Recipes | Majella Home Cooking

Category Archives: Recipes

Summertime Stuzzicare

Recipes May 20, 2013 Comments: 4

stuzzicare:

To poke or prod (at)
To tease
To whet (the appetite)
To stimulate

(Courtesy of Wikipedia)

“Stuzzicare” is one of my favorite Italian food words. It’s a playful verb, one that reminds me of eating cicchetti in a canal-side bar in Venice, crostini in an enoteca off a piazza in Florence or hand-cut prosciutto before a garden feast overlooking the mountains in Abruzzo. Stuzzichini are snacks that whet your appetite before a meal and Italians have a gift with these little morsels.

Frittelle di Zucchine e Ricotta – zucchini and ricotta fritters flavored with lemon zest and mint

When I entertain guests, I always serve a wide variety of stuzzichini before a big lunch or dinner. They are inevitably everyone’s favorite part of the meal and the line-up always includes some tasty fritti. On Christmas Day, my mother (who is Sicilian) and I prepare fried cauliflower and cardoons, panelle – fritters made of chickpea flour – and cazzilli – fried potato and herb fingers. However, in the summertime, two of my favorite savory fried bites are frittelle di zucchine e ricotta – zucchini and ricotta fritters scented with lemon zest and fresh mint – and polpette di melanzane – eggplant balls flavored with Parmigiano and basil. They’re easy to prepare and unlike most fried foods, can be made a few hours ahead of time and reheated without compromising their quality too much (although, naturally, they’re best right out of the skillet). Accompanied by a chilled glass of vino rosato, they’re perfect pre-grilling appetizers.

Polpette di Melanzane – fried eggplant balls flavored with Parmigiano and basil

A word of caution, however – as with any stuzzichini, these little bites are highly addictive so don’t prepare too many or your guests won’t have any room left for the main course! Buon appetito!

Frittelle di Zucchine e Ricotta

Recipe by Majella Home Cooking © (adapted from a recipe by Mario Batali)

Makes approx. 20 fritters

2 medium zucchini (about 7 ounces each), coarsely shredded
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
3 large scallions, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup cow’s milk (full fat) ricotta cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Zest of one lemon (preferably a Meyer lemon)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
1 tsp each of sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Extra virgin olive oil, for frying
Lemon wedges, for serving

In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, garlic, scallions, ricotta, eggs, lemon zest, mint, salt and pepper. Combine well and then stir in the flour just until incorporated. (You may make the fritters at this point or refrigerate the batter for up to an hour.)

Line a large baking sheet with paper towels. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of extra virgin olive oil until shimmering. Working in batches, add heaping tablespoons of the zucchini batter to the hot oil in a single layer (don’t overcrowd). Fry over medium heat, turning once, until browned and crisp on each side, about 3 minutes total. Drain the fritters on the paper towels and serve immediately, with lemon wedges.

Polpette di Melanzane

Recipe by Majella Home Cooking © (adapted from a recipe by Giallo Zafferano)

Makes approx. 25-30 polpette

2 lbs eggplant
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup fine breadcrumbs, plus ½ cup for rolling the polpette prior to frying
½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp of salt and several grindings of freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
Extra virgin olive oil, for frying

Preheat the oven to 400°. Wash, dry and trim the eggplant and place whole on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper for easy clean-up. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, turning once, until very soft , and remove from the oven. When the eggplant cools enough to handle without burning your fingers, remove and discard the skin and any large segments of seeds. In a fine mesh strainer or colander set over a large bowl, drain the remaining eggplant pulp of its excess liquid, pressing down on it gently with the back of a wooden spoon. Transfer the eggplant to a large bowl and add the eggs, 1 cup of breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, salt, pepper and basil. Stir the ingredients together until well-combined. Form the mixture into little balls the size of walnuts and roll them in the remaining ½ cup of breadcrumbs. Set aside the finished polpette on a baking sheet while you continue to form and roll the remainder of the eggplant mixture. (You may fry the polpette at this point or refrigerate them for up to an hour.)

Line a large baking sheet with paper towels. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of extra virgin olive oil until shimmering. Working in batches, add the polpette to the hot oil in a single layer (don’t overcrowd). Fry over medium heat, turning once, until browned and crisp on each side, about 3 minutes total. Drain the polpette on the paper towels and serve immediately.

Make-ahead Notes: The frittelle and the polpette may be fried up to two hours prior to serving and re-crisped in a 350° oven. The polpette may also be frozen in a plastic bag with a zipper for up to three months.

Tagliatelle di Farro for the Seasons

Musings & Anecdotes, Random Things, Recipes May 15, 2013 Comments: 2

Tagliatelle di Farro con Rucola e Pomodorini

Two summers ago, my family and I stayed at a lovely country inn called La Valle de Vento, just outside of the magnificent Renaissance town of Urbino. Perched on a hill overlooking the lush campagna Marchegiana, the inn is owned by a charming couple named Francesco, who manages the inn and on-site vinoteca, and Sara, who helms the kitchen. We happened to be there for Ferragosto, the feast of the Assumption on August 15^th, which is, for Italians, a national day of rest, recreation, and endless feasting. The al fresco dining room was packed with merry-makers, many of whom were friends and neighbors of the owners. To quote a line from one of my kids’ favorite books, Tomie DiPaola’s Strega Nona, “It was a feast to end all feasts” – free-flowing wine, locally produced salumi and cheeses, nutty insalatina di farro, handmade gnocchetti and pasta, roasted rabbit with crispy potatoes, garden vegetables and homemade crostate. The mood was positively buoyant. We lingered over our meal for nearly three hours – how our then 5, 4 and 2 year-old sons managed without a meltdown, we’ll never know, but they quite deservedly earned their second gelato later that evening.

View of the countryside from La Valle del Vento outside of Urbino in Le Marche

Two years later, I’m still thinking about my favorite dish of the day – tagliatelle di farro agli ortaggi – tagliatelle made with farro flour and served with razor thin, barely sautéed sliced vegetables from the proprietors’ garden. Although I’ve cooked dried farro pasta, I’ve wanted to make my own for a while now. I purchased a bag of organic farro flour imported from Italy (Puglia, to be precise – farro is also cultivated in Tuscany, Umbria, Le Marche & Abruzzo) last weekend and consulted a cookbook I purchased in Urbino about the regional cuisine of Le Marche. This recipe called for two parts Tipo “0” flour (all-purpose flour) and one part farina di farro. The result was an incredibly silky and supple pasta dough – not at all sticky – that was a cinch to roll out. Although the slightly nutty flavor, earthy hue and toothsome texture of this pasta would pair beautifully with mushrooms (a combination I’ve had in Abruzzo) or other fall produce, I wanted to play with seasonal vegetables just as Sara had with her glorious garden veggies. So I chopped up some peppery local arugula, roasted leeks with grape tomatoes and finished the dish with grated ricotta salata and eccola! – Tagliatelle di Farro con Rucola e Pomodorini!

Tagliatelle di Farro con Rucola e Pomodorini

Recipe by Majella Home Cooking © (Adapted from La Cucina delle Marche by Pietra Carsetti)

Serves 4 as a main course or 6 as a first course

FOR THE PASTA

I made the dough in the food processor and rolled it out with a pasta machine, but it can just as easily be done by hand.

3 ½ cups all-purpose (Tipo “0”) flour
1 ¾ cups farro flour
6 eggs
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Fit the regular steel cutting blade in the bowl of the processor. Measure the flours into the bowl and process for a few seconds to aerate. Add the eggs and oil into a spouted measuring cup and whisk until combined. (To minimize the chance of overheating the dough, use eggs right from the refrigerator.) Start the machine running with the feed tube open. Pour and scrape the wet mixture into the bowl quickly.

Let the machine run for about 30 seconds. A dough should form quickly. Let the machine knead the dough for about 10 seconds (no more than 40 seconds total processing). Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead by hand for another 2 minutes, until it’s smooth, soft, and stretchy. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Work with one piece at a time and keep the others covered. Have twolarge trays or baking sheets lined with a smooth (non-terry) kitchen towel that is dusted with flour and keep a few other towels handy. Turn the knob to the widest setting and press the first piece of dough with your hands into a circle or small rectangle and roll it through the machine once.. Fold the rectangle in half, turn the dough so the fold is on the side and roll it through on the widest setting one time. Fold the rectangle in thirds, turn the dough so the fold is on the side and roll it through in the same way six more times. Lay the first piece down, sprinkle with a bit of flour and cover it with a kitchen towel. Put the remaining pieces of dough through the same steps of rolling and folding. Reset your rollers to the next setting and roll your strip through, wide end in first, if it fits, and repeat with remaining pieces of dough, covering each piece with a towel as you go. Reset the machine even narrower and then again at progressively narrower settings, until they spread as wide as the rollers and stretch to 18 inches or longer. Cut the 4 long pasta strips in half crosswise, giving you 8 sheets, each about a foot long and 5 inches wide. Lay these flat on the trays, lightly floured, separated and covered by towels.

Feed one of your wide strips, lightly floured, into the tagliatelle cutter of your pasta machine. Support the strip with one hand, and crank with the other. As the pasta is drawn through the cutter, switch hands so you can catch and lift the noodles as they emerge. Form into nests and lay on the towel-lined trays, floured and separated so they don’t stick together or hang them on a wooden drying rack.

FOR THE SAUCE

3 leeks trimmed, white and light green parts only
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, rinsed and left whole
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt and several grindings of freshly ground pepper
6 oz arugula, roughly chopped
3 oz. ricotta salata, grated
Good olive oil to finish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice leeks in half length-wise and rinse under cold water to remove the grit. Dry with a clean kitchen towel and chop crosswise into ½ inch pieces. In a large bowl, combine leeks and tomatoes and toss with olive oil and salt. Add to a roasting pan or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon liner and place in the middle rack of the oven. Shake the pan occasionally to prevent sticking and roast for about 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes are blistered and the leeks are caramelized. Transfer to a large serving bowl.

Bring 6 quarts of water to a full boil and stir in handful of salt. Before adding the pasta to the water, gently shake off any excess flour using a colander or with your hands. Drop the pasta into the boiling water in several batches, stirring with each addition to separate the pieces. Let the water return to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, tasting for doneness. Reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta into a colander. Transfer the pasta and reserved pasta cooking water to the serving bowl that contains the roasted tomato and leek mixture. Toss well and then add the chopped arugula and toss again. Finish with grated ricotta salata and a drizzle of peppery extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately. Buon appetito!

Risotto – A Cautionary Tale

Musings & Anecdotes, Recipes May 7, 2013 Comments: 6

Risotto ai carciofi e gamberi

Two weeks ago, we were treated to a delicious artichoke and shrimp risotto at my son’s communion party at Trattoria L’Incontro in Queens, NY. The risotto’s bright yet earthy flavors were an ode to spring. However, when you’re hosting an affair, you never have ample opportunity to enjoy your guests or your food and I left the restaurant wishing I could have truly savored this wonderful dish.

I love trying to recreate restaurant dishes at home and risotto has always been a favorite of mine to prepare. Once you’ve mastered the technique, you can let your creativity run wild. However, risotto is also a dish with a Type-A personality – it demands both organized preparation and undivided attention. So whenever I decide to make risotto, I dutifully set up an organized mise en place (which is atypical of my prep-as-I-go cooking style), pour myself a glass of crisp white wine and immerse myself in the experience of transforming everyday rice into something so creamily sublime.

So what happened last Tuesday evening when I sought to re-create L’Incontro’s shrimp and artichoke risotto for dinner? I ended up with material for a blog post on what NOT to do when you’re preparing risotto:

Don’t make risotto while trying to do a social studies project about education in the 1700s with your second-grader. The art of risotto-making requires and deserves loving attention and focus. It is not a friend to multitasking. Running back and forth between the kitchen and dining room table where my seven-year old was doing his homework led to sticky (literally, in the case of the rice) resentment from both the risotto and the child.

Don’t miscalculate how much stock you’ll need. Always err on the side of heating up too much stock. I initially defrosted 2 quarts of homemade seafood stock and midway through cooking the risotto, realized I needed more. I removed another quart from the freezer and frantically tried to loosen the frozen block of liquid from its plastic container with the heat and steam radiating from the simmering pots on the stove. When I tried to slide the stock into the pot, it slipped out and splashed all over my stovetop.

Check that you have enough of the same type of rice before you begin to cook. Oops. I ended up using one cup of each of Arborio and Carnaroli. It wasn’t fatal (fortunately, it was a combination of those two and not the third type of risotto rice, Vialone Nano, a much smaller grain), but there was a bit of unevenness in cooking time and texture.

Make sure you have enough wine (for yourself!). Enjoying a glass of wine while lovingly stirring is a crucial part of my risotto-making experience. Unfortunately, to add insult to injury, I had to forgo this custom last Tuesday evening as I only had enough wine for the risotto.

Don’t use fresh artichokes because they are a huge pain to clean! (Kidding…sort of…) OK, I don’t mean this one at all. I love artichokes and take every opportunity to make them during their their preciously short season. However, FACT, they are not fun to clean. I used baby artichokes which are a lot less faticoso but still somewhat laborious. However, in my haste, I did not remove enough of the tough outer layers of leaves and had to remove them midway through cooking. (And FYI, I actually think that frozen artichoke hearts would have worked quite well in this dish, but couldn’t justify using them when fresh artichokes are in season.)

Despite these mishaps, the risotto turned out quite good. The rice was creamy yet al dente, the shrimp was perfectly cooked, the artichokes were earthy and the whole dish was brightened by a subtle touch of Meyer lemon zest. I hope you’ll try it – provided you heed my warnings, you’ll have a quite satisfying cooking experience!

Risotto al Carciofi e Gamberi

Recipe by Majella Home Cooking © (inspired by Trattoria L’Incontro, Astoria, NY)

10 baby artichokes
1 lemon, zested (reserve zest for finishing the risotto)
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 shallot, finely chopped
½ cup of dry white wine
1½ cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice
8-10 cups of seafood (or vegetable) stock
1 lb small shrimp or larger shrimp cut into smaller 1-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Using a serrated knife, cut off the prickly top third of the baby artichokes and discard. Pull back each dark outer leaf and snap it off at the base until you reach the tender, pale green inner leaves. Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to remove the tough outer layers around the stem and cut off the bottom 1/4 inch of the stem. Slice the cleaned artichokes in half with a serrated knife and then slice into pieces about 1/2 inch thick. Place them in a bowl of water acidulated with the juice of a lemon.

Place your stock into a saucepan, and bring it to a simmer over low heat with a ladle nearby.

Drain the artichokes and pat dry. Heat the oil in a wide and deep heavy skillet or risotto pan over medium heat. Add the chopped shallot and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook until tender, stirring often, about five minutes. Add the sliced artichokes, and stir for five minutes until they begin to soften.

Add the rice, and stir until the grains are well-coated and begin to crackle. Add the wine, and stir over medium heat until it has been absorbed by the rice. Add two ladlefuls of the simmering stock (the stock should just cover the rice and should be bubbling, neither too slowly nor too quickly). Cook, stirring often, until the liquid is almost absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock, and continue to cook in this manner — adding more stock when the rice is almost dry, then stirring — for 20 to 25 minutes.

When the rice is tender but still slightly al dente, add the shrimp and lemon zest along with another ladleful of stock. Stir to combine for about 30 seconds and turn off the heat. Continue to stir so that the residual heat finishes cooking the shrimp, until they just turn pink (this will prevent the shrimp from overcooking). The risotto should be somewhat loose and spread when plated. If it appears too stiff or dry, add another ladleful of stock to loosen it. Season with salt and pepper and finish with a drizzle of good olive oil.

Serve immediately in wide bowls or on plates. Buon appetito!

Digging for Roots

Food History, Guest Writing Contributions, Musings & Anecdotes, Recipes May 1, 2013 Comments: 2

La donna Abruzzese - the only woman permitted to grace the kitchen of the New Orsogna Club in Queens, NY - For the article, go to http://www.americanfoodroots.com/50-states/men-at-the-stove-at-italian-social-clubs/

I found this bronze plaque of “la donna Abruzzese” in the garage kitchen of the New Orsogna Club in Queens, NY. She may be the only woman permitted to grace this kitchen that is run exclusively by its male members. For the article, go to http://www.americanfoodroots.com/50-states/men-at-the-stove-at-italian-social-clubs/

“Why we eat what we eat.” That’s the mantra of American Food Roots, an online project dedicated to uncovering America’s culinary roots. The AFR website states, “Through food, we celebrate our heritage – regional, religious, ethnic, political, familial. We cook and eat to connect with family and friends, as well as with ancestors we never knew.” American Food Roots is led by four talented and experienced journalists whose mission is to share recipes and stories about America’s culinary traditions through articles, interviews, photos, videos and other media outlets.

A few months ago, my friend Helen Free, author of the blog, Hang on to the Vine and one of the co-organizers of the Let’s Blog Abruzzo conference I’m attending in June, urged me to join the AFR community and introduced me to her friend, Italian cookbook author Domenica Marchetti. Since becoming an AFR community member, I have learned about: using a wok to make sausage and peppers; the Easter food customs of a Moravian-American community in North Carolina; the 500-year history of fusion cuisine in Florida; the beauty of using heirloom cooking tools to recreate old family recipes and so much more.

Domenica and the the AFR team gave me the opportunity to contribute to American Food Roots with a story about my father’s Italian social club in Queens, New York and the men who cook there. The article also features a recipe for plangozze al sugo, a rustic and hearty homemade pasta dish from Abruzzo. Happy reading and buon appetito!

Plangozze al sugo

Join the fascinating conversation about America’s culinary heritage. Sign up to become a member of the American Food Roots community at www.americanfoodroots.com

Elevation

Musings & Anecdotes, Recipes April 23, 2013 Comments: 2

A pot of unimaginably creamy fagioli all’uccelletto simmering on the stove

Travelers to Italy are always amazed by the sublime simplicity of the food. Because Italian cuisine is driven by ingredients rather than technique, Italians are committed to using only the highest quality fresh and local ingredients. Last night, I prepared the Tuscan peasant dish, fagioli all’uccelletto, adapted from a recipe I learned long ago from Judy Witts Francini of Divina Cucina, a dynamic and charismatic American expat and food blogger living in Tuscany who teaches cooking classes and leads culinary tours. I took a fantastic market class in Florence with Judy years ago and regularly rely on her cookbook for inspiration.

Fagioli all’uccelletto consists of five basic pantry ingredients – cannellini beans, olive oil, sage, garlic and and peeled tomatoes. So how did I elevate this simple dish and transform it into nothing short of a “masterpiece” (to quote my husband)? By using the highest quality ingredients I could get my hands on.

Cannellini beans – I used Rancho Gordo Runner Cannellini Beans. I swear, when a friend recently turned me onto these beans, she changed my life. These heirloom beans from the Napa Valley outfit are as creamy as any I’ve ever tasted in Tuscany. They positively melt in your mouth. A few tricks I use to make them extra creamy: I rinse the beans with cold water and then soak them for at least 24 hours. I then cook them directly in the water in which they soaked.

Olive oil - I used the perfectly grassy and herbaceous Pianogrillo olive oil from Sicily available from www.gustiamo.com

Sage - I picked the first branches of sage sprouting from my garden. However, even if you don’t have an herb garden, try to rely on fresh herbs rather than dried. In order to make them last longer in your refrigerator, wrap fresh herbs with a dampened paper towel and place them in a ziploc bag. They will keep for a week or longer.

Garlic - When choosing garlic, make sure that the head of the garlic is tight and that the skin doesn’t easily flake off.

Peeled tomatoes – Every August, my family buys countless bushels of local New Jersey tomatoes and jars both ready-to-use tomato sauce and peeled tomatoes to last us through the year. However, there are some amazing canned tomatoes available out there. Choose a local brand that you trust or an imported DOP San Marzano tomato.

Judy’s recipe for fagioli all’uccelletto contemplates that you have pre-cooked your beans. She then makes a tomato sauce flavored with oil, garlic and sage and adds the beans to the sauce. My adaptation of her recipe adds the peeled tomatoes to the pot of just-cooked beans and simmers everything together until the tomatoes break down. I’ve tried both methods to incredible results – it just depends on which happens to be easier for you on a given night!

Fagioli all’uccelletto

Recipe by Majella Home Cooking as adapted from Judy Witts Francini

1 lb of dried Cannellini beans (I recommend Rancho Gordo Runner Cannellini)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the back of a knife
1 branch of fresh sage leaves
3 tablespoons of good-quality extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
1 tablespoon of sea salt
2 cups of of good-quality whole peeled canned tomatoes

Rinse the beans with cold water and place them in a heavy-bottomed stainless steel, cast-iron or clay pot. Add water to cover by an inch and allow the beans to soak overnight, but preferably for at least 24 hours. Without changing the water, add sage, olive oil and whole peeled garlic cloves, cover and allow to reach a slow rolling boil. (If the beans appear to have soaked up a lot of the water, add another cup or so of cold water before you start cooking). Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook slowly, with the lid sitting slightly askew. Stir frequently and be careful not to scorch the bottom. Cooking time will vary anywhere from 1.5 to 3 hours and will depend on the freshness of the beans. (Tasting is the only way to know that the dish is done.) Add salt in the last 10 minutes of cooking time (adding salt before then will make the beans tough.)

You can stop right here and simply drizzle some more olive oil and enjoy the beans with bread. However, to make these beans all’uccelletto, add 2 cups of whole peeled tomatoes directly to the pot of beans and allow them to cook over low heat until the tomatoes break down, about 20 minutes or so, stirring frequently. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with crusty bread. Buon appetito!

Spring Candles

Food History, Random Things, Recipes April 16, 2013 Comments: 7

Candele from Pastificio Faella in Gragnano, a town south of Naples and purportedly the birthplace of dried pasta-making. Pasta from Gragnano was awarded IGP status in 2010.

Last week, I ventured across the bridge to visit the Bronx warehouse of Gustiamo, a purveyor of artisanal Italian foods sourced from small producers that continue to stay true to traditional methods. I purchased several bottles of new harvest extra virgin olive oil and a rather intriguing package of 21-inch candele pasta produced by Pastificio Faella, a family business that has been making pasta since 1907. Candele, named for the long, thin white candles once used in liturgical processions in Southern Italy, are extruded through bronze dies and dried for a whopping 60 hours at a very low temperature. Prior to the emergence of modern machinery that facilitated the cutting of smaller shapes, all tubular and strand pasta, including candele and spaghetti, were left to dry in long forms and broken into smaller pieces prior to cooking.

Artisanal Faella pasta is available at http://www.gustiamo.com

The charming founder of Gustiamo, Beatrice Ughi, informed me that I was the first person to bring home the slightly rough-textured candele and assigned me the task of creating an Abruzzese-inspired recipe for this unique pasta shape. My initial thought was to prepare a spring lamb ragu’, but when I realized I’d forgotten to defrost a package of baby lamb that I had frozen from Easter, I decided to consult the brilliant Encyclopedia of Pasta by preeminent Italian food historian Oretta Zanini De Vita for inspiration:

“[C]andele is considered more or less synonymous with ziti or zite [but] the latter is the term most frequently adopted by the modern pasta factories. In reality, ziti are slightly thinner. Candele are broken up for the preparation of some typical dishes, such as timballi or pasticci with a crust.”

Taking my cue from Prof. De Vita, I foraged my refrigerator and created a baked spring pasticcio (quite literally, a mess) of asparagus, leeks, tomatoes and a blend of cheeses. Buon appetito!

Pasticcio di Candele agli Asparagi

Recipe by Majella Home Cooking ©

1 pound of candele pasta
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
3 leeks, trimmed, white and light green parts only
1 32-oz can of whole peeled tomatoes, crushed in the food processor or by hand
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb of mozzarella (I used what I’d characterize as a “semi-fresh” mozzarella. The texture and firmness were somewhere in between the processed Polly-O stuff and the still-quivering fresh mozzarella from my local Italian deli.)
3 large eggs (or 2 jumbo eggs)
2 lbs pencil-thin asparagus, ends “snapped” at their natural breaking point
1 pint of grape of cherry tomatoes, halved
A handful of torn basil leaves
1 cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Prepare Sauce and Filling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice leeks in half length-wise and rinse under cold water to remove the grit. Dry with a clean kitchen towel and chop crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces. In a heavy-bottomed pot or deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium-low heat until shimmering. Add leeks and a pinch of salt and stir frequently, until the leeks are soft and caramelized, about 8 minutes or so. Add the tomatoes and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, raise the heat to high and bring to a boil (slosh the bowl that contained the tomatoes with a half cup or so of water and add to the pot as well). Reduce the heat to medium low and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes, until slightly thickened. Turn off the heat and add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, add the mozzarella and eggs to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture becomes a creamy paste.

Cook Pasta

While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Break each candela into four equal pieces. Add the broken candele to the pot and allow to cook for 5 minutes. (The candele should be very al dente since they will continue to cook in the oven.) Thoroughly drain the pasta and drizzle with a bit of olive oil to prevent them from sticking while you’re assembling the pasticcio.

Assemble Pasticcio

Lightly grease a 9X13 ceramic or metal baking dish with butter or olive oil and ladle enough tomato sauce to coat the bottom. Insert an asparagus stalk in each candela and add the filled candele to the dish in a snug single layer, as pictured below, rolling in the sauce as you go.

Ladle additional sauce onto the candele layer until it is covered. Scatter half of the tomatoes and some of torn basil leaves onto the sauce.

Next, with a spatula, spread half of the mozzarella cheese mixture evenly over the sauce and sprinkle 1/3 cup of Parmigiano over it.

Repeat, layering again, first with the asparagus-filled candele, followed by the tomato sauce, then the tomatoes and basil and then the remaining mozzarella and another 1/3 cup of Parmigiano. Add a final thin layer of sauce and sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano on top.

Place the tray in the middle rack of the oven and allow to bake for about 35 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and the top of the pasticcio forms a nice golden crust. Remove from the oven and let “rest” for about 10 minutes prior to cutting. To serve, cut along the length of the candele, into rectangular servings consisting of two layers of six or so candele .

Buon appetito!

Pasticcio di Candele agli Asparagi

Ordering Information: You can order Faella candele and other exemplary Italian products at http://www.gustiamo.com.

Lucky Coins in a Hilltop Town

Food History, Musings & Anecdotes, Recipes April 14, 2013 Comments: 2

Zuppa di Lenticchie

Santo Stefano di Sessanio, host to the Let’s Blog Abruzzo conference that I’m attending in June (www.blogaway.org), is a quaint mountain village in Abruzzo that was largely abandoned when its impoverished inhabitants left in search of work in the years following World War II. In the early 1980s, a Danish developer launched Sextantio Albergo Diffuso, a hotel converted out of historic buildings with the intent of reviving and preserving the remote village and welcoming tourists without sacrificing its physical and cultural identity.

I was first introduced to Santo Stefano in the September 2004 issue of Gourmet magazine, which lauded Sextantio’s preservation efforts and extolled the virtues of the town’s primary crop, lentils. I finally visited the village last summer and while my middle son, Stefano, was thrilled to explore the labyrinth of narrow streets and tunnel-like passages of the town that shared his name, I was eager to finally sample its delicate lenticchie. I brought home several kilos of the tiny, extraordinarily tender legumes and enjoyed the last of my stash for a feast of cotechino con lenticchie to ring in the New Year (garlicky sausage over a bed of lentils traditionally enjoyed in Italy on New Year’s Eve to bring prosperity and fortune in the coming year. The lentils are said to represent the coins soon to befall all who consume the dish within an hour of midnight.)

The picturesque village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio

My son Stefano climbing the walls of Santo Stefano

The lentil is thought to have arrived in Santo Stefano at the time of the Roman settlement, Sextantia and derives from an old and rare species that is cultivated only in the poor terrain found high in the mountains. These tiny, dark brown legumes are iron-rich and have skins that don’t separate during cooking. The harvest generally occurs during the last weeks of August and the Sagra delle Lenticchie festival takes place in Santo Stefano every September.

My lentil soup recipe isn’t traditional to Santo Stefano di Sessanio, but is a great vehicle for small lentils. To my knowledge, lenticchie di Santo Stefano aren’t yet widely available outside of Italy, but Castelluccio lentils from Umbria or French Puy lentils are good substitutes.

Zuppa di Lenticchie

Recipe by Majella Home Cooking ©

3 salt-packed anchovies (see notes below for cleaning directions)
2 shallots or 1 red onion, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling at the end
10 cups of water
2 bay leaves
2 heaping cups of small lentils such as Castelluccio or Puy, rinsed and picked over
2 carrots, chopped
1 teaspoon of sea salt and several grindings of freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley

Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a heavy-bottomed stainless steel or enameled cast iron pot and set over medium-low heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the chopped anchovies to the oil, lower the heat and, stirring frequently, allow them to cook until they seem as if they’ve dissolved or become part of the oil. Add the shallots, celery and garlic and sauté until the vegetables become soft and golden (if the anchovies start to seem too “crunchy”, add ¼ cup of water to the mixture). Add the water, bay leaves, additional 2 tablespoons of olive oil, black pepper and the lentils and raise the heat to high. When the water comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low and allow to gently simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 20 minutes, add the carrots and salt and keep simmering for about 15-25 minutes more, tasting as it cooks to check for doneness. If the soup becomes too thick, add water a cup at a time (lentils absorb a lot of water, even after you’ve turned off the heat, so chances are, it will become too thick before it becomes too liquid.) When the lentils taste smooth and creamy, turn off the heat, adjust the salt and pepper, stir in the parsley and drizzle with your best olive oil (see notes below). Buon appetito!

Extra Two Cents: A peppery oil such as La Quagliera from Abruzzo would add a wonderful finishing touch to this rustic soup – http://www.gustiamo.com/cgi-bin/front_end/prodotto?id=76289). Also, homemade olive-oil croutons are a terrific accompaniment to the lentils – simply cut day-old bread into small cubes, drizzle with olive oil and toast in the oven at 375 degrees until they’re crunchy.

Preparing Anchovies: Hold the anchovies under cold running water and gently rub off the salt with your fingers. Pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels and transfer them to a cutting board. Using the tip of a sharp paring knife, make a small incision along the side and run your knife along the length of the anchovy. Gently peel back the top portion of the anchovy to reveal the backbone on the bottom portion. With the tip of your knife, gently remove the backbone and cut off the tail. Finely chop the anchovy fillets.

More Information about Santo Stefano: Here are a few other articles about Santo Stefano di Sessanio and its tasty lentils:

A Spring Secret Revealed

Musings & Anecdotes, Recipes April 2, 2013 Comments: 9

Polpette di Asparagi – a micro-regional specialty from my mom’s town of Caltabellotta, Sicily

There are certain recipes that I’m simply unwilling to share – my family’s large-batch jarred tomato sauce (my mother would kill me and besides, anyone crazy enough to do all that work in the late-summer heat has their own way of making sauce); family heirloom recipes for pizzelle (Nonna Irma’s waffle cookies from Abruzzo) and pasticciotti (Nani’s Sicilian jam or custard-filled pastries); my crostata di pignoli e miele and sticky balsamic ribs (best-sellers for my catering business – my clients might not call me for them anymore!); and my caponata and zuppa di farro e fagioli (I’m saving these for my cookbook one day!). I think my reasons for withholding these personal treasures are pretty legitimate, but there are a few recipes of which I am unreasonably protective, among them, my mother’s polpette di asparagi. The thought of others preparing these asparagus fritters honestly unsettles me a bit. There is nothing magical or transformative about them, but they are unique and unexpected. A specialty of my mother’s hometown of Caltabellotta, Sicily, where they’re made with the bountiful wild asparagus that grows in nearby meadows, most people who’ve tasted them tell us they’ve never had anything like it. Asparagus, eggs and breadcrumbs formed into patties, then pan-fried and simmered in tomato sauce, these incredibly moist polpette are yet another example of the simple genius of Southern Italy’s cucina povera. So in the spirit of Easter and in celebration of spring finally peeking through, I’m sharing with you (albeit with some hesitation) one of my most treasured and beloved family recipes. Buon appetito!

Polpette di Asparagi

Makes approx. 16 polpette

2 cups of thin asparagus (tough ends trimmed) cut into ¼ inch pieces
1½ cups breadcrumbs seasoned with a clove of minced garlic and a handful of fresh herbs of your choice (i.e., basil, parsley, mint)
6 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons of salt and several grindings of freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil for pan-frying
3 cups of homemade tomato sauce (I obviously use the aforementioned jarred sauce that we make every August)

Bring the tomato sauce to a gentle boil in a wide pot or deep sauté pan and maintain it at a low simmer. In a large bowl, combine the asparagus, breadcrumbs, eggs, salt and pepper until you have a wet mixture that is firm enough to stay together when you form the polpette. Heat 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Scoop up two tablespoons of the asparagus mixture into your hand and form an oval, slightly flattened patty. If the patty is too soft and won’t hold together, add another tablespoon or two of breadcrumbs to the mixture; if it feels too dense, add a few drops of milk. (You may want to fry your first polpetta before forming the others to make sure it holds.) Without overcrowding, add the patties to the shimmering oil and fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side (they should be nicely browned). Carefully remove each polpetta from the oil with a spatula and transfer them into the simmering tomato sauce. Repeat with the remaining mixture until all of the patties are in the sauce. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes, turn off the heat and allow the polpette to “rest” for a few minutes prior to serving. The polpette are just as good (if not better) the following day. Buon appetito!

Note: My mother and grandmother always made these polpette with these few simple ingredients. However, I imagine that the addition of chopped scallions or chives and grated Parmigiano would be delicious as well.

Torta al Testo

Food History, Musings & Anecdotes, Recipes March 26, 2013 Comments: 7

Torta al testo filled with stracchino and arugula

Torta al testo is a traditional flatbread sandwich from Umbria stuffed with vegetables, cheeses and cured meats. The torta is cooked on a heavy testo, a circular iron griddle placed directly on the stovetop (long ago, the disc was made from clay and placed over coals in the fireplace).

An iron “testo” or “panaro”

When I was a student in Perugia with about 10,000 Lira per day to spend on food (about $5 USD back in the pre-Euro days), I regularly frequented a hole-in-the-wall Forno on a narrow cobblestone street near the university that specialized in this savory regional specialty. Each day after classes, I ordered a torta al testo for lunch and brought it up to Corso Vanucci, the wide pedestrian-only promenade in the centro storico that was ideal for people-watching. My favorite filling for these fluffy, oiled flatbreads was peppery arugula , sweet pacchino tomatoes and creamy stracchino cheese. Last summer, during a mini-break from Abruzzo, we visited Umbria, and I returned to Perugia for the first time since 1997. I dragged my husband and three sons around the maze of backstreets behind the university for nearly half hour in search of my beloved Forno. I resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn’t find my old haunt, picked up some pizza al taglio for my hungry kids and set off for Gubbio, where we were staying for a few days. The next day, as we were exploring the lovely medieval town, I asked a local shopkeeper from whom I purchased a testo (called a panaro in Gubbio) where we could enjoy a good torta al testo (which, incidentally, is called crescia in Gubbio) for lunch. They sent us to Osteria dei Re, a charming osteria and wine bar with al fresco dining in a picturesque piazza, where we were treated to the torta al testo of my memories.

Here’s an easy recipe that you can prepare in your favorite well-seasoned cast-iron skillet. Prepare the dough in the morning and enjoy them for lunch or refrigerate the dough overnight and simply bring it to room temperature prior to griddling the flatbreads (the uncooked dough stays very well – How do I know this? Because I was in the process of making the flatbreads for a play-date luncheon when my five-year old broke his collarbone! The remainder of the dough went in the fridge and I prepared it the following day with his favorite filling of fresh mozzarella and tomatoes!). Once griddled, the flatbreads should be enjoyed very soon after you prepare them. They tend to become stale rather quickly. If you need to wait, wrap them tightly in plastic after they cool off and reheat in a whole oven prior to serving and filling. When this crazy Northeast weather finally warms up, I’ll try to cook them on the stone piastra I have for my outdoor grill.

Torta al Testo

Serves 4

For the Torta:

1 tsp. active dry yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. sea salt
2-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Ideas for fillings:

Stracchino or taleggio cheese and baby arugula
Sauteed greens (spinach, chicory, chard, broccoli rabe, etc.) with grilled or pan-fried sausage
Tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil
Grilled vegetables
Italian oil-packed tuna and sun-dried tomatoes
Speck and fontina
Prosciutto and shaved Parmigiano or mozzarella di bufala
Mortadella
Nutella and bananas (find me something with which Nutella doesn’t pair well!)

In a small bowl, stir together yeast and ½ cup of hot water. Let it sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Combine flour and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Stir 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the activated yeast mixture and with the food processor running, pour it in. Process until a dough forms (i.e., when the ingredients no longer adhere to the sides of the bowl – if the dough is too dry, add some additional cool water, one tablespoon at a time until this happens). Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a large oiled bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for about 1½ hours in a warm place.

Punch the dough down (the dough should have doubled in size) and divide it into two balls. Lightly flour one piece of dough and, using a rolling pin, roll it into a 9″ disc. Place the disc on a floured baking sheet, poke it all around with a fork (this will prevent too many air bubbles during cooking) and repeat with the remaining dough.

Rolled-out torta dough

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a 10-12″ cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Working in 2 batches, cook each dough disc, flipping occasionally, until light brown on each side, about 8-10 minutes total.

Griddling the torta

Lay one of the flatbreads on a cutting board, add your desired filling, place the other flatbread on top, and with a serrated knife, cut the torta into 8 wedges. Drizzle with a little bit more oil and serve.

Buon appetito!

Torta al testo with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella

Imperfect Little Ears

Food History, Musings & Anecdotes, Recipes March 22, 2013 Comments: 4

A few years ago, my family and I stayed at a masseria that sits on a vast olive grove in Puglia, between the lovely white city of Ostuni and the Adriatic Sea. The food was positively sublime; the accommodations, on the other hand, were of the more rustic variety. I think my husband and I will always remember it as the smallest hotel room ever to accommodate a family of five. (The antique lamp broken by our then four-year old son Mikey will likewise not be forgotten.) Every morning, we were treated to eggs collected from the property’s hen house and fried in the vibrant green olive oil produced by the farm. For dinner on our last night, Signora Anna prepared homemade orecchiette, Puglia’s famous little ears made of only semolina flour (which is made from Durum wheat, one of Puglia’s most important crops), salt and water, dressed in a sauce of tomatoes and olives from the farm. Nothing I say could ever do justice to that perfectly rustic dish. Throughout the meal, my husband and I shamelessly reminded our sons to leave room for dessert in order to dissuade them from eating too much of the pasta. The next morning, before check-out, I entreated la signora for a quick orecchiette tutorial and she was kind enough to demonstrate her dizzying “thumb-flicking” technique. I make many types of fresh pasta, but orecchiette are hands-down my favorite.

View of Ostuni, “La Citta’ Bianca” from the masseria

Orecchiette con le Cime di Rapa

Serves 6

Fresh orecchiette have a toothsome texture and unique hybrid flavor between dried and fresh pasta (they’re made from semolina, water and salt – eggs, once considered a luxury, are not used in traditional pasta-making in Puglia). The most classic preparation – and my personal favorite – for this quintessentially Pugliese pasta is to serve them with a condimento of broccoli rabe (also known as rapini or cima di rapa), garlic and anchovies, topped with toasted breadcrumbs (cheese was another luxury for Southern Italian peasants).

For the orecchiette:

1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
1½ teaspoons of sea salt
2½ cups semolina flour (or Durum wheat flour)
All-purpose flour for the work surface

For the condimento:

2 lbs broccoli rabe, stems trimmed, and cut into 2-inch pieces (leaves and florets)
5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing at the end
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
3-6 salt-packed anchovies (depending on how strong an anchovy flavor you’d like)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Toasted breadcrumbs or grated cheese for serving

MAKE ORECCHIETTE: Stir together water and salt in a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) until the salt has dissolved. Add semolina in a stream, beating with an electric mixer at medium speed until a stiff dough forms, about two minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly-floured (with all-purpose flour) work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. With a knife, divide dough into 10 pieces and cover with a large overturned bowl for at least 30 minutes. Line 4 trays with a dry kitchen towel (not terry cloth) dusted with semolina. Leaving the remainder of the dough covered, roll one piece of dough into a long rope about ¾ inch thick. Cut the rope into ¼ inch pieces. Dust your thumb with some flour and press down on each piece of dough, pushing away from you and twisting (flicking) your thumb slightly to form an indented curled shape like a little ear. Transfer formed orecchiette to the lined trays and repeat with remaining dough. Allow the orecchiette to dry for at least 30 minutes before cooking or freezing. (They freeze extremely well. Place the trays directly in the freezer and transfer the orecchiette to ziploc bags.)

Shaped orecchiette

PREPARE ANCHOVIES: Hold the anchovies under cold running water and gently rub off the salt with your fingers. Pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels and transfer them to a cutting board (preferably not a wooden board so that the smell won’t permeate the wood). Using the tip of a sharp paring knife, make a small incision along the bottom side and run your knife along the length of the anchovy. Gently peel back the top portion of the anchovy to reveal the backbone on the bottom portion. With the tip of your knife, gently remove the backbone and cut off the tail. Finely chop the anchovy fillets or mash them to a paste in a mortar and pestle.

If the flavor of salt-packed anchovies is too strong for you, you can soak them in milk for a few hours in the refrigerator after rinsing them to remove the salt. Rinse the anchovies again to remove the milk before filleting them.

MAKE CONDIMENTO: Set olive oil over medium-low heat in a wide skillet until shimmering. Add the cloves of garlic, stirring occasionally until the garlic is browned on all sides. Remove the garlic from the oil and discard or reserve for another use. Add the chopped anchovies to the oil, lower the heat and, stirring frequently, allow them to cook until they seem as if they’ve dissolved or become part of the oil. Turn off the heat and add the crushed red pepper, if you’re using it. Reserve until you’re ready to dress the pasta.

Salt-packed anchovies

COOK AND DRESS THE ORECCHIETTE: Place a large pot of salted water to boil. When the water has reached an active boil, shake the excess flour from the orecchiette in a colander, add the pasta to the pot and return to a boil. (Meanwhile, set the skillet containing the anchovies over medium-low heat.) With a ladle, reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water (even if you don’t use it all). After the pasta has cooked for 4 minutes, add the broccoli rabe to the pasta pot and allow them to cook for one minute. Drain the pasta and greens and add them to the skillet that contains the anchovies, along with about ½ cup of the pasta cooking water (or more if it appears too dry). Toss well and allow it to simmer for about minute. Turn off the heat and transfer to a large serving bowl. Drizzle with some more olive oil and serve with grated cheese or toasted breadcrumbs. Buon appetito!

Majella Home Cooking

Category Archives: Recipes

Summertime Stuzzicare

Tagliatelle di Farro for the Seasons

Risotto – A Cautionary Tale

Elevation

Spring Candles

Lucky Coins in a Hilltop Town

A Spring Secret Revealed

Torta al Testo

Imperfect Little Ears

About Majella Home Cooking

Michelle Capobianco

Majella Home Cooking

Follow Blog via Email

Recent Posts

Archives

Browse by category

Blogs I Follow

Majella Home Cooking

Follow “Majella Home Cooking”

Category Archives: Recipes

Please Share:

Like this:

Please Share:

Like this:

Please Share:

Like this:

Please Share:

Like this:

Please Share:

Like this:

Please Share:

Like this:

Please Share:

Like this:

Please Share:

Like this:

Please Share:

Like this:

Please Share:

Like this:

About Majella Home Cooking

Majella Home Cooking

Follow Blog via Email

Recent Posts

Archives

Browse by category

Blogs I Follow

Follow “Majella Home Cooking”