A Taste Of Tuscany

(Serves 6)

Recently a few of us Gayfood-ers went to Italy for a little R-n-R. We did a four-day bike tour through Tuscany, hitting all of the main towns; Pienza, Montepulciano, Montalcino, just to name a few. We indulged in the local Tuscan cuisine in each of the towns we visited and it was just as one would suspect—freakin’ awesome!! It inspired us to create a Tuscan themed dinner party for the GAYFOOD party of the month for all y’all to enjoy. So, with out further adu, here we go with “A Taste of Tuscany” dinner party!

Cocktail
Negroni

Starter (Antipasti)
Bruschetta Pomodoro

Primi (Sideliner)
Gnocchi with Pomodoro/Pecorino sauce
Broccoli Rabe

Secondi (Main Attraction)
Pan Fried Pork Chops

Dolci (Happy Finish)
Sliced Fruit and Cheese

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Negroni

This is a traditional Italian cocktail. It is pretty bitter, so beware that it is somewhat of an “acquired taste”. Perfect to start with, good with the Bruschetta too.

1 oz. Campari

1 oz. sweet vermouth

1 oz. gin

Served on the rocks in a rocks glass and garnished with a lemon zest.

If a negroni is not your style, try a bottle of a Brut Prosecco, a sparkling Italian wine that is similar to champagne.

Wine suggestions for the dinner:

2001 Brunello di Montalcino, this is a GREAT wine choice for this dinner. However they can be a bit pricey so we have a few more suggestions

Sangiovese Toscano (again, 2001 was a good year)

Chianti Classico is always a good bet

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Bruschetta Pomodoro

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Traditionally this is served after the antipasti and before the Secondi, or meat course. Stick with the theme; it is different than what we do in America which makes it a bit more interesting of a dinner party.

Gnocchi with Pomodoro/Pecorino sauce

Gnocchi Pasta

2 pounds russet potatoes (2 –3 large potatoes)

1 extra large egg, scrambled

2 cups all purpose unbleached flour (00 “double zero” if possible)

½ tsp. sea salt

Cut the potatoes in half and place in a stockpot. Fill with water so water completely covers potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook the potatoes until tender, about 40 - 50 minutes. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and place each potato on a large cutting board and let cool until they are easy to handle, about 15 minutes. Set the potato water aside as you can use it to cook the gnocchi. Remove the skins; you may need to use a paring knife. If you have a food mill or ricer, push the potatoes through. If not, simply use a fork. Run the tines of the fork down the peeled potatoes. Basically, you are scraping them with the tines of the fork. You’ll notice that by using this method, the potato pieces end up like little crumbles. You can use a masher but the fork technique will yield a better gnocchi in the end. You want an even consistency of tiny potato crumbles with little or no lumps. Leave the prepared potatoes strewn across the cutting board to cool, about 15 – 20 minutes. Once cool enough where they will not cook the egg, pile the potatoes into a mound on the cutting board. Drizzle the potatoes with the beaten egg and sprinkle with about 1 cup of the flour and the ½ tsp. of salt. When sprinkling the flour, extend beyond the potato mound onto the cutting board. A pastry scraper is a great tool for the next step, if not, you can use a metal spatula or other flat object to incorporate the flour and egg into the potatoes. Scrape from under the potato pile and gently fold the mixture until it feels pretty well incorporated. Now, gently knead the dough adding flour, ¼ cup or less at a time, until the dough is no longer sticky. Cut the dough into 8 equal portions. Using the palms of your hands, gently roll each of the 8 portions into ropes, about ¾ inch thick on a lightly floured surface (the cutting board). Using a sharp knife or a pastry cutter cut the ropes into ¾ inch pieces. Transfer the cut pieces to a platter that has been lightly dusted with flour and dust cut pieces very lightly with flour.

Now for cooking the gnocchi. You can make the gnocchi up to 48 hours before serving (or freezing). Bring a large pot of water to a boil (as stated, you can use the same pot with the potato water, just salt it again). Salt the water. Boil the gnocchi in batches, enough where they can cook with out being crowded. Depending on the size of the pot, you will need to boil them in 4-6 batches. Don’t worry, they don’t take that long to cook (about 2 – 3 minutes). Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water, once they rise to the surface, they are done. If ready to serve, simply remove with a slotted spoon and place on serving dish that has been ladled with your hot sauce. If you want to serve later (or freeze), transfer to an ice bath, let cool completely and drain. Transfer to a bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil and store (or freeze) in Tupperware or zipper bags. To re-heat, bring the gnocchi to room temp, drop in boiling water and cook for about 1 minute, remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving plate lined with warm (hot) sauce.

Pomodoro Sauce with Pecorino Cheese

4 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup Minced onion (about ½ a small onion)

3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

8 vine ripened tomatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled, chopped and drained of juice

4 oz. shredded or diced pecorino cheese + 2 oz. for garnish

1 Tbsp. Chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 Tbsp. Chopped fresh sweet basil

2 tsp. sugar

Salt and pepper to taste (about ½ tsp. each)

To peel tomatoes, fill a medium sized saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Carefully tomatoes into the boiling water. Return to a boil and remove the tomatoes once the skin breaks, using a slotted spoon. Let cool until easy to handle and peel.

For sauce, heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium sized saucepan. Sauté garlic and onion until tender be careful not to brown, about 3 – 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, cheese and herbs. Cook for about 5 minutes, until hot and heated through out. Remove from heat and season with sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

To assemble with gnocchi, ladle a bit of the sauce on a serving plate, add gnocchi and ladle more sauce on top, garnish with shaved pecorino cheese and/or a fresh sprig of basil or parsley. You can serve it “family style” by ladling ½ the sauce on a serving platter, followed by the gnocchi and the remainder of the sauce. Garnish with shaved pecorino and basil sprigs. Put it in your mouth. . . .

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This is the meat of the meal. Of all the restaurants we ate at in Tuscany, one theme seemed to be consistent throughout. The meat or fish was either pan fried (which seemed to be the most common) or grilled over coals and that was it. Barely salted, no pepper and simply garnished with a lemon wedge. So, that’s what we experienced and that is what we are sticking to here in this menu. We chose pork, because pork was about as big as Jesus was in Tuscany. Not to be sacrelig. . . . .

Pan Fried Pork Chops

6 – 10 - 12 oz. bone in pork chops

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Kosher salt, coarse ground

2 whole lemons cut into thirds

If you have a big enough pan and heat source to fry these all 6 chops at once, then bravo! If not, do either in two’s or three’s. For 3 chops, heat 1Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium high heat. When the oil just hits the smoking point, add the chops, this will give them a nice sear. Cook for about 4 – 6 minutes per side. Once the internal temp reaches 145°F, transfer to a plate and cover cover loosely with foil, let rest at least 5 minutes before serving. The internal temp should be at 150°F before serving with no pink in the meat. Be careful to watch these, you do not want to over cook them as pork chops tend to be pretty lean and will get tough fast if cooked too long. After meat has rested, serve and garnish each chop with a light sprinkling of coarse grade salt and a lemon wedge.

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So, the side dishes in Tuscany were pretty limited. Most every menu had Insalata Mixta (mixed salad), some sort of vegetable (usually spinach or Italian broccoli) or Fagioli (white beans). We decided that the “Italian broccoli” or Broccoli Rabe, also known as Rapini, was the best fit for this menu. It is uncommon enough that most people have not tried it, yet common enough that most grocery stores carry it. It is once again very easy and very tasty. Note that it does have a bitter taste. If you don’t care for bitter, you can substitute spinach. Simply sauté the spinach according to the following recipe (omit the boiling step)

2 lbs Broccoli Rabe (also known as Italian Broccoli or Rapini)

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large lemon, cut into 6 wedges

2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbsp. sweet cream butter

Kosher salt to taste

In stockpot, bring about 5 quarts of water to a boil. Salt with about 1 Tbsp. Kosher salt. Add 1 pound of broccoli rabe, cook for 3 minutes, until tender. Remove from water using a pair of tongs and transfer to an ice bath (a large bowl of water with ice cubes in it, silly). Let set in water bath until completely cooled (about 3 minutes). Drain in a colander and set aside. Repeat with additional pound of broccoli rabe. This can sit in the fridge for a couple of days if you want to make it ahead of time. Before serving, bring broccoli rabe up to room temp. Heat 2 Tbsp. Olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add broccoli and sauté until heated through out, about 2 –4 minutes and then add butter, toss. Remove from heat, salt to taste with kosher salt (about 1 tsp), toss and serve with lemon wedge.

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Easy, easy, easy. Sliced fruit and cheese.

Instead of giving you a “recipe” we decided to give you suggestions, as this is pretty mind less! For fruit, we recommend sliced pears, a couple different varieties. A Tuscan style cantaloupe is a great choice as well. Tuscan cantaloupe looks like a regular cantaloupe but has ridges on it.

For cheese, ask your local cheese shop for suggestions of what would pair well with the fruit you choose. Some suggestions are:

Camemberti with walnuts

White Stilton with mango and apricot

Soft ripened Brie

Petite crème