COMFORT FOOD ITALIAN STYLE!

If you're in the states, chances are pretty good that you've experienced some snow this winter.  Many of you might have experienced snow to the extreme, and there have been some pretty frigid temperatures to go along with that snow.  Here in Umbria it's been pretty darn cold, with temps dipping into the teens a couple of times, and it's not unusual for us to dip below freezing.  All in all our winter hasn't been as rough as it is in other parts of the world, but still the gray gloomy days of winter make me want to curl up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate.

We've also been enjoying some good ole comfort food - a big pot of chili,  macaroni and cheese, a nice pork roast and potatoes in the oven to warm not only the soul but also the kitchen - and make the house smell great in the process.  Today we had some comfort food Italian style:  risotto.  Risotto at it's best is creamy and filling, and this recipe is also the perfect one pot meal.  Add a salad if you like, and lunch is served!






Risotto with Pancetta and Pumpkin

1/4 pound thinly sliced pancetta, cut into ¼” strips

3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb pumpkin (or butternut squash) cut into 1 ½” by ¼” sticks

8 sage leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

¾ cup white wine

5 1/2 cups chicken stock

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 ½ cups arborio rice

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving


In a large skillet, cook the pancetta over moderate heat until crisp, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a medium bowl. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to the fat in the skillet. Add the pumpkin and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the sage, salt and pepper, and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute longer. Transfer the pumpkin to the bowl with the pancetta. (Make ahead tip: The pancetta and pumpkin can be refrigerated overnight. Return to room temperature before using.)

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.

In a large saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed. Add 1/2 cup of the hot stock and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Continue adding the stock, about 1/2 cup at a time, and stirring constantly until it is nearly absorbed before adding more. The risotto is done when the rice is just tender but still has a bit of a 'bite' and the liquid is creamy, about 20 minutes.

Stir the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and the 1/2 cup of Parmesan into the risotto. Gently fold in the pumpkin and pancetta. Spoon the risotto into warmed bowls, sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.


Next time I'll probably try substituting sausage for the pancetta, just to compare, but this version was delicious - and very comforting.

IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN!

Cooking remains very seasonal in Italy, or at least here in Umbria. Despite larger and larger refrigerators in the average Italian home, despite supermercatos filled with fruits and vegetables every day of the week, many Italians still prefer to do their shopping at weekly outdoor markets or take what's fresh from their own garden. Yes, we have lettuce and tomatoes all year round, carrots, onions, zucchini, but every casalinga (housewife) knows that these things are best eaten in their proper season.

In today's modern world I wouldn't dare guess how many people still put up their own fruits and vegetables, but it's a common practice in this area. Years ago when my kids were small and I was a stay-at-home mom I used to can tomatoes in the summer, make jam from fresh strawberries, etc. Now canning tomatoes seems like way too much trouble, but I do freeze green beans since they aren't easily found (even canned) during the winter.

In the fall I look forward to the arrival of pumpkins....not to carve for Halloween decoration, but to roast and freeze for cooking with throughout the winter. Now I will confess that before I lived in Italy my use of pumpkin was limited to canned pumpkin once a year for Thanksgiving, and the only time I ever bought a whole pumpkin was to carve it into a jack o'lantern!

It wasn't that I didn't know that the pumpkin puree in the can came from the inside of a pumpkin, but I just didn't have the awareness....I just never realized how much better fresh pumpkin was...or what I could do with it besides make the traditional pie. I'm sure there are many ways to use fresh pumpkin, but now I have two dishes that are staples for my cold weather cooking: pumpkin soup and a delicious pumpkin/sausage quiche.

Last week I bought 2 nice sized pumpkins from one of the local farmers. These pumpkins are a different variety than those used for carving. The pumpkin is much thicker and meatier, and carving them can present a problem. The first cut is the most difficult, but once I have the pumpkin cut in half I can scoop out the seeds the carve each half into more manageable pieces. I then place the pumpkin pieces into an oiled pan and roast them in the oven. Not only does this make the pumpkin easier to remove from the skin, it also enhances the flavor, so it's a step well worth the time.

If you've never tried using fresh pumpkin, now might be the perfect time to visit your local farmer's market and buy one to cook with along with one for carving. Remember...they ARE different!

AND THE COOKING CONTINUES....

Yesterday we invited our friend Craig to lunch. Although I already had the menu planned, I knew as soon as I got up yesterday morning that I’d made the right choices. It was definitely cooler, so my menu of warming pumpkin soup followed by grilled sausages and another new recipe, a PUMPKIN SAVORY TART, courtesy of another blog, MSADVENTURESINITALY, would be just right.

The soup had been made on Tuesday, so all I had to do was gently reheat it, then add a little cream right before serving. The pumpkin savory tart had sounded so yummy when I read it on Sara’s blog, and it lived up to my expectations.

I’d roasted the pumpkin in the oven to soften it so that the rind could be more
easily removed, but I hadn’t cooked it all the way through so that it could finish cooking as per the recipe directions. Even so, I found that it took a little longer than the 15-20 minutes listed. Eventually I covered the skillet to finish cooking the pumpkin, and the next time I make this tart (and there WILL be a next time!) I’ll cover the skillet after a few minutes.

Because there’s no Crisco in Italy, I treasure my Crisco sticks (so easy to bring when I come back from the states!). Saving my Crisco stash wasn’t really the main reason I decided not to use it for my pie crust though. When we first arrived here other expats had told me I could use strutto as a substitute for shortening, and I’ve used it several times. The first time I used the strutto though, the true nature was evident as the pie baked and the unmistakable scent of pork wafted through the house. In the states we’d call strutto LARD, and after that first use I knew that strutto would be good for crusts used for savory tarts and quiches, but maybe not quite right for that lemon meringue pie!

This pumpkin tart seemed to be the perfect excuse to use a strutto-based crust, so that’s what I made. I had plenty of time to make the crust while the onions and diced pumpkin simmered in the skillet, and once the tart was in the oven the house was filled with warmth and wonderful aromas! Here’s the recipe:

Pumpkin, Pine Nuts and Pancetta Savory Tart

500g pumpkin, roughly cubed
100g smoked pancetta, chopped
3 eggs
1 small yellow or white onion
Handful pinenuts
Parmigiano
Savory pastry sheet (such as for a quiche)
Milk

In a small frying pan, cook the chopped pancetta until crisp. Take off heat.

Preheat oven to 350F (180C) Place the savory pastry dough in a 9” pie pan.

With 1 T. of the oil from the pancetta, chop the onion and sauté. While the onion is cooking, roughly cube the pumpkin. When the onion starts to turn translucent, add the pumpkin chunks. Cook about 10-15, until the pumpkin will break down easily with spoon but is not mushy. Mix in pancetta until evenly distributed.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a splash of milk until frothy. Grate in a small amount of parmigiano and mix, adding fresh ground pepper.

Spoon half of the pumpkin mix into the baking pan. Pour egg mix over, and then spoon the rest of the pumpkin mix in. Sprinkle a handful of parmigiano and some pine nuts on top, and bake for about 40 minutes

Oh, since I had some cream on hand I used that instead of the milk to beat with the eggs.  And you could also use sausage instead of pancetta....

I’d been itching to try the apple pie Jerry had posted…it adds orange zest and a bit of orange liqueur, and to say that it smelled heavenly while it baked would be an understatement! I used Granny Smith apples, which turned out to be just a little too juicy….I should have added a little flour or cornstarch to the apples, but I’ll know better for the next time.

Perhaps I used just a bit too much zest, but I thought the orange flavor was too sharp, and in the future I’ll cut it back a bit, or maybe just serve the pie with a really good vanilla bean ice cream. Try it for yourself…..

Apple Pie With a Kick

For the filling:
6 or 7 apples, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. finely grated orange zest
2 tbsp. Grand Marnier
1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces
9” Single Pie Crust

Combine all the filling ingredients (except the butter) in a bowl and mix well. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Dot the filling with the butter and then put the pie in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375º

For the crumb topping:
1 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces

While the pie is in the refrigerator, mix all of the topping ingredients together, rubbing the butter into the flour/sugar mixture until you have a very crumbly topping.

Once the pie has chilled, sprinkle the topping evenly over the pie.
Bake the pie in the centre of the oven on a baking sheet to avoid any spills. Bake for 70-75 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.

So….are you inspired to bake up some warming comfort food this weekend?