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Appetizers

Filled Focaccia with Pesto, Mortadella, and Burrata

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Ever  need a comfort food fix? I do.

When I make filled focaccia with fresh pesto, burrata and mortadella it is the ultimate comfort satisfaction, nothing competes when it emerges from the hot oven and the burrata has melted perfectly, the mortadella is warm, and the bite of fresh pesto creates the ultimate flavor combination and brings me to one of my fondest memories.

I experienced filled focaccia when I visited a dear friend in Milan. It was a damp, chilly autumn afternoon and we had just returned from seeing DaVinci’s Last Supper.

We arrived in her sweet apartment (not much bigger than my living room back in the US) and I was immediately engulfed with the delicious smell of warm bread, fresh basil, and gooey cheese. As the aroma saturated the room, it was the most amazing sensation, so very unexpected yet incredibly welcomed.

She quickly answered my thoughts and explained she had decided to make us her mom’s filled focaccia recipe. With a slight smile and an air of pride, she announced it was created with her fresh garden pesto,  her nonno’s cured mortadella, and her mom’s homemade burrata. My mouth was watering and my senses were dancing…..

As she cut the focaccia, the ingredients, oozed out of the center and teased us with the beautiful colors and enticing flavors. I set the table and poured the house wine from her uncle’s vineyard.  She tossed together a simple salad which came from her window box garden.  We sat, giggling and chatting as the hours passed during the gloomy afternoon.

As I reminisce, I never knew such a simple dish could entice me at such a deep level but now I realize each recipe, each dish created with such love and intent is forever it’s own work of art.

Filled Focaccia with Pesto, Mortadella, and Burrata
 
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Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • FOCACCIA DOUGH:
  • 5 Cups All-purpose Unbleached Flour
  • 2 Teaspoons Instant Active Dry Yeast
  • 2 – 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Plus 2 Additional Tablespoons To Oil Bowl)
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt
  • 2+ Cups Warm Water
  • STUFFING:
  • 12 Thin Slices Mortadella
  • 2 Burrata Balls, torn in pieces
  • Pesto:
  • 1 Cup Basil
  • 1 Garlic Cloves,
  • Pine Nuts
  • Parmigiano Cheese
  • Salt & Pepper
  • ⅓ Cup Olive Oil
  • TO FINISH:
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Coarse Sea Salt
Instructions
  1. Measure and assemble your flour, oil, salt, yeast, and water.
  2. Add everything but the water into a large bowl and stir.
  3. Add half the water and stir.
  4. Continue to add water until the dough begins to come together into a shaggy ball.
  5. Dump the dough mixture onto a lightly floured surface and begin to knead with the heels of your hand.
  6. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and pliant.
  7. Add a little oil (2 tablespoons) to the bottom of a large bowl and place your ball of dough inside.
  8. Roll the ball of dough around in the oil ensuring the sides of the bowl and ball of dough are both lightly oiled.
  9. Cover your bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise. (I cover mine with a kitchen towel on top of the plastic wrap and sit it on a large sunny windowsill.)
  10. Let the dough rise until it is doubled in size, about an hour or an hour and a half depending on ambient temperature.
  11. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  12. While the dough is rising, place all of the pesto ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
  13. Divide the dough into two equal halves.
  14. Oil a 13 x 9 Inch baking sheet.
  15. Place one half of the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it with a rolling pin until it fits the bottom of the prepared pan.
  16. Place the dough in the pan, stretching it with your fingers to fit.
  17. Spread the tomato pesto over the dough.
  18. Lay the ham slices, slightly overlapping on top of the pesto.
  19. Lay the provolone cheese slices on top of the ham, overlapping to fit.
  20. Roll out the remaining dough to fit the pan, then stretch it out with your fingers as you lay it on top of the stuffing mixture.
  21. Use your fingers to pinch the two dough halves together to seal.
  22. Use your fingers to press dimples into the top of the dough.
  23. Drizzle a little of the oil over the top of the dough.
  24. Sprinkle the top with some salt and then bake until puffed and golden brown, about 25 minutes.
  25. Cool 10 minutes, then cut into 4-inch squares and serve.

 

Arancini

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Arancini|Eatentions

Arancini, risotto rolled into a ball and filled with gorgonzola dolce cheese and fried. The memory takes me right back to Roma and my favorite food vendor, Gabriel. Each day, he was parked close to the infamous Spanish Steps and the enticing aromas floating from his wooden cart, drew me as we passed by.

After our exchange of friendly greetings, he would offer me one of his hand made arancini balls, the famous fried rice balls of the area. In his thick but seductive accent, he would describe these heavenly bites he made fresh each day. Each time I took a bite, the crunch coupled with the soft melted cheese and al dente risotto created a melody in my mouth one can only experience. Simple but utterly delicious, I looked forward each day to sample (and of course purchase) his famous arancini.

We became fast friends, exchanging stories of travel and his recommendations of sights to see, all of which never failed as we were directed to the local delights in both food and culture. Our days directed us because of Gabriel and my pre-planned itinerary was quickly erased upon the realization that there is no google search for the memories he helped create for us. I will never forget the experience.

So as I write the blog and recipe for these arancini, I fondly remember Gabriel and our journey through Roma and happiness he and his wooden cart gave to all that took the time to stop, sample, and listen. Grazie Gabriel, this is an ode to you…..

Arancini
 
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Ingredients
  • For Risotto:
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 Large Onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 cups Carnaroli or Arborio rice
  • 4 cups Chicken Stock, kept HOT
  • 1 to 1½ cups Dry White Wine
  • 2 tablespoons Butter
  • ¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • For Arancini:
  • Canola oil for frying
  • Breadcrumbs
  • 4 ounces Gorgonzola Dolce
  • fryer or dutch oven with 3 inches of oil and heated to 375
Instructions
  1. For Risotto:
  2. Coat a large saucepan generously with olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and salt and sweat them until translucent, about 5 minutes. Bring the pan to a medium-high heat. Add the rice and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, letting the rice slightly stick to the bottom of the pan and scraping it off. It should also sound crackly.
  3. Add the wine to the pan until it covers the surface of the rice. Season with salt and cook over a medium-high heat, stirring continuously until the wine has absorbed into the rice. Add chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, to the pan. Cook over a medium-high heat, stirring continuously until the stock has absorbed into the rice. Repeat this process with the hot saffron chicken stock.
  4. When the third addition of the stock has absorbed and the rice is very creamy, bite a couple grains of rice to be sure it is cooked perfectly. If it is still a little crunchy, add a little more stock and cook the rice for another couple of minutes. When the rice is cooked perfectly, remove it from the heat. (Want it al-dente)
  5. Toss in the butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano and "whip it”. The rice should be creamy but still flow and hold its own shape. Cool and refrigerate 4 hours or upto overnight.
  6. For Arancini:
  7. Take risotto out of fridge. Heat oil in dutch oven or heat fryer to 375.
  8. Pour some breadcrumbs in a bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  9. Take ⅛ cup or so of risotto and roll into a ball. Put in a little gorgonzola dolce in middle of ball and re-shape. Roll in breadcrumbs and place on cookie sheet.
  10. Repeat with remaining risotto and gorgonzola dolce
  11. Put into fridge til ready to fry or fry right away.
  12. Put 4 balls into oil and allow to cook for about 3-4 minutes or until deep golden and heated through.
  13. Remove and put on a plate lined with paper towels.
  14. Repeat until done and place into warming oven until ready to eat or eat right away

Arancini|Eatentions

 

Burrata Cheese with Fried Sage and Anchovy Oil

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Burrata with fried sage and anchovy oil

Burrata with fried sage and anchovy oil

It’s summer. The beginning of warm days and nights, lingering afternoons, and patio evenings filled with food, fun, and friends. We long for these nights all year as they bring some of our best memories and fondest times.

So often during the summer, my favorite thing is to create an array of Italian appetizers accompanied with delicious wines and hours of endless conversation. With this as a favorite pastime, I am always looking for bites of deliciousness which can be completed ahead of the fray yet taste like they were just prepared.

When I am looking for inspiration for recipes, I frequently end up pulling from my memory bank of travel experiences. One very fond memory for us both was during a stay in the Tuscan countryside in an Agriturismo. For those of you who might not be familiar, Agriturismo’s are working farms where you can stay for both room and meals. If you haven’t experienced one, I highly suggest the venture. Quaint, rustic, and unique, nothing quite matches the sensation of being woken up to both the sounds of the farm roosters cackling accompanied by the divine smells of the bake goods nestled inside the womb of the wood fire oven preparing themselves for breakfast enjoyment.   It is truly a morning dance for one’s sensory pleasures.

One particular morning, we were gladly awakened by the enticing smells of the kitchen below. We quickly gathered ourselves together in hopes we aren’t too late (or early) for the pleasures we fantasized as we awoke from our slumber. We were careful to lightly tread over the old wood floor covered with footprints of the memories made before us and over to the nostalgic moka pot where countless others have too enjoyed a pot of the liquid gold finishing brewing and awaiting our enjoyment.

Nestling up in the corner table against the rough stone walls of the farmhouse, we sipped our coffee and gazed over the fields being hugged by the morning dew. As we got lost in a gaze of the Tuscan hillside, Gabriella (the owner and chef) quietly slipped a gorgeous tray of fresh figs, homemade burrata cheese, and fresh bread topped with glistening fresh olive oil, zested lemon, and then carefully wrapped amongst a wreath of fresh sage leaves. I didn’t believe anything could have broken my day dreaming stare but the enticing aromas of the farmhouse bread and the warmth of the newly made cheese rising from our table was too alluring to ignore. My head quickly shifted to the food painting in front of me, balanced by color, texture and flavor, it was almost too gorgeous to eat…..almost.

As I took the small, antique ceramic plate and arranged the bread, cheese, and fruit in the same thoughtful manner as Gabriella, I thought carefully about how best to honor this masterpiece. As I contemplated the layers of flavors I was about to experience, I wondered if it would satisfy the anticipation I was building inside my fantasy.

As I sank my teeth into the soft texture of both the bread and the cheese, the warmth of both filled my mouth while the intensity of the fresh olive oil coated my taste buds and the fresh lemon lingered slightly behind.

As I slowly chewed, I marveled at how beautifully satisflying four ingredients could be and how this melody worked so graciously together and I contemplated the age-old question, could it really be this simple to create the perfect, culinary bite? The answer was simple and quick……..yes.

Burrata with fried sage and anchovy oil

Burrata Cheese with Fried Sage and Anchovy Oil
 
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Author:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 tub of burrata cheese (can use fresh mozzarella)
  • 12 sage leaves
  • 2-3 T anchovy paste
  • 5-6 T olive oil
  • 1-2 T white balsamic vinegar
  • 9-10 kalamata olives
  • salt and pepper
  • crostini for serving
Instructions
  1. In a small skillet, heat olive oil. Add anchovy paste and whisk to incorporate. Add sage leaves and lightly fry. Take off the heat and stir in white balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. On a platter, break open the burrata balls. Arrange kalamata olives and pour anchovy oil and sage over cheese. Serve immediately with crostini or crackers

 

 

 

Endive and Prosciutto Spears

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Sometimes we need easy….elegant AND yummy but EASY and this appetizer of endive, prosciutto, and parmigiano-reggiano cheese drizzled with a delicious truffle oil is just that……especially the deliciousness part!

Endive Prosciutto Appetizer|Eatentions

When I think of warm summer nights and long casual evenings on the patio with family and friends, lots of appetizers always come to mind. They go with the flow of the evening and allow everyone to graze and enjoy while sipping a beautiful glass of wine and drinking in the moment.

We do a lot of entertaining during this time of year and so with the appetizer theme comes the need for having easy and universal dishes so I can join my guests in savoring the magic of the evening.

Endive Prosciutto Appetizer|Eatentions

This appetizer was inspired from a Tuscan Farmhouse we stayed at back in 2012. The owner/chef was treating us to a special tasting of her favorite Tuscan vintage and brought out truffle-oil rubbed crostini, fresh cut prosciutto and local pecorino cheese. Somehow that moment brought together the perfect pairing of a bite of food and a taste of wine. Since that moment, I felt the need to recreate it…..both literally and in my dreams, I hope you enjoy.

Endive and Prosciutto Spears
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 3 Heads of Endive, Spears Only
  • 12 Slices of Prosciutto, Halved
  • Parmigiano-Reggiano, Shaved
  • Good Quality Truffle Oil
  • Cracked Black Pepper
Instructions
  1. On a platter, arrange endive spears, arrange prosciutto over spears and add desired amount of shaved parmigiano-reggiano. Drizzle a nice amount of truffle oil and a little cracked black pepper.
  2. Serve immediately with a delicious wine!

Endive Prosciutto Appetizer|Eatentions