Eating Italy: A Chef's Culinary Adventure (4 page)

On the fourth day, transfer the beef to a very large Dutch oven. Add half of the leftover curing liquid and enough water to cover the meat by ½inch (1.25 cm). Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat, then adjust the heat so that the mixture simmers very gently. Simmer until the meat is cooked through, about 155°F (315°C) internal temperature, 1 to 2 hours. Remove the pan from the heat and let the meat cool in the liquid in the pan. If you’re not serving right away, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days before slicing and serving.

Meanwhile, soak the onion in the milk for 30 minutes. Rinse the onion and pat dry. Mix together the onion, celery, vinegar, oil, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Slice the beef very thinly and toss with the salad to coat. Use tongs to arrange the slices on a platter and top with the salad.

WHOLE BRAISED BEEF SHANK
with
BUCKWHEAT POLENTA

This is a butcher’s dish if I ever saw one. A whole beef shank is a big piece of meat with a giant bone running through it. It’s fit for a caveman. If you shop at a farmers’ market or know your butcher pretty well, it should be easy enough to get a whole beef shank. You can also just use crosscut shanks. Either way, you’ll be braising the shank in the traditional northern Italian style. The people who live in and around Bergamo are known as
polentone
(poh-len-TOE-nay), or polenta eaters. They love to braise big, tough cuts of meat on the bone and then serve them in gravy on a mound of warm, creamy polenta. Here, I mix the polenta with some buckwheat flour for a darker, earthier flavor to match the rich taste of the marinated and braised shank.

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

4 pounds (1.75 kg) beef shank

3 quarts (2.75 L) red wine (about 4 bottles)

3 medium-size carrots, chopped (1¾ cups/215 g), divided

3 medium-size ribs celery, chopped (1¾ cups/175 g), divided

1 large yellow onion, chopped (1¾ cups/275 g), divided

1 sachet of 1 sprig rosemary, 3 sprigs thyme, 1 bay leaf, 5 black peppercorns, 1 cinnamon stick, and 2 whole cloves (see
page 277
)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

About ½ cup (60 g)
tipo
00 flour (see
page 277
) or all-purpose flour, for dredging

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

2 cups (475 ml) Veal Stock (
page 279
)

6 cups (1.5 L) Buckwheat Polenta (
page 281
)

1 tablespoon (3.5 g) chopped mixed fresh herbs (parsley, rosemary, and thyme) for garnish

Fit the shank in a very large nonreactive Dutch oven or large stockpot. Add the wine, 1½ cups (175 g) of the carrots, 1½ cups (150 g) of the celery, 1½ cups (250 g) of the onion, and the sachet. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Remove the shank from the marinade, strain the liquid, and reserve the liquid and sachet. Discard the vegetables.

Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Pat the shank dry and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the shank in the flour, shaking off excess flour. Heat the oil in the Dutch oven or an ovenproof braising pan over medium-high heat. Add the shank and sear until browned all over, about 20 minutes total. Transfer the meat to a plate. Add the remaining ¼ cup (40 g) of carrots, ¼ cup (25 g) of celery, and ¼ cup (25 g) of onion to the pan. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add 1 quart (1 L) of the reserved marinade and the reserved sachet to the pan. Pour in just enough veal stock to cover the meat by three-quarters. Cover the pan and braise in the oven until tender, 2 to 3 hours.

Remove the meat from the pan and cut the meat from the bone. Cut the meat into bite-size pieces, discarding excess fat and gristle. Alternatively, you can serve the meat on the bone, family style. Either way, strain the vegetables from the braising liquid and pass them through a food mill. You could use a food processor instead of a food mill, but the resulting texture isn’t quite as coarse and good tasting. Return the milled vegetables to the pan, along with a few cups of the braising liquid to thin them out. Boil the mixture over high heat until reduced in volume by about half and thick like gravy, about 15 minutes. Lower the heat to keep the gravy warm, and then skim off any excess fat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, ladle some buckwheat polenta onto each plate. Place the warm beef on top and drizzle with the reduced sauce. Garnish with the chopped herbs.

BUCATINI
with
PIG TESTINA

Pig is the meat of choice in northern Italy, and most butcher shops carry
testina.
It’s a terrine made from pig’s head and shaped in rounds, squares, or rectangles. One day, I had the idea to try it with pasta. I made the terrine, chopped it up, and sautéed it with some olive oil and bucatini, a kind of thick, hollow spaghetti. Some of the liquid from the testina nestled inside the hollows and blended perfectly with the pasta. Bucatini has more bite than spaghetti, so it still made a nice contrast to the soft, creamy pig’s head. And with all those warming spices—the nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and black pepper—the dish had great aroma. There’s no butter here, but it’s pretty rich from the testina.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

1 small pig’s head (4 to 5 pounds/1.75 to 2.25 kg)

3 quarts (3 L) 3-2-1 Brine (
page 280
)

3 sprigs thyme

1 tablespoon (6 g) ground cloves

1 tablespoon (6 g) freshly grated nutmeg

1½ teaspoons (3 g) ground allspice

½ teaspoon (1 g) freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon (6 g) curing salt #1 (see
page 277
)

1 large yellow onion, chopped (1½ cups/240 g)

3 medium-size ribs celery, chopped (1½ cups/150 g)

2 large carrots, chopped (1½ cups/185 g)

1 pound (450 g) fresh Bucatini (
page 283
), or 1 (12-ounce/340 g) box bucatini

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

2 tablespoons (30 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ cup (15 g) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3½ ounces (100 g) Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the pig’s head and set aside. Make the brine; add the thyme, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, black pepper, and curing salt and puree everything together. Pour the brine into a stockpot or large tub, submerge the pig’s head in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for 4 days.

Put the pig’s head and 1½ quarts (1.5 L) of the brine in a very large Dutch oven. Add 1½ quarts (1.5 L) of water and the onion, celery, and carrots, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat so that the mixture simmers gently and simmer, covered, until the skin cracks and the meat is fall-apart tender, 3 to 4 hours. Let cool in the liquid.

Carefully transfer the pig’s head to a large cutting board. Strain the braising liquid and discard the solids. Return the braising liquid to the pan and boil over high heat, uncovered, until reduced in volume by about half, 40 to 50 minutes.

Cut the skin, meat, and fat from the head and chop into pieces the size of a half-dollar. Remove the skin from the tongue and discard it, and then coarsely chop the tongue; set it aside. Line an 8 x 4-inch (20 x 10-cm) loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving a generous overhang to cover the top of the pan. Combine the skin, meat, and fat (including the tongue) in the pan and add enough of the reduced liquid to saturate but not quite cover the meat. Cover with the overhanging plastic and put a heavy weight on top (canned tomatoes or beans work well). Refrigerate overnight with the weight.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook just until tender, 2 to 3 minutes if fresh or 8 to 10 minutes if dried.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Finely chop about 12 ounces (about 2 cups/340 g) of the
testina
, add to the pan, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, 1 cup (235 ml) of the pasta water, and the parsley.

Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, along with the Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the sauce is creamy and coats the pasta, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve hot.

VEAL TONGUE SALAD
with
ESCAROLE AND SALSA ROSSA

Before you turn away, hear me out. I’ve heard so many people say they are disgusted by veal tongue, but when they taste it, they end up loving it. Forget your preconceived notions about eating tongue. It’s just another piece of meat. And it’s damn good! Think about it. The most flavorful cuts of meat come from the areas of the animal that get the biggest workout, such as the shoulder (chuck) and—you guessed it—the tongue. It’s packed with flavor. That’s why you see veal tongue in every butcher shop in Italy. I’ve breaded it, fried it, slow-cooked it, and grilled it. It’s good every which way. But my favorite technique is to brine it, slow-simmer it until it’s tender, then slice it super-thin. With a salad of roasted tomatoes and peppers (
salsa rossa
), it’s really worth a taste.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

Veal Tongue:

1 veal tongue, about 1½ pounds (675 g)

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 whole cloves

1½ quarts (1.5 L) 3-2-1 Brine (
page 280
)

Salsa Rossa:

10 plum tomatoes

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon (6 g) salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon (2 g) granulated sugar

Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs

1 cup (235 ml) olive oil

1 cup (90 g) Roasted Red Peppers (
page 278
), chopped

4 anchovy fillets, chopped

2 teaspoons (2 g) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

½ teaspoon (2 ml) sherry vinegar

To Serve:

1 ounce (28 g) escarole, torn into bite-size pieces

Cracked black pepper for garnish

Maldon sea salt for garnish

Minced mixed fresh herbs (parsley, rosemary, and thyme) for garnish

For the veal tongue:
Rinse the tongue and set aside. Add the thyme and cloves to the brine, and puree everything together. Pour the brine into a medium saucepan, submerge the tongue in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for 4 days.

Pour off three-quarters of the brine and add enough water to cover the tongue by 1 inch (2.5 cm). Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat, then adjust the heat so that the liquid simmers gently. Simmer until the tongue is almost fall-apart tender, about 190°F (88°C) internal temperature, 1 to 1½ hours. Remove the pan from the heat and let the tongue cool down in the liquid.

When the tongue has cooled, remove and discard the skin. Refrigerate the tongue for up to 2 days or use immediately.

For the salsa rossa:
Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C).

Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out all the seeds. Toss with the garlic, 1 teaspoon (6 g) of salt, ground black pepper to taste, sugar, thyme, and olive oil. Lay the tomatoes cut-side up on a rimmed baking sheet and put the sheet in the oven. Turn off the oven and let the tomatoes dry in the oven overnight, 8 to 10 hours. The next day, chop the tomatoes, reserving the oil in the pan separately. (In a pinch, you could substitute soft, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes for the oven-dried tomatoes here.) Toss the tomatoes in a medium bowl, along with the roasted peppers, anchovies, parsley, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of oil from the roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve:
slice the veal tongue very thinly, about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick, and toss gently with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the reserved olive oil from the pan in a bowl. Toss the escarole with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the reserved olive oil. Place the tongue slices in piles on plates or a large platter. Place the escarole in piles near the tongue and top the escarole with the
salsa rossa.
Garnish with cracked black pepper, Maldon sea salt, and mixed herbs.

VEAL SHOULDER ROASTED IN HAY
with
GRILLED PEACH SALAD

In Piedmont, Walter Eynard of Ristorante Flipot is famous for roasting big cuts of meat in hay—especially lamb. The hay imparts an earthy grassiness to the meat. When I got back to the States, I thought I’d give it a whirl. My farmer, Glenn Brendle from Green Meadow Farm, was making a delivery to Osteria one week in the fall, so I asked him to bring me some hay. We butchered a lot of veal at Mangili, so I figured I’d use veal instead of lamb. It came out awesome. All it needed was some sweetness and bitterness to round it out. So I grilled a few peaches and tossed them with cut-up radicchio and pistachios for a quick salad. The amounts here are great for a crowd but if you want to serve fewer people, get a four-pound (1.75 kg) roast and cut the recipe in half.

MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

1 bone-in veal shoulder roast, about 8 pounds (3.5 kg)

1½ gallons (5.75 L) 3-2-1 Brine (
page 280
)

Clean hay, a few big handfuls, enough to completely cover the veal, plus more for serving

4 peaches

½ cup (120 ml) blended oil (
page 276
), divided