Recipes

ITALIAN WEDDING COOKIES

Recipe courtesy Rocco DiSpirito

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
3/4 cup confectioners sugar, plus 1/3 cup, for rolling
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups finely ground blanched almonds
5 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cream butter in a bowl. Gradually add confectioners sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Add almonds and vanilla. Blend in flour gradually and mix well. Shape into crescents using about 1 teaspoon for each cookie. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Do not brown. Cool slightly, then roll in the extra confectioners sugar.

Yield: 6 dozen
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

TORTELLINI BOLOGNESI

Recipe copyright 2000, Mario Batali.

Filling:
4 tablespoons sweet butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces ground turkey
8 ounces ground veal
8 ounces ground pork shoulder
8 ounces prosciutto, finely diced
8 ounces mortadella, finely diced
1 egg, beaten
2 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed, large saucepan, heat the butter and oil until it foams and subsides. Add the turkey, veal and pork shoulder and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat is well-browned and begins to release some of its juices. Add the prosciutto and mortadella and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Place in a food processor and mix to combine. Add the egg and the Parmigiano-Reggiano and mix well to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add at least 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg and mix again. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Brodo and assembly:
For the brodo:
1 pound beef scraps
1 pound beef or veal bones
1 pound beef tongue, cut into 4 or 5 pieces
1 pound boiler chicken, cut into 6 pieces
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 celery rib, coarsely chopped
10 to 12 liters cold water
Salt and pepper

Place the beef, bones, tongue, chicken pieces, onion, carrot and celery in a large soup pot, cover with the water and bring almost to a boil, very slowly. Reduce the heat to simmer before the mixture boils, and allow to cook for 4 hours, skimming off the foam and any excess fat that rises to the surface. After 4 hours, remove from heat, strain the liquid twice, first through a conical seive and second through cheesecloth and allow to cool.

Basic pasta dough:
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Mound 3 1/2 cups of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs and the olive oil. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and oil and begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well.

As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up from the base of the mound to retain the well shape. The dough will come together when half of the flour is incorporated.

Start kneading the dough with both hands, using the palms of your hands. Once you have a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up and discard any leftover bits. Lightly reflour the board and continue kneading for 6 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Roll or shape as desired.

To assemble the dish:

Cut the prepared pasta dough into 3 equal portions. Using a pasta machine, roll out the pasta to the thinnest setting then cut the sheets into 2-inch squares. Place 1 teaspoon of the tortellini filling in the center of each 2-inch square. Fold the opposite corners together to form a triangle and press the edges together firmly to seal. Bring the long points of the triangle together and join with firm finger pressure. Continue filling and shaping tortellini until all the pasta and filling are used. Set the tortellini on a sheet tray, covered with a clean, damp towel.

Bring the prepared brodo to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Drop the tortellini into the brodo and cook until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove tortellini from the brodo with a slotted spoon, and divide among 10 to 12 heated pasta bowls. Spoon some of the brodo into each bowl and serve immediately, topped with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Yield: 12 servings

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

Recipe courtesy Rocco Despirito

8 cups homemade chicken broth
3/4 pound ground beef
3/4 pound ground pork
3 eggs, plus 5 eggs
1 cup dry bread crumbs
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 cups grated Parmesan, plus 1 cup
2 medium heads escarole, cleaned and chopped

In a separate pot over medium heat, bring the broth to a boil. In a separate large bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, 3 eggs, bread crumbs, basil, parsley and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Mix well and form into bite-size balls. Drop the balls into the broth. Add escarole into broth. When meatballs rise to the top, they are cooked, about 6 to 7 minutes. When escarole is wilted it is done. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining 5 eggs with the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Pour this mixture into the soup, stirring continuously, until the egg is cooked.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

CHICKEN "SALTIMBOCCA": SALTIMBOCCA DI POLLO

Recipe copyright 2000, Mario Batali. All rights reserved.

1 cup all purpose flour
Salt and pepper
4 (8-ounce) chicken breasts
4 large slices prosciutto
4 large sage leaves, plus 20 smaller leaves
2 cups plus 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 pound oyster mushrooms, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped to yield 1/4 cup

Season the flour with salt and pepper.

With a meat mallet, pound the chicken breasts to 1/4-inch thickness. Season each breast with salt and pepper and lay 1 sage leaf on each breast. Lay 1 slice prosciutto over each piece and fold in half like a book. Secure the two sides with a toothpick and dredge each breast in the seasoned flour.

In a heavy-bottomed pot with high sides, heat the 2 cups olive oil to 375 degrees. Make sure that you have a slotted spoon or spider close by. Working in a few batches, fry the leaves in the oil, removing with the slotted spoon after 30 seconds. Season with salt, set on a plate lined with paper towels to drain, and set aside.

In a 12 to 14-inch saute pan, heat the remaining olive oil until smoking. Add the chicken and saute until golden brown on both sides. Add the shallots and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms have sweated, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the Marsala and chicken stock and cook over high heat until reduce by half. Swirl the butter into the pan, add the parsley and serve on 4 warmed dinner plates, topped with the fried sage leaves.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

FUDGY BROWNIES

Recipe courtesy Gale Gand

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a medium pan over very low heat. Stir together and remove from the heat. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in the flour and salt. Add nuts. Spread the mixture into a buttered 8-inch square pan. Bake until set, about 40 minutes. Cool before cutting.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes

TIRAMISU

Recipe courtesy of Vita Piergiovanni

3 cups mascarpone cheese
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup Marsala wine
3/4 cup double crème
2/3 cups water
5 teaspoons instant espresso
1 store-bought butter pound cake

In a medium bowl, use electric mixer set on medium speed beat the mascarpone cheese, 1 cup confectioners sugar and marsala until well blended. Add the crème and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute. Set aside. In a small saucepan over high heat combine water, remaining 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar and espresso powder. Bring to a boil. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat and cool. Slice pound cake 1/4-inch thick. Have a 2 quart oval or rectangular glass or ceramic dish. Arrange slices of cake in a single layer over bottom of dish. Trimming to fit. Brush half of the cooled espresso mixture over cake. Spread half of the mascarpone mixture evenly over the top. Then repeat and do layer number 2. Brush espresso over cake slices and top with remaining cheese. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until firm. Before serving sift cocoa evenly on top. Use a large scoop to serve on plates.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 hours 0 minutes

BEEF AND BEAN CHILI

Prep Time | 20 min
Cook Time | 30 min
Level of Difficulty | Easy

1/2 lb(s) lean ground beef
1 medium onion(s), chopped
1 medium green pepper(s), chopped
1 small sweet red pepper(s), chopped
3 medium garlic clove(s), minced
3 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
16 oz canned tomatoes, coarsely chopped and juice reserved
1 1/2 tbsp canned tomato paste
14 1/2 oz fat-free beef broth
1 tsp bay leaf, crumbled, or 1 whole bay leaf
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar, or white, or 1 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar
24 oz cooked pinto beans, drained and rinsed if canned
1/8 tsp table salt, to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, to taste
2 cup(s) cooked white rice

Instructions



Heat a large Dutch oven covered with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook until browned, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.


Remove beef from pan and pour out excess fat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion and peppers; cook until golden, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano, and cook 30 seconds more, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes and juice, tomato paste, beef broth, bay leaf and vinegar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Add beans and simmer 5 minutes longer. Season to taste.


Serve chili on top of rice.

POINTS
Serves | 4
POINTS per serving | 11