Comments (2)

By Suzanne Carreiro, November 26, 2010 14:06

When I was a kid, my Mom made Turkey Tetrazzini to use up the Thanksgiving turkey.  The San Francisco classic casserole, named after the Italian born opera star Luisa Tetrazzini, was one of my favorite dishes.  As a child, I loved anything made with pasta and easy-to-chew meat.  Instead, I grew up on a diet of roast beef, roast lamb, and flank steak.  By the time I had chewed and swallowed my small serving of meat, both of my parents and my two brothers would have already left the table.  When Mom served the rare casserole, I managed to finish dinner with everyone else.

I still love to make Turkey Tetrazzini during the holidays.  A couple of years ago, I was scheduled to do cooking demos on the day after Thanksgiving at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena.  I updated my mother’s recipe for the demo.  Everyone loved it.  Let me know if you enjoy it.  Buon appetito!

Mom’s Two-Cheese Turkey Tetrazzini

PRINT TURKEY TETRAZZINI

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

1 quart whole milk

1 pound dried spaghetti

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 ounces diced pancetta or bacon

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 large garlic clove, minced

Salt

1/2 cup shelled peas (optional)

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 pound cooked, diced turkey

4 ounces shredded Emmenthaler or Swiss cheese

2 ounces grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Method:

1.   Preheat the oven to 400^oF.  Heat the milk (do not boil); keep warm.  Cook the spaghetti in a large pot until al dente, following package instructions.  Drain the spaghetti into a colander.  Rinse under cold water; set aside.  Note: you’ll use the pot in the next step.

2.   In the same pot, heat the oil with the pancetta over medium heat; add the mushrooms, onion, garlic, and 1/8 teaspoon salt.  Sauté until the mushrooms are lightly browned.  If desired, drain off all except about 1 tablespoon of the fat.  If using, add the peas; transfer the mixture to a bowl.

3.   In the same pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat; stir in the flour, pepper, and nutmeg.  Cook and stir until smooth and bubbly, about 1 minute (do not brown).  Remove the pot from the stove; cool several minutes.  Gradually whisk in the warm milk and sherry.  Simmer, stirring, over medium-low heat, until flavorful and thickened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

4.   Add the cooked spaghetti, mushroom mixture, turkey, and half of the cheeses to the pot; mix well with a wooden spoon.  Adjust the salt to taste.  Spread the mixture into an 8×12-inch baking dish; top with the remaining cheeses. Bake until hot and golden on top, 20 to 30 minutes.

Note:  For a richer dish, substitute one cup of cream or half-and-half (light cream) for one of the cups of whole milk.

Comments (4)

By Suzanne Carreiro, September 23, 2010 12:14

St. Helena, CA

Book signing: Readers’ Books in Sonoma, September 23, 2010, at 7:30 PM.  Details on Classes page.

My last post was about making minestrone.  After I published it, my friend Delio, a chef from Liguria in Italy, mentioned to me that in Liguria they say that minestrone should be so thick with vegetables that you can stand a spoon in it.  I forgot to tell you to add whatever vegetables you have on hand or your favorites.  I like to add peas, potatoes, and cauliflower.

Quick and Easy—Pasta with Ham and Lemon-Cream

Pasta con prosciutto cotto e panna

This recipe comes from Anna, one of the grandmothers I met while I lived in Umbria.  For years she cooked Umbria’s traditional dishes for her large family—fresh tagliatelle with goose sauce, rabbit in salmì, cappelletti in broth.  Now that she is a widow living alone, she enjoys cooking simple dishes like this recipe for Pasta with Ham and Lemon-Cream.  It is really wonderful with fresh tagliatelle (fettuccine), but dried pasta is also good.  Buon appetito.  Suzanne

PRINT RECIPE–PASTA WITH HAM AND LEMON-CREAM

Yield: 4 main-dish servings (6 to 8 first-course servings)

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

6 ounces ham, diced (about 1-1/8 cups)

1 pound dried pasta, such as gemelli, penne, fettuccine

1 cup heavy cream plus more if desired

12 large basil leaves, torn into thirds

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1 ounce grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese plus extra to pass

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Getting started: Bring about 3 quarts of cold water to a boil in a large pot to cook the pasta; add about 1 tablespoon salt to the boiling water.

1.     Heat a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  Swirl the butter around the saucepan until it melts.  Sauté the onion in the butter, stirring occasionally, until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes.  Add the ham; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

2.     Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package instructions (but check for doneness early), stirring occasionally, until al dente.  Shortly before draining the pasta, reserve about 1 cup of the cooking liquid.  Drain the pasta; return it to the pot.  Set aside.

3.     Add the cream, basil, and lemon zest to the saucepan with the ham and onions.  Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Pour the sauce into the pot of pasta; toss to coat the pasta.  Sprinkle with the cheese and toss again.   Add the reserved cooking liquid by the tablespoon as needed to make it saucy.  Season to taste with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  Pass extra cheese at the table.

Substitution: Use chopped Italian parsley instead of basil.

Comments (8)

By Suzanne Carreiro, July 9, 2010 02:56

PRINT spaghetti-gricia recipe

Spaghetti alla gricia

Umbertide, July 9, 2010

I just heard back from the subscriber who won the first cookbook in my drawing–until now I had only her email address.  Her name is Sally Free from Cape Coral, Florida.  The next drawing is Monday.

I craved pasta at lunchtime yesterday, but I didn’t feel like shopping for ingredients or spending much time cooking.  It was too hot.  So I dug up my notes from eating in Rome at Armando al Pantheon.  The small intimate restaurant—just a few steps from the Pantheon—was so popular that I was unable to get in after I fell in love with this dish on my first visit.  So if you go, I suggest you make a reservation.

The sauce is made with guanciale (made from pork jowl), but pancetta or bacon will do.  If you use bacon, you’ll need to drain some of the fat after sautéing.  The classic cheese for this dish is pecorino Romano, a sharp, salty cheese, but since I am in Umbria, I used the region’s traditional aged pecorino.  For a milder dish, you can use Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Here is my version of the dish .  Buon appetito!  Suzanne

Spaghetti alla gricia 

Yield:  2 servings

8 ounces dry spaghetti

3 ounces thinly sliced guanciale, diced

1/2 tablespoon plus 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1-1/2 ounces (a large handful) grated aged Umbrian or Tuscan pecorino

Kosher salt

Freshly grated black pepper

1. Cook the spaghetti in boiling, salted water until just al dente (usually 1 minute less than package directions); drain but reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water.  Return the spaghetti to the pot.
2. While the spaghetti cooks, sauté the guanciale in a large saucepan in 1/2 tablespoon of the oil until cooked but not crisp.  Stir the cooked spaghetti into the saucepan with the guanciale.  Toss well; add several tablespoons of the reserved cooking water.
3. Cook about 1 minute over low heat, adding more liquid, if needed, to keep it moist.  It is ready when the spaghetti has absorbed the flavor of the guanciale and the spaghetti is al dente.  Remove from the heat; stir in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil and the cheese.  Toss to evenly coat; season to taste with the salt and pepper.

Note:  The recipe can be doubled.

Armando al Pantheon

Salita dei Crescenzi, 31

Rome, Italy

Phone: 06.688.03034  .  www.armandoalpantheon.it

Comments (1)

By Suzanne Carreiro, May 25, 2010 15:40

A beautiful bunch of young lacinato kale.

Last week at the St. Helena Farmers’ Market, I bought one of my favorite greens—lacinato kale.  Today, the kale awaits me.  It is gloomy here, raining—practically unheard of in Napa Valley during the month of May.  So I am pondering what to have for dinner…hmmm—Zuppa con cavolo nero e fagioli. But first, what the heck is lacinato kale?

Lacinato Kale

What is it?

Lacinato kale—long stemmed, with frilly, blistered leaves—is one of the darkest greens in the Cruciferae plant family (Brassica Oleracea species, Acephala group), a very nutritious collection of vegetables that are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.  Lacinato kale’s deep bluish green-black leaves make it one of the most nutritious among its cousins—cabbage, watercress, broccoli, cauliflower, arugula, collard greens, mustard greens, and Brussels sprouts.

What to look for

At the store, the vegetable is called lacinato, dino, dinosaur, Tuscan, or black kale.  In Italy, it is called cavolo nero (black cabbage).  Look for fresh (not wilted), tender dark green leaves—the smaller the leaf, the more tender and delicate.  Non-organic kale is often heavily sprayed, so organic kale is a much better choice.

Note: Visit the Environmental Working Group’s website (www.foodnews.org) to read about the “Dirty Dozen” (http://www.foodnews.org/methodology.php), produce with the highest levels of pesticides.

Bowl of Lacinata Kale and Bean Soup

When is it in season?

In California, lacinato kale is generally available year-round at supermarkets and farmers’ markets, but the prime season is winter, spring, and fall.

How to store and prepare

Drop the kale into a large bowl (or salad spinner) filled with cold water; gently swish the stalks around to remove any dirt—this may take two or three bowlfuls of fresh water.  The kale is clean when no grit remains in the bottom of the bowl.  When clean, rather than draining it into a colander, scoop the kale out of the water by hand just in case there is fine dirt left on the bottom.  Drain the leaves well (or spin them dry in the salad spinner).  Wrap the leaves in a clean towel; store in a plastic bag in a crisper drawer in the refrigerator for up to several days. (Note: flavors and nutrition deteriorate as the kale ages). Just before cooking, for more tender kale, cut the leaves off the stems using kitchen shears (usually a good idea if the leaves are large).

What to do with it

Like spinach and chard, lacinato kale has a green flavor but with a slightly bitter, astringent quality and a peppery background.  The Italians cook the kale in extra virgin olive oil with garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and plenty of salt to help mellow it out.  The sautéed kale makes one of the most traditional—and popular—toppings for crostini in Tuscany, and it’s also delicious on pizza with sautéed onions, diced almost-crisp pancetta, and plenty of salt and olive oil.  In Italy, cavolo nero is served alongside roasted, grilled, or braised meats and poultry, but it is also makes a quick sauce for pasta. In Umbria, sautéed greens are tucked inside torta al testo (griddle bread) with grilled sausage or cheese.  Lacinato kale—and chard—is an important ingredient in many soups, from minestrone to ribollita.  A recipe for a quick Italian soup follows.

Zuppa con cavolo nero e fagioli—Lacinato Kale and Bean Soup

PRINT Zuppa con cavolo nero e fagioli

Seme di melone pasta

After a conversation with my friend and colleague Rita Held about her husband’s kale and bean soup, I rushed out to buy lacinato kale to make my own version.  The soup is quick and easy to make—and it is really delicious.

For the pasta, tiny soup pasta is ideal.  De Cecco sells several kinds—stellette (tiny stars), riso (rice), and seme di melone (melon seeds), my favorite.  Any of these will do.  If you have fresh soup pasta—it’s even better than dried—add it during the last few minutes of cooking.

Here is my rendition of the soup.

Yield: About 6-1/2 cups (3 main-dish servings or 6 first-course servings)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for garnish

Lacinato kales simmers in broth

1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

2 slices pancetta or bacon, diced

1 large garlic clove, minced

6 cups homemade chicken broth

1 large bunch lacinato kale or chard, chopped

1 (14 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained

1/2 cup dried tiny soup pasta, such as seme di melone or riso

Cannellini beans are added to the soup

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Shredded or grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat; add the oil.  When hot, sauté the onion, pancetta, and garlic in the oil until the onion is tender and the pancetta is cooked but not crisp.  (If using bacon, you might want to drain off some of the fat.)  Add the broth; bring to a boil over high heat.  Immediately stir in the kale and reduce the heat; simmer until the kale is just

Seme di melone pasta cooks until al dente

tender, about 12 minutes.  Add the beans and pasta; cook until the pasta is al dente (refer to the package directions for cooking time).  If the pasta absorbs too much liquid add a little more broth or water.  Adjust the salt to taste; season with pepper as desired.  Drizzle each serving with a little of the oil.  Pass the cheese at the table.

Notes: Al dente means the pasta gives some resistance when bitten into—it should not be soft. For a really fast soup, substitute one quart canned chicken broth plus two cups water for the homemade broth.