Msica Nortea Romntica Recipes

SALSA TATEMADA NORTEñA (FIRE-ROASTED SALSA)

Steps:

• Start a charcoal or prepare a gas grill. Once hot, place the whole tomatoes, chiles and onion on the grill. Let the ingredients char for about 12 to 15 minutes, flipping every 3 to 4 minutes. Pull them off the grill once cooked: The tomatoes should be completely mushy, as their skins start to break and their juices start to come out. The chiles should be wilted, charred and wrinkled. The onion should be darkened and softened. (Alternatively, ingredients can be charred under the broiler on an aluminum foil-covered baking sheet, or directly on a preheated comal or a cast-iron pan set over medium heat.)
• Place charred chiles in a plastic bag, and close the bag well. Let chiles steam and sweat for 5 to 10 minutes. As soon as they have cooled enough to handle, remove them from the bag, slip off their skins, make a slit down the side of each and remove their seeds and stems. You could rinse the chiles under a thin stream of water, to help remove the seeds, or rinse them off by dipping them into a bowl of water. (Don't remove or discard the skin, seeds or juices from the tomatoes and onion.)
• Set the charred tomatoes, onion and cleaned chiles on a chopping board, and finely chop. Place in a bowl, add salt, and mash and mix with a fork. (Alternatively, ingredients can be mashed in a molcajete.) Taste for salt and add more, if needed.
• Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. The salsa can be eaten cold, though is best consumed lukewarm or hot. If desired, you can reheat it in a small saucepan until warmed.

TORTA RUSTICA WITH RICOTTA AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Make the dough: In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse until the mixture forms lima bean-size pieces. Alternatively, mix together flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl, then add butter, working the pieces into the flour with your hands, squeezing and pinching them until the mixture looks like oatmeal.
• Add egg, egg white and lemon zest, and pulse after each addition. If working by hand, whisk together egg, egg white and lemon zest in a separate bowl, then mix into the butter mixture. Slowly add iced wine, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse or mix by hand until the dough just comes together. You may not need all the liquid. The dough should be moist, but not wet.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and gather and press it into a ball. Divide into 2 portions, one slightly larger than the other, and shape into disks. Wrap the disks tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 5 days.
• When ready to bake, heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Make the filling: If your ricotta seems watery, put it in a sieve and let it drain while you cook the spinach.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and a large pinch of salt, and continue to cook until spinach is very dry, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a large bowl to cool. If any liquid accumulates as the spinach sits, pour it out of the bowl (you don't want it to water down the ricotta).
• In a food processor, purée drained ricotta and eggs until just combined and smooth. Add to the bowl with the spinach and fold in mozzarella, pecorino, ham (if using), parsley, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, red-pepper flakes and nutmeg. Set aside when rolling out dough (or chill for up to 4 hours).
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger pastry dough disk to a 14-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Fit dough into a 9-inch springform pan, pressing the dough up the sides of the pan. Scrape filling into crust and spread evenly. Roll out second pastry disk to a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Cut 1/2-inch-wide strips and weave into a lattice on top of the filling. Seal, trim and crimp the edges. Brush the top of the torta with the egg wash.
• Place torta on sheet pan and bake until crust is crisp and brown, and filling is firm, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes before serving.