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While traveling in Sicily, exploring my roots and meeting dozens of family members for the first time, I visited Bronte, a little town situated in view of Mount Etna and in the vicinity of my maternal grand-parents’ tiny village of Roccella Valdemone. Bronte, as it turns out, is the pistachio capital of Italy. The Sicilians use this staple in both sweet and savory dishes. (Pistachio gelato is my numero uno "sweet" choice.) This recipe is surprisingly quick and simple, therefore, often headlines my savory lineup when entertaining pasta lovers. The three-legged symbol is known as the trinacria, representing Sicily’s extreme points, Capo Peloro (northeast), Capo Passero (south) and Capo Lilibeo (west), and the triangular shape of the island is reflected in the pattern. The heads of wheat are a symbol of the fertility of the island’s famously rich soil. The colors of the flag, red and yellow, represent Palermo and Corleone (yeah, that town in the famous Godfather film) respectively: the towns in which began the rebellion that ended Angiven (French) rule in 1282. The head of Medusa is there to ward off evil and to warn future invaders of the historically war-prone island.
Farfalle with Pistachio Sauce 1-lb farfalle pasta (Bowties) 1 medium onion, chopped ½-lb ground, unsalted pistachio nuts 4 tbsp olive oil, plus some extra 1½ cups heavy cream Crushed red pepper Salt and pepper Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese Chop the onions; grind the pistachios so the pieces are very small but not completely uniform. Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling, salted water. While the pasta cooks, begin the sauce. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan, add onion, and cook until translucent, but not browned. Add pistachios and enough oil to moisten them, making a paste-like consistency. Cook, stirring over medium heat, for about one minute. Add cream, stir until heated, and remove from heat. Add crushed red pepper, black pepper and salt to taste. When pasta is cooked al dente, drain well and add to the sauté pan with the sauce. Toss well to coat, and serve immediately with lots of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese. . Whip 4 large eggs; add grated cheese, choice of cooked vegetables and salt and pepper, to taste. This recipe was made with about ½ cup of cooked asparagus and ¼ cup of shredded sharp cheddar. Spray a 6-count muffin tin with pan spray and fill. Bake @350° for about 20 minutes or until golden. Mini-Egg Muffins, featuring cheddar cheese and asparagus,
served with fresh grapefruit and a side of salsa. Creamy Celery Soup, served with Spinach Bread.
If you have a blender or a food processor, making creamed soup is really simple. Without one, you can mince the vegetables extremely finely and skip the purée step. It will still be tasty and creamy.
When there is only a little of this and a little less of that in the refrigerator, including some cooked cauliflower, this pizza combines everything together in one baking tray. Nothing gets wasted, and the bonus is that this dish is gluten-free. AND, it is tasty and light, yet filling!
Cauliflower Crust
This baked cauliflower crust is topped with chopped cooked vegetables: asparagus & green beans, (a scant ¼ cup of each), ½ cup of frozen spinach (thawed for about 15 minutes in a cup on the counter and squeezed dry), about ¼ cup leftover marinara sauce, and about 3½ slices of mozzarella cheese cut into triangles and arranged atop the veggie combo. Final step before heading back to the oven: a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Cauli-Crust Pizza: Hot out the oven after 10 minutes @400°. What's in your refrigerator? Even though my mom has been gone since 2008, I still feel as if we collaborate on recipes. Thankfully, she wrote many of her specialties down, so I can use them as she intended, or I can improvise. She was Nana to her grandchildren, while I am Nani to mine.
These ribs are a really easy way to enjoy the joyful taste of barbecue without the not-so-joyful aftermath of cleaning the grill. Nana gave me the recipe for the sauce which she used on a strip of ribs, while Nani's version will feature country-style ribs. The rub is something I’ve developed that is actually pretty tasty on either style rib. Because the roasting pan is covered with foil, the cleanup is a breeze. If you just can’t imagine eating ribs that have not been cooked on a grill, the last step can be done on your charcoal or gas grill. But, sorry to say, I won’t be there helping you scrub the grates. Roasted BBQ Ribs Start with 1 strip of ribs, cut into riblets, OR about 7 or 8 meaty country-style ribs. Mix these rub ingredients together:
Prepare the barbecue sauce* while the ribs bake.
Lower the oven temperature to 350°; baste the ribs with sauce; cover with foil; bake for 1 hour, basting every 15 minutes with sauce. Uncover and place under broiler, set on low, for 5 minutes to make crisp. (OR, place the ribs on a heated outdoor grill for a few minutes to char for those authentic grill marks.) *Shortcut/time-saver: Use a commercially prepared bottled barbecue sauce to which you add ½ cup of honey or ½ cup of brown sugar. Colorful, tasty, and F-A-S-T !!! This lovely side dish is made with 3 peppers and a few additional ingredients. No matter how little cooking experience you have, this one is completely within your skill set. Try it!
I served this as a side dish with broiled fish. Very nice! Our annual family picnic was a celebrated event which everyone looked forward to for the opportunity to see cousins, aunts and uncles, and, as importantly for the great food! Cousin George famously prepared and shared a gigantic pot of "Babbalucci" - snails in red sauce. Yeah, snails. The French do not have the escargot market cornered, by any means. He doled them out judiciously, loudly lamenting the long and tedious process of preparing the delicacy. Although the serving line for the snails was long, and as delicious as everyone agreed they were, it was okay if anyone wanted to have my share. Other shared items included baked macaroni, Italian cookies, salads, fruits, pastries, eggplant parmesan, sausage with peppers and onions, pizza, and so on, and so on.
My mom and my Aunt Pat held the title of "Makers of Barbecue Burgers". They each prepared no less than 10 pounds of hamburger meat that they baked in a savory barbecue sauce. They carted the burgers to the park in enormous enamel Dutch ovens which Dad and Uncle Joe would haul to the serving table. As soon as the lids were lifted, the family grabbed their plates and raced over to get their fair share! Two secrets to these burgers: 1. Do not fry the burgers before layering in the pan. The meat absorbs the sauce as they bake and remain tender. 2. Serve with soft rolls. We used to have "Snowflake Rolls" made by the now defunct Schroeder's Bakery in Buffalo. The closest that I could find is Sara Lee's Artesano Rolls. Attendance at the picnic in recent years has dwindled due to relocations, conflicting commitments, and, alas, the passing of members of the older generation. What remains are fond memories of gathering with our loved ones, and the recipes we shared. Hopefully, you'll enjoy this one as much as my family did. Mom's BBQ Burgers Burgers:
Sauce:
My maternal grandfather Francesco, born May 19, 1878 in Roccella Valdemone, Sicily. It's a tiny, picturesque town with a clear and breathtaking view of Mount Etna. I lived in the same house as Grampa until the age of eight, and learned things from him in an almost subliminal way. I credit him with my ear for languages, since he spoke Sicilian 95% of the time. He was a great bread maker, as I have mentioned in previous posts, and although my yeast-dough skills are meager, baking certainly figured prominently into our lives. Grampa, who was a farmer in Sicily before emigrating to the U.S., had a garden to be proud of. On a rather small patch of soil nestled in our back yard, he planted and harvested beans, tomatoes, zucchini, Swiss chard, lettuce, garlic - and his famous figs. Yes! Figs in Western New York - known for our bone-chilling winters. He would bend the tree into the ground in the fall, cover it with leaves where it would rest until spring. He even fashioned a trellis across the entire width of the yard and grew grapes destined to become red wine. What I learned about gardening with Grandpa was to use seasonal crops at the height of their ripeness. So, that brings me back to today's post - Peach Crostada, using three extra-ripe peaches and a few add-ins. I think Grandpa would like it. You will need a single pie crust circle. Place it on a parchment-covered tray and set aside. Peel and slice the peaches; add ⅓ cup of sugar, ½ teaspoon of nutmeg, 1 tablespoon of instant tapioca and mix together gently. Place the sweetened fruit onto the pastry to within about 1-2” from the edges. Cut 1 tablespoon of butter into small pieces and dot the peaches. Fold up the edges, pleating or folding the crust to cover some of the fruit, leaving the center open. Brush the dough with the egg wash; sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of sugar over the dough and the fruit. Bake for 8 minutes @425°. Lower temperature to 375° and continue baking until the crust is browned; - approximately 35 minutes. Cool; serve warm or cold with ice cream or whipped cream. Deliziosa!
This is a dish frequently served on March 19th - Saint Joseph's Day. My mom prepared many a specialty-laden table honoring this saint - a Sicilian tradition. The dish is representative of "La Cucina Povera" of Sicily. In fact, the toasted crumbs are kind of a poor man's cheese. Pasta Con Le Sarde
Buon Gusto! Viva San Giuseppe!
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October 2023
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