Recipe Corner: Spit-Roasted Squab, or Piccione allo Spiedo

In the same way that a Cornish game hen is like a miniature chicken, a squab, or pigeon, is like rich wild game in a small package. The dark meat is so succulent that it is one of the few birds—wild or domestic—that doesn’t dry out quickly when grilled over hot coals. In Italy, there is a saying “En agosto, palombo rosto,” which translates as “In August, roast pigeon.” Actually, I like my squab to fatten up some more, as they will by the fall. Which makes them perfect this time of year!

Squab, getting ready for the grill ... 

Before grilling, season the squab with crushed juniper berries, sage, garlic, and prosciutto, then baste with olive oil infused with herbs and citrus zest. This herb oil would also be great on grilled meats such as lamb or steaks. If you don’t have a grill with a spit, don’t worry: The squab can also be roasted in a hot oven. 

This dish is even more splendid when washed down with a glass of brawny Le Marche Rosso Conero.

-- FT

Ingredients

2 tablespoons crushed juniper berries

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 squab, about 1 pound each

3⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the birds

18 sage leaves

9 garlic cloves, skin left on, crushed

2⁄3 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 1⁄8-inch-wide strips

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped thyme

3 bay leaves, preferably fresh, chopped

A 1⁄2-inch-wide strip of orange zest

A 1⁄2-inch-wide strip of lemon zest

1⁄2 cup dry white wine, such as Verdicchio or Pinot Grigio

Procedure

In a small bowl, combine the juniper berries, 1⁄4 cup salt, and 11⁄2 teaspoons pepper.

Wipe the inside of the birds dry with paper towels. Brush or rub the squab with olive oil, including the cavities. Season the birds inside and out with the juniper mixture. Place the squab on a baking sheet. Stuff the cavity of each bird with 3 sage leaves, a garlic clove, and one-sixth of the prosciutto.

Cover and let marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Prepare a charcoal fire or gas grill with a spit, or preheat the oven to 400°F.

Place the 3⁄4 cup olive oil in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat just until warm. Remove from the heat, add the rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, orange and lemon zest, wine, and the remaining 3 garlic cloves, and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

If using a grill fitted with a spit, skewer the squab on the spit. Cook for about 20 minutes, using a pastry brush to baste the birds with the herb oil every 5 minutes. Or place the squab in a large roasting pan and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, basting every 5 minutes with the oil. When the squab is done, its skin will be crispy and golden and the breast meat will be medium to medium-rare. Transfer to a platter, cover loosely, and let rest in a warm place for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Corner: Melanzane di Graziella

Eggplant Graziella Style

When my godmother Graziella cooked over charcoal, the whole neighborhood knew that she was making dinner. The grown-ups would stand around with a beer or a glass of wine, making jokes and grilling sausages, lamb chops, and pig’s liver. You could watch the plumes of smoke catch the sunlight and disappear through the trees.

Just before dinner, Graziella would come out of the kitchen with a tray full of chicken or game birds ready for grilling. She would get the ball rolling with some eggplant thrown on the grill. As I write this, I can see myself kicking a soccer ball in the street with my playmates as Graziella took over the grill.

This version of her eggplant dish is substantial enough to serve as a vegetarian main course.

We used to have a trick for regulating the heat in a charcoal fire. Often everyone is eager to eat before the fire has burned down enough. If you keep some ashes from previous fires in a can, you can simply sprinkle them over the hot coals and—presto!—your fire cools down. If you need more heat, shake the grate to loosen the ashes and the coals will heat right up again.

--FT

Ingredients
6 large Italian (globe) eggplants
Kosher salt
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped dill
1 tablespoon chopped oregano
Grated zest of ½ orange
Grated zest of ½ lemon
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing eggplant
Freshly ground black pepper


Procedure
Slice each eggplant lengthwise in half. Using a paring knife, score the flesh about ¼ inch deep in a ½-inch crisscross pattern. Sprinkle lightly with salt and place cut side down in a colander set over a bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand at room temperature for at least 6 hours to drain.

Prepare a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to medium.

Rinse the salt from the eggplant and pat dry. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, dill, oregano, and orange and lemon zests. Whisk in the olive oil.

Season the dressing with salt and pepper and transfer to a small serving bowl or sauceboat.

Brush the surface of each eggplant with olive oil. Place cut side down on the grill and grill over medium heat, turning once, for about 6 minutes on each side, or until the cut surface is golden brown and the skin is wrinkled.

Arrange the eggplant on a serving platter and serve warm, each topped with a spoonful of dressing.

Recipe Corner: Ravioli di San Leo

Ravioli with Fresh Herbs & Greens in Lemon Butter

Ravioli di San Leo

If I asked you to picture a medieval village, I think something like the little town of San Leo, in the northern part of Le Marche (now actually part of Emilia Romagna), would come to mind. Rising up from a rocky cliff, it is so inaccessible that it was used for centuries as a high security papal prison. 

A better claim to fame for San Leo, however, are these luscious ravioli, made with chard, spinach, and fresh ricotta. They have always been a favorite of my family, particularly because of their use of lots of fresh herbs including the mint-like nepitella, which is popular all over Italy. If you can’t find it (which will probably be the case unless you grow it in your own garden), you can substitute mint, which is stronger, but close enough. Use the best quality fresh ricotta you can find.

San Leo

Ingredients

For the Filling

1⁄2 pound spinach

1⁄4 pound Swiss chard

4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1⁄3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1⁄2 cup fresh ricotta

2 large egg yolks, beaten

1 1⁄2 cups finely chopped mixed herbs, such as Italian parsley, marjoram, nepitella, mint, tarragon, basil, and/or chives

Semolina flour for dusting

1 pound fresh pasta dough

1 large egg, beaten

For the Sauce

1 2⁄3 tablespoons (5 1⁄3 ounces) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 4 ounces)

Procedure

For the Filling

Remove the tough stems from the spinach and Swiss chard and discard. Place the leaves in a large bowl of cold water and swish to release any dirt, then lift out the leaves. If the leaves seem very dirty, repeat. Dry in a salad spinner.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add one-quarter of the spinach and chard and toss with a fork, lightly coating the leaves with butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper and cover tightly. Let the spinach and chard steam for about 2 minutes, or until wilted.

Transfer the greens to a colander and drain well, pressing with the back of a spoon to eliminate excess water.

Repeat the process three more times with the remaining spinach and chard, using another tablespoon of butter for each batch.

Transfer the greens to a cutting board and coarsely chop. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, ricotta, and yolks.

Add the greens and chopped herbs and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until ready to use.

For the Ravioli

Sprinkle a baking sheet with semolina and set aside. Dust a counter or other work surface lightly with semolina.

Divide the pasta dough into 4 pieces. One at a time, flatten each piece of dough under the palm of your hand and then roll it through a pasta machine, working from the largest setting to the smallest and passing the dough through each setting twice. Lay the completed sheets of pasta on the semolina-dusted counter and keep covered with a slightly dampened kitchen towel as you work.

If necessary, trim the sheets of pasta so that they are all the same length.

Place 1 sheet of pasta on the semolina-dusted work surface. Working quickly, place heaping teaspoons of filling down the center of the dough, starting 1 1⁄2 inches from one end of the sheet and spacing them 3 inches apart. Brush the exposed dough around the filling lightly with the beaten egg, then carefully drape a second sheet of dough over the sheet with the filling.

Using your fingers, press down around the mounds of filling to force out any air bubbles. Using a pasta cutter or a sharp knife, cut around the mounds of filling to form 3-inch square ravioli.

ress the edges between your thumb and forefinger to seal. Transfer the ravioli to the semolina-dusted baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining pasta sheets and filling. Cover with a slightly dampened kitchen towel.

If not cooking the ravioli immediately, refrigerate, covered, until ready to proceed.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the ravioli and lower the heat to maintain a gentle boil, so as not to damage the ravioli. Once the ravioli have floated to the surface, cook for about 3 minutes longer, or until the pasta is just cooked.

Meanwhile, for the Sauce

Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the lemon zest and cinnamon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm over very low heat. When the ravioli are cooked, using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a colander and drain well. Gently fold the ravioli and Parmigiano into the sauce.

Serve the ravioli on a platter or in individual bowls.

(This recipe and more can be found in Fabio's cookbook, Cucina of Le Marche, also available at the restaurant.)

Recipe Corner

Passatelli all'Urbinate

Passatelli are short round noodles formed by pressing dough through a potato ricer into simmering chicken stock. In Emilia-Romagna passatelli are made from a simple dough of bread crumbs, eggs, Parmigiano, lemon zest and nutmeg. In Urbino, in Le Marche, they throw in meat, such as the beef tenderloin here, and truffles too.

Passatelli all'Urbinate, with black truffles

Ingredients

½ pound fresh spinach

2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, softened

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 cups chicken stock

1 ounces beef marrow (optional, but recommended!)

¾ pound beef tenderloin, cut into ½ inch dice

1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

¾ cup dried bread crumbs

5 large eggs

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 ounces white or black truffles

Procedure

1.       Remove and discard and large stems from the spinach. Place the spinach in a large bowl of cold water and move gently to dislodge any sand or dirt, so it falls to the bottom of the bowl. Lift out the spinach. If necessary, repeat with fresh water, then dry in a salad spinner.

2.       Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the spinach, season lightly with salt and pepper, and stir gently until the butter coasts the spinach. Cover the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the the spinach has wilted. Transfer to a colander and drain, pressing the spinach against the colander with the back of a spoon or spatula to eliminate excess water.

3.       If using the marrow, bring to a boil in a small saucepan enough chicken stock to cover the marrow. Remove the pan from the heat, add the marrow, and cover the pan with plastic wrap. Let the marrow poach for 2 minutes, then transfer to a small plate. Reserve the stock.

4.       In a food processor, combine the beef tenderloin, spinach, marrow (if using), Parmigiano, bread crumbs, the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, the lemon zest, eggs and nutmeg. Blend until very smooth, up to 4 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure even mixing. Transfer to a bowl and season lightly with salt and pepper. To check the seasoning, bring a small saucepan of water to a simmer. Add a small spoonful of the mixture and cook until it rises to the surface. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.

5.       Carefully clean the truffles (if using) with a brush, removing any dirt on the surface. Set aside.

6.       Bring the chicken stock (including the marrow poaching liquid, if any) to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce to a simmer and season to taste with salt and pepper.

7.       Working over the saucepan, press the passatelli mixture through a food mill fitted with the coarse disk, using a knife to cut off 1 ½-inch lengths of dough and letting them drop into the pan. Simmer until the noodles rise to the surface then remove from the heat.

8.       Ladle the broth and passatelli into warm bowls. Shave the truffle, if you have it, over the soup. Serve immediately.

Note: To prepare the marrow, soak 8 marrow bones in hot water for about 10 minutes to soften the marrow. Drain, and push the marrow out of each bone. Put the marrow in a small container and add 3 tablespoons white vinegar, a pinch of kosher salt, and enough cold water to cover. Refrigerate overnight then drain before using.

(This recipe and more can be found in Fabio's cookbook, Cucina of Le Marche, on sale at the restaurant.)