Eating Italy: A Chef's Culinary Adventure (21 page)

For the pistachio sauce:
Buzz the pistachios, blended oil, sherry vinegar, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of water, and the basil and garlic in a blender or food processor until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper, and then refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Makes about 3 cups (750 ml).

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the pasta in batches, and cook just until tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain, reserving the pasta water.

To serve:
Meanwhile, combine the pistachio sauce, truffle paste, and 2 cups (475 ml) of pasta water in a large, deep sauté pan over medium heat. Add the drained pasta and toss gently until the sauce is creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Divide the pasta and sauce among plates and top with chopped pistachios, Parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

ROBIOLA
and
FAVA BEAN FRANCOBOLLI

The first time I made francobolli ravioli was out of Mario Batali’s
Babbo Cookbook
. They look like postage stamps on the plate
(francobolli
is Italian for “postage stamps”). I love the small, delicate shape. Mario’s francobolli were filled with lamb’s brain, but I like a more colorful filling. Fava beans came right to mind. They blend up nice and creamy, and you can see the bright green color right through the pasta. A simple butter sauce with mint is all that’s needed to finish the dish.

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

1 pound (450 g) fava beans in the pods

5 tablespoons (75 ml) olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons (20 g) minced yellow onion

5 ounces (141 g) robiola cheese (⅔ cup)

2¼ ounces (64 g) Parmesan cheese, grated (2 tablespoons plus ½ cup), divided

1 large egg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces (227 g) Egg Pasta Dough (
page 282
), rolled into 2 sheets, each about
inch (0.8 mm) thick

12 ounces (3 sticks/340 g) unsalted butter

4 garlic cloves, smashed

¼ cup (15 g) chopped fresh mint, plus a few leaves of mint cut in chiffonade, for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water. Add the whole fava pods to the boiling water and blanch for 1 minute. Transfer to the ice water to stop the cooking. When cool, pluck the favas from the pods, then pinch open the pale green skin on each bean and pop out the bright green favas into a bowl. You should have about 1 cup (188 g).

Heat 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until soft but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add ½ cup (94 g) of the fava beans and just enough water to cover the beans (about ½ cup/120 ml). Cook just until the beans are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or spider strainer, scoop the beans and onion from the liquid and transfer them to a blender, reserving the liquid. Puree the beans and onion, adding just enough of the cooking liquid to make a smooth puree. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the robiola, 2 tablespoons (12.5 g) of the Parmesan, and the egg. Season with salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Spoon into a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Lay a pasta sheet on a lightly floured work surface and dust with flour. Trim the ends to make them square, then fold the dough in half lengthwise and make a small notch at the center to mark it. Open the sheet so it lies flat again and spritz with water. Beginning on the left-hand side, place two rows of ½-inch (1.25-cm)-diameter balls of filling along the length of the pasta, leaving a ½-inch (1.25-cm) margin around each ball and stopping at the center of the sheet. Lift up the right-hand side of the pasta sheet and fold it over to cover the balls of filling. Gently press the pasta around each ball of filling to seal. With a knife or fluted pasta wheel, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) squares, trimming off any excess. Repeat with the remaining pasta dough and filling. You should have about 125 francobolli. If you’re not going to cook them immediately, toss the francobolli with a little bit of flour and freeze in an airtight container.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the francobolli, quickly return the water to a boil, and cook until tender yet firm, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving the pasta water.

Put the butter, remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) of olive oil, and smashed garlic in a deep sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter melts and the oil is hot, whisk in 1 cup of pasta water until blended. Add the remaining ½ cup (94 g) of fava beans, the cooked pasta, and the mint. Cook until the sauce becomes thick and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.

Divide among plates and garnish with the remaining ½ cup (50 g) of Parmesan and the mint chiffonade.

POLENTA GNOCCHI STUFFED
with
TALEGGIO CHEESE

As a cook, you always want to try to use up every ingredient without throwing anything away. Polenta lasts for a few days in the fridge, so why not use leftovers to make gnocchi? Stuffed with Taleggio cheese, they’re fantastic. The dumplings will seem wet when you make them. That’s okay. The wetter they are, the more tender they’ll be. Just handle them gently and roll them lightly in flour. If you like, add a few leaves of fresh sage to the brown butter in the sauce.

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

1 pound (about 2½ cups/450 g) cooked Polenta (
page 281
), at room temperature

½ cup (62 g)
tipo
00 flour (see
page 277
)or all-purpose flour, plus about 2 cups (250 g) for dusting

2¼ ounces (64 g) Parmesan cheese, grated (⅔ cup), divided

2 tablespoons (14 g) plain, dry breadcrumbs, sifted

1 large egg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces (227 g) Taleggio cheese, cut into ¼ - to ½-inch (about 1 cm) cubes (about 2 cups)

8 ounces (2 sticks/227 g) unsalted butter

Put the polenta in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Add ½ cup of flour, ⅓ cup (33 g) of the Parmesan, and the breadcrumbs and egg, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix on medium-low speed just until combined, 30 seconds or so, scraping down the sides once to incorporate all the ingredients. Spoon the filling into a resealable plastic bag, seal, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Pour about 1 cup (125 g) of flour into a large bowl. Snip a corner from the bag and squeeze the gnocchi mixture from the bag into the flour in ¾-inch (2 cm)-diameter balls. Coat your hands with flour, make a small dimple in each ball with your pinky tip, and then insert a piece of Taleggio inside each dimple, gently pinching the dough around the cheese and rolling the ball between your hands to completely enclose the cheese. Repeat with all of the gnocchi and roll in flour to coat them. You should have fifty to sixty gnocchi.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the gnocchi in batches to prevent overcrowding, and cook until the polenta firms up and the cheese begins to melt, 5 to 6 minutes (test one to make sure the cheese is melting).

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium-low heat and continue cooking until the milk solids begin to brown and fall to the bottom of the pan, 10 to 15 minutes.

Divide the gnocchi among plates and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Pour the browned butter over the top.

WHOLE ROASTED PHEASANT
with
BARBARESCO SAUCE

I grew up in southern New Hampshire and started hunting at the age of twelve. We mostly hunted game birds, such as pheasant, around the apple orchards in Wilton. My dad would rub mayonnaise under the skin and roast the birds, but they always got dry and tough. I learned that you have to undercook them a little. Now, I stuff the pheasants with herbs and garlic, tie them up, and pan-roast them to about 140°F (60°C). Then I cut the meat off the carcass and squeeze the carcass into the pan to enrich the sauce. A little truffle paste helps, too. If you can’t get pheasant, you could make this dish with chicken.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

2 female pheasants (with innards), each 2½ to 3 pounds (1.1 to 1.3 kg)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, halved

8 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf, torn in half

4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, divided

¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 cup (235 ml) Barbaresco or another dry red wine

1 cup (235 ml) Chicken Stock (
page 279
)

1 tablespoon (15 ml) red wine vinegar, preferably Barbaresco or Barolo

1 tablespoon (15 ml) white truffle paste or shaved fresh white truffles

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Remove and discard any remaining feathers from the pheasants, then pull out the innards and set aside. Season the birds inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the garlic, thyme, and bay leaf into the cavities and truss the birds by tying the legs together (see note for trussing instructions).

Heat 1 tablespoon (15 ml) each of the butter and oil in each of two ovenproof sauté pans (or use one giant pan if you have one). Set them over medium-high heat and, when hot, add a pheasant breast-side down to each pan and sear on all sides until nicely browned, 8 to 10 minutes total, taking care not to tear the skin when turning the birds. Turn the birds breast-side up, transfer the pans to the oven, and cook until an instant-read thermometer registers 140° to 145°F (60° to 63°C) when inserted into a leg, about 25 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and transfer the pheasants to a cutting board. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, return the pans to medium heat. Finely chop the pheasant livers and hearts, add to the pans, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine, scraping the pan bottom, and simmer until the liquid reduces in volume by about half, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the stock, and cook until the liquid thickens enough to start coating the back of a spoon, another 5 minutes or so.

Cut each pheasant into six pieces, removing the legs, wings, and breast from the carcass. Scrape any juices from the cutting board into the pan and squeeze the carcass over the pan to release all its juices. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, then strain out the liver and heart, if you like, or leave them in. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of butter and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of olive oil, along with the vinegar and truffle paste, stirring like mad until the sauce blends together and emulsifies. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the pheasant pieces with the Barbaresco sauce.

Note

To truss the stuffed pheasants, pierce three or four 4-inch (10 cm)-long wooden skewers through the flaps of skin on each side of the cavity openings. Weave kitchen string around the skewers like a shoelace to lace the bird shut, tying it off at the top. Position the bird breast-side up with the legs facing away from you. Loop a long piece of kitchen string beneath the ends of the drumsticks, crossing the string to make an X. Pull the remaining string down, passing it beneath the thighs and pulling tight to pull the legs toward the tail. Continue pulling the string along the body toward the neck and pass it beneath the wings. Flip the bird over so the legs are now facing toward you and cross the string over the back between the two wings, pulling tight. Loop the string beneath the backbone, pull it tight, and then tie it off with a tight knot.

VEAL ON A STONE