CUCCIDATI

Sicilian Filled Christmas Cookies 

Cuccidati

When I was a very little boy, I remember living under the kitchen table while my mother, my grandmother, all my aunts, and countless cousins as well as other Sicilian women known only to me as zia this or zia that, would spend a month of Sundays baking Christmas cookies.  My father and uncles would invariably filter in, one by one, to taste a morsel of this, a crumb of that in between quarters of the various football teams, but first and foremost, the Green Bay Packers. Because my grandmother’s birthday fell on Christmas Day, this holiday in particular required planning on a grand scale and sweets played a large part in the unfolding culinary drama. The recipe that follows represents the very epicenter of the vast repertoire and relentless dedication to baking that was cultivated and handed down generation to generation. It is where I found my roots as a cook and baker.

Makes at least 400-500 cookies.

Cookie dough:

6   sticks chilled unsalted butter

3   cups sugar

4   tsp. baking powder

18 eggs

1   tsp. salt

2   tsp. vanilla

1   tsp. almond extract

16 cups flour

In a very large stand mixer with a paddle attachment (Kitchenaid is best if you have one), cream the butter and the sugar until creamy; add all other ingredients except the flour and mix until completely blended. It should be a pale yellow color.

Change the blade to a dough hook. Add the flour a little at a time. I'd start out with a half a cup to ensure you don't get flour all over the place and then start adding more and more until it takes on the consistency of dough. You'll need a lot of flour!

Regarding flour: all it takes until the consistency is right for rolling and filling the dough. My Mother's recipe asserts with great confidence: "about 18 cups!!!"

Filling:

4     boxes pitted Dates

4     pkgs. Figs

1     lb. Raisins

1     lb. Walnuts

1/2  lb. Pecans

The zest of two oranges (you can use the juice as well - no seeds)

The zest of two lemons (no juice)....you can use a grater to get the zest if you don't mind scraping your hands up....see below

4     jars mincemeat

Optional: 

1     jar apricot jelly or orange marmalade

Rum, cognac, grand marnier, cointreau (whichever you prefer) to taste. The last time I made them (Christmas 2010) I used about a cup of Rum and Grand Marnier mixed together. 

The recipe calls for a food grinder which is very labor intensive. Even with a Cuisinart, it's a lot of work as you will find out! A Kitchenaid or other large mixmaster is also preferred for making the dough. 

Place the dates in a food processor with the standard metal blade. Process until completely ground up. Remove dates and put into a very large bowl. Process each of the fruit and nut ingredients separately until ground up and put into the large bowl with each of the items. You can peel the lemon and the oranges and process them together in the food processor if you prefer; it's a lot less work. Mix well with your hands. It will be very, very sticky. Start adding the rum or whatever you want to flavor it with but i would stick to rum, brandy or Grand Marnier. You don't want it to be runny, though, so go slowly with the booze, letting each amount you add be totally absorbed into the mixture before adding more, but you should aim for a round taste; sweet, succulent with just the subtlest hint of alcohol. You want a dense mass of dark paste. 

Preheat oven to 400º F

Roll out dough on floured board and cut with the rim of a small glass or round cookie cutter. Fill each circle of dough with a small amount of filling and fold over to make a crescent (half moon). Press down with finger tips to seal (a beaten egg or an egg with some milk is optional to brush the rim of the dough for a better seal), then take a fork and press the prongs into the dough to make a slight impression for decorative purposes. This also helps the dough bake with more color and texture thus making a better tasting cookie. Continue doing this until all the dough is used or you've given up, whichever comes first! Fortitude, determination and endurance are key here because this is the worst part of the job, filling the cookies. 

You will need as many floured cookie sheets as possible (you can bake several sheets at a time but you should monitor the progress and turn the sheets if necessary to prevent over/under baking or burning. You want an even golden toasted color. I would start out timing at 8 minutes and then check the cookies for brownness, evenness, etc. And then bake for 2-4 more minutes. Some ovens are hotter than others which means the timing may have to be adjusted. Rule of thumb here: less cooked is better than over cooked as the filling will dry out. Place cookies on a floured cookie sheet and bake for 10 -15 minutes. Let cool completely.

At this point, your entire kitchen will be a sea of cookies and there probably won't be an available surface for anything else. Make sure you reserve a lot of space for the cookies to cool (preferably overnight). The kitchen table or the dining room table with all the leaves in place covered with a good oilskin tablecloth works very well for this. 

Make the glaze immediately before you are about to decorate the cookies. 

Glaze:

2 lbs. Powdered Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

Milk (mix in enough to get the right consistency. You won't need a lot but you should definitely use a sieve to filter in the sugar with the milk. Do this slowly to make sure the sugar dissolves otherwise you're going to have lumpy glaze. I'd do it with a fork in a large metal bowl

Several packages or containers of colored confectioner's sprinkles or non pareils: red, pink, green, blue, silver, gold (preferable in "dust" form) plus little silver and gold "seed pearls" (expensive but worth it). You can find these at baking specialty stores or on line. They are expensive but the cookies look so fantastic - and beautiful - with them I wouldn't do them without. It's totally optional though.

When cookies are cooled and laid out on large flat surface, take a pastry brush or several if more than one person will be doing this (you can use a very small paint brush that you can get at a hardware store. Paint brushes must be new and never have been in contact with paint of any kind.) Dip into glaze and brush a light coat of glaze on each cookie, a person should be right behind you with the sprinkles, sprinkling each cookie so that it all adheres to the glaze before it dries and hardens. 

The finished, glazed and decorated confections must dry for at least four hours, preferably overnight before you start putting them in air tight containers. Best to keep a window ajar as cold air helps them to dry. These cookies freeze extremely well. 500 cookies can last a long time if you're not entertaining on a large scale. They make wonderful little house gifts to friends and family over the holidays.

You will have leftover filling. Freeze it for next year!

Have fun!

Un Timballo di Pasta con Pesce di Raspo

This recipe is an adaptation from one of the most gorgeous cookbooks in my collection called Venezia food & dreams. by Tessa Kiros.  

Timballo of Monkfish in Bechamel
and Passato di Pomodoro

A Timballo is an ancient musical instrument resembling a drum, i.e., a timpani. Therefore, the shape of the Timballo is used here to signify a culinary drum. Sometimes the drum is formed with very long ziti shaped noodles with large holes in the center, but can also be formed with sheets of pasta which line the borders of a rather large oven-proof bowl or souffle dish or even a casserole dish with a cover. However, lining the casserole is probably the last step of the process in making this very imaginative and beautiful dish. 

This dish calls for the marriage of fish, Bechamel and a passato di pomodoro which is then mixed with a variety of different shaped pastas which are then placed inside the lining of the casserole. It can, however, be made with any variety of ingredients, including tomatoes, eggplant, or any other assortment of vegetables. In some recipes, especially in the South and in Sicily, the lining of the timballo is made with very thin slices of eggplant that are dusted with semolina to create a crust after baking.

For my timballo, you will need enough freshly rolled out pasta to encase a large casserole dish with pasta dough (about 5 large, long sheets).

Pasta Dough

3 cups flour

2 eggs

6 egg yolks

1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Passato di Pomodoro

1/2 lb. Monkfish, cut into medallions

3 lbs. fresh tomatoes (a mixture of fresh Heirlooms, San Marzano and Plum Tomatoes) coarsely chopped in a mini food processor or with a large chef's knife

EVOO

1/4 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

4 cloves smashed garlic

1 cup dry white wine

8-10 fronds Saffron soaked in 3 tbsp. white wine

4-6 whole sprigs of fresh thyme

3-4 tsp. tomato paste (if necessary)

salt and pepper to taste

Bechamel Sauce

4 Tbsp. Unsallted Butter

4 Tbsp. Flour

3 cups whole Milk

Salt and Pepper to taste

Nutmeg

1/2 cup Gruyere

1 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Pecorino Romano or a mixture of both

8-10 slices of soft Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola

1/2 lb. Penne or any other macaroni made from Farro

3/4 lb. Wide noodled pasta with crinkly edges, resembling Pappardelle

Mix the flour and all other ingredients for the pasta in a food processor until a ball forms and rolls around the canister of the food processor. Remove from container, put in a metal or ceramic bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. This can then be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated overnight or saved until you are ready to build the Timballo.

A slice of Timballo

Sauté the onions and garlic in the melted butter and olive oil. Add the tomatoes and cook on high heat, stirring frequently to ensure that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme, the saffron soaked in wine and the white wine and cook until everything liquifies. Add the monkfish and cook at moderately high heat and reduce to simmer. You may need to add the tomato paste and some water to thicken the sauce. Let simmer until the sauce reduces to a very thick paste. Take the entire contents of the passato, including the monkfish and process into a paste in a food processor.

In a medium sized pot, warm milk to the simmer (do not let it come to the boil). While the milk is heating, melt the butter in a larger sized pot, add the flour and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon and allow to incorporate into a smooth paste. Cook over moderate heat until the roux thickens and begins to take on the color and aroma of nuts. By this time, the milk should be almost at the boil. Remove from heat and pour all of it into the roux. Keep on the fire and whisk vigorously until well incorporated and let boil for 5 or 6 seconds. The sauce will be very thick. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a few gratings of nutmeg and then add the cheese. The sauce will thicken and take on a very cheesy and glossy consistency. Incorporate the fish mixture with the Bechamel and set aside but keep warm.

Take a large pot of water, bring it to the boil. Salt the water and add both dry pastas and cook for about 10 minutes. You want it very al dente. It should be by no means cooked when you drain the pasta. Transfer the pasta back to the pot and add some butter to lightly coat the noodles and add all except 1 cup of the Bechamel sauce to the pasta. 

Assembling the Timballo

Roll out the sheets of the pasta. Lightly grease the casserole dish with Olive Oil. Place half of the reserved Bechamel sauce on the bottom of the casserole. Line the entire casserole with the sheets of pasta, which should be hanging well over the edges of the dish. Make sure that all of the inner surface is covered with pasta dough. Pour half of the pasta mixture into the casserole. Cover that layer with a layer of hanging pasta. Pour more Bechamel on top of the pasta, pout the rest of the pasta on top of that and continue to close the entire casserole with the left over hanging layers of pasta until you have a tightly sealed "drum". If there is any Bechamel sauce left, pour that on top and let rest for at least one hour. 

After the Timballo has rested, place it securely on a large sheet pan and cover it with a plate and place weights on the Timballo. Let sit for another 30 minutes. 

Timballo Unmolded

Set the oven temperature to 400º F and bake for at least one hour. I prefer to bake it immediately, always making sure that it doesn't dry out by pouring tablespoons of milk on top of the Timballo while it is baking. You can also cover it loosely with aluminum to make sure the top doesn't burn. You want the Timballo to set and seal because you will eventually invert it onto a platter and remove the casserole dish. Like many dishes involving baking, letting it rest overnight and reheating almost makes it taste better. I assure you, this will not disappoint and all the work will have been worth the effort.

Make this for a special occasion and people will kiss your feet for years to come.

Is Whole Foods really worth it?  

From my experience last Monday, I would have to chime in a resounding NO!

I was in Chelsea, having just come from the doctor where I had a pneumonia vaccine and gave blood. I thought: "why not buy a really juicy, fabulous steak and make it for dinner with mushrooms and a salad?" I should interject here that before I even got to the meat department, I pushed my mini cart through the vegetables (scrawny asparagus $4.99 lb.) and fruits (apples $2.49-4.59 lb.). I finally chose some very tasty looking cremini mushrooms that didn't cost an arm and a leg and chanced upon some hydroponic organic watercress. Even the price for that was right ($2.49 for a 6 oz. bunch with the roots intact). So menu planned, I strolled over to the butcher where I saw the sorriest looking beef I have ever seen. Not only that, I'm sure the hired help behind the counter didn't have a clue as to what a veal shank was or a short rib, let alone a rib eye steak. There wasn't one cut that looked positively fabulous, and definitely nothing that yelled out to me "Eat me!" Everything was at least $22.00 lb (thinking to myself "what is this? Eataly?") so the cuts obviously have to be portioned "affordable". 

I suppose I should preface this next part with the story of a former friend, who always insisted on buying Italian sausage from Whole Foods and which, invariably, and I mean always, didn't taste Italian at all. I knew I shouldn't have done it, but I sprang for the Italian sausage with the parsley and garlic. Big mistake. 6 links, 2 lbs. and $12.00 later, I'm asking myself, "why am I doing this?" I felt raped. I'll get to how it tasted in a moment, but indulge me if you will while I continue my shopping saga.

I saw this fabulous organic chicken (4.5 lb. for about $10.00). I decided to get that and then I saw a delicious looking orange cranberry pound cake. It was even marked Kosher. Someone should shoot the Rabbi, because it was the driest, mangiest pound cake I have ever eaten. A pound of flour, a pound of sugar, a pound of butter. How can you go wrong? And it was $5.00! Entenmann's would have been - and is - better. Hang organic!

The one thing I liked about this whole experience was that I didn't have to wait in line for a register (lost our customer base have we? At 4:30 on a Monday, Fairway is packed with people; not so, our local Whole Foods.). I did, on the way there, though, notice that all the men in the store (this is Chelsea after all) were skinny and wearing Prada and product, while most of the women were on the plump side who hovered near the baked goods and the cheeses and the salad bar. Odd demographic. So here we are at the register. I buy a "green" shopping bag and the dolt behind the register immediately takes everything out of the paper shopping bag and starts to fill the one I just bought. I asked him to wrap the chicken in a paper bag and he puts it in a tightly fit bread bag. So all right, he doesn't want to give me a shopping bag, fine. What wasn't fine was the fact that he took the chicken and plopped it in the bag on top of the watercress, which was completely crushed by the time I got home. 

The sausage was definitely THE WORST sausage I have ever had (overpowering garlic aftertaste) and am now convinced that it wasn't my former friend's cooking but the lousy sausage. Or could it be both? Hmmmm .... in any event, I had to throw the sausage out; it was just a very expensive mistake.

It seems to me that a success story like Whole Foods would teach their staff how to pack a shopping bag, the balance of different weights and proportions, delicate food stuffs, heavy meats, etc. (everyone knows that you put sugar and flour, canned good, jars, etc., on the bottom, for instance!), and it certainly would behoove them to teach those teenagers behind the butcher counter a thing or two about cuts of beef, lamb, veal, pork and sausage. A smile every now and then wouldn't hurt either. And at these prices, it's almost absurd that  they're stingy with paper bags. And saying that they're ecologically sound is a total farce if you consider all the track lighting. This isn't rocket science! Any moron could figure out what their electric bills must be like.

The chicken as it turns out, made a delightful chicken soup (one of the breasts I gave to the dog). That and the 24 oz. package of imported pasta I bought were the best value. However, $50.00 later, I would have to say that I'll continue to shop at Fairway and at the Green Markets of New York City while Whole Foods can take their image-altering lighting and exorbitant prices and continue catering to the trendsetting ready-to-eaters and the salad bar sponge babies who are being bilked in their own organically invented world. 

Thanksgiving 2012

I wish I had better photos to show but, alas, no one really took pictures, and I certainly didn't have the time to do it this year. So, a short description of the menu will have to suffice.

We had assorted hors d'oeurves in the living room which were rather tasty. I made chopped liver in the traditional way but added madeira and balsamic vinegar to the mix. It was delicious. We also had a small bowl of caponatina with bread, plus olives, and cheese. I even made the traditional French onion soup dip but with yogurt instead of sour cream. That was good too!

So . . . dinner. Here is the menu:

Ceviche of Lobster, Shrimp and Scallops served on a bed of asparagus and avocado with

Oysters on the Half Shell

Lasagna with two sauces

    Tomato Ragu with Veal and Peas

    Spinach bechamel with cheese and figs

Grapefruit and Lime Ice with Gin

Turkey (freed from its carcass, legs removed, thighs boned and stuffed)

Mashed Potatoes and Celeriac

Glazed Carrots

Creamed Spinach

Baby Sweet Potatoes

Stuffing

Gravy

Home-made Cranberry Sauce

Orange Custard Tart topped with Blueberries and Meringue

Apple and Mincemeat Strudel in Puff Pastry with Ice Cream

Orange and Blueberry Meringue Tart

Apple and Mincemeat Strudel

I might add to this as the days progress, but, I've been a little under the weather this week and need to rest. So long for now . . .

And now, for something completely different!

I suppose I really shouldn't use my blog to toot my own horn, and I know I should be recounting all the things we tasted and savored at the Thanksgiving Day dinner table, but, since I am, after all, a pianist, this first . . . 

On Saturday, December 1st, 2012, I'll be performing three works from my forthcoming recording of the Iberia Suite by Isaac Albéniz. The concert will take place at Tenri Cultural Institute here in New York City and is sponsored by the New York Alumni Chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon, an international music fraternity of which I am one of its members. This is our 14th year at Tenri and your generous support of our concerts will enable us to provide the opportunity to worthy young musicians who are in need of funds. I'm attaching a flyer herein with all the pertinent information. 

The Iberia recording is a 2-CD boxed set and will be released and distributed by Centaur Records. There will be pre-release copies of my CD available to purchase after the concert and I will be signing them especially for the occasion. 

Roast Rack of Pork

In preparation for Thanksgiving, I always make something rather large and bountiful the week before that we can nibble on during the week to free myself from making dinner every night. A rack of pork certainly fits the bill here as you can cut up the chops after roasting and eat the chops separately, or slice pork for sandwiches, even put it in salad or make whatever comes to mind; there are myriad possibilities here. Whatever is left - I mean scraps - I put into a paté for the hors d'oeuvres tray before dinner.

Rack of Pork

I like to let the pork sit in the fridge wrapped in cheese-cloth for a couple of days. It helps the meat to age a little and it takes on the many flavors of the dry rub of herbs and slivers of garlic I insert into the fat. You can use pre-dried herbs or dry fresh herbs yourself. I usually have herbs hanging to dry but the herbs one finds in specialty spice stores are equally as good for this purpose.

1 Rack of Pork (usually 8 large chops weighing anywhere from 6-8 pounds)

Herb rub:

2 Tbs. Fennel Seeds

1 Tsp. Anise Seed

2 Tsp. Green peppercorns

1 Tsp. Black Pepper Corns

4 Tbs. Dried Rosemary

2 Tsp. Dried Thyme

2 Tsp. Dried Sage

Place the herbs into a spice grinder (I used an electric coffee grinder for this exclusive use) and grind into a powder.

If you can't "French" the rack yourself, have your butcher do that for you. What you want to do is basically trim away excess fat around the ribs. At the same time, you should turn it over and get your fingers in between the membrane-like film and the meat and pull away the membrane. In addition to that, there are little knots in between each chop that you need to cut out. There is also a long piece of fleshy muscle that runs along the back of the rack where the actual chop meets the bone. I usually cut this part out (especially when using this cut for a standing crown rib toast). It is delicious pan friend in olive oil with a little salt and pepper as a snack while preparing the rack(s).  Once you have completed these steps you can proceed to the next one below.

3 Cloves Garlic, sliced lengthwise into slivers

1 sprig Fresh Rosemary
1 wedge preserved Lemons, seeds removed and chopped into thin julienne strips and finely chopped and
2 Tsp. Lemon juice from preserved lemons jar

Make tiny slits into the top layer of fat on the rack and insert the garlic. Rub the herbs all over the top, sprinkle with salt. Dot the holes with tiny sprigs of fresh rosemar and wrap the entire rack in cheesecloth, place on a platter or small roasting pan and put in the fridge. Leave it there for 2-3 days. Aging the pork is completely optional and can be roasted immediately if you prefer or are pressed for time.

Preheat over to 375ºF

Take the rack out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature (30-45 minutes).

1 small Onion
2 Carrots peeled and coarsely chopped
1 stalk Celery coarsely chopped
The white part of one leek sliced
Olive Oil
1/4 cup Dry Vermouth
Aluminum Foil

2 long strips of Aluminum Foil folded over itself in thirds and then in half. You should have 2 16-inch lengths of foil. With a scissors, carefully cut a frayed border on one side of the strip but only cutting about 1/4 inch or so into the foil. Cut the lengths in half and then in half again. You should have 8 pieces of foil. Tightly wrap each piece of foil around the tips of the bone so that the fray makes a type of hat or crown. This prevents the bones from charring during roasting and is a very pleasing way to present the pork at the table before carving.

Drizzle the olive oil on the bottom of a roasting pan, add the vegetables and the vermouth plus a tablespoon or two of water.

Before you place a rack on top of the vegetables and put the pork on the rack. At this point, add the preserved lemons and place on the middle rack of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 350º and roast for 3 hours. Baste occasionally, adding more water to the bottom of the pan if necessary. Test for doneness with an instant read thermometer until the internal temperature of the meat reads 180º.

When the pork is ready, remove it from the oven and cover it with an aluminum tent and let rest  for about 20 minutes.

While the pork is resting, remove vegetables from the pan and reserve. Put roasting pan on the stove and reduce the liquid to about 3-4 tablespoons. Add a little butter to the pan and swirl it around the pan so it completely melts and is incorporated into the jus.

Carve the rack into separate pieces, pour some of the jus over the chops and serve.

Next stop: Thanksgiving!

Oysters on the Half Shell

Before I start writing about Thanksgiving (you didn't think I wouldn't, did you?), I just wanted to talk about oysters again, but only briefly. Last weekend I was in Massachusetts and I brought 2 dozen oysters as an offering to my hosts. Very simple affair. For all you New Yorkers, Fairway sells them for 99 cents a piece or you can hand pick them yourself at Sea Breeze Fish Market on the corner of Ninth Avenue and 39th Street for about $7.00 a dozen. I'd avoid the oysters in Chinatown; they're inferior to what you can get elsewhere.

Oysters on the Half Shell

Shucking is some-times daunting, but all you really need is a sturdy towel or two and a good oyster shucker (I have a few but the smallest one has proven to be the best). You need to get into the tiny crevice where the shells meet and pry your way in. I sometimes cheat and put them in the oven for about 5 minutes at 400º but if they're nicely shaped oysters without any barnacles, it all becomes rather simple. 

You should have cold running water going in the sink where you will be storing the oysters while you shuck. Rinse the oyster shell as you shuck, but once you've opened the oyster do not rinse; you want to keep the oyster liquor in the shell - the real taste of the sea! Arrange the oysters on a platter and serve with any variety of sauces available on the market (red Tabasco, green Tabasco, Sriracha or any other hot sauce, including freshly grated horseradish, etc.) or you can make your own cocktail sauce (recipe for mine below) or a Mignonette Sauce of white wine or champagne vinegar and minced shallots.

Paul's Cocktail Sauce

1 cup Tomatoes (crushed) or you can use any kind of tomato on the market but you really do want to avoid ketchup altogether.

1 Tbs. Sriracha

3-5 dashes of Tabasco

5 Tbs. freshly grated Horseradish (or lots of red horseradish for a ruby-colored cocktail sauce!)

1-2 Tbs. Gin

Mix well and place in the center of the platter and serve with lemon wedges.

I was also in Boston on Sunday (Gardner Museum, see old friends) and had the pleasure of eating almost nothing but oysters at the Island Creek Oyster Bar of Island Creek Oyster fame. Fantastic array of oysters (we had at least 4 different types), clams, shellfish and more. Anyone who loves shellfish should definitely make it a must-go-to place on their itinerary. On the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Kenmore Street.

Buon Appetito!

Pasta all'Amatriciana

The first time I had this dish was in Marino, a small city older than Rome, built on steep hills near Castel Gandolfo and Lake Albano. It was made by the mother of a fellow pianist and it was so delicious that, pasta feeder that I am, I had to have 3 bowls of the stuff. And true to form, I had to learn how to make it and then make it at home again and again until I made it my own. Of course, what makes this dish so special is the addition of pancetta (Italian cured pork belly, i.e., bacon) to tomato sauce with a few other ingredients as well. But take note: it is perfectly acceptable to use regular bacon if you're in a pinch. I often make this dish with slab bacon and am giving ingredients for both ways.

Tagliatelle Amatriciana

The traditional pasta to be eaten with this sauce is Bucatini  (thick spaghetti with a buco or hole in it), but it is sometimes hard to find unless you have the time to travel to an Italian specialty store. In New York, it often requires traveling downtown to Little Italy or Greenwich Village unless you know where to find it elsewhere. Buon Italia in the Chelsea Market carries it among their seemingly countless assortment of imported pastas. But any long pasta will do: spaghetti, fettucine, tagliatelle, pappardelle, even maccheroni such as penne, farfalle, or rigatoni (but not so much) if you have sauce and no other type of pasta in the kitchen.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Onion, minced

3 Cloves Garlic (or more if you like)

2 1/3 inch slabs of Pancetta (about 1/3 pound) OR

3 1/4 inch slices Slab Bacon (diced)

1 can peeled whole San Marzano Tomatoes

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/4 Tsp. Red Pepper flakes (optional)*

2 Tbs. chopped Fresh Thyme

20 leaves Fresh Basil (slice in Chiffonade**)

1/4 stick unsalted Butter

1/4 cup Heavy Cream

Percorino Romano

Heat Olive Oil in a deep heavy bottomed saucepan and add onions, garlic and pancetta. Sauté over moderate heat until onions become translucent and the pancetta begins to render its fat. Add half of the thyme and half of the basil leaves, and the pepper flakes and stir. Put the tomatoes in a bowl and crush them with your hands and then pour the tomato pulp into the sauce.  Add the rest of the thyme and basil and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer and let cook for about an hour, partially covered but stirring occasionally to make sure you don't scorch the sauce. Before you put the pasta in the water, add the butter and the cream to the sauce and stir. Allow to simmer gently to meld all flavors while the pasta cooks.

Cook one pound of pasta in a large stockpot full of salted boiling water (do not salt the water until the water comes to the boil). Stir occasionally so the pasta doesn't stick. For one pound of pasta you will need at least 1 gallon of water (I like using a fairly large stock pot, half full of water). Cook the pasta until it is al dente (tagliatelle will cook faster than bucatini so be patient). Right at the moment that you are ready to pour the pasta into a colander, take a ladle-full of the pasta water and put it into the tomato sauce and stir. Drain the pasta, return the pasta to the empty pot or pour it into a large bowl for the table. At this point, I usually put another slab of butter into the pasta to melt before pouring the sauce on top and mixing, but that is entirely up to you.  Stir the pasta so it is lightly coated with sauce and divide into 4 bowls, top with a little bit more sauce (as in the picture above) and serve with freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese at the table. You can also garnish the dish with more basil if you like.

One pound of pasta will serve 4 people as a main course or 6 as a first course.

Buon appetito!

* Regarding the pepper flakes: you can use as much as your tastes dictate and while it is true that some people like very hot and spicy food, the intention here is to give the dish a little piquancy, not inundate it with heat. We want subtlety in the spice, not a tongue lashing with fire.

** Chiffonade is the process of piling multiple leaves of Basil one on top of the other and then rolling the pile up into a tight little log. After you slice the log, you will have thinly sliced strips of basil.

Filets of Flounder in Saor

Flounder in Saor

Preparing any type of white fish (fresh sardines, cod, flounder, etc.) or even sea food such as shrimp or scampi in saor is very typical of Venetian cuisine. It is quick and very easy to make, requiring very little preparation time. 

In saor is the marriage of sweet and sour in the simplest of terms; you simply sauté filets of fish that have been dredged in flour and top the fish with onions which have been bathed in olive oil with bay leaf, pepper corns and vinegar. The sweetness of the onions is complimented by the acidic vinegar and produces an incredibly perfumed dish. I have read recipes that call for the added sweetness of currants and pine nuts but simplicity here is key. 

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 large white Onion

2 Bay Leaves

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tsp. Black or Red Peppercorns (coarsely crushed)

1/2 cup White Wine Vinegar

4 Filets of Flounder (split into two pieces to make 8 pieces of fish)

Flour

Peal onion and cut into two pieces. Slice the onion into paper thin slices. Heat the pan  and add all of the olive oil. Over moderate heat sauté the onions gently being very mindful of not letting them change color. After the onions have become translucent, add salt and pepper and the bay leaves, lower

White Onions with Bay Leaf

heat to the lowest setting, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Check frequently that the onions remain white and if the oil evaporates, add a little water to keep them from coloring. You basically want to very gently poach the onions in oil. After the onions are very soft, add the vinegar and raise the heat somewhat and reduce uncovered for about 5-10 minutes, always paying attention to maintaining a white color. 

Meanwhile, divide the filets into 2 sections with a sharp knife. Pat the filets dry with paper towels and dredge in flour and reserve on a plate until all the filets are ready. In a pan large enough to hold all the filets, pour enough olive oil in the bottom and heat the oil until hot.

Place the filets in the pan and fry gently, ensuring that each side is nicely browned. When the fish is ready, place the filets in a deep dish (an oval gratin or small casserole dish is perfect for this) so the fish fits snugly and layer the crushed peppercorns and the onions over the fish. 

Serve immediately or you can let cool and refrigerate until the next day. The vinegar will marinate and make the fish even sweeter as time passes. I prefer to let it sit for a while and then eat it lukewarm. The exquisite morsels of fish, even though you have fried it, will melt in your mouth.

Of course, the best part, after you've consumed all of the fish, is wiping the bottom of the dish with chunks of fresh bread!

Buon appetito!

Portuguese Easter Pastries or What I did during Hurricane Sandy, Part III

Portuguese Easter Pastries

My sister introduced me to these delicious morsels a few months ago after bringing one home from a "cafe" on the Upper West Side. When she said she was bringing me back a Portuguese pastry, I demurred. That was until I tasted them. OMG! They were fantastic. Creme caramel in puff pastry, that's basically what they were. So, I've been searching high and low on the web, in cookbooks, basically everywhere for a really good recipe and after having tried a few of them, I've come up with my own version.

This method also works just as well with savory ingredients. I only used half of the pastry for the Easter pastries and used the other half for spinach and a mixture of various cheeses as well as the addition of bacon. They, too, were delicious!

Puff Pastry

• 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 cup plus two tablespoons water
• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, stirred until smooth

Custard Filling

• 3 tablespoons corn or all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups milk, divided
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs and 6 large egg yolks, whisked together
• Powdered sugar

The dough

In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the flour, salt, and water until a soft dough forms that cleans the side of the bowl.

Generously flour a work surface and pat the dough into a 6-inch square using a pastry scraper as a guide. Flour the dough, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Dust the rolling surface with a bit of flour and roll the dough into an 18-inch square. As you work, use the scraper to lift the dough, dusting with more flour if necessary to ensure the dough doesn’t stick.

Brush excess flour off the top, trim any uneven edges, and using a small offset spatula dot the 2/3 of the dough closest to you with one-third of the butter but keeping a margin of 1 inch on all sides of the dough.

Fold over the unbuttered right third of the dough. Brush off any excess flour, then fold over the left third. Pat down the rectangle with your hand to release air bubbles or pound the rectangle with the rolling pin to flatten it our, then pinch the edges closed. Rotate 90 degrees and roll our and fold again into thirds. Brush off any excess flour, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.

Rotate the dough 90 degrees to the left so the fold is facing you. Flour the work surface and repeat the rolling process. Once you've gotten another 18-inch square, dot two-thirds of the dough with one-third of the butter exactly as the first time, and fold the dough in thirds as before. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

For the last rolling, rotate the dough again 90 degrees to the left and roll out to an 18-by-21-inch rectangle, with the shorter side facing you. Dot the remaining butter over 2/3 of the surface and repeat rolling as before. Let rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or you can now keep the puff pastry in the fridge or you can freeze it for later use.

Flatten the rectangle one last time with the rolling pin and roll the dough into another 18 inch long rectangle. Starting from the bottom, roll the dough away from you into a tight log, brushing the excess flour from the underside as you go. Trim the ends and cut the log in half. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and chill for  at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.

The custard

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and 1/4 cup of the milk until smooth. Set aside.

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan and cook until the sugar mixture begins turning the color of amber. The caramel will be molten hot and boiling but will take on a clear consistency as it starts to color. Do not stir. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, in another small saucepan, scald the remaining 1 cup milk and the heavy cream. Whisk the flour mixture into the hot milk.

Pour the sugar syrup in a thin stream into the hot milk-and-flour mixture, whisking briskly. Add the vanilla and cinnamon and stir for a minute until very warm but not hot. Whisk in the yolks, strain the mixture into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.

Slice of rolled puff pastry log

Heat the oven to 450ºF. Remove a pastry log from the refrigerator and roll it back and forth on a lightly floured surface until it has stretched in length to about 16 inches long. Cut the log into 12 even pieces of rolled dough (like a log).

Roll each piece to about 1/8 inch thickness and place the dough into each hole of a muffin tin. Gather any excess dough to form a crimped border in each cup.

Fill each cup 3/4 full with the slightly warm custard. Make sure to leave a fair amount of free space between the top of the custard and the top of the pastry. Place pan in the middle rack of the oven and reduce heat to 400º. Bake until the edges of the dough are puffed and brown, about 25 minutes (rotate muffin pan after about 12 minutes so all pastry cups brown evenly). Pierce each cup with a very  toothpick to test for doneness. If the toothpick comes out clean, they are done.

Remove from the oven and allow the pasteis to cool a few minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack and cool until just warm. Sprinkle the pastries generously with powdered sugar and serve. 

What I did during Hurricane Sandy Part II

Continuing with my culinary saga, I want to talk about pasta.

Various pasta fresca

I have been making my own pasta for many years now and it now has become very easy for me to make it, especially with the equipment that is now available. When I lived in Bologna, I learned about the many subtleties involved in making pasta and every single person I knew who made pasta, made it just a little bit differently. Some put a teaspoon of milk in it, others put a drop of olive oil, while others still, put in both; some recipes don't even call for eggs at all, but water or milk. Milk is always used when making Tortellini or Tortelloni or any of the other pastas involving stuffing; it helps the dough to be just a little more malleable sot the edges adhere to each other when making triangles, creating the cuff and twisting the tortellini into the now very famous Venus' navel. The question of using eggs vs. egg yolks is also an issue and changes from person to person, region to region, etc. It can be said that the further north you travel in Italy, the yellower the pasta will be and the more delicate as well. This may be the case, however, pasta fresca, no matter where you eat it, is in a class by itself when compared to boxed or dried pasta. As they say in Italian, non c'é una paragona (there is no comparison).

When I make Tagliatelle, I use 4 cups flour, 2 eggs and 7 egg yolks and a tablespoon of olive oil. What results is a paper thin sheet, the color of transparent straw, about 60 inches long. For stuffed pasta, I use the same basic amounts, but add a tablespoon of milk as well. In Bologna, I didn't have a Cuisinart or a KitchenAid - when I lived in Holland after that, I didn't have these miracle workers either - so it had to be made by hand. When I think of the muscle that went into it - and the patience! - it's hard to believe I even did it well. I now make pasta with my food processor and I have a great Atlas pasta rolling machine, both of which are God-sends. And I'll tell you, anyone who says they only make pasta by hand without the use of any help from a machine is either stupid or a liar. Who has the time today to spend a couple of hours rolling out dough to paper thin levels by hand? I certainly don't and the results are just as good if not better, depending on how masterful you are at doing it.

Basic Pasta Dough

4 Cups Flour (All purpose, "00", Organic, you name it, they all work)

2 Eggs

7 Egg Yolks

1 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil ("EVOO")

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process constantly for about 45 seconds. If the dough begins to form a mass and roll around the barrel, it should gather any and all "crumbs" into the ball. If the dough becomes grainy, you may have to add another egg. This will correct the problem and help to gather the dough into one solid mass.

Turn out onto a wooden surface. Knead by hand for a few minutes, incorporating just a little flower as you go. Place the rounded piece of pasta dough in a bowl and cover with a towel and let rest for about 30 minutes.

Set up the pasta rolling machine onto a counter top, making sure that the vice fits the machine securely into place. You don't want the machine to move while rolling the dough. My Atlas machine has 9 width settings. Starting at no. 1, Place the dough on a lightly floured wooden cutting board and with a pastry cutter or a sharp knife, cut a decently sized piece of pasta dough from the ball and flatten it with your hands. Place the dough between the two metal rolling pins and pass through with the crank. Repeat this until the dough starts to become silky. I often fold the dough in half to continue the process of pressing the dough to make it more uniform. Change the setting to no. 2 and repeat this process exactly, passing the dough through the pins over and over again until it is smooth and elastic. Continue to change the settings until you reach no. 7 or 8 and check to make sure that the dough is retaining its elasticity. You may, during the rolling, have to place the sheet on the cutting board and dust with more flour as you progress through each setting. For Tagliatelle, I stop at no. 8 to check to see if the dough will survive another pressing. I dust it with more flour and progress. What results is an extremely long sheet of pasta dough which must then be hung or laid flat to dry a bit before cutting. The sheet should be dusted with flour again before drying. The pasta should be the color of straw. At this point, you can either save the sheets and cut into rectangles for Lasagna or Fazzoletti, or cut your own Pappardelle or use the machine to cut noodles as described below.

All machines come with an attachment to make two types of noodles (Tagliatelle - or Fettuccine - and Taglioni or Capellini, Angel Hair in English). Cutting a 60+/- inch sheet of pasta can be somewhat difficult without help so it's advisable to cut the sheet in half before cutting it into noodles. Place the sheet into the 

Taglioni

noodle roller and start rolling, Once you have the other hand free, start to lift the pasta noodles off the surface of the work table and away from the machine. At this point, I have cane-backed chairs which I use to drape the noodles on to try for about 15 minutes or so before creating nests. Once you have gathered the noodles, start wrapping the noodles - a few strands at a time - around your hand and continue to roll the strands until you have gathered the strands into a clean, swirling nest. Place each nest on a netted surface (I have an expandable window screen precisely for this purpose) to air dry before cooking or storing. Air drying for an extended period of time (say 8-10 hours) is ideal; the dryer it gets, the better it will cook. A word of warning, though, fresh pasta will not keep in a container in the open air. You must either refrigerate and use within a day or two or freeze it.

Please note: If you want to make flavored pasta add ingredients to the basic pasta recipe. For Spinach, I add about 4 tablespoons of cooked chopped spinach. For Squid Ink, 1 or 2 packet or t tablespoon of ink., or more, depending on how black you want it. For Beet, about 2 tablespoons pureed beets or just a table-

Beet and Spinach Tagliatelle

spoon or two of beet cooking liquid. You can vary the ingredients to your pleasure but you don't need a lot, especially if you're making Saffron Pasta (a few strands in a tablespoon of warm water is plenty. You want subtlety, not an inundation of flavor which will overpower any variety of sauces from which you may choose. Needless to say, when marrying flavors, like cooking vegetables, if it grows together, it goes together.