Mastering The Art Of Italian Cooking

I was sad to learn about Marcella Hazan’s passing last week. Kim Severson wrote a wonderful piece about her in the NY Times. I hadn’t known that much about her background, except that, like Julia, she didn’t embark on a culinary career until (moderately) late in life. In fact, she was often called the Julia Child of Italian Cooking and she dedicated More Classic Italian Cooking to Julia…and James Beard.)

When I discovered Marcella Hazan decades ago, she was already the most authoritative voice of Italian cooking in the states. Her recipes still stand today as fine examples of classic Italian dishes, hence the names of two of her most famous books - The Classic Italian Cook Book and More Classic Italian Cooking.

Everything is made by hand. There are no mixes or powders. Hazan did use canned tomatoes, for sure, because those are often better than fresh ones out of season. And she did allow the occasional canned broth. But most recipes begin with olive oil and garlic and many require only a few ingredients.

My favorite Marcella Hazan recipe is a simple one of Pasta with Peas and Peppers - Maccheroncini coi piselli e i peperoni. 

Each ingredient is handled perfectly. You blister the skin of the red peppers over a gas burner or under a broiler and place them in a paper bag to steam just a bit and then peel off the skin. They aren’t flabby like jarred roasted red peppers; they still have a bit of crunch. And all the better if you leave a bit of the roasted skin on. It reveals to the diner this extra step you took. (Plus the taste of the charred skin is a nice accent.)

Then diced prosciutto is cooked in butter, the peas are added and so are the chopped peppers. Finally a good cup of cream is poured in with salt and pepper. That mixture is tossed with freshly cooked baby macaroni and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. How easy is that? And how good? Very…although these days I might substitute a ¼ cup of that cream with stock or pasta water.

Anyway, email me for the recipe if you’d like the exact ingredients. It’s from More Classic Italian Cooking. Or even better, raid the cookbook shelf of your grandmother, mother, well-read foodie friend and take a look at any of Hazan’s recipes for a fantastic introduction to authentic Italian food.  

Tastes Like Home's Cynthia Nelson Visits Brooklyn!

One of my favorite bloggers AND cookbook authors, Cynthia Nelson, is going to be in Brooklyn tomorrow. She will be promoting her new cookbook, Tastes Like Home, as part of the festivities of the Guyanese Cultural Association’s 5th Annual Literary Hang.

It will be a great day with Cynthia reading from her book and signing copies of Tastes Like Home. It will take place in the garden of St. John’s Episcopal Church, 139 St. John’s Place, from 12:30 pm to 7:00 pm on Sunday, June 5th.

Please go and say hi for me. I’m so sorry I can’t be there, BUT that doesn’t mean we won’t be meeting up later in the week. J

I’ll save the details for later, but, just so you know, I AM spending the beginning of the week shining up my pots and pans and making lots of treats!!! 

Recipe Keeping

Many of my favorite recipes are from older cookbooks that I go back to time after time. But there have been some new ones lately that I particularly love.

Ina’s is my latest. 

Actually, “Santa” was supposed to bring it to me, but changed his mind when he was THIRTY FOUR CENTS shy of FREE SHIPPING!!! Yeesh!

Anyway, it’s a beautiful book with lots of great recipes. They ARE easy, but that doesn’t make them any less delicious. I just made the Lemon Chicken Breasts.

   

Ina calls for boneless chicken breasts with the skin. I used chicken breasts with the skin AND bone. Plus she says to use 3 tablespoons or 9 cloves of garlic. 9 seemed like overkill for 4 pieces of chicken, so I used 5. Actually, 9 might have been fine, since I ALWAYS remove the center green (or white) stalk of the garlic clove.

By the way, THIS is how I play with the garlic cloves - you can see it pretty clearly with these big cloves.

I cut them in half lengthwise, and cut out the stem with all of its papery membrane and then press the cloves. Why do I do this? Because I imagine that I’m getting rid of all the hard-to-digest part of the garlic. It seems to work for me.

Cookbooks ARE great, but I also have a lot of recipes from websites, blogs and other people. I was visiting my sister-in-law, L, a while ago and I had given her a couple of recipes – one was on a recipe card and another was on a regular sheet of paper. She took out this cute notebook that had plastic pages with different kinds of sleeves that could hold any size recipe and she filed mine away.

That gave me a great idea. I have far too many recipes to confine to a single notebook, but I liked the plastic sleeve idea, so THIS is what I did.

  

I printed out the names of different categories – fish, chicken etc. in BIG, BOLD letters and then I just taped the labels to the inside of plastic sleeves. Now, I just have to pull out one folder, depending on what I’m looking for.

 

Oh wait, I forgot one – the Breakfast folder. It was hiding. Here we go…

 

It looks like all of these recipe folders would take up a lot of room, but really they don't. See?

I used to put all my recipes in a HUGE black binder. Honestly, it was at least 8 inches thick, but the rings were so thick, they kept ripping the holes in the paper. The funny thing is, as big as that binder was, I have no idea where it is. It’s hiding somewhere laughing at me because I can’t find it.

Where and how do you file recipes? I remember my lovely reader Deb made a wonderful book of her mother’s recipes for the family. I love that idea.

Another thing I do with my recipes, whether they're from a cookbook or on a piece of paper, is to make notes on them.  

That’s particularly helpful if you’re baking and you want to jot down how many little loaf pans or cupcakes, or whatever, you get from doubling or tripling the recipe. Also how long something takes to bake in YOUR oven is always an important thing to know. 

Have fun with your recipes, wherever they come from and however you organize them (or don't). 

A New Look And A New Book

YES, you’re in the right place! After close to 4 years of blogging, I decided I needed a change. Actually, I decided that months ago, but it’s taken me a long time to actually push the button.

I hope you like the new look. If you do, thank Cynthia (A LOT), who was my designer, my computer guru, cheerleader and all-around great friend. She should have a second (actually third) career as a web designer. But if you hate it, blame me - the bad parts Cynthia probably tried to talk me out of. I really can’t thank her enough, but, boy, was I nervous to finally do it. Change is scary, especially when it involves all this pesky computer stuff.

And thanks to Em, who, no matter how dumb my questions were (and are), still pretends not to laugh and helps me with a lot of 21st century stuff that I have no idea about.

It’s very fitting that the first post on my new template is about…Cynthia and her new book, Tastes Like Home.

It’s pretty wonderful when you read something that is written with such a clear and distinct voice. That’s the way it is when you turn the pages of one of my favorite blogger’s brand new book. In Tastes Like Home, every page is like a sit-down with Cynthia...hearing her family stories or about her fascinating culinary heritage growing up in Guyana and later settling in Barbados. She lives in a part of the world which is a cultural and ethnic melting pot, and so, of course, her cooking is a gorgeous reflection of all she's experienced. I love her vivid memories of holiday meals, childhood snacks and market visits.

Her rich past combines with her cooking style today to create this collection of wonderful recipes, which Cynthia has subtitled My Caribbean Cookbook. It’s so interesting how food can reflect a specific time and place so accurately. The recipes that Cynthia grew up with represent an era when fewer ingredients were used and were mostly things at hand. The chicken was plucked and gutted as you watched. (Oy!) The vegetables that didn't come from the backyard came from the local market. Everything, of course, was cooked from scratch and certain occasions required certain dishes. Cynthia has many examples of this in her book.

We learn that the colonial history of the Caribbean region was critical to how the cuisine developed. Cynthia tells us that before fusion cuisine became so trendy, the Caribbean region had already been “cooking and eating a fused cuisine”. She mentions African, British, Chinese, Indian, French, Portuguese AND MANY OTHER influences that became the basis of Caribbean cuisine. Wow!

The first part of Tastes Like Home is a great read. Cynthia shares many family stories that naturally revolve around food. She starts with her first visit home after eight years away and going to the market. She was surrounded by the food of her youth and could barely bring herself to leave, so strong were the memories that were brought back by the smell and touch of certain vegetables.

Fast forward to Cynthia’s life in Barbados and the melting pot has grown larger. Sometimes it’s from trying to recreate the dishes from her Guyanese childhood with Barbadian ingredients. Other times, she uses techniques and foods that she’s discovered in her new home. It all comes together beautifully.

Cynthia writes about how things taste differently in different settings. She compares eating a black pudding in the solitude of her own home (in Barbados) to how it was eating it in a large group of family and friends in her mother’s house. There, she could savor it forever. Alone, 3 bites were enough to satisfy.

This book is very exotic for the American cook, with exciting sounding dishes like Choka; or the national dish of Barbados - Cou-Cou; Conkies (cookies); and drinks like Mauby, which sounds like a heartier version of root beer.

But when you get right down to it, many of the cooking methods are familiar. You may recognize some of your own favorite recipes in Cynthia’s. Cou-Cou is a version of polenta…or in Africa, they would call it Mealie Pap. Her Indian recipes have a definite Caribbean spin to them - her homemade curry paste includes basil or cilantro.

The best part of Tastes Like Home is that, just as with her blog of the same name and her newspaper column, as Cynthia shares her recipes, she’s also sharing a huge part of herself. I’m delighted to get to know both better.

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Here are two recipes from Tastes Like Home:

FLYING FISH (Posted with permission)

This is the other half of the Barbadian nation dish when served with Cou-cou. It is also made separately and served with root vegetables and ground provisions. The fish are called flying fish because they actually fly and skim the waters they lie in.

Yield: 12

Ingredients

12 flying fish (see Cynthia’s Tips at end of recipe)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons oil

1 cup sliced onions (1/4 inch thickness)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup diced tomatoes

2 sprigs fresh thyme

Hot pepper to taste, minced

2 cups boiling water

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions (white & green part)

Equipment

1 frying pan with cover

1 large spoon

Directions

Pat fish dry and season lightly with salt and black pepper; set aside.

Heat oil in pan.

Add garlic, tomatoes, thyme and hot pepper and sauté for 1’2 minutes; add another sprinkling salt.

Pour boiling water to pan, reduce heat to medium and let cook uncovered until the liquid has reduced by half (approximately 6-8 minutes).

Check and adjust seasoning.

Add flying fish to sauce, cover and let cook for 5-7 minutes.

Remove for heat and stir in green onions.

Serve with Cou-cou.

This dish can also be eaten with rice, bread or boiled ground provisions.

Cynthia’s Tips

Any white fish can work with this recipe.

Roll flying fish and secure in place with a toothpick. Remove toothpick before serving.

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PEANUT PUNCH (Posted with permission)

Packed with protein and calcium this drink is a favourite among many. I particularly enjoy having mine with a freshly baked Chinese Cake. In terms of taste, think of peanut-flavoured crème liqueur.

Yield: 4 cups

Ingredients

2/3 cup of chunky or smooth peanut butter

3 cups whole milk, cold

4 tablespoons sugar

A pinch ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

(extra to garnish if you like)

Equipment

1 blender

1 glass jug

Directions

Add all the ingredients, milk, first, into blender and whiz for 1 minute until smooth

Serve over ice or as is or pour into a jug and chill some more then serve

Cynthia’s Tips

For an adult peanut punch, spike with Baileys or other crème liqueurs. These are added to the ingredients before blending.

Skim milk can also be used but for the real creamy goodness use whole milk.

Bon Appétit Desserts Cookbook Winner!

Not at all surprisingly, (because of her many entries), Sls(atlmuzikfanzinc) has won the Bon Appétit Desserts Cookbook giveaway. Congratulations! Sls, I’ll be contacting you to make mailing arrangements.

Thank you to all who entered with their comments, emails and tweets.

Giveaway Reminder

Go here to win this:

(You have until Friday, December 17th, 2010, 11:59 pm eastern time.)

A Huge Giveaway

You need to run, not walk, to get a copy of Bon Appétit Desserts, by Barbara Fairchild. I am so thrilled with this new cookbook. It has everything you could ever want to make, dessert-wise, and the pictures make you want to dash into the kitchen to get started.

Bon Appétit Desserts is a huge, and hugely comprehensive, book of 700 pages, with an index of over 140 pages. (I’m not even including the specialized indexes.) It weighs in at over 6 pounds, but that’s on my particularly optimistic scale, so for all I know, it could be a bruising 12 pounds.

Bon Appétit has been my favorite food magazine for decades and I’ve been using many of their recipes for that long. This book includes recipes from the magazine, but there are also plenty of new, never previously published ones.

I don’t impress all that easily, but this cookbook is a must-have. Its vast scope is one reason; the gorgeous pictures are another; but the main reason I would recommend it is the actual recipes. You will find TONS that you’ll want to try. How about Pumpkin Spice Layer Cake with Caramel-Cream Cheese Frosting or various Tarte Tatins, including one with apples and pomegranate syrup or Fresh Plum Napoleons OR Warm, Jasmine Rice Puddings with Passion Fruit? I could go on.

The wedding cakes are particularly appealing. Listen to these - Tiramisu Wedding Cake With Mixed Berries; White Chocolate And Lemon Wedding Cake or the Tiered Almond Cake With Mixed Berries And White Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting, which has almost a pound and a half of almond paste in the batter. And I KNOW that frosting would be good, because I’ve been adding white chocolate to my cream cheese icing for years now.

It’s interesting that as this book was published, Conde Nast announced that it was moving Bon Appétit magazine to New York and Barbara Fairchild announced that she wasn’t going with them. This is pretty hefty goodbye gift from her to us and, gosh, did everyone involved do a great job.

Oh I almost forgot. Here’s the giveaway part:

Just send a comment to this post; tweet or email me (full rules at the end of this post) and you could win a copy of the book from the wonderful folks at Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Here’s one recipe from the book, which would make an easy-to-mail holiday gift.

Triple-Cherry Streusel Bars Makes 2 Dozen

Photo/Andrews McMeel Publishing

From Bon Appétit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful, by Barbara Fairchild

Posted with permission

Dried sweet cherries, tart cherry preserves, and cherry brandy give these bars their triple hit of fruit flavor. If you don’t have kirsch (clear cherry brandy) on hand, use regular brandy or amaretto (almond-flavored liqueur) instead.

Filling
1 cup dried Bing (sweet) cherries
1 cup tart red cherry preserves
1 tablespoon kirsch (clear cherry brandy)

Dough and Streusel
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2⁄3 cup sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 cup (1 1⁄2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
1 3⁄4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1⁄4 teaspoon almond extract
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 cup (packed) sweetened flaked coconut
3⁄4 cup sliced almonds

FILLING: Combine cherries, cherry preserves, and kirsch in processor; blend to chunky purée.

DO AHEAD: Filling can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to bowl; cover and refrigerate.

DOUGH AND STREUSEL: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 13×9x2-inch metal baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil, leaving overhang on both long sides. Spray foil with nonstick spray. Blend flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in processor. Add butter, vanilla, and almond extract. Blend, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk and blend, using on/off turns, until mixture comes together in small clumps. Transfer 1 cup (packed) mixture to medium bowl and reserve for streusel.

Blend remaining mixture in processor until large moist clumps form. Gather dough together in large ball. Press dough over bottom of prepared pan; pierce all over with fork. Bake dough until golden, about 22 minutes; cool crust 15 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

Add coconut and almonds to reserved 1 cup dough. Mix with fork, breaking streusel topping into small clumps.

Spread cherry filling over baked crust. Sprinkle streusel topping over. Bake cookie until cherry filling is bubbling and streusel topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool cookie in pan on rack. Using foil as aid, lift cookie from pan. Fold down foil sides. Cut cookie into bars.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Refrigerate in airtight container.

RULES:

BON APPÉTIT DESSERTS Cookbook Giveaway contest open until Friday, December 17th, 2010, 11:59 pm eastern time.

Enter these ways:

1) Send a comment to this post. (Include your email address, if your name doesn’t link to it.)

2) Send me an email with BON APPÉTIT DESSERTS Cookbook Giveaway in the subject line at FNMusings@gmail.com.

3) Tweet BON APPÉTIT DESSERTS Cookbook Giveaway to me at http://twitter.com/SueonFood

Enter as many times as you wish. Each comment, email or tweet counts as one entry. The more times you enter, the greater your chances of winning. Contest open to US residents 18 years old and above.

Cookbook Lalapalooza Winners!

Thank you to all my readers who participated in my month-long Cookbook Lalapalooza. And thank you to Andrews McMeel for supplying the wonderful cookbooks.

And the results for the last week of the Cookbook Lalapalooza:

Amy wins Spice Dreams.

Helen wins The Spice Kitchen.

And Sherrie wins Mary Mac’s Tea Room.

I’ll be in touch with each of you for mailing details. Happy cooking and cookbook reading!

Last Week's Cookbook Lalapalooza Results And Even More Cookbooks To Give Away

The results of Week 3 of the Cookbook Lalapalooza are in!

Sarah wins Eating Local. Chaya wins Tips Cooks Love. (Multiple entries are definitely the way to go!) And Pam wins Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone for entering. I’ll be in touch with the winners for mailing info.

This is the last week of my Cookbook Lalapalooza with Andrews McMeel Publishing. A big thank you to them for their wonderful cookbooks and thanks so much to everyone who has entered so far. This week’s cookbooks should inspire any cook. Check out the rules for entering at the end of this post.

Mary Mac’s Tea Room, 65 Years of Recipes from Atlanta’s Favorite Dining Room by John Ferrell is a fantastic collection of Southern recipes served in a well-known Atlanta tea room. They may call themselves a tearoom, but these are big-flavored recipes for dishes that go way beyond teas and scones. Chicken and Yankee Dumplings and Country Fried Steak and Gravy are just two hearty recipes to bring the South into your own kitchen.

Georgia Peach Cobbler (serves 8 to 10)

from Mary Mac’s Tea Room by John Ferrell

Posted with permission

2 pounds fresh fruit or 1 (16-ounce) can sliced peaches in heavy syrup, undrained
1 cup plus 3/4 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cornstarch
8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup ice water (with crushed ice)
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Peel and slice the fresh fruit. (If using canned fruit, taste before adding the sugar.) Place the fruit in a bowl and add 1 cup of the sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and cornstarch. Toss together gently. Pour the sweetened fruit into a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and dot with the butter pieces.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, on medium speed, beat the shortening, salt, and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon sugar. Gradually add 1/2 cup of the flour to the shortening mixture and mix together lightly. When the mixture becomes stiff, add 1 tablespoon of the ice water. Repeat the process until all the flour and water is used. The mixture should be soft, but not wet. Cover and let chill for 30 to 40 minutes. Roll out on a floured surface to a 13 by 9 1/2-inch rectangle.

Cover the fruit with the pastry, crimping the edges. Make 3 or 4 slits in the pastry with a sharp knife for steam to escape. Brush the crust with the 2 tablespoons of melted butter. If using fresh fruit, cook for 1 hour. If using canned fruit, cook for 25 to 30 minutes at 400˚F. The cobbler is done when the pastry is golden. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

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The next two books are by Sara Engram and Katie Luber, the founders of The Seasoned Palate Inc., an organic spice company. In The Spice Kitchen: Everyday Cooking with Organic Spices, they’ve put together a great collection of recipes that use their different spices in wonderful ways.

I love the sound of the Blackberry Vinaigrette with white balsamic vinegar and dried orange zest. Their Spicy Middle Eastern Chicken Skewers, fragrant with, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, ancho chile pepper AND turmeric, would make be wonderful wrapped in a warm pita. Chile, Orange, and Coriander-Rubbed Pork is also deliciously appealing.

Chicken Salad on Croissant

from The Spice Kitchen by Katie Luber and Sara Engram

Posted with permission

This salad also works well with turkey. In fact, it’s the perfect day-after-Thanksgiving sandwich.

½ cup mayonnaise, plus additional for spreading
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried orange zest
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups diced cooked chicken
½ cup Cardamom Candied Walnuts (page 112), chopped
½ cup sweetened dried cranberries
¼ cup finely diced yellow bell pepper
¼ cup finely diced celery
¼ cup finely diced red onion
2 tablespoons shelled sunflower or pumpkin seeds, preferably roasted and salted
4 croissants, halved horizontally

Whisk together the mayonnaise, coriander, orange zest, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the chicken, walnuts, cranberries, bell pepper, celery, onion, and seeds and gently toss the salad until evenly coated. Spread additional mayonnaise on the croissant halves if desired. Evenly divide the chicken salad between the four croissants and serve. Makes 4 sandwiches.

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The second book by Sara Engram and Katie Luber, Spice Dreams: Flavored Ice Creams And Other Frozen Treats, features spiced-up, rich and tasty ice creams like Cardomom Snickerdoodle Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches; Three Spice Chocolate Ice Cream and other frozen sorbets and desserts.

Mango Sorbet with Cumin and Cinnamon (makes about 3 cups)

from Spice Dreams by Sara Engram and Katie Luber

Posted with permission

This recipe for mango sorbet is a winner even without the spices. But cinnamon and cumin lend an appealingly adventurous streak to mangoes, so it’s a shame not to let the spices shine. We like the full teaspoon of each spice, but it’s fine to start with ½ teaspoon.

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
¹⁄8 teaspoon salt
½ to 1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cubed
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Combine the sugar, water, and salt in a medium, heavy saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring gently, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the syrup is clear, about 5 minutes.

Whisk in the cumin and cinnamon, and continue to cook, whisking continually, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and place in a bowl of ice water to quickly cool the syrup. Let it cool, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

While the syrup is cooling, place the mangoes and the lemon juice in a food processor and puree until smooth. Strain the mango puree through a mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Add the syrup to the puree and whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight. The sorbet mixture may be stored in the refrigerator for 1 day.

Freeze the chilled sorbet mixture in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the sorbet to an airtight container and freeze in the freezer for 2 to 4 hours before serving.

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Rules for Cookbook Lalapalooza

To win Mary Mac’s Tea Room, The Spice Kitchen or Spice Dreams, all you have to do is tell me which one you want - one of three ways:

1) Send a comment to this post. (Include your email address, if your name doesn’t link to it.)

2) Send me an email with Cookbook Lalapalooza in the subject line at FNMusings@gmail.com.

3) Tweet me at http://twitter.com/SueonFood

Enter as many times as you wish. ONE ENTRY per comment, email or tweet please. Contest open to US residents 18 years old and above.

This week's giveaway ends on Saturday, July 31st at 11:59 pm eastern time, when winners will be chosen randomly.