You Want Fries With That? Wild Mushroom Agnolotti, Caramelized Shallots, Thyme and Mushroom Broth

I am not a big fan of fast food but it's been an exhausting week. Double cheeseburger with bacon and fries? I'll do that. Slice of cheese pizza with extra hot pepper? That is right in my wheelhouse. Iranian Osetra caviar with creme fraiche on blini? OK, not fast food in the typical sense but I love caviar - and, well, you can eat it quickly while sipping the right champagne. Mind you, I am not talking about traditional fast food now. That's fine and it has its place. What I don't care for is ready prepared or pre-made "gourmet" food that masquerades as something delicious. Why? Because more often than not it doesn't come close to tasting good.

Walk into any supermarket, gourmet, or otherwise and you'll see what I mean. Refrigerated cases loaded with beautiful looking and bland tasting pre-made food. And it's pricey. If you are going for "gourmet" fast food and the value to deliciousness ratio is out of whack that's a culinary sin.

We can take this a step further and look at "freshly made" items you can find at the grocery store. You know what I mean. "Fresh" pasta. Refrigerated sauces. Pre-shredded cheeses. One word. Say it with me...Flavorless. You know I am right. Frankly, I'd rather have a cheeseburger.

I've been working 12 to 14 hour days the last two weeks on a big deal and I have been pretty tired - hardly a beautiful life for me. Oddly, several of my friends seem to be galavanting off to Europe right now. That's what I need. A break from the drudgery. The Plaza Mayor in Madrid with memories of tapas and sangria. That could work. Lobster grilled over coconut husks at a warung in Bali. I am on that beach mentally right now. Or perhaps the best of the lot. Eating at Ristorante Sibilla in the hills of Tivoli outside Rome. Popes have summered here for centuries. When the Gods on Mt. Olympus got tired of ordering takeout pizza they went to Sibilla for the most amazing pasta you have ever eaten.

When I work hard food becomes even more important to me. And it needs to taste good. So imagine how I rolled my eyes when I got home the other day and a package was waiting for me from the nice people at Foodbuzz, the blog advertising network I belong to. Intrigued, I opened the 16 inch box. It seemed unusually sizable, given the fact that I couldn't recall ordering anything. I opened it curiously pulling out Styrofoam, and then paper, and finally several blocks of dry ice. And what treasure was awaiting me when I got to the end of this culinary rainbow? A package of freshly made Wild Italian Mushroom Agnolotti from Buitoni. Yeah, you are reading that right. Buitoni. The people that make fresh pasta and sell it mass market.

I haven't blogged much lately but felt the need to inject some creativity into my life given the blood sucking world of corporate IT that I work in. A gourmet pasta that Foodbuzz was offering to some of their publishers presented a challenge. I was tired and hungry but I told myself I could whip something up based on what was in the fridge with the agnolotti. I peered into my refrigerator to see what I could work with. Cremini mushrooms? That was obvious. Further in the vegetable drawer I located some fresh thyme. I always have thyme on my hands (cute, considering how hard I have been working lately). An unused shallot lay threadbare, looking sorry for itself. He was in.

I got busy chopping the shallots and caramelizing them with olive oil over a medium heat. I sliced some mushrooms and sauteed them with shallots to a golden brown. Setting aside some of the shallot mixture I deglazed the plan with some Ferrari-Carrano Fume Blanc in the fridge door. Not exactly drinkable as it had been open for about a week but perfect for cooking. A couple of cups of vegetable stock and some chopped thyme went into and got boiled down for 15 minutes while I tossed the agnolotti in to cook. Buitoni recommends 4-6 minutes, gently boiled. I went with four minutes figuring that no self respecting Italian chef would cook pasta and then pour sauce over it. Certainly not the ones that cook at Sibilla. Why not finish cooking the Wild Mushroom Agnolotti in the thyme and mushroom broth to take advantage of flavor infusing and thickening? When the broth reduced, I strained it into a bowl and then added it back in the pan on a low heat with the reserved shallot and mushroom mixture I had sauteed. I finished cooking the pasta on a low heat for another few minutes. Gently placing the al dente pasta into warmed bowl, the broth with slices of mushroom and caramelized shallots was ladled over. A few shavings of fresh Parmesan and some fresh thyme on top finished this little fast food challenge off.

And the result? I am pretty confident the Pope that summered in Tivoli where Sibilla now stands would have genuflected with pleasure. The finished product was exceptional. I must say while I don't typically buy fresh pasta in a store, Buitoni has done an excellent job creating a very high quality product. The pasta has a toothsome but flavorful density. The well seasoned mushroom mixture included cremini and portobello mushrooms and grana padano and Parmesan cheeses. I served this with a Sparkling Rose from Chandon from Napa Valley. I love sparkling wine and champagne with food and this completely worked. A taste of Caramel Fleur de Sel gelato at the end made this experience la bella vita.

I don't typically review products in my blog and would not have gone out of my way to have bought this product if it hadn't been sent to me. Grazie to Foodbuzz and Buitoni. We really enjoyed this. I guess I need to re-visit the original premise of this post. I think I am beginning to like fast food.

Recipe for Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Caramelized
Shallots, Thyme and Mushroom Broth

Serves 2

Ingredients
1 package Buitoni Riserva Brand Wild Mushroom Agnolotti
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
8-10 cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
2-3 T olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 T thyme, finely chopped (divided use)
2 cups vegetable broth or stock*
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese for grating
Crusty French or Italian Bread

Method
In a medium saute pan heat two TBSP of olive oil. Add shallots and cook until soft and beginning to caramelize, about 5-7 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add mushrooms and saute until slightly golden about 5 minutes. Add additional TBSP of olive oil if the pan is to dry while the mushrooms first start to cook. When mushroom are nearly done season with salt and pepper. Remove 2/3's of the shallot and mushroom mixture to a small bowl.

Raise the saute pan to a high heat. Add wine and deglaze, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Cook until the wine has evaporated. Add 2 cups of vegetable broth and 1/2 of the chopped thyme. Bring the broth to a boil and reduce to 1 cup. Taste for seasoning and adjust with additional salt and pepper if necessary. While the broth is cooking down heat a separate 3 quart saucepan with water and bring to a bowl. When water is boiling add in agnolotti and cook gently for four minutes. Meanwhile strain the broth into a bowl pressing the solids with the back of a spoon to extra out any remaining liquid. Discard the solids. Wipe out the saute pan and add the strained broth back in over a low heat. When the pasta has finished cooking for four minutes transfer it to the saute pan with a slotted spoon. It's OK if a little of the pasta water makes it into the broth, that only adds to the finished product. Cook gently for 2-3 minutes.

To Serve
Using the slotted spoon, place the ravioli in two warmed bowls. Ladle the sliced mushrooms and shallots over the top and pour any remaining broth into the bowls. Grate the Parmesan cheese over the top and sprinkle with the remaining fresh chopped thyme. Serve with bread on the side to dip into the broth.

* The type of vegetable broth or stock you use will change the outcome of this dish as there are so many different types. I used Pacific Garden Organic Vegetable Stock for this. They use tomatoes as part if the broth base giving it a richer texture and a darker color. A lighter stock, such as Swansons will provide a somewhat different outcome, more "en brodo" style the way tortellini is served in Italy. No less delicious, just different.

Rubber Neckin’ Local – Roasted Heirloom Tomato Risotto

I had driven around the area slowly with my head out the window, trying to find my way to the market. I had no idea how I got there, yet there I was at the Marin Farmers Market holding an organic Golden Roma Italian Tomato in my hand. And struggling with an awakening of what to do with my good fortune. Heirloom Tomato Season is in full swing in the Bay Area and this bounty of colorful local produce was being displayed in all its glory. Row after row of foodstuffs brought together from local farmers across Marin County. All part of growing and powerful local food movement driven by rigorously organized and caring citizens like those behind Marin Organic.

My recent move to the San Francisco Bay Area has put me into a pleasantly uncomfortable new world of living, thinking, watching and learning. Just as in any move to a new place, nothing is familiar. I find myself gawking around Marin. New restaurants to discover. Gorgeous organic food to “ogle” at in farmers markets as well as regular supermarkets. Rustic scenery of ancient redwood trees towering above the Pacific Ocean surf. Rubber necking really.

Marin County starts at the north end of the Golden Gate and bridges cutting edge ideas about how to live with others while displaying a “heart on your sleeve” kindness and activism of its local residents. All of that is overlaid upon a naturally beautiful and dramatic setting of passionately worked organic farmland that serves a commitment to growing, selling and feeding its population locally. And in the most sustainable way possible.

The commitment to “local” living here is a true expression that I hope serves as a model for the rest of the country to consider as we all become more aware of the food we eat, how it is grown and where it comes from. This philosophy is embodied in the Slow Food movement that started in Italy by Carlo Petrini and has found its way to the United States. Slow Food is the opposite of "Fast Food" and all that comes with the implications of hurried life. Its logo is a snail. Although Slow Food principles are easy to understand - good, clean and fair food - it’s a lot to take in if you haven’t been exposed to this way of thinking, eating and ultimately living. Prince Charles and Lady Camilla are believers, so you know this idea has legs.

Since moving here I have been surprised by how open locals are to new residents. After being here for all of six days we decided to get involved in the native scene. It turns out this openness is connected to the activism of acting locally. Last Saturday evening we were guests of the gracious and charming editors and managers of Foodbuzz – a rapidly growing on-line community of food lovers. We met up with them at Slow Food Nation, sort of a “coming out” party for Slow Food in the United States which is being championed by legendary Bay Area chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse. Serving a worldwide audience, Foodbuzz seeks to create an on-line community for those interested in food on a local, national and worldwide level via community generated publishing of recipes, photos, blogs and restaurant reviews. A way of letting a global community act intimately. Looking at what each other has to offer. In a sense, a very local experience made possible through technology.

Slow Food Nation brought together over 60,000 people from across the country to share in the philosophy of “slowing life down”, eating good food, understanding how that food is farmed and appreciating the taste of locally grown and created cuisine. I was fortunate enough to get into the SFN Taste Pavilion. A 60,000 square foot exhibit hall featuring 15 different categories of food presenting local and sustainable approaches to cooking. So many things to see, do and taste. My head spun as I tried to calm down over the excitement of this amazing scene. We traveled around the pavilion tasting artisan chocolates from different parts of the country. Producers from Utah and Massachusetts sampled a chocolate making approach that is closer to making fine wine than large scale production. We stopped by the Native American foods area that featured bison chili. My first try at what is probably the original “free range” food. In a word – delicious.

And still more to discover, look at, taste, and ponder. Cheeses…Wines…Coffee…Seafood…Honey…Our eyes were moving faster than our mouths. Individual tastes that promoted a sincere understanding of flavor via thoughtful farming and well executed, precision cooking. Producers, farmers and chefs all involved to proudly present and talk about their passionate and thoughtful approach to the food they love. And its growing importance to its impact on the planet. This was a cerebral awakening in the most flavorful of journeys.

Back at the Marin County Farmers Market in San Rafael the next day I was looking around at all of this beautiful food. The previous night was still on my mind. Multi colored peppers that looked like a Santorini sunset over the Aegean. Strawberries that tasted of sugar. Freshly harvested chervil and other herbs. Local. Fresh. Sustainably farmed. This is slow food.

I craned my neck and gawked at stand after stand of brightly colored heirloom tomatoes. They were everywhere. I love tomatoes. Sliced raw. Gently cooked as the star ingredient for a fresh sauce. Roasted for intense sweetness. It really doesn’t matter for me as long as the flavor is true. I came across a local producer who had magical Brandywines, Mr. Stripeys, Persimmons, Green Zebras, Cherokee Purples.

And there it was. Standing by itself. Shining. The Golden Roma Italian Tomato. Glorious. Gourgeous. Plump. Delicious. What could I do with this singularly amazing heirloom fruit? The previous evening’s activities still very much on mind, I wanted to do justice to this beautiful tomato. My mind raced. A tomato tart with bouqerones and manchego? Too complicated. Cool Gazpacho? Possible, and a truer flavor platform. But more like a double then a home run.

I slowed myself down and thought “What would an Italian innovator like Carlo Petrini or a food revolutionary like Alice Waters want to eat if I hosted them for dinner and all I had to work with was this tomato and what was in my cupboard?” Let the ingredient speak for itself. I bought a pint of Straus Family Creamery organic cream and drove home.

Although I have never met Mr. Petrini or Ms. Waters, I think they will like this if I ever get to cook for either of them. It only took a worldwide movement to make me slow down and look around a bit for the answer.

Recipe for Roasted Heirloom Tomato Risotto
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
5 Heirloom tomatoes (I used Mr. Stripey, Italian Golden Roma, Brandywine and Abraham Lincoln) Fresh thyme sprigs (4 to 6)
2 T plus 1/4 C Olive Oil
Kosher Salt and Pepper
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/2 C dry white wine
1 C arborio rice
4 C vegetable stock or broth
1/4 C cream
6 T freshly grated parmesean with more for serving
2 T fresh basil, julienned

Method
Heat an oven to 325 degrees. Place the tomatoes in a baking or ceramic dish and coat with 2 T olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover with thyme sprigs. Roast for 35 minutes or until the skins begin to wrinkle.

In a saucepan, warm the vegetable broth over a medium low flame.

Heat another saucepan over medium heat and add the remaining 1/4 C of olive oil. Heat until fairly hot and then add the onions, cooking them until translucent 3-4 minutes. Add the arborio rice stirring to coat each grain with the oil, about 2 minutes. Add the white wine and cook until evaporated about 1 minute. Add enough vegetable stock to the rice until just covered. Stir occasionally. The rice should cook but not boil. Continue to add stock every few minutes as it cooks off. You want to maintain enough stock to cover the rice until the liquid cooks down slightly and then add more. Continue to stir occasionally. You do not want the rice to stick to the pan. The rice is ready in 16-18 minutes and should be creamy consistency. If cooked properly the rice grains will have a very suitable hardness when you bite it.

Turn off the heat and stir in the cream and parmesan cheese. Add salt to taste. Chop the roasted heirloom tomatoes directly in the roasting pan or on a cutting board. Stir the chopped tomatoes into the rice.

To serve ladle the rice into a warmed bowl and top with fresh basil and a few shavings of fresh parmesan.