Elizabeth Minchilli's Blog, page 11
April 20, 2020
Week 5 – Lockdown Menu + Recipes
Another week, another menu. As this period of time goes on, the meal plans that Sophie and I develop each week seem to become increasingly essential to our mental wellbeing. First of all we like to eat, so there’s that. But thankfully we also love to cook, so it actually gives us something to do. And now we’ve added a new dimension to our own ‘personal-meal-plan-as therapy/lifestyle’: videos.
Sophie and I have always put what we’re cooking up on our Instagram Stories, and I’ve got a YouTube channel with loads of videos. But last week we decided to film what we’re cooking in a more planned out kind of way, and post the full cooking tutorials on IGTV. Just in case those random letters don’t mean much to you, IGTV is the part of Instagram that features longer format videos. Instagram TV.
So I film Sophie, and Sophie films me, and we are having TOO MUCH FUN.
Seriously, you have no idea how often we have to stop because we are laughing too much.
One of the big things we’ve discovered? We both say ‘SO ’ way too often.
Anyway, all this to say that our meal-plan-lifestyle is fast becoming kind of like a job, but in a very good way. Yesterday, when Sophie and I had our Sunday morning meeting to plan this coming week’s menu (yes, we actually sit down and have a meeting) we made sure to include not just recipes that we felt like eating, but also kept in mind what we felt like filming. And perhaps what you felt like watching? (and then cooking and eating…)
Here is where you can see the videos:
If there is a tutorial you’d like to see, leave a comment below. We are SO open to suggestions!
And now back to our regularly scheduled programming: here are the links and recipes for last week’s meal plan:
Lockdown Menu 5
April 13-19
MONDAY
Lunch: Pasta con Piselli, Green Salad
Sophie loves the tradition of recipes combining pasta and vegetables in the south of Italy. So since she nabbed a huge bag of fresh peas at the market last week she decided to make this. You can also do it with frozen peas of course. Sophie wasn’t super happy about how the pasta turned out since she had pictured the peas remaining bright green and in tact, kind of like in this recipe. Instead they cooked into a puree, but was totally delicious and – I think – beautiful.
And if you see a lot of green salads that’s because our vegetable garden is now in full swing. Maybe I should do a salad tutorial? Seriously, I get a lot of questions.
Dinner: Roasted Asparagus, Salmon, Blini, Cream Cheese
Sophie had been craving smoked salmon and cream cheese and while I considered making bagels, we finally decided to serve it on blinis and call it dinner. Blini’s are simply tiny savory pancakes that are often served topped with sour cream and caviar. They are super easy to make and here is the recipe I used, but instead of buckwheat flour I used rye.
Asparagus: My go to way of dealing with asparagus is to snap off the tough ends, then wash them. While still damp I place them in one layer on an oven tray and drizzle with olive oil, using my hands to coat. Next a sprinkle of flaky salt and into a preheated 350F/180C oven for about 15 minutes, till just cooked. Serve them with a squeeze of lemon, or else topped with an egg.
TUESDAY
Lunch: Mushroom Soup with Rice, Celery Salad
Usually once a week I make soup with what’s in the fridge and some leftovers. This time around I had frozen the sauce from beef bourguignon that I had made last week, as well as some broth I’d made from leftover lamb bones. This formed an incredible base for the mushroom soup, which was mostly onions, fresh mushrooms, celery and dried porcini mushrooms. Also leftover rice gave it heft.
The Celery Salad is one of my favorites. The recipe is here, and I might do a video tutorial this week
Dinner: Scaloppine al Limone, Cicoria Ripassata
Sophie had bought prosciutto to make saltimboca, but then we ended up eating the prosciutto. That’s how we ended up with Scalopine al Limone (a.k.a. Veal Piccata)
The chicory was simply boiled, drained, and then put back in a pan with tons of olive oil and garlic.
WEDNESDAY
Lunch:Farmer’s Lunch: Bread and Cheese and Salad
This is the one time per week when we let ourselves eat cheese and call it lunch. It’s usually because Sophie has been to the store, and so we have fresh mozzarella and ricotta. But don’t worry, we also have veggies. This time we roasted some sorry looking zucchini from the week before. Roasting does wonders for not-so-wonderous veggies. Also, topping them with loads of freshly made salsa verde makes them sing.
We also made a simple salad of chopped cherry tomatoes and celery which was crunchy, juicy and delicious.
Dinner: Moroccan-ish Chickpea Stew with Couscous
I was craving a chickpea filled stew and so made this recipe, more or less, served on top of couscous.
THURSDAY
Lunch: Pasta alla Puttanesca
This is one of our favorite pantry pastas. You can watch Sophie make it here, or the recipe is here.
Dinner: Chicken Cacciatore, Stuffed Peppers
For my first videos I decided to stick to recipes from my book The Italian Table. First up Chicken Cacciatore and Stuffed Peppers, both from the Umbria chapter. The Chicken video is here, and the pepper video is coming soon. But both recipes are in my book.
FRIDAY
Lunch: Leftovers (chicken and peppers)
Dinner: Sardines & Marinated Onions; Beans with Seasoned Breadcrumbs; Roasted Radicchio
I’d been craving sardines for a while, ever since I bought 6 cans of them at the beginning of this ordeal. Of course we never ‘needed’ them, which meant we hadn’t eaten them yet. Hence the craving. Here’s how I served them: Thinly slice 3 red onions into half rings. Place in a small bowl and add 1 tsp salt and toss. Next add about 1/4 cup of white wine vinegar. Toss and let sit for at least 20 minutes. When ready to serve drain the onions and pile on a small plate. Gently lay the sardines on top (2 cans work for 3 people). Top with fresh herbs. I used marjoram and it was fantastic. Drizzle with olive oil.
I also made beans. I had cooked a batch of unfortunately named Corona beans (big white beans). I drained them, and placed them in an oven proof dish and topped them with leftover seasoned breadcrumbs (from the stuffed peppers) and olive oil, before placing them in the oven.
SATURDAY
Lunch: Pasta con Fagiolini, Another one of Sophie’s favorite pastas that use a lot of vegetables. You can see the video of her making on her instagram channel later this week.
Dinner: Hamburgers, Coleslaw
You can read all about this dinner, with the recipes (including home made buns and truly excellent cole slaw) here.
SUNDAY
Lunch: Onion Parmigiana; Salad of Leftover Beans and Grilled Radicchio; Salad of Fave Beans and Pecorino
Onion Parmigiana is a thing of wonder. It’s the invention (as far as I know) of our friends and Agriturismo Cerretto. You can find a video of Doriana making it in the highlights of my Stories on Instagram. They actually delivered this dish to us, along with our farm share, so I didn’t even have to cook it!
Dinner: Shrimp Fried Rice
Sunday dinners are for something NOT Italian. And so I made fried rice using this recipe. I didn’t have any sesame seed oil, and so used peanut butter instead. I felt very proud of coming up with this substitution.
Desserts:
Sophie’s Apple Cake: This cake was as delicious as it was pretty. See Sophie’s video here
I also made Melissa Clarks’ Olive Oil brownies again, but added a half cup of dried coconut which I recommend.
Drinks:
Sorry, but I’ve been really boring in the drinks department lately. I alternate between gin and vodka martins, dirty. The other thing I insist upon is a steady supply of potato chips and/or salted peanuts or cashews. While Domenico and I have always had cocktail hour, I have to admit to looking forward to it even more these days. And I feel absolutely no guilt whatsoever about the amount of chips consumed. I am, however, considering adding dip to the lineup. (where is my mother’s old recipe box when I need it?)
Table Setting:
With the nice weather we’ve been able to have lunch outside quite a bit (Yay!). I also tackled the linen closet and have discovered that almost all of my tablecloths and napkins are either green or yellow. But I did find some hidden gems (the blue and white checked one below) I had forgotten about buried beneath the stacks of white napkins. I also found a set of cute Bodum glass tea cups that Sophie is going to use to make Tiramisu in next week on her IGTV.
For more inspiration on planning your meals and setting your table buy my book The Italian Table.
And for past Lockdown Menus and Recipes see the following posts:
The post Week 5 – Lockdown Menu + Recipes appeared first on Elizabeth Minchilli.
April 19, 2020
Hamburger (buns) + Coleslaw
Even during normal times (remember those?) I find that I need a break from Italian food every so often. Weekends in Rome usually mean Japanese, Chinese or Indian food. But now that we are up in Umbria with no chance of ordering take out from restaurants that never even existed up here (and if they did they would be closed) I’ve had to cook to cater to our cravings. This means that I’ve been making my my own tortillas, stirring up fried rice and even made a 4 course Indian feast complete with home made roti.
But last night I gave in to my roots. I decided we needed a hamburger night. The meat part wasn’t hard at all, since our excellent butcher is very much open. The other elements proved more of a challenge. Which I, of course, rose to.
I’d made this recipe for buns a couple of weeks ago, but wasn’t 100% happy with it. I wanted them a bit richer and lighter. A recipe I found on the Ktchn website worked perfectly, although I did tweak it a bit to make them slightly whole wheat. (I’ll include my version below). Also, I had the genius idea to treat each bun to a sprinkling of Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel Seasoning. A mixture of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic and salt, it was perfect!
While the pickle situation here in Umbria is pretty sad, I did manage to make homemade mayonnaise, which made everyone happy.
We were thinking of making french fries too, but I have to admit to getting lazy. (also, we’d had chips with drinks, so there was that).
I did, however, make some excellent coleslaw with our last bit of cabbage that seems to last forever in the fridge. The recipe is below.
While the food was 100% American, the drinks were Italian. We started out with Negroni’s. (with potato chips to keep to the theme). And for dinner I opened a bottle of one of my favorite local reds, Montefalco Rosso from Adanti.
And while there was no apple pie for dessert, there was apple cake that Sophie had made the day before. Close enough.
Coleslaw
Yield 4
I make many versions of cabbage salad, but this one is the most classic. And while I may use homemade mayonnaise on the burgers, for this recipe I use store bought.
Ingredients
3-4 cups thinly sliced cabbage (I used a mixture of both red and savoy)
3 teaspoons of salt
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 carrot, grated
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 teaspoons dijon mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon Chinese garlic chili sauce (or to taste)
1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds (optional)
Instructions
Cut the cabbage into quarters, and remove the tough core. Slice the cabbage as thinly as possible, and place it in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt and toss to coat. Using both hands, massage the salt into the cabbage for a few minutes, using force to really crush the cabbage. You want it to wilt. Let rest for 15 minutes.
In the meantime place the sliced onion in a small bowl, and toss with remaining teaspoon of salt. Add the vinegar and stir to mix well. Let sit for 15 minutes.
To make the dressing mix the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl: mayonnaise, mustard, olive oil, tomato paste, lemon juice, chili sauce. Stir well and taste it. It should be rich and tangy. Add more of anything to suit your own taste.
To assemble the salad add the onions and their vinegar along with the dressing to the cabbage. Stir to coat well. If using cumin seeds add them and stir (some people, like Sophie, hate cumin. I love it!)
Hamburger Buns – Makes 8
1 tablespoon active-dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 egg white (for the wash)
Sesame or Poppy seeds for the top (I used Trader Joes Everything but the Bagel Seasoning)
Instructions:
Place the yeast and water into a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer) and let the yeast dissolve.
In a medium bowl beat together the egg, oil, sugar and salt. Add this to the dissolved yeast and mix well.
Add the flours and stir until it forms a shaggy dough. Then knead (either by hand or in the mixture) for about 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth, but slightly wet, and should spring back when poked with your finger.
Place in a covered bowl and let rise, for about an hour, until doubled in bulk.
Turn out the dough onto a slightly floured surface, and divide into 8 pieces. Form each piece into a tight round ball, and place on slightly oiled baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Cover and let rise for about another hour.
Preheat oven to 350F/ 180C
Beat egg white with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon water. Using a pastry brush, gently brush each bun with the wash. Sprinkle seeds over the top and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Let the buns cool completely before using.
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April 13, 2020
Week 4 – Lockdown Menu + Recipes
Well that was a very full week meal plan and recipe wise. While Passover and Easter often come at the same time, it seemed like they were extra close this year during lockdown. But these days I’m taking any chance possible to celebrate, so I embraced both holidays full on.
Even though I’m Jewish I’m kind of lazy when it comes to celebrating all the holidays. When the girls were younger I’d make sure to at least make the effort at Chanukah and Passover. But when we started going down to Bari for Easter every year, Passover just got to be one holiday too many.
This year even though it was just Sophie, Domenico and me, I made matzoh ball soup, chopped liver and a version of Haroset. I even made a half hearted attempt at the Seder plate. But it was fun and I got out a white tablecloth and we got a bit more dressed than usual and ate in the dining room.
And for Easter I managed to dye eggs with food coloring we found at the supermarket and I successfully made a pastiera!
We now have the official lockdown extended until May 3, although after that is anyone’s guess. The country will be slow to open, we’re thinking, so we’ll most likely be here in Umbria through May. The best part of this is getting the chance to experience spring day by day, since nature changes so fast this time of year. This week we’ll be harvesting the salad we planted when we first arrived 6 weeks ago, and the radishes, spinach and Swiss chard has started to sprout.
And while you cant eat them, I’m certainly enjoying the flowers. About to go out right now and gather some of the first irises.
Drink wise it’s been pretty much martinis, and my affection to ruffled potato chips is only seconded to my addiction to salted peanuts.
Lockdown Menu 4
April 6-12, 2020
Monday
Lunch: Beet Salad with Feta & Walnuts
Potato Salad (not quite this recipe, but close enough)
Dinner: Beef Tacos (made from beef leftover from last week’s Beef Bourguignon cooked with cumin, lime and oregano and paprika)
Home made flour tortillas – so easy!!
Red Cabbage Slaw
Rice pudding
Tuesday
Lunch: Pasta e Fagioli
Dinner: Parmigiana di Finocchio, green salad
Panna Cotta with Strawberry Coulis (this recipe links to my version with almond milk. For this one I just used regular milk, and strawberries instead of peaches)
Wednesday
Lunch: Frittata with Wild Asparagus
Dinner: Passover Seder: Chopped Liver & Matzoh; Apple and Walnut Salad; Fennel Salad;
Matzoh Ball Soup,
Thursday
Lunch: Beans & Greens, Fennel Salad
Dinner: Baked Orata (Sea Bream); Roasted Potato; Zucchini, Strawberries
Friday
Lunch: Torta Rustica, Salad
Dinner: Bombette, roasted potatoes, salad
Saturday
Lunch: Focaccia & Mozzarella
Dinner: Stirfry of Pork and Bok Choy (but I used pork and bokchoy instead of Turkey and Stringbeans in the linked recipe) Eggplant, Basmati Rice
Berries with cream
Sunday
Lunch: Easter!
Antipasto of Umbrian Cheese Bread, Salame, Eggs
Lamb with Artichokes, Eggs and Lemon
Pastiera
Sophie made this Banana Bread again, but this time used dried coconut instead of walnuts and we LOVED it.
For more Italian meal inspiration see my books: The Italian Table, Eating My Way Through Italy and Eating Rome
And here are my past Lockdown Menu Plans:
The post Week 4 – Lockdown Menu + Recipes appeared first on Elizabeth Minchilli.
Easter Lamb + Pastiera
I know it’s a little late for Easter recipes. But really, who can say what day it is? Easter was probably yesterday, but maybe it was just another Tuesday? It could be Christmas for all I know. And I’m pretty sure it was also Passover at some point
Whatever the day (or month or year) I decided to share these recipes here, since so many people asked for them when they saw my photos on instagram. And while they are traditional Easter (or Passover) recipes, I think that since you have a lot of time on your hands anyway, they’ll be good for any day in this never-ending month.
The first, Lamb with Artichokes and Lemon, comes from the classic Cucina Ebraica by Joyce Goldstein. Sophie and I pulled out this cookbook when we were looking for recipes for Passover. But when we decided to make our Seder a bit lighter, we just shifted this recipe over for Easter. Which actually makes sense, since it’s a Roman recipe that is as good for one holiday as the other.
In fact, Sophie and I first had it at a little restaurant outside of Rome, and vowed we’d make it at some point. While the recipe calls for lamb and artichokes, almost any light meat and spring vegetable will do. The original recipe actually calls for goat. You can easily sub in chicken or veal, and I once made a very similar dish using rabbit. While the recipe calls for artichokes, we also added fresh fave beans and peas. I think Asparagus would work perfectly do. The non-negotiable ingredients though are the egg yolks and lemon juice that make up the finished sauce. It is SO good!!!
The second recipe is for Pastiera. This is a typical ricotta cake that is made all over southern Italy but especially Naples. We always had it on Easter, and for years Domenico’s Zia Tetta would bring one up from Bari to Umbria, where we would all celebrate together. In fact, I still have all of the special tin pans that are used to bake them in, which she would leave. This year since we are unable to go to Bari to be with Domenico’s mother, we were missing our Pastiera fix, and so I decided to make one.
Ricotta was easy to get, since the cheese store is still open. The other main ingredient is wheat berries. This is something that as far as I can tell is only used in this specific recipe at this time of year. It’s kind of like the equivalent of canned pumpkin at Thanksgiving in the USA. Luckily Sophie nabbed one of the last jars at our supermarket. If you can’t find wheat berries though, don’t worry. Just use cooked arborio rice. The other main change I made was to use butter instead of strutto (lard). And I really think this made a huge difference.
The recipe I used is from the website Giallo Zaffarano. It’s my go to Italian cooking website since it has everything and usually in a version that is easy to follow and ia accompanied by step by step photos. Here is the link to the recipe. I was going to transcribe it, into English, but sorry, I just don’t have it in me. But if you are dedicated, and curious, then google translate should work. (if you have specific questions you can ask below) The recipe is perfect and I was SO proud of my final pastiera. I like to think that Zia Tetta would have been just as proud.
Lamb with Artichokes, Eggs and Lemon
This is a typical Roman recipe adapted from Joyce Goldstein’s Cucina Ebraica (1998). Although it calls for Goat, these days lamb is much more common. And while it’s from a book on Jewish Roman cooking, it’s also pretty common throughout the region as a spring time dish. Feel free to substitute in chicken or veal for the meat, and another vegetable (asparagus or peas) for the artichokes.
Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
3 1/2 pounds/ 1 1/2 kilos of lamb, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley and/or mint
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 lemon (for artichoke cleaning)
6-8 small artichokes (trimmed of outer leaves, and sliced like this)
3 egg yolks
Fresh mint
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a pan large enough to hold all the lamb in a single layer, seasoning with salt and pepper.. Add the lamb and saute on high heat until browned. Add the onions and cook a few more minutes until they soften.
Sprinkle flour and stir, then add the wine. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes, so the wine bubbles. Lower heat, cover and let cook for about half hour.
Drain the artichokes of their lemon water, and add to the meat. Continue cooking, covered, for another 20 minutes or so, or until the artichokes are tender. If the pan seems dry, add a 1/2 cup or so of water.
In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks and lemon juice.
Turn off the heat under the pan, and add in the egg mixture, stir well and cover. Let the pan sit for 3 minutes or so. Add the mint and serve.
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April 8, 2020
pasta e fagioli
I have to admit that Pasta e Fagioli has never been at the top of my hit list. I love beans. And I LOVE pasta. But the idea putting the two together has always left me a bit… meh. For instance, if it’s ever on a restaurant menu I would never in my life think of ordering it. But it’s the first thing that Domenico goes for.
The thing is, once Domenico does order it, and once I take a taste (as I always do) I think: why didn’t I order that? Because as it turns out I actually love pasta e fagioli. It’s just the idea of it that never excites me.
So when Sophie suggested we add it to our weekly menu this week my first thought was….meh. But when she actually made it I was very glad she did. Because it was amazing!!
Although we had a conference call with my friend Evan the night before about it, Sophie made a few changes to Evan’s recipe. While Evan uses these beans (which are super creamy and – sorry – currently sold out) Sophie used borlotti beans (from our farm share) which not only stayed more intact, but gave the dish that distinctive brown kind of color that we associate with true pasta e fagioli. Also, Sophie added more ingredients to her soup, (carrots and celery) which gave it a sweetness.
Another addition that Sophie made was pork. She added a handful of chopped guanciale and it was an excellent decision. (but if you want to keep it vegetarian just leave it out).
Two things that both Evan and Sophie agreed upon was the shape of the pasta. They both prefer a little curly cue shape. (Sophie used Garofolo’s Mafalda Corta and Evan used Rustichella’s Sagne) . And they both like the pasta e fagioli to be quite thick, and not soupy.
Here is Sophie’s recipe but don’t worry if you don’t have borlotti beans. You can use any beans, but you should definitely start with dried beans since you need the bean broth as the stock. (although here is a recipe from Evan when you want to use canned beans) And by all means use any pasta shape you have! You can even mix and match and use up different shapes, breaking them up into smaller pieces before adding. And if you forgot to soak your beans and want the whole thing to be ready a bit faster, then lentils are your friend.
Pasta e Fagioli
Yield 3
The quantities in this recipe was the perfect amount for 3 people for lunch. We each has one big bowl and were very satisfied. (we also has a salad). If you’re making it for 4, you could add another 50 grams of pasta, or start out with a cup and a half of beans.
Ingredients
1 cup dried beans
1 sprig of rosemary
1 small onion
salt
1/3 cup of olive oil
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/3 cup diced guanciale (optional)
1/3 cup tomato puree
150 grams pasta
Instructions
Soak the beans for 6 to 12 hours. Drain and put in a pot. Cover by 2 inches of water and add the rosemary and the small onion (peeled and cut in half). Bring to simmer and let cook until very tender. After about a half hour add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Remove about a cup of beans from the pot, puree them, and set aside.
In the meantime in a large pot pour the olive oil and turn on to medium heat. Add the carrots and the celery and season with salt and pepper. Let cook for about 5 minutes, until they start to soften. Then add the garlic and the guanciale, and let cook a few minutes more.
Now add about a half cup of the beans with the tomato. Let this cook for about 10 minutes until thickened.
Add the rest of the beans and pasta to the pot (removing the rosemary and onion first). Bring to a boil and add the pasta. Let simmer until the pasta is done.
The pasta will absorb all of the liquid. If it seems too dry, add a bit more water. But it should be quite thick at the end.
Add the reserved pureed beans to the post and mix it in.
Ladle into bowls and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and grated cheese if you’d like.
For more Italian meal inspiration and recipes see my book The Italian Table.
And if you’d like to eat this dish of pasta e fagioli in Italy then join us on one of our Week in Italy tours.
The post pasta e fagioli appeared first on Elizabeth Minchilli.
April 6, 2020
Week 3 – Lockdown Menu + Recipes
We’re still out here in Umbria. It’s been exactly a month that we’ve been living in this new world called ‘lockdown’. As you know one of our biggest discoveries in this new place has learning that we are excellent meal planners! Actually, it’s not a new talent at all, since I actually wrote a book about planning Italian meals last year. But using this skill set to get through this time has been one of our favorite projects.
The whole planning thing has been working well and Sophie and I have decided that our ‘meeting’ every Sunday to decide the next week’s meals is one of our favorite times of the week. It’s kind of like a staff meeting I guess. Except that we are both the staff and the customers.
One thing we have to figure out though, is if this goes on much longer (and we have a feeling that we’ll be here at least till the end of April) how are we going to fit all the menus on one wall?! (see that photo below)
As we head into this week, we’re planning on celebrating both Passover AND Easter because why not? I’ll report on that as I go along on Instagram and be sure to post the links next week. (But if you can’t wait I’m making a lot of dishes from this article for Passover)
But in the meantime here is last week’s plan:
Week 3 – Lockdown Menu + Recipes
March 30 – April 5, 2020
Monday
Lunch: Leftovers, Roasted Zucchini
Dinner: Meze :Greek Salad, Homemade Pita, Hummus (I just wing it when it comes to hummus, but here is a good recipe.
Tuesday
Lunch: Pasta alla Zucchini Napoletana
Here is the video Sophie followed but I’ll be writing up the recipe next week because it was FANTASTIC!!!
Dinner: Grilled Sausage, Black Eyed Beans, Flowering Broccoli
This is one of our favorite meals. We each only have one sausage, so the meal is mostly about the beans and greens. And it can be any beans or greens you’d like. We grill the sausage over our fire, but you can cook them up anyway that’s easy.
Wednesday
Lunch: Asparagus Bismarck – one of my favorite ways to eat asparagus, topped by a fried egg and parmigiano (recipe in my book)
Dinner: Grain Bowl (Red Rice, Steamed Shrimp, grated carrot, sliced radish, leftover beans, pickled onions, tahini sauce)
Thursday
Lunch: Farmer’s Lunch (Mozzarella, Pecorino, Fave Beans, Bread)
Dinner: Pasta al Pomodoro (Gnocchi failed); Salad, Strawberries with Balsamico
This meal was supposed to be a repeat of Sophie’s gnocchi from last week, but somehow she bought the wrong potatoes and they just didn’t work (too many hard lumps.) it was ok though, since the pasta with tomato sauce was delicious!
Friday
Lunch; Green Minestrone, here is the recipe for that, but this time around I added old bread to the soup itself (rather than croutons) to add body and use up the left over bread. I’ve saved the video of my making it on my Instagram highlights.
Dinner: Mixed Grilled meats, Cicoria Ripassata, Ricotta, Cherry and Balsamic Crostata
Saturday
Lunch: Greek Salad, Pita, hummus (The pita and hummus were actually leftover from Monday and I froze both. Turns out hummus freezes just fine!!)
Dinner: Boeuf Bourguignon , Mashed Potatoes, Green Salad
Sunday
Lunch: Pasta with Tomato and Mascarpone, Mixed Salad
Sunday: Thai Chicken Soup (more or less this recipe since I didn’t have all the ingredients. But it was great)
Baked Stuff:
Semolina Bread
Ricotta, Cherry and Balsamic Crostata
Banana Bread with Walnuts and Chocolate Chips
Drinks:
For more recipes and meal plans see my previous posts:
Week 1: Lockdown
Week 2: Lockdown
And for more recipes and meal plans see my books:
The Italian Table
Eating Rome
Eating My Way Through Italy
The post Week 3 – Lockdown Menu + Recipes appeared first on Elizabeth Minchilli.
April 4, 2020
focaccia barese
A few weeks ago (or was it a few years ago? who’s to know?) Sophie made the most delicious focaccia barese and documented it on Instagram. Since I realize that a) everyone in the world is making focaccia these days and that b) not everyone can figure out how to follow the video I linked to last week, I thought it would be helpful to print out the recipe here.
The reason we decided to make this was because we were missing Puglia. This particular recipe is one that you’ve seen us eating every time we go to Bari. What makes this focaccia different from focacia in other regions of Italy is both the way it is baked and the ingredients.
Flour: one of the flours that is used is semolina. This gives the focaccia it’s particular yellowish hue as well as the distinctive chewiness
Olive Oil: there is a lot of olive oil going on. In the dough, on the top and in the pan. This makes the focaccia unctious and rich, as well as crunchy on the edges and bottom.
Baking: in Bari they bake it in much used heavy metal pans in very hot ovens. This makes the bottom really crisp, almost fried. We found the best at home substitute was a cast iron pan.
Tomatoes: the most intense cherry tomatoes you can find get scattered on the top.
Sophie followed this Barese lady who she LOVES. But I can understand if you can’t follow along, so I’ve written the recipe below.
Focaccia Barese
Ingredients
12 gr fresh yeast (2 tsp active dry yeast)
350 gr/ 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
340ml / 1 1/2 cups room temperature water
250 gr / 2 cups Grano Duro rimacinato (semolina flour)
5 gr / 1/2 tsp sugar
1 medium potato, boiled, cooled and mashed
10 gr / 1 tsp salt
25 gr / 3 tblsp extra virgin olive oil plus more for top
10 cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup black or green olives
oregano
course salt
Instructions
In a large bowl dissolve the yeast in half the water. Add the potato and mix in into the water. Then add the remaining water, olive oil, sugar and salt. Mix well.
Add all the flour and mix with your hands until smooth and elastic. When it comes together, transfer it to the counter and continue kneading, for about 8 minutes
Shape the dough into a ball, and place into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a cloth and let rise for about 3 hours.
Coat 2 pans liberally with olive oil. We found that using a cast iron pan worked best. Divide the dough in two, and, using your hands, stretch it out to cover the pans. You may have to let it rest for a few minutes, to relax.
Cover the pans and let rise for another 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 250/300C (500/600F).
Before putting the focaccia in the oven, brush the dough with olive oil. Add the tomatoes, crushing them with your hands so that the juices flow onto the dough. Scatter the olives as well, and using your fingers kind of push the tomatoes and the olives into the dough a bit. Season with salt and oregano and bake for 15-20 minutes.If your oven isn’t hot enough, it might take longer.
For more inspiration and recipes see my book The Italian Table.
And if you’d like to join us in Puglia to eat some Focaccia Barese in Bari then join us on our Week in Puglia Tour.
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March 31, 2020
Week 2 – Lockdown Menu + Recipes
I was so happy to see that so many of you used the menu, and especially the recipes, from last week’s post. There sure was a LOT of focaccia going on!!
As we go into our 4th (!) week of lockdown here’s what’s happening. We are still allowed out to do grocery shopping, and all the stores up here in Umbria are fully stocked and not that crowded with people. Either Sophie or I go into town once a week, or even less often if possible. The farmer’s market was today, so I went on my own and was the only one there. Even though there was only one stand, I bought a kilo of everything she had! We now have local organic veggies for the next 10 days or so. Sophie will probably go to the supermarket, pharmacy and butcher on Wednesday.
We just found out that our favorite agriturismo will deliver and so have just put in an order to them for dried legumes, farm fresh eggs and their famous Onion Parmigiana! Also, our nursery will also deliver and are going to be bringing some plants to start our vegetable garden. In the meantime I’ve been harvesting the last of the flowering spighiarello (kind of like broccolini) and Swiss chard from the garden as well as feeling very frontier-womanish by foraging for wild asparagus and dandelion greens.
Here is our menu from this past week. One thing we’ve learned is that while it’s great to have a plan, be prepared to change it up if you feel like it.(the plan should definitely not cause any stress) This coming week we’ve left a lot of the side dishes blank, since we were changing them so often (is Sophie the only person in the world who still uses white-out?) . We’ve also left room for improvising. For instance, one meal per week is my ‘Vegetable Feast’ where I just get inspired by what’s left in the fridge. We’ve also decided we like a Mezze Night, where Sophie can make her favorite small dishes from Greece and Turkey. (It’s basically just an excuse for her to eat homemade pita bread and hummus and call it dinner)
One constant, whether we plan it or not, seems to be soup made from leftovers. Does that sound familiar to everyone? (I REFUSE to call this ‘clean out the fridge soup, ok?). If you are making soups more often, remember to always keep the liquid that you cooked any of your beans in. If you aren’t going to use it right away, then just stick it in the freezer. Ditto from the liquid from any cooked vegetables. Even if you are steaming broccoli or carrots, that liquid at the bottom of the pot makes for a great soup base.
And thanks so much for sharing your menu plans with me on Instagram. I love seeing them! (just tag me and I’ll share them with everyone @eminchilli)
Here is what we had. When possible I’ve provided a link to the recipe we used. Otherwise I’ve written shorthand recipes)
Week 2: Meal Plan March 23-29
Monday:
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Pasta with Swordfish, Green Salad
If you don’t have Swordfish you can substitute any firm fish. You can even use canned tuna!
(saute 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup black pitted olives in olive oil. Cook till soft, about 5 mins. Add 1 pound cubed swordfish, season with salt and pepper and cook till it loses its raw color. Add 1 cup white wine, let bubble. Add 2 cans cherry tomatoes, season and let bubble till thickened. Cook 400 gr. pasta, drain and add to pan with sauce. ) If you have parsley you can top with that. No cheese, since it’s fish.
Tuesday:
Lunch: Composed Salad: Swordfish, Greens, Great Western Beans, steamed carrots, steamed zucchini, avocado, home made mayonnaise
(This was supposed to be tuna and salad, but I got fancy, since Sophie has bought too much swordfish from the day before. It’s a great way to use up bits of salad and vegetables like one lone zucchini or carrot. And also an excuse to make homemade mayo, which is easier than you think.)
Dinner:
Turkey Burgers
Home made hamburger buns, tomato salad, slaw, homemade mayo
I was so incredibly proud of my hamburger buns! I pulled the recipe from the King Arthur site, and although at first I didn’t think they were rising enough they turned out perfected! I brushed the tops with some of the egg white left over from making mayo.
Wednesday:
Lunch: Carbonara, Radicchio Salad
The link above leads to my recipe for Carbonara, which also has a video. Sophie has also saved her Carbonara tutorial on her Instagram highlights.
Dinner: Lentil baked with Feta , Lemony fennel salad
Sophie used the recipe for Lentils and Farro Baked with Feta, but ended up not using farro. We also thought it probably would have been easier to just cook the lentils in a pot, then transfer to the oven when the feta was added. It took forever to cook the lentils in the oven and just seemed a bit weird.
Thursday:
Lunch: Torta Rustica (mushrooms, leeks and wild asparagus with ricotta), Roasted vegetables (odds and ends tossed in olive oil, with rosemary and popped in hot oven for 45 minutes)
Dinner: Polpette Fritti (made from leftover meat from making broth last week, then frozen)
Steamed Carrots with Lemon and Mint
Salsa Verde
Home made mayo
Friday:
Lunch: Zuppa: empty the fridge soup
Dinner: Pasta with Crispy Squid and Lemon (Alison Roman)
Roasted Broccoli with Cheese and Lemon (Alison Roman) This is one of my big discoveries during these past few weeks. When roasting almost any vegetable, add some lemon wedges and a handful of grated parmigiano when you toss them with olive oil.
Saturday:
Lunch: Pasta Amatriciana, Radicchio Salad
Again, see Sophie’s highlights for her tutorial, or else find the recipe for Amatriciana in my book Eating Rome or on my blog.
Dinner:
Vegetable Feast: This is the time of week I get creative with whatever vegetables are left at the end of the week.
Asparagus with Egg
Roasted Broccolini with Lemon
Dandelion Green Salad with Pancetta Vinaigrette
Crostini topped with Bean Puree (these were just leftover beans from dinner, whizzed in the food processor with leftover salsa verde)
Sunday:
Lunch:
Grilled meats, Radicchio Salad, Steamed Zucchini
Super simple, but we also opened a bottle of Barolo, because why not.
Dinner: Indian feast: Salmon Curry, Palek Paneer; Chana Dal, Raita, Basmati Rice
This Indian dinner was not like going out to an Indian restaurant, but it was pretty damn close. I made do with what we had, and even used supermarket curry powder. It made us all very happy. I’m thinking of trying Chinese take out this week.
Desserts and baked things:
I can’t tell you how much we love having just a little something sweet with our coffee in the afternoon, and after dinner. Not a lot, but that little bit helps. I also remembered that we don’t have to wait for summer to make gelato. And one night I even used the last 2 bananas to make Banana Flambe!
Dark Seed Bread: I bought this flour and added extra seeds
Philadelphia Style Vanilla Ice Cream from David Lebovitz (no eggs!)
Banana’s Flambe
Chocolate Ice Cream (again, no eggs)
Apple Galette with this crust from Alison Roman (a very easy crust recipe for everything)
Pantry Crumb Cake – another winner from Melissa Clark
Melissa Clark’s Olive Oil Brownies: This is a fantastic recipe since it uses no butter, and only 1 egg.
Like everyone else in the world I’m attempting to develop a sourdough starter. I’m following this advice, but realize there is a lot of information out there. It’s day #2 and I may have already done something wrong (pink streaks are showing up.) I gather I’m not alone in finding this more challenging than I thought?
Cocktails:
I continue to find solace in martinis (you can find my recipes on last week’s post) and the odd Negroni. But we also branched out this week with David Lebovitz’s Rosemary Gimlet. If Sophie brings home more limes this week, then I may make Margaritas. Although Bloody Marys are also sounding good these days.
For more inspiration in the kitchen, and virtual traveling to Italy, see my books:
Eating Rome: Living the Good Life in the Eternal City
The Italian Table: Creating Festive Meals for Families and Friends
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March 26, 2020
Sophie’s Torta Rustica
During our downtime for tours – December through February – both Sophie and I try to travel. This year Sophie went off to Ghana for few weeks, but in past years she stayed closer to home. And closer to goats. If you know Sophie then you already know about her love for precious goaties. She spent several winters on this farm, helping out while the baby goats were being born. Besides learning how to be a mid-wife, goat style, she took charge in the kitchen as well. One of her favorite things to make for the family was a torta rustica.
Torta Rustica translates into ‘rustic tart’, but in Italy this always means something savory. It’s often quiche-like, but can also be variations that focus on vegetables and/or cheese. Whenever I make one it usually tends towards a quiche. Sophie’s version, not surprisingly, is all about the cheese.
And while I might sometimes make the effort to make my own crust, Sophie is all about store-bought puff pastry. “It’s lighter,’ she says “And when you have to run out to birth baby goats, who has time to roll out pastry?”
Sophie has infinite variations when it comes to the filling in terms of vegetables, so feel free to experiment. Her main ingredient though, is always fresh ricotta. “I love the way the ricotta cooks up, and the tart is even better at room temperature, once the ricotta sets a bit.’
Needless to say, during this time of staying home and stocking up, we’ve made sure we have a couple of pre-made crusts in the fridge, ready to go. I made one last week with leeks and Swiss chard. Sophie’s today was mushrooms and a handful of wild asparagus we picked yesterday. It’s a very forgiving recipe so feel free to play around with whatever vegetables you happen to have. And you can use this recipe if you feel like making your own crust. But with flour and eggs at such short supply these days, it might just be easier to buy a few pre-made crusts to stick in the freezer. And they’ll also come in handy if you have to run out to birth some baby goats.
Torta Rustica
Although this recipe calls for mushrooms and asparagus, feel free to sub in any other vegetable, as long as it’s cooked. I often use frozen spinach or Swiss chard. And it works great with left over roasted vegetables. While I prefer ricotta, you can also use goat cheese if you’d like (if it seems too thick thin it out with a bit of milk).
Ingredients
1 store bought puff pastry crust (Pasta Sfoglia)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound / 500 grams mushrooms (sliced)
1/4 pound asparagus (chopped)
salt
pepper
1 cup fresh ricotta
3/4 plus 1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano or pecorino
1 egg
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onions. Season with salt and pepper, and once they are softened, about 5 minutes, add the sliced mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are completely cooked. Let cool for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, mix the ricotta, 3/4 cup of grated cheese and egg in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Add the cooled vegetables and mix.
Spread the mixture on top of the crust, smoothing it out with a spoon. It will be quite thick. Pinch up the edges of the crust to form a rim around the edge. Sprinkle the rest of the grated cheese on top.
Place in pre-heated oven and cook for about 25 to 30 minutes.
Let cool a bit before eating. It’s best at room temperature.
For more menu ideas and recipes see my book The Italian Table.
The dinner plates are part of an old set I bought about 25 years ago in Grottaglie from Nicola Fasano. I’m pretty sure they still make them. Instead, the lovely scalloped edged bowl that is holding the roasted vegetables is from Sberna. Neither company has a good website, but both do ship. So if you’d like to order these just send them the link and they should get back to you.
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March 23, 2020
zucchini + tuna pasta
This is one of my favorite dishes that I make all the time: Zucchini and Tuna Pasta. The other day I showed how to make it on Instagram, and I got so many requests for the recipe. I can’t believe I’ve never written it up! Now seems the perfect time since it’s the perfect pasta to add to your lockdown menu plan for a few reasons:
It’s one-dish (both vegetables and pasta in one bowl) so easy
It’s a great way to make not-so-great vegetables taste better (old zucchini? Frozen?)
It’s a great way to use up a small amount of vegetables that may not be enough for another dish
And finally what else are you going to do with all that Tuna you bought way too much of last week?
If you’re thinking ‘Hey, it’s not zucchini season yet’ I have to say that even I was surprised to find zucchini at our market last week. Even though it’s no where near summer, they were local (we are in Umbria) and the farmer told me that she grows them in her hothouse. And they were fantastic. But if you can’t get your hands on zucchini quite yet, the pasta works just as well with both broccoli and cauliflower.
You can use any shape pasta, but I tend to like the short shapes (rigatoni, penne, etc) rather than long spaghetti or linguine. And it’s one of the few dishes where I don’t mind using whole wheat pasta.
If you don’t like tuna, you can also use canned sardines (although if you don’t like tuna chances are you really hate sardines. ) And if you want a vegetarian or vegan version of this, then use a cup of cooked lentils or beans instead of the tuna. It’s not the same of course, but it’s still good!Or you could even use a cup of ricotta instead of the tuna. But in this case I’d leave out the lemon juice, and maybe add a 1/4 cup of grated parmigiano.
And while we are talking about tuna, please use oil packed tuna, not water-packed. It just tastes soooo much better. And if you can get it, olive oil packed is the way to go.
The trick to this pasta is cooking the vegetables with the pasta in the cooking water. The timing is a bit fiddly, but basically you want the pasta a bit al dente, while the vegetables should be fully cooked and soft. I usually add vegetables to the water about 5-7 minutes after the pasta, depending on both the type of pasta and the type of vegetable
I love cooking vegetables along with the pasta. Here are a few other recipes to try out:
Cauliflower and Nduja Pasta
Orecchiette with Turnip and Turnip Greens
Broccoli, Lemon and Hazelnut Pasta
Zucchini and Tuna Pasta
Yield 4-5
Ingredients
1 pound / 500 grams pasta
3-4 medium zucchini, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 can olive oil packed tuna, (do not drain)
3 cloves garlic, crushed or grated
1/4 cup olive oil plus more
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
zest of 1 lemon, grated
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tablespoons capers or chopped olives (optional)
Basil, parsley or dill if you have it, torn
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the pasta. When the pasta is about 6 minutes from being done, add the chopped zucchini.
In the meantime combine the rest of the ingredients in a large serving bowl. Using a fork, break up the tuna and mix everything together. You can do this ahead of time if you’d like, since the longer it sits, the better it is.
When the pasta and vegetables are done, drain, and add to the bowl with the tuna. Mix well and drizzle with more olive oil if you’d like, as well as basil or fresh herbs if you have them.
This pasta, since it has tuna, is not topped with cheese (I knew you would ask so that is why I’m writing it here.
For more menu ideas and recipes see my book The Italian Table.
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