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The Hirshon French Buckwheat Pasta, Ham and Cheese Bake – Croziflette

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The Hirshon French Baked Buckwheat Pasta, Ham and Cheese - Croziflette

Croziflette Image Used Under Creative Commons License From theheartinthestomach.com

My Citizens, few have ever dared to accuse the mighty TFD of being a calorie counter – and if such a heinous accusation does impinge upon my ears, all I do is smile and serve this ultimate dish of Croziflette to them, redolent of full-fat Reblochon cheese, cream and ham from the French Alps! Only then is my honor salved and my reputation secure as it must ever remain.

Oddly, before we can speak of Croziflette, we must first discuss its ancestor dish – tartiflette!

Tartiflette is a dish from Savoy in the Alps that is made with potatoes, reblochon cheese, lardons and onions.

The word tartiflette is probably derived from the Arpitan word for potato, tartiflâ. This modern recipe was inspired by a truly traditional dish called “péla”: a gratin of potatoes and onions (without cheese) in a long-handled pan called a pelagic (shovel) in the Provence region of France.

It was developed in the 1980s by the Union Interprofessional Reblochon to promote sales of reblochon, as is confirmed also by Christian Millau (of the Gault-Millau Guide) in his gastronomic dictionary.

A common related preparation found throughout the region is the Croziflette. The format of this adheres to that of the original dish in everything but the use of potatoes, in place of which are found minuscule squares of locally produced pasta, crozets de Savoie (usually made from buckwheat but sometimes durum). The name of this dish is a blend of “crozet” and “tartiflette”.

As noted on girlsguidetoparis.com:

The tiny square-shaped crozets originate in the Savoy region and are generally made of buckwheat but occasionally also with durum. As is typical of many regional specialties, they are also known under several names within the Savoy region itself, such as croêju, croezu and croezet.

There are many traditional French recipes from this area of France using crozets, but the cheesy croziflette is a family favorite.

In this recipe, crozets are boiled then mixed with sautéed onions, cured ham and cream, then topped with thick chunks of Reblochon cheese and baked in the oven until the cheese is melted.

As is typical with French winter recipes, croziflette is not exactly low in calories, but it is the perfect après-ski dish for getting your energy back and warming you up after a long day on the slopes!

My version of the recipe is based closely on hers, but does employ some TFD changes to improve upon near-perfection! First, I ditch the prosciutto for Speck, – you’ll get a big flavor from even the thinnest slice of this dense, ruddy ham. It gets boned out before being rubbed down with a cure laced with spices such as juniper and bay leaves. Then it is smoked and aged. It’s that spiced cure that gives speck a deeper taste that’s more intense than prosciutto di Parma. You can buy Speck here.

I also call for some dry Vermouth, whose herbaceous qualities are well-suited to accent this dish. You can buy the Crozets, the buckwheat pasta squares here in quantity (which I strongly recommend, they last forever).

Lastly, it is a sad fact indeed that genuine Reblochon can not be legally imported into the United States – if you manage to get a hold of the real deal, by all means use it! If not, there is a very, very close relative that works perfectly and is legal in the States – buy it here.

This is the ultimate Winter dish, my Citizens – all of TFD Nation should consider this a must-try!

Battle on – The Generalissimo

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The Hirshon French Baked Buckwheat Pasta, Ham and Cheese – Croziflette
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The Hirshon French Baked Buckwheat Pasta, Ham and Cheese – Croziflette

Ingredients

  • 12.5 ounces/350 grams crozets
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 6 ounces thinly-sliced Speck, cut into shreds (preferred) or Prosciutto (Note: TFD uses Speck, but the original recipe uses Prosciutto)
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • ¼ cup dry white Vermouth, Noilly Prat brand only! (TFD change to original recipe - use dry white wine for original)
  • 200 ml (about ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon) crème fraîche
  • ground black pepper
  • 1 wheel of Reblochon-style cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to a medium temperature (350°F/180°C).
  2. Bring water to a boil in a large pot and cook the crozets according to the package instructions (usually between 12 and 20 minutes, depending on the brand). Drain, return to the original pot and set aside.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a small pan and sauté the onion and Speck until golden, then deglaze the pan with the wine and vermouth. Let simmer and reduce for a couple of minutes. Add the mixture and the crème fraîche to the crozets and combine well, seasoning with black pepper as needed.
  4. Cut the Reblochon in half to create 2 half circles. Carefully remove the small red or green wax circle typically found on one side of the wheel. Cut the first half circle into long, thin slices. Place the second half circle cut-side down, and carefully slice along the middle (creating the 2 pieces that will be laid on the top of the dish).
  5. Spread half the crozet mix in a buttered serving dish (20 cm by 40 cm), then layer with the long slices of Reblochon. Spread out the rest of the crozet mixture and lay the 2 half circles on top, crust-side up (see photos).
  6. Bake for 20 minutes and serve immediately with a hearty red wine.
https://www.thefooddictator.com/the-hirshon-french-buckwheat-pasta-ham-and-cheese-bake-croziflette/

The Hirshon Italian Lombardy Ravioli – Casoncelli Alla Bergamasca

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The Hirshon Italian Lombardy Ravioli - Casoncelli Alla Bergamasca

Casoncelli Alla Bergamasca Image Used Under Creative Commons License From blog.cookaround.com/timoserpillo

Citizens, there is not a scintilla of doubt that your stalwart guardian of culinary tradition – the unmatched TFD! – is a resolute champion of antiquarian recipes. This delicious outlier of Lombardian cuisine deserves an immediate and zealous paean to its splendorous tastes and history!

Casoncelli are a kind of stuffed pasta, typical of the culinary tradition of Lombardy, located in the north-central part of Italy.

The shell typically consists of two sheets of pasta, about 4 cm long, pressed together at the edges, like that of ravioli. Alternatively it is a disk folded in two and shaped like a sweet wrapper. Casoncelli in the style alla bergamasca are typically stuffed with a mixture of bread crumbs, egg, parmesan, ground beef, salami or sausage.

Variants of filling include spinach, raisins, amaretto biscuits, pear, and garlic; while the casoncelli alla bresciana are stuffed with a mixture of bread crumbs, parmesan, garlic, parsley, nutmeg and broth. They are typically served with burro e salvia: melted butter flavored with sage leaves.

As also noted on tortelliniandco.com:

Casoncelli: how to make a fabulous Italian filled pasta recipe

I asked my mom to send me one of her recipes. She sent me the best recipe ever: Bergamo’s (my hometown) signature dish, Casoncelli. A recipe that calls for home, family, flour and love.

Casoncelli are a Northern-Italy typical pasta fresca. Made with a meat filling and their typical mezzaluna shape. This pasta dish and polenta are the most famous and cooked Bergamo’s recipes.

The origin of this recipe comes from the old name ‘casonsei’ that recalls a very little Italian calzone shape.

This recipe belongs to the cucina povera (peasant food) tradition of Italian cooking, which is based on simple, hardy ingredients that were cheap, widely available and easy to prepare. Casoncelli were made from the cow and pig leftovers. Easy to make, today is a fine pasta dish, made with high-quality meats.

Serve with melted butter, sage leaves, bacon cubes and fresh grated parmigiano.

Casoncelli works well with red wine.

This further elucidation of Lombard cuisine was described on made-in-Italy.com:

Lombardia cuisine has roots in many different cultures, resulting in extravagant dishes. Lombardia cooking traditionally uses generous amounts of butter, cream and lard, but recently has been converting recipes to olive oil. The first food to come to mind for most people is the decadent risotto alla Milanese. The classic golden tint is provided by saffron, the most expensive spice in the world. This creamy rice dish is heavily enriched with plenty of dairy butter and grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Despite not being a staple food, some unique forms of pasta are found in Lombardia cooking. Tortelli de zucca is a pocket filled with winter squash, grated cheese, finely crushed almond paste cookies and sometimes mostardo, a mustard flavored candied fruit preserve, served in a bath of melted butter with fried sage leaves. Agnolini, a filled pasta similar to tortillini, are filled with a mixture of beef and pork.

Other famous ravioli include casônsei, filled with cheese, sausage and bread. These pockets are always served with butter and grated Grano Padano. The most well known pasta are marubini, a cheese and meat dumpling served in broth.

It is from the famed tortelli de Zucca recipe that I have adopted my favorite tweak to the classic recipe for casoncelli – the use of mustard fruit (specifically, pear) to replace the standard pear in the recipe. The zing it adds is simply superb! The remainder of my recipe is, however, supremely traditional. 🙂 You can buy excellent-quality diced pancetta here, amaretti cookies here, pear mostardo here and Italian 00 flour here.

Battle on – the Generalissimo

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The Hirshon Italian Lombardy Ravioli – Casoncelli Alla Bergamasca
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The Hirshon Italian Lombardy Ravioli – Casoncelli Alla Bergamasca

Ingredients

  • Sfoglia:
  • 350 g Italian "00" flour
  • 150 g semolina
  • 2 eggs
  • water to taste
  • ***
  • Filling:
  • 90 g bread crumbs
  • 10 g crumbled amaretti biscuits
  • 1 egg
  • 70 g grated grana pardo (preferred) or Parmigiano
  • 100 g sweet Italian sausage, out of casing
  • 200 g cooked roast beef
  • 10 g golden raisins, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
  • ½ medium pear - peeled and cored for the traditional version or use 2 tbsp. chopped Pear Mostarda fruit in syrup (TFD’s heretical change)
  • Zest of ½ unwaxed Meyer lemon
  • salt and pepper
  • ***
  • 80g unsalted butter
  • 80g pancetta, cut into small cubes - if unavailable used slab bacon
  • 4 fresh sage leaves
  • 80g grana pardo (preferred) or Parmigiano, grated

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl mix flour, semolina, eggs, a pinch of salt then add enough water to make a smooth dough, then leave to rest for at least an hour.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
  3. Brown the sausage meat with a bit of butter, then add the roast beef, garlic, parsley and stir for a few minutes.
  4. Pour everything into a bowl, add parmigiano, bread crumbs, lemon zest, pear or pear mostarda, amaretti, egg, chopped raisins, some pepper and a pinch of salt. Mix together. If it seems too dry, add a drop of water.
  5. Cut the sheet of pasta in half lengthways.
  6. Place a teaspoon of the filling at regular interval at regular intervals along the strip of pasta.
  7. Fold over the pasta and press down to seal. Try to exclude as much air as possible to avoid them bursting when cooked.
  8. Separate the pasta using a round pastry cutter. You should have a half moon shape.
  9. Turn the half moon on its side and flatten it a little with your thumb.
  10. Cook casoncelli in plenty of salted water. After draining, pour over the melted butter flavored with sage leaves, bacon cubes and fresh-grated cheese.
https://www.thefooddictator.com/the-hirshon-italian-lombardy-ravioli-casoncelli-alla-bergamasca/

The Hirshon Armenian Manti – մանթի

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The Hirshon Armenian Manti - մանթի

Armenian Manti Image Used Under Creative Commons License From youtube.com

Citizens, your sublime leader – the well-pleated and frequently overstuffed TFD! – has long sought out the dumplings of the Silk Road region, and the Armenian version of manti are amongst my all-time favorites!

Manti are dumplings popular in most Turkic cuisines, as well as in the South Caucasian, Central Asian and Chinese Islamic recipe canons. Nowadays, manti are also consumed throughout Russia and other post-Soviet countries, where the dish spread from the Central Asian republics.

The dumplings typically consist of a spiced meat mixture, usually lamb or ground beef in a dough wrapper, and either boiled or steamed. Size and shape vary significantly depending on the geographical location.

Manti resemble the Chinese jiaozi, Korean mandu, Mongolian buuz, and the Tibetan momo, and the dish’s name is cognate with the Korean mandu, Chinese mantou, and Japanese manjū, although the Chinese and Japanese counterparts refer to different dishes.

The origin is somewhat uncertain. While the Chinese word “mantou” has been suggested as the origin for the word “manti”, this word had several different spellings in Chinese in the past indicating that the Chinese attempted to adapt a foreign word to their writing system.

Originally, mantou was meat filled and mantou still retains its old meaning as stuffed bun in Wu Chinese as moedeu. But in Mandarin and many other varieties of Chinese, mantou refers to steamed bun, while baozi resembles the ancient mantou stuffed with meat.

The most widely held theory of its origins is that migrating Turkic-speaking people brought the mantu dough with them to Anatolia, where it evolved into the Turkish manti. Some variations may be traced back to the Uyghur people of northwest China.

When the Tatars settled into the Kayseri region of modern day Turkey, the area became known for it manti. The dish may have originated in the territories of Mongol Empire. While the etymological link between man tou and mantı is debated, there is agreement that the recipe was carried across Central Asia along the Silk Road to Anatolia by Turkic and Mongol peoples.

According to an Armenian researcher, manti first reached Cilician Armenia as a result of the cultural interaction between Armenians and Mongols during their alliance in the 13th century. Migrating Turkic-speaking peoples brought the mantu dough with them to Anatolia, where it evolved into the Turkish mantı.

When the Tatars settled into the Kayseri region of modern-day Turkey, the area became known for its manti. Korean mandu is also said to have arrived in Korea through the Mongols in the 14th century. However, some researchers do not discount the possibility that manti may have originated in the Middle East and spread eastward to China and Korea through the Silk Road.

Like their Turkish cousins, the Armenian manti, also sometimes referred to as monta, are usually served with yoghurt (matzoon) or sour cream (ttvaser) and garlic, accompanied by clear soup (mantapour). Always served “open” in a boat shape, manti are more common among western (Cilician) Armenians, while among eastern Armenians, Georgians and Azerbaijanis, similar dumplings called khinkali are more prevalent.

Citizens, this recipe is most authentic, though I have made some specific changes to my taste, such as adding cumin to the dough. I have every confidence you will thoroughly enjoy this unique meal! 🙂 If you would like, you can purchase a Turkish manti cutter here, which will save you some time.

Battle on – The Generalissimo

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The Hirshon Armenian Manti – մանթի
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The Hirshon Armenian Manti – մանթի

Ingredients

  • Lamb Filling:
  • 1 lb. top-quality organic ground Lamb
  • 6 oz. onion – diced fine
  • 1 clove garlic (about ¼ oz.) – chopped fine
  • 1 ½ heaping Tbsp chopped parsley
  • ½ heaping Tbsp chopped mint
  • 2 Tsp kosher salt
  • 1 Tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 Tsp ground fennel seed
  • 1 Tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 Tsp crushed Urfa Biber chili flakes
  • ⅓ Tsp cayenne (optional)
  • ***
  • Dough Ingredients:
  • 3 ¼ cups flour (and a little extra for bench flour)
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 Tbsp. freshly-ground cumin
  • 1 oz. (2 Tbsp.) melted butter
  • ½ cup warm water
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • ½ Tsp kosher salt
  • 2 oz. (4 Tbsp.) melted ghee (preferred) or butter, set aside for baking
  • Chicken Broth (recipe follows)
  • Yogurt for serving - TFD prefers adding minced fresh herbs and garlic to his
  • Fresh Parsley – chopped for serving
  • ***
  • Chicken Broth Ingredients:
  • 2 qt. chicken stock
  • 2 oz. shallot – sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic – sliced
  • 4 fresh bay leaves
  • 6 sprigs thyme
  • ¾ oz. parsley stems – chopped coarse
  • 1 Tbsp. whole black peppercorns
  • 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup white wine
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Lamb Filling:
  2. Mix all together and refrigerate until needed.
  3. ***
  4. Dough:
  5. Combine in mixing bowl (except 2 oz. melted butter). Knead until smooth. Divide into two balls and cover with a towel to rest, 30-45 minutes. With a rolling pin, roll dough out to an even thickness of about ⅛”. Cut the rolled dough into squares of about 1-½”.
  6. Place a marble sized portion of meat in the center of each square and pinch the ends together (around the meat leaving the top exposed) to resemble a boat shape. Continue until dough/meat mixture is gone.
  7. ***
  8. Chicken Broth:
  9. Gently warm oil in sauce pot, add all aromatics and sweat lightly about 1 minute. Add wine to deglaze and reduce until about dry. Add chicken stock and reduce by about a quarter (down to 6 c.). Strain and adjust seasoning to taste
  10. ***
  11. To bake put the 2 oz. melted butter on baking pan and fill with Manti. Bake at 375°F for 20 - 30 minutes, until Manti are lightly browned. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Serve in chicken broth with yogurt and chopped parsley.
https://www.thefooddictator.com/the-hirshon-armenian-manti-%d5%b4%d5%a1%d5%b6%d5%a9%d5%ab/