Parmigiano-Reggiano | Linda's Italian Table

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Filed Under: On the Patio, Pasta · Tagged With: bowtie pasta, Farfalle, fresh mint, Italian, Lamb, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Ricotta Salata, Rosemary

PIZZA ON THE GRILL

May 23, 2011 by Linda 11 Comments

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GRILLED PIZZA MARGHERITA

SOMETIMES CHANGE IS GOOD

Buon giorno!

I have found that sometimes change is a good thing, and sometimes we just need to be flexible and “go with it”. Outside of the Ten Commandments, nothing is written in stone, and that includes pizza. After making literally scores of pizzas over the years, I have discovered that making PIZZA ON THE GRILL is just my favorite new thing. Of course, this means another excuse for eating On the Patio – which can’t be too bad. I spent years of cranking my oven up to 500 degrees and heating up the whole house – including in the middle of Hot-Lanta summers. I even cracked the inner glass on my oven door when I inadvertently let the pizza stone rest against it while making one of the Linda’s Italian Table specials. I experienced major appliance envy while visiting our good friends, Barbara and Steve, who had installed an authentic state of the art pizza oven, and I lamented my inadequate “equipment”. (Read about this amazing “gadget” in our January blog post. FIRE IN THE HOLE! Well, times they are a-changin! You, too, have a pizza oven in your outdoor grill, and I bet many of you didn’t know it.

Thanks to the prodding of my husband, Tom, who is always game to try something new – I grudgingly agreed to try making pizza on the grill – something he had heard and read about. After a little research – we tried it. OMG!! Once again, Tom rocked my world – or so he says! Gone are the days of maneuvering the pizza in and out of the oven, turning the kitchen into Dante’s Inferno in mid-July, and sweeping cornmeal off the floor afterward. I am about to change your pizza-making ways forever. Follow my lead and you’ll never cook another pizza indoors.

The keys to the kingdom – the tools: Nothing new here – you’ll use all the same things I recommended in my Pizza Post “THAT’S AMORE” : Cornmeal, pizza stone, large spatula, a pizza peel, the best ingredients – good dough preferably homemade (we’ll chat about this later) fresh mozzarella, good sausage, fresh herbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, good olive oil. Last but not least – scissors! My mother, Loretta, always cut her pizza with scissors and did not use a pizza cutter. Thank goodness, or I’d still be sitting in her little kitchen waiting for the pizza to be cut. I’ve never seen a pizza cutter beat the scissors. I have seen people hack away repeatedly at a pizza trying to get a quick and good cut. Some morsel always seems to remain attached. If you like your pizza cutter, by all means use it, but I will continue to use my scissors. Truce declared!

The Secret – HEAT: An actual pizza oven heats up to about 900 degrees. What we realized was that by heating up your grill ahead of time like you would do with your oven – and adding wood chips if you want to achieve the real wood-fired effect – you actually turn your grill into a pizza oven with temperatures way above the 500 in the kitchen oven – or around 800 degrees. This, of course, means that your cook time will be far less than cooking the pizza indoors which is usually about 15 minutes. You’ll want to heat that sucker up with the lid down and with the pizza stone on the grill for about 15 minutes. This pre-heat time is what it’s all about.

The path to enlightenment: While you’re heating up the grill with the stone inside, get all of your ingredients together and be ready to go. Put some cornmeal on the pizza peel. Stretch or roll your dough out to the desired size, and place it on the prepared peel. Now to construct your masterpiece! Always start with a sprinkle of olive oil, and spread it all over the dough with your very clean fingers. This helps to seal the crust and prevent the toppings from making it soggy. Then place your ingredients on top usually ending with the cheese. A last drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive oil is nice. Do not leave your pizza sitting there waiting for peace in the Middle East. Get that puppy to the grill as quickly as possible.

Stairway to heaven: Open your very hot grill,and then sprinkle the stone with some cornmeal. Ease the pizza off the peel with a large spatula and a little shake. The cornmeal on the peel makes it slide off easily. Quickly put the lid down. Your cook times will vary, as your grill may take longer or less time than mine. The cooking time I will offer is only a guideline, and yours may be different. However, I’ll testify – experimenting is fun! Once the pizza is on the grill, I cook the pizza for approximately 3-4 minutes, then I peek at it by raising the grill lid and lifting the edge with a spatula. You should look for a golden brown and crisp bottom. Now you are operating like a true pizzaiolo (the guy who cooks pizzas in Naples). Peeking is good. Here is a peek at the crust of one of my pizzas:

If almost there, let it go another minute. Keep peeking. You may want to rotate the pizza a little with the spatula to get an even bake. Usually 5-6 minutes total will do it. Here is one that is almost there:

This is totally according to the heat level in your grill. Depending on your grill – going beyond this time may burn the bottom. Watch it!

When you have the desired “doneness”, gently slide the peel under the pizza, and lift it off the stone and onto the plate. DONE! Pizza in 5-6 minutes – Troppo bella!

A word about the dough: I make my dough using my mother’s recipe which calls for regular flour. I know that many like to use the Italian flour referred to as Double Zero. This is traditionally used in Italy for pizza and pasta making. I always use it for making my pasta fresca. I do not use it for pizza, as I like my mother’s recipe, using all purpose flour, which I offer in my post, “THAT’S AMORE”. It is easy and delicious, and I think more folks would be inclined to make their own dough if they could use ingredients that would be found in their pantry. I have made some adjustments to that recipe recently that I have found to make a better and thinner crust. You might want to take a look on the post!

It Ain’t Heavy: Pizza isn’t always laden with the worst of the worst for you. I am offering you a look at my GRILLED PIZZA MARGHERITA. You know this one. It’s the one given the nod by Queen Margherita “just a few years ago” – in 1889. Back in the old days in Binghamton, my grandmother used to refer to my mother as La Regina Margherita. I can only imagine why! This pizza is light, fresh, quick and easy. There are many variations of this recipe, but I like this one as most of the ingredients are fresh and healthy. Some of these ingredients can probably even be found in your garden!

GRILLED PIZZA MARGHERITA

Makes: 1 large pizza

Prep for grill: 15 minutes

Prep for pizza: 7 minutes

Cook: Approx. 6 minutes

Dough: Follow the instructions for the dough in the post, “THAT’S AMORE”. Suggestion: Make the dough ahead and store it in the freezer, if you like. One recipe will make 4 loaves of dough for a thinner crust. Each loaf is perfect for this recipe. If you like a thicker crust, just make 2 loaves, and use one of those for this recipe.

Topping:

Olive oil

Several Fresh Campari Tomatoes sliced. I like Campari’s which are in season right now because they are soooo sweet. If you can’t find Campari Tomatoes, use the freshest tomatoes you can find.

Salt and Pepper

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese

Fresh Mozzarella – sliced thinly not grated

Fresh Basil Leaves –at least 1/2 cup – more if you like. Leave the leaves whole.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions:

Follow the instructions in the preceding text for tools and preparing the grill.

As instructed above, place the dough on the peel topped with cornmeal.

Rub the surface of the dough with a little olive oil.

Lay the Tomato Slices on the top of the dough.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Top with sliced Fresh Mozzarella.

Add the fresh Basil Leaves.

Drizzle with a nice Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Follow the directions in the portions of the above text called The Path to Enlightenment and Stairway to Heaven for grilling the pizza. See it here on the grill – not quite ready:

The long and short of it is: In approximately 6 minutes total - you’ll be eating it!

VINO: With this one, I’d say go alla Napoletana, as they know the most about pizza in any form. For white – I’d suggest Fiano di Avellino or Falanghina. For red – try an Aglianico. Just sayin…

PARLA COME MANGI!

** I love receiving your comments! Don’t forget – you can leave comments at the end of each blog post. If you receive your post in your email, just click on the post title and go straight to the blog on the website where you can leave your thoughts! Looking forward to hearing from you.

Also: See the RECIPE OF THE MONTH on

Food Photos By Tommy Hanks Photography

Filed Under: On the Patio, Pizza · Tagged With: Aglianico, Campari Tomatoes, cornmeal, double zero flour, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Falanghina, fresh basil, Fresh Mozzarella, Grilled Pizza Margherita, Italian, Napoletana, olive oil, On the Patio, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pizza, pizza dough, Pizza Margherita, pizza on the grill, Pizza Oven, pizza peel, Pizza Stone, pizzaiolo, Queen Margherita, Sausage

BABY ARTICHOKES STUFFED WITH RICOTTA

May 9, 2011 by Linda 4 Comments

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BABY TALK

Buon giorno

Oh NO! Not Artichokes! They’re WAY too much work and WAY too difficult. WRONG! I am about to change your life- Well – maybe just the way you feel about artichokes. Baby Artichokes Stuffed with Ricotta is just the way to do it. The operative word here is “baby”. They are delicious and tender and so easy to prepare.

Fact: A Baby Artichoke is not a type of artichoke. It is actually a baby, not mature, and picked from the lower portion of the plant.

Fact: Baby artichokes have no choke. You know – that nasty little prickly furry thing on the inside of an artichoke that makes everyone want to run and hide?

Fact: While they are available in some areas year round, they are usually found to be more abundant in the month of May.

Fact: You can freeze them cooked but not raw.

Fact: You can grill them, saute them, steam them, roast them, or deep fry them.

MYTH: Artichokes take a long time and much skill to prepare.

Best Fact: I can and you WILL prepare a baby artichoke for cooking in less than 1 minute per “baby”.

Considering all the above facts, are you still thinking of running like a scared bunny rabbit? I think not!

Let me tell you about my recent experience that I hope will inspire you. I was on the prowl for Baby Artichokes as soon as the first micro-speck of pollen hit the air this year. I found some at Whole Foods in late March, but then came up dry for a while. I decided to launch a more aggressive search.

The Lesson: There is a lesson developing here. I strongly urge you to become “friendly” ( NO – not that kind of friendly!) with your produce manager. Let him know you. Let him recognize you in the store. Let him know you like to cook. Really, folks, these fellows (usually fellows) want to serve their customers. They want to bring in different varieties of fruits and vegetables and grow their customer base. Seriously, no one talks to them unless they are complaining about the spots on the bananas. Yes, there have been times that the “Yoda” of produce at Whole Foods has wanted to hide under the Swiss Chard when he saw me coming, but for the most part, it has been a relationship of mutual accommodation.

Getting back to the aggressive search – After scouring the Farmers’ Markets and heard the 20th local farmer tell me how Georgia soil is not forgiving when it comes to artichokes and wouldn’t I rather talk about turnips and lettuce – I went back to Whole Foods AGAIN and stalked the produce manager. We had a long discussion about how he hasn’t been able to get baby artichokes which begged my question: Is it that you can’t get them, or that you don’t think people will buy them? He confessed that the latter had factored in.

What we do for love: I decided to go for it. It worked last year with the figs. Why not try it with the baby artichokes? I BEGGED! Then I PLEADED! I wove a story about how I needed them, longed for them, craved them, not to mention several hundred of my “closest friends” were sitting on the edge of their seats just waiting for a recipe using them. It was when his eyes began to roll backward in his head that I stared him down and said, “Look, Bucko, it’s almost May – the month for artichokes. Surely you can get your hands on a few!” At this point, I’m sure he considered calling security, but instead, he agreed to try and took my name, rank, and serial number. I thought – “that’s the last I’ll hear from this guy” on this subject. However, a week later, he called and said he couldn’t get them for Easter, but he would keep trying. The following week he called again with the best words you’ll ever hear from a produce manager: “I’ve got ‘em”.

Happy endings: I rushed to Whole Foods and purchased three dozen. They come in boxes of 12. It may sound like a lot, but they are very small , keep in the refrigerator well, and “slim down” considerably after you prep them. They were so worth the trouble to get – and now my produce manager is much less intimidated by the woman in the baseball cap who calls him “Bucko”. These days, he smiles when he sees me. (Just wait til fig season. We’ll see if he is still smiling!)

THE RECIPE: Baby Artichokes Stuffed With Ricotta will win your heart. It is a recipe based on a Sardinian favorite using salami. My version with prosciutto is a little more delicate, I think. Also, my addition of capers, gives the stuffing a little zip. I absolutely love serving these tender Baby Artichokes as an appetizer – perhaps two halves to a plate – which will only make “them” want more. They are easy and quick to prepare and make such an unusual and delicious presentation. They also make a good side dish. I can almost imagine the shepherds, who are famous for sleeping in the crevices of the rocks which line the mountains of Sardinia, dreaming of these splendid little gems during the months away from their families and homes. Unlike the shepherds, we don’t have to wait so long!

BABY ARTICHOKES STUFFED WITH RICOTTA

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 25 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

6 Baby Artichokes

Juice of a fresh lemon

Water to cover artichokes

1 c. Ricotta

1 egg

3 Tbsp. Grated Parmigiano- Reggiano Cheese

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

4 oz. (1/4 lb) chopped Prosciutto

2 Tbsp. capers, rinsed and drained

1/2 c. Fresh breadcrumbs

Handful of Chopped Fresh Parsley

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling

Instructions:

In a large bowl put just enough water to cover the artichokes and the juice of a fresh lemon.

Remember I said it takes less than a minute to prepare each baby artichoke!

Rinse and brush the artichokes. Take off all outside darker tougher leaves until you are down to the pale almost lime green inside leaves.

Cut off the tip of the artichoke.

Take off a little of the end of the stem.

Scrape the stem with a potato peeler.

Cut the artichoke in half lengthwise.

Drop it in bowl of lemon and water immediately which prevents the artichoke from turning brown.

Proceed with the rest of the artichokes.

When finished with the prep of the artichokes drop them in boiling salted water and boil for about 10 minutes.

While they cook, prepare your stuffing.

Mash the ricotta in a bowl with a fork.

Add the egg, cheese, chopped Prosciutto, capers, ground pepper. Mix together and taste for seasoning. You may or may not need any additional salt depending on how much salt the Prosciutto and capers bring to the stuffing. Just taste and season accordingly as you like.

When Baby Artichokes are ready, place them in an oiled baking dish, cut side up.

Top each one with a heaping spoon of ricotta stuffing. Add the breadcrumbs over the stuffing. Then top with Fresh Chopped Parsley. Squeeze the fresh lemon juice over all, and drizzle with a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Olio Carli is my favorite when it comes to the “Virgins”.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Pop under the broiler for a couple of minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.

To Serve: As an appetizer, serve 2 halves per person. Drizzle again with Extra Virgin Olive Oil just before serving. They are great served hot or cold.

Vino: I like a Pinot Grigio with Baby Artichokes Stuffed With Ricotta. A Zenato Pinot Grigio is nice and also affordable.

PARLA COME MANGI!

Also: See the RECIPE OF THE MONTH on

Food Photos By Tommy Hanks Photography

Filed Under: Appetizers, Side Dishes · Tagged With: artichokes, baby artichokes, capers, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, fresh lemon juice, Fresh Parsley, Italian, Olio Carli, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pinot Grigio, prosciutto, ricotta, Sardinia, Sardinian, stuffing, Whole Foods, Zenato Pinot Grigio

April: Easter Frittata

March 31, 2011 by Linda 6 Comments

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Buon giorno!

The Easter Frittata was always a much anticipated part of our Easter meal – served and eaten cold, usually the second course behind the antipasto – and after the blessing always offered by my father. Every year, he told an old tale that cautioned us not to eat the Frittata until it was blessed lest a serpent might emerge. As a child, just in case I might have wanted to sneak a bite – I heeded this warning with great trepidation!

Tradition: My parents, Loretta and Attilio, made the Frittata, a day ahead – a huge ritual – using a cast iron frying pan. The ingredients for the Easter Frittata were always the same and reflected some of the freshness of spring. They always included my father’s homemade sausage – the best I ever had or will probably ever have again. My memory is still vivid, picturing us all gathered round, hoping a crumb would drop for us to catch. We watched them prepare the ingredients and create the finished product together. This process involved much drama in the flipping and turning of this giant omelet in the very heavy pan with all the appropriate Bravo’s and gasps at the finish.

Today: For today’s kitchen, it is surprisingly easy to make, can be made a day in advance, and chilled. Besides the Easter presentation, this Frittata has many “anytime” uses: as a preliminary course to a meal, a meal in itself, a brunch dish, or as a delicious appetizer cut into small pieces and served with cocktails. It is a perfect selection for serving On the Patio – making it a great “go-to” dish for my favorite place to dine.

With the holiday and spring fast approaching – let’s get to work! Andiamo!

EASTER FRITTATA

This recipe makes one large frittata. For a smaller version – just cut the ingredients in half!

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: About 20 minutes

1 dozen eggs

¼ c. heavy cream

Salt, pepper

¾ c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese

1 bunch fresh asparagus

Olive oil to drizzle asparagus

Salt, pepper

1 ¼ lb Italian Sausage -out of casings – broken up into bits (combination of hot and mild is always good)

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. Butter

4 Cloves fresh garlic – chopped finely

2 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Parsley

2 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Basil

1 bunch of green spring onions – with green tops – coarsely chopped

¾ lb-1 lb Basket Cheese or Fresh Mozzarella – cubed

(Basket Cheese is a bland and very moist cheese made from cow’s milk and very traditional to this dish. It is very difficult to find in Atlanta and some other areas. Fresh Mozzarella is a perfectly good substitute.)

Instructions:

Whisk the eggs together with ¼ cup heavy cream, salt and pepper to taste, and ¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano – Set aside.

Roast the bunch of asparagus – I like the flavor provided by roasting the asparagus. Cut off the ends and bake drizzled with a little olive oil and a little salt and pepper at 400 degrees for about 12-15 min. til just fork tender – do not over cook! Cut the roasted asparagus into 1 1/2-2 inch pieces. Set aside.

In a large non-stick fry pan, saute 1 ¼ lb Italian Sausage in 2 tbsp. Olive oil til no longer pink. Remove sausage from pan with slotted spoon and set aside. Take the fry pan and swirl the drippings around so that the sides are coated. Now add 1 tbsp butter – melt in pan and swirl around the sides again.

Place this fry pan over medium high heat, and add the garlic and green onions. Saute a couple of min. til just tender.

To this pan over medium high heat, now add the parsley and basil – mix together – followed by the eggs. Give it a quick stir. Add the asparagus, sausage and cubed cheese – stir just a little to distribute.

Continue to cook over medium high heat being careful not to burn. After a bit –it should be set on the sides and bottom and be just a little runny in the middle – peek at the bottom – it should appear golden brown. At this point, place it in a 400 degree oven until completely set and firm in the middle.I always tap it with a knife in the middle. If it shakes – it is not yet set. Do not over cook or it will be dry. It should be just set throughout – takes just a few minutes depending on your oven. Check it after about 10.

Two ways: There are two ways to serve this:

1. You can either pop it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to brown the top and then gently slide it onto a plate (use your spatula to coax if needed). OR -

2. You can invert it onto a plate. In this case you don’t need to use the broiler step as it will appear browned on the top when you invert it.

This Easter Frittata a very easy dish to make – just takes a few steps, and it can and should be made a day ahead and served cold! How can you beat that?

BUONA PASQUA!