Handmade Pappardelle with Creamy Wild Mushroom & Balsamic Sauce

Pappardelle Pasta
2 cups all purpose flour
3 large eggs
a pinch of salt

Using a food processor, combine the flour and salt.  Add the eggs and process in pulses until the flour is completely moistened.  Remove the dough and knead for about five minutes, adding only a small amount of flour if necessary, until the dough is smooth and elastic.  Place the dough in a bowl covered with plastic wrap and allow to relax for an hour.  Roll out with a pasta machine to setting 7, or use a rolling pin to roll it as thinly as possible.  Cut the pasta sheets in to long pappardelle noodles and hang on a rack or dust lightly with flour until ready to use.

Makes about one pound of fresh pasta    

Wild Mushroom & Balsamic Cream Sauce
1 cup dried mushrooms such as shitake, porcini, and morel
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons Ultra Premium, Olio Nuovo Coratina from Chile
1/3 cup dry Marsala wine
1/2 cup reserved mushroom stock (soaking liquid)
2 tablespoons Traditional Style Balsamic Condimento 
1 large shallot, sliced thin
1 medium red onion, sliced thin
1 - 2" sprig of fresh thyme, leaves only
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Place mushrooms in a small bowl and pour one cup of boiling water over the mushrooms and set aside. Place a large saute pan, over medium heat.  Add the Coratina, onion and shallot and a small sprinkle of kosher salt.  Saute slowly until the onions are caramelized, being careful not to burn them.  This should take approximately 5 minutes until they are golden brown.

Drain the mushrooms well reserving the soaking liquid.  Chop lightly if the pieces are large.  Add the mushrooms and thyme leaves to the saute pan.  Saute for another minute and then add the Marsala wine, scraping up any browned bits.

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.

Reduce the wine by half, and add the mushroom stock. Continue cooking over medium heat until liquid is again reduced by half.  Add in the balsamic, and then the heavy cream stirring well to combine.  Allow to simmer for an additional minute or two, to allow the sauce to thicken.  Season well with kosher salt and a generous amount of fresh ground pepper.

Boil the fresh pappardelle in the boiling water for a minute.

Add the cooked, drained pappardelle to the saute pan.  Toss it with the sauce and allow it to simmer in the sauce for an additional minute.

Serve with grated fresh Pecorino Romano cheese.

Serves 4-6  

Local Almonds Slow Roasted in Ultra Fresh, High Polyphenol Nocellara Del Belice Olive Oil With Fresh Rosemary

Ingredients
1 pound fresh, whole almonds (about 3 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoons of Nocellara Del Belice
2 teaspoons fine to medium sea salt - or to taste
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves as an optional garnish

Directions
Preheat the oven to 300.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl toss the almonds with the Nocellara and 1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves.

Distribute the almonds in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and slow roast for 40 minutes, until the almonds smell toasty and the rosemary leaves are fragrant and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. While still warm, toss with sea salt and garnish with remaining tablespoon of fresh rosemary leaves and 1 tablespoon of Nocellara.

Allow to cool fully and serve

>.2 FFA Robust Olio Nuovo Empeltre Focaccia with Caramelized Shallots & Rosemary

Crusty, chewy, fragrant, and savory would all be excellent descriptors for this olive oil laden baked beauty above. It is, my friends, a perfect union of wheat and olive oil and serves to highlight what can be done with the right olive oil plugged in to the right application. The Empeltre's larger-than-life personality, boasting throat closing pepper, bite, and savory, strong green vegetable notes is pleasantly tamed here and marries perfectly, balancing well with the sweet caramelized shallots, herbaceous fresh rosemary, and earthiness of fresh ground black pepper.

When we use well made extra virgin olive oil as a spice or flavor enhancer in our baking and cooking, it has the potential to elevate our food to a whole new level. Thinking of olive oil as a one size fits all ingredient is akin to reading a wine list in a restaurant with a single wine offered to pair with all the dishes on the menu. The right wine will do for the dishes what the right olive oil will.

Super Robust Olio Nuovo Empeltre EVOO Focaccia with Rosemary & Caramelized Shallots

Ingredients
5 cups all purpose, unbleached flour
2 cups lukewarm, water, filtered if possible
1 cup cooled, unseasoned, mashed russet potatoes
1/3 cup + 1/3 cup + more for drizzling: Empeltre EVOO, or similar, intense olio nuovo with excellent chemistry: super low FFA, >.2, super high oleic 79+, and super high phenol count of 400+, with strong savory flavor notes and heady bouquet.
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 medium shallots thinly sliced
1 package active dried yeast, or 2 1/4 teaspoons
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves rough chopped
fresh ground black pepper
sea salt to taste

Directions
If making the dough in your bread machine, follow its instructions for the order of adding ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the water sugar and yeast. Allow the yeast to bloom for about 5 minutes, Add 1/3 cup of olive oil, mashed potatoes and sea salt. Mix to combine.

With the mixer running on the lowest speed, begin to add the flour, cup by cup, until the dough has come together and becomes elastic and just slightly tacky. Reserve any leftover flour for rolling the dough out.

Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for one hour.

On a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment, gently push the dough to the edges, using fingertips to stretch it and make dimpled indentations. Cover and allow the dough to rise for another hour in a warm place.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Distribute the thinly slices shallots and rosemary evenly over the focaccia. Drizzle with remaining 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of fresh ground pepper, and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes until golden brown. While still hot out of the oven, drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil to taste. Serve warm.

Dark Chocolate & Blood Orange Agrumato Olive Oil Cream Buns

Ingredients:

3 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup lukewarm cream or half & half
1/3 cup warm lukewarm water
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh blood orange agrumato olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh grated orange zest
16 - 1" chunks of dark chocolate or 5-6 dark chocolate morsels for each bun

1 egg beaten for glazing the buns

Sweet Orange Glaze

1 cup (4 ounces) confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoons half and half
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

Directions:

Follow the directions for your bread machine, or place the warm water, half and half, eggs, sugar, blood orange agrumato olive oil, and yeast in bowl of standing heavy-duty mixer; stir until yeast dissolves. Fit mixer with dough hook. Add flour, zest, and salt to bowl and mix on low speed just until flour combined, about 10 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and increase the speed to medium and beat until dough comes together, about 3 minutes.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Gently deflate the dough and cover bowl with plastic; chill dough overnight.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Make a short log from each piece and cut each log into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a bun.  Gently push a 1/2" piece of dark chocolate in the center of each bun and pinch the bottom of each bun to seal securely. Arrange the buns about an inch apart, pinched side down on the prepared sheet pan and allow to rise, covered, for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Gently brush top of the buns with the beaten egg glaze. Bake until buns are golden brown and fragrant, about 25 minutes.

Allow the buns to cool for 5 minutes.  For Sweet Orange Glaze, mix together the orange juice, half and half, and confectioners' sugar. Brush each bun with glaze.  Serve warm while the chocolate is still molten in the center.

Makes 16 buns

Chipotle Olive Oil Aioli Coleslaw Recipe

I like to refer to this as the "money sauce", a smokey, spicy, garlicky aioli, made from chipotle infused extra virgin olive oil. This this would make a shoe taste good if applied.

Chipotle-Lime Aioli Ingredients

1 cup Chipotle Olive Oil

2 large egg yolks at room temperature**

2 garlic cloves, smashed

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

In the bowl of a food processor or blender jar, add the egg yolks, salt, garlic and lime juice.  Process until well combined.  

VERY SLOWLY, drop by drop, begin to drizzle in the Chipotle Olive Oil while the machine is running. Extreme patience must be taken with this slow process, as too much olive oil poured in at once will cause the sauce to break.  

Once the olive oil is completely poured in and emulsified, remove the aioli to an sealed container and refrigerate.  This condiment is fabulous on coleslaw, sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches, shoes... basically anything.   

**This recipe contains raw egg yolks.  If you have a compromised immune system, you can use pasteurized eggs for this recipe.

Makes 1 1/4 cups of aioli

Spicy Jalapeno-Chipotle Lime Coleslaw

1 medium head of cabbage shredded

1 recipe for Chipotle-Lime Aioli
1/3 cup finely shredded red onion

1 large jalapeno, seeded, de-ribbed and finely minced

1 bell pepper, seeded, de-ribbed and finely minced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour.  Serve over a fried chicken sandwich or as a side dish.  

Makes approximately 6-8 cups of coleslaw

Thin Crust Pizza With Fava Bean & UP Favolosa Extra Virgin Olive Oil Pesto & Baby Arugula Salad with Gremolata Vinaigrette

 

Behold the bounty of spring married with exquisite extra virgin olive oil.  The possibilities are limitless and without much fuss, the results can be spectacular.

Fresh Fava Bean & Goat Cheese Pesto

3 pounds fresh Fava bean pods

2 large garlic clove, crushed

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup UP Favolosa Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/3 cup fresh goat cheese

1/4 cup really good quality grated Pecorino Romano

Have a medium bowl of ice water prepared.  Bring a medium pot of lightly salted water to boil.  Shell the fava beans and add to the salted water.  Blanch the fava beans for 2 minutes and then add to the bowl of ice water.  Allow to cool.  Slip the peel off each bean and place in to a food processor with all the other ingredients.  Pulse until pureed and creamy.  Adjust seasoning to taste and reserve.  This pesto sauce can also be used over pasta, on bruschetta, or as a dip for veggies.    

Thin Crust UP Favolosa Extra Virgin Olive Oil Pizza Dough

4 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

2 cups warm 110 degree spring or filtered water

1/3 cup UP Favolosa Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tablespoon fine sea salt

1 tablespoon raw sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

If using a bread machine follow the instructions for adding ingredients to the machine.  If mixing in a mixer or by hand, combine the sugar and water and yeast in a large bowl or mixer bowl.  Allow to sit for five minutes.    Add the olive oil and salt.  Begin mixing in the flour.  It will be fairly wet but avoid the temptation to add more flour.  Knead for approximately 3 minutes until the dough is relatively smooth and cohesive.  Allow to rise for 1 hour covered in a warm place.  Divide and shape or roll the dough in to two large thin crust pizzas or three medium thin crust pizzas.  

makes enough dough for 2 large or three medium thin crust pizzas

Simple Arugula Salad with Gremolata Vinaigrette

5 cups baby arugula, washed and dried

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/3 cup Gremolata Olive Oil

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Fresh cracked pepper to taste

Just before the pizza is ready to be taken off the grill, combine the lemon juice with the sea salt.  Whisk in the gremolata olive oil and season with pepper.  Adjust seasoning and gently toss the arugula with the vinaigrette. 

Grilled Thin Crust Pizza With Fava Bean Pesto & Arugula Salad With Gremolata Vinaigrette

Prepared pizza dough above

Fava Bean Pesto

1 pound fresh buffalo mozzarella fresca, thinly sliced

Simple Arugula Salad with Gremolata Vinaigrette

Add approximately 1/3 cup of pesto to each medium pizza or 1/2 cup to each large pizza.  Add a layer of mozzarella, season with a little sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.  Grill or bake at a minimum of 500 degrees, preferably on a preheated pizza stone, or on a large, inverted, preheated cast iron skillet.  Depending on how hot you can get your oven or grill, the cooking time will be anywhere between 5-10 minutes.  You are looking for golden brown crust and bubbling cheese.   

Remove from the oven and top with the prepared Simple Arugula Salad and serve immediately.

Serves 6-8

Pastitsio With California Arbosana Olive Oil Béchamel

Here's a Greek dish made with a French sauce, that employs a buttery, creamy California Arbosana olive oil.  OPA!

Ingredients
1 pound dry ziti pasta
4 tablespoons California Arbosana EVOO
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
sea salt and pepper to taste
3 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons California Arbosana EVOO
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound lean ground lamb
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
sea salt and fresh pepper to taste

1/2 cup California Arbosana EVOO
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg, lightly beaten
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly and allow to cool slightly. Whisk 4 tablespoons California Arbosana with eggs, Parmesan cheese, pepper, and salt. Pour over ziti and set aside.

To make meat sauce heat olive olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute the onions until soft and transclucent. Increase heat and add ground beef and lamb and cook until the meat browns. Add the tomatoes, wine, broth, parsley, oregano, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

To make the Arbosana béchamel , heat the olive oil in saucepan and stir in flour.  Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently for 2 minutes. Pour in milk all at once and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil gently for 1 minute. Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper and cool slightly before stirring in beaten egg.

Transfer 1/2 cup of the bechamel to the meat sauce. To assemble pastitsio, grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with one tablespoon Arbosana EVOO. Spoon half of the prepared ziti evenly in the bottom and top with meat sauce. Top that with remaining ziti. Pour on the remaining béchamel sauce and spread to completely cover ziti. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake in a preheated oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

Serves 8

Arancini Fried in .2 FFA, 473 PPM Phenol Count Sicilian Ogliorola Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Ingredients
3 3/4 to 4 cups chicken stock

• 4 tablespoons + more for frying Ogliarola Extra Virgin Olive Oil or a FRESH, robust extra virgin with a "killer chemical composition" conducive to stability under high heat cooking(Phenol Count <300, FFA .2< Oleic Acid <75)
• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup Carnaroli rice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup cubed Fontina cheese
• 1/2 cup fully-cooked bulk Italian sausage meat, browned and drained
• Ogliarola extra virgin olive oil for deep frying
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• Tomato sauce, as accompaniment
• 
  
• Directions
• Bring the stock to a simmer in a medium sauce pan. Cover and set aside to keep hot. In a heavy Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons of the Ogliarola over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and saute until transparent, about 4 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until rice is opaque and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the white wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed. While continually stirring, begin adding the stock in 1/2 cup increments, allowing the liquid to become completely absorbed between additions. Cook until the rice is just tender and the risotto is still loose and creamy, about 20 minutes. Add the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, basil and salt and pepper and stir to combine well. Transfer to a mixing bowl or baking dish and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
• 
  
• Remove the chilled risotto from the refrigerator and stir in 1 of the eggs. Using a small scoop or large spoon, divide the risotto into approximately 3 tablespoon portions. Using your hands, form the portions into rough ball shapes.Press a hole into the center of each risotto ball and stuff the center with a cube of the cheese and the browned sausage. Press the opening closed and roll the ball between your hands until it is smooth. Set aside while you prepare the other arancini. In a large saucepan, heat 2 inches of Ogliarola Olive Oil until a deep-fry thermometer reads 360 degrees F. Place the flour, remaining 2 eggs and bread crumbs in 3 separate bowls. Season each with salt and pepper to taste. Using a fork, lightly beat the eggs. One by one, lightly dredge each risotto ball in the flour, then the beaten egg mixture, then the bread crumbs, so that each ball is completely coated.
• 
  
• Transfer to a plate or baking sheet until you are ready to fry the arancini. Fry the balls in batches, a few at a time, turning once during cooking so that they are evenly browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer to paper-lined plates to drain, and then serve immediately. Serve with a garnish Parmesan cheese and some tomato sauce.