Tag: Italian

[Thoughts on the Table – 17] Manu on the Food of Australia

Manu is back for another episode! This time she talks about popular Australian food, from her Italian perspective. Manu has also prepared many of these dishes – check out her blog for the recipes and additional information on the culture of Australia. Here are the links: Sausage rolls, Mini meat pies, Seared kangaroo fillet steaks with raspberry glaze, Mini vegemite and cheese sandwiches (also in this post’s picture), Damper, Anzac biscuits, Lamingtons and Pavlova.

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Poppy Seed Potato Bignès on Braised Leeks and Taleggio

Going through my old recipe book, I stumbled upon this delicious dish – true comfort food, Italian style! An amazing entree where soft and creamy potato bignès, covered in nutty poppy seeds and deep fried are laid to rest on a bed of braised leeks and Taleggio! The dish is absolutely simple to make and a guaranteed success. The only challenge lies in finishing the two components more or less at the same time.

This recipe has been adapted from La Cucina Italiana (November 1997, page 58).

Poppy Seed Potato Bignès

Yield: 2-3 servings

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Poppy Seed Potato Bignès

Ingredients

     For the sauce

    • 1 Tbsp butter
    • 1 big leek (or 2 smaller ones)
    • 1 cup (250 ml) milk (for the sauce)
    • 1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy cream (for the sauce)
    • 10 oz (300 g) Taleggio cheese (for the sauce)
    • salt to taste (for the sauce)

     For the bignè

    • 1 small Russet potato (250 g)
    • 1/2 cup (50 g) flour
    • 1/4 cup (50 g) butter
    • 1/4 cup (50 g) water
    • 1/8 of a teaspoon salt
    • 1 egg
    • 1/2 cup poppy seeds
    • 2 cups (0.5 l) olive oil for deep-frying

    Preparation

    1. Boil the potato. Let it cool until lukewarm.
    2. Meanwhile, start preparing the sauce.
    3. Slice the leek in thin rings (fig. a) and sauté them in butter for 10 minutes (fig. b).
    4. Add the milk and cream (fig. c), and stew slowly for 30-45 minutes until thick (at that point take off the heat but keep warm).
    5. While the sauce cooks, start preparing the bignè.
    6. Put the water and butter into a small pan (fig. 1) and bring to a boil (fig. 2).
    7. Add the flour and stir constantly (fig. 3).
    8. Keep the mix on the heat until sizzling, and the mix detaches itself from the pot (fig. 4).
    10. Move the mix into a bowl, let cool.
    11. Add the egg and salt (fig. 5). Mix (fig. 6).
    12. Mash the potato with the ricer and add it to the mix (fig. 7).
    13. Mix everything until smooth, then stir in 1 Tbsp of poppy seeds (fig. 8).
    14. With your hands, make walnut-sized balls, roll them over poppy seeds until completely covered (fig. 9). You should be able to make 8-10 of them (fig. 10).
    15. Deep fry the bignès in olive oil (fig. 11) keeping the temperature at constant 180 degrees Celsius.
    16. When golden-brown, remove balls and put them to dry onto paper-towel (fig. 12).
    17. Finish preparing the sauce by adding the diced Taleggio to it (fig. d). Stir until the cheese melts completely. Adjust the salt.
    18. Serve the bignè while still hot on a bed of sauce.
    https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2013/12/poppy-seed-potato-bignes.html

    [Thoughts on the Table – 16] Introducing “Manu’s Christmas Menus”

    In this episode, I have the pleasure to introduce a new guest: my friend and renowned food blogger Manuela Zangara from manusmenu.com.

    Manuela (or Manu, as she likes to be called) talks about herself as a food blogger, the role of food photography, and the challenge of cooking traditional Italian dishes in Australia, where she lives. She also presents her latest creation: Manu’s Christmas Menus, an eBook containing four Italian-inspired 5-course menus specially designed for the holidays.

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    [Thoughts on the Table – 15] Known and Less Known Italian Foods

    This week, Jessica takes us through a number of known and less known Italian dishes – starting from Naples and Sicily, through Rome and Tuscany, to northern Italy. Find out what is authentic and what isn’t, and maybe even discover some dishes you still don’t know.

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    [Thoughts on the Table – 14] Cooking Italian in North America

    In this episode, Jessica Burgio talks about the difficulty of recreating traditional Italian dishes in North America and gives her suggestions on how to make use of what’s locally available. She also explains how sometimes regional Italian dishes are hard to recreate even within Italy when taken outside of their native areas.

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    [Thoughts on the Table – 13] Meet Jessica Burgio

    Welcome to a brand new series with guest blogger Jessica Burgio! In this first episode, Jessica introduces herself and gives an overview of North American foods from an Italian perspective. Particularly, Jessica focuses on the foods of Florida, where she lives, including Grits, Conch Fritter, Key Lime Pie, and of course Gators! We also talk about Jessica’s husband: Rick Zullo, the author of Italy Restaurant Guide, as Chosen by Italy’s Top Food Bloggers.

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    Radicchio Risotto with Parmesan Rind – Yes, it’s Edible!

    Part of the spirit of Cucina Povera (the Cuisine of the Poor) is frugality and eating anything that can still be eaten. For some ingredients, this even involves a special preparation or a process to make them more edible. And this is certainly the case with Parmesan rind, which is safe to eat, but too hard to chew.

    I grew up in one of those northern Italian families that go through a lot of Parmigiano! It’s almost always sprinkled over pasta dishes and an essential component of risotto. Because of this, in our fridge, in the cheese drawer, there were always a couple of pieces of Parmesan rind which were saved for the next risotto. Parmesan rind can also be used to flavor soups, but in my family, we never used it that way.

    For the use in risotto, the rind is added at the beginning of the preparation. As the stock is gradually incorporated, the rind releases flavor, while re-hydrating itself and becoming softer. When using a relatively young Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano (a different cheese, similar in flavor, but aged less), by the time the risotto is cooked, the rind will appear substantially thinned, and will be easy to cut with a knife or even the side of a fork. Although it might be an acquired taste for some, the rind will be absolutely delicious when eaten in small bites, along with the risotto. When using particularly aged Parmigiano Reggiano, instead, the rind will still be quite hard at the end of the cooking – if not chewable, of course, it should be discarded (in this case, the rind will be only used as flavoring).

    Parmesan rind can be added to all kinds of risotto, but in the case of a radicchio risotto, it is even more desirable. Radicchio, a vegetable that belongs to the chicory family, has a bitter flavor which is especially pronounced when raw, but also present when cooked. Any bitterness can be dampened by adding some saltiness. Because of this, Parmigiano is a great pairing for radicchio. Some people, however, develop tolerance or even a liking for the bitterness of radicchio. If its bitterness is not a problem, thinly sliced fresh radicchio can be added to the finished risotto as a garnish.

    Radicchio Risotto with Parmesan Rind

    Yield: 2 servings

    Total Time: 25 minutes

    Prep Time: 5 minutes

    Cook Time: 20 minutes

    Radicchio Risotto with Parmesan Rind

    Ingredients

    • 2/3 cup of Carnaroli rice
    • 3 cups of vegetable or beef stock
    • 1 shallot, chopped
    • ½ radicchio, thinly sliced
    • 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
    • 1 glass of white wine (red can also be used for a stronger flavor and for color)
    • ¼ cup of Parmigiano, grated
    • 1 or 2 Parmesan rinds, scraped and washed
    • Some ground black pepper

    Preparation

    1. Bring the stock to a gentle boil in its own saucepan.
    2. Prepare the Parmesan rinds by scraping off the top of the rind, the part that would have been directly exposed to the air (fig. 1).
    3. In a second, larger, saucepan, sauté the onion in 2/3 of the butter until translucent, then add the radicchio and continue cooking at medium heat until softened.
    4. Add the rice and stir at medium heat for a couple of minutes.
    5. Add the wine and the Parmesan rind (fig. 2). Set the timer for 18 minutes.
      risotto-steps_12_wp
    6. Keep stirring. When the rice dries out a bit, add some stock and go back to stirring (fig.3).
    7. When the time is up, turn off the heat, add 2/3 the grated Parmesan and the remaining butter (fig. 4). Keep stirring for 1 more minute.
      risotto-steps_34_wp
    8. Serve in bowls, sprinkle with the rest of the grated Parmesan, some ground black pepper, and (optionally, if the bitterness of radicchio is appreciated) garnish with fresh thinly-sliced radicchio.
    https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2013/11/radicchio-risotto-with-parmesan-rind.html

    [Thoughts on the Table – 11] Pesto, Antipasto, and Meatballs

    Gino and I are back with one more episode on Italian misconceptions. Today we are focusing on three more examples of Italian food which has been taken out of context: pesto, antipasto, and meatballs. Thanks for your feedback!

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    [Thoughts on the Table – 10] Parmigiana and Balsamic

    I am back with Gino De Blasio for a new episode of Thoughts on the Table. This week, as we dissect two more misconceptions (Parmigiana and Balsamic), Gino and I explain the reasons that motivate us to protect and preserve authentic Italian food. Thanks for listening!

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