Sunday At the Giacomettis

Risotto takes patience.  Be sure and take your time. One medium/large Butternut squash (about 1-2 pounds) Ingredients:  2 cups Arborio Rice 4 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for drizzle) 2 tablespoons red or white onion (you may use yellow,  however it has a bitter, high water content and I dont' like to use it here). One cup of white wine 2 teaspoons salt (plus more to your liking) 2 teaspoons pepper (plus additional to your liking) A pinch of Nutmeg   Baking sheet one heavy duty knife (for preparing the Butternut Squash) 6 cups or so of good Homemade broth (vegetable or medley of meats), heated to a boil.  (You may keep your broth at a slow, steady simmer) Parmigiano Reggiano for grating (about 6 teaspoons) Method: Preheat your oven to 400F degrees Slice open your squash and clean out the seeds in a rounded motion( your Butternut squash will look like large spoon rests) Sprinkle and brush a little olive oil across your Bu...

I know what you are thinking.   Muffins in Italy?  Yes, it's a small world after all.  They are more like mini, chocolate chip cakes.   Whatever you call them, they were just what I needed on this cool morning.  The rolling thunder awakened me, so why not start cooking.  In no time at all, these muffins were out of the oven. INGREDIENTS:     1 cup self rising flour or 1 cup regular flour with 1/2 teaspoon baking powder sifted 1/2 cup Cocoa powder pinch of fine sea salt Sift together your dry ingredients and set aside   In a separate bowl,  cream 1 stick butter 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Splash (about one teaspoon), of Frangelico or any chocolate based liquor 3 eggs Add your eggs one at a time until creamy.      Add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients 1/2 at a time.  Mix until creamy.  If your mixture does not incorporate, add a...

Leftover espresso makes any chocolate cookie legendary. Forget the processed powder.    You won't be able to eat just one. The wonderful thing about this recipe is that I like to make the dough the night before in the food processor so it makes up fast when you are pressed for time.   You will have to store your dough in the refrigerator overnight.  Remove your dough from the refrigerator 30 minutes before planning to bake so that the dough is easier to form and handle.  Ingredients: 3 tablespoons leftover espresso one egg 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup of Unsalted butter softened 3 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder Pinch of salt (about 1/2 teaspoon) 1 cup plus 1/2 cup chocolate semisweet chips 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 cup plus 3/4 cup all purpose flour Method:  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees (F) Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Sift together your baking soda, powder, flour, salt and set aside....

Where there is an Italian, there is Amaretto.  I have been wanting to try an Amaretto cake for the longest time.  I came across a little bottle of Amaretto in the closet, so I thought what a perfect excuse to use it up.  Nothing like the smell of almonds throughout the house on a rainy day.  Don't be afraid to use alcohol.  I must say, I am rather heavy handed when it comes to flavor.  Not a big fan of overly sweet desserts, so I found this recipe particularly challenging.   Finding the right balance between liquor and sugar content is as individual as choosing a perfume.   I must say, it's quite delicious. Preheat your oven to 325 F.  Ingredients.  6 cakes (plus extra for a small, sheet pan about 12 inches square) Mini cake pan Sheet cake pan (12 inches square) 3 sticks butter (1 plus 1/2 cups) 3oz cream cheese 1/2 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons vanilla 4 tablespoons Amaretto (imported Italian, American versions are overly sweet...

I had a wonderful visit today from my youngest student.  Emily is 11 years old now and eager to learn all there is about cooking and the garden.  We had so much fun.   It's so important that we teach our children all there is to know about good, wholesome ingredients right out of our own backyard and how to apply their knowledge in the recipes they create.  Good practices in the kitchen are essential learning tools for so much that they will encounter in their lifetime.   I am so happy to share in this experience with all of my students.  To see the smile on her face from something so simple and so beautiful.  I hope this puts a smile on your face too.   Notice how there is no need for Pancetta.   However if you like, you can add some to the saute.  As they say in Italy "Lu bonu sopra lu bonu sempre bonu e' ."  Good, on top of good, is always good! Saluti! Barbara Ingredien...

Ingredients: One large bunch Escarole (about one pound or so) 4 tablespoons olive oil plus more to drizzle on plate 2 clove of garlic 3 cups of cooked white beans (Fagioli, great Northern or Cannellini) One cup escarole stock (reserved from cooking your Escarole) Pinch of baking soda One tablespoon of salt for your water in oder for it to come to a boil. One additional teaspoon to sprinkle on your Escarole and beans when it's ready. Side dish or soup, this is such a healthy go to dish this time of year.  Even my son enjoyed it last night. I wonder where he gets that from? Plenty of Fresh Escarole is rinsed, cut up and blanched. I even like to add a pinch of baking soda to help the Escarole retain it's pretty green color.  Salt the water and cook for a good 5-6 minutes.  Remember that once you add your Escarole, your timing begins when your water is boiling again.  Drain well.  Set aside. Thaw your beans (about 3 cups). I keep a good amount in the f...

I love it when a certain food just "Stirs" up all kinds of conversation.  I am not sure what it is exactly about the crab cake that gets everyone excited, even me.  Maybe it's that delicious, unexpected flavor that one gets from each and every crab cake.  It's always fun to come up with your own and break from a traditional recipe.   I came up with this in my kitchen on the coast a few years back.  I just had very little ingredients around the kitchen but had one container (One pound of crab meat), and one vivid imagination.  Makes 15-20, 2-3 inch crab cakes Ingredients:  One pound, picked and rinsed,  lump/claw meat mixed crab meat (it doesn't have to be the most expensive). One cup of bread crumbs.  (I make my own with left over bread, toasted and various herbs and salt). Plus extra bread crumbs for your plate to coat before frying. One handful of chopped, diced parsley (just use what you like) 1/3 cup mayonnaise One teasp...

Ingredients: 2 whole 3-4  pound Fresh whole Snapper.  Cleaned and di-scaled. 2 large lemons  (One sliced for cooking, one cut in half) 2 teaspoons of salt. Pepper to taste For the stuffing: One cup of bread crumbs (I like to make my own) several sprigs of parsley 2 cloves of garlic  diced 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 cup of pitted black olives Extra parsley for garnish Method: In a food processor, process your bread crumbs, garlic, parsley and olives adding your olive oil a little at a time.  Stuffing should hold together nicely.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper to tast.  Preheat your oven to 375. Make tiny slits all over your fish with a paring knife.  Squeeze lemon juice all over your fish and pat dry with paper towels.  Lay on a baking sheet and gently insert your stuffing into the center of fish using about 1/2 for each.  Pack it in.  Do not worry that it comes out of your fish a little.  Add sev...

On a night when nothing goes as planned, it's nice to know you can always rely on a great pasta dish.   It's a big challange aquiring any kind of fresh seafood here in Mississippi except by mailorder.  I came across these Coquina clams frozen in a box at the Grocery.  To my suprise, they were quite delicious, flavorful and quite deceiving too.  You would never know they came out of a box.    As I always say, fresh is best, but sometimes you must do what you can.  What a wonderful surprise. Ingredients for 4 people: 12 oz of Spaghetti 4 tablespoons good quality olive oil One tablespoon salt (for the pasta water) One large pot filled with 8 quarts of water One large skillet to cook your fish sauce One plus 1/2 teaspoon salt for the fish optional pinch of red pepper flakes or small pinch of fresh chile pepper 1 pound Clams (any small variety will do) One pound of cleaned, cut, calamari (squid) One cup of white wine 3 cloves of diced...

2 MEDIUM SIZED EGGPLANTS/ PEELED AND SLICED THIN, SALT, PEPPERED, AND BRUSHED WITH OLIVE OIL, LAY IN A BAKING PAN 1 CUP DICED TOMATOES and their juice 2 CLOVES GARLIC 2 TABLESPOONS SALTY CAPERS 3 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL 1 CAN OF PITTED BLACK OLIVES 1 CUP OF WHITE WINE Preheat your oven to 400.  Prepare your eggplants.  Rinse, peel away the skin and slice.  Lay in a pan.  Brush with olive oil.  Salt and pepper them . Bake for 20 minutes, until soft.  You will begin to smell the eggplants. Do not get them to large or they will be seedy.   Remove from oven and let cool.  Heat your olive oil.  Saute your garlic until fragrant.  You may use red onion if you prefer.  When fragrant, add your olives cut up and your capers.  Smash them down some with the back of your spoon.    Add your eggplant and mix.   Mix in your tomatoes.  Add your white wine and let reduce ...

In all the years of cooking, I do not remember stuffing fillets. I have always stuffed a whole fish.  I gave it a try this past Friday night and it worked.  Remember, simple ingredients can yield a great result.  I picked up some Sole fillets in Memphis while on my shopping trip.  Look for fresh, thin fillets.  They work best as they hold together raw.  Once cooked, they hold their shape too. Ingredients:  4 Servings 4 fillets of Sole or any thin, (pliable) Fish fillet (Cod, for example,  will not work, the fillets are to thick). one teaspoon salt (for the fish) One teaspoon pepper One large egg 2 tablespoons olive oil (for the stuffing) 2 tablespoons of butter divided into pats of butter set aside One cup of bread crumbs (plain) 1/2 cup diced parsley 2 cloves of garlic diced Additional sprigs of Parsley to garnish 2 tablespoons, good salty capers.  Be sure and give them a quick rinse.  Same rule applies if capers are unde...

It's the perfect sauce on an evening where you are just to tired to stand in the kitchen.  Traditionally prepared during the Summer months in Italy, this meal might make you prepare  it during the cooler months too.   My mother used Minute steaks.  These thin sirloin beef cuts cooked up in a hurry.  The stewing in the sauce tenderized these cuts of meat.  Today, I use thin, rib-eyes.  Have the Butcher cut them nice and thin without falling apart.  A little, goes a long way.  Ingredients: Serves 4 hearty portions 12 oz of Penne Pasta 4 thin beef steaks (about 1 pound) 3 cloves of garlic, split in half (you will be removing them later so leave them large enough to find in your pan) Sprigs of fresh basil 2 teaspoons salt One of pepper 2 1/2 cups of tomato sauce *unsalted (make salt adjustments to your liking) 1/2 cup of white wine pinch of sugar, optional 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil One large skillet (enough to accommodate your s...

Ingredients:  One, 6-8 pound, bone-in Pork end Roast or half picnic Roast.   2 bunches (about 4 cups Rosemary, left whole) One handful of fresh sage (about 2 cups) 3-4 cloves garlic, diced 2 teaspoons Sea Salt 2 teaspoons black pepper 4 pieces of  heavy duty foil, enough to cover the roast tightly and securely One cup of white wine   Preheat your oven to 250 bake.   Take your meat out of the package and give it a rinse.  Pat your meat dry with paper towels. Place your meat in a Ziploc bag with your wine for several hours or even over night. The longer the better. If you wish, you can skip this step entirely and add your wine at the last minute.  Drain, pat dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place on a foil lined baking sheet.    Make some holes around the top of our Roast and insert some garlic pieces right into the roast.  Do not worry if some of the garlic falls to the bottom of the baking sheet.  Lay your Rosemary and ...

  This delicious and delicate dish is simple to prepare especially when Asparagus is in Season.  It doesn't take much to put together something fresh and delicious, just a willingness to learn and a desire to get it right.  We made this in our Cooking class yesterday, along with fresh Fettuccine Pasta.  What a great time! We used the Academia Barilla's recommendation of 3oz of flour per person plus one egg.  This worked very well.  I actually amply fed 8 people with  a 6 person measurement.  I served a small amount to each person.  There was enough for all. Special note:  If you do not want to make Fresh Pasta, be sure and purchase a good, quality Pasta Products.  (Link on bottom) I recommend DiCecco. Fresh pasta: 18 oz of flour, unbleached, all purpose is what we used.  If your flour is sifted, sift it again.   If you have the luxury of finding type OO flour, by all means use it.  You will not have to sift anything...