Eating Italy: A Chef's Culinary Adventure (29 page)

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Divide the stuffing between the birds, stuffing it generously into the cavities until they are very plump. Heat the butter and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the oil in a large heavy sauté pan (or two smaller ones) over medium-high heat. When hot, add the quail breast-side down, and cook until golden brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Turn the quail breast-side up, transfer the pan(s) to the oven, and cook until an instant-read thermometer registers 145° to 150°F (63° to 66°C) when inserted into the center, 6 to 8 minutes.

Transfer the quail to a cutting board and put the pan(s) over medium heat. Add the figs, cut-side down, then add the shallots and sauté until the shallots are lightly golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in the vinegar to deglaze the pans, shaking the pan back and forth, and then pour in the remaining 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of olive oil, shaking the pans to combine the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut each quail in half lengthwise to expose the stuffing. Spoon the sauce over and around each half and serve.

OVEN-ROASTED RABBIT PORCHETTA
with
PEPERONATA

Porchetta
is the belly of a pig wrapped around the loin and roasted. Here, I do the same thing but with rabbit. I debone a whole rabbit, pound it flat, make sausage with some of the trimmed meat, roll the rabbit around the sausage, and then pan-roast the whole thing. You could make this dish with almost any animal, but rabbit has got to be the most underrated meat in the United States. We should be eating more of it. It’s lean, easy to raise, and delicious! Make this dish a few days ahead if you like. It can be served warm or cold, as can the accompanying sauté of peppers, tomatoes, and onions.

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

Rabbit Porchetta:

1 rabbit, about 3½ pounds (1.5 kg), deboned, liver and heart reserved (see note)

3 ounces (85 g) pork fatback, cut into ½-inch (1.25-cm) cubes

About 1 pound (450 g) caul fat, for wrapping

1 teaspoon (6 g) salt, plus more for seasoning

Freshly ground black pepper

¾ teaspoon (1.75 g) dextrose powder, or ¼ teaspoon (1 g) superfine sugar

¼ teaspoon (0.5 g) cracked black peppercorns

1 large egg, beaten

2 teaspoons (10 ml) heavy cream

2 tablespoons (30 ml) grapeseed oil

1 garlic clove, smashed

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Peperonata:

2 ripe tomatoes

1 small yellow onion

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

6 mixed roasted peppers (
page 278
), green, red, and yellow, cut into 1½-inch (3.75-cm) squares

1 garlic clove, smashed

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

½ cup (30 g) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon (15 ml) sherry wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the rabbit porchetta:
Spread the deboned rabbit on its back on a work surface. Trim 12 ounces (340 g) of the leg meat. Cut the trimmed meat into cubes and place it on a baking sheet or cutting board that will fit in your freezer. Cut 1¼ ounces (35 g) of the liver and heart into cubes and add it to the sheet or board, along with the pork fatback. (If you prefer, you can skip the organs and add an additional 1 ounce of fatback.) Spread everything in a single layer and freeze until firm and partially frozen, 20 to 30 minutes. Also freeze all parts of a meat grinder or the metal blade of a food processor.

The remaining rabbit should be roughly rectangular. Place it on a large sheet of plastic wrap, cover with another sheet of plastic, and pound the meat to an even ¼-inch (6-mm) thickness. Lay down another large sheet of plastic (optional, to help with rolling), and stretch out enough caul fat on it to clear the pounded-out rabbit by 2 inches (5 cm) all around. Roll up the rabbit meat and then unroll it on the caul fat, shaping it into a rectangle with no holes in the meat. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Scatter the 1 teaspoon of salt, dextrose, and peppercorns evenly over the partially frozen trimmed meat. Gently mix by hand. Grind the meat mixture in the cold meat grinder fitted with the medium plate. If using a food processor, process the mixture with short pulses until very finely chopped but not completely pureed. It should look like hamburger. Transfer to a large bowl and add the egg and cream. Gently stir until blended and then use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Place the meat mixture on the rabbit and form it into a cylinder, leaving an inch or two of space on each end. Use the plastic and caul fat to roll the rabbit over the filling, rolling it tight until you get two-thirds of the way to the other side. Fold the excess caul fat from the edges inward, like a burrito, and continue rolling into a tight, thick cylinder. Tie the porchetta with kitchen string in four or five places to help it hold its shape. Season lightly with salt and pepper. The porchetta can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours or frozen for up to 2 weeks before cooking and serving.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (260°C). Heat the grapeseed oil, garlic, and rosemary in a large, ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot and sizzling, push the garlic and rosemary to the sides of the pan. Add the porchetta to the pan and sear until all sides are golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove and discard the garlic and rosemary before they burn. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook until the internal temperature registers 145° to 150°F (63° to 66°C) on an instant-read thermometer, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer the porchetta to a cutting board and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

For the peperonata:
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, and fill a bowl with ice water. Score an X on the bottom of each tomato and drop into the boiling water until the skin near the X starts to curl, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to the ice water and swish the tomatoes until they are cool. Peel and discard the skins of the tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise, along their equator, and dig out the seeds and gel. Cut out and discard the core, and then cut the remaining tomato flesh into 1½-inch (3.75-cm) squares. Cut the onion into 1½-inch (3.75-cm) pieces as well.

Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sweat until soft but not browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomato, peppers, garlic, and rosemary, lower the heat to low, and cook gently for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove and discard the garlic and rosemary and then season the peperonata with the parsley, vinegar, salt and pepper. Taste and add more vinegar or olive oil as necessary. The peperonata can be made up to 3 days ahead, refrigerated, and then gently reheated before serving.

Slice the porchetta into ½-inch (1.25-cm)-thick medallions and serve with the peperonata, warm or cold.

Note

To debone the rabbit, cut through the breastbone, spread open the rib cage, and set aside the heart and liver. Discard any large deposits of fat. Scrape the blade of a boning knife over the inside of the ribs to thin out the membrane. Grab the side of the rabbit and poke the ribs through the membrane, then cut down around the ribs, holding the knife against bone, to remove the meat from the bone. Take care not to cut any holes in the meat. Make long slits down the center of the inside of the backbone to loosen it from the meat. When you get to the legs, cut down to the hip joints, then break the joints in two. Using short strokes and holding the blade against bone, gradually cut along the length of the backbone and underneath it to loosen the bone from the meat. The goal is to remove the entire backbone and rib cage from neck to tail, leaving the meat intact. The legs will still be attached. To debone them, cut down the length of each bone and scrape the meat from the bones, then break the joints and pull the bones from the meat like pulling a foot out of a sock. Scrape as much meat as possible from the bones, keeping a piling of trimmed meat as you work.

BONÈT

Most restaurants in Piedmont serve some version of this dessert. It’s like a chocolate flan made with crushed amaretti cookies and rum. The cookies separate out, making a soft crust, the custard stays rich and creamy, and the crème caramel forms its own syrupy sauce to drizzle over the top. The best version I’ve ever eaten was at Cesare Giaccone’s restaurant just a half hour south of Alba. It’s his mother’s recipe and he hasn’t changed a thing since he started making it fifty years ago. I modeled this version on that one.

MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

3 cups (600 g) granulated sugar, divided

6 large eggs

3 tablespoons (45 ml) white rum

1⅓ cups (115 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1⅓ cups (160 g) finely ground amaretti cookie crumbs, plus a little extra for sprinkling

3 cups plus 2 tablespoons (780 ml) whole milk

Using an electric mixer on high speed or a sturdy whisk, whip together 1 cup (200 g) of the sugar with the eggs and rum until smooth, about 2 minutes. Sift the cocoa powder and cookie crumbs into the egg mixture, and then whisk until smooth. Gradually add the milk in stages, stirring until smooth between additions to prevent lumps. Cover and let stand in the refrigerator overnight.

Pour the remaining 2 cups (400 g) of sugar into a heavy sauté pan (not nonstick). Add just enough warm tap water to wet the sugar, about ¼ cup (60 ml), and cook over medium-high heat, swirling the pan but not stirring, until the sugar begins to turn medium amber in color, 6 to 8 minutes. Gently swirl the sugar in the pan to create an even-colored caramel. When the sugar is evenly golden, lower the heat to medium, stand back, and gradually add ⅓ cup (90 ml) of warm water; it will steam and spit. Cook the caramel just enough for it to remelt and become a thick, pourable syrup.