Very EATalian

Fusilli with Asparagus, Shrimp, and Cherry Tomatoes

March 7, 2015 By very EATalian 2 Comments

Given the snowy weather in much of the States, I have a feeling that most of the country is still dreaming of a nice, warm and comforting bowl of soup. Spring is almost here, and if the weather doesn’t prove it, you just need to head to the produce isle of your grocery store and you’ll see huge bins of asparagus bunches, all lined up and ready to brighten your grocery basket.

Asparagus can be cooked in different ways. I like to half-cook and half-steam them, that is, steaming the whole spears upright in few inches of boiling water. The upright position allows the hard, thicker bottom to cook in water while the tips of the asparagus gently steam, preserving their crispiness.

Asparagus go amazingly well with shrimp. I bought a small bunch and I whipped up a pasta dish with some frozen shrimp and a few cherry tomatoes–it’s a simple and lovely way to bring spring to the table!

FUSILLI WITH ASPARAGUS, SHRIMP, AND CHERRY TOMATOES
Servings: 2 | Prep time: 20 min | Cook time: 15-20 min

INGREDIENTS
180 g (6.4 oz) fusilli pasta (the ones I used are called fusilli bucati corti)
a small bunch of asparagus (about 15)
1 small shallot, chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
extra-virgin olive oil
salt
black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Bring a pasta pot of salted water to a boil.
2. At the same time, pour about 3 1/2 inches of water into a taller pot and bring to a boil [if you have it, you can use an asparagus pot instead].
3. Trim the base of the asparagus stalk. Peel off hard skin from 2/3 of the stalks, leaving the top part intact.
4. Fasten the asparagus stalks into a bundle, using cooking twine. Place them in the tall pot of water in an upright position, with the tips extending a couple of inches or more above the boiling water. Cover, lower heat, and cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until bottom parts are tender and cooked through and spears are crisp tender. [Cooking time varies depending on the thickness and age of the asparagus]
5. Heat a bit of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and stir until translucent. Add tomatoes and cook until they soften (about 3 min). Turn the heat to medium high, add shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
6. Remove cooked asparagus from the pot and reserve 2 tablespoons of cooking water. Trim the bottoms (about 1/3 of the stalk) and place bottoms in a blender with a bit of olive oil, a pinch of salt and the reserved cooking water. You will obtain a runny light green sauce.
7. Cut the rest of the asparagus in small pieces and toss them in the pan with tomatoes and shrimp.
8. Cook fusilli according to package instructions. When al dente, drain and toss in the skillet. Turn the heat on, add green sauce and let it saute until pasta absorbs flavors (about 1-2 min). Add salt, if necessary. Serve.

Buon appetito!

Chocolate Frangipane Pear Tart

March 4, 2015 By very EATalian Leave a Comment

Last week I saw a pretty and colorful bag of pears at Trader Joe’s. The bag read “Rainbow Pears”. It was basically a mix of different kinds of small pears, including Red D’Anjou, Green D’Anjou, and Bosc. So pretty! I’m a total sucker for nice packaging and clever marketing, and, of course, I love pears. Needless to say, I drove off the Trader Joe’s parking lot with those pears in my grocery bag and the culinary part of my brain already in motion.

Pear and Chocolate. Of course! Such a glorious pairing. I’m not sure if it belongs to any particular cuisine (French, peut-être?), but it sure is a common combination in Italian desserts. The most common dessert that features these two delicious ingredients is Torta di Pere e Cioccolato, a chocolate cake with pieces of pears inside. It’s a really satisfying cake, but it wasn’t quite what I was looking for. I wanted something that provided a variety of textures and would let me play a little more in the kitchen. I love tarts exactly for this reason and they are very, very popular in my family. So, after a bit of research and a lot of notes, I finally opted for a tart, filled with frangipane and topped with pear halves.

Frangipane is a common French filling for tarts, but as the names suggests, it’s originally from Italy. It’s a rich cream made of butter, sugar, eggs, and ground almonds. For my tart, I specifically used a chocolate frangipane recipe from one of the finest Italian pastry chefs, Luca Montersino. Both my mother and I have a “culinary crush” on him and together we often watched his cooking show on Italian TV. Not only he is great at what he does, he is also a gifted teacher and always provides the scientific explanations behind any of his creations.

So here’s my tart! I love how the pears, kept in their natural shape, provide a nice, rustic look that balances out the rest. This is a perfect dessert for chocolate lovers like me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

CHOCOLATE FRANGIPANE PEAR TART
Servings: 8 | Prep/Resting time: 1 hour and 20 min| Cook time: 40 min

NOTE: Conversions are approximate. I highly recommend the use of a digital scale and measure all ingredients in grams. It’s just easier and more precise!

INGREDIENTS
Chocolate Short Pastry Dough
150 g (2/3 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
125 g (1/2 cup and 2 Tbsp) sugar
a pinch of salt
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
few drops of vanilla extract
250 g (2 cups) all purpose flour
15 g (2 Tbsp + 1 tsp) unsweetened cocoa powder
(optional) 1.5 g (1/2 tsp) baking powder

Chocolate Frangipane Filling (slightly adapted from Chef Luca Montersino’s recipe)
95 g (3.35 oz) blanched almonds
90 g (3.17 oz) brown sugar
95 g (3.35 oz) butter
105 g (3.7 oz) eggs
28 g (3 tbsp) rice flour
7 g (2 tsp) corn starch
10 g (1 Tbsp + 1 tsp) unsweetened cocoa powder
25 g (0.9 oz) amaretti cookies

2 pears
confectioners sugar

INSTRUCTIONS
[Chocolate Short Pastry dough/Crust]
1. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter with the sugar and then add in a pinch of salt, the egg, the egg yolk, and a few drops of vanilla.
2. On a clean surface, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and add to the butter mixture. Knead briefly until you obtain a uniform, smooth dough. If too sticky, add a bit more flour.
3. Form a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

[Chocolate Frangipane Filling]
1. Grind almonds and sugar together to a fine powder.
2. Mix almond/sugar powder with butter, using a stand mixer. Slowly pour in the eggs. Add in the rice flour, the corn starch, and the cocoa powder. Finally, add finely crushed amaretti cookies. Refrigerate mixture in a bowl until short pastry dough is ready.

[Final assembly]
1. Turn oven to 375F.
2. Remove dough from fridge and roll it out in a disk by putting it in between 2 pieces of non-stick parchment paper until the dough is a little thinner than 1/4 inch (4 mm). Remove paper from the dough. Place dough inside a tart pan with removable bottom. Trim dough in excess from the tart pan borders.
3. Spread the frangipane inside the tart to cover the whole surface.
4. Cut the pears in half and remove seeds. Peel each pear and push pear halves cut-side down into the mixture.
5. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the frangipane has risen.
6. Remove tart from the oven and let it cool. Dust with confectioners sugar and serve.

Enjoy and buon appetito!

-Lisa

Ribollita Soup

March 1, 2015 By very EATalian Leave a Comment

A few years ago, my mother started growing cavolo nero (a Tuscan variety of kale) in her garden. From that point on, when the kitchen counter tops were covered with big, dark green leaves and vegetables of all kind — and my mother had a sly grin on her face — we knew that ribollita soup was on the menu. From the first time we tried it, we loved it. Now, when she makes it, she prepares a huge pot and shares it with her sisters’ families.

Ribollita, once considered the soup of the poor, is a thick and tasty Tuscan soup made of simple and cheap ingredients. Just like polenta, pasta e fagioli, and many other dishes that are part of what’s called “cucina povera” (peasant cooking), ribollita is now appreciated more broadly, and you have a pretty good chance of finding it on a fancy Italian restaurant’s menu. The women of the family often used leftovers to make this soup and they made it in big quantities so it would last for several days. It would be reheated each time, hence the name ribollita (which literally means “boiled twice”).

There are a gazillion of ribollita variations and each family in Tuscany seems to have their own recipe. The common denominator is the use of cavolo nero (kale will work, too!), stale Tuscan bread, and cannellini or zolfini beans.

Ribollita is what I call “rustic goodness”. Despite its humble ingredients, this soup is quite tasty, substantial, comforting, and super healthy. It’s low in fat and calories and provides a good amount of fiber and protein. Your taste buds will love it, and your body will, too!

RIBOLLITA SOUP
Servings: 4 | Prep time: 20 min| Cook time: approx. 1 hr and 20 min

NOTE: *Cavolo nero can be found in grocery stores in the United States under different names: lacinato kale, dinosaur kale, black cabbage, or Tuscan cabbage. If you can’t find it, you can easily substitute it with regular kale.
TIP: This soup is best enjoyed the next day. Make sure you bring it back to a boil and add a bit of water, if necessary.

INGREDIENTS
2 carrots, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
1 bunch *cavolo nero or kale, leaves roughly chopped and stalks finely sliced
1 bunch swiss chard, sliced
1/2 green cabbage, sliced
3 tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 potato, diced
1 can cannellini beans, drained
1 lt (about 32 oz) water
stale Tuscan bread, sliced and torn into pieces
extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
fresh thyme leaves

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Add a splash of extra-virgin olive oil in a big stockpot over medium-low heat. Add celery, onion, leek, and carrots and let them soften.
2. Add chopped cavolo nero (or kale), green cabbage, and chard. It will look like a lot, but it will go down as soon as it starts to cook. Add a cup or so of water and stir.
3. Add potato, tomatoes, half can of cannellini beans, fresh thyme leaves and tomato paste. Cook gently over low heat for about 50 minutes, adding water, as needed. Keep in mind that the soup should be thick but not too dry.
4. Place 1/3 of the soup in a blender, mix it, and pour it back in the pot. Add the rest of the cannellini beans and cook for 10 more minutes. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
5. To serve, arrange chunks of bread in the soup bowls and pour the ribollita over. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.

Buon appetito!

-Lisa

Sautéed Artichokes

February 25, 2015 By very EATalian 4 Comments

I realize artichokes can look somewhat intimidating. Just like Pablo Neruda describes in his Ode to the Artichoke, they look like little warriors, covered up in scales and armed up for battle. The truth is, in spite of their “scary” appearance, they only require few preparation steps and they are very nutritious. For those who don’t know how to clean an artichoke, don’t despair. Here’s a quick visual tutorial I drew for you! I hope it helps 🙂

Sautéed artichokes are a simple and delicious side dish my mother often prepares. Nobody in my big Italian family passes the dish around the table without taking a generous spoonful from it. I’ve had artichokes prepared in several different ways, but this is my absolute favorite one. They are crunchy and soft; savory, sweet, and a bit tangy. I like to eat them warm or cold…I place any leftovers in a little bowl and I cover them with extra-virgin olive oil so I use them as a pizza topping the next day. The jarred version doesn’t stand a chance!

SAUTEED ARTICHOKES
Servings: 2 | Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 5-6 min

INGREDIENTS
2 big artichokes
1 lemon (+ 1 to squeeze on top)
extra-virgin olive oil
a splash of dry white wine
coarse salt
(optional) a small bunch of parsley, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Squeeze a lemon in a bowl full of water and drop it in it.
2. Clean the artichokes, by snapping the dark green outer leaves until only the tender and pale inner leaves remain. Cut off the top part of the artichoke. Trim the stem end, remove the outer skin around it and remove any dark parts around the bottom. Cut it in half and scoop out the hairy inner part. Cut in smaller sections and drop them in the bowl of water & lemon to prevent them from turning dark.
3. Heat a bit of extra-virgin olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Add garlic.
4. When the garlic sizzles, add artichokes and turn the heat to medium-high. Sauté for 5-6 minutes, until tender, but still crisp. Stir with a spoon to avoid burning. Add chopped parsley, if desired, shortly before removing from the heat. Serve with a squeeze of lemon on top.

Buon Appetito!

-Lisa

Blood Orange and Fennel Salad

February 22, 2015 By very EATalian 2 Comments

When faced with the task of planning a menu for a special occasion or a dinner with friends, I easily get caught up in fancy ideas. I want to surprise my guests by out-doing myself and preparing many sophisticated dishes. I see it as a way to show them my love…Do I maybe also like to show off my cooking skills? You bet. Unfortunately, sometimes the fancy multi-course meal can become quite laborious and stressful. By the time I hear the doorbell ringing, I’m so exhausted I feel like I just ran a marathon. Those are the moments when I’m especially grateful for the invention of under-eye concealer.

So here’s my own reminder that delicious stress-free, fancy-looking recipes for special occasions DO exist. This Sicilian salad, for example, is super easy, flavorful, bright, fresh, and seasonal. You can prepare the ingredients ahead of time, and just assemble and season the dish right before serving.

I love the idea of preparing something simple, yet refined. Less work and less time spent on a side dish equals less stress and more time spent taking care of other important hosting details, like table setting or, in my case, not looking disheveled when I open the door!

Sometimes, less is more.

BLOOD ORANGE AND FENNEL SALAD
Servings: 2-3 | Prep time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS
3 medium-sized blood oranges
1/2 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced crosswise
a few thin slices red onion, cut crosswise
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp orange juice
coarse sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
mint leave or fennel fronds for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Using a sharp knife, remove all skin and pith from all blood oranges. You can divide it in segments or, more easily, slice it crossways. Place orange slices or segments in a bowl.
2. Add thinly sliced fennel and onion.
3. In a small bowl, combine extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and orange juice. Whisk together and drizzle all over the salad. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with mint leaves or fennel fronds.

Buon appetito!
-Lisa

Risotto with Taleggio Cheese, Pears, and Walnuts

February 20, 2015 By very EATalian 2 Comments

Brrrrr. Today it’s wintertime here in Florida; it’s unusually cold and windy outside. I love the cold weather, especially because it allows me to flaunt my fashionable hats, gloves, and scarves. When it’s windy, though, I’d rather lock myself up in the house. In fact, as I’m writing this, I’m all wrapped up in my favorite blanket, sipping on a cup of hot tea and still mentally savoring the warm, delicious risotto I prepared today.

I’ve been tickled by the idea of preparing a nice risotto with taleggio cheese and pears for a long time, but I’ve never been able to find this cheese in grocery stores around here. Finally, a very cool and beautiful store that recently opened up in St. Petersburg, called Locale Market, has put an end to my extensive search. Hallelujah.

In case you didn’t know, taleggio is an intense, rich, semi-soft cheese. It’s known for its pungent and strong aroma, and its unexpectedly mild, sweet and lightly tangy flavor. It melts really well, and it’s perfect for winter dishes. An Italian saying goes “al contadino non far sapere quant’è buono il cacio con le pere”, which means “don’t tell a farmer how good cheese is with pears”, implying that he would charge more or never part with them in the first place. There’s so much truth in this old saying! Pears and cheese are divine together.

When I unwrapped the taleggio cheese from its packaging, the strong aroma pervaded the whole kitchen. Despite the pungent smell of this cheese, you wouldn’t believe how delicate, yet flavorful this risotto turned out. The sweetness and brightness of the pear perfectly balanced the buttery and rich flavor of the taleggio. A final sprinkle of walnuts added further texture to the dish.

It was exactly what I needed in this cold and windy day–a flavorful and comforting risotto to warm me up.

RISOTTO WITH TALEGGIO CHEESE, PEARS, AND WALNUTS
Servings: 2 | Preparation time: 10-15 minutes | Cooking time: 25 minutes
Note: If you can’t find taleggio, you can substitute it in this recipe with a soft gorgonzola or fontina cheese

INGREDIENTS
1 lt (32 oz) vegetable broth
extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp butter (+ ½ Tbsp)
1/4 cup shallot, chopped
1 big Bosc pear, diced
175 g (1 cup) arborio or carnaroli rice
50 g (~2 oz) taleggio cheese, diced
(optional) ¼ cup dry white wine
a handful of parmesan cheese, grated
a handful of walnuts, coarsely chopped
salt
freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat vegetable broth in a saucepan.
2. In a dutch-oven (or a thick-bottom pot), add 1 tablespoon of butter and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over medium-low heat. Add chopped shallot, and sauté until translucent.
3. [The risotto cooks in about 20 minutes] Turn the heat to medium-high, add the rice and toast it briefly, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. Once the rice grains start to look shiny and semi-transparent, pour in the wine or ¼ cup of broth. Let the rice absorb the liquid.
4. Turn the heat to medium-low and add a ladleful of broth. Stir until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat this step throughout the recipe, adding broth and stirring the rice often, letting it absorb the liquid slowly.
5. Halfway through (about 10 minutes after adding rice), add the diced pears. Continue adding broth regularly, until the rice is plump and al dente. I usually stop adding liquid about 17 minutes in.
6. When the rice is al dente, remove it from the heat. Add taleggio cheese, ½ tablespoon of butter and the parmesan cheese. Add salt, if necessary. Stir vigorously for about a minute to make it creamy. Let rest for 2-3 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and freshly ground black pepper. Serve hot.

Buon Appetito!

Lisa

Castagnole

February 17, 2015 By very EATalian 2 Comments

Today is the last day of Carnevale–Martedì Grasso. It’s the last day to indulge in food and sweets before the start of Lent, a season of fasting and abstinence.

The most well-known Carnevale celebration in Italy is the one in Venice: locals and visitors alike are drawn to the people wandering and posing around the city, dressed in eighteenth century attire and beautiful masks. I love this spectacle and it’s truly beautiful, but it’s unique to Venice. In other parts of Italy, you’ll see floats and parades where people (especially kids) are dressed up in any kind of costume. It’s basically like Halloween in the US.

I’m a total sucker for dressing up. Any friend of mine will confirm I’m the most excited person they know around this time of the year (and they’re usually perplexed about my uncontrollable enthusiasm). I loved dressing up when I was a kid and I still do as an adult. The most memorable costume I’ve ever made? A cupcake, put together with random materials I found around the house, including a wine demijohn basket. Although there’s a part of me that would love to share a photo of “cupcake Lisa”, I’ll just leave that one private! I’ll share this one, instead:

I was 3 years old. Alas, my love for Carnevale wasn’t particularly showing that day.

Back home, a few weeks before Fat Tuesday, my mom and my aunts get together to make our favorite Carnevale fritters: frittelle, crostoli, and castagnole. As usual, it’s a lot of fun–from the assembly-line action, animated discussion and laughter, and the inevitable critiquing and tough love from helpful spectators.

Of these fritters, I particularly love castagnole. They get their name from their shape, which is similar to a chestnut (castagna, in Italian). They are small, sweet bites of fried dough, with a hint of rum or grappa–and they are sneakingly addictive. Here is the recipe for you, courtesy of my mom.

CASTAGNOLE
Serves: 4 people | Prep time: 20 min | Cook time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 egg
30 g (2 Tbsp) sugar (+more for dusting)
zest of 1/2 orange
25 g (2 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
6 g (2 tsp) baking powder
a pinch of salt
a dash of grappa or rum
110 g (1 scant cup) all pupose flour
peanut oil

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine eggs and sugar in a bowl and mix until creamy. Add melted butter, salt, grappa (or rum), and orange zest. Mix all ingredients with a fork or a whisk. Add some flour & baking powder. Then gradually add the rest of the flour.
2. Lightly knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth. The dough should be slightly sticky, yet workable. Roll the dough in 3/4 inch-thick logs, cut them in small pieces, and roll each piece in little balls.
3. Heat peanut oil in a saucepan. Fry your castagnole is small batches, turning them with a spoon to ensure even results. The temperature of the oil shouldn’t be too hot or too low. It’s a good idea to cut one open to check it’s cooked through.
4. Once they have reached a light golden brown color, remove them with a slotted spoon, and place them in a bowl lined with paper towel to absorb the oil in excess. Roll them with sugar when they are still hot.