This was the question that was asked by my mother every day when we spoke. We both enjoyed talking about food.
She passed away in 2006. I miss someone asking that question.
So this is where I will tell whomever what I am making for dinner.
One of my favorite things to make is Pasta Fagioli. It a meal I never really looked forward to when I was little. I have told you the story of my Dad telling me the beans were ice cream beans. After years I have come to appreciate the frugality of the dish. Beans are very inexpensive and the pasta can be any type you might have on hand. Usually the dish is made with cannellini beans. I was so sure I had a bag in the pantry. Nope. But I had Ceci beans. Well a fine substitution if I do say so myself. The basic recipe is from Cucina di Barbara. That recipe uses gnocchi. I have made it with gnocchi and loved it. But tonight I used Rienzi, ibambini elbows with carrot and squash. I love this pasta. And yes the pasta is the color of carrots, the color balance is not off on the photo!
1 onion 1 carrot Dried chili 300 g. Ceci beans
A tablespoon of tomato paste
1/2 pound cooked pasta of your choice Sea salt
The evening before, put the beans to soak in a bowl with plenty of water.
Chop the onion and carrot and let them go over medium heat for 10 minutes in the saucepan, with olive oil and chopped chilies. Rinse and drain the beans. Add the beans to the onion and carrots, let them go for a minute, turning them often.
Then add the water (about 1 liter) and reduce the heat to minimum. Let cook, covered, following the times marked on the label (about 1 1/2 hr).
A few minutes before turning off, add a tablespoon of tomato paste, salt and pepper.
Cook the pasta and mix well together.
When I sat down for dinner, I noticed a little friend was eating too.
Mondays are not so bad when you have something like this for dinner. The recipe is from Food and Wine. I did make some changes in the original recipe. Instead of boneless short ribs I used the short ribs with the bone, this helped make the stock as amazing as it was. The stock was so good that Chris suggested we make a soup from the leftovers. The meat was tender and 4 short ribs only cost $8.00. I did not have potatoes, I was sure I did and I did not use mushrooms. I had zucchini so I used that instead.
My version of Short Rib Stew, adapted from Food and Wine.
Ingredients-
4 beef short ribs, on the bone 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup dry red wine 1 1/2 cups chicken stock 3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice 2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 large onion, cut into 1-inch dice 2 pound zucchini, cut into 1 inch dice 1 tablespoon thyme leaves, chopped 8 sage leaves, coarsely chopped Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Method-
In a large bowl, toss the short ribs with the flour. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil. Working in batches, cook the short ribs over moderately high heat until browned all over, about 6 minutes per batch.
Discard the oil.
Return the meat and any juices to the casserole. Add the wine and boil until reduced by half, 8 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the meat is tender, 2 hours.
Skim any fat from the stew. Stir in the carrots, potatoes, parsnips, onion, zucchini, thyme and sage. Cover and simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 35 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Seattle, Washington 1970
Shopping for a coat, it was colder and rainier than we had thought it would be when we were packing for our trip. She looked at the price tag and it said $30. Wow! We went to the register only to learn it was $300. No, she did not get the coat.
Same trip to Seattle. She finds a steak branding iron with the marks - R, M and W. Perfect gift for my brother-in-law. His first name was Ralph and his last name started with M. But she was not sure what the W was for.
When my sister got married there was an after party at our house. For some reason she and my aunt made Black Russians. I mean they made gallons and gallons of Black Russians a few days before the party. I came home from school to find my mother and my aunt plastered from the fumes, or so they said...
Again for my sister's wedding, my mother and aunt made pastries, Cherry and Almond filling breakfast pastries. They had dozens, and dozens of the these pretty little pastries. When the caterer heard they intended to put these out at the reception hall before his dinner, he put the kibosh on the idea. Into the freezer they went and we ate the forever. And they were delicious.
The night Chris gave me my diamond I called my mom. The next day when my dad got up, he was working the night shift at the time, she said to him that she was not sure if she was dreaming or not but she thought I had gotten engaged!
My mother telling me that friends are friends, but family is forever.
The care packages. I would stop by my parents house once a week and pick up dinners. Packaged and labeled and made with love.
Christmas morning waking up with so many gifts. She started Christmas shopping in February and made out like a bandit at the sales.
As I got older shopping and picking out my Christmas presents, that way nothing would have to be returned.
Coming home from school to those Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Fried dough for breakfast.
Her Chicken Salad for lunch.
Her Stuffed Breast of Veal Pocket. A true culinary dream.
Her pizza.
Her Chocolate Cake with White Frosting.
She always said to look your best whenever you left the house because you never know who you may run into.
You can never have too many shoes!
As long as you have dinner ready for your husband, there is no reason you should not spend the day shopping.
Christmas Eve Dinner. She was a star.
Getting that first issue of Cuisine Magazine back in 1980!
Her sending me to cooking classes when I was in grade school.
Her sending me to sewing school for 2 summers when I was in grade school.
The time back in 1992 when I went over for lunch, I was working nearby. She was making me an omelet and forgot what she was doing. Was that the first sign of what was to come.
Her smile. Her laugh. Her tea with blackberry brandy before bed.
Yes, this was a delicious dinner. I found this recipe on Epicurious.com. Rave reviews from Chris. The pork was cooked perfectly. The Arugula Salad was the perfect side dish and it was a pretty easy clean up. Well, kind of... Oh, the potatoes were just roasted in olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme.
If you have read this blog for a while, you know I have strong opinions about Baked Macaroni. My Mother's was the best. My blog, my opinion. That was until tonight.
A couple of weeks ago I made Vodka Sauce. I had enough leftover to make a dish of Baked Macaroni. The Baked Macaroni was prepared on the Sunday after the Saturday night meal and popped in the freezer. We had it for dinner tonight. It was amazing. The sauce was so velvety. Chris said it was delicious and the best Baked Macaroni I had made... Ever!
It was like a flashback to the original meal. That meal was special because of the day on which it was made. But damn, I will always make that Vodka Sauce recipe so I have enough left over to make a Baked Macaroni!
I know you have all heard the story about how I met Chris when we both worked at a restaurant named Nancy Lee's. One of her menu items was Chicken with Leeks and Bacon. It is a combination that I use quite often. Tonight I had Rotisserie Chicken meat, I sauteed thinly sliced leeks in olive oil, butter, salt, pepper and thyme. The bacon was fried up. I rolled out the crust. I had the crust in the freezer from the night I made the crust for the Pizzagaina. I put the crust in a pie plate and put some grated Gruyere Cheese on the bottom of the crust. Next the cubed cooked Chicken meat. The leeks were next and then the rest of the cheese. The bacon was placed on top and the crust was folded over. Baked for about 40 minutes at 350˚.
Honestly, anything that goes in this crust is good.
I had "pinned" this recipe a while back and am so glad I finally made it. These little meatballs were so good. It was like an inside out cheese burger. And the cheese that oozed out and crisped up on the baking dish was not to be wasted. This is on the "must be made again" list!
3 low fat mozzarella sticks (each cut into 4 pieces)
Olive oil to drizzle
Method-
Preheat oven to 350F.
Add all ingredients except mozzarella to the bowl and mix well (don't over mix)
Drizzle olive oil on a sheet pan.
Roll each meatball in between your hands and lay on a sheet pan. Take
each mozzarella piece and stick one in the center of each meatball and
cover with remaining meat so cheese is no longer showing.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown (cheese should be melted out of meatballs.)
And this salad received rave reviews. I have loved roasted cauliflower until now. Fried cauliflower has stolen my heart. Wow. Who wouldn't like something fried and then salted. Yum!
Ingredients-
1 pound farro, rinsed and drained
2 carrots, halved crosswise
1 small onion, halved
1 celery rib, halved crosswise
1 bay leaf
Canola oil, for frying
2 large heads of cauliflower (2 1/2 pounds each), cut into 1-inch florets
1/2 pound prosciutto, sliced 1/4 inch thick and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons chopped marjoram
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Method-
In a large saucepan, combine the farro, carrots, onion, celery and bay leaf. Add enough cold water to cover the farro by 1 inch and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook until the
farro is tender but chewy, 15 minutes; drain. Spread the farro on a rimmed baking sheet to cool. Discard the carrots, onion, celery and bay leaf.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat 1 inch of canola oil over moderately high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350°. Fry the cauliflower in batches until golden, 5 minutes per batch; drain.
In a bowl, mix the farro, cauliflower, prosciutto, olive oil, lemon juice and herbs. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Growing up on Sundays my Dad would go to a monthly Union Meeting, the International Typographical Union. Mom would mix pizza dough early in the morning and put it near the heating vent in the kitchen to raise. Late in the afternoon she would roll out the dough and I would be in charge of tomatoes and cheese. Mom would make at least 4 if not 5 pies at a time. She kept it simple. Just tomato and Parmesan cheese. They were the best pies ever. Forget Sally's and Pepe's. Mom's were the best.
So tonight I made pizza. I had some things I wanted to use up in the fridge. Some bacon from the upcoming Chicken, Bacon and Leeks Tart. And a half of an onion and shallot that I did not want to waste. I sauteed the onion and shallot. The cheese, some fresh mozzarella and Parmesan. It was a delicious pie.
A friend of mine recently helped me with a project. To thank her I made her a batch of My Great Grandmother's Ricotta Cavatelli. I posted this recipe a while back. The story is that I was reading an article in the food section of our local newspaperabout a woman and her Cavatelli recipe. This woman's name rang a bell when I read it. It was my mother's cousin. She was sharing her grandmother's Ricotta Cavatelli recipe! Yes, that would make it My Great Grandmother's Ricotta Cavatelli recipe. Unfortunately, after my Mom passed, I had no contact with anyone other than a few cousins. But at least I have this recipe...
My Great Grandmother's Ricotta Cavatelli
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling dough
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 pound whole milk ricotta cheese
1 extra large egg
¼ cup whole milk
Measure flour, baking powder and salt onto a large wooden board or onto
your counter. Make a well into the center, and measure the ricotta, the
egg, and the milk into the well. Using your hands, start mixing the
ingredients together, scooping and squeezing the ingredients together
until it begins to come together into a dough. Then start kneading the
dough for about 10 minutes, until it is smooth, and you can form it into
a large ball.
A good sign that the dough is ready is when your hands are clean rather
than sticky with wet dough and flour. Cover the dough with a kitchen
towel and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Set a few sheet pans nearby
for holding your cavatelli as you shape them later. Line your sheet pans
with either kitchen towels or parchment paper, then lightly dust them
with flour. Set up your Cavatelli machine, I assume everyone has one of these,
or lightly flour a counter top for hand-shaping your cavatelli.
Cut the dough in half. Dust the board or a counter with a little flour,
then set the half of the dough onto the board or counter. Dust the top
of the dough with a little flour, then using a rolling pin, roll the
dough into about an 11-inch by 12-inch rectangle, about ¼-inch thick.
Dust the top with a little bit of flour, just a light dusting to prevent
sticking when you shape the cavatelli.
Cut the rolled-out dough into ½-inch wide strips. If using a Cavatelli machine,
set a parchment paper lined cookie sheet under the machine and, feed 1 strip of dough at a
time into the machine with 1 hand, while turning the hand-crank with
the other. The cavatelli will come out onto the cookie sheet. Spread
them out in a single layer to prevent them from sticking to each other.
Continue with the remaining dough, filling the sheet pans with
cavatelli.
If you are hand-forming them (God Bless You), cut 1 strip at a time, and cut the strip
into ½-inch pieces. Using your index and middle fingers, press your
fingers into each piece, 1 at a time, gently pushing into the dough,
while pulling your finger toward you, to form a free-form shell. Place
them onto the flour-dusted lined cookie sheets and repeat until you have
formed all your cavatelli.
Now, you can cook them right away or you can freeze them for up to 3
months. If you want to freeze them, place the cookie sheets, on a flat
shelf in the freezer and let them freeze for a couple of hours, then you
can turn the frozen cavatelli into bags or other freezer containers
(label and date them) and keep them in the freezer for future use.
To cook: bring a large pot, an 8-quart pot is perfect, of lightly salted
water to a boil in a covered pot over high heat. When the water reaches
a boil, carefully add the cavatelli (fresh or frozen) and don't stir
them for about a minute or they'll stick together. After about a minute,
stir the cavatelli.
After about 5-8 minutes (the exact time will depend on if they are fresh
or frozen, and how long it takes for your water to return to a boil)
you will see the cavatelli float to the top. Stir them again. Taste for
doneness. When they are cooked to your preference, drain them into a
colander placed in your sink. Turn the cavatelli into a serving bowl and
top with your favorite sauce and toss gently. Serve with grated cheese,
Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, or other, and freshly
cracked black pepper if desired. Makes 8-12 servings, about 3 pounds.
Minute Steak Stacks with Herbed Butter was adapted from a recipe I found on the Food and Wine site. Their recipe called for an Anchovy and Herb butter. I am not an anchovy fan, and I don't think Chris is so I used a butter made up of parsley, marjoram and pepper. I toasted Italian bread and brushed the bread with some of the herbed butter. I cooked the steaks in a hot pan with canola oil, sauteing less than a minute per side and stacked them with slices of the herbed butter in between each slice of steak. It was good. It was very good. The seasoning in the butter was spot on. No leftovers... always a sign of a good dinner.
Side dishes were leftover baked macaroni, waste not want not, and frozen green beans. The leftover green beans will reappear in a salad next week... Stay tuned!
