This is a very liberating time for chefs toiling in restaurant kitchens. New ingredients appear, and recipes that cross national and cultural borders are formulated using them. Bakers and cooks alike ignore forms and molds and present food in eye-catching artistic designs they call “free form.”
The appearance in a market of Savoia, a brand of lasagna noodle unfamiliar to me that survived cooking with a firm texture, tempted me into the free-form experiments that follow. They are fun, very tasty and not fussy. (You can even be a little sloppy and invoke “artistic license” should the ravioli slide or the lasagna slip.)
FREE-FORM POTATO RAVIOLI WITH RED PEPPER SAUCE
Four main-course or eight appetizer servings
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Pinch nutmeg
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large red bell peppers, cored, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth
Salt and pepper
8 sheets lasagna pasta (Savoia or DeCecco brand preferred)
Grated Parmesan cheese, as desired
1. Heat an oven to 400 degrees. To prepare the filling, bake the potatoes in a baking pan until fork-tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. While hot, peel and mash them. Add extra-virgin olive oil, butter, salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Mix well, then stir in the sour cream for a fluffy filling. Adjust seasoning to taste. Reheat before serving or hold warm until needed.
2. For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over low heat. Add the peppers and stir to coat with the oil. Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 30 minutes. Cool mixture slightly, then puree in a blender with the broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reheat before serving or hold warm until needed.
3. When ready to serve, cook the pasta sheets in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente (tender but firm in the center). Drain, then cut each sheet in half crosswise to form two squares. Lay two squares of hot pasta on each of four warm serving plates, or one square on eight plates. Spoon equal amounts of filling over the pasta squares. Lay another pasta square on top of the filling. Pour the red pepper sauce over each ravioli and sprinkle the top generously with Parmesan. Serve at once with a richly fruity wine such as barbera or zinfandel.
FREE-FORM LASAGNA
Four servings
2 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
12 small crimini mushrooms, stems trimmed, cut in half
Salt and black pepper ground from a mill, to taste
1 cup chicken broth
4 sheets lasagna pasta (Savoia or DeCecco brand preferred)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken meat *
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or dry vermouth
Grated Parmesan cheese, as desired
* If no leftover chicken is available, poach two chicken breast halves for 15 to 18 minutes. Drain, remove meat from the bone and chop.
1. Cook the carrots in boiling, salted water until tender but still firm, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, tarragon and thyme and cook 1 minute. Add the mushroom pieces, salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the broth and simmer 10 minutes. (Recipe may be made ahead to this point. Reheat filling as lasagna cooks.)
3. When ready to serve, cook the pasta sheets in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente (tender but still firm in the center). Drain one by one.
4. Meanwhile, mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water and add this slurry to the broth. Bring to a boil, stirring, then add the chopped chicken and carrots. Season with vinegar and adjust salt and pepper if desired.
5. Lay a sheet of drained pasta on each of four warm plates. Spoon equal portions of 3/4 of the chicken filling over the pasta sheets. Fold the edges over as if folding a napkin to enclose the filling. Spoon remaining chicken mixture onto the center of each packet. Cover generously with grated Parmesan and serve at once with a medium-body chardonnay.
