Andrea Bocelli's E Chiove

Benvenuti / Welcome!

My family has had many good cooks. I come from a line a great kitchen junkies, among them my great grandparents, grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, and brothers and sisters. We are 100% Italian with origins from Campania (my dad's side) and Sicilia (my mother's side). Such a combination makes for great tastes and remarkable dishes. It was a pleasure to prepare food for my best friend and partner in life, Wally (in middle of picture above). He loved the many foods I prepared. Very sadly he is no longer with us and is sorely missed at the table. This blog is dedicated to him and to our friends who shared our company. One of our friends, Susan Arnold (seen in picture above), travelled with us to the Amalfi coast in 2006-2007. The picture was taken just after New Year's day at the ristorante Aurora (www.sorrentotour.it/aurora/) in Sorrento located at the Piazza Tasso.

My Father's Side of the Family: Campania



The Zeoli-Pozella families have their roots in Campania from the historic town of Benevento (which the Romans called Beneventum), Santa Croce del Sannio, and San Nazzaro just northeast of Napoli. It is nestled in the Appennini with fertile earth great for growing grapes and raising livestock. Some Italians refer to the Beneventini as montanari (the mountain folk), very hard-working people with unique ways, as seen in their culinary creations.

My Mother's Side: Sicilia



Our maternal ancestors (the Stornello and Tarantello families) are from southeast Sicilia, from the city of Siracusa and town of Pachino. The Ionian sea plays a major part in the cuisine of these locales. The Greeks, Romans, Turks, North Africans, Spaniards, and French influenced the culinary traditions of this ancient island. For those who prize seafood, legumes, nuts, grains, lemons, oranges, pasta, tomatos, cheeses, and zesty sauces, Sicilia awaits you.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Pizza agli Spinaci

Pizza agli Spinaci
Spinach lovers will dig into this delightful pizza – it’s a great way to get people to eat spinach! Wally had this once, and another time he had it with dino kale which substituted for the spinach – delicious in both instances.
Ingredients for the dough for 4 pizze:
See Pizza di Napoli: La Margherita
Ingredients for the Topping:
4 large garlic toes, crushed or finely chopped
8 T olive oil
4 bags fresh spinach, steamed, or 4 boxes (10 oz each) frozen spinach, thawed and well drained
1 t sea salt
1 t black pepper (optional)
1 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded or thinly sliced
8 T grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
See Pizza di Napoli: La Margherita, for the preparation of pizza dough.
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Take the pizza dough and divide it into four pieces. Knead the dough briefly on a floured surface. Take your pizza peel and flour the surface generously to allow for easy transfer to the oven stone. Place dough on the peel, smacking your hand against it to flatten. Then using a rolling pin, stretch the dough out, creating a round shape – get your dough rolled out thin – no thicker than ¼ - 3/8 of an inch for a pizza agli spinaci. In a medium skillet over low heat, cook the garlic in the oil for 1 minute.
Stir in the spinach, salt and [pepper]. Cover and cook the mixture for 2 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Spread a ¼ of the spinach mixture over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with a ¼ of the mozzarella and then sprinkle with a ¼ of the Parmesan cheese. Bake the pizza for 10 to 14 minutes or until the edges are puffed and the crust is crisp and browned.
Buon appetito!

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