Garden Vegetable Stew

 

This is one vegetarian dish that even the die-hard meat eaters will enjoy! The quality of your veggies will turn this from ordinary to amazing and full of flavor. Its filling and incredible versatile based on the vegetables and herbs you use. This veg stew is perfect over a boiled potato or polenta. With the eggs from our hens, we love poaching an egg and placing it atop this gorgeous garden stew, adding a little protein and making it into more of a meal. Plus, eggs are hot right now!! Which just cracks us up (who comes up with these things?! By the way kale is out and cauliflower is in!) 

Remember with simple dishes like this its important to use the best quality ingredients. This is just the base for the veggies - use what you've got /like/grow. Add in potatoes if you want, etc.

Garden Vegetable Stew
serves about 6

This is just the base for the veggies - use what you've got/like/grow. Add in potatoes if you want, etc.

1 long eggplant
1 onion
1 pepper
1 zucchini
1 bulb of fennel
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
salt & pepper
a couple of large tomatoes, diced or 1 jar of whole crushed tomatoes
herbs of your choice (rosemary, thyme, bay leaf etc)
optional: capers, olives

Dice all your vegetables in a large dice, keeping them separate. Since its a stew the sizing isn’t exact. But don’t mix all the veggies together in a bowl.

In a large heavy pot, with a little bit of olive oil on medium high heat, sauté the onion for a few minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Then remove from the pot. We are just looking to start the onions cooking.

Repeat the same process, a little bit of olive oil, salt & pepper, sauté for 2 minutes or so and then remove, with each of the remaining vegetable except the tomatoes.

Keep an eye on your pan heat - you don’t want it too hot or too cool: too hot and they will burn your vegetables, too cool and you’ll sweat instead of sauté the vegetables.

Then return all the vegetables to the pot, together, along with the tomatoes and your herbs (and capers/olives if you like). Bring the pot up to a simmer and let slowly simmer until all the vegetables are tender. OR I like to pop it in a 375 F/190 C degrees oven, uncovered for about 45 minutes to an hour or until the vegetables are soft and the liquid has reduced some.

Check your seasoning, remove the herb stems and finish with good extra virgin olive oil on top.

If you like, poach an egg and place atop or serve with boiled potatoes or grilled polenta. Makes a great hearty vegetarian dish. It will get better as it sits in the fridge. Change up the vegetables as you like or play with the spices.

Homemade Nocino: Spicy Walnut Liqueur with Cloves & Vanilla

A booze that's damn near biblical - not only because of its rich smooth spicy flavor of walnuts, clove, vanilla and cinnamon but it must sit in the sun for 40 days and 40 nights as the first step in making it! Pour a glass and serve alongside creamy vanilla panna cotta or topped on gelato for a decadent end to the meal.

A thriving local tradition is making homemade liquor - from grappa infused with fruits & herbs, to visner & visciolino (cherry liquors), nocino (walnuts) & many more! Whenever offered a homemade digestivo (after dinner drink) you must oblige! It is homemade & thus a gift from the house....sometimes a wonderfully delicious drink that you are beggin for more and other times...WOW! absolute firewater! In Italy it's easy to find 95%-97% pure alcohol at any where from the hardware store to the "Costco" surplus shopping stores. And with a walnut grove a kilometer down the road from our farmhouse, this has become a classic in our house.

Picking walnuts with my cousin

I 've told the story before but many of my homemade liquors are recipes from the wonderful Mamma Mochi teaching me her age old recipes of making digestivi. She is my mentor of sorts when it comes to all things 'spirits'! As usual, the recipe varies depending on where you live. 

This Nocino recipe for example uses whole green nuts and MUST sit in the sun & stirred for 40 days, then brought in to sit in the dark for another 30 days before you filter. After that, the first pour is traditionally on Christmas Eve! ...maybe I'll leave a little out for Babbo Natale this year!

Nocino
Walnut Liqueur

25 green young walnuts
1 kilo (or just a bit less) of sugar
1 liter of pure alcohol (grappa, everclear or vodka)
250 grams of water
stick of vanilla
stick of cinnamon
5 -7 cloves

Mix together well.
Let sit in sun for 40 days - stirring & mixing the sugar each day.
Then let sit for another month in cool dark storage.
Filter & bottle.
You can let the nocino age if you would like - some prefer to drink immediately & those shelf the bottle for 2 years or more! Traditionally, the first glass should be poured on Christmas Eve.

There is also a recipe for the 'used nuts' with Marsala ...coming soon!

Maria Mochi, my mentor

Roasted Lamb with Potatoes & White Wine (Roman Spring Lamb)

A beautiful dish for Easter, Roasted Spring Lamb with Potatoes & White Wine - good every time! The recipe is adapted from one of our favorite Italian cookbooks, The Silver Spoon. Have you ever cooked lamb before? Have questions? Try our LIVE! online, interactive Cooking Class from our farmhouse/cooking school in Italy on March 16th and make this dish right along with the Chef! (Details Here)

Roman Spring Lamb
Roasted Lamb with Potatoes & White Wine

1 kilo or 2 lb leg of lamb, in pieces (ask the butcher to do this for you)
flour for dusting
2 glugs of olive oil
3 sprigs of rosemary
a small handful of sage leaves
couple of cloves of garlic
glass of white wine
1/3 glass of white wine vinegar (about 5 tablespoons)
4 potatoes, sliced
salt & pepper
2/3 cup water, boiling
optional: 2-3 anchovies (or capers or anchovy paste)

Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C

Dust the pieces of lamb with flour, shake off the excess.

In a heavy bottomed roasting pan, over medium-high heat brown the lamb on all sides in a couple glugs of olive oil, turning frequently (about 10 minutes).

Once browned, season with salt & pepper. Toss in the rosemary, sage & garlic.
Combine in a glass the wine & vinegar, then add to the roasting pan. Reduce until almost all the liquid has evaporated, turning the lamb frequently.

Once the pan is almost dry, add the boiling water. Then top with the slices of potatoes (its OK not to cover the entire dish) and roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes until tender WITH a foil lid.

If it seems to be drying out - add in a little hot water mixed with a dash of white wine.

For something truly authentic, 10 minutes before the lamb is ready smush 2-3 anchovy filets in a bowl with a little of the pan juices/sauces and pour over the entire lamb/potato dish and return to oven to finish cooking for another 5-10 minutes.

Check your seasonings.
To Serve: pick out the stems of herbs and transfer the meat to a warm serving dish and spoon the pan sauces/gravy over the top with the potatoes.

Video Recipe: Savory Rustic Tart with Wild Greens, Ricotta & Prosciutto

Recipe for the Savory Tart with Wild Greens, Prosciutto & Ricotta

During a hands-on cooking class at La Tavola Marche (farm, inn & cooking school) in Le Marche, Italy guests forage for wild greens in the field in front of our 300 year old farmhouse. Jason helps guests identify the different edibles and with bags full of dandelion greens, poppy greens, grispigno & more they head into the kitchen to create a rustic tart with the fresh picked wild greens, ricotta & prosciutto.  

  During the dog days of winter, enjoy this slice of life/glimpse at one of our Spring cooking classes!

Visit us during April/May 2014 for one of our Spring Cooking & Foraging Holidays in Italy:

Cooking with Wild Edibles & Bottling Wine:   24 - 28 April 2014 (4 Nights) = 500 Euro/person 

 “Made in Le Marche”  D.O.C. Wine & Cheese Tour, Artisan Meat Market Trip with Chef & Craft Beer Tasting with 3 Cooking Classes 13-18 May 2014 (5 Nights) = 928 Euro/person

  

Recipe for the Savory Tart with Wild Greens, Prosciutto & Ricotta

Torta di Erbe Selvatiche

Pastry Dough
Ingredients:
2 3/4 Cups (250 gr) all purpose flour
3/4 Cup (150 gr.) butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
2-3 Tablespoons ice water
pinch of salt

Method:
Sift flour into a mound, add the butter & pinch of salt. Rub together with your fingers or food processor. When mixture resembles crumbly coarse sand incorporate the egg & water. Knead 2-3 times.
Form into a disk, wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Filling
Ingredients:
2 Cups (400 gr) of cooked, drained and squeezed dry greens (mix of wild greens or chard, spinach, escarole, etc.)
1 Cup (250 gr.) sheep’s milk ricotta cheese
zest of half a lemon
generous handful of Parmesan
2-3 slices of prosciutto, chopped
salt & pepper
1 egg, separated

Method:
Cook your greens in boiling, salted water depending on the toughness (spinach may only need 20-30 seconds, chard needs 3-4 minutes).  Drain and squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the greens. Combine the greens in a bowl with the ricotta, parmesan, lemon, prosciutto, salt & pepper. Taste & check your seasonings.

To Assemble the Tart:
Preheat oven to 350 F/ 185 C

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and split in half. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch or 1/2 cm thickness and line the bottom of a tart or pie pan. (We use 9-inch or 25 cm but you can make individual tarts as well.) Make sure to have enough dough to fold the edges back over the the top.

Once pastry is lined in pan, brush with egg white then fill with a generous amount of the chard mixture (filling in evenly).

Brush folded over part on the top with egg yolk as well.

Place in oven, bake 45 minutes - 1 hour until pastry is golden brown & filling is bubbly. Serve warm or room temperature.

Baked Figs with Prosciutto & Formaggio di Fossa

Baked Figs with Prosciutto and Formaggio di Fossa

Baked sweet figs wrapped in salty prosciutto, stuffed with stinky sheep's milk cheese is a sweet andsavory way to start your meal. This is also a perfect example of balancing flavors - (if any of you has taken one of our cooking classes, this is what Jason refers to as FASSA: fat, acid, sweet, salt & aromatic). Instead of a soft sweet cheese that many recipes call for when stuffing in figs, we went the opposite direction - using the sharpest, stinkiest cheese we can find, which means formaggio di fossa (sheep's milk cheese aged in a pit from Le Marche, Italy). Read a past post about unearthing this unique cheese.

Formaggio di Fossa from Beltrami in Le Marche, Italy

Baked Figs with Prosciutto and Formaggio di Fossa

serves 4
4 figs
2 slices of prosciutto, cut lengthwise in half
1 slice of stinky aged cheese, cut into four little pieces

Slice off the tip-top of the fig. Cut a shallow X into the top of the fig.
Squeeze slightly from the bottom and the fig will open slightly like a flower.
Wrap a half piece of prosciutto around the fig.
Stuff a piece of cheese into the open 'fig flower.'
Place snugly in a baking dish with a drop of olive oil.
Bake in a hot oven of 225C for 10-12 minutes until the cheese melts, prosciutto is crispy and the fig is soft.
Serve and eat immediately.

Cornflake Cookies - Biscotti ai Cereali

Snickerdoodles, Peanut Butter, Oatmeal Raisin, Classic Chocolate Chip and...Cornflakes?! Cornflake cookies are an easy to make, not too sweet dessert, perfect not only for the Holidays but any of time year! I had never seen/eaten these before we moved to Italy, though after a quick recipe search they are found all over from the States to Australia.

A cookie so simple, even I can make it! 

Buon Natale!

 Cornflake Cookies
Biscotti di cereali

makes 30 cookies

250 grams of flour
2 eggs
100 grams of sugar
100 grams of butter
4-6 tablespoons of raisins
tablespoon of vanilla extract
16 grams of ‘lieveto per dolci’ or baking powder
(handful of toasted pine nuts optional)
Corn Flakes

Preheat oven to 175 Celsius or  345 Fahrenheit.
Cream butter and sugar. Then add eggs and vanilla and blend. Sift flour and baking powder/lieveto.  Mix the wet and dry ingredients. Fold in the raisins and optional pine nuts.

Make small balls of dough and roll in Corn Flakes.
Bake for about 15-18 minutes.

Braised Escarole with Pancetta

Braised Escarole and Pancetta Recipe

Serves 4

1 head of escarole
5-6 thin slices of pancetta or guanciale, prosciutto, speck
half a glass of white wine
2 cloves of garlic
couple of stems of thyme - leave in tact & no need to chop (it makes it easier to remove)

Start by cleaning the escarole. Cut it into six wedges, leaving the core intact. With a piece of kitchen twine, tie the wedges into bundles to prevent them from separating.

In a pan, rosalare or lightly brown 2 cloves of garlic in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Raise the heat, add the escarole and a crack of salt and pepper.  Cook for a couple of minutes until the greens begins to wilt. Then give everything a turn. Add in the thyme sprigs and lay the slices of pancetta over the top. In goes the white wine. Cover with parchment paper, lower the heat and allow to braise on the stove top or in a 350/175 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until the escarole is tender.

To serve, cut off the twine, remove the thyme and cloves of garlic and discard (unless you love them).

Rustic Tart with Wild Greens

Rustic Tart of Wild Greens
Torta di Erbe Selvatiche

Pastry Dough
Ingredients:
2 3/4 Cups (250 gr) all purpose flour
3/4 Cup (150 gr.) butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
2-3 Tablespoons ice water
pinch of salt

Method:
Sift flour into a mound, add the butter & pinch of salt. Rub together with your fingers or food processor. When mixture resembles crumbly coarse sand incorporate the egg & water. Knead 2-3 times.
Form into a disk, wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Filling
Ingredients:
2 Cups (400 gr) of cooked, drained and squeezed dry greens (mix of wild greens or chard, spinach, escarole, etc.)
1 Cup (250 gr.) sheep’s milk ricotta cheese
zest of half a lemon
generous handful of Parmesan
2-3 slices of prosciutto, chopped
salt & pepper
1 egg, separated

Method:
Cook your greens in boiling, salted water depending on the toughness (spinach may only need 20-30 seconds, chard needs 3-4 minutes).  Drain and squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the greens. Combine the greens in a bowl with the ricotta, parmesan, lemon, prosciutto, salt & pepper. Taste & check your seasonings.

To Assemble the Tart:
Preheat oven to 350 F/ 185 C

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and split in half. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch or 1/2 cm thickness and line the bottom of a tart or pie pan. (We use 9-inch or 25 cm but you can make individual tarts as well.) Make sure to have enough dough to fold the edges back over the the top.

Once pastry is lined in pan, brush with egg white then fill with a generous amount of the chard mixture (filling in evenly).

Brush folded over part on the top with egg yolk as well.

Place in oven, bake 45 minutes - 1 hour until pastry is golden brown & filling is bubbly. Serve warm or room temperature.

Profiteroles & Chantilly Cream

 

Jason made these years before in cooking school at The French Culinary Institute (called choux à la crème) but I wanted to find an Italian version. So I emailed our friends Paola and Antonio the owners of our favorite artisan gelateria, Maki and asked them for their favorite profiterole recipe. Anything dessert related especially if chocolate is involved they are our favorite place to turn. Below is the recipe Antonio learned while taking a cooking courses at La Cucina Italiana as well as the "Profiterole Pyramid" topped with a healthy helping of chocolate cream!! 

Profiteroles - Cream Puffs - Choux à la Crème

makes 50
250 ml water
150 gr flour, sifted
100 gr butter
4 eggs (both yolk and white)
salt/sugar: just a pinch

Bring the water, together with the butter, the salt and a pinch of sugar, to the boil.

Add the flour and mix well keeping the pan on the fire for just a couple of minutes, until the mixture is well amalgamated and it comes off the sides of the pan.

Let it cool down a little before adding the eggs, one at a time: mix well the egg before adding the following one.

Put the mixture into a sac a poche or pastry bag and place the profiterole or 'choux' (they should be as big as a walnut) on a baking tray covered with parchment paper.

Cook for about 15-20 minutes at 180/200° C until they puff up and get a nice golden color.

Tip:  Antonio would reduce the amount of butter (20gr less) should he need to fry the profiterol (he would also add a pinch of baking soda) while the above recipe is good if you want to cook them in the oven.


Filling: ( You can also fill with custard cream or even whipped cream)

284 ml/10fl oz whipping cream
1 vanilla pod
powdered sugar (icing sugar) to taste


Place the cream into a bowl. Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthways with a sharp knife and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds to the cream.

Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Add icing sugar, to taste, and mix in gently.

Topping: Since we asked chocolate makers for their recipe, of course they top their profiteroles with a healthy drizzle of chocolate sauce.

500 ml milk
5 egg yolks
150 gr sugar
35-40 gr corn flour, sifted
250 gr dark chocolate
250 ml cream

Bring the milk to the boil then add the chocolate.

In a separate bowl, mix sugar and egg yolks. Then add the flour, mix and finally add the end the hot milk/chocolate

Cook the mixture very gently for a couple of minutes just until it starts boiling. Remove from heat and add the cream.

Tip: If you want the classic profiterole pyramid, just dip them into the chocolate sauce (after you've filled them with cream) and place them on a plate and decorate.

Enjoy!

photo: Food&Wine

Thanks Paola and Antonio for sharing this recipe!!

THE holiday dish in Le Marche, Cappelletti in Brodo

Christmas celebrated in Le Marche, Italy is not complete without a heart-warming bowl of cappelletti in brodo or little stuffed hats in broth. I was once told is a dish served for only those you love because it takes so much time & patience to make!  In our area this dish is traditionally served on Christmas day for lunch and New Year's Eve for dinner.

Take the time and make it from scratch, buy the freshest eggs (it will make the color of the dough nice & golden) and enjoy this homemade pasta the way it was meant to be eaten - surrounded by family. (Plus they freeze well so you can have them on-hand, at the ready all winter long!)

Cappelletti in Brodo

Broth:

 1 whole chicken in pieces

1 beef bone
1 tomato
2 stalks of celery, chunked up
2 carrots, chopped in chunks
2 large onions, chopped in chunks
sprig of parsley
water

healthy pinch of salt

 

In a large stock pot add all ingredients and cover with water. Bring to a boil, skim the fat and impurities that come to the top.

Then lower to a very low simmer.
Simmer for 3-4 hours.
Strain stock - discard vegetables.

Now you have a delicious stock to be used in an array of dishes & soups.

Pick the meat off the bone & use in the soup, chicken salad or any other dish.

(Stock will last a week in the fridge or you can freeze in usable portions.)

 

Pasta Dough Recipe:

(serves 4)

400 grams of flour (type 0)

pinch of salt

4 eggs

To make the dough - follow our recipe - click here

Filling:

6 oz. lean beef cubed

4 oz. pork loin, cubed

half a chicken breast, cubed

1 sausage, without casing, cubed

1 carrot, diced finely

salt & pepper

a healthy pinch Nutmeg

handful of grated parmesean cheese

1 egg

pad of butter

glug of olive oil

salt & pepper

In a pot, melt the butter & toss in all the meat & carrot.  

Cook over medium heat, until meat is cooked & 2/3 of the liquid is reduced.

Set aside & let cool.

When the meat is cool toss it into the food processor & pulse until it resembles ground beef - not a paste.

Add the egg, salt & pepper, nutmeg & cheese - mix with your hands.  (It will hold a ball when squeezed together, but not wet)

Roll out pasta dough into about 2mm thick sheets.

It may help at this point to watch this clip on youtube (fast forward to about 6 minutes in): How to close your cappelletti: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYUR8KSY8hI)

Cut into 1 inch squares.  Place a pea size amount of filling in each square.

 Fold the square into a triangle - making sure to seal the edges very well! (Super important)

This is when it gets difficult to explain...Then take legs of the triangle & pinch them together.

Make sure not to over-stuff your cappelleti & to seal them properly - otherwise they will burst when you boil them.

Boil in brodo (broth) until they float - if they are fresh about 2-4 minutes. Jason suggests that when they start floating - try one.

To freeze for later: Let the pasta sit & dry overnight in a cool dry room in a single layer with parchment paper underneath.

Approved clip found on youtube - next year we'll have to make our own video - but she makes them right!! (Spoken language: Italian with English subtitles)

Roasted Root Vegetables {Heirloom Beets & Carrots}

Move over mashed potatoes! This winter why not try something different like roasted root vegetables?  Parsnips, rutabagas, beets, carrots, fennel, etc. go great with rich meats or as a side dish or antipasto. As autumn comes to an end and fresh vegetables are harder to come by we like to mix and match our root veggies. For example why not add potatoes or carrots to your mashed potatoes adding a bit of color and complexity to the taste.  It's easy to do too, simply peel the carrots or beets and dice and boil in the same pot as the potatoes. Then mash'em, adding in your butter and milk. You can also braise or grill certain root vegetables.

On a side note: I grew up hating beets because my parents forced us to eat them from a can! It was horrific. I promise you that fresh picked beets taste nothing like the tinned variety.

Root vegetables are rich in nutrients, low in fat and calories, inexpensive and usually available throughout the year.  Beyond that, they have wildly varying characteristics.  Radishes are pungent, carrots sweet, beets earthy.  Others, like parsnips, turnips, and rutabagas, have more subtle flavors. Root vegetables preserve well in the ground or in a dry cool place.

Fresh from the garden carrots and "candles of fire" beets

Roasted Root Vegetables

Keep in mind that different veggies have different cooking times. For instance the beets will need to be boiled & skinned first, where as the carrot can be roasted raw.

serves 6

1 bulb fennel
2-3 med. beets (we use a long variety, but you can use the classic round beet as well)
a bunch of baby carrots or 2-3 normal carrots, peeled & left whole
couple cloves of garlic, skins removed
handful of parsley leaves, whole
salt & pepper
olive oil

In a pot of boiling water, cook the beets until a knife easily slips through them. Drain & allow to cool. Once you can handle them, rub the beets with a damp kitchen rag & the skins will slough off. If you are using long beets like the photo above, simply quarter them length wise. For the traditional round beets, cut them into 1 inch square chunks.

Take the fennel, cut in half & remove the bottom core by cutting an inverted ‘V’ at the base.   Then simply slice the fennel lengthwise into inch wide pieces.

If you have baby carrots, just clean them up & throw them in whole, they look gorgeous! If not, cut your carrots by quartering them lengthwise - use your judgement & try to keep your cuts similar to the size of your fennel.

Toss all the root veggies in a bowl with a couple cloves of garlic left whole, a few pinches of salt & crack of pepper, finishing with 2-3 glugs of olive oil. Toss everything together & layout out a baking pan with parchment paper.

Bake in a hot oven 400 F or 200 C for about 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven, give everything. If you have a convection setting turn it on now, if not raise the temp. to 425 or 215 C. Continue roasting for another 15-25 minutes depending on the size you cut your vegetables. The cooking time is generally about an hour in total, I like to keep it in until the edges get the burny crispy edges. Five minutes before the veggies are done add you whole parsley leaves atop & give it another turn. Be careful not to leave it in too much longer, you don’t want the parsley to burn, but just wilt.


Serve with a drizzle of really good olive oil & serve with anything: roasted chicken, grilled meats, fish, put it on cibatta bread with soft cheese - all by itself, you name it, it’s delish!

Pumpkin Risotto

 A rich and creamy seasonal dish perfect for fall and a delicious addition to your Thanksgiving feast is Pumpkin Risotto. Make extra because the next day a risotto pancake (with a few sunny side up eggs) is amazing!! It takes a bit of time, but easy to make and gorgeous on your plate!

Don't believe the hype that you don't have to stir. You really do have to keep the spoon moving to massage the starch out of the rice to achieve a creamy constancy. It's worth twenty minutes of your time. Once you get it down, it's easy to become proficient at making risotto. Have fun, switch it up. The great part of this dish is that you can replace the pumpkin with any vegetable you like - try radicchio with a drizzle of aged balsamic from Modena for example.

Pumpkin Risotto
Risotto di Zucca
Serves 6

4 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove
3 big handfuls of diced pumpkin (about 3 cups or 400 gr) butternut squash or sugar baby
5 cups or so fresh vegetable or chicken stock
3/4 cup dry white wine
scant 2 cups risotto rice - Arborio or Carnaroli are best
salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese
sage leaf or tig of thyme (optional)
few tablespoons of cream (optional)

Heat the oil in a pan over low heat, add the onion & garlic and a little salt and pepper and sweat for 10 minutes or so with out browning.

Next, add  the pumpkin with a few spoonfuls of vegetable stock and cook them slowly until tender. Then raise the heat, add the rice and herb sprig and saute for a minute or two. Add in the wine and let it cook out but be sure to continuously stir.

Season with a little salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil in another pot and check that the rice is now on a medium low heat. 

Add a ladle-full of the hot stock to the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until it has been absorbed.

Continue adding the stock, a ladle-full at a time, constantly stirring until each addition has been absorbed. This will take 18-20 minutes.

When the rice is al'dente, turn off the heat, add in a handful or two of graded cheese and give the rice one more stir, check seasoning. Rice should be thick & creamy but not runny. Cover the pot and allow the rice to sit for a couple of minutes. Make sure to remove the thyme sprig or sage leaf.

To serve, spoon the rice into the bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.

If you like to make the rice a little richer, try adding 2 tablespoons cream at the point when the Parmesan is incorporated.  

Butternut Squash Soup

Fall in a bowl - Butternut Squash Soup would make a perfect dish to add to your Thanksgiving dinner or lunch on a rainy day! It can be served day-of or is even better the next! Which makes it great for Thanksgiving since you can cook it off a day or 2 before, one less thing to do on turkey day! This soup has become a tradition in our house - it's so creamy & delicious. If you want to make this simple soup extra fancy add a few steamed mussels just before you serve.

Butternut Squash Soup

2 medium butternut squash - peeled, diced, seeded
2 medium onions, diced
2 carrots, peeled, diced
2 ribs celery diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
vegetable stock
olive oil
bay leaf
fresh thyme
salt & pepper

In a soup pot heat 2 glugs of olive oil over med low heat, add carrots, celery, onions & garlic - until translucent - about 15-20 minutes.

Then add your squash, bay leaf & a couple sprigs of fresh thyme and salt & pepper. Sautée for another 15-20 min. on med-low heat until the squash starts to fall apart & gets soft.

Cover with vegetable stock & cook another 20 min. until the squash is now totally soft. You may need to adjust the amount - if it looks like it is getting too thick, add a little water.

Blend with a hand blender & then add in about half a cup of heavy cream. (I know the cream sounds heavy, but it really rounds out the vegetables.) Adjust the seasonings to your liking: you can add in cinnamon, nutmeg &/or a clove to make it a bit more spicy & festive!

Toast a piece of bread & float it on top and a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil.

Poached Pears in Wine

A beautiful simple dessert absolutely perfect for a dinner party incorporating the flavors of fall. Use any red or rose you like or that bottle of wine that's been collecting dust in the back of your cupboard (you know the one) - it will work great in this classic dish! A gorgeous oven-free dessert. In the summer, we will use beautiful stone fruit instead of the pears. 

Cooking the wine and herbs down slowly will create a beautiful rich flavorful syrup.

Poached Pears in Red Wine

Serves 4
4 pears, peeled and left whole
1/4 cup sugar
1 bottle of wine - red or rose' - whichever you prefer or have in your cupboard
herbs you like: we use sprig of rosemary, sprig of thyme and lemon zest or you can use cinnamon, clove and nutmeg

Place pears in a pot that fits snugly. Add sugar and herbs to the pot with pears. Cover the pears 3/4 with wine.

Place the pot on the stove with the lid on and bring up to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Let simmer for 10-18 minutes depending on the size of your pears. You'll know when they are done when a knife slips easily in (just like when boiling potatoes).

Once cooked through remove the pears from the liquid & place in the fridge. Return the pot to the stove and reduce the wine, on a simmer for about 10-15 minutes until it forms a syrup. Be careful not to burn it by reducing too much.

About a minute or two before before the wine syrup is ready give it a taste checking to make sure its not too tart. You may need a little more sugar depending on the sweetness of the wine.

To serve, strain a ladle full of the syrup through a fine mesh strainer directly onto each plate. Top with your pear - either serve whole or sliced in half. Finish with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or mascarpone cream.

Passatelli in Broth

Passatelli is a rustic Italian pasta meets German spatzle, noodle/dumpling made of breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, eggs, nutmeg & lemon zest. Found on dinner tables across Le Marche & Emilia Romagna, passatelli is best served in chicken broth but can also be dressed with sauce. (Some recipes call for no flour, others just a handful - this is a hotly debated topic even within Le Marche.)
 I love pasta, I love bread, I love cheese and I love passatelli!

It may not look pretty but it is surprisingly light with a nice bite, and a lovely nutty flavor from the parmesan & nutmeg.
 

Passatelli in Broth

Passatelli in brodo  

6 eggs
250 g parmesan
250 g breadcrumbs
50 g type 00 flour
nutmeg
lemon zest
2.5 liters broth
This recipe does require a passatelli press or potato ricer to push the dough through, making thin snakes of passatelli. 

Beat the eggs in a bowl.
In a separate bowl add all the dry ingredients including the nutmeg & lemon zest. Make a well in the center of the breadcrumb mixture bowl, pour in the beaten eggs and mix together to form a dough.

Turn it out onto a board & knead it 10 times. If it's still tacky dust it with a little flour. Then wrap it up in plastic & let rest for at least an hour.

After that push the dough through the passatelli press directly into simmering broth.
(Note: If you are making this to serve with sauce, allow it dry on the board for a few minutes.)

Allow to cook for a couple minutes in the simmering broth. Serve with fresh grated Parmesan over top.

Spring Side Dish: Peas & Pancetta

Sweet peas have arrived at the farmers market, spring is here! Peas & pancetta - one of my favorite dishes that I only eat in Spring when the peas are bright & fresh.   I can't get enough, I don't know if it's the peas or the pancetta - is it the green veggie or the fatty pork that I love so?! Maybe I should just have another spoonful...

Peas & Pancetta

piselli & pancetta

serves 4
12 oz or 330 gr of fresh shelled sweet peas, rinsed
4 oz or 100 gr pancetta, bacon or guanciale, cured pig’s cheek (omit if vegetarian)
1 small onion, sliced
1-2 cloves garlic
2-3 cherry tomatoes, halved
spoonful red wine vinegar
small handful parsley, chopped
tiny bit of mint, chopped (optional)
salt & pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Bring a medium pot up to boil. In the meantime, in a medium skillet on medium-low heat, slowly render down the pancetta for 4-5 minutes, trying not to brown it and not crispy. If it starts to brown remove the pan from the heat or lower the flame.

Next add garlic & onion, sauté for 5-6 minutes.
(Vegetarian Note: Just omit the the pancetta & sauté the onions & garlic in olive oil.)
When the onions & garlic are about 2 minutes from being ready, add the tomatoes.

At the same time toss the peas in the water and blanch for 2-3 minutes. You want them approximately half-cooked. Strain the peas and throw them directly into the pan with the pancetta adding a spoonful of the pea-water. Allow to cook until peas are cooked but still have a bite.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt & pepper.
Just before you serve, toss in the herbs and drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil.

Fall Farro Salad with Pomegranate, Walnut & Truffles

  A lovely fall take on a farro salad using local walnuts, pomegranates & shaved truffles atop - making it a delicious & decadent side-dish for the holidays!

 Pomegranates are packed with antioxidants and delivers amazing health benefits, combined with the off the charts nutrients in farro and the protein packed walnuts - this isn't just a Superfood but a Supersalad!

Fall Farro Salad with Pomegranate, Walnut & Truffle Salad Recipe

Insalata di farro con melagrane, noci e tartufi

Author: Jason Bartner at La Tavola Marche

serves 4-6

Ingredients:
8 ounces (250 gr) farro or spelt
vegetable scraps to cook the farro in (piece of carrot, onion, celery, etc.)
1 small head of radicchio sliced thinly
4 ounces (100gr) toasted walnuts
seeds and juice of one pomegranate
shaved truffle or truffle oil to taste
salt and pepper
2-3 tablespoons (30ml) vinegar
parmesan  shaved into ribbons
1/4 -1/3cup(100-150ml) extra virgin olive oil

Method:
In plenty of cold water boil farro with your vegetable scraps until al dente (cooked but with a bite) - about 20-35 minutes.
Drain the farro in a colander & remove vegetable scraps.  Allow to cool for a few minutes.
In a large seperate bowl combine the farro with radicchio, nuts & pomegranate seeds. Give it a good mix and season with salt & pepper.

For the dressing:
Drizzle over the salad a couple tablesspoons of vinegar followed by three times the amount of extra virigin olive oil. Do it in your minds eye, just remember the 3 to 1 ratio. You can always adjust later.
Give it another good mix.
To finish, give it a good shave of fresh truffles, if not available truffle salt or oil works well too. Top with a few pulls of a potato peeler across a wedge of parmesan.

Allow to sit for at least 20 minutes up to a day - it needs a little time for it to all come together.
Before serving - give it one last good stir, taste & adjust the seasoning - making sure the dressing is balanced (not too vinegary or oily). Serve as an antipasto or side dish.

Stuffed Eggplant: Bake until golden & bubbly...

 Need I say more?! Oh these are goooood! Just like a little mini quiche tucked into nice little eggplant shells just beggin' to be eaten! This is a great go-to recipe for a dinner party or when you want to make a few dishes a bit earlier since it's served at room temp. A hearty fill for the vegetarians out there. 
Thanksgiving staple at our house:

Stuffed Eggplant Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 eggplants

3 Tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing

1 onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

3 red or green bell peppers, halved, seeded & chopped

4 ripe tomatoes, diced

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

salt & pepper

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Halve the eggplants lengthwise & scoop out the flesh without piercing the ‘shells’. Chop the flesh & save the shells.  Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until soft.

Add the chopped eggplant flesh, celery, bell peppers and tomatoes, season with salt & pepper and cook over low heat for 15 minutes.

Brush an ovenproof dish with olive oil.

Remove the pan from the heat & stir in the eggs. Fill the eggplant shells with the mixture and place in the prepared dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan and bake until golden & bubbling!

Remove from the oven and let cool.

Serve cold/at room temperature.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Onion, Oregano & Mint

A new spin on squash: oregano & mint instead of cinnamon & nutmeg. Best used with butternut squash or turban pumpkins the meaty flesh makes for a hearty fall dish.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Onion, Oregano & Mint Recipe

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 medium butternut squash, or half a turban pumpkin seeded and cut into 1-inch slices
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons plus 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 medium red onion, sliced paper thin
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 tablespoon oregano
1 clove of garlic, sliced paper-thin
small handful fresh mint leaves

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. / 220 C 

Season the squash with salt and pepper, drizzle with 4 tablespoons olive oil, and place in a single layer on 1 or 2 cookie sheets. Bake in the oven until just tender, about 18 to 20 minutes.  

Meanwhile, stir together the remaining oil, vinegar, onion, chile flakes, oregano, and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Remove the squash from the oven and pour the marinade over. Allow to cool for 20 minutes in the marinade, sprinkle with fresh mint leaves, and serve. 

This dish can be made earlier in the day but should not be refrigerated.