Thursday, September 18, 2003

By Miriam Rubin

Luca Plett never intended to go into cooking, but it was the family business.

Orzo e Fagioli (barley and bean soup) was among the dishes chef Luca Plett demonstrated at Lidia's Pittsburgh in the Strip District. Plett is visiting from Italy to share Friulian recipes and traditions with the restaurant's staff. (Lake Fong, Post-Gazette) Taste of Friuli In the next two weeks, Pittsburghers may visit a special region of Italy, just by picking up a fork. Lidia's Pittsburgh will host three Friulian dinners prepared by visiting Italian chef Luca Plett on Tuesday and Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at the Strip restaurant. The Tuesday dinners are $30 with a glass of wine. The Oct. 1 dinner will be about $45, with a wine sampler additional. For reservations, call 412-552-0150. -- Miriam Rubin

At age 19 he wasn't much interested in school. His grandfather, who died this year, owned Al Ponte Ristorante in Gradisca d'Isonzo, part of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in the northeasternmost region of Italy. Plett's grandmother, Nonna Maria, was the chef. She pulled her grandson into the kitchen and he was hooked.

Plett later traveled throughout Europe, making a working tour of restaurants, chocolatiers and pastry shops. He spent four years in Bangkok, Thailand, as chef of an Italian restaurant at the Oriental Hotel.

Nonna summoned him home in 1996. His grandfather had built a hotel adjoining the restaurant, and they wanted him in the kitchen. Plett changed the menu, lightening things up while keeping his grandmother's traditional dishes.

The visiting chef was invited by Lidia Bastianich to come to Lidia's Pittsburgh to share Friulian recipes and traditions with chef Craig Richards and the staff at the Strip District restaurant.

But Plett's also here to learn.

"I learned how a very good Italian kitchen outside Italy works," he says. "I learned how to cook in the best way, but in a much faster way. In Italy, each table has about two hours [to dine]. If they're in a hurry, they want to eat in one hour."

He laughs. "But here, in a hurry, they want to eat in 15 minutes."

Influences beyond Italy

Gradisca d'Isonzo is a wine-producing zone in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Friuli -- bordered by Austria to the north and Slovenia to the east -- is a small area, but the terrain changes dramatically from the Carnian Alps to the Adriatic sea.

This region produces some of Italy's best wine and most delicious food. Diners at Lidia's may already have enjoyed some typical dishes, such as Frico, a Montasio cheese crisp. Bastianich is from Istria, once a part of Italy -- it's an area southeast of Friuli. Plett's visit is to complement the food she explores in her restaurants, here and in New York and Kansas City.

The proximity of Austria and Eastern Europe influences cuisine Friulano. In Friuli you will find dishes accented with poppy seeds, horseradish, dill, ginger, saffron, plus wild herbs and grasses -- flavors not normally associated with Italian cooking.

A fresh herb frittata, prepared in springtime, contains so many herbs and wild greens that it is more green than yellow. A sampling includes hops, verbena, mint, basil, marjoram, wild fennel, zucchini flowers, beet greens and sorrel.

Friulian cooking incorporates wild game, rich flavors and smoky tastes. There is a smoked ricotta cheese that's grated over red pepper or pumpkin gnocchi -- it's scented with the aroma of the wood that people burn in the mountains.

If you travel to the south of Friuli to the sea and visit Trieste, you can dine on fish. Farther north and east you'll eat pork, rabbit and roasted veal shin, called Stinco.

Near Slovenia, you may encounter a potato gnocchi enclosing an entire plum. It's lavished with butter, sugar and cinnamon, yet served as a savory dish, not dessert. In San Daniele, you'll feast on the region's famous prosciutto.

Asked for a definition of cuisine Friulano, Plett explains: "It's not just the dishes. It's where the ingredients grew up. If the polenta was grown in Canada or in Friuli, it's different. It's the same thing, but it's different. It's not the same air, not the same fields. Cows don't eat the same herbs and grasses [therefore the cheese is different].

"The venison caught from close to where I live, you can cook it right away [without marinating]. The venison from the mountains, it's very strong. [Those deer] eat more juniper berries; they eat bay leaves; it is tasty but it is different."

Friulian touch

Plett is tall and kindly, with rimless glasses and a big smile. He allowed us to follow him around the kitchen, getting underfoot, while he demonstrated recipes.

As the large service kitchen ran smoothly, we stayed in the back prep area, watching. We made Palacinche, turning the hot crepes with our fingers, folding in first the sides, then the bottom. Plett kneaded egg yolks and flour into grated potato for gnocchi. In Italy, egg yolks are so deeply colored that they are called the red of the egg.

He spoke of his grandmother's cooking. He fried a slice of prosciutto on the stove's flattop to garnish the Orzo e Fagioli (Barley and Bean Soup).

Lidia's Richards is eager to add more Friulian items to the menu, reflecting Plett's vision.

Some dishes the restaurant is planning for the menu Friulano in the next two weeks include Pecorino and Asiago Cheese Flan with Caramelized Figs; Chanterelle and Duck Lasagna; and Roasted Lamb Shoulder, filled with herbs and served with polenta.

BEEF GOULASH

Plett served this with potato gnocchi, providing a spoon to scoop up the delicious sauce. He also suggests serving it with a chunky pasta, such as rigatoni.

• 2 pounds well-trimmed boneless beef chuck, cut in 1-inch cubes (buy more than needed so you can trim it well)
  
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 5 to 6 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 2 large onions, chopped
  
• 1 imported bay leaf
  
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika (we used Penzeys sweet Hungarian paprika)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  
• 1 can (14 ounces) reduced- sodium chicken broth
  
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  
• 1 pound rigatoni
  
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, to taste

Toss beef with flour, pepper and salt.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 beef and brown. Transfer to a clean bowl. Add 2 tablespoons more oil and 1/3 more beef. Brown. Repeat with 1 or 2 tablespoons more oil and remaining beef.

Return all the beef and any juices to pot. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in onions, bay leaf and any remaining flour from coating beef. Cook, stirring to get up the browned bits from bottom of pot, until onions are fairly tender, about 5 minutes.

Stir in paprika, crushed red pepper and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, until beef is well coated. Stir in broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beef is very tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Season to taste. Discard bay leaf.

To serve, cook and drain rigatoni, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Return rigatoni to cooking pot. Add hot goulash. Bring goulash and pasta to boil, stirring to coat pasta, adding pasta water, if necessary.

Remove from heat; stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve hot.

Makes 6 servings.

Adapted from Luca Plett

ORZO E FAGIOLI (BARLEY AND BEAN SOUP)

Here orzo refers to barley, not the rice-shaped pasta, also called orzo. This classic Friulano soup is adapted from a recipe of Plett's grandmother.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 large onion, chopped
  
• 2 ounces imported prosciutto, in one piece, or 4 thick slices bacon, cut in 2-inch pieces
  
• 2 imported bay leaves
  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 8 ounces (1 1/4 cups) borlotti, cranberry or pinto beans, picked over and rinsed, soaked overnight and drained
  
• 1 can (14 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
  
• 4 1/2 cups water, divided
  
• 1 large potato, peeled and quartered
  
• 1 stalk celery, cut in 4 pieces
  
• 1 small carrot, cut in half
  
• 1/3 cup pearl barley
  
• Salt
  
• Garnish: rosemary sprigs, frizzled slices of prosciutto, toasted crusty bread, extra-virgin olive oil

In heavy Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, prosciutto or bacon, bay leaves and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until onion is tender, about 8 minutes.

Add drained beans and cook, stirring "like you toast it," said Plett, about 3 minutes. You'll start to smell the beans and bay leaf.

Add broth, 2 1/2 cups water, potato, celery and carrot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until beans are tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, bring 2 cups water to boil in medium saucepan. Add barley and pinch of salt; reduce heat, cover and simmer until barley is tender, about 35 minutes. Drain barley; return to saucepan, cover to keep warm.

Discard bay leaves, prosciutto or bacon and celery from soup. Scoop out potato, carrot and 1/2 of beans and puree in food processor. Whisk back into soup. Bring soup to low boil and stir in barley. Simmer 1 minute. Season to taste and serve with the garnishes, or simply with a drizzle of good olive oil.

Makes 6 servings.

Adapted from Luca Plett

PALACINCHE WITH APPLE FILLING

Palacinche are sweet crepes. You can make both the crepes and filling ahead. Stack crepes between sheets of waxed paper and chill; cover and refrigerate filling. Assemble and reheat just before serving. To find the correct skillet, measure it across the bottom, not the top.

Apple Filling:

• 6 large Granny Smith apples (2 1/2 pounds), peeled, cored and sliced
  
• Palacinche:
  
• 4 large eggs
  
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1/3 cup milk
  
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  
• Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
  
• Pinch salt
  
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
• 3 tablespoons raw sugar or light brown sugar

For filling: Place apples in 9-by-9-inch microwave-safe dish. Cover with waxed paper. Microwave on medium (50 percent power), stirring often, until very soft and nearly pureed, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and stir until smooth (a few lumps are fine).

For Palacinche: Put all ingredients except butter and raw sugar in blender and whirl until smooth. Transfer to bowl and let stand 20 minutes, or cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Wipe a 5 1/2- to 6 1/2-inch nonstick skillet with paper towel moistened in olive oil. Heat over medium-low heat. Add 2 tablespoons palacinche, or crepe, batter and tilt to coat pan bottom evenly. Cook until just lightly browned and set on underside. With nylon spatula, loosen edge and turn. Cook a few seconds longer. Slide out onto dinner plate. Repeat, making about 12 Palacinche. Cover loosely with plastic wrap.

To serve: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Coat 11-by-7-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter.

Smear about 1 tablespoon apple filling on a crepe. Fold in edges and roll it up from bottom. Place in prepared dish seam side down. Repeat with remaining crepes and filling.

Dot with remaining butter; sprinkle with raw or brown sugar. Bake until heated and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Serve warm; filling can get extremely hot.

Makes 6 servings.

Adapted from Luca Plett

Miriam Rubin is a Greene County freelance writer, recipe developer and author.

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