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Semifreddo con Granella e Salsa di Cioccolato (Semifreddo with Ground Nut Brittle and Chocolate Sauce)

May 5, 2013

Semifreddo con Granella e Salsa di Cioccolato
Semifreddo with Ground Nut Brittle and Chocolate Sauce

Serves 8

Semifreddo, which means “almost frozen,” unites the creamy coldness of gelato with the airy lightness of mousse. I grew up on it, and it’s added more than a handful around my midriff. The granella, a ground-up nut brittle, gives this semifreddo a tasty candy-bar crunch. (If you don’t want to make your own granella, you can buy a bar of peanut brittle and a bar of almond brittle, break them up, and grind them in a good processor.) For a really decadent flourish, serve the semifreddo with warm chocolate sauce and strawberries.

Ingredients:

  • 3 medium eggs, separated
  • 6 ½ tablespoons suga
  • ½ cup Granella (recipe follows)
  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream
  • ⅓ cup water
  • Chocolate Sauce (page 320)
  • 3 cups fresh washed strawberries (optional)

Procedure:

  1. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with 2 ½ tablespoons of the sugar until they are pale. Add the granella and mix well. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream on medium-high speed until it begins to thicken, then lower the speed and continue beating until the cream is stiff and glossy. Fold the whipped cream into the egg yolk mixture. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff and smooth.
  2. In a saucepan, bring the remaining 4 tablespoons of sugar and the water to a lively bubble and let it cook for 3 minutes, or until the syrup is clear. Remove it from the heat. Turn your mixer to high, and slowly pour the syrup into the egg whites, beating the 2 ingredients together for about 3 minutes. The mixture should triple in volume. Turn the mixer down to medium and beat until the whites cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Fold the whites into the yolk mixture. Combine well but do not overmix, or the batter will fall.
  3. Spoon the mixture into individual custard cups and freeze for about 6 hours, or until frozen completely like ice cream. Serve with the chocolate sauce and strawberries.

Granella
Ground Nut Brittle

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 generous cup nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, peanuts), toasted and cooled
  • Sweet butter, for the pan

Procedure:

  1. Melt the sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, then remove it from the heat, add the toasted nuts, and stir to coat all the nuts well.
  2. Transfer the mixture to a well-buttered sheet pan and spread to cover the bottom of the pan. Let this cool, then place it in the freezer until it becomes brittle.
  3. Break the granella into chunks that will fit into a food-processing bowl. Process that granella until it is coarse and crumbly. Granella can be used for garnishing many sweets. Store these ground nuts in a container wrapped with plastic in a cool, dry place. They will keep for a month.

Pollo, Tacchino, Agnello, e Manzo Arrosto con Insalata di Rinforzo (Mixed Grill of Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, and Beef with Make-You-Strong Salad)

May 5, 2013

Pollo, Tacchino, Agnello, e Manzo Arrosto con Insalata di Rinforzo

Mixed Grill of Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, and Beef with Make-You-Strong Salad

Serves 4 to 5

 

Ingredients:

4 lamb chops (loin or rib), trimmed of fat

1 pound boneless shell steak, cut into 4 pieces

Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 cloves garlic, chopped

4 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped

4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped

1 can beer

4 chicken thighs

4 turkey wings

Make-You-Strong Salad (recipe follows)

 

Procedure:

1. Rub the lamb chops and steaks with salt and pepper and drizzle them with olive oil. Mix together the garlic and the herbs and rub half the mixture into the lamb chops and steaks.

2. Pour the beer into a large bowl and add the chicken and turkey, the remaining garlic-herb mixture, and salt and pepper. Let all the meat marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator.

3. Heat the grill or broiler and cook the meat to desired doneness-approximately 4 minutes per side for the lamb chops (for medium-rare), 4 to 5 minutes per side for strip steak (for medium-rare), and 15 minutes per side for the chicken. (If you broil the meat, it will take slightly less time than on the grill). Serve with the salad.

Insalata di Rinforzo

Make-You-Strong Salad

 

Ingredients:

1 quart water

8 shallots, peeled

1 head cauliflower, broken into florets

2 small zucchini, cut into 3-x-1/2 inch lengths

1 yellow bell pepper, halved and seeded

1 red bell pepper, halved and seeded

3 tablespoons pitted, halved, green olives

3 tablespoons pitted, halved, Italian black olives

10 cornichons, cut in half

2 tablespoons drained capers

4 anchovy fillets, chopped

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

 

Procedure:

1. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan and add the shallots. Cook them until tender, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Mix together the cauliflower and zucchini and steam them until they are tender-crisp, about 5 minutes.

2. Preheat the broiler. Place the peppers, skin side up, 3 to 3 inches from the heat and watch carefully. When the skin blackens, turn them over and blacken on the other side. Place the peppers in a closed plastic bag for 15 minutes. Peel off the skin and cut the peppers into chunks.

3. Toss all the vegetables, olives, cornichons, capers, and anchovies together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the red wine vinegar with salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil in a thin, steady stream. Add the parsley, and pour the dressing over the salad. Toss well and serve warm or at room temperature, which the mixed grill.

Lasagna di Vegetali (Vegetable Lasagna)

May 5, 2013

Lasagna di Vegetali

Vegetable Lasagna

Serves 12 as an Appetizer

 

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons dry white wine

1 cup thinly sliced onion

1 cup sliced celery

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

1 cup well-washed and sliced leeks, white part only

1 cup trimmed and sliced zucchini

1 cup salted, rinsed, dried, and sliced eggplant

¼ cup seeded and sliced red bell peppers

¼ cup seeded and sliced yellow bell peppers

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

4 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

3 cups Pommarola (see page 174) or drained, canned Italian tomaotes

6 quarts water

1 pound lasagna noodles

2 ½ cups Bechamel (recipe follows)

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

 

Procedure:

1. Make sure all of the vegetables are cut to a uniform thickness. In a heavy saute pan large enough to hold all the vegetables, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium until it gets hazy. Add the garlic and saute until it starts to color, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and the white wine (be careful, it may flame up for a brief moment until the alcohol evaporates.) When the wine reduces, after about 2 minutes, add the following vegetables, in order: the onion, celery, carrots, leeks, zucchini, eggplant, and the bell peppers. Cook each vegetable for approximately 1 minute before adding the next. Add the black pepper and a tablespoon of the salt. Cook the mixture for 5 minutes more. Then add the basil, oregano, and thyme and cook for 5 minutes. Add the pommarola and cook for another 5 minutes. Set aside.

2. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot, adding the remaining 3 tablespoons of salt and drop in the lasagna noodles. When the noodles are very al dente, drain them, and plunge them into an ice water bath to stop them from cooking. Lay them out on kitchen towels to drain.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a 13-x-9-inch baking dish with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Spoon a little Bechamel sauce on the bottom of the pan. Cover the bottom with sheets of pasta, side by side, draping it up the sides, and over the edge of the pan. Trim the pasta to the size of the pan. Spread a layer of Bechamel over the pasta. Add a layer of the vegetable/tomato mixture, and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Repeat the process until all the ingredients have been used up. The top layer should be pasta, a very thick layer of Bechamel, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. (You can prepare the lasagna up to this point, then refrigerate it, and cook it when you are ready to serve, a day later if you like. An alternative is that after it is cooked, you can cut it into individual portions, wrap in foil, and freeze it. The pieces can be placed directly into the oven to reheat.) Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until the lasagna is heated through and the top begins to turn golden.

Besciamella

Bechamel

(Makes 2 ½ cups)

6 tablespoons sweet butter

4 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

Pinch of grated nutmeg

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Pinch of white pepper

Pinch of salt

    In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly to incorporate it well and prevent lumps. Do not let the flour brown, otherwise your sauce will be pasty tasting. In another pan, heat the milk, but do not let it boil. While stirring the butter and flour mixture, add the hot milk all at once. Add the nutmeg, cinnamon, white pepper, and salt. Turn the heat to medium-high and whisk constantly until the mixture boils, then thickens. Cook at a simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.

For almost three hundred years, the world has called the popular white sauce of French cuisine, Bechamel, after Louis de Bechameil, a butler to Louis XIV. But Bechameil had nothing to do with the invention of this versatile white sauce. According to Italian cooking books from the renaissance period, biancomangiare or “white food,” already existed in the 1300s. One recipe, by Anonimo Toscano, an “anonymous Tuscan,” calls for combining rice flour with goat, sheep, or almond milk. Legend has it that Catherine de Medicis, when she moved to France to marry Henry II, brought the recipe with her and taught her chef how to make a sauce she called Colla-in modern Italian, “glue.”

Piccolo Cibreo (Tuscan-Style Chicken Livers)

May 5, 2013

Piccolo Cibreo

Tuscan-Style Chicken Livers

Serves 4

 

Cibreo is what we can un piatto tipico Toscano, a typical Tuscan dish. Out in the country, a farmer’s wife would make it with rooster crest and giblets, but since rooster innards (much less the crests) aren’t readily available in the United States, I invented an American variation, which is why this cibreo is piccolo, or small.

 

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken livers

5 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup chopped red onion

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoons chopped garlic

Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons drained capers

6 anchovy fillets, chopped

¾ cup Vin Santo (or dry Marsala)

1 small tomato, chopped

4 slices Tuscan bread, toasted and rubbed with cut garlic

3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

 

Procedure:

1. Wash the chicken livers, dry well and dust them with flour. Pour the olive oil into a large saute pan and add the onion, sage, red pepper flakes, and garlic, and saute over medium heat. When the onion is golden, after 6 to 8 minutes, add the chicken livers. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring so they brown evenly. Season them with salt and pepper, then add the capers, anchovies, and Vin Santo. Cook for another 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chopped tomato and cook for 8 to 10 minutes more.

2. The dish should be slightly soupy. If it starts to dry out, add a little bit of water. Spoon the livers over the toast, sprinkle with the chopped parsley, and serve.

Bigne al Cioccolato (Beignets with Chocolate Sauce)

May 5, 2013

Bigne al Cioccolato

Beignets with Chocolate Sauce

Makes 32 pastry puffs

 

Beignets are considered French, but they were actually invented in Florence and exported to France by a Florentine chef in the court of Catherine de Medicis. Back then, bigne were called pasta siringa (syringe pastry) because chefs used a syringe to shoot the cream into the puff pastry. I also like the puffs sliced in half and filled with good gelato instead of pastry cream.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 ½ sticks (3/4 cup) butter, cut into 1-inch cubes

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons sugar (optional)

6 eggs, at room temperature

1 recipe Pastry Cream (pg 87)

1 recipe Chocolate Sauce (pg 320)

 

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a baking sheet.

2. Place the water and butter in a medium saucepan and heat over medium until the water boils and the butter melts, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and and add the salt and the flour all at once, stirring until a dough ball forms. Return to the heat for 1 minute, stirring, to dry out the dough. If you want a sweeter dough, add the sugar here and blend well. Let the mixture cool slightly, while stirring 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Beat the eggs, one at a time, until the dough is shiny and smooth. Drop the dough by the tablespoon, 2 inches apart, on a baking sheet. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake the puffs on the middle rack of the oven for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. Continue baking until the puffs are firm and golden, about 15 minutes. Let them cool completely on a rack.

4. If you have a pastry bag, fill it with the pastry cream. With a knife, make a small slit in the bottom of a puff and pipe in a little of the cream. (If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can use a serrated knife to cut the puffs in half and spoon a little of the cream between the halves. Replace the tops and arrange the puffs on a plate.) If you do this too long before you serve them, the puffs will get soggy. It’s best to fill them right before you serve them. When you are ready to bring the plate to the table, spoon the chocolate sauce over the filled puffs

 

Salsa di Cioccolato

Chocolate Sauce

 

Ingredients:

2 ½ ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Up to ¼ cup water

½ cup sugar

⅝ cup heavy cream

 

Procedure:

1. In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, mix the chocolate, the cocoa powder, and water stirring constantly as the chocolate melts. The sauce will become thick and difficult to stir. Remove it from the heat and continue stirring, then add the sugar. Return the sauce to the heat and stir until the sugar dissolves, making sure to get all the lumps out. Add the cream and combine until smooth.

2. Remove the chocolate from the heat and let it cool a few minutes before spooning it over the semifreddo.

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