redacted recipes

First Thursdays: A Group Smackdown!

Michelle of Thursday Night Smackdown has invited all comers to jump into the ring with her by initiating a new monthly blog event called First Thursdays. Even though I'm kind of scared of her it sounded like fun, plus there's this scary dish I've been wanting to try forever, so... here we are.

I have to confess that I've broken the rules of Michelle's challenge, which CLEARLY stated we're to make a dish from our cookbook or magazine collection on the first Thursday of the month. I used an online recipe, and fortunately Michelle said she would let it go this time and didn't even swear at me. But I'm still scared of her.

I first saw ravioli filled with eggs yolks a few years ago on the egullet forum. I immediately added it to my list of things I ought to get around to trying and then ignored the whole idea for lack of a pasta machine. I managed to "forget" to buy a pasta machine forever, which went a long way toward justifying my neglect of the recipe, but then a friend went and gave me a damned machine.

But wait, I'd lost the recipe in the meantime, so I put finding it again on my list of things to get to and then ignored it. Reprieve! But the day of reckoning finally arrived last week while I was watching Martha Stewart, which I never, never do (and how this happened is a whole other story), and there was her guest, Odette Fada, demonstrating her recipe for Raviolo with Egg Yolk and  Truffle Butter.

Damn. The game was up,the stars aligned, and a smackdown scheduled.

Making the filling was easy enough-- it's just spinach, ricotta and parmesan. But the thing is, I'd never made my own pasta before. Ever.So first I was insecure about the texture of the dough (was it too dry? Were my CSA eggs too small and should I have added an extra to allow for that?). Then, when we started rolling the dough out, I wasn't at ALL prepared for how long the sheets of pasta were getting. The recipe instructed us to keep rolling out a single piece of dough until we'd reached the sixth setting. Now, honestly, by the time we got to the third setting, the piece was over three feet long already! Who has that much counter space?! So we cut it in half and then rolled each piece alternately, but then we had TWO  enormously long strips of pasta to contend with.  All to make four ravioli! At one point I seriously considered just hanging a piece around my neck like Christmas lights.

I will say that I experienced a real thrill as I watched a lump of dough become beautiful thin authentic-looking strips of pasta. Why, oh why, did I wait so long to try this?

Mid-post disclaimer: Michelle always takes photos of her Smackdown prep and of the meal as it comes together and I wanted to do that too, but I had my hands full of pasta and there was no way I could coordinate the camera at the same time.

Making the raviolo was kinda fun. You pipe a circle of the ricotta filling onto the pasta and then nestle an egg yolk inside the circle. Easy!

Another disclaimer: I could have stopped to take a photo at that point but I forgot, in my excitement at seeing it all start to come together.

Placing the second strip of pasta over the filling and trying to get air bubbles out before sealing it was not so easy. We definitely had air bubbles, which manifested just as soon as we dropped the ravioli into the boiling water.

They only cook for two minutes, so we had a mad scramble to clean up the area we'd rolled the pasta out on, which is also our designated photo opportunity location.

Last disclaimer: So you get two photos of the finished product which are basically exactly alike and I don't want to hear any complaints. I'll do better next time.

Fortunately Jack had started browning butter while I was assembling the raviolo, and we'd made a salad while the pasta dough was resting, so THAT was all ready and waiting.

Of course we had no truffles handy but we did have some truffle butter in the freezer and added a dollop to the browned butter for flavor.

End result? As Jack said, "Oh my giddy God these are good."

We'll make them again, with half the amount of dough. And I'd like to try smaller ones with quail egg yolks, too. I'm thinking they could be assembled an hour ahead of time and covered and refrigerated, so I could serve to friends with a little less in the way of rushing around. I mean, there's no way these babies get made to order in a restaurant, right?

In case you missed it the first time, click the link to find the recipe for Raviolo with Egg Yolk and  Truffle Butter. 

Heatwave Cooking: Slow Cooker Risotto

Yes, yes, I know that the only real way to make risotto is over the stove. I do it all winter long. But that was then and this is now. A very warm now, and anyway I told you all I was retiring the stove for the summer.

I had some beautiful asparagus to use up and I'm a little (possibly extremely) tired of salad. And besides, Lora Brody said it would work. Plus I wanted risotto and I was desperate. (But we had salad with it too, dammit!)

The recipe specified two hours in the slow cooker set on high. At one hour my risotto was looking close to done and was perfect half an hour later. At two hours (I was waiting for Jack to get home) it was the opposite of al dente. It tasted nice, but it was a bit soggy. Still, I'll be trying this again with a shorter cooking time. The notion of risotto in the height of summer without heating up the kitchen (or myself!) is one I find difficult to resist.

I substituted chopped leeks for shallots, as I had some needing to be used up, and decreased the amount of olive oil substantially.

Asparagus Risotto
serves 4

1 pound asparagus
1/4 cup olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and minced
1 1/4 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
3-3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
1/2 or 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cut the asparagus into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces and blanch for about two minutes in boiling, salted water. Use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus pieces to a bowl of cold water, shocking it into a lovely bright  green color and stopping it from cooking. Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil over medium heat, and saute the shallots (or sliced leeks!) until they have softened. Add the rice and stir until all of the grains are coated with the olive oil. Add the wine and scrap up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Transfer to the slow cooker and stir in the chicken broth and salt. Cover and cook on High for about 2 hours or until all liquid is absorbed. Just before serving, stir in the asparagus and cheese.

For those of you who haven't seen the new tastespotting clones, be sure to check out Food Gawker, Recipe Muncher, FP Daily and New Tastings!

Caprese Bites

I'm a tomato snob. Once the last of the summer tomatoes disappear I just don't buy any until the first local beauties reappear in late June or July. You know what I'm talking about, don't you? Remember the first time you tasted a real tomato? Not one of those hard red-orange things stocked in the grocery store, but  a warm bursting with juices honest to goodness tomato. It's the memory of the real thing that steels my resolve all winter and stops me from buying pretenders.

Lately though, Anna, of Produce Stories, has been nudging me to try the locally grown hydroponic tomatoes on offer at the Greenmarket and last week the temptation was just too much to resist. While they are not the juicy treasures of high summer, they're many cuts above the usual hard and tasteless offerings in the grocery stores this time of year.

Keeping it simple is always wise if you have good ingredients. For these little previews of summer we used basil from our kitchen window herb garden, some very fine mozzarella di bufala, and a loaf of sourdough from the neighborhood bakery. This recipe goes out to Abby at Eat the Right Stuff for her Vegetables, Beautiful Vegetables event.

Caprese Bites

2 real tomatoes, cut into wedges
1-2 garlic cloves, cut in half
mozzarella di bufala
basil leaves
1-2 tb olive oil
slices of good bread
salt and pepper

Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast them lightly under the broiler. Then turn the slices over and rub each one with the garlic. Lightly brush them with with olive oil and put them back under the broiler until just browned.

Lay a slice of  mozzerella on each slice, and then one or two basil leaves, topping with a tomato wedge. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper, to taste.

Beet and Radicchio Risotto with Mirto

Last week Jack and I had dinner at one of our neighborhood favorites, Aurora. Definitely not a red sauce joint-- if you want spaghetti and meatballs, you won't find it there. Instead, the menu is eclectic, and includes a lot of wild game and to die for freshly made pasta. One of the dishes was farro and beets with a perfectly grilled quail and we both immediately decided it was long past time to try making a beet risotto.

And so this weekend I gave it a try. To balance out the sweetness of the beets I decided to add roasted radicchio as well. And instead of deglazing with the usual splash of white wine I used Mirto, a digestive produced in Sardinia and made with myrtle berries and leaves.

Beet and Radicchio Risotto with Mirto

1 medium red beet
1/2 head fresh radicchio, cleaned and chopped
1 1/4 c. carnaroli or arborio rice
2 medium shallots
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 T. butter (optional)
1/2 c. Mirto
2 c. vegetable stock
2 c. water
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 oz. goat cheese

Preheat oven to 425F.  Wash the beet, removing the dirt but leaving skin on, cut into quarters. Sprinkle with kosher salt, black pepper and olive oil, and place the quarters in a small pan, covering it with foil.  Do the same with the half head of radicchio, but wrap it in a separate foil packet.  Place the beets and radicchio in the oven to roast for about 45 minutes (until the beets are tender). Remove the beets and let cool. Unwrap the radicchio and let the leaves roast another 5 minutes or so.

When the beets are cool, peel and chop them. Chop the radicchio, as well, and set aside

Heat the stock and water together on a very low simmer.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and add the shallots and tarragon. Saute for about five minutes and then add the risotto, stirring until the kernels begin to look shiny. Add the butter, if you're using it, and stir for another minute or two.

Pour the Mirto into the pan and saute a few minutes more, stirring until the alcohol concentrates down a little and looks thicker.  Reduce the heat to medium.  Add 1 cup hot broth and bring to a simmer, stirring until the broth is completely absorbed. Add the remaining stock 1/2 cup at a time, allowing it to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently, until rice is tender and mixture is creamy,--about 25 to 35 minutes longer. Add salt and pepper to taste.

When the risotto is is done toss in the goat cheese and stir until melted and incorporated.  Turn off the heat and add in the roasted beets and radicchio.  Fold in gently and serve immediately.

Festa Italiana: a sort-of Italian tart

I don't know how Italian this little tart is, given that there is no recipe other than the one in my head, but I can promise you that the ingredients are authentic. I had some left-over pastry dough, some Italian goat cheese, and some pancetta all needing to be used up, and you what they say about neccessity, don't you?
I figure I won't be kicked out when I arrive with half a dozen of these in hand for Festa Italiana, hosted by Finding La Dolce Vita.

On The Spot Italian Tart
serves 2

2 small onions, sliced into rings
2 oz. pancetta, sliced into strips
fresh flat leaf parsley, as much as you like
crumbly goat cheese, as much as you like
olive oil
A half recipe of your favorite savory pastry dough
an egg yolk mixed with a little water, for brushing the pastry

Preheat the oven to 350.

On low heat saute the onion rings in a little olive oil until they start to look golden. Then push them to one side of the pan and add the pancetta, frying until they just start to crisp up. Remove from the heat.

Roll the pastry dough into a circle and then place it on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Spoon the onions onto the pastry, leaving  1 to 1 1/2 inches around the outside. Arrange the pancetta over the onions. Sprinkle with the parsley and goat cheese. Carefully fold the border over the filling, overlapping itself slightly as needed. Brush the dough with egg yolk mixture.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until the crust is nicely browned. Serve hot or at room temperature with a salad on the side.

Heart of the Matter: Party Food

It was in Rome that I first tasted cannellini beans tossed with thinly sliced red onion, herbs and olive oil. I fell in love with the earthy flavor and made a point of trying the many, many variations on this dish whenever possible.

It's a dish that travels well and can be eaten at room temperature, making it perfect for potlucks and picnics. I don't think I've ever ended up with the same end result, though I always start with the same basic recipe. The salad pictured here has less tomato than called for, white onions instead or red, and the addition of radishes and baby spinach. That's the beauty of this recipe-- once you've got the basic salad made you can add whatever appeals to you. Chopped pitted Greek olives, sliced pepperoncini (small Italian peppers),  and bits of feta or smoked cheese also work very well.

You can, of course, cook your own beans, but I tend not to plan ahead that far. I always have a few cans of cannellini beans in my cupboard so that I can make this salad at a moment's notice.

Cannellini Bean Salad
adapted from The American Cancer Society's Healthy Eating Cookbook
serves 4

1 16-ounce can white beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
Splash of red wine vinegar, to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons fresh oregano

Place beans into a small bowl. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper, mixing gently. Add tomatoes, onion, and oregano and toss to mix. Add the vinegar, to taste.

This is my entry for The Heart of The Matter event 13, hosted by Ilva of Lucullian Delights.

Farro "Risotto" with Dried Portobello Mushrooms

I'd bought some farro a few months ago as part of my Groaty Pudding debacle, and it's been hanging around in the cupboard ever since looking at me reproachfully each time I pass it by in favor of pasta or quinoa or rice.  Jack and I were tossing dinner ideas around and I decided to go and have a look at the larder (my fancy word for two cupboards, a refrigerator, two spice racks, and a bowl of onions, potatoes, garlic and whatever other vegetables I happen to have around at any given time). Wouldn't you know that sitting right next to the farro was a package of dried mushrooms? And in the freezer was a little container of truffle butter... It was meant to be.

While I think that dried porcini mushrooms, or a mix of both portobello and porcini would be ideal (as well as some fresh mushrooms), and will be trying it that way next time, this dish was a hit. We loved the toothsome and yet tender texture of the farro, and how beautifully it carried the flavor of the other ingredients.

Farro "Risotto" with Dried Portobello Mushrooms

2 cups farro
1 ounce dried portobello mushrooms
1 tbsp unsalted butter (or truffle butter, if you want to be seriously decadent!)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 carrot, diced
1 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper, to taste
chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Place the farro in a large pot and cover with water. Let soak for about 30 minutes. Drain off the soaking water and boil the farro in one quart of water, salted, partially covered, for 30 - 45 minutes or until soft, but al dente. Drain.

While farro is cooking, soak the mushrooms with 1 cup of hot water for about 30 minutes. Remove them from the bowl, squeezing the water back into the bowl and reserve the liquid. Chop the mushrooms coarsely.

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a skillet over low heat. Add the carrots and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook until soft. Stir in the mushrooms, then add the wine. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain the reserved soaking liquid into the skillet. Simmer for another 10 minutes. (If the farro is not yet cooked, remove skillet from heat and set aside.)

When the farro is cooked and drained, add it to the contents of the skillet, mixing gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Beef Short Ribs Braised with Red Wine

A few years ago my daughters spent a year in an international school in Genoa. Jack and I flew over to visit as often as we could and spent many a day exploring both Liguria and the Piedmont. Until then it had just not occured to us to add the area to a travel itinerary, previous visits being limited to Rome, Florence and Naples with one quick side trip to Venice.

With locally grown or produced ingredients like arborio rice, truffles, cheeses, game, beef and veal, and big powerful red wines like Barolo and Barbaresco, Piedmontese cuisine is sophisticated and always freshly prepared. Interestingly, the "slow food" movement was founded in Piedmont in 1986, and Piedmont was the first region in Italy to prohibit the cultivation of genetically modified organisms. 

I'm not picky about where I find recipes, and I'm only slightly embarrassed to admit that this one came from the latest Williams Sonoma catalog, which features food of the Piedmont.

Beef Short Ribs with Red Wine
Adapted from Williams Sonoma
serves 4 - 6

3 lb beef short ribs with bones
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup flour
3 oz. pancetta or lean bacon, cut into small cubes or strips
2 T olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 T tomato paste
1 bottle Barolo or other full-bodied red wine
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 " piece of parmesan cheese rind
polenta for serving

Season ribs with salt and pepper, dredge in flour.

Saute pancetta or bacon 3 -5 minutes, remove from pan and set aside.

Brown the ribs in the same pan and transfer to a plate.

Pour off the fat and add the olive oil to the pan and saute the onion, carrot and celery for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste-- cook about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup of wine to deglaze the pan, then add another cup of wine and bring to a simmer. Pour half of the simmering wine and vegetable mixture into your crockpot or slowcooker. Arrange the ribs in the slowcooker over the sauce.

Return the skillet to the heat and add half of the remaining wine to the vegetable mixture. Heat to a simmer and pour half of the mixture over the ribs into the slowcooker.

Return the skillet to the heat again, and add the rest of the wine, the pancetta or bacon, the rosemary and the cheese rind. Bring to a simmer and pour over the ribs, cover the slowcooker and cook on high for 4 hours.

Before serving, skim the fat off the sauce and transfer the ribs to a serving dish. If you want to be really fancy you can run the sauce and vegetables through a food mill and into a frying pan-- simmering the sauce for 10 minutes to reduce. Serve ribs and sauce over polenta.

I'm thinking I'll use the leftovers as outlined (and beautifully photographed) in this eGullet post.