Bustine di Radicchio

Third time's a charm. Made these several times tonite to get it right sul terzo! To get it right??.... very light on the saute, very light on the caraway, and even lighter on the vinegar redux (and just a pinch of salt). I added ricotta to make the inside even more creamy (the prociutto turns to butter!.....and yes, that the good stuff; San Daniele)

Filet du Porc a la Sauge et Orange

 

Filet du Porc a la Sauge

Alright......yes.....pork again. This time Frenchy. Pretty easy recipe of pork and sage. Orange zest (while cooking ) and jus d'orange to make the finished sauce (as the french are fond of making)

Think it turned out quite well. Looks nice and easy to make. Could be an easy menu item at Il Ristorante Boboli.

Bought some fresh Artichokes and might try a hand at deep frying them (alla romana ancora). And.....gotta say again that the Gnocchi alla romana is just an awesome addition to the repetoire

Maiale in Umido all Trestina

Another Mario recipe. This one from Trieste. Use a good pork butt. Made this 3 times over 3 days (only because I had enough meat to do so) The third time , I got it right! everything came together and I didn't accidentally forget any steps. (plus, I used the good (and expensive)pork butt from Whole Foods on round 3 which really made a difference)

Mario's book recipe is slightly different then when he showed it on Molto Mario, but either way would work. I chose the method on the show (which throws the tomato paste in with the sauteed onions to give it a burnished flavor, instead of adding it after the wine).

The Pork comes out of the "Umido" (the dutch oven) super, super tender; amazingly tender. (I added a bit of red pepper flakes to make it jump as well. yummy)

Finding that a LOT of Italian recipes are fairly easy. If you start with good ingredients, the technique doesn't matter as much. Been cooking French since returning from Paris last month and that is HEAVY on technique. I think I prefer la Cucina Italiana.

Gnocchi alla Romana

THIS gnocchi is simply awesome. Rich and tasty and probably REALLY fattening, but I felt like I was in the Eternal city when I tasted it. It's made more like polenta (using Semolina flower, milk and eggs). Cooked in the copper pot, poured into a baking pan and left to cool. From there, rounds are cut out, layered in another baking pan, topped with Taleggio (I used goat cheese) and grated Parmesan and baked for 15-20 minutes. Easy peasy and oh, so good! Will upload a picture as I fully intend to make this again.

here's a recipe:

6 tablespoons butter, plus 2 tablespoons for sheet pan and baking dish
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semolina flour
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus 1/2 cup 4 egg yolks

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Butter 1 cookie sheet with 3/4-inch sides and a baking dish.
In a 3 to 4-quart saucepan, heat to scald the milk, salt, and 6 tablespoons butter. Pour in the semolina in a thin stream, whisking vigorously, and cook for about 1 minute, switching to a wooden spoon as it thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup grated cheese and 4 egg yolks. Mix well to combine. Pour the semolina onto the buttered cookie sheet and, using a spatula, spread to a thickness of 1/2-inch. Allow to cool.

Using a pastry cutter or water glass, cut 3-inch quarter moons out of semolina. Arrange the moons so that they are leaning up against one another (overlapping) in a buttered baking dish and sprinkle with remaining grated cheese. Place in oven and cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until top is deep golden brown. Remove and serve immediately.

Gnocchi di Zucca

OK, so after Mario beseeched me to make gnocchi 10 times to get the feel for "quanto basto", I now have 4 under my belt. And yes....they keep getting better and better. Last night was a duel between (what some would call traditional) gnocchi and gnocchi alla romana (next post). One wouldn't think of gnocchi like the romans do, but MAN! was it good.

The gnocchi di zucca was created using a roasted and sauteed butternut/acorn squash puree. First time was better simply using the meat of the roasted squash (last Sunday). The puree was easier to work with, but lacked the intensity of the riced squash flesh. Both were good and I think I have the techique down for rolling them off the fork.

Made a simply sauce of garlic, butter sage and portabella mushroom for the gnocchi di zucca. (make sure you cook these thoroughly as they can be dense depending on water content in the squash)

Primo Post - Prego!

I'm creating this blog for my personal use (not only, but basically) I find it easier than keeping a physical book in my kitchen.

Here I'll log recipes, ideas, suggestions, lessons learned, etc....in regard to my food journey.