May the New Year be filled with Love,

Happiness, Wonderful Memories

and Prosperity.

Thank you for all support and love.

Giangi

As the soup was getting warmed up, I prepared ditalini pasta, small tubes pasta, cooked in a large pot of salted water. When the pasta was done and drained they were added to the soup. Turned off the heat, placed a lid over the pot and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Served in a nice bowl with a splash of parmesan cheese over the whole dish… and voila dinner was served.

A cookie with milk was what we had for dessert.

Bonne Nuit.

Giangi

PS: Sorry no picture tonight.

I started searching in my cook books for a new recipe for vegetables soup. There are so many recipes that is was so hard to decide which direction to go. Couple that stuck the most were with roasted vegetables.   I had most of the vegetables in my refrigerator drawer. At the grocery store I went and a couple of minutes later I came out with this wonderful leg quarters that would have been perfect to cook with . At first I wanted to use the chicken for the broth, and then I decided not to, but, to have them roast alongside the vegetables and see what happens. The combination was quite well received and the whole, huge bowl ( thank you Mom for my early Christmas present) was eaten with no muss, no fuss. Very rich and filling.  Definitely left over for tomorrow, yummy.Simply, fast, easy is my motto during the week.

Enjoy.

Giangi

Tonight’s December 12, 2011 dinner:

Roasted Chicken with Winter Vegetables

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH WINTER VEGETABLES SOUP

3 large carrots, peeled

1 large turnip, peeled

1 large parsnip, peeled

1 large sweet potato, peeled

1 small acorn squash, peeled

2 generous tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

Thyme

4 leg quarters

6 to 8 cups chicken stock

Preheat oven at 425º. In a cookie sheet place 4 leg quarters, salt and pepper and place in the hot oven to start cooking. Cook until nicely roasted, 40 minutes

Dice all the vegetables into 1 to 1 ½ inch cubes. Place all the cut vegetables in a single layer on a large cookie sheet pan. Drizzle them with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Toss well and bake for 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender, turning one with a spatula.

In a large saucepan heat 6 cups of chicken stock. When the vegetables are done roasting, puree them in a food processor. Add the puree to the soup. Scrape any oil that is remaining in the cookie sheet and added to the soup. Rectify the seasoning with salt and pepper to your liking.

Serve in a large soup bowl. Cut the chicken in small bite pieces and place in the middle of the soup. Serve nice and hot.

To all have a fantastic week.

Giangi

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

(Original recipe by Nestle Toll House)

2 ¼ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup packed golden brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375º. In a bowl mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Beat in a large mixer bowl the butter, sugar, golden brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy. Add the eggs, one at the time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Add the chocolate chips and mix well. Drop a well-rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

DRIED CRANBERRY AND CHOCOLATE COOKIES

2 cups flour

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking power

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 ½ stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips

¾ cup white chocolate chips

1 ½ cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 325º. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and the salt. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle beat the butter and both sugars medium speed until creamy. Add the egg followed by the egg yolk and vanilla, beating well between additions and scraping down the side of the bowl. Beat in the dry ingredients. Add the chocolate chips and the dried cranberries and beat until well incorporated.

Spoon heaping teaspoons of the dough onto the baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cookies begin to brown at the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets, and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Original recipe from the November 2011 issue of Food & Wine.

Nothing says Christmas in the house like a batch of homemade cookies. That is exactly what we made today.  With the help of two little elf’s, in the kitchen we were, and mixing we did.

We started with the standard “Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie” that got a “sweet tooth” spin with white and semi sweet chocolate morsels. My little elf’s got so excited that they actually got to measure, stir, lick the bowl that they made larger cookies than supposed to and therefore we did not have the 5 dozen cookies that the recipe predicted we will have.  I had so much fun seeing their little eyes light up and how cute they were when their little finger got stuck in the dough and they had to lick their it off. That to me was priceless.

Having all this chocolate chips left, we decided to make “Dried Cranberry and Chocolate Cookies”, recipe adapted from the November 2011 issue of Food & Wine. We followed the recipe until the chips parts of. The recipe asks for semisweet or white chocolate chips. We had both and we used both.  Excellent.  The neighbors had some, the cub scout meeting got some.  I will probably have some for the rest of the week.. but then someone has to taste Santa’ cookie… right!!!

To All, have a wonderful night.

Giangi

Deliciously sweet !!!

Ready for the oven.

There is no way I can only eat one.

The recipe below was very easy to put together, and the final cream was, in my opinion, the perfect addition to the plate.  I wish we had more of it, and yes, my little boy ate the spinach. Mom very happy…  We had couscous with it.

To all, have a wonderful week end.

Giangi

Tonight’s December 9, 2011 dinner:

Steamed Sea Bass and Spinach

Parmesan Couscous

Apple

STEAMED SEA BASS AND SPINACH

4 Sea Bass fillets

2 pound fresh spinach, steams removed

¼ of an onion, peeled and diced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped small

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1 lime squeezed

½ cup white wine

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon oil

Salt and pepper

¼ cup heavy cream

Clean the spinach well until all dirt particles are removed and dry.

In a wide pan over medium heat add the butter, oil and cook the onions, garlic until translucent. Add the tarragon and thyme and mix well.

Add the spinach to the pan and place the sea bass on top of the spinach.

Add the wine, lime juice, salt and pepper nicely the sea bass.

Cover with a good fitted lid and cook until the fish is cooked, 5 minutes. It should be springy to the touch.

Remove from the heat and place in a plate. Reduce the sauce remaining in the pan and add the heavy cream and  more salt and pepper as desired.

Pour the sauce over the fish and spinach.

TIP: Because the loafs are smaller they will cook faster than anticipated.

Tonight’s December 8, 2011 dinner:

Individual Meat Loafs

Potatoes Gratin

Peas

INDIVIDUAL MEAT LOAFS

1 Lb Ground Sirloin

2 shallots. peeled and diced small

2 eggs slightly beaten

1/4 -1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 – 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Pinch of herbes de Provence (or any herbs of choice)

Salt & Pepper

¼ cup milk

1 ½ slice of bread, torn in small bites size

¼ – ½ cup ketchup

Worcestershire sauce (a few dashes)

Preheat oven at 375. Cook onion in olive oil until translucent. When they are ready, let them rest until cool off. Meanwhile put the slices of bread with the milk. Mix well until all the milk is absorbed by the bread. Add all the herbs at this time, blend them well and let rest for 10 minutes. I used fresh thyme, sage, marjoram. Add all the other ingredients to the bread milk mixture and mix well.

Form 4 mini loafs with your hands. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

Can do ahead and can also freeze.

INDIVIDUAL POTATOES GRATIN

1 potato per person, peeled and sliced very thin

½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Butter

Preheat the oven at 375ᵒ. Grease a gratin dish well. Add half of the potatoes slices by overlapping them and covering the bottom of the gratin. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Add ¾ of the heavy cream and ¾ of the mozzarella cheese. Cover with the remaining potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the heavy cream and the remaining of the mozzarella. Place in the hot oven and cook for 30 to 40 minutes.

The thinner the slices of potatoes, the faster they will cook. Also to save cooking time, the potatoes can be placed in a hot boiling water pan for 5 minutes and then proceed with the above recipe.

I also enjoy mozzarella cheese; however any Gruyere of Emmenthal cheese will be fine also.

Their style of cooking was different. My nonna, cooked for her family, peoples that worked for the family, and any one that stopped by.  She would make raviolis by hand for 30 peoples with no assistance from a rolling machine, but just a rolling pin. I remember her rolling out this very thin dough and filling half of the sheet with the right amount of filling, turning over the other half and with a ravioli rolling pin (the one with open squares) pressing the edges together.  Her raviolis were perfection. I still have the taste in my mouth. She did pass down the recipe to my mom, which she pass down to me. She cooked cima, spezzatini, vitel tonnato, brodi di gallina, lingua… her dishes were very elaborate and took time to prepare and cook.

My zia, in the other hand, had a small “Pensione”.  She did two lunch sitting, one at 12:30pm, the second at 2:00 pm, as well as a dinner sitting.  At each sitting she would cook in this tiny little kitchen, with this tiny little stove, for 20 peoples. That is 60 persons a day. I always sat on this chair in the corner of her kitchen in complete awe as she did it all by herself and by 3:30 pm, almost daily, her kitchen was all put away and she was ready to meet her friends for tea and pastry.  Her cooking was more simple and fast, but she never compromised the quality of her ingredients and she shopped every morning for her lunches and dinner.  Everything was always fresh.

Tonight as time was not on my side, I decided to go “zia” style and make one of her favorite recipes: Cotolette di Maiale Impannate, or Breaded Pork Chops with steamed broccolis and green beans alongside.

Enjoy your dinner.

Tonight’s December 6, 2011 dinner:

Breaded Pork Chops

Steamed Broccolis and Green Beans

BREADED PORK CHOPS

4 bone in pork chops

1 cup all- purpose flour

2 extra-large eggs

¾ cup dry bread crumbs

¾ cup of Panko

½ cup parmesan cheese

Unsalted butter

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Fresh or dried herbs (rosemary, marjoram, thyme)

Preheat the oven at 375 º. On a shallow dish combine the flour, salt and pepper. On a second dish, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third dish, combine the bread crumbs, panko, parmesan cheese and herbs. Coat the pork chops on both sides with the flour mixture, shaking off any excess, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread crumbs mixture.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan and cook the chops on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until the pork chops exterior is nicely browned. Place in the hot oven and finish cooking them, 20 or so minutes. Make sure that the chops do not burn or overcook.

Tonight’s December 5, 2011 dinner:

Tortiglioni alla Carbonara

Green Salad

Vanilla ice Cream with cookie

TORTIGLIONI ALL CARBONARA

1 pound of Tortiglioni pasta by Barilla

1 small onion, sliced in small pieces

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

6 to 8 oz bacon, sliced in small strips ¼ inch wide

½ cup white wine

2 eggs

3 tablespoons of Parmigiano grated fine

Salt and Pepper

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, cook the onions with the butter until the onions are translucent. Add the bacon and the wine. Lower the heat and let it cook for a couple of minutes. In a large serving bowl, beat the 2 eggs with salt (not too much) and the pepper. Add the Parmigiano and incorporate well.

Meanwhile in a large pan, boil the water with salt. Cook the pasta al dente and drain. Immediately pour over the egg mixture and mix well. Add the bacon-onion-wine sauce and mix well. Serve hot.

My mom gave my her phenomenal cook books of “Enciclopedia della Cucina / Curcio”.  I had my eyes on those 12 books since I was a teen ager.  Since the day that my mom pass them down to me, they have taken center stage on my book shelf and I constantly look at them, open them, get ideas from them.  The books and recipes transport me back  to my years in Paris and the fun desert recipes that I used to make from it. I only baked back then. It was fun then, it is fun now having the book in my hands and reading them.

So… with recipe in hand, all the ingredients put together, actually layered in a large pan, in the oven it all went and one hour and half later of  lingering aromas this wonderful dish was ready to be enjoyed. We had no left over and that was sad as I was looking forward to have it for lunch. Well maybe next time…

TIP: I love Le Creuset pans. I have since I started cooking. With this recipe I used a 4 quarts round.  The heat  was distributed evenly on the bottom as well as all the sides, the juices were all nicely blended together.

Tonight’s December 4, 2011 dinner:

Spezzatino of Beef with Potatoes and Onions

SPEZZATINO OF BEEF WITH POTATOES AND ONIONS

2 to 3 pounds of beef chuck, cut into small cubes

1 ½ large onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 pound potatoes, peeled and cubed

7 oz. sliced and diced bacon

1 28 oz. can of peeled tomatoes

Salt and Pepper

Basil leaves

Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350º. In a large gratin dish or pan, cover the bottom with olive oil. Add one layer of the onion slices. In top of that add the beef cubes, making sure that they are all the same size. Salt and pepper the meat. Another layer of potatoes and cover it all with the bacon. Add the can of tomatoes and the basil leaves. Lightly salt and put in the oven for 1 ½ hour.

Make sure that during cooking the juices are not drying up to much. If it becomes dry add couple of tablespoons of water to it, or wine.

Serve in the same dish.