The Christie Curse (37 page)
Read The Christie Curse Online
Authors: Victoria Abbott
S
IGNORA
P
ANETONE’S
M
USHROOM
R
ISOTTO
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1
⁄
8
cup dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in warm water for a half hour, drained and liquid
reserved
1
1
⁄
2
cups Arborio rice (or other short-grain Italian rice)
3
1
⁄
2
to 4 cups boiling hot chicken stock (can use vegetable stock)
1
⁄
2
pound mushrooms, sliced
2–3 tablespoons fresh Parmesan, grated
Sauté the onion, parsley and garlic in one tablespoon of butter until soft (and onion
is translucent).
Dry the porcini, then chop porcini and add to the other ingredients. Add rice and
stir. Do not allow it to brown!
Add the stock slowly, by half cups. Stir and allow the rice to absorb the liquid.
Keep stirring. Risotto is all about the stirring. Luckily, it’s good exercise. When
the rice is half-cooked (around ten minutes) add the reserved liquid and the sliced
mushrooms. Stir for another ten minutes or until rice is soft and the mushrooms are
tender. Do not overcook or your rice will be mushy.
Remove from heat and add the rest of the butter and the cheese.
Let it stand for about five minutes and serve.
S
IGNORA
P
ANETONE’S
T
RADITIONAL
T
USCAN
T
OMATO AND
B
READ
S
ALAD
(P
ANZANELLA
)
2 large ripe tomatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, very finely minced
1 cup fresh basil leaves, shredded (or rolled and sliced)
1
⁄
2
cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, plus more as needed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
About eight slices thick country-style Italian bread or sourdough bread torn into
bite-sized pieces. Bread should not be fresh! If it’s too dry, soak it in water, and
then squeeze dry.
In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic and basil. Drizzle with the half cup
of olive oil and three tablespoons of vinegar, season with salt and pepper and toss
well.
Place half of the bread in a wide, shallow bowl. Spoon half of the tomato mixture
over the bread. Layer the remaining bread on top and then the remaining tomato mixture.
Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or until serving
time. Just before serving, toss the salad and adjust the seasonings with salt and
pepper. At this point the bread should have absorbed the water from the tomatoes.
You can add a little bit of olive oil if necessary and toss well. Serve immediately.
Sometimes the signora likes to break with tradition and toss in some slices of buffalo
mozzarella or other soft cheese or else one small cucumber, peeled and diced. Even
though it is not part of the signora’s family tradition, many people do add cukes,
and she does like to change it up.
S
IGNORA
P
ANETONE’S
C
REAMY
P
OLENTA WITH
G
ARLIC AND
C
HEESE
1 cup coarse yellow cornmeal, stone ground is best
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1
⁄
2
to 1 clove garlic, finely minced
3
⁄
4
to 1 cup milk or cream (depending on your diet)
2 to 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter or olive oil
In a bowl, mix cornmeal with one cup of cold broth and blend well. Bring remaining
two cups to a boil add the mixture to it, slowly, stirring well as you go. Boil for
three minutes (don’t forget to stir), then add garlic and salt and pepper.
Reduce heat to medium low and cook until mixture pulls away from the sides of the
pot. Stir in milk or cream. Cook until soft and creamy (10—20 minutes). Stir every
now and then. Stir in cheese and adjust seasoning.
Serve like mashed potatoes, adding butter if you want or drizzle with very good extra-virgin
olive oil.
