Sunday Dinner: Coq au Vin

When I was a kid, I thought this was called COCOA VAN. Then when I took French in school, I figured out, though it was pronounced almost the same as "coco-van", it only meant "chicken with wine". I never was voted valedictorian.On a more serious note, this is a very serious dish.This old school French bistro dish can be a 3 day affair if you do it the traditional French way, as Anne Willan at

East 62nd St. Lemon Cake

This 40 year old recipe gets its name from Maida Heatter's daughter and was published in the 1960's by Craig Claiborne in the New York Times.....Saveur republished it and I am glad they did.It seems like everyone loves a lemon dessert. How come I didn't know this? I thought everyone loved chocolate. Recently, when I asked some of my friends what their favorite cake was, they all replied lemon!

Creative Crostini (but I don't expect you to make these)

Though I know you'll never make these, I have to tell you, these were the bomb.By Bomb I mean fabulous, not a bomb, like seeing a lousy play on Broadway.This was part of my New Year's plan to not waste food anymore.No throwing away vegetables that are past their prime in the fridge, no tossing leftovers. Only buy what we need, eat what I cook, and be more creative with leftovers.I had fresh sage

Pappardelle al prosciutto e pistacchi

Adoro le pappardelle,cos� ruvide e desiderose di abbracciarsi al sugo !Bastano pochi minuti ed � subito festa in tavola !

Ingredienti per 1 persona :

100 gr di pappardelle

30 gr. di pistacchi di Bronte

50 gr di prosciutto crudo

olio ev

1/2 scalogno tritato

prezzemolo q.b.

Imbiondire lo scalogno nell'olio. tagliare a julienne il prosciutto ed unirlo al soffritto. mescolare e spegnere subito il fuoco, non deve diventare croccante ma solo ammorbidirsi leggermente. Lessare la pasta al dente e scolarla nella padella, spolverizzare con il prezzemolo e il pistacchio ed impiattare

Abbinamento vino :ho bevuto un vino rosso giovane, Sangiovese Poggio del Sasso, Az. Cantina di Montalcino, 13�Vol., temperatura di servizio 16/18� C.

Cantina di Montalcino

Spicy Tomato Garlic Crab Legs

It's so nice to have a son who works in the food industry because often I'm on the receiving end of so many nice foodie gifts.

Like the other day when he called me and said " Mom, I'm stopping by on my way home, I'm dropping something off." I opened the door and in he walks with this huge box that he just plopped on my counter and said, " This will be a nice blog post for you!".

Inside the box were leg sections of rock crab, also known as peeky toe crab. Rock crab may not be as famous as dungeness but believe me they are just as tasty, a little more difficult to get to that sweet meat out but definitely worth the effort!

Most of the meat is in the legs any way and as you can see we had no shortage in the leg department, I could have fed my whole neighborhood, instead I sent my daughter home with a huge bag, she left with a huge smile.

The day that I made them they were still slightly frozen so I got out the biggest pot I could find boiled up some water and stuck them in for 5 minutes, when I scooped them out they were perfectly warmed throughout.

We enjoyed this as our Sunday dinner with a little garlic bread, talking, cracking crab and dipping it into our favorite sauces. Our dipping sauces were of course warm butter with lemon, also a remoulade sauce that I picked up from Whole Foods, which was very good and because I like things spicy with an Italian flair, I made a spicy tomato garlic sauce which I'm giving you the recipe for below.

Thanks Tony, it was crab-o-licious!

Spicy Tomato Garlic Sauce

1 head of roasted garlic, squeezed and mashed

1 heaping tablespoon of Sambal Oelek ( ground fresh chili paste) optional

1 cup of white wine

4 tablespoons of butter

3 cups of fresh diced tomatoes, or you can use canned

fresh chopped parsley

Heat the butter in a pan, add the roasted garlic, deglaze with wine, let it cook down a bit, add the chili paste or red pepper flakes if you so desire, the tomatoes and fresh chopped parsley.

I like to spoon mine all over and dip as I go!

Have a great weekend and Buon Appetito!

Spiced Chipotle Chicken Breasts w/ Sweet Potatoes

Remember that yummy chocolate chip loaf cake from a few weeks ago?Well this recipe comes from the same book: In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite by New York Times food writer Melissa Clark.Ok, I am liking this book a lot. Melissa is the one responsible for that blogging sensation "Roasted Shrimp w/ Broccoli" recipe from the NYT that every food blogger has made. She is also responsible for

5 Minute Black Bean Soup

My husband had oral surgery last week and was only allowed to eat soft foods for a few days.He was getting bored with yogurt, applesauce and clear broth. I needed a hearty soup with some substance.This was the easiest thing and I think I will make it again, even if he doesn't need any teeth pulled! If you have a can of black beans and a can of diced tomatoes, you are in business.This recipe is

Alessandra�s Crostata

If you�re lucky - if you�re really, really lucky, someone will enter your life who is capable of imparting to you what�s really important on this earthly planet we inhabit.  Not because of something she told you, but because of the magical way she had of living her life.

Those of you who follow this blog know that I lost my husband and brother within the last few months. At this risk of alienating readers who are fatigued from what may seem like a ongoing obituary column, I ask those readers to proceed directly to the bottom of this post where you will find the most delectable crostata recipes ever.

But to move straight to the recipes would be to miss reading about a truly one-in-a-million person who affected the lives of thousands of people in our community. That person, the same person who also is responsible for the crostata recipes you see here, is my friend Alessandra. I�ve written briefly about her before, when I posted her recipe for gnocchi alla romana. Everything I said about her then is true ten times over, and it�s worth reiterating now because. . . well, because as difficult it is to write it, it�s even more difficult to accept it, but the sad and irrevocable truth is that the generous heart that was Alessandra�s hallmark also failed her last week.

When I first met her nearly 30 years ago, she taught an Italian literature class at the local adult school. Students in the class, some of whom enrolled for 20 years in a row, were drawn by her gentle but expert teaching style. She had a way of making the most reticent student join in the discussion of works by Pirandello, Manzoni or other Italian authors.

She was the �heart and soul� of the Italian cultural organization where we both served as board members. Alessandra was responsible for returning vitality to the organization after its history as a settlement house for Italian immigrants in the early part of the 20th century. There was rarely a contentious moment at any board meeting, partly because she knew so well how to listen, and come up with solutions to a problem.

She served on other boards in town too, not as a figurehead, but digging deep and pitching in gladly with full force when help was needed, whether it was cooking for a fund-raising auction (people at a local nursery school would line up to bid for her artichoke lasagna sometimes paying more than $300) or spear-heading the creation of a yearly quilt auction for the school. During her lifetime, she made and gave away more than 20 quilts, all exceptional and all crafted with love.

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While her domestic talents would have put Martha Stewart to shame, she was about much more than cooking, stitching and household activities, holding down a number of jobs outside the home over the years, including as community relations director for a large law firm, an administrator for a theological institute, and as liaison for Princeton University for a villa it owned on Italy�s Lake Como.

There are so many more accomplishments I could cite, but she would get annoyed at me knowing I�ve listed even the ones above. Anyone who really knew her also knew that titles meant little to her and she was as self-effacing as they come. She lived her life simply, preferring the humble to the ornate, the quiet to the noise. She found beauty and joy in the domestic arts, but more importantly in the people who surrounded her � not only her beautiful family � a husband, three children and eight grandchildren, and her friends, but even those with whom she had a casual acquaintance. Whether you were a member of her weekly Italian chit-chat group and knew her for 40 years or whether you just moved to town and knew her for only two weeks, she always made time for you and made you feel special. Those of us who were her friends feel truly blessed to have had her in our lives.

But don�t take it from me � see for yourself how thoughtful she was, how insightful she was, how giving she was, by reading the following excerpt  from one of her journals. Although she spoke perfect English, I include the original written in Italian, as well as a translation.

�Da anni, di quando in quando, mi pongo il problema di cosa sia piu� importante nella vita non per il puro piacere della teoria, ma perche� credo sia molto importante avere un punto fermo da cui e a cui muovere. Ne ho cambiati alcuni, perche� dopo un po� di tempo mi si rivelavano inferiori ad un altro. Mi sembra, da un po� di tempo, di essermi stabilizzata su questo valore come il cardine principale:  l�amore, e piu� di quello che si receve, e� importante quello che si riesce a dare agli altri, a tutti gli altri. Sbaglio?�

�From time to time, I have asked myself what is most important in life � not for the sake of theorizing � but because I feel it is important to have a guiding principle. I changed it several times, since after a while one seemed inferior to another. But for some time now, I gravitate around this cardinal point: love � more than what we receive, the love that we give to others, to all others. Am I wrong?�Alessandra 

A beauty in every sense of the word, who leaves behind a legacy of love in each and every person she met. Ciao bella.

And now for her crostata recipes. There are two and they are slightly different. Both are truly delicious so just take a dartboard and pick either of them.

The first one was given by Alessandra to our mutual friend Ellie, over an afternoon filled with friends and a crostata demonstration by Alessandra. It is topped by the traditional criss-crossed strips of dough on the top. Eleanor gave me a hint that freezing the dough strips for a few minutes makes them easier to maneuver over the filling.

The second recipe was given by Alessandra to Cristina, another friend and a vivacious, transplanted Roman who conducts cooking classes in her home. She invited me to join the class last week when she dedicated the recipes to Alessandra, cooking foods from the Veneto region of Italy, where Alessandra was born. Cristina gave the crostata a more non-traditional border, resembling the sun �  a most apropos reminder of someone whose star will shine forever in our hearts.

Alessandra�s Crostate

Printable recipes here

Crostata No. 1 (from Ellie via Alessandra)

Makes two 8-or 9-inch tarts or crostate

• 1 1/2 sticks of butter, (12 Tablespoons) at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg yolk (save egg white)
• pinch of salt
• 3 cups flour
• 1/3 cup to 1/4 cup sherry
• a few teaspoons of ice water, if necessary
• fruit preserves, warmed to spreading consistency

or for one crostata:

• 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk, (save egg white)
• pinch of salt
• 2 cups flour
• 1/8 cup sherry
• a few teaspoons of ice water, if necessary
• fruit preserves, warmed to spreading consistency

Place flour and sugar into food processor and pulse for a few seconds. Add the butter in small pieces and pulse again, until it resembles coarse sand. Add the egg(s) and sherry to the food processor, pulsing until the mixture starts to form a ball. Add a little ice water, a teaspoon at a time, if necessary. If you don�t have a food processor, mix by hand with pastry cutter or spoon. Let it rest for about 1/2 hour.

Divide the dough into 3/4 for the bottom and 1/4 for the strips. Roll the bottom onto a floured surface and fit it into a buttered tart pan, letting any excess hang over the edge.
Fill the crust with jam. Roll the remaining 1/4 of the dough on a floured surface and cut into strips. Place them lattice-fashion over the jam, attach them to the dough along the rim, then trim the edges of the crostata. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 25 to 30 minutes until the dough is golden brown. I place the crostata on a cookie sheet that has been preheated in the oven to 425 degrees, then lower it immediately to 375 degrees. It helps ensure the bottom crust is cooked thoroughly. Eleanor likes to bake the empty shell for a few minutes at 375 degrees, then add the preserves and top it with the strips. Try it either way and see what works for you. The results depend not only on the recipe but also the type and size pan you use. Eleanor uses an 8-inch pan, but I use a 9-inch tart pan and it works fine too.

Crostata No. 2 (from Cristina via Alessandra)

• 2 cups flour
• 1 stick and 3 Tablespoons melted, but slightly cooled butter
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 shot glass of grappa, liqueur, wine or other alcohol
• fruit preserves, warmed to spreading consistency

Prepare the dough similar to above recipe, but if you want to make a decorative border like Cristina�s, do not divide the dough into two parts. Make one round disk and roll out between two sheets of waxed paper. Place over a pie plate that has a �lip� on it. then take a butterknife and make cuts all along the rim. Take every other �flap� and flip it in toward the jam. Cristina also used two different kinds of preserves to create the �sun� effect.

 

Technorati Tags: crostata,Alessandra

Un dolce regalo....

Di sicuro fra le vostre amiche c'� qualche golosona che i dolci li mangia volentieri ma non sa proprio farli, forse per poca pratica , per poco estro o  per poco tempo a disposizione...Questo libro pu� essere davvero un regalo gradito, scritto dall'amica Mariapaola D�ttore, colma diverse lacune che altri libri non hanno saputo colmare. E' una guida pratica che sar� davvero utile avere sempre a portata di mano...Ecco qui il link :

Dolci a occhi chiusi

What's for Lunch? Double Bean Salad w/ Tuna

Once again, here is a great salad using those little white beans from a can, habichuelas blancas and some amazing quality tuna from a can.I recently had the opportunity to try Wild Planet Tuna. A sustainably caught wild tuna. It had a wonderful texture and flavor and is the highest in omega 3 good fats (3460 mg per can!) and the lowest in mercury content of all the canned tuna out there.You can

Farrotto rustico al finocchio

Qualche giorno fa vi ho proposto una ricetta di orzotto, oggi invece � la volta del farrotto, preparazione risottata del farro.Questo cereale � il  meno calorico in assoluto (335 calorie per 100 g), � molto verstile e si presta alla preparazione di ricette light ma gustose.Ho scelto di usare il tipo perlato in quanto riduce molto i tempi di cottura ma sarebbe preferibile usare quello decorticato in quanto mantiene gran parte delle fibre. La ricetta potete leggerla qui :

IL BLOG DI CHIARA

 

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Frankies' Meatballs & Sauce. No Pasta Needed

I have mentioned Frankies' Spuntino in NYC quite a bit on this blog. Their food is just fantastic, as is their house brand olive oil and their fun book Frankies' Spuntino Handbook.For Sunday dinner, I decided to try their 4 hour tomato sauce and their Sicilian style meatballs, both recipes not being your average meatballs and sauce. They don't serve them over spaghetti in the restaurant, it's

Coconut Blondies (more like "Bimbos")

Talk about decadent. These are not your average blondies (and I am not your average brunette).These should be called "Bimbos" instead of Blondies.The addition of coconut and chopped pecans take these cookie bars to a new level.If you can spare the calories (and really, who can?), then I suggest you try these this weekend, what else are you doing when it's 20F degrees outside, but cook, bake and

A Salad for All Seasons: Arugula & Parmesan

This is the most simplest of salads.It is from Ina's older book (yes, I am on a first name basis with her by now,) Barefoot Contessa Family Style.It's a great salad during the summer when the bright sunny flavors of citrus and peppery arugula taste refreshing and actually feel cool. I mound it on top of grilled chicken and I feel the pounds melting off.But it's also my favorite winter salad,

Cooking with Quality Products

Recently I received an email from Olio2go, a company whose mission is to seek out the best quality products from all over Italy asking me if I'd like to review some of their artisinal products, after checking out their link of course I said yes!

One of the three products I received was Olio Verde Novello coming from Castelvetrano, Italy on the Island of Sicily, this olive oil was freshly pressed this passed October, and boy can you taste that freshness! It's rich, fruity and slightly pungent all at the same time with hints of artichoke and lemon, I swear I could drink this stuff, oh and I love the shape of the bottle!

Did you know that high quality extra virgin olive oil is very stable when heated and it has a high smoking point? I didn't!

The pappardelle comes from Pastificio Vicidomini, in Castel San Giorgio, near Naples, from a family owned business that has been making high quality pasta since 1812, now 6 generations strong this pasta is made with certified organic semolina and mountain water. There must be something to that mountain water because the flavor and the texture was superb!

The pretty jar of crispy asparagus comes from Villa Cappelli in Puglia perfect for an appetizer or placed into a salad.

For the pappardelle I decided to let the pasta shine through by tossing it with roasted shards of butternut squash. I call it shards because that's what they ended up looking like after I shredded and roasted them up on my baking sheet.

I actually loved how all the jagged pieces looked when tossed among this amazing quality pasta.
I used a basil brown butter sauce and plenty of freshly grated parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper to finish it off.

When I read that Olio Verde had hints of lemon and artichoke, I went out and bought 4 of the prettiest artichokes I could find, I trimmed them, cut them into quarters, scooped out the chokes, cooked them until tender, and then after they were cooled down I placed them into a pool of this liquid gold along with fresh parsley, lemon juice as well as the zest, red pepper and chopped garlic. One word... DIVINE!

I'm sorry but I just couldn't get enough of this olive oil so I went ahead and made a savory baked ricotta, perfect when smeared on top crostini. Ricotta is such a blank canvas, it takes on flavors so well, so when it was finished baking I poured a generous drizzle of it right over the top which made every bite sublime!
.

I had 1 1/2 cups of ricotta sitting in my fridge so with that I mixed in 1 egg, 1/2 cup of grated romano cheese, 5 small cherry tomatoes cut lengthwise, a couple of tablespoons of fresh chopped basil, 1 small minced garlic, zest of 1/2 a lemon, salt, pepper and 3 chopped olives.

Oil a shallow gratin dish, or a ramekin if you want to unmold it, spread the mixture into the dish and bake 375F for around 20 minutes or until nicely golden on top.

Of course if you don't have these particular products on hand you can make any of these recipes using your own favorite pastas and olive oils, but if your looking for an extra special treat, check out Olio2go!

Buon Appetito!

Broccoli & Sundried Tomato Bread

This was a pleasant surprise.I always seem to have leftover broccoli from my weekly steamed broccoli.I've made the broccoli bites, broccoli quiche, broccoli salad and now was looking for another way to use the leftover green cruciferous vegetable. I had an old box of Jiffy cornbread mix in the way back of the cupboard, and remembered a broccoli cornbread recipe from way back in the celery & cream

Feed a Crowd: Mustard Chicken Legs

I frequently get emails asking me what to serve for a dinner party, that's EASY and inexpensive.In case you don't know this recipe already, I posted it back in 2008 for a dinner party post, but didn't have much of a camera to take decent photos. It's so good and so easy.You can thank me later.It's from Jennifer Rubell's book Real Life Entertaining.It's one of those wonderful one pan dishes that

Food Lover's Cleanse: Avocado Tartines

I am a little late getting on board with this.This is from Bon Appetit and we were supposed to start this diet on Jan. 2 for two weeks after the holidays. Sort of a detox cleanse.The plan is good. It gives you a fresh approach to cooking; eating a lot of fresh veggies, drink water, eat a lot of fish and eat an avocado everyday. You know how to do it.I am not following it religiously, but have

Conchigliette ai ceci, pomodoro, prezzemolo e profumo di limone

Una versione particolarmente sfiziosa di un piatto della nostra cucina tradizionale.Ho usato i ceci in barattolo con la loro acqua e non quelli secchi da tenere a bagno, la preparazione diventa cos� molto pi� veloce...La ricetta potete leggerla qui :

IL BLOG DI CHIARA

 

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Valentine's Salad: Roasted Beets & Sweet Potatoes

Ok, so I am corny. Since it's Valentine's day, I wanted to do a holiday appropriate post.A chocolate souffle or a heart shaped cake might have been a better idea, but I chose roasted BEETS & SWEET potatoes.You could always use the line "Honey, you're my SWEET POTATO, and my heart BEETS for you".Maybe not.Either way, this is a great side dish and made an excellent salad w/ some goat cheese on top

Torta di pane, mele ed uvetta

Se avete in casa del pane avanzato questa � una buona proposta per utilizzarlo...ho aggiunto mele ed uvetta e il risultato � stato una tortina semplice ma ottima per la colazione....La ricetta potete leggerla qui:

IL BLOG DI CHIARA

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Sunday Edition: PRUNE theme continued

I never write on a Sunday, but felt I should.Keeping with the "prune" theme this week (it will end tomorrow, I promise), I wanted to mention we ate at PRUNE yesterday for lunch.Prune is the �ber hip East Village restaurant owned by chef Gabrielle Hamilton, whose book Blood, Bones & Butter is due out soon (a good read). Adam from Amateur Gourmet had been bragging about the ratatouille sandwich, so

Old Fashioned Prune Cake: Don't Click Out!

I know by the title of this post, you are ready to click out.Well please don't.I know what you are thinking, 2 prune recipes in one week? Prunes get a bad rap.You think of an old granny drinking prune juice to keep her "regular". Well, forget about that, after all, prunes are our friend. They are just dried plums, nothing more, nothing less.Think big raisin.I happen to love them (but I am also

Escolar?

Is it a good idea to eat a fish that is sometimes referred to as the �ex-lax� fish? And what makes me think I should eat it when its consumption is banned in Japan and Italy?   Well, I wasn�t aware of these tidbits of information when I purchased the fish at my local fish market, Nassau Seafood. There it was sitting on ice chips, looking white and fleshy and appetizing, with a name I didn�t recognize. The guy ahead of me was buying it too, and he sounded like he�d eaten it before and liked it.  I try to broaden my taste experiences now and then, so I bought a small chunk too, then proceeded to look it up online when I got home.

It�s found in tropical and temperate waters around the world and has a dark colored skin.  According to Wikipedia, it�s sometimes called �white tuna� or �butterfish� but these names are misleading. It does have a buttery flavor though, which is why people like it.  It�s even on the menu at Eric Ripert�s paean to all things fish � Le Bernardin. So far, so good, right? So why the negative moniker?

Well, there have been reports of intestinal problems, similar to food poisoning. Stay near a bathroom, some food bloggers report. This is due to escolar�s inability to digest certain wax esters that it ingests, giving it an oil content of up to 25 percent. I wasn�t too reassured after reading that, so I called the store where I bought the fish and spoke to owner Jack Morrison.

After calling his supplier, Jack called me back and gave me more information on the fish I�d just bought. It was caught off the Bahamas in the Florida straights, where most of the big-finned fish, like swordfish and tuna are caught.  The fish were landed at Cherry Point, South Carolina, so they are considered local fish, he said.

They�re the smooth-skinned variety, he said, another point that�s crucial, because the rough-skinned escolar is what causes the problem. According to Wikipedia: �The greatest concern around this fish is the mislabeling of the rough skin escolar for that of its higher priced smooth skin escolar relative. This has created significant bad press by consumers due to the inappropriate processing (not-deep skinning the fish) and selling the cheaper (rough) skin fish that has a significantly higher oil content than that of the more expensive, smooth skin fish causing purgative issues.�

Whew, that�s better, I thought, because now my curiosity had really been piqued and I was ready to try the fish no matter what.

�We�ve had very good response and have been incident free when the fish are local and are caught relatively quickly and we know the process,� Jack said. �However, all the blogs suggest you eat small portions of this fish.�

Which is what I did, since I had purchased a piece that weighed a little less than 6 ounces.  I marinated it for a short while, then cooked it in a grill pan and served it with a salsa made of different colored heirloom tomatoes that looked really fresh and delicious at the market, even though it�s midwinter. The fish was firm and fleshy, like a cross between a Chilean sea bass and a tuna (if tuna were white) and the taste was sort of buttery, but not oily at all. No wonder people like this fish.  Hey, I don�t know what Japan and Italy are thinking, but if it�s good enough for Eric Ripert, it�s good enough for me.

Grilled Escolar with Heirloom Tomato Salsa

Printable Recipe Here

• 1 6-ounce piece of escolar
• about 2 T. soy sauce
• 1 minced garlic clove
• Marinate the fish with the soy sauce and garlic for about 15 minutes. Then cook in a hot grill pan over the range, or on an outdoor grill for about 5 minutes on each side, or until flesh is firm. Serve with tomato salsa

Tomato Salsa

• heirloom tomatoes (yellow, red, orange) � enough for 1 cup minced
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper
• a few slices of minced bell pepper, optional
• a few slices of onion, minced
• minced fresh herbs � cilantro, dill or basil
• salt, pepper to taste
• splash of olive oil
• splash of white balsamic or white wine vinegar
• Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and serve over the fish.

 

 

Technorati Tags: escolar,Nassau Street Seafood,Jack Morrison,Eric Ripert,Le Bernardin,tomato salsa

WOW: Roasted Cod on Peas

How can something so simple be so good?Because simple is always best when it comes to food.This recipe, another fabulous one from Radically Simple, takes simple cod fish and roasts it on top of a bed of frozen peas. That's right, you heard me, I said frozen peas.You want to keep the peas frozen, so the moisture from the peas helps to cook the fish.Add some extras like scallions, fresh thyme and

Fettuccine con mazzancolle e pomodorini

Un primo leggero e delicato creato l� per l� con delle mazzancolle che mi ha portato mia madre. Avrei dovuto uscire a comperare la passata di pomodoro ma proprio non ne avevo voglia.Ho trovato in frigorifero qualche pomodorino , un p� di prezzemolo, del vino bianco e mi sono arrangiata....

Con questa ricetta partecipo al bellissimo contest di Valerio del blog  "La cucina come non l'avete mai vista"

Il mare nel piatto

Ingredienti per 1 persona :

100 gr. di fettuccine

una dozzina di mazzancolle

qualche pomodorino

1/2 bicchiere di vino bianco secco

prezzemolo q.b.

1 spicchio di aglio

olio ev

Far leggermente dorare nell'olio lo spicchio di aglio e poi toglierlo.Tagliare a concass� i pomodorini e aggiungerli all'aglio assieme alle mazzancolle, versare il vino e lasciarlo evaporare.Verso fine cottura tritare il prezzemolo e spolverizzarlo , mescolare velocemente e, una volta scolata pa pasta, spadellarla insieme al sugo, impiattare

Abbinamento vino : ho bevuto lo stesso vino con cui ho cucinato, Chardonnay DOC, Az. Felluga,13�vol. temperatura di servizio intorno ai 12�

LIVIO FELLUGA

Barese Sausage and Munchies!

Barese sausage is quite different from your typical Italian sausage which is normally made with fennel. Barese sausages are finger thin, sort of like the shape and size of a breakfast sausage. These sausages are similar to an area in southern Italy around Bari on the Adriatic coast.

Lucky for me I only have to drive about 35 minutes to get to a wonderful Italian market that makes them fresh on a daily basis!

The ingredients in Barese sausage vary but usually they consist of the meat being either pork or lamb or a mixture of both. Herbs, such as parsley or basil, some garlic, parmesan or romano cheese and some type of tomato product either paste, plum or sun-dried.

I have a friend who was born in Bari and years ago he taught me his simple method for cooking them up on top of the stove.

Place the sausage in a skillet with white wine, enough to almost cover them. With your burner on medium high keep turning them often until they reach an ugly gray color and the wine cooks out. I like to poke some holes on each sausage with a tooth pick so the wine really gets in and flavors them even more.

After the wine pretty much dissipates, remove the sausage, drizzle in some olive oil and place them back into the pan and brown them up to a nice deep golden color, that's it! A very simple method, but oh so flavorful!

If you can locate some Barese sausage in your area, I highly recommend you give it a try!

They're perfect as part of an antipasto platter because of their size, in fact I served them on Super Bowl Sunday along with my Balsamic Glazed Peppers with Eggplant, Olives, Marinated Asparagus, Salami, aged Asiago and Provolone cheese, and this addicting Cauliflower Pesto,( Thanks Stacey!) and of course let's not forget the stack of crispy Crostini!

For Stacey's addicting Cauliflower Pesto here's the recipe. My family loves roasted cauliflower with romano cheese so I eliminated the raisins and capers and added 1/2 cup of grated romano to mine. Slather this on a crostini and you will be forever hooked!

Another addicting little treat are these Balsamic Glazed Peppers with Eggplant! Equally as good slathered on a crispy crostini or placed into your favorite sandwich. Wait until you find out how easy they are to make, providing you have a bottle of good quality balsamic glaze sitting in your fridge. Two brands I personally like are Colavita and Blaze if you don't have any please seek some out, it's so nice to have a go to bottle to quickly flavor things up, it's also great drizzled over cheese. Of course you can always make your own in a pan by reducing balsamic vinegar down until it becomes a thick rich syrup consistency.

Here's what you do;

Slice thin strips of yellow, green and red peppers, also peel and slice your eggplant into strips. Toss them all with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them in a hot 425F oven turning them often until they become tender with a nice deep color. Half way through the roasting process start pouring on the glaze and keep checking and tossing. Start out small but add as much glaze as you like according to your own taste. When they cool down place in a bowl and add chopped parsley and 1 crushed garlic clove, be sure to drizzle in more olive oil! Toss and enjoy!

Buon Appetito Everyone!

Sicilian Cauliflower Salad

During Christmas time, this salad is called Insalata di Rinforzo or Rinforzata and is served on tables thru Sicily and Naples (and New Jersey!). The name means �reinforced salad� because it can be prepared for the Christmas Eve dinner, and then �reinforced� adding more ingredients to last until January.I have seen it with hard boiled eggs, chopped pickles, chickpeas and other vegetables.I did

Another Stuffed Turkey: Prune, Prosciutto & Sage

Since everyone went crazy over that Turkey Roulade, I see a lot of stuffed meats in my future. Pork loin, flank steak and turkey breast. I am getting good at this tying and rolling thing.This recipe is very simple. Once you get over the butterflying and pounding the meat, you are halfway done.This time I used prunes, fresh sage and prosciutto for the stuffing and it was sweet and savory.

Risotto ai petali di rosa

 

Un piatto romantico e sensuale per una cena all�insegna della massima intimit�, questa la mia proposta per la cena di San Valentino apparsa qui....Scegliete rose assolutamente biologiche, il colore del fiore potr� variare a seconda dei vostri gusti, evitate per� la rosa gialla che nel linguaggio dei fiori significa gelosia, avete una scelta infinita di altre bellissime tonalit��.Buona serata a tutti gli innamorati�.





Ingredienti per 2 persone :


 200 gr. di riso Carnaroli
 20 gr. di burro
 1/2 scalogno finemente tritato
 1/2 bicchiere di Spumante Italiano
 1 lt. di brodo vegetale
 2 boccioli di rosa(mi raccomando usate SOLO rose biologiche, cresciute senza pesticidi)
1 noce di burro per la mantecatura
2 cucchiai di panna
 sale q.b.



Preparazione:


Lavare bene i petali di rosa prescelta e tagliarli a fine julienne. In una pentola(possibilmente di rame, � l�ideale per i risotti) far soffriggere nel burro lo scalogno tritato finemente aggiungere il riso , mescolare bene. Bagnare prima il riso con lo champagne o con il prosecco, lasciarlo evaporare, e poi proseguire la cottura con i necessari mestoli di brodo. A 5 min. dalla fine della cottura aggiungere i petali di rosa,continuare a mescolare il riso in continuazione. Una volta cotto, toglietelo dal fuoco, condirlo con un cucchiaio di burro e la panna liquida la mantecatura sar� cos� perfetta, impiattare.....


Abbinamento vino: per una serata cos� speciale consiglio di bere uno spumante italiano (lo stesso usato per la preparazione del risotto), andr� benissimo un Maximum Ros� Ferrari, Az. Ferrari, Trento, 12,5� Vol, temperatura di servizio intorno ai 10�

Cantine Ferrari

Broccoli Parmesan Gratin

Is it spring yet?Not even close.No farmer's markets open yet (not till June around these parts).The only thing that looks good lately is broccoli, cauliflower and some root vegetables. They will have to do until April, when asparagus starts to show up.This is a great recipe that I've been making for years. It's dinner party worthy, and everything is better with toasted breadcrumbs and cheese on

Romantico men� per San Valentino

Ecco le proposte romantiche delle blogger di "Donne sul Web " per un men� da gustarsi in due....

San Valentino

Frittata di pasta con scamorza affumicata

Se vi sono avanzati degli spaghetti, questa � un'ottima idea per utilizzarli. Potete sostituire la scamorza con altri tipi di formaggio ,oppure con qualche salume. Se la volete ancora pi� leggera, si pu� fare una piccola dadolata di verdurine come carote, zucchine o pomodori. Anche un piatto di riciclo pu� essere buonissimo... La ricetta potete leggerla qui :

IL BLOG DI CHIARA

Vi aspetto di l� per i commenti ................

Good Ideas: Eggs Baked in Bread Bowls

Remember the 80's when every party you went to had a spinach dip served in a hollowed out bread bowl? (I know, some of you were just born in the 80's!).Well, here is yet another blog sensation which I have seen all over the internet, much like my eggs baked in bacon baskets. I liked Julie's idea of sprinkling cheese on the bottom of the roll and adding fresh herbs of your choice.There is no

Un anno con voi !

Questo � il mio piccolo regalo per voi....Nessuna nuova ricetta potrebbe  descrivere la gioia che provo tutte le volte che apro queste pagine e vi ritrovo qui , ho pensato quindi  di ripercorrere con 2 minuti di immagini  la storia del mio blog ,molti di voi le avranno gi� viste altri le scopriranno per la prima volta, sono i momenti salienti di  12 mesi passati piacevolmente insieme... 

 Sembra ieri quando scrissi il mio primo post, il 6 febbraio 2010�.Ricordo i dubbi che mi avevano accompagnata prima di prendere la decisione finale : mi butto o no in questa nuova avventura, avr� qualcosa da dire? Ci pensai qualche giorno,non avevo idea di come sarebbe stato per me il mondo dei foodblogger, sarei stata all�altezza? Saper cucinare non bastava, bisognava avere voglia di  condividere questa passione e io l�avevo, anzi  il nome �La Voglia Matta � lo scelsi fra tanti proprio per  questo scopo, il forte desiderio di raccontare  quello che sapevo agli amici che gi� mi conoscevano  �.mai avrei immaginato che in un solo anno sarei arrivata dove sono ora,ad oggi  532 contatti qui e oltre 700 su FB. Voi tralasciate i vostri impegni di lavoro e di famiglia per entrare nella  mia cucina e stare qualche minuto con me, molti di voi lasciano dei graditi commenti,altri leggono e basta �Vorrei ringraziarvi uno ad uno per avermi dato fiducia e per continuare a seguirmi con affetto ed interesse. Spesso non riesco a ricambiare la vostra visita ma voglio che sappiate che siete e sarete sempre importanti per me e che tutte le volte che potr� passer� a salutarvi�Sono aumentate le visite dall�estero e questo mi ha messo nella  splendida condizione di crearmi nuove amicizie ,di allargare i miei orizzonti gastronomici ed umani,questa opportunit� � per me un arricchimento a livello emozionale veramente forte e a cui tengo moltissimo, Google Traduttore mi aiuta con le lingue che non conosco (sperando che interpreti il mio pensiero).Chi mi conosce sa che caratterialmente sono una donna ottimista e disponibile al dialogo,mi piace trasmettere le mie sensazioni attraverso le mie passioni:cucinare, viaggiare, fotografare quello che mi colpisce, far conoscere tradizioni e angoli sconosciuti della mia citt� che tanto amo,segnalare posticini da visitare per dei romantici weekend o luoghi dove sono stata a mangiare �giorno dopo giorno � aumentato il mio coinvolgimento in questo mondo virtuale che riesce a far sentire vicini uno all�altro anche chi vive lontano migliaia di chilometri. Quello che pensavo rimanesse solo un hobby � invece diventato anche un lavoro. La collaborazione con il portale " Donne sul Web " ultimamente si � fatta pi� frequente e dopo poco pi� di 4 mesi   mi � stato offerto un incarico delicato ed importante di grande responsabilit� . Ho visto crescere i consensi a tal punto che il mio men� di Natale, pubblicato l� e reso ancor pi� bello grazie alle foto  di Massimiliano Tessaris,ha avuto pi� di 20.000 visualizzazioni! Come non essere felici ?Mi sento motivata a far sempre meglio e ho la consapevolezza che gran parte di ci� lo devo a voi e alla carica che giornalmente mi trasmettete� Vi abbraccio tutti, il viaggio continua.....

Football Brownies with a Kick (& Winners)

I am not a football fan, and probably won't even be watching the game tomorrow, but we were invited to a Super Bowl party and I was asked to bring an appetizer & a dessert (see yesterday's post for the appetizer!).How cute are these? I am not a hokey theme kind of person (at least I thought I wasn't), but maybe there is a Valentine's Day heart shaped cake in my future.Make your favorite brownie

Great Appetizers: Mini BLTs

Quick. I needed an appetizer for the Super Bowl this weekend that was quick and easy and didn't require a lot of prep time.This was genius! What else can I say about them? (tooting my own horn, but that's what blogs are for). I was craving a BLT for lunch, and decided to make mini versions to serve as a first course for the game, and what guy doesn't LOVE bacon? Here's the no brainer recipe:

Chocolate Lava Cakes And A TV Makeover

I know, it�s not fair posting this sinfully decadent chocolate dessert first thing in the morning.  But hey, oatmeal can only take you so far. I�m not suggesting you make this for breakfast, but it does have eggs, after all � standard breakfast fare right?  And as far as I�m concerned, chocolate - dark chocolate in particular - should be declared one of the basic food groups � you know all those antioxidants and such.

Aside from the intense chocolate flavor, another great thing about this dessert is its ease of preparation. Fifteen minutes of work and you�ve got dessert that would impress any guest and wow any suitor (Valentine�s Day is just around the corner.) Plus you can make it up to three days ahead of time and keep it in the fridge before baking. Just for kicks, I thought I�d try freezing it unbaked to see how that might work out too. Guess what? It worked like a charm. Just make sure you prepare it in pyrex containers that are freezer and oven-proof (or throw-away aluminum containers) and you�re good to go.

From whence does this fabulous recipe come, you ask? That�s where the fun part begins. The recipe is from a cookbook called �Alice�s Tea Cup,� named after  the eponymous cafe in New York City.

I had tea and cake at this charming shop in New York City (one of four locations in the city) with my daughter and Genevieve Gorder, host of the HGTV decorating show �Dear Genevieve.�  It was in this tea shop where Genevieve was discussing possible ideas for the makeover of my daughter�s living room in Manhattan�s Upper East Side. Yes, it�s true, true, true. Those are real people whose rooms get redone on that show!

My daughter simply sent an email to the show and they liked her letter well enough to follow up with interviews and then transform her living room from so-so to sensational. The show airs this Saturday at 9 p.m. EST on HGTV, so be sure to tune in and watch the metamorphosis. There are repeats too, and you can read more about it here. During the show, you�ll see scenes at Alice�s Tea Cup with Genevieve (in the center) my daughter (on the right) and yours truly, as well as shots of the living room before and our honest-to-goodness surprise reaction after the reveal.

I�ll give you a sneak preview. Here�s what her living room looked before. Not awful, but bland � no pizzazz. And if you know my daughter, you know she definitely has pizzazz.

And ta-da �����. here�s the �after.�  Pretty snazzy right? Can you believe it�s the same space?

OK, so tune in Saturday night if you can, to see how the whole process evolved. In the meantime, here�s the low-down on making these chocolate lava cakes (they�re actually called �warm soft chocolate cakes� in the cookbook.)

When you bake them immediately after preparation, give them only 11 minutes in the oven and you�ll get that waterfall of chocolate oozing from the first photo. It�s really like eating warm chocolate pudding with only a little bit of cake holding it together. If you fill the baking cups and refrigerate them (for up to 3 days), then you need to bake the chilled cups for 13 minutes.

But if you freeze them first, then put them in the oven frozen, they will take longer.  Here�s what one looked like when I pulled it from the oven after 19 minutes. That little dip in the center had me worried.

But when I flipped it over, it held firm and didn�t cave in.

But it needed something else � maybe some powdered sugar.

Oh yes, that�s better. This is the frozen one after baking for 19 minutes. It�s still oozing, but I think next time I�ll give it only 17 minutes, so it can be closer in �oozement� to the one that is baked unfrozen for only 11 minutes. (Actually I think I�d bake the unfrozen one for 12 minutes because maybe there was a little too much �lava� and not enough cake.) Have I totally confused you here?

The confectioner�s sugar was nice, but there was still something missing. Maybe a little whipped cream?

Now you�re talkin�!

Oh no, it�s melting, it�s melting!!!!!!!!!!!

That�s easy enough to fix � just keep the whipped cream nearby and add another dollop. Dig in!

A big, big thanks to gracious Genevieve and her friendly, helpful crew who couldn�t have been nicer to us, at a time when we really needed something to smile about.  And thank you to Alice�s Tea Cup for putting up with the interruption during filming and providing us with great food. We�ll be back!

Warm Soft Chocolate Cake (Lava Cakes)

From �Alice�s Tea Cup�

printable recipe here

makes four servings

• 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray four individual 4-ounce pyrex cups (or aluminum baking cups) with cooking spray or coat with butter. Dust with flour.
2. In a medium glass bowl, melt the butter and chocolate in a microwave oven or in a water bath or double boiler. Mix thoroughly until you have a shiny chocolate sauce.
3. In a large bowl, use a mixer to beat the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until thick. Add the chocolate/butter mixture and beat until thick. With the mixer running, add the 1 tablespoon flour.
4. Divide the mixture evenly among the prepared baking cups and bake for 11 minutes. Watch the time carefully.
5. Turn each container upside down onto the center of a serving plate and slowly lift to reveal the cake.

You can prepare these ahead of time and bake later. Cover the filled baking cups and refrigerate up to three days. Then bake the chilled cups for 13 minutes.

Or, cover the filled baking cups and freeze. Take them from the freezer and bake for 19 minutes if you want it to look like the one in the lower photos, or for only 17 minutes, if you want it to have more �ooze.�

 

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