Isn’t there another word for this? Leftovers are, for me, the second most important part of my cooking, the first being the creation of that which will be a leftover. The wild enthusiasm that accompanies bread baking can never create too much of a good thing. One small dish of extra risotto, roast chicken drippings, or a few random slices of Housewife’s Bread or brioche may well be destined for some glorious next undertaking: a quick bruschetta revived on the grill; a simple Tuscan bread soup; or a rich Chocolate Bread Pudding. Leftovers are inspiration, which can propel you in new directions each day. This is what cooking is all about. And, you will never be bored in the kitchen.
There are limits, of course; I am not advocating that you hoard every little bite of extraneous brioche or bread crust, but only that you start thinking ahead with what something might become. Perhaps this is why some of the very best recipes in the world have origins in peasant or country cooking, and why I prefer a plain bowl of honest pasta to all the puff pastry-encased salmon or tournedos masked with béarnaise sauce in the world.
One can easily imagine in a household of modest means, how a leftover piece of bread, a ripened tomato on the vine, and a little olive oil might catch the imagination of a hungry family and naturally evolve into a delectable dish called panzanella, or bread salad. This is the dish we served at all Buona Forchetta events. One of the simplest of all Italian dishes, panzanella never fails to draw praise from our customers. Everyone is surprised to find that we use only bread, tomato, mozzarella, and fresh basil – in my opinion, the earth, fire, wind, and water of Italian cooking.
A bruschetta – a plain grilled slice of your own homemade day-old bread, saturated with extra-virgin dark green olive oil, a few chunks of a perfect tomato, some chopped basil and sea salt – is, in my estimation, perfect food. Leftover bread has no limit as to what can be made with it: every conceivable kind of salad, fish, meat, vegetable, and pasta benefits from the addition of breadcrumbs or savoury bits of toasted bread. Bread soups and soufflés are some of the greatest menu-stretchers to come from the kitchen and bread in desserts has been too long overlooked.
Any one of the breads you have learned in this book make excellent little toasts, which we at Buona Forchetta called bruschettine, or little bruschette. One evening, I was at a loss for crackers, with a dinner party starting in just minutes, and so I quickly sliced up a loaf of the Olive Filoncino and the Hazelnut Filoncino and baked the little rounds until they resembled melba toasts. Some I served with a wild rocket spread and others were crumbled into the salad. After dinner, they were passed around with the various cheeses to great appreciation, and leftovers were made into savoury crumbs for sprinkling over dishes au gratin.
Those of us who prefer a light ending to a meal will find that caramelized fruits on toast make a kind of spartan shortcake, while those who love a little indulgence now and then may enhance the Chocolate Bread Pudding with buttery brioche in place of bread, or use toasted brioche in the recipe for Pears in Caramel with Cheese on Toast.
Transform commonplace recipes with your own superior breadcrumbs and croutons. A standard Caesar salad will sing when the croutons are right, although no one seems to pay much attention to that detail – just as even well-known restaurants do not seem to think it is important to serve good bread with very costly dinners. A thin, expensive cut of veal takes on a new dimension when dipped in crumbs made from your own bread and seasoned just so. Many recipes call for breadcrumbs or croutons, and once you have used your own, you’ll be spoiled for any others.
Bread is truly the staff of life, at least in my kitchen, and leftover bread has more uses than there are bakers on the planet. When you finally run out of ideas for what to do with lingering loaves, you can always grab the nearest child and head for a park or a lake, pond, or river. Birds, ducks and fish are the true connoisseurs of leftover bread.
(Bread Salad)
I get maudlin describing panzanella. It was the signature dish at our bakery, Buona Forchetta, made with fresh rosemary focaccia, organic tomatoes, Virgilio Ciccone’s mozzarella cheese from Italcheese, and my 100-year-old vinegar, a gift from a Sicilian friend in San Francisco many years ago. I have kept the vinegar’s mother going with red wines on those rare occasions that we have any left from a dinner party, and I now have great vats in the wine cellar filled with what, to me, is a vintage vinegar – with the colour and sparkle of red garnets, tasting like toasted nuts.
Panzanella is a perfect dish, the essence of what the Italians do best, making manna from absolutely fresh ingredients with no frills. No heavy garlic. No green peppers. No ripe olives. No bacon bits. Panzanella made at the height of summer is ethereal. Learn to make this classic, and then branch out, if you must. Remember to start with seasonal ingredients and keep them at a minimum. Your guests will remember simplicity long after they have endured complicated, trendy innovations.
Makes: 4 to 6 servings
One 285 g/10-ounce Focaccia or Rosemary Filoncino (page 36 or page 40), cut into 2.5 cm/1 inch cubes
3 large ripe tomatoes, diced into 1 cm/½ inch pieces
175 g/6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese packed in water, drained and diced into 1 cm/½ inch pieces
20 g/1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped fine
180 ml/¾ cup olive oil
60 ml/¼ cup red wine vinegar
30 ml/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and ground pepper to taste
In a large bowl, toss together the bread cubes, tomatoes with their juice, mozzarella, and basil. In another small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegars, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the bread mixture and toss well. If you have the time, let the salad stand for 15 minutes to develop the flavour.
One day at the bakery, when we felt we deserved a sumptuous lunch in a civilized manner, after having gotten up at 4 am and worked all morning, we looked around and saw we had nothing to eat. Nothing that is except bread and a scavenged can of tuna in olive oil, which had rolled out of my grocery bags and lain forgotten under a car seat for a day or so. This panzanella was born out of starvation and necessity, so do not give up hope when your cupboard is bare. A panzanella may yet be lurking in your larder. Some people like cheese with tuna, some don’t. I tend to leave it out of this one, but it is delicious either way.
Makes: 4 to 6 servings
1 loaf Filoncino Integrale (page 48), cut into 2.5 cm/1 inch cubes
175 g/6 ounces tuna fish, in water or olive oil or 175 g/6 ounces grilled fresh tuna, diced
1 small sweet onion, chopped fine
1 tart apple, chopped fine
175 g/6 ounces fresh mozzarella packed in water, drained and diced into 1 cm/½ inch pieces, optional
160 ml/⅔ cup olive oil
75 g/½ cup chopped toasted almonds, pecans, or walnuts
30 ml/2 tablespoons drained capers
Juice of 2 large lemons
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Mix the first nine ingredients together, season with salt and pepper, and let sit for 15 minutes to develop the taste.
I am not a fan of raw garlic, feeling that garlic must be used with a light hand and with thoughtfulness for the flavour of the dish. Only in aioli, a very strong garlic mayonnaise, or in the famous rouille of the Roussillon region in southern France will I use raw garlic, and then only the sweet garlic of summer – never the acrid sprouting garlic of winter. There is a real difference between the two, even though most people do not appear to taste it. The best way to learn the difference is to walk by a Thai restaurant in the winter and then cruise by again in the summer. The smell of garlic will be harsh in the winter; and sweet and seductive in the summer. In the winter, you may want to break open the garlic clove and remove the little green shoot in the middle of the clove and use only the surrounding parts. This works if the garlic is not too old, but when you see little green sprouts peeking out from the bottom of a garlic bulb, do not buy it. It could ruin your delicate panzanella, or several hours of your day – sprouted garlic can stay with you a little too long…
4 to 6 servings
450 g/1 pound bay scallops or sea scallops, chopped into 1 cm/½ inch pieces
120 ml/½ cup fresh lime juice
5 ml/1 teaspoon salt
½ clove garlic, mashed (optional)
One 285 g/10-ounce Rosemary Filoncino, Filoncino Integrale, or Pane Rustico (page 40, page 48, page 56), cut into 2.5 cm/1 inch cubes
1 small sweet onion, chopped fine
20 g/1 cup coriander (cilantro), chopped fine
80 ml/⅓ cup olive oil
Cracked black pepper
In a glass or ceramic bowl, toss the scallops with the lime juice and salt. If desired, add the garlic. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes to marinate. (The lime juice will “cook” the scallops as they marinate just as it does in making ceviche.)
Drain the liquid, and discard the garlic, if used, and transfer the scallops to a large salad bowl. Add the bread cubes, onion, coriander, and olive oil and toss. Season with pepper.
In the last few years, we westerners seem to be hungry for practically any new dish, and it speaks well of our taste that we embrace Italian food so wholeheartedly. Pasta dishes always seem to be at the centre of a controversy about what is authentic and what goes too far. Nevertheless, it has fast become one of our main staples, perhaps nudging the hamburger aside just a bit, and now bread is nearly as popular and controversial as pasta! There are those who insist on chewy, artisan breads and those who stand by the fluffy country white breads of their childhood. Regardless of these personal preferences, I am adamant about bruschetta and what it is.
The original bruschetta was a half-inch-thick or so slice of substantially textured bread (which is a polite way of saying it was not sliced, packaged or commercial cottony bread), grilled on a fire until nicely toasted (or toasted in an oven or toaster), brushed with the best extra-virgin olive oil that could be found, and sprinkled with salt. That’s all. No garlic. No onions. No innovative stuff. Often, extra-virgin olive oil was served on the side so that guests could add more to taste. Now, having said as much, I can go on to provide recipes for just about anything that will complement the same grilled bread. As always, however, it’s important to know the basics before improvising.
BRUSCHETTA WITH TOMATO AND BASIL
This and the following recipe are classics. Neither will ever let you down.
Makes: 6 servings
Six 1 cm/½-inch-thick slices bread
3 ripe tomatoes, chopped and drained
90 ml/6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped fine
5 ml/1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Grill or toast the bread until nicely browned on both sides.
In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, olive oil, basil, and vinegar. Toss gently and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture on the toast and serve immediately.
NOTE: Garlic lovers may want to add some chopped garlic to the tomato salad.
BRUSCHETTA WITH ROCKET AND PROSCUITTO
Makes: 6 servings
Six 1 cm/½-inch-thick slices bread
90 ml/6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 very thin slices proscuitto or Parma ham
25 g/1 cup chopped rocket leaves
30 ml/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Grill or toast the bread until nicely browned on both sides. Brush one side of each slice with olive oil. Lay a slice of proscuitto on each slice of bread.
In a small bowl, combine the rocket and lemon juice. Toss gently and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture on the toast and serve immediately.
BRUSCHETTA WITH SWEET PEPPERS AND TUNA
The colourful sweet peppers of summer heaped like bright toys in farmers’ markets across the country are perfect for bruschetta. The deep scarlet, yellow, and dark burgundy peppers I use for this dish have a round, lovely flavour that bears no resemblance to their harsh green cousins. I confess: green peppers are as loathsome to me as is too much bay leaf or brash winter garlic. Green peppers are just that: still green. They have not been allowed to stay long enough on the plant to gather juice and build character. Stick with the red, yellow, and purple ones, which have more sugar content and consequently more taste.
Makes: 6 servings
3 red or yellow sweet peppers
120 ml/½ cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
60 ml/¼ cup balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
One 175 g/6-ounce can tuna fish in olive oil or water
30 ml/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
Six 1 cm/½-inch-thick slices bread
Over an open gas flame or under the grill, cook the peppers, turning them as they blacken on all sides. Transfer to a plate and cover with a damp paper towel (to avoid a mess, I just throw mine in the sink, cover them with anything around, and wait a few minutes before peeling). Slip the skins off the peppers, cut them in half, and remove the membranes and seeds. Slice the peppers into thin strips.
In a large frying pan, heat the 120 ml/½ cup of olive oil over medium heat and add the pepper strips. Cook, turning once or twice, until the peppers are well browned and begin to caramelize a little around the edges. (The peppers will become shiny and smell so good that it will be hard not to eat them right then.) Add the chopped garlic and continue cooking for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring. Add the vinegar and salt and pepper and cook for 2 or 3 minutes until there is only a little syrupy liquid in the pan.
In a small bowl, toss the tuna with the extra-virgin olive oil and the lemon juice. Add the peppers and sprinkle with parsley.
Grill or toast the bread until nicely browned on both sides. Spoon the mixture on the toast and serve immediately.
I can remember that as a child, the thought of eating aubergine was about as tantalizing as liver or chitterlings. I now adore calf’s liver but am still working on chitterlings. My mother, however, anticipated aversions such as these by dipping thin aubergine “fingers” in seasoned flour and then sautéeing them in olive oil. I later gilded these lilies with fresh grated Parmesan and a few drops of lemon juice. Most aubergine-haters wax poetic over these crispy ones, and this recipe for caponata will elicit the same response.
Makes: 6 servings
1 medium aubergine, diced in 1cm/½-inch cubes
15 ml/1 tablespoon salt
120 ml/½ cup olive oil (you may need more)
2 medium ribs celery, chopped fine
1 sweet onion, chopped fine
15 ml/1 tablespoon sugar
240 ml/1 cup tinned crushed tomatoes
90 ml/6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
30 ml/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons capers, drained
Six 1 cm/½-inch-thick slices bread
3 to 4 fresh basil leaves, snipped or torn
Zest of a small lemon
Place the aubergine in a colander set over a plate, sprinkle with salt, and let drain for about 30 minutes. With paper towels, press down on the aubergine to remove as much moisture as possible.
In a large pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the aubergine for about 15 minutes over medium heat until very brown and shiny. Push the aubergine aside and sauté the celery and onion until transparent, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring, until the vegetables are very limp and almost caramelized. Sprinkle with sugar and add the tomatoes, vinegars, pine nuts, and capers. Cook for about 10 minutes longer. Let cool completely.
Grill or toast the bread until nicely browned on both sides. Spoon the vegetable mixture on the toast and serve immediately, garnished with basil and the lemon zest.
The olive paste that you make for Olive Filoncino may be used for this. Simply season it with the rest of the ingredients and purée to a paste. It is also wonderful over pasta.
Makes: 6 servings
180 g/1 cup pitted Kalamata or green martini olives
1 clove garlic, crushed
120 ml/½ cup olive oil
35 g/¼ cup toasted almonds or walnuts
30 ml/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Pinch of hot red pepper
Six 1 cm/½-inch-thick slices Kalamata Olive Filoncino (page 44) or other bread
30 ml/2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
In a small bowl, gently stir together the olives and garlic. Let sit for a few minutes and then remove and discard the garlic. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor and add the olive oil, almonds, lemon juice, and hot red pepper. Process to a paste. Grill or toast the bread until nicely browned on both sides. Spread the olive paste on the toast and serve immediately, garnished with parsley.
VARIATION: Omit the nuts and hot red pepper and substitute 2 anchovies and 15 ml/1 tablespoon of capers to make tapenade.
BRUSCHETTA WITH WILD MUSHROOMS
Some advice about “wild mushrooms”. (1) Never eat them without an expert around. Each mushroom season in Italy, there is always a news story about whole parties that were wiped out after having eaten the deadly nightcap or some similar culprit instead of the safe ones. (2) Mushrooms are wild when they are found under trees, in the countryside, or in the woods – in short, when found in the wild. Wild mushrooms are not found growing in flats or cultures in dark basements or on mushroom farms. While the word wild has a certain fascination and looks great on menus, even the lowly cultivated button mushroom can be elevated to new heights with a dash of cognac or a sliver of garlic – which is what this recipe does. Try using Anadama bread for the bruschetta – it’s like eating mushrooms on polenta!
Makes: 6 servings
90 ml/6 tablespoons olive oil
200 g/2 cups sliced mushrooms, preferably all of one or a mixture of porcini, shiitake, morels, crimini, oyster, chanterelles, lobster, chicken of the wood, or cultivated white mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
60 ml/¼ cup cognac or dry white wine
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Six 1 cm/½-inch-thick slices Pane Casereccio (page 53) or other bread
4 tablespoons minced flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil on high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until browned. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, very briefly to prevent browning. Stand back and pour the cognac into the pan, allowing it to ignite and burn out. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper and cook over medium-high heat for 2 to 5 minutes until very little liquid is left. Remove from the heat.
Grill or toast the bread until nicely browned on both sides. Spoon the mixture on the toast and serve immediately, garnished with parsley.
NOTE: Two tablespoons of cream makes a richer mixture for the bruschetta.
BRUSCHETTA WITH ROASTED GARLIC AND PARMESAN
This is a dish for the summer or early autumn, when the garlic is fresh and sweet. I separate the garlic cloves to roast them so that, in keeping with my belief that more surface area relative to volume makes better flavour, all sides of each clove benefit from being well cooked. If you grill the garlic, use a small square of stainless steel mesh or a new heavy-duty grill rack with small openings. An alternative to either roasting or grilling is simply to peel the garlic cloves and sauté them in a little olive oil on a very low fire for about 8 minutes until they take on a nice golden tinge. Serve this bruschetta with a robust red wine, such as Amarone or Vacqueyras. This is a potent dish, so you might want to garnish each plate with a lovely little sprig of fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley to be chewed later.
Makes: 6 servings
2 heads fresh garlic, separated into cloves but not peeled
60 ml/¼ cup olive oil
Salt
Six 1 cm/½-inch-thick slices Pane Casereccio (page 53) or other bread
110 g/4 ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved into thin slices with a cheese server
Fresh lemon juice for each bruschetta
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
Put the garlic cloves into a cake tin/baking pan large enough to hold the cloves in a single layer. Brush with 30 ml/2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with about 5 ml/1 teaspoon of salt. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes until browned on the outside and soft inside.
Turn off the oven and preheat the grill.
Slip the skins off the cloves, and mash the garlic with the remaining 30 ml/2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add more salt, if needed.
Grill or toast the bread until nicely browned on both sides. Spread the toast with the garlic and top each with Parmesan slices. Arrange on a grill tray and grill for about 2 minutes or until the cheese is slightly melted.
NOTE: To grill the garlic, lay them on a small-meshed grill rack and grill over a very low fire.
All shellfish are delicious on a bruschetta. Lobsters, clams, prawns, cockles, crayfish, crab, or mussels can be sautéed quickly, dressed with a little oil and lemon juice and spooned over grilled bread. I use rock shrimp simply because I love them and because they are a little more unusual than regular shrimp. I particularly like the rosemary bread with shellfish.
Makes: 6 servings
120 ml/½ cup olive oil plus 30 ml/2 tablespoons
200 g/2 cups chopped rock shrimp or other shellfish
1 small clove garlic, minced
5 ml/1 teaspoon fennel or anise seed
Juice of ½ lemon
Six 1 cm/½-inch-thick slices Rosemary Filoncino (page 40), Pane Casereccio (page 53) or other bread
30 ml/2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
In a pan, heat 120 ml/½ cup of the olive oil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and add the shrimp. Sauté for about 2 minutes until barely cooked. Add the garlic, fennel seed, and lemon juice and cook for 2 minutes longer or just until the shrimp turn pink and cook through. Toss with the remaining 30 ml/2 tablespoons of olive oil and remove from the heat.
Grill or toast the bread until nicely browned on both sides. Spoon the shrimp mixture on the toast and serve immediately, garnished with basil.
Bruschettine are just baby bruschette: thin slices of bread cut from a slender loaf, which are then toasted like crackers or melba toast. The bruschettine we sold in the bakery were made from olive and hazelnut loaves, but use any of the breads in this book. The small slices of toast are wonderful spread with olive butter or cream cheese for hors d’oeuvres, but I also eat the hazelnut bruschettine for breakfast spread with bitter marmalade. This is a low-fat, nourishing alternative to sweet rolls and butter or pancakes and syrup.
To make the bruschettine, use a good bread knife or slicer to cut any loaf into very thin slices, each about 5 mm/¼ inch thick. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Brush the slices with olive oil, if you want, and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the little bruschettine look dry and toasted. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks or freeze for up to one month. They are also good in salads.
Spread the bruschettine with your favourite topping or one of the following:
• |
any of the toppings described for bruschetta on the preceding pages |
• |
chutney |
• |
cream cheese or any soft cream spread |
• |
egg spreads |
• |
fish or shellfish spreads |
• |
fruit purées |
• |
guacamole |
• |
jams, jellies, and marmalades |
• |
mushroom spreads |
• |
olive spreads |
• |
pâtés of any kind |
• |
tonnato sauce |
• |
yogurt spreads |
This is one of those odd recipes that emerged somewhere in the 1960s when there always seemed to be hordes of people hanging around my kitchen and never enough food to feed them. But there was always bread, cheese, and eggs and so the designated cook could make this soufflé‚ which could always stretch to include new arrivals at the table. It is especially good with a nice Rhone wine and a green salad.
Makes: 6 servings
70 g/2 cups of 2.5 cm/1 inch bread cubes
120 ml/½ cup dry white wine
480 ml/2 cups milk
4 large eggs
1 clove garlic, minced and sautéed for 1 minute in a little olive oil or butter
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch of hot red pepper
150 g/1½ cups grated Cheddar, Gruyère or any melting cheese (see Variation)
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Butter a 23 cm/9-inch soufflé dish.
In a large bowl, sprinkle the wine over the bread cubes and toss. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, garlic, salt, and hot red pepper. Stir in the cheese and pour over the bread, mixing well.
Pour into the soufflé dish and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.
VARIATION: If you prefer, use 225 g/8 ounces of a softer cheese, such as Taleggio or fontina.
BREAD SOUFFLÉ WITH SALMON AND CAPERS
Just about anything can be added to a soufflé, as any Frenchman will tell you. I love all soufflés, but those made with bread are heartier than others and need little else served with them, except a salad or some fruit. Use any leftover fish for this dish, although I like to start with fresh fish, when possible. Many fish markets sell what is known as “chowder pieces”, which are an economical and tasty way to stretch a recipe. I buy shark, tuna, whitefish, halibut, tilapia, catfish, and salmon – any will do.
Makes: 6 servings
50 g/¼ cup unsalted butter
60 ml/4 tablespoons unbleached plain (all-purpose) flour
480 ml/2 cups milk
4 large eggs, separated
675 g/1½ pounds cooked salmon
35 g/1 cup of 1 cm/½ inch toasted bread cubes
60 ml/4 tablespoons capers, drained
¼ teapoon salt
Pinch of hot red pepper
Pinch of grated fresh nutmeg
Fresh lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Butter a 23 cm/9-inch soufflé dish.
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat until bubbling. Add the flour, reduce the heat to medium, and stir to form a smooth paste, or roux. Add the milk, stirring until thickened.
In another bowl, beat a little of the milk mixture in the egg yolks to temper them. Stir the yolks into the mixture in the saucepan, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir briskly until the sauce is the consistency of heavy cream.
When the mixture is cool, add the salmon, bread cubes, capers, salt, hot red pepper, and nutmeg and stir gently to mix. Season with a few drops of lemon juice.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and the whites look glossy. Fold into the salmon mixture. Spoon into the soufflé dish and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until puffed and browned.
So many good pasta recipes include bread as an ingredient in the sauce that an entire book could be written on these dishes alone. The most famous are from Sicily where breadcrumbs were often substituted for Parmesan when times were hard. Breadcrumbs add desirable texture and taste to pasta dishes. For example, breadcrumbs made from olive bread give depth to pasta alla puttanesca, and rosemary-scented breadcrumbs made from focaccia are delicious in pasta with broccoli rape. By experimenting, you will find many new ways to use old (slightly stale) bread.
A word on cheese: There are those who feel strongly that dishes made with garlic should not include cheese, such as penne all’arrabbiata or spaghetti alio, olio, pepperoncino. But many Scilian dishes made with garlic do have cheese. I say, follow your taste buds and experiment with what you like.
All recipes that I include here serve four as a main course with perhaps a little left over for the next day. I serve my pasta as do the Italians: an adequate but not overflowing bowlful, with just enough sauce but never so much that the pasta is drowning in it. You many adjust the recipes for your taste.
Thin-strand dried pasta, such as spaghetti, linguine or fettucine, should be boiled for nine minutes. Larger, thicker pastas may take 10 minutes, and smaller pastas, such as fusilli or rotelle, only 7 to 8 minutes. Fresh pasta needs only 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the size of the noodle. These amounts of time will ensure that the pasta is al dente (“at the tooth”) – the only way to eat it. A nonno I know delights his family by throwing a strand of spaghetti at the ceiling or a window. If it sticks, it’s done.
PENNE WITH BROCCOLI AND ANCHOVIES
Even the most adamant broccoli haters love this dish, although it is best not to tell them what’s in it. Just serve it and wait. You may substitute cauliflower for the broccoli, for variety.
Makes: 4 servings
675 g/1½ pounds fresh broccoli, trimmed, cut into florets and stems peeled and sliced
180 ml/¾ cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
240 ml/1 cup tomato sauce or 4 ripe tomatoes, diced
One 55 g/2-ounce tin anchovies in olive oil
60 ml/4 tablespoons raisins
30 ml/2 tablespoons capers, drained
30 ml/2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
50 g/½ cup pine nuts
50 g/¾ cup fresh breadcrumbs
450 g/16 ounces penne
Juice of 2 large lemons
Put 5 cm/2 inches of salted water in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Add the broccoli, cover, and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, just until tender. Do not overcook. Remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon and set aside. (To keep the bright green colour of the broccoli, run it under cold water for 2 to 3 seconds. Drain well.)
Fill the same pot with water for the pasta and add salt to taste. Bring to a boil while you are making the sauce.
In a large frying pan, heat 120 ml/½ cup of the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the garlic for 1 or 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, anchovies, raisins, capers, and mint and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring until well mixed and the anchovies dissolve.
In a small pan, heat the remaining 60 ml/¼ cup of olive oil over medium-high heat and toast the pine nuts for 2 or 3 minutes, shaking the pan several times. Add the breadcrumbs and cook for 2 or 3 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.
Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook the pasta for 9 minutes or just until al dente. Drain, leaving a few tablespoons of water in the pot. Return the pasta to the pot and toss with the cooked broccoli, tomato sauce, and pine nut mixture. Add the lemon juice and serve immediately.
I named this after a dish which is served all over Rome in the summer months, with varying degrees of ingenuity. If you want to impress your Italian friends – or anyone else for that matter – serve this. The Italians have a saying that it takes four people to make a good salad: a spendthrift with the oil; a miser with the vinegar; a wise man with the salt; and a pazzo, crazy man, to toss it. Remember this when you make this dish: liberal with the oil, careful with the lemon, wise about the amount of pasta, and crazy for the leftovers. For some reason there are more servings of rotelle per box than any other pasta I know. It’s even better the next day, so this is really a leftover recipe, once removed, and I have never met anyone who does not rave about this simple dish.
Makes: 4 servings
8 ripe tomatoes
20 g/1 cup fresh basil leaves
5 ml/1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, mashed
180 ml/¾ cup olive oil
450 g/16 ounces rotelle (little wheels)
225 g/8 ounces Parmesan, shaved with a cheese shaver or cut in very thin slices
50 g/½ cup toasted fresh breadcrumbs (olive bread makes great crumbs)
Juice of 2 large lemons
Put the tomatoes, basil, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse just to chop the ingredients, not purée them. Transfer to a strainer set over a bowl. Add the garlic and set aside for about 15 minutes to drain. Remove and discard the garlic. Put the tomato mixture ino a large bowl and stir in the olive oil. (Drink the juice collected during draining, serve it in little glasses to guests before the meal, or save it for a whammo Bloody Mary later.)
Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cook the pasta for 6 or 7 minutes until al dente. Drain and then toss with the tomatoes, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs. The Parmesan will break up into nice little crunchy bites to enhance the texture of the dish. Add the lemon juice, toss again, and serve immediately or at room temperature.
ORECCHIETTE WITH BROCCOLI RAPE AND HOT PEPPERS
I am mad about what is called both in Italy and America, broccoli rape. Its flavour is tinged with vanilla, like an exotic wine, and yet it is only a lowly green leafy vegetable from the mustard family. Broccoli rape is not always easy to find and if you have difficulty, substitute red or green chard, kale, mustard greens, cooked broccoli, Chinese broccoli, bok choy or cooked cauliflower in this recipe and you will still come out ahead. As well as tasting great, greens also contain enormous amounts of vitamins and antioxidants. The Italians appear pink-cheeked and healthy even in the dead of winter, and I am convinced it is because they eat winter greens of all kinds throughout the season. Or maybe just because they walk wherever they go…
Makes: 4 servings
About 120 ml/½ cup olive oil
900 g/2 pounds broccoli rape or other greens, steamed in a little salted water until wilted for about 5 minutes, drained, and chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tiny hot red peppers, minced, or 2 pinches hot pepper flakes
240 ml/1 cup chicken broth, preferably homemade, or dry white wine, or a mixture
450 g/1 pound orecchiette, “little ears” (or any short pasta you like)
50 g/½ cup grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese
2 plain tozzetti or other firm Italian dipping biscuits, crushed fine
Juice of 1 large lemon
In a large frying pan, heat all but 15 ml/1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the drained greens and sauté for about 5 minutes or until crisp around the edges turning once or twice. Make a small well (hole) in the greens so that you can see the pan and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Spoon the garlic into the well and let it cook a little. Add the hot peppers and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Add the chicken broth and cook for about 6 minutes or until the sauce is slightly reduced.
Put the sauce in the bowl of a food processor and purée.
Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cook the pasta for 8 or 9 minutes until al dente. Drain and return to the pot. Toss with the sauce, cheese, and tozzetti. Season with lemon juice and serve immediately.
VARIATION: I sometimes add a teacup of yogurt to this sauce to give it a creamy texture.
These little balls of leftover rice – creamy with a surprise of mozzarella in the middle and rolled in breadcrumbs – are one of the best first courses you will ever taste, and kids adore them! Any leftover risotto made with Arborio, Canaroli or any round-grained rice is best for supplí. Long-grained rice simply does not work as well as it does not pack and stick to itself easily. I always make more risotto than I need so that we can have these for lunch or dinner the next day. As an alternative to the morning pizza bianca in Italy, the supplí are a quick energy boost without spoiling the prospects of a magnificent lunch. The next worst thing to losing your suitcase while travelling is to lose your appetite – especially in Italy!
Makes: 6 servings
3 eggs
300 g/2 cups cooked round-grain rice (any leftover risotto, no matter the flavour, is best)
30 g/¼ cup grated Parmesan
100 g/2 cups fine breadcrumbs (see Note)
Six 2.5 cm/1 inch pieces fresh mozzarella, fontina, or Taleggio
120 ml/½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 lemon wedges
In a mixing bowl, stir 1 egg into the rice. In another bowl, beat the remaining eggs with the Parmesan. Spread the breadcrumbs on a fairly deep flat plate.
With your hands, shape the rice into 6 balls, pressing a piece of cheese into the middle of each and closing the rice over it. Dip each ball in the egg mixture and then coat it well with the breadcrumbs. Set aside, while dipping and coating the rest of the balls.
In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté each supplí on all sides until nicely browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.
NOTE: When making breadcrumbs for the supplí, I sometimes add a little chopped parsley and a small clove of garlic to the bowl of the food processor to give the supplí a little zip.
When it is spring in the Los Angeles canyon where I used to live, fresh, green airy bouquets of wild fennel adorn the hillsides, inspiring me to make this extraordinary pasta dish from Sicily. Now I wander into the vineyards in France or Italy and pick the wild fennel when it is young.
You will need to buy several bulbs of fennel to have enough feathery fronds unless you, too, have a field of wild greens. Although best to use fresh sardines, I have used canned with some success, and even salmon, though the less intense taste is not authentic. Try any small fish, such as whitebait or pompano. Whatever you use will taste very, very good, if only because of the other ingredients and because you made it!
Makes: 4 servings
450 g/1 pound fresh sardines, cleaned (see Note)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
180 ml/¾ cup olive oil
100 g/1½ cups fresh breadcrumbs
1 small sweet onion, chopped fine
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Oil or butter a large, shallow baking dish.
Wash and dry the cleaned sardines and open them flat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
In a large frying pan, heat 60 ml/¼ cup of the olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the breadcrumbs for 3 or 4 minutes, or until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add 60 ml/¼ cup of the olive oil to the frying pan and sauté the sardines over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes on each side until nicely browned, taking care not to overcook. Carefully lift from the pan and set aside to cool.
Add the remaining 60 ml/¼ cup of olive oil to the frying pan. Add the onion and fennel bulb and sauté over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes until they are softened and transparent. Add the fennel feathers and cook for 1 or 2 minutes until wilted. Add the anchovies and raisins and using the back of a fork, mash the anchovies to a paste and blend them with the fennel. Add the wine and saffron, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook gently.
1 small to medium fresh fennel bulb, chopped fine
165 g/1½ cups young fennel stalks and leaves (feathers), chopped fine
6 anchovies, chopped
25 g/¼ cup raisins
120 ml/½ cup dry white wine
5 ml/1 teaspoon saffron threads or saffron powder
30 g/¼ cup chopped toasted almonds or pine nuts
450 g/1 pound spaghetti or bucatini
Juice of 1 large lemon
Carefully remove the skin from the sardines and slide the meat off the bones. Add half the meat to the sauce and mash into the sauce. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring to blend. At the last minute, stir in the almonds and half of the breadcrumbs.
Meanwhile, fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook the pasta for 9 minutes until al dente. Drain and toss with the sauce.
Spoon half the pasta mixture into the baking dish. Lay the remaining sardine meat on the pasta and top with the remaining pasta. Spread the remaining breadcrumbs over the pasta and bake for about 10 minutes until nicely browned and heated through. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve immediately.
NOTE: Ask the fishmonger to bone and clean the sardines for you. If you clean them yourself, remove the heads and tails and slit the underbellies with scissors. Run your fingers down the slit to remove the innards, then gently lift out the backbone.
When times are hard, people born to the kitchen always come up with inexpensive, delectable ways to make good food. It is the simplicity of these recipes that sets them apart from the complicated, overworked dishes that often, without much merit, steal the limelight. In Italy, a soup made from whatever was on hand, plus a few pieces of bread added to fill it out, became one of the best regional dishes of Toscana. Versions of a similar soup can be found in other regions, but I particularly like this one. It is a hearty dish, best on a winter’s day served by a warm hearth – but bread soups are light enough for the other seasons, too, and some may be served at room temperature in summer. Tuscan Bread Soup is a basic recipe on which to build your own repertoire.
Makes: 6 servings
120 ml/½ cup olive oil
2 large leeks, white part only, sliced thin or 2 sweet onions, sliced thin or both, if you prefer
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large russet potatoes, peeled, halved and sliced thin
1 large head cauliflower, halved and sliced thin (it will break up in the cooking)
2 litres/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade (see Suzanne’s Rich Chicken Stock, page 175)
One 400 g/16-ounce tin crushed tomatoes or 6 large fresh tomatoes, diced
Four 2.5 cm/1-inch thick slices bread, toasted and cubed into 2.5 cm/1 inch cubes
Juice of 1 large lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
50 g/½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
10 g/½ cup chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley or fresh basil
In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and/or onions or both and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until golden. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 or 3 minutes longer. Add the potatoes and cauliflower and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until the edges of the potato slices begin to brown. Add the stock, tomatoes, half of the bread cubes, and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Stir gently, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until the potatoes and cauliflower are very tender. Add the rest of the bread cubes, stir to mix, and spoon into bowls. Top with Parmesan and parsley and serve immediately. If you like, you may first brown the soup under your oven grill and then add the Parmesan and parsley.
VARIATION: Shredded cabbage, carrots, and cooked beans (cannellini) may be added to create a rich rebollita.
CARROT, CELERIAC, ONION AND PARMESAN SOUP
I rarely find celeriac in cookbooks. It is the odd man out, staying in the wings while such vegetables as radicchio di Treviso or Turkish squash take the stage. I love it steamed and mashed into potatoes or mixed with carrots into a purée. I also love it sautéed in olive oil like artichoke hearts until very crisp, but where it really shines is in a bread soup, creating body and richness to the broth and imparting its subtle taste. Any vegetables in combination are the beginnings of a bread soup, but these three in particular are never a crowd.
Makes: 6 servings
180 ml/¾ cup olive oil
6 carrots, sliced thin
1 celeriac, peeled and diced
1 large sweet onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
120 ml/½ cup Marsala wine
120 ml/½ cup white wine
1.5 litres/1½ quarts chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade (page 175)
Pinch of grated fresh nutmeg
Pinch of hot red pepper
70 g/2 cups of 2.5 cm/1 inch bread cubes
Juice of 2 lemons
70 g/½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
In a large soup pot, heat 120 ml/½ cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celeriac, and onion, and sauté for 5 or 6 minutes until nicely browned. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes longer until golden. Stand back and pour the marsala and white wine into the pot; the marsala may ignite. Add the stock, nutmeg and red pepper. Stir to mix, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
In a large frying pan, heat the remaining 60 ml/¼ cup of olive oil and sauté the bread cubes for about 5 minutes until browned. Add half the bread cubes to the soup, stir, and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the bread cubes, stir in the lemon juice, sprinkle with Parmesan, and serve immediately.
There are as many versions of this thick soup made in Italy as there are grandmothers, and it is a soup meant to soothe and lift the spirits as a nonna often can. It is sometimes made for ailing children or the infirm elderly, but I love it on a cold day or when I am feeling a little blue or even in summer, served at room temperature. The marriage of tomatoes and bread is eternal, in sickness or in health!
Makes: 6 servings
180 ml/¾ cup olive oil
70 g/2 cups of 2.5 cm/1 inch bread cubes
6 cloves garlic, finely diced
15 ml/1 tablespoon sweet onion, finely diced
4 large ripe tomatoes
725 ml/3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (page 175)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, or pinch of hot pepper flakes (optional)
50 g/½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
2 sprigs fresh basil, chopped fine
In a large pan, heat 120 ml/½ cup of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bread cubes and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes until browned and crunchy. Add the remaining olive oil, the garlic and onion and cook for about 5 minutes longer until the onion is golden.
Put the tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor and process until pulpy.
Put the bread mixture, the tomatoes, and stock in a large soup pot and cook for about 20 minutes until thick. Purée in the food processor, season with salt and pepper, ladle into soup bowls, and garnish with Parmesan, basil, and a splash of good olive oil.
WHITE BEAN AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR SOUP
My love of beans ensures that we have them in the house at all times. I usually cook them until tender, add sautéed onion and fresh toasted sage, then serve with tuna or roasted red or yellow peppers and a large splash of olive oil. One day I needed to stretch my beans to include several sudden dinner guests and so added the ingredients below to make a rich main course (fortunately we always have bread around and rampant rocket in the garden).
Makes: 6 servings
300 g/1½ cups dried white beans (cannellini)
2 sweet onions, chopped fine
240 ml/1 cup beer, white wine or Champagne (see Note)
480 ml/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade (page 175)
5 ml/1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
50 g/⅔ cup fresh breadcrumbs
10 fresh sage leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, (see Note)
30 ml/2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese or sour cream, optional
Put the beans in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, remove from the heat and let the beans cool in the water. Drain and add fresh water to cover and half of the chopped onion. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming any foam that rises to the surface. As soon as the water boils, reduce the heat, add the beer, and simmer for about 1½ hours until the beans are tender. Add the chicken stock as needed to keep the beans completely covered. When the beans are tender, add the salt and stir well.
Transfer half of the bean mixture to the bowl of a food processor and process until nearly smooth. There should be some texture to the soup. (This may have to be done in batches.) Return the puréed beans to the pot.
In a small frying pan, heat 30 ml/2 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat and cook the breadcrumbs, stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes until crunchy. Remove from the heat.
In the same pan, heat the remaining 60 ml/¼ cup of olive oil and sauté the remaining onion for about 5 minutes until golden. Add the sage leaves and cook for about 5 minutes until crisp. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes longer until golden. Add the breadcrumbs and stir the mixture. Add to the soup, stir, bring to a simmer over medium heat, and cook for about 10 minutes until heated through and blended.
Spoon a tablespoon of olive oil and balsamic vinegar into each soup bowl before ladling the soup into the bowls. Garnish with a little spoon of mascarpone cheese, if desired, and serve.
NOTE: Use any kind of leftover beer or Champagne for this recipe; it makes no difference if it is flat.
For the best flavour, use the finest balsamic vinegar you can afford. This vinegar varies wildly in taste and texture, with the finest being intense and syrupy.
I make my chicken stock with only breast bones, no necks, no backs, no feet. Breast bones are usually thrown away at butcher’s shops, so ask for them free before paying. Some butchers are happy to have you take them off their hands. Breast bones make a very fast, low fat broth with clear, pure flavour. I told my cooking classes where to get them and now there are never any left for me!
Living in Europe, however, I find that butchers don’t butcher much anymore, so I use chicken wings, skinned, or simply buy a nice little chickie, chopped and skinned, and make the broth from that. I use the breast meat (take it out of the broth after about 20 minutes before all flavour is lost) for chicken salad or curry.
Makes: 2 litres/2 quarts
1 large sweet onion, chopped
3 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
4 large carrots, sliced thin
2.25 kg/5 pounds breast bones (or double everything for more broth to freeze)
Salt
In a very large soup pot, place the vegetables on the bottom, then the chicken bones, and then fill with cold water to just cover the bones. Bring rapidly to a boil over high heat, lower the heat to medium, and skim off the brown foam that rises, until it is gone. Simmer on low heat for 45 minutes to an hour. Add salt to taste and strain. Cool before refrigerating, and/or freeze in small containers for future use.
Bread For Dessert
Leftover bread can always be used in desserts such as sweet bread puddings or trifles. I happen to love bread with fruit and so have invented recipes for leftover bread that becomes a kind of low-fat shortcake made with fresh fruit or cooked fruit and its syrup. Unlike pastry, bread soaks up the juices and flavours of the fruit giving the dessert a moist, almost cake-like consistency. Add a dollop of whipped cream, a caramel or chocolate sauce, or your favourite cheese to complement the fruit and bread, which I think is a heavenly alternative to heavy, sometimes overly sweet desserts.
CLASSIC BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING
My bread and butter pudding is lavish with butter and uses an especially rich, cream-based crème Anglaise instead of custard. I figure if you’re going to make an earthy dessert such as bread pudding, you might as well make one that knocks your socks off! If you use leftover Classic Brioche (page 100), Panettone (page 130), or Russian Kulich (page 132) in place of bread, you will elevate the pudding even more!
Makes: 6 servings
110 g/8 tablespoons unsalted butter
Four 2.5 cm/1-inch-thick slices plain white bread (or one of the breads above), cut into 2.5 cm/1 inch cubes
360 ml/1½ cups milk
360 ml/1½ cups double (heavy) cream
100 g/⅔ cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
5 ml/1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Pinch grated fresh nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Generously butter a 23 cm/9-inch-square baking dish. Sprinkle liberally with sugar.
In a large frying pan, melt 80 g/6 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the bread cubes and sauté for about 5 minutes until browned on all sides. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
In a saucepan, combine the milk and cream over medium heat. When warm, lower the heat and whisk in the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and salt. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, or until thickened, stirring constantly. Pour through a strainer into the baking dish and let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes so that the bread can absorb the liquid. Sprinkle with nutmeg and dot with the remaining butter.
Put the baking dish in a larger pan and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until nicely browned. Lift the baking dish from the water bath and let it sit for about 15 minutes before serving.
NOTE: You may, if you choose, simply toast and butter the bread liberally and lay the slices in the baking dish.
VARIATION: Add 180 ml/¾ cup of roasted grapes (see page 111), pitted cherries, sliced bananas or sautéed apples to the bread mixture. You could also fold in a handful of toasted, crushed nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
For a more refined dish, process the bread into breadcrumbs, then separate the eggs, beat the whites to soft, glossy peaks, and fold them into the cream-egg yolk mixture just before baking.
Here we have true hedonism and decadence at its finest. This was one of the many desserts I put together just after I had discovered Valrhona chocolate and was on the verge of addiction. The coffee and Cognac really push it to the limit, but it is equally sinful without them. Little chocolate shavings are pretty over the top – just don’t ever use those little things my mother called “mouse tracks”…
Makes: 6 servings
90 g/6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 to 6 Classic Brioche (page 100), cut into 1 cm/½ inch slices
240 ml/1 cup milk
480 ml/2 cups double (heavy) cream
175 g/6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
30 ml/2 tablespoons strong brewed espresso or coffee
100 g/½ cup sugar (or a little more if you prefer sweeter desserts)
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
30 ml/2 tablespoons Cognac or rum
5 ml/1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Generously butter a 23 cm/9-inch-square or oval baking dish.
Butter the brioche slices liberally and lay them in the baking dish.
In a saucepan, combine the milk and cream over medium heat and when warm, add the chocolate and coffee. Reduce the heat to very low and cook until the chocolate melts, stirring constantly.
Whisk in the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, Cognac, and vanilla. Cook over low heat for 2 or 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Pour through a strainer into the baking dish and let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes so that the bread can absorb the liquid.
Put the baking dish in a larger pan and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until nicely browned. Lift the baking dish from the water bath and let it sit for about 15 minutes before serving.
SAUTÉED APPLES AND CREAM ON TOAST
These are the apples I use for my tarte Tatin, but I have found that a piece of good bread, toasted and buttered, is sometimes a welcome change from rich puff pastry. The addition of a little cream dresses up this dessert, or serve it with a good piece of sharp Cheddar, or any cheese you prefer.
Makes: 6 servings
55 g/¼ cup unsalted butter
100 g/½ cup sugar
4 tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced very thin
Pinch of cinnamon
Dash of lemon juice
60 ml/4 tablespoons double (heavy) cream
Six 2.5 cm/1-inch-thick slices bread, toasted and buttered
Sharp Cheddar cheese, for serving
In a pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the sugar and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Add the apples, cinnamon, and lemon juice, and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring gently to coat with the butter. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 3 or 4 minutes.
Uncover the pan and cook the mixture, which will be very juicy, for about 5 minutes until the juice is reduced, and the apples caramelize and look glossy. Stir in the cream. Spoon over the toast and serve with or without the cheese.
PEARS IN CARAMEL WITH CHEESE ON TOAST
There is a saying in Italy that you don’t have to teach a farmer to eat pear with his Parmesan. In other words, any farmer worth his salt knows that Parmesan and pears are made for each other. This recipe came of that natural pairing, so to speak.
Makes: 6 servings
6 ripe firm Bosc or Comice pears, peeled, cored, and halved
90 g/6 tablespoons unsalted butter
90 ml/6 tablespoons sugar
240 ml/1 cup double (heavy) cream
5 ml/1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Six 2.5 cm/1-inch-thick slices bread, toasted and buttered
175 g/6 ounces aged Parmesan or Gouda
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7. Butter a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the pear halves in a single layer.
Arrange the pears, cut side down, in the dish so that they fit snugly in one layer. Dot with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake on the lowest oven rack for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the pears are golden brown and the sauce caramelized.
Remove the pears from the oven but do not turn the oven off. Add the cream and vanilla. Tilt the pan to swirl the cream and sauce together. Return to the oven for about 5 minutes to heat the cream and allow the flavours to blend. Lift the pears and put a toasted piece of bread under each, and continue baking for about 5 minutes longer. Serve with chunks of cheese on the side.
NOTE: If the sauce does not caramelize, increase the oven temperature to 240°C/475°F/gas 9 and watch carefully to prevent burning. The sauce may also be caramelized on top of the stove in a saucepan, then served over the pears and toast.
Exotic Croutons and Breadcrumbs
I believe that texture, along with taste, are the two most important elements of a good dish. Since my first bite of Caesar salad at Trader Vic’s in San Francisco years ago, I have adored the crunch of what is, essentially, fried bread. As a child, I learned to love salad by listening to my mother bite down on celery and lettuce – the sound of salad was so seductive that I wanted to make my own noises. Croutons and breadcrumbs make good noises and provide great texture.
All of the breads in this book make delicious and unusual croutons and breadcrumbs. Here, I explain the basic techniques for making both. Once you master them, elaborate with your own favourite seasonings to create new tastes for salads, dishes au gratin, casseroles, soups, or bruschettine (little toasts) for spreads and for dipping.
I like to toast the crumbs I use in pastas or sprinkle over salads. If the breadcrumbs are sprinkled on dishes that will be baked, there is no need to toast them first. If you use spices or dried herbs to coat the crumbs or croutons, always sauté them in a little olive oil first or toast them in a dry pan for a short time to release their flavours and make a dish more palatable and digestible. Fresh herbs need only to be chopped fine, tossed with the croutons or crumbs and then toasted for a minute or two in a little olive oil, either in a frying pan, or in the oven for about 10 minutes.
Makes: 100 g/3 cups croutons; 200 g/2 cups breadcrumbs
One 225-285 g/8-10 ounce loaf of bread
90 ml/6 tablespoons olive oil, or more or less to your taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper, optional
TO MAKE CROUTONS: Slice the bread into 1 cm/½-inch-thick slices and remove the crusts or not (I do not). Slice into cubes. Toss with the olive oil and any seasonings, including salt and pepper, you choose (see below). Transfer to a large frying pan and cook over medium heat, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes or until browned and crunchy.
Another alternative is to heat the olive oil in the pan, add the dry bread cubes and cook over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until browned and crunchy. Remove from the pan and cool.
Finally, you can spread the cubes, tossed with olive oil and fresh chopped rosemary or a little fresh garlic, on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 180°C/350°F/gas 4 oven for about 15 minutes to crisp and brown, then turn off the oven, open the oven door and leave cubes to dry for 5 to 10 minutes.
TO MAKE BREADCRUMBS: Slice the bread into 2.5 cm/1-inch thick slices and then cut into large pieces. Remove the crusts or not (I do not). Put the bread into the bowl of a food processor and process until the crumbs are the size you need for a recipe: fine, medium, or coarse. Toss with the olive oil and any seasonings, including salt and pepper, you choose (see below). Transfer to a large pan and cook over medium heat, stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes or until browned and crunchy. Remove from the pan and cool.
Another choice is to heat the olive oil in the pan, add the dry crumbs and cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until browned and crunchy. Remove from the pan and cool.
Or, toast thin slices of very good bread in the oven until brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the bread to dry out. Process into crumbs in a food processor.
Finally, you can spread the crumbs mixed with oil on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 180°C/350°F/gas 4 oven for about 10 minutes to crisp.
NOTE: Depending on the recipe, use butter in place of olive oil. Buttered crumbs are better for most desserts and for recipes that specify them.
RECOMMENDED SEASONINGS FOR CROUTONS AND BREADCRUMBS
Spices and dried herbs
Heat these in a small amount of olive oil or in a dry pan set over medium-high heat, usually for less than a minute, until fragrant. Shake the pan to prevent scorching. Transfer to a plate to cool and halt the cooking. Toss with the croutons or breadcrumbs. Proceed with the toasting process described above. Use the following to enhance bread used in or to accompany the suggested dishes or preparations.
allspice – use in sweet dishes
cardamom – use to flavour bread stuffings, fruit salads, and soups
cinnamon – use in sweet dishes
cloves – use in sweet dishes
coriander seeds – use in Indian dishes, bread stuffings, and soups
cumin – use in Mexican and Indian dishes and soups
curry powder – use for some salads, Indian dishes, egg dishes, and soups
nutmeg – use in sweet dishes or with some greens, such as spinach, broccoli rape, chard, and beet tops
saffron – use for soups, fish chowders, and egg dishes (dissolve it first in water and spray it over the bread)
sage – use in bread stuffings, pasta, and casseroles
sweet paprika – use to give colour (as when browning fish, fowl, or meat) and flavour
thyme – use in bread stuffings, salads, soups, poultry, meat, and fish dishes
Fresh herbs and other fresh greens
For all of the following, chop the fresh herbs or greens very fine and toss with the croutons or breadcrumbs. Proceed with the toasting process described above. Any of the following can be used to enhance bread used in or to accompany salads, soups, poultry, meat, or fish dishes.
basil
celery leaves
chives
cilantro (also known as fresh coriander)
garlic chives
marjoram
oregano
parsley
rocket (arugula)
rosemary
sage
thyme (lemon thyme is my favourite)