photo credit: VirtualErn

Beef braised with Italian red wine – Stracotto al Barolo – is one of my favorite comfort foods!  This Piemontese Pot Roast is cooked in Barolo red wine.  Barolo is sometimes referred to as the king of wines, for its rich flavor and wonderful aroma.  Barolo had admirers throughout Europe as early as the 1700′s.  If you can’t find Barolo, Chianti makes a fine substitute.

Although this is “only pot roast”, with Italian bread and a crisp, green salad, this is most certainly company fare.  I prefer to use chuck for this recipe for the best flavor, but you could also use eye of round or rump roast.  You want about four pounds for this recipe.

Rub the been all over with salt and pepper.  Sliver up a few garlic cloves and put these into little slits that you cut into the meat.  Cover a skillet with olive oil and brown the meat VERY WELL over fairly high heat.

You now want to place the meat in a pot that is just big enough to contain the meat.  In that, put 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.  In this you will saute 3 tablespoons each of chopped red onion, carrot and celery and a minced garlic clove until the vegetables soften.  Add a little of your red wine to deglaze the pan, and put the meat back in.  Add the remainder of your bottle of wine and 4 ounces of chopped canned tomatoes.  Boil for one minute and remove from heat.

Cover tightly and place on the middle rack of a 350 degree oven and braise for about 2 1/2 hours – turning and basting every half hour or so.

When your beef with Italian red wine is fork tender, remove it to a cutting board.  If your sauce needs thickening, boil it up a bit until it thickens.  Adjust for salt and pepper and slice the meat.

It looks especially nice if you overlap the slices on a platter and then pour the sauce over the top.

Your guests will be thrilled with Italian Stracotto al Barolo!
Mangia Bene!

photo credit: Maggie Hoffman

Cioppino with Italian rustic bread is a meal fit for a king!  I remember the first time I had it.  We were literally sitting in the Pacific Ocean off of San Luis Obispo, California.  We had to drive our car out onto the pier and park.  The meal was one of the best I’ve ever had – especially with their homemade crusty San Francisco sourdough bread.

Gourmet Italian Cioppino is a fish soup made with spices, tomatoes and red wine.  It is believed that the dish was created in San Francisco in the 1930′s – most likely by Northern Italian immigrants from Genoa.  Since crab is so prevalent in that area, it is usually found in traditional Italian cioppino recipes.  Back in Genoa, they would use whatever fish was nice and fresh that day.  The name comes from a Genovese word for fish stew – ciuppin.

If you want to entertain with Italian Cioppino, saute a choped onion with 3 cloves of minced garlic in 1/4 cup of olive oil.  Stir in 28 ounces of canned tomatoes, 15 ounces of tomato sauce, a cup of dry red wine, a cup of water. 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 2 bay leaves and 2 teaspoons of Italian herbs.  Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 40 minutes.

While this is going on, clean your fish.  You’ll want a dozen clams, a dozen mussels, 1 1/2 pounds of firm white fish cut into chunks, a pound of shrimp and a pound of crab – cut in pieces.

Place all of the fish in a large kettle with the clams and mussels on top.  Pour the sauce over everything.  Cover tightly and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.  You are not ready to please your guests with Italian Cioppino!  Don’t forget the crusty sourdough bread! 

Watch the head chef from Red Lobster make a Lobster Cioppino here! Yum!  Notice Chef LaDuke refers to this as a Portuguese dish.  I’m not sure where he got that idea, as none of the research supports that – but it sure looks delicious, doesn’t it?

Mangia Bene!

photo credit: Wolfiewolf

The technique of cooking rice with Italian Risotto technique began with Italian cooks way back in the 14th century.  Until recently, Risotto was a misunderstood dish.  Many people thought it was the same thing as “Rice Pilaf”.  Others thought it was just rice that was “fancied up” with some broth and seasonings.  Many restaurants that do offer risotto don’t do a TRUE risotto.  They make rice pilaf ahead of time and give it a sort of risotto treatment before serving.

Risotto usually has an ingredient added – which can be anything from shellfish to sausages to vegetables to cheese.  The possibilities are limitless.  Parmesan is one of my favorites!   However, with Italian risotto of any sort, there is only one true technique.

First of all, it is worth it to go out of your way to get the perfect rice for this gourmet Italian delight.  Arborio is a large grain superfino rice that is preferred because of its ability to absorb liquid without getting overcooked.  The objective of the risotto technique is to cause the rice to absorb, little by little, enough of the hot broth until it swells up and forms a lovely, creamy union of tender, yet firm grains.  It is important that you DO NOT RINSE the rice!  It is the starch that helps the rice retain its traditional shape.

Cooking with Italian risotto technique is a bit time consuming, but the final result is well worth it.  Start by sauteing some chopped onion or shallots in a pan with a little butter and olive oil.  Then add your rice and saute for an additional two minutes.  Stir well to coat all the grains with the butter and oil.

Now start adding your simmering broth – 1/2 cup at a time – cooking until the rice absorbs the broth.  When the rice dried out, add another 1/2 cup of broth and continue cooking and stirring.  Be3 sure that you keep any rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan while you are stirring.  Do not bee tempted to just “drown” the rice with broth.  You are not making boiled rice.

Be sure to keep your heat at medium temperature.  If your flame is too hot, the rice will be chalky inside.  If the flame is too low, the rice will become gluey. Yuck!

Your risotto should take about 30 minutes and the final rice will be creamily bound together and neither dry nor runny.  Impress your guests with Italian risotto at your next dinner party!

Watch Chef Paolo – Senior chef of Olive Garden – make shrimp and asparagus risotto!

Fabuloso!