Cooking Demo ala Timpano

March 14, 2010 by 25 Comments

For the past week I’ve had a knock down dragged out viral infection that kept me from cooking in the kitchen or anything else. I’m happy to say I feel so much better now, and after living on soup for a week I’m excited to eat something different.

I’ll be back in my kitchen tomarrow, but for now I wanted to leave you with a visual of a cooking class/demo I did for the Italian/ American club that I’m a member of. I demonstrated making a Timpano like the original one from the movie “Big Night” with Stanley Tucci.

If you’re not familiar with a Timpano or never heard of it before, it’s a drum of pasta, 3 pounds to be exact, homemade mini meatballs, sauce, provolone and romano cheese, hard boiled eggs and salami that’s all incased in a pasta dough and baked in a very special pan. Perfect for large crowds and big parties. We had 23 people in attendence and each had a generous slice for tasting, many came back for seconds. When I first started my blog in 2007 I did a whole post on it which goes into a little more detail. Click here to view.

See you soon!

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25 Comments Filed Under: Party Foods, Pasta Tagged: , ,

Frittata? or Strata

March 9, 2010 by 30 Comments

Either one you choose would be a great option for breakfast, brunch or even a dinner. I love frittatas because the variations are endless and they’re cooked up and on the table in no time.

A simple zucchini and onion frittata has graced our table many times. Mix your eggs with a little bit of milk, grated romano cheese, fresh basil, parsley salt and pepper. Pour over your sauteed zucchini and onions, when your egg mixture starts to set, place the whole pan under the broiler until cooked through and golden in color. Invert onto a platter, garnish with fresh basil. Served along side a nice green salad and a bowl of fresh fruit, it’s a wonderful light brunch or dinner!

The thing I like about stratas is you can assemble all the ingredients the night before, then in the morning all you have to do is pull it out of your frig and pop it in the oven! This is a savory egg dish that easily adapts to many different vegetables and cheeses.

Portobello and Asparagus Strata
Adapted from the Whole Foods website
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped, 1 (8-ounce) package Baby Bella mushrooms, thinly sliced.
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths, 1 teaspoon salt, 8 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup grated parmesan, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons chopped parsley, Black pepper to taste, 5 cups (1-inch) cubes sourdough bread, 4 ounces herb or plain goat cheese crumbled, feta, or in my case I used fontina.
Here’s what you do:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and thyme and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, mushrooms, asparagus and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and cook 5 more minutes longer. Set aside. Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, grated cheese, milk, mustard, parsley, pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Set aside. Spread half of the bread over the bottom of a lightly greased 9-x13-inch baking dish. Top with half of the mushroom mixture and a third of the goat cheese. Layer with remaining bread and mushroom mixture, and pour egg mixture evenly over the top. Cover strata and chill overnight. Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove strata from refrigerator and bring to room temperature while the oven heats. Sprinkle remaining two-thirds cheese over the top and bake until firm in the center and golden brown on top, about 45 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
Buon Appetito!
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30 Comments Filed Under: Poultry, Side Dishes Tagged: , ,

Smashed Peas with Ricotta Toasts

March 3, 2010 by 23 Comments

I came across this fantastic recipe the other day while I was sitting in the waiting room of my husbands Chiropractor. I picked up the February issue of Better Homes and Garden and while flipping through it, I found this and I instantly knew I was going to make it.

For a split second I thought about silently ripping the page out, but then that wouldn’t be very nice, so I started fishing through my purse but couldn’t find a pen, so I finally just asked the office girl if she would kindly make a copy for me and she did, I was happy!

It’s hard to explain how good this is, but think fresh lemon juice, sauteed garlic, fresh mint and cracked pepper swirled into a puree of peas and edamame flavored with salt and a healthy drizzle of olive oil, but then the best thing is, you take it and smear it on top of a baguette slice that was slathered with ricotta and toasted under the broiler! Oh my, it’s addicting!
This is such a great appetizer, it makes a ton and it’s really healthy, no mayonnaise, sour cream or cream cheese to make you feel guilty about eating it.

The thinly shaved garlic is a must as well as the coarsely cracked pepper, that along with the lemon and mint make a wonderful flavor combination.

Here’s the recipe:
Adapted from BHG February 2010 issue
1 16oz. pkg, frozen peas
1 12oz. pkg frozen or precooked and shelled edamame
1 T olive oil
4 cloves thinly sliced garlic
2 T lemon juice
1 to 2 tsp. freshly cracked pepper
kosher salt to taste
1/4 cup snipped fresh mint
1/2 lb.of sliced baguette
1 cup ricotta cheese
Extra olive oil for drizzling
1. In a large pot cook peas and edamame for 5 minutes in a small amount of boiling water. Drain, transfer to food processor and puree.
2. In a small skillet with olive oil, add garlic and cook till tender. Stir into pureed peas along with the lemon, pepper, salt and mint.
3. Meanwhile, for ricotta toasts, spread baguette slices with ricotta cheese, arrange on a baking sheet and broil until ricotta is warm and bread is toasted. Sprinkle with salt and cracked pepper.
4. Before serving drizzle pea mixture with olive oil and additional cracked black pepper.

Buon Appetito!
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23 Comments Filed Under: Appetizers Tagged: , , , ,