suggested recipes

Beurre Blanc, Roasted Walnuts and Sautéed Baby Spinach

This recipe appeared in the Via Elisa Fresh Pasta Monthly Newsletter

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ½ pounds fresh baby spinach, coarse stems trimmed, washed well
and drained in a colander (do not dry completely)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
4 tablespoons chopped shallots
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 pound Via Elisa Ravioli

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, but not brown. Add the spinach and cook, turning the leaves with a pair of tongs, until wilted but still bright green, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

In a small heavy saucepan brown the 3 tablespoons butter. Add the the wine, vinegar, shallot, garlic and simmer until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter all at once and cook over moderately low heat, swirling and whisking constantly, just until creamy and butter is incorporated but do not overheat. Remove pan from heat and stir in lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the sautéed spinach evenly among four plates. Top with cooked Via Elisa Ravioli. Drizzle the beurre blanc over the ravioli and garnish with toasted walnuts. Serve immediately

Lobster Bisque

This recipe appeared in the Via Elisa Fresh Pasta Monthly Newsletter.

Wine pairing: Prosecco
Easy lobster bisque
Serves 4

1 1-1/2 pound lobster
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, sliced
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 small tomato, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 bay leaf
½ cup dry sherry
2 cups bottled low-sodium clam juice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 pound cooked Via Elisa Lemon Ravioli
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the lobster and boil for 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl and set aside to cool. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid.

Pull off lobster tail and claws, working over a large bowl to catch the juices. Reserve all juices. Covering the claws and tail with a dishtowel, crack the shells open using a meat mallet or tenderizer. Remove the meat and chop coarsely. Cover and refrigerate. Covering the shells and body with the dishtowel, pound with a meat mallet.

Heat olive oil over high heat in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the lobster shells and body and sauté until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the shallots, celery, carrot, garlic, tomato, tarragon, bay leaf and sherry. Boil until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Add the clam juice, cooking liquid and reserved juices. Simmer 1 hour.

Strain the soup through a sieve into a large saucepan. Press firmly on solids. Whisk in the tomato paste. Simmer until the soup is reduced to 2 cups, about 10 minutes.

Dissolve the cornstarch in 1 tablespoon of the cream. Add the cornstarch mixture, remaining cream and lobster meat to the soup. Boil until thickened, about 2 minutes. Ladle into shallow bowls over cooked lemon zest and ricotta ravioli.

 

Pasta with Zucchini, Peppers & Prosciutto

Serves 4 to 6

This recipe appeared in the Via Elisa Fresh Pasta Monthly Newsletter.

Zucchini and prosciutto make an interesting and light pasta sauce. In this version, peppers are added, increasing the visual interest and flavor of the sauce.

3 meaty, ripe red bell peppers
3 tablespoons butter
A 1/2-inch-thick slice of prosciutto cotto (about 6 ounces) diced very fine (Do not use prosciutto crudo as it gets too salty and tough when cooked this long but you can substitute with country ham, OR plain boiled unsmoked ham)
1 cup chopped zucchini with the skin
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Salt
Freshly ground Black Pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese,
plus additional cheese at the table
1 lb Via Elisa Fettuccine or 1 lb of quality dry pasta such as penne or farfalle (Fratelli de Cecco or Barilla will do)

Roast and skin the peppers, and remove their seeds. When you have thoroughly dried them by patting them with paper towels, cut them into l/4-inch squares and set aside.

Put the butter and diced prosciutto into a sauté pan and turn on the heat to medium. Cook for a minute or less, stirring frequently.

Add the zucchini, and cook for another minute, stirring to coat them well.

Add the little squares of peppers, stirring for half a minute or less. 

Keep cooking until the zucchini and peppers start releasing some liquid.

Add the cream, salt, and several grindings of pepper, and turn up the heat to high. Cook, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens.

Toss the sauce with cooked, drained pasta, swirling in the grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve immediately.  Sprinkle on additional cheese at the table.

Via Elisa Ravioli with
Sautéed Greens and Brown Butter

This recipe appeared in the Via Elisa Fresh Pasta Monthly Newsletter

Sautéed Greens:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 bunch sturdy leafy green, such as dandelions or turnip greens, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide ribbons, washed and spun dry
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup chicken stock
Pinch crushed red pepper

Heat a 10- to 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the olive oil and garlic and cook just until the garlic is light golden brown, about 30 seconds. Add the greens and chicken stock and cook, stirring constantly, until wilted and the stock has started to cook down, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Brown Butter and Pine Nuts:
½ cup unsalted good quality butter
¼ roasted pine nuts

Brown the butter in a pan until it smells nutty and the milk solids begin to turn brown. Add the pine nuts and tilt the pan so the milk solids go to the bottom.

Ravioli:

Cook the squash or sweet potato ravioli according to the directions. When the ravioli are a minute or two from being ready to come out of the pot, start putting the greens on the plates in little flat piles. When the ravioli is done, put a few of them on the greens and drizzle with the brown butter and pine nuts. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and serve warm.

My friend Edna gave this recipe to me many years ago when I was living in Italy. I have tried to find the source in order to give credit where credit is due but I have been unsuccessful. This bread keeps well.

Straccetti Con Rughetta (rocket, arugula)

This recipe appeared in the Via Elisa Fresh Pasta Monthly Newsletter.

This is one of my favorite quick and easy Roman recipes:

1 1/2 pounds of beef tenderloin (left in the freezer for 30 minutes)
1/2 pound of baby arugula, washed and dried
2 garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
Freshly ground black pepper taste
Sea salt to taste
One large skillet with lid

Slice the tenderloin diagonally, as thinly as possible.  Sprinkle it with the garlic, rosemary, sage, pepper and salt and toss in a bowl with the 1/4 cup of olive oil.  Heat a large skillet.  Once the pan is nice and hot, add the tenderloin and cook briefly until all the pink is gone.  Be careful not to burn the garlic.  Turn down the flame and add the arugula.  Put the lid on the pan and let it wilt for about one minute.  Take the pan off of the flame, squeeze the lemon juice on top and taste for salt.  Toss everything together.  Serve immediately.

Smooth Brown Butter Sauce

This recipe was prepared and published by John Kessler
(Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Most brown butter sauces are made by letting butter melt and separate into solids (the foamy part that rises to the surface) and butterfat (the oily yellow liquid). With continued heat, the solids turn brown and get a nutty flavor and smell. They may be finished with lemon juice, parsley and capers -- a French sauce for fish -- or simply scented with some fresh sage leaves -- an Italian treatment for stuffed pastas, such as Via Elisa's tortelloni.

I like the flavor of brown butter sauces more than the greasy feeling they leave on your lips, so I've developed this idiosyncratic method for browning the butter, then re-emulsifying it with pasta cooking water and cold butter. It works best in a large skillet, which is then available for tossing the pasta. The recipe works for a pound or more of pasta. The point of butter sauces is to have the lightest possible coating on the pasta, not a pool on the plate.

 

Smooth Brown Butter Sauce
Servings: 6-10

Preparation time: 3 minutes

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 12 to 15 small sage leaves

2 to 3 tablespoons pasta cooking water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Wait until your pasta is cooking to begin this sauce. Melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the sage leaves and continue cooking about 1 minute, until the leaves begin to crisp and the butter looks nut-brown and smells very fragrant. (If you want the sage leaves to remain crisp, remove them with a slotted spoon to a paper towel.) Add the pasta water and remaining 3 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks. When the mixture begins to bubble, whisk the contents together or swirl the pan until sauce is smooth. Season to taste. Remove from heat until pasta is cooked. Drain and toss pasta with butter. (If you removed the sage leaves, sprinkle them over the top of the pasta when you serve.)

Per serving, based on 6 : 102 calories (percent of calories from fat, 99), trace protein, trace carbohydrates, no fiber, 12 grams fat, 31 milligrams cholesterol, 2 milligrams sodium.

Per serving, based on 10 : 62 calories (percent of calories from fat, 99), trace protein, trace carbohydrates, no fiber, 7 grams fat, 19 milligrams cholesterol, 1 milligram sodium .

 

Fresh Tomato Sauce

This recipe was prepared and published by John Kessler
(Atlanta Journal Constitution)

The combination of Gambino's fresh tagliatelle with fresh tomatoes and basil could, well, put me on a path to a serious eating disorder. For this recipe I like to use the dark red hydroponic beefsteak tomatoes that most supermarkets now offer as a premium alternative. They have the right texture and acidity for this kind of sauce, though they need a pinch of sugar for help in the sweetness department. I offer this recipe, enough for 1 pound of fresh pasta, with regards to Nigella Lawson, who printed a similar one in The New York Times recently and reminded me how much I like these sauces.

Fresh Tomato Sauce
Servings: 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes

3 medium beefsteak tomatoes

1 medium shallot, minced

1 large garlic clove, crushed

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut an X on the bottoms of the tomatoes. Ready a pot of water for boiling pasta. Before you cook the pasta, add the tomatoes to the water for 10 seconds and remove. Slip off the tomato skins under cold running water. Cut the tomatoes in half and remove stem end. Scoop out the seeds with your fingers under cold running water. Dice the tomatoes and set in a nonreactive bowl. Heat the diced shallot, the garlic and the oil in a saucepan just until the mixture turns fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add to the tomatoes. Add basil and sugar and season well. Let sit for at least 15 minutes. If it can sit an hour, all the better.

When you toss the sauce with the pasta, add a little pasta cooking water or more oil if the sauce seems too dry. Serve with plenty of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Per serving: 116 calories (percent of calories from fat, 77), 1 gram protein, 6 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 10 grams fat, no cholesterol, 9 milligrams sodium.

Simple San Marzano Tomato Sauce

This recipe appeared in the Via Elisa Fresh Pasta Monthly Newsletter.

Serves 4 to 6

2 Cloves of Garlic
1 Medium Celery Stalk
1 Medium Carrot
1 Medium Onion
Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Cups canned San Marzano (DOP) tomatoes
1/4 cup Fresh Basil leaves
Salt
Pepper

Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery.  Finely mince the garlic and some parsley (about two tablespoons).  Put these ingredients into a pan and saute’ for about five minutes. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add the tomatoes and let simmer until the sauce reaches a nice consistency about 20 minutes.

Turn the heat off and add a handful of fresh basil leaves.

Ladle over pasta of your choice and serve.

Persimmon Bread

This recipe appeared in the Via Elisa Fresh Pasta Monthly Newsletter

In large bowl, combine:
½ cup brown sugar firmly packed
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup melted butter

Beat in:
1 egg lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup persimmon pulp, lightly mashed with a fork, can be lumpy
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup finely chopped dates
½ cup raisins

In separate bowl combine:
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp each salt, cinnamon, nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves

Add dry mixture to persimmon mixture and mix well. Pour into 9”x 5”x 3 1/2” pan that has been lined with buttered wax paper. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until cake tester comes out clean. Let cool five minutes, remove wax paper and let cool completely then wrap in plastic wrap & foil. Let stand at room temperature for 2 days or in refrigerator for two months. To serve cut in thick pieces, wrap in foil and warm in oven. Serve warm with whipped cream. No point in forgoing the whipped cream since the recipe recommends it!