Fresh Ricotta

Salvatore Ricotta

The best ricotta I ever had was from Salvatore Brooklyn. I once went to a Williams-Sonoma store in NYC to see a demonstration by Betsy Devine of how she makes it at Salvatore, and that was when I decided I would be able to make my own. You can see the thick texture, which is what I was - and am - aiming for.

The recipe I use is adapted from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's recipe in his seminal work, The Food Lab, but there are other good recipes for you to check out - FOOD52 and Smitten Kitchen, who also likes Salvatore. If you don't have or use a microwave, Jennifer Perillo's recipe on FOOD52 is the way to go. It is the first recipe I tried so I know it works!

I often use 3 cups whole milk and 1 cup heavy cream unless I want to make it extremely rich in which case I use 2 cups whole milk and 2 cups heavy cream.

I put my 4 cups of dairy in a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup. I add 1/2 teaspoon salt, either kosher or Italian fine sea salt, and 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar. Kenji says you can add the same amount of lemon juice; however, since the white vinegar is consistently 5 per cent acid, I find it unfailingly reliable so that is what I use.

I heat the milk and cream mixture in the microwave until the temperature reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. In my microwave, which is small, this takes about 8 minutes. 

At this point, I remove the cup from the microwave and stir it gently for about 5 seconds. It is already separating into curds and whey.

I transfer to a fine sieve that I have lined with a white mesh vegetable bag. It can certainly be lined with cheesecloth.

I cover the top with plastic wrap and let it reach the desired consistency. The more it drains, the "dryer" it will be. 

My Ricotta

You can see the texture. It's almost like ice cream. Since I am usually using this to make manicotti, it gets thinner with the addition of eggs so this is a perfect texture for me to start with.

Homemade Ricotta

Adapted from The Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

I use a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup for this.

To 3 cups whole milk and 1 cup heavy cream or 2 cups whole milk and 2 cups heavy cream if you want it to be very rich, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, kosher or (for me Italian) sea salt and 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar.

I heat the milk and cream mixture in the microwave until the temperature reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. In my microwave, which is small, this takes about 8 minutes. You can certainly do this on top of the stove. 

At this point, stir it gently for about 5 seconds. It should already be separating into curds and whey.

Transfer to a fine sieve lined with a white mesh vegetable bag or cheesecloth.

Cover the top with plastic wrap and let it reach the desired consistency. The more it drains, the "dryer" it will be.

Vic's Chicken

 

This is something I have basically been making since I was twenty years old, and my grandmother made it long before that. Since it goes with so many side or starter dishes, I often make it for company. We usually eat this once a week. 

Do not substitute chicken breast halves here because the white meat does not take well to this method. 

I usually cook the chicken in a 10- or 12-inch cast iron skillet depending on the number of pieces of chicken I am cooking. 

If you have time, salt the chicken pieces all over, put them on a rack on a platter, and refrigerate for a few hours. This is dry brining and will help the chicken to crisp. However, more often than not I skip this step because I haven't planned it long enough in advance, and it's still great.

Vic's Chicken

Please read the whole recipe through before you start as steps are taken to avoid contamination of any bacteria that may be on the raw chicken.

Best-quality-you-can-get bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or whole chicken legs, as many as you like.  (My preferred chicken is Bell & Evans, and I drive a long way to get it.)

Vegetable oil (I usually use expeller-pressed grapeseed.)

Salt

Pepper - be generous

Garlic powder

Whatever dried herb you like with chicken (I use GREEK oregano from Kalustyans.)

Preheat the oven to 400°F. If you have a roast setting, use it now.

Have the pan you are going to roast the chicken in on the counter or on the stove. Slick a tiny amount of oil in the pan and wipe any excess out with a paper towel. 

Also put a plate or platter large enough to hold the uncooked pieces of raw chicken on the counter next to the sink. 

Then put a piece of aluminum foil in the bottom of your sink,  covering the whole bottom. Put the chicken pieces in the sink on top of the foil, and pour a little oil on the chicken followed by salt, pepper, garlic powder, and whatever dried herbs you like with chicken. (Note that if you have salted the chicken in advance, don't use any more salt.) Now rub the chicken pieces all over with your hands to distribute the oil and herbs. 

Place the chicken pieces on the plate or platter you have put next to the sink. Then move them from the platter into the pan you will cook them in. 

Right now, to avoid contamination with any bacteria from the chicken, throw the aluminum foil away, wash the sink, and wash your hands before you touch anything else.

Put the pan in the oven and roast until the pieces of chicken are very, very crisp – 45 minutes to an hour. I usually cook them for an hour because the result I want is extremely crisp, well-done chicken. I baste the chicken occasionally while it is cooking, but I do not turn the pieces over. 

Really Good Ragu

I have been making Marcella Hazan's iconic Bolognese sauce for years, and it is, I believe, authentic. I have even used it to stuff inside my grandmother's crespelle, turning it into canneloni. But as delicious as it is, it is not very saucy, and sometimes something saucy with an umami depth of flavor is exactly what I'm looking for. And that ragu is what I found in The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater. (If you haven't discovered Nigel Slater yet, I think Appetite would be a good place to start.) 

Because I want this to be saucy, I have increased the amount of tomatoes, originally 1 cup to a 400g can of Italian tomatoes, and decreased the amount of meat, from 1 pound to 1/2 pound. I order pancetta from Heritage Foods, and use the recommended 3 ounces for this recipe. 

I have been led to believe no self-respecting Italian would even think about serving Bolognese sauce over spaghetti. But English people do, Nigel Slater does, and now sometimes so do I. But this sauce is especially good on rigatoni - or maybe even better mezzi rigatoni - because it snuggles inside the tubes.

And PLEASE find a source for Italian tomatoes and Italian pasta that is cut with bronze die and slow dried, such as Pasta Setaro or Faella. The difference is noticeable.  

I order these from Gustiamo

I often serve this on a plate with a vegetable instead of a salad.

I highly recommend cracking open a bottle of particularly delicious red wine to use here. It contributes that depth of flavor I mentioned above to the sauce and is lovely to drink with this dinner.

A half bottle of Amarone

Really Good Ragu

Adapted from The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater and FOOD52

In Italy pasta is sauced very lightly so this would be enough for 1 pound of pasta there; I use it for 8 ounces. I love pork, but I always use beef in this recipe.

4 tablespoons butter
About 3 ounces pancetta cut in 1/4" cubes
1 small to medium onion, chopped
2 plump cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, peeled and chopped
4 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped the same size as the onions, carrot, and celery 
1 bay leaf (I use Morton & Bassett)
1/2 pound ground beef  - the best you can get
1 400g can of  Italian whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
1/4 cup red wine (good enough that you will drink it with dinner)
3/4 cup stock (I use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base to make it.)
Freshly grated nutmeg - a little
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream (Use a light hand.)
Freshly grated Parmesan, to taste

Don't leave out the bay leaf or the nutmeg; they add a lot to the sauce. Remember to be parsimonious with the cream; you don't want the sauce to be creamy.

Melt the butter then cook the pancetta without letting it color to render some of the fat - 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the onion and garlic; then the carrot and the celery; then the mushrooms. Cook over medium heat, stirring often.

Turn up the heat a little and add the meat, breaking it up. Cook for about 3 minutes without stirring so the meat starts to brown. Stir again. Add the tomatoes, red wine, stock, the bay leaf, a grating of nutmeg, and a little salt and pepper. 

Turn the heat down till the sauce is gently moving. Partially cover the pan. Let it cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally, checking the liquid to make sure it does not dry out.

Pour in the heavy cream slowly and with a light hand. Stir. Let it cook a little longer - for 15 to 20 minutes, keeping in mind you do not want it to get thick.

Taste for seasoning.

I usually serve this over rigatoni or mezzi rigatoni (but sometimes I use spaghetti) with grated Parmesan but use whatever pasta shape you like.

Hard-Boiled Eggs

 Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

I was a charter subscriber to Cook's Illustrated and have been "with them" from the beginning through a number of iterations, from Christopher Kimball to J. Lopez-Alt, to where they have landed now. Even with all the changes, their mission has stayed on track, and they are an excellent source of inspiration, reliable recipes, and unbiased product reviews. There is a group of Cook's recipes that has stayed in my repertoire since I first found them:

Shrimp Salad (which includes a great way to cook shrimp for shrimp cocktail)

The Best Sangria

Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake

Basmati Rice, Pilaf Style

If you are a digital subscriber to America's Test Kitchen, as am I, these recipes are available there.

This recipe, along with their method for soft-boiled eggs, is one of the most used at my house.

I store my eggs in the refrigerator in the carton they came in. For this recipe, use large eggs that are straight from the refrigerator and still cold. Make sure they have no cracks. I always wash eggs before I use them as I often have local eggs from a farm or a friend, and it's a habit I have gotten into.

I have found this recipe to be fool-proof. I usually make 4 eggs at a time, but you can make 6. There is no exaggerating how nice it is to have some hard-boiled eggs in the refrigerator.

These eggs are essentially steamed, not boiled.

Hard-Boiled Eggs
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Put an inch of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Put a basket steamer in the pan and carefully add the eggs to the steamer.

Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the eggs for 13 minutes, no longer. 

While the eggs are cooking, get a bowl of ice water ready using 2 cups of ice cubes and 2 cups of cold water. I keep it in the sink.

When the 13 minutes are up, take the pan off the heat, put it near the bowl of ice water, and use a pair of tongs to carefully move each egg individually to the bowl of ice water. Let the eggs sit in the cold water for 15 minutes before peeling. 

Depending on the age of the egg, there is usually an air cell at one end, and it is usually at the larger end. I find the easiest way to peel these eggs is to kind of "smash" the large end and starting from there, peel under running cold water.

Caviar and Egg Mold

There is excellent American caviar now available. I have tried Paddlefish and Hackelback and enjoyed both very much. However, at my liquor store Spirited in Lenox, Massachusetts, I am usually able to find lightly salted Spanish grey mullet roe called Mujjol "caviar." It is very well priced and  delicious served with sour cream on a salted potato chip accompanied by a shot of very cold vodka or a glass of Champagne. It is worth looking out for and would work well here. Of course, Beluga caviar would work well here, and a little would go a long way.

Caviar & Egg Mold
Adapted from Cook and Love It: A Collection of Favorite Recipes and Entertaining Ideas, published by The Mothers' Club of The Lovett School, Atlanta, Georgia, Contributed by Polly Pater and Deddy Bartenfeld

4 hard-boiled eggs, mashed
⅓ cup butter, softened
¼ to ⅓ cup mayonnaise (Use your favorite. I like Ojai Organic Mayonnaise.)
⅓ cup chopped scallions or shallots
Lemon juice
Salt to taste

½ cup sour cream (I use full fat Breakstone.)
Caviar, about a quarter of a cup (or more if you want to be extravagant)

First, line a small bowl with plastic wrap. 

Combine all the ingredients through salt. Pack the mixture into the bowl, cover with more  plastic wrap, and chill well. As the butter chills, it will harden.

Unmold The bowl onto a serving plate; frost with sour cream, and top with caviar.    

You can serve this with crackers, which makes it easy to put out, but I like it best with buttered white toast points, and that is what I do if the timing works with what I'm doing.