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Pasta in Walnut Cream

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This recipe was inspired by a pasta dish my Merry Band of Tasters and I enjoyed at Dal Sor Francesco, a restaurant in Vetralla near the Colli Etruschi mill that we try to visit every year. We arrived at the height of fresh walnut season and saw the nuts everywhere. Walnut sauce is actually a specialty of Liguria, a region in northern Italy, where it’s prepared in a pesto style. My version is a bit creamier but still takes only a few minutes to make.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces fusilli or other spiral-shaped pasta
  • 1 cup shelled walnuts 
  • 1 garlic clove 
  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Optional garnish: freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

Step 1

Cook the pasta according to package directions. While it’s boiling, heat a large frying pan. When the pan is hot, add the walnuts and toast until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Reserve and coarsely chop 1/4 cup of the toasted walnuts. Add the rest of the walnuts and the garlic to a food processor and process until finely chopped, about 30 seconds. Add in the half-and-half, olive oil, and cheese, and pulse until you get a sauce. Transfer the sauce to the frying pan and heat to a simmer.

Step 2

Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and drain the rest. Add the pasta, salt, and pepper to the frying pan, and toss well. If the sauce is too thick, add pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time (it shouldn’t be runny). Garnish with the reserved walnuts and a sprinkle of nutmeg, if desired.

Serves 4

Millefoglie Two Ways

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Millefoglie, the Italian version of the French millefeuille, is extremely popular throughout the country. For chocolate lovers, I’m including a variation made with thin layers of chocolate in place of the puff pastry. Both get filled with a rich and creamy sweet cheese filling. The filling ingredients yield enough for either 8 pastry or 8 chocolate millefoglie; if you’re making both, double the quantities of the filling ingredients.

Ingredients

For the puff pastry layers:

  • All-purpose flour
  • 1 package frozen puff pastry, about 14 ounces, thawed as directed on the label

For the chocolate layers:

  • 12 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For the cream filling:

  • 12 ounces mascarpone, room temperature
  • 8 ounces whole milk ricotta
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar, plus more for dusting
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Optional garnish: fresh berries

Directions

Step 1

For the puff pastry layers: Heat the oven to 425°F. Lightly flour a 18×15 piece of parchment paper and a rolling pin. Unfold the thawed dough on the parchment. Roll out the dough to a 16×12 rectangle. Cut the dough into 24 equal rectangles, about 2×4 each. Slip a cookie sheet under the parchment. Add a little space between the rectangles and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Remove from the fridge and bake until the pastries puff and turn golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before assembling.

Step 2

For the chocolate layers: Draw a 16×12 rectangle on a long piece of parchment, flip it over, and place on a cookie sheet; set aside. Place the chocolate pieces and olive oil in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 40 percent power for 3 minutes; repeat if not fully melted, checking every minute. Stir until smooth. Pour the melted chocolate on the parchment and, using a long offset spatula, spread it out to the edges of the drawn border. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes to slightly firm it, then use a very sharp chef’s knife to cut it into 24 equal rectangles, about 2×4 each.

Step 3

For the cream filling: Whip all the ingredients in a mixer or food processor until smooth and thick. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1-inch round tip, or simply fill a quart-size freezer bag and snip off one of the corners to pipe.

Step 4

To assemble, pipe two rows of dots of cream on each of 8 pieces of chocolate or puff pastry, top each with another piece of chocolate or puff pastry, pipe again, then top with a third piece of chocolate or puff pastry. Use a small strainer to dust the tops with confectioner’s sugar. Garnish with berries
if desired.

Serves 8

Turkey Involtini

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This dish is a celebration showstopper with ingredients that reflect the colors of the Italian flag. The key is to have your butcher debone and butterfly a large, fresh turkey breast, leaving the skin on, and then to pound it to an even thickness for easier rolling.

Ingredients

  • 1 small yellow onion, about 4 ounces
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use
  • 12 ounces fresh spinach, rinsed, patted dry, and coarsely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon each coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, divided use
  • 1 whole boneless, skin-on turkey breast, butterflied and pounded to about 1/2-inch thickness
  • 8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  • 12 ounces fontina cheese, coarsely grated

Directions

Step 1

Finely chop the onions and garlic in a food processor or by hand; set aside briefly. Heat a large frying pan. When hot, dry-toast the pine nuts for 2 minutes until they turn golden, then transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the hot frying pan, then add the onions and garlic and sauté until soft but not brown, about 3 minutes. Start adding spinach to the pan by the handful, adding more as each batch cooks down. Add 1/3 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and keep cooking until the liquid from the spinach evaporates, about 8 minutes (press the spinach against the sides of the pan with a large wooden spoon to release more liquid). Take the pan off the stove and let the spinach cool slightly, then roll it up in a clean kitchen towel to squeeze out any add remaining liquid.

Step 2

Heat the oven to 350°F. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil across a rimmed sheet pan. Prep
a countertop surface with a large piece of parchment paper. Place the turkey, skin side down, on the parchment and sprinkle with another 1/3 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, then top with an even layer of the sun-dried tomatoes, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle the cheese over the tomatoes, then spread the spinach mixture over the cheese. Top with the pine nuts.

Step 3

Starting on the long side nearest to you, roll up the turkey, tucking in the filling as you roll. Use cotton kitchen twine to tie up the roll at 2-inch intervals to help it hold its shape. If needed, use bamboo skewers to hold the ends closed. Carefully transfer the turkey roll to the sheet pan, seam side down. Rub the final 1/3 teaspoon of salt and pepper over the skin, then drizzle the roll with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and place in the oven to roast.

Step 4

The turkey is done when an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F and the skin has browned; start checking after 60 minutes. Rest for 10 minutes, then snip and discard the twine and any skewers. To serve, cut into generous slices.

Serves 6 to 8

Spinach and Squash Lasagna

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This is a flavorful meatless take on traditional lasagna. Many markets now sell fresh lasagna sheets or boxes of “no-boil” dry lasagna sheets that soften while cooking, thanks to the moisture from other ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use, plus more for drizzling
  • 2 pounds whole squash or 1 3/4 pounds precut chunks
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Fine sea salt
  • 3/4 pound fresh or 1 pound dry regular or no-boil lasagna sheets
  • 16 ounces whole milk ricotta
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 3/4 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided use
  • Pinch of pepperoncini (crushed red pepper flakes), plus more to taste
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage, about 3 large leaves
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane
  • 1 pound fresh spinach, rinsed, patted dry, and coarsely chopped
  • 6 ounces fontina, grated, about 1 3/4 cups

Directions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 9×13 baking dish and spread it over the bottom and sides with a pastry brush or clean fingers; set aside.

Step 2

Peel the squash as needed and cut into a small dice, about 1/4 inch in thickness. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 10 grinds of a pepper mill, and 1 teaspoon salt. Roast in a rimmed sheet pan for 20 minutes, just until a sharp knife pierces a few pieces with barely any resistance. Cool slightly and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Step 3

Complete the following steps while the squash
is roasting. If using regular dried lasagna sheets, cook them according to package directions for
al dente, drain, rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process and make them easier to handle, and set aside.

Step 4

In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, pepperoncini, nutmeg, and sage; set aside.

Step 5

Heat a large frying pan. When hot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the garlic, then start adding spinach to the pan by the handful, adding more as each batch cooks down. Keep cooking until the liquid from the spinach evaporates, about 8 minutes (press the spinach against the sides of the pan with a large wooden spoon to release more liquid). Take the pan off the stove and let the spinach cool slightly, then roll it up in a clean kitchen towel to squeeze out any add remaining liquid. Add to the bowl with the squash and combine.

Step 6

Lower the oven temperature to 350°F. Place a layer of lasagna sheets in the prepared baking dish, spread on 1/3 of the cheese mixture, then 1/3 of the squash mixture; sprinkle on 1/2 cup fontina and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Repeat that sequence twice more, then top with the rest of the fontina and a drizzle of olive oil.

Step 7

Bake for 45 minutes until the cheese is bubbly
(if you’d like it more browned, place under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes). Let it cool slightly before cutting into squares, dressing each one with a drizzle of olive oil.

Serves 10