The Italian Country Table

The Italian Country Table: Home Cooking from Italy's Farmhouse Kitchens by Lynne Rossetto Kasper, copyright 1999
Torta della Befana, page 356
Prepared on January 6, 2008

The Italian Country Table provides a great overview of Italian country cooking. As opposed to The Splendid Table, Kasper's encyclopedic Emilia-Romagnian cookbook , The Italian Country Table is full of simply-prepared, interesting and toothsome dishes.

January 6 is the day of Epiphany and is also the Day of the Befana. The Befana is a witch who brings little Italian children presents (left in their stockings) if they have been good. If they've been bad they get coal.

I made one modification to the recipe: I made two smaller turnovers instead of the one large turnover Kasper specifies in the recipe.

First, I made the pastry dough and put it in the refrigerator to chill. Then I prepared the filling, but chopping up apples and combining them with raisins, candied citron, sugar and spices (including ground black pepper!).

I rolled the dough out into two 8" circles and put the filling into one half of each circle. I baked the turnovers at 400 until golden brown.

These were a little like a traditional apple turnover, but the addition of citron and raisins made it something a little outside the ordinary. This was a great recipe and one I'll go back to again. I think the filling would be great in a traditional apple pie format too.

Biba's Taste of Italy

Biba's Taste of Italy: Recipes form the Homes, Trattorie & Restaurants of Emilia-Romagna by Biba Caggiano, copyright 2001
Warm Salad of Shrimp, Radicchio, Arugula and Balsamic Vinegar, page 44
Prepared on January 6, 2008

The title of this book: Biba's Taste of Italy is a little misleading. This is really Biba's Taste of Emilia-Romagna. You will not be disappointed by this cookbook. Emilia-Romagna is the source of so many wonderful foodstuffs and dishes, there is something for everyone. Seafood from the coast? Linguine alla Bolognese (otherwise known as bolognese sauce)? Vegetables? Desserts? Check, check and check.


This recipe is a great example of how an interesting recipe doesn't have to be difficult. Wash greens, saute shrimp, make dressing, serve. We had this as an appetizer. To make this an entree salad, just double the amount of shrimp.


Warm Salad of Shrimp, Radicchio, Arugula and Balsamic Vinegar

• 1/2 head radicchio, torn into bite-sized pieces, washed and dried
• 3 cups arugula, torn into bite-sized pieces, washed and dried
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 16 medium shrimp (about 1/2 pound), shelled, deveined and dried
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup dry white wine

Toss the radicchio and arugula together and arrange them on four salad plates.

In a skillet large enough to hold the shrimp in one layer, saute the shrimp in the olive oil. When the shrimp has started to color, pour the balsamic vinegar and wine over the shrimp and add a pinch of salt (the liquid will sputter and spit, be careful). Cook another 2-3 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked and the liquid is reduced by half. (If the shrimp finish faster than the reduction, remove them so they don't overcook.)

Remove the shrimp from the pan and arrange them over the greens. Pour the contents of the skillet over the salad plates. Serve.

The Splendid Table

The Splendid Table: Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland and Northern Italian Food by Lynne Rossetto Kasper, copyright 1992
Tortellini alla Bolognese, page 140
Prepared on January 6, 2008

The Splendid Table is a must-read, must-own book for anyone interested in Italian cooking. It covers the region of Emilia-Romagna, a province in the northeast of Italy. Emilia-Romagna has gotten more attention lately (Mario Batali is a pretty big fan of the region). It's the home of parmigiano-reggiano cheese, prosciutto, mortadella, balsamic vinegar, and other such wonderful foods.

We made the Bolognese-style tortellini. Dave and I traveled to Bologna a few years ago and ate this type of tortellini a number of times. There is a great article in the New York Times about tortellini classes in Bologna.

This tortellini filling is made of about equal portions of mortadella, prosciutto, pork and turkey with some egg and parmesan (parmigiano-reggiano) cheese. These tortellini are traditionally served in a rich capon broth. We used a rich chicken broth because I could not find a capon and I used chicken breast in the filling because I could not find any turkey breast other than pre-ground turkey breast (which would have been the wrong texture for the filling).

I made the pasta dough first, using the proportions Kasper gives on page 81 (Villa Gaidello Egg Pasta). It's important to make the dough ahead. The rest gives the flour time to absorb moisture. It also allows the gluten you've activated through kneading the dough time to relax. That makes rolling the dough out so much easier.

I used the traditional "eggs in a mound of flour method" to make the dough. I usually just use a bowl, but this method worked well and provided a few exhilarating moments when we thought the well was about to be breached by egg.

Then we made the filling. First we cut the pork and chicken into small strips and sauteed it until done. After the meat was cool, it was chopped very fine (not pureed) with prosciutto, mortadella, parmesan cheese, egg and seasonings.

Then we rolled out the pasta dough and made the tortellini. (Funny how the hardest, most challenging part of the recipe gets the shortest description, huh?) One trick for filling tortellini, or any other small filled pasta: pre-portion the filling first. We portioned out 1/4 teaspoon nuggets of filling on wax paper prior to rolling out the pasta. Traditionally, tortellini are made with circles of pasta. Our circle cutter wasn't sharp enough, so a late-game decision was made to cut and fill squares instead.

This recipe made enough for about six people. Since we are two people, we froze the rest.

To serve: Heat the broth (about 1 1/2 cups per person) and keep it warm while cooking the tortellini. Boil a large pot of water and boil the tortellini until the pasta is cooked through. This takes anywhere from 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pasta. Put the cooked tortellini into soup plates and then ladle the broth over the tortellini. Grate additional parmesan cheese over the top and serve.

The Italian Baker

The Italian Baker by Carol Field, copyright 1985
Pane Integrale alle Erbe (Whole-Wheat Bread with Herbs), page 175
Prepared on January 5, 2008

If you are a fan of Italian baking, this is a book for you. The Italian Baker has everything from Ciabatta to Panetonne to Pizza to Biscotti. There's a lot here and Field has a good writing style. She's very educational and interesting.


This is a very wholesome, hearty bread. Field suggests that the dough be baked into rolls. They are chock-full of whole grain goodness and the herbs and olive oil make them taste good, not just good for you. That said, it's still whole wheat bread. If you want a light airy, make-me-garlic-bread bread, make me something else.


The recipe contains: yeast, water, white and whole-wheat flour (1 cup to 3 cup ratio), olive oil, rosemary, parsley and salt.


I put my yeast into warm water to proof. While the yeast was proofing, I chopped up parsley and rosemary. I used my Kitchen Aid to pull the dough together (Field gives you instructions for mixer, food processor or by hand). I did the final kneading by hand.



Since Dave and I needed to run errands, I let the dough rise in the fridge. After three hours, the dough was perfectly risen. I formed the dough into about two dozen rolls and left them on the counter to rise again. After 90 minutes, I baked the rolls in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.


These turned out really well. I think they'd be a great base for sandwiches as well as served alongside a roast leg of lamb. They are few nice when they are served warm; the rosemary's fragrance is best then. Stale rolls, because of the parsley and rosemary, would make good stuffing (or dressing, if you prefer).