Indulge your inner chef and prepare restaurant quality meals with these recipes from Cositutti cooking schools in Emilia Romagna and products from CosituttiMarketPlace
Our recipes are frequently updated, so visit often. Recipes include a girarosto veal roast, a recipe for chicken under a brick from a memorable meal near Pinnochio Park in Collodi, a summertime apertivo menu,wood fired pizza, Chef Daniele's recipe for Tacchino (Turkey) and a Tuscan Inspired Christmas Menu.
Just Added: Recipes for the Blackbird Days of January in Italy.
Recipes
My Perfect Panzanella - Tuscan Bread Salad
My favorite summertime salad is panzanella -a salad simple let sublime. This salad also makes a great summertime meal. My perfect panzanella was eaten at the table of Tenuta di Capezzana, northwest of Florence. The scent, aroma and flavor of their highly acclaimed extra virgin olive oil elevated the simpliest of ingredients into a work of food art. Here is a recipe inspired by my visit to Tenuta di Capezzana.Do not use stale American bread for this recipe. It is not a substitute for the firm, artisan quality Tuscan bread. American bread becomes fluffy when soaked and quickly turns to mush.
Ingredients (this recipe will make several servings)
10 oz loaf of coarse Italian country style bread, sliced thick and left to dry
1 cup of fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
1 small to medium red onion, sliced thin
3 large ripe tomatoescut into cubes
2 Tablespoons of red wine vinegar; more or less to taste
1/3 cup Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Break the slices of bread into medium sized pieces and place in a bowl of cold water getting them wet through, but not leaving them to soak, for a few minutes. Do not allow bread to become soggy. Gently squeeze any excess water from the bread. Place the bread pieces in a serving bowl and toss all ingredients together with the bread except the oil and vinegar. Dissolve salt to taste with the vinegar in a small bowl and sprinkle it over the bread mixture. Drizzle olive oil over all, add pepper and toss well. Serve immediately although some Italian cooks recommend leaving the panzanella sit for a while before eating.
A Summer Apertivo Party Menu
Keep it fresh, cool and light with in-season ingredients.
Besides the traditional apertivi offerings of
Green and Black Olives (whole and as spreads) Grilled Vegetables like eggplant and zucchini An Assortment of Italian cured meats and cheeses
Using a skewer, put 1/2 tomato, cut side up, followed by a piece of mozzarella, basil, second piece of mozzarella and finish with another tomato half. Season skewers with salt, pepper, oil and vinegar.
Pancetta Wrapped Figs
6 fresh figs
2 balls buffalo mozzarella, cut into small cubes
50ml/2fl oz extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lavender honey
1 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
3 baby plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 bunch of fresh basil, roughly shredded
12 slices of pancetta
Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Preheat the grill.
Cut a cross on the top of each fig, gently squeeze to open, then scoop out the pulp. Set aside with the skins.
Toss the mozzarella cubes with half each of the olive oil, honey and vinegar. Stir in the fig pulp, tomatoes and basil. Pack the mix into the fig skins then wrap two slices of pancetta around each one, securing with a cocktail stick.
Mix together the remaining oil, honey and vinegar then use to lightly brush the figs. Grill for 10 minutes on indirect heat until the cheese melts. Sprinkle with seasoning and drizzle over any remaining olive oil, honey and balsamic mix. Serve immediately.
Carpaccio di Arance with Olive Oil and Arugula
Thinly sliced oranges( preferably blood oranges if available)with skin and pith removed, sprinkled with chili powder and extra virgin olive oil and coarsely chopped arugula.
Preheat the grill for medium heat. Place cheese on 4 slices of bread and spread with pesto and top with a tomato slice. Place remaining bread on top to make a sandwich. Brush both sides with olive oil and grill for approximately 4 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Scottiglia
Scottiglia and Stracotto are 2 winter time recipes for the Blackbird Days of January in Italy
1/2 lb. each of various cuts of meat (veal round, beef chuck, pork) cut in chunks 1 onion coarsley chopped 1 cup red wine 1 clove garlic coarsely chopped 1 1/4 ripe tomatoes coarsley chopped 4 tbs. extra virgin olive oil 1 cup broth basil parsley salt pepper
Brown the onion and garlic in oil in a large saucepan. Add chopped basil and parsley. Brown the meats, one at a time, tougher meats first. Add red wine and allow alcohol to evaporate then add the tomatoe. Add salt and pepper and continue stirring, adding broth if needed. Serve the scottiglia with toast rubbed with a clove of garlic.
Stracotto
Ingredients: - 3 to 4 lbs. top round beef - 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves - 3 thinly sliced medium carrots - 3 diced medium onions - rosemary leaves - 2 cut up celery stalks - 2 cups water - 1 lb. ripe tomatoes ( peel, seed and cut them ) - 1 fourth cup extra virgin olive oil - 1 and a half cup Chianti or dry red wine - 1 tbsp. melted butter - 1 tbsp. flour - salt and pepper as you like - 1 lb. pasta of your choice
Roll and tie up beef and then make small holes to put the garlic in.
In a saucepan, heat the oil and slowly cook the carrots, onions and celery until soft and add the rosemary. Push these vegetables to one side and put the beef roll in the middle and brown on all sides at the same time as you are sautéing the vegetables. Add in the tomatoes and when they are getting soft, add the wine. Boil until the wine has been reduced to about a half cup and add 1 and a half cups of water and let it simmer for about 1 hour more. Separate the meat and vegetables from the broth and let the meat cool down. With the remaining half cup of water mix the flour and the melted butter in with the broth and cook, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Slice the meat and put the pasta and the sauce in the middle of the plate and two or three meat slices to one side and top with some more sauce.
Tacchino - Italian Inspired Turkey
Although we don't often associate turkey with Italy, tacchino is considered to be a family style dish in Italy and therefore a perfect choice for an Italian inspired American Thanksgiving or Holiday Dinner. This past October I had the pleasure of cooking with Chef Daniele Sorrenti in Emilia Romagna. He introduced me to a recipe for Duchese di Tacchino con Prosciutto Crudo di Parma e Caciotta Misto Pecora al Vino Passato that has become my new best Thanksgiving Day Turkey Dinner. Chef Daniele combines traditional ingredients with a contemporary cooking style for a dish that is both delicious, engaging and incomparable. Prosciutto, parmigiano and pecorino cheese are rolled into a flattened turkey breast that is sauted with capers and sweet wine then roasted in the oven. An alternate version can be made with a yogurt sauce that is rich and creamy.
There are several recipes for a stuffed turkey breast in Italy. Sometimes referred to as petto di tacchino, the breast is butterflied, flattened with a meat mallet then stuffed with a variety of ingredients such as sage, rosemary, garlic and pancetta and rolled into a cylinder. Rolled turkey or rotolo di tacchino can be also be filled with a stuffing made of chestnuts, diced pears and apples, pancetta and veal served with a sweet and savory mostarda. I have even seen a recipe from Arezzo for collo di tacchino, stuffed turkey neck.
Chef Daniele's Tacchino Stuffed with Prosciutto crudo di Parma and Cheese
Olive Leaf Pasta with Prosciutto, Cream and Nutmeg
A quick and easy pasta dish that will have your friends wondering at what Italian cooking school you've been studying.
1 package of La Bella Angiolina Olive Leaf Pasta 3 T butter Prosciutto cut into narrow strips to measure 2/3 cup 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/2 t freshly grated nutmeg 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Place the olive leaf pasta in a tall pasta pot and begin to boil. At the same time begin to brown the prosciutto in butter in a large high sided skillet over low heat without over-cooking and burning it. Add cream and fresh nutmeg to the skillet, stirring once in a while. Add the drained ( save some of the pasta water) al dente pasta to the skillet tossing the pasta with the prosciutto cream mixture. Remove from flame. You can add some of the reserved pasta water should you need to loosen the sauce. Toss very well and add the Parmigiano Reggiano then toss again. Pasta is best served immediately and directly from the skillet. Serves 4.
Spit Roasted Veal with Braised Vegetable Sauce and Truffled Mashed Potatoes
arrosto, girarosto, allo spiedo or alle brace . . . all refer to grilled or spit roasted meats in Italy.
The word brace (bra-cheh) means grilled over embers and for many the smoldering, glowing remains of an open fire create the perfect setting for summertime entertaining . . . il fuoco vivo "the life of the fire" is cooking at its most elemental where you can See, Hear and Smell the true flavors of the food. This recipe is really simple and rustic and depends on the quality of the ingredients. If you don't have the time or the ingredients to make the vegetable braise you can use a jar of Sangiovannese Braising Sauce available from CosituttiMarketPlace . Tuscan organic tomatoes, fresh garden vegetables, extra virgin olive oil, red wine and savory spices create layers of flavor for an authentic taste of Italy.
One rolled joint of veal
Coarsely ground salt and pepper
Season the roast and start on a high heat to brown the fat layer on the outside
Catch the juices in the drip tray and baste the spit roast every 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, reduce the heat and cook further for 50 minutes or until juices flow clear
While roast is on the grill, use a skillet to braise the vegetables until they are limp and then put through a food mill to make a coarse sauce to serve with the grilled veal roast. Before serving, sprinkle with zest of lemon and fresh ground pepper. Serve with truffled mashed potatoes.
Mashed Potatoes Drizzle White Truffle Oil over your favorite mashed potato recipe for an earthy aroma that complements the flamed grill flavor of the veal
Pollo al Mattone (Chicken Under a Brick)
This classic Tuscan recipe appears on frescoes in Etruscan tombs depicting what appears to be a grill with a chicken being flattened by a stone. Recent recipes use a brick to hold the chicken flat to the grill while it cooks. The result is the crispest possible exterior and a juicy, evenly cooked interior. If crushed red pepper flakes are added to this recipe it is called Pollo allo diavolo (deviled chicken)
Place 1 whole chicken on cutting board breast-side-up with open cavity facing you. Using kitchen scissors, cut through the entire length of the breast area. Flatten the chicken by pressing firmly down with both hands to so it resembles one large flat section . Watch this video on how to butterfly the chicken.
You can simply salt and season the bird and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil or prepare a marinade as follows
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon coarsely ground salt and black pepper
Place chicken in a large glass dish with marinade and refrigerate for 1hour.
Preheat grill 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low (target cooking temperature is 325°F to 350°F). Remove chicken from marinade. Place skin-side down on preheated grill. Carefully and quickly position bricks on top of chicken; close lid. Grill 40 to 50 minutes or until cooked through, turning halfway through cooking time as you remove bricks using oven mitt, turn chicken and place bricks back on top to finish cooking.
* you will need 1 or 2 bricks depending on the size of the chicken. Rinse bricks before using. Wrap each brick in 2 layers of heavy duty aluminum foil. I have seen Alton Brown make this recipe using a panini grill.
Pizza Dough (Impasto di Pizza ) as made by Forno de Pizza
"Although this recipe varies from the traditional Italian pizza dough, it is perfectly designed for making a thin crust wood fired pizza. It maintains its thin thickness but yet keeps the fluffiness in every bite" . . . Hugo Laranja
Ingredients: · 2 &1/4 cups all purpose flour · 1 cup cake flour · 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Mix the Flour, Cake flour, and salt together ·1 cup warm water · 1 package active dry yeast · 1 Tablespoonsugar After yeast has activated add about one tablespoon of olive oil to mixture .Mix Water, yeast, and sugar in a separate bowl until all clumps are gone. Slowly stir wet mixture into dry mixture until roughly mixed and knead until well kneaded. Cover and let rise for 2 hours. After 2 hours punch down and cut it into four equal balls. Cover and let rise one more hour Roll into a thin crust pizza
Black Olive and Asiago Cheese Pizza Recipe from Cositutti and Forno de Pizza
"You can top the Black Olive Cream with prosciutto for a subtle combination that compliments the saltiness of the Italian cured ham"
Prepare Forno de Pizza dough, dust wooden pizza paddle with wheat flour to make sure pizza will slide on to stone.
Once dough has been rolled out apply back olive cream to dough.Liberally apply grated Asiago cheese on top of back olive cream. Brush crust with extra virgin olive oil. Bake it in Forno de Pizza till edge of dough starts turning brown, make sure pizza gets turned a ¼ turn every 30 seconds or so. Remove pizza once cheese has melted and edges are brown. Garnish pizza with fresh whole chives. Cut the pizza into squares and enjoy.
*If desired add thin sliced prosciutto on top of cheese in a bunched-up matter. Cover the surface of the pizza leaving some areas exposed. Prosciutto is usually pretty salty, so use it according to taste.
Artichoke and Garlic Cream PizzaRecipe From Cositutti and Forno de Pizza
Prepare Forno de Pizza dough, dust wooden pizza paddle with wheat flour to make sure pizza will slide on to stone.
Once dough has been rolled out apply Artichoke and Garlic. Apply mozzarella on top of Artichoke and Garlic Cream. Place Artichoke hearts sliced in ½ inch whole circles on top of mozzarella distributing them evenly throughout the surface of the pizza leaving some areas exposed. Place a ¼ teaspoon of Artichoke and Garlic Cream on top of each whole artichoke then place. Brush crust with extra virgin olive oil. Bake it in Forno de Pizza till edge of dough starts turning brown, make sure pizza gets turned a ¼ turn every 30 seconds or so. Remove pizza once cheese has melted and edges are brown. Cut the pizza into squares and enjoy.
Truffle Cheese Pizza with Arugula and White Truffle OilRecipe From Cositutti and Forno de Pizza
"The cheese and the distinct taste of the raw arugula, salt and white truffle oil make some people claim this is one of the best pizzas they've ever had"
·(option of adding Prosciutto di Parma while pizza is baking is a chef's delight)
Prepare Forno de Pizza dough, dust wooden pizza paddle with wheat flour to make sure pizza will slide on to stone.
Once dough has been rolled out apply olive oil to dough.Apply cheese truffle cheese, not more than 3 oz to pizza dough
Bake it in Forno de Pizza till edge of dough starts turning brown, make sure pizza gets turned a ¼ turn every 30 seconds or so.Remove pizza once cheese has melted and edges are brown. Add arugula to pizza immediately after it comes out of the ovenSprinkle a dash of kosher salt to the arugula and a drizzle of White truffle oil. Let arugula absorb some of the heat from the pizza for a few seconds than cut into squares.
