Cooking Italy: Ricotta Fritters

I'm a fairly new covert to recipes involving ricotta cheese. I had been introduced to it some months back by a some of the recipes Palidor over at  Crazy Asian Gal had been posting on her blog. Just one of those ingredients that I never much got into just because of a very limited exposure to it. So when I realized that this recipe was fairly easy not to mention involved honey, one of my favorite versions of sugar, I figured I had to try it. And as my sister was in town, I had a victim (I mean a taste tester) to eat half of them so it if was very good, I wouldn't have to worry about eating them all by myself.

I made this and the lamb chops on the same weekend, pretty much clearing out my supply of canola/vegetable oil in my house.And for the most part, I did like them. Maybe because I have such a massive sweet tooth I was taken aback at how mild the sweetness was. Probably closer to what I should be eating to retrain my taste buds to enjoy more subtle flavors. I thought the fritter itself was wonderfully light in texture and flavor.I think I might also try to add a little more lemon zest next time to give it a bit more pop on the taste buds or maybe even sprinkle a bit of cinnamon into the fritter dough itself before frying it. 

RICOTTA FRITTERS (MARCELLA HAZAN)

1/2 lb fresh ricotta

2 eggs

1/3 cup flour

1  1/2 tbsp butter, softened to room temperature

Peel of one lemon grated

salt 

vegetable oil

Honey

Place ricotta in bowl and crumble. Break eggs into bowl andmix with ricotta. Add flour a little at a time, working it into the ricotta/egg mixture. Add butter,lemon peel and pinch of salt and mix until evenly combined. 

Rest batter for 2 1/2 hours (no longer than 3 1/2 hours - why? She didn't say.)

Pour oil to come up 1/2 inch of pan you are using. Turn heat to medium high. Drop dough into hot oil. Flip in pan when golden brown on one side. Turn heat down if fritters are NOT puffing. Transfer with slotted spoon to cooling rack to drain. Drizzle honey and serve hot.

Cooking Italy: Parmesan Lamb Chops

I was a little dubious about trying this recipe. Mostly because I've never been a huge fan of lamb dishes.  A lot of the time it always seemed to taste a little gamey to me and as a result I ended up avoiding most of the opportunities to try it again as a grown up with some more mature taste buds. But I've learned over the past several months that I have in many ways gotten into a culinary rut that is only going to shift with going outside my comfort zone and trying new recipes. So I wrote up my grocery list, went to the store, realized I had no idea of what type of lamb to buy and ended up going home with two chops from the arm region figuring it was good enough (never never EVER good words to hear from me when I'm have a moment of culinary confusion.)

First things first...this was a much thicker chop than the recipe called for. So there really wasn't a way to flatten it to the consistency that Marcella called for not without pounding the life out of it in the process. And I've never really gotten a lot of practice with frying meats for the most part so I was somewhat dubious about how long to cook this while hoping that the oil was hot enough to fry the meat. In the end, after the nice brown crust had formed, I ended up taking it out of the oil and putting it into the oven to bake. 

My sister and I were both looking a little worried as we sat down to eat. She's never eaten lamb without mint jelly. I've not even had that but am fairly sure that I've eaten it in some middle eastern foods in the past so I wasn't sure what to expect from this dish. 

In a nutshell: it was amazing. 

My sister ate the entire lamb chop humming and yumming. Both of us agreed it was tender, without any hint of the gaminess that I had feared it would. Nor did it taste of oil due to the  bath in the oil before I gave up and switched to the oven. The color was gorgeous, the breading was awesome and that cheese coating was perfect. I would definitely make lamb chops again using this recipe. And that's saying a  lot. 

THIN LAMB CHOPS FRIED IN PARMESAN BATTER
12 single rib lamb chops, flattened
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese spread on plate
2 eggs, beaten lightly in deep dish
1 cup fine, dry unflavored bread crumbs on plate
Vegetable oil
Salt
Black Pepper

Turn chops on both sides in parmesan cheese, pressing firmly against the cheese until it adheres well to the plate. Tap to remove excess cheese, dip into beaten eggs and let excess egg drip off. Turn chops in bread crumbs, coating both sides and tap to remove excess. Chops can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead - bring meat to room temperature before cooking.

Pour oil into pan until it comes 1/4 inch up sides of pan. Turn heat to medium. When oil is very hot, slip chops into pan. Turn chops over when a golden crust ha formed and cook other side. Transfer to cooked chops to a warmed platter and serve promptly.

Cooking Italy: Spaghetti Carbonara

I had originally thought I would run out of time to make this recipe. That is until I told my boss I was coming in late so that maintenance could come in to see where a leak was originating several floors back that then turned into them not showing up and the entire work day being shot all to pieces.So, after fuming and complaining to my sister via email, I figured I might as well be productive in the kitchen so I wouldn't take out my boredom on buying unnecessary bakeware online. And since I am a fan of bacon, garlic and spaghetti this seemed to be culinary destiny.

Overall, this was a fairly simple recipe to make. I took a few shortcuts and left the garlic in the pan after I had sauteed it in olive oil figuring a little garlic never hurt anyone.  And I probably ended up with a little more than half a pound of bacon in the pan but it was a sacrifice I was willing to make considering I always end up picking bits of cooked bacon out of any recipe I try.

This was a lot better than I had been expecting it to be without a traditional tomato based sauce. I went with a white pepper and loved how light it tasted. Would definitely make this again. 


Spaghetti with Carbonara Sauce 
1 1/4 lbs cooked spaghetti
1/2 pound pancetta or good quality bacon ( I went with the latter)
4 garlic cloves
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 large eggs
1/4 cup romano cheese
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese
black pepper
2 tbsp parsley 

1. Cut bacon into 1/4 inch strips
2. Sautee garlic in olive oil until golden
3. Cook Bacon in pan and cook until slightly crispy at edges. add wine, lett bubble for 1-2 minutes and turn off heat. 
4. Break 2 eggs into serving bowl to be used for tossing later. Whisk lightly and add the cheeses, pepper and chopped parsley. Mix well. 
5. Add cooked drained spaghetti to bowl and toss, coating well
6. Briefly reheat bacon over high heat, turn out into bowl,  and toss thoroughly
7. Serve immediately

CI: Roast Chicken with Lemons

Today's recipe came from the Cooking Italy Bloggers who are working their way through Marcella Hazan's "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking."

And I have an embarassing confession.

I'm almost ashamed to even admit to it.

But I have never in my life roasted a chicken until today.

Another one of those weird cooking quirks that has developed over time in  my life. I was just convinced that I simply could not make a roast chicken. I don't remember any post traumatic roast chicken issues so I don't know where it came from. So I was a little concerned about this recipe but went ahead with it anyway considering how simple it was to make and the limited ingredients: Chicken, salt, pepper and lemons. I figured it had to be somewhat foolproof even for someone like me.

I am so glad I tried this. It had to have been one of the best roast chickens I've had in a long time. Juicy and tasty, with the meat almost melting in my mouth. This would definitely be my go-to recipe for any roast chicken needs in the future.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH LEMONS
3-4 lb chicken
Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper
2 small lemons ( I could not find them so I used one larger lemon)

Preheat oven t0 350 degrees. Wash chicken throughly (inside/outside) and let dry, slightly tilted for water to drain. Rub down with salt & pepper, making sure to also salt/pepper the cavity. Wash lemons in cold water, dry and roll until softened. Prick with fork or toothpick approximately 20 times. Place lemon inside cavity, and loosely close cavity with toothpicks or kitchen twine.

Cook for approximately 30 minutes, flip chicken over, raise temperature to 400 (I forgot this) and cook an additional 30 minutes approximately (may require slightly longer cooking time for bigger bird).Serve immediately. Chicken is also delicious (I can agree with that!) served later at room temperature.

Cooking Italy: Sausages and Cream Sauce

This is a dangerous recipe.

Dangerously good I mean.

This weeks recipe is from my blogging friends over at Cooking Italy where we are cooking our way through Marcella Hazan's book "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking." And speaking as a former (and occasionally relapsing Chef Boyardee girl) this book will change the way you look at Italian food. Marcella's book covers all the regions of Italy which makes it a completely awesome all around comprehensive book for Italian Cooking.

Which of course does not stop me from buying more Italian cookbooks. But so far I haven't found one that I've actually cooked from lately.

The thing I like most about this recipe is how simple it is to put together. Boil up some Fusili pasta, assemble the sauce below and within about 20 minutes you have a totally yummy dinner. I would definitely make this one again. The only thing I might change would be to double the sauce as I like a generous serving of sauce with my pasta. Okay, so maybe I was a little too generous with tasting while I was cooking it too.

SAUSAGES AND CREAM SAUCE 
1/2 lb Sweet Sausage (containing no fennel, chili pepper or other strong seasonings)
1 1/2 tbsp chopped oinion
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Black Pepper
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Salt
1 pound pasta
Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

Skin the sausage and crumble (I found this to be much easier once it had started to cook).

Place onion, vegetable oil and butter in pan on medium heat and cook until the onion becomes a pale gold. Add sausage and cook for 10 minutes. Add pepper and cream, turn heat to medium high and cook until cream thickens. Toss sauce with cooked drained pasta and serve immediately with parmesan cheese on the side.

Enjoy!

Cooking Italy: Spinach Soup

I like spinach.

Sometimes. Usually not cooked as it has a chewiness that I'm not very fond of.

So, I tried to keep an open mind about this recipe.

It didn't start out well though when I burnt the onions sauteeing them and figured it shouldn't be too terribly bad in the recipe if I tweaked with it a little bit. Which worked out well even if it did take more tweaking then I had anticipated. I ended up adding another 1/2 stick of butter, garlic, and a lot of cheese before it covered up the bitterness of the burnt onions.

The crostini was another matter. I rushed it entirely, just pouring a huge dollop of olive oil in the pan and throwing in the crostini, skipping heating the pan altogether. Also i used brown bread which made it a lot harder to tell if they were toasting so half my crostini tasted okay...the other half tasted like I'd just chugged a bottle of olive oil.

Overall, the soup turned out fairly okay. I'm not a huge spinach person so I don't see making this one a lot but I think I would trot it out fairly frequently for my sister who would love it.

Spinach Soup
from Marcella Hazan "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking"
(2) 10 oz packages frozen whole leaf spinach, thawed
Salt
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter
2 tbsp chopped onion
1 cup canned beef broth diluted by 1 cup water
2 cups milk
Whole Nutmeg
5 tbsp freshly grated parmiagiano-reggiano cheese
Home made Crostini

Squeeze moisture out of spinach when it has thawed and chop coarsely.

Put the butter and onion in a soup pot and turn on the heat to medium. Saute the onion until it becomes colored a pale gold. Add the thawed spinach and saute in the uncovered pot for 2-3 minutes, stirring to coat well.

Add broth, milk and a tiny grating (no more than 1/8 tsp) of nutmeg and bring to a simmer, stirring from time to time.

Add the grated parmesan, stirring it thoroughly into the soup, tasting and correcting for salt and turn off heat.

Ladle into individiual plates or bowls and serve crostini on the side.

Cooking Italy: Pan-Broiled Steaks with Tomatoes and Olives

Thanks to general crankiness and an all-around unorganized life, I'm a little late in posting this recipe for Cooking Italy.

Definitely worth the wait.

The one thing that gave me the culinary creeps was the greek black olives. I'd accidentally eaten them before and generally shunned them as I preferred the regular black olives. So part of me was definitely tempted to skip that ingredient.

My other big concern was in flattening the steaks. My gift in life is defnitely not in cooking meat to the right consistency. I'm either overdone or underdone. No middle of the road for me with cooking (or in life in general).

I was totally surprised in how great this tasted. And how easy it was to make. Of course it helped that I went with diced tomatoes and jarred garlic which left it still very tasty. I also was pleased by how good the greek olives worked with this recipe (a lot more than I had anticipated).

 Pan-Broiled Thin Beef Steaks with Tomatoes and Olives
Marcella Hazan "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking"

1/2 medium onion sliced very thin
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled & sliced very thin
2/3 cup canned Italian Tomatoes, coarsely chopped with juice
1/4 tsp dried oregnao (or 1/2 tsp fresh)
Salt
Black Pepper
1 dozen black greek olives pitted and quartered
Vegetable Oil
1 lb boneless beef steaks, flattened thin and notched

Put the sliced onion and olive oil in a suate pan, turn on the heat to medium low and cook the onion, letting it gradually wilt. When it becomes a pale gold, add the garlic. cook the garlic until it becomes very lightly colored, then add the tomatoes with their juice and the oregano. Stir thoroughly to coat well, adjust heat so that the tomatoes cook at a steady simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or until the oil floats free of the tomatoes. Add salt, a few grindings of pepper, and the olives, stir thoroughly and cook for 1 more minute. Turn heat down to minimum.

Heat a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, until it is hot, then quickly grease the bottom with a cloth towel soaked in vegetable oil (I omitted this and just sprayed with olive oil). Put in the beef slices, cooking both sides just long enough to brown them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper as you turn them.

Transfer meat to the pan with the tomato sauce and turn it 2 or 3 times. Put the steaks on a warm serving platter, turning out the sauce over them and serve at once.

** The recipe can be completed up to this point several hours or even a day in advance. Stop short of of putting in the olives, adding them only after reheating the sauce, before it is combined with the steaks.

Cooking Italy: Amatriciana (Tomato Sauce with Pancetta & Chile Pepper)

This weeks recipe for the Cooking Italy Group was Amatriciana (Tomato Sauce with Pancetta & Chile Pepper). 

Before we talk about the recipe, I should explain. I grew up a Chef Boyardee kind of girl. Canned, jarred, it made no difference. Just dump it in a pot, heat it up dump it on a plate and call it dinner. After I read the recipe, I was a bit underwhelmed by the ingredients and pretty sure it was not going to taste all that great.

I am happy to be very wrong.

And I am now forever spoiled when it comes to Italian food now thanks to Marcella Hazan.

The only mistake I would say I made was starting to cook the sauce before i had the water boiling but that's because my pots take forever to boil water, even if i crank it to high. So I had the sauce done before the water even began to full boil and had to wait another 15 minutes with it simmering before I had cooked pasta.

The biggest surprise though was how good it tasted. You have to realize that I have flirted with cooking before so I know how good some things can taste homemade versus processed. But I think this was the first time that I've made pasta sauce from scratch that didn't involve sugar and a lot of ingredients.  The Amatriciana just had tomatoes, bacon (BACON! BACON! BACON BACON BACON!), onions, salt, white pepper, parmesan cheese and  romano cheese.

Seriously though. Real food tastes amazing when you just eat it as it's supposed to be. Only shame is I didn't discover this earlier.

Even more amazing was that it wasn't too difficult to make. I cheated a bit by using regular bacon instead of pancetta. Also I am not a chile pepper girl (or spicy foods in general) so I used white pepper in its place.Also, I used Penne pasta in place of the bucatini as it was a lot easier to find at Jewel. But this is still a keeper in my house now.

Amatriciana Sauce with Penne Pasta

from Marcella Hazan's "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking"

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp butter

1 medium onion chopped fine

1/4 inch slice pancetta cut into 1/2 wide/1 inch long slices

1 1/2 cups plum tomato(drained & cut)

pepper to taste (original recipe called for chili pepper)

salt

3 tbsp parmigana reggiano cheese

2 tbsp romano cheese

1 pound penne pasta

Put oil, butter and onion in saucepan and turn heat to medium. Saute onion until pale gold, then add pancetta. Cook for one minute, stirring once or twice. Add tomatoes,pepper and salt and cook in uncovered pot at a steady, gentle simmer for 25 minutes. Toss pasta with sauce then add cheeses and toss again.

Sweet Potato Cappallacci

So this weekend, to keep myself out of trouble and from running amuck in the snack aisle out of boredom with my computer being out of commission, I decided it was time to get my first posting for my Cooking Italy blogging group done early so there would be fewer last minute "Oh this looks good enough moments". We are working our way through Marcella Hazan's wonderful book "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking" which even though there are no pictures (intimidating at first for me) I can highly recommend.

Now this recipe was not quite as alarming as it might have been a week ago thanks to the pasta making class I had last week when I learned making the dough is actually pretty much a breeze...rolling it out , at least for the gnocchi we made last week, was a lot more of a pain. And I can honestly say now that at least for this recipe, it is not necessary to have tons of equipment to make pasta. All it takes is a table and for me, a cookie cutter.

Pasta Dough

3 eggs

Approximately 1 2/3 cups flour

1 tbsp milk

Filling

1 3/4 cups fresh sweet potatoes (I used canned for convenience)

2 amaretti cookies (could not find so I used a splash of amaretto)

1 egg yolk

3 tbsp prosciutto

1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese

3 tbsp chopped parsley (I forgot this)

Whole Nutmeg (I used ground)

Salt

Butter Cheese Sauce

4 tbsp high quality butter

1 cup parmesan cheese

Now the actual mixing of the dough is fairly simple and actually pretty fun if you're slightly nuts like me and used to like working with the paper mache dough. Although after working with the dough this time, I've learned that it's definitely a lot easier if you flour your hands before starting to work the dough as your hands are at risk of being shellaced with pasta dough. Also, I'd fogotten to whisk the eggs when they were in the center being mixing it in with the dough so that made for a slightly messy moment when I startd to pull the dough together.

I took a hint from Marcella's book and rested the dough for a few hours which made it a lot easier to work with once I was ready to roll out the dough. Although I was not as precise as she was with rolling and turning and letting it hang to stretch, I still feel like I ended up with a perfectly respectable dough.

Once I had the dough rolled out as far as I could to the point where I was nicely close to it being translucent, it was time to cut. I had purchased a pastry/pasta cutter at the store but at the last minute felt nervous about being able to pull it off. So I opted instead for using a round cooking cutter and cutting out uniform circles of dough.

Now as the moment of truth. Actually getting the circles of dough to rememble ravioli. The fist half dozen were NOT pretty. Apparently it is a lot trickier for me to gauge the amount of filling needed than I had anticipated. So those early poor little raviolis were oozing filling and a little mutated.

By the time I had hit the halfway mark, I was feeling pretty good and had fairly nice looking ravioli. Unfortunatately I have no actual physical proof of this. Although this was one of the early success stories with just a little filling oozing out.

Once the ravioli had dried for about 20 minutes, I threw them into a pot of boiling water and fished them out with a sieve once they had floated to the top. I was only a little dubious about the whole thing at this point as I had never had sweet potato ravioli before so I bit into one (it'd fallen on the floor so I figured why not).

Oh my.

Oh my my my oh my.

I had learned that I LOVE sweet potato ravioli. It was absolutely amazing. And this was even before the deliciously cheesy sauce that I didn't even make correctly. Apparently I was supposed to toss the pasta with alternating butter and cheese. Instead I had decided to take the remaining sweet potato mix and melt it with the cheese and butter. It is a thick sauce but oh so very tasty.

I made about 2/3 of the recipe too and then gave up on rolling it out again so I just made a calzone out of the rest of it.

So the end result is definitely hands down better than any store bought ravioli I've bought. And if I have the time on a weekend, I would make it again. It's from start to end at least for me maybe about 4 hours worth of work including resting the dought.