Artichokes in Batter

Ingredients:

  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 teaspoon corn starch
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • saIt to taste
  • 1 package frozen artichokes, defrosted
  • olive oil

Make the batter using the egg, flour, etc. Dip artichokes into batter and fry in about 1/2 inch of olive oil until golden. Drain on paper towels.

 There’s not too much to say about the artichoke recipes.  the stuffed artichoke is different than American recipes in that I add Italian cheese.  For the batter-dipped artichokes, you must use frozen vegetables and the batter is the same as for the cauliflower fritters.

As with all my fried foods, the secret is to keep the oil at the right temperature.  Do not let it get too hot and do not let it cool down.  Keep adding the vegetables or meat as one is removed.  This is important!


Stuffed Artichokes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 3/4 cup grated Italian cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

Wash artichokes; trim stems; cut off 1 inch at the top of each petal. Remove thick, outer leaves. Brush cut edges of leaves with lemon juice to prevent from getting black. Carefully spread leaves. Fill each leaf with filling. Place in a pot small enough so vegetables fit snugly and filled with about 1 cup of water. Steam vegetables for about 20 to 35 minutes or till a leaf pulls out easily. Serve hot or at room temperature.

There’s not too much to say about the artichoke recipes.  the stuffed artichoke is different than American recipes in that I add Italian cheese.  For the batter-dipped artichokes, you must use frozen vegetables and the batter is the same as for the cauliflower fritters.

As with all my fried foods, the secret is to keep the oil at the right temperature.  Do not let it get too hot and do not let it cool down.  Keep adding the vegetables or meat as one is removed.  this is important!


Fried Zucchini

Ingredients:

  • 1 large zucchini
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • spaghetti sauce
  • grated Italian cheese
  • fresh basil, chopped

Slice zucchini into 1/4 inch slices. Place in colander and salt to remove extra moisture. Drain on paper towels. Fry in oil. Again, drain on paper towels. Place on a platter and add sauce to provide a seasoning. Do not add too much sauce. Sprinkle with freshly grated cheese and then add chopped basil.

Zucchini is a very popular vegetable in Italian families. We used them because they were cheap.  When you have to cook for a large family you just cook!


Zucchini

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 Ibs zucchini
  • 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce
  • 1/4 cup grated Italian cheese

Peel and cut zucchini into 2 inch slices. Quarter each slice. Saute the garlic cloves in the oil and then add the zucchini and saute and season with salt to taste. Add spaghetti sauce, cover and cook on low heat. When almost cooked add the cheese which has been cut into 1/4″ pieces. Continue cooking until tender.

 Zucchini is a very popular vegetable in Italian families. We used them because they were cheap.  When you have to cook for a large family you just cook!


Twice Baked Potatoes

(Quantity of potatoes and ingredients depends on servings. Allow at least one whole potato per person)

Scrub Idaho potatoes and cook for I hour at 450°.

When cooked, remove from oven and while still hot, split lengthwise. Scoop out pulp and beat in milk, butter, salt, white pepper and a little Italian grated cheese.

Fill potato skins. Sprinkle on a some more cheese; dot with butter and top with paprika seasoning for color.

When ready to eat, return to oven to heat. When hot again, put under broiler for a minute or until tops are slightly brown.

This is really JoAnn’s recipe.  She’s the one who always made them.  I used to make them in Pennsauken but don’t make them anymore.


Broccoli

Clean fresh broccoli and cut off thick stalks. Cut the crown into flourettes and trim any of the tougher stems_ Bring about 1 quart of cold or warm water to a boil. Add salt to taste. Add broccoli and cook three to five minutes or until tender. Serve hot with olive oil and garlic that has been slivered.

I don’t know why but my family seems to think I make very good vegetables. I just do what it says to do in these recipes.  I do keep a close eye on the vegetables while they’re cooking so that I don’t overcook them.  As  for the salad, my grandchildren, especially Paul and Stephen, say I make the best salad.  Well, there’s nothing to it except maybe the olive oil.  It’s a good idea to use a good-tasting oil and make sure not to use too much vinegar.

I once learned something about cooking vegetables.  If you’re cooking root vegetables like potatoes or carrots cook them in cold water.  All above-ground vegetables like broccoli and beans should be cooked in boiling water.


Cauliflower Fritters

Ingredients:

  • 1 cauliflower
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 teaspoon corn starch
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup grated Italian cheese
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • olive oil

Cut cauliflower into small florettes. Parboil in salted water about 5 minutes. Make batter using rest of the ingredients. Dip cauliflower into batter and fry in about 1/2 inch of olive oil until golden brown. If the florettes are too large, split in halves for easier frying .

My mother made these.  However, the batter is a recipe I got from a TV show.  Whenever I make these my family eats them while I’m serving them and will fight over who gets the most.  They think they’re more like a dessert than a vegetable.


Rice Balls

Ingredients — Rice Mixture

  • *1 pound of white rice, boiled and drained
  • 1 1/2 cups of grated Italian cheese
  • 8 tablespoons tomato sauce
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • salt to taste

Add all ingredients to cooked rice.

Ingredients — Meat Mixture

  • 1/2 onion, chopped fine
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 4 tablespoons of tomato sauce

To make balls:

Moisten left hand, put rice in it, put in a little meat mixture, cover with rice and shape into a ball. Cover with beaten egg then coat with flour and continue rolling into a ball the size of a small orange.

Deep fry in about one quart olive oil until brown.

*Do not use coverted rice; it will not stick together. Use the smaller grain such as the Italian type called “arborio” .

 I never really made rice balls.  These were Lucy Taormina’s specialty.  When she would visit us in Pennsauken all the women in the family would get together and spend the whole day making rice balls.  The men would keep coming into the kitchen and eat them as fast as we could make them.  We never sat down to eat them as a meal.  It was always a special occasion when we got together to make reice bals.  I don’t think anyone will make them now.  They’re hard to make.  I don’t know where the recipe came from. My mother may have brought it over from Sicily and then passed it on to my sister, Josie, who passed it on to her daughter, Lucy.


Italian Eggroll

For each egg used add the following;

  • 1 tablespoon bread crumb
  • 1 tablespoon grated Italian cheese

Put in a mixing bowl and mix well. Add 1 clove chopped garlic (more if many eggs are used). Season to taste with salt. Add freshly chopped basil, again to taste. Put part of mixture in a fry pan that has about 1/4 inch of hot cooking oil. Cook slowly. When done on one side, turn and roll as a jelly roll or serve as is and cut into wedges .

Many times I make this at lunch along with cold cuts and provolone cheese.  Almost everyone in the family enjoys it, even my great-grandchildren, Leah and Nicolas.  My grandson, Stephen, makes it for himself after I gave him the recipe.  We always called it froissia.  It’s really a frittata or omelette.  You can serve it cold if you want.