Pasta con Pomodori

Pasta con Pomodori

Serves 4-6

A special thank you to Rita and Mike for introducing me to this great dish.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (as needed)

2 lbs cherry tomatoes, cut into halves

4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed

1/3 cup of bread crumbs

1/2 cup of grated Pecorino cheese, and more for service

1 lb of Ziti or Penne

1/4 cup of reserved pasta water

Liberally oil a medium sized baking dish, or lasagna pan.

Place the tomato halves cut side down.

Evenly add the thyme leaves, grated cheese, and bread crumbs.

Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes, until tomatoes begin to fall apart.

During the last 8 minutes of baking, add your pasta to boiling salted water.

When the pasta is done, drain, making sure to save 1/4 cup of pasta water.

Fold the cooked pasta into the tomatoes, add the reserved water and a little more olive oil if desired.

Serve immediately with a nice crusty bread and have extra grated cheese on the table.

You can season with black or red pepper to taste.

This dish can be garnished with fresh chopped Italian parsley or basil.

Limoncello

Limoncello

Home-made recipe yields 1 quart

Part 1

Zest from 5 Lemons, Meyer lemons if possible

1 Pint of your favorite vodka

The first part of this recipe takes from two weeks to one month to process for maximum flavor.

With a zesting tool or sharp knife, peel the yellow zest from the lemons, being careful to avoid the white flesh, as this white flesh is bitter.

Cut the peel into thin strips.

Transfer the peel into a clean bottle and cover with the vodka. Make sure the peels are completely covered.

Seal the bottle and place in a cool dark place for two weeks to one month. Every now and then gently shake the bottle.

Part 2

Simple Syrup

2 cups, 1 oz sugar

1 pint water

To make the simple syrup, bring the water and sugar to a boil in a stainless steel bowl.

Simmer for five minutes, making sure to stir while it is simmering.

Remove from heat and let cool.

Filter the vodka and lemon mixture through a cheese cloth or fine mesh strainer, then combine the vodka with the simple syrup and pour the entire mixture into a larger clean bottle or two smaller bottles.

Chill or freeze. You are now ready to enjoy.

You can save the zest as a garnish for desserts and salads or you may add the zests into a bottle of grappa.

Classic Caesar Salad

Classic Caesar Salad

Serves Four

This recipe was first developed in the 1960s by a chef in Acapulco, Mexico who worked at Las Brisas and the Princess resort hotel’s. Slightly adjusted by myself, to add current market items that will add additional flavor.

2 heads of romaine lettuce

1 clove of garlic, chopped fine

5 filets of anchovy, chopped fine

6 1/2 tbsp of olive oil

4 tsp of Dijon mustard

2 tsp of fresh Meyer lemon juice

1 tsp of fresh lime juice

1 coddled egg yolk

1 1/2 tbsp of grated Parma parmesan cheese

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 cup of your favorite croutons

Wash and chop the romaine, then spin dry or pat dry with paper towels. Cover with a clean, damp towel until you are ready to mix with the dressing.

In your salad bowl, mash the garlic and anchovies into a paste. (I use the back of a wooden spoon.)

Add all the remaining ingredients and using a wire whisk, whisk until creamy.

To serve, fold the anchovy and oil mix into the chopped salad, mixing until all the romaine is covered. Then add your croutons and mix again.

Serve immediately.

Some guests like to add the cheese on top after mixing, so if you prefer you can save the cheese from the dressing mix and sprinkle over your salad after plating.

I’ve found that the dressing has a better flavor when adding the cheese into the dressing.

Another way that you may like to serve this is called a “Fork and Knife” Caesar salad.

Instead of chopping the romaine, leave the two heads whole. Remove the outer leaves, wash, dry and trim the root knob.

Then cut the heads down the center length wise, giving you two halves of romaine.

Place each half on a salad plate, cut side facing up.

Spoon the dressing evenly over the four halves.

If you would like, you may garnish the dressed halves with two whole filets of anchovy.

Beneficial Vegetables

Beneficial Vegetables

Asparagus: Asparagus is the leading supplier among vegetables containing folic acid. It also contains magnesium, zinc, vitamin A, C, E, K, and B6, plus thiamin, potassium, folacin, manganese, selenium, and rutin, a flavinoid which strengthens capillary walls.

Cooking Ideas: Before cooking, trim off 1-2 inches from the stem. These trims can be saved to make a puree of asparagus soup. Peel the remaining stem with a potato peeler and save these peelings for your puree soup. Once the stems are trimmed and peeled you can blanch in simmering water to serve hot or chill after blanching to serve cool as a salad or garnish. Asparagus can also be grilled, sauteed, or baked with a seasoning or breadcrumb mixture.

Artichokes: In studies conducted by the CDC, it is shown that consuming high amounts of fiber on a daily basis (25g for women and 38g for men) will lower the risk of a heart attack. A half a cup of artichokes contains 5g of fiber. Artichokes contain cynarin, which increases bile production in the liver. Bile plays a key role in the excretion of cholesterol from the body.

Cooking Ideas: Artichokes can be poached, braised, pickled, and grilled. A popular method after poaching is to stuff with a seasoned breading and bake, covered in a seasoned liquid. Artichokes have three tasty components - the leaves, the tender heart, and the artichoke bottom that you can find by scraping the fibrous hairs off from under the heart. Bottoms can also be purchased in cans, for stuffing and serving as a appetizer.

Beans: In addition to its high fiber content, beans are also a complete protein. Red beans were recently tested by the USDA and found to be one of the best antioxidants.

Cooking ideas: Beans can be used in your chili or bean soup recipes or made into fresh hummus. You may also blanch, shock in cold water and chill beans to be used in a salad.

Beets: Beets contain a compound called betaine, used by our brain to form SAM-E, a natural antidepressant. Beets are good for your heart, as they have lots of B vitamins.

Cooking Ideas: Blanched beets can be sliced and then sautéed with shallots and sliced apples. You may also wash and scrape the outside of small fresh beets with some of the green tops remaining. Rub these with olive oil and bake for 30-40 minutes. Beets may also be chilled and sliced, served on a lettuce leaf with sliced red onion, a olive oil vinegarette and pieces of your favorite cheese.

Broccoli: Broccoli is a good source of vitamins A and C, potassium, folacin, iron and fiber. We are eating about 900% more broccoli today, as compared to 20 years ago. Broccoli is considered a cruciferous vegetable, a vegetable that helps to prevent cancer.

Cooking Ideas: Blanch in water, then finish with a quick saute or bake with an oregano breadcrumb mixture containing olive oil and chopped hard-boiled eggs. It can also be added to all kinds of soups, including minestrone or a hearty cream of broccoli.

Brussels Sprouts: A cousin of cabbage, these tiny green balls have glucosinolate compounds that help protect against cancer. They lower cholesterol, therefore aid against heart disease.

Cooking Ideas: Blanch in water, then finish with a quick saute in olive oil and fresh herbs. Brussels Sprouts an also be sautéed with a diced onion and a bit of diced bacon. You may also wash them whole, dry and rub with olive oil, then roast in a 400 oven for about 20-25 minutes.

Cabbage: Cabbage is another cruciferous vegetable that may help prevent cancer. Cabbage has been shown to clean out the digestive track, which improves digestion and overall digestive health.

Cooking Ideas: Cabbage can be used in many ways - shredded thin and marinated to be used for coleslaw, pickled for sauerkraut, or braised with the all famous corned beef. Cabbage goes well in many types of hearty soups as well, including bean soup, minestrone, vegetable soup, and cabbage soup.

Carrots: The bright orange color tells you that they are a good source of vitamin A. Vitamin A improves eyesight, helps fight infection and keeps your skin and hair healthy. Carrots are available in a wide range of colors, including white, yellow, purple and red.

Cooking Ideas: Carrots may be diced or sliced thin for chopped salads, used in sauces or gravies, (Tomato sauce and Espagnole sauce), vegetable soups, raw vegetable relish plates served with a dip, and as a seasoning for roasts to enhance the pan’s juices.

Cauliflower: This is another cruciferous vegetable, also very high in vitamin C, approximately 38%. Cauliflower comes in a variety of colors, including yellow, purple and green varieties.

Cooking Ideas: Cauliflowers may be blanched and baked in a cream or cheese sauce or rubbed with olive oil and baked until golden brown. It also goes well in soups.

Garlic: Garlic has been found to lower cholesterol, help prevent blood clots, reduce blood pressure, and keeps cholesterol from sticking to your artery walls. Eating garlic can also help to keep mosquitos away - good luck! California grows 93% of all the garlic in the United States.

Cooking Ideas: Chopped garlic goes well in many sauces, dips, pasta dishes and gravies. (Tomato sauce, pesto sauce, espagnole) Add garlic to soups or try roasting whole in a garlic roaster. When roasting, be sure to have a great bread for spreading the caramelized garlic.

Kale: This cold weather plant is filled with beneficial antioxidants, which helps fight mental shortfalls, heart disease, and cancer. Also contains 1 grams of fiber in every half cup serving.

Cooking Ideas: Steam kale for about 4 minutes, fold some diced sautéed onion and diced cooked bacon into the kale. It also goes well with diced ham.

Lettuce: Darker green lettuce is more nutritious than the lighter green lettuce. Americans eat about 30 pounds of lettuce per year - that’s about five times more than in the 1900s.

Cooking Ideas: Serve lettuce in chopped salads or wedge salads. Lettuce can be sliced or diced fine and added to sauteed peas. Dark green lettuce can be added to soups like minestrone.

Mushrooms: Mushrooms are another good source of potassium, also rich in essential B-complex vitamins, riboflavin, niacin, and pantothenic acid. Recent studies indicate that mushrooms contain essential minerals and substances like selenium, which may play a significant role in reducing or preventing a number of diseases.

Cooking Ideas: Mushrooms are great when sliced and seasoned with various herbs and spices, diced and added to many recipes or stuffed. Stuffed mushrooms can be served with several stuffing variations from many different countries.

Onions: Onions have antibacterial properties capable of killing many viruses. They are also heart healthy by helping to thin the blood and help prevent arterial plaque buildup.

Cooking Ideas: Whether you dice or slice, onions can be added to any recipe. They may also be used in salads, on sandwiches or as a garnish for pureed soups and bean soups.

Peas: A half cup of peas contains almost 4g of fiber. Peas are another good source of vitamin C. 95% of all peas are either frozen or canned.

Cooking Ideas: First, blanch peas, then saute with herbs and spices. Peas can be combined with other vegetables when served. Add peas to meatloaf for color and fiber. Peas are also great in vegetable soups or in a puree of pea soup.

Peppers: Peppers are a good source of vitamins A and C, two very powerful antioxidants. Peppers contain twice the amount of vitamin C than oranges. They also contain small amounts of vitamin K, which is important to bone health.

Cooking Ideas: Dice peppers into salads, slice and saute as a garnish over fish dishes or serve with grilled sausages. Add peppers to Spanish rice or pasta recipes or stuff with various meat or rice stuffings. Peppers come in many colors, use a variety of different colors for a pretty presentation.

Sweet Potatoes: In addition to all the fiber sweet potatoes contain, they also contain vitamins A and C and copper. Yams and Sweet potatoes are similar. Yams are slightly larger and grow in tropical and sub-tropical regions. True yams contain more starch and slightly less sugar than sweet potatoes.

Cooking Ideas: Sweet potatoes can be baked as you normally prepare baked potatoes, or peel and boil for sweet mashed potatoes. Seasoned mashed sweet potatoes make a great stuffing for ravioli . Cooked sweet potatoes that are diced and seasoned go well when folded into a pasta like fettuccine. Finish the fettuccine with ground Amaretto cookies.

Pumpkin & Squash: Half a cup of cooked acorn squash contains more than 400mg of potassium. Potassium rich foods have been confirmed by the FDA to help prevent strokes.

Cooking Ideas: Baked or stuffed are the most popular way for cooking pumpkin and squash. Cutting them into cubes and roasting makes a nice side vegetable. They are also great for soups or as a stuffing for pasta. (Pumpkin or squash stuffed ravioli) Dice, blanch or bake and fold pumpkin or squash into a seasoned linguini or fettucini pasta. When cleaning the insides, save the seeds, wash and bake in a low oven until tender.

Spinach: Half a cup of cooked spinach contains more than 400 mg of potassium. Potassium rich foods have been confirmed by the FDA to stop strokes. One cup of spinach contains 56% of a days worth of Vitamin A. Half a cup of cooked spinach contains 4 g of fiber.

Cooking Ideas: Serve spinach with assorted greens or alone as a spinach salad. Saute spinach with olive oil and chopped garlic or add chopped spinach to vegetable soups. You may also make a spinach stuffing for seafoods.

Saffron Rice Balls with Ragu Filling

Saffron Rice Balls, with Ragu Filling, Arancine

(Makes approx. 10-12, depending on size)

For the Ragu Filling:

3 tbsp of olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced very fine

1/2 carrot finely diced

1/2 rib of celery finely diced

6 oz. of ground beef, pork and veal (2 oz. each)

8 oz. can of tomato sauce

2 tsp of tomato paste

For the Rice Mixture:

2 cups of Arborio rice

3 cups water (or chicken/beef/vegetable broth)

1 small red onion, finely diced

1/4 tsp chopped saffron

3 tbsp grated Romano cheese

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

For the Batter:

1/4 cup whole grain flour

2 whole eggs

1/2 cup water

2 cups of plain or seasoned bread crumbs

Vegetable oil for frying

Step 1: Heat 1 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add the yellow onions, carrots and celery. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the ground meat and simmer another 8 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and paste, reduce heat to simmer. Cook until almost all of the tomato is evaporated. (About 30 minutes.) Remove to a bowl and let cool. To save time, this mix can be made a day in advance.

Step 2: Heat the remaining oil in a 2 quart sauce pan over medium high heat. Add the red onions and simmer until soft, about 6 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat rice. Add 3 cups of water or broth and the saffron. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from heat and let sit another 10 minutes with the cover on. Remove cover and stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Spread rice on a small baking pan and let cool.

Step 3: In a bowl, whisk together eggs, flour and 1/2 cup of water. In another bowl, add the bread crumbs. In a third bowl, add 1 cup of semolina flour.

Step 4: To assemble, place 2-3 tbsp of rice mixture in the palm of your hand, flatten and then place 1 tsp of meat mixture on top of the rice. Mold rice around the meat mix to encase completely. Press with both hands to form a ball. Then roll in semolina flour, followed by the egg batter as listed in Step #3, and lastly, roll in the bread crumbs. Transfer to parchment paper and repeat with remaining mix until all the balls are rolled. Then place the rice balls in the refrigerator for 20-25 minutes, until firm.

Step 5: In a 4-6 quart pot add enough vegetable oil to reach the depth of 2 1/2 inches. Heat to 350, (check temperature with a deep-fry thermometer.) Working in batches of 5-6 balls, add balls to the hot oil and fry until golden in color. (Approximately 3-4 minutes.) With a slotted spoon, remove balls to a dish with a paper towel. When all balls are cooked, hold in a 160 degree oven until service. If the balls brown to quickly your oil is too hot.

Recipe tips:

I found that this recipe has more flavor if you use a broth (chicken, beef of vegetable) when simmering the rice, rather than using water.

The rice balls form easier if you saute the meat mix in advance and let cool. This can also be done a day or two in advance.

Also consider doubling the ragu mixture and use half as a side for dipping when serving the rice balls.

Sicilian Style, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Serves 4

24 medium to large trimmed and peeled asparagus

8 strips of a good quality bacon

Black pepper to taste

2 tbsp. of olive oil

Wrap 3 asparagus together with a strip of bacon. Repeat until all the asparagus are wrapped.

Grate the black pepper over the bacon.

Heat the oil in a 12 inch skillet.

Over medium high heat, add the wrapped asparagus in batches and cook, turning as needed until they are a nice golden brown. Approximately 6-8 minutes. Serve hot.

This recipe can also be prepared with fresh scallions or a mix of asparagus and scallions.