Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [244]
For 6 servings
3 pounds small white boiling onions
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
2½. tablespoons good-quality wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil, drop in the onions, count to 15, then drain them. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, pull off the outside skin, detach any roots, and cut a cross into the butt end. Do not peel off any of the layers, do not trim the tops, handle the onions as little as possible so that they will remain compact and hold together during their long cooking.
2. Choose a saute pan that can contain all the onions snugly, but without overlapping. Put in the onions, butter, enough water to come no more than 1 inch up the sides of the pan, and turn the heat on to medium. Turn the onions from time to time as they cook, adding 2 tablespoons of water whenever the liquid in the pan becomes insufficient.
3. In 20 minutes or so, when the onions begin to soften, add the vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper, give the onions one or two complete turns, and turn the heat down to low. Continue to cook for 1 hour or more, adding a tablespoon or two of water whenever it becomes necessary. Turn the onions from time to time. They are done when they become colored a rich, dark, golden brown all over, and are easily pierced when prodded with a fork. Serve promptly with all the pan juices.
Ahead-of-time note Although the onions taste their best when cooked just before serving, they can be completely done several hours in advance. Reheat over slow heat adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of water if needed.
Sautéed Early Peas with Olive Oil and Prosciutto, Florentine Style
For 4 to 6 servings
2 pounds unshelled fresh, young peas OR 1 ten-ounce package frozen tiny peas, thawed
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons prosciutto OR for a less salty taste, pancetta, diced into ¼-inch cubes
2 tablespoons parsley chopped very fine
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
Salt
1. If using fresh peas: Shell them, and prepare some of the pods for cooking by stripping away their inner membrane, as described. Try to do about 1 cup of pods.
If using frozen peas: Proceed to the next step.
2. Put the garlic and the olive oil in a saute pan, and turn on the heat to medium high. Cook and stir the garlic until it has become colored a light nut-brown, then take it out, and add the diced prosciutto or pancetta. Stir quickly 5 or 6 times, then put in the fresh peas with their stripped-down pods or the thawed frozen peas, and turn them over completely once or twice to coat well. Add the parsley and a few grindings of pepper, and, if you are using fresh peas, ¼ cup water. Turn the heat down to medium and put a lid on the pan. If using frozen peas, cook for 5 minutes.
If using fresh peas, it may take from 15 to 30 minutes, depending entirely on their youth and freshness. If the liquid in the pan becomes insufficient, replenish with 1 or 2 tablespoons water as needed. When the peas are done, there should be no water left in the pan. Should the pan juices be watery when the peas are cooked, uncover, turn up the heat, and simmer them away.
Taste and correct for salt, stir well, then turn the entire contents of the pan onto a warm platter and serve at once.
Mashed Potatoes with Milk and Parmesan Cheese, Bolognese Style
For 4 to 6 servings
1 pound round, waxy, old boiling potatoes
A double boiler
3 tablespoons butter, cut up small
¼ cup milk or more if needed
⅓ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Salt
Whole nutmeg
1. Put the unpeeled potatoes in a large saucepan, add enough water to cover amply, put a lid on the pot, bring to a moderate boil, and cook until the potatoes feel tender when prodded with a fork. Refrain from puncturing them too often, or