Cavatelli with Cardoons, Chestnuts, Chanterelles & Fontina

From Michael Berardino, Chef de Cuisine at Dell’anima restaurant.

Ingredients
1 lb cavatelli fresh (see recipe below) or dry
8 stalks cardoon (you can also substitute 8 marinated artichoke hearts)
2 lemons
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs thyme

1 tbs. butter
1/4tsp. olive oil
1 lb. chestnuts toasted, peeled, and sliced
1/4 lb. chanterelle mushrooms cleaned and split
1/2 cup bechamel sauce (see recipe below)
4 oz. Fontina Val d’Aosta, grated

2 tbs.chopped parsley
Salt

Trim the cardoons (if using artichoke hearts, season with herbs and lemon juice and skip to next step) and peel the fibrous outer skin from the stalks. Slice on a slight bias into 1/4″ thick pieces. Place the cardoons in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Add 2 lemons, 2 bay leaves, 4 sprigs of thyme and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook until tender, about 35-40 min. Drain the cardoons and allow to cool.

Bring 6 qts of water to a boil and add 2 tbs of salt.

In a large saute pan melt 1 tbs butter and 1/4tsp olive oil over medium high heat. Add the cardoons and brown slightly. Add the chanterelle mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes. Toss in 1/2 off the chestnuts and add the bechemel sauce. Remove from the heat.

Cook the pasta for about 6-8 minutes. Drain well, reserving some of the cooking water. Toss the pasta in the saute pan with the bechemel sauce, and add some of the pasta water to back the sauce out slightly. It should just coat the pasta. Toss with the chopped parsley and the half of the Fontina Val d’Aosta. Trasfer to an oven safe dish, top with the remaining cheese and chestnuts. Bake in the oven for about 5-7 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

Cavatelli dough: (for the ambitious)

1c semolina flour
1/2c AP flour
3/4c water

Yield: 1 pound
Combine flours in bowl. Make a well in the center of the flours and slowly incorporate the water to form a stiff dough. Once the dough forms a ball, transfer to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 5-6 minutes. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Keep the dough covered with a towel when you are not working with it. Take one piece of dough and roll it out into a long rope that is 1/2″ thick. Cut the dough into 1/2″ think pieces. Take a bench scraper and flatten each piece of dough while dragging the bench scraper across the table to make the dough curl slightly. Lay the shapes out in a single layer on a towel while you finish forming the rest of the pasta.

Bechemal sauce:
2tbs + 1tsp. unsalted butter
2 tbs. flour

1 1/2c. milk
1/4tsp. Nutmeg
salt to taste

For the roux: In a medium sauce pan heat the butter until melted. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat until golden brown, about 7 minutes.

In a separate pan warm the milk until it is just about to boil. Slowly add the milk to the roux, whisking constantly until very smooth. Bring to a boil and cook for about 30-45 seconds. Remove from the heat and season with nutmeg and a pinch of salt.

Risotto con Barbabietola e Humboldt Fog

Makes 4 servings

4 beets (about 2 1/2 pounds without the tops)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup minced onions
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 1/2 cups Carnaroli rice
2 cups hot vegetable stock
2 cups hot beet juice (see Note)

1 cup shredded beets (see procedure below)
2 teaspoons goat butter, cut into bits
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
cheese
1/2 pound Humboldt Fog, crumbled into small pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Note: For a more concentrated flavor of beets and a deeper purple color, use only hot beet juice in substitution for vegetable stock. Otherwise, you can use equal parts vegetable stock and equal parts beet juice. You will still see a vibrant color of purple, and the flavor of beet will be prevalent.

To Shred the Beets:

Cut off the beet tops if any and scrub the beets well with cold running water. In a medium-sized saucepan, simmer the beets until tender when pierced. This can take up to 45 minutes. Drain the beets and allow them to cool completely and then peel the outer layer. With a box grater, shred the beets until they are finely shredded.

For the Beet Juice:
Follow the same procedure of cooking the beets as above, but reserve about 1 cup of the beet cooking liquid. Puree the beets and reserved liquid together in a blender.

For the Risotto:

In a heavy, wide 3-to 4-quart casserole or pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cook the onions and shallots together until golden, stirring often, about 6 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil. Toast the rice until the edges become translucent, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup stock and 1/4 cup beet juice and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until all the stock has been absorbed. Continue to add liquids, alternating between hot stock and beet juice, in small batches – just enough to completely moisten the rice – and cook until each successive batch has been absorbed. Stir constantly and adjust the level of heat so the rice is simmering very gently until the rice is creamy but al dente. Add the shredded beet about 5 minutes before the risotto is finished cooking. Stir well to combine. The total cooking time will take approximately 16-20 minutes from the time the first liquid was added.

Remove the casserole from the heat and beat in the butter until completely melted and then the cheese. Adjust the seasoning with salt, if necessary, and pepper.

On a large serving plate, spoon 3 heaping tablespoons of risotto onto the plate and smooth out into a circular shape. Top the risotto with the crumbled Humboldt Fog cheese. Serve immediately.

Optional: For a more decadent version of this risotto, drizzle a teaspoon of 10 or 25-year aged balsamic vinegar atop the finished risotto.

Try Chef Nicotra’s Cheese Creations at…



Felidia Restaurant NYC
243 East 58th Street
New York, NY 10022
(212) 758.1479

From James Distefano of Rouge Tomate

This time of year really offers an amazing bounty of local ingredients that are just screaming to be kept simple. Whether you are a professional chef, a cooking enthusiast or somebody who just cooks occasionally I feel like there is one dominating philosophy…and that’s to keep it simple. Keep it as simple as you can and let the ingredients shine. At Rouge Tomate, where I am the pastry chef, this ethos really allows us to support our network of local farms to source the best ingredients possible at the peak of their ripeness. I feel like this composed cheese plate is an excellent example of this philosophy of staying local and in season and letting the product’s virtues speak for themselves. Black mission figs are one of these fruits that really represent this time of year…a time that marks the end of summer but also welcomes the fall and all of its bounty. The cheese that I’ve decided to pair with the black mission figs is the Coupole, produced by the Vermont Butter and Cheese Company. It reminds me of so many of the great goat cheeses of the Loire Valley but it allows us to keep things local and in turn a bit more sustainable. I feel like this dish can be a great first course, something that could be brought to a potluck, a picnic or in my case, the final notes to a great meal.

BLACK MISSION FIG (serves 4-6)

1 pt. fresh black mission figs
2 sprigs. Marjoram, picked. Smaller leaves only
1/4 cup candied sunflower seeds*
Pinch fleur de sel
Pinch fresh, cracked black pepper (preferably from a pepper mill)
1-2 Tbl. High quality aged balsamic vinegar (at least 12 years old, 25 would be better)

1 pc. Coupole goat cheese
1 loaf Multi-grain bread. Sliced into half inch thick pieces.

*CANDIED SUNFLOWER SEEDS:
1 Tbl. butter
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch sea salt

2 cups sunflower seeds

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahranheit.
Place sunflower seeds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and lightly toast in the oven until they become light golden brown. This should take roughly 10-15 minutes. Once they are done remove them from the oven and place them on a cooling rack.
Next, toast the multi-grain bread on a baking sheet to a light golden brown as well. Once they are done remove them from the oven and place them on a cooling rack.
In a medium size sauté pan, combine butter, sugar and salt and melt over a low flame.
Once all of the butter has been melted turn the heat up to medium high and continue to cook the mixture. It’s important to stir to insure even caramelization of the sugar.
Once the sugar has caramelized to an amber brown, add the sunflower seeds to the pan and stir to evenly combine. Once the sunflower seeds have been evenly coated, pour them on to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and that has also been sprayed with non-stick baking spray. This will prevent the seeds from sticking to the paper.
Allow the seeds to cool at room temperature. Once they are cool, gently break them apart with your hands or gently crush them using a rolling pin. Store them in an air-tight container in a cool, dry space.

To assemble the dish:
Rinse and dry the figs, remove the top stem and quarter them. if they are on the smaller side, simply cut them in half.
Arrange them on a dish or in a shallow bowl.
Lightly season them with a pinch of fleur de sel and a pinch of black pepper. If you are using a pepper mill, a couple of turns will be suffice.
Next, drizzle the figs with the aged balsamic vinegar. Depending on your tastes, you can either drizzle a little or a lot.
Following the balsamic, add the marjoram leaves and candied sunflower seeds to this deliciousness.

You can either gently stir to evenly combine everything or you can let the ingredients sit on top of the figs. It’s about how you want your dish to look.

For our first installment of Chef’s Corner, we’ve picked one of our favorite cheeses, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, and the fantastic
Finocchiona Mini
from Columbus Salame company. Chef Nicotra of Felidia Restaurant has three suggested applications for these delightful treats!

Cheese & Salumi Plate
For a simple and delicious snack, cut the
Finocchiona mini
on the bias into 1/4 – inch thick slices and serve with chunks of the Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Calmyrna Figs and Mitica Homemade Membrillo.

Salad of Haricot Vert, Pickled Red Onion, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar and Toasted Almond Olive Oil

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked haricot vert
1 pickled red onion
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons almonds, toasted
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

8 ounces Cabot Clothbound Cheddar

To pickle the red onion: Peel and slice into any shape you would like. Blanch in boiling water and then cool immediately in ice water. Marinate in the vinegar for a minimum of 2 hours or up to overnight. (The longer you allow the onions to marinate, the more flavor will be imparted).

To make the toasted almond oil: Lightly toast the almonds in a nonstick skillet for a few minutes. In a blender add the extra virgin olive oil and almonds and blend until creamy.

To plate: First mix together the haricot vert and pickled onions with the toasted almond oil, add salt to taste. Make a mound of the salad on a plate and top with crumbled Cabot Clothbound Cheddar.

Finocchiona Mini
with Fennel Salad & Cabot Clothbound Cheddar

To see Lidia’s tips on preparing fennel, click here.

Using a mandolin, a very sharp knife, or the wide slot of a grater, slice the bulb of the fennel. Be sure to keep a few of the fennel fronds to mix with the slices of raw fennel. Dress lightly with good extra virgin olive oil. Thinly slice the
Finocchiona mini
into round discs and lay out in a circular pattern on a plate. Top with the raw fennel slices and fronds, and shaved Cabot Clothbound Cheddar. Add sea salt, to taste.

Try Chef Nicotra’s Cheese Creations at…



Felidia Restaurant NYC
243 East 58th Street
New York, NY 10022
(212) 758.1479

Serves 6

Click Here to Purchase the Ingredients for this Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound fresh whole-milk ricotta

Salt
Tomato sauce (see recipe below)
1 pound lasagna noodles, uncooked
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 1/4 cups freshly grated Grana Padano cheese

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Line a sieve with a double thickness of cheesecloth or a basket-type coffee
filter. Place the ricotta over the cheesecloth and set the sieve over a
bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 1 day.
Discard the liquid that drains into the bowl.

In a mixing bowl, add the ricotta and a pinch of salt and stir until thoroughly blended.

For the Tomato Sauce:

Makes approximately 3 cups

One 28-ounce can peeled Italian plum tomatoes

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced

Pass the tomatoes through a food mill fitted with the fine disc. Heat the
oil over medium heat in a 2-to-3-quart saucepan. Add the garlic and sauté
until lightly colored. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Lower the heat
so the sauce is at a lively simmer, and cook stirring occasionally, until
thickened, for about 45 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

To Assemble:

In a 10 x 12 inch baking dish, ladle about a 1/2 cup of the sauce into the
bottom. Arrange the un-cooked noodles lengthwise and side by side so they
cover the bottom of the baking dish.

Spoon enough sauce atop, about 1 cup, over the noodles in an even layer.
Spread the ricotta mixture evenly in a think layer over the sauce. Sprinkle
even handfuls of the mozzarella, followed by Grana Padano. Continue this
process of laying noodles, followed by sauce, ricotta, mozzarella and Grana
Padano until the noodles are either finished, or you have reached the top of
the baking dish. The last layer should be the noodles, followed by sauce and
Grana Padano.

Bake the lasagna for a minimum of 45 minutes, or up to an hour, checking after 25 minutes to ensure the top is not burning. If the top of the lasagna appears to be burning, cover with aluminum foil and continue cooking. Remove the aluminum foil for the last 20 minutes of baking. Remove and let cool for a minimum of 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.

Click Here to Purchase the Ingredients for this Recipe

Try Chef Nicotra’s Cheese Creations at…



Felidia Restaurant NYC
243 East 58th Street
New York, NY 10022
(212) 758.1479

Dan Barber, chef and owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill Stone Barns, shares one of his favorite recipes to make when fresh goat cheese comes into season. This combo makes a great accompaniment for a light spring salad!

Farro Crackers

1 qt Farro (about two pounds)
3, 12oz cans Coconut milk
1.5 Qt Whole Milk
1.5 Qt Water
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Sea Salt

1.) Heat the oil in a large rondeau over high heat. Once hot, add the farro and toast 5-10 minutes until golden brown.

2.) Add the coconut milk, milk, water, and salt and bring to a simmer. Cook 20-30 minutes until farro is fully cooked and liquid is nearly gone.
3.) Place the farro mixture in the bowl of a robocoup and, working in batches puree for 10 minutes. Repeat until all the farro has been pureed.
4.) Line a 3 sheet trays with silpats or wax paper and spread the farro mixture as thinly as possible on the silpat with an off-set spatula. Bake in a 200F oven for 3.5-4 hours.
5.) Remove the crackers from the oven, let cool, and break apart. Serve with goat cheese, and keep remaining crackers covered in a dry place.

Goat Cheese:
8 ounces fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh cream
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh, chopped mixed herbs such as chives, oregano, chervil, and parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.) Using an electric blender, whip together goat cheese with sherry, olive oil, cream and fresh herbs. Season to taste.

So you want to make a salad featuring the season’s best heirloom tomatoes, but perhaps something more unique than Mozzarella, Basil, and Olive Oil? Jenny Harris, Fromager at Philadelphia’s Tria shares her unique recipe featuring Toledo , a Portugese mixed milk milk cheese coated in Paprika.

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Portuguese Toledo Cheese

Serves Four

3lbs heirloom tomatoes (as many colors as you can get)
16 basil leaves, 6 of them torn into strips, the rest whole
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1/4 c + 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 oz Toledo cheese

4 slices day old baguette
4 tbsp black olive tapenade
salt and pepper to taste

equipment: Microplane (or vegetable peeler), small bowl, slotted spoon, blender (stick blender preferably)

1. Blend the whole basil leaves (10 ea) with 1/4 c olive oil until uniform to make a basil oil. Set aside.

2. Toast the baguette slices until firm but not hard and cover each slice with a heaping spoonful of tapenade; set aside

3. Cut the tomatoes into 1″ chunks and place in the bowl

4. Add vinegar, remaining oil and basil, and salt and pepper

5. Toss gently, then transfer to a plate with the slotted spoon (leave the liquid behind in the bowl)

6. Shave thin strips of the Toledo cheese on top of each salad

7. Drizzle basil oil around the salad on the plate and place the tapenade crostini on top

(encourage guests to let the tapenade fall into the tomatoes as they eat)

My work with cheese at Casellula is
known for incorporating unorthodox, whimsical condiments in composed cheese
plates. When Murray’s asked me to share some recipes, I wanted to offer something
easy, practical, and suited for eating at home (i.e. NOT what I typically serve
at the restaurant). My intention is to show cheese as a wonderful, everyday
protein that’s easy to work with, especially because it doesn’t have to be
cooked. I eat a lot of salads at home. They are easy to prepare, and when they
incorporate cheese they are suitable for a light meal, especially during summer.
- Tia Keenan

Watermelon Salad with Goat Feta, Kalamata Olives and Lavender Salt

1 ripe watermelon, cut into 1 inch square cubes
1 cup
French Goat Feta, crumbled
1/4 cup
Kalamata olives, pitted and quartered
1 bunch peppercress or watercress
1 shaved shallot
Zest of two limes

Extra
virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Kalamata olive oil (reserved from packing)
Lavender salt
Salt and pepper

Toss
watermelon, Feta and olives together. Set aside. Dress peppercress and shaved
shallot with lime zest, olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange peppercress/shallot
mixture on serving dish. Place watermelon / Feta / olive mixture on top. Drizzle
Kalamata oil around salad. Garnish with lavender salt.

Serves 6.

Bruleed Peach Salad with Goat Feta and Cumin Vinaigrette

3 Peaches, pitted and halved
1 head Bibb lettuce
1 cup
French Goat Feta, crumbled
1/4 pound
Prosciutto di Parma, sliced thin

1/4 cup toasted unsalted sunflower seeds
Granulated sugar

For vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup grapeseed oil

Place
peaches pit-side up on broiling pan. Sprinkle with sugar and put under broiler
until caramelized. Set aside. Toss crumbled Feta in cumin vinaigrette, reserving
some vinaigrette for plating. Fill peaches with Feta mixture and set aside. Cut
Prosciutto into ribbons. Arrange Bibb lettuce on platter. Drape
Prosciutto among lettuce leaves. Place peaches on top of lettuce.
Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and remaining Feta mixture. Drizzle with remaining
vinaigrette.

Serves 6.

Makes 4 servings

Click Here to Purchase the Ingredients for this Recipe

Note: One lasagna noodle = 1 serving. You can make a tray filled with
individual portions, or bake separately in small ramekins.

Ingredients

4 lasagna noodles, cooked
1 ounce dried porcini
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large sweet onion, finely diced
One 28-ounce can peeled Italian plum tomatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 large slices prosciutto di Parma (about 1/4 pound)
4 ounces Taleggio, sliced lengthwise

1 cup Grana Padano cheese

For the Sauce:
To reconstitute dried porcini, soak the mushrooms in cold water for 1 to 2
hours. For quicker results, you can soak the porcini for 10 minutes in warm
water, but the cold water method is preferred.

In a sauté pan, add the oil and onions. Sweat the onions over medium heat
until just translucent. Drain the porcini mushrooms and reserve some of
their liquid. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5-6 minutes- if the mushrooms
are on the larger side, you cut them in half.

Pass the tomatoes through a food mill fitted with a fine disc (or crush them with your hands, which is more fun). Add the
tomatoes to the onions and mushrooms and 1 or 2 tablespoons of the porcini
water. Cook together for 30 minutes and in the last 5 minutes of cooking,
add the cream. Gently stir to combine.

In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the lasagna noodles until al dente,
approximately 6-12 minutes, depending on thickness. When finished cooking,
remove, and place in an ice bath to cool down. Pat noodles dry with a cloth
or paper towel. Be sure all water has been removed, and noodles are completely
dried.

To Assemble:
Preheat the oven to 325° F.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of sauce into the bottom of each ramekin, or if using a
baking dish, cover the entire bottom of the dish with a thin layer of sauce.
Lay 1 end of a lasagna noodle in the sauce and on top of the noodle, lay the
pieces of prosciutto. On top of the prosciutto, lay the slices of Taleggio
and then a bit of sauce atop the Taleggio, followed by a bit of Grana
Padano. Now fold the noodle like a ribbon to cover the prosciutto, Taleggio,
sauce and Grana Padano- this should expose bare lasagna noodle. Now spoon 1
to 2 tablespoons of sauce, followed by Grana Padano cheese and fold the
noodle again to expose more bare lasagna noodle. Repeat procedure of
spooning sauce and then Grana Padano. You will repeat this procedure a total
of 3 to 4 times from the first layer. The end result should resemble a
ribbon- the noodle gently folded over itself each time (refer to photo). The
last fold should again expose bare lasagna noodle, and should be finished
with a spoonful of sauce and Grana Padano.

Line the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, uncovered.
Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Click Here to Purchase the Ingredients for this Recipe

Try Chef Nicotra’s Cheese Creations at…



Felidia Restaurant NYC
243 East 58th Street
New York, NY 10022

(212) 758.1479

Dishing Up Vermont by Tracey Medeiros

Croque Monsieur is a fun dish that plays on the French Canadian traditions of Vermont and New England. At the Cliff House, the Croque Monsieur is made with maple cinnamon raisin bread from Elmore Mountain Breads, roast turkey from Misty Knoll Farm, ham from Vermont Smoke & Cure, Gouda cheese from Taylor Farm, and mascarpone cheese from the Vermont Butter & Cheese Company. It makes a great brunch dish or a hearty breakfast sandwich.

Recipe from Cliffhouse At Stowe Mountain Resort, Chef Jeffegan

Ingredients
1 teaspoon pure Vermont maple
syrup
1 teaspoon chopped chives
2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
2 eggs
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Salt and freshly ground black
pepper
2 slices of maple cinnamon raisin
bread
Unsalted butter
2 ounces roasted turkey breast,
sliced
2 ounces smoked and cured ham,
sliced
2 ounces Gouda cheese, shredded

1. Mix together maple syrup, chives, and mascarpone in a small bowl.
Preheat oven to 325 F.

2. Whisk together the eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and salt
and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Dip bread into egg mixture
until well soaked and shake gently to remove excess.
3. Melt a pat of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the
bread and cook until golden brown on each side. Remove the bread
from pan and spread the mascarpone mixture over one slice. Layer
turkey, ham, and Gouda over mascarpone. Top with the second
slice of bread and bake in the oven until warmed through and the
cheese has melted.