PESTO STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Unbelieveable as it might sound to some of you, I was unable to find zucchini large enough for this recipe! I put out the word on Facebook and sent out a few emails - nothing! No one I know is being overtaken by zucchini, which is good news for them but bad news for me. I decided to check out the farmer's market in St. Matthews last Saturday, knowing that there were many more vendors than at the markets closer to our house. I did find larger zucchini, and reluctantly bought them once I accepted that this was the best I could do. My zucchini weighed in at just under one and a half pounds, while the recipe suggests a two pounder - this truly is a recipe for the home gardner!

Everyone liked the recipe - our grandson, age 19, liked the filling much more than the zucchini itself, but I have to agree with him. Yes, we're trying to eat healthier and have grilled lots of eggplant, squash and zucchini, but really, I just don't think it has much of a taste. Knowing it's good for me I was able to enjoy the filling - especially since the pesto was homemeade and the mozzarella was fresh - which was tasty enough to make even zucchini palatable.

Just in case you're being over-run with zucchini, here's a link to the recipe:

PESTO STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Oh, I forgot to mention that I had some homemade seasoned breadcrumbs in the freezer - with garlic, parsley and parmesan cheese - so I used about one cup of that instead of the croutons.  For me it turned out to be a good thing because had I used croutons the filling would have been too bulky to fit into my smaller zucchini boats.  The bread crumbs, which I toasted in the oven first, allowed me to compress the filling into the zucchini, getting every last bit of pesto-y goodness!

SUMMERTIME COOKING

We've been lucky here so far with not only a mild winter but also a very early and mild spring.  Although it was up in the 90's for Memorial Day weekend, this past week has been wonderful - low humidty, nightly lows in the 50's, and sunny days in the low 80's - heaven!  Although the tomatoes aren't in yet, the farmer's markets have zucchini and eggplant and enough other stuff to make it worth a stop.  The other day I bought 2 smallish eggplants - I knew as soon as I saw them what I would be making:  Giacomo's Unbaked Eggplant Parmesan. 

This dish is one that needs to be made in advance.  The eggplant needs to be sliced, salted and drained for at least an hour or so, the tomato sauce needs to simmer for several hours to reduce, and the eggplant gets fried before the dish is assembled, so I recommend making this dish the day before you plan to serve it. 

Here's what you need:  2-3 small eggplants, not teeny-tiny, but small enough to still be tender.  Slice the eggplants about 1/4" thick, place them in a colander over the sink and sprinkle with salt.  Placing a heavy bowl on top of the eggplants will help squeeze out the moisture.  After the eggplants have released their excess water rinse them quickly and place on paper towels to dry. 

While the eggplants are draining you can start your tomato sauce.  Finely chop one carrot, one rib of celery and one garlic clove then saute them in a large skillet with a little olive oil.  After a few minutes add the tomatoes.  Fresh tomatoes will work fine, but since they aren't ready I just used one large can of San Marzano tomatoes, whole.  Break up the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon, throw in some torn fresh basil leaves and let this simmer on the back of the stove until it's thick - really thick - I think mine simmered nearly 5 hours!

Fry the eggplant slices quickly in hot oil, just browing them, then drain on paper towels.  Shave some Parmesan with a potato peeler and tear up quite a few basil leaves.  Once the tomato sauce is ready just layer the eggplant on a plate - I used a dinner plate and placed the eggplant in the center, not covering the whole plate.  Cover the eggplant with a good dollop of tomato sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan and basil.  Repeat the process until you've used all your ingredients, then cover and refrigerate.  I usually roll up a paper towel and put it around the bottom of the plate to soak up any excess moisture that remains, and trust me, there's still plenty!

When you're ready to serve just add a few more fresh basil leaves on top and enjoy!  This is such a good summer dish - cool and refreshing, flavorful and healthy! 

COMFORT FOOD ITALIAN STYLE!

If you're in the states, chances are pretty good that you've experienced some snow this winter.  Many of you might have experienced snow to the extreme, and there have been some pretty frigid temperatures to go along with that snow.  Here in Umbria it's been pretty darn cold, with temps dipping into the teens a couple of times, and it's not unusual for us to dip below freezing.  All in all our winter hasn't been as rough as it is in other parts of the world, but still the gray gloomy days of winter make me want to curl up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate.

We've also been enjoying some good ole comfort food - a big pot of chili,  macaroni and cheese, a nice pork roast and potatoes in the oven to warm not only the soul but also the kitchen - and make the house smell great in the process.  Today we had some comfort food Italian style:  risotto.  Risotto at it's best is creamy and filling, and this recipe is also the perfect one pot meal.  Add a salad if you like, and lunch is served!






Risotto with Pancetta and Pumpkin

1/4 pound thinly sliced pancetta, cut into ¼” strips

3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb pumpkin (or butternut squash) cut into 1 ½” by ¼” sticks

8 sage leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

¾ cup white wine

5 1/2 cups chicken stock

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 ½ cups arborio rice

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving


In a large skillet, cook the pancetta over moderate heat until crisp, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a medium bowl. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to the fat in the skillet. Add the pumpkin and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the sage, salt and pepper, and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute longer. Transfer the pumpkin to the bowl with the pancetta. (Make ahead tip: The pancetta and pumpkin can be refrigerated overnight. Return to room temperature before using.)

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm.

In a large saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed. Add 1/2 cup of the hot stock and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Continue adding the stock, about 1/2 cup at a time, and stirring constantly until it is nearly absorbed before adding more. The risotto is done when the rice is just tender but still has a bit of a 'bite' and the liquid is creamy, about 20 minutes.

Stir the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and the 1/2 cup of Parmesan into the risotto. Gently fold in the pumpkin and pancetta. Spoon the risotto into warmed bowls, sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.


Next time I'll probably try substituting sausage for the pancetta, just to compare, but this version was delicious - and very comforting.

CHEESE PUFFS, ITALIAN STYLE

Looking for a great new appetizer for your holiday party?  I think Gina DePalma's recipe for Caciotta Fritters might sounds wonderful!  See for yourself:


The Dairy Show Special Edition 4-In the Kitchen with Gina DePalma from TheDairyShow.Com on Vimeo.

MAKE YOUR OWN CANDY CORN

Junk food isn't as common here in Italy as it is in the U.S. - unless of course you're talking about breakdfast foods, which all seem to have chocolate - not that it's a bad thing, just strange.  Anyway, there are times when the lack of junk food presents a problem.  What's Easter without Peeps?  And what's Halloween without candy corn? 
 
I have seen recipes for Peeps, they look like way too much trouble, and since Peeps can now be found at Halloween, Christmas, Valentines Day AND Easter, I can usually get my fix at some point when we're in the states.  Not so for candy corn!  But now, thanks to a guest posting by CakeSpy on Serious Eats, anyone can make their own candy corn using this simple candy corn recipe.
 
This recipe doesn't require a candy thermometer, but you do have to take care not to boil the sugar mixture any longer than stated in the recipe.  If you do your dough could be too dry to be workable.  I also found that I didn't need to wait for one hour for the mixture to cool  - I didn't even wait thirty minutes!  I divided up the dough into thirds while it was still warm and pliable, added the food coloring, then proceeded to roll - or rather to stretch and squeeze and manipulate the dough into long ropes. 

Unless you want your candy corn super-sized, you'll need a very long work surface - I ended up squeezing my tri-colored rope smaller and smaller as I cut off the pieces and the rope got shorter. 

This recipe doesn't make a lot of candy corn, but I'm hoping it's just enough to satisfy my craving without having to make another batch.  To help stretch the candy corn I mixed it with salted peanuts for a wonderful sweet/salty snack!

A NEW LASAGNA RECIPE

It doesn't seem possible, but somehow I keep finding new recipes that sound too good not to try. Recently I read this recipe for Lasagna With Caramelized Radicchio, Onions & Crispy Pancetta on one of my new favorite blogs, Italian Food Forever.  Deborah, who shares many wonderful recipes on her blog, gave me just what I needed:  a recipe that would help use up some of the onions we'd bought last month in Canarra.  I wasn't planning on having a large crowd for dinner anytime soon, so I made this recipe and divided it into two pans - one larger than the other, but neither so large that we'd have too many leftovers. 
 
The weather, which has been in the 70's, suddenly turned cooler, and the thought of having the oven on was quite appealing.  I grabbed the smaller of the two casseroles out of the freezer and baked it for lunch today.  Wow!  Both Art and I really, really enjoyed this dish.  The sweet onions, the slight bitterness of the radicchio, and of course what dish doesn't benefit from a bit of bacon (pancetta)?  It was creamy and luscious, definitely a comfort food, but a very luxurious comfort food.  If you're looking for something new, take a look at the recipe, and while you're at it, add Italian Food Forever to your list of food blogs - who knows what other wonderful new recipes Deborah might post?

MAKING PESTO

Unfortunately I don't have room for a vegetable garden. I do grow a few herbs in pots in the back yard so they're handy for cooking. Several years ago our neighbor Adamo told us we could use his small garden for our 'orto', as Italians call a vegetable garden. I tried growing the usual: peppers, tomatoes, eggplants and more, but unfortunately Adamo's garden sits on a rocky outcrop, and the water drains through the dirt as though it were sand. This, combined with the fact that I have to carry water to the garden made me rethink the garden when summer rolled around again.

I decided that with the farmer's market and roadside stands, not to mention gifts from our neighbors, fruit and vegetables would be plentiful and cheap, so it just wasn't worth the (disappointing) effort. The one thing I knew I would continue to grow was basil, and plenty of it. Art and I both love pesto - on pasta, on bruschetta, on salmon, and in a variety of dishes. Even in Italy I've never found a ready-made pesto that lives up to my expectations, so I make my own. I also make extra to freeze so that we'll have pesto all through the winter. It's like a bit of sunshine, so fresh!

The word pesto comes from the Italian word 'pestare', to pound, so to be authentic pesto should be make the old fashioned way with a mortar and pestle, but I have to admit that I just not that old fashioned. I use a food processor, and some purists will argue that the food processor causes heat which damages the basil, but even if that's true, I still think it tastes pretty darn good.

I have about twelve basil plants so that I can make my pesto in large batches. This recipe started out as a single batch recipe but I've changed it. If you'd like to make a smaller batch just reduce the ingredients proportionately.


To ensure that your basil keeps producing all summer long, first you have to pinch the stem just above the spot where two new leaves will sprout. If you do this you basil will get bushier and bushier over time. The second thing you have to do is to keep the basil pinched back enough so that it doesn't flower. Having several plants will ensure that you'll have enough basil whenever you want to make a batch of pesto, or to use in caprese or whatever other recipe you might want.






At the end of the season I pull the plants out of the ground, roots and all. I take a large bucket to the garden with me and just put all the plants into the bucket to carry to the back yard. Once I'm in the back yard I sit down and strip off all the good leaves. Not all the leaves will be good at this point; some might have yellowed, but it's not hard to figure out. I then make my final batch of pesto, but I also reserve enought basil leaves to freeze to use as seasoning. To do this I place the whole leaves on an aluminum pan and stick it in the freezer for a quick freeze. Once the leaves are frozen I QUICKLY crumble them and toss into a ziplock bag to add to sauces and recipes over the winter - much better than using dried basil! I usually have to freeze the basil in several batches because my freezer is small, but just remember to keep the previously frozen batch in the freezer, and to work very, very quickly, otherwise the leaves will thaw and you won't be able to crumble them up.

PESTO GENOVESE

4 cups basil leaves, well packed
4 cloves garlic
1 cup pine nuts
1½ cups grated parmesan (or 2/3 parmesan and 1/3 pecorino)
1½ cups extra virgin olive oil (approximately)
salt & pepper to taste

Place basil leaves and garlic in food processor and process until leaves are finely chopped.

Add nuts and process until nuts are finely chopped.

Add cheese and process until combined.

With the processor running slowly add the oil until it’s the consistency you want.

After the oil is incorporated add salt and pepper to taste.

Yields 3 ½ -4 cups pesto. Store in airtight containers. Keeps in refrigerator for a week or more if you cover the remainder with a thin layer of oil. Can also be frozen.

I usually add a little less oil when I freeze the pesto, making it thicker so that I can add more or less oil later, depending on the recipe.

GARLICKY BREADCRUMBS

I know you’ve read countless times about how much I love the simplicity of Italian cooking. Fresh ingredients are the key, of course, but every once in a while I run across some little tip or trick that seems oh-so-simple but of course I’d never thought of it.

Our friend Letizia, who lives not far from Assisi, is Italian, and not surprisingly, a great cook. I don’t know where she finds the time, but she writes a food blog called MADONNA DEL PIATTO. Recently she wrote about breaded pork cutlets, and the recipe included a link to her recipe Garlicky breadcrumbs.

When I lived in the states I usually had a can of breadcrumbs on hand, and of course, being the U.S., there were a variety of choices: you could have plain bread crumbs or breadcrumbs seasoned with different herbs. Here in Italy I also have breadcrumbs on hand, but I make them myself. The saltless Umbrian bread stales quickly, so if I end up with more than I need I cut the bread into croutons or grate it into crumbs and store it in the freezer.

Why I never thought to pre-season my homemade breadcrumbs is beyond me, but when I saw Letizia’s recipe for seasoned breadcrumbs, I just said “DUH!”, and immediately wrote down the recipe for immediate inclusion in my collection! Here’s the recipe for here Garlicky breadcrumbs, but be sure to click on her link to get more great ideas for using this simple and tasty kitchen staple! Buon Appetito, and grazia Letizia!

Garlicky Breadcrumbs

2 cups (300 gr) bread crumbs
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, very finely chopped
black pepper to taste

Store in the freezer in a zip-lock back or other freezer container.

If you’re interested in staying with Letizia, here’s the link to her
AGRITURISMO and if you’d like to take cooking lessons with Letizia, click on that link! The views from the agriturismo are incredible, and I can guarantee you’ll take home some delicious recipes from her cooking lessons.

CIABATTA BREAD

The world gets smaller and smaller every day, and the expat world in Italy is no exception. We've met expats in Italy at the grocery, on the internet and through other expats. It's sort of like the seven degrees of separation: every one of our expat friends seems to be somehow connected to each other, and it's only a matter of time before we cross paths.

Our friend Kathy, who publishes DREAM OF ITALY, recently devoted an entire issue to Umbria. In this issue three fantastic villas are featured, one owned by our mutual friends Bill and Suzy Menard (you can read about their villa, La Fattoria del Gelso by clicking on the link). She also wrote about about two other beautiful vacation rentals, one between Perugia and Assisi called Le Vigne, and a third place not too far fromus,just outside of the tiny village (borgo?) of Piedicolle, Il Casale di Mele Rosse.

As I read about Il Casale di Mele Rosse and looked at the pictures I knew exactly where it was. I said to Art, "hey, remember those two identical houses that we watched being built just outside of Piedicolle - the houses that were built by the two best friends? " Of course he remembered, and then I told him that I thought this villa I was reading about was the same place.

After reading the site for Il Casale di Mele Rosse , I discovered a link to a blog called Italian Food Forever . It was written by Deborah Mele, who owns Il Casale de Mele Rosse along with her husband. Of course I couldn't resist reading the blog, and I found this great recipe for ciabatta! I have to admit that I did make a few changes: I used all all-purpose flour since I didn't have any bread flour. I guess I could buy bread flour from the bakery, but as I've writtne several times before, the flour here is a mystery to me, so I stick with flour "Americana", which is much more like American AP flour than the Italian "0" or "00". Those Italian flours just don't have enough gluten in them. In order to boost the AP flour I also added some vital gluten. Oh, and I have to confess that I didn't deflate the dough every 30 minutes during it's long rise - I might have deflated it 2 or 3 times. And I also added powdered nonfat milk in with the flour, in effect using milk instead of water. I think it helps the bread brown nicely.

Here's the recipe as I've written it out for my cookbook, but of course you can read Deborah's take on it on her blog, Italian Food Forever.



Ciabatta

1 Recipe Biga (made the day before -Recipe Below)
3 Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
2 tsp Salt
1 ½ Cups Warm Water (You can substitute milk or buttermilk for all or part of the water)

Biga
1/4 Teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
1 Cup Warm Water (About 110º F)
1 1/3 cups Bread Flour
2/3 cup Unbleached All-purpose Flour

Sprinkle the yeast over the water in a large bowl enough and let sit 5 to 10 minutes. Add the flours and stir to combine. The dough may seem stiff, but will soften up as it sits. Cover the biga tightly with plastic wrap, and let it sit for 6 hours at room temperature. Stir it, and refrigerate it until the next day, or at least 12 hours.

To Make The Bread

Combine the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add the water and biga, and stir until the dough is mixed. It will be quite wet, and rough in texture. Turn the dough out onto a floured breadboard, and using as little flour as possible, knead for 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth. Keep the dough very loose and moist; it will firm up as it rises. Place the dough into a large greased bowl three times the size of the dough. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let sit in a warm spot for 2 - 3 hours, or until the dough has doubled, punching down and turning the dough every 30 minutes or so.

Divide the dough in two pieces and fold each into a rectangle. Stretch the rectangle until it is about 12 to 14 inches long. If you are using a baking stone, flour two kitchen towels, or bread peels with flour, and place the shaped loaves on them to rise. Cover loosely with towels. Preheat the oven (with stone) to 450º F. If using baking sheets, sprinkle them lightly with cornmeal. Place each prepared loaf onto a baking sheet, and cover lightly with a towel.

After 30-45 minutes, place the baking sheets into the hot oven, or move the loaves onto the hot baking stone. Place a pan of hot water at the bottom of the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes, rotating the loaves once during this time, or until the dough is a dark golden brown all over. Remove and let cool on a wire rack.

We hope to meet Deborah and her husband sometime this summer, and I'll bet we share a few recipes when we get together!

ANOTHER PASTA SALAD

This pasta salad has been a favorite of mine for years.


GREEK ROTINI SALAD

6 cups (uncooked) rotini
1 cup olive oil
4 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp oregano
1 oz (26 gr) garlic powder (2 Tbsp + 1 tsp) (according to taste)
2 cups pepper strips (red, green and yellow)
36 black or green olives, pitted
3 cups feta cheese, crumbled
16 radishes, thinly sliced
½ cup green onions, sliced
8 Tbsp parsley, chopped

Cook rotini and rinse in cold water to cool quickly. Do NOT overcook!

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, oregano and garlic powder in a small bowl and whisk to blend. Chill.

In a large serving bowl combine rotini, peppers, olives, feta cheese, radishes, green onions and parsley. Pour dressing over salad and toss gently to coat.

This makes enough to feed quite a few, so when I want to make a smaller batch I use 4 cups of rotini and HALF of all the other ingredients.

A QUICK CHOCOLATE FIX

Have you received an email with the recipe for chocolate cake in a coffee cup? It's quick way to get a chocolate fix without overdoing it - not that anyone I know would actually bake and eat an entire chocolate cake......but this recipe has built in portion control, just in case. Here's the recipe:



5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (Microwave safe)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.

Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.

Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.

The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!

Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.


I DID use the choclate chips, and yes, it did spill out of the mug - I placed the mug on a plate just in case. Although it was very chocolatey and gooey, thanks to the chocolate chips, it was a bit spongy, but when you're baking in the microwave, you have to expect some deviations. Personally I prefer the recipe for microwave brownies that my friend Janet gave to me several years ago....



Microwave Brownies

3 oz butter (add pinch of salt if using unsalted butter)
8 oz brown sugar
2 eggs
a few drops Vanilla extract
3 oz plain flour
2 oz cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder

Melt butter and sugar in a glass bowl in microwave.
Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Sift flour, cocoa, and baking powder into a bowl and mix in egg mixture.
Pour into lined microwaveable dish and on place an up turned saucer in the microwave.
Microwave 4 1/2 to 5 minutes. Should still be sticky on the top.
If you do not have a turntable, 1/4 turn after 2 minutes.

Either way is a quick chocolate fix you can enjoy anytime.

SOMETHIN' FROM THE OVEN

Janine came for lunch the other day. We thought it was the perfect way to show her around the house for potential renters (or myabe even buyers!) and to say goodbye before we leave for the states next week. Once again, it was also an excuse to clean out the freezer. I had some chicken in the freezer and decided to make some chicken sald with pecans and craisins, which has become my all-time favorite chicken salad recipe. With spring in the air, chicken salad on a bed of beautiful green lettuce seemed perfect. As an appetizer I served Caponata, which we spread on bread like a chunky salsa. Caponata is a Sicilian dish, a sweet-sour combination of eggplant, celery, tomato paste raisins and more. I LOVE it, especially this recipe, which is one we got when we atteneded the cooking school several years ago. It freezes very well, and this was the last batch in the freezer. By the time we return to Italy eggplants should be at the market once again. 

CAPONATA SICILIANA SICILIAN (EGGPLANT SALAD) FOR 6 

1 KILO EGGPLANT (2.2 lbs) 

1 heaping TBSP CAPERS (small) 

4 CELERY STALKS 

20 GREEN OLIVES de-pitted & sliced 

1 LG ONION 

1 heaping TBSP SUGAR 

TRIPLE TOMATO CONCENTRATE 

2 TBSP RAISINS (or CURRANTS) 

4 + 8 LG BASIL LEAVES 

60 ml RED WINE VINEGAR (1/4 cup) 

OLIVE OIL 

4 TBSP PINE NUTS 

SALT 

2 TBSP TOASTED BREADCRUMBS 

 IF THE EGGPLANTS ARE NOT SUPER FRESH, CUT INTO SMALL CUBES, SPRINKLE W/COARSE SALT AND DRAIN IN A COLANDER FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR. 

SAUTE W/6-7 TBSP HOT OLIVE OIL, DRAIN ON KITCHEN PAPER & SET ASIDE. (THEY CAN ALSO BE GRILLED DRY AND CUT INTO THICK SLICES). ONCE COOLED SLICE INTO THICK STRIPS. 

 SLICE THE CELERY STALKS INTO 2 cm PIECES & COOK IN BOILING SALTED WATER FOR 10 MINUTES. DRAIN AND SET ASIDE. 

SOAK THE RAISINS/CURRANTS IN HOT WATER TO RE-HYDRATE. 

SLICE THE ONION THINLY & SOFTEN IT IN ¾ TSP OLIVE OIL W/ ½ TUBE OF TOMATO CONCENTRATE & 4 BASIL LEAVES FOR 10 MINUTES. 

ADD THE CAPERS. CELERY, OLIVES, RAISINS, SUGAR & VINEGAR AND COOK THIS MIXTURE FOR 20 MINUTES OR SO, STIRRING FROM TIME TO TIME. 

 ADD THE EGGPLANT & COOK 10 MINUTES MORE, THEN TURN OFF HEAT AND ADD THE REMAINING BASIL LEAVES, SHREDDED SMALL BY HAND. 

MEANWHILE TOAST THE PINE NUTS AND BREADCRUMBS. LET THE VEGETABLE MIXTURE COOL, & MIX IN THE PINE NUTS. SERVE SEVERAL HOURS LATER, OR BETTER YET THE NEXT DAY WITH THE BREADCRUMBS SPRINKLED ON TOP. (Sorry for the capital letters, but that's the way I typed it into the computer several years ago and I was just too lazy to re-type the whole recipe!) 

Early in the morning I'd walked down to the bakery to get some foccacia bread and bread to go with the caponata. When I returned Art asked about lunch, and if I'd made anything for dessert. No, I told him, I was just going to keep it light, and thought we'd have plenty of food - no need for dessert. I don't know if it was his own sweet tooth, or the idea that company deserved it, but he asked why I hadn't gotten something when I was at the bakery. Hmmmm, good question. As I thougth about it, I realized that it never even entered my mind. For those of you who know me, and who know what a sweet tooth I have, this must be surprising, and frankly, it was surprsing to me too. It wasn't until I'd thought about it for a minute that I realized for me, a bakery means BREAD. If I want something sweet, cake or cookies, well, of course I'd just make them myself! Remember that jingle from Pillsbuty: "nothin' says lovin' like somethin' from the oven..."? 

Art decided to brave the cold to walk down to the bakery for something sweet, and when he returned I was a little surprised that he had some sort of a cake. I really expected that he might return with an assortment of cookies, but not a cake, since we both think Italian cakes tend to be dry. Luckily this one was more like a pound cake and was quite nice - although if I'd had some fresh fruit I would have served it on top of the cake for a little moistness. Given the fact that winter had suddenly returned overnight, I wished I'd baked the cake in my oven just to warm up the house, but a nice fire did the trick!

RECIPES WITH PUMPKIN

While we were in the states I thought I'd make:

Pumpkin Quiche

500 gr (about 1 lb) pumpkin, roughly cubed
200 gr (2-3) sausage, chopped
3 eggs
1 small yellow onion
Handful of pinenuts
Parmigiano, grated
Savory pastry sheet (such as for a quiche)
Milk

In a small frying pan, cook the chopped sausage til almost done. Take off heat.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Place the savory pastry dough in a 9” pie pan.

Chop the onion and sauté with 1 Tbsp. of oil . While the onion is cooking, roughly cube the pumpkin. When the onion starts to turn translucent, add the pumpkin chunks. Cook about 10-15, until the pumpkin will break down easily with spoon but is not mushy. Mix in sausage until evenly distributed.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a splash of milk until frothy. Grate in a small amount of parmigiano and mix, adding fresh ground pepper.Spoon half of the pumpkin mix into the baking pan. Pour egg mix over, and then spoon the rest of the pumpkin mix in. Sprinkle a handful of parmigiano and some pine nuts on top, and bake for about 40 minutes

This recipe is a winter staple in our house, and although I can still buy pumpkin at the grocery I usually have some in the freezer. It's easier to buy a few whole pumpkins, roast them then freeze for later use. I used some of the pumpkin for pies at Thanksgiving and the rest will be used either for this quiche or for pumpkin soup.

Of course I didn't have any pumpkin in the freezer in Louisville, so I headed out to Paul's, the local fruit and vegetable market. I was surprised when they told me they didn't have any pumpkins because the season was over. I know they use a lot of local produce but still figured they'd have pumpkin. I guess for most Americans once Thanksgiving is over they don't think about pumpkins anymore.

My next stop was Whole Foods. I knew they'd have suppliers from all over the country and was sure they'd have some fresh pumpkin. Wrong! Obviously I wasn't going to find fresh pumpkin at my local Kroger, so I just gave up the idea of making the quiche. Imagaine my surprise when I walked into the Super WalMart one day and saw an entire display of fresh pumpkins! I'm not really sure why they had them, but at least next time I'll know where to look!

I'd seen several recipes for risotto with pumpkin and had printed them out. I had this recipe:

Pumpkin and Sage Risotto

1-1/2 cups of rice (Arborio or Carnaroli)
2 cups of fresh pumpkin cubed (or butternut squash)
6 tbsp butter
6 cups of chicken broth
1+ cups of water
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3/4 cup of dry white wine
3 tbsp of fresh chopped sage
1/2 cup of fresh grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Heat chicken broth in pot and keep warm.

In a separate pot, melt 4 tbsp of butter and sauté chopped onion and garlic
When the onions are translucent and tender, add the rice stirring until coated with the butter, about 3 minutes.

Add white wine and stir until absorbed by the rice. Stir in 2 cups of broth and pumpkin. Continue stirring until liquid is absorbed.

Add an additional cup of broth and chopped sage. Continue adding broth 1 cup at a time as liquid is absorbed and continues to cook. Prior to adding last cup of broth, test pumpkin and rice for doneness: Pumpkin should be tender and rice should be chewy not crunchy.

Add remaining cup of broth, 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and 2 remaining tbsp of butter stir until absorbed but still moist.

Serve with remaining parmesan cheese

For the two of us that recipe sounded like it would make too much, so I'll save it recipe for when we have company and today I'm going to make this recipe:

Risotto di Zucca Gialla (Rice with Pumpkin)

2 young leeks
extra virgin olive oil
chili pepper flakes
1 lb pumpkin
salt
1 c Risotto rice, arborio, canaroli or vialone nano
3 cups boiling water (or broth)
1 cup water
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese.

Clean the leeks and finely slice. Place in pot with extra virgin olive oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pot. Cut the pumpkin into small cubes and let cook with the leek. Salt to taste and sprinkle with chili flakes.

When the leeks are carmelized and the pumpkin tender, about 10 minutes, add the rice. Stir to mix well and "toast" the rice.

Add 2 cups boiling water (or broth). Salt to taste. Cover and let cook for 14 minutes.

Uncover and stir. The rice should be cooked and the liquid absorbed. Add 1 cup of additional boiling water (or broth) and the grated parmesan cheese. Stir until the liquid is absorbed. This will create the perfect creaminess, without adding cream. Stirring releases the starch in the rice and binds with the liquid and cheese to create the PERFECT NON-STIR RISOTTO!

I don't have leeks so I'll just use a yellow onion instead, and I will use some chicken stock instead of plain water. I think I'll grill a couple of sausages or pork chops to go with this for a perfect winter lunch.

Update: remember the other day when I was going to add some pesto to my Tuscan bean soup? I did add the pesto and although it tasted fine, neither of us thought the soup really needed anything else, so next time I won't bother!

LET THE ADVENTURES BEGIN.....

While we were gone we heard through the grapevine that some of our friends were anxious for us to return to Italy so I could start blogging about wonderful Italian adventures and post new recipes. Now I'll admit that our time in the states wasn't exactly news-worthy, nor was it what the blog is really all about. I only posted for two reasons: 1. just to let everyone know that we were still around, and to tell those who were interested about Art's recovery from surgery, and 2. to keep my blog somewhere in the blogoshpere just because our house for sale info is on it.

Other than Art's hip replacement surgery and our discovery of how important it is to floss EVERY SINGLE DAY, I guess the biggest news was the weather. After having a few days that felt like spring we also had days where the temperature dropped to 0ºF - that's ZERO Fahrenheit, or about -18º Centigrade. And then of course there was the ice storm that paralyzed the entire region, completely shut down the city of Louisville and delayed our return to Italy by nearly a week. By the time we got back to Italy we were definitely ready for some Italian-style adventures ourselves, but once again the weather is conspiring against us.

If you've been reading this blog for a while you know that I'm convinced there is no such thing as 'normal' weather anymore, and I doubt whether anyone under the age of 50 has ever experienced four distinct seasons - at least in their proper order. Just as temps in single digits and ice storms aren't normal for Louisville, neither has the weather here in Italy been normal either. We've had one of the wettest winters in recent history, and that's saying something since winter is when we get most of our rain. After last year's relatively dry and mild winter, this year is of course the total opposite with cold and rain - even hurricanes, or at least hurricane-force winds in the south of Italy. Tonight the temperature is expected to drop to 28ºF, which is about -2ºC - not exactly normal for us. Did I mention that the wind seems to be blowing a lot here too? I guess that's what keeps bringing us more rain, and trust me, with weather like this you don't exactly want to visit a medieval hilltown where the wind is blowing the freezing rain right through you and those charming streets of stone are indeed slippery when wet!

In the week we've been home we've made a few forays down to Marsciano for some shopping and to take care of business. We've checked out the new PENNY MARKET, a German grocery chain with incredibly cheap wine and selected bargains if you know what to look for. We also had lunch one day at the newly re-opened and relocated Nestor's Pizzeria. As you may recall Giuseppe and Mara were unable to come to terms with the former owners of the pizzeria (who we ran into at the Post Office the other day), so that old location now sits empty and Nestor's was forced to find a new location, remodel, then wade through all the bureaucracy that Italy is so rightly famous for.

The new Nestor's is right on the main street of Marsciano, just before you get to the hospital, which is a great location. Unfortunately it's also a tiny little place so there's no inside dining, just take-away. In addition to pizza they do still offer some pasta dishes, fish, chicken and a selection of drinks, but what we went there for was more than just the great food, we went for the ambience, for the camaraderie. We're glad that Giuseppe and Mara have finally reopened and wish them the best, but we're so sad that we won't be able to take our friends down to Nestor's for a pizza and some great hospitality.

As for recipes, well, nothing too adventurous yet. I roasted two chickens so that I can make Chicken Salad With Pecans and Craisins, and I made a big pot of ragu, (meat sauce). I used some of the ragu with spaghetti for lunch today, and the rest I'll save for a nice big pan of lasagna for a dinner party. Lasagna is one of the few pasta dishes that doesn't require me to be up and down during the meal cooking and draining and mixing the pasta with the sauce.

After the chickens were roasted I made broth from the carcasses and I think I'll try a new soup recipe I've been saving for a while. (Did you know that when making chicken broth if you leave the skin ON a yellow onion the broth will be a much richer color? I just learned this little secret a few weeks ago!) Although I haven't made this myself, we originally had this soup at a friend's house and liked it so much I requested the recipe. Some people love soup as a winter dish, but unless it's a really hearty, substantial soup I don't have much use for it. This soup, with the addition of the beans, should warm you AND fill you. With a rostisserie chicken and store-bought chicken broth this dish will be even quicker and easier.

Tuscan Chicken and White Bean Soup

2 tsp Olive Oil

2 leeks, cut into 1/4" rounds (about 2 cups)

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage (or 1/4 tsp dried)

2 - 14 oz cans chicken broth

2 cups water

1 - 15 1/2 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

4-6 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

1- 2 lb roasted chicken, skin removed and meat shredded

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the leeks, onion and garlic, stirring often until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in the sage and continue cooking another 30 seconds. Add the broth and the water, increase the heat to high, cover and bring to a boil. Add the beans, chicken and sun-dried tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Serves 6

Until the weather warms up and/or clears up, I don't think they'll be too many adventures to write about, but I hope whereever you are you're staying warm and eating well.

LUNCH AND THE ANSWER!

Yes we're back in Italy but still, it's central Italy and it's February, so the weather is nothing to get excited about. So far we've seen the sun peek through for a few minutes each day, and the rest of the time it's been cloudy, dreary and cold! This is the sort of weather that makes me want to turn on the oven and cook up some comfort food.

Today I was inspired by a another blogger, Sandi over at Whistlestop Café Cooking. Her recipe for Lemon Caper Chicken sounded like an interesting way to jazz up boring old chicken breasts, and it seemed like the perfect accompaniment for a lemon risotto recipe I wnated to try.

The only way to get bone in, skin on chicken breasts around here is to buy a whole chicken and cut it up. All I had on hand was boneless, skinless chicken breasts and I think the recipe would have been much better with a bone in breast. Never-the-less, the chicken was good, and the risotto the perfect compliment. Here's the risotto recipe, and for those who think the cream is just too decadent, if you can find Land O' Lakes fat free cream you could save a few calories in the process!

Lemon Risotto

2 shallots
1 rib celery
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/3 cups Arborio rice
Approximately 1 quart vegetable stock
1/2 unwaxed lemon, zested and juiced
Needles from 2 small sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 egg yolk
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus more, for garnish
4 tablespoons heavy cream
Freshly ground pepper, preferably white
Salt to taste

Finely chop the shallots and celery. Heat half the butter, the oil and the shallot and celery mixture in a wide saucepan, and cook to soften the mixture for about 5 minutes, making sure it doesn't stick. Mix in the rice, stirring to give it a good coating of oil and butter. Meanwhile, heat the stock in another saucepan and keep it at the simmering point.

Put a ladleful of the stock into the rice and keep stirring until the stock is absorbed. Then add another ladleful and stir again. Continue doing this until the rice is al dente. You may not need all of the stock, equally, you may need to add hot water.

Mix the lemon zest and the rosemary into the risotto, and in a small bowl beat the egg yolk, lemon juice, Parmesan, cream and pepper. When the risotto is ready - when the rice is no longer chalky, but still has some bite - take it off the heat and add the bowl of egg/lemon mixture, and the remaining butter and salt, to taste. Serve with more Parmesan if you wish.

And now, the answer to yesterday's question about the gadget I brought back from the states. Did you know what it is? Here's the picture one more time:




And the answer is.........

It's a handy-dandy spoon-holder that clips on to the edge of a pot! Janie, you were right!

LA BUONA CUCINA AMERICANA - MADE IN AMERICA - CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Today Judith shares her CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS recipe with us. My mom used to make this when I was a kid but I can't even remember the last time I made it! With cooler days coming soon, this recipe is sure to hit the spot!

If you've been following along, you'll know that Judith first came up with the idea of sharing some really good, really American recipes, mostly to show our Italian friends that we can do more than make delicious sweets...

Judith also has a LIST OF ALL THE RECIPES HERE, just in case you'd like to see if one of our favorites might become one of yours! La vera Cucina Americana!

LA BUONA CUCINA AMERICANA - MADE IN AMERICA - POTATO SALAD

Today Michelle shares her MOM’S POTATO SALAD recipe with us. It's very similiar to my own recipe, so I heartily recommend it!

THE PERFECT BROWNIE - AT LAST!

If you've been reading for a while you know that I'm a confirmed chocoholic, and that I've been searching for the perfect brownie recipe for some time now. I have to wait until we have company so that I have an excuse to bake, and so that Art and I don't eat the entire batch. (Yes, even if a recipe is deemed 'not quite perfect', it's STILL chocolate, and of all the recipes I've tried, I've never found one that wasn't edible!) So....

Several years ago I discovered that substituting (American-style) brown sugar for all or part of the sugar will produce a gooey brownie, and that's a good thing. Additionally the brown sugar's caramel-y taste adds an extra richness and depth, so when I saw that this recipe called for equal amounts of brown and white sugar I was hopeful.

My ideal brownie is intensely chocolate, slightly gooey on the inside but with a shiny, thin crust on top. This recipe ticked all the boxes for me, and for now, this is the one, the brownie recipe I'll use until someone can convince I need to try another one! I used a combination of chocolate: half 60% Ghiradelli and half Lindt 85% chocolate, just because that's what I had on hand. I think using all 85% chocolate might have been too intense, but as I type this, I can't believe what I'm saying! Too intense?? Hmmm....maybe the next time I'll use all 85% chocolate just to see. I've also thought about using the drier brown sugar we buy here in Italy, just to see how much the gooiness is affected. For this recipe I loved the extra intensity of the dark brown sugar rather than light brown.

Here's the recipe, which I'm going to call

The Best Brownies EVER!

2 sticks (8 oz.) butter, more for pan and parchment paper
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour

Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking pan and line with buttered parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, or on low power in a microwave, melt butter and chocolate together. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl or mixer, whisk eggs. Whisk in salt, sugars and vanilla.

Whisk in chocolate mixture.

Fold in flour just until combined.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until shiny and beginning to crack on top. Cool in pan on rack.

Yield: 15 large or 24 small brownies.

As with most things chocolate, these are better if baked 1 day in advance.

Post script: I later tried this recipe with just 6 oz of butter and 6 oz of chocolate and the brownies were just as yummy...

BEING THANKFUL

We spent our first and second Thanksgiving in Italy at Ternana’s, having pizza. Last year we were in the states for Thanksgiving, having a very traditional, dysfunctional-family style meal. This year we had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in Italy, celebrating with other American expats. Maybe the secret to a wonderful holiday experience is to spend it with family….just not your own.

My job was to bring the pumpkin pies, and initially I’d planned to use my mom’s recipe using bourbon. But then a discussion on the Expats in Italy message board mentioned Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake, and of course I couldn’t resist trying something new!

There were eleven of us for dinner….Larry and Shelly, who aren’t quite expats but are moving closer every day, their son and his wife, the wife’s parents, an American couple who’ve recently been posted to Libya by a large oil company, and our friend Judith.

We feasted on roasted turkey with dressing and mashed potatoes with gravy, and also sweet potatoes brought from Libya which were white, not orange. We also had rolls, waldorf salad, green bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup AND canned onions on top! Oh, and date nut bread…reminding me that I should make some for holiday gifts.

For dessert we had the two pumpkin concoctions I brought plus a pecan pie and an apple pie that Judith had baked. The added treat for the apple pie was that we ate it New England style with a slice of CHEDDAR CHEESE!!!! Those of you who aren’t expats have no idea what a treat this was, but for expats, cheddar cheese has got to be the number one most requested, most missed food time of all times!

Is there even any need to say that we all ate until we were absolutely miserable? Man, everything was sooooooooo good! I can’t believe that Shelly and Larry managed to cook all of this food in their small kitchen, but they did. Next year they plan to have their new kitchen installed, but I can’t imagine that the food could be any better.

After dinner and dessert we loaded the cars with people and olives and drove to the frantoio to watch Larry and Shelly’s olives being pressed! As always it was interesting to watch the process, and when it was all done, we got the coolest party favor ever….a tin of oil to take home!

We’re thankful we have such wonderful friends, and we’re happy to have spent the day with them. We look forward to initiating the new kitchen next year!