Category Archives: ITALIAN CUISINE

SPICY ITALIAN SAUSAGE SPAGHETTI

This is my answer to “I want spaghetti and meatballs for dinner but don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen”. And yes, I am fully aware that sliced sausage links are not “meatballs”. But for those occasions when all I want is Italian comfort food, and my energy level is somewhere in the minus zero zone, sliced Italian sausage links are close enough for me! (Plus Mr. C loves Italian sausage!) And when the sausage is simmered for a short time in this quick and easy marinara sauce, what could be simpler or tastier? Add a lovely Caesar salad, a hunk of chewy bread, and a bottle of your favorite red wine, and life is good. (OK, if you’re really tired you can skip the salad part. Just don’t forget the wine!)

So if you too ever have the urge for good old fashioned spaghetti and your energy level is down a pint or two, give this recipe a try. I also recommend that while you are slaving away in the kitchen, that you taste test the wine you plan to serve with dinner. If a nice glass of good red wine doesn’t renew your flagging energy level, I’d say skip the whole thing and just head straight for bed. (And yes, I speak from experience.)

1 pkg. spicy or mild Italian sausage links
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/3 c. water
½ c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (28-oz.) can chopped or diced tomatoes (Italian tomatoes preferably)
1 bay leaf
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
½ c. loosely packed fresh basil chiffonade*
1-2 T. butter, optional
spaghetti cooked al dente
grated Parmesan cheese

Place the sausages along with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the water in a medium covered fry pan. Cover the pan and steam/fry the sausages until they are nicely browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large covered sauce pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes. (Take the lid off part way if the sauce is too thin.) About half way into the cooking process, cut each cooked sausage diagonally into 4 equal size pieces and add to the sauce. When the sauce is done, remove from heat, remove bay leaf, add basil, and adjust seasoning.

If the sauce tastes acidic, add butter 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavor. Serve over cooked pasta and pass grated Parmesan. (Don’t forget the wine!)

*Chiffonade (pronounced “shif-oh-nod”) is a knife technique used for cutting herbs and leaf vegetables such as lettuce into thin strips or ribbons. To chiffonade leaves of basil, stack the basil leaves and roll them into a tube. Then carefully cut across the ends of the tube with your knife to produce fine strips.

CHICKEN PICCATA

And yes, I know I post a lot of recipes for chicken! But we eat a lot of chicken, so continue reading as I explain why that is so.

Besides being a delicious and versatile culinary ingredient, according to the fitday website, “chicken is a great source of protein. One 6 oz. serving of chicken contains 48 g of protein. It is also rich in potassium, calcium, and contains no carbohydrates. The nutritional makeup of chicken makes it a healthy, filling food option. By eating healthy cuts of chicken, you’ll consume only a small amount of calories and your stomach will stay full for hours. This decreases your likelihood of snacking on unhealthy foods later in the day”.

Also, according to fitday (and I paraphrase) “dark meat, which sometimes gets a bad rap because it contains more calories than white meat, isn’t quite as unhealthy as you may have been led to believe. Dark chicken meat is rich in myoglobin, a compound packed with iron found in muscle cells. The dark meat parts of the chicken, like the chicken’s legs, are rich in myoglobin, whereas white meat chicken contains no myoglobin at all. Dark chicken meat also contains more zinc and B vitamins than white meat.” Bottom line: dark chicken meat contains more calories and fat than white meat, but packs greater nutritional value. White meat is less caloric and to my mind, a more adaptable ingredient.

So if you are like me and trying to cook with healthier ingredients, start adding more chicken to your diet. And for a couple of recipes that feature dark chicken meat, try my recipes for Green Pozole with Chicken and Oven Chicken Fricassee.

So give this quick and easy recipe for the indomitable Gallus domesticus a try. The sauce is a snap to prepare and tastes absolutely lovely. Serve with a side dish like Lemony Guinoa with Fresh Herbs or simple mashed or boiled potatoes and a green salad or green veggie, and you will make everyone in your household happy campers.

And if you wonder why I mostly write my recipes as if I am only serving 2 people with perhaps a planned over or two, it’s because I mainly cook for just Mr. C. and myself. And remember – it’s just really all about me! But fear not; in most cases my recipes can be doubled or tripled with absolutely no problem. And if in doubling or tripling a recipe there should be a problem, I am a decent enough person to tell you so in advance! If I remember to do so, that is!

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 T. flour
1 T. vegetable oil
¼ c. dry white wine (I use Pinot Grigio)
1 garlic clove, minced
½ c. chicken broth
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. capers
2 T. butter
3-4 thin Lemon slices
1 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley

Cut each chicken breast into three pieces. First cut off the thinner end. Then slice the thicker end in half horizontally. Dry off the chicken pieces with paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a bag, add the chicken pieces and shake well to coat. When the chicken pieces are evenly coated, place them in a medium sized frying pan that has been heated and the bottom coated with the vegetable oil. Add the chicken pieces and cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until light brown and done. Do not overcook. Remove to a plate. Tent the chicken with aluminum foil to help retain heat. Deglaze the pan with wine and add minced garlic. Cook until garlic is slightly brown and liquid is nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add broth, lemon juice, and capers. Reduce to about 1/4 cup. Add butter and sliced lemons. Once butter melts, pour sauce over cutlets and garnish with parsley.

TURKEY OR CHICKEN MEATBALLS WITH PARMESAN CREAM SAUCE

Most times when I begin a blog post I document the recipe and then write the commentary. But in this case, I started my opening paragraphs before I even knew what recipe would follow. That’s because I was in the mood for a creamy, savory “pasta like” dish. I know “pasta like” sounds ridiculous. But more often than not I try to prepare a meal without a side starch. (If you knew me, you would know how difficult that is. Potatoes, pasta, and rice are like life blood to me.)

But as I was writing away, I thought about this dish and how well it would fulfill my “near pasta” craving. And in fact, when I dine on these meatballs and their heavenly sauce, I don’t miss the pasta at all. I know –blasphemy! But it’s true. This dish is just that good.

Now granted, this recipe is not low calorie or low cholesterol. But dang, it’s hard to give up everything I hold dear! I figure if I serve these meatballs with a healthy green salad dressed with an olive oil based dressing, I’m at least on the right side of a well balanced meal. (It’s really hard when you grew up in the meat and potatoes era. For many of us who still remember things like party lines, Burma Shave signs, and 25 cents per gallon gas, every instinct about meal planning still begins and ends with what starch to serve. And believe me, it’s hard to train old brains to do new tricks. And my old brain, full to the brim with the most trivial of information, is no exception.)

So do yourself and your family a favor. Fix these meatballs some evening for dinner and leave that package of pasta firmly ensconced on the pantry shelf. Just think of this recipe as a perfect example of a quintessential NW winter dish. Cloudy with a chance of meatballs!

¼ c. dried breadcrumbs
1/4 c. + 1 c. finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 T. chopped fresh parsley, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
¾ tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
2 T. milk
16 to 20 oz. ground turkey or chicken meat
2 T. butter
one quarter of a small yellow onion, very finely minced
5 tsp. flour
1 (14.5-oz.) can chicken stock or broth (or 2 cups)
1/2 c. heavy cream (whole milk will work in a pinch)

Combine breadcrumbs, ¼ cup Parmesan, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, egg, and milk in a medium large mixing bowl. Gently stir in ground turkey. (Mix only until combined. Do not over mix.) Form into 1-inch meatballs (I use a small ice cream scoop) and place on a lightly greased rimmed baking sheet. Bake meatballs in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small heavy pan and sauté the onion over medium heat just until translucent. Do not let the onion get brown. Sprinkle onion with flour, stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Whisk in the chicken stock until no lumps remain. Whisk in the heavy cream. Turn heat to medium low and simmer until sauce burbles, thickens, and is good and hot. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 1 cup of Parmesan cheese and a couple grinds of black pepper. Taste and add salt if necessary. When ready to serve, spoon meatballs on to a serving platter and dollop with sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon of parsley. Sauce and meatballs can also be served over cooked pasta.

Note: Meatballs can be made ahead and either refrigerated if used within a couple of days or frozen for up to 2 months. The sauce, nope! Don’t even think about it! And these meatballs (sans the sauce of course) in chicken noodle soup. Amazing!

ITALIAN MEATBALLS WITH ARRABIATA SAUCE

What is it about meatballs that everyone loves? Is it their size and the fact that they are just terribly darling? Is it their flavor or the fact that you can eat them in one or two bites? I remember my kids turning their noses up at meatloaf, but when I used the same exact recipe and formed the meat into little balls and either fried or baked them, they thought they were divine! (I still haven’t figured that one out. Perhaps it’s just that my kids, like children everywhere, were by nature perverse and knew instinctively that meatballs took me more time to prepare than meatloaf!)

Regardless, meatballs are just about the perfect food to fix for everyone, especially children. They, the meatballs that is, are full of protein and veggies. And if you are one of those people who like to sneak healthy ingredients into your cooking, meatballs are a very good vessel for doing just that. For example, oats and a scoop of wheat germ slide into almost any meatball recipe and no one, not even your little darlings who are always on the lookout for this sort of deception, need be the wiser. Another lovely thing about meatballs, they can be prepared GF if you use slightly chopped or ground GF oats in place of cubed white bread or bread crumbs. Even if you aren’t sensitive to gluten, oats are a wonderful and nutritious alternative to wheat.

Request: if any of you know why meatballs are more acceptable to children than meatloaf, I would appreciate your insight. I will then pass the knowledge along and save dozens of parents the time and trouble of finding it out for themselves!

Italian Meatballs:

2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed and cut into small cubes
1/3 c. milk
1/2 c. plus 2 T. finely grated Parmesan
6 T. chopped Italian parsley, divided
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 large egg
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground chicken or turkey
1/2 lb. ground beef
grated Pecorino Romano, opt.

In a large bowl toss the bread cubes with milk to re-hydrate. Stir in the Parmesan, 4 tablespoons parsley, salt, pepper, onion and garlic that have been finely minced in a food processor, and egg. When thoroughly combined, stir in the meat. Using a small ice cream scoop, gently form the meat mixture into balls and place on a lightly greased rimmed baking sheet. (Packing the meat mixture too tightly together will result in tough meatballs). Place in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the meatballs are just done. Do not over bake. Serve immediately or cool completely and refrigerate until ready to use. If you are preparing the meatballs to use at a later time, freeze them on the baking dish and package them when frozen. Use within 6 weeks. Just defrost and warm in the oven. Serve topped with Arrabiata Sauce, Pecorino Romano cheese, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley.

Note: This sauce is very spicy on its own, but combined with the meatballs, Pecorino Romano cheese, and parsley, the amount of hot is perfect.

Arrabiata (Spicy Red) Sauce:

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. finely chopped yellow onion
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. red wine (I like Pinot Noir)
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. chopped fresh basil
3-oz. tomato paste (half a small can) (I use Cento brand)
1-28oz. can crushed or peeled San Marzano tomatoes (Use cans of Italian tomatoes, like Cento brand, if possible. And yes, there really is a difference!)

Heat olive oil in a medium-large heavy sauce pan. Add onion and cook until transparent. (Don’t let the onion brown.) Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about a minute or until the garlic smells aromatic. Add the salt, pepper, and wine. Let wine cook until it is all absorbed. Stir in the brown sugar, basil, and tomato paste. Finally add the can of crushed tomatoes and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and gently simmer uncovered for about 30-40 minutes. Adjust seasoning.

Not only is this sauce perfect drizzled over Italian Meatballs, it is amazing poured over pasta. Serve with grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese.

ITALIAN CASSEROLE WITH SAUSAGE, MUSHROOMS, AND SOUR CREAM

I believe I have told you numerous times that I am lazy. Some people don’t think of me as lazy, but I’ve just got them fooled. For example, take this fake lasagna recipe. It looks and tastes like I have been slaving away in the kitchen for hours. Anyone who has ever prepared true lasagna knows that it takes hours to prepare. There’s the meat sauce, then the cheeses, then those darling lasagna noodles. And if you are really into a truly decadent lasagna, not only is there a red sauce, there’s a béchamel sauce. Now granted, none of these sauces are difficult to assemble. But add up all the time it takes to prepare each step, and you are talking about an all afternoon project. And granted, sometimes I make an honest to goodness, over the top lasagna. But for those times when I don’t want to spend 4 hours playing in the kitchen but still want a rich, creamy and luscious casserole, I make my dear buddy Margo’s recipe. And all kidding aside, it is one of the tastiest Italian casseroles you will ever meet. The sauce and the cheeses work together to cover the egg noodles in a gooey dressing that just melts in your mouth. Serve this with a Caesar salad, a warm crusty baguette or my Soft Breadsticks, and a bottle of your favorite rich red wine, and I promise you all thoughts of lasagna noodles will evaporate as fast as cookies in an office break room! Thanks again Margo for this wonderful recipe.

1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. bulk Italian Sausage (or half ground beef and half Italian sausage)
10-12 medium mushrooms, sliced
2 clove garlic, minced
1 jar (or 2 ½ c.) marinara sauce (I use Paul Newman’s Marinara Sauce – I told you I was lazy!)
8-oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 pint sour cream (2 cups)
½ c. grated Parmesan cheese
8 green onions, chopped
1 lb. grated Mozzarella cheese
12-oz. (4 c. uncooked) thick egg noodles, cooked al dente (I use Country Pasta – Homemade Style Egg Pasta I buy in the 64-oz. package from Costco) OR rice pasta for a wonderful GF casserole
2 T. minced fresh parsley

Heat olive oil in a large fry pan. Add the sausage and sauté until very brown, breaking up the pieces as it cooks. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute or until the garlic releases its aroma. Pour in the marinara sauce and let gently burble for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Meanwhile combine the room temperature cream cheese, sour cream, Parmesan, green onions, and mozzarella cheese. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Scoop about a half cup of the marinara sauce mixture into the bottom of the pan. Layer with half of the cooked noodles, half of the marinara sauce, and half of the cream cheese mixture. Repeat. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

(As you can see from the picture, there is no fresh parsley sprinkled on top. Oh I had the parsley all chopped and happily residing in my refrigerator. But in all my last minute frantic efforts to get the meal out for yesterday’s pre JazzVox concert lunch, the parsley was forgotten. Of course the lack of a parsley garnish didn’t stop anyone from eating the casserole, but I sure felt like a dummy when I realized what I had done. Not the first time I have left off that final touch, and considering that I am only getting older and less likely to remember even the most mundane of tasks, I’m sure it won’t be the last. I could mention the salad I forgot to serve for our New Year’s Eve late night buffet, but why bother you with even more evidence that I’m not playing with my full set of Cutco knives, circa 1964, any longer!)

ITALIAN SAUSAGE SOUP WITH LENTILS, CHARD, AND GARLIC

Based on a recipe from Adam Roberts, this soup is the answer to how to stay warm and feel special during our long, gray, wet winters. It is very easy and reasonably inexpensive to prepare. Add to this the fact that it is really delicious, and you have a winner.

For a greater understanding of why we who live in the beautiful Pacific NW need soups like this one so desperately in our lives, please read my definitions of the various and numerous types of precipitation we experience on an almost daily basis:

Patti’s Perception of Precipitation – based on the novel Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg (great read by-the-way)

Misty Moisty – really just fog, but get’s you wet and cold none-the-less

Mist – more than fog, but less than sprinkle (also known as Oregon Mist except in Oregon where it’s referred to as Washington Mist)

Sprinkle – You don’t really need an umbrella, but wish you had one none-the-less

Drizzle – just goes on and on but really doesn’t affect the water table, just your mood

Chance of Rain – definitely carry your umbrella because you know there’s a good chance you’re going to get wet

Rain (aka – Standard Number 1 Wash) – relentless precipitation with no end in sight! Often accompanied by gray skies. (Renowned for driving newcomers out of their minds and/or out of state!)

Horizontal Rain – guaranteed to percolate inside all forms of outerwear!

Downpour – you are sure to get soaked between your car and the door to the grocery store

Le Deluge – you can count on a good soaking just getting out of your car!

Hail – pellets of frozen rain – you get beat up walking (don’t even think of running) from your car to the grocery store entrance

Sleet – pellets of ice often mixed with rain or snow – you get beat up and wet walking from your car to the grocery store entrance

Chance of Snow – the forecast that allows employees to leave work early, schools to consider sending our darlings home early, and sends most of the general public to the grocery store in a panic over possibly being house bound for 2-3 hours

Snow – atmospheric water vapor frozen into ice crystals and falling in light white flakes or lying on the ground as a white layer. FYI: Even the forecast of snow puts western Washington inhabitants on full alert. It doesn’t help that the threat of snow is always presented with a solemn countenance by our TV station authorities. Even the word “snow” can cause normally intelligent people to act in an irrational manner. And then there are the morons who feel they know all about driving in the snow. (They are the maniacs who truly believe that four wheel drive vehicles were designed to stop on a dime, even when the vehicle is traveling downhill!)

Some or All of the Above – (most common forecast) Just means that you need to carry an umbrella, make provisions for your children if they have to come home from school early, be prepared with an alternative commuting plan, go to the store the night before, have an extra supply of warm cloths at work, carry granola bars in your purse or backpack, and make sure your smart phone is fully charged.

Hopefully this has helped you understand more about the types of precipitation we experience in the Pacific NW. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to keep them to yourself. I am not a meteorologist; I have just lived in this area for a very long time and know enough to look outside if I really want to know what the weather is doing!

½ c. extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 lb. bulk Italian sausage
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 carrots, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into half-moons
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced, opt.
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper (not too much)
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, opt.
4 minced garlic cloves, divided
1 c. brown lentils, rinsed and drained
2 bay leaves
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
6 c. water
3 to 4 c. shredded or thinly sliced Swiss chard or kale leaves
grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a large covered soup pot over medium heat. When hot, add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon and cooked until it is very brown. Remove half of the sausage and set aside. To the remaining sausage in the pan add the onion, celery, carrots, fennel, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cook until the vegetables soften a bit, about 5 minutes. Add half of the garlic and cook for one minute or until the garlic releases its aroma. Add the lentils, bay leaves, tomatoes, and water. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat, cover pan, and simmer gently until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes. Stir periodically during cooking process. (It might be necessary to add more water if the soup gets too thick.) When the lentils are tender, add the chard and reserved Italian sausage. Adjust seasoning.

Cook for an additional 5-8 minutes or until the chard is soft.

Pour remaining ¼ cup olive oil in a small pan. Add remaining 2 garlic cloves and warm over medium heat until the garlic sizzles and softens.

Remove from heat. Serve soup in individual bowls drizzled with a small amount of the hot oil and a sprinkling of Pecorino Romano cheese. Wonderful served with baguette slices that have been buttered, sprinkled with granulated garlic and dried oregano and toasted for about 6-8 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE SOUP

OK, we didn’t have any kind of soup like this in Italy on our recent trip. But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t learn a few culinary tricks along the way! For example, white wine is used a lot in Italy to deglaze a pan. Fennel is very popular in Italian cooking. And red pepper flakes are about as common as mayonnaise on a tuna sandwich in the states! And even though tomatoes are used extensively in Italian cuisine, they aren’t always the star of the show. They seem to be content to appear as just another ingredient lending a depth of flavor to whatever dish they grace with their presence. Same with basil. Basil doesn’t need to be the center of attention or present a distinct flavor in Italian dishes either. In fact, you might not even be able to detect its notes of subtle anise-like flavor.

I think in one of my posts I mentioned that Italian cooks are subtlety experts. They almost never beat you over the head with any one flavor. So when I was considering what to cook for my father-in-law for lunch today, I thought I might have a go at updating one of my favorite soups from my second cookbook. The few simple changes I made worked and the soup turned out great. And the best part, the soup is easy to prepare, economical and tastes like it’s been simmering for hours. The fact that it’s low in fat doesn’t hurt either!

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. Italian chicken sausage (I like Isernio brand) or 1 lb. Italian pork sausage
1 ½ c. chopped celery
½ large onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
½ tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
¼ c. white wine (I use Pinot Grigio)
14.5 oz. Italian diced or crushed tomatoes
1 T. tomato paste
1 qt. chicken broth
2 bay leaves
½ tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ c. chopped fresh parsley
½ small zucchini, diced
½ c. dry pasta, cooked al dente (I use orechiette)
1/3 c. chopped fresh basil
grated Parmesan, opt.
Garlic Toast, opt. (see recipe below)

Heat olive oil in a heavy lidded soup pot. Add the sausage, breaking into bite size pieces as it browns. Add the celery, onion, and fennel and cook until veggies are tender. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper; cook for one minute. Pour in the wine and cook until the liquid has been absorbed. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken stock, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, and parsley. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Just before ready to serve, add zucchini and let simmer for about 5 minutes or until the zucchini is tender, but not mushy. Add the cooked pasta and fresh basil; serve immediately. Pass grated Parmesan cheese and Garlic Toast (see recipe below) for dipping in the soup.

GARLIC TOAST

baguette slices
extra virgin olive oil
1 whole garlic clove, peeled

Place baguette slices on a baking sheet. In moderation, baste both sides of the baguette slices with olive oil and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the slices are very crisp and brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and rub the top of each slice with the whole garlic clove. (Because the toast is crisp, the fresh garlic just kind of melts into the hot surface of the bread.) Delish served with this soup, or almost any other soup for that matter!

MARTINIS AND CASTELVETRANO GREEN OLIVES

While I have been offering up my take on some of the fantastic food we experienced in Italy and implied ad nauseam how great Italian chefs are, I should in all fairness tell you about one thing most Italian restaurateurs and bartenders don’t have a clue how to prepare. And that my dear friends, is a martini. That’s right! A simple Tanqueray martini – very dry, shaken not stirred, up with one olive. (Really, can any drink be more cosmopolitan or easy to fix?)

But having experienced some horrible martinis before on our travels, (the worst of which was a martini prepared in New Zealand – 1 part cheap gin, 3 parts red vermouth) I was, I think understandably, a little leery about ordering a martini our first night in Rome. But darn, I wanted a “safe arrival” drink before we set off for dinner.

So I put on my most sophisticated face and boldly ordered a martini the way I always order a martini in the states. (After all, we were in Rome, at a lovely small hotel that caters to overseas tourists! My request should have been as ordinary as asking if I could exchange the rock they gave me for a pillow for something that actually had a little give when I laid my head down. But that’s a story for another time!)

After I told the nice gentleman attending the bar what I wanted he just stared at me. Now I know he spoke English because he was the same person who had, not 2 hours before, checked us in. So I decided to help him out. I told him exactly how to prepare my drink. By the look on his face I could tell he was absolutely horrified by my instructions, but by golly, when he brought me my drink (about a triple) it was perfectly mixed. What he didn’t get right however, was the “one olive” in the drink part. What he brought instead was my drink (sans olive) and a bowl of olives! (Mr. C had been smart. He had ordered Scotch on the rocks. Again, at least a triple!) So we clinked glasses, said “cheers” and proceeded to sip our drinks and do a little itinerary planning in the cozy library of the hotel.

So here we are our first night in Italy, having only arrived that afternoon, hungry, very short on sleep and very long on potent drinks in front of us. Oh, and of course, a big old bowl of olives.

Now, I love olives. (Mr. C likes them, but he isn’t really the olive nut that I am!) So I lit into those olives like I hadn’t eaten in days. I bit into the first one, and just could not believe how wonderful it tasted. (Now granted, I was really hungry. But I’ve been hungry before and still been able to discern good from amazing!) And these good sized olives were truly amazing! They were a distinctive bright green, slightly crunchy, with a meaty, buttery flesh. They had just the right amount of salt and not even a hint of bitterness. In other words, they were perfect, the best olives I had ever tasted!

It turns out these olives are Italy’s number one snack olive. They are often referred to as “dolce” (meaning “sweet” in Italian), and are produced exclusively in Castelvetrano, Sicily, from the olive variety known as nocerella del belice. So needless to say I looked for them everywhere we went. I actually snuck a jar home with us believing that I would not be able to find these little darlings in the Seattle area. But low and behold my favorite place to buy imported foods (PFI – Pacific Food Importers) sells them in bulk. (Thank you God!) And although I have not looked for Mezzetta brand Castelvetrano jarred olives in my local grocery stores, I think larger more upscale stores carry them.

So do yourself a favor. Give these beautiful green gems a try. They are simply wonderful.

And in case you’re wondering, we did make it to dinner that night, even after finishing every last drop of our drinks. But I’m sure glad the restaurant we chose (with the hotel’s help) was within easy walking distance. Because running on very little sleep, a very large before dinner drink, and a big meal, we were literally holding each other up by the time we got back to our hotel. Jet lag, what jet lag?

Photo – Castelvetrano green olives on an antipasto platter

SPAGHETTI WITH FRESH CLAMS AND MUSSELS

While we were in Italy, Mr. C and I shared many wonderful pasta dishes. Since we were in southern Italy, home to some of the best seafood you could ever hope to taste, many of the pasta dishes we ate contained seafood, especially shellfish. The dishes were simple with no one flavor overwhelming any of the others. Each dish was a perfect marriage of ingredients.

But before I go any further about the joys of eating seafood in Italy or sharing with you my spin on a classic Italian seafood pasta dish, I have one small confession about Italian cuisine that I need to share with you. There is one shrimp preparation that I doubt either Mr. C or I will ever be able to fully appreciate.

raw shrimp

In Italy shrimp are often deep fried or added to dishes still wearing the suits they were given at birth. In other words, the heads are still on, the skeletal bodies (including the icky little “legs”) are intact, and even the thread like feelers are left on to make the desirability of eating one of these critters even that much less appealing. And then to add insult to injury, Italian chefs tend to cook the hell out the little darlings. So what remains is an almost desiccated carcass in an inpenetrable and unappetizing casing. It leaves me wondering how a country that prides itself, and in almost every other way produces some of the best food in the world, can turn what should be a succulent treat into what Mr. C and I consider an inedible, is nothing short of savagery. But then, in all honesty, we don’t really know how to eat the clothed shrimp either. We watched others seem to enjoy biting off the little heads and (I’ll leave this part to your imagination), but we just could not embrace the whole “alla naturale” experience. But that’s OK. Every other seafood dish we tried was excellent. Just proves not everyone can love every dish they taste, even if it’s an Italian dish! But enough about shrimp and the fact that we prefer our shrimp scantily clad! Back to mussels and clams.

Like I said, we enjoyed clams, mussels and pasta several different times during our time in Italy. In some cases the sauce was more like a marinara, while in a few instances there was no evidence of tomato at all. But often, just to provide a lovely splash of color, a few cherry tomatoes were added just at the last moment. I learned to look forward to those warm, still semi-raw taste treats. I hope you learn to love them too.

And finally, don’t be surprised if I don’t post any recipes for fried shrimp. It just ain’t going to happen!

3 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 medium sized shallots, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 c. white wine (I use Pinot Grigio)
1 c. vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
3/4 lb. fresh clams, cleaned
3/4 lb. fresh mussels, cleaned
8-oz. spaghetti, cooked al dente
2 T. butter, room temperature
2 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley
8 cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half, opt.

In a large skillet or saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and sauté until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper; cook for about a minute or until the garlic is aromatic. Add the wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Stir in the broth, red pepper flakes, clams and mussels. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook until all the shellfish have opened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Discard any unopened shellfish.

Using tongs lift the al dente pasta out of the cooking water and add to the pan. Add the butter, parsley and tomatoes; toss until all of the pasta is coated. Adjust seasoning and serve immediately.

NOCCIOLATA

I tasted a cookie very much like the Nocciolata you see above on our recent trip to Italy. It was on the Isle of Capri. The Nocciolata on Capri however were formed into round balls and studded with whole hazelnuts. Absolutely delicious!

When we returned home I wanted to duplicate those amazing cookies. But do you think I could find any recipe on the Internet that came even remotely close to what I tasted that day? Heck no! So although the following recipe below is for a bar cookie, the taste is as close as I can come to the Niccolata I fell in love with on Capri.

I have always prided myself on not only preparing delicious food, but serving it in an attractive manner. To my thinking presentation is a very important aspect of the whole culinary experience. But sometimes, call it a momentary loss of good karma, or whatever other term you prefer to use to describe that moment in time when the world alignment seems to shift and you are caught in the fallout. That is just what happened to me yesterday afternoon and why the picture of my Nocciolata looks a little less than presentable. Heck, the cookies don’t even look edible, much less presentable! But there is an explanation and I feel duty bound to share it with you. (They say confession is good for the soul. Plus, I really don’t want you to think that I make a habit of taking cookies to share with others that look like the picture above!)

Every Tuesday we have a rehearsal that starts at 7:00pm in Seattle. And yesterday, we had three stops to make on our way into town. That meant that we had to leave the house by 2:00pm. OK, my ears heard what Mr. C. told me at breakfast about what time we had to leave that afternoon, but apparently my brain was not paying close enough attention (not a rare occurrence anymore). So I blithely went about my day finishing my blog post on Italian Bean Soup, answering a few emails, and starting a batch of Nocciolata to share with the gang at rehearsal. At about 1:10pm the cookies weren’t quite ready to be put in the oven when Mr. C. reminded me of the time. I panicked. I hadn’t had lunch, hadn’t practiced my music, hadn’t put on my head (not an easy task at my age) or changed my cloths. Basically I was about an hour behind.

So I quickly finished preparing the cookies, got them in the oven, slammed down some soup, put on my head and changed my cloths. By 1:55pm, after having just taken the cookies out of the oven, I headed downstairs with my purse and the hot pan of cookies (complete with two bulky pot holders). And of course because I was on fast forward, I thought I could hold my purse, and the cookies, open the basement door and push the garage door opener in one elegant and smooth movement. (Setting the cookies down on the entrance table would have caused a 10 second delay you see.)

Well all went well until I caught the edge of the cookie pan on the door. And in what seemed like 30 seconds (why do these sort of things always look like they are in slow motion?) the pan had flown out of my hands and landed on the carpet in our hallway with half the cookies on the floor. So I did what any intelligent, totally together woman would do under the circumstances. I screamed at the top of my lungs.

This brought Mr. C. running at full tilt down the stairs to see if I was OK. When he arrived and found that I had not broken anything and there was no blood, he proved to me once again why he is the best husband in the world. Instead of yelling at me for screaming and causing him to react in a manner that might have caused him bodily injury, he quietly said “oh honey, I’m sorry about the cookies. Are you OK”?

Am I OK? No, I’m not OK! I’m a raving idiot. Who in their right mind screams over something as insignificant as spilled cookies? But I was so frustrated with myself, that had I not screamed, I’m quite sure my head would have exploded. Really!

So we cleaned up the mess, put the pan with the remaining cookies in the car, and off we went. For the next 15 minutes I verbally berated myself for being such a dunce. By the time I calmed down, we were both laughing. I at my bizarre behavior, and Mr. C. because he said he had never heard me make a sound like that before.

Moral of the story: Getting through life with your sanity intact involves learning to forgive yourself even when you sometimes act like a darn fool. That husbands who still love you even when you react as stupidly as I did yesterday are worth all the flour and sugar in the greater Puget Sound area. And last but not least, people will eat homemade cookies even if they look like hell!

1 1/2 c. shelled hazelnuts
2 1/2 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until fragrant and the skins begin to flake. Remove from oven and place the hot nuts in a clean dish towel. Roll up the towel and let the nuts sit (steam) for about ten minutes and then rub the nuts in the towel briskly to remove as much of the skin as possible. (Some skin will be left on the nuts. Not too worry.) Let them cool completely and then chop into fairly small pieces.

Take about a fifth of the huts and whirl them in a food processor until they are finely ground. Do not make a paste out of the nuts, but you want them very finely chopped.

In a large bowl combine the flour and sugar. Pour in the melted butter and combine the mixture well. (I use a standard old fashioned table knife to stir the ingredients. No mixer required.) Stir in the finely and the coarsely chopped nuts. The mixture will be stiff. Gently pat dough into a buttered 9×13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until nicely browned. (This is one cookie you do not want to undercook! It should be kind of crumbly when you eat it, and only sufficient baking time is going to help create the perfect texture.) Remove from oven and cut into squares while the bars are still warm. Allow to cool completely before serving.

CHEZ CARR CUISINE

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