Rooftop Gourmet

I came across some fresh peas at the supermarket the other day and grabbed them even though my girlfriend says she doesn’t like peas. I wanted to try to incorporate them into a pasta dish to show her how delicious they can be. Who would even know they were eating peas when they’re drenched in white truffle oil and covered with earthy, roasted mushrooms, and caramelized shallots?

If you’re not familiar with Anglonotti (pronounced anneeolottee), it is a stuffed pasta from the Piedmont region of Northern Italy, very similar to a ravioli. I got the chance to visit Piedmont a few years ago and absolutely fell in love with everything about the region. I stayed in the town of Alba for the weekend which was a perfect mix of old world charm and modern city flair. Alba is famous for many things culinary including one of the most expensive pieces of fungus around…the truffle. When the truffle is pressed into an oil, just a single drop will elevate any dish to a whole new level. The aromas are so distinct, yet undescribable. When you’re sitting in an Italian restaurant, you know when someone across the room orders a truffle dish.

Sticking with the Piedmontese theme, I tossed some of the wild mushroom anglonotti with roasted portabellos, caramelized shallot, peas, and white truffle oil; topping it all off with a splash of grated Pecorino Romano cheese to give it some tang. The earthy flavors of the wild mushrooms lightened up by the pop of fresh peas was a beautiful match. The sweetness of the caramelized shallot was an interesting touch with the rich truffle oil. Here’s a quick tip on cooking mushrooms… Don’t salt the mushrooms until after they’re roasted or sauteed, and use very little oil or butter. You want to achieve a nice dark color and rich earthy flavor. Salt draws all the liquid and moisture out of the mushrooms (there’s alot in there) and your mushrooms will actually steam instead of roast. The result is a yellowish, rubbery thing that you usually see on top of pizza. 

I paired this dish with one of my favorite whites from Piedmont too; the 2007 Banfi Principessa Gavi. Gavi is made from the Cortese grape and it is most comparable in style to a Sauvignon Blanc. It is light, fruity, and finishes bone dry. I thought it worked perfectly with this dish because this dish is quite deceiving. It appears to be rather light because it’s not sopping up a heavy sauce, but it really is pretty intense and needed a crisp white wine to cut through the rich oil and sharp Pecorino cheese. Some people say that food can transport you to certain places around the world and after this meal I am 100% on board with that statement. I felt like I was sitting outside in a piazza at a small ristorante in Alba eating this dish once all the flavors of the region came together. I asked my girlfriend if now she likes peas but she couldn’t respond because her mouth was full of them and her plate was empty.

What I call the “Bolognese Craze” began a few years ago when every restaurant in town served up their version of this popular dish.  You couldn’t walk into a restaurant without seeing it on a menu. Unfortunately, most of these restaurants took the classic, simple sauce and Americanized it by adding cans of tomato sauce, heavy cream, and even porcini mushrooms. Authentic Bolognese sauce uses very little tomato sauce at all; a tablespoon of tomato paste is sufficient.

 The base for classic Bolognese is beef broth and red wine, which is usually simmered for hours and hours, making the trilogy of ground meat super tender and rich (beef, pork, and veal). Instead of adding heavy cream or milk to thicken my Bolognese like most restaurants do, I sear a few chicken livers, chop them up, and add them to the sauce. I know what you’re thinking…”gross”, but trust me on this one, you wouldn’t know you were eating livers if I didn’t tell you.  The earthy and creamy livers slowly melt into the sauce, adding a rich, creamy texture along with another depth of flavor to the sauce.

The key to a great Bolognese is doing efficient prep work, layering the flavors, and allowing time to simmer. See my recipe for my Bolognese in the Recipe Section of the website.

The wine that I chose to serve with this rich pasta dish is a wine that I stand by vintage after vintage. Allegrini Pallazo Della Torre is one of the best values in Italian wines that I have ever encountered. At roughly $20, this red from Verona has made the Wine Spectator Top 100 List four years in a row! The grapes that compose this hidden gem are primarily Valpolicella or very similar clones of that grape. What I find special about this wine is that one third of the Valpolicella grapes are put through a process called ‘ripasso”. Ripasso is something that gives Amarone its rich, bold flavor and body. While 1/3 of the grapes are dried almost to the point of raisins, the rest of the juice is then poured into casks through the dried fruit, and then the dried grapes are then pressed, blending everything together.

This process adds extra richness, body, depth, and complexity. The wine has lots of fresh, young fruit, such as cherries and raspberries like typical Valpolicella but another layer of the wine is extremely rich from the ripasso. The nose emits licorice, anise and darker fruits with hints of vanilla and blackberries on the palate. Valpolicella typically isn’t very big and tannic but due to the ripasso, this wine holds up perfectly to the rich pasta dish. Bolognese needs a wine that is big enough and has a decent amount of acidity to cut through the its creaminess. Never underestimate a red wine from Verona.

Fresh pasta takes alotof time and effort to make but it is becoming more readily available all over the city. Farmers’ markets, specialty food shops, and even supermarkets  are carrying different lines of freshly rolled and stuffed treats. Yesterday, I picked up some roasted pumpkin ravioli from Whole Foods and tossed it in a browned butter and sage sauce. Browned butter and sage is a classic and incredibly simple Italian sauce that is typically draped over pasta that contains a sweet element. The semi “burnt” butter mixed with the holiday like aromas and herbal notes in the sage compliment the sweet roasted pumpkin ricotta inside the ravioli and the sauteed butternut squash tossed on top.

 Since this dish was almost sweet enough to be classified as a dessert, I decided to pair it with something a little bit unique. Each bite was so full of sweet, creamy flavors that the dish needed some bright acidity and something to tone down rich texture. I chose the Nino Franco ‘Rustico’ Prosecco, which is hands down my favorite Prosecco. Prosecco is Italy’s version of Champagne or sparkling wine.

Some of them are made using the same technique, and some of them are a little bit fruitier as opposed to bone dry. I consider the ‘Rustico’ to be on the dryer side. Nino Franco ‘Rustico’ Prosecco has it’s place in history too. It has been the Prosecco by the glass at the infamous Harry’s Bar in Venice for years, and is said to have made the first Bellini (Prosecco & Peach Puree). Whether you want to serve this as an appetizer, entree, or dessert, the pumpkin ravioli is something that everyone should experience this Fall.

On Tuesday I recieved another huge box of fresh produce from Boston Organics, but I was tired and wanted to make something simple. If possible, I didn’t even want to leave my apartment. After searching through the fridge for a while, I grabbed some hot Italian sausage,  a tub of Low Fat Ricotta cheese and a head of Cauliflower and a ton of fresh baby arugula from the box. We were halfway there. I love the way Cauliflower tastes after roasting, nice and carmelized, but still has enough crunch to be thrown into some pasta. Tossed with some al dente rigatoni, spicy sausage, and peppery greens, all brought together by a creamy (and healthy) sauce of Ricotta cheese… perfect.

 Since the sauce was simply creamy ricotta cheese, the wine I chose was from the Alsace region of France. Wines from this region always have great acidity and minerality which is perfect to cut through the ricotta cheese.  The 2006 Hugel Pinot Blanc “Cuvee Les Armours” is made by Jean Hugel, a highly esteemed winemaker from the Alsace who makes high quality wines that are very affordable. This Pinot Blanc was perfect with this dish. Bursting acidity, flavors and aromas of peaches and apples, followed by a crsip and refreshing finish. A tiny hint of sweetness up front complimented the pinch of red pepper flakes I splashed on my plate.

The ricotta sauce couldn’t be easier to make. Toss the cauliflower with the sausage and tons of arugula in a pan and hit it with a splash of white wine. As the wine reduces add the pasta to the pan with about a 1/4 cup of the water it cooked in. A few heaping dollops of low fat ricotta and the sauce comes together before your eyes. This dish tastes like a heavy, comfort food but is easy on your waistline. My only regret was not seasoning the ricotta before I added it to the pan. Next time I make this, I would season the ricotta with salt, pepper, and tons of lemon zest. Overall it was a great weeknight dinner that was easy to make, healthy, and overflowing with bold flavors.

When I was studying abroad in Rome my Junior year of college, we went out to a different hole-in-the wall restaurant or trattoria every night for dinner. Of all the classic Italian pasta dishes on the menus my favorite was Spaghetti alla Carbonara. Four simple ingredients compose this mindblowingly flavorful dish, which has a slight resemblence to breakfast which makes me wonder if that is how it was created. Eggs, black pepper, Parmesean-Reggiano, and Pancetta (Italian Bacon) all come together to create a creamy rich sauce when tossed with the pasta. I didn’t have the patience to wait for my own homemade pancetta to cure before I made this so I went out and bought some. As usual, I wanted to put a spin on a classic dish by incorporating a few different ingredients and flavors. I poached some fresh lobster meat in clarified butter very, very slowly until it was rich and tender. I substitited grated Pecorino cheese and a handful of fresh parsley from the garden and viola; A classic dish evolved into a modern version. The succulent lobster meat worked perfectly with the creamy egg sauce and spicy black peppercorns. I paired this dish with a Louis Jadot Pouilly Fuisse which is made from the Chardonnay grape in Burgundy, France. The tropical fruit and pear flavors intertwined with some rich, creamy oak went hand in hand with the creamy pasta dish. White Burgundy a perfect match for lobster in general but also Carbonara.