Food Lover's Odyssey

Orecchiette with Cauliflower and Sausage - Cooking with Mariantonietta in Salento

 

For many of us, our image of an Italian mother is one of a sweet, petite, slightly rounded woman, apron tied around her waist and flour always under her fingernails. We see her spending most of her day in the kitchen making pasta by hand and cooking up something wonderful for her family and/or guests whom she dotes on endlessly. It is possible that these women exist, but get in mamma's way at the supermarket and you'll see mamma and nonna in a whole new light. The elbow jab to the ribs or rolly-cart to the shins will quickly shake away any misconception you have of a sweet & frail mamma.  I met up with Italian mamma, Mariantonietta, for a day of food shopping and a Pugliese cooking lesson. 

Now Mariantonietta can cook, and it's clear she knows her way around a kitchen. She owns a seaside restaurant in Salento, is part-owner of Masseria Provenzani and is responsible for organizing many food and wine events in the area and throughout Italy. Obviously, this bustling business woman is too busy to be in the kitchen all day, yet she still insists on eating tasty, nutritious Italian meals. Her motto is that an easy and elegant meal should take no longer than an hour to prepare.  After a day "out in the fields" meeting local farmers, olive oil producers and visiting a wine cooperative, we cooked up a delicious four-course dinner full of the flavors of Puglia. And we did it in less than an hour.

 

Quintessential Italian Table - Perfectly set with tablecloth and flowers

Mariantonietta in her kitchen

 

That morning we spent exploring Leverano, an area in Salento rich in agriculture. We visited a tomato grower who grows 150 varieties of tomatoes, tasted olive oil from a olive oil cooperative and saw wine being made at a cooperative where around 1200 small producers combine their resources to make wine and olive oil. Talk about fresh, the produce we purchased had just been harvested that morning. We even met with a flower grower in the area and picked up flowers for the table.

We brought our purchases back to Mariantonietta's kitchen.  Not only is her kitchen spacious and colorful, decorated with all sorts of photos, tiles and ceramics, but it's also modern and well-equipped. At first look it might seem that the pots and kitchen utensils were only for decoration, but they were hung strategically, which allowed for quick and easy retrieval when cooking. It wasn't all work in the kitchen either. In between chatter, photo breaks, and plenty of wine (the wine was a Negroamaro from the Leverano Wine Coopertive), we put together a fabulous meal, where local vegetables and ingredients were the stars.

 

 

Although she never seemed rushed, Mariantonietta was swift in the kitchen. She moved from sink to prep area to stove like a ballerina, each motion seemingly choreographed and practiced many times before. Local and seasonal vegetables were key to making this meal. Mariantonietta pointed out that the fresher the vegetables are, the quicker they cook and the tastier they are. And if you use dried pasta, which we did, most Italian pasta dishes are quite quick and easy to make. With five ingredients or less, you can make a wonderful dish. Our meal was the essence of Italian cooking, simple yet so full of flavor because Mariantonietta let the unadulterated quality and freshness of the ingredients shine.

 

 

 

We started with antipasti of local salumi and cheese. We also had bruschetta made with local tomatoes, the famous bread from Altamura and olive oil from the Leverano Oil Cooperative. 

 

 

 

The primo piatto was a gorgeous plate of orecchiette with cauliflower, sausage and cheese. The mild flavor of the cauliflower blended well with the bold taste of the sausage, and the cheese, not too much, brought a perfect creaminess to the entire dish.

 

 

Using extras from the pasta dish, we made a secondo of grilled sausage links and a contorno (side dish) of cauliflower gratin.  That wasn't all.  Two more contorni rounded out the meal: the classic dish peperonata, bell peppers, tomatoes and garlic slowly cooked in olive oil. We also had the famous Pugliese vegetable cime di rapa (broccoli rabe), again boiled and dressed with olive oil.

 

 

 

Dried figs with an almond inside (a Salento specialty), walnuts and limoncello were dessert.

 

 

Mariantonietta and I taking a cafe break in Porto Cesareo, near Leverano

 

The day was much more than a cooking lesson. I was able to see exactly from where the produce we purchased came, meet those producers - the many that get their hands dirty so we can eat well, and learn a little about agricultural life in Salento. Not only that, I made a new friend in Mariantonietta. Whenever I make this dish (which I have many times because it's so easy to make), I think of her, cooking and eating together, and the people of Leverano. (More on Leverano and its producers coming in another post.)  Below is the recipe for orecchiette with cauliflower,sausage and cheese based on Mariantonietta's recipe.  She used cacioricotta cheese, which is hard for me to find in California, but any semi-soft, not too strong cheese will do.

 

 

 

 

 

Orecchiette with Cauliflower, Sausage and Cheese
(Serves 4 as a main course, 6 as a primo piatto)
 

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
About 1 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup olive oil
12 ounces of Italian sausage (3-4 links)*
1 pound orecchiette or other small dried pasta (i.e. mezzi rigatoni or conchiglie/small shells)
About 8 ounces cheese, grated or diced (cacioricotta, pecorino)
Freshly grated black pepper, to taste

Place the cauliflower florets in a large pot and add water about half way up the pot and the salt.  Bring the water to boil and cook just until the cauliflower are al dente.  Remove the cauliflower and drain.  Use this water to cook the pasta, adding more water and salt if necessary. 

In a large saute pan, add the olive oil and sausage, and cook the sausauge.

When the sausage is almost done, cook the pasta for only four minutes, then drain.  Save the pasta water.  Add the drained pasta to the sausage and stir through to coat the pasta with the olive oil and "toast" it, for 2-3 minutes.  Add the cauliflower and 2 or 3 ladles of pasta water. Cook a few minutes more until pasta is al dente.  Remove from the heat, add the cheese and stir in until the cheese has melted creating a creamy finish.  Garnish with freshly ground black pepper and serve. Buon Appetito! 

*Note: When I recreate this dish, I use 12 ounces of sausage out of the casing, using 6 ounces of sweet/mild sausage and 6 ounces of spicy sausage.

 

 

Join me in Puglia in 2013! For this food lover's culinary tour, we'll be cooking with our beautiful Italian mamme and professional chefs. We'll also be eating and exploring our way through the region.  There are four tour dates available from which to choose! For tour details, check out this page: Culinary Tours in Puglia 2013! 

***Early booking discount: Book and pay by check by January 31, 2013 and receive a $200 discount off the tour price.****

 

Mariantonietta and Michael (of YLTours)

 

 

Related Posts:

Making Orecchiette and Salentine Breads - Cooking with Mamma Giulia in Salento

Artisanal Cheese at Masseria CinqueSanti in Puglia

The Art of Making Pasta by Hand: A Pugliese Pasta Lesson with Nonna Vata

Cheese in Puglia - Making and Eating Fresh Cheese in Salento

The Pastries of Lecce with Pastry Chef Luca Capilungo

Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Wedding in Puglia

Traditional Salentine Dishes at Locanda Rivoli in Lecce

Lecce: The Baroque Beauty of Puglia

Pugliese Pasta Dish: Sagne Ncannulate con Sugo Schiattariciati

Classic Salentino Cuisine Reinvented at Sette di Sette in Lecce

Tour of Masseria L'Astore and its Frantoio Ipogeo in Salento

Lunch Salento Style at Cantine Menhir

Shopping and Eating Local in Italy - Farmers' Market in Lecce

Sagne Ncannulate Schiattariciati - Pugliese Pasta with Schiattariciati Tomato Sauce

The Dish from Lecce: Rustico Leccese

The Dish from Puglia: Ricci di Mare (sea urchins) from Porto Badisco

This Dish from Puglia: Friselle

Christmas Around Italy - Christmas Desserts in Salento

Orecchiette and Salentine Breads - Cooking with Mamma Giulia

 

Mamma Giulia is in charge of all kitchen goings-on at Masseria Provenzani.  She starts early each morning preparing breakfast for the masseria's guests.  Guests wake to scents of bread, brioche and sometimes a crostata, or two.  The communal breakfast table is full of  Mamma Giulia's baked goods and homemade jams.  And the beverages add to the intoxicating aromas wafting through the air; there's espresso, cappucino or hot chocolate to wash down the delicious breads.

We met up with Mamma Giulia as she was clearing the breakfast table, just in time to taste some of the leftovers - a creamy ricotta crostata and a cherry one.  Small in stature with a soft voice to match, she teaches Pugliese homecooking in the masseria's rustic kitchen.  She gathered us around the marble island in the center of the kitchen.  We were surrounded by pans, utensils and peperoncini hanging from three walls.  The fourth wall consisted of ceiling-to-floor glass windows that looked out onto the masseria's lush gardens.  Breads of Salento and orecchiette pasta were on the menu for our day's cooking lesson.

 

Making Salentine Breads

Mamma Giulia speaks only Italian. Although Ylenia was there to translate, the way Mamma Giulia spoke slowly and carefully demonstrated each step, made her easy to understand, even for the non-Italian speaker.  Missteps on our part were treated with gentle corrections. She would come next to us and correct us by quietly showing the correct way to do it. We combined flour, yeast, water and salt to make bread dough.  She had quantities for flour, yeast and salt, but insisted that there was no exact measurement for the water. "The amount of water needed depends on the temperature, humidity and the flour itself.  You know how much water you need by the feel of the dough." She told us.

From the dough, we made three types of bread.  Focaccia Salentina is Salento's version of a calzone.  Thin layers of focaccia bread sandwich a filling.  While the dough was rising, we sauteed onions and tomatoes for our filling, but Mamma Giulia pointed out that we could fill the focaccia with anything we'd like.  Rollng the dough out fairly thinly, we placed it in a round pan, added the filling and folded over the other half of the dough to cover.

We also made puccie (plural for puccia). Puccie are round bread rolls that come in two sizes; rounds that are about six inches in diameter or small golfball-sized rounds.  Whole unpitted olives are kneaded into the dough, and usually so are tomatoes giving the bread an orange hue.  Lastly, we made a traditional focaccia topped with tomatoes and oregano. 

 

 



Focaccia Salentina stuffed with onions & tomatoes and traditional focaccia with tomatoes & oregano

Le Puccie - Ready for the oven

 

 

Making Orecchiette

Orecchiette (meaning little ears) is the quintessential pasta of Puglia.  I think it's a requirement of all Pugliese mamme to master the art of making orecchiette by hand because every Pugliese mamma who I've seen make these, makes it look easy.  Flipping the curled pasta over your thumb to create the little ears is no easy task.  Mamma Giulia rolled the dough out into a long snake-like strip.  With what seemed like one continuous motion, she cut a piece from the dough, rolled a knife over the dough, and turned the curled piece of dough over her thumb to form the orecchiette.  One after the other, she quickly turned out at least 10 little ears to my one, but we eventually had enough for our lunch.

Mamma Giulia made a simple tomato sauce to dress the orecchiette.  She slowly heated garlic in olive oil, Neapolitan style, then added the tomatoes.  The orecchiette held the tomatoe sauce nicely.

Our "small" afternoon meal included an antipasti of the various cheeses we had picked up earlier at Masseria CinqueSanti, and the food we had made with Mamma Giulia; the orecchiette with a garlic tomato sauce and our three types of bread. For dessert, we had a few more pieces of the crostata left from earlier that morning.  Mamma Giulia's recipe for the orecchiette and the sauce is below.  I'll be back next week with the recipe for Focaccia Salentino.

   

 

 

 

 

Mamma Giulia's Handmade Orecchiette with Garlic Tomato Sauce
 
Serves 4


For the Pasta:

1 pound (450 grams) semolina flour
About ½ cup tepid water*

*Mamma Giulia would not give an exact measurement on the water, but this is a good starting point

For the Sauce:

6 to 8 cloves garlic with skins left on
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Two 28 ounce cans San Marzano tomatoes
Salt, to taste

Grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for the garnish

 

To make the pasta:

With the flour, make a well.  Add half of the water to the center of the well, and slowly mix the flour into the center of the well with your hands.  Add more water as necessary until the dough comes together.  It should not be sticky but moist and soft.  Knead for a few minutes until all the flour and water combine to make a smooth dough.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

To make the orecchiette, roll the dough out into a long snake-like strip about 1/4 inch in diameter.  Cut a strip about 1/2 inches long.  With a butter knife (one that has teeth, but dull teeth), roll the tooth side of the knife down and over the cut strip of pasta.  This will form a rolled piece of dough, also known as cavatelli.  Turn the curved piece of dough over your thumb to form the little ear.  Set aside and repeat until you've used all the dough.

To make the sauce: On low heat, slowly heat the garlic and olive oil in a sauce pot.  Once the garlic is toasted, a golden color, add the tomatoes and salt.  Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower to a simmer.  Cook for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is a consistency you want.  Taste and adjust for seasoning. You can remove the garlic cloves, which will have remained whole, from the sauce before serving.

Cook the orecchiette in well salted boiling water until the pasta is al dente.  Dress with the tomato sauce and top with grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Buon Appetito!

 

 

 

****Join me in 2013 and cook with Mamma Giulia, Mamma Anna, me and Pugliese chefs on this Food Lovers' Culinary Tour in Puglia - We'll be making orecchiette, other Pugliese pasta and much more!****

***Early booking discount: Book and pay by check by January 31, 2013 and receive a $200 discount off the tour price.****

 

This post is part of Wanderfood Wednesdays  - Travelers and food lovers share their culinary travels from around the world.

 

Related Posts:

The Art of Making Pasta by Hand: A Pugliese Pasta Lesson with Nonna Vata

Cheese in Puglia - Making and Eating Fresh Cheese in Salento

The Pastries of Lecce with Pastry Chef Luca Capilungo

Wedding in Puglia

Traditional Salentine Dishes at Locanda Rivoli in Lecce

Lecce: The Baroque Beauty of Puglia

Pugliese Pasta Dish: Sagne Ncannulate con Sugo Schiattariciati

Classic Salentino Cuisine Reinvented at Sette di Sette in Lecce

Tour of Masseria L'Astore and its Frantoio Ipogeo in Salento

Lunch Salento Style at Cantine Menhir

Shopping and Eating Local in Italy - Farmers' Market in Lecce

Sagne Ncannulate Schiattariciati - Pugliese Pasta with Schiattariciati Tomato Sauce

The Dish from Lecce: Rustico Leccese

The Dish from Puglia: Ricci di Mare (sea urchins) from Porto Badisco

This Dish from Puglia: Friselle

Christmas Around Italy - Christmas Desserts in Salento

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Artichoke and Spinach Ravioli in a Browned Butter Sauce

 

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Artichokes have always been a part of my life. A food memory from my childhood, they are a symbol of summer, or at least sunny days and warmer weather. When I was young, my mom would make stuffed artichokes once the sun began to shine daily, and then regularly throughout most of the summer. We ate them a lot yet never tired of them. One stuffed artichoke was a filling meal for a kid, and even an adult. No one talked as we ate. Our heads down, we scraped leaf after leaf against our teeth to get the perfect artichoke "meat" and stuffing combination. In a how-many-licks-to-the-center kind of way, I would make my way through the leaves quickly. My main goal was to get to the heart, my favorite part. Although I prepare them in various ways throughout the season, steaming them and maybe adding an olive oil & vinegar dressing is my favorite, they are still a regular part of my spring/summer table.

 

This year's artichoke binge, however, started in March with my trip to Italy. Artichokes were in season throughout most of country, and I saw them everywhere. They were displayed in tall stacks at outdoor markets. Vendors would sit at their stalls turning one artichoke after another, leaving a trail of the discarded leaves on the ground, paring the leaves away to get to the heart. They tossed these little round disks into buckets of acidulated water. Each heart, (il fondo in Italian) bobbed up and down in the water waiting to be taken home and eaten.

During my trip, I also found artichokes on many menus and in a variety of dishes, eating them every chance I could. I ate them in pasta dishes, on top of pizza al taglio in Rome and on pizza in Napoli. I ate just the hearts, marinated and served as cicchetti in Venice, or hearts creamed with just a bit of olive oil and slathered over crostini. They were part of the layers of vegetables in the Salento dish, Verdure al Forno. I also had them in Rome alla giudea (fried) and alla Romana (braised in a dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, wild mint and garlic).

 

 

Artichoke and Potato Puree Dish from Cibreo

 

All versions were delicious, but the most dramatic dish was one at Ristorante Cibreo in Florence. Laura and I ate an amazing dinner there. This dish was one that she had ordered. Luckily she was nice enough to share more than a few bites with me. The artichoke was steamed and then lightly sauteed. It sat, turned upside down, on a plate of pureed potatoes. The yellow color of the potatoes gave you an idea of the amount of butter in the puree, possibly equal to the amount of potato on the dish. With a tableside presentation, the waiter sat the dish in front of Laura and easily sliced the artichoke in half, revealing a bright orange egg yolk in the center of the overturned artichoke. The yolk added to the already creamy texture and decadence of the dish.

 

 

Eventually, I hope to recreate all these dishes I tasted during my trip. With this dish, instead of making pasta with a sauce of artichokes, I've put artichokes in the pasta. It's been my go-to ravioli filling in May. I first made it for a dinner party where the client wanted ravioli. It was a hit. I wanted to make one alteration, namely add more artichokes, tweeked the recipe, and made it for another. Again, a hit.

Finally, I made some for home, and here for you. These are in a half-moon, or agnolotti, shape. You can also make them in a square or round shape. Since it's all about the filling for me, I think the half-moon shape gives you get a better ratio of filling-to-pasta. I served them in a simple brown butter sauce and topped them with chards of Parmigiano cheese, freshly-grated black pepper and a few bits of thyme.

 

 

 

 

Artichoke and Spinach Ravioli

(makes about 60 ravioli)

 

For the pasta:

2 1/4 cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

 

 

For the filling:

5-6 medium-sized artichokes

20 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained of all water

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

1 egg

2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper, plus more to taste

 

1-2 egg whites for assembling the ravioli

 

For the sauce:

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter

A few sprigs of thyme

Chards or grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for garnish

Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

 

Remove the tough outer leaves of the artichokes. Steam them over simmering water for about 50 minutes, until tender. Slice the artichokes in half and remove the choke. Set aside to cool completely.

 

To make the pasta: Sift the flour onto a wooden working board and make a well. Break the eggs and place them in the center of the well. Using a fork beat the eggs until the yolks break and the whites and yolks are combined. Then, slowly bring in flour from the edges until there is enough flour in the center to prevent the eggs from running. Using your hands combine enough flour so that the dough is no longer sticky. Remove any excess flour from the board and knead until all the flour and egg are evenly combined and the dough is soft and smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover in plastic wrap and then a dry towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

 

To make the filling: Chop the artichokes into bite-size pieces, about 1/2-inch chunks, and place into a mixing bowl. Add the drained spinach (make sure all the water has been removed from the spinach), the ricotta, grated Parmigiano cheese, the egg, and salt and pepper. Stir together to combine. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

 

To assemble the ravioli: Roll out the dough by hand or use a pasta machine. Roll the dough out fairly thin. (Note: Each machine varies, but I rolled it to #7 on my machine.) For the half-moon agnolotti shape, use a round 3-inch in diameter cookie cutter and cut out round pasta disks. With a pastry brush, brush a little of the egg white onto the border of each pasta disk. Place about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the filling into the center of each disk. Fold over to make a half-moon shape and seal the edge with a fork. Continue this process until you have used all the pasta dough and filling. (These freeze well, so you can make extra for the future).

 

Bring a pot of 6-8 cups of water to a rolling boil. Add a generous amount of salt and let the water come back to a rolling boil. Add the ravioli and cook until they are al dente, about 6 minutes if they are fresh (longer if they are frozen). While the ravioli are cooking heat the butter over medium high heat until it browns. I used a stick of butter (1/2 cup) for every 15 ravioli. Once the ravioli are cooked, strain off the excess pasta water and add them to the sauce. Toss and serve with a few bits of thyme, Parmigiano cheese (chards or grated) and the black pepper. Four to five ravioli make a nice primo piatto (first pasta course). Eight ravioli will make a filling main course. Buon Appetito!

 

***************

What is your favorite artichoke dish?

***************

 

This post is part of Wanderfood Wednesdays, a group of traveling foodies who blog. Head on over there and check out what other food lovers are eating.

 

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Pugliese Pasta: Sagne Ncannulate con Sugo Schiattariciati ("Squished" Tomato Sauce)

 

Behind almost every dish I make is a story. The dishes I like best have the most memorable stories behind them. Sometimes it's a long story, a chunk of someone's life. When I make meat ragu, I always think of my mom. I recount part of her life in each four-hour meat sauce. Those of our times cooking together, our weekly spaghetti and meat sauce dinners while growing up (and afterwards), and even the holiday dinners, when she would use her meat sauce with my nonna's ravioli.

Sometimes the dish tells a story of brief events all linked together through one dish. La Coda alla Vaccinara makes me think of the chef in Rome who told me how he makes it, and the GranTourismo competition I entered and won with that recipe and story. I think of Testaccio, my apartment there, and of Rome.

Either in my mind or aloud, I retell the story of the dish each time I make it. I relive those special events, and recall the friends and family who shared the meal with me. If I make a dish for you, know you will hear its story as we eat it.

In this dish I've made today, is a story of a day in Salento. I've shared much of the day with you in previous posts, the morning making pasta with Debora's Nonna Vata and the afternoon in the kitchen with Pina, Claudia and Ylenia.

Pina and the pasta schiattariciati we had at lunch

Nonna Vata making pasta

While making the sagne ncannulate for this post, I remembered that day again. Meeting Nonna Vata, her lesson and advice, her saying "vai, vai, vai" (go, go, go) when I was doing things correctly. I thought of Pina, and the stories she had about the Salentino food. Each vegetable and spice had a story behind it that she told me as she added the ingredient to the pot. I remember the table at Cantine Menhir and all of us gathered around, the jokes, the conversation. Each time I make this dish, I'll repeat the story in my head, think of the people with which I shared the meal, and share the story with whomever is with me.

Through my previous posts, you know the stories behind the dish. Now, I share the recipe with you.

The pasta is a truly regional one, Pugliese. Food is still very regional in Italy, so much so that even many pasta shapes have their own regions. In the stores in Salento, I saw only sagne ncannulate, orecchiette and maccheroni (known as minchiareddhri in Pugliese dialect). There might have been spaghetti or penne somewhere, but it was hidden behind the many packages of these regional pasta shapes. The sauce, schiattariciati, which means squished, is easy to make and oh so good. Fresh tomatoes explode in a generous amount of olive oil. There's a little garlic and a lot of fresh basil. To finish, the regional cheese, cacioricotta, is tossed through the dish to add a creaminess to each strand of pasta.

Step by step instructions for making and rolling out this pasta are on my post: A Pasta Making Lesson with Nonna Vata. If you don't want to roll out the pasta by hand, you can use a pasta machine. Roll it out to the #5 level of thickness.

With Nonna Vata, we made sagne similar to the middle photo below, just thinner. I also saw sagne curved like a horseshoe. Either way, you should cut the strips to about 15 inches in length. The thinner sagne ncannulate are made with strips 1/4-inch in width (on the left in the photo below) and with the thicker ones, cut the strips 1/2-inch in width (on the right in the photo below).

Here are a few more notes on shaping the pasta:

It takes a lot of practice to get the motion down and a perfectly twirled sagne ncannulate like Nonna Vata's. (At first you'll get one side tightly twirled and the other loosely twirled.)

Let the pasta dry, at least 4 hours, before cooking.

For me, the thinner strips (1/4-inch wide) are harder to make more uniform than the thicker ones.

 

I still need to master Nonna Vata's way of shaping the sagne ncannulate. In the meantime, I found that it was easier to make a more uniform twirl if I rolled the pasta around my index finger, and then pulled the roll out on the board. From there, I created a tighter twirl by lightly rolling it on the board, with one hand over the top of the pasta and another holding an edge of the pasta.

 

Join me in Puglia in 2013! For this food lover's culinary tour, we'll be cooking with our beautiful Italian mamme and professional chefs and also eating and exploring our way through the region.  There are four tour dates available from which to choose! For tour details, check out this page: Culinary Tours in Puglia 2013! 

***Early booking discount: Book and pay by check by January 31, 2013 and receive a $200 discount off the tour price.****

 

 

 

Sagne Ncannulate con Pomodorini Schiattariciati

Serves 4 people

1 pound (450 grams) dried sagne ncannulate pasta (you can substitute spaghetti or linguine)

For making Sagne Ncannulate Pasta:

(adapted from my lesson with Nonna Vata)

1 pound (450 grams) durham wheat flour (semolina flour in the U.S.)

About 1/2 cup warm water

Note: The amount of water you will need varies by day and by area depending on the climate, and especially the humidity. I used 1/2 cup of water on a typically arid California day. In the summer in, say Texas, you will certainly need less water.

For the Schiattariciati Sauce:

(adapted from Pina's schiattariciati sauce)

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, whole with the skins on

2 pounds (900 grams) cherry tomatoes, with stems removed

1 tablespoon kosher salt

20 to 25 basil leaves, plus more for garnish

About 3/4 cup grated cacioricotta cheese*

In a large sauce pot, bring about 8 cups of water to a rolling boil. Once the water has boiled add a generous amount of salt and let it come back to a boil.

In another deep sauce pot, add the olive oil and whole garlic. Over medium heat, heat the oil until it starts to bubble. Gently place the whole cherry tomatoes in the oil. Cover the saucepan with its lid and leave for 5 to 7 minutes, letting the tomatoes "explode" under the lid. Add the salt and basil leaves, and cover until you're ready to add the pasta.

Once the tomatoes have burst, put the pasta in the boiling water. If you're using home made sagne ncannulate, boil for 3 to 4 minutes (depending on the size of the pasta). Then place into the squished tomato sauce and combine. If you are using boxed pasta, cook only half the cooking time that are on the cooking instructions. (Because the pasta cooks in the sauce, it should be extremely al dente when you remove it from the water.) Off the heat add the grated cheese and toss until the cheese has coated all the pasta. Garnish with fresh basil. Serve.

*Cacioricotta is a Salento cheese that is a combination of cheese and ricotta. I'm still searching for an adequate substitute in case you can't find it in your area. (I tried ricotta salata, but it's not the right substitute.)

 

Related Posts:

The Art of Making Pugliese Pasta by Hand - A Lesson with Nonna Vata

Cheese of Puglia: Making and Eating Fresh Cheese in Salento

Tour of Masseria L'Astore and a Frantoio Ipogeo in Salento

A Tour of Lecce - The Baroque Beauty in Puglia

Lunch Salento Style at Cantine Menhir

Classic Salentino Cuisine Reinvented at Sette di Sette in Lecce

The Pastries of Lecce with Pastry Chef Luca Capilungo

The Dish from Puglia: Friselle with Tomatoes

The Dish from Puglia: Ricci di Mare (sea urchins) from Porto Badisco

The Dish from Lecce: Rustico Leccese

Artichoke and Spinach Ravioli in a Brown Butter Sauce

Slow-Cooked Meat Ragu to Honor Mom

Pasta all'Amatriciana - A Roman Treat

Cacio e Pepe in a Parmesan Cup inspired by Roma Sparita

Pasta con le Sarde and Cooking in Palermo

 

Fettuccine with Mushrooms - Fettuccine ai Funghi

Walking past the mushroom aisle the other day, I was reminded of last Fall in Rome. I actually stopped dead in my tracks. The display had such a variety of mushrooms that I forgot for a moment that it wasn’t Rome. They had Crimini (nothing out of the ordinary here), but also Chanterelles, and those little ones that look like a bunch of nails (called chiodi in Italian but I can’t think of their name in English). And, they even had Porcini mushrooms. Fresh Porcini mushrooms! Then reality hit. The slap to the face telling me I wasn’t in Rome was the price, $39.90 per pound. The clerk who was walking by, saw me shaking my head and laughing, asked if I needed help. I confirmed the price. “Yes, they are $39.90 a pound.” He said, with a smile. “Well, they don’t call this Whole Paycheck for nothing.” Oops, I did say that out loud. He seemed to be only a little offended, just that required of an employee. Then he laughed with me, and walked away. I did the same.

For the rest of the day, those mushrooms had me dreaming of Rome in Autumn. Last year, I spent August in Rome, then returned again in late September. I remember how different Rome was. In only 30 days, the new season had quickly swept out the oppressive heat, changed the color of the trees along the Tiber to light greens and yellows, and refreshed the entire city. The attitudes of the Romani were even more jovial (I’m sure an August of vacation at the beach didn’t hurt either). Fall quickly changed the landscape of the street markets, too. Pumpkins, chestnuts, and mushrooms dominated the vegetable stands. Fettuccine ai Funghi Porcini was written on chalkboards in almost all the trattorie, announcing it as the plate of the day.

 

The Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome

Now back at home, I was determined to transport myself, once again through food, to Rome and had to make my own fettuccine ai funghi. I went back to the store. Instead of buying a pound, I found one smallish Porcini mushroom, a little under ¼ pound in weight. I also bought Chanterelles and Crimini mushrooms to make up the total amount I would need. When leaving the store, I had another Roman experience. Being the weekend before Thanksgiving in the U.S., I risked life, limb, and mushrooms to avoid harried and impatient drivers racing through the parking lot, not wanting to be delayed by anything, especially pedestrians.

In Rome, the dish is usually served with a fresh egg fettuccine . I used dried fettuccine instead, and everything turned out deliciously. It takes more time to shop for the ingredients than to make the dish. In the time it takes to make the pasta, the “sauce” will be ready.

 

 

Fettuccine with Mushrooms - Fettuccine ai Funghi
(Serves 4)

1 pound (450 grams) fettuccine

About 3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
About 1 pound your favorite mushrooms (porcini, chanterelle, crimini, etc.) **
About ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 cup white wine (may also use Marsala or Madeira wine for a little added flavor)
2 tablespoons butter
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley


**NOTE: You can substitute dried porcini mushrooms (because fresh is hard to find and expensive in the U.S.) Soak them in warm water, and then drain them before adding to the saute pan.

 

In a saucepot, bring about 8 cups of well-salted water to a rolling boil.

While the water is heating, clean the mushrooms with a dampened paper towel, then slice them to 1/4-inch thickness. In a sauté pan, heat the oil, garlic cloves and the pepper flakes (if using them). Once the oil is translucent, add the mushrooms. Salt the mushrooms to bring out their moisture and sauté for about five minutes on medium-high heat. (In the five minutes, the mushrooms will first absorb all the oil, then release their moisture, and then caramelize.)

While the mushrooms are cooking, drop the fettuccine into the boiling water and cook according to instructions.

Once the mushrooms have caramelized, deglaze them with the wine, initially over high heat, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. When the fettuccine is about 2 minutes from being done, add a ladle (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta water to the mushrooms. Drain the pasta and add it to the mushrooms. Add the butter and toss until everything is combined and the butter has melted. Remove the garlic cloves. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and freshly ground black pepper if needed (if you used the red pepper flakes, you may not need the black pepper). Garnish with chopped parsley and serve. Buon Appetito!

This post is part of WanderFood Wednesdays, travelers that love to eat.

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Potato Gnocchi for Gnocchi Giovedi

When I see gnocchi fatta in casa (home made) on a menu in Italy, it’s almost certain that I’m going to order it. Although they do freeze well, I think potato gnocchi taste best the day they are made. At many of the trattorie around Rome, Thursday’s are the day for potato gnocchi made in house , also known as Gnocchi Giovedi (Thursday). For gnocchi lovers in Rome this can be a weekly festa.

Today, being Thursday, I’m throwing my own little Gnocchi Giovedi party and have made a batch of gnocchi. These doll-sized fists or “knuckles” can be tricky to make and can easily become heavy, tough, or mushy. Too much water left in the potato, too much flour in the dough, a tough dough from overworking it, or mushy gnocchi from overcooking them are main causes of bad gnocchi. If made well, though, they are petite potato pillows that hug, in between each ridge, a little bit of sauce.

Gnocchi go well with many other sauces. In Rome, you’ll usually find them in a simple tomato sauce or a ragu. In Liguria gnocchi al pesto is most popular. In the Campania area around Sorrento, they’re served alla Sorrentina. In Italian coastal towns, I’ve seen them served with clams in a light sauce from the clam juice. They also go well with a simple brown butter and sage sauce or a heavier creamy cheese sauce.

Although any day can be a gnocchi day, I’m celebrating Gnocchi Giovedi today with a plate of gnocchi and my mom’s meat ragu.

Potato Gnocchi

(Makes about 2 pounds of gnocchi)

28 ounces (3-4) russet potatoes

About 1 1/3 cups flour, plus more for rolling out the gnocchi

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

1 egg

Heat the oven to 350°F

Bake the potatoes, whole and in their skin, for 60-70 minutes, until fork tender. As soon as the potatoes come out of the oven, halve them, scoop out the center, and put through a food ricer. Spread the riced potatoes in a single layer onto a working surface and let cool completely, about 25 minutes. Once the potatoes have cooled, sprinkle 1 cup of the flour and the salt over the potatoes. Gather the mixture together to form a well. Add the egg into the middle of the well, and lightly knead the mixture together just until all ingredients are combined and it forms a ball. If the gnocchi are too wet, add the rest of the flour a tablespoon at a time only until the dough comes together and doesn’t stick to your fingers easily. (This should take no more than 2-3 minutes.) It’s important not to overwork the dough, as this will make the gnocchi heavy and tough.

Divide the dough into six pieces. Roll each piece out into a rope about 1/2-inch in diameter. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Give each piece a quick roll into a ball. Create ridges in the gnocchi by rolling them onto a fork (If you have a wooden “gnocchi board,” use this instead.) Cook them right away or freeze them. (If you’re freezing them, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and place into the freezer. Once they are individually frozen, you can place them together or on top of each other in a bag or container.)

When you’re ready to cook them, bring about 8 cups of well-salted water to a boil. Gently place the gnocchi, only a few at a time, into the boiling water. It’s important to keep the water at a boiling temperature; otherwise, the gnocchi will sink to the bottom of the pan and stay there too long, absorbing too much water. As soon as the gnocchi float to the surface remove them from the pot and drain off the water. Serve with your preferred sauce. Buon Appetito!

NOTE: Traditionally the potatoes for gnocchi are boiled in water, some leave the skin on (to prevent water from getting inside), some don’t. I’ve made them all three ways and have found that their texture is the lightest when the potatoes are roasted.

Mamma’s Meat Ragu

(makes about 1 quart)

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

About 1/4 cup olive oil

1 onion, diced

1/2 carrot, finely diced

7 cloves of garlic, finely diced

1 can (15 oz/170 g) diced tomatoes

1 small can (6 oz/415 g) tomato paste

2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning (oregano, parsley, basil)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 cup (105 ml) red wine

1 large can (28oz/794g) crushed tomatoes

About 3 cups (625 ml) chicken stock

1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

 

Brown the ground beef in a heavy-bottom saucepot. Remove and drain off any excess water; set aside. Heat the olive oil and add the onions. Sweat the onions until they are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the carrot and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes (if you want a little spice to the sauce). Cook about 1 minute to toast. Turn the heat to high and add the red wine to deglaze, scraping any bits from the bottom. Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, 1 tablespoon of salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then lower to just a simmer. Cook uncovered on simmer for 3-4 hours, stirring about every 30 minutes. (The heat should be set at a simmer so that the sauce bubbles only every few seconds.) Serve with pasta.

 

 

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What sauce do you prefer with your gnocchi? When in Rome, where do you go for Gnocchi Giovedi?

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Gnocchi alla Sorrentina - A Taste of Sorrento (Guest Post at Napoli Unplugged)

Gnocchi alla Sorrentina Guest Post at Napoli Unplugged

 

 

During my recent visit to Naples, I was fortunate to meet the awesome couple behind Napoli Unplugged,  American expats that call Naples their home.  Their website is a treasure trove of information on Naples, its history, museums, events, and transportation information, all helping to make it easier to plan and navigate your way in Naples and the surrounding Amalfi Coast.  Not only was their website useful for planning my visit, but Bonnie treated me with a personal tour of some of the sites suggested walks.  Now that I've returned, every morning I check their daily photo blog, see the beauty of Naples through their eyes, and make a virtual revisit to Napoli.

I was honored when they asked me to write a guest post about one of my favorite foods of the Campania region.  I picked one of my favorite Italian pasta dishes, and one that highlights the best of the ingredients of the region.  You can find the recipe and a little of my reminiscing about Sorrento here: Gnocchi alla Sorrentina.

Pasta all' Amatriciana - A Roman Treat

Amatriciana sauce has five ingredients, not including salt and pepper. To make a good sauce, it’s all about the quality of these 5 ingredients. However, now I find myself back in the States trying to recreate my favorite Roman pasta with un-Roman ingredients. Even before I leave to buy the ingredients, I start my rant about the quality of products in the US vs. Italy. This happens every time I return from Italy. I start on the stores and their "sub par" products. The farmers' markets have good tomatoes, not quite as sweet as San Marzano, but I can manage. I live in a small suburb outside of San Francisco, so I have to drive a good 40 minutes to Berkeley, San Francisco, or the Napa Valley to find a good cheese shop and butcher, for the guanciale (cured pork jowl). After a long morning shopping, I return grumbling about how in every small town in Italy there is a butcher, salumeria, cheese shop, market etc. and here, “One has to drive over half an hour and sometimes to more than one town to get a measly five quasi-quality ingredients!” My tirade ends with, “I can’t live in this country, Ufff!” (Friends and family have come to ignore my "I miss Italy" rants.)

This is exactly what happened the day I decided to make amatriciana sauce. I returned in a huff after my 4-hour shopping spree. I snagged ingredients out of the bags. I sliced, chopped, grated, prepped and grumbled the entire time. Twenty minutes later, the dish was ready. After one, maybe two, bites I was no longer in the US. I was dining al fresco, on a white-clothed table with its legs wobbling on the ancient cobble-stoned street. I forgot all about my previous grumblings and devoured my pasta.

Like I said, it’s all about the ingredients, and with a little effort, I guess (grumble grumble) you can find them here in the US. What really makes this dish is the guanciale. Guanciale is cured pork jowl. You cannot substitute it, and it can’t be smoked—only cured. Some people, not Romans, use pancetta as a substitute, but the guanciale is sweeter, fatter, and has a more delicate and less salty taste than pancetta (cured pork belly). It melts as you heat it in the pan, and the rendered fat transports the jowl's unique flavor throughout the dish. Touching each piece of pasta and spoonful of sauce with it's sweet and salty magic. Substituting it, changes the dish altogether, and should be considered a mortal sin.

The sweetness of the tomatoes is also important. Because we are at the peak of tomato season, the tomatoes were sweet and flavorful. I would use canned, peeled tomatoes out of season. San Marzano are the best, and outrageously priced here. (Oh, am I still grumbling?) Purists would never add onion, but many places in Rome do. I like the flavor it adds to the dish, so I've added it here in this recipe.

A note on finding guanciale: I found mine at the Fatted Calf Charcuterie in Napa, James from Wandering Italy also recommends Dave the Butcher at Avedano’s in San Francisco. Michael Ruhlman recently posted, Artisan Butchers, on his blog and added a list of "artisan" butchers to the post from readers' comments (for those of you outside the Northern California area).

I hope you try making it at home, and take yourself straight to Rome. It also might make your return from Rome easier to tolerate.

Pasta all’ Amatriciana

(Makes 4 servings)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

8 ounces (225 g) Guanciale (cured pork jowl – do not use smoked)

1/2 medium-sized onion, diced

About 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

Half of a chili pepper, finely diced or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

1/2 cup white wine

24 ounces peeled tomatoes, chopped or hand-crushed

1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1 pound dried pasta (bucatini, spaghetti, penne, rigatoni)

Bring about 6 cups of well-salted water to a boil.

Add the olive oil and guanciale. Cook on medium heat about 5 minutes, until the fat starts to melt and the meat becomes translucent. Remove the guanciale and drain all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat. Add the onions and salt. Sweat the onions until they are translucent, about 3 minutes, adding the chili pepper and freshly ground black pepper one minute before they are done. Add the white wine, and deglaze on high heat until the alcohol has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil, then simmer on low until you have a pretty thick sauce, about 10 minutes. (If the sauce gets too thick, add a few tablespoons of the pasta water to loosen it.) Add the guanciale and heat through. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if needed.

While the sauce is cooking, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes for dry pasta. Drain the pasta (saving the pasta water in case you need it to loosen the sauce) and add the pasta to the sauce. Toss the sauce and the pasta together for 1 to 2 minutes over the heat. Remove from the heat and add the cheese. Add more cheese to garnish. Buon Appetito!

Related Posts:

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Cacio e Pepe Inspired by Roma Sparita

 

 

 

I just returned from five weeks of eating my way through Italy….again. My last stop was Rome, one of my favorite food cities. I planned every pasta, secondo, snack and gelato I’d eat before my train pulled into Rome’s Termini station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wherever I’m eating in Italy, but especially Rome, I’m the eager diner with 21 questions about how the dish is made, ingredients, temperatures, etc. When the place is less crowded and a family-run business, they love my enthusiasm for the food and answer all questions with a smile. When it’s crowded, well, the waiters blow by my table before I can say, “scusi.” My mission this trip: Eat enough and ask loads of questions, so I could recreate my favorite Roman pasta dishes. After many questions and great conversations, I was ready to get cooking.

Not only that, when I got home, Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservation’s was in Rome. While many of you were watching the fight scene and trying to read along with the subtitles (you know who you are), I had my eyes firmly fixed on the happenings in the kitchen.

 

 

 

 

 

Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Pepper) is a classic dish. It’s the simplest Roman pasta to make – you need pasta water, Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly ground pepper, and maybe a little butter. When in Rome, you should try it, at least once. Ask any Roman where to go for some of the best Cacio e Pepe, and they’ll tell you Roma Sparita. To make things even better, we had a back-kitchen pass to see the chef make it on No Reservations Rome.

The recipe below is inspired by Roma Sparita’s version of Cacio e Pepe, right down to serving it in the Parmigiano bowl. Purists beware - butter is in this recipe. It’s not in the classical version, but the chef at Roma Sparita put it in. (He added it before the pepper.) I’m sure the butter helps to more easily create the creaminess of the cheese “sauce,” not really a sauce but a cheesy coating. The quantities below are based on what I saw (a handful here, a ladle there); the results - a silky, salty and cheesey coating on each strand of pasta. With each forkful, the flecks of pepper cling to the cheese and add some heat.

 

 

 

 

 

This week, and maybe much of next, is dedicated to Rome. The blog won’t be in black and white (maybe I’ll pay a short homage to Bourdain and Fellini), and you won’t hear me talk about any angst, alienation, or existential B.S. Here, on the blog, instead I'll be celebrating all that I love about the Eternal City - recreating what I ate, and dishing about some of my favorite finds (food and otherwise).

 

 

Cacio e Pepe alla Roma Sparita

(Serves 2 people)

Half pound spaghetti

About 6 cups well-salted boiling water

For the “sauce”:

About 1 1/2 cups (2 large ladles) boiling pasta water

1 tablespoon freshly, coarsely grated pepper, plus more for garnish

2 tablespoons butter

1 3/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for garnish

For the Parmesan bowl:

3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Regiano cheese

 

To make the Parmesan bowl, spread a very thin layer of the cheese onto a slightly warmed non-stick pan in the form of a circle, about six inches in diameter. (The cheese should slowly start to melt when you place it into the pan.) Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling. Using a spatula, slide the cheese circle out of the pan and onto a turned over bowl. (To create a pretty bowl like that at Roma Sparita, it’s best to use a mold/bowl that’s not higher than 2 inches, letting the excess fan out with creases at the edges.) Use tongs to press the cheese, only while it’s hot, down or out, as you like. Cool while you make the pasta.

Cook the pasta according to the directions for that brand. When the pasta is not quite cooked, about 3 minutes before you would normally take it out of the water, add the boiling pasta water, the butter and the pepper to a hot saute pan. Add the drained pasta to the pan and toss through the water mixture until the pasta absorbs almost all of the water. Remove from the heat, and add the grated cheese to the pasta. Quickly stir the cheese into the pasta. Place into the Parmesan cup and garnish with more grated cheese and freshly grated pepper, to taste. Buon Appetito!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Crimini Mushroom Ravioli with Lemon Cream Sauce

In my family Christmas and ravioli go together like Santa Claus and reindeer. Our dinner isn't complete without ravioli as the first course. Both my grandmother and mother treated us with ravioli. I remember watching my grandmother take a ball of pasta dough and turn it into a paper-thin sheet that covered the surface of her 8-seat kitchen table. It seemed like it took her seconds and a few flicks of her wrist.

It's not at all as easy as it looks. The dough isn't as cooperative as my grandmother made it seem. I also remember my grandmother trying to teach my mom how to roll out pasta. Year after year, she would let my mom start rolling, coaching her for a bit, then finally grabbing the rolling pin from my mom and doing it herself. Once my mom learned, my grandmother said she would teach me, but that never happened. Maybe the trick is that you must be an Italian-born grandmother to master the art of pasta rolling by hand.

Luckily I have both a stand mixer with a dough hook and a pasta machine to roll out my dough. It makes ravioli making much easier, and without them, our family might not be having ravioli for Christmas. This year, I've lightened up our traditional meat, spinach and cheese ravioli and made crimini mushroom ones instead.

The crimini (baby portobellos) are meaty and rich with that earthy mushroom flavor. Paired with a lemon cream sauce, the dish is rich and creamy but still light enough to lead you into a the next course. The lemon in the sauce brings some acidity to the dish to balance the cream sauce and richnes of the mushrooms. It's topped with a parsley/lemon zest gremolata for a fresh finish.

Crimini Mushroom Ravioli with a Lemon Cream Sauce

(Serves 6 as a main dish or 8 to 10 as a first course)

For the pasta:

4 1/2 cups (600 g) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

7 (140 g) egg yolks

3 (150 g) eggs

1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil

1 cup (250 ml) water, plus 2-3 tablespoons if needed

For the mushroom filling:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium-sized yellow onion, finely diced

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

5 cloves of garlic, finely diced

24 ounces (680 g) crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/3 cup (80 ml) Madiera wine

8 ounces (225 grams) grated Parmesan cheese

For the egg wash:

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

For the lemon cream sauce:

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 medium-sized yellow onion, finely diced

1 cup (250 ml) chicken stock

1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 bunch chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Zest of 2 lemons, for garnish

Grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

To make the pasta: Using a stand mixer with a dough attachment, stir together the flour and salt. Add the egg yolks, eggs, and olive oil and stir on low speed until combined. Slowly add the water until the dough comes together. You may need 2-3 tablespoons more. Continue mixing until dough has a smooth surface, about 3-4 minutes. Divide into 3 equal portions and wrap each in plastic wrap. Let rest for 30 minutes.

To make the filling: Heat the butter and olive oil in a sauté pan. Add the onions and half the salt and sweat the onions until they are translucent, 3 - 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the mushrooms and the rest of the salt and cook on high heat until all the moisture from the mushrooms has released and evaporated, 8 - 10 minutes. (Depending on the size of the pan, you may need to add only half the mushrooms and cook them down; then add the remaining mushrooms.) Deglaze with the Madiera wine and cook about 3 minutes, until the alcohol has evaporated. Cool the mixture and stir in the grated parmesan cheese. Refrigerate until the mixture is cold.

To assemble the ravioli: Lightly flour a working surface. Roll the pasta out until it’s paper thin, about 1/16 inch. Using a pasta machine, start on setting one (the widest), and ending on setting 5 or 6. Cut the sheet in half. Place heaping teaspoons spaced about 2 inches apart on one sheet. (You should be able to get 10 to 12 ravioli "filling mounds" on the half sheet, being 2 wide and 5-6 long.) Brush the pasta dough with egg wash (the egg and water beaten together) around the mounds of mushroom filling. Lay the second half of the pasta sheet on top of the sheet that has the filling. Press around each mound of filling to release any air pockets. Cut 2 inch ravioli and place on lightly floured parchment paper. Continue until you have rolled out all the pasta. (You can store in the refrigerator for one day or in the freezer for one month.)

To make the sauce: Heat the butter and olive oil in a sauté pan. Add the onion and salt, and sweat until the onions are translucent. Add the chicken stock, cream and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium low. Reduce by half, about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste.

While the sauce is reducing, bring about 2 quarts of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Place the ravioli in the boiling water and cook until tender to the tooth, 3 to 4 minutes for fresh ravioli and 6 to 7 minutes for frozen. Add to the lemon cream sauce and serve, topped with the chopped parsley, zest of lemon and grated Parmesan cheese to taste. Buon Appetito!

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Pasta all' Amatriciana

Cacio e Pepe in a Parmesan Bowl - Inspired by Roma Sparita

Potato Gnocchi for Gnocchi Giovedi