Funky Cabbage Flowers - Lumaconi al Forno con Cavolfiore

If you have been following this blog for any length of time, you are probably aware of just how much of a cheese head I am.  In fact I have never met a cheese that I didn't like.

Then again, there are 2 cheeses that I do not consider to be cheeses.  One is the so called "American Cheese".  While I will admit that it does have it's uses in some, though very few, culinary pursuits, I find the fact that it is often labeled as "Processed Cheese Food Product" to be extremely disturbing.  The other is the Brunost/Mesost/Mysuostur/Myseost (Brown cheese), usually sold under the red Ski Queen label as Gjetost.  (yay-toast)  This is a "whey cheese", like ricotta. Unlike ricotta, however, this whey is cooked down until all the milk proteins caramelize.  It's similar to what happens when you cook sweetened condensed milk to make dulce de leche.  This gives it a really sweet flavor and a texture kind of like cold peanut butter.  Eww!  Sorry, this "cheese" does not speak to my Scandinavian roots. Nope, not a bit.

Bring on the funk!

It's true, I like my cheeses funky.  The funkier the better.  Seriously.  Good cheese should take you to Funky Town, otherwise you are wasting your time.  Look at Parmigiano-Reggiano.  There is a reason people refer to it as stinky cheese.  YET, it is of such paramount importance in SO many dishes that it has been dubbed the "Undisputed King of Cheeses".  Then there is Brie, the Queen.  Somewhat more subtle, but she don't smell like roses either.  There is definitely a slight ammonia odor to Brie and to a larger extent Camembert.  Roquefort....  Really goes without saying.  Limburger?  I actually LIKE Limburger, 1950's cartoon tropes aside, spread on Rye with Brown Mustard and Onion.  YUM! 

Needless to say, I was all kinds of excited when I saw Food & Wine's Taleggio and Cauliflower Mac & Cheese.  I am all about Cauliflower; especially in pasta dishes.  I have to admit that it smells funny when you are boiling or steaming it, but the flavor is always so delicate.  Taleggio is the same way, it's a pungent smelling cheese with a decidedly delicate flavor.  It's a washed rind cheese made from autumn and winter milk, after the cows have been brought down from the high pastures in the mountains.  Think of it as an Italian version of Brie or Camembert, in a way.  As it ages, it becomes softer on the inside, to the point of becoming gooey.  I was intrigued with the idea of this funky couple gettin' down with some baked pasta.  Taleggio is an EXCELLENT melting cheese.

Besides, I can always use another excuse to eat Taleggio, aside from consuming it with fresh peaches.  LOL

Taleggio & Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

(adapted from Food & Wine)
1 Cauliflower, cut into florets
1 TB Butter
3 Tb Olive Oil
1 large Shallot, finely chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 tsp Rosemary, minced
Black Pepper
4 oz White Wine
12 oz Heavy Cream
6 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
8 oz Taleggio, remove rind and cube
1 lb Lumaconi or Conchiglioni (go with the shells)
4 Tb Panko

Preheat the oven to 450F degrees and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Meanwhile, break down the cauliflower into 1 inch florets.

Remove the rind from the Taleggio.

Cut into 1/2 inch chunks.

Cook the Cauliflower in the boiling water for about 5 minutes.

Move to cold water to stop cooking, then drain and let dry slightly.

Melt Butter with Olive oil in a large saute pan.

Add the Shallot and saute for 3 minutes.

Add Garlic & Rosemary, sauteing for 1-2 minutes more.
Add Cauliflower and cook for about 8 minutes, until it begins to brown.

Add White wine and cook until evaporated.

Remove the pan from the flame and add the Heavy Cream along with 4 oz of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, then stir to combine.

Add the chunks of Taleggio and stir. (The sauce will thicken as the Taleggio melts and pulls everything together)

Let the sauce cool while you boil the pasta.

Drain well.

Return to the pot.

Pour the unctuous Cauliflower & Taleggio sauce over the pasta.

Toss to coat well.

Spoon 1/2 of the pasta to a 13x9 inch baking dish and sprinkle with 2 TB of the Panko.

Spoon the remaining pasta over the top and sprinkle with the remaining 2 TB Panko.

Top with the remaining 2 TB Panko and 2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Bake for 15-20 minutes (until it begins to bubble and brown)

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

MMMMMM  Creamy, Crunchy, Cheesy, Cauliflowery goodness.  Smellin' kinda funky, but tasting divine!

How funky is your Mac & Cheese?

Mangia!!
~~

The Great Snail Caper - Lumaconi con Cipolle Caramellate

It's been awhile since I have posted anything.... Partially due to being sick, but mostly because I have been so far behind on "stuff", that I have been playing catch up. Things like my poor neglected GT Cruiser which now has new Shocks and Struts (yeah, that was a pain in the butt), new Rotors and Ceramic pads as well as, FINALLY, a bumper and grille that are all in one piece.

The whole front end has been a mass of zip ties and prayers since some "stoopid head" in Torrence, CA backed into my poor little parked Cruiser and then took off like a bat out of hell, before I could get his/her license number. And, of course, my "full" coverage wasn't as "full" as it should have been, at least not in California... So I did it myself along with a little help from eBay and a very talented auto painter that my brother knows. So, now my "Trash" mobile, doesn't look so trashy anymore. (it still needs new fog lights, because the housings were broken, but I am still waiting on the parts; again, off ebay) LOL

Then there was the B-52's concert (which was completely, totally and utterly AWESOME!) and my cousin's wedding reception in Husum, WA... So I have been a little busy and not really eating all that well over the last couple weeks; which was probably part of how I got sick to begin with. But I am taking my diet back into my own hands. So without further babbling, here is "yet another" of my favorite Pasta dishes. LOL

One word of warning about this dish, cause I learned this the hard way, do not attempt using sweet onions, such as Walla Walla or Maui; they will be over-powered by the capers. You really need the pungency of good old White or Brown onions. This will work well with Trenne (TRAY-nay) also, though this triangular tube shape, as opposed to Penne which is a round tube shape, is kind of hard to find, so I usually opt for Lumaconi (Snail shells), but I have used Penne on multiple occasions.

Lumaconi with Caramelized Onions and Capers

1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 large White or Brown Onions, Sliced thin
Zest of 1 Lemon
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 cup Chicken or Vegetable Stock
16 oz Lumaconi, Penne or Trenne
2 TB Capers, rinsed
1/4 cup Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, minced
Kosher Salt
Cracked Black Pepper
1 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, Grated

Slice onions thinly (very thinly, they will caramelize faster)

And don't forget to drain and rinse the capers or they will be too strong.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium flame.

Add onions and saute until they begin to turn golden.

Reduce heat and continue to cook until deep brown and caramelized. (about 15-20 minutes)

Add Lemon Zest and Garlic, and cook 2 minutes more.

Deglaze the pan with Lemon juice, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

Add Stock and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, to reduce slightly.

Drop the Lumaconi into salted boiling water and cook about 12 minutes.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water, just in case.

Place pasta in a warm bowl

and add the onion mixture, tossing to incorporate the two.

Add Capers, Salt, Pepper and Parsley, then toss again.

The awesome part about using Lumaconi, is that during the tossing, some of the capers will hide inside the pasta, so while you are enjoying your caramelized onion sauce, occasionally you will get a surprise burst of caper.

Sprinkle with shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano and toss a couple times.

Serve immediately with more grated Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table.

MMMMMM; All carameled onion-y and Lemony with the bite of the occasional caper...

Mangia!!
~~

Stuffed Angry Snails - Chicken & Artichoke Stuffed Lumaconi al'Arrabbiata

OK, I know I have eaten some odd things, but rest assured this is not about escargot. I mean, I love escargot and all, but it's not something I would try to prepare at home, since I would have to buy canned snails... Yeah, No.

This post is about Lumaconi. A delightful stuffable pasta shaped like a snail shell, thus the name... Lumaca is Snail Shell in Italian. And here you thought there were only the Jumbo Shells (Conchiglioni - con-kee-lee-OWN-ee).

I actually prefer Lumaconi for stuffing as I seem to loose fewer while par-boiling than I do when using Conchiglioni. I think they actually hold more as well... I can normally put down about 4 Jumbo Shells, but only 2 Lumaconi. Alas, Lumaconi seem to be difficult to find, although I DID find them, several months ago... and of all places, at Cost Plus World Market... I know, Right? Go Figya...

So I decided that is was finally time to use them, even though stuffed pasta, at least to me, is more of a cold weather type dish, especially with as hot as it has been in San Diego. Why now? OK, Confession time... I am about to embark upon a life change... I am moving back to Portland, Oregon and as a result, I am doing my darnedest to get my pantry and freezer cleared out of all but the bare essentials, because pretty much everything is going into storage. Down here... in SD... for at least 4 months... Yeah... SO... Pantry cleaning time....!!!!!!

I modified the Turkey and Artichoke stuffing recipe that I normally use with Arrabbiata Sauce, which means Angry in Italian... opting for Chicken Thighs, but I put a twist on it. I have Turkey stock in my freezer that I had made after Thanksgiving. I froze it in ice cube trays and stored it in ziplock bags. I decided to treat the chicken the same way I would if I was making Chipotle Pulled Chicken, but simmering in Turkey stock to deepen the flavor, which I then added to the pasta water for another flavor boost. After all, I didn't want to just cook the chicken and dump the stock, that would be wasteful. Especially since it had some chicken flavor too after the cooking. I have to admit, that it did give the pasta a little extra something... (I always chow down on the pasta that breaks)

Lumaconi con Pollame y Carciofo all'Arrabbiata

or - Stuffed Angry Snails (with Chicken and Artichokes)...

For Stuffing:
1 LB Chicken Thighs
3 cups Turkey Stock
2 springs of Thyme or Rosemary or a combination of the two
3 TB Olive Oil
1 small Onion, Chopped
3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt, plus for sautéed meat
1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper, Plus for sautéed meat
1-12oz pkg Frozen Artichoke Hearts, Coarse chopped
15 oz Ricotta
3 oz Grated Pecorino Romano
2 lightly beaten Eggs
1/4 cup Basil, Chopped
2 TB Italian parsley, Chopped
24 Lumaconi (Although you will probably need to boil about 1 lb) - Par-boiled for about 5-6 minutes

Arrabbiata Sauce:
3 oz Pancetta, Diced
1 Clove of Garlic, Minced
5 cups of Slow Cooked Tomato Sauce (recipe still forthcoming, I am not out of it yet)
1 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
2 tsp Porcini Powder
1 TB Olive Oil

Topping:
4 oz Pecorino Romano (Although you can use a dry mozzarella)
plus extra Pecorino Romano for serving

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat.
Simmer chicken in Turkey Stock with the thyme until cooked. (about 15 minutes)

Move chicken to a Stand mixer (this makes it faster) and allow to cool.

Add the Hot Stock to the pasta water.

Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat and Saute onion and Garlic until onion is translucent and garlic begins to brown.

Add artichoke hearts and stir to combine, heating through; then remove from the heat.

Shred the chicken in the mixer. (only takes a couple minutes)

and add to the pan stirring to combine.

Heat olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat.
Add Pancetta and sauté until golden, then add Garlic and sauté for about 1-2 minutes longer.

Add Slow cooked tomato sauce and red pepper flakes.

Toss in the Porcini Powder. (This will not only deepen the sauce flavor, but provide a littel thickening power too)

Bring Sauce to a simmer for about 10 minutes.

The Pasta Water/stock should be boiling by now, so salt water liberally and drop lumaconi.
Cook Pasta for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking while the Arrabbiata is simmering

Remove the Arrabbiata from heat and cool until ready for use.

Pasta should be done, drain and move whole shells to a piece of wax paper to cool until able to handle.

Even Lumaconi can rip and tear while boiling... but I only lost 3, I usually loose about 10 of the Conchiglioni.

Combine the poultry mixture in a large bowl with Ricotta, Pecorino, Eggs, Basil, Parsley, Salt and pepper.

Stir well and place in a pastry bag, without a tip. (it just makes it easier).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grab a 9x13 baking dish.
Take a Lumacone in your palm, and fill with the meat/cheese mixture. (about 2 TB)

Pour 3/4 cup Arrabbiata sauce into baking dish to coat the bottom.

Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish and continue stuffing more shells until dish is full.

Cover stuffed shells with remaining Arrabbiata sauce

and sprinkle with Grated Pecorino Romano.

Bake in oven for about 30 minutes – The cheese will begin to melt and some of it will brown.

Serve with more Pecorino Romano sprinkled on top and Enjoy!!!

And now, I am just as stuffed as the Lumaconi and moving at about the speed of a snail myself. But I am not angry, on the contrary, I am happy as a clam. LOL

Mangia!!
~~