We're off on our Silversea adventure with Chef Lidia Bastianich.
Join us as we make our way from the mysterious, mystical city of
Venice, to our journey's end: the eternal city - Roma. On our way to
Rome, we'll visit Montenegro and Croatia, the beautiful eastern coast
of Sicily, and my favorite - the fabulous Amalfi Coast.
Today we're at sea and looking forward to a fab cooking lesson with Lidia! And in honor of Lidia (the reason we ultimately decided to take this journey) here's a link to one of her oh, so good dessert recipes.
We're off on our Silversea adventure with Chef Lidia Bastianich.
Join us as we make our way from the mysterious, mystical city of
Venice, to our journey's end: the eternal city - Roma. On our way to
Rome, we'll visit Montenegro and Croatia, the beautiful eastern coast
of Sicily, and my favorite - the fabulous Amalfi Coast.
Today, we're exploring Venice - and having lunch - with Lidia. Oh yeah, we know we'll be eating some marvelous food!
And in honor of Chef Lidia, here's one of her wonderful recipes: Stuffed Mushrooms.
Stuffed Mushrooms Funghi Ripieni
Makes 6 servings
24 white or cremini mushrooms with caps about 1 1/2 inches in diameter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the tops of the mushrooms if you like
½ cup finely chopped scallion
½ cup of finely chopped red bell peppers
½ cup coarse breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmigiano‑Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
½ cup Chicken Stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup of dry white wine, optional
Serve these nice and hot, or let them cool to room temp. If you’d like to make this a little more contemporary, you can add a dash of balsamic vinegar to the red peppers and scallions as they cook. In true Italian-American style, these are topped with butter, if we made them in Italy, we would use olive oil. Best yet, maybe is to top them with butter, then ‘bless’ them all with a little olive oil.
This wonderful stuffing is delicious in celery stalks- bake them with a light tomato sauce. You can also line up blanched asparagus on a baking sheet, sprinkle the bread crumbs over them and bake them until the crumbs are crispy. I’m sure you can come up with a lot of uses for the bread crumbs. Remember, I give you the basics, but I want you to go play.
Preheat oven to 425 F. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them fine.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in the red peppers and chopped mushroom stems and cook, stirring, until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove and cool.
Toss the bread crumbs, grated cheese, 2 tablespoons of the parsley and the sauteed vegetables until thoroughly blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity of each mushroom with the filling, pressing it in with a teaspoon until even with the sides of the mushrooms.
Using 2 tablespoons of the butter, grease a 12 x 18-inch low-sided baking pan. Arrange the mushrooms side by side in the pan and, using the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, dot the top of each mushroom with about 1/4 teaspoon butter. Add the wine, stock and remaining 2 tablespoons parsley to the pan. If you like, drizzle the tops of the mushrooms with olive oil. Bake until the mushrooms are cooked through and the bread crumbs are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Serve the mushrooms on a warmed platter or divide them among warmed plates. Pour the pan juices into a small saucepan and bring to a boil on top of the stove. Boil until lightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon the juices over the mushrooms and serve immediately.
And be sure and check out all the wonderful recipes at Lidia's Italy.
We're getting ready to take off on an Italian adventure - one that features lots of scrumptious food!
So, with that in mind, we have a yummy recipe, from one of our "Italian favorites" - the lovely Giada De Laurentiis. To get us all in an Italian frame of mind - and to bring a little la doce vita right into our homes - here's one of our favorite recipes - a Chicken Marsala.
Now, we LOVE Chicken Marsala - it's one of our all-time go-to dishes. But Giada takes it to another level with the addition of mustard and marscapone cheese. Yum! So, for your eating pleasure, Giada's delish chicken recipe:
Chicken with Mustard Marscapone Marsala Sauce
Ingredients
* 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut crosswise into 3 pieces * Salt and freshly ground black pepper * 2 tablespoons olive oil * 5 tablespoons butter, divided * 3/4 cup chopped onion * 1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced * 2 tablespoons minced garlic * 1 cup dry Marsala wine * 1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese * 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard * 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs, for garnish * 12 ounces dried fettuccine
Directions
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly.
While the chicken cools, melt 2 tablespoons of butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss the fettuccine with 3 tablespoons of butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Swirl the fettuccine onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken mixture over top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.
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Now, how easy is that? Make this for dinner tonight, and your SO will be under your spell, children will do your bidding, pets will obey, and you will sing well too!
And for more fabulous recipes from Giada, check her out at the Food Network.
Today's the Equinox - twelve hours of day, twelve hours of night. Somehow, it just sounds a little
magical.
And actually, it is a magical time of year. You see, it's harvest time! That's right, at wineries all over, September and October are prime time for the grape harvests.
So, with that in mind, we started thinking about grape recipes. After all, it's easy to open your favorite bottle of vino, pour a glass, and drink away. But how about some grapes in the food?
We love vin santo, and when we found this recipe on the Epicurean website, we knew it would be delicious. And for those who don't indulge in the liquid grape, this is a grape special they can enjoy also. Be sure and check out all the other grape recipes at the Epicurean site.
Grape Cake
"Grape cake is an ideal match for vin santo, the rich, smooth, aromatic sweet wine prepared in small quantities on many Italian estates."
Makes 1 - 9 inch springform (6 servings). Printed from Allrecipes, Submitted by Holly
Ingredients:
2 eggs 2/3 cup white sugar 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/3 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1 pinch salt 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest 2 tablespoons grated orange zest 10 ounces small purple grapes
Directions:
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously butter and flour the 9 inch springform cake pan, tapping out any excess flour. Set aside. 2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and lemon-colored, about 3 minutes. Add the butter, oil, milk and vanilla extract, and mix until blended. 3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the lemon zest and orange zest, and toss to coat the zest with flour. 4. Spoon the flour mixture into the bowl of batter and stir with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix once more. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the flour to absorb the liquids. 5. Stir in about 3/4 of the grapes into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth out the top with a spatula. 6. Place the pan in the center of the oven at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle the top of the cake with the remaining grapes. Bake for about 40 minutes more, until the top is a deep golden brown and the cake feels quite firm when pressed with a fingertip. 7. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. After 10 minutes, run a knife along the sides of the pan. Release and remove the side of the springform pan, leaving the cake on the pan base. Serve at room temperature, cut into thin wedges.
Continuing with our earlier post, another EASY dish to make for your "healthy" self and all those sick people in your house. (And if the sick ones have no appetite? More for you!)
Here we have Jamie Oliver showing Mark Bittman, The Minimalist, how to make parmesan chicken. Yum! And you know we love Mark Bittman - check out the link to his blog in the left sidebar.
And we got a kick out of the banter at the end - Jamie and Mark talking about cooking at home: "it will make you a better husband, a better lover, a better wife, you'll be healthier, happier, even your children will love you..." Just made us giggle!
Oh my, we've really been slackers when it comes to posting this week. But we have an excuse - and we think it's a really good excuse. We've been running for our lives, as we're surrounded by sick people! Argh!
How much coughing on, sneezing and wheezing on, can a person take? And not succumb also?
Well, we're happy to report that, so far, we've stayed healthy. Oh, there have been a couple days of "uh oh, sniffles and stuffy head." But those very common cold symptoms have passed quickly.
But what do you do when the spreaders of disease and pestilence are all around you? When you want to be totally empathetic, and sympathetic, but you're really thinking (and sometimes saying) "Keep the hell away from me!" And, "If you cough on me one more time, I'm going to wring your neck. That - will take care of your flu!"
Yikes - not very charitable. But anyone who's had to live in a "hot zone" will understand.
And yes, it's a great idea to either quarantine the sick ones, or quarantine yourself. Unfortunately, not everyone has enough space to take over an empty bedroom, or escape to a separate kitchen where you can feel assured that germy hands haven't touched every available surface.
So, we've been diligent about the hand washing, diligent about wiping down the germ magnets (phones, remotes, refridgerator handles, etc.) and keeping as much distance as possible from the ill ones. But we need more - we need some comfort - some easy comfort - as in some easy comfort food.
And what's easier, and more comforting than a lucious, perfectly done omelet? Or frittata? Here's the wonderful chef (and always interesting) Mario Batali to show us just how simple it is.
Ah, Labor Day - always a beautiful time of year, and the perfect time for a cookout.
And here to show us how to get that perfect grilled steak is executive chef Kirk Leins. Kirk starts out showing how to make an easy compound butter recipe (blue cheese is involved so you know it's going to be good!) then moves on to the basics of grilling the steak.
His tips include the 90 degree turn for getting perfect grill marks on either side, and the "finger test" to determine if the steak is done to your desired temperature.
So, for your viewing and "eating" pleasure, here's Kirk's video. And a Happy Labor Day weekend to all!
One of my favorite restaurants has the most delightful house aperitif: a champagne and raspberry cocktail. I can never resist it, even when I'm on a detox regime (that's DETOX, folks - not to be confused with REHAB, she wrote with a wink) I have to have just one of their scrumptious aperitifs.
So, in that spirit, I have a video for you. This is just for fun - for everyone who loves Top Chef, and Tom Colicchio, and Padma Lakshmi, and champagne!
The Daily News put out the challenge: make a meal that only costs $5, and only takes 5 minutes. Gotta love it!
And here we have our favorite Italian chef, Lidia Bastianich, taking the challenge. Oh, we love Lidia. (Did you see the video with Lidia and Mo Rocca? Entertaining as all get out!)
So for your pleasure, and your taste buds: Lidia preparing an amazaing frittata sandwich.
