I'd love to have the recipes for Ann and Scott's fabu orzo with Gruyere (the recipe in the kitchen accidentally got thrown away ) and Marcy and Pete's awesome mushroom pie.

Thanks!

mmm Palma posted her caramel toffee cheesecake recipe on her blog today!

I posted my Apple Gorgonzola Salad recipe on my blog today too.

Apple Gorgonzola Salad

Nancy

Thanks, Nancy -- your salad was delicious!

I don't usually care much for spinach salad, but a healthy serving of your apple salad on top of the spinach made it just right.

We're working on it! Can you remind me what the copyright rules are for posting recipes? As long as I give the source it's ok? The mushroom tart was from Joyce Goldstein's book "Enoteca." I've been trying to find it online but so far no luck. If I can't find it I'll type 'er up!

Pete is almost done with his recipe for the lasagna....

Ok folks, I have Pete's lasagna recipe. It is lengthy! But bear in mind it could be simplified...

Lasagne dei Vincisgrassi del Paso Robles, 2009
Adapted from “Italian Festival Food” (Anne Bianchi, 1999, pp 140-141 – the base recipe) with input from “Bugialli on Pasta” (Guiliano Bugialli, 1988, pp 126-127 – the assembly of stuffed lasagne) and years of experimentation of making fresh pasta at home and what varieties of cheeses to use for creamy perfection in pasta sauces.

History of Vincisgrassi (from Italian Festival Food):
“EACH YEAR ON THE SECOND SUNDAY IN FEBRUARY, CAGLI, IN CENTRAL MARCHE, holds its Sagra dell Vincisgrassi, paying tribute to one of the region’s most characteristic foods. Vincisgrassi’s origin can be traced back to an Austrian general, the Prince of Windisch-Graetz, who came to Le Marche during the Napoleonic Wars and brought with him the chef credited with this complex stuffed lasagne. While this may seem daunting, keep in mind that this dish is just as wonderful (if not better) the next day and that made in large quantities, it freezes particularly well.”

Two interpretations of the name: first, a conventional interpretation is that Vincisgrassi is an Italianization of the name of the Austrian general (mentioned above): Windish-Graetz. Second, what I first saw in the name was a more literal translation of the halves “vinci” and “grassi” which could translate as “Fat wins” or “Fat winners” – both of these make sense with the amount of butter, cheese, and rich meats in the dish.

RAGÙ SAUCE
1 stick unsalted butter
3 thick slices of thick tasty bacon, diced
1 large yellow onion, minced
2-3 shallots, minced
3-4 organic carrots, diced
1/2 lb chicken livers, cleaned and diced
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup meat broth (I make it fresh with roasting the bones and veggies before boiling)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 lb ground veal
1/3 lb ground beef
1/3 lb ground pork
2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 1 cup warm water for ~20 minutes, drained, and diced; filter the soak water and add to the sauce
~1 lb chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and dry sautéed until non-slimy
~1 cup whole goat milk
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

PASTA
2 cups unbleached flour
2 cups semolina
5 large free-range eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten
2-3 tablespoons warm water

BLACK CHANTERELLE BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
1 stick butter
1/2 cup unbleached flour
Salt to taste
4 cups whole goat milk
~1/4 cup dried black chanterelles, chopped finely then pulverized with sea salt in mortar and pestle

Large pot of salted water for cooking the pasta
1-2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Large bowl with cold water and ice to cool lasagne noodles

1/2-1 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano
1 lb Miti Crema (Spanish sheep cheese sort of like a cross between goat cheese and fresh ricotta – I found it at the Cheese Board in Berkeley)
~1/2 cup Ricotta salata, grated
2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter (very soft for the pan and spreading on top of the lasagna)

MAKE THE RAGÙ SAUCE (can be made 1-2 days ahead or ahead and frozen):
1 - Heat the butter in a skillet over low heat and sauté the diced bacon and onion for 8 minutes to render the pork fat. Add the carrot and chicken livers; sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring. Add wine and cook until it evaporates, ~ 4 minutes. Add tomato paste, broth, and porcini water to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and cook for 1 1/2 hours, adding water if needed.

2 - After 1 1/2 hours, stir in the veal, beef, pork, mushrooms, milk, and cinnamon. Cover and cook for another 30-60 minutes.

MAKE THE BÉCHAMEL (can be made 1-2 days ahead):
3 – Heat the butter in a skillet over low heat. Whisk in the flour and a pinch of salt. Pour in the goat milk, whisking (mostly) constantly for 10 to 15 minutes, or until sauce is smooth. Remove from heat, stir in the black chanterelles and nutmeg. The flavor will develop over time to a much richer mushroom flavor (and darker color). Refrigerate until ready to assemble – heat gently before lasagne assembly.

MAKE THE PASTA:
4 - To make the pasta, first it helps to have all ingredients at room temperature or a little warmer. Mix the flour and semolina and heap on a work surface and make a well in the center. Add the eggs to the well and using a fork, begin beating the egg mixture, incorporating a little of the flour each time and adding water as needed to create a smooth, elastic dough; some flour may remain. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and not sticky (adding a little water or flour as necessary). Wrap in plastic and let dough rest for 30 minutes - 1 hour.

5 - Roll pasta to not quite the thinnest setting in a pasta machine (this is 2 on my machine), roll the dough into sheets and cut into 3-inch-wide strips the about the length of your lasagne pan. Dry the strips on a floured surface for ~20 minutes. Chances are pretty good that this is way too much pasta for only one lasagne, but why risk it? The rest can be made into tagliatelle or dried in sheets for the next lasagne.

COOK THE PASTA AND ASSEMBLE THE LASAGNE:
6 - Bring water to a boil, add salt and 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Add pasta strips, 6-8 at a time, and cook briefly. When they float to the surface (~1 minute), remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl of cold water. Stir to prevent self sticking and try and lay each noodle flat in the bowl for ease of assembly.

7 - Butter your chosen lasagne pan. Remove several pasta strips from the water, run pasta between your fingers to remove the excess water and arrange in one layer across the bottom of the pan and drape over the edge. Cover with your preferred amount of ragù sauce and béchamel (I used about a 2:1 ratio of meat sauce to béchamel), spreading both over the layer of pasta. Sprinkle with each of the three cheeses, and repeat the layering until all ingredients have been used. Add a top layer of pasta and fold over draped pasta over the top. Spread the top layer with sauce, béchamel, Miti Crema, and dots of butter. Wrap in foil and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight before baking.

8 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove the foil and bake lasagne for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crusty. Meanwhile, heat the reserved sauce. Cut the Iasagne into wedges, drizzle with the sauce, and serve hot. Or, bake, cool, and reheat (as for the Paso Robles smack-down).

9 – Enjoy, experiment, and share your variations with the group! (And take any step from adding pulverized black chanterelles to the béchamel to the making of the pasta by hand with a grain of salt – this recipe did take a while to put together).

quote:

copyright rules are for posting recipes? As long as I give the source it's ok?

Marcy,
That seems to be what's acceptable here.

I forgot about Pete's lasagna's name (vincigrassi) - it sure was a winner for him, wasn't it?

Great Colleen, thanks!

Pete scanned the mushroom tart recipe for me at work so will post it soon.

I made Lou's chili dip tonight and it was a huge hit. People were scooping it up with their hands when my back was turned.

OMG, Luisa's dip! I am trying to reconstruct it in my mind, Jerry what did you do?

I know it involves cream cheese and a few cans.

This is the recipe that she PMd me . . . It has 'YUM" written all over it.

Mexican Chili Dip

1 8-oz pkg of cream cheese, softened
1 15 oz. can Hormel Chili without beans
1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies
1/2 of a 4 oz. can chopped jalapenos
3/4 cup each shredded Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese

Spread the softened cream cheese on the bottom
of a pie plate, then spread the Hormel chili on top of that. Sprinkle the chilies and jalapenos on top of the chili. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over top. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts. Serve warm with Frito Lay "Scoops".

Went really nice with a corona!

Here is the recipe for the the mushroom and cheese tart I made for Saturday night. I used a variety of fresh mushrooms and also dried porcini. I also used goat's milk for the bechamel sauce, which worked great. I've also used rice milk with great success.

This is from Joyce Goldstein's book "Enoteca":


CHEESE AND MUSHROOM TART
Serves 6 to 8
PASTRY:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
About 2 tablespoons ice water
FilLING:
6 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk, heated
1/2 pound fresh porcini mushrooms, sliced (see note)
2 whole eggs, separated, plus 2 egg whites
1 3/4 cups grated cheese such as Gruyere, Fontina, or grana, or a mixture
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg

To make the pastry, stir together the flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg and enough ice water for the dough to come together into a rough ball. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 1 hour.
Select a lO-inch pie pan or fluted tart pan with a removable bottom or a 9-inch springform pan.

On a lightly floured work surface, rollout the pastry into a 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Carefully transfer the dough round to the pan and ease it into the bottom and sides. Fold the edges under and crimp attractively. Set aside in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to fill and bake.

Preheat the oven to 375°F

To make the filling, first make a rich cream sauce, or hesciamella: Melt the 6 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring. until it is well incorporated, about 3 minutes. Slowly stir in the hot milk and cook, stirring often, until quite thick and the flour has lost all of its raw taste, about 8 minutes.
Remove from the heat and set aside.

Melt the 1/4 cup butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender and the liquid evaporates, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer to a cutting board, and chop coarsely. Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks until blended, then fold into the cream sauce along with the cheese and the mushrooms. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture. Pour into the prepared pastry shell.

Bake the tart until golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan sides and slide the tart onto a serving plate, or leave in the pie pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: Fresh porcini are traditionally used. but you can substitute cultivated mushrooms for them. To give these blander mushrooms a bigger flavor, soak a small handful of dried porcini mushrooms (about 1/2 ounce) in hot water to soften. After 30 minutes, drain them, reserving the soaking liquid, chop coarsely, and add to the pan with the fresh mushrooms. Strain the soaking liquid through a cheesecloth-lined sieve and add to the eggs.

Marcy,
Thanks so much for the mushroom tart recipe. It was oh-so-good! I look forward to making it soon - maybe next weekend.