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The Art of Italian Living

First Course - Primo Piatto

Valentine’s Day Dinner:
Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling

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Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling

How do I love thee? Let me count the ravioli. Seriously, there’s no better way to say “I love you” than with a plate of handmade pasta lovingly crafted and offered as a token of your affection. After all, you put a little bit of yourself into every bite by kneading, rolling and shaping the pasta even before it is cooked. The act in itself is a delicious labor of love. Then why not take it to the next level with colored pasta and make a real statement? Those were my thoughts last year when I created these Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling for Valentine’s Day. Yes, I make other colored pasta, like these green tagliatelle colored with spinach that I did here. But these Valentine’s ravioli were begging to be red—really, really red—the color of love, of passion, of beets. In fact, for these ravioli the pasta dough is stained deep magenta-red with beets before it lovingly envelopes a creamy ricotta and radicchio filling to form pretty half-moon shaped ravioli. They look stunning on the plate, dressed in a rosy sauce of beet-tinted melted butter and scattered with toasted pine nuts and delicate wisps of shaved Parmigiano. A romantic meal never looked or tasted so good!

Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling

It took a little love on my part to get this beet pasta recipe the way I wanted it. You see, beets stain but they also bleed. That means when red pasta cooks, the color can leach into the boiling water and fade —taking the pasta from bright magenta to drab pink. But that wasn’t good enough for me and I was determined to get an intense red pasta that held up to cooking. And I did…here’s how. I use more beets than most but it works because of a few tricks I’ll share with you. First, I roast the beets so they don’t get watery like they can if you boil them. Then I puree the beets using a fine blade in my food mill, but you can also process in a food processor. Next—and most importantly—I squeeze all the liquid out of the beet puree (saving it for the sauce) in a cotton napkin I don’t mind staining until it’s dry like play dough. This creates a concentrated pigmentation agent to add to the egg before incorporating flour, so less flour is needed and the pasta dough is darker. After kneading the dough until smooth and soft, it is dark magenta and almost purplish in color. But don’t worry because some of the color will fade during boiling and the cooked ravioli will be a lovely shade of red.

Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling

You should know that while red beets color pasta dough beautifully, they can stain your hands and counter tops if you’re not careful. To avoid this, I work on washable cutting boards and wear disposable latex gloves when making the pasta dough. Once the dough is made, roll it thin—either with a rolling pin or using a pasta machine. Cut the pasta sheet into circles, dab each with a spoonful of ricotta and radicchio filling, then fold and seal the edges well to form half moon shaped ravioli. This filling comes together quickly with a mixture of ricotta cheese, egg, Parmigiano and caramelized radicchio. Radicchio is red chicory with a bittersweet peppery flavor that adds spice to the mild ricotta and compliments the beet infused pasta. I like to use Treviso radicchio, but if you can’t find it, the Chioggia variety works well too.

Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling

Once the ravioli are made the work is done leaving plenty of time to get dressed and light the candles on the table. Then, just a few minutes before serving, the pasta cooks while a quick yet sumptuous sauce is made from reserved beet juice and butter to toss the ravioli in and coat them with even more color and flavor. Arranged on plates with a smattering of toasted pine nuts and Parmigiano shavings over top, they make quite an entrance and are sure to set the mood for your romantic meal. Happy Valentine’s Day…or should I say…beet mine?

Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling

 

BEET PASTA RAVIOLI WITH RICOTTA & RADICCHIO FILLING
Ravioli di Barbabietola con Ricotta e Radicchio

Created by on February 8, 2017

Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling The pasta for these half-moon shaped ravioli is tinted deep magenta red by pureed beets then filled with creamy ricotta and caramelized radicchio. They look stunning arranged on a plate dressed in rosy beet-infused melted butter and scattered with toasted pine nuts and Parmigiano shavings.    © 2016 Deborah Dal Fovo. All rights reserved.

  • Prep Time: 2h
  • Cook Time: 10m

Ingredients

Beet Pasta Dough:

  • 6 ounces /160g red beets, trimmed
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup/120g all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
  • 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
  • Kosher or fine sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Ravioli Filling:

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon/14g unsalted butter
  • ½ small shallot, finely minced (2 tablespoons)
  • 2 ½ ounces/70g radicchio (preferably Treviso variety), cut into thin strips and rinsed
  • 4 ounces/113g ricotta cheese
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons/6g freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano
  • Kosher or sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup reserved beet juice (see instructions)
  • 8 tablespoons/113g unsalted butter, cut into dice
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
  • 2 tablespoons Shaved Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C degrees.
  2. NOTE: When working with red beets, wear disposable latex gloves and use cutting boards and glass bowls to avoid staining skin and work surfaces.
  3. Wash the beets well under cold water then place in center of a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the foil over the beets and crimp ends together to form a leak-proof packet then set on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until beets are tender when pierced with the point of a knife then remove from oven and cool. Peel the beets, cut into pieces and puree through a food mill or in a food processor until smooth. Place the beet pulp in the center of a clean, cotton napkin (that you don’t mind staining) and squeeze out all excess liquid into a bowl (about ¼ cup) until the pulp is dry like play dough. Set beet juice aside for later use.
  4. To make pasta dough, mound the flour on a cutting board (or in bowl) and form a well in the center. Place the egg yolk, beet pulp and 1/4 teaspoon salt in the well and beat with a fork, gradually dragging in the flour, a little at a time, until a crumbly mass forms. Gather the dough into a ball with your hands and knead on a floured board for 6 to 8 minutes until soft and smooth, adding more flour as needed if sticky. Form dough into a ball then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and set aside to rest.
  5. For the filling, place olive oil, butter, and shallots with 1 tablespoon water in a skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle lightly with salt and cook until shallots are soft and moisture has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the radicchio, season with salt and pepper and cook until wilted and lightly caramelized, stirring, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
  6. Mix the ricotta, egg yolk and grated cheese together in a bowl until smooth then add the radicchio and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  7. Divide the pasta dough into quarters and work with one piece at a time (keeping the rest wrapped in plastic until needed). Using a pasta machine or rolling pin on floured surface, roll the dough into a thin sheet about 1mm thick (you should see your hand in transparency through the pasta). If using a pasta machine, pass the dough repeatedly through the rollers increasing the setting each time to reduce roller thickness and thin dough.
  8. Lay the pasta sheet on a lightly floured board and cut six 3-inch circles using a floured pasta cutter or wine glass. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle then fold one side over the filling to form a half-moon shape. Press the dough around the filling with your fingers to expel air pockets and seal edges. If the dough doesn't stick together, brush it very lightly with water before sealing. If desired, use a zig-zagged pasta cutter to make a decorative edge. Arrange the ravioli in a single layer, without touching, on a floured parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat process with remaining dough and filling. (Ravioli can be refrigerated, uncovered, for a few hours.)
  9. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat then add a generous handful of kosher or sea salt. When the water returns to a boil, add the ravioli and stir gently to prevent sticking. Cook the ravioli until ‘al dente’, tender yet firm to bite, 2 to 3 minutes.
  10. While the ravioli cook, boil the reserved beet juice in a large skillet over medium-high heat until thick. Add the butter and melt, stirring to create a smooth sauce. Scoop the ravioli from water using a slotted spoon and place in the sauce. Toss ravioli in the sauce over heat for less than a minute until well coated, adding a little pasta cooking water if needed.
  11. Arrange six ravioli on each plate and drizzle with sauce. Scatter toasted pine nuts over top and sprinkle with cheese shavings. Serve immediately.
Source: Deborah Dal Fovo

 

An Ode to Pasta:
Straw and Hay Pasta with Truffles

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Today, October 17, is National Pasta Day! To celebrate, I’m honored to partner with premier Italian cookware maker Lagostina for my first ever giveaway. I’m giving a Lagostina Martellata Hammered Copper Pastaiola, like the one you see in this post, to one of lucky readers/followers (a $249.99 retail value!!). Lagostina gave me one of these beautiful pots to make my recipe for pasta day and review it in my post. You can get one of your very own by entering to win my Lagostina giveaway here.

An Ode to Pasta - Handmade egg and spinach tagliatelle (straw and hay pasta) is the ultimate delicacy and only requires 4 ingredients: flour, eggs, spinach and love!

Oh pasta, how I love thee so,
your vision makes my weak heart glow.
Whilst your form hath many shapes,
the simple you is that I crave.
A bit of flour, some egg is all,
for silky ribbons that enthrall.
Once bathed and dressed in buttery bliss,
this feast for me is like a kiss!

It’s no secret that my pasta is my favorite food. I’m a pasta fanatic and love to cook it as much as I enjoy eating it. For me, every day is pasta day. But today, October 17, is officially National Pasta Day so I can openly gush about pasta and share one of my most popular recipes with you in hope you will share in my enthusiasm. When Lagostina asked me to cook up a special pasta with their hammered copper pot for National Pasta Day, I didn’t have to think long about what to make. As a professional Italian chef, I have many delicious pasta dishes in my repertoire. But to appropriately honor the name of pasta, I dedicate this post to handmade fresh egg pasta—known as pasta fresca or pasta all’uovo in Italy—to truly capture the essence of what a delicacy pasta is.

Making spinach pasta dough starts by first cooking the spinach then chopping fine and adding to egg and flour. It's that simple!

For me, it’s more about the quality of the pasta and less about the sauce. Sure, I love a good Carbonara, but when I talk about pasta…I mean fresh pasta. The kind that’s made from nothing more than flour and eggs then stretched into transparent, paper-thin sheets and cut into long ribbons. To make them even more beautiful, I add cooked spinach to the half the dough and make paglia e fieno pasta that, well, looks like its name: straw and hay. Making fresh egg pasta is easier than you think and gives so much satisfaction. I’ve been making fresh pasta for decades and teach special workshops on it to eager students. When they see how easy it is they are amazed. But when they taste…oooh, that’s a whole other pasta experience. They close their eyes, they smile, they swoon.

Plain egg pasta and spinach pasta doughs are both easy to make with few ingredients. Just flour eggs and spinach!

All you need to make delicious egg pasta is flour (preferably Italian 00 grade), eggs and some elbow grease. The secret is to incorporate the flour gradually into the eggs so they absorb only what they need without becoming dry and stiff. Then, after about 10 minutes of kneading (here you can recruit a friend, family member or glass of wine to help), you’ll have a soft and elastic ball of dough to roll out and cut. For this, you’ll need a pasta machine with rollers. I use both the hand crank type and a pasta roller attachment on my electric mixer to equal effect.

Spinach and egg pasta dough (called straw and hay) is shaped into smooth balls and rest for 30 minutes before rolling.

When rolling out the dough for fine pasta, the thinner the better. This is accomplished by repeatedly passing the dough through the machine rollers while reducing the width of the setting with each pass to gently stretch and thin out the dough. Here, these pasta sheets are rolled to setting number 5 on my Kitchen Aid pasta roller attachment for my electric mixer. Once rolled thin, the pasta sheets need to dry slightly before cutting or else the ribbons will stick together. Lay the sheets flat on a cloth covered table until leathery but still quite pliable then cut into long ribbons using a pasta cutting attachment or sharp knife.

Handmade egg pasta dough is stretched thin until almost transparent using a pasta roller attachment on an electric mixer.

These pasta ribbons can be cooked immediatley or formed into nests to dry and store for later use. Thin, egg pasta ribbons cooks up in as little as one minute when fresh and only 2 to 3 minutes when dried. They make a colorful tangle on your fork and are tender and delicate to the bite. I like to pay them the ultimate compliment by serving simply dressed in a silky sauce of melted butter and pasta cooking water, melted Grana Padano or Parmigiano then scattered with sinful shavings of fragrant, earthy truffles. What more could you ask for?

Straw and Hay Pasta ribbons are made with half egg pasta dough and half spinach pasta dough then rolled into thin sheets and cut into long ribbons. They cook in 1 to 2 minutes and are tender and delicate!

Straw and Hay Pasta is made from half handmade egg dough and half spinach dough that is rolled thin, cut into long ribbons and rolled into delicate nests to dry.

An Ode to Pasta - Handmade egg and spinach (straw and hay) pasta ribbons simply dressed with butter sauce and adorned with fragrant truffle shavings is the ultimate delicacy and ode to pasta.

I am passionate about pasta and Lagostina loves it as much as I do. In fact, they created a special pot to perfectly cook pasta called the Martellata Hammered Copper Pastaiola. Made of high quality materials with elegant design, it not only looks beautiful in your kitchen, but its professional level features make cooking a pleasure. The hammered copper exterior gives it and eye-candy appeal while conducting heat superbly and is lined with sturdy stainless steel for ease of cleaning. A removable strainer insert lets you cook pasta then drain it easily while reserving essential pasta cooking water for adding to the sauce is also handy to make stock or boil vegetables. In fact, I used it to cook the spinach for my green pasta dough. As a professional chef, I also love that Lagostina thought to sandwich an aluminum core in the triple thickeness of the pan for uniform heat distribution and it can go from stove top to oven to table. I can honestly say that the Lagostina Martellat Hammered Copper Pastaiola cooks as good as it looks and was a true pleasure to use. Thank you Lagostina, for making this National Pasta Day more like Christmas by offering a giveaway of your product to one of my lucky readers!

Click here to enter the Lagostina Martellata Pastaiola giveaway!

An Ode to Pasta - Handmade egg and spinach pasta (called straw and hay) is a true delicacy and only requires 4 ingredients: flour, eggs, spinach and love. Dressed in butter and adorned with shaved truffles, it's the ulimate ode to pasta!

**In this video I show students how to roll fresh pasta ribbons into nests for drying and storing.

STRAW AND HAY PASTA WITH TRUFFLES
Paglia e Fieno al Tartufo

Created by on October 16, 2016

An Ode to Pasta - Handmade egg and spinach pasta ribbons simply dressed with butter sauce and adorned with fragrant truffle shavings is the ultimate delicacy and ode to pasta. Nothing says Autumn like a plate of delicate, handmade egg pasta ribbons dressed oh-so simply in melted butter and a touch of cheese then crowned with a luxurious smattering of fragrant, fresh truffle shavings. Here I use half plain egg dough and half spinach dough for “paglia e fieno”, or straw and hay pasta, to create a colorful surprise. © 2016 Deborah Dal Fovo. All rights reserved.

  • Prep Time: 1h
  • Cook Time: 10m

Ingredients

For the plain egg pasta dough:

  • 1/2 cup /200g Italian 00 flour (all purpose flour can be substituted)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
  • 2 large eggs

For the spinach pasta dough:

  • 8 ounces /226g fresh spinach leaves with stems removed, thoroughly washed but not dried
  • 1/2 cup /200g Italian 00 flour (all purpose flour can be substituted)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt, plus more to cook the spinach
  • 1 large egg

To cook and dress the pasta:

  • Kosher or sea salt for the pasta cooking water
  • 8 tablespoons /113g unsalted butter
  • 1 to 1-1/2 ounces/28-42g fresh truffles, surface cleaned with a soft brush
  • 6 tablespoons freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Special equipment:

  • Large clean work surface for kneading dough (unvarnished wood or formica/polyethelene preferable over marble or stone)
  • Plastic or metal bench or dough scraper
  • Hand crank or electric pasta roller and cutting machine
  • Truffle shaver

Instructions

To make the spinach pasta dough:

  1. Bring a large pot of water to boil with 1 tablespoon salt. Add the spinach, cover and cook until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove spinach from water and transfer to an ice water bath for a few minutes to cool and preserve bright green color. Drain then gather spinach into a ball and squeeze to remove excess water. Place ball of spinach in the center of a clean tea towel and wring out all remaining water until dry and putty like. Chop spinach finely.
  2. Mound the flour on a clean, dry work surface and sprinkle with the salt. Form a deep, wide well with a uniform retaining wall in the center of the flour. Break the egg into the well and add the chopped spinach. Use a fork to beat the eggs and spinach while dragging flour, a little at a time, from the inner walls of the mound into the liquid center without letting the walls collapse. The eggs will thicken as they absorb as much flour as needed to form a soft, crumbly mass. Gather the moist dough together with your hands and set aside while you prep the kneading surface.
  3. Use a dough scraper to push the remaining flour to one side then scrape any caked dough from work surface. Sift the flour through a mesh strainer to remove any lumps of dough then place it to the side of the clean surface. Wash and dry your hands to eliminate all traces of flour and dough.
  4. Dust the work surface lightly with some of the sifted flour and place the mass of dough in the center. Knead the dough with your hands while adding as much or little of the reserved flour as the dough will absorb without becoming stiff and dry. When you have a soft dough that is no longer sticky to handle, scrape the board clean and wash and dry your hands again.
  5. Knead the dough by pushing it away from you with the heel of one hand then folding in half from top down and turning 90 degrees. Repeat the motion (pushing, folding and turning) for 8 to 10 minutes until dough is smooth, elastic and compact, adding a slight amount of flour if sticky. Test the dough by pushing a finger into the center of it. When it comes out clean with the slightest whisper of moist feel, the dough ready. If your finger sticks, knead the dough again adding a little more flour. Form into a neat ball, wrap in plastic and let rest for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

To make the plain pasta dough:

  1. Repeat the same procedure for the spinach pasta omitting the spinach and adding the extra egg.

To roll and cut the pasta sheets:

  1. Divide the dough balls into quarters and run each piece through the widest setting of a pasta rolling machine (usually number 1). Fold dough in thirds like a letter and run through the wide setting again. Repeat a few times with all the dough then run each piece through the machine once for each setting, reducing the width of the rollers consecutively until pasta sheets are the desired thickness. You should see your hand in transparency through the thin sheet of pasta. Repeat with all the dough then lay the pasta sheets on a large, clean cloth to dry until slightly leathery yet pliable. Cut sheets into pasta ribbons using the cutting roller of your machine. Cook pasta ribbons as directed below or form into nests and dry completely before storing in airtight containers for up to one month.

To cook and dress the pasta:

  1. Bring 5 to 6 quarts of water to boil in a large pot over high heat. Season the water with a generous handful of salt then return to a vigorous boil. Drop all the pasta ribbons into the water and stir to prevent sticking. Boil the pasta until cooked "al dente", tender yet firm to the bite, 1 to 2 minutes for fresh pasta and 2 to 3 minutes for dried pasta.
  2. While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes until golden. Add 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, all of the grated cheese and half of the truffles sliced wafer thin. Stir over low heat until smooth.
  3. Drain the cooked pasta, reserving the water, and place directly in the skillet with the butter. Toss the pasta ribbons in the sauce for 1 minute, lifting and folding to evenly coat and adding more pasta cooking water if needed to maintain a loose, juicy pasta.
  4. Arrange the pasta ribbons in neat nests on warm plates by lifting the strands with a fork and twirling onto the center of the plates. Shave the remaining truffles over the top of each portion and serve immediately.
Source: Deborah Dal Fovo

You say tomato, I say “Pomodori al Riso”
Baked Rice Stuffed Tomatoes

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No sooner did I set foot in Italy last summer than the entertaining began. We just arrived in Tuscany and there was already a huge bash happening that night at the villa to celebrate Gianni’s niece’s 18th birthday. A gran gala complete with all the trimmings of an A-list affair had been in the planning stages for months…only for the junior jet-set. My daughter was going with all the cousins and an international guest list of youngsters flown in from London, Paris and beyond. Formal attire was de rigueur for the event — black tie for the boys and long gowns for the girls — and festivities would include champagne (perfectly legal for 18-year olds in Italy), white-glove dinner service, dancing under the stars…the whole shebang. Sounded like fun. But we, the “adults”, were not invited. Only the young and beautiful would attend — a kind of changing of the guard. “That’s ok,” my friend Maria Pia sniffed, “we’ll have our own party for all the parents at our house”. My usual question of “what should I make?” was answered with “qualcosa per un buffet” or something for a buffet dinner. At that exact moment, Maria Pia’s beautiful daughter strutted into the kitchen and announced with aplomb, “I’m wearing a red dress to the party.” Hmmm, I had something rosso on my mind but it was not a dress. There was no question what I would prepare for our dinner party that night and it was also red. Summer was in full swing with record heat waves so tomatoes were ultra-ripe and abundant. And, when you say tomato to me, I immediately think of…Pomodori al Riso.

Baked Rice Stuffed Tomatoes - Pomodori al Riso is a beloved Roman summer dish featuring intensely flavored tomatoes filled with garlic and herb scented rice then baked until wrinkly on a sea of golden potatoes. Simply deliziosi!

Pomodori al Riso is a traditional dish from Rome that pays homage to height-of-summer tomatoes like only Romans can — by placing them center stage as divas of baked vegetables that seduce both the eye and the appetite. Voluptuous tomatoes — kissed first by the sun and then by the oven — are transformed into hollow vessels stuffed with fragrant, garlic-and-herb-infused rice that playfully peeks out from under wrinkly red “caps” perched atop their plump curves like festive hats. In addition to a stunning presentation and easy to serve portions, these intensely flavored stuffed tomatoes are prepared in advance and served at room temperature — making them perfect for summer entertaining.

As with all Italian cooking, making good stuffed tomatoes requires good ingredients: ripe yet FIRM tomatoes, excellent quality rice, fruity extra virgin olive oil, fresh mint, parsley and garlic plus…a little manual dexterity and a lot of patience (I’ll explain later). At the local vegetable stand, I chose tomatoes more-or-less the same size (slightly larger than a tennis ball) by gently squeezing each one to make sure it was firm enough to remain intact during baking. These were pomodori ramati, or cluster tomatoes, that are bright red, round and meaty with a herbaceous, vine-ripened scent. In fact, the ones I selected still had stems attached, some of which I’d leave on for presentation purposes.

Ripe yet firm tomatoes have their tops cut off then are hollowed out to form shells that will hold the rice.

Back in the kitchen, I sliced the rounded tops off the tomatoes to create “lids” then carefully scooped out the pulp, seeds and precious juices from inside each one to form hollow shells with thick walls. This required the use of a serrated grapefruit spoon and a bit of care to avoid piercing the delicate tomato flesh and outer skin (remember the patience I talked about). The hollow tomatoes were turned, cut side down, to drain while the stuffing was made. I pureed the tomato pulp and juices through a food mill to eliminate bitter seeds and tough core then poured in plenty of extra virgin olive oil (I talked about amazing Tuscan olive oil in this previous post). Next, using the resident mezzaluna — a half-moon shaped knife in every Italian kitchen — I made a battuto, or fine chop of garlic-mint-parsley. The rocking motion of the curved blade over this particular combination of herbs released a familiar aromatic scent that reminded me of another classic Roman dish I often make — Carciofi alla Romana — and gives the stuffed tomatoes that unmistakably Roman taste.

An Italian mezzaluna knife rocks back and forth on the cutting board to chop parsely, mint and garlic into a fine paste "battuto".

Rice plays a starring role in this dish and the quality is important. While Arborio works well and is commonly used, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano (also risotto rice) are even better because of their superior quality. I added the raw rice and minced herbs to the tomato juice and gave the mixture a good stir before letting it rest for about half an hour. While the rice soaked up moisture and flavor, I peeled and thickly sliced some potatoes.

Good quality rice is essential for this dish and is macerated in the tomato's own juices and herbs.

With all the prep work done, it was time to put this dish together. I arranged the tomato shells upright in an oiled baking dish and filled them almost full with rice and juices before placing their lids back on. Then I strategically wedged potato slices in between the tomatoes to hold them snugly in place as they baked. The rice would absorb the liquid, plump and cook while the tomatoes baked being held upright by the potatoes that cooked at the same time. At that point I stopped to marvel at the brilliance of the Romans and their clever culinary creativity. But that wasn’t the only thing I was admiring. The sight of the assembled dish was so gorgeous that I grabbed my camera to capture the beauty of nature at work.

Hollowed out tomato shells are filled with rice and topped with their own red lids before being baked.

Deborah Dal Fovo does what it takes to get snap an overhead photo of her beautiful rice stuffed tomatoes before they go into the oven.

As a final gesture of love, I drizzled the tomatoes and potatoes with more olive oil and sprinkled with salt (tomatoes are very needy) before sliding them into the hot oven. The kitchen soon filled with an irresistible aroma, letting me know that the stuffed tomatoes were almost done. When I took them out of the oven after an hour, they were deeply bronzed with wrinkly skin and the potatoes soft with golden edges. I tasted the rice for doneness and it was tender, moist and very tasty. Now came the hard part, but it had nothing to do with work. Tradition dictates that pomodori al riso rest at least one hour before serving to allow flavors to mingle and marry. The temptation was very strong to sneak a tomato, but I resisted. Maria Pia had already set the table and plated the other items for the buffet. There was nothing left to do but wait for guests to arrive and admire our beautiful daughters in their long gowns as they headed off to the gala.

Baked stuffed tomatoes brim with rice infused with the tomato's own juices, garlic and herbs.

Baked Rice Stuffed Tomatoes - A sunny Roman dish perfect for easy summer entertaining.

As we, “the adults”, sat around the large round table under the stars, music from the party at the villa drifted over through the trees and became the background sound to our animated dinner conversation. It was effortless, elegant Italian entertaining at its best. And tonight, Maria Pia’s daughter wasn’t the only lady in red. My baked rice stuffed tomatoes made a spectacular entrance on the table and were enjoyed by all. So, when you say tomato, I will always say “pomodori al riso”.

Italian outdoor dining under the pergola.

 

BAKED RICE STUFFED TOMATOES
POMODORI AL RISO

Created by on June 14, 2016

Baked Rice Stuffed Tomatoes - Pomodori al Riso is a beloved Roman summer dish featuring intensely flavored tomatoes filled with garlic and herb scented rice then baked until wrinkly on a sea of golden potatoes. Simply deliziosi! Pomodori al Riso is a beloved Roman dish that is perfect for summer entertaining and as beautiful as it is delicious. Vivid red vine-ripened tomatoes are hollowed out and filled with rice marinated in the tomato’s own juices, olive oil, garlic and herbs then baked until golden, tender and intensely flavorful.  © 2016 Deborah Dal Fovo. All rights reserved.

  • Prep Time: 45h
  • Cook Time: 60h
  • Serves: 8

Ingredients

  • 8 medium, ripe yet FIRM round red tomatoes each weighing 5 to 6 ounces, preferably with stem leaves attached (cluster tomatoes work well)
  • 1 cup/200g Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice (about 2 tablespoons for each tomato)
  • 8 tablespoons/119ml extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing baking dish and drizzling
  • 1 large garlic clove, finely minced (about 1 teaspoon)
  • 1 handful fresh flat leaf Italian parsley leaves, finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 10 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped (about 1 teaspoon)
  • 3 large Yukon Gold potatoes
  • Kosher or sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Grease a 9 x 12 oven-proof baking dish with olive oil.
  2. Wash and dry the tomatoes. Using a sharp knife, cut a horizontal slice about 3/8-inch off the stem top of each tomato to form a lid, leaving one side attached like a hinge if desired.
  3. Working on one tomato at a time, use a serrated grapefruit spoon or small paring knife to cut around the inside perimeter of the tomato between the wall of flesh and inner pulp. Carefully scoop out the pulp, core, seeds and juice directly into a food mill set over a non-metallic bowl. Scrape out the tomato to create a hollow shell with thick wall of flesh on sides and bottom (about 3/8-inch), taking care not to pierce the flesh or skin while you work. Repeat the process with each tomato.
  4. Sprinkle a bit of salt inside each tomato then turn them upside down on a cutting board to drain while you prepare the rice stuffing.
  5. Puree the tomato pulp and juices through the food mill into bowl, discarding seeds and cores. If you don’t have a food mill, press the contents through a strainer with the back of a spoon into bowl or pulse contents in a food processor to liquify then strain to eliminate seeds and cores.
  6. Add the raw rice, extra virgin olive oil, and minced garlic and herbs to the tomato juices. Season with 1-tablespoon salt and freshly ground pepper then stir to combine and let stand for 30 to 40 minutes.
  7. Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.
  8. Pat each tomato shell dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up, in the oiled baking dish. Fill the tomato shells about 7/8 full with rice stuffing then spoon remaining tomato juices evenly each. Place the lids back on the tomatoes, matching up if separated.
  9. Peel the potatoes and cut into thick slices. Wedge the potatoes in between and around the tomatoes to hold snugly in place. Drizzle the tomatoes and potatoes liberally with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt.
  10. Cover the baking dish with a sheet of foil and bake in the center of hot oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake, uncovered, for another 25 to 30 minutes, basting the tomatoes and rice with cooking juices every now and then.
  11. The stuffed tomatoes are done when they are deeply bronzed with wrinkled lids, the rice is tender and moist, potatoes are soft inside yet crispy around the edges, and the cooking juices have thickened to a glaze-like consistency.
  12. Remove from oven and let rest for at least 1 to 2 hours before serving warm or at room temperature as a appetizer, side dish or lunch entree.
Source: Italian Chef Deborah Dal Fovo. All rights reserved.

A Warm Welcome Home – My Return to Tuscany
Tuscan Farro and Bean Soup

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It was almost midnight when the loud ping of my cell phone announced a message had arrived on WhatsApp. Must be from Italy, I thought, since all my friends here in California were probably asleep. I clicked open the phone, unprepared for the emotional surprise it held. “Gallena vi aspetta!” read the exclamation beneath a photo, “Gallena awaits you!” Those three little words and the image on that tiny screen seemed larger than life and triggered an unexpected wave of nostalgia to wash over me as hot tears flooded my eyes. There it was — Gallena — my Tuscan home-away-from-home and the place I longed to return to for so many years. It was waiting for me!

Gallena-country-house-in-Tuscany

“Gallena vi aspetta!”

I studied the house in the photo like it was the face of a dear old friend — feature by familiar feature. It was just as beautiful as I remembered. The petite yet sturdy country house built a century ago of unique blush-colored stones seemed to glow in the sunlight. Its rosy hue was accentuated by forest green shutters adorning the facade and an opulent spray of flowering jasmine that framed the entrance in a regal archway. Like the well-calculated perspective of a Renaissance painting, the photo drew me in. When I noticed the open door that beckoned me inside with a warm, welcoming gesture, my heart did a little flip. I felt back home already.

The message was my friend Maria Pia’s way of making me feel good about my upcoming trip to Italy. I’d mentioned my fear to her about going back after being away for so long from the place I left my heart, lost my marriage and desperately missed every day. The photo was her way of saying “it’ll be all right…just come back.”

Gallena-Tuscany

Italy had been my home for decades and the literal backdrop to my life story — and Gallena was a big part of that story. Gallena is a large rural estate owned by Maria Pia’s husband Gianni’s family located in the lush, green hills of Camaiore — a tiny town in Tuscany near Lucca perched high above the pristine beaches of the Versilia coast. The homes that dot the private hillside property belong to Gianni’s siblings and cousins. It’s where they gather on weekends to escape hectic city lives and a sacred place for quality time with family and invited friends. I am one of those lucky friends though they treat me like famiglia. Over the decades, my husband, children and I spent many idyllic summers, holidays and weekends there and, while I know many of the other houses inside and out, the home I know best is Maria Pia and Gianni’s. So many magical memories were made there and now I would return after endless days, months and years of waiting…wanting.

Once my daughter and I finally arrived in Italy, the car ride down to Tuscany from Milan was so full of chatter and catching up with our Italian friends that I barely noticed we’d arrived at Gallena until we were at the gate. The Range Rover barreled up the hill in twists and turns along the narrow country road, cutting through thick woods that blanketed the property. My heart raced in anticipation as we zig-zagged up the steep hill, each familiar curve bringing me closer to the house. “Would it still be the same?”, I asked myself then prayed “I hope so.” The tires growled on the gravel road as Maria Pia floored the accelerator to round the last hairpin turn before the house came into view in the distance. At last!

deborah-dal-fovo-tuscan-kitchen-door

I didn’t need to walk through the door to know what was inside. I knew every detail by heart, especially the kitchen. Even blindfolded, I could walk in and cook a decent meal. A simple country cucina, it was the perfect mix of rustic, artsy and functional with everything needed to cook for a large crowd — and we were always a large crowd. Once inside I saw that everything was as I remembered. The familiar brushed aluminum collage of pots and pans hung, without rhyme or reason, like an abstract painting from a periwinkle blue frame nailed to the stucco wall. The white marble countertop from neighboring Carrara that was lovingly etched from decades of daily use. And the piece de resistance — a vintage wooden laundry ironing station — stood proudly in the middle of the room serving as the central workstation and center-of-life around which everything in the house seemed to happen.

deborah-dal-fovo-in-tuscan-kitchen

The antique kitchen objects that embellished the walls gave the cucina its quirky, age-old character but were useful as well. Salt was pinched from porcelain spice drawers near the stove and Italian Moka coffeemakers stood ready to use on the hand-carved wooden drying rack. Although the kitchen wasn’t fancy and didn’t have the professional chef tools I use in the U.S., it was heaven to me — and just the inspiration I needed to make authentic Tuscan food again. I couldn’t wait to start cooking!

Dish-drying-rack-and-spice-drawers

The opportunity came when my friends went to Milan for work and I stayed behind with our now-teenage children and played mamma to a group of delightful bravi ragazzi for the week. When everyone was headed back for the weekend, I wanted to prepare dinner to welcome them home. At the time, Italy was experiencing a record heat wave with temperatures in the high 90’s, so I hadn’t a clue what to make that was home-cooked and nurturing yet could be eaten warm or at room temperature…until I saw some freshly shelled Borlotti, or cranberry beans, at the local market. Perfetto, I thought, just perfect. With their distinctive ivory color and bright fuchsia marbling, borlotti are the crowns jewels of Italian legumes and have a short window of harvest time to take advantage of. In California I rarely, if ever, find these beans fresh and usually have to use the dried variety, so I was excited to cook with them again and knew just what to make. I would prepare the iconic, local farro and bean soup called Gran Farro della Garfagnana in the afternoon that we could eat at room temperature that evening to temper the heat of the setting sun.

borlotti-beans-and-rosemary

In addition to the beans, I picked some fresh rosemary from the evergreen shrubs growing outside the kitchen door but needed another important item for this dish. Rummaging through the drawers of an antique grocery store cabinet that served as the kitchen pantry, I found just what I was looking for — farro. Known as emmer wheat in English, farro is an ancient grain grown in the nearby Garfagnana mountains high above the town of Lucca and is appropriately the star ingredient of this eponymous soup.

kitchen-cupboard-and-baskets

An exquisite grain used in lieu of rice in many Tuscan dishes, farro is an ancient strain of hard wheat with an easily recognizable oblong shape, sandy color and distinctive crease down the center. It has a pleasant nutty flavor and chewy texture and is rich in nutrients and fiber. In fact, it is said that Roman soldiers were fed a solid diet of farro to give them the strength needed to conquer the world. That’s quite a grain in my opinion!

rustic-bread-and-farro

I grabbed a big pot off the wall and started the soup by making a classic soffritto — the savory base used in many Italian soups, stews and sauces — by sautéing the holy trinity of chopped onions/carrots/celery in plenty of extra virgin olive oil that was pressed the previous autumn from olives grown on the property. Oh, how I missed living in Tuscany! There was never a lack of gorgeous green olive oil at my disposal. Next, I crushed a few whole garlic cloves with the palm of my hand and tossed them into the pot. This is when tradition normally dictates the addition of chopped pancetta, but there was none in sight so I sprinkled in extra chopped rosemary and sage, which are Tuscan cuisine’s signature herbs. Lastly, I added a pinch of peperoncino chili pepper plucked from the dried bouquet hanging decoratively on the wall and deglazed everything with a big splash of local white wine.

pans-on-wall

The soup had an amazing aroma even before I added chopped summer tomatoes that were so ripe you could smell the sunshine. Once the tomatoes cooked down, in went the fresh beans with a couple liters of water to cook at barely a simmer. After almost an hour, when the beans were tender and creamy, I scooped out about three-quarters worth and pureed them back into the pot using an old-fashioned food mill. I seasoned the soup with plenty of sea salt and freshly ground pepper then added the farro (using the perlato, or polished variety, that takes less time to cook) along with some diced potatoes, and simmered everything for another 20 minutes until the farro was al dente. Even in blistering heat wave temperatures, I was feeling incredibly happy to be in my Tuscan kitchen again!

It was then that I realized something else happened while I was cooking. As I stood stirring the soup, something stirred inside me. Maybe it was the intense heat or the heady fragrances filling my head, but suddenly the past didn’t matter anymore. All the sadness, fear, and hurt I was feeling had melted away — like the tomatoes in the soup. The only thing that really mattered to me now was that I was back in Italy again with my friends. Everything would be all right after all.

kitchen-shelves-and-peperoncino-bouquet

“Che bella zuppa!” Maria Pia exclaimed, “what a beautiful soup” as we poured ladles of it into shallow bowls to cool before dinner. Once everyone arrived and was tucked in around the dinner table, the sun did a graceful dive into the horizon casting a loving glow across our plates and a balmy evening breeze drifted in through open doors creating the perfect atmosphere for a reunion dinner. “Cin cin” we simultaneously chimed, raising our wine glasses in unison. “Buon appetito and welcome back Deborah. We missed you,” Maria Pia said, smiling knowingly at me across the table. This was the long-awaited moment I dreamed of and it truly was…a warm welcome home.

Tuscan-Farro-and-Bean-Soup

TUSCAN FARRO AND BEAN SOUP
Gran Farro della Garfagnana

Created by on June 1, 2016

Tuscan Farro and Bean Soup - this iconic Tuscan soup hails from the area of Lucca in Tuscany is hearty, nutritious and so delicious! Copyright 2016 Deborah Dal Fovo. All rights reserved. This is my recipe using dried Borlotti beans so you can make this soup all year long. If you’re lucky enough to find fresh cranberry beans during the summer months, skip soaking and precooking beans and use the cooking procedure described in my post. See note below.

  • Prep Time: 20m
  • Cook Time: 2h
  • Yield: Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

For the beans:

  • 2 cups /350g dried Borlotti (cranberry) beans or 1 1/2 pounds/680g shelled fresh cranberry beans (see note below)
  • 2½ quarts/2.5 liters cold water, plus more to soak dried beans if using
  • 4 large garlic cloves, crushed and peeled (omit if using fresh beans)
  • Sprig of fresh fresh sage (omit if using fresh beans)

For the soup:

  • 1/2 cup /125ml extra virgin olive oil, plus more to garnish
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 leek (white part only), finely sliced and rinsed under cold water
  • 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, trimmed and finely chopped
  • 2 large garlic cloves, lightly crushed then peeled
  • 4 ounces /115g pancetta, finely chopped (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced
  • 4 fresh sage leaves, finely minced
  • Pinch of chili pepper flakes or chopped peperoncino
  • ½ cup/125ml dry white wine (optional)
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste or 1/2 cup/125ml dense plum tomato puree
  • 2 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice
  • 1½ cups/260g farro perlato, preferably from Garfagnana
  • Kosher or sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Sort through the dried beans to eliminate any small stones or debris then place them in a large bowl and cover by 2 inches with cold water. Let the beans soak for 12 hours or overnight, during which time they will reconstitute and increase two to three times in volume.
  2. Drain the beans and place in a large pot, preferably made of glazed earthenware. Add 2½ quarts/2.5 liters cold water, 4 garlic cloves and sprig of sage. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot then reduce the heat to low and cook the beans at barely a simmer for about 50 minutes until tender, occasionally skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Add 2 teaspoons salt and cook for another 10 minutes until beans are very tender. Scoop out ¼ of the whole beans with a slotted spoon and reserve. Discard the garlic and sage from the pot then puree the remaining beans with their cooking liquid using a food mill, emersion blender or food processor and set aside.
  3. In a large heavy bottomed soup pot, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions, leeks, carrots, celery and cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until glazed and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic cloves and pancetta and cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes then stir in the rosemary, sage and chili pepper flakes and cook for another minute. Pour in the white wine, if using, and boil for a minute or two until all alcohol evaporates. Add the tomato paste or puree and season generously with salt then cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to separate from the oil. Add the potatoes and stir to coat with cooking oils then add the pureed beans with their cooking liquid and bring to a lively simmer.
  4. Rinse the farro well under cold, running water and add to the simmering soup. Cook for 20 minutes with the lid slightly askew, stirring occasionally to prevent the farro from sticking to the bottom of the pot, and adding more water if needed. Add the reserved whole beans to the pot and cook the soup for an additional 5 to 10 minutes until the farro is very al dente, tender yet quite firm to the bite, and the soup is medium-thick in consistency.
  5. Remove from heat and taste to adjust seasoning if needed. Allow the soup to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving in shallow bowls with a generous drizzle of fruity extra virgin olive oil on top. Can be served hot, warm or at room temperature.
  6. NOTE: If using fresh borlotti (cranberry) beans, skip the soaking and precooking steps (1 & 2) needed for dried beans. Substitute dried beans with the amount of fresh beans indicated in ingredient list, keeping quantities of other ingredients the same, and follow the procedure described in the narrative of my post by adding fresh beans directly to the soup during cooking process.
Source: Italian Chef Deborah Dal Fovo. All rights reserved.