The Cooking and Cuisine of Emilia-Romagna

[Pontormo]

Shaya, how did you make the raised poofs on your round tortellini? I've never seen them made that way. Gorgeous!

Judith, there's a bit of musing about flour here. Cake flour's more highly processed, in addition to the crucial info Mottmott provides and always made from a soft wheat.

I keep my ragu going at a low simmer on a gas stove by stacking one burner on top of the other once it's ready. Marcella does recommend cooking dried beans in the oven to avoid splitting skins, etc. I obey.

And Elie, while you were happy with all but the domed rice, you really do owe yourself something you were toying with making: Lasagne Duchi di Ferrara.

LRK's recipe is based on a 16th-century dish from Cristoforo da Messisbugo who is credited with publishing the first recipe for mortadella. He served the household of the Cardinal Ippolito d'Este, an important patron of music and the visual arts in keeping with family tradition. (Isabella d'Este may be the most famous of the family, taking after her mother in many respects more than her father who paid artists at his court in Ferrara by the amount of wall they covered with paint and not the quality of their work or their fame.)

I made two different lasagne, using up the rest of the chicken-based ragu I mentioned up thread. One followed the recipe closely, layering noodles with the ragu, Parmesan, slivers of Prosciutto di Parma, plumped golden raisins, toasted pine nuts, a drizzle of heavy cream and a pinch of cinnamon. Since I didn't care for the amaretto & chocolate pastas I stuffed back in Lombardia, I made a second one without the nuts, cinnamon and raisins.

The scent as they reached the final minutes of baking was nearly unbearable. It was so hard to let them rest. I tried both, of course, and have to say that the Renaissance-sweetness is not at all cloying. I actually preferred the more authentic version, though I am very glad I did NOT make my pasta from bread and rosewater, using poor man's sfoglia in this courtly dish.

One of the best things I have made this year. Luxurious, close enough to the familiar to be not scary, and with thin sheets of lasagna, a small amount of cream instead of bechamel, not at all heavy.

Edited December 12, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[Kevin72]

What lovely photos, Shaya. As always, you have a wonderful talent for your arrangements. I'm curious, is there wine or something in the dough? It seems darker than normal in two of the shots.

And Klary, amazing lasagne! I've noticed the larger than normal amount of flour, too, when making spinach dough. First time I made it was for a dinner party and I almost had a nervous breakdown since it was so sticky and loose still. Oof, bad memories.

But I love how austere the Bolognese lasagne is. I still love a good, groaning, cheesey "Southern style" lasagne also, but this is a good counterpoint.

As for the mortdella, it's a synthetic casing I'm sure. In fact, isn't even the standard size mortadella still too big to use animal casing on?

What's even more impressive about that size of mortdella is that it's boar! That's one empty forest somewhere!

[Shaya]

Pontormo, your descriptions of lasagne are so wonderful. How I would have loved to taste the artichoke lasagne you made once upon a time. But last night's sounds just divine. I would love a bite of those too.

Kevin, your eyes are good. There isn't any wine, but I made the dough on Friday, and I found that by Monday it had discolored slightly. I wonder if that's from the egg yolks?

I just adore this LRK book. I think Emilia Romagna is a must-see region for me. I could eat just about any dish she describes. I only have a few more days to cook from it before going "home" for the holidays, so I am certain I will continue with it in the new year. I have already decided to make a lasagna for the familia over the holidays.

[Shaya]

Shaya, how did you make the raised poofs on your round tortellini?  I've never seen them made that way.  Gorgeous!

I didn't try for the poofs, they just happened!

[mrbigjas]

1. are you generally making a ragu bolognese like this one, which is supposedly out of the splendid table?  (i don't have the book yet)

I use the Martha Stewart Ragu recipe- it seems pretty similar to the one you are linking but definately has some differences

Ragu

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interesting--that recipe is essentially the same as what's in the ada boni book, except without the sausage meat or the optional chicken livers.

i can see now how you guys ended up with such a long thread about ragus. i think the nice thing, though, is that it's really a pleasant argument--after all, none of them taste BAD; it's just varying degrees of deliciousness.

ok i didn't get to it last night, but with a sick baby and a sick wife i'm going to be off work today, so putting a pot on the stove for the afternoon fits right in with the plans.

[FoodMan]

Pontormo, your descriptions of lasagne are so wonderful.  How I would have loved to taste the artichoke lasagne you made once upon a time.  But last night's sounds just divine.  I would love a bite of those too.

Kevin, your eyes are good.  There isn't any wine, but I made the dough on Friday, and I found that by Monday it had discolored slightly.  I wonder if that's from the egg yolks?

I just adore this LRK book.  I think Emilia Romagna is a must-see region for me.  I could eat just about any dish she describes.  I only have a few more days to cook from it before going "home" for the holidays, so I am certain I will continue with it in the new year.  I have already decided to make a lasagna for the familia over the holidays.

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I whole heartedly agree about E-R and that awsome book. Those tortellini you made are picture perfect.

About Mortadella, they do use synthetic casing not natural.

Pontormo-

Your vivid describtions are worth a thousand pictures. I can smell and taste that 16th century lasagne and I am so hungry. BTW, your describtion makes me want to try it even more!.

[mrbigjas]

ok i didn't get to it last night, but with a sick baby and a sick wife i'm going to be off work today, so putting a pot on the stove for the afternoon fits right in with the plans.

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or, two. why not--if you're cutting up the vegetables and simmering for hours, why not do two versions?

i have a pot of the splendid table variety on one burner, and a pot of the hazan variety on the other (from recipes i found on line since i have neither book). initial comparison (they've been on for 2.5 hours or so now) is interesting. the splendid table version is rather... brown. i mean, was the 2 T of tomato paste not enough to keep it red? but it tastes great. the hazan variety is redder from the tomatoes, but doesn't have the depth of flavor from the pancetta. OK i know the recipe called for salt pork, but pancetta was what i had.

more later.

[little ms foodie]

We are using this book.....

primi of Tortelli di Verza (tortelli stuffed with savoy cabbage)

secondi of Costolette d'Angello alla Parmigiana (lamb chops, Parma style) on a bed of Purea di Piselli (pea puree)

[Kevin72]

Looking good, Wendy! Are you going to try and recreate any meals from your wonderful trip?

How'd the ragu go, Mr. Big? I keep forgetting Marcella's version only uses beef; I also use pork and pancetta in mine.

And yes, when I cooked a ragu version with tomato paste, the sauce as a whole stayed brown (both times I had ragu in Bologna it was this same color, also). The paste I guess just adds more to the caramelization and sweetness.

[Pontormo]

Wendy: Your tortelli are glorious, just like the golden ones on the book jacket! How many yolks in that dough?

I'd really like to know what's in the filling besides the savoy. I bought a huge cabbage this week and do not plan to sauté all of it with garlic.

[Pontormo]

Nightline ran a story on feral pigs last night. Granted it was on a new dumbed-down version of the program and therefore a bit overwrought, but there were claims that Texas has a real problem. The chef Jon Bonnell (Fort Worth) promoted the healthfulness and flavor of the meat.

Any plans to make ragu with the wild "boar" of Texas?

[FoodMan]

Mr. b-

Looking forward to your results. Pancetta is always used when I make a ragu. Pork belly that is cured and spiced beats regular salt pork IMO.

Wendy-

I absolutly love that dinner of yours and the perfect tortelli. BTW, I am so glad we are doing E-R right with lots of homemade pasta this month.

As for feral pigs in TX, it is true. I have a coworker who lives in a suburb west of Houston, and tells me that small herds of wild boar are a regular sight in his neck of the woods (so to speak). Many of his hunting neighbors do bag a few evry so often since there are so many of them. Unfortunatly I have not recieved any meat yet...

[Kevin72]

I was talking to the owner of a winery north of Denton and he said that pigs were his big problem with the crop as well. And that they were delicious. Oh man imagine bagging one of those suckers that had been fatted on wine grapes all fall . . .

Edited December 13, 2006 by Kevin72 (log)

[FoodMan]

Here's a cool coincidence, my father in law invited us to dinner yesterday and to my surprise what he made is his ragu Bolognese. Now, this is important because his ragu based on his mom's recipe is a once or twice a year occurance. For him to make it this week was a very welcome coicidence.

My father in law was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia with no Italian background. But he always said that this is the recipe his mom uses to enetertain when she had people she wanted to impress. The ragu is certainly not like any traditional one I've seen, but it is so damn good, I could care less. He uses a whole simmered chicken, it's stock, ground chuck, tomatoes, sausage, mushrooms and little bell peppers among other things. It is thick, rich and deliciouse after it simmers for 4 or 5 hours.

Also very non traditional is the pasta he serves it with, but again the stuff works. He uses freshly made (from a local deli) ricotta stuffed ravioli! The end result is like a deconstructed utterly sensational Lasagna. I'm having leftovers for lunch.

[little ms foodie]

thanks all! Dayne made the pasta and he said it was 2 whole eggs and 2 yolks. we used the porportions in the Parma book and also used our KA stand mixer attachment to roll it out. I was very excited that none of the tortelli broke in the water- but obviously we need to work on the consistancy of our shapes.

The filling was savoy cabbage (blanched) then braised with butter, evoo, ground proscuitto, bay leaf and some chicken stock. after an hour and a cool down 1 egg and parm was added.

[Pontormo]

Thanks for the information, Wendy. That sounds really good and since I have everything at home, I might just make a small batch with the dough I froze even if it's not as rich.

Elie & Kevin: Interesting about Texan feral pigs.* I am serious about the ragu, though. There's a recipe in LRK's book and it sounds a lot more doable than Judith's mortadella di cinghiale. I am going to start checking out meat departments and butchers around here. I'm pretty sure I've seen bacon, at least.

The over-the-top dinner at your in-laws also sounds great and adds to the list the different ways that Italian dishes change in other countries. Batali serves ricotta gnocchi (or gnudi) with braised fennel and a sausage-based sauce. I made the dish once and it was so good, I returned the library book and bought my own copy.

*The report also said the spinach catastrophe this summer was traced to the fecal matter of California's population of roaming, wild hogs. I hadn't caught that part of the story.

[mrbigjas]

How'd the ragu go, Mr. Big? I keep forgetting Marcella's version only uses beef; I also use pork and pancetta in mine. 

And yes, when I cooked a ragu version with tomato paste, the sauce as a whole stayed brown (both times I had ragu in Bologna it was this same color, also).  The paste I guess just adds more to the caramelization and sweetness.

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Mr. b-

Looking forward to your results. Pancetta is always used when I make a ragu. Pork belly that is cured and spiced beats regular salt pork IMO.

well we served it over some elicoidal rigatoni. the results were mixed.

by that, of course, i mean that i want to mix the two recipes together, because there were things i liked more and less about each.

i thought the splendid table version was a bit too salty and a bit... well, even a little mushy by the time i got to the the addition of the cream and all. but it was indeed extraordinarily rich and very tasty. i like the fact that it had a much higher proportion of mirepoix in it (2/3-1 c of each, as compared to 1/4 cup of each in the hazan version).

the hazan version was a little closer to how i have always made it (or rather how i've always made a meat sauce that i never really officially called bolognese but basically is), with a much stronger tomato presence, but i felt like it would have been really well served in depth of flavor by the addition of pancetta or salt pork or some kind of cured pork product.

in conclusion: in the future i'll make something more like hazan's, but with more mirepoix, including some ground pancetta and/or sausage meat (i bought a little sweet italian sausage yesterday to add, but decided against it). and i'll run the tomatoes through the coarse setting on the food mill to avoid chunks--yesterday i crushed them by hand.

i have about a quart of each of them left, so i'll be making a couple other dishes from them (any recommendations besides the lasagna?) and then testing the freezing capabilities of each.

incidentally i used a mix of ground chuck and pork for both--and between the pancetta and the chuck i ended up actually taking a gravy ladle and ladling off some of the fat off the splendid table version, since it was pooling up as it simmered. i know that may be a sacrilege, but i did it anyway. sorry.

Edited December 13, 2006 by mrbigjas (log)

[hathor]

Bolognese ragu on top of polenta is delicious!

If its thick enough, you can use it to fill a hollowed eggplant or zucchini and roast it.

You could go the Chufi/Hathor method and just eat it with a spoon.

[mrbigjas]

You could go the Chufi/Hathor method and just eat it with a spoon. 

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i might have done that all throughout yesterday afternoon, so that by the time dinner came along i wasn't even really hungry anymore.

might have. not sayin i DID, necessarily. just that it could have happened.

[Chufi]

what to do with leftover mash and leftover spinachpastadough?

make more pasta ofcourse! Elies mash-ravioli, and Shaya's perfect little poufy hats were on my mind.

hathor asked, somewhere, though I can't find her question anymore, if I'd let the spinachdough rest, and why it should rest. The dough I used on Monday was sort of speckled with green, whereas the dough that rested in the fridge for 2 days, was a uniform bright green. So I guess that's what the resting is for. The texture wasn't much different though, still soft and sticky!

(the coarse semolina looks wierd, but it all melts away in the cooking water)

The filling tasted really good, but it was a little bit dry. (just mash, chives, egg and parmesan, like Elie said). And thank you Shaya for inspring me to try a new stuffed pasta shape! They came out so pretty! Served with a bacon/mushroom creamsauce, this was a very good dish for 'cooking with leftovers'...

Edited December 13, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[FoodMan]

what to do with leftover mash and leftover spinachpastadough?

make more pasta ofcourse! Elies mash-ravioli, and Shaya's perfect little poufy hats were on my mind.

hathor asked, somewhere, though I can't find her question anymore, if I'd let the spinachdough rest, and why it should rest. The dough I used on Monday was sort of speckled with green, whereas the dough that rested in the fridge for 2 days, was a uniform bright green. So I guess that's what the resting is for. The texture wasn't much different though, still soft and sticky! 

(the coarse semolina looks wierd, but it all melts away in the cooking water)

The filling tasted really good, but it was a little bit dry. (just mash, chives, egg and parmesan, like Elie said). And thank you Shaya for inspring me to try a new stuffed pasta shape! They came out so pretty! Served with a bacon/mushroom creamsauce, this was a very good dish for 'cooking with leftovers'...

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Boy do these look cool, good and pretty damn refined

i have about a quart of each of them left, so i'll be making a couple other dishes from them (any recommendations besides the lasagna?) and then testing the freezing capabilities of each.

In the Splendid Table (are you sick of us quoting the E-R bible yet?) she has a very good sounding recipe where she makes a "pie" of sorts with polenta and Ragu. Looks very tasty and seems like a great use for the ragu. If you like I can PM u a short summary of it.

[mrbigjas]

Boy do these look cool, good and pretty damn refined

and so brilliantly green! i love them.

In the Splendid Table (are you sick of us quoting the E-R bible yet?) she has a very good sounding recipe where she makes a "pie" of sorts with polenta and Ragu. Looks very tasty and seems like a great use for the ragu. If you like I can PM u a short summary of it.

that would be awesome. i suspect i can figure it out for the most part (i made something similar but with a different fillign last year), but yeah. that sounds fun.

[Pontormo]

In the Splendid Table (are you sick of us quoting the E-R bible yet?) she has a very good sounding recipe where she makes a "pie" of sorts with polenta and Ragu. Looks very tasty and seems like a great use for the ragu. If you like I can PM u a short summary of it.

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Oh, yes!!!! I make Marcella Hazan's version of stuffed polenta at least once every year, my go-to company dish in the dead of winter. Basically: butter lasagna pan, a little ragu first (? ), then layer of polenta, ragu, bechamel, Parm, repeat, topping with lots of cheese. Polenta is poured on a wooden board in desired shape and when cooled and solid, cut into layers with thread (or dental floss) wrapped tightly around fingers of each hand. MH says three layers, though I usually do just two. Tend to add porcini to the ragu for this particular dish.

Klary: how pretty!

Might I also recommend making risotto with ragu? Especially good if you've been scooping bits from the fridge all day long and only have a little left.

P.S. Hope the family's doing better and not passing on anything to the cook.

Edited December 13, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[Shaya]

Wendy, that dinner looks great.

Ugh, Klary, those are some gorgeous tortellini. Like little emeralds in the sand. You should try the veal filling (ground veal, proscuitto, parmigiano) - it's really delicate yet hearty and satisfying.

I am trying hard to follow all the discussion on ragu and to think about what I do when I make mine. It is pretty much my own interpretation based on what I have read and really on my own preferences.

I usually use smoky bacon or pancetta, and sometimes mirepoix and sometimes not; I use veal and beef, leaving out the pork as it is not a flavor or ingredient I am accustomed to. I add some tomato puree, stock, red wine, garlic, parsley and thyme. A dash of nutmeg, coriander seed and cinnamon sometimes. I also baste semi-frequently with milk. Sometimes a mushroom base like porcini or cremini. I have no idea which region this is from, but I know I just love the stuff.

[Kevin72]

I do the ragu and polenta pie thing also and also top the whole thing with blue cheese to melt in the oven. Cause, you know, it needs that richness.