Rustic Italian Food Read online

  Top each filled pasta with 1 tablespoon of the sauce, a sprinkling of Parmesan, and a sage leaf. Bake until heated through, about 10 minutes.

  Using a spatula, divide the pasta among warm pasta bowls, allowing 3 or 4 squares per person. Garnish with cracked black pepper.

  PREP AHEAD

  If you can’t find sheep’s milk ricotta, drain whole-mik ricotta instead. Line a sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels and place over a bowl. Put the ricotta in the sieve, cover, and let drain in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

  BEVERAGE—Burlotto Pelaverga 2008 (Piedmont): It’s always fun to step out of your comfort zone when pairing. Although you might instinctively lean toward a white with this dish, a super fruity, fresh, tart light red from Piedmont will do more to pick up the bitterness of the chard while maintaining the delicate balance of the dish.

  Semolina Gnocchi with Oxtail Ragù

  Semolina Gnocchi WITH OXTAIL RAGÙ

  Most people think of gnocchi and picture little flattened balls of pasta, usually made with potato. But gnocchi just means “dumplings,” and these are made with a rich semolina dough, similar to polenta. The dough is poured onto a board, rolled out like pie dough, then stamped out in rounds. I like to top the rounds with a rich oxtail ragù, then bake them with some Parmesan until golden brown. You could use almost any thick meat sauce here, like Duck Bolognese or Pork Ragù.

  MAKES 6 SERVINGS

  OXTAIL RAGÙ

  2½ pounds oxtail, trimmed of fat

  Salt and freshly ground pepper

  Tipo 00 or all-purpose flour for dusting

  2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or olive oil

  ½ onion, coarsely chopped

  1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped

  2 large ribs celery, coarsely chopped

  3 peeled plum tomatoes (canned are fine, preferably San Marzano)

  1 cup dry red wine

  3 to 4 cups beef stock or water

  Sachet: 1 rosemary sprig, 5 flat-leaf parsley sprigs, 5 black peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, 1 smashed clove garlic, tied in a cheesecloth square

  GNOCCHI

  3 cups milk

  ½ cup unsalted butter

  1½ teaspoons salt

  1 cup semolina

  4 egg yolks

  1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

  GARNISH

  ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

  1 tablespoon mixed finely chopped fresh herbs (flat-leaf parsley, rosemary, thyme)

  For the ragù: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Season the oxtail with salt and pepper, then dust with flour. Heat the oil in a large roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add the oxtail and sear until browned all over, 10 to 15 minutes.

  Remove the meat from the pan and add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook until lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine, stirring to dissolve the browned bits on the pan bottom. Return the meat to the pan and cook until the liquid reduces in volume by about half, 5 minutes. Add enough stock to come two-thirds of the way up the meat. Sink the sachet into the pan, cover, and cook in the oven until the meat pulls off the bone easily, 2½ to 3 hours.

  Remove the meat and sachet from the pan, then pass the sauce through a food mill or blend briefly in a food processor.

  Pick all the meat from the bones (discarding any large chunks of fat) and return the meat to the sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

  For the gnocchi: Put the milk, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Gradually whisk in the semolina, then use a wooden spoon to stir the blobby mass until thick, 3 to 5 minutes.

  Remove from the heat and stir in the egg yolks 1 at a time, stirring until smooth after each addition. Return the pan to low heat, stir in the Parmesan, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more.

  Spread the mixture on a rimmed baking sheet into a ½-inch-thick circle. Let cool until firm, 10 to 15 minutes.

  Increase the oven temperature to 475°F. Cut the gnocchi into 2- to 3-inch rounds with a biscuit cutter or drinking glass and arrange the rounds in the bottom of a casserole dish (you can add the scraps, too). Top with the ragù and sprinkle with the ½ cup Parmesan.

  Bake until the cheese melts and browns lightly, 3 to 5 minutes. If you have convection, turn it on to help the cheese brown.

  Divide among warm plates and top with the mixed herbs.

  PREP AHEAD

  The gnocchi and ragù can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated separately. Reheat the ragù before assembling and baking.

  BEVERAGE—Feudi di San Gregorio, Aglianico 2006 “Rubrato” (Campania): Oxtail is full of rich, beefy flavor that not every wine can match. But this Aglianico’s fresh, dark fruit and black earth flavors bring the long-cooking ragù alive.

  Lasagna with Zucchini and Stracciatella

  Lasagna WITH ZUCCHINI AND STRACCIATELLA

  I usually make this dish as individual lasagnas (see note at the end of the recipe), but here it’s made in one big baking dish. The taste is the same both ways. Great cheese is the key. Stracciatella is the soft, stretchy, inner part of burrata cheese. If you can’t find it, burrata will do. Either way, it’s the perfect cheese for an early summer vegetable lasagna when the zucchini are small and garlic chives are available at the farmers’ market.

  MAKES 6 SERVINGS

  8 ounces Basic Egg Pasta Dough, rolled into sheets

  2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  1 yellow squash, julienned (about 1 cup)

  1 green squash, julienned (about 1 cup)

  1 clove garlic, minced

  Leaves from 3 to 4 sprigs thyme

  ¾ cup ricotta impastata or drained whole-milk ricotta cheese

  6 ounces stracciatella or burrata cheese

  Salt and freshly ground pepper

  ⅔ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

  8 teaspoons unsalted butter, cut into teaspoon-size slices

  ¾ cup Garlic Chive Oil

  Lay a pasta sheet on a lightly floured work surface and cut into lengths that will fit a 1½-quart (6-cup) baking dish. Spritz the pasta lightly with water as you work to keep it from drying out. Refrigerate any remaining pasta for another use.

  Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the pasta, quickly return to a boil, and blanch for 15 to 20 seconds. Transfer the pasta to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Lay the pasta flat on kitchen towels and pat dry.

  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F. Heat the oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the squashes, garlic, and thyme and cook until soft but not mushy, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

  Mix the ricotta and stracciatella in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.

  Butter a 1½-quart baking dish and line the bottom with pasta, leaving some hanging over the edges. Spread on the cheese mixture, squash, and Parmesan, spreading each almost to the edge of the pasta. Repeat with one layer each of pasta, cheese mixture, squash, and Parmesan. Top with pasta and butter (if you have any cheese or squash left over, arrange it decoratively on top).

  Bake until lightly browned on the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. If you have convection, turn it on to help crisp the edges of the overhanging pasta.

  Divide among warm plates and drizzle each serving with some of the chive oil. Garnish with Parmesan.

  PREP AHEAD

  If using pasta squares, they can be made up to 2 days ahead, lightly floured, stacked in an airtight container, and refrigerated.

  If you can’t find ricotta impastata, drain whole-mik ricotta instead. Line a sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels and place over a bowl. Put the ricotta in the sieve, cover, and let drain in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

  LASAGNETTE

  To make individual lasagnas, cut the rolled pasta sheets into 4-inch squares to make 27 squares. Blanch as directed in the main recipe, then arrange 9 squares on a buttered rimmed baking shee
t and layer each with a layer of cheese, squash, Parmesan, and pasta. Repeat, ending with a pasta square. Top each lasagnetta with 2 pats of butter. Bake as directed. Makes 9 individual lasagnas.

  BEVERAGE—Tramin, Sauvignon 2009 (Alto Adige): One of the top whites in its price range, this laser-sharp Sauvignon Blanc from the pre-Alps is all grapefruit up front and all green grass and herbs on the finish. Those aromas coax out the green snap of the zucchini in the dish.

  Eggplant Lasagnette ALLA PARMIGIANA

  I’ve served eggplant Parmesan dozens of different ways over the years: grilled giant slabs of eggplant and tomatoes, roasted whole tomatoes and eggplant, ravioli stuffed with eggplant and tomatoes. Here, the eggplant is sautéed, pureed with ricotta, and layered on pasta squares with Parmesan. The tomatoes are oven-dried with garlic and olive oil, then draped over the top of each individual lasagna. It’s still classic, just tweaked a bit.

  MAKES 9 INDIVIDUAL LASAGNAS

  EGGPLANT FILLING

  2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

  1 Italian globe eggplant, peeled and chopped (about 3 cups)

  ¾ cup ricotta impastata or drained whole-milk ricotta cheese

  2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

  1 egg

  2 tablespoons dried bread crumbs

  Salt and freshly ground pepper

  8 ounces Basic Egg Pasta Dough, rolled into sheets

  9 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

  2¼ cups Tomato Conserva

  For the eggplant filling: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant and sauté until tender and golden brown on the edges, about 10 minutes.

  Let cool slightly, then transfer to a food processor. Puree until smooth, then add the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, and bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper and pulse briefly until mixed. Set aside. Makes about 2¼ cups.

  Lay a pasta sheet on a lightly floured work surface, trim the edges so they are straight, and cut the sheet into 4-inch squares. You should get 10 to 12 squares from the sheet. Repeat with the remaining pasta until you have a total of 27 squares. Spritz the pasta lightly with water as you work to keep it from drying out. Refrigerate any remaining pasta for another use.

  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the pasta squares, quickly return to a boil, and blanch for 20 seconds. Transfer the squares to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Lay the pasta squares flat on kitchen towels and pat dry.

  Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat one large or two small baking sheets with a little butter.

  Arrange 9 of the pasta squares on the buttered sheets, leaving a little space between each square. Spread 2 tablespoons eggplant filling over each pasta square and sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon Parmesan. Top each with another pasta square, another layer of eggplant filling, and another sprinkling of Parmesan. Top each with a third pasta square and sprinkle the tops with the remaining Parmesan. Bake until golden and crispy on the edges, about 10 minutes.

  Using a wide spatula, transfer each lasagna to a warm plate and spoon ¼ cup tomato conserva over each. Serve immediately.

  PREP AHEAD

  The pasta squares can be made up to 1 day ahead, sprinkled with flour, stacked, and refrigerated in an airtight container. The eggplant filling and tomato conserva can also be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Return all to room temperature before assembling and baking.

  If you can’t find ricotta impastata, drain whole-mik ricotta instead. Line a sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels and place over a bowl. Put the ricotta in the sieve, cover, and let drain in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

  BEVERAGE—Bisson’s Ciliegiolo Rosato 2008 (Liguria): Eggplant is a fun food to match. You can get away with much more tannin than you’d expect, and this rosato provides freshness and lively fruit for the tomatoes, along with spice and sharp tannin for the eggplant.

  Parmigiano

  In Italy, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is called Parmesan. But in America, Parmesan and Parmigiano-Reggiano are not always the same thing. If you say “Parmesan” in America, it could refer to some kind of processed cheese food product that comes in a green can. But in Italy, Parmesan always comes from a wheel of quality-controlled Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. When I say Parmesan, what I mean is Parmigiano-Reggiano. That’s what I always use. With my restaurants, I spend more money on Reggiano in a year than many people spend on a down payment for a house! In the end, it’s worth it. Reggiano is the king of Italian cheeses. It is the most regulated and the most flavorful. But if you don’t want to pay so much for cheese, grana padano is second best. Grana is made in a similar way to Reggiano, but it’s not as widely regulated and it doesn’t have to be aged as long. Stick with the oldest grana you can find, aged about twenty months (vecchio). It will have a nice sharp flavor and similar texture to a mid-vecchio (middle-aged) Reggiano. Just remember: there is only one king!

  Orrechiette WITH VEAL RAGÙ AND BITTER GREENS

  People tell me it’s a pain in the ass to make pasta. For me, there is nothing more relaxing. If you’re the sort who likes to keep your hands busy, shaping little pastas gives you something to do while hanging out in the kitchen and talking about your day. Kids love it. What better way to spend time with your family doing something you can all take part in and feel proud of? The best part is, you get to eat everything you make!

  MAKES 4 SERVINGS

  VEAL RAGÙ

  1¼ pounds boneless veal leg or chuck, cut into 1-inch chunks

  5 ounces pork fatback, cut into ½-inch chunks

  ½ cup onion cut into thin strips

  ¼ cup peeled and finely chopped carrot

  1 piece Parmesan rind

  About 1 cup dry white wine

  ORRECHIETTE

  2 cups semolina

  ¾ cup water

  2 teaspoons olive oil

  8 ounces escarole, trimmed and chopped

  ½ clove garlic, smashed

  Salt and freshly ground pepper

  ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

  For the ragù: Spread the veal and fatback in a single layer on a baking sheet or other shallow pan that will fit into your freezer. Freeze until firm but not solid, about 1 hour. At the same time freeze all the parts of a meat grinder. Grind the cold meat mixture with a meat grinder using a large die. If you don’t have a meat grinder, you can chop the mixture in small batches in a food processor using 4-second pulses. Try not to chop it too finely; you don’t want meat puree.

  Heat a Dutch oven or large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the ground mixture and cook, stirring and scraping the pan bottom, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes.

  Add the onion and carrot and cook until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the Parmesan rind and enough wine to cover the mixture. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the sauce has a light, creamy consistency, about 1 hour. Remove the Parmesan rind. Makes about 2½ cups.

  For the pasta: Put the semolina in a bowl. Slowly stir in enough of the water until the mixture looks loose in the bowl like damp sand. Knead it a little bit with your fingers in the bowl until it clumps together and feels like wads of sandy, dry bubble gum when pinched between your fingers. Depending on the humidity in the room, you may need to add more or less water to get the consistency right. It should feel like damp sand that sticks together when you pinch it. Knead the dough into a ball with your hands. It should be stiff but rollable.

  Divide the dough into 4 pieces and wrap 3 of them in plastic to keep them from drying out. On an unfloured board, roll the remaining piece into a long rope about ⅜ inch thick (a little thicker than a pencil). Cut crosswise into ⅜-inch-thick pieces; each piece will look like a little pillow.

  To form each orrechiette, put the edge of a butter knife onto one of the pasta pillows (see the photos at the end of the recipe). Drag the knife down across the dough, using medium pressure. The dough will roll around the knife blade into an oval shape. Remove the dough fr
om the knife and place it, seam side up, on the tip of your pinky.

  Securing the dough with your other hand, push your pinky into the smooth side of the dough, turning the dough inside out so the rough side is facing out. Each orecchiette should resemble a small, roughly shaped ear. Repeat with the remaining dough. Toss the finished orrechiette in a little semolina to keep them from sticking together. Lay the orrechiette in one layer in a large, flat container and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

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

  Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the escarole and garlic and sauté until the greens are tender, about 4 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Remove the garlic and add the veal ragù and 2 ladles of pasta water to the greens. Simmer until the sauce is creamy, about 2 minutes.

  Slide the drained orrechiette into the warm sauce. Add the ¼ cup Parmesan and gently toss until the sauce is creamy, adding pasta water as needed.

  Divide among warm pasta bowls and garnish with Parmesan.

  PREP AHEAD

  You can make the ragù up to 2 days ahead. Refrigerate it in an airtight container and reheat in a sauté pan before using. The orrechiette can be made up to 1 day ahead, sprinkled with a little flour, and refrigerated in an uncovered container.

  BEVERAGE—Allegrini, La Grola IGT (Veneto): Allegrini’s La Grola blends classic Amarone grape varietals with Syrah and Sangiovese. The result is a dark, luxurious wine with fig, black plum, and warm spice flavors, along with ripe tannin.