Red Snapper Livornese and Lamb Chops Scottadito

I started The Italian Chef website in 1999 and Red Snapper Livornese was one of the first recipes I posted. Occasionally, I like to revisit some of the older recipes from the archives, and since this wonderfully pungent dish from Livorno on the coast of Tuscany is the main course for my Christmas Eve fish dinner every year, this is the perfect time to bring it front and center. We spend Christmas Eve with my wife, Sandy’s family. They are Portuguese and their tradition is to have octopus, something I can’t eat due to allergies. So, my first Christmas Eve dinner at my mother in-laws, I made a platter of Snapper Livornese to serve alongside the octopus. It was a big hit, and is now expected of me and we have been enjoying this hybrid Portuguese/Italian Christmas Eve fish dinner ever since.
This dish could also be one component in a traditional Feast of The Seven Fishes blowout, if you want some more ideas to go along with it, please check out my cousin Sal’s Christmas Eve Dinner menu.

Red Snapper Livornese Recipe

Serves 4
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
12 gaetta olives, pitted and chopped
2 tablespoons capers

4 Red Snapper fillets         
1 cup marinara sauce
1 cup dry white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan large enough to hold the snapper fillets, over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the olives and capers and continue cooking until onion is translucent 3-5 minutes.
3. Lay the red snapper fillets skin side down in the pan, and add the marinara sauce and white wine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and place the pan in the oven.
4. Bake in the oven until fish is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Using a spatula, carefully transfer fish to serving plates, spoon sauce over fish and serve.

Lamb Chops Scottadito

In Italian the word scottadito means burned fingers. This dish is named scottadito because the lamb chops are so delicious that you can’t resist eating them sizzling hot, straight from the grill and burning your fingers.
Serves 4

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil          
salt and pepper to taste
12 rib lamb chops

1. In a small bowl stir together the garlic, rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the lamb chops in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over them, turn the cops to coat both sides. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
   
2. Start a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill. Place the chops on the rack over high heat and grill turning once, 5 minutes per side for medium rare. The outside will be well seared with the insides still pink.
   
3. Transfer to a warm platter and serve immediately.
   

 

Lobster Ravioli Recipe and Roasted Rabbit with Sausage and Potatoes

• Dishes: Ravioli
• Ingredients: Egg, Garlic, Black Pepper, Salt, Butter, Flour, Lobster Meat, Egg White, Ricotta Cheese
• Meal Ideas: Holiday Cooking, Gourmet Cooking, Healthy Cooking
• Cooking Method: Boiling, Sauteing
• Courses: Main Course, Dinner, Lunch
• Cooking Styles: Make-Ahead Meals, Homemade
• Holidays: New Year, 4th Of July
• Seasons: All Seasons
• Occasions: Dinner Party, Wedding, Birthday Party

Ingredients

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 38 oz.(1064g.) cooked lobster meat
• 4 oz.(112g.) butter  
• 4 oz.(112g.) ricotta cheese
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 egg whites
• Salt and pepper to taste 

How to make Lobster Ravioli directions

• 1 Melt butter in a large sauté pan. Add garlic to the pan and sauté for 1 minute. Add lobster to the pan and sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and let it cool for 30 minutes. Chop the lobster mixture into small chunks.
  
• 2 Combine the lobster mixture and ricotta cheese in a large bowl. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
  
• 3 Place flour, 3 eggs, salt, and water in a mixing bowl and mix until all the ingredients are blended. Put the mixture on a countertop and knead until it is well mixed and the texture of the mixture is smooth. Separate pasta dough into 2 equal pieces and place one piece aside. Flour the first piece of dough enough to prevent the dough from sticking and roll it with a rolling pin into a 1/8th to 1 inch thick sheet. Repeat the process with the second piece, keeping it as close to the shape as the first.
  
• 4 Place the first piece of dough on the table and put on top 1/4 to 1 oz. mounds of stuffing 2 inches apart. Brush egg white around each bit of stuffing with a pastry brush, making the dough damp. Cover with the second piece of dough with the stuffing. Press the edges around each of the ravioli. Be careful not to squeeze any of the stuffing out of the ravioli. With a round ravioli cutter, cut each piece of ravioli. Place each on a surface that has been dusted with flour.
  
• 5 Place the ravioli into salted water that is boiling and cook them until they float to the surface.
  
  
  

   

   

   

   

  Roasted Rabbit with Sausage and Potatoes

   

  I thought about calling this rustic dish Coniglio alla Contadina, which would loosely be translated to Farmer’s Style Rabbit. Especially, because I used my own homemade sausage and home cured bacon, when I made it, as I imagine would be done on a farm in the Italian countryside.

  Rabbit is a lot more common on the menu in Italy than it is in America, because many people here don’t want to eat the cute little “Easter Bunny”. However, attitudes here are changing, more people are appreciating it and it is appearing on more menus. Of course, if you don’t want to do rabbit or can’t find it, this recipe works very well with chicken also.

  What are your feelings on rabbit? Do you eat it? Would you eat it? Please share in the comments.

  Roasted Rabbit with Sausage and Potatoes

  Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 1 hour | Total time: 1 hour and 15 min

  Serves 4

  

  1 pound yukon gold potatoes peeled and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
  1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
  1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
  3 cloves garlic, smashed
  8 ounces pancetta, diced
  4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  1/2 cup white wine
  1 3-4 pound rabbit cut into serving pieces
  1 pound italian sausage
  salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 400° F. In large bowl, toss together the potatoes, rosemary, thyme, garlic, pancetta and two tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt & pepper. Transfer into a roasting pan, pour in the white wine and place in the oven. Cook the potatoes by themselves for 40 minutes.
  2. While the potatoes are cooking, season the rabbit with salt & pepper, and heat the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the rabbit, brown on all sides and transfer to a plate. When done browning the rabbit, do the same with the sausage, then cut the sausage into one inch pieces.
  3. After the potatoes have been cooking for 40 minutes, add the browned rabbit and sausage to the pan and cook for 20 more minutes, until potatoes are tender. Transfer to warm serving plates and serve.
  
  
  
  

Short Rib Ragu

A ragu is a slow cooked meat based sauce, and there as many variations as there are regions in Italy. I have posted a couple of versions of Ragu alla Bolognese in the past, but strangely enough I have never featured a Southern Italian ragu. This is especially perplexing, considering I am Sicilian, and grew up having this type of meal on Sundays. Ragus from the south are usually made by cooking large pieces of beef and/or pork in sauce for hours until tender. Then the sauce is spooned over pasta for the primo or first course in a meal, and the meat is served separately as the main course.You can put beef and pork ribs, sausage and even meatballs in, but I decide to keep mine simple and just make a nice beef short rib ragu, with some diced pancetta thrown in to add a little pork flavor.
Finally, while I said the meat is usually served as a separate course, you can also opt to pull it off the bone, shred it up and mix it back in with the sauce, if you are just looking to make pasta with a hearty sauce. Enjoy!

Short Rib Ragu Recipe

Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 3 hours | Total time: 3 hours and 15 min
Serves 4-6

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped fine
1 stalk celerey, chopped fine
1 carrot, chopped fine
4 ounces pancetta, diced
4 pounds beef short ribs, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 35-ounce cans imported Italian peeled tomatoes 
1 cup beef broth
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 leaves of basil, chopped
1 pound mezze rigatoni
freshly ground ricotta salata cheese for serving

1. In a large deep sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery, cook stirring occasionally until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the short ribs and pancetta and brown the ribs on all sides.
3. Crush the tomatoes with your hands, and add to the pot. Then add the beef broth, season with salt and pepper to taste, and let simmer, stirring occasionally for 2-1/2 hours. Add the chopped basil in for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
4. Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil, add the mezze rigatoni and cook until al dente. Toss the pasta with some of the sauce, sprinkle with grated ricotta salata cheese and serve as first course. Transfer the ribs from the sauce to a serving platter and serve as the second course.

RISOTTO

MAKING A GOOD RISOTTO is rather like riding a bicycle: It takes a little bit of practice to begin with, and a certain amount of concentration thereafter. Risotti are also very sensitive to timing, and this is why what is served in a restaurant (no matter how good it is) will rarely display that rich texture and just-right doneness that a good home-made risotto will.
When buying rice to make a risotto, choose either round or semi-round rice; the best rice for making risotti is Arborio. Long grained rice such as Patna won't do, because the grains will stay separate. Nor should you use minute rice -- it won't absorb the condiments, and again the grains will remain separate.
Almost all risotti are made following the same basic procedure, with minor variations: Begin by mincing a small volume of onion and whatever other herbs the recipe calls for. Sauté the mixture in abundant olive oil, then stir in the rice and sauté it too for a few minutes, stirring vigorously to keep it from sticking. When the rice turns translucent stir in a ladle of simmering broth; stir in the next before all the liquid is absorbed, because if the grains get too dry they will flake. Continue cooking, stirring and adding broth as the rice absorbs it, until the rice barely reaches the al dente stage (if you want your risotto firm, time your additions of broth so that the rice will finish absorbing the broth when it reaches this stage; if you want it softer, time the additions so there will still be some liquid left).
At this point stir in a tablespoon of butter and the grated cheese (if the recipe calls for it), cover the risotto, and turn off the flame. Let it sit, covered, for two to three minutes, and serve.
If you want a richer risotto, stir in a scant quarter cup of heavy cream in addition to the butter. Risotto that has had cream stirred into it is called mantecato, and is remarkably smooth.
To close, two recipes from a compilation of first course dishes my husband and I are working on.
Risotto agli asparagi
(Risotto with Asparagus)
This is especially good in June, when asparagus is at its freshest.
1 pound asparagus
1/2 a small onion, finely sliced
1 1/2 cups rice
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, or: 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil + 2 tablespoons butter
1 cup grated Parmigiano
The water the asparagus was cooked in, topped off with enough broth or watery bullion to make 1 quart, simmering
Salt and white pepper
Clean and boil the asparagus for a few minutes, or until a fork easily penetrates the tip of a spear. Use tongs to remove the asparagus from the water. Trim the tips from the stalks and set them aside. Cut the remaining green part of the stalks into one-inch lengths and set them aside too. Return the white ends of the stocks to the pot, along with the broth or bullion.
Sauté the onion in half the butter or the oil, and when it's translucent, stir in the rice. Once the grains have turned translucent, add the one-inch lengths of green asparagus stem to the rice, and begin stirring in the liquid, a ladle full at a time. Should a white stem find its way into the pot, remove it. Continue adding liquid, and when the rice is almost done, stir in half the reserved tips. Check seasoning and continue cooking the rice till it's al dente. Turn off the heat and stir in the remaining butter and half the grated cheese. Let the risotto stand covered for two minutes, then transfer it to a serving dish and garnish it with the remaining tips. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over it and serve.
Serves four to six.


Risotto coi gamberetti
(Risotto with Small Shrimp)

3/4 pound fresh or frozen shrimp
1 1/2 cups rice
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, minced
2 leaves of laurel
1 rib of celery                                                                          
1 garlic clove
1 vegetable boullion cube
1 quart water
1/2 cup dry white wine, or a sprinkling of vodka
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
1/2 cup boiled peas (optional)
Set the water to boil with the celery, garlic, laurel, and a pinch of salt. Meanwhile, wash the shrimp well in cold running water. Add the shrimp to the stock and bring to a boil; let cook for two minutes (if you have to use canned shrimp, add just their liquid to the broth).
Strain out the shrimp, reserving the liquid. As soon as the shrimp have cooled, peel them and return the shells to the pot. Let them boil for about fifteen minutes, then strain the broth and return it to the fire, adding the vegetable boullion.
Sauté the onion in half the butter. As soon as the onion's a golden translucent color, add the rice and sauté it for a few minutes while stirring briskly. Add the wine and continue stirring until it evaporates, then begin adding the hot broth, a ladle at a time. Continue adding broth till the rice is half cooked, then stir in the shrimp and finish cooking it, adding broth as necessary, and stirring carefully not to break the shrimp. The risotto is done when the rice is al dente. Check seasoning, cover the risotto for two minutes, and serve.
Note: If you want a richer risotto, stir in a half a cup of cream just before you let it sit. Or, if peas are in season and you like them, boil a half cup separately, and stir them in just before the risotto's done.
Serves four to six.

Italian dressing Chicken

Ingredients :

4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
1 cup Italian salad dressing
1 tbsp of Parmesan cheese (shredded)
1 tbsp of Mozzarella cheese (shredded)
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp of fresh parsley (minced)

Directions:

Place chicken in the Italian dressing and marinate for at least an hour. Take a baking dish 9 by 13 and place marinated chicken with some olive oil.

At the end sprinkle with Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese and add salt and pepper if desired. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F and bake covered for about 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes take of the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Decorate it with fresh parsley.

Almond Muffins

It is hard to believe that in less than two months we’ll be packing up to head back to Umbria for the 2012 season but now that we have booked our flights and started to sort things we want to pack to take with us, it is a reality that is quickly approaching. One chore that I need to accomplish every year before we close up and head to Umbria is to empty out our freezer and pantry. Somehow I ended up with three packages of almond paste after Christmas that didn’t get used as planned, so I pulled out one package today to make these muffins.

The muffins are moist and rich with a subtle almond flavor and I added some sliced almonds on top before baking. The muffins turned out delicious, but after tasting them I think fresh raspberries folded into the batter before baking would be a great idea as well. When we are in Umbria, I bake casual rustic desserts like these muffins throughout the week for our farmhouse guests so I will be working on some new recipes like this one to take back with us over the next month or two. I really liked these muffins and will certainly make them again, but I will add either raspberries or blueberries to the batter next time so I’m including that option into the recipe.

Almond paste adds a subtle almond flavor while yogurt helps to keep these muffins moist and delicious.

Ingredients:

2 Cups All-purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 (7 Ounce) Almond Paste
1 Tablespoon Grated Lemon Zest
1 Teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia (Or 1/2 Teaspoon Lemon & 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extracts)
1/2 Stick or 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted
1 Cup Greek Yogurt (I Used Fat Free Fage Brand)
1 Large Egg
Optional:
1 Heaping Cup Raspberries or Blueberries
Spoon the batter
Topping:
Slivered Almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Lightly grease 12 medium or 9 count large muffin tin or line with muffin papers.
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in one bowl.
Use a box grater to grate the almond paste into the flour mixture, then use your finger tips to work it through.
In a separate bowl, beat together the butter, yogurt, and egg until well blended.
Add the dry ingredients and mix together just until mixed. (If adding berries, add at this time)
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and sprinkle the top with the slivered almonds.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until light golden brown and set.
Cool to room temperature before serving.

Fettuccine Bolognese (Italy)

Necessary ingredients for 4 servings:

300 g egg fettuccine
250 grams of minced meat
100 gr champignon mushrooms (canned), sliced ​​thin
50 cc of water
1 (390 g) bottle of pasta sauce (no meat or mushrooms), ready to use
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon oregano
Salt, pepper, and cheese to taste to taste permesan
How To Make:

Heat the olive oil (1 tablespoon) and vegetable oil, put onion, and garlic until fragrant.
Insert the meat, stir until it changes color. Pour the tomato paste,pasta sauce, and water, stirring for 5 minutes.
Add salt, pepper and oregano. Finally enter the mushrooms andbasil leaves. Stir well and remove from heat.
Boil the fettuccine until cooked, remove and drain. Add twotablespoons of olive oil, to prevent sticking, clumping and sticking.
Place fettuccine in a rather flat container, pour the seasoning orsauce Bolognese. Serve with parmesan cheese.Fettucine Smoke Meat (Italian) 

ingredients:

1 pack (500 grams) Fetuccine, cook as directed, drain and set aside
1 pack (250 grams) of bacon, sliced ​​/ cross / to taste
1 carton (1,000 cc) of liquid milk
1 onion or 2 large onion medium, sliced ​​thin / to taste
1 pack (250 grams) cheddar cheese, grated
Knorr soup cream pack (recommendation: cream of chicken soup /mushroom / corn), dilute with a little water / milk
block Maggi chicken flavor / meat
tbsp vegetable oil / olive oil
salt / pepper

How to Make:

Fetuccine cook as directed (boiled in water a lot, give vegetable oil / cooking salt + few, + 12 minutes, drain and set aside)
Clean the pan used to boil fetuccine, put vegetable oil, onion, sauteuntil fragrant,
Masukkandagingasap, milk, krimsup, Maggi, salt, pepper and cook until thickened, put grated cheese (reserving a little for topping) and stir well
Enter fetuccine, stir, let the rest of the grated cheese.
Serve for 6 s / d 8 people

Gnocchi

Ingredients

• 3 pounds russet potatoes
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg, extra large
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 cup canola oil

Directions

Boil the whole potatoes until they are soft (about 45 minutes). While still warm, peel and pass through vegetable mill onto clean pasta board.

Set 6 quarts of water to boil in a large spaghetti pot. Set up ice bath with 6 cups ice and 6 cups water near boiling water.

Make well in center of potatoes and sprinkle all over with flour, using all the flour. Place egg and salt in center of well and using a fork, stir into flour and potatoes, just like making normal pasta. Once egg is mixed in, bring dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed. Knead gently another 4 minutes until ball is dry to touch.

Roll baseball-sized ball of dough into 3/4-inch diameter dowels and cut dowels into 1-inch long pieces. Flick pieces off of fork or concave side of cheese grater until dowel is finished. Drop these pieces into boiling water and cook until they float (about 1 minute). Meanwhile, continue with remaining dough, forming dowels, cutting into 1-inch pieces and flicking off of fork. As gnocchi float to top of boiling water, remove them to ice bath. Continue until all have been cooled off. Let sit several minutes in bath and drainfrom ice and water. Toss with 1/2 cup canola oil and store covered in refrigerator up to 48 hours until ready to serve.