Sunday At the Giacomettis

What a wonderful way to inaugurate the growing season. Fresh sage is in abundance in my garden.  Several handfuls is all you need for this intensely flavored sauce, where sage is the main ingredient.   A few extra sprigs is all you need to serve this wonderful dish.  I like to put some fresh in a vase right on the table.  Ingredients:  2 handfuls of fresh Sage ( you will be discarding the sage in the sauce before serving, so it's best to leave them whole so you can remove them later) 4 pork chops about 1/4 inch thick with bone in 2 cloves of garlic (optional, discard after flavoring oil) 3 tablespoons olive oil one teaspoon of sea salt one teaspoon of black pepper 2 cups tomato sauce (freshly jarred or canned, plain, cut up with their juice or pureed in the the blender) 1/2 cup of white wine Method:  Heat a large skillet of olive oil in a pan.  Add your garlic until fragrant and discard.  At this poin...

I found some Frozen, large cocktail shrimp in my freezer, about 10.  Yes, you can use fresh Shrimp if you like.  The texture will be different.  Starting off with cooked shrimp (thawed), yields a better cake or fritter texture   I had just a few roasted red peppers that I needed to use up in a jar.  Just not enough to serve, but enough to add to a recipe.  A good Home-cook is a creative one.  Making the most out of very little.  I was craving something similar to a crab cake, so why not use Shrimp cake?  These cook in a hurry.  It will be hard to resist just one.   I must admit, a little tomato Compote is the perfect little dipping sauce.  I am not sure the infatuation with dipping sauces in this Country, but it works for these fritters, so why not?   Truth be told,  you can eat them,  once cooled,  without anything at all,  just pick ...

Monday night Minestrone Soup was always popular growing up. My Mom's Minestrone would cure anything. Given the pain my husband was in after having his wisdom teeth extracted, he needed something soft and nutritious.  Just how much pudding can one man eat anyway?   After a weekend of eating, this is just what the doctor ordered.   Who does not have a few fresh vegetables left in the refrigerator drawer we just can't think what to do with?   What a great excuse for this soup.  A few of each is all you need.  I always have homemade chicken stock in the freezer ready to go. The more flavorful stock, the better your end result.  You may use vegetable or beef stock too.  So easy to make. INGREDIENTS FOR 6 LARGE BOWLS OF MINESTRONE SOUP 4 medium carrots cleaned/trimmed and diced. 4 medium zucchini / diced 4 red potatoes/ diced (everything diced the same size into small cubes) 2 tablespoons celery di...

  I had a craving for Mussels last night.  Searching through my local grocer was no laughing matter.  Sad to see all the frozen, over processed, ready made items, lined up like little soldiers.  I was determined to make this happen.  I found lovely boxes of Mussels.  Looking all over the box for the country of Origin, I thought I should have brought along a magnifying glass.  There it was,  in the tiniest of writing, "Product of New Zealand."  Well, why not?  I gave them a quick rinse upon arrival.  These vacuumed sealed bags, are easy to handle.  Cut them open, give them a quick rinse in the colander. If you are using fresh, give them a gentle rinse, one by one and take a scrub brush to them.   The cooking method is the same for both.  The fresh, require a longer cooking time, by about 10 minutes or so.   These frozen are hard to beat.  When you live in Northeast Mississippi, sometimes yo...

It's been a day of enlightenment for sure here at Sunday at the Giacometti's.   What better way to celebrate then simplicity at it's best.   I came across some fresh Mussels in the local market in Memphis, Tennessee and all I could think about is dish of pasta.   Who could blame me? Ingredients for 4 people 12 oz of good quality, imported Italian dry spaghetti (I prefer Delverde) 8 quart pasta pot filled with water at a boil with 2 tablespoons of salt.  One flat skillet, large enough to hold your ingredients. 3 cloves of garlic diced 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 pinches of fresh hot pepper one cup of white wine 1 pound of fresh, Black Mussels 12oz crushed/chopped tomatoes and their juice  Handful of parsley salt and pepper to taste  Method:  In a pan, saute your garlic and olive oil until fragrant on about Medium.   Add your Mussels and toss them about the pan.   Put a lid on the pan for a few minutes until the M...

Makes 10 olive rolls 1/2 cup oil cured French Nicoise olives pitted 3 cups of unbleached All Purpose flour (plus some extra for your board) 2 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 cup plus 1/2 cup warm water  (warm to the touch) 1 teaspoon of salt Method:  Whether by food processor or by hand, this should take you just a few minutes to prepare.  I like to start my bread to rise the night before.  The bread has all night to rest and rise.  Remember some basic things about bread making:  the longer it rises, the more flavorful it will be.  It will also be light and airy inside.  Be patient,  your end result will be perfect. Into a bowl, proof your yeast with 1/2 cup of warm water.  If you are using the food processor, just place it in the food processor bowl and pulse.   In a separate bowl, measure you flour, add your salt and mix.   Add your additional water to your bowl of your food processor and pulse once....

This is a re-post for my Students.  This recipe was used in our recent cooking class.  We used  Rigatoni and it works just the same with any Tubular shaped Pasta.  Buon Appetito.  I have seen variations of this recipe in several cookbooks over the years.  This dish dates back to Ancient Rome. In recent years, it can be seen traditionally served with the sausage stuffed inside a Tortellini Pasta.  Marscarpone and Parmigiano Cheese is added right before serving to to give this dish it's creamy texture.  In an effort to make it just a little healthier, (which is virtually impossible and why bother),  I made this dish two different ways today.  My boys, did not suspect a thing.  One was made classically with Pork sausage, the other with chicken sausage.   They loved it all.  I must say, the chicken sausage was quite flavorful and went very well with this dish. Do not get the chicken sausage with th...

This is another classic dish you just should not live without any time of year.   It translates to a classic Italian potato soup and is quite delicious.   This wonderful minestra is perfect after a long weekend of  Holiday eating.  You don't have to have very much fat in the pan to get good flavor.  My grandfather's favorite dish.   He believed in eating it at least once a week.    He was from Taranto (Puglia), and retired from Italy's rail system,  the Ferrovie.  He was a tall, thin man,  considering his starchy diet.  He believed moderation was the key to a long life.  He was correct.   This dish was a family staple especially when Nonno would visit on Friday nights.  My mother always used white potatoes due to the fact that they break down very easily when cooked and could feed more than just a few people. Today, this version utilizes small red potato's.  I prefer to use ...