ITALIAN RECIPES
Your Valentine's Day with a Glass of Barolo
Roast Beef With Hazelnuts
Ingredients:
The Meat
2 1/4 pounds (1 k) meat for roasting, for example rump roast, tied so the piece holds its shape
A carrot, an onion, and a stick of celery, all small, and chopped finely
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter, as you prefer
Salt and pepper to taste
The Sauce
12 hazelnuts, shelled and toasted in the oven
1 tablespoon flour, lightly toasted by heating it in a non-stick skillet
1/4 cup (50 g) unsalted butter, softened by warming
1/4 cup (60 ml) dry Marsala winePreparation:
The meat should be at room temperature when it goes into the oven, so remove it from the refrigerator in time for it to heat up. Begin by preheating your oven to 420 F (210 C). Set the meat in a roasting pan with the chopped vegetables and the olive oil.
Season it to taste with salt and pepper and put it in the oven. After 20 minutes reduce the heat at once to 320 F (160 C) and roast the meat for about 15 minutes per pound (33 per kilo) if you like it rare (a meat thermometer should read 120-125 F, 60-63 C), or for about 20 minutes per pound (45 per kilo; if you like it medium; the thermometer should read 140-145 F, 70-73 C).
While the meat is cooking gently toast the hazelnuts; depending upon your preference you can then use them whole, crumble them, or chop them finely in a blender. When the meat is done, remove it to a carving board and let it stand 10 minutes, covered. While it is standing, spoon the pan drippings (including vegetables) into a skillet or sauce pan.
Heat them over a gentle flame, and when they begin to simmer add the hazelnuts and the flour, stirring lest the flour form lumps, and then the butter and the Marsala. Mix well and cook until the sauce thickens slightly. After carving the roast spoon the sauce over the slices, and serve at once.
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 bePreparation:
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.
Beef Fillet with Truffles and Apples
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds (600 g) beef filet
3/4 pounds (300 g) sliced dried apples
A small black truffle (you can substitute this with a teaspoon of truffle paste)
1/2 cup (100 g) unsalted butter
1 cup (250 ml) cream
A bay leaf
A teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
A teaspoon powdered mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to tastePreparation:
Soak the apple slices in water for several hours to soften them. Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C). Heat the olive oil and the butter in an oven proof pot, and brown the meat on all sides. When it has browned, season it with salt and pepper, transfer it to the oven, and roast it for about 20 minutes.
When the filet is done, remove it to a serving platter, and let it rest in a warm place. Meanwhile, return the pot to the fire, drain the apples well, and stir them into the pan drippings.
Pour the cream over the apples, stir in the mustard and the Worcestershire sauce, and cook over a medium flame for about ten minutes. When the apples are done, remove them from the fire, and stir a few very fine slices of truffle into them. Carve the fillet into fairly thick slices, and serve it with the apples.
Home-Style Roast Ossobuco
Ingredients:
4 veal or beef shanks weighing about a half pound (225 g) each
1 1/4 cups dry white wine
1 1/4 cups broth (unsalted bouillon will be fine)
A medium onion, finely minced
2 tablespoons minced parsley
4 sprigs of fresh watercress (as garnish; you could also use other greens)
Flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to tastePreparation:
Preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C) While it's heating, put the olive oil and butter in a roasting pan large enough for the shanks to lie flat in a single layer. Heat them over a moderate flame, and in the meantime flour the shanks, shaking off whatever doesn't stick to the meat.
Add the meat and cook for several minutes, turning the shanks once or twice to brown both sides. Salt the meat lightly, add the wine, and cook over a brisk flame, shaking the pan occasionally lest the shanks stick to the bottom and burn. In the meantime, heat the broth.
When almost all of the wine has evaporated, sprinkle the hot broth over the meat, cover the pan tightly with a sheet of aluminum foil, and transfer it to the oven. Roast the shanks for at least 2 hours; there will be no need to touch them. When the time is up they will be very tender, while the sauce will be rich and thick.
Transfer the shanks to a serving dish, spoon the drippings over them, dust them with the minced parsley, and garnish them with the watercress, or any other green you prefer.
Buon appetito!
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