Meatball Sandwiches
I love rainy days!
Early this morning Victor decided to make a batch of meatballs. Meatballs and sauce were the perfect thing to take the chill off the house.
So while the rain gently fell, the smell of garlic and olive oil filled the house.
There are certain things that are difficult to describe, and one of them is the utter joy I can feel with certain scents wafting out of the kitchen. Frying garlic is definitely one of them. Part of it is the knowledge that there's more to follow - that it's just the beginning of a fabulous meal. It can go in any number of directions - and all of them are good.
We debated what to do with them... We have several different pastas on the shelves, but in the end decided meatball sandwiches were what the Medico ordered...
Meatballs layered with sauce and fontina cheese, melted in the oven with french fries.
Perfezione!
Sunday Dinner
Sunday Dinner. What a great tradition. It was usually a big dinner day for us when we were kids growing up - especially if Pop was home from the firehouse. It still amazes me how we all fit in that dining room around that table. It wasn't the multi-generational Italian Sunday Dinners of Victor's youth, however.
Ours were pretty much confined to our immediate family. Once in awhile it would include our great-aunts - or us at their home. His was the open door, everyone and their brother showed up. The Italians definitely ate more.
So it's really no surprise that if Victor is cooking, Sunday Dinner takes on that Italian abundance.
Today's feast started with homemade pasta. And homemade meatballs. And homemade sauce.
Pasta-making is one thing he really has down to a gastronomic science. He bought me the pasta maker years ago and I think I may have used it twice. He is the pasta king. He does it so well and so fast, there is just no reason for me to learn it. I concede to the master!
I had a veal, beef, pork combo that I planned to make into a meatloaf. Victor used it to make his meatballs.
Yum.
As I've said before on numerous other pasta dinners, there is no recipe for the sauce. It just is. It's very consistent, yet it can vary depending upon the meats used. It's always wonderful.
I know that's difficult for some folks to understand - they need a recipe with step-by-step instructions and exact measurements of every ingredient. But that's just not how it's done.
My contribution to dinner tonight was a loaf of bread.
I've been making this bread for such a long time now, I have it memorized.
- 5 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup rye flour
- 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp yeast
- 1 1/2 tbsp salt
- 3 cups water
Mix all ingredients, cover, and let rise three hours. At this point you can punch it down and refrigerate.
When ready to bake bread, cut off 1/3 of the dough and form into a loaf or ball. Place on cornmeal-sprinkled baking sheet or bread peel. Let rise 30 minutes. Cut deep slits into dough with very sharp knife.
Preheat oven to 450° with pizza stone on middle rack and rimmed sheet pan on bottom rack.
Slide dough onto hot pizza stone and immediately add 1 cup of hot water to sheet pan.
Quickly close oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
The other nice thing about Sunday Dinner is we generally eat early. That means we get to have dessert early - and there's plenty of Victor's pound cake left from yesterday.
I ♥ Sunday Dinner
Mushroom Risotto and Stuffed Artichokes
Another of the goodies Victor brought back from London was a kilo of Vialone Nano rice. Vialone Nano is a short-grained rice from the Veneto region of Italy. Nano means dwarf - and it is able to absorb twice its weight in liquid. It makes for an incredibly rich risotto.
I picked up an assortment of mushrooms at the grocery store today, boiled a chicken just to get fresh stock, and went to work.
I hate to say how easy risotto is to make, because I really do want people to think I slaved over this meal. But... I didn't. It was done in less than 30 minutes.
Mushroom Risotto
- 1/2 onion, chopped fine
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 pound assorted mushrooms (chantrelles, crimini, oyster, porcini, etc...)
- 1 cup risotto rice (vialone nano, carnaroli, arborio...)
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 3 cups hot chicken stock
- 3 oz pecorino romano, shredded
- 1/4 cup parsley, minced
Wilt onion and garlic in a mixture of butter and olive oil. Add 2/3 of mushrooms, and saute until browned. Add rice and saute until translucent.
Add 1/2 cup white wine and stir into mixture until almost fully evaporated. Add broth 1 ladle at a time - about 4oz - stirring until broth is almost fully incorporated before adding next. after 2 cups have been added, add remaining mushrooms. You may use 2 1/2 to 3 cups of broth, total.
When rice is almost fully cooked - al dente - remove from heat. Stir in cheese and parsley. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as desired.
Drizzle with white truffle oil, if available.
I do have to admit this came out good.
And to make it even better, Victor made stuffed artichokes to go along with it!
Victor’s Stuffed Artichokes
- bread crumbs
- grated parmesan cheese (Maybe 3 bread crumbs to 1 cheese. Don’t be cheap with the cheese.)
- Italian seasoning
- red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper
Trim outer leaves. Mix all ingredients.
Liberally stuff the breadcrumbs into the artichokes. Pull the leaves out a bit and really go for it.
Drizzle with olive oil and steam for 35 to 45 minutes.
Drizzle with olive oil again just before serving.
It really was the perfect meal - and there's leftovers for lunch!
Squid Ink Pasta with Truffle Butter
You just know that dinner was a success when, after completely cleaning your plate, you're standing over the skillet sopping up the last remnants of the truffle butter with thick slices of bread.
Welcome to my fabulous dinner!
When Victor was in London last week, he brought me home some goodies from Carluccio's. Carluccio's is a chain of Italian restaurants and shops in the UK with a dozen or so in the greater London area. One of the goodies was a jar of Burro al Tartufo - Truffle Butter. I've been looking at it in the cabinet all week, trying to think of what I wanted to make with it. It came to me last night. I didn't want to make anything with it - I wanted Victor to make homemade pasta and use it.
And he did.
Not only did he make homemade pasta, he made half of it with squid ink. I have died and gone to gastronomic heaven!
This was just one of the most fun - and delicious - dinners I've had in a while. The sauce was simple - the melted Truffle Butter with a pinch of crushed red pepper, a sprinkling of parsley, and a shred of pecorino romano.
The pasta was amazing. Victor has the pasta-making down to a science. I don't think I will ever make it, because he does it so well in such a short amount of time. It is just perfect.
The basic recipe is:
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- up to 1 tablespoon water, if necessary
Instructions
On a clean work surface, mound flour and form a well in the center. Add egg and egg yolk to the well. Using a fork, gently break up yolks and slowly incorporate flour from inside rim of well. Continue until liquid is absorbed, then knead for 10 minutes. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes.
Divide dough into 3 pieces. Cover 2 pieces with plastic wrap. Flatten remaining dough piece so that it will fit through the rollers of a pasta machine.
Set rollers of pasta machine at the widest setting, then feed pasta through rollers 3 or 4 times, folding and turning pasta until it is smooth and the width of the machine.
Roll pasta through machine, decreasing the setting, one notch at a time (do not fold or turn pasta), until pasta sheet is scant 1/16 inch thick.
Cut sheet in half widthwise; dust both sides of sheets with flour. Layer sheets between floured pieces of parchment or wax paper. Cover with paper and repeat with remaining dough.
With the short end of 1 pasta sheet facing you, loosely fold up sheet, folding sheet over two or three times from short ends toward the center. With a large chefs knife, cut folded sheet into ribbons, a scant 1/4 inch wide. Unroll strips and lightly dust with flour; spread on a lightly floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pasta sheets.
To cook the tagliatelle, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain pasta, transfer to a large serving bowl and toss with sauce.
Victor took half of the recipe and added about a half-teaspoon of squid ink and kneaded it in. It stained his hands and the counter, but washed up quickly with a bit of soap and water.
After cooking and draining, he tossed it into the skillet with the truffle butter and mixed everything well.
After it was plated, he added just a sprinkling more of parsley and cheese.
I want him to go back to London and buy more of this stuff!
Then, again... we are heading to Italy in June... I wonder what the limit is for bringing foodstuffs back into the country... And I wonder how much I can have shipped...
Shrimp Risotto
I was given a choice for dinner tonight - Shrimp Scampi or Shrimp Risotto.
I chose the risotto.
There is just something about the rich, luscious, creaminess of risotto that just sends my taste buds a'fluttering. It's one of my most-favorite cold-weather dishes. And tonight is cold-weather. Br-r-r-r-r.
Risotto may be one of the easiest dishes to make, but it tastes so good, no one thinks they can do it at home. Guess what?!? YOU CAN!
The recipe is as basic as basic can be - and it's extremely easy to add different things, switch out the shrimp for vegetables, add chicken, whatever.
The basic is to saute about a half-cup of chopped onion and a clove of minced garlic in about 4 tbsp butter. Add 1 cup of arborio rice and cook and stir until translucent. Stir in a cup of white wine and cook until almost completely absorbed. Add ladles of hot broth one at a time, stirring until almost completely absorbed before adding the next, for a total of about 4 cups.
Add shrimp, vegetables, - in our case, peas - and a bit of grated parmesan cheese. When rice is juuuuuust barely cooked, remove from heat, stir in parsley, and enjoy.
Delicious!
Lobster Ravioli with Walnut Cream Sauce
I've been meaning to make this for a while, now. Tonight, I finally did - and my stomach is smiling!
It's a recipe not for the faint-of-heart - or those who fear fat - but it will definitely put a smile on the face of those who love to eat!
It's also quick. The sauce takes less time to make than the water takes to boil to cook the ravioli!
I went with lobster ravioli tonight, but the sauce will go with anything... I had a small piece of brie with mushrooms in the fridge, so I added that to the sauce instead of a more traditional cheese. You don't need a lot of anything - maybe two ounces - but it adds a ton of flavor. And the cheese you choose will definitely set the tone for the sauce.
Walnut Cream Sauce
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 oz cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
Brown walnuts in butter. Add cream and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer few minutes. Stir in cheese and mix well until melted and sauce is creamy. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as desired.
It was filling. Really filling You really don't need as much when it's this rich. Six ravioli and lots of walnuts.
The crunch of the nuts and the silky-smoothness of the sauce over the really flavorful ravioli was perfect - and some crusty Italian bread to sop up the sauce was a perfect accompanyment.
Yum.
Fagioli Neri con Ragù di Anatra
Did I mention I have a cold? Did I mention Victor now has a cold? UGH! Let us just say that we are not amused.
This is not fun.
I'm looking for quick and easy meals right now. I just don't feel like spending time in the kitchen. The latest issue of La Cucina Italiana saved the day with a whole section on bean dishes. I love beans. This recipe fit the bill perfectly. It's mostly cooking unattended.
The recipe caught my eye for a couple of reasons - one because I like beans, but even more important, I had a duck breast in the freezer. I could make this without leaving the house. Right now, that's an important consideration.
The duck breast had been in there for a while. I'd just move it out of the way as I searched for other things or put more things in. When I finally took it out last night to thaw in the 'fridge overnight, I noticed the label said "Sell By Aug 13, 2009." Did I mention it had been in the freezer for a while?!? It was vacuum-sealed and came out perfect.
I don't normally think of duck breast and Italian, but it was a classic dish that really shows how a few simple flavors can taste so wonderful - even when ones taste buds are compromised.
My only change was I used red beans instead of black. I had canned black beans but none dried and I really wanted to do it right.
Besides, beans are often interchangeable...
Fagioli Neri con Ragù di Anatra
Black Beans with Duck Ragù
- 1 1/2 cups dried black beans
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 pound boneless duck breast, skin removed and meat cut into 1/2" cubes
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
- 1 celery rib, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 small rosemary sprig
- fine sea salt
- freshly-ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
Rinse beans, then place in a large saucepan and cover with water by 3 inches. Soak for 8 hours or overnight.
Add bay leaf and 1 tbsp oil to the saucepan with the beans, then place pan over medium heat and bring liquid to a simmer. Reduce to a bare simmer and cook until beans are very tender, adding water as necessary to keep beans covered by about 1/2 inch, 30 minutes to 1 hour (depending on freshness of beans).
Reserving 1/2 cup of bean cooking liquid, drain beans.
In a large saucepan, heat butter and remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add duck and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, rosemary, and generous pinch of salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 6 minutes. Remove and discard rosemary, then add wine. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until wine is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add reserved cooking liquid, reduce heat to low, and cook, covered, until duck is tender, about 45 minutes.
Add beans to ragù and cook, covered, until warmed through, about 10 minutes.
Serve warm, drizzled with oil.
I can't get over how flavorful these were. - especially since neither of us have our full taste-facilities. For lunch we had leftover chicken soup from last night. It was quite spicy but I added a few generous splashes of Tabasco sauce to it just for flavor. This had it all with just a couple of ingredients.
I'm down for the count for at least a couple of days.
I see a roast chicken and even more chicken soup in my future.
Tagliatelle Fresche and Fresh-Baked Bread
It's another Saturday and I came home to another feast! Homemade pasta and homemade bread. It just doesn't get any better!
The pasta was Victor's famous tagliatelle. The bread was from James Beard.
The pasta is so light but so full of flavor and texture. It can withstand any type of sauce, but I just love it when Victor grabs whatever out of the 'fridge and creates! Tonight he took olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes in oil, oyster mushrooms, bell pepper, peas, and prosciutto, sauteed it all and then stirred in the cooked pasta and sprinkled some freshly-grated cheese on top.
Did I mention perfection?!?
Perfection.
This is a half-batch of the pasta recipe.
Tagliatelle Fresche
Ingredients
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- Coarse sea salt
Instructions
On a clean work surface, mound flour and form a well in the center. Add egg and egg yolk to the well. Using a fork, gently break up yolks and slowly incorporate flour from inside rim of well. Continue until liquid is absorbed, then knead for 10 minutes. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes.
Divide dough into 3 pieces. Cover 2 pieces with plastic wrap. Flatten remaining dough piece so that it will fit through the rollers of a pasta machine.
Set rollers of pasta machine at the widest setting, then feed pasta through rollers 3 or 4 times, folding and turning pasta until it is smooth and the width of the machine.
Roll pasta through machine, decreasing the setting, one notch at a time (do not fold or turn pasta), until pasta sheet is scant 1/16 inch thick.
Cut sheet in half widthwise; dust both sides of sheets with flour. Layer sheets between floured pieces of parchment or wax paper. Cover with paper and repeat with remaining dough.
With the short end of 1 pasta sheet facing you, loosely fold up sheet, folding sheet over two or three times from short ends toward the center. With a large chefs knife, cut folded sheet into ribbons, a scant 1/4 inch wide. Unroll strips and lightly dust with flour; spread on a lightly floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pasta sheets.
To cook the tagliatelle, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain pasta, transfer to a large serving bowl and toss with sauce.
And then, just because perfect pasta wasn't enough, he made a loaf of one of my favoriote breads!
This comes from the Beard on Bread cook book by James Beard. It's quick and reasonably difficult to screw up!
James Beard French-Style Bread
- 1 1/2 pk active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 cups warm water (100-115 deg.)
- 1 tbsp salt
- 5-6 cups all-purpose or hard wheat flour
- 3 tbsp Yellow cornmeal
- 1 egg white mixed with 1 tbsp cold water
Combine the yeast with sugar and warm water in a large bowl and allow to proof. Mix the salt with the flour and add to the yeast mixture, a cup at a time, until you have a stiff dough.
Remove to a lightly floured board and knead until no longer sticky, about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary.
Place in a buttered bowl and turn to coat the surface with butter. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk..1 1/2-2 hrs.
Punch down the dough. Turn out on a floured board and shape into two long, French bread-style loaves. Place on a baking sheet that has been sprinkled with the cornmeal, but NOT buttered.
Slash the tops of the loaves diagonally in two or three places with a single edge razor blade or sharp knife, brush the loaves with the egg white wash.
Place in a COLD oven, set the temperature at 400° and bake 35 minutes, or until well browned and hollow sounding when the tops are tapped.
The meal was perfection all the way.
Sartù - Neopolitan Rice Timbale
I have died and gone to Gastronomic Heaven.
Seriously.
When I spoke with Victor at lunch today, he said he had dinner covered. Nothing else. No details. I didn't question it - that usually means something fun is going to be created.
And was I ever right!
The November issue of La Cucina Italiana magazine arrived a few days ago and as I was glancing through, one recipe in particular caught my eye - a Neopolitan Rice Timbale. I have made individual timbales many times, but the size and scope of this one intrigued me. I showed it to Victor and then filed the idea away.
Today, Victor pulled out the magazine and went to work!
Sartù - Neopolitan Rice Timbale
- 1 ounce dried wild mushrooms
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste concentrate (from tube)
- 7 cups chicken or beef broth, heated to a simmer
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 pound pork sausage
- 2/3 pound ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 5 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 5 tablespoons fine plain breadcrumbs, plus more for mold
- 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for mold
- 4 ounces chicken livers, cut into small pieces
- 2 1/2 cups Arborio rice
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes
Special equipment: a 2-quart mold or ovenproof bowl
Instructions
Soak dried mushrooms in 2 cups hot water for 20 minutes; drain, reserving liquid, and finely chop.
Heat oven to 350°.
In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Dilute tomato paste in 1 cup broth, then add to pan with onion. Add mushrooms, peas and pinch salt and pepper; bring to a simmer. Add sausage and simmer, covered, until sausage is nearly cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer sausage to a cutting board and slice in to 1/4-inch pieces. Return pieces to skillet and simmer, uncovered, until liquid is mostly evaporated, about 10 minutes more. Remove from heat.
In a bowl, stir together beef, egg, 1 tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Form into 1 1/2-inch balls.
In a large skillet, heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Dust meatballs lightly with flour and fry in 2 batches until golden on all sides, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Drain oil from skillet and wipe clean with paper towels. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add liver and pinch salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liver is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add liver and meatballs to skillet with sausage; stir to combine.
Combine remaining 6 cups broth and mushroom liquid in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Add rice, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain rice; spread onto a large plate and let cool to room temperature. Transfer rice to a large bowl; stir in 4 tablespoons butter and remaining 4 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano while still warm.
Grease mold or ovenproof bowl with butter and dust with breadcrumbs. Put 1 1/2 cups of the rice mixture into bowl and press into base and up sides, forming a well in the center. Pour meat sauce into well; top with mozzarella, then cover with remaining rice. Cover with remaining tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces, and remaining 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs. Bake for 1 hour.
Remove mold from oven; transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of mold to loosen rice, then invert onto a large serving plate. Serve immediately.
When I got home, most of the parts were completed. He was cooking the rice and most of the preparation mess had already been cleaned up. It was a four-pot process to make a one-dish dinner. But every one of those pots was worth it!
I just stared with a huge grin. I knew it was going to be good.
Surprisingly, we didn't have a proper 2-quart mold. We have a pudding mold for Christmas Puddings and the like, but the Charlotte mold - which would have been perfect if my memory is correct - is MIA. No idea where it is. I'm sure I will find it next time I'm looking for something else in some obscure cabinet somewhere.
We had a bowl that worked perfectly even though it was a couple of inches larger than necessary.
Victor buttered, crumbed, filled... and finished building. I went into the office.
After baking and the requisite 10 minutes of cooling, Victor called me into the kitchen. He did the cooking - my job was to get it out of the mold and onto a plate. (Thank you, dear!)
The bowl he used was fine for cooking but slightly problematic for unmolding. This was one item we didn't want to drop onto the plate. I felt it would immediately crack and crumble.
The solution was a tart bottom. We had one that fit the timbale perfectly. I placed it on the timbale, turned it upside down on my hand, and Victor pulled the bowl away and I placed it onto the platter.
Perfection.
We didn't expect it to neatly slice and portion - and we weren't disappointed when it didn't. It was slightly sloppy, but OMG! Was It Good!
I mean, IT WAS GOOD!!!
Every flavor came through individually while blending together perfectly. It's one of those things that's actually a bit difficult to describe. It just worked on every level. I had way too much as a first helping - and then against better judgement, went back for more. It was really that good.
Victor had made a totally delicious marinara as a side because he didn't know how dry the finished product would be. We didn't need it.
It is yet another recipe that has a million-and-one different things one can do with it, although right now I think it would be difficult to top what we just ate.
But that doesn't mean we won't try in the coming months!
This will definitely be a great winter dish - with a loaf of crusty fresh-from-the-oven bread.
And we haven't even started the Pasta Issue, yet...
Leftovers and Pane Pugliese
Tonights dinner was really nothing more than having a reason to get bread and butter into our mouths.
Not just any bread, though... Pane Pugliese - one of my most-favorite rustic breads.
This recipe comes from The Italian Baker by Carol Field. I’ve been making this particular bread forever – and really do like it. It's a dark, crusty, hearty bread that just screams for soup or stew or pasta sauce to sop. It calls for a biga - a starter - that needs to be made the day before. There's also about 4 hours of rising time, so plan accordingly.
Pane Pugliese
- 1 packet dry yeast (or 1/2 package fresh yeast)
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 3 cups water; room temp
- 1 cup biga
- 7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp salt
Proof the yeast in the warm water. Add 1 1/2 c water and the biga, mix till blended. Add flour and salt, mix till dough comes together and pulls off the sides of the bowl. Knead 3-5 minutes in a mixer, longer by hand. Dough will be very soft and elastic. Let rise about 3 hours, shape into 2 small round loaves or 1 big flattish one. If you have baking stones, place loaves on baking peel or on baking sheets sprinkled corn meal. Let rise about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 450°, and 10 minutes before baking flour the loaf tops and dimple them with your fingers. Bake 50-60 minutes for big loaves, 30-35 minutes for small. Tap the loaves to test for doneness (hollow=done) and cool on a rack.
Biga
- 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (or 1/10 package fresh yeast)
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 1/4 cup water (room temperature)
- 3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Stir the yeast into the warm water and let stand until creamy – about 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining water and then the flour, one cup at a time.
Mix with the paddle attachment on the mixer at the lowest speed about 2 minutes.
Remove to a slightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise at cool room temperature for 6 to 24 hours. The starter will triple in volume and still be wet and sticky when ready. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
And the timing could not have been better. Earlier today, my sister booked our vacation rentals in Italy for June. A week in Rome and a week in Florence - with day-trips here and there... We won't be as far south as Puglia to get a loaf of this particular bread, but I can't wait to stray off the tourist path and besides eating fabulous meals - actually buy groceries and do a little cooking there!
What fun. I have to get going on my Rosetta Stone Italiano program!
Rice and Lentil Rolls
Ah, Saturday...
How I love coming home to Victor in the kitchen, chopping, slicing, and dicing away. It's so much fun to see what new and exciting thing he has prepared.
Victor has the cooking shows on TV while I'm at work and he's playing Domestic Goddess - laundry, vacuuming, whatever. And every now and again a recipe comes up that he decided we should try.
Giada De Laurentis had such a recipe... a rice and lentil filling wrapped in swiss chard.
Yum.
Naturally, he changed his filling around - neither one of us is very good at following recipes - but Giada's original recipe follows.
Giada's Goat Cheese, Lentil, and Brown Rice Rolls
Ingredients
- Butter, for greasing the baking dish
- 6 large Swiss chard leaves (about 1 1/4 pounds)
- Salt
Filling:
- 2 cups cooked short grain brown rice
- 1 packed cup baby arugula leaves, chopped
- 1 cup goat cheese, at room temperature (8 ounces)
- 1 cup cooked green lentils
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- One 26-ounce jar marinara or tomato-basil sauce
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, or unsalted butter diced into 1/4-inch pieces
Directions
Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Set aside.
Remove the thick stem from the center of each chard leaf. Cut each leaf in half lengthwise. Trim the ends from the leaves to make each leaf-half about 7 inches long and 5 inches wide. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the chard leaves and cook for 10 seconds. Remove the leaves and rinse with cold water. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
For the filling: In a medium bowl, mix together the brown rice, arugula, goat cheese, lentils, mint, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and garlic. Season with additional salt and pepper.
Spoon 1/3 cup of the filling onto the end of each chard leaf and roll up like a jellyroll.
Spoon 1 cup marinara sauce on the bottom of the prepared pan. Arrange the rolls, seam-side down, in a single layer on top of the sauce. Spoon the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Drizzle with olive oil or dot the top with butter, if using, and bake until the cheese begins to brown and the rolls are heated through, about 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve.
First thing Victor did was substitute red lentils for the green. He said was snickering as he went through the jars on top shelf. Most folks, he surmised, probably didn't even have lentils in their cabinets. We had three varieties - red, brown, and French green. He chose the red lentils to empty a jar. That's actually an important consideration when we're searching ingredients. Is there a container I can empty and remove so I can find other things easier?!?
Everyone should have this problem.
He also left out the mint but added diced prosciutto and peas. And jarred sauce?!? At our house?!?
The end result was fantastic.
The flavors just blended perfectly. And it was really easy.
We're going to get several meals out of this.
Several really good meals.
New Computers and Baked Ravioli
Hiding under that sauce and cheese are ravioli - cheese and spinach ravioli. Big cheese and spinach ravioli. In a sauce of tomatoes, fresh green peppers, peas, garlic, and ground beef. An out-of-this-world sauce of tomatoes, fresh green peppers, peas, garlic, and ground beef.
Ya know that brand-new computer I got on Thursday? On Friday it wasn't working very well. On Saturday it was worse. Today it went back and in less than 3 minutes - no hassle, no fuss, no raising my voice - I had a brand-new one - again. Thank you, MicroCenter!
So... I spent the day installing updates, programs, and peripherals on my new machine. It's a bit of a speed-demon. I think I'm going to enjoy it.
Victor, taking pity on me (and knowing if he wanted to eat he was going to have to cook because I was up-to-my-ears in computer-related tunnel-vision) made one of the most perfect meals imaginable. There is just something so comforting about baked pasta and baked ravioli takes it up to another level. It's tender and cheesy and warm and filling all at once. And with chunks of ground beef, strips of bell pepper, and just the right amount of green peas, I went for it. A bit too much. I have to admit that not only did I go back for seconds after taking a hefty helping to begin with, I sopped every last bit of sauce off my plate with a piece of garlic toast. I hurt myself - and I loved every calorie of it!
So while I was waiting for the store to open this morning, I made a génoise cake from Baking with Julia. My Organic Daisy Flour arrived and since we're bringing dessert tomorrow to Victor's brother's house, I thought a split-three-layer génoise filled with raspberry cream would make a nice afternoon dessert. The nice thing about a génoise is that they can be baked ahead and just left out over-night.
Pictures and recipe tomorrow.
Now...
Back to installing programs...