Sfincione 2.0

March 16, 2021 by Philip Buccellato in sicily, pizza

An updated sfincione recipe with a few small tweaks. I find this version to be superior than it’s predecessor in a few key ways. The onions are finely diced (after sauteing) so they melt in your mouth. I add more sauce in this version giving it a sweeter, saucier bite. And I’ve added two layers of grated cheese which melds it all together.

Ingredients:

2 large onions

1 x 16 oz can of high quality tomatoes - crushed

Grated pecorino or caciocavallo

Anchovy fillets mashed into small pieces to taste

Dried oregano to taste

High quality olive oil

Toasted breadcrumbs preferably coarse and unseasoned

Salt and pepper

Pizza dough (see recipe here)

Directions:

Oil a rectangular pizza pan liberally. Spread the dough out with your fingers so that it covers the bottom evenly. Press into the dough to ensure you’re spreading it evenly across the pan. Allow it to relax a little if it’s pulling back into the center. Cover with a cloth and allow it to rest while you prepare the other ingredients.

Finely dice 2 yellow onions. Saute onions in olive oil on medium heat until golden and soft. Allow to cool down. Now mince the onions down even further so it almost forms a paste like consistency.

Using a spoon or your fingers, sprinkle the mashed anchovies across the surface of the dough, massaging them into the dough. Drizzle some more olive oil over the surface. Sprinkle on a layer of dried oregano evenly across the surface. Add a layer of grated cheese evenly across the surface.

Ladle on the crushed tomatoes evenly across the entire surface. Be generous here.

Add another layer of cheese evenly on top of the tomatoes. Spoon on the onion mixture and spread out evenly across the entire surface. Make sure it completely covers the surface.

Sprinkle on a layer of breadcrumbs, and work into the onions mixture with a spatula or your fingers. Drizzle the entire thing with some more olive oil.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes, checking periodically. As it bakes the edges will crisp and the onions and breadcrumbs will be a beautiful golden brown.

Brodo en Tortellini

February 19, 2021 by Philip Buccellato in pasta

Sometimes it takes the mind of a child to trigger something unexpected. Last week I set up my 4 year old with some leftover pasta dough and an assortment of kitchen tools to buy myself a little quiet. He took a big hunk of the dough and made a little bowl and said something to the effect of "Let's put soup inside this." It got me thinking about soup dumplings, how much I miss eating them and what the Italian equivalent would be. There's canederli en brodo, passatelli, and of course the iconic tortellini en brodo - but nothing that was really close to the experience of eating a soup dumpling. All of them were in fact the opposite of what I was thinking. Dumplings or noodles floating in broth, not the other way around. Would it be possible to create without the aid of fancy molecular gastronomy tools? Would they be steamed like a traditional Xiao long bao or boiled as you would pasta? Would all the brodo leak out? Would they even be any good? If done properly I couldn't think of any reason why they wouldn't be, so I was determined to see if it was possible. A few days later, after several iterations on the method, I had it. Brodo en tortellini. A rich bone broth, simmered hard for 10+ hours, topped off with hunks of parmesan and grated nutmeg, chilled until it sets into a gelatinous form, carefully spooned into a thin square of pasta dough, wrapped up into a tortelli, sealed with an egg wash to prevent leaks, simmered in a shallow water bath until the pasta is perfectly cooked and the brodo is liquified, drained and drizzled with some high quality extra virgin olive oil, kissed by a turn of black pepper and finished with freshly grated parmesan.

I'm committing multiple crimes against tradition here, but I must say these are pretty fun. As you bite into each tortelli you get an explosion of brodo in your mouth. I kept this recipe super simple to create a baseline but I think there are all sorts of ways you could riff on this, between the nuances of the brodo, and how you finish it all off. The video includes multiple iterations of the process (condensed together into one timeline) with the final product at the end using 100% duck egg yolks instead of whole chicken eggs (which is what you'll see on screen). I also gradually pushed the sfoglia a few notches thinner once I found the egg wash did a good job sealing the brodo inside. The goal was a pasta delicate enough so it pops in your mouth like a delicious water balloon.

Credit to @jakehow for the cute name.

Black Trumpet Cappellacci dei briganti

February 14, 2021 by Philip Buccellato in mushrooms, pasta, wild food

Cappellacci dei Briganti, a pasta shape which imitates the hats worn by 19th century guerrilla fighters known as brigands. These self-declared soldiers formed rebel militias and roamed the hills of Southern Italy at the time of the Risorgimento or the unification of Italy. This style of pasta originated in Molise and is typically served with a lamb ragu. When brainstorming pasta dishes that feature foraged wild mushrooms I couldn't help make the connection between the shape of the pasta with black trumpets. I've been wanting to make these since last summer and finally got myself sorted out to make it happen. The pasta dough incorporates a small percentage of dried black trumpet powder to give them their distinct color. The final flavor of the mushrooms is rather subtle as it competes with the hearty lamb ragu but it adds a nice earthy subtext to the dish. It was perfect for a cold winter night with a good glass of red wine in hand and the kids shipped off to Nonna's house. Video of the process below. It’s a lot easier than it looks.

Black Trumpet Cappellacci dei briganti

Ingredients

430 g 00 Flour

20 g dehydrated wild mushroom powder

250 g eggs (beaten before mixing)

*Portioned for 5 - 6 people

Tools:

Circular cookie cutter, conical metal pastry tip (see photos/video for sizing)

Directions

Using a spice grinder (or similar) blitz your dried mushrooms into a very fine powder. Here I’m using black trumpets but you could easily substitute with any other edible wild mushroom.
Mix together the mushroom powder and flour into a bowl, and dump out onto your clean work surface.
Use your hand to form a well (like a volcano) in the center of the flour.
Carefully pour your eggs into the center and begin slowly mixing together with a fork. Gradually, carefully, work your way all around to incorporate the eggs with the flour, without breaking the outer wall.
After about 5 - 10 minutes it will start coming together into a shaggy mass. Begin using your hands to knead the dough together. Work diligently for another 5 minutes until it is no longer shaggy.
Use the edges of your hands, knuckles, to work the dough until it starts to form a smooth ball. Roll it, applying pressure, into the work surface. Fold it. Roll it again. After about ten minutes it should be a smooth, and ready to rest.
Cut the dough into two and wrap each in plastic wrap. Set into the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
The following step revolve around using a pasta attachment on a Kitchenaid - but you could also do this by hand with a rolling pin. Remove one of the dough balls, unwrap, and cut off a portion of the dough. Lightly flour and cover the rest back with plastic. Press gently and form a rectangle.
Pass the dough through the sheet pasta attachment at it’s widest setting. If it feels sticky, add a little more flour. Gradually tighten the settings of the pasta attachment, one click at a time, and pass the pasta sheet through until it is light and delicate. I normally go to the 6th setting.
Allow the sheet of dough (sfoglia) to dry for 2-3 minutes. Use the circle cookie cutter and punch out as many circles as you can on each sheet of pasta dough. Save the scraps for maltagliati.
The next steps become much easier with a visual reference. I have provided a diagram below and the video helps to show the process. Again, it’s easier than you think. Using your metal pastry tip cone, place the large side in the center of one of the pasta circles. The dough should NOT be sticky. You don’t want it to stick to cone.
Fold the sides of the circle over the cone, and gently press them together with your thumb.
Using your other hand, carefully fold down the top of the cone to form what we’ll call the brim of the hat. The metal cone should be concealed inside the shape of the pasta.
Carefully slide the cone out, continuing to press gently at the seem. Flip upside down and allow to air dry for about 15 - 20 minutes before covering and setting into the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook. Repeat the process until you have no dough left. It moves quickly once you find your rhythm.
Cook right away of store in the fridge covered with a towel for up to a day.

Lamb Ragu

Ingredients:

1 lamb shoulder (broken down, trimmed, cut into 1 inch cubes)

1 onion (finely diced)

4 cloves garlic (minced)

½ cup celery (finely diced)

½ cup carrots (finely diced)

8 oz tomato paste

32 oz canned tomatoes (crushed)

1 cup red wine

2 cups hot broth

2 tbsp fresh sage (finely minced)

2 tbsp fresh thyme (finely minced)

3-4 bay leaves

Directions:

Break down the rabbit into 6 pieces. Hind legs, forelegs, and split the body into two. Season with salt and pepper.

Brown the meat on all sides in a deep pot. The less oil the better for getting a nice brown crust. Set aside.
Add the garlic, onions, celery, carrots and herbs and cook on medium/low for a few minutes until softened.
Add the tomato paste, a little olive oil, and mix together until well incorporated.
Pour in your red wine and simmer down for another few minutes. Use a wood spoon to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
Add tomatoes and bring up to a low simmer. Add about a half a cup of broth and stir.
Add the lamb back into the pot, partially cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours - turning the meat every 15 minutes and stirring the sauce so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. If the sauce feels like it’s getting too thick add a little more hot broth to thin it out.
It normally takes me about 5 hours until the meat starts to shred and fall apart. This is how you want the ragu, without any big chunks of meat.
Shred the meat from the bones and pull apart into small pieces. Add the shredded meat back into the ragu and stir together.
Transfer a few ladles full into another pan and set on low heat. After your pasta is cooked, toss it with the pan ragu. Plate your pasta, add some more ragu on top.
Top each plate with a generous amount of freshly grated parmesan cheese or pecorino, and some fresh basil.

Sourdough Brioche Buns

February 09, 2021 by Philip Buccellato in bread, sandwiches

After a lot of trail and error I’m finally feeling pretty good about these brioche buns. I extended out the fermentation cycle which makes the process a bit longer, but it pays off with the end result - a lighter, airier brioche that is perfect for sandwiches, burgers, or French toast. Video of the process below.

Ingredients

250 g bread flour

90 g eggs (about two medium sized eggs)

50 g butter (cubed)

50 g white sugar

45 g water

5 g salt

100 g active starter

1 more egg for brushing on before bake

*This recipe is a small batch of 4 buns. Multiply according to how many you want.

From start to finish this takes about 44 hours total.

Directions

9am Day 1- Feed/activate your starter. I won’t go into too much detail here about starters, levains as there are many other amazing resources already available online - but I find that it is essential for this recipe that you are working with a very active starter when you get to the next step of mixing.
12pm Day 1- Mix all of the ingredients together in a stand mixer. It is possible to do this by hand but it will take a lot more time and effort to achieve the same result as the mixer. With the butter, eggs, and sugar this dough really needs to be worked together more than a regular loaf of bread. Start off on slow and gradually increase the speed for 15 minutes, periodically scraping the edges of the bowl with a rubber spatula. The dough will be somewhat sticky, but after 15 minutes it will be smooth, homogeneous, and should hold together nicely.
12:15pm to 8:00pm Day 1- Transfer to a metal proofing bowl and cover and leave out at room temperature for the first fermentation cycle. Key here is that the dough should be folded 4 times over the course of this cycle to develop the gluten and structure of the bread. After mixing I will wait about 30 minutes before doing the first fold (by hand). Let the dough relax again for about another 30 minutes and do the next fold, and so on. Keep the dough covered when not folding it. It will get progressively easier, smoother, during each fold.
8pm Day 1- Transfer the dough to the refrigerator for an overnight cold ferment.
8am Day 2- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and leave at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes. This will give it a little time to loosen up and not be so stiff coming out of the refrigerator. Gently dust a work surface with flour and dump the dough out. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Gently pull the edges of each piece out and fold over on top of itself. Rotate as you go and you’ll begin to form a small, smooth, ball of dough. Work carefully not to tear the dough. Turn the ball over and continue to shape the dough, working the edges downwards and folding underneath. The video I’ve made will help with visualizing this part of the process.
8:15am to 8:00pm Day 2- Lightly flour a tray and set your dough balls inside, leaving a few inches of space between to give them room as the continue to proof. You’ll need to cover them during this step. You also don’t want the dough pressing against whatever cover you’re using. If using plastic wrap or foil I will place an object in that is taller than the edges of the tray so that it creates a tent. Since I’m not working in a professional kitchen setting and don’t have access to equipment to control humidity I will ball up some wet paper towels and stick them in the edges of the tray during this part of the process to keep some ambient humidity as they proof at room temperature.
8:00pm Day 2- Transfer the entire covered tray into the refrigerator for the final cold phase of proofing.
7am Day 3- Remove from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Set your oven to 425F. I bake directly onto a baking stone for this recipe and use parchment paper as a barrier between the buns.
Transfer each dough ball (carefully so they keep their shape) onto parchment paper. Brush each dough ball with egg wash. Using a bread lame, slash the tops of each ball in an X pattern. Using a pizza peel, or large spatula, transfer to the baking stone. I like to use a big pizza peel, so all my dough balls are on the same piece of larger parchment paper. You could just as easily cut individual pieces of parchment for each dough if necessary.
Bake at 425F for 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
For burgers and sandwiches I like to toast these in a lot of butter straight onto a cast iron pan, with a lid so they steam a little while they toast up. You’ll definitely miss out if you skip this step.

The Smash Burger

This burger uses a 60% venison 40% ground pork mix but would be just as good using 100% beef. The patties were pressed out between two sheets of parchment and kept cold until ready to cook. They’re seared on a hot pan or griddle until a strong crust begins to form. I flip these only once, add the cheese, caramelized onions, and char the second side. Because they’re so thin you’re not worrying about them being rare or medium rare. The juiciness will come from the rendered fat, melted cheese all coming together with the amazing crispy crust. Slide them onto a buttered and toasted bun, slathered with whatever sauce you like, press it down and enjoy.

Venison smash burger with caramelized onions, cheddar and special sauce.

Pork cutlet, micro-greens, lemon vinaigrette, aioli, pickled red onions.

Sourdough Sticky Buns

February 04, 2021 by Philip Buccellato in sweets

When you’re wife tells you this is one of the best things you’ve ever made, you know you’re on the right track.

Ingredients:

160 g whole milk

28 g melted butter (not hot)

1 egg

100 g active starter

24 g sugar

300 g flour (I used 00)

5 g salt

*This formula works for an approximately 7-8” round cast iron skillet/pan

For filling:

1/2 cup Brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp melted butter (not hot)

For glaze & garnish:

1/2 cup Whipped cream cheese

1/2 cup Confectioner sugar

3 Tbsp Butter

Pistachios

Flake salt

This is 36 hr process that is designed for a slow ferment and planned out so you can wake and bake without any elaborate prep during the last step. The most complicated part of the process happens at night during day 2.

Directions:

9 pm day 1- Mix together all of the ingredients in a stand mixer and work the dough until smooth. About 10 minutes at high speed.
Cover and set out overnight at room temperature.
In the morning, transfer the dough into the fridge.
9 pm day 2- Take dough out of the fridge and rest for about ten minutes to loosen up a little.
Dust a work surface with flour and dump out the dough. Dust the top of the dough with more flour. Begin forming a rectangular shape with the dough then take a rolling pin to gently press it down into a uniform thickness of about 1/4 inch. Do you best to make it as rectangular and uniform as possible. Try to work quickly as the dough gets harder to work with as it warms up.
Brush on the melted butter evenly across the whole surface. Mix together the brown, white sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on evenly across the whole surface.
Carefully take one of the long edges of the dough and start rolling up like a coil. Make sure it is tight and there are no big air pockets. You can use a bench knife and a little bit more flour if you find it sticking to the surface of your work area. Roll it tightly.
Use a sharp knife and cut the roll into medallions of equal size.
Line a cast iron skillet (or whatever baking dish you prefer) with parchment paper and drizzle in melted butter so it covers the bottom of the parchment.
Layer in the rolled dough medallions evenly. As they continue to proof they will expand and press into each other. Drizzle any extra butter all over the top of the pan, cover tightly, and return to the fridge until the morning.
6-7 am Day 3- Take the skillet out of the fridge, uncover, and let proof at room temperature for 1- 2 hrs. Set your oven to 350F.
Meanwhile, start making the glaze. Whisk together melted butter and confectioner’s sugar slowly adding the sugar. Add in the whipped cream cheese and continue to whisk together vigorously. I like to set mine on top of a double boiler to keep the glaze more workable, without the risk of burning it with direct heat. If it sits out too long at cooler temperatures it will begin to solidify.
Bake the buns for about 40 minutes until the surface is a nice golden brown.
Remove from the oven and transfer the buns to a cooling rack. As it’s cooling for about 10 minutes, drizzle on the glaze. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and flake salt.

Savory Venison Pie

February 02, 2021 by Philip Buccellato in wild game

As another snow storm descends I was craving something decadent. This savory venison pie has been something I've been thinking about for a while and today was the perfect day to do it. It's essentially a venison stew, slow cooked for 4 hours until tender and then topped with a super flaky pie crust. To take it to the next level I threw in a big fat marrow bone which functions as a chimney for the pie as it steams in the oven. It also looks pretty impressive too. Hunting season officially ended yesterday so now I can shift my focus into more elaborate cooking projects. You could easily swap out the venison for beef or even lamb and it would still be an extremely delicious dish. Video of the process is below.

The Filling (Stew)

Ingredients

3 pounds of venison (or other meat of choice), cubed into stew sized pieces

2 Leeks (finely chopped)

5 - 7 medium sized carrots (half finely diced and the other half chopped into larger pieces that you’ll add later)

2 - 3 ribs of celery (finely chopped)

4 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 cup of frozen peas

1 cup of white wine

5 leaves of fresh sage (finely minced)

Few sprigs of thyme

Flour

1-2 tbsp butter

4-6 cups of beef/chicken broth (homemade is best)

Directions:

Bring a large dutch oven to medium heat on the stove top. Add some olive oil to cover the bottom.
Brown your meat in batches and set aside in a pan.
Add butter to the pot. Once it melts sprinkle in a few tbsp of flour. Stir constantly and scrape up any bits of meat stuck to the bottom of the pan. The roux will start to darken over the next few minutes.
Add the chopped celery, finely diced carrots, garlic, leeks, thyme, and sage. Saute for a few minutes until softened.
Add the white wine and cook down for a few more minutes.
Return the meat back to the pot and set to a low simmer.
Add in the warmed broth, cup by cup, until it comes up to almost the top of the meat. You do not want to fully submerge the meat. Simmer on low, uncovered, stirring frequently for the next 3-4 hours until the meat is tender. As the liquid cooks down, you should add more broth periodically to maintain a consistent level in the pot. As the stew cooks, you can prepare the pie dough.
After about 3 hours, add the larger pieces of carrots and allow to cook for at least another 10-15 minutes.
Add in the frozen peas. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes.

The Pie Crust

I’m using a Smitten Kitchen recipe for my pie dough which uses the following ingredients.

Ingredients

8 tbsp butter

1 cup of all purpose flour

1/3 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup cold water

1/2 tbsp granulated sugar

I followed her recipe and was very satisfied with the results.

The Final Pie

Ingredients:

1 marrow bone

Egg wash

Directions:

Set your oven to 375F.
Place the marrow bone in the center of your pie dish.
Fill the remaining area of the dish with the stew all the way up to the top of the dish.
Roll out your pie dough so it is a few inches larger than the pie dish you’ll be baking in.
Using a knife make an X in the middle of the dough slightly larger than the diameter of the marrow bone.
Carefully slip on the dough so that the marrow bone slides through the X and use your hands to shape the dough over the surface of the edges of the dish. Pinch the rim all the way around and let the excess dough hang over the edges like a skirt.
Use a fork to press around the entire circumference of the dish.
Using a sharp knife make a few X’s in the surface of the dough to allow for additional steaming.
Brush on the egg wash all over the dough. Make sure to get the sides as well.
Bake for about 40 minutes until the crust is golden brown and flaky.
Allow to cool for about ten minutes before serving.

Grandma Style Pan Pizza 2.0

January 10, 2021 by Philip Buccellato in pizza

After much trial and error I’ve landed on a Grandma style pan pizza dough formulation that I’m really happy with. The end result is a 75% hydration naturally leavened dough that yields a wonderfully light and thin pizza with crispy edges. It’s a higher hydration pizza dough but because there really is no shaping involved it’s very easy to work with. The fermentation time is very flexible; from 20 hrs up to 36 hrs once it goes into the refrigerator. In my opinion, the key things for a Grandma pie are 1) lots of garlic 2) a classic red sauce on top of the cheese 3) a thin, crispy edged dough baked in a pan vs directly on a stone.

The Dough

Ingredients

533 grams Type 0 Manitoba Flour

400 grams Water

96 grams Active Starter

10 grams Salt

These quantities are designed for 2 X 11” x 14” pans.

Mix together the water and the flour and set to autolyse for one hour up to six hours. At about 7 pm add the salt and active sourdough starter and start working into the dough with your hands or with a rubber spatula until more or less homogenous. Let rest for 45 minutes.
You’ll want to fold the dough two more times (with your hands) over the course of the next 1 - 2 hours to develop the gluten. By the end the dough should be very smooth and should not stick to your hands while folding. Cover and rest overnight at room temperature.
In the morning (approximately 7am) divide the dough and keep in air tight containers. Transfer to the refrigerator and take out 30 minutes before you’ll be making your pizza. If making pizza that evening you’re looking at about 12 hours of room temperature fermentation followed by about 10 hours of cold fermentation. I’ve kept the dough in the fridge until the next day and still have been very pleased with the results. If baking early in the day, there’s no need to put it into the fridge. You can transfer directly to your baking pan from the bulk ferment container.

Classic Grandma Recipe

Ingredients

Olive Oil

Red Sauce (see recipe for red sauce here)

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Thinly sliced garlic (2 -3 cloves)

Grated parmesan

Basil

Instructions

Set oven to 425F.
Slice 2-3 cloves of garlic as thin as you can. Cover them with enough olive oil so they are completely submerged in a small bowl.
After the dough has come to room temperature, dump it out into a well oiled pan. Spread the dough out so it has a uniform thickness. Use the tips of your fingers to press down into dough to push it into the edges of the pan. Pop any large bubbles. Grandma is a generally thinner pie, so it should be worked into the pan fairly well. Drizzle a little more olive oil on top.
Cover the entire surface of the dough with shredded cheese.
Ladle on the tomato sauce generously on top of the cheese. For Grandma style pies I like to ladle on dollops of sauce evenly, but leave a little cheese exposed for visual effect.
Spoon on the thinly sliced garlic over the surface along with some of the oil.
Sprinkle freshly grated parmesan or pecorino on top.
Bake for 25 - 30 minutes and serve.
Garnish with fresh basil.

Other Variations

Using this dough recipe as a foundation, the possibilities are endless. Here are a few of my favorites so far.

Marinated artichoke, prosciutto, pickled pepperoncini peppers, mozzarella, grated cacciocavallo, basil.

Nduja, Broccoli rabe, red onion, mozzarella, red sauce base.

Hen of the Woods Chicken Marsala

October 14, 2020 by Philip Buccellato in mushrooms, wild food

You'd be hard pressed to find Chicken Marsala on a menu in Italy, but it's pretty ubiquitous here in America. It's become an iconic Italian-American dish that uses Marsala from Sicily, thinly sliced meat (scaloppine), and mushrooms (most frequently flavorless button mushrooms). This weekend in the Catskills I was fortunate to find a few more pounds of Hen of the Woods (Grifola frondosa). In Italy, this species is known as signorina, or "the unmarried woman. For me it's one of the best wild mushrooms around. I was in the mood for something simple and classic and ended up with this rustic Chicken Marsala. There are a million ways to do it, but I went with a Marsala sauce enriched with heavy cream, a rich chicken stock, Mangalitsa lard, herbs, lots of garlic and dark meat instead of breast meat - all cooked in a wood fired oven and served over a bed of fettuccine. Full video of the process below.

Ingredients

1 lb of wild hen of the woods (maitake, sliced into thin medium sized pieces)

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 cup of hot broth

1/2 Marsala

1/4 cup heavy cream

Finely minced onion

3 cloves of garlic finely minced

Fresh thyme (approx 1 tsp)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)

2 tbsp pork lard or butter

Salt and Pepper to taste

All purpose flour

Olive oil or canola oil

Directions

I like to prepare this dish in a wood fired outdoor oven but it can easily be prepared on the stove top as well.

Using a mallet, pound the pieces of chicken until they are nice and thin. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
Dredge each piece in a bowl of flour, shake off excess, and set aside in a tray while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Finely mince one whole medium onion and the garlic, and set aside.
Remove the thyme leaves from their stems, and set aside.
Bring a heavy skillet (I like to use cast iron) up to medium high heat. Add a thin layer of oil to the pan.
Begin pan frying the chicken until they start to turn golden and crispy. Continue cooking until all pieces are cooked, setting aside the finished ones if they don’t all fit in the pan. You’ll want the meat to be mostly cooked through at this point.
Wipe out the pan and pour off any excess oil.
Bring the pan back up to medium high heat and add the lard (or butter).
Add the onions, garlic, sliced mushrooms, and thyme to the pan, and saute for a few minutes, stirring frequently so they begin to cook down.
Add the Marsala, and bring the liquid to a vigorous simmer, cooking it down and reducing it for a few more minutes.
Add the hot broth and the heavy cream and continue cooking down for another 5 - 10 minutes until the sauce is creamy and the mushrooms are fully tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer the chicken back into the pan and continue simmering for another 5 minutes before removing from the heat. It should be really fragrant at this point with the herbs and Marsala.
Serve as is, or over a bed of your favorite pasta. Enjoy!

Brown Butter Hen of the Woods Pappardelle

September 21, 2020 by Philip Buccellato in mushrooms, wild food, pasta

Wild mushroom pappardelle with brown butter, sage, pecorino, and a raw egg yolk. This is one of my favorite times of year and also one of my favorite wild mushrooms - Hen of the Woods, or Sheepshead, or Maitake, Grifola frondosa. They’re easy to miss if you don’t know what to look for. They resemble the fallen leaves of the oak tree in which they like to grow under. I was pleasantly surprised today to find two perfect hens a little earlier than I was expecting. This could be substituted for any of your favorite mushrooms, but I personally love how the meatiness of the Hen of the Woods stands up against the heft of the pappardelle.

Pappardelle

Ingredients

450 g 00 Flour

250 g eggs (beaten before mixing)

*Portioned for 5 - 6 people

Directions

Dump out the weighed flour onto a clean work surface.
Use your hand to form a well (like a volcano) in the center of the flour.
Carefully pour your eggs into the center and begin slowly mixing together with a fork. Gradually, carefully, work your way all around to incorporate the eggs with the flour, without breaking the outer wall.
After about 5 - 10 minutes it will start coming together into a shaggy mass. Begin using your hands to knead the dough together. Work diligently for another 5 minutes until it is no longer shaggy.
Use the edges of your hands, knuckles, to work the dough until it starts to form a smooth ball. Roll it, applying pressure, into the work surface. Fold it. Roll it again. After about ten minutes it should be a smooth, and ready to rest.
Cut the dough into two and wrap each in plastic wrap. Set into the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
The following steps revolve around using a pasta attachment on a Kitchenaid - but you could also do this by hand with a rolling pin. Remove one of the dough balls, unwrap, and cut off a portion of the dough. Lightly flour and cover the rest back with plastic. Press gently and form a rectangle.
Pass the dough through the sheet pasta attachment at it’s widest setting. If it feels sticky, add a little more flour. Gradually tighten the settings of the pasta attachment, one click at a time, and pass the pasta sheet through until it is light and delicate. For pappardelle, I normally go to the 5th setting.
Allow the sheet of dough (sfoglia) to dry for 2-3 minutes and fold in half. With a knife, trim off irregular edges. Gently fold the dough into about 3 inch folds, over and over until you have a nice compact roll.
Using your knife, carefully begin cutting strips of the roll into about 3/4 - 1 inch (1.9 - 2.5 cm) pieces. I like my pappardelle nice and wide. With your fingers, unroll each strip and sprinkle with a light coating of semolina. You can make little nests with each batch that is finished. Repeat until all of your dough has transformed unto tagliatelle.
Cook right away or store in the fridge covered with a towel.

The Pasta

Ingredients

Wild mushrooms thinly sliced (.5 lb or 250 g)

Butter (1 stick or 120 g)

Garlic (3 cloves finely minced)

Pecorino romano

Black pepper

Sage

Egg

Pasta Water

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Bring a large skillet to medium heat.
Add the thinly sliced mushrooms to the pan and dry saute for a few minutes, stirring frequently and careful not to burn. This will remove some of the water weigh of the mushrooms before you add the fat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Stir again.
Add in the butter and bring to a low simmer, continuing to stir.
Add the sage and garlic, continue to saute and stir for another ten minutes until the mushrooms are completely cooked through and tender.
Meanwhile, cook your pasta to your liking and be sure to reserve a little pasta water to lubricate the noodles if necessary.
Drain the pasta, and transfer the noodles directly into the pan with the mushrooms and browned butter. Toss well so all the noodles are completely covered in the sauce. Add pasta water (or any extra browned butter) as necessary if it feels too dry.
Plate each dish with the pappardelle and mushrooms. Create a small well in the middle of each plate for the egg yolk.
Very carefully, crack and egg and discard of the egg white. Gently place an egg yolk in the middle of each plate without breaking it.
Add a generous sprinkle of freshly grated pecorino to each plate, along with black pepper to taste.
Enjoy!

Cacio e Pepe with Black Trumpet Tagliatelle

September 02, 2020 by Philip Buccellato in mushrooms, pasta, wild food

Where you'd normally use tonnarelli I've gone and made a wild mushroom tagliatelle using black trumpet powder. Otherwise, I followed the rules of a traditional Cacio e Pepe - keeping it simple and limited to minimal ingredients; lots of cracked black pepper, sheep’s milk pecorino romano, a little olive oil, pasta water and some basil mostly just for show. When competing with lots of black pepper, the wild mushroom umami flavor is subtle but adds a nice layer to an otherwise simple simple dish. The color and texture of the noodles are beautiful and I’m looking forward to testing it out with other pasta dishes. A video of the whole process is below.

Black Trumpet Tagliatelle

Ingredients

430 g 00 Flour

20 g dehydrated wild mushroom powder

250 g eggs (beaten before mixing)

*Portioned for 5 - 6 people

Directions

Using a spice grinder (or similar) blitz your dried mushrooms into a very fine powder. Here I’m using black trumpets but you could easily substitute with any other edible wild mushroom.
Mix together the mushroom powder and flour into a bowl, and dump out onto your clean work surface.
Use your hand to form a well (like a volcano) in the center of the flour.
Carefully pour your eggs into the center and begin slowly mixing together with a fork. Gradually, carefully, work your way all around to incorporate the eggs with the flour, without breaking the outer wall.
After about 5 - 10 minutes it will start coming together into a shaggy mass. Begin using your hands to knead the dough together. Work diligently for another 5 minutes until it is no longer shaggy.
Use the edges of your hands, knuckles, to work the dough until it starts to form a smooth ball. Roll it, applying pressure, into the work surface. Fold it. Roll it again. After about ten minutes it should be a smooth, and ready to rest.
Cut the dough into two and wrap each in plastic wrap. Set into the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
The following steps revolve around using a pasta attachment on a Kitchenaid - but you could also do this by hand with a rolling pin. Remove one of the dough balls, unwrap, and cut off a portion of the dough. Lightly flour and cover the rest back with plastic. Press gently and form a rectangle.
Pass the dough through the sheet pasta attachment at it’s widest setting. If it feels sticky, add a little more flour. Gradually tighten the settings of the pasta attachment, one click at a time, and pass the pasta sheet through until it is light and delicate. For tagliatelle, I normally go to the 6th setting.
Allow the sheet of dough (sfoglia) to dry for 2-3 minutes and fold in half. With a knife, trim off irregular edges. Gently fold the dough into about 3 inch folds, over and over until you have a nice compact roll.
Using your knife, carefully begin cutting strips of the roll into about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) pieces. With your fingers, unroll each strip and sprinkle with a light coating of semolina. You can make little nests with each batch that is finished. Repeat until all of your dough has transformed unto tagliatelle.
Cook right away of store in the fridge covered with a towel.

Cacio e pepe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano

1 1/2 tsp. of freshly ground black pepper

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Salt

1.5 cups pasta water

Directions

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add a dash of salt.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add in crushed black pepper. Stir until the pepper becomes very fragrant. Turn off the heat.
Boil the fresh pasta.
Reserve about 1.5 cups of pasta water as the pasta finishes. The starch from the water is why you wouldn’t just use regular water here.
Transfer the cooked pasta into the skillet with pepper and oil. Toss until all of the noodles are coated.
Add about a cup of pasta water to the noodles and stir. This may feel like a lot but it will all come together when you…
Add all of the freshly grated Pecorino to the pasta, and stir very well until the cheese and water form a luxurious creamy coating all over the noodles. Add more pasta water as necessary.
Divide the pasta into individual plates and sprinkle on a little more fresh Pecorino. Garnish with basil is optional.

Black Trumpet Pizza "The Dark Side"

August 19, 2020 by Philip Buccellato in wild food, pizza

One of my goals for the summer was to find Black Trumpets, also called Horn of Plenty or Trumpets of Death. They are elusive to find and have a smell and flavor that is almost impossible to describe. Finally after countless miles walked, I found them. My mind almost always immediately starts thinking about pizza or pasta when cooking with wild mushrooms. I decided I wanted to do a pizza that really highlighted the mushrooms' wild flavors - which ultimately meant keeping it super simple. I left out anything that would distract from it's unique profile, so no garlic, no herbs, no overpowering cheese or spice. I started off with 4 ingredients; fontina, black trumpets, grated pecorino romano, and a high quality olive oil on a sourdough crust fired in a wood oven. After testing it, I added some finely minced chives from the garden and a tiny bit of lemon zest, and it was winning over the mushroom skeptics in the house. Video of the whole process below.

Ingredients:

Black Trumpets (sauteed in olive oil)

Fontina cheese

Grated pecorino romano cheese

Olive oil

Lemon Zest

Chives (finely diced)

Instructions:

The Mushrooms

The real heart of this pizza are the black trumpets. For this recipe I used fresh mushrooms but you can swap out with re-hydrated dried trumpets.
Saute the mushrooms in olive oil on medium low heat for just about a minute or two. Black trumpets cook very rapidly.

The Dough:

For the pizza dough I have been very happy using a Ken Forkish recipe from Flour Water Salt Yeast for an overnight dough with levain. It’s one of the few recipes that I have decided not to mess with as it always yields great results. Recently I’ve been using Caputo Manitoba flour which has been delivering wonderful results.

The Assembly & Finishing:

Stretch your dough.
Layer on small cubes of fontina cheese equally across the dough.
Sprinkle with a generous portion of grated pecorino.
Layer on the cooked mushrooms evenly across the middle of the dough.
Sprinkle on more pecorino.
Bake your pizza. I use a wood fired Ooni Pro but use whatever works for you.
Once it comes out of the oven, piping hot, drizzle on some high quality olive oil.
Sprinkle on finely diced chives.
Top with fresh lemon zest.
Enjoy!

Summer Sun Gold Sfincione

August 01, 2020 by Philip Buccellato in pizza, sicily

Summer is in full effect and to celebrate the season I wanted to make this variation on the classic Sicilian sfincione. All of the essential flavors are present but modified to fit the season. Fresh oregano, the sweetest sun gold tomatoes, slivers of sauteed onions, beautiful Spanish anchovies and Sicilian olive oil from Baker Street Market , freshly grated caciocavallo, and breadcrumbs. All topped with a dollop of fresh ricotta, just because why not. Naturally leavened, using Caputo Manitoba flour. Light as a cloud and packed with incredible flavor, this will definitely be added to the rotation! Full recipe and video below.

Ingredients for the pizza

1 whole yellow onion (sliced in slivers and sauteed until soft)

Sun Gold tomatoes or similar cherry tomatoes (enough to cover surface)

Bread crumbs (1/2 cup)

Anchovies (preserved in oil)

Fresh oregano

High quality olive oil

Caciocavallo cheese

Instructions for the pizza

Set your oven to 425 F.
Liberally oil your pan or cast iron skillet with olive oil. After your dough has come to room temperature dump it out directly into the pan and stretch and press it so it completely fills the entire area. Drizzle with more olive oil. Press into the dough to create dimples all over the surface.
Layer in the anchovies. I like to use high quality Spanish anchovies and pull them apart with my fingers and distribute them evenly across the surface. Alternatively, you can mash the anchovies with a fork, and spread them around as more of a paste if you prefer. Either works well.
Layer on the fresh oregano, and press into the dough with your fingers.
Using a cheese grater, layer on some fresh caciocavallo cheese to cover the surface.
Layer on the Sun Gold tomatoes evenly across the surface and press down so they are incorporated into the dough. Drizzle another thin coat of oil on the surface.
Layer on the onions evenly across the surface but do not completely cover the tomatoes. The onions can be prepared ahead of time - sliced thinly into slivers and sauteed for about 5 - 10 minutes on medium heat. Allow the onions to cool before topping the dough.
Sprinkle a layer of breadcrumbs across the top evenly.
Add another layer of caciocavallo cheese to the top.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. The top should be crispy and lightly charred.
Remove from the oven and from the pan, and divide into pieces.
Top each individual piece with a dollop of fresh ricotta.
Enjoy.

The Dough

Ingredients

Bread Flour

Active Starter

Salt

Water

This is my go-to recipe for focaccia, sfincione, and Sicilian style pizza. Keep in mind that you may need to adjust the quantity depending on your size of pan. This is designed for approximately an 11” x 14” pan.

Mix together 410 g of water and 530 g of bread flour and set to autolyse for up to six hours. Add 15 g of salt and 90 g of active sourdough starter and start working into the dough with your hands or with a rubber spatula until more or less homogenous. Let rest for 45 minutes.
You’ll want to fold the dough two more times (with your hands) over the course of the next 1 - 2 hours to develop the gluten. By the end the dough should be very smooth and should not stick to your hands while folding. Cover and rest overnight at room temperature.
In the morning transfer the dough to the refrigerator and take out one hour before you’ll be making your pizza.

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Wild Berries

July 29, 2020 by Philip Buccellato in sweets, wild food

Vanilla bean panna cotta with wild berries was the consolation prize for the continued wait for my favorite chanterelle spot. I came home with an abundance of wineberries and blackberries which I reduced with Marsala and sugar and drizzled on top of these creamy mountains of panna cotta. Super simple summer dessert to combat the heat. Recipe as follows and video of the process below.

Ingredients

1 quart heavy cream

1 cup half and half

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 whole vanilla bean, split and scraped

2 3/4 tsp unflavored gelatin powder

3 tbsp water

1 tbsp honey

2 cups of fresh berries

1/2 cup of Marsala

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Panna Cotta Instructions

In a saucepan, combine the cream, half and half, sugar, honey, and vanilla bean (both the seeds, scraped and removed, and the entire bean itself which you’ll remove later). Bring the mixture to a low simmer. Cover, remove from heat, and set aside for 15 minutes.
Mix together the gelatin powder and the water in a small bowl while the cream steeps.
Uncover the cream and bring back to a low simmer. Remove from the heat again and add in the gelatin mixture, stirring with a whisk. Remove the vanilla bean. Allow to cool for a few minutes while you set up your ramekins, bowls, or glasses in which you will pour in the cream mixture.
Carefully ladle equal portions of the cream mixture into each container, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at minimum of 3 hours up to 24 hours. This is a good recipe to make ahead.
If you want to keep it easy, just serve the panna cotta in the bowl or glass with the berry mixture poured over the top. Or if you want a slightly fancier presentation you can remove the panna cotta by quickly lowering the ramekin into a warm bath of water, freeing the edges with a knife, and carefully flipping it oven onto the surface of your plate. It will hold it’s shape.

Berry Sauce Instructions

Bring the Marsala to a simmer in a saucepan.
Add the sugar and continue stirring for about 5 minutes.
As it begins to reduce, add in your fresh berries. I used a combination of wild blackberries and wineberries but any berry would be good for this.
Continue simmering for another 10 -15 minutes, stirring frequently, and mashing the berries to release all of their juices.
After the mixture is thickened, remove from the heat and pass it through a fine mesh sieve and reserve all of the wonderful sauce that is extracted. Allow to cool before drizzling over the top of your panna cotta with a handful of fresh berries.

Orecchiette with spring greens and guanciale

June 25, 2020 by Philip Buccellato in pasta

I got inspired by seeing all the orecchiette action over at @pastasocialclub and had my first go at it.
It's one of those pastas that might seem daunting, but is actually somewhat simple and doesn't require any fancy equipment. I prepared them with some wonderful guanciale from @fa.lu.cioli , charred spring greens (chard, and agretti), scapes, ricotta, lemon zest, and parmesan cheese. I'll definitely be making these again! Video of the whole process below.

The Orecchiette

Ingredients

1.5 cups Semolina ( 265 g)

.5 cups Tumminia Flour ( 85 g Sicilian whole wheat from from Molini del Ponte)

1 cup Water ( 215 g)

*Portion is good for 5-6 people.

Instructions

Mix together the dry ingredients, and dump them out onto a clean work surface. Form them into a mountain shape with your hands. Using the tips of your fingers, create a well in the center.
Slowly pour the water into the center and in a circular motion, begin incorporating the flour into the water, working outwards as you go. I find eggless dough is always a bit easier to work with.
Once you’ve poured out all of the water the mixture should be a bit clumpy. Now you can start using your hands to begin working the dough. Scraping up all the clump, and pressing them together firmly. Do this methodically for about 5 minutes, until the mass begin to take on a smooth form. Use the palm of your hand to press down, rotating 25 degrees clockwise each time. If you have a flat bench knife/scraper, use this to scrape all any dough that has stuck to the work surface. Resist the urge to add more flour until you’ve worked it for a few minutes and still determine it feels too wet.
After about 5 - 10 minutes, the dough ball should be very smooth, and it should not stick to your hands when you touch it. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap tightly, and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Unwrap the dough, and divide into about 6 pieces. Cover 5 of the pieces with the plastic wrap again as you begin working with the first smaller piece. This will prevent them from drying out as you work with the dough.
Lightly dust the divided piece with semolina, and begin rolling it out with the palms of your hand into a long rope that is no more than .5 inch thick or the size of your smallest finger. Lightly dust the work surface with more semolina. It is best if your work surface is wood for this as the grain of the wood helps the dough grip the surface. This will be more difficult on a very smooth surface.
Using a butter knife with a serated edge, cut off a small piece of dough and gently rolling it into a ball with your finger tips.
Carefully, with two hands holding the knife, press the edge of the knife into the edge of the dough ball. Begin applying pressure and at the same time start dragging the knife towards you. The pressure and motion will cause the dough to flip back over on top of itself in your direction. It might take a few times to get a hang of it, but it’s really a rather simple movement.
Very gently unfurl the curled shape with the tips of your fingers. Use your thumb or pointer finger to hold the orecchiette in place as you roll down the edges so that it creates a inverted well in the center. Watching the video (below) will help get a better visual on this part of the process.
Repeat this process until you’re through with all of your dough. The finished orecchiette should be set onto a drying rack or clean surface dusted with a light coat of semolina and left to air dray for at least an hour or can be set out to dry overnight.
Fresh pasta should take about 4 - 5 minutes to cook, and if drying out completely they will a few minutes longer.

The Pasta Dish

Ingredients

Orecchiette

A bunch of spring greens (I used agretti and Swiss chard but any heartier greens will work well for this)

2 finely diced scapes (or 2 cloves of garlic if scapes are not available)

Guanciale (1/2 cup)

Fresh ricotta

Lemon zest

Freshly grated parmesan

Salt and pepper

Instructions

Chop and blanch your greens for 1 - 2 minutes and rinse in cold water. For more tender greens, you can skip ahead to step 6.
Bring pot of water to boil.
Saute the guanciale in a cast iron skillet on medium heat. This time of year I like to use an outdoor wood fired oven, but this can easily be done on the stove top. Make sure however you’re cooking it, the temperature is set to medium as you don’t want to burn the guanciale as the fat renders out. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently until the guanciale starts to get crispy.
Add in the diced scapes (or garlic) and continue to saute for about another 4 minutes.
At the same time, add the fresh made pasta to the boiling water and cook until tender. Fresh made pasta will typically take no more than 5 minutes. Reserve some pasta water when you drain the cooked pasta to use if you find your pasta to be too dry.
Toss in your greens with the guanciale and scapes and stir together for another minute or two.
Remove from the heat and add the cooked pasta directly into the same pan with the greens and guanciale. Toss together until all the noodles are evenly coated.
Plate each portion and add a dollop of fresh ricotta cheese on top, freshly grated lemon zest, freshly grated parmesan, and some black pepper. Enjoy!

Wild Mushroom Arancini

June 04, 2020 by Philip Buccellato in mushrooms, wild food

Here's a spin on a classic Arancini where I've stripped it down to the basics and built it back together using seasonal foraged ingredients. I used an arborio rice and prepared as you would a traditional risotto, layering in a stock fortified with wild mushrooms, parmesan cheese, butter and a ramp puree. Any wild mushroom can be used in this recipe but since it's spring I'm using morels and chicken of the woods mushrooms (separately). Along with the wild mushrooms they're packed with hunks of caciocavallo from Jersey Girl Cheese. I'm still on the fence about Chicken of the Woods, but I found the method described below renders them in a way where they almost resemble bacon or pancetta. Of course you can't really go wrong with morels. These are relatively easy to make, and a great way to incorporate wild seasonal ingredients into classic recipes. Video of the whole process available below.

Ingredients

Arborio rice (2 cups)

Stock (8 cups chicken or veggie)

Wild mushrooms (1 cup cooked and diced)

Ramp puree (ramp leaves and olive oil)

Caciocavallo cheese (1.5 cups cubed into small pieces)

Parmesan cheese (3/4 cup freshly grated)

Butter (1 stick)

Salt and Pepper

All purpose flour

Plain bread crumbs

Canola Oil

Risotto Instructions

Heat your stock in a separate pan and bring to a low simmer. For this recipe I’m using a chicken stock fortified with wild mushrooms to add more depth.
Melt butter in a large pan and add in the rice. Stir well so all the rice is lubricated with the melted butter. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes.
Slowly pour in a cup of hot broth and stir into the rice. For the next half hour, you’ll want to continue adding in one cup at a time so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Start to finish it will take about 30 minutes, and you’ll want to be constantly stirring.
After about 15 minutes of cooking the rice, gradually adding in more stock as you stir, add in about 1 cup of ramp puree. Since I’m making this a little later in the season, I’m using a batch that watch frozen. It’s a simple puree of ramp leaves and olive oil. If ramps are not available you could substitute this with a nice garlicky pesto.
Add in more broth and continue stirring. The risotto will now be a beautiful green color. Add in the grated Parmesan and continue stirring. Add more broth as necessary. The rice should never be completely covered with broth, but there should always be enough to make sure it’s not sticking to the pan.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and allow the risotto to come to room temperature.

Arancini Instructions

Take a scoop of the risotto in your hands and form a cup in the palm of your hand. Gently pack the rice down so it doesn’t feel loose.
In the middle of the rice, add a few chunks of caciocavallo cheese and the cooked mushrooms.
Take another scoop of rice with your free hand and gently pack it on top. Carefully form the ball together, pressuring it evenly all around, being mindful to patch any weak spots with more rice. It should be roughly the size of a baseball, and hold together well after shaping. Set them aside until you’ve shaped all of your balls.
In medium size bowl, whisk together about a cup of flour to a cup of water to make a paste. It should have the consistency as pancake batter. Put about 2 cups of breadcrumbs into another bowl.
One by one, evenly coat each rice ball in the flour paste. Use your hands to ensure the entire surface is coated. Transfer each ball into the bowl of bread crumbs and roll them around until they have an even coating. Try to avoid large clumps of flour and breadcrumbs. You’ll likely want to wash your hands a few times periodically. Set all of the rice balls into a large tray.
Bring a heavy duty pot of canola oil (or deep fryer) up to 350 F. Make sure it’s deep enough to fully submerge the balls. Fry each rice ball for about 4 -5 minutes each until golden brown, turning periodically so they get an ever color.
Transfer the balls to absorbent paper, paper towels, to soak up some of the excess oil.
Arancini’s are most commonly enjoyed room temperature, but they’re also quite nice when still a little hot. They hold their shape a bit better once they’d cooled down.

Wild Mushroom Instructions

Morels

I’m making these in late spring, so morels are already past peak. I had a good year with morels so I have a small stash of dried morels. I simply soaked them in warm water for 15 minutes, drained, and cooked them just as you would with fresh morels. If using this method, make sure to save the water after soaking, and add it into your stock.

Chicken of the Woods

Full disclosure, COTW is not one of my favorite edibles. They are beautiful to look at, and I’ve been trying to find a way to cook them where I’d be excited about it. I did however enjoy how these turned out, albeit they were more a subtle part of the dish. I braised only the most tender pieces in a chicken stock for about ten minutes. Then sliced the outer most edges super thin into ribbons and sauteed them in some olive oil until they get nice and crispy. Season with a little salt and pepper. The color and texture out of the pan is almost bacon-like.

Tagliatelle with Morels in Cream Sauce

May 13, 2020 by Philip Buccellato in pasta, wild food, mushrooms

A mind melting delicious plate of tagliatelle and morels in a white wine + cream sauce needed no fancy garnish or embellishment. As the morel season in the northeast winds down, this was pure magic on a plate. If morels are not readily available or in season, any fresh wild mushroom would work nicely. Video of the whole process below.

Morel Cream Sauce

Ingredients

Fresh morel mushrooms

2 -3 finely diced ramp leaves (or cloves of garlic)

1 cup of heavy cream

1/4 cup white wine

Salt and pepper

1/2 stick of butter

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan (plus more for finishing)

Instructions

Clean and slice the morels into pinky sized pieces.
Bring a skillet to medium heat and melt the butter.
Sauté the mushrooms for a few minutes and add the diced ramp leaves. Sauté for another minute.
Add the wine and bring up to a simmer so it starts to render down.
Continue stirring the mushrooms and slowly add in the heavy cream. Continue stirring and bring back to a simmer.
Simmer for another 5 minutes or so, and add more cream (or water) to adjust if necessary.
Add the freshly grated parmesan cheese and continue stirring. The sauce should be thickening, creamy, and will start to smell incredible. Season with salt and black pepper after tasting. The parmesan cheese is already quite salty and you don’t want to over salt.
The mushrooms should be tender, and completely cooked down. The total time should take about 20 minutes.
Transfer your cooked pasta directly into the pan with the cream sauce. Using tongs, roll the pasta around so the sauce complete coats all of the noodles.
Garnish each plate with some more freshly ground black pepper and parmesan cheese.

Freshly made tagliatelle is an excellent pair for the cream sauce.

Sourdough Bagels, Homemade Cream Cheese, and Gravlax

May 12, 2020 by Philip Buccellato in bread, sandwiches, sourdough

After a few iterations on this sourdough bagel I am finally happy to share the recipe. The texture and taste fall somewhere in between a New York and Montreal style bagel. Along with the homemade gravlax and cream cheese, this makes for an incredibly satisfying breakfast/brunch combination. A detailed video of the whole process is below.

The Bagels

The whole process takes about 22 hours from start to finish and a little bit of smart planning. Ultimately it is a very approachable recipe if you have the right ingredients on hand. I typically start my process around noon on day one and bagels will start coming out of the oven around 10am the next morning. These bagels are approximately 55% hydration which seems to be the gold standard when researching recipes.

Ingredients (for 5 bagels)

250 g water

65 g active sourdough starter

450 g bread flour

10 g salt

4 g barley malt syrup (for the dough)

3 g barley malt syrup (for the boiling water)

1 tsp baking soda (for the boiling water)

semolina (for dusting the tray)

Sesame and poppy seeds (for topping)

*The one ingredient you’re most likely not to have in your kitchen is the barley malt syrup. While it is possible to make bagels without it, it does serve a very specific purpose and is what many New York / Montreal bagel makers use in their formulations. It adds color, sweetness, and helps to condition the dough through the enzymatic processes that it contributes. If you don’t have barley malt syrup, you can use honey, brown sugar, or molasses to add a touch of sweetness - but keep in mind they function very differently.

Instructions

Mix all of your ingredients together in a stand mixer with the dough hook (except for the additional 3 g malt syrup, baking soda, and semolina). Mix for about 10 minutes starting at the slowest setting and gradually increase to medium speed. This can be done by hand but it will take a lot longer to get to the right consistency. When fully mixed the dough should be tacky to touch, but not overly sticky. Cover the bowl and let ferment for 3 - 4 hours at room temperature depending on how warm your area is. Cooler ambient temperature will require longer ferment time.
After 3 - 4 hours, dump your dough onto a clean (lightly floured) work surface and divide into 5 equal portions. Use your hands to roll each piece into a cylinder approximate 8 inches long and about an inch in diameter. Wrap the cylinder around your hand, press the two ends together, and gently roll the seam with your fingers to form a circular shape with a hole in the middle. This may take a few times to get it right, where you have uniform size all the way around each bagel.
Transfer the bagels into a tray, lined with parchment paper and dusted with semolina. Cover with plastic wrap, and a light weight cloth or towel. Allow to ferment at room temperature for one more hour.
Transfer the tray into the refrigerator to cold ferment overnight.
In the morning, around 8am, remove the tray and allow to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile bring a pot of water to a boil, mix in the baking soda and 3 g of additional malt syrup. Set your oven 500 F. Mix together the poppy seeds and sesame seeds (or whatever topping you like) in a medium sized bowl.
Gently drop a few bagels at a time into the pot of boiling water. They may sink at first, but they should rise to the surface relatively quickly. Boil each side for about 1 minute each. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the boiled bagels to your tray for a few seconds, before transferring them into the bowl of toppings. Use your hands to roll the bagels around so there is a nice even coating on both sides. Transfer the bagels back into your tray. Repeat until all bagels are done.
The bagels can be baked right in the tray or directly onto a pizza stone if you have one. Bake for 7 minutes and then flip, and then 7 more minutes - 14 minutes total time.
Allow to cool slightly before enjoying.

Bagels will float when properly fermented and proofed.

The Gravlax

This recipe is heavily inspired by a recipe from George Lang that my dad always used to make during the holidays. With the exception of a few minor tweaks, it is very similar to his original recipe.

Ingredients

2 pounds salmon with skin on

2 tbsp Aquavit or Vodka

1/3 cup coarse salt

1/3 cup white sugar

2 tbsp crushed black pepper

4 oz fresh dill sprigs (chopped)

Instructions

Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel. Place it in a bowl or tray.
Coat the salmon with the aquavit or vodka, rubbing it evening on all sides of the fish.
In a small bowl, mix together the salt, sugar, pepper, and dill. Using your hands, pack the mixture onto all sides of the fish. Make sure there is an even coat all around. If some area seem like the fish is exposed, you can sprinkle on a little more salt.
Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the fish. Now you need something heavy to weigh down the fish. I use a small piece of bluestone, but anything will work. Wrap the bowl/tray/weight with another piece of plastic wrap to ensure it is completely sealed. Transfer into the refrigerator.
After 8 - 12 hrs, flip the salmon over onto the other side, put the weight back on, wrap again in the plastic, and put it back into the refrigerator for another 12 - 20 hours. For a thicker piece of salmon, you’ll likely need more time so the salt can properly penetrate the meat.
Remove the salmon and rinse in cold water. I like to leave a little bit of the cure on the outside, but that’s a personal preference.
Now thinly slice the meat, and serve with crackers, on a bagel, or just eat it by itself.

Day 1: Packing the salmon with salt, sugar, pepper, and dill.

The Cream Cheese

It’s hard to compete with Philadelphia cream cheese, but what you’ll get by making your own is a heavenly and luxurious texture and something that feels a little more wholesome. The flavor is a bit more “farmy,” especially if using farm fresh milk and cream so it’s not for everyone - but for me the whole experience was well worth the effort just to be able to experience the difference between homemade and store-bought.

Ingredients

3 cups whole milk

3 cups heavy cream

1/4 tsp mesophilic culture

3 drops of rennet (dissolved into a tablespoon of water)

Chives/scallions (optional)

*You’re going to need a few obscure items here to make homemade cream cheese, but all are readily available either through Amazon or local distributors. Rennet, mesophilic culture, and butter cloth are all important to ensure you have success. This is a two day process, so you’ll need to plan ahead. I start my process at 2pm on day 1 and finish at about 4pm the following day.

Instructions

Combine the milk and heavy cream into a heavy duty pot.
Set your stove top to the lowest setting and bring the mixture up to 75/76 F. You need to pay close attention here so that it does not overheat.
Once you’ve reached temperature, sprinkle in the mesophilic culture and rennet diluted in water, and stir until well incorporated.
Cover and set aside at room temperature for 12 - 18 hours.
When ready, you’ll notice that the whey has separated and there will be a big block of cheese that has coagulated. Take a spatula or spoon and gently break it apart.
Line a medium sized bowl with a folded piece of butter cloth, and carefully transfer the cheese into it. Pull up the corners of the butter cloth, and tie it together in a tight ball. You’ll need to hang the ball over the bowl for the next 8 hours, so you may need to get crafty with how you do this. Over the 8 hours, all the whey will drain out, leaving you with a super creamy ball of cream cheese.
Open the butter cloth and transfer to a clean bowl. It might seem a little stiff at first, but use a spatula to spread it around and reveal it’s velvety texture. Season with salt to your preference. Add in scallions/chives if you’d like. Enjoy!

After the rennet has done it’s work, this is the moment the coagulated cheese is broken.

Transferring the cheese into the butter cloth.

Hanging the cheese for 8hrs to drain the whey.

Spring Morel + Ramp Oil Pizza

May 06, 2020 by Philip Buccellato in mushrooms, wild food, pizza, sourdough

This is one of those pizzas that only happens once a year. It is spring at its best in pizza form. And after several years unsuccessfully searching for morels I finally had an opportunity to do what I've been thinking about for a very long time. Sauteed morels, ricotta and mozzarella cheese, ramp oil, wild violet flowers, fresh mint, and a little drizzle of honey on a sourdough crust wood fired in my Ooni Pro. Video of the whole process is embedded below.

Ingredients:

Fresh morels (sauteed in olive oil)

Fresh ricotta cheese

Shredded mozzarella

Ramp Oil (see instructions below)

Fresh mint

Wild Violet Flowers

Honey

Instructions:

The Morels

The real heart of this pizza are the morel mushrooms. For this recipe I chose only the ones in most perfect condition and sliced them in half lengthwise.
Saute the morels in olive oil on medium low heat until they begin to brown. This will take about ten minutes to soften them up. It’s important to cook morels thoroughly.

The Ramp Oil

Clean your ramp leaves in a cold bowl of water to remove any bits of dirt.
Trim the stems off completely leaving only the leaves behind.
Lay in the ramp leaves into your food processor (or blender) and add in good quality olive oil. You’ll have to use your best judgement on the amount depending on how many ramps you’re using. The consistency should be thinner than pesto.
Add a little dash of salt, and blitz for about a minute.
Transfer the puree into a fine mesh sieve and use a rubber spatula to press the oil down into a bowl. What’s left behind is a fragrant mash of ramp leaves with some traces of oil. This can be saved / frozen / and incorporated into countless other dishes. For now, you’re focusing on just the extracted oil that comes out of the sieve.
Transfer the oil into a container, ideally a squeeze bottle with cap. It’s ready to go. Store in the refrigerator.

The Dough

The Assembly & Finishing

Stretch your dough and drizzle first with a little bit of olive oil.
Layer on your shredded mozzarella cheese.
Now evenly distribute the sauteed morels.
Using a spoon, dollop on the fresh ricotta evenly across the pie.
Bake your pizza. I use a wood fired Ooni Pro but use whatever works for you.
Drizzle on a generous amount of ramp oil.
Drizzle on a swirl of honey.
Top with fresh mint and wild violet flowers.
Enjoy!

Venison + Ramp Sausage with Creamy Polenta

April 26, 2020 by Philip Buccellato in wild food, wild game

We made it through another week. Tomorrow might be one of those days filled with dread and anxiety, but right now is filled with the simple comfort of a big plate of creamy polenta, venison + ramp sausage, and a fried farm egg. This dish transports me back to the table with my parents and grandparents and hits on all the nostalgic notes that you could ask for. Video of the process is below.

The Sausage

I use about 40% pork fat to mix with the ground venison in this recipe.

2.8 lbs freshly ground venison

1.1 lbs ground pork fat

10 grams dehydrated ramp powder (recipe can be found here)

Dried chili flakes to taste

15 grams salt

2 tsp fennel seeds

15 grams brown sugar

Natural hog casings

Instructions

Mix together, by hand, all of your filling ingredients in a large bowl.
Carefully slide the sausage casing up onto the stuffing tube. Insert whatever joke you want here. Leave the end untied to allow air to pass through. You’ll tie it off at the end.
On the slowest setting, carefully feed the sausage mixture down into the hopper. You’ll want to work slow and steady, and pause whenever you have any complications. The goal is to have a uniform filling all the way through the casing, without it being packed too tight where the casing will break apart or burst. If you’re attempting this recipe, you’ll likely have made your own sausages before.
When you’ve finished stuffing your sausage now it’s time to tie your links. I typically will make small batches, so I’ll tie each link individually, gently applying pressure with my fingers where I want there to be a break, and then twisting it around to create a nice clean break between links. There are much more elegant and efficient ways to do this and lots of great Youtube videos from professional butchers who can help visualize this process.
Heat up some olive oil in a skillet and brown the sausage on all sides. Transfer the sausage to a pot of simmering red sauce to continue cooking for another 20 minutes. My classic red sauce recipe can be found here.

Creamy Polenta

1 cup coarse cornmeal

1/2 stick Butter

1 cup cubed provolone cheese

1 cup whole milk

2 - 3 cups chicken stock

Salt

Instructions

Bring 1 cup of milk and 2 cups of stock to a simmer and add the cornmeal.
You’ll need to constantly stir the polenta to ensure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Add in the butter and cubed provolone and keep stirring until it melts. Add salt to taste.
If it starts to feel a little too thick, add some reserved stock to thin it out. Keep adding more stock to maintain the right creamy texture. In total it will take about 30 minutes start to finish.

Same-Day Sourdough Flatbread

April 22, 2020 by Philip Buccellato in bread

The beauty of this recipe is how versatile it can be. Start it in the morning and you’ll have flatbread for dinner. It can be baked on a pizza stone, or straight in a buttered cast iron skillet. It can be spiced or left plain. The possibilities are really endless and it can conform to whatever meal your making.

The Dough

Morning (Around 7am):
Mix together 95g active starter, 2.25 cups all purpose flour, 1 cup warm water, .5 tsp salt and spices if you’re using them. For Indian style flatbread I use .5 tsp tumeric and .5 tsp cumin. Mix well, cover and leave out at room temperature all day.

Afternoon (Around 4pm):

Dust your work surface with flour. Dump out dough and divide into 5 equal balls. Do a quick stretch and fold of each ball to shape as if you were shaping pizza dough. Proof for another 20-30 mins.

On floured surface, one by one, press each ball of dough down with your fingers, gently pulling the edges so it flattens out to about .25 inch. The process is very similar to shaping pizza dough.

Baking in the Oven:

Heat your oven / pizza stone to 500F. Brush each dough with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Using a pizza peel, slide in as many individual doughs as will fit. Bake for about ten minutes, until golden brown and puffy. This method will yield slightly puffier flatbread than the cast iron method.

Baking in a cast iron skillet:

Heat up cast iron pan and add a pat of butter for each flatbread you make. Lay down the flatbread in the hot pan and cook for about 5 minutes on each side until it begins to puff up and get blistered in the heat. Some char marks are welcomed here. Make sure to thoroughly clean out the skillet in between each piec

Skillet cooked flatbread, spiced with tumeric and cumin, dusted with ramp powder.