The Fourth of July is just around the corner. For most of us, that means picnics, backyard barbecues and copious amounts of ice cold libations. I don’t know about you, but the last place I want to be on a holiday weekend is inside slaving over a hot stove. Rolling out the grill is a given. But, you’ve got to have something to go along with those burgers and ribs – and it better not require hours of cooking. This Presto Pesto Pasta Salad fits the bill. It’s fast. It’s ridiculously easy. And, it’s full of zesty, bold flavors.

The dressing for this salad simply a mixture of mayonnaise, lemon juice and store bought pesto sauce – the kind you find in the refrigerator section at the supermarket. If you happen to have an abundance of fresh basil in your garden, you can certainly make your own pesto sauce from scratch.  It isn’t difficult, but in this heat I’m all about the easy.   Plus, once you doctor it up with the rest of the ingredients, I promise, no one will know the difference. 

This salad makes a great side dish on its own for whatever you’re grilling. But, you can also punch it up by mixing in some chicken, tuna or tasty little salad shrimp like I’ve done here.  Any way you serve Presto Pesto Pasta Salad, your guests will be dishing out the complements!

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Here are a few other side dish ideas for your 4th of July celebration from the SGCC archives .  Enjoy!

Easy Italian-Style Farfalle Salad

Thai-Style Broccoli Slaw Salad

Jewels of the Earth Quinoa Salad

Edamame & Heirloom Tomato Salad with Lemon-Miso Vinaigrette

Sweet & Spicy Wickled Okra

There’s a popular story that’s been floating around my family for years.  My mother revels in telling it, and every time she does, it elicits a mixture of nervous laughs, horrified looks and hasty signs of the cross.  It’s about my mother’s childhood BFF, Rosie.  Rosie and my mom lived next door to each other while growing up, and for most of that time were inseparable.  They played with each other’s dolls, did each other’s hair and practically lived in each other’s houses.  Rosie wasn’t Italian, but my nonna loved her anyway.  After Rosie and Mom graduated from high school, my  mom began dating my dad and Rosie met a nice boy named Tommy.  Of course, they did a lot of double dating too.  And, when they both got married, they were each other’s maids of honor.

After a while, Rosie and Tommy bought their first house out in Long Island and moved away.  Since not many young couples had cars back then, Mom and Rosie didn’t see too much of each other anymore.  So, it was a huge deal when my father bought his first car, and we excitedly drove out to “the island” for our first visit to Rosie and Tommy’s place.   

Now, here is where I need to give you a little background information in order for this story to make sense.  For those of you who don’t know, my father was an Italian immigrant.  He was born and raised in a little hill town halfway between Rome and Naples.  Life in the Italian countryside in the mid-20th century was rustic, at best – especially during World War II.  My father grew up on a farm and everything his family ate, they grew.  Each year during tomato season, all of the women in the village canned tomatoes for use throughout the rest of the year.  They’d never even heard of tomato sauce from a jar, and I’m sure that the very idea would have been abhorrent to them.

My mother’s family was from the same hometown as my father.  When he came to this country in 1956, he naturally settled in the same area as my Mom’s family and the rest of the “paisans” from home.    They carried their food traditions with them across the ocean, and cooked the way they did back in the old country – with fresh, unprocessed, whole foods.   And, every year the women still got together for a marathon tomato preserving session.  The hundreds of jars of tomatoes it yielded were stored in their basements and garages while waiting to be cooked into luscious gravies and sauces made from scratch.

Okay. Back to the story…

So, there we were, out at Rosie and Tommy’s house on Long Island – only I don’t really remember it because I was barely a toddler.   Dinner time came rolling around, as it always does, and Rosie prepared a meal for us.  Now, here’s the kicker.  She opened a jar of Ragu Pasta Sauce, poured it over some boiled spaghetti and put it in front of my “barely off the boat” Italian father.  Oh, yes she did!  Rosie served my father tomato sauce from a jar.  And, this was the sixties.   Jarred tomato sauce wasn’t what it is today.  There were no premium, all natural, gourmet brands.  Just Ragu.  I may have been just a little tyke, but even I knew that serving Ragu to Italian dinner guests was a great, big no no.

My father, being the gentleman that he was, choked down a few bites and then devoured the salad as he sidestepped the canned green beans.  My mother, on the other hand, was absolutely outraged.  Never, even on her worst day, would she serve Ragu – and to company, no less!  Fai scumbari! But, they both held their tongues, muddled through and hoped for a better breakfast.

The next morning, when Rosie whipped out a jar of Tang to make my parents some “orange juice”, my mother announced that I had “swollen glands” and that we had to leave.  On the way home, we stopped at White Castle for a bag of burgers and vanilla shakes.  That was the last time we went to Long Island.

Rosie and Tommy came in to the city to visit us several times after that, and my mother always made sure to demonstrate the “proper” way to feed guests.  No jars, no cans and definitely, no fake orange juice!

After the story I just told you, you will probably find what I’m about to say shocking.  But, every once in a while I – the fruit of my mother’s womb – do, in fact, use jarred tomato sauce.  I know that this must be quite a blow to some of you, but before you boil me in extra virgin olive oil, hear me out.

Although homemade tomato sauce isn’t difficult to prepare, a good meat sauce does take some time.  When I do make a sauce from scratch, I usually make a lot so that I can freeze some for later.  However, sometimes I run out.  And, sometimes I’m just really feeling tired and lazy.  When that happens and I want a bowl of spaghetti with meat sauce, I buy a couple of jars of a good quality premium sauce to use as a base and jazz it up.  A few of my favorites are Rao’s and Dell’Amore brands.

I start out by browning ground beef and Italian sausage meat.  Then, I add lots of onions and fresh mushrooms.  I stir in some white wine and simmer it all together until the wine evaporates.  Then, I add the tomato sauce and fresh basil and heat it through.  That’s all there is to it.  In the time it takes to make the pasta, I have a rich, hearty and incredibly tasty meat sauce ready to go.   And, I’m telling you that if I served this dish to you, you wouldn’t know the difference.  My quick and easy meat ragu is so delicious that my father probably even wouldn’t be able to tell!

Let’s face it.  We’re all busy people and sometimes we take shortcuts in our kitchens.  The trick is to find shortcuts that don’t sacrifice quality and flavor in the process.  My meat ragu doesn’t.  And, I can guarantee one thing.  It’s better than Rosie’s!

Everyone knows that Valentine’s Day is synonymous with chocolate.  It’s the food of love.  Who doesn’t melt a little when presented with one of those precious little heart-shaped boxes on this day when we celebrate love and romance?  But, chocolate isn’t only for the sentimental.  It’s big business too.  In fact, in these days leading up to V-Day, American consumers are expected to buy more than 58 million pounds of chocolate, and shell out around $345 million dollars to do it.  That’s a lot of chocolate!

But what about those of us, myself included, whose sweethearts don’t have a sweet tooth?  (Yes, Mr. SGCC, I’m talking about you!)  Don’t they deserve a rich, delicious, velvety chocolate token of your affection too?   I think so, and that is why I’m excited to share this pasta dish with you. 

I saw TV chef, David Rocco, prepare this Penne al Cioccolato con Acciughe, or Chocolate Penne with Anchovies, on his show a few days ago, and it intrigued me.  I wasn’t surprised that he was using chocolate in a savory dish.  People have been doing that for ages.  What really drew me in was that instead of as an add-in, he was using chocolate as the main ingredient in his dish – and a lot of it.  I was also fascinated by the fact that he paired the chocolate with anchovies.  When I saw that, I had quite a WTF moment!  It must have worked though, because when David fed a taste of the concoction to his wife, she kind of swooned a little.   That was when I knew I had to recreate this dish at home.

Penne al Cioccolato con Acciughe requires only a few ingredients and is very quick and easy to prepare.  You put your pasta on to boil and make the sauce while it cooks.  By the time the pasta is ready, the sauce is too.  It’s also all tossed together in one pan so cleanup is minimal, leaving more time for…well…other things.

But, how did it taste?  Pretty darn good, actually!   It was definitely chocolatey, but not really sweet.  And, it was rich!  The anchovies were very subtle, adding just a hint of smoky saltiness to the dish – not “fishy” at all.   While Penne al Cioccolato con Acciughe will probably never replace truffles as my chocolate indulgence of choice, it is definitely an interesting dish that is well worth trying – especially for Valentine’s Day.  And, while it didn’t instantly convert Mr. SGCC into a chocolate lover, I think it got him one step closer.

When I was a little girl, my grandfather worked as a longshoreman for the New York Port Authority.   For most of his career, he worked the night shift.  This meant that from Monday through Friday, he was rarely ever around at dinner time.  As a result, my Nonna  usually kept weeknight meals simple, since it was only her – and sometimes me – dining in.  Nonna was a big fan of bean dishes and she made them often. They were easy, nutritious and cheap.  And my Nonna was nothing if not frugal, as most World War 2 wives were.  Cucina povera was her specialty.

I’ve already shared Nonna’s recipe for Pasta e Fagioli, or “Pasta Fazool”, as we affectionately call it.  But another pasta and beans dish that we ate a lot of back then, was Pasta e Lenticchie, or pasta with lentils.  Although a lot of recipes portray both dishes as soups, neither dish is intended to be one, but rather a thick, wet, sloppy stew, with just enough liquid in them to sop up with a hunk of crusty Italian bread. 

Lentils are members of the legume family and come in many different varieties, from black and yellow to red and green.  They have a mild, earthy and sometimes nutty flavor, depending on what kind you use.   Like other legumes, lentils are low in fat and high in protein and fiber.  Because of their small size, they also cook quite a bit quicker than other types of beans, and they don’t need to be soaked first.   For some tips on cooking lentils, take a look at this article from About.com.

In Italian culture, the lentil’s biggest claim to fame is that it is one of the traditional “must eat” foods on New Year’s Eve. Eating lentils on New Year’s Eve is believed to bring good luck and prosperity throughout the following year.  Their small, round shape resembles coins that swell when cooked, so they are looked upon as a symbol of wealth. Italians are absolutely militant about this.  In fact, my grandmother wouldn’t even think of serving a meal on December 31 that didn’t include lentils in some form.

Pasta e Lenticchie, like Pasta e Fagioli, is a simple, rustic dish prepared with just a handful of basic ingredients.  Garlic and onions are sautéed in olive oil to which lentils, tomatoes, water and pasta are added and simmered to tenderness.  There isn’t much more to it than that.  I use chicken broth instead of water as my simmering liquid for extra flavor, but I’m pretty sure that my grandmother made do with plain, old H2O from the tap.

Dishes like this Pasta e Lenticchie are pure comfort food for me.  Cooking, and of course, eating them always transports me back to being six years-old in my grandmother’s homey, little kitchen.  Those were golden times for me.

My Nonna passed away over thirty years ago – just a few years after we moved to Florida.  I was fourteen and the memory of it still stings.  She was much too young and went much too soon.  I hardly had a chance to really get to know her beyond her infectious laugh, twinkling brown eyes and the heady scent of Cashmere Bouquet and Noxema that trailed her as she entered a room.  And it’s such a shame, because I have a feeling that as the years went on, we would have had a whole lot more in common than just DNA.

What are your favorite comfort foods?  Is there any one dish above all others that makes you think of “home”?  Does your family have any New Year’s Eve food traditions?  “Enquiring minds” want to know.

Buon Appetito!

This little pasta dish was so darn easy to make that I’m almost embarrassed to tell you about it.  Seriously.  It took hardly any time, much less skill, at all.  But then I realized that it is precisely because of the dish’s simplicity that I had to share it with you.   Because if your life is anything like my crazy, hectic one,  a simple, mindless pasta recipe in the middle of the week might be just the thing you need to keep you from diving off the deep end and into that big bowl of leftover Halloween candy still sitting on your dining room table.  Go on, admit it.   I know you’ve been sneaking those little fun size Snickers bars.  But, don’t worry.  I won’t tell, because I’ve been sneaking them too.  And the M & Ms.  And the Milk Duds.  And the…..well, you get the picture.  The point is, that even though this pasta dish contains no chocolate, it’s comforting, satisfying and very tasty.  Did I mention that it has bacon in it too?

I threw this dish together one night last week after I realized that I had forgotten to stop at the market on my way home.  Since I was already all cozy in my pj’s at the time, and would have preferred sticking bamboo skewers under my fingernails than go out again,  I raided my pantry and fridge and decided to make do with whatever I had.  Every single ingredient was already lurking in one place or the other.  I kind of just put it all together as I went along.

The sauce for this dish can be prepared while the pasta is cooking.  For the mathematically challenged, that translates into about ten minutes.  How’s that for quick?  Of course, you can use any kind of pasta and combination of sauce ingredients you like.  If I hadn’t had the bacon or frozen peas, I could have just as easily used something else like ham or broccoli.  If you’d rather have a lighter sauce, leave out the cream.   That’s the beauty of flying by the seat of your pants.  You can do whatever you want.  There are no rules to break!

So fly, my little sparrows.  FLY!

Enjoy!

Pasta con Broccoli, or Pasta with Broccoli has been a staple meal in my family for as long as I can remember. My grandmother made it. My aunts all make it. My mother makes it, and I do too.  It’s not only because it is an incredibly quick and easy dish to cook, though it is.  It’s also not only because it is a pretty healthy dish, because it’s that too.  My family eats a lot of pasta with broccoli because it’s just plain delicious.

I sometimes think that a lot of people imagine that Italian cooking, is all about long, drawn out, complicated dishes that take all day to prepare.  While there certainly are a lot of those, there are many more that aren’t.  Italians don’t just sit around living la dolce vita all day long.  They go to work and school, run errands and take care of their families just like everybody else.  Every Italian housewife I ever knew had a slew of great recipes in her arsenal – like this one – that could be put together in an hour or less.

So let me show you just how easy Pasta con Broccoli is to make. 

First, get yourself a couple of bunches of nice, fresh, green broccoli.  Choose broccoli with floret clusters that are compact and not bruised. They should be uniformly colored, with no yellowing. They also shouldn’t have any blooming yellow flowers, as this is a sign of over maturity. The stalk and stems should be firm with no slimy spots. If the leaves are still attached, they should be a deep, dark green and not wilted.

Cut off the florets, and halve any that are larger than about an inch in diameter.  This is so that the broccoli will cook evenly.  You can also use frozen broccoli florets in this dish.  Doing so doesn’t affect the quality at all.  But, if you do go with frozen, don’t thaw it before cooking or else it will get mushy.

Next, get out your best extra-virgin olive oil. A really good one will have a greenish tinge to it.  You’ll also need to slice up some fresh garlic cloves.  Try to get them thin, but not too much so or else they may burn in the pan.

Heat the oil in a pan and gently sauté the garlic. You won’t believe how fragrant that garlic gets!  I always add some red pepper flakes too, because I’m a fiery Italian woman.

Once the garlic is soft and lightly golden, toss in the broccoli, cover and cook.

When the broccoli is tender and just a tad bit browned, pour in a little of the pasta cooking water or chicken stock, and simmer until the broccoli is cooked through.  What!  You didn’t forget about the pasta, did you?  Sheesh! That’s why it’s called Pasta con Broccoli.   Do I have to tell you everything?

The traditional pasta used in this dish is orecchiette, which means little ears.  Orecchiette is a variety of pasta from Puglia, and is shaped like…well – you know – like little ears.  They’re perfect served in sauces and soups  because their “scoop-like” shape traps bits of sauce or broth.  It’s like having a thousand little bowls inside your plate.   If you can’t find orecchiette or just don’t feel like using it, you can substitute any kind of short pasta, preferably one with a textured surface.

When your broccoli is nice and tender, add in the cooked pasta and toss.  Drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil all over the top, sprinkle with grated cheese and you’re done.

Buon Appetito!

Enjoy!

Every family has its own unique set of traditions.  These traditions are the glue that binds one generation to another.  Those revolving around food are often the ones that seem to stand out the most.  It’s no wonder. Food nourishes not only our bodies but our souls as well.  The family table is where relationships are forged, bonds are strengthened and memories are made.   One of the goals I had when I started this blog was to celebrate my Italian heritage by featuring the marvelously homey and delicious dishes I grew up eating and the loving hands that prepared them.  I wanted to show how the relationship between food and family plays an integral part in shaping who we are by sharing some of my own memories, musings and experiences.  As I said then, “I have many interests in my life, but I’ve realized that food is the fabric that holds families together. The memories of preparing a meal together and then sitting down to enjoy it with my own family are my most treasured.  Although I am merely a humble home cook, I hope that, through this blog, I can inspire some of you, as I have been inspired, to make some memories of your own.”

I strayed.

The very first of my own recipes that I posted on SGCC was based on my grandmother’s Sunday meat sauce.  That was almost three years ago. Back then, I knew nothing about how to write a proper recipe, and even less about how to take a decent photograph.  But I did know how to tell a story, and I often peppered my posts with them.  As time passed, I was seduced by simplicity and beaten down by time.  In my zeal to crank out frequent posts while keeping up with my other writing gigs, the stories and my cherished family recipes became fewer and far between. I’ve also become so inspired by the plethora of excellent food blogs on the web and and the talented and creative bloggers behind them. Every day I find so many new recipes from all different cultures, and I want to try them all!  There’s nothing wrong with that. I’ve loved stretching my culinary wings and trying new things.  That’s how we grow, enriching ourselves and hopefully, others.  It just wasn’t what my original vision for SGCC was.

So, I’ve reached a compromise with myself. While still carrying on with SGCC the way I have been, I am also going to try to set aside one day each week to get back to my culinary roots.  Sunday is going to be La Tavola della Famiglia or The Family Table day.  Why Sunday?  Because in my family,  Sunday was always the day when we all gathered together at my grandparents’ house for a long, leisurely food fest – no matter how busy anyone was.  And, since no Sunday was ever really Sunday without a huge pot of ragu simmering on my grandmother’s stove, brimming with various kinds of meat, I’ve decided to kick off my La Tavola della Famiglia series with this Fettuccine al Sugo di Pollo e Funghi – Fettuccine with Chicken and Mushroom Sauce.  

Fettuccine al Sugo di Pollo e Funghi is a riff on my family’s traditional Sunday meat sauce.  Instead of being filled with meatballs and various cuts of beef and pork, chicken and earthy, meaty mushrooms are the stars of the show.  Chicken was a big favorite of my dad’s, so both my nonna and my mother used to make this dish often.  The sugo only needs to be simmered for an hour or so, or until the chicken is cooked through.  Because of the shorter cooking time, it tends to be a lighter and brighter sauce, with an almost sweeter quality to it.  And, since you don’t have to slave over a hot stove all day to prepare it, you’ll have lots more time for other fun, family activities on a Sunday afternoon.

Here’s how you make it:

Mmmm!  Can you smell that onion and garlic sizzling?  I could just dab some of that stuff behind my ears instead of perfume!

One thing that I do differently from the original recipe is to remove the cooked chicken from the bones and add it back to the sauce.  It’s a lot easier to eat that way, plus, you get a bite of chicken in every forkful.  Another thing I like to do is use a blend of different kinds of mushrooms. I think it gives a nice variety of textures to the dish.  Here, I added a mixture of portobello, porcini and shiitake mushrooms, but any combination works.  When it comes to mushrooms, the more the merrier!  Back in the day, regular old button mushrooms were the only ones readily available, so that is what my mom and grandma used.  I don’t think my nonna ever even heard of shiitakes, much less cooked with them.

So, here you have it. Fettuccine al Sugo di Pollo e Funghi, dalla tavola della mia famiglia alla vostra – from my family’s table to yours.

Buon Appetito!

Enjoy!

My Uncle Vinnie was one of the coolest guys I ever knew.  He worked for the New York City Department of Sanitation.  He was a “garbage man”, and when I was a little girl, I wanted to be just like him.  He got to ride up and down the streets all day, hanging onto the outside of a big truck. He got to wear a nifty uniform that didn’t involve plaid jumpers or navy blue oxfords.  He got to get as dirty as he wanted, and didn’t have to wash his hands every five minutes.  And, he got to cart home all kinds of loot that he’d found on his route.

And, don’t you even think for a minute that because my uncle was a sanitation worker he didn’t have a keen mind and a sharp wit – because he did.  He was more well-read and up on current events than almost any other adult I knew.  You could talk to him about anything, from politics to opera, and he would always come up with some nugget of information that no one had ever known before.

Uncle Vinnie and my Aunt Yolanda didn’t have any children back then. When my cousins and I were kids, we would all take turns spending the weekends over at their house.  It was great for our parents, because they got to get us out of their hair for a few days.  It was great for us kids, because Uncle Vinnie and Aunt Yolanda were a fun young couple.  They were groovy.  They were hip.  They played bossa nova records on their old Zenith console.

Spending time at my aunt and uncle’s house was a little like Christmas.  There were always some brand new, still in the box toys, games, books, records and other assorted “treasures” to sift through.  Seriously, I’m talking about merchandise still sealed with the store tags on!  I can remember asking Uncle Vinnie why people would buy perfectly good things and then throw them away without even opening them.  I mean, even if they were unwanted gifts, you could still give them away or donate them to charity.  He would smile and say “People are funny. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

I was reminded of that phrase as I was preparing this Pasta con le Regaglie.  At first glance, it looks like a lovely bowl of pasta dressed with a rich, chunky, meaty sauce.  And, that is exactly what it is. Except, that the meats in question are chicken livers, gizzards and hearts.  That’s right – livers, gizzards and hearts- better known as offal and more delicately referred to as giblets.  And, do you know what?  They are delicious!  Now, before you click away in horror, hear me out.

People didn’t always buy their meat in plastic containers covered with shrink wrap.  Once upon a time, people actually raised their own chickens, cows and pigs. And, those who didn’t probably bought their meat from those who did.  Back then, it was unthinkable to waste any part of an animal that was edible. Most people couldn’t afford to!  So a lot of diligent home cooks came up with creative and tasty ways to use offal or giblets or whatever you want to call them. Even today, in many cultures, these foods are commonly eaten, and enjoyed with gusto.

In Italy, this concept of cooking and eating is called “cucina povera” or “cooking of the poor”. Cucina povera was a natural progression resulting from the devastation of two world wars and the shortage of food they created in their aftermath.  It was born of necessity and relied on the use of every bit of every ingredient from the garden, barnyard, woods and sea, with as little waste as possible.

I remember my father telling me how, as a boy in occupied Italy during World War 2, one of his most vivid memories was that of being hungry.  He lived on a farm in the countryside about halfway between Anzio and Monte Cassino.  As the Nazis infiltrated the area, they took over all of the crops and livestock, using them to feed their troops.  The families who lived there were turned out and basically lived in the woods for the duration.  Dad recounted how they would forage for food, often rooting through the garbage in the dead of night, looking for things that could still be used to fill their bellies.  They would often take corn cobs, grind them up and cook them down with water to make a kind of gruel.  Can you imagine?  What a compelling example of how one man’s trash is indeed another man’s treasure!  Even fifty years later, whenever he would talk about it, the look of pain and sadness in my father’s eyes spoke volumes more than any words ever could.

Pasta con le Regaglie is a dish that my grandmother used to make, just as I’m sure her grandmother did before her. It is common to the area that my family comes from as many of the families there raise chickens. It was also a dish that my father always enjoyed.  Pasta con le Regaglie, or Pasta with Giblets, is a very hearty and rustic “povera” dish packed with lots of great flavors. In addition to the giblets, it also contains all of the other ingredients that make up a great pasta sauce- tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, garlic, herbs and spices.  If you didn’t know that the giblets were in there too, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell. And, even if you could, the dish is so good, you wouldn’t care.

The most challenging part of preparing the regaglie sauce is cleaning and trimming the giblets, especially the gizzards.  I won’t lie. Cleaning the gizzards is a pain in the a$$! You need to trim off all of the tough outer membranes and peel off any silver skin before cutting them into small chunks.  It’s tedious, but you can do it.   I have confidence in you.

Once your giblets are ready to go, you can begin cooking.  I’ve used pancetta in my version of the sauce, because I wanted to fancy it up a little.  You don’t have to.  I’m pretty sure that my ancestors prepared this dish without it.

First, sauté the pancetta. Then make a battuto with the onions, carrots and celery. A battuto is the Italian version of a mirepoix, and is the base for many, if not most Italian dishes.  Add the giblets and cook for a while.  Sauté in some mushrooms, garlic and fresh herbs, splash in some red wine and cook it down until the wine has reduced.

Next, thin some tomato paste with more red wine and add it to the pot with chicken stock and crushed tomatoes.  Finally, simmer the sauce for a good, long time until it is thick and rich.

You can serve this robust regaglie sauce over pasta, rice or polenta – or just with a crusty loaf of Italian bread.  I used a nice spinach fettuccine. Doesn’t it look wonderful?  I can assure you – it is!

So please, please, please don’t be put off by offal.  At least try it before you decide it’s “trash”   You might be pleasantly surprised to find that Pasta con le Regaglie is actually quite a “treasure”!  I think so. My dad thought so. And, my Uncle Vinnie did too.  I wish I could have shared some with them.

Pasta con le Regaglie (Pasta with Giblets)

4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra if needed
1/2 cup diced pancetta
1 large sweet onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced.
1 stalk celery, finely diced
2 pounds chicken hearts, gizzards and livers, rinsed and trimmed of tough tissue and silver skin, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons  minced flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
1 bay leaf
3-4 fresh sage leaves
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 cups red wine
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock
1 28 ounce can crushed Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino-Romano cheese

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a heavy 6-quart pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute for a few minutes until the fat begins to render.  Add the onions, carrots and celery and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8-10 minutes, or until they begin to brown.  Add the hearts, gizzards and liver and sauté them for about 10 minutes, also stirring occasionally.  Add a little more oil if the pot gets too dry.

Stir the mushrooms, garlic, parsley, bay leaf and sage into the pot and sauté another 2 to 3 minutes.

Add 1 cup of the wine to the pot. Deglaze by scraping  up any brown bits on the bottom.  Raise heat and bring wine to a boil. Continue to boil until wine is reduced by half.

Whisk the rest of the wine and tomato paste together in a small bowl.  Add to the pot along with the stock and crushed tomatoes. Bring up to a boil and then reduce down to medium heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour, until the sauce has reduced and is nice and thick.

Add salt, pepper and grated cheese to taste.

Serve either with a loaf of crusty Italian bread, or over pasta, rice or polenta.

Enjoy!

Who doesn’t love pasta?  It has got to be one of the most popular and versatile foods on the planet. I know it’s my favorite!  Every ethnic culture I can think of has its own spin on how to prepare and enjoy it.  Just for fun, I did a quick Google search for pasta recipes and came up with over twelve million listings.  That, dear readers, makes for a helluva lot of pasta dishes!  And best of all, most pasta dishes can go from stovetop to tabletop in under an hour.

But, all pasta is not created equal. We all know that the success of any recipe depends on the quality of ingredients used. The kind of pasta product you use can make or break a dish.  You can find a few decent brands in the supermarket, and honestly, I often buy them.  However, when I really want to make something special and have a few extra bucks in my pocket, I head over to my Italian specialty market and splurge on the fancy imported stuff.  It truly does make a difference.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to sample an excellent brand of imported Italian pasta that I’ve been hearing a lot about – Garofalo Signature Pasta.  The company was kind enough to send me a few different kinds to try.  Garofalo has been making pasta for over 200 years, and produces the Signature line from their headquarters in Gragnano, Italy, near the ruins of Pompeii. Gragnano is considered to be the birthplace of pasta. The company combines the art of traditional Neapolitan pasta making with modern technology to create their top quality pasta products. The pastas are made from the finest semolina wheat available, and are created using traditional bronze dies to ensure that the integrity of each cut’s texture is preserved.  They offer numerous varieties of short and long cuts, both textured and smooth, so there is something for everyone. 

I prepared my pasta with a few very simple, basic sauces, specifically so that the pasta itself would have a chance to shine – and it definitely did.  I found that Garofalo pasta is simply one of the best I’ve ever eaten!  When cooked al dente, the pasta is firm and slightly toothsome, yet tender.  It had none of the “gumminess” that one often finds with other brands.  Even sauceless, this pasta had a wonderful flavor.

While there isn’t anyplace here on the Gulf Coast that carries the Garofalo brand of pasta, there are many retailers that carry it around the U.S., including Costco.   For a list of where you can buy it, click over to the Garofalo site and see if it ‘s available in your area.  I’ve already asked my local Italian market to stock it and hopefully, they will soon.

Below, I’ve shown the ways that I enjoyed my pasta and given you a few recipes for the sauces I used.  I’ve also given you my recipe for a fast and easy pasta salad that is not only delicious, but extremely versatile.  I made it vegetarian this time, but I often add different proteins like tuna, grilled shrimp or chicken and even beans to make it a complete meal.

If none of these recipes float your boat, I have lots more that might.  Check out the rest of SGCC’s pasta recipes to find the perfect one for you.   Enjoy!

Nope, I don’t have any Chocablock Cookies for you today. And, I don’t have any steamed puddings either. I’m really sorry about that, but life has kind of smacked me in the head this past week and I just never found the time to make them.  My work schedule has been kind of crazy and Mr. SGCC has been out of town A LOT, so I’ve been pulling double duty both at home and at the office.  Plus, I’ve got a brand new project over here that is taking up a ton of my time and attention!  Allow me to introduce you all to our new little addition.

Meet Bella:

Okay, all together now:  AWWW!!!

Isn’t she a little cutie pie? I took this shot right after we got her home. She looks pretty pooped, doesn’t she. After a three hour car ride, I wasn’t surprised.  We picked Bella up last weekend from a wonderful breeder near Mt. Dora.  This is the same breeder that we got our dear, departed Sophie from.  I had to wait for more than a year for a puppy from her, but it was worth it.  Sophie was such a special member of our family and I wanted our new baby to come from the same nurturing place.  I’m so thrilled to have Bella in our family, but taking care of an eight week old puppy is a lot of work!  It’s almost like having a new baby, except that the puppy can already run around on her own!  And no, that is not a splotch of blood or poop on her flank. Lol!  It’s nail polish. The breeder uses it to identify all of the puppies in her litters.  It will eventually wear off.

So, back to the food, or lack thereof.  I had all the best intentions to make both this week’s TWD recipe and this month’s Daring Bakers challenge.  It just wasn’t in the cards.  However, I’d never let you leave here empty-handed.  This Lemon Linguine with Basil Pesto Shrimp was on the menu of my cooking class last week.  It’s a lovely, springtime pasta dish that highlights the bright, fresh flavors of lemon and basil.  Plus, it’s super simple to make.  My students loved it!  You can even make this recipe ahead and serve it chilled as a pasta salad.  It doesn’t get much better than that!

So, enjoy!  I’ve got to run and take Bella out for another potty break before she notices my Oriental rugs!