VALLE D’AOSTAN BEEF STEW
Ingredients
100g of butter
3 onions, sliced into wedges
1 bottle of red wine
1 sprig of rosemary
1 sprig of sage
4 cloves
1/2 tsp juniper berries
2 bay leaves
500g of beef rump, sliced into 7x1.5cm strips
1 tbsp of plain flour
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Method
Melt half of the butter in a frying pan and season the beef with salt and pepper. Dust in the flour, then add to the pan once the butter is foaming. Cook until well browned on all sides, then set aside
Melt the rest of the butter in the pan and add the sliced onions. Cook for a few minutes until soft, then add a dash of red wine along with the rosemary, sage, cloves, bay leaves and juniper berries. Season with a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes until soft and aromatic
Add the beef back into the pan along with the rest of the red wine. Simmer for 45 minutes or until the beef is tender and the wine has reduced to a sauce consistency
Taste and add more seasoning if needed. Serve immediately on a bed of buttery polenta
GNOCCHI ALLA BAVA
Ingredients
BUCKWHEAT GNOCCHI
600g of floury potatoes, preferably Désirée
150g of 00 flour, plus extra for dusting
150g of buckwheat flour
2 egg yolks
1 pinch of salt
SAUCE
1 shallot, finely diced
400ml of double cream
100g of Toma cheese, grated
100g of fontina cheese, grated
freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
olive oil
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Prick the potatoes with a fork and bake in the oven for 1 hour or until soft
When the potatoes are cooked, halve them and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. You need to work whilst the potatoes are still hot, so you may want to use a cloth or rubber gloves
Pass the potato flesh through a potato ricer. Stir in the flours, egg yolks and salt, mix thoroughly but taking care not to overwork the gluten so you get soft pillowy gnocchi
Divide the dough into 4 and roll each piece out on a floured surface into sausages about 2cm thick. Slice into pieces roughly 2.5cm long
Delicately roll the pillows over a gnocchi board to create ridges. This creates a surface the sauce can adhere to
To make the sauce, heat a pan over a medium heat and fry the shallot in a splash of olive oil until soft but not coloured. Add the cream and reduce by one third
Add the grated cheeses and stir until melted. Taste and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper
To cook the gnocchi, bring a pot of salted water to the boil and add the dumplings. Cook until they float to the top, which should take 3–4 minutes
Drain the gnocchi and stir into the sauce. Serve immediately
PASTA ALLA VALDOSTANA
Ingredients
12 oz. pasta
7 oz. diced ham
7 oz. fontina cheese
4 oz. Parmigiano Reggiano
7 oz. fresh cream
Salt
Parsley
Butter
First, put a pat of butter and diced ham in a pan on medium heat. Brown ham. Add fontina (cut into strips) and cream. In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta. Once cooked al dente, drain pasta and pour into pan with ham and fontina. Let mixture cook over heat for a minute and then turn heat off. Add salt and sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano. Garnish with parsley and serve warm.
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