Bialetti Moka Express

Espresso and Sambuca

Ah... the joys of being retired...

Victor saw an online article the other day that Bialetti - the maker of the iconic Moka Express was in danger of bankruptcy. Neither of us have ever owned a moka express, so we decided it was time - anything to help stave off bankruptcy from such an iconic Italian company.

The pot arrived this morning, and I immediately put it to work - doing the initial wash and brewing the initial first pot that, following instructions, is then thrown away.

This afternoon, we decided to officially break it in - espresso with Sambuca.

It is a classic flavor combination and something I have enjoyed at restaurants after a great meal, but never in the middle of the afternoon on a Tuesday. Somehow, that slight bit of decadence made it taste all the better.

We have a burr grinder for our coffee - and drink an extra dark roast - Café Pajaro from Trader Joe's - so it was no problem getting a finely ground dark roast coffee. It was the perfect foil for the pot and the Sambuca - rich full coffee flavor and licorice.

The perfect afternoon pick-me-up.

Retirement really is good...


Pistachio Risotto

Pistachio Risotto

I find it rather interesting how meals can come together around here. This morning, I pulled a pork chop out of the freezer thinking I'd grill a chop and probably serve it with mashed potatoes and peas. Simple and basic.

While moving things in the cupboard, I saw a jar of Pistachio Spread I had bought from Eataly back in October. The wheels started turning and I thought that maybe a pistachio mashed potato would be fun. And then I looked up and saw the carnaroli rice and knew I was going to be making a pistachio risotto. I mean... how bad could it possibly be?!?

What was once to be a grilled pork chop was cut in half and became pork cutlets - pounded, dredged in flour, egg, and - you guessed it - pistachios - along with some panko bread crumbs because I had pulled out the bread crumbs before thinking about chopping pistachios.

It was definitely a spontaneous meal!

The risotto was very basic - a shallot, chopped, 1/2 cup carnaroli rice, a splash of white wine, about 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth, salt, pepper, and about a tablespoon of the pistachio spread. No cheese, no garlic, no other herbs and spices... I wanted the pistachio to come through - and it did. It was then topped with some chopped pistachios for added fun and flavor.

The cutlets were equally easy. Flour, egg, and then bread crumbs mixed with crushed pistachios and a bit of salt and pepper, fried off in a bit of olive oil. They were topped with a concoction of lemon juice, lemon zest, capers, parsley, and a splash of white wine. Very basic and very easy.

I wish all meals came together this effortlessly.

Now... what to do with the rest of the pistachio spread that won't break the calorie bank ?!?

 

 


Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs

There's something about pasta on Sunday that makes me smile. Since Sunday pasta is not a childhood memory of mine, it must stem from living with an Italian for almost 25 years.

We often had a big Sunday Dinner if my father was home from the firehouse, but it could also have been a simple spaghetti with meat sauce if he was working. And a homemade dessert - either way.

It's funny how food triggers memories. My mom would often make a thin spaghetti sauce and then cook the spaghetti right in the sauce - the starch from the pasta thickening the sauce. And from watching America's Test Kitchen, it's a thing, again.

Mom was always ahead of her times.

Victor, of course, makes his own sauce and I can it - about 15 quarts at a time. I understand why jarred sauce is so popular at the grocery store - it really is convenient. I just don't like any of them. I am totally and completely spoiled always having homemade sauce at my disposal.

We're down to the last quart of Victor's sauce so I'm going to have to get some tomatoes really soon. He needs to cook up another batch - it's something I really hate being out of.

The meatballs, tonight, were perfect.

Meatballs

And really easy to put together...

Ingredients:

  • ground beef
  • bread crumbs
  • grated pecorino
  • garlic
  • eggs
  • salt
  • pepper
  • oregano

Mix, roll, fry.

We've adjusted to eating 2 ounces of pasta at a meal. Victor has me weigh it out because he still thinks in terms of a pound of pasta for two people. That's the Italian version of Sunday Dinner - along with meatballs, sausages,  a lasagne or two, maybe some baked ziti. Lots of bread to dunk. And a nice salad.

I miss it and I don't. I love all of the various foods and flavors. I don't miss the bloated feeling after.

Less is more.

 

 

 

 


Five Rice Risotto

Five Rice Risotto

Every now and again, it's fun to take a classic dish and spin it around, a bit.

I think it's reasonably common knowledge that risotto is made with a short-grained rice - arborio is probably the best known and most readily available in the USofA, and carnaroli and vialone nano are two others that I really like. The short grained rice is starchier, which results in the creamy texture that a good risotto is known for.

That being said, with a little bit of time and effort, you can switch things up a bit and still get great results.

Tonight, I used a whole grain wild rice blend and carnaroli rice. I cooked off a half-cup of the rice blend in advance - it takes 45 minutes to cook on a good day - and then combined them for the risotto. The end result was pretty darned tasty.

The base, tonight, was ham and mushrooms. I diced up some of the ham from the other night that was portioned and frozen, along with a 10oz package of mushrooms. Into the pan they went, stirring and cooking until the ham was lightly browned and the mushrooms had let off their liquid. Then I added a minced clove of garlic.

Next into the pan went a half-cup of carnaroli rice. I stirred it around until it just started to get translucent. Then I added the cooked, drained wild rice blend and mixed it all together.

Then a half-cup of white wine went in. I stirred and cooked it down and then added hot ladles of chicken broth, stirring along until it was absorbed, before adding the next.

When it was all nice and absorbed, I added a half-cup of shredded Italian cheeses - and it really got creamy. I added a pinch of salt and pepper - nothing else was needed.

Rich, creamy, tons of flavor and lots of texture.

Simplicity in a bowl.

 


Eggplant and Gnocchi

Gnocchi and Eggplant

Victor was rummaging through the freezer yesterday and came upon a packet of breaded and fried eggplant he had cooked up in August. The cutlets were from eggplants in our garden - at a time when looking at eggplant was starting to get a bit rough. Even with a bad growing season, we had a lot of eggplant.

Fast-forward a few months and that eggplant is looking mighty fine - and tasting even better!

It's rather interesting how one can tire of a food after a while, and then, a short time later, relish in it! And I most definite relished in it, tonight!

The eggplant was perfection! Fork-tender mouthfuls of ricotta, oregano, and homemade sauce. And then there was the gnocchi! Light as a feather.

The basic for the gnocchi is a baked potato that has been riced, flour, an egg, a pinch of salt, and a bit of grated parmesan cheese. He doesn’t have exact measurements because every potato is slightly different. You mix the egg, potato, and a handful of flour together and then add the cheese and slowly add flour until the dough feels right. Vague, I know, but every batch is just a bit different. When you’ve made it a few times, you learn the feel - and it will be perfect for you, as well!

Because the eggplant was already fried, all Victor needed to do was make a ricotta filling - ricotta, quattro formaggio, garlic powder, parmesan, salt, and pepper. He layered it between two cutlets, topped it with sauce, and then baked, covered, for about 35 minutes.

It really was the perfect meal.

Victor made enough gnocchi for two meals - the rest went into the freezer and I'll vacuum-pack them later when they're solid. The  Mucca Rigagnocchi Gnocchi Rolling Machine from Fante’s in South Philly really makes the gnocchi-making a breeze. While it was never actually difficult to use the rolling board or the times of a fork, the roller really makes every one perfect.

There's one more package of gnocchi in the freezer. We'll see how long it takes us to break into it!

 

 

 


Crab Cioppino

'Twas The Night Before Christmas ...

... and more Ghosts of Christmases past have surfaced.

Coming from a large family, Christmas was anything but quiet. When it was merely the six kids, it was chaos and pandemonium. Imagine six kids attacking the tree looking for gifts with their name on it. A finite amount of space didn't stop us. At some point the parents would try to take charge and regulate things, a bit. It never lasted for long and only quieted down when the last gift was opened and the look of is that it?!? was shared by us all as we were surrounded by piles of boxes, paper, and bows.

One of my fond pyromaniac memories was burning all of the wrapping paper in the fireplace. Back in the day, anything burnable went into the fireplace - never the trash - and we had a fire pretty much every night. The colors of the flames when different colored papers were burning was better than a Presto Log!FireplaceNaturally, we'd over-pack it and the roaring flames would start licking the outside of the grate, reaching up towards the stockings. I remember the roaring noise it made and the heat felt across the room. Funny that I don't remember ever being told not to start a fire - only to be careful and don't burn down the house. Of course, these are the same parents who let me walk down to the corner Safeway store along 19th Avenue when I was a mere 4 years old. I think we grew up differently, back then - and that's probably not a bad thing.

One of my more fun memories is the one year my mother got so plastered she ended up going to bed before dinner was even finished cooking. My mom was not a big drinker and there really are only two times in my life I saw her totally over-the-top.

I was maybe 15 or so and the older folks started Christmas morning drinking a cross between a Brandy Alexander and a Grasshopper - brandy, crème de menthe, crème de cacao, and heavy cream - with Christmas Brunch. At some point it became brandy in a snifter - that just kept getting filled. She was just sipping along, never knowing or realizing how much she was drinking. And then she went down for the count. I remember finishing the gravy and getting the meal on the table while she was led off to bed - waking the following day vowing to never drink, again.

My first Christmas away from home was in 1972. I spent it in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Nothing says Peace on Earth quite like being on an aircraft carrier in the middle of a war zone. On a side note... we were supposed to get the Bob Hope Christmas Show on our boat, but at the last minute, they moved it to the USS Enterprise - that had just arrived on station. They were the big, fancy, new nuclear ship and we were passé. They got Jill St. John. We got the New Christy Minstrels. Sometimes life really isn't fair.

Back home, the family grew, adding spouses, significant others, more kids, and grandkids. It only got louder and more chaotic. And more fun.

Christmas

No one worried about chairs. You pulled up a piece of floor and sat. Or... did conga lines through the house...

Naturally, copious amounts of alcohol have never been a party to our parties... Much. This was the last time all six of us were together at Christmas - our house in San Leandro in 2000.

Christmas 2000

There's four of the thirteen grandkids missing, here, and, today, there's an additional fifteen or so, from them - mergers and acquisitions.

From that chaos we went to relative civility. Less kids and less chaos.

Christmas 2009

But still a lot of fun. And now there are a couple more little ones to watch with delight.

But even that fun has come to an end with Nonna no longer traveling the 90 miles north. It's a quiet dinner for two celebrating the Feast of the Seven Fish with a huge pot of Crab Cioppino, instead of the feast that Tom makes.

I definitely do miss that spread.

But... circumstances change and you have to adapt. We adapted by making Cioppino.

Crab Cioppino

Every time I make this I make it just slightly different - more peppers, less peppers, with mussels, without mussels, lots of anchovies, just a few anchovies. This is readily adaptable to what you have and what you like.

Crab Cioppino

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 bulb fennel, chopped
  • 2 red bell peppers, chopped
  • 2 green bell peppers, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 bottle good Chianti
  • 4 cups clam juice
  • 1 No 10 can San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
  • 3 lbs dungeness crab legs and claws
  • 1 lb shrimp
  • 24 clams
  • 24 mussels
  • 1 lb Alaskan cod cut into chunks
  • 1/2 lb calamari
  • 1 lb scallops
  • 1 jar anchovies
  • 2 tsp red pepper flakes – more or less, to taste
  • Greek oregano - we use our own we grow and dry
  • Salt & Pepper

Get a large pot.

Saute onion, fennel, bell peppers, and garlic in olive oil until vegetables are quite wilted and beginning to get tender. Stir in the anchovies and red pepper flakes and cook until anchovies dissolve.

Crab CioppinoAdd one bottle red wine – I use a really good chianti – and bring to a boil. Simmer about 10 minutes and add the clam juice.

Add the canned tomatoes, breaking them up as you add them.

Crab CioppinoAdd a hefty teaspoon of Greek oregano, a hefty pinch of salt and a hefty pinch of black pepper. Bring to a boil, and then simmer about 30 minutes.

At this point you can turn off the heat and save it for later or bring it to a boil and carry on… My personal preference is to make it in the afternoon, bring it to a boil, and then and let it simmer a bit. About 30 minutes before adding the seafood, I bring it back to a boil.

In about 5 minute increments,

Add the dungeness crab.

Add the clams and mussels.

Crab CioppinoAdd the cod chunks.

Add the shrimp.

Add the scallops.

Finally, add the calamari.

Crab CioppinoFrom start to finish on adding and cooking the fish should be about 20 minutes.

Taste for seasoning and add more red chile flakes or hot sauce, as desired. it should have a bit of a kick.

Ladle into large bowls – discarding any unopened clams – and serve with crusty bread.

Crab CioppinoForget the napkins. Have several kitchen towels available. This is one messy meal as half of it is eaten with your fingers.

It came out perfect. really perfect. Really rich without being overly filling. And it had the perfect amount of spice.

This really is something everyone should make at least once. It is ridiculously easy and definitely feeds a crowd.

I had planned a roast for tomorrow night, but we're going to do this, again. It was too good not to!

 

 


Spaghetti

Spaghetti alla Chitarra with Sausage and Langostino

I had to go down to the fish monger - Seafood USA in Wayne -  this morning to buy clams, mussels, and cod for tomorrow's Cioppino. I had already picked up the other things I needed, but these were all fresh. The entire world seemed to be shopping for La Vigilia tomorrow, but I thought it wiser to face the crowds today than to face a bigger crowd, tomorrow. While the shop was busy, the folks were in good moods and I even ran into an old TJ's customer I'd known for years. We had a fun chat while waiting, I talked clams and smelts with another guy, and reminisced about fresh anchovies in Sicily with yet, another. Somewhat surprisingly for two days before Christmas, no one seemed to be in a huge hurry.

The folks behind the counter were friendly and efficient with lots of smiles. It was an actual pleasant shopping experience - something I haven't experienced many of these past few years - especially around Christmas.

I got home and gathered everything I need for tomorrow - I'm disgustingly organized, sometimes - and found I had more than the requisite seven fish for tomorrow. Now... that's not an issue, but part of the horde was about 5 ounces of langostino that really didn't need to go in - and could be reworked into tonight's pasta dinner.

They became part of tonight's dinner.

I cooked up two links of red pepper sausage from Martin's and added a splash of red wine and then a jar of Victor's homemade pasta sauce. I let it simmer a bit and then added the langostino just as the pasta was finishing cooking.

A sausage and langostino sauce over thick spaghetti - a perfect meal for a perfect day.

Tonight, we head next door to visit the neighbors, tomorrow morning is the gym, and then it's crab cioppino, Christmas, and total relaxation.

This is the way Holidays are supposed to be!

 

 

 


Shrimp Risotto

Shrimp Risotto

I was thinking seafood of some sort for dinner tonight, when I realized it's been a while since I made risotto. Time to combine the two ideas and make a shrimp risotto, right?!? Right!

Risotto really is one of the easiest dishes in the world to make. I think it has a difficulty-reputation because restaurants want to be able to charge a lot of money for rice. Even designer-rices are relatively inexpensive.

I like to use carnaroli rice for risotto - it's pretty much the top of the line risotto rice. Besides being a lot more forgiving, it's also creamier than the easier-to-find arborio. When I can find it, I'll also use vialone nano - another rice that hails from the north of Italy - but all you really need is a short-grained rice. Don't tell the food snobs, but you can even use a paella rice like calaspara or bomba if that's what you have in the house. You just don't want to use a basic long-grained rice like Uncle Ben's or something like jasmine or basmati.

From there, it's just a bit of technique. You start by cooking off your onions or other hard vegetables, add rice and cook it a bit until it begins to get translucent, add some wine, then hot broth by the half-cup, making sure it is absorbed before adding the next. Add other ingredients, as desired, a bit of grated cheese, and it's ready to eat! Maybe 30 minutes start-to-finish.

Shrimp Risotto

  • 1 leek, chopped
  • 1 small bulb fennel, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup carnaroli, arborio, or other risotto rice
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 4 cups hot broth (clam, chicken, or vegetable)
  • 1/2 pound shrimp
  • 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • chopped parsley
  • 1/2 tsp fennel pollen
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Saute onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil and butter.  Add rice and cook until translucent, stirring continually.

Shrimp Risotto

Add wine and cook until almost fully absorbed.

Begin to add broth by the ladle, stirring continually.  Continue adding ladles of broth as the last one is absorbed, until rice is just tender. Run your spoon down the pan. When it leaves a trail, it's time to add more broth.

Shrimp Risotto

At this point, stir in shrimp and cook it in the rice.  Add parsley and cheese, stirring well.

Shrimp Risotto

Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as desired.

Totally simple.

I had leeks and fennel in the house, so I used them. You could use onions, or add mushrooms, or stir in peas. I had fennel pollen, but you can use Italian herbs, oregano, fresh basil if you have some...

It's a very forgiving dish and a great way to use up leftovers!


Orecchiette

Orecchiette with Olives

One week from right now, we will be on the train to Niagara Falls. In fact, we will almost be there, having just shuffled past Buffalo. Other than a drive-through this past summer, I haven't been to Buffalo since 1994 - 10 years after I opened the Hyatt there. Victor made his first trip to Niagara Falls this past summer and we decided to come back in the snow for the Festival of Lights. If the weather gods are listening, we should get just the right amount of snow to make picture-taking fun. Not to mention lots of holiday shopping! The added benefit of train travel is being able to bring more baggage and not have to worry about breakage like with the airlines. And no TSA.

I am really looking forward to spending mindless hours on the train - we have lots of books on the Kindles, lots of music, and even a movie or two if we're feeling so inclined. This ain't the travelling of my youth - we're doing this in comfort and style! I even splurged for Business Class seats from NYC. Senior Discounts! Total relaxation.

Slower travel really is the way to go. I looked into flying and yes, we could be there in about 1 1/2 hours by air - for more money - and have to deal with airports, traffic to and from, rental cars... The hassle just isn't worth it. We have the train right here, and we'll have a cab waiting in Niagara Falls to take us over the bridge. Most of what we want to see is within walking distance of the hotel, and if we need to venture far, there's Uber.

Civilized.

Being gone for four days does pose a few logistical issues, here. We have to make sure Nonna has everything she needs, so we don't have to send her sitter out searching for things. I made an extra-long trek to the store, today, to make sure her favorite things are here. I'll probably have to do a brief shop on Friday, but most everything she'll need is in the house.

Spending lots of time in the store meant I had to buy a couple of things for us that I don't get every week - like a trek around the Olive Bar. Fortunately, both of us love olives in all of their various flavors, brines, and cures. I tend to just grab an assortment of them and then toss them into a pot with some other stuff and call it dinner. It's amazing how versatile they are.

Tonight, it was ground pork, onion, red wine, assorted olives, garlic, diced tomatoes, peperoncino, and orecchiette pasta - salt & pepper. That's it. As simple as simple can be.

I sautéed the onion and garlic, browned off the pork, added the wine, the olives, and the tomatoes. Brought it all to a boil, added the cooked orecchiette, the crushed red pepper, and then a bit of salt & pepper.

Dinner was served.

No need for any other herbs or spices, although you could add anything and it would be excellent.

A week away. Can't wait!


Cavatappi

Cavatappi and Christmas

I know, I know... let's get Thanksgiving over with before we start with Christmas - and I really do agree - but this retirement thing has me wound up and rarin' to go.

After hitting the gym this morning, I headed down to the basement and started pulling out the Christmas Bins - specifically to get to the tablecloths, napkins, table runners, place mats, holiday towels - all of the soft goods that can stand a good washing after being tucked away for a year.

We wash the tablecloths and napkins as we use them, but there are things that go out that are more utilitarian or decorative that don't necessarily see the inside of the washing machine every year. Or every other year. Or ever.

Today, I washed every bit of it - two full washer loads -  and ::drumroll, please:: ironed it all!

Retirement - the time to do things you don't have the time, desire, or energy to do whilst being gainfully employed.

Victor, of course, is getting nervous and is threatening to put a padlock on the basement steps. Methinks he thinks I'll be bringing the tree up any minute. Not to worry, though... I'm merely plotting and planning. Getting organised. Friday, while all of the crazy people are out battling each other, stuck in traffic, and otherwise spending far more money than they can afford, will be the perfect time to deck our halls. Turkey soup will be simmering on the stove and Christmas Carols will be playing throughout the house - and they will be playing throughout the house. I just set up the Amazon Echo and the various Dots as a speaker group and the smart plugs to turn on the trees.

Can you tell I'm really looking forward to this?!?

Be afraid. Be very afraid...

While I was downstairs washing and ironing, I had chicken thighs stewing on the stove. Multi-tasking.

In the braiser with the chicken was a chopped onion, chopped garlic, chopped bell pepper, red wine, and tomato sauce. When the chicken was cooked, I pulled it out and shredded it - and added it back in with basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, and some S&P. Next, went a bag of arugula.

I cooked it all down, added some cooked cavatappi, let it simmer a few more minutes, and called it dinner.

We're going, not hosting Thanksgiving this year, so I'm cooking a small turkey tomorrow so we'll have the requisite leftovers and soup carcass. We're making a dessert and an appetizer. We're getting off easy!

 

 

 


Homemade Gnocchi

Homemade Gnocchi

I have been looking at the gnocchi roller for months. It's a Mucca Rigagnocchi Gnocchi Rolling Machine from Fante's in South Philly. Fante's has always been a pilgrimage site for me. I love the place and can get lost in there - and spend lots of dollars even at their really reasonable prices. The place is fun. I finally decided that it was our legal wedding anniversary so I bought it as a gift for Victor. So he could make me dinner. I'm thoughtful like that!

Homemade Gnocchi

Mucca means cow in Italian. How or why this thing is shaped like and named after a cow is beyond me - but it rolls an excellent gnocchi!

Homemade Gnocchi

Of course, you can roll a perfect looking gnocchi - the art is making the dough. Victor is an artist!

The basic is a baked potato that has been riced, flour, an egg, a pinch of salt, and a bit of grated parmesan cheese. He doesn't have exact measurements because every potato is different. You mix the egg, potato, and a handful of flour together and then add the cheese and slowly add flour until the dough feels right. Vague, I know, but every batch is just a bit different. When you've made it a few times, you learn the feel.

I used the last eggplant from the garden for the sauce - 1 eggplant, cubed and fried with onions and garlic, red wine, salt, pepper, hot sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano... and sun-dried tomato sausage I grilled and then sliced into the sauce.

The gnocchi were like little pillows - soft and delicate - the sauce was really rich and flavorful. I made enough sauce for dinner and a big batch to freeze for another day.

Maybe with the Candele Pasta...

 


Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

A few weeks ago, Victor made sweet potato gnocchi. We had no plans for it other than freezing for use at another date and time.

Today was that day and time.

There is something about homemade pasta that really can't be adequately described. It's over-the-top good - and infinitely better than the fresh pasta you can buy at the grocery store. It just works on every level.

Pasta is relatively easy to make. It takes a bit of practice to get the feel of the dough and the final shapes you want, but even weird looking pasta tastes excellent! You don't need special tools or equipment, although a pasta roller - one of the best ones you can get is only $79.99 at Fante's - is really the only way to fly if you're going to make pasta on a regular basis. And a simple gnocchi board is easier than a fork - although we made gnocchi and rolled it off a fork for years with no problems.

Victor's sweet potato gnocchi is an eyeball recipe.

A baked sweet potato that has been riced, an egg, salt & pepper, and flour. The flour is the wild card. You mix the sweet potato and egg together with a bit of S&P, and then start adding small amounts of flour - just enough to hold it all together and have a smooth dough. Not a lot.

Form pieces into a rope, cut them into individual pieces, and form them off the tines of a fork or with a gnocchi board - $4.99, also at Fante's.

They're light and delicate - not the belly bombs you buy packaged at the store. These are good.

The sauce tonight was a rework of the butternut squash soup Victor made on Friday. I cut up two links of andouille sausage - cleaning out that freezer - and browned it a bit in a saucepan. I added a chopped zucchini and then about a half-cup of white wine. When it cooked down a bit, I added the soup. It was nice and thick, so the wine made it just the perfect consistency.

I cooked the gnocchi, mixed it with the sauce, and dinner was served.