Tomato Pie

Blog Sept. 21st

Tomato pie

Seems like I never do one thing at a time...must be the Gemini personality. So here’s the recipe for 2 tomato pies. One pie serves 8 as an appetizer, or use it instead of salad.

Ingredients:

8 large, ripe tomatoes
1 huge sweet onion
black pepper
1 cup of mayonnaise
¾ 4o 1 cup of grated /and or shredded Parmigiano
¾ to 1 cup of mozzarella
fresh basil
fresh or dried oregano
a little drink of olive oil

The difficult better way:

1. Wash and slice 8 ripe tomatoes. I combine garden and chunky Romas, put them in a sieve, sprinkle with a little salt. Put a weight on top. I usually place clear plastic wrap on top of the tomatoes, then place a kettle filled to the brim with water. Leave over night

2. Slice a huge onion any old which way and put on paper towels and cover for the night. No, you do not have to refrigerate either tomatoes or the onions, and you won’t die from botulism, I promise. (Tomatoes contain ascorbic acid and Vitamin C. They are natural antioxidants and contain lycopene, which is absorbed by the body faster if the tomatoes are cooked. If you don’t believe me, Google it!)

The easy, non-caring if you screw up way: skip step #1. What will happen is your tomatoes may release their own water and the pie will then be a gooky glop…your choice.

3. In the morning, bake two deep dish pie crusts

4. When cool, line the bottom of the pie crusts with onion and arrange the sliced tomatoes over these. Shake over some coarse ground pepper. I use a lot, and to tell the truth, sometimes add a dash of hot ground pepper…because my husband likes things spicy…he married me, didn’t he?

5. Heat the over to 350 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes. In the mountains, give it another 5 minutes.

6. Garnish with lots of fresh basil, small whole leaves and sliced large ones, and fresh oregano, if you have it. I use dried oregano and if you use it also, you won’t fail the course. Ipso facto guaranteed.

Coniglio: Rabbit ( Nico's recipe "retouched" by Mom)

Here's a recipe my son sent me and I 'fixed up' to lessen the degree of difficulty.

CONIGLIO AL CIOCCOLATO for 4 diners

1 coniglio: rabbit
1 onion
3 ribs of celery
2 bay leaves
a fistful of pinoli
a fistful of raisins
2 small carrots cut into round slices
3 or 4 cloves
20 grams of wild fennel--or the soft, green tops of a large fennel and some seeds.
1 glass of white wine--actual recipe calls for white vinegar, but only if the rabbit is wild.
1 tablespoon of sugar
3 tablespoons of bitter chocolate
flour
olive oil
salt, pepper

(May also use brandy and/or sherry, and slivered almonds in the preparation, if desired)

Preparation:

Skin the rabbit and cut into pieces.

Dip each piece into seasoned flour

Braise these pieces "sweetly" (as with kind, gentle persuasion) in a large heavy fry pan. with hot olive oil until they are golden.

In another pan, add the minced onion, pieces of celery, carrots, and slowly sauté in olive oil on a moderate flame.

When these vegetables have wilted and turned pale, but before gaining much color, add the bay leaves, pinoli (pine nuts), and raisins (if you have the tiny less sweet Sicilian ones, use these), cloves, and a few fennel seeds and the tops of the fennel.

When slightly golden, add the rabbit already cooked, salt and pepper. Cover lightly with the sugar and pieces of chocolate.

Stir the sauce and gingerly turn the meat.

Irrigate with wine (or vinegar), cover and cook on a slow flame until a little thickened sauce, rather consistent form. Turn the rabbit pieces once or twice.

Serve hot with mashed potatoes or rice, or tiny pennette.

Coda alla Vaccinara: ox tails Roman style alla Nina

Coda alla vaccinara

It seems these are "fat" times for the blog, but soon I'll be moving into a lean period as I intend to finish the revision of my novel set in China and I'll be traveling. So we'll double dip today and I'll give the coda recipe and next will follow the rabbit recipe, speaking of which I saw my first cotton-tail out here in UT in Heber City last night--to be specific the new Red Ledges property, which is huge and gorgeous and still has some lots for available for sale. Contact Maria Johnson: mariajohnson@redledges.com Goggle it here: http://www.redledges.com/

Well, my son wanted to make rabbit with a chocolate sauce, but couldn't find any in south Florida. I think he ordered it special for next week. I'll put that recipe on later. So he's having company and wanted to do a pasta combination meat dish. I gave him this one that follows. It's not really ox, but beef and it's wonderful. What my Mom used to call "peasant" food because it was a cheap dinner to feed a lot of people...but what's cheaaaaaap anymore??? My son paid $4.89 a lb in Penn Dutch...and what do you do with a lb? Nada.

So here's my recipe...for 3-4 lbs of ox tails.

Rosalare (braise) the tails on pretty high heat till they are browned on all sides. Keep turning and watch them so they don't burn.

Then cover them with beef broth, and cover with lid, and let simmer low to medium heat till tender. Don't do the bouquet garni--a waste of time--just add lots of long cut pieces of celery 2 & 1/2 to 3 in long, and also if you have them, whole baby carrots--if you don't have them, then don't sweat it because friend Pina (who lives in Rome) makes coda without.

After 1/2 hour or so--maybe 45 min, remove lid and the broth should start to evaporate, raise the heat to medium /high heat. You'll need another 3/4 hour to be sure they are tender. Stir once in a while.

When done, drain meat and veggies and replace into pot, and save the extra juice on the side. Into the pot with the meat and veggies only, add olive oil, 4 cloves of garlic and 1 medium-sized sweet onion (minced).

When garlic and onion are golden, toss in a glass of white wine, and on high flame cook out the alcohol, and then add a can of whole plum tomatoes, about 1-2 lbs. that you squish and squash, also some basil, a bay leaf if you have it.

It's been such a long time, that I don't remember if Pina adds bacon or guanciale (pancetta), but if you decide to do this, do it when you're frying to golden the garlic and onions. (Adds extra flavor, but don't add too much--say 3 ounces.)

Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower heat and cook till the meat is totally tender and flavored...and the tomatoes have thickened. Taste for salt and pepper. I usually make things spicy for your Dad, so I add hot pepper to the garlic stage. Let this all cook 30-45 minutes.
Here below is another explanation--also you can do that chocolate sauce with these...I never had it, but it sounds good.

Serve with 1 lb of fettuccine, linguine, or spaghetti topped with the sauce...add grated parmigiano or Romano with a sprinkling of chopped parsley to each individual dish. Serves 6

Dennis Lehane: The Given Day

Dennis Lehane scores again...BIG TIME!!!

Congrats, Dennis!

Well you can pre-order his book, The Given Day, a 704 page historical novel on www.amazon.com at the reduced price of $18 and change, and I suggest you do, as opposed to the $27 change you'll be paying when the book hits the biggie bookstores.

Thank you, Dennis, for this resurgence and interest in history and the historical novel! Here's proof-positive that Dennis Lehane is not just a terrific mystery writer, as if that's a slur, but a notable, epic writer as well.

You can read about him and his blockbusting best-seller to-be in the NY Times "The Arts" section September 18, 2008. He's on the first page with a glowing review by Janet Meslin. Also find an interview clip with Dennis Lehane on www.amazon.com by Harper-Collins

Invest the money, I guarantee you won't be sorry.

Shrimp-stuffed Fior di Zucca (Sqaush Blossoms)

Sept. 18th

Stuffed fior di zucca

I make these flowers many ways, but here’s an interesting recipe that isn’t fried, but rather baked. If you can’t find the squash blossoms, you can stuff halved-scooped out tomatoes, whole little zucchini, or mushrooms.

Ingredients:

20 fresh squash blossoms, washed and drained
½ lb of fresh ricotta
½ lb of cleaned, deveined, chopped shrimp
thyme
salt
pepper
olive oil
1 lb of Roma tomatoes, or garden tomatoes if you can’t get plum
basil leaves

Blend ricotta, shrimp, salt, pepper, thyme. Stuff each of the blossoms and place in a large Pyrex deep dish with a little coating of olive oil. Bake these on high heat (450) for 10 minutes.

In a little oil cook the washed, chopped tomatoes till they throw out their own liquid and it’s absorbed. Use a medium-high flame, season with a little salt. Use a hand-blender or toss the whole shebang into a blender and whip to a sauce.

Spoon out about three tablespoons per plate and two basil leaves. On top of the sauce lay out the beautifully baked stuffed flowers.

The official Roman way to make these flowers is stuffed with anchovies and mozzarella, battered and fried. One of may absolute all-time favorite spring/summer meals!

Chocolate Coverd Figs

Sept. 18th
Chocolate Coated Figs

In September, the figs are incredible in Italy. They split at their well-endowed bottoms and honey oozes out. We have nothing to compare here...

In order to boost their sweetness you can do a chocolate dip—the same as you do for strawberries. The only catch is, you have to skin them first. You can cheat and do that store-bought melty dip you place in the microwave, or you can go the baker’s route and do the double boil-boiler method. Whichever you choose, it’s worth the effort. Try it on your family first, and if you succeed, you’ll now have a sensational dessert in your entertaining repertoire.

Kadota figs and Mission figs are the ones I’ve found here in the US. These usually can be found mid-august till the beginning of October, the end of September to be sure. Try using these. If none are available, try using dried figs.

Then build a pyramid with them, the way you would for profiteroles, and in between, you can squeeze in here and there little stars of whipped cream and bits of lavender.

Cozze di latte: milk mussels

Sept. 17th

Ok here’s a darling, doozy of a recipe—called cozze di latte: literally “milk mussels,” but there’s no milk. It’s only because the color, or lack of it that makes it a “white” dish, meaning no red sauce or tomatoes, and that give it it’s misnomer “milk.”

I can only approximate the quantities, so you do the same.

Use a heavy sauce pan with high sides (terracotta will do nicely) some kind that can go into the oven, like Pyrex.

Ingredients

Bread crumbs
Butter
Olive oil
Spaghetti (about a lb)
Potato (1 large)
Onion (1 large)
Mussels (about 2 lbs)
Juice from mussels
Some white wine (1/2 glass)
Hot pepper, if desired
Garlic
Parsley
Grated Parmigiano


Cook one lb of spaghetti in salted water to very underdone that’s harder than “al dente” (because this will be baked in the oven)

Cook 2 lbs of cleaned and washed mussels in a little water, olive oil, hot pepper, garlic, and a ½ glass of white wine. They will “kick out” their own juice. Reserve the juice , toss out the hop pepper and garlic, and halve the mussels

Wilt one large onion cut into rounds in butter and oil

At least one large yellow potato, thinly sliced. Keep in iced water so it won’t turn color until ready to use.


1. In a big oven-proof pot with high sides:

2. Fill bottom with a light covering of olive oil

3. Next place in a lb of cooked spaghetti

4. Layer the large, wilted onion rounds (butter and oil) on the pasta

5. On top of that put a covering of very thin cut rounds of potato

6. Next place over potatoes, the halved, cooked mussels

7. Sprinkle mussels with Italian rice for risotto and finely chopped parsley

Repeat layers from #5 till you end up with a layer of potatoes

Sprinkle generously with bread crumb, miserly with grated Parmigiano (as in not too much) and parsley, some flecks of butter and a hit of olive oil—don’t drown it! And no need for salt as the mussel juice will provide it.

Take the reserved liquid and pour around the circumference of the pot all the way up to the top layer. Cover tightly and bake in the oven for at least 45 minutes or until the rice and potatoes are done. Remove cover for the last 5 minutes of cooking and “brown” the topping, or pop it under the broiler

Serve one large spoonful (directly from pot) onto each plate…your taste buds will die and go on to Elysium and there, pray for the remaining souls on earth who have never eaten this delicacy.

Any questions, post a comment…complaints, cook hot dogs.