Scott Conants Ramp Risotto Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the chicken stock in a large pot with an 8-ounce ladle.
• In a 4-quart pot, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic, red pepper flakes to taste, the thyme leaves and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. (Take the pan off the heat if the garlic starts to brown.) Lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is very tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add the rice and 1 tablespoon of the oil to the pot, stirring for about 3 minutes to toast it lightly. Increase the heat to medium, add the wine and cook until most of the wine is gone but the bottom of the pot is not dry. Season the stock with salt if necessary, then add 1 cup of the warm chicken stock and cook, stirring, until the liquid has been absorbed and evaporated. Add another cup stock and increase the heat so that there is a fair amount of bubbles on the surface and cook until the liquid is once again absorbed (this agitation helps release the starch as the rice cooks). Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and another cup or so of stock and continue to cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed into the rice, adding more stock as needed and stirring. To see if it's time to add more liquid, drag the spoon through the rice; if the liquid doesn't immediately fill in the space, it's time to add more. Continue to cook, adding broth as necessary, until the risotto looks creamy but the rice is still al dente, about 18 minutes.
• Take the risotto off the heat. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and the cheese and stir well. At this point, you can add the egg yolks and stir them in until well combined. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil with about 3 teaspoons of salt.
• Meanwhile, put the tomato sauce in a large saute pan and cook over medium heat to further concentrate the sauce's flavors.
• Cook the spaghetti until just shy of tender. Reserve some of the pasta cooking water and gently drain the spaghetti. Add the spaghetti and a little of the pasta cooking water to the pan with the sauce; the starch and salt in that water will help the sauce adhere to the pasta. Add the basil, give the pan a good shake, increase the heat to medium-high, and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce. The sauce should coat the pasta and look cohesive, and when you shake the pan, the sauce and pasta should move together.
• Take the pan off the heat and add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and butter. Using two wooden spoons (tongs can tear the fresh pasta), toss everything together well.
• Divide the pasta among serving bowls. Finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and serve.
• To peel the tomatoes, use a paring knife to cut a small x on each tomato. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, and have ready a bowl of ice water. Boil the tomatoes for about 10 seconds, then plunge them into the ice bath. The shock of going from hot to cold should cause the skin to contract, making it easier to peel. Use your fingers or a small paring knife to pull the skin off. If the skin is stubborn, try boiling and shocking the tomato again.
• In a wide saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes; be careful, as the oil may spurt. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and, using a potato masher, smash the tomatoes, really working the masher to break them up. If the consistency is thick or if they get too dry, add the tomato boiling water or reserved tomato juice to the pan. Cook, occasionally mashing and stirring, for 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the oil from the heat and let the ingredients steep for 5 minutes.
• Strain the oil into the cooked tomatoes. Stir to combine. Remove the sauce from the heat. Taste and add additional salt, if needed. The sauce may taste spicy on its own, but it gets balanced when used with other ingredients, especially the pasta, butter, and cheese. The sauce will keep, covered and refrigerated, for 2 days. Reheat gently before serving.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the "00" flour, semolina flour, and salt on low speed. Add the egg yolks, olive oil, and up to 1 1/3 cups water, adding the water a little at a time, and continue to mix on low speed. Once the flour is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-low and mix/knead the dough for 5 minutes.
• Lightly dust a work surface with a mix of "00" flour and semolina.
• Dump the dough out onto the work surface and knead by hand for a few minutes. Shape the dough into a rectangle, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it rest for 1 hour.
• To roll and shape the dough, set the pasta machine on its widest setting. Lightly flour a rimmed baking sheet. Cut the pasta dough into 4 pieces. Work with one piece at a time and wrap the others in plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. Very lightly flour the dough and stretch it by hand, then put it on the pasta roller. Run it through the pasta machine twice, starting at the longest setting. Fold it in half and run it through again, so the dough gets thinner each time and wipe the surface of the pasta for excess flour as you go. Run the dough through the machine a couple more times; this serves as a final kneading.
• Set the machine to the next level of thickness and run the piece of dough through again. Keep running the dough through the machine, adjusting the rollers to a thinner setting each time, until the sheet is 1/8-inch-thick; on most machines this means stopping at the 3.5 or 4 setting. Cut the sheet to lengths of about 12 inches. Then, using the linguine cutter, cut the sheet into strands. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.
• Dust the strands with a little flour (preferably a mix of the "00" and the semolina), and gather the strands into nests by wrapping them around your hand. (At the restaurant, we portion the spaghetti into 4-ounce nests.) Dust the nests with a little more flour, place on the baking sheet, and freeze until hard. (Once the spaghetti is rock-hard, it can be transferred to a freezer bag or other airtight container and kept frozen for up to 1 month.)
• You can also layer the sheets of pasta with semolina flour and cover them with plastic wrap while you get set up to cook them.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium ovenproof saute pan set over medium heat. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook until just starting to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook until just tender, 5 minutes. Set aside and keep warm for a later use.
• In a 4-quart saucepan, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the guanciale and cook until crispy. Remove the guanciale with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels, and reserve the rendered fat in the saucepan.
• Discard all but 3 tablespoons of the rendered guanciale fat and heat the saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots, garlic, thyme, some crushed red pepper and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat if the garlic starts to brown.
• Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, to lightly toast, 2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium, add the wine and cook until it mostly evaporates. Add 1 cup of the Capon Mushroom Stock and cook, stirring until the liquid is absorbed. Add another 1 cup of the stock and increase the heat to a gentle bubble (the agitation helps release the starch as the rice cooks). Add another 1 cup of the stock and continue to cook, stirring. To see if it's time to add more stock, drag a spoon through the rice; if liquid doesn't immediately fill in the space, it's time to add more. Continue cooking, adding stock as needed, up to 8 cups, until the risotto looks creamy but the rice is still al dente, about 18 minutes.
• Remove the risotto from the heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the butter, and mix, then add in the cheese. Taste and adjust the salt. Divide the risotto into serving dishes and top with Brussels sprouts, crispy guanciale and the chopped chives to serve.
• Place the bones in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer, skimming off the scum that comes to the surface. Add the celery, onions, carrots and garlic. Return to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer for 4 to 6 hours, breaking up the bones and skimming the fat throughout.
• Add the rosemary and thyme in the last hour of cooking. Add the dried porcini and steep for the last 15 minutes of cooking. Strain the stock into a large bowl set over an ice bath and reserve. Yield: 4 to 5 quarts.

Steps:

• In a wide, heavy-bottom saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. (1) Finely chop ramp greens and stalks, reserving greens for later. Add shallot, ramp stalks, and pepper flakes, and stir until the shallot is translucent, about two minutes. Add rice to pot and cook over medium heat for two minutes, stirring to coat rice with oil. (2) Pour in 1/4 cup of the wine and boil until almost absorbed; a little liquid should remain on top of the rice. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of hot broth at a time, stirring the rice constantly until almost all of the liquid is absorbed. Add another 1/4 cup of stock, the remaining wine, and a tablespoon of olive oil, continuing to stir. (3) Add the ramp greens and more stock as needed and continue cooking and stirring until the risotto looks creamy but is still al dente, about 18 to 22 minutes. Remove from heat and let the risotto stand for about 30 seconds. Add a drizzle of olive oil, butter, and cheese; stir until well combined. Season with salt. Makes 4 first-course portions.