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ITALIAN RECIPES

An Italian meal

Lemon Risotto with Pomegranate Seeds

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups (200 g) short-grained rice, for example Arborio or Vialone Nano
A small leek
1/4 cup (50 g) unsalted butter
A lemon, preferably organically grown
A pomegranate
An abundant quart of simmering chicken or beef broth
1/2 cup (125 ml) dry white wine, warmed
Salt and pepper to taste
A few shavings of fresh ginger root, minced (optional)

Preparation:

Seed the pomegranate and squeeze half the seeds in a potato ricer to extract their juice. Combine it with the juice of a half a lemon. Trim the zest from the lemon, cut it into thin strips, and blanch them. Pat them dry and set them aside.

Clean the leek, mince it, and sauté it until it wilts in the butter, then scoop it from the pan and set it aside. Sauté the rice in the drippings until the grains become translucent, about five minutes, then return the sautéed leek to the pan and sauté a minute more.

Stir in the warmed wine and cook, stirring, until it has evaporated. Next, begin to add the broth, a ladle at a time, stirring gently and adding more as it is absorbed.
Shortly before the rice is done, add the fruit juices and season to taste with salt and pepper. Divvy the risotto up into individual portions and decorate them with the reserved pomegranate seeds and strips of zest.

This would, I think, work well with a fairly sweet white wine, for example a Candia delle Apuane.
Serves 4.

Citrus Roast Turkey Breast

Ingredients:

1 3/4 pounds (800 g) turkey breast, in a single large piece
10 tangerines
4 lemons
2 ribs of celery, stripped of fibers
A small onion, peeled
A small carrot, peeled
A bay leaf
3/4 cup (180 ml) dry white wine
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Butcher's twine

Preparation:

Finely chop the celery, onion and carrot.
Tie the turkey breast with the twine as if you were tying a salami. Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a casserole and brown the meat, turning it to color all sides. Season with salt and pepper, add the bay leaf, and sprinkle the chopped vegetables over all. Add the wine.

While the wine is evaporating, squeeze 8 of the tangerines and a lemon. Once the wine has evaporated, continue cooking the meat for 45 minutes more over a moderate flame, turning the meat occasionally and adding spoonfuls of citrus juice as necessary to keep it from drying out.

Squeeze another lemon. Peel the remaining lemons and tangerines, and thinly slice them.
When the meat is done, remove it from the pan and keep it warm. Deglaze the pan drippings with the juice of the squeezed lemon; stir them about with a wooden spoon, and heat over a brisk flame for a minute or two to thicken them somewhat.

Remove the string from the roast, slice it fairly thinly (1/4 inch, half cm slices), and put them on a serving dish, placing citrus slices between the slices of meat. Spoon the pan drippings over all, and serve at once.
The wine? White, and given the tartness of the sauce I might be tempted to go with a crisp wine too. Gavi, for example.
Serves 6.

Beef with Orange Sauce

Ingredients:

2 1/4 pounds (1 k) beef rump
2/5 cup (100 ml) olive oil
1/4 cup (50 g) unsalted butter
A clove of garlic, peeled and squashed
An 8-inch (20 cm) sprig of rosemary (or a half teaspoon dried rosemary)
3 cloves
3/4 cup dry white wine
3 organically grown (if possible) oranges
Salt
Flour, if need be

Preparation:

Heat the olive oil and butter in a pot, ideally copper, add the rosemary, garlic and cloves, and then the meat. Cook, turning the meat, until you have browned it on all sides. Sprinkle the wine over it, salt the meat to taste, and continue cooking over a brisk flame until the wine has evaporated.

Reduce the heat to a bare simmer, cover, and gently pot roast the meat for 2-3 hours, turning it occasionally.
In the meantime, squeeze the oranges, filter the juice, and set it aside. Trim the zest from the oranges (just the orange part) and blanch it to soften it. Cut the blanched zest into thin strips.

When the meat is done, remove, slice it, and put the slices on a warmed platter.
Blend the pan drippings and return them to the fire in a saucepot with the orange juice and zest. Heat the sauce through, whisking a little flour into it to thicken it if it looks too thin, and spoon it over the meat.
Serves 6.

Scalloped Potato

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups milk
6 cups thinly sliced potatoes

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat; stir in flour until smooth and bubbly. Stir in salt and pepper. Gradually add milk, stirring until thick and bubbly. Add sliced potatoes to the sauce. Cover and simmer for 8 minutes.
Transfer mixture to a greased 12x8-inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 45 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
Serves 6.

Pan-Sauteed Spinach

Ingredients:

Two pounds fresh spinach, washed well
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, halved and crushed
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Preparation:

Pick over the spinach, removing and discarding tough ribs, and coarsely chop the leaves. Heat it in a pot until it has wilted and drain it well, squeezing it to remove most of the water.

Heat the oil in a pan with the garlic, and once it begins to crackle, add the spinach in one fell swoop. Stir vigorously, season with salt and pepper to taste, and when it is heated through it is done.
Note: If you're pressed for time, you can use frozen spinach, though you should thaw it before sauteeing it.
Serves 4-6.

And to finish up? Fresh fruit. Oranges, to keep things citrussy.

Buon appetito!

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