Archive for Italian Recipes
Affordable Easter with Colorado Chef Lachlan Patterson
Posted by: | Comments
An Easter dinner for less than $40 for 4 people? It’s possible! Chef/Owner of Lachlan McKinnon Patterson of Frasca restaurant has upped the ante for the world of dining in Boulder, Colorado. Nominated as a “Rising Star Chef” by the James Beard Foundation and named a “Best New Chef” by Food and Wine Magazine, Lachlan and his Frasca team create Northern Italian fare receiving numerous glowing reviews. We love the fact that they strongly support local farmers with their seasonal menus and are active Slow Food members. Boasting the title of the “Best Wine List” in Denver’s Westword, they also have two master sommeliers in the house to ensure a perfect tasting experience.
And Top Chef Lovers unite! Bravo will premier a new show, Top Chef Masters in June! And guess who our favorite Colorado competing chef will be? None other than Lachlan himself!
In this video, Chef Lachlan prepares a boneless leg of lamb with glazed radishes, and an arugula salad with a pesto and pickled shallot vinaigrette. He completes the meal with his recipe for Gubana, a traditional Italian strudel-like Easter bread with raisins, walnuts, almonds, and pine nuts.
The written recipe may be found here. Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Ragu Bolognese with Mario Batali
Posted by: | Comments
Bologna, Italy
Originating in Bologna, Italy, Bolognese sauce refers to an Italian meat based sauce, with a minimal amount of tomato. Bologna is within the region of Emilia-Romagna in Italy, the native home of classic culinary ingredients such as Parmigiano-Reggiano, delicious Balsamic vinegar, Mortadella, and Prosciutto di Parma. Italy, as you know, is a country that takes their food very seriously, and the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, which is the Italian Gastronomic Society, has strict requirements on what dishes can be classified as Bolognese. Their strict ingredient requirements are confined to to beef, pancetta, onions, carrots, celery, tomato paste, meat broth, red wine, and as an option, milk or cream, although traditonal Bolognese dishes frequently include ground pork or ground veal. Here in this video, our beloved chef Mario Batali shares his technique for Ragu Bolognese, a meal close to his Italian roots. This classic Italian pasta dish is simple and requires minimal prep time, but will require an hour and a half of cooking time, and having made it more than once, we can honestly say that it is worthy of every minute. Absolutely give this recipe a try, you will not regret it.
Read on for the recipe!
Read More→
Spherical Olives and Top Chef Fabio’s Beef Carpaccio Recipe!
Posted by: | CommentsFully obsessed with Season 5 of Bravo’s Top Chef, tonight we became equally fully obsessed with Fabio’s “Spherical Olives”. What are they and what gives them their outside shell and liquid center? After a quick visit with Google, we found this video from the genius chemist and chef Ferran Adria from El Bulli restaurant in Spain, where he demonstrates to Mark Bittman his special science using a recipe of calcium + alginate to create the magical olives.
Chef Fabio Viviani recreated these mysterious gems in his Top Chef winning beef carpaccio recipe, and Lee Anne from the French Culinary Institute in NYC shows us his technique in this video.
We also found an interesting post here from the chefs at the Ideas in Food blog, where they discuss encapsulation, play with chemicals, and create yogurt orbs. Is this type of food preparation natural? Not really. Is it fun and incredibly creative? Absolutely!
Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio with Arugula, Roasted Pine Nuts, Aged Parmesan Cheese, Spherical Kalamata Olives and Aged Balsamic Vinegar
Chef Fabio Viviani
Prep Time: About 2 hours
Serves: 3-4
Directions:Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio:
1. Slice the meat.
2. Display and season the arugula, shaved cheese, toast the pine nuts.
Kalamata Olives:
1. Mix first three ingredients together, let rest for three hours.
2. Mix water and algimate together, let rest for 3 hours.
3. Scoop first mixture into second mixture.
4. Let rest 3 minutes.
Note: Xanthan gum is not strictly necessary, but it can be used as a thickener. You can also use a thicker puree and it will work as well. Without the gum you will have to keep the olive in the solution for longer, around 5-6 minutes.
1 lb. tenderloin.
4 oz. parmesan, aged 5 years
6 balsamic vinegar, aged 6 years
8 oz. arugula
8 oz. pine nuts
olive oil
salt and pepper
kalamata olives
Spherical Kalamata Olives:
400 grams olive puree
1.8 grams Calcic Acid
1.3 grams Xanthan Gum
1.5 liters water
7.5 grams Sodium Alginate or Algin
Holiday Appetizers: Eggplant and Prosciutto
Posted by: | CommentsOur series of holiday appetizer videos are designed to help your winter party be the smash of the season! Serving a variety of gourmet appetizers will ensure you please the pickiest Christmas party epicures, and we love this video featuring Italian chef Mateo from Academia Barilla whipping up a decadent yet simple Italian eggplant and prosciutto starter. Check it out!
More Italian Recipes videos at 5min.com
