Pane, Pane, Pane....

Two very exciting, bread-related things happened recently (if one can consider anything bread-related to actually BE exciting). First, I procured my first bread-maker at a local garage sale. I know what you're thinking, because I've already thought it. "Aren't bread makers kind of like the Nordic Trac of the culinary world? In other words, you buy one, use it 2-3 times, then forget about it?" Well, perhaps that is true. But in my estimation, 2-3 uses for $5 isn't a bad return, and since I tend to use most of my kitchen gear pretty frequently, and since I have a wife who LOVES bread, I am thinking it might be used even more often. We'll see.

The 2nd exciting bread-related thing? I had my first go at zucchini bread. Zucchini are in-season with gusto right now, and gi-normous zucchini can be had for $0.75 or less (each!) these days at the local farmers markets. Needless to say, we've been having zucchini a million ways lately (sauteed, in pasta, breaded and baked, and now in bread) and loving it. I used some interesting ingredients and substitutions, and it turned out pretty well. La ricetta:

Pane alle zucchine
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 large eggs, beaten
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp lemon extract
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups shredded zucchini (skin-on)
canola oil cooking spray

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through baking soda) in a large bowl.

Combine eggs, and next 3 ingredients (through vanilla) in a large bowl, add sugar, and stir just until combined. Add zucchini, stir until well combined. Add flour mixture and stir just until combined.

Divide batter evenly between 2 (8x4 inch) loaf pans coated with the canola oil cooking spray. Bake at 350F for 1 hour or until a wooden pick in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack, then remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Makes 2 loaves, about 12 servings per loaf, for 150 calories per serving.

I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light magazine; the original recipe had 1/2 cup of egg substitute in place of 2 of the large eggs, 1 tsp grated lemon rind in place of the lemon extract, and 1/4 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts as well. Most of the substitutions took place because I didn't have all of the ingredients, so I'm sure making it as they presented would have resulted in a nice loaf as well. As it is , these are quite delicious, though lemony (which is fine by me), and will struggle to make it through the middle of the week without being eaten, I'm sure!

I'll keep you all posted on the first bread-machine event as it happens. Buon week-end, tutti!

-C

Is it a one-off?

Caro lettore (dear reader)-

What a hiatus! As you probably read in the last post, we were getting closer to expecting a daughter, and indeed she arrived back on the 5th of May. Amelia was born at 4:44pm, weighed in at 6 pounds 6.5 oz, and was 18.75 inches long.

Her cuteness:

Needless to say, she has been a time consuming but wonderful addition, which is why this blog has been dormant for so long. I'm hoping to avoid that blog phenomenon, which is the inspired post after a long absence, followed by a complete shut-down. Fingers-crossed.

In some free-time, I've been really honing in on the cultural aspects of eating, including working with a student to peruse the popular bookshelves for answers about why we, as Americans, are doing so poorly in preventive health respective to our eating and activity habits. I don't think the answers will shock anyone, but the details really make for quite a story. I hope to get into more of this in future blogs, but suffice it to say that the perfect storm of policy decisions and marketing genius certainly haven't hindered it.

As a family we are looking forward to making our own baby food as the various seasonal vegetables come onto the scene, as well as doing our best to live out a mantra that seems simple enough, and was proposed by Michael Pollan: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." On the surface it seems silly -- of course we should eat food. What else would we eat? Chairs? Toys?

What Pollan means by this, however, is that we should stick to real (whole) foods that our great-grandparents would recognize as such. Again, this should be easy, but how difficult is it to give up soda (or diet soda), non-butter products (i.e. spray butter), and processed, easy foods like frozen meals and mac-n-cheese? It's not easy. But like anything, we should do our best, and over time I think the payoff will become evident. If nothing else, eating lots of veggies in season allows us to get the tastiest food possible.

Tonight we are having guests over, and I'll probably play it safe with an old reliable. Chicken with some rosemary and garlic from our farmer's market, in foil packets cooked on the grill, vegetables (local summer squash, potatoes, onions, garlic, and olive oil) also in foil packets, and the Cucina Viola original salad - with apples and tossed in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and spices.

-C

Un Podere, e Altre Cose

It's the heart of the semester, and as such the cooking has been limited to the tried and tested. I don't know if it's possible to become tired of the balsamic / fruit / nut in salad combination - but we're giving it a go. We've been having that a lot (with nuts candied "in cucina" I might add), along with various chicken dishes. In fact, last night I tried the chicken started with the Cucina Viola secret sautee starter, then added some red curry in combination with cinnamon, paprika, and red chile. It wasn't too bad.

It's been a while since I've made any entries, but I thought an interesting find that I recently made was a worthy enough reason to add some more materials here. Locally, we have Stratford Ecological Center, which is an educational center dedicated to bringing us closer to the food that we eat. They are chock-full of great programs, and I plan to take advantage of them with the upcoming growing season (I want to try herbs as well as a few veg of my own), and hopefully we can take the Bambina and have her enjoy nature (and if she learns a bit later on, great)!

Another interesting happening of late was a visit to what I now call the pinnacle of restaurants in Columbus, The Banana Bean Cafe. They call themselves "Floribbean" in theme, and as you can imagine there are spicy, fruity delights galore. I had the Islamorada fish tacos, which literally were the best thing I've eaten locally. Certainly there are other great Columbus restaurants (too many to name in fact!), but the food here was fantastic. Click HERE for a link to their website, and HERE for a link to another blogger's fantastic review.

Not much else is new --- the best thing cooking right now is the Bambina, so updates will occur as needed.

-C

La Notte Delle Ragazze

That's right - it was girl's night tonight. A group of my wife's girlfriends were over and I was the cook. I had a fun time planning the menu during the weekend, and executing it tonight. A few errors occured, but overall it went quite well. Here was the lineup:

Insalata con le pere, il feta, e le noci candite
1 pound romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
1/2 pound spinach, washed
1/4 head of red cabbage, chopped
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup feta cheese
2 bartlett pears, halved and cored
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp onion powder
fresh ground black pepper
fresh ground sea salt

First off, always wash the veg well. Next, combine in a very large bowl the washed and cut lettuce, spinach, cabbage, green onions, and grape tomatoes in a bowl. In a skillet, heat the chopped walnuts and sugar until the sugar starts to melt, then add the cinnamon and toss the walnuts in the sugar syrup. Pour coated walnuts onto a piece of wax paper, and allow to cool.

Slice the pear halves thinly, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide, and place in the bowl with the lettuce, cabbage spinach, onions and tomatoes. Add the olive oil, vinegar, onion powder, salt, and pepper and toss together. Divide the salad into bowls, then add the feta and candied walnuts on top.

Linguine con pollo, rosmarino, aglio, aceto e pecorino
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tbps olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp fresh rosemary
sea salt
black pepper
1 tbsp butter
4 oz dry linguine
2 tbsp olive oil
3 roma tomatoes, diced
2 tsp dried basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
Pecorino Romano cheese (Pecorino Toscano would be even better, but is hard to find in the US)

I will describe both the chicken portion and the pasta portion separately, thought they have to come together at about the same time for proper plating.

In a skillet, toast pine nuts over medium heat, just until they begin to brown. Remove from pan and cool.

With a rolling pin, pound chicken breasts until they are an even thickness. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil and garlic until garlic starts to brown. Add chicken breasts and cook 3-5 minutes on each side. Then add vinegar, stock, rosemary, salt, and pepper and cook a further 5 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from liquid and keep warm between two plates. Bring liquid to a rolling boil and cook until thick. Whisk in butter.

Cook linguine in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain. Return to pot, and add olive oil, basil, tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, pepper, and garlic. Toss until coated and tomatoes and garlic are warm.

Plate linguine and put chicken on top. Ladel a small amount of rosemary vinegar sauce over chicken, then grate Pecorino cheese over top. Serve.

I also served a slice of cherry pie with 'zested' dark chocolate on top for dessert, along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The dark chocolate didn't zest as well as I'd have hoped - it tended make small flakes rather than the longer ribbons that I was hoping for. Still, it went over pretty well.

No one left hungry, and a hearty game of scrabble ensued after the meal. All in all it was a successful night, but I am starting to really wonder about my obsession with balsamic, rosemary, and garlic. I really must move on!

-C

Pensieri, Jamie, responsabilità e le quattro requisiti.

I haven't been cooking as much lately - at least not trying much new. We've just completed the first week back at classes, and to be honest I'm just trying to get by these days. Salads, and other quick but tasty and healthy foods are the norm right now. Heck, we all go through this - as I tell my students - it's about maintaining your ability to choose proper foods in the face of challenges that tests your commitment to changing your nutrition for the better.

From time to time we all get inspiration from outside, and I am certainly no different. Recently my good friend "C" sent me a link to a BBC interview with one of my favorite people - Jamie Oliver. The BBC has a great website and show called BBC GoodFood, and they did a pre-holiday interview with Oliver, which is divided into sub-sections here. He talks about his Fifteen concept, where he helps out troubled youth by giving them an opportunity to work and learn in his Fifteen restaurant, and many of these students go on to do fabulous things after. He also talks about the magic of growing his own foods, as well as his plans for the upcoming year. It's Jamie at his stream-of-consciousness best!

A stateside parallel to this show (and website) is the NPR Splendid Table show and site (found here). This show explores many food-related issues, from sustainability to the food/culture relationship and beyond. I encourage you to listen in - it really is good stuff.

Four Requirements
All of the talk of being busy and making good choices was strangely illustrated recently by a story I found in the L.A. Times, that focused on current research about the impact of the food-related environment on people's dietary choices. Here is the link to a pdf version of that article:

DOWNLOAD FILE

Unfortunately, I really have to disagree with several of the points in this article, not the least of which is blaming corporations and government for what is essentially a problem of consumer control. The market responds to one very strong stimulus: demand. For as long as our demands as consumers are limited to foods that only meet the following 3 requirements, we will be burdened with poor choices:

- Fast
- Tasty
- Cheap

Food producers are responding to the changing demands of the consumer. Just see the popularity of stores like Trader Joe's and, to a lesser extent, Whole Foods. I feel that, for the most part, Trader Joe's embodies what happens when we add a 4th requirement: quality. Many of foods at Trader Joe's are pre-made for busy people. But, the added quality requirement sees the quality of the food increase dramatically, without the slightest decrease in taste or speed, or for the most part cost. There have been many times that I have filled a sizable TJ's grocery bag with goodies for $20 or less.

The following quote from the article also presents an interesting contradiction:

"[The study's authors] argue that automatic behaviors can be controlled, but only for a short time (the reason most diets ultimately fail). A more effective approach, they say, would be to decrease the accessibility, visibility and quantities of food people are exposed to, and the environmental cues that promote eating."

What is interesting about this quote is that it is meant to prove the point that government should step in and "do something," yet the final part of the quote is highlighting a longstanding solid, behavioral principle called Stimulus Control. I won't bore you with the science-y bit, but basically it calls for the individual to restructure their environment and avoid high-risk cues to the problem behavior. Let me repeat....it calls for the INDIVIDUAL to do this. As strongly as I support the notion that certain corporations go out of their way to offer bad nutritional choices - I feel that the only real, lasting solution to this lies in consumer demand. We need to work harder at demanding quality foods that are affordable to all. In this scenario, the poor nutritional choices still exist, but they are the exception rather than the rule. In this scenario, these high-calorie, low nutrient-density foods are offered as a treat, or a guilty pleasure, not a meal option. After all, this is how these foods originated.

Please, demand better.

-C

Cucinate? Nessuno??

I haven't tried out any new recipes in a while, but a visit to our local Whole Foods store in Columbus/Dublin got me thinking about a few things.

The event on Saturday, January 12th was a healthy eating event, specifically called "Foods to Live By." Most of the food samples contained within the store were made from fresh ingredients, primarily as an example of things that could be created from the foodstuffs sold at Whole Foods. Things on offer included a lentil cheeseburger, a berry smoothie, a baby greens salad with raspberry vinaigrette, a saffron butter rice and shrimp dish, various cheeses, and my favorite -- a tapenade made from Kalamata olives of course, but also dates and walnuts. It was sweet, yet tangy, and really very good.

Problem was - the person who came up with this dish was not able or willing to provide a recipe for it, other than mentioning what ingredients were included. Kind of frustrating given that the primary point of this event was to instruct folks that cooking healthy is easy, and accessible at Whole Foods.

We also enjoyed some sorbetto while we visited the store, I had a scoop each of chocolate and pomegranate, while my wife had pineapple and chocolate. Times are good for the lactose intolerant - there are so many fantastic options out there.

Walking around the store, however, made me think about how great it is to be someone who likes to cook. There are so many options out there for ethnic, specialty cooking that you could make something new every day of your life, for the rest of your life, just from the ingredients readily available at better grocery stores.

Relatedly, in the fore-word of Jamie Oliver's book Cook With Jamie, he says the following, with which I agree wholeheartedly:

Things were so different fifty-odd years ago, when the general public had a good knowledge of cooking. In actual fact, I wouldn't need to be writing this book if we were all as well informed as we were back then, but our priorities about food have changed. It always totally amazes me how people can be totally up-to-speed and knowledgeable about so many different things - computers, music, fashion - but they don't give a toss about what they put in their mouths every day.

If you need proof of what Jamie's saying here, just have a look around at people's carts when you're at the grocery. It really is amazing how many prepared foods people buy. I am guilty of consuming prepared foods from time to time as well. All of us, save for the most dedicated, are.

But we really need to do a better job at preparing foods at home. Foods that don't come from a mix, or a box. It's not hard. And it doesn't have to be expensive. And who knows, we might enjoy it. Hell, it might even cure some of the other ills we have as a society - since we'd probably all talk to each other more often in the kitchen or over the dinner table. We'd probably get together more often with friends, and really get to know them instead of just sitting at a table in a restaurant that is hoping to turn you over for the next 'guest' and blaring music over your conversation lest you forget.

This year, try a new recipe once a month. Or if you're feeling ambitious, once a week. And check out the good vibes you get from picking up a load of veg on your next trip to the grocery. You'll feel good, and you get bags full of food for much less than you'd spend on pre-packaged stuff.

I think you'll like the results.

Due Minestre

So I had some leftovers from a simple chicken dinner several days ago, and after the chicken was cooked I took the bones and skin, along with come carrots, onions, and celery and made a stock.

We were also able to take some of the leftovers of the Christmas II roast beef, from which I made a beef-barley and horseradish soup. I'll review that one first.

Minestra bistecca ed orzo - Ingredienti:
2 tbsp ITALIAN extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup red wine
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
4 cups beef broth
4 cups water
16oz chopped roast beef
2 tbsp horseradish
1 cup frozen vegetables (carrots, corn, peas, green beans, lima beans)
2 cups Quaker quick cook barley
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp ground sea salt

Place the olive oil in a large stock pot and sautee the onions, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes, until tender. Add wine and chopped garlic and cook until most of the liquid has cooked off.

Add tomatoes, broth, water, horseradish, basil, thyme, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, beef, and frozen vegetables to the stockpot and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Uncover and simmer for another 5 minutes.

If you're a real horseradish lover, you can add another tsp or so of horseradish to each bowl upon serving. Tastes FANtastic.

This soup was really good, and the horseradish and wine really made it pop, in my view. The other soup was an old-fashioned chicken noodle, but made with my favorite pasta - Gemelli.

Minestra pollo e gemelli - Ingredienti:
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 tbsp ITALIAN extra virgin olive oil
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups dry gemelli pasta
3/4 cup chopped carrots
10oz cooked chicken breast meat
ground sea salt
ground black pepper
2 chicken bouillon cubes

For thickening:
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup chicken broth

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot and sautee the onions, celery, and garlic until tender (about 5 minutes). Add broth, water, thyme, bay leaf, pasta, carrots, chicken, salt, and pepper (to taste) in the stockpot.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer (covered) for 15 minutes. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup cold chicken broth and whisk into a paste. This paste will be used to thicken the soup.

After the 15 minutes or simmering, bring the heat of the soup back to a rolling boil, and slowly add flour and broth paste while stirring. After adding the paste, add 2 bouillon cubes to the soup.

Reduce to a simmer again, and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes.

The chicken soup was my wife's favorite, and was just what I was going for - a thick, stewy chicken soup. The addition of the 2 bouillon cubes was made because the soup lacked some flavor, possibly because my broth was a bit weak. You may find that, if you use canned broth, this step is not necessary. Both of these soups work really well with a few pieces of crusty bread, and are a sure-fire way to warm up on a cold night (or day).

-C

Buon Natale II

So we spent the weekend in Beavercreek with my wife's family and had a very nice 2nd Christmas celebration. I brought my new knife in my new knife bag, and wore my fantastic La Cucina Viola apron to do the cooking. One of the funny stories involved free shrimp and an over-excited blogger.

The day's culinary treats were:

Antipasti:
- Celery slices
- Cheese ball
- Crackers
- White bean, garlic, basil, and lemon juice dip
- Maryland style steamed shrimp (beer, white veingar, Old Bay seasoning, shrimp)
- Cocktail sauce (normally a faux-pas with this style of steamed shrimp)
- Mixed nuts

Dinner:
- Roast beef cooked in those cool oven bags, with carrots and onions
- Green beans, blanched, then sauteed for 5 mins in ITALIAN extra virgin olive oil and garlic
- Biscuits
- Candied yams
- Mashed potaotes (very good stuff - courtesy of my brother-in-law)

Dessert:
- Peach pie
- Pumpkin pie
- Pecan pie
- Cucina Viola Panforte
- Cucina Viola Biscotti

I made cocktail sauce for the shrimp using Red Gold ketchup, which in my view is the absolute pinncale of ketchupy goodness, and is aptly named. It's the Red Gold standard. I also bought some horseradish to add to the Red Gold ketchup. It was potent, to say the least. SMOOTH!

I also placed horseradish on the table to serve with the roast beef, which in my opinion makes a fantastic pairing. I know - it's nothing new, but it's good good good.

A nice time was had by all, and my wife really helped to pull this all together at just the right time. I really like how we are able to share in what seems like a new holiday tradition with her family - she and I making the food.

-C

Pollo alla Ratatouille e le Patate con Rosmarino

We had some guests over, and I decided to do another combination dinner from the Cucchiaio d'Argento cookbook, and Jamie Oliver's Cook With Jamie book. First up was the Pollo alla Ratatouille. This ended up being quite good, though I was really worried about the amount of liquid in the pot to start out. But, alas, it ended up being plenty liquid-y! As for substitutions from the original, they all were health-related or lactose-related. I used skinless, boneless chicken breasts in this dish, but the actual recipe calls for a whole chicken, cut into pieces (skin and all). Your call on that one, since it worked out for me. I substituted margarine (gasp!) for butter as well, so again - you decide.

One more thing - this is a HUGE amount of veg to start out, so depending on the size of the peppers, zucchini, eggplants, and onions, you may need to adjust. I had very large peppers, eggplants, and onions, and small zucchini.

Ingredienti - Ratatouille:
1/4 cup margarine
6 tbsp ITALIAN extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 onion, quartered
2 eggplants, cut into 1-2" cubes
3 zucchini, cut into 1-2" cubes
2 red or yellow bell peppers, halved, seeded, and thickly sliced
4 tomatoes, peeled, quartered, and seeded
1.5 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves, peeled
salt and pepper

Heat half the margarine and half the olive oil in a large stockpot, add the onions, zucchini, eggplants, and bell peppers. Season with salt and pepper and cook over high-heat for a few minutes. Lower the heat, add the tomatoes, cover and simmer gently for about 1 hour.

Heat the remaining margarine and olive oil in another pan, add the chicken and garlic cloves, and cook, stirring and turning frequently, until golden brown all over. Season with salt and pepper and cook (covered) for a further 30 minutes until tender and cooked through. Remove and discard the garlic and add the chicken to the vegetables. Cook a few minutes longer so that the chicken and veg flavors can meld together, then serve.

Like I mentioned, this is a very large amount of food, so you'll have leftovers. This recipe likely serves 6 even though the book says it serves 4. Next up were the rosemary potatoes, which were the super wonderful.

Not only were they tasty, they were easy, and a great compliment to the ratatouille. Here we go:

Ingredienti - Le Patate:
1 lb 6 oz all purpose potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1" cubes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 sprig of fresh rosemary leaves, picked
olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, skin on and smashed*

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Place the potato cubes in a large pan of cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Drain them immediately in a colander and allow them to steam for a few minutes until they dry out a bit. Smash the rosemary leaves in a pestle and mortar.

Heat the olive oil in a roasting pan. Add the garlic cloves*, potatoes, rosemary, salt and pepper. Season and toss together until well-coated. Place in the oven for about 30 minutes, turning the tray every so often, until the potatoes are golden and crispy.

* your guests might find it irritating (as mine did) to pick the garlic skins out of their potatoes, mostly because they don't have a nice texture and they blend in well with the potatoes. You may choose to pick the garlic out before serving the potatotes.

Both of these dishes were very good, and the guests left happy. Both will be made again, and are great ways to get extra veg into your cooking.

As an aside, I served all of this with a crunchy salad made of romaine, carrot strips, green onions, tomato wedges, and avocado - tossed in olive oil, rice wine vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, ground sea salt, and ground pepper.

-C

Un tema del limone

Tonight it was time to put some Christmas gifts into action. I really had a cooking-themed Christmas, with gifts including Jamie Oliver's "Cook With Jamie" book, the English-language version of Il Cucchiaio d'Argento, a wonderful violet apron with "La Cucina Viola" embroidered on the front, and a new knife.

We got a nice deal on some young chickens at the grocery yesterday, so I was on a mission to find a new recipe for it. It's always interesting to find things that don't use a lot of dairy - but a baked chicken recipe is bound to steer away from that. I also wanted a nice new veg recipe to try out, and I found a brilliant one in Jamie Oliver's book. I also tried a new salad. I'll start with the chicken dish.

Pollo al Limone - Ingredienti
1 chicken
1 lemon, halved
2 tbsp margarine
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon, strained
1 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprig, chopped
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Gently rub the chicken cavity with one of the lemon halves, then slice the remaining half. Stuff the cavity with the lemon slices, half the margarine, and the garlic clove. Place the chicken in a roasting pan with the olive oil and remaining margarine, season with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 minutes. Then, sprinkle the lemon juice over the chicken, return to the oven, and roast for a further 40 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Place the meat on a warm serving dish, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve.

This dish was pretty good - though the lemon and garlic flavors didn't really shine through. Overall, a serviceable roasted chicken dish. Next up, the cauliflower.

Roasted Cauliflower with Cumin, Coriander, and Almonds - Ingredienti
1 head of cauliflower, outer green leaves removed, broken into florets
sea salt
olive oil
margarine
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1-2 dried red chiles (optional)
1/2 cup of blanched almonds, smashed
zest and juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 400 F. Blanch the cauliflower in salted boiling water for 4-5 minutes, then drain in a colander, allowing it to steam dry (be sure not to leave any water or it won't roast properly). Toss the still-hot cauliflower in a big bowl with some olive oil and margarine. I used about 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of margarine.

In a pestle and mortar, smash the spices, chiles, and a pinch of sea salt, then mix with the almonds and place in a dry, hot, ovenproof pan on the stove in order to toast them. After a few minutes - add the cauliflower. When it gets a bit of color on it, add the lemon juice and zest and mix around well. Fry on the stovetop for a minute or two longer, then place in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes to let it crisp up.

This recipe was superwonderfulfantastic. Kudos to Jamie Oliver for continuing to impress. I added a bit more ground cumin and coriander with the lemon juice, just to make the flavors pop a bit.

Word of warning - the flavors in this dish are VERY subtle, and would get lost next to something more robust, or acidic (like pasta with sauce, something with lots of garlic or heat, etc.). Here's a pic of the final result:

The colors don't really pop on the white plate, I'll admit, but it was quite tasty - and will be seen again in La Cucina Viola :)

The salad was just a basic crunchy salad with a spinach base, lengthwise, thin-sliced carrots and celery, and flat-leaf parsley, along with a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice.

I'll say that Jamie Oliver has done wonders for my appreciation for veg - and this cauliflower recipe is no exception. The salad wasn't bad - but I wasn't hugely impressed. It was a nice salad - but tonight's trifecta of lemon could have caused a bit of overload....dunno.

Tomorrow it's Pollo Alla Ratatouille, also from the Cucchiaio d'Argento cookbook.

-C

Un Natale Freddo!

We spent a very nice Christmas with family in Michigan, but were greeted with typical midwestern weather for this time of year. Temps in the 50s on the first day (so warm that I was able to help out cleaning gutters - hooray!) to temps in the teens and below zero with windchill. It was so windy that some areas recorded wind gusts in the 70-80 mph range!

Did that stop my father from grilling chicken? Nope. We had a great time grilling between gusts of wind, and watching the grill temperature drop from 400 to 200 degrees in less than a minute. In the end though - we had very good grilled, barbecued Christmas chicken. Hilarious!

Other culinary highlights of the trip included a trip to Asuka (used to be called the Rice House) in Battle Creek, MI where I had salmon, squid, and tuna sushi, as well as a selection of Kimchie and pickled turnips. My wife had beef fried rice, and my mother had a spicy chicken dish. All were quite good!

We had some Chesapeake-style shrimp, as well and a Christmas morning meal of baked chicken, spinach fettucine, and a baby salad mix. I love these impromptu meals on visits home.

As for the panforte, biscotti, and my wife's wonderful Christmas baked goods - well, there were plenty of other baked goods around and I think some got lost in the shuffle. Not to worry though - reports came in later that all were enjoyed.

We'll be taking round 2 of the baked goods to my wife's family for Christmas -- can't wait!

-C

La Notte di Biscotti

Il biscotto con i pistacchi ed i mirtilli
Biscotti with pistacchio and cranberry
Il biscotto cioccolato bianco con i pistacchi ed i mirtilli
White chocolate biscotti with pistacchio and cranberry
Il biscotto con i pecan e le cannelle
Cinnamon Pecan Biscotti
Il biscotto originali - con le mandorle e l'anice
The Original Biscotti - with almonds and light anise flavoring

Tonight was truly a festival of baking in La Cucina Viola. My wife was busy putting the finishing touches on Christmas cookies, followed by me working up 3 batches of the thing that got this all started - biscotti.

The biscotti will be doled out as holiday goodies over the next week or so, and I'm excited to get my side of the family's take. My wife's family really enjoyed them, so I'm optimistic.

No recipe this time, ragazzi - this one's a family secret :) You'll have to wait 'till they hit a store near you!

-C

Panforte! Finalmente!

On the second try, I think I got it right. This is a treat that I tried and enjoyed in Siena, where it originates, and have wanted to replicate to some degree since. I have substituted figs and raisins for some of the candied fruits because of personal tastes, and I also added cocoa powder. From time to time you see Panforte made with cocoa, but the original Margherita typically is done without the cocoa.

Ingredienti:
3/4 cup almonds
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/4 cup candied orange peel, chopped
1/3 cup raisins
2/3 cup chopped dried figs
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
pinch ground white pepper
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (+ a little for coating pan)
powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven 300 F.

Toast separately the almonds and hazelnuts in a non-stick pan on the stovetop until slightly browned. If not skinned, place the hazelnuts into a kitchen towel and rub vigorously to remove the skin.

Chop coarsely the almonds and hazelnuts together.

Rub olive oil on the bottom and sides of an 8 inch (20 cm) diameter cake pan, then cover the bottom and partway up the sides with parchment paper.

In a bowl combine the chopped nuts, chopped fruit, cocoa, flour, and spices.

In a small saucepan place the sugar, honey, and the 1 3/4 tbsp olive oil. Turn heat to medium, and stir until it reaches about 245 degrees F (about 8 minutes).

These next two steps have to be done very quickly as the mixture hardens at a rapid pace.

Quickly combine and stir the melted honey-sugar-olive oil into the bowl with the nuts mixture, until well combined.

Once combined, quickly transfer this compound into the cake pan. Wet your hands or a flat spatula and push the mixture evenly in the pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, place inverted on a rack and peel off the parchment paper when cool.

Dust with confectioner sugar.

Auguri, tutti - e Buon Natale.

-C

Insalata del sud-ovest

Thought I'd share a lime, garlic, and cilantro dressing that I adapted from an existing recipe for our lunch today. I put it on a salad consisting of iceberg, spinach, green onions, sliced tomatoes, yellow corn, black beans, and broken taco shells (corn).

Cilantro-Lime Dressing
1.5 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp dried cilantro (if given the choice I would use fresh cilantro, and probably more of it)
1 clove garlic, diced
pinch ground sea salt

This makes enough for 2 small/medium salads, or 1 really large one.

-C

Una festa molta festive

Last night was the much anticipated holiday party, and it was truly one of those rare occasions that the lived up to the hype. I thought I'd take some time and highlight the food, which was fantastic.

On the way up the driveway, we were greeted with the island sounds (!), emanating from the backyard tent which had been set up for the occasion. We could only imagine that there would be an island holiday theme inside!

Upon entering the party, we were greeted with some fantastic smells coming from the kitchen area of the house - always a great sign. There were many servers carrying around small plates of what were called "hearty h'ors doeuvres" in the invitation, but actually made a very nice Tapas-esque dinner experience. I made my way to the wine to start, which included a Beaujolais, a Cabernet, and a Merlot selection of reds, and a Riesling, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay selection of whites. I started with the Beaujolais, which was very nice. I also had the Cabernet (good), and the Pinot Grigio (meh). I am normally very much a Pinot Grigio "tifoso," but this one was virtually tasteless, even once it warmed up from the ice bath it was enjoying prior to being poured. Being no wine expert, I won't attempt to review the wine any further.

Among the tables of food inside the house were the following:

Antipasti Table
A selection of marinated olives**
Roasted pepper mix
Cut tomato in garlic and olive oil**
A selection of Italian and Italian-American meats (sausage, pancetta, salami, pepperoni)
Roasted red pepper hummus
Grilled asparagus spears**
Crusty bread
Asagio pita quarters

Sushi Table (complete with sushi chef)
Nigiri (salmon, tuna, squid, and octopus)**
Norimaki (crab, tuna, salmon, avocado)**
Spring roll

The other options inside included freshly cooked plates of food which were being carried around and offered by a service staff.

Small Plates
Chicken satay with rice
Sausage rigatoni with shaved Parmesan
Mushroom risotto with red wine reduction
Cheese ravioli with butternut squash pieces**
Grilled salmon and white beans
Greek pita and spiced lamb

In the tent outside, we were summoned by the sounds of a steel drum and accompanying guitar and drum which created an island feel. Within the tent, there was a coffee station with various flavored syrups, a bar serving various tropical adult drinks, wine, beer and soda, as well as a chocolate fountain with a pale-colored chocolate stream. There were pretzel sticks, strawberries, rice krispy treats, peanut butter balls, pineapple, marshmallows, and cookies on offer to dip in the fountain. Finally, there was a table of food here as well.

Island Table
Crab cakes (cooked on the spot)**
Grilled shrimp
Boiled shrimp
Oysters on the half shell
Island / fruit salsa**

You've no doubt noticed the **asterisks** located next to certain items in my lists. These were the stars of the evening, food-wise.

It should be said that the bartenders in the tent were very kind, and made a cranberry juice/pineapple juice/sprite concoction for my wife to enjoy (no alcohol - baby doesn't like it). The praise shouldn't stop there, however. Putting on such a spread for us was very generous of the University, and the socializing that occurred was fantastic as well. The servers were attentive and offered much more food than could be consumed even by the hungry yet appreciative throngs in attendance. So much food was on offer, in fact, that my wife developed an aversion toward the end of the evening. Now THAT, amici, is a good party.

So, aside from having a bit of a red stain to my teeth, and mis-identifying the department of a colleague of mine (ack), it was a fantastic evening overall.

-C

L'inizio

Here's the honest version: I am starting this blog as much for me as anyone. You should know that I am about 11 months into a food related transformation. The beginning of this transformation could really be called enlightenment, since, for the first time, I took a good hard look at what I was putting in the ole' gas tank....and it wasn't pretty.

As a result, I made a complete 180 on all matters dietary. Calories in went down, and quality in went way up. Yes, my weight went down substantially, but probably the greatest lesson I learned was how to eat properly. I discovered freshness, flavor, and variety. Ironically, I thought I had understood these concepts previously, but quite obviously I did not.

I have always enjoyed cooking, but it has become an even greater adventure with my new culinary paradigm. If you like, I invite you to come along and experience the recipes and other food related ramblings contained within.

Andiamo!

-C