Articles by: Eataly Magazine

COURSE: Primo Piatto
DIFFICULTY: Hard
PREPARATION TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

For the shrimp stock:
2 cups shrimp shells
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 carrots, peeled & cut into thirds
2 stalks celery, cut into thirds
2 onions cut in half, paper skin removed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 cups water

For the risotto:
1 2/3 cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup shallot, minced
1 pound medium-sized shrimp (about 25), cleaned & cut into thirds
2 squid ink sacks
¼ cup white wine
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt & freshly-ground pepper, to taste

To prepare the shrimp stock:
Peel the shrimp and reserve shells. With a small knife, make a shallow cut down the back of the shrimp to remove the dark vein. Cut the shrimp crosswise into thirds.

Heat the oven to 300ºF.  Toast shrimp shells for 20 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a medium stock pot.  Add carrots, celery and onion and cook without moving until caramelized.  Move vegetables to side of the pot, add a little bit of olive oil to the bare spot and add tomato paste.  Sauté until it turns from bright red to maroon.  Mix paste in with vegetables, add toasted shrimp shells and water.  Simmer for 1 hour, then strain.

To prepare the risotto:
Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy casserole or pot and sauté the shallots, adding salt and pepper, until clear, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil. Toast the rice until the edges become translucent, 1-2 minutes. Pour in the red wine and crush 2 of the ink sacs. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir until the liquid is incorporated into the rice mixture. Continue cooking the rice, stirring constantly and adding ladleful of the broth as needed until just before the rice is cooked al dente, about 25 minutes.

Add the chopped shrimp to the rice just before the last cup of stock is added. Mix well and cook, adding the last cup of stock until the rice is creamy and al dente, 3-4 minutes longer.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the chopped parsley and two tablespoons of high quality olive oil. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary, with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, ladled into warm shallow bowls, and pair with a crisp white wine from the Veneto.

Buon Carnevale!

This recipe was first published courtesy of Eataly Magazine.

Find the original recipe here

COURSE: Primo Piatto
DIFFICULTY: Easy
PREPARATION TIME: 1 Hour and 30 minutes

4 russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
2 cups coarse sea salt, plus more for salting the pasta cooking water
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon fine sea salt, plus more for seasoning the sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 (16-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.

Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of the coarse salt in the bottom of a baking dish just large enough to hold the potatoes. Place the potatoes on the salt, then cover them with the remaining coarse salt. Bake in the preheated oven until easily pierced with a paring knife, about 40 minutes. Set aside to cool. (Discard the salt.)

Once the potatoes are coole nough to handle, peel them and mash them with a potato ricer. (You can use a fork; just be sure to crush them fairly thoroughly and not leave any large chunks.) On a work surface, spread the potatoes into a square about 10 by 10 inches.

In a bowl, combine 2 cups flour and the 1 tablespoon fine sea salt. Sprinkle the flour mixture evenly over the potatoes.

Knead the potato mixture (use a bench scraper to help you get started, if necessary), until the mixture is uniform and forms a soft, still slightly sticky dough. If the dough is too sticky, add the remaining 1 cup flour in small amounts, but the less flour you manage to add, the lighter your gnocchi will be.

With a knife, cut the dough into equal-size pieces roughly the size of an egg. Working one at a time, roll the pieces into ropes about 3/4 inch wide. Cut the ropes into 1-inch pieces.

Pick up one piece of the dough, roll it over the back of a fork, and let it drop onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. The resulting gnocchi should be slightly curved with grooves that will capture the sauce. Dust the gnocchi lightly with flour, and set aside.

Place the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a saucepan, and cook over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant and just light brown. Add the tomato juices and the tomatoes to the pan, crushing them by hand. Season to taste with salt. Simmer the sauce until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the gnocchi. When the water is boiling, salt it, then add the gnocchi. Cook the gnocchi until they rise to the top of the water, about 1 minute. As they are finished cooking, remove them to a colander with a slotted spoon.

Spread a small amount of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a serving dish. Add the drained gnocchi, then spoon the remaining sauce on top. Toss to combine. Drizzle with a little olive oil, and serve immediately.

Buon appetito!

This recipe was first published courtesy of Eataly Magazine.

Find the original recipe here

At Eataly, we believe in eating by season. Fruits and vegetables taste so much better – and are so much better for you – closest to harvest. And from December through April, these fruits are in peak season! To capitalize on this versatile winter bounty, we’re offering you five ways to incorporate citrus into your life.

1. Know your citrus. From the exotic kumquat to the familiar orange, we offer more than a dozen varieties of citrus fruits in our produce sections at Eataly New York and Chicago. 

2. Choose wisely. In the marketplace, ensure the highest quality fruit by examining its weight, peel, consistency, and scent. The heavier the fruit, the juicier it will be; lighter fruit means that the juice has dried up. The peel should be smooth and the consistency firm – avoid mushiness. Finally, the fruit should smell fragrant: if it smells off, just step away.

3. Drink up. In these cold months, it’s hard to beat fresh citrus juice, which opens a window into sunnier places – unless it’s fresh citrus juice mixed with Prosecco, gin, or Campari! Use citrus as your base for winter cocktails – and don’t forget to incorporate the peel!

4. Think zesty. Zest is one of our chefs’ favorite secret ingredients. Grating the outer peel of citrus fruits releases the concentrated flavors in the oils of the skin, making it an excellent addition to salads, stews, grilled meat, and cocktails! Anyone with a grater can use it (just remember to wash the fruit first!).

5. Candy that peel. Candied citrus peel is another creative but simple way to use the whole fruit. An excellent garnish for a dish or drink, the candied peels are also a treat on their own as a sweet finish to a meal; dipped in melted dark chocolate and then air dried; or served with ricotta, honey, and toasted almonds. Discover the recipe here.

Buon appetito!

This recipe was first published courtesy of Eataly Magazine.

Find the original recipe here.

We know. Familiar, right? Does she say, “Ho ho ho,” and associate with red-nosed reindeer, too?

Think again: La Befana has been flying around the world on her tattered broomstick to swoop down chimneys and deliver sweet or sooty judgment on girls and boys long before Kris Kringle could so much as grow a goatee. The witch has been in the Italian tradition at least since the eighth century, as part of the Epiphany.

In Italy, the Epiphany marks the official end of the Christmas season, commemorating the day when the three Wise Men arrived at the manger bearing gifts. Every year, the occasion is celebrated with living nativity scenes, a great procession through the city center, and — most exciting for the sweet tooths among us — the arrival of La Befana.

According to the story, the four figures’ fates were intertwined when the Magi happened upon La Befana early on during their quest. She charitably hosted them for an evening in her humble but cozy cottage; the next morning, they invited her to accompany them to Bethlehem. Busy cleaning her home, La Befana declined at first – but then, after they carried on their way – she had second thoughts. She quickly filled a basket with gifts for the baby Jesus and set off alone. Although she followed the same star, she was unable to find the manger before the Wise Men did on January 6, the Epiphany.

Today, La Befana continues to travel the world on Epiphany Eve, searching every house for the child and leaving candies and chocolates for the good children – just coal for the bad – in her wake. At Eataly, we are celebrating her arrival with panettoni and pandori, the traditional Italian holiday cakes, and other sweet treats.

Buon appetito!

This story was first published courtesy of Eataly Magazine.

Find the original story here.

Buona Befana!