Naples, Italy 1964

Funny that my first real conscious memories have to do with food and cooking. I was barely 4 years old walking hand in hand with my mother to the “mercatino”, to do the daily grocery shopping for that day’s supper. Even though the budget was tight, she always managed to put a good meal on the table.   I remember the produce vendor’s singsong calls that his were the best tomatoes and sweetest peaches and such.  The vendors were very competitive with one another as to who had the best stuff. It was almost a carnival-like atmosphere and very entertaining.  He wrapped our selections in a sheet of newspaper shaped into a cone and weighed it on a hand held scale.

Next we visited the butcher shop where I was both fascinated and repulsed by the array of dead things hanging on big hooks in the window.  My mother bought a small quantity of something (meat was very expensive) and we moved on.  Next stop was the Salumiere for a few items from the deli counter and some olives out of a big barrel.  Finally the stop I had been waiting for.  A free standing pushcart with bunches and bunches of hanging bananas and beautiful pineapples.  My mother buys me a perfect little banana, peels it half way down and handed it to me as if it were the best treat ever.  As an adult I learned that it really was a special treat as all tropical fruits were very expensive and therefore reserved for special occasions.

So there I was walking along with my beautiful mammina, who for the time being was all mine.  It was a beautiful day and all was right with the world.  She was already expecting my sister but I don’t think I understood it.  I was blissfully unaware of the little blond cherub that would soon join our family and of the huge changes that the coming year would bring.                           

Pappardelle with Mushroom sauce

I love the earthiness of this dish. It is pure comfort food. Of course you can use any pasta shape that you like but either store bought or homemade pappardelle really works well with this sauce. For the mushrooms I use a combination of Cremini, Portobello, White button and dried Shitake.  No problem If you can’t find the dried mushrooms.  Just use more of the fresh and use the bullion only for your liquid.         

 

1    Lb. Pappardelle pasta 2    Lbs. Assorted sliced or quartered mushrooms 2   medium onions, thinly sliced 6   cloves minced garlic 4  Tbs. olive oil 4 Tbs. Butter 1 Porcini Mushroom bullion cube 1 Chicken bullion cube 1 Tbs. fresh chopped sage or thyme 1 cup ½ and ½ 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano Salt and pepper to taste

IN A LARGE BOWL, add 2-4 ounces (if using) dried shitake mushrooms. Pour 3 cups hot water over the mushrooms and let sit till completely softened.  Meanwhile chop or slice remaining mushrooms and set aside. If using Portobello’s, scrape out and discard the dark gills first before slicing. Slice onions and chop garlic and set aside.  Strain shitakes, squeeze out excess moisture and add them to your other prepped mushrooms. Strain the reserved mushroom liquid through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Put it in a saucepan on simmering heat.  Add the two bullion cubes to the liquid stirring till dissolved.  In a large skillet add 1 TBS each of the butter and olive oil and sauté onions till softened with a tsp each of salt and pepper.  Add garlic to the onions and cook for a few minutes more.  Remove to a large bowl add 1 Tbs. each of butter and olive oil to the same skillet and sauté ½ of your mushroom mix till lightly browned. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to the mushrooms and remove to bowl with the onions. Repeat with the other half of the mushrooms and remove to the bowl with the onions.  Now add about ½ of the liquid to the skillet and bring to a simmer.  Meanwhile cook your Pappardelle in plenty of salted water.  Add ½ and ½ to the liquid and ½ of the grated cheese.  Whisk together. Sauce will thicken slightly. Return onion and mushrooms to the skillet, add remaining butter and garlic as needed. Add chopped herbs.  Drain pasta and toss with the sauce. If too dry add more of the liquid and combine. Top with remaining cheese and serve.

Lazy Sunday...

Today has been darn near perfect so far.  Let's start with the weather. Sunny blue skies, low 70's, Mt Baldy in the distance is clear as a bell with lots of snow still from the last storm. Went out to breakfast with Frank to this little cafe in town that makes these giant pancakes that fall off your plate, the waitresses are hardworking and friendly, and they never let you see the bottom of your coffee cup!

Then we went to HD to buy some new flowers and roses which we immediately planted. A day like this makes you want to stay outside even to do yard work! The dogs just love to romp around when we are out there with them and they got good and tired.  My roses and lilacs are blooming and soon the hydrangeas too.
It seems like a silly thing but just looking at my flowers makes me smile and puts me in a good mood.

Then we came in and I went to work on getting dinner going. Tonight it's Braised Short ribs, which are already in the oven and smelling delicious.  Christina is on her way home already and the Angels game is about to start. Can this day get any better? We'll yes, it woud be nice if they beat the Yankees two games in a row. But now I'm getting greedy.

 　 If you can't find boneless ribs then use with the bones but just add a few pounds to allow for the weight of the bones. I like to trim off any excess fat as well. These are delicious with roasted garlic mashed potatoes. After I take them out of the oven I let them rest a bit first. Then take 5 or 6 paper towels and lay them across the top of my ribs to absorb any excess fat before plating. These ribs do not dissapoint. They come out succulent and fork tender.

            

Braised Boneless Short Ribs

Braised Boneless Short Ribs


4 lbs Boneless beef short ribs
6 ounces chopped pancetta (or bacon)
1 large onion chopped
3 carrots chopped
2 shallots and 2 cloves garlic chopped
3 TBS olive oil
3 cups red wine
2 cups beef stock
1 porcini mushroom buillon cube crumbled
2 cups cremini mushrooms halved and stems removed
1 tsp each salt and pepper
2 sprigs each fresh rosemary and thyme (1 tsp of dried thyme is ok if you don'y have fresh)
flour for dredging
Salt and pepper the rib pieces, dredge them in flour, shake off the excess and set aside.

Heat a large dutch oven over med/high heat. I use my big Le Creuset pan for this. Add the chopped pancetta to the pan and cook until the fat is rendered and it is browned nicely.
Remove the Pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside. Now add the olive oil and brown the ribs on all sides. You will need to work in batches so that you don't crowd them in the pan. Remove the ribs to a plate. Now add the onions, carrots and a bit more olive oil as needed and saute for a few minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for a few minutes longer. Now add the wine all at once and cook for 3 to 4 minutes till boiling and slightly reduced. Add the ribs back into the pan along with the beef stock, buillion cube, salt and pepper, rosemary and thyme sprigs, and cooked pancetta. Give it all a good stir and taste to see if more salt or seasoning is needed. Cover and place your pot in a 350 degree oven for 2 hours. Remove from oven, add the cremini mushrooms on top and carefully spoon some of the beefy gravy over the mushrooms. cover and cook for another 30 to 45
minutes.

It's a gloomy, rainy day in California which can mean only one thing, SOUP! Below is one of my favorites...
 

Chicken Tortilla soup

I was first exposed to Mexican food when we moved to California. I didn’t know a taco from a tostada back then. Cilantro, cumin, hot chilies, and corn tortillas were all acquired tastes. Of course now I love it all!  Here is my take on tortilla soup and I have been told that it doesn’t stink. Seriously, I don’t pretend to know much about Mexican cooking though and prefer to leave it to the experts. However, I was invited to make tamales once at the home of a friend. This was the big time! Everything was authentic and done the traditional way.  I was very proud to be quickly promoted from corn husk cleaner to masa spreader. I’m a quick learner what can I say! It was great fun and I learned a lot. The Margaritas were pretty good too…

3    TBS olive oil 3    cloves chopped garlic 2    medium onions chopped 5    celery ribs 1 inch slices 4    carrots peeled, 1 inch slices 3    jalapenos, seeded &chopped 3    boneless chicken breasts

8    cups chicken broth 1    15 oz can black beans, rinsed 1    15 oz can white corn, drained 1    cup white rice 1    tsp. each, cumin, chili powder, kosher salt Shredded cheddar cheese, sliced avocado, and fried tortilla strips for garnish

Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeno and cook just until fragrant and lightly colored. Add the cumin, chili powder and salt and stir.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add chicken breasts, celery and carrots. Cook about 25 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate to cool. Add the corn, black beans and rice.  Cook until rice is done about 20 minutes. In the mean time shred the cooled chicken and return it to the pot. Taste for seasoning. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with some shredded cheese, a few slices of avocado and some tortilla strips.

Naples 1944 - How it all started

My father’s older sister Tina was an 18 year old war bride. She came to the states on one of those giant military transport ships with thousands of other young women just like her-sailing towards a new life in America. She settled in Boston with her new husbands’ family while he completed his tour of duty. Imagine being 18, not speaking a word of English, and coming to a new country without your husband around.  It’s hard to imagine how scared and lonely she must have been.

Before she left to begin this new life she asked her youngest brother (my dad) if he wanted to come to America too.  It was right at the end of the WW II and he was a 13 year old kid with absolutely no prospects for the future.  Italy had been ravaged by the war. They had all survived bombings, hunger, blackouts, and occupation but the reality was that things would not be better for a very long time.  He was the youngest of 5 kids in a family that had always struggled to survive even during the best of times.  Heck yes he wanted to come to America!  To Italians at that time, America represented hope, prosperity and a chance at a better life.  It was decided that once she was settled in she would begin the paperwork that would allow him to follow his sister.

At the time they had little understanding of immigration laws, quotas and how it all worked.  Nevertheless she filed the papers as promised and then life went on.  Zia Tina and her husband bought a house in the suburbs, raised two kids,   and got on with the business of life.

Back in Naples my dad too, got on with the business of life.  He survived by his wits and determination. He found a job working for Coca Cola, got married to my beautiful mom, had two little girls and had made a nice life for himself and his family.  By the time I was four they had started a small business, moved into a new apartment building and were making a decent living when the letter from the US consulate came.  It basically said that “his number had come” and if he still wanted to come to America it was now or never.  It was 1964 and exactly 20 years had gone by since those papers had been filed.

I am told it took my parents barely a few minutes to decide.  Absolutely we still want to come to America!

Making Porchetta With David

Buona Pasqua!

Silvia, Sister Dee, and my Beautiful Mom and Christina's Giant Carrot Cake          

Yesterday was Easter Sunday. A day to rejoice and be glad! We went to the 11:00am service and what a mad house! We got there about a half hour before the service and just barely snagged some seats. Now we are hardly what I like to call "season ticket holders" when it comes to church attendance but Easter and Christmas seem to bring out just about everyone in town! It was a glorious sunny California day too. Picture perfect. I set the table so we could eat outside, and while doing so thought about Easter time in Boston where I grew up.  The days leading up to Easter were always spring like, warm and deceptive! Everyone would get excited at prospect of spring, new outfits would be purchased, yard work and outdoor sprucing would begin. Then Easter Sunday would bring a nice blizzard with 5 inches of snow...

There were 12 of us for dinner in all so a relatively easy meal to prepare and get ready for.  I promised my mother I would make the Easter Bread or Casatiello as we call in in our Neapolitan dialect. Saturday night at 11:00pm they were still in the oven baking when I ran out of steam and went to bed.  Frank said he would stay up and wait for it to be done as long as he could have a piece warm out of the oven. Seemed fair to me... It was a great day with family and some dear friends in attendance. Our menu (see below) as always includes some of our traditional Italian dishes as well as American favorites.

Appetizer platter with prosciutto di parma, pecorino romano, olives, roasted peppers and eggplant
Honey Baked Ham (sorry, I don't do lamb)
Filet with Horseradish sauce
Roasted potatoes with rosemary and garlic
Sauteed artichokes
Russian salad (my friend brings this)
Deviled eggs
roasted asparagus
Fruit salad
Casatiello Easter bread
For dessert we had Pastiera which is a very traditional Easter dessert and Cassata Cake which is normally eaten at Christmas. We like it so much that we eat it every chance we get! Finally my beautiful Christina made this whimsical carrot cake shaped and decorated like a giant carrot. Adorable AND delicious!