Mary Ann Esposito's Ciao Italia™

Melon Madness

Watermelon, cantaloupe, casaba, honeydew, persian, cranshaw, whew!

There are so many kinds of melons to choose from right now at the height of summer, and with the hot spell of weather we have been having, melon is a very refreshing way to cool down.

High in Vitamin A and C and low in calories, eat them while you can because the season is ever so short. I have to admit that most times I pick a dud when it comes to flavor. Choosing them by smell, shaking them or looking for soft spots do not make for good detective work when trying to choose a good melon.

Once a melon is plucked from the vine, it's all over. It will ripen no more. So it is the luck of the draw I guess. I usually choose one that feels heavy in my hand and bring it home to sit on the counter for a few days.

Don't refrigerate them before cutting because the cold will not add anything to their flavor. Once they are cut, then you must refrigerate them.

There are so many ways to use melons in your cooking besides just having a ho hum slice all by itself. How about a refreshing melon ball fruit salad with sparkling wine.

Ingredients

2 cups honeydew melon balls
2 cups cantaloupe melon balls
2 cups watermelon balls
4 tablespoons warm honey
Asti Spumante

Directions

Toss all the fruits together in a large bowl with the honey. Divide and fill 8 goblets or wine glasses with the fruit mixture. Just before serving, pour Asti Spumante, a sparkling dessert wine, into each glass or goblet. Serve immediately.

Port Wine Blueberry Cake: It's The Berries!

One of the fun things I like to do all summer is pick fresh fruit at local farms. I start my regime with blueberries, followed by raspberries and blackberries.

I planted my own blueberry bushes years ago, but the birds always got to the berries before I did. Short of netting the bushes, there was not much that I could do.

So each year I truck to local farms and pick away thinking all the time about what I want to do with the berries. Some I will freeze, others will get made into blueberry pie, blueberry muffins, blueberry jam, but most will just get eaten out of hand.

Low in calories and high in antioxidants, this fruit is a winner in my book, and so is this wonderful port wine blueberry cake! It's just right for drop in company or just snacking on the porch with a tall glass of ice cold milk.

Port Wine Blueberry Cake
 
¼ cup softened butter
¾ cup sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk
¼ cup port wine
 
1 ¾ cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
 
Preheat oven to 350F
 
Butter spray a loaf pan, or round 9 x 2  inch cake pan and set aside.
 
Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat in the egg, milk and port wine.
 
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together on a sheet of wax paper and slowly blend into the butter mixture. 
 
Fold in the blueberries.
 
Scrape into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour or until a cake skewer comes out clean. Cool and remove from cake pan. 

Beet Salad Recipe: Heart Beet

Like broccoli, beets seem to bring out the worst in people who shun these vegetables.

In the case of beets, it's a texture thing they tell me. And broccoli is just too strong a taste! Too bad, because beets and broccoli are two of the healthiest veggies you could eat. Those who are anathema to having beets pass their lips  probably were subjected unfairly to the canned variety  for which there is no redeeming quality.

Right now, root vegetables like beets are in season, although you can find them all year long. I have been harvesting beets from my garden for a couple of weeks now. I planted a rainbow mix of yellow, red and purple varieties.

Did you know that the beet tops are also delicious added to a green salad? Beets are a form of carbohydrates that do not contain any fat and are low in calories. They are high in antioxidants which help to fight all sorts of cancers. They protect against heart disease and have been known to help in the battle against colon cancer.

My favorite way to prepare them is as a marinated salad with mint, garlic, olive oil and vinegar. Sometimes I add dabs of creamy goat cheese and toasted pecans or walnuts for variety. 
However you choose to have beets, your heart and your overall health will be the beneficiaries, and you just can't beet that!

Rainbow Beet Salad

Serves 4

6 large beets, a combination of yellow, red and orange
2 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons white rice wine or white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup minced fresh mint
1/4 pound creamy goat cheese, in bits (optional)
1/4 cup toasted pecans or walnuts (optional)

Cook the beets unpeeled in boiling water until a knife is easily inserted; drain, cool, peel and cut the beets into thin slices.

In a shallow glass dish, mix the garlic, olive oil, vinegar, honey and salt together.

Make rows of alternating colored beets in the dish. Use a brush to coat the tops with some of the marinade.

Sprinkle the mint over the beets. Cover and allow to marinate several hours at room temperature before serving.

If using the cheese and nuts, sprinkle over the beets just before serving.

From Americo to America, Let Freedom Ring

Let freedom ring and the flag fly proudly on July 4th and all through the year!

Take a moment to thank the men and women in military service who everyday defend your freedoms and make America the land of the free and the home of the brave. And speaking of the brave did you know that America owes its name to Americo Vespucci, a Florentine navigator who was the first to realize that Columbus actually discovered a new continent, not the shores of the Indies?

Florentine cartographers were able to draw new maps as Vespucci sent them letters from the new world and to honor him, his name Americo was given to the new continent, which over time became America!

Need some new ideas for your 4th of July celebration? Here's a menu with some tasty dishes you can do on the grill and ahead of time.

Pollo alla Diavola
Devilish Chicken

Pollo alla Diavola means devilish chicken and gets its name from the fact that peperoncini, hot pepper flakes, are used  “a piacere,” to your liking.  I use cayenne because pepper flakes tend to burn and fall off during cooking. The real success of this dish is based on the quality of the bird. In Tuscany, where this dish is very popular,  it means free range chicken, fed natural grains, and treated humanely. The best way to cook the chicken is to butterfly it and place it “alla griglia”, on a hot grill. This method allows for even cooking. The results are finger licking good!

Serves 4

One 3 1/2-4 pound  free range, organic chicken, butter flied
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper or dried pepper flakes
1 cup dry white wine
Lemon wedges

Place the chicken on a plastic cutting board breast side down. With a poultry shears or boning knife, cut along one side of the backbone, then cut down the other side of the backbone.

Remove and discard the bone or save for stock.

Open out the chicken flattening it with your hands or a meat pounder. Rub the chicken all over with the olive oil, then season it with salt, pepper, and  cayenne or pepper flakes. Place the chicken in a dish, cover and marinate it for several hours; this step can be done the day before.

When ready to cook, fire up the grill,  and when the coals are white or a gas grill temperature reaches 500F, place the chicken on the grill and cook turning frequently, keeping the fire under control so as not to burn the chicken.

Half way into the grilling, start basting the chicken with the wine and continue basting every 10 minutes. Chicken is cooked when a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh bone registers between 175 and 180F.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, and cut it into serving pieces. Serve hot with a squirt of lemon juice. Use your fingers, not a fork to eat it and keep a glass of water at the ready, just in case the devil gets to you.
 

Aunt Jenny’s Strawberry Ice Box Cake

Serves 8-10

1 pint heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon strawberry or vanilla extract
2 cups strawberries cut into small pieces plus 4 whole ones for garnish
1 package Nabisco chocolate wafer cookies
Several whole mint sprigs

Whip the cream in the bowl of a mixer until it holds soft peaks.  Sprinkle in the sugar and  whip another few seconds until the cream holds stiff peaks. Fold in the strawberry or vanilla extract. Fold in the strawberries.
     
Take 10 cookies, spread one side of each cookie with a small amount of  the whipped cream mixture. Stack the wafers into a small pile on a baking sheet.  Fill in any gaps between the wafers with more cream. Repeat with the remaining wafers until there are 4 stacks.

Lay the cream-filled cookies on a rectangular serving dish on their sides in parallel rows touching each other.  Frost the “cake” generously with the remaining strawberry cream fmaking sure no gaps remain.  Refrigerate  at least 4 hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, place the whole strawberries on top of the cake with a few sprigs of mint.  Slice on the diagonal to serve.

Pasta Salad

Serves 6 to 8

2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-teaspoon salt
Juice of 2 large lemons
1-pound bowties, ziti or spirals
1 large avocado, cut in half, pit removed, flesh scooped out with a large spoon and thinly sliced
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
6 to 8 fresh basil leaves torn into bits
1 small ball fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into bits
Grinding black pepper
I small head radicchio, washed, leaves separated

In a jar combine the onion, garlic, olive oil, salt and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Cap and shake well. Set aside. Dressing can be made a couple of days ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the bowties and cook until al dente, firm but not mushy. Drain the bowties and transfer them to a large bowl. Pour the dressing over them and toss well. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

In a small bowl toss the avocado with the remaining lemon juice and set aside.
Add the walnuts and tomatoes to the bowties and toss. Add the avocado and lemon juice and toss gently. Add the basil, mozzarella and a grinding of pepper.

Grilled Zucchini

4 large zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch thick lengthwise slices
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Grinding black pepper
Fresh lemon wedges

In a large bowl toss the zucchini slices with salt, oregano and pepper. Add the olive oil and toss again. Place the slices directly on a hot grill and grill about 2 minutes on each side; transfer slices to a serving platter and serve with lemon wedges.

Italian flag courtesy of 4 International Flags

Rhubarb and Fig Pie!

It's rhubarb season, and you either love it or hate it!

I can't get enough of it, and my favorite dessert is rhubarb and dried fig pie! The combination is fantastic and you must try it, just once. The dough is easy to make in a food processor, and you can prepare the rhubarb filling a day ahead of time.

Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, you'll forget all your troubles.

The best pies are made in glass pie plates like Pyrex.

Rhubarb and Fig Pie

Serves 8

Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into bits
8 tablespoons Crisco shortening
Grated zest of 1 lemon
5-6 tablespoons ice water


FILLING
1 1/4 pounds rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
8 dried figs stemmed, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes, drained and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon  lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
In a food processor or in a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and shortening and pulse, or cut in with a pastry blender, until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add, lemon zest, and pulse for a couple of seconds. Add the water slowly through the feed tube using a little at a time until the dough begins to come together. Do not overprocess. You should be able to see bits of butter in the dough. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place the rhubarb in 2 quart saucepan. In a bowl combine the sugar and cornstarch, then add to the rhubarb. Slowly add the water and stir to combine ingredients. Cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to thicken. Stir in the figs and lemon juice.

Meanwhile, make the filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the rhubarb, sugar, and water. Cook, stirring, over low heat until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the figs and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate at least a couple of hours or make the filling the day before.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one half into a 12-inch round and fit it into the pie pan.

Spoon the filling evenly into the pan. Roll out the second half of dough and fit it over the filling. Trim the edges and use your fingers to pinch the edges closed or use a fork to make tines all around the dough .

Use trimmings to make a decorative design on the pie like stars or flowers.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until  the pie is nicely browned on top and bottom. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a rack. Cut into wedges to serve.

Making and Eating Authentic Neapolitan Pizza

Every time my mother made pizza from scratch we listened to Dean Martin belt out, “when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore...” I admit I did not appreciate it then, but having carried on the pizza making tradition, I can vouch for the “that’s amore” part because making it is a labor of love.

Pizza is the symbol of Italy along with macaroni, and making and eating pizza in Naples (the home of pizza) is serious business. There is even a governing body (La Vera Pizza Napolitana) that oversees the making of it according to set rules and here are some of them"

• Only Tipo“00” flour such as Caputo flour can be used.
• Only San Marzano tomatoes grown in the rich volcanic soil in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius can be used.
• Only fresh mozzarella is permitted. This cheese was developed in Naples and has a rich, creamy texture.
• Fresh herbs (basil and oregano) are key toppings in the making of Neapolitan pizzas.
• The water used to make the dough must be free of chemicals.
• Only fresh yeast is permitted.
• Pizza dough must be made and stretched by hand, no rolling pins allowed.
• The oven must be wood fired with the floor of the pizza oven at least five inches thick, and the pizza must cook directly on the oven floor.
• When cooked, a pizza should be crisp on the bottom but slightly chewy on top. The crust edges should form a rim known as a cornizone and it should have just tinges of a blackened edge.
• The cheese should be blistered and form rises and falls on the surface of the pizza.

Now for the toppings! Only four variations are allowed for authentic pizza:

Napoletana: Margherita, with crushed tomatoes, olive oil basil and mozzarella.  Marinara, with crushed tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, and garlic. Formaggio e Pomodoro with cheese, crushed tomatoes and olive oil. And Rpieno, a calzone filled with ricotta or mozzarella, olive oil, and salami.

As to how to eat a Neapolitan pizza, there is tradition to adhere to as well. First, pizza is never sold in a box. It is eaten at a pizzeria and it is not shared, or meant to be shared. You order and eat your own individual pizza because they are dinner plate size and very thin. Eat them with a fork or knife, or fold the pizza into a libretto, a little book.

Other regions of Italy make pizza, but they are variations of what you would find in pizza’s true home of Naples. In Sicily, a thick bread like pizza called sfincione is made with tomatoes and anchovies; in Tuscany a flat pizza called focaccia is made with herbs, olive oil and various toppings. In Rome, pizza is sold by the slice (pizza a taglia) and toppings can include prosciutto, artichokes, cheese etc.

You will never experience the taste of authentic Neapolitan pizza anywhere but in Naples, so if a trip to bella Napoli is in your future, go straight to a pizzeria.

Otherwise you can make your own pizza at home; it will be far better than the one from your local pizzeria.

Basic Pizza Dough
INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (110F-115F)
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Pizza Margherita Topping
INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup tomato saiuce
One 8 ounce ball  fresh fior di latte mozzarella cheese, cut into small pieces
12 fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/2-cup warm water. Allow the yeast to proof until it is foamy, about 10 minutes.

Add the remaining 1-cup of warm water, combining it well with the yeast. Add 3 cups of the flour and the salt. Mix the dough with your hands or use a mixer with a dough hook, adding the remaining flour as needed to make dough that holds together.

Place the dough on a floured surface and knead it for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is soft and not sticky. Grease a bowl with the olive oil. Put the dough in the bowl and turn a few times to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it rise for 2 hours in a warm place.

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Punch down the dough and knead it for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface.

Divide the dough in half and roll each piece out on a floured surface into a 12-inch round and place the rounds on lightly oiled 13-inch pizza pans. Turn in the edges  of the dough about  1/2 inch to form a rim. You can stretch the dough to fit an even larger pan if you wish. Place the dough on 2 wooden peels, dusted with cornmeal, if you plan to use baking stones to bake the pizza.

Brush each round with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Divide the tomato sauce between the rounds. Divide the cheese and sprinkle it on top of the sauce. Divide the basil leaves and sprinkle them on top of the cheese. Divide and sprinkle on the salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.

Bake the pizzas for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top and bottom crusts are nicely browned. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

If using baking stones, preheat the stones in a 500ºF. oven for 20 minutes. Just before placing the pizza on the stone from the baking peel, sprinkle each stone with a handful of cornmeal. Bake  the pizzaz for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crust in nicely browned on the bottom.

Memorial Day Memories and Recipes!

Memorial Day is a time to remember.

It's a day for parades, flags, marching bands and getting together with family and friends. It is, of course, also the unofficial start of the summer season, and many backyards will be filled with the smell and sizzle of grilled hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken.

I love all those classics, but how about adding something different this year?

What about a delicious pork tenderloin in an orange marmalade and balsamic vinegar glaze? Easy and fast. Believe me.

For sides, team it with grilled asparagus, Italian potato salad and a chocolate olive oil cake for dessert.

Before enjoying the delicious food, say a prayer of thanks for all those who have served our country and given us the precious gift of freedom. The measure of their sacrifices is as vast as the universe.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Orange Marmalade Sauce
Serves 8Ciao Italia Logo
 
2 whole pork tenderloins, about 1 1/4 pounds each
One 8-ounce jar orange marmalade
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
 
Preheat an outdoor grill to 450F.
 
Wash and dry the tenderloins well with paper towels. Rub them with fine sea salt and coarse black pepper and set aside.
 
Heat the marmalade with the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan  until smooth. Use 1/3 cup of the sauce for basting the tenderloins. Cook the  remaining sauce over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Keep the sauce warm and covered.
 
Place the tenderloins on the grill.  Baste them quickly with the sauce and cook them for 7 minutes over indirect heat with the grill  top closed. Lower the heat to 375F, turn the tenderloins over and and baste them again. Close the grill and cook an additional 5 minutes. Turn off the grill and allow the meat to sit for another 5 minutes. Following this method will result in juicy, not overcooked meat.
 
Transfer the tenderloins to a cutting board. Cover them loosely with aluminum foil and allow them to stand 5 minutes.
 
Cut the pork on the diagonal into 1-inch thick slices; arrange them on a platter and serve passing the remaining sauce on the side.
 
Variation; add a tablespoon of fresh chopped rosemary to the finished sauce.
 
Potato and Cherry Tomato Salad
Serves 4-6

This simple potato and cherry tomato salad is perfect for a picnic. Put it together early in the day and forget it!

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
Grinding coarse black pepper
2 pounds small white potatoes. scrubbed
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes cut in half
6 basil leaves torn into small pieces
 
Combine the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a salad  bowl and set aside.
 
Put the potatoes in a pot, cover them with cold water and cook until a knife is easily inserted into the skin. Drain them and when they are at room temperature cut them into small wedges or slices Toss them into the salad bowl along with the cherry tomatoes, and basil leaves. Allow to marinate at room temperature several hours before serving.
 
Torta al Cioccolata di Olio di Oliva
Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Serves 8-10

Recipe available at CiaoItalia.com!

A Pulled Pork Party

Like everybody else, warmer weather makes me want to move all my cooking to the grill, and there is nothing I won't cook on it, from grilled pizza (another story) to grilled fruits like peaches and nectarines to top rich and cold ice cream.

But every once in awhile I get a real yearning for pulled pork, cooked not on my grill but in my slow cooker or in a dutch oven. I use a pork shoulder roast, a less tender cut of meat with a lot of connective tissue that is well marbled and just the ticket for making pulled pork.

First, I rub the roast all over with spices like a blend of cayenne pepper, chili pepper, paprika, coarse black pepper, coarse salt, cumin and fresh minced garlic. I cover the roast with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight to really let those spices do their work.

Next day, I chop up an onion and a couple of parsnips and cook them for a few minutes, then I sear the meal well to get the outside crusty, and pop it i along with the onion and parsnips into my slow cooker or heavy duty oven pot with a tight fitting lid.

Next I mix up some barbeque sauce using ketchup, hot red pepper sauce, spicy mustard, wine or apple cider, salt and pepper. Sometimes I add pickle juice.

Pour this over the meat and set the oven temperature to 250 degrees F if you are doing this in the oven. Otherwise set your slow cooker according to manufacturers instructions and let the meat happily cook for 4 hours, or until it is fork tender and literally falling apart.

But don't be tempted to eat it just yet!

Save yourself some calories by refrigerating the meat overnight and next day, skimming off all the congealed fat at the top. Then shred the meat into pieces, reheat in the sauce and get those napkins ready!

This is "finger-licking good"! Served in a bun or with a nice side like broccoli rape (below). A five pound roast will serve six to eight happy dinner guests.

The Fantastic Fava (Bean)

Nothing says spring like the arrival of the first crop of fava beans, a.k.a. broad beans, now making their presence known in the produce department.

These long sturdy pods hide brilliant green flat looking oval “beans” that resemble lima beans. They have been a staple food worldwide for centuries, but do not seem to get their day in the culinary sun here as much because it is a mystery to many as to what to do with them. Italians love them and even have an expression for them that goes like this: "Never tell the farmer how good fava beans are with pecorino cheese."

Fava beans are a great source of iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper and selenium. I love them raw but there are so many ways to prepare them  from just boiling them and tossing them with olive oil and salt to pureeing them for a nutty tasting spread on good bread or serving them with pasta or marinating them for this dynamite and impressive looking salad good enough for company.
 
Parmesan Cheese and Fava Bean Salad Towers
 
Serves 4
 
1 cup shelled fava beans
2 ribs celery, diced
2 tablespoons diced red onion
1 tablespoon minced spring onions
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste
2 2/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
 
Cook the fava beans in 3 cups of boiling salted water until the outer skin easily slips off the bean. Drain and place in a bowl. Add the celery, onions, tarragon, olive oil,vinegar and salt. Toss to combine well. Cover and marinate at least two hours.
 
Meanwhile heat a10 or 12 inch non stick sauté pan with slopping sides over medium heat.
 
Spread 2/3 cup of the cheese in the pan and shape it into a 9 inch long by 3 inch wide strip. Cook until the cheese begins to bubble and melt and turn a golden brown. Slip the cheese out of the pan onto a wooden cutting board and while it is still warm, wrap it around a 2 inch wide juice glass or jar and press the ends together and place the glass or jar on its side seam side down on a cutting board. When cool, slip the cylinder off the glass and set aside.
 
Continue making three more cheese cylinders.
 
When ready to fill, place each cylinder on a salad plate and carefully fill each with some of the fava bean mixture.

Mother's Day Menu

Mothers all over the world deserve their special day, so why not turn the tables and cook her a meal as a way of thanking her for all the love she put into the meals she prepared for you?

The easy menu below is from my latest book: Ciao Italia Five Ingredient Favorites. Each recipe requires only 5 ingredients, not counting salt and pepper. You’ll be out of the kitchen in no time, leaving you more time to spend with mom, and isn’t that what Mother’s Day is all about?

Mother's Day Menu

Farfalle with Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce
 
Pork Loin in Barolo Wine
 
Asparagus and Sweet Red Bell Pepper Salad
 
Mom’s Sponge Cake