Chicken Saltimbocca with Artichoke Sauce
2 Servings
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
6 large fresh sage or basil leaves
4 thinly sliced prosciutto di Parma
1/4 c unbleached all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Half of a 14-oz can of artichoke hearts drained
½ cup Chicken Stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Directions
Place the chicken breast halves between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pound them with a rolling pin or meat pounder until the breasts are about ¼ inch thick; set aside.
Put 2 sage leaves on the less smooth side of each pounded chicken breast. Cover them with the 2 prosciutto slices and press until they adhere. Cover the breasts and chill them for 10 minutes.
Spread out the four on a pie plate and add salt and pepper to taste. Working with one piece at a time, coat the chicken with the flour and shake off the excess flour.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat until hot; reduce the heat to medium. Sauté the chicken for 5 minutes per side, or until the pieces are golden and just cooked through.
Coarsely chop the artichoke hearts (about 1/2 cup). Add them to the skillet along with the chicken stock and butter. Simmer until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
Place the chicken dinner plates; spoon the sauce over the chicken to serve.
Lemon Rice
Make the whole recipe, leftovers heat easily and you can save time.
Servings 6
Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion diced
3 cloves garlic finely minced
2 cups Long Grain White Rice
1 teaspoon salt
3 ½ cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 large lemon juiced
Directions
Heat the butter in a deep pot over medium heat then add the onion and cook until slightly translucent.
Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute or until fragrant.
Add the rice and salt, stir, and fry for 6-7 minutes or until the rice turns an opaque white color, stirring the entire time to prevent burning.
Add the broth and lemon juice and stir to combine.
Bring the rice to a simmer then reduce the heat to low-medium and cover.
Cook for 18-20 minutes, or until the rice has cooked completely.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave the lid on the pan.
Let the rice rest for 10-15 minutes before fluffing and serving.
Garden Peas with Chopped Onion
Ingredients
1-10 pkg frozen peas, defrosted
½ cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
Directions
Saute butter and onion in a small saucepan over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the peas and heat over low until hot.
Serve with a green vegetable, such as sauteed spinach.
Prosciutto-Wrapped HFish fillets with Lemon Herb Butter
Ingredients
Lemon Garlic Butter
1 stick unsalted butter softened
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Zest of 1 small lemon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic minced
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Fish fillets
2 (6-8 ounce) white fish fillets such as haddock, halibut, cod, etc. fillets skin removed
1 jarred roasted red bell pepper, cut in half
4 slices of thinly sliced prosciutto
1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions
Combine the Lemon garlic butter ingredients in a small bowl.
Spread a piece of plastic wrap out on the counter or on a cutting board.
Place the butter in the center and roll it into a cylinder. Refrigerate until needed.
Season the fish with salt and black pepper.
Place a slice of roasted red pepper on each fillet.
Place 2 slices of prosciutto over each fillet and wrap around the fish.
Heat oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet or saute pan.
Place the fish, top down in the skillet.
Reduce heat to medium. Cook for 4 minutes or until you can see the edges of the fish turn opaque.
Carefully turn the fish and continue cooking for another 3 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Place the fish on serving plates
Add 4 tablespoons of the butter sauce to the skillet. Heat until melted. Pour the sauce over the fish fillets and serve with Basil Pesto spaghetti and sliced tomatoes.
Ingredients
Stuffing
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 slices prosciutto, chopped
Braciole
1 pound beef round steak, cut into eight 1/4-inch-thick slices, then pounded as thin as possible
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Olive oil
Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
One 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 garlic clove. minced
A few basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Heat the oil in a medium skillet and add the stuffing ingredients. Cook until the onion is tender. Remove to a bowl to cool.
Arrange the beef slices on a clean work surface.
Evenly distribute the stiffing on the steak. Top with mozzarella.
Starting from the bottom, roll up the beef like a jelly roll, creating a cylinder. Tie with kitchen string.
Heat the olive oil in a large high-sided pan and heat over medium. Once the oil is shimmering add the beef rolls, in batches, being sure not to overcrowd the pan. Brown on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and brown the remaining rolls.
Add sauce ingredients to the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then add the rolls back to the pan and turn the heat down to low. Baste the meat in the tomato sauce, cover the pan and cook on low, basting the meat 2 to 3 times during the cooking process, until the meat is very tender about 2 hours.
Serve over cooked pasta.
Tortellini with Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce And Crispy Prosciutto
Ingredients
Sauce
3 lbs cherry tomatoes, stems removed
1/4 cup good-quality olive oil, plus more for roasting
1 large y onion, diced
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
3–4 sprigs, fresh thyme, stems removed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pasta
12 oz package shelf-stable cheese tortellini
8 slices of Prosciutto da Parma
A handful of basil leaves
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees℉.
Toss the tomatoes with the other ingredients large baking dish. Roast for 50-60 minutes, until the tomatoes have softened and are just beginning to shrivel. Remove from the oven, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and set aside.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Lay the prosciutto slices on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper so they don’t overlap, curling the edges like a nest so they don’t get too brown. Bake until the slices shrivel and turn golden, 10 -12 minutes. Set aside.
Cook tortellini according to package instructions. Drain.
Add tomato sauce to the drained pot and gently heat the sauce. Add the chili flakes, basil leaves, and cooked tortellini. Toss gently. Serve in individual pasta bowls. Top each bowl with grated cheese and pieces of crispy prosciutto.
Scallop and Prosciutto Kebabs
The shellfish and squash kebabs can be grilled on a sheet of heavy-duty foil to prevent sticking.
4 servings
You can also make a combination of shrimp and scallops if you prefer.
Ingredients
16 large sea scallops (about 1½ pounds)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 thin slices prosciutto di Parma
16 large basil leaves
Directions
Preheat an outdoor grill to medium. Or use a stovetop grill pan.
If the scallops still have the tough muscle that attaches them to the shell, trim it off. Pat the scallops dry with paper towels.
Whisk together the lemon juice and a hefty pinch of salt in a medium bowl until the salt has dissolved; whisk in the olive oil. Add the scallops and toss until they are well coated.
Cut the prosciutto slices in half lengthwise. Arrange the strips on a work surface and place a basil leaf on the edge of each strip. Top the loaf with a scallop and wrap the prosciutto around the scallop to enclose it. Thread 4 prosciutto-wrapped scallops onto each of 4 metal skewers. (If using wooden skewers, soak them for 20 minutes in water before threading the scallops.)
Place the skewers on the grill and cook the scallops for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until almost firm to the touch, transfer to plates, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Grilled Summer Squash
This recipe can be broiled also.
8 servings
Ingredients
4 medium zucchini, about 6 inches long and 6-7 ounces each
4 medium yellow squash, about 6 inches long and 6-7 ounces each
Marinade
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped scallions, white portion only
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Directions
Trim the ends of the zucchini and the squash, cut them into 2-inch rounds.
Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag and add the squash rounds. Roll the bag to evenly coat in the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat a well-oiled charcoal or gas grill to medium. Or use a stovetop grill pan.
Remove the zucchini and squash from the bag and thread on skewers.
Place the skewers on the grate, close the lid, and grill until well marked, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn the skewers over, close the lid, and grill on the second side until well marked, 5 to 7 minutes.
Chicken And Vegetables
ingredients
4 chicken cutlets, about 2 lb
8 slices Prosciutto di Parma
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 small zucchini, about 1 ½ lb, sliced ¼-inch thick circles
2 cups diced plum tomatoes
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
½ cup finely diced red onion
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 cup shreddedMozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
Polenta, recipe below
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Sprinkle the cutlets lightly with salt and pepper
Wrap two slices of prosciutto around each chicken cutlet.
Pour the olive oil into a 9×13-inch baking dish and spread the oil over the bottom of the dish.
Layer the zucchini slices overlapping each other across the bottom of the baking dish.
Place the prosciutto-wrapped chicken on top of the zucchini.
Top the chicken evenly with the diced tomatoes, onion, and bell pepper.
Sprinkle the mixture with salt and Italian seasoning.
Bake for25 minutes or until the chicken registers 155-160 degrees F on an instant meat thermometer.
Sprinkle the cheese over each breast and return the dish to the oven. Bake 10 minutes or until the cheese melts and the chicken registers 165 degrees F.
Creamy Polenta
4 servings
Ingredients
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
1 cup polenta
¼ cup cream cheese
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Place the broth and milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add polenta, whisking to prevent clumping. Reduce heat to low. Add thyme and the cream cheese, and cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is absorbed and polenta is creamy and thoroughly cooked for about 10 minutes.
Add cheese and salt, stirring gently until incorporated.
To serve
Spread 1/4th of the polenta on a serving plate and top with baked chicken breast and vegetables.
Salmon Saltimbocca
2 servings
Ingredients
Olive oil
2 salmon fillets about 6 oz each, skin removed
Salt & pepper to taste
2 slices prosciutto
4 sage leaves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Pat the fish dry with paper towels and place in an oiled baking dish. Sprinkle the salmon with salt & pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Lay two sage leaves on the non-skin side of the fillets and place a slice of prosciutto on top of each fillet. Tuck the edges of the prosciutto underneath the sides of the salmon. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake the salmon for 10 -12 minutes..
Greek Braised Chickpeas
This lemony chickpea dish can be served at room temperature or as an accompaniment to the main dish.
4 servings
Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
3 cups cooked chickpeas (two 15-ounce cans), drained
1 cup of water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly squeezed juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon all-purpose unbleached flour
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over high heat and cook the onion until some pieces are turning brown, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the drained chickpeas and water, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and flour until well blended and smooth. Whisk several tablespoons of the hot liquid from the chickpeas into the lemon-flour mixture until well blended. Pour this mixture back into the chickpeas, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the water is nearly evaporated and the sauce has thickened, 1 to 1-1/4 hours. Turn the heat off and let the chickpeas cool in the skillet. Serve at room temperature or warm.
Sautéed Swiss Chard
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 large bunches Swiss chard, ribs and stems removed, leaves torn into 2”
pieces (about 12 cups)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic, stirring occasionally, until golden
brown, about 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and half of Swiss chard, season with salt and
pepper, and cook, tossing often, until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add lemon juice and remaining
chard and cook, tossing, just until all chard is wilted, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper.r
If it is not grilling season where you live the trout and asparagus can be roasted in a 400 degree F oven for 20-25 minutes. The tomatoes for 5 minutes.
Grilled Rainbow Trout
For 2 servings
Ingredients
1 whole dressed rainbow, head removed; tail on
1 lemon sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 large garlic clove, sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 whole dressed rainbow trout (about 10 ounces each), head removed; tail on
3 celery tops
1 spring onion cut into pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
Directions
Sprinkle the inside of the fish with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and place the garlic slices on one side of the fish. Stuff the inside of the fish with lemon slices, pieces of spring onion and the celery tops. Fold the other half of the fish over the filling and secure with metal skewers.
Preheat a grill to medium-high.
Coat outside of the fish with cooking spray. Place fish over direct heat; grill 4 minutes. Turn over; move to indirect heat. Grill 12 minutes or until done.
Grilled Asparagus Wrapped In Prosciutto
Ingredients
1 bunch thin asparagus spears, woody ends removed
6 very thin slices Prosciutto de Palma
Olive oil
Coarse black pepper
Directions
Bundle asparagus together in small batches ( I made 6 bundles with 6 asparagus in each) and wrap one slice of prosciutto around each bundle.
Place the bundles in an oiled piece of foil. Sprinkle the bundles with olive oil and black pepper.
Slide the asparagus onto the grill after you move the trout to the indirect side of the grill. They will be done when the fish is cooked.
Grilled Cherry Tomatoes
Place 6-8 cherry tomatoes on a skewer. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on the grill for 2 minutes. Remove to a platter with the trout and asparagus.
America is a melting pot that was formed by the hard-working people who migrated here from lands as far east as China and Japan and as far north as Russia and Europe. They utilized American supplies and prepared them in ways that they had prepared them in their homeland.
True American food is a collection of these culinary traditions passed down from generation to generation. Each culture brought their cooking methods, food, and spices to America. They farmed the soil, hunted game, and incorporated their ways into the food of America. This new series will be about what they cooked.
Brooklyn’s Lard Bread or Prosciutto Bread or Prosciutto Cheese Bread
There’s a bread that can be found at most Italian deli’s in New York City – it used to be called Lard Bread but now is referred to as Prosciutto Bread The lard bread story is not clear if you try to trace it back to Italy. Like Nicolo Mazzola, who founded their Brooklyn bakery in 1928 and whose family originated in Sicily, but on trips back to the homeland, he’s never seen anything like Mazzola’s lard bread on the streets of Palermo. Recipes for lard bread don’t appear much in Italian cookbooks either, and while stuffing fatty odds and ends into bread dough is a common theme throughout Italy, no particular region seems to have much connection to the peppery cured-meat-and-aged-cheese bread that’s popular on this side of the Atlantic.
For most Italian Americans who eat it, lard bread is mainly a Christmas and Easter tradition.
If you’ve never heard of lard bread—also called prosciutto bread—you’re not alone. The loaf is virtually unknown outside New York City and parts of New Jersey and Philadelphia, where a critical mass of Italian Americans has kept the tradition alive since their ancestors immigrated to the country in the 1800s. But even in the Northeast ItalianAmerican communities, you won’t find it in most Italian bakeries. “Lard bread” isn’t the most appealing name in times like these, especially after decades of healthy eating conditioning, it never captured the public imagination as you might expect for a bread stuffed with meat and cheese.
I thought it would be a fun thing to try at home and take to my Sons & Daughters Of Italy In America meeting. I doubled the recipe to make 2 loaves to take to the potluck supper we have before the meeting. I used my go-to pizza recipe for the bread dough and then added the traditional ingredients as described below.
Brooklyn Street Bread
Ingredients
Dough
3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup lukewarm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Filling
4 ounces provolone cheese, diced
2 oz pancetta, diced
2 ounces prosciutto, diced
2 ounces pepperoni, diced
2 ounces Genoa salami, diced
2 ounces capicola, diced
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Directions
Combine all the ingredients for the dough in the large bowl of an electric mixer and with the paddle attachment mix until the ingredients come together around the paddle. Attach the dough hook and knead the dough for 5-6 minutes.
Spray a large ziplock plastic bag with olive oil cooking spray. Place the dough in the bag and close the top. Place the bag in the refrigerator overnight. Alternately, place the dough in a greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubles, 60-90 minutes and make the bread the same day.
Place the dough in the center of a floured pastry board and flatten the dough with your hands into a large circle. Spread the black pepper, meat, and cheese over the top. Fold the dough over to cover the meat and cheese, and then flatten and fold the dough over a few times with your hands to distribute the ingredients throughout the bread.
Shape the dough into a large oval shape or into a baguette and place on a rimmed baking pan.
Cover with greased plastic and let rise at room temperature until puffy and dough springs back slowly when pressed lightly with your finger, about 45-60 minutes.
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Using a sharp paring knife make a ½-inch-deep lengthwise slash along the top of the loaf, starting and stopping about 1½ inches from ends. Bake until the loaf register 205 to 210 degrees, about 30-35 minutes. Transfer the loaf to wire rack and let cool completely about 3 hours. Serve.
Prosciutto-Wrapped Baked Zucchini
Ingredients
2 small zucchini, halved lengthwise
1/2 of a small shallot, finely minced
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded chili
1 garlic clove, grated
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 slices thinly sliced prosciutto, halved lengthwise
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Score the cut side of the zucchini halves 1/8 inch deep in a diamond pattern. Toss shallot, olive oil, chili, garlic, 1 salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Rub the mixture on the cut sides of the zucchini halves. Wrap each zucchini piece with 2 prosciutto pieces, and arrange, cut side up, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until zucchini is crisp-tender, 20 minutes.
Transfer zucchini to a serving plate. Sprinkle with parsley.
Turkey Piccata
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless turkey cutlets
1/2 cup flour
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Directions
Season the flour with salt and pepper, and lightly pound the turkey breast into thin cutlets. Dredge the cutlets in the seasoned flour. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy frying pan, and add the cutlets to the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side over medium heat, until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove the cutlets to a plate and keep warm while you prepare the sauce.
Add the wine to the pan and cook over high heat until reduced by half. Add the lemon juice and chicken broth to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the capers and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Return all of the cooked cutlets to the frying pan, and heat in the sauce. Serve hot.
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
ingredients
1 pound Yukon Gold or russet potatoes
Coldwater, for cooking, enough to cover by 1-inch
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons butter
Salt to taste
Directions
Scrub potatoes well and peel them. Cut potatoes into 1-inch pieces and place the potatoes in a large pot. Cover with cold water, then stir in the 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and bring to a boil on high, then reduce the heat to maintain a low boil until potatoes are tender and a knife moves easily through the center, about 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes.
In a small pan, gently melt the butter and cream and mix together, keep warm.
Return the drained potatoes to the cooking pot, turn the heat to medium and let the excess water cook off for a minute or two, shaking the pan occasionally. Mash the potatoes until smooth. With a spatula, slowly turn the cream-butter mixture into the potatoes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve immediately.
Note: the potatoes can be prepared earlier and reheated in a casserole dish in the oven with the roasting zucchini.
