"Ricette e trucchi"
Seasonal recipes and tips

This section is dedicated to favorite seasonal recipes and kitchen tips from my recipe files. I believe that most recipes should be used as basic guidelines, except in pastry making. The cook should be able to improvise according to his or her own tastes, or in response to the ingredients at hand.

First-class seasonal ingredients are, without doubt, the prime secret of an Italian kitchen. Followed with simple honest preparations, guided by tastes and scents, enlivened by the pleasure of sharing with others....

Buon appetito

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P.S. In reading the recipes, please note that OO is my quick way of typing olive oil – extra virgin, of course!

New Year's Recipes

UN GRAN BOLLITO MISTO

“Bollito misto” or “mixed boiled meats” doesn’t sound very appetizing to the American palate. However, during the winter months in Northern Italy this elaborate meal holds a place of honor. The best restaurants will have a carrello di bolliti – the cart of boiled meats and will wheel it tableside where different pieces of meat are removed from separate compartments of simmering broth and sliced to order. The assortment of meat often includes beef or veal (brisket or lean short ribs) a stewing hen, veal tongue, guancia (pork cheek), calf’s head, cotechino and zampone.

Cotechino is a large, fat, fresh sausage made with lean pork meat, fat and rind all coarsely chopped and mildly flavored with salt, pepper, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. Zampone is a similar mixture of pork, rind, fat and spices stuffed into a boned-out pigs foot (trotter). Both sausages are specialties of Emilia-Romagna and offer a very satisfying delicate, tender, gelatinous, incomparable taste. Unfortunately, zampone is now very difficult to find in the States.

Braised lentils, potato puree and several sauces traditionally accompany these meats. I also like to add a cooked green vegetable such as broccoli rape. A favorite part of the bollito misto is the sauces on the side. Traditionally, olive oil and salt are the base, then a sharp green “salsa verde”, mostarda di Cremona (whole or sliced fruits preserved in a clear sweet, mustard tangy syrup) and my favorite - zabaione aceto.

It is best to have all of the meats and flavorings cook together in a large stockpot, except for the cotechino and zampone, which should be cooked separate from the other meats. After the meats have cooked leave them in the broth to stay warm until serving time. The bollito can also be entirely made a day ahead. The broth from the boiled meats is often served with tortellini as a first course before the bollito misto.

Total cooking time for the meats is about 3 hours beginning with the beef, which takes the longest. The recipe given below is for a complete bollito misto. You can scale it up or down according to the number of dining guests. Leftovers can be reheated and enjoyed for days, or cut up and used in a salad. In Florence, leftover boiled beef would be added to a previously sautéed large amount of thinly sliced onions in olive oil.

Approximate cooking time for various meats:
2 lbs. beef or veal brisket (or both) ••••• 2-3 hours
1 chicken, 2 1/2 lbs or half a large stewing hen ••••• 45 minutes – 1 hour
3-4 veal tongues ••••• 1 hour
cotechino sausage ••••• 2–3 hours

To cook the cotechino:
Soak the cotechino in abundant cold water for at least 4 hours. Transfer the cotechino to a cooking pot, cover with cold water; cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to maintain a steady simmer and cook for 2 hours. Turn the sausage once or twice while cooking but DO NOT pierce it with a fork to puncture the skin. (This is to keep the juices in.) When the cotechino is done, turn off the heat and let it rest in its cooking liquid for at least 30 minutes before serving. If you have purchased a pre-cooked cotechino, keep it in its aluminum sachet without piercing or opening it and drop it in boiling water; simmer for about 20 minutes. Keep the sausage in the broth until its time to slice and serve it.

To cook the beef, chicken and veal tongue:
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
3 celery stalks, cut in half
3 large carrots, peeled, cut in half and split lengthwise
1 tomato, peeled, seeded and quartered
2 T. salt or to taste

Choose a stockpot large enough to hold all of the ingredients including the meats. The juices and flavors will remain in the meats if they are added to boiling broth. The best way to judge the amount of water needed is to put all of the above ingredients (including the meat) except the tomato and salt into a large stockpot, add water to cover then remove the meats. Bring the liquid to a boil and add the beef brisket. Adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Skim off the scum that comes to the surface within the first 10 minutes. Add the salt and tomatoes.

After the beef has been cooking for 1 hour, add the veal tongues and continue simmering. About 15-20 minutes later add the chicken. When the chicken has simmered for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, the bollito is done.

Remove the veal tongues and peel off and discard the whitish skin from the top of the tongue, trim away a bit of the fat and gristle from the butt, and return it to the pot.

The meats will stay warm in the broth for about 1 hour after you have turned off the heat. If you are serving it later, reheat by bringing the broth to a slow simmer for about 10 minutes, carefully turning the position of the meats in the pot a couple of times.

To serve:
In a deep serving platter, arrange a small amount of the meats and cotechino sausage in slices and moisten with a bit of the broth. Once out of the broth, the juicy texture of the meat tends to be short-lived so carve only as much as you will need and return the rest to the broth (for the second round). Serve the bollito with accompanying sauces.

If preparing a day ahead:
Remove the meats from the broth. Strain the broth and replace the meats. Refrigerate overnight. The next day remove and discard the solidified fat from the broth. Slowly reheat to a slow simmer and cook until the meats are hot.

N.B. Save some of the broth for tortellini in brodo. Heat tortellini in the broth and serve with grated Parmigiano cheese as the first course before the bollito.

* * * * * * *

SAUCES FOR THE BOLLITO MISTO

Salsa Verde

This tart green sauce is always served with boiled meats. Vary the proportions and ingredients according to taste. This sauce is best if made several hours in advance.

4 T. parsley leaves, finely chopped
2 T. capers, finely minced
6 flat anchovy fillets, mashed
2 tsp. garlic, finely minced
1 T. onion, finely minced
2 T. red wine vinegar
1/2 C. OO
S & P

Combine parsley, capers, anchovy fillets, garlic and onion in a bowl. Stir in the vinegar and slowly add the olive oil 1 T. at a time. Season to taste.
This sauce can easily be made in the food processor.

Optional additions:

walnuts, finely chopped
Dijon mustard
cornichons, chopped

Mostarda di Cremona

Although many variations of mostarda are made in Italy, the best known is the mostarda di Cremona. Whole or sliced candied fruits such as cherries, figs and pears are preserved in a clear sweet, mustard piquant syrup. This can be purchased in an Italian specialty food shop.

Zabaione aceto

This very old recipe is made like the classic Piedmontese egg-based dessert but red wine is used in place of Marsala, resulting in a very elegant tangy foam.

4 egg yolks
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. red wine vinegar

Put the egg yolks and sugar in the top of a double boiler. With a wire whisk or a hand held mixer, beat until pale yellow and creamy. Set the mixture over almost boiling water and slowly add red wine vinegar. Continue beating until the mixture begins to foam and swell into a light soft custard like mound. Spoon it into a serving bowl and serve immediately.

LENTICCHIE IN UMIDO

Italians have always eaten for luck in the New Year. Lentils, coin shaped, are said to ensure financial security in the New Year. In the North, particularly the region of Emilia-Romagna, lentils are traditionally served with delicately spiced cotechino sausage. Try to find the very small Italian lentils from Pantelleria, Sicily or Umbria. These have a richer flavor, stay whole while cooking and tend to cook in a shorter time than the larger green or brown lentils

1 lb. dried lentils (approx 2 C.)
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 oz. pancetta, diced
2 T. olive oil
mixed herbs: 2 bay leaves, marjoram, rosemary, thyme
1 C. tomato sauce
S & P
approx. 20 roasted chestnuts, peeled and coarsely chopped

Pick over the lentils, rinse and drain them.

Put the olive oil and pancetta in a sauté pan and cook over medium heat until the pancetta begins to render some of its fat. Add the carrot, celery and onion and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the whole bay leaves and the lentils, sauté stirring until the lentils are coated with fat. Add about 3-4 cups of boiling water (or diluted meat broth); turn the heat to a simmer, season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until tender but still whole (about 45 min-1 hour). The lentils should have absorbed all of the liquid but the amount can vary. Start with 3 cups and add more if needed.

Add the other herbs, tomato sauce, and chestnuts. Season to taste with S & P. Simmer for a few minutes longer, stirring well. Remove and discard the bay leaves, serve hot.

ARCHIVES (For more recipes & cooking tips, click here.)

Thanksgiving 2009

• Tacchino condimento
• Funghi e castagne alla panna
• Cipolline agrodolce

Easter 2009

• Pan speziale o certosino

Winter 2008

• Pan speziale o certosino
• Panpepato
• Panforte di Siena
• Salame dei fichi
• Parmesan-prosciutto biscotti
• Miscela di sale marino
• Sale al limone e rosmarino

Summer 2008

• Bruschetta - fettunta
• Calamari ripieni
• Coniglio grigliata
• Melanzane con acciughe
• Pesche alla piemontese

Valentine's Day 2008

• Ostriche gratinate
• Pappardelle maltagliate con funghi
• Tonna al forno
• Insalata di rucola, finocchio e arance
• Bestia nera

Winter 2007

• Purpetielli in umido
• Tegamino di peperoni
• Capelle di funghi ripiene
• "Ciliegine" con speck
• Liptauer condito
• Crostini al ginepro e con burro di acciughe
• Olive cunzati

Summer 2007

• Peperoni inbottiti alla barese
• Conchiglie ripiene al tonno
• Agnello marinato alla griglia
• Patate alla Contadina
• Crostata alle Fragole

Summer 2006

• Summer Salads

Winter 2006

• Polenta

Summer 2005

• Grilling Tips
• Borsetta di formaggio
• Spiedino di pesce dell' Adriatico
• Aragosta alla griglia
• Vendura mista in gratticola
• Frutta alla griglia

Spring 2005

• Dandelion Greens -- Dente de Leone -- Cicorino
• Pancotto
• Cicorino in padella
• Insalata di cicorino

Easter 2005

• Pizza Rustica
• Torta Pasqualina
• Abbacchio alla Romana

Holidays 2004

• Baccala alla Siciliana
• Gamberi all'arancia e finocchio
• Panforte di Siena
• Spaghettini alle alici
• Zuppa di lenticchie
• Struffoli - pignolati - cicerchie - diavolilli

Summer 2004 -- Figs

• Prosciutto crudo con fichi
• Fichi d'estate con mascarpone
• Fichi fritte

Winter 2004 -- Hearty Soups

• Minestra d'orzo
• La jota
• Minestrone alla contadina
• Improvising your own minestrone
• Zuppa alla valpelleunentze

Christmas 2003

• Cucidate
• Fichi ripieni alla Sibarita

Summer 2003

• Bruschetta
• Fagioli, tonno e cipolle
• Insalata di pasta arrabbiata
• Pesce spada tonnato
• Fichi d’estate con mascarpone
• Pesche al vino roso

Spring 2003

• Orecchiete con cime di rapa
• Zuppe di ceci
• Carciofi alla Romana
• Salsa di pomodoro con burro
• Pummarola