BRAISED STUFFED ESCAROLE

I AM ALWAYS apologizing for my sporadic writing habits but things have simply slipped away from me these days. It's not that I haven't wanted to write but a host of issues prevail (still!), including the ubiquitous horror of moving (happening soon). More on that when it happens!

In any event, I first want to talk about a fantastic cookbook I found in the New York Public Library one day (I often cull through the shelves there to find little gems of knowledge). The cookbook is named Bocca, after the eponymous restaurant in London run by a young chef named Jacob Kenedy. His cookbook is by far, one of the most fascinatingly interesting cookbooks I have read in a long time. It is comprehensive in scope and doesn't shy away from the derring-do of an innovator. He remains classic in many ways, but his manner and style are truly refreshing. It isn't fussy; it's real. His chapter on gelati alone is worth the price of the book (I bought mine on Amazon for $20.00 - RETAIL: $35.00). In fact, I must apologize once more for not acknowledging him in my gelato blog as most of the basics were gotten from his book. 

But today, I want to talk about the hearty escarole. Escarole is a rather bitter green and is related to the endive family - chicory in particular - which explains its dense texture. Even though it is terrific in a salad, it is much better when cooked. My grandmother used to make escarole soup with chicken broth, garlic and basil. It was delicious. Stuffing it with raisins, pine nuts, garlic and anchovies, however, brings it to a completely new level. One night, when I had leftover meatballs, I chopped those up and put them into the stuffing mixture as well. They sort of melted into this fantastic texture and one couldn't really tell it was a meatball at all. I'm sure that one could improvise and put some cheese into the mix as well but I wouldn't stray too far afield of the 3-4 ingredient rule in Italian cooking. Troppo fantasia as they would say in Rome!

Serves Four

1 head escarole (the largest you can find)

4 cloves garlic (smashed and minced)

1 can anchovies (I drizzle the oil from the can all over the inner leaves)

4 heaping tbs. pine nuts

1/2 cup raisins

Extra virgin olive oil

2 cups chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Plenty of butcher's twine

Take one large head of Escarole and open it up completely on a large table or work surface (in my experience, rinsing the outer leaves under the faucet should suffice, but if you want, open the head without letting any leaves break off and immerse it in a sink full of cold water).

Spread out the leaves as flat as you can and sprinkle on the raisins, garlic and pine nuts. Strew the anchovy filets around the center of the escarole and work your way out about half way drizzling the oil as you go.

Close the escarole with your hands to make a large bulb. Take the twine and tie the tip of the escarole closed and while holding the tip, tie the twine tightly around the top and start to tie the bulb until you have twine encircling the entire escarole. Change directions and take the twine and tie lengthwise twice and tie the ends to enclose the entire head.

Heat a medium-sized round or oval metal casserole dish with cover or a Dutch oven Le Creuset is best for this) and pour enough of the olive to cover the bottom. Lightly salt and pepper the escarole and sauté the escarole all over until it is bright green and the outer edges have begun to wilt. Strew any of the leftover raisins and anchovy into the pot.

Pour about one cup chicken stock into the pot, bring to the boil and then lower the heat to a bare simmer and cover. Cook on a very low flame for about 2 hours, adding more liquid, if necessary. There will be rather a lot of shrinkage. When the  escarole is ready, remove from pot, remove all twine and cut into quarters. Serve immediately.

Buon appetito!

TROUT ALLA GRAVLAX

RECENTLY, two friends were in a pickle about cooking fish they'd bought for dinner only to find out that they had to leave town. Not wanting to let it go to waste, I was the recipient of their largesse — a whole trout, filleted, from Citarella! 

It was already a late Friday night when I received such a benevolent gift and I couldn't just pop into the kitchen and start frying up fish, so I decided to relish the moment that was to come a few days later after letting the filets take in the vapors of salt, sugar and spices. It wasn't a conventional Gravlax considering the fact that I hadn't any dill in the house; however, I did have parsley and thyme, and rosemary and tarragon and red and green peppercorns. This is what resulted!

TROUT GRAVLAX

It may surprise you to know that Gravlax is extremely easy to prepare. All you really need is a few ingredients: super fresh fish — salmon being the originally intended fish for this particular dish (the Scandinavians prepare this over and over again to the point of national pride as the salt acts as a natural preservative) — and patience! It is best to prepare this at least 3 days before you intend to eat it (I like to wait about 5 but even 2 will do in a pinch if you're pressed for time). Food of  the Vikings!

For this recipe you'll need one whole trout, filleted and bones removed with a pincer.

3 tbs. Kosher salt
2 tbs. Sugar
1 tbs. chopped parsley
1 tbs. chopped fresh thyme
1 tbs. chopped fresh tarragon
1 tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp. whole red peppercorns freshly ground in a mortar and pestle
1 tsp. whole green peppercorns freshly ground in a mortar and pestle
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 shallot slice paper thin
1/2 lemon sliced paper thin

Mix the sugar and salt together and place in a small bowl and reserve. Chop all the herbs and mix them together and put that in a separate bowl and reserve. Mix the ground peppercorns, grate the ginger and slice the shallot and lemon, and reserve those as well. 

TROUT FILETS READY FOR ACTION

As you can see from the photograph above, the trout glistens. You will need a medium sized rimmed roasting pan which will fit the fish snugly. Line the pan with a layer of aluminum foil and then a layer of plastic wrap. Lay the fish on top. Blend the salt and sugar together and cover the trout with the salt and sprinkle all over both filets to create an even layer. Cover the salt layer with the herbs, peppercorns and ginger as shown in the photograph below.

Cover the filets with the shallot and then top with the sliced lemons.

Cover the fish with the plastic wrap, and then enclose the fish with the outside border of foil and close tightly. Place in the refrigerator and put a heavy bottomed pot filled with a can or two of tomatoes or vegetable on top of the fish to weigh it down and let the fish stand for at least 2-3 days. As I said, 5 is really the best.

When ready to serve remove the fish from the foil wrapping and place on a cutting board, Remove the lemon slices, scrape most of the herb mixture away from the fish and slice paper thin slices with a very sharp fish knife (a long fish slicing knife is best). 

Serve with toasts or black bread or rye crisps or if you like, alone like sashimi.

This makes a fabulous hors d'oeuvre or first course to a sumptuous meal.

Bon appetit!

GELATO

I KNOW that summer is over and I have procrastinated to the nth degree, but here it is, my many takes on gelato, granita, and ice cream.

I've been experimenting over the summer and trying to perfect the actual process, not to mention the texture of all things frozen. The key, I think, is having a lot of patience and an extremely good, frozen element in your ice cream machine. 

CHERRY VANILLA, PISTACHIO AND GIANDUJA

First of all, let me be clear: these are basically eggless custards which, I suppose, contradicts what an actual custard is. All recipes are based on a basic formula: the combination of milk and cream with sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin.

The basic recipe for a gelato bianco is:

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

3 tsp. light corn syrup or 2 tsp. honey

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup powdered skim milk

1 tsp. unflavored gelatin (bloomed in cold water)

Heat the milk with the cream and the corn syrup to a simmer. Mix the sugar and the powdered skim milk and add that to the liquid until it is dissolved. Add the gelatin and mix well. Remove from heat and allow to cool before placing in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours (preferably over night). 

You now have a white gelato base from which you can make endless variations of gelati.

To make Pistachio gelato, you must make pistachio paste. No substitute will do here. You can buy paste or flavorings for many fruit ices and sorbets at Italian specialty stores, such as Buon Italia in Chelsea Market here in New York or online. Many of these flavorings come in rather hefty quantities and are rather dear to the pocket so, if you have the wherewithal, go for it. However, if you want to really enjoy the experience, and with a little bit of knowledge, it is possible to make these at home. To make pistachio marmalade is rather simple:

1 cup shelled pistachios

Pour boiling water onto the pistachios and let sit for about 3 or 4 minutes. Drain and place on a clean, dry dish towel and rub them around until the skins come off. Place the "green" nuts in in a spice blender or a nut grinder (Cuisinart has a great one) and grind with 1/2 cup confectioners sugar for about 1 minute. You should have a very green paste. 

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

Bring the water and sugar to a boil. Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the pistachio paste and cook, stirring constantly until the liquid becomes very thick. 

Your big decision here is now to make gelato with nutty pistachio or just pistachio syrup. I prefer to press the nuts through a sieve and use only the green syrup and then reserve the nuts left behind to dip the edges of cannoli.

The same process can be employed for making nocciola (hazelnut) gelato but without the sugar and the water. Simply toast the nuts, place them on a dry towel and roll them around to remove the skins. Grind the nuts with 1 cup confectioner's sugar until you have a dense, buttery paste. Add that to the gelato bianco and proceed with the ice cream making process. 

To make Gianduja gelato, simply melt 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (70% cacao, please) with a stick of butter and add the nut paste, allow to cool and refrigerate and proceed with the recipe.

To make Stracciatella, the same process of melting chocolate is employed but instead of the butter melt the chocolate in a double boiler with 1 tbs. unflavored vegetable oil and allow to cool somewhat before gently pouring the chocolate in a steady stream into the gelato just before it is finished in the machine. Instead of chocolate chips, little frozen flecks of chocolate with form. You can make a variation of this by taking about 12 mint leaves and blanching them in boiling water and then puréeing them and adding the purée to the gelato bianco to add color and mint flavoring.

Pictured above, you will see that there is also cherry vanilla. Macerate freshly pitted cherries with sugar and 1 tbs. vanilla and add to the gelato after it has reached the frozen state in your ice cream making machine and freeze. 

LEMON, PINEAPPLE, MANGO WITH GINGER AND ESPRESSO SORBETS

To make sorbet: all one need to do is substitute the dairy for a simple syrup made from sugar and water, gelatin and any other flavoring agent (fruit, citrus, cocoa powder, etc.).

1 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups water

Blend the sugar and water and bring it to the boil and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Take any fruit of your choice, such as strawberries, raspberries, mango, melon, etc., and puree the fruit in a blender. Add the simple syrup along with

2 tsp. light corn syrup

1 tsp. unflavored gelatin dissolved in cold water (bloomed)

Place in the refrigerator for at least 5-6 hours, preferably overnight. When the mixture is completely cold, proceed according to the instructions on your ice cream maker.

LEMON SORBETTO

To make any type of citrus ice or sorbet:

Beat one egg white until soft peaks begin to form. Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until semi-stiff peaks form. Add the simple syrup as well as:

the juice from 5 lemons

grated lemon zest from one lemon

Mix well and refrigerate overnight. The egg whites will form a great deal of froth at the surface of the bowl which will incorporate itself into the sorbet as it freezes in the ice cream making process.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless. Use a little imagination when making gelato. Be creative and add surprising elements into the recipes. For instance, I've added ginger and lime in many of the fruit ices, especially the mango and melon sorbets. I also like to add lime juice for added depth, especially in watermelon granita. Espresso granitas or even a non-dairy espresso gelato with egg yolks is possible, but beware: a little of this goes an extremely long way and if you have trouble sleeping after drinking coffee, this variety of gelato will take you over the edge.

Buon appetito!!!

Pomodori

THERE I WAS, walking up Broadway after being at the local fruit cart (eggplant for $1.00), West Side Market for some stuff, including lots of meat, the library, and then the Columbia Green Market. After examining many of the stalls, I came upon one which was offering very ripe tomatoes for $1.00 a pound. I decided to buy 10 pounds and he gave me two complete boxes (probably 20-25 pounds worth) for $10.00!!! Lesson to be learned here: go to the Green Market late in the day! 

So, what does one do with 25 pounds of tomatoes? These tomatoes in particular were screaming to be cooked and preserved and that's exactly what I did. 

POMODORI!!

The labor becomes somewhat intensive here. To begin one must score each tomato - a criss-cross motion on each tomato will do. Place about 1/2 dozen in boiling water until the skin begins to peel away naturally. Remove the tomatoes from the pot and place in cold water until they are cool enough to touch and peel away the skins of each tomato and place the tomatoes in a large bowl. Continue the same process until all the tomatoes have been peeled. 

PEELED POMODORI

Take one white onion and one red onion and chop coarsely. Chop 5 or 6 cloves of garlic and saute the onions and garlic in olive oil in a very large pot. 

CONSERVA

You will notice that the bowl full of tomatoes will have accumulated a rather large amount of juice. Pour all of the tomatoes and the juice into the pot with the onion and garlic and bring the contents to a boil. Add about 1 tbs. kosher salt and 14 turns of a black pepper grinder and 2 tbs. chopped fresh thyme. After the tomatoes have come to a boil, turn the flame down to a simmer and add 15-20 leaves of fresh basil. Cook at the simmer partially covered, stirring occasionally for about 5-6 hours. 

I let the sauce cool and then pour the contents into sterilized jars and preserve them. You should have enough tomato sauce to last you until Christmas!

CONSERVA DI POMODORO

BUON APPETITO!

SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER!

SO, SUMMER IS HERE IN FULL FORCE! And it's almost over! I've tried to write entries for the last month but have constantly been deterred by one thing or the other, including a long trip to California. Almost immediately afterwards, I went to Fire Island for my annual week on the beach. 

In preparation for my yearly trek, though, I start to prepare things in the late spring and early summer, depending on when I'm planning to be out there. This year, I made caponatina, preserved tuna, several flavors of jam, including apricot, strawberry and orange marmalade and  the most amazing pickled bell peppers packed in oil. I also made home-made gianduja, which eventually became gelato (I made several flavors) but you'll have to wait for my next entry on that! 

I found this recipe in Lorenza de Medici's Antipasti. It is one of the most luscious and outrageous things I have ever put into my mouth.

Pickled Bell Peppers in Oil with Anchovies and Capers

3-4 bell peppers (preferably yellow, red and orange)

4 cups red wine vinegar

4 tbs. capers

2 tins anchovy filets in oil

1 cup (but probably more) olive oil

3-5 sterilized canning jars

Cut the peppers in half, core and seed them and remove the stem. Cut each half lengthwise into 4 slices. Put the peppers in a pot with the vinegar and cook for about 15-20 minutes. Remove the peppers and dry them with a dish towel. Let cool and place in canning or preserving jars, layering them with a teaspoon of capers and some of the anchovies. When the jar is filled almost to the top but not packed too tightly, cover the entire contents with olive oil. Continue doing this with all of the prepared jars until all of the contents is used up. Allow the peppers to rest in the jars for about 15 minutes to absorb the oil. Cover the peppers with more oil, if necessary and then cover and seal. Please the clean jars in a cool, dry and dark  cupboard and let them rest for about a month. 

After a month, you can open them as you please and serve on a plate with other antipasto and bread. 

Buon appetito!

Breaded Eggplant with Basil and Lemon

EGGPLANT is a Sicilian staple. It plays a large role in the kitchen and has a wide variety of uses. It can be baked, roasted, fried, cooked in myriad combinations with other vegetables (caponatina reigns supreme where this is concerned) and of course can be used in pasta dishes as well. For our purposes, however, and because it is summer when the eggplants are in lush profusion, nothing is so appealing as eggplant that is breaded and gently fried in olive oil and then layered with lemon juice and basil. It is a dish that screams summer and one that is often served at room temperature. My grandmother and my mother made this often and sometimes mixed this with the home-grown guguzza (gigantic zucchini bigger than a baseball bat) on the same plate. Delicious!

Eggplant with Basil and Lemon

1 or 2 eggplants sliced (not too thinly) and salted to sweat

Flour to dredge

3 eggs

2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil

Juice from 2 lemons

Chopped basil (or chiffonade)

Breadcrumbs mixed with several tablespoons of Romano cheese

High quality extra virgin olive oil
Juice from one or two lemons
Basil leaves

Slice the eggplant and place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freely sprinkle Kosher salt over all the slices and allow to sweat for about 45 minutes. After about 20-24 minutes, You can turn them and sweat the other side if you like. 

Mix the eggs with the lemon juice, the olive oil and the basil.

Mix the breadcrumbs with the cheese (you'll need at least 4 cups of breadcrumb mixture.

Set up an assembly line starting with a plate with the egg plant, flour, egg mixture, bread crumbs and another plate for the breaded eggplant.  Dredge each slice and then dip in the egg and then bread the slices and place on the clean plate in a circular pattern (as in the photograph above). Squeeze lemon juice over the top of the eggplant and let rest for about 15 minutes.

Heat a large, deep frying pan and pour in enough olive oil to cover the bottom in a generous layer. When the oil ripples and is just on the brink of smoking, place the eggplant slices in the pan. Gently saute until each side is a crisp and golden brown. Layer the eggplant on a platter and continue to fry all the eggplant until you are done. Drizzle more lemon juice on the top of the eggplant, insert basil leaves and lemon wedges around the platter. 

Serve immediately or at room temperature with other antipasti.

Buon appetition!

TONNO E PATATE CON AIOLI

I WOULD HAVE WRITTEN THIS on my flight to Sacramento last night but was forced to refrain thanks to the child-centric parents who kept getting up and down (I had the aisle seat) with their screaming 18 month old son.

Anyway, summer is the time to cook without heat. Here in New York, when the mercury tops 75º and the humidity is scorching, the last thing you really want to do is cook over a hot stove; forget about the oven. There are many ways to get around this and one of them is tuna with boiled potatoes, some thick, rich Aioli and a loaf of crusty bread. It makes the perfect lunch or a fabulous antipasto before something grilled or roasted in the wee hours of the night when the sun is down. It is perfect for the beach!

TONNO SOTT'OGLIO COLLE PATATE E AIOLI

1 recipe Tonno Sott'Oglio (see blog entry dated, January 12, 2014)

6 new potatoes (quartered, but left unpeeled)

1 recipe Aioli (see below)

1 baguette

Tonno Sott'Oglio

1 cup tuna (left to drain the oil in a small sieve)

Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water for about 15 minutes or until pierced easily with a knife

Aioli

2 tbs. dry mustard

At least 6 cloves of garlic

Dash of sea salt

2 anchovy filets

3 egg yolks

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. water

1/2 tsp. vinegar

1 cup olive oil*

1 small packet saffron powder

Smash the garlic with a large chef's knife or cleaver. Mix well with the salt and anchovies and work into a paste (either in a mortar and pestle or a food processor or blender)

Heat the canister of a blender with hot water. Drain and add the egg yolks, dry mustard, lemon juice, water and vinegar and blend until very well mixed. Start adding the olive oil a little bit at a time in a very thin stream. You don't want to saturate the egg yolks too quickly with the oil or the sauce will separate. You want to end up with a very thick mayonnaise. When this is achieved, add the garlic and the saffron. For a deeper flavor, I add a dash of Worcestershire Sauce, Tabasco,  Nutmeg and Paprika.

Put into a bowl or container and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Arrange the tuna and potatoes around the bowl of Aioli on a platter and serve with a good loaf of bread.

Buon appetito!

* You don't have to use 100% olive oil. You can mix the oils if you like (Canola, Avocado, Peanut, Corn, whichever you prefer), but I would still make sure that half of the oil was olive oil.