Sunday At the Giacomettis

Ingredients: 4  Servings/ 2 large Globe artichokes cleaned and placed in lemon water.  Be sure to hollow out the center and remove the choke completely.  Always peel away the hard, outside leaves until you see a lighter color, somewhat yellowish green.  This is to ensure the artichoke will be tender when cooked.  Throw away the hard leaves. Place 2 liters of water into a large bowl with  one tablespoon of salt and sliced  lemon (1-2). Place a large pasta pot of water to a boil (to blanch your cleaned artichokes Don't panic, there is alot of waist. Clean your artichokes by peeling away the green leaves until you see some brighter leaves underneath.  The Globes turn yellowish grean as you peel away the leaves.  Discard those leaves. Cut about an inch off the top.  Hollow out your center and dip in lemon water.  Rub some additional lemon inside the cavity.   Trim your stems some until you can ge...

I love keeping cooked beans in the freezer.  I keep them measured out in 2 and 4 cup bags ready to go at any time.  Use them for soups or a Pasta sauce, or just alone as a side dish.  They are so versatile and so good for you.  Why don't we eat them more often? Ingredients: 2 cups cooked chickpeas 2 cloves of garlic chopped into small pieces 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups chopped tomatoes and their juice (You can dice them or put them in the blender first) 1/2 cup white wine 12oz of Rigatoni or tube Pasta shape that is wide enough so the sauce will get inside the pasta. 2 teaspoons of salt. Optional/ basil/ parsley/rosemary/ whichever you prefer. Method: Serves 4 Heat your olive oil in a large enough pan to accommodate your ingredients at the end.  Add your garlic until fragrant.  Add your chickpeas and saute.  With the back of your spoon, smash a few of your chickpeas.  Keep mixing for about 5 minutes until your...

It's a simple recipe you will be making over and over again.  Sausage and spinach are two of the most versatile ingredients in cooking.    Who doesn't like sausage?  You can use turkey if you like.  Whichever you use, be sure you have a little fat in the pan remaining before adding the pasta.  These ingredients serve as a wonderful stuffing for ravioli which will be a later post.   You can even make stuffing for Cannelloni.  Whatever you do, start with the freshest ingredients you have available.   If you are using frozen spinach, be sure and add salt to the water when boiling your spinach.  Be sure the spinach is well drained before adding it back to the pan for a quick saute.  Fresh spinach will cook faster.  It is not necessary to boil it first.  You can just saute it in your pan.  Here is the recipe.   Buon Appetito! Ingredients:  Serves 4 12 ounce good quality Italian Pasta 12 ...

The Italian kitchen is a simple one.   Take a few ingredients and make the most of it.  Creating a meal out of simple ingredients is what Italian food is all about.   My Grandmother added peeled tomatoes to her chicken and baked it in the oven for added flavor. This variation involved slow, stove top cooking.  Keep your pieces of onion and garlic in large pieces and discard before serving.   The cooked tomatoes make a great addition to any of your favorite pasta's or with some crusty bread alongside.    Don't forget to pass the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.   Serves 4 Ingredients :  For the Ragu (sauce)  4-6 chicken pieces including thigh/leg cut up.  Leave the skin on or remove some of it if you like.  One small white onion cut up in pieces large enough to discard later.   This is an option.  3 to 4 garlic closes smashed with the back of a knife.  2 teaspoons of salt 2 teaspoons of pe...