Filippo Berio - Appetizers & Snacks Archives

Pronto Pea Soup

In saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Stir in leek; cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted.
Add peas; reduce heat to low, cover pan and cook for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, in heatproof glass measure, dissolve bouillon cube in boiling water. Pour bouillon over leek mixture; simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Using immersion blender, and being careful not to splash, purée mixture until smooth.
Stir in evaporated milk. Return saucepan to heat; cook, stirring occasionally, over low heat for 5 minutes or until heated through.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with croutons.

Preheat grill. Lightly brush mushrooms with oil; grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side or lightly golden brown. Coarsely chop 1 mushroom; add to food processor along with 1/2 cup olive oil, parsley, basil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and chipotle pepper until well combined. Toss with greens.
Place one portobello mushroom on each salad plate. Mound one-quarter of greens onto each mushroom cap. Garnish with walnut halves.

Tips:

You can substitute 1 canned chipotle pepper for the dried one if desired.
If desired, you can reserve a little vinaigrette and drizzle it decoratively around the mushroom on each plate.

Recipe provided by Jim Coleman, Executive Chef of Normandy Farm and Coleman Restaurant

In microwavable glass measure, combine porcini mushrooms and 1 cup broth; cover with plastic wrap, venting one side. Microwave on high for 3 minutes or until liquid bubbles. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat oil over high heat; cook white mushrooms, garlic, rosemary, salt and red pepper flakes, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms start to release liquid.
Meanwhile, working over small bowl and reserving excess liquid, strain porcini mixture through fine sieve lined with cheesecloth or coffee filter. Rinse porcini, pat dry and chop. Add porcini, reserved soaking liquid, remaining chicken broth, water and tomatoes to Dutch oven; cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
To serve, place slice of toast in bottom of each soup bowl. Ladle soup over bread. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Recipe provided by Chef Sharon Sanders

Prepare the Pizza Dough. Grease 12-inch round pizza pan with olive oil. Sprinkle with cornmeal; set aside.
Punch down dough and place on lightly floured surface; let stand for 5 minutes. With lightly floured hands or rolling pin, pat or roll into 13-inch round. Transfer to prepared pan, folding edges to make rounded border. Cover with plastic wrap; let stand for 15 minutes or until slightly risen.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat oil in large sauté pan set over high heat; stir in onions. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until onions start to brown. Stir; reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until browned. Stir in salt and oregano.
Spread onions over prepared crust. Sprinkle with olives. Bake for 15 minutes or until crust is golden. Transfer to rack; let cool for 5 minutes.

Tip: Replace the pizza dough with 1 lb of thawed frozen commercial bread dough if desired.

Recipe Provided by Chef Sharon Sanders

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Generously grease four 4- or 5-inch ramekins using 1 tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly in each ramekin. Place 1 peach half, cut side up, in each ramekin; place 4 cherry halves in each ramekin. Set aside.
Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. In separate bowl, combine remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil with granulated sugar, vanilla and eggs; beat well. Add milk and flour mixture to egg mixture; blend until well combined. Divide batter evenly among the ramekins; place ramekins on baking sheet.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; let stand for 5 minutes. Using a knife, loosen edges and invert onto dessert plates. Serve warm.

Tip: Serve these fruit mini cakes with your favorite ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Recipe provided by Jim Coleman

In large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook potatoes, stirring to coat with oil, for 5 minutes or until browned on bottom.
Reduce heat to medium. Stir in oregano. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes or until potatoes are tender and browned. Sprinkle with salt.

Recipe provided by Chef Sharon Sanders

In large pot of boiling salted water; cook orzo for about 6 minutes or until al dente. Drain and rinse; set aside.
Return pot to burner; heat oil over medium-high heat. Stir in flour; whisk until smooth. Pour in milk in slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium-high heat for 4 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Add cheese, stirring until melted. Stir in orzo.

Recipe provided by Chef Sharon Sanders

Stir together flour, anise, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In separate bowl, stir sugar with olive oil. Stir in eggs, one at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Stir in milk, orange zest and vanilla until blended; stir in flour mixture until combined. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Roll scant tablespoonfuls of dough into balls. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
Bake in center of oven for 14 to 16 minutes or until bottoms and edges are pale golden and tops are set. Let cool for 10 minutes on baking sheets; transfer to racks and let cool completely.
Orange Icing Sugar Glaze: Stir together icing sugar, orange juice and olive oil until smooth. Dip tops of cookies into glaze, letting excess drip off; place on rack.

Topping: Toss sugar with orange zest; sprinkle over cookies while glaze is still wet. Let stand for 30 minutes or until set.

Tip: For a decorative finish, use colored sugar if desired.

Heat olive oil in large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add bread slices; fry fir 1 to 2 minutes per side or until golden brown, adding more oil if needed. Transfer bread to serving dish.
In same skillet, working in batches if necessary, briefly fry provolone; when cheese begins to melt, transfer to bread slices. Sprinkle with red wine vinegar, then thyme; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In saucepan, bring 1 cup water, olive oil, sugar and salt to boil over medium heat.
Remove from heat. Add flour all at once; with wooden spoon, stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball and leaves side of pan. Return to medium heat; continue stirring vigorously for 1 or 2 minutes or until a thin dry film forms on bottom of pan. Remove from heat. Transfer to bowl.
Using a wooden spoon, beat in eggs one at a time, incorporating well after each addition until dough is smooth, shiny and thickened. Using large spoon and rubber spatula, drop 16 mounds onto prepared pan, spacing 3 inches apart. (Alternatively, fill pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch tip or snip 1/2-inch corner from resealable bag and pipe mixture into mounds onto prepared pan.)
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until light golden brown and puffed. Cut a slit into each puff and return to oven. Reduce heat to 350°F; bake for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let puffs dry in oven for 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; let cool completely.

Vanilla Bourbon Whipped Cream:

- Using electric mixer, whip cream until soft peaks start to form. Beat in icing sugar and scraped vanilla bean seeds until stiff peaks start to form. Fold in bourbon.
- Split cream puffs. Remove any strands of soft dough with fingertips. Fill puffs with whipped cream mixture. Dust tops with icing sugar.