(The Tucci Cookbook, page 91)
Sausage Rolls
(The Tucci Table, page 32)
Frittata
(The Tucci Table, page 31)
Indeed, it was a velvet morning in Nashville, Tennessee! We were into our fifth straight day of soaking rain, and clouds hung low on our mountain.
It would be a perfect morning for taking on another Tucci recipe challenge, a brunch highlighted by the making of a frittata.
First up, walnut bread. With no photograph in the cookbook, we assumed that it would be a sweet 'loaf-style' bread similar to the banana bread we baked on Super Bowl Sunday.
We were wrong ...
Tom arose early and began to assemble the ingredients. He noted that the recipe called for 'dry yeast' and the only thing we had was 'instant yeast'. Referencing the internet, Tom learned that while dry yeast was not interchangeable with instant yeast ... instant yeast was interchangeable with dry yeast. We were still on track.
Fortunately, we had picked up most of our other ingredients the day before. We had stopped at Lazzaroli Pasta Shop and Italian Market for home-made Italian sausage, puff pastry, Pecorino Romano and Mascarpone cheese.
We also stopped at the local Whole Foods Market for walnuts, walnut oil, almond extract, eggs, whole wheat flour, and dry milk powder.
Looking out the window at the early morning rain, we were very glad that our legwork had been done, and all that was left was the cooking.
After five minutes of bubbling, the activated yeast was poured into a large mixing bowl along with whole wheat flour, honey, olive oil, salt, and milk powder. Tom was very concerned that the only kind of milk powder we could get was 'goat' milk powder. Ewww!!
Eventually, it became a very sticky dough that was dumped onto a floured counter and kneaded aggressively for eight minutes. Each minute or so, more flour was added until it became soft and elastic. Then it was covered and set aside to rise for an hour.
Michelle had begun dicing garlic and shallots for our sausage rolls. Tom laid the puff pastry dough on the floured countertop and split it in two. He then removed the casing from six Italian sausages and placed them in a large bowl. After Michelle sautéed the aromatic ingredients, she hand-mixed them with the sausage meat and spread the mixture lengthwise along both pastries.
Using a brush, she spread egg-wash around the perimeter of the pastry dough, pulled it around the stuffing, and pinched it tight along the center. The seam was also brushed with egg wash before Tom turned them over and slashed the rolls with a knife. According to the cookbook, the cuts facilitated a more uniform cooking of the meat ... but they would also ultimately lead to a more aesthetic finished product. Both rolls were given a final brush with egg wash before going into the oven.
The walnut bread dough had spent more than ninety minutes rising. Onto a large cookie pan covered with a dusting of cornmeal, the dough was spread. Tucci recommended pushing several random finger-indentations into it so the last dose of olive oil could pool into them. It went onto the lowest shelf of the lower oven.
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The final scene in Stanley Tucci's epic culinary masterpiece Big Night is an uncut five-minute sequence of him making a frittata. He worked with master chef Gianni Scappin for hours to develop the proper skill to perform the simple, yet subtle task. Here is that iconic scene:
Tucci's cookbook describes the process of making a frittata with the same reverence that one might reserve for fine art or music:
"It is necessary that you have the right pan, by which I mean one that you feel comfortable with, and the best eggs you can lay your hands on. Crack the eggs and beat them gently, making sure the bowl is angled to really blend them ... scramble the eggs vigorously with a silicone spatula, tipping and moving the pan continuously and drawing the egg from the sides into the middle. Keep the pan moving. Then flip the frittata and cook for a minute more, until golden."
Jeez, making scrambled eggs never sounded so sophisticated!!
We started with copious amounts olive oil and heated it until very hot. When we added the Pacific Blue sea salt, coarse ground pepper, and flat parsley, the oil sneered audibly. Then, we poured in the beaten eggs. The hot oil enveloped the edges and flooded the top, instantly frying the scrambled egg. Tom kept the pan moving, the egg sliding easily on the oiled surface of the pan.
Michelle added cubed Genoa salami and the Pecorino Romano cheese, while continuously moving the egg.
Then Tom took the pan and wondered aloud if he should attempt to flip the whole thing or carefully turn it over with a spatula. He tried to turn it over with the spatula, but it collapsed halfway (next time he'll flip it).
Within moments the egg was transferred onto a serving dish. The sausage rolls and walnut bread were pulled from the oven and plated.
Even our leftover paella from the night before (and remade with extra Italian sausage) was added to the brunch cornucopia.
The walnut bread was not like a sweet breakfast-style 'loaf' bread at all. It was more like focaccia; a dry, hearty flatbread. No hint of 'goat' milk flavor either! Superb.
The paella tasted delicious, having been re-sauteed with the added sausage meat. The frittata was juicy yet crispy, and tasted far better than it looked.
And the sausage roll ... ah, the sausage roll!! It may have been one of the most delectably-sinful things the two of us ever cooked.
Next time we flip the eggs!!