Eating Italy: A Chef's Culinary Adventure (25 page)

VEAL LIVER RAVIOLINI
with
FIGS
and
CARAMELIZED ONIONS

I had been making liver pâtés for a while and always folded in butter to help them keep their shape. It seemed like it would make an awesome pasta filling, so I heated some pâté in a pan and it melted nice and slow. Perfect. When you put a fork into this raviolini, it’s super-creamy, plus you get some sweetness from the onions and figs. You could make this with duck liver or chicken liver if you can’t find veal.

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

Veal Liver Raviolini:

1¼ pounds (567 g) veal liver

1 ounce (28 g) pancetta, cut into ½-inch (1.25-cm) cubes

1 small yellow onion, chopped (⅔ cup/106 g)

Leaves from 1 large sprig fresh rosemary

1½ tablespoons (22 ml) brandy

8 ounces (2 sticks/227 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1¾ ounces (50 g) Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces (227 g) Egg Pasta Dough (
page 282
), rolled into 2 sheets, each about
inch (0.8 mm) thick

Figs and Caramelized Onions:

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

5 medium-size yellow onions, cut into half-moon slices (6½ cups/1 kg)

2 ounces (57 g) lardo, cut into strips

4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter

1 pound (450 g) small fresh figs

1½ teaspoons (7 ml) balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons (8 g) chopped fresh rosemary

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 ounce (28 g) Parmesan cheese, grated (⅓ cup) for garnish

For the veal liver raviolini:
Cut the veal liver into pieces about two fingers wide and set aside. Cook the pancetta in a large sauté pan over medium heat until some of the fat renders and the pancetta looks translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the pancetta to a bowl. Raise the heat to medium-high and when the rendered fat is hot, add the veal liver and sear until nicely browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes total. Return the pancetta to the pan, along with the onion and rosemary, and cook until the onion is translucent and the liver is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes more. Pour in the brandy, lower the heat to medium, and cook until the liquid reduces in volume by about three-quarters, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl; cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 1 hour.

Combine the veal liver mixture and cold butter cubes in a food processor, and puree until very smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides a few times. For the smoothest texture, pass the mixture through a tammy cloth (woolen strainer), triple layer of cheesecloth, or fine-mesh sieve. Add the Parmesan, season with salt and pepper, and pulse briefly to combine. Spoon the filling into a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Lay a pasta sheet on a lightly floured work surface and dust with flour. Trim the ends to make them square, then fold the dough in half lengthwise and make a small notch at the center to mark it. Open the sheet so it lies flat again and spritz with water. Cut off a small corner of the resealable plastic bag so you can pipe the filling on the pasta. Beginning at the left-hand side, pipe two rows of filling along the length of the pasta, stopping at the center of the sheet. For each row, pipe rectangular strips of filling about 1½ inches (4 cm) long by ½ inch (1 cm) wide with a ½-inch (1 cm) margin around each strip. Lift up the right-hand side of the pasta sheet and fold it over to cover the strips of filling. Gently press the pasta around each strip of filling to seal. Use a fluted ravioli cutter or sharp knife to cut the ravioli into rectangles about 2½ inches (6 cm) long by 1½ inches (4 cm) wide. Repeat with the remaining pasta dough and filling. You should have about thirty-two raviolini.

For the figs and caramelized onions:
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions, shaking the pan to distribute the hot oil. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions shed their water and go from translucent to light golden to deep caramel brown, 30 to 40 minutes total. To keep the onions from browning unevenly, stir in a little water now and then. Scrape into a bowl and set aside.

Put the lardo and butter in the pan, and cook over medium heat until the lardo renders its fat and the butter turns golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Cut the figs lengthwise into quarters (or eighths if the figs are large) and add to the pan, along with the caramelized onions, vinegar, and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper to taste and keep warm over very low heat.

When ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the raviolini, quickly return the water to a boil, and cook the pasta until tender yet firm, about 2 minutes. Use a spider strainer or slotted spoon to transfer the raviolini to plates.

Spoon some warm sauce over each plate and sprinkle with Parmesan.

OIL-POACHED BLACK BASS
with
FRESH PEAS
and
BABY TOMATOES

Poaching fish in olive oil is a genius technique. It’s something Paolo Begnini did all the time. The oil keeps the fish moist but doesn’t make it taste watery, as poaching in water sometimes does. When I got back to the States and started cooking at Osteria, we were getting in these big, beautiful black bass in the spring. They had gorgeous, clear flesh and a clean, briny aroma. I knew exactly what to do with them. With spring onions, peas, and first-of-the-season tomatoes, this is very much a springtime dish. But if you can’t find black bass, you could also make it with branzino, wild striped bass, or even snapper. It helps to start heating both the oil and the blanching water at the same time, so the overall timing of the dish works out.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Bass and Poaching Oil:

4 black bass fillets, skin on, about 6 ounces (170 g) each

3 cups (750 ml) grapeseed oil

1½ cups (375 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

10 to 15 sprigs fresh thyme

3 bay leaves

Peas and Tomatoes:

1½ pounds (680 g) English peas, shelled

2 cups (340 g) baby grape or pear tomatoes

1 cup (235 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided

4 to 6 spring onions, trimmed and julienned

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons (2.5 g) torn fresh tarragon

2 teaspoons (2. 5 g) torn fresh chervil

Maldon sea salt for garnish

For the bass and poaching oil:
Rinse the bass, and pour the oils into a deep sauté pan big enough to hold all of the fish. Roll the thyme and bay in cheesecloth and wrap and tie with kitchen string. Add the sachet to the poaching oil and bring the mixture to 220°F (105°C) over medium heat. Add the bass; the oil temperature will drop. Adjust the heat so that the oil temperature stays at 190°F (88°C). Poach the bass at 190°F until just a little moist and translucent in the center, about 130°F (54°C) internal temperature, 7 minutes or so. Carefully transfer the fish to paper towels to drain.

For the peas and tomatoes:
Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water. Add the peas and blanch for 1½ minutes. Transfer to the ice water to stop the cooking. When cool, use your fingers to slip the peas from their skins. You should have about 1½ cups (218 g) shelled peas.

Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water and blanch for 10 seconds. Transfer to the ice water to stop the cooking. When cool, slip the tomatoes from their skins. Set aside.

Heat ¼ cup (60 ml) of the oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions, and cook until soft but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the skinned tomatoes and warm through, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

In another pan, heat the remaining ¾ cup (175 ml) of oil and the lemon juice over medium heat. Add the peas and herbs and warm through, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread the onions in the center of each plate. Place the fish on top and the tomatoes around the fish. Spoon the peas over the top and garnish with sea salt and black pepper.

VANILLA CRESPELLE
with
CARAMELIZED PINEAPPLE SAUCE

My wife is the queen of crêpes. She can make them with her eyes closed. In culinary school, I was taught to make crêpes with barely any color. But she gets the pan nice and hot and the crêpes get beautifully browned all over. When I tasted her crêpes (called
crespelle
in Italy), they had so much more character than the ones I was used to making. The real star here is the sauce, made from diced pineapple cooked in butter until the juice evaporates and the pineapple turns deep amber. The caramelized flavor is unreal. Just watch your eyebrows: when you add the rum; it will flambé. I made a generous yield here because the crespelle and sauce both keep well—and they’re so good you might have two servings.

MAKES 12 TO 14 SERVINGS

Crespelle:

8 large eggs

2 vanilla beans, split and scraped

4 cups (500 g)
tipo
00 flour (see
page 277
) or all-purpose flour

4 cups (1 L) whole milk

Grapeseed oil, for cooking the crespelle

Caramelized Pineapple Sauce:

8 ounces (2 sticks/227 g) unsalted butter

1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and diced small

2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar

½ cup (120 ml) dark rum

1½ cups (375 ml) heavy cream

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

For the crespelle:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla. Whisk in the flour to make a very thick batter that is difficult to whisk. Gradually whisk in the milk so that the batter is thin enough to just barely coat the back of a spoon. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Heat an 8-inch (20-cm)-diameter pan with a little grapeseed oil over medium heat until it’s almost smoking. If you have two pans, you can cook two crespelle at once. Pour out any excess oil, and then, holding the pan handle, pour in 3 to 4 tablespoons (45 to 60 ml) of batter, and quickly tilt the pan in a circle to spread the batter as thinly as possible across the bottom of the pan. Cook until the crespelle is set on top and the edges are lightly browned and starting to curl, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip, and cook the other side for 1 minute. If using immediately, stack the crespelle on a plate. If you are making the crespelle ahead of time, stack them between sheets of waxed paper, let cool, then refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 4 weeks.

For the caramelized pineapple sauce:
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the pineapple, and cook until most of the juice evaporates and the pineapple turns light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Stir in the sugar, and cook until it turns a light amber color (355°F/180°C on a candy thermometer), about 5 minutes. Stand back and add the rum; it will sputter, may well ignite, and the sugar will be extremely hot. When the sputtering or flames die down, carefully stir in the cream, remove the pan from the heat, and let cool.

For each serving, heat about ⅓ cup (90 ml) of sauce in a sauté pan. Add two crespelle, and cook until heated through, about a minute. The crespelle will fold over themselves in the pan, which is fine. Use tongs to fold the crêpes into quarters and transfer to a plate. Pour the sauce over the top and dust with confectioners’ sugar.