L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 42 L'Italo-Americano LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES I n Los Angeles, when fall arrives it's often 90 degrees. This year, however, Southern California has been blessed with an early rainstorm and breezy fall-like weather more reminis- cent of fall in many regions of Italy. This is really unusual weather for us this time of year (hopefully not—but probably— an indication of more weather changes to come) : it makes me me think more of what it's typi- cally like this time of year in Italy than in LA. When I think of fall and Italian food, I think of a transi- tion from light, maybe grilled, summer dishes to earthy dishes that in America we would call comfort food. Cream-based dish- es, long-simmered soups and stews, fall vegetables like squash, root vegetables, and beans. This recipe is typical of this sort of seasonal transition, straddling the end of summer and the beginning of fall. The critical part of this recipe is the quality of the ingredients. It requires good-quality pasta and good smoked salmon. While I love shopping at Trader Joe's most of the time, I'd look else- where for these two ingredients when making this dish. The beauty of it is its ease: you simply combine its simple ingredients, including a splash of citrus, for a delicious outcome. While this recipe calls for farfalle (Italian for "butterflies") pasta, it's fine to choose any pasta shape that will nestle the cream sauce in its shape. One odd thing about this JOSEPH BECCI recipe is its use of white pepper. White pepper is used in cream- based dishes and cream soup mainly for its color alone. Black specks of pepper are thought to distract from the appearance of the dish. White and black pepper smell and taste different, but appearance is the main reason for using white pepper here. Just to elaborate on white ver- sus black pepper: both come from the same plant. It's the same pep- percorn, just processed different- ly. I would describe white pepper as smelling tangy and acidic, "Butterfly" pasta with smoked salmon and orange THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017 whereas black pepper smells earthy and has umami qualities. So, if you don't mind specks in your cream sauce, feel free not to go to the trouble of buying white pepper. This recipe serves 4 as a first- course. Ingredients and Directions • Sea salt • 1 orange • 1 cup heavy cream • 1 large garlic clove, peeled (just smash with the side of a knife for easy peeling) • A splash of Grand Marnier (optional) • 1/2 pound farfalle pasta • 3 ounces good-quality smoked salmon, gently pulled apart by hand • A handful of frozen peas • Freshly ground white pep- per (or black pepper—see above) Directions 1. Prepare long strands of orange zest. This can be done one of two ways. (1) Use a vegetable peeler to peel several strips of orange peel and then, using a very sharp knife, slice into thin long strips or (2) get one of those nifty zesters that does it for you in quick pulls across the orange. 2. Juice the orange you just zested into a small bowl. 3. Set a large pot of water on the stove, bring to a boil and add a generous amount of sea salt. 4. In a medium saucepan big enough to hold the cooked pasta, add the orange zest, orange juice, heavy cream, garlic and Grand Marnier. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the garlic clove. Add the peas and continue to simmer and reduce until the sauce has slightly thickened, about 5 more minutes. Add the salmon, stir and keep warm– on simmer or just on a warm spot on the stove, if the oven below is on. 5. Cook the pasta in the boil- ing water to 1 minute less than the package directions stipulate. Reserving some pasta water, drain the pasta and place in the saucepan with the sauce. Simmer and stir (with a wooden spoon) the pasta in the sauce for an addi- tional 1 minute. Add a little pasta water as you do this to provide some starch to thicken the sauce. 6. Stir in the white pepper and serve. Joe and Michele Becci are a brother and sister team who love all things Italian. Together, from opposite coasts, they co-author the blog www.OurItalian Table.com. For this dish to turn up right, you have to use high quality ingredients: invest in the best smoked salmon and pasta you can get

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