Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [28]
APPETIZERS
Cold Appetizers
Crostini Bianchi—Ricotta and Anchovy Canapés
For 28 canapés
½ pound fresh ricotta
1 tablespoon butter, softened to room temperature
8 flat anchovy fillets (preferably the ones prepared at home)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
7 slices good-quality, firm white toasting bread
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. If the ricotta is very moist, wrap it in cheesecloth, and hang it to drain over a sink or bowl for about 30 minutes. Put the ricotta and all the other ingredients, except for the bread, into the food processor, and chop to a creamy consistency.
3. Spread the bread out on a cookie sheet and bake in the preheated oven for a few minutes until it is toasted to a light gold.
4. Trim the bread slices of all the crust, cut each one in half, and then in half again, producing 4 squares from every slice. Spread the ricotta and anchovy cream over the bread and serve.
Ahead-of-time note You can prepare the crostini 2 or 3 hours in advance. Spread the ricotta and anchovy cream over the bread just before serving.
Hard-Boiled Eggs with Green Sauce
A SAVORY, attractive way to serve hard-boiled eggs whose yolks, after cooking, are blended with a piquant green sauce.
For 6 servings
6 extra-large eggs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ tablespoon chopped capers, soaked and rinsed if packed in salt, drained if in vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
3 flat anchovy fillets (preferably the ones prepared at home), chopped very fine
¼ teaspoon chopped garlic
¼ teaspoon English or Dijon-style mustard
Salt
A sweet red bell pepper, diced not too fine
1. Put the eggs in cold water and bring to a boil. Cook at a slow boil for 10 minutes, then remove the eggs from the water and set aside to cool.
2. When cool, shell the eggs and cut them in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the yolks, taking care to leave the whites intact, and set aside the whites.
3. Put the yolks, olive oil, capers, parsley, anchovies, garlic, mustard, and a tiny pinch of salt in a bowl and, with a fork, mash all the ingredients into a creamy, uniform mixture. (If doing a large quantity for a party, you may want to blend them in a food processor.)
4. Divide the mixture into 12 equal parts and spoon into the cavities of the empty egg whites. Top with cubes of the diced red pepper.
Roasted Peppers and Anchovies
HERE, roasted peppers and anchovies steep together in olive oil, achieving a powerfully appetizing exchange of flavors: The peppers acquire spiciness while sharing their sweetness with the anchovies. The dish is most successful with the mellow anchovies one fillets and puts up in oil at home.
For 8 or more servings
8 sweet red and/or yellow bell peppers
4 garlic cloves
16 large anchovy fillets (preferably the ones prepared at home)
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
Oregano
3 tablespoons capers, soaked and rinsed if packed in salt, drained if packed in vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1. Roasting the peppers: The most delicious flavor and firmest consistency are attained when peppers are roasted over an open flame. It can be done on a charcoal-fired grill, in the broiler of an oven, or directly over the burner of a gas stove. The last is a very satisfactory method: The peppers can rest directly over the gas or, if you have one, on one of those grills or metal screens that are made specifically for cooking over gas burners. Whichever way you do them, roast the peppers until the skin is blackened on one side, then turn them with tongs until the skin is charred all over. Cook them as briefly as possible to keep the flesh firm. When done, put them in a plastic bag, twisting it tightly shut. As soon as they are cool enough to handle comfortably, remove the peppers from the bag and pull off the charred peel with your fingers.
2. Cut the peeled peppers lengthwise into broad strips about 2 inches wide. Discard