Hearty Pastas, Direct From Italy

In the fall I visited a lovely country inn in Montefiridolfi, Italy, about 20 minutes from Florence. The chemistry of Il Borghetto was just right: tastefully decorated rooms; a lush garden of fruit trees, herbs and roses; panoramic vistas in all directions; a beckoning breakfast table laden with local meats, cheeses, honeys, marmalades and breads.

The director of the inn, Francesca Cianchi, is a talented chef who opened Mezzaluna restaurant in New York to great acclaim. During my visit, she taught the following pasta and dessert recipes in a cooking class for a group visiting Florence.

One of these hearty and satisfying pasta toppings is artichokes; the other is made with chicken, veal or lamb. Both are served over farfalle. They make a great supper paired with a salad of mixed greens and arugula tossed in a simple vinaigrette and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.

Dessert is Il Borghetto’s interpretation of tiramisu, the now ubiquitous dessert created at El Toula restaurant in the city of Treviso, in the Veneto region of Italy.

FARFALLE WITH ROSEMARY ARTICHOKE SAUCE

This delicious, bright-looking pasta topping can be prepared ahead and reheated at dinner time. Francesca uses small, whole artichokes that she cuts into thin slices. Because large California artichokes are more widely available, this recipe calls for only the hearts. Pancetta, an Italian bacon that is not smoked but cured with salt and spices, gives the dish a nice depth of flavor.

3 large artichokes

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup chopped pancetta

2 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

1/4 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth

3 large plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 2/3 cups light vegetable or chicken stock

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 (10-ounce package) farfalle

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Strip artichokes of leaves. Cut artichoke hearts in half vertically. Use sharp knife to remove chokes. Put in bowl of cold water with lemon juice (to keep artichokes from darkening). When ready to slice, rinse hearts and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch wide slices. Set aside.

Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add pancetta, garlic and rosemary. Mix well. Sprinkle with wine. Cook, uncovered, until wine has evaporated, about 3 minutes.

Add tomatoes to pan along with stock or broth. Simmer, covered, until artichokes are tender, about 20 minutes. If there is too much liquid, boil rapidly to reduce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Can be made 1 day ahead; refrigerate and gently reheat before serving, adding a little more stock or broth as needed to make a sauce. Adjust seasoning.

Meanwhile, cook farfalle in plenty of rapidly boiling salted water until tender but firm.

To serve, spoon artichokes and sauce over hot farfalle. Serve hot. Pass grated cheese separately.

Makes 4 to 5 servings.

Each of 4 servings contains about:

415 calories; 583 mg sodium; 4 mg cholesterol; 9 grams fat; 67 grams carbohydrates; 16 grams protein; 1.56 grams fiber.

FARFALLE WITH QUICK LEMON CHICKEN FRICASSEE

Veal or lamb, cut into 1-inch chunks, can be used in place of chicken. Simmer it, covered, in 1 to 1 1/2 cups stock or broth until tender, about 1 hour. If using lamb, season the stock with 1 teaspoon fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary.

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/2 pound mushrooms

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped fine

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth

1 cup light chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 large egg yolk

1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup minced parsley

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 (10-ounce package) farfalle

Rinse chicken breasts, blot dry with paper towels, trim of visible fat and tendons and cut into 1-inch cubes. Trim stems of mushrooms and slice thin.

Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add onion. Cook, uncovered, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, stirring often.

Add garlic, bay leaf and chicken. Brown chicken on all sides. Add wine. Cook, uncovered, until wine has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Stir in mushrooms. Cook until liquid from mushrooms evaporates, about 3 more minutes. Add stock or broth (reserve 1 tablespoon). Simmer, uncovered, 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine reserved 1 tablespoon stock or broth with egg yolk and 1 1/2 lemon juice in small dish. Use fork to stir until well mixed.

Cook farfalle in plenty of rapidly boiling salted water until tender but firm.

To serve, warm fricassee over low heat. Add egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly until sauce has thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper; add remaining lemon juice if needed. Garnish with parsley. Serve hot over hot farfalle.

Makes 4 to 5 servings.

Each of 4 servings contains about:

471 calories; 283 mg sodium; 117 mg cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 59 grams carbohydrates; 31 grams protein; 0.81 gram fiber.

IL BORGHETTO’S TIRAMISU

This custard-like dessert is best when it has a chance to set up; try to make it at least a day ahead (keep it refrigerated). The key ingredients are mascarpone (a buttery-rich double-cream to triple-cream cheese) and sugared crisp ladyfinger biscuits (savoiardi), both available in gourmet shops, Italian delis and even some supermarkets. The dish should be roughly 6 1/2 inches in diameter and about 3-4 inches deep so that you can make the tiramisu two layers deep.

3 eggs, separated

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 pound mascarpone cheese

1 large egg white

Pinch salt

14 sugared crisp ladyfinger biscuits or savoiardi

1 cup strong coffee

1 tablespoon Cognac

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process

Use mixer to beat yolks with 2 tablespoons sugar until mixture is light-colored and very thick, about 2 minutes. Add mascarpone. Mix until very smooth.

In clean mixer bowl with clean beater, beat 4 egg whites and salt until frothy. Add 1 tablespoon sugar. Beat until whites are thick and just hold their shape but are still moist.

Stir 1/4 of whites into egg yolk mixture. Fold in remaining whites.

To assemble, arrange biscuits in 1 layer on heavy duty foil; slightly turn up foil edges to make tray. Combine coffee and Cognac. Sprinkle evenly over biscuits.

As soon as coffee is absorbed but before biscuits are soft and falling apart, arrange half of biscuits in 1 layer in shallow dish, about 6 1/2 inches in diameter and 3 to 4 inches deep. Fill in any spaces with parts of biscuits. Cover biscuit layer with half of mascarpone mixture. Repeat layers of biscuits and mascarpone. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until serving--at least overnight, up to 2 days.

To serve, press cocoa through a fine sieve to make even layer over surface (this can be done few hours ahead). Serve chilled.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Each of 6 servings contains about:

305 calories; 209 mg sodium; 239 mg cholesterol; 19 grams fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams protein; 0.08 gram fiber.