Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms from "Harry's Bar" in Venice, Italy!

Ahhhh, beautiful, romantic, and mysterious Venice, Italy!  

What an extraordinary experience of a lifetime to visit and experience (even if only for a brief moment in time) Venice that is said to be sinking during our lifetime (which I hope Italian engineers will prevent)!  After seeing the major sites of Venice among unexpected throngs of tourists in the 'off-season' of October, I ventured to successfully check off one of my "bucket list" items . . . "to enjoy a famous "Bellini" cocktail at the infamous Harry's Bar in Venice, Italy" where Hemingway often dined and drank. 

Tucked away in a semi-hidden side street is where you can find Harry's Bar.  The establishment's location is not quite what I expected from reading about it in all of the tour guide books that stated Harry's Bar is located on the Piazza di San Marco.  That is NOT where it is located at all!   You must walk over several canal bridges to arrive to the correct 'via' or street and turn right where it is on your immediate right . . . and without a sign.  This is what you need to look for:

1323  Calle Valleresso 

which is on the right in the very first location.

It is easy to miss with very little signage!

  

And as with many windows in Italy, it is protected by bars against criminal activity.  How sad, but true in Italy.  From what I could see, this is the only visible sign to know that you are at "Harry's Bar" in Venice, Italy.  My mother purchased the phenomenal cookbook, and yes, this window is the one and only sign to identify Harry's Bar.  Again, this a 5 minute walk away from the central piazza of San Marco and NOT on the piazza itself as popular tour guide books state.  It is very worth the trek . . . even while wearing a back brace (post-surgery) as I did!

Upon entry into the super-crowded and amazingly-small dining area of Harry's Bar, I was immediately and kindly swifted away to the top floor at a wonderful table for two facing opened, screen-less windows that allowed a full view of the Venetian lagoons on a beautiful warm and sunny October afternoon!

the view of a Venetian lagoon through the restaurant windows directly from my table!

Pinch me, am I really here in Venice, Italy seated at a table in this infamous foodie and cocktail location?

The service for a single woman was spectacular (something usually poor given employees providing less service due to the 'smaller' tab total for his/her tip amount).  I had three (3) men attend to my every foodie and beverage need with not one moment of hesitation to serve and satisfy me for my complete enjoyment!  

On the right of my table was a lovely Italian couple who knew Italian cuisine inside and out, yet were willing to spend time to chat with me about all things regarding Italian cuisine and the Italian way of life focused on high quality food!  On my left was a delightful couple from England, enjoying their food selections and chatting with me in English . . .  a welcome language amidst my broken Italian that I could barely remember from my college Italian courses!   

Both couples' mouths were humming with sounds of blissful enjoyment as they enjoyed each and every morsel of their meal.  And then I joined them in harmony as my creamy risotto entered my mouth!

I had previously done my research and knew that it would probably be impossible to order the Venetian specialty of "Bacala" (salted codfish), knowing that Venetian fishermen do not fish on Sunday nights . . . and because I was there on a Monday, I knew that fresh fish was not to be found on any Venetian menu.   EVERYTHING is served as fresh as possible; nothing is frozen whatsoever in Italy!

Upon looking at the menu, I found that the luncheon special for this particular Monday was Risotto con Porcini (Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms).  It was pure and creamy heaven on a plate!  What could have served three or four people, I devoured by myself alone, especially due to the price of 36 Euros (approximately 50 American dollars).  Please note, that with all of the walking in Italy, I actually LOST weight while eating like an American pig at the same time!  How much fun is that?  PLUS, I do NOT spend that kind of money on any food(s) in my little hometown in SC.

I admit it . . . I splurged here!  But "Harry's Bar" was the one and only place in Italy that I did so.  And it was worth every penny and every delicious bite!

For me, to eat wonderfully and exercise naturally by walking among beautiful historic architecture without grunts and groans in a gym, and yet still not gain one pound was a dream come true!

When in Italy, be prepared to order water and to pay for it by the bottle, either natural or with bubbles (sparkling).  Another simple part of life that we take for granted in the States is the ability to receive a free glass of natural, clean tap water with re-fills (including ice) in restaurants . . . and here in the Carolina's in our restaurants of choice, my husband and I are even given free, tall, large-sized 'to-go' cups of water!  Keep that in mind in Italy, you pay for every little thing in restaurants!

You even pay to go to the 'toilettes', so bring Euro coins because most do not offer change for larger bills.

Expect no ice cubes in your water . . . it doesn't happen in Italy, although the bottled water that you order (anywhere) for a price is extremely cold and completely refreshing.

Table side dish preparation with 3 men in white tuxedos was a luxury that I have

 never experienced, thus justifying the price a tad bit better!

beautiful and delicious risotto from Venice, Italy!

the best risotto that has ever crossed my lips!

Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms
(from "The Harry's Bar Cookbook" by Arrigo Cipriani, 2006)

3 cups fresh porcini mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
1/2 cup dry white whine
freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste
1 recipe Risotto Parmigiana ( ** see below)

Clean the porcini mushrooms by gently brushing or wiping away any dirt.
Wipe the mushrooms with a slightly damp paper towel.
Do not immerse them in water.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the porcini mushrooms and cook until golden brown, about 7 minutes.
Add the garlic and parsley and cook for 1 minute, stirring well.  Be careful not to burn the garlic.
Add the wine, stir well, cook for 1 minute more, and set the skillet aside.
Season the mushrooms with a little freshly cracked sea salt and black pepper.
Make the risotto as directed in the following recipe, stirring the cooked porcini mushrooms into the rice at the beginning.

Serves 6 as a first course ("i primi")

porcini mushrooms that grow in abundance in the forests of the northern 

mountains of Italy . . . about the size of a man's fist!

** Risotto Parmigiana
(from "The Harry's Bar Cookbook" by Arrigo Cipriani, 2006)

This recipe is 'basic' for all risotto dishes.

5 to 6 cups chicken stock (brood), preferably home-made (you can search on my blog for a delicious home-made chicken broth (brodo) that is also freezable!)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, minced
1-1/2 cups short-grain Italian rice (preferably 'Vialone' or 'Carnaroli rice)
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature
2/3 cup freshly grated, first quality Parmigiana-Regiano cheese, plus extra grated cheese to pass around the table.
Freshly grated sea salt and black pepper to taste.

Serves 6 as a first course ("i primi")

Bring the chicken stock (brodo) to a simmer in a saucepan and keep it at a bare/lowest simmer.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan and cook the onion over medium heat, stirring until the onion is golden, but not brown, about 3 - 5 minutes.
Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon to coat the rice well with the oil and onion.
Turn the heat up to medium-high.
Add 1/2 cup of the simmering stock, and keep the mixture boiling, stirring constantly.
As soon as the stock as been absorbed, add another 1/3 cup of stock and stir until it is absorbed.
Adjust when necessary, the heat from time to time -- but keep the risotto boiling, yet at the same time, it must NOT stick to the pot.
If the risotto tends to stick, put the pot on a 'flame tamer' (I place a pizza or cookie pan on top of the burner).
Continue adding the chicken stock (brodo), about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and waiting until each addition of brodo is absorbed before adding the next amount of stock (brodo), until the rice is creamy and tender on the outside with each grain still distinct and firm.
This will take at least 20 minutes, maybe as long as 30 minutes, depending on your pot and your stove.
If the rice is still a bit hard in the middle after you have used all but a few tablespoons of the stock, add some boiling water, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring it in as you did the stock (brodo), until each grain of rice is tender but still has the slightest bit of firmness and the mixture is creamy.
Remove the pan from the heat and vigorously stir in the butter and the Parmigiana-Regiano cheese.  This stirring will make the risotto even creamier.
Taste and season with freshly cracked sea salt and black pepper.
While continuing to stir vigorously, add the remaining tablespoons of hot chicken stock (brodo) or boiling water if you have used all of the stock (brodo) to make the consistency softer and softer.
In Italy it is called "all'onda" (like a wave).
Taste carefully for seasoning and serve immediately, passing a bowl of grated Parmigiana-Regiano cheese.

. Pin It

A Cinnamon Treat Guest Post from "That Skinny (Lizzy) Chick Can Bake!!!"

Cinnamon delight is the highlight of this wonderful guest post from Liz of "That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!!".   For a long time now, I've been wanting to ask more of my favorite food bloggers to come on over and allow me to spotlight their wonderful cooking and baking skills on my blog.  Now that I've been home on a leave of absence for my surgery, I have the additional time that I needed to hop around blog-land and ask!  I'm not finished with my list yet, so heads up, I'll be writing to you too!  Or geez, just volunteer!

Now I'm not going to tell you the story of how Liz and I know each other because she tells a far better story than I do!  And she has shared it below.  After that comes one of her specialties . . . baking super wonderful breads; this recipe she is sharing with all of us is for Cinnamon Twists!  Your home will smell wonderful from the aroma of this baking in the oven, even better for this time of year:   autumn and the upcoming holidays!  And who doesn't like sweet sugar and cinnamon in their bread?

Before I turn it over to Liz, let me remind you that all of her contact information follows her recipe too, so that you can follow all of her posts.

And now I'll let Liz do the talking! 

"My blog started on a whim...I remember revealing my little project to a group of friends while out to lunch one spring day. One happened to have a friend whose wife was on the now defunct Foodbuzz, an on-line food blogger community...and this gal encouraged me to join the site and network with other foodies. It was there that I connected with so many fabulous, inspirational bloggers...including Roz. My blog ballooned from a simple way to share favorite recipes with friends and family into a place where I developed relationships with food bloggers across the globe. Blogging, along with baking, became one of my passions.

Those of you who are regular followers of my blog may remember the serendipitous reunion between Roz and me. She commented on my blog one day, which lead me back to her blog.  I was immediately awed by all of her marvelous food, gorgeous photography and especially her kind heart. She had oodles of fans and followers, and I knew I'd be back. She mentioned in her bio that she was from Iowa...well, what the heck, so was I. Then I learned she was 100% Italian...hmmmm...and her photo resembled a friend from my hometown, Kelly. I just had to ask her if she was from Iowa and if she had a sister named 'Kelly'. Yup, she was the older sister of one of my dear friends since childhood.  Roz was the beautiful, mysterious, popular older sister who I had only known by a portrait in their family room...she was always busy with high school activities while Kelly and I were still immature and squirrelly in grade school.

After we reconnected, I reminded Roz that when Kelly and I were in college together, we took a road trip one weekend to visit Roz in St. Louis, where she then lived and where we were treated to one of her home cooked, gourmet dinners. I'm still hoping that she and I will be able to meet again in person.  Roz did a guest post for me this summer when we were in France, so I was delighted to reciprocate when she made plans to travel abroad with her parents this fall. Such a thrill.  I had to bake up something both beautiful and delicious...so you'll have to pop over to La Bella Vita to see the details."

I had seen a few versions of these cinnamon twists on-line and knew my family would love them. The King Arthur Flour site had an apple filled version which I tweaked to be more like a traditional cinnamon roll.  I baked one in an 8-inch cake pan and the other on a sheet pan lined with parchment. The one in the cake pan produced a much prettier loaf.

This dough was silky smooth...maybe from the addition of potato buds (instant mashed potatoes) or maybe from the overnight rising time. I did not learn the chemistry of baking in my nursing chemistry course, so maybe someone can enlighten me. Nevertheless, this dough produced a delicious bread that all 5 of us enjoyed.

Cinnamon Twists

from "That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!!"

(adapted from King Arthur Flour)

3-1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup dried potato flakes or buds

3 heaping tablespoons sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

1-1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter plus extra for buttering bowl, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 cup milk

Filling:

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

4-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

A few grates of fresh nutmeg, optional

2 tablespoons melted butter

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

Mix all dry ingredients in bowl of large stand mixer (you can also mix and knead by hand). Make sure potato flakes are well dispersed. Add the butter, vanilla, egg and milk. Mix with dough hook till a shaggy dough forms. Let rest 30 minutes.

Knead dough with dough hook or by hand for 10 minutes, then place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat top of dough with butter, then cover and refrigerate dough overnight.

The next morning, bring dough out and allow to sit out on the counter for 3 hours.

Make filling by combining sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

To assemble, deflate dough and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one dough half into a 10 x 12 inch rectangle. Brush dough with half the melted butter, then sprinkle with half the cinnamon mixture over the surface stopping within about 1/2 inch of one longer edge. Roll up jelly roll style starting at the long edge with the cinnamon, making a log. Press seam together to lightly seal.

Cut the log in half lengthwise with a sharp knife. Turn each half so that filling and cut edges face upward. Seal two of the short edges together, then cross one side over the other repeatedly to make a twist. Carefully place twist in a greased 8-inch cake pan forming a ring. Repeat with second piece of dough.

Cover lightly and let rise at room temperature for about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350º. Bake for about 30 minutes. Cool for few minutes, then carefully remove from pans to a rack to finish cooling.

Make glaze by combining all ingredients using the extra tablespoon of cream if necessary. Place into a quart ziplock bag, seal and clip off corner with a scissors. Squeeze bag to drizzle icing over cooled twists.

Makes 2 8-inch cinnamon twists.

Thanks so much, Roz, for inviting me to share a recipe with your blog followers! Enjoy your holiday, my friend! 

xo,

Liz 

I knew that you would love whatever Liz shared for her guest post!

After ALL of these years since her friendship began with my sister in 1968 and when I met Liz in St. Louis (1978), it is because of our two food blogs that we re-connected in 2010 between Indiana and South Carolina where we now live!  Just so cool!

As promised here are all of the ways that you can follow Liz.  You can either click on the site names or copy and paste the addesses:

That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!!  . . . http://www.thatskinnychickcanbake.com/

Twitter . . . https://twitter.com/#!/ThatSkinnyChick

Facebook . . . https://www.facebook.com/pages/That-Skinny-Chick-Can-Bake/112597838794834

Google + . . . https://plus.google.com/116213594518847001708/posts?hl=en

Pinterest . . . http://pinterest.com/lizzydo/   

StumbleUpon . . . http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/lizzydo 

Thanks Lizzy!!!  

Mwah!  

xoxo, Roz

.

Pin It

Carrot Cake with Praline Filling & Cream Cheese Frosting!

"What do we have to eat that's sweet?" asked 'Mr. Meat and Potatoes' Bill.

"Uh, nothing hon.  Would you like me to bake a cake?"

"Oh YEA!"

"How about a layered carrot cake?  With a praline filling?"

He was speechless!   Sweets and football games on TV will quiet this man faster than anything I know.  Off to the kitchen I scurry.  This cake took one half of the day to make.  Bill got his cake and ate it too . . . the next day!  If I wanted to sell this cake I'd have to charge $10.00 a slice just to break even with the ingredients and time that was put into baking it.

This is a very dense, heavy, thick, utterly rich cake . . . if you're looking for light and flakey, this is not your cake.  This is "wow, I-can-only-eat-half-a-slice carrot cake."

Oh, but made with so much love!

Let me warn you, the praline filling alone will send you directly to blissful heaven.  You may even find yourself spooning it . . . no pouring it into your mouth as it cools on the stove.

This is dangerously rich stuff that puts a humble carrot cake way over the TOP!  I think I'll make a bigger batch of it the next time to drizzle over the cake!

I doubled the frosting to make this extra luscious.  For me, it's the frosting on the cake that matters more than the cake anyway!  But I rarely eat sweets, being more of a savory flavor kind of gal.  Maybe that's why my husband begs me to bake . . . I really do need to do this more often.  Baking really is quite fun!

all decorated for the new season of autumn

thick layers of frosting on my cakes, that's why the recipe calls for such large amounts of ingredients.  In this open portion of the cake the praline filling is dripping down the cut cake . . . oh so good!

The Best Carrot Cake with Scrumptious Praline Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable/canola oil
6 large eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups drained crushed pineapple
1 cup shredded coconut flakes
1 cup chopped pecans
6 cups shredded carrots

For the cake:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare 3 9-inch round baking pans with butter/cooking spray and flour dusting.
In a small amount (about 1 cup) of water, cook the shredded carrots for about 15 minutes to tenderize.
Drain all of the water from the carrots.
In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.
Mix well.
Add the oil, eggs, vanilla extract, pineapple, coconut, pecans, and carrots.
Place equal amounts of cake batter into each of three prepared pans.
Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Place on baking racks to cool.

Prepare praline filling and cream cheese frosting.

Praline Filling

6 Tbsp. butter
1-1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. cornstarch

In a heavy pan, melt the butter.
Add brown sugar and mix well.
Add cream, vanilla, and salt.
Mix well again.
Slowly add in the flour and cornstarch.
Vigorously blend well with a whipping utensil.
Use a small-holed strainer to remove any lumps of flour/cornstarch.
Pour the praline filling into a metal bowl.
Place in the freezer for a few hours to thicken or refrigerate overnight.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
2 sticks of butter
7 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. butter flavoring
pinch of salt

Assembly of Cake

Gently remove cooled 3 cakes layers from pans.
Pour half of the praline filling onto 2 of the cake layers only.
Immediately place these in the freezer if the filling is too runny.  This will thicken up the filling more quickly.
Remove chilled cake layers with praline filling from the freezer after several hours.
Spread thick layers of cream cheese frosting on top of the two cake layers with filling.
Place these two cake layers on top of each other and then place the final third cake layer without any praline filling on the top.
Frost the cake and decorate how you like.

pour the praline filling over two of the baked cake layers . . . 

place in freezer to harden the praline

spread a layer of frosting on top of "chilled" praline filling

place the second praline-topped cake layer on next and frost it too

place the third cake layer without praline filling on top and ice the entire cake

decorate your cakes with simple things from the craft stores such as this wheat and nuts

a slice of rich, dense, heavy cake with layers of praline and cream cheese frosting

Mangia!
. Pin It

Burgers with Smoky Bacon, Basil and Gorgonzola Cheese!

Creamy blue and white Italian Gorgonzola cheese, melting and oozing over a huge burger, laid on a bed of thick-cut, smoked bacon and topped with fresh basil and tomatoes!

This is burger heaven on the grill!

If you're into the 'black and blue' . . . beef and blue cheese combination, then this is for you.

Why grill when it's almost October?  It was 87 degrees today and after decorating the house for autumn, I was in a sweat and not wanting to cook in the kitchen.  Mr. Meat and Potatoes Bill loves to grill anyway.

It's also another night of football on TV, so easy-peasy and casual was required.

This is super easy too!

If you don't care for Gorgonzola (Italian blue cheese), than use your favorite cheese.  How about trying Gruyere for something a little more French?  Or a nice sharp cheddar?  Spicy pepper jack would be great too!  

Use what you like, just make sure that the cheese melts all over the burger.  You'll need a big stack of napkins for this big burger for all of the cheesy-infused drippings of the tomatoes and beef running down your chin!

I had some extra Gorgonzola in the frig after using some in my previous salad that I just posted with figs and Gorgonzola/blue cheese.  And I just hate to waste food.  This stuff always seems to spoil quickly, so I only buy a small piece at a time.

And this cheese is just so creamy, tangy delicious!

Mmmmm!

There's no secret recipe to this decadent burger either!

Burgers with Smoky Bacon, Basil and Gorgonzola Cheese

Use the highest quality of ground beef/sirloin.

Form huge patties of burgers.

Tip:  Put a small indentation about the size of an inch and a half in the center of each burger.  As the burgers cook, this pops out and the center of your burgers cook better.

Season the way you like, I added some garlic and oregano.

Grill to the level of doneness that you prefer (we like ours medium-rare).

Near the end of being cooked, add on the Gorgonzola cheese (it is soft and melts fast).

Use huge hamburger buns!

Toast the buns very briefly (this prevents them from becoming soggy from the beef and tomato juices).

Lay lettuce leaves on the bottom half of the bun.

Layer on the well-cooked, browned, thick-cut, smoked bacon.

Place the cooked burger with melted cheese (use the microwave if you have to) on top of bacon and lettuce.

Layer on thick-cut ripe tomatoes.

Layer on big, fresh basil leaves.

Place the top half of the bun on top.

Condiments:

For this I recommend a nice, simple mixture of extra virgin olive oil and minced garlic to spread on each half of the bun.

the creamy, soft Italian Gorgonzola cheese just melting all over the juicy burger and bacon!

bright colors of fresh green basil leaves and red tomatoes

Mangia!
. Pin It

Fresh Fig and Arugula Salad with Gorgonzola & Balsamico Vinaigrette

 It's FIG SEASON!  

I'm so excited and jazzed about this brief season, of which it is their second (and last) season of the year.  I'm going to savor every brief moment of their arrival in the markets!  In Italy, a garden just isn't a garden without a fig tree, and that goes all the way back to the times of the Roman empire.  After all figs are one of the oldest known fruits!

Most Italians are crazy, no . . . obsessed over figs.  So much so that many Italian immigrants had to bring a precious fig tree over to America with them.  Figs are quite simply Italian staples used in both sweet and savory recipes.  They have a very brief life, you must use them immediately or they will spoil . . . and that would be a very sad thing!

To enjoy figs, here is another bursting-with-brilliant-flavors salad . . . only this time the shining star of the show is the humble little fig!  These delicious and subtly sweet gems add incredibly seductive beauty to a bed of greenery in a salad.

There is so much going on in this superb salad with the creamy gorgonzola, peppery arugula, tangy balsamico vinaigrette, sweet figs, and crunchy walnuts . . . it's like (excuse me) a fabulous symphony of flavor!  Your tastebuds are sent to gastronomic heaven.  I just love it when that happens!  This salad could easily be enlarged to a size to make it a main entree and that would be perfectly fine with me!

aren't they just beautiful?

so exotic and provocative in appearance!

I can see why figs have been so prized throughout time!

fresh fig and arugula salad with gorgonzola & balsamic vinaigrette

6 - 8 fresh black mission figs, sliced and/or halved
2 - 4 cups fresh baby arugula
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Balsamico Vinaigrette

Place the baby arugula on individual salad plates.
Scatter the figs over the arugula.
Sprinkle on the walnuts and the gorgonzola cheese.
Drizzle with the vinaigrette or pass it around to your guests.

balsamico vinaigrette

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 - 5 Tbsp. balsamico vinegar
1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. honey 
1/8 tsp. freshly cracked sea salt
1/8 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

Blend all ingredients.
Make any adjustments necessary for your taste preferences.
Add more honey, if you like your vinaigrette more sweet, or
add more balsamic vinegar or dijon mustard if you like your vinaigrette more tart.

2 - 3 servings

Mangia!
.

Pin It

Roasted Red Pepper Panini ~ ~ Classic!

Do you love panini?  Fresh sandwiches?  Healthy sandwiches?  Fast and easy sandwiches?  Hot sandwiches?  Flavorful, new, sandwiches that aren't the same-old, same-old go-to sandwiches?  Anything delicious between two slices of crispy on the outside and soft on the inside artisan bread calls my name!

By now most Americans have fallen in love with Italian panini, basically amped up sandwiches beyond our delicious grilled cheese sammies, but then heated up on a panini press or grilled pan.   However, most Americans don't realize that ONE of these is correctly termed a "panino", (panini is plural for more than one).  But why sweat the small stuff?  Panini literally means 'small breads' in Italian which began their popularity trend here in the States in the 70's and 80's, originating from 'paninoteche' Milanese bars.  How about that for a trivia question?

Now if you don't have a panini press, you can use a grilled skillet and place another heavy pan on top to 'press' the bread into the grills of the skillet.  Half-way through cooking (when you see a golden color and dark grill marks on the bread) you need to turn the panino over and grill the other side, once again with something heavy to press the panino down into the grills.

What you put inside of your bread is totally up to your imagination, but here's a great end of summer recipe for you that I find absolutely marvelous, especially with the dipping herbs in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  For this panino, I used roasted red peppers, so here is a tutorial with photos of how to roast red peppers on my blog:  roasting red peppers!

please click on the link below to read this delicious recipe!

Pin It

Bucatini with Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Sauce

Roasting red peppers freshly picked from the garden is just one of the easiest things that you can do to preserve your bountiful harvest of peppers.  And here's a good recipe to use some of those roasted red pepper that you want to enjoy right now!  Now if you've never roasted red pepper before, here is a tutorial on my blog:  Just click on this link to find some easy instructions for roasting red peppers.  This is a vegetarian, red marinara sauce for pepper lovers!  It is also pretty intensely flavored with the natural sweetness of red peppers.  For a more pungent flavor, use Asiago cheese instead of the every day, over-used Parmigiana-Regiano cheese.  But if you prefer a more mild cheese, than use the Parmesan instead.

My husband thinks that this is an "outstanding" marinara sauce, but he was frustrated with the bucatini noodles since he couldn't 'suck' the noodles into his mouth as he does with spaghetti noodles . . . bucatini noodles resemble long, thin tubes with a hole through the entire length of the noodle.  So twirling this noodle is essential to getting it into your mouth!  The name 'bucatini' originates from the Italian word 'buco' which means "hole", and 'bucato' means "pierced".

Bucatini noodles are particularly common in Rome and throughout the Italian provence of Lazio.  These have a fun and different pasta noodle shape, and not easily found in American grocery stores.  You can find them on-line from Italian food merchants or in Italian specialty food stores in larger cities.  But you can use any pasta shape that you prefer.

This recipe is similar to the infamously popular "Bucatini all'Amatriciana" in that a tomato-based sauce is used with the heat of red pepper flakes (pepperoncino), but it differs in that roasted red peppers are incorporated instead of pancetta and the use of asiago instead of pecorino romano cheese.  Both are delicioso!

please click on the link below for this delicious recipe!

Pin It

Cheese ~ Stuffed Fried Zucchini Blossoms with Fresh Tomato Sauce & Basil Pesto

Oh zucchini!  "A joy in July or a joke in September!"  

Truth is, what would summer be without zucchini and tomatoes fresh from the garden?  Zucchini simply capture the green colors and flavors of summer.  When fried alone, or stuffed and fried, they are marvelous as appetizers or for a mid-morning treat!  A platter of fried or baked stuffed zucchini/squash blossoms is an everyday delight on Italian tables.

And with zucchini comes those beautiful buttery, yellow, golden blossoms that attract bees humming in bliss while stuffing themselves with pollen that blesses them from the interiors of each blossom!

To prepare garden-fresh zucchini/squash blossoms in a delicate veil of crispy batter is comparable to nothing on earth.

Fresh-picked squash blossoms from my garden this morning, ready to prepare in the kitchen!

squash/zucchini/pumpkin blossoms are pretty enough for a delicate bouquet (they won't last longer than a few hours though!)

just a shots (above and below) of how profusely they are growing in just one portion of my garden…. you have to look very closely, because often they grown hidden underneath very large green leaves 

and yes, the plants have outgrown the garden and are well into our backyard now!

Zucchini/squash plants are similar to tomatoes . . . they have blossoms first!  

Let's just call it vegetable garden 'flower power'!  

The difference is that these lovely yellow blossoms are BIG!  Big enough to cut, open, lay flat, stuff, and FRY!  Zucchini blossoms, squash blossoms, pumpkin blossoms . . . whatever you choose to grow and/or call them, are the little beauty delicacies that for years Italians have known that they are completely edible, delicious, and very hard to come by.  Why?  They bloom only in the morning hours of your garden, and they wilt within hours.  The window of time to harvest any squash blossom, to stuff them, and to fry them is very, very small.   

Thus the reason why you'll be hard-pressed to ever find fried zucchini/squash blossoms on menus in the U.S.  Few people know of these outside of the culinary and Italian world.  

Nothing poisonous, OK?  Actually, I don't think there's even a major taste to these blossoms.  They are just the "envelope" or "pouch" in which to stuff and fry.  What you end up tasting is the fried element of the dish as well as the stuffing.  So please don't fear . . . try this . . . it's fun, and so yummy!

  

zucchini/squash blossoms play a little game of 'find me' every morning under the huge plant leaves

 just another shot of a platter of blossoms below showing you how they will CLOSE up within a few hours of harvest.  you have very little time to prepare them to eat.  sure, you can still dunk these in the batter, but they will be round instead of flat . . . the flavor alone will not be changed.

please click on the link below for this delicious recipe!

Pin It

A Beautifully Simple Beet Salad

Beets just seem to make salads more beautiful!  Personally, I'm just crazy about beets!  They are just so good for us and so sweet and yummy!  (And if you're trying to reduce your weight, you know how beets naturally assist your body in doing so!)  After a drought of beets in the market, I finally found some beets that suited my standards.

Realizing that they aren't cheap in price, I then headed straight for the local farm co-op to purchase my beet seeds for planting our fall garden now that our tomatoes are all harvested and cleaned out of the beds this week.

Beets can be roasted or boiled and personally, I just haven't been able to taste a huge difference in taste between the two cooking methods, so being a creature of habit and not wanting to make my A/C work harder to cool down an oven-heated kitchen, I just plopped them into a pot of boiling water for this salad.  It's really your choice on how you want to cook your beets.

Usually all I do to prepare beets is to revert to tradition and Italian simplicity . . . and that is to do as little as possible to them:   just chop up some onion, cut up the cooked beets into slices or chunks, and then toss them into a simple Italian vinaigrette.  However, if that's too dull for you, and you prefer a bucket-load of ingredients in your beet salad, there is a plethora of recipes 'out there' in cookbooks and on the Web to select from.  I'll be sharing 4 more recipes soon for you to select from and be your own judge.

I have even explored more elaborate and 'loaded' beet salad recipes and posted them on this blog.  Truth is, they were no more delicious than this recipe.  You can find that recipe at the following link:   Beets With Avocados and Manchego Cheese.

So for this simple, yet classic spring and summertime beet salad recipe, I went beyond my own family cookbooks and referred to fresh cooking guru author and owner of Chez Panisse, Alice Waters and her 2007 "The Art of SImple Food:  Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution".

This woman validates my philosophy for cooking:   simplicity is best!

In her new cookbook, Ms. Waters includes one and ONLY one recipe for a beet salad and it is as follows:


Marinated Beet Salad
adapted from "The Art of Simple Food"

1 pound beets (red, Chioggia, golden, or white)
Freshly cracked sea salt
1 tsp. vinegar (red wine, sherry, or white wine)
Freshly cracked sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
1  -  2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 of a sweet Vidalia onion, chopped into chunks (my family's addition)
Good Seasons Italian herbs packet prepared according to directions (my family's addition)
a teaspoon or two of sugar (my family's addition in the event that the beets may not be sweet enough . . . taste, taste, taste)

Wash beets thoroughly.
Place them in a baking dish with a little water to a depth of 1/8".
Sprinkle with salt.
Cover tightly and roast the beets in a 350 degree oven until they can easily be pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on their size.
Remove from oven.
OR:
Boil for the same amount of time as above in a tall pot of boiling water.
Drain when a fork can easily be inserted.
Cut off both ends and remove the skins.
Cut the peeled beets into 1/4" slices or 1/2" cube/chunks.
Add vinegar and olive oil (or in my family's case we use Good Seasons Italian dressing herbs prepared according to the package directions).
At this point, my family recipe adds the chopped onions too.
Salt and pepper to taste.
If beets are not sweet enough, add about a teaspoon of sugar until your preference is satisfied.
Let the beets stand to marinate and absorb the ingredients.
To plate, place the beets on a layer of your favorite variety of fresh lettuce such as arugula and romaine.

AND THAT'S IT!

This is truly the art of simple food, which is what Italian cooking is known for.

The only thing that my family ever added to the recipe above is chopped onions, some Italian herbs, and a little bit of sugar if needed.
It's a preference thing.


Mangia!

Pin It

Salsa Canning Mania!

I have been canning homemade salsa every summer with fresh tomatoes, peppers, and cilantro from our gardens since 1994.  But as a result, I've also created somewhat of a monster situation in my family . . . meeting the demand by family members for this salsa!  Bill and I usually can three times per summer, at 20 pints per large batch.  Whenever we return to the Midwest for our annual summer visits we had better include a bushel of S.C. peaches and a box of canned salsa or we're read the Italian riot act of disappointment by the family!

Canning salsa is an event, baby!  I mean if you haven't canned yet, just let me warn you, it's time-consuming, steamy-hot, and often back-breaking work . . . but oh so worth it in terms of the rewarding pleasure given in return.  Plus you know that you are continuing on an age-old tradition of food preservation!  My husband and I can together (isn't that romantic?) . . . it's a bonding thing!  And yesterday we just finished a second batch of our family's favorite salsa.  Because it really requires a lot of time and energy, we decided that two large batches was enough for this summer since Bill is returning to teaching classes for fall semester this week and my back isn't ready yet to handle this arduous job without him.

For those of you who have been reading my blog since 2008, you may have noticed that I never prepare Mexican food . . . simply because we'd rather go to our favorite Mexican eatery in town to enjoy it where they do such a superb job of preparing the food.  I don't even bother to try and replicate Mexican cuisine at home.  Canning salsa, on the other hand, is the one and only exception.

this is about 1/3rd of the jars that we canned; the other jars were already in the pantry and we were too tired to pull them back out again just for a photo!

Since we started canning salsa, we've never purchased another commercially produced jar of salsa EVER!  The flavor of super fresh summer tomatoes simply cannot be topped!  Plus it's really healthy!  As far as a recipe, we don't have one, cooking by instinct the way that my mother taught me.  But we include the typical basics that everyone loves in salsa:  garden-fresh tomatoes (and we use all varieties for a more complex flavor), green peppers, onions, jalapeño peppers, and little personal twists here and there.  We also make a variety of different spiced versions depending on the type of chili peppers used:  serranos, jalapeños, chipotles, etc.  The final acceptability of flavor is simply achieved by tasting, tasting, tasting until it is just right!  Some of my family prefers this salsa as plain and simple as possible, others like it spiced up, and others like it as hot as the sun itself.

Another thing about our salsa, we don't use a food processor as some people do to save time.  We like ours 'salsa crude' or chunky.  This means that you need to set aside a nice amount of time to sit and chop all the ingredients.  Honestly, this is one of my favorite things involved in cooking.  I just love the process of being with the ingredients, smelling, touching, and tasting as I go.  Even the chopping sound on the cutting boards is like a welcome song to me.

Sort of a zen-state in cooking! :-D

we like our salsa on the thicker side, so this requires a good hour of simmering on the stove.  you can see how chunky we also make our salsa.

when cooking large batches of anything, we make quite a mess on the stove!

Here is a link for a good tutorial on canning salsa if you need one:  canning salsa instructions.  We can numerous sizes since we give so many jars away as gifts.  We've started to use more 1/2 pint jars simply because we give so much of this salsa away and it's getting pretty expensive.  The pint size jar is our most popular requested size.  The larger quart sizes, although used the least, are great to use to serve at parties and get-togethers such as this summer's family reunion.  When people stop by with unexpected goodies, we always have a jar of salsa on hand to give to friends in return.  I mail tons of this stuff to my sister in Iowa, our son in Chicago, and our daughter and hubby in Tennessee.

It's just darn good stuff with absolutely no preservatives, completely organically grown in our garden (that's right, no spraying any stuff on our garden allowed!).  Our veggies are also watered completely with natural well water.  I'm not sure what the caloric content is, but since it's all veggies, it can't be that high!

And now that I've made myself completely hungry, I think I'll go have some chips and salsa!


Mangia!


Pin It