Raclette, The Cheese That Melts in Your Mouth

Raclette is a piece of wintertime Switzerland that most of the people like to have not only in winter chalets but also at home. If you ask most of the people which they prefer, fondue or raclette, most will reply raclette! The reason why is this so remains a mystery! I am a fondue monster myself, which is not to say that I don't enjoy cheesy raclette with good old friends. 

For those of you who haven't a clue, perhaps I'd better explain what it is. Raclette is essentially melted cheese, served over boiled potatoes with lots of ground black pepper, accompanied by small pickled onions and gherkins. The name comes from the French verb "racler", to scrape, because of the way the melted cheese is scraped off the block.

Like everything with a strong tradition, there are lots of very strict dos and don'ts, which don't actually matter that much. After you've had it a couple of times you'll get to know what you like and what you don't. The only thing that you need is to have a good raclette machine! 

Once you have one of those, and the following ingredients, just invite some friends round and you're all set.

Time: whatever it takes to cook the potatoes, plus as long as you want

Ingredients:

• 200 to 250g raclette cheese per person (in rectangular blocks for the first machine, or half-wheels for the second) - damage $15.00
• small firm potatoes (in Switzerland we use Bintje, Charlotte and the aptly named Raclette varieties) - damage $6.00
• pickled onions - damage $4.00
• a selection of dried meats, prosciutto, parma ham etc. - damage $10.00
• (optional) sliced peppers, tomato, onion, mushrooms
• paprika and fresh black pepper

1. Boil the potatoes in their skins until they're done.

2. Set the table with your meats, pickles, vegetables and cheese, the latter cut into thickish slices (too thick for a sandwich).

3. Put the potatoes on the table in their pan, covered, to keep warm while the cheese is cooking.

4. Each diner takes a slice of cheese and pops it into his/her individual cheese tray, tops it with a slice of tomato or other vegetable if he/she so desires and slides it under the grill. This is a good time to eat a few slices of ham and some gherkins. When the cheese is bubbling convincingly and going brown around the edges, remove the tray from under the grill, scrape the contents with a small wooden spatula on top of the potato which you have just placed on your plate, sprinkle with pepper and paprika, and eat. As it can take five minutes or so for each slice of cheese to cook, particularly before the grill has warmed up properly, it's a good idea to put a new slice of cheese in as soon as you've scraped the last one onto your potato. That way you can keep 'em coming.

And to finish off, here's the last word on "Real Raclette", taken from Sue Style's book A Taste of Switzerland: "Light a good fire. Buy yourself a half wheel of real Raclette cheese, preferably from the Valais (Gomser, Bagnes, Orsières etc.), between three and five months old. Scrape off the rind, top and bottom, so that the cheese can melt more easily. Prepare boiled potatoes in their skins and have ready a supply of gherkins or cornichons, pickled onions and black pepper. When the fire has died to a mass of glowing embers, procure yourself a large stone and put it before the fire. Set the half cheese on top, its cut surface exposed to the heat. Nearby have a supply of plates. As the cheese melts, scrape it off on to a plate and serve at once. Continue in this way until everyone is full." 

Pasta with Garbanzo Beans

Pasta e Ceci is an ancient Roman classic dish traditionally served on Fridays or Weekends. If you step into any Roman Trattoria on Fridays, you will probably notice its distinctive scent coming out from the generally rowdy kitchen. I have always been a fan of soups, especially soups that can be prepared in no time with minimal effort.

In actual fact, every corner of Italy has a version of pasta, and Ceci, I will introduce my own version of pasta and Ceci the way my grandma used to prepare it for 12 hungry but enthusiastic folks.

In essence, this family of full-bodied soups, pasta e ceci, pasta e fagioli, or white bean soup, are purees of beans with just enough oil and the trinity of onion, carrot, and celery to help the beans express themselves fortified with pasta or bread, dribbled with raw oil and maybe topped with some Parmesan. To prepare tasty pasta and ceci you do not need necessarily add celery or carrot, it’s fully up to you what flavors you wish to choose as long you don’t forget the main factors which are pasta and Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)

You prepare your soffrito of finely chopped onion, garlic, and shallots, sautéing them gently and slowly in olive oil until soft floppy, and translucent. Then you add a dice of chicken stock (remember no MSG! Don’t mess with this dish), stir, and then 2/3 of your cooked chickpeas for 5 minutes (The peas are usually already salted, so no additional salt is needed). You stir again pour in two glasses of water and wait till boiling point. Lastly, throw in elbows (A kind of pasta, you can use any other type of pasta). Bring the pan to a happy boil, and then leave the pan to bubble away gently for about 7 minutes. Bon appetit!

 

Ingredients for 2 persons:

450g tinned chickpeas (Damage $3.00)
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (Damage $0.50)
mild onion peeled and finely diced (Damage $1.50)
diced garlic (Damage $ 2.00)
chicken stock (Damage $1.50)
225g small dried tubular pasta (Damage $ 4.00, it can be used countless times)

Optional

medium carrot peeled and finely diced
stick of celery finely diced
2 tbsp tomato concentrate
small sprig of rosemary
500ml vegetable or chicken stock or water the chickpeas were cooked in with more plain water added to make up the 500ml if necessary.
Parmesan rind
salt and freshly ground black pepper
your nicest oil for on top

Enjoy the freshness and richness of this meal; it’s tasty, healthy, and economical…