Biscotti

Biscotti (which means 'twice baked') are the crunchy Italian cookies whose history goes back hundreds of years. If you've eaten one from an American supermarket, you would agree immediately, and think that you got one of the originals left over from Christopher Columbus' long voyage. Try a batch this Christmas season, and change your mind.  Enjoy them with a cappuccino or a mug of hot cocoa, and leave a few for Santa.  They will be fine all the way back to the North Pole, or to your office in the New Year.

Biscotti
1/2  cup softened butter (one stick)
3/4  cup sugar
2   large eggs
2   teaspoons of vanilla extract
1   teaspoon orange zest
2 1/4   cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2   teaspoon baking powder
1/4   teaspoon salt

Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Dry whisk for several seconds.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar for several minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, until blended.  With the mixer still running, add the vanilla extract and the orange zest. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl once or twice to make sure there's nothing clumped at the bottom of the bowl.

With the mixer running, add the dry ingredients slowly by shaking them in. Do this as evenly as possible.  You will notice that the mixture will transform into a cohesive dough 'suddenly', in just one or two turns of the paddle. At this point, stop the mixer.

Scrape the dough right onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat liner.  Pat it into a log form, flattening the top and rounding the sides to be as uniform as possible. Bake the log for the first time for 50 minutes in an oven preheated to 300 degrees.

After the first baking, allow the log to cool until you can hold it to slice it.  Using a large serrated knife, slice into 3/8", long biscotti cookies. You can slice diagonally, or horizontally. Place these cookies onto another baking sheet, also prepared with parchment paper or a silpat liner.  Bake the individual cookies for approximately twenty minutes, after having turned the oven down to 275 degrees.  Half way through the baking time, turn each cookie over carefully to finish the second baking.  You can store them carelessly, and still enjoy them for weeks.

Saint Nicholas

Growing up, we celebrated the Feast of Saint Nicholas on December 6th right along with the American Christmas. The Montenero (Catholic) perspective of saints is that they were human beings who set an example of the best of what a life on earth could be in terms of serving God and our fellow human beings. Every saint had its day (literally) and if not named after their grandparents, children were named after saints.
The stories about St Nicholas and his generosity are known world-wide. Montenero celebrated by making a special meal, Sagne San Nicola; Noodles of Saint Nicholas. This tradition honored the story that Nicholas wanted to feed as many hungry children as he could, so the noodles are made simply with flour and water, and added to a sauce made of garlic aioli (olive oil cooked with garlic).
My great-grandma, Ida Colella, would have 'Open House' (after Mass, of course) and people would stop by all day for a bowl of the sagne.
To commemorate this special day from my childhood, the kids in my neighborhood came by after school for the story, some pasta, and of course, cookies. Their Moms enjoyed a sip or two of Bellinis. I made the pasta a bit more up-to-date with farfalle (bow tie shaped), carrots, and broccolini, but kept the traditional aioli, which everybody loved.

Kringle Chocolate Krinkles

''Christmas is' _______
This writer believes that Christmas is when Christ our Savior is born.  This writer also believes that many of us would fill in the blank with 'cookies'.  If the journey to the Christ Child began from Montenero, the Wise Men would be taking pizzelles, biscotti, and ricotta cookies, probably baked by their Wise Wives. (If my dad went along on the trip, not too many cookies would make it all the way to Mary and Joseph) Homemade cookies are a special way to share joy and surprise people with their favorites from childhood. This recipe is one of our family's most beloved. Baked by my Aunt Elia, these chocolate crinkles are often chosen as 'My Most Favorite Ever'.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup pure vegetable oil
4    squares of Unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
2   cups granulated sugar
4   eggs
2   teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2   cups all-purpose flour
2   teaspoons baking powder
1/2 Tablespoon salt
1   cup powdered sugar
1  cup chopped nuts, optional (I used hazelnuts)

METHOD

Melt squares of chocolate on stovetop using low, gentle heat. An easy way to do this is to set up a 'double boiler', which is just a sauce pan filled one-fourth of the way with water with a heat-proof bowl across the top for the chocolate. Make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.

While the chocolate melts, measure the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium sized bowl.  Whisk these dry ingredients for a few seconds to combine.

Mix together vegetable oil, chocolate, and granulated sugar. Blend in one egg at a time until well-mixed.  Add vanilla. Stir dry ingedients into oil mixture.  Fold in nuts (nuts are optional) Chill several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350*. Prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper. Drop teaspoon of dough (or use small ice cream scoop) into powdered sugar, shape into balls.  Place 2" apart on the prepared cookie sheets.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  DO NOT OVERBAKE!!!

Makes 6 dozen cookies.

Printable version of Kringle Chocolate Krinkles

Fiesta Breakfast Casserole

This recipe is my sister's go-to recipe for entertaining and special occasions.  Vicky Scalzitti Romano loves that it goes together quickly the night before, and it bakes up the day you need it. And I heard her exclaim: 'It's perfect for Christmas morning!' because the cooking time is true, and it will hold up nicely for an hour or two. Here's the interesting back story: years ago, when confronted with feeding her daughter's entire swim team, Vicky found this recipe on the jar of the leftover bottle of 'Pace' salsa.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage (use 'hot' if you like things that are spicy)
6    cups white bread, cut into cubes (stale is actually better)
1  1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1  cup salsa or 1 cup diced tomatoes
4  eggs
3/4 cup whole milk

METHOD

Cook sausage until browned.  Pour off fat.

Arrange cooked sausage evenly on the bottom of a 2 qt shallow baking dish.  Top with bread cubes, then sprinkle cheese over the bread.  In a separate bowl, mix up eggs and milk, then add the salsa.  Pour this mixture evenly over all.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or for two hours.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until done. Serve with sour cream, green onions, hot sauce, and additional salsa.

Serves 6.

Printable version of Fiesta Breakfast Casserole

Cranberry Harvest Relish

My mom, Donna Gigliotti Scalzitti, first came across this recipe many years ago in a popular women's magazine. She said it caught her eye because the ingredients were simple, and the steps were easy to do. The family looks forward to it every Thanksgiving, especially Phil, her brother, and Bill, her brother-in-law. The cool tartness of this salad is refreshing alongside the traditional favorites.

1  1/4 cup water, divided
1  6 oz package of Strawberry Jell-O
1  cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice (I used fresh, Mom uses the bottled kind)
16 oz cranberries (about 1 1/2 bags fresh, frozen are ok, too)
1  medium unpeeled orange, seeded and quartered
1  tart apple, diced (such as granny smith)
1  cup celery, diced
1  cups walnuts, diced

Method: In a non-reactive saucepan, bring one cup of water to a boil.  Remove from heat, then add the gelatin and sugar until they dissolve completely. Also add the 1/2 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/4 cup of water. Place saucepan in refrigerator. Chill slightly while preparing remaining ingredients. It will take between 30 minutes and two hours to partially set this mixture, depending on how cold your fridge is.

Using a blender or food processor, chop up cranberries and orange segments.  Work in small batches until they are finely diced.  

Place these ingredients in an attractive glass serving bowl. Stir in diced apple, celery, and walnuts.  Fold in refrigerated gelatin mixture when it is about half way set.  Refrigerate overnight, or four hours, until completely set.

Printable version Cranberry Harvest Relish

Pizzelles



PIZZELLES  (pits zelz')  are a delicious Italian cookie prepared with a special pizzelle iron, similar to a waffle iron. Served at celebrations for centuries, the cookies are made by spooning batter onto the iron, pressing down on a handle, and cooking them two (or four) at a time. 



Historically, the large irons had a family crest or symbol on them. Two to three foot iron handles protected the cook as the platens were held directly in the fire.  Here are two examples of patterns: 

Grandma Aduccia's courtesy of Marcy Plonski








Peppina Miraldi's courtesy of Al Harsar



Recipe secrets were guarded very closely.  During World War II, women developed a complex system of re-working the pattern of their rosary beads so the ingredients and quantities could be communicated and the soldiers holding them captive would never suspect that more whiskey was needed.  This is completely untrue.  Most pizzelle recipes are very similar, and the only real variation is the quantity of flavoring (vanilla vs anise or lemon, for example.) Wish I could tell you an interesting story about the following recipe from my mother, but the simple truth is that she used the recipe that came on the box when she bought the pizzelle iron.  Oh.  Except that she substituted whiskey for the anise, as her mother had before her. Todays electric irons will ensure that pizzelles continue to make an appearance at Baptisms, birthday parties, graduations and koffee klatches. This recipe yields 36 pizzelles.

Recipe:

3    Eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1    teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup (one stick) margarine, melted and cooled

1  tablespoon whiskey

pinch of salt

Method:  Using a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until well-combined.  Stir in the cooled margarine, vanilla extract, and whiskey. Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Batter will be quite thick.

Pizzelle iron must be hot when starting to make the cookies.  Follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer.

When the iron is ready, drop one generous spoonful on the center of each platen. Close lid and fasten handle. Steam will rise-this is fine.  Pizzelles will cook in the iron for about 30-60 seconds.  You will get to know your iron, and it will become a mystical, spiritual  experience-you'll just know when they're done. (Actually, my dad used to pull them when the steam stopped) Carefully raise the handle.  Using a non-stick heat-safe spatula (or a cheap fork) gently remove each pizzelle and place onto a cooling rack.  Pizzelles will crisp up as they cool.

                                          

Marinara Sauce or 'Red Sauce'

MARINARA  (ma ree na' ra) sauce is the cornerstone of every pasta dish.  Every Italian family has its own version, and everyone thinks their family has the best one.  My Grandma Delfina would make hers every Sunday morning, right after she walked home from early Mass.  What a memory; waking up to the aroma of her sauce wafting through the cozy, well-kept house on 9th Street.  Baci Cari a te, Nonna.
Zia ('Aunt') Elia generously shared with me how she makes her sauce, and here is her recipe.  Though I love remembering my grandma and her sauce, I never got to watch her make it-she got up too early.  :)

Ingredients-Recipe will make 8 servings-enough for a nice Sunday dinner for 4-6 people
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 28 oz can Dei Fratelli Crushed tomatoes (or organic)
1 10 oz can Dei Fratelli Sauce (or organic)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon basil
pinch of crushed red peppers (optional)
2 teaspoons sugar
salt and pepper to taste ( I used 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper)

Using the chop-o-matic tool (see photo-thanks for the great gift, Em), dice/chop onion very fine. 'So no one knows it's there', says Zia Elia.

Heat the two tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy stock pot.  Add finely diced onion, and season with half of the salt and pepper.  Cook onions until soft, but DO NOT BROWN.  Add garlic, and cook for one minute or less.  Again, DO NOT BROWN.  Garlic will quickly turn bitter if it's overcooked.

Add full can of tomatoes and full can of sauce.  Fill the empty 10 oz can of sauce up half way with tap water.  Swish to get all remaining sauce out of can.  Pour this into empty can  of crushed tomatoes.  Swish to get all of these tomatoes out.  Pour this liquid into stock pot.

Sprinkle in parsley, oregano, basil, and crushed red pepper.  Adjust heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the two teaspoons of sugar, and simmer for one more hour, or up to two more hours, lowering heat if necessary.  Serve over your favorite pasta.

Marinara Sauce PRINTABLE recipe

Polenta di Montenero

Bless me readers, for I have sinned. It has been two years since my last post. May this recipe lead me towards online redemption.

POLENTA (poe lan' ta) is the quintessential Italian dish. Made from ground corn, it was served in Montenero throughout the long, cold winter. It is simple, it is soulful, it is the dish we all remember. Put down your cell phone, YouTube some Italian music, and let's make some together, insieme.

RECIPE serves 2 as a main dish, 4-6 as a side, or one moderately hungry paisano

6 cups water
2 cups corn meal
1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese for topping
1 cup of marinara sauce for drizzling

Special Equipment: whisk and large wooden spoon
 
METHOD

Bring water to a boil in a stock pot. Add salt. Water will resume boil shortly.

Sprinkle in a small handful of the corn meal (approximately 1/4 cup) and stir constantly with the whisk. After several minutes of cooking and whisking, add another 1/4 cup of polenta (corn meal) and keep whisking. Pace yourself by continuously whisking for 3-5 minutes of cook time in between additions of the polenta. Continue this process until 1 and 1/2 cups of polenta have been added ot the water while you whisk constantly, no breaks allowed.

If mixture should start to boil in an angry way, like Nonna if she found out you skipped Mass, turn down heat until a more gentle bubbling resumes. Keep whisking, cooking the polenta until it thickens to the point where the whisk can stand up on its own. At this point, retire the whisk to a soapy sink.

Now we separate The Three Tenors from the wedding singers....time to use the basic folding technique with the wooden spoon until the polenta finishes cooking. Switch over to stirring with the wooden spoon.

Folding technique: Draw wooden spoon down the center of the pot, making sure spoon is dragging across the bottom. With a scooping motion, bring polenta-filled spoon up to the surface and turn polenta over onto itself, piano piano (softly and gently, like Nonna when she sang you to sleep as a bambino) Keep folding. Make sure spoon scrapes across the bottom of the pot every time, to prevent sticking.

Continue folding as polenta bubbles merrily along. This constant folding will become more and more difficult as polenta cooks. Keep going, keep folding. You can plan on about 4 choruses of 'O Sole Mio' (about 10-15 minutes) more of the folding, because no one will even pretend to offer you help at this point.

Montenerese cook their polenta much longer and to a much thicker consistency than the Napolitani or Calabrezze. Mantenere la forza (stay strong) and be proud. Polenta is done approximately 10 minutes after you think you will not be able to move your stirring arm again for several days. Remove finished pot of polenta from the heat. Total cooking time is about 30-40 minutes.
SERVING THE POLENTA

Prepare a large serving bowl by spooning and spreading 1/3 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom. Sprinkle a Pavarotti sized (generous) handful of pecorino romano cheese all over the sauce. Using two large serving spoons, scoop the polenta from the pot with one spoon, and drop polenta onto the prepared bowl with the other, spoonful by spoonful. Cover with remaining marinara sauce and cheese. Buon Appetito!

Prinatable version of POLENTA di Montenero Recipe