by Paula D.
on February 17, 2023 9:35 am in Food / Recipes
Most of my choices are based on aesthetics, not practicality. Look at this cover design! The book also matches my cat.
A few weeks back I wrote that I’ve pulled my cookbooks off the shelf, using them for recipes instead of the stupid internet. This week, I chose Better Homes and Gardens, New Cookbook. Note, “new” means published in 1981. That’s my birth year and all the more reason to try it out. Old doesn’t mean irrelevant. After flipping though, I firmly concluded this is a fantastic book. The recipes are concisely written; it includes informative nutrition analysis charts at the beginning of each section; the vintage photographs are dope (especially the jello fruit tower one) and lastly, the cover design matches my kitchen and my cat.
The biscuit section looked challenging, but not over-the-top hard. I decided on Pecan Biscuit Spirals which sounded pretty delicious. I added dried cranberries because I always feel compelled to put my own spin on things.
Pecan Biscuit Spirals
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter
1 beaten egg
½ cup milk
3 tablespoon butter, melted
¼ cup finely chopped pecans
3 tablespoons brown sugar
⅓ cup dried cranberries (optional)
Directions: In a mixing bowl stir together flour, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in ½ cup butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center. Combine egg and milk; add all at once to the dry mixture. Stir just until dough clings together. Knead gently on a lightly floured surface for 12-15 strokes.
Roll dough into a 15×8 inch rectangle. Brush with 1 ½ tablespoon melted butter. Combine pecans and 3 tablespoons brown sugar; sprinkle over dough. Fold dough in half lengthwise to make a 15×4 inch rectangle. Cut into 15, 1 inch strips. Holding a strip at both ends, carefully twist in opposite directions twice, forming a spiral. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, pressing both ends down. Baste with butter. Bake in a 450 oven for about 10 minutes. Makes 15 spirals.
The take away… they were really good for my first time baking biscuits. Any English nanny or Captain Picard would have enjoyed these with a cup of Earl Grey (hot). Next time I’ll butter baste the biscuits before putting them in the oven. My biscuits looked undercooked and the butter would help to brown them. Also, I forgot to rotate the tray. I have a convection oven and rotating is important, especially when baking.
Here’s the kicker: after typing out the recipe for this column and re-reading it, I’ve realized I may have shaped the biscuits incorrectly. I took “spirl” to mean a pinwheel shape. I believe the recipe meant a twisted elongated shape. This would make sense as the recipe says “makes 15 pieces.” And it would attest to my undercooked biscuits. I thought biscuits are round
Next time I’ll try the long twist shape. Making a recipe blindly and kinda failing is all part of the fun! It’s the beauty of traditional cooking. And by that I mean without having a start-to-finish TikTok reel showing you exactly how it all goes and how perfect it should look.
These vintage photos from the book are everything…
by Paula D.
on February 7, 2023 4:51 am in Food / Recipes
“In Tuscany, white beans are more than just ‘the poor man’s meat’; they’re a whole way of life. – Lori Zimring De Mori, – Saveur
You think Italian food, you think pasta. But us paisans know that beans are just as traditionally significant in the old country. Rome early 1500’s – enter beans by way of import from the new world. Italians took to the taste, incorporating the legume into their everyday meals. Some included, beans and escarole, minestrone, beans and gravy, pasta e fagioli, sauteed cannellini with sage drizzled in homemade olive oil, beans and seasonal vegetables from the countryside garden.
In Tuscany “pane e companatico”—bread and something to go with the bread, was the commoners food most evenings. Cannellini beans, famously grown in Tuscany, were often the “to go with” ingredient. Highly nutritious, easy to grow and inexpensive were main factors in the beans’ widespread popularity in Italy.
Rockaway power couple Katherine Kordaris and Bobby Carnevale.
Last week I was invited to my friend Katherine’s birthday party. I was looking forward to celebrating with her and seeing friends I haven’t connected with since the fall. Katherine and her husband Bobby are the raddest, loveliest people and therefore they are a Rockaway power couple. And so, I anticipated they’d have a lot of attendees. I needed to take that into consideration when deciding on what appetizer to bring. This party situation called for an affordable, “feed the mass” dish with “wow-factor.” I flipped through my rolodex memory of recipes. It stopped at Warm and Tangy Tuscan Hummus. The rich and buttery flavor of this spread is attributed to the lightly toasted pignoli nuts. The warm flavor is accented by a burst of tangy charred lemon juice. Experiment with different herbs but my preference is fresh parsley and thyme.
I hesitate to be braggy but I need to say that people were ranting and raving about the hummus! A few party people hovering over the spread were intrigued by my use of cannellini beans. My friend Rob said, “Paula, it’s better than Sahadi’s.” I was so overwhelmed by the complement that I had to excuse myself and regain my composure in the bathroom. This is a must make…
Paula’s Warm and Tangy Tuscan Hummus
Ingredients:
16 ounces canned cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
2 lemons
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup tahini
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, and more for the topping
2 tablespoons ice water
¼ cup parsley, finely minced and more for garnishing
¼ cup pignoli nuts, divided
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste (be liberal with it)
Ciabatta for dipping
Instructions: Char both lemons over a flame on the stove. Use the juice of one in the hummus. The other is for garnish. Lightly toast the pignoli, set some aside to top the dish. Place all ingredients in a food processor. Puree until smooth. Check the taste. Add more garlic, herbs, salt, etc. as needed. Serve in a shallow 9 inch dish. This way, you have a nice space to dress the top (wow-factor), with the fresh herbs, nuts, spices, lemon and olive oil. Alternatively, save for later and store refrigerated up to 7 days and garnish before you serve.
The Bialetti mascot with his index finger held up as if ordering an espresso. In Italian he is called l’omino con i baffi – “the mustachioed little man.” The mascot is a caricature of Alfonso’s son, Renato Bialetti by Illustrator Paolo “Paul” Campani. Source Wikipedia
A friend broke my red Cuisinart drip coffee pot several months back! I started using a spare pot I had that I don’t like… actually I hate it. Yup, it is possible to hate a coffee machine. All this time I was trying to figure out what my next move was. I was thinking a pour over, then I was back to a 12 cup drip. When I took coffee classes at Greenhouse Cafe, I learned about the Aeropress method, maybe that…
Finally about three weeks ago, the internet’s alarming, yet smart algorithms put it all together for me – The Bialetti Moka Express. With one click, I knew this beautiful Italian vessel was my new coffee dream come true. The Moka is an iconic, Italian brewing pot/method developed in 1933 by Alfonso Bialetti, an engineer of the time. He wanted to bring the caffè of the bar into the home. Caffè bars were for men only. Bialetti’s invention revolutionized coffee culture in Italy, especially for women. They could now gather with friends in their homes, enjoy coffee and socialize. Still today the Moka is widely used in homes throughout Italy and Europe. They say, “No Italian kitchen is complete without a Moka.”
This is so interesting… Bialetti was inspired by washwoman (lavandaie) he’d seen doing laundry. In the 1900’s the lisciveuse was used. The wash tub is filled with water, soap and soiled clothes. The bucket has a central steel tube. It is placed over a fire. When the water boils, it enters through the tube and distributes the soap and hot water. This function uses vapor pressure and that is how the Bialetti Moka also works.
Italians value aesthetics. And we are hopeless romantics. So learning Alfonso’s vision for the Moka design was inspired by the robust figure of his wife, does not surprise me. The 8-sided shape mimics the silhouette of his love – her broad shoulders, narrow waist, her arm on her hip (handle) and her pleated skirt.
It’s simple to use. Unscrew the top, place the water in the bottom chamber, pack the coffee in the filter, close and place the pot on the stove at low heat. Open the top and you can see the coffee coming through the receptacle in a stellar performance. Once you hear the “sizzling” sound end, the coffee is done.
Moka is named in honor of the city Mokha in Yemen, famously known for its delicious coffee. Coffee brewed in a Moka pot is very strong. It’s espresso-like texturally but lacks the foamy quality and richer taste. The Aluminum vessel keeps the coffee steaming hot. If I’m in a hurry in the morning, I add water to cool it down. And so you now have an Americano. But the best for me is when I have time to savor the ritual of making this traditional Italian caffè. It evokes a feeling of simplicity. A conventional way of living sounds right to me these days. To be sure, I’ll never again go back to a coffee pot made of plastic.
Since ordering my Moka, I’ve discovered specialty designs – a red one (to match my kitchen) a cute vintage green pot, a red and green Italian flag version that would be perfect for Christmas time, and good Lord… a Dolce & Gabbana Bialetti, inspired by the carretto siciliano – the elaborate, colorful donkey-drawn carts native to Sicily. I can’t handle this beauty… How many Bialetti’s is too many?
Source: bialetti.com, Wikipedia
by Paula D.
on January 23, 2023 12:26 pm in Food / Recipes
It’s feast or famine with freelance work. Right now… famine. For that reason, I’ve decided to go deep into organizing my home – like every draw, closet, and corner. It feels good to purge. It also feels good to know I have five whisks, three crock pots, four pizza cutters, and six very cute measuring spoon sets, among other multiples, I don’t remember buying.
I’m pretty much done with the kitchen. Now I’m tackling the office. I’m going through my books with the intention of donating 20%. Alas, I’m having difficulty letting go but it’s time to find new homes for How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days and I Could Pee on This. As I’m going through the “keep or donate” process, I realized I have a multitudinal of cookbooks, 22 actually. I need to be using these beautiful books. I decided to bring some in the kitchen so they’re in sight and handy.
I came across one of my old favorites, Cooking With Italian Grandmothers by Jessica Theroux, The book gathers recipes, traditions and the wisdom of female elders from around the world.
Since the “Halloween chocolate fiasco,” I can’t stop eating sweets and so, aptly I find myself flipping through the dessert section. I found a delicious sounding – not too unhealthy – treat with apples, nuts, and chocolate. All boxes checked. The Author describes, “These are the most delicious roasted apples I have eaten, with the bitter chocolate (typical of Northern Italy) and lemon zest adding depth and brightness. I highly recommend using a bar of chocolate with 80 percent cocoa content for this recipe, and a tart fruit, such as the Granny Smith.”
Roasted Apples With Hazelnut, Bitter Chocolate, And Lemon Zest
By Mamma Maria, Italy
(Serves 6)
Ingredients:
- 6 firm baking apples (such as Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Crispin, or Pippin)
- 1/4 cup sugar (divided)
- 1/4 cup soft unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
- 2 tsp lemon zest ( minced)
- 2/3 cup hazelnuts (finely chopped and toasted)
- 1/3 ounces chopped dark chocolate (80 percent cocoa)
- 1 cup Marsala wine (divided)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a small baking dish, roughly 8 by 10 inches.
- Slice a thin layer off the bottom of the apples and discard; this levels the apples so they have a stable base during roasting. Slice 1/2 inch off the tops of the apples, and set the tops to one side. Peel the apple bases. Using a small teaspoon, scrape out an inch-diameter core from each of the apples, making sure not to cut through the bottom of the apples.
- Mix together the butter, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, lemon zest, hazelnuts, and chocolate. Spoon this filling into the center of the apples, mounding any extra on top. Drizzle the exposed apples with the ¾ cup of the Marsala and cover with their tops. Pour the rest of the Marsala over the apples and sprinkle them with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes, basting the apples with the hot Marsala a few times during their roasting. The apples are done when a toothpick can be inserted into them easily. Serve warm, with Marsala spooned over the apples and whipped cream on the side.
This quote from Mamma Maria resonates with me as it describes how I learned to cook, beside my Mother in the kitchen, “You just watch and spend time. You lend a hand. Maybe the first time you make a mistake, then the second time you do it right. It’s not that you are “taught.”
