• Cook, uncovered, until the cauliflower feels very tender when prodded with a fork, 20 minutes or more, depending on the freshness and size of the head. Drain immediately when done.
Ahead-of-time note If you are not serving boiled cauliflower lukewarm as salad, but are planning to use it in a gratin or for frying, you can cook it up to 1 day in advance.
Gratinéed Cauliflower with Butter and Parmesan Cheese
For 6 servings
1 medium head cauliflower, about 2 pounds
An oven-to-table baking dish
Butter for smearing and dotting the baking dish
Salt
⅔ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Boil and drain the cauliflower as described. When it has cooled enough to handle, divide the head into separate florets.
3. Choose a baking dish that can contain the florets snugly. Smear the bottom with butter and arrange the florets in it so that they overlap slightly, roof-tile fashion. Sprinkle with salt and grated Parmesan, and dot liberally with butter. Bake on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven until a light crust forms on top, about 15 to 20 minutes. After taking it out of the oven, let the cauliflower settle for a few minutes before serving.
Gratinéed Cauliflower with Béchamel Sauce
For 6 servings
1 medium head cauliflower, about 2 pounds
Salt
Béchamel Sauce, made using 2 cups milk, 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, 3 tablespoons flour, and ¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Whole nutmeg
An oven-to-table baking dish
Butter for smearing and dotting the baking dish
1. Boil and drain the cauliflower, but because baking it with the bechamel later will soften it up, cook only 10 minutes after the water returns to a boil. Separate the florets and cut them into bite-size slices about ½ inch thick. Put them in a bowl and toss them with a little salt.
2. Preheat oven to 400°.
3. Make the béchamel sauce as described. When it reaches a medium density, remove it from heat and mix in all but 3 tablespoons of the grated Parmesan and a tiny grating of nutmeg—about ⅛ teaspoon.
4. Add the bechamel to the bowl with the cauliflower and fold it in gently, coating the florets well.
5. Smear the bottom of a baking dish with butter. Put in the cauliflower and all the bechamel in the bowl. The dish should be able to contain the cauliflower pieces in a layer not more than 1½ inches deep. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan and dot lightly with butter. Bake on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven until a light crust forms on top, about 15 to 20 minutes. After taking it out of the oven, let the cauliflower settle for a few minutes before serving.
Fried Cauliflower Wedges with Egg and Bread Crumb Batter
For 6 or more servings
1 medium head cauliflower, about 2 pounds
2 eggs
1 cup unflavored bread crumbs, lightly toasted, spread on a plate
Vegetable oil
Salt
1. Boil and drain the cauliflower. When it has cooled enough to handle, detach the florets from the head and cut them into wedges about 1 inch thick at their widest point.
2. Break the eggs into a small bowl and beat them lightly.
3. Dip the cauliflower wedges in the egg, letting excess egg flow back into the bowl, then turn them in the bread crumbs, coating them all over.
4. Pour enough oil in a frying pan to come ½ inch up the sides, turn the heat on to high, and when the oil is very hot, slip in as many cauliflower pieces as will fit loosely, without crowding the pan. When a nice, golden crust has formed on one side, turn them and do the other side. Transfer with a slotted spoon or spatula to a cooling rack to drain or to a platter lined with paper towels. If there are more cauliflower pieces left to be fried, repeat the procedure. When they are all done, sprinkle with salt, and serve at once.
Fried Cauliflower with Parmesan Cheese Batter
TRUE parmigiano-reggiano cheese makes marvelous frying batters because it is an ideal bonding agent, melting without becoming runny, stringy, or rubbery. And, of course, it also contributes its own unique flavor. The fluffy, tender crust this batter produces is ideal for such vegetable pieces as cauliflower. If you are pleased with it, try it with preboiled broccoli or finocchio.
For 6 or more servings
1 head young cauliflower, 2 pounds or less
Salt
½ cup lukewarm water
⅓ cup flour
⅓ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 egg
Vegetable oil
1. Boil and drain the cauliflower. When it has cooled enough to handle, detach the floret clusters from the head at the base of their stems, separate into individual florets, and cut each of them lengthwise in two. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
2. Put the lukewarm water in a bowl, and add the flour to it gradually, shaking it through a strainer, not a sifter. Beat the mixture with a fork while you add the flour. Add the grated Parmesan and a pinch of salt and stir well.
3. Break the egg into a deep soup plate, beat it lightly with a fork, then mix it thoroughly into the flour and Parmesan mixture.
4. Pour enough vegetable oil in a skillet to come ¼ inch up its sides, and turn on the heat to high. When a speck of batter dropped into the pan stiffens and instantly floats to the surface, the oil is hot enough for frying.
5. Dip 2 or 3 florets in the batter, letting excess batter flow back into the bowl as you lift them out, and slip them into the pan. Add a few more batter-coated pieces to the pan, but do not put too many in at one time or the temperature of the oil will drop.
6. When the cauliflower forms a nice golden crust on one side, turn it and do the other side. Transfer with a slotted spoon or spatula to a cooling rack to drain or to a platter lined with paper towels. As room opens up in the pan, add more pieces of cauliflower. When they are all done, sprinkle with salt, and serve at once.
Braised and Gratinéed Celery Stalks with Parmesan Cheese
DESPITE THE SEQUENCE of cooking procedures—first the celery is blanched to fix its color; then it’s sautéed with onion and pancetta to provide a flavor base; after that it is braised with broth to make it tender; and finally it is gratinéed with grated Parmesan to give it a savory finish—this is not a very complicated dish to prepare. You should find the means completely justified by the simply delicious end.
For 6 servings
2 large bunches crisp, fresh celery
3 tablespoons onion chopped fine
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup chopped pancetta OR prosciutto
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
2 cups Basic Homemade Meat Broth OR ½ cup canned beef broth diluted with 1½ cups water
An oven-to-table baking dish
1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1. Cut off the celery’s leafy tops, and detach all the stalks from their base. Save the hearts for a salad or for dipping in Pinzimonio. Use a swiveling-blade peeler to pare away most of the strings, and cut the stalks into pieces about 3 inches long.
2. Bring 2 or 3 quarts of water to a rapid boil, drop in the celery, and 1 minute after the water has returned to a boil, drain them and set them aside.
3. Preheat oven to 400°.
4. Put the onion and butter in a saucepan, and turn the heat on to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it becomes translucent, then add the chopped pancetta or prosciutto. Stir to coat well, cook for 1 minute, then put in the celery, salt, and pepper, toss the celery to coat it well, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the broth, adjust heat to cook at a very gentle simmer, and cover the pan. Cook until the celery feels tender when prodded. Test the celery from time to time with a fork and when you find that it is nearly done—almost tender,
but slightly firm—uncover the pan, raise the heat to high, and boil away all the liquid.
6. Remove only the celery to the baking dish and arrange it with the inner, concave side of the stalks facing up. Over the celery, spoon the onion and pancetta or prosciutto mixture still in the pan, then top with grated Parmesan. Place on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven for a few minutes until the cheese melts and forms a light crust. After taking the dish out of the oven, allow it to settle for several minutes before bringing it to the table.
Ahead-of-time note The celery can be prepared up to this point several hours in advance on the same day that you will finish cooking it.
Celery and Potatoes Braised in Olive Oil and Lemon Juice
For 4 to 6 servings
5 medium potatoes
1 large bunch celery
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1. Peel the potatoes, wash them in cold water, and cut them in half or, if large, in quarters.
2. Trim the celery stalks.
3. Choose a heavy-bottomed or enameled cast-iron pot that can subsequently contain all the ingredients, put in the celery, olive oil, salt, and enough water to cover, turn the heat on to medium, and put a lid on the pot.
4. Simmer the celery for 10 minutes, then add the potatoes, a pinch of salt, and the lemon juice, and cover the pot again. Cook until both the celery and potatoes are tender, testing them with a fork from time to time. It may take about 25 minutes. (Sometimes the celery lags behind while the potatoes are already done. Should this happen, transfer the potatoes with a slotted spoon to a warm covered dish, and continue cooking the celery until it is tender.)
5. When the celery and potatoes are both cooked, the only liquid in the pot should be oil. If there is water, uncover the pot, raise the heat, and boil it away. (If the potatoes have been taken out of the pot earlier, put them back in after the water—if there was any—has been boiled away. Cover the pot again, turn the heat down to medium, and warm up the potatoes for about 2 minutes.) Taste and correct for salt, and serve promptly.
Braised Celery Stalks with Onion, Pancetta, and Tomatoes
For 4 to 6 servings
About 2 pounds celery
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1½ cups onion sliced very thin
⅔ cup pancetta, cut into thin strips
¾ cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, chopped coarse, with their juice
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Trim the celery stalks.
2. Put the oil and onion in a saute pan, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it wilts completely and becomes colored a light gold, then add the pancetta strips.
3. After a few minutes, when the pancetta’s fat loses its flat, white uncooked color and becomes translucent, add the tomatoes with their juice, the celery, salt, and pepper, and toss thoroughly to coat well. Adjust heat to cook at a steady simmer, and put a cover on the pan. After 15 minutes check the celery, cooking it until it feels tender when prodded with a fork. If while the celery is cooking, the pan juices become insufficient, replenish with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water as needed. If on the contrary, when the celery is done, the pan juices are watery, uncover, raise the heat to high, and boil the juices away rapidly. Serve promptly when done.
SWISS CHARD
There is no green more useful than Swiss chard for Italian cooking. Its broad, dark green leaves, whose flavor is sweeter, less emphatic than spinach, can be used in pasta dough to dye it green, or together with cheese, for the filling in a variety of stuffed pastas. The leaves are good in soup, delicious boiled and served with olive oil and lemon juice, or sautéed with olive oil and garlic. The broad, sweet-tasting stalks of mature chard are magnificent in gratin dishes, or sautéed, or fried.
Swiss Chard Stalks Gratinéed with Parmesan Cheese
For 4 servings
The broad, white stalks from 2 bunches mature Swiss chard
An oven-to-table baking dish
Butter for smearing and dotting the baking dish
Salt
⅔ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Note This is an excellent recipe to keep in mind if you have used chard leaves in pasta, soup, or a cooked salad. You can keep the trimmed stalks in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days. Or, if it is the leaves that are going to be left over after doing this dish, try to use them in one of the ways cited above within 24 hours.
1. Cut the chard stalks into pieces about 4 inches long, and wash them in cold water. Bring 3 quarts water to a boil, drop in the stalks, and cook at a moderate boil until they feel tender when prodded with a fork, approximately 30 minutes, depending on the stalks. Drain and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400°.
3. Smear the bottom and sides of a baking dish with butter, place a layer of chard stalks on the bottom, laying them end to end, and if necessary, trimming to fit. Sprinkle lightly with salt and with grated cheese, and dot sparingly with butter. Repeat the procedure, building up layers of stalks, until you have used them all. The top layer should be sprinkled generously with Parmesan and thickly dotted with butter.
4. Bake on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven until the cheese melts and forms a light, golden crust on top. You might begin to check after 10 or 15 minutes. After taking it out of the oven, let it settle for a few minutes before bringing it to the table.
Sautéed Swiss Chard Stalks with Olive Oil, Garlic, and Parsley
For 4 servings
2½ cups Swiss chard stalks, cut into pieces 1½ inches long
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1½ teaspoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Wash the chard stalks in cold water. (See note about using the chard leaves.) Bring 3 quarts water to a boil, drop in the stalks, and cook at a moderate boil until they feel tender when prodded with a fork, approximately 30 minutes, depending on the stalks. Drain and set aside.
2. Put the olive oil and garlic in a saute pan, turn on the heat to medium. Cook and stir the garlic until it becomes very lightly colored, then add the boiled stalks, the parsley, salt, and pepper. Turn the heat up to medium high, tossing and turning the stalks to coat them well. Cook for about 5 minutes, then transfer the contents of the pan to a warm plate and serve at once.
Tegliata di Biete—Swiss Chard Torte with Raisins and Pine Nuts
THE TREASURES that Venice brought back from its trade and its wars with the empires of the East did not consist solely of silks and marbles, of gems and precious artifacts, but of ingredients and ways of cooking that were new to the West. Some examples, such as the fish in saor, are still part of the city’s everyday fare. But in the seldom-explored recesses of Venetian cooking are others just as wonderful, like this tasty vegetable pie of young chard, onion, pine nuts, raisins, and Parmesan cheese.
For 4 to 6 servings
2½ pounds young Swiss chard with undeveloped stalks or 3¼ pounds mature chard
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup for cooking the chard plus more for greasing and topping the pan
⅔ cup onion chopped fine
1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup pignoli (pine nuts)
⅓ cup seedless raisins, preferably of the muscat variety, soaking in enough water to cover
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
A 9½- or 10-inch springform baking pan
⅔ heaping cup unflavored bread crumbs, lightly toasted
1. If using mature chard, cut off the broad stalks and set aside to use in vegetable soup or bake as described in this recipe. Cut the leaves and any very thin stalks into ¼-inch shreds. Soak the shredded chard in a basin with several changes of cold water, until the water runs c
ompletely clear of any soil.
2. Put about 1 quart water in a pot large enough to contain the chard later, and bring it to a boil. Add a liberal quantity of salt, wait for the water to resume a fast boil, then drop in the chard. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes depending on the youth and freshness of the chard, then drain and set aside to cool.
3. When cool enough to handle, take as much chard in your hand as you can hold and squeeze as much moisture out of it as you can. When you have done all the chard, chop it very fine—into pieces no bigger than ¼ inch—using a knife, not the food processor.
4. Preheat oven to 350°.
5. Choose a saute pan that can subsequently contain all the chard, put in ¼ cup olive oil and the chopped onion, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook the onion, stirring frequently, until it becomes colored a light nut-brown.
6. Add the chopped chard, and turn up the heat to high. Cook, turning the chard over frequently, until it becomes difficult to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan, then transfer the entire contents of the pan to a bowl and set aside to cool.
7. When the chard has cooled down to room temperature, add the grated Parmesan, the beaten eggs, and the pine nuts. Drain the raisins, squeeze them dry in your hand, and add them to the bowl, together with a few grindings of pepper. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are evenly combined, and taste and correct for salt and pepper.
8. Smear the bottom and sides of the springform pan with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Put in a little more than half the bread crumbs, spreading them to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Add the chard mixture, leveling it off, but not pressing it hard. Top with the remaining bread crumbs, and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil poured in a thin stream. Put the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes.
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking Page 54