This is the menu and recipes for the Italian dinner I served for Thai friends, including one very famous (in Thailand) singer. Some had never tasted western food before. Quite a challenge, but they seemed to like everything.
Italian Flavored Nacho Chips
10 ounce package flour tortillas
1/4 cup Italian salad dressing
Italian herb and spice blend
Garlic salt
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Brush salad dressing over both sides of the tortillas.
Lightly sprinkle with herb and spice blend and garlic salt.
Cut tortillas in eighths. Spread on a baking sheets in a single layer lightly sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake 10 - 12 minutes until golden brown.
Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Tuscan Bread
1-1/3 cups water or leftover whey from homemade ricotta
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups bread flour
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
Heat the water until warm, between 105 and 115 degrees; pour it into the warmed mixing bowl, and add the yeast. Let stand 5 minutes until the yeast begins to bubble. Slowly add the whole wheat flour and half of the bread flour. Beat until a smooth dough forms. Cover and let stand 15 minutes. Knead the dough in the mixer with the dough hook, on medium to high speed, adding the remaining flour as necessary and salt, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth and springy but still soft to the touch. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl, and let the dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board on lightly oiled surface. Punch the dough down, and shape it into an oblong loaf.
Leave the loaf, with the smooth side up, on the board, and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, 45 to 60 minutes. Place baking tiles or a pizza tile on the top rack in the oven, and place a heavy, shallow pan on the bottom rack. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Using a sharp knife or a razor, slash the loaf lengthwise to a depth of about 1/4 inch; dust the loaf with flour and place the loaf onto the preheated tiles. Immediately pour 1 cup water into the pan on the bottom rack. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf is golden and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Caprese Salad
Sliced ripe tomatoes
Buffalo mozzarella, torn into pieces
Fresh Basil leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Arrange the tomatoes with pieces of mozzarella on top.
Place a basil leaf on each slice. Drizzle with olive oil.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli
Filling:
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, Finely Chopped
8 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
salt & pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese (recipe to follow)
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg
Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Place the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the eggs and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Pulse until dough forms a ball. Take out of the processor and knead a few times. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes.
While the pasta is resting, prepare the filling. Steam the spinach and drain well, pressing the spinach to remove all excess liquid. Chop finely. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Add shallots and cook for about a minute, stirring so that they do not brown. Add the shallots to the spinach, along with the ricotta, Parmesan cheese and egg. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper as needed.
Cut the ball of dough in 1/2, cover and reserve the piece you are not immediately using to prevent it from drying out. Dust the counter and dough with a little flour. Press the dough into a rectangle and roll it through a pasta machine, 2 or 3 times, at widest setting. Pull and stretch the sheet of dough with the palm of your hand as it emerges from the rollers. Reduce the setting and crank the dough through again, 2 or 3 times. Continue tightening until the machine is at the second narrowest setting; the dough should be almost paper-thin.
Dust the ravioli form well with flour. Lay a sheet of pasta on form. Press to make indentations. Fill the indentations with ricotta filling. Brush edges of pasta with water. Lay another sheet of past over the filled ravioli. Using a rolling pin cut the ravioli.
Dust the ravioli and a sheet pan with cornmeal
Lay them out to dry slightly. If not using within an hour or two refrigerate them. Can be frozen in single layer. When frozen ravioli may be placed in a freezer bag. Do not thaw to cook.
Cook the ravioli in plenty of boiling salted water until tender. They will float to the top when ready, so be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Drain the ravioli and place in a serving dish with tomato gravy. Stir gently and serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
Homemade Ricotta Cheese
4 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (optional)
Juice of 1 lemon
Combine milk, heavy cream, and salt (if using) in a nonreactive heavy bottomed saucepan. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Add lemon juice and continue to boil, stirring constantly until curds separate, about 1 minute. It may be necessary to adjust the heat to prevent cream from overflowing.
Pour into a very fine-mesh stainless steel strainer or use double thickness of tight weave cheese cloth. Place strainer over a bowl that is deep enough for the strainer to sit over and not touch the liquid. Allow cheese to drain for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Discard liquid or save for other use, such as making bread and transfer ricotta to a covered container. Refrigerate until ready to use, or up to 3 days.
Tomato Gravy
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, finely chopped
1/4 cup red wine
2-28-ounce cans whole peeled plum tomatoes
Pinch sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Saute the garlic, red pepper flakes and herbs for 2 minutes until the herbs are fragrant and garlic is golden, but not overly brown.
Raise the heat to medium, add onion and carrot; cook for 5 minutes until they breakdown and are soft.
Deglaze with red wine and reduce to evaporate the alcohol.
Crush the tomatoes and add to the pot including the liquid.
Add a pinch of sugar.
Season with salt and pepper.
Let simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered.
Porchetta
1 bunch fresh sage, leaves only, finely chopped
1 bunch fresh rosemary, leaves only, finely chopped
1 bunch fresh oregano, leaves only, finely chopped
12 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 tablespoons fennel pollen
3 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
1 (7-pound) pork belly, skin-on
1 (5-pound) pork loin
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a medium bowl, mix together sage, rosemary, oregano, garlic, fennel pollen, and lemon zest; set aside.
Place pork belly skin-side up on a clean work surface. Using a very sharp knife, score skin in a diamond-shape fashion. Turn pork belly over so that it is skin-side down.
Place pork loin on a cutting board. Holding the blade of the knife parallel to board, cut along the length of the pork loin, but not all the way through. Unfold so that it opens like a book. Place butterflied loin on top of pork belly.
Spread herb mixture over pork loin and season with salt and pepper. Roll pork away from you into a cylindrical shape; tie with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals to make snug.
Season skin with salt and pepper. Transfer to refrigerator, uncovered, so that it air dries, for 3 days.
Fit a rimmed baking sheet with a rack and transfer pork to rack; let stand until room temperature, about 2 hours. Preheat oven to 500 degrees with a rack set in the lower third of the oven.
Transfer pork to oven and cook until skin begins to crackle, about 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast reaches 130 degrees, about 3 hours. Let stand 30 minutes before slicing.
Italian Broccoli
6 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
6 cups broccoli (sliced) or broccolli rabe
3 garlic clove (minced)
6 tablespoons pine nuts
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the oil, broccoli and garlic. Cook until the broccoli is tender crisp and beginning to brown (about 4 minutes), stirring occasionally. Stir in the pine nuts. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Cheesecake
Crust:
3/4 cup golden raisins
2 cups water
8 double graham crackers, crushed, plus additional for garnish
2-3 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Filling:
8 ounces full fat ricotta cheese, room temperature
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
6 large eggs
1 cup half and half (called half cream in UK)
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch spring form pan.
Combine raisins with water and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes to plump. Drain and pat dry.
For the crust:
In a medium bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs with melted butter, sugar and cinnamon. Press a thin layer onto the bottom of the buttered pan. Sprinkle with the plumped raisins.
For the filling:
In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, beat ricotta and cream cheese at low speed until well combined.
Add sugar gradually, beating well.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Very slowly beat in the half and half, sour cream and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
pour the filling over the crust.
Bake 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours. Check after one hour.
The top will turn golden brown and filling will be set.
Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Remove from the pan and press the extra graham cracker crumbs on the sides and top of the cake. Serve well chilled.