FANCY PASTA AND NOT

WHENEVER I prepare a holiday meal, I often "rehearse" some of the dishes. Making home made pasta is tricky enough but when you are really ambitious and want to do something completely over the top, a bit of practice helps. 

I have been wanting to make Tortellone for the longest time and because I made some ricotta yesterday and didn't have any spinach in the house, I decided to saute some baby kale and process that in the Cuisinart with the ricotta, mortadella and some Grana Padano for the filling. Here is how they turned out!

Tortelloni and Tortellini

I have to confess that the photograph is a bit stylized and I should point out that the white stuff that looks like snow is actually rice flour (it doesn't stick like regular floor and is perfect for allowing the pasta to dry before packaging for freezing, which is what I did). 

What you need to do is roll out a pasta sheet and then very precisely - with a ruler - measure out the strips and then squares to cut for each piece. Excess pieces from the 3 inch wide strips can be cut into maltagliatti (badly cut) to be used in brodo (broth), which could possibly look like this:

MALTAGLIATTI

Or you could cut them along the long strips and wind up with quite a few very attractive Pappardelle:

PAPPARDELL

A good tortelloni should measure 3 square inches and a tortellini should be half that size (which is much more difficult to maneuver!). Tortelloni is normally filled with ricotta or squash or any kind of combination of vegetable and cheese (be creative!) and the classical tortellini is almost always filled with veal, prosciutto and mortadella. 

Un Tortellone

As you can see from the photograph above, place the filling in the center of the square. Dip you finger in a small cup of milk and moisten two sides of the square, immediately fold over the other two sides forming a triangle making sure that there is no air in the filling sack. Moisten two corners of the triangle and fold the tortelloni in a circle so the two corners meet. Press them together and hold together while folding over the other corner to make a large belly button as seen in the first picture of this entry.

Place each tortellone on a tray lined in rice flour and let them dry. If you're not going to cook them that day, Refrigerate until completely cold and them put the tray in the freezer until they are frozen. Only then are frozen, they won't stick to each other in the bag. They will keep in the freezer for us to 3 months.

Of course, it goes without saying that these gorgeous morsels should be prepared with panna (the Italian word for cream) - the traditional way to serve tortellini is in brodo. The marriage of cream, butter and cheese, however, is definitely the way to go with the larger counterpart!

For four servings of tortelloni you'll need 1 cup of heavy cream, 2-3 tbl. unsalted butter and 1/2 cup Parmiggiano, heated together until well incorporated and thickened. Cook the tortelloni in lots of salted water, drain and bathe in the cream and serve immediately.
Buon appetito.

EVERYTHING UNDER THE KITCHEN SINK

YOU MAY THINK I'M JOKING when I say everything under the kitchen sink, but we all know what it's like to have a variety of "things" in the refrigerator which you just, quite simply, cannot throw out! When I get to that point, especially when the weather turns inclement, i.e., bitterly cold, I immediately think of one of the best comfort foods for any Italian with brains: LASAGNA!

LASAGNA

 It does look rather delicious, doesn't it? Here's how this all came about. Right after New Year's - about a week or so actually - I made Osso Buco. Then I made some braised fennel in chicken broth with sage and saffron. Then I roasted eggplant because it had to be used or else. So, without so much as a "wait one second," I started rolling out pasta dough! (That's the easiest part of this recipe!) If you don't want to do it or can't the store bought types to go for are either Del Verde (they come in square crinkled sheets) or the Barilla "Oven-Ready" Lasagna.  So, that said, let's start with a 13" x 9" lasagna pan (preferable ceramic). Lightly oil the bottom and sides and set aside. I should interject here that this lasagna is made in the Bolognese tradition which uses two sauces: a red Ragú with meat (in this case veal) and a Becciamella (pronounced baysha-MAY-la) sauce with vegetables and Parmesan cheese added. In most cases spinach is used and sometimes a meat such as mortadella but in this case, I used what I had in the fridge so I added the braised fennel and sauteed baby kale. 

If you've made Osso Buco with a red sauce, half the battle is over since all you'll have to do it take the meat and grind it or chop it or better yet, process in a Cuisinart. Put back in the red sauce and heat up to warm and add 1/4 cup of baby peas. Set aside. 

You can process the braised fennel as well and add it, along with the green vegetable, to the Bechamel Sauce which is made as follows:

Preheat the oven to 400º.

In a small saucepan, heat 2 cups of whole milk to the simmer. While the milk is heating up, melt 4 tbl. of unsalted butter on medium high heat in a medium-sized saucepan. When the butter has melted, is bubbling and has turned the color of amber add 4 tbl. of flour. Stir this with a wooden spoon and turn the heat down to medium and continue to stir until all the flour has been incorporated into the butter and the mixture takes on a nutty color. Immediately add the heated milk, turn the heat up to high and whisk until the mixture comes to the boiling point. Boil for about 5-6 seconds or until the sauce becomes very thick. Remove from heat, add salt and white pepper, a dash of nutmeg to taste. Add the kale (or spinach), fennel and parmesan. If the sauce is too thick, drizzle in some milk until you have a smooth consistency. Dot top with pieces of butter. At this point you should make an assembly line of ingredients in their respective pots surrounding the lasagna dish. 

Ladle some of the Ragù on the bottom and place the first layer of pasta on top of that. Add more Ragù on top of the pasta sheet and place a couple of slices of eggplant on top of that. Place more pasta on top and ladle some of the Bechamel on top of that. Sprinkle some cheese on top (or add pieces of leftover cheese on top; sometimes if I have Taleggio or Fontina, I put that in as well). Continue to make layers as before, using up the eggplant with the Ragù and alternating with the Bechamel until all the sheets are used up. As you get closer to the end, you'll need to gauge the amount of sauce you use so everything is used up (Bechamel does not keep and is horrible reheated). Just make sure you pour all of the Bechamel on top of the last layer of white sauce and all the Ragù on the very top of the lasagna. Drizzle about 1/2 cup of heavy cream all around the sides of the pan. Dot the lasagna with pieces of fresh mozzarella and place a few toothpicks or small metal skewers into the lasagna so you can tent the pan with aluminum foil to avoid melted cheese sticking to the foil. Place the lasagna pan on a large roasting sheet pan lined with lots of aluminum foil. 

Bake for 40 minutes and remove the foil from the top. Bake for another 15-20 minutes. The top should be a golden brown and the sauce should be bubbling at the edges. If you see any signs of melted grease accumulating at the edges, you've baked it too long so it's advisable that you  keep a close eye on the lasagna after you've removed the foil. Remove the lasagna from the oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes to settle. It will be much easier to cut if it rests a bit.

Serves at least 8 people as a main course or you can make smaller portions and feed 12-14 as a first course.

Glorious Lasagna

Buon appetito!!!

A BIRTHDAY DINNER

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, we all make something that is a complete and rousing success, and it isn't often that I make a sumptuous meal at someone else's home, but I do for very special people. One such person's birthday was in early December, but because I had performances and the holidays (you all know what that's all about), we had to postpone until very recently and last Friday night was it! It was also a way for me to make a debut performance in the newly upgraded kitchen with more equipment than even I have! Someone at dinner mentioned that eating chez lui was almost better than eating in a fancy restaurant only because you know precisely what you're eating and precisely who has touched the food and what's been put into it (I find all restaurant food extremely salty and don't know HOW some people can eat in restaurants every day). That does not mean that we didn't walk away from the table feeling somewhat bilious (don't you love that word?) after all the rich food. And rich it was!

POTS AND MORE POTS

LE CREUSET GALORE

We started with Oysters Rockefeller (see my very first blog entry - September 11, 2012).

OYSTEERS ROCKEFELLER

and then moved on to the main course:

Grilled Veal Chops
Sweet and White Potatoes au Gratin
Roasted Acorn Squash

GRILLED VEAL CHOPS

POMMES DAUPHINOISE

ROASTED ACORN SQUASH

and finally, an Omelet Soufflé with Apples Flambé

OMELET SOUFFLÉ

All of it served with the most delicious Prosecco I've ever tasted!

So, Happy Birthday and Buon Appetito!

You'll note that I've changed the motif. It was inspired by the frigid temps we are now experiencing here in New York. Winter has arrived (very late indeed) and all we need now is our own sort of  Mont Blanc or Everest to keep us home baking cookies!

Grilled Veal Chops

Serves Two

Marinate 2 veal chops (3 fingers wide) in a mixture of olive oil, 2 minced cloves of garlic, several sprigs of fresh rosemary and ground black pepper. Place in a zip lock back with the chops and let marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.

Meanwhile, make a herbed salt mixture with:

6 tablespoons kosher salt

Grated rind of one lemon

One large sprig fresh rosemary (needles removed from bark)

4 leaves fresh sage

12 pepper corns

2 large cloves garlic

Place half the salt and all other ingredients in a food processor and process until all ingredients resemble a form of pesto without any oil. Remove from food processor canister and place in a bowl. Add the remaining salt and rub both sides of the veal chop with the salt mixture. Let sit for at least 2 hours.

When you are ready to grill, heat the pan until it is very hot. (Sprinkle some water on it; if it sizzles, it's ready.) Grill on each side for 4 minutes and then grill the side with the strip of fat standing on its side. (I grill all sides to get a good sear to the meat.) When the chops are done, let rest for 5 minutes and serve.

Roasted Acorn Squash

Take two Squash and cut in half. Remove all seeds and cut the bottoms slightly to allow the squash to sit upright without leaning. Sprinkle the cavities with some salt, place 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1-1/2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, two turns of a black pepper mill, and a dash of nutmeg in each cavity. Place on a foil lined roasting pan or a ceramic dish and bake for at least one hour in a 400º oven. The squash should be a deep amber color  when baked. Before serving, cut the squash into quarters and serve.

Pommes Dauphinoise with White and Sweet Potatoes

2 cloves of smashed garlic

2 large white potatoes

1 medium sweet potatoes

Unsalted butter

1 pint heavy cream

Salt and Pepper

In an oval au gratin dish, rub the smashed garlic all over the dish. Grease the pan with some softened butter.

Peel the potatoes and slice with a mandoline on the thinnest setting possible. Start with a layer of white potatoes and line the entire bottom of the dish. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on the potatoes and dot with some butter. Do the same with the sweet potato (there should be enough for one layer) and then again with the white potato. Pour the entire pint of cream over the potatoes and place on a foil lined roasting pan and back in a 400º oven for about 50-60 minutes. The cream should be very thick and bubbling and look like cheese (the cream does indeed turn to cheese when it reaches an internal temperature of 375º). Allow to cool somewhat and serve.

Omelet Soufflé with Apples Flambé

This recipe comes from Paula Wolfert in her cookbook on the cuisine of Southwest France. She is always a trusty source for something delicious.

2 eggs

butter

1/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

confectioners sugar

3 apples

Rum or Brandy

2 tbl. raspberry jelly (seedless)

I had some homemade raspberry jelly in the fridge so decided to use that instead of the fresh berries that were called for in the original recipe. I didn't have berries in the house so I used apples instead but added the jelly with the booze.

Prepare the apples by peeling, coring and cutting into fine slices. Melt some butter in a pan, add 1/2 of the sugar and the apples and sauté until the apples become very soft and take on a dark color. Add the jelly to heat and then flambé the mixture and let the liquor burn off. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425º F.

Separate the eggs and place each part in separate bowls. Beat the egg yolks with half the amount of sugar and the salt until they take on a very pale color. If whisking by hand, this should take about 5 minutes. After that, beat the whites with a whisk until soft peaks are formed. Place 1/4 of the egg white mixture into the egg yolks and mix thoroughly, then fold in the rest of the egg whites.

In an oval pan or a good omelet pan with deep sides (preferably copper) melt some butter until the butter bubbles and starts to turn a golden color. Add the egg mixture and fry like an omelet allowing the egg to form a crust on the bottom and sides, but without browning the bottom (about 2 minutes, possibly less). Add the apple mixture directly in the center of the omelet and place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the omelet has puffed and turned a golden brown on top.

When omelet is finished, remove from the oven and dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately with a double espresso!

ONWARDS AND UPWARDS WITH THE HOLIDAYS . . . !

THERE WAS SOMETHING bordering on dread when Thanksgiving reared its warbling neck. I'm sure you've all felt the same way when contemplating how differently you can present the perennial gobbler and cranberry sauce plus all the other trimmings that happily parade their way across the dinner table. It is also fitting that this entry, late as it is, should appear on the 12th day of Christmas. A true ending to a glorious season!

Grapefruit Ice with Gin

Last Thanksgiving, I really wanted to entertain in my tiny apartment - my first big dinner party of import, but the projected 8 or 9 people (which included the usual stray or two or three) seemed completely unrealistic, so it ended up being a small affair for the immediate family as it were. Did that mean I had to dispense with ambition, forego imagination, allow the withering knee to dictate form and function? Hardly! 

With visions of Turkey Pot Pie for the Saturday after Thanksgiving (which never really materialized) the Thanksgiving menu began to take shape! Let's start from the end and work our way to the front of the meal, shall we? I always bake the sweets and make the desserts first before any dinner party so it's always a good idea to make a list of items that you want to present to your guests (there should be many). I should interject here that after entertaining on Thanksgiving, the day after and the day after that, I vowed not to cook for Christmas and I held true to my word. However, that did not prevent me from baking up a storm so there will be plenty of pictures here to testify to my efforts. 

Beginning as I said from the end we did indeed have quite a feast. I have written about most of these things in the past so the recipes are in the blog - all you need do is search!

Brownies

Pecan Fingers

Apple Tart

Bread and Butter Pudding

Torta di Ricotta with Pistachios and Candied Orange Peal
A Sicilian Christmas Buccelatto (Pastry Ring)
Sesame Seed Cookies flavored with Anise
Potato Chip Cookies
and
Sicilian Tetú

Clockwise: Ricotta Torte with the Cross of Saint James, Apple Tart and
James Beard's Bread and Butter Pudding made with home made pound cake and Apricot Jam

Turkey with Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce

Mashed Potatoes

Roasted Vegetables: 
Carrots, Mushrooms, Onions, and  

Brussels Sprouts

Turkey with all the trimmings!

A grapefruit ice (granita) pictured above.

Acorn Squash Soup with Smoked Trout (no pictures, but let me tell you, it was delicious!)

But looking on to Christmas, the time for baking was at hand and for the week before Christmas I did several marathon-like sessions focusing on the Sicilian kitchen, thus producing something like 600 cookies.

Scimino cookies (anise dough with encrusted sesame seeds. chocolate cookies called Tetús, Pecan Fingers, Brownies, and my mother's own Potato Chip cookies. Once I complete the chocolate cookies this morning, I said: "that's it! I'm done!"

BROWNIES

PECAN FINGERS

ANISE AND SESAME SEED COOKIES (PERFECT FOR DUNKING!)

POTATO CHIP COOKIES

But am I? There was eventually a couple of Buccelatti down the path somewhere for Christmas Day. 

BUCCELATTO

Rather than keep you all waiting for the recipes, which I will definitely provide, I'm going to publish this today if only for the pleasure of giving you many visuals to savor!

Now that we are in 2016, I'm detoxing from carbs and sugar and have started a massive diet to shed at least the 20+ pounds I gained since last October! Wish me luck and buon appetito!