Rigatoni with Pinenuts, Raisins, Ricotta & Tomato

Years ago, when I was managing a well-known Melbourne café, I worked with a Aussie-Italian chef. This was one of the more unusual dishes she did for the menu. The chef who was responsible for this dish was of Sicilian descent and apparently the combination of flavours is common over there. Dried fruits, honey, pine nuts and ricotta are characteristic ingredients in Sicilian cuisine, and not just for the desserts! I think in my collection of regional Italian cookery books, I’ve got a recipe for pasta with cocoa and sugar, too.
I wouldn’t usually make a dish like this during winter, but the weather has been so unseasonably warm that I’ve been inspired to look ahead to the coming summer (as much as I dislike the heat). And besides, I love the weird and wonderful combination of the sweet honey and fruits with ricotta, tomato and crunchy pine nuts. I serve this pasta with a simple salad so as to not overwhelm the palate with too many flavours.

Components
200g rigatoni
½ brown onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Olive oil for sautéing and tossing the pasta
400g tinned Italian tomatoes, crushed
Fresh basil, oregano or parsley
I tablespoon honey
30g pine nuts, lightly browned.
30g raisins (or currants or sultanas)
Freshly grated Pecorino cheese
Ricotta, broken up into chunks
Sea salt
Black pepper

Process
Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until softened (about 10 minutes). Add the tomatoes and chosen herbs. Simmer for 20 minutes or until saucy. You may need to add water if the sauce becomes too thick. Depending on the flavour of the tomatoes, I sometimes add 1 tsp of sugar. Season with salt and pepper.
While the sauce is cooking, bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook your pasta until al dente.
Combine together the pine nuts, raisins and honey.
Warm the ricotta chunks in the tomato sauce for a few moments.
Toss the pasta with the sauce and ricotta. Stir through the pine nut and raisin mixture (you may like to use more or else). If you have are using fresh basil, toss through some of that too.
Serve straight away with freshly grated Pecorino cheese. Serves 2.

Taglierini al Pomodoro (Food of the Angels)

It would only be natural to follow up yesterdays post with a recipe for fresh ”taglierini”. There is so much drama written about making fresh pasta, but the simple truth is that it is easy and a child could do it. In fact I helped my grandmother do it every Sunday of my childhood. Perhaps that is why it is not daunting to me. But lets face it, you mix flour and eggs, knead for a few minutes and pass the dough through a machine that does all the hard work for you. Its not rocket science. A little time consuming, but worth the effort. My partner and I enjoy making fresh pasta together, and without trying to sound too corny, it is a bonding experience and gives us both a sense of satisfaction that only gorgeous food can provide.
There are many formulas for fresh pasta. Ideally you should use fine Italian “00” flour, which is milled especially for home made pasta. It is available from supermarkets and specialists food stores. (Tip- buy it from the supermarket, they charge half the price for exactly the same brand). Some recipes use whole eggs, while others egg yolk only. I have also seen recipes that use only egg whites. I have never tried the egg white only method, but I think I may as I currently have about 10,000 egg whites in the deep freeze!
My preferred formula is with egg yolks. I find it has a better flavour and texture, and looks a prettier shade of yellow (like blonde angels hair!).

Ingredients
200g fine Italian flour (Tipo “00”)
6 egg yolks (the absolute freshest and best eggs you can afford)

Method
Put the flour and egg yolks in a bowl. Mix until it comes together, to form a dough. If it seems a bit dry, add a bit of water. Or you can add more egg yolk. For this amount of flour, I have read you can add up to a total of 10 egg yolks. Obviously the more egg yolk you add the richer your pasta will be. And if it seems too sticky, add a bit more flour. Let your eyes and hands be the judge.
Knead the dough on a flat surface, until it is smooth, like a babies bottom (about 10 minutes) Wrap in cling film and allow to rest for 30 minutes in the fridge.
Remove the dough from the fridge. Cut it in half and keep the portion you are not using immediately wrapped in cling film to prevent it from drying out.
Clamp your pasta machine down to the bench and get someone to help you- one person can crank the handle and the other can feed the dough through the rollers.
Feed the dough through the thickest setting of the machine 10 times. Fold it into threes, each time, so it is easier to put through the machine. Add a bit of flour from time to time to prevent the dough from sticking.
Now you can reduce the machine settings and begin to thin out the dough. Don’t fold in threes this time though. You may need to cut the sheet in half as it gets longer and thinner, so it is easier to handle. I roll mine to the second last setting. Lay the pasta sheets on a well floured surface, and repeat the above rolling procedure with the remaining dough.
The pasta is ready to cut into “taglierini” once the edges have begun to dry a little. Trim the edges and ends of the dough with a sharp knife, so your pasta is nice and neat. Now feed it through the taglierini cutters (finer) or tagliatelle cutters (thicker). Roll the strands into little nests and leave them on a floured tea towel, until you are ready to cook.

Taglierini will only take 1 minute to cook in boiling water. Drain them and toss gently with butter and extra virgin olive. Serve this delicate pasta in a large serving dish dotted with tomato sugo and homemde ricotta . Sprinkle over basil leaves, parmagiano and black pepper. I like to keep all the elements whole and separate, rather than combined, so you can taste all the flavours individually and not mask the delicate nature of the fresh pasta. This is definitely food of the angels. This amount of pasta is enough for 2 people. The recipe can be easily multiplied.

Ricotta-esque

Cheeses making has always intrigued me. I find it fascinating that milk can be turned into a product of so many flavours and textures. So after reading a brief recipe somewhere (I can’t remember where) and watching an Australian/ Sicilian woman make cheeses on television I decided it was time to give it a try.
Ricotta is the simplest of cheeses and this recipe is very easy to do. The only thing involved is separating milk! And how many times in my life have I done that by mistake?
I have now done this recipe five times. It has been successful every time even though I have not been consistent with quantities and varieties of milk. I have experimented with cows milk, goats milk and with cream added in various proportion. The best results were with cows milk Adding cream (no more than half) will result in a very creamy cheese more like marscapone, but not as smooth. Cream or no cream, I have to admit that this cheese tastes far better than any ricotta I have purchased. Even better than the ’freshest’ ricotta available in any shop. And freshness is the whole point with ricotta. The homemade version is incredibly sweet and nutty, with all the flavour of fresh milk.
As long as I have the time, I will make my own ricotta from now on. I can’t wait to try it inside fresh ravioli. I love culinary moments like this. Beautiful food will never cease to amaze me.


Ingredients
2 litres of milk (cow or goat)
Lemon juice, strained through a fine sieve

Method
Bring the milk to the boil. Turn off the heat. Now begin to add the lemon juice. Add 1 tbsp to begin with. Stir the pot very briefly to mix the lemon through. Do not stir after this initial stage. Simply move the pot around gently, to assist the formation of the curds. If the curds are not forming, add more lemon and turn the heat to low. Watch it carefully and adjust accordingly. Once the curds have begun to form, turn the heat off. I leave it for about 15 minutes.
Pour gently into a colander lined with cheesecloth or a clean fine-meshed cloth, set over a bowl. Fold the cloth over the top surface of the cheese as well. I put a small plate with a light weight, to help release the whey and set the curd.
Place in the fridge and leave for 1-2 hours. From time to time drain the bowl of excess whey.
When the cheese has set, unmould the ricotta onto a plate. Your ricotta is ready to eat or use in whatever dish you choose. This amount will make a ricotta of approximately 700g.

Note: I realize that this recipe is not for true ricotta, but the result is so close, that I have taken liberty to call it so. Luckily there is no Appellation of Origin, otherwise I would be in trouble right now! It would be more correct to say that this is a ricotta style cheese.

Silverbeet, Ricotta & Currant Ravioli

I know Silverbeet is an old fashioned vegetable and probably considered boring by some, but I really like it and I cook it often.
It is cheap and plentiful, and is available from both greengrocers and supermarkets I like it better than spinach and I cook with it all year round. The natural season for silverbeet in Australia, is April through to November. But I do not really care for this because I use it all year round! Another reason I use this vegetable often, is the fact you get “two” vegetables- the leaves and the stalks (I will provide a recipe for the stalks soon).
There are many recipes from the Mediterranean repertoire which combine silverbeet and currants (or raisins) and so I thought this combination would work well as a filling for Ravioli. And it was very successful. The sweetness from the currants are not immediately apparent to the palate, but offer a slight fruitiness which works well with the silverbeet and ricotta.
Unlike most vegetables, which benefit from quick cooking, I think silverbeet tastes best from a longer cooking method.
I am only offering the recipe for the filling and the dressing for this dish, because I have written about ravioli in the past. For more instructions on how to assemble and cook the ravioli, refer to the Potato and Basil Ravioli recipe in my archives.

Ingredients:

For the filling
10 silverbeet leaves (some large, some small, that’s just the way it goes)
20g cultured butter
1 tbsp of cream (35% milk fat)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp of currants
Sea salt
Fresh black and white pepper
200g ricotta

For the Sage and Anchovy butter
50g cultured butter
4 fresh sage leaves
2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped (or more if you like anchovy. I live with someone who despises them, so I keep these to a minimum)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Method

For the filling:
Soak the leaves in plenty of water, to loosen any dirt.
Cut away all traces of the stalk, all the way up through the leaf. Reserve the stalks for another meal. Roughly chop the leaves.
Place them into a saucepan (with any water still clinging to the leaves).
Cook over a high heat, stirring often until the leaves have just wilted. This will only take a couple of minutes.
Remove the leaves and place in a strainer. Leave to drain and cool. A considerable amount of liquid should drain away.
When the leaves are cool, chop them as fine as you can by hand.
Melt the butter in the saucepan used previously, over a low heat.
Add the silverbeet, cream and currants. Cook gently like this for about 15- 20 minutes, until most of the moisture has evaporated. The silverbeet will lose the bright green shade and turn a darker, deeper green.
Add the garlic towards the end, along with salt and pepper. Transfer to a glass bowl.
When cool, crumble in the ricotta and combine well.
If the filling seems a bit dry, add a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Check the seasoning again. Pasta is bland, so make sure the filling is well salted.
Cover until ready to assemble your ravioli.

For the dressing:
Prepare this while you are poaching the ravioli.
Over a low heat, in a small saucepan melt together the butter, anchovy fillets and the sage. Do this until the butter is a very light golden brown and the anchovy has completely disappeared. The sage will add a subtle fragrance and the anchovy a mysterious background saltiness (in fact most palates will not pick up on the anchovy note)
Pour over the ravioli and serve with Parmesan cheese
Note- I have not mentioned my thoughts on butter before- I always use unsalted, cultured butter. Sometimes French, sometimes Australian. The French butter is white and creamy, the Australian not as creamy but still has a very good flavour. I honestly find the flavour of ordinary salted butter simply revolting. This nasty tasting butter will ruin any dish you use it in...

Calorie Counting...

This is another recipe in following with yesterday’s theme, “light and easy”. You see summer is just around the corner (despite the wintry Melbourne weather we have been experiencing) and I am afraid I may turn into a fat pig (or butter ball, as my partner calls me). Its time to lighten up with the diet and hit the gym…That’s enough of my weight issues, this is supposed to be a good food blog, and diet food rarely fits into that category. I suppose just like every other human being who enjoys their food, there are times when one needs to make a few changes to his diet. And that’s not a nice thought at all. Maybe I can run 20 kms every day so I can continue with my rich diet! The idea of exercising seems more appealing than giving up the foods I love. Anyway diet or no diet, here is an elegant dessert that is light on sugar but delicious nonetheless.

Strawberries and Ricotta

Ingredients
1 punnet of strawberries, washed and hulled
2 tsp honey (not honey from the supermarket. These are a poor quality. Try the healthfood store. They usually have a far better range)
2 tsp of balsamic vinegar
Ricotta

Method

The most important aspect of this dessert is the Ricotta. It must be super fresh. Buy from an Italian deli or a cheese shop. Get them to cut it for you in one big hunk. Ricotta is delicious when really fresh, and just plain boring when not so fresh. Let your eyes guide you when buying, its easy to tell if it is fresh or not. The fresh stuff will look glossier and firmer. Ricotta that has sat for a week will look a little dry and a bit sunken. If you cannot find fresh ricotta don’t bother with this. And please do not use ricotta from tubs, at the supermarket.
Mix together in a small bowl the balsamic and honey.
Pour over the strawberries and mix lightly. Leave to macerate for 15 minutes.
Serve the strawberries tumbled over the ricotta.
I serve one punnet of strawberries per 2 people.