Don's Appliances Recipe: All-Italian Recipes

Chef Anthony Marino stopped by PTL today to show off some delicious all-Italian recipes!

Timpano

Ingredients:

For the pasta:
• 2 cups flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the meatballs:
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• 1 cup fine bread crumbs

For the sauce:
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium carrot, minced
• 1 medium rib celery, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 tablespoons chicken broth or white wine
• 2 28-ounce cans Italian plum tomatoes, passed through the medium disk of a food mill to remove seeds
• ½ cup shredded fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Timpano:
• ½ pound penne or other short-shaped pasta, cooked al dente, drained and reserved
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 hard-boiled eggs, cut in quarters
• 1 pound mozzarella, cut into 1-inch cubes
• ½ pound thinly sliced Genoa salami

Preparation:

1. To make the pasta, mix the flour and the salt together, then stir the salted flour with the eggs and the oil. Continue to stir until the dough comes together in a ball. On a floured work surface, knead the dough for 10 minutes, or until silky smooth. Wrap with plastic and set aside at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

2. Combine all the meatball ingredients. Roll into about 65 balls, using 1 tablespoon of meat for each. In a large nonstick frying pan, cook as many meatballs as will fit in 1 layer over medium heat, turning occasionally, for 20 minutes. Repeat if necessary. Set aside in a bowl at room temperature.

3. In the same pan used to make the meatballs and utilizing the fat left in the pan, cook the onion, carrot, celery and garlic over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Dissolve the tomato paste in the stock or wine and stir into the vegetables. Cook the mixture for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and basil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

4. To make the timpano, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the penne with 2 cups of the sauce. Roll out the pasta on a lightly floured surface to make a 26-inch round. Grease a 3-quart stainless- steel bowl with 2 tablespoons of oil and gently mold the pasta sheet to the contours of the bowl; there should be enough hanging over the edge to fold over and cover the filling.

5. Spoon 1 cup of penne into the bowl. Top with 1/2 cup of the sauce, 12 pieces of egg, half of the meatballs and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat the process, this time using 3 cups of penne, 1 1/2 cups of sauce, the remaining eggs, meatballs and cheese. Top with the remaining penne and sauce. Create a final layer with the salami. Fold the pasta over the filling and brush with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

6. Bake the timpano for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 45 more minutes. To check if it's done make a small hole at the top using a knife blade. If steam comes out and the cheese is melted, it's done. Otherwise, bake for 10 to 15 more minutes. To serve, remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Carefully turn upside down onto a large platter.

Porchetta

Ingredients
Servings: 12-15

• 1 5–6-pound piece fresh pork belly, skin on
• 1 (trimmed) 2-3-pound boneless, center-cut pork loin
• 3 tablespoons fennel seeds
• 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Kosher salt

Preparation

• Put belly skin side down; arrange loin in center. Roll belly around loin so the short ends of the belly meet. If any of the belly or loin overhangs, trim meat. Unroll; set loin aside.

• Toast fennel seeds and red pepper flakes in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Tip spices into a bowl; let cool. Finely grind spices in a spice mill and transfer to a small bowl, along with the sage, rosemary, and garlic; set fennel mixture aside.

• Assemble porchetta according to steps 1-5 below.

• Refrigerate roast, uncovered, for 1-2 days to allow skin to air-dry; pat occasionally with paper towels.

• Let porchetta sit at room temperature for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 500°. Season porchetta with salt. Roast on rack in baking sheet, turning once, for 40 minutes. Reduce heat to 300° and continue roasting, rotating the pan and turning porchetta occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 145°, 1 1/2-2 hours more. If skin is not yet deep brown and crisp, increase heat to 500° and roast for 10 minutes more. Let rest for 30 minutes. Using a serrated knife, slice into 1/2" rounds.

Assembly:

1. Set belly skin side down. Using a knife, score the belly flesh in a checkerboard pattern 1/3" deep so roast will cook evenly.

2. Flip belly skin side up. Using a paring knife, poke dozens of 1/8"-deep holes through skin all over belly. Don't be gentle! Keep poking.

3. Using the jagged edge of a meat mallet, pound skin all over for 3 minutes to tenderize, which will help make skin crispy when roasted.

4. Turn belly and generously salt both it and loin; rub both with fennel mixture. Arrange loin down middle of belly. Top with orange slices.

5. Roll belly around loin; tie crosswise with kitchen twine at 1/2" intervals. Trim twine. Transfer roast to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.

Pizzelles

Ingredients
Original recipe makes 2 dozen

• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thick. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Sift together the flour and baking powder, and blend into the batter until smooth.

2. Heat the pizzelle iron, and brush with oil. Drop about one tablespoon of batter onto each circle on the iron. You may need to experiment with the amount of batter and baking time depending on the iron. Bake for 20 to 45 seconds, or until steam is no longer coming out of the iron. Carefully remove cookies from the iron. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

3. For chocolate pizzelles, add 1/4 cup cocoa sifted together with flour and baking powder, 1/4 cup more sugar and 1/4 teaspoon more baking powder. I find that for the chocolate mixture, the iron must be well oiled to start and then brush on more as needed.

Lemoncello Spritzer with Mint

• 4 oz lemoncello
• 3 oz sparkling wine
• 3 leaves mint

Directions:

1. Pour lemoncello over ice .

2. Next add mint and muddle briefly

3. Next pour champagne over and serve cold

4. Garnish with lemon wheel if desired