Another Monday

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all.  Hope everyone out there had a wonderful weekend.  Unfortunately I have been down with a bit of a stomach bug for a couple of days, so hubby and I spent a quiet day at home.  We will be celebrating next week with our daughter and grand daughter with Dim Sum for brunch and then back here for goodness knows what goodies.

So here I sit on Monday morning finally feeling better and as if life is returning to normal.  The house is quiet and all the while I hear Mom's voice in the back of my head saying "time to get cooking".  Mind you we have a fridge full of left overs that need to be eaten including a serving of "Sausage and Radicchio Orecchiete" courtesy of The Cooking Channel's "Extra Virgin".  Pat made me this delicious meal and it was quick, easy and best of all delicious.  But crazy woman that I am - I just had to try out the new slow cooker that my dear husband gave me for Mother's Day.  I decided to make chicken with onions and mushrooms, which led to a pot of chicken stock going on the stove with the parts (neck, wings, back, etc.) left from the chicken I cut up and since the sauce from the chicken in the slow cooker has a rich tomato and wine sauce, we just have to have some fresh bread to soak up the juices, which means the bread maker is going as well; told you.....crazy woman!

Below is the recipe for this delicious pasta dish....Try it for a quick weeknight meal and I promise you will not be disappointed.  Thank you to my wonderful husband for a wonderful Mother's Day and yummy dinner.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, chopped fine
• 1 handful fresh mint
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 4 (6-ounce) pork sausage links, casings removed

• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 handful walnuts, hand crushed
• 1/2 head radicchio, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for seasoning

Directions

Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and the sausages and using a wooden spoon, break up the sausages into small pieces as you brown them. Add the mint and bay leaves and continue to cook.

Once the sausage is golden brown, add the wine to the pan, and stir away, let the alcohol evaporate, then lower the flame and season with salt and pepper. Add the walnuts and let the sauce slowly simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions for al dente.

When ready to serve, add the radicchio to the sauce, and stir well. Cook's Note: You want to wait until the last minute to make sure that it stays crunchy, as opposed to wilted and cooked down.

Add the cooked pasta and toss. Add some grated Parmesan, to taste. Serve immediately.
Treviso

Easter is Coming!

Wow!  The past couple of weeks have been trying and a true test for us here.  The good news is that the daughter is on the mend.  We definitely have a long road ahead, but considering what she has been through she is doing darn good!  That being said it is time to get back to the world and start living each day with more than just trips to the hospital.

The hospital food isn't too terrific (down right nasty to hear her tell it) so we have been bringing her some treats every day.  Dad even made her a spice blend to add to her food to make it at least palatable.  And since Easter is upon us shortly I have been thinking about things to make that she would love.  With all that has been going on I wasn't even going there, but my brother said that I should make some of her faves and bring them to her.  I'm thinking that even though she won't be here for dinner Stuffed Artichokes are a must, maybe Pizza Rustica (an Italian Cold Cut and Cheese Pie for Pat) along with her favorite Easter dessert, Grain Pie (Easter morning tradition in our house starts with a slice of Grain Pie and a hard boiled egg) .  Now for those of you not familiar with this pie, it's something that is out of this world!  There is one big difference in the way Mom made the Grain (Wheat) Pie versus the standard recipe......Anisette!  Yup, you read that correctly.  The traditional recipe calls for Orange Blossom Water but Mommy always used Anisette.  So as I said, don't mess with tradition!

Another Easter dessert standard in our house was Chocolate Rice Pie (a personal favorite of mine).  This is a very unusual pie and not one you find in many Italian-American households.  It's rich and more of a bitter sweet chocolate flavor, but absolutely amazing with an ice cold glass of milk or Espresso!  Maybe I'll make just one of those for me!  We will see.  So for now I am in the planning stages and will be off to the market for supplies.

I'll posting some of these recipes over the next couple of days, so please check back tomorrow for more updates!

Shitake Mushroom Polenta Bites

This weekend was a busy one.  Getting ready for my dear hubby to get home, daughter and Granddaughter here for a sleepover and Sunday brunch at the home of "Driving Force".  I need to catch my breath for a few minutes.  I'm still tired and it looks as if I may have a sick husband when he gets home.  So I guess I'll be on a soup making binge for the next couple of days. 

As is the case when we are invited to a brunch or dinner, I feel the need to contribute something!  So I decided to try out a new recipe.  This time it was "Polenta Bites" (I also brought an Artichoke/Asparagus Frittata, but wasn't too thrilled with the way it came out).  The Polenta Bites came out pretty good, but a little bit too much on the Tarragon.  They are quick and easy to make and the best part is they are served at room temperature.  Make ahead for brunch, an appetizer or any type of buffet.  I would normally use Chicken Stock to make this, but since "Driving Force" doesn't eat meat, I went with water (note to self....time to make some more Vegetable Stock).

Shiitake Mushroom Polenta Bites
3 cups Chicken Stock, Veggie Stock or Water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Polenta
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup goat cheese (1/4 cup for your polenta, reserve 1/4 cup for garnish)
dried tarragon or fresh tarragon (to taste)
4 oz. Shiitake Mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. oil

Preparation
Grease a 8" or 9" straight-sided baking pan with your favorite olive oil. Bring the stock and salt to a simmer in a deep heavy pot. Stream in  polenta, whisking (to avoid lumps). Next switch to a wooden spoon and cook slowly until the polenta is cooked and pulls away from the sides of the pot; about 20-40 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and 1/4 cup goat cheese and your fresh chopped herbs. Combine well.  Pour polenta into the prepared pan, level, wrap in plastic and chill well until firm (This can be done a day before).
Next turn polenta out onto a cutting board, trim sides and cut into 1" x 1" cubes and allow the cubes to come to room temperature.
In a small non-stick saute pan, heat the tablespoon oil. Add the shiitakes, a pinch of salt and sauté a few minutes until tender. Add the garlic and saute for another 30 seconds. Remove from heat and allow to cool down before handling.
Before plating,  pipe or spoon a small bit of goat cheese on each polenta cube, top with a slice of shiitake, and a bit of your fresh herb or bit more goat cheese.

Review - "The Italian Slow Cooker" by Michele Scicolone

I've recently stopped buying cookbooks.  Let me re-phrase that, I'm being very selective about the books I buy and I have discovered the joy of the Kindle!  Granted, with the Kindle you don't get the pretty pictures, but once I've checked it out and drooled over it at the bookstore, I can pretty much live without the photos. I'm not going to go into all the reasons I love my new toy, but it is making life easier!

I have a couple of Ms. Scicolone's books including both Soprano's cookbooks and I like the way she writes.  Her recipes come out delicious, they are easy to follow and in the case of The Italian Slow Cooker simple to make.  Be forewarned though, a number of the recipes in this book do call for browning meat ahead in a skillet or sauteing items before putting them in the slow cooker.  The recipe I posted for the
Slow Cooker Chicken Stock is straight from her book.  There is also a recipe for Roman Oxtail Stew and a wonderful Beef in Barolo.  I haven't made them all, but the recipes I have tried have been delish!  So for those of you who like your slow cooker, I highly recommend you check it out whether in paperback or on Kindle.

Chicken for Dinner Tonight

Today was a chicken kind of day.  Still not feeling up to par but needing to cook something comforting tonight.  So let's see what's in the cupboards.....I have some tomatoes that need to be used, a few crimini mushrooms and a few stray potatoes...Okay that does it, Italian Baked Chicken.  A one dish meal that just takes a little bit of prep and into the oven it goes.  Plus I get to use up some of little odds and ends in the pantry before it's too late.  It's kind of tough cooking for one (especially for me).  Looking forward to that change in another week when Pat finally comes home for a little while.  I'll also get to use the leftover chicken later this week for some homemade crepes.

This is one of our daughter Janis' favorites and since she doesn't like potatoes very much (go figure) I considered it a success when I could find a way to get her to eat them as a child!

Baked Italian Chicken with Potatoes and Tomatoes

1 Roasting Chicken, cut into portions (I used chicken leg quarters)

Several Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into quarters

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

1-15oz can stewed tomatoes with juice

1or 2 tsp. dried oregano

3 sage leaves, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, minced

salt and fresh ground black pepper

olive oil

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large roasting pan, pour enough olive oil to thinly coat the bottom of the pan.  Add sliced onions and chicken.  Coat chicken with oregano, sage, garlic, salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.  Add potatoes and cook for about another 30 minutes.  

If you are going to add fresh tomatoes (I added a couple of plum tomatoes and some crimini mushrooms that had to be used) this is the time to add them along with your stewed tomatoes.  Continue cooking for about 15 minutes longer or until you are sure your chicken and potatoes are cooked through.

Serve with a nice crusty bread and if you like a salad.

There you have it, an easy dinner that's is terrific leftover and a great use for some of those veggies that need to be used.  Enjoy!