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Healthy Italian Cooking at Home

Category Archives: Dinner

Cooking With Radishes

May 6, 2013

Radishes are members of the Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage) family. The root is related to kale, broccoli, cauliflower and horseradish, among others. In the horseradish family, radishes are related to wasabi, a type of horseradish, which in paste form is a staple condiment of Japanese cuisine. The name “radish” is said to come from the Latin word “radix”, which means root. Other sources say the radish got its name from the Greek word for “quickly appearing”.

Radishes are thought to date back thousands of years to China and Egyptians grew them even before they began building the pyramids. Later, Romans spread the radish to other cultures. They also believed radishes had medicinal purposes, including helping indigestion and constipation. The ancient Greeks made gold radishes and offered them to Apollo, their god who oversaw medicine, among other things. Other eras and cultures also considered the radish to be medicinal. In the Middle Ages they were thought to help cure insanity.

Europeans introduced radishes into Central America and North America in the 1500′s. The British brought them to North America, when they settled there and radishes were grown by the first English colonists in America. European Radishes, it seems, used to be much larger in general, more like the Asian ones. There is no written record of the small ones until the 1500′s. In France, Radishes were served at the beginning of a meal, to clean the palate and get it ready for the “delights” that were to follow.

Types of Radishes

Radishes come in many varieties but here are some general types:

The standard or salad type radish can be found in early spring and fall. This variety dislikes heat so some growers do not grow them in the summer.

The first, by far the most common, are Red Globe Radishes, the ones that everyone thinks of when they think of a radish. A small red ball about 1 inch wide, red on the outside and white on the inside.

There are also White Icicle Radishes. These are available earlier in the year and have a milder flavor. They are long like a carrot, with white skin.

Watermelon Radish

The heirloom varieties:

French Breakfast or Early Scarlet Globe, are delicious for an early spring radish . 

An exciting one to try is Chinese Red Meat or Beauty Heart, also known as the “Watermelon Radish.” Watermelon radishes are so-named for an obvious reason. Anyone who has ever cut into their green skin and and seen their brilliant red-pink interior will know. Scrub clean, cut into wedges and serve as a sharp and beautiful crudite or cut into thin sticks to add to salads.

Black Radish

Black radishes (Spanish radishes) have a black exterior that covers a snowy white flesh. Black radishes are sharp when raw and add a nice bite to salads and raw vegetable plates. When sliced paper-thin, they make beautiful garnishes. Scrub these radishes clean in order to keep the brilliant contrast between the black peel and the white interior. Black radishes also good in gratins and are delicious when cut into wedges and added to pans of roasted vegetables.

If you are looking for a milder type of radish, you might want to try a golden yellow one from Czechoslovakia, called Helios.

The Sicily Giant radish is a large heirloom variety originating from Sicily. It has a smooth, bright red skin and tastes hotter than some other radishes. It can grow up to 2 inches across the widest part.

Sicily Giant

Another type are known as a winter radishes or Daikon radishes. Some varieties include China Rose, Black Spanish Round or Philadelphia White Box. These are a Japanese variety of radish quite different from the red globe radish we are familiar with. It is long like a carrot and quite big (growing from 5 to 18 inches is hotter than red globe radishes, and its skin is tan colored rather than red, though inside it is still white. They are often pickled or dried, but are delicious grated into soups or added to roasted or braised vegetables. They aren’t usually eaten raw, but can be bright, crispy delights when peeled and cut into very thin slices.

Daikon Radish

Breakfast Radishes are often called “French Breakfast Radishes”, particularly in North America and got their name because the Victorians ate them for breakfast. These radishes are a red, oblong radish tapering to a whitened tip.

Radishes have many uses, but primarily fall into two different use categories – food and biofuel.

The taproot of the radish is the most commonly eaten portion, despite the entire plant being edible. The tops can be used as a leaf vegetable. There is no particular advantage, though, to saving the leaves. Radish tops aren’t usually eaten like other leaves of the cabbage family are, because they aren’t particularly tasty. Radishes are most often eaten raw, delivering a crisp texture with a spicy, peppery flavor. Radishes are a great low-cal snack; one cup of sliced radishes has only 19 calories. They are also often used in soup and salad recipes.

The radish seeds can also be used to extract seed oil. The seeds contain up to 48% oil that is not suitable for human consumption. However, that oil from the seeds can be refined into biofuels. There are several programs underway to develop this alternative fuel.

Most states grow radishes, but California and Florida boast the biggest crops in the United States. Radishes sold in bunches with their tops on, rather than in bunches with the tops removed, are the freshest (provided the leaves look healthy). Packaged radishes will last longer, though.   Radishes get stronger tasting as their growing season progresses; early ones will be relatively mild.

Cooking Tips for Radishes

Wash under cold water, cut off the tops and tails.

Most of the heat in radishes is in the skin. You can peel the skin off radishes if you want to, but they won’t taste or look as great. The radishes are most attractive served whole or in large slices.

If you wish to peel any of the radishes, you can use a vegetable peeler or paring knife, then slice or grate depending on how you are using them.

Radishes make a great addition to a relish tray. In France, they are often the way to start a meal: they are served with butter, sea salt and crusty bread. You split the radish with your knife, spread it apart a bit, put a bit of butter in, dip it in the sea salt on your plate and eat along with the bread.

Any type of Radish can also be cooked.

Equivalents for Radishes

1 bunch = 12 Radishes = 1 cup sliced

1 pound = 1 2/3 cup sliced

Storing Radishes

If you have bought them with the tops on, twist off and discard the tops, and store the radishes in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

If any seem to be going a bit soft before you use them, you can crisp them up again by soaking them in ice water for an hour or two.

 

As An Appetizer:

Radishes in Red Wine and Thyme

First trim and clean a bunch ( 15 to 25) radishes and set aside.

Use a large deep, skillet and add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil.

Add half an onion cut into small pieces and cook till soft and brown.

Remove the onion to a bowl and add 1 clove of minced garlic and cook till aromatic.

Return onions and add 2 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves (chopped) to the pan.

Add one cup water and one 1/4 cup good red wine and heat to a simmer.

Add radishes and cook until tender.

Remove radishes with a slotted spoon and keep warm.

Reduce liquid to make a sauce.

A glass of red wine and some crusty bread are great pairings with this dish.

 

Prosciutto-Wrapped Radishes

Serves 2

Ingredients:

  • 6 long, red radishes
  • 6 thin slices prosciutto
  • Olive oil
  • Fresh black pepper

Directions:

Wash and peel radishes, leaving stems intact.

Carefully wrap each radish in a slice of prosciutto.

Drizzle with olive oil and season with freshly ground black pepper.

 

Sliced Baguette with Radishes and Anchovy Butter

Serves 8

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
  • Coarse kosher salt
  • 8 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices baguette
  • 5-6 radishes (such as French Breakfast), trimmed, thinly sliced on diagonal
  • Additional chopped fresh chives (for garnish)

Directions:

Mix butter, chopped anchovy fillets and chives in a small bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spread a thin layer of anchovy butter over 1 side of each baguette slice. Top each baguette slice with radish slices, overlapping slightly to cover bread. Garnish with additional chopped chives and serve.

 

As A Salad:

Red Radish and Greens Salad

4 servings

Ingredients:

Dressing:

  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
  • 3 tablespoons walnut or olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • dash of salt

Salad:

  • 4 cups mixed greens
  • 1 cup thinly sliced red radishes
  • 1 large apple, quartered, cut into julienne strips
  • 1 orange, peeled, membranes removed and separated into sections
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup fennel cut into julienne strips
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese

Directions:

Place dressing ingredients in a large bowl, whisk together and set aside.

Combine greens, sliced radishes, apple strips, orange sections, shredded carrots and fennel strips in a large salad bowl.

Toss salad with dressing and place on four plates.

Garnish each salad with 1 tablespoon walnuts and 1 tablespoon feta cheese.

 

Roasted Radish & Farro Salad

Farro is an ancient type of soft wheat that is often used in soups and salads in Italy. Farro’s delicious nutty taste makes a wonderful base to bulk up cooked vegetable salads.

This recipe also gives you a chance to try radish leaves.  If this doesn’t appeal to you, you can leave them out or substitute another green, such as arugula.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups farro, rinsed
  • 1 bunch radishes, with green tops, rinsed well
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, separated
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed and peeled
  • 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

Combine the farro with 6 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for about 30 minutes or until the grain is plump and chewy. Drain, then transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the greens off the radishes, chop and set aside. Quarter the radish roots and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread evenly onto the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until browned and tender.

In a skillet over medium heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and clove of garlic. Once the garlic begins to turn golden, add the radish greens and cook stirring until wilted, about 3 minutes. Discard the garlic and pour greens into the cooked farro.

Once the radishes have roasted, toss them with the farro and radish greens. Stir in the lemon juice with more salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

As In A Main Dish:

 

Pineapple Salsa with Radishes and Peppers

Try this sweet, spicy salsa on grilled, spice-rubbed chicken breasts, pork chops or turkey cutlets.

Yields about 3-1/2 cups

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 to 3/4 medium-size fresh pineapple, peeled, quartered, cored and cut into small dice (about 2 cups)
  • 4 large radishes, trimmed and cut into small dice (about 3/4 cup)
  • 1/2 medium orange or yellow bell pepper, cut into small dice (about 2/3 cup)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix the pineapple, radishes, bell pepper, basil, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon each of kosher salt and pepper. Let stand while you grill the meat.

  

Chickpea, Carrot & Parsley Salad

Serves four to six as a vegetarian main dish; eight as a side dish.

 Ingredients:

  • 19-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 2 cups)
  • 1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, very coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup loosely packed shredded carrot (about 1 large carrot)
  • 1/2 cup sliced radishes (about 6 medium)
  • 1/2 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (about 4)
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

Directions:

Put 1/2 cup of the chickpeas in a mixing bowl and mash them into a coarse paste with a potato masher or large wooden spoon. Add in the remaining chickpeas along with the parsley, carrot, radishes, and scallions. Stir to combine.

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the lemon juice, coriander, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few generous grinds of black pepper. Continue whisking, while adding the olive oil in a slow stream. Pour over the salad and toss gently. Season the salad with additional salt and pepper to taste. Top with the feta and pine nuts and serve with warmed pita bread, sliced into wedges.

 

Risotto with Radishes

This recipe goes well with grilled fish.

Serves 6 as main course

For risotto:

  • 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (48 fl ounces)
  • 2 cups hot water
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 pound Arborio rice (2 1/2 cups)
  • 2/3 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

For radishes:

  • 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound trimmed radishes, julienned
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

Directions:

Bring broth and water to a simmer in a 3-to 4-quart saucepan. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon butter in a 4-to 5-quart heavy pot over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook onion, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in rice and cook, stirring, 1 more minute. Add wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed, about 1 minute.

Stir 1 cup simmering broth into rice and cook, stirring constantly, keeping at a strong simmer until absorbed. Continue cooking and adding broth, about 1 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next cup, until rice is just tender and creamy-looking but still al dente, 18 to 22 minutes. Thin with some of remaining broth if necessary (you will have some left over). Remove from the heat. Stir in cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and remaining 1 tablespoon butter.

Prepare radishes:

Whisk together vinegar, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Toss radishes with dressing and chives. Serve risotto topped with radishes.

If you like to carve, radishes will work.

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Celebrate Earth Day

April 22, 2013

Earth Day is the day designated for fostering appreciation of the earth’s environment and awareness of the issues that threaten it. In 1970, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed a bill designating April 22 as a national day to celebrate the earth. At present, Earth Day is observed in 175 countries and coordinated by the nonprofit Earth Day Network (EDN). The passage of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act are considered to be products associated with the 1970 Earth Day.

Each year, the Earth Day Network chooses a theme for Earth Day and this year the focus is ,”The Face of Climate Change”.  For Earth Day 2013, they are collecting and displaying images of how climate change has impacted your life and those around you. An interactive digital display of all the images will be shown at thousands of Earth Day events around the world.

The idea behind the theme is to personalize the challenge climate change presents by spreading the stories of those individuals, animals and places affected through imagery. Some of the images already part of the project include a man in the Maldives worried about relocating his family as sea levels rise, a polar bear in the melting arctic, a farmer in Kansas struggling to make ends meet as a prolonged drought decimates crops, a tiger in India’s dwindling mangrove forests, a child in New Jersey who lost her home to Hurricane Sandy, an orangutan in Indonesian forests ravaged by bush fires and drought and a woman in Bangladesh who can’t get fresh water due to more frequent flooding and cyclones. EDN is also including many images of people doing their part to address climate change: green entrepreneurs, community activists, clean tech engineers, carbon-conscious policymakers and public officials and average people committed to living sustainably.

There are Earth Day events happening in every corner of the U.S. and around the world and EDN encourages you to reach out to your local environmental organizations to see what opportunities there are.

It is important to remember that while we want many people engaged in Earth Day events, there are small actions that you and the young people in your life can take every day to help ensure a sustainable world.

  1. Start a vegetable garden: kids will learn how plants grow (and that vegetables don’t come from the grocery store) and your food will have traveled zero miles to reach your plate.
  2. Unplug electronics when you’re not using them: many electronics pull energy even when they are powered down.
  3. Earth Day is a good time to make a commitment to learning more about the environment and how you can help to protect it. Borrow some library books and read up on an issue such as pollution, endangered species, water shortages, recycling and climate change. Or, learn about a region you’ve never considered before, like the Arctic, the deserts, or the rain forests. Think about the issues that concern you the most and if you haven’t done so already, join a local group that undertakes activities to help protect the environment in your area.
  4. Buy as little as possible and avoid items that come in lots of packaging. Support local growers and producers of food and products – these don’t have to travel as far and so reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Take your drink container with you, and don’t use any disposable plates or cutlery. Recycle all the things you do use for the day or find other uses for things that you no longer use. Carry a cloth bag for carrying things in and recycle your plastic bags.
  5. Many of us take up a lot of natural resources with stuff we don’t really need, want or use. Ironically, there’s a still lot of people who don’t have basic necessities. Plus, a lot of your unwanted clutter can be used by local charities to resell for much-needed cash.
  6. Rid litter from our roadways. Many groups use the weekend of Earth Day to clear roadways, highways and neighborhood streets of litter that has accumulated since the last clean-up day. Many companies donate gloves and bags for clean-up groups and communities organize bag pick ups. Once the group has collected the trash and placed the recycled bags along the road, ask the public works department to pick the bags up. It’s a wonderful community project. Great for scout troops or rotary clubs.
  7. Try making up a simple vinegar-and-water counter cleaner or swap out your bleach cleaner for a less-toxic green-based one. You don’t necessarily have to give up your heavy-duty cleaners–just try using them when you really need to disinfect, rather than simply clean.
  8. Get your children involved. By giving their old toys and games to other children who could make use of them, older children learn two lessons: One is about giving to others and the second is about reusing and recycling instead of throwing things away.

Cook A Special Earth Day Meal.

Plan a menu that uses locally produced foods, is healthy and has minimal impact on the environment. Favor vegetable and bean products, as these use less resources to grow than mass-farmed meat. If you still would like meat, look for locally produced, grass fed, organic meat or wild caught, sustainable fish. Try and have organic food completely. Decorate the table with recycled decorations made by you and your friends.

Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • 4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 (32 ounce) box low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 4 cups packed chopped kale
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can no-salt-added cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

Directions:

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes longer. Add broth, kale, tomatoes, carrots and cover. Cook 5 minutes or until kale is tender. Add beans and oregano and heat thoroughly. Serve with cheese.

Mediterranean Grass-Fed Ground Beef Kebabs

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 pounds ground grass-fed beef
  • 1/4 cup grated white onion
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Prepare a gas or charcoal grill for medium-high heat cooking.

In a large bowl, combine beef, onion, parsley, spices, salt and pepper. Using your hands or a large spoon, gently mix the ingredients together until just combined—do not overwork.

Have ready 4 long metal skewers; form the beef mixture into 8 short sausage shapes and thread 2 onto each skewer. Brush with oil and grill, turning frequently, until browned and just cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Serve skewers with Tabbouleh.

Tabbouleh

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup bulgur wheat, cooked according to package directions
  • 1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 5 green onions, finely chopped
  • 2 cups small grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded, thinly sliced
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt, pepper and crushed red pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients together in a large serving bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Serve room temperature or chilled.

Strawberry Pie

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces Italian amaretti cookies or graham crackers
  • 1/4 cup butter or vegan non-hydrogenated margarine, melted
  • 2 pounds strawberries, hulled and halved, divided
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • Ice cream (optional)

Directions:

Pulse cookies in a food processor until finely ground. (You should have about 1 3/4 cups crumbs.) Add butter and pulse again until completely blended. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan and press evenly into the bottom and sides. Chill in refrigerator or freezer while preparing filling.

Put half of the strawberries into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and juicy; transfer to a medium pot. Add sugar, water and cornstarch and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil, stirring often, until very thick and glossy, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool, stirring occasionally, until lukewarm, about 20 minutes.

Fill crust with remaining strawberries, pour strawberry mixture over the top and smooth out to ensure it fills in the space between berries. Chill until set, 1 to 2 hours. Cut into slices, top with a spoonful of ice cream, if desired and serve.

 

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5 Healthy Spring Dinners

April 16, 2013

Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think of your diet in terms of color, variety and freshness. This way it should be easier to make healthy choices. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that incorporate a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your diet will become healthier and more appealing.

Start slow and make changes to your eating habits over time. Trying to make your diet healthy overnight isn’t realistic or smart. Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. Make small steps, like adding a salad (full of different color vegetables) to your diet once a day or switching from butter to olive oil when cooking. As your small changes become habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices to your diet.

Every change you make to improve your diet matters. You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to completely eliminate foods you enjoy to have a healthy diet. The long term goal is to feel good, have more energy and reduce the risk of cancer and disease. Don’t let your missteps derail you—every healthy food choice you make counts.

Spring brings lots of healthy produce, These include asparagus, broccoli, fresh herbs, and leafy greens, which can be found fresh at farmers’ markets and the produce section of supermarkets. Other healthy spring ingredients include strawberries, artichokes, arugula, radishes, garlic, peas and mushrooms. In addition to being loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, these spring ingredients tend to lend themselves to lighter preparations, such as steaming and roasting. Fresh produce is often more flavorful than food that’s been stored for a long time, so a bit of lemon juice and a sprinkling of fresh herbs can be all you need to season it.

So, in the spirit of spring — as the trees are beginning to bud, the flowers are starting to appear and the days are getting longer — I’ve gathered some recipes using the ingredients of spring to inspire us all to keep it fresh and healthy this season.

 

Risotto with Chicken and Spring Peas

Make it a vegetarian option by using vegetable broth and eliminating the chicken.

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 cup uncooked arborio rice
  • 4 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 cup loose-pack frozen tiny or regular-size peas
  • 1/4 cup coarsely shredded carrot
  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
  • 2 cups fresh spinach, shredded
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
  • 1 teaspoon snipped fresh thyme

Directions:

In a large saucepan heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is tender. Add the uncooked rice. Cook and stir about 5 minutes or until the rice is golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan bring broth to boiling; reduce heat to keep broth simmering. Carefully add 1/2 cup of the broth to the rice mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir over medium heat until liquid is absorbed. Add another 1/2 cup of the broth to the rice mixture, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed. Continue to cook, adding 1/2 cup of broth at a time until all the broth is used; stirring after each addition until the liquid is absorbed. (This should take 18 to 20 minutes total.)

Stir in the peas and carrots with the last addition of the broth. Cook and stir until rice is slightly firm (al dente) and creamy.

Stir in chicken, spinach, Parmesan cheese and thyme; heat through. Serve immediately.

 

Parmesan-Crusted Fish

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 skinless cod fillets (1-1/2 pounds total) or white fish fillets of choice
  • Salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1- 10 ounce package julienned carrots (3 cups)
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Fresh salad greens mixed with Italian dressing

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Rinse fish and pat dry; place on baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl stir together panko and cheese; sprinkle on fish. Bake, uncovered, for 4 to 6 minutes per 1/2-inch thickness of fish or until crumbs are golden and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet bring the water to boiling; add carrots. Reduce heat. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover; cook for 2 minutes more. Add butter and oregano; toss.

Mix greens with dressing and place on dinner plates. Top with cooked fish.

Serve carrots on the side of the fish.

 

Tomato and Eggplant Fusilli

Ricotta salata is a salty, mild-flavored cheese with a crumbly texture similar to feta.

Serve this entre with a green salad and crusty whole grain Italian bread.

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 cups cherry tomatoes
  • 1 large eggplant (about 1 lb), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 3 large cloves garlic, sliced
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pound whole wheat fusilli
  • 1 cup fresh basil, hand torn
  • 1 cup (4 oz) shredded ricotta salata

Directions:

In a large lidded skillet, heat 1 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Stir in tomatoes and eggplant. Cook, covered, 15 minutes. (If skillet does not have a lid, cover tightly with aluminum foil.) Stir in garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of salt; cover and cook another 10 to 15 minutes or until tomatoes are soft.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook fusilli according to package directions, reserving 3/4 cups of the pasta water. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer the fusilli to skillet with the tomato eggplant mixture. Stir in 1/2 cup of the pasta water, 3/4 cups of basil, 3/4 cups of ricotta salata, the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining 1/2 tsp salt. (If pasta seems dry, stir in the remaining 1/4 cup pasta water.) Garnish with remaining 1/4 cup basil and 1/4 cup ricotta salata.

 

Pork Cacciatore

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 pound boneless pork loin, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 – 14-1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 cups cooked brown rice or whole wheat orzo pasta

Directions:

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, mushrooms and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.

Stir in pork, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper. Cover and simmer on medium low, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Serve with the cooked rice or orzo and a green vegetable, such as asparagus.

 

Chicken Pomodoro and Garlic Spaghetti

Round out this meal with a green salad.

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved, (about 8 oz. each)
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup vodka
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk or half & half
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup minced scallions

Directions:

Season chicken with salt and pepper, then dust with flour. Coat a large saute pan with nonstick spray. Add oil and heat over medium-high.

Saute chicken until brown, 2–3 minutes per side. Transfer cutlets to a plate.

Off heat, deglaze pan with vodka and cook until liquid evaporates. Add broth and milk and reduce until thick, 2–3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Return chicken to pan and simmer until chicken is cooked. Turn chicken over to coat in sauce before transferring to a serving plate.

Pour sauce over cutlets and garnish with scallions. Serve with Garlic Spaghetti, recipe below.

Garlic Spaghetti

Makes: 4 servings

  • 8 oz dried spaghetti
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoons minced lemon zest
  • Salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste

Directions:

Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain pasta.

Heat oil in the same pot over medium-high. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in pasta water, parsley, lemon zest and cooked and drained spaghetti; toss to coat.

Season spaghetti with additional salt, black pepperand red pepper flakes to taste.

 

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Easter Dinner – Italian Style

March 26, 2013

The Italian Easter table is an array of symbolic dishes of the season. Every province has its own unique specialties that represent resurrection, fertility and rebirth. The spectrum covers earthy foods, both savory and sweet. An ancient Italian saying, “Natale con i tuoi, la Pasqua con chi vuoi”, means “Christmas at home and Easter with whomever you wish.” But for the most part, Italians return to the family home to celebrate the holiday.

A traditional meal is usually roasted leg of lamb with fresh rosemary and crushed garlic. It is served with asparagus, homemade pasta and a large salad. Vegetables typically play an important part in Italian meals, especially spring vegetables because they are tender and delicate. These include early peas, baby artichokes, asparagus, spinach and Swiss chard side dishes. They are also an important ingredient in egg-rich savory tortes that are combined with hard-boiled eggs and different kinds of cured meats. These tortes are served as appetizers or main dishes throughout the holiday.

Torta Pasqualina (Easter Cheese and Spinach Pie)

You may substitute 2 sheets of puff pastry for the homemade dough. See directions below.

For the dough:

  • 8 cups all-purpose flour
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Water

For the filling:

  • 2 pounds fresh spinach or Swiss chard
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup of finely chopped onion
  • 1 pound ricotta cheese, drained in a sieve for 30 minutes
  • 1 cup milk
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Egg Wash For Puff Pastry:

1 Large Egg

Directions:

For the dough:

Mix the flour, oil and salt and gradually add enough water (about 1 cup) to make a stiff dough that leaves the sides of the bowl cleanly. (The dough will become sticky if too much water is used.) Knead the dough thoroughly and divide it into 10 equal-sized balls. Put on a lightly floured pastry board and cover with a damp cloth for 15 minutes.

For the filling:

Wash the spinach or chard well, drain thoroughly and cook in as little water as possible until soft. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and saute the onion until soft but not brown. Drain the greens and chop finely. Add to the onions and cook for a few moments. Set it aside to cool.

Mix the ricotta with milk, add a pinch of salt and put aside.

Brush a large deep pie dish or 9 inch springform pan with olive oil.

Roll one ball of pastry into a wafer-thin sheet larege enough to fit in the pan, keeping the rest of the pastry balls under the damp cloth. Place the dough in the prepared pie dish, brush lightly with oil and trim off excess pastry. Repeat this with five more balls of pastry, brushing each layer with oil and layering one on top of the other.

Spread the cooked onion and greens on top of the sixth layer of pastry, and spread the ricotta mixture on top. Hollow 4 wells in the filling and crack an egg into each one. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Parmesan.

Roll out the remaining balls of pastry in precisely the same manner as teh bottom layers and place them, one by one, on top of the filling brushing each layer with oil.

Prick the top layer with a fork, brush it generously with oil and trim off any overlapping pastry.

If using puff pastry:

  • Allow the pastry to come to room temperature.
  • Roll out the two layers until fairly thin, making them large enough to cover the springform pan with a enough overhang to cover the filling.
  • Lay one layer over the other to cover the bottom and sides of the pan.
  • Put the filling into the pan, smoothing it evenly.
  • Make four hollows evenly spaced around the filling and carefully crack the eggs into the hollows.
  • Fold the overhanging edges of pastry over the top of the pie, folding to fit.
  • Beat the egg with a teaspoon of water and brush over the top of the puff pastry.

Bake either pie in a 400-degree oven for about 40-50 minutes or until the pie is golden brown. It may be served hot or cold.

Torta Pasqualina

Eggs, the symbol of life, are an essential component of Easter foods. In nature, hens lay fewer eggs during the long winter and more in spring, as the days grow longer and temperatures get warmer. Aside from dyed and decorated eggs, Easter treats include egg-shaped cookies and marzipan and chocolate eggs.

Easter bread and pastry are found on every table. On the sweet side are round breads from Sicily and Abruzzo with colored hard-boiled eggs baked into the loaf. Also popular for Easter is Colomba, a sweet bread baked in the shape of a dove. The dough contains candied citrus and is topped with toasted almonds and sugar crystals.The dove is a universal symbol of peace.

PASQUA: FIRST COURSE

Easter feasts encourage an adventurous spirit in the kitchen. At Christmas and New Year’s Eve, Italians are likely to stick to traditional dishes, but at Easter, there is much more diversity. There is no typical antipasto or even primo piatto (first course) for Easter, but young cured meats and cheeses are usually served in some form.

Some popular first course dishes include: Fried Artichokes, Insalata di Polpo (Octopus Salad), swordfish or tuna seasoned with grapefruit and generous platters of young pecorino, fava beans and salumi.

Popular pasta dishes for Easter are Lasagna, in all its varieties and Baked Pasta, for which every household in Italy has a different recipe. Those who have the time and skill to prepare homemade pasta, might make their own local specialty (such as, orecchiette, cavatelli or pici), or stuffed pastas such as ravioli or tortelloni. An alternative to pasta is risotto made with fresh seafood and baby peas or asparagus.

PASQUA: THE MAIN COURSE

For secondo (the main course), roasted or grilled meat is usually served. For centuries, the most popular choice for Easter has been lamb—not just in Italy, but in many other Mediterranean and European countries too. In Rome lamb is marinated with lemon and rosemary and then roasted.

Another typical Roman recipe is Grilled Lamb Chops served with roasted potatoes and artichokes. In Tuscany, lamb is slowly braised with onions and carrots, then served with seasoned cannellini beans. In the Puglia region, boiled lamb is served with fresh herbs and vegetables. In Trentino, polpettine (little meatballs) are made with ground lamb, scallions, parsley and rosemary and served with tomato sauce as an entree.

PASQUA: DESSERT COURSE

Dolci (dessert) is an important part of the Easter feast. Chocolate eggs are among the favorite. In Italy and they contain a surprise inside for the children.

The Pastiera Napoletana is another authentic Easter tradition, originating in Naples, this cake is made with ricotta cheese, candied fruit and orange-blossom water.

The Pizza Pasqualina, a dessert made with cinnamon and chocolate, is a specialty of northern Lazio.

In Sicily, cassata and cannoli are the traditional desserts; and in Sardinia, Casadina, a puff pastry dessert stuffed with ricotta and raisins, is usually served.

Pane di Pasqua (Easter Bread) is a famous Easter treat made all over Italy. Sometimes it is prepared as a dessert and other times as a savory pastry. 

In vegetarian households, the symbolism of the “sacrificial lamb” can be represented by small lamb-shaped cakes and pastries that are eaten for dessert.

EASTER MENU:

Lemon Gnocchi with Peas and Spinach

Potato gnocchi are flavored with fresh citrus, sweet peas and baby spinach

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 8 ounces fat free half & half
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed
  • Fine Sea Salt
  • 3 cups packed baby spinach leaves
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 (1-pound) package Potato Gnocchi
  • 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

Directions:

In a large skillet, combine peas, half & half, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes, until tender. Stir in spinach and cook uncovered until leaves are wilted. Remove pan from heat and mix in lemon zest and juice.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi and cook until they float to the top, about 4 minutes. Drain gnocchi, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water, if needed.

Mix hot gnocchi with the vegetable sauce in the saucepan. Add some of the reserved pasta water, if needed. Stir to coat. Top with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve.

Serves 4 

Roman Grilled Lamb Chops

Though this classic Easter recipe for lamb originated in Rome, it has long since become a national favorite. 

Ingredients:

  • 8 to 12 lamb chops
  • 3 fresh bay leaves, finely ground
  • 3 sage leaves
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • A few juniper berries
  • Coarse sea salt
  • Black peppercorns
  • 1/2 glass dry white wine
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 lemons, cut into wedges

Directions:

Layer the lamb chops in a large container.

With a mortar, a knife or an electric grinder, finely grind all of the herbs and spices—including the salt and pepper. (If you use a knife, use the flat side to first crush the juniper berries, peppercorns and salt.) Place them in a bowl, then mix with the wine and the olive oil, stirring with a fork. Pour this marinade into the container with the layered lamb chops. Marinate overnight.

Ideally, lamb chops are best grilled on an open coal fire or barbecue, but you can also cook them on the stove in a cast-iron grill or a heavy pan. They will be ready very quickly—lamb chops (unlike pork chops) can be served rare or medium-rare, according to your preference. Serve them hot with a couple of lemon wedges.

Roasted potatoes are usually served with this dish.

Serves 4

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Coarse sea salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large sheet pan with aluminum foil.

Toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil; spread them evenly on the sheet pan, and bake, turning occasionally with a spatula, until golden brown on the outside and creamy inside, about 20 minutes.

While the potatoes are roasting, finely chop the rosemary and garlic together. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on top of the stove.

Drizzle the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil over the potatoes, sprinkle with sea salt and 2 tablespoons of the rosemary-garlic mixture. Mix well.

Return the pan to the oven to heat the seasonings through.

Serve as a side dish.

 

Sauteed Broccoli Rabe with Garlic

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 1/2 pounds broccoli rabe, thick stems removed and discarded, cut into 3 inch pieces
  • Ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese

Directions:

In a large deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onion, garlic and pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the onion softens, 5-6 minutes. Add the broccoli rabe and 1/2 cup water; season to taste with salt and pepper and toss gently.

Cover and cook until the broccoli rabe is softened, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water has evaporated and the broccoli rabe is completely tender, 2 minutes longer. Stir 1/4 cup of the pecorino into the broccoli rabe. Sprinkle with remaining pecorino over the broccoli rabe and serve.

 

Springtime Lemon Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs

Frosting:

  • 12 ounces chilled mascarpone cheese
  • 1 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 teaspoons lemon zest, plus extra for ganish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine milk, olive oil, lemon zest and vanilla. Set them both aside.

Beat butter and sugar in the large bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well until mixture turns pale yellow. Turn the speed down to low and add the flour mixture and milk mixture, alternating both. Continue to beat until combined.

Fill muffin cups two-thirds of the way full with batter. Bake until golden and cooked through, about 17 minutes. Check with a toothpick to be sure. Allow cupcakes to cool before frosting.

Frosting: In a bowl, beat the mascarpone, vanilla, lemon zest and sugar at a medium speed until the frosting is light and fluffy. Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle the top of each cupcake with a little lemon zest.

Makes 2 dozen cupcakes

 

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Crab Italian Style

March 11, 2013

There are around 5,000 different species of crab, which can be found all over the world. 4,500 of these species are said to be “true” crabs, while the other 500 are made up of different species of hermit crabs.The majority of crabs live in the water, however, there are a small number of crabs that live on land and breathe air.

The majority of the crab population can be found in the waters around China, followed by the U.S. and Japan.  While most crabs are found in the Asian seas, the U.S. is the world’s largest exporter of crabs. Crab dishes are very popular in Japan, France, Spain, Hong Kong, the U.S., Canada and Portugal.

Crabs and crustaceans were considered a delicacy in ancient Rome. In particular, Apicius, a well known “foodie” of the time, described how to cook crustaceans in his book, De Re Coquinaria, and it seems that he was a real fan. Legend has it that when he learned that there were extremely large lobsters living along the coast of Libya, he hired a boat and sailed there just to try them. Once he arrived and discovered that the local lobsters were almost identical to those found in Rome, he turned around and came back to Italy without even debarking.

Although there are many different types of crab and each offer their own distinctive taste and texture, all crabmeat is essentially sweet. The many crab species fished from North America’s coastal waters vary greatly in size, appearance, taste and texture and lend themselves to an immense array of dishes. There are six varieties that are used the most and are commercially available, either live, cooked, frozen or in lump form (that is, picked from the shell and packaged).

If you are planning on cooking the crab at home and eating it straight from the shell, it is best to buy live crabs for better taste. Frozen crabs can also be bought. Buy your crabs from a well-known and reputable fish market or, as a second choice, from a large supermarket. If you are buying from the latter, make sure to find out how long the crabs have been in the tank. If it is longer than a week, they should really be avoided.

When I was young, my family and I would spend our summers at the shore. One of the activities involved crabbing in the bay near our house. My father would take me to the dock very early in the morning. It was a simple affair: string, bait and a basket. My father would attach the bait to the string, drop the bait end into the water and tie the other end to the dock. My job was to check the strings every once in awhile to see if we caught a crab. If we did, we would pull up the string and place the crab in a covered basket. Believe or not, we caught many crabs this way, more than enough for dinner. My father would be very happy and always bragged about the crab catch. He loved to make spaghetti sauce with crabs cooked in the sauce. I was not a fan and didn’t eat crab then. Times have changed.

If you are buying live crabs, it is best to consume them when they are as fresh as possible, preferably on the same day, although they will keep overnight in the refrigerator. Put the live crabs in a bowl or a container where they can still breathe and cover them with damp paper towels or a damp cloth. Place them in a cold area of your refrigerator until you are ready to use them. 

Boiling live crab

Pour 5 quarts of water into a large pot and add 5 tablespoons of sea salt. Bring to a rapid boil.

Grasp the live crab by the back legs and drop it into the water headfirst. Bring the water back to the boil and only then start timing.

You should cook large crabs (about 2 lb.) for around 15-20 minutes and smaller crabs around 8 – 10 minutes.

The crab’s shell should turn a bright orange when done.

When the crabs are done, immerse them for a few seconds in cold water, so that cooking stops and they do not overcook.

Defrosting a whole crab

If you have decided to purchase pre-cooked frozen crab, simply place it in the refrigerator overnight in order to defrost.

If you need to defrost the crab quickly, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in a sink full of cold water. Do not use hot water. A two pound crab will defrost in one hour.

Storing cooked crab meat

Freshly cooked crab meat is best eaten on the same day, however, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days. The cooked meat should be removed from the shell beforehand.

Cooked crab meat can be frozen and will keep for four months. Make sure that it is tightly wrapped or placed in an airtight container before freezing.

Some of the more common types of crab are described below.

Alaskan King Crab are the largest and most sought after crab in the world due to its size, which can reach up to 25 pounds and measure up to 10 feet. It may be large, but only about one-fourth is edible, primarily the legs and claws. Only males are harvested. The delicately-flavored meat is snowy white with a bright red outer edge. Their preferred habitat is in the coldest waters in the world. King Crab is caught chiefly by commercial fisherman in various areas in the Pacific Ocean near Alaska: Bristol Bay, Norton Sound, St. Matthew Island, Pribilof Island and the Kodiak Islands.

Alaskan Snow Crab are the type of crab you mainly find in a seafood restaurant. There are four species of Snow Crab and two species are found in Alaskan waters. Alaskan Snow Crab are mainly caught by commercial fishermen in the Bering Sea waters and the Chukchi Sea. Many of the same crabs are also found in Japan. Their habitat is in very cold waters. Snow Crab grow by molting when they shed their exterior. Then they grow tissue to fill each new, larger exo-skeleton. They molt several times per year when they are young but only once per year when they get larger and mature. The average snow crab weighs between 2 and 4 pounds.

The Blue Crab habitat is mainly around the Chesapeake Bay area on the Atlantic coast, areas in the Gulf of Mexico and other areas as far south as the Bahamas. This species of crab has blue highlights and their shells are extremely sharp. Blue crabs can also be eaten in it’s soft shell stage. To eat these crab in the soft shell stage, they have to caught, processed and cooked before they molt to their hard shell state. 

Dungeness Crab is a type of crab that inhabits grass beds and water bottoms all the way from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down through the Pacific Ocean waters of California and even into parts of the Gulf of Mexico. They are named after Dungeness, Washington, which is located near Port Angeles, WA, in the Puget Sound area. This area is where Captain George Vancouver explored the Strait of Juan de Fuca, along the northern area of Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula in the late eighteenth century. Dungeness Crab is considered a characteristic food of the Great Pacific Northwest.

Stone Crabs have large, very hard claws that are prized for their meat. Most of the harvest comes from Florida, where it is harvested from October 15 to May 15. Only the claws are eaten, so fishermen twist off one claw from each stone crab and toss them back to grow a new one. Crabs will regenerate new claws within 18 months. The law requires the claws of just caught stone crabs be boiled for 7 minutes and then either put on ice or frozen. The freezing process seems to remove an unpleasant iodine taste which is often noticed in the meat. To serve, the claws are cracked with a mallet and served cold with dipping sauces. Minimum size for claws is 2 to 2.75 ounces. The meat has a firm texture and a sweet flavor.

Red Rock Crabs and their cousins, the Jonah Crab, are light to dark brownish red, depending on where they are caught. The further north they are fished, the darker the shells get. Red Rock crabs are found along the Atlantic coast all the way from Nova Scotia to the shores of Florida. Neither are sold in upscale fish stores or in the major supermarkets, but you may be able to find them in Spanish or Chinese markets.

Freshwater Crabs: There are many species that live in freshwater- especially in the streams and billabongs of Australia- but also on every other continent.The Southern European Crab, pictured above, has been eaten by people since Roman Times. Unfortunately, freshwater crabs are threatened by human activities more than most groups of animals and many species are in danger of becoming extinct.

The four basic types of shelled meat that you can buy and their uses follow:

Jumbo Lump or Lump Crab Meat

Jumbo Lump meat comes from the pair of large muscles that drive the crab’s swimming legs. With care and skill these lumps can be removed intact, resulting in the prized whole Jumbo Lump with its incomparable visual appeal. Grades identified simply as lump are from smaller crab varieties.

Use Jumbo Lump when you want to display beautiful white meat in:

Crab cocktails

Solid-meat crab cakes

Crab Louis – lumps of crab meat and hard boiled eggs on Boston lettuce, with Russian dressing.

Crab Imperial – a baked dish combining crab with mayonnaise or a sherried white sauce, spooned into scallop shells, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese or bread crumbs and browned.

Lump or Backfin Lump Crab Meat

Lump or Backfin is the preferred grade for many traditional crab dishes. It has the same fine flavor and texture of Jumbo Lump, but is in slightly smaller pieces. Some companies call this grade Lump, some Backfin and some Backfin Lump. If you purchase a can labeled Lump, it will be all lump meat and will not contain any Jumbo Lump.

Use Lump or Backfin when you want beautiful white crab but don’t want the expense of Jumbo Lump, for example:

Crab Benedict (Eggs Benedict with crab instead of ham)

Gazpacho: add a 1/2 cup of crab to the center of the soup

Pasta:  add to Spaghetti Carbonara instead of bacon or add a cup to Fettuccini all’Amatriciana

Risotto

White Crab Meat

 

White crab meat is ideal for crab cake recipes that have multiple ingredients (bread crumbs, vegetables) that are mixed with mayonnaise and in crab recipes where the size and shape of the crab flake becomes indistinguishable from the rest of the ingredients.

White crab meat is a more economical alternative for:

Appetizers

Bisques and chowders

Omelets

Pizza

Sandwiches and salads

Stuffed tomatoes

Claw Crab Meat

Claw Crab meat is the “dark meat” of the crab. The reddish-brown claw and leg meat is actually more flavorful than the white meat and is preferred by many who like the more robust flavor and appreciate the lower price. Claw meat also stands up to bolder seasonings. Some people mix it with Backfin Lump for visual appeal, while keeping the overall price down.

Try claw meat and, if you like the flavor, you may have an economical alternative and a reason to enjoy crab more often. You can use it in any preparation, but especially in

Cheese melts

Crab tacos

Cioppino or other fish stews

What To Look For In Canned Crab Meat

When you do a comparative test among different brands of canned crab meat, you can immediately discern differences in the size, color, texture, shell content, scent and the flavor of the meat. Each bite of crab meat should taste and smell the same. If it doesn’t, you need to find a better brand.

Cooking With Crab

If you are planning on buying crab legs, try not to buy ones that have been thawed, since they will not retain their taste and freshness. Always try to buy frozen crab legs or pre-cooked and frozen crab legs.

Thawed crab legs can be maintained in the refrigerator for two days before they go bad, but they should really be cooked as soon as they have been defrosted.

To defrost frozen crab legs, place them in the refrigerator for about 8 hours. If you place them on a rack in a watertight container, they can drain as they are defrosting.

Pre-cooked frozen crab legs can be heated in a number of ways, even in the microwave. My preferred way is to bake them in the oven.

To bake crab legs

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Crack the whole crab legs and place them on a baking tray.

Brush the crab legs with butter or oil, seasoning and lemon juice and bake in the oven for 8 – 9 minutes.

Crab Stuffed Artichokes

4 appetizer servings

Ingredients:

  • 4 artichokes
  • 1 lemon, thinly sliced
  • 2 teaspoons crab boil or Old Bay Seasoning
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 cup finely diced onion
  • 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
  • 1 teaspoon chopped oregano leaves
  • 1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs
  • 1 cup crab meat
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • Salt and pepper

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the stems from the artichokes to leave a neat, flat base. Lay each artichoke on its side, and cut away the upper third with a sharp knife. With kitchen shears, remove the prickly leaf tips from each remaining leaf. Rub the cut sides and bottom with a lemon slice, squeezing lemon juice onto the cut areas and set aside.

Place the prepared artichokes, lemon slices, crab boil and bay leaves in the boiling water and simmer, partially covered, until the bottom is tender and can be pierced with a sharp knife and an outer leaf pulls out easily, about 25 minutes.

Drain the artichokes upside down in a colander.

Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.

To the onions in the pan, add the garlic and oregano and continue to cook for 30 seconds.

Remove from the heat and stir in the bread crumbs, crab meat, lemon zest, Parmesan and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Mix well and adjust seasonings with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

When the artichokes are cool enough to handle, press the leaves gently back so that the artichoke opens to reveal the inner choke and prickly leaves. Pull out the cone of undeveloped white leaves and gently scrape out the choke with a spoon. Gently pull the leaves outward from the center until the leaves open slightly.

Fill the artichoke cavities with the crab stuffing and pack a little bit into the space between the leaves.

Place the artichokes in an earthenware baking dish and drizzle the tops with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Pour 1/2 cup of water into the bottom of the dish and place in the oven. Bake until the artichokes are golden brown and the bread crumbs develop a crust, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle each with some grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with additional lemon wedges.

Cioppino-Style Roasted Crab

4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 6 large garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 cups bottled clam juice
  • 2 – 15-ounce cans chopped tomatoes in juice
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon (scant) dried crushed red pepper
  • Coarse kosher salt
  • 2 - 2-pound cooked Dungeness crabs, cleaned, quartered, cracked or 2 pounds Alaska king crab legs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat oil in large deep ovenproof skillet or large metal roasting pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add wine; increase heat to high and boil 2 minutes. Add clam juice, tomatoes with juice, 1 cup water, bay leaves, parsley and crushed red pepper and bring to boil. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 15 minutes. Add crab pieces; nestle into sauce. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until crab pieces are heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Place crab with juices in large bowl to serve.

Spaghettini with Crab and Spicy Lemon Sauce

4 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 pound spaghettini (thin spaghetti)
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
  • 1 large garlic clove, pressed
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste
  • 1 teaspoon lemon peel
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups (packed) coarsely chopped fresh parsley plus whole sprigs for garnish
  • 8 ounces lump crabmeat, picked over
  • 3 ounces prosciutto, sliced crosswise (optional)

Directions:

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil and garlic in large skillet over medium heat. Mix in the next 4 ingredients.

Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Add pasta, 1/4 cup cooking liquid, chopped parsley and crab meat to skillet. Toss over medium heat until sauce coats pasta, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls to moisten if necessary, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to large platter.Top with prosciutto, if desired. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with parsley sprigs. 

Roasted Shellfish with Fennel and Citrus

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
  • 1 tablespoon ground fennel seeds
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 pounds stone crab claws or Canadian snow crab legs, shells cracked with mallet or cut with scissors
  • 1 1/2 pounds small clams, scrubbed
  • 16 mussels, scrubbed, debearded
  • 1/2 cup chopped shallots
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • Chopped fresh chives

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500°F. Place a heavy large roasting pan over 2 burners and heat over medium heat. Add oregano and fennel and stir 1 minute. Add olive oil, cracked crab, clams and mussels; stir to coat. Place pan in the oven. Roast until crab is heated through and clams and mussels open, stirring occasionally and transferring clams and mussels to a platter as they open, about 10 minutes.

After all the shellfish has been transferred to the platter (discard any clams and mussels that do not open); tent with foil to keep warm. Heat the same roasting pan over 2 burners over high heat. Add shallots and wine and boil 1 minute. Add citrus juices and boil until sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Whisk in butter. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over shellfish. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

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Cooking With Garlic

March 7, 2013

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a close relative of chives, leek and onions. This edible bulb of garlic cloves is found underground, below the leafy, scallion-like growth. A garlic bulb, composed of 4-60 cloves, can be 1.5 to 3 inches in diameter (4 to 7.5 cm) and grow to a height of 10 inches to 5 feet (10 cm to 1.5 m). The flowers are white with a rose or green cast. The bulbs themselves are creamy white and may have a purplish hue, as may the paper-like covering that surrounds the bulb.

As a culinary and medicinal plant, garlic spread in ancient times to Mediterranean regions and beyond. Garlic has been used for medicinal purposes by more cultures than any other plant product or substance. The first recorded use was by the Sumerians of Mesopotamia, in the region of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Archeologists have discovered paintings of garlic dating back to 3200 B.C in Egyptian tombs. A recently discovered Egyptian papyrus dated around 1,500 B.C. recommends garlic as a cure for over 22 common ailments, including lack of stamina, heart disease and tumors.

Garlic was so highly prized, it was even used as currency. Although the Egyptians considered garlic valuable, they had a strong aversion to cooking and eating it. The ancient Israelites were fond of garlic and in the Mishnah, a collection of Jewish traditions incorporated into the Talmud, the ancient Hebrew writers refer to themselves as “the garlic eaters.” Many other ancient civilizations, including the Romans and Greeks used garlic to boost strength and prevent diseases. In ancient Greece and Rome, garlic enjoyed a variety of uses, from repelling scorpions to treating animal bites and bladder infections to curing leprosy and asthma.

Although highly regarded as a medicine in eastern cultures, garlic was not used as a food. The Buddhists avoided eating it as did some Hindus.The ancient Indians valued the medicinal properties of garlic and thought it to be an aphrodisiac. But it was not considered to be suitable food for the upper classes, who detested its strong odor. It was also forbidden by monks, who believed it to be a stimulant that aroused passions. This attitude changed with the centuries and garlic, ginger and onion were, and continue to be, an indispensable part of the cuisine of Southern Asia.

In the Middle Ages, garlic was thought to combat the plague and was hung in braided strands across the entrances of houses to prevent evil spirits from entering and as a protection from the plague. Garlic was also used as a medicine against plagues that struck London in the 17th century and France in the 18th century.

In New England, during colonial times, garlic cloves were used to treat smallpox, rheumatism, intestinal worms and whooping-cough. Louis Pasteur recognized its antiseptic properties in 1858, and Albert Schweitzer recommended garlic for dysentery.

For many years, garlic was shunned as a food by the western cultures because of the odor it left behind. It was avoided in America until the 20th. century, when an influx of immigrants brought garlic flavored cooking with them and the use of garlic slowly gained a foothold in American cuisine. Today, garlic is recognized worldwide as an extremely nutritious addition to any diet.

Over a thousand papers on garlic health benefits have been published since 1950. Many of the health benefits of garlic that have been studied come from garlic’s abundant antioxidant nutrients. Garlic also contains enzymes, calcium, copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and selenium. Vitamins in garlic include vitamin A, vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B6 and vitamin C. Garlic is a powerful immune system booster. It increases the production of interferon (an antiviral compound), which improves the action of your white blood cells. Interferon and white blood cells are critical components of your body’s immune system.

There are certain dishes that are unimaginable without garlic: the sauce from France called aioli, the Italian anchovy dip called bagna cauda, the Middle Eastern spread hummus, Greek Tzatziki sauce and, of course, garlic bread, to name a few. It is also an important ingredient in many Italian sauces and Asian recipes. There are jellies and jams and even ice cream. For a milder flavor, choose Elephant garlic, which — while large in size — has a mild garlic taste.

Garlic Measurements:

Here are some garlic measurement yields:

1 small clove of garlic equals one half teaspoon of garlic

1 medium clove equals one teaspoon

1 large clove equals two teaspoons

1 extra-large clove equals one tablespoon

Garlic Tips:

Garlic keepers, covered ceramic pots with holes for circulation, provide the kind of cool, dark climate in which the bulbs keep best. Green shoots on stored garlic do not mean it can no longer be used, but the flavor will be milder.

Refrigeration changes the texture of garlic and causes it to quickly become soft. Neither freezing nor drying gives satisfactory results, but storing peeled cloves in wine or vinegar in the refrigerator, will preserve garlic for up to four months.

Do NOT store garlic in oil, even under refrigeration, because cases of botulism have resulted. Commercial preparations in oil, by law, have been specially treated to prevent this possibility.

When garlic cloves are cooked or baked whole, the flavor mellows into a sweet, almost nutty flavor that hardly resembles any form of pungency.

The potency of garlic is determined by size. The smaller you cut it, the stronger the flavor. Chopping finely and/or pressing a clove exposes more surfaces to the air, causing a chemical reaction to produce that strong aroma and potent flavor.

When sauteing garlic, be very careful not to burn it. The flavor turns intensely bitter and you’ll have to start over.

If you have a good garlic press, you don’t even need to peel garlic cloves before pressing, which can be a wonderful time-saver. Just place the unpeeled clove in the tool cavity, press and discard the skins left in the cavity.

Choose garlic heads that are firm to the touch, with no nicks or soft cloves. If you notice dark, powdery patches under the skin, pass it up because this is an indication of a common mold which will eventually spoil the flesh.

Some Common Types of Garlic

Believe it or not, all garlics do not taste the same. Some are exceedingly mild in taste, such as Italian Red and Red Toch. Some are medium flavored, while others are very hot and strong, such as Metechi (a marbled Purple Stripe) or Chinese Purple.There are several components to garlic taste: flavor, pungency (which is the degree of hotness when eaten raw) and residual or aftertaste, which for some varieties is considerable. Flavor and aftertaste can be measured on a scale from 1 to 10. Raw garlic is hot like a chili pepper, it just doesn’t last long, but it has an aftertaste. Flavor is the intensity of the garlic taste itself, whether it is hot or not. Some have a heavy flavor but are mild in heat, whereas others may be light in both or very heavy in both. If you get garlic that scores a ten on all three scales, you have very potent garlic.

For many, many more types of garlic, read what the following garlic farm in Wisconsin grows:  http://www.wegrowgarlic.com/7422.html

Fresh garlic consists of several cloves that can be individually separated from their paper-thin white peel. Each clove of garlic is also encased in its own individual white to reddish-brown wrapper, often layered, depending upon variety. Regardless of variety though, it is best to choose garlic with firm bulbs and roots still intact, as this is a sign of freshness. Whole garlic has a very mild scent, once cloves are chopped or pressed enzyme compounds are released which produce a sulfur based molecule known as allicin, a process which gives garlic its renowned pungent aroma and flavor.

Italian Purple garlic can easily be distinguished from other garlics by its appearance. Its solid bulb is almost uniformly rounded and its thick layers of wrappers are streaked with variegations of violet-purple. The bulb contains a thick central scape and about six to eight plump cream-colored cloves in relatively easy-to-peel skin. The cloves are aromatic, spicy and bold in flavor, which only increases with maturity. When eaten raw, a little bit goes a long way with Italian Purple garlic, since its flavor lingers for quite a while. Italian Purple is a rare Rocambole that was brought to the United States from northern Italy in the early 20th. century. It has been grown throughout many garlic growing regions in the Northern United States. It is still considered a rare garlic with very limited commercial production. You will most likely find Italian Purple garlic at a farmers market.

Elephant garlic is much larger in size than common garlic. Elephant garlic develops a large underground bulb (nearly twice the size of the largest true garlic variety) that produces an average of five large cloves. The largest bulbs can weigh as much as one pound, hence its given name. Its size matters only in appearance, though, as its flavor is milder and sweeter than that of other garlic varieties, due to its leek ancestry.

 

Thai garlic produce extremely small bulbs, that carry about six to eight pea-sized cloves, that grow around the garlic’s scape. When harvested at maturity, the cloves are encased in tight, firm wrappers varying in stripes and colors of purple and tan. The cloves themselves are creamy in color with a shallot rose-colored hue on their surface. Regardless of size, their flavors are pungent and aromas are strong. The fiery flavor does mellow with cooking.

Rancho Grande garlic is an Italian red garlic variety and a soft neck type of garlic. Rancho Grande garlic produces large bulbs, which carry an average of ten cloves, that grow in a circular order around the garlic’s central scape. The bulbs and individual cloves are wrapped in thin papery layers that protect the garlic from the elements through maturity. The cloves are a translucent white in color. The garlic’s aroma is a savory and mellow essence of allium, while the flavor is peppery and yet sweet.

 

Kettle River garlic produces large bulbs with an average of four cloves per bulb. The bulbs grow in pairs around the garlic’s central scape, their size is quite robust compared to many garlic varieties. Even when slightly peeled, the aromatics of the garlic permeate immediately and linger. The flavor of Kettle River garlic is intense with an earthy garlic taste and a smooth subtle aftertaste.

Green garlic are young, short-season plants that are harvested before they begin to form mature bulbs or cloves. Green garlic ranges in height from 8-18 inches, producing thin, green stalks and small, cylindric to globular white bulbs. Green garlic has a piquant garlic flavor and a firm texture.

 

Recipes That Showcase Garlic:

Antipasto

 

Garlicky Bruschetta with Tomatoes

 Ingredients:

  • 1 cup diced ripe tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • Salt and ground black pepper
  • 1 loaf Italian bread, sliced diagonally into 1-inch thick slices and toasted

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and garlic. Mix well to combine. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Spoon tomato mixture on toasted bread slices and serve.

Bagna Cauda

An Italian favorite, bagna cauda is a warm dip of anchovies, garlic and olive oil served with fresh vegetables as an appetizer.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
  • 12 anchovies preserved in olive oil, drained and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks

For dipping:

A variety of raw vegetables, including fennel, cauliflower, Belgian endive, sweet peppers and zucchini.

Directions:

Put the olive oil in a pan with the garlic and anchovies and cook over a low heat, stirring, until the anchovies melt or break apart. Whisk in butter and, as soon as it has melted, remove the pot from the heat and whisk for a few more turns to blend everything together. Pour into a heatproof dish that fits over a flame or bunson burner, so that it does not get cold at the table. Serve with the crudities.

 

First Courses

 

Spaghetti with Garlic, Oil and Chili Pepper

Spaghetti with garlic, oil and peperoncino is one of the most simple and quick-to-prepare pasta dishes in Italy.

Servings 4

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 lb spaghetti
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 chili pepper
  • parsley, chopped to taste

Directions:

Cook the pasta in salted water and drain when cooked al-dente. While it is cooking, heat the garlic and the chili pepper, without letting them burn, and add to the cooked pasta, sprinkling some finely chopped parsley on top.

Garlic Soup Italian Style

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
  • 2 large potatoes cut into bite-size cubes
  • 20 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • Fresh chives or tops of green onions to garnish

Directions:

In a soup pot heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook for about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat and add the garlic and potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are softened, (not mushy.) This should take an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the broth, the water, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until all ingredients are soft, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves.

Process the soup with an immersion blender until chunky. Season with salt and pepper and garnish. Serve hot.

Linguine with Clam Sauce

See post on how to clean clams: 

http://jovinacooksitalian.com/2012/10/08/pasta-night/

6 servings

 Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/3 cup clam juice
  • 1/3 cup white wine
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 dozen littleneck clams, washed well
  • 8 cups hot cooked linguine (about 1 pound uncooked pasta)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 3 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Stir in clam juice and next 5 ingredients. Stir well and add clams in a single layer. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until the clams open. Remove from heat. Discard any clams that do not open.

Drain pasta and return to the pot.  Add clam sauce to pasta and toss well. Serve in individual pasta bowls.

 

Second Courses

 

Garlicky Pan-Roasted Shrimp

 Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped or passed through a garlic press
  • pinch of dried red-pepper flakes, or 1 or 2 whole dried peperoncini (hot peppers)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons dry white wine
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

 Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and hot pepper and saute gently until the garlic softens but is not browned, about 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and saute, turning once, until they are opaque, about 2 minutes on each side. Add the wine and salt, stir and cook for an additional 30 seconds, to allow the alcohol to evaporate. Remove and discard the whole peppers, if used. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Italian Garlic Chicken and Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 8 bone in chicken thighs
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon red chili peppers, finely minced
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 5 medium new potatoes
  • 2 -3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Line a roasting pan with foil.

Cut off any excess skin from the chicken leaving just a covering on top. Dry chicken with paper towels and place into a large bowl. 

Drizzle 3 tablespoons olive oil over chicken.

Add garlic, lemon juice, parsley, basil, thyme, rosemary, chili peppers, salt and pepper.

Using clean hands, toss the chicken in the oil/garlic/herb mixture to thoroughly coat.

Lay the chicken pieces in the roasting pan, skin side down, leaving any excess oil/garlic/herb mixture in the bowl.

Cut up potatoes (do NOT peel) into large chunks and toss into the bowl with the remaining oil/garlic/herb mixture.

Toss to coat and place potato chunks around chicken in pan and drizzle any remaining oil mixture over chicken and potatoes.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and turn chicken and potatoes over.

Return to the oven and bake an additional 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

 

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Sunday Roasts

March 5, 2013

The Sunday roast is a traditional British and Irish main meal served on Sundays, consisting of roasted meat, roast potato or mashed potato, with accompaniments, such as Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, vegetables and gravy. The meal is often comparable to a less grand version of a traditional Christmas dinner in these cultures.

There are (at least) two opinions on the origins of the Sunday Roast. One holds that, during the industrial revolution, Yorkshire families left a cut of meat in the oven before going to church on a Sunday morning, which was then ready to eat by the time they arrived home at lunchtime.The second opinion holds that the Sunday Roast dates back to medieval times, when the village serfs served the squire for six days a week. Then on the Sunday, after the morning church service, serfs would assemble in a field, practice their battle techniques and were rewarded with a feast of oxen roasted on a spit.

Typical meats used for a Sunday dinner roast are beef, chicken, lamb or pork, although duck, goose, ham, turkey or other game birds may be used. Sunday roasts can be served with a range of boiled, steamed and roasted vegetables. The vegetables served vary seasonally and regionally, but will usually include potatoes roasted alongside the meat and gravy made from juices released by the roasting meat and thickened with flour. Other vegetable dishes served with a roast dinner can include mashed turnips, roasted parsnips, boiled or steamed cabbage, broccoli, green beans, boiled carrots and peas. It is also not uncommon to find vegetable dishes — such as cauliflower gratin or stewed red cabbage — to be served alongside the more usual assortment of plainly-cooked seasonal vegetables.

In Italy, the Sunday main meal is important. All across Italy in restaurants, houses and dining rooms, every Sunday at about one in the afternoon, the majority of people will sit down to eat with friends and family, dressed in their finest. Like clockwork, piazzas will suddenly empty of their crowds; churches, having finished services, will close their doors and bars will serve their last drink.

Typical meals, depending on the region in Italy, follows:

Northern Italian Menu

Starter: soppressa – salami and formaggi – cheeses

First Course: tortellini in stock, risotto al radicchio – chicory risotto

Second Course: coniglio – rabbit and vitello arrosto – roast veal (probably cooked under salt)

Vegetables: composta di verdure cotte – mixed cooked vegetables, patate al forno – roast potatoes

Dessert: crostata – a sort of jam or fruit tart and zuppa inglese – an Italian version of English trifle

Central Italian Menu

Starter: crostini – croutons and salumi misti – selection of salami and cooked and smoked hams

First Course: pasta al forno – oven cooked pasta and pasta al ragù – pasta with ragu

Secondi: arista di maiale – roast pork and pollo arrosto – roast chicken

Vegetables: piselli – peas and patate al forno – roast potatoes

Dessert: biscottini – biscuits and tiramisù

Southern Italian Menu

Starter: prosciutto e melone – smoked ham and melon , salame – salami and formaggi – cheeses

First Course: linguine di mare, pasta al forno -

Second Course: agnello – lamb and polpettone – meatballs

Vegetables: insalata mista – salad, peperoni al forno – roast peppers

Dessert: pasticcini – small cakes, babà – rum baba

Italian American Sunday Dinner

Growing up in an Italian American family, Sunday was the day for our family to get together for a large meal, share it with relatives and watch sports. My siblings and I often looked forward to having a few relatives invited for dinner, because they brought dessert. It was almost always Italian cookies and pastries from an Italian bakery. We loved to peak in the boxes, however, it always seemed like a long time until dessert.

Dinner was served around 2:00 o’clock in the afternoon. The adults would pick on an antipasto, usually salami, cheese and bread while dinner cooked.  When we sat down to dinner, the first course was always pasta, usually ravioli or ziti. My mother was fond of cooking eye of the round roasts with potatoes cooked in the same pan and there always seemed to be peas and salad. Once in awhile pork roast with potatoes was the feature, but not often. I suspect my father really liked the beef roast. At the time, I didn’t like a roast of any kind. My tastes have evolved.

Boring, you say! For sure. So I offer you a menu of possible Sunday dinner options – that are not boring.

Turkey Breast Braciola

I would serve this roast with Oven-roasted Vegetables with Rosemary, Bay Leaves and Garlic

(see post: http://jovinacooksitalian.com/2012/05/07/vegetables-on-the-side-no-butter-please/

Ingredients:

  • 1 large head escarole (about 1 1/2 pounds), washed well and drained
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 large shallots, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup blanched hazelnuts, toasted and crushed
  • 1 slice Italian bread, minced (about 1/2 cup coarse bread crumbs)
  • 1 skinless boneless turkey breast half (2 to 2 1/2 pounds)
  • 1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

 Directions:

Coarsely chop enough escarole to measure about 6 cups, loosely packed, and reserve remaining escarole for another use. In a 12-inch skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and saute the shallots, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown. Add chopped escarole to the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted. Stir 1/2 cup broth and cook over high heat until most liquid is evaporated. Remove skillet from heat and stir mozzarella, Parmesan, nuts and bread into filling.

Put turkey on a long sheet of plastic wrap. Butterfly turkey breast: Beginning from a long side make a horizontal lengthwise cut almost but not all the way through turkey and spread turkey open to form a larger, thinner piece of meat. Top turkey with another sheet of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or bottom of a heavy skillet until meat measures about 12 by 8 inches, being careful not to make any holes in it.

Discard top sheet of plastic wrap and arrange prosciutto, overlapping slightly, in one layer over turkey. Spread a 1/2-inch-thick layer of filling over prosciutto, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around. Beginning with a long side and using the plastic wrap on the bottom as a guide, roll up turkey and turn it seam side down (discard plastic wrap). Tie rolled turkey with kitchen string lengthwise and then crosswise at 1-inch intervals. Season with salt and pepper.

In a 12-inch deep skillet (with a cover) heat remaining tablespoon of oil over moderately high heat until hot, but not smoking, and brown turkey on all sides. Add wine, remaining cup of broth and braise, covered, over moderately low heat for 35 minutes.Turn turkey over halfway through the cooking time.

Transfer turkey to a cutting board and rest 10 minutes. Strain braising liquid through a sieve into a small saucepan. Boil liquid until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Stir in lemon juice. Discard string from turkey and slice turkey crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices and drizzle turkey with sauce.

Rib-Eye Roast with Wine Gravy

I would serve this roast with Twice-Baked Potatoes and Sauteed Kale.

4 to 6 servings

 Ingredients:

  • 1 – 4-pound bone-in rib eye roast
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Gravy:

  •  1 large shallot, finely chopped
  • 1/2 bottle drinking red wine, such as Malbec
  • 5 cups beef stock

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Using a heavy hand, season rib eye roast with salt and pepper on all sides. Heat olive oil in bottom of large Dutch Oven. Place beef in hot pan and sear in oil to a deep golden brown on all sides. Move pan to the heated oven for about 15 minutes per pound for medium rare, making for an approximate hour of cooking time. Remove the pan from oven and transfer the beef to a cutting board. Allow meat to rest for at least 15 minutes, tented with foil.

Gravy:

Pour off excess fat from the Dutch Oven and place the pot on the stove top over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until soft and brown, about 4 to 6 minutes. De-glaze the pot with 1/2 cup of the wine and cook, scraping up browned bits. Add remaining wine and bring to a boil reduce by half. Add stock and simmer until reduced again by about half. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Carve beef against the grain, in thin slices and serve with gravy.

Tuscan Pork Roast

Serve this roast with Angel Hair Pasta with Pesto Sauce and a Tomato Salad.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped sage 
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon cracked ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 bone-in pork loin roast, about 4 ½ to 5 lbs – center cut pork loin
  • 1 cup white wine

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degree F.

Ask your butcher for a rib section center cut pork loin. You can have the butcher cut the bones away from the meat but leave the undercut attached then re-assemble the piece and tie it with twine. Or, you can just cook it on the bone.

Combine the garlic, rosemary, sage, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Brush the meat with oil and rub herb mixture over the entire roast. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (up to 24 hours). Bring to room temperature for 1 hour before roasting.

Place the pork in a greased baking pan, pour in the wine and roast in the oven for 1 1/2 -2 hours, basting the meat with the pan juices. Roast until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. at its thickest part (do not allow the thermometer to touch the bone). Remove the pan from the oven and place the pork roast on a carving board. Slice the meat and arrange on a serving platter. Pour the pan juices over the meat.

Herb-and-Lemon-Roasted Chicken

I would serve a Brown and Wild Rice Pilaf and Oven Roasted Asparagus with the chicken.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 5 garlic cloves, 1 minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced rosemary plus 2 rosemary sprigs
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced thyme plus 2 thyme sprigs
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • One 4-pound chicken, at room temperature
  • 1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges
  • 1 lemon, cut crosswise into 8 rounds
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°F. and position a rack in the lower third of the oven. In a bowl, mix the butter with the minced garlic, minced herbs and the lemon zest. 

Pat the chicken dry. Rub half of the herb butter under the skin and the rest over the chicken; season with salt and pepper.

Set the chicken, breast-side-up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Scatter the onion, lemon, garlic cloves and herb sprigs around the chicken and add 1/2 cup of water. Roast for 30 minutes, until the breast is firm and just beginning to brown in spots. Using tongs, turn the chicken breast-down and roast for 20 minutes longer, until the skin is lightly browned.

Using tongs, turn the chicken breast-side-up. Add another 1/2 cup of water. Roast for about 20 minutes longer, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the inner thigh registers 175° to 180°.

Tilt the chicken to drain the cavity juices into the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Remove the rack from the pan and spoon off the fat. Set the pan over high heat. Add the stock and cook, scraping up any browned bits. Press the lemon slices to release the juices into the pan. Strain the sauce and pour into a serving bowl. Carve the chicken and pass the lemon sauce at the table.

Rack of Lamb With Smoked Paprika Crust

Serve this roast with cooked cannellini beans and broccoli rabe.

Ingredients:

  • 1 rack of lamb (about 2 pounds)
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 medium slice rye bread, broken into pieces.

Directions:

Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Trim the lamb of excess fat, but leave a layer of fat over the meat. Cut about halfway down the bones between the chops; this allows the meat between them to become crisp.

Put the oil, garlic, paprika and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a small  food processor and puree; add the bread and pulse a few times to make rough crumbs. Rub this mixture over the meat side of the rack and sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Put it in a roasting pan and into the oven; roast for 18 to 20 minutes. Insert an instant-read meat thermometer straight in from one end into the meatiest part. If it reads 125 degrees F. or more, remove the lamb immediately. If it reads less, put the lamb back for 5 minutes, no more. Remove and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve, separating the ribs by cutting down straight through them.

Yield: 4 servings.

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Valentine’s Day Dinner Menu For Two

February 7, 2013

The history of Valentine’s Day–and the story of its patron saint–is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it, contains evidence of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition.

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailer’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed, “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legend is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and–most importantly–romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.

While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial–which probably occurred around A.D. 270–others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

As part of the festival, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. 

Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”–at the end of the 5th. century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14, St. Valentine’s Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of the birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance.

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written valentines didn’t begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife, while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London, following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.) Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day became popular around the 17th. century. By the middle of the 18th. century, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes and, by 1900, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged.

Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700’s. In the 1840’s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.” Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.

Esther A. Howland’s  Original Valentine

Esther A. Howland’s  Original Valentine

                                   Dinner Menu

Pear-Walnut Salad

Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons pear nectar
  • 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • 2 cups torn mixed salad greens
  • 1/2 medium pear, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
  • 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions

For vinaigrette::

In a small bowl, whisk together pear nectar, vinegar, oil and pepper. Set aside.

Arrange the lettuce on two salad plates. Top with pear, red onion and walnuts. Drizzle with the vinaigrette. Makes 2 servings.

Pork Medallions with Cranberry and Fig Chutney

Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
  • 2 tablespoons snipped dried figs
  • 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 8-10 ounces pork tenderloin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt-free herb seasoning, such as Mrs. Dash
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • Hot cooked brown rice or brown/wild rice mix

Directions

For chutney::

In a heavy small saucepan, stir together cranberries, apple juice, figs, sugar, rosemary, salt and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 8 minutes or until chutney reaches desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Meanwhile, trim fat from pork. Cut pork crosswise into six pieces, each about 1 inch thick. Press each piece with the palm of your hand to an even thickness. Sprinkle herb seasoning evenly over pork. Coat an unheated large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat over medium-high heat. Cook pork in hot skillet for 2 to 3 minutes or until pork is slightly pink in center and juices run clear, turning once halfway through cooking time.

Cook rice according to package directions.

To serve, divide pork medallions between two dinner plates and place on top of the hot cooked rice. Spoon some of the warm chutney over pork. Pass remaining chutney.

 

 

Parmesan Roasted Green Beans

Ingredients

  • 8 oz green beans (4 oz per serving)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Trim off the tough end of the beans and arrange the beans on a nonstick cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of the beans and bake until the cheese melts and forms a crisp shell over the beans, about 10 minutes. Let the beans sit a few minutes for the cheese to cool slightly. Lift the beans out onto a platter and serve.

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

8 servings, about 1/2 cup each

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar or 3 tablespoons Sugar Substitute Blend for Baking
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup nonfat milk
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/3 cups hot brewed coffee
  • 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 1 1/2- to 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk egg, milk, oil and vanilla in a glass measuring cup. Add to the flour mixture; stir with a rubber spatula until just combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared baking dish. Mix hot coffee and brown sugar in the measuring cup and pour over the batter. (It may look strange at this point, but don’t worry. During baking, cake forms on top with sauce underneath.)

Bake the pudding cake until the top springs back when touched lightly, 30 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve hot or warm

 

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7 comments

Everyday Dinner Menus For Two

January 22, 2013

Hit the market and it sure seems like everyone is cooking for a crowd. Everything seems to be in such large packages.

In reality, there are a lot more folks cooking for one or two than you might think. There are, of course, those seniors and empty nesters but there are also the newlyweds, the college kids, the single parent and child and other young professionals.

It does take a bit of organization to make cooking for two a pleasurable experience. With some organization, you won’t find yourself eating goulash leftovers for an entire week.

Here are some organizing ideas for cooking for just two.

  1. Purchase a supply of freezer bags, plastic wrap, foil, freezer dishes, freezer labels and a permanent marker. This way you can be prepared for those too-large-for-you portions.
  2. Sure you think you’ll remember but, once frozen, it is often hard to tell which dish is which. Use your marker to write on the foil or bag or use stick on labels. Adding the cooking temperature and time will save you from looking it up later.
  3. Perhaps your recipe needs only half of a can. Place the remaining half of the can in a small freezer bag or container, label and freeze for another day or use.
  4. Most recipes seem to serve four, six or eight. However, you don’t need to divide the recipe in two. This often results in less than satisfactory results. Instead, prepare the dish but divide it in two. Have half for dinner and place half in the freezer.
  5. Individual casserole dishes are a great gift for you. Dishes, such as lasagna, chicken tetrazzini and tuna casserole, can be prepared and divided among small casseroles. Freeze the extras and pull out one or two, as needed, on a busy night.
  6. Shop in smaller quantities. When cooking for two, the big box discount stores are probably not your friend. You’ll surely tire of the five pounds of anything before it is consumed. You might think you are saving money but, if you end up wasting some of what you bought, then you haven’t saved anything.
  7. Continue to buy the meat you enjoy but divide the package into smaller portions and place some in the freezer. When buying something larger, like a roast, you can ask at the meat counter for them to split into two pieces for you.
  8. Purchase frozen vegetables in plastic bags. This allows you to pour out just the right serving for two and reseal the bag to preserve the rest.
  9. For dry goods, such as pastas, beans and rice, use what you need and then reseal the container. Sometimes, you can just place the entire box in a quart or gallon plastic bag and zip it shut to keep it fresh.
  10. Desserts for two pose a special challenge. While you can make a whole cake or pie, you might not want to be tempted by having the entire cake on that kitchen counter.  Turn that cake recipe into cupcakes, freezing some of them. Turn the pie recipe into tarts. Look for dessert mixes that make an 8 x 8-inch size pan rather than a 9 x 13-inch pan. When making desserts, such as brownies or cookies, divide them into individual portions and wrap them separately. 
  11. When making a casserole that calls for half-cup of green pepper or a few ribs of celery, head to the salad bar. Instead of an entire head of celery going bad in the refrigerator drawer, you can scoop up just the portion you need.
  12. If you have trouble using fresh produce before it can go bad, try some of the fresh produce bags, sometimes marketed as “green” bags. These extend the life of produce.

Here are some menus to get you started and these recipes are designed for two.

Menu One

 

Seared Scallops with Mint Pesto

2 Servings

Serving Size: 3 scallops, 1/4 cup pesto, 1/2 cup spinach

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup lightly packed fresh mint
  • 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 tablespoons almonds, toasted and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 6 sea scallops (8 to 10 ounces total)
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 cup fresh spinach

Directions:

For pesto::

In a food processor, combine mint, parsley, almonds, Parmesan cheese, the water, lemon juice, garlic, 1/8 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Cover and process until nearly smooth. Set aside.

Rinse scallops and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle scallops with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add scallops; cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until scallops are opaque, turning once halfway through cooking.

Serve scallops and pesto over spinach.

Roasted Beets and Shallots

2 servings

Ingredients:

  • 6 ounces trimmed red and/or yellow small beets, quartered
  • 2 small shallots, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • Dash ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon snipped fresh sage or tarragon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange beets and shallots in a single layer in a 2-quart square baking dish. Drizzle with oil; toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cover with foil and roast for 20 minutes. Uncover and roast for 10 to 15 minutes more or until beets are tender. Cool completely. Peel the beets. Drizzle beets and shallots with lemon juice; sprinkle with sage.

Apple-Cranberry Cobbler

2 servings

Ingredients:

  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 2 small apples (such as Granny Smith, Braeburn, or Honeycrisp), cored, quartered, and thinly sliced (1-1/2 cups)
  • 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons low-fat granola without raisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat two 6-ounce custard cups or other 6-ounce oven-safe dishes with nonstick spray; set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together apple slices, cranberries, honey, the water, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Divide mixture between prepared custard cups. Cover cups with foil.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until apples are tender. Remove foil and top with granola. Bake, uncovered, about 5 minutes more or until granola is lightly browned.

Menu Two

Grilled Fish with Pepper Salsa

2 Servings

Serving Size: 1 fish steak and 2/3 cup salsa each

Ingredients:

  • 2-5 ounce fresh or frozen fish steaks, cut 3/4- to 1-inch thick
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup chopped, seeded tomato
  • 1/2 cup chopped yellow or orange bell pepper
  • 1 scallion, thinly sliced
  • 2 teaspoons snipped fresh mint
  • Lemon wedges

Directions

Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish.

In a small bowl, combine crushed fennel seeds, the lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, 1/8 teaspoon of the crushed red pepper and the salt. Pour over fish in bag; turn to coat fish. Seal bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes, turning bag occasionally.

Meanwhile, for salsa:

In a small bowl, combine tomato, bell pepper, green onion, mint, and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Set aside.

Drain fish, discarding marinade. For a charcoal grill, grill fish on the greased rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 6 to 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, gently turning once halfway through grilling.

For a gas grill, preheat grill . Reduce heat to medium. Place fish on greased grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.

You can also use a preheated stove top grill or grill pan; follow directions above.

Serve fish topped with salsa mixture and lemon wedges.

Quinoa

2 Servings

Serving Size 2/3 cup

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed well and drained
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup chopped seeded cucumber
  • 1 large green onion, thinly sliced, or 3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
  • 2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil

Directions:

In a small nonstick saucepan, cook quinoa and garlic in hot oil over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add broth. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in cucumber, green onion, and snipped basil.

 

Berry Cheesecake Dessert

2 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup fat-free cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup skim ricotta cheese
  • 4 ½ teaspoons sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel 
  • 2 teaspoons orange juice
  • 1 ½ cups sliced strawberries, raspberries, and/or blueberries
  • 2 gingersnaps or chocolate wafers, broken

Directions:

In a blender container or food processor bowl combine cream cheese, ricotta cheese, sugar, orange peel and orange juice. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours.

To serve, spoon the fruit into two dessert dishes. Top with the cream cheese mixture and sprinkle with the broken cookies

Menu Three

 

Wine-Glazed Steak

2 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick (8 to 10 ounces total)
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 cup dry red wine
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon honey

Directions:

Trim fat from steak; cut steak into two equal portions. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add steaks. Reduce heat to medium; cook for 10 to 13 minutes or until desired temperature (145 degrees F for medium-rare or 160 degrees F. for medium), turning steaks occasionally. If steaks brown too quickly, reduce heat to medium-low. Transfer steaks two dinner plates; keep warm.

Add mushrooms, garlic, and crushed red pepper to skillet; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Carefully add wine. Return to heat. Boil gently, uncovered, for 3 to 5 minutes or until most of the liquid is evaporated. Add balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and honey; return to simmering. Cook and stir about 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Spoon over steaks.

Roasted Carrots

2 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 6-8 slender carrots, trimmed, scrubbed
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
  • 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  • 1 tablespoons honey
  • Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange carrots in single layer in a small baking pan. Add olive oil and orange peel; sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss. Pour orange juice over; cover tightly with foil. Roast until crisp-tender, about 20 minutes. Remove foil. Increase oven to 450°F. Drizzle honey over carrots. Roast uncovered until carrots are tender and browned in spots, about 10 minutes longer. Divide carrots and transfer them and any juices to the dinner plates with the steak.

 

Cucumber Radish Slaw

2 Servings

Serving Size: 3/4 cup

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar or sugar substitute equivalent to 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • Dash salt
  • Dash ground black pepper
  • 1/4 of a medium English cucumber, thinly sliced (1 cup)
  • 1/2 cup radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 1/4 of a medium red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Add cucumber, radishes, sweet pepper, and green onion. Toss to coat. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 2 hours.

Roasted Mangoes with Brown Sugar Topping

2 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium ripe mango, halved lengthwise and pitted
  • 1 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoons flaked coconut
  • 1 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel
  • 1 teaspoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

Directions:

Place mango halves in a small baking dish. Combine brown sugar, coconut, orange peel, and crystallized ginger in a small mixing bowl. Sprinkle over mango halves.

Bake in a 425 degree F. oven about 10 minutes or until mangoes are hot, and topping just begins to brown.

Vegetarian Entree Option

Substitute this entree for any of the entrees above.

 black bean burger - saveur.com

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

2 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 15- to 16-ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained
  • 1/3 cup chopped red onion
  • 1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup grated carrot
  • 2 tablespoons plus extra salsa, recipe below
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
  • 2 whole wheat hamburger buns, optional

Directions:

Using a fork, mash half of the beans in medium bowl. Mix the remaining beans, onion, carrot, bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons salsa, oregano and hot pepper sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Using moistened hands, shape bean mixture into two 3- to 4-inch-diameter patties.

Preheat broiler. Brush broiler rack or pan with oil. Broil burgers until heated through, about 3 minutes per side.. Spoon 1/4 cup salsa over each. Serve in a hamburger bun, if desired.

Homemade Tomato Salsa

Makes 3 cups

 Ingredients:

  • 2 medium sized fresh tomatoes (from 1 lb to 1 1/4 lb), stems removed, finely diced
  • 1/2 red onion, finely diced
  • 1 jalapeño chili pepper (stems, ribs, seeds removed), finely diced
  • 1 serano chili pepper (stems, ribs, seeds removed), finely diced
  • Juice of one lime
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

Chop 2 medium sized fresh tomatoes. Prepare the chilies. Be very careful while handling these hot peppers. If you can, avoid touching them with your hands. Use surgical gloves or a paper towel to protect your hands. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water after handling and avoid touching your eyes for several hours. Set aside some of the seeds from the peppers. If the salsa isn’t hot enough, you can add a few for heat.

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Taste. If the chilies make the salsa too hot, add some more chopped tomato. If not hot enough, carefully add a few of the seeds from the chilies and the oregano

Let sit for an hour for the flavors to combine.

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2 comments

What Should I Do With The Leftovers ?

January 2, 2013

Now that the holiday dinners and festivities are over, it is time to get back to the normal routine. After all the rich food, it is time to eat more simply and more healthfully. After the hectic pace of the holiday season, it is time to move at a slower pace.

Now what about all those leftovers from the holidays in your refrigerator or freezer? What can you do with them that won’t be tons of work and, at the same time, healthy?

Instead of tossing those holiday leftovers to avoid more over-indulging, use them to your advantage. Here are some practical tips and recipes to help you reduce food waste and space out the calories.

Most foods will stay fresh for up to seven days, but if it looks or smells even a little funky, throw it out!

Leftover Tips:

Serve small portions of leftover turkey, roast beef or ham along with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables for sandwiches, salads, wraps or a light main course.

Mix leftover veggies and seafood with small portions of pasta or brown rice.

Reduce portions of high calorie favorites by adding fresh or frozen vegetables to creamy soups, rich pastas or leftover mashed potatoes.

Combine herbs and roasted root vegetables along with a pinch of low fat cheese to make quesadillas, minis pizzas or omelets.

Toss leftover cookies in the work bowl of a food processor and pulse those gingerbread folks and sugary stars into tiny crumbs. Put them in ziplock bags and freeze for up to two months. Use the sugary mixtures to make a pie crusts, a base for bar cookies or toppings for cobblers.

You can pulverize candy canes and use the bits and peppermint dust to flavor ice cream treats for months to come. Sprinkle the candy mixture on top of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Cut the holiday ham or pork roast into small pieces or cubes and use to make quick frittatas or stir-fries. If a turkey or a beef roast was the centerpiece at your Christmas table, shred the leftover meat and add to your favorite chili mixture. Freeze in containers that hold from 4 to 6 cups, and you’ll have a quickie dinner to thaw and serve in January.

 

Recipes for Leftover Ham 

 Glazed Pineapple Baked Ham Recipe

Ham and Bean Soup

Serve with good rye bread and a salad for a quick weeknight meal.                                                                                                                                  

8 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 pound fully cooked ham; cubed
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 16-oz cans Great Northern Beans; rinsed and; drained
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup potatoes; peeled, diced
  • 3/4 cup carrots; diced
  • 3/4 cup celery
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley; minced

Directions:

In a 3 quart saucepan, saute ham, onion and garlic in oil until onion is tender.

Add the next seven ingredients; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add peas and cook for 5 minutes. Add parsley and serve.

Ham-Stuffed Jumbo Shells

8 Servings

1 Serving equals 3 stuffed shells (274 calories)                                                                   

Ingredients:

  • 24 jumbo pasta shells
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour or Wondra instant flour
  • 2 cups 1% milk
  • 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, halved and sliced
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 3 cups cubed fully cooked lean ham
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese, divided
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine flour and milk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion and green pepper in oil until tender. Reduce heat; add the ham, 1/2 cup Swiss cheese and Parmesan cheese. Cook and stir until cheese is melted.

Remove from the heat. Stir in 1/2 cup of the reserved sauce. Drain pasta; stuff each shell with about 3 tablespoons of filing.

Place in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining sauce. Cover and bake at 350° F. for 30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley, paprika and remaining Swiss cheese.

Vegetable and Ham Casserole                                                                                                     

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 4-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour or Wondra instant flour
  • 1-1/4 cups 1% milk
  • 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 5 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed
  • 2-1/4 cups frozen cauliflowerets, thawed
  • 1 cup cubed fully cooked lean ham
  • 1 cup soft bread crumbs
  • Butter-flavored cooking spray

Directions

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Add cheeses; stir until melted.

Place vegetables in a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with ham. Pour sauce over ham. Place bread crumbs in a small bowl; spray with butter-flavored spray. Sprinkle around the edge of casserole.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° F for 25-30 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.

Yield: 5 servings. 1 serving equals 227 calories

Recipes for Leftover Beef 

 Roast Beef Tenderloin with Port Sauce

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound leftover beef roast, tenderloin or steak                                                                                                                                                                                          
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 cups sliced mushrooms
  • Freshly grated black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour or Wondra instant flour, divided
  • ½ cup reduced sour cream
  • Salt
  • White pepper
  • Cooked egg noodles or rice, for serving

Directions:

Cut the meat in slices about 1/3 inch thick, then the slices into strips 2 1/4 inches long. You should have about 4 cups. Set aside.

Heat the broth in a small saucepan until hot.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened but not brown, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms become tender and start to release their juices, stirring frequently, 5 minutes. Add 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper and stir. Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Do not brown. Add the hot broth and stir until smooth.

Add the beef to the pan, stir well, and warm just to a simmer, about 3 minutes. Stir the remaining 1 teaspoon of flour into the sour cream, add to the pan and season with salt to taste. Warm gently over low heat until hot, about 7 minutes. The sauce will thin a little; do not boil or the sour cream will break up. Spoon over the noodles. Serve with a green vegetable.

Leftover Roast Beef Italian Stew                                                                                                           

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 1/2 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Leftover roast beef, diced or shredded
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 -24 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 tablespoon celery salt
  • 1 cup bottled whole mushrooms
  • 4 small Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
  • 6 ounces pre-prepared sliced carrots (about 2 medium)
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Remove leftover roast and trimmings from refrigerator. Skim off all the visible saturated fat (hard white fat that rises to the top when chilled). Place roast beef on cutting board. Using a sieve, strain the liquids into a bowl, removing any solids and additional fat solids.

Chop onion and green pepper into 3/4-inch pieces. Dice beef into 1 1/2-inch pieces or shred the roast beef . Quarter the potatoes and slice carrots. In a dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat, saute onions in olive oil for 3 minutes, then add green pepper and saute for 3 minutes more.

Add beef, strained beef stock, diced tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, oregano, basil, celery salt, and thyme. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper if desired. Add whole mushrooms just long enough to heat through. Serve hot.

Note: If you have leftover potatoes, green beans, peas, or carrots, feel free to use those. Since they are already cooked, add those with the mushrooms just long enough to reheat.

Potato Beef Pie

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups finely diced leftover roast beef                                                                                                                                                                                           
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour or Wondra instant flour
  • 1 1/2 cups beef broth
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 3 to 4 cups leftover mashed potatoes

Directions:

Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish. Heat oven to 350°F.

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion in the olive oil until softened and lightly browned. Add beef and sauté for about 1 minute longer. Stir in the flour until blended. Add beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and peas and carrots. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into the prepared baking dish. If using leftover mashed potatoes, warm them in a saucepan with a little milk until softened. Spoon potatoes evenly over the beef layer and sprinkle lightly with paprika.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until hot and bubbly. If desired, turn on the broiler to brown the top for just a minute or two, but watch carefully to prevent burning.

Recipes for Leftover Turkey

Turkey and Mushroom Risotto

4-6 Servings

Ingredients:                                                                                                                                                                                                                

  • 8 cups turkey or chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups assorted fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice
  • 1 cup shredded leftover turkey meat
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Bring broth to a simmer in a medium pot over medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover and keep warm.

Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot over medium heat until it begins to foam. Add onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent and just beginning to turn golden, about 5 minutes.

Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, and any liquid released has evaporated, 5-7 minutes.

Add rice; stir to coat. Add 1/2 cup warm broth and stir constantly until liquid is absorbed. Continue adding stock by 1/2-cupfuls, stirring constantly, until rice is tender but still firm to the bite, about 20 minutes. Add leftover turkey meat, stir to combine and to warm through, adding a little stock or water if necessary to keep mixture creamy, about 3 minutes.

Stir Parmesan into risotto. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among warm bowls. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Serves 4.

Turkey Pasta Salad                                                                                                                                       

4 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta
  • 1/2 cup cubed cooked turkey
  • 1 can (3.8 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
  • 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/3 cup reduced fat salad dressing

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In a serving bowl, combine the pasta, turkey, olives, peppers and feta cheese. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving

Pesto Turkey Club                                                                                                                             

1 serving

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons prepared pesto
  • 2 slices pumpernickel bread
  • 1 ounce sliced turkey
  • 1 slice turkey bacon, cooked
  • 2 romaine lettuce leaves
  • 4 slices tomato

Directions:

Spread pesto on bread. Top 1 bread slice with turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and remaining bread slice.

 

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Posted by in Beans, Beef, Cheese, Dinner, Ham, Healthy Italian Cooking, Italian Cuisine, Leftovers, Pasta, Rice, sandwiches, Soup, Turkey, Vegetables Tags: , , ,

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