Bowl Licker

While some of you may imagine that this is a cleaver way to discuss marriage, it is really more about a ‘marriage of food’. That said, I must confess, I had *never* heard about this soup when I lived in Italy – I only discovered this tasty dish a few years ago.

What I can tell you is that the term “wedding soup” is a classic mistranslation of the Italian language, minestra maritata (“married soup”), which is a reference to the fact that green vegetables and meats go well together. Upon further digging, Càrola Francesconis’s masterful ‘La Cucina Napoletana’, dives deeper into the history of this soup-ified dish — she explains:

Minestra Maritata is a traditional Neapolitan greens and meat soup, which owes its name to the fact that the ingredients go well together — si maritano bene, i.e. they are well married. It’s also a very old dish; some food historians say it derives from the Spanish olla podrida (a liquid stew with many meats, link in Spanish) while others say it derives from Roman traditions. The Italian recipes for Minestra Maritata I have seen call for a variety of meats, which are boiled, shredded, and returned to the pot with the greens. The American versions of the recipe often call for meatballs.

Yes, you guessed it- while I am of Italian decent, I AM American. My version of this dish keeps to some of the core concepts and consist of green vegetables (I like to alternate between endive and escarole or cabbage, lettuce, kale, and/or spinach) and meats (usually meatballs and/or sausage but shredded chicken is also a nice substitute) and is mixed into a clear chicken-based broth and finished off with a small sized pasta (such as tubettini or macaroni).

Italian Wedding Soup

Meatball Ingredients

1 lb ground chicken
3/4 lb chicken sausage or mild Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup white bread crumbs (or two slices of white bread with edges removed
3 cloves garlic, pressed
3 TBS fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese + extra for serving, finely grated
1/4 cup milk
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
2 tsps salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Soup Ingredients

2 TBS olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 ½ cups carrots (approx 3-4 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup celery (2-3 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
12 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups small pasta, such elbow macaroni
1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
12 oz baby spinach, washed and trimmed
* crusty bread (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To make the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix well. Using a heaping teaspoon, drop 1 1/4-inch size meatballs onto a foil lined pan. (This recipe yields approx 40 meatballs.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

In a medium-large size pot boil water and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain in colander when ready. Ladle pasta into warmed soup bowls, add soup and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan cheese.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large pot. Add the onion and cook for 3-5 minutes. Then add in the carrots and celery and saute until softened approximately 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Stir in the dill and spinach and meatballs and simmer for 3 minutes. Spinach should be wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, place a ladle of pasta in the bottom of each warmed dish. Then add in the soup and sprinkle with a little cheese. Serve with a nice crusty bread. Enjoy!

And for my Italian friends, here is something fun that I found while researching this soup, which I am sure you can appreciate. Anna Amalia, gives three versions of the Italian Wedding Soup recipe — one in Neapolitan, one in Italian, and one in English. It seems that while once quite popular in Naples, Minestra Maritata has fallen from popularity due the long list of ingredients called for, and because it is considered to be a heavy soup by modern standards.

****MINESTRA MARITATA di Anna Amalia *****
‘A menèsta ‘mmaritata

Cu nu poco ‘e tiempe e pacienza putite priparà ‘na pietanza ca è ‘o vanto d ”a cucina napulitana.. addo’ carne e verdura s’ammarìtano.. Oggi poco s’aùsa p”a troppa ‘mbuttitura ca nc”e vo’, ma pe’ chi ‘a vo’ pruvà, ‘a ricetta è chesta ccà:
Mettìte a vòllere cu acqua abbundante ‘n’uòsso ‘e presutto, nu salamino (200 g), custatèlle ‘e puorco (300g), 3 sacicce, ‘na còtena, e mièzu chilo ‘e carne ‘e puorco, ‘e carne ‘e vaccìna, nu’ bello pièzzo, 2 cipolle,’na pastunaca, ddòie cape d’àccio, e facitele còcere pe’ ‘nu paio d’ore. Quanno è cotta, levàte ‘a carne, e, dint’o’ stesso broro, facìte còcere dui chili ‘e verdura ammiscàta, e cioè: cicoria, cappuccia, vruoccòle e vrùcculille, già lavata.Quanno ‘a verdura s’è cotta, sì vulìte magnà tutte cose ‘nsieme, ‘nce menàte ‘a carne ‘a dinto, e si’ nò, v”a magnàte come sicondo piatto. Sotto ‘a menèsta mettìtece pane de’ casa abbrustuluto.

Minestra maritata

Con molto tempo e tanta pazienza potrete realizzare un vecchio vanto della cucina napoletana, e campana in genere: questa minestra in cui carne e verdure si “maritano”.
Oggi è un po’ in disuso per il numero e la scelta degli ingredienti necessari, che ormai non fanno quasi più parte della nostra cucina quotidiana.
Per chi pensa di poterseli procurare, ecco comunque la ricetta: Lessate in abbondante acqua un osso di prosciutto, un salamino di circa 200 g, 300 g di costolette di maiale, tre salsicce, qualche cotica , 500 g. di carne di maiale e un pezzo (5-600 g) di carne di manzo. Unite anche 2 cipolle, 1 carota gialla, due coste di sedano e lasciate cuocere per un paio d’ore. Scolate quindi tutta la carne e tagliatela a pezzi. Nello stesso brodo di cottura delle carni lessate 2 kg di verdure assortite, precedentemente lavate, tra cui la cicoria, la cappuccina, i broccoli e i broccoletti. Quando le verdure saranno cotte, unite anche la carne al brodo, se desiderate mangiare tutto insieme, altrimenti servite la minestra di verdure con dei crostini di pane casereccio abbrustoliti e la carne a parte, come secondo piatto.

Un piccolo consiglio: perché il piatto sia più leggero, bollire da solo l’ osso di prosciutto per qualche minuto, buttare l’acqua di cottura, e poi cucinare il tutto come prevede la ricetta.

“Married” Soup

With a lot of time and patience you can make this old soup recipe, the pride of Neapolitan cooking, where meat and vegetables are “married” togheter. Today, this soup is not very widely used on account of the vast number and choice of the necessary ingredients, which do not play a part anymore in our daily cooking. For those who are able to procure all the ingredients, here is the recipe: boil in lot of water, the bone of a leg of ham, a salame sausage of about 200gms, 300 gms of pork chops, 3 sausages, some pork rind and 500 gms of pork and beef. Also add 2 onions, 1 yellow carrot, 2 sticks of celery. Leave the lot to cook for a couple of hours, then drain the meat and cut into pieces: In the same meat stock, boil about 2 kg of assorted vegetables, amongst which cicory, “cappuccina” i.e. a type of salad, broccoli and brussel sprouts. When the vegetables are well cooked, add the meat to the stock.

While we are nearly mid-way into 2010 I have surprisingly not had the time to post any of my recent cooking adventures- that said, many of the new ‘concepts’ have not been what I would deem as worthy successes. Happily, this morning when I logged onto email a post from my Twitter pal @ilinap hit me as the perfect post. I reached out to her and asked if she would share her thoughts/words/philanthropic outreach/recipe with all of you. Graciously, she said ‘yes!’.

This post is more than just a fun recipe, this post can help a group of people. Each comment on her site earns a dollar to help Haiti and you get to learn a bit more about a wonderful, sweet local beverage. What you may not know is that ‘Dirt and Noise’ has a regular Friday feature called 5:00 Friday where Ilina posts a fun new drink recipe. This week she took that concept and blended together (pun intended) a way to use her Friday indulgence to help others.

A bit of Ilina’s excerpted post:
I grappled with posting today. I mean, I feel kinda lousy throwing back a cool cocktail while millions of people are struggling for a simple glass of water in Port Au Prince, Haiti. It is hard to belt out a guffaw and embrace glee while I know so many people are hurting in the throes of despair. There’s not enough hyperbole to go around to adequately explain the situation down there. A mere 90 miles from our shores.

Today I’d like to use 5:00 Fridays to give a nod to Haiti’s culture. With this drink, you’d better make a couple batches and invite over the neighbors. Better yet, invite the neighbors and collect a cover charge at the door. Donate the cash to the people of Haiti. I’ll even donate a buck to UNICEF for every comment on this post.

This drink is like a delectable milkshake without the hassle of a blender. What I love is that the Haitians like to serve this rich concoction with pastries or cakes. I’m all about indulging my inner sweet tooth (and outer love handles).

Cremas

2 (12 oz) cans of evaporated milk
4 (12 oz) cans of sweetened condensed milk
1 (15 oz) can cream of coconut (NOT to be confused with coconut milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 anise star
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp grated nutmeg
1 lime (zest and juice)
1/5 80 proof rum (You read that right. A fifth. The whole bottle)

Mix all ingredients together in a large pot and pour into tall glasses filled with crushed ice. Sprinkle with a bit of nutmeg to fancy it up.

I raise a glass to the people of Haiti and all those reaching out and flying in to help them. Peace. Click her to

Thank you Ilina for your post. Friends and family, please click here to comment and donate (at no cost to you) one dollar to Hati.

————————————————————————————————————-
And if you want to do more- there are many ways to contribute (as taken from both Ilina’s site ‘Dirt & Noise‘ and Jane Maynard’s “This Week For Dinner‘:

Unicef

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: (Text “HAITI” to “90999″ to donate $10 to the Red Cross.)

Haiti Reborn: An local organization accepting donations to help earthquake relief efforts http://www.quixote.org/earthquake

Doctors Without Borders: Another organization already in Haiti and working directly with victims of the earthquake http://doctorswithoutborders.org

Partners in Health: Based in Boston, Partners in Health (PIH) have been working in Haiti for many years to establish rural health clinics http://www.pih.org for more information

Yéle Haiti: Wyclef Jean’s organization. They have many directly-linked projects to community groups in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. (You can text “yele” to 501501 to automatically donate $5 to the éle Haiti Earthquake Fund. The 5 bucks will be charged to your regular cell phone bill. It doesn’t get any easier than this.) or you can visit the website http://www.yele.org

While I certainly could bore you with jumping right into my post on how to make a German pancake (which I earnestly tell you is a great new video cook-u-mentory) I thought I would amuse you with a bit of background on the various types of pancakes found in our vernacular (a few of my favorites excerpted from Wikipedia):

Pancake is a batter cake fried in a pan. Pancake may also mean:

* In volleyball, a pancake is a pass technique executed by sliding the hand palm-down on the court during a dive, so that the ball bounces off of the back of the hand
* Pancake makeup is a cosmetic used for heavy coverage and evening out skin tone. In cake form, the make-up is usually applied with a damp cosmetic sponge and dries to a smooth, matte finish. The Max Factor company created pancake make-up in the 1930s as an improvement on easily-smearing greasepaint used on stage.
* In American football, a pancake block denotes the flattening (pushing to the ground) of an opposing lineman by a blocker
* A pancake landing is an emergency aircraft landing maneuver where the craft drops flat onto the ground from a low altitude
* In the arts, a “pancake” is a platform 1/8 the size of an apple box
* In construction, “pancaking” refers to the collapse of floors in a building, one on top of the other, in a manner which resembles a stack of pancakes.
* In professional wrestling, a pancake is another variated name for the professional wrestling maneuver Flapjack

That covers the random pancake disambiguation segment of this post. Now onto the cook-u-mentory on Sarah’s German pancakes.

Lower Saxony German Pancakes (AKA Pfannkuchen Fischkopf)

Ingredients

6 eggs
6 TBS sugar
1 cup milk
4 TBS flour
1 tsp water
pinch of salt
2 -4 TBS butter (to coat pan, do not use all at once)
2 bananas, sliced (optional)
1 container strawberries, sliced (optional)
4 kiwi fruit, sliced (optional)
chocolate sauce or Nutella (optional)
jam (optional)
chocolate candy, cut into small squares (optional)
powdered sugar (optional)

Directions

In medium size bowl add eggs and mix well with hand whisk. Add sugar, milk, flour, and water. Continue to stir until there are no lumps of flour remaining, approximately 2 minutes. Add in salt and do a final mix. Set aside.

Prepare fruit and other toppings and place in bowls.

On medium heat, butter a medium-large size pan. Spread batter evenly around the pan. When edges begin to pull away from side, flip pancake over. Place pancakes in warm oven on plate until all of the batter has been used. Serve with desired toppings. Roll up and eat with hands or fork and knife!

Sidebar: I’ve learned from Sarah that often times people from Lower Saxony are called Fish-Heads or Fischkopf. These lovely pancakes are anything but fishy They are quite similar to a crepe and seem like more of a dessert treat than a meal although I am told that this is a favorite lunchtime meal.

Feijoa – A waxy green fruit about 3″ long. Although it is not a guava you may know it as a Pineapple Guava. Feijoa sellowiana is an evergreen shrub which grows to approximately 10-16 ft. It typically thrives in subtropical regions but is hardy and once established will tolerate moderate frosts. This peculiar fruit is either eaten raw (with or without the skin) or made into jellies, sauces and chutneys. As you may have guessed, this post is one for the Aussies & Kiwis…unless you know someone with a Fejoa Tree (yes, I DO)!

Gorgeous Feijoa Almond Coffee Cake

Cake Ingredients

6 TBS butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup Feijoa (pineapple guava) puree
2 cups flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsps ground ginger
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup almonds, sliced
crystallized ginger slices, finely chopped (optional)
whip cream (optional)

Cocoa Crumble Streusel Topping Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 TBS cocoa powder
1 tsp allspice
1/2 cup (1 cube) butter, softened

Cake Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat a 9-inch round cake tin with cooking spray.

Cut fruits in half and remove soft center with a teaspoon. Mash Fejoa until it becomes pulp.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and honey. Add eggs one at a time, then add vanilla. Fold in fruit pulp.

In a medium size bowl, sift flour and add in salt, ginger, baking powder and baking soda. Add into butter mixture. Fold in milk.

Spread into prepared pan and bake 15 minutes.

Struesel Crumble Directions
To make the streusel topping, add the flour, sugars, cocoa powder and allspice to a medium bowl. Rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix butter and dry ingredients until fully combined. Set aside.

Remove cake from oven and sprinkle almonds over cake followed by the streusel topping. (Finely chopped crystallized ginger may be placed on top of cake.) Bake for another 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into middle of cake comes out clean. Let cool 15 minutes to set-up.

Serve with fresh whip cream and freshly pulped Fejoas.

To say that I’ve been thinking about this pie for a few weeks would be an outright lie. I’ve been contemplating this concoction for over three months. Last night, I couldn’t take *thinking* about it any longer, I had to rally and it was worth the effort. The wafting fragrance was to me in one word, Christmas. It smelled like Christmas…let me know if this tangy pie reminds me of your holiday. Enjoy!

Fresh Pear Ginger-Spiced Cranberry Brown Sugar Streusel PIE

Streusel Ingredients

1 cup flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
whip cream or vanilla ice cream (optional)

Pear Filling Ingredients

3 lbs (5-6 medium size) Anjou or Bartlett pears
2 TBS lemon juice, fresh squeezed
2/3 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups cranberries, fresh or thawed frozen
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 TBS crystallized ginger, finely chopped

Crust Ingredients

To save time, buy ready made 9-inch deep dish pie crust and cook according to package directions. Alternatively, you can make the crust with this recipe. This pie dough can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight or can be frozen for 3 months. If frozen, thaw the night before using or at least 6 hours before. The secret to a perfect pie crust _ _ _ _ _ _ (BUTTER)! If making crust from scratch, please scroll down to the bottom of this post for the directions and be certain to make this before you start the filling to minimize the fruit from forming excessive liquid in the waiting process.

1 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)
8 TBS unsalted butter, cold and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
3 to 4 TBS ice water

Directions- pie filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, position rack in center of oven.

Peel and core the pears. Cut length-wise into 8 wedges and then slice cross-wise into 1/2-inch slices. (End result should be approximately 7 cups of fruit). In large bowl, add the sliced pears and lemon juice.

In a food processor, pulse the cranberries with the sugar until coarsely chopped. Add this into the pear mixture.

In small-size bowl, add the flour, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and crystallized ginger. Mix together well. Add the dry ingredients into the pears and toss well to combine.

Place cooked pie crust on a foil lined baking sheet. Mound the pear filling into the pie crust.

Directions- brown sugar streusel

In a medium-size bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Using your fingers blend the softened butter into the mixture. The mixture will be somewhat firm. Sprinkle the streusel over the pear filling and press it into the top of the pie filling in all of the open spaces. (Note: If you crumble the topping vs. gently pressing it onto the pie filling it will spill over.)

Bake pie 40 minutes and then rotate. The pie filling should become bubbly and the red color evident in through the streusel. Return pie to oven and cook for another 25-30 minutes. (Note: If the crust or streusel browns before the filling has thickened, loosely cover the top or edges of the pie with either a bit of aluminum foil or a pie shield.)

Cool approx 45-60 minutes before serving. For extra bonus calories, top the slice of warm pie with fresh whip cream or ice cream. Depending on the preference this recipe yields 6-8 servings. Pie is best stored at room temp for up to 2 days, in cool conditions.

Directions- pie crust (for the die hards)

In a medium-size bowl, add flour, sugar and salt mixing well. Add the butter by rubbing the chunks between fingers (smearing the butter into the flour mixture). The consistence should be flaky.

Drizzle 3 TBS of cold water over the flour mixture. Dough needs to hold itself together, if it doesn’t then add an additional 1 TBS of water.

With well floured hands, form the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour, best if it can chill for up to 4 hours.

Before rolling out the dough, allow to sit at room temperature to soften slightly. Depending on how long the dough was chilled this will take between 5-20 minutes. Be certain to roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface- rolling ‘around the clock’ (in a center out to edges in a clockwise direction is usually best). Dough should be 13 to14-inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick. (Note: only add extra dusting flour as needed as this will make the crust thicker and clunky).

Gently transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie dish, trimming any overhanging dough. To get a thick edge crust, roll the dough under itself into a cylinder form on the rim of the dish. Crimp edges if you like the extra flair.

Using a fork, prick the sides and bottom of the crust. Refrigerate about 1 hour until firm.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, position rack in center of oven. Line the chilled pie crust with aluminum foil and fill it with the contents from a few bags of dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes and then remove the foil/beans or weights. Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Bake approximately 5-7 minutes longer until bottom of crust looks dry but is not browned. Allow to cool 10 minutes before filling. A dry crust will minimize ending up with a wet soggy crust when filled.

Wherever did the Marsh find the Mallow? As history reports, the earliest recorded “confection” to have utilized the root sap of the Marsh Mallow was a simple recipe of nuts and honey prepared by the ancient Egyptians in 2000 B.C. It is believed that this confection was reserved solely for the enjoyment of Egyptian pharaohs and the Gods they worshiped.

By the early 1900′s, marshmallows were available for mass consumption and began appearing in American five-and-dime stores. Marshmallows quickly became an integral part of American desserts and side dishes, sweet treats (such as ambrosia, s’mores, Rice Krispies Treats) and, of course, as a condiment to hot chocolate.

Americans are believed to be the largest consumers of marshmallows, followed only by the French. Pâté de guimauve is traditionally shaped in the form of long thick ropes or “lanyards”. French confectioners have been known to display these lanyards in beautiful tall glass apothecary jars. Some of the most exclusive Parisian restaurants are said to offer guimauve as a post-dessert, finishing touch to a meal. The lanyards are “snipped with a flourish by the waiter” into small “pillows” at the patron’s table.

I took my first dive into what I used to consider a baking ingredient. And well, my pillows tasted just like the store bought ones only they were square. If that wasn’t enough, I had to up the anti and make the s’more a bit more I-talian. How you ask, with a simple flick of the wrist into the Nutella jar the damage was done…oh wait, and then a splash of chunky peanut butter on top of my home made marshmallows, gently broiled, and slathered onto a graham cracker. The result = sticky fingers, an added increment to my waste line and a nice gooey smile on my face. T’was all good.

Fluffy Squishy Puffy Marshmallows
Adapted from Gourmet, December 1998

Ingredients

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold water, divided into 1/2 cup
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites
1 TBS + 1 tsp vanilla (favorite substitutions: 2 tsps mint or orange extract)
food coloring (optional)

Directions

Take a paper towel and lightly oil the bottom and sides of a 13x9x2″ rectangular metal baking pan. Use a colander or sifter with a small amount of powdered sugar to dust bottom and sides of the pan.

In the standing electric mixer bowl, add 1/2 cup of very cold water and sprinkle gelatin over water, being careful not to let all of the gelatin clump in one place. Let stand to soften. (If you do not have a standing electric mixer you can do this first step in a large bowl).

In a medium-size (approximately 3-quart) heavy saucepan over low heat add sugar, corn syrup, second 1/2 cup of cold water, and salt stirring with a wooden spoon or candy spatula, until sugar is dissolved. Increase to medium-high heat and boil, without stirring, until candy thermometer registers 240 degrees, approximately 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour sugar mixture over gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.

With standing or a hand-held electric mixer beat mixture on high speed until white, thick, and nearly tripled in volume, about six minutes if using standing mixer or about 10 minutes if using hand-held mixer. (The hand held mixer does tend to take a little longer and might even need to go beyond 10 minutes.)

In separate medium-size bowl with cleaned beaters whip egg whites until stiff peaks are formed when the beaters are removed. Gently beat whites and vanilla (or other flavoring) into sugar mixture until just combined. Pour mixture into the oiled baking pan. Sift 1/4 cup confectioners sugar evenly over top. Chill marshmallow in the refrigerator, uncovered, until firm, approximately three hours, and not longer than one day.

To remove from pan, run a thin knife around edges and invert pan onto a large cutting board. Lifting up (or peeling back) one corner of inverted pan, with dry fingers to loosen the marshmallow and ease it out of the pan and onto cutting board. With a large knife, or oiled pizza cutter, trim edges of marshmallow and cut marshmallow into roughly two-inch cubes (you can cut them smaller but I love these large oversize pillows of candy). Sift remaining confectioners’ sugar back into your now-empty baking pan, and roll the marshmallows through it, dusting all sides.

Makes about 48 2-inch cubed marshmallows.

Keep marshmallows keep in an airtight container at cool room temperature for 1-2 weeks.

Depending on the dialect of Italian being used, the word fagioli can even be pronounced “va-zu-l” in Sicilian. A 1927 song by Van and Schenck capitalizes on this latter pronunciation in the rhyme, “Don’t be a fool, eat pasta fazool.” And then there is the more recently famous Dean Martin song “That’s Amore”. And let’s face it, who doesn’t want to feel or be in love…even if it is with a bit of bean soup. When love is on the menu, the line is long. >sings to herself, the excerpt below<

When the stars make you drool
Joost-a like pasta fazool
That’s amore
When you dance down the street
With a cloud at your feet, you’re in love
When you walk in a dream
But you know you’re not dreamin’, signore
‘Scusami, but you see
Back in old Napoli, that’s amore

(When the moon hits your eye)
(Like a big-a pizza pie, that’s amore)

Attempting to dig back into this blog after a brief bout away I am in dire need of comfort and comfort foods. And this week the cravings were meatless yet hearty. Pasta fagioli or pasta e fagioli, meaning “pasta and beans”, is one of many traditional Italian peasant dishes that was widely available in all regions of Italy due to cheaply available beans and pasta. This recipe should be added to your files under -will keep you warm on a cold winter’s night.

Pasta e Fagioli

Ingredients

4 TBS olive oil, and 2 TBS olive oil
1 1/2 medium size yellow onion, finely chopped
7 cloves garlic, pressed hold 1 clove off to the side
3 cups dried cranberry beans (if rushed buy 3-15 oz cans)
8 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 sprigs rosemary
2 TBS fresh parsley, minced
1/2 tsp dried basil, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
salt & pepper to taste
7-8 oz tubetti or small pasta
pesto (optional)
Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

In a large pot add 4 TBS olive oil, onions and garlic, salt and pepper and cook on medium-low heat until onions are translucent. Add in tomato paste and coat pan without allowing the paste to burn.

If using dried beans, place broth and beans in the same pot and bring to a rapid bowl, lid slightly off, for 40 minutes. Reduce heat, add in rosemary, salt, pepper and parsley, basil and oregano. Place lid on pot and turn heat to simmer for 1 1/2 hrs, checking after one hour to see if more water should be added to create sufficient broth.

If using canned beans, place broth and beans in the same pot and bring to a rapid bowl, lid slightly off, for 30 minutes. Reduce heat, add in rosemary, salt, pepper and parsley, basil and oregano. Place lid on pot and turn heat to simmer for 30 minutes.

In a medium size pot with a cap full of oil, bring water to a boil. Once boiling add in 1 TBS of salt and then add in the tubettini or other pasta. Cook according to package directions, drain and set aside.

In a small sauce pan add 3 TBS oil, 1 clove garlic, minced. Cook over a low heat until soft and then stir in rosemary which has been finely chopped. Add this mixture back into the soup.

To thicken soup you can either use a stick blender and puree 1/3 of the soup to gain a nice thickness or you can remove two cups of the beans and smash them in a mug with a fork and then return them to the pot, stirring well.

To serve, place drained pasta in an individual serving bowl, cover with pasta fazool then top with cheese, dash of olive oil and a spot of pesto. That’s Amore.

A bit of history- when your best friend from third grade calls you up to say “It’s okay to be a good hot mess.” It is safe to say that she isn’t talking about the latest inspiration (AKA craving) – Spiced Bar Nuts or for SABS shall we call them ‘Hot Mess Spiced Bar Nuts’? Done!

If you had thought I would share more of this story….well, let’s just leave it at a cliff hanger. Rumors are always more interesting than reality and the name just works despite the origins of the inspiration.

NOTE: Please do not hold me accountable if you can not stop eating these nuts.

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups assorted nuts (whole almonds, Brazilian nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans)
2 TBS rosemary, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 TBS dark brown sugar
2 tsps sea salt (if using salted nuts then reduce salt by 1 tsp)
1 TBS unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix nuts together on a baking sheet and toast for a approximately 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

In large bowl, combine melted butter, cayenne, rosemary, salt and sugar and stir well. Add in mixed nuts and serve warm.

By definition, frittata is an open-faced (unfolded) omelet that originated in Italy – usually round in shape with other ingredients mixed into the egg mixture. Growing up this dish was more common to me than anything from McDonald’s – we ate it while observing meat free holidays, we ate it as a vegetable side dish, we at it for lunch with a salad and we *always* ate it in a sandwich. To me, frittata was on par with those comforting meatloaf sandwiches. In primary school I was always the child with the odd bag lunch (albeit the BEST lunch bag – that is until I had to start making my own lunch and then the quality greatly suffered). I seldom ever ate a ham and cheese sandwich, I ate prosciutto or egg salad or a breaded cutlet sandwich on sourdough bread, and I had no clue how lucky I was to eat such great food combinations.

Confession: Since it is nearly Sunday, it seemed appropriate to let you know that this post comes with a great deal of guilt. I was home sick and I tricked my mother, who hates photos/videos, to make the basic potato/egg frittata. She was anything but happy and she eventually complied, but know that she did this under protest. What I love most about this post is hearing her voice, watching her cook and that despite not wanting to do this vlog she did it for ME. It is really the little wins in life that are the most gratifying sometimes. Maybe someday she will even read this blog and smile like I do when I watch her cooking…love you mom!

Note: It seems that people looking at this post from Internet Explorer are not able to see the remainder of the post. I am working on resolving the problem. Please let me know if you would like the recipe and I will email it to you along w/the video links. ginavon@bowllicker.com

Potato Frittata

Ingredients

3 Russet Potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/8 inch thick rounds
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
8 eggs
1/4 cup fresh parsley (or 1 TBS dried)
1 TBS Italian Seasoning
1/2 – 1 cup olive oil + more for frying potatoes and onions
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large-size non-stick pan fry potatoes in hot olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Once potatoes have become crispy and brown, remove from pan and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain off excess oil.

Using the same pan, add another light layer of olive oil and saute onions and garlic until onions become soft and translucent.

In medium size bowl, scramble eggs and add in parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix well.

In a deep-sided pan (or frittata pan) add 1/2 – 1 cup oil and cook on a medium-high heat (the oil should cover the bottom of the pan as well as go up the sides of the pan approximately 1/4 of an inch). Add in half of the egg mixture. Ensure the egg is covering the entire bottom of the pan by using a fork to pull the egg out towards the sides, covering up any visible holes in the mixture. Layer potatoes on top of the eggs, slightly pushing them down until all of the potatoes have been used. Cover the potatoes with the remaining egg mixture. Turn temperature down to medium-low. Using a spatula, gently press down around the edges and slightly pull the frittata away from the sides of the pan, moving it towards the middle. This will prevent the egg from burning and enable the mixture to further sink down into the pan. Cook 20-25 minutes on side one.
** If you are not using a frittata pan cover the top of the pan with a plate or a lid. In order to cook the frittata on the other side, invert it onto a plate and then put it back into the pan and cook the previously exposed side for 15-20 minutes – it is best to do this over the sink or a baking sheet to catch the excess oil.
** If you are using a frittata pan, it is recommended to turn the pan over while at the sink or over a baking sheet so that the oil does not spill out and cause a fire. Cook for 15-20 minutes.

My triumvirate post in honor of BlogHer Food09 – I am excited for the festivities and the conference and to finally meet my friends behind the icons- fellow Foodies. Since I have yet to make my own champagne (or as we say in the Napa Valley ‘sparkling wine’ — since the laws in Europe and other countries reserve the word Champagne for a specific type of wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy from the Champagne region of France) I went for the next best celebratory item for the palate – dessert. This concoction is ridiculous – brownie, espresso, butter bliss. Take a good long gander at the drool-some photo and then wash those digits, roll up your sleeves and get ready to lick your fingers as each sugary bite reveals its flavors. I DO want to know when you make it and I am betting against you. I think once you read this over, even the kitchen weary will jump in to make this dream a reality.

Hold onto your taste buds, it’s an explosion!

(Note: Be sure to read over the entire recipe as there are three ingredients lists and three sets of directions.)

The Brownie

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp instant espresso coffee powder
1 tbsp dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 x 8 square baking pan with non-stick spray and set aside.

In a large bowl combine flour, espresso powder, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Mix and set aside.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and butter. It is important not to burn the chocolate chips – I recommend setting the microwave on medium power in 30-40 second intervals and stirring in between until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Mixture should be warm.

Add in sugars and vanilla until completely combined. The mixture should be room temperature. Add in the eggs one, one at a time, whisking lightly after each addition.

Using a spatula, fold the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture until combined. Do not over beat!
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake in the center of the oven for 30 – 35 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on rack.

Frosting

Ingredients

2 1/2 tsp instant espresso coffee powder
1 – 2 TBS milk or cream
2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions

In a bowl, combine espresso powder and 1 TBS of milk or cream, stirring to dissolve.

Add in butter and sugar.

Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed to blend then on medium speed until creamy, adding more milk, if necessary to make a smooth, spreadable consistency. Spread evenly over the brownie.

Chill to harden, about 1 hour.

Glaze

Ingredients

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup whipping cream

Directions

Put the chocolate chips in a medium size bowl and melt on medium heat in 30 second internals stirring regularly. When melted, add in heavy whip cream. Stir until well combined.

Let cool to lukewarm.

Spread over frosting.

Chill until chocolate is set, about 1 hour. Cut into bars or squares.