Parma ham layered cake.



 

It's a great appetizer I discovered in a historical gourmet shop in Bologna called Tamburini.

You can learn more about all the great things they sell HERE , it's a place where I often buy something for dinner when I spent my saturday in Bologna's downtown and sometimes I also stop there for luch because it's truly worth a stop if you want to try real bolognese cooking at a fair price.

For this recipe I don't want to give you measures because I do it using the scientific method "a little of this, a little of that"; I'm sure you can follow this method too :D

 

Parma ham in thin slices

 

green salad

 

arugula

 

processed cheese slices or cheese in thin slices

 

black truffle sauce or mayo and black truffle

 

In a pan or on a dish make a layer of ham, put on top black truffle sauce or some mayo plus some truffle then green salad and arugola in small pieces.

Make another ham layer then add the cheese slices, add some more truffle sauce or truffle mayo another green salad and arugola.

End with a last layer of Parma ham.

Let it set for a couple of hour into the fridge covered with clingfilm to let the tastes combine together and serve in small squares of about 1.5X1.5 inches.

If you have a pizza slicer you can use it to make squares, if not use a very sharp knife.

Veal rolls with Parma ham and dates (Involtini di vitello con prosciutto e datteri)

Im back with an unusual recipe, it's so tasty and could be served as warm starter or a second dish (well, I prefer it as starter).

For 4 serves you need:

4 thin veal slices

4 whole slices of Parma ham

8 dates (more or less, it depends on how big they are)

salt

black pepper

sage

mustard sauce

Beat the meat if necessary to make it regoular and thin.
Spread on each slice some mustar sauce, cover with a slice of parma ham, add a date (without stone) and roll the meat.
Close with a toothpick or even better with those silicone laces that close so well and can be removed without break the roll.
Add salt and pepper, heat a pan with some extra-virgin olive oil and sage, cook rolls and serve warm.
If rolls are too big for an appetizer cut them in half with a well sharped knife.

Bolognese cutlet ( Cotoletta alla bolognese)

This recipe is really ancient and so important in our typical cooking that is deposed at Bologna's chamber of commerce by Italian Cooking Accademy (Accademia della Cucina Italiana) a national cultural istitution.

If you know Milanese cutlets or the Wiener Schnitzel you'll probably find in the Bolognese version a richer and luxury variation.

For 4 serves you need:

veal rump, about 8-9 oz. divided in 4 slices

2 oz. butter

3 1/2 oz. Parmesan in slivers

2 oz. Parma ham in slices

1 egg

breadcrumbs

a glass of meat broth

salt and pepper

frying oil

Thump meat slices to softner them, add salt and pepper (not too much salt, ham and cheese are salty enough).

Pass them in the breadcrumbs, then into beaten egg, then in breadcrumbs once again.

Fry on both side for few minutes then put the slices in a oven pan, on each one put a slice of ham, enough Parmesan slivers, pour the broth glass and butter in small chunks.

Heat for about 7-8 minutes at 345 F° then serve with a light salad and or mashed potadoes.

This recipe with little variation of some black truffle slivers on top (put at the end of cooking) is called Cotoletta alla Petroniana ( Petroniana cutlet).

This name comes from Petronio (Petronius) who is the patron saint of Bologna city.

My special pizza toppings (Condimenti speciali per pizza)

As told in the post before it's time for my special pizza toppings.

The first two com from my husband's family (grandma and mum), they're great for buffets and parties because the pizza must be room temperature so you can prepare it when you want and just add topping minutes before serving.

Consider just a piece for each person because these topping are really really "heavy" and you can't really have a full meal only with these so prepare something else or more different pizza's type. :P

The third is great hot from the oven but is really easy to prepare and so tasty!

First topping:

for a rectangular baking tin

2 tin canned tuna

1 red onion

mayonaise ( enough to mix ingredients and have a creamy mixture)

a little ketchup

Ina a bowl put the tuna (drain exceeding oil), break it into small pieces, cut the onion in thin slices, add it to tuna then add mayonaise enough to make a creamy mixture.

Along with mayonaise add ketchup enough to make cream pink coloured.

Spread this mixture on a pizza base at room temperature baked with only tomato sauce (no mozzarella cheese).

Cut small squares and serve.

Second topping:

for a rectangular baking tin

a bounch of fresh arugola washed and dried

mayonaise

ketchup

Cut arugola to reduce leaves in pieces, mix mayonaise with ketchup (some more ketchup than in the recipe before).

Put arugola on a red basic pizza at room temperature then pour the "cocktail sauce" on .

Cut in small squares and serve.

Third topping:

for a rectangular baking tin

1 potado

1 pack robiola cheese (if you can't find it you can use any kind of creamy cheese like philadelphia)

4-5 slices smoked cooked ham

Before baking the pizza put on top, instead of tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, thin slices of potado (use raw potado, at least pass the slices some minutes into microwave) then add creamy cheese (it's not important if you can't spread it, when it will be hot will be soft enough to be spread easily).

Bake like a normal pizza, once it's out of the oven spread cheese and add smoked ham.

Serve hot!

Veal escalopes Roman style (Saltimbocca alla romana)

This is a great classic of Roman cooking.

It's delicious, easy to prepare, children loves it.

Serve with a fresh plain salad or mashed potadoes.

If you prefer you can substitute white wine with Marsala wine or Brandy and veal meat with pork or turkey: everyone has his own version and recipe...

You need for 4:

14 ounces of veal in thin slices (about 1/4 inches each)

3 1/2 ounces Parma ham in thin slices

a handful of sage leaves

1/2 a glass of white dry wine

1 ounces butter

salt and pepper

flour

Flour the veal slices, put on each one a slice of Parma ham (same size more or less, help yourself with a scissor if you need) and over the ham put a leaf of sage.

Fix everything with a toothpick.

Heat a large skillet, add butter, when it fries add the escalopes (if they're too many for the pan cook in more than one times: take the cooked ones in the warm on a plate near the stove), salt and pepper and the white wine.

Cook for 2 minutes on each side, serve hot with the side dish.

Noodles with Parma ham and Parmesan (Tagliatelle al crudo e Grana)

A different way to serve noodles, the proof that here in Bologna we don't only know Bolognese sauce ;)

According to me it's a very refined dish, perfect for a special dinner.

Remember to add salt to boiling water but not in the sauce: this is beacause sauteed ham and Parmesan are salted enought!

You need for 4:

18 ounces egg noodles

1 ounces butter

1 leek

4 spoons freshly grated Parmesan

3 1/2 ounces Parma ham in 2-3 thick slices

pepper if you like

Cut the ham in sticks of about 1/2 inches then clean the leek and cut it in very thin slices.

Put the ham in a pan with butter, brown it for 2-3 minutes then low fire, add leek and cook for other 4-5 minutes.

Boil noodles just slightly firm, drain them and take aside 3-4 spoons of cooking water: put noodles in the pan with sauce,light fire, add 2 spoons of Parmesan, pepper, cooking water and saute' for one minute.

Put in dishes , add the rest of Parmesan and serve.

You can garnish the plate with a wisp of parsley.