Pasta Brasata Con Le Quaglie Di San Giovanni Da Fiore Recipes

PASTA CON I FUNGHI SELVATICI DI SAN GIOVANNI DA FIORE

Steps:

• With a mezzaluna or a very sharp knife, mince together into a paste the garlic, chile pepper, bay leaf, 2 teaspoons sea salt, and salt pork. In a large terra-cotta or enameled cast-iron casserole over a medium flame, heat the olive oil and sauté the paste for a minute or two before adding the mushrooms, tossing them about in the perfumed fat, permitting them to give up their juices. Lower the flame, add the wine and the tomato puree, bringing the ingredients to a gentle simmer. Cover the casserole with a skewed lid and braise the mushrooms for 1/2 hour, permitting them to plump and turn velvety as they slowly reabsorb their juices and inhale the good wine and tomato liquors.
• Cook the pasta in abundant, boiling, sea-salted water for 1 minute. Drain the pasta and add it to the casserole with the mushrooms, tossing the ingredients about thoroughly. Cover the casserole and permit the whole to cook over a low flame for 3 or 4 minutes, just so that the pasta finishes its cooking and absorbs the braising liquors.
• Combine the roasted pine nuts, the olive-oil-roasted bread crumbs, and the pecorino and give the pasta a thick dusting. Carry the casserole to the table, offering more oven-toasted bread and good red wine.

BRAISED OXTAILS WITH RIGATONI (CODA DI BUE BRASATA)

Steps:

• In a bowl, cover the oxtails with cold water. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and season both sides with salt and pepper.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add oxtails, being careful not to overcrowd the pan, working in batches if necessary. Cook until both sides are nicely browned; transfer to a slow cooker as they finish.
• Add the wine to the skillet to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan, then transfer to the slow cooker. Add the vegetables, garlic, herbs and tomatoes with their juices. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on low 6 hours or high 3 hours.
• Cool to room temperature. Remove the oxtails to a plate. Skim as much fat as possible from the surface. Puree the vegetables with a blender or immersion blender, or use a potato masher for a chunkier sauce.
• Remove the meat from the bones and shred coarsely, then return to the sauce. (This step can be skipped and the oxtails served intact, if preferred).
• Prepare the rigatoni according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining. While pasta cooks, reheat the sauce.
• When the pasta is cooked and drained, return it to the pasta cooking pot with half the sauce. Bring to a boil, gently tossing to coat the pasta with sauce. Add a few spoonfuls of the cooking water if needed to get the right consistency. Add the cheese, adjust salt and pepper and serve with the extra sauce ladled on top.

PASTA BRASATA CON LE QUAGLIE DI SAN GIOVANNI DA FIORE

Steps:

• Rinse the quail in cool water and dry them, inside and out, with absorbent paper towels.
• In a mortar with a pestle, grind to a paste the reserved livers, the juniper berries, the peppercorns, the cloves, the garlic, and 1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt. Spoon a bit of the aromatic paste into the cavity of each quail. Wrap each quail in a slice of pancetta, securing it with a toothpick and slipping two leaves of sage between its breast and the pancetta.
• In a large terra-cotta or enameled cast-iron casserole over a lively flame, heat the olive oil and sauté the salt pork. Place the quail in the casserole and brown them on all sides. Lower the flame, sprinkle on the fine sea salt, add the wine and the vinegar, bringing the quail and its liquids to a gentle simmer. Cover the casserole tightly and braise the quail for 12 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
• Cook the pasta in abundant boiling, sea-salted water for 4 minutes. Drain the pasta and set it aside.
• After the quail have cooked for 12 minutes, add the pasta to the casserole, stirring it about in the braising juices and repositioning the quail so that they nestle in the pasta. The pasta and the braising liquors will protect the scant flesh of the frail little birds while the casserole roasts, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes. This will permit the pasta to finish cooking and to absorb the braising juices, for the quail to char and crisp prettily while they complete their roasting.
• Carry the casserole to table, serving the pasta and a quail to each one.