Hi everyone :)

We just now received the recipes from our cooking class that we participated in back in September in Lucca. I thought I'd post them on here in case anyone would like to try them out! They were all very good, so enjoy!




Stuffed Zucchini Flowers


Serves 4

12 Large zucchini blossoms

10 ounces whole milk ricotta

1 egg

1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 or so tomatoes

basil


Combine the ricotta, egg, parsley, cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Using a small spoon, place the mixture into the flowers. Fill only about the bottom two thirds of the flower, then fold over to make an "envelope".

Choose a pan that can hold all the zucchini blossoms with not a lot of space left over. Line the pan with parchment paper, then sprinkle one-half the chopped tomatoes on the paper. Place the flowers on the bed of the tomatoes. Sprinkle the rest of the tomatoes and the chopped basil over the top of the flowers.

Heat under a broiler until barely warmed through but not wilted. Serve immediately.





Grilled Eggplant

Cut medium size eggplant about 1/3" to 1/2" thick. Grill until nicely tan on both sides. Do nothing more to the eggplant.

Spread out on platter.

Dice fresh tomatoes and basil. Sprinkle over the eggplant. Then sprinkle the whole dish with olive oil, salt and pepper.





Fried Sage


A quantity of large-leaved sage

Flour

Salt

Beer

Sunflower oil



Make a batter of flour, salt and beer of a light consistency. You'll want to test this a few times to get the results you prefer.

Heat about 1 inch of sunflower oil in a skillet. Dredge the sage leaves in the batter and place in oil. Fry until they are a light tan color. It will be necessary to experiment with your sage variety and conditions. Drain on paper towels. Serve as soon as they can be handled.





Parmegiano Baskets


Heat the broiler of your oven to its highest degree. Finely grate a wedge of parmigiano. Spread parchment paper over an oven rack. Take a handful of the grated cheese and spread in about a 5" circle on the parchment paper. Place the rack in the oven as close as possible to the broiler unit. Leave in for three minutes or so and then check.

When ready, the circle should be evenly brown all around the edges. The middle can be a bit wet but should be melted. When it looks ready, remove form the oven and fan to cool. Working quickly, carefully loosen the edges from the parchment paper and place the cicle in a small cup with high sides. Fill the cavity with a paper towel so the parmagiano basket will keep its shape. the paper towel will also serve to remove some of the excess oil from the cheese to make it more crisp.

In the beginning you may need to make several trials to see how your broiler works with the cheese and to get some practice.

Fill the basket with a small salad or vegetables.





Gnocchi with Four Cheeses

Gnocchi

Boil one large boiling potato per person. In the US, an Idaho potato will work, a potato that is meant to be boiled. Do not overcook, the potatoes should stay whole and the skin should not break or slip off. As soon as they are done, drain the potatoes and place in a large bowl. pierce each potato with a fork and use a knife to remove the skin. Mach really well.

Start with about 1 1/4 cups white flour per pound of potatoes. TO begin, add about one-third of the flour to the mashed potatoes, then as it becomes incorporated, add more flour. Work it as you would bread dough, but gently. If it remains to sticky add a bit of flour. The dough needs to be very pliable and soft but not sticky. DO not overwork the dough; as soon as it seems right, stop working it and start rolling it out.

Tear off a bit and roll it out in a long roll about 1/2" to 1/4" thick. Using a knife, cut the roll into pieces about 1/2" thick. As you are working place the gnocchi pieces on a platter sprinkled lightly with flour so they don't stick together.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, Add about two teaspoons of course ground salt. Place the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling water. They will immediately sink to the bottom but within seconds will start rising to the top. Let them continue to cook for about a minute and then skim them out of the pot with a large flat sieve.

Sauce

Start with equal parts fontina cheese, gorgonzola and emmenthalter. At very low heat, melt with 1/2 cup cream, stirring occasionally to assure the cheese is not burning or sticking. Last, add in some parmegiano.

Pour some sauce into the bottom of a casserole to cover the bottom lightly. Then pour in the gnocchi. Cover with the rest of the sauce and heat in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until a fair amount of the gnocchi has some brown crusty bits on top.





Involtini -Emanuela's Topini


One veal or turkey scallopine per person

1 slice of proscuitto crudo per person

1 small slice of very thinly sliced emmenthalter-type cheese per person

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

6 tablespoons of olive oil

1 bay leaf per person

1 small onion, thinly sliced

2 celery stalks, chopped finely

1 medium carrot, chopped finely

1 glass of white wine

delicate vegetable stock



As your butcher to slice a veal roast as thin as possible for scallopine; alternatively you can usually find it in a good supermarket. Sprinkle each scallopine with salt and pepper and place a slice of proscuitto on top. Scatter parsley and rosemary on top of proscuitto. Roll the meet into spirals, lay the bay leaf where the meet ends and secure with toothpicks.

Heat half of the olive oil in a cast-iron or equivalent small frying pan or casserole and saute the onions, carrots and celery until soft. Pour the glass of wine, let it come to a boil then reduce to a simmer and let it reduce while you cook the involtini.




Green beans and tomatoes


1 1/2 pounds of green beans

1/2 cup olive oil

2 large onions, finely sliced

4-6 garlic cloves, finely sliced

1 tablespoon thyme leaves

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 ripe tomatoes diced

Salt and pepper



Sauté onions with garlic in olive oil, until soft, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add thyme, tomatoes and cinnamon and stir fry until tomatoes have softened.

Add beans and sauté briefly. Cover with hot water, add salt and pepper to taste, and simmer until the beans are tender, about 10-15 minutes, until the water is reduced and the oil has surfaced to the top. Kept at a low simmer, these beans will retain their crispiness and flavor for some time; in other words it doesn't have to be done at the last minute.





Tiramisu


8 egg yolks and 5 egg whites

8 tablespoons of sugar

750 grams of mascarpone cheese

600 ml strong coffee

Ladyfingers, spongefingers, or similar. In the US the best cookie to use is called Savoyard

Unsweetened cocoa powder, the best you can find

Good quality dark chocolate



Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until fairly stiff peaks form. Combine the yolks and sugar, and beat until creamy and well blended. By hand, incorporate the mascarpone, a spoonful at a time. Then fold in the egg whites. Let sit for a minute or two. Then get a very strong person to beat with a spatula for about two minutes until it becomes fluffy and full. Briefly dip the biscuits on both sides into the coffee and arrange in a radial pattern in the bottom of a large shallow serving dish. Spoon the mascarpone mix over the biscuits, and lightly dust with cocoa. Repeat for another layer. Place the cocoa in a strainer and shake evenly over the mascarpone. You can also use a peeler to make curls of dark chocolate over it.

Chill for a few hours, and serve.