Cheater's Cassoulet

Let me begin by apologizing for not having a nicely propped photo, but it is what it is.  And what it is is an amazingly delicious cassoulet.  Yes, I realize this is mainly a blog about Italy but France is our dear neighbor.  And technically this dish isn't called a cassoulet, it's Duck Breast with White Bean and Sausage -- to which I added some diced homemade pancetta to kick it up a notch.  Although I have never eaten an authentic cassoulet, I would put this recipe up against a cassoulet any day of the week.  Any wagers?

Duck Breasts with White Beans and Sausage  
Recipe from Clyde Common

Serves 4

1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 boneless duck breasts (1 to 1-1/2 pounds total)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 sausages, about 1/2 pound 

2 small shallots, chopped, about 1/2 cup (you can substitute yellow onion)
1 medium carrot, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Toast bread crumbs. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low flame. Add olive oil to pan, swirl to coat. Add bread crumbs and toss to coat with oil. Toast until golden brown, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a shallow bowl or plate and allow to cool completely.

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Pat duck breasts dry with paper towels and trim off any excess fat. Score skin in a crosshatch pattern at 1/2-inch intervals with a sharp knife, being careful not to slice through the flesh. Season with salt and black pepper on both sides. Heat a 12-inch ovenproof lidded sauté pan over medium-low heat. Place duck breasts, skin side down, in the hot, dry skillet. Cook the breasts until the skin is crispy and most of the fat has rendered, about 10 to 12 minutes. Turn duck breasts and cook the non-skin side for 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.

Pour off all but one tablespoon of the duck fat in the skillet and reserve for another use.  (Roast chicken and roast potatoes are both good uses of leftover duck fat!) Sauté shallots and carrot in duck fat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. This is where I added a small amount of diced pancetta to the pan.  Add sausages to the pan and continue cooking another 5 minutes, turning sausages once. Add garlic and thyme to pan and cook until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add wine and broth to pan, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Add bay leaves and cannellini beans and bring to a boil.

Return duck breasts to skillet, along with any accumulated juices. Cover pan and transfer to oven. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes (or longer, if needed), until an instant-read thermometer inserted diagonally into center registers 125°F for medium rare (unlike chicken, this is perfectly safe—and delicious). I left the dish in the oven to cook for 20 minutes because our oven isn't very accurate.  Remove from the oven. Transfer breasts and sausages to cutting board, tent with foil and allow to rest for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place uncovered pan over medium flame to slightly reduce liquid and concentrate flavors. Taste and adjust seasonings (use a light hand—the duck and the sausage will provide some saltiness).  Sprinkle each plate with a generous amount of bread crumbs (you will have some left over, and that’s fine). Don't skip the bread crumbs, it really adds to the dish!  Enjoy.

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Holidays 2014, Bring 'em on!

I was a little late this year in drying my orange slices sufficiently in time for the holidays. Rather than dry them in the oven and use precious (and expensive!) electricity I opted for the slow drying method using the top of the radiator.  Since I had never attempted to dry fruit in this manner, I started off by sacrificing (slicing) only one orange to see whether or not this process was effective.  It took days.  And days.  And then more days.  In fact, it took so long let's just say that I will be one step closer to making the beautiful garland below for the new house for the holidays in 2014!  

(via Gardenista)

 Or one of these two below.  Or all three!!!  I better get started now drying more oranges!

(via theKitchn)

I Know, I Know....

I have been exceedingly remiss in posting, but I promise to be better in 2014!  I have a big adventure ahead of me and I am so excited that sometimes I feel like I'm going to bust.  I am so grateful that I live in Italy, I am so grateful for my husband and my family, I am so grateful for my life.  And I hope to find a way to share these things with you.  I worry sometimes about what to write because my life seems ordinary, but it's not.  My life here is extraordinary.  It's all in the perspective.  I hope to inspire. 

Chocolate-Orange Biscotti

One family tradition that I can't seem to shake is baking cookies for Christmas.  When I was growing up all four of my sisters and I would bake batches and batches of a variety of cookies.  Biscotti wasn't in our repertoire, but it was in my Nana's and every year we enjoyed homemade authentic biscotti.  She also made a rum cake that I never learned to appreciate, but that's a different story.  This year I made a mix of cookies and small breads.  Pictured above are chocolate-orange biscotti that I made this year, so good and so easy!  Especially easy because I cheated and instead of using chopped bittersweet chocolate, I used Nestle's semi-sweet chips.  My secret is safe, right?

Chocolate-Orange Biscotti  
Recipe from Epicurious

Makes about 3 dozen

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 cup pecans, lightly toasted, coarsely chopped
6 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) chocolate, chopped

Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl to blend. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add the liqueur and orange peel. Add flour mixture and beat until blended. Stir in pecans and chocolate. Gather dough together; divide in half. Wrap in plastic and freeze 20 minutes to firm. 

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Using floured hands, form each dough piece into 14-inch-long, 2 1/2-inch-wide log. Transfer logs to prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until light golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer parchment with logs to rack. Cool 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. 

Place 1 log on cutting board. Using serrated knife, cut log on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Stand slices upright on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining log. 

Bake biscotti until dry to touch and pale golden, about 30 minutes. Cool completely on rack. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container.)

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Forgive Me, But

Sorry that I've been absent for a LONG, LONG time, but I have good excuses!  Does anyone want to hear them?  No one!??  How about some amazing news then!!?  We've put our gorgeous home on the market (picture me a little weepy) and are hoping to buy a place with a little more land!  One of us (pointing to myself) would be thrilled if we could grow grapes and produce enough wine for us and Amore's family.  After all, they supply us with olive oil and fresh eggs year round as well as some amazing produce from the enormous family vegetable garden.  I'd like to be able to give a little something back.

Below is a little slideshow video I made.  If you want to view it larger here is the link to the video on Youtube.  Be sure to "like" it if you visit there! Also, here is a link to the realtor's site with all the info and more photos.  Please keep in mind that I was not aware the realtor was going to be taking photos so the house was not prepared for a photo shoot, yipes.  Look away from the mess and instead notice how utterly fabulous this place is and, oh --  please feel free to share these links with anyone and everyone!  

More Pasta Please

 In any supermarket anywhere in all of Italy you will find several varieties and brands of pasta.

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 Rows and rows of boxes and bags of pasta.  Pasta with eggs, without eggs, pasta made with spinach 

and pasta with whole wheat!  Spiral pasta, pasta shells, pasta shaped liked little hats and church bells.

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But the one thing you won't find is wide egg noodles to make chicken soup.

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I considered smashing up some pappardelle but decided to give these pantacce a try.  

Looks like someone smashed up some lasagna noodles.

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Mushroom Hunting

I went mushroom hunting with Amore!  But on one stipulation, that it was more of a leisurely walk than a death march through brambles along goat paths (like the first time I was foolish enough to have accepted an invitation!)

 

Oh, there were brambles.  But I didn't have to go anywhere near them.

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 Amore offered to let me cut and gather the mushrooms myself, but I was more content to just point them out.

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As much as I enjoyed the day and the fun of finding funghi, the freezer and I pray the season is coming to an end.  

Shhh.... someone still has the fever.

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