Fabiolous Cooking Day: 2010

Pan di Spagna al Ciaccolato

Ingredients

8 eggs

10.5 ozs sugar

5 ozs cocoa

4.5 ozs flour

nutella

whipped cream - can or fresh

powdered sugar

Mix the eggs with the sugar. Add flour and cocoa then blend well until all the clumps are gone. Pour the mixture into a greased cake pan. Cook in a pre-heated oven for 20 to 25 min at 320°F.

After the cake has cooled, use a round cutter to cut out a round piece of cake. Slice the cake into 3 layers. Place the first layer on the plate then spread a generous amount of nutella. Add the second layer of cake then add the whip cream. Add the 3rd layer, top it off with powdered sugar and serve!

I am taking a break from blogging during the holidays. With that being said..."Buon Natale" or Merry Christmas! Have a safe and happy holiday season. I will see you back here for Fabiolous Tuesday in mid-January!

your Chef,

Fabio

Seabass and Artichoke Lasagna

Ingredients

(Fish Stock)

1 medium white onion

1 stalk of celery

1 medium carrot

1 clove of garlic

1 pinch salt.

2 sea bass

(Bescimella)

2 ½ tablespoons of butter

2 1/2 tbsp of flour

4 1/4 c fish stock

2 pinches of salt

(pasta)

3 eggs

10.5 ozs four

2 artichokes

Butter for greasing the pan

1 tbsp Thyme

Olive Oil for garnish

Directions

To make the fish stock you can buy a fish and debone it or you can ask your local super market and ask for fish bones. They probably will be willing to give them to you. If you choose to make it then debone your fish. Add the bones to 1/8 c of olive oil and one clove of garlic. Then add the onion, celery and garlic to the pan to sautee for a few minutes. Next add 2 cups of cold water and 2 pinches of salt. You need enough cold water to completely cover the ingredients so add more cold water if needed. Simmer for 20 minutes. Then drain the stock and and save for the later step.

Prepare Besciamella Sauce: melt 2 ½ ounces of butter, then add 2 ½ ounces of flour. Stir for a couple of minutes then and 4 ¼ cups of fish stock and 2 pinches of salt. Stir until the besciamella is thick.

Remove outer layers of the artichoke until you arrive at the white part of the artichoke then cut the tip. With a tool, remove the "chokey" part. Place the artichokes in a pan and cook with oil and garlic for one minute. Add 1/3 c water and a pinch of salt. Cover the pan and steam for 20 minutes or so. Until you can insert the tip of the knife into the artichoke easily. Remove the artichokes and chop finely then let cool. Add the artichokes, artichoke water, seabass and thyme to besciamella and stir.

Pour flour on working surface and make a fountain with a hole in the middle of the flour. Break the eggs into the middle of the fountain. Gently beat the eggs inside to absorb the flour. While beating the eggs, add a little flour at a time with the tip of the fork. When all the flour is mixed and you have a dough consistency, knead the dough by pressing and folding gently with your hands. Now, work the dough with palm of your hands – holding with the left hand and pressing with the right, then fold the dough over and turn. Repeatthis process for 5 minutes. Let the ball of dough sit for 30 minutes in the fridge. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin into a long rectangular shape, careful not to roll to wide for the pasta machine. If you do not have a pasta machine, continue to roll with the rolling pin until you reach the desired thickness. Don’t rush the process in the pasta machine – start on the thicker pasta setting and put the dough through the machine numerous times (changing the setting each pass), patiently reaching the desired thickness. Each time you will need to sprinkle flour on the pasta to keep it from sticking to the machine. Cut the dough into long rectangular pieces. Places the rectangular pasta pieces in boiling water for 30 seconds then immediately remove one by one and place in a tub of cold water and a little bit of oil.

In a greased (butter) baking dish, begin with a layer of pasta then add a layer of the lasagna filling. Continue layering until you reach the top of the baking dish. Cook in the oven at 480°F for 30 minutes. It is best to let it cool for one hour then serve because the pasta may fall apart otherwise. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.