Panzanella

Panzanella is a Tuscan salad made with bread and tomatoes that is popular in Central Italy during the summer.  The idea of bread in salad may sound a little strange, the bread does get a bit soggy but it is actually a very delicious type of soggy within the first few hours after dressing.  Typical Italian Panzanella does not grill the bread, they also use typical unsalted Italian bread which very dense.  You're choice on the matter of authenticity, but I like to use a crusty salted bread that has a good hard crust and a soft chewy interior. Any combination of fresh vegetables can be used in this salad, tomatoes with onion and basil are very traditional but peppers, cucumber and asparagus are very nice additions.

     Salad Ingredients
1 loaf of crusty Italian bread 
2 tomatoes seeded and chopped into 1" chunks
1 red onion sliced into rounds
1/2 cucumber sliced into half rounds
handful of basil leaves 


     Dressing Ingredients
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar 
1 garlic clove finely chopped
fresh cracked pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil


1. Cut the loaf of bread in half, olive oil both sides and grill on a grill pan for 5 min each side. If you don't have a grill pan (get one) you can use the broiler in the oven to get a nice toast on both sides. Slice the grilled bread into 1" cubes.

2. Grill the onion rounds on the grill pan for 5 min each side. Roughly chop.

3. Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, basil and bread in a bowl. Toss with dressing and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Homemade Chicken & Artichoke Tortellini with Lemon Cream Sauce

                                                           














            Tortellini making is a bit of an art form. It reminds me of building models in college which I found hugely relaxing and enjoyable. For a person with no model or pasta making experience it may sound too daunting to try, but I promise it is easier than one would think and is well worth the effort. Tortellini also freeze really well, which means dedicating an evening to tortellini making will pay you back with many delicious and impressive dinners. This recipe uses slow cooked chicken and artichoke hearts from the freezer section, topped with a very simple lemon cream sauce which is tasty and comforting.

     Tortellini Recipe 
3 slow cooked chicken thighs, finely chopped 
1 cup artichoke hearts, finely chopped
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper


fresh pasta dough cut into 2" diameter rounds (the rim of a wide glass can serve as a template but  cooking stores also sell round cutters in many sizes)


     Sauce
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 garlic clove sliced
1 shallot, finely chopped
Zest from 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper


1. Prepare the tortellini pasta rounds. Store cut rounds on parchment paper in layers (do not overlap) until ready to assemble.

2. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Salt and pepper to taste. You should taste the mixture, it is cooked. Make sure you like the way it tastes, adjust the seasoning as necessary.

3. To make the tortellini, put a small amount (a heaping teaspoon depending on the size of your pasta rounds) in the center of the round. Fold the round in half to create a crescent, sealing the edges with water. Place your thumb in the center of the folded edge of the crescent and wrap the ends together. Pinch the ends so they bond, you should have a tortellini! Continue with the remaining rounds and filling. The leftover rounds can be used for maltagliati.

(You may have something that looks more like a finger puppet. If you do, don't despair, I am working on a webisode for tortellini making for visual learners, stay tuned. If you just can't get a tortellini from verbal instructions, you can make ravioli, place about a tablespoon in the center of a round, top with another round and seal the edges. No harm no foul.)

4. In a large saute pan, cook the shallots and garlic in butter with salt and pepper. Saute on low heat until soft, about 5 min. Stir in cream and zest and simmer until thickened slightly, about 10 min. Add the lemon juice and remove from heat. 


5. In a large pot of boiling water, place the tortellini. When they float, they are cooked, about 4 minutes. Freeze the extras pre-cooking on a cookie sheet until frozen, then transfer to a plastic bag or tupperware. 


6. Combine with the sauce and enjoy.

Maltagliati with Zucchini and Squash

Maltagliati is the Italian word for "badly cut" meaning scrap pasta. After making pasta rounds for tomorrow nights tortellini, I was unenthusiastic about making myself a nice meal.  Luckily I had a pile of remnant pasta pieces next to my stove, and combined with a squash and zucchini from my refrigerator, I ended up with a nice dinner and tomorrow's lunch.

     Recipe


1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
2 cloves garlic (smashed with the back of the knife)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 1/2 teaspoon dried)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste


1 large handful fresh Maltagliati pasta (or dried penne or farfalle would be good)


1. Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Meanwhile, slice the zucchini and squash in half lengthwise and then chop into 1/4 half rounds.

2. Place the zucchini and squash in the pan, add a the thyme, salt and fresh cracked pepper and stir. Then add the garlic on top, do not stir, and place the lid on. Let this sit for 5 minutes.

3. Uncover the pan, allow the water from the lid to drip back into the pan and stir. At this point the vegetables should be not quite al dente. Turn up the heat to medium high and cook until the vegetables start to brown slightly.

4. Add the cooked pasta, the cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and if needed, a little more olive oil. This can be made with dried pasta as well, I'd recommend penne, but the maltagliati makes this special and very quick!

Simple Fresh Pasta

After my whole wheat pasta endeavor this weekend, I wanted to make a quick fresh pasta that would be more cooperative for my weeknight persona.  I can get behind the benefits of healthier whole wheat pasta, but after a long day of work, I want the dough to do what I want the dough to do.  Whole wheat dough tends to be more fussy in my experience.  So here's a simple weeknight pasta dough that is silky, satisfying and won't cause you grief.

     Recipe
1 cup cake flour (not self rising)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 warm water


1. Combine the ingredients and gradually add the water until the dough comes together without becoming sticky. Depending on the humidity, you may need more or less water.  Once the dough forms a ball, knead for 8-10 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit for 30 min.


2. Break the dough into 3 balls.  Put the first ball on the lowest setting of your pasta machine (or if you only have a rolling pin, roll up your sleeves and get rolling). Slowly work the dough through the settings until it is very thin, this is an 8 out of 9 on my machine.

























3. Once the dough is a thin sheet, cut the pasta to your desired shape.

Note: fresh pasta cooks very quickly. It is 2-3 minutes in vigorously boiling salted water. For stuffed pastas, once they float to the surface, they are done.

Depending on what you're using the dough for, the thickness will vary.  I made this dough for a dinner I'm having tomorrow with friends. It's time consuming to make stuffed pasta (I'm teaching a friend to make tortellini) so I've cut the pasta rounds in advance so we aren't eating dinner at 11pm.  After cutting I placed them on parchment paper on a cookie sheet then covered the whole thing in plastic wrap to keep the dough moist. That way we can focus on the filling and sauce.

Free Form Lasagna with Lamb Ragu and Fresh Peas

A ragu is a meat-based sauce that is typically served with pasta.  The meat is ground or minced, and is cooked with sautéed vegetables and a liquid.  By following some basic guidelines, a ragu can be created with a variety of meats, vegetables, and liquids depending on the season and taste.  This makes ragu a great farmer's market meal - with ingredient types in mind, you can go see what looks good and bring home the freshest ingredients the market has to offer. 

This weekend I went up to the Union Square Farmer's market to see what ingredients were available to make a fresh pasta dinner for some friends.  I had a spring vegetable lasagna in mind, but to my surprise, the market was totally dominated by beets, radishes, garlic scapes and baby carrots.  As a rule, I like to take a first pass over the market to see what all the vendors have and get a sense of what everyone is producing.  Garlic scapes are unusual vegetables that are a must buy if you can get your hands on some.  They are a leafless flowering stem that grows out of the bulb of the garlic. They have a garlic-onion flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked.  

For my seasonal lasagna I opted for a ragu to make use of the young carrots, garlic scapes, and some beautiful hothouse tomatoes.  For the base, I found fresh sheep's milk ricotta and ground mutton.  The lamb vendor was out of ground lamb and recommended ground mutton as an alternative for its lower fat content.  Although it was my first time using mutton, the result was fantastic and I would definitely use a fresh, farm-raised mutton again. 

     Recipe

1 carrot diced into 1/8" pieces

2 shallots diced into 1/8" pieces

1 stalk celery diced into 1/8" pieces

1/4 cup garlic scapes chopped

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 tomatoes chopped (about 1 1/2 cups) 

1 lb ground mutton or lamb

1 1/2 cups fresh peas (shelled)

4 ounces fresh ricotta

1 cup grated aged sheep's milk cheese (pecorino or aged gruyere would work too)

fresh whole wheat pasta sheets cut into 3" squares

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In a heavy pot, heat 1/4 olive oil on medium high heat. Add carrot, celery, garlic scapes and shallots and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. 

2. Add the rosemary, red pepper flakes, tomatoes and white wine.  Bring to a low boil ad cook for 5 minutes. 

3. Add the mutton and stir to break up the large pieces. Simmer on medium low heat with the lid on for 20 minutes, season with salt and fresh ground pepper, then add the peas and cook for 5 more minutes.

4. Free form lasagna cooks on a baking sheet and creates individual serving. Assemble the first layer of pasta on a non-stick baking sheet. Add a large spoonful of sauce to each sheet, make sure the entire sheet is covered with a thin layer of the ragu. Top with a tablespoon of ricotta spread evenly, then add the next layer of pasta and repeat. On the third layer, add the ragu and the ricotta, then top with the grated cheese and fresh pepper, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 min, uncover and bake for another 5 min. 

The fresh pasta does not need to be cooked prior to baking but does require the sauce to have enough liquid to moisten the sheets. The aluminum foil helps keep the pasta moist, but some sheets may have crispy edges, which my guests loved. This dish can be easily adapted to make a typical lasagna in a baking dish.

Fresh Whole Wheat Pasta Sheets

Fresh pasta is a food group of its own.  It cooks faster and takes on sauce in a completely different way from dried pasta.  Both fresh and dried pastas shine in different uses, but I do personally find that nothing beats a delicious fresh pasta in a simple sauce.  Here's a basic fresh pasta recipe that serves as the base for many of the recipes you'll see on this blog.  This basic recipe can be adapted for whole wheat or flavored pasta doughs.

     Recipe
5 eggs
3 1/2 cups of flour (for wheat pasta use 2 cups of white flour and 1 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour)


1. Sift the flour into a heap on an open surface.

2. Make a well in the center and add the eggs.

3. With your hands or a fork, slowly beat the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour. When about half the flour is combined, the dough should come together enough to start kneading it with your hands.

4. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for about a half hour.

5. Using a rolling pin or pasta maker, roll the dough out into thin sheets for use in the fresh pasta recipe of your choice.

Gluten Free Gnocchi with a Fresh Tomato Sauce

When I was a student in Rome, every Thursday was gnocchi day. All the little pasta shops had gnocchi as their special of the day, and even though the container looked too small to be enough for lunch, we all dubbed the after effects at the "gnocchi coma." Gnocchi can be very heavy and can really knock you out Thanksgiving turkey style, but it can also be quite light. I had the idea to try gnocchi with gluten-free flour, since gnocchi is already potato based and doesn't solely depend on flour for its texture. It is a great way to make gluten-free pasta that feels like the real thing. A note about gluten-free flour - there are many choices and each comes with pros and cons. For this recipe I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free baking flour, the texture is good but there is definitely a slight flavor difference to regular flour. I plan to test this recipe with a few more flour choices and will report back.


Gnocchi, for those of you who aren't familiar, are essentially little potato dumplings. They have as many variations in terms of method and ingredients as there are grandmothers in Italy. I plan to explore more diverse gnocchi styles in the future, but to start, here is a basic gnocchi recipe that can be used in a wide variety of applications.




     Recipe
2 baking potatoes (russets are good) about 12 ounces each
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
3/4 cup gluten-free flour (sweet rice flour is good for this) 
1/4 cup grated pecorino for garnish


     Sauce
1 small carton of grape or cherry tomatoes sliced in half lengthwise (about 20 tomatoes)
1/4 cup sliced Cerignola olives (these are the very green olives, they are fresh and less salty)
1/2 cup boconcini (small mozzarella balls) sliced in half
2 cloves crushed garlic
olive oil
handful of fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the potatoes until soft, you can either microwave them for 12-15 min (remember to fork all over to avoid explosion) or boil for 45 minutes.


2. While they are still warm, peel the potatoes and put them through a potato ricer, or mash well with a fork until the lumps are gone.


3. Gently mix in the egg, salt and pepper, then sift in the flour and mix until the dough begins to come together. Knead the dough gently until it is dry to the touch.


4. Divide the dough into balls about the size of a golf ball, the roll into 3/4" ropes, and cut into 1" pieces. Roll each piece down the back of a fork to create the traditional ridges, these help grab sauce and also make the gnocchi look special.


5. Cook the gnocchi in salted boiling water for about 3 minutes, or until they float to the surface. Cool immediately in an ice bath, drain, and toss with the sauce.


6. For the sauce, heat olive oil in a pan at medium heat, add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.


7. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes until the tomatoes begin to break down. Add the olives and cook for another minute. Salt and pepper to taste.


8. Then add the cooked gnocchi, mozzarella, and basil. I like to put a little grated Pecorino on top of this once its on the plate to be served.