Nibbles For New Years !! :)

Nibbles for New Years

Here's a few of my favorite things to munch on while bringing in the new year!
Bite size mini meatballs and a salad pizza.

Cold broccoli salad with lemon, garlic and olive oil.
Stuffed baby artichokes, because it wouldn't be a party with out them!

Sausage stuffed mushrooms, and goat cheese filled peppers with balsamic glaze.

Eggplant slices topped with tomato and fresh mozzarella.
Creamy pasta with prosciutto and peas.

Fennel, orange and olive oil salad as well as a seafood salad of shrimp, lobster and scallops, bathing in fresh lemon and olive oil of course!

Scallop gratin or just plain old lasagne, love it all!

Wishing you all a Very Healthy and Happy 2012!

Cookie Traditions Old and New

Each holiday season I like to add a few new cookies to my tried and true regulars, this year I wanted to try out these cookie stamps that I saw in my Williams-Sonoma catalog.
Each stamp is embossed with a beautiful design, a wreath, a snowflake and a gift tag.

The dough is a basic sugar cookie dough that has been chilled then rolled into balls, flattened and then stamped.

I was impressed how well the embossed design showed up, but the decorating part was another story! I bought those edible markers and they didn't work out very well on the bare cookies, next time, (if there is a next time) I'll use a piping bag with a small tip.

One cookie I can always count on our my Fig and Pistachio Biscotti  I make them every year and they are truly a favorite!

Along with Cucidati of course!

Traditional Italian fig cookies, it just wouldn't be Christmas without them!

Wishing all my readers a very healthy and happy holiday season filled with family, food and fun!
Thank you for all your support through out the year, I appreciate each and every email and comment!

Ravioli for a Crowd!

I've been in party mode and haven't really cooked "normal" for a while, so I thought I would share with you how I prepped for a recent party I had for 26 with the main course being 200 homemade ravioli.
Homemade ravioli holds a special place in my heart because I can remember my mom and aunt making them together when my cousins and I were very young, white sheets covering dining room tables and beds, filled with drying ravioli. Today I make them a little different, no more drying on sheets, instead they go right into the freezer after they're made.


All the ravioli were made a few days before and tucked away in my freezer ready for the big day, we made two different versions, meat and cheese.


Because I would be cooking so many ravioli at one time, there was no way I wanted to be boiling them while my house was filled with people, so I opted to make them the night before, something I've never done.

During the week prior to my party I went to a local restaurant supply store and bought commercial size heavy duty foil sheet pans, they were perfect to lay my ravioli on in a single layer.
They were huge and covered my whole oven rack, and even though I don't have a commercial size oven I made them fit by slightly folding up the sides.

All my sauce was cooked ahead of time so assembling was pretty easy. After spreading sauce all over the bottom of the sheet pans I placed my slightly undercooked ravioli on top, single layer, placing more sauce on top. After they cooled down I sprinkled grated Pecorino on top and covered the pans with heavy duty aluminum foil and placed them in my second fridge, ( it's older and has bigger shelves).

The day of the party I took them out of the fridge and got them to room temperature and with the foil still on, I baked them for only 15 minutes in a 350 oven until warmed through, after they were done I dolloped more warmed sauce on top and they were good to go! For a big crowd this was the perfect way to make them, no hot boiling pots all over the place, all that was done in advance.

Thanks to my family, all my dear cousins and their families for such a fun night!

So if you ever doubted cooking ravioli ahead of time for a large crowd like I did, no worries because it was a complete success!

Buon Appetito!

What I did on my Thanksgiving week vacation!

I had a wonderful dinner with family!

I attended afternoon tea at the Peninsula Chicago in honor of my niece.

The setting was gorgeous, the minute you walk in you feel the elegance!
It was especially beautiful because of all the Christmas decorations they had up, the tree was stunning in warm colors of reds and golds.

Live music filled the air as we sipped on our teas and

ate our goodies. The service was wonderful and they were happy to replenish our plates!
A great experience and a fun thing to do if you're in Chicago with your girlfriends.

I learned how to make Bietole from a master, my daughter -in -laws nana.
This woman is well into her 80's and shes a spitfire in the kitchen, she puts us all to shame!
Bietole is basically swiss chard that is sauteed with lots of garlic and oil.

The sauteed chard is then placed on a pasta dough with enormous amounts of Pecorino romano, more garlic and olive oil then rolled up jelly roll style and baked. It's so simple with just a few ingredients but the taste is out of this world!

Then to top off the week I spent a day at my house making ravioli with my cousin and sister-in-law for a party we're having this weekend, the music was blasting, there was flour everywhere! We were even going to crack open a bottle of wine but opted for coffee instead since it was only 9:00 in the morning!

We ended up making 200 total, a combination of both meat and cheese.
I highly recommend a day of pasta making with family or friends, it's a great way to spend a day!
Buon Appetito!

Making Pizzelle

Recently I bought a pizzelle maker and I couldn't wait to break it in. I felt very ambitious and had visions of making all different flavors like anise, chocolate, citrus, cinnamon, orange and rum, almond and some even dipped in chocolate and then into nuts, oh yes and sprinkles for the kids! Well I didn't get all that far because making pizzeles are very time consuming!
I have a close friend Jean who can make these in her sleep! Pretty much every event in life like holidays, parties, funerals, or just a few girls getting together you can always count on Jean to bring her pizzelles. Pizzelle making is a true labor of love, you have to be patient, something I need to work on when baking or making cookies!

I followed the recipes that came with my pizzelle maker because they're all basically all about the same, flour, butter, eggs, sugar and the flavorings of your choice. After I did one batch I was pretty much done! I called Jean for advice and she gave me some good tips, like don't be in a hurry, allow a couple of hours, sit down and watch TV while your making them. My recipe said to drop a tablespoon of batter behind the center of the pattern, I did that and they were too big, batter was oozing out the sides and running into each other, I was ready to give up they looked terrible! Jean said to use a heaping teaspoon of the batter ( which comes out pretty thick) and place it in the center, I did what she said and they turned out great!

I've always loved the the designs on pizzelle irons, they make beautiful crispy wafer cookies and always look gorgeous on a platter.

Right now I'm hiding these in a big tin and plan to bring them out as part of our Thanksgiving Day dessert. I made traditional anise flavor and chocolate ones as well.

I made the sprinkled kind for my two granddaughters simply by taking the heaping teaspoon of dough and rolling it into a bowl of sprinkles right before you place the ball of batter on the iron. My advice is to do the sprinkle ones last so that you won't find any tiny sprinkles on your other flavors.

My oldest granddaughter was off of school the day I made these so she taste tested a few and gave me thumbs up all the way, so did her dad!

Jean says don't powder sugar them until the day you're going to eat them, if you have a cool place store them in a can, they last for weeks and still stay crispy, no need to freeze.

Here's the basic recipe with variations:

6 eggs** 1 cup of sugar** 1 cup of melted butter** ( Jean says you can use canola oil if you want in place of the melted butter) **2 teaspoons vanilla** 3 cups flour** 1 tablespoon baking powder**

( For anise flavor add 1 teaspoon of anise seeds and 2 teaspoons of anise extract) if you use pure anise oil, use much less like 1/2 teaspoon or a teaspoon.

( For chocolate flavor add 1/2 cup of cocoa powder)

Melt butter and set aside. Beat eggs and sugar until light yellow, 2-3 minutes. Add melted butter and vanilla or other flavorings. Beat until blended. Sift together the ingredients, fold until just blended, add remaining flour and fold again until just incorporated.

Heat pizzelle iron, place 1 heaping teaspoon of batter in center of pattern. Bake until golden brown, about 30-40 seconds. Remove and cool on a rack. Repeat with remaining batter. This could make six dozen depending on how deep your grooves are on your iron. ( Jean triples this, if you're going to do it you might as well make a bunch!)

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Making Gnocchi

Recently I taught a class on making gnocchi at my friends gorgeous home, a hands on class where everyone would take part, we started the day off early, I was all prepped and ready to go!

We made two different kinds of gnocchi, butternut squash and ricotta. The squash was roasted, pureed in a food processor along with other ingredients, and then gently mixed into a dough.

Before we started we munched on a few appetizers and had some drinks, because after all we needed to build up our energy!

And then we got down to gnocchi business, with aprons on, each person had a job, some mixing the dough, some rolling, some cutting, but everyone wanted to try out the gnocchi boards, it was fun to see how fast they were all getting, gnocchi was flying everywhere!

We quickly filled up many trays, this was the butternut squash, I just love the color and taste, a big favorite of the day! Very light not heavy tasting at all.

The key to a light and fluffy ricotta gnocchi is to drain the ricotta of all moisture, I placed my ricotta in a fine strainer over a bowl in my fridge overnight, you can't believe how much liquid comes out! By straining the ricotta you won't have to keep adding additional flour to soak up that moisture which will keep them nice and light tasting.

I roasted mushrooms with olive oil, onions, garlic and zucchini and tossed the butternut squash gnocchi into it all, topped with fresh chopped parsley and generous amounts of freshly grated parmesan.

This is a perfect autumn dish, they just melt in your mouth, and the roasted vegetables just complement it all.

Another sauce that goes well with the butternut squash gnocchi is a fontina cheese sauce with torn spinach leaves and parmesan.

You can never go wrong with a simple marinara for the ricotta gnocchi, always a favorite!

But my new favorite way of eating them is tossing them into crumbled Italian sausage, roasted mushrooms, onions, garlic and cherry tomatoes. All dowsed with olive oil and freshly grated parmesan, and a sprinkling of fresh basil and parsley. Heavenly!

Acorn and Butternut Squash Sformato with Parmesan Cream and Balsamic Glaze

Sformato is a molded dish similar to a souffle, heartier in texture and not as airy. I've seen them made with peas, spinach, fennel, cauliflower, sweet potatoes and carrots just to name a few. It can be served as a first course, a side dish or a light vegetable entree.


Recently I've made both the acorn and butternut squash versions, and I seriously can't tell you which one I liked best, just one taste and you'll be forever hooked! Think about it, intensely flavored squash mixed in with a cheesy creamy goodness that creates a fluffy- like texture and topped off with a sweet balsamic glaze!

Now don't let the ingredients scare you, it's a little on the decadent side but the recipe fills 4 ramekins so do the math, it's not that much. So far I've made this as a side with pork chops and I've eaten it alone just with a salad, a perfect autumn veggie dinner!

Roasting your squash ahead of time makes it all come together really quick. Which ever squash you use cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast cut side down on parchment 350F until knife goes through, time varies depending on size of squash. Scoop out the squash and puree in a food processor. Into a bowl place **2 cups of pureed squash** 1 egg** 1/3 cup of grated parmesan or romano cheese** 2 tablespoons of mascarpone cheese** 1/2 cup of half and half** salt and pepper**. Pour the mixture almost to the top of buttered ramekins. Place in a baking pan with water to come about halfway up the sides, cover and bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven, or until the mixture is set and cooked through. Let rest a few moments, unmold and serve. 4 servings

Place your little Italian souffle in a puddle of parmesan cream sauce if you so desire, made by reducing cream ( I used half and half) in a pan and sprinkling in some parmesan cheese. To finish it off drizzle on some balsamic glaze!

Recipe inspired by Chef Tony Priolo

I'm quite sure you're going to thank me for this one!

Buon Appetito!