Posted on 06/28/2018 4:06:28 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
I’ve become very interested in Italy lately, and am especially drawn toward the Sorrento Peninsula/Amalfi Coast area. Searching for recipes from the region – and continuing in the interest of finding ways to use all of those squashes that are beginning to burgeon in your gardens - I found a recipe for Spaghetti alla Nerano. This is a pasta dish that comes from the fishing village of the same name, and uses fried zucchini.
I found the recipe on a beautiful website dedicated to Italian cooking: ‘Memorie di Angelina’. Frank Fariello has done an amazing job with this blog, which is dedicated to his grandmother and his memories of her home cooking. He is passionate about his subject, and writes beautifully and thoughtfully about it:
http://memoriediangelina.com/2017/09/09/spaghetti-alla-nerano/
(While you’re there, check out his recipe for Frico, a crispy potato-cheese wonderfulness.)
I happened to find a neat way of cutting a hard-boiled egg, in case you are presenting them in a Chef’s Salad or some other dish This type of garnish cut is apparently called a ‘Van Dyke’ (after he of the beard style?) and there are a couple of ways to do it.
Here, YouTuber 'cheekyricho cooking' uses a knife:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUGJGhwZAY0
And DaveHax of 'Egg Life Hacks' uses a drinking straw:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XxrgwjRBCQ
If I could, I would go to Sorrento just to visit Terrerosse, the ceramics studio of Alessandro Ottone and his wife Enrica Cerchia. They don’t appear to have an online shop, but they do have a YouTube channel full of beautiful videos mixing magical scenes of the rugged coastline of their home with some of their work in ceramics. The way that Alessandro celebrates the sea creatures and natural environment of Sorrento – tender but not sentimental - is very moving to me. I can only imagine the satisfaction that comes from possessing talent like this and being able to devote one’s working life to it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0odXD6M1Ww&index=16&list=PL4rRCviH_yjBaNKMnSIFEldN_NHUFpE0D
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What first led me to become interested in this area of Italy was a YouTube channel, ‘ProWalks’, which features walking tours of several of the towns in the region. Among the videos of the resort towns, this YouTuber also has interesting tours of the ruins of Herculaneum and Pompeii. The definition of the video makes you feel as if you are actually there – and cause me to think that very realistic VR “vacations” are not too far away for us.
Some of the tours are quite long, but they are fascinating and relaxing to watch, if you are interested and have the time:
-JT
Battered Cream Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms
FILLING Mix 8 oz onion/chive cream cheese, 1/4 tsp ea pepper, gar/pwder, cayenne, 1/2 tsp salt, tsp Tabasco.
FILL MUSHROOMS Stuff 24 lge button mushroom caps w/ heaping tea Filling. Dredge in flour; dip in beaten egg, coat w/ Panko.
(NOTE redo egg/bread crumbs for thicker, crunchy coating).
Set on counter 10 min then freezer 30 min---helps prevent cr/cheese ooze. Fry golden brown on med.
SERVE hot w/ lemon wedges.
BREADING STATIONS flour, beaten egg, Panko.
Cappuccino Ice Cream Cake
CAKE Mix 400 g grated almond paste, 4 eggs, 4 tbl cocoa, zested lemon.
Center-bake in buttered/parchmented springform 350 deg 20 min. Cool.
Remove/wash rim; replace.
FILLING Whip 500 ml cream really thick. Add 2 1/2 tbl
Nestle espresso, 100 ml conf. Add 3 egg yolks, 3 tbl Baileys (or Amaretto).
ASSEMBLY Pour Filling over Cake; saran pan/freeze. Remove 20
min before serving; blanket w/ grated white and dark chocolate.
UNMOLD Carefully hold bottom of pan under warm tap water a few sec.
Transfer to cutting board; remove paper. Cut triangular wedges. Let stand a few min.
SERVE napped with warm fudge sauce (to gild the lily) .......and a blissful cup of hot espresso.
VEAL PIZZAIOLA
METHOD Add tb ol/oil to frypan on med; add in order given veal slices, canned crushed tomatoes, tb tomato paste,
2 sliced gar/cl, 2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp thyme, pepper, salt, chili flakes. Cook/brown veal 10 min. Plate veal; foil over.
Cook/thicken sauce 5-10 min.
SERVE sauce atop veal; sides of your favourite veg. Garlic broccoli recommended.
ITALIAN PISTACHIO BRITTLE
ING •150 gr of unshelled pistachio (not salted nor toasted) •150 gr of sugar •1 tbsp of water •½ tbsp of lemon juice
PREP Prepare a sheet of parchment paper on a hot resistant surface. Oil a silicone spatula.
METHOD In a steel pan put together the sugar, water and lemon juice and cook with medium gas until the sugar began to brown and caramelize. Add pistachio, mix it all quickly, turn off the gas and pour it on the parchment paper, spreading w/ oiled silicone spatula. Add another sheet of parchment; level brittle w/ rolling pin.
Set aside; before it cools completely, using an oiled knife, cut squares or small rectangles.
WATERMELON BOMBE
PREP Saran 2 qt st/steel bowl; freezer 30 mins.
METHOD Quickly spread over bottom/up sides to within 1/2" of top combined pint pistachio ice cream, 6 drops green food color.
Freeze firm an hour. Then spread w/ pint vanilla ice cream. Freeze firm 2 hours.
Lastly, spoon in combined pint strawberry ice cream, 6 drops red food coloring. Stir in 1/2 c mini-choc/chips. Cover / freeze overnight.
FINAL Invert onto server. Remove bowl/saran.
SERVE in 8 wedges.
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