Mario Batali's Pasta, Artichokes and Chocolate Tart
March 16, 2007 — -- Fettuccine With Lemon, Hot Peppers and Pecorino Romano
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 jalapenos, seeded and cut into thin slivers
Zest and juice of 3 lemons
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ¼ pounds basic pasta dough (see recipe below), cut into fettuccine
½ cup freshly grated pecorino romano
Directions:
1. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons salt.
2. Meanwhile, in a 10-to 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat until almost smoking. Add the onion and the red pepper flakes and sauté until softened and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the jalapenos and sauté for 1 minute. Add the lemon zest and juice, bring to a boil, and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook under tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain.
4. Toss the hot pasta into the pan with the lemon mixture, return to medium heat, and mix well, stirring gently. Add the pecorino and toss quickly. Transfer to a warmed serving platter, and serve immediately.
Basic Pasta Dough Recipe
Ingredients:
3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
5 large eggs
Directions:
1. Mound the flour in the center of a large wooden board. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the eggs. Using a fork, beat the eggs together and then begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well. As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape (do not worry if it looks messy). When half of the flour is incorporated, the dough will begin to come together. Start kneading the dough, using primarily the palms of your hands. Once the dough is a cohesive mass, set the dough aside and scrape up and discard any dried bits of dough.
2. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 10 minutes, dusting the board with additional flour as necessary. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature before using. Makes about 1 ¼ lbs.
Roman-Style Artichokes
Ingredients:
6 large artichokes with long stems, trimmed, halved, choke removed, and held in lemon water
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeds removed
1 bunch fresh mint, leaves only, roughly chopped, 1 tablespoon reserved
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup water
Coarse sea salt
¼ cup thinly sliced red onions
Juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons orange zest
Directions:
1. Place the artichokes end side up in the smallest pot that holds them. Scatter the garlic and lemon slices around them, pushing them down around the artichokes, and then do the same with the mint. Sprinkle the red pepper flakes over the top. Add the olive oil, wine and water.
2. Cover the pan tightly and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the artichokes are just tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
3. Place the onions and the lemon juice in a bowl and let stand 5 minutes. Strain out the lemon juice, add the zest and the reserved mint, and sprinkle over the artichokes.
4. Serve warm or at room temperature, with sprinkling of coarse sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Makes 6 servings.
Bitter Chocolate Tart
Pastry Ingredients:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup confectioners' sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
¼ cup sweet dessert wine, such as vin santo
Filling Ingredients:
1 ½ cups heavy cream
10 ½ ounces extra-bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon anise seeds, crushed
1 tablespoon anisette
Glaze Ingredients:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 ½ tablespoons milk, or as needed
2 teaspoons anisette
Directions:
1. To make the pastry, combine the flour, salt, confectioners' sugar, and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse 2 or 3 times to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With the machine running, pour in the wine and process until the dough comes together. Place the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, gently press it into a disk, and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Butter a 10-inch fluted tart pan. Roll the dough out between sheets of plastic to a 12-inch circle about ¼ inch thick.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line the tart pan with the dough and trim the excess. Refrigerate until chilled.
4. Prick the shell and bake the tart shell for 12 minutes, or just until set. Set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 375ºF.
5. To make the filling, in a medium saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate, and stir to melt. Transfer to a medium bowl and let cool from 20 minutes.
6. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and egg yolk together. Whisk the cocoa and eggs into the chocolate mixture, then whisk in the crushed anise seeds and anisette. Pour the filling into the tart shell and bake for 15 minutes or just until the filling forms a shiny skin and is slightly firm but still loose at the center.
7. Cool the tart for 15 minutes on a rack, then remove the sides of the pan and cool completely.
8. To make the glaze, in a medium bowl, beat the confectioners' sugar with the milk and anisette to a thin, pourable consistency; add a few more drops of milk if needed. Drizzle over the cooled tart with the glaze. Allow the glaze to harden before serving with anisette. Makes 8 servings.
All recipes courtesy of Molto Italiano, by Mario Batali, copyright 2005.