Girl Meets Farm (2018–…): Season 3, Episode 3 - Spring Feast - full transcript

The temperature's
starting to rise, so I've got

a house full of family coming
over for a lovely spring feast.

Happy spring, everybody.

I'm making a beautiful
homemade herb pasta

tossed with feta and lemon,
savory turkey meatballs

with a bright chimichurri
and garlic yogurt,

a crisp apple and fennel salad,

and carrot cake covered in
a spiced cream cheese frosting.

Yum.

Oh, yah. Mmm!

Hey! This is me -- Molly Yeh.



I'm a cookbook author
and food blogger.

This is my husband, Nick.

This is our new addition...

and this is our home,

our farm on the
North Dakota/Minnesota border,

the place where I eat,
sleep, and breathe food.

These look like a party.

My food is a delicious mix

of my Chinese and Jewish
heritage

and a taste of the Midwest.

Meatballs are one of my favorite
things to throw together

because they are
hearty and delicious.

Today I'm making my
turkey meatballs

and some fresh garlic yogurt
and bright chimichurri sauces



that will compliment them
perfectly.

So, to start, I have half
of an onion

that's chopped
that's softening in my pan.

Then I'm going to add
a little bit of garlic to it.

I'm also going to add
some fennel seeds

and get them toasting.

Some really lovely,
light flavor.

I like adding spinach
to my meatballs

because spinach
is good for you.

And it also looks pretty
because it kind of makes

the meatballs kind of
speckled with green.

Next a pinch
of kosher salt.

I'm using a lot of bright
flavors and colors.

It's going to be
a really pretty table.

Spring is always pretty wet here
because we get so much snow,

and then spring planting comes
to get the seeds into the ground

to allow the crops
to have time to grow.

While my spinach cooks down,
I will ground my ground turkey.

I'll also add an egg, which will
help these stay together.

So I'm just gonna dump
my turkey in.

I'll add my egg.

mb

eygoad
a nice texture, as well.

About a teaspoon of salt.

Some fresh black pepper.

And then I have a bunch
of spices here

that are going to make
this flavor amazing.

I'm adding 1/2 teaspoon
of onion powder, cayenne,

sweet paprika for some nice
smokiness, dried thyme.

Mmm.
Smells so herby.

And 1/2 teaspoon
of dried oregano.

And I'm also going to chop up
about 1/4 cup of fresh parsley.

Let me check on my spinach.

This is looking good.

I'll just pour this
into my bowl.

This spinach is going to make
my meatballs

really, really pretty.

So I'm not drying my hands
because having wet hands

will make it easier
to form the balls.

Ooh, that spinach
is warming up my hands.

Nick's parents are coming over.

They're making the big trek
across the street for dinner.

They are super
into their vegetables.

So I'll grab a little bit
of this,

and I'm going to roll
golf ball-sized meatballs.

So I love using a two-step
process to cook my meatballs.

The first step is to brown them
in a pan

to get them nice and crispy on
the outside and add more flavor.

And the second step is to
finish them in the oven.

I either use canola oil
or a really good olive oil

that has a high smoke point
because this is gonna get hot.

And you don't want to
overcrowd them

because you don't want
them to steam.

You want them to get crisp
on all sides.

While these brown, I'm going
to get started on my sauces.

I'm going to make my yogurt
sauce, which is so simple.

I'll just add 1 cup of yogurt,
2 cloves of garlic.

I'll season with salt
and pepper.

And that's it.

I'm just going to let this
do its magic.

Okay, the meatballs
are getting really noisy.

I'm going to check on them.

Oh, that's a nice, brown crust.

Look at that one.
That's what I want.

I'm going to turn these to let
all of the sides get like that.

Yum.

I'm going to make
my chimichurri sauce now.

I have a bunch of parsley and
cilantro mixed together here.

I'll add garlic.

I'll season it with salt
and pepper.

Just add a touch of heat
with some crushed red pepper.

The juice of a lemon.

Now I'm gonna add enough olive
oil to bring this all together.

Okay, and then I'll blend
until smooth.

Okay.

This is gonna be so pretty
on these meatballs.

Ooh.

Very fresh.

Okay, some of these are ready
to come out of my pan,

so I'm going to transfer them
to the baking sheet.

Meatballs are so great
for a weeknight meal

because they come
together so quickly,

and they can also be adjusted

depending on whatever vegetables
or seasonings

I feel like
or have on hand.

I am so excited to eat these.

I'm going to put them in at 425
for about 6 to 10 minutes.

My meatballs smell so good.

I'm very excited about these.

I have to sneak a taste.

Let me try it
with my sauces.

Mmm.
Yes.

There is so much flavor
in that meatball,

and the combinations
of the yogurt sauce

and the chimichurri
brighten it up.

These are going to be
perfect for my party.

So I'm not going to be serving
these for a little bit,

so I'm just gonna keep them
warm in the oven.

Next up, an homage to spring --

my carrot cake with spiced
cream cheese frosting...

Is that a spring cake
or is that a spring cake?

...and easy-to-make
homemade herbed pasta

tossed with lemon
and feta cheese.

is the unofficial mascot
of the spring.

Mine is super dense and moist,
and it's loaded with flavor.

I'll mix up my dry
ingredients first.

2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour.

1 1/2 teaspoons each of salt,
baking soda, and baking powder.

2 teaspoons of cinnamon.

And now I'm going to add Hawaij,

which is one of my favorite
warm spice mixtures to use.

It's heavy on the cardamom
and ginger,

and it's also got cloves,
nutmeg, and cinnamon.

Anything you'd use
pumpkin spice for,

Hawaij can fill in.

Okay.

Now, in my big bowl,
I am going to combine 3/4

of a cup of granulated sugar
and 1 cup of brown sugar

to get that really nice
molasses-y flavor.

And 1 1/2 cups
of flavorless oil.

Now I'm going to add my eggs.

My in-laws are coming today
and so is my sister-in-law

and her husband, Jason,
and her new little baby, Cliff.

Okay. Now I'm gonna add
my vanilla extract.

I'm adding a tablespoon of it.

It's going to go really great

with all of the spices
in this cake.

I can't wait to see Cliff.

Each time I see him,
it's like he's doubled in size.

I think he's excited
to have a cousin.

And now I'm gonna add
my flour mixture.

I'm going to stir this in most
of the way

so that there aren't any lumps
when I put my carrots in,

but I don't want to overmix it.

Overmixing
could yield a gummy cake.

I'm adding 2 cups
of shredded carrots.

I just feel like toasted sesame
seeds go so well with carrots.

And they're gonna add
a tiny bit of crunch.

Mmm.

Delish.

I have two 8-inch baking pans
that have been greased and lined

on the bottom with parchment
to prevent them from sticking,

and I'll pour
my batter right in.

I want to lick the spatula
so badly.

It smells so good.

But I can't.

Being pregnant,
that's probably not a good idea.

These are going to bake at 350
for about 30 minutes

until a toothpick inserted
into the center comes out clean.

My cakes are done baking,
and I've set them aside to cool,

so now it's time for my
favorite thing in the world --

cake decorating.

To start, I'm going to make
my cream cheese frosting.

I've got 1/2 cup
of unsalted softened butter,

8 ounces of cream cheese that's
been coming to room temperature,

and I'll mix
this to combine.

I'll add some powdered sugar.

Next I'm going to add
1/2 teaspoon of my Hawaij

that I added to the cake.

A teaspoon of vanilla extract,

a pinch of kosher salt...

...and heavy cream will help
fluff this frosting right up.

And that's it.

I'm just using my big
serrated knife

to trim off
this topped dome part

so that they're nice
and even on top.

Mmm.

It smells incredible.

This is going to make
an excellent snack for Nick

and also for me.

Okay, I'm gonna grab my cake
wheel,

which is going
to help me decorate.

And I'm going to start with a
dollop of frosting

on the bottom, which will help
my bottom layer stay in place.

Add a thin layer of frosting
right on top of my cake layer.

Spread it around evenly,

ensuring that the frosting goes
all the way to the edges.

Top it with my second layer.

And I always flip it over
because it will yield

Then I'm going to line
this up as best as I can.

And now I'll frost it all over.

So I'm just going around to make
sure that it's all covered up.

And then I'm going to add
some nice,

big, luxurious swoops.

And this frosting
has that Hawaij in it,

so you're going to taste it
in both the cake

and the frosting.

To decorate, I'm going to grab
some rainbow carrots.

And now I'm going to create
some nice, long ribbons.

I love the colors
of rainbow carrots.

And then, I'm going to roll
this up into a swirl

so that it looks like
a little rose.

I think this is the easiest,

prettiest way
to decorate a carrot cake.

For the finishing touch,

I'm going to grab
some rosemary sprigs,

and I'm going to use them
as leaves for the flowers.

Is that a spring cake
or is that a spring cake?

Still to come, a crisp,
quick spring salad.

Plus I'm making pasta
from scratch

that's full of herbs and topped
with a sauce that screams

spring with lemon
and feta cheese.

Homemade pasta is the best thing
in the world,

and it's actually not
that hard to make.

I like adding fresh herbs
to my pasta dough

because it makes it green
and speckly and really pretty.

So I'm adding some parsley here.

So I'm going to chop up
about a cup of this.

And I want this parsley
to be very fine.

It's going to be like confetti
sprinkled throughout my dough.

Okay, now I'm going to sift
2 cups of all-purpose flour

directly onto my board,

and I'm sifting this to get
any clumps out of the flour,

so that I can have
an extra-smooth dough.

This is a necessary step.

Okay, next I'm going to grab
2 cups of semolina flour.

Semolina flour is a coarse flour
that's really important

when you're making pasta.

It helps the noodles
hold their shape.

I'm going to make a well
in my mountain of flour,

and this is where
all of my other ingredients

are going to go.

All right.

4 whole eggs are going
to go into my well.

Eggs give it a nice, rich,
yellow color.

And I'm also going to add
2 egg yolks for added richness.

4 tablespoons of olive oil.

And this is going to add
a nice suppleness to the dough

and also this great
olive oil flavor.

A teaspoon of kosher salt
and a bunch of black pepper.

I'm going to scramble these eggs
a little bit,

being careful
not to overflow the well.

Now I'm ready to add my parsley.

This is going to be
a gorgeous pasta.

So now, as I'm mixing this up,

I'm going to gradually
incorporate my flour

so it doesn't get too clumpy.

It's getting thick enough now
to mix by hand,

and I'm just going to get messy.

This is the fun part.

You don't need fancy equipment.

You just have to work this dough
with a lot of love.

Not all kitchens are created
equal, so humidity and egg size

will both have an effect
on this dough.

If you don't end up
incorporating all the flour,

that's okay, as long as your
dough comes together like this.

It's time for it to rest now.

I'm gonna divide it in half.

Then I'm gonna wrap it
in plastic wrap.

I'm gonna let this sit
for 30 minutes,

and then I'm gonna
turn it into pasta.

Since it's spring,
why not make a beautiful salad?

I just made a bed of
butter lettuce

and topped it with thinly
sliced fennel,

Granny Smith apple,
English cucumber,

watermelon radish,
which adds gorgeous color

and a sweet peppery kick,
fresh dill, and salt and pepper.

For my dressing, I use 1/2
of a shallot finely chopped,

1/3 of a cup of olive oil,
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar,

2 teaspoons of honey,
and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard,

and then I'll season it
with salt and pepper.

And I'm going to drizzle
a little bit

of the dressing on now.

until I serve it,

and then I'll serve the
remaining dressing alongside.

And lastly,
I want to add cheese.

And I'll just shave
this all over the top.

This is going to go great
with my dinner.

My dough has sat
for about half an hour,

and it's gotten really soft.

It's going to be easy
to roll out now.

Okay, I'm going to dust my board
with a little bit

of all-purpose flour
so that it doesn't stick.

And for this step,
you really don't need a machine.

You can roll it out by hand.

It will take some time
and it will take

some arm muscle,
but it's all worth it.

Look at all this
beautiful parsley confetti.

This is party pasta.

I'm looking
to get this whole sheet of dough

as even of
a thickness as possible,

so I'm aiming for about 1/16
of an inch or thinner.

Ah!

And now,
I'm ready to cut my noodles.

So, to do that,
I'm going to dust the top

with some semolina flour

so that the noodles
don't stick together.

So pretty.

And I'm going to fold it
in half again

to make it easier to cut.

I'm gonna use a ruler to measure
out 3/4-of-an-inch noodles.

Look at these gorgeous noodles.

So I'm forming these into little
nests just to make sure

that they don't stick together,
and these nests will make it

easier for me
to cook this in batches.

I'm nesting in more ways
than one.

'Cause I'm pregnant.

In case you didn't notice.

Okay, I've got
my third little nest,

and I'm going to get rolling
on my second half of the dough.

I have some heavily salted water
that's boiling in my pot.

And I'll drop this in.

I'm just going for about
3 minutes

until the pasta is tender

but has a little bit
of a bite still.

Okay.
I've got to try a noodle.

There is nothing better
than fresh pasta.

All right, I'm gonna
strain this,

and then I'll get going
on my sauce.

Last but not least, I've got to
make the sauce for my pasta

for this beautiful spring feast.

I am so excited to share
these dishes with everyone.

I've got a beautiful spring meal
coming together.

The last thing I need to do
is make the sauce for my pasta.

I'm not making a heavy sauce.

I'm just adding some beautiful,
bright flavors to this.

I've got a bunch of olive oil

heating in a pot
with some garlic.

So, in other words,
it smells amazing in here.

And next, I'm going to add
some pine nuts.

While these fry, I'm going to
chop up some preserved lemons.

Preserved lemons are one
of my favorite ingredients.

They're lemons that have been
preserved with salt,

so it is important
to rinse them.

They have a really nice,
briny, pickley flavor,

and I love them
for their depth of flavor.

They're an essential part
of Moroccan cooking,

but if you don't have time
to make them

or you can't find them
at the store,

just add some lemon
zest to your sauce.

Mmm.

The pine nuts are starting
to get some color,

and I'm smelling
their butteriness,

and that matched with the lemon
is amazing.

I'm also going to chop up
some fresh mint,

and I'm going to add
half of it to the pot,

and I'm going to reserve
the other half for later.

Okay, my pine nuts have got
some beautiful golden color,

and I'm ready to add my pasta.

I'll just dump it
right into the pot.

Now, I reserved some of
the pasta-cooking water,

which has valuable
starch in there,

and that's going to help
the sauce come together

and get silky.

Mmm, mmm, mmm.

Okay, I'm also going to add
a little bit

of crushed red pepper.

Just a little bit of heat.
Not too overpowering.

And lots of black pepper.

And now this needs feta.

Feta is going to maintain
the brightness

that we've set up with the
preserved lemon and the mint.

I love feta.

I wish you could smell this
right now.

Okay, and to serve,
I'm going to sprinkle it

with the last
of my fresh mint.

This is so beautiful!

Now, literally the hardest part
is going to be not eating

all of this pasta
on my way over to the party.

Happy spring, everybody!

Dig in.
Help yourselves and enjoy.

-Thank you.
-Looks delicious, Molly.

Oh, Molly.

What are these sauces
for the meatballs?

Garlic yogurt, and then there's
like an herby chimichurri.

So have both.

This plate just looks
like springtime.

- He went for the radish.

This is just amazing.

I love how you add herbs
and spices in the pasta dough.

There's mint on it, and there's
parsley in the pasta.

Mmm. Boy, these meatballs,
Molly, are exquisite.

Yes.
Are you guys ready for cake?

-Oh, Molly.
-Take me to cake land.

-Molly, you shouldn't have.
-Yeah. We're glad you did.

Oh, I love that.

Denoted by
the carrots on top,

and it has a spiced frosting.

-Ooh.
-Mmm.

-It is so good.
-I love it.

I love how vegetable-forward
your menus are.

Thank you guys so much
for coming, and happy spring.

-Happy spring. Thank you, Molly.
-Happy spring, Molly.

To a good spring
planting season.

Yes. Here's to planting
and eating the planted goods.

Cheers.