As we announced yesterday, we have a full schedule of gourmet recipes for your Thanksgiving meal, provided by the great Chefs who joined our Italian Food Lovers Chef Network. Today we start the series of blog posts with a delicious recipe by Chef Tony Mantuano of Spiaggia Restaurant in Chicago: Cappellacci di Zucca con Salvia (Pasta Hats with Pumpkin and Sage).

The recipe is included in Tony and Cathy Mantuano’s cookbook “The Spiaggia Cookbook – Eleganza Italiana in Cucina“, which is available online at Amazon and Barnes&Noble. Chef Mantuano customized this recipe for us adding a few gourmet products from the Academia Barilla Italian food specialty collection, as you can see from the ingredients’ list below.

As described by Chef Mantuano in the Spiaggia cookbook:

This dish may well become a family favorite, especially at Thanksgiving, when pumpkins are in season. The filling has a sweet-and-savory flavor that pairs well with turkey, goose, or duck. Whenever we serve this dish to customers and friends who have never tried it, the raves are loud and clear. This stuffed pasta yields hearty portions, and we suggest serving it with a robust red wine.

CAPPELLACCI DI ZUCCA CON SALVIA – PASTA HATS WITH PUMPKIN AND SAGE
A recipe by Chef Tony Mantuano
(serves 6 to 8)

INGREDIENTS

- 1 pie pumpkin, about 2 pounds (about 2 cups purée after roasting)
- 1/3 cup mostarda, coarsely chopped (see notes)
- 1 1/4 cups dried bread crumbs
- 1 1/4 cups grated Academia Barilla Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 cup amaretti cookies, finely ground
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Academia Barilla Natural Sicilian Sea Salt with Orange Zest and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- basic pasta dough (you can also use premade pasta sheets from your local grocery store)
- 2 cups unsalted butter
- 16 fresh sage leaves
- more grated Academia Barilla Parmigiano Reggiano, for serving

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. To make the filling: Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds.

Arrange, cut sides down, on an aluminum foil-lined or nonstick baking sheet roast until very tender, 20 to 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and place in a blender or food processor. Add the mostarda and process to a purée.

Transfer to a bowl and add the bread crumbs, cheese, cookie crumbs, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Roll out the pasta dough into thin sheets. Working with one sheet at a time, cut the pasta into 3-inch squares. Place each square on a lightly floured board or cloth and let dry 5 minutes.

To fill, place a dough square in front of you on the diagonal, so you are facing a diamond shape. Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the diamond. Lightly spray the pasta with water and bring the bottom point of the diamond to the top point.

Press the pasta together to form a triangle, working out from the filling. Trim the 2 unfolded sides of the pasta triangle with a crimped pastry wheel, and then fold the side points of the pasta forward and press to join them together in a “bishop’s hat” shape. Repeat with the remaining dough and filing.

Stand the finished cappellacci to dry for about 5 minutes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and dusted with flour.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat; do not let the butter brown. Stir in the sage leaves. Set aside and keep warm over very low heat.

Add the cappellacci to the boiling water and cook until al dente (tender but firm to the bite), 3 to 5 minutes after they rise to the top.

Remove with a slotted spoon and carefully transfer to the warm butter and sage sauce. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the pasta to marry with the sauce and absorb some of it.

To serve, divide the cappellacci among 8 warmed plates and top with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve immediately.

CHEF TIPS

Mostarda is a candied fruit, such as pears, apricots, and cherries, mixed with white mustard and sugar syrup. More sweet than piquant, mostarda adds dimension to the pumpkin filling. It is also used with boiled meats and in confections. You can find mostarda in Italian specialty stores or online.

The cappellacci can be assembled in advance and frozen. Arrange them, not touching, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and dusted with flour. Freeze until hard, about 20 minutes. Transfer to zippered plastic bag and freeze for up to 1 month.

Thank you Chef Mantuano for your delicious recipe and for the precious Chef tips. We know Chef Tony Mantuano is getting a Christmas recipe ready to be served to our Italian food lovers next month, and we look forward to it!

Don’t forget to stay with us all week for daily gourmet Thanksgiving recipes from our Chef Network!

Today we have again with us Chef Tony Mantuano from Spiaggia Restaurant in Chicago sharing with us an end-of-summer recipe for the Italian Food Lovers Chef Network: Warm Berry Soup with Mint Gelato (Macedonia ai Frutti di Bosco con Gelato alla Menta).

This recipe is featured, alongside with other dozen yummy recipes, cocktails and Chef tips, on The Spiaggia Cookbook, Eleganza Italiana in Cucina, co-authored by Chef Tony Mantuano and his wife and wine expert Cathy Mantuano. Follow the links to get the book online at Amazon or Barnes&Noble.

WARM BERRY SOUP WITH MINT GELATO
A recipe by Chef Tony Mantuano
(serves 8)

INGREDIENTS FOR THE MINT GELATO

- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 1 cup liquid pasteurized egg yolks (8 egg yolks)
- 2 teaspoons green crème de menthe

INGREDIENTS FOR THE MACEDONIA

- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 4 cups mixed fresh berries, such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup raspberry sauce
- Leaves from 8 sprigs fresh mint for garnish

PREPARATION

In a saucepan, combine the milk, half-and-half, 3/4 cup of the sugar, and the chopped mint and bring it to a boil. Remove from the heat, strain through a fine-mesh sieve, and return to the saucepan. Keep warm over low heat. Discard the mint.

In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until combined, about 2 minutes. Gradually add half of the hot milk mixture to the egg-yolk mixture and whisk vigorously to combine. 

Return the egg-yolk mixture to the pan with the remaining milk mixture. Return to medium heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 4 to 6 minutes. Do not let it boil; overheating will break the custard. Remove from the heat and continue to stir for a few seconds to keep the mixture from overcooking.

Stir in the crème de menthe. Let cool, cover, and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours or preferably overnight.  Pour the custard into an ice-cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sugar and whisk to combine. Add the berries and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, water, and raspberry sauce and bring to a simmer over low heat.

Remove from the heat and ladle into 8 warmed bowls. Top each serving with a scoop of the gelato and garnish with mint leaves. Serve immediately.

CHEF MANTUANO’S TIPS

This soup warms both body and soul, and is easy and quick to prepare. You can substitute purchased mint gelato or ice cream for the homemade. You can prepare this recipe to serve 4, by halving the ingredient measures for the berry soup. Make the gelato as directed and serve generous portions.

Thank you Chef Mantuano for sharing this recipe with us, we look forward to having you as a guest again at Italian Food Lovers!

Let’s welcome again Chef Tony Mantuano, Chef/Partner at Spiaggia restaurant in Chicago, and Guest Chef at the Italian Food Lovers Chef Network.

Chef Mantuano today proposes a great recipe from The Spiaggia Cookbook: Eleganza Italiana in Cucina, a cookbook co-written by Tony Mantuano and wife and wine expert Cathy Mantuano.

Today’s recipe is Ravioletti di Crescenza con Salsa di Parmigiano Reggiano e Burro al Tartufo (Crescenza Ravioli with Parmigiano Reggiano and Truffle Butter Sauce). Elegant and rich, this pasta dish is all about top-quality ingredients. Crescenza cheese (also know as Stracchino) is a soft, fresh creamy cheese from the North of Italy, and is ideal for these pasta pillows.

Are you ready? Let’s go to the kitchen.

CRESCENZA RAVIOLI WITH PARMIGIANO REGGIANO AND TRUFFLE BUTTER CHEESE
(Ravioletti di Crescenza con Salsa di Parmigiano Regiano e Burro al Tartufo)
A recipe by Chef Tony Mantuano
(serves 12)

INGREDIENTS (FOR PASTA DOUGH)

- 2 cups type 00 flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup water

FURTHER INGREDIENTS 

- 1 pound Crescenza cheese
- 1/2 stick cold butter, plus 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup truffle oil
- 1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan cheese
- 12 cloves garlic, thinly sliced, crisped in olive oil
- 12 small sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 cup edible flower petals (optional)

PREPARATION

Mound the flour on a pastry board or other wood or marble work surface. Make a well in the center and add the salt and the egg yolks. Using a fork, gradually fold the flour into the eggs, adding the water little by little until you have a soft dough. Knead a few times until smooth, then form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

Roll out the pasta dough into thin sheets. Using a chef’s knife or pastry wheel, cut the pasta sheets into twenty-four 5-by-5-inch squares.

Place the squares on a lightly floured board or cloth until ready to cook. Cut out 24 rectangles of parchment paper, each 7- by 7 1/2 -inches. Grease each piece using the cold stick of butter, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border unbuttered.

Have ready a bowl of ice water. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta squares to the boiling water and cook until al dente (tender but firm to the bite), 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove the pasta squares with a slotted spoon, shaking to remove excess moisture, and transfer carefully to the ice water to stop the cooking. Working quickly, remove the pasta squares from the ice water one at a time, and lay flat on a cloth to dry. Do not overlap or the squares will stick together.

Cut the Crescenza cheese into 24 pieces, each about 2 inches wide, 2 inches long, and 1/4 inch thick. Place a piece of the cheese in the middle of each pasta square and fold the bottom and top flap of pasta over the middle, wrapping it around the cheese. Then fold the sides into the middle, burrito style.

Place the ravioletto, seam side down, in the middle of a buttered parchment piece and fold the parchment around the pasta, repeating the technique used to wrap the pasta around the cheese. Place the parchment packet, seam side down, on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pasta, cheese, and parchment.

Bake until the edges of the parchment paper are barely golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat, melt the 1 1/2 cups butter. Cook to a nutty brown color, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the truffle oil.

To serve, place 1 tablespoon of the Parmigiano Reggiano in the center of each of 12 warmed plates. Carefully remove the parchment around a ravioletto and place it on the grated cheese.

Arrange a second ravioletto next to the first. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the truffle butter over the ravioletti. Sprinkle with another 1 tablespoon Parmigiano Reggiano.

Garnish with the garlic crisps, rosemary, and flower petals, if using. Repeat to make the remaining 11 servings. Serve immediately.

CHEF MANTUANO’S TIPS

Wrapped in the parchment and placed in an airtight container, the ravioletti freeze well for up to 1 month. Bake right from the freezer for 25 minutes, and continue as directed.

Thank you Chef Mantuano for this gourmet pasta recipe!

If you want to get more recipes from Chef Mantuano, you can buy the Spiaggia cookbook, or the previous cookbook Wine Bar Food. You can purchase them online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com. Wine Bar Food is also available at CrateandBarrel.com.

Or, you can subscribe to Academia Barilla’s newsletter, that delivers monthly exclusive content and latest news and culinary insight on the art of Italian gastronomy, including of course gourmet recipes. This month’s featured recipe is from Chef Tony Mantuano, a yummy Prosciutto with Parmigiano Reggiano, Shaved Artichokes, and Hearts of Palm Salad.

Chef Mantuano’s recipe is paired with a cocktail recipe by wine expert Cathy Mantuano: Negroni Sbagliato, a classic Italian cocktail. As Cathy Mantuano explains, Sbagliato means “mistake” in Italian. The mistake in this drink is that the bartender at Bar Basso in Milan grabbed a bottle of sparkling wine instead of a bottle of gin to make a Negroni. The customer loved it. The rest of course is history.

Do you want to get to this content and to receive it on regular basis? Easy, just register to Academia Barilla’s monthly newsletter! It’s free!

We have the pleasure today to introduce a new Guest Chef for the Italian Food Lovers Chef Network. We will continually introduce a new Guest Chef each month, while the Chefs already introduced will keep sending us one recipe per month, each month! Wow, by the end of the year this will be a top Chef recipe bonanza, and of course we all love it!

This month we won’t only introduce renowned Chef Tony Mantuano, but also wine expert Cathy Mantuano. James Beard award-winning chef Tony Mantuano is Chef and Partner of Spiaggia, the only 4-star Italian restaurant in Chicago! Chef Mantuano and wine expert and wife Cathy recently released a new cookbook titled Wine Bar Food that features Academia Barilla products in the book!!! They also are running a casual dining café-restaurant called Café Spiaggia that complements the recently launched exclusive shoreside Private Dining Rooms of Spiaggia. And there will soon be an event with Zagat next month!

Wait, wait, too much info, let’s start introducing both our new Guest Chef and wine expert.

Chef Tony Mantuano, as reported on his bio published on the Spiaggia Restaurant site, “loves green, fruity olive oil, rare Italian cheeses, woodsy porcini mushrooms and the riches of Italian gastronomy“, which he considers “every day specialties“.

After spending one year in Italy back in 1983, learning all he could about traditional Italian cooking and working at a number of Guide Michelin-rated restaurants near Milan and on the Tuscan coast in Viareggio, Chef Tony Mantuano learned to prepare regional specialties that few Americans had ever experienced.

When Chef Mantuano opened Spiaggia Restaurant in 1984, he was widely acclaimed as a trailblazer of fine Italian cuisine, with reviews from the Chicago Tribune calling Spiaggia “the best high-end Italian restaurant between the coasts” and describing the Italian restaurant as “a jewel” and the food as “spectacular“.

While operating also his family’s restaurant, Mangia, in his native Kenosha, Wisconsin, Chef Mantuano took Spiaggia for a new spin in 2000, reshaping the restaurant’s traditional menu into “an exemplar of contemporary Italian cuisine,” with signature dishes such as Crescenza Cheese-Filled Pasta Pillows with Parmigiano-Reggiano, Brown Butter, Rosemary and Garlic, or the Succulent Roasted Turbot with Sunchoke Puree, Porcini Mushrooms and Veal Mushroom Sauce.

Tony Mantuano is the author, with co-author and wife Cathy Mantuano, of “The Spiaggia Cookbook: Eleganza Italiana in Cucina” (Chronicle Books 2004, awarded as one of the twenty-five best cookbooks of 2004 by Food & Wine). He also has appeared nationally on CNN and PBS, is a regular contributor to the local ABC, CBS and FOX affiliates in Chicago, and has been a guest on popular food talk shows, such as “The Frank DeCaro Show” and “Food Talk with Rocco DiSpirito.”

In 2004, Zagat Survey awarded Spiaggia the “Best Italian Restaurant in Chicago” and the restaurant was named one of the Top five in Chicago by Chicago Magazine. Chef Mantuano also received Chicago Tribune’s “Good Eating Award” and James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: MidWest Award in 2005.

The recent launch of the fashionable Cafe Spiaggia, in the heart of the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, brought the dimension of the neighborhood cafe sanctuary and casual dining room in the fast pace of Michigan Avenue, creating a new well-known neighborhood Chicago favorite.

Chef-Partner Tony Mantuano and wine expert Cathy Mantuano, their cookbooks and their restaurants get plenty of rave reviews from the likes of Forbes blogs, Chicago Sun Times, Food & Wine, Condé Nast Traveler on Concierge.com, Epicurious.com and OpenTable.com.

Spiaggia’s address is One Magnificent Mile (on the corner of Michigan and Oak) - 980 North Michigan Avenue, Level 2, Chicago, Illinois 60611 - Google Map for your driving directions here below.

For more info on Tony Mantuano please check Spiaggia’s and Cafe Spiaggia’s web pages.

If you are interested in the Italian cookbooks published by Tony and Cathy Mantuano, you can purchase them online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com. Wine Bar Food is also available at CrateandBarrel.com.

Or, if you live in the Chicago Area and can’t wait to catch up in person with Tony and Cathy, they have a book signing and demo scheduled on July 2nd beginning at 2 p.m. as part of the Taste of Chicago. They will be located outside the Zagat pavilion signing copies and showcasing recipes from Wine Bar Food - save the date!

This is getting quite long for a blog post, so we cut it here to introduce to you wine expert Cathy and Chef Tony Mantuano with their first gourmet recipe tomorrow!