Margherita's Notebook (35 page)

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a fork. Add the flour, cheese, one-third of the milk, the heavy cream, and salt. Blend well using a wooden spoon. Grease 4 ramekins with butter and pour in the mixture. Place the ramekins in a baking dish. Add boiling water to about halfway up the ramekins. Bake for about 30 minutes.

2. To make the sauce, boil the celery in lightly salted water for about 5 minutes. Drain the celery and place it in a skillet with some butter, the rest of the milk, and salt to taste. Use an immersion blender to combine the ingredients. Stir in the parsley. Turn the puddings out on individual plates and top with the sauce.

Serves 6

The tarts:

1 scant tablespoon sea salt

Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed

1 pound 2 ounces (
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/
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kg) yellow cornmeal

The toppings:

1 slice Gorgonzola cheese

A few walnut halves

Fontina Valdostana cheese

Baked ham

1 slice Colonnata lard

A few artichoke hearts in oil

1 slice bacon

1. In a copper pot, bring 2 quarts/liters of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the sea salt, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and the cornmeal 1 teaspoon at a time. Stir continuously in the same direction with a wooden spoon until the mixture is thoroughly combined. If the mixture is too hard, add some hot water. The polenta is ready when it pulls away from the sides of the pot (usually after 40 minutes). The longer it cooks, the better it is.

2. When the polenta is ready, pour it onto a wooden board to cool. Slice the polenta into 3-inch (7 cm) squares (you can use cotton thread to make sure the slices are even).

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.

POSSIBLE TOPPINGS

• A dab of Gorgonzola and a walnut half. Bake for 5 minutes.

• Fontina cheese and baked ham. Make at least two layers with the polenta on the bottom. Bake for 15 minutes.

• Colonnata lard. Bake for 5 minutes, then garnish with walnut halves.

• Artichoke hearts and bacon. Bake for 10 minutes.

Makes 2 servings

1 leek

1 pound (
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kg) sea bass

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 lemon, quartered, seeds removed

5 tablespoons oil, or as needed

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cup (120 ml) white wine

2 tablespoons vinegar

7 ounces (200 g) chives, finely chopped

1 large or 2 medium carrots, sliced into disks

2 bay leaves

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teaspoon dried marjoram

Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Trim the leek and cut it lengthwise. Plunge the leek into boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and allow the leek to cool.

2. Scale the bass, wash and dry it thoroughly, and slice it lengthwise on one side. Mix the parsley and garlic and stuff the fish. Add the lemon quarters. Wrap the sea bass in slices of leek and use kitchen twine to tie everything together. Place the fish in a casserole and add the oil,
wine, vinegar, chives, carrots, bay leaves, and marjoram. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Bake the fish for 30 minutes, basting it occasionally with the glaze that has formed at the bottom of the casserole.

Serves 4

11 ounces (310 g) sifted all-purpose flour

1
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/
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ounces (50 g) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

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ounce (20 g) butter

1
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/
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ounces (40 g) orange liqueur

Zest of 1 orange

Pinch of salt

Oil for frying, as needed

Food coloring

Confectioners' sugar, as needed

1. Mound the flour on a wooden board. Make a well and add the sugar, eggs, butter, liqueur, orange zest, and salt. Mix by hand until the batter is thoroughly blended. Shape the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

2. Divide the ball into thirds and color each part a different color. Knead each ball for at least 10 minutes until the color is even throughout. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin (or a pasta machine) and cut it into long, thin strips similar to noodles. Roll each strip around a metal cannoli tube and fry in a generous amount of oil. Drain and remove the “stars” from the tubes while they're still warm. Place them on paper towels to dry. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve with orange cream.

Serves 8

8 pork chops

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

16 pitted prunes, chopped

4 slices bacon, diced

Flour, as needed

Salt, as needed

2 ounces (60 g) butter

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/
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cup (180 ml) white wine

4 fennel bulbs, sliced

1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream

5 sage leaves

1. Slit the pork chops horizontally to make a pocket. In a mixing bowl, combine the parsley, prunes, and bacon. Fill the pocket of each chop with the mixture. Pour some flour into a small bowl, add a pinch of salt, and coat the pork chops.

2. Melt the butter in a large frying pan and brown the pork chops evenly. Simmer the heavy cream and sage in a small saucepan. Add the white wine to the pork chops and stir until the wine evaporates, then add the fennel. Season with salt, add the heavy cream and sage, and cook, covered, over low-medium heat for 15 minutes, until the meat and fennel are well cooked.

Serves 6

The shortcrust pastry:

5
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/
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ounces (150 g) butter

5
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/
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ounces (150 g) sugar

1 large egg plus 2 yolks

11 ounces (310 g) flour

Zest of
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/
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lemon

Pinch of salt

The pigeon ragout:

1 pigeon or squab pigeon

Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed

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onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1 pound (
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/
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kg) ground beef

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cup (180 ml) red wine

1 quart/liter tomato sauce

Salt and pepper

4 tablespoons light cream

4 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

The tortellini:

1 ounce (30 g) butter

2
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/
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ounces (75 g) ground pork

2
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/
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ounces (75 g) ground veal

Salt

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ounce (5 g) black truffle

1
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ounces (50 g) sausage (hot or sweet, your choice)

1
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ounces (50 g) prosciutto, chopped

1 ounce (25 g) mortadella, chopped

2
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ounces (75 g) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

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/
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tablespoon bread crumbs

Dash of nutmeg

5 large eggs

14 ounces (400 g) flour

1. Make the shortcrust pastry. Cut the butter (still cold from the refrigerator) into pats, add the sugar, and work the ingredients together by hand until they are thoroughly combined. Place it on a work surface, make a well in the middle, and add the whole egg and 1 yolk. Gradually add the flour, lemon zest, and salt. Knead, shape the dough into a ball, wrap it in a kitchen towel, and allow it to rest in a cool place.

2. For the ragout, debone the pigeon and chop the meat. In a terra-cotta saucepan, heat some oil and sauté the onion, carrot, and celery. Add the ground beef and the pigeon meat. Brown for 15 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the wine and stir until it evaporates. Then add the tomato sauce and reduce the ragout. Don't add the salt and pepper until the very end.

3. You can use store-bought tortellini if you wish, but I prefer homemade. Start with the filling. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the ground pork, ground veal, and sausage. Cook for a few minutes, then add salt and allow it to cool.

4. In a mixing bowl, combine the truffle, meat, prosciutto, mortadella, cheese, bread crumbs, 1 egg, and a dash of nutmeg. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. To make the dough, mound the flour on a wooden board and make a well in the center. Add the remaining 4 eggs and use a fork to slowly blend the ingredients. Knead the dough with your hands for about 15 minutes. (Be sure to flour the work surface often.) When the dough is elastic and you can see some tiny bubbles, put it aside to rest for 30 minutes. Knead the dough by hand for another 10 minutes, then roll it out with a rolling pin until thin, about
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/
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inch. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Use a dough cutter to make 2
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/
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-inch/6 cm disks. Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of each disk. Fold the dough in half. With the tips of your fingers, seal the edges to get the typical tortellino shape.

6. Cook the tortellini in boiling water until they are al dente—when they have bobbed up to the surface, about 5 minutes. Add the cream and Parmigiano-Reggiano to the ragout. Gently mix the tortellini into the ragout.

7. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Grease an 11-inch baking mold and line it with half the shortcrust pastry.
Pour in the tortellini-ragout mixture and top with the remaining pastry. Make tiny fork holes in the “lid” (to release the steam), then brush it with egg yolk. Bake until the crust is golden.

The menu that stole my heart:

Serves 2

12 medium shrimp

Juice of 1 lemon

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, or as needed

Salt

Pink peppercorns

1. Clean and devein the shrimp. In a small bowl, marinate the shrimp in the lemon juice for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the shrimp, then add the oil, parsley, salt, and freshly ground peppercorns to the lemon juice. Whisk until blended.

2. Dip each shrimp in the sauce and arrange them on the dishes. Pour the remaining dressing into a sauceboat.

Serves 2

6 ounces (170 g) spaghetti

2 garlic cloves, sliced

2 chile peppers, chopped

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cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Parsley, for garnish

1. Cook the pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, sauté the garlic and chile peppers in the oil over low heat until brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Add the spaghetti to the saucepan and toss thoroughly so that it absorbs the oil. Season with salt. Garnish with a few parsley leaves.

Makes 10 to 12 cakes

9 ounces (250 g) butter

9 ounces (250 g) dark chocolate

4 large eggs

4
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/
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ounces (120 g) sugar

2 ounces (60 g) flour, sifted

Salt

Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Melt the butter with the chocolate in a double boiler. In a bowl, combine the eggs and sugar. Add the chocolate (make sure the chocolate isn't too hot). Add the flour. Add salt to taste (that's the secret!). Spray the ramekins two-thirds of the way up with nonstick cooking spray (otherwise the cake will stick to the sides). Alternatively, you can brush the sides of the ramekins with melted butter and refrigerate. Pour the batter into the ramekins and bake for at least 7 minutes, or more, depending on how soft you want them to be. When a crust has formed on the surface and it starts to split, the cakes are done. Serve warm.

Serves 6

3 cups (750 g) chestnut flour

2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan

2
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cups (600 ml) milk

1
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/
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ounces (50 g) pine nuts

Rosemary, as needed

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. In a mixing bowl, combine the chestnut flour, salt, and oil. Gradually stir in the milk. The batter should be thin. If it's too dry, add lukewarm water, a little at a time. Add the pine nuts, saving some for the garnish. Grease a baking pan with oil, then pour in the batter, garnish with pine nuts and rosemary, and drizzle with oil. Bake for 30 minutes.