Lenten Frittata

 Brown a couple of diced onions and a couple of small potatoes.  Saute your choice of veggies, here I'm doing asparagus and grape tomatoes.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in six beaten eggs.  A little cheese - mozzarella, parmigiano, or what ever you have.

 When the eggs have cooked a bit, turn the frittata in sections (you can try to turn the whole thing at once, but don't blame me if you make a mess).

Serve with bread or toast.

Ratatouille and Sausage with Pasta

Diced onion, peeled and diced eggplant, diced zucchini, diced mushrooms (optional) diced garlic.   This all goes into a hot skillet with olive oil, (in batches if making a lot).  Return everything to the skillet, add salt, pepper, parsley and basil.  Add canned tomatoes or tomato puree.

Serve with whole wheat pasta and fried Italian sausages.

Pasta With Bacon and Eggs? OR Linguine alla Carbonara con Funghi

I know I've done this one before, but it was almost a year ago and is worth repeating, I think.  At least it's worth having again.

This is called Carbonara (I won't explain the origin of the term, if you're interested, you can check Wikipedia HERE).  I first learned about this dish from the Romagnoli's Table, a Public TV Cooking Show in the early/mid seventies.

If you go to most any "Italian" restaurant today and order Spaghetti alla Carbonara, you will get a dish loaded with cream and very heavy.  The Romagnoli's recipe does not call for cream and all the flavors of the pancetta, black pepper, egg, and cheese create a delightfully salty-meaty-slightly sweet taste on the palette.

I have been known to tinker with a good thing, adding some other favored ingredient, like mushrooms.

So here is my Linguini alla Carbonara con Funghi: You will need Spaghetti or linguini, pancetta (Italian bacon, NOT smoked), olive oil, garlic, Crimini (Baby Bella) mushrooms, black pepper, eggs.  So  bacon and eggs are not just for breakfast anymore.

I'm trying to be more healthy, so I'm using whole grain pasta.  Whole wheat pasta used to be heavy and chewy, but now Barilla makes a good whole grain pasta that tastes and feels like white pasta.

Put your pot of salted water on to boil.

Cover the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil, saute some garlic in it.

Pancetta

Dice up five or six thick slices of pancetta and add to the skillet.  Saute until browned slightly, not really to a crisp.  Remove the pancetta from the skillet, leave the oil and drippings.

Cut up 8 oz of Crimini mushrooms (you can use white mushrooms, but the Baby Bellas have a nice meaty taste.  Add the mushrooms to the skillet and saute in the oil/pancetta fat left in the pan.  Add more olive oil if needed.  When the mushrooms are cooked through and tender, return the pancetta to the skillet.  Keep warm.

Now the water should be boiling so you can throw in a pound of pasta.  Set your timer for al dente.

Meanwhile crack 2 or 3 eggs in a large bowl and beat them well with a whisk.  Add fresh ground black pepper.  Add a little more pepper.  Whisk.

When the pasta is done, drain it in a colander and IMMEDIATELY toss it with the beaten egg mixture which will be cooked by the hot pasta.  Really, it's OK.  I'm not dead yet.

Add the mushrooms and pancetta and toss again.

Serve with grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese.

Benissimo!
AS GOOD AS THIS IS, IT IS NOT GOOD AS A LEFT-OVER!

Cavolfiore alla Nonna

My grandma used to make cauliflower like this, except that she cooked it a bit in boiling water first, then breaded it and fried it in a skillet like eggplant.  I am trying to be a bit healthier so I did not boil out the nutrients and I used olive oil to coat a baking sheet and sprayed the cauliflower with canola oil spray before putting it in the oven.  (You know, of course, it tastes better fried.)

This can be an antipasto (appetizer) or a contorni (side dish).

I must be in my flour-egg-breadcrumb phase, because that's what you need to make this antipasto.  Wash and deconstruct the cauliflower into florets and halve them if necessary to get like-size pieces.  Dredge the pieces in seasoned (salt and pepper) flour, dip into beaten egg, then roll in and coat with Italian breadcrumbs to which you have added some good spoonfuls of parmesan cheese.  Place on baking sheet and into the oven at 375 for 30 minutes or until tender and browned slightly.

Flour-Egg-Parmesan/Breadcrumb the Florets

Place on baking sheet

Bake until tender and brown 

Mangia!

Chicken Fried Steak

Well, this isn't pretty, but it is tasty.  Definitely a comfort food.  You can google for various recipes.

Basically take a cubed steak and dredge it in seasoned (use salt and plenty of black pepper) flour and egg a few times and then pan fry it in enough oil to cover the bottom of the skillet.

Use the drippings for gravy (a few tablespoons of flour, chicken stock, some milk).  I sautéed some mushrooms in the oil first to make a mushroom gravy.

Pour this over the steak and a hill of mashed potatoes.

Not pretty, but tasty

There are some green beans on the table too.

Dinner's ready.

Pasta e Fagioli in 15 Minutes or Less

As if there weren't enough dialects in Italy,American-Italians had to invent another one.  You've heard of Pasta Fazool? The sound of that hurts my ears.

Anyhow, here's a very quick recipe that is actually very good.  I'm not a big fan of canned soups with the large amount of sodium, corn syrup and who knows what else, but Progresso Tomato Soup is good, even if it does have some questionable ingredients.

Get some olive oil and garlic going in a skillet.

Open some cannellini beans and a can of Tomato Soup....no, no, not the Campbell's...

Boil a third to a half pound of pasta like the box says - Choose a shape that will fit in a spoon, like elbows or shells.  I swear, the shape does make a difference in the taste of any pasta dish!  I'm using shells here.

Put the can of beans into the oil and garlic, add fresh black pepper, a bit of oregano.  Heat through for a few minutes.

When the pasta is done, drain it; return it to the pot and combine it with the beans and the tomato soup.  Add some fresh basil.  Bring to a simmer for a few minutes.

Serve with grated parmigiano cheese.

Lunch is ready!

Roasted Squash Soup and a BETO Sandwich

Zuppa di Zucca Arrostita

This is a hearty soup for a cold January day.  Except for the squash, the ingredients are flexible - depending on what you have on hand.  Roasting the veggies gives them a nice flavor and aroma - and makes a rather bland squash much tastier.

Many recipes add heavy cream or milk.  I find this totally unnecessary and way too heavy on the gut.

But don't be TOO creative!  Make sure the veggies and herbs you choose are compatible.  One thing I don't like is a soup made by an overly zealous cook who uses every spice on the spice rack and the philosophy that "more is better".  Too many out-of-tune instruments in the orchestra can spoil the music...

For this dish I had on hand, a butternut squash, two acorn squash, a half of a fennel (anise), an onion, some carrots, some rosemary from the sunroom and, from the garden a few sage leaves and parsley.  A bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg.  And the all natural, no msg, low fat chicken broth from Aldi's.

I was thrilled to find a few sprigs of parsley (which is a biennial and winter hardy) in the garden because I thought the critters had completely done it in by summer's end when I saw most of it disappear - eaten from underground by the roots.  Ah, the tribulations of a gardener!

Coarsely chop the veggies, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, a chopped sage leaf, a few whole sprigs of rosemary.  Toss and roast in a 375 to 400 degree oven.  (my oven is not exact, so I put it on 425) for about 45 minutes or a bit longer - until the squash is fork tender.  The onion and fennel should be nicely caramelized.

Remove the rosemary from the roasted veggies, then transfer the veggies to a pot.  Add a box of chicken stock (or veggie stock to keep it strictly vegetarian), add chopped fresh parsley and a dash of nutmeg.  Bring to a boil, then simmer over lower heat for ten to fifteen minutes or so.

I do not own a full-size food processor.  I don't have the storage space, don't have the counter space, and for the most part, prefer to "process" the food myself.  I have a small electric "chopper" and this puree thing - an immersible blender.  Just be careful not to remove it while its still spinning!

Puree the veggies.  It's OK if you miss a few chunks.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with some good bread.  Maybe a hunk of some nice cheese.  Can anyone suggest a cheese to go with this soup, other than cheddar. Maybe Gruyere or Asiago?  (Just a minute, I'll have to run to the store for that.)

Decided to go with a variation on a BLT for Dinner:  Bacon, Braised Escarole, Tomato, Onion

Fry the bacon, reserve some bacon drippings in the pan, add some chopped garlic, heat on high, add a handful of escarole leaves and braise until the escarole is wilted.  Layer the B,T,E, and O on some nice toasted bread.

 A few little slices of Gouda too.

Dinner's Ready!

Traditional Christmas Lasagna

We almost always had lasagna for Christmas when mom and dad were with us.

This is a actually a simple dish, but it takes a few minutes to assemble.

Start with a good tomato sauce, we use a meat sauce made with beef or meatballs, sausage and roast pork cooked in tomato/ tomato puree as I've described elsewhere.

This holiday I made three pounds of lasagna, with three pounds of ricotta, a pound and a half of mozzarella  and probably 4 sixteen ounce cans/jars of tomato.  I don't bother with tomato paste as the puree is really fine for the job.  (Tomato paste is really just condensed and preserved tomato puree to reconstitute when making sauce).

In addition to sauce you'll need: Pasta, Ricotta cheese, Eggs (one per pound of ricotta), grated Romano or parmigiano cheese, salt, pepper, dash of nutmeg, shredded mozzarella.  Combine ricotta, eggs, grated cheese, seasoning.  Cook pasta.  Layer sauce, pasta, ricotta mixture, mozzarella, sauce, pasta, etc.  Top the last layer of pasta with sauce, mozzarella and parmigiano.  Cover with foil and bake at 350.  Lasagna ALWAYS takes longer to heat through than it should.

Note the Ricotta in a tin - the way it used to be sold
before plastic containers

 Unfortunately I forgot to get pictures of the assembly or the finished product before it was half gone...

Dessert was Mom's Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Christmas Cookies Part Two

Today I made Aunt Margaret's Christmas Cookies.  Actually she used to make them for everything.  Christmas, New Year's, Easter, Birthdays, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, you get the picture.

Her's were thicker and prettier than mine.  I make them thin so 1) I can get more cookies from the batch and 2) each one has fewer calories, so you can eat two.

Aunt Margaret’s Festive Italian Cookies

3 Cups Flour
2 Teaspoons baking power
½ Teaspoon salt

½ Cup sugar

¼ Pound butter

3 Eggs

1 Teaspoon vanilla

Sift first three dry ingredients together

Blend sugar and butter until creamy

Beat in eggs and vanilla

Add dry ingredients

Knead lightly

Roll out to ½ inch thick

Cut out round cookies with small cutter
(For a different shape, roll into ropes, cut and tie into knots)

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes

Frosting

½ box Confectioners sugar

1 tsp lemon extract

1 tsp cold water or more as needed

Blend until a smooth, runny consistency is achieved

For colored frosting, divide into separate bowls add food color as desired

Frost the cookies by dipping, let dry

Christmas Cookies - Cuccidati and More

Well, I don't really like making cookies, mainly because I find it tedious...making dozens of individual cookies and baking them in batches...it just takes too long. Yet, I can't resist making cookies for Christmas. These two took all day Sunday.

The first are Cuccidati which I've posted before on Rebel. I did not grow up with these as they are Sicilian, but I've adopted them as my own since I first made them last season after seeing Clara make them on YouTube. Here are the ingredients. They are a pastry filled with figs and other dried and fresh fruits and nuts.

Fruits and Nuts

Through The Meat Grinder

Filling on dough

Roll Over

Cut

And Score

Baked

Cool

Frosted

CUCCIDATI  -  SICILIAN FIG COOKIES by Clara

FILLING:

Toast the nuts in a hot oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
Put all the following through a meat grinder and mix together:

¾ cups filberts (hazelnuts) toasted

½ cup almonds toasted

½ cup walnuts toasted 

½ cup pecans toasted 

2 pounds of dried figs

½ pound candied fruit/citron (substitute other dried fruit or even lemon or orange marmalade)

½ pound of raisins (mix dark and golden)

¼ pound of dates

1 whole large orange, skin and all

1 tangerine peel

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

½  teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

Add 2 cups hot water

½ cup sugar

½ cup whisky or unflavored brandy (cognac)

This can sit overnight.  When ready to fill the pastry, put some of the filling into a zip-lock bag, cut a hole in the corner of the bag and squeeze (pipe) the filling out in a line at the edge of the dough, cut and roll so the dough surrounds the filling.

Dough/Crust

Blend by hand:

10 cups flour plus additional flour if dough is too soft

1 ½ cups sugar

2 heaping tablespoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1pound lard (or Crisco)

Add:

1 cup cold milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

10 eggs, beaten (larger eggs might require more flour, smaller eggs might require a bit more milk)

Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before rolling (Add flour if the dough is too sticky or a little milk if too dry)

Divide the dough into manageable pieces and roll out to about 1/8  inch thick with a wooden dowel. Turn the dough over and dust with flour several times until the desired thickness is reached. (If you've made fettuccine you know the technique of wrapping the dough around the rolling pin and unrolling it on the revers side.)

Pipe out the filling in a line along the bottom edge of the dough, fold the dough over the filling making a roll or tube, gently seal the edge along the roll, cut along the top of the roll, cut on the bias into individual cookies. Place in baking sheet and snip the top/side of each cookie with scissors making 2 or 3 slits. Bake at 350, 12-15 minutes or till done.

NOTE: The amounts of dough and filling are roughly the amounts needed to use up each when making these cookies. HOWEVER, there will be leftovers...depending on the thickness of the rolled out dough sheets, the amount of filling you pipe onto the dough and how much excess dough you trim off, you may have more filling and/or more dough left. I usually ball up all the dough trimmings and roll it out, spread any leftover filling on the dough, roll it like a jelly roll, slice it into rounds and bake them like individual pinwheel pastries.

Frost with a mixture of confectioner sugar/water/lemon extract and decorate with colored sugar or sprinkles.  To make colored sugar, place 1/4 cup of sugar into a small container, add several drops of food color and shake.  Add more color for darker shades.

Watch Clara on YouTube


Part one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5tXODF4of0&feature=related

Part two:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhBZrPk2xaY

The second cookie is my Aunt Stella's variation on Italian Toto's.  Her secret ingredients are the black coffee, ground raisins and whisky/brandy - and the inordinate amount of cocoa.  Too many of these before bedtime will keep you awake.

Chocolate Frosted

Cookies Ready For Distribution

Aunt Stella’s Secret Recipe Chocolate Cookies

5 cups flour

1 cup sugar

½ can Hershey’s® Cocoa Powder

5 tsp baking powder

3 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

1 tsp salt (optional)

1 box raisins, ground in a meat grinder, 

(then doused with 1/4 cup unflavored brandy [cognac]or whisky)

1 cup strong black coffee

1 stick of margarine (or Crisco)

1 tsp real vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Mix the coffee and vanilla into the ground up raisins

Mix all dry ingredients and shortening/margarine

Make a “well” in the dry ingredients and add the liquid/raisins 

Mix with a wooden spoon until evenly moist - the dough is very stiff - like Playdough®

Form into balls (3/4 inch) and place on a greased cookie sheet

Bake for 12 -15 minutes

Aunt Stella’s Secret Recipe Chocolate Cookie Frosting

½ can Hershey’s® Cocoa Powder

1 tsp real vanilla extract

6 tablespoons margarine softened (or butter)

1 box confectioner’s sugar

Some strong cold black coffee

Mix the first four ingredients and add black coffee - a teaspoon at a time

Blend and beat with a wooden spoon adding more black coffee a little at a time as needed to make a smooth, soft, but not runny, frosting – heavier and thicker than chocolate syrup but not as thick as a cake frosting…about the consistency of molasses.

Dip the cookies into the frosting and place on waxed paper until the frosting dries and hardens. 

I think the cloves and raisins give the chocolate a spicy fruitiness that is both subtle and pleasant.  There is a definite Sicilian/Arabic influence.