Cuisine: Italian

Baked Cacio e Pepe Pie

My brother David made this Baked Cacio e Pepe Pie for dinner and said it was awesome and ridiculously easy to make. It's a recipe by MARY ELIZABETH WILLIAMS, Salon, that is Inspired by David Leibovitz and Food & Wine. I know, it's a lot of tags, but if you are interested, read on!

By Leslie Blythe

Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

My friends Jennifer and Heather reminded me of Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter recipe. It’s one of the simplest, sweetest most delicious tomato sauces. It takes only 5 minutes to prep and then simmers on the stovetop. She recommends using it on gnocchi, spaghetti, penne or rigatoni.

By Leslie Blythe

Arancini

I have never been a fan of leftovers. However, I do like to turn leftovers into a completely new dish. These Arancini are a perfect example.

Arancini are the epitome of southern Italian street food. They are stuffed with mozzarella, dredged in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried. They are great as hors d'oeuvres dipped or served on a bed of lettuce as a light lunch.

By Leslie Blythe

Risotto with Beef, Rosemary, Sage and Barolo Wine, Alba Style

Marcella Hazan's cookbooks are wonderful and are credited with introducing the traditional techniques of Italian Cooking to the US and the UK. I stumbled upon this recipe for Risotto with Beef, Rosemary, Sage and Barolo Wine, Alba Style. I love risotto and have made it over the years using the traditional endless stirring technique, the oven method, and actually in an Instant Pot. If you want to hang out in the kitchen while drinking wine and do it the traditional way (that is, when my husband does the stirring!), it can be quite cathartic. Typically, I make mushroom or butternut squash, but this risotto has a small amount of ground beef. It's really delicious. The red wine/beef combination marries surprisingly well with the creamy Arborio rice. The sage and rosemary really deliver on the flavor front and take the whole thing to a new level. Alba in Italy is known around the world for its Barolo and Barbaresco wines and is situated in the northern Piedmont region.

By Leslie Blythe

Muffuletta Sandwich

moof-fuh-LEHT-tuh or moo-foo-LE-ta
There is this place called Roma’s Market in Pasadena, California owned by Rosario Mazzeo. He is famous for The Sandwich. This wonderful sandwich is wrapped in pink butcher paper, and is simple:
crusty bread made by a Sicilian baker, a drizzle of good olive oil, a couple of slices each of capicola, mortadella, salami and provolone. It’s very plain, but utter perfection in its simplicity. We often pick them up for lunch.
The other day my husband bought a jar of Muffuletta Italian Mix. We came home and I suddenly had an epiphany - why not convert The Sandwich to a Muffuletta!? I have included a recipe from scratch, though you could go to your local Italian deli/market and buy a similar sandwich...
Napoleon House is where my aunt Marjorie and Uncle Bob, who was a political science professor at Tulane, took me for my first Muffuletta. The Napoleon House muffuletta is considered by many to be the "other" definitive version, different from most others in that it's heated. I personally prefer my muffulettas cold, but that said, they do an excellent sandwich here. Don't forget to order their signature drink, the Pimm's Cup, while you're waiting for your muff to arrive.
The Story...
Muffuletta sandwiches can be found all over New Orleans. It is a Sicilian sandwich that consists of a round loaf of bread (about 10 inches across) filled with Italian salami, olive salad, cheese, Italian ham, and freshly minced garlic. The key ingredient is the olive salad. A true Muffuletta Sandwich must always be served at room temperature, never toasted; it is considered blasphemy to heat the sandwich.
The Italian Market, the Central Grocery on Decatur Street, claims to have invented this sandwich in 1906. Italian immigrant, Signor Lupo Salvatore, owner of the Central Grocery, started making the sandwiches for the men who worked the nearby wharves and produce stalls of the French Market. Most of the farmers who sold their produce there were Sicilian. Every day they used to come to my father's grocery for lunch. They would order some salami, some ham, a piece of cheese, a little olive salad, and either long braided Italian bread or round muffuletta bread. In typical Sicilian fashion, they ate everything separately. The farmers used to sit on crates or barrels and try to eat while precariously balancing their small trays covered with food on their knees. My father suggested that it would be easier for the farmers if he cut the bread and put everything on it like a sandwich; even if it was not typical Sicilian fashion.

By Leslie Blythe

Tuscan White Bean and Lentil Soup

This Tuscan White Bean and Lentil Soup is easy and quick to make. It can be made in an Instant Pot, a Slow Cooker or on the stovetop. This soup calls for the rind of Parmesan cheese. The rind adds a robust flavor. You should never throw out the rinds. I keep them in a ziplock bag in the freezer. You can use it for soups, stews, risottos, tomato sauce, etc.

By Leslie Blythe

Italian Orange Slices

Our friend Melanie taught us this method of making Italian Orange Slices. They are simple and yet are incredibly delicious. We happen to have an orange tree in our backyard that is bursting with fruit. You can also add sliced red onions, olives, oregano, or fresh basil, which is more like the Sicilian recipe.

By Leslie Blythe

Baked Ziti

My daughter Grace made this classic Baked Ziti recipe. Unfortunately, I got the photo and recipe, but not the dinner invitation! Her version is vegetarian, but you could add ground beef or sausage if you want. It's kind of a freeform lasagna. It's inexpensive to make, family-friendly and doesn't require all the layering that lasagna does. I can also be made ahead to be ready to pop in the oven later in the day. It looks SO good, maybe she'll bring me some leftovers!

By Leslie Blythe

Chicken Saltimbocca

Saltimbocca (alla Romana or Roman-Style) is an Italian dish made of veal lined or wrapped with prosciutto and sage; marinated in wine, oil. This dish is also popular in southern Switzerland. My friend Melanie made this Chicken Saltimbocca, which is the American version that uses chicken instead of veal, spinach instead of sage and is rolled up and cooked in stock or you could use white wine. Saltimbocca in Italian means 'jump in your mouth’.

By Leslie Blythe

Tuscan Portobello Stew

This Tuscan Portobello Stew is vegetarian, but you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone, meat-eater or otherwise, who doesn't love it. Did you know the portobello is really a brown crimini mushroom? Once the little crimini grows up to be about 4" - 6" in diameter, it becomes a portobello. The portobello in Northern Italy is called "cappellone" which means "big hat". This stew is wonderfully rich, but only has about 310 calories per serving. I suppose adding the big hunk of crusty bread might take it over the edge! The recipe calls of dried herbs, but I used fresh.

By admin