Proud Italian Cook

Savoy Cabbage, Sauteed and Stuffed

December 12, 2009 by Marie 23 Comments

This side dish of savoy cabbage is one I’ve been making for as long as I can remember, it’s my absolute favorite way to eat cabbage. Simple, rustic, quick and easy, but the taste is phenomenal!

You start off toasting up some bread crumbs in olive oil in a small skillet, then you add in a generous amount of grated Grana Padana Parmigiano cheese, fresh parsley, salt, pepper, then set this all aside.

Meanwhile, take a larger skillet, drizzle in some olive oil, toss in minced garlic and sliced sweet onions, add in your partially precooked and sliced up savoy cabbage, keep tossing until tender and soft, then sprinkle in your toasted breadcrumb mixture, drizzle with more olive oil, and add more parsley. That’s it! This goes especially well with an herb roasted pork loin.

I love the mild sweet flavor of savoy cabbage, and just look at those vitamin enriched crinkled leaves. Did you know it’s considered one of the best for eating?

Not only good as a side dish, but equally delicious as a main course. I like to stuff mine Italian style and top it off with a spicy arrabiata sauce.

To remove the leaves, take the whole head, cut off the stem, turn it upside down in a pot of boiling water, cover it and cook for 10 minutes. Take the whole head out and let the steam continue cooking it until it cools down so you can touch it, then start to peel off the leaves, cutting the hard core off each one.

I decided to go healthy here and used cooked brown rice along with ground turkey that I had browned beforehand, adding in of course garlic and onion.

Fresh parsley was then added to the turkey rice mixture, along with fresh snipped basil, salt, pepper and grated Grana Padana cheese. I also spooned in in some of my arrabiata sauce to make the mixture a little juicy. Place a good size scoop on your presteamed leaves that have been cored, and place a couple cubes of fontinella cheese on top, provolone would work also. Of course you can use ground beef, white rice, or any red sauce that you like in place of what I used for this recipe.

Place your rolls in a greased casserole dish with sauce spread on bottom, place more sauce on top of your rolls, along with grated cheese and a drizzle more of olive oil. Bake covered with tin foil in a 375 degree oven until heated through.

All the flavors really come through in this dish, the sweetness of the cabbage, the distinct taste of each cheese, the fresh herbs, onions, garlic, and that mildly spicy sauce to top it all off. I think you’re going to love it!

Buon Appetito!

23 Comments Filed Under: Rice and Risotto, Side Dishes, Vegetables Tagged: savoy cabbage, stuffed cabbage, winter vegetable

Rice Krispie Biscotti

December 8, 2009 by Marie 23 Comments

I’ve been on a biscotti making kick lately, as you can tell. For some reason it’s the only thing I want to bake this year! I love that there’s so many varieties and flavor combinations you can do with biscotti.

I saw these cute little Rice Krispie biscotti on the blog, Dinners for a Year and Beyond while wandering through the blogosphere one day, I instantly knew I was going to make these for my granddaughter. This is a great holiday treat to make for kids, but then again, I know a few adults that wouldn’t pass these up either!

So easy to make and form, just dip them into your favorite chocolate, add sprinkles, nuts, mini chocolate chips or whatever else you like. Just think how creative you could be!

Bag them up, tie some pretty ribbons on, and hand them out to your favorite kid. I ended up giving all these to my granddaughter, some for her, and some for her to pass out to her posse of friends.

HERE’S THE RECIPE:

Makes 20

40 Large Marshmallows

6 cups Rice Krispies

3 Tb. Butter

Chocolate For Melting

Sprinkles, Nuts, or Mini Chocolate chips

In a heavy pan, melt butter, add marshmallows, stir until they melt. Take pan off the heat and stir in your Rice Krispies, make sure they’re all coated. When it cools down a little and you can handle them, form 1/3 cup each into the shape of a biscotti. Cool on parchment paper. Repeat til finished.

Melt your favorite chocolate, dip, and add your sprinkles. Place back on parchment until chocolate has hardened and it’s safe to store them without smudging.

I’ve always had a weak spot for the gingerbread biscotti over at Starbucks, I always look forward to them each holiday season. Crunchy, spicy gingerbread dipped in white chocolate and studded with macadamia nuts. I attempted to make my own this year, not too bad for the first time, the gingerbread flavor was really good, but I didn’t have macadamia nuts so I used pecans. Mistake! Not the same, and I sort of skimped on the white chocolate because I didn’t have quite enough. But all in all they turned out great, I wrapped them up and gave them away to some happy people. Just a little more tweaking and I’m ready for batch #2 !!

Happy Baking!

23 Comments Filed Under: Cookies Tagged: gingerbread, kid friendly dessert, rice krispie biscotti

Fig and Pistachio Biscotti

December 1, 2009 by Marie 62 Comments

It’s that time of year again. and baking is in full force! Are you ready to bake some biscotti? I think you’ll love these fig and pistachio biscotti. The blending of fig with a hint of warm anise and orange makes this biscotti flavor such a winner, not to mention the pistachio nuts!

I would encourage you to double or triple the recipe so you can give them out as gifts to friends, family and neighbors.

Biscotti keep very well so you can make them in advance. I like to store mine in boxes or cans with wax paper in between the layers.

Biscotti are twice baked, crunchy and perfect for those that dip them into coffee, espresso or milk, I’m personally not a dipper, I prefer the crunch all the way!

You’ll love how your house smells when they’re baking, the aroma lingers for days!

Just be sure to pulse your dried figs in a food processor to resemble the size of small peas, and be sure to cut off the hard tips before doing that. Of course you can always chop them up by hand, if you have the patience.

I like to measure the logs with a ruler, 9×2 inches is what you’re aiming for, but if you like a bigger biscotti size, go for it!

Out of the oven and cooling down!

Twice baked and ready for ( sampling first) boxing up!

There are so many pretty holiday or special occasion boxes, I’m always on the search for them and keep them stashed away.

These smaller containers I thought would be perfect for a neighbor gift this year ( ordered them on QVC) they can keep the container and reusable bag.

I’ll be making my deliveries soon so they can enjoy!

Happy Baking!

4.5 from 2 reviews

Fig and Pistachio Biscotti

Author: Marie

Ingredients

½ cup dried figs like kalamata, measured after pulsed in food processor to the size of peas (remove tips of figs before pulsing as they are hard and inedible)
2¼ cups of all purpose flour, unbleached
1½ t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
½ cup unsalted butter, room temp
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 t. anise extract (NOTE: if using anise oil only use ¼ t. or a tiny bit more if you like it)
1 t. anise seeds
1t. grated orange zest
½ cup shelled pistachios, unsalted

Instructions

Heat oven to 350F
With your mixer beat butter and sugar on medium high until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Add eggs, extract or oil, zest and anise seeds, beat til light and creamy.
Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl and then incorporate into the butter mixture.
Add figs and nuts on low speed til combined.
Place all the finished dough from mixing bowl onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Form two 9x2 inch logs apart from each other and bake until lightly browned. Watch your oven, mine took less than 25 minutes.
Remove pan from oven and let it cool for 20 minutes, otherwise they will crumble when cut.
Using a serrated knife, take your time and slowly cut logs into ½ inch thick slices.
Arrange biscotti on their sides on the baking sheet.
Return to oven and bake until nicely golden, for around 5-6 minutes, then flip them over and do the other side, another 5-6 minutes or until it reaches the golden color you like. Ovens do vary.
The longer the second bake the crispier they will be.
Cool on rack.
Makes somewhere around 40