Ric Orlando's Not Quite Ibarra Chocolate Cake

Ric’s Not Quite Ibarra Chocolate Cake
Ok so this cake is delish, but does not have the Mexican Ibarra chocolate in it. It has the components of Ibarra chocolate, which is fine by me!
Makes a 9 inch round cake.
Preheat oven to 325
1 tbls cinnamon
small pinch ground cloves
1 tsp red chile powder
zest of two oranges
4 tbls bittersweet chocolate, minced
1 1/2 cups peeled almonds, toasted and grind to a fine powder
4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar, divided
2 tbls fresh orange juice
Patron Citronage, Gran Marnier or triple sec
Grease, flour, paper and grease your cake pan.
Combine the cinnamon, clove, chile powder,orange zest, chocolate and almonds in a mixing bowl.
Beat the yolks with 1/4 cup of the sugar and orange juice until smooth and shiny.
In another bowl beat the whites to soft peaks while gradually adding in the sugar. Now combine the yolk mix with the chocolate-almond mix. 
Carefully add half of the whipped the whipped whites. When incorporated add the other half.
Spread into the cake pan and bake 35-40 minutes or until the cake pulls away from  the sides.
When cool, paint with the orange liqueur.

Chocolate Glaze
10 tbls bittersweet chocolate
1 tbls unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup softened butter
1 tbls agave syrup or Karo corn syrup*
1 tablespoon water
Put everything except 1/4 cup of the butter in a double boiler and stir gently until just melted.
Remove from heat and stir in the remaining soft butter, Let cool a few minutes then pour over the cake.
*Karo is NOT high fructose corn syrup, fyi

Garnish with cocoa whipped cream and orange supremes

Cingale con Tutti Gli Odori - (Wild Boar with all of it's aromas) A Taste of Puglia Cooking Class at Different Drummer's Kitchen 4/12

Cingale con Tutti gli Odori (Wild Boar with All of it's Aromas)

This is a very cool, ancient style dish and and the essence of Pulgia in many ways. It represenst the hunter/forager roots of the region.

This is a recipe designed to break down and neutralize the gaminess of wild boar, but a pork shoulder will work just fine here as well.

The hermetically sealed pot will trap the steamed released from the animal, conatining “all of the aromas” or Tutti Gli Odori”.  This dish is great as a ragout over pasta, farro or rice or served on the table in a big family style bowl with sides of roasted potatoes and  good bread.

Serves 6-8 with leftovers .  1 large frying rabbit sectioned into:

1 4-6 lb wild boar shoulder or pork picnic roast, cut into large chunks

2 tablespoons olive oil

tutti gli odori—all of the herbs and aromatics:

1 tablespoon fresh basil

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

6 juniper berries

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1 tablespoon fresh sage

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons fresh marjoram

1 teaspoon fresh oregano

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

I medium yellow onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, smashed

1/4 cup water

1 cup red wine

1 cup canned tomatoes with juice, pureed

flour and water for sealing the lid

Use a spice mill to grind the juniper, fennel and peppercorns to a coarse grind. Put that into a food processor with the remaining herbs and spices, the onion and the garlic. Add the water and puree to a medium paste. Use your hands to rub this paste all over the pork. In a heavy pot with a proper fitting lid, heat the oil to medium and add the pork. Cook for three minutes, turn, and add the wine and tomatoes. Remove from the heat and hermetically seal. (To do this, make a paste of 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup water. Rub the paste around the rim of the pot. Use a piece of waxed paper or foil to seal

the top of the pot and cover tightly with the lid.)

Put back on the stove at medium low heat and cook for two hours.

Pugliese Arugula Sauce, A Taste of Puglia, Different Drummer's Kitchen 4/12

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Orecchiette with Arugula sauce and “olio santo”.

Orrecchiete and cavatelli are the true pastas of puglia. As is tradition, the women make pasta by hand, but there are some nice authentic brands on line and in better Italian markets too.

The pasta is special there as they use real local semolina flour. It makes a nice rich and chewy pasta that holds the “Condiment” well. This dish features arugula Rustica.which is foraged and also cultivated. It is more bitter and intense than our California version. Get some arugula sylvetta seeds and grow it! You’ll love it. Here is a link-  

http://www.seedsavers.org/sylvetta-organic-arugula

Serves 4

1 lb artisan orecchiette pasta or home made

For the sauce.

4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

1/4 cup good olive oil

pinch of salt

1 can high quality plum tomatoes, squished by hand, reserving the juice too

Generous handful chopped basil

1 lb arugula

1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese plus more for the table.

Bring a pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil.

Drop in the orecchiette and stir.

Simultaneously, In a heavy skillet, add the olive oil and when it is shimmering add the garlic and a pinch of salt.

Stir the pasta again.

When the garlic is getting golden to amber colored add the tomatoes all at once.

Swirl the pan. Let simmer until the pasta is ready.

Check the pasta. When it is al dente add the arugula to the pasta water. Cook one minute and drain.

Add the basil, cooked pasta and arugula to the pan. Stir in the Romano cheese and serve right away with nore cheese on the side.

Mussels Gratinata, A Taste of Puglia Cooking Class at Different Drummer Kitchen, 4/12 -

 

A Taste of Puglia

Puglia is the “Heel of the Boot” of Italy. Known as the bread basket of Italy, it is a highly agricultural region and at the same time is on the Adriatic coast. The seafood, grains and vegetables there are super local and  fresh and are eating seasonally.

Want a zucchini is spring? Not in Puglia. Non é la stagione!

The Pugliese are very set in their ways. They eat simple food, with clean flavors that change with the season.

These recipes are extremely minimal, yet beautiful. It is true Italian “Piatti povere” cooking

They celebrate the true flavors of the products used and have set the trend for many chefs styles in America today.

Mussels Gratinata

Did I mention that the Pugliese are…frugal?

Through necessity, they have developed many recipes that stretch the meal using bread.

These mussels are deliciously baked with a simple bread and and garlic topping. So simple yet so delicious.

Serves 4 -8

2 lbs mussels ( about 40)

1 glass of dry white wine

2 cups or more bread crumbs

2 tbls finely minced garlic

1/4 cup chopped parsley

zest of one lemon

pinch of crushed red pepper to taste

olive oil

Preheat oven to 325

Clean and debeard the mussels.

Put them in a big skillet with a tight fitting lid. Over high heat, add the wine, cover and steam  for 2-3 minutes to steam open the mussels.

Remove the lids and pour the mussels and the cooking liquid into a bowl to cool.

When cool enough to handle remove and reserve the mussels and the shells separately.

Separate and reserve the shells.

Place one mussel in each shell.

Mix the bread crumbs, parsley, lemon zest, garlic and crushed pepper in a bowl. Add the reserved cooking liquid and stir. Drizzle in a little olive oil. You should have a damp crumb.

Put crumb on top of each mussel, packed in well.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.