Eating Italy: A Chef's Culinary Adventure (48 page)

3 tablespoons (23 g)
tipo
00 flour (see
page 277
) or all-purpose flour

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon (113 g) granulated sugar

4 ounces (1 stick/113 g) unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs

8 plums

For the tart dough:
Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. With the mixer running, add the eggs one by one until each is incorporated. Switch to low speed, add the lemon zest and flour, and mix until the dough comes together. Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, shape into a ball, wrap in the plastic, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and coat an 11-inch (28-cm) tart pan with cooking spray. Roll the dough between two large sheets of plastic to a 12-inch (30-cm) diameter. Remove the top sheet and carefully invert the dough onto the tart pan, fitting it in gently. Trim the edges, prick the bottom with a fork, and line the dough with foil. Top with pie weights or dried beans and bake until firm, 15 to 18 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and weights and continue baking until light golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let cool on a rack.

For the almond filling and plums:
Whisk together the flours and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the eggs. Let the mixture rest for 30 minutes, and then spread it over the bottom of the cooled tart shell.

Lower the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C). Cut the plums in half lengthwise and remove the pits. Press the plums, cut-side down, into the almond filling in a circular pattern, and bake until the plums are tender and the filling is set and lightly browned, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

BRAISED BLUEBERRIES
with
SBRISOLUNA

In the Bergamascan dialect,
sbrisoluna
is a crumbly cookie traditionally broken into pieces and served with coffee. I like to make it about one inch thick in a sheet pan, and then crumble it over buttermilk gelato in a bowl of braised blueberries. With the warm berries, the scoop of ice cream, and the crushed cookies, it’s sort of like a deconstructed blueberry crisp.

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

Blueberries:

3 pounds (1.3 kg) blueberries

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (425 g) granulated sugar

6 tablespoons (90 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

Grated zest of 3 lemons

1 cup (235 ml) St. Germain liqueur, divided

Almond Sbrisoluna:

1½ cups (215 g) skinless (blanched) almonds

8 ounces (2 sticks/227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus some for buttering the pan

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

½ vanilla bean, split and scraped

2 large egg yolks

1 cup (160 g) coarse cornmeal

2 cups (250 g)
tipo
00 flour (see
page 277
) or all-purpose flour

To Serve:

4 cups (1 L) Buttermilk Gelato (
page 287
)

For the blueberries:
Combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a medium nonreactive saucepan. Let marinate at room temperature for 2 hours.

Add ¾ cup (175 ml) of the St. Germain, and cook over medium-high heat to 213°F (101°C) on a candy thermometer, 5 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the blueberries to a bowl, and then cook the liquid remaining in the pan to 217°F (103°C), 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, return the blueberries to the liquid, and stir in the remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) of St. Germain. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat gently just before serving.

For the almond sbrisoluna:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and line a 13 x 9-inch (33 x 23-cm) pan with foil, leaving enough extra foil to use as handles. Spread the almonds on the foil in a single layer and bake until lightly toasted, 5 to 7 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice. Let cool slightly and then chop coarsely and set aside.

Cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a stand mixer on medium-high speed. Mix in the egg yolks on low speed, adding one at a time. Mix in the cornmeal and flour on low speed and then mix in the chopped almonds. The dough will be crumbly. Gently press the crumbly dough into the prepared pan so it is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, and then bake until set and lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack and then remove the entire sbrisoluna, using the foil sling.

To serve:
Spoon the warm blueberries into bowls, top with a scoop of gelato, and crumble on some sbrisoluna. You will likely have some leftover sbrisoluna; it will keep covered for several days. Enjoy it with a cup of coffee.

GRAPPA TORTA

One fall, I wanted to make a super-moist chocolate cake with a light texture but rich flavor. Tall order, I know, but I found an old Italian recipe for a mousse-like chocolate cake made with rum. I swapped in grappa for the rum and started experimenting with both dry and fruity grappas. Dry
(secco)
grappas are made with bold grapes, such as pinto nero, while the fruity
(morbida)
grappas are made with lighter grapes, such as moscato and sauvignon blanc. The fruity grappas taste better with chocolate. After a few tries, I ended up with a silky, soft chocolate cake with a light perfume of grappa. It happens to be gluten-free and goes great with cappuccino gelato and a spoonful of softly whipped cream.

MAKES 10 TO 12 SERVINGS

Unsalted butter, for greasing the pan

6 large eggs

½ packed cup (110 g) light brown sugar

14 ounces (about 3 cups) bittersweet chocolate, preferably 58% cacao

⅓ cup (90 ml) grappa

1 cup (235 ml) heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9-inch (23-cm) round springform pan, cut a piece of parchment to fit the bottom of the pan, and then butter the parchment. Wrap the bottom outside perimeter of the pan tightly in a double layer of foil to help prevent leaks.

In the bowl of a mixer, whip the eggs and brown sugar on high speed until the mixture balloons to triple its original volume, 4 to 5 minutes.

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl in the oven or over a double boiler, and then add to the egg mixture on low speed. Fold in the grappa and cream. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place the pan in a larger pan, such as a roasting pan. Pour in enough hot water to come at least halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Cover the pan with foil and bake until the torta is puffed and a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it, another 30 minutes.

BASICS AND ESSENTIAL RECIPES

After ten years of cooking in Bergamo and Philadelphia, I’ve seen some fascinating culinary cross-pollination between the two cities. Chefs travel in both directions to cook in other kitchens, and they end up bringing back with them a taste of each city. This sort of “staging” in restaurants is one of the most important things that chefs do all over the world. It’s how we learn from one another and expand our skills. I suppose cookbooks are the home cook’s equivalent. Instead of going from restaurant to restaurant, home cooks often move from book to book, cooking different dishes, hearing different perspectives, and improving their kitchen chops.

The recipes in this book should give you a clear picture of my perspective and what it would be like to cook with me at my restaurant. And this chapter includes some of the most essential recipes. These basic preparations are used throughout the rest of the book, but ultimately, they should transcend the book. You can employ these basics in all of your cooking. Veal Stock (
page 279
) forms the foundation of countless sauces, and you’ll find yourself putting a spoonful of Chocolate Sauce (
page 285
) on dozens of ice creams and other desserts.

Throughout the book, I also use some basic ingredients, techniques, and equipment that bear further explanation. Here’s a glossary of culinary fundamentals that clarifies what I’m talking about when a recipe calls for “smashed” garlic or asks you to “sweat” the vegetables. If you came into my kitchen and didn’t know these terms, you would definitely understand them when you left.

INGREDIENTS

BLENDED OIL.
By itself, extra-virgin olive oil can overpower a delicate vinaigrette or sauce. It also has too low a smoke point for panfrying. For these preparations, I like to cut extra-virgin olive oil with grapeseed oil, which has a milder flavor and higher smoke point. If a recipe calls for blended oil, simply mix together equal parts extra-virgin olive oil and grapeseed oil. Alternatively, you could use canola oil instead of grapeseed oil.

EGGS.
Find the best that you can. Eggs from chickens that hunt and peck on pasture usually have a richer flavor and deeper color than eggs from birds that eat standardized feed in crowded indoor facilities. I almost always use large eggs, and sometimes I call for raw or lightly cooked eggs in the recipes in this book. Because of the slight risk of salmonella, be advised that raw eggs should not be served to the very young, the ill or elderly, or to pregnant women.

GARLIC.
I’m not a big fan of chomping down on pieces of raw or cooked garlic in my food. But I do like the flavor, so I do what most Italians do: smash whole cloves of garlic, add them to oil or butter for sautéing, and then remove the garlic once it’s released its flavor into the dish.

MIREPOIX.
Similar to Spain’s
sofrito
, mirepoix is a mixture of diced onions, carrots, and celery, often added to soups, stocks, and braised dishes for flavor. The vegetables are also called aromatics.

SACHET.
A mixture of herbs and spices, such as parsley, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, and black peppercorns, tied into a seasoning packet. Also known as bouquet garni, a sachet allows you to season soups, stocks, and braising liquids, and then throw away the seasoning packet to leave behind only the flavors and aromas. Bundle the seasonings together in the center of a double layer of cheesecloth, then tie it tightly with kitchen string. If you don’t have cheesecloth, you can tie the seasonings in a clean coffee filter.

SALT.
I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt for most cooking and fine sea salt for baking. If you use a different brand, weights and volumes will vary. For reference, Diamond Crystal kosher salt weighs about ⅛ ounce (3 g) per teaspoon; fine sea salt weighs about ¼ ounce (6 g) per teasoon. For sausages and other cured meats, I add curing salt. There are two types: curing salt #1 and #2. Curing salt #1 (a.k.a. pink salt, Tinted Curing Mix [TCM], Insta Cure #1, and DQ Curing Salt #1), is tinted pink so it’s easy to recognize. It contains 6.25 percent sodium nitrite and 93.75 percent salt. Curing salt #2 (a.k.a. Insta Cure #2 and DQ Curing Salt #2) is white, like regular salt. It also contains 6.25 percent sodium nitrite, but it has 4 percent sodium nitrate and 89.75 percent salt. These curing salts are used to help prevent bacterial growth in cured meats. For reference, they weigh about ¼ ounce (6 g) per teaspoon.

SAN MARZANO TOMATOES.
These canned plum tomatoes have a deeper flavor than other varieties. Look for San Marzano tomatoes imported from Italy because there are cheap knockoffs on the market using the same name. I usually core and crush the tomatoes by hand. For each tomato, pull it out of the can, hold it in one hand, and use the fingertips of your other hand to pinch the stem end and pull out the core. Discard the core and crush the remaining tomato right into the dish you are making. Sometimes I drink the canning liquid (tomato puree) or save it for other preparations.

TIPO
00 FLOUR.
In Italy, they number different types of flour according to how finely they are milled.
Tipo
(type) 1 is coarse, 0 is fine, and 00 is very fine. The texture of
tipo
00 flour resembles that of all-purpose flour, which makes a good substitute. The flour weighs about 4.4 ounces (125 g) per cup.

VINAIGRETTE.
If you don’t know how to make one yet, here’s the basic method for making 1 cup (235 ml) of vinaigrette. It’s a three-to-one ratio of oil to vinegar. You start with the vinegar. Pour ¼ cup (60 ml) of vinegar into a bowl or blender, start whisking or blending the vinegar, and then slowly drizzle in ¾ cup (175 ml) blended oil (see
page 276
). You have to add the oil gradually so you don’t overwhelm the vinegar with oil all at once, which could keep the mixture from emulsifying or blending evenly. Whisk or blend in the oil in a slow, steady stream until the mixture looks opaque and a little thicker (emulsified), and then season it to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. For red wine vinaigrette, use red wine vinegar. For Banyuls vinaigrette, use Banyuls vinegar. For citrus vinaigrette, squeeze the juice of one orange and ½ lemon into a bowl to equal ¼ cup (60 ml), and then whisk or blend in the oil. Experiment with other vinegars and citrus juices to make different kinds of vinaigrette. You can also add finely chopped herbs, shallots, or other aromatics.