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!!

Grilled Pork Steak & Grilled Onions

Okay this is a real summertime favorite of mine. It's simple, easy, economical with very little ingredients, and its dynamite! If you don't have a grill, or it happens to be winter, you can do this in a saute pan. It works just as well.



Here we go.....


Pork Steaks with Gilled Onions

 For the Marinade:

¼             cup         Extra Virgin Olive Oi

1              tsp.        Salt

½             tsp.        Black Pepper

½             tsp.        Granulated Garlic

1              tsp.        Chopped Fresh Garlic

1 ½         tsp.        Dried Oregano
The juice of 2 lemons

Mix the marinade in a bowl and pour it over the pork steaks. This should be enough for 4 steaks. Allow them to marinade at least a couple of hours, overnight is even better.

Meanwhile, slice 4 onions. Toss them in a bowl with a couple tablespoons of Olive Oil, a little salt, and a pinch of sugar. Wrap them in a piece of foil and place the foil package DIRECTLY ON TOP OF THE HOT COALS IN THE GRILL. This will allow them to caramelize nicely.

Grill the Pork Steaks over an open flame to an internal temperature of 155° (or until they’re “done”). Serve them with a lemon wedge.

Buon Appetito!

Pasta e Piselli

Well, this is more of a tip than a recipe but here goes....

As you're boiling your pasta, add 2 cups of frozen peas to the water 5 minutes before your pasta is done. But, make sure that your water is boiling fiercely or the peas will inhibit the water from coming back to a boil. Then, mix some sauce (not too much!!) with the pasta after you drained it, add a couple spoons of grated cheese, and you have perfect Pasta e Piselli!

Buon Appetito!

Polpette Perfetti

Okay so, aside from Marinara Sauce (recipe below) a recipe that people always want to learn is a good meatball. Let’s talk about what makes a good meatball. Well, first it has to be soft, almost too soft. If you throw it against the wall, they should splat all over and not bounce back to you! Second, they should be small. A real Italian meatball isn’t what you find in “Italian” restaurants that look like baseballs. WRONG!! Third, it has to taste good, of course. Here’s a great recipe below that totally qualifies. Please be aware that pork is an essential ingredient. You don’t necessarily need beef (or veal for that matter). But you do need pork. Remember: It’s good to get beefed, but it’s better to get porked.

1          lb.        Ground Beef (about 90% lean but no more)

1          lb.        Ground Pork

2          Tblsp.  Chopped Fresh Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley

½         tsp.       Salt

¼         tsp.       Fresh Ground Black Pepper

¼         tsp.       Granulated Garlic

1          cup       Plain Bread Crumbs-God knows what’s in the pre-seasoned ones. Schifo!

1 ¼      cup      Grated Cheese (Parmigiano, Romano, etc…)

2                      Eggs

1 1/3    cups     Room-Temperature Water

Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly.

Fill a frying pan about 1” with Olive Oil. Add a healthy scoop of lard to the oil and melt it. Allow the oil about 3 minutes to get hot. With wet hands, roll the meatballs (about as big as a golf ball) one at a time and carefully drop them into the hot oil. Fry them until they are nice and brown on both sides. Place them onto a plate lined with paper towels.

At this point you can either freeze them or cook them in Marinara Sauce (recipe below) for about 30 minutes.

Makes about 30-35 meatballs.

Buon Appetito!

Stuffed Peppers

I write you tonight from in front of my computer eating a dish of lentils that I made the other day using a little pork fat left over from sausage making. They're delicious, thanks to the addition of one of God's greatest culinary gifts...pork.

Which brings me to my point. Pork. The reason why I chose January to talk about pork is because in Italy, the month of January is when each family slaughters a pig to create such great delights as dried Italian Sausage, Sopressata, Capicolla, and good ol' pork lard.

But let's start out slow. We'll eeeease into things like pork fat. Let's start with a great old fashioned recipe using ground pork....and maybe a little lard.

Stuffed Peppers

4                        Large Green and/or Red peppers
2         lbs.         Ground Pork (a mix of course and fine would be nice)
6         slices      Wheat or White bread, torn-up by hand and soaked in enough milk to cover the bread
1                        Egg
1 1/2   tsp.         Salt
1/2      tsp.         Pepper
1/2      tsp.         Granulated Garlic
1 1/2   cup         Cooked White Rice
3/4      cup         Finely Chopped Onion sauteed until lightly brown

Sauce
1                        Large Can Ground Tomatoes
1          tsp.        Salt
1/2       tsp.        Pepper
1          Tbl.       Chopped Fresh Parsley
1          Tbl.       Melted Lard

Okay so, take the core out of each pepper and cut them in half from top to bottom. Set them aside into a baking dish. Mix all the ingredients together and set aside. Season the inside of each pepper half with some salt, pepper, and granulated garlic. Put a generous amount of filling into each pepper half and put the pepper halves back into the dish.

For the sauce, mix together all of the sauce ingredients with the addition of 1/2 can (tomato can) of water and pour the sauce over the peppers.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour & 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and serve.

I'll be back next week with another great pork dish and remember: It's good to get beefed, but it's better to get porked!

BUON APPETITO!!