Aunt Mary’s Father’s Baklava (Μπακλαβα)

Aunt Mary’s Father’s Baklava (Μπακλαβα)
Aunt Mary was Uncle Carl’s lovely wife. Uncle Carl, brother to my mother Gilda and Aunt Lydia, was lucky to have Aunt Mary, a very warm and kind-hearted lady who adored her husband. Outstanding in my mind is her patience and unconditional love – my uncle was a lucky man to be married to Aunt Mary! Uncle Carl, very missed by all who loved him, passed a month prior to Wally. Uncle Carl was 91 years young.
Aunt Mary is also a loving and devoted mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend to many. In addition, she is a very talented cook, just like her Greek father who was a chef. What a better combination, eh! Some of the best chefs come from Mediterranean countries. This baklava recipe was one of her dad’s and family’s favorites. It's a very rich pastry, but so delicious! She encourages you to make it!
Ingredients:
For the pastry
1 package of fillo, which are thin pastry sheets – cover with slightly dampened towel as you work with fillo to keep it from drying out
1 lb butter, melted
1½ lb walnuts, chopped
½ c sugar
½ t cinnamon
For the syrup
2 c sugar
1 c honey
2 c water
Grated zest of 1 lemon or orange
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350º-375ºF (moderate oven).
Combine walnuts, sugar and cinnamon.
Brush 12x18 baking pan with melted butter. Place 10 fillo sheets on baking pan, brushing them one at a time with the melted butter. Spread one third of walnut mixture on top; put 5 more buttered sheets on top, and add another third of the walnut mixture. Add 5 more sheets and remaining mixture, finishing with 10 more on top, repeating the same buttering procedures. Brush top with remaining melted butter. Score top with a sharp pointed knife into diamond square shapes to the size you desire.
Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.
For the syrup, mix together the sugar, honey, water, and zest in saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and cool a bit. Pour warm syrup evenly over Baklava.
Serve when cool.
Καλή όρεξη! (Kalí óreksi! – Greek for buon appetito!)

Roasted Suckling Pig

Maialino Arrosto
Roasted suckling pig is a holiday delicacy in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. In Italy, you will find a cooked pig on display at the local food stores, selling portions of the pig to the Italian clientele. The aromas made by this culinary treat are delightful – always a sure sign the holidays are among us. I have made roasted suckling pig on four occasions – the first time in Kansas City, Missouri, at the house of my brother Carmenuccio and his former wife Kathy; the second time is illustrated in the picture with the roasted suckling on the table, surrounded by my mother Gilda, sister Madalena, and her three children (who are now all grown up), Mitchell, Robbin, and Russell (the baby of the family). The picture was taken in 1979 at a house I rented in Pine Island of Hernando County, Florida (not to be mistaken for the Pine Island near Sanibel Island, Florida) – a bit of time ago. I think it was their first time having a whole pig – my poor niece Robbin was a little squeamish about having a pig for dinner, but she overcame her reservations and ended up eating with everyone else. It was one of those landmark culinary days where you just can’t forget what you ate at a given point in time, and of course, we have this picture to remind us.
After that, I prepared suckling pig for Colombian friends of mine in Gainesville, Florida, on two different occasions – both times for party events that lasted the entire weekends. The recipe provided here is from the last roast I did in 1981. Roasting a pig is not that different from roasting any other meat – you just need to make sure your pan and oven are big enough for the roast. The real challenge is finding a good source for your piglet – it is not something you can find readily at your local supermarket. In Hernando County, I obtained the piglet from the family of one of my Spanish students – John Hubbard, and in Gainesville, Florida, from a pig and goose farmer living in the outskirts of Alachua County. I knew they were all healthy animals because I had seen them alive – rarely do Americans today have the opportunity to examine the sources of their food – we leave a lot to trust.
If you would like to make maialino arrosto on your own and you live in an urban area, I would check first with specialty supermarkets. Failing those, look up some local farms in the countryside near where you reside. You can also check your local newspaper, the Internet, Google – you name it – there is a reliable source waiting out there. If possible, check out the animals at the farm and see if they’re well-cared for – put an “X” on a skinny pig! Also, if the piglet doesn’t move much – that’s generally a bad sign. A farmer once told me: a pig with no kick is sure to get you sick!
Good luck on your adventure, and I hope you enjoy your maialino!
Ingredients for 6:
1 – 10 lb suckling pig

½ head of minced garlic
2 red onions, coarsely chopped
1 apple, coarsely chopped
Olive oil
15 whole fresh sage leaves
½ bottle of red wine
½ a loaf of crumbled stale Italian bread
Some toasted pine nuts
Sea salt
Pepper (optional)
Preparation:
Take the pig out of the frig to warm in the morning. Preheat oven between 300º - 325ºF. Wash piglet thoroughly, hang to let dry or towel it dry, particularly the outside. Salt and [pepper] the inside liberally.Create a stuffing if you like: Sauté onions and apple in olive oil in a medium frying pan. Add minced garlic, and sage leaves, and stir.
Then add red wine and reduce most of the liquid.

Add bread and some toasted pine nuts, and stir into the mix. Now stuff the pig with this mixture.Coat outside of pig liberally with olive oil, and put in the terracotta dish positioned like the sphinx. It can be flattened open wide as well, but in a larger pan, and you can do it on its side, but I’d turn it once.

Protect the extremities like the ears and tail with foil. If the legs are exposed, you might do the feet as well. Tying the feet will help keep it together particularly if you’ve roasted it on its side.

Bake in a slow oven for 4 to 5 hours (less an hour if not stuffed). Rotate your dish around some. You can drain off the juices to make gravy if desired. Keep the pig covered and warm while you do this. Serve with vegetables and potatoes. Suggested items could be seared tomatoes, fennel, carrots and mashed potatoes.

Save (freeze) the bones as they will make you a very nice soup stock. After skimming the fat, the broth is excellent to use in rice dishes and couscous!
Mangia bene!

Pasta with Oil and Garlic

Pasta Aglio e Olio
Sam’s business friend for many years, Jimmy Matisse, a New Orleans man of Italian ancestry, was very fond of my mother’s pasta aglio e olio. In fact, his wife, Tuddy (Henrietta), used to warn him not to eat too much. Jimmy was a round man who had quite a guffaw. He loved my mother’s cooking. He used to literally beg her for a bowl every time he visited. Pasta aglio e olio is one of those ingenious and sublime recipes of the Italian plain cooking.

Ingredients:
About ½ lb pasta (spaghetti)
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic toes
1 T capers
Peperoncino piccante tritato (red pepper flakes – optional)
A small bunch of parsley, chopped
Preparation:
Cook spaghetti al dente in salted water and drain, saving about ½ cup of the cooking water. While the pasta is cooking, gently heat the olive oil with the capers and the sliced garlic in a large sauté pan. When garlic turns into a gold color, turn off heat and add the peperoncino piccante tritato and the parsley. Add the pasta and mix well, if too dry sprinkle with some of the pasta juice you saved. Although you shouldn’t add any cheese to this dish, if you do, don’t let the Italians know.
Buon appetito!
Note: Jim Matisse is in the picture sitting in the middle of the kitchen dining counter – it looks like we just finished one of those pasta aglio e olio first courses. This picture was taken by Sam, probably in 1959. I am the young and chubby 8 – year old on the right. The rest of the people from left to right are: mother Gilda, brother Carmenuccio, sister Madalena, Jim Matisse, Tuddy Matisse, Joan Steiniger (hidden), brother Simone (Junior), me, and sister Adelina.

Pears in Red Wine

Pere al Vino Rosso
Pears were Wally’s favorite fruit. One day while we were in Whole Foods, he noticed some cooked pears at the deli counter – he asked me why I didn’t make them. I told him that they were real easy to make and that even he could make them if he wanted to. That was what got me started with preparing pears in red wine. I think you’ll like them, too. The wine gives them a rich flavor you won’t forget.
Ingredients for 4:
4 pears (if possible, small red ones in season)
1 bottle of red wine
1 T whole cloves
1/3 c sugar
Whipped cream for topping, if desired (Wally’s “schlog”)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Wash pears and place whole in deep baking dish. Cover with wine, cloves, and sugar. Cover and bake for about 60 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Add 1 cup of cooking liquid to skillet. Simmer on high flame for about 30 minutes or until liquid becomes syrupy.
Pour over pears and serve with Wally’s schlog if desired.
Buon appetito!

Terrine of Rabbit en Croûte

Pâté in Crosta di Coniglio
To make this delicious recipe, you need a pâté mold. It is a classic dish that makes for an excellent antipasto – the presentation is wonderful and will get you praises. You can prepare this in stages – a lot of the work can be done ahead of time. It is reminiscent of the pâté I made in Toscana during our 2004 trip. For that pâté I used rabbit liver, chicken liver, chicken comb, and rabbit and chicken meat. In Italy we were fortunate to get the entire chicken and rabbit, unlike here where everything is packaged for a squeamish public. Sometimes I wonder if the country is getting more squeamish as each year passes – I have noticed that sometimes the liver, heart, and gizzard are not included in the chicken you purchase – such a shame!
For those of you who undertake this wonderful ambrosia, buon appetito!

Ingredients for 8:(For a 14x3x3 inch terrine)
For the pastry:

1¼ lb flour

5½ oz lard

5½ oz butter

Cold water as needed

1 egg

2 pinches sea salt

For the stuffing:

1¾ lb lean ground pork

1¾ lb boned rabbit, some cut into very small tidbits, and others cut into small strips

2/3 lb ground rabbit

Sea salt (about ¼ oz for every pound of meat)

Pepper (optional)

About 1 T of a mixture of these ground spices: coriander, turmeric, Hungarian sweet paprika, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger powder, cumin, and cloves

2 sprigs of rosemary for rabbit marinade + 1 sprig, leaves chopped very fine, for ground meats

Dry white wine

2 eggs

Butter

10 Pitted black olives

Above stuffing:

2 c of plain gelatin
Preparation:

The day before preparing the pâté, marinate the rabbit pieces after deboning and cutting them up using the rosemary and white wine to cover. Prepare the ground pork and rabbit with salt, a tablespoon of the spice mixture, minced Rosemary, the egg, and the salt. Mix everything well with your hand to get it all homogenous. Place in frig until the next day.

The day of cooking:

Make the dough as if you were making a pâte brisée:
1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter and lard, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds. (To mix by hand, combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then cut in butter with a pastry blender.)
2. With machine running, add ice water and egg through feed tube in a slow, steady stream, just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of dough together; if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Shape into a flattened disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Butter your pâté terrine, and preheat oven to 350ºF. Stretch out one of your dough to the desired dimension; first beat the dough with the rolling pin, then roll it out to 5 mm or 1/5 of an inch.Fold the dough in three to facilitate the lining of the pâté mold, and barely laying down the dough on the terrine’s base, raise the sides of the dough to see if you have the right distribution – the mold should be completely covered with about ½ inch overlap on the two longest sides of the terrine.

Take the rabbit out of the wine marinade.Using your hands, mix the ground meat with the very small pieces of rabbit. Reserve the small strips on the side.

Now begin to fill the mold. First, press down on the dough to get rid of any air pockets – you will need the space! Then take ½ the ground meat and lay it down on the base of the terrine. On top of that place your olives and small strips of rabbit. Then, lay down the rest of your ground meat on top of that.

Fold the excess dough along the borders towards the interior of the terrine; then, brush the tops of the border dough with egg to promote a golden color in the baking process. Cover the terrine with foil. Then place it in the oven and bake for about 1¼ hours. The last ½ hour of baking remove the foil to allow the terrine to become a golden color. To verify doneness, you can use a cooking thermometer – the temperature in the interior of terrine should be 150.8ºF. When just out of the oven, pour out any liquid that may have accumulated in the terrine.

In the duration of baking, prepare the gelatin, enough for two cups.

Pour the gelatin on the top of terrine, up to the edges of the overlap of the crust. Then, place the terrine in the frig for 24 hours.

For maximum flavor leave out of frig for ½ hour. Remove terrine from mold. Cut it with a well-sharpened knife as if you were slicing bread but with light pressure, holding the pâté plate with the other hand. Classically, you can serve this with small pickles, baby onions, or insalatine.
Now, with a good bottle of wine, mangia bene!

Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Salad of Capri

Insalata Caprese
Insalata caprese represents the holy trinity of Italian cuisine: tomato, mozzarella, and fresh basil. To make this salad you need fresh mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, good quality Italian extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt, and a little crushed oregano or even oregano powder. I prefer crushing the oregano very fine – not much is needed – just a hint, but that hint adds such a special flavor.
On our return trip from Sicily, Wally’s daughter Ellie knew we would be a little hungry. She had fixed us an insalata caprese the day of our arrival with Italian bread. It was such a nice sight to see after traveling for so long. It was delicious and satisfying – you can’t beat it!
This salad is wonderful as antipasto – prosciutto crudo complements it very well. If you’ve never made this before, it’s a must have!
Ingredients for 4:
3 ripe tomatoes, either sliced or cut in wedges – any design you like
1 lb of mozzarella, sliced round or cubed, whatever you wish
10 basil leaves, either broken up or whole, depending on the design you wish to make
Sea salt to taste
Crushed oregano – just a tad (barely a pinch)
Extra-virgin Italian olive oil
A splash of white balsamic
Pepper – optional
Preparation:
Arrange your tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil on a plate. The design is entirely your own – you may want to sandwich in the mozzarella between the tomatoes – the same with the basil, or mix everything together as if you’re tossing any other type of salad. Crown with the oil and balsamic. Then add your salt, [pepper], and crushed oregano. Serve with crusty Italian bread.

Mangia bene!

Escarole Soup with Cannellini

Zuppa di Scarola e Cannellini
Gilda would make escarole soup often – Sam liked it a lot. My mother would sometimes put an egg or two in the soup – you can do that here, too, although I did not include that in this recipe. Also, she did not add the tomatoes – I do that, but they can easily be left out if you don’t want them. This soup is wonderful on a brisk day with a little bit of artesian sourdough bread – just like the bread from Boudin’s bakery on the Wharf in San Francisco. Any crusty Italian bread would do – the bread dunked into the soup is decadent but delicious! Wally had this soup many times – sometimes I’d leave out the tomatoes, but he liked the soup with the tomatoes as well.
By the way, you may use northern white beans in this soup instead of the cannellini, but promise not to say a word to any Italians!
Ingredients for 4:
1½ lb of escarole
2 garlic toes, finely chopped
⅓ c extra-virgin olive oil
½ onion, chopped fine
4 oz pancetta, diced
2 medium ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped or 1 cup chopped canned San Marzano tomatoes
4 c chicken broth
3 c cooked cannellini beans
1 c conchigliette or tubettini
Sea salt
Pepper (optional)
¼ c grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Preparation:
Trim off the base of the escarole and discard any bruised leaves. Wash the leaves in several changes of cold water. Stack the leaves and cut crosswise into 1 inch strips.
In a large pot cook the garlic, onion, and pancetta in the olive oil over medium-low flame until golden. Add the escarole and tomatoes. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the escarole is tender.
Add the broth and beans and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in the pasta and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook 10 minutes more or until the pasta is tender.
Just before serving sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano.
Buon appetito!

Calf’s Liver Campania–style

Fegato di Vitello alla Campana
Gilda used to make us liver and onions as we were growing up – she used to use calf’s liver because she claimed it was more tender than that of beef. I have had both and would agree, although beef liver is higher in nutritional content that that of calf. Over the years much concern has been raised about liver because of high cholesterol level and the nature of liver itself. As far as cholesterol goes, if your doctor tells you not to have this food because of high bad cholesterol rate in your blood, then don’t eat it. As far as the other concern – the nature of the organ itself – the liver acts as the detoxifier of a living body, consequently there have been legitimate concerns over toxicity levels in the organ – most animals have been given hormones and food additives that tracked their way to its liver, and then to the people who later ate it. For that reason, I would highly recommend an organic source of calf’s liver, where the animal has been raised on soil certified organic and has been fed food from certified organic farms. I obtain fresh calf’s liver from Whole Foods Market, a very reliable source. There are other sources out there – just check with your local Department of Agriculture.
Gilda used to smother it in onions – it was delicious. This recipe is pretty much hers, although she did not dredge the liver, nor did she use the broth, gravy, or wine – she did use a lot more of the apple cider vinegar, however. Become your own chef and make adjustments as necessary – this is my favorite. By the way, if you’re not an onion lover, try caramelizing thinly sliced carrots and zucchini – the caramelized carrots will add that natural sweetness just as the onions would.
Ingredients for 4:
About ¾ lb calf’s liver, cut in 1 inch strips
About ½ c extra-virgin olive oil
¼ lb unsalted butter
1 lb onions, cut julienne-style
Beef broth
White wine
A good ½ c of your own brown gravy + 1 T of apple cider vinegar or white balsamic
About 2 oz flour
Italian Parsley to desired quantity (freshly cut into small pieces or dried)
1 oz sea salt
A sprinkling of pepper (optional)
Preparation:
In a frying pan, cook down the onions in the oil and butter until they are tender.
Season with salt and [pepper].
In the meantime, dredge the liver in flour, and add to the cooked onions. Mix quickly. Bathe in white wine (as much as you’d like – I add a healthy cup).
Add the brown gravy and vinegar, the parsley, and then add the salt at the end.
Serve warm with potatoes or polenta.
Note: Cook the liver at a relatively high temperature, and cook quickly. Do not add salt to the liver until the very end – adding salt early on will dehydrate the liver and make it rubbery. Also, the dredging is not obligatory, but it makes the liver softer and binds the sauce together.
Buon appetito!

Kamut Pasta with Squash Flowers and Zucchini Purée

Pasta di Kamut con Fiori e Zucchine
Kamut is an old grain dating back to ancient Egypt. Wally and I became familiar with it during his holistic regimen. It can be eaten like wheat or any other grain – it makes robust bread and tastes good. You can also eat kamut pasta. Like any whole grain pasta, you have to cook it a little longer than its counterpart. This recipe uses kamut pasta, but you could substitute any whole grain pasta you desire – you could also use conventional pasta as well.
Ingredients for 2:
About 1/3 of a lb of Kamut spaghetti

50 Squash flowers

2 zucchini

2 T of pine nuts, toasted

A branch of fresh basil

Sea salt to taste

Extra-virgin olive oil

3 garlic toes

Ground pepper (optional)
Preparation:

Bring a big pot of water to a boil.
In the meantime clean the zucchini and cut each one into four parts length-wise. Cut the middle parts containing the seeds. Just when the water is about to boil plunge them into the water for about 1-2 minutes. Drain (keep zucchini water for the pasta later), and then purée them with about an ounce of olive oil, the garlic, basil leaves, and pine nuts. Salt and [pepper] to taste. The purée you will use for the bottom of the plate is now done.
Throw the pasta into the zucchini water. Then prepare the squash flowers: rinse them carefully under the faucet and then cut them coarsely into smaller pieces. Then sauté those in a frying pan with olive oil, garlic, salt, and [pepper]. Cook at a high flame – the flowers release a lot of water, and the heat will dry them up quickly. When the pasta is barely al dente, sauté it with the squash flowers and then plate the pasta with flowers on top of the zucchini purée.

Buon appetito!

Eggplant Balls

Polpette di Melanzane
Wally was not crazy about eating meat – this is one dish he did enjoy. I generally served it with pasta or rice, but sometimes I made polenta or couscous. If you enjoy eggplant, I would definitely recommend this dish. The ingredients work well together – I have used flavored oil instead of the ginger at times for variation. Any flavored oil would do, such as truffle, peperoncino, herbed, or spiced oil would be fine.
Ingredients for 2:
2 eggplants, sliced not too thinly
¼ lb of tofu, crumbled
¼ c cannellini, precooked
15 taggiasche olives, seeded (these are jarred olives from Liguria)
15 capers, desalinated
Zest from ½ lemon
4 anchovy fillets
Fine Italian breadcrumbs, plain
¼ c of oat flakes
Sea salt, to taste
Olive oil
Fresh ginger, as desired
A little Italian parsley
1 small garlic toe
Preparation:
Grill the eggplant slices on a pan grill, getting both sides browned. There is no need to salt the eggplant before grilling – the grilling process takes care of evaporating the liquid from the eggplant.
As soon as all eggplant slices are grilled, put them in a food processor along with the other ingredients – tofu, cannellini, olives, capers, anchovies, breadcrumbs, oat flakes, parsley, garlic, salt, lemon zest, and a shaving of two of fresh ginger. Mix carefully, making sure to create a firm but not too firm mixture (if too wet, add breadcrumbs or oats; if too dry, add water).
Form the mixture into meatball-sized orbs and bread them. Cook in oven or in frying pan with oil, turning them carefully to get them golden brown on all sides. They are delicious either cold or warm.
Buon appetito!

Raw Shellfish and Shrimp

Frutti di Mare Crudi: Cozze, Vongole, Ostriche, e Gamberi
Long Islanders are fortunate to be surrounded by water – a terrific food source for many. As a child growing up, I remember the vast amounts of seafood, both cooked and raw, that we were fortunate to have. At the risk of offending New Englanders, I think L.I. has the best clams. The sweet and briny liquid that is inside the clam is for me like nectar of the gods. I can understand why Italians are so into seafood – both raw and cooked – especially in the coastal areas like Genoa, Cinque Terre, Venezia, Bari, Napoli, the Amalfi coast, Sorrento, and all of coastal Sicilia and Sardinia.
In America people raise their eyebrows about raw seafood – it’s almost a taboo. Actually, raw seafood is eaten in many areas of the world, and like meat, it needs to be fresh. I have provided some guidelines that my mother and my grandparents followed regarding raw shell fish and shrimp. I did not include raw sea urchins or scallops as I have not seen these items available in the shell at seafood establishments in the U.S. The key is FRESH, and as a general rule, if you eat raw seafood, 4 is the number to remember – no more than 4 days from when caught.
Cleaning and Purging Mussels
Nowadays nearly all mussels you buy at your fishmonger or supermarket are commercially farmed. They are cultivated on ropes that are attached to buoys and then lowered into the sea or wooden poles. Normally they are quite clean inside, but occasionally you might bite on a mussel with some sand in it. That's an unpleasant experience and can spoil your entire meal. So you must clean and purge the mussels before preparing any mussel dish.
Just follow these simple steps:
· Raw Mussels are sold live. Make sure the shells are unbroken and closed and have a faint smell of sea and not of fish.
· Place the mussels in plenty of cold fresh water right away so they stay closed. Dead mussels will not close and need to be discarded.
· Scrub the shells and remove any barnacles as well as the black fibrous "beard". Discard mussels with cracked shells.
· Purge the mussels of sand and debris inside their digestive tracks. Here is an age old method: Put the mussels in a container with cold water and add 1/2 cup of cornmeal. Let it stand for 1 hour. The mussels will eat the cornmeal and expel any sand or grit. Run them under water again to remove all sand and cornmeal at the end.
· Place mussels on shaved ice in frig until ready to use.

Cleaning and Purging Clams
Unlike most mussels, clams are still caught wild. They need to be cleaned of sand and grit prior to eating them. To do this:
· In a bowl, immerse them in fresh cold water. Let them sit there for 20 minutes while they expel the debris – remove clams from bowl by lifting up each one with your hands – if you dump the water out of the bowl while the clams are still inside it, the detritus will go right back into their shells.
· Clams that do not shut lips when tapped need to be discarded.
· Repeat this process one more time.
· Scrub clam shell under running cold water with brush.
· Place cleaned clams on shaved ice until ready to use.

Cleaning Oysters
I recommend wild-caught or farm-raised from an organic source for all oysters you consume.
· A malodorous oyster needs to be discarded.
· Wearing a gloves and using a scrub brush, hold oyster flat on one hand while running cold water and scrub the oyster shell with the other.
· Place the oyster on shaved ice until ready to use.

Cleaning Fresh Whole Shrimp
I recommend wild-caught or farm-raised from an organic source for all shrimp you consume.
· Rinse shrimp under cold water, leaving the heads on.
· Remove the part of the shell between the neck (just before head) and an 1/8 of an inch above the tail – start by removing feet from the front and then “opening the jacket.”
· With sharp knife slide down the back of the exposed part and remove fecal matter – rinse under cold water.
· Arrange shrimp on a circular plate with shaved ice, making a wreath design. Place lemon wedges/slices all around.
· Place in frig until ready to eat raw or cook, if desired.

Shucking Mussels, Clams, and Oysters
Mussels
With a clam/oyster knife or a sharp kitchen knife, place the blade between the upper and lower lip and pry open. Hold mussel flat and steady as to not lose the natural brine contained therein. Serve immediately with lemons or favorite sauce on top of shaved ice.
Clams
With a clam knife or a sharp kitchen knife, place the blade between the upper and lower lip, holding the clam vertically. Press down on blade to sever the shell lips – do this as quickly as possible to preserve inner clam juices. Lay flat on shaved ice and serve immediately with lemons or favorite sauce.
Oysters
Use gloves to shuck oysters. With clam/oyster knife, lay oyster flat on one hand, and with the other, use the knife to break the hinge holding the two lips at the rear of the oyster. Be sure to hold flat to preserve the oyster’s juices after it’s opened. Lay flat on shaved ice and serve immediately with lemons or favorite sauce.

Bette’s Hot Milk Cake

Dolce di Latte Caldo di Bette, la
Mamma di Lucia
Lucia O’Farrill is a friend of mine who has been giving lots of good advice on the making of this commemorative cookbook. Sadly, her mother, Bette, passed away shortly after Wally due to lung cancer. Bette was an active lady, working up to the day when she discovered her malady. She is deeply missed. Bette was an extraordinary lady and great cook. A lot of Lucia’s interest in the culinary arts comes from her mother - and she, too, has the talent to produce great dishes.
This recipe comes from her mother, and according to Lucia, it is an old fashioned type cake with great flavor and texture. It uses simple ingredients that, combined, create a moist and rich confection you will want to make again.
Ingredients for cake:
2 - 9" pans or one 12 X 9" pan
4 eggs, well beaten
2 c sugar
2 c cake flour (sifted)
1 c hot milk
2 T butter
2 t baking powder
1 t vanilla
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Add sugar to eggs, small amount at a time; beat well until lemony in color.
Add flour a little at a time; beat well after each added amount.
Add heated milk, hot but not scalded, with the 2 tablespoons of butter.
Lastly, add 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
Bake for about 25 minutes. Serve with lemon sauce.

Ingredients for lemon sauce:
½ c of sugar
1 T cornstarch
1 c boiling water
2 T Butter
1 ½ T lemon juice
Few grains salt
Preparation:
In 1 quart pan, mix sugar and corn starch. Add water gradually, stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add other ingredients. Serve with Bette’s Hot Milk Cake.

Pasta Whirls with Broccoli and Sausage

Cellentani con Broccoli e Salsiccia
This dish is something that I came up with due to circumstances – I had broccoli that were ready to expire in the frig, and a ring of some of that delicious parsley and cheese sausage from the Landi store in Brooklyn. Since I keep plenty of dried pasta in the house, the cellentani pasta (pasta whirls), one of my favorite pasta shapes, drew my attention. There it was before hungry eyes – a marriage between the sausage and cellantani and an instant adoption of grown-up broccoli just waiting to be loved! It’s amazing what love will create in the kitchen. And the rest of the story, as the late Paul Harvey would ask?
Well, they all lived happily ever after in my stomach, but they will come back again to visit!
Ingredients for 2-3:

¾ lb of dried cellentani pasta

1¼ lbs broccoli (you can use frozen)

1 lb ring Italian sweet sausage, de-cased

½ glass or more of white wine

2 toes garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced fine

Sea salt to taste

Peperoncino piccante tritato (optional)

Extra-virgin olive oil
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano, to sprinkle on pasta, if desired

Preparation:

Clean and cook the broccoli for about 10 minutes in salted water. Remove from flame and drain, reserving the broth for future use another day. When cooled, break the broccoli up into small pieces.
In the meantime prepare a soffrito with olive oil (enough to cover pan and then some), garlic, and onion; at this point add the broken up sausage to brown and then the wine to capture that good stuff on the bottom of the pan – let the wine mostly evaporate.
At that point add the broccoli and cook it 15-20 minutes on a very low flame.
In the meantime put a pot of water on the stove to boil for the cellentani. Place the pasta into the boiling water. When it’s barely al dente, drain the pasta and place it into the pan with the broccoli. You may also add the peperoncino piccante tritato if desired. Cook for 3-4 minutes, mixing well.
When done, serve onto plates, sprinkling with Parmigiano Reggiano if desired. Some prefer not sprinkling the cheese – they wish to safeguard the flavors of the other ingredients. You have to make that decision yourself! For me it's delicious either way.
Mangia bene!

Grandma Zeoli's Pasta and Potatoes

Pasta e Patate di Nonna Madalena Zeoli
As a child Madeleine used to be fond of Grandma Zeoli’s pasta e patate (pasta and potatoes). It was one of those poor man’s meals, as they say, when you’re on a tight budget. According to Madeleine, it was delicious and even fit for a rich person. She is offering this recipe for all of us to try – then you’ll know what she means by delicious. By the way, I know of a woman in Roma who has this frequently during the winter months. It is an excellent dish to have before you hit the cold and crisp air in December. If you live in the subtropics, just pick the month you want to have it in and turn up the AC!
Ingredients for 2:
1 slice of ham, (whole)
2 seeded tomatoes, chopped up
2 potatoes (all cubed)
1 little piece of onion, diced
1 rib of celery (whole)
1 small piece of carrot, diced
About 2 saucepans of hot water, a little more or a little less
A bit of sea salt
Pepper or peperoncino piccante tritato (red pepper flakes) as desired
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano for topping
Extra-virgin olive oil for sautéing
Preparation:
Sauté in oil the ham and onion in a large pot. Add the 2 potatoes, the carrot, a bit of salt, the tomatoes, and the rib of celery.
Stir constantly to prevent sticking, and then add the hot water. There is no exact quantity of water-it all depends on how you boil your pasta; if you boil it very al dente, it will need more liquid to finish cooking. If you cook the pasta longer initially, you’ll need less water. I would keep the saucepans of water reserved, starting out with one saucepan (which holds about 2 cups), and add more from the other as needed. You need to eyeball it.
In southern Italy the locals prefer to cook the pasta directly into the main pot to begin with, in which case they would need all the water immediately. Boy, it sounds complicated but it really isn't. Anyway, after you put your water in, cover the pot and watch over it periodically.
In the meantime cook about ½ -¾ lb of ditalini noodles until very al dente. Drain thoroughly and then add to the pot. Let cook a bit until noodles are softer and have a chance to absorb the flavors and liquid of the pot. You need to watch the pot at this point – don’t put in too much water – you can always add. You don’t want this dish as a soup.
When ready to serve, take out the celery and ham. Add peperoncino piccante tritato and Parmigiano Reggiano, if desired. By the way, Madeleine never put Parmigiano Reggiano on hers because it was delicious the way it was.
Buon appetito!

Gilda’s Conch with Fresellini fra Diavolo

Scungilli con Fresellini fra Diavolo di Gilda
This is the famous Scungilli recipe that my mother would make for us about once every other month. Scungilli are conch – a type of shelled fish that bottom feeds from the ocean. Most people buy the scungilli already prepared in cans. If you live in a big urban area, they should be available at your Italian grocery or supermarket. If not, there are excellent online stores that do great business – one is ibfoods.com. There you can even get the fresellini, or the rock-hard little Italian breads that Gilda would complement the dish with. By the way, Gilda usually got the peppered fresellini, but you can also get the plain ones.
Gilda kicked this up a notch with spice – she used the peperoncino piccante tritato (red pepper flakes) in the sauce and then had the peppered fresellini. When I make this dish now, I don’t put in the peperoncino and don’t use the peppered fresellini. It is just as delicious with the plain ones, and I offer the peperoncino and pepper to those who want it – I even keep the peppered fresellini on hand – fresellini keep forever as long as they stay dried.
It brings to mind the bread closet at the house in Syosset where Grandma used to keep the stale Italian bread and the fresellini. The closet was right near my bedroom which later became part of the den. She would use a grinder to make our bread crumbs – I recall all the stacked bread on the top shelf – the closet had the comforting aroma of a bread bakery – as a kid I used to open the door at times just for the pleasure of it all – what we would call today aromatherapy, I guess!
Today I do something similar – I use my lower oven as the old bread keeper; it keeps it stale and dry and ready to use at any time.
Speaking of ovens, there is nothing like making your own bread products. In Napoli, Italians frequently have a similar hard bread called freselle – they are easy to make and can be stored indefinitely. They are good as crostini, bruschette, and even bagel chips! The recipe here is for a whole grain freselle – give it a try!
Freselle di Napoli
Ingredients:

About 2 lbs of flour, ¾ of which is whole grain wheat flour, and the remaining part all-purpose white flour

About 23 oz of bubbly mineral water, room temperature

2 T of extra-virgin olive oil

2½ T of active dry yeast
2 T sea salt
Any herb or spice (optional)

Preparation:

Make this at least two days in advance of when you anticipate using the fresellini. Mix about 3 T of the whole grain flour with the yeast and about ½ c bubbly mineral water. Let is breathe in an earthenware bowl for about 2 days.
Then, gradually add flours, salt, oil, [herbs or spices], and as much of the bubbly mineral water as necessary to obtain smooth and elastic dough. Work it together as the Italians would – with force and passion – for at least 10-15 minutes, beating the dough repeatedly on a lightly floured surface. Put the dough in an oiled bowl large enough to hold it (figure there is rising) and let it rest covered for 5-6 hours.
Take the dough and form sticks of about 2 inches thick and 6½ - 7½ inches long, and turn it into a ring (like for a bagel). Spray all the rings you’ve made with water and let them rest for at least two hours.
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Bake for about 20 minutes. Take out the rings with heat-resistant gloves and cut them in half length-wise (like splitting a bagel). Place back into oven and bake until they are hardened (like biscotti). Let them cool on a rack, and then store in paper or cloth sacks/bags in your bread closet/pantry.

Ingredients for the scungilli con fresellini fra diavolo for 4:
2 large cans of sliced scungilli, drained
7-8 toes of garlic, crushed and coarsely cut
2 t dried or 3 sprigs of fresh oregano, leaves minced
Sea salt to taste
2 t sugar
6 c of your favorite tomato or marinara sauce (commercially made or home-made)
1 – 28 oz. can of San Marzano tomatoes, drained, seeded, and diced
Pepper or peperoncino piccante tritato (red pepper flakes – optional)
A bunch of fresh Italian parsley and basil, chopped into small pieces
Extra-virgin olive oil
12 fresellini (3 for each person)
Preparation:
In a deep frying pan with heated olive oil sauté the garlic and oregano on medium flame (don’t let garlic burn). Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, [pepper or peperoncino], and sugar, and bring to a simmer. Add scungilli and let simmer for ½ hour. Just before serving – about 15 minutes in advance, add the parsley and basil.
Serve in a soup-type bowl, with three peppered fresellini at the bottom of bowl and 1½ cups of scungilli sauce on top of the fresellini. Wait about 10 minutes before serving the guests to allow sauce to seep through fresellini. May I suggest a primo piatto of a little pasta prior to serving the scungilli – this way no one will have to wait for their scungilli, and your guests will think of you as the perfect host/hostess.
This recipe is the fra diavolo version – for the non-spicy version, nuke the pepper/peperoncino and use the plain fresellini.

Gilda’s Breaded Veal Cutlets with Roasted and Marinated Peppers

Vitello alla Milanese con Peperoni Arrostiti e Marinati di Gilda
This is my all-time favorite – the aromas created by the frying of the cutlets and roasting of the peppers will draw you into the kitchen to see what’s cooking. Tender veal is the key to successful Milanese – the veal has to be cut thin from the leg, without tendons or fat, and pink in color. Milk-fed veal is the best, available in Italy, New York, and …? Does your locale carry such veal? If not, you can order some from Landi’s Italian Pork Store in Brooklyn, NY, at 5909 Avenue N, located between East 59th Street and Ralph Avenue – you don’t need to drive there – they have a terrific Internet business – check them out at: brooklynporkstore.com.
Roasted red peppers were very traditional in the Zeoli household whenever we had these veal cutlets. I can recall my mother and grandmother preparing so many cutlets that we had enough left over for panini. There is nothing like an Italian crusty roll with a veal cutlet topped with the roasted red peppers.
Of course, you can side the veal Milanese with anything you like – it doesn’t have to be peppers – you could also try roasted tomatoes, onions, zucchini – you name it. So give this dish a try if you haven’t made it yet, and you’ll be convinced of how good it is!
Ingredients for the vitello alla Milanese for 4:
1 lb veal cutlets, milk-fed, cut thin, tendon-free and without fat

Commercially-prepared or home-made very fine Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
Ingredients for the peperoni arrostiti e marinati for 4:
8 sweet red bell or banana peppers, seeded and quartered
8 garlic toes, chopped roughly, plus 1 whole peeled toe
Olive oil for veal cutlets (doesn’t have to be extra-virgin)
Some extra-virgin olive oil for the peppers
Sea salt to taste
Pepper (optional)
Splash of white balsamic vinegar
Branch of fresh basil, chopped up fine
Preparation:
For the peperoni arrostiti e marinati
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
On a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil, place enough olive oil to coat the pan. Place your peppers and garlic on top, and with your hands mix them all up, making sure all the pepper pieces are coated well with the oil. Place in oven and after about 10-15 minutes turn the peppers over. Cook another 10-15 minutes or so or until the pepper skins begin to change color a little. Remove from oven, transfer to a bowl (with the oil and garlic) and let cool.
Remove the skins from the peppers. Cut the peppers in ½-¾ inch strips. Return the peeled peppers to the bowl with the garlic and oil they cooked in.
To the bowl add a splash of white balsamic, salt, fresh basil, and [pepper]. Mix thoroughly and let sit for an hour or so, in or out of frig. Serve with the vitello alla Milanese on the side.
For the veal alla Milanese
Place the veal in a bowl with the beaten eggs, and with your hands make sure all the cutlets become coated with the eggs.
Place crumbs on a flat plate. Take each cutlet and make sure it’s coated completely with the crumbs. Place breaded cutlets on another plate.
Heat a large frying pan with olive oil at medium-high flame, coating thoroughly, and add your whole garlic toe. When hot, place your veal cutlets in. Cook each side several minutes or until a rosy golden brown. When done, place on a plate lined with paper towel or brown bag to absorb excess oil. Serve while warm with the roasted and marinated peppers.
Enjoy! Buon appetito!

Delicacies of Rabbit with Baby Sweet Peppers

Bocconcini di Coniglio ai Piccoli Peperoni Dolci
If you like sweet peppers, you’ll love this dish; if you’re not a pepper fan, you have my permission to substitute them for thinly sliced carrots and zucchini (I did this for Wally, because peppers were not to his liking). Although rabbit is ideal for this dish, you have my permission to substitute chicken, squab, or capon, if desired.
As far as the deboning of rabbit – do it if you have guests who do not like using their hands while eating; otherwise, don’t waste your time deboning. Cut the rabbit up into about 6-8 pieces – many times the butcher will do this for you in advance if you call. What I usually do is pick out the rabbit (usually frozen), have the butcher thaw it and then cut it up to my specifications. All I do is pick it up the day before I plan to use it.
This is one of my favorite ways of preparing rabbit – it’s quick, uses few ingredients, and is so tasty!
Ingredients for 4:
1 lb of rabbit, with bones or deboned, in small pieces no bigger than the palm of your hand, and lightly salted
A bunch of red and green baby sweet peppers, seeded, and halved or quartered (depending on their sizes)
1 garlic toe
1 sprig of rosemary
About 1 c dry white wine
About half a glass of extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
Pepper (optional)
Preparation:

Making sure the oil is hot, brown the rabbit pieces briefly in a good-sized frying pan. Add the peppers to the pan with the wonderful, perfume-scented rabbit, as well as 1 toe of garlic and the entire sprig of rosemary. Pour about a cup of white wine over the soffrito, letting ½ the wine evaporate, then add salt and [pepper].

Cover and let stew over a moderate flame for about 15 minutes. Remove cover, raise flame a bit, and finish cooking – it’s done when the liquid is mostly evaporated. Serve as a secondo piatto with a fruity white wine, such as a Friuli.
Mangia bene!

Baked Italian Turkey-Chicken Loaf

Polpettone di Tacchino e Pollo al Forno

The original recipe used ground veal and pork – very delicious as well. Because Wally was not crazy about veal or pork, I got him to like this version which only uses ground chicken and turkey. I noticed a huge difference in flavor when the ground turkey was from the thigh rather than breast portion – the fat from the thigh does add a lot more flavor to the loaf.
The title of this dish in Italian means huge meatball – that is the way Italians view meatloaf. We first had it in Sicilia at our flat after having inquired about what our neighbor was cooking that smelled so delicious. What memories – they were the nicest neighbors – explaining how to make regional specialties, fix the electricity when it went out, and go about visiting some of the unique monuments of the city. There is no better way to travel than to be among the native people – just think of all the great home-cooked dishes we would have missed by traveling with a group of English-speaking tourists!

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we have.
Ingredients for 6:

½ lb ground chicken

½ lb ground turkey (thighs)

¾ lb of stale Italian bread
A little cold milk to soften bread

¼ lb sliced ham

¾ lb of fior di latte (buffalo mozzarella) or mozzarella

3 T grated Parmigiano Reggiano

2 eggs and 1 egg yolk

½ glass extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt to taste
Pepper (optional)
Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
In a bowl, soften the stale bread in cold milk, breaking it up into small bits. Then in a bigger bowl, mix it in with the ground turkey and chicken, the Parmigiano Reggiano, two whole eggs plus one yolk, the salt, and the [pepper]. When the mixture is perfectly homogenous, spread it out flat into a rectangle of ½ inch thickness on some parchment paper, and, starting from the center, lay out the mozzarella and ham.

Roll up the meatloaf, using its parchment paper as you roll. Roll in such a way as to prevent the stuffing from coming out the sides.

Spread the oil on an oven pan that will be used for the loaf. Place the loaf in the pan and cook for about 20 minutes or until completely cooked. Serve it hot, with the mozzarella streaming at the moment of cutting. This is also good eaten cold.

Buon appetito!