Scaloppine Elisabetta

   

    This dish is so happily named after my fantastic and wonderful mother Elizabeth, or Betty as she likes to be called. This is one of those easy dishes that people think you actually spent a lot of time on it. It can be made with chicken, veal, or pork. The word "scaloppine" simple translates into "thinly sliced". This type of meat can be served any way you like it. Whether it is just plain with a side dish, covered with a nice sauce, or served even as a sandwich, it would still be called scaloppine.  As a child my mother served this all the time. Sometimes it was chicken, sometimes pork, and other times veal. We never knew until we sat down at the table and she stated which one it was based on availability in the fridge and what was on sale at the local grocery. I had almost completely forgotten about this dish as she hadn't made it in a long time and neither had I. I asked her about it and she got all excited that she too wanted to make it soon. You will be surprised how easily this dish is and what a huge amount of flavor it packs. Scaloppine Elisabetta.

 

Ingredients:

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Flour
• Olive oil
• 2-2 1/2 cups white wine
• 2 tbs marinara
• 3 thinly sliced cloves fresh garlic
• Salt/pepper

 

1. Take chicken breasts and place between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound down with a mallet, rolling pin, etc. until nice and thin. Salt and pepper both sides and dredge in some flour.

2. In a large thick bottom skillet drizzle some olive oil and raise heat to medium high.

3. Pan fry the meat for roughly 3-5 minutes each side until nice, brown and crisp. Remove and set aside on a plate.

4. Now, pour in some of the white wine about half a cup at first. Scrape up the bits of browned meat from the bottom of the pan and decrease heat to low.

5. Toss in the sliced slivers of fresh garlic and stir around.

6. Keep pouring in the wine a little at a time until finished as it will reduce and thicken up.

7. Stir in the marinara sauce and mix well. Keep stirring as this sauce will thicken up quickly. Once nice a thick reduce heat. Spoon over each piece of meat to serve.

 

AMAZING!!!! I cannot say enough how great this dish is. It is so full of flavor with just a few simple ingredients that you would swear it was made by a certified chef. This dish is definitely a crowd pleaser and one you should showcase to impress. A few hints; we use Pinot Grigio but you could use your favorite white wine. We also use our own left over marinara sauce.

 

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 3



My beautiful mother



Elizabeth "Betty"

S.O.S., (or in a more polite term), Chipped Beef On Toast

 

 

     Surprisingly a vast number of people my age have never heard the term, S.O.S., for this dish. Some haven't even heard of the dish itself. The initials stand for the slang term of; Shit On a Shingle. Sounds appetizing doesn't it? I'm not quite sure of its origins, however I have been told it comes from the Military. A dish served to the soldiers. Now which branch, or which war, I'm still unclear, however growing up in WV we had this dish all the time. It became one of those staples that every country family seemed to serve. Quick, simple, and actually a great meal to have. My mother always made it for us for a quick dinner. She usually accompanied it with scrambled eggs as well. The terminology for this dish doesn't make it appealing, however once you taste it you will love it. Just in under 5 minutes is all it takes. Chipped Beef On Toast.

 

Ingredients:

 

• 1 2oz package of dried beef
• 2 tbs butter
• 2 tbs flour
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cream
• Salt/pepper
• Toast

 

1. Remove beef from package and dice up.

2. In a large skillet melt butter and whisk in flour.

3. Slowly pour in milk and cream and whisk to make a thick sauce. Thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

4. Stir in the beef and let simmer for roughly 5 minutes.

5. Salt and pepper to taste and ladle over some fresh toast.

 

     That's it! Simple, quick, easy, and you will definitely make this again. The perfect "go-to" meal for any bachelor. To this day, even though my mother and myself can make just about any 5 star kind of meal, this is always going to be one of those favorites that I can never let go.

 

Prep Time: 1 min.

Cook Time: 5-6 mins.

Serves: 2

 



Leona O'Connor Binns' Brandy Bread Pudding

Leona O'Connor Binns' Brandy Bread Pudding

 

 

 

     For his recipe I decided to go back to my Grandmother Binns. An extremely talented, friendly, and well rounded Irish woman. She was a tough bird let me tell you. She raised ten children, got a college education, worked as a teacher in the school, and still was able to put dinner on the table every night. I remember her fondly. Every Sunday after mass the entire family would arrive at her house for Sunday breakfast. She made it all. Eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, toast, grapefruit, coffee, etc.; it was all there. She not only fed just me and my siblings but all of the cousins. It was a spectacular event when any of the twenty three first cousins and family where in town. The kitchen was so full that tables had to be placed all throughout the living room and dining room just to hold all of us. Even the priest and nun were presented at times. Those were some great times. As an Irish woman she cooked a lot of the traditional foods of her culture. I have recreated a few of them on her before. When trying to come up with another I had to ask my father and aunt about some dishes I had never had before but that they remembered fondly. One in particular was her bread pudding. After compiling all the ingredients that she used I had the help of my chef at the restaurant I work at to provide me with a simple recipe for the bases of a good bread pudding. Grandma Binns' pudding had a combination of flavors in it. She used peaches, raisins, and some brandy to help create a wonderful array of flavors in your mouth. She even went as far as to create a meringue that she topped the whole thing. Leona O'Connor Binns' Brandy Bread Pudding.

 

Ingredients:

 

• 3/4 a loaf of stale French bread
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tbs cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 6 egg yolks
• 6 egg whites
• 1 15 oz can peaches drained
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 1/2 cup sugar

 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 

2. Cut French bread into halves, then half again and cut into little square chunks and set in large bowl.

 

3. Mix sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in a bowl.

 

4. In a sauce pot scald cream over high heat.

 

5. Combine egg yolks and sugar mixture together in bowl and whisk until pale yellow.

 

6. Temper cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture.

 

7. Pour egg/cream mixture into bread bowl and combine and let sit to cool for 30 minutes.

 

8. Dice up into chunks the peaches and mix into bread custard bowl.

 

9. In another sauce pan pour raisins and brandy and simmer over medium high heat to cook off some of the alcohol and hydrate the raisins.

 

10. Drain raisins and combine into the bread mixture.

 

11. In a 9 x 13 greased glass pan pour bread mixture. Sit pan inside a larger glass pan and pour water in around the bread pudding pan to create a water bath around and bake covered with tinfoil for 45 minutes until the pudding has settled.

 

12. Meanwhile take the egg whites and mix with a hand mixer until stiff peaks have form. Combine the other 1/2 cup sugar to flavor the meringue.

 

13. Remove pudding from oven, pour the left over cooked brandy over the top of the pudding, spread with the meringue and place back in the oven uncovered and not inside the water bath to brown the meringue for about 15 minutes.

 

14. Let cool before serving.

 

     This bread pudding was so light and crisp it was amazing how delicious it was. The flavors of the peaches, raisins, brandy, were all light and not overpowering that you can eat a couple pieces before feeling guilty for eating such a rich dessert. It definitely brought back memories to my aunt and father that they had not had in over 30 years.

 

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Serves: 4-5

 

Grandma Binns, (Leona) and I 

 

Uncle Johnny's Legendary Zucchini Parmesan

Zucchini Parmesan

 

     This past January my family lost another beloved member my Uncle Johnny. He was an amazing man. Kind hearted, sweet, friendly, and willing to help anyone. He was a gardener, a woodworker, and a fantastic cook. A man that had such an infectious laugh that as soon as you met him you felt at home. He was also the inspiration for my Children’s Book; Paul And The Porch Gnome, which is also on this blog. One of my favorite dishes of his was his Zucchini Parmesan. It is a simple dish so quick and easy to make and full of flavor. My mother, his sister, never made this for us because Uncle Johnny’s was so good and he only lived next door that when he did make it he would always bring some over for us.  A fantastic Italian cook he was that this dish is just the tip of the iceberg to what he could do. Please enjoy this fantastic simple recipe that means more than the ingredients that make it up.  Zucchini Parmesan.

 

Ingredients:

• 3 medium zucchini cut into 1/3 inch slices
• Mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Marinara
• Preheat Oven 350

 

1.       After slicing your zucchini into 1/3 inch slices place a bit of marinara of your choice into a 9 x 9 pan.

 

 

2.       Lay down a layer of sliced zucchini.

 

3.       Top with some shredded mozzarella and parmesan.

 

4.       Drizzle some marinara over and begin layering in the same order as above

 

5.       One you reach the top sprinkle more mozzarella and parmesan.

 

6.       Cover with tinfoil and bake in oven for 60 minutes.

    

      As I eat this I will always think you of Uncle Johnny. Summers spending time next door, helping plant, working in the basement, and cooking. Miss you every day.

 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Serves: 4-5



 

 

 

A young Uncle Johnny Sainato

Hard working in the yard

 

Moon, Eye, Pizza Pie....... That's Amore...

     It's that time again when I am struggling to keep to my routine. Itching to get away and relax. Needing some release and a breather from the hustle and bustle of life. That time for a lengthy vacation away from the normal bumps in my world. It had been nine long years since we last seen Italy. Nine long years of seeing our cousins. The same cousins we just found out existed nine years ago. Cousins with whom we have gotten really close to with the help of modern social networking. Family that before researching ancestry records we would have never known were still around. Still in the same village our grandmother immigrated from. The same village she never spoke of, with exception of once when I was little. Our roots, our family, our history, our heritage, it was time to go back. I and two cousins chose to take the trip. A fourteen day long trip across the wonderful country of Italy.

     This time around we decided to see our family but also to try out different cities and villages compared to the last time we were there. Our first trip we stayed primarily in the northern region. Our one side of the family is from the middle area just east of Rome in a region known as Abruzzo. We chose this time to start in the Tuscan region, go south as far as the Amalfi Coast, then head to Abruzzo and back up to Tuscany for an amazing summer trip.

     Our first two days we spent wondering the streets of Pisa and along the famous river Arno. Sightseeing and taking the obligatory shot of one of us holding up the Leaning Tower for hoots and giggles. We then headed south on a long train to Naples to catch yet another train to Sorrento followed by a bus to Praiano along the famous Amalfi coast. Our first train had been canceled so we had to wait around and upgrade for another just to get there in time for check in. We chose a wonderful little B&B that hung out over the cliffs onto the Tyrrhenian Sea. What a beautiful view. It is not enough to say how wonderful a place this was. I immediately fell in love with the Amalfi coast. I soon felt so relaxed and like I was home that I have since named it my Shangri-lah. My oasis as it may be, my heaven, my serenity. The crystal blue turquoise water, the ringing of the bells from the church tower, the warm breeze coming off the ocean, the smell of the salt air, the buzz of vespas flying by above on the upper streets. I could continue describing the sounds, sights, smells, and tastes but I would eventually bore you. However I will mention how amazing the fresh fruit and vegetables were. The olives growing right next to my window were the size of lemons and so green you couldn't image such a color existed. Their taste was even better. Speaking of lemons, they along with the limes, figs, peaches, oranges, etc. were the size of grapefruits. Chili's, or pepperoncini, hung out to dry everywhere. I'm not making this stuff up. I know it sounds like something you only see in the movies, but it's true.  We even spent a day visiting the ruins of Pompeii and seeing Mtn. Vesuvius. Oh, how I miss you already.

Arno

Make sure you're holding it up

Our view

Festival of lights in Praiano

Pompeii ruins

Positano

Positano

Positano

Little black pebble sand

     We swam in the ocean, rode the bus threw the villages, ate so much fresh seafood, pastas, fruit, but all the while lost weight. After a wonderful five days we headed back north towards Rome where we caught a bus to our family’s town. Just east of Rome, about an hour drive, we landed in Abruzzo. A small village called Pratola Peligna/ Bagnaturo. I speak of the both as our grandmother, Nonna, was born in a little stone house in Bagnaturo right next to Pratola, but more like a neighborhood section of Pratola. Our family now lives in Pratola right outside of the bigger city Sulmona. Our one cousin Sabrina met us at the bus stop and took us right to our B&B before heading to her parent’s house for dinner and drinks. Just like the first time we met them we were welcomed with great big hugs, double kisses, laughs, tears, and screams. It's as if we had never left. It was like we had been seeing each other every day since we last were there. This time around my Italian had improved quite a bit so communication was much better. (At least that was what they told me). I still think I was a bit shy and timid with using my language skills but I digress. The children had all grown up into young adults now. Some had just obtained their driver license and others were venturing into the ideas of college. We sat and ate some of the most amazing and delicious food we had in all our travels in Italy. I must admit I may be biased but Abruzzi cooking is fantastic and probably one of my favorite. The simple cooking of the mountains. The use of fresh vegetables and game from the farms. Fantastic....  We had everything from Eggplant Parmigiano, Lamb-Arrosticini, sautéed zucchini, peppers, sbricciolata, fruit, etc. Oh and don't forget all the homemade wines: reds, whites, blush, limoncello, arancello, etc. You name it, it was on that table.

Giovanna, Sabrina, Katia

Michella, Domenico

Cugini

Our next day was spent visiting our grandmother’s old home and traveling through the still owned family vineyards until heading back to their house to help, more like watch, as their mother Giovanna made homemade gnocchi with a meat ragu. Followed by leftovers of the night before, more wine, and more after dinner drinks. This was just lunch.

Grandma's home

Making gnocchi

Lunch

     Later that night after a wonderful nap we headed downtown to the church piazza where the town was holding a festival of the grapes, or Le Uve formally. We received souvenir wine glasses and we went from one family's wine cellar, (cantina), to another sampling all the different wines while obtaining a small plate of fresh food ranging from pasta, to meats, pork, vegetables, etc. Some even had music playing or dj's performing. By the last wine stop the piazza had a wonderful Beatles tribute band playing late into the night. We headed back to Sabrina's house for pizzelle, cannoli, wine, and say our goodnights and goodbyes.

Le Uve with cugini

Walking the streets of Pratola tasting wine

Cugini sitting around eating, Barbara on right.

cugini and new friends

Family

Tears of joy

     We left the next morning in tears but promising to come back and headed back to Tuscany. We chose a small village outside of Florence famous for its walled structure. An entire city built inside a huge wall to protect itself: Lucca. We had the fortunate chance to stay in an old horse barn converted into a three story flat perfectly outfitted with a kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms, and a sitting area. We were also luckily enough to have a nice little yard with a grill and sitting area and bicycles to ride around the city. What a wonderful way to spend our last few nights in beautiful Tuscany.

Our kitchen

Old barn converted into flat

The outer wall

      Now for some of the best parts of our amazing trip to Italy: the food.........  We ate some of the best dishes ever. Octopus and potatoes, veal, beef, scampi, shrimp, pasta, pizza, stuffed zucchini flowers, lamb, pork, tomatoes, olives, eggplant, peppers, chicken, eggs, fresh fruit, grapes, fresh made wine, cheeses, etc. You name it we had it. All made fresh right in front of us. All grown locally and not filled with preservatives, additives, etc. That is one of the amazing things about Italy; everything was fresh and good for you.

Mushroom risotto

 

Parpadelle with Wild Boar

 

Oh the olives

Bellini

Caprese

Fantastic Polpo e Patate

Shrimp and a pepper sauce with gnocchi

Scampi

Stuffed zucchini flowers

Caprese pizza

Calzone

Pizza margharita

Puttanesca

Veal

Arancini

Limoncello

Prosciutto e melone

Steak and mushrooms

Tortelli Lucchese

Ah, pistachio and watermelon gelato

Cantuccini with Vin Santo

     I must admit that this time around was one of my favorite trips to this wonderful country. To this day I am still talking about it and comparing everything around me to what it was like in Italy. I truly feel that country. I feel it in my bones. I feel that I am supposed to be there. Like the song says, "when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore." That's what it is, Love for this wonderful, enriched, and steeped in history country. My love I miss you but will see you again someday. Italia, mi amore…….