Category — Recipes

The Italian Slow Cooker Chocolate Truffle Cake

It’s Valentine’s Day and here’s a perfect cake to make.  It goes together quickly and needs just 6 ingredients.  It “bakes” in the steamy warmth of the slow cooker, so it comes out tender, moist and creamy.  You will need a large capacity slow cooker and a 7-inch spring form pan, or a 6 cup baking dish.  I got my pan at the Browadway Panhandler, but many cookware stores carry them.  Whatever you use, be sure it fits in the cooker before you begin.

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE

A deep, rich chocolate cake is the perfect dessert for any special occasion.  I like to serve this one with lightly whipped cream or softened ice cream.

Serves 6 to 8

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

3/4 cup unsalted butter

2 tablespoons rum or strong coffee

3 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder, for garnish

Butter a 6-cup baking dish or a 7-inch springform pan.  Line the bottom of the pan with foil or parchment and butter the paper.

Break up the chocolate into a heatproof bowl.  Add the butter.  Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water.  The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl.  When the chocolate is softened, remove the bowl from the heat, and stir until blended and smooth.  Stir in the rum.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until light and pale yellow.  Stir the egg mixture into the chocolate.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Place the pan in the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or until set.

Remove the pan from the slow cooker.  Cover and chill several hours or overnight.  To serve, run a small knife around the edge of the cake.  Invert it onto a serving plate.  Place the cocoa powder in a small strainer and sprinkle it over the cake.

Radicchio Trevisano Tardiva

With its pointed leaves and gorgeous wine and cream color,  Radicchio Trevisano seems to jump right out of the produce aisle.  It is a welcome sight, especially at this time of year, when choices are limited.

Radicchio Trevisano Precoce

Radicchio Trevisano is grown in the Veneto region of Northeastern Italy near the city of Treviso where the climate is just right for the painstaking production process.  When I was in that area recently, I had the chance to visit Lucio Torresan who grows 2 types of Trevisano:  the early season bullet shaped heads known as precoce, and the later curled leaf kind known as tardiva.  Lucio explained that the process for growing radicchio was devised in the 19th century by a Belgian agronomist who applied techniques similar to those used for growing Belgian endive, is a member of the same botanical family. Lucio showed us how he harvests the plants, then places the bushy untrimmed bunches in shallow tubs of cold fresh water that is kept constantly circulating for between 15 and 18 days where the radicchio develops its distinctive flavor and color.  Then the plants are trimmed down to their tender hearts, rinsed again and packaged for shipping.

Radicchio Trevisano is good raw in salads, and cooked in risotto, in appetizers, and as a side dish.  The flavor of radicchio goes especially well with meats.  At a dinner at the  Ceccheto   winery organized by Buon Italia, the Italian food and wine promotional organization that had organized our trip, we had a chance to sample juicy grilled sausages made with radicchio and red wine,  radicchio roasted in a wrapping of pancetta, and in a mixed salad.  The sausages were made by Master Macellaio (butcher) Bruno Bassetto.  Bassetto is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records with having prepared the world’s longest salamella — I am not making this up– a skinny sausage that reached  7.018 meters (nearly 8 yards) in length!  While we watched, Bassetto demonstrated his meat cutting skills by first breaking down a beef carcass, then chopping the beef for carpaccio with 2 scary looking butcher knives.  With the carpaccio, he served a tangy and bittersweet roasted radicchio salsa that I could not wait to get home to my kitchen to try to duplicate.  I serve it with grilled sausages, steak or burgers, or on toasted Italian bread.

ROASTED RADICCHIO SALSA

This is really 3 recipes in one.  Make the radicchio for the salsa, or serve it plain as a side dish, or top it with a slice of Asiago and bake it a minute or so more until slightly melted for an appetizer.

Makes about 2-1/2 cups

12 ounces radicchio, preferably Trevisano

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained and finely chopped

2 or 3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped

1 tablespoon minced red onion

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Oil a large baking sheet.

Trim off a thin slice from the base of the radicchio.  Cut the radicchio into 1-inch thick wedges through the core.

Brush the radicchio with 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.

Bake the radicchio for 12 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom.  Turn the pieces over and bake 8 minutes more or until nicely browned and softened.  Remove from the oven.

(At this point, you can serve the radicchio warm as a side dish or appetizer, drizzled with a little balsamic vinegar.)

In a bowl, mix together the capers, anchovies and onion.  When the radicchio is cool, place it on a board and chop it fine.  Transfer it to the bowl and add the vinegar and season to taste with more olive oil, salt and pepper.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Crostini with Roasted Radicchio Salsa

A few years ago in Rome, I noticed a restaurant with a small window in its facade.  In the window was a small brick alcove holding a large, round, greenish glass bottle filled with dried beans, water and herbs.  The alcove backed up to the restaurant’s woodburning oven, and every time I passed, I would stop to look in at the bottle and observe the beans simmering slowly, absorbing the liquid and becoming plump and rounded and filled with flavor.  It seemed like the ideal way to cook beans, but it made me unhappy to think that I could not duplicate it in my small apartment kitchen with a standard stove.  Or could I?  I had never owned a slow cooker, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like the piece of the equipment I needed to to turn out perfectly tender, flavorful beans like those I ate in Rome.  I could hardly wait to get home (well, almost!) to buy one.

Back in New York, I soon realized that slow cookers have as many devotees as they have people who own them and abandon them to a dusty back shelf.  The difference seemed to be that those who love them have discovered delicious recipes and used fresh ingredients to prepare easy and satisfying food, while others relied on packaged and canned products and did not take a few moments to prepare the ingredients before cooking.

I bought a cooker and began by making my first batch of Roman-style beans in it.  They came out just perfect — tender and creamy and infused with the flavor of the herbs and garlic I had added.   Then I tried meats — tough cuts like short ribs, veal and lamb shanks, pot roasts, and stew meat.  The results were fall-off-the-bone tender and savory. Even chicken turned out moist and juicy every time.  To say I was hooked on slow cooking was an understatement.  I made soups, pasta sauces, stews and vegetables. Then I tried grains like farro, barley and polenta and was delighted with the results and ease of preparation.  I also made seafood in the slow cooker and discovered that sturdy varieties like salmon and squid turn out beautifully.  My biggest surprise was how well the cooker handled delicate egg dishes like frittatas, and even desserts, especially creamycheesecakes and flourless chocolate cake.  The gentle, low heat cooked them perfectly.

I compiled 125 of my recipes into a book which is now available.  The name is The Italian Slow Cooker and it was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  The book has a soft cover and lots of gorgeous color photos by Alan Richardson, one of the best food photographers.

Here is a recipe from the Italian Slow Cooker that I know you will enjoy.

COUNTRY STYLE PORK RIBS WITH TOMATOES AND PEPPERS

Meaty country style pork ribs are a great choice for the slow cooker.  They turn out moist and tender and never lack for flavor.  Here they are cooked in spicy sauce made with red bell peppers and tomato.  Serve it over polenta or mashed potatoes with zesty broccoli rabe cooked with garlic.

Serves 6

4 pounds country style pork ribs

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup tomato puree

1 teaspoon dried oregano

4 medium red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch slices

Pat the ribs dry and sprinkle them with salt and pepper to taste.  In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add as many of the ribs as will fit in the pan without touching.  Cook the meat, turning it occasionally, until nicely browned on all sides.  Place the browned ribs in the slow cooker.  Brown the remaining meat in the same way.

Add the onions and garlic to the skillet and cook 5 minutes, or until softened.  Stir in the wine and tomato paste and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the liquid begins to simmer.  Stir in the tomato puree, oregano and salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from the heat.

Scatter the peppers over the pork in the slow cooker.  Pour on the sauce.  Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until the meat is tender and coming away from the bones.  Discard any loose bones and skim off the fat.  Serve hot.

© Copyright 2010 The Italian Slow Cooker by Michele Scicolone

A few years ago, I visited the Academia Barilla in Parma, Italy.  Once an industrial zone that included a Barilla pasta factory, the outdated facilities on the edge of Parma were converted about 5 years ago into a beautiful complex housing the Academia Barilla culinary school, two concert halls, a culinary library, a hotel and restaurant.

After a tour, I had the chance to work with Chef Nicola Bindini in one of the Academia’s enormous professional kitchens.  Some are used for pastry making, there is one with a pizza oven, and others are used for cooking demonstrations.  Classes are open to aspiring chefs, avid home cooks, and experienced chefs who want to improve their technique and learn more about Italian ingredients.  It is definitely worth a visit if you plan to be in the area.  You can find out about what’s going on there by checking their website at http://www.academiabarilla.com/

The chef showed me how to made an artichoke and prawn salad topped with shavings of Barilla’s Pecorino Grand Cru, lamb chops with pesto, a molded chocolate and zabaione dessert and my favorite, pennette with pumpkin, smoked pancetta, Parmigiano Reggiano and balsamic vinegar.

I thought of that pasta the other day when I was trying to decide what to do with the large butternut squash that was sitting on my kitchen counter.  At Barilla, Chef Nicola had used a large winter squash called Zucca Mantovana.  It was round and pumpkin shaped with rough tan skin, orange flesh, and a flavor similar to that of butternut squash, so the one I had was a perfect substitute.  Since I didn’t have smoked pancetta which can be hard to find in this country, I used some thick-sliced bacon.  I always have Parmigiano in the refrigerator and a small bottle of aged balsamico on hand, so the rest was easy.

The warm colors of the squash and pasta and the contrasting flavors of the salty cheese and bacon with the sweet, creamy squash made it a perfect pasta for a fall day.

Penne with Butternut Squash, Bacon, and Balsamic Vinegar

Serves 4

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling

2 ounces smoked pancetta or thick sliced bacon, finely chopped

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1-1/4 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice

Salt and freshly ground pepper

8 ounces penne

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano

1 teaspoon aged balsamic vinegar

In a large skillet, cook the pancetta in the olive oil over medium heat until the pancetta is lightly golden, about 5 minutes.  Add the onion and rosemary and cook 5 minutes more until the onion is tender.  Stir in the garlic.  Add the squash and salt and pepper to taste and stir well.  Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes until the squash is tender and starting to brown.  If it begins to stick, add a tablespoon or two of water.  With the back of a spoon, mash some of the squash until creamy.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add the pasta and salt to taste.  Cook until slightly underdone.  Scoop out about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside.  Drain the pasta and add it to the squash.  Add some of the cooking water and stir well.  Cook 1 minute until the pasta is tender.  Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese.  Add a little extra virgin olive oil and mix well.  Drizzle with the vinegar and serve hot.

“The discovery of a new dish confers more happiness on humanity than the discovery of a new star,” wrote the philosopher and cook, Brillat-Savarin. I hate to disagree, but for me it is the discovery of a new pasta.

While dried pastas don’t vary much in flavor, their contours and proportions determine how the sauce and pasta will go together and how the finished dish will taste.  A heavy, meaty ragu can turn thin, delicate pasta strands to mush while chunky rigatoni can overwhelm the flavor of a light, delicate sauce.  In addition to the shape, the ingredients, how the pasta is manufactured, and the drying method used are important, too.  And no matter how good the pasta is, it has to be cooked and served the right way.

Last week, a cellophane bag of Don Bruno fusilloni, or giant fusilli, arrived in a package from Roland Foods.  According to the label, Don Bruno pasta is made from 100% durum semolina from Puglia that is shaped with bronze dies for the best texture, then dried slowly under controlled heat and humidity for perfect “al dente” results.

While I have eaten corkscrew-shaped fusilli all my life, the giant Don Bruno fusilloni were new to me and looked like just the thing to go with the Macaroni with Tomatoes and Spicy Sausage I was planning to make.  The recipe is from The Bistro Laurent Tourondel Cookbook that I co-authored a couple of years ago with the famous chef.  It has mouth-watering recipes and gorgeous photos from Laurent’s BLT restaurants around the country.

A quick check of my refrigerator revealed 2 cups of my favorite canned Bella di San Marzano brand tomatoes and some sweet Italian sausages left from a recipe testing project, a package of Satur Farms wild arugula and an open bottle of white wine.  Laurent’s recipe calls for fresh tomatoes and hot sausages, but the canned tomatoes were a reasonable substitute and I could add some crushed red pepper to compensate for the mildness of the sausages, though I preferred not to.  The ridges and twists of the fusilloni seemed like they would be even better than the rigatoni Laurent called for.   I always have pecorino Romano and Parmigiano Reggiano on hand, so the rest was easy.

One of the questions I am asked most frequently is how to prevent pasta from sticking.  Here is my mantra–use a big pot with plenty of boiling water and salt; stir often; don’t overcook; drain, sauce and serve immediately.  Here is how I do it:

I started the sauce and put up a 6-quart pot filled with 5 quarts of water on high heat.  When it came to a rolling boil, in went the fusilloni and a generous amount of coarse salt.  Stirring the pasta frequently, I finished making the sauce just as the pasta became tender yet firm to the bite — in short, al dente. Don’t rely on package cooking times and taste it to be sure.  Allow a little for the residual cooking that occurs between the time you remove the pasta from the heat and start eating.  Remember — when the pasta is ready, it is is not the time to make a phone call, set the table, or have a drink.  The sauce has to be finished before the pasta, and you can’t hesitate with the cooked pasta or it will overcook and get sticky.  I drained the fusilloni, reserving a cupful of the cooking water just in case, and quickly mixed them with the hot sauce.  I added the cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and tossed again.  (The hot water wasn’t necessary this time.  If the pasta had been dry, I would have added a little to loosen it up.)  Meanwhile,  Charles opened a bottle of Pallagrello, an unusual, red wine from Italy and we sat down to eat.

The  fusilloni had good wheaty flavor and held their texture and shape beautifully.  The ridges in the pasta captured the bits of sausage and basil and tangled around the long arugula leaves.  The pasta was a perfect match for the rich sauce, freshened with grassy flavor of the arugula.   As I savored the pasta and the rustic, pleasantly bitter wine, I thought of all the ways I might use fusilloni again.  It would go well with all kinds of meaty ragus or sauces containing bits of cauliflower or broccoli, or strands of zucchini or carrots.  If by chance you cant find Don Bruno fusilloni, use regular fusilli, gemelli or rotelle.

MACARONI/TOMATOES/SPICY SAUSAGE

Adapted from The Bistro Laurent Tourondel Cookbook by Laurent Tourondel and Michele Scicolone (John Wiley & Sons 2008)

Serves 4

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing

12 ounces hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

4 medium-ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into large dice

Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

8 ounces fusilloni

1 bunch arugula, tough stems removed and coarsely chopped (1 cup)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Cook the Sausage In a skillet large enough to hold all of the ingredients, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the sausage meat and cook until lightly browned, stirring the meat to break up the lumps.   With a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a bowl.

Add the onion and garlic to the pan.  Sauté until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the wine and bring to a simmer.  Cook 1 minute more, scraping the bottom of the pan.

Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer for 20 minutes, or until thickened.  Stir in the sausage meat and cook until heated through, about 1 minute more.

Cook the Fusilloni Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add the fusilloni and plenty of salt.   Cook, stirring frequently, until the fusilloni is al dente, tender yet still firm.   Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the sauce.

Finish the Pasta Add the arugula and basil and toss well.  Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil.  Sprinkle with the cheese and toss again.  Serve immediately.

Every time I visit a market in France, I look for the tapenade vendor.  Tapenade is a savory paste made from ground black or green olives and capers blended with garlic, dried tomatoes, anchovies, tuna, or herbs.  Each vendor has several varieties on display, and sampling is encouraged.  I taste several varieties and always find a new version or two to take home.

Tapenade is great  on toasted French bread, slathered on sandwiches, with goat cheese, or stirred into mayonnaise to make a dip for shrimp or vegetables.   Try it on a boned out leg of lamb before rolling and roasting, or put some inside a chicken before it goes into the oven.

Of all the varieties of tapenade I have sampled, my favorite has to be this one made with dried figs.  It has a salty tang from olives, balanced with the mellow sweetness of the figs. Dijon, garlic, and fresh herbs round out the flavor.  Sometimes I sprinkle the top with chopped toasted walnuts just before serving.  I make a big batch and put it in a tightly sealed  container with a slick of olive oil on top.  It keeps well this way in the refrigerator for a month, so I can have it on hand for easy snacks or meals.

Provencal Fig and Olive Tapenade

Makes about 1-1/2 cups

3/4 cup dried figs, stem ends removed

1 cup pitted black or green olives

1 small garlic clove

1 tablespoon rinsed capers

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Freshly ground black pepper

Place the figs in a small saucepan with 1/2 cup water.  Cover and bring to a simmer.  Cook until softened, about ten minutes.  Let cool.  Drain the figs, reserving the liquid.

In a food processor, combine the figs, olives, garlic, capers, vinegar, thyme, mustard and black pepper to taste.  Blend until the mixture forms a thick paste.  Thin with some of the reserved fig liquid if necessary.  Refrigerate the tapenade several hours or overnight.

Serve with thin slices of toasted baguette.  Store leftovers in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.