Sunday At the Giacomettis

  I set out Saturday evening to have something a little different,  something I haven't had in such a long time, a visit to Sicily.  I started thinking about those wonderful oil cured olives you could only get in Sicily.  That wonderful fresh, fish. Those fabulous capers from the sunny Island of Pantelleria, south of Sicily.   How could I get that feeling again in Tupelo, Mississippi?   I had ordered some Sicilian oil cured olives sometime ago by mail order and stuck some in the back of the refrigerator.  What a nice surprise to find them hidden in the corner, ready for me.  How could I forget such a wonderful thing?  Olive paste requires, a few olives, some garlic, parsley and a little olive oil.  I have even made olive paste without garlic.  The best part of all  is it requires very little effort.  Spread over some  Cod fish fillets,  it adds wonderful fl...

  The combination of lemon and tomatoes is just heavenly.   A delicate piece of fish like black Cod, really needs nothing but a grill or a pan.  I came across one final jar of fresh tomatoes, left from last years garden and decided to put it to good use. You will need your oven to complete the cooking process, heated and on Broil.  Just keep a watchful eye on it all. Ingredients / 4 people 4 pieces of Black Cod or another thick meaty fish.  3 tablespoons olive oil plus one tablespoon Vegetable oil placed in a skillet, enough to accomodate your ingredients. 3 cloves of garlic diced and place in a pan with the olive oil 2 teaspoons of salt 2 teaspoons black pepper A pinch of red pepper flakes One cup of all purpose flour (spread in a plate) One cup of dry white table wine  12 ounces good quality, diced tomatoes and their juice 4 thin slices of lemon (washed with peel on) Handful of parsley or basil  Plenty of crusty b...

Pork loin Roast is not the easiest roast to make.  A few preparations ahead will ensure a great result. Follow this recipe.  Buon Appetito! Preheat your oven at 375 degrees/ convection or 400 degrees/bake, if you don't have a convection oven.  Ingredients:  2/ 2 pound pork loins.  Be sure and bring the meat down to room temperature before pounding and flattening the meat.  4 teaspoons of  of sea salt 2 teaspoons of black pepper 1 cup of thick bread crumbs, like Planko or make some fresh with some day old bread 1 handful of rosemary leaves 1 good pinch of thyme leaves About 4 leaves of sage 5 cloves of garlic 4 tablespoons of olive oil 1 cup of pitted black, oil cured olives (optional) 1 cup of white wine 1 cup of 1/ 2 cup of chicken or vegetable stock Kitchen twine to tie the roast together 6 slices of sliced pancetta One large roasting pan Method:   Remove your Pork loins from the package and bring to room ...

Recipe number 2 from the Regional Cooking Class at Itawamba Community College. From the beautiful town of Amatrice, just Northeast of Rome, comes this classic dish.  My cooking class is about cooking methods and techniques in the Italian kitchen.  Most Italians will always have some kind of cured pork on hand.  Many of my students really wanted to experience typical dishes of Italy and how to make them.   We had so much fun and covered a lot of material in a small amount of time.  We even got to sit down for Lunch or Pranzo, just like we were living in Italy. Hard to believe we were in Tupelo, Mississippi.   We had so much fun. Special Note below:  This is a classic dish for sure.  I know some Romans who insist on using onion for a saute in this dish.  I am not telling. Traditionally,  the dish was made up only of sauteed.Pork Jowl (fat from the cheek of the Pig),...