Minestrone: Must Go (clean out the fridge) Buon Appetito!

Minestrone has deep Italian roots. 

Its name is spelled the same in Italian as in English like so many of my favorite Roman foods, for example, gelato! Considered a basic peasant necessity, minestrone was listed in one of the earliest known cookbooks written in 30 AD by Marcus Apicius, De Re Coquinaria (On The Subject of Cooking). His early version included chick peas, fava beans, and farro. Doesn't that sound delicious?!

With holiday cooking nearly behind us, and with many chilly nights ahead, this is a perfect time of year to make soup! Let’s start with perusing the refrigerator to make use of those partial servings and not-so-crisp veggies lurking in the drawers and containers. We all have some leftovers, so let's repurpose them.

For example, I found a bag of unused raw chopped cole slaw! Yeah - cabbage already chopped and prepped! Why not buy a bag on purpose to add interest, color, fiber, and taste? Here is a brief suggestion of putting a nice batch of meatless minestrone to serve four. Of course, any vegetables you have will be a terrific way to reduce waste and add to your daily meal ideas.

Most recipes for minestrone include legumes, carrots, herbs, tomatoes. To that base you can add broth, small pasta or pieces of pasta, root vegetables fresh, nearly fresh, or frozen. Duplicate starch choices are welcome, as you will see in my batch below I used both small pasta and diced potatoes nearly ready to sprout. After all, this is a MUST GO recipe of items to use up!

Start your New Year off with a warm cup of soupa! You will make Marcus proud 👌

COTF Minestrone

(4 servings 45 minutes from pot to bowl)

Leftover chopped vegetables diced in similar sizes

Olive oil

Onion, garlic, celery, carrots, spices (all or some)

Can of tomatoes chopped (or leftover partial jar sauce 16-24 ounces)

4 cups Boiling Water (set kettle while preparing to jump start the cooking) 

1 Tablespoon dried broth base beef, chicken, or vegetable

1 can cooked beans of any type such as green beans, chick peas, kidney beans

1 cup uncooked small pasta like ditalini shown or break spaghetti into small pieces 

Fresh or frozen spinach

Toppings: Fresh herbs, grated cheese

Method

Heat oil, add the onions, garlic spices just briefly. Add the chopped vegetables, tomatoes, and broth. Heat to rolling boil, and reduce heat to simmer uncovered 30 minutes. The last 15 minutes add the cup of pasta and spinach. Total cooking time of 45 minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and grated cheese. 

It will be a Happy New Year!

Buon appetito!

Planning Focaccia Perfection

You cannot whip up a perfect focaccia by using up ingredients you think you have on hand. You will need to do a little planning ahead to make sure you have the few crucial ingredients that will make this focaccia recipe perfect.

It is not difficult or time consuming, but you do need to follow the recipe for this taste of heaven. This recipe will take 3 hours total from prep to palate, but it is EASY! Actual work time is about 30 minutes.

I have thrown away more dry yeast than I have ever cooked with. Yeast has to be fresh, so check the date on the package even at the store before you purchase it.

This recipe is based on Italian best practices, so you cannot substitute all purpose flour for the seminola or the bread flour. Seminola flour is made from durum wheat, and it is the basis of all homemade pasta created in Nonnas' kitchens in the old country. Both the bread and seminola flours contain higher levels of protein. They are readily available on your grocery shelf.

I only make this recipe using my Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook. So easy! The alternative is to mix by hand, build your muscles, and enjoy your sticky hands. It will work using the same time method as the machine.

Finally, a tip when making yeast dough: I let my dough rise in a plastic container not on my marble counters. I find stoneware to be a bit cold and also marble counters are cold. The cold interferes with the warmth the yeast needs to bloom during rising. I place the plastic container of rising dough on my wood butcher block or a wood cutting board placed on top of the marble counter. Toasty! It works perfectly.

Read directions before starting! 

Time estimate: 20 minutes to assemble dough and mix. 1 hour dough rising in container. 1 hour dough rises in 9 X 13 pan. 20 minutes to bake. Total prep to eat time: 3 hours.

Ingredients for One 9 X 13 pan of Focaccia:

2 cups bread flour
2 cups seminola flour
1 teaspoon sugar
2 packages dry yeast (fast acting or regular)
2 cups warm water from tap not boiled just luke warm
2 teaspoons of salt

After rising will add these ingredients for toppings:
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1.5 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons dry oregano or rosemary or both

1 cup rough chopped plum tomatoes or cherry tomatoes halved (squeeze tomatoes in bowl to removed liquid you want them dry when added to top of dough)
1 cup olives dried or mushrooms or vegetable of your choice

Method:
Combine flours, sugar, and yeast NOT salt in mixer fitted with the dough hook stir on low just to combine. Add the warm water slowly and then mix on medium 5 minutes. Dough will be sticky. Cover bowl on the stand with plastic wrap and rest it 10 minutes.

Now add the 2 teaspoons of salt and mix the dough on medium 5 minutes. It will come together like the photo below.

Sprinkle rising container with extra virgin olive oil and with oiled hands place the dough in the plastic container to rise. Shape it in the container as a rectangle so it rising to the shape of the baking pan.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 hour on a wood surface or someplace not cold.

Gently roll the dough into a olive oiled 9 X 13 pan that will be used for baking. Gently stretch it to fit the pan. This should be easy with your hands oiled. Try to not work the dough only touch it barely. With your pinkies make random presses into the dough, not all the way to the bottom, just to give it a slightly rugged surface.

Sprinkle the dough with the salt, oregano and toppings and more extra virgin olive oil as shown below.

Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise 1 hour while you preheat the oven.

Bake (heat oven during the second rising):

Preheat Oven to 500 degrees place a pizza stone in the oven to preheat (if you have one) or I use a cookie sheet so the 9 X 13 pan heats evenly on the bottom.

Bake 20 minutes. Remove and cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove gently from pan and cool 15 minutes.

Buon Appetito!

Dough will look like this after mixing.

Dough olive oil added placed in plastic container for 1 hour rising
covered with plastic wrap.

Looks like this after 1 hour rising. Gently move to 9X13 pan.

Add toppings and let rise again for 1 hour cover with plastic wrap.

Cooled in pan 5 minutes and moved gently
to rack for 15 minutes. Mangia!

Cortona: Under the Tuscan Sun & EVOO

Cortona exemplifies the ultimate Italian hilltop town. Nestled in the heart of Tuscany, the location is ideal as a base to visit nearby Siena, Assisi, Perugia, Montepulciano, Montalcino, and Pienza. Cortona has many churches including the basilica of Santa Margherita built in the 11th century featuring a glass crypt displaying the remains of the saint at the main altar. All the restaurants are wonderful. I had amazing risotto with wild boar and truffle at La Loggetta in the main piazza. Despite the passing years, I remember that meal as if I had it yesterday.

Since 1996, Cortona has become a world-famous destination due to the popularity of the book  Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes that details the purchase of her 200-year old, five-acre estate Bramasole, which means to yearn for the sun. The book is a must read. The 2003 movie was filmed in this magical village. A terrific place to stay steps from the main piazza with limited parking is The Hotel San Michele, via Guelfa 15.

My love of Cortona began during my first visit in 2005. It continues to this day with my annual delivery of a case of authentic, award-winning, extra-virgin olive oil produced on Bramasole by Frances and Ed Mayes. I have a spoonful of Cortona each and everyday to quench my yearning for the sun. . . and so can you.

Attached is the link to the Bramasole website where you can order this amazing oil and learn more about the Mayes. It makes for a wonderful gift. Often I give the oil, the book, and the movie as a gift trip to Tuscany for my special loved ones! (I purchase the books and movies on Amazon.) I have been a member of the oil consortium for more than a decade and highly recommend it.

http://www.bramasoleoliveoil.com

Valentine's Day: Verona City of Love & Tiramisu

I did not expect to fall in love with the city of Verona. Known around the world as the setting of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet depicted in the 1968 Academy Award film by Franco Zeffirelli,           more than 1 million visitors a year stop at the home of Giulietta Capuleti heroine of the romantic story. You can walk through the rooms of the family home and leave a letter for Giulietta or post a note as seen in the photo below. Romeo's family home is located a short walk away. The gift stores surrounding Juliet's home abound with every trinket imaginable including cookies known as Juliet's kisses and Romeo's hugs shown in the picture below. You can find recipes on the internet.

Verona also has many architectural wonders, beautiful cathedrals, and a Roman-period Colosseum still used for concerts. This fall I missed Andrea Bocelli by a few days. The entire old town area is walkable with booming retail shops, eateries, and gelato cafes galore.

Chef and cookbook author, Maria Cristina Tabacchi, led a small group of us cooking fresh pasta, ragu, risotto, and my favorite, tiramisu. Having just prepared this recipe with a fabulous home chef, Clara, in Venice, my recipe below combines the best elements of both cities. That's Amore!

Tiramisu alla Venice and Verona

Ingredients:

Cookies - imported lady fingers (photo available at Trader Joe's, but soft Italian ones are best if you can find)
6 oz expresso fresh brewed bring to room temp (will have leftovers)
1 teaspoon of sugar add to expresso
8 oz mascarpone
2 oz sugar
3 whole eggs separated
2 tablespoons aged grappa it is golden and flavorful NOT regular Grappa (see photo from Binny's ~$16 for 200 ml) this small amount adds tremendous flavor!
2-4 oz rich unsweetened powder coco imported is best, but Hershey's or Trader Joe's brands work

Method:

Prep mascarpone whip with 2 oz sugar till light (5 minutes) add egg yolks. Beat. Whip egg whites. Add the aged grappa to egg yolk mixture. If serving children or people who can't have grappa, at this point make a separate individual serving w/o grappa. Otherwise proceed by blending in whipped egg whites to the egg yolk mixture. You are ready to assemble.

In a glass container line bottom with one layer of cookies quickly dipped in coffee sweetened with sugar. Don't soak they will fall apart. Top with 1/2 of the cream mixture. With a sifter add a thick layer of powder coco. Repeat another layer and top with cookie only finished with thick coco powder. Cover with saran wrap and chill 4 hours. Overnight will be too soggy, but doable if time is limited. The container shown here is a glass loaf pan and serves 8. It is a picture of the recipe I made in Venice.  You can also make in individual bowls everything the same except assembly, which is method preferred in Verona for a neat presentation.