HOUSE RECIPES FROM SHINOLA

Evening Bar’s Cobblestone Cocktail

Ingredients:

2oz Lot No. 40 Rye
0.25oz Cobbler Syrup*
3 dashes Bittercube Bolivar bitters

Method:
Combine ingredients in an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir well and garnish with a dehydrated pear slice.

*The syrup is a brown sugar syrup with pear and cinnamon.
2lb sliced pears
2lb brown sugar
1tsp ground cinnamon
2lb water

Syrup Method:
Add the pear slices, cinnamon, and a couple ounces of brown sugar in a sauce pan. Cook on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add remaining sugar and water. Immersion blend until smooth then strain.

 

 

San Morello’s Mezze Rigatoni Pugliese

by Chef Andrew Carmellini

Ingredients: Serves 4-6

For the sauce:
1 15-ounce can chickpeas
3⁄4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound spicy Italian sausage
3 cups of AC’s Basic Tomato Sauce (recipe below; any basic fresh recipe will work well)
1⁄2 teaspoon ground fennel seed

For the broccoli rabe and rigatoni:
1 bunch broccoli rabe, cleaned of outer leaves and bottom stems trimmed
1 pound rigatoni
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, sliced very thin
1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

To finish the dish:
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup grated pecorino cheese

Method:
To prepare the sauce:
Drain the chickpeas well, reserving the liquid. Blend half the chickpeas (about 1 cup) and all their liquid on high until the mixture forms a smooth paste, about 1 minute. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Squeeze the sausage out of the casing and add the meat to the pan. Brown it, stirring regularly and breaking the meat up into small pieces with a spoon. Add the tomato sauce and stir to combine. dd the chickpea puree and the fennel seed and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat until the mixture forms a loose sauce and the flavors are combined, about 15 minutes.

To prepare the broccoli rabe and rigatoni:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the broccoli rabe until the stems are just softened and the color has deepened, about 90 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water to immediately stop the cooking process. Return the water to a boil, add the rigatoni and cook until it’s al dente. Drain but do not rinse the pasta. Warm the olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium sauté pan. Add the broccoli rabe, garlic, red pepper flakes and the remaining half of the chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until the greens are well coated, about 1 minute.

To finish the dish:
Return the rigatoni to the pot. Add the sauce and cook on medium-high heat, mixing well, until the pasta is well coated, about 1 minute. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the butter, olive oil and half the pecorino cheese. Transfer the pasta and sauce to a large serving dish and pour the broccoli rabe and chickpea mixture over the top. Top with the rest of the pecorino cheese and serve immediately.

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AC’s Basic Tomato Sauce
Makes 4 Cups
Ingredients:
10 Cups good quality Italian canned tomatoes (like San Marzano)
1 heaping teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
1 head garlic
1 1⁄4 Cups Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 packed cup of basil leaves, washed with stems on
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Method:
Open the canned tomatoes into a large pot with wide surface area and break them apart into large chunks with your hands. Add the salt. Turn the stove to medium heat and let the tomatoes cook down at a lazy bubble for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Remove excess liquid with a ladel. Smash the tomatoes as they cook with a wooden spoon so the sauce gradually becomes smoother. Cut the top of the garlic head so that the skin stays on but the tops of the cloves are exposed. Combine the garlic, oil, basil leaves and red pepper flakes in a separate small pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. As soon as the basil leaves crack take the mixture off the heat and reserve. When the tomato sauce is reduced by half to two-thirds and is thick but still bright red, strain the oil into the pot and stir to combine.

Cook the sauce for about 10 more minutes at a lazy bubble. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking. When the oil and tomatoes have completely emulsified and the sauce looks whole turn off the heat and stir it up a bit with a masher or a hand-blender set on low. Mix the sauce with the pasta or gnocchi while it’s hot, or allow the sauce to cool before storing in the freezer or fridge.

 

 

 

Cover photo by Kate Headley