Pasta

Facile Pasta con Sarde

June 4, 2023 robiulo Leave a comment

Facile Pasta con Sarde

(Easy Pasta with Sardines)

Pasta Con Sarde is a well-known Sicilian dish. It involves scaling and cleaning fresh sardines, and gathering other ingredients like pine nuts, raisins, and fresh fennel fronds. It’s delicious but not the simplest sauce to make. Here’s a short cut version – Facile Pasta con Sarde.

Ingredients:

¼ cup olive oil
Salt, black, and red pepper
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 can sardines packed in olive oil
1 ½ lbs. ripe tomatoes
½ pound long pasta

Grate the tomatoes on the large holes of a box grater and set aside.

Sauté the garlic in oil in a pot on low heat. Add the salt and pepper and the sardines. Break up the sardines and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes to the pot. Bring it to a boil, lower heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes.

In another pot of salted water, cook the pasta until almost done and add it to the sauce to finish cooking.

Definitely no cheese on this sauce but a sprinkle of toasted breadcrumbs or chopped parsley would be fine.

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Poultry

Curry Chicken

May 14, 2023 robiulo Leave a comment

Curry Chicken

Here’s a fairly simple recipe for one of my favorite Indian dishes – curry chicken. The curry powder I’m using is comparable to approx. 1 tbsp. minced ginger, 1 1/2 tsp. paprika, 1 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric, 1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander, and 1 tsp. ground cumin.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1″ pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. curry powder
1 (15-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt & black pepper

Add the oil to a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and sear until no pink remains. Stir in garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the curry powder, mix thoroughly and cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and broth and bring to a simmer. Stir in the cream, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer until chicken pieces are cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with basmati rice.

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Meat

Dom’s Steak and Onions

April 7, 2023 robiulo Leave a comment

Dom’s Steak and Onions

When I was in high school, I often ate at Dom’s Luncheonette on Broome Street. It was run by an Italian family, a father and his two sons. Dom’s Steak and Onions was one of my favorites. I tried duplicating it and think I’ve finally got it.

Ingredients:

1 lb. strip steak
Olive oil for frying
1 or 2 Spanish onions, (depending on how much you like onions) sliced in half moons
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp. tomato paste
½ tsp. oregano
2 bay leaves
¼ cup tomato puree
½ cup red wine or water

Bring steak to room temperature and season with salt and black pepper. Heat the oil on high and sear the steak until lightly browned. It will be very rare but don’t worry, the steak will continue cooking with the onions. Remove the steak from the pan and set aside.

Add more oil to the pan if necessary and fry the onions until they soften. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomato paste and blend with the onions and continue cooking then add the oregano and bay leaves.

Trim any excess fat and slice the steak across the grain into quarter inch strips. Return the steak to the pan and toss with the onions. Add the tomato puree and a half cup of wine or water, stir and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover. and simmer for 15 minutes. Add water if you feel that it’s too dry or that the sauce is too thick. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with rice or on Italian bread sandwiches the way Don did.

A steak and onion sandwich a’ la Dom’s Luncheonette.

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Sides

Orange Salad Sicilian Style

March 29, 2023 robiulo Leave a comment

Orange Salad Sicilian Style

Different families have different recipes for orange salad. I’ve had it served with thinly sliced red onion. Try that if you like. Substitutions are permitted. Chopped dates instead of currants, walnuts for pistachios, and rose water for orange flower water. You can also vary the amounts of the ingredients depending on what you like.

Ingredients:

3 large oranges
¼ cup currants, rehydrated and chopped
¼ cup pistachios, chopped
3 tbsp. chopped mint
2 tbsp. orange flower water
Juice of ¼ large lemon
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of salt and a light sprinkle of confectioner’s sugar

Using a very sharp knife, peel the oranges, leaving no pith. Slice thin rounds, then cut them into half-moons and arrange them in a serving dish. Pour any juice from cutting the orange over the slices.

Sprinkle with the currants, pistachios, and mint. Drizzle with the orange flower water, lemon juice, and the extra virgin olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and some confectioner’s sugar. Orange salad Sicilian style can be served chilled or at room temperatures.

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Poultry

Turkish Roast Chicken

March 24, 2023 robiulo Leave a comment

Turkish Roast Chicken

I got this Turkish Roast Chicken recipe from a friend (no, she’s not Turkish). Cutting the chicken this way is the reverse of spatchcocked, but it works.

Ingredients:

3 – 4 lb. chicken
Salt & black pepper
2 tsp. olive oil
2 pats butter
4 smashed cloves of garlic.
2 tbsp. honey
2 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. mustard
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. coriander

Cut the chicken open through the breast to the backbone. Spread and flatten with your hands and then push it flat using a rolling pin. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and black pepper.Heat the oil and butter in an oven proof pan and sauté the garlic until golden. Remove the garlic and add the chicken skin side down.

Cover with a dish and exerting downward pressure with the dish, cook on medium high for 4-5 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook the same way for another 5 minutes. Keep applying pressure as it cooks to flatten the chicken. Remove the chicken from the pan and pour out all but 2 tablespoons of grease.

Marinade – Mix the honey, soy sauce, mustard, tomato paste, paprika, and coriander into a paste. Brush the chicken on both sides with the marinade. Return the chicken to the pan, cover with foil and roast at 400^o for 45 minutes. Uncover and roast for another 10–15 minutes.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes, cut into quarters and serve.

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Lunch/Snacks

A French Ham Sandwich

March 17, 2023 robiulo Leave a comment

A French Ham Sandwich

I recently was about to take a road trip with some friends when we stopped in a deli for some sandwiches to bring along. The orders were turkey, roast beef, Swiss cheese, etc. Everyone asked for mayo on their sandwiches except me. I got mustard. When I was growing up in New York the delis were either Italian or Jewish and the only choices for your sandwich was either mustard or no mustard. Mayo wasn’t even offered. I still prefer mustard and wouldn’t consider mayo. I guess it all depends on what you’re used to.

I used to live near a great German restaurant called the Bavarian Inn. The kitchen closed at 11pm but they made sandwiches until 1am. No matter what sandwich you ordered, the bread was buttered. If you wanted mustard, you got that too. So, it’s mustard for Italian and Jewish sandwiches and the addition of butter on the German ones. Now let’s get to French sandwiches. I recently read an article by Florence Fabricant. It was all about a classic French sandwich consisting of ham on a buttered baguette- jambon beurre.

Reading about it made me hungry and reminded me of my Bavarian Inn sandwiches, so I tried a French ham sandwich. Just ham, baguette and butter, no mustard or anything else, and it was terrific.

The Florence Fabricant article is The Proustian Ideal of a Ham Sandwich. You can read it here.

Another ham sandwich . . .

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Poultry

Pepin Roast Chicken

March 10, 2023 robiulo Leave a comment

Pepin Roast Chicken

Jaques Pepin is one of my favorite TV chefs. Pepin Roast Chicken is an easy recipe that can be served as is or dressed up with a simple sauce.

Ingredients:

3 – 4 lb. chicken
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp. butter

Heat the oven to 425^o.

It’s not absolutely necessary but it’s a good idea to truss the chicken. It holds its shape better and cooks more evenly.

Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a pan and season the chicken with salt and black pepper – inside and out.

Start with one side and roast the chicken in the oven for 20 minutes. Switch to the other side and roast another 20 minutes. For the last 20 minutes, put the chicken on its back, breast facing up. During this last 20 minutes you should baste the chicken with the pan juices (melted butter and chicken fat) every 5 minutes. Lift the chicken and if the juices run clear it is done. If not, roast for another 10 minutes.

You can stop right now for a perfectly roasted chicken or you can make a simple sauce.

Sauce Ingredients:

½ cup chicken stock
1 tsp. soy sauce

Pour out all but 2 tablespoons of pan juice from the pan and add ½ cup chicken stock and deglaze the pan. Add 1 teaspoon of soy sauce and heat for a few minutes. Strain the sauce into a small saucepan and if it needs thickening add 1 teaspoon of flour or potato starch that has been dissolved in 2 ounces of cold water.

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Pasta

Fresh Tomato Sauce with Rusks

March 3, 2023 robiulo Leave a comment

Fresh Tomato Sauce with Rusks

I got this recipe from a Greek friend. When she first mentioned it to me, I assumed the ‘rusks’ were some kind of vegetable. Well, they aren’t. Rusks are dry, hard biscuits or twice-baked bread. You can make your own, you can use crumbled hard tack or pilot bread, or like I did, use Italian biscotti (not the sweet, cookie kind).

Fresh Tomato Sauce with Rusks Ingredients:

4 or 5 ripe tomatoes
¼ cup olive oil
3 cloves sliced garlic
Salt, black, and red pepper
1 -2 cups crumbled rusks
1/2 lb. pasta

Start by putting up a pot of salted water for the pasta. This is a quick, fresh sauce and can be made by the time the pasta is done.

Grate the tomatoes on the large side of a box grater and set aside. In a large pot, sauté the garlic in oil for a few minutes until it starts to color. Add salt, black and red pepper and the grated tomatoes and cook for 20 minutes. Some of the liquid will evaporate and the sauce will thicken. When the pasta is almost done the way you like it, add it to the sauce to finish cooking.

Using a mortar and pestle or the bottom of a small frying pan on a cutting board, crush the rusts to make about a cup full. Serve the pasta and pass the rusk crumbs as you would cheese.

Fresh Tomato Sauce with Rusks — Italian biscotti – not the sweet kind.

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Lunch/Snacks, Vegetarian

Roasted Chickpeas

February 24, 2023 robiulo Leave a comment

Roasted Chickpeas

Chickpea is English, ceci is Italian, and garbanzo is Spanish – whatever you call them, this s a great snack.

Ingredients:

Chickpeas – one 15 oz. can, rinsed, drained, and dried
Olive oil – about 3 – 4 tbsps.
Salt – to taste
1 to 2 tsps. of any 2 of the following spices (I’m using garlic powder & ground oregano)
- Chili powder
- Curry powder
- Cajun seasoning
- Garlic powder
- Oregano
- Paprika

Preheat the oven to 350˚F

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Leave the chickpeas on a towel until they’re thoroughly dry.

Place the ceci in a roasting pan and roast for 10 minutes. Shake the pan and roast for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the seasoning of your choice, let cool and serve.

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Seafood, Vegetarian

Scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce

February 17, 2023 robiulo Leave a comment

Scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce

Some things are too good to go overboard with. Scallops are one of them. They can’t be beat if served with a simple lemon butter sauce.

Ingredients:

6 pats butter
Salt & black pepper
2 sliced garlic cloves
1 lb. large sea scallops
Juice of 1 lemon

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, salt, and pepper and cook for a few seconds.

Add the scallops in a single layer in the pan, cooking and turning until they begin to color. Transfer scallops to a serving platter, reserving butter in the skillet. Whisk in the lemon juice, pour the sauce through a strainer over the scallops, and serve. Don’t strain it if you want the sliced garlic in the sauce.

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Facile Pasta con Sarde

(Easy Pasta with Sardines)

Pasta Con Sarde is a well-known Sicilian dish. It involves scaling and cleaning fresh sardines, and gathering other ingredients like pine nuts, raisins, and fresh fennel fronds. It’s delicious but not the simplest sauce to make. Here’s a short cut version – Facile Pasta con Sarde.

Ingredients:

Grate the tomatoes on the large holes of a box grater and set aside.

Sauté the garlic in oil in a pot on low heat. Add the salt and pepper and the sardines. Break up the sardines and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes to the pot. Bring it to a boil, lower heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes.

In another pot of salted water, cook the pasta until almost done and add it to the sauce to finish cooking.

Definitely no cheese on this sauce but a sprinkle of toasted breadcrumbs or chopped parsley would be fine.

Curry Chicken

Here’s a fairly simple recipe for one of my favorite Indian dishes – curry chicken. The curry powder I’m using is comparable to approx. 1 tbsp. minced ginger, 1 1/2 tsp. paprika, 1 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric, 1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander, and 1 tsp. ground cumin.

Ingredients:

Add the oil to a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and sear until no pink remains. Stir in garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the curry powder, mix thoroughly and cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and broth and bring to a simmer. Stir in the cream, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer until chicken pieces are cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with basmati rice.

Dom’s Steak and Onions

Ingredients:

Bring steak to room temperature and season with salt and black pepper. Heat the oil on high and sear the steak until lightly browned. It will be very rare but don’t worry, the steak will continue cooking with the onions. Remove the steak from the pan and set aside.

Add more oil to the pan if necessary and fry the onions until they soften. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomato paste and blend with the onions and continue cooking then add the oregano and bay leaves.

Orange Salad Sicilian Style

Ingredients:

Using a very sharp knife, peel the oranges, leaving no pith. Slice thin rounds, then cut them into half-moons and arrange them in a serving dish. Pour any juice from cutting the orange over the slices.

Sprinkle with the currants, pistachios, and mint. Drizzle with the orange flower water, lemon juice, and the extra virgin olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and some confectioner’s sugar. Orange salad Sicilian style can be served chilled or at room temperatures.

Turkish Roast Chicken

Ingredients:

Marinade – Mix the honey, soy sauce, mustard, tomato paste, paprika, and coriander into a paste. Brush the chicken on both sides with the marinade. Return the chicken to the pan, cover with foil and roast at 400o for 45 minutes. Uncover and roast for another 10–15 minutes.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes, cut into quarters and serve.

A French Ham Sandwich

Reading about it made me hungry and reminded me of my Bavarian Inn sandwiches, so I tried a French ham sandwich. Just ham, baguette and butter, no mustard or anything else, and it was terrific.

The Florence Fabricant article is The Proustian Ideal of a Ham Sandwich. You can read it here.

Pepin Roast Chicken

Jaques Pepin is one of my favorite TV chefs. Pepin Roast Chicken is an easy recipe that can be served as is or dressed up with a simple sauce.

Ingredients:

Heat the oven to 425o.

It’s not absolutely necessary but it’s a good idea to truss the chicken. It holds its shape better and cooks more evenly.

Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a pan and season the chicken with salt and black pepper – inside and out.

You can stop right now for a perfectly roasted chicken or you can make a simple sauce.

Sauce Ingredients:

Fresh Tomato Sauce with Rusks

Fresh Tomato Sauce with Rusks Ingredients:

Roasted Chickpeas

Chickpea is English, ceci is Italian, and garbanzo is Spanish – whatever you call them, this s a great snack.

Ingredients:

Preheat the oven to 350˚F

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Leave the chickpeas on a towel until they’re thoroughly dry.

Place the ceci in a roasting pan and roast for 10 minutes. Shake the pan and roast for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the seasoning of your choice, let cool and serve.

Scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce

Some things are too good to go overboard with. Scallops are one of them. They can’t be beat if served with a simple lemon butter sauce.

Ingredients:

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, salt, and pepper and cook for a few seconds.

Reveries and Recipes

Marinade – Mix the honey, soy sauce, mustard, tomato paste, paprika, and coriander into a paste. Brush the chicken on both sides with the marinade. Return the chicken to the pan, cover with foil and roast at 400^o for 45 minutes. Uncover and roast for another 10–15 minutes.

Heat the oven to 425^o.