Recipes: From Italy With Love

AN ITALIAN ESCAPE IN ANN ARBOR

introduction by emily hopcian | recipes by isabella nicoletti | photos by mark thomas provided by huron river press

As a child in Trissino, Italy, Isabella Nicoletti searched the woods for figs, chestnuts and mushrooms with her papa and assisted her mamma and nonna in the kitchen. By the age of 8, she was experimenting with food, and by 14, she was working in restaurants. Today, after training at the Culinary Institute in Recoaro Terme, Italy, and working at four italian restaurants, Nicoletti heads up the kitchen at Paesano’s in Ann Arbor. Nicoletti’s recipes evoke her family traditions and childhood memories while incorporating her fun and flavorful personality. The cookbook Perbacco Isabella! (Huron River Press, 2006) provides readers with italian recipes for every season, allowing them to recreate Nicoletti’s taste in their own homes. In addition to sharing recipes, Nicoletti gives a taste of her childhood and home through photographs and short articles.

Paesano’s Insalata Caprese

(Caprese salad skewers with basil vinaigrette)
4 servings

Directions
Ingredients

• 8 bamboo skewers (4-6 inches long)
• 24 cherry tomatoes
• 24 mozzarella balls, cherry size
• Fresh basil
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1⁄2 cup Basil Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Directions
Preheat grill. Soak skewers in water for about 30 minutes to keep them from burning later on the grill. Alternately skewer one cherry tomato and one mozzarella ball, using three of each per skewer. Place two fresh basil leaves between each tomato-and-cheese pair.

Lay skewers on a tray and lightly drizzle both sides with olive oil, salt and pepper.Make sure the grill is very hot. Lay out the skewers on the grill. Keep turning them to keep the mozzarella from melting off the skewers. Grill for 2-3 minutes.

For the Basil Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh basil, packed full
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sherry wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions
Clean and de-stem the basil. Place leaves in a food processor with lemon juice, sherry wine vinegar and Dijon mustard. Pulse the mixture until the basil is chopped well. Leaving the food processor running, slowly drizzle in the oil.

For the Presentation

Directions
Place skewers on a serving tray drizzled with Basil Vinaigrette.

Recipe by Isabella Nicoletti. Reprinted with permission from Huron River Press.

Paesano’s Gamberi al Forno

(Oven-roasted shrimp with sweet pepper salsa)
4 servings

For the Shrimp Breading

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1⁄2 cup grated Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions
Mix all ingredients together, and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Shrimp

Ingredients

• 16 shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Radicchio, for garnish
• Sweet Pepper Salsa (recipe follows)

Directions
Butterfly shrimp (split open without cutting all the way through) and lightly coat with oil. Dip in breading mixture, and bread each side of shrimp, pressing down to get a secure coat. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place shrimp on baking sheet, and bake for 12-15 minutes.

For the Sweet Pepper Salsa

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1 red pepper, seeded and chopped small
• 1 yellow pepper, seeded and chopped small
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped small
• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons red onion, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
In a small pot, boil the vinegar and sugar. Remove from heat. Combine peppers and tomatoes. Add rest of ingredients and the vinegar mixture.Mix well. Store in a container, and let sit for a few hours to blend flavors.

For the Presentation

Directions
Arrange shrimp on four small plates, garnishing with radicchio. Place 2-3 tablespoons of Sweet Pepper Salsa on plate, and drizzle with olive oil.

Recipe by Isabella Nicoletti. Reprinted with permission from Huron River Press.

Paesano’s Tonno Impanato

(Breaded glazed ahi tuna with wilted spinach, prosciutto and pine nuts)
4 servings

For the Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1⁄4 cup brown sugar

Directions
Combine vinegar and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Continue boiling until contents reduce by half.

For the Tonno Impanato

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 4 3-ounce pieces center-cut ahi tuna loin
• 1⁄4 cup oil for pan-frying the tuna
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1⁄2 cup prosciutto
• 1 cup spinach, fresh
• 4 tablespoons pine nuts
• Balsamic Glaze, for drizzling
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions
Place flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in three separate bowls. Dredge the tuna pieces first in the flour, then the eggs and last the breadcrumbs, coating well with each step.

Heat 1⁄4 cup oil in pan, and cook tuna until golden on each side. If you like your tuna rare, keep it on the side until you’ve prepared the toppings. Otherwise, place it in a pre-heated 450-degree oven for 5-6 minutes, which will cook the fish more completely.

Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in pan. Add prosciutto and let it get crisp. Add spinach and cook until it’s wilted. Add pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the toppings on the tuna, then drizzle with Balsamic Glaze.

Recipe by Isabella Nicoletti. Reprinted with permission from Huron River Press

Paesano’s Semifreddo di Ricotta allo Zenzero

(Ginger ricotta semifreddo)
4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄4 cups heavy cream
• 5 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1⁄4 cup whole pistachios, shelled and chopped
• 1⁄4 cup chocolate, grated
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 lime, zested
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, puréed or minced

Directions
  Whip heavy cream with powdered sugar.Whip ricotta separately for a couple of minutes. Fold cream into ricotta, and fold in the rest of the ingredients. Serve in large wine glasses

Recipe by Isabella Nicoletti. Reprinted with permission from Huron River Press