Pappardelle con Funghi, Pancetta e Bagna Cauda

This is a pasta dish that uses some favorite seasonal ingredients of mine. I've been really busy lately so this recipe is a few weeks late on the seasonality of the morel mushrooms, yet substitutions can easily be made. This dish emulates more of central to northern Italian cooking. More specifically, shows what Italians would make if they lived in Wisconsin. Everything is from the market. My pancetta is homemade, but the pork is from the market. This is also a slightly more refined recipe than most normal types of pasta dishes you would find. I suppose that is my creative license as a chef though.

For Pasta:

Note: Make both doughs at the same time so you can roll them both out one after the other

-Standard Dough
1 1/2-3/4 cops AP Flour
3 lg. Eggs, room temp
1T EVOO
1t sea salt

Method
Make a well with flour & salt
Add the eggs & olive oil in the center
combine all ingredients for pasta together
knead for a few minutes, then wrap in plastic and set aside for half hour
unwrap dough and cut into 2 pieces
wrap pieces not being used so they don't get dried out
Using a manual pasta roller, start on largest setting - #1
knead pasta through machine ten times
then roll out 3 times on largest setting - #1
then drop down 2 settings to #3, and run through 3 times
then drop down 2 more to second thinnest setting - #5
run through #5 one time, use flour as needed when rolling through the pasta machine, but try not to add too much or dough will get dry
set aside and roll out ramp green dough

-Ramp Green Dough
1 1/2-3/4 cups AP Flour
2 Lg Eggs, room temp
1/2 cup ramp greens, lightly packed, then blanched, shocked & squeezed dry
1T EVOO
1t sea salt

Method:
Make a well with flour & salt
Add the eggs, ramp greens & olive oil to a blender & puree
Pour mixture in the center of the well
combine all ingredients for pasta together
knead for a few minutes, then wrap in plastic and set aside for half hour
unwrap dough and cut into 2 pieces
wrap pieces not being used so they don't get dried out
Using a manual pasta roller, start on largest setting - #1
knead pasta through machine ten times
then roll out 3 times on largest setting - #1
then drop down 2 settings to #3, and run through 3 times
then drop down 2 more to second thinnest setting - #5
run through #5 one time, use flour as needed when rolling through the pasta machine, but try not to add too much or dough will get dry
Place ramp green sheet on top of the standard dough pasta sheet and press them together
Roll out on setting 5 one time
Then one more time on the thinnest setting #6
You should have a sheet of pasta, green on one side & yellow on the other
cut sheets into 8" long
Use a fluted cutter and cut into ribbons 1"x8"
set pappardelle on parchment lined sheet tray dusted with some flour
cover with another sheet of parchment until ready to use

For Condimento:

1# Morel Mushrooms, cleaned & broken down into smaller parts yet are big enough to still hold some character
1/4 cup Cognac
1/2 cup pancetta cut into lardons
TT salt & black pepper

-Ramp Bagna cauda
4 Ramp Bulbs, with Purple stems, brunoise (1/8" dice)
3/4 cup Whole Milk
4T Butter
2T EVOO
1 container of Anchovies, rinsed & soaked in milk for 1 hour, drained then brunoise (1/8" dice)
1/2 Lemon, juiced

Method:
Make Bagna Cauda
heat butter and evoo in pan until butter milk solids brown
remove from heat immediately and pour into cold container and let cool
in a small pot combine the milk and bruinose ramps
cook over medium heat for 10 minutes making sure milk doesn't burn or boil over
remove from heat
add the butter & evoo mixture to the pot
add the anchovies and the lemon juice
taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary
let cool
In large saute pan add the pancetta and cook over low heat to render fat and crisp the pancetta (5-10 minutes) Pancetta should be crispy on outside yet succulent and tender on the inside
remove the pancetta from the pan yet keep the fat in the pan
turn up the heat to high
once just about smoking add the mushrooms
sear mushrooms so they get a nice rich brown color
turn heat down a bit and add the cognac
flame if you like & reduce until the cognac 75% evaporated and starting to get syrupy
season with a little bit of s&p
add the bagna cauda and bring up to temp
fold in the pancetta
taste for seasoning and adjust as desired
Bring 6qts of water to a boil
add 2T of salt
drop the pasta in batches
cook until it floats
let it cook for another 30 seconds then remove from water with a spider and add the pasta to the condimento
toss together
Adjust seasoning or consistency of the sauce if needed

For Garnish:
Ramp Greens, chiffonade
shaved Grana, sub Parmigiano

Serve pasta on individual plates
garnish with some of the shaved cheese & chiffonade ramp greens
serve immediately

Pane del Deserto

Here are a few different styles of artisinal breads that I make. Some are great with sandwiches. Some are great with butter & others are delicious with some good extra virgin olive oil.

Stecca - Very light airy crumb. Cracker like crust. It can have a variety of different toppings: Cheese, Sesame Seeds, Olive Oil & Sea Salt, Olives, Tomatoes, etc. Great for sub style sandwiches.




Pane al'Olive - Artisan round studded with good quality olives. The crust is brushed with extra virgin olive oil and topped with fleur de sel. Delicious toasted with some very good bold flavored olive oil.




Pane con Formaggi - Very light crumb, intense fermented aroma, filled with pungent raw milk cheeses. Great toasted with butter or just warmed on its own.





Birra Buia e Cumino - Northern Italian German influenced bread that has dark beer and caraway seeds in it. Light crumb, great with butter, great as a grilled cheese sandwich or as a reuben sandwich




Pane con Semi di Sesamo - Very simple flavored round, light crumb, topped with sesame seeds. Great with butter, extra virgin olive oil. Good for sandwiches, PB & J's.





Pane al'Diavola Pazza - This is my homage to the spicy cheese bread of Stella's Bakery. Mine is a rich & sweet bread that has aged provolone & young pecorino cheese in it. The crust is brushed with egg and topped with chili flakes. I serve it in the traditional way which is hot out of the oven and just torn into pieces with your hands.



Bachette del Deserto - Smaller versions of the famous French bread. They have a medium light crumb, very robust smell & taste, crunchy crust and are delicious with butter or as sandwiches.




Pane Inglese - Rustic Italian versions of english muffins. Light crumb, sweet, rich. Great with butter, jam, PB & J, sandwich bun & of course eggs benedict.



Pane Pancetta e Rosmario - Rustic bread that has my own homemade pancetta in it along with fresh rosemary. The top is brushed with olive oil & fleur de sel. Light crumb, very rich salty porky taste. Good toasted with good extra virgin olive oil



Pane Santo "Holy Bread" - Sweet bread that is flavored with dried cherries, raw cashews, honey, cinnamon & topped with oats. Great with butter & morning coffee



Ciabatta(e) - Classic rustic slipper loaf. Super light crumb, very crunchy crust, mild flavor. Great with olive oil, butter, or for sandwiches



Pane Seduzione - My take on the seeduction bread of whole foods. It has a denser crumb than some of my other breads because of the whole wheat flour yet it is lighter than the whole foods bread. There are sunflower, pumpkin, millet & poppy seeds in the bread. Great flavor & fantastic warmed with some butter.



Pane Miele Integrale - This is a honey whole wheat bread that has millet seeds & cracked wheat. It has a lighter crumb than traditional whole wheat bread yet not as light as some of my other breads. Great with butter or for sandwiches.



Bagels - Crispy crust with light & chewy crumb. I top them with some of my favorite garnishes.




Pane Uva Passa della Canella - Cinnamon Raisin Bread



Grissini - Artisan Italian Breadsticks flavored with parmigiano reggiano & sea salt



Pane Ricotta e Castagne - Ricotta & Chestnut bread that is topped with flax seeds. Great with butter, olive oil, more ricotta, or for sandwiches



Cudduredda - Artisan bread from Calabria that is in the shape of a giant doughnut. Good with olive oil. Best used as a table bread for special events

La Foresta Ricompensa - Verdure Primavera in Brodo

This is a very simple recipe that shows off the beauty of spring vegetables. This contorno is done in the style of Emilia Romagna, the home of Parmigiano Reggiano. Asparagus & fiddlehead ferns served in the famous broth of Emilia. It is usually made with a mix of chicken, beef, turkey or veal bones. The recipe changes with the different micro regional places you go to. To make it easy, I have just used a chicken carcass that is left over from a whole chicken I bought at the farmer's market. Then I garnish the vegetables with shaved parmigiano reggiano, the world renowned cheese of Emilia.

Brodo:

1 chicken carcass
1 large carrot peeled and cut into large chunks
1 onions with peels cut into large chunks
3 celery stalks, cut into large chunks
1 garlic bulb cut in half
1 T black peppercorns

Method:
Add all the above to a large pot
cover with cold water
slowly bring to simmer
simmer for 4-6 hours skimming occasionally
DO NOT BOIL!!! - stock will become cloudy
Carefully strain stock being careful not to push down on bones or this might make stock cloudy again.

Vegetables:
1# Farm Fresh Asparagus, cut into 2"-3" pieces
1# Fiddle head ferns,
Pamigiano Reggiano
1 sprig of fresh thyme
juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2T butter
Salt & Pepper

Method:
bring cold water to a boil, no salt
add asparagus to boiling water and blanch for 1-3 minutes depending on preferred doneness.
shock in ice water
repeat process with fiddlehead ferns.
shock in water
bring 2 cups of brodo to poaching temperature(160-180F)
drop in vegetables to heat through
add the butter, thyme & lemon juice
toss until butter has emulsified
season with salt and pepper
transfer to serving bowl
using a vegetable peeler, shave the parmigiano reggiano right on top of the hot vegetables so it tempers and just melts into the dish.
Serve immediately

Insalata di Radicchio, Parmigiano Reggiano e Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale

This is a super simple salad that signifies the beauty of Italian cuisine. More specifically, that of Emilia Romagna. Radicchio is one of the few seasonal winter lettuces during this time of year. The bitterness of the radicchio matches wonderfully with the sweetness of the balsamic vinegar. This is another one of those recipes where sub par ingredients yield a sub par dish. So be sure to get the best possible ingredients all around. When you are only putting 3 or 4 ingredients on a plate, there is nothing to hide behind.

Serves 2-4

TT = to taste

1 head of Radicchio, core removed and thinly sliced(about 1/4")
Parmigiano Reggiano
3T of 25 year Balsamic Vinegar
Extra Virgin olive oil, best quality available and preferably from Emilia Romagna
TT salt
TT freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Put the radicchio in a mixing bowl
drizzle in the vinegar and season with salt & pepper
taste for seasoning
transfer radicchio to individual plates
using a vegetable peeler, shave the parmigiano reggiano over the top of the salad
drizzle some best quality extra virgin olive oil over the top
serve immediately

Lune Grandi con Tuorlo, Ricotta e Tartufo

This is a classic recipe for ravioli common in some of the northern regions of Italy(Toscana, Emilia Romagna, Lombardia). Being that the ravioli filling is so rich, you would only serve one raviolo at a time. When you are using so few ingredients, you really have to make sure that you are using the best ingredients or the dish will just not be as good.

Makes 5

TT = to taste

For Pasta:
3/4 cup Semolina Flour or AP Flour
1 Egg, room temp
pinch of salt
1t olive oil

Method:
combine all ingredients for pasta together
knead for a few minutes, then wrap in plastic and set aside for half hour
unwrap dough
Using a manual pasta roller, start on largest setting - #1
knead pasta through machine ten times
then roll out 3 times on largest setting - #1
Try to make sure that the pasta is as wide as the machine will take
then drop down 2 settings to #3, and run through 3 times
then drop down 2 more to second thinnest setting - #5
run through #5 two times, use flour as needed when rolling through the pasta machine, but try not to add too much or dough will get dry
take pasta sheet and put a heaping 1/4 cup of the filling on the pasta sheets about 2 1/2" apart
use a spoon to make a nest in the center of the filling
carefully lay the egg yolk in the nest
brush water around the filling to help the sheets stick together
cover the sheet of pasta with the other layer
use an old 28oz can of tomato sauce as the pasta cutter
press the around the filling to get all the air bubbles out
press the cutter on top of the pasta to form the moon shape
place the ravioli on a sheet pan lined with parchment and dusted with flour
you may need to re work some of the extra dough again through the pasta machine to get more ravioli made
cover the ravioli and hold until ready to cook

For Filling:
1 1/4 cups homemade ricotta cheese, recipe is on this blog(or substitute a good quality imported ricotta)
1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
1-2t white truffle oil
5 egg yolks, farm fresh
TT salt
TT pepper

Method:
drain ricotta for 15 minutes
put ricotta in mixing bowl
stir vigorously with wooden spoon so ricotta becomes soft
stir in the cheese, truffle oil, salt and pepper
set aside

For Sauce & Garnish:
1 stick unsalted butter
15 sage leaves
grated parmigiano reggiano
white truffle oil

To finish:
bring 6qts of water to a boil
once boiling, add 2T of sea salt
drop pasta into boiling water in batches
in a large nonstick pan put the butter in and cook until melted and hot
drop the sage leaves in and fry until crispy
remove leave and put them on a paper towel to drain
cook butter until milk solids have browned but not burnt and remove from heat
cook pasta for 2-3 minutes
remove carefully from the boiling water and place in the saute pan yolk side up
finish cooking the rest of the ravioli in the same manner
you can add a little bit of the pasta water to the saute pan to help this the sauce a little and help it adhere to the ravioli
once it is all cooked off heat the brown butter and pasta together for little bit spooning the sauce over the ravioli.
transfer to individual plates
garnish with 3 sage leaves each, a touch of grated parmigiano reggiano & the very little drizzle of white truffle oil
serve immediately.

(If you have fresh truffles you can substitute those for the truffle oil)

Stufato di Agnello

This is a recipe that shows the cuisine of the interior cooking of the islands of Italy (Sardegna & Sicilia). Along the coast, you'll see that fish and seafood are king, yet on the interior there is a lot of lamb, goat & game eaten. Here is a rich stew that combines bright citrus flavors with the winter vegetable and legume bounty.

TT = to taste

1 1/2# Lamb stew meat (leg of lamb cut into cubes)
3T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Red Onions, julienne
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 celeriac, peeled and med dice
4 carrots, peeled and 1/4" slice discs
1 can of 28oz whole peeled San Marzano Tomatoes, crushed by hand or with spoon
1 cup Nero D'Avola(Sicilian Red Wine)
2 cups Lamb Stock (substitute veal stock, beef or chicken stock)
1/2 Lemon Confit (preserved lemons - Homemade or Moroccan grocery stores ), seeds removed & med dice
pinch of saffron
2 sprigs of rosemary, tie together with thyme
4 sprigs of thyme, tie together with rosemary
15 oz can chick peas, drained & rinsed
1 bunch of lacinato kale, rib removed and diced, leaves cut into 2" squares
TT salt
TT pepper

Method:
heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over med-high
season the lamb with salt & pepper
once oil is just starting to smoke, add the lamb
sear the meat all over, then remove
turn heat to med low
add the onions and cover
after 5 minutes, stir the onions and break up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan
continue to cook the onion for about 20-30 minutes until well caramelized
add the garlic and saute for 5 minutes
add the wine, the tomatoes, lemon confit, saffron, herbs, lamb & stock
bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer
cover and simmer for 1 hour stirring occasionally (make sure it is simmering and not boiling vigorously)
add the kale, celeriac & carrots & simmer for 45 minutes stirring occasionally
add the chick peas & simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally
taste for seasoning and adjust with salt & pepper as according
check for tenderness with the lamb and vegetables
remove the herb bundle and discard
if they are not quite tender enough to your liking you can simmer for an additional 30 minutes or so. (It should be tender though)
Transfer to individual crocks and serve with a slice of grilled or toasted crusty bread(if you like you can grate some pecorino cheese on the top)
serve immediately

Braciole di Pollo con Patate Arrosti

This is a delicious recipe for stuffed chicken. Italy is not a big sauce culture. I truly believe that when you can use delicious proteins cooked properly, you don't need any sauce. The animals have so much flavor on their own that you don't want any kind of sauce that masks the flavor. I have used mushrooms here that are cultivated year round, yet you can substitute any other seasonal mushrooms you like. Treating the whole chicken as a roulade isn't always what Italians like to do. Yet the Sicilians love to roll things. The addition of the Sicilian dessert wine, marsala, makes this a true taste of the famous southern Italian isle.

TT = to taste

4# Farm raised free range chicken
1/2# Shiitake Mushrooms, stems removed
1/3 cup pancetta cut into lardons
1/2 of a large red onion, julienne
1 cup marsala wine
6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
8 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked and coarsely chopped
2# baby red skin potatoes, quartered
extra virgin olive oil
TT salt
TT pepper

Method:
In a large saute pan over med heat, add the pancetta, onions, and 2T of olive oil
saute for 10-15 minutes until the onions are softened and caramelized
add 3 of the sliced garlic cloves, the mushrooms and half of the chopped thyme
saute for 5 minutes
add the wine and cook until fully reduced (around 5-10 more minutes)
season with salt and pepper
remove from heat and allow to fully cool in refrigerator
De-bone chicken while leaving skin and muscle intact(if you don't feel comfortable doing this you can have your butcher do this or skip this process and stuff the cavity with the mushrooms mixture.)
To do this, cut down the back side of the chicken(opposite the breast side)
use you boning knife to separate the skin and meat from the carcass
pop the legs and wings out of the joint
scrape the meat from the legs and wings on the inside being sure not to tear the skin
save all of the bones and giblets for making stock
lay the chicken skin side down on cutting board
use a meat mallet & pound the muscles to tenderize it
season the meat with salt and pepper
place the stuffing mixture on the meat
starting at one end by the legs and wings section and roll it towards the other legs and wings section to form the roulade
use kitchen twine and tie up the roulade to help hold its shape and cook evenly
once tied season the skin with olive oil, salt & pepper
take 1/4 of the chopped fresh thyme and spread it on the skin
preheat oven to 475F
dress the potatoes with some olive oil, salt & pepper
place the chicken in the center of a roasting pan
place the potatoes around the chicken
Once oven is heated, put roast into the oven and roast until the a thermometer registers 155F (around 40-45 minutes)
remove from the oven and transfer chicken roulade to cutting board to rest for 10-15 minutes
once you remove the chicken from the pan, add the rest of the garlic and thyme to the potatoes and stir together
put the roasting pan back in the oven for a few minutes to heat up the garlic and herbs
remove the pan from the oven and taste the potatoes for seasoning and adjust if needed
once roast is done resting, remove the twine and slice into 1" wide pieces
spoon some of the potatoes on to individual plates
place a couple slices of the chicken roulade on top of the potatoes
if you like, you can spoon some of the pan juices on top of the chicken or a little drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil
serve immediately