Mezzi Rigatoni with Raw Tomato Sauce
Mezzi Rigatoni al Pesto di Pomodoro Crudo
SERVES 6 • This is another recipe that is really just a starting point for your creativity and what you have on hand. You can use any type of tomatoes, as long as they are ripe and juicy and at room temperature. You can also add other vegetables, some grated zucchini or a few handfuls of baby spinach or kale. Also feel free to toss in some protein, like leftover cooked shrimp, roast chicken, or pork, or a can of tuna. When you chop the tomatoes, make sure to scrape the juices from the cutting board into the serving bowl along with them, that’ll be the flavor base for this easy, uncooked sauce.
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Kosher salt
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
Peperoncino flakes
1 pound mezzi rigatoni
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
3/4 cup freshly grated Grana Padano
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Chop tomatoes into 1/2-inch pieces and add them and their juices to a serving bowl. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon peperoncino. Toss, and let sit while you cook the pasta.
Add the pasta to the boiling water. Meanwhile, combine the basil, parsley, and garlic in the work bowl of a mini–food processor. Pulse to make a chunky paste. With the machine running, add the olive oil to make a smooth pesto. Add to the tomato mixture, and toss. When the pasta is al dente, remove with a spider to the bowl with the tomatoes, and toss well. Add the mozzarella and grated Grana Padano and toss well again. Season with salt if needed, toss again, and serve.
Beer-Braised Beef Short Ribs
Costolette di Manzo Brasate alla Birra
SERVES 6 • The bones in the short ribs add great flavor to this dish; however, you could also make it with big chunks of beef chuck. If you do, reduce the initial cooking time of the meat by about half. The pestata of almonds and porcini does double duty here, adding a rich earthiness to the sauce and helping to thicken it without flour. As much as I enjoy Italian wine with my meals, since this recipe contains beer, here I would accompany it with one of the good artisanal beers coming out of Italy.
Active Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
1/4 cup dried porcini
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 large carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 fresh bay leaves
12 ounces dark ale
6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade or low-sodium store-bought
3 medium onions, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound small red potatoes, halved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Combine the porcini and almonds in the work bowl of a mini–food processor. Pulse to make an almost smooth pestata.
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Season the short ribs with 1 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper. Brown the short ribs all over, removing them to a plate as they brown, about 5 minutes per batch. Add the carrots and toss to coat in the oil. Cook the carrots until they begin to brown, 2 to 3 minutes; then make a space in the pan, and add the tomato paste there. Cook and toast the tomato paste in that space until it darkens a shade or two, about 1 minute. Add the thyme and bay leaves and stir to combine.
Add the pestata, and stir to toast lightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the beer, bring it to a boil, and cook until the beer is reduced by half. Add back the short ribs and add 4 cups of the chicken stock. Adjust the heat so the liquid is simmering, set the lid ajar, and simmer until the short ribs are almost tender, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
Add the remaining 2 cups stock, the onions, and the potatoes. Return to a simmer and cook until everything is very tender, and the sauce is thick and flavorful, 40 to 50 minutes more. Stir in the parsley, remove the bay leaves, and serve.
Apple Cranberry Crumble
Crumble di Mele e Mirtilli
SERVES 6 TO 8 • Crumbles are not Italian, but I have learned to love them because they are very Italian in spirit fresh fruit and a simple topping come together to create a homey dessert everyone will love. The trick to making a crisp, clumpy topping is to squeeze the clumps a little.
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Filling
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces, plus 1 tablespoon, softened, for the skillet
3 pounds cooking apples, such as Golden Delicious, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all- purpose flour
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Topping
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chopped almonds
3/4 cup rolled oats (old-fashioned, not instant)
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter, slightly softened
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a large cast-iron skillet. Combine the apples, cranberries, granulated sugar, flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and lemon juice in a large bowl, and toss well. Transfer to the skillet. Dot the top with the cold butter pieces.
Wipe out the bowl and make the topping. Add the flour, almonds, oats, brown sugar, ginger, nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the bowl. Toss to combine. Cut the butter into five or six pieces. Work the butter in with your fingers until the topping is evenly moistened.
Squeeze clumps of the topping in your palm, a few tablespoons at a time, and scatter them over the fruit. Bake until the crumble topping is golden and crisp, and the fruit juices are bubbly, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.
Copyright © 2021 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
