Pastiera 2013

Every year my nieces and I get together to make Pastiera di Grano.  The recipe we use is one I have written about before.  It comes from my Grandmother who was born on the island of Procida in Italy over a hundred years ago.  Of course she never wrote it down, but she taught it to my mother, who was also a great baker.  Mom and I figured out the measurements to get the cake to look and taste just like Grandma’s.  You can find the recipe in my book 1,000 Italian Recipes.  I think that my Grandmother would be very proud to know that we celebrate her memory this way every year.

I can find most of the ingredients to make Pastiera easily in my area of New York City.  I buy the grano, which is wheat grain that has been polished to remove the hull, at Kalustyan’s, and fresh ricotta from Calabro at Fairway Market or Whole Foods.  I bought a big bottle of orange flower water the last time I was in Italy (though many markets like ALC Italian Grocery in Brooklyn or Di Palo’s in Manhattan sell it) as well as a whole piece of candied citron.  The biggest problem for me is always the candied orange peel.  The commercially made peel is dried out  and lacks flavor, so this year I decided to make my own.   It was easy to do and a perfect project for the cold rainy day we had earlier this week.  I made a big batch, so that we would have plenty for our cakes plus more to nibble as a small sweet after dinner.  The pieces are crunchy with sugar, yet tender inside and the flavor is intensely orange.   Next time, I will dip some in dark chocolate, a flavor combination I adore.

Wishing all a Buona Pasqua!

Candied Orange Peel

CANDIED ORANGE PEEL

Makes about 4 cups

4 or 5 large navel oranges, preferably organic

4-1/2 cups sugar

Scrub the oranges with a brush under warm water.  Cut off a 1/4 inch slice from each end.  With a small sharp knife, score the peels into six wedges, cutting just down to the flesh.  Remove each segment of the peel and cut it into 1/4-inch thick strips.  Reserve the oranges for another use.  (I made them into a salad with arugula, fennel and black olives.)

Have ready a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil.

Bring a large pot of water to boiling.  Add the peels and cook for 15 minutes.  Drain and rinse the peels.

Rinse out the pot.  Add 3 cups cool water and 3 cups of the sugar.  Bring the liquid to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Add the orange peel and bring the liquid to a simmer.  Add a little more water if needed so that the peels are just covered.  Cook over medium low heat until the peels are tender, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Drain the peel well.  Toss the pieces with the remaining 1-1/2 cups sugar to coat.  Separate the pieces and place them on the parchment paper.

Preheat the oven to as low as it can go, about 175 F.  Place the baking sheet in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes so that the peels can dry out slightly.  Let stand at room temperature until the surface coating is dry, about 24 to 48 hours.   Cover them with a clean kitchen towel if you like.

Store in an airtight plastic bag for 1 week or in the freezer for 3 months.

Here’s a recipe from The Mediterranean Slow Cooker.  It is a Moroccan-style vegetable tagine made with golden vegetables like carrots, squash, and rutabaga, sometimes called yellow turnip.  Don’t like them?  Try something else, like sweet potatoes or celery root.  The vegetables are sweetened with dried apricots and flavored with fresh ginger, cumin and cinnamon.  Cook until tender, adjust the seasonings, and serve with couscous or rice for a warming cold weather meal.

All three of my slow cooker books have recipes that fit into a Mediterranean diet eating plan.  In The French Slow Cooker, try the Creamy White Bean Brandade or Salmon Steaks with Mustard and Parsley.  In The Italian Slow Cooker, you will find Cherry Spiced Pears and Turkey Meatball and Escarole Soup, and much more.

GOLDEN VEGETABLE TAGINE

The warm, sunny colors of this Moroccan style tagine make it perfect for a hearty winter meal.  Serve it over rice or couscous as a main course or as a side dish with grilled lamb chops or chicken.

Serves 6 to 8

2 tablesoons olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

6 medium carrots, peeled and quartered

1 pound rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 cups 1-inch chunks peeled butternut squash

12 dried apricots, halved

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

Salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 cups Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, mint or flat-leaf parsley

Heat the oil in a medium skillet.  Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 10 minutes.

Scrape the onions into a large slow cooker.  Add 1 teaspoon salt and the remaining ingredients except for the cilantro in a large slow cooker and toss well.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until the vegetables are tender.

Taste for seasonings.  Just before serving, sprinkle with the cilantro.

Coffee Caramel Flan

Carnevale begins this week.  It is traditionally celebrated as a time for feasting before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.  But how do you prepare a feast when you are busy with so many other things?  With your slow cooker, of course!   I’d like to suggest  Bargemen’s Beef Stew, a recipe from my book The French Slow Cooker that gets its name from the men who operated shipping barges on the Rhone River.  They were too busy to spend a lot of time cooking, but wanted something delicious to eat, so they developed this simple recipe with an unusual technique.  The cubes of beef — I prefer chuck — are tossed with a bit of flour and layered in the slow cooker with sliced onions.   That’s it.  The meat and onions will cook in their own juices.  Put the lid on, turn on the cooker, and come back hours later to tender meat.  That’s when you add the flavoring ingredients.  Finely chopped garlic, parsley, and anchovies are blended to a sauce with mustard and vinegar.  Stir it into the meat and it’s ready to serve.  It’s great with noodles.

Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a feast without dessert.  My choice is a Coffee Caramel Flan.  It’s made with only 6 ingredients, most of which you probably have in the pantry.  I’ll make it the night before I plan to serve it so that it has a chance to chill before serving.  This is one of several flan recipes and other desserts, like Cannoli Cheesecake and Bittersweet Cocoa Almond Cake, you will find in my new book, The Mediterranean Slow Cooker.  First you make caramel which is simply sugar and water cooked until brown, then you add a creamy filling made with coffee, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk.  In the gentle steamy heat of the slow cooker, it cooks up satiny smooth and rich tasting.  Serve it as is or with a dollop of whipped cream.  Here is the recipe, but before you begin, check to see that you have a dish or pan that will fit inside your slow cooker.

Coffee Caramel Flan

Spain

Dark strong coffee is a popular beverage throughout Spain.  It’s even used to make this version coffee flavored version of flan.  Canned sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk are convenient to have in the pantry so you can put this dessert together any time.

Serves 8

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

2 large eggs

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water

Place a rack in a large slow cooker.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and the water.  Cook over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved about 5 minutes.  Simmer the mixture without stirring until it begins to turn brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Gently swirl the pan until the syrup is evenly caramelized.

Protect your hand with an oven mitt.  Pour the hot syrup into a 6-cup soufflé dish, turning the dish to coat the bottom evenly.  Let cool until the caramel is just set.

In a bowl, whisk together the evaporated and sweetened condensed milks.  Beat in the eggs, yolks, and coffee until blended.   Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Place the dish on the rack in a large slow cooker.  Pour hot water to a depth of 1 inch of around the soufflé dish.  Cover and cook on high for 2 to 2-1/2 hours minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Protecting your hands with oven mitts, carefully remove the dish from the slow cooker.  Let cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate until chilled, several hours or overnight.

To serve, run a knife around the inside of the dish.  Invert a serving plate on top of the dish and quickly invert the two.  Carefully remove the dish allowing the caramel to drizzle over the cream.  Cut into wedges to serve.

Looking for inspiration for comforting slow cooker meals this winter?  How about Chicken with Chorizo, Red Wine, and Roasted Peppers, or Turkey Meatloaf with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Mozzarella, or Pork Ribs with Tomato Balsamic Sauce?  These are just a few of the recipes you will find in my new book, The Mediterranean Slow Cooker, just published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.   I’ve traveled around the Mediterranean and discovered 125 new recipes for everything from appetizers — try the Beet and Goat Cheese Dip with warm pita bread — to hearty soups, like Tuscan “Cooked Water” made with mushrooms, tomato and eggs — to a luscious and easy Cannoli Cheesecake, made with ricotta, chocolate chips and cinnamon that work great in the slow cooker.

Here’s a recipe for a hearty Winter Squash and Chickpea Soup that will brighten any winter meal.  We will have it with a kale salad with ripe pears and tangy pecorino.

Winter Squash and Chickpea Soup

North Africa

A big handful of fresh chopped cilantro at the end of the cooking time gives this sweet, mellow soup extra flavor.  It may not be typical, but I like to serve it with the addition of small cooked pasta, like orzo.

Serves 6

2 medium onions, peeled and chopped

2 pounds butternut, acorn, or other winter squash, peeled and cut into chunks

1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped fresh tomatoes, or canned tomatoes

2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, drained

2 cups beef or Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth, or water

3 cups water

Salt  and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Chopped cilantro, mint or Italian parsley

Place the onions, squash, tomatoes, chickpeas, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste.  Add the broth and water.  Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours until the squash is very soft and falling apart.

With a potato masher or immersion blender, crush some of the vegetables and chick peas to make a chunky soup.  Stir in the butter and taste for seasoning.  Serve hot, sprinkled with the herbs.

I Italy TV on NYC Life Channel 25 Episode 1

Charles and I are talking about wine and food on the new i-Italy TV show about all things Italian in New York which premiered this past weekend on NY Public TV Channel 25.  If you missed Episode 1, here is a link to it on You Tube:

I-Italy TV Episode 1

The show airs weekly Saturdays at 11PM repeated Sunday at 1PM.

Premiering Saturday, November 24, Michele and Charles Scicolone will be appearing in a weekly segment on I-Italy/NY, a new program covering all aspects of Italian life, the arts, and culture in New York City.  Michele and Charles will be visiting restaurants around town and talking about their favorite subjects — Italian wine and food!

Name:  I-Italy/NY           Time: 11PM on Saturdays and 1 PM  Sundays           Where: New York Public Television Channel 25 in the tri-state area

Getting ready to make Chunky Fig and Orange Jam

Every year in late summer, my friend Tony invites me to have dinner with him under the  fig tree in his Brooklyn backyard.  The massive tree was planted long ago by his Sicilian grandfather and has withstood more than 70 years of the freezing winters we can sometimes have here in New York City.  Today,  the fig tree is the pride and joy of Tony and his whole family and the envy of all of his friends.  Not only is the tree beautiful to see, most years it produces masses of luscious ripe fruit.  This year’s crop was exceptionally good and one evening 6 friends sat under the tree eating the sweet figs wrapped in prosciutto with glasses of sparkling rosé Faive by Nino Franco, a producer in the Veneto region of Italy.  A perfect combination, and as my friend, cookbook author Marie Simmons would say, we were in Fig Heaven http://www.mariesimmons.com/recipes/fig_heaven.html

Tony sent me home with a bag filled with plump violet-colored figs which I added to the box of blue-black Mission figs I had purchased the day before.  I snipped off the stems, cut them in quarters and cooked them with sugar until the juices were thick and syrupy.   I added fresh lemon juice and orange zest to heighten the fig flavor and when it cooled I had several containers of chunky sweet jam.  It’s wonderful on yogurt, or whole wheat toast with cream cheese or butter, or as a condiment for a zesty cheese like gorgonzola.  By the way, I did not bother to put the jam through the canning process since I only made a small batch.  It will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks or in the freezer for at least 6 months.  Not that I expect it to last that long.  The recipe follows.

Melissa Clark of The New York Times wrote an article about Brooklyn’s fig trees, including Tony’s, with a quote from me about the fig tree tradition in Brooklyn and it’s significance for Italian immigrants.  Here is a link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/29/dining/in-brooklyn-an-abundance-of-fig-trees.html?_r=2&hpw.

Chunky Fig and Orange Jam

Makes 2 8-ounce containers

1 pound ripe fresh figs, stemmed

1-1/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Cut the figs into quarters.  Place them in a saucepan with the sugar.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the juices begin to simmer.  As the figs soften, crush them slightly with a potato masher or sturdy wire whisk.  After about 20 minutes, skim off the foam that rises to the surface.  Cook until the juices thicken slightly and are reduced, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the stove.  Stir in the lemon juice and orange zest.  Spoon the jam into jars or plastic freezer containers and cool completely.  Cover and store in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks or in the freezer up to 3 months.

© 2012 by Michele Scicolone

Red, white, yellow and green, onions are something I use in my kitchen practically every day.  Here are some tips and techniques that every cook should know about buying, storing and using onions:

1. When buying onions in a mesh bag, smell them first.  A strong smell indicates that one or more of the onions is spoiled.

2. At home, do not store onions in a plastic bag.  They should be kept in a cool, dark, airy place.

3.  Cold onions are less likely to make your eyes tear, so chill them before chopping or slicing.

4. Wet whole onions to make it easier to remove onions skins.

5. Grating is a good alternative to mincing onions for any dish where you want them to blend in completely, such as a meatloaf.  Remove the ends and the skin from the onion, cut it in half and grate it on a box grater or microplane.  This is a good method for garlic, too.

6.  When sauteing onions, cook them on medium low to medium heat — not high — to avoid a bitter taste.

7. While sauteing onions, add a tablespoon or two of water to the skillet to help it to cook evenly and prevent burning.

8. For caramelized onions when you want them to cook to a rich golden brown, sprinkle them with salt as they cook to help draw out the liquid.

9.  When sauteing onions and garlic for the same recipe, cook the onions first, then add the garlic and cook one minute more.  Onions need several minutes to become tender while garlic cooks quickly.

10. When serving onions raw in a salad, slice or chop them and place the pieces in ice water for 20 to 30 minutes to mellow the flavor and crisp them.   Drain and pat dry before using.

Do you have a favorite tip for cooking onions?  I’d love to hear it .

Charles and I always enjoy having dinner at the home of our friends Diane Darrow and Tom Maresca, who are both great cooks. Here is a link to a post I wrote a while back about a dinner at their house:        http://michelescicolone.com/dinner-commissario-montalbano/.

They’ve just written a mini ecookbook, featuring 10 of their recipes for tomato-based pasta sauces. They tell interesting stories in their headnotes, and Tom provides wine recommendations for each dish. Here’s an example:

Farfalle with Calabrian Tomato Sauce

Copyright © 2012 Diane Darrow and Tom Maresca

What makes a dish Calabrian? In Italy, that’s a no-brainer: “peperoncino rosso piccante,” or “hot red peppers,” used liberally. It must be the bracing mountain air and the rugged countryside that makes Calabrians so fond of what they call “diavolillo,” or “little devil.” Though Calabria is far in Italy’s south, a lot of it is upland, and we guess it takes a lot of hot red pepper to ward off the night’s chill. At least that’s the best explanation we can come up with for this region’s conspicuous fondness for peppery dishes. We’ve moderated that tendency somewhat in this tasty recipe, but if you want the heavy-caliber experience, by all means add more peperoncino.

Whenever we’re traveling anywhere in Italy from Rome to Sicily, we take the opportunity to restock our supply of these hot peppers, which keep very well in the refrigerator for months. Just one of them, seethed briefly in olive oil, gives an intriguing lift to many sauces. However, it’s important to remember to remove the little devil before serving the dish, lest one unsuspecting diner bite into a morsel of heat that sizzles the tonsils.

This recipe is as simple as our rigatoni with mushroom sauce. The zinginess of dried hot red pepper is further enriched by the combination with pancetta, the air-cured but unsmoked bacon that’s widely used throughout central and southern Italy as a starting point for pasta sauces. Different regions cure it slightly differently: It may be almost entirely unspiced or completely covered with crushed black pepper. Guess which kind Calabria prefers.

Wine: The regionally correct choice would be Ciro (Librandi makes a good one), but Ciro is hard to find here. Primitivo would work, as would a fruity Zinfandel or even a Syrah. Or you could go completely against the grain and serve a sprightly white wine with this dish — maybe a Falanghina or a top-quality Frascati, like Fontana Candida’s Luna Mater.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Photo © Kristin Loken

4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 ounces chopped pancetta
2 pounds plum tomatoes, puréed in a food mill or processor
1 dried peperoncino rosso (or substitute 1 pinch crushed red pepper)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
Salt
1 pound imported Italian farfalle
Freshly grated pecorino romano (optional)

Heat the olive oil over low heat in a nonreactive skillet. Add the onion and pancetta and cook 5 to 7 minutes, until the onion is soft and the pancetta has released its fat. Don’t let the onion brown or the pancetta crisp. Add the puréed tomatoes and the peperoncino. Stir thoroughly and cook on a simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, or until the sauce thickens nicely. Remove the peperoncino and stir in the basil and salt to taste.

Bring a large pot of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Cook the farfalle until al dente. Drain in a colander, transfer to a warmed serving bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve at once, passing the grated cheese at the table for those who like it.

“Not the Same Old Spaghetti Sauce,” published by Hang Time Press, is available from Amazon, Barnes&Noble.com, and iTunes for $2.99.  For more info about Diane and Tom, check out their very entertaining websites at http://dianescookbooks.wordpress.com/ and http://ubriaco.wordpress.com/.

1,000 ITALIAN RECIPES has a new look!  First published in 2004 by Wiley Publishing, this book is the culmination of my many years of cooking, eating, and researching Italian food and now it sports a jaunty red cover.  Comprehensive and far ranging, 1,000 ITALIAN RECIPES  really does contain 1,000 recipes.  Believe me, I counted them.   Inside you will find old family favorites that I grew up with, such as Struffoli (Honey Balls), Neapolitan Lasagna as my mom and grandma made it, plus recipes I learned in my travels around Italy, like Crispy Pasta with Chickpeas (Ceci e Tria) from Puglia and Roman Style Braised Oxtails (Coda alla Vaccinara).

Too many zucchini?  There are more than a dozen recipes to choose from.  In the mood for a chocolatey dessert but don’t want to turn on the oven?  Try the no-bake Chocolate Salami.   No matter what you are looking for, chances are you will find it in 1,000 ITALIAN RECIPES.  The recipes range from the simple to the complex so it’s an ideal gift for new brides and graduates, as well as experienced cooks.  But don’t take my word for it–Mario Batali called the book “a masterpiece,” and Lidia Bastianich said that it is “A must have for any serious Italian cook.”

Here is a recipe from the book.  This was my dad’s Sunday special, a traditional recipe that he learned from his mother.  In Naples it is called Gatto’ di Patate, but we just called it Dad’s Potato Pie.

Dad’s Neapolitan Potato Pie

Gatto’

Makes 6 to 8 servings

2 1/2 pounds all-purpose potatoes, such as Yukon gold

Salt

1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup warm milk

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 large egg, beaten

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground pepper

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, chopped

4 ounces salame or imported Italian prosciutto, chopped

1. Scrub the potatoes with a brush under cold running water. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with cold water to cover. Add salt to taste. Cover the pan and bring the water to a boil. Cook over medium heat until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.

2. Place a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs.

3. Peel the potatoes, put them in a large bowl, and mash them with a masher or fork until smooth. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the butter, the milk, 1 cup of the Parmigiano, the egg, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Fold in the mozzarella and salame.

4. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano. Dot with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter.

5. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until the top is browned. Let stand briefly at room temperature before serving.

© 1,000 ITALIAN RECIPES  by Michele Scicolone 2004 Wiley Publishing