Category: Entrees

Pizza Toppings

Servings: —
Preheat: 450°
Source: Fine Cooking 9/2004

Ingredients

Directions
Provençal Onion Pizza

Pissaladière is a signature Provençal dish from Nice and environs, a pizza spread with a thick, sweet layer of onions that have been cooked slowly until they caramelize and garnished with olives and anchovies

2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 pounds sweet onions finely chopped; salt and freshly ground pepper; 2 minced garlic cloves; ½ bay leaf; 1 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or½ teaspoon dried thyme; 1½ teaspoons capers drained, rinsed and mashed in a mortar and pestle or finely chopped; 12 anchovy fillets, soaked in water for five minutes, drained, rinsed and dried on paper towels; 12 Niçoise olives

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, preferably with a pizza stone inside. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they begin to sizzle and soften, about three minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic, bay leaf, thyme and pepper. Stir everything together, turn the heat to low, cover and cook slowly for 45 minutes, stirring often. The onions should melt down to a golden brown puree. If they begin to stick, add a few tablespoons of water. Stir in the capers, then taste and adjust seasonings. If there is liquid in the pan, cook over medium heat, uncovered, until it evaporates.

Spread the onions over the mozzarella. Cut the anchovies in half, and decorate the top of the crust with them, making twelve small X’s and placing an olive in the middle of each X. Place on top of the pizza stone, and bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges of the crust are brown and the onions are beginning to brown. Remove from the heat. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.

Yield: One 12- to 14 inch pizza.

Pizza with Arugula and Prociutto

Brush crust (fresh or Boboli pre-made, which works surprisingly well) lightly with olive oil. Spread fresh mozzarella over crust, sprinkle with dried oregano, and bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees on a pizza stone until cheese is bubbly and brown, and crust is golden.

Remove from oven. Immediately cover with raw arugula (which heat of pizza will cook) and then torn-up proscuitto. With a cheese slicer, top with curls of real parmesan cheese (no shaker cheese!). Finally drizzle with truffle oil. Last ingredient is important. Eat. Goes well with red wine.

Roasted Vidalia Onions
Yields 3½ cups.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 pounds Vidalia onions (about 5 or 6), sliced in half from stem to root
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
½ teaspoon granulated sugar

Heat the oven to 400°F. Set a large ovenproof skillet (or a flameproof roasting dish) over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Put in the olive oil and butter. When the butter foams or browns slightly, add the onions, cut side up. Cook until the onions brown slightly, about 3 minutes. Flip them so the cut sides face down and put the pan in the oven. Roast until the onions are very tender and dark golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the sherry vinegar, salt, thyme, and sugar. Let cool to room temperature and then slice into thin strips; pour any juices from the pan over them and mix them in.

Roasted Red Pepper Purée
Yields 3¼ cups.

6 red bell peppers
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sweet paprika Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Position an oven rack 6 inches from the element and heat the broiler to high, or prepare a medium-hot fire on your gas or charcoal grill. Broil or grill the peppers, flipping every 1 to 2 minutes, until all sides are blistered, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and seal with plastic. Let cool for about 20 minutes and then peel off the skins, remove the stem, scoop out the seeds, and discard the peppers’juices. Don’t rinse the peppers at any point, as this will wash off much of their sweet flavor. Put the flesh in a food processor or a blender. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and paprika. Purée on high until the mixture is smooth and shiny. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If you prefer a smoother purée, force the mixture through a fine sieve.

Olive Tapenade

Yields 1¼ cups.

I prefer oil-cured olives for this tapenade. They have an intense flavor, and they blend into a nice, smooth paste.

1 cup pitted Kalamata or Gaeta olives (preferably oil-cured)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup diced red onion
4 anchovy fillets, rinsed and roughly chopped
3 tablespoons drained capers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Cognac
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process until finely chopped and well combined.

Roasted Garlic

Yields about 2 cups.

6 heads garlic, unpeeled
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Heat the oven to 350°F. Cut off the tips of the garlic heads so you can see the cloves. Brush the cut sides of the heads with olive oil and set them, cut side down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until the garlic is soft when squeezed, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly. While the heads are still warm, squeeze each one over a small bowl; the roasted cloves should slide out easily.

Gorgonzola, Escarole, and Bell Pepper

1/4 lb escarole or spinach, washed, spun dry and chopped coarse (about 3 1/2 C loosely packed)
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
corn meal for sprinking the baking sheet
1/4 C crumbled Gorgonzola or other blue cheese
1 red bell pepper, cut into julieene strips
1/2 C finely diced whole-milk mozzarella
1Tbs minced fresh rosemary leaves or 1 tsp crumbled dried

In a heavy skillet cook the escarole in 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until it is wilted slightly, add the garlic and salt and pepper to taste, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute. Press water out of escarole/spinach mixture.

Halve the dough, form each half into a ball, and stretch each ball into a 7-inch round, making the rounds slightly thicker around the edges. Transfer the rounds to an oiled baking sheet (preferably black steel), sprinkled lightly with the cornmeal, and drizzle each round with ½ teaspoon of the remaining oil. Top the rounds evenly with the Gorgonzola, the escarole mixture, the bell pepper, and the mozzarella and sprinkle the rosemary over the topping. Drizzle the pizzette with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and bake them on the bottom rack of a preheated 500°F. oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the crusts are golden and the mozzarella is bubbling.

Gourmet 2/87 pg 156

Tomato Pizza with Garlic and Smoked Gouda

Cooking spray 1 tablespoon cornmeal
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded smoked Gouda cheese
1 1/2 cups sliced plum tomato (about 4)
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

Sprinkle cheese over pizza crust, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange the tomato slices over cheese. Combine oil and garlic; sprinkle over tomato. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Top with basil.

Stuffed Squid Braised in White Wine

Servings: 2
Source: The Classic Italian Cookbook, Marcella Hazan, p. 232
recipeNotes: Menu Suggestions
If you wish to serve a vegetable side dish with the squid, the most suitable would be steamed potatoes. It is quite sufficient, however, to serve Zucchini Salad (page 415) or mixed greens afterwards. It can be preceded by Fettuccine with White Clam Sauce (page 135), or Risotto with Clams (page 192). 1 have found that Bresaola (page 47), with its tart, clean taste, makes an ideal prelude to this rather robust dish.

Calamari ripieni stufati al vino bianco

Ingredients
6 large squid (the sac should measure 4½ to 5 inches, not including the tentacles)

The stuffing:
1 tablespoon olive oil, approximately
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic, or more to taste
1 whole egg, lightly beaten
2½ tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup fine, dry, unflavored bread crumbs
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, about 6 twists of the pepper mill

The braising liquid:
Olive oil, enough to come ¼ inch up the side of the skillet
4 whole cloves garlic, peeled
½ cup canned Italian tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with their juice
½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic
¼ cup dry white wine

Directions
Clean and prepare the squid as directed on page 230.
Chop the squid tentacles very fine. In a bowl, mix them with all the stuffing ingredients until you have a smooth, even mixture. There should be just enough olive oil in the mixture to make it slightly glossy. If it doesn’t have this light surface gloss, add more olive oil.
Divide the stuffing into 6 equal parts and spoon it into the squid sacs. (Do not overstuff, because the squid shrinks as it cooks and too much stuffing may cause it to burst.) (Sew up each opening tightly with darning needle and thread-and be sure to put the needle safely away as soon as you are finished using it or it may disappear into the sauce.) Previous is not necessary. Just don’t overstuff, so that the extra can squeeze out the top.
Choose a skillet large enough to hold the squid in a single layer and coat the bottom with just enough olive oil to come ¼ inch up the side of the pan. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and sauté the garlic cloves until golden brown. Discard the garlic and put in the stuffed squid. Brown the squid well on all sides, then add the chopped tomatoes with their juice, the chopped garlic, and the wine. Cover tightly and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes. The squid is done when it feels tender at the pricking of a fork.
Remove the squid to a cutting board and allow to settle for a few minutes. Slice away just enough from the sewn-up end to remove the thread and cut the rest into slices ½ inch thick. Arrange the slices on a warm serving platter so that each squid sac is recomposed. Warm up the sauce in the skillet, pour over the sliced squid, and serve immediately.

Note
This dish can be prepared 4 or 5 days ahead of time and refrigerated. Warm it up as follows: Preheat the oven to 300°. Transfer the squid and the sauce to a bake-and-serve dish, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water, and place in the middle level of the oven. Turn and baste the slices as they warm up, being careful that they don’t break up. Serve when warm.

If you have extra stuffing, which is likely, dredge in breadcrumbs, form into burgers, and saute in olive oil. Serve as left overs with above sauce if there is extra.

Vietnamese Braised Chicken with Ginger

Servings: 4-6
Source: Fine Cooking April/May 2003 page 32
recipeNotes: I left Vietnam thirty years ago, but I still cherish its foods. One of my favorites is a braised chicken and ginger dish that transforms a few simple ingredients (chicken thighs, ginger, fish sauce, and sugar) into a succulent, savory dish of sweet and salty chicken laced with fragrant strands of ginger. I use a classic Vietnamese braising method called kho (pronounced kaw) that uses caramelized sugar as the base for the braising liquid and foundation flavor plus fish sauce to complete the sweet-salty profile. You might think at first that chicken and sugar are an odd match, but just think of the sweet and salty play of flavors in a traditional barbecue sauce.

The caramel sauce for kho is easy to make by boiling Chinese brown sugar and water until the liquid is dark brown, almost the color of dark maple syrup. The caramel turns the chicken a rich, deep amber brown and supplies a mellow sweetness to the whole dish. In Vietnam, cooks pay close attention to the color of the kho. If the sugar doesn’t caramelize enough, the meat will pale (“”like a ghost’s eye””) and earn the cook a scolding. If it’s overcooked, the sauce will taste bitter.

The recipe a delicious example of kho, but this braising technique isn’t limited to chicken. The method can be used with almost any type of poultry, meat, or seafood, and the dish can be made spicy or not, depending on the region and on the cook’s taste. The South Vietnamese like to add hot chiles to their seafood kho, while the North Vietnamese prefer it milder and less salty.

When I was growing up in the northern city of Hanoi, meat and seafood were very expensive, so home cooks would use kho to add lots of flavor to a dish and to stretch the family’s food budget. Because meals always included a large pot of soup, plenty of rice, and several vegetable sautees, one chicken chopped into small pieces easily fed ten people.

I like to serve this with jasmine rice and sautéed broccoli. Skin-on chicken is traditional, but you can also use skinless chicken thighs or just spoon off the excess fat from the sauce before serving.

Ingredients
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced into rings (a scant ¼ cup)
1½ ounces fresh ginger, unpeeled and cut into matchsticks (about ½ cup)
3 pounds skin-on chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed, (optionally) cut in halves crosswise with a cleaver or by your butcher, and seasoned generously with kosher salt
3 tablespoons fish sauce
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried red chile flakes
3 scallions (whites and greens), thinly sliced into rings, for garnish

Directions
Have ready 1/2 cup water.

Put white sugar — without the water — in a 8-inch straightsided silver-bottom skillet over medium. Cook until it starts to melt at the edges and turn golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium low and continue cooking, gently swirling the pan, until the bubbling caramel darkens to a reddish brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and, with your face averted to avoid steam and spatters, carefully pour the ½ cup water into the pan. The caramel may harden; if it does, set the pan over medium-high heat and stir until it dissolves. Stir the liquid to blend in the caramel and pour it into a heatproof measuring cup or bowl.

Wipe out the pan and heat the olive oil over medium high. Add the shallot and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until they’re softened and starting to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Set the skillet back over high heat. Add the seasoned chicken pieces and cook until they lose their raw color on the outside, about 2 minutes per side; the pan will be crowded and the chicken needn’t brown. Stir in the fish sauce, salt, pepper, chile flakes, and reserved caramel. Reduce the heat to medium and cook at a vigorous simmer, turning the chicken every few minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (cut into a piece to check), about 20 minutes. Remove chicken, separate fat from liquid, return chicken and liquid to pot. Stir in the reserved ginger and shallot and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to blend the flavors. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with the scallion rings.

Penne with Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce (Pasta)

Servings: 2-3
Source: Fine Cooking

Ingredients
One: Sauté
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes

Two: Flavor
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (or ½ tsp.dried)
2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano (or ½ tsp. dried)
¼ tsp. dried red chile flakes
¼ cup vodka
1/3 cup homemade or low-salt canned chicken or vegetable broth

Three: Enrich
½ to 2/3 cup heavy cream

Four: Toss
12 oz. dried penne, cooked and drained
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh flatleaf parsley

Directions
Do onions first until soft. Add garlic for 30 sec, then tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Add spices, then liquids. Do not boil, but reduce liquid slightly to let flavors form a background. Add cream and reduce slightly so that sauce has a nice coating consistency but isn’t thick. No more than a few minutes of cooking. Under reducing will make for a soupy sauce with a raw edge. Over-reducing won’t give you enough sauce to coat the pasta well, plus you may break the cream.Add the cheese and the cooked pasta while the pan is still over the heat. Toss both in the pan and stir to heat pasta through and sauce completely incorporated. Remove pan from heat. Check salt and pepper. Add parsley now. Serve immediately.

Penne with Fennel, Currants, and Pine Nuts (Pasta)

Servings: 6

Ingredients
1 large fennel bulb (sometimes called anise), stalks trimmed flush with bulb and green feathery tops reserved
3 scallions, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon fennel seeds, ground fine in an electric coffee/spice grinder
6 flat anchovies, rinsed, patted dry, and chopped fine
1/3 cup dried currants
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound penne or other tubular pasta
½ cup coarse fresh bread crumbs (preferably from a crusty loaf), toasted until golden
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted lightly
fresh lemon juice to taste

Directions
Quarter fennel lengthwise and discard core. In a food processor fitted with a 1-2 mm. slicing blade or with a mandoline or other manual slicer cut fennel lengthwise into very thin slices.

In a large bowl toss together fennel, scallions, garlic, ground fennel seeds, anchovies, currants, oil, pepper, and salt to taste and let stand 30 minutes.

While mixture is standing, in a 6-quart kettle bring 5 quarts salted water to a boil for pasta.

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente and drain in a colander. Immediately add pasta to fennel mixture and toss well. Add bread crumbs, pine nuts, lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and toss again.

Serve pasta warm or at room temperature. Serves 6.

Penne with Broccoli Rabe, Tomatoes, and Parmesan

Servings: 4
Source: Bon Appétit
September 2004
“”On my days off from the restaurant, I cook for my wife at home. We tend to eat light, and I cook with foods that are in season since I’ve never been one for complicated dishes. It’s just not my style. I’d rather have sliced tomatoes with a good olive oil or pasta with vegetables than something fussy.””
Broccoli rabe is also called rapini.

Ingredients
12 ounces penne pasta
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bunches broccoli rabe, chopped
8 anchovies, chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 pound tomatoes, diced
1 cup chopped fresh basil, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain; return to same pot.
Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add broccoli rabe, anchovies, and crushed pepper; sauté until broccoli rabe is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1/4 cup basil.
Add vegetable mixture and lemon juice to pasta; toss to coat.Transfer pasta to large bowl. Add remaining 3/4 cup basil and 3/4 cup cheese; toss to blend. Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, passing remaining cheese.

Pasta with Squid (Calamari)

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients
1½ pounds squid, cleaned
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup white or red wine
½ cup chopped parsley leaves
1 pound linguini or spaghetti
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Cut squid bodies in half lengthwise and then cut in half widthwise. If the tentacles are large, cut them in half lengthwise. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add garlic and shallot and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and wine. Cook sauce over high heat for 5 minutes, until it reduces and thickens. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add linguini or spaghetti and cook until tender (time will vary according to freshness of pasta, but it should take at least 7 minutes). Drain well.

Add calamari to tomato sauce, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until just cooked through. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt and pepper, if desired. Add the drained pasta and parsley, then toss well. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.

Pasta Alla Norma

Servings: —
Source: Gourmet
Pasta with Eggplant and Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
2 lb. Eggplant
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup plus 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 lb. plum tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1 lb. spaghetti
1 cup freshly grated ricotta salata cheese or pecorino (2 ½ oz.)

Directions
Cut eggplant lengthwise into ½-inch-thick slices and layer in a colander, sprinkling each layer generously with salt. Let stand 1 hour.

Cook garlic in 1 tbsp. oil in a 5 to 6 quart heavy saucepan over moderate hear until pale golden. Add tomatoes and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 30 to 40 minutes. Force mixture through food mill into a bowl. Return sauce to pan and stir in basil and salt and pepper to taste.

Rinse eggplant and pat dry with paper towels. Heat remaining cup oil in a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook eggplant in 3 or 4 batches, turning once, until browned and tender, 5 to 6 minutes. (If eggplant begins to brown too quickly, lower heat to moderate.)

Transfer to paper towels to drain. Cool and cut crosswise into ¼ inch strips.
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, then drain well. Toss pasta with half of sauce, half of eggplant, and ¾ cup cheese.
Serve pasta topped with remaining sauce, eggplant, and cheese.

Pasta with Kalamata Olives and Capers

Servings: —
Source: Joan Berman-Segall

Ingredients
2½ lbs cherry tomatoes and/or grape tomatoes
1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
½ red onion, sliced

12 oz. Farfalle (bow tie) pasta
¾ pitted kalamata lives
¼ C capers
1¼ C feta cheese
1/3 C pine nuts, toasted

Directions
In 400° over, combine first 5 ingredients in 13”X9” baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until a little brown and soft – about 1 hours. Let stand until room temperature.

Cook/drain pasta. Add tomato mixture with olives, capers and feta.

Serve at room temperature.

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Garlic, Rosemary and White Wine

Servings: —
Source: The Classic Italian Cookbook by Marcella Hazan
Reliable ovens are only a recent addition to the Italian kitchen, and, consequently, traditional roasts are done either on the spit or in a pan on top of the stove. In this recipe the chicken is entirely pan roasted, with just enough liquid to keep it from drying out. As in almost all Italian roasts, it is flavored with garlic and a hint of rosemary. It is one of the simplest and tastiest ways of doing chicken, and, if you use a young frying chicken, you should have the roasted chicken on the table in less than 45 minutes from the time you start preparing it.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 frying chicken (2 ½ pounds), washed in cold water, quartered, and thoroughly dried in a towel
A small branch of fresh rosemary, cut in two, or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
Salt
Freshly ground pepper, about 6 twists of the mill
½ cup dry white wine

Directions
1. Heat the butter and oil in a deep skillet or saut,6 pan over medium-high heat. When the butter foam begins to subside, add the garlic and the chicken quarters, skin side down. When the chicken is well browned one one side, turn the pieces over and add the rosemary. If the garlic starts to blacken, remove it. If, however, it stays a deep golden brown, leave it in until the chicken is cooked. Control the heat so that the cooking fat stays hot but doesn’t burn.

2. When you have browned the chicken well on all sides, add a large pinch of salt, the pepper, and the wine. Allow the wine to bubble rapidly for 2 to 3 minutes, then lower the heat until it is just simmering, and cover the pan. Cook slowly until the chicken is tender at the pricking of a fork. (A young fryer should take about 30 to 35 minutes.) Turn the chicken two or three times while cooking. (If you see that the cooking liquid has dried up, you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water as needed.)

3. Transfer the chicken to a warm serving platter, removing the garlic from the pan if you haven’t done it earlier. Tilt the pan, drawing off all but 2 tablespoons of fat with a spoon. Return the pan to high beat, adding 2 to 3 tablespoons of water, and scraping up the cooking juices in the pan. Pour these over the chicken and serve.