Spaghettini With ’Nduja
Time: 30 minutes
2 bunches (about 1 1/2 pounds) broccoli rabe, trimmed, (optional)
Salt
1 pound dried spaghettini (vermicelli) or spaghetti
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for garnish
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 large red onion, minced
4 ounces ’nduja
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted.
1. If using broccoli rabe, in a large pot bring about 1 inch salted water to a boil. Add broccoli and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool, then cut into
1/2-inch pieces. Add about a gallon of water to same pot and a teaspoon of salt and cook spaghettini until tender, about nine minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a very large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion, sprinkle with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Add ’nduja and stir, breaking up meat with a fork until meat melts. Add broccoli rabe, if using, and lemon zest and stir to combine. Mix in spaghettini. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt, pepper, olive oil and, if desired, lemon juice. Top with bread crumbs.
Yield: 4 servings.
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Bucatini all'Amatriciana
Serves 4 to 6
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces Boccalone guanciale, sliced, cut into 1”x1/4” strips
1 cup julienne red onion
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 1-inch dried peperoncino or 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons red wine
3 cups crushed San Marzano tomatoes
12 ounces bucatini
3/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the guanciale and sauté until it starts to brown. Add onion and sauté until onion is translucent and the fat has rendered from guanciale, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and peperoncino and sauté until peperoncino darkens, about 2 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and cook for one minute. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 6 minutes, until the liquid cooks off and the sauce darkens to a deep rich red. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking liquid. Return the pasta to same pot.
Add tomato sauce and cheese to the pasta and toss, adding some of reserved pasta cooking liquid if it seems dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta to bowl and serve.
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Cannellini Beans with Ciccioli
Serves 4
1 lb dried cannellini beans
3 quarts pork stock
1 whole carrot, peeled
1 whole fennel bulb, split
4 canned plum tomatoes, chopped
1 whole onion, peeled
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ lb Boccalone Ciccioli, cut into small cubes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 fresh sage leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Sort through the beans, removing any stones. Rinse the beans under cold running water. Place beans in a large pot and cover by at least two inches with cold water. Let them soak for at least 4 hours.
Drain the beans and return to the empty pot. Add the pork stock, carrot, fennel, onion and tomatoes. Cover the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer beans for one hour. Lower the heat so that the beans are barely simmering and cook for an additional 1 to 2 hours, until beans are just tender. Cooking time will vary depending on the freshness of the beans--the fresher the beans, the shorter the cooking time. Once the beans are just tender, remove from heat. Remove the whole vegetables and discard.
Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic cloves. Add the sage leaves let sizzle. Then add the reserved beans and their cooking liquid. Add the cubed ciccioli and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to break up the beans. The ciccioli will melt into the beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
Note: This recipe calls for preparing dried beans. You can skip steps 1 and 2 in the recipe by using four 15-ounce cans of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed.
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Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Serves 4
5 oz Boccalone Guianciale
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 lb spaghetti
5 large egg yolks
1 1/2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (3/4 cup)
3/4 oz Pecorino Romano, finely grated (1/3 cup)
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for cooking spaghetti.
Cut Boccalone Guanciale into 1/3-inch dice. Heat a deep, heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet over moderate heat. Cook the Guanciale, stirring, until fat begins to render, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and boil until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat.
Cook spaghetti in the pot of boiling, salted water until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, whisk together the egg yolks, grated cheeses, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Drain spaghetti in a colander and add to Guanciale-onion mixture. Turn heat to mediu-low and toss pasta with tongs until coated. Remove from heat and add egg mixture, tossing to combine. Serve immediately.
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Warm Nduja & Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta
Serves 4
4 slices of crusty Italian bread
1 package of Boccalone nduja
3 peeled garlic cloves (2 chopped and 1 sliced in half lengthwise)
5 ripe heirloom tomatoes (preferably a mix of several different varieties), thickly sliced
Zest of 2 lemons
1 cup torn basil leaves
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Zinfandel vinegar
Kosher or sea salt to taste
Coarse ground black pepper to taste
Brush both sides of bread slices with olive oil, then grill on both sides until golden brown with dark grill marks. Set aside.
In a sauté pan heat 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil over medium flame. Add chunks of nduja (scoop these out and discard the casing), lemon zest, and chopped garlic. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently then deglaze with vinegar. Remove from heat.
Season tomatoes with salt and pepper.
To serve: Rub grilled bread with sliced garlic clove, layer the sliced tomatoes, top with the warm nduja and basil.
Slice bread slices diagonally and serve.
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Ferry Building Sausage and Oyster Stuffing
Serves 8-12
2 1-pound loaves of Acme sourdough bread, crusts removed, bread cut into 1-inch dice (20 cups)
2 tablespoons Boccalone Lard
1 1/2 pounds Boccalone Easton’s Breakfast Sausage
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large sweet onions, diced
2 large carrots, diced
6 large celery ribs, diced
1 head fennel, diced
2 tablespoons picked thyme
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped sage
1 cup dry white wine (See the Wine Merchant)
2 dozen medium to large shucked Hog Island oysters, halved, 1/2 cup liquor reserved
3 cups chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 250°. Spread the bread on 2 large rimmed baking sheets and bake for 20 minutes, until crisp; let cool. Transfer to a very large mixing bowl.
In a large skillet, add 2 tbsp lard and cook the sausage meat over moderate heat, breaking it up with a spoon, until no pink remains, about 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, add the sausage to the bread in the bowl.
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Piccolo Cotto with Boccalone Glaze
Serves 6-8
2 each whole cloves
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup Old Potrero whisky
6 cups Red Bull Simply Cola
1 ~3 lb Boccalone Prosciutto Cotto
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Make the glaze by placing the first three ingredients plus four cups of Red Bull Simply Cola in a medium saucepan. Heat over a low-medium flame, stirring, to reduce by ¾.
Place the Prosciutto Cotto in a large roasting pan and brush it with the cola-whiskey glaze. Pour the remaining 2 cups of cola into the bottom of the roasting pan around the Prosciutto Cotto. Baste the meat with the cola and bake, basting every 15 minutes with the pan juices, until it is warmed through, and a meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F.
Remove from the oven and let rest at least 5 minutes before carving. To serve, slice the meat thinly across the grain and arrange on a platter.
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Melon with Lardo & Basil
Serves 4 as an appetizer
1 Sharlyn Melon (or other ripe melon)
¼ lb Boccalone Lardo, chilled
¼ cup Opal Basil leaves, packed loosely
¼ cup Greek Basil leaves, packed loosely
¼ cup Thai basil leaves, packed loosely
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Cut both the bottom and the top off the melon, and stand it on one end. Use a sharp knife to remove the rind. Once clean, split the melon in half and remove the seeds.
Lay one melon half on the cutting board with the flat side down, and cut into 6 wedges. Repeat with the other half, giving 12 total wedges.
Arrange 3 wedges on each plate, and then season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.
Slice the lardo as thin as possible on a meat slicer or with a very sharp knife. Drape 5 slices of lardo over the melon wedges on each plate.
Tear the basil and mix them together. Sprinkle the plates with the mixed torn basils, then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.