Fabulous Pasta!

When Spring arrives we always make our favorite dishes. We started by making Fava Bean Puree. At the Hollywood Farmer’s Market, fresh young fava bean appeared and we purchased several pounds. Favas require lots of peeling, first the bean from the large shell, then par-boiling the beans, and finally peeling the bean itself. I don’t mind sitting on the deck in the sun peeling them, but this time they sold beans that had been removed from the pods. They still have a slippery skin that easily slips off after boiling for a minute or two. Then you can start to make the puree. We simmer the beans in Olive Oil, garlic and Thyme then remove the thyme and puree. We served the puree on top of burrata cheese in a spring salad. It brought back all of the tastes of spring. We will be making this some more this spring and summer! Fava’s have a fairly long season. This recipe was modified by Cathy from the Chez Panisse Vegetables cookbook.

We then had a fabulous pasta that uses fresh spring peas: Orecchiette Carbonara with English Peas and Pea Shoots. This is a really good dish!

orecchiette carbonara with english peas and pea shoots
from Sunday Suppers at Lucques

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces applewood-smoked bacon, diced
6 ounces pancetta, diced
4 extra-large eggs
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 1/2 pounds orecchiette pasta
1 1/2 cups finely diced onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
2 cups freshly shucked peas (from 2 1/4 pounds in the pod)
3 ounces pea shoots
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Spaghetti carbonara was one of the simpler dishes in my dad's weekend repertoire, and it was by far my all-time favorite thing to make with him. After chopping the bacon, snipping the parsley, and grating the cheese, my sister and I would stand back and watch the grand master perform the final act. As he whisked the eggs and tossed in the piping-hot noodles, we marveled at the transformation of our seemingly simple and innocent ingredients into a magnificent bowl of indul¬gence. It all happened in a matter of seconds; unlike his laborious stews, which took hours to make, this meal was all about instant gratification.

In the spring, I stray from tradition and add lots of sweet peas and pea shoots to Dad's original formula. The shape of orecchiette pasta suits this dish well; the "little ears" capture the sauce inside, ensuring plenty of flavor in every bite. If you can't find orecchiette, use spaghetti or penne.

NOTE: When you add the eggs, they should be warmed just enough to thicken them, so they coat the pasta. If you overcook them, the eggs will curdle and scramble. If the sauce is very soupy, then the eggs haven't cooked enough. In that case, I place the bowl of pasta directly over a very low flame, stirring or tossing for a few seconds, to cook the eggs until the sauce just thickens and coats the orecchiette. For this reason, I like to use a stainless steel bowl.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.

Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat for i minute. Swirl in the olive oil, and add the bacon and pancetta. Turn the heat down to medium-high and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon and pancetta are slightly crisped but still tender.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, egg yolks, and 1 1/4 cup cheese together in a large stainless steel bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Drop the pasta into the rapidly boiling water.

Add the onion, garlic, and thyme to the bacon, and cook about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent. Just before the pasta is ready, stir in the peas, coating them well with the onion and bacon.

As the pasta cooks, measure out and reserve about a cup of the hot pasta water. When the pasta is al dente, drain it and immediately add it to the bacon mixture, with i teaspoon salt, tossing well. Grind lots of black pepper into the pot, and cook i to 2 minutes more, stirring well to incorporate. Add the orecchiette to the eggs, stirring vigorously to "cook" the eggs and coat the pasta in the egg "sauce" (see note). Season with salt and pepper to taste. If the mixture seems too thick, add a little of the reserved pasta water. Toss in the pea shoots and parsley, and transfer to a warm shallow bowl. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheese over the top.

Risotto with Pork Sausage and Porcini Mushrooms

We decided to make a risotto that we had not made in a long time. It is one of our favorites.

NOTE

The Oriental influence, often encountered in Venetian cuisine, is quite evident in this dish. Some people don't prepare it like a risotto, but add all the broth at once, cover tightly, and let the rice cook over low heat for about 15 minutes.



Risotto con Luganegh
Risotto with pork sausage
From The Cuisine of Venice & Surrounding Northern Regions
By Guisti-Lanham Dodi




2 quarts broth, chicken or beef
4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion (optional)
3 links 100% pork sausage, depending upon size
2 cups Italian rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Dried Porcini mushrooms


We added Porcini Mushrooms to the recipe. If you have dried porcini simply soak till they are soft. We then saute in butter and add to the risotto when it has almost absorbed all of the liquid.

Bring the broth to a boil. Reduce heat and continue to simmer. Place half the butter in a large saucepan; when it is melted add the onion, finely chopped. Skin the sausage and cut into chunks. When the onion is translucent, add the sausage and stir. Turn the sausage pieces until their fat is rendered. Add the rice and stir constantly until the rice is well coated and glistening. Add the wine and, a little at a time, the broth. Continue stirring; allow the broth to be almost absorbed before adding the next ladleful. The rice should never be allowed to dry out but neither should it ever be totally submerged in the broth.

When the risotto is half done (after about 15 minutes cooking time), add the salt and pepper and the remaining butter. Continue stirring. Add half the Parmesan and finish cooking. The exact cooking time cannot be given as it depends upon the quality of the rice. Italian rice tends to remain firm longer and yet the grains are held together by a creamy substance, made of butter, broth, cheese, and, in this case, pork sausage. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over it before serving, or serve the cheese separately in a bowl fo: people to sprinkle over their individual dishes.
Serve with a Merlot, the ruby red wine of Friuli. The wine served with a dish should usually be the same as the one used in preparing it. But not for this risotto. Tradition wants that a white wine be used in cooking, but it would be possible to serve a light white wine with this very rich dish. It is a winter dish, ideally suited for a cold Sunday luncheon. Personally, I find it too filling to be treated as a first course, as other risottos are. It could be followed by a
vegetable dish, or by cheese and fruit.

Note
It is extremely important that the sausage be of the finest quality. Surely there is a butcher somewhere in your neighborhood who makes his own sausage.

Expatriate Chicken

Wine: Little James Basket Press
I had been thinking about roast chicken and Cathy put together a menu of one of my favorite presentations: Expatriate Roast Chicken with Lemon and Olives from The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen by Paula Wolfert. You can find the recipe in our blog of Aug. 2, 2008. You can find the recipe by clicking the date.

This is a very easy chicken to cook and the Moroccan flavors are exceptional. You need Preserved Lemons which you can either buy or preserve yourself.

With the chicken we made Cous-Cous, the traditional side for this dish. It absorbs all of the great sauce that the Chicken recipe creates. Cathy had been looking for hand-rolled cous-cous and we finally found it at: Cube. The brand is: m’hamsa from Les Moulins Mahjour. It is far superior to other cous-cous we have tried.

We got two meals out of the chicken. One we started with a Salad that we saw made at The Hungry Cat one night when we were eating at the raw bar. It is a simple but delicious salad. Leafy lettuce, lemon juice. Avocado cut into pieces, sea salt, olive oil and Pecorino Cheese, grated hard boiled egg. No recipe just mix the ingredients to your taste. We usually don’t use avocado, but really liked this salad!

For the other meal, once again Asparagus with Fried Egg. Jason at Palate Food + Wine gave us the recipe. It is delicious. You can find the recipe for the Asparagus in our blog of: March 21, 2009. Just click the date to get the recipe.

Not Quite Kosher

Our friend Jill had emailed us about Matzo Brie. This is a dish we have never made. It is very easy. Matzo is an unleavened bread that is used for the Passover Service. Sort of like a large cracker. We had some left over Matzo from the food that we had brought home from Clementine.

We had dinner at Palate Food + Wine and had a fabulous Pork Belly. We didn't finish it and brought some home. We started to think: Should we? Could we? Why not?

So we made Matzo Brie with Crispy Pork.

Soak the Matzo in water till soft then squeeze out the water.
Saute onion (we used chippolini onions) in butter.
Crack as many eggs as your cholesterol will allow and mix well then add the wet matzo.
Add the Pork Belly to the onion / butter then add the eggs and matzo.
Salt / Pepper to taste.
Enjoy!

Passover and Pasta

Wine

Paco & Lola Albarino Rias Baixas 2007
Terre des Lauzeraies Cotes du Rhone 2007

We planned to make Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Rape from Cooking with Master Chefs by Julia Child. We invited Bea to dinner. Since it was Passover I decided to pick up some Matzo Ball Soup. Cathy and I both had dental appointments in Century City, which is near Clementine, which has great takeout food.

When we arrived at Clementine to buy some matzo ball soup we discovered they had full Passover dinners to go. So we bought Brisket (naturally), Carrots and Prunes, Beets with Horseradish and Charoses and handmade Matzo. For dessert we bought Coconut Macaroons. We still wanted to make the Orecchiette, so we had it all.

It was a very traditional Passover dinner, if you don’t count the pork sausage in the Pasta. Oh well next year…..

The pasta really is exceptional. Try it!

Orecchiette con Broccoli di Rape e Salsicce
=================================
Pasta Ears with Broccoli di Rape and Sausages
From Cooking with Master Chefs by Julia Child
This lovely dish shows what can happen to tough old greens if you treat them right. When broccoli di rape is prepared the way Chef Lidia prepares it—peeled and cooked long enough—it has an agreeable slight bitterness that blends wonderfully with the sweetness of the sausage and the full ripeness of the cheese.
It is important to match the shapes of pasta to the sauce. Thin sauces are best with flat pastas; other shapes have nooks and crannies to catch pieces of chunkier sauces. Orecchiette, which means "little ears," are just right to pick up all the tasty bits of sauce in this dish.

INGREDIENTS FOR 6 SERVINGS
For the sauce
2 pounds broccoli di rape
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
5 tablespoons good olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, crushed
Salt
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)
1 cup or more excellent chicken stock

For the pasta
6 quarts water
3 tablespoons salt
1 pound orecchiette pasta

For serving
1 ounce or more pecorino Romano cheese, grated just before using, and you may want to pass around more separately

Preparing the Broccoli di Rape: Wash and spin-dry the broccoli di rape and remove the large tough leaves, leaving just tender leaves and flower buds. Cut off and discard the lower part of the stems, leaving the broccoli about 8 inches long. Peel the stems by lifting strips from the stem end and drawing them up toward the bud area—a perfect peel is not necessary, but removing peel does remove bitterness.
Preparing the Sauce: Peel the sausage, crumble it and saute over moderately high heat in a tablespoon of olive oill. In a moment or two, add the crushed garlic and continue sautéing for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the sausage is lightly browned. Drain out the fat in the pan, and add the remaining olive oil. Roughly line up the broccoli di rape and slice into 4-inch lengths; add to the pan, tossing. Taste, and season lightly with salt and pepper flakes. (At this point, you could start the pasta.) Cover the broccoli pan and let steam for several minutes; when the broccoli has wilted, stir in the butter, then the stock, and bring to the boil. Taste again for seasoning, and let cook uncovered for several minutes more to reduce and concentrate the liquid. Again taste and correct seasoning. Set aside until the pasta is ready.
Boiling the Pasta: Heat 6 quarts of water in the stockpot, adding the salt, and timing so that the water is at the full boil by the time the broccoli di rape goes into the pan in the previous step. With the heat at its maximum, stir in the pasta and cover the pan until the water is at the boil. Then set the cover ajar and maintain at a moderate boil for 10 to 12minutes, stirring and checking on the progress now and then. After 9 minutes, start testing by eating a piece. It should just be cooked through, but not quite as tender as you would like because it will cook a little more with the sauce to come. Drain at once, and proceed to the serving.

Serving the Pasta: Reheat the broccoli di rape as soon as the pasta has cooked and drained. Turn the hot pasta into the hot sauce and toss gently to blend. Taste carefully for seasoning, and remove from heat.
Sprinkle on half the freshly grated Romano cheese, and toss to blend.
At once, turn the pasta onto the hot platter, bowls or plates, sprinkle with the rest of the Romano, and serve.

Spring Peas and Pixies

Wine: Domini Douro 2005

We started with a Salad made with Pixie Tangerines, Almonds, Parmesan Cheese, Medjool Dates, Almond Oil, and Sherry Vinegar. The Pixies have just came into season and are great in a salad.

With the first spring peas every year we make Risi e Bisi. The recipe we use is from Bugialli’s Italy by Giuliano Bugialli. We bought a large amount of fresh peas at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market. All of the pea pods are retained and boiled to infuse the water used to make the rice and peas. The water actually becomes a vegetable stock. In addition the recipe calls for Parmesan Cheese and Prosciutto – we purchased them from The Cheese Store of Silverlake (and Chris provided us with the end of a prosciutto to use in the dish.


RISI E BISI
Rice and Teas Venetian Style
Makes 6 servings
FOR THE BROTH:
1 pound snow peas or, if using fresh peas for the dish, 1 pound of the pods of the peas
16 cups cold water
1 medium-size carrot, scraped and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium-size stalk celery, cut into large pieces
1 very small clove garlic, peeled
5 sprigs fresh Italian parsley, leaves only
Coarse-grained salt
FOR THE RICE:
4 ounces pancetta or prosciutto, in one piece
1 medium-size cipollotto (Venetian white onion) or yellow onion, cleaned
4 Tablespoons sweet butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-size clove garlic (optional), peeled
15 sprigs fresh Italian parsley, leaxas only
1 pound very small, sweet fresh peas or frozen "tiny tender" peas, not defrosted
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups raw short-grain rice, preferably Vialone or Italian Arborio
TO SERVE:
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) sweet butter
6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Sprigs fresh Italian parsley
Wash the snow peas or pea pods very well under cold running water. In a large pot bring the cold water to a boil with the snow peas or pods, carrot, celery, garlic, and parsley over medium heat. While boiling, add coarse salt to taste, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 50 min¬utes. Strain the broth and discard all the vegetables.
Finely grind the pancetta or prosciutto in a meat grinder and coarsely chop the onion on a cutting board. Place the butter and olive oil in a medium-size casserole set over low heat. When the butter is melted, add the pancetta or prosciutto, onion, and garlic clove, if used. Sauté slowly for about 15 minutes, then add the parsley and mix very well, then add the fresh or still frozen peas. Season with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to medium, add 1 cup of the vegetable broth, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the garlic and discard. Pour in 7 ½ - 8 cups of the broth and when it reaches a boil, add the rice. Mix very well, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 18 minutes. Be sure to have enough broth in the casserole for the rice to absorb to cook completely, with a tiny amount of liquid left; the final texture should be something between a real risotto and i thick bean soup. Remove the casserole from the heat, add the butter and cheese, and mix very veil. (Mantecare—to churn—is the word used to describe the movement of absorbing the butter ind the cheese into the rice.) Serve with the Italian parsley.

Asparagus Pasta

Wine:

Domaine de Piaugier Sablet Cotes du Rhone 2005

There are several spring dishes that we look forward to making. Asparagus Pasta is definitely one of them. It is probably one of the easiest and best pastas that you can make. It couldn’t simpler, yet it is very satisfying! When we saw lots of beautiful asparagus at the market we knew we would be making it! You can read the recipe in our blog of May 11, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe.

We had eaten at Palate Food + Wine, which is one of our favorite restaurants. We had a cheese course that included a delicious goat cheese Verde Capra Blue. We decided to create a Salad using the Blue Cheese. We purchased that Radicchio di Treviso, Walnuts, Fresh Grapes, Verde Capra Blue, Walnut Oil, Saba. Great Salad!