Ricotta Apple Cake
Fresh ricotta adds a light, airy touch to this classic Italian apple cake.
Ingredients:
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 large eggs
1¼ cup flour
1 cup fresh ricotta
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
Zest of 1 lemon
2 sweet apples, such as Macintosh, Candy Crisp or Liberty, peeled and grated
Confectioner’s sugar for serving
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Butter and flour a 9 or 10-inch spring form pan.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in a standing mixer until light and fluffy. On the lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time. Slowly add the flour, salt, ricotta, lemon zest, baking powder and apple.
3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and the sides start to pull away from the pan. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the cake out of the pan and cool completely on the rack. Sift powder sugar over top and serve with more freshly-sliced apples.
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Fontina ‘Fonduta’ with Duck Eggs
Serve this classic Italian-style fondue with crudité and warm crostini for an enticing appetizer.
Ingredients:
1/3 pound Fontina-style cheese, cut into ½-inch pieces
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
2 duck egg yolks
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Toasted bread crostini, for dipping
Assorted sliced vegetable crudité, for dipping
Optional:
Poached duck eggs
Thinly shaved fresh truffle
Method:
1. In a large saucepan, combine the Fontina, milk and cream and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the cheese starts to melt, about 4 minutes. Whisk in the butter and egg yolks and cook over low heat, stirring, until very smooth, 3 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and season lightly with salt and pepper.
2. Transfer the fonduta to a warmed serving bowl or fondue pot and sprinkle with additional sea salt, if desired. Serve immediately with the toasted ciabatta. Also delicious served in individual bowls with a poached duck egg in the center of each. Optional: add thinly shaved fresh truffles on top.
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Duxelles Pasta with Olive Oil-Fried Duck Eggs
This light, creamy pasta is a show-stopper, topped with mushrooms duxelles and fried duck eggs.
Ingredients:
1 pound pasta
4 duck eggs
¾ cup F&L duxelles
2-3 tablespoons butter
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 tablespoons freshly-chopped parsley
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of heavily-salted water to a boil. Drop in pasta and cook according to package directions, or until al dente, about 7-8 minutes. Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat additional 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat until shimmery. Carefully crack 1 duck egg and drop into the pan, seasoning generously with salt and pepper. Fry until whites are set and crispy around the edges, but yolk is still runny, about 3-4 minutes. Repeat with remaining eggs.
3. Toss pasta with remaining tablespoon of butter, duxelles and fresh parsley. Pile pasta into 4 individual serving bowls and top each with a fried duck egg. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
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Kale & Potato Soup
This rich, traditional Portuguese soup—called caldo verde (green broth)—would be a lovely starter to this week’s Italian pasta supper.
Ingredients:
1 bunch Lacinato kale
2 pounds baking potatoes
2 quarts water
Olive oil
Salt
Method:
1. Remove stems from the kale, wash the leaves and cut them into a chiffonade. (You should have about 6-8 cups of kale). Peel potatoes and chop very fine.
2. Bring water to a boil in a heavy sauce pan and add salt. Add chopped potatoes, return to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, covered. Add the kale and cook 2 minutes more. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and needed. If desired, top hot soup with a splash of olive oil.
Variations: You can pass this soup through a food mill and serve it as a purée; moisten it with chicken stock instead of water; or enrich it with additional vegetables. One excellent variation is to stew sliced shallots and garlic until very soft and caramelized, then purée with the kale and potatoes.
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Sautéed Kale with Garlic and Vinegar
Tossed with just a hint of garlic and vinegar, this Vitamin K-rich dish is sublime served with pasta. (Hint: This basic method works equally well for all leafy greens!)
Ingredients:
1 bunch kale
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Method:
1. Strip kale leaves off their stems and cut away and discard the tough midribs. Chop kale coarsely and wash in water. Drain well, but do not spin dry.
2. Heat a large sauté pan and add olive and enough kale to cover the bottom of the pan. Allow greens to wilt down before adding more. When all the kale has been added, season with salt and pepper, stir in the garlic, and cover the pan. (The greens will take anywhere from a few to 15 minutes to cook, depending on their maturity.)
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Celeriac Mash
This simple method from Jamie Oliver allows celeriac to shine; this hearty winter vegetable is a wonderful substitute for potatoes in recipes.
Ingredients:
1 celeriac, peeled
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh thyme, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 tablespoons water or chicken stock
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Trim celeriac by slicing about ½-inch off bottom end. Slice remaining root into ½-inch pieces.
2. Place medium-sized sauce pan over medium-high heat, then add olive oil to heat. Add celeriac, garlic, thyme and salt and pepper, stirring to coat in oil. Pan fry for about 5 minutes to give celeriac a little color.
3. Turn heat down to low, then add water or chicken stock, place lid on top and cook for about 25 minutes, until celeriac is tender and liquid is absorbed. Season to taste, then stir roughly with wooden spoon to slightly smash the celeriac into rustic chunks. Serve warm.
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Baked French Toast
This homey recipe from The Pioneer Woman can easily be done a day ahead and chilled until ready to bake.
Ingredients:
1 loaf Pain au Levain bread
Butter, for greasing the baking pan
8 whole eggs
2 cups whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Topping:
8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
½ cup flour
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
Method:
1. Cut the bread into ¼-inch slices, then overlap the slices in rows in a well-buttered baking dish. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon, then pour the mixture evenly over all the pieces of bread, soaking the bread as much as possible.
2. To make the topping, combine the butter, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl and cut it all together with a pastry cutter. Sprinkle the topping all over the casserole. Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate it for several hours or overnight.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the French toast for 45 minutes to 1 hour for a softer texture, or longer for a firmer, crisper texture. Cover with foil for the first 30 minute of baking, then remove it for the remaining baking time. Serve with raspberry preserves or Cara Cara orange compote (see recipe for details).
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German-Style Oven Pancake
Forget flipping: This oven-baked pancake is airy and light—absolutely delicious topped with raspberry preserves.
Ingredients:
Farm & Larder oven pancake batter
2 tablespoons butter
Farm & Larder raspberry preserves
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 425°. Set a large oven-safe skillet over low heat, and melt butter.
2. Pour Farm & Larder pancake batter into buttered skillet and transfer to oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until edges are golden and pancake is cooked through in the middle. Remove from oven, cut into wedges and top with preserves.
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Roasted Root Vegetables with Balsamic Vinegar
Tossed with fresh thyme, parsley and butter, plus a splash of balsamic vinegar, this recipe works well with any number of root vegetables.
Ingredients:
2 cups Chantenay carrots, scrubbed and sliced into 1-inch pieces
2 cups parsnips, scrubbed and sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 cup purple Daikon radish, trimmed of greens, then scrubbed and sliced into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon finely-chopped thyme
1 tablespoon freshly-chopped parsley
1 tablespoon butter
1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Heat the oven to 400°.
2. Using your fingers, toss the vegetables with the oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and then transfer to a baking sheet.
3. Place the vegetables in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Flip them gently with a spatula and continue to roast until the vegetables are browned and crispy, another 10 to 20 minutes.
4. Transfer vegetables to a large serving bowl and add in fresh thyme, parsley and butter, tossing to coat, then drizzle the dish with balsamic vinegar. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper as desired. Serve warm.
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Italian Vegetable Soup
A deeply flavorful soup, thanks to the addition of fresh herbs, Corona beans and our housemade chicken stock.
Ingredients:
2 cups Corona beans, rinsed and soaked in a large stock pot of water overnight
2 leeks, trimmed of tough tops and ends, then diced
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
½-1 winter squash of your choice, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-sized cubes
1 cup Bolero carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup fingerling potatoes, washed and cut into bite-sized cubes
4 cups canned diced Italian plum tomatoes
4 cups F&L chicken stock
3-4 cups water
½ cup white wine (if desired)
3-6 tablespoons combined chopped rosemary, parsley and thyme
2 cups spinach leaves, washed and torn if large
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Method:
1. Drain beans, rinse and set aside. Rinse out the stock pot and place it on the stove, turning the heat to medium-high. Add leeks and garlic, drizzling with the olive oil. Cook until leeks are translucent and garlic is fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Once leeks are cooked, add in beans, water, wine (if using) and chicken stock. Generously season with salt and pepper. Bring soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer 30-40 minutes, or until the beans are almost done. Add squash, carrots, potatoes and diced tomatoes and bring soup back to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 more minutes, until the vegetables and beans are tender. Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
3. Turn off heat and add in fresh herbs and spinach. Serve with grated Grana-style cheese alongside.
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