Last weekend, I reached for my copy of Italian Grill once again. I don’t actually eat much red meat, so I’ve been cooking from the fish and shellfish section. I have read through all of it, however, and Mario is just fantastic. I noticed in the pizza section that his dough includes white wine. Interesting. I’m going to have to try that too.
The clams in cartoccio couldn’t be simpler to prepare. Pancetta is browned, and garlic, crushed red pepper, and diced sweet peppers are added. All of this is bathed in white wine and then allowed to cool. This mixture is spooned over clams that have been placed in foil packets, and the packets are sent to the grill.
As I just mentioned, I don’t eat much red meat, but Mario suggested the use of pancetta, and so be it. I included it because I sensed the flavor was important here, and the pork nuggets were easily avoided while eating the dish. It’s a grey area. My reason for not eating red meat is that I just don’t really enjoy it. Little tastes slip by here and there, but I’m not drawn to it. For instance, paella isn’t paella without the flavor from chorizo. But, my attention is on the chicken and shellfish and the sausage pieces get moved to the side of the plate. This isn’t my only food issue, and maybe I’ll change my mind some day. I won’t even attempt to explain my thing with onions.
Kurt has no meat eating issues and was very pleased with the clams and the pancetta. The clams were perfectly tender, and the resulting broth was indescribably good. Grilled bread was used as a vehicle for it; although, I could have drunk from the parchment-lined foil. The clams and pancetta provided the only source of salt, and it was just the right amount. Mario wrote that when the foil packets are opened at the table, your guests will experience a piscatorial facial. I would like to steal his term and refer to the broth as heavenly piscatorial nectar. I highly recommend it, and eating or not eating the pancetta is entirely up to you.
The concept of cutting zucchini into pasta-like ribbons and saucing them like spaghetti is popping up all over the place. On Iron Chef America Battle Zucchini, Bobby Flay made a fantastic looking version. There was also a raw food recipe in Food and Wine in June, and I’ve had such a dish a few times at the raw bar at Whole Foods. I felt the need to create my own version, and this is a perfect time of year for it.
At the farmers’ market on Saturday, we found lovely zucchini, yellow summer squashes, sweet pepperoncini and cherry peppers, and lots of other things too. As I gathered the fresh peppers at the market, I began imagining how to incorporate them into this dish. I was mostly inspired by the raw preparations I’ve read about or eaten, but I veered a little off the raw path in the end. My take on the dish was:
2 medium summer squashes
1 small zucchini
note: the size varies quite a lot, but for the amount of sauce here, a total of five cups or so of squash pasta works well
2 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/3 c sun-dried tomatoes from jar packed with olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 c fresh basil leaves
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t Aleppo pepper juice of half of a lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 T kalamata olives, pitted and halved
3 fresh cherry peppers, thinly sliced
2 fresh pepperoncini, thinly sliced
Grated parmigiana reggiano to taste
Slice squashes and zucchini into thin strips lengthwise, and then cut each strip into strands. I used a grater to slice the strips and then hand cut the strands. It takes a little time and patience. Place cut strands in a medium bowl and set aside.
(A spiral slicer would make the task much easier, and the ribbons would be perfectly consistent. I’m now coveting one and am trying to come up with ways to justify a purchase. I would make this every day if I had a handy tool to cut the ribbons.)
In a blender pitcher, place fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, Aleppo pepper, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Puree until smooth. Pour over squash strands and toss to combine. Serve garnished with olives, cherry peppers, pepperoncinis and parmigiana as four small first course servings or two large main course plates.
This summery dish, requiring no stove use at all, packs a burst of flavors. The fresh and sun-dried tomatoes combine to form a bright tasting sauce, the olives add depth of flavor, and the peppers bring a fresh, crunchy contrast. You won’t miss the semolina pasta for a minute.
It doesn’t take much to talk me into baking. Someone at work made an off-handed comment about how she deserved some cookies, and that was enough to send me to my kitchen. I had tucked away this recipe from Food and Wine’s March 2007 issue. These are Texas-standard cookie bars, but I had never baked them. I’ve eaten carmelitas from Whole Foods, and theirs are fantastic. They’re very dense and filling but deliciously so. The chewy layers of chocolate chips, pecans, and caramel make it hard to stop with just a dainty bite. While shopping for ingredients, I was reminded that dulce de leche is also known as cajeta. I thought it would be easy enough to locate, but two grocery stores later, I finally found it near the peanut butter and nutella. You can also make your own from sweetened condensed milk. The brand I bought is made from goat’s milk, but others are made from cow’s milk. I could have happily sat down with the jar and a spoon and called it a day, but instead I assembled and baked the carmelitas.
The dough comes together quickly, and the half used for the base gets pre-baked. Then, the other ingredients and crumbled remaining dough are layered on top, and the pan is returned to the oven. There is a curious instruction about leaving the pan to cool and letting it sit uncovered at room temperature overnight. Uncovered all night long? I couldn’t do it. We have a cat, and who knows what other creatures could have found their way into the carmelitas overnight? I left it for several hours and then covered the pan before going to sleep. Maybe being left uncovered overnight makes for a firmer cookie bar. Mine were a little crunchy on the bottom, yielding in the middle, and just slightly firmer on top, and I was quite pleased with my result. I brought the cookie bars to work, and happy munching ensued.
Last weekend, I reached for my copy of Italian Grill once again. I don’t actually eat much red meat, so I’ve been cooking from the fish and shellfish section. I have read through all of it, however, and Mario is just fantastic. I noticed in the pizza section that his dough includes white wine. Interesting. I’m going to have to try that too.
