Lentil Soup

LENTIL SOUP

A friend of mine asked if I had a family recipe for lentil soup that he wanted to try for Lent.  The closest thing to a family recipe for lentils was my mom’s PASTA LENDDICHIA.  I never liked it, never ate it and subsequently never made it.  I am not sure where she got that recipe.  She just told me that this was one of the depression dishes her family ate mainly because it was inexpensive.  I vaguely recall that the three main ingredients were tomato paste, lentils and wide egg noodles.  What I do remember about the preparation of this dish was that she poured the lentils on the table a little at a time and painstakingly went through them separating the “good” lentils from the “bad”.  Lentils are usually flatten, smooth round disks and grey/green in color. These are the good ones.  The “bad” ones were more often darker and misshaped and somewhat shriveled and bumpy.  There were also small stones mixed in there too.  It is still a mystery how they got there.  The good ones were then rinsed thoroughly, placed in a pot with water and cooked till tender.  After that, I don’t recall what else my mom did.  I am guessing that after the lentils were cooked, she added the tomato paste and whatever seasonings she used and cooked it a bit longer. I remember the ‘sauce’ was thick.  The noodles were cooked separately and added to this thick mixture and served.  I never ate this dish.  But I remember my cousins Dan and Pasquale loved it.  And whenever she made it, she would always save some for them.

I am afraid that her recipe is lost, like so many things from that generation.  My mom was the ‘old soul’ of the family.  She was the family historian and was able to trace back our family to her grandmother’s mother and father as well as her father’s grandmother and grandfather. She also remembered the stories her grandmother told her about the towns from which the family immigrated. One piece of history that I recall was the story her grandmother told her about when she was a young girl and Garibaldi, the unifier of Italy, came through the region and the crowds greeted him along the way. I wish I could remember half of the stories she told.

If anyone out there has a recipe for the PASTA LENDICCHIA, please post here or let me know and I will post on this blog.

In any case, I did a little research for my friend and found a recipe for lentil soup that I am putting here.

Enjoy!! 

LENTIL AND ESCAROLE SOUP

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium carrot, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 medium celery rib, diced

6 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (repeat hint about parsley)

1 14ounce can of diced tomatoes (if tomatoes are in season, dice two medium size ripe tomatoes)

8 ounces of brown lentils, sorted and rinsed (see above narrative for the reasoning behind this)

2 cups of water

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

(Here are a couple of questions for you strict Lenten observers.  Do you consider chicken broth meat?  Would you use it in your Lenten dishes?.  If you consider it meat, then use the vegetable broth.  It will, however,  affect the taste.)

2 bay leaves

A 2 by 4 piece of a Parmesan cheese rind - Optional  or substitute ¼ grated cup.

(This is not going be easy to find if you don’t buy your cheeses in bulk.  On Randolph near Halsted there was an Italian cheese shop where I would go and buy whole rounds of Asiago cheese. My mom and my uncle Jerry and Aunt Lu would then split the wheel and have whole chunks of it.  I know Uncle Jerry and  Aunt Lu shared it with their kids.

8 ounces of escarole cut and chopped.

Salt and Pepper to taste – If your broth is salted there is no need to add additional salt

Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

1.       Over medium heat and in heavy pot or Dutch oven, combine olive oil and all the fresh vegetables and cook, stirring often.  Cook until all the vegetables soften and very lightly browned.  Do not get ahead of yourself by raising the heat yet.  Let the vegetables slowly release their flavors.

2.       Add the tomatoes, lentils, water, broth, bay leaves and Parmesan rind and bring to a rolling boil.

3.       Once it has started to boil, lower heat and simmer until lentils have softened.  Length of time varies on the lentils but should be about  an hour or so.

4.       Add the escarole and cook an additional 5 minutes, until escarole had wilted

5.       Season to taste and serve immediately in soup bowls sprinkling with Parmesan cheese

PARMESAN BAKED TILAPIA

Here’s another Lenten dish for you!!!  One of the courses I taught at the College of DuPage was Basic Cooking.  I tried to tie in some cooking techniques along with introducing the class to new ingredients, food groups and terms as well as some interesting yet easy recipes.    Here is one of the recipes I researched.   It’s easy enough, so enjoy!!

PARMESAN BAKED TILAPIA

4 tilapia filets (orange roughy, cod, white fish can be substituted)

2 tablespoon lemon juice

½ cup parmesan cheese

4 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 green onions

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried basil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1.     Place the filets in a greased or non-stick baking dish.

2.     Brush the tops with lemon juice

3.     Bake fish in oven for 10-15 minutes or until the fish just starts to flake.

4.     Combine cheese, butter, mayonnaise, onions and seasonings in bowl and mix well.

5.     Spread cheese mixture over filets and bake in oven until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. (You can put under broiler for about 2 minutes, but check often to make sure it does not burn

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.

PEPPERS AND EGGS

It has been a long time since I have posted anything on here and have heard from a few people asking me to submit some new recipes. Since it is lent, I am going to post some meatless recipes.

Meatless Fridays!! How I hated them. I grew with EVERY Friday being meatless as well as Christmas Eve. I drove my mom nuts every Friday because I just hated fish of all kinds. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were the only thing I would bring to lunch. Friday evening meals were worse. I can remember actually eating mustard sandwiches because I wouldn’t eat anything else except maybe a bowl of cereal. Bless my mom, she catered to me. I was such a brat!!! She would even prepare pancakes on a Friday just to accommodate my fussy eating habits

I don’t think Peppers and Eggs necessarily means that this is a favorite Lenten dish, but I believe it is the most identifiable. If you should ask an ‘ole’ Catholic what is the first thing that comes up in his/her mind when asked to name a Lenten dish, Peppers and Eggs would be it. Even now, on Hot Dogs stands have their Marquees signs featuring LENTEN SPECIAL PEPPERS AND EGGS.

I can still picture my mom making this Frittata in the cast iron skillet which I still have. It’s not necessary but it surely makes preparing this dish easier in a “seasoned” skillet. An important ingredient in this recipe is the Italian Bread. It’s worth your time and effort to find a bakery or store  that sells a great loaf of Italian crusty bread. In Chicago, the best place for Italian bread that I know is D'Amatos on Grand Avenue near Racine.

This recipe is good for at two healthy sandwiches.

1 green pepper, seeds and veins removed and cut into ½” strips

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon salt

4 eggs

3 tablespoons milk

salt and pepper to taste

1. Over medium heat in the skillet (or non-stick skillet, saute garlic and oil until the garlic begins to sizzle. 
2. Add the green pepper  and cook until pepper strips are tender, about 15 minutes
3. In a medium size bowl, beat eggs and milk adding salt and pepper
4. Pour egg mixture over peppers and let them set briefly
5. With a wooden spatula, turn the eggs to allow the uncooked to reach the bottom. Be careful not to turn too much or you will have scrabbled eggs.
6. After the eggs are pretty well set, take a platter slightly larger than the skillet.  Place the platter face down over the skillet and carefully and quickly turn the skillet upside down to allow the eggs to fall on the platter
7. Place the skillet back over medium heat and slide the Frittata back in the skillet.
8. Continue to cook for just a minute or two remove from skillet and cut.
9. Slice the Italian bread in slice and place Frittata between two slices

ENJOY

St. Nick

ST. NICK!!!

As a kid, the Feast of St. Nicholas was never a big deal.  It really wasn’t a holiday.  So we did have to go school. We did learn about him in school and knew he was a kind man who distributed gifts to the poor kids in Turkey around the 3^rd Century.  He was sort of the precursor to Santa Claus, but Santa didn’t come till December 25^th. In my family, we never put out our shoes the night before December 6^th, his feast day.  BUT, this day has provided me with the most memorable impression I have of the entire holiday season.

Cousin Marilyn went out of town and she asked me if I would stay with her boys, Jason, Tony and Donny.  Never missing an opportunity to be with them, I did.  Jason was probably around 13, Tony around 7 and Donny 4.  I guess, since they were going to Catholic School, St. Nicholas day was discussed.  Jason by this time was too old to believe in St. Nick and Santa.  Donny was young enough to accept the reality of St. Nick and Santa.  Tony was probably at the age of questioning it but probably felt that if it involved getting presents, it was better to believe!!

Tony was the one who reminded me that St. Nicholas day was approaching.  I got the hint!  But I also reminded him that St. Nick would only come if he was being good.  For the next few days, I had to remind him that he wasn’t being such a good kid and that he better change that because St. Nick was watching.  Well Tony was being Tony.  And he wasn’t that good in spite of my warnings.  And Donny was just following his lead and he wasn’t actually the model child either. And I kept warning them!!!

The evening of December 5^th came and by this time I got tired of warning Tony and Donny.  I would get even!!!!  St. Nick would not leave them presents that night. I mentioned this to Jeannine, their aunt and she laughed saying I wouldn’t have the nerve or the heart to do it. I was, however, determined.

That night, Tony and Donny left out their shoes at the fireplace downstairs.  I took Jason aside and told him to put out one of his shoes too. Jason was going to get something. They weren’t.  That night, after they all went to sleep - keeping in mind that Tony gave me his usual hard time going to bed, I filled Jason’s shoe with little presents, but for the other two, I wrote a note.  I can’t remember the exact wording but it went something like this:  “Dear Tony and Donny, I was unable to leave you any presents tonight.  You both were so bad that I decided against it. However, if you both will be good today, I will come back and bring presents.”

There are moments in life, nanoseconds even, in which you glimpse, and that leaves an indelible mark in your mind.  I had one the next morning.

I made it a point to wake up a little earlier that morning and get downstairs to the basement to wait for the three boys to come down.  I didn’t have to wait long. Tony and Donny came barreling down the stairs.  They rushed to the fireplace and grabbed the note.  I will never forget that moment.  There was this nanosecond when Tony read the note and his expression turned from high anticipation to utter disbelief.  I wish I had a camera.  This was more than a Kodak moment. I don’t think Donny knew what was going on, just that they had no presents. What made it even funnier was that Jason received something and they didn’t. 

As you may have guessed by now, that day, both Tony and Donny behaved.  The next morning St. Nick came back and left them presents.

Of course, you do get a recipe!!

Since the holidays are approaching I will be presenting some timely recipes.  When I taught for William-Sonoma’s lunchtime classes, I did a class on Christmas candies.  Here are a few.

Enjoy and please leave a comment at the end of the entry.

CHOCOLATE NUT PATTIES

¾  cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

2 Tablespoons butter

½ cup sweetened condensed milk

1 Cup salted mixed nuts, coarsely chopped

1.  Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil

2.  Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler, over hot water.

3. When the ingredients have just melted, remove pot from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly. 

4.  Beat in the condensed milk and then the nuts.

5.  Drop the candy by tablespoons onto the cookie sheet and refrigerate until set.

Makes about 2 dozen 

                     QUICK CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

4 ounces (4 squares) unsweetened chocolate

½ Cup butter

¾ Cup sweetened condensed milk

2 Cups confectioners' sugar

1/3 cup peanut butter

1.  Line an 8-inch square baking pan with wax paper

2.  Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and when it is half melted, add the butter          and continue to melt the entire mixture.

3.  Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.

4.  Whisk in the condensed milk slowly.

5.  Gradually beat in the sugar.

6.  Beat in the peanut butter.

7.  Spread the mixture in the pan and chill until firm, preferable overnight.

8.  Cut into 25 pieces.

              

                                                     PRALINES

2 Cups brown sugar

½ cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-cup pecan pieces

1.   Mix brown sugar and water in a large skillet

2.   Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened to a creamy texture.

3.   Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and pecans and immediately spoon on wax paper.

4.   Allow to cool

Stuffing

Thanksgiving II

What’s Thanksgiving without dressing?  I think I like dressing more than I like the turkey.  The following recipe is my mom’s.  I am not sure where she got it. In the back of my mind, I think she said she Aunt Rosie De Leonardis gave it to her (She another character in the list of family members I hope to feature. And WOW, what a character she was.

This is a type of recipe that you should only use once a year.  It’s certainly is an artery clogger!!  But it is my favorite.

                                            TURKEY DRESSING

½ lb. bacon

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 lb. package croutons or favorite package stuffing

2 sticks margarine, melted

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

½ cup of Parmesan, Romano cheese

3 tablespoons parsley

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 pound fresh mushrooms, finely chopped or 8 oz. can of mushrooms

1.  Slice bacon and sauté in a large skillet until transparent, not crisp. Remove bacon from skillet.

2.  In same skillet, sauté onions and celery until transparent.

3.  Place croutons in a large bowl. Add melted margarine and toss into croutons.

4.  Add eggs to bowl.

5.  Add spices, bacon, onions and celery with the bacon drippings.

6.  Add mushrooms and toss all the ingredients with your hands.

7.  Fill turkey and bake as per turkey recipe; or,

8.  Place stuffing in baking pan and place in preheated 375-degree oven for 1 to 1          ¼ hour.  Bake until golden brown.

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!!