Vegetarian zuppa toscana

Adapted from Damn Delicious and Supper with Michelle

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 package (14 oz) Beyond Meat Beyond Sausage, mild Italian
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 tsp dried Italian herbs (we used Herbs de Provence)
• 2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, in oil, roughly chopped (we subbed w/ tomato paste)
• 1 pinch red chili flakes and/or smoked paprika
• ¼ cup white wine
• 3-4 Yukon gold potatoes, chopped
• 1 can of cannellini beans, 15 oz (425 g)
• 6 cups vegetable broth, lower sodium
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ½ bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
• 1 cup half and half (we used 1/2 cup whole milk)
• freshly grated parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:

1. Set a 6-qt Instant Pot® to the high saute setting. Add olive oil and Beyond sausage. Cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is lightly browned, about 10 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks.
2. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in garlic and herbs, tomatoes. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Stir in the white wine to de-glaze your pot. Cook for several minutes until most of the wine has evaporated.
4. Drain and rinse the can of beans. Add the beans, smoked paprika, to the pot. Stir in potatoes and broth; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place a lid on the pot and let it come up to a simmer over medium heat.
5. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 5 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
6. Stir in kale until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in half and half until heated through, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Potatoes should be nice and soft to the fork.
7. Serve immediately. Top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Benji and Gryphon smell the zuppa

I first tried this soup by my friend, Peggy, because her children dubbed it ‘favorite soup’. I looked up the history: “Zuppa toscana is a broad term, literally meaning ‘Tuscan soup’ in Italian, though in Italy it is called “minestra di pane”, meaning ‘bread soup’.” (Wikipedia). I am adding cannellini beans to this even though none of the Olive Garden copycat recipes included it, because it’s always nice to have some added vegetable protein for a heartier soup, and was the original ingredient. There are ethical, environmental, and health reasons to reduce meat intake — this was one such attempt!

P.S. We ate it all before I remembered to photograph it.

P.P.S. We made it again so I could take photos, and it was even better this time because we used cream instead of milk.

~Jessica

Pasta con ‘nduja

Adapted from Memorie di Angelina and The Pasta Project

Ingredients:

• 400 g (14 oz) fileja (or other pasta of your choice)
• 1 small red onion, peeled and chopped
• 50 g (2 oz) nduja, broken into chunks
• 400 g (14 oz) small cherry tomatoes, cut in half, or canned passata or peeled tomatoes
• A few basil leaves, torn into pieces by hand
• 2-3 tbsp Olive oil
• Salt
• 50 g pecorino romano, freshly grated (optional)

Directions:

1. Gently sauté the chopped onion in olive oil until soft and translucent.
2. Add the nduja and let it melt for 2 minutes on low heat (can add a little water to liquefy).
3. Add the tomatoes along with the basil and a good pinch of salt. Let simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, until the tomatoes have thickened and reduced into a sauce, stirring from time to time. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. While the sauce is simmering, bring water to a boil, salt, and cook the pasta al dente.
5. Drain the pasta (but not too well) and add it to the sauce. Mix well, still over very gentle heat.
6. Serve immediately, with fresh basil and cheese.

My in-laws (so to speak) were visiting Calabria, Italy for a bit (partly to rediscover distant family members) and had an excellent sampling of ‘nduja. They were so taken with it, they decided to bring some back for Jesse. He free-styled a recipe that was so spicy! But delicious. I personally like a few more vegetables to balance out the heat of the sausage, but that’s just me. We did have some mushrooms harvested from North Spore (my aunt bought me Lion’s Mane and Golden Oyster, to be exact), so added that with a chopped, parboiled red bliss potato to help empty the larder. Orecchiette is my favorite “short” pasta, and I happened to find De Cecco brand for this. I included a snap of Ben’s cute butt sploot — he loves to “help out” in the kitchen, so I gave him a Parmesan rind to chew on while we prepped (didn’t know he could break it, so took away half when he chewed it up so he wouldn’t get too much salt and fat).

~Jessica

Pancetta cubetti with potato and onion

Adapted from Citterio and Bon Appetit

Ingredients:

• 1 container of Citterio Pancetta Cubetti
• 2 Red onions, chopped (I used one red)
• 3 lbs. baby red and yellow Potatoes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled (I used 6)
• salt
• pepper
• pinch of rosemary
• tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley (optional)

Directions:

1. Sauté pancetta in skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels. Cool to room temperature before using.
2. Preheat oven to 425°F.
3. Cut the potatoes into small cubes. Mix potatoes and oil on large rimmed baking sheet; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes.
4. Scatter onion and garlic over and roast, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes and watching closely to prevent burning, until potatoes are brown, 50 to 60 minutes longer.
5. Remove from oven. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle pancetta and parsley over potatoes. Serve.

Because there were so many potatoes between my baking pan and my cast iron skillet, I followed the Taters recipe to ensure some chicken stock would cook all the potatoes evenly since they were all piled up. Enough liquid evaporated at the end that the top layer definitely had browned crispy edges. I also added some Herbes de Provence we picked up in Narbonne (need to blog that trip!) This ended up taking longer than I expected, and I missed a lovely Ladies League meeting for it, but they came out well!

~Jessica

Penne alla vodka, revisited

Adapted from Vicenzo’s Plate and Serious Eats

Ingredients (x 2):

• 300 g (10.5 oz) Penne Rigate, preferably DeCecco
• 400 g (14.5 oz) of Italian peeled Tomatoes (1 small can)
• 4.5 ounce (130g) tube concentrated tomato paste
• 200 g (7 oz) of cooking cream
• 200 g (7 oz) Cured Pancetta/Bacon
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter or olive oil (EVOO)
• handful of fresh Basil
• ½ onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 3 tbsp Pecorino Romano
• 1 tbsp rock salt
• 100 mL (3.3 oz) Vodka

Directions:

1. Add 5L water to a large pot and put it on the stove to boil while you make your penne alla vodka sauce. 
2. Now, cut the pancetta into small strips and be sure to keep some fat on every piece. The fat will render when you cook it and add that extra flavour to the sauce and make it more crispy.
3. Put the pan on the stove on low heat and add 4 tbsp of olive oil (EVOO) to the pan and toss in the chopped onion, cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and pinch of red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the pancetta and cook it for approx. 5-10 minutes or until the onions start to turn golden and the pancetta is nice and crispy. 
5. While the pancetta and onions are cooking, pour the peeled tomatoes into a large mixing bowl and add a sprinkle of salt and pepper before gently crushing them by hand (or using a masher utensil) Don’t be too rough! (We skipped seasoning and crushing the tomatoes because we used Trader Joe’s diced tomatoes, which already have salt).
6. Pour the vodka into the pan with the pancetta and onions, and cook it together for about 2-3 minutes.
7. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until tomato paste is fragrant and thick, about 3 minutes. Add the peeled tomato we crushed earlier into the pan with the pancetta, vodka, and onions. Mix the penne alla vodka sauce slowly using a wooden spoon and cook at a medium-low heat for at least 15-20 minutes.
8. Break the basil leaves using your hands and toss them into the pan. The sauce should start to slowly thicken.  
9. Add a small amount of cream into the pan until the sauce turns pink. Stir to incorporate. Transfer sauce to a blender, and blend until very smooth (you may be able to use an immersion blender).
10. Now, cook the pasta until just shy of al dente, about 3 minutes less than the package directs. Once it is almost ready, scoop up some pasta water using a mug and put it aside. 
11. Once ready, using a slotted spoon, transfer pasta directly to sauce pot along with 1/2 cup (120ml) pasta water to the sauce, which should be on a medium-low heat while gently mixing it, until pasta is well coated in sauce and reaches the al dente stage, about 3 minutes.
12. Add more pasta water in 1/4 cup (60ml) increments as needed, and mix everything together until every penne is immersed in the penne alla vodka creamy sauce.
13. Lastly, Remove from heat and stir in pecorino (as much or little as you like) and toss it again. If you can’t detect the vodka at all, you can add a few drops more and stir it in before serving (less is more)!
14. Plate warm and top with additional grated cheese. Serve immediately.

We previously made this dish and I had a hankering for it again. So I tried finding a more authentic Italian recipe. Jesse thought it was good. Flavorful, nice texture, and mildly spicy (from the pepper flakes and green chilies)!

~Jessica

Pollo alla cacciatora

Adapted from Giallo Zafferano and Il Cucchiao d’Argento

Ingredients:

• 1 (2-3 lb.) chicken cut into 8 pieces or 4 wings and 4 thighs
• a knob of butter
• 800 g (28 oz) tomato pulp, peeled
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 stick of celery
• 1 carrot
• ½ cup (100 g) Red wine
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 1 sprig of Italian parsley, chopped
• EVOO (olio extravergine di oliva)
• salt
• black pepper

Directions:

1. Put the meat in a saucepan with the butter, three tablespoons of oil and the sliced ​​onion. Brown them well for about 15 minutes.
2. Then add the onion, chopped carrot, and celery. Saute until aromatic, then add the garlic. Add the wine, then chopped tomato pulp.
3. Mix well, add a ladle of hot water and bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and cook for another 40-45 minutes or until the meat is cooked and the sauce reduced. If it gets too dry, you can add a little hot water during cooking.
4. At the end add the salt and a pinch of pepper. Let the chicken cacciatore rest for about ten minutes in the heat, then serve with a handful of chopped parsley.

I picked up a container of mirepoix at Trader Joe’s and was looking for recipes for which I could use it.

~Jessica

Pasta con zucchine e pancetta e ricotta

Adapted from Cooking with Rosetta and Il Cucchiaio Argente and Giallo Zafferano

Previous vegetarian attempt here

Ingredients:

• 500 g Farfalle
• 2-3 Zucchini
• 20 g olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 100 g pancetta, cubed
• salt, to taste
• a pinch of black pepper
• parsley, to taste
• 200 mL (3/4 cup) ricotta, plus more for garnish
• some fresh basil
• 1 small fresh green or red chili, minced (optional)

Directions:

1. Boil 4-6 qts. water (for pasta) in a 8 qt. pasta pot, then add salt.
2. In the meantime, wash and dry the courgettes. Trim them and then grate them with a grater with large holes, or slice into thin (⅛ inch) rounds. Salt lightly and toss.
3. In a fairly large pan, pour the olive oil and heat it over low heat together with whole clove of garlic. Brown the pancetta.
4. As soon as the oil is hot, add the courgettes. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally; then remove the garlic. Fry until golden on both sides. Fry the basil a few minutes with this to infuse the flavors.
5. In the meantime, boil the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain it, keeping a little pasta water.
6. Add the pasta directly into the pan with the zucchini, together with a little cooking water. Cook for a few moments, stir and then turn off.
7. Top with some ricotta salata and pasta water, to make a sauce.

I couldn’t find ricotta salata at the local Whole Foods, although I have seen it in DeCicco & Sons in Westchester, of course. Next time I wouldn’t mind subbing with creme fraiche or mascarpone for the fresh ricotta, although the flavor was good. I halved the amount of pasta and zucchini, to make half as much. I used jalapeno pepper, although now my left pointer finger is numb from touching it. I would also be willing to try dicing the zucchini instead of grating them, though julienne sounds like a tad too much work..

~Jessica

Burrata on salad

Adapted from Joy Food Sunshine

Ingredients:

• 5 oz arugula mix
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup Fresh basil, torn in shreds
• 8 oz Burrata cheese
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 TBS honey
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• pinch salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Put all the dressing ingredients (balsamic, olive oil, honey, mustard, salt and pepper) in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside but do not chill.
2. Place the arugula in a salad bowl
3. Slice the tomatoes in half, and place them on top of the spring mix. Add the burrata cheese on top of this.
4. Sprinkle sea salt and fresh black pepper on top of each burrata cheese round, to taste.
5. Drizzle with your desired amount of dressing. Serve.

Jesse had never tried burrata before, whereas I considered it one of the great salad toppers. We picked up all of the ingredients from the Roosevelt Island Farmers’ Market, including good ($13 eek) burrata from Hoboken Farms, and used fresh basil from our basil plant.

~Jessica

Polpette al sugo (Italian meatballs)

Adapted from Lidia and Recipe Tin Eats

Yield: 6 servings, plus about 3 quarts extra (total of about 4 dozen meatballs and 3 quarts sauce)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoon dried oregano (omitted)
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped (basil sub!)
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano (or parmesan), freshly grated

Sauce ingredients:

• 2.5 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
• black pepper
• 1 fresh bay leaves, or 2 small dried bay leaves
• 3 tsp dried Italian herb mix (parsley, basil, thyme, oregano)
• 1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes
• 24 oz / 700 g tomato passata, preferably San Marzano
• 1 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, optional to serve

Directions:

1. Grate the onion using a standard box grater in a large bowl until you have about 1/2 cup of grated onion and juices. 
2. Add bread, mix to combine so the onion juice soaks the bread and disintegrates. Set aside while you prep the other ingredients (5 min or so).
3. Add all the remaining Meatball ingredients. Use hands to mix well.
4. Measure out a heaped tablespoon and roll lightly to form a ball. Repeat with remaining mixture. (Note 5)
5. Heat 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a large non stick fry pan over medium high heat. Add the meatballs and brown all over – about 3 – 4 minutes. 
6. When they are browned but NOT cooked through, carefully transfer them onto a plate.

Sauce Directions:

1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil into the fry pan. 
2. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent. Add the remaining Sauce ingredients. Bring to a simmer, then turn down to medium low so it bubbles gently rather than splattering everywhere. Let simmer for 2 hours.
3. Carefully transfer the meatballs and any juices that have pooled on the plate into the Sauce.
4. Cook the meatballs for 8 – 10 minutes, turning and stirring occasionally. Adjust Sauce salt and pepper to taste.
5. While the meatballs are cooking, cook your pasta of choice.
6. Serve the meatballs on pasta, garnished with extra parmesan and parsley if using.

I wanted to cook Lidia’s recipe authentically, but it was so much quantity! And I’m not a fan of beef, much less veal, so… I incorporated another website (she has delicious chicken stew!) that fried the meatballs instead of baking them. These were wildly delicious and approved by all. We didn’t incorporate the carrot and celery (considering the 2 lbs. or meat vs. 3 lbs from Lidia), but we did use the red onion, eggs, and basil instead of parsley (Jesse’s family doesn’t like oregano for some reason). I would throw in a bay leaf into the sauce next time (we forgot). We used gluten-free bread crumbs, and crumbled Grana Padano into the meatball and on top to serve. Grana Padano was not incorporated into the sauce. Ground meat came from the Ossining Farmer’s Market, Sunset View Farm. I also made some garlic bread with EVOO and rubbed garlic to clean up the sauce after, demi baguette from Farmer’s Market too.

~Jessica

Store-bought pizza dough pizza

Adapted from The Kitchn, makes 2 pizzas. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. store-bought dough, at room temperature for at least 1 hour
• 1/2 cup (or 3 tbsp) of Rao’s Pizza Sauce, per pizza
• 4 cloves of garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil
• prosciutto
• 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced and sautéed
• handful of mushrooms, sautéed
• 1 cup mozzarella di bufala, thinly sliced
• handful of basil, torn
• red pepper flakes (optional)
• cornmeal or all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Set your oven to 450 – 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Defrost pizza dough on top of stove.
2. Sautee raw toppings.
3. Tear off a large piece of parchment paper roughly 12 inches long. Working with one piece of the dough at a time, form it into a large disk with your hands and place it on the parchment. Use your hands to flatten the dough until it is 1/4-inch thick or less. If the dough starts to shrink back, let it rest for 5 minutes and then continue rolling. Brush a thin film of olive oil on a baking sheet. 
4. Pre-bake the crust for 3-4 minutes before adding toppings.
5. Top the pizza. Spoon half of the sauce onto the center of the pizza and use the back of the spoon to spread it out to the edges. Pile on half of the toppings and half of the cheese.
6. Bake the pizza right on the baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, then rotate the pizza. If using parchment, slide it out from under the pizza and discard. Bake until the crust is golden-brown and the cheese is melted and browned in spots, 3 to 5 minutes more.
7. Repeat making a second pizza with the remaining dough, cheese, and toppings.

Tips I came across on multiple websites:

Crust

• Let the refrigerated dough sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes or more before rolling.
• Let the oven heat for at least half an hour before baking your pizzas. If you have a baking stone or steel, place it in the lower-middle part of your oven.
• Set your oven to 450 – 500 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on your comfort. You can make good pizza at 450ºF/232ºC. 
• Flour a clean wood chopping board (if big enough) to use as a work surface.
• Don’t roll out the dough — press out the edges to make a crust (don’t press the middle), then stretch with one hand and rotate with other hand, then toss from hand to hand. video
• Cover the dough and give it a 10-minute break to relax the gluten, when needed.
• Pizza size: no more than 10 inches/25 cm in diameter.
• Use olive oil on the sheet, and on the edges before baking. Spread olive oil on both sides of the crust.
• If you don’t have cornmeal, use Parchment paper. FYI: The paper catches on fire if it touches the heating element.

Sauce

• Pre-bake the crust for 3-4 minutes before adding toppings.
• Add enough sauce so that when you spread it, you can still see the dough underneath: 2-3 tbsp of sauce per pizza. Less is more!

Toppings

• Preheat the oven; While you’re waiting, set up your toppings.
• Pre-cook raw ingredients (mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, meat, etc.)
• Keep the toppings to just a handful at most. If you load homemade pizza down with a ton of toppings, it may take too long for the crust to cook.
• For the cheese, use a low-moisture, whole milk mozzarella. If you want to use fresh mozzarella, drain it and pat it dry. 
• If you plan to add some fresh arugula or herbs to your pizza, top the pizza with hand-torn basil after it’s out of the oven.

References: Good in the Simple, Garlic Delight, Pillsbury, The Kitchn

Next time I will try Brie, Sage, and Prosciutto toppings; or olive oil-basil-garlic in place of sauce and top with chicken, fresh tomato, and buffalo mozzarella. I would also try to make garlic knots (dough knotted together with garlic, parsley, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese). I forgot to defrost the dough ahead of time, so I followed this trick from Baking Kneads to wrap the oiled up put it in the oven at 100 degrees Fahrenheit (used the bread proofing setting) for one hour, then check if it is ready (risen to double its size). If it is not fully defrosted, back in the oven for 30 minutes. We used a baking sheet, not a pizza stone, and Parchment paper.

~Jessica

P.S. Previous attempts included a potato pizza, a galette-type “pizza” from prepared dough, garlic herb pizza dough from Trader Joe’s, etc.

Salsa di pomodoro

Adapted from Lidia’s Italy and her alla marinara

Ingredients:

• 2 28 oz. cans crushed tomato
• 1/4 cup EVOO
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 8 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1/2 carrot, peeled and chopped fine
• 1/2 celery stick, chopped fine
• 2 dry bay leaves
• salt and red pepper flakes (peperoncino) to taste
• 10 fresh basil leaves, roughly torn

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant (about 3 minutes). Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the carrot and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden (about 10 minutes).
3. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves. Rinse the tomato cans with 2 cups of water and add that as well. Bring everything to a boil. Add the basil.
4. Season lightly with salt and crushed red pepper. Lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 45 minutes.
5. Remove the bay leaves. Taste, and season with more salt and red pepper to taste. Serve!

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We were renting an AirBnB and I wanted something delicious but easy peasy and super tasty. For some protein, we picked up the Spicy Jalapeño Chicken Sausage. I recommend coating the pasta in the sauce, rather than just topping with it. Don’t be afraid to garnish with parmesan cheese and more fresh basil as the mood strikes! The photo shows a leftover overloaded potato skin which reheated well in the oven.

~Jessica