Windows on the World

I was planning on posting the usual what we had for dinner post but as I was preparing dinner I was reading my emails and I came upon an eblast from Eater. It was an interview with Michael Lomonaco of Windows on the World restaurant. Click here to read the article.

I did not know that Milton Glaser contributed
to the menu artwork, dishware patterns, and logo.

Pasta with Calamari

I only need one word to describe tonight's dinner - Amazing! I found the recipe on the Napoli Unplugged blog. The recipes on this blog are so similar to my mom's cooking.

I only used Calamari in our sauce, I was going to add Cod but decided to save that for another meal. The whole meal came together in about an hour.

For the sauce I used the few San Marzano tomatoes I had purchased last Saturday, they were perfectly ripe. I peeled and seeded the tomatoes, chopped them up and added them along with a can of diced tomatoes to a saute pan that was heated up with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. I chopped up a hot cherry pepper and added it to the pan, we do like spicy food. Seasoned the pan with fresh chopped parsley, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. And I added a little white wine. That cooked down for about 20 minutes. Then I added the Calamari. I set the temperature on the pan to low and let it cook for another 20 minutes, stirring it frequently and watching it carefully, Calamari can get rubbery if not watched.

It was just perfect!

 

And the wine we picked was Mastro Aglianico Campania. Loved it. Really nice for the price.

Spare Ribs and Chicken Bake & Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

One of my favorite blogs to read is the Living The Gourmet. Gosh I wish she lived on my street. I found tonight's recipe on her blog the other day and had to try it. Quite delicious was the review from Chris. I let the meat sit in the marinade for a day and a half. It was so easy to prepare.

Here is the recipe with my changes, yeah I did not use garlic!

Ingredients -

6 pork spare ribs

4 chicken legs and thighs

1/2 cup apple juice

2 tbs. maple syrup

1 tbs. soy sauce

1 tbs. olive oil

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

 

Method -

Combine all of the above in in a zip-lock freezer bag and mix well.

Place in the refrigerator for at least one to two hours or up to over night.

Preheat Oven 400 degrees. Put all the ingredients in 2 baking pans lined with foil.  Place in oven and bake for approximate 90 minutes.

Remove from oven and let sit for a minute.

For side dishes I made my favorite roasted potatoes and I tried something new, Zucchini Parmesan Crisps. Again I found the recipe online, I think it was facebook. I copied it into the text edit and of course did not note who posted it. Sorry! They were nice. Definitely will make these again.

Ingredients -
1/2 lb. zucchini (about 1 medium-sized)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan (heaping)
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs (heaping)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste



Method -
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil and spray lightly with vegetable spray. Slice zucchini or squash into 1/4 inch-thick rounds. Toss rounds with oil, coating well.
In a wide bowl or plate, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, salt and pepper.
Place rounds in Parmesan-breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides of each round, pressing to adhere. The mixture will not completely cover each round, but provides a light coating on each side.
Place rounds in a single layer on baking sheets. Sprinkle any remaining breadcrumb mixture over the rounds.
Bake for about 22 to 27 minutes, until golden brown. (There is no need to flip them during baking -- they crisp up on both sides as is.)

Stuffed Calamari

Tonight I got in at about 5:15 and quickly put this dinner together. I have been wanting to make Stuffed Calamari for a long time. I found a recipe that seemed similar to my mom's. It is from Food.com. The recipe serves 6. Obviously I adjusted the amounts for the two of us but the recipe below is as it appears on the site. We both enjoyed this. The Calamari was cooked perfectly, hurray, but the stuffing was a little dry. Perhaps my adjustments need a little fine tuning.

Italian Stuffed Calamari from Food.com

Ingredients -
6 medium squid
1/4 cup Progresso Italian-style fine bread crumbs, I used homemade breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
2 teaspoons fresh Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons minced garlic cloves, no I did not use garlic
1 egg
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, no I did not use garlic
1 egg
1 (8 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground rosemary
1/4 cup green pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine

Method -
Clean squid or tubes and pat dry.

If using whole squid, chop tender parts of the tentacles and mix them with the bread crumbs, parsley, cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic, egg and 1 teaspoon vegetable oil to make stuffing.

Blend well, add salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon stuffing mixture loosely into each squid tube and close with a toothpick. Do not over stuff because the squid will shrink during cooking.

Add remaining oil to skillet large enough to hold squid in a single layer.

Heat oil and cook sliced garlic until golden brown. Arrange the squid in oil and brown all sides lightly.

Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, rosemary, green pepper, remaining minced garlic, wine and salt and pepper to taste. Cover tightly and cook 25 to 30 minutes. (I cooked it for 20 minutes)

Remove toothpick from squid and serve whole or sliced, alone or with pasta.

Green Bean Salad, A New Cheese, Steak and Pie

I harvested 2 green beans this week. Yes I was hoping for more. I have not made a green bean salad all year. I wanted to wait until the crop was ready. Today I was at Bishop's and they had fresh picked green beans. I bought some and added our 2 green beans to the mix. I used the recipe my mom use to make. Steam the beans and toss with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, parsley and oregano. I added a tomato, from our plant, and some olives.

I almost forgot about our appetizer. While I was shopping at Bishop's I was looking at the cheese selection. I saw a container of Burrata, Fresh Mozzarella Filled With Cultured Cream. Oh my God where has this stuff been all my life! I spread some on Italian bread and topped it with cherry tomato halves. This has to be healthy to eat... please....

Now about the steak. Porterhouse steaks were on sale and looked really nice. 

Chris seasoned them with salt and pepper before putting then on the grill.

We had some Black Pepper Butter that we put on top of the steak, nice touch. 

And yes there is leftover steak!

The wine, Ruffino Chianti Superiore 2011. 

 And even dessert!

From Food52  Rose Levy Beranbaum's Fresh Blueberry Pie. I had the pie crust in the freezer. It was a small portion of crust so I made a small pie, enough for 2 people. It was quite good. Was not sure if I had done the math correctly for reducing the ingredients but I got it right!

And did you ever turn around and see something like this staring at you?

 Happy Caturday!

One More Hug...

Today is the closing on my parent's house. Wow. It is over and it is time to move on. The new owners are family friends. They are a lovely family and I hope they find as much happiness as we experienced in the house.

The house is full of good Karma. I just wish I could give it one more hug. Not being able to to that I made this slide show. These are photos of what the rooms looked like the last time I was in the house and photos of how I will remember the rooms. Filled with love.

 
Dinner tonight... not sure, but I know there will be a Vodka Gimlet at the end of all this.


A special "Thank You" to the Smithereens for writing a great song!

Beef and Barley Stuffed Peppers

Delicious and pretty darn easy. I had the pre-cooked barley in the freezer. I sauteed chopped onion in a little olive oil and than added the ground beef. Seasoned the pan with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and oregano. Some fresh chopped parsley on top. Mixed in some Parmesan cheese and filled two hollowed out red peppers. Placed the peppers in a baking pan and put a little water in the bottom. Topped with some Marinara sauce and covered the dish with foil and into the oven for about 35 minutes. Yum!

The Last Saturday At My Parent's House

You will find what we had for dinner is at the end of this post. Today was an important day for me. And it had nothing to do with food. It was the last Saturday I had to go to my parent's house.

Back in 1996 my Dad asked if I could come to the house on Saturdays. He was having trouble getting my mom to go anywhere. He thought I might be able to take her shopping, or at least get her out for awhile. It was not until 3 years later that we found out she was at the beginning stage of Alzheimer's. I went to the house every Saturday. After a while it got to a point where going every Saturday was too much, so my sister, and then my brother took turns. It gave my Dad a much needed break from being the sole caregiver and it gave us valuable time with my mom.

My mom passed in 2006 and we could not leave my Dad alone on Saturdays. We had all gotten used to spending the day together. My sister and I would alternate Saturdays and my brother would visit on Sundays. It was a good arrangement.

After my Dad passed in December, my brother, sister and I spend just about every Saturday at the house. There was so much stuff to sort through. It seemed like it would never end.  The three of us still have boxes to go through.

Well today was the last Saturday that I had to go to the house. The closing is this week and that will be that.

I met my sister at the house and then we went to the cemetery. The Army had sent an emblem to go on the mausoleum and we had to pay to have the emblem put up and to have the date of death engraved.

While we were at the house we found the first fig! Actually there were two. They were the most delicious figs I have every had.

 

Sorry to share all this but this blog was started because I missed my mom. And now I miss my Dad and I will miss the Saturdays in West Haven. But I now I will spend my Saturdays baking and cooking and recipe hunting... And occasionally shopping with my sister!

Now about dinner... Grilled Pork Chops, Grilled Fingerling Potatoes and Shaved Squash Salad with Sunflower Seeds.


The Shaved Squash Salad with Sunflower Seeds was from Bon Appetit.

Ingredients -
2 large summer squash
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup torn fresh basil
2 Tbsp. salted, roasted sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Method -
Shave squash lengthwise with a vegetable peeler and toss with lemon juice and oil; season with salt and pepper. Top with feta, basil, and sunflower seeds.

 I picked some flowers from my Dad's garden... Happy Saturday!

Rigatoni Con Sugo Di Peperoni

And we close this week's dinners with another recipe from The Italian Farmer's Table: Authentic Recipes and Local Lore from Northern Italy. Wow winner of the week! I roasted the peppers, from Jake's Farm Stand, over the weekend. We used them on Sausage Patties and they were in the Eggplant & Roasted Pepper Terrine. Just fantastic. And yes I will post this recipe.

Rigatoni with Roasted Pepper Sauce, Rigatoni Con Sugo Di Peperoni, a variation The Italian Farmer's Table: Authentic Recipes and Local Lore from Northern Italy.

Ingredients -
2 yellow bell peppers
2 red bell peppers
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 pound Rigatoni
1/4 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Method -

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Brush peppers with olive oil and roast in oven until tender, about 30 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time. 

 

Place immediately in a plastic bag and let rest 20 minutes. Peel peppers, remove seeds, and cut into thin slices.

In a saute pan heat 2 tbsp. olive oil. Add the peppers and cook for 5 minutes to combine flavors. 

Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta, until al dente, then drain in a colander.

Meanwhile, puree the peppers in a food processor or blender and return to the saute pan. Add the cream, season with salt and pepper to taste, and heat the sauce through. Toss the pasta with the sauce and sprinkle with oregano and Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve immediately.

 

Torta Salata Con Bietole e Ricotta, Swiss Chard and Ricotta Tart

Tonight's recipe is from The Italian Farmer's Table: Authentic Recipes and Local Lore from Northern Italy. It was better received than I thought it would be. I liked the recipe because it used the stems of the chard as well as the leaf.