Lasagna – Not at all like what Mom used to make

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To many, lasagna is a multi-layered pasta dish with ricotta cheese between the layers, all of which are bathed in a rich tomato sauce and topped with melted mozzarella cheese. Any number of cheeses can be added, along with spices and herbs, to the ricotta, depending upon the cook’s preference. As has been mentioned, my family’s recipe doesn’t use ricotta at all, as you’ll see in some future post. This post, however, is devoted to a 3rd lasagna, a recipe that I saw on some PBS cooking show about 20 years ago. It is, by far, the lightest of the 3 lasagne, with a unique blend of flavors.

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Today’s recipe consists of layers of pasta, each topped with either a marinara or a parmesan-flavored white sauce (besciamella), with mushrooms and prosciutto thrown in for good measure. No, it’s not at all like most lasagna recipes but still a good one, nevertheless. If, however, it’s not lasagna unless you see ricotta and mozzarella, then this dish probably isn’t for you. That leaves all the more for the rest of us.

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Not My Mom’s Lasagna Recipe

total time: approx.  1:45

Ingredients

Red Sauce

White Sauce

  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup corn starch
  • 2 cups milk, divided
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten
  • 3/4 cup parmesan cheese — more if you like

Lasagna

  • 1/4 lb prosciutto, sliced thin
  • 1/2  – 3/4 lb mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese — at least
  • Enough cooked lasagna noodles (or “No Boil”) to make 4 pasta layers

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Directions

Make the White Sauce

  1. Melt butter over a low flame. Add corn starch and whisk until smooth.
  2. Add 1 cup of the milk and whisk until milk begins to thicken. Add the rest of the milk and whisk until it, too, thickens.
  3. Add the egg and stir vigorously to insure that egg is blended before it cooks.
  4. Add parmesan cheese, stir to combine, and remove from heat.

Assemble the Lasagna

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350*.
  2. Generously butter a 9 x 13″ baking dish or pan. Coat the bottom of the dish with red sauce.
  3. Add 1 layer of noodles and then coat them with 1/2 of the white sauce made above.
  4. Add a 2nd layer of noodles and then a coating of red sauce. Add the mushrooms in an even layer atop the sauce.
  5. Add the 3rd layer of noodles, covering them with the rest of the white sauce. Cover this layer with all the prosciutto.
  6. Add the 4th and final layer of noodles, cover liberally with red sauce, and sprinkle the top with as much parmesan cheese as you like.
  7. Place in pre-heated oven and bake until heated through, 40 – 45 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

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Variations

I’ve not toyed with this recipe at all, since seeing it prepared many years ago. For my tastes, it’s fine the way it is. Should you add a little something to improve the dish, however, drop me a line. I’d love to give it a try.

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Fried Calamari

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One of the most ubiquitous of appetizers, fried calamari can be found on most of America’s restaurant menus and, as one would expect, recipes abound for creating the dish. Some of these recipes marinate the squid first, while others only flour them before frying. Still others rely on a batter to coat the squid, and those batters may use any one of a number of liquids, from water to milk to beer. Absent a family recipe, what’s a blogger to do?

Well, this blogger ran some tests. Armed with frozen squid, vegetable oil, and a dream, I set out to learn which recipe resulted in the best fried calamari. I took 2 calamari and did nothing but flour them before frying. Six other calamari were given a buttermilk soak for over an hour. Of those, 2 were floured and fried, 2 were dipped in a beer batter before frying, and the last 2 were coated with a water-based batter before frying. My objective was to determine which frying method was the best, so, I only used salt & pepper for seasoning. I didn’t want the results clouded by too many variables.

So, then, how did they do? Well, all 4 preparations fried easily and the results were crisp, although some more so than others. Perhaps my least favorite was the beer batter-fried (lower – left). Although I’d like to try that batter again with chicken, shrimp, or onion rings, it was just too thick for the calamari. These tentacles were the worst of the bunch, a sorry mass of fried batter. Next would have to be the calamari that were fried after only being dipped in flour (l – r). Although they were crispy and the tentacles were the best of all four, they were the least flavorful. As is the case with chicken, soaking the squid in buttermilk made a difference. Next were the calamari that were dipped in a water-based batter (top – left). They were good but not good enough to overtake my favorite, the calamari that were soaked in buttermilk before being floured and fried (t-r). They benefited from the buttermilk and got extra points for ease of preparation and of frying — there was no messy batter to deal with. This, then, is the recipe I’ll be sharing today.

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The Winner!

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Fried Calamari Recipe

yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. squid (about 16 medium-sized), cleaned & cut into 1/2 inch rings (Frozen, raw rings may be substituted. Thaw before using.)
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp coarse kosher or sea salt
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper – more or less to taste
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • Oil for frying — NOT olive oil

Directions

  1. Place buttermilk, calamari rings, and tentacles into a bowl and set aside for one hour. If longer, refrigerate until you’re ready.
  2. Heat oil in a large sauce pan or dutch oven over med-high heat.
  3. Place dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine.
  4. Line a sheet pan with paper towels and pre-heat oven to 200*.
  5. When oil reaches 360*, remove some pieces of calamari from the buttermilk and allow excess liquid to run off before dredging them in the flour mixture. Place pieces, one at a time, into the hot oil. Work in batches. Do not overcrowd.
  6. Remove calamari when golden brown, about 90 seconds to 2 minutes, and place on paper-lined sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt and place in warmed oven.
  7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all calamari are fried.
  8. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and your favorite dipping sauce.

Variations

The ingredient amounts listed-above are not set in stone. They are what I use and, as you can see, they bring a little heat to the dish. You can just as easily use more of one spice and less of another or, for that matter, skip one altogether in favor of some other. The point is no matter what spices you use, be sure to soak the calamari in buttermilk for optimum flavor. Do that and you won’t be disappointed.

What if, after all of this, you decide you’d rather not fry your calamari? You can always try my Mom’s Calamari Salad recipe. Follow her directions and  you’ll be rewarded with calamari rings that are tender but never rubbery and a salad that looks as fresh as it tastes.

Note

When I ran these tests, I put some thought into the testing but completely forgot about serving the calamari. I was mid-way through the frying when I realized I didn’t have any sauce for an accompaniment. I made a quick dipping sauce using 2 parts mayo, 1 part sour cream, the juice of a half-lemon, 1 grated garlic clove, and a little salt & pepper. It worked just fine although, if you have a low tolerance for garlic, you may wish to use 1/2 clove or none at all.

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Fettuccine Alfredo

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This is probably the easiest of all cream sauces to prepare. Many years ago, I watched a chef on television as he was asked how to make fettuccine alfredo. His reply is as easy to remember as the sauce is to make. Just remember 1,1,1,1. That’s 1 pint of cream, 1 stick of butter, and 1 cup of parmesan cheese for 1 pound of fettuccine. For the life of me, I cannot remember who that chef was, but I haven’t forgotten his formula. Make no mistake, this is one rich dish of pasta and, as a result, you, too, may find the recipe results in too much fettuccine alfredo for two people, let alone one. Should that be the case, you can easily reduce the ingredients, just maintain their ratio — i.e., 1/2 pint of cream, 1/2 stick of butter, etc. Additionally, while it may be true that some cannot get enough salt in their food, this dish shouldn’t require much, if any, salt added to it. Parmesan cheese is relatively salty and it should bring enough salt to the dish for most palates. Lastly, with so much cream, butter, and cheese, this is a dish that most would reserve for special occasions or at least serve infrequently. As such, do it right and prepare it using homemade or freshly made fettuccine. You won’t be disappointed.

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Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 pint heavy cream
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 lb cooked fettuccine
  • salt & ground white pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Place heavy cream in a medium sauce pan over med-low heat. Allow to reduce for about 10 minutes. If necessary, adjust heat so that the cream simmers without boiling over.
  2. Add butter to the slightly thickened cream and stir to melt & combine.
  3. Add cheese to the cream-butter mixture and stir. When the cheese is fully incorporated, the sauce will be thick and rich. Taste and, if necessary, season with salt and ground white pepper.
  4. Combine cream sauce with cooked fettuccine and mix until pasta is well-coated.
  5. Serve immediately and have additional grated parmesan cheese available at the table.

Variations

The only variation that I employ — that doesn’t alter the original recipe too much — is to add garlic to the cream as it reduces. I will sometimes take a clove of garlic, crush it a bit, and place it in the cream. I remove it just before adding the butter and the result is an alfredo sauce with a hint of garlic. If you’re concerned that the garlic clove has fallen apart in the cream, pour the reduced cream through a sieve to remove any garlic bits before adding the butter and proceeding.

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Stracciatella Soup

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Stracciatella is an Italian egg drop soup that is common to San Marino and Le Marche, as well as Rome and Emilia-Romagna. The name is derived from the Italian word that means “torn apart” or “rags” and that’s an apt description for the dish. The eggs look like tiny torn rags in the broth. A tasty soup, this easy-to-prepare dish makes a perfect lunch or first course.

The foundation of any good bowl of soup is the broth. Sunday mornings, from late Fall through early Spring, it was fairly common to find a large stock pot, simmering atop Mom’s stove, filled with vegetables, chicken, and a piece of beef.  The resultant broth, brodo, formed the basis of that week’s soup and the occasional batch of risotto. Stracciatella, being so relatively plain, needs that kind of rich, full-bodied broth. I highly recommend making your own stock — be it vegetable or meat-based — for this soup but I, also, realize that not everyone has the time to do so. As a result, if you do use store-bought stock, be sure it’s low-sodium. Once you’ve added the egg and cheese mixture to the broth, you can taste the soup and add salt, if need be.

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Stracciatella Soup Recipe

total time: approx.  15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 cups (2 quarts) chicken stock (vegetable stock may be substituted for a vegetarian diet)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • grated parmesan cheese for serving

Directions

  1. Combine eggs, cheese, parsley, and nutmeg in a bowl or container with a pouring spout and mix well.
  2. Place stock into a sauce pan and heat over a med-high heat.
  3. When it begins to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, use one hand to gently stir the stock in a circular motion and, with the other hand, slowly pour the egg mixture into the pan.
  4. When all the egg mixture has been added, stop stirring and continue simmering for another minute or so.
  5. Taste the soup and season with salt & pepper, if needed.
  6. Serve immediately with additional grated parmesan cheese.

Variations

I’ve seen stracciatella prepared with spinach several times by television cooks and, in fact, I’ve prepared it this way, too. Strictly speaking, it is not a “true” stracciatella but it is a tasty alternative and just about as easy to make as the original. Take either frozen chopped spinach or fresh spinach that’s been chopped and add it to the simmering stock. Let the stock cook the spinach for a few minutes before stirring and adding the egg mixture. Whether or not you include spinach, with so few ingredients, a delicious bowl of stracciatella is only minutes away.

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Stracciatella (soup)

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Tricolor Risotto

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Having gone green for St. Patrick’s Day, I had to do something colorful to commemorate today, St. Joseph’s Feast Day. So, using pesto and tomato for color, we’re going to make tricolor risotto, a dish that features the green, white, and red of the Italian flag.

At its heart, this is a trio of simple risotto dishes. None of the usual ingredients — mushrooms, saffron, squash, etc. — are used because they would detract from the three colors. (Presentation, presentation, presentation!) You start cooking the rice in one pot and, when the time is right, the contents are split into thirds. Two of the thirds are then colored with either pesto or tomato paste and each pot finishes cooking on its own. It really is that simple and the resultant dish is a conversation starter, to be sure. More importantly, however, behind each of the 3 colors is a delicious dish of risotto.

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Tricolor Risotto Recipe

total time: approx.  45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 cups chicken stock (for a meat-free diet, vegetable stock may be substituted)
  • 6 tbsp butter, divided
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups arborio rice
  • 1 cup white wine (optional)
  • 3 – 4 tbsp pesto
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • additional paremesan cheese for serving

Directions

 

  1. Heat stock in a sauce pan. Adjust heat to keep it hot but not boiling.
  2. Add 3 tbsp of butter to a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 8 – 10 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for about 1 minute more.
  3. Add rice and stir until well-coated. Toast the rice for about 2 minutes before adding the wine. Stir frequently until the wine is absorbed.
  4. Add enough hot stock to cover the rice, about two ladles. Keep stirring the mixture and, when the liquid is absorbed, add another ladle or 2 of stock. Continue stirring, adding more stock when “dry,” for 10 minutes.
  5. After 10 minutes, place a third of the rice mixture into each of 2 additional sauce pans over medium heat. Add the pesto to 1 pan and the tomato paste to the other.
  6. You now have 3 saucepans of rice to maintain by adding stock, stirring until “dry,” and then adding more stock.
  7. Continue cooking all 3 batches until the rice is al dente, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of butter and 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese to each of the 3 pans. Mix well. Taste test for seasoning and adjust, if necessary.
  8. Serve on a platter with the white risotto in its center, flanked by the red and green versions.

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Variations

The variations for this dish involve substituting freshly chopped parsley and basil — or even cooked chopped spinach — for the pesto. I always opt for pesto because I’m sure to have some in my fridge or freezer. As for the red side of the flag, a little marinara sauce can be used in place of the tomato paste.

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Pesto

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Pesto Genovese

Since tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day, we’ll go green for this week’s recipe. Pesto was one of those dishes that I had enjoyed eating but never thought to make myself. Several years ago, before I moved to my present home, a good friend taught me how to make pesto using basil grown in my garden. I haven’t bought another drop since. Sure, we all know that pesto is great when combined with hot pasta but that’s only part of the story. Pesto-dressed pasta can, also, be served at room temperature and, if chilled, the addition of a few ingredients will make a great pasta salad. Moving beyond pasta, I’ll use a couple of tablespoons of pesto to flavor soups, sauces, in sandwiches, and in meat marinades. When roasting a chicken or game hen, a little pesto between the bird’s flesh and skin results in a very flavorful main course. The fact is that pesto isn’t just for pasta anymore.

As easy as pesto is to prepare, there are a few things to remember. First off, be sure to use only fresh ingredients. This is not the time to use dried basil or powdered garlic. Although I use a food processor to make my pesto, a high-speed blender may be used, as well. No matter which appliance you use, do not over-process the basil. If you do, your basil will darken considerably. Lastly, pesto can be stored in the fridge for up to one week and frozen for much longer. If you choose to freeze your pesto, however, do not add any cheese to it because it will not thaw properly. Instead, make your pesto without the cheese, freeze it, and after you thaw it, mix the pesto into your pasta, adding cheese as you do. And if you are going to freeze it, consider putting your pesto into an ice-cube tray. Once frozen, remove the cubes, place them in a bag, and store the bag in the freezer. Doing so will ensure that you’ll defrost only what you need.

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Pesto Recipe

total time: approx. 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups basil leaves, about 2 oz
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 2 – 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • pepper to taste

Directions

  1. To your food processor or blender, add the pine nuts and garlic. Process about 20 seconds to chop the ingredients.
  2. Add the basil, salt, and pepper and pulse for a few seconds, about 3 or 4 times. This should give the basil a rough chop.
  3. Start the processor and pour the olive oil through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream. Stop the processor about 5 seconds after all the oil has been added.
  4. At this point, the pesto may be frozen for later use (see above).
  5. If you are not going to freeze the pesto, add the grated cheese and process just long enough to combine the ingredients.
  6. Pesto is now ready and may be served over your favorite pasta.

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Variations

There are far too many variations to serving pesto for listing here. I mentioned a few in the introduction above and that was by no means a complete list. Pictured here is a dish of farfalle with chopped asparagus spears and marinated artichoke hearts, all of which has been dressed in pesto. I served it warm but I could have easily added some halved cherry tomatoes, a little chopped onion and maybe some chopped olives, stuck it in the fridge to chill, and served it as a pasta salad. As you can see, the possibilities are endless.

Notes

The amount of oil I use in this recipe will vary depending upon how I intend to use the pesto. If I’m going to use the it right away, I’ll use what’s indicated in the recipe above. If I’m going to make a chilled pasta salad, I may add a little more oil to the dish. If I’m going to freeze the pesto, I’ll reduce the amount of oil, as well as skip the cheese, making more of a paste. When I eventually use it, I’ll defrost it and coat my pasta with olive oil before adding the pesto. You, too, may wish to adjust the amount of oil to correspond with your own likes and dislikes.

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Tomato Sauce with Tuna

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Having been raised a Catholic, the arrival of Lent reminds me of the countless meatless Fridays of my youth. Even when “the rules” changed in the 60’s, our house continued the practice of fish on Fridays, for the most part, and that was due largely because we all liked fish — and the Bartolini Sisters knew how to cook them. I hope to get to some of those recipes later but, for now, I’m going to start with a pasta dish. (Big surprise!)

Next to a marinara, this is about as simple a sauce as one can make. With tuna as its protein, this sauce is not as strongly flavored as, say, a puttanesca. As a result, one needs to be careful not to overpower the tuna with a lot of strong herbs and spices. The recipe, as presented, is exactly as my family made on many a Friday, with the exception of the capers and mushrooms. I happen to love both with my pasta. As for you, if it isn’t a tomato sauce unless you taste oregano or some other herb, spice, or ingredient, then by all means add it. Just be careful not to overwhelm the tuna and, please, just say no to cheese.

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Tomato Sauce with Tuna Recipe

total time: approx.  1 hour

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 can (28 oz) tomatoes (use crushed, diced, or whole that you mash during cooking)
  • 4 – 6 button or crimini mushrooms, sliced — optional
  • 1 can (5 oz) of whole chunk tuna, water-packed, well-drained
  • 2 tbsp + 1 tsp fresh basil, chopped
  • 3 tbsp capers, drained — optional
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 1 lb pasta

Directions

  1. Add oil to a medium sauce pan and heat over a medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and parsley and sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
  2. If using mushrooms, add them now and continue sautéing another 3 or 4 minutes.
  3. Add tomato paste and sauté for about 2 more minutes.
  4. Add tomatoes, stir to thoroughly combine, bring to boil, and reduce to a simmer. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
  5. After 30 minutes, carefully add tuna so that the chunks do not fall apart. Add pasta of your choice into the boiling water.
  6. When the pasta is cooked al dente, remove from heat and drain.
  7. Add 2 tbsp basil (and capers, if used) to the sauce and stir carefully.
  8. Combine cooked, drained pasta with the sauce, stir until well-coated, garnish with remaining basil, and serve immediately.

Notes

This is another quick sauce. If you cook it for too long after the tuna has been added, the chunks of tuna will disintegrate.

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Spianata

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When I was a boy, Mom occasionally treated us all to home-made pizza. She’d make standard pepperoni or sausage pizzas for us kids but Dad’s was a special order. His pizza was called spianata and, unlike our kiddie versions, his was topped with only garlic, onion, rosemary, salt and pepper, resembling a rather plain focaccia. Yet, for so few ingredients, it made a very tasty pizza back then, while Zia and I use it today as a perfect accompaniment for any number of dishes.

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The recipe I’m about to share starts with what is called a “sponge.” Fairly common to many Italian/European breads, it’s a mixture of water, yeast, and flour that’s allowed to rise overnight. The mixture, in a sense, ferments and the resultant bread is more flavorful, almost sourdough-like. (In fact, I often add some of my sourdough starter to the sponge instead of yeast.) Of course, you needn’t start with a sponge but the spianata is so much more flavorful if you do. Once the sponge has “spent the night,” the rest of the recipe is pretty straight-forward and you should have no trouble following it.

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Spianata Recipe

Ingredients

For the sponge

A Sponge Worthy of Spianata

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 tsp active yeast

For the spianata

  • 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups flour

For the topping

  • 1/2 of a small onion, sliced thin
  • 1 clove garlic, sliced thin or grated
  • 3 tbsp fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
  • olive oil
  • coarse salt & pepper

Directions

  1. Proof the yeast in warm water, add to the flour to make the sponge, mix well, cover, and set aside. The sponge should be allowed to rise for at least 8 hours but no more than 20. 12 to 16 hours is usually best, in my experience. When you are ready to proceed, the sponge’s surface should be mottled with bubbles and it should have a strong yeast scent.
  2. To the sponge, add the flour, 1/4 cup olive oil, and salt. Knead dough for 5 minutes. Dough should not be sticky. If it is, sprinkle with flour and continue kneading until absorbed.
  3. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled — from 1 to 2 hours. (If using only sourdough starter, it could take longer.)
  4. Punch the dough down, turn it onto a floured work surface, cover with a towel, and let rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, coat a 9″ x 12″ sheet pan with the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil.
  5. After resting 15 minutes, place dough onto the pan and use your fingers to begin stretching it to fit the pan. When it covers about 2/3 of the pan, flip the dough over and continue stretching the dough until the entire pan is covered and there’s enough dough to create a ridge around the pan’s edge. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled again, about 1 hour.
  6. Pre-heat oven to 425*. Place garlic and onion into a small bowl and moisten lightly with olive oil.
  7. Once doubled, remove towel and, with your fingers, poke the surface of the dough repeatedly. Sprinkle surface with garlic, onion, rosemary, coarse salt & pepper.
  8. Bake on oven’s center rack for about 25 minutes. The spianata should be lightly browned.
  9. Allow to cool slightly before cutting and serving.

Notes

Like most breads, spianata can be frozen easily. Once it is fully cooled, wrap it tightly in aluminum foil and place in your freezer. When you are ready to serve it, place it, still wrapped in foil, in a pre-heated 350* oven for about 25 minutes. Enjoy!

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Puttanesca Sauce

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I was a boy when I first heard one of the legends behind pasta puttanesca. Dom DeLuise was the guest host on the Mike Douglas Show and he told the tale while he prepared the dish. It has to do with the “ladies of the evening” of Naples and the strength of their perfume.  I don’t know whether it was the pasta or the tale but I remember both to this day. A variation of the story is that these same ladies used the sauce’s aroma to lure gentlemen callers into their parlors. I’m sure that there are other legends about this sauce’s origins and I’m equally sure that they all involve its strong aroma. Once you’ve prepared a puttanesca sauce, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

Virtually all puttanesca sauces rely principally upon 5 basic ingredients: tomatoes, anchovies, red pepper flakes, garlic, and olives. I prefer a sauce with some texture so I’ll use crushed, diced, or whole tomatoes that I’ve mashed with my spoon. This recipe may call for 6 anchovies but I’ll very often use the entire tin, unless there’s a Caesar salad in my immediate future. Although most recipes call for pitted, black olives, I’ve found that the addition of a couple large, green olives adds another flavor into the mix. The purchase of a small container of mixed olives at my grocery’s deli counter works perfectly.  Speaking of olives, they, along with the anchovies and capers, can be pretty salty. Be sure to taste the sauce before seasoning with salt and do so at the very end of cooking. Now, whether you find yourself in Italy or in an Italian restaurant here in the States, it is frowned upon to use grated cheese of any kind on a pasta dish made with seafood. As such, there are many who will say that a puttanesca sauce starts with anchovies and, therefore, cheese must not be used. Others are willing to bend the rules since the anchovies are not the “star” of the dish as, say, clams might be in a different recipe. To cheese or not to cheese? The answer to that question will be left entirely up to you. I know a minefield when I see one.

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Puttanesca Sauce Recipe

total time: approx.  1 hour

Ingredients

The Basics

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/8 to 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 6 anchovy fillets
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 – 28 oz can tomatoes
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 12 – 15 large Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped  (I’ll sometimes add a couple large, green Spanish olives.)
  • 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 tbsp + 1 tsp fresh basil, chopped
  • 2 tbsp capers, drained
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 1 lb pasta, cooked about 2 minutes shy of al dente — refer to package instructions

 

Directions

  1. Add oil to a large, deep fry pan and heat over a medium-high heat. Add pepper flakes & anchovies and cook for 2 minutes. Use the back of a wooden spoon to stir & mash the anchovies until they disintegrate into the oil.
  2. Add onion and sauté until onions are translucent, 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Add garlic & parsley and sauté for 1 minute.
  4. Add tomato paste and continue sautéing for about 2 minutes.
  5. Add tomatoes, stir to thoroughly combine, bring to boil, and reduce to a simmer.
  6. After 30 minutes, add olives and continue simmering.
  7. After 10 minutes, add capers and 2 tbsp basil, stir to combine. Taste before seasoning with salt and pepper.
  8. Add drained pasta to the pan, stir to coat with the sauce, and continue cooking until pasta is al dente, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with remaining tsp basil.

Variations

This sauce is cooked relatively quickly and features bold flavors. To add another dimension, try using fresh tomatoes that have been picked in the height of the season. I usually use 10 to 12 ripe plum tomatoes that I’ve peeled after blanching them in boiling water for about a minute. Once peeled, chop and, if you like, seed the tomatoes before adding to the pan. The fresh tomatoes, anchovies, and olives combine to make one spectacular dish!

Notes

Like many of my tomato-based sauces, this one calls for a large can of tomatoes. Truth be told, I rarely use canned tomatoes. Mid-August, I start buying half-bushels of plum tomatoes at my area’s farmers’ markets. After washing, some are blanched, peeled, chopped, and then frozen in quart containers. The rest are run through my Roma strainer before being frozen. I try to freeze at least 45 quarts and that will ensure that I’ll have enough tomatoes to easily last through Spring. When the time comes to use them, depending upon the sauce I’m preparing, I can choose between the chopped or strained quarts, or, I can combine them. Best of all, there are no more trips to the grocery store for a can of tomatoes, only to return with 2 bags full of impulse buys.

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Cacioni

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23

Half-Moon Pie?

Cacioni are small, half-moon shaped pies which, in San Marino, are filled with greens, very often a combination of Swiss chard and spinach (cacioni con bietole e spinaci). In other parts of Italy, however, cacioni are filled with a variety of cheeses and, in one case, even beans are used. And then there’s Liguria where they make a torta pasqualina at Easter which is filled with greens — but the torte are much larger than cacioni and the filling also includes ricotta and grated cheese. Of all the recipes I’ve come across, however, only the Bartolini cacioni are deep-fried. In fact, Zia went to lunch with some Sammarinese friends a few years ago and one of the ladies brought baked cacioni for everyone. The idea of baking cacioni is a game changer for Zia and me. Up until now, we rarely made them because there was no way to store them. You fried and ate what you made and that was that. As such, it just wasn’t practical to make them if you lived alone. Now that baking is an option, however, we can make a dozen, reserve 2 for dinner, and freeze the rest. Suddenly, cacioni are back in our diets, but, what does this mean for you?

Well, I’m going to give you both options for preparing cacioni. The first will be deep-fried; the second will be baked using pastry dough. To that end, in a recent episode of Mad Hungry, Lucinda Scala Quinn prepared a pie crust that she used with her pocket pies. (If you’re not familiar with her blog, you should be.) Her recipe is perfect for cacioni and it really is fool-proof. No matter which cooking option you may choose, the filling will remain the same and we’ll start there.

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Cacioni Recipe

(Swiss Chard & Spinach Filling)

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 bunch  fresh Swiss chard, trimmed, leaves chopped after removal from stalks, stalks chopped and reserved
  • 1/2 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed  — use more or less, if you like
  • salt & pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Heat oil and garlic in a frying pan over medium heat until garlic begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Do not allow garlic to burn.
  2. Remove garlic, increase heat to med-high, add onion and as much of the chopped chard stalks as you prefer. Season with salt & pepper and sauté until translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Add chopped spinach to pan and continue sautéing until heated through, about 4 minutes.
  4. Add chard leaves, season with salt & pepper, and sauté until leaves are wilted and cooked to your preference.
  5. Place cooked greens in a colander or strainer, place a dish on top of the cooked vegetables, and place a heavy can or similar weight on top of the dish. This will help to drain as much liquid from the greens as possible before filling the cacioni.

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Fried Cacioni

Swiss Chard & Spinach Cacioni

yield: 12 – 15 pies.

Ingredients

  • Swiss chard with spinach, sautéed and well-drained (recipe above)
  • 1/2 batch Mom’s pasta dough, rested for 30 minutes after preparation
  • Oil for frying — NOT olive oil

Directions

  1. Separate dough into quarters and wrap 3 quarters in plastic wrap.
  2. Using the remaining dough quarter, run it repeatedly through the pasta machine rollers until thin. If no. 1 is the widest setting, continue rolling the dough up to, and including, the no. 6 position.
  3. Spread the dough sheet on a flat surface. Using a bowl, saucer, or wide-mouthed mug/jar as a template, cut circles as large as you can on the dough sheet. Trim and reserve the excess dough for later use.
  4. Depending upon the size of the dough circle, place 2 to 4 tbsp of the chard filling in a line across the center of each one. Using a pastry brush or your finger tips, moisten the edge of each circle with water. Fold the pastry in half upon itself, creating a half-moon. Use a fork to press and seal the edges of the dough. Use the fork to prick each pie to let steam to escape during frying. Set aside.
  5. Continue until all the filling has been used. The left-over dough may be used to make the pasta of your choosing.
  6. Using a large frying pan, add enough vegetable/peanut oil to create a depth of 1 to 1 1/2 inches. To avoid boiling over, do not fill the pan over halfway full. (This is more a “shallow-fry” than deep-fry. Of course, if you prefer deep-frying, go for it.)
  7. Bring oil to 350*. Depending upon the pan size, fry 2, 3, or 4 cacioni at a time. Do not overcrowd. Fry until golden brown before turning each one over.
  8. Place a wire rack atop a baking sheet and place both into a warm oven. When each batch of cacioni are finished frying, place them on the rack in the oven to keep warm. Sprinkle with coarse kosher or sea salt.
  9. Repeat the process until all are fried. Serve immediately.

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Baked Cacioni

Cacioni con Bietole e Spinaci

Note: This will require enough pastry dough as would be used to make a double-crusted, 9 inch pie. Use your own pastry dough recipe, try Lucinda’s cream cheese pastry dough, or buy it ready-made at your grocery store. Puff pastry, however, is not recommended.

yield: 10 – 12 pies.

Ingredients

  • Swiss chard with spinach, sautéed and very well-drained (recipe above)
  • pastry dough (see note above)
  • 1 egg yolk mixed with a tbsp of water to make a wash

Directions

  1. Separate dough into halves, wrap one half with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Roll the remaining half as you would for a pie crust.
  2. Using a bowl, saucer, or wide-mouthed mug/jar as a template, cut circles as large as you can on the dough sheet. Trim and reserve the excess dough for later use.
  3. Depending upon the size of the dough circle, place 2 to 4 tbsp of the chard filling in a line across the center of each one. Using a pastry brush or your finger tips, moisten the edge of each circle with water. Fold the pastry in half upon itself, creating a half-moon. Use a fork to press and seal the edges of the dough. Use the fork to prick each pie to let steam to escape during baking. Set aside on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  4. Continue until no more dough remains and then place the baking sheet into the fridge while you work with the second half of the pastry dough. Repeat the process until there is no more filling or dough.
  • TO COOK IMMEDIATELY
  1. Pre-heat oven to 375*
  2. Meanwhile, chill the cacioni for a few minutes before proceeding.
  3. Using a pastry brush, carefully coat the exposed surface of each pie with the egg wash. Sprinkle with salt.
  4. Place baking sheet into pre-heated oven and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
  5. Serve immediately.
  • TO FREEZE & COOK
  1. Place newly prepared cacioni on a lined baking sheet and then into the freezer.
  2. After a couple of hours, place the cacioni into more permanent freezer containers.
  3. When ready to cook, DO NOT THAW. Pre-heat oven to 350*.
  4. Remove the cacioni from the freezer, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and, using a pastry brush, coat the exposed surface of each pie with egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse kosher or sea salt.
  5. Place the baking sheet into a pre-heated oven and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
  6. Serve immediately.

Variations

Although my family has only used a combination of chard and spinach to fill our cacioni, there’s no reason other vegetables can’t be used. In fact, Zia and I are considering rapini (broccoli raab) as filling for some future cacioni — if I can ever remember to buy some and bring it with me when I visit.

Notes

Working on this recipe resulted in my making a couple dozen cacioni, both fried and baked. At one point, I had some left-overs that had been baked and were made with Lucinda’s pastry dough. Rather than refrigerate them, I placed them with some raw cacioni on one of the baking sheets in my freezer. Lucinda freezes her cooked pocket pies and re-heats them in the microwave, so, why not do the same with cacioni? Well, I’m happy to report that those frozen, fully baked cacioni were successfully re-heated in the microwave. They tasted great and I’ll definitely be doing this again. Special thanks to Lucinda and her Mad Hungry Blog. She’s the best!

So, there’s no longer a reason for us single folk not to enjoy cacioni on a regular basis. You can make a batch, bake what you need, and freeze the rest for future baking, or, if you prefer, you can bake them all, freeze the left-overs, and re-heat them in the microwave at some later date. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

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