Tag Archives: Italian

Ricciarelli Cookies

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Ricciarelli on silpat

Ingredients

  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 dash lemon juice
  • 2 1/4 cups almond flour
  • 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest about one medium lemon
  • 1 tsp orange extract
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar, reserved

Directions

Prepare lemon zest and juice, setting aside. Sift together sugar, almond flour, salt and baking powder, and set aside. Whip egg whites into stiff peaks. Gently fold in dry ingredients. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, orange extract, almond extract and vanilla extract, folding to combine.

Line a baking sheet with silpat or parchment.

Roll dough into 1″ balls and arrange on the sheet, wetting hands with cool water occasionally to minimize the dough sticking while handling. Toss dough balls individually or in small groups coating generously in the reserved sugar, and return to the sheet.

Rest sugar-coated dough balls at room temperature for 1 hour, allowing a crust to form. Gently press the balls flat with the pad of thumb, or a clean, dry teaspoon, optionally forming cookies into ovals.

Bake 20 minutes in a preheated, 300°F oven. Allow cookies to cool and set cometely before handling.

Makes 20-30 cookies.

Adapted from https://www.pinchmeimeating.com/ricciarelli/

Pizza dough #1

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Ingredients

  • 500g “Tipo 00” extra-fine flour
  • 15g sea salt
  • 20g olive oil
  • 300mL warm water (105-115°F)
  • 1g sugar
  • 1 sachet (8.5g) dry active yeast

Instructions

Combine warm water, sugar and yeast in a bowl and whisk to dissolve yeast. Proof yeast 5-10 minutes, until foaming.

Combine flour and salt in bowl of a stand mixer and combine with paddle attachment. With mixer on low speed, add water mixture by halves until a soft dough forms., about 2 minutes.

Rest dough 10 minutes.

Swap to a dough hook attachment and run mixer on low to medium speed, kneading dough 8-10 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add pinches of flour if dough remains too sticky, being careful not to add too much flour. A slightly sticky dough will yield a crispier, fluffier crust.

Turn out dough into an oiled bowl, and coat on all sides. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size and dough does not bounce back when poked, about 2½ hours.

Punch down dough and divide into two balls. Place balls on an oiled sheet and rest at least 10 minutes. Dough balls may also be wrapped in pinch paper and frozen for later use. If using immediately, coat a work surface lightly in bench flour or corn meal Shape dough into 12″ rounds for pizza.

Tuscan Soup

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Rustic Italian soup in the Tuscan style with sausage, cannellini beans and kale. Serves 8.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Italian sweet sausage, casing removed
  • 1 lb Italian hot sausage, casing removed
  • 2 cans cannellini bean, 15 oz
  • 3 shallots or 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 1 carrot, peeled and diced
  • 1 large potato, peeled and diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 bunches kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp ground oregano
  • 1 tsp fennel seed
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • ½ cup sherry or dry white wine
  • 5 oz Boursin cheese (optional)
  • ½ cup milk or half & half
  • Ground black pepper and salt to taste

Instructions

Break up sausage and brown in medium dutch over over medium-high flame to form a strong fond. Sauté diced shallot, celery and carrot until tender, and shallot is fragrant and turning translucent. Add garlic and saute one additional minute, until fragrant. Add tomato paste and stir to combine, one to two minutes. Deglaze with sherry, scraping up the fond.

Add spices, cannellini beans with liquid, potato, kale, bay leaves and chicken stock. Cover and simmer 30 minutes, until carrots and potato are tender. If desired, add Boursin cheese and stir until well combined. Add milk and stir to combine.

Bolognese sauce #1

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Makes 6 quarts.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lb 93% lean ground beef
  • 1 lb uncased Italian sausage
  • 2 tbsp olive oil or bacon fat
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 ribs celery, minced
  • 1 large carrot, minced
  • 2 cans whole peeled tomato, 28 oz each
  • 1 can crushed tomato, 28 oz
  • 1 can tomato paste, 6 oz
  • ¾ cup whole milk
  • ¾ cup dry white wine, vermouth or dry sherry
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp fresh, cracked black pepper
  • 1 tbsp crushed red pepper
  • ½ tsp white pepper

Instructions

Heat a 7.5 quart dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown beef and sausage. Remove browned meat to a bowl and reserve 2 tbsp of fat in the pot.

Add olive oil or bacon fat to the pot, and allow to warm until shimmering. Add onions, carrots and celery, and sauté until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper and tomato paste. Combine and sauté until fragrant taking care not to char the tomato, about 4 more minutes.

Add meat back to the pot and combine with soffritto. Add wine, vermouth or sherry and combine, scraping up the remaining fond. Maintain heat until bubbling. When bubbling subsides combine milk and maintain heat until bubbling. Combine remaining cans of tomato and spices and maintain heat until bubbling.

Reduce heat to maintain a simmer for approximately 3 hours uncovered, stirring occasionally. Add water by the ½ cup if the sauce gets appears too dry. Sauce is done when the fats separate.

Slow cooked method

As an alternative to simmering for 3 hours, preheat oven to 225°F. Follow instructions above up to the simmer, then place uncovered pot in the oven for up to 3 hours, or until fats separate.

Basic Focaccia

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Ingredients

  • 3¼ to 3½ cups bread flour
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 sachet bread yeast
  • Scant 1½ cups warm water, divided
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Proof yeast in 1 cup warm water.

Combine flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Add the yeast with its water and allow mixer to knead the bread until it is a soft dough.  Coat with olive oil and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to rise 24 hours.

Pan method

Preheat oven to 450°F .

Prepare a rimmed, half tray cookie sheet with 3 tbsp olive oil. Turn out dough and spread to the edges of the pan.  Allow to rest 1 hour.  Dimple top with finger tips, then brush with olive oil and kosher salt.  Bake 15-20 minutes, until top is lightly browned and edges are golden.

Stone method

Preheat oven and stone to 450°F.

Prepare a peel liberally with corn meal.  Turn out dough onto peel and spread to the edges.  Allow to rest for 1 hour.  Dimple top with finger tips, then brush with olive oil and kosher sale.  Transfer to stone, and bake 15-20 minutes until the top is lightly browned and the bottom is golden.

Credit: Unknown provenance

Fresh Basil Pesto

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Requires a mortar & pestle, or a food processor

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
  • 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions (mortal & pestle)

  • Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, in a mortar and pound into a grainy paste with pestle
  • Add cheese to mortar and combine
  • Add oil in teaspoon increments and combine into smooth paste
  • Add salt & pepper to taste

Instructions (food processor)

  • Add nuts to food processor and pulse several times until nuts are pulverized into a coarse meal
  • Add basil and pulse several times until finely chopped
  • Add cheese and pulse to combine
  • Add oil in teaspoon increments and pulse until well blended
  • Add salt and pepper to taste

Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.

Yield: Makes 1 cup.

Shamelessly stolen from Simply Recipes.