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Lemon Panna Cotta
Yield: 8 servings.
Cannoli filling:
1/2 pound ricotta impastata cheese (see note)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon heavy cream
8 tablespoons confectioners sugar
Zest of 1/2 orange, chopped
Zest of 1/2 lemon, chopped
Ground chocolate
Candied zest:
Zest of 3 lemons
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Granulated sugar for dusting
Lemon panna cotta:
1 quart heavy cream
6 ounces sugar
2 ounces fresh lemon juice
2 vanilla beans
4 ounces warm water
1/4 ounce powdered gelatin
Zest of 1/2 orange, finely chopped
Zest of 1/2 lemon, finely chopped
1. For the panna cotta, he slits vanilla and scrapes off the flavorful bits inside the bean. Dissolve powdered gelatin in warm water. Add heavy cream, lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, the vanilla scrapings and sugar. Stir and let cook until it reaches 160 F. Portions the liquid into 5-ounce ceramic dishes. Chill overnight in the refrigerator.
2. For the cannoli filling, combine ricotta, vanilla, chopped lemon zest, chopped orange zest, heavy cream, ground cinnamon and confectioners sugar. Set in the refrigerator. When chilled, pipe mixture into pastry shells. Gently press ends into ground chocolate.
3. For candied zest, combine the water and sugar in a saucepan. When the sugar dissolves, add the lemon zest. Cook 5-7 minutes or until the zest is tender. Drain into a fine mesh sieve and place zest on paper toweling. Dust with sugar. Let air-dry for 1 hour.
4. To serve, present panna cotta with a cannoli and some of the candied lemon zest.
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Tomato Dip With Warm Goat Cheese
Yield: 4 servings.
12 ounces goat cheese
3/4 cup corn flour
3 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
12 ounce can plum tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Canola oil for frying
Baby greens for garnish
Shredded Pecorino Romano cheese (see note)
1. For the goat cheese, divide cheese into 12 equal portions. Shape into small balls. Season cheese with salt and pepper to taste. Roll each ball in corn flour, then in the beaten egg and then in the corn flour again. Repeat this process twice. Refrigerate while making dipping sauce.
2. Add olive oil to a sauté pan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and let cook until golden brown. Drain the tomatoes, reserving juice. Add tomatoes to the garlic-shallot mixture and cook until tomatoes are tender. Add the reserved juice from the canned tomatoes and let simmer 20 minutes. Using a hand-held blender, puree mixture to a sauce consistency. Set aside and keep mixture warm.
3. In a deep-fryer with canola oil heated to 350 F, fry the cheese balls until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.
4. Ladle some of the warm tomato dip into 4 soup plates. Arrange golden goat cheese balls in the center of the dish. Garnish with baby greens and shredded Pecorino Romano cheese.
Recipe note: In Italy, cheese made from sheep's milk is known as Pecorino. The best known of this genre is Pecorino Romano, which comes in large cylinders with a hard yellow rind and yellowish-white interior. Other notable Pecorinos are Sardo, Siciliano and Toscano, according to Sharon Tyler Herbst's Food Lover's Companion. Dry cheeses are good for grating and are used mainly in cooking. They can be used in any recipe that calls for Parmesan, especially if a sharper flavor is desired.
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Lasagna
Tony's
1 tb Olive oil
1 lb Ground beef
1 c Finely chopped onion
1 Clove garlic, finely chopped
1 t Salt
1/4 ts Mixed Italian seasoning
1/2 ts Oregano leaves
1/4 ts Thyme
1/2 ts Spanish paprika
2 c Tomato puree
1/2 lb Lasagne noodles
2 qt Water
1 tb Olive oil
Salt to taste
1 1/2 c Ricotta cheese
1 Lg egg
Tabasco sauce to taste
3/4 ts Salt
Cheeses for final assembly
3 oz Mozzasrella cheese, sliced
3 tb Grated parmesan cheese
1 c Grated mozzarella cheese (in
Heat olive oil in saucepan. Crumble in ground beef and saute until beef is browned. Drain off excess fat. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Set aside. Cook lasagne noodles in the boiling water with olive oil and salt. About 9 minutes. Drain and let cool. Set aside. Combine all ingredients in blender or electric mixer and mix well at medium speed.
Assembling: In a 13x9x2-inch casserole spread a thin layer of meat sauce on bottom and put one layer of cooked lasagna noodles. Next, a layer of sliced mozzarella and on top of that add 1/3 of the meat sauce, then 1/2 of the rocotta mixtu Continue to layer until all ingredients are used. Top with grated Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes
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Tomato Pesto
serve with bread
4 oz. olive oil (lupi brand)
4 oz. sundried tomatoes (rehydrate until tender)
2T Italian parsley choppes
2T fresh basil
1T fresh chopped garlic
2 oz. grated parmesan cheese
2 oz. chopped pinenuts
2 oz. balsamic vinegar
1 T tomato paste
3 oz. crushed canned tomatoes
2 oz. red wine
1 oz. diced white onion
salt to taste
Method:
First rehydrate sundried tomatoes by soaking in warm water for a few minutes until tender. Places basil, garlic, pinenuts, parsley, onion, and sundried tomatoes in food processor or blender. Puree until well incorporated. Add all remaining ingredients except parmesan and olive oil. Once again puree until incorporated. Finally, stir in olive oil and parmesan cheese, salt to taste. Yield: 2.5 cups
