Sides, Vegetarian

Olives and Oranges

February 26, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Adapted from Diana Kochilas – My Greek Table

Olives and Oranges is a tasty and simple dish to prepare. It works as an hors d’oeuvre, appetizer, brochette or side dish.

Keep the peel on the orange and cut into wedges. Cut each wedge into small triangular slices, about 1/8-inch thick.

In a heavy flat skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the olives and orange wedges to the pan and stir and combine. Add the garlic. Continue to shake the pan back and forth to gently stir the contents for about 5 minutes, until the olives are warmed through, the garlic soft and shiny, and the orange slices slightly wilted.

Stir in the oregano, transfer to a bowl and serve warm.

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Pasta, Soup

Minestra con Piselli Caiano

February 23, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Minestra con Piselli Caiano

Minestra con Piselli Caiano translates to something like Soupy Pasta with Pigeon Peas. It sounds better in Italian.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
A handful of cherry tomatoes sliced in half or a large tomato roughly chopped
4 cups chicken stock
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 lb. shells or other small pasta
15 oz. can of pigeon peas

Minestra con Piselli Caiano preparation –

Fry the garlic in oil. Add the tomatoes and cook until slightly soft.

Add the broth, bay leaf, and the pasta. Keep adding heated water, maybe 2 or 3 cups, to keep a soupy consistency. When the pasta is almost done, add the peas, stir and cook for a few minutes. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil.

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Pasta, Miscellaneous

Sauce vs. Gravy

February 16, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Sauce vs. Gravy

It’s an argument that will probably go on forever among Italian-Americans. Is it sauce or gravy? Most non-Italians couldn’t care less and it doesn’t really bother me but I’m going to add my opinion anyway.

In any dictionary, gravy and sauce have almost identical definitions although it seems that to be called “gravy” there must be some meat, or meat juices or drippings involved.

In Italian, there’s sugo (thin sauce/gravy made with meat) and ragu (thick sauce/gravy made with meat). Then there’s salsa, not made with meat and which I would translate as sauce.

When people think of gravy it’s usually brown and often made with meat drippings and a bit of flour to thicken it. Well, why can’t it be red and made with meat drippings and tomatoes instead of flour?

When my mother had a pot of bubbling tomatoes on the stove filled with meatballs, braciole, and sausage she called it “gravy.” When she made marinara, that’s tomatoes with no meat, it was “sauce.”

So that’s my take on the unending sauce-gravy argument. And here’s a recipe for a ragu. You can call it what you like.

Pork Ragu

*Italian trinity

Sweat one cup of trinity in oil and then add and lightly brown the pork. Add the crushed tomatoes and sachet. Simmer for at least one hour.

Put on a pot of water for the pasta. Add the peas to the tomatoes and pork and simmer for another 10 minutes while the pasta is cooking. Taste for seasoning.

When the pasta is almost done drain and add it to the ragu to finish cooking. If it’s too dry add some pasta water. Serve with grated cheese.

Sunday Gravy

There are a lot of variations for this one – but always meat and tomatoes. Here’s a simple, basic recipe which you can vary.

Ingredients:

Olive oil
Sausage – hot or sweet
Oxtails
Dried sausage or soprasade
Garlic (2 chopped cloves)
Crushed tomatoes
Salt and black pepper

Brown the sausage and oxtails in oil. Do it in batches and don’t crowd the pan. Remove and add the dried sausage and garlic. Don’t burn the garlic. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Lower heat, taste for seasoning and simmer for at least one hour.

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Lunch/Snacks

Fried Baloney

February 12, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Fried Baloney

There used to be a grocery store where I grew up on Mott Street called May’s. I’d go there for lunch because May made great sandwiches, especially fried baloney sandwiches. I know a lot of people have never heard of fried baloney but it really tastes great and is very simple to make.

For some reason, we call it baloney when it’s spelled Bologna, the city in Italy where it was first made. I guess that’s an Americanization, like saying “gabagool” for “capicola.”

All you need is bread, baloney and a little oil to fry it in. The better the bread, the better the sandwich. I like mine the way May used to do it, with mustard, relish, and lettuce.

My Baloney Has a First Name

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Essays & Rants

Excerpt the Mississippi Coast 2005

February 8, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Excerpt The Mississippi Coast 2005

When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, most of what we heard about in New York was the damage done in New Orleans. New Orleans got the headlines but Katrina affected the coastal areas of three states; Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Requests went out from those states for help and one of those requests, Mississippi’s, found its way the New York City Department of Buildings. Our Commissioner agreed to send ten of us with five SUVs and whatever equipment was needed to help with structural assessment.

. . . After two days of driving, we arrived at the border of Jackson County. That was as far as our instructions took us. We already were seeing downed trees and overturned trailers miles from the coast. Stopping at sort of a combination gas station-fried chicken restaurant we called for further directions.

. . . We arrived at the Gautier City Hall and were welcomed by a group of officials. They thanked us for coming and gave us some local maps. One official said something like “…as soon as we get a quiet evening, I’m sure we can boil and burn something for all y’all.” I knew he said something positive so I thanked him. I found out later he was inviting us to dinner.

. . . We were able to get breakfast and dinner at the Imperial Palace but were on our own for lunch. There was a Red Cross food van that was surprisingly good. We had to go to Camp Vancleave fairly regularly to have our laundry done and to get gas at the FEMA tank truck. Jack and I made it a point to go in the morning so we could have “Mohler’s” excellent donuts for breakfast.

. . . Eventually a family run restaurant on Bienville Boulevard called “BB’s Po’boy” reopened and Jack and I became regulars.

Our waitress apologized for not having any of their famous Gulf shrimp saying, “The boats hadn’t been able to go out because of the flotsam left by the storm.”

The proprietors and staff were glad to be back and their customers were happy to see them. When we talk in New York we’re usually exchanging information, in Mississippi they exchange “pleasantries” and it really was a pleasure being surrounded by such nice people. The food was good enough for us to go through their whole menu in the weeks we were in Ocean Springs but more than that, lunch time was an hour of gentile normalcy taken out of what was usually a bleak day.

. . . Toward the end of our stay some local building and fire officials invited all of us for dinner at their favorite Irish pub in Pascagoula. They served us corned beef and cabbage with homemade soda bread and the Guinness flowed like water. After dinner a lot of locals showed up just to meet the “inspectors from New York” and they all made a point of shaking our hands and thanking us for coming such a long way to help them. A little embarrassed by the compliment, we in turn, thanked them for their hospitality.

For the whole story –

The Mississippi Coast 2005 – Mississippi Sun Herald

BBs Po’boy

Imperial Palace Hotel

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Pasta

Pasta with Goat Cheese and Cherry Tomatoes

February 1, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Pasta with Goat Cheese and Cherry Tomatoes

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis Cavatelli with Gorgonzola and Cherry Tomatoes (Pasta with Goat Cheese and Cherry Tomatoes)

We had dinner with our nephews Stephen, Francesco and Doug. They put together a great meal but I loved the pasta most. I think maybe my niece Danielle had something to do with this too. They used a Giada DiLaurentis recipe.

So here it is – delicious. I used goat cheese instead of gorgonzola. Giada said that would be OK. (Pasta with Goat Cheese and Cherry Tomatoes)

Ingredients:

½ lb. cavatelli (or something similar)
8 oz. pancetta, cut into 1/2-inch dice
Olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
8 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
4 oz. gorgonzola (or goat cheese)
5 oz. baby spinach, roughly chopped

Start a pot of boiling water for the pasta.

Add the pancetta and olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often until the pancetta is crispy, about 8 minutes. Add the shallots and cook another minute until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and season with salt. Cook, stirring often until the tomatoes begin to soften, about 4 minutes.

When the pasta is almost done (reserve 1 1/2 cups of pasta water) add it to the skillet along with 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Scatter the cheese over the pasta and stir to combine. Continue to stir, adding pasta water as needed, until a light creamy sauce is formed. Add the spinach and toss until it wilts.

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Desserts

DRAKE’S OATMEAL COOKIES

January 25, 2019 robiulo 4 Comments

Drake’s Oatmeal Cookies

I grew up with Drake’s Cakes – Yankee Doodles, Coffee Cake, Devil Dogs and Ring Dings. They were my childhood favorites and I loved seeing that happy duck logo.

They’re all still available and sometimes I give in to my urge for comfort food. But there’s one that I miss – Drake’s Oatmeal Cookies. I’ve searched all over but it seems that they don’t make those any more.

They used to come three to a cellophane wrapped package. They were classic cookies, not chewy but crisp and crumbly, also cheap and perfect for a snack. There was nothing like them dunked in coffee for breakfast. I’d given up on ever tasting them again until our neighbor Susan brought over some cookies she’s made. There was a variety and I noticed a few oatmeal cookies that looked familiar. Well, they looked like Drake’s, crumbled like Drake’s and they tasted like Drake’s. Susan, being from Baltimore never heard of Drake’s Oatmeal Cookies, a New York phenomena, and didn’t know why I got so excited.

1896 – Newman Drake opened the N.E. Drake Baking Company on 135th Street in Harlem in New York City.

I’m not a baker but I got her recipe and made them. Even if you’ve never had a Drake’s Oatmeal Cookie you should try these.

Susan’s Oatmeal Cookie Recipe that tastes like Drake’s

A lot of ingredients for a little cookie but worth it.

In Bowl #1 – Mix the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda.

In Bowl #2 – mix the milk, vanilla, and eggs.

In Bowl #3 – or in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter with the brown and white sugar, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low, gradually add milk mixture, and beat well. Add the flour mixture, and beat until just combined.

Remove bowl from the electric mixer, and stir in the (rolled) oats. Place the dough in the refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and let the dough come to room temperature. Shape 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball; place on the cookie sheet. Press it with the bottom of a measuring cup or glass to flatten dough into rounds.

Bake until light brown (14 to16 minutes) rotating the sheet halfway through. Allow them to cool and become crisp before serving.

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Pasta, Vegetarian

Pasta cu Mudica

January 18, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

A village in the Alburni Mountains of Salerno

Pasta cu Muddica – adapted from Lidia’s recipe

Here’s another good example of Cucina Povera. Stale bread and pasta with a little garlic and oil – simple and cheap but delicious.

Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta.

For the breadcrumbs – Cut off the crust of a loaf of day-old Italian bread and break what’s left into irregular shreds about 1/4-inch or a bit larger. Leave it on a kitchen towel for a few hours to dry and get crisp.

Once you start cooking the pasta put the torn bread crumbs into a pan with ½ cup of oil seasoned with salt, black and red pepper. Be sure the oil is hot enough so that the crumbs fry and don’t get soggy. Stir and coat the crumbs with the oil until they just start to toast and then add the garlic slices. Continue stirring and tossing and don’t let the garlic get brown. Remove the crumbs and garlic from the pan.

If the pan looks too dry add some more oil and toss the cooked pasta in it until it’s coated. Add the oregano. If the pasta seems dry, drizzle over more oil and/or a little pasta water but not too much water because the crumbs will get soggy.

Return the toasted breadcrumbs to the pan and add the parsley. Toss well and serve.

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Drinks

Vietnamese Iced Coffee

January 11, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Vietnamese Iced Coffee (cà phê sữa đá)

Vietnamese Iced Coffee is nothing like the standard American iced coffee you might be used to. It’s really something special and requires a little patience. Whenever I’m in a Vietnamese restaurant I order it as soon as I arrive and let it brew while I’m eating and drink it just before I ask for the check.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Café Du Monde Coffee
2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

Equipment:

Vietnamese Phin Filter Coffee Maker –buy one here
2 glasses – 1 small to brew coffee and 1 tall to mix coffee with ice

Preparation:

As the water is boiling add 2 tablespoons of coffee to the coffee maker and 2 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk to the small glass.
With the coffee maker on top of the glass, wet the grounds with about a tablespoon of the hot water and put on the top of the press and push down tightly. Fill with hot water and put the cover on. The coffee will slowly drip into the glass onto the condensed milk. This should take a few minutes. You can adjust the press as needed.

When the coffee is finished dripping, fill a tall glass with ice. Thoroughly mix the coffee with the condensed milk and then pour it over the ice in the tall glass.

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Pasta, Meat

Venison Ragu

January 4, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Still Life with Dead Game by Frans Snyders 1579-1657

Venison Ragu

My friend Susan gave me some ground venison for my birthday. This is the first recipe I tried with it. Venison ragu is a hardy winter dish. If you can’t get venison use pork. If you do use pork, you can leave out the duck fat. That’s only necessary with lean venison.

Ingredients:

1 cup Italian trinity
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp. duck fat
1 lb. ground venison
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
3 bay leaves
15 basil leaves cut chiffonade
salt and black pepper
1 lb. short pasta

Put on a pot of water for the pasta.

Sweat one cup of trinity in oil, then add 2 tablespoons of duck fat and lightly brown the venison. Add the crushed tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the basil to the sauce and simmer for another 10 minutes while the pasta is cooking.

When the pasta is almost done drain and add it to the sauce to finish cooking. If the sauce is too dry add some pasta water. Serve with optional grated cheese.

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Olives and Oranges is a tasty and simple dish to prepare. It works as an hors d’oeuvre, appetizer, brochette or side dish.

Keep the peel on the orange and cut into wedges. Cut each wedge into small triangular slices, about 1/8-inch thick.

Stir in the oregano, transfer to a bowl and serve warm.

Minestra con Piselli Caiano

Minestra con Piselli Caiano translates to something like Soupy Pasta with Pigeon Peas. It sounds better in Italian.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced

A handful of cherry tomatoes sliced in half or a large tomato roughly chopped

4 cups chicken stock

Salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 lb. shells or other small pasta

15 oz. can of pigeon peas

Minestra con Piselli Caiano preparation –

Fry the garlic in oil. Add the tomatoes and cook until slightly soft.

Add the broth, bay leaf, and the pasta. Keep adding heated water, maybe 2 or 3 cups, to keep a soupy consistency. When the pasta is almost done, add the peas, stir and cook for a few minutes. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil.

Sauce vs. Gravy

It’s an argument that will probably go on forever among Italian-Americans. Is it sauce or gravy? Most non-Italians couldn’t care less and it doesn’t really bother me but I’m going to add my opinion anyway.

In any dictionary, gravy and sauce have almost identical definitions although it seems that to be called “gravy” there must be some meat, or meat juices or drippings involved.

In Italian, there’s sugo (thin sauce/gravy made with meat) and ragu (thick sauce/gravy made with meat). Then there’s salsa, not made with meat and which I would translate as sauce.

When people think of gravy it’s usually brown and often made with meat drippings and a bit of flour to thicken it. Well, why can’t it be red and made with meat drippings and tomatoes instead of flour?

When my mother had a pot of bubbling tomatoes on the stove filled with meatballs, braciole, and sausage she called it “gravy.” When she made marinara, that’s tomatoes with no meat, it was “sauce.”

So that’s my take on the unending sauce-gravy argument. And here’s a recipe for a ragu. You can call it what you like.

Pork Ragu

Sweat one cup of trinity in oil and then add and lightly brown the pork. Add the crushed tomatoes and sachet. Simmer for at least one hour.

Put on a pot of water for the pasta. Add the peas to the tomatoes and pork and simmer for another 10 minutes while the pasta is cooking. Taste for seasoning.

When the pasta is almost done drain and add it to the ragu to finish cooking. If it’s too dry add some pasta water. Serve with grated cheese.

Sunday Gravy

There are a lot of variations for this one – but always meat and tomatoes. Here’s a simple, basic recipe which you can vary.

Ingredients:

Olive oil

Sausage – hot or sweet

Oxtails

Dried sausage or soprasade

Garlic (2 chopped cloves)

Crushed tomatoes

Salt and black pepper

Brown the sausage and oxtails in oil. Do it in batches and don’t crowd the pan. Remove and add the dried sausage and garlic. Don’t burn the garlic. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Lower heat, taste for seasoning and simmer for at least one hour.

Fried Baloney

There used to be a grocery store where I grew up on Mott Street called May’s. I’d go there for lunch because May made great sandwiches, especially fried baloney sandwiches. I know a lot of people have never heard of fried baloney but it really tastes great and is very simple to make.

For some reason, we call it baloney when it’s spelled Bologna, the city in Italy where it was first made. I guess that’s an Americanization, like saying “gabagool” for “capicola.”

All you need is bread, baloney and a little oil to fry it in. The better the bread, the better the sandwich. I like mine the way May used to do it, with mustard, relish, and lettuce.

Excerpt The Mississippi Coast 2005

. . . Eventually a family run restaurant on Bienville Boulevard called “BB’s Po’boy” reopened and Jack and I became regulars.

Our waitress apologized for not having any of their famous Gulf shrimp saying, “The boats hadn’t been able to go out because of the flotsam left by the storm.”

Pasta with Goat Cheese and Cherry Tomatoes

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis Cavatelli with Gorgonzola and Cherry Tomatoes (Pasta with Goat Cheese and Cherry Tomatoes)

We had dinner with our nephews Stephen, Francesco and Doug. They put together a great meal but I loved the pasta most. I think maybe my niece Danielle had something to do with this too. They used a Giada DiLaurentis recipe.

So here it is – delicious. I used goat cheese instead of gorgonzola. Giada said that would be OK. (Pasta with Goat Cheese and Cherry Tomatoes)

Ingredients:

Drake’s Oatmeal Cookies

I grew up with Drake’s Cakes – Yankee Doodles, Coffee Cake, Devil Dogs and Ring Dings. They were my childhood favorites and I loved seeing that happy duck logo.

They’re all still available and sometimes I give in to my urge for comfort food. But there’s one that I miss – Drake’s Oatmeal Cookies. I’ve searched all over but it seems that they don’t make those any more.

I’m not a baker but I got her recipe and made them. Even if you’ve never had a Drake’s Oatmeal Cookie you should try these.

Susan’s Oatmeal Cookie Recipe that tastes like Drake’s

In Bowl #1 – Mix the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda.

In Bowl #2 – mix the milk, vanilla, and eggs.

In Bowl #3 – or in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter with the brown and white sugar, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low, gradually add milk mixture, and beat well. Add the flour mixture, and beat until just combined.

Remove bowl from the electric mixer, and stir in the (rolled) oats. Place the dough in the refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and let the dough come to room temperature. Shape 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball; place on the cookie sheet. Press it with the bottom of a measuring cup or glass to flatten dough into rounds.

Bake until light brown (14 to16 minutes) rotating the sheet halfway through. Allow them to cool and become crisp before serving.

Pasta cu Muddica – adapted from Lidia’s recipe

Here’s another good example of Cucina Povera. Stale bread and pasta with a little garlic and oil – simple and cheap but delicious.

Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta.

For the breadcrumbs – Cut off the crust of a loaf of day-old Italian bread and break what’s left into irregular shreds about 1/4-inch or a bit larger. Leave it on a kitchen towel for a few hours to dry and get crisp.

If the pan looks too dry add some more oil and toss the cooked pasta in it until it’s coated. Add the oregano. If the pasta seems dry, drizzle over more oil and/or a little pasta water but not too much water because the crumbs will get soggy.

Return the toasted breadcrumbs to the pan and add the parsley. Toss well and serve.

Click here for updated GALLERY II

Vietnamese Iced Coffee (cà phê sữa đá)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Café Du Monde Coffee

2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

Equipment:

Vietnamese Phin Filter Coffee Maker –buy one here

2 glasses – 1 small to brew coffee and 1 tall to mix coffee with ice

Preparation:

As the water is boiling add 2 tablespoons of coffee to the coffee maker and 2 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk to the small glass.

When the coffee is finished dripping, fill a tall glass with ice. Thoroughly mix the coffee with the condensed milk and then pour it over the ice in the tall glass.

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Venison Ragu