Easy Italian Recipes

 Makes 10 spiral rolls

1 quantity of Quick White Bread dough
100g cooked spinach, thoroughly squeezed dry 200g ricotta
25g Parmesan, finely grated
grated nutmeg, to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Follow the instructions for the Quick White Bread until the dough is shaped. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 and oil a large baking tray.

Make the stuffing by combining the ingredients in a bowl, seasoning to taste. Roll the dough into a rectangle lcm thick. Spread the spinach mixture over the dough and roll it up into a log shape. Cut into ten.

Transfer the rolls to the tray, making sure they have enough space around them to increase in size. Set aside in a warm place, covered with a tea-towel, until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.

 MAKES 4 SERVINGS

- 1 cup (6 oz/185 g) cherry tomatoes, stemmed and halved
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons plain fine dried bread crumbs
- 2 cups (16 oz/500 g) whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup (2 oz/60 g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

A sformato is a souffle like dish often made with vegetables. Sformati are often baked in ring molds and sometimes in ramekins, but here a simple ceramic baking dish is used. You can also serve this dish in smaller portions as an antipasto, or it can be the centerpiece of a light lunch, accompanied with marinated olives, salami, and a green salad..

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C). Lightly brush a rimmed baking sheet with oil.
Squeeze the tornato halves gently to extract the seeds and juice. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the tomatoes unti! they are wrinkled, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Leave the oven on.
Generously grease an 8-inch (20-cm) baking dish with the butter. Sprinkle the dish with the bread crumbs and tap out the excess.

In a bowl, whisk together the ricotta and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses, eggs, and 1 teaspoon thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in half of the tomatoes. Scrape the mixture into the prepared dish and smooth the top. Top with the remaining tornato halves, cut side down. Sprinkle with the remaining thyme.
Bake until the sformato is set around the edges but stili slightly soft in the center, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the dish to loosen the sides of the sformato and serve warm.

Buon appetito !

 MAKES 6 servings

- 2 Ib (1 kg) spinach, stemmed
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 6 tablespoons (3 oz/90 g) unsalted butter
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cups (15 oz/470 g) whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1 3/4 cups (7 oz/220 g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups (71/2 oz/235 g) allpurpose (plain) flour
- 1/2 cup (2 oz/60 g) plain fine dried bread crumbs

In Florence, this type of gnocchi is called nudi, because it is similar to ravioli filling minus the pasta. These gnocchi are particularly delicate. If you think they might not hold their shape when they are boiled, make a test gnoccho and drop it into a saucepan of boiling water. If it breaks apart, add a little more flour to the remaining mixture. You can boil the gnocchi up to 3 hours in advance, and then cover and refrigerate them until it is time to bake them. if they have been chilled, add 5 minutes or so to the baking time.

In a saucepan, combine the spinach, 1/4 cup (2 fl oz/ 60 ml) water, and a pinch of salt. Cover, piace over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until tender, 3-4 minutes. Drain the spinach and let cool, then squeeze to extract the excess liquid. Finely chop the spinach and set aside.

In a small frying pan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onion and sauté unti! tender and lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the ricotta, 1 cup (4 oz/125 g) of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, the eggs, and the nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Add the onion and spinach and stir well. Stir in the flour until well blended and a soft dough forms.
Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment (baking) paper. Scoop up a tablespoon of the dough and, with dampened hands, lightly shape it into a ball 3/4 inch (2 cm) in diameter. Place the ball on one of the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough, making sure the balls don't touch on the baking sheets.

Bring at large pot three-fourths full of water to a rolling boil and add 2 tablespoons salt. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400°F (200°C). Butter a shallow 3-qt (3-1) gratin or baking dish with 2 tablespoons of the butter.
Reduce the heat so the water is at a steady simmer. Add half of the gnocchi to the pot and cook, stirring gently once or twice, until they rise to the surface, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to the prepared dish. Cook the remaining gnocchi in the same way and add them to the dish.

Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons butter into bits and dot the surface of the gnocchi evenly. Sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup (3 oz/95 g) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and the bread crumbs. Bake until the butter is sizzling and the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Serve at once.

Buon appetito !

 MAKES 8-10 servings

- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 Ib (250 g) Italian sweet fennel sausages, casings discarded and meat coarsely chopped
- 1/2 Ib (250 g) ground (minced) beef sirloin
For the sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 can (28 oz/875 g) plum (Roma) tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 1 can (28 oz/875 g) plum (Roma) tomato purée
- 6 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
For the filling
- 1 Ib (500 g) spinach, stemmed
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 Ib (1 kg) whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 1/4 cups (6 oz/185 g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 lb fresh egg pasta dough

Here, tubes of fresh pasta filled with creamy spinach and ricotta are topped with a savory meat and tomato sauce. The sauce, filling, and pasta can be made up to a day in advance, and then the dish can be assembled just before baking and serving.

To make the sauce, in a frying pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until golden, 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the sausage, beef, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat is browned, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato purée, and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir in the basii, remove from the heat, and set aside.

To make the filling, in a saucepan, combine the spinach, 1/4 cup (2 fl oz/ 60 ml) water, and a pinch of salt. Cover, piace over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until tender, 3-4 minutes. Drain the spinach and let cool, then squeeze to extract the excess liquid. Finely chop the spinach. In a bowl, stir together the spinach, ricotta, eggs, and 1 cup (4 oz/125 g) of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Make the pasta dough, then divide and roll out each piece into a sheet 1/16 inch (2 mm). Lightly flour a rimmed baking sheet. Lay the pasta sheet on a lightly floured work surface and, using a knife or pastry wheel, cut into 4-inch (10-cm) squares. Layer the squares fiat on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them so they don't touch and separating each layer with a lightly floured kitchen towel.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375°F (190°C). Spread a thin layer of the sauce in the bottom of two 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking dishes. Lay a pasta square on a work surface, spoon about 3 tablespoons of the filling down one end of the square, and then roll into a tube. Place the tube, seam side down, in one of the prepared dishes. Fili the remaining pasta squares in the same way and arrange them in the dishes. Spread the remaining sauce on top of the rolls, dividing it evenly between the dishes. Sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the top, again dividing it evenly.
Bake the cannelloni until they are tender and heated through and the sauce and cheese are bubbling, about 40 minutes. Serve hot.

Buon appetito !

 MAKE 4-6 SERVINGS

- 1 cup (8 oz/250 g) wholemilk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-Ieaf (Italian) parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (5 oz/155 g) ali-purpose (plain) flour
- 12 large zucchini (courgette) or other squash blossoms
- Olive or canola oil for frying

In Rome, zucchini blossoms are stuffed with mozzarella and anchovies and fried in a crisp coating. Here, herbed ricotta is tucked into the blossoms with delicious resuits. Try to find the best quality artisan ricotta that you can. Sheep's milk ricotta makes a particularly flavorful filling. If the ricotta is excessively moist, piace it in a cheesecloth-lined finemesh sieve on top of a bowl, and piace in the refrigerator to drain oyernight. Fresh squash blossoms are highly perishable, so use them as soon as possible.

In a bowl, stir together the ricotta, parsley, and basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Scrape the mixture into a pastry (piping) bag fitted with a large plain tip and set aside. (Or, cut off one of the bottom corners of a heavy-duty plastic bag to make a'/2-inch/12-mm opening, and scrape the mixture into the bag.) In a small, shallow bowl, whisk the eggs unti) lightly beaten. Spread the flour on a plate.
Wipe the zucchini blossoms with damp paper towels, and carefully remove the stamens. One at a time, gently spread the flowers open, insert the tip of the pastry bag, and pipe about 1 tablespoon of the ricotta mixture into the blossom. Do not overfill the blossoms, or the filling may seep out as they cook. One at a time, roll the blossoms first in the flour, then in the egg, and then again in the flour, gently shaking off the excess each time.
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 200°F (95°C). Line a platter or rimmed baking sheet with paper towels and set it next to the stove. Pour the olive oil to a depth of 1 inch (2.5 cm) into a deep, heavy frying pan and heat to 375°F (190°C) on a deep-frying thermometer.
When the oil is ready, add the blossoms a few at a time, being careful not to crowd the pan. Fry the blossoms, turning them once, unti) lightly golden, 3-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the blossoms to the paper - lined platter to drain and piace in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining blossoms, allowing the oil to return to the originai frying temperature before adding the next batch.
Arrange the blossoms on a warmed platter and serve at once.

Buon appetito!

 MAKES 8-10 SERVINGS

** For the Gnocchi **

2 1/2 pounds (1.15 k) sheep's milk ricotta, drained in a sieve overnight
3 1/3 cups (400 g) white flour
3 tablespoons (45 ml) heavy cream
2 teaspoons salt
A grating (1/8 teaspoon) of freshly ground nutmeg
** For the Sauce **
40 squash blossoms
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/3 cup (80 ml) olive oil
2/5 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup 5% white truffle butter

Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Mention gnocchi and most people think of potato gnocchi because they're the most common kind. However, the word gnocco (pronounced neeocco) means dumpling, and they can be made many ways. Chef made ricotta gnocchi this time, and served them with a tasty squash blossom sauce.

To begin, a couple of observations:
First,  uses sheep's milk ricotta because ricotta made from cow's milk is less creamy. If what you have is cow's milk ricotta, it will work. Second, if you do not have white truffle butter, you can make do by working a few drops of truffle oil into regular unsalted butter.

Next, the Recipe:
Put the drained ricotta through a sieve and into a bowl. Combine with it the flour, and the cream, which confers a smoother taste, and work in the salt and the nutmeg too. Cover and chill for at least an hour.

While the gnocchi dough is chilling, carefully wash and pat dry the squash blossoms, and quarter them lengthwise.

Set a big pot of water to boil, and when the hour is up begin to make the gnocchi, in batches: Take a cup of dough and roll it into a snake about as thick as your thumb on a floured work surface. Cut the shake into 1-inch lengths (2.5 cm) and put them in a floured dish. Repeat the process with another cup of gnocci dough, and continue until you have used up all the dough.

By now the pot of water should be boiling. Salt it, and add the gnocchi in several batches lest the water cool overmuch. When the gnocchi rise to the surface they're done; remove them with a strainer or slotted spoon and put them in a lightly buttered dish.

Continue until you have cooked all the gnocchi, and while you are doing this take a sizeable saucepan and heat the olive oil and the garlic in it. When the garlic is lightly browned, remove and discard it, and add the squash blossoms. Cook over a brisk flame for a minute, add the cream, and bring the sauce to a boil. Gently add the cooked gnocchi to the sauce and heat them through, lowering the flame as the sauce thickens lest the dish burn. After about 3 minutes remove the saucepot from the fire, gently stir in the truffle butter, and serve at once.

The Wine? Since Chef is Tuscan, I'd be tempted to serve these with a good Vernaccia di San Gimignano, along the lines of Montenidoli's Vernaccia Fiore.

Note: garnished your gnocchi by selecting several pretty squash blossoms, cutting them in half, putting them flat on a lightly oiled baking sheet, and crisping them for a couple of minutes in a hot oven. They look quite nice, and also add a pleasant flavor contrast.