Autumn 2006—Dinner by Giada

Hosted by Bonnie and Art
Autumn Harvest Dinner by Giada de Laurentis
Five of the items we are making tonight are recipes I gathered from the Food Network (to which I am a dedicated watcher; some may say addicted). Specifically, these recipes were shared and demonstrated by Giada deLaurentiis (whom Art thinks is totally HOT, but I think is a great cook who provides simply delicious suggestions.) And since Italian is Art’s favorite food-type, (and Giada is his favorite Italian) we will be enjoying her selections….

(Bonnie at her beautifully laid dining table all set for our salad course)

Asparagus and Smoked Salmon Bundles

Makes 4-6 servings

1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed (about 20 spears)
Pinch kosher salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
4-6 oz. thinly sliced smoked salmon

Preheat oven to 425°. Lay the asparagus on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt, and pepper. Roast until cooked and starting to brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to another baking sheet to cool.

Once the asparagus have cooled, wrap each spear in a slice of smoked salmon. Arrange on a serving platter and serve at room temperature.

Note: I made this last weekend and was happy with the peppercorn smoked salmon I bought at Trader Joe’s. I bought 2 packages and cut each slice into halves or thirds before I wrapped the asparagus spears.

Pizette with Gorgonzola, Tomato, and Basil

6 servings

8 oz. purchases pizza dough
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 oz. Gorgonzola, crumbled
¼ cup fresh basil, torn in pieces
3 oz. Cherry tomatoes, quartered
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 475°. Roll out the pizza dough to ¼ inch thick. Using a 2-2 ½ inch diameter cookie cutter, cut out 18 circles from the dough. Arrange the circles on a heavy large baking sheet. Sprinkle the Gorgonzola cheese over the circles. Top with the tomatoes, pressing them gently into the dough. Bake until the pizzettes are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Drizzle the pizzettes with oil. Sprinkle the basil over the pizzettes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange on a platter and serve immediately.

Note: I noticed that Trader Joe’s has pizza dough in their refrigerated section, if you’re looking for pizza dough.

Veal Marsala
4 servings

8 veal cutlets (3 oz. each) 2-4 garlic clove, smashed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 oz. assorted mushrooms, sliced
2-3 T. unsalted butter ½ cup sweet Marsala
2-4 T. olive oil ¾ cup low-salt chicken broth
1 large shallot, finely chopped Leaves from 1 fresh rosemary sprig

Sprinkle the veal with salt and pepper. Melt 1 T of butter and 1 T. of oil in a heavy large skillet over medium high heat. Add 4 veal cutlets and cook until golden brown, about 1 ½ minutes per side. Transfer the veal to a plate. Add another T. of butter and oil, if necessary. Repeat with the remaining 4 cutlets. Set the cutlets aside.

Add 1 T. of oil to the skillet. Add the shallot and garlic. Sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add a T. of the olive oil, if necessary. Add the mushrooms and sauté until tender and the juices evaporate, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. Add the Marsala. Simmer until the Marsala reduces by half, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and the rosemary leaves. Simmer until reduces by half, about 4 minutes. Return the veal to the skillet. Pour in all of the pan juices. Cook until heated through, turning to coat, about 1 minute. Stir the remaining 1 T. of butter into the sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Using tongs, transfer the veal to plates. Spoon the sauce over the veal and serve.

Sauteed Apple Salad with Roquefort Cheese and Walnuts
6 servings

¼ cup Sherry wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 T. sugar
1 T. chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried
1 cup crumbled Roquefort cheese
½ cup plus 1 T. olive oil
½ cup chopped toasted walnuts
6 cups mixed baby greens
3 cups trimmed watercress
1 Belgian endive, sliced
1 ½ lbs. Golden Delicious Apples, peeled, cut into ½ inch thick slices

Combine vinegar and thyme in small bowl. Gradually whisk in ½ cup oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Combine greens, watercress and endive in large bowl. Heat remaining 1 T. oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and sugar and sauté until apples are almost tender, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to high and sauté until golden brown, about 5 minutes longer. Place atop greens in bowl. Sprinkle salad with Roquefort and walnuts. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Serve, passing remaining dressing separately.

Red Wine Risotto with Peas
4 servings

3 ½ cups canned low-salt chicken broth 1/3 cup frozen peas, defrosted
3 T. unsalted butter
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 cup finely shopped onion
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan,
2 garlic cloves, minced plus additional for garnish
1 cup Arborio rice
½ cup dry red wine (good quality)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring the broth to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover the broth and keep it warm over very low heat.

Melt butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Stir in the rice and cook for about 2 minutes until the rice is toasted. Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed, about 1 minute. Add ¾ cup of hot broth; simmer over medium-low heat until the liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 6 minutes. Repeat, adding ¾ cup of hot broth 2 more times, stirring often, about 12 minutes longer. At this point, the risotto can be made 4 hours ahead. Refrigerate the risotto (the rice will still be firm) and remaining broth, uncovered, until cool. Then cover and keep them refrigerated until ready to proceed.

Bring the remaining broth to a simmer, then cover and keep it warm over very low heat. Stir ¾ cup of hot broth into the partially cooked risotto over medium heat until the broth is absorbed and the risotto is hot, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining broth and simmer until the rice is just tender and the mixture is creamy, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the peas and parsley. Add the ½ cup of Parmesan. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Sprinkle additional cheese over and serve.

Note: I was glad to see that this recipe offers a make-ahead option since risotto usually needs to be made just before serving.

Sauteed Broccoli Rabe
4-6 servings

4 bunches (12-16 oz. each) broccoli rabe, stems trimmed
¼ cup olive oil
1/3 cup raisins
3 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt
½ tsp. dried crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. pine nuts, toasted

Working in batches, cook the broccoli rabe in a large pot of boiling salted water until crips tender, about 2-3 minutes per bunch. Transfer the broccoli rabe to a large bowl of ice water to cool. Reserve about ¼ cup of the cooking liquid. Strain the cooled broccoli rabe and set aside.

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and sauté until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the broccoli rabe and toss to coat. Add the reserved cooking water, the raisins, and cook until the broccoli rabe is heated through and the stems are tender, about 4 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Just before serving, toss the mixture with pine nuts.

Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie

For one pie

Crust: 24 ginger snaps, crushed and mixed with enough butter to pat into pie pan (about 2 Tablespoons, softened). At this point, save about 2 Tablespoons of crust mix to sprinkle on top of pie. Bake crust for 8 minutes at 350 degrees. COOL COMPLETELY BEFORE FILLING.

Filling: 1 cup pumpkin
¼ tsp. nutmeg
½ cup sugar
1/8 tsp. cloves
½ tsp. salt
½ cup chopped pecans, optional
½ tsp. cinnamon
1 quart softened vanilla ice cream
Mix first 7 ingredients together to blend, then fold in the vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle the saved ginger snaps on top. Put into cooled crust and freeze for at least 3 hours. Overnight is best.

Note: I recommend that you make two pies, Amy, one without nuts. I thought you would like this recipe since you can make it the day before. I have made it several times and we all love it!