Category: Italian Recipes

Italian recipes

January 28, 2017 Breakfast, Cheese, Finger Foods, Italian Recipes, Mediterranean Recipes, Pasta, Snack Food

Superbowl 2017 Special Recipes – Mac ‘n’ Cheese Bites – the Ultimate Mac ‘n’ Cheese Snack

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Superbowl 2017 Special Recipes - Mac 'n' Cheese Bites - the Ultimate Mac 'n' Cheese Snack
Author: 
Recipe type: Superbowl / Pasta
Cuisine: Italian American
Serves: 12
 
With Superbowl just a few days away, here is a quick, easy and delicious recipe to feed the crowds. These mac 'n cheese bites are simply outstanding... crispy on the outside and sumptuous on the inside.
Ingredients
  • 60g Butter
  • 60ml All-purpose flour
  • 400ml Milk (full cream)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 175g Grated mature cheddar cheese
  • 240g Elbow macaroni
  • 12 Rashers streaky bacon
  • 2 Eggs
  • Finely shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. To start, measure out the butter, all-purpose flour and milk, and boil the elbow macaroni according to the package instructions while reducing the cooking time by 2 minutes so that it is not quite cooked.
  2. Shred the mature cheddar cheese and beat the eggs.
  3. Heat a pan over medium high heat and add the butter. When the butter is melted and bubbling, add the flour. Stir this into the flour to get a smooth paste and allow this to cook for 60 seconds.
  4. Pour in the milk bit by bit, stirring continuously until all of the milk is added.
  5. Use a whisk to beat this to smooth sauce while it continues to cook.
  6. Once the sauce is smooth, turn off the heat and add the cheddar cheese and continue to stir until all of the cheese has melted into the sauce.
  7. Add the par-cooked macaroni and stir this in until everything is evenly coated.
  8. Add the egg and stir this in until completely combined.
  9. Season with salt and pepper and put this aside.
  10. Lightly oil a muffin pan and line the holes of the pan with streaky bacon.
  11. Divide the macaroni mixture equally among the 12 holes.
  12. Top each mac 'n cheese bite with finely shredded Parmesan cheese and bake the bites in a pre-heated oven at 180c or 350f for 20 minutes until crispy and golden on top.
  13. And there we have it.... an amazingly easy, quick and super-tasty Superbowl snack.
  14. Click the onscreen link to see dozens of other fantastic Superbowl recipes.
  15. Thanks for joining us today, please give us a thumbs-up, subscribe if you haven't done so already, and share this with your friends and family, and we'll see you again tomorrow.

 

December 10, 2016 Chicken Recipes, Curing Meats, Italian Recipes, Mediterranean Recipes, Poutry, Sausage Making

How to Make Chicken Salami – Well Textured, Aromatic Chicken Salami with an Excellent Flavor Profile

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How to Make Chicken Salami - Well Textured, Aromatic Chicken Salami with an Excellent Flavor Profile
Author: 
Recipe type: Chicken / Sausage
Cuisine: Italian
 
Just the other day we made an amazing pepperoni, and I was inundated with requests to do something similar using chicken. This is a fantastic Milanese salami adapted to chicken. The result is beautifully succulent and spicy with very well rounded flavor profile.
Ingredients
  • 1.8kg Deboned chicken thigh - skin on
  • 36g Prague powder
  • 5ml Ground white pepper
  • 5ml Ground black pepper
  • 5ml Garlic granules
  • 5ml Sugar
  • 5ml Ground coriander seed
  • 5ml Ground cardamom
  • 100ml Red grape juice or red wine
  • 4 to 5 Min Salami cases (50mm x 250mm)
Instructions
  1. Cut the deboned chicken thighs into cubes and spread them out across a large roasting tin. Transfer the tin to your freezer for 45 minutes to firm up for grinding.
  2. While the chicken chills, measure out the Prague powder, ground white pepper, cracked black pepper, garlic granules, sugar, ground coriander seed and ground cardamom.
  3. Combine these and mix thoroughly breaking down any lumps as you go.
  4. Remove the chicken from the freezer and run it through your grinder using an 8mm plate.
  5. Sprinkle the spice blend over the meat and mix this in until combined.
  6. Pour in the red wine or red grape juice and mix this in until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the chicken.
  7. Transfer the meat to your sausage stuffer and fit the 40mm funnel.
  8. Crank the handle to advance the meat to the end of the funnel.
  9. Slip a mini salami casing onto the funnel and crank the handle to fill the casing. Apply firm pressure while filling in order to get a well compacted salami.
  10. Remove the casing and twist off the end.
  11. Use a length of twine to tie the end off, then continue with the remaining salamis.
  12. Place the salamis on a rack over a pan and prick the casings along one side with a pin. Position the pricked side facing downwards.
  13. Transfer the tray to a preheated oven at 90c or 194f until the internal temperature reaches 72c or 161f.
  14. Use a probe thermometer to monitor the temperature every 60 minutes.
  15. The cooking process will takes 3 to 4 hours.
  16. Remove the salamis from the oven and allow them to cool before transferring them to your refrigerator to set completely.
  17. And there it is, a beautifully, firm, well textured and supremely tasty chicken salami.

 

December 1, 2016 Beef, Curing Meats, Dried Meat Recipes, Italian Recipes, Mediterranean Recipes, Pork, Sausage Making

How to Make Pepperoni – Spicy and Aromatic homemade Pepperoni

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How to Make Pepperoni - Spicy and Aromatic homemade Pepperoni
Author: 
Recipe type: Sausage / Curing meat
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 7
 
Pepperoni is an all-time favorite. This cured and fermented sausage is absolutely loaded with flavor and aroma.
Ingredients
  • 2kg Pork butt (fat included)
  • 1kg Beef chuck (fat included)
  • 80g Prague powder #2
  • 10ml Sugar
  • 20ml Cayenne pepper
  • 30ml Paprika
  • 15ml Aniseed
  • 5ml Dried garlic granules
  • 300ml Dry red wine
  • 1.25ml Ascorbic acid (pure vitamin C)
Instructions
  1. Measure out the Prague powder, sugar, cayenne pepper, paprika, aniseed, garlic granules, red wine and ascorbic acid.
  2. Cut the pork butt into cubes. For those not in North America, the pork butt is the very top end of the shoulder.
  3. Cut the chuck steak into cubes as well.
  4. Don't remove any of the fat from either.
  5. Place all of the meat in a large roasting tin and place this in your freezer for 60 minutes to firm up in preparation for grinding.
  6. Combine all of the spices and use a fork to break down any lumps.
  7. After 60 minutes, the meat will be close to frozen, and nice and firm.
  8. Run the 2 meats through the grinder separately using an 8mm or one third inch grinding plate.
  9. Pour the curing spice blend and the wine over the ground meat and massage this into the meat thoroughly while also mixing the pork and beef together.
  10. Tamp the meat down, cover the pan with cling-wrap and transfer this to your refrigerator for 24 hours.
  11. The following day, load the meat into your sausage stuffer.
  12. Attach a 40mm nozzle to the stuffer and crank the handle until the meat reaches the exit of the funnel.
  13. Slide a mini salami casing onto the funnel. (50mm x 250mm)
  14. Apply firm pressure to the casing with one hand while cranking with the other.
  15. The pressure applied is far more than when loosely stuffing sausages. With cured fermented sausage, you want the filling to be far more compacted, leaving no space for air pockets which could lead to spoiling.
  16. As the filling nears then end of the casing, remove the casing from the funnel and twist off the end.
  17. Place slip knot around the end of the casing and pull it tight while twisting the casing to further compact the filling.
  18. Turn the casing over and secure this with a double knot, turn it again, and tie another double knot.
  19. Trim off the ends and continue with remaining pepperonis.
  20. To ferment and dry the pepperoni, hang them from their loops at a temperature between 10c and 13c with a humidity between 75 and 80 percent for 6 to 12 weeks, depending on how dry and how fermented you want your pepperoni.
  21. NB - the humidity in the drying area has to be high in order to avoid casing - this is when the outside of the pepperoni dries solid while the inside is still soft and mushy. Once the pepperoni has cased it is ruined, and should be thrown away.

 

November 11, 2016 4th of July Cookout, Accompaniments, Italian Recipes, Mediterranean Recipes, Potato Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetable, Vegetarian Recipes

Cheesy Parmesan & Herb Roast Baby Potatoes – The Cheese Challenge

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Cheesy Parmesan & Herb Roast Baby Potatoes - The Cheese Challenge
Author: 
Recipe type: Potatoes / Cheese
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
These unbelievable baby potatoes are infused with fresh Italian herbs and garlic, then roasted to cheesy perfection.
Ingredients
  • 500g Baby potatoes
  • 10ml Fresh origanum
  • 10ml Fresh rosemary
  • 10ml Fresh thyme
  • 30ml Fresh basil
  • 30ml Fresh parsely
  • 3 Cloves fresh garlic
  • 30g butter
  • 30ml Olive oil
  • 250ml Fine shredded Parmesan cheese
  • Salt and cracked black pepper to season
Instructions
  1. Roughly chop 2 teaspoons each of oreganum, thyme and rosemary and 2 tablespoons each of basil and parsley.
  2. Top and tail the garlic and smash these flat with your blade to remove the skins. Roughly chop the garlic.
  3. Slice the baby potatoes in half lengthways.
  4. Measure out 30g of butter and 30ml of olive oil.
  5. Transfer the baby potatoes to a vacuum bag.
  6. Pour in the chopped herbs and garlic.
  7. Follow this with oil and the butter.
  8. Straighten out the top of the bag and vacuum seal the bag using your vacuum packer.
  9. It is a good idea to do a double seal just for security.
  10. Place the vacuum packed potatoes in a medium size pot and pour in enough boiling kettle water to cover.
  11. Place the pot over medium high heat and bring this to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and allow this to simmer for and hour and 20 minutes.
  12. Remove the bag from the pot, cut it open and pour the potatoes into a medium size roasting tin.
  13. Arrange the potatoes in the tin so that all the flat sides are facing upward.
  14. Scatter a cup of shredded Parmesan cheese over the potatoes and season everything liberally with salt and cracked black pepper.
  15. Roast this in a preheated oven at 200c or 400f for 20 minutes until crisp and golden.
  16. Remove the potatoes from the oven and serve immediately as the most outstanding accompaniment to your main course.

 

October 15, 2016 Italian Recipes, Main Courses, Mediterranean Recipes, Pizzas

How to Make an Amazing Pepperoni Pizza – Make Superb Pepperoni Pizza at Home!!!

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How to Make an Amazing Pepperoni Pizza - Make Superb Pepperoni Pizza at Home!!!
Author: 
Recipe type: Pizza
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 2
 
Just the other day we made an amazing pizza dough that yields incredibly good results in a regular domestic oven. Today we're using the same dough for the bases while make what is arguably the most popular pizza in North America, the pepperoni pizza.
Ingredients
For the Sauce
  • 180ml Tomato puree'
  • 180ml Water
  • 5ml Onion flakes
  • 5ml Dried basil
  • 5ml Garlic granules
  • 5ml Dried oregano
  • 5ml Salt
  • 30ml Shredded Parmesan cheese
For the Topping
  • 300g Mozzarella cheese
  • 200g Pepperoni (or well aged salami)
  • ½ Batch special pizza dough each rolled to 30cm / 12 inches
Instructions
For the Sauce
  1. Measure out the onion flakes, dried basil, garlic granules, dried oregano and salt.
  2. Measure out the tomato puree and water, and finely shred the Parmesan cheese.
  3. Place everything except the Parmesan in a small saucepan.
  4. Place the pan over medium heat and bring it to a boil, stirring regularly.
  5. When the pot comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow this to continue for 30 minutes until thickened.
  6. Turn off the gas or remove the pot from the heat and stir in the shredded Parmesan.
For the Rest
  1. Pepperoni and salami are from the same family, with pepperoni being slightly more spicy. For this reason, if you cannot find pepperoni, you can substitute a good quality, well aged salami for excellent results.
  2. Slice the meat thinly using your slicer. This can also be done by hand, although it will take a bit longer.
  3. Cut the mozzarella cheese into thick slices. If your fortunate enough to find hand-crafted mozzarella, you can simply rip apart by hand.
  4. Scatter a little corn meal over your baking sheet and place one of the bases on the sheet.
  5. Pour half of the tomato sauce onto the base and spread it around, leaving about a half inch open around the edge.
  6. Scatter half of the mozzarella cheese over the base.
  7. Follow this with the sliced pepperoni to cover the entire surface of the pizza, then continue with second base.
  8. Bake the pizzas in a preheated oven at 250c or 480f for 15 minutes. The edges will be beautifully golden and base will nicely charred and crisp underneath.
  9. Serve immediately.
  10. Stay tuned for our next pizza episode towards the end of the month, where we will be start a multi-episode review of a remarkable domestic pizza oven.

 

October 5, 2016 Baking, Bread, Italian Recipes, Mediterranean Recipes, Pizzas

Amazing Pizza Dough Recipe – the Pizza Dough That Behaves at Home!!!

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Amazing Pizza Dough Recipe - the Pizza Dough That Behaves at Home!!!
Author: 
Recipe type: Pizza Dough
Cuisine: Italian
 
In today's episode we're going to look at an amazing pizza dough. The industry rule regarding pizza is you need supper high temperatures to bake and achieve the beautifully charred base and well browned rim. The problem is that almost no domestic home has an oven that can reach 350c or 662f. This dough will bake superbly at regular domestic oven maximum temperature of 250c or 482f. You will get a beautifully crisp, charred base and lovely coloring on the edges.
Ingredients
  • 500g Double zero or All Purpose flour
  • 20g Brewers yeast
  • 60ml Oil
  • 5ml Salt
  • 250ml Warm water
  • 1.25ml Sugar
Instructions
  1. Dissolve the sugar in the warm water.
  2. Pour the granulated brewer's yeast and stir this briefly to dissolve. Allow this to stand and activate for 10 minutes.
  3. Brewer's yeast is available in most food stores in the baking department alongside the baking yeast.
  4. After 10 minutes you will see a mass of froth on top the yeast.
  5. Pour in the oil and stir to combine.
  6. In your stand mixer bowl, add the flour and the salt. Try to use double zero or all purpose flour. You will get a better texture from these.
  7. Place the bowl on your mixer and pour the wet ingredients into the flour.
  8. Fit the dough hook and knead the mixture on medium low speed for 5 to 6 minutes.
  9. After this time you will have a beautifully soft dough that is not sticky at all.
  10. Remove the bowl from the machine, cover with cling-wrap and let the dough rise for 60 to 90 minutes until more than doubled in size.
  11. After this rising time, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it briefly to knock it down.
  12. Weigh the dough and divide it into 4 equal pieces. Each piece will make a 30cm or 12 inch base.
  13. Working with 1 piece at a time work the dough into a disc shape, then roll it out to a 30cm or 12 inch pizza base.
  14. Dust the dough lightly with flour if it becomes slightly stick while rolling.
  15. To make up the pizzas, top with your desired toppings and bake in a preheated oven at 250c or 482f for 15 to 20 minutes.
  16. And there it is... the pizza dough that behaves at home.
  17. In the near future, I will be make a selection of classic pizzas using these bases.

 

June 24, 2016 4th of July Cookout, Accompaniments, Barbecue, French Recipes, Garnishes, Italian Recipes, Mediterranean Recipes, Salads, Sauce Recipes, Xanthan Gum Recipes

The Real Secret to Amazing Salad Dressings – Xanthan Gum, The Thickener of the Future

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The Real Secret to Amazing Salad Dressings - Xanthan Gum, The Thickener of the Future
Author: 
Recipe type: Salad / Dressings
 
In today's episode we're looking at a remarkable thickener called xanthan gum. This powder is classified as a hydrocolloid, and is bipolar, but not in a bad way. Bipolar means that it grabs water-based liquids and oil-based liquids simultaneously, creating suspension.
Ingredients
Plain Simple Salad Dressing
  • 240ml Oil (olive, sunflower or peanut)
  • 45ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2.5ml Xanthan gum
  • 10ml Mix dried herbs of your choice
  • Salt and pepper to taste
For the Gourmet Blue Cheese and Anchovy Dressing
  • 160ml Olive oil
  • 60g Anchovies in oil
  • 45ml White wine vinegar
  • 2.5ml Paprika
  • 5ml Crushed garlic
  • 2.5ml Hot English mustard
  • 2.5ml Sugar
  • 2.5ml Himalayan rock salt
  • Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco
  • 100g Strong creamy blue cheese
  • 2.5ml Xanthan gum
Instructions
  1. For the first, and simplest of all dressings, add the lemon juice to the oil.
  2. To this we are only going to add a half teaspoon of xanthan gum. The remarkable thing about this powder is that it works brilliantly with hot or cold liquids.
  3. Add the dried herb mix of your choice.
  4. And then a good dose of roughly ground black pepper and salt.
  5. Zap this all with your stick blender for 60 seconds. You can do this in a regular blender just as well.
  6. And there it is, a perfectly blended salad dressing that will not separate or precipitate, and will keep indefinitely in an airtight container, preferably refrigerated.
  7. Next up is the best salad dressing I have ever tasted... a thick dressing of anchovies, blue cheese, herbs and spices.
  8. Pour the lemon juice and wine vinegar into the olive oil.
  9. Add a half teaspoon of xanthan gum.
  10. Add the anchovy fillets with their oil.
  11. Add the paprika, crushed garlic and hot English mustard.
  12. Break the blue cheese into the mix as well. A strong creamy blue cheese is best for this .... Rosenberg is my favorite.
  13. Then we'll turbo charge this all with a dash of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco.
  14. Zap the whole lot with your stick blender and again you'll see an instant personality change into a creamy, thick dressing.
  15. This dressing will not separate or precipitate and refrigerator and freezer stable.
  16. To thin this dressing, use the regular pourable dressing we made previously, otherwise use spooned in dollops over your salad.
  17. Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode where we're making the most amazing steak using this same dressing.

 

April 1, 2016 Curing Meats, Italian Recipes, Mediterranean Recipes, Pork

How to Cure and Dry Age Pancetta – Perfect Charcuterie – Making Pancetta at Home!!!

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How to Cure and Dry Age Pancetta - Perfect Charcuterie - Making Pancetta at Home!!!
Author: 
Recipe type: Pork / Curing
Cuisine: Italian
 
Pancetta, or Italian bacon is awesome, with a strong flavor and outstanding aroma. Traditionally eaten uncooked, it can be thinly sliced and lightly fried, or cut into cubes and used to flavor soups, pastas and stews.
Ingredients
  • 2.25kg Pork Belly, bone in, skin on
  • 5ml Garlic Powder
  • 28g Prague Powder
  • 10g Demarara Sugar
  • 8g Cracked Black Pepper
  • 4g Crushed Juniper Berries
  • 2 Bay Leaves Crushed
  • 2ml Ground Nutmeg
  • 2ml Dried Thyme
  • 20g Coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Lie the belly bone-side up on the work surface. Use a sharp knife to lift and cut away the sternum from the ribs.
  2. Use the knife to lift and work the thin flap of flesh that covers the ends of the ribs.
  3. Flip the belly over and start slicing the ribs away from the belly, using the bones as a guide for the blade. Once it is mostly freed, flip the belly over and cut through the remaining tissue to free the ribs. Wrap these up and keep them for your next barbecue.
  4. Now we want to remove the skin, leaving as much fat behind as possible. Start on a long edge. Work the blade in between the skin and the fatty layer and start peeling the skin back.
  5. Continue until the skin comes free from the belly.
  6. You can save this to make the most amazing pork crackling.
  7. I'm going to make 2 Pancetta, one flat, and one rolled, so I'm cutting the belly in half. I'm left with just over a kilogram of belly, giving me 2 pieces just over 500g each.
  8. For the cure, measure out the Prague powder, Demerara sugar, garlic powder, ground nutmeg, black peppercorns, juniper berries, thyme and bay leaves.
  9. Place the pepper, juniper berries, thyme and bay leaves in your spice grinder and zap these until fine.
  10. Combine these with all of the other curing ingredients.
  11. Sprinkle the curing blend all over the pork belly and press it into the surface of the meat. Transfer the two pieces to vacuum bags and vacpac them good and tight. Date stamp the packets and get them into your refrigerator to cure for a full 7 days.
  12. After the curing time, the belly will be nice and firm and will have taken on the familiar rosy pink cured color. Wash the meat thoroughly under cold running water. Once all of the curing blend has been removed, dry the meat thoroughly using clean dish towels.
  13. To prepare the flat Pancetta, rub a generous dose of coarsely ground black pepper into both sides of the meat. Place this on a stainless steel rack.
  14. To prepare the rolled Pancetta, roll the narrow edge up as tightly as possible, continually crunching it tighter with your fingers as you go.
  15. Tie the roll with butchers twine. Make the ties as firm as possible to ensure that any air trapped in the roll is forced out. 5 or 6 ties will do the trick.
  16. Trim of the ends and transfer this to another stainless rack.
  17. Allow both lots of meat to air-dry at between 13c and 18c, or 55f and 65f, with a humidity between 60 and 70 percent.
  18. The flat Pancetta needs to dry for 5 to 7 days, while the rolled Pancetta will require 14 to 21 days.
  19. After 7 days here is the flat Pancetta. Trim off the edge and dice the off-cut to be used in soups, pastas and stews. The balance I am going to shave thinly on my meat slicer. Whatever you don't slice, vacuum pack and refrigerate until required.

 

March 12, 2016 Barbecue, Breakfast, Curing Meats, Instructional Techniques, Italian Recipes, Pork, Smoking

How to Cure, Age and Smoke Bacon at Home – Best Homemade Bacon!!!

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How to Cure, Age and Smoke Bacon at Home - Best Homemade Bacon!!!
Author: 
Recipe type: Curing and Smoking / Charcuterie
Cuisine: Italian
 
Bacon is one of the real joys of life. Nothing beats the amazing aroma of bacon sizzling in the pan.... and home-cured bacon takes this to a whole new level. This video will show you how to cure the bacon and smoke the bacon.
Ingredients
  • 2kg Pork loin, bone in, skin on
  • 2lt + 2lt Water
  • 300g Salt
  • 140g Prague powder #2
  • 15ml Garlic Powder
  • 4 Bay Leaves crushed
  • 15g Black Pepper
Instructions
  1. Measure out the Prague powder, salt, garlic powder, black pepper corns and bay leaves.
  2. Place the black peppercorns into your spice grinder and tear the bay leaves into this.
  3. Process this until reasonably fine. Add this to a pot along with all of the other dry ingredients, excluding the Prague powder.
  4. Pour in 2 liters of hot water. Bring this to a boil, reduce the heat and allow this to simmer for 10 minutes. Quick chill the brine by floating the pot in a sink of cold water, then put this aside.
  5. To prepare the pork loin, we need to debone it and remove the skin. You can also use deboned and skinned pork belly if you prefer.
  6. To skin the pork stand it up on its end and pull the skin back from the top. Use a sharp knife the peel the skin back from the fatty layer, leaving as much fat behind as possible. You can use the skin to make crackling.
  7. To remove the bone, start at the top with your knife, running it down the rack of ribs, using them as a guide for the blade. These ribs still have some meat on them, so save them for the barbecue.
  8. Place the prepared pork loin in a large non-reactive container.
  9. Once the brine has cooled add 2 liters of cold water and the Prague powder and stir this in until completely dissolved.
  10. Pour the curing brine into the container. The pork will float in the brine and you will need to place a bowl or plate on top of it to keep it submerged.
  11. Place the lid on the container and allow this to cure in your refrigerator for 7 days.
  12. After curing, remove the pork from the brine and pat it dry. Place the bacon on a rack over a roasting tin and allow this to air-dry for 5 days in your refrigerator.
  13. After the drying time, this is what you have.... a lovely, rosy pink colored slab of green bacon. This can be consumed as you would any regular bacon, however smoking the bacon really does add the extra dimension to its taste and aroma.
  14. Lift the rack up and balance it across the corners of the pan.
  15. Fire up your smoker and ignite a single burner furthest from where you intend placing the pork. If you're fortunate enough to be using a Smoke Daddy smoke generator, then the smoke will be chugging out in no time, and you can place the pork in the barbecue.
  16. Smoke the bacon for 3 and a half hours until you reach the target internal temperature of 65c or 149f. You will need a probe thermometer to monitor this.
  17. And there we have it. A beautifully cured smoked pork loin just waiting to be sliced and fried to perfection.

 

March 10, 2016 Curing Meats, Italian Recipes, Mediterranean Recipes, Pork

How to Cure & Age Capicola – Homemade Capicola – Perfect Charcuterie

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How to Cure & Age Capicola - Homemade Capicola - Perfect Charcuterie
Author: 
Recipe type: Curing Meats / Charcuterie
Cuisine: Italian
 
Capicola or cured and dry-aged pork neck is absolutely amazing. The outstanding aroma and robust, rounded flavor, make this one of the most popular Italian cured meats.
Ingredients
  • 2.5kg Pork neck
  • 70g Salt
  • 15g Sugar
  • 15g Prague Powder #2
  • 8g Cracked Black Pepper
  • 4g Crushed Juniper Berries
  • 2 Bay Leaves Crushed
  • 2ml Ground Nutmeg
  • Paprika
Instructions
  1. Measure out the Prague powder, salt, sugar, nutmeg, black pepper corns, bay leaves and juniper berries.
  2. Place the juniper berries, black peppercorns and bay leaves into your spice grinder and process this until fine.
  3. Add the ground spices to the rest of the powders and mix this together thoroughly.
  4. Place the pork neck on your work surface and roll it tightly length-ways. Use butchers twine to tie the roll firmly. This helps the roll keep its shape.
  5. Place the meat in a roasting tin or catch tray and sprinkle the curing mixture evenly over the meat. Pat the powder into the surface of the meat as you go until all of the meat has a coating.
  6. Turn a vacuum packing bag half inside out. Feed the meat into the bag and unfold the bag to close it around the meat. Pop this into your vacuum packer and seal it up good and tight. It is a good idea to give the bag a double seal for security.
  7. Place the vacuum packed meat in your refrigerator for 7 days to cure. You can also seal the meat in a ziplock bag, but then you must massage and flip the meat every day while it is curing.
  8. After the curing time, remove the meat from the bag and rinse it thoroughly under cold running water. Use a clean dish towel to pat the meat dry.
  9. Place the meat on a board and sprinkle liberally with paprika all over and press this into the surface of the meat. Place the meat on a rack and allow this to age for 5 to 6 weeks at a temperature of 14 to 18c, or 57f to 65f, and humidity of 60-70%.
  10. After this time, cut the strings away from the capicola. Cutting the roll open reveals the beautifully colored cured meat with a firm texture and an absolutely amazing aroma.
  11. Slice the meat thinly by hand or machine and you're ready to taste heaven.

 

March 2, 2016 Italian Recipes, Lamb, Main Courses

How to Make Classic Osso Bucco – Osso Bucco using Lamb Leg Cutlets!!!

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How to Make Classic Osso Bucco - Osso Bucco using Lamb Leg Cutlets!!!
Author: 
Recipe type: Lamb / Veal
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8
 
Osso Bucco is classic Italian dish of slow cooked veal cutlets with a thick glossy gravy. Although veal shank cutlets are the tradional meat used, osso bucco can be quite successfully made with lamb leg cutlets as I am about to do, or even with young goat leg cutlets.
Ingredients
  • 2kg / 4.4lb Lamb leg cutlets
  • Oil for coating
  • 120ml Oil for frying
  • 1 Onion, chopped
  • 250ml White wine
  • 250g Cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1lt Vegetable stock
For the Seasoned Flour
  • 500ml All-purpose flour
  • 10ml Salt
  • 2.5ml Fine black pepper
  • 2.5ml Ground nutmeg
For the Gremolata, mix together
  • 60ml Parsely, finely chopped
  • 2 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 30ml Grated lemon rind
Instructions
  1. Combine the flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg and place this in a large pan. Place the lamb leg cutlets in another pan, drizzle with little oil and rub this into the meat until everything is coated.
  2. Chop the onion, half the cherry tomatoes, measure out the wine and the vegetable stock.
  3. Heat 120ml of oil in a large pan. Dredge the lamb cutlets in the seasoned flour and fry the cutlets slowly for 5 minutes per side and they are nicely browned. Repeat this until all of the cutlets are fried. Transfer the cutlets to a large roasting tin.
  4. Add the onion to the pan and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until tender. Pour the onions and the roux from the pan over the lamb.
  5. Return the pan to the heat and add the wine, tomatoes and stock. Heat this until almost boiling, then pour it over the lamb.
  6. Cover the roasting tin with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 150c or 300f for 90 minutes.
  7. Remove the osso bucco form the oven and serve immediately topped with a generous dose of the gravy and a scattering of gremolata.
For Veal or Goat Osso Bucco, follow exactly the same procedure.
If your gravy is still a bit thin after the cooking time, transfer it to a saucepan and thicken it by adding a tablespoon or 2 of cornflour dissolved in a little water. Allow this to boil until thickened.

 

February 13, 2016 Baking, Bread, Cheese, Italian Recipes, Main Courses, Mediterranean Recipes, Pizzas, Pork, Valentine's Recipes

Valentines Day Pancetta, Camembert and Preserved Fig Pizza – The Pizza of Love!!!

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Valentines Day Pancetta, Camembert and Preserved Fig Pizza - The Pizza of Love!!!
Author: 
Recipe type: Pizza
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
What life or love be without a little sweet and a little savoury? This pizza gives you both in one. The strongly flavored Pancetta is offset by the sweetness of the preserved figs, and this all melted together with creamy Camembert and mozzarella.
Ingredients
For 2 Large (35cm) Pizzas
  • 1 Batch of Instant Pizza Dough
  • 400g Grated mozzarella cheese
  • 1 Round of Camembert cheese
  • 8 Slices of rolled pancetta
  • 2 Preserved figs
  • Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. For the toppings, cut a round of camembert into 8 wedges. Turn the on their side and cut them through the center giving you 16 pieces.
  2. Cut the preserved figs into slices, then cut 8 slices of pancetta.
  3. In addition, grate 400g of mozzarella cheese.
  4. Divide the pizza dough in 2. This is the instant pizza dough we featured a few weeks back and you can see this by clicking the onscreen link.
  5. Press each half into a large disc. Lightly flour the work surface and roll this out to 35cm in diameter, or 14 inches.
  6. Transfer the bases to baking sheets. Dock the bases using the tines of a fork to stop the dough from bubbling up during baking.
  7. Sprinkle a little less than half of the mozzarella onto each base. Arrange 8 wedges of the camembert on each each base, followed by 4 rounds of pancetta and the sliced preserved fig.
  8. Finish it off by sprinkling half of the remaining mozzarella over each one.
  9. Bake the pizza in a preheated oven at 250c or 480f for 15 to 20 minutes until the edges are crispy and golden.
  10. Remove the pizzas from the oven, slice into wedges and serve immediately.

 

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