I am excited and looking forward to being a special guest at the Le Cordon Bleu School in Boston, Massachusetts on Friday for a special event that was organized by The Italian Culinary Foundation. It is a wonderful foundation that was organized to promote the authentic flavors and history of real Italian Cuisine.
In the US we have become very used to calling what is really Italian-American cuisine – authentic Italian but it really is not authentic Italian. For instance a simple dish of spaghetti and meatballs is not authentic Italian. In Italy, spaghetti (in a small portion ) is eaten separate as the first course of a meal and the meatballs (polpette) are eaten separately as the second course. And the pasta is not served in a gigantic bowl but in a small dish for one portion size.
These are all part of what the Italian Culinary Foundation hopes to make people aware of in order to promote what is really Italian cooking and so that everyone understands why the Italian diet is so healthy. Real, authentic cuisine is high quality ingredients in small quantities and not covered up with lots of heavy processed flavors but letting each flavor shine through and using light amounts of sauces to dress your dish and not cover it up.
Anyway, I will have more on this upon my return on Saturday. But as an added bonus I will also be attending a cooking demo by one of Italy’s top chefs from Assissi, Italy-Enea Barbanera.
In honor of this event I am going to include some of his recipes on my upcoming posts. Here is one to start with,enjoy:
Potato Gnocchi with Fava Beans and Black Truffle
“Gnocchetti di patate con fave e tartufo nero”
by Chef Enea Barbanera
| Yield: 8 portions |
|
|
| For the gnocchi: | ||
| Potatoes | 3lbs. 4 oz. | |
| Flour, type “0” | 12 ozs. | |
| Eggs | 2 | |
| Parmigiano, grated | 2 ozs. | |
| Salt and Pepper | To taste | |
| Nutmeg | To taste | |
| For the Sauce: | ||
| Scallions, minced | 2 | |
| Fava Beans, peeled | 7 ozs. | |
| Black Truffle | 1 each | |
| Tomatoes, vine-ripened, concasse | 4 | |
| Rosemary | ||
| Olive Oil, extra-virgin | ||
| Vegetable Stock | ||
| Salt and White Pepper |
Method
-
Boil the potatoes in their skins in lightly salted water or cook them in a steam oven. Peel and mash the potatoes on a marble surface while they’re still warm.
-
Add the flour, egg, a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg to the mashed potatoes and gently combine. Form the batter into gnocchi according to the traditional method.
-
Saute one minced scallion in a saucepan; add ¼ of the beans and finish cooking with a little vegetable broth. When the beans are tender, pureè in a blender with olive oil.
-
In a saucpan, heat some olive oil and sweat the remaining scallion with the branch of rosemary. Add the remaining whole beans and the tomato concasse; cook for a few minutes over low heat, adding vegetable stock if necessary.
-
Cook the gnocchi in abundant salted water, removing them as soon as they come to the surface and transferring them directly into the prepared sauce. Finish the plate with a grating of black truffle and garnish with a small piece of rosemary. (Alternative: serve in parmesan crisp or potato bowls.
For more great recipe stay tuned to this blog i nthe next few days and also get your copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at https://www.marialiberati.com or http://stores.lulu.com/marialiberati
“Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene”
Maria
