Italian American Heritage

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Comment by CRIVCO on March 17, 2009 at 2:05pm

I can tell you the holiday by the dishes
served the Italian American feast. The “sfingi”,
“baccala” and “zeppole” signify the leanness
of Good Friday. Easter Sunday usually follows
with the celebratory roasted lamb, fava beans,
spring peas, and artichokes. There is always
some form of stuffed pasta, tortellini, manicotti,
or pasticciata.
The “pizza chiena” is filled with salami
eggs and cheese. For dessert, the “pastiera”
or ricotta and whole grain pieis enjoyed in
addition to the “pinze”, sweet egg bread
formed in a braid with colored eggs imbedded
in it.
The family meal—especially the Italian
holiday meal—reinforces family unity and
identity; it is a bond of belonging and
continuity.

RUSTIC-CUT ROASTED LAMB
SHOULDER
Spalla d’Agnello Arrosto
Makes 6 servings
3 1/2 pounds lamb shoulder (with bones),
cut into 2-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, trimmed and roughly
chopped
2 large carrots, peeled, trimmed and
roughly chopped
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
3 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups Chicken Stock or canned reducedsodium
chicken broth
1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
Toss all ingredients except the stock and
dried porcini together in a bowl. Cover and
marinate, tossing several times, then
refrigerate overnight. Let stand at room
temperature 1 hour before roasting.
Bring the stock to a boil in a small
saucepan. Remove from the heat, toss in the
porcini and let steep until softened, about 20
minutes. Scoop out the porcini and rinse them
lightly to remove and grit. Strain the soaking
liquid through a coffee filter or carefully pour
it off into a small bowl, leaving the sediment
behind.
Preheat the oven to 475° F. Turn the lamb
and marinade ingredients into a roasting pan
large enough to hold them in a single layer.
Add the mushrooms and their soaking liquid.
Cover with aluminum foil and roast 30 minutes.
Remove the foil, season lightly with salt
and pepper and roast until the meat is tender,
about 1 hour. Turn the pieces of lamb and
baste them several times as they cook.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat
to an ovenproof serving dish. Set the roasting
pan over high heat, bring the liquid in the
pan to a boil and boil until the liquid is slightly
syrupy, about 15 minutes. Strain the juices
into a bowl, pressing on the vegetables to
extract as much liquid from them as possible.
Spoon off the fat from the surface of the juices
and pour the remaining liquid over the meat.
Return the lamb to the oven and roast, turning
the meat frequently, until very tender and well
browned all over, about 15 minutes.

Comment by CRIVCO on December 22, 2008 at 8:09am

Buon Natale! Christmas Eve Italian Style

There is perhaps no better place to spend Christmas than in Italy.

Christmas Baccala
with Potatoes and Olives

I have an Aunt Mary who cooks baccala, or salt cod, four or five different ways—in tomato sauce, as a salad, in croquettes. I think this was one of the best preparations.

Note that the baccala needs to be soaked for an entire day in advance and the water changed several times.

Serves 4 as a main dish

1 pound dried salt cod, cut into 4 x 4-inch pieces
1/2 cup olive oil
3 onions, sliced
3 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 -inch dice
4 cups chicken or fish stock
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 cup Sicilian green olives, pitted and sliced
salt and pepper to taste
Soak the cod in cold water for 24 hours. Change the water 5 times to remove the salt. Drain and pat the cod pieces dry with a towel.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the cod to the pan (do not overcrowd) and brown on one side. Carefully flip with a spatula and brown the other side. Once browned, remove the cod from the pan. Drain on paper towels and set aside in a warm spot.

Brown the onions in the same pan that the cod was cooked in. Once the onions are nicely browned, add the potatoes and cook until the potatoes are also browned. (If the pan is too dry, add a few drops of chicken stock.)

Once the potatoes have browned, add the rest of the chicken stock and bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, then mix in the thyme, parsley, and olives.

Lay the browned cod on top of the potato mixture, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the cod over carefully and cook for 10 minutes more. Remove carefully to a warm platter using a spatula and serve immediately.

Buon Natale!

Comment by CRIVCO on August 31, 2008 at 6:08am

Ciao Amici :o)

I posted two new paintings on our PI site, #10 & #11. I treasure your opinion...

Praise & Blessing to you, now and forever,
Charles

Comment by Leslie on August 21, 2008 at 7:20pm

Hello. I just wanted to introduce my self to the group. I am 50% Sicilian Italian and still have some relatives in Sicily. I love Italian food and cook it often. My best dish is stuffed shells and I have created a pasta sauce that combines Giada Di Laurentis', my great-grandmother's and my own sauce. It took me a while to create it just right, but the family seems to enjoy it. Anyway, I am very happy to be here and look forward to learning some new recipes!

Comment by CRIVCO on August 20, 2008 at 6:19am

Ciao Amici :o)

For your information (we're not selling anything). This is a must have for cooking pizza on the grill, just fantastic.

2stone grill skirt for $36.50

Product Description:
The grill skirt increases the air flow through the grill by forcing all the air from the burners through the 2stone. The grill skirt also includes the hood prop.

Comment by Heidi on August 19, 2008 at 11:14am

I love these pizza videos. I can't wait to "play" with my food. Thank you so much for sharing!
(((HUG)))
Heidi

Comment by CRIVCO on August 19, 2008 at 10:11am

Ciao Joy,

Check out the Pizza Video's we added. This should help.

:o)

Comment by Joy on August 16, 2008 at 8:40am

Ciao All,

I am trying to make pizza........dough is great, technique stinks.
Should I invest in a pizza stone? Does anyone grill theirs outdoors? I did try that and it was o.k....

NAMASTE'

*Joy

Comment by CRIVCO on August 14, 2008 at 3:28am

Ciao Yvonne,

We think it goes like this, "IL citta di Firenze e molta bella". Any other suggestions?

Thanks to all our "amici" who've joined this group. It makes this a fun place to visit. :o)

Comment by YVONNE on August 10, 2008 at 9:36pm

I , also, am not Italian descent, but Love everything Italian. My best girl friend is Italian American! My heritage is French, as my father was born in France, and I have traveled through Italy twice. My favorite place there is Florence (Firenze'). Una Citta Molta Bella.. (Did I say that right??)

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