Mini-Meatball Soup (Zuppa di Polpettine aka Italian Wedding Soup)

Ingredients:                                                                    Difficulty Rating: Easy

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef (some people prefer 1/3 pound beef, 1/3 pound pork, and1/3 pond chicken)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2-3 medium garlic cloves, minced (depending on your love for garlic), plus 2 medium clove garlic, minced for the soup 
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½  cup grated freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano
• ½ cup unflavored bread crumbs (I use Panko because of their lightness, you can use regular unseasoned breadcrumbs if you prefer, with the Panko I use an extra ¼ cup and pulse them in the blender just slightly)
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• Kosher Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 quarts chicken stock or broth – low sodium
• 2  cups ditalini, tubettini (both are small tubes), or conchigliette (small shell) pasta –  give whole grain pasta a chance. It goes well with this soup
• 1 pound fresh escarole or Tuscan Kale (very well washed), coarsely ripped

Preparation:                

In a medium size bowl combine meat, 2 minced garlic cloves, grated cheese, bread crumbs, egg, salt and pepper.  Don’t overdo the salt, let people decide how much they want on their own.
Use your hands to combine the above ingredients, but mix them together lightly, without squishing them in your hands, or it will become too dense

After the meat is well mixed, roll tiny meatballs, about the diameter of a nickel.  

In a large pot over medium heat 2 Tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot add the meatballs (don't over pack them, if you need to do half and then the 2nd half, that's fine).  Toss the meatballs around until they're brown - then put them in a small bowl.  Don't keep them over the heat for more than 3 - 4 minutes, remember they're small. 
When they're finished, scrape the meat off the bottom of the pot and add rest of the oil. When the oil is hot add the carrots, and celery, stirring occasionally.  After about 4 minutes add the onions and remaining 2 cloves of minced garlic.  Stir often, so the garlic doesn’t burn. Add some salt and freshly ground pepper.  When the onions are translucent, stirring to ensure nothing burns. .

Add the broth, bring it to a boil.  Lower the heat and carefully add the meatballs. Add the pasta, cover and simmer soup until the pasta is cooked, it should be about 10 minutes.  Drop the escarole into the soup, and stir.  Once the escarole is wilted, the soup is done.

Serve with extra grated cheese, salt and freshly ground pepper and a delicious crusty bread.

Note: You can cook the pasta separately and add it to the soup, it’s up to you. But make sure you simmer the soup long enough for the meatballs to cook.

Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:     Difficulty Rating: Easy

1 ½ cups heavy cream

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound semisweet chocolate (high quality chocolate) broken into pieces
2 Tablespoons Cointreau or whatever liqueur you like (or none)
Cocoa powder for dusting

Preparation:

In a heavy saucepan combine the cream and butter over medium heat. Stir until the butter melts, and the cream is just about to boil. Use a rubber spatula while stirring to scrape down the sides.

Take the saucepan off the heat and add the chocolate, mixing continuously until it starts to cool and gets thick.
Add the Cointreau and stir.
Cover the chocolate mixture and put it in the refrigerator and stir it every half hour for about 2 hours.

Forming the truffles:

Dust a surface to roll the truffles and your hands with the cocoa powder.
Using a teaspoon, scoop out the chocolate and make balls of chocolate by rolling it between your cocoa dusted hands.
Refrigerate immediately.

Cacio e Pepe Pasta

 Serves 4                                                                      Difficulty Rating: Easy

 Ingredients:

·       5 quart pot of boiling water  (big enough to hold pasta without breaking it)

·       1 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus salt to be used later

·       1 pound pasta (spaghetti, linguini, gemelli, bucatini, bavette)

·       ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
·       Some Cannellini beans, well rinsed (this is my addition, I need the protien and I like this)
·       2 Tablespoons butter

·       Good quality freshly ground black pepper (I use Penzy’s India Special Extra Bold peppercorns)

·       ¾ cup freshly grated Cacio de Roma or Pecorino Romano or Gran Padano cheese

Preparation:

Bring water to a boil and add 2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Add pasta and cook following the package directions – al dente, that is, firm ‘to the teeth’

While boiling the pasta, heat the oil in a large sauté pan until very hot.

When it's hot, add some freshly ground pepper to toast it
If you decide to add the Cannellini beans as I often do because I need the protien (and it's delicous) I add them here and toss them around with the pepper - this is not part of the standard recipe.

When the pasta is al dente (still firm "to the teeth"), drain, keeping some of the pasta water aside

Add pasta and butter to the sauté pan – toss over medium high heat.

Add cheese and pepper, and salt if necessary and toss. If it’s too dry, add reserved cooking liquid ¼ cup at a time until you get the desired moisture level (not too much, moist, not swimming).

Toss and serve immediately.

Big Al Frank's Potato Latkes - with some new tips

  

Frying Latkes in Dad's Skillet
Al Frank's Potato Latkes

Super Crispy Outside, Soft Inside

A food processor is used in this recipe.  My dad started using one about 20 years ago.  If you don’t have a food processor, you can use the shredding side of a grater.  It takes a little longer, but my dad used a grater for years and years

Ingredients:                                         Difficulty Rating: Easy to Medium

·       5 lbs baking potatoes – they have to be hard, like Russet.  Peel and cut out all the eyes, because they  add a bitter taste.  Hint - You can easily half or double this recipe. But when you half it,  use 2 eggs and use just a little less than 1 teaspoon baking powder.

·       3 or 4 yams (a variation – use 3or 4 medium size yams, it’s delicious if you want to give it a try)

·       1 big onion

·       3 eggs beaten

·       1 teaspoon baking powder

·       1 palm of Kosher (course) salt (if your palm is small, add more, my dad was a big guy with big hands)

·       Matzo Meal

·       All purpose flour

·       oil – a light oil like canola or sunflower oil or a light vegetable oil

Tip 1 - put a cheese cloth in a big colander in the pot or bowl you are using and put the shredded   potatoes in the cheese cloth covered colander.  The moisture will drip out through the colander and then you can squeeze the extra out using the cheese cloth.  Once you squeeze it all out, open it up, toss the potatoes around and squeeze them in the cheese cloth again to ensure that all the moisture is out.  If they aren't dry, they won't hold together.

Tip 2 -  Potato Latkes should be golden brown and crispy.  They often start out  that way, but by the time they hit the table they are soft.  Or, people make the mixture ahead of time and do the frying right before dinner, but then the potatoes turn black and ugly.  This year my sister Carol and I tried something new.  We cooked the latkes until they held together like a pancake but were not yet golden brown.  Then right before we served them we refried them in hot oil for about 45 seconds per side, or until they are golden on each side.  It is fast and a perfect way to serve perfect latkes even for a large crowd.

If you have one, use a heavy frying pan, if not, use what you have. Sometimes we use 2 frying pans to get this done faster, if you do that, you’ll need more oil. But usually there is too much going on in my small kitchen to use 2 pans

Cut the onion into pieces that will fit in the food processor - put in food processor with bottom blade – and process


Remove the bottom blade, put on top blade with shredder side up (not slicer)

Shred potatoes and then put them into a very large bowl or pot (preferably a colander covered with cheese cloth)

When they’re all shredded you need to get as much moisture out as possible. I do the following:
Drain excess liquid from potato mixture - if you have them in a colander over a bowl or pan, push them down and squish the moisture out.  If you're following the cheese cloth hint above, squeeze the moisture out, toss the potatoes around and squeeze again.  Only dry potatoes hold their shape.

Add eggs to onion/potato mixture

Add baking powder and salt

Cover mixture with flour  (not too thick, not too thin - that's what Dad told me)

Cover this mixture with matzo meal (thicker than flour)

Mix everything together - I use my hands because there's a lot of potatoes here.

Taste to be sure salt is OK (hint - if you taste before adding the matzo meal and flour it may taste too salty, always taste after they've been added)

(In the variation using the yams, the mixture doesn’t get as wet, but it is ok)

Heat the oil in a very large frying pan (or two). The oil has to be very hot or the pancakes will fall apart

Important - the oil must be very hot, but not smoking.  I usually am not patient enough to wait for the oil to be hot enough and my first batch fails.

Scoop some mixture into a slotted spoon - make it just enough to allow at least 4 pancakes to cook at the same time with enough room that they don't touch – don’t expect to make it into a pancake before it is in the oil.  Just carefully place it into the hot oil and it will stay together.

Before turning it over, lift it a little to be sure bottom is deep golden brown (they’re the most delicious when they’re crispy).

Remove from heat when both sides are golden.  When you lift them out with a spatula, press top of the pancake with a big fork or against the side of the pan to get excess oil out.  Drain on acookie sheet covered with paper towels (or a brown paper bag like Dad used to do)to get as much oil out as possible. 

General Hint - Keep an eye on the people in the kitchen at this point, because they will trying to sneak a latke.

Tip 3 - This is my sister Meryl's tip for cooking and freezing lateks ahead of time, and keeping them crispy. 
Cook the latkes as you normally would. When the are cool freeze them in a single layer.  When you are going to use them, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Put the latkes in a single layer on a rack in the oven.  Cook for 10 - 15 minutes or until warm all the way through.  Voila!  Crispy delicious latkes!

Traditionally, for Chanukah, Potato Latkes are served with apple sauce.

Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients:                                  Difficulty Rating: Easy

·       6 - 8 cups of cauliflower florets cut into pieces about 2” in diameter. I used 3 heads of cauliflower in this picture because I found white, orange and purple cauliflower at a local farmers market and they were so pretty!  But 1 medium head is usually enough as a side dish for 4 or 5 people.

·       ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

·       2 medium sized cloves of garlic – finely diced

·       Juice from ½ lemon (about 2 Tablespoons)

·       1 teaspoon Kosher salt

·       ½ teaspoon freshly grated white pepper.  If you don’t have this you can use freshly grated black pepper or even cayenne if you want an extra kick

·       ¼ cup freshly grated Parmigianino Reggiano cheese

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Put the cauliflower florets into a an oven safe pan or baking dish that is large enough to hold all the cauliflower in a single layer. 

Sprinkle the garlic, salt and pepper over the cauliflower.

Drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil over the cauliflower.

White, Orange and Purple Cauliflower
Delicious, Healthy AND Pretty!

Toss to make sure it is all covered.

Cook for about 7 minutes, take it out of the oven and sprinkle the grated Parmigianino Reggiano over the cauliflower.

Return to the oven and cook for another 7 minutes.  Remove it from the oven and test it. A fork should be able to go into the cauliflower easily – but it shouldn’t be so soft that it’s mushy.

Serve while warm.

Hurricane Sandy Skillet Apple Crisp

Ingredients                                        Difficulty Rating:  Easy

·         7 - 8 apples -  I like to use a variety of sweet and tart, like 2 Fuji, 2 Granny Smith, 2 Gala, 2 Delicious. Just be sure they are crisp apples

·         2 cups of granola – On Hurricane Sandy night I used Kashi Go Lean Crisp! – Cinnamon Crumble.  It was delicious.  You can use any store bought granola you want, but this had just the right amount of sweet and cinnamon. 

·         3 tablespoons unsalted butter.  They only had salted butter here the night of the Hurricane, so I used that and it was OK.  Use what you have

·         3 tables flour

·         ¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar

·         1 teaspoon cinnamon.  I like to use a good cinnamon.  At home I use Penzy’s Vietnamese Cinnamon.  At Meryl’s house during Hurricane Sandy I used her Moroccan Cinnamon, it was great. 

·         1 ½ tablespoons  fresh lemon juice.

Preparation:

Peel and core the apples.  Quarter the apples and then cut each quarter into 2 or 3 slices.  You want the pieces to be a good size so they don't get to smooshy when you cook them. 

Put the apples into a bowl and sprinkle with about ¾ Tablespoon of the lemon juice and put aside. 




 

In a skillet that is oven proof (I like cast iron), melt the butter then add 2 Tablespoons flour and 1 Tablespoon sugar – stir until there are no lumps.

Add the granola or Kashi – and stir until it’s coated and nicely toasted – just a few minutes.  Be careful not to over toast because it can burn quickly. Pour the granola into a bowl and put the skillet back on the stove.  

Add the apples, the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, the remaining 1 Tablespoon of flour and the cinnamon- carefully toss. 

The skillet will be super full before the apples start to cook down.  Cook long enough for the apples to macerate (get juicy) a bit and start to get soft, but not enough to get them super soft.  Remember, we aren’t making apple sauce, This should take about 5 or 6 minutes.

When the apples are ready, add the granola (or Kashi) back into the pan.  I usually do it by handfuls, sprinkling it over the top.

Put the skillet into the 350 degree preheated oven for about 35 or 40 minutes – until it bubbles. 

 Let it cool for about 1/2 hour - if you've got some ice cream - Yummmmm.
 

Peanut Butter Crème Icebox Pie

Ingredients:

·       2 cups of graham cracker crumbs – or if you’re making the crumbs yourself from chocolate graham crackers, use about 1 ½ packages which should be about 14 graham crackers.

·       6 Tablespoons butter - melted

·      ¼ cup sugar

·       3.5 ounces good quality milk chocolate (optional, 1 or 2 extra ounces of milk chocolate, held aside)
·       ¼ cup heavy cream – plus 2 cups

·       1 cup peanut butter (smooth, not one that separates from the peanut oil)

·       8 ounces cream cheese

·       ½ cup fine sugar

·       1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Crust: (preheat oven to 350)

If you’re not buying the graham cracker crumbs already prepared, you can break your graham crackers and pulse them in the food processor until they are a sandy consistency, or you can break them and put them in a large freezer bag and crunch them with a rolling pin.  If you have kids it’s a great way to include them in the cooking.

Put the sugar and half melted butter in a medium bowl and mix it

Add the graham cracker crumbs to the sugar/butter mixture and add the remaining butter.

Mix together well and empty it into a 9” deep dish pie dish.

Spread it around well and use the back of a spoon to push it evenly (more or less) up the sides of the pie dish.

Put the pie dish in the oven for about 8 minutes.  Take it out and put it on a rack to cool.

Chocolate

Heat water in the bottom piece of a double boiler – don’t let the water touch the top piece.

Break the chocolate (not the optional chocolate) into small pieces and when the water is just below a boil, put it in the top of a double boiler.

It won’t take long for the chocolate to melt, so keep stirring. 

Once the chocolate is melted take it off the heat, keep stirring and slowly add the ¼ cup of heavy cream – stir until it is smooth

Pour the chocolate mixture over the bottom of the graham cracker pie crust, tilting the pie dish a little to get it even all the way around. 

Let the chocolate and the pie crust cool completely on a rack.

Peanut Butter Cream

While the crust and chocolate are cooling, beat the heavy cream in the mixer using a whisk attachment on medium until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes. Set aside

In another bowl, using the paddle attachment on medium-high and beat the cream cheese until it’s smooth. 

Once it’s smooth, add the sugar, peanut butter and vanilla and mix in well (use a rubber spatula to ensure that the bottom is well blended).

Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until combined.   

Spread the filling in the cool pie shell. Smooth the top.

Optional: Shred the remainder of the chocolate over the pie

Store in a covered container and refrigerate for about 5 hours (or overnight) before serving.

Cauliflower Puree

Ingredients:                            Difficulty Rating: Easy

·       1 good size head of cauliflower

·       ½ cup (or more) buttermilk (don’t use low fat)

·       ½ head or 1 head roasted garlic (to taste)

·       Kosher salt

·       Butter (optional)

Preparation:

Roasted Garlic:  preheat oven to 350.

Peel all the cloves of garlic, leaving them whole

Put the garlic on a piece of aluminum foil that is large enough to loosely close around them

Pour the olive oil over the garlic cloves, salt lightly

Close the aluminum foil to make a loose packet – make sure it is tightly closed.

Put it in the oven (or toaster oven) at about 350 for 20 minutes or until you can spread the cloves with a butter knife. Smush all the cloves with the butter knife until they are creamy.

 

 Cauliflower Puree:

Break off the cauliflower florets into small, even size pieces

Steam until you can easily stick a fork into the pieces

Put the steamed cauliflower into a food processor using the bottom blade

Add the buttermilk and the roasted garlic – add buttermilk until it is almost the consistency you like for mashed potatoes.

Using a rubber spatula, scrape the cauliflower into a serving bowl.  Add salt and butter to taste. Stir.

If you would like to, you can heat a little more buttermilk and stir that in. 

Mommy's Meatloaf

Ingredients:                                              Difficulty Rating: Easy

·       1 head of garlic

·       About ½ teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

·       Kosher salt (about 2 teaspoons or to taste)

·       1 medium size onion

·       2 lbs. chopped chuck (about 80% lean)

·       About 2 cups panko bread crumbs

·       2 eggs + 1 egg to hard boil (optional)

·       2 Tablespoons tomato paste

·       ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

·       1 teaspoon dried thyme (optional)

·       About 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

·       Ketchup (preferably Heinz)

Preparation:

Roasted Garlic:  preheat oven to 350.

Peel all the cloves of garlic, leaving them whole

Put the garlic on a piece of aluminum foil that is large enough to loosely close around them

Pour the olive oil over the garlic cloves, salt lightly

Close the aluminum foil to make a loose packet – make sure it is tightly closed.

Put it in the oven (or toaster oven) at about 350 for 20 minutes or until you can spread the cloves with a butter knife. Smush all the cloves with the butter knife until they are creamy.

Meatloaf:

Dice the onion and sauté in olive oil until translucent. 

Put the panko bread crumbs in a blender and pulse until they are a fine consistency

Add the cayenne (if you decide to use it) the salt, black pepper and thyme and pulse a few more times

Put the beef in a large bowl 

Mix 2 of the eggs in a small bowl

Add eggs, roasted garlic, onions, tomato paste and bread crumb mixture to the beef

Combine the ingredients, but don’t press it together with your hands.  You can use your hands to combine it, but don’t press it because it will get too dense. It should be well combined.

Divide it into 2 pieces, one slightly larger than the other.

Put parchment paper on the bottom of a large pan

Form the larger piece of meat into a large rectangle in the pan.

Place the hardboiled egg in the middle.

Form the other piece of meat into a rectangle on top of the other piece.

Cook the meat for about 10 minutes, then spread the ketchup over the top.

Bake for about 35 minutes and check with an instant read thermometer (or you can use a regular meat thermometer) in the center (be careful not to touch the bottom).  It should read about 155. It will probably take about 10 more minutes to reach 155, but I like to check it at this point just in case.