute until I can
start to smell that garlic.

Love that herby smell
of the oregano.

I'll pour in some tomato sauce,

ladle in some water.

I'll just steal it from my
pasta-cooking pot here.

And, then add my tomatoes.

These are whole,
peeled tomatoes.

I'll just get in here with
my hands to crush them up.

I like starting
with the whole ones.

They are actually
pretty satisfying to crush.

And they taste really good.

Stir all this together.

Bring it to a boil,
then, reduce to a simmer.

And, just like this
go until it thickens.

I have a great feeling

that the guys
downstairs are going to

appreciate this meal.

Brass instruments
are really heavy.

I mean, the tuba
is no bass drum.

But, they can use all the carbs
and meat that they can get.

All right,

I am ready for my balls.

Oh, yeah.

Those look meaty and good.

Now, these are not
fully cooked yet.

I'm going to finish up
their cooking process

by simmering in the sauce.

So, I'll nestle these right in.

I just need to smell these.

The sausage and the parmesan
smells heavenly.

And, they have a nice
crisp shell from the oven.

And, these will go
for about ten minutes,

which is the perfect
amount of time

to get my spaghetti going.

I'll first salt
my boiling water,

a good handful.

That'll ensure
that it's salty enough.

Remember, you don't actually
end up eating all that salt.

It just has to be salty enough
to season the pasta.

I've got one pound of pasta.

Give it a swirl so
that it is all submerged.

I'll let the pasta boil,

let my balls simmer,

and then I'll be
ready to assemble.

Oh, yeah.

Those are some balls
with a capital B.

I'll drain my pasta.

And I'll toss it with
a little sauce

so that the pasta
doesn't get sticky.

Spaghetti and meatballs is
classic for a reason.

If you don't like spaghetti and
meatballs, you're a monster.

I'll nestle the balls on top,

on top of spaghetti.

If this doesn't scream brass
player-pregnant lady meal,

I don't know what does.

Get a little more sauce on here.

I'll finish with
a drizzle of olive oil

for a little more richness.

And a storm of parmesan.

I'll bring more
downstairs in case

the guys wanna add more.

And, by that I mean

I am gonna wanna add more.

And tear some fresh
basil to finish.

This is a platter of

balltastic comfort right here.

I better just taste one
to make sure they are good.

Oh, I am getting a cheese ball.

Look at that, right there!

[shouts softly]

I mean,

yeah.

Later, with a little
kitchen magic,

milk becomes cheese.

I spill the secret to making
creamy home-made ricotta.

For a knock-out
party-pleasing side,

I am making my
charred broccolini

with home-made ricotta.

It's crisp green veggies

on a bed of creamy,
milky cheese.

What's not to love?

To start, I am making
cheese from scratch.

I always feel like

a magician, wizard, witch,

when I make home-made cheese.

Because, ricotta,

it's so simple.

Watching the curds
separate from the whey

is truly kitchen magic.

So, I've got eight cups of milk,

and I've stirred in
one teaspoon of kosher salt.

And I am heating it
gently to a 175 degrees.

That's the magic number.

Then, I'll remove it
from the heat,

and this is when
the true magic happens.

I'll get my lemon,

and the acid in the lemon

is going to separate
the curds from the whey.

I am looking for a quarter
cup of lemon juice,

so, about one large juicy lemon.

And, now just
a tiny gentle stir,

will help that lemon
juice incorporate.

I started making Ricotta
back when I lived in New York.

And, the first time I made it,

I couldn't believe
how easy it was

to make home-made cheese.

And, I would do it
all the time for parties.

It's kind of a cool party trick

to serve cheese
that you just made.

Okay, it's happening!

Now, what I wanna do is pull
the curds out of the whey.

So, I'll grab my cheesecloth.

I have a few layers of it here.

And, it's set over a strainer

in a bowl to catch the whey.

I'll get my slotted spoon,

and, again, gently

transfer the curds
to my cheesecloth.

This looks so rich and fluffy.

Hello.

So, I am not using
the whey today,

But, you can
definitely save that

for the bodybuilder
in your life.

Or, you can make stock with it.

I've got all the curds out.

I'll let these
continue to strain,

while I try out my veggies.

I've got a pound
of broccolini here,

which I love because it's sweet,

and has a more delicate flavor
than regular broccoli.

I'll toss it with some olive
oil to help it crisp up.

And, also season with salt.

And, let the salt and olive
oil catch in those florets.

Those little bits
get nice and crisp.

I've got my cast iron pan,
heating over high.

I'll char it on all sides
for a few minutes.

Hearing Nick rehearse
in the house right now

is making me think
of my childhood,

when I would hear my dad

rehearse his chamber
groups in the house.

I'm so happy that Nick is
carrying on this tradition,

and Bernie will be able
to hear them rehearse.

So cool.

Okay, this broccolini
is perfectly cooked.

It has some great crispiness
around the outside,

and it's still bright and green.

So, it's not overly
cooked or mushy.

I'm going to transfer
it back to my bowl.

And then, while it's still hot,

I'll take my fine zester

and grate over
two cloves of garlic.

And the heat from the broccoli

is gonna cook
the garlic slightly,

and just help it
turn it to its best self.

And, now the third piece
of this trifecta, lemon.

Pretty sure that broccolini
plus garlic plus lemon

is one of the best
flavor combinations

there is in the world.

I'll also sprinkle on
some red crushed pepper.

Broccolini likes
a little bit of heat.

And black pepper.

I'll toss this all to combine.

It's, kind of like,
confetti on the broccolini.

I am ready to plate now.

This ricotta looks awesome.

So, I am going to plate it
with the ricotta on the bottom

so that it doesn't
make this beautiful,

crisp broccolini soggy at all.

It looks so creamy and fluffy.

I'll smush it around
to create a bed.

I made this cheese.

It is so good.

Broccolini gets piled on top.

Look at that pretty
contrast of colors.

A drizzle of olive oil
will dress this up,

and make it party-ready.

Some flaky salt over everything.

I don't think I've
ever been so excited

about broccolini in my life.

A little black pepper.

I'll nestle these lemon
wedges right in.

Just in case,
anyone needs extra acidity.

No way it gets better than this.

Curds and whey.

Still to come,

the perfect make-ahead
salad for any party.

It's bright, briny
and beantastic.

It's almost time for dinner,

Nick and his brass
quintet are downstairs,

finishing up the rehearsal.

And, I have one more dish
to round out our meal.

It is my marinated bean salad

which is surprisingly bright,
and briny, and delicious.

You really don't expect
canned beans to taste this fresh.

To start, I've got my
two cans of beans here,

cannellinis and chickpeas
that I've rinsed.

And, I am going to add them in

with some blanched green beans.

So, I got three beans,

the musical fruit,

perfect for this.

To this, I am gonna add
some chopped pepperoncini,

which will add some heat
and brininess,

and start to really
wake these beans up.

This is a salad that
I love to keep on hand

in the refrigerator

because it's good
any time of day,

and after a few days,

the flavors just intensify,
and it gets better.

Next, I've got some
sliced pitted olives.

This is a mix
of Kalamata olives,

and Manzanilla olives.

And, I truly feel
like the olives

are what make this salad pop.

Beans tend to be

overly mild sometimes.

But, when you pair them
with a flavorful olive,

they are good.

I'll add in some
celery for crunch,

about a couple of tomatoes,

and a red onion.

I'll set this lemon aside
for the dressing.

I'll chop up these tomatoes.

Brass quintets are
so really cool.

Powerful, loud,

and really pretty,
almost bell-light.

My favorite is listening

to brass music
around the holidays.

You haven't heard
good holiday music

until you've heard it
played by a trombone choir.

I'll slice half a red onion.

The colors in this
salad are so pretty.

Like, confetti beans,

party beans.

Party beans.

The textures in this
salad are really nice.

Because you have
the creamy beans,

the crunchy onion,

and the celery
and the juicy tomatoes.

And, fresh parsley.

Okay.

That's it for the salad.
I'll make the dressing.

I am juicing this whole lemon.

I need coffee in the morning.

Beans need acid always.

And then, I'll supplement this

with some of my
pepperoncini brine.

I'll balance this
with a little sugar,

and season with salt and pepper.

And then, I'll whisk
this together,

and continue on whisking
as I drizzle in

about a third of a cup
of olive oil,

so that this all emulsifies.

All right.

Then, I'll toss
this all together.

[humming]

I'll pile this in.

Okay.

Me and my musical groups

are ready for dinner.

They sound so good.

Come, eat.

[all cheering]

[man 1] Don't need
to tell me twice.

[man 2] Oh man, fantastic.

Oh, wow!

[man 3] Mark, all the
meatballs are for everyone,

not just for you.

[Nick] I am just glad that
there is something left over,

because when you invite
a roomful of brass players,

to eat, then there tends
to be nothing left.

I know, I eat
with a brass player every day.

There's something
in this meatball.

It's mozzarella.

[Nick] It's like a Juicy Lucy!

So, I think this goes
without saying,

But...

You like the meatballs.

I love the meatballs.

[all laughing]

[man 1] It's a beautiful
combination.

[Nick] As much as
I love the quintet,

there is room for one more.

Percussion, right?

[overlap]

You know, get a beat
going behind that.

But then, who's going
to make the meatballs?

Er, you know what?
Five is good.

[all laughing]