Mardi Gras Muffaletta Fritters

If Trombone Shorty had a taste, this would be it, baby!

Packs the flavor punch of a muffaletta in one little bite!

Legends From Europe, Market Basket Recipe Contest: Parmigiano Reggiano Torta Primavera

A taste of Emilia-Romagna!

"LEGENDS from EUROPE" Herbed Parmigiano Reggiano Fritters with Balsamic Reduction Dipping Sauce

Made with real Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese from Italy

"LEGENDS from EUROPE" Recipe Contest Winner!!! ~ Parmigiano Reggiano Gnudi with Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomato

Bisnonna Elvira's Italian flag Gnudi!  Mangiamo tutti!

Fettuccini with Smoky Sausage Ragu Bolognese

I am a sucker for an old-school Bolognese sauce, so for the sake of variety, I took the classic Bolognese sauce and amplified it's flavor by adding hot Italian sausage. The pairing of sausage and pancetta works beautifully together, and gives a smoky undertone by using the pancetta as the cooking fat and threading that smokiness throughout the sauce. 

The classic soffrito triumverates: (carrots, celery, onion) melt into the tomato paste and olive oil, and brings a little sweetness to the table. A little white wine adds the right amount of acidity and keeps the other flavors nimble and pronounced, while the addition of milk further enriches the sauce.  

All ingredients are thoughtfully balanced, but the standout is the spicy, sausage.  The hot Italian sausage and smokiness is what elevates this classic dish from typical to exceptional. The finished dish is hearty, vibrant and fragrant, making your house smell like an Italian Nonna's in 20 minutes!  I promise you!  But don't serve it up just yet! Letting this sauce simmer for at least an hour and a half renders the meat so tender, it nearly melts in your mouth!

Normally, I make this Bolognese sauce with two pounds of hot Italian sausage, but I would recommend making a bigger batch as the sauce will reappear in different guises throughout the week. Stir into polenta, into risotto, use in a lasagna, manicotti, stuffed shells, as a bruschetta topping, or on a pizza... or just eat it directly out of the pot! 

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Try Smoky Bolognese topping for pizza!

2 tablespoons of butter
1 cup of carrot, fine chopped
1 cup of onion,fine chopped
1 rib of celery, fine chopped

3 garlic cloves, pushed through garlic press
2 pounds of ground hot Italian sausage
1 smoked pork shank
5 ounces of pancetta, finely diced (or, bacon)
1/3 cup of tomato paste
1 cup of whole milk
1 cup of dry white wine
Sea salt and cracked pepper
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for grating
1 pound of fettuccini pasta

PREPARATION:

1.) In a Dutch oven or, heavy bottom large sauce pan, heat the olive oil and butter on medium heat. Add the pancetta and allow to get a bit crispy.

2.) Add the carrots, onions, celery and garlic and sweat down for about 15 minutes, until vegetables are translucent, but not browned.

3.) Add the ground sausage and stir to incorporate with the vegetables and pancetta. Turn the heat up to high and continue to stir so the sausage gets nicely browned.

4.) Add the tomato paste, milk, wine and stir to incorporate.

5.) Add the smoked pork shank and allow to simmer (covered) for a 2 to 2 1/2 hours.  Season the ragu with salt and pepper.

6.) Remove the pork shank from the sauce. Allow to cool a bit. By hand, remove any remnants of pork from the bone to add to the sauce enhance the ragu’s smokiness. Discard the bone.

COOK'S NOTES:
Before serving, cook one pound of fettuccini pasta  el dente.  Do not over cook pasta; the sauce is very hearty, and the pasta needs to have a nice “tooth” to it.  Toss desired amount of the ragu with the pasta and top with grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.


Buon Appetito!

Gorgonzola & Sausage Risotto Stuffed Peppers

This photograph was featured as the headliner piece for the Today Show's Blog, "Bites."

http://bites.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/02/10561275-feast-your-eyes-italian-eats-and-sweet-treats

Scacciata: Brooklyn Salumeria Pizza with a Rosemary Fra Diavolo Crust

A stuffed, Brooklyn Salumeria-style pizza

Growing up in New York State, you get used to certain aromas that waft through a neighborhood. On the corner of my old street in Brooklyn, was a century-old, Italian salumeria, where the barrels of different olives greeted you upon entering, and hanging overhead, were, what seemed like, hundreds of salami links, just hanging from the ceiling like air fresheners. The different aromas were very alluring and intoxicating.

If you are fortunate enough to have such a salumeria in your town, I suggest that this be the place you buy all your spices, olive oil, imported cheeses, prosciutto, grissini, etc.  If no such establishment exists in your town, it is well worth the drive to the next town.  Heck, I would walk  miles to get quality charcuterie!

This pizza I created, is a tribute to that old salumeria that I loved so much. The crust is crisp and rich with a garlic-olive oil, perfumed with fresh rosemary, and strikes just the right balance of heat from the chili pepper flakes. The smoked provolone cheese offers just the right amount of smokiness that compliments the salami, but the flavored crust is definitely the star of the show. And, as anyone in Brooklyn will tell you, it's all about the crust!

This is, definitely, a pizza with a strong conviction. The passions and flavors of the Italian salumeria are successfully translated through this rustic pie.

Rosemary & pepper flakes add depth to the crust

• CRUST:
• 1- 4 ounce package of Fleischmann's Pizza Crust Yeast    
• 1 3/4- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup of semolina flour, plus more for dusting
• 2/3 cups of very warm water (120-125 degrees)
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1/2 salt
• 2 tablespoons of finely-chopped rosemary
• 2 teaspoons of red chili pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 
  
• PIZZA TOPPING & FILLING:
• 20 large slices of Genoa salami
• 1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes pieces
• 1/4 cup of calamata olives
• 1/4 cup of capers
• 1 1/2 cups smoked provolone cheese (or slices)
• 1/2 cup of grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil                           

Homemade sun-dried tomatoes with garlic

 PREPARATION:
 **Preheat oven to 550 degrees and place oven rack on the very bottom of the oven with pizza stone. **

FOR THE CRUST: Combine 1 cup of all-purpose flour, semolina flour, undissolved yeast, rosemary, red chili pepper flakes, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Combine very warm water (120-125 degrees), and oil; add to flour mixture. Mix until well blended (about a minute). Gradually, add the remaining flour and form a ball (it will be a bit sticky). Transfer dough ball to a floured surface and knead until smooth (about 4 minutes.) Cut dough ball in half with a pastry cutter. With a rolling pin, roll out one of the dough halves into a very thin 15x8 inch rectangle. Transfer that rectangle to a parchment-lined pizza peel.

Vine tomatoes from my garden ready for sun-roasting

FOR THE TOPPING & FILLING: Scatter 3/4 cup of the shredded smoked provolone cheese on the dough leaving a 1/2 inch border around the perimeter. Next, place the salami slices in rows on top of the cheese until all the cheese is covered (you may overlap.) Scatter remaining smoked provolone cheese on top of the salami slices. Roll out the other piece of dough (top crust) into a very thin rectangle of the same size. Place the dough over the top of the salami & cheese-topped dough and pinch along the perimeter to seal the dough. Set aside and allow to proof for 10 minutes. After proofing, drizzle the crust with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, then, top with sun-dried tomato pieces and scatter the capers, olives and the grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Bake on pizza stone for 12 -15 minutes, until golden brown.



Nota bene-  The top crust may puff up a bit, but it will relax once it is removed from the oven and rests for a few minutes. If it puffs too much, just pierce with a knife to release the steam.  Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (optional).

Siciliano Pasta e Caponata

Made with eggplants from my very own garden!

Caponata is typically a sailor's dish of eggplant and chopped vegetables steeped in oil and vinegar and served as an appetizer. I combined this traditional Sicilian dish with my homemade marinara and served it with pasta. I love orrecchiette for this dish because it has a nice tooth to it and captures the body of the caponata perfectly, without being dominated by it. Great marriage!

INGREDIENTS:

*4 cups chopped eggplant, (about 2 medium, chopped into ½ inch cubes )
*1  28 ounce can of San Marzano crushed  plum tomatoes
*1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, divided
*1 medium yellow onion, chopped
*3 ounces of Gorgonzola cheese (crumbled)
*6 cloves garlic, minced  (4 for caponata, 2 for  marinara sauce)

Fairytale Eggplants from my garden,  2011

*2 tablespoons capers, drained
*1/4 cup lightly toasted pine nuts
*1 tablespoon, natural cane sugar

*1/3 cup red wine vinegar
*3-4 basil leaves, torn
*1/4  teaspoon, plus additional ¼ teaspoon of sea salt
 * Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for topping
* ¼ teaspoon of chili pepper flakes
*1/2 cup green Sicilian olives, minced for garnish
* 1 pound of orrecchiette pasta

PREPARATION:

1.)Toss chopped eggplant with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of sea salt.

2) In a large sauté pan laced with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat, sauté eggplant, onion, and 4 cloves of garlic until onions are translucent, about 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add capers, pine nuts, sugar, vinegar.  Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until eggplant is tender and melding together.

3.)While caponata is developing, in a large pot, heat extra-virgin olive with the remaining  2 minced garlic cloves and red chili pepper flakes  on low heat for about a minute. This infuses the garlic and pepper  into the oil before you add the tomatoes.

4.)Add the crushed tomatoes and  ¼ teaspoon of  sea salt.  Allow to simmer on very low heat for about 5 minutes.

5.)In a large pot with salted water, cook the orrecchiette pasta until el dente.

6.) While pasta is cooking, toss the caponata into the pot of marinara sauce, add the torn basil and mix thoroughly.

7.)Turn off heat and stir in the gorgonzola cheese.

8.)Drain pasta and toss in to the caponata and sauce mixture. Garnish with grated cheese and Sicilian green olives.

Savory Port Wine Tarte Tartin

                      2nd Place Winner for Valley Fig Growers Photo Contest, 2012

 A tarte tartin is a beautiful way to showcase the fig's beautiful colors and shapes. This rustic, French, "Savory Port Wine Fig Tarte Tartin" coaxes luxury out of everyday ingredients you probably already have around the pantry. Poaching the halved, dry Calimyrna figs in Port Wine lends a little acidity to the figs and serves to cut through the richness of the goat cheese filling. The addictive combination of the figs, toasted walnuts, goat cheese, and French Bayonne ham is tucked into a rich, buttery puffed pastry crust and baked until golden brown. It's charm is a bit rustic and romantic, and this recipe bends readily to adaptation with the use of different cheeses, wines, or other add-ins. All of the components are thoughtfully balanced in flavor and texture, and compliment each other well, but the real stand-out is the flavor of the chewy, Calimyrna figs.