In The Can

Ettore Boiardi was an Italian-American chef, born in 1897 in Piacenza, Italy, and arriving at Ellis island in 1914. I am sure you have heard of this famous chef and have seen him as an early celebrity chef hawking his italian-style food products on TV. First, I must say growing up as a child in an Italian-American household his canned products never graced our household tables. This post is not an endorsement of his food product, rather a tribute to his spirit in the American culture as one of the first accomplished chefs to market their food products to the American public. 

Boiardi, or more commonly know as "Chef Boy-Ar-Dee” because early marketers assumed people would not be able to pronounce his Italian name. It's important to note Chef Boiardi was truly a chef and not a made up fictional character like.. are you ready for this? there is no Betty Crocker! Boiardi worked his way up through the ranks at the Plaza Hotel in NYC to head chef, responsible for serving our presidents and the elite dining guests.

Later on in his career he would open his own restaurant, Il Giardino d'Italia, whose name translated as “The Garden of Italy,” located in Cleveland, Ohio. His patrons would often ask for his recipes, so Chef Boiardi would often send home samples of sauce packed in old milk bottles. To keep up with the demand in 1926 he had his sauce bottled, and to ensure quality control - grew his own tomatoes and mushrooms. 

In case you haven't been wowed as yet, Boiardi received the "gold star order of excellence" from the United States War Department for suppling American and Allied troops with food rations during World War II. He later on sold his brand, but continued developing new Italian foods and remained involved with promoting the brand until the last TV commercial in 1979. The first classic commercial for Chef Boyardee's Mushroom Sauce aired on CBS-TV May 22, 1953. I do get a kick out of this TV commercial!

Lesson here: During the my early part of my career as a chef I was called by my close friends "Chef Boy-Ar-Dee". Of course this greeting would make me think of the ravioli in a can, and not so much about the chef. The recent reintroduction of the vintage TV commercial from a mega global food company made me revisit the legend of Ettore Boiardi, and tip my toque in respect to an accomplished chef. From now on when called "Chef Boy-Ar-Dee" I will be reminded of a man with so much impact and not so much about pasta in a can. 

To Make Chef George's Homemade Ravioli 

Pumpkin Stamped Ravioli

Ravioli, a pasta whose name derives from the verb "to wrap" (ravvolgere).

A century ago, stuffed pasta with vegetable-based fillings were eaten on Fridays and during Lent. The meat-stuffed varieties, on the other hand, were a day-after treat made with the leftover meats from Sunday dinners or festive meals. Autumn is the perfect time to stuff-it with fall squash or using pumpkin which has become a viewer pasta favorite from my TV series.

TIPS: 

- Uncooked ravioli will freeze well for a two months, store flat in single layers.

- Make mini ravioli for soups and appetizers

The Stamp: Make ravioli exactly like they do in Italy. The design hasn’t changed in more than 100 years. Why? It’s already simply the best. fantes.com

Ricotta Pasta Dough | Recipe by Chef George Hirsch 
3 1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour, variable
10 ounces ricotta, well drained
2 whole eggs, beaten
1 egg yolk, add to beaten eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt 

To Mix By Hand:
Mound 3 1/2 cups of the flour and salt in the center of a large wooden cutting board or use a large deep bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour, add the ricotta and eggs. Begin to mix all ingredients by hand folding the flour round and round. 

 

The dough will come together when half of the flour is incorporated. At this point, start kneading the dough with both hands, using the palms of your hands. 

Once the dough comes together, remove the dough from the bowl and scrape up and discard any leftover bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 6 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. If too sticky add a little more flour.

Wrap the dough in plastic, refrigerate overnight or allow to rest for at least one hour. Because of the eggs, the Ricotta Dough should be cooked or frozen within three days.

Roll or shape as desired. 

From here you can prepare ravioli, fettuccini, pappardelle, or endless variety of shapes. 

Divide the dough into four pieces. Lightly dust a large wooden board with flour and roll slightly by hand, repeat dusting with flour flipping dough over as you make it thinner and thinner. The trick is to use just the right amount of flour, too little it will stick, too much and the pasta will become tough when cooked. 

A pasta dough machine with metal rollers and cutters is ideal to give you variety of options. But with a little practice by hand, you’ll roll the dough like a pro. 

George's Pumpkin Ravioli Recipe

chefgeorgehirsch.com

Linguine Pepperoncino

The Morelli Pasta Factory is a fifth generation family owned + operated company using ancient Italian pasta making techniques.  The Morellis say the secret in their pasta formula is wheat germ, the heart of the grain, which is full of beneficial vitamins A + D as well as protein. Normally, this valuable wheat germ is removed from every factory-made pasta during the semolina grinding process, for a longer shelf of product. The Morelli Pasta Factory kindly adds the wheat germ back in. How polite. 

Their Red Chili Linguine, made with pepperoncino has quite a bite + deserves a bit of seafood to balance out the flavor.

Linguine Calamari Sauce Recipe

available at specialty food shops in the USA.

Winter Pesto

It's freezing outside and I’m still six plus months away from fresh basil from my garden. But, I'm not waiting until then to make one of my favorite dishes made with pesto. Solution? My Winter version of pesto. A robust flavored style pesto made with arugula + spinach mix. The peppery flavor makes a nice and welcome flavor and a more bold way to serve an ingredient commonly available year round. 

Winter Pesto

Recipe by Chef George Hirsch | Makes one cup

1 cup packed arugula, washed and dried 
1 cup fresh spinach, washed and dried
4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled 
2 Tablespoon pine nuts, chopped 
1 ice cube
3 Tablespoon grated parmesan cheese 
6 Tablespoon olive oil 

Place garlic and pine nuts in a food processor or blender. Pulse gently. Add ice cube, arugula, spinach and slightly pulse. Do not over grind too long, or you will actually be cooking the tender leaves. Add the olive oil and cheese and process until it makes a paste. Refrigerate until ready to use. Keeps about a week in refrigerator.

Use for more than pasta. Pesto is a great addition to salad dressing, poultry, seafood and vegetables. 

Don't Cry For Me Sardo

Having a good stock of cheese in my fridge is one of those things that's very important to me. It goes hand in hand with having good bread and wine at the ready. Today - I have a good cheese find for you, I found it at my local Citarella Market and it's of Argentine origin, called Sardo. Sardo is similar to the familiar Pecorino Romano, but milder, a bit salty and made from cow's milk rather than sheep's milk. It is wonderful to see cheeses imported from Argentina gaining in popularity; I have been a long time fan of Argentine wines such as Malbec. 

Sardo is delicious grated on pastas or risotto. To get you inspired for a quick weekday dinner, with or without the Malbec - enjoy my recipe.

Eggplant And Rigatoni 
Makes 4 servings

From George Hirsch Living it UP! TV series
chefgeorgehirsch.com

1 pound rigatoni pasta, cooked
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups eggplant, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, chopped
6 plum tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup pitted calamata olives, chopped
1/2 cup white whine
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon each: dried basil, oregano, thyme, hot pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons pine nuts, toasted in a sauté pan or oven
2 Tablespoons fresh basil
Parmesan or Sardo cheese to taste and fresh black pepper

Preheat a large nonstick saucepan.  

Add half the olive oil; then eggplant, onion, garlic, tomatoes, and bell pepper. Cook 5-10 minutes or until light brown.  

Add the wine, chicken broth, olives, dried basil, oregano, thyme and hot sauce. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes; mix in the cooked rigatoni. Top with remaining olive oil.

Top with fresh basil, toasted pine nuts and grated cheese.