Sunday Sauce - Food Blog with Italian Recipes

Recipe: Lidia's Penne alla Vodka, Nikki-Style

Today was all about running around with the baby and buying a Christmas tree (A REAL ONE) and assorted decorations. This was an ambitious plan considering we were both tired from the baby being up a few times last night.

Suffice to say we were pretty shot when we returned home late in the afternoon, so I figured we would be ordering in from Gino's since Sunday is a pasta day for us. Lo and behold, as tired as Nikki was, she flicked on an internal switch and decided to make Lidia Bastianich's Penne with Vodka sauce, albeit tweaking the recipe ever so slightly. She added a few capers and added white mushrooms as well. Next time she plans on using Baby Bella or Cremini shrooms for more flavor. 

Damn, this was good. Three bowls later I was still clamoring for more but figured my wife needed to eat as well. 

Recipe after the pic...

Nikki's twist on Lidia's Penne alla Vodka

Ingredients:

One 35 oz can of Italian plum tomotoes (I use Tuttarosa brand, whole peeled) 

1 pound penne (I use Barilla brand)

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

10 cloves garlic, peeled

crushed hot red pepper

1/4 cup vodka

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 TBs unsalted butter

2-3 TBs fesh Italian parsley, chopped

Pecorino-Romano or Parmesan-Reggiano, grated

8-10 oz Cremini or baby bella mushrooms, sliced

2 TBs capers, drained*

Note: Lidia suggests making the pasta simultaneously with the sauce.

Andiamo!

- Pour tomatoes in a bowl and pulse ONLY a few times with a food processor (I used my hand-held one)

- Heat 2 TBs of oil in a skillet over medium heat; scatter 2 of the garlic cloves in the oil and cook until golden brown; add as many of the mushrooms that will comfortably fit into the pan; add the remaining mushrooms as the previous ones wilt; keep stirring and tossing the mushrooms until sizzling and brown, around 10 minutes; set aside.

- In a large skillet, heat the remaining oil over medium heat.  Scatter the remaining garlic cloves and toss until golden brown, about 3 minutes; pour in the tomatoes and bring to a boil, season lightly with salt and generously with crushed red pepper; boil for 2 minutes.

- Pour in the vodka and add the sauteed mushrooms and capers; lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer and simmer until pasta is ready.

- Just before the pasta is done, fish out the garlic cloves and pour in the cream; add the butter and swirl to incorporate into the sauce.

- Put the drained pasta back into its pot and pour in the sauce. Bring the sauce and pasta to a boil, stirring to coat the pasta with the sauce; check the seasoning, adding the salt and pepper if necessary; sprinkle the parsley over the pasta.

Lidia mixes 3/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan-reggiano cheese -- off the flame -- before serving, but I like the sauce to "stand on its own" without the help of the cheese for flavor and pass grated pecorino romano around so that it can be added if desired.

*The capers are an ingredient taken from one of the best renditions I have ever had of this dish, which was at Marguerita's, an Italian trattoria in our beloved Hoboken, NJ.

Italian Thanksgiving Recipe: Artichoke Pie

Posted by: Nikki

If your family is anything like mine, you know it's tough to introduce (and permanently add) a new dish to the family's typical Thanksgiving menu that is built around tried and true, time-tested dishes.  That's why a few years ago, it was an absolute coup when my aunt introduced her artichoke pie.  With Italian-favored mozzarella as an ingredient, she got this dish to not only be a contender, but to take its place amongst the definites on the menu -- to the point that she's been threatened that if she fails to make it, she should find somewhere else to celebrate Turkey Day... hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

AUNT JO ANN'S ARTICHOKE PIE

Ingredients:

Two 1 lb bags of bakery dough

Two 10 oz packages of Artichoke hearts (Cara Mia or Birdseye are both good)

4 Eggs (beat)

4 Tbsp pecorino romano cheese, grated

Cooking Oil

At least 5 garlic cloves, minced

1 small (8 oz) mozzarella (Auntie uses Polly-O brand),sliced

Here we go!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Prepare a deep dish/bowl by spraying with Pam
Mold 1 lb of dough as the pie bottom in the bowl. Work it from bottom then up
the sides.

In a separate bowl:

Beat 4 eggs in bowl
Add Mozzarella
Add grated cheese
Set aside

Cut artichoke hearts in half; saute garlic in the oil until golden color (use just enough oil to cover bottom of
pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in artichokes and saute for 25 minutes stirring frequently.

Drain oil and pour artichokes and garlic into pie bottom. Let cool for 10 minutes. Add rest of
ingredients, blending with spatula.

Mold the second bag of dough into a pie cover, pinching/molding the top and bottom
edges together. Brush top with beat eggs. Make fork marks on the cover.

Put a cookie sheet tray as a base in oven and place pie bowl on (this catches
any drippings).

Bake 40 minutes at 375.

Note: Because this version uses dough and not the traditional pie crusts,
it will look like a chef's hat as it is baking in the oven!! It may even ooze a
little, so don't worry. Enjoy!!

Recipe: Great-grandma Carmela's Stuffed Mushrooms

Posted by: Nikki

OK folks, this one's pretty long in the tooth -- 4-plus generations long -- and you know that's a good sign when it comes to recipes.  It's a recipe for that favorite dish which is a part of EVERY Italian Thanksgiving meal -- the stuffed mushroom.  In my family, this dish not only gets its legs because of the sheer tradition in making it, but because it is wholeheartedly THE BEST recipe for stuffed mushrooms that you will ever taste.  I am not the biggest fan of stuffed mushrooms, but I have made it a point to taste them wherever I go -- at restaurants, other home-cooked meals, etc.  They are bland and pretty nondescript in comparison, even when incorporating "other" ingredients such as tomatoes and melted cheese.  No rendition has compared to the pow-in-your-mouth taste of this one.  Hands down, my great-grandma Carmela --from Salerno, Italy -- mastered the best recipe for Italian stuffed mushrooms... The best part is, it is so simple to make...enjoy!

GREAT-GRANDMA CARMELA'S STUFFED MUSHROOMS

Ingredients:

1lb of large white mushrooms
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
small handful of fresh parsley, minced
1/4 cup of plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Here we go!

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Remove stems from mushrooms; set aside.  Wipe down mushrooms with a paper towel and place hole side up on cookie sheet.  Take mushroom stems and mince until fine.  In glass bowl, bring mushroom stems, garlic, parsley, bread crumbs, olive oil, salt and pepper; stir until combined.  Take a tablespoon of mushroom mixture and place into mushroom cap without packing tightly.  Sprinkle a little bread crumb on each of the stuffed mushrooms and drizzle each cap with an extra teaspoon of olive oil.  Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.

Recipe: Grandma Judy's Italian Thanksgiving Stuffing

Posted by: Nikki

If you want to wow them this year with a tasty, authentic ITALIAN stuffing, then you'll want to make this one folks!  This stuffing recipe has been in my family for decades and is a staple that is made by my Grandma Judy at each Thanksgiving. 

As most of you know, Italian grandmothers don't usually refer to cookbooks or use precise measurements, so the following is based on approximations.  We'll be sure to post some pics alongside this delicious dish following this year's Thanksgiving feast and keep it in the archive.  This stuffing is not cooked in the turkey, but is instead served as a side dish....It is a surefire winner!

GRANDMA JUDY'S ITALIAN THANKSGIVING STUFFING

1 1/2 lb of sweet Italian sausage meat
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 dozen eggs
1 cup uncooked rice, (not instant)
14 oz package of mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese, grated
pepper and salt to taste

Note: First cook the rice, then add to the other ingredients.

Preparation of other ingredients:  In a skillet add 1 stick of butter.  Then, saute the sausage meat over medium flame.  Continue to saute meat while adding beaten eggs, cooked rice, mushrooms, grating cheese, salt and pepper to taste.  Add 1/2 stick of the remaining butter to moisten the ingredients while continuing to blend together.

Delicioso!!!

Lidia's Recipe: Pasta with Eggplant (Pasta alla Norma)

This was last night's dinner....yum.

If you are looking for an egpplant and pasta recipe, this is one to try. Nikki took Lidia's Pasta alla Norma recipe from the book "Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen" and pretty much followed the recipe word for word. Eggplant came out a little tough, that would be the only criticism. Other than that, the dish was excellent. Looks pretty damn good as well, huh? 

Nikki will follow up with the recipe.

Nikki's take on Lidia's Pasta alla Norma, or, Pasta with Eggplant.

Philly Cheesesteak Recipe from Chow.com

As a salute to the gritty, gutty Phillies who are baseball's repeat National League champions, I've taken the liberty to post this How To Make a Philly Cheesesteak from Chow.com. We all know Philly has a huge Italian population and since this sandwich uses provolone, it's paisan enough to post here. 

Recipe: Chicken Rollatini in a Lemon-Herb Sauce (for the close-to-empty food pantry)

FLASH: NIKKI RETURNS TO WRITING!!!!!

Leave it to Lidia Bastianich to publish a simple, pow-in-your-mouth chicken rollatini using just what you may have in a close-to-empty pantry (exactly what I was working with one Sunday afternoon because I was too busy with the baby to go food shopping).  Who knew that the combo of lemon, garlic, red pepper, oregano and a good amount of white wine would play off one another so explosively?  If you enjoy the taste of the filling of stuffed clams on Christmas eve -- minus the clams -- you will love this recipe.  What was especially amazing to me (not to mention super-convenient) was that this rollatini did not require a spicy meat stuffing such as salami or prosciutto, or the creaminess of melted fontina or mozzarella, for depth.  Trust me on this one, either ingredient would only compete with the super-herb combo in this dish. 

Bottom line: this one should have a permanent place in your recipe box for when you have surprise dinner guests (and an empty pantry) or a hungry spouse (and an empty pantry). 

Here goes:

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 5 oz each)

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 TB chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley

1 1/2 tsps dried oregano

salt

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tsp crushed red pepper (this is a healthy amount, so use less if you don't want it too spicy)

4 cloves garlic peeled

Here we go:

1) In a bowl, toss the bread crumbs, 1 TB of the olive oil, 1 TB of chopped parsley, 1/2 tsp of oregano, and salt (to taste) together until well blended.

2) Spread 1 tsp of the mixture over each piece of chicken, reserving the remaining breadcrumbs; roll each chicken breast into a compact shape so that the bread crumbs run in a spiral through the center; secure with a toothpick.

3) Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

4) Arrange the rolled breasts side by side in a flameproof baking dish.

5) Stir the wine, stock, lemon juice, hot pepper, remaining 3 TBs of olive oil, remaining tsp of oregano and salt, together in a bowl; pour mixture into the baking dish; scatter the peeled garlic cloves among the chicken pieces; bake for 10 minutes.

6) Top the chicken with the remaining bread crumbs; return to the oven and bake until the breadcrumb topping is golden brown, about 5 minutes.

7) Place flameproof pan over medium-high heat, add remaining 2 TBs of parsley and bring pan juices to a boil; boil until lightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes; remove garlic cloves if you prefer.

8) When serving, place chicken pieces in plate and pour juice around each piece.  Although the recipe advises against pouring the sauce on top of each piece so as not to take away from the crunchiness of the bread crumbs, I loved the juice so much that I poured it on top as well!  Enjoy!

The Italian Combo...from Chow.com

Just bumped into this post at Chow.com which highlights a novel recipe for the Italian combo sandwich.
I jumped on this one because Nik and I were thinking of a running feature that would highlight various Italian combos from the delis of the greater New York City area. This one is a bit different as they cut back on the meat, add mayo (!) and also use some pickled items. It's unorthodox to say the least, but a cool feature nevertheless.

PS - I've actually been using marinated grilled artichokes on sandwiches for a number of years and they rock as an ingredient. 

PPS - Nikki will be posting about last Saturday's herb chicken and mushroom ragu as well as the breadcrumb pasta recipe from a few weeks back. She's just had her hands full with our lil lamb Scarlett!

Christmas Eve 2008 Recipe: Stuffed Calamari - Stuffed Squid

We're posting this in response to a request from one of our readers who needed a stuffed calamari recipe for Xmas Eve. This is Mom G's recipe which is influenced by Marcella Hazan's version from her masterpiece "The Classic Italian Cook Book". Hope it works out for you Joe!!!!

Stuffed Squid or Stuffed Calamari

Serving - 6 people

6 large squid - sac should measure 4.5-5" not including tentacles

The Stuffing:
1  tablespoon  olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon finely garlic
1 whole egg
2.5 tablesppns freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1.4 cup fine dry unflavored breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper about 6 twists of the pepper mill
(MOM G ALSO LIKES TO ADD 1/2 CUP FINELY CHOPPED MILD MUSHROOMS - NOT PORCINI!)

The Braising Liquid:
Olive oil - enough tom come 1/4" up the side of the skillet
4 whole cloves of garlic peeled
1/2 cup canned Italian tomatoes coarsely chopped with their juice
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine

Directions:
1. Clean and prepare the squid (you'll have to look this technique up online folks)

2. Chop the squid tentacles very fine. In a bowl mix them with the stuffing ingredients until smooth, even mixture. Should be just enough olive oil to make it slightly glossy.

3. Divide stuffing into 6 equal parts and spoon it into the squid sacs -DO NOT OVERSTUFF0 b/c squid shrinks when cooking and the sac will burst. Sew up each opening with a toothpick o two.

4. Grab a skillet and coat with olive oil that comes 1/4 " up the side of the pan. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and saute the garlic cloves until golden brown. Discard the garlic and put into the stuffed squid. Brown the squid well on all sides then add the chopped tomatoes with their juice, the chopped galric and the wine. Cover tightly and cook over low heat for 30-40 mins. The squid is done when it feels tender at the pricking of a fork. 

5. Remove the squid to a cutting board and let it settle for a few mins. Cut into slices 1/2" thick. Arrange the slices on a warm serving platter so that each squid sac is recomposed. Warm up the sauce in the skillet, pour over the sliced squid, and serve immediately.

Sunday Sauce Recipe I Sunday Gravy Recipe from Jonny Mangia

This Sunday I promised to cook for Nikki again and decided that it was time to bust out the Mom G version of Sunday Sauce (gravy). This is different from Nikki's version, as it's more of a ragu and is darker (my mom cooks it for much longer - up to 4-5 hours) and thicker. It's definitely a seasonal dish as my family would never have this in the Spring and Summer months - it demands a brisk, cold day with NFL games on the tube and a glass a of red wine in hand while it bubbles away in the kitchen.

 

Jonny Mangia's Sunday Sauce Gravy with Malfada pasta,

a pork braciole and sausage.

The recipe is simple and is listed below. Before you get started here are a few points to note: 

1. It's All About the Meat

Only use quality meat. Last time we bought meat it was of a lower quality and it ruined the sauce. You can tell the quality of the meat by the way it looks (don't get anything that looks grayish) and when making meatballs how "fluffy" it is in your hands. Nikki can provide more info on this...

2. Thick Sauce - Limit the Sausage

If you prefer a thick sauce, limit the amount of sausage you use as it produces water and will make the sauce runny. If you do use sausage, brown them a bit more than the other meats as this will remove some of the water.

3.  Favor Pork Braciole Over Beef

Try to avoid beef braciole if you are cooking for over 2 hours. We've found that beef braciole
tends to get very tough after a few hours cooking in a sauce.

4. Other Things to Add - Skin Braciole and Spare Ribs

Two other popular items to include for flavor are beef spare ribs and skin pork braciole (a favorite of my grandparents). The skin braciole provides MAJOR flavor but is laden with fat. If you have a cholesterol issue I would avoid it.

Sunday Sauce alla Jonny

- 2 Pork bracioles
- 3 Italian sausages - combination of hot and sweet (no fennel)
- Nikki's meatballs (using ground  beef and pork)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 cans of Italian whole tomatoes - NOTE - these do NOT have to be San Marzano, which we have come to the conclusion is nothing short of a marketing gimmick. (More on that from Nikki in a future post)
- A pinch of grated Pecorino Romano
- 1 cup of Red Wine
- Pinch of sugar
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- 1/2 white Onion- Extra Virgin olive oil

Directions
- Pour olive oil into pot
- Dice the onion, mash and dice the garlic and add them to the olive oil
- When onion and garlic is translucent, add your tomatoes (we SLIGHTLY pureed tomatoes in a food blender. Just a few pulses though or the tomatoes will turn pink!)
- Add salt, pepper, sugar and the grated cheese (just a pinch folks)
-Cook sauce for one hour on a low simmer
- In a separate frying pan, brown all meat
- Add meat when sauce has cooked alone for 1 hour
- Deglaze meat in frying pan with red wine, then add that mixture to the sauce
- Let it cook at a simmer for  4hours, intermittently stirring so nothing sticks to bottom

DONE!