a momentary lapse of disconnect & A Jerk

Tags

Jamaican Jerk, Jamaican jerk chicken, jerk, jerk chicken, jerk rub, zeppole di San Giuseppe

Oh, my beloved blog, how I have missed you! And all of you, my blogging friends. It’s been a while.

It seems that my life is destined to go down a different path than the one I was on. Not a path chosen by me, and quite a challenging one at that. In the last few months since my last post, my world has been turned upside down. Literally. And when I look back at the topic of my last post, it was about LOVE. It was about hearts. And funnily enough, what led to my total disconnect with the blogging world, with life itself, was my heart. My heart shattering into a million little pieces. My heart, which for just a brief moment, stopped beating.

My daughters, those two precious beings. How did I create such fierce little creatures? Two amazing young girls with so much love, so much empathy. And so brave! If there was ever question to my parenting skills, they are proof that I have done well.

After a harsh and brutal winter, spring. Thank goodness it’s finally here! With its arrival comes a new beginning, new life. Rebirth. Soon, the sun will begin to warm our bodies and souls, and we will live again. I will return to my kitchen and create. I will nurture our souls with food. Fresh foods. Light and healthy foods. Foods which will make us happy again.

Someone told me the other day that whatever my dad did when I was a broken little girl, after my mom died, has made me the strong person that I am today. Resilient. Capable of overcoming and flourishing. That comment brought to mind what an exemplary father he was. My dad. So on March 19th, Father’s Day in Italy, also known as La Festa di San Giuseppe, the girls and I made Zeppole di San Giuseppe to honour him. In honour of him and all the exemplary fathers out there. I had made these yummy zeppole di San Giuseppe last year for this very occasion, and having gone the healthy route last year by baking the dough in the oven and filling them with a custard cream, this year I opted to fry these little babies, just the way my dad loved them. Fried zeppole, a Neopolitan specialty. I made a delicious ricotta cheese filling to stuff them with. Perfect for soothing our souls!

And now, about The Jerk. What can I say? Not much really, except that if you’ve never had Jamaican Jerk before, you really should give it a try. Perfect for marinating meat or fish, a jerk is a heat-punched rub or wet marinade made up of many ingredients, with the two key ingredients being the allspice berry and scotch bonnet peppers. You can use jalepeños if scotch bonnets are hard to come by. After perusing a variety of recipes, I noticed that thyme can also be a key ingredient to a Jamaican Jerk. An important element to cooking a jerk is the type of wood it’s grilled over. In Jamaica, it’s usually grilled over pimento wood, the tree which gives us the allspice berry, or sweet wood, the jamaican name for the laurel tree, from which we get our bay leaves. As it’s highly unlikely that I would find either of these woods here in Montreal, I soaked some fresh bay leaves in water and spread them over the grill, with the chicken spread over the bay leaves. You can absolutely cook a jerk in the oven, but seeing as spring is here I thought it the perfect occasion to fire up the barbecue and grill it. A jerk on the barbie. Perfect!

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Jerk Rub/Marinade

2 scotch bonnet or jalepeño peppers, or 1 if less heat is desired, seeded & chopped

4 green onions, chopped

4 tablespoons of ground allspice

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon of grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 piece of ginger, about 2 teaspoons, chopped

4 or 5 bay leaves, crumbled

Fresh thyme leaves, 2 or 3 teaspoons

2 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil

1 whole chicken, cut-up, or your favourite chicken pieces, about 2 pounds

Add all of the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until a smooth paste is formed. You may need to add a few more drops of oil. Rub the marinade over the chicken pieces, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

 

Soak an entire package of fresh bay leaves in some water at least 1 hour prior to grilling. When ready to barbecue, spread the leaves over the grill and lay the chicken over the top. Grill the meat until done and voila! You’ve got a fiery hot Jamaican Jerk!

 

 

Beef Stroganoff

Tags

beef stew, beef stroganoff, classic Russian dish, egg noodles with stew, mushroom stew, porcini mushrooms, Sochi Olympics, stew

I love the Olympics! LOVE! Ever since I was a young child, I remember thinking how special they were. Was it because they only happened every four years? Or was it because it seemed like the whole wide world had their eye on this one special event, together, united. Wasn’t it the Beijing Olympics whose theme was “One World, One Dream”? Perhaps this is why I always seem to shed a few tears as I watch the Olympics. Including the Opening Ceremony! It never fails. For this one moment, the world comes together as one, ignoring all boundaries, regardless of race, religion, social class or political stance. Yes, we support our country, but we also unite, in search of that one outstanding performance. We’re all waiting with baited breath for that elite athlete to do the unthinkable, no matter what country they represent. I remember during the Summer Olympics two years ago, my cousins were visiting from Italy. They knew the exact day of the men’s 100 and 200 metre race. That day, everyone was running in and out of the cottage, glancing at the TV screen, making sure not to miss the event. We all wanted to see that one man, just as the entire world did as well, Usain Bolt. Oh, and what a day that was! And of course, I cried. My girls don’t get it. “But mama, they won! Why are you crying?” So in honour of the Opening Ceremony this Friday of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games, how about a classic Russian dish to celebrate the occasion.

Seeing as I have quite the stash of dried porcini mushrooms, I thought I’d add some to this dish, along with its soaking liquid. An extra depth of flavour wouldn’t hurt this one bit. If you haven’t got them on-hand, no worries. You can do without.

Instead of using just cream and making it super rich, I lightened it up a tad with some thick yogurt. The egg noodles could be any variety. Egg tagliatelle or linguine would work beautifully. I chose what I knew my girls would like best.

Beef Stroganoff 

large handful of dried porcini mushrooms, about 1 oz.

2 lb. of stewing beef

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons of butter

salt & pepper

1 large Spanish onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of Hungarian Paprika

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

2 or 3 Bay leaves

3 cups of beef stock, or 4 if not using dried Porcini mushrooms

Porcini liquid, about 1 cup

½ cup of red wine

½ lb. of button mushrooms, cut in ½

½ cup of thick yogurt

½ cup of 35% cream

½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 lb. of egg noodles

sour cream for serving, optional

Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in hot water for about 15 minutes. Chop the porcini and reserve the liquid.

The stewing beef usually comes in pieces that are way too big, and not always evenly cut. Cut them in half, perhaps even more, so that you have pieces that are more or less 1 to 1½ inches all around. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a large casserole over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and butter. When hot, brown the meat in 2 batches, for about 3 or 4 minutes. Remove and transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium and add the onions. Cook for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the porcini and cook for 1 or 2 minutes. Add the beef pieces and any juices in the plate. Add the paprika and stir.

Add the porcini liquid, beef stock, wine, tomato paste, dijon and bay leaves. Give it a good stir, bring to a simmer and cover. Let it cook for 2½ to 3 hours, until the beef pieces are nice and tender. Mine was ready after 2½ hours. At that point, add the button mushrooms and allow them to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the cream and yogurt. Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley.

Cook the egg noodles. When ready, strain and return to its cooking pot. Add some butter to the noodles, stir, and set aside until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, add some noodles to a dish or bowl and ladle the beef stroganoff over the top. If you like, you can add a dollop of sour cream and garnish with additional fresh parsley. Priyatnogo appetite! That’s Bon Appetit in Russian. I think! Go Team Canada!

Dinner on the Table with a Little Help from my Blogger Friends

Tags

beef, beef & broccoli, beef stew, beer stew, caramelized onions, cauliflower soup, cheesy cauliflower soup, chicken, Guinness stew, oriental beef & broccoli, stew

This past week has been somewhat challenging for me in terms of getting dinner on the table. If it were up to me, I’d be happy with a bowl of cafè-latte and some toasted baguette slices slathered with some salty butter to dunk into my hot drink. I’d even settle with a bowl of cereal topped with banana slices or berries. But what kind of mother would I be if that was indeed what I served my girls? Oh, not to mention hubby’s reaction! So, I turned to my blogger friends for some inspiration. The only criteria was that there were few ingredients involved, and it had to be simple and quick.

The week started off with this fast and simple Beef and Broccoli, thanks to Conor over at One Man’s Meat. This is a favourite of both my girls when we do take out. His recipe is actually called Easy Oriental part 8 – Take out the take-out with Beef and Broccoli. And Conor delivered. Served with fragrant Jasmine rice, it was easy indeed and oh-so-better than take-out any day!

The next evening featured Caramelized Onion Herbed Chicken from Bam’s Kitchen. I have to admit, Bam had me at caramelized onion! Served alongside some mashed potatoes, this chicken was tender, juicy, delicious, and so simple! How good does that look? And it tastes even better!

Hump Day was a real bummer. Being out and about most of the day, I came home with a chill I just couldn’t shake. A lie down under a warm and cozy blanket didn’t do it. So I turned to Sandra, over at Please Pass the Recipe, and her Cheesey Cauliflower Soup.  Served with broiled baguette slices topped with sharp cheddar, this flavourful soup was cheesy, velvety, comforting! Oh, that did the trick all right. All warmed up after that yumminess!

On the menu for last night’s dinner was Spezzatino di manzo alla birra, pere e mostarda. Oh all right! I’ll give you the English version, although I think it sounds fabulous in Italian. Beef stew with beer, pears and mustard. You will even find the French version of Margherita’s stew over at La petite casserole. I used that gorgeously black Guinness beer for this stew. Served with smashed red and yellow baby potatoes with a little butter, this out-of-this world stew was fantastic! Oh-so-flavoursome and just perfect!

So, thank you my friends for helping me feed my family in a proper manner. And now you must be wondering what I’ve got planned for dinner on this final day of a most difficult week? Why, left-overs of course. After all, it’s Friday! Have yourselves a wonderful weekend!

My Dad’s Risotto con Porcini

Tags

mushroom risotto, porcini mushroom risotto, porcini mushrooms, risotto, risotto con porcini, vegetarian risotto

Having been pretty much raised by my dad, most of what I know about Neopolitan food comes from him. My mom passed away when I was 8 years old, which left my father to raise 3 children on his own. Having lived most of his life being cared for by either his own mother or his wife, he suddenly found himself on the other side of the table. Not knowing much about cooking, he had no choice but to jump in blindly and make sure we were fed. And fed we were!

He was an amazing cook. Truly. I can clearly remember his oh, so delicious stuffed peppers, which to this day I cannot seem to recreate. Perhaps I’m chasing a futile memory. And his lasagne. He would wake up early Sunday morning to make his tomato sauce. Then he would patiently roll tiny little meatballs to fill his lasagne with. Out of this world! I’m not sure how he managed to make such delicious food and I was too young to realize at the time what an undertaking this must have been for him. Fortunately, he was able to retire in his early 40’s to take care of me. I say fortunately, but it did come at a price. Having left Italy after World War II to work in the coal mines of Belgium, he was able to receive a substantial Belgian pension all because of his sick lungs.

One of my favourite dishes that my dad made was his Risotto con funghi Porcini. Porcini mushroom risotto. I’m not sure how he came to make such a delicious Northern Italian dish, but oh man it was good! So much so that I would request that dish as my birthday meal time and time again. It was the last birthday meal he made for me, when I was pregnant with my first, before he passed away. In my mind, I never imagined my dad not being there. I took it for granted that he would always make his risotto for me and therefore I never learned how he made it. Lucky for me though, my hubby did. Hubby would sit at the kitchen table and watch my father make his risotto. He watched and took notes of everything my dad did, timing his every move. And I am ever so thankful. It was hubby who took over with the making of this favourite dish of mine. There were many birthdays that I requested this dish and hubby came through every time. Funny thing is, I never made this dish myself. I can’t explain why. It’s my comfort dish. And I think it was all the more comforting because it was made by my dad, and then my hubby. Last night, I finally came around and decided to have a go at it. And you wouldn’t believe what hubby said. “Wow! It’s better than the one I make. Your dad would be really proud!”.

My Dad’s Risotto con Porcini

4 or 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, minced

2 or 3 shallots, minced

Dry porcini mushrooms, a small handful

2 cups of Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice

½ cup or so of white wine

6 to 7 cups of chicken stock, warm

1 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, maybe a little more

Salt & pepper to taste

A few notes on the ingredients. You can use frozen porcini if they’re available, although I found them to be nowhere as flavourful as the dried porcini. If you’re lucky enough to have fresh porcini where you live, by all means use them.

I mentioned 6 to 7 cups of warm chicken stock. Because I use the soaking water of the porcini mushrooms, which I encourage you to do seeing as all the mushroom flavour is in there, I really only needed about 6 cups of stock. My theory when it comes to cooking with wine: use one good enough that you would drink. Trust me when I say there’s nothing better than having a glass of wine while making this risotto as you pretty much need to hover over it and constantly be stirring. It’s really not that bad if you’re sipping a good wine! My dad made his own wine and therefore used his, which was a heavy-bodied wine. I use whatever white wine I have on-hand, which this time around happened to be a BC Chardonnay from the Okanagan Valley, Mission Hill.

Begin by soaking the dry porcini mushrooms in a small bowl with about 3/4 cup to 1 cup of warm water. Let soak for about 15 minutes and then chop the mushrooms, reserving the mushroom water.

In a medium-sized pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onion and shallots. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, and then add the rice, stirring, ensuring that it gets coated with oil.

After about 3 minutes, add the white wine and stir. Wait until it has been absorbed by the rice, and then add the mushroom water. Once that has been absorbed, begin to add the warm chicken stock, ½ cup at a time. My ladle holds about ½ of liquid so it worked out perfectly. As you add your ½ cup of stock, you do need to keep stirring. I mean you need to constantly keep stirring, until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue to add ½ cup of stock at a time, stirring constantly, until the rice mixture is creamy and al dente. This will happen after about 6 cups of stock, but do check it after 5 ½ cups.

Once it’s done, al dente, remove from heat and stir in the parmesan. Check for salt and season with pepper. Serve immediately, sprinkled with freshly grated parmigiano over the top. Oh, so cheesy-creamy yummy! Mmmm!

Panino con Salsiccia

Tags

Italian homemade sausage, Italian panini, Italian sandwiches, panini, rapini, sandwiches, sausage sandwich

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your loved ones, filled with good cheer, lots of laughter and loads of great food! I am slowly getting my mojo back. In the kitchen, that is. I seem to be having a difficult time getting back into the groove of cooking. I’m afraid that all the pre-Christmas preparations have left me knackered. I just had to use that word! It’s all good though. I’m hanging out with my girls, reading, watching movies, listening to music. We are eating, just not long, thought-out meals. Simple foods. Like this panino with Italian sausage. Oh, not just any sausage either. It’s the Bartolini sausage. I referred to this sausage briefly in the Orecchiette con Rapini e Salsiccia post. It was a side-note in that dish, with rapini the real star. This time, the star is the Bartolini Sausage.

Ages ago, I received the Kitchenaid attachments for making sausage. Hubby was hoping I would follow in my Italian ancestor’s footsteps and make some homemade sausage. All of those attachments have yet to be unwrapped from its packaging, let alone used for making sausages. But then I came across John’s recipe over at from the Bartolini kitchens. Simple, delicious and, most importantly, no casings! How great is that? Pork, spicy pancetta, garlic infused white wine, salt pepper and fennel seeds. I gotta have fennel seeds in my sausage. And that’s it. You’ve got yourselves some delicious makings for Italian sausage.

I had used some of it for my orecchiette dish and then froze the remainder into various shapes. And was I ever thankful to find them in my freezer once my mojo in the kitchen had gone.

As I look at that photo with the sausages laid out, I can’t help but be reminded of an Eskimo Inukshuk. I grilled them on the BBQ, with big, light snowflakes falling down upon me from the sky. Sipping a glass of wine. It was a lovely evening for my first-ever barbie in the wintertime.

Foraging through the fridge, I came up with a few goodies to add to these tasty little sausages, making this panino a meal in itself. Bumba Calabrese, a spicy sauce with Porcini mushrooms from Calabria, gorgeous spicy marinated eggplant from Italy, and my all-time favourite panino filling, rapini. Eat as is or grill it, it’s up to you. Now how’s that for a simple dinner?

Orecchiette con Rapini e Salsiccia

Tags

homemade Italian sausage, Italian sausage, orecchiette and rapini, pasta with rapini, rapini

It’s been mad around here lately.  Has December been crazy for you too? Please forgive my blatant neglect with regards to your blog posts.  Between preparing foods for a dinner party of 24 people, cooking a light lunch for 100, baking cookies and goodies for bake sales, organizing a book fair and a holiday lunch for teachers and staff at my daughter’s school, planning a cookie exchange party, cooking and baking for gift baskets, and a health issue which sometimes leaves me bedridden, life has been somewhat overwhelming for me lately. And I’ve left out a number of things.  Who else has been suffering from all this craziness? My family.  Not being able to cook up some homemade goodness has left us all grumpy.  Oh, how I wish some of you lived close by!

Well, I did manage a meal here and there, and with a little help from my friend John over at from the Bartolini kitchens, I made Italian sausage for the first time ever.  And not just any sausage. Simple and yummy Bartolini Sausage.  It doesn’t get any easier than John’s recipe as there aren’t any casings involved.  How great is that?

I added strong pancetta rather than mild to the meat mixture, to give it a little zing.  And I also added whole fennel seeds.  I just love the taste of fennel in Italian sausage.  I used this recipe in two ways and in this post I will show you how I used it in my Orecchiette and Rapini dish.

First, rapini.  LOVE!  One of the most popular greens in Italy.  Also known as broccoli rabe in America, if you’ve never tried it, you really should!  Rapini comes to us from the mustard family, with some referring to it as mustard greens.  With spiked leaves and little green buds that resemble broccoli, it is not at all related to broccoli.  It is a close relative of the turnip family and its flavour is characteristically pungent and bitter.  Not only is it yummy, it’s good for you too.  It has amazing health benefits such as cancer-fighting properties, keeping bones strong, lowering the risk of heart disease, and improving insulin sensitivity.  A cool weather vegetable at its best in the Fall, Winter and early Spring, when buying rapini look for leaves and buds that are crisp and dark green.  You don’t want any yellowing leaves nor yellow flowers on the buds.

My dad always prepared rapini simply.  Sautéd with olive oil and garlic. Served with steak or liver sausage, or added to cooked orecchiette pasta. My fave!  So this time, because my caveman is constantly demanding where the meat is if I should present a meatless dish, I served it up with crumbled sausage.  Here’s how you can do it too.

Ingredients

1 package of Orecchiette pasta

1 lb. of sausage, casings removed if you haven’t made your own

2 or 3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 package of rapini, rinsed under cold water

Salt

Cook the sausage meat in a fry pan until done.  Set aside.  Boil some water and cook the “little ears”.  That’s what they resemble, no?  And that’s exactly what orecchitte means in Italian.

Prepare the rapini.  The stems are rather tough and I remove about 1/3 to 1/2 of them.  With the remaining stems, I crush them with the side of my butcher’s knife, to bruise them all up and render them tender after cooking. Otherwise, the rapini will be perfectly done but the stems will remain tough.

Over medium heat, add olive oil to you frying pan and when hot, add the garlic.  Cook for about a minute and then add the rapini.  Your pan will be rather full, but only for a few minutes.  It will wilt down to almost nothing. That’s why I always prepare two batches.  Add some salt and toss. After a few minutes, once they’ve wilted down quite a bit, add a lid and allow the water from the rinsed rapini to help cook them.  If they begin to dry out, add a splash of water.  They should be done after about 5 minutes.

Once your pasta has been drained, return to the pot and add the cooked sausage and rapini.  Give the whole thing a good toss and serve.  Sprinkle some Pecorino Romano on top and Buon Appetito!

A Canadian Thanksgiving with my fellow bloggers

Tags

Canadian Thanksgiving, cheese pudding, chocolate caramel sauce, quinoa pea fritters, roasted pears, smoked beef brisket, Zebra Cake

I mentioned in my last post that this past Monday was our Canadian Thanksgiving. We were going to celebrate at the cottage with a Sunday evening dinner, having my in-laws over, along with my brother and nephew. Thanksgiving dinner for 8.

Seeing as my brother and nephew were arriving for Sunday lunch, I needed to plan for that as well. On the lunch menu were these gorgeous and amazingly delish Quinoa Pea Fritters, from Leah over at sharing the food we love. Mine were nowhere as gorgeous as hers, but I bet they were just as scrumptious! Served with a tomato salad, some Italian cheeses and crusty bread, it was just right.

And for dessert, this luscious Cheese Pudding, from Erika over at TEA WITH ERIKA. Not as high and pretty as hers, but Oh! So divine! I cheated by doubling up the slices and made them look just like Erika’s! Creamy, milky, yummy!

Now, onto dinner. Wanting to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and wishing to extend the BBQ season, I decided to try smoking a beef brisket on my charcoal barbie.  Non-traditional, I know, but we have turkey enough throughout the year. I wanted to try something different.

As I set off Friday morning to buy my brisket, hubby called to let me know that his mom announced that she was going to roast a turkey on Sunday and bring it over for dinner. Her cottage is down the road from ours, you see. “Did you tell your mum I was smoking a brisket?” “No.”, he replied, “But that’s fine. Go ahead with the brisket, we’ll just have both and the brisket can be eaten throughout the week.” Fine by me. My brother didn’t mind not having turkey, Italians don’t really do turkey. My nephew, on the other hand, thought it was sacrilege! He likes his turkey and all that comes with. The stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, the cranberry sauce. Needless to say, he was quite happy to hear that my mum-in-law was coming over with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

I was down by the lake late Saturday morning when I could hear my mum-in-law having a discussion with hubby up at the house. It seems that in her hurry to leave for the cottage Friday morning, instead of grabbing the turkey out of the freezer, she grabbed a chicken by mistake! A 7 pound chicken! She had the stuffing already made, the cranberry sauce too. So she was going to stuff the chicken! Hubby wasn’t thrilled. We’d had roast chicken 2 nights before. When we told her of my nephew’s relationship with turkey, she drove to town, 20 minutes each way, and went to 3 different grocery stores looking for a fresh turkey. No such luck. Two hours later, she returned with a second chicken! Which she wanted me to stuff and roast. Along with boiling the potatoes and carrots she was going to bring over to me the next day. In addition to smoking a brisket over a period of 6 hours, making broccoli salad, and dessert! Which wasn’t my traditional pumpkin pie. When my nephew said to me, “You made your pumpkin pie, right?”, I made the decision that for the first time ever, we would be celebrating American Thanksgiving this year. With roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes with gravy, and my pumpkin pie!

Instead, what I did serve for dessert was deliciously moist Zebra Cake, from Fae over at Fae’s Twist & Tango. Although my zebra cake didn’t turn out as exotic-looking as Fae’s, it was perfect. And as Fae tells me, no two zebras are alike!

Along with this yummy cake, I served up succulent Spiced Roasted Pears, from Suzanne over at a pug in the kitchen. I used Asian pears which we picked up on our apple-picking trip and they were truly delectable!

With the Roasted Pears sliced up alongside the Zebra Cake, I poured this incredibly decadent Chocolate Caramel Sauce, also from Suzanne over at a pug in the kitchen. Hot dang, that sauce was incredible! After the first bite, everyone grabbed for the dish and poured loads more. I could have served it up in a tea cup and they would have drank it! Me included.

As for the smoked beef brisket? Rubbed with brown sugar and various herbs and spices. Marinated overnight. And smoked over mesquite wood for 6 hours. Oh man! It was smokin’ good! For my first time, I was quite pleased. I’ll make a few adjustment for the next time, and it can only get better. Served with a hot Bourbon BBQ Sauce, it was just right! The stuffed roast chickens were great, as was every other aspect of our meal. At the end of it all, my mum-in-law came to me and exclaimed how pleased she was with everything, “Oh Lidia! Everything was so good. And how nice for me not to have to cook. Thank you!”. And she kissed me. Isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about? To show your appreciation and give thanks to those you love!

Pollo alla Toscana

Tags

butterflied grilled chicken, grilled chicken, spatchcock chicken, Tuscan grilled chicken

We are being blessed with glorious weather here in Montreal.  Temperatures have been in the low 20’s (50’s in F), with some days as high as 25 degrees C.  Unbelievable!  Our windows are open all day long, I go out wearing just a T-shirt and jeans or shorts, and we’ve been sleeping with our window open at night.  Oh, and we’ve been barbecuing quite a bit.  We love to use the barbie and being able to stretch out the season is wonderful.  This is a long weekend for us as we celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving.  And as they’re calling for brilliant weather all weekend long, we’ll be sure to grill our way through to Thanksgiving Monday.

Olive oil, lemon, garlic and rosemary are the quintessential flavours of Tuscany.  I use this mix of seasonings on my beef roasts, as in this Sunday Roast, when grilling lamb, and even on my pork kebabs.  But my ultimate favourite is when grilling chicken.  A whole chicken, butterflied, adapted from an Ina Garten recipe.  Or spatchcock chicken, as our friends over in the U.K. call it.  Don’t you just love that word?  Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken

1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Zest of 2 lemons

Juice of 3 lemons

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 or 3 sprigs of rosemary, leaves minced

Salt

Black Pepper

1 lemon, cut in half

You can ask the butcher to butterfly the chicken, or you can do so yourself.  I’ve gotten pretty good at it.  With good kitchen shears and a good sharp boning knife, it is pretty easy.  Cut the backbone out with shears, then lay the chicken open, skin side down, and remove the breast bone with a sharp boning knife.

In a dish big enough to lay down the open chicken, combine the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, rosemary and pepper.  Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt and add the chicken to the marinade, turning to coat.  Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours, or overnight, turning the chicken over a few times and spooning some marinade over it.

Prepare your charcoal fire by piling the coals over on one side of the grill.  When they’re ready, spread some of the coals, about 1/4 of them, over to the other side of the grill.  If using a gas barbie, grill over low heat.  Place the chicken down on the grill over the smaller amount of coals, skin side up.  Weigh down the chicken with a heavy pot, bricks or a stone, covered in foil paper.  This method allows for the chicken to cook evenly.

Grill for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown.  Turn the chicken over, weigh it down again, and grill for another 15 minutes, until it is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.  Grill the lemon halves, cut side down, during the last 10 minutes of grilling.  If your coals are too hot, the skin might be a little darker than it should, as happened with my chicken.  Nonetheless, it was quite delicious.  Remove the chicken to a cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Squeeze the grilled lemons over the chicken and then cut into single serving pieces. Buon appetito!

A Tribute to Marcella Hazan with Risotto alla Milanese

Tags

Marcella Hazan, risotto, risotto alla milanese, saffron rice, tribute Marcella Hazan

“Nothing significant exists under Italy’s sun that is not touched by art.  Its food is twice blessed because it is the product of two arts, the art of cooking and the art of eating.  While each nourishes the other, they are in no way identical accomplishments.  The art of cooking produces the dishes, but it is the art of eating that transforms them into a meal.”       Marcella Hazan

Photo courtesy of epicurious.com

Marcella Hazan, a giant in the world of Italian cooking, has died at the age of 89. Just like Elizabeth David introduced the U.K. to Italian food and Julia Child brought French cuisine to America, Marcella Hazan was renowned as the Godmother of Italian regional cooking in America, with particular attention to northern Italy.

According to Marcella, “the first useful thing to know about Italian cooking is that, as such, it doesn’t really exist. ‘Italian cooking’ is an expression of convenience rarely used by Italians. The cooking of Italy is really the cooking of its regions, regions that until 1861 were separate, independent, and usually hostile states.”

Born in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, Marcella graduated with a doctorate in natural sciences and biology. After marrying Victor Hazan, who was born in Italy but raised in New York, Marcella moved to the U.S. in 1955. Feeding her husband true Italian meals became her passion. Her career in teaching and writing about Italian food began when she was 49 years old. Proof that you can realize your dreams at any age. She had signed up for a Chinese cooking class, and one day, after the instructor had cancelled the class, her fellow classmates asked Marcella to teach them how to cook real Italian food instead. And thus began her illustrious career.

She began offering cooking classes from her apartment in New York City, proving that the only way to cook Italian was with fresh and simple ingredients. Together with her husband Victor, she went on to open a cooking school in Bologna.  Discovering that her students had no idea what good olive oil truly tasted like, or fresh eggs, freshly picked fruits and vegetables, the flavour of fresh and varied seafood, she decided that taking the students directly to the source was the best way to learn about regional Italian cooking. She then went on to open a school in Venice. And then came the cookbooks. Six of them. All classics. Written entirely in Italian and translated by her partner in life and in business, Victor. On Sunday, after Marcella had passed away peacefully, Victor Hazan wrote on Facebook: “Marcella, my incomparable companion, died this morning a few steps away from her bed. She was the truest and best, and so was her food.”

Photo courtesy of huffingtonpost.com

She had this way of writing. Almost bossy. Harsh even. And that was one of the things I loved about her. Her writing. Commanding that I do just as she says because that’s how it’s supposed to be done. And somehow, her prickliness was a comfort to me. I knew that I was in good hands and doing things properly. I always knew that by following Marcella, my dish would be remarkable. Take salt as an example. She urged her readers to use more salt in their foods, advising them that if they were so concerned about salt affecting their life expectancy, then to “not read any further.” Or her take on garlic. “The unbalanced use of garlic is the single greatest cause of failure in would-be Italian cooking. It must remain a shadowy background presence. It cannot take over the show.” And like my dad, Marcella certainly had no qualms about using an abundance of olive oil and butter. The more, the tastier!

It was from Marcella that I picked up a lot of my own cooking techniques. My Ragu Bolognese is credited to her. As is my Lasagne Bolognese. Fresh pasta. Gnocchi. Veggies and meat. And to pay tribute to her, I thought I’d try a dish of hers that I’d never had before. Risotto alla milanese, from her book “The Classic Italian Cookbook, The art of Italian cooking and the Italian art of eating”.

Ingredients for 6 

1 quart/4 cups of chicken broth

2 tablespoons of pancetta, finely chopped

2 tablespoons of finely chopped shallots, or yellow onion

5 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 cups of of Italian Arborio rice

1/2 teaspoon of chopped whole saffron, dissolved in 1 1/2 cups of hot broth

Salt, if necessary

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan

Bring the broth to a slow, steady simmer.

In a heavy-bottomed casserole over medium-high heat, sauté the pancetta and shallots in 3 tablespoons of butter and all of the olive oil.

After about 5 minutes, add the rice and stir until well coated. Toast the rice for a few minutes and then add 1/2 cup of broth, about a ladleful.

Continue to add a ladleful of broth as the rice dries out, stirring almost constantly so the rice does not stick to the bottom. After 15 minutes, add half of the dissolved saffron. When the rice has dried out, add the remainder of the saffron. And here is classic Marcella: “Herbs that call too much attention to themselves are a rude intrusion upon the general harmony of a dish, but if you like a stronger saffron presence wait another 5 to 8 minutes before adding the diluted saffron. But be careful it doesn’t upstage your risotto.” Needless to say, I did as I was told.

When the saffron liquid has been absorbed, finish cooking the risotto with the hot broth. (If you run out of broth, add water.) When the rice is done, tender but al dente, firm to the bite, taste for salt. (Remember that you will be adding 1/2 cup of cheese.) Add a few twists of pepper to taste, and turn off the heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the Parmesan cheese, and mix thoroughly. Spoon into a plate and serve immediately, with freshly grated cheese.

And to finish, here’s another classic Marcella: “Once risotto is made, it must be served. It cannot be warmed up. If absolutely necessary, however, you can partially cook it several hours ahead of time. This is an unorthodox method, but…” Oh Marcella! You will be missed!

Lasagne di Zucchine

Tags

Italian, lasagne, seasonal Italian, Vegetarian, vegetarian lasagna, vegetarian main, zucchini, zucchini lasagna, zucchini recipes

This isn’t your traditional lasagne. First off, there’s no pasta. Instead, I’ve used thinly sliced zucchini to replace it. It has been so hot here in Montreal, every visit to the cottage brings an abundance of zucchini. They just love the heat, don’t they? Funny how only the yellow ones have come up. Not a single green one. No worries though. I think the yellow ones are so vibrant, bringing to mind summer and sunshine. I need to find creative ways to use up this yellow bounty so that my family doesn’t tire of it. Warning: yummy zucchini recipes coming your way!

The beauty of this dish is that all the ingredients are fresh! No pre-cooking of anything. Straight from the garden and into the oven! Served warm, at room temperature, or even cold for an al fresco meal. You decide. Whichever way you choose, I promise that you’ll have the taste of summer in every bite! Buon appetito!

Ingredients

2 medium sized zucchini, about 2 lb.

2 large tomatoes

2 balls of fresh mozzarella, or mozzarina, about 1 lb.

1 cup of bread crumbs

1 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Fresh basil, chopped

Fresh Parsley, chopped

4 eggs

Salt & pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I was out of bread crumbs, so I made my own. One thing you can always be sure to find in my pantry is old bread! To the bread crumbs, add some freshly chopped basil and parsley, the Parmigiano Reggiano, salt and pepper to taste. If you’d like to make this dish entirely gluten free, you could replace the bread crumbs with parmesan, upping the amount to 2 cups. I only thought of this after the dish was made but I will definitely give it a try next time.

Slice the zucchini as thinly as you can, paper thin if possible. I used a mandolin to make things quick and easy. Do the same with the tomatoes and the fresh mozzarella.

You can now begin layering the lasagne. Pour a little olive oil in the bottom of an oven dish measuring more or less 11 inches by 14 inches. Cover the bottom with the zucchini slices. Add the mozzarella on top, followed by the tomato slices. Sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture and finish by drizzling a little olive oil over the top. Repeat the layers so you have 3 filled layers. The fourth and final layer of zucchini slices will be topped only with mozzarella and the bread crumb mixture, drizzled with olive oil.

Finally, beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the top. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 45 to 50 minutes. Allow to cool on the counter at least 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Julia della Croce, “Vegetarian Table: Italy”.