Monthly Archives: May 2015

Main Course: Vegetarian

Spinach & Parmigiano Torta

We can’t get enough of leafy greens. Spinach, broccoli raab, escarole, beet greens, Swiss chard, kale, cabbage… at least one vegetable green and leafy finds its way to our table at every meal. And while I adore these vegetables simply steamed and dressed with lemon juice and olive oil, or sauteed with garlic and chili flakes, I love incorporating them in more “dressed up” dishes like the torta below.

Essentially a souffle, this torta is baked in a pretty oven-to-table pan so it can be served all puffed up and golden straight from its cooking vessel. Denser and less airy than a classic French souffle, it is a lovely main course accompanied by green salad and crusty bread. Try using different greens as they appear at the farmers’ markets this spring; spinach, always available, is an excellent jumping off point.

spinachraw


Serves 2 as a main course

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the pan
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 pound fresh spinach, leaves only, washed thoroughly
  • 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup 2% or whole milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 large eggs, separated

spinachsouffleramekins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (preferably set on convection bake). Lightly butter an 8-inch x 4-inch oven-to-table pan (or any ovenproof pan with a 4-cup capacity). Dust the bottom with 1 tablespoon of the Parmigiano.

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of the salt and drop in the spinach. Cook 3 minutes, or until soft and silky. Drain, rinse under cool water to stop the cooking, and squeeze dry. Chop finely and set aside.

In a small but heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly with a wire whisk, until the flour loses its raw smell, about 2 minutes. Do not allow the flour and butter mixture to take on any color, so monitor the heat carefully and whisk constantly.

Quickly pour in the milk, still whisking all the while to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil and cook over medium hear 3 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Whisk in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, the pepper, the nutmeg, and 1/4 cup of the remaining Parmigiano. Now whisk in the egg yolks, beating thoroughly to avoid scrambling them in the hot milk mixture. Beat in the spinach and set aside.

eggwhites

In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, then gently fold into the spinach mixture.

spinach-souffle-filled

Pour into the buttered oven-to-table pan and dust the top with the remaining tablespoon of Parmigiano. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden, set, and puffed. Serve hot.

spinach-souffleside1200

spinachsoufflefull1200

spinachsouffle1200cut

Focaccia

Crispy Polenta & Olive Fougasse

Fougasse is a ladder-shaped bread from Provence, similar in many ways to focaccia (even the name hints at shared roots). You can make fougasse with any type of yeasted dough; pizza dough or a simple bread dough enriched with olive oil work very well. It’s all about the shaping: several slits are cut into the dough after the second rising, so the bread bakes up crispier than usual thanks to the additional exposed edges.

My favorite fougasse includes fresh herbs such as thyme or rosemary. Lately I have been adding polenta to the dough, a nod to the cornmeal doughs made in Calabria and Abruzzo, which are typically baked until quite crisp and served floating in thick vegetable soups or passed alongside savory cheeses and salumi. Adding minced black olives to the dough gives it an addictively salty bite; you can omit the olives for a sweeter, more neutral taste and lighter color.

The bulk of this dough is polenta, with just a little wheat flour to provide gluten and lift, so the fougasse bakes up crispy outside and a bit dense and cakey on the inside. It tastes like an old-fashioned bread should: hearty, rustic, and full of character.

Makes one 12-inch fougasse (serves 2 hungry people or 4 more reserved eaters)

For the dough:

  • ¾ cup stone-ground coarse polenta
  • ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra as needed
  • ¾ teaspoon instant yeast
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup pitted black olives, such as Kalamata or Gaeta, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing the bowl
  • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon warm (100°F) water, plus extra as needed

To bake:

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt

To serve:

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Make the dough: Place the cornmeal, flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the olives and olive oil, and mix again. Pour in the water, adding enough to make a soft dough that gathers around the spoon.

Add a little more water if the dough is dry or a touch of all-purpose flour if it is sticky. Turn out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for 10 minutes, or until smooth and silky and elastic. It is fine if the dough sticks a little bit to the counter; the faster you knead it, the less it will stick; and the less it sticks, the less flour you will add, resulting in a lighter fougasse once baked.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Shape into a rough ball, and turn to coat with the oil. Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature until almost doubled, about 1 hour. At this point, refrigerate the dough overnight so the dough develops a deep, sweet, complex flavor. (You can skip this step if you are in a rush, but the fougasse will taste more flat.)

A few hours before you are ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator, place it on a very lightly floured counter, and knead it a few times. Return it to the bowl and cover again with the plastic wrap.

One hour before baking, preheat the oven with a baking stone in it to 425°F (preferably set on convection bake).

Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured counter and stretch it into a 12-inch long by 6-inch wide rectangle. Transfer to a piece of parchment paper. Place the parchment paper on an upturned baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes, or until starting to puff a bit.

cornmealfocacciaoliveraw

Using scissors, cut decorative slits into the dough, creating a ladder shape. Stretch each aperture created by each slit with your fingers so there is more crust exposed.

To bake: In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil and water. Brush over the fougasse. Sprinkle with the coarse salt.

Slip the fougasse (still on the parchment paper) onto the hot baking stone, using the upturned baking sheet like a pizza paddle to push off the parchment paper. Immediately close the oven door.

Bake on the baking stone in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown all over and crispy around the edges, spraying the oven floor with ¼ cup of water 3 times during the first 10 minutes of baking.

To serve: Cool on a rack 10 minutes, brush with the olive oil, and cut into wedges before serving.

cornmeal-focaccia-with-oliv