Risotto with the flavor of Springtime – Risotto Primavera

Risotto Primavera has been around since they started making risotto in Crema. Primavera, whether in salads, risotto or pasta, indicates that the dish contains vegetables that begin to mature in the spring. There are many variations and many contemporary chefs have claimed paternity of Risotto Primavera. The fact is, while some recipes are famous, such as the one included today, Risotto Primavera found its origins in the gardens of the poor masses over the centuries. It is a simple risotto and whatever is fresh from the garden goes in. I would also make this during the winter because my kids loved it and it was a great way to get them to eat fresh vegetables. Instead of buying out of season veggies and going through the entire process I would purchase an 8 oz bag of mixed vegetables and throw it in, still frozen, with about 7 minutes before the risotto was ready. I apologize. I know I sound like that TV semi chef of “Semi Homemade” on food network.

This Risotto Primavera is the recipe used in Harry’s Bar of Venice and New York. It has mushrooms, something I do not totally agree with for the purposes of authenticity, but it is very good. It is said that the founder Arrigo Cipriani long after passing the restaurant to his son would come and eat regularly. His wanted to experience the dishes as a customer and created numerous dishes after leaving the daily operations of the company.

Ingredients for 6 people:

For the Risotto -
10 oz. (250 g) Arborio Superfino Rice
2 quarts (1.5 lt.) Chicken Broth
1 ½ cups White Wine (Old World Chardonnay)
1 small Onion (sliced and diced)
4 tbsp (45 g) Butter
3 oz. (80 g) Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper

For the Vegetables:
1 clove of Garlic
4 oz (115 g) Mushroom heads thinly sliced
3 small Artichokes cleaned and sliced
2 small Zucchini cut into small cubes
6 Asparagus cut into ¾ inch strips
¼ Red Bell Pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
1 Small Spring Onion (only the white part about 1 inch)
1 tbsp diced Onion
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper


Preparation:

Mince the garlic. Heat the skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Remove the garlic and add the sliced mushrooms. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until they have lost their liquid. Add the Artichokes. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the Onion and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the Zucchini, the Asparagus, the bell pepper and the spring onion. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often for 10 minutes. Taste for Salt and Pepper and adjust accordingly. Set aside the vegetable mix.

Melt 3 tbsp butter in a heavy pot over medium high heat. Add the diced onion to the pot and sweat the onions until transparent.

Add the rice. Stir the rice into the butter and onions coating the rice for about 1 minute. Pour the wine into the rice and stir quickly for 1 minute. Add 1 ladle of broth. When the broth begins to boil check the timer. It will now take 22 minutes to cook the rice. As the broth evaporates add another ladle of broth. Stir constantly the rice. Continue until the 15 minutes has passed.

Add the vegetable mixture and cook everything for an additional 7 minutes. Turn off the heat. Stir in the remaining 1 tbsp of butter and the Parmesan cheese. Let rice sit for 1 minute (mantecare). Serve hot in individual plates.

Tags: Italian Recipes Risotto Vegetables Primavera Gourmet Foods Travel Italy

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Risotto with Zucchini Flowers

We have a few Zucchini plants in the garden. Zucchini and other squash are quite powerful plants. The rule is, “A few plants, lots of squash.” There is a way to keep the production in a relatively normal zone. When the male flowers blossom, eliminate about half of them. Yesterday we spent some time doing just that. Zucchini flowers are considered a delicacy in Italy. They are deep fried, stuffed, placed on pizza, or used as an ingredient in risotto. The flowers are highly desired but difficult to find because the flower begins to wilt as soon as it is picked thus cannot withstand normal channels of retail distribution.

Allowing the flowers to simply wilt on the ground would have been a sin. Raffaella pulled the recipe for a risotto from her hat of tricks and the flowers made their way into the kitchen. One of our normal cooking buddies, a truly great chef with a flair for French and Cajun recipes, offered to prepare grilled Halibut. He had never tried the Zucchini flowers but once he understood the nature of the dish, he decided that the fish should be as delicate as the risotto. The Halibut was prepared with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon slices finished off with fresh chopped Italian Parsley. It was the perfect mix.

Our choice for wine was a light Pinot Grigio. Other great solutions would be Vernaccia, Soave, Gavi, Gaia & Rey, and Tocai Friulano.

Ingredients:

30 Zucchini or Zucca flowers
10 oz. (300 g) Arborio Rice
4 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Butter
15 g powdered Saffron
1 small Zucchini 3-4 inches long
1 Medium Onion diced
1 cup Dry White Wine
1 quart Vegetable Broth
1 oz. (30 g) Parmesan Cheese
Salt and pepper to taste


Preparation:

Bring the broth to a boil and turn the heat to minimum.

The flowers must be fresh. Delicately open the flowers and remove the pistols with a pair of scissors. Rinse the flower under cold water and let them drain on paper towels. Set the flowers aside.

Melt 4 tbsp butter in a heavy pot over medium high heat. Add the diced onion to the pot and sweat the onions until transparent.

Add the rice. Stir the rice into the butter and onions coating the rice for about 1 minute. Separate the petals of the flowers delicately. Add the flowers and stir them together with the rice.

Pour the wine into the rice and stir quickly for 1 minute. Add 1 ladle of broth. When the broth begins to boil check the timer. It will now take 22 minutes to cook the rice. As the broth evaporates add another ladle of broth. Stir constantly the rice. Continue until the 17 minutes has passed.

Put the saffron and cook everything for an additional 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Stir in the remaining 1 tbsp of butter and the Parmesan cheese. Let rice sit for 1 minute (mantecare). Serve hot in individual plates.

Tags: Italian Recipes Squash Flowers Risotto Gourmet Foods Travel Italy

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The sauce of the Genteel Woman of the Country - Gentildonna di Campagna

This is an elegant sauce for the noble of heart with simple means who wants to prepare an elegant dinner. Italians often convey important concepts with simple phrases. “One is born noble, one cannot become noble,” said in Italian is “Signore si nasce, non si diventa!” Just because one is born in the province does not mean that they cannot have a refined and sophisticated palate. This simple sauce uses ingredients commonly found on the farm in their simplest form. These are the basic food elements in a provincial farmer’s everyday diet. The things he grows in the field or garden. Bell peppers, eggplant, garlic, and basil are the mysterious ingredients.

The resulting sauce is velvety and perhaps a bit hot spicy. To the untrained palate there is an immediate taste of a Mussel Marinara sauce. This then gives way to the soft flavor of the smooth bell peppers and the bite of the garlic. The sweet Basil completes the progression of flavors leaving the mouth ready to start all over again. Do not be fooled by the smooth flavors, pasta with this sauce can hold its own with complex wines including Nadir Rapitala, Dolcetto, Super Tuscans, Querciabella, and Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso.

Ingredients:

1 red Bell Pepper
2 yellow Bell Peppers
2 Fresh Tomatoes (or 1 8 oz. Can diced tomatoes)
1 medium Onion
1 medium Eggplant (peeled and diced)
2 oz. (60 g) Bacon
½ stick (50 g) Butter
1 clove Garlic
1 cup (1 dl) dry White Wine
1 cup (1 dl) Heavy Cream
1 squirt Tabasco
Fresh ground Pepper
Salt
100 g ground Pecorino Cheese

Preparation:

Place the peppers on a baking pan and cook at 375 degrees for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and place in a brown paper bag. Allow them to cool. Remove the skins, seeds and stems and cut into strips.

If using fresh tomatoes, blanch the tomatoes and remove the skin and seeds and dice. Peel the Eggplant and cut into small cubes.

Cut the bacon into very small pieces. Slice the onion. In a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat, add the bacon, onion and garlic. When the onions are translucent, remove the garlic and add the tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. Taste the mixture and add salt.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the liquid has been reduced by ¾. The vegetables will almost break apart when stirred.

Increase the heat to high and add the wine. Reduce the wine and add the Tabasco, 1 turn of fresh ground pepper and the heavy cream. Continue over the heat for 3-4 minutes until the sauce is smooth and consistent then remove from heat.

Prepare 1 lb of spaghetti or other pasta in abundant hot, salted water.

Presentation:

Drain the pasta and pour it into the skillet with the sauce. Mix together the pasta and sauce directly in the skillet. Finally prepare the individual plates in the kitchen and serve your guests at the table. Allow each guest to add Pecorino cheese as desired. The combination of colors and flavors will impress your dinner guests.


Tags: Italian Recipes Pasta Sauces Vegetables Gourmet Foods Travel Italy

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Cauliflower Pie – Vegetables for the entire family

Vegetables are not necessarily the family’s favorite food. Cauliflower, in particular, is not a favorite choice either of the cook or the family. It may be the slightly bitter odor generated when cooking or that usually cauliflower is cooked so much it becomes a mushy paste. Cauliflower is a highly valuable ingredient in a healthy diet. It is full of vitamins, minerals and fiber. I think it is very similar to spinach. Spinach is horrible when overcooked, all slimy and stringy but when lightly sautéed with a bit of bacon it is a marvel of consistency and flavor.

In Crema and across northern Italy, Cauliflower is widely used. Most often it is prepared like Zucchine, that is, sautéed with a bit of oil or butter, whole garlic, salt and pepper. In Crema this is called Nusét or Pipeto. Pipare means to simmer, over a long time, on the corner of the stove. This dish would be made with Verza, an Italian green, large leaf cabbage. To give an idea of what is Verza, it is half way between cabbage and greens (turnip greens are widely used in southern cooking).

Ingredients for a 9” Veggie Pie:

Pasta Sfoglia II
1 head of Fresh Cauliflower
2 whole cloves of Garlic cleaned
3 slices of pancetta or bacon (not smoked) cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons of unsalted Butter
½ lb (200 g) Cheese (American, Mozzarella, Gorgonzola crumbled etc.) Grated
Fresh Ground pepper
½ tsp salt
1 palm of coarse salt for the water to blanch the Cauliflower
A little milk to brush the dough

Roll the pastry dough into two circles. Place on circle into a 9 inch pie pan and bevel the edges. Place the dough into the freezer while preparing the filling.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Remove the external leaves of the Cauliflower. Break the head into pieces about the size of a child’s fist. Blanch in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Remove and drain the Cauliflower.

Melt the butter in a large skillet on medium-low heat, add the pancetta or bacon, add the garlic, grind 3 or 4 turns of pepper and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the Cauliflower stems, sauté for 4 minutes, sprinkle the salt evenly, turning the Cauliflower several times. Taste for salt, adding additional salt and pepper as desired.

Reduce the heat to simmer. Spread the cheese over the entire skillet and continue to cook on simmer until the cheese is melted.

Remove the pie tin from the freezer, add the filling into the pie and brush the top edges with milk. Place the remaining dough circle on the pie and press tight the edges. With a sharp knife or razor cut slits into the top dough to release steam.

Brush the top with milk.

Place in the oven for 45 minutes. Cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

This pie can accompany another dish or work as a standalone. We would have this as a standalone plate, served with a simple Barbara. Another interesting wine would be a Refosco from Friuli.

If you are having a dinner party this is the perfect side dish. You can prepare it the day before and cook it in the morning to then reheat at 200 degrees in the oven or just wait to cook the pie before dinner. It would be great with entrees of white meats with mushrooms sauces.

Tags: Gourmet Foods Brise Pasta Sfoglia Vegetables Cauliflower Italian Recipes Food and Wine Travel Italy

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Cipolline alla Senape Arancione – Spring Onions with Dijon Mustard Sauce

We had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate the Al’s birthday, one of our cooking buddies, last night. Raffaella and I were in charge of the dinner and had been thinking about the dinner all week. He had requested cannelloni but we still needed to come up with a first course that would properly compliment the dinner. We also decided that we wanted to share two of our favorite wines that we had been saving for a special occasion.

Both wines are Gaja, a 1998 Barbaresco and a 1997 Sori Tildin. John, our wine guy in the group, provided various other great wines before and after. We had been thinking about this combination all week, an onion soup, peppers with olive, capers and mozzarella, stuffed tomatoes, our choice fell on a traditional dish from Piemonte just like the filling and sauce for the cannelloni.

This is an antipasti dish. Antipasti are often substituted for first or second course plates in a dinner so this would compliment both the cannelloni that we would prepare or would do marvelously with the Brasato al Barolo instead of a first course dish. The preparation is not difficult but does take some time so begin early. This plate can be prepared the day before and then heated before serving.

Ingredients:

16 Spring Onions (medium)
200 grams pancetta (½ lb bacon) – cut into small cubes
3 cups of dry white wine
2 tablespoons of flour
2 carrots - shredded
2 tablespoons of Dijon Mustard
1 cup of heavy cream
Butter, Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper

Preparation Spring Onions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Remove the outer skin of the onions and place them in a casserole pan with high sides. Add 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil and 2 cups of wine. Salt and pepper moderately and place in the oven. Allow to cook until the wine has reduced by 90%. This will take about 90 minutes. Check after 60 minutes, it is important that the onion do not lose their structure.

Preparation of the Sauce:

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium sized pot. Sprinkle the flour over the shredded carrots and toss to distribute the flour. Saute’ the carrots with the Dijon mustard. Add salt and pepper and allow the sauce to become dense.

In a separate pot sear the pancetta with a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the remaining cup of wine and completely reduce.

Remove the pancetta and add the heavy cream. Bring to temperature and add to the carrot mixture. With a mini-pimer or soup mixer reduce to an even texture.

Serving:

Serve the onions medium warm to hot, with two spoons move an entire onion onto the individual plate and pour the carrot-wine sauce over onion and serve immediately.

Accompany this dish with a hearty red wine.

Tags: Onions Appetizers Italian Recipes Food and Wine Italian Wine Piemonte Travel Italy

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Dinner – Fagotto di Zucchine

Earlier in September, Zucchine were in season. Both my wife and I love Zucchine so we purchased several pounds. In Italy, from June through September, we would have Zucchine about 5 times a week. There are numerous ways to cook Zucchine. They can be boiled, steamed, fried, breaded and fried, sautéed, placed on pizza, mixed with tomato and onion, placed under vinegar or oil and preserved for the next couple of years. The flower of the Zucchine is great breaded and fried. Italians also make an antipasto with the flowers. You take an anchovy, roll it in mozzarella di bufola, place it in the center of the flower, make a batter dip everything in the batter and fry to like golden brown.

We like Zucchine. Raffaella had frozen a couple of packs of Zucchine after we had prepared our first round of dishes. Monday she asked me to make her something with Zucchine, she was working late again last night so I decided to surprise her.

I made some modifications to the original preparation. I say preparation because I do not think there is a recipe for this anywhere. Every family has there own way of preparing Zucchine and I picked up a little here and there. My original plate was designed as a more elegant way to prepare zucchini in order to get my kids to like them. The plate had to be light, yet flavorful.

Since dinner was at 9:45 pm, a heavy meal would be a problem yet, just zucchini would not be sufficient calories to satisfy us so I added a few things and it turned out pretty well.

Ingredients:

1 lbs of sliced zucchini (if you buy them frozen allow them to thaw completely and pour out the water that will form).
3 thick cut slices of your favorite bacon. Actually this would be pancetta if you can find the whole piece of pancetta here and then slice with a knife.
8 oz. Diced tomatoes (if you have them fresh great if not canned, uncooked, unseasoned).
½ pound of Pepper Jack Cheese (shredded). Actually this would be mozzarella for pizza and 3 or 4 peperoncini would be added to when the tomatoes are added to the bacon.
Pasta Sfoglia type II or Pasta Brise’
Salt
Pepper

Pasta Sfoglia II or Pasta Brise’

2 cups unbleached sifted flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup butter cut into ½ inch pieces
about 5 tbls water

Method: measure the ingredients. Place the flour & salt in a metal mixing bowl. Place everything, including the mixing bowl, in the freezer for about 10 minutes. With a fork or pastry tool cut the butter into the flour very quickly. It will seem that the flour and butter remain separated but in about 2 minutes you will see small, spring pea sized balls of butter form. Replace the mixture in the freezer for 5 minutes. Take out and sprinkle the water into the flour mixture as you turn the flour with a fork.

Now the mixture will be very similar to a southern biscuit consistency at this time. With your hands, you need the body heat, knead the dough until it just comes together. Divide the pieces in two parts and roll into two round sections for a 9” pie dish. Place on wax paper and into the fridge.

Note: if you are thinking about buying the dough from the store, don’t. just make the filling and serve it with some Italian bread.

For the filling:

Cut the bacon into small pieces and place into a large skillet on medium heat. Remember, if you are using pizza mozzarella instead of Pepper Jack add 3-4 crushed pepperoncino with the bacon. Prepare the diced tomatoes or open the can. Once the bacon is slightly brown, not dark, add the tomatoes. Add about two palms of salt, that is where you put salt in the palm of your hand and barely cover it. It turns out to be about ¾ of a teaspoon each palm. Using a coarse grind add about 10 turns of pepper. You want the coarse grind because you want the slice of peppercorn to give a subtle kick every once in awhile.

Cook away 90% of the water from the tomatoes.

Add the Zucchine. Salt again 2 palms and using a fine grind add more pepper. You can taste at this point for seasoning.

Cook the Zucchine for no more than 10 minutes. You want a relatively dry mixture but at no cost more than 10 minutes for the Zucchine. Let cool about 20 minutes.

Heat the oven to 375 F. Place one sheet of Pasta Sfoglia II in a 9” pie pan. Fill with the mixture in the skillet. Directly on top of the Zucchine fill add the entire amount of cheese. Brush the top sides of the pasta with water. Place the second sheet of pasta on top and close tight with thumb and finger pressure.

Cut long slices in the top dough to allow steam to escape and you can brush with an egg wash. I use milk instead of the egg wash, it is easier, and for me has the same result.

Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes. Let cool, at least 10 minutes, before serving.

Raffaella loved it! I thought it was pretty good. If you try it let me know your thoughts.

Note1: In Italy I would roll this into a log and close the ends. Place it on a baking sheet and cook it like a strudel. The pie pan is easier.

Note 2: If you are a GARLIC fan, add two cloves of cleaned garlic when you put the bacon in the skillet. Leave them until you finish everything. Please, be Italian, take them out before you put the dish together. If you leave them in the poor unsuspecting fool who eats them will not be able to taste anything else for the rest of the week!

Tags: Zucchine Brise Recipes Food and Wine Travel Italy

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