Easy Recipes for the Grill & Cucina – Paggi Pazzo

A great recipe my mother made quite frequently growing up was Focaccia, a white pizza like bread that had a little seasoning and always left you coming back for more. Whether it was a nice complimentary side dish to dinner or something we enjoyed as a snack, Focaccia is one item I rarely passed up when it presented itself (not that it just came around unannounced and snuck up on me or something…). Today I’m sharing my Roman style Focaccia bread recipe that my mother has shared with me and I think you will find it sooooo good, you’ll wanna shove that focaccia in your (the) face! Or simply just eat it…

Putting together some focaccia with finely chopped fresh rosemary, garlic, olive oil and a sprinkle of Reggiano Parmigiano from Paggi Pazzo!

To start, I buy my dough from a specialty market that makes their dough fresh everyday without any unhealthy oils and ingredients. Now if you have the time, feel free to make your own dough (show off!) but those of you like myself who don’t, here’s how we begin our focaccia recipe. I take a handful of flour and cover both sides of the dough, kneading and prodding to stretch it out. Unlike pizza, I don’t use a dough-roller for the focaccia and instead, poke at the dough all around with both index fingers to create an indented mountainous appearance (how picturesque!). Continue to poke and stretch it out until you have a decent size round shape and then place on a pizza stone or cooking sheet. I then add olive oil all around the focaccia and add a little bit of finely chopped garlic and fresh rosemary, pinch of salt and pepper, then a sprinkle of grated Reggiano Parmigiano. That’s all there is to it my friends! That simple! Set the oven to 425 degrees and it let it bake for about 20 minutes or until the focaccia turns a golden brown and then POW! Focaccia heaven.

Recipes and types of focaccia vary from region to region in Italy. The one my mother has taught me is more of a Roman take on focaccia but also common in places like Liguria, while in areas of the south it is not uncommon to find focaccia topped with tomatoes and olives. I sometimes like to make panini with the focaccia by slicing it in half and stuffing with prosciutto and fresh mozzarella and/or soppressata with fresh mozzarella. It’s a reeeeeeeeally good panino, trust me! I use to make them all the time during my college days when I worked at Tutto Italiano, a little Italian specialty store. Try one and you’ll be so busy attacking that focaccia panino that you won’t have any time for TV, even if shark week is on! Now I know some may ask, what’s the difference between focaccia and pizza bianca? And the answer? I have no clue…. Just kidding… The pizza bianca in Rome is very similar to the focaccia with the difference being that the pizza bianca includes toppings while the focaccia is as is but can also be stuffed with deliciousness. Whatever you decide to do with your Focaccia, I bet it will be destined for face stuffing – Buon Appetito!

Recipe by Paggi Pazzo

Focaccia Bread Recipe

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Yield: 8 slices

Ingredients

• 16 ounce fresh dough
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• pinch salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Reggiano Parmigiano
• handful flour

Cooking Directions

1. Add flour to both sides of dough and poke in circular motion, slightly stretching dough and creating round shape with finger indents throughout
2. Chop and crush garlic cloves and fresh rosemary finely then grate Reggiano Parmigiano
3. Lightly dress focaccia with olive oil, garlic, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper and grated Reggiano Parmigiano
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, then add focaccia and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown
5. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing and stuffing your face!

Tapas from Spain is one of my all time favorites and the Iberian nation is a hotbed for all things tasty! Without a doubt, I can’t have a tapas dinner without ordering some kind of croquettes that feature jamón Serrano, or chorizo, or chicken or beef or fish, etc… It doesn’t really matter because usually whatever is added in the filling is a mouth full of deliciousness! Today I’m sharing my recipe for Spanish Style Crab Croquettes, filled with fresh crab meat, chorizo, Manchego cheese, and fresh parsley that accentuate some of Spain’s most classic ingredients. It will inspire you to sing Red Ships of Spain or visit Pamplona and go running with the bulls! Then again, maybe hold off on that idea and stick to the singing.

What I love about Spanish crab croquettes, or croquettes in general, is that they’re fantastic for appetizers or even a whole meal if you make them as large as I do! My father-in-law was gracious enough to offer fresh crab meat that he brought home from the ocean waters of New Brunswick, so I knew what I had to do – like Spain world-class midfielder Xavi Hernandez’s exquisite footwork, I had to perform a clinical croquette recipe (or something like that…). One ingredient however I discovered hard to find was Spanish breadcrumbs as there aren’t many specialty stores featuring Spain ingredients close by to where I live so I made a bit of a bread crumb concoction. I mixed Italian and Japanese panko breadcrumbs with Goya Adobo seasoning and together, it gave a crispy and crunchy flavor to this enjoyable recipe.

To begin my Spanish crab croquettes, I start by sautéing the crab meat in a pan with garlic, chopped chorizo and a lot of fresh parsley in Spanish olive oil. Next step is preparing a béchamel sauce with butter, olive oil, flour and milk to create a creamy texture. Start by creating a paste with olive oil and butter melted at low heat, followed by flour and heated milk whisked together. Once the béchamel is ready, I chop Manchego cheese and add all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, stirring well and then placing in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Now that the filling is chilled, I place my breadcrumb mixture on a large plate and beat an egg in a bowl for dipping. Take your crab croquettes filling and make an oval shape with your hands, then dip in the egg and roll onto the breadcrumbs. That’s all you need to do and keep repeating until all of the filling has vanished. Now I know the traditional way then is to fry or deep fry the crab croquettes and I did just that for 4 of them because my wife and I were very hungry and couldn’t wait to taste! However, for healthy eating best practices, I baked the rest in the oven at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes a side and they came out delightful, not to mention not overly saturated in oil. As a beverage you can’t go wrong with a great glass of Spanish sangria (or jug) but Spain has excellent wines and beers, including the Conde de Valdemar Rioja or the Estrella Damm Beer from Barcelona, or the Mahou-San Miguel from Madrid. All will go excellently with your fresh crab croquettes! You’ll be feeling good and ready after a few of these to take on anything, maybe even a run with the bulls? Just be sure to carry a few extra croquettes in case the bulls get a little too close so you don’t get the horns! Spanish Crab Croquettes recipe from Paggi Pazzo, Viva España!

Recipe by Paggi Pazzo

Spanish Style Crab Croquettes Recipe

Prep time: 45 min

Cook time: 20 min

Total time: 1 hour 5 min

Yield: 16 large croquettes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh crab meat
• 4 ounces Spanish chorizo
• 4 tablespoons Spanish olive oil
• 3 teaspoons pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3-4 ounces Spanish Manchego cheese
• 1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons Goya adobo seasoning
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2/3 cup fresh parsley
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 egg

Cooking Directions

1. To create filling chop crab meat, chopped chorizo, fresh parsley, chopped garlic, and add to a pan with olive oil and saute for 2-3 minutes at low heat stirring ingredients
2. In another pan, add butter and olive oil at low heat. Once butter melts, add flour and whisk then add milk and continue to stir until soft and slightly thick for croquette filling
3. Chop Manchego cheese into small chunks and then combine with flour/milk mixture and crab meat/chorizo, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to cool
4. In a bowl, add Italian bread crumbs, Panko bread crumbs, and Goya Adobo seasoning and mix
5. Crack egg into a bowl and beat, then add breadcrumb mixture to a large plate. Take crab croquette filling and create small oval shapes then dip into egg and roll into breadcrumb mix, then place on baking sheet (repeat until all filling is used)
6. Set oven at 425 degrees and cook crab croquettes for 20 minutes until golden brown
7. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before serving and shout Viva España!!!

Bologna, the unofficial food capital of Italy within the region of Emilia-Romagna where prosciutto, mortadella, and salami are heavily produced and at one time the home of the legendary Roberto Baggio, amazing the Rossoblù tifosi in the late 90′s. You knew I was gonna get Baggio in here, didn’t you – he was kind of a big deal back then. How he didn’t turn into 500 lbs. with all of the amazing food surrounding him is beyond me and one dish specifically is synonymous with Bologna and increasing your waistline; Lasagne alla Bolognese! The rich and hearty filling of meat, besciamella (béchamel sauce) with grated Grana Padano and Reggiano Parmigiano make this lasagne the ultimate and classic comfort food of not just the region, but for all of Northern Italy. Today I’m sharing my recipe for Lasagne alla Bolognese that includes a touch of Rome (shocking) but stays true to this traditional Bologna classic.

By comparison, most American lasagne is filled with heavy ricotta cheese and extra sauce that piles up 2 feet high as if you were building a skyscraper, not the type of lasagne you are likely to find in Italy. The Lasagne alla Bolognese by contrast is compact and filled with hardy goodness! To start it’s important to prepare the Bolognese sauce, also known as Ragù, which consists of ground beef, pancetta (you can add or use ground pork as well), carrots, celery, onion, and tomato sauce. I first add the onions, carrot, and celery and saute them in olive oil before adding pancetta (sliced in little chunks). After 5 minutes of the pancetta cooking with the vegetables, I add the ground beef seasoned with salt and pepper, which I cook for about 10-15 minutes until the beef is almost browned. Then add crushed tomatoes and slow cook for at least 90 minutes to 2 hours (I also reduce the sauce to help the meat absorb the crushed tomatoes).

While the sauce is cooking, you have plenty of time to prepare the lasagne pasta and the besciamella. For the pasta, I use Barilla lasagne pasta and add them to boiling water for about 1-2 minutes to soften (I don’t salt the water because the Grana Padano and Reggiano Parmigiano offer plenty of salt). Feel free to make your own lasagne pasta if you have the time (show-off!) as the authentic recipe calls for spinach lasagne pasta. For the besciamella, which is actually a traditional French sauce found in many Northern Italian cuisines (Viva La Resistance!), add butter to a pan at low heat and then stir in flower with a whisk. In another pan heat milk (I use 2% to keep it healthy and classy at Paggi Pazzo) and once the butter and flower begin to make a paste, add the milk slowly while whisking and adding a little more every time the sauce begins to thicken. Now I’m not a big fan of the besciamella so I actually used 1/2 of the usual amount for the lasagne and substituted the other half with chopped fresh mozzarella, but depending on your taste feel free to exclude the fresh mozzarella.

Now you’re ready to put the Lasagne alla Bolognese together so add a little bit of the sauce to the bottom of a large pan topped with sheets of the lasagne pasta. Then add a healthy heaping layer of the Bolognese Ragù sauce, a light dressing of the besciamella, chopped fresh mozzarella, grated Grana Padano and Reggiano Parmigiano, and repeat once more. The bigger the lasagne my friends (3-4 layers) does not make it better so trust me on this one; the lasagne will taste so much better if it’s not overwhelmed with too much of one ingredient or many. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and let it cook for 45 minutes before enjoying a Bologna masterpiece!

My wife and I really enjoyed the lasagne and to her credit, she admitted that the more classic Italian lasagne was better than the ricotta filled imitations she’s had in the past. To accompany the Lasagne alla Bolognese I cracked open a bottle of Nobile de Montepulciano, an excellent red from Abruzzo but if you want to keep the Bologna theme going, Sangiovese is the King of the Emilia-Romagna wines. So there you have it, Lasagne alla Bolognese recipe from Paggi Pazzo, be sure to invite over some friends (or give me a call)!

Recipe by Paggi Pazzo

Lasagne alla Bolognese Recipe

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 2 hours 45 min

Total time: 3 hours

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

• 28 ounces crushed tomatoes (San Marzano)
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 ounces or 12 sheets lasagne pasta (Barilla)
• 1/4 cup of flour
• 1 tablespoon salt and pepper
• 1/4 pound pancetta
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 large carrots
• 4 celery sticks
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup Grana Padano
• 1 cup Reggiano Parmigiano

Cooking Directions

1. In order to make the sauce, add oil to pan at medium heat for 2 minutes.
2. Add finely chopped onion, carrots, celery, and fresh bay leaves and saute for 10 minutes
3. Add pancetta and cook for another 5-7 minutes before adding ground beef. Then season with salt and pepper and cook until meat is slightly browned
4. Add crushed tomato sauce and cook at low temperature for at least 90 minutes and until most of sauce has evaporated into beef
5. Boil water in a pan and then add lasagne sheets for 1-2 minutes until softened
6. For besciamella, heat milk in one pan and in another pan add butter at low heat and once completely melted, add flour with a pinch of salt and whisk
7. Once butter and flour become a paste, slowly add heated milk and whisk consistently (continue adding milk until it forms a creamy texture – if besciamella becomes too thick, remove from stove)
8. Preheat oven at 400 degrees and lightly dress bottom of pan with Bolognese Ragù sauce
9. Grate Grana Padano and Reggiano Parmigiano into a bowl and chop fresh mozzarella
10. Add 4 lasagne sheets to bottom of pan, then layer with Bolognese Ragù sauce, besciamella, chopped fresh mozzarella, and grated Grana Padano and Reggiano Parmigiano (repeat again for second layer)
11. For any remaining besciamella and cheeses, use to top lasagne
12. Cover lasagne with sheet of aluminum foil and place in oven and cook for 45 minutes
13. Once done, remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving and enjoying the splendors of Bologna!