A simple and romantic dish, made for two, risotto, is an Italian classic. This Valentine's Day Risotto is made with onions, red peppers and chili powder. Shape the rice in a heart shape and sprinkle parmigiana cheese on top. Enjoy with the one you love, Happy Valentines Day.
Valentines Day Risotto
1 cup arborio rice
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
4 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
parmigiano cheese, grated
black pepper
In a large frying pan heat butter and olive oil, saute onions and peppers till soft. Add rice and toast for 3 minutes, stirring. With the heat on low, add chili powder and black pepper, slowly add about 1/4 cup of broth at a time. Simmer and when rice gets low on broth add a little more broth. Risotto takes about 25 minutes to prepare.
A hearty meal for winter time, I used organic beef and vegetables, and the finest cheeses I could obtain, for maximum taste. All these textures and flavors combined, danced in my mouth. Pasticcio meaning mess, so you can literally add any vegetables or cheeses you have in your refrigerator! To make this an vegetarian dish omit the beef and add mushrooms instead.
Beef and Vegetable Pasticcio
2 1/2 pounds potatoes 1 pound ground beef 1 slice pancetta, 1/4" thick, chopped 1/2 cup hot potato water 2 carrots, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 1/2 onion, diced 2/3 cup peas 1 small can diced tomatoes 5 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons olive oil pinch of oregano 1 thick slice provolone cheese, diced parmigiana cheese, grated 3/4 cup milk salt and pepper
Peel and cut potatoes in large pieces, boil in salted water for about 15 minutes or until fork comes out easy. Reserve 1/2 cup potato water. Meanwhile in a frying pan melt 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil, saute carrots, celery and onions, salt and pepper cook for about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside, in the same pan heat 2 tablespoons butter and brown meat. Add 1/2 cup hot potato water to the beef this will make a gravy. Combine all the vegetables with the beef along with, salt, pepper, diced tomatoes, peas, and oregano. Heat milk and 2 tablespoons butter, drain potatoes use a ricer or mash them and add warm milk. Add provolone cheese, salt and pepper to the potatoes. Butter your baking dish, add meat mixture top with mash potatoes, sprinkle parmigiana cheese on top. Place on a baking sheet, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, broil for 3 or 4 minutes till potatoes edges are brown. Ricette by Chef Chuck's Cucina
I created this recipe at Macef, the tradeshow, that I worked at in Milan, for a company called Mori Life Design. It was very popular and the crowds really enjoyed it, I heard complimento all day! This unique pasta shape is called foglie d olivo meaning olive leaves, of course any pasta would work.
Pasta with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
1 pound pasta 3 tablespoons butter 5 sage leaves 1/2 cup mascarpone 1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese a few slices of prosciutto, cut up parmigiana cheese, grated black pepper
Cook pasta in salted boiling water till al dente. In a large frying pan, heat butter, bruise sage leaves by crushing them and saute for about 2 minutes. Squeeze leaves and remove. Add mascarpone and Gorgonzola cheese, stir till melted. Add cooked pasta to pan along with some pasta water, I used 2 ladles. If cream sauce is too thick add more pasta water. Sprinkle prosciutto, black pepper and parmigiana cheese on top. Ricette by Chef Chuck's Cucina
Reservations only, we just returned from our trip to Italy, and what an amazing trip it was. From Brescia to Milan, Florence and the Amalfi coast, everyday was an adventure. I was on a local and national television station promoting the foods of the Brescia area, and my love for Italy. We traveled to find the best steak in the world, in Tuscany. We really did need reservations to purchase this 3 inch thick beauty, but with our sweet talking the butcher, Dario, agreed over a glass of Chianti. This steak is a famous dish of the Tuscan region, specifically from the Chianina cow, a white cow, dated back to the 800's. Like no other meat it was superior, so tender and flavorful, it melted in our mouths! If you don't like rare meat this recipe is not for you. A meal fit for the noble ones.
Fiorentina Steak
1 fiorentina steak 3 inches thick salt and pepper
Heat pan to a searing heat, cook steak for 5 minutes on each side, then stand up on bone and cook an additional 15 minutes, season with salt and pepper.
This bean and farro soup is fit for a Roman, packed with flavors to warm you up! Farro is an ancient grain popular in Italy. Sometimes hard to find, you can substitute with spelt or even barley. A healthy and hearty soup to enjoy with crusty Italian bread and red wine.
Bean and Farro Soup
1 cup farro, whole grain 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 slice pancetta, 1/2 inch, diced 1 hot Italian sausage 1 onion, diced 2 carrots, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 6 cups chicken broth 2 cans white beans grana padano, grated red hot pepper flakes, optional
Wash and rinse farro, cook in plenty of salted water for 1 hour, drain. In a large pot heat olive oil, remove sausage from casings and break up, cook along with the pancetta for about 5 minutes. Add all vegetables and saute another 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and brown for a few minutes, add tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, farro and broth. Simmer with lid on for 1 hour, stirring and checking that there is enough liquid. You can add broth or even a little water if needed. Add beans and simmer an additional 1/2 hour. This is a thick soup! Grate grana padano, or parmigiana over the soup and red hot flakes.
A torta so delicious with coffee or tea, sbrisolona meaning crumbly, explains the texture of this almond flavored dessert. Sbrisolona, is popular in northern Italy, a sweet recipe from the Lombardy region. A quick and inexpensive dessert to make and enjoy with your family.
Crumb Torta
1 3/4 cups flour 1 1/2 cups almonds, ground 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 egg yolks 16 tablespoons butter, 2 sticks zest of 1 lemon 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
In a food processor or blender grind almonds to a fine consistency. In a bowl whisk almonds, flour, sugar, salt, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice and egg yolks together. The mixture will be dry, cut butter in small chunks and using your hands squeeze with the dry ingredients to form a crumbly mixture. Generously butter a 9" or 10 " round pan, place half the mixture in and press down lightly, then crumble on the rest, bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
A unique bread, filascetta, is a northern Italian specialty, made of bread dough, red onions and a soft cheese. Sugar is sprinkled on top before baking and gives the bread a sweet caramelized flavor. The shape of the dough is a ciambelle or donut shape. An antipasti that makes an impressive centerpiece on any dinner table.
Filascetta
1 1/2 cups flour 1 tablespoon yeast 1 tablespoon sugar 1/3 cup warm water, 110 degrees 2 tablespoons olive oil pinch of salt
Using a measuring cup add water, then yeast and sugar, let rest 7 minutes. Add olive oil and salt to yeast mixture. Mound the flour on a board make a well in center then pour liquid in the center of flour. Slowly combine and knead till you get a smooth dough. Place in a oiled bowl and let rise for 2 hours in a warm location.
Topping
2 red onions, sliced thin 4 tablespoon butter pinch of salt 1 cup soft cheese, grated taleggio or fontina 1 tablespoon sugar
Melt butter and saute onions with a pinch of salt for about 30 minutes. When dough has risen roll out into a large round shape place cheese on top and then onions. Sprinkle sugar on top of onions, bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Ricette by Chef Chuck's Cucina
San Valentino Risotto
