After a long break - another Last Supper: #19 Mario Batali

Four months until Christmas and I already have one thing on my list. Melanie Dunea is publishing a sequel to My Last Supper. A few years ago, my boss gave me a copy for Christmas which inspired me to start Project Last Supper. Sadly, it went by the wayside. But recently, my husband asked me what ever happened to my little pet project. An innocent question turned into my new personal challenge: bring life back to project last supper... and maybe, just maybe, start a sequel when the new book comes out.

I flipped though my notes from what I'd done and what chefs I had left. Could it be that I had neglected to prepare the last supper of Mario Batali?? His wish list numbered 8 items - I chose 3 to make it a reasonable meal. I did his very own recipe for mozzarella en carozza, his grilled lobster with limoncello vinaigrette and this one: Flat pasta with shrimp and zucchini. It's as pretty as it is tasty. I took advantage of the season and used yellow zucchini from my local farmer's market and purple basil from my own yard. Add the green of the basil in the pasta and the gorgeous pink shrimp and this dish is a beauty.

We'll see if I can keep making progress. If I do, perhaps a copy of Dunea's new book should be my reward (smile!)





Flat pasta with shrimp and zucchini
Adapted from Molto Italiano by Mario Batali

DOUGH
2 bunches basil
4 cups cake flour
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese

CONDIMENT
Salt
10 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch thick half-moons (about 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
2 cups dry white wine
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound rock shrimp, or medium shrimp, peeled
1/4 cup fresh basil, cut into chiffonade
Freshly ground black pepper


MAKE THE DOUGH
Bring a pot of water to a boil and fill a bowl with ice cubes and water. Blanch the basil in the boiling water for 10 seconds, then refresh in the ice water. Drain and chop finely; you should have 1/4 cup. Make a mound of the flour, then make a well in the center. Crack the eggs into the well, pour the milk over and add the basil. Using a fork, stir the egg mixture slowly into the four ingredients to form a wet dough. Add the grated cheese and, working now with your hands, bring the dough together and knead for 8 to 10 minutes to form a smooth dough. Allow to rest for 15 minutes covered with plastic wrap.

Set up a pasta rolling machine and cut off a piece of pasta dough the size of a tennis ball. Roll the pasta through the rollers on the widest setting, then fold it in thirds and run it through again on the same setting. Repeat this three times, being careful to add very little flour, as it will dry out the pasta. Run the pasta through the next two thinner settings. It should be quite thick.

Lay a sheet of pasta onto a floured cutting board and use a knife to cut crosswise into 1/3-inch strips. Lay the cut noodles on a kitchen towel and cover with another towel. Roll and cut the remaining pasta the same way.

MAKE THE CONDIMENT
Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. In a 12- to 14-inch sauté pan, heat 6 tablespoons of the oil and the garlic over medium heat until the garlic is light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the zucchini pieces and cook until just soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the pepper flakes, wine and butter, then bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and remove from the heat.
Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until tender, yet al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain and toss into the pan with the shrimp and cook over high heat until the shrimp are just done, about 1 minute, and pasta and sauce are well combined. Add the parsley and toss in the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil. Pour into a heated bowl and serve with plenty of freshly ground pepper.

Pappardelle bolognese

With summer in full swing, we've been doing a lot of grilling and we're certainly getting our fill of the summer's best fruits and veggies. But last week as I planned our menu, I suddenly thought of pappardelle bolognese. Not exactly a mid-July dinner - more something we'd have after a day on the slopes, but when I mentioned it to my husband, his eyes lit up too. So it was decided. Sunday's dinner would be pappardelle bolognese.

A flip through a few cookbooks or an online search will reveal as many variations for bolognese as there are Italian grandmothers. And my recipe below is yet another variation. It's based mainly on the recipe that appears in Molto Italiano, but I changed up a few things. Some call for white wine, some for red. Some use beef, others veal. Some have milk, some don't. The variations are endless. We agreed that this one was just right - mostly meat, just enough tomato and perfect with a little Parmigiano-Reggiano grated over the top.



This makes a good sized batch - I froze some for future use. Or make it for a crowd - this would serve 6 to 8 people with a side salad and some bread. We like it on pappardelle, but any pasta would work. Had I been a bit more adventurous, I would've made homemade. My version calls for red wine. I used a Zenato Valpolicello and then we had the same wine with the meal. It paired wonderfully.



Ragu Bolognese
adapted from Molto Italiano

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound ground veal
1 pound ground pork
4 ounces pancetta, put thru a meat grinder or ground in a food processor
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
3/4 cup red wine, preferably Italian
1 cup milk
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste

Pasta, cooked according to package directions
Fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, to finish



Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the celery, onion, carrots and garlic and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Don't brown the vegetables.

Add the meat and increase the heat to high. Cook until the meat is browned.

Add the milk, wine, tomato paste, and thyme and stir to combine. Bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour to an hour and a half. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve over pasta and finish with fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Calcots: Scallions attain perfection

When we were in Barcelona last Spring we were lucky enough to be there at just the right time to try Calcots - grilled spring onions with Romesco. I had nearly forgotten how good they tasted until last week when Jeff and I had lunch at Casa Mono - the Mario Batali-owned tapas restaurant near Union Square. At Casa Mono, they used simple scallions served with Romesco. Two things are for sure: 1) scallions taste amazing grilled and 2) Mario Batali can do no wrong. If you ever get the chance, try this restaurant. Adorable and the food is fantastic. But back to the scallions...

We enjoyed them so much I was determined to make them at home. I flipped thru numerous cookbooks and found several recipes for Romesco. The Barbecue Bible even had one for grilled spring onions with Romesco. I followed Steven Raichlen's method for grilling the scallions, but for the Romesco, I turned to another of our favorites: Neil Perry. I made a few modifications, so here's my version. (Oh, by the way, this makes a lot of sauce so either make it for a crowd, have it a few times, or cut the recipe down...)

Grilled Scallions with Romesco

• Scallions (figure one good sized bunch per person. they cook down quite a bit)
• A little olive oil
• Sea salt or kosher salt

For the Romesco:

• 6 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive oil, divided
• 1/2 of a fresh red chili (about 4 inches in length) or use a few small ones, split and seeds removed
• 4 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
• 1 slice Italian style bread, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds
• 2 roasted red peppers, peeled and seeded
• 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed and chopped
• 1 Tbsp. Sherry vinegar
• sea slat and freshly ground pepper

To peel the tomatoes, cut a cross in the flat end of each and cut out the woody core. Dunk them for 10 seconds in boiling water and then immerse in an ice bath. This makes the skins peel easily. Then cut them open and remove the seeds.

You can use prepared orasted red peppers or make your own. I make them by sticking a pepper on a skewer and setting them over the flame of my gas stove and turning it until the skin is black all over. Use the same method on a grill. Once the skin is black, drop them into a brown paper bag and roll the top down. Allow to steam until cooled, them wipe away the black skin and discard the stem and seeds.

To make the sauce, heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the chilli, garlic, bread and almonds and cook until the bread and almonds are golden. Cool slightly then procees the mixture in a food processor with the red pepper and tomatoes. I pulsed it a few times to keep the sauce a little chunky. Wth the motor running, drizzle in the remaining olive oil. Stir in the vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste.

To make the scallions, trim the end of the scallions slightly. Brush them all over with a little olive oil and sprinkle them with salt. Grill, turning them often until they have just a few grill marks. You want a little char but not a lot! And these little guys can burn quick so watch them carefully!

Remove them from the grill and wrap them in a triple layer of paper towels. Let them steam for about 8-10 minutes in the paper towels. (I stuck them in a warm oven to keep them from cooling). To serve, discard the paper towels and serve them on a platter with the Romesco on the side. The Romesco should be served room temperature.

Last supper #10: Paul Kahan

This officially marks the 25% mark of Project Last Supper! Just 30 more to go between now and September. Hmmm, I'd better get cookin'! For his last supper, Paul Kahan, a Chicago-based chef, wanted roast suckling pig, homemade noodles with truffles, escarole salad, cheese and Swiss chocolate.

In lieu of the suckling pig, I made a roast pork loin alla Porchetta - it was stuffed with a yummy mixture of ground pork, fennel, onion, garlic, fennel seed, bread crumbs, etc. The loin was tied and then roasted over a bed of red onions for extra flavor. To finish it, the sliced pieces were drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. It should come as a shock to any regular visitors to my blog that I found the recipe in Molto Italiano by Mario Batali. I think this is quickly becoming my go-to cookbook for fabulous food!


I chose an escarole salad with warm bacon vinaigrette from the Williams-Somona Sause cookbook. I was a great blend of crunchy, salty and a touch of sweet from some sherry and sherry vinager.


The noodle recipe was Kahan's own and appears in the book. The handmade dough is rolled out on a pasta machine and then sliced into wide noodles similar to pappardelle. The warm noodles are tossed with truffles and a little butter. The recipe called for tarragon, but I omitted it. These were delicious - tender noodles with a smooth texture.

We finished the night with a bits of Swiss dark chocolate with almonds. Perfect ending!

Also of note, I had a guest photographer on this one. My sister came over to have dinner with us and she photographed for me. She is the first guest for one of the Last Suppers!

Next, we'll enjoy the last supper of Giorgio Locatelli.

Last Supper #9: Angela Hartnett

Born in England, Angela Hartnett has restaurants in London and Florida. Her last supper was loaded with pasta - YUM! Her original list included antipasti, anolini stuffed with veal or lamb, pumpkin tortelli, pasta with truffles and for dessert, homemade zagaglione. I left out the pasta with truffles and the dessert.

The antipasti included meats from the newly opened Italian specialty shop in Garwood, NJ called Bienvenuti. We also had some cheeses, marinated mushrooms and artichokes.

Then on to pasta number 1. I rolled out fresh pasta sheets using half flour, half semolina. I used the same pasta dough for both recipes. For the tortelloni, I made the filling in the Silver Spoon, but used butternut squash instead of pumpkin. Jeff helped me cut out the rounds and then I filled and shaped these little treats:


I served them with simple brown butter and sage - and a little parm never hurt. Delicious!

The next course was the real hit though. I once again turned to Mario Batali and he came through like a champ. In Molto Italiano, there's a recipe for agnolotti which calls for chicken and sausage. I instead used ground pork and ground veal. MMM! So the filling was made from the mixture of meats, onion, olive oil, fontina cheese, goat cheese, marjoram and salt and pepper. It was all minced together in a food processor to give it a very nice texture.

I made up the sauce as I went along and I sure hope I can figure it out next time. I started by reducing some beef stock. I had a rind of Parmigiano Reggiano so I threw that in to the simmering stock (a trick I learned from Giada!). Once it reduced a bit I added a little tomato paste. It was a little salty so I stirred in some water and a little bit of unsalted butter. I spooned this into the bowls, topped it with the cooked agnolotti and some sauteed Cremini mushrooms. This was good! I delivered some to my parents too and they both gave it rave reviews.


Of the first 9 Last Suppers, this was our favorite. I wonder what the next 31 will bring...

Ohhhh Mario!

I just can't find a recipe from Mario Batali that I don't love. On Saturday, Jeff and I stayed in so I decided to make homemade pasta. I flipped thru Molto Italiano and narrowed it down to 3 choices and then I left Jeff pick. He selected Tortelloni di Treviso with Fonduta di Parmegiano (or Tortelloni filled with Radicchio in a Parmesan Cream).

I rolled out thin pasta sheets and then filled them with Mario's filling of Treviso Radicchio, Red onion, Ricotta, Parmegiano Reggiano, Parsley, salt and pepper. I served them with veal scalloppine lightly dredged in flour, salt and pepper and then quickly sauteed with garlic and olive oil. The whole thing was then drizzled with the Parmesan cream. It was a rich meal, but I did cut down on the butter.

Find the recipe in Molto Italiano or on the Food Network website at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/tortelloni-di-treviso-with-fonduta-di-parmigiano-recipe/index.html.

Meeting Mario!!!

On Friday, Mario Batali signed copies of his new grilling cookbook at none other than Crate and Barrel at Short Hills. Mom (in the middle here) was working and we paused for a quick photo op with the chef!