Tag: crostini

[Thoughts on the Table – 36] Truffle Hunting in Abruzzo with Hannah Solomon from SZ Tartufi

Thoughts on the Table is back! Join me to meet Hannah Solomon, a marketing consultant who is doing an internship at SZ Tartufi, a company that produces truffles and truffle-based preparations in the Abruzzo region of Italy.

During the episode Hannah talks about the fascinating process of cultivating truffles, as well as the fact that the best truffles cannot be cultivated at all(!), but need to be hunted with the use of dogs (as co-founder Ugo Serafini shows in this truffle hunting video).

Hannah was also kind enough to send a small sample of their products – which of course I was super excited to try! Below you can find a delicious use of them, a recipe recommended by Hannah herself. Enjoy!

Music: www.purple-planet.com.

Listen now!
   

 

Truffle Crostini with Asparagus Tips and Poached Eggs

Ingredients for 2 servings

  • 2 tablespoons of White Truffle Cream
  • 10 small asparagus
  • 2 eggs (the freshest that you can find)
  • 2 thick slices of bread
  • One drizzle of Truffle Oil
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar

Preparation

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a very gentle simmer, add the vinegar.
  2. Boil the asparagus for 5 minutes and set aside. Trim off the bottom part, only leaving the top 4 to 5 inches.
  3. Crack one egg into a small bowl, then slide it slowly into the water. Let the eggs sink to the bottom on one side of the pot. Repeat with the second egg making it land on the other side. Leave the eggs undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes until the white feels solid.
  4. Meanwhile, toast the bread. Spread the White Truffle Cream on it, then lay the asparagus over top.
  5. Lift the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon to drain any excess liquid. Lay them over the asparagus.
  6. Drizzle the crostini with Truffle Oil, and enjoy!

Summer Minestra

For a summer meal, soup is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. But it’s in the summer that we have the best local vegetables and that the body needs fewer calories and more hydration. A soup can actually make for a great summer dish, especially if served lukewarm.

This recipe is for a ‘minestra di verdure’, a soup of unstrained vegetables (and legumes), which can optionally contain pasta or rice. The well known ‘minestrone’ is just a kind of minestra, usually richer and thicker. In a ‘passato di verdura‘, instead, the vegetables are strained after cooking, either by hand or by using a food mill. The term ‘zuppa’ generically refers to any kind of soup, including broths.

Soups are considered by many as the simplest dishes to make, but making a good soup is not trivial. The ingredients have to be balanced, bringing the right amounts of sweet, salty and sour to the dish, and the right amount of fats. In a minestra, the texture and the appearance are also important – the ingredients need to remain distinct despite the prolonged cooking necessary for the flavor to develop.

Italian soups are sometimes served with a sprinkle of Parmigiano, or with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and they may be accompanied by ‘crostini di pane’ (bread croutons).

Minestre can be made of countless vegetables and legumes combinations. Here is the recipe for the minestra in the picture above.

Summer Minestra

Yield: 4 servings

Total Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Summer Minestra

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • ½ onion, sliced
  • 1 carrot, finely diced
  • 2 sticks celery, finely diced
  • 3 or 4 leaves kale, coarsely sliced (a good replacement for 'cavolo nero')
  • 3 or 4 leaves cabbage, coarsely sliced
  • 2 small potatoes, diced
  • 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 4 cups water
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 slices of hard crust bread, toasted and sliced

Preparation

  1. Stir fry the onion, carrot and the celery in olive oil at medium heat for 10 minutes until tender.
  2. Add the water, the kale, the cabbage, the potatoes and the tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and lower the heat.
  3. Cook for a couple of hours, stirring from time to time. Ensure that the minestra simmers slowly and doesn't over-boil.
  4. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Serve with bread croutons and a drizzle of olive oil (optional).

Notes

For a more filling minestra, 10-15 minutes before it's ready, add 80 grams (3 oz) of rice or small pasta (ditalini, quadretti, stelline, avemarie or regular spaghetti cut in small pieces) and ensure a steady boil.

https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2012/05/summer-minestra.html

 

Two Kinds of Crostini: Cannellini and Radicchio

Crostini (plural of: ‘crostino’, from bread crust) are rustic appetizers where toasted bread slices are used as a base for various toppings. In a way, a ‘bruschetta‘ can be considered a kind of crostino, but it’s generally not seen that way because of its stronger identity. Crostini may be also served as a snack or to accompany an aperitivo.

Most crostini share the same kind of base: a toasted bread slice, with fresh garlic and extra virgin olive oil. Countless toppings can then be added to this already delicious support. Here you will find the recipes for two of the most traditional ones: cannellini spread and stewed radicchio, both of which can be served either cold or warm.

Cannellini spread
The first topping is based on cannellini, a kind of white beans with a very thin skin, delicate flavor and a starchy texture. Cannellini are also used to thicken soups and in the famous Pasta e Fagioli.

Stewed Radicchio
The second topping is based on radicchio, an Italian vegetable that belongs to the same family of chicory, escarole, and Belgian endive, and with which it shares a bitter flavor. To counter the bitterness, radicchio is often generously salted and/or paired up with salty cheese (especially Parmigiano).

Two Kinds of Crostini: Cannellini and Radicchio

Yield: 8-10 crostini

Total Time: 30 minutes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Two Kinds of Crostini: Cannellini and Radicchio

Ingredients

     Base ingredients

    • 8-10 slices of ciabatta or baguette, toasted
    • 1 garlic clove, pealed
    • Some extra virgin olive oil

     Cannellini spread

    • 1 Tbsp olive oil
    • 1 garlic clove, mashed
    • 1 sprig of rosemary, finely sliced
    • 1 can of cannellini (~400g), drained
    • salt and pepper
    • 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

     Stewed radicchio

    • 1 Tbsp olive oil
    • 1 big shallot, thinly sliced
    • 1 radicchio, sliced
    • 2 Tbsp red wine
    • salt and pepper
    • 1 Tbsp of Parmigiano, coarsely grated or slivered

    Preparation

       Base preparation

      1. Toast or char-grill the bread making sure it doesn't dry out completely.
      2. Rub each slice with the garlic (the roughness of the toasted bread will act as a scraper).
      3. Drizzle with the olive oil.

       Cannellini spread

      1. Roast the garlic in the olive oil until golden.
      2. Add the rosemary and the cannellini.
      3. Cook for 5-10 minutes.
      4. Mash the beans coarsely by using a fork.
      5. Adjust salt and pepper.
      6. Spread on the crostini and then drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

       Stewed radicchio

      1. Roast the shallot in olive oil for a couple of minutes.
      2. Add the radicchio and keep roasting for 2 more minutes.
      3. Add the wine and allow it to evaporate.
      4. Lower the heat and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the radicchio softens.
      5. Adjust salt and pepper.
      6. Place on the crostini and then sprinkle with Parmigiano.
      https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2012/05/two-kinds-of-crostini-cannellini-and.html