Italian Recipes
Italian Recipes
Bruschetta with tomato and basil
Ingredients : 6 or 7 ripe tomatoes ( about 1½ lbs ) 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp balsamic vinegar 6-8 fresh basil leaves ( thinly sliced or chopped ) Bread ( similar to Italian bread ; loaf ) ¼ cup ( 60 ml ) olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt , more or less to taste
Preheat oven to 450 ° F ( 230 ° C ) with a tray in the top slot of the oven .
Blanch and peel the tomatoes . Cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters and squeeze out most of the juices and seeds .
Finely chop the tomatoes and place them in a medium bowl . Mix in extra virgin olive oil .
Stir in the thinly sliced basil and add salt , adding more to taste .
Use a bread knife to slice the bread on the diagonal making half-inch thick slices . Brush one side of each slice with olive oil and place ‘ oil-side down ’ on a baking sheet or roasting pan .
When the oven has reached 450 ° F ( 230 ° C ), place the slices in the oven on the top rack and toast for 5 to 6 minutes until lightly browned around the edges .
Arrange the toasted bread on a platter , olive oil side facing up ( the olive oil will help create a temporary barrier keeping the bread from getting soggy from the chopped tomatoes ).
Serve the toast plain with a bowl of the tomato bruschetta mixture on the side for guests to top their own .
Lasagne Bolognese – part 1
Ingredients : ( Serves 8 )
( for the Bolognese sauce ) 2oz diced pancetta , finely chopped 1 finely chopped medium Spanish onion or yellow onion 1 finely chopped stalk celery 1 finely chopped carrot 4 tbsp unsalted butter 11oz ground beef 4oz ground pork 4oz ground Italian sausage 1 freshly ground clove 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 2lb peeled and chopped tomatoes 1 cup whole milk ½ tsp sea salt
( for the Béchamel sauce )
2 cups whole milk ¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose unbleached flour
( for the Lasagne )
Enough lasagne sheets to make four layers with the pieces slightly overlapping each other
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Lasagne Bolognese – part 2
To prepare the Bolognese sauce Combine the pancetta , onion , celery , and carrot in a sauté pan with butter and cook over medium heat until onion turns pale gold . Add the beef , pork , sausage , and increase the heat , cooking until browned . Sprinkle with the ground clove , cinnamon , and pepper . Stir in tomatoes , bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium . Cook for 15 minutes . Add milk and season with salt . Then turn down the heat and let simmer for 2½ hours . Stir at least every 20 minutes . Add ¼ cup of water continue to cook .
To make the Béchamel sauce
Make the roux by heating the milk until almost boiling in a sauce pan . In a separate pan melt the butter with the flour over low heat . Stir rapidly with a spoon . Cook this for 1 minute and then remove from the heat . Slowly add half the hot milk to your butter and flour mixture , stirring constantly . Return the milk , butter , flour mixture to low heat until the sauce begins to thicken . Slowly add the remaining milk while stirring it into the thickened sauce . Continue to stir until it comes to a boil . Season with salt , and continue stirring . If any lumps form , beat them out rapidly with a whisk until they dissolve . Remove from heat .
To prepare the Lasagne
Preheat the oven to 375 ° F . Cook the lasagne according to instructions ( about 8 minutes in 6 quarts of boiling salted water ). Drain , rinse with cold water . Lay the individual lasagne noodles out on kitchen towels , not touching , so they do not stick together . Spread a little olive oil around the inside of a 13x9-inch baking pan . Put a layer of lasagne noodles down first . Layer on a third of the Bolognese sauce , then a third of the Béchamel sauce . Sprinkle with grated Parmesan . Repeat two more times . Top with a final layer of noodles and sprinkle with grated Parmesan . Put lasagne into the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes , until the top begins to lightly brown .
34 theIMJIN SUMMER 2018