STUFFED MUSHROOMS

Went to a great family wedding in NJ and had a blast.  Haven't laughed that hard in a long time.  One of the best things about a Jersey wedding is the cocktail hour.  I ate so much then that I wasn't hungry for the main course.  My idea of a perfect wedding is a really long cocktail hour(s) then straight to dessert.  They had passed crab cakes, mini grilled cheese sandwiches and shooters of tomato soup, perogies, and of course STUFFED MUSHROOMS.  Then you could go to the "mexican" table for fajitas. The seafood table, which I went around several times had shrimp cocktail, oysters, tuna sashimi, and clams oreganato.  Move onto to the "Italian" table for cold cuts, cheeses, fresh mozzarella, and my favorite eggplant rollantine.  Are you following me on this - we are talking massive amounts of fantastic food.  There was another table with fruits and breads which I was about to ignore but saw that they tucked in the swedish meatballs over there - oh yea I found them!

This is time consuming but guests always love stuffed mushrooms.  

SAUSAGE-STUFFED MUSHROOMS

Makes up to 50 stuffed mushrooms

2-4 boxes mushrooms - 10 oz. each (depends on size of mushrooms)

2 Italian sausages (I use chicken)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion (finely chopped)

1 stalk celery (finely chopped)

1/2 red pepper (finely chopped)

1 clove garlic (finely chopped)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 cup Italian breadcrumbs (I like Progresso)

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1-2 eggs (lightly beaten)

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Set oven at 400 degrees.

Clean and de-stem mushrooms.

Place upside down on baking sheet with a rim (so that the hollow side is down).

Bake for 10 minutes to release juice.

Meanwhile, squeeze sausage out of casing into your pan and sauté until cooked.

Break up sausages as they cook - place in a bowl with a paper towel to absorb fat.

Wipe out sauté pan and add olive oil.

Sauté onions, celery and red pepper.

Cook until soft - approximately 4 minutes.

Add garlic and thyme and cook another 1 minute.

Remove mixture from heat and add breadcrumbs, cheese, egg, salt and pepper.

Stuffing should me moist - if dry do 2 eggs.

Add sausage to this mixture and blend well.

Take mushrooms out of baking sheet and pour out juices.

Return mushrooms to pan turned over (so that the hollow side is up).

Divide stuffing mixture into mushrooms.

Bake 15 minutes.

Visited the house I grew up in.  Was nice to see the front oak tree was still living.  The roots were massive like the amounts of food at the wedding!

MOTHER'S DAY - A Movie Review of TWO WEEKS

Mother's Day is always tricky for me since my mother passed away.  It gets easier each year though.   One son calls me Diamondz, he and his friend bought me a cake and had DIAMODZ written on the top which made us all laugh.  The girl at the bakery didn't realize she spelled it wrong.  My musician son sent me 2 new CDs of female artists.  I depend on him to introduce me to new music.  The youngest video taped us singing in the car on our way to the train station.  We sang like we were on the TV show Glee.  He gave me a sweet card (better late than never) that touched my heart.

I saw a movie this week called,  TWO WEEKS where Sally Fields plays a dying mother and asks her grown children to come back to the home they grew up in to be with her for her last days.  Having gone through that with my own mother and 5 siblings believe me watching this movie can reduce you to sobs but there are so many touching scenes that will make you laugh as well.  The director, Steve Stockman has created a comedy drama that makes you better understand the circle of life and how important family relationships are.

While the aging matriarch, Sally Fields, is on her deathbed there is a scene that made me laugh and cry at the same time.  She hears her grown children laughing at the kitchen table so she scoots out of bed to see them sharing chinese takeout.  Because of her medical complications and medications, she can't eat but the smell and the vision of the family meal draws her to the table.  The daughter suggests she "chew and spit" which she read was acceptable.  There is always one sibling that actually reads the materials that hospice provides and educates the other siblings with useful information.  Sally Fields being one of our most talented female actors certainly of my generation and maybe of all times asks one of the kids to "pass the spareribs".  Can't you just hear your mother saying that?  To watch Sally Fields face as she totally enjoys this experience (the last meal she will ever have) is remarkable.  Then to watch her spit it out is hysterical.  Being a fantastic family (albeit not perfect as they bicker with eachother at times just like every family) they all then proceed to do as their mother and they all "chew and spit" the rest of their family dinner.  It's a touching and funny scene.

The youngest son struggles with his relationship with the older siblings but there is a scene that the director put in that blew me away.  After the morphine starts to set in and she is semi conscious she reaches up her arm.  All of the older siblings are at a loss for what she wants and it's the youngest that says, "hug her, she wants a hug".  I lost it...

The eldest son had started taking videos of intereviews with his mother after her diagnoses of cancer. I was jealous of this as I had often visited my mother with intentions of doing that but alas didn't until it was too late and landed up videotaping her after the morphine set in and she couldn't tell her funny family stories with her special ever so slight "hoboken" accent.  But in the movie Sally Fields jokes with her son as she shares stories of how she feels about each of her children.  Which brings me to another powerful scene in the movie.  After this wonderful matriach dies, each child goes individually to say their good byes to her.  I remember when the oldest son doesn't cry I thought to myself, that that wasn't healthy and sure enough when they all gather at the cemetery to sprinkle her ashes over her father's grave he falls apart in front of all of his siblings.  They all at first seem alittle shocked but quickly go to hold him to help him in his extreme grief.  I'm sure that this mother orchestrated these siblings to come together no matter how busy and different their lives were.  She wanted to be sure that when she was gone they would be there for each other.  I loved this movie - see it but be prepared to cry a little bit.

Dear Mom,  I missed talking to you on Mother's Day this year.  I'm doing great and the boys are fantastic.  Love you and miss you, Megan (Madigan)

Arista di Maiale (Pork Loin)

ARISTA DI MAIALE (PORK LOIN)

I learned this recipe on a cooking vacation in Florence.  We had the amazing opportunity to be in a villa in the hills of Tuscany in a kitchen observing a fantastic Italian woman in a fantastic kitchen.  When you make this dish the kitchen smells gorgeous – the combination of rosemary, balsamic vinegar, and white wine…mmm.

Serves 4

2 lbs. pork loin

½ tablespoon Kosher salt

½ tablespoon fresh black pepper

3 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped

3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1 glass white wine, plus up to 1 cup more

Combine salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, and garlic.

Rub mixture on pork loin.

Gently heat olive oil in big pot.

Add your pork loin and brown – approximately 2 minutes each side.

Add vinegar and wine.

Lower heat, cover and cook for 2 hours turning frequently.

When cooked remove meat and cover with foil, let sit to rest.

Meanwhile add to the pan of juices ½ cup up to 1 cup more of white wine.

Turn up heat a bit to evaporate some of the alcohol – approximately 10 minutes.

Slice meat and pour sauce over it.

Leftovers are great for sandwiches the next day!

PAPPA AL POMODORO

Took a fantastic trip to Florence with a new, young, female entrepreneur ANNALISA FERRARI who grew up in Florence and now takes groups to cooking demonstrations in her friends villas in Florence and Tuscany as well as museums and best of all shopping trips to the PRADA factory outlet as well as Gucci and many others.  What a trip!  If you want to organize a private group of 6-10 people, I strongly encourage you to do this.  Check out AFERRARIKITCHEN.

One day we went to this villa in the hills of Tuscany into a beautiful, old, classic kitchen and learned this soup - PAPPA AL POMODORO.  It's easy, really satisfying, can be made a day in advance, served hot or room temperature.

PAPPA AL POMODORO

(Tuscan Bread Soup)

Serves 6-8

10 cups Tuscan bread (crusty rustic bread)

½ cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 leeks, cut in half and sliced* mostly white and light green part

1 can Italian Plum Tomatoes (28 oz.), crushed

bunch of fresh basil (approx. ½ cup), torn

4 cups (32 oz.) vegetable broth (or beef)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Optional:  fresh grated pecorino cheese

Cut bread in small cubes - leave out to dry - like Thanksgiving stuffing.

Add olive oil to soup pot, garlic, and leeks.

* LEEKS – be sure to clean carefully – peel first 2 layers away, cut in half crosswise so you can see into all the layers – rinse out all of the sand – this is very important!  I don’t use the darker green parts as they are too tough.

Cook gently on low for approximately 10 minutes – until golden.

Add bread and cook about 5 minutes – mix with a spoon occasionally.

Add tomatoes – I like to buy whole peeled and then put them in the blender – you can also buy chopped.

Add basil and simmer for 3-5 minutes – Italians never cut basil they gently tear it in pieces.

Add hot broth – start with 3 cups – you can add more if you need to.

Cover and gently simmer approximately 30 minutes – stir often until creamy consistency.  Add more warm broth if you need to.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

This soup, like all soups can be made one day in advance.

Serve hot or room temperature with grated cheese on the side for guests to add to their bowls if they like.

PAN ROASTED CHICKEN AND HARISSA CHICKPEAS

A 2014 goal of mine is to experiment with legumes.  This recipe has chickpeas in it which are very good for you and something that I did not grow up eating in New Jersey.  It also has harissa in it which while going up and down the aisles at the food store, I didn't even know where it would be.
Experimenting with eating healthier is alot of fun.  The textures and the flavors make cooking and eating a new adventure.  I think one of the reasons why people don't like to cook is that they are bored making the same dishes.  Please try this recipe - you may be pleasantly surprised!

Adapted from Bon Appetite magazine recipe from January 2014

1 tablespoon olive oil

6-8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

½ - 1 small onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 can tomato paste 6 oz.

2 15 oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed

¼ cup harissa paste

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Flat leaf parsley, chopped for garnish

Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.

Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Working in batches, cook chicken until browned, approximately 5 minutes per side.

Transfer to a plate while other pieces are cooking.

Pour off some of the pan drippings.

Add onion and garlic to pan, cook stirring often until softened, approx. 3 minutes.

Add tomato paste, stirring until it begins to darken, approx. 1 minute.

Add chickpeas, harissa, and broth.  Bring to a simmer.

Nestle chicken, skin side up, on top of chickpeas.

Transfer skillet to oven and roast for approximately 20 minutes.

Top with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

TOASTED FARRO SOUP WITH KALE AND WHITE BEANS

Something that I wanted to do in the new year is to experiment with a variety of grains.  Growing up in an Irish/Italian home in New Jersey we mostly had pasta, with an occasional rice dish (stuffed peppers with white rice), and barley only in my mother's beef barley soup.  Now when I go grocery shopping I'm amazed at the variety of grains - things I have never heard of never mind eaten before.

This soup is delicious - please try it.  It's loaded with vegetables, it's really healthy, and it's satisfying!

Adapted from a Bon Appetite recipe in January 2014 issue

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small fennel bulb, cored and chopped

2 carrot, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving

3 oz. pancetta, cut into ¼” pieces

1 cup faro

1 can of tomato paste (6 oz.)

¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

8-12 cups low-sodium chicken broth

4-5 leaves of kale, stems cut away, coarsely chopped

1 15oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed

Kosher salt and crushed black pepper

Shaved Parmesan (for serving)

The recipe called for spelt and for putting vegetables in Cuisinart to chop but I really liked farro with this and chopped vegetables myself without bothering to take out Cuisinart.  You can always substitute escarole for kale.

Chop your onion, fennel, carrots, celery and garlic. 

Heat your olive oil in a big soup pot and add your pancetta – cook for approximately 3 minutes until pancetta turns golden.

Add farro – stir often, until grain turns darker – approximately 3 minutes.

Add onion, fennel, carrots, celery and garlic – sauté until veggies get soft – approximately 6-8 minutes.

Add tomato paste and red pepper flakes – cook about 1 minute.

Add broth to pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer partially covered until farro is tender – approximately 60 minutes.  (I generally do 8 cups but what I found is the next day the farro absorbs a lot of the broth so I then add more broth the next day.  I always make soups 1 day in advance).

Stir in kale and beans – cook another 4 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Served drizzled with olive oil and topped with fresh parmesan.

I always make my soup 1 day in advance – it enhances the flavors.