Soup

Chicken Farro Soup

January 10, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

Chicken Farro Soup

Farro’s been cultivated since before recorded history. Many of the grains we’re familiar with today are descended from farro. It was regularly eaten on the Italian peninsula when Rome ruled the Mediterranean. It is still common throughout Italy today. Here’s an old Salerno recipe.

Remove the bones and skin and cut thigh meat into small bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and black pepper and brown the chicken in the oil and remove. If there’s too much fat left from browning the chicken, drain the excess.

Sauté celery low heat until soft then add oregano and sliced garlic and cook briefly. Add stock from drained, cooked farro, bring to a boil and deglaze the pot. Add the cooked farro, return chicken and bring to a boil. Add hot water to keep a soupy consistency. Simmer for another 10 minutes covered. Check for seasoning.

More farro recipes here.

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Poultry

Pan Roast Chicken and Vegetables

January 3, 2020 robiulo 1 Comment

Pan Roast Chicken and Vegetables

Pan Roast Chicken and Vegetables is a fairly simple recipe and it’s a whole meal in one pan. I used thighs but you can use any parts you like.

Ingredients:

Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp. oregano
½ tsp. black pepper
2 sliced garlic cloves
Turnip, Beet, Butternut Squash cut into ¾ in pieces
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper

Marinate the chicken in the first 5 ingredients for at least 3 hours:

Place the vegetables in a bowl and coat with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.

Pre-heat oven to 425^o

Make a layer of vegetables in a roasting pan. Place the chicken skin side up on top of the vegetables. Roast until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 170°-175° and vegetables are just tender, about 40 minutes.

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Desserts

Upside Down Peach Tart

December 28, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Upside-Down Peach Tart

This is a fairly simple recipe for what looks like an elaborate fruit tart. It’s December so I used canned peaches but this works with fresh peaches and apricots too.

Ingredients:

¼ cup honey
¼ cup sugar
¼ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 can sliced peaches
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, about 10 by 10 inches, thawed
¼ cup raw pistachios, finely chopped

Preheat to 425° and put a rack in middle of the oven.

Heat honey, sugar, salt, and 2 tbsp. water in a small pot over medium-high heat, until it’s blended and slightly darkened. Turn off heat and add butter and vinegar. Pour the honey mixture into a 9″ spring-form pan. Place the peaches in pan.

Roll out the thawed pastry on a lightly floured surface to remove the folds. Prick pastry all over with a fork. Place the pan on top of the pastry and use scissors or a sharp pointed knife trim the pastry to make a circle that’s slightly larger than the circumference of the pan. Place the pastry over the fruit in the pan and tuck in the edges. The pastry with shrink as it bakes.

Bake until pastry is puffed – about 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375° and continue to bake for another 15–20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes.

Remove the upper section of the spring-form pan and cover the tart with a large dish. Flip the tart over and remove the bottom of the pan. You may need a spatula to unstick it.

Sprinkle the top of the tart with the pistachios.

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Holidays

Merry Christmas from New York

December 24, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Restaurants

Spring Shabu-Shabu

December 20, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Spring Shabu-Shabu

There’s an interesting restaurant in Flushing, Queens, New York. It’s called Spring Shabu-Shabu. Webster’s definition of shabu is – a Japanese dish consisting of thinly sliced beef and vegetables cooked briefly in simmering broth at the table.

From Spring Shabu-Shabu’s website:

“A Japanese-style hot pot, shabu-shabu is a fun and healthy interactive dining experience. Thinly sliced meat or assorted seafood items along with various vegetables, fishcake, and noodles are cooked in a simmering broth in individual pots at the table. The term shabu-shabu is an onomatopoeia, which is derived from the “swish-swish” sound made when the meat is quickly brushed back and forth through the broth to cook.”

There are individual pots built into your table. You control the heat level and have a choice of 5 different types of broth that you cook you meal in.

You order different kinds of meat or fish that is brought to your table and then help yourself to various noodles, vegetables, and dipping sauces.

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Sides, Vegetarian

Baked Potatoes

December 13, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Baked Potatoes

I got another potato recipe from Tommy the bartender. This one is for baked potatoes. Everybody knows how to bake a potato, right? Well, according to Tommy, if you take a little more care and a few extra steps you can make a really exceptional baked potato.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. salt (more for serving)
4 russet potatoes
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Brine – 2 tablespoons salt dissolved in ½ cup of water.

Pre-heat the over to 400^o.

Put the potatoes in a bowl and toss to coat thoroughly with the brine.

Instead of poking holes in the skin, cut a long X across the top of the potato about ¼ in deep. Place the potatoes on a rack in a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour 45 minutes.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and cut the X a little deeper – about another ½ inch. Coat the skins with the oil and put the potatoes back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

Break them open by pushing in the ends and serve them simply with salt and butter or any way you like.

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Restaurants, Seafood

The Lobster House in Cape May

December 6, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

The Lobster House in Cape May

The Lobster House in Cape May New Jersey is a classic seafood restaurant. Lunch and dinner in five dining rooms and a full bar is available seven days a week. The Lobster House is located on an active commercial fishing fleet pier in Cape May Harbor. In the warmer months you can eat out on the pier. They also have a take-out shop and a fresh fish market.

THE COMMERCIAL FISHING PIER

ONE OF THE DINNING ROOMS

A LIGHT LUNCH

AN INTERESTING WALL DECORATION

READY FOR CHRISTMAS

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Meat

Sausage and Grapes

November 29, 2019 robiulo 4 Comments

Sausage and Grapes

This recipe is adapted from Melissa Clark’s A Good Appetite in the New York Times. She suggests using any kind of sausage you like. I chose hot Italian sausage because it made a good contrast to the sweetness of the grapes.

Ingredients:

1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 tbsps. olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 cups of stemmed red seedless grapes
½ tsp. ground cumin
1 lb. hot Italian sausage
½ cup coarsely chopped parsley
2 tbsps. chopped scallions or chives
2 tsps. Sherry vinegar + more to taste

Heat oven to 450^o.

In an oven proof pan, toss the onions with the salt, pepper and 2 tbsps. oil. Roast for 10 minutes or so, until the onions take on some color. Remove the pan for the oven and add the grapes, cumin, and the remaining oil. Spread in an even layer and add the sausage. Roast for 25 minutes, turning sausage and tossing onions/grapes halfway through.

After 25 minutes, remove the sausage to a serving plate. Add the parsley and chives to the pan with the grapes and onions and mix. Use a slotted spoon to remove the grapes and onions to the serving plate. Add the vinegar and scrape up any brown bits. Put over the grapes and sausage and serve.

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Sides

Fondant Potatoes

November 22, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Fondant Potatoes

I got this recipe from a bartender in an Irish pub in Manhattan. He was a chef in Ireland. He said some cooks add garlic and rosemary to the recipe but he preferred it “plain” and that’s the way I made it. Fondant potatoes go well with any kind of roast meat – beef, chicken, lamb, etc.

Ingredients:

3 or 4 russet potatoes
salt & black pepper
4 tbsps. vegetable oil
4 tbsps. butter
Rosemary sprigs (optional)
Garlic (optional)
1 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 450° F.

Cut the rounded ends off the potatoes so they’ll stand upright. Slice the skin off the sides with a sharp knife, leaving ridges. Then cut them in half leaving 2 cylinders about 2 inches high.

Soak in cold water for 5 minutes to remove some of the surface starch and dry them well. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in an oven proof skillet. Add the potatoes flat side down and cook until the bottoms are brown. Turn the potatoes to the other flat side and pour off the oil (careful – that oil is hot).

Bring the pan back to medium heat and add the butter. (If you’re using garlic and rosemary, add it now.) Leave it on the burner until the butter starts to brown. Pour in the chicken stock and place the pan in the oven. Roast until tender, about 30 minutes, let them cool a bit and serve.

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Pasta

Sausage and WInter Squash Ragu

November 15, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Sausage and Winter Squash Ragu

I got this recipe from a northern friend (her grandparents are from Tuscany). You can use any kind of hard winter squash. I used butternut but acorn or even pumpkin would do it.

Sausage and Winter Squash Ragu

Ingredients:

3 cups peeled and diced squash
Olive oil for basting and frying
Salt and black pepper
1 lb. Italian hot or sweet pork sausage casing removed
1 medium onion diced
1 cup diced mushrooms – your choice
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 sliced garlic cloves
1 lb. short pasta like ziti, rigatoni, etc.
½ cup chopped parsley

Start a pot of salted water for the pasta.

Heat the oven to 450^o and roast the peeled and diced squash with oil and salt and pepper for 15 minutes.

Sauté the mushrooms and onion in oil in a pot until they’re soft. Remove from the pot. Add the sausage and break it up and cook until it’s brown. Return the mushrooms and onion to the pot, then add the tomatoes and garlic. Cook on a medium flame for 5 minutes and then add 1 cup of water, stir, and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

Cook the pasta until almost done and add it to the pot and mix it with the sauce. Add some of the pasta water if it looks too dry. Now, add the roasted squash and parsley. Mix and serve. (My friend said it can be served with grated cheese but I think that would overpowers the sweetness of the squash.)

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Chicken Farro Soup

Farro’s been cultivated since before recorded history. Many of the grains we’re familiar with today are descended from farro. It was regularly eaten on the Italian peninsula when Rome ruled the Mediterranean. It is still common throughout Italy today. Here’s an old Salerno recipe.

Remove the bones and skin and cut thigh meat into small bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and black pepper and brown the chicken in the oil and remove. If there’s too much fat left from browning the chicken, drain the excess.

Pan Roast Chicken and Vegetables

Pan Roast Chicken and Vegetables is a fairly simple recipe and it’s a whole meal in one pan. I used thighs but you can use any parts you like.

Ingredients:

Juice of 1 lemon

¼ cup olive oil

½ tsp. oregano

½ tsp. black pepper

2 sliced garlic cloves

Turnip, Beet, Butternut Squash cut into ¾ in pieces

Olive oil

Salt and black pepper

Marinate the chicken in the first 5 ingredients for at least 3 hours:

Place the vegetables in a bowl and coat with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.

Pre-heat oven to 425o

Make a layer of vegetables in a roasting pan. Place the chicken skin side up on top of the vegetables. Roast until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 170°-175° and vegetables are just tender, about 40 minutes.

Upside-Down Peach Tart

This is a fairly simple recipe for what looks like an elaborate fruit tart. It’s December so I used canned peaches but this works with fresh peaches and apricots too.

Ingredients:

¼ cup honey

¼ cup sugar

¼ tsp. salt

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 can sliced peaches

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, about 10 by 10 inches, thawed

¼ cup raw pistachios, finely chopped

Preheat to 425° and put a rack in middle of the oven.

Heat honey, sugar, salt, and 2 tbsp. water in a small pot over medium-high heat, until it’s blended and slightly darkened. Turn off heat and add butter and vinegar. Pour the honey mixture into a 9″ spring-form pan. Place the peaches in pan.

Bake until pastry is puffed – about 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375° and continue to bake for another 15–20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes.

Remove the upper section of the spring-form pan and cover the tart with a large dish. Flip the tart over and remove the bottom of the pan. You may need a spatula to unstick it.

Sprinkle the top of the tart with the pistachios.

Spring Shabu-Shabu

There’s an interesting restaurant in Flushing, Queens, New York. It’s called Spring Shabu-Shabu. Webster’s definition of shabu is – a Japanese dish consisting of thinly sliced beef and vegetables cooked briefly in simmering broth at the table.

From Spring Shabu-Shabu’s website:

There are individual pots built into your table. You control the heat level and have a choice of 5 different types of broth that you cook you meal in.

You order different kinds of meat or fish that is brought to your table and then help yourself to various noodles, vegetables, and dipping sauces.

Baked Potatoes

I got another potato recipe from Tommy the bartender. This one is for baked potatoes. Everybody knows how to bake a potato, right? Well, according to Tommy, if you take a little more care and a few extra steps you can make a really exceptional baked potato.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. salt (more for serving)

4 russet potatoes

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Brine – 2 tablespoons salt dissolved in ½ cup of water.

Pre-heat the over to 400o.

Put the potatoes in a bowl and toss to coat thoroughly with the brine.

Instead of poking holes in the skin, cut a long X across the top of the potato about ¼ in deep. Place the potatoes on a rack in a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour 45 minutes.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and cut the X a little deeper – about another ½ inch. Coat the skins with the oil and put the potatoes back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

Break them open by pushing in the ends and serve them simply with salt and butter or any way you like.

The Lobster House in Cape May

Sausage and Grapes

This recipe is adapted from Melissa Clark’s A Good Appetite in the New York Times. She suggests using any kind of sausage you like. I chose hot Italian sausage because it made a good contrast to the sweetness of the grapes.

Ingredients:

1 large onion, thinly sliced

4 tbsps. olive oil

Salt and black pepper to taste

4 cups of stemmed red seedless grapes

½ tsp. ground cumin

1 lb. hot Italian sausage

½ cup coarsely chopped parsley

2 tbsps. chopped scallions or chives

2 tsps. Sherry vinegar + more to taste

Heat oven to 450o.

After 25 minutes, remove the sausage to a serving plate. Add the parsley and chives to the pan with the grapes and onions and mix. Use a slotted spoon to remove the grapes and onions to the serving plate. Add the vinegar and scrape up any brown bits. Put over the grapes and sausage and serve.

Fondant Potatoes

I got this recipe from a bartender in an Irish pub in Manhattan. He was a chef in Ireland. He said some cooks add garlic and rosemary to the recipe but he preferred it “plain” and that’s the way I made it. Fondant potatoes go well with any kind of roast meat – beef, chicken, lamb, etc.

Ingredients:

3 or 4 russet potatoes

salt & black pepper

4 tbsps. vegetable oil

4 tbsps. butter

Rosemary sprigs (optional)

Garlic (optional)

1 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 450° F.

Cut the rounded ends off the potatoes so they’ll stand upright. Slice the skin off the sides with a sharp knife, leaving ridges. Then cut them in half leaving 2 cylinders about 2 inches high.

Soak in cold water for 5 minutes to remove some of the surface starch and dry them well. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in an oven proof skillet. Add the potatoes flat side down and cook until the bottoms are brown. Turn the potatoes to the other flat side and pour off the oil (careful – that oil is hot).

Pre-heat oven to 425^o

Pre-heat the over to 400^o.

Heat oven to 450^o.

Heat the oven to 450^o and roast the peeled and diced squash with oil and salt and pepper for 15 minutes.