some family italian recipes.....

[deepsouth]

these recipes are from my uncles cook/art book.

soitalian.net - soitalian Resources and Information.

eggplant slices, tomatoes and mozzarella

2 or 3 medium round eggplants
flour for dredging
4 round tomatoes, sliced
2 anchovy fillets, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
sliced mozzarella
1/2 cup basil, chopped
vegetable oil
olive oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

slice eggplants. dredge eggplant slices in flour and fry in plenty of vegetable oil. do not allow to get too crisp. remove eggplant slices from oil and place on paper towel to drain.

oil a baking dish and place in 1 slice of eggplant at a time. on each slice of eggplant place a slice of tomato and a thin slice of mozzarella. place the next slice of eggplant halfway over the previous slice and continue until the bottom of the dish is covered. the eggplant should be so staggered that half of the previous slice is exposed. bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

in a saucepan heat 1/2 cup olive oil. add finely chopped anchovies, garlic, basil, vinegar, salt and pepper. stir well to dissolve anchovies. remove from heat.

remove eggplant slices frmo the oven and immediately pour on sauce. allow to cool slightly. eggplant may also be served cold.

(from the region of Campania)

[deepsouth]

goulash

(for 6 servings)

1/2 pound lean beef, cut into bite-size pieces
2 onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 potatoes, cut inot bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
1 bay leaf
dash of cumin
dash of majoram
zest of 1 lemon

cook onion and garlic in oil and butter until onion is transparent. add meat, paprika and tomato paste. cook for 15 minutes. then sprinkle lightly with flour. add 1 1/2 quarts water. salt to taste and continue cooking until meat is almost tender. add potatoes. when the potatoes are cooked, add bay leaf, lemon zest, cumin and majoram. cook about 5 minutes longer and serve.

(from the region of Trentino Alto Adige)

[deepsouth]

caponata

2 pounds eggplant (preferably long and seedless)
salt
olive oil
2 cups coarsely chopped celery, white interior part
1 onion, chopped
1 small can tomato paste
3 teaspoons sugar
1 cup good quality red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons capers, chopped
3/4 cup green olives, chopped
pepper to taste
salt to taste

dice eggplant, sprinkle with salt and place in a colander to drain for at least 1 hour. dry eggplant with paper towel and fry in plento of hot oil until well browned. remove eggplant from oil and spread on paper towels to drain.

fry celery in same oil until tender and drain on paper towels.

pour about 1/4 cup of the same oil into another pan and cook onion until golden. dilute the tomatoe paste in 1/2 cup warm water and stir into onion. season with salt and cook 15 minutes over moderate heat. add sugar, vinegar, capers, olives, eggplant and celery. add plenty of freshly ground pepper and salt to taste. simmer 10 minutes. serve cold.

[deepsouth]

brodetto (fish stew) Ancona style

brodetto, a fish stew with a tomato base, is a specialty of the Marche region of Italy. there are several recipes for brodetto, even within the Marche. this recipe belongs to the provence of Ancona. in this recipe, we are using fish available to the southern united states.

2 1/2 to 3 pounds of mixed fish - swordfish, orange roughy, squid, red snapper, shrimp, clams, mussels, lobster. clean the clams and mussels well and put them into the stew whole. when i make brodetto for a large group, i cook the whole lobster in the stew. then i remove the meat from the tail, chop it and put it in the stew. i put the whole remaining lobster shell on top for presentation.

1 onion, chopped
1 can (28 oz.) tomatoes, pureed or peeled and mashed
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 cup chopped parsley
red pepper flakes to taste
1/2 cup white vinegar or 1 cup white wine
olive oil
salt and pepper
about 3 cups fish stock
6 slices firm bread (one per person)

cut fish into large pieces. heat olive oil in large saucepan, dutch oven, or preferable, a clay pot. add onion, garlic, carrot, celery, bay leaves, parsley and red pepper flakes. cook about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

add tomatoes and cook about 15 minutes. then add fish, beginning with the fish that takes the longest to cook. add pepper and salt. add vinegar (or wine). when wine has evaporated, add fish stock. the amount of fish stock is determined by the amount of liquid in the pot. th brodetto should be very soupy. cover and cook 15 minutes.

toast the bread and place a slice at the bottom of each person’s bowl. ladle brodetto over bread and serve immediately.

some versions of brodetto use saffron instead of red pepper flakes and white wine instead of vinegar. also, you can substitute rice for bread.

fish stock

1 or 2 pounds of throw-away parts of fish
1 onion
2 carrots
3 ribs celery
3 quarts water

put all ingredients in a large pot and boil gently for 2 hours. strain. you may freeze extra stock.

[deepsouth]

Bolognese (meat sauce)

very few italian dishes have one set recipe. different regions and different families have their own way of doing dishes that go by the same name. Consequently, there is no one way to do Bolognese Sauce. This is the most basic recipe.

1/2 - 3/4 pound lean beaf, coarsely ground
4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
parsley, chopped
thyme, leaves only
2 bay leaves
2 pieces clove
salt and pepper to taste
stock

optional: cup of red wine
1 small can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon of flour
parmesan cheese

heat butter in a tall skillet or a saucepan. add onion, celery, carrot and meat. when the meat begins to brown, add a little stock and continue adding from time to time so the bottom of the pan always has some liquid. at this time you may also add a cup of red wine. allow the wine to evaporate before adding more stock. after the wine has evaporated, tomatoes may be added. also, a sprinkling of flour may be added. bolognese with tomatoes is more common than without.

add parsley, thyme, bay leaves, cloves, salt and pepper. lower heat and cook, covered, for one hour or more.

serve grated parmesan on the size.

[deepsouth]

Lasagna

in the region of the Marche, and nowhere else, lasagne is called Vincisgrassi. some say the name “Vincisgrassi” is drived from Windish Graetz, Napolean’s general who occupied Ancona in 1799. according to this theory, the Austrian general’s personal chef invented thie pasta dish that became Windish Greatz’s favorite. others claim the pasta dish was already in existence before the napoleonic wars of 1799. in a publication of 1780, Antonio Nebbia, a chef from Macerata, Marche Region, describes a sauce for “Princisgras” became “Vincigrassi”.

Vincisgrassi

the basic ingredients of lasagna consist of sheets of pasta dough, a bechamel sauce and a meatsauce. older recipes for the meat sauce contained the outer extremities and the inner organs of chickens (rigalie di pollo) and the brain and sweetbreads of calves (cervella, filoni e animelle).

sheets of dough sufficient to make 5 or six layers in a baking pan appriximately 8 x 10 inches

for the meatsauce:

1 pound ground beef
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 can (28 ounces) tomato puree (passato) or diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

brown the beef in olive oil. add onion, celery and carrot and cook about 10 minutes. add tomatoes, salt and pepper. cook an additional hour. the sauce should have a thick, fluid consistency. if it appears to get to dry, add a little water. if it’s too fluid, cook a little longer.

for bechamel sauce:

6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
1 quart milk
zest of 1 lemon
salt

melt butter in saucepan. add flour and whisk until blended.

in another saucepan, bring milk to a boil. add milk and lemon zest to flour, stirring rapidly to blend. cook over low heat for 15 minutes or until sauce thickens.

cut the dough into manageable sheets, about 4 x 6 inches. cook sheets in salted water, a few at a time, about 2 minutes for fresh pasta. remove sheets one at a time, and spread on a clean damp cloth.

cover bottom of buttered baking pan with liquid from meatsauce. then cover the bottom with 1 layer of cooked lasagne sheets. cover the layer lightly with meatsauce. then spread on bechamel sauce lightly. finally sprinkle generously with parmesan. repeat the layering process for 5 or 6 layers if the baking pan permits. be sure to allow sufficient space for the sauce to bubble without spilling over.

dot the top layer with butter, after sauces and parmesan. cook in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. allow pasta to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

[deepsouth]

this is one of my favorites ever…

eggplant parmesan

the original sicilian recipe for eggplant parmesan included sliced potatoes and sliced onion, each fried separately and placed in alternate layers with the eggplants. finally, there was a topping of tomato sauce, medallions of mozzarella and basil leaves.

3 medium eggplants
1 quart of basic tomato sauce
1/2 pound of sliced mozzarella
2 cups grated parmesan
bread crumbs
butter
olive oil for frying (yes, olive oil)
fresh basil

cut the eggplants lengthwise (japanese eggplant) or the other way for the big round eggplants and allow them to drain either laying them out in the sun or by salting and laying them on an inclined surface.

fry the eggplants in olive oil, not so much as to cover the eggplant however. do not drain the eggplant. in an oiled pan, layer the eggplant slices, tomatoe sauce, mozzarella slices, and parmesan cheese. end with a topping of parmesan, bread crumbs & small pieces of butter.

bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. garnish with fresh basil.

[bluesman]

Thanks for sharing. I make a Bolognese similiar to the recipe you posted but I add a blend of Beef, pork and veal. I assume you have tried all of the recipes?

[deepsouth]

@bluesman

Thanks for sharing. I make a Bolognese similiar to the recipe you posted but I add a blend of Beef, pork and veal. I assume you have tried all of the recipes?

i’ve had these several times.    i’ll post some more later.

[ullarsskald1989]

Seems like a good thread to bump up.  ;D

Here’s a recipe for a baked pasta dish which is a Christmas-time treat my mother makes.

Chronne (pronounced shah’ doan - neat how these dialect words are so different between the spelling and the saying.)

First, a few words about pasta for the Italian-impaired in the audience. Pasta simply means paste, as in a mixture of flour (the best being Durum Semolina) and water. Other ingredients may be added for differing flavor or appearance characteristics: eggs, spinach, beets, cheese, squid ink…

Macaroni is a pasta which is hollow and tubular. Spaghetti is long, round, solid strands. Fettuccine is long, not so thin, flat strands. Noodles are thin, slender to wide, flat strands (usually cut short) of egg-paste. Gnocchi are Italian dumplings; pasta with potato added. A book the size of an unabridged dictionary wouldn’t do justice to the variety that exists in the world of pastas. (I usually have 12 to 15 different types in my cupboard at any one time.)

Ingredients: 1 pound each of the dry pastas: Perciatelle (thin, long macaroni), Spaghetti (regular thickness) and Cappelini (thin spaghetti), 1# coarsely chopped Pepperoni, 1/2# ea fresh grated Parmesan and Romano cheeses, 12 lg eggs - beaten

Procedure: Cook the pasta until it is just a little too firm, 2 to 3 minutes less than the package instructions should do, and drain. (Preheat the oven to 350F while the pasta is cooking.) Pour the pasta into a lightly oiled baking pan (mine is 12" x 18" x 4") Place the eggs in a large mixing bowl, stir in the pepperoni and cheese. Pour over the pasta and turn until well coated with the cheese mixture.  Bake until the top is lightly browned (about 35 to 45 minutes). This is good hot or cold, reheats nicely, very filling.

A pasta dish, which requires no tomato sauce. 

[mrnate]

@deepsouth

olive oil for frying (yes, olive oil)

Funny, I always use olive oil for frying except for good ol’ fried chicken. I hate the taste of corn oil or canola on deep fried veggies.

[euge]

For light frying olive oil is great. Eggplant is just a vehicle for whatever it is prepared with so olive oil makes sense flavor-wise.

[capozzoli]

Sounds like you guys know your Italian food.

We gotta get some pictures goin in this thread. Gotta get deep south away from his bbq to cook some Italian food.  :D

Here is “real” manicotti made with semolina crepes not pasta rolls.

These crepes are not hard to do and they work great for making a sorta of layered lasagna manicotti hybrid useing a pie pan.

[deepsouth]

Wow, those look fantastic!

[euge]

@deepsouth

Wow, those look fantastic!

Waiter! I’ll have what he’s having!  ;D

[deepsouth]

now that you said lasagna and i saw your pictures, i’m making lasagna tomorrow.

[bluesman]

@euge

@deepsouth

Wow, those look fantastic!

Waiter! I’ll have what he’s having!  ;D

Make that 2 please!  8)

[redbeerman]

Good job Cap!  They look deeeeeliscioso!  My daughter is the expert crepe maker at our house.  Hmmmmm.

[capozzoli]

Yeah, try them out with the semolina crepes. Its awesome. That is the old world way.

I usually mix 50-50 semolina flour for pasta with white flour. Then add eggs and a little oil till you achieve your desired consistency. Add water too as needed.  You can mix it thin ot a little thicker.

For lasagna I make it a little thicker than flour crepe batter and then add a little bit of baking soda. This makes them a a little thicker spongy and more resilient to the slicing. I want my lasagna to stay in a perfect shape so you can see all the layers neatly on every side.

To make the lasagna or the crepes make some paneer. Its close to ricotta but with a firmer finished product.
Just heat up milt to just before boiling then squeeze in a little lemon juice till it curdles. Strain through a cheese cloth will and then mix the curds with salt pepper and chopped fresh parsley.

Roll the manicotti with this filling or stalrt building the lasagna. Start with sauce then layer alternately paneer, crepe, spinach, crepe, meat, (I stew neck or something then pick the bones for meat, I use the stock in my sauce) Top with cheese and sauce.

It makes the best lasagna in the world, and it slices like a pie and presents really well with the salad on the plate or something.