As with other roads, I often find that the road to Christmas is paved with good intentions.

This year, I will make my own Christmas wreath. This year I will make a Gingerbread House from scratch. This year, I will have all my christmas cards written and mailed by the first week of December. This year I will make the perfect standing rib roast. This year … blah blah blah blah …

In the end, it always seems to be a race against the Christmas clock. How in the world will we get it all done in time?

Somehow, though, it all comes together. It’s not perfect, mind you, but Christmas does arrive and the family is always gathered and much food is consumed and we all walk away happy.

In the great rush to Christmas, though, there are a few things that I insist on. One is the playing of Christmas carols. I don’t care how sick you may be of them, if you are within three feet of me anytime between December 1st to December 25th, you will be hearing Christmas carols.

Get used to it.

The second thing that I insist on are my mother’s beloved Ravioli di Castagna. I should qualify that by saying that while my mother makes them (brilliantly), these are a traditional sweet from my father’s side of the family (my father was born and raised in Le Marche, Italy).

I insist on these first and foremost because they are delicious. A mixture of pureed chestnut, cocoa and liquor is enrobed in pasta dough, shaped and cut into ravioli, fried and then sprinkled with sugar. Believe me, they’re hard to resist.

But I also insist on them because they are such a unique sweet and they represent the culinary legacy that my parents have given me. Christmas cannot be Christmas without Ravioli di Castagne.

As with many old family recipes, there really isn’t a recipe. I know. That’s very frustrating. But it’s true. There are general guidelines that every family adapts to suit their own tastes. While I wish that I could have taken the time to set down a recipe, I just haven’t had the opportunity. Of all the whirlwind Christmases, this has been the whirlwindiest.

Instead, I give you a photo essay (of sorts) to guide you through the process. If you have questions, please e-mail me and I’ll be happy to help as much as I can. I apologize in advance for some of the photos as they’re not the greatest.

The Chestnuts

These ravioli must begin with the very best chestnuts you can find. We’re lucky that in Toronto we’re able to buy chestnuts imported from Italy. While it’s expensive, it’s worth it.

The chestnuts are peeled prior to be being cooked. I never said that this was an easy recipe to make. There’s effort required, to be certain. The picture above is of my mother peeling the chestnuts. She didn’t want me to show the picture because she said her hands look awful but I actually thought that it was important to demonstrate that the good things in life do require effort!

Once peeled, the chestnuts are immersed in water and simmered until the skins loosen. The chestnuts are drained and once they’ve cooled down a bit, the skins are peeled off.

At one time, the chestnuts would then be put through a food mill or grinder but nowadays we rely on our food processor.

The Filling

Once the chestnuts have been pureed, it’s time to build the filling. What you add to the filling can vary from family to family but we add coffee, sugar, sweetened and unsweetened cocoa and liquor, usually rum or brandy. Again, how much you add is up to the flavour you’re after but in our family we prefer a filling that has a strong chestnut flavour so we try not to overdue it with the other elements. Once combined, we let the mixture cool completely before using.

The Pasta

As with all ravioli, you need a pasta dough. Again there are many variations but my mother uses a mixture of flour, water, olive oil and white wine to form her dough.

The Ravioli

From this point on, you follow the basic steps of ravioli-making. The pasta is rolled into thin sheets and ravioli are formed with the prepared chestnut filling.

Once the ravioli are formed, we heat vegetable oil in a large pan and fry the ravioli in batches. As soon as they are golden on all sides, we drain them on paper towels and sprinkle them with sugar.

It cannot be Christmas without these treats. And whatever other obstacles we may encounter on the road to Christmas, these help along the way to be sure.

Ciao!

In my family’s cooking mythology, there is no question that my mother’s crespelle rank high in the pecking order.

What are these crespelle I speak of, you ask?

Gather round, and I shall tell you a story.

Like most of the young women in her family, my mother was raised on the simple yet robust food of Southern Italy (Calabria to be exact). Call it rustic or simple if you like, she grew up eating and cooking with lots of tomatoes, lots of garlic, lots of pasta, lots of beans, lots of meatballs and lots of soup. Was it fancy? No. Was it good? Si!

When my mother married my father in 1972, she brought with her the repertoire that she had inherited. But as the years went by, she expanded that repertoire with an impressive array of foods from a region far removed from Calabria: Le Marche.

And of all the dishes that my mother learned from my father’s side of the family, there are few as dear to me as crespelle.

Crespelle is the Italian word for crepes, which in a very broad way defines what this dish is. I caution you, though, that as with so many other Italian dishes, crespelle can refer to a dish prepared in numerous different ways, depending on what region, province, city or town in Italy that you happen to be consulting.

But in my father’s family, which hails from Ascoli Piceno in Le Marche, crespelle are thick crepes stacked high and then soaked in chicken broth. The layers of crepes are lined with the incredibly savoury Pecorino commonly made in the hills around Ascoli Piceno.

Allow me to deconstruct.

This dish begins with crespelle, or crepes, which are slightly thicker than the more typical crepes associated with French desserts like Crêpes Suzette. The crespelle batter is made with flour, water and a large quantity of eggs (more eggs than you would use in a recipe for French-style crepes). The result is a slightly thicker crepe that has more of an eggy bite to it.

The thicker crepe is a perfect vessel for the layer of sharp cheese and black pepper sandwiched in between the crespelle. Ideally, my mother would use the sheep’s milk cheese made in the hills where my father’s town is. We’re sometimes lucky enough to be in possesion of some of this cheese thanks to a trip to Italy and a loving relative who has procured some for us. But if we don’t have any, then my mother uses Parmigiano Reggiano.

I often ask myself what the key ingredient of this dish is; is it the crespelle or the broth? Tough call. What I do know is that once you’ve gone to the trouble of making the crespelle and grating the cheese, you must finish the dish with the best homemade chicken broth you can create.

And it must be homemade.

You can try using store-bought chicken stock but trust me, it won’t be the same.

Once you have all your elements in place, you carefully stack your crespelle, christening each layer with a few spoonfuls of cheese with a bit of black pepper (the ideal is stacks of 15 crespelle) and then you christen your creation with ladles of soul-sustaining broth. And then, you cover.

You cover your creation to allow the crespelle and the broth and the cheese to marry and steep and join in a relationship that results in one of the most elegant and delicious first courses you can imagine.

For me, crespelle are a special occasion dish, which is funny in that looked at separately, there’s nothing really special about the elements. Crepes are just flour, water and egg. The cheese is just that, the cheese. And the broth, well, how many times have we had homemade broth?!

But together, they form a dish that is the trigger for so many happy memories of special meals. But more than that, to me, there is no dish that represents more the legacy that my mother has created in her kitchen.

Ciao!

My Mother’s Crespelle
Treasured Family Recipe.

For the crespelle (yields 30 crepes that are roughly 6 inches in diameter):

2 cups all-purpose flour
1-3/4 cup water, at room temperature
8 eggs, at room temperature

In a large bowl, mix the flour and water until you have a thick paste. Add the eggs, a few at a time, until they are all incorporated. This requires some elbow grease as you must ensure that there are no lumps in the batter. Once combined, allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes.

Once the batter has rested, heat your pan on high heat. We use two or three small frying pans to help the process go quickly. Our pans yield 6-inch crepes.

Place a tablecloth on your table and then place a few layers of parchment paper on top of the tablecloth. The cooked crepes will rest on the parchment while they cool.

Once the pans are heated, wipe them quickly with a paper towel that has been dipped in some vegetable oil.

Lower the heat to medium-high and pour approximately a 1/4 cup of batter into the pan (this is for a 6-inch crepe).

Cook the crepes for about 2 minutes on each side. The crepes are cooked when they are golden in colour and flip easily. Flip them once only. If you flip them too many times they will dry out too much.

Place the cooked crepes on the parchment paper and let cool completely.

Assembling the crespelle:

2 cups Parmigiano Romano (if you can get a hold of some good quality Pecorino cheese, you can also use that)
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
6 to 8 cups of hot chicken broth (preferably homemade)
You will need a round container with a lid (we like to use a 2 Litre Corning Ware pot)

Combine the cheese and black pepper.

Place a crepe at the bottom of your container. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture over the crepe.

Top with a second crepe and another spoonful of cheese. Continue layering the crepes and cheese until you have a stack of 15 crespelle (do not put cheese on the top layer). While you can create stacks of more more than 15 crespelle, the ideal height is 15.

With a sharp knife, cut the crepe stack into four segments.

About 15 to 20 minutes before you’re ready to serve the crespelle, finish the dish by pouring the hot broth over the crespelle. The broth should cover the top layer so depending on the size of your container you may need anywhere from 6 to 8 cups of broth.

When pouring the broth over the crespelle, do so carefully to ensure that you maintain the layered wedge.

Sprinkle any remaining cheese on top of the crespelle and immediately cover the crespelle and let sit for 10 minutes.

Serve the crespelle in a soup plate by scooping up a wedge per person. Add some broth to the bottom of the plate for an elegant finish.

Enjoy!

It’s been a very long time since I last talked about my mother’s cooking. A very long time!

Truth be told, I could talk about Mama Cream Puff’s cooking everyday. So today, allow me to tell you about my mother’s cannelloni.

What are cannelloni you ask? In our family, cannelloni are plump bundles of meat and ricotta-stuffed crepes. Traditionally, cannelloni are made by filling a pasta sheet and then rolling it into a tube that’s then baked (usually with sauce). In our family, however, we prefer the lighter crepe version.

As with all treasured family food, the emotions evoked by this dish run deep. In fact, I most closely associate cannelloni with my maternal grandmother whose cannelloni were things of beauty. They were somehow both light and substantial and they were perfect every time. In fact, she knew that her cannelloni were my very favourite dish and would often make them just for me. The joys of being the first grandchild!

In the years since my grandmother’s passing, my mother’s cannelloni have taken on a new significance and are as dear to me as my grandmother’s. I’ve always said that my mother is a crepe master. I don’t know anybody that makes a crepe as perfectly as she does.

Her filling is my very favourite one: veal and ricotta. You can fill cannelloni with a multitude of different fillings but that combination is my favourite. Annointed with beatifully red sauce the cannelloni go into the oven to be baked through and come out perfect every time.

And when I eat them, I have the same reaction every time. There is pure satisfaction over the food. More importantly, there is pure comfort because of the memories.

Ciao!

Cannelloni

Note: Once you’re ready to make the filling, it’s good to have a pot of tomato sauce ready to go as you will need it for the filling. You can use your favourite tomato sauce or you can use a family favourite of ours. You can make your cannelloni the day before and refrigerate them or you can make them and freeze them (unbaked) for as long as a month.

For the crepes:

3 large eggs
1 cup milk
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

In a bowl whisk eggs. Add milk and mix. Gradually add flour and blend until the batter is smooth.

Heat a non-stick frying pan (about 6 inches in diameter) on medium heat. Lightly grease the pan with butter and pour in about ¼ cup batter. Tilt the plan in a circular motion so that batter spreads evenly across the surface of the pan.

Cook for one minute and then flip the crepe over to cook on the other side. Cook for about half a minute longer. Remove the crepe to kitchen towel spread on the counter or a piece of waxed paper spread on the counter.

Once cooled, cooked crepes can be stacked one on top of the other. Crepes can be made the day before and kept well-wrapped.

For the filling:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon minced onion
1 pound ground veal
1/3 cup tomato sauce
1 ½ to 2 teaspoons salt
Pinch of freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup ricotta
¾ cup shredded mozzarella
¾ cup Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese
¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese
¼ cup bread crumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and ground veal and brown for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally.

Add the tomato sauce, black pepper and 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Cook for another five minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Once meat mixture is cool, add ricotta, mozzarella, Parmiggiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano and bread crumbs, mixing lightly after each addition. Add egg and mix well.

The filling should have a soft consistency so that it can spread easily. Add more bread crumbs if it’s too soft or a little water if it’s too dry. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Place one heaping tablespoon of filling on a crepe. On half the crepe, spread the filling to within an inch of the border. On the other half of the crepe, spread the filling to the edge. The part of the crepe that has the filling spread to the edge will end up as the centre of your crepe.

In other words, when you roll the crepe, begin by rolling the half of the crepe that has filling spread all the way to the edge. As you roll, that part of the crepe will form the centre.

Once all your cannelloni have been rolled, prepare your pan and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large roasting pan or baking pan (approximately 12 inches x 14 inches), add about 2 cups of tomato sauce. The tomato sauce should not be too thick. Place cannelloni side by side in the pan leaving a tiny space between each cannelloni. Cover with additional tomato sauce (about 1 ½ cups to 2 cups).

Bake the cannelloni for about 1 ½ hours.

Let the cannelloni stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

As you can tell from the lasagna of a few posts ago and now this dish, my mother has been busy cooking of late. It’s not that we’ve got her chained to the stove or anything, it’s just that this time of year is the showcase for so many of her very best recipes. Garden fresh tomatoes make the best puree for her lasagna and now, the pint-sized eggplant making their first appearances of the summer are perfect for a much-loved family dish:  stuffed and fried eggplant.

Like so many of our treasured family recipes, my mother learned to make this from her own mother. My grandmother’s stuffed eggplant were legendary and I am so happy that I had the opportunity to watch her prepare them many times. Too often, especially when we’re young, we tend to ignore the rituals of the kitchen and as a result, watch helplessly as so many precious culinary traditions fall by the wayside. Happily, this will not happen with stuffed eggplant!

As with all traditional family dishes, this isn’t exactly a snap to make but believe me when I say the time and effort are worth it. The ingredients are very simple. You start with beautifully purple-skinned baby eggplant that are sliced in half and boiled until the flesh is soft. Once the eggplant have cooled, the flesh is carefully removed from the skin so as to leave the skin intact. To the flesh of those eggplant is added cheese, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. The flesh is then stuffed back into the eggplant skins and the entire lot is fried. I dare you not to eat more than one!

When choosing the eggplant for this dish, be sure to choose ones that are firm, purple and without marks on the skin. The eggplant should be about 5 to 6 inches in length. A useful tip that we’ve picked up from Alice Waters’ incredibly helpful Chez Panisse Vegetables is that eggplant should not be refrigerated (something we used to do all the time). Waters recommends keeping eggplant in a cool place in the house if you’re not going to use them right away. The practice of salting eggplant to draw out bitterness is not necessary here.

My mother made a huge batch of these for a recent family party and they were gone in minutes. We sometimes wonder if it’s worth all the work when the end result is devoured so quickly. But when we think about the continuation of this family dish and how much pleasure it brings to all of us, the efforts are so worth it!

Ciao!

Stuffed Eggplant

Treasured family recipe.

• 8 small eggplant
• 1 large eggplant (the flesh of this eggplant is added to the flesh of the small eggplant)
• 1 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
• 1-1/2 cups Crotonese cheese, freshly grated
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 2-1/2 teaspoons salt
• vegetable oil

1. Wash and dry eggplant. Cut in half lengthwise and place in a large pot. Fill the pot with cold water (the water should cover the eggplant) and bring to a boil.
2. Once the water boils, lower the heat to medium and cook the eggplant for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, test that the eggplant are done by removing one and with a fork, see if the flesh separates easily from the skin. If so, the eggplant are ready. Remove from the heat and add cold water to stop the cooking process.
3. Carefully drain the eggplant and leave in a colander until the eggplant are cool enough to handle.
4. Once they have cooled, carefully remove all of the flesh from the eggplant skin, being sure not to tear the skin. Put the eggplant flesh in a colander to drain and place the skins, cut side down, in one layer on paper towels to drain and dry.
5. After 30 minutes, take the eggplant flesh and squeeze out any excess liquid.
6. Place the flesh on a cutting board and with a knife, roughly chop the flesh until it’s been chopped into very small pieces. Place the flesh in a large bowl.
7. To the bowl, add the breadcrumbs, cheese, eggs, parsley, garlic, pepper and salt. Mix until thoroughly combined. Taste a bit of the mixture and adjust the seasoning according to your own tastes.
8. Turn the eggplant skins so that the cut side is facing up. With a spoon, measure out a few scoopfuls of flesh into each eggplant skin. This is a way to ensure that the flesh is evenly divided between the skins before you stuff them. Once this is done, you can begin fashioning the stuffed eggplant.
9. Pick up each skin and smooth out the flesh so that it fully fills each eggplant skin.
10. In a large frying pan, add the vegetable oil until it comes an inch up the side of the pan. Heat the oil. Once it’s hot, add 4 eggplant, stuffed side down and fry until golden. This should take 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the eggplant and fry for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the the remaining eggplant until they’re all fried.
11. Arrange the eggplant on a platter and sprinkle with some Crotonese before serving.
12. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe will yield 16 stuffed eggplant halves. Crotonese is a pungent cheese made of sheep’s milk. It comes from the town of Crotone in Calabria. The Crotonese’s strong flavour compliments the eggplant very well.

Technorati tags:  eggplant, crotonese cheese

Quite awhile ago, I received an e-mail from Tiel, a regular reader of this little blog. Tiel asked if I could share a lasagna recipe. What Tiel wants, Tiel gets!

As it happens, lasagna is a dish near and dear to my heart. When I was small, I had the pleasure of enjoying my grandmother’s lasagna on a regular basis. Hearty and bold, my grandmother’s lasagna featured a rich tomato sauce, tiny meatballs and chopped egg. A piece of Nonna’s lasagna was a meal unto itself.

At a certain point, my grandmother stopped making lasagna as regularly. My mother, thank goodness, inherited the lasagna gene and began making it often. As with everything she makes, my mother’s lasagna is flavourful and delicate. While not as rich or substantial as my grandmother’s lasagna, my mother’s has an airy quality to it that makes it unforgettable. It also makes it possible to have more than one piece at one sitting!

As with all great lasagna, my mother’s begins with fresh pasta dough. It is possible, today, to buy some very good quality prepared lasagna noodles. Even so, I recommend using fresh pasta. For those of you already making fresh pasta, I’m sure you’ll agree with me. For those of you that are uninitiated, look at this as an opportunity learn a new life skill!

Once you have the pasta down, the next step is the tomato sauce. Both my mother and grandmother use a tomato sauce that is cooked slowly, over a low flame. The sauce is cooked with meat, usually veal, which gives the sauce depth and richness, but you can certainly use a more basic tomato sauce. Either way, make the sauce yourself as there is nothing better than homemade tomato sauce. At this time of year, you can take advantage of beautifully ripe local tomatoes. Alternatively, you can use canned tomatoes which are usually of a high quality as the tomatoes are canned at their ripest.

With the pasta and tomato sauce at the ready, the other key ingredient for a perfect lasagna is the cheese. My mother uses two kinds of cheese:  mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano. Both should be fresh and grated just before using. We are fans of whole-milk mozzarella, which you should be able to find in well-stocked grocery stores and of course in specialty stores. Parmigiano, often referred to as the "King" of cheese, should be also be fairly easy to find. If it’s not already a staple in your house, consider making it one. A few shavings of Parmigiano on pasta, soup or even salad is heaven. With these three basic elements (pasta, tomato sauce and cheese), you have all that you need to create the best lasagna you’ve ever had.

My mother’s lasagna, for me, is the very best. I hope you enjoy her recipe!

Ciao!

My Mother’s Lasagna

Treasured family recipe.

For the tomato sauce:

• 5 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 pounds veal shoulder, bone in, cut into pieces (about 3 to 4 inch pieces – if you don’t feel comfortable cutting the meat yourself, have your butcher do it)
• 1 large onion or 2 smaller onions, sliced
• 8 cups tomato puree
• salt
• freshly cracked black pepper

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion slices and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add the veal and brown for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the meat has been seared on all sides.
3. Add the tomato puree and increase the heat to high. Bring the mixture just to a boil and then add 2 tablespoons of salt and 2 teaspoons of freshly cracked black pepper. (If you want to add less salt or pepper, feel free to do so. It’s entirely up to your own tastes.)
4. Stir the sauce well after adding the salt and pepper and then reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often, for an hour and a half. As the time goes by, your sauce will reduce considerably. If your sauce reduces too much, or is too thick, you may want to add a bit of water. What you’re looking for is a sauce that is smooth but not too thick. It should be deeply red in colour.
5. After the hour and a half is up, remove the veal from the sauce. Set aside. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings according to your own tastes, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside to cool while you prepare the pasta dough.

For the pasta:

1. Use the pasta recipe in my post about Tajarin. Follow steps 1 through 14.
2. Once you have rolled out all the pasta sheets, lay them flat on floured waxed paper. Dust the tops with flour and cover with a cloth.
3. Set a large stock pot, filled with water, to boil.
4. Once the water is boiling, salt the water generously and begin boiling your pasta sheets, one or two at a time.
5. Boil each pasta sheet for 2 minutes. With a large spoon, remove the pasta sheet and place in a colander to drain for a few seconds. Immediately pick up the pasta sheet and lay flat on a plate. Repeat with all the sheets of pasta.
6. Once all the pasta sheets have been cooked, you are ready to assemble the lasagna.

To assemble the lasagna:

• 1-1/2 to 2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1-1/2 cups freshly grated mozzarella

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a rectangular baking dish or pan (use a pan that’s 12 x 15 with sides that are at least 3 inches high or a similar-sized dish or pan), spread 1 cup of tomato sauce across the bottom of the pan.
3. Using the cooked lasagna noodles, create a layer over the tomato sauce. If there are any gaps cut off small pieces of from a piece of lasagna noodle that you haven’t used yet to fill in the gaps.
4. Spread 1/2 a cup of tomato sauce over the noodles.
5. Sprinkle a 1/4 cup of grated mozzarella and 1/3 of a cup of grated Parmigiano over the sauce.
6. Repeat with another layer of noodles.
7. Repeat with 1/2 a cup of sauce and then the mozzarella and Parmigiano.
8. Continue repeating steps 4, 5 and 6 until you have used your last layer of noodles.
9. Spread a cup of sauce over the final layer.
10. Sprinkle any remaining Parmigiano over the sauce (do not sprinkle mozzarella on the final layer).
11. If you’re using a metal pan, bake the lasagna for 1-1/2 hours, our until the sauce starts to bubble and it becomes golden on top. If you’re using a baking dish, the baking time will likely be less so you’ll only need to bake it for 1 hour or so.
12. Let the lasagna cool for 10 minutes before digging in. This will allow the lasagna to settle.
13. Enjoy!

Note:  This lasagna will easily serve 8 to 10 people. You can make it in smaller, disposable pans and then freeze them before baking. To prepare, simply defrost the lasagna and then bake following the directions listed above. Alternatively, you can bake the lasagna, let it cool down completely and then freeze it. To serve, let the lasagna defrost for half an hour at room temperature and then place in a preheated, 325 degree F. oven until heated through.

If you have tomato sauce left over, it can be frozen and used for pasta or pizza. Or you can store it in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Technorati tags:  lasagna, pasta, tomato sauce

This is a salad that I would happily call the perfect summer salad. It is one that I look forward to making every summer. As I add each beautifully ripe ingredient to a large bowl, I can’t help but feel that the very act of making panzanella is pure summer joy!

Panzanella is a bread salad that is Italian in origin. The most common theory behind its creation is that it was a clever way to use up old, stale bread. Simply combine it with some fresh ingredients from the garden, including tomatoes and their juice, and the next thing you know you have a savoury, filling dish. Panzanella, like so many Italian dishes, is a simple food. Variations of it appear all over Italy and like so many other examples of rustic cuisine, it’s been elevated to a much higher status. I’ve even seen it on restaurant menus for absolutely ridiculous prices, especially when you consider that panzanella costs you next to nothing to make at home. And it’s so much better when you make it yourself.

This salad has also come to be a family favourite because it allows us to enjoy the best of summer flavour without having to turn on the stove or oven. While the awful humidity of July has released its grip on Toronto, it’s still nice to be able to throw some items together in a bowl and end up with an incredible meal.

Each time you make panzanella, it evolves. You’ll find yourself adding new ingredients all the time and eventually, you’ll settle on the version you like best. If you’ve never made panzanella before, I urge you to give it a try. A plate of this salad and that Italian terrace we’ve all been dreaming about will seem to appear that much closer.

Ciao!

Panzanella

Treasured family recipe.

• 6 or 7 slices (1/2-inch thick) of day-old Italian country style bread or day-old focaccia
• 2 medium cucumbers, with skin on and sliced thinly
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced thinly
• 1 large ripe tomato (to be used to wet the bread)
• 2 large ripe tomatoes cut into small pieces
• 1 yellow bell pepper, julienned
• 1 small red onion, sliced thinly
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• sea salt
• freshly cracked black pepper
• handful of fresh basil, torn into pieces
• handful of cherry tomatoes for garnish
• handful of Mediterranean olives for garnish

1. Using a toaster oven or the broiler, lightly toast the bread for a minute or two on each side. Remove and let cool. Once cool, cut the bread into 1-inch pieces. Put the bread in a large bowl.
2. Take the ripe tomato set aside to wet the bread, cut it in half and squeeze out all the juice (seeds and all) over the bread. Mix the bread so that the juice is evenly distributed.
3. Add a teaspoon or two of salt and black pepper to the bread and mix well; set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, chopped tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, parsley and thyme. Add a teaspoon of salt and mix well. Let sit for 5 or 10 minutes. After that time has elapsed, add the vegetables to the bread being sure to also add any juice that’s accumulated at the bottom of the bowl. Mix well.
5. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and then pour the vinaigrette over the bread and vegetables. Mix well. Add the torn basil and garnish with cherry tomatoes and olives. Serve immediately.
6. Enjoy!

Note:  This salad serves 4 to 6 people. I like to use a focaccia loaf that I buy from the best bread store in Toronto:  Ace Bakery. Toasting the bread ahead of time helps to keep the bread from soaking up too much liquid too quickly. Nonetheless, this salad should be served right away or the bread will become mushy.

Technorati tags:  panzanella, bread, salad

Viva l’Italia!

Viva i Campioni del Mondo!

Ciao!

Pasta with Pesto, Cherry Tomatoes and Bocconcini

Treasured family recipe.

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced in half
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 cup parmesan, freshly grated
• 3/4 to 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• strozzapreti or pasta of your choice (enough for 4 people)
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1/4 cup bocconcini, diced

1. Set a pot of water to boil. Once the water has come to a boil, cook your pasta according to package directions.
2. In a blender or food processor, combine the basil leaves, garlic cloves, walnut pieces, salt, pepper and parmesan. Process until combined and the basil leaves and walnut pieces have been chopped up finely.
3. With the machine running, through the feed tube of the blender or processor, slowly add the olive oil. Add enough so that the mixture becomes creamy and cohesive. It should not be liquidy.
4. Pour the pesto in a large pan. As soon as the pasta is cooked, add it to the pan with the pesto. Over low heat, mix your pasta until it is completely coated with pesto. Add the tomatoes and bocconcini and mix well. Serve immediately.
5. Enjoy!

Technorati tags: basil, pesto, cherry tomatoes, bocconcini, pasta, world cup 2006, Italia

It’s almost 2:30 a.m., early (very early!) on Easter Sunday morning, and here I am in front of the computer. What in the world am I doing up, you ask? Well for one thing I’m waiting for the crust that I prepared for my lemon meringue tart to chill. Another 10 minutes or so and I can pop it in the oven. Once that’s done, I’m off to bed. The lemon filling is safe in the refrigerator and I will prepare the meringue topping tomorrow morning.

But the tart is not the only reason that I’m still awake. In fact, even if the the tart were done, I’d still be sitting here, staring at the screen. To be honest, I can’t bring myself to go to sleep until I find a way to put into words my feelings on Easter and my mother’s Easter bread.

I am so blessed. As I delve deeper into the life of my blog, I am coming to understand how blessed I am to have so many rich food traditions in my life. And not just because it means I get to eat a lot of great food. It’s also because so many of my best memories, the ones that I cherish most, involve those very traditions.

And perhaps nothing represents this more than my mother’s Easter bread.

The recipe for this Easter sweet, along with my mother and my grandmother, came to Canada in 1957 on a boat called the Cristofero Colombo. The recipe arrived in Halifax and then made it’s way to Toronto, where for more than 40 years it was the centrepiece of Easter at my grandmother’s house in Little Italy. And then two years ago, when my grandmother passed away, it became the defining symbol of Easter in the home in which I live.

Like so many of the dishes that come from other places, far away, from a world far removed from the one we live in now, this recipe was altered to suit the new land in which my mother’s family found themselves. Whatever fat my grandmother used in Italy was substituted with vegetable oil. The eggs, which would have come from my grandmother’s own chickens in Italy, came from the grocery store. The yeast, which would most certainly have been fresh yeast in Italy, was now dried yeast that came in a packet.

And just as my grandmother and mother adapted to their new home, along with my grandfather who had already lived in Canada for a few years, so too did this recipe. It shaped itself to suit the new life that my mother’s family was forging for themselves.

This yeasty, eggy bread is THE symbol of Easter for me. The merest whiff of the elusive scent of anise, used to flavour the bread, fills me with the joyousness that the Easter season brings with it. I am joyous because the warm weather has returned. The birds have come back to visit us. The sun is bright and welcoming.

And today, almost 40 years after this recipe came to Canada, it continues to be the link between a world that was left behind and a world where a new life was born.

Buona Pasqua!

My Mother’s Easter Bread

Treasured family recipe.

Note:  Like so many recipes that come from other countries, the measurements here have been interpreted over the years to suit the needs of a very large family! I have cut the original recipe by one-third, as the original (just to give you an idea) calls for 16 cups of flour! If you have any problems with the recipe, or would like to ask questions about the measurements before you begin, just drop me a note.

• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup whole milk (do not use low fat or non fat milk)
• 2 teaspoons spirit of anise (if you cannot find spirit of anise try anise extract)
• 4 cups all-purpose flour (you may need more to form a dough)
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Follow the directions on the packet of yeast and dissolve in warm water. Wait 10 minutes for the yeast to foam.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until smooth.
3. Add the vegetable oil, milk and anise and mix well.
4. Add the yeast mixture and mix well.
5. Add the four cups of flour and the salt and stir with a fork or a wooden spoon. (My mother always does this with a fork.) Eventually a soft dough will form. Continue adding flour until you can gather the dough into a ball.
6. Turn the dough onto a work surface and knead for 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and not sticky. If the dough is sticky, continue to work in a few tablespoonfuls of flour at a time until you have a smooth dough.
7. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes and then begin forming the bread.
8. Cut off a piece of dough that’s about 3 inches in size. Roll the dough into a ball and then place on a work surface and roll the dough into a strip that’s about 1/2 an inch to an inch in diameter and about 6 inches long. Form a circle with the strip of dough, pressing the ends together.
9. Place the dough circle on a cloth in a warm area. Continue forming the dough circles. Once the dough has been completely used, cover the rings with a cloth and let rise for 2 to 3 hours.
10. To bake the rings, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
11. Brush the tops of the rings with an egg wash (one egg beaten with a tablespoon of water) and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the rings.
12. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can make more decorative bread by creating braids. It’s up to you. You can also garnish each ring or braid with a boiled egg. To do so, hard boil some eggs prior to baking the bread. Let the eggs cool down. When you’ve formed your ring or braid, place the egg on the bread and let the bread rise with the egg on it. The eggs will be fine in the oven and you can even eat them if you wish once the bread has been baked.
13. Enjoy!

Technorati tags:  Easter, bread, anise

When I was a little girl, I loved going to big Italian weddings for two reasons. The first was the chance to see the bride. I was a timid child, so I was wary of approaching the bride in her all her white tulle glory, yet the sight of her was always special.

But the second reason, and the one that was far more exciting, was the chance to receive and open the bomboniera, the customary gift handed out by the bridal couple. It’s not that I cared so much about the gift, it’s that I wanted the chance to get at the confetti that, by tradition, had to accompany the bomboniera.

Confetti are sugar-coated almonds. Italians use them to mark special occasions from baptisms to weddings to anniversaries. But the confetti that accompany bomboniere are certainly the most special. The sugar-coating is usually white in colour and the confetti are wrapped in tulle, usually in a small sac. The confetti must always be odd in number in order to ensure that the marriage is indivisible. It is most common to receive five confetti, which represent love, fidelity, longevity, fertility and happiness.

Confetti are perhaps the best symbol of how important almonds are to the traditions and cuisine of Italy, in particular Southern Italy where the almond tree abounds. While it’s unclear where the almond originated, it’s believed that the almond is native to Asia or Africa. Besides Italy, almonds are cultivated in many countries including Greece, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and the United States, where the major almond producer is California.

Rich in Vitamin E, the almond is part of the rose family (Rosaceae) and is closely related to the peach. There are two types of almonds, bitter and sweet. While sweet almonds are more widely-consumed, bitter almonds are valued for their essential oils. However, bitter almonds can be dangerous because they contain prussic acid, which, if consumed in large enough quantity, can be lethal. Prussic acid is destroyed when almonds are heated prior to being used for such purposes as the extraction of their oils.

Almonds lay claim to an important role in my family’s baking. The most tangible example of this would be amaretti. For those of you who have never come across amaretti, they are cookies made of either ground almonds or almond paste. Their name means "little" and "bitter", in reference to their small size and to the bitterness of the almonds. For every Italian family that you meet, you will undoubtedly come across a different version of amaretti. Everyone has their favourite favourite version and everyone swears that their amaretti are the best.

My family is no exception. We have a collection of amaretti recipes, all of which make appearances during special occasions and holidays. My favourite amaretti, however, are the ones my mother makes most often. The recipe comes from her mother, who in turn got the recipe from a close family friend. While many people in my family circle make these cookies, none are superior to my mother’s.

These particular amaretti are made with ground almonds, sugar and cocoa, which is not a common addition to a recipe for amaretti. These cookies are a bit larger than your average amaretti, although you can make them smaller if you like. They are the type of cookie that improves with age. Freshly baked, they are soft, chewy and fragrant. As the days pass, the amaretti harden slightly and the almond flavour becomes more assertive. These are pretty cookies that never look out of place on a dessert plate. And best of all, they will keep for a long time (at least a week), which means you can enjoy them with a cup of espresso over the course of many afternoons.

As with all treasured family recipes, my mother’s amaretti have become so much more than just a special cookie. They have marked so many of my family’s milestones. But most importantly, they’re from my mother.

And they are so dear to my heart.

Ciao!

My Mother’s Amaretti

Treasured family recipe.

• 1-1/2 pounds almonds, finely ground (plus extra whole almonds to garnish cookies)
• 2 cups granulated sugar (plus 1 cup extra sugar to roll the cookies in)
• 1-1/2 tbsp. cocoa
• 4 eggs
• 3 tbsp. almond extract

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Position your oven racks so that one rack is at the bottom of the oven and the other rack is in the middle of the oven; line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine ground almonds, sugar and cocoa.
4. Add eggs and almond extract and mix until well combined.
5. Using a tablespoon or your hands, scoop out enough of the almond mixture to form a ball that is roughly 1-1/2 to 2 inches in size.
6. Roll each ball in the 1 cup of extra granulated sugar and place on cookie sheet.
7. Use extra whole almonds as garnish by placing one almond in the centre of each cookie.
8. Bake cookies on lower rack for 10 minutes and then move to middle rack for an additional five minutes.
9. Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Once cool, store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container. Cookies will keep for up 10 days.
11. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe will yield anywhere from 50 to 70 cookies, depending on the size of the cookies.

Technorati Tags:  almonds, cookies

It is one of life’s little truths that the simplest dishes are usually the most satisfying.  While I often dream about elaborate feasts consisting of all sorts of exotic dishes and breathtaking desserts, the recipes that I come back to again and again are the ones that were introduced to me as a child.

A paper-thin slice of veal flash-fried in a bit of olive oil with garlic and oregano. Creamy arborio rice served with a pat of butter and a handful of freshly-grated parmiggiano. Apple or peach slices dipped quickly in homemade wine and then gobbled up.

Simple yet completely satisfying, these are the dishes that guided me through childhood, and guide me still. I’m not sure what it is about these dishes that makes them so important to me. Maybe it’s that these dishes remind me of home. And maybe it’s that they are the dishes that I associate with the people that have had the greatest impact on my life: my parents and grandparents. Somehow, I am comforted knowing that these are the foods that they ate as children.

Yet of all the dishes that have a special place at my table, none is more special than pasta e ricotta (pasta with ricotta).

This pasta dish consists of four ingredients:  ricotta, water, olive oil and pasta. It is done in the time that it takes you to boil a pot of water and cook your preferred pasta. In our family, we prefer penne for this recipe. Penne are a tubular pasta that are usually cut on the diagonal. They tend to come in two textures: penne lisce (smooth penne) or penne rigate (ridged penne). This type of pasta is perfect for a creamy sauce, like ricotta, because the sauce becomes trapped within the pasta tubes. As well, using the ridged penne allows the sauce to cling to the surface of the pasta. This results in a burst of sauce with every bite.

The ricotta (ricotta means twice cooked) is also an interesting ingredient. Ricotta cheese is usually made from the whey that drains off during the making of either provolone or mozzarella. Ricotta is characterized by being somewhat firm and very fresh-tasting. It is an excellent cheese for fillings and dips, and also eaten on its own. We would often have ricotta and honey as an after-school snack.

In this particular recipe, three-quarters of a cup of ricotta is put into each individual pasta dish. About a minute before you are ready to remove the pasta from the boiling water, a few spoonfuls of the pasta water are added to the ricotta and then mixed in. The hot water serves to loosen the ricotta and the starch in the water, which comes from the cooking pasta, helps to naturally thicken the ricotta sauce. A few drops of olive oil are added to the sauce for flavour. Once the pasta is cooked, it’s added directly to each pasta dish. Mix well and serve.

Over the years, I have seen many variations of this recipe. People will often add the first fresh peas or fava beans of the season. I’ve also seen variations where milk is added to loosen the ricotta and the sauce is then flavoured with a sharp cheese such as Pecorino Romano.

Regardless of how you choose to flavour the sauce, this dish is the epitome of home cooking. So simple. So comforting. So beautiful.

Ciao!

Pasta e Ricotta (Pasta with Ricotta)

Treasured family recipe

• penne rigate (or whichever pasta you prefer)
• 3/4 cup of ricotta (per serving)
• 2-3 tablespoons of pasta water (per serving)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (per serving)

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add salt.
2. Add the penne rigate and cook according to package directions.
3. About a minute before the pasta is ready, put a 3/4 cup of ricotta into each serving plate.
4. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the pasta water and mix well. The ricotta should loosen and become creamier.
5. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to each serving dish and mix well. As soon as the pasta is ready, drain and portion out the pasta directly into each serving dish.
6. Mix well so that the pasta is completely covered in the ricotta sauce.
7. Serve and enjoy!

Note:  The incredible Sam of Becks & Posh recently posted about making ricotta at home. Why not give it a try? If you do, let me know how it turns out!