Not so with the books I shoot. I make the hell out of those recipes. It starts because I need to make the recipe for a shot, but inevitably goes beyond that. I often fall in love with those dishes. My husband once accused me of never making the same dish twice; after shooting Dishing Up Washington, that’s about to change. Because now I know how to glaze braised meat.

To be fair, I’ve been braising meat for a while, and I always considered myself pretty successful with it. The meat was delicious and tender. But it never quite had that gorgeous glaze that I’d get in a restaurant. Now I know how, and I’m putting it to pretty amazing use, like with this glazed, braised lamb shank… a little play on Jess’s Beef Bourginon and Glazed Goat Shank recipes from the cookbook. I borrowed a little from one recipe, a little from another, for a dinner that is pretty darn awe inspiring if I do say so myself.

If you are braising, be sure to give yourself plenty of time. It’s not a process you want to rush any part of. You can also do most of the “work” on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and then wrap it all up to finish off just before dinner later in the week, if time is going to be tight.

Start with a really good lamb shank. You aren’t going to get a good braise if your meat isn’t fantastic.

I was lucky enough to be doing a little shoot in New Season’s Market for the Online Food Photography & Styling class that I’m currently teaching, and picked up a hefty shank from Umpqua Valley Lamb Farm in Riddle, Oregon. Umpqua’s lamb is sustainably grown, grass-fed and pasture raised by small farms in oregon. Rumor has it, they even feed their lambs tasty bits like broccoli! This is a farm I’d love to go visit sometime!

Anyway, back to the braising.

Salt and pepper it all over while you get a deep pot heating over medium-high heat with a healthy splash of oil on the stove top. You need a pot, with a lid, that is large enough to allow the shank to lay flat. But you also don’t want a pot that is too big… you need the shank to be submerge in the braising liquid. Trust me on this, find the right sized pot for your braise; it is well worth the trouble.

Once the pot is hot, place the shank in (any side down is fine), and give it a good sear. Leave it in that pot, untouched for a good 2 minutes at least. Then turn it to the next side. Sear all the sides this way. If the meat is still stuck to the pan, give it another minute before trying to turn it. When the meat is braised all over, take it out of the pot, and set it aside on a plate.

Now, you’ll want to add your aromatics & veggies. You can add what you like, but I like the simple combination of onion, garlic, celery and carrot. Pearl onions, leeks or shallots would be good in place of or in addition to the onion. A few sprigs of thyme are a nice addition, or a few stalks of Italian parsley (stems and all). Maybe a bay leaf if you like. It’s not fussy. Just cut some stuff up and toss it in the hot pan that has all the meat drippings (add a bit more oil if there is none on the pan), and turn the heat down to low so all the good stuff slowly cooks and doesn’t burn. Let it go until it’s kind of soft but not mushy. Onions will be translucent and golden rather than brown. Stir often. This will take around 10 minutes.

Get your oven preheating to 325F.

Now add your liquid to the pot and turn the heat back up to medium high. I like to start with wine. About 1/2 cup will usually do it. For lamb you can go with either red or white (I used white this time, but I might try with red, or even a nice dry sherry next go around). When that has reduced, it’s time to add the stock. This can be veggie, chicken or beef broth (home made is best, but the store bought stuff is fine too), depending on how rich you want your braise to be. Add enough to your pot that your lamb shank will be mostly submerged, with just the top 1/4 sticking out the top. The size of your pan will determine the amount, but it’s usually between a pint and 1 quart. Still on the stove top, bring the mixture to a very gentle boil. Once simmering, slide in the meat, and any juices that are on the plate, into the liquid and at top the veggies. Cover, and move the whole pot to the hot oven. Your work for now is done… go find something to do for 2 hours (or a little less, perhaps if you have a really small piece of meat).

When you come back, your meat should be done. It will have contracted and pulled itself off of its bone, and then relaxed again into melty goodness. I always thought braising ended here. In the past, I’d just grab the meat, and the braising liquid as is and serve. I did not know all about glazing. And the glazing is the magic.

So, here’s what you do. You take that meat shank (carefully now because it will be very tender), and set it aside on a plate and cover it with foil.

Then, you run the braising liquid through a fine sieve (careful it’s hot), retaining all the yummy juices and discarding the solids. They are just mush at this point anyway. Put the liquid back in the pot and over medium low heat, start to reduce it. You want it to reduce by a lot, until it starts to have this lovely sheen. This will probably take 10 to 15 minutes. Keep a close eye on it because it’s easy for it to suddenly get nice and glossy and then move past that point the moment you walk over to the other side of the house because nothing is happening. Once the glaze is done, you can put the meat back in, give it a turn to coat, and warm it back up over low heat while you finish preparing the rest of your meal.

You can also wrap up the whole thing at this point for dinner another night. When you serve, pour the glaze all over the meat, or place the glaze in a gravy dish and let folks glaze their own. Delicious!

You might have noticed, I said Northwest, and not Seattle. There are changes coming along my way, and one of them is a move. As much as Cam & I love Seattle, and our house and our friends, change happens. We are moving to Portland! Cam has started a new job at a fantastic new company, The Clymb, which does very cool flash sales of some of the best outdoor equipment available… if you ski, run, paddle or camp, check it out! Right now, they are having a great sale on Jacob Bromwell camping cookware… it’s not too late to get a great camping skillet and s’more skewers!

Did I mention how much we love our friends? Earlier this summer, our good friend & neighbor Marci graduated from nursing school. To celebrate we had a big block party complete with a pig roast. I should clarify, a whole pig roast. After procuring a whole pig from Rainshadow Meats, Cam borrowed a Caja China from another friend, and I spent an afternoon peeling garlic (10 heads!) and squeezing citrus (ever try to juice a kumquat?) to create this mojo recipe.

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll have seen some of that chaos. We marinated the pig in a large plastic bag in the bathtub. The pig is then slow roasted in the caja china box, with no-peaking for about 4 hours. A quick flip and a stoking of the coals on top crisps up the skin perfectly. I have to admit, I was completely skeptical of the whole idea of the pig roast from the beginning, but I was converted. We ended up with about 30 pounds of the most amazing roast pork I’ve ever tasted.

Here are some shots from the day… warning, the early shots are pretty graphic.

Four hours later, it’s time to flip the pig…

It’s been a crazy summer, and I have much, much more news… but off to another photo shoot now!

I haven’t had raclette since that trip, which was almost 7 years ago now, mostly for a silly reason. It never occurred to me how easy it would be to find raclette closer to home. Not until I got mail one day from the Wisconsin Cheese Board asking if I’d be interested in creating a mac & cheese recipe for an upcoming blogging event that they are having. I usually ignore PR requests like this, but hey, who can say no to mac & cheese*? The only requirement for the recipe is that it feature a cheese that is made in Wisconsin… ie, pretty much any cheese. There were over 30 cheeses to choose from, but it was the raclette that caught my eye.

Just think about this for a moment: al dente pasta in a creamy bechamel sauce, topped with paper thin slices of potato and plenty of silky and slightly caramelized raclette and a little gherkin relish sprinkled on for good measure. I promise you, it’s worth loosening your belt for.

For other Mac & Cheese recipes, checkout the 30 ways in 30 days site.

*For this recipe, I am receiving a small stipend, just like I do when I write for magazines. On this blog, I don’t do pay-for-post advertising.

Raclette Mac & Cheese

Makes 4 servings (300 calories per serving)

This recipe may sound a little fancy, but it’s actually quite easy to prepare and most of it can be done in advance, so it makes for a great addition to a dinner party. I cooked mine as individual servings in these Staub mini cocottes, but 1 cup ramekins work fine too, or you can make it in a single larger casserole dish. The mini’s give you more caramelization on the edges.

As an optional variation, try sticking a paper thin slice of Serrano ham under the potatoes. Yum.

3 new potatoes, sliced 1/8″ thick
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
A pinch of nutmeg
6 ounces uncooked penne (or pasta of your choice), cooked al dente
4 slices Wisconsin Raclette Cheese, cut to 2″x2″x1/4″
1/2 cup cornichon, coarsely chopped

Directions:
Soak the sliced potatoes in salted water for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Drain the potato slices and plunge them into the boiling water for about 1 minute. Rinse the slices in cold water and lightly dry. Place the potato slices in a bowl and lightly coat with the olive oil. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. To make the béchamel, warm the milk and cream over low heat in a small pan. In another pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat and add the flour and stir until smooth and thick, just until it starts to take on a little color. Add the milk & cream gradually, about 1/4 at a time, stirring between each addition until smooth. The mixture should be velvety and slightly thick. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Place the cooked penne pasta in a mixing bowl and add 3/4 of the béchamel sauce; stir to coat.

Fill each cocotte or ramekin with 3/4 cup of the béchamel coated pasta, and press down with the back of the spoon. Top with a heaping spoonful of the remaining béchamel. Arrange the potato slices on the top of each cocotte, overlapping each slightly.

Bake for 10 minutes or until the potatoes lightly brown on the edges. Place a slice of Raclette on the top of each cocotte and return to the oven for another 10 minutes or until the Raclette is melty and lightly browned. Serve each cocotte, hot, with the cornichon relish on the side.

*300 calories per serving

This week, I made it back into the kitchen and started to feel that old rhythm kicking in again. First, a few remaining doughnut tests (Red Velvet Cake, Brandy Eggnog, and playing around with Chia flour for a gluten free variation). And then, yesterday, roasted parsnips.

The first time I remember having a parsnip was at some fancy-schmancy restaurant that served probably the best monkfish I’ve ever had. (This was long ago, in the days before fish-lists or much awareness of what was happening in our waters.) Tucked underneath the fish was this beautifully creamed, what I thought was, potato. In fact it was creamed parsnip, and I nearly spit it across the table. I was not in anyway prepared for that earthy sweetness, and thought it was the most horrible thing I had ever had. Perhaps it was just the misplaced expectation or perhaps it wasn’t well prepared (I seem to recall, it was kind of grainy). But I swore off parsnips then and there.

What a huge mistake. Somewhere along the way, a parsnip sneaked its way onto my plate at a friend’s house and it was a revelation. This wasn’t some mealy, sickly sweet babyfood. It was caramel and banana and potato wrapped into one; crisp on the outside, melty on the inside goodness. Now, I can never seem to get enough of them. Yesterday, I roasted up 6 or 7 good sized roots sprinkled with a little vanilla bean salt and a splatter of olive oil, and gobbled them all down for lunch. Today, I’m tempted to do the same.

(PS: Thanks to Stephanie over at Wasabimon for the spotlight! )

Vanilla Roasted Parsnips

I roasted my parsnips whole, which gives a greater ratio of soft to crisp. If you prefer your parsnips caramelized on all sides, you can half or quarter them before roasting.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Line a baking sheet with foil, and place whole, peeled parsnips on top. Splash with a good olive oil, and sprinkle with vanilla salt and a bit of cracked pepper. Cover with more foil, and roast for about 20 minutes. Turn the parsnips over (they should be golden on the bottom by this point). Recover and roast another 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven, and cut off the tops and tails. Slice in half (or quarters if they are particularly large) lengthwise. Drizzle on a bit more olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

]]> http://www.laraferroni.com/2009/10/30/escape-velocity/feed/ 15 http://www.laraferroni.com/2009/07/31/ginger-shiso-syrup-is-in-the-kitchen/ http://www.laraferroni.com/2009/07/31/ginger-shiso-syrup-is-in-the-kitchen/#comments Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:00:36 +0000 L http://cookandeat.com/?p=1251 Amy planted it in my garden this summer. It's minty, grassy flavor is just the thing on a hot spell like the one we are having this week (seriously, 103F in Seattle? I did not move here for weeks like this!) So, I was happy to help out with Design Sponge's In The Kitchen with this recipe for Ginger Shiso Syrup.]]> What I really love about this syrup (or really, any herbal simple syrup) is how many different things you can do with it. Add a little to something fizzy, citrusy and if you are so inclined, boozy, and you have the perfect drink too cool you down on a day like today (Ginger shiso mojitos anyone?). Or, stir some into a fruit puree, freeze and you have a remarkable sorbet. Or, if you kitchen isn’t hot enough to bake without the use of an oven, try it drizzle over some fruit on a pound cake. Ooo, mama.

For these recipe, head on over to Design Sponge. And for even more summery herby recipes, check out Summer Fest!

I’m lucky to live in this world of so much wonderful food. Not everyone is, and I that’s why I decided to participate in the Hunger Challenge this week. Between thinking about what food I will make, reading the comments here and watching the discussion on other participating blogs, I don’t think I’ve ever spent so much time thinking about the cost of food.

It has reminded me of when I was growing up and my family did think a lot about how much money we had to go around for the month. And it’s funny to me how much has changed in the way we think about splurges then and now. It’s entirely possible that this is just me, but when I was a kid, craving the latest in junk food as most kids do, I always believed that we couldn’t afford it. The junk food and fast food was the expensive stuff. Now, I’m wondering if it was just a ruse… a very good one… played on me by my mother. As a child, it’s easier to accept “we can’t afford it” than it is “no, that’s bad for you.” So, we never had pop or chips or frozen pizza around the house (we did, however, have Kraft dinner… the one junk food staple that seems has always been cheap. We’d mix it with tuna and mushroom soup or eat it on its own, usually with ketchup). A big dinner out for me was going to Pizza Hut. That was a huge splurge, only warranted by straight A’s on my report card.

But we did eat well at home. Food was mostly made from scratch and we used fresh herbs (usually grown in big pots on the patio) and olive oil. When our house allowed it, we raised rabbits for their meat, and Rabbit Cacciatore was one of my favorite dishes. My father and step-mother even pulled together all of their recipes for the kids as we went off to college… they called it the HOG cookbook… for “Hard times, Old times, Good times.” It’s a collection of recipes that are good but frugal. My dad (who is a bit of a geek like me), recently pulled the whole thing together into a website which you can check out if you are so inclined.

Maybe food costs just really are different now than when I was growing up. Today, it seems that people tend to think it’s a splurge to buy spices or fresh produce or good cooking oil. And it is hard to argue with that. Making food from scratch takes time and investment. It’s a choice that someone has to intentionally take because it’s harder than just grabbing the frozen dinner or the can of soup. To get the bigger payoff, you have to go without some thing in the short term. There are ways around some of the big upfront costs of stocking a pantry… Madison Market has an incredible bulk food section where you can buy small quantities of things like olive oil, flour and spices at reasonable prices and it is always possible to find deals on produce, especially when it is produced locally and in abundance.

But, to take advantage of that, first you have to know about it, second you have to take the time to get to the store fairly regularly and third you have to have the time to plan and cook. None of the recipes I’ve made this week are particularly challenging, costly or even time consuming in and of themselves. But it would be much harder to eat the way that I have this week if I were working full time or had a whole family of kids around to feed. I might be able to stick to the budget for the week or a month or even longer and feel like I’m eating well. But, I have more time, more equipment, more resources that support me than most people out there, even those not on a limited budget.

Now, I’ve rambled on quite a while here about a few of the questions and thoughts that have been going through my head this week… and I think that stirring up those thoughts, and asking ourselves what we can do to help, is really the point of this challenge. Please keep up the great comments! They’ve given me a lot to think about!

Now, onto the food accounting…

Tuesday, I was semi-planning to make a risotto to have along with a nice little tilapia fillet that I found at Metropolitan Market. But, I got hungry in the afternoon, and made a big bowl of popcorn (my favorite junk food) which filled me up a bit longer than I thought it would. So dinner started late, and I decided to make it a bit simpler. I pan fried the tilapia with just a bit of salt, pepper in a tiny bit of organic olive oil (picked up in the bulk section at Madison Market… $1.56 for more than enough for the week which will replace oil I used earlier to hopefully be more in the spirit of the challenge) along with a quick medley of red pepper, onion and zucchini on a bowl of rice ($3.67 for the meal). It was simple, quick and delicious.

Yesterday, I was light on food day during the day… I had a photoshoot to do on location in the middle of the day, which lead me to skimp some on breakfast (espresso, toast) and lunch (an apple). The photoshoot was for Edible Seattle (always a great time), but I had to say no to the homemade chicken karaage that was being made! Sad! (but… the recipe will be a great budget recipe when it comes out in a few months… keep your eyes out for it!). For dinner, I made a recipe from a cookbook I recently picked up, “Beaneaters and Bread Soup” (Lori de Mori; Jason Lowe). This is a fantastic cookbook. It’s packed with beautiful stories about Italian artisan’s, and even more beautiful photos. I just want to live in this book.

I knew there would be a great, frugal recipe in there that would be perfect for this week. There are many, but I decided on a white bean with tomato sauce recipe… the original recipe includes Italian sausage, but I used a couple of slices of bacon instead (I love that you can buy bacon by the piece… I never make it through a whole package).

Again, the recipe is super simple. I used a can of Northern White beans because I hadn’t planned far enough in advance to use dried ones. Toss in a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary, cover, and bake for about 20 minutes. While that is heating, toss the bacon (chopped in narrow strips) into a hot pan and cook for about 3 minutes. Add a bit (1/4 cup for the 2 slices of bacon I used) of canned tomatoes (ideally San Marzano’s… my normal San Marzano’s run about $6.99 for a 32 oz can… but I found some for only $2.99 which were still very good) and a splash of olive oil. Season to taste with salt, black pepper and chile flakes if desired. Once the beans are hot, gently stir in the tomato sauce.

On the side, I made some steamed asparagus with a bechamel sauce on toast. This sauce is absolutely luxurious without being at all pricey. It’s simply milk, butter and flour (with a bit of seasoning). Warm the milk (about a 1/2 cup) and set aside. In another pan, make a roux of butter and flour (equal portions of each… a little less than 1 tablespoon for the amount of milk I used). Cook on low for a few minutes stirring constantly. You don’t want it to brown like you would a roux for a gumbo. Then, add in the warmed milk and stir until smooth (you can stir in more milk, a little at a time, if you want it to be thinner). It should be like velvet. Add salt and pepper to taste (a little nutmeg is a nice addition too).

This amount was far more sauce than I needed for my 6 pieces of asparagus ($1.99 per pound right now!). In fact, I really made far too much food for this dinner entirely… and Cam got to eat the left over 1/2 of beans when he got home from his trip late last night. Not bad for $2.80.
Adding everything up, plus this morning’s breakfast of Oatmeal ala Philip (except with nutmeg in place of the cinnamon and a half pear instead of the raisins), I’m currently at $20.53 for the week, just a few cents below my budget. Tonight’s dinner is posole, which looks like it might push my budget some, but I’m making it for 2 of us and I’m expecting there will still be left-overs that I can polish of for Friday’s lunch.

Coincidentally, as I was leaving Madison Market yesterday getting bulk stuff to replace the stuff I had been using from my pantry, I picked up a copy of Real Change. The story on the front cover? “A bigger slice of the pie: Activiest Joel Bert on food snobbery, class bias and the persistence of hunger in America” If you get a chance, help someone out by picking up one of these papers, and take a read of that article which I found particularly relevant this week… and has given me even more to think about.

Roasted chicken with a herby-salt rub ($1.09 for free range drumsticks), parsnips ($0.75) and creamy polenta ($0.71) with a smidgen of Parmigiano-Reggiano. It wouldn’t be a lie to say that I licked the plate clean, and although it would have nice if there were something green on there, I think it was quite a lovely dinner for $2.55. It is also crazy easy to make… rinse and dry the chicken well, then dust with the herbed salt. I have a little tin of it that I keep by the stove whenever I need a little sprinkle, and it only comes to $0.07 per teaspoon (I used less than that on these two drumsticks). The parsnips just get thrown into the pan you use for the chicken along with a tiny drizzle of oil (I used grapeseed this time, but usually would use olive oil). Start roasting the parsnips at 400F about 15 minutes before you add the chicken to the dish. Then, add the chicken (sitting on top of the parsnips is fine) and roast until the juices run clear, about 30 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces. This is basically the same technique I use for roasting a whole chicken which I would have done this time too except I’m eating on my own this week. The benefit of the whole chicken (beyond being a bit cheaper) is that I also can just turn the carcass into stock.

For lunch today, I decided on an egg salad sandwich… a simple one with a vinaigrette instead of a mayo based dressing. In fact, it’s pretty much the same dressing that I had on yesterday’s salad… a bit of shallot, grapeseed oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. But this time I also added about 1/16th teaspoon of dried mustard and a few chili threads. Chili threads, if you haven’t seen them before, are amazing. They look quite a bit like saffron and pack a tiny little punch. A whole bag of them is only around $1, and that contains some crazy number of threads (somewhere around 2000 I’m guessing). I used about 5 in my egg salad.

The other thing you’ll probably notice here is the punch. I LOVE this punch and it’s one of the cheapest and simplest things you can make. It’s simply steeped dried hibiscus. You can set out a pitcher with the hibiscus petals in water and let it steep like you would sun tea (or, you can put the kettle on and start it off with hot water). If you like it sweetened, you can add a bit of sugar and lime like Matt does, but also I like it just as it is. It reminds me a bit of cranberry juice and is a lovely way to take a break from water.

My dinner plans tonight are still up in the air… but I did manage to find a lovely piece of Tilapia for a little less than $2 and I’m thinking about that with a simple risotto.

For those curious, here’s my running total so far:

Monday $7.12 Total
Macchiato $0.19
Bread (for the day) $0.72
Salad $2.19
Dressing $0.73
Apple $0.75
Polenta $0.71
Parsnips $0.75
Roast Chicken $1.08

Tuesday $2.44 Total
Macchiato $0.19
Bread (for the day) $0.72
Egg salad $1.23
Hibiscus Punch $0.30

I’ve now made this dish twice this week. The first time, it was just ok. Following the recipe, I made a thin layer of pasta in a casserole dish, hoping for more crispness than richness, and topped it with some lovely fried shallot. I may have skimped a bit too much on the cream, and the result was tasty but a bit more crunchy than I think was intended. As Cole nibbled away on hers (going back for seconds), I could hear every crackly bite.

This morning, I had a brain storm. What if, instead of baking the gratin flat, I made little rounds in a muffin tin. Each round would be surrounded in crispness, and be a bit easier to manage than the flat squares. And this time, I’d make sure there was enough creamy goodness in each little bite-sized gratin. The result? Heavenly. Topped off with a bit of freshly made chervil gremolata or pesto (thanks Twitterverse for the chervil pesto ideas!), these are a perfect little late winter, early spring treat.

Of course, now I have all sorts of other ideas for these little pasta nests. How about topping them with little fried quails eggs and crisp pancetta? Or, maybe stuffing each one with a little hidden chunk of Camembert?

Capellini Gratin

Frank Stitt’s recipe was simply seasoned with salt & pepper… I can’t resist adding nutmeg to any gratin, and a little piment d’esplette gives just the tiniest bit of zing.

1 lb capellini
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano or Peccorino
1/2 t freshly ground nutmeg
a pinch of piment d’esplette (or paprika)
sea salt
black pepper
butter

Lightly butter your baking dish of choice, and preheat the oven to 425F.

Cook the capellini according to the package directions until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, stir together a slurry of the cream, half of the grated cheese, and the spices. Using a pasta spoon, scoop the pasta out of the water and into the cream mixture. Stir well to coat each strand… if it seems too dry, add it a bit of the pasta water. Let it sit for a couple of minutes.

Transfer the pasta to your baking dish. If you are using a muffin tin, fill each almost to the top with spirals of bunches of pasta. If you are using a baking sheet, just spread evenly. Now, if you still have some liquid in the bowl, pour enough on so you can just see it starting to show through the top layer of pasta. If you are out of liquid, get a bit more cream, and top it off. If you want a crunchier pasta, don’t fill it quite as high. Then, top off with the rest of the grated cheese.

Bake until the top is golden and bubbly. Let the gratin cool for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up before serving. Garnish with fresh herbs, fried shallots, or a little pesto. Yum!

]]> http://www.laraferroni.com/2009/03/04/capellini-gratin/feed/ 0 http://www.laraferroni.com/2008/10/07/manfricoli-all-amatriciana/ http://www.laraferroni.com/2008/10/07/manfricoli-all-amatriciana/#comments Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:46 +0000 L http://cookandeat.com/?p=783 yum to oh, wow.]]> At least one of you guessed what my new favorite ingredient is. It’s the thing that makes matriciana (aka a’matriciana) go from yum to oh, wow. I think I’m probably the last one to find this out. Mario Batali even has a great recipe up on his website that includes it. But, for some reason, I always thought that matriciana was made with thickly cut pancetta. It turns out, it really should be made with guanciale. Guanciale is the dried meat that comes from pigs jowl rather than its belly. It’s meatier, saltier and I think that it holds up better in the sauce, becoming just a tiny bit gelatenous, but in a very pleasing way… sort of like perfectly cooked pasta has a bite to it.

Matriciana

This particular recipe originates from a taverna in Rome, Renato e Luisa, via the Gambero Rozzo (the Slow Food guy apparently, I’ve learned not the Slow Food guy, Gambero Rosso, although the name is deceptively similar.) cookbook that I picked up in Italy. The cookbook is all in Italian, and my Italian translation skills are pretty minimal (or non existant without babelfish), but I’ve managed to do a rough translation of the recipe.

There seems to be some controversy over the origins of the dish as well. Many claim that it is is from a small town in Lazio, Amatrice, which would certainly make sense. However, others also claim the sauce is Roman (onions seem to be the dividing factor there…), citing that the word has its root in words from matraccio (a vessel to hold tomatoes), matriarcato (matricarchy) or even that the word matrice (matrix) was used to mean pig jowl. The one thing that everyone agrees on? Use guanciale.

The traditional pasta used in Matriciana is bucatini, a slightly thick version of spaghetti. However, when we were in Umbria, we used the local, freshly made manfricoli (see below), which worked beautifully. The noodles are square, more like a thick linguini rather than rounded like spaghetti. When choosing a pasta for this dish, do try to find a thicker pasta or the sauce will overwhelm the noodles instead of creating the perfect “marriage.”

500 g pasta
500 g peeled tomatoes
30 g red onions
1 clove garlic
300 g guanciale, cut into lardon
100 g pecorino, grated
50 g parmesan, grated
extra virgin olive oil
crushed red pepper
salt

Place a large pot of water on the stovetop to boil. While that is heating, lightly fry the guanciale with a little olive oil and a whole clove of garlic. Add the red onions, and cook until the guanciale has released its fat. When it is well browned, add the crushed red pepper and the tomato sauce. Lower the heat and cook very slowly, letting the color of the tomato change from red nearly orange. Then, add the grated pecorino. Remove the pan from the heat, and take out the clove of garlic. Taste the sauce, and season with salt as needed. It is important to taste because the amount of salt in the guanciale can vary greatly, and you don’t want an over-salted sauce.

Add salt to the now boiling water, and add your pasta, stirring to prevent sticking. Cook until the pasta has softened, but is still al dente, or firm to the tooth, and then drain. Place the warm pasta in a large serving bowl. Slowly pour in the sauce and stir together to lightly coat the pasta (you may not use all your sauce). Lightly dust with grated parmesan, some fresh basil leaves and a thread of olive oil to serve.

Manfricoli

Manfricoli is a pasta by many names. You may find it referred to as umbrichetti, cordelle, ciriole, strangozzi, or my favorite, strozzapreti (priest strangler). The noodles look like thick, slightly rough, squared spaghetti. The pasta can be made with our without eggs (sometimes called manfricoli bianco), a sign of the relative lack of affluence in Umbria. These days, making the pasta without eggs is a symbol of pride… the pasta tastes just as delicious to me without them, particularly when paired with the matriciana sauce.

Finding a recipe for the homemade pasta is tricky. Some use semolina, some don’t. Some add salt, others leave it out. How long you knead it always seems to come down to “when it is done.” One thing is certain… you’ll need to find some Italian “00″ flour if you want to come close to the texture of real Italian pasta. You can find it at Italian specialty shops, or online here, here and here.

I’ve found with a bit of experimenting, I’ve developed a recipe that I like. It’s not quite as beautiful as the stuff from the pasta fresca shop in Narni we could pick up for just a couple of euro, but it will do.

350 g “00″ flour
150 g all purpose flour
1 t salt
water
semolina flour for dusting

Stir together the flours and salt into a large mixing bowl. If you have a mixer with a dough attachment, you can use that bowl. If not, make sure the bowl is large enough to really move the dough around in. Make a well in the center of the flour, building up the sides just a bit. Add about a ½ cup of lukewarm water, and lightly stir with a fork, pulling just a little flour at a time in. When that has become a paste surrounded by more flour, add a bit more water, about ¼ cup at a time, continuing to stir with the fork, until about half of the flour has been incorporated. Then, either using your hands or using the mixer, pull in the rest of the flour, to form a dough ball. If the dough seems too dry, add a bit more water (while continuing to knead) at about 1 tablespoon at a time. If it seems too sticky, add more all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Keep kneading until the dough has become soft and smooth. It should not be sticky… it should feel like soft skin. I find that even with the mixer, I like to hand knead the dough near the end to make sure I have the right consistency. Cover and let rest for about an hour.

Cut off small rounds, and run through a pasta machine, starting on the widest setting. Run the dough through once, fold it in half, and then run it through again, seam side down at the same thickness setting. Repeat this process on the widest setting until the dough seems fairly workable, and it is getting squared off. Then, narrow the setting on your machine, and run it through again twice without folding. Narrow one more time, and run it through one last time. Place the dough sheet on a floured surface and proceed with the next piece of dough.

To cut the manfricoli, you can either cut each piece by hand, or use the spaghetti cutter on the pasta machine. The pieces should be fairly narrow, so that they become almost square. Dust the cut pieces in semolina flour to help keep them separated and try not to pile them on top of each other. If they clump some, don’t worry about it too much… they should separate when boiled with the salt water. It’s best to use the pasta within 30 minutes of cutting it.

It was just over two years ago that I first experienced one of Matt Costello’s seasonal dinners. Matt is the General Manager of The Inn, but most people know more about his kitchen prowess. The Inn does 3 (sometimes 4) single seating, prix fixe dinners a week. Everyone sits down and eats the same thing (dietary restrictions of course are respected) at the same time. Matt starts each dinner with a brief introduction about the area, the producers, and which seasonal ingredients went into the nights courses… sometimes including things he’s foraged himself or that are brought in from the herb garden.

Then, the work begins. The open kitchen gives all the diners a chance to see all the action while dinner is prepared.

There’s never a pause in the work, but somehow the atmosphere remains calm. And, well, it’s easy to get distracted away from the busyness as the plates arrive at the table. Each dish starts as a visual treat, which quickly turns to so much more. Your spoon brings a translucent corn broth or an icy fresh strawberry sorbet to your mouth, and the flavors unravel. Words simply can’t do it justice… so here are a few more shots to help you see what I mean.

Could anything be more stunning than that crystal clear corn broth with fresh Dungeness crab and sage blossoms? Well, maybe these:

The meal is reason enough to visit The Inn, but then, so are the tranquil waterfront and forest views.

So, a big thank you to Nathan and Matt for such an enjoyable visit, and the universe for bringing such good fortune my way. Hope you all enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed my weekend!