Wild Fennel & Anchovy Pasta

This was my favorite pasta of the Sicily trip. Chef was kind enough to walk us through the recipe. The only problem is getting the wild fennel, but maybe replaceable by a combination of fennel tops and dill. The chef recommends Felicetti pasta.

a bunch of wild fennel (finocchietto)
1-2 cloves garlic
half a fresh pepperoncini (dried ok too)
zest of 1 lemon
EVOO
pasta water
anchovies (salted preferred)
pangrattato

1. chop garlic and fry up in pan, add lemon zest 
2. after five minutes, add minced pepperconcini
3. add in anchovies and stir until melted
4. add chopped wild fennel and let cook so that it blends better
5. mix at high speed, adding EVOO and a bit of pasta water until you get a smooth consistency
6. boil and drain pasta, add to pan with sauce
7. serve with pangrattato

Frisee, Anchovy & Cheddar

Using anchovies in a Caesar salad is common, but I need to start throwing a couple in my vinaigrette. Combined with some nice dice of cheddar cheese, I was very happy. Tarragon makes all the difference here too. I love my cheese and fish!

frisee
tarragon
chives
parsley
vinaigrette (Dijon mustard, EVOO, cider vinegar, maldon sea salt, ground black pepper)
piment de l'espelette
2 anchovies
english cheddar diced into tiny pieces

1. make vinaigrette, making sure to chop anchovies into tiny bits
2. chop herbs and mix into dressed salad with diced cheese
3. season with more maldon sea salt and pepper

Piemont Risotto

What a superb embodiment of Piemont in a dish.

2 tblsp butter
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup cooked ham cubes
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 cups arborio rice
1 cup white wine
6 cups heated chicken or beef stock
1/4 pound fontina cheese - chopped in 1/4 inch dice to yield 3/4 cup
1/4 cup grated parmesan
meat gravy
white truffle (optional)

1. melt butter in large pot and saute onion til soft
2. add ham cubes, cook until just warmed (about 1 min)
3. add rosemary and rice and stir until butter is absorbed
4. add wine and simmer until it evaporates, then add enough stock to cover the rice and stir
5. keep adding hot stock as it is absorbed into the rice, continuously stirring well with a wooden spoon
6. when rice is about half-cooked (10 min), add fontina cheese and cook another 10 mins, continuing to add stock as needed
7. finally add the parmesan, a few spoons of gravy if desired, and serve; grate white truffle generously over all, if you like

Puntarelle Roman Style

One of the best salads ever. Fortunately I am able to get tons of this in Hong Kong, courtesy  of my friendly internet wholesaler who delivers it to my doorstep live and direct from Italy.

puntarelle, sliced into shreds 

red wine vinegar

best quality, rinsed salted anchovies

lots of ground pepper

EVOO

squeeze of lemon

1. make sure as you slice the puntarelle to put into a bowl of ice water; the shreds will curl up like beautiful ribbons
2. make vinaigrette, crushing the anchovy into bits but do not obliterate
3. add lemon to taste, but black pepper like there's no tomorrow

Agnolotti & Walnut Sauce

I had my fair share of these in Turin, especially with a nice meat stock drizzled over them. These are simple agnolotti, senza plin (pleat), which is reserved for special occasions. This is  a recipe from one of my favorite British (Italian) chefs, Jacob Kennedy. This is how he ate it at his local trattoria in Rome, Marcello on Via dei Campani.

filling
150 gr cabbage or escarole
25 gr butter
400 gr braised veal & pork
4 sage leaves
80 gr parmesan
1 egg
nutmeg

walnut sauce
100 gr shelled walnuts
60 gr bread weighed without crust
4 tblsp milk
1 tblsp picked oregano leaves (or 5 sage leaves)
80 gr parmesan, freshly grated
150 ml EVOO
300 ml water
maldon sea salt
ground black pepper

crumbled walnuts
freshly grated parmesan

1. to make the filling, boil the greens in salted water until tender; drain well and leave to steam dry out on a cloth; chop finely and squeeze any extra water out in your hands, then fry gently in butter for a few minutes; leave to cool then combine with other ingredients in a food processor until smooth
2. for the agnolotti, cut the rolled pasta into 5 cm rounds and dab a piece of filling the size of a chickpea in the center of each; agnolotti only need two minutes of boiling
3. make walnut sauce by soaking the bread in milk, then combine with the nuts, oregano and parmesan in a food processor; grind well to achieve a finely textured, creamy sauce; add oil then gradually 300 ml water; season with salt and pepper
4. make pasta dough using this blog's "silky pasta" recipe
5. heat the walnut sauce, adding a touch of water if need be; when cooked the sauce should be as thick as cream
6. to serve, put the pasta in the pan with the walnut sauce
7. cook until well coated, serve with parmesan and crumbled walnuts

Crab & Pink Grapefruit

A Heston recipe, made it for Christmas and just want to make sure I don't forget in case of a repeat! I love the unlikely addition of truffle. I would not use pomelo because it is not as acidic as grapefruit.

300 gr white crab meat
120 gr home-made mayonnaise
chopped chives
tarragon leaves
maldon sea salt
truffle oil
1/2 pink grapefruit
chicory salad
1 avocado

pink grapefruit jelly
180 gr fresh pink grapefruit juice
1 tblsp sugar
1 tsp powdered gelatine

pink grapefruit vinaigrette
1/2 pink grapefruit
10 gr dijon mustard
20 gr white wine vinegar
60 gr grapeseed oil
chives
maldon sea salt
ground black pepper

1. jelly: make the grapefruit jelly by heating the grapefruit juice in a small pan over a medium heat and add the fructose, stirring until it is dissolved; sprinkle the gelatine into the pan and stir over a gentle heat until dissolved; strain the liquid into a clean shallow container and allow to set in the fridge; cut the jelly into 5 mm cubes and keep in the fridge until ready to serve
2. vinaigrette: take a pink grapefruit; peel then break in half, reserving half the segments. Squeeze the other half through a sieve into the bowl.  Mix the juice with mustard, vinegar and whisk together. Begin adding the grapeseed oil in a thin stream while whisking in order to form an emulsion.
3. salad: mix crab eat with mayo; finely chop herbs and add most of the chives and all of the tarragon into the bowl; season with salt; add small drizzle of truffle oil to mixture,
4. separate the reserved half of the pink grapefruit into segments and remove the pith; slice each segment in half lengthways, then each of these into about 8 pcs.
5. when ready to serve, dress the lettuce with the grapefruit vinaigrette and divide half of it between 4-6 glass bowl or glasses; add a layer of crab mixture followed by a layer of grapefruit jelly cubes, before adding another layer of lettuce; garnish with remaining chopped chives and grapefruit pieces to taste.

Blue Cheese & Cherry

From Greg Marchand's cookbook.  Twice I've shown up early for lunch and twice his restaurant--Frenchie-- was closed. Next time in Paris. He is clearly inspired by his old boss Jamie Oliver, but with a French twist. He along with many other young French chefs who have gone abroad and returned have gotten Parisiens very excited about their fresh and modern take on French food, focusing on simple and delicious combinations without too much fuss. This is a perfect example of a beautiful combo.

400 gr bleu des Causses (or any mild variant of Roquefort)
1 pot of Fabbri amarena cherries in syrup
zest of 1 lemon
baby basil leaves

1. take cheese out a couple hours before serving
2. put a chunk of bleu on a rustic wooden platter
3. grate lemon zest over the bleu
4. sprinkle the basil leaves on top 
5. serve with a little bowl of cherries alongside