Baked Ditalini

February 25, 2022 robiulo Leave a comment

BAKED DITALINI

This baked ditalini (Budino di Ditalini) is adapted from Lydia Bastianich’s recipe.

Ditale in Italian means “thimble,” and hence the name of this delightful little tubular pasta. It is great in soups, but even better when baked. This dish is like a pasta pudding—a savory dish with all the luxury of dessert.

– Lydia

Ingredients:

1 tsp. butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp. dried breadcrumbs
½ tsp. salt, plus more for the pot
1 lb. ditalini
4 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1½ cups grated Parmigiano

Preheat the oven to 350^o and butter a 4 quart rectangular baking dish. Coat it with the breadcrumbs, tapping out any excess.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the ditalini, and cook until al dente, drain and let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and salt. Add the cream and milk slowly and whisk until smooth. Stir in the pasta, peas, and 1 cup of the grated cheese.

Spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with the remaining half cup of grated cheese. Bake until the custard is set about 35 – 40 minutes. Let rest about 10 minutes before serving.

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Desserts

Orange Flan

February 18, 2022 robiulo Leave a comment

Orange Flan

A friend found this recipe in the New York Daily News and gave it to me. I used clementines but you can use any kind of oranges you like, tangerines too.

Ingredients:

For the caramel –

½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup fresh squeezed & strained orange juice

For the custard –

2 cups half & half
½ cup granulated sugar
1 rosemary sprig (optional)
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs
½ cup fresh squeezed & strained orange juice

Preheat the oven to 350^o with a rack in the middle. Have six 4-ounce ramekins ready.

Caramel –

Put sugar and juice in a small pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer and stir for about 10 minutes until it begins to thicken and darken. Watch it so it doesn’t burn. Pour an equal amount into each ramekin and set aside.

Custard –

Put the half & half, sugar, vanilla, and rosemary into a pot. Bring to a simmer to dissolve the sugar.

Whisk the eggs and tangerine juice then whisk in the hot half & half mix a little at a time. Strain the custard through a sieve into the 6 ramekins, about half a cup each. Place the ramekins in a baking pan and add enough hot water to come up halfway to their sides. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove the ramekins, let cool, and cover with Saran wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

To serve, run a knife around the inside edge of the ramekin to loosen the flan. Then cover it with a dessert plate and flip over the ramekin and plate. Tap the ramekin and the flan should fall into the plate. If not, give it a minute and it should fall on its own.

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Desserts

Banana Bread Pudding

February 11, 2022 robiulo Leave a comment

Banana Bread Pudding

A simple recipe for Banana Bread Pudding that works as dessert or breakfast. I adapted this from Marta Rivera Diaz’s recipe in the New York Daily News.

Ingredients:

For the pudding –

½ stick butter (4 pats divided)
1 cup brown sugar
3 ripe bananas divided
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. nutmeg
3 cups whole milk
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
¼ cup dark rum
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 lb. day old French bread

For the toffee sauce –

1 stick butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ tsp. kosher salt
3 tbsp. dark rum
¼ cup heavy cream

Prep –

Heat the oven to 350o with a rack in the middle.
Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with 2 pats of butter.
Trim the crust from the bread (leave a little for color and texture) and cut the bread into one inch pieces. I used a French boule which is just about a pound.

Make the custard –

Put a cup of brown sugar and 2 ripe bananas in a large bowl and mask together with a fork until the mixture is smooth with no large chunks. Melt the remaining 2 pats of butter and add to the mix with the cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Mix until everything is combined. Add 3 cups of milk, 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks, ¼ cup of rum, and the vanilla extract. Mix until the bread is coated. Let it rest for 10 minutes for the bread to absorb the liquid and then re-mix.

Pour the mixture into the pan. Slice the last banana and dot the top with the slices. Bake until it’s lightly browned, about 60 minutes.

Make the toffee sauce –

While the custard is baking, melt 1 stick of butter in a small pot. Add ½ cup of brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt, and mix while simmering for about 3 minutes until it resembles caramel. Turn off the heat so it doesn’t flame and add the 3 tablespoons of rum. Turn the heat back on and whisk and simmer for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the ¼ cup of cream and whisk to combine.

When the bread pudding is done let it cool for 15 minutes and serve with the toffee sauce poured over each serving. If you have any sauce left over its good on French toast or pancakes.

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Poultry

Dutch Oven Roast Chicken with Vinaigrette

February 4, 2022 robiulo Leave a comment

Dutch Oven Roast Chicken with Vinaigrette

I got this recipe in Bon Appétit. It’s a simple roast chicken with standard ingredients – onions, herbs, lemon but it’s the pan-juices that make that tasty vinaigrette.

Ingredients:

5 tbsp. olive oil divided
1 onion cut into eights
1 head of garlic cut crosswise
5 rosemary sprigs
Salt and black pepper
1 3-4 lb. chicken
½ lemon
1 cup dry white wine
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar

Pre-heat your oven to 425^o.

Put 3 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven. Add the halved head of garlic, 4 of the 5 sprigs of rosemary, salt pepper and all but one piece of the onion. Stir to coat.

Pat the chicken dry. Coat with 1 tablespoon of oil and season with salt and pepper inside and out. Squeeze the half lemon over it and put the lemon rind, the remaining sprig of rosemary and the 1/8 slice of onion in the cavity. Put the chicken in the pot and pour in the wine and a half cup of water. Cover the pot and roast the chicken for 60 minutes. If you’d like the chicken to be browner, run it under the broiler for a few minutes. Place the cooked chicken on a cutting board and cover with foil to rest while you make the vinaigrette.

Pour out any dripping in the pot except for 2 tablespoons. Remove and discard the onions and rosemary sprigs but save the garlic. Add one tablespoon of oil and a half cup of water to the pot. Bring to a boil and deglaze. Strain the liquid into a bowl. Squeeze out about 6 to 8 cloves of the roasted garlic into the bowl. Add the mustard and vinegar, and one tablespoon of oil and whisk. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.

Cut the chicken into quarters – two leg and thigh and two wing and breast. Place the pieces in a serving dish and spoon some of the vinaigrette over it. Serve the chicken and pass the rest of the sauce at the table.

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BAKED DITALINI

This baked ditalini (Budino di Ditalini) is adapted from Lydia Bastianich’s recipe.

– Lydia

Ingredients:

Preheat the oven to 350o and butter a 4 quart rectangular baking dish. Coat it with the breadcrumbs, tapping out any excess.

Spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with the remaining half cup of grated cheese. Bake until the custard is set about 35 – 40 minutes. Let rest about 10 minutes before serving.

Orange Flan

A friend found this recipe in the New York Daily News and gave it to me. I used clementines but you can use any kind of oranges you like, tangerines too.

Ingredients:

For the caramel –

For the custard –

Preheat the oven to 350o with a rack in the middle. Have six 4-ounce ramekins ready.

Caramel –

Put sugar and juice in a small pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer and stir for about 10 minutes until it begins to thicken and darken. Watch it so it doesn’t burn. Pour an equal amount into each ramekin and set aside.

Custard –

Put the half & half, sugar, vanilla, and rosemary into a pot. Bring to a simmer to dissolve the sugar.

Remove the ramekins, let cool, and cover with Saran wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

To serve, run a knife around the inside edge of the ramekin to loosen the flan. Then cover it with a dessert plate and flip over the ramekin and plate. Tap the ramekin and the flan should fall into the plate. If not, give it a minute and it should fall on its own.

Banana Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

For the pudding –

For the toffee sauce –

Prep –

Heat the oven to 350o with a rack in the middle.

Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with 2 pats of butter.

Trim the crust from the bread (leave a little for color and texture) and cut the bread into one inch pieces. I used a French boule which is just about a pound.

Make the custard –

Pour the mixture into the pan. Slice the last banana and dot the top with the slices. Bake until it’s lightly browned, about 60 minutes.

Make the toffee sauce –

When the bread pudding is done let it cool for 15 minutes and serve with the toffee sauce poured over each serving. If you have any sauce left over its good on French toast or pancakes.

Dutch Oven Roast Chicken with Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

Pre-heat your oven to 425o.

Put 3 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven. Add the halved head of garlic, 4 of the 5 sprigs of rosemary, salt pepper and all but one piece of the onion. Stir to coat.

Cut the chicken into quarters – two leg and thigh and two wing and breast. Place the pieces in a serving dish and spoon some of the vinaigrette over it. Serve the chicken and pass the rest of the sauce at the table.

Reveries and Recipes

Preheat the oven to 350^o and butter a 4 quart rectangular baking dish. Coat it with the breadcrumbs, tapping out any excess.

Preheat the oven to 350^o with a rack in the middle. Have six 4-ounce ramekins ready.

Pre-heat your oven to 425^o.