Cauliflower and Broccoli Flan with Spinach Bechamel

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
• 2 1/2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 6-ounce bags baby spinach leaves
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook cauliflower and broccoli in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 2/3 cup cooking liquid. Transfer vegetables to large bowl. Cool. Rinse spinach, then toss in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just wilted. Drain and cool. Squeeze spinach dry; finely chop.

Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk and reserved 2/3 cup vegetable cooking liquid. Whisk constantly over medium heat until sauce thickens and boils, about 3 minutes. Stir in spinach and cheese. Using fingers, coarsely crumble cauliflower and broccoli in bowl. Add spinach béchamel sauce; stir to blend.

Season with salt and pepper. Butter 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Spread vegetable mixture in prepared dish. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.) Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake flan until puffed and heated through, about 25 minutes if at room temperature and 35 minutes if chilled. Serve hot.

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Lazy Linguine with Cherry Tomatoes and Herbs

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried linguine
  
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  
• 1/2 cup roughly torn basil
  
• 1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped marjoram
  
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
  
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and cool under cold running water. Shake off any excess water and pat the linguine dry with paper towels.

2. In a large bowl, toss the cherry tomatoes with the garlic, basil, parsley, marjoram, jalapeño and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the pasta, toss well and serve.

The pasta can be refrigerated for 3 hours. Let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.

Fettuccine with Shrimp, Zucchini and Basil

SERVES: 6

Seafood, seasonal vegetables and pasta are a common combination in Tuscany. This is a summery version that Benedetta Vitali serves at Zibibbo, using firm, dark green zucchini.

Ingredients:

In a small saucepan, cover the shrimp shells with the water. Add the sliced celery and carrot and boil the shrimp shells over high heat until the liquid has reduced to 1 cup, about 20 minutes. Strain the shrimp stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pressing hard on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract the liquid. Season the shrimp stock with salt.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the fettuccine until just barely al dente. Drain the fettuccine, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.

In a large, deep skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the sliced zucchini and garlic and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until the zucchini is just softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp stock, fettuccine, shrimp, tomato sauce, basil, oregano and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add a pinch of crushed pepper and simmer over moderate heat, tossing constantly, until the shrimp are pink and the sauce is nearly absorbed, about 4 minutes. Add the torn zucchini blossoms and toss just until they are wilted. Stir in the reserved pasta cooking water and season the fettuccine generously with salt and pepper. Transfer the fettuccine to a large serving bowl and serve immediately.

Herbed Ricotta with Roasted Peppers

Ingredients:

• 3 medium red bell peppers
  
• 3 medium yellow bell peppers
  
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 6 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
  
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
  
• 1 pound fresh ricotta
  
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves
  
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeño
  
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves
  
• Crusty bread, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Set the peppers in a roasting pan and roast, turning occasionally, until blackened in spots and softened, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes.

2. Peel, core and seed the peppers, then cut them into 1/2-inch wide strips. In a bowl, toss the peppers with 1/4 cup of the olive oil, 3 tablespoons of the parsley and half of the garlic; season with salt and pepper.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk the ricotta until creamy. Whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil, 3 tablespoons of parsley and half of the garlic along with the mint, jalapeño and thyme; season with salt and pepper.

4. Mound the ricotta in the center of a plate. Arrange the pepper strips around the ricotta, spoon the pepper juices on top and serve with crusty bread.

Cream Cheese Crostata with Orange Marmalade

• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 4 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 large egg yolk
• 9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray/li>
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2/3 cup orange marmalade
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

For crust:
Mix flour and sugar together on work surface. Make well in center of mixture; add egg yolk. Scatter butter cubes over flour mixture. Using hands, gently mix ingredients together until well blended and dough forms. Flatten dough into disk; wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom with nonstick spray. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, pressing with back of fork if crust bubbles, about 18 minutes. Cool crust in pan on rack.

For filling:
Beat cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, and sugar in medium bowl until smooth. Spread filling evenly in cooled crust; chill 1 hour. Spread marmalade evenly over filling. Sprinkle almonds over. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

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Duck Stuffed with Chicken Liver, Candied Orange, And Pears

Ingredients

• 3 cups sugar
• 2 2/3 cups water
• 2 oranges, ends trimmed and discarded, each cut into 5 rounds
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 14 ounces chicken livers, fat trimmed
• 10 large fresh sage leaves
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 cups diced peeled pears (about 2 medium)
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 2 4 1/2- to 5-pound ducks, thawed if frozen, excess fat trimmed, rinsed, patted dry
• 2 tablespoons honey

Combine sugar and 2 2/3 cups water in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add orange slices and boil gently until orange peels are almost translucent, about 30 minutes. Drain. Place orange slices on rack set over plate and let drain another 30 minutes. Cut slices into 1/2-inch dice. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Heat 4 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken livers, sage, and garlic; sauté until livers are browned but still slightly pink inside, about 9 minutes. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Cut chicken livers into 1/2-inch dice; return to skillet. Mix in pears and diced candied oranges. Season stuffing to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Boil wine in small saucepan for 3 minutes to allow alcohol to cook away; set aside. Sprinkle duck cavities with salt and pepper. Fill cavities with liver stuffing, dividing equally. Close cavity openings with small metal skewers. Place ducks in large roasting pan. Brush ducks with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast ducks 20 minutes. Pour wine into roasting pan. Brush ducks with honey. Continue to roast until ducks are cooked through and juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced with fork, about 1 hour 10 minutes longer. Transfer ducks to platter. Spoon fat off top of pan juices and discard. Pour pan juices into small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Serve ducks and stuffing with pan juices.

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Ravioli filled with Radicchio

Ingredients
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup semolina (pasta flour)
• 3 large eggs, beaten to blend
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 2 small heads radicchio, quartered, cored, thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted, hot
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

For pasta dough: Whisk flour and semolina in medium bowl to blend. Add eggs and stir with wooden spoon until mixture clumps together; turn out onto floured surface and knead until dough is smooth, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is sticky, about 8 minutes. Form dough into ball; cover and let rest 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in plastic; chill. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before rolling out.) For filling: Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in radicchio and wine; sprinkle with salt. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until radicchio is very soft, stirring frequently and adding water by tablespoonfuls if dry, about 40 minutes. Uncover and sauté until all liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Mix in mascarpone cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut pasta dough into 6 equal pieces. Cover pieces with plastic wrap to keep from drying out. Set pasta machine to widest setting. Flatten 1 dough piece into rectangle. Run dough piece through machine. Fold in half crosswise (end to end) and run through again. Continue to run through machine, turning machine to narrower settings after 2 passes and dusting with flour as needed to keep from sticking, until pasta sheet is scant 1/16 inch thick (about last setting). Place pasta sheet on lightly floured work surface; cover with plastic to keep from drying. Repeat with remaining pasta pieces.

Using sharp 3 1/2-inch-diameter cookie cutter, cut out 36 rounds from pasta sheets. Place 1 rounded teaspoon filling in center of 1 dough round. Brush edges of dough lightly with water. Fold dough over filling, forming half-moon and pressing to adhere. Press edges with tines of fork to seal tightly. Place ravioli in single layer on lightly floured baking sheet and let dry 30 minutes. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover; chill.)

Working in 2 batches, cook ravioli in very large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, stirring gently to prevent sticking, about 3 minutes. Drain. Transfer ravioli to bowl. Pour hot melted butter over; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Parmesan. Toss gently and serve.

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