The Chew and Mom and Stuffed Mushrooms

by mykitchenmemories

The Chew and Mom and Stuffed Mushrooms

I’m writing this blog post on Mother’s Day 2023.

I should probably be sharing another one of my mother’s wonderful recipes with you, but instead, I’m going to share a wonderful memory, and of course, a recipe that I think you’ll enjoy.  

On the days that I sit down at my kitchen table and have lunch, I miss my mom and I miss the television show, The Chew.  What do these two things have in common?  If it was lunchtime, you knew my mom was eating her lunch while watching The Chew.  For many. many years, I would watch The Chew at my house while eating lunch, and I knew she was doing the same.   We’d often call each other to comment on the recipes or something funny that happened on the show that day.  Whenever I stopped by for a visit at lunchtime, we’d watch together, which would save us a phone call.  

After her death, I carried on this lunchtime ritual, but I felt an emptiness because I couldn’t share it with her.  My sister and I continued watching and would often comment on which recipes we thought our mom would have liked.  This kept the feeling alive for us.  However, when The Chew went off the air in June of 2018, we were devastated!  Even though the reason for cancellation was riddled with controversy, the show had become part of our family, and part of our lunchtime tradition.  It kept us close to our mom on some level.  Now even the show was gone.  

This hurt.  Another loss.  

Thank goodness I have the cookbook. This is the reason why I love my cookbooks so much.  They preserve memories.  Even though this cookbook is not my favorite, it brings back lovely memories.  Sometimes I pull it off the shelf when I sit down to lunch just for company and the remembrance of her.

“Food makes memories.”  There’s no other way around it.  

Oh, the beautiful memories that we savor through food.  

Happy Mother’s Day!

Mom, you would have loved these mushrooms………

RECIPE: 20 mushrooms

20 button mushrooms, scrubbed clean and stems reserved ( I used Baby Bellas)

3 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP shallots, minced

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 TBSP almonds, chopped

salt, to taste

3 TBSP. parsley, chopped

1 tsp. herbes de Provence or dried thyme

2 TBSP whole wheat bread crumbs ( or regular will do…I even used Panko)

2-3 TBSP. vegetable stock

2 TBSP Pecorino cheese, grated (I used double)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

  1. Finely chop the mushroom stems. Heat 1 TBSP olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the chopped mushroom stems and the shallots for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.
  2. Add the garlic and almonds, and season with salt. Stir well and saute 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat and add the parsley, herbs de Provence (or Thyme) and bread crumbs.
  3. Pour the vegetable stock into a food processor, then the rest of the stuffing . Pulse several times to get a fine mixture, almost a paste.
  4. Toss the mushroom caps with olive oil. Fill each mushroom with the stuffing. Sprinkle grated Pecorino cheese over each mushroom and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese browns a little and the mushrooms are warmed through.

**NOTE: Confessions of an “over-stuffer”: I was extremely generous with each ingredient because I can’t help myself….I must over-stuff.

Escarole Pizza……Cucina Povera

by mykitchenmemories

         Make it and they will come…………

Family… friendship….food…traditions…recipes…..and health of course:  these are some of the blessings in life.  At least that’s true for me.  There is a true joy that comes from digging into our pasts and sharing our heritage, especially through food.  At this time of year, the Lenten season for Catholics, many of us recall the meat- free meals our mothers and grandmothers made for us on Friday evenings.  

For Italians, a very popular dinner for this time of year was a vegetable pie.  These recipes really came from “the old country” and were truly “cucina povera,” poor peoples’ food.   How can you make dough and vegetables taste this good?  You cannot imagine these unbelievable recipes until you’ve experienced them. It seems that each region of Italy uses a different vegetable, but the basic ingredients are the same.  So when we Italians sit around talking about how our mothers made this dish, the possibilities are endless.  Escarole, spinach, broccoli, leeks, broccoli rabe, and of course my Pugliese grandmother’s pizza di cippole  (scallions), whose recipe you can find in the archives. 

 These dishes have been passed down from generation to generation and may be more popular today than they were back when they were eaten out of economic necessity.  I know that my family begs for pizza di cippole every year.  Literally, they beg for it!!!

Over the years of a special friendship, we have had the good culinary fortune to taste our friend Vinny’s mother’s recipe for escarole pie.  The background is Sicilian, so I’m going to say that this is a Sicilian version, but you just never know.  The pass-it-forward history of some Italian recipes covers miles. Some Italian foodies think it might have been a Christmas Eve dish from Napless. The truth is: run, don’t walk, to make this recipe.  I don’t know that I’ve ever had a reaction to anything like this.  

I made it for our family for my husband’s birthday dinner party, hoping my family would all enjoy it.  I was sure they hadn’t had anything like it before.  Liked it???  They LOVED it!!!  What joy it was to see them feasting on this dish.  Well the next day word got out that I had lots of leftovers, and any family members who weren’t at the birthday celebration showed up for a piece.  Friends came from far and wide to sample, and everyone left asking for the recipe.  Hence, this blog post.  

So if you want to entice your loved ones into your home, you have to make this.  I guarantee that if you make it, they will come.

I finally had to fib, saying it was all gone.  But please don’t tell—– I ate it for the next three days!!!

RECIPE: for one pizza, for two people…any more than two people, you must make more. Also, these measurements are rough. You can alter to your taste. And you can’t go wrong. These ingredients won’t fail you.

1 pound pizza dough

2-large heads of escarole, should be about 5 cups, torn into pieces of all sizes

1 small onion, chopped

1 8 ounce mozzarella

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup grated Locatelli Romano cheese

1 tsp garlic powder or 2 cloves, finely minced

Anchovy, if you like….4 or 5 filets..I strongly advise.

Olive oil to mix, as if you were making a salad

I added some small cubes of provolone cheese because I had it.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

  1. Wash and dry the escarole well.
  2. Put dried escarole in a large bowl with all the ingredients and mix well.
  3. Roll out the dough to form a large rectangle.
  4. Cover a cookie sheet/pan with parchment paper ( so it doesn’t stick).
  5. Pile the escarole mixture on half of the pizza dough. Pile it up high. It will cook down.
  6. Pick up the other side of the dough and cross over the escarole, pinching all the sides down tightly.
  7. Poke the top with a fork once and slightly brush with a little olive oil.
  8. Bake for about 20 minutes, but keep your eye on it. You may want to lower your oven to 425 if it browns too quickly.
  9. Pray you have leftovers.

Kathi’s Hot Artichoke and Mozzarella Dip

by mykitchenmemories

I am always so happy to sit with friends and/or family and discuss food, drink and recipes.  However, when the discussion conjures up wonderful memories, I’m more than happy. I’m over the top ecstatic.  I had this happen to me a few weeks ago when I was delighted to spend time with a relative who I hadn’t seen in a very long time.  It took us just a few minutes to feel deeply connected on so many levels.  Of course, our trip down memory lane had to include food.  We’re related, after all.  

There are several of her mom’s recipes are already on this blog, as she and I were always sharing recipes as new young brides who loved to cook and loved to eat.  Stuffed mushrooms and stuffed Cornish hens are two of my favorite recipes of hers.  You can find them in the archives.  I would have to say she was rather famous for these two dishes.  However, the one recipe that was her signature dish was her hot artichoke and mozzarella dip.  OMG did I love this!  Somehow, I never got the recipe from her, and I have tried to duplicate it using the many hot artichoke dips that are on the web.  While most of these are delicious, they just aren’t the same, and I was disappointed every time. 

As I reminisced about this cheesy, gooey scrumptious dip with her daughter, my mind flooded with memories.  I could see my cousin spooning this piping hot dip into a hollowed round loaf of bread…..one spoonful for the loaf and then one spoonful for her.  Sometimes I’d grab a spoon also, and we’d laugh, thinking there would be nothing left for the other guests.  The only thing I can equate this to is eating hot brownies with a spoon, right out of the pan.  Oh we did that too!  

Being gastronomically inclined seems to be hereditary …..at least in our family.  It’s how we relate.  It’s our heritage.  It’s hard to get through a visit without the conversation turning to food and the people and places that we recall so fondly.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.  This trip down memory lane really soothed my soul.  

 Now that I have this recipe and have re-connected with this lovely relative, I am so happy.  I have made the dip several times, and it’s a big hit just like it always was.  I don’t always put it in hollowed out bread.  I often serve it in a dish with crackers or sliced bread.  I’m told that as the years went on, Kathi started serving it with Everything Bagel Chips. I’m going to give that a try next time I make it.  It’s so delicious that I’m sure anything you serve it with will be great.  Just remember…….one spoonful for the bread/dish and one piping hot, goey, cheesy spoonful for you.  YUM!   

RECIPE:

1 8 ounce ( or 12 ounce) package of mozzarella, diced…….I used 12 ounces, but 8 is fine

1 cup of Parmesan cheese

1 cup of mayonnaise

2 cans of artichokes (in water NOT oil), drained and quartered

Garlic powder to taste

Mix together all ingredient in a bowl, and place in a greased baking dish.

Cook at 350 degrees, until bubbly…about 35 to 40 minutes.

Get your spoon ready!!!!

Meatballs 101

by mykitchenmemories

It’s been a while, and if you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, let me explain.   I’ve been on a mission to find the perfect meatball to share with you.  I’ve missed you, but trust me, you will be happy I took on this task.  

I used to think I made a great meatball.  I was praised far and wide for these traditional Italian meatballs that my mother taught me to make, and her mother before her and so forth throughout many generations of Italian women.  My children loved to sneak into the kitchen on Sunday mornings and grab a newly fried meatball when I wasn’t looking.   It seemed that I never made enough. They would mysteriously disappear.  I was proud of my meatballs and got great satisfaction from the enjoyment they gave all my hungry Sunday dinner guests.

Until one day recently, my son ( the greatest former meatball thief of all) told me that I “needed to step up my game” when it came to meatballs.  I was shocked, hurt and a bit annoyed.

“What do you mean?” I questioned him indignantly. “Everyone loves my meatballs, including you!”

“Not really, mom.  They’re missing something lately, “he replied.  “Have you changed something?”

He was way too old to punish, so I swallowed my pride and decided to examine this whole meatball situation.  Maybe Ihad changed something over the years.  

“Why don’t you try a new recipe,” he suggested.

At first I was reluctant, but then I thought maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea.  So I did what I love to do.  I turned to my cookbook collection for help.   And so it began…..my quest for the perfect meatball.

 I was surprised to find many different recipes for what I always thought was such a standard thing.  Some people used different meats.  Some even used sausage.  The type of breadcrumbs changed from recipe to recipe.  You might find ricotta being used.  Garlic or onion or both?  Raisons and pine nuts were in some recipes.  One recipe called for you to roll the meatball in flour before frying.  Then there was the question of whether to fry, bake or broil.  And the type of oil that you should use for frying changed with each recipe.  I was really confused, but willing to try some or all the recipes if necessary.

At the end of a very fattening, but delicious month or so, I came up with the winner.  It was from Arthur Schwartz’s cookbook, “Naples at Table.”  The funny thing was that it is basically the same as my mother’s recipe ( which is what I had always used), except he includes pine nuts and raisins  They are delicious with the pine nuts and raisins but the basic recipe without them is pure perfection.  The best part is that the family agreed.  

Where had I gone astray?  I had stopped using Italian bread soaked in water (or milk) and resorted to time saving Italian flavored breadcrumbs.  Since the breadcrumbs were flavored, I skimped on the fresh parsley, grated cheese, salt and pepper.   This had to be why my meatballs went from fabulous to not so fabulous.  

Now I won’t be so bold as to say that you will find this recipe to be your idea of a perfect meatball.  I learned two important lessons from this exercise in meatballs.  One is that we love the food we grew up on.  We were nourished in many ways from the dishes our families prepared. The tastes stay with us, as well as the love that went into the preparation.   So if this is not the meatball of your childhood, you may totally disagree with me.  

The other lesson I learned from all this is that “traditions” exist for a reason.  We don’t need to change things that are wonderful in their simplicity.  Honoring the way things have been done in the past is a beautiful thing, especially when it come to food.  Now when I make my meatballs, I can feel the presence of my grandmothers and my mother, giving me their seal of approval as I gently squeeze the liquid from the soaked bread.  I take my time and languish in the tradition and memories of it all. 

Finally, my “meatball thieves” are back, and I couldn’t be happier!

RECIPE: makes 12 meatballs

3 cups dried crustless bread (I use Italian bread) cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes before measuring

1 1/4 pounds ground beef (no later than 80%)

3 eggs, beaten to mix well

2 large garlic cloves, finely minced

1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese

1/4 cup finely cut parsley

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup vegetable oil for frying

1/3 cup raisons and 1/3 cup pinenuts …….optional

  1. Soak the bread in cold water ( or milk). Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl, combine, but do not yet mix, the remaining ingredients, except the oil.
  2. Squeeze the bread by fistfuls to drain it, then break it up into the bowl. First with a fork, then with your hands, blend the mixture very well, squishing it in your hands to make sure the bread blends with the meat. Do not worry about handling the meat too much.
  3. With your hands moistened in cold water, roll the mixture between your palms into 12 meatballs, each using about 1/3 cup of meat.
  4. Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When a drop of water sizzles immediately, it’s hot enough for the meatballs. Gently place them in the pan and as soon as the first side looks brown, using a metal spatula, dislodge them and turn to another side. As the cooking side browns well, continue rotating the meatballs. After about 10 minutes the meatballs should be well browned but still slightly rare in the center.
  5. If serving the meatballs without sauce (“gravy”), lower the heat slightly and continue to cook, rotating the meatballs regularly, for another 5 to 8 minutes. If serving the meatballs in sauce, place them in the sauce now and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

Crispy Gnocchi with Burst Tomatoes and Mozzarella

by mykitchenmemories

by Ali Slagel

“Cooking New York Times” Website

As much as I love my cookbooks, sometimes I just don’t have the time to dawdle among the pages to find a recipe. I just can’t resist browsing through the gorgeous photos and dreaming about when I’ll make each dish.   I have been known to open a cookbook in search of a recipe, only to find that an hour or more has passed, and dinner will be late!  

When I don’t want to risk such an event, I open my computer, instead of a cookbook, and go straight to the website, www.cooking.nytimes.com.   Just type in what you want to cook, and a bevy of recipes will appear, with mouthwatering pictures as well.    Many of my favorite cookbook authors have recipes on this website.  I also love all the features that it has to make cooking life easier. 

One day when I was searching for a recipe, I came across a picture for “Crunchy Gnocchi,” and I immediately saved it to “my recipe box,” knowing that I’d be making it very soon.  That’s one of the great features of this website.  You can save the recipes you might be interested in making, or have made and know you’ll want to make again.

This is one recipe I have made over and over again, and everyone leaves with the recipe!

I made one change to this recipe, which I think enhances it.  I added cubed eggplant, and I think it adds another dimension to the dish.  But if you’re not an eggplant lover, you can omit it, and just make the recipe as is.  You won’t be disappointed.

RECIPE: 4 servings

2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

2 (12 to 18 ounce) packages shelf-stable potato gnocchi (not frozen)

1/4 cup unsalted butter

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp. red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 pints small tomatoes, such as cherry or grape (if tomatoes are larger than I’d like, I halve them)

1/4 cup thinly torn basil leaves, plus more for serving

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

optional…1 large eggplant, unpeeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

  1. Heat the broiler with a rack about 6 inches from the heat source
  2. In a large (12 to 14 inch) skillet on the stovetop, heat enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan (about 1 TBSP) over medium heat This is when you would saute the eggplant, if you are using it, until soft, but not mushy. Add more oil if needed. Remove from pan and set aside in a bowl.
  3. Wipe out the pan and heat another 1 TBSP of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add half the gnocchi to the pan, breaking up any that are stuck together. Cover with a lid or baking sheet and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on one side, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi and olive oil. Transfer to the same bowl. One side will have a crisp, golden color.
  4. Add the butter to the skillet and cook over medium-high, stirring often until golden brown and toasty, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, 1 1/2 tsp. salt and a few grinds of pepper, reducing the heat slightly if necessary to avoid scorching. Add the tomatoes and 3 TBSP of water and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the tomatoes have softened and the liquid has slightly thickened, 4 to 6 minutes. Smash the tomatoes as they burst, to help them along.
  5. Add the seared gnocchi ( and eggplant, if using), stir to coat, then shake into an even layer. Top with mozzarella and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Brown until the cheese is melted and browned in spots, 2 to 4 minutes. Top with more basil, red-pepper as desired.

Sautéed Swiss Chard

by mykitchenmemories

From Jane Brody’s Good Food Book

It was a cold, blustery March day, and there I was, alone in my kitchen with several bunches of rainbow Swiss chard. I kept staring at the swiss chard, hoping for some inspiration on what to do with it for that night’s dinner. Oil, garlic, tomatoes? That’s my usual. I learned that from my mother. When in doubt on how to cook any vegetable, saute some oil, garlic and tomatoes. You can’t miss with that, but I needed a change tonight. I needed some help from an old friend, so I searched my bookshelves and reached for Jane Brody’s Good Food Book. Nostalgia swept over me. On this cold wintry day, I felt comfort just holding this book and remembering how I once considered this the nutritional authority on how to feed my family. Jane Brody was a pioneer in nutrition, and it always gave me great pleasure to serve food from this book.

However, as I looked more closely at the cover, I was amazed to see that the sub-title to this book is “Living the High-Carbohydrate Way.” Boy have times changed! I’m not certain this would be a NYTimes bestseller right now when most diet gurus and nutritionists are touting low or no carbohydrate as the healthiest way to live. Perhaps even Jane has changed her thoughts on this. But I’m not here to debate this point. I’m here to share her delicious and healthy recipe for “sauteed Swiss chard.”

I thank Jane Brody for all the years she spent giving us advice on health, nutrition and wellness. She certainly made a difference in my life.

RECIPE: 3 to 4 servings

2 teaspoons oil ( I of course used olive oil)

1 to 2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 cup sliced leeks (white part) or one very small onion, thinly sliced

2/3 cups sliced celery

1 Tablespoon broth or water

4 cups coarsely chopped Swiss Chard ( I used rainbow Swiss chard because it looks so pretty)

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salt to taste.

  1. Heat the oil in a large skillet (preferably nonstick), and add the garlic, leeks or onion and celery. Saute the vegetables, stirring them, for about 3 minutes.
  2. Add the broth or water and the Swiss chard. Season the mixture with pepper and salt, stirring the ingredients to combine well. Cover the pan, and simmer the mixture, stirring it occasionally, over low heat for about 5 minutes or until the chard is wilted and tender.

Maccu

by mykitchenmemories

From The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy by Domenica Marchetti

“Glorious” is the word for this cookbook.  These sumptuous soups and stews are seasonal, even though we tend to think of soups and stews as hearty, wintry meals.  In this cookbook, you will find a vast variety of seasonal ingredients that can be cooked together to make a delicious one-pot meal.  

My favorite soup so far (I haven’t tried them all yet……but I plan to) is “Maccu.”  This is also known as “Spring Cleaning Soup.”  Doesn’t sound appetizing?  Oh, just wait!  I literally dream about this soup.  Or is it a stew?  I’m not quite sure, but whatever you want to call it, one thing is for sure.   It’s delicious!  The flavor is quite unique, and so is the tradition that goes along with it.

Traditionally, “Maccu” is a Sicilian soup served on March 19 to celebrate The Feast of Saint Joseph.  It is also said that it’s just a good way for Sicilian housewives to empty their pantries of any dried legumes left over from the winter.  Thus, they call it “Spring Cleaning Soup.”  They were cleaning out their pantries.   I had no idea that dried beans had a shelf life, but now I know that they do.  I, too, have made this soup every March for the past few years to use up all the beans I bought during the pandemic.  I think I was preparing for a famine, not a pandemic!  I’m nearing the end of my supply of beans, but I’ll purchase whatever necessary to make this soup each year.  It’s sooo good! This is going to be a tradition in this household for sure.

I must agree with the author that the fava beans are a must in this recipe.  They need to be one of the beans included because they fall apart and melt, giving the soup a lush texture that will warm your tummy and soul on a cold day in March.   

RECIPE: serves 4 to 6 as main course or serves 8 as first course.

2 1/2 cups mixed dried beans including 1 cup dried fava beans and 1 1/2 cups other beans, such as chickpeas, kidney beans, cannelloni beans, soaked overnight in water to cover

1/2 cup green or yellow split peas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed and drained

2 1/2 quarts ( 10 cups) water

2 ribs celery, finely chopped

1 fennel bulb, finely chopped

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

1 bunch swiss chard , washed and leaves cut into strips and stems chopped (kale will also do fine)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Kosher or sea salt

Generous pinch of red pepper flakes

Best quality extra virgin olive oil for serving

Drain the beans and make sure you remove the skins off the lava beans. Put the beans in a large Dutch oven or soup pot with a lid. Add the split peas, lentils and the water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming any foam that forms on the surface with a skimmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover partially, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are somewhat tender.

Add the celery, fennel, onion and chard and stir well to combine everything thoroughly. Pour in the 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and season with a little salt and hot red pepper flakes. Continue to simmer, partially covered, fo another 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the legumes and the vegetables are very tender and the soup is very thick. Add more water if the soup seems too dense, but it should be nearly thick enough to hole a wooden spoon upright. Taste for salt and add more if necessary.

Ladle the soup in bowls and drizzle each serving with your best olive oil.

**NOTE: While the quantity of legumes is important ( total of 3 1/2 cups), use what you have on hand (clean out your pantry), EXCEPT please use 1 cup of fava beans. It really makes a difference.

Broccoli Pasta

by mykitchenmemories

From Old World Italian by Mimi Thorisson

I’m always thrilled to receive a cookbook (or any book for that matter) as a gift.  It’s a gesture of endearment to me, as it lets me know that I am truly understood by that person.  They “get me” and my love of food, cooking and of course, cookbooks.  

Recently, I was given the cookbook “Old World Italian” by Mimi Thorisson.  I didn’t know much about the cookbook author, but her story is one of those that you wish was yours.  After living in France and writing several cookbooks and conducting cooking workshops there, she and her husband and children decided to travel through Italy, eventually living there, in search of exquisite, authentic Italian recipes.   This book is the product of those travels.  

I honestly don’t know what I enjoyed more……the written story of this adventure or the recipes.  The book truly reads like a novel.  I couldn’t put it down.  Such a fantasy come true!  And the pictures will have your mouth watering in minutes.  There is no other way to describe this book other than “dreamy.”  

One of my favorite recipes from the book is “broccoli pasta.”  It’s different from the “pasta with broccoli” recipe I have in the archives.  While I absolutely adore that recipe, this one is just as delicious, but with a different texture and a rather different taste.  I have added it to my repertoire of healthy vegetarian meals.  I’d be surprised if you didn’t do the same.

I hope you enjoy!

RECIPE: SERVES 4 TO 6

1 large head of broccoli and stems (about 1 pound) cut into small florets and coarsely chopped stems

1 pound dried spaghetti (meaning from a box, not freshly made)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced ( I used 2 cloves…love that garlic!)

Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream ( You can try a non dairy creamer. I bet it would be fine)

1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese. (You might want more for passing?)

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook until al dente, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, keeping the water boiling to cook the pasta.
  2. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook to al dente according to the package directions. Reserving 1 cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta, return to the empty pot and set aside.
  3. (While the pasta is cooking I did these next 3 steps). In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the broccoli and season with salt and pepper. Pour the cream over the mixture. Cook for 15 seconds and remove from the heat.
  4. Transfer the broccoli mixture to a food processor and process until roughly creamy.
  5. Add the broccoli sauce and a few tablespoons of reserved pasta water to the pot of pasta and set the pot over medium high-high heat. Cook, tossing frequently, until the pasta is well coated, 1 to 2 minute( add more pasta water if needed). Season with salt and pepper and scatter the grated Parmesan on top. Serve immediately.

** NOTE: I made sure the broccoli sauce was ready before I drained the pasta so the pasta wouldn’t clump together in the pot. Also, I tossed the pasta after adding the cheese at the end, to mix it in so it would cling to each strand of spaghetti. Then I added a bit more, “scattered” on top and passed Parmesan cheese at the table.

Chili Con Carne

by mykitchenmemories

from Soup Suppers by Arthur Schwartz

One of my favorite “food personalities” is Arthur Schwartz, known to many as “The Food Maven.”  You need to be of a certain age to even know who I’m talking about as his career has spanned over 40 years.  I first became enamored with Arthur during his 12 years on WOR radio hosting the program “Food Talk.”  I listened to this every lunchtime, throughout the nineties, in my office, writing down recipes, NYC restaurants I wanted to try, and especially Italian food and travel information.  At the time, he had a cooking school in southern Italy and took groups there.  I thought about joining one of his excursions, but I have my husband to guide me around Italy.  

I bring up Arthur Schwartz because I love his cookbooks!  Naples at Table has Italian recipes just like my family’s recipes.  It’s amazing.  We use this cookbook for many of our traditional holiday foods.  New York City Food is a historical and delicious anthology of foods that have made New York City the food capital of the world.  The best apple cake recipe around can be found in his Jewish Home Cooking. I promise to share recipes from all of these books in due time.   I have loved cooking from these books.

For this post, I’m going to share from my most recently acquired Soup Suppers. I purchased it about a year ago when I heard Arthur talk about it on a podcast that I listen to.  Every Monday at 8:00AM he calls into a show on Robin Hood Radio, a station out of Sheffield, Massachusetts, and for one half hour, he talks about food and recipes. One day, he mentioned this book and his recipe for Chile con Carne.  What peeked my interest was the fact that he called it “Chili con Carne.”  This is how this dish was referred to many years ago before it became just “chile.”  But when he mentioned a boyhood memory of his dad eating this with crumbled saltines, I knew I had to get this book.  My memory of “Chili con Carne “ is my mom opening a can of “Hormel Chili con Carne” for my dad on Saturdays for his lunch.   I LOVED the smell…..and the taste!   My dad would crumble saltines on top, and I’d eagerly wait for him to share with me.  Over the years, I’ve tried many versions of chili, always hoping to replicate this chili of my childhood.  Most were delicious, but missed the mark somehow.   Now the search is over.  The taste and aroma of this chili brings me right back to a Saturday lunch with my dad.  I garnish it the way I would with any other chili, with avocados, cheddar cheese, sour cream, etc., but I do miss the saltines.  And of course, my dad.   

RECIPE: Serves 4 to 6

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

3 medium, onions, finely chopped

6 to 8 large garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed

2 pounds lean ground beef

2 (28 ounce) cans of plum tomatoes, with their juice, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons coarse sea salt, or to taste

3 Tablespoons chili powder

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin seeds

2 (16 ounce) cans of kidney beans, drained, not rinsed

FOR THE GARNISH:

Sour cream

Shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese

fresh cilantro, chopped

Diced avocado

Diced fresh chilies

lime wedges

  1. In a 5 to 6 quart pot, heat the oil over medium heat and saute the onions until they brown, about 10 minutes.
  2. Stir in the garlic and saute another 30 seconds.
  3. Add the ground beef and, with a wooden spoon, break it up and turn constantly until it loses it’s raw color.
  4. Add the chopped tomatoes, salt, chili powder, 1/4 tsp. of cayenne, oregano, and cumin. Stir well. Partially cover and let simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Taste and add more salt and cayenne if desired, remembering that the beans will tone it down.
  6. Add the canned beans, stir well, partially cover again, and adjust heat so chili simmers gently for another 10 minutes.
  7. Ladle into deep bowls and serve with side garnishes.

Pumpkin Soup with a Very Fine Pasta

by mykitchenmemories

The New Complete Book of Pasta by Maria Luisa Scott & Jack Denton Scott

Autumn is soup season.  I could eat if for breakfast, lunch and dinner at this time of year.  So when a friend told me I had to try this recipe, I was eager to oblige.  

However, when she told me the ingredients, and that it came from an Italian cookbook, I was skeptical.  Chicken, pureed pumpkin, cream, spinach, pasta……it didn’t sound very Italian to me, nor had I ever heard of an Italian soup like this.  But this is my friend who never disappoints when she tells me a recipe is good……not in over 35 years.  I asked for the recipe, and a picture of the cookbook that it came from, as I was curious. 

I was surprised to see that the recipe is called “Zuppa di Zucca e Pasta Fine Fine alla Modena.”   Wow!  It certainly seemed authentic.    Also, it was from The New Complete Book of Pasta.     While I still questioned the “Italian-ness” of this recipe, I remembered this cookbook from her kitchen back in the late 1980s.  While our sons would play ball for hours in her backyard, she and I would sit in her kitchen with a cup of tea talking, laughing, and dancing to Phil Collins, Pet Shop Boys, Duran Duran and of course Bruce Springsteen.  Conversation usually made its way around to food.  What we were making for dinner usually came up before the afternoon ended.  Coming from an English background, I was intrigued by her recipes for Shepherd’s Pie, English Trifle, Bubble and Squeek and many more.  

She had many cookbooks, but this particular one always caught my attention.  I didn’t own many Italian cookbooks at this point in my life.  My Italian recipes were mostly handed down from family.  I was amazed at the hundreds of ways to make pasta.  I remember leafing through this book, my mouth watering.  I also had a bit of mistrust.  Could my non-Italian friend really know Italian food?  Were these recipes authentic?  Over the years, this book (and my friend) have proved me dead wrong.  Every recipe she ever gave to me from here was a winner, even if it was something unusual to me.  She also is one of the best Italian cooks I know.  I like to think that it was my influence, but I’m sure this cookbook has something to do with it.  

So I took a chance and gave it a try.  She’s right again!  This recipe is indeed wonderful.  

If you have leftover turkey this Thanksgiving, I suggest you use it here instead of the chicken.  

Buon Appetito! 

RECIPE: serves 6

5 Tablespoons butter

1 medium-size onion, coarsely chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped ( I used 2 and minced)

1 celery stalk, scraped ( I did not) and coarsely chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 bay leaf

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups cubed ( 1/2 inch) fresh pumpkin ( I used canned pureed)

1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream or substitute 1 cup half and half ( I’m sure you can use coconut milk and cream, but will definitely alter the taste…..but not in a bad way)

2 cups cubed chicken (she used rotisserie chicken….I boiled some boneless thighs)

1/2 tsp (or to taste) ground nutmeg…grate your own if possible

1 cup broken-up very fine pasta, such as capellini or Angel hair

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh spinach ( we both doubled this)

In a large pot, over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add the onion, garlic and celery and cook 2 minutes. Do not brown. Add the salt, pepper, bay leaf, broth, pumpkin and cook, partially covered, about 25 minutes, or until the pumpkin can be mashed ( if using fresh pumpkin). Discard the bay leaf. Puree the soup with an immersion blender. (If putting this in a regular blender, cool first).

Stir in the milk and cream, chicken and nutmeg. cook for 2 minutes. Add the pasta and cook for 1 minute or until the pasta is just al dente. Taste for seasoning. Stir in the spinach and remaining butter and serve.