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ITALIAN RECIPES

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Spinach Sformato

Ingredients:

3 1/2 pounds (1.5 k) fresh spinach, well washed
A pinch of powdered cinnamon (optional)
1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups grated pecorino (if your pecorino is sharp, use a mixture of Parmigiano and pecorino)
An ounce (25 g) of raisins, soaked in warm water, then drained and minced (optional)
Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Drain the well-washed spinach and heat it in a pot with the water that remained on the leaves; when it wilts and is done drain it again, put it through a food mill, and season it with the cinnamon, pepper, and salt.
Combine the spinach with the melted butter, cheese, eggs, and raisins, and pour the mixture into a buttered mold. Bake it until it sets in a 360 F (180 C) oven, and serve it hot, sliced.
Serves 6.

Asparagus Sformato

Ingredients:

4 1/2 pounds (2 k) asparagus
Vegetable broth
1 pound (450 g) ground beef
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/4 pound (100 g) prosciutto, minced
1 tablespoon flour
2 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmigiano (or a mixture of Parmigiano and sharp Provolone)
Marjoram, basil and parsley
6 ounces (by weight; 150 g) day-old Italian bread, weighed after removal of the crust
3 eggs, separated
Milk
Salt & Freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Begin by sautéing the ground meat in half the butter, together with the minced prosciutto, the flour, and the herbs, adding broth as needed to keep the mixture from drying out.
Soak the bread thoroughly in milk, wring it out, put it through a grinder (don't blend it or it will become gluey), and set it aside. Blend the cooked meat with the yolks and the cheese.

While the meat is cooking, wash the asparagus, tie them into bunches, and boil them in about 3 inches of lightly salted water for 5-8 minutes, or until their tips begin to droop.
When they are done gut away the green parts and the tips, set them aside, and return the rest of the stalks to the broth.

Preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C)
Put the bread and the meat in a bowl and mix them well with your fingers, then mix in the reserved asparagus pieces.

Whip the whites to firm peaks and fold them into the mixture. Grease a 10-inch (25 cm) pan, bake it for about 45 minutes, and serve it warm.
The wine? I'd go with a white, for example a Fiano di Avellino.
Serves 6.

Emilian-Style Sformato Recipe with Ham and Cheese

Ingredients:

1 3/4 pounds (800 g) potatoes
8 ounces (200 g) fresh Parmigiano (fresh Parmigiano is mild and firm, but not crumbly; you could substitute a
mild fontina or even a mild cheddar for it)
3/4 cup milk
1/4 pound (100 g) lean ham, in a single slice
2/3 cup unsalted butter
1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Wash the potatoes and boil them until done in salted water. Dice the ham.
Butter a high-sided 7-inch pot, dust it with bread crumbs, and turn it over to let the excess fall free. When the potatoes are done peel them and let them cool, then cut them into finger-thick slices. Melt all but a tablespoon of the butter over a very low flame. Finely slice the cheese.

When everything is ready, put a layer of potatoes in the bottom of the pot, overlapping them slightly. Brush them with melted butter, then cover them with some of the cheese and some of the ham, and continue until all is used up, finishing with a potato layer. Pour the milk over all and dot the top of the sformato with the remaining butter.
Bake the sformato in a preheated 360 F (180 C) oven for about a half hour, or until the top is nicely browned. Unmold it and serve it at once.
Served with ham and cheese.
Serves 4.

Potato and Onion Torte

Ingredients:

10 ounces (300 g) wild strawberries
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1/4 cup (25 g) potato starch
1 pint (500 ml) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 egg yolks and a whole egg
A shot of orange liqueur
1 tablespoon of strawberry marmalade
A little butter for the mold

Preparation:

Hull the strawberries and was them well in cold water. Drain them and put them in a bowl; dust them with half the sugar, the vanilla extract, and three tablespoons of liquor. Mix gently and let them sit for an hour.
Butter a pudding mold.
Preheat your oven to 360 F (180 C).

Bring the milk and the remaining sugar to a boil. Lightly beat the yolks and the egg in a bowl, incorporate the potato starch, and then add the hot milk, a little at a time, while stirring steadily.

Drain the strawberries, reserving the liquid that has formed, and add them to the mixture. Pour the mixture into the mold, set the mold in a pan of water, and set everything in the oven for about an hour. Let the sformato cool.

Next, pour the reserved liquid into a pan and heat it gently with the strawberry marmalade, stirring all the while. When it is heated through,. Remove the pan from the fire and incorporate the last tablespoon of liqueur. Pour the glaze over the sformato and serve it at once.

Buon appetito!

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