INTERNATIONAL RECIPES
Venice, Italy
New Orleans, Louisiana
Edinburgh, Scotland
Baccalà Mantecato
From Monica Cesarato :: Venice Series
From Monica’s book: Andar per Bacari
ORIGIN & HISTORY: Baccalà mantecato was created during the 18th-century in Venice. However, the use of salt cod to Venetian cuisine was first introduced in the 15th-century by Pietro Querini was shipwrecked on the Norwegian island of Røst. Querini and his crew learned how to salt cod from local fisherman.
Ingredients
- 300 gr of dried cod (best if you can buy Ragno quality)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- at least 1 lt. Sunflower oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
Cut the dried cod into pieces and place them into a pan full of water.
Leave it under trickling running cold water for 2 days or change the water regularly (this operation allows the cod to rehydrate and get rid of saltness). It is an essential part.
After 2 days substitute the water with some lightly salted water, bring to boil. Make sure to remove the foam which will form when the water starts boiling.
Cook for 30 minutes or until the cod is white and cooked through.
When ready, drain the cod from the pan. Remove the skin and the bones.
Place the pieces of cod in a pot or a bowl with high sides and add 2 gloves of garlic.
Using a wooden spoon or, even better, an electric whisk, start to mix with energy slowly adding drops of oil - just like if you were making mayonnaise.
The quantity of the oil required will depend on the capacity of absorbing of the cod.
Carry on mixing till the cod will turn into a nice mousse, like a sort of cream.
Taste and add salt if required.
Add some pepper and use on fresh cut bread slices or grilled slices of polenta. Garnish with some parsley.
The difficulty of this dish is the mixing that can take up to an hour. To speed the process up you can use a food processor with the whisk beaters on.
Venetian Spritz
Ingredients
- either 1 ounce Aperol (sweeter) OR Select Aperitivo (bitters)
- 4 ounces prosecco
- 1 orange wheel, cut in half
Instructions
- Pour Aperol into a champagne flute (or wine glass filled with ice if you want to be really traditional) and then slowly pour prosecco over top. Be sure not to pour too quickly or you will have a bubble over.
- Take one half of the orange wheel and squeeze the juice into the drink. Use the other half of the orange wheel as a garnish, or additional juice if you want a little more sweetness to your drink.
Bartolomeo Scappi's Braised Beef
From Scappi’s Cookbook: Opera dell'arte del cucinare, 1570
From Scappi’s Cookbook: Opera dell'arte del cucinare, 1570
Serves 4-6 people
2 lb beef short rib
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon coriander or 1/2 teaspoon fennel pollen
3/4 cup Madeira malmsey wine
1/4 cup vin cotto
1/4 cup rose vinegar (or 1/4 cup white wine vinegar with 2 tbsp rose water)
2 strips of thick-cut bacon
2 strips of prosciutto
1/2 cup of prunes, or pitted plums, cut in half
1/2 cup dried cherries or pitted fresh cherries
- Blend spices together and rub into the meat. (Skip the washing in wine and vinegar as suggested by Scappi…today’s meats are already clean and spices will stick with no problem).
- Place the meat in a gallon zip lock bag with the Madeira, vin cotto and rose vinegar. Remove as much air as possible before sealing. Keep in the refrigerator for four hours, turning several times to marinate (If you like, you could weight it down as Scappi did, by putting a heavy iron skillet or a brick on top, but it’s not crucial to do so—the flavors will still penetrate the meat because of the vinegar).
- Chop bacon in small pieces and cook briefly on the stovetop in an oven proof dutch oven, just enough to release the bacon fat. Remove bacon then,
- Remove meat from marinade (which you reserve), then briefly sear the meat in the dutch oven, a minute or so on each side, just enough to brown it.
- Slice the prosciutto into small pieces and add to the pot. Add bacon back into the pot. Pour the marinade over the top.
- Put the lid on the dutch oven (very important) and place in a pre-heated 295° oven. Cook for four hours.
- At the three hour mark, chop prunes and add with cherries to the sauce. Continue to cook.
- After it has cooked for about four hours, remove dutch oven and place on stovetop. Continue to cook down the sauce, about 30 minutes. If needed, add 1 tbsp of flour to thicken.
- Serve the meat with the sauce.
Buon Appetito!
Bartolomeo Scappi: The World's First Celebrity Chef
Tortellini with Capon Meat
From Scappi’s Cookbook: Opera dell'arte del cucinare, 1570
Serves 10
Ingredients:
Dough
- 600g flour
- 60g softened butter
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 120ml rosewater
- 120 ml warm water
Filling
- 300g capon (or chicken) breast meat, cooked with skin
- 150g beef bone marrow, baked and removed from bone
- 150g fresh ricotta
- 2 egg yolks plus 1 whole egg slightly beaten
- 75g fine white sugar
- 1tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 good pinch saffron
- (for best flavor, use freshly ground spices)
- 1 tsp finely chopped mint
- 1 tsp finely chopped fresh marjoram
- other herbs, optional according to taste
- 40g finely chopped currants or raisins
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 liters of meat broth for cooking
Garnish
- cinnamon sugar
- grated parmesan cheese
Instructions:
- Put all of the dough ingredients into a stand up mixer with a dough hook and mix until combined.
- Turn the dough out onto a counter and knead by hand for 10 minutes. Wrap it in plastic and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- In whatever sort of machine you prefer, grind the chicken and bone marrow.
- Transfer to a medium bowl and add all of the other filling ingredients.
- Roll out the dough either using a pasta machine - not set at the thinnest setting - or by hand with a mattarello and spianatoia.
- Put the filling into a pastry pouch and apply the filling to half or the dough so that it is 2 x 3cm with 2 centimeters between each dab.
- Wrap the half of the dough without the filling around the rolling pin to assist you in placing it over the dabs. Press between each tortello and remove the air, using a pin if needed.
- Cut with a pasta wheel.
- Bring the broth to a boil and place the tortellini inside the pot. Do not overcrowd.
- To serve, plate the pasta, add 2-3 tablespoons of hot broth to each plate, then sprinkle with cheese and cinnamon sugar.
Chef Bobo's Jambalaya Recipe for Home
From Chef Bobo :: New Orleans Series
Serves 5 or 6
Ingredients:
- Creole or Cajun Seasoning Mix
- 3 Andouille Sausages (or Mild Chorizo) sliced 1/2" thick
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped bell peppers (red)
- 1 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic
- 2 tsp. tomato paste
- 1/2 c chopped tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups Carolina Long Grain Rice
- 2 cups. chicken stock
Instructions:
1. Generously sprinkle seasoning mix on both sides of chicken thighs and roast in hot oven (400 degrees) until just barely cooked (about 15-20 minutes). Remove from oven and allow to cool. When cool, cut into bite size pieces. Reserve all the accumulated juices.
2. In a 12" skillet with a lid, add 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil plus 1 Tbsp EVOO. Bring it up to heat.
3. Saute sausage slices until just beginning to brown. Add onions and garlic. Saute until they begin to sweat. Add peppers and celery, stir to combine everything in skillet. Dust generously with seasoning mix.
4. Clear spot in center of pan to put in tomato paste. Allow to heat and caramelize. Stir around and add the chopped tomatoes. Stir everything together. Add the chicken pieces and the accumulated juices.
5. Add the rice and continue stirring. Add the chicken stock and stir everything around, allowing the stock to come to a light bubbling. Taste for seasoning. Should be bold. Add more if necessary.
6. Bring stock to a boil and immediately lower the heat to allow for the stock to simmer slowly. Cover the pan and check back in about 17 minutes to see if the rice is tender. If not, cook 5 more minutes or until rice is fully cooked.
Haggis Bon-Bons, Turnip Espuma and Potato Tuills
From Chef Attila Kovacs :: Edinburgh Series
Serves 5
For the turnip espuma:
300 g Turnip
1 Onion
400 ml Vegetable broth
400 ml double cream
Thinly slice the onion and the turnip. Gently sweat the onion in olive oil, season to taste, then add the turnip. Cover with the broth, and cook until it's soft. Add the double cream, and blend the mixture until it's smooth, then fill it into a cream gun, and fill it with two CO2 cartridge.
For the bon-bons:
Simply add a touch of water to the haggis, and crush it in a food processor, or by hand. Shape them into 45g balls, coat them with flour, eggwash and panko crumbs. Deep fry them until they are golden brown.
For the potato tuills:
Peel and slice a large potato, then shred it into thin, long stripes. Tightly roll the stripes onto a brass pipe, or any heat-proof cylinder over baking paper. Lower it into a deep fat fryer, and cook it until golden brown.
Moroccan Style Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons & Olives
From Devaki Das :: Weave A Thousand Journeys
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken, skin removed, cut into 10 pieces
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1-2 large yellow onions (to yield 5 cups thinly sliced onions)
- ½ cup full fresh cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup full fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tbs chopped garlic
- Spices for marinade:
- 1-1/2 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- Spice paste:
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cumin-coriander
- 1 tsp ras-el-hanut
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp ‘Grade A’ Spanish Saffron
- 1 cup (or more) cracked green olives
- 1 tsp ghee or smen
- 1 preserved lemon
Preparation:
Cilantro & Parsley: Wash,separate the leaves from the tough stalks. Roughly chop and set aside.
Preserved lemon: Halve the preserved lemon and remove all seeds carefully. Finely chop ½ the lemon and thinly slice the other half of the lemon. Reserve the lemon slices for later use.
Use only the chopped lemon in the marinade.
Olives: Drain from their liquid and separate into 2 batches. Use 1 batch in the marinade and the other ½ during cooking.
Chicken: Dry on kitchen towel and set aside in a bowl. Add the spices for the marinade, garlic, chopped lemon and herbs. Massage the spices into the meat. Add the olives and marinade for 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator covering the bowl with plastic wrap.
Instructions:
In a tagine or a dutch oven, pour the oil. Layer the onions at the bottom.
Fleshy side down, add all the chicken and juices to the pot. If single layer is not possible, slightly tower in the center.
Cover with the tagine cone shared cover or lid and place on medium high heat, 6 gas mark (NOT high or the tagine will crack).
With 15 minutes you should hear a sizzling sound from the tagine or pot. If not slightly increase the temperature and give it 5 minutes or so until you hear a sizzling sound.
Add no water and cook uninterrupted for 30 minutes. Stir and add only ¼ cup water if at all needed and continue cooking for another 30 minutes or so until the chicken is falling off the bone.
Spice paste: In a bowl combine the dry spices, saffron strands. Slightly crush the saffron strands to emit the oils. Add 2 tbs water and form a paste.
Add the spice paste, remaining olives and preserved lemon slices. Taste and adjust seasonings in the gravy. Replace the lid and simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Set aside for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Traditionally, this dish is served loaded with French fries but I think it does very well with Moroccan style roasted potatoes and a side of simple couscous.
Garnish with some chopped parsley before serving.
For more of Devaki's recipes, visit her blog, Weave A Thousand Flavors
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