Gourmet Italian

photo credit: Neeta Lind

Happy Birthday Italy!

Every June 2nd, Italy celebrates the birth of their marvelous republic.  After World War II and the fall of facism, a referendum was held by the people of Italy and they voted to form their republic.  So this is a wonderful holiday when Italy celebrates their beloved country.

Although I posted this Tiramisu recipe back in October, I am reposting in Honor of Itay’s June 2 Celebration!  Mangia Bene!

Tiramisu has become an Italian dessert that is enormously popular everywhere.  Tokyo’s elite considered serving this to be a status symbol.  It first was introduced to the United States via Maimi and San Francisco.

Tiramisu translates to “pick me up“, probably from the espresso in the recipe.  This recipe has evolved over time and today the ingredients include ladyfingers, espresso coffee, eggs, marscapone cheese (Italian cream cheese), some sort of liquor, such as brandy, marsala, vermouth, or rum, some sort of chocolate or cocoa, and a bit of sugar.

It is commonly believed that this cake was created in the city of Siena, Italy.  At that time it was a round free-standing cake  – not at all like today’s popular version.  The original version contained no liquor as it was meant as a “pick me up” for older people and young children.  Today’s version is light as a feather – like mocha whipped cream sitting on tiny little espresso brushed cakes.

Here is a version of  Tiramisu that I’ve had for quite a while.  It is really quite easy to make.  The hard part is waiting at least two hours to eat it while it sets in the frig!

TIRAMISU
5 eggs
1 lb. ricotta
l lb. 2 oz. Marscapone cheese
5 Tablespoons rum
2 boxes Savoiardi Lady Fingers
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 cup espresso coffee, sweetened
2 Tablespoons semi-sweet cocoa powder

1.  Mix coffee and rum together and set aside.
2.  Blend together ricotta, marscapone, sugar and eggs.
3.  In an oblong baking dish, place a thin layer of the cheese mixture.
4.  Dip half of the Lady Fingers in the coffee/rum mixture and layer them in the bottom of the pan.
5.  Add a layer of cheese and sprinkle with half the cocoa.
6.  Continue with another layer of and top with cocoa.
7.  Refrigerate at least two hours before serving.

I hope you will have fun impressing your friends and family with this heaven-sent Italian dessert!

Watch Chef Keith Snow make his fabulous Tiramisu right here!

Mangia Bene!

photo credit: silas216

Palermo, the capital of Sicily, is the birthplace of the one of the most famous Italian Dessert recipes – the fabulous cannoli.  Way back when, wealthy people would make a gift of cannoli to their friends at the time of their annual carnival.  Cannoli is actually the plural of cannolo.  You don’t hear much about connolo because it is difficult to eat just one.  Our Italian bakery even makes the cute little finger-sized ones called cannulicchi.

Cannoli shells for this Italian dessert are made in the shape of a tube and are then filled with some sort of filling.  Tradtionally, it will be ricotta or marscapone mixed with bits of chocolate or bits of fruit.  Often, a Marischino cherry or chopped pistachio nuts will be placed on each end and the cannoli will be dusted with powered sugar.

It is important to remember that the cannoli should be filled as close to serving time as possible – never more than an hour ahead – because they will get soggy.  One nice thing to remember is that the shells freeze exceptionally well, so you can just take out however many you need and leave the rest for another time.  The shells are made primarily of butter, sugar and flour.  They are wrapped around tubes and either fried or baked.  You can buy the shells already made or you can make your own.

Although the ricotta filling is the most popular, I actually prefer the pastry cream filling that is also available.  This is a little sweeter version of the Italian dessert recipes for cannoli that are so popular.  Maybe that’s why I prefer it.

Bring 2 cups of milk to a boil with 1/4 cup of sugar.  Whisk 6 large egg yolks in a bowl with a pinch of salt and 1/4 cup of sugar.  Once the milk comes to a boil, whisk about a third of it into the eggs – whisking constantly.  We don’t want scrambled eggs.  Now slowly return this mixture back in to the milk in the pan over low heat.  Return the heat to medium and return to a boil, whisking constantly.  When it starts to thicken, cook for another minute and remove from heat.

Whisk in 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.  Transfer to a bowl and place plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the filling.  Place in the frig for at least a few hours – or make it the day before.

Watch Greg make some wonderful cannoli for you here!

Thank you, oh wonderful Sicily for this most marvelous of all  Italian dessert recipes – Cannoli!  Mangia Bene!

photo credit: jessicafm

You won’t find a more authentic Italian food than the Italian pasta and bean soup called Pasta e Fagioli or Pasta Fagioli.  This is an ancient peasant dish and some say you will find the best ever made in Tuscany.  It always includes lot of vegetables, beans  and herbs and some smallish pasta like little tubes or shells.  If you are old enough, you may remember Dean Martin singing about this soup in his wonderful song “That’s Amore”.  This Italian Pasta and Beans soup is now served all over the world – and not only in Italian restaurants.

For the stock, you can use either chicken or beef.  You should have some Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top of each serving.  I have a nice recipe that tastes wonderful on a blustery day.  It is made in the crock pot, so you can have it made before noon and it will be ready for dinner!

Brown two pounds of ground beef in a skillet and put it in the crock pot along with a chopped onion, 3 chopped carrots and 4 stalks of chopped celery.  Stir in two 28 ounce cans of diced tomatoes with their juice, a 16 ounce can of red kidney beans – drained and a 16 ounce can of white kidney beans – drained.  Now sprinkle your seasonings over the top – 3 teaspoons oregano, 2 teaspoons pepper, 5 teaspoons parsley and a teaspoon of Tabasco sauce.

Pour a 20 ounce jar of good spaghetti sauce over all.  I recommend Paul Newman’s brand.  Now stir in 30 ounce of beef stock.

Cover and cook on LOW for 7 or 8 hours.  During the last hour, put in your favorite small Italian pasta.

Serve with Parmesan cheese on top and nice crusty Italian bread!

Watch Mama Rosa make her pasta fagioli here!

Mangia Bene!

photo credit: thebittenword.com

Simple Italian soups are so welcome this time of year, and none are more comforting that Split Pea and Potato soup!    A nice warm bowl of soup, a crusty chunk of bread and a fireplace and I’m in heaven.  The addition of potatoes to the pea soup just make it that much more hearty.

I used to make this soup with beef broth.  However, I recently had some good homemade chicken broth, so I used it to make this simple Italian soup and I liked it better than ever.  I also used Yukon Gold potatoes and they added a nice dimension to the soup.

If you like, you can add a little crostini when you serve the dish.  All I do is take the crust off a good firm white bread and toast them up in a little salted olive oil in a pan.  They go real fast and make a nice little crunchy topping.   Bacon pieces is another alternative topping that is always appreciated.

To start the simple Italian soup, saute a chopped onion and 3 or 4 diced carrots in 3 tablespoons of butter for about 5 minutes.  Stir in a pound of rinsed split green peas, 8 cups of chicken stock and a bay leaf.  Add salt and pepper to taste and bring it all to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to low.  Let it simmer for about half an hour – stirring every once in a while.

Add about two pounds of Yukon gold potatoes that you have cut into 1/2 inch chunks.  Simmer for another half hour until potatoes are tender.  Remove the bay leaf.

Now you must decide if you want smooth or chunky soup.  If you want it smooth, blend it all in the food processor and return it to the pot.

Add 3/8 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and adjust for salt and pepper.  Ladle into bowls and top with some of your crostini and offer additional Parmesan cheese on the side.

Enjoy this simple Italian rib-sticking soup on a cold blustery day.  It tastes even better the next day!
photo credit: thebittenword.com

photo credit: VirtualErn

Beef braised with Italian red wine – Stracotto al Barolo – is one of my favorite comfort foods!  This Piemontese Pot Roast is cooked in Barolo red wine.  Barolo is sometimes referred to as the king of wines, for its rich flavor and wonderful aroma.  Barolo had admirers throughout Europe as early as the 1700′s.  If you can’t find Barolo, Chianti makes a fine substitute.

Although this is “only pot roast”, with Italian bread and a crisp, green salad, this is most certainly company fare.  I prefer to use chuck for this recipe for the best flavor, but you could also use eye of round or rump roast.  You want about four pounds for this recipe.

Rub the been all over with salt and pepper.  Sliver up a few garlic cloves and put these into little slits that you cut into the meat.  Cover a skillet with olive oil and brown the meat VERY WELL over fairly high heat.

You now want to place the meat in a pot that is just big enough to contain the meat.  In that, put 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.  In this you will saute 3 tablespoons each of chopped red onion, carrot and celery and a minced garlic clove until the vegetables soften.  Add a little of your red wine to deglaze the pan, and put the meat back in.  Add the remainder of your bottle of wine and 4 ounces of chopped canned tomatoes.  Boil for one minute and remove from heat.

Cover tightly and place on the middle rack of a 350 degree oven and braise for about 2 1/2 hours – turning and basting every half hour or so.

When your beef with Italian red wine is fork tender, remove it to a cutting board.  If your sauce needs thickening, boil it up a bit until it thickens.  Adjust for salt and pepper and slice the meat.

It looks especially nice if you overlap the slices on a platter and then pour the sauce over the top.

Your guests will be thrilled with Italian Stracotto al Barolo!
Mangia Bene!

photo credit: JOE M500

I had this Italian Easy 5-layer Dip at a party a few years ago and now I serve it at my own dinner parties.  Everyone loves it.  What’s not to love about cheese and pesto, right?  It doesn’t get much more Italian than that.  Plus it has roasted red bell peppers, so we have all the colors of the Italian flag represented.  You can serve this with crackers, but it is absolute heaven with gourmet Italian rosemary bread, which is extremely easy to make if you have a bread machine.  Just be sure to use a good quality rustic bread.

Put an 8 ounce block of softened cream cheese in a bowl and beat in 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.  Spread this in the bottom of a pretty quiche dish or pie plate.  Over this, spread about 1/3 cup of Classico Pesto sauce.  This comes in a fat little jar and is usually towards the top shelf on the pasta sauce aisle.  Try not to get the oil that is floating at the top of the jar.  Over the pesto, put 4 ounces of diced roasted red bell pepper.  If you prefer, you can substitute the roasted bell pepper with a 4 ounce jar of chopped pimientos or snipped sun-dried tomatoes.  They are all delicious. Top this with 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.  The fifth layer is another 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.  Optionally, you could sprinkle some Italian seasoning over the top.  My personal favorite is a little bit of oregano, but use what you like.

Now it’s time to bake your Italian easy dip.  Just 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven and it is ready to serve.  I have found that people seem to like the sliced baguettes this best with this dip, so be sure to place some spreading knives next to the plate.  Be prepared to be asked for the recipe.

Now see?  I told you this was easy!  Mangia Bene!

photo credit: gildas_f

Italian food and wine lovers know the secret to a good stromboli is to have a good dough to start with.  The stromboli was actually given its name in a hoagie shop outside of Philadelphia in 1950.  The chef named Nat Romano was selling these lots of these baked sandwiches he thought they should have a name, but he didn’t know what to call them.  At that time, actress Ingrid Bergman – who was married at the time – was rumored to be having an affair with actor Roberto Rossolini.  They were both starring in the movie “Stromboli” – which was being filmed on the Isle of Stromboli.  Someone suggested calling the sandwich Stromboli and the rest is history!

I saw Emeril make his on tv and his is one of my favorite recipes.  Take 1/2 pound of hot Italian sausage out of the casing and crumble it into a skillet.  Cook until nicely browned and remove.  Drain off all but a tablespoon of fat from the pan and saute a cup of sliced bell peppers, a cup of sliced onion and 2 tablespoons of thinly sliced jalapenos until very soft.  Add 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and a teaspoon of Italian spices.  Cook another minute and remove from heat to cool.

Roll half a pound of gourmet bread dough or pizza dough into  a large rectangle.  Spread half of your cooled sausage mixture all over – leaving a one inch border.  Top this with 1/4 pound of sliced ham, 1/8 pound of thinly sliced pepperoni, 1/4 cup sliced black olives, a cup of grated provolone cheese and a cup of grated mozzarella cheese.

Beat an egg with a tablespoon of water and “paint” the border of your rectangle with the mixture.  Starting with the long side, roll the entire thing up into a cylinder, pinching the bottom and sides to seal.  Place this on an oiled baking sheet and let rise for about 20 minutes.

Brush the top with egg wash and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.  It should be nice and golden brown and starting to crisp up.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle on half a cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese.  Return to the oven for 5 more minutes.  Take it out of the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes to let the filling set.  Slice on the diagonal into nice big pieces and enjoy your gourmet bread creation – Italian stromboli!  Italian food and wine lover rejoice!

See the lady from Pillsbury make her version here!

Mangia Bene!