Buon Appetito!

BUON APPETITO!

Lightening up on Italian food stereotypes.

By Sidney Carlisle

Photography by RJ Hinkle at Quad Photo

Prop and food styling by Martha Gooding

During a discussion of food and wine, Italian food seldom gets the credit it deserves. When the emphasis is on fine food, elegant French fare and a favorite Pinot Noir might come to mind rather than anything Italian. Heavy, traditional recipes such as spaghetti and lasagna are so familiar that we often forget that many contemporary Italian recipes are fresh, light, and appealing.

L’Mande Bagby, new executive chef at Greenbrier Country Club in Chesapeake, Virginia, knows that Italian cooking always is a favorite with members. He explains that Italian food can be complex or very simple.

Other chefs agree. Tomato sauce, for instance, can be quickly prepared by sautéing fresh tomatoes in olive oil with a little garlic, or a big pot of ingredients enriched with veal bones and simmered all day. And, although both methods have a place in Italian cooking, many chefs now are opting for the lighter version for featured entrées at clubs.

Chefs concur that, while recipes such as osso buco remain popular, the trend is toward elegant dishes that use fewer ingredients. The emphasis, they say, is on lightly dressed pasta. In fact, handmade or imported Italian pasta is of such high quality that it doesn’t require much embellishment. It should be dressed so lightly that the diner can barely detect the sauce. And the sauce might be as simple as olive oil and either parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino cheese.

Kitchen rule of thumb: You should be able to taste every ingredient in a well-prepared Italian recipe, whether it is pasta or something else.

Tim Durand, executive chef at the Aspen Glen Club in Carbondale, Colorado, agrees. “Most upscale Italian recipes are based on just a few ingredients,” Chef Tim says, “and the most frequently used are probably olive oil, tomatoes, pasta, and cheeses. I use several imported Italian products, mainly because the quality is outstanding and the taste is impossible to duplicate. Parmigiano-reggiano cheese is a good example. I refuse to compromise a finished entrée by using another Parmesan cheese.”

Vegetables may be as important as pasta in Italian cooking. “I use what is in season,” Chef Tim says, “and I like to sauté fresh vegetables with a little olive oil and then toss with angel hair or linguine.” Many chefs agree that canned tomatoes, particularly San Marzano, are the best bet during the off-season. “This is another imported item that makes a difference,” Chef Tim says. “I would much rather have top-quality canned tomatoes than lousy, fresh tomatoes.”

The recipes that follow are clearly Italian and demonstrate the creativity of Associate Club chefs.

Sidney Carlisle’s favorite Italian food is pizza topped with fresh mozzarella cheese.

FETTUCCINE WITH WHITE TRUFFLE
Elegant fettuccine for two. A recipe from the author’s collection.

1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
8 ounces dried fettuccine
6 tablespoons butter
2 stems fresh sage (12-14 large leaves), coarsely chopped
salt and pepper
1 truffle, about 1-inch in size
grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the salt and olive oil. Cook the fettuccine according to the package directions. While the fettuccine cooks, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sage, tossing to coat the leaves. Remove from the heat.

To serve, drain the fettuccine well and return the pasta to the pan. Toss with the butter and sage. Add salt and pepper to taste. Divide the fettuccine between two serving plates. Slice the truffle over the top of the pasta and add grated cheese to taste. Serve immediately.

Note: Availability of truffles varies by season and location..

CHICKEN SALTIMBOCCA
This version of saltimbocca has been a favorite of members at Greenbrier Country Club in Chesapeake, Virginia.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, 5 to 6 ounces each
6 slices prosciutto
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
12 large leaves of fresh sage
6 slices mozzarella cheese, each about 1⁄8-inch thick
1⁄2 cup sweet Marsala wine
1⁄4 pound cold unsalted butter, cut in 1⁄2-inch dice

Place a chicken breast on a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap. Lay one piece of prosciutto over the chicken, covering the entire breast. Cover with another sheet of paper and pound until the breast is of uniform thickness. Repeat with the remaining chicken and prosciutto.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a roasting pan with nonstick spray and set it aside. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge the prepared chicken breasts in the flour, shaking off any excess.

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and sauté until golden brown but not fully cooked, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and place in the roasting pan with the prosciutto side up. Place two leaves of sage over each breast and cover with a slice of the mozzarella cheese. Place in the oven and cook until the cheese is browned and the chicken reaches 160 degrees, about 12 minutes.

Return the sauté pan to the heat and deglaze with the Marsala. Reduce by half. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cold butter.

To serve, place each chicken breast on a plate and pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings.

SHRIMP DIAVLO
Elegant but easy, this recipe from the Greenbrier Country Club in Chesapeake, Virginia, serves six.

2 packages (9 ounces each) fresh angel hair pasta (see note)
24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined, with the tails intact
1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cans (14 ounces each) quartered artichoke hearts
4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3⁄4 cup dry white wine (see note)
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut in 1⁄2-inch dice
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for cooking the pasta and follow package directions for cooking the pasta.

Lightly coat the shrimp in flour and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a heavy sauté pan until hot. Add the shrimp and sauté for 2 minutes or until the shrimp begins to turn pink. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and crushed red pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes and add the wine. Allow the mixture to come to a boil and reduce by one-half, keeping the heat on medium-high, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the butter. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, divide the pasta among six serving plates. Pour the shrimp over the pasta, sprinkle with parsley and serve at once.

Note: If using dried pasta, the recipe will require a 12-ounce package to serve six. At Greenbrier Country Club, a Pinot Grigio is used in this recipe.

BEEF AND PORTOBELLO RISOTTO
Jeff Myers, executive chef at the City Club of Washington at Franklin Square in Washington, D.C., says this risotto is one of his favorite recipes.

6 cups beef stock or broth
2 beef fillets, about 8 ounces each
salt and pepper
1 portobello mushroom
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 pound arborio rice
2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
4 cloves roasted garlic, chopped
1⁄4 bunch (about 4 ounces) arugula, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1⁄2 cup shredded parmigiano-reggiano cheese
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)

Bring the stock or broth to a boil in a saucepan. Lower the heat to medium and reduce until 4 cups of liquid remains. Set the stock or broth aside.

Preheat the grill. Season the fillets with salt and pepper. Grill to medium rare and set aside to cool. Place the mushroom on the grill and cook just until lightly grill-marked. Slice the two fillets and the mushroom in thin slices and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and sauté 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the sliced portobello, tomatoes, garlic, and arugula.

Add 1 cup of the reserved stock to the pan and stir constantly until the liquid is absorbed. Add the remaining stock in 1⁄2-cup increments, stirring constantly until all the liquid is absorbed before adding additional stock. The rice should be cooked but not soggy, and the process will take about 15 minutes. Remove the risotto from the heat.

Add the butter and both cheeses, folding gently until well mixed. Reserve 12 slices of the beef for garnish and add remaining meat to the risotto, stirring gently. Divide among 6 serving plates, garnish with the beef slices and serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings.

PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO POLENTA WITH WILD MUSHROOM RAGOUT
Executive chef Tim Durand enjoys serving this polenta to members and guests at the Aspen Glen Club in Carbondale, Colorado.

FOR THE POLENTA

6 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1-1⁄2 cups polenta (coarsely ground yellow cornmeal)
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
salt and pepper

Spray a 10-1⁄2-by-15-⁄2-inch jelly-roll pan with nonstick spray and set it aside. Bring the water and salt to a boil in a 4-quart saucepan. Add the polenta in a thin stream, whisking rapidly. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the polenta onto the baking pan and smooth the top. Cool for 20 minutes and place in the refrigerator until well chilled, or overnight.

FOR THE RAGOUT

4 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup hot water
1 tablespoon olive oil
3⁄4 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (button, cremini, or shiitake)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper
fresh parsley sprigs
10 baby tomatoes

Soak the dried mushrooms in the hot water for 20 minutes. Do not drain. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms, parsley, and dried thyme, and cook 3 minutes more. Add the porcini mushrooms and the soaking water. Cook over low heat until all the liquid is absorbed, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cream. Cook until the cream has reduced by half, about 8 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, remove the polenta from the refrigerator and cut into 20 pieces. (Use cookie cutters, if desired, for a more attractive presentation.) Place the polenta pieces on a paper plate and microwave until warm. Place 2 pieces on each serving plate and ladle the warm mushroom ragout over the polenta. Garnish with parsley sprigs and baby tomatoes.

Yield: 10 servings.

A WORD ABOUT ITALIAN CHEESES
Many hard, semi-hard, soft, and fresh cheeses are produced throughout Italy. The following are important ingredients in many recipes. Although some varieties are produced in other countries, most chefs prefer those made in Italy.

ASIAGO. A semi-hard cheese made from cow’s milk. It is used in Italy as a table cheese if less than 10 months old, and used as a grating cheese when aged.

FONTINA. A semi-hard cheese produced in the Valle d’Aosta region. Made from whole cow’s milk, it has a distinctive taste, melts smoothly, and is considered one of the finest Italian cheeses.

GORGONZOLA. A soft cheese made from whole cow’s milk. The greenish-blue veined cheese has a strong flavor and aroma and is reported to have been produced near Milan since about A.D. 870.

MOZZARELLA DI BUFALA. Mozzarella cheese produced from the milk of water buffaloes. Difficult to find in the United States, it is a taste that cannot be duplicated by mozzarella made from cow’s milk.

PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO. A cooked cheese made from cow’s milk and ripened for two years. It is flaky and fragrant. Parmesan cheeses are produced in other areas, but many chefs believe that parmigiano-reggiano is superior to any other. To be authentic, the cheese must bear the words parmigiano-reggiano on the rind, indicating it was manufactured in Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, or Mantua.

PECORINO. An aged grating cheese made from ewe’s milk. Several kinds of pecorino are produced in various regions in Italy. The most commonly found in the United States is Pecorino Romano. The flavor of pecorino is a bit sharper than parmigiano-reggiano, but the two cheeses are interchangeable.

PROVOLONE. A table cheese with a mellow flavor. Provolone originated in southern Italy and is produced in several provinces. It is a semi-hard cheese made from whole cow’s milk and it has a slightly smoky taste.

AN ITALIAN INTERVIEW
A chance meeting with Sicilian resident Sarah Rathbun Nelson yielded some interesting comments about the food being served in Italian homes. A New York native, Nelson is a partner in Sicilia Foods, a firm that transports high-quality Sicilian food, wine, and liqueur throughout Europe and the Americas. She is familiar with what is available in various regions of Italy and what is consumed on a daily basis, particularly in Sicilian homes. “We eat only what is in season,” she says, “many fresh vegetables and whatever local fish is available. And many Sicilians eat pasta at least once a day.”

Many Italians grow some of their own vegetables and vendors supply the rest. “These vendors sell only fruits and vegetables,” Nelson says. “It’s not like a supermarket.” Lettuce, tomatoes, many varieties of zucchini, and eggplant are available almost year-round and often are combined in recipes. A favorite local dish called funghetto includes cubed eggplant and cubed potatoes, panfried separately. An onion is sautéed in olive oil, with fresh tomatoes added once the onion is soft. The four vegetables are then mixed together and served as a side dish with beef or pork.

Nelson emphasizes that food in Italy is very regional from north to south. Since northern Italy is colder, meals tend to be heavier, with lots of cheese and salami. Farther south, the menu is lighter, and meat is not served as frequently.

Bread is purchased fresh every day. Differences in water and flour give regional breads a distinct flavor. In addition, ingredients vary and local preferences dictate what type of bread is produced. In the area where Nelson lives, almost all the bread has white sesame seeds sprinkled on top.

Pizza is served throughout Italy on both thick and thin crusts. In Sicily, most pizza is baked in wood-burning ovens. One of Nelson’s favorite pizzas includes tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, anchovies, oregano, prosciutto, and onions, layered in that order on a thick raw crust.

When quizzed about ethnic food availability, Nelson comments that “Italians eat Italian food. Chinese food is available in Sicily, and there’s a McDonald’s, too. But I have to tell you,” she says with a grin, “french fries are served as an appetizer to pizza.”

AN A TO Z GUIDE OF ITALIAN CULINARY TERMS
Some culinary terms translate poorly into other languages. The following Italian words are used frequently in recipes, menus, and cookbooks.

ANTIPASTO. Hot or cold appetizers served at the beginning of a meal. The hors d’oeuvre may be as simple as prosciutto and melon or a platter of assorted foods adequate for dinner.

ARBORIO RICE. The most familiar brand name for the short-grain Italian rice used for risotto. Other imported rice is available in some areas of the United States.

BRUSCHETTA. Italian garlic bread prepared by rubbing a garlic clove over toasted slices of rustic bread. The toast is then drizzled with olive oil and, depending on the region, may be embellished with tomato slices, mozzarella cheese, or basil leaves.

CAPONATA. A Sicilian recipe that includes eggplant, onions, tomatoes, anchovies, olives, and capers. Vinegar is added to the vegetables, and they are cooked in olive oil.

CROSTINI. Small thin slices of toasted bread topped with various ingredients. In some regions of Italy, the term also refers to croutons.

GELATO. Ice cream. Culinary historians believe ice cream made its first world appearance in Italy in 1559.

GNOCCHI. Small dumplings made from potatoes or semolina and served as a side dish.

MORTADELLA. Smoked pork sausage that originated in Bologna, Italy, in the 16th century. It is formed into rounds or ovals and may be as much as 18 inches in diameter.

OSSO BUCO. A classic Italian method of preparing veal shanks. The shanks are cut into thick slices with the hole in the bone showing. Then they are braised with carrots, onion, celery, wine, and tomatoes.

PANCETTA. Italian bacon that is cured with salt and naturally aged. It is shaped into a roll, rather than the flat shape of bacon in the United States.

PANINI. Little breads. Panini also can refer to a sandwich.

PANZANELLA. A salad consisting of bread chunks, onions, tomatoes, vinegar, and olive oil.

POLENTA. Cornmeal cooked in water until it reaches the consistency of mush. It can be served hot, or chilled until very firm. Cold polenta is cut into slices and fried or used as a base for other recipes.

POMODORO. The word for “tomato,” although the actual translation is “golden apple.” Many chefs consider Italy’s San Marzano tomatoes to be the premier sauce tomatoes.

PROSCIUTTO. Fresh ham that has been salt-cured and air-dried. It requires no cooking and usually is cut in extremely thin, almost transparent slices.

RISOTTO. Creamy rice that is cooked using short-grain rice sautéed in butter before adding liquid. Hot stock is added to the rice in half-cup measures while stirring constantly. Each addition must be absorbed before adding more liquid.

SALTIMBOCCA. A dish prepared with veal, chicken, or turkey that involves sautéing the meat or poultry in butter. Sage, prosciutto, and wine are used for flavor, and mozzarella cheese also can be used.

SCALLOPINI. An Italian term used to describe veal or poultry that has been dredged in flour and then sautéed.

SPUMONI. A frozen dessert consisting of ice cream and whipped cream in layers. It usually is served in slices and contains fruit or nuts.

ZUPPA. Soup.