Extra Virgin (15 page)
Authors: Gabriele Corcos
THE IMPORTANCE OF PREPARATION
I’d thrown plenty of parties and dinners before meeting Gabriele, but one of the greatest gifts I received after falling in love with my future husband was getting to watch his mother, Annalisa, masterfully entertain. It was her sense of timing that was most impressive to me, how much she’d obviously thought out the party and prepared for it. I thought about my own festive but slapdash affairs, when I’d still be in the kitchen going crazy, never able to have as good a time as my guests. What Annalisa taught me was the importance of making a list of what has to get done and the best order. This is so that what can be done early gets done early and what can only be done at the last minute—usually cooking-related—isn’t a source of hair-pulling stress. It means allowing time to get yourself showered, dressed, and ready before guests arrive, but maybe giving yourself some tasks that have to get done first. It also means knowing when something is coming out of the oven, when something can be prepared ahead, and—as strange as this may sound—when you can leave something for your first guests to help you with. I’m a big believer in the sense of community that hosting can inspire, and asking guests for help gives them the feeling that it’s their party, too: dressing a salad, setting out the cutlery or plates you’ve chosen for the party, slicing cheeses and meats for an appetizer plate. If you’ve turned on some music and put a glass of wine in their hands, they’re more likely to feel relaxed and less likely to want to leave you with all the final-stage work.
KIDS’ PARTIES
These loom large in a parent’s mind: Will it go smoothly? Will the kids be happy? Will the parents be happy? And lastly, when will they go home? On that last one, I can tell you, it’s about establishing the end time right off the bat. It’s not “Be here at 11:00!” It’s “The party is from 11:00 to 1:30!” And emphasize the 1:30! But that means preparation and having a strong sense of what the schedule is. I like to have plenty of activities for the kids—games, a hired performer (a recommended one!), anything regimented and distracting—with one activity specifically planned for after eating so they can burn off what they’ve just wolfed down.
Try not to be the parent who settles for delivered pizza, potato chips, and store-bought cookies because it’s easy. Our
Quattro Formaggi pasta
is a real kids’ party hit, a delicious alternative to boxed macaroni and cheese, served in individual ramekins so the kids have their own equal portions.
Bruschetta
with mozzarella and tomatoes satisfies hungry little ones, too. We’ll serve our own desserts as well, often our
Schiacciata alla Fiorentina
, an orangey, spongey cake on which you can make a fun stencil with the confectioners’ sugar. Our
Fruit Salad
is another fun choice—it’s marinated in orange juice with a squeeze of lemon and can be served in parfait cups.
RISOTTO WITH TALEGGIO AND WILD CARROT HONEY
RISOTTO WITH SQUAB AND MUSHROOMS
G:
I’m a musician, and when I think about the velvety, broth-cooked rice dish risotto and the way its variations showcase ingredients, it’s hard not to describe the effect in performance terms. Risotto isn’t the vehicle for letting an ingredient shine, the way a small trio might by way of solo riffs. It’s more like an orchestra, where you as a musician become part of the whole without getting a spotlight. Bold items tend to overwhelm risotto, which is why the recipes here feature ingredients like asparagus, shrimp, zucchini, and mushrooms. They have plenty of flavor yet blend well. No wonder risotto is known to be a popular way to get children to eat vegetables—they can revel in the symphony of creaminess and rice, while the hardworking nutrient section can do its job nearly unnoticed!
When making risotto, the timing is everything. You can make a wonderful risotto, but you have to be focused. You must watch over it, stirring as you ladle in vegetable stock at specific moments. If it’s overcooked, it’s too mushy, and if it’s undercooked, it’s like gnawing on flaxseeds. Although Arborio is a popular risotto rice, I
prefer Carnaroli, because it gives more of an al dente bite. I don’t like soupy risottos, and the hard-to-overcook Carnaroli helps prevent that from happening. Arborio works well if you’re making risotto to use in risotto croquettes, because it does give you a stickier dish, which you need to form the croquettes. Just remember that different brands of rice may require different cooking times, so be sure to check the time listed on the box you use.
You’ll also notice that a few of these recipes call for a rind of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, typically added early in the rice-cooking process as a slow-melting seasoning. When I was growing up, we would ask at the grocery store for their
rinds, and they’d sell them to us by weight. You may want to try the same, but at the very least, start saving your Parmesan rinds. (Make a lot of the recipes in this book, and you’ll start collecting rinds sooner than you think!) Kept in the fridge in a resealable bag or wrapped in plastic, they’ll easily last for 2 to 3 months. If you don’t have a rind though, an equivalent amount in freshly grated Parmesan is about 1 tablespoon—the only difference is that you’ll add that at the end, after your rice is al dente.
I also like to use as wide a pan surface as possible for risotto, no smaller than 14 inches across. That’s because having the rice in one shallow layer helps the risotto cook more evenly, and it prevents soupiness. With a surface area smaller than 14 inches, the grains closer to the heat will cook sooner than the grains closer to the surface.
VEGETABLE STOCK
BRODO VEGETALE
MAKES ABOUT 5 QUARTS
G:
I’m a vegetable stock guy over chicken or beef stocks when it comes to risotto. I find the flavors of vegetable stock less intrusive than the meat-based kind, and more harmonious with the comforting taste I’m after. If you buy it at the store, be sure to check the sodium content: if it’s heavily salted, you might need to cut it with water. The kind of stock I make doesn’t use salt or pepper. I prefer to season during the cooking process. So here’s all you need to whip up your own batch.
3 carrots
3 celery stalks
1 red onion, halved
In a large stockpot, combine the carrots, celery, onion, and 8 quarts water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 3 hours, or until reduced by one-third. Strain.
IMPORTANTE!
Although these recipes generally call for 4 cups of heated vegetable stock, you might find you use less stock, or even more. That’s the nature of different rice brands. Just remember that if you do need extra stock, heat it to warm before you add it. If you finish off your risotto with cold water, your rice will be soggy.
SAUSAGE AND ASPARAGUS RISOTTO
RISOTTO SALSICCIE E ASPARAGI
SERVES 4–6
D:
We normally don’t put pork in a risotto—it has a bold flavor and could overwhelm the dish. But here the sausage provides a nice, meaty texture and pairs well with asparagus, one of our favorite risotto ingredients.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch thin asparagus (½ pound)
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
2 pork sausages (½ pound), casings removed
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 cup Carnaroli rice
½ cup dry white wine
1 (1½-ounce) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups lightly salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until soft. With tongs, remove the asparagus and set aside to cool. Remove the pot from the heat and let the asparagus cooking water cool to warm.
In a deep, 14-inch nonstick sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over high heat and cook the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it’s browned but not yet crisp. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside in a bowl to cool.
Pour the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil into the pan, keep the heat high, and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bits of meat from the bottom. When the oil is hot, add the shallot, reduce the heat to medium-high, and sauté until softened. Add the rice to the pan and stir well for 2 to 3 minutes, until the rice begins frying. Pour in the wine, stir well, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to let it reduce slightly.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the cheese rind, and slowly start adding the asparagus water, a 4- to 6-ounce ladleful at a time, stirring constantly and giving the rice time to absorb the liquid before adding another ladleful. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes until the rice is nearly al dente.
Chop the asparagus into 1-inch pieces and add them to the rice, along with the sausage meat and any juices that have collected in the bowl. Season the risotto with salt and pepper and continue cooking for 2 minutes, adding asparagus water if necessary to keep the liquid level balanced, until the water is absorbed and the rice is al dente.
Serve sprinkled with the parsley, a dash of Parmesan, and a drizzle of olive oil.
