ROSMARINO-ROSEMARY- THAT WONDERFUL LITTLE MEDITERRANEAN HERB

Rosemary is a wonderful herb I learnt to use in my cooking from my mother. It can be added to many dishes. Now I grow fresh rosemary in my garden but it can be bought dried in any store food section that sells spices and herbs.
With a little internet research, I discovered some history of the herb. Apparently when the Virgin Mary spread her blue cloak over a white rosemary bush, the flowers turned to blue so from that time it became known as the "Rose of Mary". It is supposed to have some medicinal purposes. For me, I just like the taste on my food.
It brings back memories of my childhood in Italy- Cassino area. We used to grow it all along our driveway.

I use it on a variety of meat.

Lamb with potatoes roasted in the oven is a popular dish for our family. That little Ciociaria lady keeps popping up everywhere!

One of our Sunday favourites growing up, was chicken and potatoes with rosemary cooked in the oven. It is an easy dish- chicken legs and thighs or breasts with potoato wedges covered in rosemary- bake in 400 F about one hour and check when ready.
A small pork roast will benefit from additions of rosemary. Barb tells me she just loves the aroma in the house when any food is being cooked with rosemary!

Pan Fried potatoe slices- the way I like them or you can make wedges cooked in vegetable oil  with garlic and rosemary in a pan on the stove. It is another welcome addition to any meal. I make this dish with a summer barbecue. It can be greasy so I like to dab the oil off the potatoes before eating.

PASTA FAGIOLI- PASTA WITH BEANS

This dish is a good one to use up leftover sauce and pasta. When I was little and we would visit a farm it would often be made as it used up all the little pasta bits like pieces of spaghetti or whatever was around. My mother used to make it for my Uncle Joe when he visited from Detroit. She made lots as he could be seen finishing more than 3 bowls!

INGREDIENTS

A cup ( 250ml) or two of leftover sauce.

Pasta- I like to use elbows.

Can of kidney or white beans.

Cotica- pork rind- optional.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Barb always likes to add some "hot peppers" to her bowl.

Optional- check all your bags of pasta and use up " the little bits". It will really be like one from the Ciociaria area!

I like to use the Italpasta because it does not turn to mush when cooked. Stays duro!  It is the best Canadian brand. You can also buy pasta from Italy at "twice the cost" for the same taste.

DIRECTIONS

Cook as much pasta as needed for the number of people you are serving.

Open your tin of beans. Rinse the juice around the beans. Cook it with the pasta.

When finished cooking, drain but leave a cup or two of the water with the pasta in the pot.

Add from a tablespoon to cups of sauce to the pasta. You can made it as red as you want.

Mix.

You want pasta fagioli to be like a soup but not as runny as soup.

Yes, you must eat it with a spoon.

This dish does use up "leftovers" in the fridge. So when you have a small amount of any leftover sauce this will work for you. . With the beans, there is protein so can be a complete and quick meal with a nice bowl of salad and a bun or  piece of bread.

My problem is I really like this dish so I tend to eat too much. Be warned it is very filling!

ZUCCHINI-ZUCCHINA-MAKE THOSE ZUCCHHINI FLOWERS

Zucchini is a great green vegetable. Good for the Diabetic person! It can be bought year round now. The best zucchini can be grown in your summer garden. Barb told me it can also be called a courgette as it is known in Britain and perhaps the USA.

Anyone who has grown zucchini has the experience " what do I do with all of them?"

It can be sliced fresh and used in a veggie platter with your favourite dip.

The zucchini can be sliced in small strips and fried in oil and garlic used as a vegetable for the dinner.

Many recipes use a variety of vegetables and zucchini is a good one to add.

If you are growing zucchini, it starts as a yellow flower that grows into the long vegetable. Pruning the zucchini plant is important and the flowers can be used.

 I am writing about two of my favourite dishes today.

ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS

Several zucchini.
Tomato sauce. Precooked. See my basic sauce or use a canned or jar of sauce of choice.
Eggs.
Milk.
Bread crumbs (optional).
Garlic.
Parmeasean cheese.
Garlic bud or tow.
EVOO- tablespoon.

DIRECTIONS

Wash the zucchini well.

Slice into long pieces.

Layer between clean tea towels or paper towels adding salt on each layer. The zucchini is very moist and this helps to take out the moisture.

Leave for a couple of hours.

Mix the egg and milk together.

Put bread crumbs on a plate.

Put the zucchini slice in the milk/egg mixture, roll and flip in the bread crumbs.

Fry in heated pan, flipping to cook well.

Layer in an oven dish putting the cooked tomato sauce on each layer. Salt and pepper to taste.

Top with parmesean cheese to taste and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F. until done. One-half hour to an hour.

Lately to save on calories and time, I usually make it now without the frying of the zucchini.

I simply use the zucchini pieces, layering with  the tomato sauce in an oven dish. Salt and pepper to taste. Of course, topping with the parmesean cheese, then bake.

It can be served straight out of the oven. However, if you let it sit before serving, the zucchini will absorb the sauce so it is not as runny.

When serving, cut into squares to suit the number of people you are serving.

Adolph's style-  if you use a large pan, you can make enough for more than one meal. Barb often takes a piece for her lunch the next day.

A fun summer recipe is the next one.

FRIED ZUCCHINI FLOWER

This is a fun dish to make. My children Natasha and Sonya used to love eating their Nonna's Zucchini "fish" as she would call them.

INGREDIENTS

Zucchini flowers.
Egg.
Milk.
Flour.
Vegetable oil.

DIRECTIONS

Pick flowers from different plants as part of the pruning. Making sure to leave many behind so the zucchini will grow.

Wash the flowers well. Be careful when you pick them. One time when I picked flowers at dusk, they had closed up. I had put them in the sink in cold water. When Barb was helping me wash them, there was a buzzing as a bee was trapped inside one. Good thing it did not sting her as she is allergic to bee and wasp stings!

Dip the flower into some flour that was placed on a plate.

Dip a flower at a time into the bowl of the egg'/milk mixture.

Shake excess then fry in a heated pan with some vegetable oil of choice. Flip to make sure each side is done almost a little crispy.

Eat when warm.

If too oily, pat dry the oil with a papertowel.

There can be other uses for the versatile zucchini. I need to think and will probably add some other ideas in a summer post!!
#zucchiniflowers#homemadezucchiniflowers#zucchinicassarole#granpalovestocook#adolphdimambro#friedzucchini#freshzucchiniasanappetizer

CANASCIONE-EASTER TREAT FROM CIOCIARIA

Canascione is one of the real foods from the  Ciociaria area in Italy. My Mother made it at Easter. A friend from my Social Club gave me one so when I brought it home, Barb suggested for me to make one or two this year. I knew the ingredients but decided to call my cousin- mia cugina- Paola in Cassino to get the correct ingredients for an authentic one. It was actually fun to make my own. I was making the lasagna for Easter dinner so had the dough needed.

INGREDIENTS

10 eggs.
Flour- several cups.
200 grams Pecorino Romano cheese- formaggio. Grated.
Procolette or "Scamorza" cheese- one ball. Grated.
Parmesean cheese-grated. One small container or bag
1/2 cup Parsley chopped.
A dried sausage or two. Chop into little pieces.
Prosciutto slices are optional. Some people put some in the mixture.

DIRECTIONS

Make the egg noodles mixture. Use 5 eggs and flour to make to texture needed. See previous blog.

Roll pieces flat with a rolling pin. Each flat piece will be one canascione.

In a large bowl add the cheese and the additional 5 eggs to make 3 canascione. Use less eggs if making one and more eggs and cheese if making more.

Add the cheeses as per ingredients. Mix well.

Add the chopped parsley. I do not salt the mixture as the cheese has flavour. I have already salted the egg noodle mixture when I make it.

I made one canascione with the chopped sausage. Two just cheese and one cheese and sausage.

It should be a little thick.

Put the mixture on the flat egg noodle. Fold over and pinch the edges. If you do not pinch well, the ingredients could come out when baking in the oven.

I put them on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Scramble one egg and with a brush, glaze the top of the folded canascione with egg.

Cook in oven at 350 degrees. They take about 25 minutes. You may want to turn the oven up to 400 degrees to brown on the top. Check to see if done as different regions may need more or less cooking time.

The best part about the canascione is tasting it fresh from the oven.

It is usually sliced sideways across the folded pie and served cold. It can be like an appetizer or for a lunch on Easter Sunday before the big evening meal later in the day. It is usually made days in advance to have as an Easter treat. I think it is so popular because of the eggs. As we all know, the egg is a traditional Easter symbol in many cultures.
#canascione#easter#lazio#ciociaria#cassino#granpalovestocook#adolphdimambro#howtomakecanascionefromciocaria#areallaziodishforeaster#easterinitalycomeswithcanascione

PASQUA- EASTER A TIME FOR GOOD EATING

It's Palm Sunday-Domenica delle Palme. I do not recall any special dish for today but you go to church. Since Easter is a busy time for Italian cooks, there is a lot of activity in the home. Good Friday-Venerdi di Santo is a seafood dinner and you go to church. I thought I would tell you about the menu for Easter-Pasqua that my mother prepared and I like to follow.

Canadians make ham, Italians make lamb! Rhymes!

EASTER DINNER

Either a lamb roast or chops or a combination of both.

Depends on the size of roast or chops as to the timeframe of how long you cook it at 375 F. Put in a pan.  Slice up some potatoes and carrots to put in with the meat. Salt, pepper and put one of my favourite herbs- Rosemary-rosmarino. Put it in the oven without any cover.

The first course is the lasagna dish, I blogged previously on how to make it. Best made one or two days in advance.

Along with roast or chops when cooked, serve vegetables like rapini and red peppers. Or your choice of favourite veggies.

I don't make an appetizer as there is not a traditional one but will serve some cheese and crackers, shrimp and dip and some veggies and dip to keep everyone happy until the dinner is served.

So the menu is simple but very good to eat.

Of course there is the Easter Egg hunt enjoyed by the children-bambini! Il uovo di Pasqua. It keeps them busy before dinner is served.

Add your favourite Italian wine or any wine of your choice!

Since I am the cook I will be too busy making dinner to have time next week to blog about it. Maybe Barb will take lots of pictures while I prepare the meal!

While we all celebrate the Holy Week, think of the blessing of Jesus-Gesu Cristo!

SPEZZATINO DI MANZO-ITALIAN BEEF STEW

Everyone has some kind of stew. Canadians make a good stew with stewing beef and large vegetables. The Irish stew uses lamb.
My favourite stew is the way I learnt from ny region- Ciociaria in Italy.

INGREDIENTS

Meat- some tender beef. Can be stewing beef or round steak. 1 lb- 2.2 kg or more depending on the number of people to be served.
Celery- 1 stalk.
Carrot- 1.
Onion-1.
Garlic.
Olive Oil-EVOO.
Bay leaf.
Salt, pepper.
Red Wine.

Remember if serving a large crowd, just up the number of each ingredient.

You can make Italian stew with a good cut of veal with the same ingredients. However, use white wine.

DIRECTIONS

Dice a garlic bud or 2 and fry with a spoon of olive oil in the pot.

Thinly dice the carrot, onion and celery.



Cut up the meat into small bite size pieces. Saute in the fried garlic.

Add the thinly diced onion, celery, onion. Actually doing all this work, makes me think that Italian cooks must have a lot of time on their hands as it takes time to dice thinly with a knife!

Add 1/2 cup of red wine.

Add a Bay Leaf.

Salt, pepper to taste.

Let simmer in the covered pot for 2-3 hours. Check and stir the ingredients often. 

For you modern cooks, it can be cooked in your slow cooker or crock pot. 

The simmering lets the meat tenderize while cooking. 

Before you start to serve any stew make sure to remove the bay leaf. Many people have choked on it as it does not tenderize or fall apart.

I like to serve the stew on top of some mashed potatoes or you can serve the stew or spezzatino on its own.

Making this dish reminded me of my childhood. We used to have a bay leaf tree- actually it was a bush- on our driveway at our house in Italy. It seemed bigger because I was smaller. I remember we had a chestnut tree and some rosemary and oliander bushes too. Cooking can sure bring back memories.  I could not find a picture of the bushes but did round up some pictures of me near the house and another with my cousins in a field of flowers.



HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE LASAGNA ALLA GRANPA ADOLFO

Although lasagna is not my favourite pasta dish, I make it at the request of my family. For my grandsons's baptism parties a couple of years ago, Granpa made the lasagna. Recently, to help out my busy working daughters and a friend, there were a couple of busy weekends in February and March making several pans of lasagna for them. Of course, for the faint of heart you can buy ready made frozen ones or some markets have ones ready to cook. This dish uses a lot of pots, dishes and really messes the kitchen from one end to another. Good thing I have my assistant Barb for clean-up!

There is nothing more tasty than those fresh from the kitchen of any Italian cook.

It is always a good idea to make several pans as this is a very time consuming dish. So with the ingredients gage the number of ingredient portions by the size of a big pan or smaller pans you are using.

INGREDIENTS

 Homemade egg noodle pasta ( eggs, flour, salt to taste).( See my blog on making this item). For the busy cook you can buy the packaged ready for oven strips. Homemade is better.

Ragu Sauce ( see my blog on making this sauce).

Eggs- 6-12 or more depending on the number of pans you are making.

Mozzarella cheese- 1 or 2 packages. Or if you prefer ricotta cheese 1 or 2 containers. Or like some Canadians who use cottage cheese 1 or 2 containers- I would never make a lasagna with it! My preference is always the mozzarella cheese.

Ground beef- 1/2 to 2 lbs- depending on the number of pans.

Bechamel Sauce- milk, flour and 1 spoon or two of ragu sauce for colour.

Salt, pepper to taste.

Garlic cloves- diced to add to the meat or even sprinkle if wanted on the layers.

Parmesean Cheese.

Use your glass pans or there are good tin foil ones at any market or especially your nearest dollar store. Then when giving to another household there is no need to return the pan!

DIRECTIONS

You can make all the ingredients in one day if you chose.

 I like to prepare the egg noodle pasta the previous day. Kneading it well and leaving it in a ball in a bowl in the fridge.

I also like to prepare the ragu sauce the previous day so it is done and ready to go when I want to make the lasagna.

Many cooks will prepare everything in one day. I like to do things in stages.
 
The day you are making the dish, be ready for the process. If needed have a coffee to drink while working.

Boil the eggs in a pot until done. Remove shells when cooled. Chop into little pieces. Set aside

Cook the ground meat in oil with some garlic and parsley added to taste. When finished cooking, drain the oil and pat with a paper towel to remove as much of the grease. My mother used to make the ground beef into little balls which is more time consuming. I just cook the meat quickly- less work, same taste. Set aside.

Of course you can be boiling the eggs and cooking the meat at the same time.

Grate the mozzarella cheese into a bowl. Set aside.

I have my helper Barb who often helps with the chopping of the eggs and grating of the cheese.

Have the number of pans whether glass or tin foil, ready to go on your counter. Have the dishes of prepared items close to the pans. When you start to layer, everything should be handy.

Have your pasta maker on the counter and your bowl of egg noodle ready to shape into long strips of pasta.

In a large pot, fill with water and let it start to boil.

Put some of the ragu sauce in the bottom of each pan.

As you shape the pasta into long strips, put them in the boiling water. You can make several before you start to boil them. As with any noodle pasta the cooking time is very fast.

On the bottom of each pan, put the egg noodle strips.

Now the layering- a meat layer and some sauce, top with egg noodle strip fresh from the water.

If you cook too many strips and place them on top of each other, they may stick together. So it is better to cook, then layer one or two at a time. If the strips are the length of your pan it makes them easier to layer. So make sure you have the strips the length of your pans.

An egg layer- top with egg noodle strip. You can add some sauce to each layer

A cheese layer- top with egg noodle strip.

It's your lasagna so if you want to mix the egg and cheese in one layer, it is okay.

Depending on the depth of your pan you will determine the number of layers needed.

You are very busy taking the cooked noodles from the hot water and layering. So do be careful to use tongs or other kitchen utensils and not to burn yourself.

The lasagna is layered. Put egg noodle strips on top with enough sauce to coat the top and add parmesean cheese.

Recently I started to make a bechamel sauce- put some milk, a little flour in  a pot and boil-  about 10 minutes, stirring constantly until a little brown, add a spoon or two of the sauce to give colour. Now add to the layered lasagna.

I find it makes the lasagna  moister. I used to find others' lasagna a little dry. So now I have my own touch to add to the dish.

Cook at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. I place the pans in the middle of the oven so as not to burn the bottom.

One big pan for a special party or several small pans for several homes or meals, lasagna is always popular. One useful hint- let the lasagna sit before serving. You can serve straight from the oven but if you allow it to sit the ingredients come together better.

If in smaller pans or even one serving portions, you can freeze it for another day.

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