Cucina DiBella

Stringy Gnocchi

If you're getting sick of posts using Fontina cheese, you should probably just come back later.  Sticking with the theme of fontina drenched recipes, this week I made some Stringy Gnocchi, or Gnocchi alla Bava.  It's basically just gnocchi mixed with melted fontina, getting its name from the way the fontina stretches with every bite.

This was my second time making home-made gnocchi, and I must say they came out much better than my first attempt.  I used the same recipe, but my technique has definitely improved! Just takes a little practice.  I made my Stringly Gnocchi by just melting the fontina with a little cream on the stovetop and then mixing that in with the gnocchi.  However, an alternative is to cook the gnocchi, layer it in a baking dish with the diced fontina, and then bake it for a few minutes until the cheese melts.  I may try this next time.  I found that when melting the fontina on the stovetop, the cheese began to return to a solid very quickly after leaving the pan and didn't retain its melty quality for very long. What worked better was shredding the fontina, omitting the cream, and adding it directly to the cooked gnocchi, allowing the gnocchi to melt the cheese itself.  One more thought: if you want to really get crazy, this recipe would be great with some diced artichoke hearts added in!

Sorry I don't have a good picture of this one - I'll put one up as soon as possible. Or, if you make this dish, feel free to share your picture!

Stringy Gnocchi - Gnocchi alla Bava

Adapted from Inside Italy

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Gnocchi:

4 large russet potatoes

1 egg, slightly beaten

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces fontina cheese, shredded

2 tablespoond butter, softened and diced

Process:

1. Fill a large pot with cold water and add salt. Place the potatoes (with the skin still on) in the pot.  Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until a fork can pierce them easily (about 40-50 minutes).
2. Remove the potatoes from the water and peel each.  You may want to use a kitchen towel to hold the potatoes if they are too hot.  Mash the potatoes by either putting them through a potato ricer or by running the tines of a fork down the side of the potato.  Don't over mash the potatoes.  You just want them to be a fluffy potato base to work with. 
3. Spread the potatoes over a cutting board and let the potatoes cool for about 10 minutes.
4. Using either a bowl or the cutting board, pull the potatoes into a soft mound and drizzle with the beaten egg.  Sprinkle 3/4 cup of the flour over the top.  Fold the mixture onto itself until the egg and flour are well incorporated. 
5. Lightly knead the dough for about 5 minutes, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky.  Don't be afraid of adding more flour.  If there isn't enough flour, the gnocchi will come out sticky and mushy.
6. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces.  Gently roll each piece into a long, snake shaped piece about the thickness of your thumb.  
7. Cut the pieces every 3/4 inch.  Roll a fork over each piece, creating grooves in the gnocchi.  Set aside and dust with a little more flour until ready to cook. 
8. Heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook about 2-3 minutes just until golden.  Set aside.
9. Bring a pot of water to boil.  Season with salt.  Add the gnocchi in batches, about 25 at a time.  The gnocchi is finished when they rise to the surface.  Remove the gnocchi and place in a large serving bowl.  Cover with foil to keep hot while cooking the remaining gnocchi.
10. Once the gnocchi is finished cooking, add the fontina, garlic, and butter to the gnocchi.  Stir to incorporate and melt the cheese.  If the sauce is too thick for your liking, add just a few spoonfuls of the water the gnocchi was cooked in to thin the sauce.  Serve hot.

Ryan's rating of Stringy Gnocchi - 4.

 

 

 

Baked Penne Valle d'Aosta

As some of you may have noticed, I've been floundering lately with Cucina DiBella.  Since finishing my first round through all of Italy's regions, I haven't really found a good rhythm for my posts. So, instead of just pushing through with a system that wasn't working for me, I decided to head back to what originally drew me in to this project: Italian regional cooking.  

I'll head back up to Valle d'Aosta in the northwestern corner of Italy first.  If you remember back to the first recipe that I cooked for Cucina DiBella, Fonduta, Valle d'Aosta is known for their delicious fontina cheese. Fontina melts wonderfully with a smooth, creamy result.  One of the typical dishes that fontina is used in is Baked Penne Valle d'Aosta or Pasticcio di Penne alla Valle d'Aosta.  Really, this recipe is like an upscale, adult version of macaroni and cheese.  In the traditional recipe, fontina cheese is mixed with sauteed mushrooms and cream and poured over penne.  The whole thing is then baked for just a couple minutes to make the top layer of cheese bubble and get a slight crisp.  However, to add a little more flavor and texture, I added onion and garlic to my version.  I also sprinkled toasted breadcrumbs over half the pan (Ryan's not a fan, so I let him have his half without it), which was a delicious addition.  So, that's my version of this typical Valle d'Aosta recipe. Hope you enjoy it!

 
Baked Penne Valle d'Aosta - half with breadcrumbs on top, half without

 
Love the steam coming off the dish!

Baked Penne Valle d'Aosta

Adapted from Lidia's Italy

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 pound penne

2 tablespoons butter

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 cup half and half

8 ounces fontina cheese, shredded

1 cup parmigiano regiano, shredded

Optional:

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon butter

Procedure:

1. Prepare a baking dish by coating the sides and bottom with butter.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Fill a large pot with water and season with salt.  Bring to a boil and cook the penne as directed.  Drain the penne and return to the pot. 
3. While the penne cooks, heat the butter in a large pan over medium high heat.  When the butter is melted, add the onion and garlic and cook about 3 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms soften and release their liquid. 
4. Stir the half and half into the mushrooms and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes until the liquid thickens slightly. 
5. Take the pot of drained penne and add the mushroom and cream mixture.  Add in 3/4 of the fontina and 2/3 of a cup of the parmigiano.  Stir the pasta mixture to combine. 
6. Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining fontina and parmigiano. 
7. Optional: If you would like to add breadcrumbs, heat 1 tablespoon butter in a small pan.  When melted, add the breadcrumbs and stir until coated in the butter.  Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the penne in the baking dish.
8. Bake for about 5-10 minutes until the cheese is well melted.  Serve hot.

Ryan's rating of Baked Penne Valle d'Aosta - 5. This is deinitely a new favorite!

Torcettini di Saint Vincent

I am at the end of my gastronomic exploration of Valle d'Aosta! The food that I made this week was great, but really left me longing for the classic tastes of Italian food.  It is amazing how different the food in northern Italy is from the food in central and southern Italy.  You can definitely see just how much influence the bordering nations have on the cuisine of northern Italy!

For a dessert, I chose to make the cookies that Valle d'Aosta is famous for - Torcettini di Saint Vincent.  These cookies are a little on the crunchier side, but if you want them softer just take them out of the oven after about 15 minutes.  For a tasty variation, you could add some cinnamon to the sugar when you are rolling out the dough.  Enjoy!

Tocettini di Saint Vincent

Adapted from Baking Obsession

Makes 48 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water

2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

5 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into tablespoons

About 2/3 cup sugar for rolling

Preparation:

1. Combine the water and yeast in a small bowl. Cover until needed.
2. Whisk together the flour and salt to fully combine.  Add in the butter and mix with your hands until the butter in completely incorporated.  The mixture will still be powdery at this point.
3. Add the yeast mixture all at once.  Stir or mix with your hands until the dough begins to form a ball. Put on a lightly floured surface and fold the dough onto itself 3 or 4 times until no longer sticky.
4. Put the dough in a greased bowl and turn over so that the top gets greased as well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for about an hour to allow the dough to rise.
5. Press the dough down to deflate it.  Chill dough for at least 1 hour.
6. Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper.
7. Remove dough from refrigerator and press into an 8 inch square.  If still sticky, sugar the surface you are using.
8. Cut the dough into 8 1-inch strips.  Cut each strip into 6 equal pieces.
9. Roll each piece of dough on a sugared surface into a pencil thin strip about 5 inches long.  Form a loop by crossing the ends about 1 inch up from the ends. Place on cookie sheets, leaving about 1 inch space between each. Let cookies stand at room temperature about 15-20 minutes until they puff slightly.
10. While forming the cookies, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
11. Bake cookies in batches for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
12. Remove from parchment paper immediately and place on cooling rack to cool.  (If you don't, the caramelized sugar will stick to the parchment paper and you will spend an extra 20 minutes peeling paper off the bottom of your first batch.)

 

Ryan's rating of Torcettini di Saint Vincent - 3.5.

 

Next week I will be moving on to the food from the Piemonte region!

Breaded Stuffed Pork - I Mean Veal - Chops

Let's just get it out in the open from the beginning. One of the specialties of Valle d'Aosta is Breaded Stuffed Veal Chops. And I am making it with pork instead.  I know, I know. Some people are going to frown upon me not using the authentic ingredients and will think that I should stick to the exact recipes if I want this project to have any credit.  In response, I say too bad.  I'm not a huge fan of eating veal, even though it really is delicious.  Though I may cave and do one or two meals with veal during this project, I decided not to used it in a recipe like this one where another meat could be substituted easily without altering the dish too much. 

So, if you want to, use veal in this recipe.  If you don't like to eat veal, the pork was wonderful. The cheese really keeps the chops moist.  To kick it up another notch, you could also put slices of prosciutto in the pork chops along with the cheese. You can serve these with any sides you want. I went with some simple roasted potatoes and steamed vegetables. 

Breaded Stuffed Pork Chops

Adapted from Rustico: Regional Italian Country Cooking by Micol Negrin

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 pork chops

1/4 pound fontina cheese, cut into 4 slices

salt

pepper

1/2 cup flour

1 egg, beaten

1 cup breadcrumbs

olive oil

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut a horizontal slit in the pork chops without going all the way through so that you create a pocket in the chops.  Put one slice of cheese in the pocket of each pork chop.  Use a meat mallet to pound the chop gently, sealing the openings.
3. Salt and pepper each pork chop.  Coat each chop with flour.  Then, dip in the egg.  Finally, coat in breadcrumbs.
4. Cover the bottom of a frying pan with olive oil. Cook pork chops over medium high heat until browned on each side. 
5. Place pork chops on a cookie sheet.  Finish cooking in the oven for 8-12 minutes, or until no longer pink inside. 

Ryan's rating of Breaded Stuffed Pork Chops - 4.5.  And my ratings keep going up!

Grilled Polenta with Mushroom Ragu

Being situated so close to the Alps, it isn't surprising the much of the food cooked in Valle d'Aosta is hearty in nature to combat the cold of the mountains.  What may be surprising to many, however, is that pasta does not play a very large role in the cuisine of this region.  Wait, what? Yes, that's right. This part of Italy doesn't use pasta very much.  Instead, the area relies on things like rice and polenta as the starches in their diet. 

For a primi, or first course from Valle d'Aosta, I wanted to make polenta.  In an effort to give us a break from cheese (fontina will make an appearance again tomorrow), I decided to skip the many varieties of polenta that were cooked with cheese.  If these sound good to you, some options are polenta concia, or fonduta over fried polenta.  For my meal, however, I decided to go with another hearty polenta dish: Grilled Polenta with Mushroom Ragu. This is one that you will either love or hate.  If you aren't a mushroom fan, please, do us both a favor and try another recipe for polenta. 

Grilled Polenta with Mushroom Ragu

Adapted from Rustico Cooking http://www.rusticocooking.com/valdaosta.htm

(serves 2)

1.  Make the Polenta

*You can also cheat and buy a cooked polenta log or instant polenta.

Ingredients:

6 1/2 cups water

salt

1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon butter

Process:

1. Put water in a large saucepan or pot and add salt as you would for pasta.  Bring water to a boil.
2. Slowly pour the cornmeal into the water in a steady stream.  Whisk the cornmeal as you pous it to prevent lumps from forming.
3. Stir for 5 minutes, getting rid of any lumps. 
4. Let the polenta cook for 30 more minutes, stirring occassionally (No need to spend 30 minutes over the stove stirring constantly).  Add butter and stir until melted.
5. Pour polenta onto a greased cookie sheet.  Spread evenly to a thickness of about 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch.  Let cool completely (May take several hours).
6. Once cooled, cut into 2 1/2 inch squares.

2.  Make the Ragu

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 pound button mushrooms, chopped (This seems like a lot, but they will shrink down when cooked)

1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 shallot, minced

1 tablespoon Italian parsley, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine (beef broth would also work here)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Process:

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, shallot, and parsley.  Cook for 5 minutes.
2. Deglaze pan with wine (or brother).  Let cook for 5 minutes or until the wine has evaporated. 
3. Add salt, pepper, and cream.  Cook for 5 minutes, or until the cream has reduced by half.
4. Add Parmigiano, stir until incorporated, and remove from heat.

3.  Put it all together

1. Preheat oven to 500.
2. Brush polenta squares with olive oil and grill over a high flame for 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned.
3. Arrange the grilled polenta on a greased baking sheet and top with mushroom ragu.  Bake at 500 for 5 to 8 minutes.  Serve hot.

Turns out this was simple to make.  I was pretty scared about making the polenta, but it's as easy as making pasta.  As far as taste, the polenta has little flavor of it's own, and just picks up the flavor of whatever you are cooking it with.  It is very spongy though, and sticks easily to anything you cook it on.  My kitchen saw a couple of casualties last night in trying to get the polenta off of the grill.  So make sure you grease any pans liberally.  

Ryan's rating of Grilled Polenta with Mushroom Ragu - 4.

Fondue from Valle d'Aosta

The first region whose cuisine I am going to explore is Valle d'Aosta, which is a small region in the northwest corner of Italy.  Valle d'Aosta is home to fontina cheese, and you see its prevalence in many dishes in the region.  Fontina is a cow's milk cheese which has a very mild, though delicious, taste.  A typical appetizer or antipasto dish that highlights fontina is fondue or fonduta.   Most people have had fondue before, but using good fontina cheese really makes this dish fantastic!

(A special thanks to my husband, Ryan, for acting as my photographer for this project!)

Fonduta Alla Valdostana    

Adapted from Delicious Italy http://www.deliciousitaly.com/ricetta.php?id=215&regione_id=18  

Ingredients:

10 ounces Fontina cheese

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

3 egg yolks

Instructions:

1. Remove the rind from the cheese, and cut into 1/2 to 1 inch cubes.  Put the cheese into a saucepan.
2. Cover the cheese with the milk and flour and stir.  Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for several hours or even overnight.
3. Heat the cheese mixture over medium heat until the cheese is completely melted.  Do not let the mixture come to a boil.  At this point, even when the cheese is melted, it may not be fully incorporated with the milk. Don't panic (like I did)!
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and slowly add the egg yolks one at a time.  Whisk the mixture as you add in the yolks to prevent the eggs from scrambling. 
5. Return the saucepan to the heat and heat until the mixture is completely smooth and velvety, about 5 more minutes.   At this point the mixture should fully incorporate together.
6. Put the fonduta in a bowl, and serve!

The fun part about making any kind of fondue is choosing what you want to dip in it.  With my fonduta, I served a baguette, sourdough bread, pita bread, bell peppers, mushrooms, cucumbers, salami, and pepperoni.  Bread is usually the go-to item when it comes to cheese fondue, but you can really use anything that appeals to you!  Often, traditional Italian fondutawill use grilled polenta. However, since I am highlighting polenta in tomorrow night's dinner (and subsequent blog post!), I decided to forego it and keep this meal just about the fontina cheese. 

  

Overall, the fonduta came out wonderfully.  Undoubtedly, it would have been even creamier had I used whole milk.  However, in an effort to make the meal a little better for us I used skim milk, which worked fine.  This recipe made WAY more than Ryan and I could have eaten by ourselves, even using it as our main course.  I would say this recipe would serve four people.  You could use it to serve even more if you are using it as an appetizer or antipasto dish.  Since he is a little less biased than I am, I'm asking Ryan to rate each of the meals that I make on the following scale:

1 - Awful. If you make this again I'll shove a fork in my eye.

2 - Meh. It's not my favorite, but I won't threaten self-harm if it shows up again.

3 - Good. I wouldn't feel forced to order a pizza behind your back. 

4 - Great! I will fight you for the leftovers.

5 - Love it! Make it again tomorrow. Or immediately and I will bathe in it.

Ryan's rating of Fonduta alla Valdostana - 3.5. Not bad for my first meal!

So, what are your favorite foods to use with fondue?