Renowned Chef and award-winning cookbook author Guiuliano Hazan holds small hands-on cooking classes at his lovely riverside home in Sarasota. My husband and I have been longtime fans of his mother Marcella Hazan, who was one of the foremost authorities on Italian cuisine and author of Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, which is one of our most treasured cookbooks. Having attended one of Giuliano's cooking classes over 10 years ago, I was well overdo for embarking on another culinary pilgrimage to visit him and his wife Lael, an accomplished food writer and Giuliano's unofficial sous chef for todays cooking lesson.
The menu for the day included Spaghetti alla Norma, Beef Braised with Juniper Berries, Zucchini Sautéed with Mint and Chocolate Amaretto Cake. Giuliano started with preparing the Braised Beef first as it required over 2 hours in the oven. He then began the Chocolate Amaretto Cake that his mother Marcella Hazan would often make and is featured in her cookbook 'Marcella's Italian Kitchen'. The next dish we prepared was Sicily's iconic dish, Spaghetti alla Norma followed by the Sautéed Zucchini, as a contorni for the Braised Beef. Sprinkled with valuable cooking techniques, cool kitchen gadgets, and amusing anecdotes, Giuliano shares his lifelong love of food with great warmth and humour, making each cooking class informative and entertaining. Concluding with a delicious lunch featuring each of the dishes prepared over the morning paired with some lovely Tuscan wines, I look forward to the next time our culinary paths cross.
2-pounds of Beef Chuck
Giuliano trimming the beef and cutting it into large pieces
Thinly sliced onions are added to the pot
Then the beef is laid on top of the sliced onions
Olive oil, juniper berries and red wine vinegar are added
We used Giuliano's Classic Red Wine Vinegar made from Valpolicella wine created in collaboration with famed wine producer Marlisa Allegrini
To create a good seal, Giuliano placed a damp towel over the lid as the beef braised on the stove top for a few hours
Giuliano begins mixing the dry ingredients for the Chocolate Amaretto Cake
Amaretti cookies
5 large eggs are separated into whites and yolks
The butter and sugar are mixed until soft and creamy, then egg yolks are beat in one at a time
Egg whites are whisked to soft peaks then added to the batter
Poured into a springform pan, the cake is baked for an hour at 350°F
The final dish is Spaghetti alla Norma, the famous pasta from Sicily
Garlic and olive oil sautéing lightly in the pan
Tomatoes for the pasta sauce and zucchini for a contorni
Peeled and chopped tomatoes are added
Giuliano uses Asian eggplant for the Norma sauce as it's sweeter than the globe variety
Once the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated, the peeled and diced eggplant is added to the pan
The diced eggplant is stirred in with the tomatoes then covered and cooked until tender, about 15 minutes
Time for a snack, as Giuliano pours a delicious chilled Vermentino
2021 Poggio al Tesoro Solesole Vermentino
Sliced Finocchiona, a silky smooth Tuscan salumi made using fennel
Pecorino, the glorious sheep's milk cheese from Umbria's Val d'Orcia
Bianco Sardo, a soft and gentle sheep's milk cheese from Sardinina
After 2 hours the lid is removed from the beef, and the aroma was sublime
Giuliano chopping parsley for the sautéed zucchini dish
Olive oil and garlic sautéed then the parsley is added
Zucchini batons are sautéed until tender, about 10 minutes
Meanwhile the beef has been braising for 2 1/2 hours and is looking lovely and tender
With the lid off and the heat raised a bit, the pasta sauce has reduced down and is crowned with some chopped basil
The sauce ready, Giuliano adds the dried spaghetti to a pot of boiling water
Giuliano likes to use Monograno Felicetti durum wheat pasta from Puglia when he makes pasta dishes
The pasta sauce is added to the cooked spaghetti
Giuliano likes to add diced Buffalo Mozarella to his Spaghetti alla Norma
The pasta is ready and lunch is served
Giuliano slicing the braised beef
Perfectly braised, the beef 'cut like butter'
The sliced beef goes back into the pot to absorb the delicious braising liquid
Lael steps in as sous-chef and adds freshly chopped mint and basil to the contorni
Braised Beef with Juniper Berries and Sautéed Zucchini with Mint
2020 Poggio al Tesoro Mediterra from Tuscany was served with our delicious lunch
The Chocolate Amaretto Cake is ready to be served
Served with a dollop of fresh whipping cream, Giuliano's Chocolate Amaretto cake was a sweet finish to a delicious day
Thank you Giuliano for a very special day!
Braised Beef with Juniper Berries
Serves 4-6
Recipe courtesy of Giuliano Hazan, from 'Every Night Italian'
2 tbsp EVOO
1 1/2 cups onions, thinly sliced crosswise
2 lb beef chuck, cut in 2 or 3 pieces so fits comfortably in pot
1 tsp juniper berries
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Put the olive oil and sliced onions in a heavy bottomed pot and place the meat on top. Lightly crush the juniper berries (this can be done wrapping them in a towel and mashing them with a meat pounder) and add them to the pot. Add the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot tightly by placing a damp kitchen towel under the lid. Turn the heat to medium-low. When you hear the contents of the pot are bubbling, remove the lid and adjust the heat so that the meat is cooking at a gentle simmer. Replace the lid and allow to cook for about 2 hours, or until the meat is extremely tender. You can begin checking after an hound a half. When the meat is done, if the sauce is watery remove the meat and raise the heat until it has reduced to a fairly thick consistency. Slice the meat, return it to the pot to coat with the sauce, and serve.
Spaghetti alla Norma
Serves 4 as main course or 6 as multi course Italian meal
Recipe courtesy of Giuliano Hazan, from 'How to Cook Italian'
1 1/2 lb ripe tomatoes
1 small garlic clove
2 tbsp EVOO
Salt
1 lb spaghetti
1 lb eggplant
6 oz whole milk mozzarella
10-12 whole basil leaves
Peel the tomatoes and cut them into 1/2-inch dice. Finely chop the garlic and put it with the olive in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. As soon as the garlic begins to sizzle after 1-2 minutes, add the tomatoes and season with salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the liquid the tomatoes release has evaporated. While the tomatoes are cooking, peel the eggplant and cut into 3/4-inch dice.
Fill a pot for the pasta with at least 6 quarts of water, place over high heat and bring to a boil.
When the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated add the diced eggplant to the pan. Cover and cook until the eggplant is tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover the pan and, if the sauce seems watery, raise the heat and cook until it has reduced. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Add about 2 tablespoons of salt to the boiling water, put in the spaghetti, and stir until all the strands are submerged. Cook until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, cut the mozzarella into 1/4-inch dice. Put the pan with the sauce on medium heat. Coarsely shred the basil and add it to the pan. When the pasta is done, drain it well. Toss it well with the sauce and diced mozzarella and serve at once.
Chocolate Amaretto Cake
Adapted from 'Marcella's Italian Kitchen'
1/2 lb butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
5 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 oz amaretti cookies
2 oz semi sweet chocolate, cut up into small pieces
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Preheat oven to 350°F. Put the butter in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until the mixture is soft and creamy. Separate the eggs, beating in one egg yolk at a time in the butter and sugar mixture and setting the whites aside for later.
Grind the amaretti cookies in a food processor until powdery. Add the flour and run the processor until it is mixed well. Add the pieces of chocolate and grind until it is very finely chopped. Add the cookie/flour/chocolate mixture to the bowl with the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mixx well until all of the ingredients are well amalgamated.
Whip the egg whites with a whisk or electric mixer at high speed until they form stiff peaks. Add 3-4 tbsp of the beaten egg whites to the cake batter and stir in to soften the mixture, then pour in the rest of the egg whites and carefully fold them into the batter.
Smear the bottom and sides of a springform pan with butter then sprinkle with some flour. Turn the pan upside down and tap it to shake off the excess flour. Pour the cake mixture into the pan and shake the pan gently until the mixture is level and smooth. Place in the upper level of the preheated oven and bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out dry.
Allow the cake to cool before removing from the pan, and serve with freshly whipped cream.
