CRAB CAKES

CRAB CAKES

I am sure my mom is looking down at me (could she be looking up instead?) and giving me a dirty look.  I really gave her a hard time eating. I was such a fussy eater, refusing anything that looked or smell funny. She would beg me to try something. But I always had a predetermined mind to any new food dish. Unlike my father and sister who would eat anything put in front of them, I wouldn’t.  Fortunately, that has changed a lot. 

As Lent continues, I will be adding additional meatless recipes.  I taught a vegetarian cooking class at the College of DuPage.  Here is one of the recipes I came across.  It can be used as an appetizer or a main course.  Feel free to double the recipe. It still works.

CRAB CAKE

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 large egg, beaten

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 pound cooked crab meat, flaked

1/4 cup bread crumbs, more as needed

Salt and pepper to taste

Additional breadcrumbs for dredging

Butter and oil for frying

1. Mix together the parsley, mustard, Worcestershire, eggs and mayonnaise.

2. Add the crab meat and crumbs. Season with salt and pepper and combine well but gently, so you don't        break up the crab meat.

3. Divide the mixture into 6 to 8 portions; flatten gently into thick patties.

4. Coat each patty lightly with crumbs. If possible, refrigerate for 30 minutes before sautéing.

5. Heat butter and a little oil, enough to generously cover the bottom, in a large fry pan over medium-high heat.

6. Add the crab patties and fry until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.

7. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately or keep in warm oven till ready to serve.

Here’s a little hint about chopped herbs.   Many recipes call for small amounts of chopped herbs, such as parsley, basil, cilantro, etc.  Well you just can’t buy small amounts.  They come in bunches. I found an easy solution to having fresh herbs available.  When I buy a bunch,  I rinse it out thoroughly, dry it as much as I can.  Cut all the stems off and place the remaining leaves in a food processor and PROCESS.

You are left with more than you leave.  Use what the recipes call for and then place the rest in a tight container and freeze it.   The next time you need just a little bit, it’s right there.

ENJOY.

Thanksgiving

THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday.  My mother’s grandmother, Anonna, called this the “Festa di Gallina”, Feast of the Chicken. Don’t ask why she called it that.  There probably were no turkeys in the part of Italy from which she came.

I love this time of the year.  For me, autumn begins the day after Labor Day.  Although 90 degree temperatures can occur, they become rarer as September continues.  I like sweater weather and sleeping with light blankets at night.  I like the daylight waning in the evenings. It’s comfort weather.  I think the reason why I like this time of the year was because of the anticipation of the holiday season, even though it wasn’t until November and December that they occurred. I had a mother who started play Christmas Carols in October.  Every Christmas, she gave her nieces homemade ornaments she started making in September.

Over the years, the venue for Thanksgiving changed.  I remember going to Auntie Ang’s for dinner, then to Felicia, then my mother having it and then to cousin Sandra’s. It was a less stressful holiday.  There were no decorations to put up, no presents to buy, and usually no bad weather with which to deal.  Only cooking!!!! And I can still smell the aroma of the turkey cooking in the oven.

I know you are expecting a recipe and there is one at the bottom of the page. However, before I present one, I am going to narrate the way to cook a turkey as given to me my by Uncle Jerry. It’s the best way to cook a turkey that I know.  Feel free to leave your own method in the comment section following this Post.

Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees.  Place your turkey breast side up in a roasting pan that has a cover. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan at least an inch up.  When the oven has been pre-heated place the turkey uncovered for 20 minutes.  This gives the opportunity for the skin of the turkey to brown.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 and place the roasting pan cover on the turkey.  At this temperature, the water in the pan simmers and creates steam which keeps your turkey moist.  Time in the oven depends on the size of your turkey. I like the turkeys with the built in thermometers already in the turkey breast. When the little thermometer pops up, the turkey is done.  You will probably note that the turkey breast has loosened from the breast bone. Remove from oven and let sit for at least 15 minutes before carving.  I guarantee that this will be best turkey you have cooked.  All the meat falls cleanly from the bones. Thank you Uncle Jerry!!!!

So there’s your turkey.  As you may be aware, in our family, and in countless other Italian families, turkey is just one of so many dishes.  Somewhere on the table you find, pasta, insalada, bread, meatballs, sausage, braciole, besides sweet potatoes, and vegetable dishes. And save room for desserts.

The following recipe was given to me by a friend.  It’s a long process, but it is worth the effort. When you first start the recipe, you may think that is a huge amount.  But it reduces quite a bit.  It won’t be that much.  It can easily be doubled without compromising the taste. And a little on your plate goes a long way.

                                         FUNGI ALLA TOSCANA

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup olive oil or butter or combination of the two

2 Tablespoons vinegar

1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)

2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup red wine

1 lb. mushrooms (halved if too big)

2 green peppers cut into one inch squares

Sauté onion in olive oil/butter until transparent.  Add mushrooms and green peppers and sauté for a few minutes.

In a bowl, mix vinegar, anchovy paste, Dijon mustard and brown sugar into a loose paste.  Add the red wine and stir.

Add wine mixture to vegetables and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat

and simmer for 1 to 2 hours or until sauce is very reduced and thick.

ENJOY!!

Pasta Sauce with Appricots

Did you ever have a friend who introduced you to his/her friend who subsequently became a closer than friend than the friend who introduced you in the first place? (Think about it.) This next recipe comes from such a friend.

I mentioned earlier that I didn’t know pasta sauces were anything but red. The only differences I knew were that all my aunts and uncles made the same sauces but they tasted differently! It was not until I went to college and met people outside my small circle of friends and relatives, that I was introduced to the non traditional pasta sauces.

Do not dismiss this recipe in spite of the ingredients. At first glance you may think that it won’t work for you. Give it a chance. Try it, you’ll like it!!!

SPAGHETTI d'ALBICOCHE (AL-BI-CO-KAY)

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

15 cloves garlic (6 diced or crushed, 9 slivered)  YES THIS IS CORRECT

6 ounces dried apricots, slivered thinly

1-1/2 teaspoons fresh Rosemary

1 Cup white wine

1 Cup chopped parsley

1 lb spaghetti, cooked al dente and drained

1. Heat oil in large skillet

2. Add galic and saute lightly, do not brown the garlic

3. Add appricot, Rosemary and wine and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes

4 Add parsley and toss into cooked spaghetti.

A couple of notes about serving spaghetti.  If your skillet is large enough to add the cooked spaghetti and you are able to toss it in there, BE ITALIAN and do it.  You can serve out the pasta from the stove to the plates to the table.

However,  pasta should always be served in a large SHALLOW bowl. This allows the pasta to sit in in the sauce. When serving pasta in a large narrow bowl, the sauce tends to sit in the bottom and the pasta is not all covered.

In a cold skillet, add oil and garlic and sauté lightly.  Do not brown.  Add remaining ingredients, except parsley, and simmer for 5 minutes, covered.  Add parsley and toss into cooked spaghetti.

Enjoy and as always, please leave your comments at the end below.

MINESTRONE

No soup is quintessential to Italian cuisine as Minestrone.  Really, it’s a basic soup with vegetables. It can be a seasonal soup, using whatever fresh vegetables are available. I try to use as much fresh vegetables as I can. What separates this particular recipe from others is the fennel used as one of the spices.  This recipe also calls for bacon.  However, eliminating it and the fat it adds, will not take away from the soup at all. Use the olive oil as the basis of sautéing the vegetables; it is important though. In place of chicken stock, use vegetable stock which makes this soup completely vegetarian.

A note about using pasta in soups:   I use pasta in many of my soups (substituting rice for the pasta is a great alternative).  I usually use Orzo, rice shaped small pasta that stays firm in the soup. However, tiny shells, Ditalini, or any of the tiny shaped pastas that are available.  I cook it separately from the soup and add it just before serving. Try not to have the pasta in the leftovers.  Over time, the pasta will absorb much of the broth and become soft and mushy. 

Incidentally, doubling this recipe is quite doable. Just remember not to add the pasta to the soup you are not serving immediately.

MINESTRONE

1/3 cup dried white beans (Great Northern Beans work well), soaked overnight in 1 cup of water.  This hydrates the beans which make the cooking time less.

7 cups chicken broth, separated – 2 cups and 5 cups

1/4 lbs. bacon, chopped (optional)

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

3 tablespoons basil

2 teaspoons oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon fennel seed,

1 ripe tomato, diced; or 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup peas

1/2 cup Orzo pasta or any other small shaped pasta

Parmesan cheese

1. Place soaked beans in small sauce pan with 2 cups of stock and simmer until beans are tender – approximately 45 minutes.  NOTE:  For a thicker soup, mash half of the beans after they are tender.
2. In a larger soup pot, sauté bacon and garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes.  If not using bacon, just sauté garlic in the oil.
3. Add onions, celery, carrots, and green onions and sauté an additional 5 minutes.
4. Add remaining 5 cups of stock, seasonings and beans and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Add remaining vegetables and simmer an additional 15 minutes.
6. In a separate pot, cook pasta and add to soup.
7. Check seasonings and serve with Parmesan cheese

Enjoy!

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Is There Really a Difference?

I just love the internet where you can just type in a question or phrase and actually come up with the answer.  With tools like this, we all should be geniuses.  But it’s all fun stuff we learn too.

I would classify the following as ‘fun stuff’.  It’s not earth moving or information that will make a great difference in your life, but it’s FUN.  A few months ago, Cousin Sandra, asked if I knew the difference between Baking Soda and Baking Powder.  Both are used in baking recipes as leavening agents.  So what’s the difference and can you use either in the same recipes. So I decided to look it up on the internet and found the answer.

Here is what I found!!    Take special note of the last paragraph

           

Question: What Is the Difference Between Baking Soda & Baking Powder?

Answer: Both baking soda and baking powder are leavening agents, which means they are added to baked goods before cooking to produce carbon dioxide and cause them to 'rise'. Baking powder contains baking soda, but the two substances are used under different conditions.                                          

Baking Soda

Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate. When baking soda is combined with moisture and an acidic ingredient (e.g., yogurt, chocolate, buttermilk, honey), the resulting chemical reaction produces bubbles of carbon dioxide that expand under oven temperatures, causing baked goods to rise. The reaction begins immediately upon mixing the ingredients, so you need to bake recipes which call for baking soda immediately, or else they will fall flat!

Baking Powder

Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate, but it includes the acidifying agent already (cream of tartar), and also a drying agent (usually starch). Baking powder is available as single-acting baking powder and as double-acting baking powder. Single-acting powders are activated by moisture, so you must bake recipes which include this product immediately after mixing. Double-acting powders react in two phases and can stand for a while before baking. With double-acting powder, some gas is released at room temperature when the powder is added to dough, but the majority of the gas is released after the temperature of the dough increases in the oven.

How Are Recipes Determined?

Some recipes call for baking soda, while others call for baking powder. Which ingredient is used depends on the other ingredients in the recipe. The ultimate goal is to produce a tasty product with a pleasing texture. Baking soda is basic and will yield a bitter taste unless countered by the acidity of another ingredient, such as buttermilk. You'll find baking soda in cookie recipes. Baking powder contains both an acid and a base and has an overall neutral effect in terms of taste. Recipes that call for baking powder often call for other neutral-tasting ingredients, such as milk. Baking powder is a common ingredient in cakes and biscuits.

Substituting in Recipes

You can substitute baking powder in place of baking soda (you'll need more baking powder and it may affect the taste), but you can't use baking soda when a recipe calls for baking powder. Baking soda by itself lacks the acidity to make a cake rise. However, you can make your own baking powder if you have baking soda and cream of tartar. Simply mix two parts cream of tartar with one part baking soda.