In Emilia-Romagna the antipasto is usually savored as a single dish presented at the table before the first course. It can be as simple as a few slices of prosciutto or as elaborate as a mousse of chicken and duck livers. The richer the dish, the smaller the portion. There is a fine balance here; rarely are antipasti overdone. These first tastes are meant to remind us just how hungry we are for what is to come and to keep us that way.
Occasionally confusing to non-Italians is the fact that the antipasto is not a first course. In Italy first courses are pastas, risotti, soups and important vegetable dishes. The antipasto is the optional introduction to a menu, sometimes offered before the first course.
I have included menu suggestions with each antipasto recipe, but enjoy these dishes as your mood dictates. Emilia-Romagna’s most important culinary tradition is taking pleasure on your own terms.
Platter of Cured Meats in the Style of
Emilia-Romagna
Antipasto di Salumi
Sometimes baskets of fritters and small dishes of marinated vegetables are added for a more substantial first course or a whole meal. Most of the time, the platter stands alone, with everyone taking just enough to work up an appetite. Cured meats are usually eaten at the table with a knife and fork. Breads like Ferrara’s Coppia, Romagna’s Piadina or Modena Mountain Bread are offered. Butter is often set out, but few use it.
Parma ham and cooked prosciutto (much like boiled ham) are the only Italian pork products imported into the United States at this time. But you can assemble your own platter by finding the best source in your area for domestically made cured meats. Count on ½ to 1 ounce of meat per person.
Emilia-Romagna’s most classical and elegant antipasto is three or four sheer slices of Prosciutto di Parma served only with a bread like Ferrara’s Coppia. In this country, use a crusty baguette. No fruit or other embellishments are needed. For a more informal platter, set out short links of cacciatore salami (hunter’s-style salami), thinly sliced, with Modena Mountain Bread and Marinated Baby Onions. Cubes of mortadella on long bamboo skewers are traditional before a meal of Bolognese dishes. Good coppa, sliced thin, is the classic starter for a Piacenza menu. Mix coppa, salami and a robust, slightly salty prosciutto to go with a Modena meal.
When it is difficult to find meats cured in the style of Emilia-Romagna, I serve several types of salami inspired by other northern regions—Genoa-style, Tuscan and Venetian, for instance. Paper-thin slices of pancetta and coppa are another favorite combination. If I come across a superb salami, I serve it by itself. The key is to present the best meats you can buy. Better one excellent example than three lesser ones.
Method Working Ahead: Slices of meats can be arranged on the platter up to 4 hours before serving, covered tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerated. Bring them to room temperature, covered, before serving.
Suggestions Wine: In the region, drink Parma’s own sparkling Malvasia with Prosciutto di Parma. Here, try a Casal Garcia Vinho Verde from Portugal, an unexpected success discovered by wine expert David Rosengarten. With other cured meats drink Lambrusco in Italy; or a fresh young red like Valpolicella Classico, Sangiovese di Romagna, a fizzy Freisa d’Asti, “La Monella” Braida di Giacomo Bologna, or Barbera di Rocchetta Tanaro from the Piedmont, all available here.
Menu: Serve cured meats before pastas, risotti, and soups offered as first courses, or before simple main dishes that do not contain cured meats. Always serve in small quantities.
Nineteenth-century New Year engraving
Il Collectionista, Milan
Antipasto Castelvetro
Antipasto Castelvetro
Cipolline sott’Aceto
[Serves 8]
4 quarts water
2 pounds red onions, 1¼ to 1½ inches in diameter (yellow onions can be substituted)
1½ cups sugar
½ cup water
½ cup full-bodied dry red wine
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups red wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
About 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup commercial balsamic vinegar
Long bamboo skewers
Method Working Ahead: For the best flavor, prepare these at least 3 days in advance. Onions can be peeled a day before cooking; keep them covered and refrigerated. The marinated onions will hold for 3 weeks in the refrigerator.
Peeling the Onions: Bring the 4 quarts of water to a boil in a 5- to 6-quart pot. Cut a cross into the root end of each onion. Drop them into the water, boil 1 minute, and drain in a colander. Stop the cooking by rinsing under cold water. Trim away the very top of each onion, and the skin will slip off easily.
Making the Marinade: Combine the sugar and ½ cup water in a 5- to 6-quart nonaluminum pot. Have a cup of cold water and a brush on hand. Boil the mixture over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is clear; then boil over high heat 2 minutes, or until pale caramel colored. As the syrup bubbles, brush down the sides of the pot with the brush dipped in cold water. Take care not to let it go beyond pale caramel. Standing back, pour in the red wine (the syrup will erupt and seethe). Once the mixture has calmed down, stir in the olive oil, wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Boil the marinade, uncovered, 2 minutes over high heat. If you are not cooking the onions right away, remove from the heat.
Cooking the Onions: Add the onions to the marinade and bring the liquid to a slow bubble. Cover the pot and cook the onions over medium to medium-low heat, unattended, 10 to 15 minutes. The onions should be tender but a little resistant when pierced with a knife. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar. Cool to room temperature. Taste for a pleasing balance of sweet to tart, adding a little more vinegar or sugar if needed.
Marinating the Onions: Pour the onions and their liquid into a glass storage container. Refrigerate, covered, at least 3 days and no more than 3 weeks.
Serving: Lift the onions from their liquid. (Refrigerate any onions you are not using in their liquid.) Let them come to room temperature. Stand the onions upright on a platter and spear them with the long skewers. Serve with thinly sliced prosciutto, salami, and coppa and a napkin-lined basket filled with hot, freshly made bread fritters. In true Modena style, the meats are eaten with forks and knives, accompanied by torn-off pieces of fritter and bites of onion.
Suggestions Wine: In Modena a local crisp, dry Lambrusco is always taken with cured meats. The wine’s fresh fizz lightens the impact of rich salami, coppa, and prosciutto. Imported Lambruscos seem too sweet, so try a chilled white Trebbiano di Romagna or di Lazio instead, or a red “La Monella” Braida di Giacomo Bologna or Barbera di Rocchetta Tanaro from Piemonte.
Menu: This three-dish antipasto is excellent on its own for lunch or supper, serving six. As a first course it is best before a light main dish, such as Herbed Seafood Grill, Giovanna’s Wine-Basted Rabbit, or Grilled Winter Endives.
Cook’s Notes Although a surprise to most Modenese, caramelizing sugar syrup helps broaden and deepen the flavors of commercial balsamic vinegars available in the United States, bringing them closer to the rich, deep character of the local artisan-made vinegars. For information on balsamic vinegars, see A guide to Ingredients.
Verdure sott’Aceto
[Makes 2 quarts]
1 quart white wine vinegar
22/3 cups water
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon coarse salt
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ teaspoons chopped fresh basil, or ½ teaspoon dried basil
3 medium red bell peppers, cut into ½-inch-wide strips
3 medium yellow bell peppers, cut into ½-inch-wide strips
½ medium-size cauliflower, cut into bite-size flowerettes
8 to 10 pearl onions, peeled
1/3 cup commercial balsamic vinegar
Method Working Ahead: Make this at least 3 days before you intend to serve it. Cooked vegetables will keep, covered, in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks; make sure they are covered with their cooking liquid.
Making the Marinade: In a 4-quart heavy nonaluminum saucepan, combine the white wine vinegar, water, olive oil, salt, sugar, pepper, and basil. Bring to a boil and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
Cooking the Vegetables: Drop the peppers and cauliflower into the marinade, and bring back to a boil. Cook, uncovered, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the marinade in the saucepan. Put the vegetables into two 1-quart glass jars. Add the onions to the hot marinade and cook 5 minutes, or until barely tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the vegetables. Now boil the marinade, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the balsamic vinegar, and pour the marinade over the vegetables, making sure it completely covers all the pieces, adding a little more white wine vinegar, if necessary. Cool, cover tightly, and refrigerate.
Suggestions Wine: The vinegar in this recipe overwhelms most wines.
Menu: Serve the vegetables as part of an antipasto, accompanying a Platter of Cured Meats and Crispy Fritters or with Garlic Crostini with Pancetta. They are excellent on a buffet table with roasted turkey or game.
Although created less than a decade ago, this antipasto called Salad of Tart Greens with Prosciutto and Warm Balsamic Dressing plays on ancient themes.
A trio of Emilia-Romagna’s pastas in broth: (from top to bottom) Anolini of Parma, Garganelli, and Tortellini in Broth Villa Gaidello.
Soups of Tortellini, Garganelli and Anolini. Antique silver cheese bowl and spoon courtesy of The Tudor Rose, 28 East 10th Street, New York City.
One of Bologna’s (and Emilia-Romagna’s) most famous dishes: Tagliatelle with Classic Ragù Bolognese.
Tagliatelle with Ragú Bolognese. White pasta bowl courtesy of Pottery Barn, New York City.
An autumn lunch before the fire: Ferrara’s Couple bread, Maccheroni with Baked Grilled Vegetables, and homemade wine.
Maccheroni with Grilled and Baked Vegetables. Photographed at Alice Ross’s Cooking Studio, 15 Prospect Street, Smithtown, New York.
Ferrara’s most famous pasta, Cappellacci with Sweet Squash, set atop hand-printed cloth from the village of Gambettola.
A favorite spring dish, Risotto of Baby Artichokes and Peas, joins two of Emilia-Romagna’s most popular vegetables.
Linguine with Braised Garlic and Balsamic Vinegar cooks on an old wood-burning stove.
Linguine with Braised Garlic and Balsamic Vinegar. Photographed at Alice Ross’s Cooking Studio, 15 Prospect Street, Smithtown, New York.
From the time of Lucrezia Borgia, Lasagne Dukes of Ferrara has been served on silver dishes at a 16th-century banquet table of the Este court.
Lasagne Dukes of Ferrara. Antique silver candlestick and candelabrum courtesy of Nelson & Nelson, 1050 Second Avenue, New York City. Antique spoon, fork and knife with enamel handles courtesy of Michael’s Antiques, 1050 Second Avenue, New York City. Tablecloth imported from Umbria, Italy, courtesy of Ceramica, 59 Thompson Street, New York City. Handblown small wine glass courtesy of Maria Guarnaschelli.
An Unusual Tortellini Pie descends from the lavish gilded pies of Renaissance banquets. It is still an important part of Emilia-Romagna celebrations today.
The credenza of a Renaissance banquet with Christmas Capon on a bed of Tagliatelle with Caramelized Oranges and Almonds about to be presented at the duke’s table.
Christmas Capon on a bed of Tagliatelle with Caramelized Orange. Renaissance-style round ceramic plates, small ceramic pedestal and oval ceramic serving platter courtesy of Ceramica, 59 Thompson Street, New York City. Large antique marble pedestal compote and small antique Venetian glass pedestal compote courtesy of Barr-Gardner Associates, 125 East 57th Street, New York City.
Romagna Grilled Veal Chops cook over an open fire as the region’s Piadina flatbread bakes in the old way, on a terra-cotta griddle set over hot coals.
Romagna Grilled Veal Chops with Piadina Flatbread. Photographed at Alice Ross’s Cooking Studio, 15 Prospect Street, Smithtown, New York. Round ceramic serving platter from Ceramica, 59 Thompson Street, New York City.
The Adriatic seafood stew, Brodetto, is a favorite one-dish supper of Romagna’s fishing families. Which fish to use and in what proportion is debated up and down the coast.
Fresh Tuna Adriatic Style tastes of summer on the Romagna coast.
On Emilia-Romagna’s plain, Rabbit Roasted with Sweet Fennel often becomes a one-dish country dinner.
Rabbit Roasted with Sweet Fennel. Photographed at Alice Ross’s Cooking Studio, 15 Prospect Street, Smithtown, New York. Ceramic serving platter courtesy of Ceramica, 59 Thompson Street, New York City.
For Bologna and Modena, Pan-Fried Veal Chops with Tomato Marsala Sauce is the local version of Italy’s famous veal and tomato dish.
Pan-Fried Veal Chops with Tomato-Marsala Sauce. Handblown wine goblet from Simon Pearce, 385 Bleecker Street, New York City.
Grilled Winter Endives, hot from the wood-fired grill and ready to be eaten as a main dish or accompaniment.
Grilled Winter Endives. Photographed at Alice Ross’s Cooking Studio, 15 Prospect Street, Smithtown, New York.
A Modena country house dinner with Balsamic Roast Chicken, Modena Mountain Bread, and Asparagus in the Style of Parma waiting to be served from the sideboard. Guests will use the precious artisan-made balsamic vinegar in the small bottle to season their chicken at the table.
Balsamic Roast Chicken with Modena Mountain Bread and Asparagus in the Style of Parma. Copper vase courtesy of Cara De Silva.
Three polenta dishes: (from top left to right) A Baked Pie of Polenta and Country Ragù, Braised Pork Ribs and Polenta, and Grilled Polenta with Piacenza Peppers Country Style.
Three Polenta Dishes. Photographed at Alice Ross’s Cooking Studio, 15 Prospect Street, Smithtown, New York.
Chestnut Ricotta Cheesecake is a farmhouse dessert of unexpected elegance.
Chestnut Ricotta Cheesecake. Photographed at Alice Ross’s Cooking Studio, 15 Prospect Street, Smithtown, New York.
The “Keeping Cakes” of winter celebrate Christmas in Emilia-Romagna: (from top left to right) Ferrara’s Chocolate Christmas Spice Cake, Spiced Christmas Cake of Bologna, and Honeyed Christmas Cake of the Parma and Reggio area.
Three Christmas Cakes. Hammered copper cake plate courtesy of Maria Guarnaschelli.
Baked Pears with Fresh Grape Syrup and Sweet Cornmeal Biscuits mean harvest and robust winter eating for Emilia-Romagna’s winemaking families.
Set before a Parma yellow wall, Marie Louise’s Crescents are especially memorable with their filling of candied citron, almonds, and a secret ingredient.
The mystery chocolate cake of Vignola, Torta Barozzi.
There is no mistaking that this is a 19th-century sideboard in Parma. The enticing Frozen Zuppa Inglese was a favorite dessert of Parma’s ducal court in the early 1800s. Amid the family pictures and mementos are Parma’s famed violets, an etching of her opera house, and photographs of the province’s two most admired personages, Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma, and the charismatic composer Giuseppi Verdi.
Frozen Zuppa Inglese. Antique picture frames courtesy of Anna Teresa Callan.
Insalata di Patate Paola Bini
21/3 pounds small red-skinned potatoes (Red Bliss if available)
Cold water (for potatoes)
2 small leeks (white part only), cleaned and chopped into ¼-inch dice
3 medium stalks celery, cut into ¼-inch dice
1¾ cups diced (¼ to ½ inch) Balsamic Vegetables, plus ¼ cup liquid from vegetables
3½ tablespoons commercial balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
4 to 5 clusters of attractive fresh celery leaves
Method Working Ahead: The finished salad can be prepared up to 24 hours before serving; keep it covered and refrigerated. Serve lightly chilled.
Cooking the Potatoes: Cook potatoes in simmering water to cover 10 minutes, or until tender but not mushy.
Making the Dressing: In a large bowl stir together the leeks, celery, pickled vegetables (set aside about ½ cup of the red and yellow peppers for garnish), marinating liquid, balsamic vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, and mustard.
Making the Salad: Drain, peel, and cut the cooked potatoes into ½-inch dice. As they are cut, add them to the dressing, but do not stir. Once all the potatoes are diced, use a spatula to gently fold them into the dressing. Cool to room temperature. Gently fold in the mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.
Serving: Potatoes absorb and mute flavors as they sit, so taste the salad for salt, pepper, and acidity before bringing it to the table. If necessary, add a little more lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. Mound on a platter and scatter reserved peppers over the salad. Garnish with clusters of celery leaves.
Suggestions Wine: A crisp Sauvignon Blanc from Emilia-Romagna. More widely available in the United States is Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio from Friuli.
Menu: Serve as part of an antipasto with cured meats or as part of a buffet with Garlic Crostini with Pancetta, Valentino’s Pizza, cold turkey, Erbazzone, and Tart of Fresh Artichokes. Paola Bini serves it with Giovanna’s Wine-Basted Rabbit.
Paola Bini and Villa Gaidello
In the countryside of Castelfranco, near Modena, is Villa Gaidello, a guest farm where you can eat food prepared by local farm women and stay in one of three simple apartments. Villa Gaidello is also where local traditions of family cooking and handcraft are revitalized by the villa’s owner, Paola Bini. For me, Paola touches at the heart of Emilia-Romagna’s culinary identity in her work with the land and the local peasant women. Paola speaks of sowing what naturally grows best in a way that gives nourishment back to the soil. Her beliefs have made Villa Gaidello an organic farm. They have also brought a new life to the women who had been the property’s tenant farmers for years.
After inheriting the family farm, Paola needed a way of keeping it alive. Taking in guests and serving meals prepared by the farm women seemed the answer. Then she discovered the women found more status in earning money as sales help in Castelfranco’s equivilant of the five-and-ten than in continuing the old crafts learned from childhood—handmade pastas, preserving fruits and vegetables, baking bread, curing meats, and cooking traditional dishes. Letting those skills slip away meant not only possibly losing the farm, but also losing crafts accumulated over centuries. By hiring the women at generous salaries and encouraging them to cook as they always had, Paola helped revive their pride in local food traditions. At the same time, visitors could experience the closest thing to real home cooking short of being invited to a family Sunday dinner.
Paola stresses that Villa Gaidello is neither a restaurant nor a hotel. The Villa continues an old Italian tradition, soggiorno in campagna, or the holiday in the country. Years ago, families often vacationed on farms, going back, if even for a few weeks, to their rural roots. Every Sunday you can share the tradition in miniature at Villa Gaidello. Families come from as far away as Milan to feast, stroll through the fields and refresh themselves after weeks of city living. In the converted hay barn, you sit down to eat before a stack of thick white pottery plates. The top plate is filled with the course being served and then removed to make way for the next dish. There will be at least five courses, but never a printed menu. Paola explains a local saying, “Here we eat as in the convent, meaning we use what comes along.” What comes along is good home food, and a sense that local traditions are not stopped in time and preserved under glass, but continuing to evolve and flourish.
Insalata d’Asparagi, Parmigiano e
Nocciole
An unusual combination that makes a fresh and crisp beginning to almost any menu.
[Serves 6]
1 pound pencil-slim asparagus, trimmed of tough ends
12 cups (12 to 14 ounces) tiny dandelion greens (harvested before there is any sign of flower stalks), or a blend of young curly endive, leaf lettuce, and corn salad (mâche)
3 ounces Italian
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
¾ cup toasted hazelnuts, skinned and coarsely chopped
Dressing
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ to 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method Working Ahead: The asparagus can be cooked and then assembled with the greens early in the day; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until about 20 minutes ahead. Shred the cheese, chop the nuts, and make the dressing several hours ahead. Sprinkle the cheese, nuts, and dressing over the salad just before presenting.
Cooking the Asparagus: Steam the asparagus until tender but still crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and set the color. Cut each stalk in half on the diagonal.
Assembling the Salad: Divide the dandelion greens or mixed salads among six salad plates. Scatter the asparagus pieces over the greens.
Coarsely shred the cheese (the coarse shredding helps it stand up to the assertive dandelion). Place a portion of the cheese in the center of each salad. Sprinkle the chopped nuts around the cheese.
Making the Dressing: Blend the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Taste for acid/oil balance. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, lightly drizzle the dressing over salads.
Suggestions Wine: Because of the dressing’s vinegar and the asparagus, wine does not shine with this dish.
Menu: Carry out the spring theme with Risotto of Baby Artichokes and Peas or Pan-Roasted Quail. Serve the salad before any roasted or braised dish, especially rich pasta and rice dishes like Lasagne Dukes of Ferrara and Dome of Rice Stuffed with Braised Pigeon.
Spuma di Mortadella
I first tasted this mousse at Ristorante Diana in Bologna. There it is presented in crocks alongside toasted triangles of fine-grain bread. As each silken mouthful melts on your tongue, it is hard to save room for what is to come. This lighter version, inspired by Bolognese chef Renato Gualandi, substitutes velouté sauce for whipped butter. For guaranteed success, use a top-quality mortadella.
[Serves 8]
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose unbleached flour (organic stone-ground preferred)
1/3 cup Poultry/Meat Stock or Quick Stock
¼ cup heavy cream
¾ teaspoon plain gelatin soaked in 3 tablespoons stock
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 ounces mortadella
½ cup heavy cream, whipped and chilled
¼ cup finely minced onion
Garnish
10 slices good-quality white bread
24 small Boston lettuce leaves
Method Working Ahead: The mousse can be prepared up to 24 hours ahead. It must chill at least 4 hours. The bread can be toasted up to 8 hours ahead, cooled, wrapped, and stored at room temperature.
Making the Velouté: Melt the butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour with a wooden spatula until smooth. Cook several minutes, until bubbly. Keeping the heat at medium-low, slowly blend in the stock and ¼ cup cream with a wire whisk. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Then whisk constantly 5 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling, thickened, and all raw flour taste has cooked away. Thoroughly blend in the gelatin, and let simmer 1 minute. Season with the nutmeg and pepper. Pour the sauce through a strainer into a bowl, and cool to room temperature.
Assembling the Mousse: Dice 1 ounce of the mortadella into ¼-inch cubes and set aside. Purée the rest to a smooth paste in a food processor. Turn the purée into a bowl, and blend in the velouté. Using a spatula, fold in the whipped cream, onion, and the reserved mortadella cubes, keeping the mixture as light as possible. Once the mousse is blended, stop folding.
Pour into eight small crocks or a large bowl. Cover and chill.
Making Toast Points: Trim the crusts from the bread slices, and cut each slice into six triangles. Toast the triangles on a baking sheet in a 400°F oven 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool, and store in a plastic bag at room temperature.
To Serve: The mousse should be lightly chilled but not ice cold. Remove it from the refrigerator about 40 minutes before serving. Present in individual crocks with toast points. Or arrange clusters of lettuce leaves on individual plates, scoop out small balls of mousse (about 1½ inches in diameter), and nest them into the leaves. Tuck toast points around the lettuce, and serve.
Suggestions Wine: In Bologna, Lambrusco and mortadella are inseparable. In the United States, occasionally you can find “La Monella” from the Piemontese vineyard Braida di Giacomo Bologna. This wine is an ideal stand-in for high-quality Lambrusco. Otherwise, drink a sparkling white Brut di Venegazzù, Brut di Pinot, or Pinot di Pinot. For a still wine, have a young white Tocai from the Friuli region.
Menu: Serve the mousse before Lemon Roast Veal with Rosemary, Christmas Capon, or Balsamic Roast Chicken. The mousse also works well before a main-dish pasta, such as Tagliatelle with Ragù Bolognese, Linguine with Braised Garlic and Balsamic Vinegar, or Tagliatelle with Caramelized Onions and Fresh Herbs.
The mortadella of Bologna from the 17th-century board game “The Game of Cucagna where no one loses and everyone wins,” by Bolognese artist Giuseppe Maria Mitelli
Il Collectionista, Milan
Chicken and Duck Liver Mousse with
White Truffles
Spuma di Fegato con Tartufi
Although thought of as French, mousses, pâtés, and terrines of meat, poultry, and seafood have been prepared for centuries all over Italy. Some Italian food authorities believe the technique originated on the long peninsula, a point debated with zeal by the French. This recipe is adapted from one created years ago by Valentino Marcattilii, chef of Imola’s Ristorante San Domenico. His inspiration came from Nino Bergese, his teacher, private cook to Italian nobility, and the man he calls the Escoffier of Italy. Perfect at an elegant dinner, it is delicious even if you cannot get duck livers or white truffles.
[Serves 8 to 10]
8 ounces chicken livers, preferably from free-range, organically fed chickens
8 ounces free-range duck livers (or substitute chicken livers)
4 California bay laurel leaves
1 clove garlic, lightly crushed
5 tablespoons brandy
¾ cup dry Marsala
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons Poultry/Meat Stock or Quick Stock
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
10 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 small fresh white truffle (1 to 2 ounces), shaved into very thin slices, or 6 sprigs Italian parsley
Good-quality crusty bread
Method Working Ahead: The livers must be marinated a day ahead, and the mousse can be finished a day before serving. Keep it covered and refrigerated. Once it has been whipped the second time, it can be refrigerated an hour or two. Serve it only lightly chilled.
Marinating the Livers: Trim the livers of all connective tissues and cut away any greenish areas. In a glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the bay leaves, garlic, brandy, and Marsala. Toss with the livers. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Cooking the Livers: Drain the livers, reserving the marinade. Pat them dry with paper towels. In a large heavy skillet, heat the 4 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the livers, the reserved bay leaves, and garlic, and toss 20 seconds or until the livers lose their red color. Pour in the marinade and boil about 2 minutes. The livers should be firm but still pink inside. Scoop them out of the pan with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Continue boiling down the liquid until all of it has evaporated and the butter sputters. Add the 2 tablespoons of stock to the pan, and scrape the contents over the livers. Cool to room temperature. Purée the livers in a food processor until smooth. Season with salt and freshly ground white pepper. (Overseason a bit, as the mousse is served lightly chilled, which mutes flavors.)
Making the Mousse: Have a large bowl of ice handy. In a medium bowl, whip the 10 tablespoons butter with a portable beater at medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in the liver purée. Then set the bowl over ice and continue beating at medium speed 8 to 10 minutes, or until the mixture has lightened in color and is very fluffy. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.
To Serve: Bring the mousse close to room temperature. Spoon it into individual 3-inch ramekins or crocks, or mound it in a 3-cup terrine. Sprinkle generously with the shaved truffle or parsley leaves. Accompany with bite-size pieces of crusty bread.
Suggestions Wine: A soft, fruity white like a Müller-Thurgau or Riesling Renano from the Trentino-Alto Adige.
Menu: Serve before Almond Spice Broth or “Little” Spring Soup from the 17th Century, followed by Rabbit Dukes of Modena, Pan-Roasted Quail, or Porcini Veal Chops. Finish with Ugo Falavigna’s Apple Cream Tart. For a simple menu, after the mousse serve Tagliarini with Fresh Figs Franco Rossi, a green salad, chunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and chocolate Torta Barozzi.
Cook’s Notes Use free-range organically raised poultry. Its taste is reminiscent of the farm chickens in Emilia-Romagna. Many health experts claim free-range organic poultry livers do not contain harmful substances that collect in that part of the bird’s anatomy.
Salad of Tart Greens with Prosciutto
and Warm Balsamic Dressing
Insalata di Prosciutto e Aceto Balsamico
[Serves 6 to 8 generously as an antipasto, 6 as a light supper]
1 medium red onion, sliced into thin rings
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 small head each romaine, radicchio, red-leaf lettuce, and curly endive
½ cup (2 ounces) pine nuts, toasted
3 to 4 whole scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
3 ounces Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler into thin curls
3 ounces thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma, cut into bite-size squares
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup lightly packed fresh Italian parsley leaves
8 large cloves garlic, cut into ¼-inch dice
About 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 to 6 tablespoons commercial balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
About 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method Working Ahead: The salad can be assembled several hours ahead; cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Serve it lightly chilled. The dressing can be cooked up to several hours ahead. Cover and set aside at room temperature. Reheat just before serving.
Assembling the Salad: Rid the onions of their sharpness by soaking them in the ½ cup vinegar about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, wash and dry the lettuces, throwing away any coarse or bruised leaves. Tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. In a large bowl, toss the greens with all but 3 tablespoons of the pine nuts, most of the scallions, half the cheese, half the prosciutto, and all the basil and parsley. Arrange on a large platter.
Making the Dressing: In a medium skillet, slowly cook the garlic in the olive oil over very low heat 8 minutes, or until barely colored. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve. Turn the heat to medium-high, and add the vinegars to the oil. Cook a few moments, or until the acid has diffused slightly. Add brown sugar to taste (this gives some depth to commercial balsamics), and let the mixture bubble slowly 1 minute. Taste for sweet/tart balance (take care to cool the sample, as the hot oil makes this scorching hot). Stir in extra brown sugar or balsamic vinegar to taste. If the dressing is too sharp, simmer for a few moments to boil off some of the vinegar’s acid. Stir in the reserved garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to serve.
To Serve: Top with drained red onion, and scatter the rest of the scallions, pine nuts, cheese, and prosciutto over the salad. Reheat the dressing, stir vigorously to blend, and spoon over the salad. Serve immediately.
Suggestions Wine: A simple young red, such as a Sangiovese di Romagna from Emilia-Romagna or a Bardolino of the Veneto.
Menu: The salad on its own is a fine one-dish supper. For a full menu, offer small servings before Tagliatelle with Caramelized Onions and Fresh Herbs or the Risotto of Baby Artichokes and Peas, followed by roasted chicken or lamb. For dessert, the Espresso and Mascarpone Semi-Freddo. For a lighter meal, serve before Tagliatelle with Ragù Bolognese, Spaghetti with Shrimps and Black Olives, or Maccheroni with Baked Grilled Vegetables. Dessert could be homey Modena Crumbling Cake or Nonna’s Jam Tart.
Cook’s Notes The commercial balsamics available in the United States vary greatly in quality. See A guide to Ingredients for information on a high-quality commercial vinegar.
A Saracen Invention?
Italy comes quite rightly by her antipasto salads, even though many consider them a hallmark of France’s nouvelle cuisine. Composed salads of all kinds were very much a part of the elaborate first courses (the forerunner of the antipasto) at Italian Renaissance banquets, when Italy defined much of the dining fashion for all of Europe. Scholars speculate that the first-course salad originated in Italy during the 1400s. I have wondered if the Saracens (Moslems from the Middle East) introduced the concept long before the Renaissance. During their occupation of Sicily in the 9th and 10th centuries, their influence spread far beyond the southernmost portion of Italy. Perhaps then they were serving salads at the opening of meals just as is typical today in North Africa and the Middle East. Perhaps the idea was adopted by Italy’s nobles, just as they eagerly took spices, hard wheat, pastry, and confectionery from the Saracens.
Crostini con Pancetta
[Serves 6 to 8]
1 loaf Modena Mountain Bread, or 1 baguette crusty whole-wheat or multi-grain bread
2 large cloves garlic, halved
About 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
About 12 ounces pancetta, thinly sliced
Method Working Ahead: The bread can be toasted several hours ahead. Let it cool and then wrap it. Store at room temperature. Top the bread with pancetta and broil just before serving.
Toasting the Crostini: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the baguette into ½-inch-thick diagonal slices. If you are using Modena Mountain Bread, slice the loaf about ¼ to ½ inch thick, and divide each slice into thirds. Rub the slices with the split garlic cloves and brush lightly with olive oil. Arrange on a baking sheet, and bake about 8 minutes, or until they are starting to crisp but not brown. Remove and set aside.
Finishing the Crostini: Shortly before serving, preheat the broiler. Top each piece of bread with a thin slice of pancetta, and arrange them on the baking sheet. Run it under the broiler, keeping the slices about 3 inches from the flame. Broil until the pancetta begins to seethe and soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve hot.
Suggestions Wine: A young red Sangiovese di Romagna, a Valpolicella Classico from the Veneto, or the Piedmont’s Barbera.
Menu: This is rustic food, perfect before Riccardo Rimondi’s Chicken Cacciatora or Grilled Beef with Balsamic Glaze. The crostini become a first course when pasta is the main dish. Serve Baked Maccheroni with Winter Tomato Sauce, Linguine with Braised Garlic and Balsamic Vinegar, Tagliarini with Lemon Anchovy Sauce, or Spaghetti with Shrimps and Black Olives.
Pizza di Valentino
[Serves 8 to 10]
12 ounces puff pastry (store-bought)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium onions, thinly sliced
3 medium carrots, shredded
3 tablespoons half-and-half
2/3 cup (2 ounces) shredded imported Italian Fontina cheese
½ cup (2 ounces) freshly grated Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Garnish
1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
Method Working Ahead: The pastry can be rolled out and frozen 1 week ahead. The crust can be baked and the filling prepared up to 8 hours ahead. Store them, covered, separately. The cooked pizza holds well about 6 hours; reheat 10 minutes in a 350°F oven.
Preparing the Pastry: Roll out the sheet of puff pastry very thin, and fit into a greased 11½ by 17½-inch jelly roll pan. Prick the entire surface with a fork, and freeze at least 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 400°F, setting the rack in the lowest possible position. Bake the frozen pastry 5 minutes, prick again, and continue baking another 10 minutes, or until pale gold. Remove and allow to cool. (Keep the oven on.)
Making the Filling: While the pastry is baking, heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook over high heat, stirring often, 10 minutes or until golden. Stir in the carrots and cook another 3 minutes, scraping up any brown glaze at the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and stir in the half-and-half. Cool slightly, and then stir add half the Fontina and half the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Season with salt and pepper.
Baking and Serving: Spread the vegetable mixture evenly over the crust. Top with the remaining cheeses, and bake at 400°F 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheeses have melted but not browned. Sprinkle with the parsley leaves and cut into small squares. Serve hot.
Suggestions Wine: A dry sparkling Piemontese Pinot di Pinot or Pinot Brut, or a still Pinot Bianco from Trentino-Alto Adige or Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
Menu: For a traditional menu, follow with “Little” Spring Soup from the 17th Century or Soup of Porcini Mushrooms. Afterward serve Lemon Roast Veal with Rosemary, Giovanna’s Wine-Basted Rabbit, or Pan-Roasted Quail. Finish with Baked Pears with Fresh Grape Syrup or Strawberries in Red Wine.
Fresh Pears with Parmigiano-Reggiano and Balsamic Vinegar
Antipasto di Reggio
[Serves 6]
3 ripe Anjou or Comice pears
Juice of 1 small lemon
3 to 4 ounces Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, in 1 piece
About 1 tablespoon artisan-made balsamic vinegar (“Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena” or “di Reggio”)
Method Working Ahead: The antipasto is best assembled and then eaten right away.
Assembling and Serving: Shortly before dining, halve and core the pears, leaving their skins intact. Then slice each half into long thin slivers. Drizzle with a little lemon juice to keep from turning brown. Fan out four or five pieces of pear on each of six salad plates. At the base of the fan place a knob of cheese. Moisten each chunk with a few drops of balsamic vinegar, and serve.
Suggestions Wine: A white Sauvignon Blanc from the Bolognese hills or one from Friuli.
Menu: Serve before any pasta, rice, or meat dish not containing balsamic vinegar or fruit. It is especially good before Rabbit Roasted with Sweet Fennel, Herbed Seafood Grill, Lasagne Dukes of Ferrara, Christmas Capon, or January Pork.
Cook’s Notes If you are using a commercial balsamic vinegar, blend ¼ teaspoon dark brown sugar with 1 tablespoon vinegar. See A guide to Ingredients for information on balsamics.
Hot Caramelized Pears with Prosciutto
Antipasto di Pere e Prosciutto
[Serves 4]
2 large ripe, flavorful Bosc pears
½ lemon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
About ½ teaspoon sugar
Generous pinch freshly ground black pepper
8 thin slices robust but salty prosciutto, at room temperature
4 sprigs fresh mint
Method Working Ahead: This dish comes together quickly and is best made just before serving.
Preparing the Pears: Warm four salad plates in a low oven. Peel the pears vertically with a vegetable peeler, trimming away the stem. Halve them, and then core and cut into each pear into eight wedges. Rub with the lemon to keep from discoloring. Heat the butter in a heavy 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the pears in one layer, and sprinkle lightly with the sugar. Cook over high heat, about 3 minutes, to brown lightly on both sides, turning gently with two wooden spatulas so the pieces don’t break.
To Assemble: Fan out four pear wedges on each heated plate. Sprinkle lightly with pepper. Drape two prosciutto slices over each pear serving so it looks like two or three waves undulating up from the plate. (The ham could also be woven under and over the pears.) Garnish each serving with a sprig of mint.
Suggestions Wine: In the region, drink a soft white from Bologna’s hills, Bianco dei Colli Bolognesi. More readily available in the United States is a fruity Tocai from Friuli or a Müller-Thurgau of the Trentino-Alto Adige area.
Menu: Serve before Risotto of Red Wine and Rosemary, Tagliatelle with Balsamic Radicchio, or tagliatelle with Piacenza’s Porcini Tomato Sauce. Second dishes could be Artusi’s Delight, Maria Bertuzzi’s Lemon Chicken, or Rabbit Dukes of Modena.
Bologna