Risotto with Clams
For 6 servings
3 dozen littleneck clams, the smallest you can find
1 tablespoon onion chopped fine
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic chopped fine
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 cups Arborio or other imported Italian risotto rice
⅓ cup dry white wine
Chopped hot red chili pepper, to taste
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Wash and scrub the clams. Discard those that stay open when handled. Put them in a pan broad enough so that the clams don’t need to be piled up more than 3 deep, cover the pan, and turn on the heat to high. Check the clams frequently, turning them over, and removing them from the pan as they open their shells.
2. When all the clams have opened up, detach their meat from the shells and, unless they are exceptionally small, cut them up in 2 or even 3 pieces. Put the clam meat in a bowl and cover with its own juices from the pan. To be sure, as you are doing this, that any sand is left behind, tip the pan and gently spoon up the liquid from the top.
3. Let the clams rest for 20 or 30 minutes, so that they may shed any sand still clinging to their meat, then retrieve them gently with a slotted spoon. Set them aside in a small bowl. Line a strainer with paper towels, and filter the clam juices through the paper into a separate bowl.
4. Bring 5 cups of water to a very slow, steady simmer on a burner near where you’ll be cooking the risotto.
5. Put the chopped onion and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a broad, sturdy pot, and turn on the heat to medium high. Cook and stir the onion until it becomes translucent, then add the garlic. When it becomes colored a pale gold, add 1 tablespoon of the parsley, stir, then add the rice. Stir quickly and thoroughly for 15 or 20 seconds, until the grains are coated well.
6. Add the wine, and cook the rice following the directions in Steps 3 and 4 of the basic white risotto recipe. When all the wine is gone, add the filtered clam juices, and when these have evaporated, continue with the water you have kept simmering, adding a ½ cup of it at a time when needed. At any point, while the rice is cooking, add chopped hot chili pepper, salt, and a few grindings of black pepper.
7. Cook the rice until it is tender, but firm to the bite, with barely enough liquid remaining to make the consistency somewhat runny. Add the clams, the remaining tablespoon of parsley, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, mixing them thoroughly with the risotto. Transfer to a platter, and serve promptly.
Ahead-of-time note The steps above may be completed 2 or 3 hours in advance. When doing so, spoon some of the filtered juice over the clam meat to keep it moist.
Risotto with Beef, Rosemary, Sage, and Barolo Wine, Alba Style
For 6 servings
5 cups Basic Homemade Meat Broth, OR 1 cup canned beef broth diluted with 4 cups water
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons pancetta chopped very fine
1½ teaspoons garlic chopped very fine
Chopped rosemary leaves, 1½ teaspoons if fresh, ¾ teaspoon if dried
Chopped sage leaves, 2 teaspoons if fresh, 1 teaspoon if dried
¼ pound ground beef chuck
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1⅓ cups Barolo wine (see note below)
2 cups Arborio or other imported Italian risotto rice
⅓ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus additional cheese at the table
1. Bring the broth to a very slow, steady simmer on a burner near where you’ll be cooking the risotto.
2. Put 1 tablespoon of butter, the pancetta, and the garlic in a broad, sturdy pot, turn on the heat to medium high, and stir from time to time as you cook. When the garlic becomes colored a very pale gold, add the rosemary and sage, cook, and stir for a few seconds, then add the ground meat. Crumble the meat with a fork, and turn it over several times to brown and coat it well, adding salt and a generous grinding of pepper.
3. When the meat has been well browned, add 1 cup of the red wine. Cook at a simmer, letting the wine bubble away until it becomes reduced to a film on the bottom of the pan.
4. Turn up the heat, and add the rice. Stir quickly and thoroughly until the grains are coated well.
5. Add ½ cup of simmering broth, and cook the rice following the directions in Steps 3 and 4 of the basic white risotto recipe. When the rice is just about done, but still rather firm, after approximately 25 minutes, add the remaining wine, and finish cooking, stirring constantly, until all the wine has evaporated.
6. Off heat, add the 2 tablespoons of butter and the grated Parmesan, and stir thoroughly, turning the risotto over and over until the cheese has been well distributed and has melted. Taste and correct for salt. Transfer to a platter and serve promptly, with additional grated cheese on the side.
Note Barolo, perhaps Italy’s greatest red wine, and certainly its most profound in flavor, can satisfactorily be replaced in this preparation by its closest relative, Barbaresco. For other substitutions, look for wines derived from the same distinctive nebbiolo grape, such as Gattinara, Spanna, Carema, or Sfursat. You could try still other red wines, and although you might well make an excellent risotto with them, it would not be this risotto.
Risotto with Bolognese Meat Sauce
For 6 servings
5 cups Basic Homemade Meat Broth, OR 1 cup canned beef broth diluted with 4 cups water
1¼ cups Bolognese Meat Sauce
2 cups Arborio or other imported Italian risotto rice
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus additional cheese at the table
Salt, if required
1. Bring the broth to a very slow, steady simmer on a burner near where you’ll be cooking the risotto.
2. Put the meat sauce in a broad, sturdy pot, turn on the heat to medium, and bring it to a steady, gentle simmer. Add the rice and stir thoroughly for about 1 minute until the grains are coated well.
3. Add ½ cup of simmering broth and cook the rice following the directions in Steps 3 and 4 of the basic white risotto recipe.
4. Finish cooking the rice with broth or, if you have no more broth, with water. Cook the rice until it is tender, but firm to the bite, with no more liquid remaining in the pot.
5. Off heat, swirl in the tablespoon of butter and all the grated Parmesan, and stir thoroughly until the cheese melts and clings to the rice. Taste and correct for salt. Transfer to a platter and serve promptly with grated cheese on the side.
Risotto with Sausages
For 6 servings
5 cups Basic Homemade Meat Broth, or 1 cup canned beef broth diluted with 4 cups water
2 tablespoons onion chopped fine
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
¾ pound mild, sweet pork sausage, cut into disks about ⅓ inch thick
¼ cup dry white wine
2 cups Arborio or other imported Italian risotto rice
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
3 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Salt, if required
1. Bring the broth to a very slow, steady simmer on a burner near where you’ll be cooking the risotto.
2. Put the chopped onion, 1 tablespoon of the butter, and the vegetable oil in a broad, sturdy pot, and turn on the heat to medium high. Cook and stir the onion until it becomes translucent, then add the sliced sausage. Cook until the sausage is browned well on both sides, then add the wine, stirring from time to time. When the wine has bubbled away completely, add the rice, stirring quickly and thoroughly until the grains are coated well.
3. Add ½ cup of simmering broth, and cook the rice following the directions in Steps 3 and 4 of the basic white risotto recipe.
4. Finish cooking the rice with broth or, if you have no more broth, with water. Cook the rice
until it is tender, but firm to the bite, with no more liquid remaining in the pot.
5. Off heat, add a few grindings of pepper, the remaining tablespoon of butter, and all the grated Parmesan, and stir thoroughly until the cheese melts and clings to the rice. Taste and correct for salt. Transfer to a platter and serve promptly.
Molded Parmesan Risotto with Chicken Liver Sauce
THIS GRACEFUL presentation, suitable for a buffet table or a holiday dinner, can be adapted to a variety of combinations aside from the chicken livers suggested below. Bolognese Meat Sauce, Veal Stew with Sage, White Wine, and Cream or Sautéed Sweetbreads with Tomatoes and Peas, Fresh Mushrooms with Porcini, Rosemary, and Tomatoes, are just a few of the preparations that would look and taste good within the ring of white risotto.
For 6 servings
Risotto with Parmesan Cheese, using just 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil, and omitting the butter in Step 6
Chicken Liver Sauce, reducing the butter to just 1 tablespoon
A 6-cup ring mold
Butter for smearing the mold
Smear the mold lightly with butter. As soon as the risotto is done, spoon it all into the mold, tamping it down. Invert the mold over a serving platter, shake it and lift it away, leaving a ring of risotto on the plate. Pour the chicken liver sauce or another suitable preparation into the center of the ring, and serve promptly.
Boiled Rice with Parmesan, Mozzarella, and Basil
Butter and cheese melting in a bowl of hot, boiled rice is one of the unsung joys of the Italian table. The version given below is tossed with butter, Parmesan, mozzarella, and basil.
For 4 servings
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
6 ounces mozzarella, preferably imported buffalo-milk mozzarella
Salt
1½ cups white rice, preferably Arborio
⅔ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
4 to 6 fresh basil leaves, shredded by hand
1. Bring the butter to room temperature and cut it into small pieces.
2. Shred the mozzarella on the largest holes of the grater or, if it is too soft to grate, cut it up very fine with a chopping knife.
3. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil, add a tablespoon of salt, and as the water resumes boiling, add the rice. Stir immediately with a wooden spoon for about 5 or 10 seconds. Cover the pot and adjust heat to cook at a moderate, but constant boil, until the rice is tender, but al dente, firm to the bite. It should take between 15 and 20 minutes, depending on the rice variety. Stir from time to time while the rice cooks.
4. Drain the rice and transfer to a warm serving bowl. Add the shredded mozzarella, mixing it in quickly and thoroughly so that the heat of the rice can string it out. Promptly add the grated Parmesan and stir well so that it can dissolve and cling to the rice. Add the butter, stir once more to melt and distribute it, add the shredded basil leaves, stir again, and serve immediately.
GNOCCHI
THE WORD gnocco in Italian means a little lump, such as the one that might be raised by sharply knocking your head against a hard object. Gastronomically speaking however, gnocchi should be anything but lumpish. Whether they are made of potatoes, semolina flour, or spinach and ricotta, as in the recipes that follow, the essential characteristic of well-made gnocchi is that they be fluffy and light.
Potato Gnocchi
GOOD COOKS in the Veneto, where cloud-light gnocchi are as much a part of the tradition as creamy risotto, are loath to add eggs to the potato dough. Some people do use eggs because the dough becomes easier to handle, but that method, which is called alla parigina, “Paris style,” results in a tougher, more rubbery product.
The choice of potato is critical. Neither a baking potato, such as the Idaho, nor any kind of new potato, is suitable. The first is too mealy and the second is too moist, and if you use either, gnocchi are likely to collapse while cooking. The only reliable potato for gnocchi is the more or less round, common kind known as a “boiling” potato. In Italy, where there are no baking potatoes, and both new and old are of the boiling, waxy variety, you would ask for “old” potatoes if you are making gnocchi.
For 6 servings
1½ pounds boiling potatoes
1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1. Put the potatoes with their skins on in a pot of abundant water, and bring to the boil. Cook until tender. Avoid testing them too often by puncturing with a fork because they may become waterlogged. When done, drain them and pull off their skins while hot. Purée them through a food mill and onto a work surface while they are still warm.
2. Add most of the flour to the puréed potatoes and knead into a smooth mixture. Some potatoes absorb less flour than others, so it is best not to add all the flour until you know exactly how much they will take. Stop adding flour when the mixture has become soft and smooth, but still slightly sticky.
3. Dust the work surface lightly with flour. Divide the potato and flour mass into 2 or more parts and shape each of them into a sausage-like roll about 1 inch thick. Slice the rolls into pieces ¾ inch long. While working with gnocchi, dust your hands and the work surface repeatedly with flour.
4. You must now shape the gnocchi so that they will cook more evenly and hold sauce more successfully. Take a dinner fork with long, slim tines, rounded if possible. Working over a counter, hold the fork more or less parallel to the counter and with the concave side facing you.
With the index finger of your other hand, hold one of the cut pieces against the inside curve of the fork, just below the tips of the prongs. At the same time that you are pressing the piece against the prongs, flip it away from the tips and in the direction of the fork’s handle. The motion of the finger is flipping, not dragging. As the piece rolls away from the prongs, let it drop to the counter. If you are doing it correctly, it will have ridges on one side formed by the tines and a depression on the other formed by your fingertip. When gnocchi are shaped in this manner, the middle section is thinner and becomes more tender in cooking, while the ridges become grooves for sauce to cling to.
5. Choose, if possible, a broad pan of about 6 quarts’ capacity and approximately 12 inches in diameter. The broader the better because it will accommodate more gnocchi at one time. Put in about 4 quarts of water, bring to a boil, and add salt. Before putting in the whole first batch of gnocchi, drop in just 2 or 3. Ten seconds after they have floated to the surface, retrieve them and taste them. If the flavor is too floury, you must add 2 or 3 seconds to the cooking time; if they are nearly dissolved, you must subtract 2 or 3 seconds. Drop in the first full batch of gnocchi, about 2 dozen. In a short time they will float to the surface. Let them cook the 10 seconds, or more, or less, that you have determined they need, then retrieve them with a colander scoop or a large slotted spoon, and transfer to a warm serving platter. Spread over them some of the sauce you are using and a light sprinkling of grated Parmesan. Drop more gnocchi in the pot and repeat the whole operation. When all the gnocchi are done, pour the rest of the sauce over them and more grated Parmesan, turn them rapidly with a wooden spoon to coat them well, and serve at once.
Recommended sauce Gnocchi take well to many sauces, but three particularly happy choices are Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter; Pesto; and Gorgonzola Sauce.
Note If the potatoes you work with produce gnocchi dough that dissolves or collapses in cooking, you must add 1 whole egg to the puréed potatoes.
Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi
WHEN YOU EAT the spinach and ricotta gnocchi in the recipe given below it will remind you of the stuffing of spinach- or chard-filled tortelloni without the pasta around it. As the instructions that follow will show, they can be served like potato gnocchi, or as soup dumplings, or gratinéed like semolina gnocchi.
For 4 servings
1 pound fresh spinach OR 1 ten-ounce package frozen leaf spinach, thawed
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon onion chopped very fine
2 tablespoons chopped prosciu
tto OR for milder flavor, boiled unsmoked ham
Salt
¾ cup fresh ricotta
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
2 egg yolks
1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus additional cheese at the table
Whole nutmeg
1. If using fresh spinach: Soak it in several changes of water, and cook it with salt until tender, as described. Drain it, and as soon as it is cool enough to handle, squeeze it gently in your hands to drive out as much moisture as possible, chop it rather coarse, and set aside.
If using thawed frozen leaf spinach: Cook in a covered pan with salt for about 5 minutes. Drain it, when cool squeeze all the moisture out of it that you can, and chop it coarse.
2. Put the butter and onion in a small skillet, and turn the heat on to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it becomes colored pale gold, then add the chopped prosciutto or ham. Cook for just a few seconds, long enough to stir 2 or 3 times and coat the meat well.
3. Add the cooked, chopped spinach and some salt, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Turn out the entire contents of the skillet into a bowl, and when the spinach has cooled down to room temperature, add the ricotta and flour, and stir with a wooden spoon, mixing the ingredients well. Add the egg yolks, grated Parmesan, and a tiny grating—about ⅛ teaspoon—of nutmeg, and mix with the spoon until all the ingredients are evenly amalgamated. Taste and correct for salt.
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking Page 29
