Tag Archives: italian food

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

One of the many things I love about cooking is that inspiration can come from the most unlikely places. My inspiration for this recipe came from my health club. Yes, you heard that right, my trainer had just returned from a trip to Rome and brought back with her bags of the most amazing chocolate chip biscotti. These crispy little biscuits were so delicious, I was charged with creating a version as close to the original as possible. I’m sharing my version of chocolate chip biscotti, here are a few tips : italians typically use their “00” flour for baking. This flour is low gluten and very fine, used in Italy for making pasta and sweets. If you can’t find type “00” flour use pastry flour or all purpose flour. It will have a slightly different texture. It’s very important to use a high quality chocolate. I like chopping my own chocolate . These biscotti are crispy and not too sweet. You will be transported to Italy with each bite. This is a cookie you will always want on hand.

From by the bay, wishing you crispy biscotti memories!

Maryann

blog-choco-biscotti

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups flour ( use type “00” flour if available)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup sugar, plus extract to sprinkle on top
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons sambuca
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup good quality dark chocolate, chopped coarsely
  • 3/4 cup blanched almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions

Heat oven to 350° F.  Place almonds on a baking sheet and toasted in the oven for approximately 8 minutes as they start to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. Coarsely cut and set aside. In a bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Place aside.  In a stand mixer, oil and 3/4 cup sugar together. Add the eggs and continue to mix. Add sambuca, and vanilla. Add flour until combined.  Add toasted almonds and chocolate. Mix to combine. Cut the dough in half and roll into two logs, each approximately 2 inches wide and 12 inches long. Place logs side by side 3 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the top of the logs with extra sugar. Bake on center rack for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Take the logs out of the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Use a serrated knife and cut into 3/4  inch slices. Place cookies on baking sheet cut side up in oven and bake for 10 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. Store in an air tight container for 1 week.

Broccoli Rabe Pesto with Grilled Shrimp and Bread

This dish highlights the bold flavor of broccoli rabe with it’s nutty and distinctive bitter taste, that is much loved in southern italian cooking. I love broccoli rabe not only for the taste , but also that it’s packed with loads of vitamin C and A as well as potassium, while being low in calories. So this delicious and light dish features an easy pesto , grilled shrimp and bread kicked up with some red chili flakes for a little heat. It’s perfect light, delicious and vibrant colored meal!

From by the bay wishing you a bold broccoli rabe  food memories!

Maryann

 

blog grilled shrimp

Broccoli Rabe Pesto with Grilled Shrimp and Bread

Serves 4 

Ingredients 

  • 1 bunch broccoli rabe, tough lower stems removed
  • 1/2 cup olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
  • 1/4 cup slice almonds nuts, toasted
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish
  • fine grey sea salt
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 1 loaf ciabatta bread
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
  • High-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing (optional)

Directions

In a resealable plastic bag add shrimp, 1 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon lemon zest. Let shrimp marinade in refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Set up a bowl of well-salted ice water. Cook the broccoli rabe in the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes and then immediately plunge in the salted ice water. This will prevent the broccoli rabe from being overcooked and will set the lovely green color.

Drain the broccoli rabe and squeeze out any excess water. Pull out about 1/2 cup of the broccoli rabe, especially the florets and set aside. Place the remaining broccoli rabe  ( approximately 1 cup) in the bowl of a food processor and puree until it is a coarse paste. Add 1/2 cup olive oil, almonds, lemon zest, lemon juice and parmigiano and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning salt and pepper to taste. Serve room temperature.

In a small bowl add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, minced garlic and red chili flakes and mix. Cut the ciabatta bread length-wise in half and brush the inside with the olive oil mixture.

Prepare grill . Remove shrimp from marinade and cook until the shrimp turns pink, about 1 1/2 minute on each side depending on the heat of the grill. Remove shrimp and place bread on the grill , cut side with olive oil past down and grill until toasted brown. Remove from grill.

To serve dish add shrimp , cover with broccoli rabe pesto and cut bread into slices arranging around the shrimp and pesto. Drizzle with a little olive oil before serving.

 

Note: This could also be make on stove top in a grill pan. Heat a tablespoon of  olive oil to cook shrimp on both sides until pink and then grill bread face down in pan until toasted.

 

Tip: When buying broccoli rabe look for bright green and crisp leaves. Never buy with any yellow leaves.

Caramelized Onion and Fennel Focaccia

A onion fennel focaccia 012

Caramelized Onion and Fennel Focaccia

 

Dough:

  • 1 tablespoon fine sugar
  • 1 ½ cups very hot water
  • 1 package yeast
  • 3 cups flour plus flour for kneading ( ½- 1 cup)
  • Spray cooking oil

 

Topping:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 large Vidalia onion thinly sliced
  • 1 cup fennel thinly sliced
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon fennel seed
  • ½ cup grated gruyere cheese
  •  ½ teaspoon Grey sea salt to top bread

 

Directions to make dough:

 

In a bowl dissolve sugar in 1 ½ cup hot water, then add the yeast cover with a towel and set aside for 10 minutes. The mixture should start to foam. Add 3 cups of flour mix and turn dough onto floured surface. Put some flour on top of the dough and on your hands and knead for about 5 minutes. As you work the dough add enough flour to make the dough less tacky. After kneading, spray a bowl with cooking oil. Place dough into bowl. Spray the top of dough with more cooking oil spray. Cover the bowl with a moist dishtowel and place to the side to rise for 1 1/2hr. The dough should be double in size. Punch the dough down. Take a non stick rimmed cooking sheet 9” x 13”, spray lightly with cooking oil and spread dough out to the size of the pan. Cover with damp dishtowel and let rise again for 30 minutes.

 

Directions to make topping:

 

Take a sauté pan to medium flame add butter. To melted butter add the sliced onions and fennel, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper and cook until brown and caramelized stirring frequently not to burn, approximately 15 minutes. Add the fennel seed and let cool.

 

Directions to bake bread:

 

Preheat over to 425F , take the cooking sheet with dough and using finger tips press into the dough making dimples. Spread the onion fennel mixture over the top leaving 1 inch not covered around the perimeter of the pan. Next added the grated cheese and the grey sea salt. Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm or room temperature.

Cranberry and Pecan Biscotti


a CHOCO BISCOTTI

 

Cranberry and Pecan Biscotti

24 cookies

½ cup unsalted butter

1 tablespoon shortening (Crisco)

3 eggs

1 cup fine granulated  sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup dried cranberries

½ cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using an electric mixer , beat together butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add sugar and mix well. Add eggs one at a time and mix. Add vanilla and cinnamon until well blended. Add the flour , baking powder and salt. Mix well until the dough is smooth. Using a spoon, mix in the cranberries and pecans. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide into two. Shape each half of the dough  into a log approximately 2 inch high x 12 inches long.  Place the logs on to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes on a baking rack. Place on a cutting board and using a serrated knife slice each log on the diagonal  into 12 pieces approximately 1 inch thick. Place the pieces back on to the baking sheet and bake 5-8  minutes, turn the slices to the other side and bake another 5-8  minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Store cookies in an air tight container.

 

Napa Memories – Celebrating the Grape Harvest with Food

Blog nappa grapes

 

 

It’s end of September and time for the grape harvest and crush. It’s time to celebrate the harvest especially for wine lovers. But there is way to engage those who don’t have a passion for wine and still celebrate the harvest, simply cook with grapes.  I find that outside a fruit salad it’s not often you find grapes in your food. When I was a buyer at Saks Fifth Avenue , I had the good fortune to work in Florence several times a year.  No matter what time of the year I went, I was always looking forward to some seasonal food that would be available. It’s how I would bench mark my trips. Each morning I would walk from the hotel to the buying office. Along the way,  I would pass many pasticceria shops and in the fall they would all have grape schiacciata. Many days when I arrived to the office, I would be asking about how to prepare something from dinner the previous evening or did they have a recipe for something I had just seen in the pasticceria shop. My first recipe is a verison of the grape schiacciata shared with me from one of those trips. Another recipe  is a twist on a another classic dish from Tuscany called salisicca all’ uva – sausage and grapes. Instead of pan frying , I am roasting them in the oven along with onion, rosemary, thyme and balsamic vinegar. Terrific for dinner with mashed potatoes or for breakfast along with some great country bread. Give these recipes a try and celebrate!

From by the bay, wishing you grape filled food memories! Maryann blog grape bread Grape Breakfast Schiacciata

Serves 8

 

Dough

3 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 package instant yeast

1 tablespoon fine sea salt

1 tablespoon fine sugar, plus extra for topping

1 ¼ cup warm water (110F)

2 tablespoons olive oil,

Cooking oil spray for bowl and baking sheet

Topping

1 cup red grapes, halfed

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Mix the flour, yeast and 1 tablespoon salt in a food processor. With motor running add warm water to make a soft dough that forms a ball. If the dough is a little too sticky add a little more flour, too dry add a little water. Process another minute until smooth. Place in an oiled bowl and shape into a ball. Cover with a damp towel leave to rise at room temperature for an hour. The dough should be double in size. Punch the dough down. Take a non stick rimmed cooking sheet 9” x 13”. Spray sheet lightly with cooking oil and spread dough out to the size of the pan. Cover with damp dishtowel and let rise again for 30 minutes. Preheat over to 425 degrees F. Make bread topping by combining all ingredients. Take a brush and spread the oil from fruit mixture all over the top them add the fruit, pressing into the dough. Finally, sprinkle additional sugar on the top of the dough. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a board to serve either hot or at room temperature.

blog roast grape sausage

Roasted Sausages and Grapes  with Herbs Serves 4 1 1/2 pounds sweet sausage 3 cups seedless red seedless grapes 1 bay leave 2 sprigs rosemary 2 sprigs thyme 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar seas salt and freshly ground pepper Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a baking dish add the sausage , grapes and garlic in a a baking dish in a single layer. Add the rosemary, thyme and bay leave , then drizzle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top. Season with salt and pepper. Toss all together and then place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove baking dish  and turn sausages and place back in the oven for another 15 minutes, until the sausages are browned and cooked and grapes and onions so soft. Remove from oven and serve  with bread or mashed potatoes.

Mom’s Red Clam Sauce


My sister Nancy decided this was the weekend for elective surgery on her elbow. I had some time off and could help take care of her. My mom also offered to take care of her little girl. The surgery went well and the recovery was moving along. I thought I would make the most of a weekend shut in by taking the opportunity to cook with Mom one of our favorite comfort food sauces – red clam sauce. This was a sauce which both my mom and grandmother would cook for the family. My mom’s parents were both from Greece. They loved cooking seafood. When they settled in the United States it was in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn so that they could be close to the water. My grandfather was a sailor in his youth, he traveled often to the ports of both Italy and Greece and this is where he learnt to cook. This recipe is from the days of his youth on a carrier ship. Once my grandfather settled with his family in Brooklyn he would go down to the docks for clams and bring them home to be prepared. My grandmother would put up a big pot of this red clam sauce for their large family and their frequent visitors. By the time my mom was making the sauce, she opted for going to the fishmonger to buy shucked clams. Thankfully, this is how I’m preparing the sauce this weekend. Mom and I enjoyed out time discussing the recipe and making it. Perhaps even more important was how wonderful it was to be flooded with happy and loving memories that just tasting this sauce brought back to all three of us!

 
From by the bay, wishing you the happiest of food memories!
Maryann
 
blog clam sauce
 
Red Clam Sauce
Serves 6
 
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 bottle clam juice
2 cups water
3 springs fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 pound shucked and chopped clams
1 dozen littleneck clams, cleaned
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
 
In a large pot heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and saute the onion until soft, about 5 minutes. To the onion add tomato paste and mix well. Add the tomatoes, water, clam juice, fresh thyme , dried thyme, oregano and pepper. Bring to a boil , reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes partially covered. Stir the sauce occasionally as it simmers. After the 30 minutes add the cleaned littleneck clams to the sauce and cook until opened. In the meantime, in a skillet heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the chopped clams cooking a few minutes. Add the cooked clams and juices into the sauce. Simmer a few more minutes , taste and if needed add the sea salt and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Serve with cooked linguine, spaghetti or bucatini immediately. 
 
Enjoy!
 
 
 

Goat Milk Braised Pork Loin

 

This recipe is adapted from a meal I shared at a friend’s home outside of Florence many years ago. It started my love for the herb rosemary. I had never had meat braised in milk before and  as an inexperienced american it seemed odd to me, but it was so delicious. The milk creates a lovely gravy after braising. Over the years I have evolved the recipe by adding onions for another dimension of flavor and by trying goat milk . Although this dish works great with cow’s milk, I find the results with goat milk to be slightly sweeter and makes for a creamier gravy. This is probably a matter of personal preference.  Either way this is recipe that is simple to make and big on taste.

From by the bay, wishing you milky food memories,
Maryann

Goat Milk Braised Pork Loin

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

3 lb boneless pork loin roast

2 mediume vidalia onions, peeled and thinly sliced

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 cups organic goat milk or cow’s milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
optional: garnish with gremolata – recipe below

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. In dutch oven heat butter and oil on stove until hot, add the pork loin and brown on all sides. Remove from pan and place to side. In same pot please add the onions and sauté until soft, add back the pork, add rosemary and milk. Cover and place into the oven for two hours, stirring occasionally. Let pork rest slice and serve with onion and milk gravy. Garnish with gremolata.

Gremolata

Ingredients
1/2 cup italian parsley, finely chopped
1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Directions
In a bowl add parsley and minced garlic. Into this bowl finely zest the lemon. Add salt and mix. Refrigerate until ready to use. This can be used to compliment veal, pork or fish.

Orecchiette with Cavolo Nero Pesto

blog kale

Many years ago in Florence I discovered cavolo nero. It started when a good friend of mine took me to one of her favorite little places to eat  ” Il Ristorante Cavolo Nero” on Via Guelfa  , translation black cabbage. For many years cavolo nero  was not readily available in the United States. Today,  with kale coming into it’s own as one of the healthiest foods, it’s possible to find. Here in the U.S. it goes by many names such as tuscan or black or dinosaur or lacinato kale. The leaves are a dark blue green and are sweeter and more delicate then other varieties of kale. When the leaves are blanched they become a beautiful vibrant green which makes a wonderful pesto. The pesto can be used as a crostini – topping grilled bread with a littel creamy ricotta cheese , some pesto and a little freshly grated parmigiano cheese or as a  delicious and easy pasta dish. You’ll definitely enjoy the pure simplicity of this pesto as well as the bright color and flavor!From by the bay, wishing you cavolo nero food memories!
Maryann

blog kale pesto

Cavolo Nero Pesto

Ingredients

2 small bunches cavolo nero, trimmed
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 /2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add cavolo nero and garlic; cook until bright green, 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.  Place the cavolo nero and garlic in a food processor; pulse to a purée. Pour in the oil while pulsing to form a pesto; transfer to a large bowl and mix in the sea salt.

blog kale pasta

 

Orecchiette with Cavolo Nero Pesto

Ingredients

1 recipe Cavolo Nero Pesto
1 pound dried orecchiette
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
1/2 cup grated pecorino
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

 

Directions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil; add orecchiette and cook according to package directions. Drain the pasta and add to bowl of pesto. Fold in parmigiano-reggiano and pecorino and salt and pepper. Serve immediately.