The Recipe

Source: The Silver Spoon

1/4 cup butter
1 thick slice cooked, cured ham, diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
5 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup vodka
3 cups penne rigate
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a pan, add the ham, tomato paste and parsley, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cream and vodka and cook until the vodka has evaporated. Cook the penne in a large pan of salted, boiling water until al dente, then drain and tip into a warm serving dish. Pour the sauce over the pasta.

The Recipes

The recipe for the fritters is from A Taste of Southern Italy by Marlena de Blasi:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
12 ounces beer
2 pounds baccala or stoccafisso – prepared
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
2 large egg whites
4 to 6 cups peanut oil
2 lemons

Place the flour in a medium bowl and stir in enough beer to form a batter the consistency of heavy cream. Cover the batter and set aside.

Place the prepared baccala in a large bowl and, with two forks, finely shred the fish. Stir in the cream, blending the elements until thick.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff but not dry peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the creamed baccala.

In a large, deep sauté pan or a deep fryer, heat the peanut oil over a medium flame. With your hands, form ovals of the baccala mixture, about 3 inches or 2 inches, then quickly dip them in the beer batter. Fry the fritters in the very hot oil. Cook the fritters until deeply golden before turning them, then cook the other side, and remove them with a slotted spoon to absorbent paper towels. Present the fritters as fast as you can, with wedges of lemon and cold white wine.

The sauce recipe is from Cucina del Sole: A Celebration of Southern Italian Cooking by Nancy Harmon Jenkins:

10 canned plum tomatoes, preferably imported San Marzano tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons golden raisins, plumped in hot water and drained
½ cup pitted black olives, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons capers, preferably salt-packed, rinsed, drained, and chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Drain the tomatoes, reserving about ¼ cup of their juice in case you need to add it to the sauce later. Chop the tomatoes coarsely and set aside.

Combine the olive oil and garlic in a saucepan over low heat. Cook the garlic until it is soft but not brown. Add the tomatoes, increasing the heat to moderate. Cook the tomatoes for about 15 minutes. Use the back of a fork to crush them as they cook down, adding a little of the reserved juice if necessary. The sauce, however, should be very thick.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over medium-low heat until they are golden, stirring constantly. Pine nuts burn quickly, so be attentive. Stir the toasted pine nuts into the sauce and add the drained raisins, olives, and capers. Add salt if necessary and pepper to taste. Serve the sauce warm or at room temperature.

The Recipe

Source: A Cook’s Tour of Italy by Joe Famularo

1 pound cremini or button mushrooms
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup Marsala wine
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound pasta bows
4 cups finely shredded fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Wipe the mushrooms with damp kitchen towels, cut off and discard the tough stem ends and slice the mushrooms thinly. Put in a bowl with the lemon juice and toss well.

Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the garlic and Marsala. Cook for about 3 minutes and add the mushrooms. Stir well and cook 8 minutes longer. Add the cream and bring the mixture to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Keep this sauce at a simmer for about 5 minutes and then remove from the heat.

Cook the pasta until al dente according to directions on the package. Drain and return the pasta to the pan in which it cooked. Add the spinach, reserving about 1/3 cup, and the cream sauce. Toss lightly but well. To serve, apportion the pasta and add a heaping tablespoon of Parmesan over the top of each serving. Arrange the reserved spinach over the cheese. Serve right away.

The Recipe

Source: The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 medium carrot, minced
1/2 medium stalk celery, minced
1/2 medium onion, minced
2 ounces pancetta, minced
4 ounces mild Italian sausage (made without fennel)
12 ounces chicken thighs, skinned, boned, and cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch dice
4 ounces turkey or chicken giblets, trimmed and finely chopped, or 4 ounces lean ground pork
4 ounces lean beef chuck, finely chopped
1 California bay laurel leaf
1/2 cup dry white wine
Generous pinch of ground cloves
1 1/4 cups poultry or meat stock
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 tablespoons imported Italian tomato paste
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mincing the meats by hand makes for better browning and gives a silkier texture to the sauce. [Umm, I bought a bag of ground meat from the butcher shop.] In a 12-inch saute pan, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Add the vegetables and pancetta. Leisurely saute, stirring often, until they begin to color, about 8 minutes. Add the sausage, chicken, giblets, beef, and bay leaf. Cook over high heat 8 more minutes, or until they begin to brown. Lower the heat to medium, and continue sauteing, stirring often with a wooden spatula, 10 minutes, or until the meat is rich dark brown. It should sizzle quietly in the pan, not violently pop and sputter. Slow browning protects the brown glaze forming on the bottom of the pan.

Drain off fat by tipping the browned meat into a large sieve and shaking it. Put the meat back into the pan, placing it over medium-high heat. Add the wine and cloves. Cook at a lively bubble 3 minutes, or until the wine has evaporated. As the wine bubbles, use a wooden spatula to scrape up the brown glaze from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and add 1/4 cup of the stock. Take about 3 minutes to cook it down to nothing. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, and another 1/4 cup of stock; bubble it down to nothing again. Turn the mixture into a 2 1/2- to 3-quart saucepan.

Add the remaining stock to the saucepan and let it bubble slowly, uncovered, 30 to 45 minutes, or until the stock has reduced by about one third and the sauce is moist but not loose. Add the cream, and simmer 3 to 5 minutes. Season to taste. Allow the ragu to cool; cover and refrigerate. Defat the ragu when it is cold.

Toss the reheated ragu with cooked pasta as suggested above. Serve in heated bowls, passing freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese separately.

The Recipe

Source: The Lutèce Cookbook by André Soltner

2 pounds red beets
salt
1 tablespoon vinegar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
pepper, fresh ground
3 garlic cloves, peeled, green germs removed, and chopped fine
2 tablespoons chopped chives, or chopped parsley
3/4 cup heavy cream

Wash the beets. Put them in a pot and cover them with water. (The pot should not be full. There should be at least 1 inch between the surface of the water and the top of the pot.) Add 1/2 tablespoon of salt and the vinegar. Bring to the boil, cover, and cook at a slow boil until tender–about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The beets are ready when a knife goes into them easily.

Set the pan aside and let the beets cool in the water. It is best not to refrigerate them.

Remove the skins, and pull off the roots and stems of the beets with your fingers. Cut the beets in 1/8-inch slices.

In a skillet, heat the butter. Add the beets. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sauté for 8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes more.

Add 1 tablespoon of the chives (or parsley) and the cream. Bring to the boil, and simmer for a few minutes. Put the beets on a plate, and sprinkle them with the remaining chives (or parsley). Serve hot.

The Recipe

Source: Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe by Danny Meyer

4 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from 4 to 5 ears); corncobs cut into 2-inch pieces and reserved
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup well washed and diced leek, white part only
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
pinch of ground turmeric
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 cup sliced (1/8-inch-thick rounds) fingerling or small new potatoes (about 12 ounces)
1 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives

Combine half of the corn kernels, the cut-up corncobs, the cream, and milk in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, and use tongs to remove and discard the corncobs. Puree the corn and cream mixture in a blender in as many batches as necessary. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and into a large bowl, and set aside.

Melt the butter over low heat in a 3-quart saucepan. Add the onion and leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin, turmeric, jalapeño, ginger, salt, and pepper and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the remaining corn and the potatoes and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Add the reserved pureed corn mixture to the saucepan with the vegetables. Pour in the vegetable or chicken stock, bring to a simmer, and cook gently, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with chives, and serve.

The Recipe

Source: From Biba’s Italian Kitchen by Biba Caggiano

For the spinach tagliatelle:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 extra-large eggs
2 tablespoons cooked, finely chopped fresh or frozen spinach, squeezed of all moisture

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
1/3 cup minced carrot
1/3 cup minced celery
1/4 pound prosciutto, cut into a 1/8-inch slice and then cut into thin strips
3 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, with their juices, put through a food mill to remove the seeds
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Prepare the spinach dough as instructed on pages 48-49, using the flour and the eggs in this recipe.

Roll out the dough and cut it into tagliatelle as instructed on page 50.

Prepare the sauce: Heat the butter and oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring, until vegetables are lightly golden and soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the prosciutto and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring a few times. Add the tomatoes and the cream and season with salt and just a touch of pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered, until sauce has a medium-thick consistency, 10 to 15 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and the tagliatelle. Cook, uncovered, over high heat until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite.

Drain the pasta and place it in a large, heated, serving bowl. Add the sauce and about 1/4 cup of the Parmigiano, and mix well. Serve at once with additional Parmigiano.

The Recipe

I didn’t follow a recipe for this dish, but here is a basic recipe I wrote just now:

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
1/2 pound asparagus, blanched until just tender, then shocked in ice water
1/2 pound fava beans, shucked and peeled
1 28-oz can Italian plum tomatoes, sent through a food mill
a few slices of prosciutto, diced
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
some Pecorino and/or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for grating
salt and black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute until lightly toasted.

Add the blanched asparagus, and saute for a minute to heat.

Add the pureed tomatoes, the fava beans, and prosciutto. Simmer for about five minutes to cook the beans.

Add the heavy cream, if using, and simmer for a few minutes to reduce.

Cook the pasta until al dente, and toss with the sauce. Add the grated Pecorino/Parmigiano cheese to the pan and toss well.

The Recipe

Source: Pasta Improvvisata : How to Improvise in Classic Italian Style by Erica De Mane

1 to 1 ½ dozen (depending on size) baby artichokes
juice of 1 lemon
about 3 tablespoons olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
2 or 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
½ pound or more fava beans, shucked and peeled
about 10 anchovy fillets, chopped
3 ripe tomatoe (about 1 ½ pounds), peeled, seeded, and diced
zest of 1 lemon
about 1 cup heavy cream
1 pound green penne

Trim and quarter the artichokes, placing them in a bowl of cold water with the lemon juice. Drain the artichokes and dry them with paper towels.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the artichokes and season generously with pepper (hold back on adding salt; remember, you will be adding a large amount of anchovies to this dish). Saute until just starting to color. Add the garlic and saute only 1 minute. Add a splash of water, cover the pan, and simmer until the artichokes are tender but still firm, about 5 minutes.

Uncover the pan and add the fava beans, anchovies, tomatoes, lemon zest, and cream. Simmer until the anchovies are dissolved and the fava beans are tender, about 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

Cook the penne until al dente, drain, and add to the pan. Toss over medium heat until well coated.

The Recipe

Source: Chanterelle by David Waltuck

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 large shallot, minced
four 6-ounce halibut fillets, any pin bones removed
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup fish stock or bottled clam juice
1/8 teaspoon high-quality saffron threads, plus more to taste
about ½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
pinch of kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 cups leeks (white and very light green parts only) cut into ¼ x 2-inch ribbons (from about 4 leeks)
1 ½ cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh basil cut into chiffonade

Rub 1 tablespoon of the butter over the bottom of a deep, heavy-bottomed 10- or 12-inch saute pan. Sprinkle the shallot over the bottom of the pan and set the fillets on top without crowding them. Gently pour the wine and stock over and around the fish to come about two-thirds up their sides. Cover the pan tightly with a lid or aluminum foil, set over medium-high heat, and bring to a rolling boil, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the fish for another minute. Remove the lid, then use a fish spatula or regular spatula to carefully remove the fillets from the pan and transfer them to a large plate or platter. (They will be slightly undercooked, but will continue to cook via carryover heat.) Cover loosely with foil to keep them warm. (If you used foil to cover the pan, you can use the same foil to cover the fish.)

Reserve ½ cup of the poaching liquid and discard the rest. Return the liquid to the saute pan, set over high heat, and bring to a rolling boil. Add the saffron and boil for 1 minute to reduce it and extract some flavor from the saffron. Add the lemon juice, salt, the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and the leeks, and cook, stirring frequently, until the leeks are wilted and the sauce is slightly reduced, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the cream and continue to reduce over high heat until the leeks are softened but still al dente and the sauce just coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt, more lemon juice if necessary, and a bit of saffron, if desired. Stir in the basil.

To serve, place a halibut fillet on each of 4 dinner plates, taking care to drain any juices that may have accumulated so as not to dilute the sauce. Spoon the leeks and sauce over the fish. Serve immediately.