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Antipasti/Appetizers

Salmon, Wild and Farmed

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I live in Boston, far from Alaska’s fishing grounds, but in summer I can count on wild salmon from our 49th state showing up on local seafood counters.

King salmon, also known as chinook, is prized for its buttery flavor and coho salmon for its delicate taste and texture. Sockeye salmon, with a deep red-orange color and stronger flavor, happens to be my favorite. Copper River salmon is reputed to develop superior flavor due to the fatty acid stores the fish build during their grueling upstream journey.

More often, I’m buying farmed salmon, fresh or cured, from Norway or the Faroe Islands. It’s available year round. The flavor is pleasant, milder than our West Coast wild salmon. On a trip to Norway last June, I had a chance to visit Hardanger Akvasenter, an educational center for one of the country’s largest fish raising enterprises, in business since 1978.

Norwegian salmon farm

The young fish (smolt) are raised to a weight of four to six pounds in the fjord’s brackish water, a blend of sea water and fresh water coming down from mountains and glaciers.It was reassuring to learn how this vital Norwegian industry is regulated, calling for generous quantities of water per fish, regular inspections for bacterial levels and parasites, and two-month pauses between batches of salmon.

Afterward, we were treated to a buffet lunch that included baked salmon and an intriguing dish of pickled salmon and beets. It was all delicious and so were our glorious views of mountains and fjord.

I have a long pan for poaching a side of salmon, and can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I’ve used it. Most of the time I default to a minimalist method of seasoning the fish, adding a gloss of olive oil and roasting it briefly in a hot oven. The roasted salmon recipe in this post calls for mustard and a Mediterranean herb blend in addition to salt and pepper.

Naturally, I had to try that pickled salmon and beet combo, with its intriguing tones of maroon and pink. Slightly tangy, delicate in taste and texture, and dead easy to make. I recommend it.

Smoked salmon appeared on breakfast and dinner buffet tables in all the Norwegian hotels on our trip. It was never embellished, just there as a versatile protein to round out the meal. Mostly I ate it with eggs, instead of bacon or sausage. Here in America, smoked salmon with bagels and all the trimmings is a classic. Smoked salmon plays a role in starter tidbits too–think crostini with creamy goat cheese, a sliver of smoked salmon and a sprig of dill.

Sometimes smoked salmon is sold not in thin slices but a chunkier version.

We like this salmon in salads and, for a recent breakfast, I used it to make salmon hash.

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Roasted Salmon with Mustard and Herbs
This is a very simple but reliably delicious method for preparing fresh salmon.
Servings: 4
Author: Toni Lydecker
Ingredients
  • 1½ pounds fresh salmon
  • Sea salt preferably coarse
  • Mediterranean herb blend optional
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
  • Dill, parsley or chervil leaves
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Remove fish bones with tweezers or your fingers.

  2. Sprinkle sea salt (1 to 1½ teaspoons), herb blend if using (1 teaspoon) and pepper (about ½ teaspoon) over salmon (just one side if skin on). Press spices into fish with your hands.

  3. In a small saucepan, over low heat, warm olive oil, butter and mustard just until butter melts. Brush over salmon.
  4. Roast salmon until cooked through (slightly resistant to the touch), 10 to 12 minutes. Broil for the last minute or two if you want a browned appearance.
  5. Cover surface of salmon with herb leaves. Serve warm or tepid.
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Pickled Salmon with Beets
I encountered this unusual salmon-and-beet dish at a fish farm on the Hardanger fjord in Norway. The salmon cooks gently as it cools in the brine.
Servings: 4 appetizer or buffet servings
Author: Toni Lydecker
Ingredients
  • 1 large beet
  • 1 cup cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons mustard seeds or coriander seeds
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt or sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ cup chopped red onion
  • 12 ounces sushi-grade salmon cut in 1-inch chunks
Instructions

  1. Place beet in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender (alternatively, the beet can be steamed). Cool, peel and cut in ½-inch cubes (about 2 cups).

  2. Combine vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, salt, peppercorns and bay leaf with 1 cup water, the beets and the red onion in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer.
  3. Off heat, add salmon and stir gently, making sure it is fully submerged. Cool and refrigerate.
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Smoked Salmon Hash

Smoked salmon is substituted here for the beef in a typical hash. Eat this hash with scrambled eggs or, even better, top with a sunny side-up egg.

Servings: 2
Author: Toni Lydecker
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup chopped red onion
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large boiling potato peeled, cut in small dice (about 2 cups)
  • 2 medium carrots cut in small dice (about 2 cups)
  • sea salt or kosher salt to taste
  • Aleppo pepper (Turkish crushed chiles) or freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 4 ounces smoked salmon in one chunk
Instructions

  1. In a medium cast-iron skillet or other skillet, over medium heat, saute onion in olive oil until tender.

  2. Add potato and carrots. Continue cooking, stirring often, until vegetables are tender and start to crust on the bottom. Raise the heat, if necessary, to make this happen; if the mixture is in danger of burning, add a little water.

  3. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Crumble the salmon into the hash and stir to blend. Cook just until warm.

  4. Serve with scrambled eggs or top with sunny side-up eggs.

 

 

 

Risotto alla Milanese

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Spending a few days in Milan last winter, my husband and I immersed ourselves in art—the immense Duomo built over a period of 600 years, Leonardo’s Last Supper, masterworks at The Brera.

It happened to be Fashion Week. So we wandered through the Galleria, stopping for cocktails at Camparino and admiring elegantly dressed inhabitants of Milan and models preening for the camera.

We also indulged in Milan’s unapologetically rich and deeply flavorful cuisine. In particular, I was on a mission to nail the making of risotto alla milanese, made with rice from Lombardy’s nearby rice growing fields. This saffron-flavored risotto flows onto a plate, to be served proudly on its own as a first course.

I once witnessed culinary students preparing risotto in this fashion at a culinary school in Emilia Romagna, with the instructor judging their results, one by one. They were learning the chefy technique of cooking risotto all’onda (“in a wave”), which ends with abruptly pulling the pan handle toward the cook, forcing the brothy rice to roll back in the shape of a wave.

When we walked into Trattoria La Colonna, in the center of Milan, I could hear the chef pounding veal for the costoletta that is typically paired with risotto alla milanese. We ordered it, but first came creamy risotto alla milanese, filling our plates in a single layer, perfectly prepared all’ onda.

I had never realized before how fragrant saffron can be. Despite cost, this precious spice is added generously, and quality counts. Katia, the chef’s wife, explained that saffron from Iran is preferred, but I’m guessing that’s not available to us in the U.S. Their second choice is Greek saffron, which I’m able to buy in Boston. Crumbling the strands into water to soak is important; at La Colonna, the saffron bath begins 24 hours earlier.

I also took a cooking class featuring risotto alla milanese through Cesarine, an organization of home cooks who open their kitchens to visitors. We had a pleasant time in Marina’s urban apartment. She often makes risotto with a simple vegetable broth instead of the usual poultry or meat broth. As at La Colonna, she did not stint on saffron, resulting in a vivid yellow risotto. Her method: continual stirring over a lively flame, with broth added sparingly but often.

Back home, I tweaked my risotto method to reflect what I’d learned in Milan. I haven’t yet mastered the all’onda trick, or at least the wave isn’t visible. But now I pay more attention to the details—abundant saffron, small quantities of hot broth added frequently, attentive hovering over my saucepan with plenty of stirring. I make sure to allow the risotto to rest after its final dose of broth and finish with the mantecato step of vigorously stirring cold butter and parmesan into the risotto, rendering it creamy.

Most of all I pay attention to the final texture. Will the risotto flow onto a plate in the right way–not too runny, not too thick? If not, I know how to fix it by cooking a bit longer or adding more broth.

I’ve also done variations on my risotto alla milanese recipe, adding sautéed baby artichokes or zucchini, or peas–during the last few minutes of cooking, to preserve color.

Another idea is to add, about half way through the cooking, an ounce of dried porcini that have been soaked and chopped. Pour the soaking liquid through a fine strainer into the risotto.

Costeletta alla milanese, a veal cutlet breaded and fried in clarified butter, is the classic course that follows risotto alla milanese. Here’s a glimpse of its dramatic presentation, rib bone protruding jauntily. It’s not easy to reproduce in the U.S., where veal is not widely available and meat isn’t necessarily butchered in the same way. If I succeed, I’ll share the recipe. Otherwise, I encourage you to book a flight to Milan!

risotto alla milanese
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RISOTTO ALLA MILANESE
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
 

This luxuriously rich specialty of Milan is flavored only with onion, saffron and broth and is eaten on its own as a first course.

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 2 to 3 servings
Author: Toni Lydecker
Ingredients
  • 2 generous pinches saffron
  • 1 quart seasoned chicken or vegetable broth preferably homemade
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 shallot or similar-sized piece of onion chopped fine
  • 1 cup short-grained Italian rice* see note
  • 1/2 cup white wine or dry white vermouth
  • sea salt or kosher salt to taste
  • 1/2 to ¾ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Instructions

  1. Crumble saffron into a small bowl with ¼ cup tepid broth or water. Heat broth to a simmer on a burner near the one you’ll use for risotto; reduce heat to keep broth just below a simmer.

  2. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and the olive oil with chopped shallot over medium heat in a medium, preferably wide-bottomed saucepan. Cook until translucent. Stir in rice and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until kernels smell toasty.

  3. Add wine, stirring until mostly evaporated. Ladle about a half cup of broth over rice and stir.

  4. Mixture should be at a brisk simmer. As broth is absorbed, continue adding a small amount of broth and stirring as it is absorbed.

  5. These small doses of broth will not cover rice and that’s fine. With steady additions of broth, together with steady stirring, risotto will take about 20 minutes to cook. Half way through, stir in saffron dissolved in liquid.

  6. Test a few grains to make sure rice is done. When you are satisfied, add a full ladleful of broth, stir, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. (Don't worry if some broth is left over; better to have too much than too little.)

  7. Uncover saucepan. Taste risotto and add salt if needed. Vigorously stir remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons butter and cheese into risotto. It will become creamier and should be neither too dense nor too loose, just the right consistency to spread out on a plate or shallow bowl.** If too dense, add a bit more broth; if too loose, cook over low heat a minute or two longer.

  8. Ladle or pour risotto onto salad plates or shallow soup bowls.

Recipe Notes

*Many Milanese cooks prefer Carnaroli rice, while Venetian cooks are partial to Vialone Nano. Both are readily available in the U.S., and Arborio rice also works well.

**Using a classic test to determine whether the risotto is the right consistency, the cook jerks the handle toward herself to make the risotto roll back on itself in a wave (all’ onda). I have not yet succeeded in doing this correctly, but share this information in the hope you will.

Smoked Seafood Salads

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In my dreams, a proper pantry is a closet or a shelf-lined room. In my actual condo kitchen, a cupboard serves this purpose–so I’m picky about the staples stored there.

Among the grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit and canned tomatoes, you’ll  always find a stack of canned and jarred seafood: tuna, sardines, mussels, mackerel, clams, ready for a quick, healthy lunch or snack.

Lately I’ve been noticing that markets are devoting more space to preserved seafood–and quite a few are smoked seafood products.

One day recently a can of smoked mussels found its way to some big, luscious Corona beans I’d simmered the day before. A few additions–bell pepper, parsley, olive oil and seasonings–and our lunch salad was ready to eat (see lead photo).

Smoked mackerel turns any salad into a dish you might find in Sicily. This one combines the smoked fish with greens, potatoes and red onion in a garlicky dressing.

Sardines are packed plain in water or olive oil, but I’ve also found smokey sardines, sometimes in a mustardy sauce or one spiked with piri piri. They’re hard to beat when arrayed on a plate, pampered with chopped vegetables and micro greens, looking pretty.

Tinned seafood has had a bit of a heyday in restaurants, and this sardine salad is not too different from one I ordered as an appetizer in Manhattan.

I’ve written up recipes for the three salads but you could wing it and likely do just as well. Supermarket olive bars and Italian delis are especially good sources of pickled things–such as peppadews, olives, artichoke hearts and the like–that enliven a smoked seafood salad.

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Corona Bean and Smoked Mussel Salad

Crunchy garnishes are just what this luscious bean and smoked mussel salad needs.

Course: Lunch, Main Dish
Servings: 2 servings
Author: Toni Lydecker
Ingredients
  • 2 cups cooked Corona or gigande beans, or any white beans*
  • 1 can (4-5 ounces) smoked mussels, drained
  • ½ red or orange bell pepper or piquillo pepper, cut in slivers
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • sea salt, to taste
  • cracked red pepper flakes, to taste
  • chopped parsley
Instructions

  1. Combine beans, mussels and bell pepper in a medium bowl.

  2. Drizzle ingredients with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and red pepper, mix gently and taste; add more dressing ingredients if needed.

  3. Spoon salad onto 2 plates. Sprinkle with parsley.
Recipe Notes

*Corona beans are an enormous variety with a creamy texture, similar to Greek gigande beans.

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Smoked Mackerel and Potato Salad

One secret to success: Turn potatoes in the garlicky dressing while they're still warm.

Course: Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine: Sicily
Servings: 2 servings
Author: Toni Lydecker
Ingredients
  • 1 large or 2 small boiling potatoes, peeled or not
  • Sea salt or kosher salt
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 small garlic clove, chopped or pressed
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Several thin red onion slices, soaked in water, drained
  • 2 peppadew peppers cut in medium pieces
  • 2 teaspoons capers optional
  • 3 cups torn Boston lettuce or other salad greens
  • 1 tin (7 ounces) smoked mackerel or haddock, drained
Instructions
  1. Place potatoes in a small saucepan and cover with water. Add a tablespoon of salt, bring to a boil and simmer until tender but not mushy. Drain.
  2. Meanwhile, combine olive oil and vinegar with garlic, salt (about ½ teaspoon) and pepper in a small jar. Shake well. Spoon half the dressing over warm drained potatoes and gently mix.
  3. In another bowl, mix lettuce with remaining dressing.

  4. To serve: Divide lettuce between 2 plates. Distribute potatoes, peppadews, onion and capers (if using) over lettuce. Arrange mackerel filets on top.

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Smoked Sardine Salad

Sardines are delicious on their own, but why not dress them up a little?

Course: Lunch, Salad
Servings: 1 serving
Author: Toni Lydecker
Ingredients
  • 1 can (about 4 ounces) smoked sardines or unseasoned sardines, drained
  • ½ carrot, cut in tiny dice
  • 1 large radish, cut in tiny dice
  • 1 slice fennel, cut in tiny dice
  • 2 teaspoons capers or a few small olives, optional
  • 1 small handful microgreens
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 lemon wedge
Instructions

  1. Arrange sardines on a plate. Scatter carrot, radish, fennel and capers (if using) on top. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

  2. Serve with lemon wedge and wholegrain crackers.

Quinoa Salads with European Flair

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Quinoa salad: not the kind of food most of us travel to Europe for. But I ate it twice on a recent trip, once as an appetizer in a Bilbao hotel restaurant and then as an outdoor lunch in Provence.

Both times, I was struck by how appetizing a quinoa salad can be. Maybe because I have a lingering sense of this super grain as a virtuous but not necessarily delectable food.

Quinoa is actually a seed, but in most dishes it serves as a grain, with a well-deserved nutritional reputation. Quinoa even outshines other whole grains like brown rice, with more protein and fiber per serving. It’s packed with vitamins and antioxidants. It’s a carb, yes, but gluten free.

Plus, it’s just fun to look at. As they cook, the tiny grains explode into a mass of frothy squiggles.

I was eating for pleasure and none of that was top of mind–but, to my delight, there was nothing drab about the European quinoa salads I ate.

They enticed with the bright flavors of summer vegetables, sumptuous cheeses and surprising touches like fresh corn kernels, honeydew melon and raisins.

Back home, I was motivated to make quinoa salads with the same attention to balance and sensory appeal.

The first recipe has the roasted peppers, mozzarella, Genoa salami and olives I often include in an Italian rice salad.

I loved the crunch of fresh corn, sweetness of honeydew and raisins, and the tang of goat cheese in the Spanish quinoa salad.

Both salads benefit from fresh herbs and a lovely lemon vinaigrette with a hint of honey, countering the slight bitterness of quinoa.

These recipes make enough for a crowd, served as a side for a cookout. They keep beautifully in the fridge for a couple of days, on hand for a dinner, lunch or snack.

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Quinoa Salad with Roasted Peppers and Mozzarella

This recipe has everything I'm looking for in a grain salad: Celery contributes crunch, mozzarella lends luscious flavor, olives add a piquant touch. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Course: Appetizer, Piatto Unico (one-dish meal)
Author: Toni Lydecker
Ingredients
Dressing
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar optional
  • 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salad
  • 1 ½ cups quinoa
  • 1/2 cup frozen edamame
  • 1 red or yellow bell pepper roasted and cut in short strips
  • 2 to 4 ounces Genoa salami slices cut in strips, optional
  • 1 celery rib cut crosswise in small pieces
  • 8 to 12 grape tomatoes halved
  • 1/3 cup kalamata or oil-cured black olives pitted and halved
  • ½ cup torn or roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 6 ounces fresh mozzarella cut in medium cubes
Instructions

  1. Dressing: Combine olive oil, lemon juice, honey, vinegar, sea salt and black pepper in a small jar. Shake well. Taste and adjust seasoning.

    Salad: Bring 3 cups water in a medium saucepan to a boil. Add quinoa, stirring gently, and reduce heat to low. Cook, partly covered, until most liquid has been absorbed and quinoa is tender. 

    Remove from heat, cover and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes; fluff grains with a fork. 

    Transfer warm quinoa to serving bowl. Add warm dressing, gently mixing in. Fold in frozen edamame. Once mixture has cooled, mix in roasted pepper, salami (if using), celery, grape tomatoes, olives and parsley. Fold in cheese.

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Quinoa Salad, Bilbao Style

This salad is like a treasure hunt. Discovering honeydew melon, fresh corn and raisins in its depths is just plain fun.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Course: Appetizer, Main Dish
Author: Toni Lydecker
Ingredients
  • Dressing
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
  • 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika preferably Spanish
  • Salad
  • 1 ½ cups quinoa rinsed
  • ½ cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
  • ½ cup honeydew or other melon cut in small cubes
  • ¼ cup golden raisins
  • ¼ cup slivered almonds lightly toasted
  • 6 ounces fresh or semi-aged goat cheese crumbled or cubed
  • Mint and/or basil leaves cut in ribbons
Instructions
  1. Dressing

  2. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt and paprika in a small jar. Shake well. Taste and adjust seasoning.

  3. Salad

  4. Bring 3 cups water in a medium saucepan to a boil. Add quinoa, stirring gently, and reduce heat to low. Cook, partly covered, until most liquid has been absorbed and quinoa is tender.

  5. Remove from heat, cover and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes; fluff grains with a fork.

  6. Transfer warm quinoa to a large serving bowl. Add dressing, gently mixing in. Once mixture has cooled, add corn, honeydew, raisins and almonds.
  7. Distribute goat cheese over salad. Garnish with herb leaves.

Panissa: Chickpea-Flour Pizzettes and Northern Italian Risotto

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PanissaPanissa is one of those Italian foods that defy a simple definition. In Liguria, it’s a fried version of the chickpea-flour polenta known as farinata. (For the record, Sicilians do similar things with their panelle and Provencal cuisine gets into the action with its socca.)

On restaurant menus in Rome and elsewhere, I’ve also encountered thinner cousins of panissa, with lovely toppings, and it’s a recipe for those chickpea-flour pizzettes that I want to share. I figured out a method for first cooking the batter like thick crepes, topping with mushrooms and ricotta, then crisping in the oven.

Panissa

These pizzettes are finished with dressed tomatoes and micro greens, for a pretty presentation. You and your chosen other can eat several as a meal, or dole them out, one to an eater, as a snack or appetizer.

Whether you make my unorthodox panissa or traditional panissa, it’s worth any bother because of the uniquely earthy flavor of chickpeas. If you are a gluten avoider, that’s another reason to choose dishes made with this flour.

Here’s where it gets more complicated. In the rice-growing areas of northern Italy, panissa is something else altogether: a rice, beans and sausage dish. I first encountered it in the town of Vercelli, surrounded by golden fields of rice. Half an hour after asking for the cooked-to-order specialty, we dipped into deeply satisfying bowls of rice mingled with plump cranberry beans and sausage, tinted a delicate mauve after simmering in Barbera wine.

Rice & Beans Panissa

This region’s panissa originated as a nourishing one-dish affair eaten by rice-field workers–including the mondine, women brought from all over northern Italian for the tasks of planting and weeding. It hasn’t travelled much beyond this part of Italy, but deserves a larger audience. So, in addition to Chickpea-Flour Pizzettes, I offer a recipe for the other kind of panissa: Rice, Beans and Sausage Risotto.

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Chickpea-Flour Pizzettes (Panissa) with Mushrooms and Ricotta
Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
 

These pizzettes are a riff on panissa and farinata, the chickpea-flour specialties from Liguria. The batter is first cooked like crepes and then crisped in a hot oven.

Course: Appetizer, Main Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 6 pizzettes
Author: Toni Lydecker
Ingredients
  • 1 cup chickpea flour
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus more for the pan
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper optional
Toppings
  • 1/2 cup chopped shallot
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 8 ounces shiitake caps or mixed mushrooms cut or torn in small pieces
  • 1/4 cup Marsala wine optional
  • Sea salt or kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup good-quality ricotta (such as Calabro)
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
  • Cherry or grape tomatoes
  • Balsamic or quince vinegar
  • Microgreens (such as frisee, arugula or watercress sprigs)
Instructions

  1. Prepare chickpea flour batter: Place 1 cup water in a small bowl. Sift chickpea flour into it and whisk to blend well. Blend in olive oil, salt, thyme and pepper (if using). Let batter stand at room temperature or refrigerate for at least one hour.

  2. Prepare toppings: In a large skillet, sauté shallot with 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat until it starts to turn golden. Add mushrooms, cooking until they soften. Add Marsala if using and cook a few minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  3. In a small bowl, combine ricotta with Parmigiano Reggiano and a pinch of salt. Cut tomatoes in halves or quarters. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle lightly with salt.

  4. Cook pizzette crusts: Heat a crepe pan or other small heavy skillet (about 6 inches in diameter)* over medium-high heat, and brush with olive oil. Off heat, pour about 1/3 cup of the batter into the pan and swirl to cover the bottom. Cook, nudging edges with your spatula (this helps with the turning), until the top feels firm and perhaps takes on a leathery appearance, about 2 minutes. Carefully turn and cook about 1 minute. Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining batter, brushing pan with olive oil each time. The pizzettes will be a bit thicker than crepes. (At this point, proceed immediately with recipe or refrigerate crusts and toppings for a few hours.)

  5. If you have a pizza stone, place it in upper third of oven and set temperature to 425°F.

  6. Assemble pizzettes: Spread each crust with ricotta mixture. Top with sautéed mushrooms.

  7. Slide pizzettes onto hot pizza stone or a baking sheet. Cook until ricotta turns bubbly, about 10 minutes (or longer, for extra crispness).

  8. Garnish pizzettes with dressed tomatoes and microgreens. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Notes
  • I like to use a well-seasoned carbon steel crepe pan. A small nonstick pan also works well, although the pizzettes may not brown quite as well. 
Rice & Beans Panissa
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Rice, Beans & Sausage Risotto (Panissa)
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
 

This hearty dish comes from the northern rice-growing part of Italy. Rice, beans, sausage, red wine and rosemary join forces to create its wonderful flavor. I've specified beans cooked from scratch because the cooking liquid is crucial to the quality of the dish.

Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Toni Lydecker
Ingredients
  • 1 cup dried cranberry (borlotti), kidney or pinto beans
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup Carnaroli or Arborio rice
  • 1 clove garlic finely chopped
  • 1 cup Barbera or other fruity red wine
  • 3 to 4 ounces cacciatorini or other cured Italian sausage cut in small pieces
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • Sea salt or kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese
Instructions

  1. Place beans in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water; soak for 6 hours or as directed on the package. Drain and wash well under cold running water. Return beans to saucepan and cover with fresh water to a depth a couple of inches above the beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender, about 1 hour.*

  2. In a large, broad saucepan or deep skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion until lightly browned. Stir in rice and garlic, cooking until fragrant. Add half of wine, simmering until almost evaporated.

  3. Add beans with 3 cups of their cooking liquid. Stir in sausage, rosemary, and remaining half cup of wine. Bring to a boil. Taste broth and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer, partly covered, until rice is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

  4. Spoon risotto (AKA panissa) into shallow soup bowls, sprinkling each serving with grated cheese.

Recipe Notes

*I always cook a full pound of beans, regardless of how much I'm using in the recipe. If you do the same, the quantity of cooked beans you'll need for this dish is 2 cups, plus cooking liquid.

Sweet-Sour Cipolline and other Holiday Sides

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This seems as good a year as any to break with holiday eating traditions if you’re in the mood.

One of our family’s favorite Thanksgiving side dishes could be called nontraditional: cipolline onions, braised to caramelized perfection in an Italian sweet-sour mixture of wine vinegar and just a little sugar and butter (recipe).

Another route to tart-sweet flavor is presenting homemade giardinera–pickled vegetables of your choice–in a pretty bowl.

Italian-style vegetable pickles

A cut-glass container passed down several generations in my husband’s family is specifically for celery. Back then, they knew you need some refreshing crunch to break through a holiday meal’s richness. At least once a year, I fill it with a bouquet of slender celery spikes for our table.

Another idea: Put out a relish tray consisting of blanched broccolini, bright-tasting radishes and crisp carrots–to enjoy with or without ranch or Green Goddess dressing.

An abundance of angle-sliced celery, dressed in a citrus vinaigrette and topped with toasted walnuts and Parmigiano Reggiano shards, would also be a refreshing treat.

I usually make mushroom-onion-sage bread dressing, but this year I’ll return to my Texas-Oklahoma roots and make cornbread dressing. I’m thinking of seasoning one panful with a few serrano peppers, because spicy flavors are hard to come by on the average holiday table.

To change up familiar side dishes, play with an interesting Mediterranean spice blend. Lately I’ve been wild about a Greek-inspired herb and saffron blend purchased at a nearby spice vendor.

I’ve been sprinkling this blend lavishly on roast fowl, tzatziki (cucumber-yogurt salad), Japanese sweet potatoes, and vegetable combos such as these roasted carrots and fennel.

Savory almond granola can add a special finish to any holiday vegetable side: green beans, chard, Brussels sprouts. Or try this unusual two-way cauliflower dish , in which roasted cauliflower rests on a bed of pureed cauliflower, with a shower of savory granola on top.

PHOTO

Even before the leftovers of our holiday feast are gone, I’ll be ready for an a change.  The day after, we’ll be eating spaghetti with cherry tomatoes, anchovies, garlic and toasted breadcrumbs.

caramelized cipolline
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Sweet-Sour Cipolline Onions
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 30 mins
Total Time
2 hrs
 

These caramelized onions are a mandatory side for our Thanksgiving table.

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 24 onions
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds cipolline onions or pearl onions or shallots
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
Instructions
  1. Fill a medium saucepan or skillet broad enough for the onions to fit in a single layer with water; bring to a boil. Add the onions (they will bob to the top) and let them cook for about 20 seconds; drain and cool slightly. Pull off the papery outer skin; trim any dangling roots or tips but leave the root ends intact (otherwise, the onions will come apart when cooked).
  2. Return the onions to the saucepan; add water half way up the sides of the onions. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer the onions for about 20 minutes, stirring at least once, until tender and about half of the water has evaporated. Add the olive oil, butter, vinegar, sugar and salt; continue to simmer slowly, with the lid ajar, stirring often, until the liquid has mostly evaporated.
  3. When the onions start to sizzle, pay close attention. This is when they begin to brown--a good thing, but you must be careful not to burn them. Add a little water and reduce the heat if they seem to be cooking too quickly. When they are a burnished golden brown, consider them done.
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Two-Way Cauliflower with Savory Almond Granola
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
 

This recipe is based on a clever lunch dish we sampled at the Whitney Museum's restaurant.

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 large heads cauliflower cored
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt or kosher salt
  • ¼ cup heavy cream or half and half
  • Freshly ground white or black pepper
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • Up to 1 cup Savory Almond Granola for sprinkling (see recipe)
  • Turmeric honey for drizzling (see recipe)
Instructions
  1. Prepare cauliflower: Preheat oven to 400F. Break or cut cauliflower into small pieces. Reserve 4 cups to puree.
  2. Spread remaining cauliflower (about 16 cups) on two parchment-lined sheet pans. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast, turning from time to time, for about 40 minutes until golden brown and tender.
  3. Put reserved 4 cups cauliflower into a saucepan and barely cover with salted water. Bring to a boil and simmer until very tender. Drain, reserving ½ cup cooking water. Transfer cauliflower to a blender or food processor. Blend, adding the cream and enough cooking water for a creamy consistency (a little runnier than mashed potatoes). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. Assemble dish: Swirl pureed cauliflower on oven-proof platter or casserole. Pile roasted cauliflower on top. Drizzle with a little olive oil and the lemon juice.
  5. Sprinkle with Savory Almond Granola. Heat in oven until hot. Drizzle with turmeric honey.
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Savory Almond Granola
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 

Use this crunchy savory topping on any vegetable dish, including green beans, broccoli and cauliflower.

Servings: 3 cups
Ingredients
  • 2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • ¾ cup slivered almonds
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 300F.
  2. Mix oats and almonds on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Add olive oil and salt. Stir again.
  3. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring often, until lightly browned and crisp.

Herbed Focaccia

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Biting into a piece of focaccia–crunchy, chewy, fragrant–I try to picture Etruscans eating this ancient flatbread.

Their flour, milled from whole grains, was surely coarser than my bread flour.

The degree to which their flatbread rose depended on whatever helpful microorganisms could be captured from the air. I rely on commercial yeast for consistent results.

Their herbs grew wild in the Mediterranean soil. Mine are cultivated.

They likely cooked their version of focaccia in embers of an open fire. I crank my oven up to 425F and it works, every time.

Then and now, not the same. But it’s a mark of how forgiving this flatbread is that variations have been made around the Mediterranean basin for thousands of years.

The difference between focaccia and pizza? Focaccia generally rises faster and higher, thanks to generous amounts of yeast. Usually it contains more olive oil, resulting in a crisper crust. Toppings, if they exist, are not as generous or numerous as for pizza. Often there’s little or no cheese.

But there are no absolutes. The line between pizza and focaccia (or schiacciata, as it is called in Tuscany) has blurred because cooks can juggle these variables as they wish.

Sometimes I make this herbed focaccia as one element in a meal. Alternatively, toppings such as tomatoes and black olives make it pretty enough to cut in small squares for aperitivo time.

On visits to Canu, a popular bakery in the Tuscan city of Montevarchi, I used to order pizza with colorful toppings, until a friend taught me the real game. Big squares of schiacciata, split and filled with mortadella carved off an enormous log. Easy to do, even when your mortadella is packaged more prosaically in butcher paper.

Whatever you do with focaccia, eat it all. This is a carpe diem bread, at its best the day it is made.

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Herbed Focaccia
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
 

So easy to make with a food processor, which chops the herbs while forming the dough.

Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 10 large squares or 20 small squares
Ingredients
  • 4 sprigs rosemary or sage
  • 2½ teaspoons dry yeast (one envelope)
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Up to 3½ cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
  • Coarse sea salt or kosher salt
Instructions
  1. Pluck or slide herb leaves off stems. If sage leaves are large, cut in ribbons.
  2. Combine yeast and 2 tablespoons oil with 1 1/3 cups lukewarm water in a small bowl.
  3. Combine 3 cups flour, 2 teaspoons salt and half of herb leaves (about 2 tablespoons) in a food processor bowl.* Whir briefly to mix.
  4. Add yeast mixture to flour mixture. Mix on medium speed for 1 full minute; the food processor will chop the herbs as well as form the dough. Add additional flour as needed for a dough that pulls away from sides and is only slightly sticky.
  5. Smear a large bowl with a little olive oil. Place dough inside and allow to rise at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours (or refrigerate for a slower rise), until doubled in size.
  6. Lightly coat a baking sheet (10 ½ in. x 15 ½ in.) with olive oil. Press dough into pan, making sure it touches all sides (if dough resists, allow it to rest for a few minutes and try again). Cover and let dough rise again until doubled, about 1 hour.

  7. Preheat oven to 425F. Brush dough with olive oil (about 1 tablespoon). Dimple dough by pressing with fingertips to make small cavities. Pick up pinches of herbs with thumb and forefinger and press into cavities.

  8. Bake in lower third of oven until browned on both sides, about 25 minutes (check after 15 minutes and move to an upper shelf if top is not browning).
  9. Slide focaccia onto a cutting board. Using a large knife, cut in serving-sized squares.
Recipe Notes

*A mixing bowl with dough hook can also be used. If so, chop herbs in advance.

Variation:

Split focaccia squares and fill with mortadella, salami or prosciutto slices.

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Herbed Focaccia with Tomatoes and Olives
Prep Time
40 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
 

Focaccia toppings should be sparser and spread more thinly than for pizza.

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 20 small squares or 10 large ones
Ingredients
  • 1 pound plum tomatoes or small “cocktail tomatoes” or halved medium tomatoes
  • Sea salt or kosher salt
  • Herbed Focaccia Dough with or without herbs, after second rising*
  • 1 cup grated mozzarella or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
  • ½ cup black or green pitted olives cut in slivers
Instructions
  1. Cut ends off tomatoes. Lay slices on paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt. Cover with additional paper towels, pressing lightly to absorb moisture.

  2. After brushing oil on dough, dimpling with fingertips and adding herbs, sprinkle half of cheese over focaccia. Top with tomatoes, olives and remaining cheese.

  3. Bake as specified in Herbed Focaccia recipe. Cut focaccia in two-inch squares for appetizers or larger squares for a meal.
Recipe Notes

*Omit herbs if you wish.

Sugar Snap Pea Gazpacho with Burrata and Pancetta

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green pazpacho

Our friends were leaving for Iceland, so we chose a restaurant called Chickadee, not far from Logan Airport. Bubbling over with happiness about the arrival of summer adventures and the chance to eat together, we ordered a lot of food.

Smoked sea trout dip surprised us with big chunks of fish in a creamy sauce. Hen of the woods mushrooms were fried crisp, not grilled as they often are. The fiddlehead fern dish delivered to our table was surprising because we hadn’t actually ordered it. By the time that occurred to us, we’d eaten most of it.

The most surprising dish kicked the usual mild-mannered pea soup to the curb in favor of a brightly flavored gazpacho with rich accents of sautéed pancetta and creamy burrata. It was made with the new crop of sugar snaps but, back home, experimenting with a couple of batches, I found it could also be made with frozen green peas.

This soup is not a replication of what Chickadee served, more of a free interpretation. For example, the crisp, savory little bits in their soup turned out to be fried garlic. Tricky to carry off without risking a burned taste. So I substituted crisp pancetta bits and I’m not sorry.

Wine vinegar, hot paprika, bread as a thickener and a bit of raw garlic all came from the gazpacho lexicon. Olive oil, too, but in the spirit of summer lightness, just half the amount I’d use for a tomato gazpacho.

If you love cold soups as much as I do, I hope you’ll also check out the silky yellow-vegetable soup I make this time of year.

green gazpacho
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Sugar Snap Pea Gazpacho with Burrata and Pancetta
Prep Time
35 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
 

This refreshing, vividly colored soup is finished with a dollop of snowy burrata and savory bits of pancetta.

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4 appetizer servings
Ingredients
  • 12 ounces sugar snap peas or 3 cups green peas (frozen is fine)
  • 2 slices sourdough bread or other firm-textured bread crusts removed, torn in pieces
  • 1 small garlic clove roughly chopped
  • 1 medium cucumber peeled and cut in chunks
  • ½ medium onion chopped
  • 2 tablespoons almonds lightly toasted
  • Leaves of 1 mint or dill sprig optional
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
  • 2 pinches hot paprika or 2 dashes hot sauce or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar or to taste
  • 2 ounces burrata or fresh whole-milk mozzarella
  • 1 to 2 ounces thick-cut pancetta
Instructions

  1. To prepare gazpacho: Tip and string the sugar snap peas.* Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Boil the sugar snaps until soft, about 4 minutes. Drain and cool under running water. Open a dozen of the pods and scrape the peas into a small bowl, for use as a garnish. Return pods to other sugar snaps.

  2. Place bread and garlic in blender container with 1 cup water. Blend on medium high until very smooth.
  3. Add cooked sugar snaps, cucumber, onion, almonds, mint (if using), sea salt, paprika, olive oil and vinegar to container. Blend on the highest setting for 2 minutes until very smooth, adding additional water or ice as necessary. The consistency should be pourable, but thick enough to keep garnishes from sinking.
  4. Taste and adjust seasoning. A powerful blender should pulverize any stray sugar snap strings. If you detect any, consider straining the soup through a fine-meshed strainer or, easier yet, putting it through a food mill. Chill gazpacho thoroughly.
  5. To prepare pancetta: Cut in tiny cubes. Saute over medium heat in a small skillet until well browned. Cool on paper towels.
  6. To serve: Ladle soup into small bowls or, to show off the color, into martini glasses. Scatter reserved peas over servings. Cut off a chunk of burrata with a spoon to float on each one. Drizzle a little olive oil over each dollop. Add a few pancetta sprinkles to each bowl.
Recipe Notes

Note: Fresh peas also need to be cooked, but more briefly, about 2 minutes. Their pods are not tender enough to be edible as sugar snaps are. Frozen peas can be used as they are.

Fettuccine with Mushrooms and Radicchio

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pasta with mushroomsSometimes you can make a familiar dish—say, pasta with a mushroom sauce–and suddenly it tastes way better. Because you’ve made a few changes, whether deliberate or random, and the stars aligned in a good way.

That happened recently when I made fettuccine with mixed mushrooms and radicchio. To my surprise, the dish rose a notch above what I’d achieved before. The alchemy of a powerful trio–mushrooms, radicchio and green garlic—tasted divine, with just enough cream to bring out the flavor in every luxurious bite.

Russo’s, a local produce market, has a crazy-big display of cultivated mushrooms. I could have chosen maitake, oyster, trumpet or, for a splurge, chanterelles. I went for great-looking cremini and yellow hedgehog mushrooms, cheaper than chanterelles but with a similar flavor.

remind mushrooms, hedgehog mushrooms, green garlicThe fettuccine I planned to use was an artisanal brand and the radicchio looked deep red and fresh, free of that wan look imported heads acquire when produce staff peel off the darkened outer leaves, week after week.

To sum up: Primo ingredients make a difference.

The second difference was accidental. I thought I had turned off the heat under the sauce while on a Zoom call when in fact I had left it going strong. When a strong mushroom-garlic aroma wafted to where I was chatting, I ran to turn down the heat. The liquid had evaporated but the sauce hadn’t burned—though maybe it had come close. Instead, that hard saute had brought out a deliciously savory, almost caramelized flavor.

One more note: A pound of mushrooms to half a pound of pasta makes a very mushroom-dominant dish. In deference to the Italian rule of thumb that pasta sauces and toppings should not overpower the pasta, I would typically go lighter on mushrooms.

Tasting this dish, however, I can say that breaking the rules now and then isn’t wrong.

pasta with mushrooms
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Fettuccine with Mixed Mushrooms and Radicchio
Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
 

At least one of the mushroom varieties for this pasta dish should be a richly flavorful one such as shiitake, hedgehog or maitake. Or porcini, of course, if you are fortunate enough to have those. Be sure to follow the cooking instructions, giving the mushroom and green garlic mix a fierce saute to deepen flavors. You have a choice with the pasta quantity. For a mushroom-dense dish, go with 8 ounces; for a more traditional mushroom pasta, 12 ounces is preferable.

Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 pound mixed mushrooms such as cremini, oyster, shiitake, hedgehog
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup chopped green garlic or shallots or scallions
  • 2 cups shredded radicchio
  • ½ cup white wine or ¼ cup white wine and ¼ cup Marsala
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 8 to 12 ounces fettuccine or tagliatelle or other egg noodles
  • Sea salt or kosher salt
  • 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano
Instructions
  1. Slice mushrooms in similar-sized pieces (this may call for quartering or halving larger mushrooms).

  2. Melt butter with olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and saute until they soften, release liquid and then re-absorb it, about 10 minutes.

  3. Stir in green garlic and raise heat to medium-high. Continue cooking until mushroom blend gives off a deeply savory, almost caramelized aroma. Stir in radicchio, cooking briefly until it wilts slightly.* Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  4. Add wine and, when it has almost evaporated, the cream. Reduce heat to low to blend flavors, about 5 minutes.
  5. While the sauce is cooking, fill a large saucepan about two-thirds full of cold water and bring to a boil. Add a small handful of salt.
  6. Add fettuccine and stir to separate strands. Cook until tender, which may be as little as 3 minutes.

  7. Strain pasta, reserving at least 1 cup of cooking water. Add pasta to skillet (or, if there is not room, combine pasta and sauce in the empty saucepan). Simmer a few minutes, stirring gently while adding half the cheese and cooking liquid as needed for a saucy consistency.

  8. Sprinkle servings with remaining cheese.

Recipe Notes

*The radicchio will darken as it cooks. If you prize that ruby-red color, reserve some to stir in near the end.

Note: An ounce of pancetta, finely diced and sauteed, would be a good addition to this sauce.

Pasta with Cabbage, Pasta with Kale

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Pasta with Cabbage and Soppressata

Years ago, when I was collecting recipes for Serves One, a friend told me about a favorite, dead-simple pasta dish: egg noodles combined with an equal quantity of sautéed cabbage. I’ve made that ever since when in the mood for a comforting meal, sometimes just for myself. It’s always struck me as being more Eastern European than Italian.

scialatelli pastaRecently I sautéed an onion with the cabbage, adding toasted fennel seeds and diced soppressata. Most important, I used a chef-invented pasta variety from Campania with more tooth–a shape called scialatielli (“ruffle,” maybe). Suddenly the dish seemed more Italian.

This is the season when cabbage abounds and if you buy one, you’re probably going to need more than one way to use it. This satisfying pasta dish is one of the best solutions. If you’re cooking for one or two, you could also use a cole slaw mix successfully.

lacinato kaleFall is also prime time for kale and other dark, nutrient-rich greens. Every fall I make ribollita with Tuscan kale and I also love to use the large, corrugated, inky leaves in a winter pesto. Browned, caramelized onions and walnuts give this pasta sauce a glorious earthiness.

penne with kale pestoGardeners know Tuscan kale as lacinato kale and, in Tuscany itself, it is called cavolo nero (“black cabbage”). Whatever name you choose, it is truly wonderful. If regular green kale is what you find at the market, it will work well too.

Pasta with Cabbage and Soppressata
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Pasta with Sauteed Cabbage and Soppressata
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
 

This recipe combines Italian heart with the Eastern European genius for cooking with cabbage.

Course: Appetizer, Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 6 cups shredded green cabbage
  • 1 large red onion halved or quartered and cut crosswise in thin slices
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seed crushed and toasted
  • 2 ounces soppressata or Genoa salami cut in short strips
  • Kosher salt or sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 ounces scialatielli pasta or other short shape
  • 1 cup grated hard cheese such as Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano
Instructions
  1. Melt butter in a large saute pan and tilt to distribute it. Add cabbage and onion. Cook over medium-high heat until ingredients reduce in volume and start to turn golden. Stir well and continue to cook until cabbage and onion start to caramelize, with some of the cabbage’s green still visible. Stir in soppressata and fennel seed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  2. Meanwhile, fill a large saucepan about two-thirds full of cold water and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons salt. Add pasta, stir well and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Reserving 1 cup of the pasta water, drain pasta and add to the skillet (if not large enough, do the reverse, returning drained pasta to saucepan and adding cabbage mixture).
  3. Over low to medium heat, stir to mix cabbage mixture with pasta, adding some of the pasta water if needed. Stir in half of the cheese and top servings with the rest.
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Penne with Tuscan Kale and Walnut Pesto
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
22 mins
Total Time
32 mins
 

(adapted from Piatto Unico, by Toni Lydecker)

Course: Appetizer, Main Dish
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 pound dried penne, pici noodles or fettuccine
  • Tuscan Kale and Walnut Pesto recipe follows
Instructions
  1. Fill a large saucepan about two-thirds full with cold water. Bring to a boil and add a small handful of salt. Cook the pasta until al dente (up to 22 minutes for pici; more like 10 minutes for fettuccine).
  2. Meanwhile, heat half of the pesto over low heat in a large skillet. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking liquid, and turn it into the skillet. Mix well, adding more pesto (you may not need it all) and as much cooking water as needed for a saucy consistency; cook for a minute or two to blend the flavors.
lacinato kale
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Tuscan Kale and Walnut Pesto
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
50 mins
 
Course: Ingredients
Cuisine: American, Italian
Ingredients
  • 1 large onion
  • 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large bunch Tuscan kale
  • ¼ cup walnuts or pecans
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese
Instructions
  1. Halve the onion, end to end, and cut in thin slices. Roughly chop the garlic. Heat ¼ cup of the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Saute the onion over medium-high heat until it softens and turns golden brown, about 15 minutes; reduce the heat if there seems to be a danger of burning. Stir in half of the garlic during the last few minutes of cooking.
  2. Meanwhile, fill a large saucepan about two-thirds full with water and bring to a boil. Strip off the kale leaves, discarding the stems. Shred by cutting crosswise with a large knife (you should have about 8 packed cups). Add the kale to the boiling water and cook until wilted and tender, 3 to 5 minutes (depending on the size and freshness of the kale). Drain and cool.
  3. Combine the kale, onions and garlic, the remaining raw garlic, walnuts, salt, pepper and remaining ¾ cup olive oil in a food processor bowl.  Puree until the mixture is homogeneous but the texture is slightly chunky.
  4. Scrape the pesto into a bowl. With a spatula, fold in the cheese. Chill or freeze any of the pesto you don't use immediately.