Tag Archives: Italian cooking

Next Weekend’s DIY project…Infuse Your Own Olive Oil!

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If you love olive oil like I do, you probably use it for everything, every day, every meal. It’s a staple that is always present in your kitchen, and if you’re out, then you’ve only got about 24 hours to go buy some before you’re going crazy trying to cook without it.  Shopping for and tasting new olive oils of different flavors from various locations around the world is exciting to you like how shoe shopping is exciting for your fashion obsessed friend. Do we agree? If so, keep reading.

The problem is, olive oil can be expensive, especially when they are infused with different flavors. Solution to getting your many varieties of olive oil without breaking the bank? Infuse it yourself! Infusing olive oil is extremely easy, fun, creative, and relatively cheap. It allows you to have multiple flavors of olive oil at your immediate disposal, and allows for some creative mixing and matching of flavors when cooking. If you’re sold, here’s how you’re going to do next weekend’s DIY infusing olive oil project…

  1. Find glass bottles. You can simply go buy some glass bottles at your local cooking store, or you can get creative. Find bottles with unique shapes and designs, often for real cheap, at Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Homegoods, thrift stores, flea markets, or garage sales. Make sure bottles are glass, and wash well with hot water and soap to make sure no residue is left from the product that was previously inside. Allow the bottles to dry completely before using to prevent bacteria buildup (this is very important!). IMG_7516
  2. Select olive oil. There’s no rule here, but I personally go for a olive oil of “medium” quality for infusing. I never buy super cheap olive oil because you don’t know where it comes from and whether it’s authentic (yes, there’s actually a major fraud problem with olive oil), but I also don’t like to waste extremely expensive olive oil on infusing. In my opinion, if it’s expensive, the experts have alraedy taken the time to make sure it’s supposed to taste the way it’s supposed to…don’t ruin it! So just go with a decent, middle priced olive oil, $12-20. Determine if you want regular or extra virgin….I personally always use extra virgin, but either works.
  3. Determine the herbs and spices to add. This is where you get to be creative! If possible, buy organic and/or pick them from your yard. There’s many, many options for herbs and other items to add, but here are the combos I made this time around. I always use an herb, as that is the main provider of flavor, and then sometimes add a spice or additional item that compliments that herb.
    • Rosemary and lemon rind
    • Oregano and garlic
    • Jalepeno and red chili flakes
    • Mint
    • Other options: thyme, basil, fennel greens, shallots, specialty salts that come in small chunks/flakes.
  4. Dry the herbs and additional spices/items. It is advised against using fresh herbs as they contain moisture which can harbor bacteria growth, so after washing the herbs, dry them at least overnight or up to a handful of days. This goes the same for the additional items like garlic, jalepenos, lemon rind, and spices. I just dry them on a paper towel on my counter, but I’ve also heard the tip to use a dehydrator if you have one (putting on my future to do list!). *Just note that you’ll have to use the olive oil in a much quicker period of time if you add additional items with the herbs because they retain much more moisture and will be harder to dry out.
  5. Arrange herbs and additional items in the bottles. Gently push items into each bottle. Don’t allow herbs to stick out of the top where they won’t get covered by oil.   IMG_7523
  6. Add oilve oil to bottles. I would suggest using a funnel to avoid spills and dripping. Slowly pour olive oil into each bottle. Make sure the oil completely covers the herbs. IMG_7524            IMG_7525
  7. Add caps. Personally, I like the rustic look, so I add used wine corks to the tops of my bottles. I also need to find ways to reuse my hundreds of collected wine corks that I’ve convinced myself I need (but see, I do need them!). You can also use olive oil pourer tops in anticipation for later use (easier to manage pouring volume). IMG_7529
  8. Get cookin’! I don’t follow a rule about how long to wait before using the olive oil, but give it at least a few days for the flavors to start combining. Use the oil within a month or so, and remember, that if you added extra items in addition to the herbs, try to use the oil more quickly. Pay attention to the appearance of the herbs and items inside to make sure they look fresh and haven’t started to go bad. IMG_7536

When you finish using your delicious infused oil, remove the contents inside, throw them away (don’t reuse!), wash the bottles, and start the process again!

Enjoy and mangia.

Italian word of the day:

Fare (far-eh) = to make

 

Crowd Pleasing, Simple Recipes to Avoid Large Dinner Party Stress

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A lot of us have been in that large dinner party throwing situation, where we feel like being creative, trying something new or complex, only to end up being completely stressed out the night of the party and not enjoying the very company that made you want to have the dinner in the first place. I’ve done this more times than I can count…but the good news is that I’ve learned my lesson (maybe!) and how to avoid such stress…and so will you!

For the last five years, I’ve hosted a big family dinner for my Italian family each summer, now a fun annual event we all look forward to each year. The first couple times, I attempted new recipes or ideas (even this year I tried making homemade mozzarella day of…what was I thinking??) only to finally realize after some failed attempts that what I needed most for these large dinners was to rely on the simple and familiar recipes that I already knew. Not only did I reduce my stress 100x, but I also was able to enjoy my family and company by spending less time in the kitchen cooking.

Italian cooking makes this concept easy, as a lot of Italian recipes are actually very simple and fast, but fresh, and absolutely delicious. So, the answer to making crowd pleasing, simple food is this…focus on recipes that require less cooking and instead more prep, and with as few (but fresh) ingredients as possible! So many Italian recipes are just a matter of a lot of prep (washing, chopping, arranging, etc) and are much faster than slaving over a hot stove hours on end having to time each and every step.

With that said, time to introduce these crowd pleasers! One appetizer, one side, and one entree below to get you started and get your creative juices flowing…

Appetizer: Pecorino and Figs with Walnuts and Honey (serves 8-10 people)

I learned about this dish during a trip to Italy when my sister’s study abroad host parents served this before dinner. Traditionally, it only includes pecorino cheese, walnuts, and honey, but I’ve added figs which go with those flavors well, and are one of my favorite Italian appetizers.

What you’ll need: 1 container green figs, 1 block of pecorino cheese, 1/2 cup walnuts, honey for drizzling.

Start by selecting a flat, large platter. Cut each fig into quarters and spread out on the platter. Using a knife, cut off medium chunks of pecorino until the block is gone. These are not neat cuts; push the end of the knife into the end of the cheese and pull off a chunk. Messy, varying shapes gives the dish an elegant, yet rustic presentation. Spread the pecorino chunks onto the platter. Give the walnuts a rough chop if you bought them whole (or buy already chopped walnuts). Sprinkle the walnuts across the platter of figs and pecorino. Lastly, using a honey dipper or spoon, drizzle honey across all the ingredients on the platter. Add a little serving fork, some appetizer plates, and you’re ready to serve and mangia (eat)! See my point from earlier? This was just all prep and takes only minutes to prepare, but fresh ingredients and, I guarantee, delicious!

Main Entree: Chicken Cacciatore (serves 6-8 people)

This traditional Italian dish hits the spot every time. I’ve used this for a handful of events, from my annual Italian dinner of 15-20 people to an anniversary party of 75 people. Every time, it proves to be simple, delicious, and doesn’t demand a lot of my time or attention.

What you’ll need: 12-14 pieces of chicken; a mixture of both thighs and drumsticks, 1/2 cup water, 1-28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes (fine if it comes blended with herbs), 1-6 ounce can of black or green olives, 1 dozen cherry tomatoes, 2 bell peppers (1 green and 1 red), 1 medium onion (yellow, red, or cippolini), sea salt/course pepper/dried oregano for sprinkling, and extra virgin olive oil for drizzling.

Start off by browning the chicken. In a large pan on the stove top, on medium high heat, coat the pan with olive oil. Once the pan is hot, place the chicken pieces skin side down. Only add a handful of pieces, or whatever comfortably fits, at one time. You don’t want to squish the chicken in the pan, and you can repeat this as many times you need until all the chicken is done. Brown the chicken for 3-4 minutes, flip onto the other side and brown for another 3-4 minutes. This gets the skin browned so it gets crispy in the oven later instead of soft. As you finish each batch of chicken, move the chicken into either a roasting pan or a paella pan for the oven (anything big enough to hold all the chicken and has sides to hold the sauce and juices).

Once all the chicken is in the roasting or paella pan, pour the crushed tomatoes over the top and around the sides of the chicken, and pour the water into the bottom of the pan (not over the top of the chicken). Add in the whole olives and cherry tomatoes. Chop the bell peppers and onion into medium chunks and add to the pan. Sprinkle the top of the chicken and vegetables with salt, pepper, and dried oregano. Lastly, drizzle some olive oil over the whole pan of ingredients.

Heat oven to 350° and cook for 2.5 hours (uncovered). This dish is cooked low and slow, which will result in the chicken being very tender and literally falling off the bone! Great thing about this dish is it takes less than 30 mins to prep, and then you leave it alone for the next 2.5 hours, giving you time to work on your other dishes. Pull it out of the oven, transfer to a serving platter, and serve immediately. Remember to include all the juices and sauce on the serving platter and use a platter with slightly elevated sides.

Side Dish: Eggplant Caprese (makes 24 individual servings/pieces)

Caprese insalata (salad) is one of the easiest, traditional Italian recipes you can find. It’s simplicity and few ingredients make it a large dinner party go-to, and is one of my family’s favorites. Caprese salad is simply slices (rounds) of tomatoes and mozzarella topped with a basil leaf. Rather than a traditional American salad that is tossed in a bowl, these are prepped as individual servings, and look beautiful spread out on a large, flat platter. Not to mention, the ingredients are the colors of the Italian flag (red, white, and green) so it can’t get anymore traditional Italian than that. 🙂 The Eggplant Caprese I’m going to share with you is a slight twist on the traditional caprese; the same ingredients, but I’ve added rounds of grilled eggplant. First time I made this, it was a hit with all my guests!

What you’ll need: 2 large eggplants, 3 large heirloom tomatoes, 2 large balls or logs of mozzarella, a small bunch of basil, extra virgin olive oil for drizzling, and sea salt/course pepper for sprinkling.

I like to begin by slicing and prepping all the ingredients at once, because after that, you are mostly building and arranging them together on a platter. Very fast! So, start by slicing the eggplants into rounds, about 1/4in thick. Then slice the tomatoes into 1/4in thick rounds, and same with the mozzarella. Line all of these up on a cutting board.

Heat a grill pan on the stove to medium low, and lightly cover in olive oil. Drizzle olive oil on all of the eggplant rounds, on both sides (eggplant absorbs moisture very quickly so it’s okay to be generous with the olive oil). Place your cutting board with the tomatoes and mozzarella as well as your serving platter to the side of the stove as you’ll be arranging the caprese as you’re grilling batches of eggplant. As many as you can fit on the grill at once, place the eggplant on the grill and cook for approx. 3 mins on each side. There should be visible grill marks on either side. Move these to your serving platter and spread out each round side by side so they are not overlapping. Immediately add a round of mozzarella on top of each eggplant, and then a round of tomato on top of each mozzarella. Putting the mozzarella on first before the tomatoes for eggplant caprese will result is slightly warm and melted mozzarella- yum!

Repeat these steps for every batch of eggplant you make. You can arrange the mozzarella and tomatoes while you’re waiting for the next batch of eggplant to cook. When all the eggplant is done and all rounds are arranged, place a leaf or two of basil on top of each individual caprese. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the entire platter, and finish it off by cracking some pepper and sea salt over the top. Finito (finished)! Serve these using a flat (pie) server.

I hope you find these three recipes to be as enjoyable, delicious, and stress free as I do! Don’t let the ideas stop here though- these are just examples of recipes with few ingredients and little cook time, using all fresh ingredients. Keep these recipe concepts in mind, and try coming up with some yourself! Have one to share? I would love to hear about it- feel free to comment below!

*Cooking tip: Don’t get caught up with measurements while cooking- especially for Italian food. All three of these recipes I shared, if you slightly altered the amount of ingredients you use, it wouldn’t matter. When I selected my eggplant, tomatoes, and mozzarella for Eggplant Caprese for example, I eyeballed how much of each ingredient I would need. Just make as many servings as you can out of the ingredients you buy. Learning to be a successful cook is learning and understanding your ingredienits and how they work with one another. Adding or subtracting ingredients is a matter of reacting to your food as you’re cooking, tasting, testing, and learning how all the flavors come together. Don’t be afraid to mess up (because you rarely can)!

Our most recent, very successful Italian dinner night!

 

Italian word of the day:

cena (ch-eh-na) = dinner

 

 

 

Farmers Market Inspiring Ingredients…Part II

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As I mentioned in my last post, squash has always been a fall favorite in my family. Various types of squash were prepared in chunks, brushed with olive oil, and topped with fall spices like nutmeg and cinnamon, which would roast in the oven until tender. I still enjoy eating squash this way, but recently I’ve been addicted to a fantastic, mouth watering spaghetti squash recipe my boyfriend and I came up with, while deciding what veg to buy at the farmers market one weekend.

When cooked spaghetti squash is shredded with a fork, the strings of squash that are created resemble spaghetti, just as it’s name suggests. Taking a pile of shredded squash, placing it in a bowl, and topping it with homemade tomato sauce makes for a delicious and healthy alternative to pasta.  Unlike traditional flour pasta, this is such a nice, light meal, filling you up just right. Once you make this once, it will be your new fall go to recipe!

And remember, all these ingredients can be found at your local farmers market.

Spaghetti Squash with Homemade Tomato Sauce (serves 2)

The sauce:

1 medium cippolini onion (cippolini is a sweet, Italian onion variety which adds a bit of necessary sweetness to the sauce)

1 medium shallot

3 cloves garlic

1 1/2 pounds San Marzano tomatoes (or another variety if these are not at your farmers market. I actually used Early Girl tomatoes the last time I made this and they worked very well too)

1/4 cup red wine

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp raw sugar

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 cup water

The squash:

1 medium spaghetti squash

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of salt, pepper, and nutmeg

3-5 strands of fresh Italian flat leaf parsley

Ready to cook! The sauce takes 1.5 – 2 hours to cook, so plan accordingly and give yourself plenty of time. Cooking homemade tomato sauce in a short period of time doesn’t allow for the tomatoes and acidity to break down or the flavors to blend.

1. Chop the cippolini, shallot, and garlic. Chop the tomatoes into medium pieces. Drizzle the bottom of a pot with olive oil, and heat over medium low.

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2. Add the cippolini, shallot, and garlic to the pot and sautee for 6-8 minutes until tender.

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3. Add the tomatoes, red wine, balsamic vinegar, all the spices, sugar, tomato paste, and water. Give a stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer (medium low), and cover. For the next 1 1/2 – 2 hours, give a quick stir every 10-15 minutes.

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4. Prep the squash. Cut the spaghetti squash in half length wise. Place both halves on a baking sheet with the inside of the squash face up.

5. Drizzle each squash half with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to your liking.

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6. Heat the oven to 350°. The squash takes 45-55 minutes to cook, so place the squash in the oven 45 minutes before the sauce is done. This way the sauce and squash can be done approximately at the same time.

7. Remove the squash from the oven. Poke with a fork; the fork should easily enter the squash which is a sign the squash is finished and tender enough. Let cool for a few minutes.

8. Take a fork, turn upside down, and with some pressure pull the prongs along the inside of one of the halves. Repeat this “shredding” motion until all the inside of the squash is removed from the skin and has created a pile of strings of squash, resembling spaghetti. Repeat this step for the second half of the squash.

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9. Place a pile of squash into the bottom of two bowls. Top each pile of squash with a couple spoonfuls (ladle size) of the sauce.

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10.  Roughly chop the 3-5 strands of fresh parsley and top each dish with it.

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Serve and mangia! Don’t forget to pair it with a glass of red wine- a good red goes perfectly with the tomato sauce full of dried herbs.

 

Italian word of the day:

Pomodoro (n) = tomato (or pomodori = tomatoes)

*(pronunciation: poh-moh-door-oh)

 

The Farmers Market: Inspiring Fall Ingredients

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Every Sunday morning, my boyfriend and I take a morning walk to the farmers market, and lucky for us it is only a few steps from our front door. We buy produce at the farmers market year round, but there’s something extra exciting about the the ingredients found at the farmers market in the fall, like the various types of squash, rapini (broccoli rabe), squash flowers, and root vegetables just to name a handful.

I feel I have a special connection to some of these ingredients as they were foods from my childhood, that my Dad would specifically cook during the fall months. My family is a Halloween family, celebrating to the max every October, meaning lots and lots of pumpkins. Many of these pumpkins and squash made it onto our dinner plates after being used as decor. Some of these ingredients are also popular in Italian cuisine, such as squash flowers……oh, how delicious they are….

This blog will be broken up in two parts- in each post we will cover a recipe or two, inspired by these fall ingredients. And as always, I encourage you to buy these locally, from your farmer’s market, and buy organic. They look like they are straight from your own garden, which makes the cooking experience even more memorable 🙂

Stuffed & Fried Squash Flowers  Fiori di zucca fritti

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My absolutely favorite fall appetizer are stuffed and fried squash flowers. They are such a treat, as squash flowers can only be found this time of year. These act as a perfect appetizer before dinner, or as part of an afternoon lunch.

Ingredients:

12 squash flowers (the larger, the better)

8 ounces fresh ricotta

3-4 twigs of thyme

1 medium shallot

Pinch of salt & pepper

1/4 tsp Italian Seasoning

Squeeze of lemon (approx. 1 tsp)

2 eggs

1- 1/12 cups flour

Olive Oil (for frying)

And we begin….

1. Make ricotta mixture: Finely chop the thyme and shallot. In a bowl, mix the ricotta, thyme, and shallot together. Mix in the Italian Seasoning and lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

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2. Prep your work space: Prep the eggs and flour for the dipping and frying process. Get two bowls- fill one bowl with the two eggs, and beat eggs with a fork. Fill the second bowl with the flour- add a pinch of salt and pepper to the flour. In a line on your counter, lay the following in a row to keep the process clean and easy: squash flowers, bowl of ricotta mixture, an empty plate, the bowl of beaten eggs, and the bowl of flour. Line these up so the bowl of flour is close to your stovetop so you can go right from the flour to the frying pan.

3. Begin stuffing process: Very gently, open up the top of the squash flower, and with a small spoon fill with a spoonful of the ricotta mixture. This part can be difficult, but be patient! Squash flowers are extremely delicate, and a couple may be broken in the process. Practice will make perfect. Only add enough ricotta to fill the bottom area of the flower; too much will overflow and be messy during the frying process.

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*TIP: if a spoon is not working well for you, use a pastry bag! Or grab someone to help hold them open!

4. Once flower is stuffed, place it on the empty plate in preparation for the egging and flouring. Since the stuffing part can be time consuming, stuff all the flowers first, collecting them on the empty plate, and then do the frying process. Otherwise, you may feel rushed to keep them from getting soggy.

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5. At this time, heat up your frying pan! Place a medium to large frying pan on the stovetop and heat over medium. We are pan frying, not deep frying, so fill the pan with just enough olive oil to completely cover the bottom of the pan. You will probably need to add more olive oil after each batch of flowers.

6. The frying process: Now that all the flowers are stuffed, take a flower and gently dip it into the bowl of beaten eggs, turning it so the whole flower is covered. When pulling it out, let the excess egg drip off for a moment before dipping in the flour.

_MG_94307. Next, dip the flower into the bowl of flour, once again turning it to completely cover the whole  flower. When pulling it out, gently shake off any excess flour.

_MG_94328. Make sure your pan and olive oil are heated. If so, place the flower into the pan. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for a few more flowers, enough to fill the pan, but not squish them. Fry on each side for about two minutes. They are ready to turn when they are a light golden brown.

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9. Remove the flowers from the pan, and place on a plate covered with a couple layers of paper towel. This will help remove the excess oil. Once all the flowers are fried, they’re ready to be served!

How to Serve: fried squash flowers are served best one of three ways. Squeeze lemon on top, dip in marinara sauce, or dip in ketchup. 

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*Tip: If this recipe sounds delicious, but you simply don’t have the time or patience for the stuffing part, try frying these without the ricotta stuffing inside. They are also very delicious that way, and most times growing up we actually ate them like that, without being stuffed.

Either way, enjoy and MANGIA! 🙂

Italian word of the day:

Fiore (n) = flower (or fiori = flowers)

*(pronunciation: fee-or-eh)

A Twist on the Traditional Genovese Pesto

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When I traveled to Italy to meet my cousins, I was lucky to taste a homemade version of Genoa’s classic sauce, pesto genovese. The word pesto comes from the Italian verb pestare, meaning to crush or pound, hence the traditional motion of crushing the basil using a mortar and pestle.

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Traditionally, pesto genovese like the one I tasted in Genoa is made up of the following ingredients: basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmigiano (parmesan), and olive oil. Although I always have a soft spot for the traditional Italian versions of recipes, pesto is a fun recipe to experiment with and try adding new ingredients.

In my following recipe, I have combined basil and parsley together to create a twist on traditional pesto. Both basil and parsley are considered “super foods” due to their high levels of antioxidants and nutrients, so why not combine them and make a super pesto- something that isn’t only delicious but is healthy and beneficial! And as I said earlier, pesto is fun to experiment with, so after my recipe I will offer different ingredient ideas to play with.

Basil and Parsley Pesto (makes enough for 1-1.5 lbs of pasta; serves approx 5-7 people)

Ingredients:

4 ounces basil (suggestion: 4 ounce container of organic basil from Trader Joe’s is a great value!)

1/2 of a bunch of Italian flat leaf parsley

1/3 cup pine nuts

3 cloves of garlic

1/3 cup of a mix of parmigiano and pecorino (suggestion: tub of parmigiano and pecorino grated mix found at Trader Joe’s in the cheese section)

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp lemon juice 

1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper (or add to taste)

Although using a traditional mortar and pestle can be fun………let’s make this easy and use a food processor. 😉

In your food processor, add the basil and parsley, and “pulse” until the leaves appear finely chopped. Add the pine nuts and garlic, and pulse again for about 30 seconds or until pine nuts and garlic are broken down and mixed into green mixture. Now add the pecorino and parmigiano and pulse until mixed. I bought the cheese grated so I didn’t have to mix for very long to break down the cheese; pulse longer if you bought in larger pieces.

Now it’s time to add the olive oil. You want to add this slowly while letting it mix into the basil and parsley mixture. You can easily achieve this by pouring the olive oil into the pouring attachment on the top of your food processor and letting the food processor run while the oil steadily drips out of the top attachment into the mixture. Once all the oil is added and mixed in, add in the lemon, salt, and pepper and pulse for a few moments to finish the pesto off.

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COOKING TIP! The most important step, which is true for any time you cook, is to give it a taste test. Successful cooks are able to taste, analyze the flavors at hand, notice what’s missing, and respond by adding a “little of this” or a “little of that.” Don’t be afraid of messing up recipes by not following exact measurements! The more you practice, the better you will get at it……so go ahead and taste the pesto. Does it need more salt or pepper? Are you happy with the oil to basil/parsley ratio? (Hence, do you want it more or less oily?) Note that the recipe I gave you above it not a super oily pesto mixture; it’s thick and well balanced, and can be used as a traditional sauce in pasta as well as a spread for sandwiches, meats, or veg. If you would like the oil to basil/parsley ratio to be higher, add another 1/4 cup olive oil. You can also just do this when you are about to store it, as I am about to explain below.

So you’ve tasted, maybe added a bit of pepper or olive oil, and have decided your pesto is perfect! Now let’s store it. Pour it into a container and drizzle a light layer of olive oil on the top of the pesto to keep it moist. If you’re going to use it within a handful of days, store it in a container in the refrigerator. If you’re going to use it later than that or are not sure how soon you’ll use it, store the container in the freezer. I recently made this for a dinner party a couple days in advance, and I still put mine in the freezer just to be sure it didn’t brown or dull in color. And it was super easy to remove and let defrost- took no time at all.

When you are ready to use it, add a spoonful at a time to your pasta (or whatever you may be adding it to) and remember, a little bit of pesto goes a long way! I’ve always enjoyed pesto on farfalle pasta, linguini, or spaghetti, but when I was in Italy, my family shared with me a very traditional pasta to serve with pesto: trofie. You may not have heard of this, as it is uncommon in the U.S., and is hard to find in stores. You may be able to find it in some speciality food stores, and for sure online. Trofie is small, thick wavy pieces of pasta and is the traditional choice for pesto sauce in northern Italy. It is a heavy pasta; reminds me of gnocchi, except it is flour pasta, not potato. I encourage you to find and try this!

Here are some other ideas for experimenting and making your own pesto:

Herbs: basil, Italian flat leaf parsley, arugula, cilantro, oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary

Cheeses: parmigiano, pecorino romano, asiago, or any other Italian hard cheese alone or in blends

Additional ingredients: sundried tomatoes, shallots, pine nuts, walnuts (another Genovese tradition!)

Enjoy & mangia! I encourage you to post a picture below sharing your pesto making experience 🙂

My Italian family and I after our first pesto and trofie dinner in Italia!

My Italian family and I after our first pesto and trofie dinner in Italia! Grazie for teaching us this delicious traditional recipe.

Italian word of the day:

Parmigiano (n) = an Italian hard cheese and the Italian word for parmesan

*(pronunciation: par-mee-jah-no)

 

Italian Style Fondue: a summer dinner favorite

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The origin of the name Bagna Cauda, the northern Italian olive oil fondue dish, means “wet or warm bath,” which perfectly sums up the dish in a few words.

In my last post I wrote about “pucha” or the cold olive oil and vinegar mixture in which raw vegetables, cold cuts, and bread are dipped into. Simply put, Bagna Cauda is the warm version of “pucha.”

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Bagna Cauda has been a family favorite for generations, and passed down from my grandparents to my parents to us kids. This regional dish originates from the Piemonte region (in English, Piedmont) of northern Italy. Back in the day, this dish was traditionally eaten during the winter and by the “working class” such as farmers and field workers, as this dish is hearty and hot to help cope with the cold winters and relatively cheap.

Growing up, we prepared this dish to enjoy during winter, but summer as well. I personally think it works perfect for both. For winter you have the hot olive oil to help warm you up, and for summer you can enjoy the cool crunch of the raw vegetables on a warm summer evening. This is also the perfect family dinner dish as it creates a true family eating experience of sharing and dipping into the one big dish in the middle of the table. Personal plates are merely for piling up and saving all the goodies you want while eating so they don’t run out (if you hesitate eating with a table full of Italians, the food will be gone before you know it!) 😉

Bagna cauda recipes will vary, but I will share my family’s personal recipe, one that we’ve tweaked over the years. It is quite DELICIOUS! The amount of ingredients will depend on the number of people. This recipe below will feed about a family of 5.

You will need the following:                      

1 ½-2* cups extra virgin olive oil

1 stick butter

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 pack canned anchovies

1 cup sour cream

Assortment of vegetables & bread

Fondu pot & sterno or if you don’t have one, just a regular cooking pot & hot pad

*Olive oil amount varies a bit; if 1 ½ doesn’t look like enough to feed your family, add another ½ cup.

Making the Bagna Cauda:

First, grab a pot.

1. Pour in the extra virgin olive oil. (Remember in the last post we talked about high quality olive oil? Well that isn’t necessary for Bagna Cauda and can be expensive because you are using so much. Just buy a cheap bottle, but still imported from Italy and extra virgin. )

2. Add the butter, chopped garlic, and anchovies to the oil. Do not stir.

3. Heat over medium heat for about 20 minutes. The anchovies should break down, garlic soften, and butter completely melt. Not too high heat as you don’t want to burn the oil; keep at about “3-4” if working on an electric stove.

4. Stir in the sour cream and keep on the heat for a few more minutes.

5. Remove from the heat and transfer to fondu pot or place cooking pot on hot pad in the middle of the table.

The vegetables, bread, & setting the table:

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Place dishes of raw vegetables and basket of bread around the fondu pot which is in the very table center. Each person should have a plate and either a regular fork or fondu fork for dipping.

Vegetable recommendations are similar to when eating “pucha.” You can have cold cuts or meat as well, but in my family we mostly stick to a large variety of raw vegetables for Bagna. Below are just suggestions- experiment and try other vegetables too!

Vegetables Bread
Green onions Sourdough baguette
Fennel (anus) Rustic Italian baguette
Tomatoes
Boiled potatoes
Mushrooms
Broccolini
Radish
Endive
Raddichio
Bell pepper
Artichoke hearts
Avocado
Cauliflower

Bagnacauda     bagnacauda4

Your Bagna Cauda is ready to eat! Make sure to dip in your veg and swirl around, picking up some of the sour cream, garlic, and anchovy mixture. Tip: the bread is used as an oil catcher. Hold the bread in one hand, and as you dip your piece of veg into the oil with your fork, hold it over the bread as you pull it out and move it to your mouth. The oil soaked bread is an extra delicious treat to bite into afterwards!

Dietary restrictions: Being lactose intolerant myself, I will often share some alternative options when making recipes with dairy. Bagna can be made without the butter and I have done so before; it is still very tasty. As for the sour cream, a lactose free version is available at most grocery stores.

Enjoy and Mangia!

Italian word of the day:

Bagnare (v) = to wet, soak or moisten  * The “gn” sound is like a long “n” with your tongue against the roof of your mouth. You do not make a hard “g” sound as in the word “great.”