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Appetizers & Soups

 

 

Anna Klinger's Malfatti  

 

  • 1 pound ricotta

  •  Kosher salt

  • 4 bunches Swiss chard (about 4 pounds)

  • 8 ounces butter

  • ¼ cup flour, plus more for shaping

  • ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

  • 4 large egg yolks

  • 1 large whole egg

  •  Freshly ground black pepper

  • 24 fresh sage leaves

  •  Parmesan cheese for serving

 

Preparation:

  1. Drain the ricotta in a sieve lined with cheesecloth overnight in the refrigerator. Measure out 1 1/4 cups.

  2. Bring a large pot of water, heavily seasoned with salt, to a boil. Trim the chard, removing all stems and large ridges. Add half to the boiling water and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Fish out and plunge into a bowl of ice water. Repeat.

  3. Squeeze out chard with your hands. On a dish towel, spread the chard in a circle the size of a pie. Roll up the towel and have someone help you twist the ends to squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Pulse in a food processor until fine. Squeeze out in a dish towel once more, until very dry. (You will have about 1 cup.)

  4. Melt half the butter. Mix chard and ricotta. Add melted butter, 1/4 cup flour, 1 heaping teaspoon salt and nutmeg and mix again. Drop in egg yolks and egg, season with pepper and stir again. Sprinkle a cutting board with flour. Shape into 1 ounce balls, about 1 tablespoon each, dropping them on the cutting board. You should have 25 to 30.

  5. Put a teaspoon of flour into a narrow wineglass. Drop in a ball and swirl until it forms an oval. Repeat. (You may need to change the glass.) You may freeze them at this point.

  6. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the malfatti and cook until they float, about 8 minutes. (If frozen, 10 minutes.) Put remaining butter in a small sauté pan and heat until bubbling, shaking the pan. When it smells nutty, add sage and cook 30 seconds. Season with salt.

  7. Drain malfatti and place on plates. Spoon on the butter and sage. Grate Parmesan over each plate.

 

Yield: 4 to 6 servings as a main course, 6 to 8 as a first course

Risi E Bisi

 

Risi e bisi is not risotto with peas. It is a soup, although a very thick one. Some cooks  make it thick enough to eat with a fork, but it is at its best when it is fairly runny, with just enough liquid to require a spoon.

 

For 4 persons

 

  • 2 tablespoons chopped yellow onion

  • 1/4 cup butter

  • 2 pounds fresh peas (unshelled weight) or 1 ten-ounce package frozen peas thawed

  • Salt

  • 3 1/2 cups homemade meat broth for fresh peas, 3 cups for frozen (see note below)

  • 1 cup raw rice, preferably Italian Arborio rice

  • 2 tablespoon chopped parsley

  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

 

Note:

This is one of those dishes that really demand the flavor and delicacy of homemeade broth. If you absolutely must use store-bought broth, use chicken broth in the following proportions: for fresh peas, 1 cup broth mixed with 2 1/2 cups water, for frozen peas, 1 cup broth mixed with 2 cups water.

 

Preparation:

  1. Put onion in a stockpot with the butter and saute over medium heat until pale gold.

  2. If you are using fresh peas, add the peas and one teaspoon salt, and saute for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 3 cups of broth, cover and cook at a very moderate boil for 10 minutes.  Add the rice, parsley, and the remaining 1/2 cup broth, stir, cover, and cook at a slow boil for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender but al dente, firm to the bite.  Stir from time to time while cooking and taste and correct for salt.

  3. If you are using thawed peas, add the peas and one teaspoon salt and saute for 2 minutes stirring frequently.  Add the broth and bring to a boil.  Add the rice and parsley, stir, cover and cook at a slow boil for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender but al dente, firm to the bite.  Stir from time to time while cooking and taste and correct for salt.

  4. Just before serving, add the grated cheese, mixing it into the soup.

 

Bean Soup With Parsley And Garlic

 

For 4 to 6 persons

 

  • 1 teaspoon chopped garlic

  • 1/2 cup olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

  • 2 cups dry white kidney beans or other white beans, cooked and drained, or 2 twenty-ounce cans white kidney beans or other white beans, drained

  • Salt

  • Freshly ground pepper, about 8 twists of the mill

  • 1 cup homemade meat broth, or canned chicken broth, or water

  • Toasted Italian bread

 

Preparation:

  1. Put the garlic in a stockpot with olive oil and saute over medium heat until just lightly colored.

  2. Add the parsley, stir two or three times, then add the drained, cooked beans, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer gently for about 6 minutes. 

  3. Put about 1/2 cup of beans from the pot into a food mill and pure them back into the pot, together with the broth or water. Simmer for another 6 minutes, ten taste and correct for salt. Serve over slices of toasted Italian bread.

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