(The Tucci Table, page 14)
Carbonnade De Boeuf
(The Tucci Table, page 112)
Potato Gnocchi
(The Tucci Cookbook, page 166)
Crumbly Cake
(The Tucci Cookbook, page 341)
The sound of banging pots and pans echoed throughout the house. Michelle was up early and had already begun prepping a special birthday menu for her husband, Dan. Tom soon joined in and the two chefs were off and running.
We chose to begin with the carbonnade de boeuf, since the required baking time was three hours. The dictionary definition of the term carbonnade is … a thick, beef stew, usually cooked in beer.
Michelle sliced onions while Tom heated olive oil, combined with a few pieces of Nueske’s Bacon (leftover from the previous night’s dinner at Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse). The recipe had recommended pork fat as a flavorful alternative to pure olive oil, so we thought it wouldn’t hurt.
Then we coated chunks of stewing beef in seasoned flour and browned them in the oil. The meat was removed and onions thrown into the vat to be softened, along with garlic.
The recipe called for twenty ounces of dark Belgian beer. We used New Belgium 1554 Black Lager (brewed in Asheville, North Carolina). It was the best we could do in a pinch.
Once the beer was added, Tom deglazed the pan by scraping all the remnants that had been semi-charred into the bottom and stirring them into the stew. The meat was then reintroduced to the thickening broth.
Michelle prepared a bouquet garni of herbs tied together (thyme, parsley, and bay leaves) that were added before bringing it to a full boil for five minutes.
Michelle prepared a bouquet garni of herbs tied together (thyme, parsley, and bay leaves) that were added before bringing it to a full boil for five minutes.
Tom then covered the dutch oven and placed it in the oven at 325 degrees for three hours.
We next turned our attention to the fregolotta (crumbly cake). It is a flat, almost biscotti-like, cake, designed to be broken off into pieces and dipped in sweet wine or a steaming cup of espresso.
Michelle used a mortar and pestle to grind almond slivers into a powder while Tom greased a baking pan. The almond dust was added to cornmeal, sugar, and cake flour and blended together. Michelle separated two egg yolks and added them with vanilla, lemon and orange zests into the center of the dry mix, assimilating them carefully with a fork.
Softened butter was added and hand-mixed into a very dry and crumbly dough. It was tightly packed into the pan and set in the oven to bake for twenty-five minutes.
Next up, potato gnocchi. Good gnocchi from scratch is hard to make. We learned this very quickly as we progressed through the steps.
For some reason, potatoes always seem to take forever when we boil them. The cookbook estimated thirty-five minutes to soften, but ours took almost an hour.
Once removed and cooled, we hand-mashed them on a floured surface. Then as directed, we rolled the mass into a round blob and formed a ‘well’ in the center. Inside, we placed beaten eggs, olive oil, salt, and nutmeg. Around the perimeter, we distributed a cup of flour, infused with grated cheese.
Very carefully, Michelle hand-mixed the potato-dough, incorporating all of the ingredients together.
Then we pulled up a YouTube instructional video of Marilyn Batali (Mario’s mother) demonstrating the proper way to make gnocchi.
The first thing we noticed was that her dough was very smooth, while ours was still very chunky. The other thing was that she had a nifty ‘gnocchi board’ that enabled her to roll the dough pieces into perfect shapes almost instantly.
We worked further with our dough, mashing it until it was smooth, like that in the video. Then we cut it into quarters and rolled each quarter into a rope, approximately a half-inch in diameter.
Then for several minutes, we practiced forming individual pieces using a fork to make striped indentations. Michelle developed this skill quickly and was soon making perfect gnocchi.
Then for several minutes, we practiced forming individual pieces using a fork to make striped indentations. Michelle developed this skill quickly and was soon making perfect gnocchi.
After making several hundred pieces, the gnocchi was placed in small batches in boiling water. They would fall to the bottom of the pan, and within a minute or two, rise to the surface to be removed with a slotted spoon and placed in a warming dish. So while the making of gnocchi was tedious, the cooking of gnocchi was actually a very simple procedure.
Eventually, all the gnocchi was cooked, topped with melted butter, and seasoned for the table.
The last item, a simple cucumber salad, was the perfect counterpoint to the complexity and richness of the gnocchi and carbonnade.
Tom scored four Kirby (small) cucumbers lengthwise with a fork, to add texture, and sliced them into petite discs. He placed them into a mixing bowl.
Then he whisked an emulsion of olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper that was poured over the pieces. The salad was thoroughly tossed and transferred into a small serving dish. Garnished with dried oregano. Fini!!
Then he whisked an emulsion of olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper that was poured over the pieces. The salad was thoroughly tossed and transferred into a small serving dish. Garnished with dried oregano. Fini!!
While Michelle prepared a Tucci-recommended tomato-cream sauce for the gnocchi, Tom pulled the stew from the oven. With great anticipation, the lid was removed and we were hit with an incredible blast of delicious aromas … beef … spices … beer.
Everything had blended together into something beautiful!
Everything had blended together into something beautiful!
The stew was spooned into a serving vessel and re-garnished with fresh herbs and spices. Dan’s birthday dinner was ready to be served.
We then presented him with a special piece of birthday crumbly cake.
Tam enjoyed dipping the crumbly cake into her sweet dessert wine, Arrington Vineyards Raspberry Wine (Lot Fifteen).
She ran off with the rest of the cake, saving it to enjoy with her morning coffee.
She ran off with the rest of the cake, saving it to enjoy with her morning coffee.
This was a complicated menu that required some fairly intricate skills. We were challenged and we learned much.
At the conclusion of another great meal, the two chefs looked across the table at each other, and nodded knowingly.