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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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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

 

 

 

Homemade Fettuccine with Brown Butter and Sage

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Fettuccine with Butter and Sage

Fettuccine with Butter and Sage

Fettuccine with Butter and Sage

Fettuccine with Butter and Sage

It’s November, it is really November; clocks even went back so we know we are full on now….only 20 days till Turkey time and the gorging bliss of the holidays begin!

I don’t know why but all this has taken me by surprise. BUT (always gotta jump into the positive aspect) after my post about duck breasts last week and all the comfy food talk, I’m ready to keep embracing the fall flavor profile and post one of my absolute favorite pasta recipes…..fettuccine with butter and sage! If I want it to sound REALLY yummy (and a little sexier) I would say fettuccine con burro e salvia (because everything sounds better in Italian)!

Okay enough with the Italian lesson as we have fettuccine con burro e salvia to talk about! Yep, essentially, flour, egg, butter, sage, parmigiano. Would you ever think that 5 ingredients could create SUCH MAGIC? Well they do and with ALL the pasta I have had over the years with ALL the different sauces, this one reigns at the top. It is perfect (of course it’s perfect, it’s pasta) but seriously, in my little world it’s perfect.

For me, the key to this recipe is to brown the butter and grow your own sage. I know, maybe the growing sage is a stretch but if you have ANY urge to be a little farmer like myself, growing herbs is an awesome starting point.

Why brown the butter? Well, the nutty flavor infuses into the pasta with the sage and the combination is INCREDIBLE, I mean INCREDIBLE! Just be careful not to overbrown because it can get a “burnt” flavor. What I do is to just get it to a “light” brown color and pull it off the burner. Then while the pasta is cooking for a couple minutes in the pot (cuz I like fresh pasta) I put the butter back on to brown up some more and add fresh sage leaves. If you leave them whole, they make a really pretty statement. Remember sage is a strong herb so use on the lighter side. (If you don’t want to make your own pasta, of course fresh pasta from the store works as does dried).

The last KEY step with this (or any pasta dish) is to put the semi-cooked pasta in the saucepan with the butter (or sauce) and let it finish cooking with the sauce (always add a little pasta water to help bind together).

I made this dish for my sister’s birthday dinner last week and served it out of roasted butternut squash bowls. After filling these cute bowls (which when pulled out of the oven are an ingenious way to keep the pasta nice and warm), I just sprinkled the top of the pasta with parmigiano cheese and a hunk of dense, artisanal bread with butter. I presented them to the table and time stopped, it was perfection.

Homemade Fettuccine with Brown Butter and Sage
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • Fresh Egg Pasta:
  • 4 cups all purpose flour or caputo semolina flour (found on amazon)
  • 4 -5 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • water as needed
  • 2 sticks of butter
  • Handful of sage
  • Parmigiano cheese
Instructions
  1. To Make Fresh Pasta:
  2. Make a mound of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board or in a bowl, whichever is more comfortable to you. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs and salt. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well. As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape. Do not worry that this initial phase looks messy. The dough will come together when ½ of the flour is incorporated. If using a bowl, turn out onto a wooden cutting board now and start kneading the dough with both hands, using the palms of your hands primarily. Once you have a dough ball, remove its rom the board and scrape up any left over crusty bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes. If dry, add 1 T of water at a time and incorporate. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Continue to knead for another 3 minutes, remembering to dust your board when necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Note: do not skip the kneading or resting portion of this recipe, they are essential for a light pasta.
  3. To cut pasta:
  4. With a hand crank machine or kitchen aide attachment start with setting 1. Cut off ¼ of the ball and flatten out. Dust with flour as to not let it stick while passing through machine (you may have to do this periodically). Pass through once and then fold in thirds, turn and pass again. Do this 2 more times and then pass it straight through an additional 2 times. Put on setting 2 and pass through twice. Repeat with setting 3 and 4. When you get to setting 5, put through once and set sheet aside and repeat with remaining dough.
  5. Put sheets through fettuccine cutter and put onto a floured cookie sheet. Toss to keep strands separate. Do this periodically while drying and add a little flour each time if necessary.
  6. To make brown butter sauce:
  7. In a large sauce pan, place butter. On medium heat cook until a slightly brown color begins. Remove until ready to cook pasta. While pasta is cooking partially (1-2 min), return to heat and add sage. Watch as to not over brown.
  8. To boil:
  9. In a large dutch oven, fill three-quarters of the way full with water and put in salt (salty as the sea). Bring to a boil and add pasta. Cook 1-2 minutes and drain (reserving 2 cups of water) and put immediately into browned butter to finish cooking, about 1-2 minutes more. Serve immediately topped with parmigiano cheese and more to pass at table.

Fettuccine with Butter and Sage

Fettuccine with Butter and Sage

Sweet Potato Cavatelli with Sausage, Pancetta, Fried Sage, and Sautéed Wild Mushrooms

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IMG_5244Making anything from scratch dough simply makes me happy….period. I ADORE getting my hands in the mixture and working it from start to finish, such a satisfaction when serving the dish. I think the only thing that could make me happier would be to grow my own wheat and mill it into flour and raise my own chickens for the eggs. Second best is what I have, a wheat grower who I know, love, and trust and local chickens from a rockin farm. I’m thrilled with both….

It’s winter and time for those extra cozy, comforts of home kinda foods. For me, pasta is ALWAYS at the top of my go to list. I don’t care if it is stuffed pasta, gnocchi, long pasta, short pasta, lasagna or anything in between, these are all my comfort fare and I love to make them as much as eat them, my passion is totally equal.

Obviously, this love affair comes from my Italian heritage but there is something deeper that drives me as well, something deep in my soul that just isn’t complete or content like when I make pasta. Some might say a past life, others just a passion, but to me, I think I was born an “impastatrice”, or a pasta maker.

Some people are born actors or actresses, singers or songwriters and me, I was born a pasta maker.

This recipe was inspired by my love for ricotta cavatelli. Cavatelli are similar to gnocchi but a bit smaller in size. I adore sweet potato gnocchi and so as I thought of a recipe encompassing both sweet potato and ricotta topped with a sauce consisting of sausage, sage, pancetta, and wild mushrooms. My beloved cavatelli came to mind and from here birthed my version of sweet potato cavatelli with sausage, pancetta, fried sage, and sautéed wild mushrooms. Now that’s comfort food on steroids!

To make cavatelli, you don’t need a cavatelli maker, in fact they can be moody if the dough isn’t just perfect in both texture and size so, I whip out my gnocchi board and crank out some handmade cavatelli in half the time. If you want, you can go one step easier and forget the gnocchi board, just roll out some dough into a ½ inch thick rope, indent a line down the middle and cut in 1 inch segments, this is a perfect alteration.

Honestly, you don’t need a cold winters day to treat yourself to cavatelli….just some great Italian music, a delicious Italian wine, and friends to share it with and this will do the trick on any day.

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Sweet Potato Cavatelli with Sausage, Pancetta, Fried Sage, and Sautéed Wild Mushrooms
 
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This recipe was inspired by my love for ricotta cavatelli. Cavatelli are similar to gnocchi but a bit smaller in size. This recipe birthed from my love of sweet potatoes and ricotta cheese! Feel free to change up the sauce to fit your culinary desires!
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 10 servings
Ingredients
  • For Cavatelli:
  • 2-3 sweet potatoes - 1.5 cups puree
  • 4.5 cups flour
  • 1 egg
  • ½ lb fresh ricotta, preferably homemade
  • 1 Tsp salt
  • For Sauce:
  • 2 lbs of pork sausage
  • 6 ounces of pancetta, diced
  • 8 ounces of wild mushrooms, shitake, baby bella, porcini, or whatever you enjoy
  • 15 sage leaves
  • truffle oil for frying
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 T butter
  • chicken broth
  • salt and pepper
  • parmigiano-reggiano for serving
  • For Ricotta:
  • 3 cups organic whole milk
  • 1 cup organic heavy cream
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1½ T organic white wine vinegar
Instructions
  1. For the Cavatelli:
  2. Preheat oven to 350. Pearce sweet potatoes all over and place on a baking sheet. Cook for 30-40 min or until soft. Pull out of oven and peel and pass through a food mill or ricer into a bowl. Cool completely.
  3. Combine cooled sweet potatoes, ricotta, egg, and salt
  4. Place flour on kneading board. Make a well and add the above ingredients. Mix to combine
  5. Keep kneading until the dough comes together and has a smooth consistency. If sticky, add some flour. Don't over knead dough or it will become too tough.
  6. Cut off a small chunck and roll it into a rope about ½″ thick.
  7. Roll rope in some flour before cutting in 1 inch pieces. With a gnocchi board, start at the top and press each piece to make and indentation and then roll down the board. (If you want, you can go one step easier and forget the gnocchi board, just roll out some dough into a ½ inch thick rope, indent a line down the middle and cut in 1 inch segments).
  8. Toss with flour and put on cookie sheets. Apply more flour if they are a bit "sticky". Let rest and dry about 2 hours.
  9. For Ricotta:
  10. In a saucepan over medium heat, add all ingredients and let come to a light boil. Cook for 15 minutes as the liquid and solid separate. Remove from heat and pour into a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and let drain until all liquid is gone.
  11. For Sage Leaves:
  12. In a small sauté pan over medium-high heat, add truffle oil until bottom is covered and heat. Drop in 5-6 sage leaves and fry until stiff. Remove and place on plate lined with a paper bowl. Cook remaining leaves.
  13. For sauce:
  14. In a saucepan over medium heat, add sausage. Break up sausage while cooking and salt and pepper. Once done, remove with slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towel.
  15. Add butter and oil to pan and let melt. Add pancetta and mushrooms and cook until pancetta is done and mushrooms are soft. Add chicken broth if necessary for more liquid. Add back the sausage and stir to combine. Season if necessary. Add some chicken broth to create more of a sauce consistency. Reduce heat and cover.
  16. To Cook Cavatelli:
  17. In a large stockpot over medium heat, boil water and add salt. Make water as "salty as the sea", this flavors the pasta.
  18. Drop them in the water, careful not to overcrowd (cook in 2 batches, if needed). Cook for 7-8 minutes or until al dente.
  19. Scoop cavatelli out with a mesh spoon into serving bowl and top with sauce. Finish with parmigiano-reggiano cheese and serve immediately.
  20. Note: You can also refrigerate or freeze them. To cook them frozen, add about 5 minutes to your cooking time.

 

Brown Butter Sage Walnut Bread

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Everyone on my Christmas list this year got a loaf of this bread with our homemade apple butter. To me, there is nothing better than giving and receiving homemade gifts during the holidays or anytime for that matter. It takes time and love to create gifts and I completely appreciate the heartfelt effort.

Anyone who knows me realizes that I like treats that aren’t over the top sweet and this savory bread is SO good!  I didn’t want to bake traditional banana bread or cranberry bread but instead I wanted to kick things up a notch and get creative. My inspiration came from my LOVE of brown butter, I adore it with mash potatoes, over sweet potato ravioli, or sautéed with squash so I decided to try it in a bread and since sage is one of my all time favorite herbs, especially this time of year, I couldn’t imagine a better combination. It is such a surprise when you bite into a piece and taste the nutty flavor from the brown butter and the earthiness with the sage. There is just enough sugar to enhance the combinations and then add a great cappuccino to the menu and you have PERFECTION!!! So comfy food yum!

The list is endless with what you can add, bananas, pears, apples or dried figs….OMG can you imagine brown butter and bananas? Add some liquor and you can indulge in bananas foster breakfast style! Awesome!

So as I cranked out the loaves for Christmas gifts, I made some extras to freeze. After all winter is just starting and come those cold January mornings when you just want to lie in bed, I can grab a couple of slices of this, slather on my apple butter and curl up for hours.

Have fun experimenting, leave some comments, and let me know how your creative genius came out!

'Brown Butter Sage Walnut Bread
 
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This is a really wonderful savory bread that can be served with apple butter or peach butter! If you want, add pears, apples, or bananas for a wonderful addition
Author:
Recipe type: Bread
Serves: 1 large loaf
Ingredients
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 4 tablespoons sliced fresh sage leaves
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • 2½ cups flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
  • Turbinado sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
  1. Heat the oven to 350.
  2. Grease and flour (or spray) a standard loaf pan.
  3. Toast the walnuts in a skillet over medium heat, then set them aside.
  4. Add the butter and sage to the skillet and cook until the butter browns - follow your nose, it should smell nutty and sagey and not at all scorched. Turn off the heat.
  5. In a mixer whisk the eggs and brown sugar together.
  6. Add in the oil and whisk that.
  7. Mix in the flour, soda, powder and salt.
  8. Stir in the browned butter, then fold walnuts. Its thick so don't worry.
  9. Scrape and spread into the loaf pan, sprinkle with the turbindo sugar, and into the oven for 35 minutes. Test for doneness, then cool a bit before you flip it out of the pan. Slice and eat!!!

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