Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

Easter Lunch in Italy

May 19, 2022 by Mary 2 Comments

I absolutely adore the Italian tradition of a proper Sunday lunch, a multi-course wonderful meal in the sun dappled daylight of the afternoon, Prosecco, wine and Vin Santo early in the day. And enough time for a walk in the afternoon to work it all off. And Easter Lunch in Italy is even more special! Buona Pasqua!

(I had debated in my mind that perhaps it was too late to post about my Easter Lunch in Italy but I really wanted to share this time with you and make it permanent on the blog. I had posted some photos as an Instagram story, but they disappear after 24 hours, so here you go. And truth be told, I’ve been too busy cooking, eating and drinking here to do a proper post before this time!)

My Easter, Growing Up

My mom would always serve a big Easter dinner with a leg of lamb or ham or both if we had a huge crowd. I carried on that tradition with my own family, usually roasting a pancetta-wrapped leg of lamb with some additional traditional Polish dishes, including homemade bread and beets with horseradish.

Easter Lunch in Italy -Tagliatelle. — Marzia’s homemade Tagliatelle.

Tiziana hosted this year’s Easter Lunch and it was utterly fantastic. Thirteen people were present, of all ages, and practically everyone pitched in with the food. Her sister-in-law, Marzia, outdid herself making 3 different kinds of bread, all of the tagliatelle noodles, the tiramisu and fruit salad. Marzia’s friend, Eleanor, made a super delicious lemon tart with an outstanding cookie crust.

Andrea, Tizi’s husband, made a spectacular sugo sauce with pork and sausage meat. And then of course we had Tizi’s amazing starters, plus her delicious roasted lamb with rosemary, potatoes and sautéed fresh spinach from the Farmer’s Market. I added a radicchio salad, made with the long leaves of radicchio, which are much less bitter than the round headed variety. Radicchio and thinly sliced celery were topped with gorgonzola, toasted walnuts and a fresh lemon juice olive oil vinaigrette.

The excitement and mirth before and during the meal were palpable. And Tiziana does not disappoint.

Here is the complete menu, but I am almost certain that I left something out.

STARTERS WITH PROSECCO

Crostini with homemade chicken liver pate
Dark bread crostini with salted butter and smoked salmon
Hard boiled eggs
Pollo in galantina
Various thinly sliced meats and sausages

FIRST COURSE: with a light red wine
Homemade tagliatelle with sugo sauce and grated parmigiana

MAIN COURSE: with my red wine – 2020 Bolgheri Bell’Aja
Roasted lamb with Rosemary and garlic
Roasted potatoes
Sautéed spinach
Radicchio salad with sliced celery, Gorgonzola, toasted walnuts and a lemon vinaigrette dressing

DESSERT: with a choice of Sauternes and/ or Vin Santo

Tiramisu
Lemon Tart
Fruit Salad
Meringue and cream cake with strawberries
Coffee

Our After-lunch Walk!

The vineyards are starting to grow again.

After eating (lunch is pranzo) we went for a beautiful walk in the hills of Arezzo, near the house I used to rent!

I hope your Easter or Passover were wonderful and filled with LOVE!!

Beef Klusky Soup

March 9, 2022 by Mary 10 Comments

Memories…

Smells of home, so comforting. Remembering my mother making this Beef Klusky Soup. The scent wafting through the apartment all day the other day I made it, of the beef cooking in salted water making the broth – well I was in a little bit of heaven. Lovely childhood memories were floating back. Mom standing at the stove, in her tie-around-the waist apron with 2 pockets in front, stirring this huge aluminum pot that was her mother’s. My dad clearing his throat and then proclaiming with absolute pleasure, “Mother, delicious as always!”

We were six kids and he often called my mother “Mother” in front of us.

I remember some grease circles moving around on the top of the soup, not really knowing what they were, but I too, loved the soup and particularly the klusky! Klusky are Polish dumplings. And, when they are made correctly, they are divine. A Mother’s hug in your mouth and tummy, so warm and nourishing.

More recent memories

I had only made this Beef Klusky Soup one other time before, when I first went away to college and wanted a little bit of home. I was with Steve (my now late husband) but we were far from being married, just starting to date.

It was terrible.

The klusky were like rocks – definitely made of cement.

Steve, who was always gentle in his criticism of my cooking, even then couldn’t hold back.

So I never attempted to make it again, until just now.

You see, my mother grew up during the Great Depression so she was always very careful with food, never wasting any and using only just enough. She really was a master at managing money, yet feeding all of us fine food.

Too much meat – soaking in the salted water – notice the salt rings around the meat pieces – fascinating!

But, I always thought this trait was cheap. And perhaps indicated that we didn’t have much money? (We had a perfectly fine amount of money growing up, particularly with all eight of us living at home.) So in my younger days, every recipe I made from her, I generously upped all the ingredients. Including in this soup recipe, I upped the amount of meat but I’m not sure that played out right as the soup was thicker with all that meat and it was not really needed.

Follow Mom’s directions

What I do most definitely know, is that this time, I followed her klusky instructions to a T, using only a half of a teaspoon of raw dough to make the dumplings, rather than a tablespoon or more as I had done in the past, thinking more is better and THIS was the key! Just a tiny bit of dough plumps up into the most beautiful light dumpling – just like Mom’s! NOT like concrete.

So do play close attention to that and be sure to use a very thin edged spoon to measure them out. The thin edge allows you to take just a little bit of dough – that proper one-half teaspoon.

I did use local beef soup meat from one of the farms upstate – Fat Apple Farm on Hill Hollow Road and it was divine, so do try to find some local meat. Always. So much better for you and tastier, being grass fed.

This does take nearly a day to make with all the hours of simmering but with many of us still working from home, it’s easy as it only requires time and not much attention. I wasn’t going to write about this, but when I showed the picture to my friend Marie at lunch on Monday, she was like, “OMG, THAT looks so delicious!”

While winter is still here, make this Beef Klusky Soup to soothe your soul, make your own memory and spread some LOVE… and think of my wonderful Mom.

BEEF KLUSKY SOUP – serves 6 – 8

1-3 small beef soup bones with some meat on them – or Mom said, 1 small soup bone and 2 pieces of marrow soup meat.
12 cups of cold water
½ Tbs. coarse sea salt
1 bay leaf
12 whole black peppercorns
4 tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
2 tsp. tomato paste
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion coarsely chopped
5 carrots, peeled and cut into thirds
3 ribs of celery, cut into 2” pieces
Some celery leaves
5 sprigs of parsley

THE KLUSKY (Egg Dumplings)

¼ tsp salt – fine sea salt
½ cup milk
1 egg beaten
1¼ cups of all purpose flour

METHOD

Rinse the meat bones with cold water and place in a large soup pot with the 12 cups of cold water and ½ tablespoon of salt. Let stand for about 30 minutes to draw out the juices.

Then put on high heat and bring to a boil. Skim the surface to remove the dirty foam and simmer.

Add 1 bay leaf, tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic and onion and simmer uncovered for 2 hours.

Then add the carrots, fat pieces cut in half lengthwise, celery, celery leaves and parsley and let this all simmer for another 1½ hours. In the last ½ hour of cooking, add the klusky.

MAKING THE KLUSKY

Add salt and milk to the beaten egg. Stir flour in to make a smooth batter.

Bring the soup a boil and add the klusky by scooping out just ½ teaspoon of batter and then dipping the spoon in the boiling soup and the batter will fall off and make the dumpling.

Stir every once in a while.

Let them cook for about 20 minutes or so.

Then Mom wrote:

Any questions call me. Love, Mom

(Mom passed in 1995)

Thai-inspired Chicken Meatball Soup with Spinach

January 19, 2022 by Mary 2 Comments

Thai-inspired Chicken Meatball Soup - served in a bowl.

I have been having a love affair with coconut milk and Thai food recently. It’s something different to make at home and I also love the usual refreshing lime squeezed on for the finishing touch. So this recipe of Thai-inspired Chicken Meatball Soup with Spinach is the perfect comfort food during these cold dark days of winter. I made this recipe last night, loosely based on the New York Times version and ate it in front of a blazing fire to calm my frazzled nerves from all of the Washington DC news of late. It worked and was so super yummy, I wanted to share it with you all right away.

This Thai-inspired Chicken Meatball Soup with Spinach recipe should feed three people with one pound of chicken. I also added a sauteed Portobello mushroom, which I know is not very Thai-like, but this mushroom in my fridge was begging to be used and I thought it was a nice combo with the spinach. Serve this soupy dish with a packed little cup of steamed Jasmine rice and ascend to heaven.

How to stretch meat to feed more people

Another deviation of mine from the New York Times version is the addition of a little Panko to the meatball mixture. It’s a trick from my mom – panko or breadcrumbs – to make them lighter and to stretch the meat a little more in her case. Remember, she was always feeding six kids, along with sometimes some stray neighborhood friends as well. If you are using 2 lbs of chicken, you could also add a raw egg for more stretchability.

Thai-inspired Chicken Meatball Soup - in skillet with spinach added.

On to the recipe, and do not forget to add your LOVE while making. We all especially need a lot more love in this world right now, with Covid, climate change, voting rights (did you know the Republicans enacted all the mail-in ballot voting rules that Trump so objected to? I just found that out tonight.)

I have never talked politics on this blog before, but the insanely false “news” told not by journalists but by the entertainers on Fox and OAN are hitting a crescendo that must be dealt with and needs to be corrected with truth – only truth. And perhaps that can happen over a warm comforting bowl of this Thai-inspired Chicken Meatball Soup with Spinach.

I have always believed that food could bring us together. Conversations over a soothing bowl of soup – who can fight over that warmth?

Let’s make it and pray.

THAI-INSPIRED CHICKEN MEATBALL SOUP with SPINACH – serves 3

1 (4-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
1/2 jalapeño, split lengthwise, finely minced with seeds and membrane
1 lb. ground chicken
½ large bunch cilantro, leaves and stems finely chopped, plus a few whole leaves reserved for serving
2.5 Tbs. fish sauce, divided
1.5 Tbs. panko
½ tsp. Kosher salt
1 – 2 Tbs. canola oil
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup (8 oz.) full-fat coconut milk
¼ tsp. granulated sugar
1 large Portobello mushroom, sliced and sauteed with 1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil and 1 Tbs. unsalted butter – Optional
2.5 oz. baby spinach
1 Tbs. lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
Steamed white or brown rice, for serving

Process

Finely mince the ginger, garlic and jalapeno together. Transfer half of this mixture to a large bowl and set the rest aside. To the large bowl, add the chicken, finely chopped cilantro, 1.5 Tbs. fish sauce, 1/2 tsp salt and 1.5 Tbs. panko. Use your hands or a fork to fully combine but do not overmix.

Use your hands or an ice cream scoop to form 2-inch meatballs. In a large Dutch oven or skillet, heat 1 Tbs. Canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs in a single layer and cook, turning them around every 2 – 3 minutes to brown most sides until golden brown for a total of 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Once all the meatballs are browned and out of the pot, if the oil is burned, wipe it out and add a bit more to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium, add the reserved ginger, garlic jalapeno minced mixture and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, sugar and the remaining 1 Tbs. fish sauce, and bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs and any juices from the plate, and simmer until the flavors come together and the meatballs are cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, heat the EVOO and butter in a small skillet over medium heat. When the butter stops sizzling, add the sliced Portobello mushrooms in a single layer and do not touch them for about 7 minutes. Turn them over for another 4 minutes or so and then add them to the soup.

Remove the soup from the heat, and stir in the spinach and lime juice. Divide rice among bowls, then top with meatballs, broth and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and LOVE.

Enjoy!!

Lovely Citrusy Shrimp

February 21, 2021 by Mary 8 Comments

Crisp, cool, clean. I think that is what we need right now. And that is what you have in a dish like this Lovely Citrusy Shrimp. I certainly needed this with all of the construction going on in my apartment. I am almost losing it, as it is all taking way too long: One, because of my slow contractor who tends to have to do things two or three times because of poor planning or just not honoring my request to begin with and two: because of Covid and a slow delivery of appliances. But really, honestly, that is not what has slowed things down. At any rate, this dish I made up of Lovely Citrusy Shrimp is A. Maz. Ing. If I may say so.

I am ever so very grateful that I have the upstate house to escape to from all of the awful dust in the city apartment. When I walk into that country house front door now, it is accompanied by audible sighing and an enormous sense of relief, thanking God that I can walk into my other home that is clean, put together and most importantly, a place where I can cook! And so I cook for the next week, planning the dishes around appropriate meals for lunch and dinner that would warm up well.

Cara Cara Oranges

Cara Cara oranges are great because they are so, so juicy, only slightly sweet and just a little bit acidic – all just the right amount – but they are only available in the winter. So please take advantage of them now. And because the segments are the most beautiful color, the designer in me LOVES to use them. Talk about brightening up a dish!

And the small amount of black beans – well they add a certain creaminess, pulling the dish all together.

So you’ve got the heat from the jalapeños, the acid and slight sweetness from the oranges and tomatoes, beans connecting everything and the leeks to add color and interest. This really works!!

This meal comes together so quickly, if you take the time to chop everything beforehand and get the waters boiling for the bulgar and the beans.

Cooking your shrimp

Never, ever, overcook the shrimp. Then you just have rubbery nonsense with no flavor. It usually takes about 2 minutes sauteing on one side. It will turn pink on that side and then likely 1-2 minutes on the other side.

Here you go!

LOVELY CITRUSY SHRIMP – serves 2

2 Tbs. olive oil – plus more to drizzle on finished dish
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, cut in half lengthwise, all sand washed out and sliced ¼” thick
5 slices of jalapeños, – sliced on a mandoline, with seeds and membranes
12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined with the tails left on
Heaping ⅓ cup chopped fresh tomatoes
3 Tbs. dry Vermouth
2 Tbs. canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 Cara Cara orange, peeled with a knife, sliced, then cut into chunks
½ cup chopped fresh basil

Wash, chop and prepare all your ingredients to be ready to throw into the skillet as this dish comes together so fast, you must be prepared.

Wash (2 -3 times), drain, and pat dry your shrimp, laying them out on paper towels. Salt and pepper one side.

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat, add leeks and jalapeno and saute for about 5 minutes, allowing them to soften and get fragrant and lightly brown, stirring frequently. Then push the leeks and jalapeno off to the sides of the pan.

Raise the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp in one layer, and cook for 2-3 minutes until they are turning pink on one side. At the 1.5 minute mark, add the vermouth and let it sizzle for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes while you are turning the shrimp. Add the black beans and the oranges to warm them as the shrimp should only cook on the other side for 1-2 minutes.

Then add the chopped basil, a good drizzle of olive oil, lots of LOVE and serve!

I served this with bulgur and haricot vert – total deliciousness!!

Grilled Flounder with Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney, Rosemary and Sage

September 3, 2020 by Mary 9 Comments

How many of you adore eating fish but are longing for ways that are quick and easy and would love to add a new zing to just a regular old piece of grilled fish with EVOO, salt and pepper? And how many of you have a refrigerator full of various condiments that take up too much room? I know. So this simple recipe of Grilled Flounder with Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney, Rosemary and Sage delivers on taste and ease all in one!

You don’t necessarily have to go out and buy The English Provender Co. Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney. Although this is very tasty with a savory sweet hot vibe, I say you should try to use up something you already have that has the same vibe. Wouldn’t that be even better?

Of course you could also dress up a piece of fish with my versatile Green Sauce, but that takes more work than I was willing to do last night. ( I can be so lazy…)

Think of flavors you LOVE…

Since it is only me eating now, I am trying all kinds of flavor combinations and I have been fascinated by mixing up sweet summer fruits with meats and fish. I mean, why not? I want to eat something new, surprising and different. After all, being totally alone in this Covid time, cooking and eating (and drinking wine) are the highlights of my day, so I love experimenting.

And I have made a commitment to myself to clean out the fridge of all of these jars! You see, my kids stayed in my apartment in the city for nearly seven weeks and cleaned out that fridge of outdated things and used the others, so now I want to do that here, upstate.

I have tons of jam that I never use on toast. I want to attack those – maybe on grilled pork chops soon…

Get creative!

I hope this post will spur some creativity on your part. Go ahead and try an unusual combination. Have fun! Experiment and enjoy. But remember to always make it with LOVE.

GRILLED FLOUNDER WITH SWEET TOMATO AND CHILI CHUTNEY, ROSEMARY AND SAGE – serves 2

1 lb. fillet of flounder
Extra virgin olive oil
½ TBS. The English Provender Co. Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped
1 sprig of fresh sage
Salt
Pepper

Preheat your grill or oven to 425 F degrees. Use a grilling vegetable pan for the grill.

Thoroughly wash and pat dry the fish. Coat both sides with a thin film of olive oil. Salt and pepper on one side only. Then spread on the Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney. Top with chopped rosemary and lay the sage sprig on top.

Spray the grill pan with high heat grilling spray or if using the oven, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Grill or roast for about 5 minutes.

Use 2 spatulas to remove the fish to a platter. Cut in half and serve.

Enjoy!

My dinner – with 1/2 sweet potato and fresh cut arugula and tomatoes from my garden!

Sunny Golds with Bacon Pasta Sauce

August 14, 2020 by Mary 5 Comments

It’s summertime and the living should be easy, right? Well in this Covid/ pandemic time, nothing seems easy. But I hope this super simple, really easy and wonderfully tasty Sunny Golds with Bacon Pasta Sauce Recipe will cheer you up.

Pasta in Italy

First of all, pasta is always a great comforting dish, which is sorely needed in these anxiety-ridden times. I remember my summer living in Italy and helping Bianca with her broken leg, making a pasta for dinner, and Bianca said she could eat the whole bowl of pasta and eat it every day!

However, in my experience with the Italians at home, I saw them carefully weighing their dried pasta before cooking, so as to not overeat as they love it so much. They are not fat.

Easy peasy.

This Sunny Golds with Bacon Pasta Sauce recipe couldn’t be easier as just a little bit of time is needed to cut the tomatoes. Literally, that is the most labor-intensive thing here.

And if you’re not a meat eater, just skip the bacon and use 2 tablespoons of olive oil instead. Although the bacon does add that wonderful smokey flavor and everything is always better with bacon, right, as long as you eat meat.

Sliced Sunny Gold tomatoes with minced garlic. — Minced garlic added to the sliced Sunny Golds.

Sliced Sunny Gold tomatoes and raw bacon ready to roast. — Sunny Golds and bacon ready to go into the oven.

Be sure to trim the bacon of any big fat chunks, as the fat will be left in your finished dish.

The Sunny Golds are so sweet and flavorful, you can do it either way, with or without the bacon. I did it both ways just this week. Because the high heat of the roasting brings out the flavor of the tomatoes even more, I know you will really enjoy this.

Here is the recipe – don’t forget to add LOVE while slicing those tomatoes!

SUNNY GOLDS WITH BACON PASTA SAUCE – serves 3 – 4

A little less than a quart of sunny gold tomatoes, washed and cut in half
3 slices of no nitrate, thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2 pieces. Remove large chunks of fat and discard.
OR use: 2 Tbs. olive oil
3 cloves of garlics, smashed or minced
1 tsp. crushed dried oregano
¾ of a pound of dried pasta
Grated Pecorino cheese
Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Toss the tomatoes with the bacon or olive oil (not both as the bacon will provide the fat as it cooks), garlic, dried oregano, salt and pepper in a 9” x 9” glass Pyrex baking dish and bake at 425 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes, until the bacon is cooked and the tomatoes have collapsed.

Meanwhile, boil your water for the pasta, salt liberally, preferably with coarse sea salt and cook your pasta according to the package directions, starting to check for doneness at 2 minutes less than the lesser time. You will not be cooking the pasta any more in this sauce so make sure it is done to your liking but still al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander.

Warm the bowls you will be serving the pasta in as well as the large bowl to combine it all.

When the sauce is done, remove it from the oven and toss it with the pasta in the separate warmed large bowl. Use tongs to combine. Scrape in all the juices too!

When it is thoroughly combined, serve in warmed individual bowls garnished with fresh basil and offer fresh grated pecorino and an extra pinch of LOVE.

Sunny Golds and bacon finished roasting and ready to toss with the cooked pasta.

A serving of Sunny Gold Tomatoes with Bacon Pasta Sauce on spaghetti in a white bowl. — Finished single serving!