“I’m not a chef, I’m Italian”- David Rocco


Saturday, May 17, 2014

Quiche alla Italiana- Pancetta and Fontina!!



Buongiorno mei amici! Today, I will be sharing a yummy favorite of mine, Homemade Quiche!! I know, I know, it’s not very Italian, but the filling sure is. Pancetta and Fontina, I mean, how good does that sound, right? I love quiche; a nicely flaky buttery crust filled with cheesy fluffy eggy deliciousness mixed with smoky pancetta….mmmmm. The key to a homemade quiche for me is really making a homemade quiche. Don’t wimp out on me and purchase a ready made crust, because once you have a homemade crust, you’ll never believe you ate the other stuff!! I also added some ramps in this recipe because ramps are only in season very briefly and I like to use them whenever I can!!! Enjoy!!

Quiche alla Italiana


Crust

2 ½ cups of unbleached pastry flour (As I’ve said, I only use King Arthur)
¾ teaspoon salt
1 tbsp. dried Italian herb mix
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1 stick of cold butter
½ cup plus 1-2 tablespoons ice water

In a medium bowl whisk your flour, salt and herb mix. Cut in the shortening until it’s broken down to small pieces, almost resembling peas. Dice the butter in ½ inch pieces and cut into the mix, again, until it is broken down into small pieces. Add the water, only a few tablespoons at a time, mix with a fork. When the dough is moist enough to hold it together, transfer to a piece of floured parchment paper. Fold the dough over itself three or four times to really bring it together. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Once 30 minutes have passed, begin to roll and put the crust in an 11 inch quiche pan. You want to crust to be around a quarter of an inch thick. Bake partially for 10 minutes on 350 degrees. Remove from the oven and let it rest while you make your quiche filling…..


Quiche alla Italiana

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. garlic, minced very finely
8 slices of pancetta, roughly chopped
1 bunch of ramps, cleaned and chopped (I have to admit, I like my ramps raw, but if you want to blanch them before adding, I’ll understand!!)
5 eggs
3 egg yolks
½ cup of cream
2 tbsp. dried Italian herb mix
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
½ cup of fontina

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a medium size pan over medium heat. Add you olive oil and garlic, cook until slightly roasted. Add the pancetta and let it crisp up, around 10 minutes. While the prosciutto is cooking, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, cream, Italian herb mix, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Make sure it is thoroughly whisked. Take your pie pan and spread the prosciutto/garlic mix in the pie crust. Next, add the chopped ramps. Add the egg mix and sprinkle with the fontina. Bake for an hour or until the top is set and slightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. Remove the quiche from the pan and serve. I love to have this for brunch with a side of endive with a balsamic reduction. Buon Appetito!! 

Friday, May 2, 2014

What do True Blood, Alice in Wonderland and The Beatles have in common? FOOD!!


Ciao a tutti! I apologize for not posting much, since launching my own business, things have been wonderfully busy and I thought I would fill you in.
Since launching "Magic & Pasta" in March, things have been going beautifully and I am so very grateful. I hosted my first official event, "A Venetian Carnevale Celebration" which was SOLD OUT! You can view pictures of the event here. I also co-hosted a "Saint Joseph's Day Feast" with Bar Eolo in Chelsea and even got some coverage for the event in Our Town!! And if that's not enough, I was the chef last week for a corporate event for DOLE Salads and this week I cooked for a wonderful event inspired by Michelangeo with Feast on Innovation. Needless to say, I am very happy with the way everything is going, which brings me to Magic & Pasta’s upcoming Summer Season in NYC.

From June-August 2014, Magic & Pasta Events is pleased to announce our upcoming Summer Season. Dinners will include "A True Blood Trailer Park Party on Saturday, June 28th",  "A Mad Hatter's Tea Party on Sunday, July 20th" and  "A Meet the Beatles Dinner on Friday, August 15th" (in honor of the 49th anniversary of their historic Shea Stadium Concert.) If you're an early bird, you can already purchase tickets for the True Blood and Mad Hatter's Tea Party (tickets for The Beatles Dinner on sale soon), but I was so excited about these dinners, I couldn't keep it to myself anymore and just had to let you all know! All of these dinners are held in a beautiful space in midtown Manhattan and are limited to 20 guests giving you a very personal and intimate feel.   
You can see the full menu for each event at the above links. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to e-mail me at magicandpasta@hotmail.com or comment on this post. I hope to see some of you soon!! Ciao ciao for now!