Eating Italy: A Chef's Culinary Adventure (47 page)

Lay the pasta sheet on a lightly floured work surface and trim the edges square. Cut the pasta into 4-inch (10-cm) squares. You should have sixteen to eighteen squares, and they can be used immediately or frozen for up to 1 week.

Butter four to six individual casserole dishes or one large rimmed baking sheet. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water. Drop the pasta squares in the boiling water, quickly return the water to a boil, and blanch for 10 to 20 seconds. Drain the pasta and immediately transfer to the ice water. Lay the blanched pasta sheets flat on clean kitchen towels.

Raise the oven temperature to 500°F (260°C). Turn on convection if possible. To build the lasagnetta, lay down one pasta sheet in each casserole dish or lay out four to six in a single layer on the baking sheet, leaving about 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) between each pasta sheet. Over each pasta sheet, layer on the ingredients in this order: about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of béchamel, a slice of roasted squash, about ½ tablespoon (3 g) of Parmesan, and about ¼ cup (28 g) of fontina. Lay on another sheet of pasta and repeat the process. Top each lasagnetta with a third sheet of pasta, a layer of béchamel, a slice of squash, and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Place a pat of butter on top of each lasagnetta and bake until lightly browned and bubbly, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

TOMATO TORTELLINI
with
BURRATA
and
BASIL

I’m a big fan of making fresh vegetable and fruit purees as pasta fillings. You just need a little patience. Most vegetables and fruits are pretty watery, and it takes time to drain off the water and concentrate the flavor. Here, I puree fresh tomatoes and suspend the puree over a bowl overnight to drain out the tomato water, resulting in a nice, thick tomato puree. I prefer that thickening method to adding cheese or eggs because it leaves the singular flavor of the tomatoes intact. Save this dish for the height of summer and use the freshest, plumpest tomatoes you can find. The pasta should just explode with fresh, unadulterated tomato flavor—like biting into a raw tomato. A little burrata and basil are all it needs—like a fancy twist on Caprese salad.

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

3 large ripe tomatoes (about 5 pounds/2.25 kg)

1½ teaspoons (7 ml) sherry vinegar, plus more as needed

About ¾ cup (175 ml) olive oil, divided

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Granulated sugar, as needed

4 ounces (113 g) Egg Pasta Dough (
page 282
), rolled into 1 sheet, about
inch (0.8 mm) thick

5 ounces (142 g) burrata cheese

2 packed tablespoons (7 g) small fresh basil leaves for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water. Score an X on the bottom of the tomatoes and drop them into the boiling water until the skins split and curl, about 1 minute, working in batches to prevent overcrowding. Immediately transfer the tomatoes to the ice water to shock and loosen the skins. When almost cool, peel and discard the tomato skins. Remove and discard the cores, halve the tomatoes, and remove the seeds. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and then puree in a blender until super-smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.

Make a large, five-layer sack of cheesecloth, using plenty of extra cheesecloth for hanging. Place the sack in a deep bowl or tall stock pot and carefully ladle in the tomato puree in batches. Bring up the corners and gently squeeze out the tomato water after each addition, transferring the drained tomato puree to a bowl as you go. Return all of the thickened tomato puree to the cheesecloth, bring up the corners, and suspend the sack over the bowl, tying the top to a propped-up wooden spoon handle so that the sack hangs well above the bottom of the bowl. You can also set the cheesecloth bundle in a large-mesh sieve and set that over the bowl. Let hang overnight to drain the remaining tomato water, at least 8 hours.

Transfer the thickened puree to a blender, along with the vinegar and about ½ cup (120 ml) of the olive oil. Puree until smooth and emulsified, 1 to 2 minutes. The puree should be smooth and not runny; adjust the amount of oil as necessary. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and additional vinegar, if necessary. If your tomatoes are underripe, add a pinch of sugar, too. Transfer the mixture to a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Lay the pasta sheet on a lightly floured work surface and cut into 2-inch (5-cm) squares. As you work, spray the pasta with water and cover with a towel to keep it from drying out. Cut a corner off the bag of filling and squeeze a ½-inch (1.25-cm)-diameter ball of filling on each square. Fold the pasta corner to corner over the filling to make a triangle. Dampen your fingertips and bring the two opposite corners together up over the filling and then pinch and hold to seal. You should have about fifty tortellini. Use immediately or freeze for up to 1 week.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tortellini, and cook until tender yet firm, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Transfer the pasta to a deep sauté pan, along with the reserved pasta water and the remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) of oil. Simmer over medium-high heat, stirring now and then, until the liquid reduces in volume and becomes light and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.

Using your fingers, pick the burrata into small, fingertip-size pieces and divide them among plates. Spoon the tortellini over and around the cheese and garnish with the basil leaves and a few grindings of black pepper.

MEAT GRIGLIATA
with
MIXED BEAN SALAD

Most Italian homes have a fireplace used for both heating the house and cooking food. You don’t see a lot of gas or propane grills. They usually build a wood fire in the fireplace, put a grill grate over it, and grill meat there. When we first walked into Agriturismo Armea on our Desenzano culinary tour, I saw a giant fireplace and knew we’d be using it for
grigliata
, a mixed grill dish. I suppose you could cook the meats here on a gas grill with some wood chips, but a wood fire will give you much better flavor. I like to use a mix of red and white oak wood. Sometimes, I add a little mesquite.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

Meat Grigliata:

Leaves from 10 sprigs fresh rosemary

4 garlic cloves, pressed

1 cup (235 ml) olive oil, plus some for drizzling

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 country-style spare ribs, cut into individual ribs

1 pound (450 g) flank steak

6 Cotechini (
page 244
) or other fresh Italian sausage

Rock salt

Mixed Bean Salad:

6 ounces (170 g) dried borlotti (cranberry beans) (about ¾ cup), soaked in water to cover overnight

½ medium-size yellow onion, finely chopped (½ cup/80 g)

1 medium-size rib celery, finely chopped (½ cup/51 g)

1 medium-size carrot, finely chopped (½ cup/61 g)

1 sachet of 1 sprig parsley, 1 sprig rosemary, 2 sprigs thyme, 1 bay leaf and 5 black peppercorns (see
page 277
)

¾ cup (190 g) finely chopped pancetta, divided

6 ounces (170 g) green beans

6 ounces (170 g) wax beans

½ small red onion, sliced (¼ cup/40 g)

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

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

⅓ cup (90 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons (30 ml) red wine vinegar

For the meat grigliata:
Combine the rosemary, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper in a wide, shallow dish. Rub the mixture over the ribs and steak, and then leave the meat in the dish, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Heat a grill to medium heat. Scrape and oil the grill grate, then grill the ribs directly over the heat until tender and crispy, 25 to 30 minutes, turning often. Grill the steak until medium-rare (135°F/57°C internal temperature), about 8 minutes per side. Slice the sausage in half lengthwise but leave it attached at the back end, and then grill until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer all of the meat to a platter as it is done and let it rest for 8 to 10 minutes. Slice the flank steak across the grain and arrange the slices on a platter with the ribs and sausage. Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with rock salt and cracked black pepper.

For the mixed bean salad:
Drain the borlotti beans and combine with the onion, celery, carrot, and ¼ cup (62 g) of the pancetta in a medium saucepan. Add enough water to cover the ingredients by 1 inch (2.5 cm). Bring to a boil over high heat and then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer gently until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Season generously with salt and pepper and let the beans cool down in the liquid.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water. Add the green beans and wax beans and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Immediately submerge the beans in ice water to stop the cooking.

Cook the remaining ½ cup (60 g) pancetta in a sauté pan over medium heat until very lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the red onion and garlic, and cook until the onion is lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes more. Use a slotted spoon to remove the borlotti beans and solids from their cooking liquid to the sauté pan (discard the sachet). Add the green and wax beans, season with salt, pepper, parsley, oil, and vinegar. Serve with the meat grigliata.

FRESH PRUNE
and
ALMOND TART

In Italy, plums are called
prugne
(prunes). Don’t ask me why. But they’re delicious. My favorites are the
susine
(damson plums) that grow on Pina’s property in Cene. On our culinary tours, guests pick plums from Pina’s trees, and we use the fruit to make tarts. A filling of almond frangipane makes this one special because you press the plums into the filling, which then swells up around the fruit. The filling browns in the oven and cradles each piece of fruit like a warm blanket. Look for ripe, firm plums so they don’t completely turn to mush in the oven.

MAKES 10 TO 12 SERVINGS

Tart Dough:

4 ounces (1 stick/113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ cup (90 g) confectioners’ sugar

2 large eggs

Grated zest of ½ lemon

1¾ cups (220 g)
tipo
00 flour (see
page 277
) or all-purpose flour

Almond Filling and Plums:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (106 g) almond flour