Working as a cook in Italy

Part of the experience of working as a cook in Italy is making interesting foods, using creative and locally available ingredients and combining them in different ways. While much of the cooking I do has an Italian base, I try to incorporate some new tastes for the people I serve. I make pasta including ravioli using classic fillings such as potatoes and two cheeses, ricotta and spinach, ricotta and lemon sauced with a vegetable tomato sauce. But then I try some new tastes such as a spicy pumpkin and Parmesan cheese filled ravioli in a bechamel sauce with walnuts, or smoked salmon ravioli with grated lemon peel, mashed potatoes and spinach and parsley in a white wine sauce.  I realize these dishes are not strictly for the bariatric patient but they are interesting and contribute to a great dining experience.

A note about parmesan cheese please. In Italy, the more correct and preferred spelling is Parmigiano-Reggiano for cheese made from cow's milk in the specific region around Bologna. If it is a generic version, it is spelled Parmesan(o). Parmigiano-Reggiano is a beautifully made cheese with a great flavor and is normally aged for many months. The producers of this cheese are justly proud of their product and it deserves the credit. Generic parmesan cheeses used in recipes will probably not have the richness of flavor that using Parmigiano-Reggiano would impart, but still will be suitable. When I use Parmigiano-Reggiano in a recipe, the generic version would be acceptable in the event you can not obtain the real thing.

Tonight my wife brought home a whole turkey breast and asked for it for dinner. Using turkey breast meat is a good substitute for too much beef or pork and you can use it in a wide variety of ways. So I prepared it in thin slices which I pounded flat with a mallet. I made a flour mixture with seasoned salt, pepper and some Cajun spice. Then I dredged the turkey slices in the flour and sautéed them quickly in hot vegetable oil until they were brown, and almost done. I poured out the oil and added a cup of water to the hot pan to deglaze it. I then squeezed in about a 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice, added a 1/2 cup of cured olives and 1/4 cup of marinated artichoke hearts. The sauce was a bit tart so I added a couple of teaspoons of sugar to reduce the sharp flavor. The sauce thickened and I then put the turkey slices back in the pan to heat and finish cooking. I served it with a green salad simple dressed with vinaigrette.

So you see that you can adapt. Last Tuesday, I was to make dinner for some friends and decided to do a simple dinner that was quick and easy to prepare. It included Umbrian chicken liver pate on beer bread crostini, some slices of pecorino cheese with a couple of chutneys, beer bread crostini with smoked salmon, strachinno, chives with citrus marmalatta (described in an earlier post), tagliatelle with pesto and grilled fish, black cabbage with oven dried tomatoes and pancetta, sweet and sour cipollini and for dessert vanilla gelato with brandied cherries. I served the antipasti attractively on beautiful plates with some good wine; while the pasta and fish went into heated bowls as a one dish meal. The vegetables were eaten on the side with a green salad. I used a commercial gelato, and my own brandied cherries. I had put up the cherries earlier this year during the cherry harvest. They were terrific.

Umbrian chicken liver pate.

This is a simple and a fairly inexpensive antipasti. The pate is made primarily in the food processor. Place 1/2 cup of pickled vegetables (giardineri) in the food processor, add 1/4 pound (125 grams) of cold butter cut into bits. The giardineri includes pickled cauliflower, carrots, dill pickles, and red peppers in a vinegar solution and is easily found in your local market. Rinse and drain 1/2 pound of fresh chicken livers. Saute a medium chopped onion in some olive oil over medium heat; add a bit of crushed dried hot pepper and some salt. Add the chicken livers and saute until no longer reddish inside, but still pink. Don't overcook the livers. Add 1/4 cup of Marsala to the pan and deglaze. Pour the entire pan of livers and onions into the food processor and process until smooth. Put the mixture in a covered bowl and refrigerate for two hours until firm. Spread on garlicky crostini, bruschetta, or even spread on crackers.

Tagliatelle with pesto and grilled fish

This dish combines the creaminess of the basil pesto with the crispy heat of the grilled fish. It is a good lunch dish or as part of a larger dinner. It also is not too bad for the bariatric patient as long as they do not overdo on the pasta. Get the lovely basil flavor and eat the fish.

Purchase 4 ounces of fish (look for firm white fleshed fish like halibut, swordfish, tilapia, and rockfish) per person. Cut into 1” chunks and set aside in a bowl. Make a seasoned flour with seasonings you like (can be spicy, mild etc). Mix well and set aside.

Make the basil pesto: In a blender place 2 cups of fresh basil, two garlic cloves, a bit of salt and freshly ground black pepper, ¼ cup of pine nuts (substitute toasted almonds or walnuts, if pine nuts are not available), then add about ¼ cup of olive oil and start to blend. Add additional olive oil in a stream slowly as the emulsion forms. If you are serving the pesto immediately add ½ cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and continue to blend until smooth. Set aside. If you want to make a larger volume, add additional ingredient but do not add the cheese if it is going to be frozen. That can be added when you defrost the sauce.

For four or five servings make up 1 pound of dried tagliatelle or linguine. Cook the pasta, drain and add the pesto. Mix thoroughly and keep warm. Dredge the fish pieces in the flour mixture and saute in a good amount of vegetable oil at 370 degrees F. Brown and cook the fish and put on a warm platter to hold until all pieces are cooked. Don’t use olive oil here. Portion out the pasta into warm bowls and top with 5-6 pieces of fish. Pass lemon wedges.

Black cabbage with oven dried tomatoes and pancetta

Black cabbage (a local Italian vegetable), chard, or spinach can be braised in water with some added garlic cloves. To complete the dish, pancetta or thick bacon is cut into small chunks and sautéed in a bit of olive oil. Add the vegetables and saute quickly. Serve hot.

Sweet and sour cipollini

The little onions that are available in Italy are quite sweet and delicious. They are however a bit of a problem to peel. To solve that problem, drop the onions into boiling water for a minutes and then drain then and cool quickly in cold water. Trim the end off and the onion slips right out of the skin.

To make them agrodolce (sweet and sour), add 1 cup of sugar to 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Put some salt and crushed dried red pepper in the solution to taste. Cook for at least 10 minutes at a good boil to reduce the water. Add about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of apple or white wine vinegar, return to a boil and then start to taste it. You are looking for a balance between the sweet and the sour. When you have reached the taste you want, dump the onions into the solution and cook for 20 minutes until they are tender. These can be canned in sterile jars in a water bath for 10 minutes or simply placed in a covered bowl in the refrigerator. Use them from the fridge in a week of two. Canned, they will store well for months if they seal well.

Cooking is fun and when you treat it as an on-going taste and ingredient experiment, it can be quite rewarding and delicious. Besides you don't have to serve your failures. So cook with confidence, and never let them see you sweat. There are always omelets if all else fails.