Love that Risotto

If only stirring risotto was always this much fun. The photo above is one of Capri Flavors Chef Titina's favorites. It shows the perfect cooking class moment--wine, food and love.

But how often can we cook like this at home? On Friday, Chef Titina broke from the recipe and gave her class a hurry up tip for risotto. After stirring in all the stock and bringing the rice back to a simmer, they covered the pot and put it in a 450 degree oven. 20 minutes later, the risotto was done and ready for the final additions. The results were delicious, and the risotto makers got to relax.

And while the mushrooms were great with the pork and fennel on the menu (below), feel free to stream line with easier additions. Peas and cheese are great.

Just remember--if you're having a lot of fun stirring, by all means, stick with recipe. But if you have other things to do, pop it in the oven while you great the cheese or make a salad. You'll still have great risotto.

Risotto alla Milanese - Risotto with Mushrooms

1,1/3 cup dried wild mushrooms, preferably porcini
2 cups fresh cultivated mushrooms
Juice of 2 lemons
l/3 cup butter
2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsiey
4 cups beef or chicken stock, preferably home-made
2 Tbsp. olive oil
I small onion, finely chopped
2 cups medium-grain risotto rice, such as Arborio
2 cup dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Chopped parsley

Serves 3-4; Preparation: 45 minutes; CookingTime: 35 minutes;

Level of difficuty: Medium

Place the dried mushrooms in a small bowl with about 2 cups warrn
water. Soak for at least 40 minutes. Rinse the mushrooms thoroughly.
Filter the soaking water through a strainer lined with paper towels, and reserve. Wipe the
fresh mushrooms with a damp cloth, and slice finely. Place in a bowl and toss with the
lemon juice.

In a large heavy frying pan or casserole melt one third of the butter. Stir in the
fresh sliced mushrooms and cook over moderate heat until they give up their juices, and begin
to brown. Stir in the parsley, cook for 30 seconds more, and remove to a side dish. Place
the stock in a saucepan. Add the mushroom water, and simmer until needed. Heat another
third of the butter with the olive oil in the same pan the mushrooms were cooked in. Stir in
the onion, and cook until it is soft and golden. Add the rice, stirring for 1-2 minutes to coat
it with the oils. Add the soaked and sauted mushrooms, and mix well Pour in the wine,
raise the heat slightly, and cook until the wine evaporates.

At this point you can add all the hot stock, bring back to a simmer, cover and place in a 450 degreee oven for 20 minues or continue with the steps below.

Add one small ladleful of the hot stock. Over moderate heat cook until the stock is absorbed or evaporates, stirring the rice with a wooden spoon to prevent it from
sticking to the pan. Add a little more stock, and stir until the rice dries out again. Continue
stirring and adding the liquid a little at a time. Add salt and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring
and adding the liquid until the rice is aldente, or tender but still firm to the bite. The
total cooking time of the risotto is 20 minutes.

Both methods reume here: Remove the risotto pan from the heat. Stir
in the remaining butter, parsley, and the Parmesan or Roman. Grind in a little black pepper,
and taste again for salt. Allow the risotto to rest for 3-4 minutes before serving.

Here's the rest of Friday night's menu

Fiesole Menu

Risotto alla Milanese (Risotto with Mushrooms)

Maiale al Finocchio (Pork with Fennel)

Peperoni Saltati (Bell Pepper Saute)

Tiramisu (Classic Italian Dessert)

Fiesole Menu schedule Mondays : 8/17, 9/21, 10/20, 11/30

Fridays : 8/21, 9/25, 10/30, 12/4.

No Fear Eggplant

By the time Capri Flavors Chef Titina’s students arrive for the evening class, the eggplant has already been draining for hours. Eggplant is easy if you remember to start early in the day. A lot of cooks shy away from this beautiful vegetable because they’ve heard (or learned the hard way) that it can be bitter. Titina handles this by buying fresh, using it quickly and salting and draining or purging eggplant before she cooks it.

Think--slice it, salt it and walk away.

Not so hard and more than worth the trouble for this classic Italian taste.

This week, Titina is teaching students to fry eggplant with bell peppers and garlic, adding a chopped tomato near the end of cooking. Peperoni Saltati is a big hit on her Fiesole menu. (the pork with fennel is also delicious)

But when it comes to eggplant, the headliner is, of course, Eggplant Parmesan. Lots of students sign up just to learn the secrets of this dish that is so well know in America. Here’s Titina’s authentic recipe. Just don’t forget to slice, drain and walk away.

Melanzane alla Parmigiana
Eggplant Parmigian

Ingredients:
2 lbs eggplants
2 eggs, whisked
Oil, for frying
1 lb mozzarella sliced
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt
Fresh basil
Sciuè-Sciuè sauce (see following page for recipe)
1/2 lb asiago cheese

Serves 4; Preparation: 30 minutes; Cooking: 45 minutes; Level of Difficulty: Easy

Wash the eggplants. Cut into long slices about 1/2 inch wide, sprinkle with salt, and leave to drain for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce (Chiummezzana or Sciuè-Sciuè sauce).
Pat the sliced eggplant dry with paper towels. Coat in whisked eggs. Heat the oil in a large frying pan (non stick) add one layer of eggplant, and cook over low to moderate heat, turn and cook on the other side. Remove from the pan, and repeat with the remaining slices.
Preheat the oven to 380 degrees F. In a wide shallow baking pan spread a little tomato sauce in the bottom, cover with a layer of eggplant. Sprinkle with parmesan and cover with a layer of mozzarella and asiago, spoon on some tomato sauce and add the basil.
Repeat until all the ingredients are used up ending with a covering of tomato sauce and a sprinkling of parmesan on top.
Bake for about 45 minutes.

A Simple Classic-Gnocchi

Last week Titina's cooking class enjoyed making and eating delicious gnocchi in cream sauce. Don't feel bad if you've never heard of the dish. Gnocchi may have been around since Roman times in Italy, but it's not well known in America. Many of Titina's students are also new to these little potato dumplings and a little intimidated until they get their hands in the dough.

They soon learn--gnocchi is not difficult at all.

First thing to remember--the"G" is silent. Say, "no-key" just like you would say those two short words in the states.

Number two--gnocchi has only three ingredients: Potatoes, flour and salt. It's easier to make than pasta...no eggs or machine required...but treated much the same way. The gnocchi are dropped in boiling water, then sauced.

Like a lot of Italian classics, gnocchi relies on a simple recipe and time honored technique. So it's a real education to make it with Capri Flavors Chef Titina. Here's the link for her popular Gnocchi di Patate which she learned in the family restaurant on the beautiful Isle of Capri.

Calzones to die for

After a short summer break, Capri Flavors Chef Titina is back in kitchen with new menus and recipes that are new new to the cooking classes. Among them--delicious calzones which were a big hit with students this week.

Titina’s version of this Italian classic (titled: Bomboloni Capresi ) are remarkably tender. The filling is simple—fresh mozzarella cheese and ham—all topped with marinara sauce.

Titina’s calzone dough is not the common pizza dough (water, yeast and flour) calzone combination. She adds eggs and milk to the flour, the way her father taught her in the family restaurant on the island of Capri. (He learned the recipe from a chef in Cannes, France)

The calzones are fried…but you’d never know it. They are light, soft, brown and hold on to none of the oil. Again, Titina credits the eggs and milk in dough for the nice light texture.

If you’d like to sample Bomboloni Capresi check out the Capri Menu dates for Titina's classes. Also on the Capri menu another new dish that drew raves--Pollo alle Castagne or chicken and chestnuts. And keep an eye on Titina’s recipe file. Bomboloni Capresi will be coming soon. Right now, she's busy in the kitchen.