Tiramisu (Dish of the Day)

I really liked the tiramisu recipe that I got from Bon Appetit. I would have just stuck with making that recipe, however there was also a tiramisu recipe in the Dish of the Day cookbook that I've been working with lately. And I wanted to see how that compared (and also be able to check it off).

Although the two recipes shared many similarities, there were a few striking differences. Probably the most significant was the proportion of mascarpone and cream. This version had 50% more mascarpone relative to the BA one, but only 25% as much cream! (It also had twice as much rum.) This recipe also included more than twice as much rum. And, although it had about the same amount of sugar overall, it divided it up differently. The BA recipe put most of the sugar into the saboyon (egg yolk mixture) and only 1 Tbsp. into the coffee. This recipe, meanwhile, put almost 60% of the sugar -- a whole 1/4 c.! -- into the simple syrup for the coffee and only a scant 3 Tbsp. into the saboyon.

Overall, I think I prefer the BA rendition of tiramisu. That said, this one was still good. And I did prefer McMillan's method of making the coffee bath. Making a simple syrup first and then mixing in the coffee and rum ensures that the sugar is very well dissolved and means that you can put more sugar into the coffee without it sinking to the bottom and separating out. I quite liked the sweeter coffee bath. I think it makes it a little more balanced. And I'm also a fan of the higher cheese content of this version. Although I did feel it was a bit skimpy on the cream.

I think next time I'll do a mash-up of the two: Use the coffee bath from this recipe, but with the rum content of the BA one; use the saboyon recipe from BA, but include the vanilla from this one; use the mascarpone content of this recipe, but bump up the amount of whipping cream to be somewhere between what's called for in this one and the BA instructions. Hopefully that will make a nice, balanced tiramisu.

I've included two recipes below. The first is following the recipe as written from the book. This is what I actually did for this iteration. Below that are the instructions incorporating the adjustments discussed above. That's how I'd make it next time.

Tiramisu

From Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Coffee Bath

• 1/4 c. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. water
• 3/4 c. espresso¹
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. dark rum

Filling

• 45g (~2.5 Tbsp.) sugar
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3/4 c. mascarpone
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 18-22 ladyfingers
• cocoa, to dust

Directions

1. Combine the sugar and water for the coffee bath in a small pot and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
2. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring, until sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Mix in the coffee and rum into the syrup and set aside to cool.
4. Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl and beat for a minute or two to mix very well.
5. Bring ~5cm of water to boil and set the bowl over the water. Beat the yolk mixture on medium speed with an electric mixer for 7-8 minutes. The mixture should become pale and at least double in volume, forming ribbons when the beaters are lifted out of the mixture.
6. Once the saboyon (yolk mixture) is cooked and ready, remove from heat and beat in the mascarpone and vanilla.
7. In a separate bowl, beat the cream until stiff.
8. Fold the whipped cream into the yolk mixture.
9. To assemble, dip the ladyfingers into the coffee bath. Working with one biscuit at a time, dip it and then place it into the bottom of a loaf pan (or container of your choice). Use ~1/3 of the biscuits for the bottom layer.
10. Top the biscuit layer with ~1/3 mascarpone mixture.
11. Repeat the layers twice more. (Three layers each of biscuits and mascarpone, ending with mascarpone.)
12. Cover and chill for at least 6 hours.
13. Dust with cocoa and serve.

Improved Tiramisu

Ingredients

Coffee Bath

• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. water
• 1 Tbsp. instant coffee
• 3/4 c. boiling water
• 2 Tbsp. dark rum

Filling

• 1/4 c. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. white wine
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3/4 c. mascarpone
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 18-22 ladyfingers
• cocoa, to dust

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¹ I didn't have any espresso, so I just used extra-strong instant coffee. The instructions called for 1-2 tsp. per cup of hot water, so I used 2 tsp. for 3/4 c. Next time I think I'd make it even stronger. Maybe 1 Tbsp. for 3/4 c. ^Back

I've been eyeing the photo for this recipe for ages now. I just looks really, really appealing. I never used to be much for beans in my youth, but I've warmed up to them over the years and, especially in the last year or two, I've found cannellini beans particularly appealing. So, a rich, savoury thick soup built on a base of cannellini beans sounded like a pretty fantastic dinner to me!

The original recipe calls for a mix of chopped onions, carrots, and celery as the vegetable component. I was running low on veggies when I made this though, so I ended up swapping in some frozen "spaghetti" mix (onion, red bell pepper, carrot, green bell pepper, and celery). I used ~3 c. total. I also swapped in a few olives and an anchovy in place of the pancetta that I forgot to get. I think it would've been fine with just the olives, but I figured I'd toss the anchovy in since we had an open jar in the fridge.

Pasta e Fagioli

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country October/November 2018

Ingredients

• 2 (450mL) cans cannellini beans
• 1 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped (optional)
• ~60g pancetta, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper, ground
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. red pepper flake (optional)
• 4 c. chicken stock
• 115g ditalini or tubettini
• ~1 c. grated Parmesan
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Drain and rinse the beans from one can and add to blender.
2. Pour in water and purée. Set aside.
3. Heat oil over medium heat.
4. Add onion, carrot, celery, bell pepper (if using), pancetta, salt, and pepper and cook for ~10 minutes.
5. Add tomato paste, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook for ~2 minutes.
6. Add broth and puréed bean mixture.
7. Drain and rinse second can of beans and add them as well.
8. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~10 minutes.
9. Increase heat to medium and bring to a boil.
10. add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente (10-12 minutes).
11. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan and basil.
12. Serve drizzled with extra olive oil and/or Parmesan cheese.

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Variants

Vegetarian Version

Ingredients

• 2 (450mL) cans cannellini beans
• 1 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped (optional)
• ~60g green or kalamata olives, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper, ground
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. red pepper flake (optional)
• 4 c. vegetable stock
• 115g ditalini or tubettini
• ~1 c. grated Parmesan
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh basil

Panettone

I didn't get around to making my Christmas cake this year. But I did have some surplus orange zest and juice to use up, so I decided to give this panettone a go.

Orange and Raisin Panettone

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country December/January 2018

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. golden raisins
• 2 Tbsp. orange juice
• 3/4 c. warm milk
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 390g all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1-Tbsp. pieces, softened
• 85g candied orange peel
• 1 small egg
• 1/2 Tbsp. water

Ingredients

1. Combine raisins and orange juice and heat in microwave until steaming (~1 minute). Cover and set aside for at least 15 minutes.
2. Combine warm milk, orange zest, large egg, egg yolks, corn syrup, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a large measuring cup.
3. Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a bowl and stir to mix.
4. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the milk mixutre.
5. Working from the centre outward, gradually mix the flour into the wet ingredients.
6. Once all the flour has been incorporated, cover and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
7. Knead in the bowl for a few minutes.
8. Begin adding butter, 1 Tbsp. at a time, while continuing to knead in the bowl.
9. Cover and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
10. Add the raisins and candied peel and knead in the bowl until the inclusions are fully incorporated.
11. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Dough is done rising when it no longer springs back when poked with a wet finger. Try to let it rise as fully as possible, but avoid letting it get to the point that it sighs and sinks back when poked.
12. Grease a 20cm (8") round cake pan.
13. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead it for a few strokes.
14. Press it into a flat disc.
15. Shape the disc into a ball by folding each side in toward the centre, then flip it over and round it and tension the gluten across the top surface.
16. Place the ball, seam-side-down, in the greased pan.
17. Cover and let rise for another 1-2 hours. Dough should spring back only very slightly when poked with a wet finger.
18. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
19. Beat the small egg with the water and brush the top of the loaf with the egg wash. Try to avoid letting any of the wash dribble down the side of the loaf where it will stick to the pan.
20. Bake the loaf at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes.
21. Cover the top of the loaf with tin foil and bake for another 30-40 minutes. (Internal temperature should register 87°C/190°F.)
22. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes.
23. Remove the panettone from its pan and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling¹.

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Variations

Chocolate Chip Panettone

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. warm milk
• zest of 1 orange (optional)
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 390g all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1-Tbsp. pieces, softened
• 1 c. mini chocolate chips
• 85g candied orange peel
• 1 small egg
• 1/2 Tbsp. water

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¹ I remembered hearing that panettone normally needs to hang upside down to cool. The recipe didn't make any mention of this, but the loaf did seem very soft and delicate. I initially sat it right-way-up on the wire rack after turning it out of the pan, but I was slightly worried that it was going to collapse under its own weight. The top crust seemed a bit firmer and more substantial than the bottom or sides, so I fliped it over and let it sit on its head to finish cooling. After that, I put it back in the pan for transport. Maybe next time I can try to figure out a way to hang it and see if that makes a difference to the end result. ^Back

Fagioli all'Uccelletto (Tuscan Baked Beans)

We were in a bind for dinner last night and I had to throw something together last minute. We had some sun-dried tomato and mushroom risotto mix that I'd gotten at the farmers' market a few weeks ago, so that gave us a starting point for the meal, but it definitely wasn't going to be enough on its own. Originally I had been contemplating making some meat-stuffed Moroccan flatbreads, but that still left us short on veggies. I consulted Cooking from an Italian Garden for ideas on how to round out the meal. In the end I opted to make this white bean dish along with a saucy green bean dish to add some protein and vegetables to our risotto dinner. It worked out pretty well! Although I would be tempted to add more tomatoes next time.

Fagioli all'Uccelletto

Slightly adapted from Cooking from an Italian Garden by Paola Scaravelli and Jon Cohen

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1 1/2 c. dried white beans¹
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3-4 fresh sage leaves (or ~1 tsp. dried sage)
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2-3/4 c. diced tomatoes

Directions

1. Mix the flour into 1L of water and add the beans. Soak for 8-12 hours.
2. Drain and rinse the beans.
3. Place the beans in a pressure cooker with enough water to cover them and pressure cook for 20 minutes.
4. Allow a 15-minute natural release and then drain the beans (reserving the cooking water for soup if desired).
5. Heat the oil over medium heat.
6. Add the garlic, sage, pepper, and salt and cook for ~1 minute.
7. Add the beans and cook for ~5 minutes.
8. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.²

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¹ I used navy beans because that's what I had on hand, but cannellini beans (white kidney beans) would probably be the best choice here. ^Back
2 I reversed the order of these last two steps. I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes in practice, but I'll probably try it the other way around next time to find out. ^Back

Salsa d'Olive con capperi (Olive-Caper Sauce)

This is a delicious sauce! And not too difficult to make either.

I found a suggestion in the back of the book to serve it with steamed string beans. (We ended up using thawed frozen green beans, so that's almost the same.) The preamble to the recipe also suggests serving it with mixed fried vegetables, savoury soufflés, vegetable puddings, or on toast. I suggest making a double batch and serving it on everything!

Salsa d'Olive con Capperi

Slightly adapted from Cooking from an Italian Garden by Paola Scaravelli and Jon Cohen

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. butter, divided
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 c. black olives, minced
• 3 Tbsp. capers, rinsed and minced
• 1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 1 tsp. wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. flour

Directions

1. Heat the oil and 2 Tbsp. of the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook for ~5 minutes.
3. Add the olives, capers, and parsley and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the water and vinegar and cook for a minute or so.
5. Add the flour and stir until thickened.
6. Remove from heat and add the remaining 1 Tbsp. of butter.
7. Serve on toast or with steamed or fried vegetables (or as a topping for vegetable soufflés or puddings).

I've made this tiramisu twice now. (I've made tiramisu before, but I foolishly did not write the recipe down so I had to go hunting for instructions again.) Anyway, the first time I made this, I followed the recipe as written. The second time I made a few tweaks. I definitely prefer the results from the second attempt, so that's what I'm sharing here.

Tiramisu

Slightly adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. very strong coffee
• 1 Tbsp. + 1/3 c. sugar, divided
• 1 Tbsp. dark rum
• 3 large egg yolks
• 2 Tbsp. water¹
• 1/2 c. mascarpone cheese
• 1 c. heavy (35%) cream, chilled
• 22-24 ladyfingers

Directions

1. Brew the coffee and add 1 Tbsp. of sugar and 1 Tbsp. of rum. Mix well and set aside to cool.
2. Put a little water in a pot and bring it to a boil over medium heat.
3. Place egg yolks, remaining 1/3 c. sugar, and water (or wine) in a heatproof bowl.
4. Place the bowl in the pot so that it sits over the boiling water.
5. Beat the yolks on medium to medium-high speed for ~7 minutes. The mixture should become pale and increase in volume significantly. It should form a slowly dissolving ribbon when drizzled over itself. Once this stage is reached, immediately remove the bowl from the heat.
6. Add the mascarpone to the saboyon (yolk mixture) and beat until thoroughly combined and smooth.
7. Set the mixture aside to cool.
8. If you would like to be able to turn your tiramisu out, now is a good time to prepare your pan. Brush an 8.5x4.5" loaf pan with oil and then line it with plastic wrap (leaving a significant overhang). If you don't care about turning it out, then you can just assemble everything directly in the pan, no oiling or lining required!
9. In a clean (preferably chilled) bowl, whip the cream. Start at low speed and very gradually increase the speed to medium-high. Beat until cream is stiff.
10. Add the cream to the cooled saboyon mixtured a bit at a time: Scoop out ~1/4 of the whipped cream and gently fold it in to the saboyon. Repeat until all the cream has been incorporated.
11. Dip a ladyfinger into the coffee mixutre. Give it a few seconds to soak in. I soaked mine for ~8 seconds per side. Place the coffee-infused biscuit into the bottom of the loaf pan. Repeat process until entire bottom of loaf pan has been lined with biscuits.
12. Spread ~1/3 of the cream mixture over the biscuits.
13. Repeat the biscuit-dipping prodecure to create a second layer of biscuits.
14. Spread another 1/3 of the cream mixture over the biscuits.
15. Do one more layer of biscuits and top with a final layer of cream.
16. Cover and chill for 6-12 hours.
17. Uncover the tiramisu.
18. If you would like to turn it out, place a plate or serving platter over the loaf pan and carefully invert the assembly. Carefully and slowly lift the loaf pan up. You may need to gently hold or pull the plastic wrap to encourage the tiramisu to leave the pan. Once the pan is off, remove the plastic wrap.
19. Dust generously with cocoa powder and serve.

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¹ I meant to try swapping out the water for white wine, but I completely forgot. Something to try next time! ^Back

There is no one canonical recipe for chicken cacciatora. I'm used to seeing it as chicken in a tomato sauce with olives and bell peppers, but it turns out that there are many different regional variations on the dish. I looked at a few recipes and then just sort of rolled my own based on them.

I went for a fairly mild flavour here because I wanted to serve it with some stuffed pasta and vegetable sides and didn't want the chicken to overwhelm everything else. If I were serving it on its own or over pasta, I would probably add some tomatoes and olives and chop the chicken up smaller. I'd probably also add extra garlic and maybe a bit of extra onion too. But, for what I wanted tonight, this was just right.

Pollo alla Cacciatora

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. flour
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1kg skinless boneless chicken breasts
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• rosemary and sage (fresh is best, but dried also works)
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 4-5 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 bell pepper, sliced (optional)
• ~12 olives, sliced (optional)
• 4-6 roma tomatoes, diced (optional)
• 1/4 c. vinegar (optional)
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
• 1/4 c. chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar (optional)

Directions

1. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper.
2. If your chicken breasts are very large, split them so they're not too thick.
3. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture.
4. Heat the oil over medium heat.
5. Add the dredged chicken along with a few fresh sage leaves and sprigs of rosemary (or equivalent amounts of dried).
6. Cook until the chicken gets a bit of colour on it. Flip and do the same on the other side. Then remove it from the pan. (It will still be raw in the centre. That's okay!)
7. Add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper (if using) to the pan and cook until softened and starting to colour. Season with a little salt and pepper. (Omit the salt if you will be using commercial stock.)
8. Add the olives and tomatoes (if using) and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
9. If not using tomatoes, add the vinegar at this point and deglaze the pan. If using tomatoes, skip the vinegar.
10. Return the chicken to the pan along with any accumulted juices and any left over dreding flour.
11. Add the wine and mix everything around a bit.
12. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
13. Add the stock, stir, cover, and cook for another 10 minutes.
14. Drizzle in balsamic vinegar (if using).
15. Serve on its own or over pasta or polenta.

Polenta con Funghi e Peperoni (Polenta with Mushrooms and Peppers)

This reminds me a lot of the rustic polenta casserole recipe in the Complete Vegetarian from America's Test Kitchen. The topping was very tasty. However, I think I probably should've cooked the polenta a bit more. It didn't set and firm up the way I would've liked. I was hungry and impatient though. The flavour's still fine as is. It's just not my preferred texture.

Polenta con Funghi e Peperoni

Slightly adapted from Cooking from an Italian Garden by Paola Scaravelli and Jon Cohen

Ingredients

• 2L water
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 c. cornmeal (preferably coarse)
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 225g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 3 bell peppers, sliced
• 1 recipe sugo finto
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 2 Tbsp. capers, chopped
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Combine water, salt, pepper, and cornmeal in a large pot and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking, stirring often for at least half an hour. You may need to cook for even longer if you want your polenta to have a firm, sliceable consistency once baked.
3. Grease a 23cm by 33cm (9"x13") lasagne pan and pour the polenta into the pan. Set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
5. Melt butter over medium heat.
6. Add onion and cook until softened.
7. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
8. Add mushrooms and peppers and cook for a further 10 minutes.
9. Remove from heat and spread vegetable mixture over polenta.
10. Warm up tomato sauce and stir in parsley, basil, and capers.
11. Pour sauce over vegetable-topped polenta.
12. Sprinkle surface with Parmesan.
13. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes.

Sugo Finto (Fake Sauce)

I initially found the name of this tomato sauce a bit confusing. The autors just give it the English name of "Tomato Sauce II", but the Italian name translates as "fake sauce". Initially I thought that I must've gotten the translation wrong. But nope! It's really called fake sauce. Apparently "fake" refers to the fact that it's meatless. You make it pretty much the same way you'd make a nice ragu sauce, but without the meat. Based on the quick bit of research I did, it stems from the "peasant" or "poverty" cooking traditions of south-central Italy.

I quite liked this sauce. Especially after I added a few capers and some extra herbs and used it to top a delicious polenta casserole!

Sugo Finto

Slightly adapted from Cooking from an Italian Garden by Paola Scaravelli and Jon Cohen

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• pinch of dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 (800mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. corase sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 c. dry white wine (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cook until softened (3-4 minutes).
3. Add carrot, celery, oregano, and parsley and cook until vegetables being to brown (~5 minutes).
4. Add tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, and wine (if using).
5. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30-45 minutes. Sauce should reduce and thicken somewhat during this time.
6. The authors recommend running the sauce through a food mill at this point to remove skins and achieve a smooth consistency. Personally, I didn't bother.
7. If you desire a thicker sauce, cook a little more until desired consistency is achieved.
8. Optionally, drizzle with an extra 2-3 Tbsp. of olive oil before serving (or storing) for extra richness.

Uova "Il Poggio" (Eggs "Il Poggio")

This is by far the most unusual, complicated deviled egg recipe I've ever encountered. I'm not sure whether or not I like it more than regular deviled eggs, but it is quite tasty and I appreciate the fact that it's something a bit different than the usual approach. I also like that you get a bit of veg built into the dish. Means I don't feel so bad serving it as a major component of our dinner. We had it with polenta con funghi e peproni tonight and I'll probably make some sort of pasta dish to round out the leftovers for dinner tomorrow night.

Uova "Il Poggio"

Slightly adapted from Cooking from an Italian Garden by Paola Scaravelli and Jon Cohen

Ingredients

• 6 large hard-cooked eggs
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 c. ricotta
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 tsp. dry mustard
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 450g spinach (fresh or frozen)

Béchamel Sauce

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• 1 1/4 c. table (18%) cream
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Once hard-cooked eggs are cool enough to handle, peel them and halve them lengthwise. (If you plunge them into cold water immediate upon being removed from the hot/boiling water, they should not develop the greenish colour on the outside of the yolk and will also cool faster.)
2. Remove the yolks from the hard-cooked eggs. Set the whites aside.
3. In a bowl, combine the hard-cooked egg yolks, softened butter, ricotta, Parmesan, salt, pepper, mustard, and raw yolks.
4. Mix well and set aside.
5. Grease a 23cm (9") square pan and preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
6. Cook the spinach (without any water) and squeeze it to remove excess moisture. Chop finely and set aside.
7. Now make the béchamel sauce.
8. Once the béchamel sauce is complete, add 1/4 c. of the sauce to the egg yolk mixutre.
9. Combine the remaining sauce with the spinach.
10. Pour the spinach sauce into the prepared pan and nestle the hard-cooked egg whites into it.
11. Now beat the raw egg whites to stiff peaks.
12. Mix ~1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture to loosen it.
13. Now pour the egg yolk mixture into the bowl with the remaining whites and carefully fold them in.
14. Spoon the yolk mixture into the hard-cooked whites. You will probably have more yolk mixture than will fit into the whites. If so, just pour the extra over top.
15. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 15-25 minutes.
16. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

These casunziei (basically half-moon shaped ravioli) were really tasty. The poppy seed sauce didn't really seem to complement them that well though. I think next time I might experiment with some sort of cream sauce. Maybe something with a crème fraîche base. I'm not entirely sure, but I think something with a mild tartness to it would go well.

Beet Casunziei

Slightly adapted from Great Italian Chefs

Ingredients

Pasta

• 300g pasta flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 egg yolk

Filling

• 500g beets
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg white
• 100g ricotta
• salt and pepper, to taste
• breadcrumbs

Directions

Preparation

1. Combine flour, eggs, oil, and yolk to make a smooth dough.
2. Wrap up tightly and chill for at least 30 minutes.
3. Steam and peel the beets. (InstantPot works well for this: high pressure 20 minutes, 10 minute natural release.)
4. Purée the beets and place them in a fine mesh strainer to drain for 10 minutes or so.
5. Stir together beets egg, egg white, ricotta, and salt and pepper.
6. Add enough breadcrumbs to create a smooth but not runny filling (~1/4 c. give-or-take).

Assembly

1. Take ~1/3 of the dough and roll it out very thin.
2. Cut out as many 7cm circles as possible.
3. Place a scant tsp. of filling on each circle.
4. Fold over to create a half moon shape and press edges to seal.
5. Crimp with fork.
6. Repeat with remaining 2/3 of dough.
7. Combine dough scraps and roll out again to make more casunziei.

Storage and Cooking

1. If not cooking immediately, place casunziei in a single layer on a parchment-lined plate or baking sheet and freeze. (You will need to work in batches.)
2. Once frozen, they can be transferred to a Ziploc bag and kept in the freezer for a few months.
3. To cook, bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add pasta, and cook until it floats (3-5 minutes depending on whether or not you're cooking from frozen).

Serving Suggestions

1. The original recipe suggests sautéeing the cooked pasta in some butter with poppy seeds and then topping with grated Parmesan. This is okay, but doesn't seem like an ideal complement.
2. Next time I'd try crème fraîche mixed with a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and then serve topped with Parmesan. Maybe add a touch of milk and/or white wine to the sauce if the consistency needs adjusting.

Spaghetti al Sugo di Cipolle Varie (Spaghetti with Mixed Onion Sauce)

This recipe calls for shallots, red onions, and leeks. I decided to fake it with yellow onions, garlic, and leeks. I sautéed half an onion with a bit of garlic to try to approximate the shallots. Used yellow onions in place of red. And came up slightly short on shallots. I also ended up using rotini rather than spaghetti. TF quite liked to rotini, but I definitely prefer spaghetti or spaghettini with this one.

The flavour of the sauce was great, but I found it somewhat lacking in... substance. It was all starch and oil with no protein. I have another cookbook, The Good Egg, that features a very similar recipe featuring eggs fried on top of sautéed onions and garlic. When you toss the pasta with the egg-onion concoction, the whites break up and mix through the noodles and the soft yolks coat the noodles and form a sort of sauce (similar to how carbonara works). I decided to add a few eggs to the pasta to make it a little more filling. I think the eggs did improve matters, but I still feel like it was missing something. I might try adding some scallions or a pinch of red chile flakes next time. Having the full measure of leeks would probably also help.

Spaghetti al Sugo di Cipolle Varie

The Classic Pasta Cookbook by Giuliano Hazan

Ingredients

• 450g spaghetti
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1/4 c. thinly sliced shallots
• 2 c. thinly sliced red onions¹
• 350g leeks, white parts only, cut into thin strips 2" long
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 c. dry white wine
• 2 Tbsp. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 4 eggs (optional)
• 1/3 c. grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Combine olive oil and shallots over medium heat and cook until lightly coloured.
2. Add onions and leeks and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Add 1/4 c. water, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until very soft and tender.
4. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil for the pasta.
5. Uncover the sauce and raise the heat to medium-high.
6. Cook, stirring occasionally until the liquid has evaporated and the leeks and onions begin to brown.
7. Salt the boiling water, add the pasta, and cook until al dente.
8. Add the wine and parsley to the sauce and cook until wine has almost completely evaporated.
9. If using eggs, add them at this point, frying until whites are set but yolks are still very soft.
10. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce.
11. Add the Parmesan and toss again.

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¹ These quantities were fine, but I don't think I'd be worried about going up to 3 or 4 c. for the onions next time. ^Back

I was surprised to see that Edmonds' vegetarian lasagne recipe didn't involve any tomato sauce. It also called for a huge amount of cheese but hardly any spinach or walnuts! Only 130g and 50g respectively. I upped the spinach to 300g and the walnuts to 100g. I think that gave a decent amount of spinach, but I still felt like it could've done with more walnuts. Especially since the walnuts are apparently meant to be one of the key components going by the title.

Spinach and Walnut Lasagne

Slightly adapted from Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

• 1 recipe cheese sauce
• 300g frozen chopped spinach
• 225g ricotta
• 150g chopped walnuts
• 300g grated mozzarella, divided
• salt and pepper
• 50-100g blue cheese¹
• up to 250g lasagne noodles, ready to use²
• 1 (370g) jar roasted red bell peppers
• 2-3 Tbsp. roasted garlic purée

Directions

1. Make the cheese sauce and set aside.
2. Thaw the spinach and press out as much liquid as possible.
3. Combine the spinach, ricotta, walnuts, 200g of mozzarella, and blue cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Place a layer of lasagne noodles in the bottom of a greased lasagne pan.
5. Spread a thin layer of roasted garlic over the noodles.
6. Spread a layer of spinach mixture over the garlic.
7. Pour some of the cheese sauce over the spinach.
8. Put a layer of roasted red peppers over the cheese sauce.
9. Repeat the layers as many times as possible ending with a cheese sauce layer.
10. Sprinkle with the remaining 100g of mozzarella.
11. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 1 hour.

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¹ The recipe calls for an optional 100g blue cheese so I added 100g Rosenberg Danish blue to my spinach mixture. It was delicious. That said the blue cheese overpowered basically everything else in the dish. And some things that weren't! (The container of whipped cream that sat next to the lasagne in the fridge ended up tasting very faintly of blue cheese after a couple days.) Next time I think I'd either scale the blue cheese back to 50g or use a milder blue if going with the full 100g. I really like Danish blue, but it might be nice to try it with Gorgonzola dolce or saint agur at some point. ^Back
2 I must've made my layers a lot thicker than they did because I was only able to get two repetitions of each thing in before I ran out of spinach mixture and cheese sauce. This meant that I didn't use nearly the full 250g of pasta. ^Back

Pasta Genovese/Beef and Onion Ragu

This is kind of a franken-recipe. Cook's Country adapted this stove top recipe for the slow cooker and then I moved it back to the stove top.

Pasta Genovese
Adapted from Cook's Country June/July 2016
1 lb. boneless beef chuck-eye roast, cut into 1 1/2" pieces¹
2 lbs. onions, sliced
150g pancetta or bacon, chopped²
100g salami, minced³
1 carrot, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1/3 - 2/3 c. dry white wine
1/3 c. water
1/4 c. olive oil
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. dried basil (or 2 Tbsp. fresh)
1 lb. pasta of choice
50g Pecorino Romano or Parmesan

1. Season beef with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Fry pancetta and salami in 2 Tbsp. olive oil.
3. Add carrot and celery. (I just let them sizzle for a bit while I chopped the onions.)
4. Add the beef and onions.
5. Toss in 1/3 c. wine, 1/3 c. water, a bit more salt and pepper (maybe 3/4 tsp. coarse salt, I didn't measure), tomato paste, and basil.
6. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for a couple hours, stirring occasionally. Mine started to look a bit dry before I was ready to stop the simmer, so I tossed in another 1/3 c. wine.
7. Try to mash or shred the beef a bit if you can. (Mine wouldn't shred, so I just kept it as an extra-chunky sauce.)
8. Boil and drain your pasta.
9. Stir cheese and remaining olive oil into sauce. Toss with pasta and enjoy!

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¹ I substituted stewing beef, but was still pretty tough at the end of cooking. Next time I'd either do it in the slow cooker, pick a more tender cut, or both.
² This was supposed to be closer to 50g of pancetta,but I made an error when converting to metric and thought I needed 100g. And since I didn't want to keep the last 50g of pancetta from the 150g-pack hanging around in the fridge, I decided to just put it all in. It was delicious!
³ Same thing happened again here.