Mountain food class

Menu

-Pizzoccheri

-Shintzel served with butter nut squash, potato, carrots and broccoli mash; saurcrout and Speck sauce

Pera al vino

To drink: Beers from the Italian Alps

Recipes 

Pizzoccheri

1/2 pound of pizzoccheri 

3 big potatoes

5 leafs of Swiss chard

1/2 pound of fontina cheese

5 oz of Grana Padano cheese

4oz of butter

A clove of garlic

4/5 sage leafs

Salt and pepper to taste

Clean the the chard and cut a V-shaped cut along the veins of the leaves, then remove the stem.  Cut into sticks of a width of 1 cm so that are cooked faster.  

Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks.  Cook the potatoes and the Swiss chard for 10 minutes in a vegetable stock; in the same pan (with the chard and potatoes still inside) cook the Pizzoccheri pasta for another 10 minutes. 

 After 10 minutes of cooking, drain the pizzoccheri with a slotted spoon and pour some in a hot oven safe pan, sprinkle with grated Grana Padano and Valtellina Casera (you can use Fontina, Puzzone di Moena or Emmental), and continue alternating pizzoccheri and cheese.  In a separate pan, melt the butter with the garlic cloves uncut and sage until the garlic gets brown, remove the garlic and pour the melted butter on pizzoccheri (do not forget to take out the garlic cloves or they will overpower the dish).  Serve the pizzoccheri hot and with a dusting of freshly ground pepper.

Schnitzel

1 1/2 pound of pork chops

1/2 cup of flour

2 eggs

1 Tbsp of minced parsley

2 Tbsp of milk

1/2 cup of breadcrumbs

1 cup of sunflower oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Place each pork cutlet between two pieces of plastic wrap, and pound with the flat side of a meat mallet until about 1/4 inch thick. Dip in flour to coat.

In a medium bowl, stir together the eggs, parsley, salt, pepper, nutmeg and milk. Place bread crumbs on a plate. Dip each cutlet into the egg mixture, then press in the bread crumbs to coat.

    Fry the breaded cutlets until browned on each side, about 3 minutes per side.      Remove to a serving platter.

Beer and Speck sauce

1/2 an onion chopped

1 cup of your favorite beer

1 cup of bechamel

1 Tbls of butter

4 leafs of sage

5 slices of speck

4 oz of Asiago cheese in cubes

Salt, nutmeg and pepper to tas

In a big sauce pan, brown the onions, three sage leafs and speck.  Sauté the speck until crispy.  Add the beer over medium heat and allow liquid to reduce half it's beginning amount.  Add one cup béchamel sauce, and the cubed pieces of Asiago cheese and the nutmeg.  Sauce is complete!

Sauerkraut

1/2 an onion chopped

1 clove of garlic chopped finely

3 cups of sauerkraut

Butter

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

In a pan, heat olive oil and butter over medium low heat and brown bacon and garlic together.  Add the sauerkraut and stir occasionally.  Cook until hot, add salt & pepper to taste.

Pera al vino (Pear in wine)

6 pears

1/2 bottle of red whine

8 oz of sugar

3 cinnamon sticks

6 cloves

In a pan, cook the wine, sugar, cinnamon together for approximately five minutes or until the sugar is dissolved.  Add the pealed pears, over low heat, and simmer for thirty minutes. Finished!

Risotto ai frutti di mare - Seafood risotto

Fish broth

Olive oil

¼ of pound of rice Carnaroli

2 pounds of seafood

1 cup od chopped onion

1tbsp of minced garlic

2 cups of wine

2 bay leaf

1 lemon

1 chopped tomatoes

½ cup of chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

1. In a large pan, over medium heat, heat the oil and add the onions.  Season the onions with salt and pepper, stirring occasionally.  

2. Saute until the onions are slightly soft and transparent, about 3 minutes.  Add the Carnaroli rice and add the bay leaf, mixing it with the onions. 

4. Add about 4 cups of boiling fish stock and turn the heat up to high. Stir frequently for about 15 minutes and add more fish stock if necessary.  

5. When the rice starts turning white add a cup of white wine and let simmer.  When the liquid is reduced add the seafood, another cup of white wine, the parsley.  

6. Turn the heat on high and stir until the risotto is the texture of molten lava.  Taste the rice, it should have the right texture of being cooked just enough, appealing to the tooth.  When the rice is cooked, add the lemon juice and the tomatoes.  

7. Let rest for 5 minutes.

Introduction to Italian fishes

Introduction to Italian fishes

December, 10th 20112

Primo

Risotto ai frutti di mare

 paired with Aragosta Vermentino di Sardegna

Secondo

Pesce al cartoccio - Baked fish wrapped in paper

 paired with Soave wine

Recipes

Risotto ai frutti di mare

Fish broth

Olive oil

¼ of pound of rice Carnaroli

2 pounds of seafood

1 cup od chopped onion

1tbsp of minced garlic

2 cups of wine

2 bay leaf

1 lemon

1 chopped tomatoes

½ cup of chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

In a large pan, over medium heat, heat the oil and add the onions.  Season the onions with salt and pepper, stirring occasionally.  Saute until the onions are slightly soft and transparent, about 3 minutes.  Add the Carnaroli rice and add the bay leaf, mixing it with the onions.   Add about 4 cups of boiling fish stock and turn the heat up to high. Stir frequently for about 15 minutes and add more fish stock if necessary.  When the rice starts to turn white add a cup of white wine and let simmer.  When the liquid is reduced add the seafood, another cup of white wine, the parsley.  Turn the heat on high and stir until the risotto is the texture of molten lava.  Taste the rice, it should have the right texture of being cooked just enough, appealing to the tooth.  When the rice is cooked, add the lemon juice and the tomatoes.  Let rest for 5 minutes.

I suggest to serve with a small arugula salad on top; olive oil or fish eggs (caviar) on top.

Branzino al cartoccio (classic)

-recipe for one serving-

1 filet of branzino (about ½ pound)

¼ onion, sliced

3 slices of potato

1/3 of red pepper, sliced

1/3 of yellow pepper, sliced

3 cherry tomatoes cut in half

1 clove of garlic cut in half

6 olives

1 Tablespoon of capers

2 spoons of olive oil

1 spoon of balsamic vinegar

3 slices of lemon

Herbs of the season

Salt/Pepper/Pepperoncino

Place an approximately 14 inch piece of parchment paper on the table.  Lay the potatoes slices down in a row; add salt and pepper (this will be the bed for the fish, you can also add rosemary).  Place the fish on the potatoes.  On the top of the fish, add all the other ingredients.  Fold the fish up in the paper tightly.  Bake at 350F (180C) for 30 minutes.

Notes of the class

In this class we get to know different fishes as Orata,   

Spinarolo, Trout and Merluzzo. They all can be used to the baked fish recipe.

Pasta shapes

Bigoli - The Bigoli is a long, fat pasta (solid in the middle), like a big spaghetti of Venetian origin.  It is spread throughout the region and is also found in East Lombardy.
The recipe for bigoli is traditionally prepared with wheat flour, water, and salt.

Bigoli Al'anatra

Italian's describe the main feature of this pasta as, "Pasta Forte" which refers to it's "roughness" that allows it to hold sauces.  Bigoli has a peculiar and time consuming method of preparation.  The traditional pasta press is a hand operated die press, with two handles that screw down, compressing the dough through the holes at the bottom (this is attached to a small bench).  The cylinder is loaded with dough and screwed down, the pasta comes out the bottom giving you roughly one portion per cylinder.
There are different recipe variations of bigoli that are obtained by varying the type of flour used.  Saracen flour is black and is used to make darker (brown) bigoli.  Some recipes also call for duck eggs to be used instead of water.
There are so many traditional sauces with bigoli, however, the most common is from the mountainous areas of Veneto, "Bigoli All'Anatra" - bigoli with duck sauce.  Other common recipes are: Bigoli al Baccala - from Vicenza; or Bigoli con Sardele - from Venice.

Every year, on the last week of April, the so-called "party of the bigoi Torcio" is held in Limena (Padova province).  Every Saturday and Sunday in May is "The Feast of Bigoli in Rovolon" (also in Padova) in the vicinity of Carbonara.  There is another festival held in May on the third weekend, also held in Abano Terme in Monterosso.

Bucatini is a thick pasta with a hole running through the centre. The name comes from buco, meaning "hole", while bucato means "pierced".

Bucatini is common throughout Lazio particularly Rome. It is a tubed pasta made of hard durum flour and water. Its length is 25–30 cm (10–12 in) with a 3 mm (1/8 inch) diameter. The average cooking time is nine minutes. Is traditionally served with Amatriciana sauce, buttery sauces, or thin tomatoes sauce with fish.

Fettuccine (literally "little ribbons" in Italian) is a type of pasta popular in Roman cuisine. It is a flat thick noodle made of egg and flour (usually one egg for every 100 g of flour), wider than but similar to the Tagliatelle. It is often eaten with sugo d'umido (beef ragù) and ragù di pollo (chicken ragù).

In Italy Fettuccine is traditionally made fresh (either at home or commercially) but dried fettuccine can also be bought in shops. 

Have you ever asked yourself, what is the difference between Fettuccine and Tagliatelle? The answer is, the Fettuccine is slightly thiner than the Tagliatelli; and from different region. The Fettucine is from Rome and the Tagliatelli is from Bologna.

Radiatori - Radiatori are small, squat pasta shapes that are said to resemble radiators. They somewhat resemble rotini in shape, but are generally shorter and thicker with a ruffled edge. Radiatori are often used in similar dishes as rotelle or fusilli, since the shape works well with thicker sauces.

See the recipe for Radiatori alla Vodka.

Pappardelle - Pappardelle are large, very broad flat Pasta noodles, similar to wide fettuccine. The name derives from the verb "pappare", to gobble up. Pappardelle have the origins from Tuscany, but is also diffused in other Italian regions.
The fresh types are two to three centimetres (¾-1 inch) wide and may have fluted edges. Dried egg pappardelle have straight sides. This pasta is traditionally served with very rich, heavy sauces, especially sauces which include game such as wild boar, and it is particularly popular in the winter, when it can make the basis of a hearty, warming meal.

Penne - Penne is a type of pasta with cylinder-shaped pieces. Penne is the plural form of the Italian penna, and is a cognate of the English word pen. In Italy, penne are produced in two main variants: "penne lisce" (smooth) and "penne rigate" (furrowed), the latter having ridges on each penna. There is also pennoni("big quills"), which is a wider version of penne.  Penne is a popular ingredient in pasta salads. Penne makes an excellent and versatile pasta for many applications because of its very practical design. The hollow center allows it to hold sauce, while the angular ends act as scoops. Penne rigate's ridges allow it to hold still more sauce, as well as offering an alternative textural option for certain dishes; penne lisce offers a refined sensation to the palate.

Pasta al forno

* 2 cups of Béchamel sauce

* 2 cups of tomato passata

* 2 Sausages

* 1 Onion

* 2 cloves of garlic

* 1 carrot, in big chunks

* ½ head of broccoli, but in big chunks

* Fresh herbs of the season (ex: thyme,

basil, rosemary, oregano)

* Any other vegetable that you like (ex:

kale, Swiss chard, radicchio, eggplant, zucchini, peppers, etc…)

* 1 cup smoked provolone, grated (you can use any cheese you want)

* Parmiggiano or Grana Padano (to grate on top)

* 500g half cooked tortiglioni pasta

​

1. Preheat the oven on 230˚C/450˚F;

2. Meanwhile in a saucepan, over medium heat, combine garlic, onion and sausage together;

3. Once it begins to golden, add carrots, broccoli, herbs, and the additional vegetables you would like;

4. Cook until vegetables begin to get soft but not completely cooked, add a sip of water if necessary;

5. Turn heat on high and add the tomato passata. Simmer for a few minutes and turn off; 

6. Cook pasta until it is a little undercooked.

7. Drain and add to sauce;

Set aside.

8. In a baking tray, add all the bechamel on the bottom. Then in a separate pan, mix the pasta with the sauce. Add the pasta and sauce on top of bechamel;

9. Add the grated cheese to the top, drizzle with

olive oil on top (necessary to get a brown crust on top).

10. Bake in the oven for about 40 min and monitor making sure it doesn’t burn. The top of the cheese will be dark brown but not burned when it is done, forming a nice crust of pasta and cheese.

Tortellini soup – Tortellini in brodo

This is a classic northern Italian soup, delicious, quick and perfect on a cold day.

-6 cups of vegetable, chicken or beef stock

-1/2 pound of beef tortellini pasta

-A Tbl spoon of tomato paste

-Salt & Pepper to taste

-Grana Padano or Parmiggiano

-Extra virgin Olive oil

Put the stock to boil; add the tomato paste, Salt and Pepper.  Reduce the heat and add the tortellini.  After pasta is cooked, serve in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and grated cheese.  This recipe serves four people.

The secret of this soup is the stock, having a homemade stock cooked for a long time is not only delicious, but is also very healthy.  If you want to improve your immune system, make the stock with lots of garlic and chicken bones.  The homemade stock recipe is also available here.

Bucatini All`Amatriciana

Bucatini all`Amatriciana

Amatriciana, also called matriciana, gets its name from the city of Amatrice, which was once located in the region of Abruzzo and is now part of Lazio.

     

* 2 cups Passata (Tomato sauce)

* ½ cup of Guanciale (You can also use:

Bacon or Pancetta)

* 4 tablespoons Extra-virgin Olive Oil

* 1 Garlic Clove, gently smashed and

peeled (Optional)

* 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

* 1 cup Dry White Wine

* ½ cup of chopped Parsley (Optional)

* Fine or coarse Sea Salt (to taste)

* 1 package Bucatini (or Spaghetti)

* 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

* Freshly ground black pepper

                1. Cut guanciale into matchsticks sizes (bacon or pancetta).

                2. In a large saucepan, combine guanciale (bacon or pancetta) and olive oil. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until begins to turn golden.

               3. Add garlic and red pepper flakes to pot; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes.

              4. Add wine, increase heat to medium-high and cook until wine has evaporated, about 3 minutes.

             5. Stir in the tomato sauce and parsley; reduce heat to low and gently simmer, covered, until sauce is rich and flavorful, about 50 minutes.

             6. Remove from heat and add the cheese and olive oil. Set the sauce to the side while making the pasta.

             7. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add bucatini and cook until al dente.

             8. Meanwhile, gently reheat sauce.

            9. When pasta is al dente, drain pasta, transfer to a large bowl, add sauce and toss to combine.

         
10. Serve immediately, with cheese and pepper for garnish (optional).