The north and south of Italy are so very different, particularly when it comes to cuisine and ingredients. In the north you have the classic Bolognese which hails from Emilia Romagna and uses butter, white wine, milk and tomato paste (no tomatoes!). The ragu Napoletano is the south's version of the Bolognese and it is truly spectacular when executed well and cooked slowly for 5-6 hours. Ingredients (serves 6-8 as a first course):
-1 pound of fresh tagliatelle or parpadelle egg pasta or best quality dry pasta such as Rustichella -2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces -1 yellow onion, chopped -1 can (28 ounces) of San Marzano tomatoes (crushed by hand into a bowl) -1 pound of ground beef -1 pound of ground pork -Extra virgin olive oil -Salt & Pepper -Parmigianno Reggiano for grating Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add your carrots and onions and a bit of salt and sautee for 8-10 minutes or until soft (not browned). Take your meat and break it into small pieces and add to the pan. Stir occasionally to lightly cook all sides of the meat (approximately 5 minutes), breaking the meat up further using a wooden spoon. Add your crushed San Marzano tomatoes and stir to combine. Fill your empty can of San Marzano tomatoes with water (this is going to allow us to cook our sauce for a very long time) and add to the pan. Once everything has reached a boil, turn down the heat to the lowest setting. Cover with the lid slightly ajar and cook for at least 4-5 hours. Stir the mixture every 10-15 minutes to ensure even cooking. The sauce should be gently bubbling the entire time. Add salt and pepper along the way. Once the sauce has come together turn off the heat. Adjust seasoning as needed. Bring your pot of pasta water to a boil and add 4 tablespoons of salt. Drop your pasta and cook according to the package instructions, remembering to remove it at least 30 seconds to 1 minute prior so that it remains al dente. Drain your pasta and add it back to the same pot you cooked it in. Ladle a bit of sauce over the pasta and stir gently to combine. To plate, take add a bit of pasta to each plate. Ladle over additional sauce and pieces of meat as desired. Grate fresh Parmigiano Reggiano over each dish and drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately. Buon appetito!
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Who doesn’t love a good Bolognese pasta? There are many variations on this classic dish, many of which change from house to house. That is really the beauty of Italian cooking. The ingredients for a traditional Bolognese are very simple: ground beef, pork and often veal, celery, carrots, onion, tomato paste, white wine, milk and salt. Here’s how to put it together. Ingredients (serves 6-8):
-Extra virgin olive oil or butter -1/2 pound ground pork -1/2 pound ground beef -1/2 pound ground veal (optional). If omitting the veal use 3/4 ground pork and beef -2 tablespoons tomato paste -1 pound fresh tagliatelle or parpadelle or good quality store bought such as Rustichella -2 large carrots, peeled and grated with a box grater -2 stalks of celery, finely chopped -1 large yellow onion, chopped -Whole milk -Dry white wine -Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano In a large sauce pan or Dutch oven heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or butter) over medium high heat. Add the carrots, onion and celery. Lightly salt to help the vegetables break down. Cook for 5-6 minutes (do not brown). Add the tomato paste and stir through. Add the meats and break apart with a wooden spoon. Let the meat lightly brown on both sides. Cook for 5-6 minutes and stir through once the meat begins to break apart. Add 2 cups of wine. Add a cup and a half of milk. Stir through and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring every 10-15 minutes. Add salt to taste. If the liquid begins to evaporate too quickly add a little milk or water and lower the flame. Once everything is nicely cooked and well incorporated drop your pasta. Cook until al dente. I like to pour the pasta into a large bowl and then ladle the Bolognese sauce over it. Remember that pasta should be dressed much like a salad without too much sauce in proportion to the noodles. After plating I will sometime ladle a little extra over the top of each plate. Finish the dish by grating Parmigiano Reggiano over the top of each. Buon apetito! In northern California we are typically blessed in the winter months with the most incredible citrus. In this winter salad I use both Cara Cara and blood oranges along with shaved fennel to create a very balanced salad that--in my humble opinion--is best served after the main course as a pleasing palate cleanser. Ingredients:
-radicchio -endive -little gems or romaine lettuces -Sherry vinegar -Best quality extra virgin olive oil -coarse sea salt -cara cara oranges, cut into supremes, skin and pith removed -blood oranges - same treatment -fennel bulb, thinly shaved with a mandolin -best quality fresh burrata cheese Cut all of the lettuces and rinse and spin dry. Place the citrus around the outside of each plate. In a large bowl season the lettuces with a generous amount of coarse sea salt. Hit the lettuces with the Sherry vinegar (this will help break down the salt) and then with the olive oil. Mix the lettuces well by hand. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Plate the lettuces in the middle of the plate with the oranges spread around and garnish with a spoonful of the burrata on top. Finishing with more extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of coarse salt on top of the cheese. This is the very first dish I learned to make while "staging" at Quince Restaurant in 2004 with owner and Chef Michael Tusk. I nearly screwed it up the first time. The look on his face was priceless and I thought I'd never be invited back. Fortunately that was not the case! Ingredients (serves 6-8): -3 large Russet potatoes -thyme butter (melt 3 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of thyme leaves) -2 eggs -2 to 3 cups of all purpose unbleached flour -1/2 tablespoon of unsalted butter, plus more for sauce -6-10 whole sage leaves -2 cups heavy cream POTATOES Place the potatoes into a large pot and cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Lower to a gentle simmer and allow to cook until easily pierced with a knife but not completely falling apart, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. Allow to cool. Remove the skins. Cut in half and put through a ricer into a large bowl. Add the thyme butter and whisked eggs to the riced potatoes. Salt aggressively and gently mix everything together with a wooden spoon. Pour everything onto a marble or clean cutting board. Pour the flour around the potato mixture. Using a pastry scraper add about a cup of the surrounding flour onto the top of the potato mixture and chop the flour in with the scraper. Once the flour is well incorporated begin to fold the dough using the side of the scraper. Work the dough over for about 2-3 minutes, adding more flour if still too wet. Gently knead the dough with your hands for 1-2 minutes until cohesive. Set the dough aside as one cohesive mass and cover with a damp paper towel to keep from drying out. Slice off a small piece of dough and begin to roll it out using your fingers. Roll over the top very gently (do not press down on the dough). Once you have made a long and fairly thin roll (about 1/2 inch thick) cut into pieces 1.5 inch pieces using the pasta scraper. I like to use the scraper in a downward motion and then flick to the right to cut the pieces. As you work move the cut pieces onto a platter lined with parchment paper dusted with flour. When your gnocchi are on the platter, proceed to “fork” each piece. Dust a fork with some flour and take each piece of gnocchi and gently roll it off the fork so that you can see fork indentations but the gnocchi are still open (they look like half shells). This will allow the sauce to adhere to them.
Bring 1 stick of butter to a simmer with 10-15 sage leaves. Once melted and the sage is gently fried add the heavy cream. Add salt and an aggressive amount of coarsely ground black pepper. Reduce 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Meanwhile add the gnocchi carefully into the water (it's okay if some flour goes in with it). After the gnocchi have returned to the boil cook for 3-44 minutes or until the gnocchi are nearly cooked through. Using a slotted skimmer or webbed strainer quickly transfer gnocchi to the saute pan and gently toss with the butter cream sauce for 1-2 minutes over medium-high heat. If the sauce is a little dry add a bit of the pasta cooking water to help bind the sauce. Serve on warmed plates and grate with Parmigiano Reggiano. I love this pasta on a cold, foggy San Francisco night. It’s easy to make and is extremely comforting and satisfying. You can pair it with any good quality, dry pasta (also know as pastasciutto) or make your own fresh parpadelle or ravioli. Ingredients (serves 6-8): -1 pound of best quality dried Rigatoni such as the Rustichella brand -1 28 ounce can of whole San Marzano tomatoes -4 cloves of garlic, coarsely sliced -1 cup of heavy cream -2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil -1-2 tablespoons of hot red pepper flakes -Salt, to taste -Parmigiano Reggiano for grating Pour the canned tomatoes into a bowl and gently crush with your hands. In a large saute pan heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and sweat for 30 seconds or until translucent but not brown. Turn off the heat and wait 30 seconds. Add the crushed tomatoes into the pan and stir through. Turn the heat back on high and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and stir through. Cook for approximately 20-30 minutes or until the mixture has a nice sheen to it and has come together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with 3-4 tablespoons of Kosher salt. Drop your pasta and stir. Be sure to drain your pasta at least 1-2 minutes prior to being al dente as the pasta will continue to cook. While the pasta is boiling bring your sauce back to a boil. Add the chili flakes and stir through. Pour in the heavy cream and stir through. Cook over medium high heat for approximately 4-5 minutes or until the mixture comes to together and is reduced.
Drain the pasta well and add into the pan with the sauce. Stir/toss over high heat for 1 minute. Serve on warmed plates and grate with Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve immediately. This has to be one my favorite and easiest of dishes to compose. It's fresh, light, flavorful and incredibly healthy. Poke has become very popular this past year in San Francisco with numerous poke shops popping up. The key is to have pristine ingredients and to balance all the spices correctly. Ingredients (serves 4-6):
-1 pound best quality ahi tuna or yellowtail, Cut into 1/2 inch cubes (remove any veins or blood lines) -1 tablespoon freshly grated or minced ginger -4 scallions, thinly sliced -1/2 Maui or cipollini onion, thinly sliced (I like to put the sliced onion into a bowl of ice water for 1 hour to mellow its intensity) -3 tablespoons organic Tamari or best quality soy sauce -3 tablespoons sesame oil -1/2 tablespoon of Japanese togarashi powder (available in Japanese markets) -1 tablespoon organic brown cane sugar -1 cup of best quality cooked rice (optional) -fresh cilantro for garnish -1 tablespoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted in a dry pan on high heat for 45 seconds Add all of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Adjust seasoning as needed. For example, adding more togarashi will increase the spice level. Place into the refrigerator for 1 hour (up to 3 hours) before serving. Garnish with additional cilantro and plate over rice. This is the kind of dish that requires a very long cooking time but holds great rewards for those with enough patience. I like to use brisket (beef from the lower breast or chest of the cow). It typically has a lot of sinew and–when cooked for many hours at a low temperature in some sort of braising liquid–comes out with an incredible depth of flavor. Here is how I like to put mine together: Ingredients (serves 6-8):
-4 pounds of best quality brisket (I love Five Dot Ranch). Ask your butcher for the "first cut" which has less fat and is typically thinner and more uniform in thickness. -1 large onion, chopped -3 medium carrots, chopped -extra virgin olive oil -salt and pepper -2 tablespoons tomato paste (I prefer the Sicilian Mutti brand, available in a tube) -1/2 bottle of dry white wine, plus water (or beef stock) to cover -2 sprigs of thyme -2 bay leaves Heat your oven to 375 degrees. Take your meat out of refrigeration and place onto a platter. Salt the meat aggressively and allow to come to room temperature (1 hour). In a large Dutch oven heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat until almost smoking. Place your meat into the Dutch oven and sear until deep dark golden brown (approximately 6 minutes per side) on both sides. Remove your meat to rest. Discard any excess fat from the Dutch oven but do not wash. Over medium-high heat add 4 tablespoons of olive oil and scrape up any brown bits using a wooden spoon. Add the carrots, onion, thyme and bay leaf.. Salt the aromatics so that they begin to break down. Add freshly ground black pepper. Cook until the carrots and onions are soft and translucent (not brown), approximately 3-4 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to create a spot in the middle and add the tomato paste. Allow it to cook for 30 seconds undisturbed and then stir through the other ingredients. Add the meat back in. Pour in the wine and bring to a boil. Add enough water or hot beef stock to almost cover the meat. Boil for 4-5 minutes or until most of the alcohol has burned off. Cover and cook in the oven at 375 for one hour. Pull out the Dutch oven, Check the braise to ensure there is enough liquid (if not, add water), stir and flip the meat. Continue cooking, covered for another hour. Remove from the oven and flip the meat once more. Turn off the oven and put the meat back in for an additional 30 minutes, uncovered, to reduce. Remove the meat to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice into fillets and serve with your favorite braised greens or vegetables. Spoon a bit of sauce over the meat and serve immediately. |
AuthorJames is a food writer and Bay Area chef who owns and runs a private dinner party and cooking class business specializing in regional Italian and Spanish cuisine. See CookWithJames.com Archives
October 2019
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