Valentine Lasagne
Early last week Victor decided he was making lasagne, today. For many folks, lasagne for dinner usually means putting the frozen block of Stouffer's into the oven and coming back in an hour.
Not around here. Lasagne in our house is a bit more complex - it starts with making the sauce and making the lasagne noodles. It's the old adage if you're going to do it, do it right...
The sauce was not overly-difficult. He added ground beef to his jarred sauce along with some garlic and herbs and cooked it down a bit. It came out a bit richer, meatier - more substantial.
And them he made the lasagne.
Fresh Lasagne
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups '00' flour
- 1/2 cup semolina flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
On a clean work surface, mound flour and form a well in the center. Add eggs 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 a scant 1/8 inch thick. Cut to fit your dish or pan.
There are few things in this world that are better than homemade pasta - and right now, I can't think of one of them...
The lasagne was layered with sauce, pasta, ricotta mixed with herbs and parsley, fresh mozzarella... All the good stuff. We had a hard time waiting for it to set up before diving into it.
While Victor was getting lasagne together, I made a loaf of Pane Siciliano.
This is a great bread I've made a few times - and even made it in Sicily! The original recipe comes from one of my favorite books - The Italian Baker by Carol Field.
Pane Siciliano
Makes 2 loaves
- 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp malt syrup
- 1 cup water, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups semolina
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup sesame seeds
Stir the yeast into the 1 1/4 cups warm water in a large mixer bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the oil and malt and mix until smooth. Knead on medium speed until; the dough is firm, compact, and elastic with lots of body, 4 to 5 minutes. Finish kneading by hand on a lightly floured surface.
First rise. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. The dough should be springy and blistered, but still soft and velvety.
Shaping and second rise. Punch the dough down, knead it briefly, and let it rest for 5 minutes. Flatten it with your forearm into a square. Rollit into a long, narrow rope, about 20 to 22 inches long. The dough should be so elastic that it could almost be swung and stretched like a jump rope. Cut the dough in half and shape each into a loaf.
Place the loaves on floured parchment paper, peels sprinkled with corn meal, or oiled baking sheets. Brush the entire surface of each loaf with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds; pat the seeds very gently into the dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Baking. Thirty minutes before baking heat the oven with baking stones to 425°. Bake 10 minutes, spraying 3 times with water. Reduce the heat to 400° and bake 25 to 30 minutes longer. Cool on racks.
We've become almost-exclusively an Italian Flour family. The exception is Daisy Organic Flour grown and milled here in Pennsylvania. I bake too much to buy mediocre flour, and Victor's pasta is just unbelievably outstandingly good. Quality ingredients give quality results. It's just worth it.
The lasagne was both rich and decadent, while also being light. The homemade pasta makes all the difference. It's not gummy like no-bake noodles usually are, or belly-bombs like some traditional lasagne noodles. I wiped my plate clean, sopping up every bit of goodness with bread slathered in butter. It really took a lot to keep from going back for more.
Take your chocolates, your flowers, your going-out-to-dinners... This was Valentine's Day!
Fun in the kitchen, great smells wafting through the house, and eating a great dinner on hand-painted plates custom-made for us in Florence.
It does not suck to be us...
Cavatelli
Ya know how you're surfing the interwebs and ya click on something and then you follow something else and then you're someplace completely different from where you started out?!? Me, neither, but I understand it happens to folks from time-to-time...
One thing that did happen to me last week, though, was I was looking at an old copy of La Cucina Italiana and saw a recipe for cavatelli - and decided to buy a cavatelli maker. That, of course, led me to Google which led me to A Best Kitchen - an online restaurant supply house.
I have to tell ya... I'd rather spend all day in a restaurant supply house than a Williams-Sonoma or other retail outlet. Form follows function. I want something that is going to work and last a while - not something that is cute and will break the 2nd time it's used. My dream kitchen is actually stainless steel with a quarry tile floor - with a drain. Sadly, that's not going to happen any time soon.
But I digress...
The cavatelli maker arrived in a couple of days and once we knew the storm was coming, decided that today would be the perfect day to try it out. And, it was. Sunshine, blue skies, a chill in the air, and feet of snow awaiting the plow. We had spoken with our neighbor who has a snow service and she said she'd send him down when he did her place. He hasn't shown. I went down there a couple of hours ago and dug out her front door - she and her sister were actually trapped in the house because both doors were completely blocked in with snow. It's what neighbors are for. But we still didn't get our driveway done! It looks like I'll be hand-digging it out tomorrow. Oh well. I wanted feet of snow and I got feet of snow!
But back to the cavatelli...
We had several recipes to choose from, so Victor went with a ricotta and parmesan version.
The dough is quite easy to make - actually, all fresh pasta dough is pretty easy to make. It's the rolling and/or forming that takes the talent. I leave it to Victor.
Ricotta and Parmesan Cavatelli
- 4 cups flour
- 1 egg
- 1 lb ricotta
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup milk
Sift flour onto a counter or board. Make a well and add the remaining ingredients. Slowly incorporate the liquids with the flour. when everything is mixed in, knead for about 2 minutes. When done, cover and let dough rest for about 10 minutes.
When ready to make the cavaletti, roll the dough to about 3/8" thickness and cut into 3/4" strips. Feed into your cavatelli maker, or cut into small pieces and roll on your gnocchi board.
Yes, we have one of those, also. Victor makes an awesome gnocchi.
Cook in boiling, salted water for about 5 minutes. Drain, and serve with your favorite sauce.
Our favorite sauce is the sauce Victor just made - with Italian sausages and meatballs.
We had it with thick slices of the Walnut Raisin Bread from yesterday.
So we didn't get the driveway plowed, but we sure as hell ate well - and there's Pecan Pie for dessert.
I'll deal with the driveway tomorrow.
Another Vat of Sauce
Victor has been making sauce and I've been jarring it for a long, long time, now. It's just something that takes a bit of time, but is so worth it in the long run. I even graduated from plain ol' mason jars to fancy jars that look like store-bought.
I do have to admit that it's not as inexpensive as buying sauce, but... Prego doesn't use San Marzano tomatoes like we do. If you're going to go to the trouble of making something, make it good with good ingredients. Make it worth your while.
We have the process down to a science... Victor makes the sauce and I do the canning. Teamwork.
We have a big ol' pot that we bought years ago and it gets filled up and then goes for a slow simmer for a few hours...
While the sauce is simmering, I get the jars ready...
I like the one-piece lids on these but think I may be going back to mason jars at some point. I kinda like the old-school look and feel of a good ol' mason jar. Not to mention I have dozens of them in the basement - complete with lids and rings.
Of course, that would mean I would have to stay away from my favorite jar website - Fillmore Container - and stop getting their emails and all that. Yeah. Right. I probably won't be doing that any time soon. Going through the pages of bottles and jars is almost as bad as going through the Atlantic Spice website. Food porn. That's all there is to it.
But back to the sauce...
First I fill up the jars...
I got 14 quarts this time around. That's about the average. I canned 13 and kept one out for dinner, tonight. They then go into the canner - 7 quarts at a time.
They can at 11 pounds of pressure for 45 minutes - and then i do it all over again. Fortunately, I don't have to stand in front of the stove while it's going on - just check once in a while to make sure the pressure remains constant.
And then they come out to cool.
I had one that didn't seal properly this time around, so it went into the 'fridge and we'll use it up sometime in the next week or so. The rest of them went downstairs to the basement with the other goodies. I rarely have one that doesn't seal properly and it's pretty much the main reason I thought about going back to two-piece lids.
We had the sauce served over Cavatelli.
It was totally delish. And just now - while double-checking that I spelled cavatelli correctly, I bought a cavatelli maker. $34.95. What the hell. So much for purging and getting rid of stuff. It will be here in a few days. Fresh pasta and homemade sauce.
La vita è bella.
Oh... here's the recipe...
Victor’s Pasta Sauce
- 2 – 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes
- 1 – Sm can tomato paste
- 1-2 cloves of garlic (or to taste if you like more) chopped fine
- Olive oil
- Dried Italian seasonings
- Hot red pepper flakes (a tsp or more or less to taste)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Red wine (always cook with a decent wine, never “cooking” wine) about a cup or cup and a half
- Meat – such as Italian sausage or some nice beef or pork ribs or pork chops
Ok…I ALWAYS make my sauce with meat, so start with a deep, heavy pot and add about 3-4 TBS of olive oil. On high heat, once the oil is hot, start frying the sausage or pork, Let the meat get good and caramelized although you don’t have to cook it all the way through because you’ll add it back to the sauce to finish. Once the meat is browned take it out of the pot, put it on a plate and set aside.
Lower the heat to medium and sauté the tomato paste for a couple of minutes until it begins to “melt”. Add the chopped garlic and sauté with the tomato paste for just a minute (no longer or it will burn). Then add about a cup of the red wine and deglaze the pan with it, scrapping up all the good bits that stuck to the bottom when cooking the meat.
When the wine reduces by about ½ start adding the canned tomatoes. Add one can of hot water for every can of tomatoes you use.
Now start adding the dried Italian seasonings. I eyeball it but I would guess a good 2 TBS is fine. Add about another ½ cup of red wine, with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir everything into the sauce. It will be very thin at this point.
Add back the cooked meat. Now this is important….at the bottom of the plate you let the meat rest on will be some of the oil and juices that seeped out. Pour that back into the pot. It has a lot of flavor in it.
Bring the sauce back to a boil then turn the heat down low and let it simmer for at least 1 and a half hours, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes to keep it from burning. It should reduce by about a third or a little less and get thicker. The meat will absorb the sauce and get very tender.
When I make meatballs, I don’t fry them, I bake them on a sheet pan. When I do, I add them to the simmering sauce when they’re done so they also absorb the flavor.
I usually make the sauce early in the day and after it’s done, just let it sit on the stove until dinner then I re-heat it. This should make enough sauce for a couple of dinners or good sized lasagna.
La Vigilia and Crab Cioppino
The Feast of the Seven Fish... Christmas Eve was once a day of abstinence in the Catholic Church - no meat - and La Vigilia as it is referred to in Southern Italy - came into being early on. Far from being a day of fasting, it is a day of feasting. Italians know how to turn a simple meal into an extravaganza!
We're missing the Seven Fish up in North Jersey this year but we still wanted to uphold the tradition. Victor and I are home alone with Blanche, while Nonna is up with the rest of the family. But seven fish is a lot for two people - even for us. So... our Seven Fish tonight is Crab Cioppino! All Seven Fish in one pot. It's something I've wanted to do for a really long time - and tonight I have my chance! This is the first time in 21 years we've spent Christmas by ourselves. While it's not something I'd want to do every year, it's been a lot of fun, so far.
I was a bit concerned about finding dungeness crab being 3000 miles from home and considering there's a massive algae bloom going on out west. There are high levels of domoic acid in the crabs and right now there is no crab fishing at all in California and Oregon. But the seafood gods were on my side and I was able to find frozen dungeness crab at our local fish market. The place was packed this morning when I went in - they take their Seven Fish really seriously around here - but there was my crab in their freezer case waiting for me.
Frozen. But t was some damned good crab!
In fact, it was some of the best crab I've had in years! And it was frozen. Go figure. I know I'll be heading back there for more. In fact, I'll be heading back there for a lot of things. They had a great selection of all types of seafood.
The cioppino came out great. Really great. The broth was rich and flavorful with just a hint of heat. The seafood all cooked to perfection. Even the calamari was tender - and we all know what little rubber bands they can be. It really, really was good.
There's no way one can make cioppino for two. I made enough for dinner tonight, lunch tomorrow, and dinner for Steve and Marie to take home tomorrow night when they drop off Nonna. I'm stuffed - and already thinking about having more tomorrow!
To go along with the cioppino, I also baked rolls - Pane all'Olio - from Carol Field's Italian Baker. It's one of my most favorite bread books and every recipe I've made has come out perfect! These were no exception. A nice crust and a really tender crumb. The oil really makes a difference.
Here goes the recipe. Hopefully I'll get everything included... It's been a work in progress...
Crab Cioppino
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 bulb fennel, chopped
- 2 bell peppers, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bottle red wine
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 4 bottles clam juice
- 3 28oz cans San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
- 3 lbs dungeness crab legs and claws
- 1 lb shrimp
- 1 lb clams
- 1 lb Alaskan cod chunks
- 1/2 lb calamari
- 1 lb scallops
- 1 jar anchovies
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes - more or less, to taste
- 1 tsp Greek oregano
- 3 bay leaves
- Salt & Pepper
Get a large pot.
Saute onion, fennel, bell pepper, and garlic in olive oil until vegetables are quite wilted and beginning to get tender. Stir in the anchovies and red pepper flakes and cook until anchovies dissolve. Add one bottle red wine - I used a really good chianti - and bring to a boil. Simmer about 10 minutes and add the clam juice and vinegar.
Add the canned tomatoes, breaking them up as you add each can.
Add about a teaspoon of Greek oregano, a pinch of salt and a hefty pinch of black pepper. Bring to a boil, and then simmer about an hour.
At this point you can turn off the heat and save it for later or bring it to a boil and carry on...
Add the dungeness crab.
Add the clams.
Add the cod chunks.
Add the shrimp.
Add the scallops.
Finally, add the calamari.
From start to finish on adding and cooking the fish should be about 20 minutes.
Ladle into large bowls - discarding any unopened clams - and serve with crusty bread.
Forget the napkins. Have several kitchen towels available. This is one messy meal as half of it is eaten with your fingers.
And it is worth every spot and stain you can make!
Farfalle Pasta with Lamb Sausage and Pork
I was perusing old issues of La Cucina Italiana last night looking for dinner ideas. I am still pissed at Condé Nast for folding the US version of the magazine. It was the best food magazine out there - and puts Bon Appétit to shame. I still get the La Cucina emails - in Italian - and get some good recipes - also in Italian - but it's just not the same as getting the magazine and drooling over what's going to be the next meal.
I especially miss Victor's recreation of the Pasta Issues - where he would make the majority of the recipes from scratch with fresh pasta. They were some good-eating years.
The magazine is no more but I do have my dozen or so issues I had saved, so out they come now and again, for inspiration.
The inspiration for tonight's dinner came from a recipe from the 2011 Pasta Issue - Mafaldine al Ragù di Coniglio - Mafaldine Pasta with Rabbit.
I've had rabbit many times and really enjoy it, but it's not all that easy to find out here in 'burbia. Well... other than hopping through the yard, that is... but I prefer my lapin already dressed, thankyouverymuch.
So, fresh out of Thumper, I did have lamb sausage and a small pork loin end - perfect substitutes.
One of the things that intrigued me about this recipe was using a teaspoon of cocoa powder in the sauce - and a half-cup of milk. Two ingredients I usually don't associate with Italian pasta dishes. But both of them did their magic. This sauce totally rocks!
I used D'Artagnan Lamb Merguez Sausage because I wanted a bit of an earthy flavor to kinda mimic the rabbit. If I didn't have the sausage, I'd probably drop in a couple of chicken livers. Not a lot - just something for a bit of back-flavor.
Pasta with Lamb Sausage and Pork
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Fine sea salt
- 8 oz Lamb Merquez Sausage - removed from casing and crumbled
- 2 lb pork loin - cut into 4 pieces
- 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound mafaldine or pappardelle - or farfalle
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and water. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat oil until hot. Add onion, celery, and carrot; cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes, then stir in parsley and a pinch of salt. Add the meats and cook, covered, about 10 minutes. Add cocoa mixture, wine, and milk. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a gentle simmer and cook, covered, until pork is tender - about 1 1/2 hours.
Remove from heat. Shred pork and return to skillet.
Cook pasta according to package instructions. When pasta is cooked, drain and add to ragù, mixing well. Add cheese and mix well.
Check for seasoning and add additional salt and/or pepper, as desired.
This is definitely one of those times I wish technology could allow for scents to be embedded in web pages. Not only did this taste fantastic, it filled the house with a really rich aroma. It was ridiculously simple to make - and I know I'll be making variations for years to come!
Cannelloni
Back in the '60s when I worked at Pirro's in San Francisco, we made an outrageous chicken cannelloni. Actually, all the food we made there was outrageously good. We made our own meatballs, shredded our own cheese, made fresh dough, pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, lasagne... everything was made from scratch. Hell, we even sliced our own mushrooms, salami, and other meats, and ground pork butts to make our own sausage.
I really learned a lot in those years. It was also my first management job, and I made every rookie mistake a new all-powerful manager could conceivably make - from firing a waitress at the beginning of her shift to having a really good cook quit because I was the boss and therefore, right. [I wasn't, surprise, surprise...]
My boss bought a building a few blocks away, and we tore down walls, laid tiles, built an open kitchen, landscaped an outdoor patio, and opened the new store with an expanded menu. My first opening and my first real dealings with the intricacies of the Health Department. He then bought a pizza place in Richmond, CA, started doing everything but paying attention to his businesses, got divorced, got remarried, got divorced, again... In the midst of it all I got into a fight with him one night, went across the street to a restaurant where I eventually ended up working, got stinking drunk, went home, packed up my car, and moved to Portland.
I've never been the impulsive type. Much.
Which leads me back to cannelloni... I don't really remember the recipe we did, other than it had ground chicken and lots of cheese, so I grabbed a copy of Lidia's cook book, checked out her recipe, and then decided to wing it.
First thing I did was braise a bone-in chicken breast - the lonely one that has been taking up space in the freezer for months - with a couple of end-cut pork chops that have also been taking up valuable freezer space. Into the melange went fresh rosemary, chopped carrot, parsnip, onion, garlic, and celery - and a cup of white wine.
When the meats were done, I took them out and added last night's beans, along with pecorino romano, ricotta, and gorgonzola cheeses.
I used fresh lasagne sheets cut in half, because I didn't feel like making crespelle.
Into the pan with a cheesy bechamel sauce, and into the oven.
I made six, we barely finished off two, each, and I had enough filling for at least a dozen more. The filling and leftover pasta squares went into the freezer. I'll do something with the sauce later in the week.
So back to Pirro's... My ex-boss pretty much lost the businesses. My nephew and my niece both worked there during high school, but the place had really gone even farther down hill under the new ownership.
Rumor has it that there's a new owner, again, and they're trying to recreate those glory years! I see that cannelloni is on the menu, too! I'll wager it's not the homemade stuff we created way back when, but I hope they make a go of it!
It really was the best pizza in the city.
Spaghetti and a Loaf of Bread
Sunday easy livin'...
We took a trip down to West Chester to pick up some seasonal items to plant in the new vegetable garden. Our timing probably could have been better - it's still hot and we're off on to the West Coast on Thursday - but when ya have a new toy, ya gotta play.
We have several different greens, beets, and garlic in the ground. The garlic will just set there over the winter. The beets and greens are definite fall crops. Beets. This should be interesting because Victor has always disliked beets - well... of the canned variety, anyway. I'm thinking a roasted beet soup when it's cooler. And a way to can them without pickling... We shall see.
In the meantime, we're setting up a sprinkler so Donna - our Nonna-sitter - can just turn a faucet while we're gone.
I was off work early on Saturday, so I made a biga - an Italian starter for bread - and baked fresh bread on Sunday after we got back.
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.
While that was sitting on the counter, I made a pot of sauce.
No recipe. It just has all sorts of stuff in it - onions, garlic, roasted red peppers, ground beef, roasted eggplant, fresh and canned tomatoes...
Ya just make this stuff. Really. Throw things in a pot, let it all simmer, and serve it over spaghetti. Really.
And then the bread.
The Pane Pugliese really is one of my favorite rustic Italian breads. Crusty crust, light, tender crumb. Bake some! The recipe comes from my favorite Italian Bread Book, The Italian Baker by Carol Field. Buy a copy - you will not be sorry!
Pane Pugliese
adapted from The Italian Baker by Carol Field
- 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.
Fagioli Rossi con Ragù di Anatra
I was really bummed when La Cucina Italiana ceased publication. It was by far my favorite cooking magazine. I read every issue cover-to-cover and always found lots of recipes and new ideas. It really was my go-to for new ideas.
And then it went away. Condé Nast - the evil publishing empire - closed down the US magazine without notice last year and changed my subscription to Bon Appétit. Bon Appétit is quite juvenile after reading La Cucina Italiana. Horrible photography, ridiculous fonts and graphics... I'm not sure who their market is, nowadays, but it certainly isn't anyone who actually likes to cook.
But I digress...
I saved many issues, and went perusing today. I'm glad I did - I found a great recipe for black beans and duck in the November 2011 edition.
I had a smoked duck breast in the freezer - don't ask - and it really needed using. I also had 5 grilled lamb rib chops from last night that were taking up space in the 'fridge. It was too late to soak and cook dried beans, but I had a can of light red kidney beans. The rest of the ingredients were pretty much pantry staples. I went to work.
As per usual, what I did and what the recipe states are different, so I'm going to give you the recipe pretty much as written in the now-defunct magazine. It can be your guide for creating something really tasty - and really easy.
Fagioli Neri con Ragù di Anatra
Black Beans with Duck Ragù
adapted from La Cucina Italiana magazine
- 1 1/2 cups dried black beans
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 lb boneless duck breast, skin removed, and cut into 1/2" cubes
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1 celery rib, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- salt and pepper
Rinse beans and place in large saucepan. Cover with water by 3" and soak overnight.
The following day, add bay leaf and 1 tbsp oil to pot and bring mixture to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to a bare simmer, and cook until beans are very tender - 30 minutes to an hour, depending upon the beans.
Drain beans, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
In a large saucepan, heat butter and remaining tbsp olive oil. Add duck and cook, stirring occasionally, until duck is browned on all sides.
Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, rosemary, and salt and pepper, to taste. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until vegetables are softened.
Remove and discard rosemary, and add wine.
Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until wine has evaporated. Add reserved cooking liquid, cover, and simmer until duck is tender - about 45 minutes.
Add the drained beans to the ragû, cover, and continue cooking until everything is heated through - about 10 minutes.
Serve over polenta, if desired.
Polenta is Italian cornmeal mush. I seriously love it. Sadly, Nonna doesn't like it - it reminds her of the Sons of Italy Orphanage she spent time in during her youth. I don't make it as often as I used to, but when it does, I just give her mashed potatoes.
You don't need a bag marked "polenta" to make dinner. My preference is for coarse, but your preference is your preference. You're eating it. And if you're cooking for me, I'm eating what you're serving. No arguments from me.
I always add shredded cheese - always whatever is already in the 'fridge. Tonight I used about a half-cup of shredded mozzarella that was left from dinner a few nights ago. I've used everything from Boursin to Cheddar, Monterey Jack to Gouda, Parmesan to Asiago - and back again. Use what you like.
Cheesy Polenta
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup polenta
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 cup cheese of your choice
- salt and pepper, to taste
Bring milk and spices to a boil. Add polenta slowly, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and continue cooking as per package instructions. Stir in cheese and serve.
It all came out great.
Carbonara and Cured Eggs
There's new fun food at our house!!
I know, I know... How unusual... but the cured egg yolks really did come out good! My stomach is smiling, as my sister, Eileen, used to say.
I had already thawed the lamb rack, otherwise I probably would have made the carbonara the main dish, but, a bit of culture-mixing is nothing new in our house, either. We're eclectic from head to toe.
The eggs came out pretty much as I thought. They have a creamy/salty/eggy taste that really went well atop the carbonara. I can see these being used with asparagus, on garlic toast or bruschetta, or shaved onto salad. The possibilities really are endless.
Carbonara is traditionally made with spaghetti, but Nonna no longer likes spaghetti noodles, so I went for a short rigatoni that's easier for her to eat. I do believe that pasta shapes make a difference, but in this case, it came out just fine.
The basic carbonara recipe is:
Pasta alla Carbonara
- 1 lb spaghetti
- 4 oz pancetta, diced
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup grated pecorino romano
- fresh black pepper
- pasta cooking water
Start with a cold skillet and add the diced pancetta. Slowly heat the pancetta until it renders its fat and crisps.
Mix the eggs with the cheese and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Drain, and reserve a bit of the cooking water.
Add the cooked pasta to the pancetta pan and swirl to coat all of the pasta with the rendered fat and pancetta, and garlic. Remove the pan from the heat and quickly stir in the egg and cheese mixture, tossing it quickly to coat the pasta and cook the egg without scrambling it. Add a bit of hot pasta water, if needed to thin.
Place on plates and add several hefty twists of black pepper and then garnish with a grated cured egg yolk, if desired.
There are a few different takes on making a carbonara. I've heard of it being made with just egg yolks, but I really can't picture an Italian woman separating eggs and saving the whites for something else. Really. And the cheese is pecorino romano. Locatelli to the uninitiated - hand-crafted from 100% pure sheep’s milk. You can taste the difference.
And no cream and most definitely no peas! Just a couple of really good-quality ingredients.
Guanciale would be the meat of choice, but it's impossible to find out here in 'burbia. If you can get it, use it in place of the pancetta.
Vegetable and Meat Casserole
It was a typical Saturday. I was at work and Victor was lounging in front of the TV eating Bon-Bons. His thumb was getting sore from channel-surfing when he landed on the Saturday PBS cooking shows. Back in those thrilling days of yesteryear when I also had a Monday-Friday job, we'd always have the PBS cooking shows on in the background as we did our weekend puttering around the house. It's good that one of us can keep up the tradition.
Food Network may have 24/7 cooking, but the PBS shows are quality. It's a perfect example of less is more. Quality vs quantity. I've gotten many more recipes from PBS cooking shows than any other TV station and we've bought a few cook books because of them, as well.
So... today Lidia comes on and before the hour is over, Victor is at the grocery store buying zucchini. Zucchini. The vegetable I pretty much never buy because Victor doesn't like it. That zucchini.
She was making a zucchini and potato casserole that had his mouth watering. Zucchini. Go figure.
I came walking into the house and was immediately greeted with the most fabulous aroma wafting from the oven. My mouth started watering and I didn't even know what it was! Now, I generally have a smile on my face when I walk into the house, but it turned into a huge grin, immediately!
It was an even bigger grin when we sat down to eat.
Nonna complimented me on how good the dinner was. I had to let her know that it was actually her son who made it and she turned to Victor and said "Really? You made this?" She sometimes forgets he used to own his own restaurant and knows his way around a kitchen just a bit. Meals can be quite amusing around here...
Lidia's original recipe called for ground turkey - or any other ground meat - so Victor made it with a beef/veal/pork blend similar to a meatball or meatloaf mix.
Zucchini and Meat Casserole
adapted from Lidia's Commonsense Italian Cooking
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 2 small onions, thinly sliced
- 1 lb zucchini, diced
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef/veal/pork blend
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups white wine
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 1 3/4 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced , (¼ inch thick or less)
- 8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella, shredded
- 1 cup grated Grana Padano or -Parmigiano--Reggiano
- 2 tbsps unsalted butter, at room temperature
Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook until the zucchini is tender, then remove vegetables to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the skillet. When the oil is hot, add the ground meat. Cook and stir until it is crumbled and browned, about 4 minutes. Then clear a space in the pan and add the tomato paste. Let it toast for a minute, then stir it into the meat mixture. Add the wine and bay leaves, bring to a simmer, and cook until the wine is reduced and saucy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onions and zucchini.
Toss the potato slices with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the remaining teaspoon of salt. In a medium bowl, toss together the two cheeses.
To assemble, butter a large 4-quart baking dish. Layer the potatoes in the bottom, and sprinkle with a third of the cheese. Layer all of the meat mixture, then all of the remaining grated cheese. Cover with foil and bake on the bottom rack until bubbly around the edges, about 20 minutes. Uncover, and bake until the top is browned and crusty, about 15 minutes more.
It really was great. I went back for seconds.
And I now have a standing order for Bon-Bons to be delivered every Saturday Morning!
Clean-Out-The-'Fridge-Ravioli
I did inventory of the 'fridge this morning before doing the weekly shopping and found lots of bits of things that needed using up. Time to make a pasta sauce!
The beauty of Italian cooking is it lends itself to anything and everything. Rustic cooking is really nothing more than cooking what's on hand at the moment. I did some rustic cooking, today!
I had an eggplant, stalk of broccoli, some cauliflower, a bunch of tomatoes from the yard, most of a green bell pepper, onion, garlic, portobello mushrooms, and some frozen crab meat I had bought a while ago thinking I'd make crab cakes. Well... I didn't make the crab cakes and the crab was just taking up valuable real estate. Time to eat it up. And the fresh herbs out back are going bonkers. I can't use them fast enough.
I started off sauteing onion, green pepper, and eggplant.
In another lifetime I would have added the peppers much later, but Nonna needs her vegetables well... overcooked is one way of describing it. We make our sacrifices...
Meanwhile, I had broccoli, cauliflower, peas, garlic, mushrooms... all waiting to be added to the party in the pan.
After the onions and eggplant cooked down quite a bit, I doused the pan with lots of red wine and let it all simmer a bit before adding everything else.
I had a couple small bottles of clam juice - also taking up space - and in they went, as well. I covered the pan, let everything simmer, added some S&P and fresh herbs and then the crab.
It ended up being a cioppino-like stew that went great over cheese and arugula ravioli.
Clean-out-the-'fridge dinners usually make for a large pot, and this was definitely no exception. I had sauce for 12, easily! The leftover sauce is going into the freezer - something out, something in - and I'm thinking it would be really good in a crepe - crespelle, in Italian - with an Italiany-cheesy sauce over it.
Another meal for another time...
The 'fridge is cleaned out, the vegetable bins are sparkling, and everything is fresh and ready to go. The freezer actually has room, and the cupboards and basement overflow are getting cleared out, slowly, as well.
Life is good...
Tagliatelle alla Victor
What a way to end a wild and crazy week - homemade Pasta alla Victor!
It's been a great week to be a Liberal, but life continues on and dinners have to be made. Part of our Gay Agenda is getting his Mom fed and her medications in her on schedule.
Victor bought me a pasta roller years ago and then proceeded to master the art of perfect pasta-making. I don't go near it - I don't think I could do it justice after the light as a cloud pasta Victor continually makes. Besides... I ain't no fool. The man is cooking me dinner - I'm ready fork in hand.
Making pasta isn't difficult, but it does take time and a feel for the dough that only comes through practice. As in bread-making, where I can just tell when it's right, Victor just knows when the pasta dough has reached the perfect consistency. It is an art, for sure.
A silken, edible art.
Victor’s Pasta
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- up to 1 teaspoon 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. Add drops of water, if necessary. 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 width-wise; 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.
The sauce was his sauce we made and jarred a few months ago, along with a few hot Italian sausages.
Sauce made in small batches with real ingredients and no fillers, chemicals, or extraneous ingredients placed solely to trick the mind into thinking it's eating real food.
It is good.
The final plate was rich sauce with silken pasta and a just-spicy-enough sausage. I ate more than I should have and loved every bite.
Real good.