Friday, December 7, 2007

"Big Night" TORTA


La Torta
inspired by the movie "Big Night" with far less drama.

¼ pound pancetta
1 pound fresh Italian sausage or
1 pound fresh boar sausage*order online
8 ounces grated pecorino cheese
½ pound mushroom tortellini, cooked al dente
2 minced garlic cloves
3 tables spoon olive oil
3 chopped shallots
1 cups red wine
¼ cup pine nuts
½ teaspoon saffron threads
½ cup golden raisins

The Torta is double crust meat pie layered with the tortellini, cheese and meat sauce.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Filling:

Remove sausage from casing and sauté in a large skillet, with the pancetta, oil garlic, shallots, saffron, and pine nuts until the sausage in brown. Add the red wine and raisins and simmer until the sauce has thickend slightly. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.

The pastry dough: You may make ahead or use a good quality puff pastry if desired.

3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup shortening
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
cold milk, about 1/3 cup

Cut shortening and butter into flour and salt until it resembled coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk until a soft dough forms. Knead gently on a flour board to shape into a ball. Rest for 20 minutes covered in plastic film in the refrigerator.

Assembly: one deep dish 9 inch pie plate or shallow round casserole dish

Divide the dough in half and roll one pie into a large circle to fit the baking dish. Place the dough into the baking dish and layer the meat sauce, tortellini and cheese. Roll the remainder of the dough and cover the torte with the dough. trim and seal. Brush the top with a little beaten egg and milk. You can decorate the top with leaf cutouts or shapes and chill or bake.

The Torta will take about 35-45 minutes to bake, or until the top is brown and the filling is hot.

Gnocchi with Shrimp and Crab

A Fantastic Holiday Treat
and my favorite gnocchi recipe!

GNOCCHI

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 egg
1 cup whole milk, ricotta cheese
½ cup grated parmesan
2 cups all purpose flour

Place flour on a flat clean surface. Mix egg with cheese and oil and gently work into the flour until soft dough has formed. Rest for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.

Shape Gnocchi: Divide the dough into two pieces and roll each one into a long log about 1 inch thick. Cut off pieces about ½ inch and with gently push one side of gnocchi into the back of a dinner folk while holding the dough on the flat surface and squeezing the two sides at the same time to make a little dent. Set aside until all gnocchi are shaped. Boil in salted water about 7-8 minutes just before serving or place in an au gratin dish to heat with sauce.

Crab and Shrimp in Saffron Cream

1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined (save shells)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 pound lump crab, picked over for shell

Sauce: Place the shrimp shells in a large sauce pan with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Sauté over medium high heat until the shells are pink. Add 2 cups of water and the white wine. Reduce heat and simmer for about 40 minutes and the stock has reduced by about half. Strain, the stock discard shells.

2 cups dry white wine
2 cups heavy cream
½ teaspoon saffron threads
½ clove minced fresh garlic
2 large shallots, minced
2medium tomatoes chopped and squeezed to remove seeds.
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

In a large sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté the shrimp seasoned with a little salt and pepper. When the shrimp are just turning pink remove to a bowl and set aside. Add the shallots, saffron, and garlic and to the skillet and whatever juices have accumulated and cook for about 1 minute. Add the shrimp stock, tomatoes, and cream and simmer for about 15 minutes. ( You may cook ahead to this point).

Season the sauce with salt and Tabasco, add the shrimp and crabmeat and heat through. To serve, place the hot gnocchi on a heated dinner plate and spoon the crab and shrimp sauce over. Sprinkle with parsley.

More Dordogne Stories


Roland met us wearing, no joke, a lab coat and a large plastic cap set askew over his thick mop of dark hair. Looking very much the part of mad scientist, he greeted us with a handshake and a cone full of sweet and smooth mandarin sorbet. It couldn’t have tasted and smelled better if we had plucked it from a tree. We looked around for the smoking beakers and a bubbling cauldron but all we saw was a spotless, stainless steel kitchen.While standing in his office, Roland identifies the brand of the perfume we are wearing, then asks if we have read Patrick Süskind’s novel ‘Perfume’ in which the main character creates the ultimate scent (made from beautiful women) to achieve the ultimate reaction.“I thought, why not adapt this concept to ice cream,” he says. Roland's melding of color, smell and texture is nothing short of alchemy, and he believes this sensory fusion is what lets people experience food, not just eat it.
~Kimberley
Be sure to read the Dordogne Stories Blog

Vagabond Elfs


Check out the link, clever and and fun for all. Laura and Kimberley make cute elves, don't you think?
Santa always needs more helpers for the holidays. New holidays recipes soon from Vagabond Gourmet. Stay tuned!