tag:www.delaurenti.com,2012:/recipes//1 2012-02-03T21:51:36Z Movable Type 3.33 tag:www.delaurenti.com,2011:/recipes//1.305 2011-11-29T18:00:16Z 2012-02-03T21:51:36Z

We used to do a monthly wine club and with each month's wines, we included a recipe. We featured Vin Santo one month and a biscotti recipe was a natural addition. As you can gather by now, a traditional and simple recipe was in order. As a good son, I enrolled my father in the club and he took to this recipe - very similar to his Italian mother's which wasn't written down - and perfected it. As an engineer, be assured it has been tested hundreds of times and is perfectly accurate in every detail. Thanks, Dad!

Pat We used to do a monthly wine club and with each month's wines, we included a recipe. We featured Vin Santo one month and a biscotti recipe was a natural addition. As you can gather by now, a traditional and simple recipe was in order. As a good son, I enrolled my father in the club and he took to this recipe - very similar to his Italian mother's which wasn't written down - and perfected it. As an engineer, be assured it has been tested hundreds of times and is perfectly accurate in every detail. Thanks, Dad! To toast the almonds Preheat oven to 400. Spread the almonds in one layer on a cookie/baking sheet. Toast until golden: 6-10 minutes. Biscotti Turn oven down to 350. In a mixer, combine melted butter, sugar and vanilla then mix. Add eggs and mix well. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well then add toasted almonds. The dough will be pliable but on the runny side. On a hard surface sprinkled with flour, divide the dough into 4 equal balls. Form into a "loaf" oblong in shape and put on cookie sheets (two per sheet). The dough will rise quite a bit so start the "loaf" long - about 6 inches. Bake the loaves for 40 minutes. While loaves are still warm out of the oven, slice them into individual, equal pieces. Place pieces on a cookie sheet and toast until the biscotti just start to brown (10 minutes). Turn the pieces over and bake another 10 minutes. tag:www.delaurenti.com,2011:/recipes//1.296 2011-09-16T18:36:55Z 2011-09-16T21:51:52Z

This is more of a technique than a recipe but it's definitely newsletter-worthy. Garrett, our chef de cuisine here at the store came up with this little twist based on his mother's tradition. You'll use this bit of advice for the rest of your culinary life - guaranteed.

Pat This is more of a technique than a recipe but it's definitely newsletter-worthy. Garrett, our chef de cuisine here at the store came up with this little twist based on his mother's tradition. You'll use this bit of advice for the rest of your culinary life - guaranteed. Roasting vegetables is one of the easiest ways to complete a meal. So often we have the main course figured out, then we freeze when we need to see something else on the plate. Use this technique when you roast your veggies in the oven. The best thing about this recipe... you can substitute any vegetable for the potatoes. Try broccoli, cauliflower, baby carrots (cut length-wise), mushrooms, asparagus, etc., etc. Preheat oven and baking sheet to 450 degrees. Toss the whole lot in a bowl. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and pour potatoes out onto the sheet. Roast for 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown. tag:www.delaurenti.com,2011:/recipes//1.294 2011-08-24T18:17:06Z 2011-08-25T20:26:27Z

One of the many advantages we have of living in the NW is great shellfish. Penn Cove Mussels may be the best of the best. When they reside in a broth made with lightly smoky Italian Pancetta, garlic & ripe Cherry Tomatoes, they are better than a Milwaukee's Best commercial.

Pat One of the many advantages we have of living in the NW is great shellfish. Penn Cove Mussels may be the best of the best. When they reside in a broth made with lightly smoky Italian Pancetta, garlic & ripe Cherry Tomatoes, they are better than a Milwaukee's Best commercial. Scrub, debeard & rinse Mussels In a large high sided pan over medium heat, saute Pancetta until golden brown. Add garlic, shallot & chili flakes and cook until softened - 2 to 3 minutes. Add mussels & wine, toss to coat, cover with lid and cook until mussels just open. Remove mussels with a slotted spoon to a warmed serving platter. Discard any mussels that do not open. Add cherry tomatoes to broth and reduce for 2 minutes. If you do not have enough broth, add a touch more wine and/or water. Add Italian parsley & butter. Stir to incorporate and pour hot broth over mussels. Garnish with reserve Italian parsley and serve family style with ample grilled bread. tag:www.delaurenti.com,2011:/recipes//1.293 2011-08-23T19:37:29Z 2011-08-25T06:00:20Z

This is a perfect pasta to make when the grill is still in it's summer time position and the strawberry tomatoes & basil are reaching their peak. After you start grilling tomatoes, you won't stop. They are great with pasta, as an antipasti, or with fish and anything else that comes off the grill.

Pat This is a perfect pasta to make when the grill is still in it's summer time position and the strawberry tomatoes & basil are reaching their peak. After you start grilling tomatoes, you won't stop. They are great with pasta, as an antipasti, or with fish and anything else that comes off the grill. Over low heat in a small sauce pan, brown pinenuts until fragrant - set aside. Light a barbeque, or heat a grill pan on high. Coat tomatoes in olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Grill tomatoes until soft and charred, but not falling apart. Set aside. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil with 2 Tbsp salt. Add pasta. Over medium low heat, saute garlic & red pepper flakes until garlic is softened but not brown. Return tomatoes to the pan and turn heat to low. When pasta is still al dente, turn heat of tomato pan back up to medium high. Add pasta to tomatoes with a 1/2 cup of pasta water and toss. Add salt & pepper to taste, basil & pinenuts and combine. Allow pasta to finish cooking in the pan - when water has thickened to the consistency of a sauce and coats the pasta evenly, it's ready to go. Divide pasta between warmed pasta bowls and finish with good quality extra virgin olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano and a pinch of basil. tag:www.delaurenti.com,2011:/recipes//1.287 2011-03-25T22:40:17Z 2011-08-25T05:55:42Z

This is a great summer risotto - substantial but fresh.

Pat This is a great summer risotto - substantial but fresh. In a medium saucepan, saute the pancetta in a little olive oil until crisp. Transfer to a plate with paper towels and set aside, reserving some for garnish. On a baking sheet, drizzle 2 Tbsp olive oil and a large pinch sea salt over the laid-out asparagus. Roast at 400 for 3-5 minutes - until tender and charred. Remove from oven and chop asparagus, reserving tips. Set aside. In that same saucepan, over medium-high heat, saute the shallots, remaining oil and butter until translucent. Add Arborio rice and stir. You are toasting the rice for about 2 minutes. Add the wine and reduce for 1 minute. Begin adding the chicken stock one ladle-full at a time - just enough to cover the rice. Stirring constantly, add a ladle of chicken stock when you can see the bottom of the pan as you drag your wooden spoon through the risotto. Cover the rice with the stock and repeat this process for 20-25 minutes. When rice is still al dente, remove from the heat. Add asparagus and pancetta. Add the cheese and stir in. Risotto will continue to cook from remaining heat. Garnish with asparagus tips, crispy pancetta and lemon zest. Serve immediately. tag:www.delaurenti.com,2010:/recipes//1.283 2010-12-10T18:34:53Z 2010-12-10T21:51:25Z

A December dilemma: You want the comfort of a hearty red sauce, but something from the sea is calling you. Problem solved.

Pat A December dilemma: You want the comfort of a hearty red sauce, but something from the sea is calling you. Problem solved. Saute onions in olive oil over medium low heat, covered for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally, being careful to keep onions from burning. Add carrots, celery, thyme and cook until softened, approximately 5 minutes. Crush tomatoes by hand, add to pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer red sauce to blender or cuisinart and puree (this turns it 'pink'ish). Return sauce to pan and set aside. Skip this step if you prefer a more chunky sauce. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil with 2 Tbsp salt. Add linguine to water and cook according to instructions on package. While pasta cooks, season shrimp with salt & pepper. In a separate sauce pan, sauté shrimp in olive oil and red pepper flakes until almost done, approximately 3 minutes - shrimp should still be a bit opaque in the middle. Transfer shrimp to plate and set aside. Add stock and wine and reduce by 1/3, approximately 5 minutes. Ladle red sauce into stock & wine mixture and heat through. When al dente, add hot pasta to sauce and mix. Add pasta water to reach desired consistency - sauce should be loose and saucy. Add shrimp and heat through. Plate pasta and garnish with Italian parsley and serve immediately. A nice Sicilian white with this, perhaps? Or Dolcetto-it's the red that goes with everything. tag:www.delaurenti.com,2010:/recipes//1.279 2010-11-04T19:28:25Z 2010-11-04T22:31:02Z

Here's a simple one when you don't have a lot of time to prepare.

Pat Here's a simple one when you don't have a lot of time to prepare. Be sure your roast has been out of the fridge for about an hour.
Pat it dry with paper towels then tuck the sprigs of rosemary and sage under the tie strings evenly around the roast.
In a Dutch oven, over med-high heat, brown the roast in the oil on all sides - about 15 minutes.
Salt and pepper roast on top and bottom. Cover with lid and place in oven for about 1 hour or until the inside temperature reaches 150 degrees.
Remove roast from oven and place on warmed plate for 10-15 minutes.
Skim the fat from the pan juices then add the stock.
Reduce by half.
Slice roast, pouring sauce over each serving.

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In an effort to extol the virtues of the Lugana pasta I mentioned above, take advantage of the last of the tomatoes in the garden and squeeze a few more weeks out of summer by making and serving this pasta salad for a dinner on the deck.

Pat In an effort to extol the virtues of the Lugana pasta I mentioned above, take advantage of the last of the tomatoes in the garden and squeeze a few more weeks out of summer by making and serving this pasta salad for a dinner on the deck. Boil the pasta until it is al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water until pasta is cool to the touch. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, vinegar and a pinch each of salt and pepper. In a large salad bowl, combine pasta, greens, tomatoes and pine nuts. Drizzle with oil and vinegar. Toss to combine. Finish with crumbled Gorgonzola. tag:www.delaurenti.com,2010:/recipes//1.265 2010-07-09T22:26:09Z 2010-07-10T01:29:17Z

Fear not. Duck is your friend.

Pat Fear not. Duck is your friend. tag:www.delaurenti.com,2010:/recipes//1.260 2010-04-30T17:48:24Z 2010-04-30T20:57:34Z

You may remember Justin Lyon. Justin ran our cafe for a time a few years ago. He's moved on as a private chef and travels between Hawaii and Indian Wells, California with his beautiful wife and two children. Needless to say, the guy can cook. He made this dish for a Family Dinner here at the store (we do family dinners ever so often here. They're fun and exclusive and the crew gets to show off a bit when the inspiration hits them.) Spot Prawns are perfect right now in the Market - if you believe the fish guys and we do most of the time.

Pat You may remember Justin Lyon. Justin ran our cafe for a time a few years ago. He's moved on as a private chef and travels between Hawaii and Indian Wells, California with his beautiful wife and two children. Needless to say, the guy can cook. He made this dish for a Family Dinner here at the store (we do family dinners ever so often here. They're fun and exclusive and the crew gets to show off a bit when the inspiration hits them.) Spot Prawns are perfect right now in the Market - if you believe the fish guys and we do most of the time. Blanch tomatoes 20 seconds until skins soften. Peel skins, core, deseed & chop. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in large sauce pan. Add 3 garlic cloves, onion and shells and cook on med/low heat for 20 minutes. Add tomatoes and tomato paste - cook until tomatoes release juice. Add wine & reduce by half. Add enough water to cover prawn shells. Let simmer 45 minutes. Strain broth and reserve. Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to a large sauce pan. Add 2 garlic cloves and cook until just slightly colored. Add fennel and cook until translucent. Add capers, olives and chilies just to heat through. Add the reserved fish stock to pan and let simmer on med until reduced by 1/4. While stock reduces, slice baguette and toast until golden. Rub bread slices with last garlic clove and portion on serving plates. Add spot prawns to "crazy water" and simmer for 1-2 minutes until just cooked through. Add Italian parsley and mix. Portion on top of bread slices and pour crazy water over the top to slightly cover bread. Finish with extra virgin olive oil and garnish w/remaining parsley. tag:www.delaurenti.com,2010:/recipes//1.256 2010-01-28T18:25:33Z 2010-01-28T21:27:20Z

Michele (my wife), makes this very rarely. We can't figure why because it's really quite delicious and easy. Perhaps because it can be messy. Fear not! Dive in and go at it.

Pat Michele (my wife), makes this very rarely. We can't figure why because it's really quite delicious and easy. Perhaps because it can be messy. Fear not! Dive in and go at it. Thaw the spinach and squeeze as much water out of it as humanly possible. Chop and place in mixing bowl with the ricotta, 1 ounce of Reggiano, and the yolks. Season with salt & pepper. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Form the mixture into cherry-sized balls and gently drop into the water - a few at a time. When they rise to the top, they're done. Repeat until all the balls are cooked, placing the finished gnocchi onto a warmed tray with a slotted spoon. Cover the gnocchi with the butter and the rest of the Reggiano. Verdicchio sounds good with these gnocchi, doesn't it? You can easily freeze the gnocchi, too. Just place them on a silpatted (or parchmented) cookie sheet and place in the freezer. Once frozen, move them to a zip-loc bag and use them at will. tag:www.delaurenti.com,2009:/recipes//1.252 2009-12-17T18:54:54Z 2009-12-17T22:04:10Z

DeLaurenti chef Garrett Abel, with a literary gun to his head, created this recipe as the ideal platform for the 2009 Ponticelli Olio Novello. The underlying starch and pork really show off the grassy, fresh extra virgin olive oil. This makes for a wonderful first course paired with an indigenous sangiovese such as Rossosole.

Pat DeLaurenti chef Garrett Abel, with a literary gun to his head, created this recipe as the ideal platform for the 2009 Ponticelli Olio Novello. The underlying starch and pork really show off the grassy, fresh extra virgin olive oil. This makes for a wonderful first course paired with an indigenous sangiovese such as Rossosole. In a soup pot over medium heat, crisp the pancetta. When finished, remove pancetta with slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat. Saute' onion in pancetta fat until translucent - about 5 minutes. Add beans and cover them with stock. Gently simmer about 45 minutes or until beans are slightly tender - be careful not to destroy the beans with a violent boil. Remove about 1/12 cups of simmered beans/onion mixture and set aside. Puree remaining bean/onions/stock in blender until silky smooth. Add a bit of extra stock to thin puree. Add reserved pancetta & reserved beans/onions. Season to taste. Float Olio Novello on top as garnish. Serve it hot. tag:www.delaurenti.com,2009:/recipes//1.246 2009-10-23T00:21:22Z 2009-10-23T03:38:33Z

So we got this pistachio flour in from Bazzini and we were wondering what to do with it. We talked about encrusting pork with it or frying pork chops dusted with it, but those ideas seemed a little less than challenging. So we decided to make pasta with it. Give it a try if you've got a little extra time.

Pat So we got this pistachio flour in from Bazzini and we were wondering what to do with it. We talked about encrusting pork with it or frying pork chops dusted with it, but those ideas seemed a little less than challenging. So we decided to make pasta with it. Give it a try if you've got a little extra time. Pasta: Sift the flours together, then mix 2 eggs with the flour. We didn't need water to make the dough but you might. Let dough stand for 20 minutes (or refrigerate overnight). With a little dusting of "OO" flour on the work surface, roll out into rectangular sheet (4" x 16"). You want the pasta to be really thin about 1/32" thick. By the way, this is very easy with an Atlas Pasta Machine....available at DeLaurenti! Wisk the third egg for an egg wash. Filling: Mix ricotta, zest and salt Sauce: Brown the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Take it slow. Once the butter starts foaming, take it off. Assembly Drop small dollops of ricotta mixture about 1" apart on the top half of the pasta sheet. With egg wash, "paint squares around the ricotta dollops and fold the sheet over the dollops, pressing firmly over the egg-wash lines. Be sure to get all of the air out of the ravioli pillows. Cut out the ravioli and freeze them for 30 minutes. (Freezing them better ensures that they won't open when gently boiled.) Plate the ravioli and pour sauce over top. Sprinkle crushed pistachio over and serve. tag:www.delaurenti.com,2009:/recipes//1.243 2009-09-12T10:30:41Z 2009-09-12T13:35:30Z

This is a good one. You can make this a day ahead of time or even freeze an extra loin. When guests arrive, you’ll kill 'em with your skills!

Pat This is a good one. You can make this a day ahead of time or even freeze an extra loin. When guests arrive, you’ll kill 'em with your skills! Sprinkle the pork roast generously with salt and pepper. Butterfly the loin lengthwise. Arrange the pancetta slices on your counter or cutting board, overlapping each slice a bit. (Done correctly, it will be in the shape of a rectangle big enough to wrap the loin.) Spread half of the garlic mixture along the butterflied surface of the loin and fold the loin back over itself. Spread the other half of the garlic mixture over one side of the loin. Place the loin, garlic mixture side down, in the center of the pancetta rectangle. Wrap the pancetta slices around the pork and tie the whole thing up with string. It doesn't have to be pretty; it just has to keep the pancetta on the loin. You'll cut the string off before you carve and serve. Place the pork in a roasting pan, covered, and refrigerate the whole thing for about an hour - you want the loin cold. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour 1/2 cup of broth and 1/2 cup of wine into the roasting pan. Add more broth and wine to the pan juices every 20 minutes. Roast the pork for 90 minutes covered. Raise oven temp to 400 and finish for 30 minutes to crisp the pancetta Transfer the pork to a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil and let stand for 10 minutes. (This is a HUGE step. Dry pork awaits those who don't.) Remove the string. Reduce the pan drippings with white or red wine then sauce the carved loin. ]]> tag:www.delaurenti.com,2009:/recipes//1.241 2009-07-09T19:18:21Z 2010-02-09T20:45:17Z

This is a great recipe and you'll find a version of it on the package of pasta itself. I left out bottarga (salted, pressed tuna roe) because I think it's too salty for the dish but, of course, we sell bottarga and you're free to pile it on!

Pat This is a great recipe and you'll find a version of it on the package of pasta itself. I left out bottarga (salted, pressed tuna roe) because I think it's too salty for the dish but, of course, we sell bottarga and you're free to pile it on! Bring a large pot of water to boil. Make sure you have plenty of water because this pasta takes nearly 20 minutes to cook. Mix all of the other ingredients in a bowl and let rest, at room temp, until the pasta is cooked al dente. Strain the pasta and mix it all up. That's it!