Cozy Italian - January 2022

We are meeting at F & L's on Saturday Jan 22nd - looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Appetizer:

Caponata with bread - T & J

First Course:

Parmesan and White Bean Soup - Z & K

Main Course:

Zucchini Salad - L & T

Coq Au Vin Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes - F & L

Dessert:

Crema di Limoncello - Z & K

Ugly, but Good Cookies - J & K

Caponata

Source: Saveur

Serve the Caponata with slices of crusty bread as an appetizer.

Ideally Caponata should sit at least 2 hours before serving, but it is even better if it is made a day or two ahead.  To make ahead, cover and refrigerate.

Ingredients

2 lbs eggplant, cut into 1⁄2 inch cubes
Salt
10 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup crushed canned tomatoes
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced crosswise
1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 tbsp. golden raisins
2 tbsp. pine nuts
2 tbsp. capers, rinsed
12 pitted green olives, such as cerignola, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. coarsely chopped basil
2 tbsp. coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

Put eggplant into a colander set over a large bowl; toss with 1 tbsp. salt. Top with a plate weighted down with several large cans; let drain for 1 hour. Rinse eggplant and pat dry with paper towels. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add one-third of the eggplant and cook until golden brown, 7–8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggplant to a bowl. Repeat with oil and remaining eggplant.

Reduce heat to medium-low and add remaining oil and onions; cook until soft, 14–15 minutes. Add tomatoes and celery and increase heat to medium; cook 5–6 minutes. Add vinegar, sugar, and tomato paste; cook until thickened, 3–4 minutes. Add cooked eggplant, raisins, pine nuts, capers, olives, roasted peppers, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until hot. Transfer to a plate; let cool slightly. Top with basil and parsley. 

Serve at room temperature.

Parmesan Broth with Kale and White Beans

 Source

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:

Broth

1 lb cheese rinds, any paper at the ends removed
12 cups water
2 large onions, peeled and quartered
6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
2 Handfuls of flat-leaf parsley
Salt, to taste

Soup

5 to 6 ounces tuscan kale (also known as black or lacinato kale; this is the thinner, flatter leaf variety), washed and patted dry
2.5 cups cooked white beans
Thin slices of baguette, toasted
Olive oil and parmesan for serving

Method:

Make the broth: Bring all broth ingredients to a boil in a large pot, then reduce it to a simmer. Simmer for one hour. Pour broth through a strainer. Your yield should be approximately 9 cups. You can use this right away or cool it before storing it.

Turn the broth into soup: Prepare kale by removing tough stems and center rib (I often use kitchen shears for this), then cutting the leaves into thin ribbons. Add them to the broth, along with the beans. Add bean cooking liquid if you wish; this not only stretches the intense parmesan broth further but adds a gorgeous extra depth to the soup. Simmer ingredients together for 10 minutes, until kale leaves wilt and beans are warmed through.

To serve: Ladle a small amount of beans, kale and broth into a bowl. Top with a slice of toasted baguette. Drizzle baguette and soup lightly with your favorite olive oil and grate some fresh parmesan cheese over. Eat immediately.

Ugly, but Good Cookies (Brutti Ma Buoni)

 Source

Yields 36 Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups hazelnuts
1 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
4 large egg whites
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder (optional)
8 ounces (about 1 1/3 cups) miniature chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate, chopped small

Method

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in oven for 10 minutes or until golden, rolling around once to ensure they cook evenly. Let cool completely.  Place nuts in a dishtowel and roll them around so that the skins largely come off. Reduce heat to 300 degrees F.

Transfer toasted, peeled hazelnuts to a food processor and add 1/4 cup sugar and the salt. Grind until well-chopped but not fully powdery.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until very foamy. Slowly pour in remaining 3/4 cup sugar, beating the whole time. Beat until stiff peaks form; when you lift the beater, they should flop over slightly after forming a peak. Fold in nuts, espresso powder (if using) and chocolate.

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Scoop batter into about 1 1/2 tablespoon mounds with about an inch of space between them. Bake for 25 minutes, until very faintly golden. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes, after which they’ll be easier to remove with a thin spatula. Let finish cooling on racks.

Cookies keep at room temperature in an airtight container for a week.

Zucchini Salad

Source

Serves 12

Ingredients:

3 pounds zucchini (about 6 large) or a mix of thin summer squash

2.5 teaspoons kosher salt
1 pound baby arugula
2 ounces parmesan, coarsely grated (on large holes of a box grater; about 1 cup) or shaved with a vegetable peeler
Juice of two lemons
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

Method:

Shave the zucchini into long ribbons using a vegetable peeler (this works best if zucchini are thinner than the length of the peeler blade). Toss zucchini ribbons with 2 teaspoons salt in a large colander set over a bowl and let drain 20 minutes.

Rinse zucchini slices well, then drain, pressing gently on slices to extract any excess liquid. Pat zucchini slices dry with a kitchen towel.

[Do ahead: Once drained well, zucchini keeps in the fridge for a few days in a container.]

Put arugula in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup parmesan and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of oil over greens and toss. Arrange zucchini over arugula greens, then drizzle with remaining oil, lemon juice and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup parmesan and black pepper.

Coq Au Vin Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes

Are they Italian?  French?  Who knows?  These meatballs should be served with mashed potatoes, let me know if you need a recipe.

Source: Half Baked Harvest

Coq Au Vin Meatballs

Serves 12

Ingredients

2.5 pounds ground turkey or chicken
2 eggs
2/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
kosher salt and black pepper
5-6 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
2 yellow onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced or grated
8 carrots, chopped
4 cups cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 cups dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 bay leaves
8 thyme sprigs
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Mashed potatoes, for serving

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

2. Add the turkey, egg, bread crumbs, parmesan, and a pinch each of salt and pepper to a bowl. Coat your hands with a bit of olive oil and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 36-40 meatballs), placing them on the prepared baking sheets. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are crisp and cooked through (check the meatballs at around 8 minutes and rotate baking sheets if they seem to be cooking unevenly).

3. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon and reserve. If there's excess bacon grease, drain off all but 1 tablespoon. To the skillet, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until softened and fragrant. Stir in the garlic, carrots, and mushrooms. Cook another 5 minutes, until the vegetables are caramelizing on the edges. Add the tomato paste. Cook 1 minute.

4. Add in the red wine, chicken broth, bay leaves, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine, bring the sauce to a boil, cook 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in the meatballs, cover and cook 5 minutes, until the meatballs are coated in the sauce. Remove the bay leaves and thyme and discard. Stir in the parsley and reserved bacon.

4. Serve the meatballs and sauce over mashed potatoes.

Crema Di Lemoncello

Serves 20 (Yields 5 cups)  

This recipe can be easily doubled. 

Ingredients: 

5  lemons, scrubbed and dried 
1  (375-ml) bottle 80-proof vodka 
1/2  vanilla bean
21/2  cups half-and-half 
2  cups sugar 
1/2  cup water

Method:

1. Use vegetable peeler to remove only yellow zest from lemons. Place lemon zest and vodka in blender and process until lemon zest is reduced to fine particles, 15 to 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to airtight container and store in cool, dark place for 1 week. 
2. Cut vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Using tip of paring knife, scrape out seeds. Combine vanilla bean and seeds, half-and-half, sugar, and water in medium saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat. Simmer, stirring frequently, until sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside and let cool completely. 
3. Pour vanilla mixture through cheesecloth-lined fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl. Pour lemon zest mixture through strainer and press on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Whisk to combine. Transfer to bottle and refrigerate until cold. Serve in chilled glasses. (Crema di limoncello can be refrigerated for up to 1 year.)