eggs

Asiago Mac and Cheese Pie with Truffled Potato Crust or Timballo di Maccheroni

27 Jan 2012
Asiago Mac and Cheese with Truffled Potato Crust

 

I have a not-so-classic Asiago Mac and Cheese Pie with Truffled Potato Crust for you today that could pass for a geography lesson, or maybe even a life lesson. It may seem like a simple but comforting baked pasta, but unique ingredients and an international pedigree make it something more too.

This "pie" is dense with penne pasta, creamy Wisconsin Asiago cheese and Tuscan kale. I have given it an Idaho potato crust that is scented with truffle oil. I call it a non-traditional pie, but it's really a variation on timballo di maccheroni, a traditional drum-shaped baked pasta dish from Naples and the surrounding Campania region of Italy. Some few years ago, in a movie called "Big Night," the preparation of a timballo di maccheroni was featured in a big way. It made a big impression on audiences. Me included. Recipes for timballi proliferated and suddenly the dish came to the attention of Americans. Since then I have made some variation many, many times. But the more I make it the more it becomes (at least in my mind) another great take on good ole Mac & Cheese. Another example of cross-cultural culinary calisthenics.

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Not Ferret Fritters... Farro Fritters!

25 Jan 2012
Farro Fritters

I am pretty proud of today's Farro & Sun-Dried Tomato Fritters though I admit they don't really look like much. That's one of the problems facing food bloggers these days. If you want to reach a wide audience (and who doesn't) your food has to look extra special scrumptious, be super colorful, get wrapped in bacon, or at least have a peanut butter swirl. These foods may look pretty (especially when they are tied up in a bow), but they don't always ignite the imaginations of the more mature palates amongst us. It is kind of a Catch 22. Because the very sites (FoodGawker, TasteSpotting and more and more Pinterest) that have brought food bloggers together as a powerful community have also played a part in limiting what defines good food on the web. Leaving really delicious or super sophisticated food cast aside as un-loved and un-clicked.

That's why I feel so sad for these fritters. Sure they look like hard brown hockey pucks. But they're not, I promise you. Farro is delicious. It's got a nutty taste and a terrific texture. Farro contains a starch similar to that found in Arborio rice. It releases a creamy, binding liquid when cooked. But it retains its tender, distinct bite, much better than rice. Making it a perfect choice for fritters. But I have a feeling none of that matters. In fact I may as well have titled this recipe Ferret Fritters, at least I'd get the friends of ferrets society up in arms. Hmmm... just how big an audience are ferret lovers any way? GREG

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Farro & Sun-Dried Tomato Fritters

Farro & Sun-Dried Tomato Fritters
By jgreghenry Published January 24, 2012
Prep time: 30
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 5 T olive oil
  • 1 c farro
  • 0.5 small onion, minced
  • 2 c vegetable broth
  • 1 c parmesan cheese
  • 2 T oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, minced
  • 2 T flat leaf parsley, minced
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 pn each kosher salt & black pepper
  • 2 c or more vegetable oil, as needed for frying

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Add the farro and cook, stirring occasionally until the grains are coated and you begin to hear a popping sound sound. Stir in the onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the farro is cooked through but al dente, about 12 more minutes.

Transfer the farro to a bowl let it cool about 5 minutes. Add the Parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley and the eggs. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile heat about 1/4-inch vegetable oil in a large non-stick or cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat until quite hot, but not yet smoking. Using a large spoon, drop batter in 2-tablespoonful mounds into oil. With a small spatula or butter knife, gently flatten each mound and fry until golden, about 4 minutes per side, carefully flipping once (adjust heat if browning too quickly). Drain on paper towels. Season with more salt and serve warm.

How to Jam Italian Crostate Style

06 Jan 2012
Fig Jam Crostate

Jam-Filled Italian Crostate (or crostata if you prefer). It's hard to walk into any bakery or pasticceria in Italy and not notice these little hand-pies right away. They are usually lattice-topped. But the lattice is typically a bit different in appearance than what we North American's might expect on a lattice-topped pie.

That's because Italians roll out thin strands of dough for the tops of these sweet pastries. They're typically among the most rustic and humble of all the treats these shops offer. But there's a mighty wallop of flavor packed into them.

The crust is often just as sweet as the jam, making this little tart seem more like a big cookie than a pie. In general these sweet doughs are called pasta frolla and they are rich and buttery. I use a recipe adapted from Dominica Marchetti that's enhanced with a little lemon and orange zest. It has a crumbly, shortbread texture when baked, and should not be handled too much in the preparation as it can get rather tough with too much work.

I have seen other interesting versions too. Nancy Silverton uses sesame seeds in the pasta frolla dough in her new book, The Mozza Cookbook with Matt Molina & Carolyn Carreno. I have never seen sesame seeds in the crusts during my travels, but there's something about the idea that just feels right to me. So I have added her version to my must make list.

However, as an introduction to crostate I have decided to bring you a style as close in feeling to the the version I first experienced in Italy. That means the simplest of crumbly, sweet dough filled with the very best jam I can get my hands on.

I don't usually make the jam specifically for crostate. Crostate are often made on a whim, so I use what ever I have on hand– straight from the jar. My advice is always have some good jam around the house. Or better yet, put aside some of your own homemade jam, as I do every summer with the figs from my neighborhood. GREG

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Jam-Filled Italian Crostate

jam-filled crostate
By jgreghenry Published January 5, 2012
Prep time: 120
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 3 c unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
  • 1 c confectioners sugar
  • 1 pn kosher salt
  • 0.125 t baking soda
  • 0.125 t baking powder
  • 1 t lemon zest
  • 1 t orange zest
  • 1 c cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 oz large egg
  • 2 oz large egg yolks
  • 8 heaping tablespoons jam. i used fig

Directions

Make the crust: Put the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda,  baking powder and lemon and orange zests in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse briefly to combine the ingredients. Distribute the butter pieces around the bowl and pulse until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Add the egg and egg yolks and process until the dough just begins to come together.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gather it together. Knead it briefly and shape it into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until well chilled (overnight is fine, as is frozen up to 1 month).

Form the crostates: Thaw dough in the refrigerator if frozen. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit for 30 to 45 minutes, or until it is just pliable enough to roll, but not too soft to work with.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Set aside.

Dust a cool flat working surface with flour. Dust a rolling pin with flour. Cut the dough in half then roll half to about 1/4-inch thickness. Set it aside in the refrigerator as you roll out the other half. Use a plate about 6-inches in diameter as a stencil and cut out four rounds. Save the scraps for the lattice. Repeat the process with the other half of the dough. You should get eight 6-inch rounds. Place four on each prepared baking sheet. Chill the scraps.

Roll the edges of each round inward forming a 1/2-inch rim. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of jam into the center of each round, then smooth the jam right up to the edge of the rim. Repat with all the rounds.

Remove the scraps from the refrigerator. Then pinch of a ping pong ball sized piece and roll it out with your fingertips to create a long, thin noodle like strand about 1/4-inch in diameter. Continue to roll the remaining dough then cut the strands into forty-eight 6-inch pieces.

Lay three strands evenly spaced across each jam-topped dough round. Then lay three more at an angle, creating a diamond-shaped lattice on each jam-topped dough round. Trim the strands with your fingertips, pinching them into place to stick.

Cover the baking sheets with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to one day.

To bake: Adjust the oven racks so that one is on the top third and the other is on the bottom third of the oven. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the baking sheets from the refrigerator, take off the plastic wrap and bake about 25-30 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until golden. Remove the sheets to cool on a rack to room temperature.