Escarole In Brodo

So next to Minestra di Cavolo (recipe below), one of my favorite things to have when the weather gets cold is my Nana's Escarole Soup. I usually make a large pot of it and enjoy it for a few days. I have put a few things into the recipe that I think improves it just a little. Of course, much like Nana herself, I make it when Escarole is on sale! HA! See the note in the recipe about adding Cannelini Beans and Italian Sausage to turn the soup into a meal!

1                                                                                Extra Large Head of Escarole (or 2 small ones)

2                stalks                Celery, chopped

2                tablespoons      Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4                quarts               Simmering Chicken Stock

Salt, Pepper, & Granulated Garlic to taste

Put a pot of boiling water to boil. Meanwhile, cut the bottom of the escarole off and separate the leaves into the kitchen sink and fill the sink with cold water. Wash the escarole well, it gets pretty dirty at the bottom, and transfer it to a colander. When the water is boiling vigorously, put a couple teaspoons of salt in it and add the escarole. Continue cooking until the water comes back to the boil. Then, drain the escarole in the sink and rinse with lots of cold water.

Once it’s cool enough to handle, gently squeeze the excess water out of the escarole and place it on a cutting board. Cut the escarole a few times across and a few times down. Get a large soup pot on the stove and heat it on medium-high heat. Add the Olive oil and heat another few seconds*. Add the chopped escarole to the oil and sauté for 3-5 minutes**, season with the Salt, Pepper, & Granulated garlic. Once you’ve sautéed the escarole and celery, add the simmering stock. Bring the soup to a low boil and simmer for an additional 20 minutes or so.

Buon Appetito!!!   

*At this point you could add a half pound or so of Italian Sausage (out of the casing) and sauté it before adding the escarole.

**At this point you could add 1 can of Cannelini beans to the pot. Be careful not to stir too roughly and smash the beans.

Your favorite loaf...

Here's a picture of some fantastic crusty bread that I took on a recent trip to Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Where's your favorite bread from?

Roasted Red Peppers……Pepperoni  Arrostiti

As summer comes to a close, one of my favorite seasons commences, Canning Season! It’s really the best way to take the season’s best farm fresh vegetables and keep them year round without losing flavor or paying out-the-nose!

So, get your culo to a farm or farm stand and get a big bunch of Red Bell Peppers and roast them over some white-hot coals on the grill. As they blacken on all sides, put them into a covered container with a little water in the bottom (the water will help steam the skins off of the flesh of the peppers). Once they’re all roasted, let them steam for a few minutes. Then peel the skins from the flesh of the peppers and clean out the seeds. This is a really messy job so you might want to be like a good Italian and do this in the back yard! Once you have all the peppers cleaned, mix them with a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and stuff them into pint jars and close the lids tightly. Place the jars into a large pot, make sure they fit tightly. Fill the pot with water about 2 inched above the rims of the jars. Put the pot on the stove and, once the water begins to boil, boil the jars for 1 hour. Then, allow the water to cool slightly and CAREFULLY remove the jars from the water. Place the jars onto a table and cover them with a towel. The jars that are not sealed when they come out of the water should seal as they sit (12-24 hours). The jars that so not seal at all should not be eaten. If there is any bachteria in the jar that causes it not to seal, it could be due to botchulism and could cause very serious harm if consumed.

Otherwise, these puppies are ready to onto the shelf for future use. Buon Appetito!!!!

Fiori di Zucca! 
(Zucchini Flowers!)

Every summer in early to mid August one of my most favorite delicacies are in season, Fiori di Zucca, or Zucchini flowers. So what the hell is a Zucchini Flower? Well, before the fruit or vegetable grows on the plant or tree, a flower is first formed and the fruit or vegetable grows out of that flower. In the case of Zucchini, or any squash for that matter, the flowers are large and yellow-colored. They must be picked early in the morning while they’re still open (usually before 7:00 a.m.). Then you clean them by removing the stamen very carefully and rinsing them in running cold water. And if you can do that without breaking them, you’re a pro! If you happen to get your hands on some Fiori, here’s a great recipe. You can make them plain or stuffed. Buon Appetito!!!

20

Zucchini Flowers, cleaned

Parmesan Batter

20		Zucchini Flowers, cleaned
8	oz.	All Purpose Flour
1/2	tsp.	Salt
1/4	tsp.	White Pepper
1	cup	Grated Cheese (Romano, Parm, etc…)
1		Egg
1 1/2	Cups	Tepid Water

Ricotta Filling

1	lb.	Chellino Ricotta, drainer well
1	cup	Grated Cheese (Romano, Parm, etc…)
1		Egg Yolk
1/2	tsp.	Salt
1/4	tsp.	White Pepper

For the batter, mix all of the ingredients together until smooth. It should be the consistency of thin pancake batter. Refrigerate for 2 hours or more.

For the filling, beat all the in ingredients together. You can fill the flowers by using a pastry bag or a plastic bag with the end cut off. Dip the filled (or plain) flowers into the batter and GENTLY lay them into hot oil (approx. 350°). Fry the flowers until brown on both sides. Remove them from the oil and allow them to drain on paper towels for a few minutes.

I’m craving them just writing this! Buon Appetito!!  

Piscia Lietu!!

Piscia Lietu

In America they call them pretzels and in most of Italy they call them Taralli, but for some of us Calabrese Italians, we call them Piscia Lietu (Piscia letto)! It translates to “pee the bed” but they’re far from such a bad experience. They are first blanched briefly in boiling salted water and laid on a clean bed sheet to dry, hence the nickname. After that, they’re baked directly on the grates in the oven until they’re brown and crunchy. Traditionally, (black) anise seeds are added for flavor, but you could make them plain, with granulated garlic, or with some ground hot red pepper to make them spicy. Any way to make them or any way you call them, they’re a traditional treat you’ll love…Buon Appetito!

3          cups                 Warm Water (90° - 110°)

20        grams               Instant Dry Yeast

1          cup                  Extra Virgin Olive Oil

14        grams               Salt

2 ½      lbs.                   Flour

A Sprinkle of Anise Seeds (black if you have them)

Dissolve the yeast in the water.

Mix all the rest of the ingredients together to form a smooth dough. Knead the dough for a few minutes until silky and smooth. Place into an oiled bowl and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour to 1 hour and a half).

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Cut off pieces of dough and roll into a rope about ½ inch in diameter. Cut the rope into about 6” pieces. Take each 6" piece of dough and form them into circles and pinch the ends together to fasten them. Once all the dough has been rolled and cut. Drop the taralli into simmering salted water. Once they float allow to cook for about 1 minute, turn them over, and cook about another 1 minute. Lay them onto a surface covered with a clean table cloth or bed sheet (you just peed the bed!).

Once all the taralli have pisciatta il letto, very carefully lay them onto the grates of the oven. When you’ve filled up the oven, push the grate in close the door, and allow to cook until golden. You may need to turn them over half way through depending on your oven. Repeat until all the taralli are baked.

They keep very well for a couple of weeks in an airtight container, or if you’re really Italian, a basket on the table.

Spring Asparagus 2012

Just posting a note today. I just heard that, due to the crazy weather conditions in the Midwest this year, Michigan farmers are expected to lose at least 20% of the asparagus crop this year. This is due to extremely warm temperatures in early March forcing the asparagus to sprout almost 4 weeks before its typical harvest season. Now, with temperatures falling and the threat of an April frost coming, most of this asparagus is expected to die. On top of that, migrant harvesters are not scheduled to arrive for another 2 to 3 weeks so what IS ready will wilt-away in the field.
Having said that, my usual Asparagus Frittata might have to be replaced with a Spinach Frittata this year. I guess as long as I get a GIANT Chocolate Egg on Easter morning, I'll survive.

...and speaking of Frittatas, look for next week's Frittata postings!!

Buon Appetito!

Minestra di Cavolo (Cabbage Soup)

Buon Giorno!!!

Well it's winter and it's COLD!! Well, here in Chi-town it's actually 55 degrees today, go figure. Anyway the Sausage and Sopressata are hanging in the garage and I have all the bones left over. I love to use them to make cabbage soup but, since most people aren't too keen on using pork bones (& fat) to make soup, here's a more tame version of the recipe. This is sure to keep you warm. And by-the-way, like most soups, it's even better the next day!

Minestra di Cavolo (Cabbage Soup)

1/4	cup	Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I actually use pork lard sometimes)
1		Carrot, peeled & chopped
1		Small Onion, peeled & chopped
1		Celery Stalk, Chopped
1	clove	Garlic, Minced
1		Bay Leaf
1	small can	Whole Peeled Plum Tomatoes
4	quarts	Chicken Stock, brought to a simmer
1		Medium-Sized Head of Cabbage
1/2	cup	Raw Rice
Salt & Pepper to taste

Heat a large pot and add the Oil. Lightly sauté (sweat) the vegetables and the bay leaf for a few minutes or until the vegetables become translucent. In traditional French Cuisine these vegetables are called a Mirepoix; in Italian we call it a Battuto. Pour the tomatoes into a bowl and crush them with your hands. Add the tomatoes to the batutto and cook for a few more minutes. Add the hot stock to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cut the Cabbage in half and remove the core. Slice the entire head into about ½” pieces, keep them long and thin. Add the cabbage to the pot and stir it completely into the stock. Once the soup comes to a boil add the rice and cook another 30 minutes or until the rice is tender. The rice will help to thicken the soup slightly.

Serve with a sprinkle or Parmesan.

Buon Appetito!!