Mary Ann Esposito's Ciao Italia™

HomemadeTomato Basil Sauce: Seeing Red In Winter

Winter officially arrives on December 21st, and with it cold, snowy days, the kind of days that make people want to stay in the kitchen and cook up some homey comfort food like spaghetti and meatballs.

It seems anyone who makes this dish has a particular recipe for meatballs. What surprises me is how many people are content to plunge those meatballs into jarred tomato sauce!
 
Nothing is easier to make than a simple meatless tomato sauce, and this time of year, you need only reach for a good brand of canned plum tomatoes to get started.

In less time than it would take for you to drive to the grocery store and back, homemade sauce can be on your stovetop. And with the holidays a mere sneeze away, having a batch of tomato sauce can help you create all kinds of meals for hungry family and guests.

Use this recipe for simple tomato basil sauce.

Make a big batch so you have some left over to freeze for future use not only for spaghetti and meatballs but for pizza, pasta casseroles, calzones and any recipe calling for tomato sauce.

It's a tradition: Christmas Bear Bread

Probably one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen is make bread. To me, something very miraculous  happens when flour, water and yeast come together as dough and then as bread or rolls or pizza and more.

At Christmastime I make a lot of yeasted breads, both sweet and savory but my most requested bread is for little bears made with a simple sweet dough.

Each one is shaped by hand, and when they are all baked, each has its own individual look and personality. I dress them up with holiday ribbons around their necks and cluster them together in a beautiful Christmas basket, and they are always part of my holiday table.

One year my mother was so intrigued with them that she made them for a dinner party to which she invited her parish priest. Each place setting had a bow bedecked bear. The guests loved them and thought them too pretty to eat so they took them home. The next day the parish priest called not to say how great the food was, but that he has forgotten his bear! The tradition lives on.

Read the recipe below and watch the video recipe at the Ciao Italia website.
 
Little Christmas Bears

Makes 6

INGREDIENTS
1 1/3 cups milk
1  package active dry yeast
2/3 cup sugar
5 to 5 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2  teaspoons salt
1 stick butter, softened
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash
coarse brown sugar for sprinkling
Raisins or currants for eyes
 
In a saucepan warm, the milk to (100 F). Pour the milk into a bowl and sprinkle on the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar and stir to blend. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand for about 10 minutes, until the yeast is foamy.
 
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl, if you are doing this by hand, mix 5 cups flour, the salt, and the remaining sugar together. Add the butter and mix it into the flour mixture. Slowly add the yeast mixture, and mix on medium speed or by hand until a ball of dough is formed, adding additional flour only if the dough is very sticky. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes.
 
Lightly butter a bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
 
Grease two cookie sheets. Punch down the dough and divide it into 24 equal pieces. Use 4 pieces for each bear: Roll 3 pieces of dough into balls about 2 inches in diameter. Place the balls of dough together in a line on one of the cookie sheets, as if making a snowman: One for the head, one for the upper body, and one for the lower body. Divide the fourth piece of dough into 7 pieces for the ears, nose, feet, and hands, and attach to the bear. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the bears 3 inches apart on the sheets. Cover with a towel and let rise for 20 minutes.
 
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Insert raisins or currants into the heads for the bears' eyes. Brush the bears with the egg wash and sprinkle the bodies with the coarse sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
 
Cool on wire racks, then tie ribbons around the necks.
 
Note: You can make more bears by using smaller pieces of dough. These freeze beautifully and can be made 2 to 3 weeks ahead. Wrap them individually in foil and place in freezer bags (add the ribbons after thawing).

Blog Exclusive: Five Fast, Fantastic Cookie Recipes to Make, Eat and Give

What we need right now, on the countdown to Christmas (aka the holidays), are a few good cookie recipes that won’t leave us slaving in the kitchen for hours.

Truth be told, a lot of people I know won’t even bother dragging out the rolling pin and cookie cutters. They are content to purchase packaged cookies at the grocery store or in their favorite pastry shop. Ho Hum.

But, I am reluctant to give up those traditional treasures that make this season of the year so special. On the other hand, my time is limited, too, so I sorted through my tried and true cookie favorites and came up with five different cookies that could all actually be made on one Saturday afternoon and are swanky enough to give away as gifts.

Try one, two, or try them all! Stack a bunch in clear cellophane bags and tie with a cheery ribbon, or nestle them in a pretty tin and give them to people who mean everything to you. They will appreciate the effort you expended to let them know how special they are.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanakuah, and Happy Kwanzaa!

Thanksgiving Leftovers, A Ciao Italia Blog Exclusive: Turkey Tetrazzini

Whew! Now that Thanksgiving is but a memory, we can head to the malls because the shopping wizards will have us up at the crack of dawn (well, 4 a.m.) on Black Friday so we can cram through their doors like a pack of raging bulls to get those holiday deals.

All that shopping will leave us just too exhausted to think about what to have for dinner.

Once again, Tom turkey will save the day because their are so many things you can do with the leftovers besides slapping a few slices of turkey between two slices of bread. 

Here are some suggestions: why not make turkey macaroni and cheese for a great casserole. I call it turkey tetrazzini.

Or save the turkey bones and throw them into a pot, cover with water, add a carrot, an onion, and a couple stalks of celery and simmer away for a wonderful tasting turkey soup. And you can dice up any leftover cooked green beans and potatoes and throw them into the soup just before the soup is done.

How about a turkey stir fry? That is a great way to use up the leftover meat and vegetables like brussels sprouts, and mushrooms.

Turkey meatballs are another option; just mince up the cooked turkey and combine with an egg, salt, pepper, garlic, parsley and a little cheese and mix and form into meatballs. Fry or bake them just until hot.

Delicious!  And for dessert...oh those leftover pies taste even better on Black Friday.

Black Friday Turkey Tetrazzini

Serves 6

5 tablespoons butter 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 pound sliced button or oyster mushrooms 

2 tablespoons flour 

2 cups hot chicken broth 

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

1 cup non fat half/half or heavy cream 

Salt to taste 

Grinding black pepper 

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1/2 pound cooked spaghetti 

3 cups diced cooked turkey

2/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and the olive oil in a large stove top casserole dish or saute pan. Cook the mushrooms over medium heat until they soften. Transfer them to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Melt the remaining butter in the same pan and whisk in the flour to make a smooth paste. Slowly pour in the chicken broth and cook whisking constantly until the mixture just begins to thicken. Whisk in the half/half or cream and continue whisking until the sauce thickens; stir in the lemon juice. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. 

Mix the spaghetti, turkey, and mushrooms into the sauce. 

Sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is nicely browned.

What's In A Name

I wish I had a nickel for every time a wait staff person lets me know that one of the specials of the day is ”brushetta.” I just bite my lower lip and then politely say: “You mean bruschetta?” Bruschetta (pronounced brew-SKEH-tah, not brew-SHEH-tah) is simply fried, grilled or toasted bread that has a number of possible toppings from chicken livers to chopped tomatoes.

You can find recipes for the classic ones, like Bruschetta with Fried Peppers, at www.ciaoitalia.com/recipes.aspx

Farro (Fah-Row) is another classic example of bad pronunciation in restaurants claiming to be Italian. Farro is a nutritious wheat berry making a gourmet comeback and is a grain used in soups, stews and salads. But please don’t pronounce it like PHARAOH. You can find recipes using this grain on the web site as well.

In the pasta realm, gnocchi (gnaw-key) is a tough one for many not familiar with this delicious dumpling usually made from potatoes. It is often referred to as "no-key" or "knock-key".

And then of course there is espresso, known here as "ex-presso".

Fortunately everyone seems to know how to pronounce "Ciao" (chow).

Color Me Red, Blue, and Yellow (so far)

It’s getting to be that time of year for dragging out the baking sheets and rolling pin for making Christmas cookies.

I do make a lot of them, but I leave the ones requiring fussiness and frosting like cut out sugar cookies and gingerbread men until last just because they are the most time consuming. It’s not just making the dough, chilling, rolling, and cutting out shapes that takes time…it’s the frosting and decorating of each one.

When my children were small we decorated cookies together, and I had the usual toppers like sprinkles, colored sugars, gum drops, and raisins for them to use. I let them be expressive with their decorations even though by the time they were done, the sugar cookies weighed almost as much as they did with all the toppings they used!

As the years passed, I became increasingly leery about the use of artificial food coloring in our food, and I have eliminated artificial food coloring choosing instead to frost cookies using natural foods items.

For red, I use fresh squeezed pomegranate juice to give me a really pretty pink color when I mix it in with confectioners sugar.

For yellow, I use powdered saffron.

For blue, I mash blueberries and strain the juice.

I have not come up with anything natural for a nice green color though, so maybe you can help me out.

Thanksgiving Turkey Tip Sheet

Here is a little Thanksgiving holiday gift from me to every cook who is preparing dinner for turkey day. Post them on your refrigerator. Follow them and next year everyone will want you to cook again!

Happy Thanksgiving!

1. Buy a fresh, not frozen bird; advantage will be in the quality and taste. And there will be no guessing game as to how long a frozen turkey needs to defrost.
   
2. For great moist flavor, try brining. A brine can be a mixture of water, or juices such as apple or cider, herbs, spices and salt. If you use this method, the bird should sit in the brine totally submerged and refrigerated for 24 hours. Try this really nice brine for capon that can be used for turkey or other poultry.
   
3. Cook the stuffing separately to avoid cooking the bird too long. Most importantly, if you insist on stuffing the bird, do it just before roasting to avoid any bacteria buildup.
   
4. Tie the legs together with kitchen string; this will hold the bird’s shape as it roasts
   
5. Use a heavy duty pan with a roasting rack for cooking the turkey; the drippings will fall into the bottom of the pan and can be used to baste the bird as it cooks and for gravy.
   
6. Season the bird in and out with fine sea salt and coarse cracked black pepper. Herbs can be placed under the skin.
   
7. Use an instant read thermometer to tell when the bird is cooked and insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the bird, but not touching the bone. The breast meat should register 165F nd the thigh 175F.
   
8. After the turkey is cooked and nicely browned looking, let it rest for 20 minutes loosely covered with aluminum foil. This will allow the juices to re-settle in the meat.
   
9. Place the turkey on a platter surrounded by garnishes such as whole sautéed mushrooms or tiny lady apples. Let everyone declare you the best cook that ever was but carve the bird in the kitchen so as not to make a mess on your beautiful table.
   
10. Store turkey leftovers in aluminum foil and refrigerate as soon as everyone is done having seconds.

Ciao Italia Blog Exclusive Cranberry Relish Recipe: Relish This

Pick up any November food magazine and on the cover will surely be the hero of the Thanksgiving table, Tom the turkey, dressed in all his finery. There will be all kinds of informative articles in the magazine about how best to cook it. All that is fine, but it seems that roast turkey’s best companion, cranberry relish never gets its culinary due. But, truth be told, cranberry relish is what I crave on Thanksgiving; it says fall is really here and comfort foods will, well, comfort us through a long hard winter. 

So while the butterball turkey hotline will be lit up like a Christmas tree with questions from nervous cooks about what to do with the bird, I will anxiously be waiting to spoon my favorite cranberry sauce out of Aunt Phoebe’s antique glass bowl and onto my plate.

And I will relish every spoonful.

Cranberry Relish

Makes about 2 cups (recipe can be doubled)

1 pound cranberries, washed and drained

1 ¼ cups sugar

Pinch salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 cup diced California dried apricots

Combine the cranberries and sugar in a sauce pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and cook until the cranberries begin to burst. Add the salt, cinnamon, cloves and lemon juice. Cook until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the apricots. Let the mixture cool, then transfer to a jar and refrigerate until needed. It will keep for weeks.

A Fungus Among Us: Types of Mushrooms

All the rain we had this past summer resulted in a carpet of wild mushrooms growing in my back yard.

They are bright orange clusters of smooth capped mushrooms that I could not tell you one thing about. And I guess that is just my point. If you don’t know ALL there is to know about wild mushrooms, stay way away.

That’s because they could be extremely poisonous, even to the touch. Unless you are a mycologist (one who studies mushrooms), wild mushrooms are best left to those who know.

I hunt for mushrooms in my local grocery store and while these are cultivated and not wild, there is a pretty wide selection for every mushroom lover. Here are some of my favorites:

Oyster are grayish white looking with a fluted cap and their taste is delicate. I like them cooked in butter with just a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Shitake are tan to dark brown with a broad umbrella cap. These are great marinated and grilled

Enoki are tender, white with long stems and small caps. They have a sweet, mild taste. These are best used raw in salads or soups or lightly stir fried.

Royal Trumpet so called because they have light brown trumpet shaped caps. I use them grilled or in stir fry.

Crimini are the brown cousins of the lowly and common button mushroom that most of us are familiar with. They are more intense in flavor than button mushrooms and can be sautéed or grilled.

And while there are hundreds more types, the best thing to remember about mushrooms is that they provide selenium, an essential mineral that is beneficial in producing antioxidants. And mushrooms are a great source of potassium and that is good news for your heart, muscle and nerve function.

I’ll let you in on a few cooking tips too, don’t store them in plastic bags, paper bags let them breath. Never wash mushrooms, just wipe them with a damp cloth and when they are cooking, leave them alone; let them ooze their water and start to brown on one side before stirring them.

It is a wise person who knows what fungus is among us.

In Or Out

It is getting to that time of the year when I take stock of what’s really been in and what definitely must go out. You know, those defining statements that appear at year’s end in fashionista magazines and newspaper articles like they were the best guideline of our lives since the Ten Commandments.

Well, this year, I am well ahead of the pack because I have come up with my own list from the culinary world. So here is what’s in and out.

What’s on your list?

In	Out
7 Grain Cereal	Sugar Coated Cereals
Macaroni and Cheese	Canned Ravioli
Wet Sea Salts	Dry Sea Salts
Pink Peppercorns	Green Peppercorns
Unsalted Butter	Salted Butter
Extra Virgin Olive Oil	Vegetable Shortening
Dry Rubs	Brines
Pomegranates	Apples
Capon	Turkey
Grilled Fish	Fish N’Chips
Chili	Beef Stew
Fennel	Celery
Escarole	Iceberg Lettuce
Honey	Brown Sugar
Green Tea	Vitamin Water
Walnuts	Peanuts