Gnocchi Dumpling wih Radicchio

This is another Italian recipe for dumpling that we usually called in Italy Gnocchi. This type of dumplings are made with potatoes but their flavor is enriched by the addition of chestnut flour. The peculiarity of this Italian dumpling is the dressing made with Radicchio, Speck and a cheese like, Asiago cheese, if you like a sweet taste or Bitto cheese, if you like a more strong taste. The Italian cheese that I prefer to use in the dressing of this dumpling is Asiago cheese because its sweet taste makes a contrast with the a little bit bitter taste of Radicchio. The preparation of the dressing is easy you have just to cook the Radicchio, add the speck and then the cheese. Let the cheese melt but not dry it too much otherwise the sauce it will be not enough creamy for dumplings.


INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
1kg or 4 cups of Potatoes
150 g or 1+1/4 of cup of Flour
150 g or 1+1/4 of cup Chestnut Flour
1 or 2 Eggs
100 g of Speck
100 g of Cheese
300 g of Radicchio


PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes

COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

WINE: Oltrepo Pavese (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Start cooking the potatoes without peeling them, boiled them in no salted water until they are cooked more or less 20 minutes since the water boils; in order to be faster you can use the steamer cooker, in this case you will need only 10-12 minutes. When the potatoes are ready, let them cool a bit, peel them,



mash them and put them on a table.



Then add to the mashed potatoes the flour, the chestnut flour, the eggs and salt.



Mix all together and work until you will obtain a homogeneous dough.



Now divide the dough in parts and roll each one in order to obtain a sort of longs sausages thick as a finger. Pay attention to have always enough flour on the worktable in order to not attach the dough to it. Cut each long sausage in small pieces of 1 cm length. When you have all the pieces, you have to give them the shape of gnocchi: to do this, take a fork. Hold the fork with one hand and lean it to the work board, with the other hand take a piece of dough and with the index finger press rolling it on the fork: in this way you obtain gnocchi.



Sprinkle the gnocchi with flour and place them on a tray.



In the mean time let the salted water boil for gnocchi and start preparing the seasoning for gnocchi. Clean, wash the radicchio and cut it in stripes. Cut the speck in cubes or stripes and cut the cheese in cubes.



When everything is ready preheat the extra Virgin olive oil in a large pan, add the radicchio and cook it for about 10-15 minutes.



At this point add the speck and let it cook for 5-8 minutes.



At the end add the cheese and let it melt,



pay attention to not dry too much the sauce that comes from the cheese.




When the salted water boils add the gnocchi and when they rise to the surface, drain them.



Add the cooked gnocchi to the sauce. Serve them and if you like sprinkle with Parmesan.



BUON APPETITO!

Radicchio with Nuts

This is an Italian appetizer prepared with ingredients that have opposite taste: the main ingredient is radicchio of Treviso that is of bitter-tasting, then I add some raisins that to the contrary are sweet such as the almonds and the pine nuts, and then to give to the salad also a spicy taste I add some pistachio. The preparation of this Italian appetizer is simple and fast, only one step is very important: you should place the browned nuts over the radicchio when they are still hot, in this way the different taste blend well. You can serve this salad as an appetizer or also as a side dish of cheese second course.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 – 6 people):
300 g of Radicchio of Treviso known also as Trevisana
25g of Salty pistachio without peel
25 g of Pine nuts
50 g of Raisins
20 g of Almonds without peel
3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes

COOKING TIME: 5 minutes

WINE: Cabernet Franc delle Venezie (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Place the raisins in a bowl with some water for about 10 minutes. In the mean time clean radicchio and cut it in thin stripes, preheat the extra virgin olive oil in a pan and place in it the pine nuts, the almonds, the pistachio

and let them slightly brown for about 5 minutes. Drain the raisins, put some radicchio in a bowl,

place over it the nuts still hot,

the raisins and the remainder of radicchio mix all together and serve.

This is the result:


BUON APPETITO!

Risotto Radicchio and Pear

In this delicious Italian dish I combine the bitter taste of Radicchio of Chioggia with the sweet taste of pear. This Italian recipe is ideal if you want to prepare a tasty and light first course in few times and in a simple way. If you want to obtain a good result you should prepare broth with fresh vegetables in particular carrot, celery, onion and potato. Then use fresh Radicchio of Chioggia and pear type Abate that is particularly juicy and sweet, and it produces a sort of caramel when you sauté it with some butter. In the end to finish the preparation of the dish sprinkle with some good Parmesan that join the taste of pear and Radicchio.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
320 g of Rice
250 g of Radicchio
1 Pear
3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
40 g of Butter
20 g of Parmesan
1 / 4 of Onion chopped
1 / 2 Glass of White wine
500 ml of water
1 / 2 of Onion cut in big pieces for broth
1 Carrot cut in big pieces for broth
1 Celery cut in big pieces for broth
1 Potato cut in big pieces for broth
Salt

PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes

COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

WINE: Nebbiolo d’Alba (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Start with preparing the broth: place in a pan the water, big pieces of onion, celery, carrot, potato and salt and let the water boil until the vegetable are cooked.

Then begin to prepare the risotto. Clean radicchio

and cut it in thin stripes. Place in a pan the extra virgin olive oil, the butter and the chopped onion and let it golden

then add radicchio and let it cook for about 5 minutes until it wilts.

Now add the rice and make it roast for some minute, add the wine and let it evaporate.

Start to add 1 ladle of hot broth stirring until it is absorbed; continue in this way, adding ladles of hot broth, for about 15 - 18 minutes.

In the meantime prepare the pear, peel and cut it in cubes, place the cubes of pear in a pan with 20 g of butter and let it golden for about 3 – 5 minutes.

When the rice is ready add the pear and the Parmesan and mix all together.

At the end of the cooking the rice must be slightly firm to the teeth. Serve hot. This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

Crespelle Radicchio and Taleggio

In this delicious recipe I use two traditional Italian foods as main ingredients, in particular: Radicchio of Chioggia that comes from Veneto and Taleggio cheese that comes from Veneto and Lombardy. Radicchio is a popular Italian vegetable, known as Italian Chicory, that has red leafs with a bitter taste ideal grilled, roasted or for preparation of salad dish and also risotto or crespelle. Instead Taleggio is a soft Italian cheese with a sweet taste ideal for preparation of bruschetta, risotto. Radicchio and Taleggio are traditionally used together for preparation of risotto or crespelle as described in the following recipe. These two Italian ingredients are good when used together because the bitter taste of radicchio is joined with the sweet taste of Taleggio allowing to obtain a spicy first course.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 – 6 people):
2Eggs
100 g of Flour
200 ml of Milk
20 g of Butter
800 g of Radicchio
400 g of Taleggio
30 g of Parmesan
3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 / 2 Onion
Salt
FOR BECHAMEL
30 g of Butter
4 Tablespoons of flour
1 L of Milk
Salt
Nutmeg

PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes

COOKING TIME: 40 minutes

WINE: Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Start with preparation of the stuffing of crespelle: wash the radicchio,

cut its leafs in stripes and cut the onion in slices. Preheat the extra virgin olive oil in pan, place in it the onion and let them golden

then add the radicchio,

sprinkle with salt and let it wilt for about 5 – 8 minutes.

In this step if you cook the radicchio in a pan with cover is better so it cooks faster and steamed. In the meantime prepare the mixture for crespelle: beat the eggs with the flour, paying attention to not make lumps,


then stirring add the milk in order to obtain a liquid mixture.


Butter a round pan of 16 cm of diameter and heat it.

Then pour in it a ladle of the mixture,

tilting the pan to evenly coat the pan. When the bottom becomes, turn the crespella and cook the second side about 30 seconds. In this way cook also the others crespelle.

Let them cool before to stuff it. Preheat the oven to 200° C. Now prepare the béchamel: melt the butter in a pan,


stirring sprinkle the flour in it in order to obtain a cream without lumps.


Then continuing to stir, add slowly the milk and some nutmeg



and let it cook for about 10 minutes until the béchamel becomes firm.


Finally stuff the crespella: put crespella on a dish, place some radicchio e some pieces of taleggio on it as shown in the picture below

and close the crespella
Now place on the bottom of a baking pan some béchamel and place on it the crespelle.


Cover the crespelle with other béchamel and sprinkle with Parmesan,


bake for about 30 – 40 minutes until the surface becomes golden. Serve hot.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!