Pork and Polenta
I tend to buy whole pork loins, beef loins, and the like, and cut them and freeze them. Picked up on special, I can get chops and roasts for a great price. There's always a bit at the tail that doesn't quite work for a chop or steak. These I put away fro stewing or braising.
I pulled about a pound of pork out of the freezer today with the intent of cooking it with our less-than-stellar home-grown tomatoes. Something vaguely Italian to serve over polenta.
The February issue of La Cucina Italiana had quite a few polenta recipes as well as a pork ragu. I wasn't quite as ambitious as I would have needed to be to create any of their recipes, but it did give my lazy self a few ideas.
I started off with a really big shallot that I sauteed in a bit of olive oil. Next went 2 cloves of chopped garlic, the pork pieces and a 4oz container of pancetta. I browned it all a bit and then added about 8 chopped roma tomatoes and 2 chopped beefsteak tomatoes. I lowered the heat, put a lid on it, and walked away for a couple of hours.
I came back in, shredded the pork, added a bit of S&P and some crushed red pepper. Nothing else. I let it simmer some more.
Meanwhile, I made the polenta. Here, I did get an idea from the magazine. They made one polenta dish with something called polenta taragna - a polenta and buckwheat flour combination. I didn't have it, but I did have buckwheat flour. (What a surprise huh?!?)
Per the notes in the recipe, I mixed some flour with the polenta. Their ratio is 5:1 polenta to buckwheat flour.
I made the polenta with 2 cups of milk, 1/2 cup polenta mixture, and a pinch of garlic powder, salt and pepper. After cooking the required time, I stirred in some shredded Locatelli cheese with peppercorns we picked up at the shore last weekend.
I have to say it came out pretty swell.
The flavors all worked together really well. I could have really spiced the pork to no end - my first idea this morning was a spicy BBQ'd pork - but it worked really well with the more subtle flavors. It was actually a bit of a change from some of the dishes I've made in the past.
And there was enough left over to make a couple of really good sandwiches for lunch tomorrow!
The best kind of fast food.
Roasted Tomatoes
We were down at the shore this past weekend celebrating birthdays - my 60th and my nephews 16th. We were in Point Pleasant - way north of Atlantic City and only 11 miles south of Asbury Park.
I have some pretty foggy memories of Asbury Park circa 1978. I was living in Tahoe and one of my roommates was an east coast boy. We flew east for a 2-week vacation that included Memorial Day weekend at a "little summer home" in Cape May. But before we could get to Cape May, we had to stop off and see the family of another friend of ours - who owned a bar in Asbury Park. It was named Killeen's and was near the boardwalk, somewhere. It may have been across the street. Alas, I was only there once, and when I left, I was quite drunk. Pat Killeen's sister, Colleen - I think - was bartending, and when she learned we were friends of Pat's... well... let us just say that the liquor flowed like liquor. We didn't pay a cent and got totally trashed - before noon.
We then drove the 110 miles to Cape May. It was also the weekend Resorts opened in Atlantic City - the first casino. There were no worries of speeding. It was a great introduction to New Jersey and The Jersey Shore.
But back to Point Pleasant...
There's an Italian specialty store in Point Pleasant named Joe Leone's that has some pretty remarkable - and rather expensive - gastronomic delights. Lots of fresh breads, cheeses and meats, but also freshly-prepared foods that included meatballs, cutlets, eggplant... tons of stuff. I picked up a few things - Locatelli with peppercorns, some "00" flour, a bag of Polenta Puffs (don't ask) and some sesame cookies for Victor's mom.
One thing we saw - and didn't buy - was roasted tomatoes. They really looked good, but they were selling for more than I wanted to pay. Besides, we both knew we could make them at home with no problem.
And today, Victor did just that!
The tomatoes at Joe Lone's were thick-sliced beefsteaks, but we had roma tomatoes from our garden, so we used those. He did some sliced in rings and some sliced lengthwise and seeded.
Roasted Tomatoes
- tomatoes
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- garlic cloves, minced
- sugar
- salt
- pepper
Preheat oven to 450°.
Arrange the tomatoes on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with the garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add a pinch of fresh herbs, if you want.
Roast about 30 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to caramelize.
No measurements because it will depend on how many tomatoes you're doing. Drizzle means just that. No need to soak anything.
A bit of sugar - just a bit - helps to create that kinda gooey caramelly texture and flavor. Even a sweet tomato will benefit from it. And don't be afraid of the garlic. Use a lot.
They went excellently with some hot Italian sausage, imported provolone cheese, and a loaf of fresh bread.
I see more of these in our future...
Pork Cutlets with Walnuts, Raisins, and Speck
I just love La Cucina Italiana. Every issue has something in it that I just need to make. It's especially good because I just can't seen to get Italy out of my mind. It really was the best vacation, ever. I'd head back tonight if I could, but though we can't go tonight, we are going for our 20th Anniversary in 2014. I'm starting to put the pennies in the piggy bank. I want to go to Sicily and bask in the Mediterranean, this time.
The latest issue had a recipe for pork cutlets with pine nuts and prosciutto. I didn't have pine nuts (???) and had some great speck, so the recipe was adapted to fit my ingredients. It's how I cook.
Pork Cutlets with Walnuts, Raisins, and Speck
(adapted from La Cucina Italiana.)
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins, plumped and drained
- 1 1/2 tablespoons capers
- 1 1/2 cups finely grated Grana Padano cheese
- 1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 6 small pork cutlets, pounded
- 6 thin slices speck
Heat oven to 475º. Finely chop together nuts, raisins, parsley, and capers. Sir together nut mixture and cheese. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter and garlic over medium-high heat. Cook cutlets about 2 minutes per side, then transfer to a sheet pan. Mound nut mixture over cutlets, then wrap each cutlet with 1 slice speck.
Dot with remaining tablespoon butter; bake 5 minutes.
I have to say it came out pretty darn good. I took the leftover filling and stirred it into some gnocchi and added some small mozzarella balls to the mix.
The saltiness of the capers, cheese, and speck negated the need for any salt at all. And the sweetness of the raisins added juuuuuust the right balance.
This is another of those recipes that has a lot of variations just waiting to be made.
Ah, Italy...
Squid Ink and Shrimp
It's so much fun to come home on Saturday to whatever delight Victor has come up with. It just never fails to delight my gastronomic senses. And it pretty much delights the rest of my senses, as well.
Tonight I walked into the house to the smell of fresh-baked focaccia and squid ink pasta drying. Ya shoulda seen the smile on my face!
Victor has the pasta-making down to a complete science. I will probably never make homemade pasta again in my life. His is perfect.
For the squid ink pasta, he just takes his basic recipe and adds a drop or two of the ink. We keep it in the freezer - a little goes a long way and it doesn't freeze solid so it's always at the ready! This is enough for two good portions. Double or more for however many you're cooking for.
Victor's Pasta
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/8 teaspoon squid ink
- up to 1 teaspoon water, if necessary
Instructions
On a clean work surface, mound flour and form a well in the center. Add egg and egg yolk to the well. Using a fork, gently break up yolks and slowly incorporate flour from inside rim of well. Continue until liquid is absorbed, then knead for 10 minutes. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes.
Divide dough into 3 pieces. Cover 2 pieces with plastic wrap. Flatten remaining dough piece so that it will fit through the rollers of a pasta machine.
Set rollers of pasta machine at the widest setting, then feed pasta through rollers 3 or 4 times, folding and turning pasta until it is smooth and the width of the machine.
Roll pasta through machine, decreasing the setting, one notch at a time (do not fold or turn pasta), until pasta sheet is scant 1/16 inch thick.
Cut sheet in half widthwise; dust both sides of sheets with flour. Layer sheets between floured pieces of parchment or wax paper. Cover with paper and repeat with remaining dough.
With the short end of 1 pasta sheet facing you, loosely fold up sheet, folding sheet over two or three times from short ends toward the center. With a large chefs knife, cut folded sheet into ribbons, a scant 1/4 inch wide. Unroll strips and lightly dust with flour; spread on a lightly floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pasta sheets.
To cook the tagliatelle, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain pasta, transfer to a large serving bowl and toss with sauce.
For the sauce, he sauteed garlic in olive oil and butter. In went jumbo shrimp and he cooked until almost done. He added a good squeeze of lemon juice, zest from half a lemon, a healthy pinch of red pepper flakes, and about a quarter-cup of grated grana padano. He took it off the stove and added one chopped tomato and then stirred in the cooked pasta.
It rocked. Conversation consisted of "Umm." "This is great." "Mmm." "Burp." "This is great."
We both cleaned our plates.
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens.
Focaccia
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 pkg. active dry yeast
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup warm water (110°)
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, the yeast, and salt; add warm water and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly.
- With dough hook in place, knead to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total). Lightly grease a large bowl; place dough in bowl and cover with a towel. Let dough rise in a warm place until double in size (30 minutes).
- Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 16×12-inch rectangle. Place in a greased 16x12x1-inch baking pan. Let rise 20 minutes.
- Top with toppings of choice and bake at 375° about 25 minutes.
This is another great no-fail recipe.
And there's grilled peaches for dessert!
Antica Caciara Trasteverina
I found my dream-store - in the Trasteverina district of Rome.
Trasteverina - literally after (or across) the Teverina (Tiber) - is what many consider "old Rome." It's not as touristy, it's a bit more run-down. But for many things - less expensive and much more real. We had a great dinner there the other night and wanted to return to see the area in daylight. I am so glad we did!
We found a meat and cheese shop that was just out of this world! A salumi & formaggio store with so many meats and cheeses, I wanted to cry. The cases were just filled to the brim with the most fabulous foods. The owner saw the look on my face and broke into a grin. He spoke no English at all, but we had the best conversation.
I asked if I could take pictures and he smiled and shook his head yes. And then got out of the way. He was a bit camera-shy, himself. Or part of the witness protection program. But, oh... what a shop full of earthly delights!
He had every conceivable smoked or cured meat, from different prosciuttos and speck to a dozen salamis - spicy and not - along with lots of wines, dried pasta, and fresh-baked breads. It was the store I want right down the street from me!
And the cheeses!
The case went on and on...
Filled to overflowing with some of the most beautiful cheeses I have ever seen. They weren't displayed as art - as they would be in a negozio di formaggi di Parigi. But art, it all was. Handmade cheeses from all over the country.
Besides the meats and cheeses, there were walls of wine and olive oil.
I wanted to just sit on the floor and start eating. And eating. And eating. Savoring every new flavor, every new texture, every new aroma...
The owner let us know that they are online and they ship to the United States.
I see an order being placed when we get home...
Antica Caciara
Via San Francesco a Ripa, 140 a/b
00153 Roma - Italia
The Food, The Food
It's non-stop eating.
From local mom-and-pop restaurants to the fast food at historic sites to the sandwiches in mobile trucks, the food is awesome.
I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but the Italians - and Europeans in general - respect food. So unlike their American counterparts.
Yes, there is packaged sliced bread in the grocery store, but the folks are lined up buying the fresh-baked bread in back.
Lots of Coca-Cola - but it's made with sugar - and tastes so much better. Even crappy McDonald's has what could be referred to as real food - not that we've been in one to prove it - but the outside menus show so many offerings other than the chemical-laden crap sold in the US.
Respect for food.
We were in Ostia Antica yesterday and had sandwiches at the small cafeteria at the site. Simple salami and cheese on fresh rolls. Yes, they were made in advance, but they were made in advance on-premise. They were delicious.
I had a Saltimbocca alla Roma night before last. Simple, yet so much flavor. Fresh ingredients...
One of our real treats is having a pasticceria around the corner... One Euro pastries to die for! Those, along with fresh melon, have been our standard breakfast. Maybe some Italian yogurt... I should eat like this all the time.
Only thing I'm missing? My American-brewed coffee. I like my mug-o-coffee - sans milk. We do have a coffee maker in the apartment, but the coffee has all been espresso-ground. It makes for a bit of a murky brew.
But I think I'll survive...
Gastronomic Heaven
Food, glorious food...
I thought the best food I had ever had was in France. I'm changing my mind...
Okay... I know that so much of the dining experience is time and place. But... so much of it is the quality ingredients, too. Just wonderful.
Last night Phoebe and Nancy made Nancy's take on a classic putanesca. Olives, tomatoes, garlic, crushed red pepper... On fresh pasta. With fresh - fresh - crusty bread.
Okay... so we're eating this in an apartment across the street from the Colosseum. But... It still doesn't get any better.
The food seriously has been great. From small sandwiches to multi-course dinners, the pride in the food is evident. This is not American Fast Food. Even the fast food isn't American fast food. The people here demand quality - and they get it.
I've taken lots of pictures of lots of food, but right now I want to get out and eat some more of it... So...
I'll be back. In the meantime, here's Phoebe and Nancy dancing in the Piazza Navona...
Italian Food
A kitchen in Rome! Am I a happy kid, or what?!?
Our first trek into Italian eating was yesterday lunch. A sidewalk cafe down the street from us. I thought I took pictures - evidently, I didn't. Oh well. I'll blame the excitement of lunching on the street in Roma and lack of proper sleep.
I had a great sandwich - filled with tomatoes, mozzarella, arugula - and a thin omelette. OMG! Good. Gastronomic heaven. Others were having risottos, pasta dishes, much more substantial foods. I went simple. I'm glad I did. It's hot in Rome right now. Light meals are much easier on my system...
We hit the grocery store around the corner for fresh pasta and a bunch of vegetables and I cooked up a papardelle with garlic, onions, Italian zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, bell pepper... Who knows what else... It was so much fun!
The store itself was fun. We had a lot of fun in the back with the fresh bakery and butcher. Very little English was spoken with the woman and man behind the counter. I said "pane" and pointed to a large loaf on display. She motioned cut in half and I sad no. She moved to a quarter and I said "all." She good-humoredly lectured me on how to say a "whole loaf." I laughed, repeated it back, got an A for my Italian lesson - and promptly forgot the word.
We have a small kitchen but a great gas stove! And lots of pots and pans. We'll cook, again...
After touring the ruins, we headed to a pizzeria - and air conditioning. My first Roma Caprese salad. Fabulous, as one would expect. It's just amazing how good simple ingredients can be - when they're grown right and without Monsanto being involved.
Victor ordered an "Assortment" of sandwiches - which turned out to be a singular Tuna sandwich. Methinks the translation should have been "Assorted" - as in "we have assorted sandwiches for €3,00 each." Since he also ordered a large salad and I had ordered a pizza, neither of us left hungry.
The tuna sandwich was awesome. No mayo or binder...
The huge salad...
Just brimming with fresh produce...
And the Pizza...
Prosciutto and artichokes. Oh, yeah!
And it was a thin - but substantial - crust.
It was also a combination I wouldn't have thought of, but damn! It worked well!
We haven't even scratched the surface of Rome - sights or food - so there's plenty more exploring and excursioning to do.
This is a lot of fun!
La Cucina Italiana
The past week or so has been interesting eating around the Dineen/Martorano household. We have been in serious clean out the refrigerator mode in anticipation of our little trek to Italy on Friday.
What?!? You didn't know we were heading to Italy for 15 glorious days?!? With apartments in Rome and Florence?!? You been hiding under a rock?!?
Really... I'm sure my coworkers would gladly take up a collection to get me to stay home for the next two days if they could. I mean... It's not like I've been totally obnoxious. Much...
In less than 71 hours, we're on our way.
And that means a clean refrigerator before we go. Waste not, want not and all that...
Renting apartments - with kitchens, washing machines, living rooms and real chairs and couches - is going to really make the trip. I've been scoping out the neighborhoods around our apartments and already know where the grocery stores, supermarkets, specialty stores, and other mercatos are located. We have one store directly around the corner from us in Rome. I'll be there early Saturday.
I want to cook in Italy. I want to eat in Italy. I want to experience as many flavors as I can. And I want to shop and bring home as much as I can. I'm traveling with a big suitcase.
La Cucina Italiana, indeed.
Besides the mercatos, I've been checking out kitchen stores. Who knows what tool or gadget I'll find that I just won't be able to live without.
And while I've been checking out kitchen stores, Victor has been checking out pottery, dishes, platters, bowls, and the like. I wouldn't be surprised if we end up with a new set of china... Hand-painted Tuscan... We shall see...
We will be posting regularly here and at TimAndVictor.com.
I just can't wait.
Repurposed with a Purpose
I love it when there are enough odds and ends laying about that I can create dinner without having to really do anything.
And tonight was a perfect case in point.
Yesterday I had grilled pork chops. Not the two thick chops I thought I had pulled out of the freezer, but 5 thin chops I had cut and thought I'd use for pork scallops or some such thing. After they had thawed and I realized they weren't quite what I was expecting, I marinated them all in some red wine, garlic, and olive oil and then grilled them. We ate the two larger ones and the remaining three went into the 'fridge.
Also in the 'fridge - sitting in a lovely tupperware container - was a couple of cups of sauce left over from Sunday's Lasagne. It was a great homemade sauce - we eschew jarred sauce in our house - and was just crying out for some pasta to cover.
And lo! A half-box of pasta on the shelf! Could this have really been planned all along?
Well. No. It's just what our kitchen is like on most days. We can always cook dinner without going to the store.
So the pork cutlets were cubed and dropped into the sauce. The pasta was dropped into the boiling water. The end of the wedge of pecorino romano cheese was grated. Yesterday's bread was sliced.
Dinner was served!
And while dinner was a bevy of leftovers, dessert is fresh - fresh blackberries in a homemade custard. It's cooling in the 'fridge right now...
Pasta with Fennel
Fennel is one of those things I really like - and rarely cook. I don't think I ever had it as a kid, and I can't think of any restaurants I ever worked where it was on a menu. And since so much of my cooking repertoire comes from those places...
So I was at the grocery store today, spied some fennel, and thought of a pasta dish I had seen some time back in Bon Appetit magazine. Out came the phone, I hit the Epicurious App, and within seconds, there was the recipe. Sometimes I just love technology!
I can't believe that it was only a few years ago that I didn't even want a camera on my phone. It's not that I was a Luddite... I just wanted a phone to make calls - not have people call me. I still don't want people calling me on my cell phone - but I have embraced carrying the world around in my pocket. It is seriously way-cool.
The recipe called for tortellini, but we had lots of different pastas already in the house. No need to buy something else.
I played around with the original recipe - as is my wont - and must say it came out pretty good.
Which brings me to another gripe I have - people giving a poor rating to a recipe based on what they did to it, not the recipe, itself. Time and time again I read things like "I didn't have any Italian sausage so I used a chicken sausage I got from Walmart and I didn't have any spinach so I used kale and whipping cream is bad for you so I substituted nonfat milk. It was just horrible. I only give it one fork."--A Chef from Peoria.
Dear Clueless in Peoria... You're a lousy cook - there's nothing wrong with the recipe!
Dischi Pasta with Italian Sausage, Fennel, and Mushrooms
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1 lb Italian sausages, crumbled
- lg pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/2 lb baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 lb pasta
- 1 bag fresh baby spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Sauté sliced fennel bulb, sausage, and mushrooms until sausage is brown and cooked through and fennel is almost tender. Add garlic, red pepper, and fennel seeds. Stir in cream, then 1 cup broth. Bring to boil and then simmer a few minutes until it slightly thickens.
Cook pasta. Drain.
Add pasta to sausage mixture. Add spinach; toss gently until spinach wilts. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese.
Add S&P as desired.
It just worked. Fun and flavorful.
Meatball Sandwiches
I love rainy days!
Early this morning Victor decided to make a batch of meatballs. Meatballs and sauce were the perfect thing to take the chill off the house.
So while the rain gently fell, the smell of garlic and olive oil filled the house.
There are certain things that are difficult to describe, and one of them is the utter joy I can feel with certain scents wafting out of the kitchen. Frying garlic is definitely one of them. Part of it is the knowledge that there's more to follow - that it's just the beginning of a fabulous meal. It can go in any number of directions - and all of them are good.
We debated what to do with them... We have several different pastas on the shelves, but in the end decided meatball sandwiches were what the Medico ordered...
Meatballs layered with sauce and fontina cheese, melted in the oven with french fries.
Perfezione!