Category Archives: Lunch/Snacks

Lunch/Snacks

Chicken Wing Lollipops

August 17, 2018 robiulo Leave a comment

Chicken Wing Lollipops

They take some time to prepare but once you get the knack it isn’t too bad. They’re tasty, easy to eat and worth the trouble.

The hard part –

Remove and discard the wing tips. Separate the remaining pieces at the joint.

Starting with the lager piece with the single bone – with a sharp pointed knife separate the skin and tendons from the bone at the narrow end and begin to slide the meat downward scraping with the knife as you go until you end up with a ball of meat at the end of a smooth bone.

For the smaller piece with two bones – separate the two bones at the pointed end. Continue as before but this time with two bones. When you’re halfway down begin to twist and wiggle the thinner bone until it breaks off and you can remove it. Slide the rest of the meat down scraping the bone as you go.

The easy part –

Mix the salt. pepper, paprika and garlic salt and season the lollipops with it.

Make a marinade of the vinegar, sriracha and brown sugar. Put the lollipops in the marinade and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Remove the wings from the marinade, dripping off the excess. Coat them in the flour, let them rest 20 minutes and fry them until dark golden and the coating begins to caramelize.

Click here for updated GALLERY II

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Lunch/Snacks

Elvis’ Favorite Sandwich

June 12, 2018 robiulo 1 Comment

Graceland

Elvis’ Favorite Sandwich

This is something that I’ve always wanted to try but never got around to – a peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich. It’s a combination that most people would never have thought of but Elvis was a very creative guy. It may be a little heavy on the cholesterol but that’s not something the King worried about and neither do I. You can vary the recipe. I’ve heard that some people add a little honey.

While the bacon is frying start to prepare the sandwiches. Butter one side of each slice of bread and spread peanut butter on the other side. This is a little sloppy but worth it. Remove the bacon from the pan. Slice the bananas length wise and then in half. Give them a quick fry in the bacon fat, put them on the peanut butter and then add the bacon. Squeeze the sandwiches closed and grill them in the hot bacon fat. Flatten them a bit with a spatula and cook for a few minutes on each side, the way you would with a grilled cheese sandwich. Let them cool, cut them in half and serve.

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Lunch/Snacks

Ham and Cheese Pie

May 25, 2018 robiulo Leave a comment

Ham and Cheese Pie

This is a versatile recipe. You can use whatever cheese you like or a combination like I’m doing. For a nice Italian twist try it with provolone and prosciutto. You can also add parsley, peppers, etc.

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350^o. Grease a 9-inch pie plate with softened butter, then coat plate evenly with Parmesan.

Combine cheese, ham and onions in a bowl and distribute it evenly in bottom of the prepared pie dish. Mix flour, baking powder, pepper, and salt (keep in mind that ham and cheese can be salty) in a bowl. Whisk in half and half, eggs, melted butter and mustard until smooth. Slowly pour batter over cheese and ham mixture in pie dish.

Bake until pie is light golden brown and the filling is set, about 30, then 3 – 5 minutes under the broiler to brown top. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

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Lunch/Snacks

Wall Street Journal Recipes

April 17, 2018 robiulo Leave a comment

Wall Street Journal Recipes

My friend Joe gave me two recipes, one for sausage and peppers and the other for gnocchi, that he found in the Wall Street Journal of all places. When I hear Wall Street Journal I think of finance, markets and banking, not Italian recipes. I tried them and they were both very good.

Sausage and Peppers

You can make sausage and peppers by simply frying some sausage and peppers. But a little extra effort can make it something special. In this version by Chef Mashama Bailey of the Grey, in Savannah, the key ingredient is the vinegar. It really brightens up the flavor. I adjusted her recipe down a bit from four lbs. of sausage to one.

Cook sausages until browned on all sides. Remove them and set aside. In the same pot, add peppers, onions and garlic. Sauté until vegetables soften, about 15 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and vinegar. Return sausages to pot and stir gently to coat. Simmer until tomatoes reduce, adding splashes of water if pot looks dry.

Gnocchi

Until I saw this recipe from Gail Monaghan, gnocchi were round, made with potatoes and boiled. Here they’re square, made with semolina and baked in the Roman style. The finished product reminded me of polenta. You can serve these with different kinds of sauce. We used a simple marinara.

Bring milk and nutmeg to a simmer. Off heat, whisk in semolina. Cook over low heat, stirring, until mass pulls away from pan, 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in 8 tablespoons butter, 1 cup cheese and yolks. Season with salt and pepper. Pour hot semolina mixture onto a foil-lined, buttered sheet pan. Use an offset spatula to spread mixture into an even rectangle ½ -inch to 1-inch thick. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 degrees with rack in the highest position. Use a sharp knife or pizza wheel to cut semolina into 2-inch squares.

Set gnocchi ½-inch apart on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Dot with remaining butter and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until golden, 15 minutes. (a minute or two under the broiler at the finish isn’t a bad idea)

Lunch/Snacks

Melissa Clark’s Eggs in Purgatory

December 29, 2017 robiulo 2 Comments

Melissa Clark’s Eggs in Purgatory

It looks like Eggs in Purgatory is finally going main-stream. Melissa Clark, one of my favorite NYT food writers, just did an article and recipe . Growing up, it was a standard Monday lunch. My mother never made sauce specifically for Eggs in Purgatory like Melissa. She would use leftover Sunday gravy.

Melissa’s sauce recipe isn’t too far off, except for the anchovies, which might be an interesting addition. The idea of butter in tomato sauce would have been out of the question for my mother.

Aside from this popping up in the Times, about 2 years back I found myself in a trendy restaurant in Williamsburg called Fabbrica. They had ‘Pugatorio’ on the menu. I ordered it and it was standard Eggs in Purgatory, very good too.

Purgatorio at Frabbrica

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Miscellaneous, Lunch/Snacks

Shakshuska

November 24, 2017 robiulo Leave a comment

Shakshuska

I’ve heard it’s North African, or Middle-Eastern and it’s definitely very popular in Israel. Whatever it is, it’s a hearty breakfast, lunch or dinner. The first time I had shakshuska was in an Israeli run diner in Rockaway. I asked the waitress what it was and the way she described it sold me. It was served in a small cast iron pan right from the stove. You can’t get just anywhere so I started making it myself. This is similar to Eggs in Purgatory.

Start by frying the onion, red pepper, and chili in olive oil. Cook until edges start to turn brown. Pay attention and don’t let it burn.

Add garlic and cook for about a minute. Mix in the paprika and cumin and add the tomatoes. Simmer for about 10 minutes, check for seasoning and add the parsley.

The sauce should be thick enough to make five indentations in it using a spoon. Break an egg into each one. Cover and reduce the heat and cook it until egg are done.

Click here for updated GALLERY II

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Lunch/Snacks, Vegetarian

Jalapeno and Egg Sandwich

October 27, 2017 robiulo Leave a comment

Jalapeno and Egg Sandwich

A friend gave me some jalapenos from his garden and here’s what I did with them. A very simple sandwich but a perfect combination. You can substitute a green bell pepper if jalapenos are too hot for you.

Cut the stem ends off the peppers. Cut them in half lengthwise and scrape out most of the seed and veins.

Fry them until they soften and char a little bit.

Add the beaten eggs, salt and pepper and combine.That’s it. All that’s left to do is put it on bread and eat it.

Click here for updated GALLERY II

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Lunch/Snacks, Vegetarian

Escarole Pie

May 26, 2017 robiulo Leave a comment

Escarole Pie

My aunt used to make this, or something like it. I never got her recipe but this is pretty close. It’s a simple dish (especially if you buy pizza dough instead of making your own).

If you want to make your own dough instead of going to a pizzaria, here’s a recipe from Martha Stewart .

Escarole filling –

Remove the base and cut the escarole into 1 inch slices and clean it. Drain it but it should be wet so it steams.

Heat the garlic and oil with some salt, black pepper and red pepper. Add the damp escarole and stir to coat with the oil. After a few minutes, it should begin to wilt. Add the olives and capers if you’re using them. Add some water if necessary, cover and steam until it’s completely wilted and tender. It may seem like too much when you start but after it’s wilted, it’s just the right amount.Uncover and keep it on a low heat until it begins to dry. If there is still too much liquid, drain the excess. Add some olive oil and let it cool.

Preparing the pie –

Pre-heat oven to 375^o. Coat the baking pan with oil. Cut off about ¼ of the dough for the top of the pie. Roll out the rest and cover the bottom and sides of the baking pan with it. Place the cooked and cooled escarole in the pan (it should be moist but not dripping) and tamp it down.

Roll out the smaller piece of dough to the size of the top of the pan and cover the escarole. Squeeze the edges of both pieces of dough together and trim the edges at the top of the pan.

Make some small slits on top of the pie with a sharp knife to let the steam escape. Brush the top with olive oil and bake for 45 minutes. Let it cool and serve at room temperature.

Click here for updated GALLERY II

Robert Iulo at Yelp

Lunch/Snacks

Mozzarella, Tomato, Eggplant Sandwiches

April 7, 2017 robiulo Leave a comment

Mozzarella, Tomato, Eggplant Sandwiches

There’s a pizzeria/Italian restaurant called Capone’s on North Ocean Drive in Hollywood Beach, Florida. The last time I was there I had this and gave it a try at home. It was easy and worked out perfectly. I’m not sure what they call it on their menu but it looks like a sandwich.

To make the eggplant – (see Eggplant under Some Simple Kitchen Tips)

Cut the ends off the eggplant and slice vertically. Discard the first and last slice which will be mostly skin. You need 9 slices to make 3 sandwiches.

Beat the eggs with some salt and black pepper. Dip the eggplant slices in the egg wash and then in the breadcrumbs. Fry them in oil until deep brown. Drain on paper towels and let them cool.

To make the sandwiches –

Start with a slice of eggplant and cover with mozzarella. Add another slice of eggplant and cover with one layer of sliced tomato. Add another slice of eggplant and cover with more grated mozzarella.

Place the 3 sandwiches on a baking sheet and cook in a pre-heated 300^o oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese melts. When done, sprinkle with the parsley and drizzle with a little balsamic and some olive oil.

It might look like a triple-decker sandwich but serve it with a fork and knife.

Click here for updated GALLERY II

Lunch/Snacks, Vegetarian

Cheese Spreads

July 1, 2016 robiulo Leave a comment

Cheese Spreads

Two recipes for cheese spreads with similar preparation techniques but different results.

Ingredients for both – blue and butter with Worcestershire – cheddar and horse radish, also with Worcestershire

Blue Cheese Spread

My father’s recipe, it goes well with cocktails or beer. Even people who don’t like blue cheese like this.

Crumble a piece of room temperature blue cheese and mix 4 to 1 with good quality room temperature butter. The butter takes some of the sharpness and even some of the stinkyness away from the blue cheese. Mash with a fork, adding a few drops of Worcestershire Sauce until smooth.

Cheddar Horseradish Spread

I got this from a waiter at Fin, a seafood restaurant at the Tropicana in Atlantic City. They serve it alongside the butter with their bread basket.

Grate some good quality sharp cheddar and mix with prepared horseradish 5 to 1. Mash with a fork, adding a few drops of Worcestershire Sauce until smooth.

Click here for updated GALLERY II

Chicken Wing Lollipops

They take some time to prepare but once you get the knack it isn’t too bad. They’re tasty, easy to eat and worth the trouble.

The hard part –

Remove and discard the wing tips. Separate the remaining pieces at the joint.

Starting with the lager piece with the single bone – with a sharp pointed knife separate the skin and tendons from the bone at the narrow end and begin to slide the meat downward scraping with the knife as you go until you end up with a ball of meat at the end of a smooth bone.

The easy part –

Mix the salt. pepper, paprika and garlic salt and season the lollipops with it.

Make a marinade of the vinegar, sriracha and brown sugar. Put the lollipops in the marinade and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Remove the wings from the marinade, dripping off the excess. Coat them in the flour, let them rest 20 minutes and fry them until dark golden and the coating begins to caramelize.

Click here for updated GALLERY II

Elvis’ Favorite Sandwich

Ham and Cheese Pie

Click here for updated GALLERY II

Wall Street Journal Recipes

My friend Joe gave me two recipes, one for sausage and peppers and the other for gnocchi, that he found in the Wall Street Journal of all places. When I hear Wall Street Journal I think of finance, markets and banking, not Italian recipes. I tried them and they were both very good.

Melissa Clark’s Eggs in Purgatory

Melissa’s sauce recipe isn’t too far off, except for the anchovies, which might be an interesting addition. The idea of butter in tomato sauce would have been out of the question for my mother.

Aside from this popping up in the Times, about 2 years back I found myself in a trendy restaurant in Williamsburg called Fabbrica. They had ‘Pugatorio’ on the menu. I ordered it and it was standard Eggs in Purgatory, very good too.

Shakshuska

Jalapeno and Egg Sandwich

A friend gave me some jalapenos from his garden and here’s what I did with them. A very simple sandwich but a perfect combination. You can substitute a green bell pepper if jalapenos are too hot for you.

Cut the stem ends off the peppers. Cut them in half lengthwise and scrape out most of the seed and veins.

Fry them until they soften and char a little bit.

Add the beaten eggs, salt and pepper and combine.That’s it. All that’s left to do is put it on bread and eat it.

Escarole Pie

My aunt used to make this, or something like it. I never got her recipe but this is pretty close. It’s a simple dish (especially if you buy pizza dough instead of making your own).

Mozzarella, Tomato, Eggplant Sandwiches

There’s a pizzeria/Italian restaurant called Capone’s on North Ocean Drive in Hollywood Beach, Florida. The last time I was there I had this and gave it a try at home. It was easy and worked out perfectly. I’m not sure what they call it on their menu but it looks like a sandwich.

Cheese Spreads

Two recipes for cheese spreads with similar preparation techniques but different results.

Reveries and Recipes