Spaghetti Bolognese | The Silent Fountain

Welcome to the TLC Book Tours stop for The Silent Fountain, the latest novel by author Victoria Fox. Chapter by chapter, The Silent Fountain ebbs and flows over a period of four decades, introducing the reader gradually to its two main characters, Vivien and Lucy. Both women experienced life-altering events growing up, and both find themselves in a less than ideal situations at some point in their young adult life.

Fusilli w/ Raw Tomato Sauce | The Sweet Life

Welcome to the TLC Book Tours stop for the latest novel by Sharon Struth called The Sweet Life. This is a sweet story, if somewhat predictable. Mamie Weber is offered the chance to join a bus tour of Tuscany (sound familiar?), and though it's a covert assignment for work, she looks at it as a chance to try and move forward in the aftermath of a tragic accident that took her husband and daughter's lives 5 years ago.

Spelt and Vegetable Soup inspired by I Am Love | #FoodnFlix

Our Food 'n Flix pick this month is the 2009 Italian film I Am Love starring Tilda Swinton. I watched this movie when it was first released on dvd and remember not really liking it. That being said, I believe in second chances, so I went in with a clear head when I popped the dvd in again this week. Unfortunately, it still wasn't my cup of tea. But all was not lost, because while I found the movie to be painfully slow, it did feature some beautiful scenery and delicious food to keep me in front of the screen.

The movie starts in Milan in the home of the wealthy Recchi family. Food is being prepped, silver is getting shined, and the scene is being set for a family meal to celebrate the grandfather's birthday. He announces his retirement from running the family business, which he will be entrusting to his son and grandson (because it will take two to take the place of one of him).

Coffee Biscotti w/ Almonds & Goji Berries

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Folgers. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm the kind of person who needs coffee to clear the fog from my brain in the morning. It just gives me the boost I need to get the household up and running and power through some morning work. By the time early afternoon (aka break time) rolls around, my coffee pot has been cold for hours—that's when I open up the cupboard and reach for the instant coffee.

I actually love this time of day, because it's my "me time"; a window of time between that busy morning and late afternoon when my husband and kids walk through the door after work and school. I use it to watch a movie, read a few chapters of a book, brainstorm recipe ideas, or just sit and listen to the world...more often than not with said cup of instant coffee and a snack.

Mixed Seafood Risotto and a #FeastoftheSevenFishes Menu

I don't remember exactly when I first read about the Feast of the Seven Fishes, but this Christmas Eve tradition with roots in Southern Italy has been on my mind for a few years now. Served in Italian households on Christmas Eve (or La Vigilia), the meal typically consists of seven seafood dishes. Although nothing I've read has given the exact reason for there being seven dishes, it is said to stem from the seven being the most repeated number in the Bible, appearing over 700 times.

Other theories are that it represents the seventh day (when God rested), that the number represents the seven hills of Rome, or the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic church. But then, there are also families who tend to serve upwards of twelve or thirteen dishes or courses, which could represent the twelve apostles (or the twelve apostles plus Jesus).

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

Recently I was planning a Halloween party for the first time in as many years as I can remember. I like attending parties this time of year—dressing up and getting into the spirit—but the last time I actually planned something was when my oldest child was still in elementary school (he's a senior now)...and that was a kid's party. I wanted something for the adults this time.

It all started with a couple of bottles of Casillero del Diablo wine; the name translating to "the devil's cellar" in honor of the legend behind the wine. I thought creating a Devilishly Fun Halloween Party would be a blast! Plus, adults are easy. A little ambiance, a fun playlist, a few beverages, and some tasty food is all we need.

Pane Toscano (Tuscan Bread)

Tuscan Bread is one of the things that has been on my to-make list for quite a few years now. Honest to goodness, real, UNsalted Tuscan Bread (or Pane Toscano). Pane Toscano is a particularly large roundish loaf of bread that is traditionally cooked in the wood-fired ovens of Tuscany. Aside from being so large, its main distinction is its lack of salt.  It is made with sourdough or a bit of a starter, which gives it a slight tang, and it has a thick, chewy crust.

The dough is somewhat wet and slack, but the moisture in the dough, combined with a bit of steam (introduced here with ice cubes) and a super-hot oven, gives you that magical, sought-after crust crackle (sometimes called a singing crust) once the loaf is pulled from the oven.  Once you've removed the loaf from the hot oven and it begins to cool, the inside of the bread contracts a bit, which pulls at the crust. That thick, hard crust that was formed begins to form hairline fractures and cracks from the pressure, hence that much desired crackle.

I'll just say, that beautiful singing crust can incite quite the reaction. At one point, my whole family was gathered around the counter oohhing and aahhing over it.

Tuscan White Bean Soup

I received samples from Swanson® for review purposes. The opinions stated in this post are my own.

My attention is being steadily averted by the window to my left. It's mid-November, therefore the fact that fat, lazy snowflakes are falling steadily from a pale sky should not be surprising. Yet here I sit, shaking my head in disbelief at the six inches lining the shoveled path in front of the house. I wasn't ready for it. Honestly, it seems like last year's snow just finished melting.

My initial reaction aside, it's kind of comforting. I mean, as a child of the Midwest, a good snowfall does conjure up images of crackling fires, piles of cozy blankets, steaming mugs of hot chocolate, and big pots of soup to warm your bones after a day of sledding, fort building, and snowball fights.

So, when the folks at Swanson contacted me to see if I'd be interested in trying an assortment of their products, I was more than happy to put the broths and stocks to use warming up my kitchen. Swanson is a name that already appears on containers and cans in my pantry, so I was already a fan of their products. I use a lot of stock and broth, and while I do make my own, I don't make enough to keep up with what I go through. I especially like their seafood stock, since that's something I rarely make myself.

Panmarino (Italian Rosemary Bread)

It's the 16th, and you know what that means - Bread Baking Babes time! Cathy from Bread Experience is our BBBabe kitchen of the month, and her bread choice was influenced by her Tuscany state-of-mind (after spending time there recently). Can you blame her? Not me. I don't think I'd get it off the brain for years. It's been my numero uno destination spot for as long as I can remember. Her choice: Panmarino, or Italian Rosemary Bread.

Described as a bread that's fragrant with rosemary, with a crust that "sparkled with diamonds", I couldn't wait to pull mine from the oven. It's a fairly simple recipe. Aside from the Biga* that needs to sit for at least 14 hours before you make the bread, it comes together quickly, as well.

The original recipe makes 4 one-pound loaves. That's actually not too much, as I bet neighbors and family and friends would readily welcome one into their kitchen (or you could freeze a couple). But I decided to halve the recipe the first time around.

Sourdough Grissini

Lately, I've been feeling pretty darn proud of myself for not killing my sourdough starter.  Don't judge, it's far too easy to do.  I've done it a couple of times before.  The jar winds up getting shoved to the back of the fridge.  Soon, it's blocked by other jars, cartons, and containers.  I eventually uncover it several months later when the fridge has gotten so ridiculous that I can stand it no longer.

So, with my latest starter (let's call her Ruby), I've made some conscious adjustments.  Her jar stays on the top shelf, at the front of the fridge - no matter what.  That is first and foremost.   The other, equally important, conscious choice  - use her weekly - no matter what.  She needs to be fed weekly, anyway, and I have the biggest issue with throwing perfectly good, living sourdough away.  It has to be done for a starter to survive, but I hate it.  So, instead of throwing away the portion that I remove each week, I am required to bake something with it.  It could be a loaf of bread, a batch of rolls, some yeasted crackers, or an addictive batch of these long sticks of Grissini (aka crunchy bread sticks)!  These two things are going to keep me accountable.

I'm always on the look-out for other ways and new recipes for sourdough, so if you've got 'em (and you want to share 'em) - hook a sistah up.

Kale & Pepita Pesto

I had every intention of sharing a pie with you today.  I have several 1-pound baggies full of small, local strawberries that I froze at the beginning of summer.  And I was in the mood for pie.  But that all went downhill when I decided to stop at our community garden a few days ago.  I was heading home after running an errand under the steamy midday sun, and I decided to take a detour.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, as I get older, the years fly by faster and faster.  You mean, summer is already well on its way to being over?  When did that happen?  Stopping at the community garden has not even crossed my mind this year.  So, detour...

Peach Focaccia

Although I constantly proclaim cherries to be my one-true summer love, in actuality, my heart is torn in two.  You see, I can't actually remember who I loved first...cherries or peaches.  Growing up in Michigan, the dog days of summer meant many things.

Summer meant swimsuits worn thin by long days in my grandparent's pool.

Summer meant beach trips in which our car was filled to the brim with brightly hued towels, plastic buckets and shovels and rakes, ice-packed coolers, and squirmy kids itching to run down the sand and splash in the waves.  Ending the day, of course, with sand in places sand should never be, and skin that was five shades darker than it was when we rolled out of bed that morning.

Risotto Bianco (...e rosso o verde) inspired by Big Night {food 'n flix}

Big Night is one of those films that I'd seen bits and pieces of here and there, yet never seen the whole thing.  And really, I have no idea why!  I'm a pretty big film buff.  And you know I love food.  Food plus film.  Foodie film.  Hellloooo.  Seems like something I should have already loved.  Fortunately, it was our "assignment" for Food 'n Flix this month thanks to Kristina of Spabettie.  So I had to make a point of actually watching the whole thing!

Now.  Little did I realize that this would actually pose a bit of a problem.  I thought I'd flipped by the film On Demand before, so I waited a bit too long to find out that it actually was not On Demand.  At least not anymore.  Shoot.  Head to the my library's website.  Ummm...nowhere in the system.  What!?  Click on over to trusty Amazon.  Oh, it was there.  But it was also 37 smackers + shipping.  Ummm, no.  So I had to do a little driving tour.  Nobody has it.  But they can order it.  Yeah, I waited way too long.  You see, I'm the kind of person that likes to have the actual movie in hand.  I would have settled for a rented copy even if I couldn't buy it.  So I went in for the last resort...and back to Amazon.  Fortunately you can buy a 24-hour rental of the film for $3.  It's not quite the same, but I went for it.  Seeing as how it the day before our submissions were due.  That would be today.  I'm pushin' it.

Now that I've actually seen it, I know I'll still be ordering myself a copy.  It is so much fun...and there's SO MUCH good food.  I want to throw a BIG NIGHT party, actually.  If you haven't seen it before, it's basically the story of two brothers from Italy who have opened an authentic Italian restaurant in America. Primo (the chef) refuses to bastardize his food.  Even to satisfy those pesky American customers with less-than-stellar palates.  I don't blame him.  Why would you want to pass up a chance to eat real Italian food!?

Anyhoo...their restaurant is in trouble (partly because of the fact that they...well, Primo...won't compromise).   Everybody goes to the hoppin' Pascal's across the street.  Live music, laughter, spaghetti with meatballs (even though "sometimes spaghetti likes to be alone"), flaming food served tableside. Pascal's gives the people what they want.  So, in a last ditch effort to save their dream, Secundo and Primo prepare a party to end all parties...a meal to end all meals...complete with amazing food, beautiful flowers, and live music (or so they thought).  This was to be their BIG NIGHT.

Although things didn't exactly go as planned, everybody was entranced by the food that Primo sent out from his kitchen.  While I would have LOVED to make a Timpano (and I will one day...), I just didn't have the time left to make it (but Kristina made an awesome one here).  I decided to go with rice in the colors of the Italian Banderia (flag) like Secundo and Cristiano served during that final meal.  And I'm okay with that.

Risotto Bianco

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Keywords: simmer side entree rice Italian

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Ingredients (serves 4)

• 4 Tbs. butter
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tbs. finely chopped preserved lemon rind, optional
• 1 c. arborio rice
• ½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt
• white pepper

to make a green and red layer

• basil pesto (or other green pesto)
• red sauce (tomato, marinara, etc.)

Instructions

Add 5 cups of water to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep on a low flame.

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy, deep-sided pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until soft and translucent, ~3 minutes. If using, stir in the preserved lemon rind. Add rice and stir for a minute or two, until everything is well-coated with butter.

Add one ladle full of the simmering water to the rice, stirring almost constantly. Once all of the liquid has absorbed, add another ladle full of water. Continue this process until most of the water has been added, ~20 minutes.

Taste rice, it will be done when it is tender with a firm center. Add the parmesan and remaining butter; stir until melted and combined into creamy, starchy rice. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

to make tri-colored risotto (layered like the Italian flag or Bandiera)

I divided the rice into thirds. For the white (or bianco) layer, I left the rice as-is. For the green layer, I stirred in about ¼-½ cup of basil pesto at the end. For the red layer, I stirred in enough red sauce to color it. Layer on a platter and serve.

Risotto Bianco slightly adapted from Canal House Cooking vol. n° 7

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Food 'n Flix is being hosted over at Spabettie this month with the chosen flick Big Night.

Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto

We're into week number three of The Food Matters Project now...and it's my turn to host (and pick the featured recipe). Yay! Can I just say that this was no easy feat? I have a ridiculous number of pages bookmarked in The Food Matters Cookbook. Reeeeeediculous. So really, it was a matter of choosing a few ingredients that I was in the mood for and searching. A little more involved than closing my eyes, flipping the pages, and stopping on one. Which I almost did.

So. Considering my current torrid affair with goat cheese, you can bet that it influenced my decision to make this dish. It's called a "pesto". Yup, quotations and all (which I imagine are in place since it's not a traditional, leafy green herb-packed pesto). But that said, I've adored pretty much any variety of "pesto" I've tried. A favorite of mine is actually another red version that uses sundried tomatoes. So. Red pesto. Involving goat cheese (if you choose...it's actually a variation). Also involving earthy, beautifully roasted and charred red peppers and fat, oily walnuts. But no worries...you can still find a bit of green in here with the bright, summery addition of basil. It is optional, because afterall...it's not summer everywhere and not everybody has access to greenhouse-grown herbs. But if you can find it, try it- it adds another great dimension to the layers of flavor.

Italian Wedding Soup {Minestra Maritata}

So the other day I received an email asking me if I could make Italian Wedding Soup.  I'll let you in on a little secret.  I love getting requests!  It's like me and challenges- I have a hard time resisting.  Especially when it seems like kismet.  Meaning: I've been wanting to make and share this soup for a couple of years already (you know, the list is ever-growing), so it was just the push I needed.  So Kelly, thanks so much for giving me that push.  I hope you enjoy this as much as those around my kitchen table did!

Let's talk Wedding Soup, which is basically the translation of Minestra Maritata.  A tradition in Southern Italy that, like many traditional dishes, is argued to have its origin in several places from Naples to Rome.  Most of you probably already know that the "maritata" actually refers to the marriage of ingredients that go into the pot to form this soup.  The perfect marriage of flavors, if you will.  It doesn't actually stem from the fact that it is/was served at weddings.  Although, many ideas get lost in translation.  And I think many people do serve this at wedding or other special events nowadays.  

Traditionally this is made with escarole, a fairly bitter type of green, but I have seen spinach and other greens used in its place.  I decided that since kale is my favorite green and since it is always plentiful in the garden, I would use it.  Some people prefer to blanch the greens, chop them, then let them cool down a bit and add them to the soup in the very end.  Mainly because I'm a bit too lazy for that, I just cut out the bigger, tougher stems and chopped the kale, adding it raw directly into the soup.  I think blanching probably cuts down on some of the bitterness, so blanch away if you're not a big fan of the in-your-faceness of greens.  I've also seen all different types of ground meats used.  From all beef, pork, veal, turkey, or even chicken to a mixture of two or three.  I say go ahead and use what you have and/or what your family will eat.   Oh, also...pastina (those tiny little types/shapes of pasta) is not always used.  However, I really wanted to use it since I have a few different types sitting in my pantry begging for attention.  Go ahead and leave it out if you're "not feeling it".  I do hope that you'll make some version of Italian Wedding Soup, though.  And like all soups, it's even better the second day.

Italian Wedding Soup
from the kitchen of girlichef
yield: ~1 gallon (10-12 svgs.)

½ lb. ground beef
½ lb. ground pork
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 Tbs. grated onion (~¼ small onion)
1 tsp. fine sea salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
~2-2½ oz. freshly grated Parmesan &/or Romano (or a mix), grated + more for serving
¼ c. freshly chopped Italian parsley
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. dried basil
2 eggs
½ c. fresh bread crumbs
~1 gallon rich beef stock or broth (or rich chicken stock/broth)
3 carrots, sliced or diced (or a couple handfuls baby carrots)
1 bunch (~6-8 oz.) kale, washed, thick stems removed, & chopped* (or use escarole or spinach)
3 oz. (~½ c.) melon seed pastina (or any kind of pastina)

Combine all the ingredients from the ground beef through the bread crumbs in a bowl and mix together with your hands.  Pinch off small bits to form ~100 mini meatballs.  Set them all on a lined tray.

Bring your stock to a boil and gently slide in the meatballs.  Cover partially and lower heat to a lazy bubble for ~5 minutes.  Add carrots, kale, and pastina; turn up heat and bring back to the boil.  Once it is boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover and continue to cook another 15 minutes or so.  Adjust seasoning to taste and serve with more freshly grated cheese over the top if you wish...and with some good bread for sopping up the juices.

*blanch greens first for ~10 minutes to reduce some of the bitterness, if you prefer.

I am sharing this post with:

50 Women Game-Changers (in Food): #12 Lidia Bastianich - Struffoli

In May '11, Gourmet posted a list of 50 Women Game-Changers (in Food) that runs the gamut from food writers to cookbook authors to television personalities to restauranteurs to chefs to food bloggers.  Some are a given.  Some are controversial.  Speaking the names of some brings fond childhood memories.  Speaking the names of others will make some readers cringe.  And of course, some of our favorites were not even included.  We food-lovers are a passionate bunch of people and whether we agree or disagree, every woman on this list has earned her place for a reason.  Being a woman who is passionate about food (cooking, eating, talking about, writing about, photographing), when I caught wind of Mary from One Perfect Bite's idea of cooking/blogging her way through each of these 50 women...one per week...I knew I wanted to join her.  Many of these women paved the way for us in culinary school, in the kitchen, in cookbooks, in food writing, and on television and I think it is a fabulous way to pay tribute to their efforts.  Some of the women on the list have been tops with me for years.  Some I have heard of (perhaps even seen, read, or cooked from) before.  And there are even a handful that I am not familiar with at all.  I excited to educate myself on each of these women game-changers and hope you look forward to reading along.  We are going in order from 1 to 50.

the "Gourmet" prompt...

12. Lidia Bastianich (and her brood)- Everybody’s nonna, Lidia founded an empire, and she does it all: cookbooks, TV shows, restaurants, and wines galore. Then last summer—with son Joe, Mario Batali, and Oscar Farinetti—she opened Eataly, the cucina italiana Manhattan multiverse and, basically, took over the world.
---

I feel all twisted inside this week.  I really enjoyed Lidia.  For years.  Her show was in the line-up I watched years ago on PBS before I got cable.  I have a few of her books.  But I'm a very emotional, compassionate being, and just hearing the accusations* swirling around her right now, I feel sick.  Character is a pretty big deal to me.  I have always tried very hard to stick to what my mama taught me: If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all.  So.  I wonder if people can lose their spots?  Anyway.  While it saddens me, I'm not going to say anything further since I can't conjure up the will to give her accolades right now.  I will still share a recipe.  Because cooking eases my mind.

Please don't get all huffy if you love Lidia.  Of course I believe in innocent until proven guilty...and I hope that it is simply tabloid fodder.

Struffoli
Honey Balls
slightly adapted from Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen
serves 10

dough
4 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. sugar
grated zest of ½ lemon
grated zest of ½ orange
pinch of salt
4 large eggs
2 Tbs. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla

syrup
2 c. honey
½ c. sugar
⅓ c. water

oil, for frying
candy sprinkles

dough:  Combine flour, sugar, lemon and orange zest, and salt in a bowl.  Make a well in the center and add eggs, butter, and vanilla.  Stir them around with your fingertips, then work the wet ingredients into the dry until smooth and evenly blended.  Gather dough into a ball, lightly flour a work surface, and knead until smooth, 3-4 minutes.  Form into a disk, wrap in plastic, and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Divide into eight pieces.  Roll each piece out into a ⅓" thick rope.  Cut each rope into ⅓" sections.  Lightly form each section into a ball the size of a marble.  Or don't...you can leave them as-is.

Heat ~3" of oil in a deep pot to 350° F.  I just guesstimate.  It'll be all shimmery.  Drop in a ball to test it.  Once the oil is ready, fry balls about a quarter at a time (or as many as will fit in comfortably without crowding) for ~3 minutes, or until golden.  Lift out with a strainer and place on a sheet tray lined with paper towels.

syrup:  Put honey, sugar, and water in a pot wide enough to hold all of the struffoli.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Syrup will foam up a LOT.  Continue to cook until foam dies down and mixture becomes a shade darker, ~5-7 minutes.  Remove from heat and immediately add all of the fried dough balls to the syrup.  Remove them with a slotted spoon or skimmer and mound them on a serving plate, letting excess drip off first.  Scatter as many sprinkles as you like over the top and eat!  Will keep for several days loosely covered with plastic wrap.

Lidia Bastianich ( February 21, 1947 - present)

Tutti a tavola a mangiare.  (Let's all go to the table and eat.)  ~Lidia's signature sign-off

Who is cooking along with these 50 Women Game-Changers?

Mary- One Perfect Bite, Val- More Than Burnt Toast, Joanne- Eats Well With Others, Taryn- Have Kitchen Will Feed, Susan- The Spice Garden, Heather- girlichef, Miranda- Mangoes and Chutney, Jeanette- Jeanette's Healthy Living, Katie- Making Michael Pollan Proud, Kathy- Bakeaway with Me, Amy- Beloved Green

I am sharing this post with:

50 Women Game-Changers (in Food): #6 Marcella Hazan - Layered Crespelle w/ Tomato, Prosciutto, and Cheese (crêpes)

the "Gourmet" prompt...

6. Marcella Hazan- Marcella made Italian cucina make sense. She broke it down for us, explained the regions, and her meticulous recipes are so reliable. She banished the red–sauce image forever

I'd heard of Marcella Hazan, but never really "looked into her" or made any of her recipes.  I am so pleased that she is number six on the list...I can't get enough of her right now.  I'm in the midst of reading her memoirs, Amarcord: Marcella Remembers, so I don't have a whole lot to tell you about her yet other than recommending this book, it is so interesting.  

Marcella is not a life-long "foodie".  As a matter of fact, she saw food only as a means of getting her through the day: fuel.  It was her husband Victor who would ramble on about food and cooking in the days they were courting, much to Marcella's dismay.  But when they married and moved from Italy to the United States, Marcella learned to cook out of necessity.  She drew on the food she grew up with, substituting ingredients that she could find in the States.  

Perhaps one of the most significant events in her life (for us, at least...otherwise we may not be talking about her now) was a Chinese cooking class that she signed up to take.  After the first class, her instructor "announced that she was taking a sabbatical in China".  Her classmates then asked her what she cooked at home.  This was simple, she answered "normal food"...such as "tagliatelle alla bolognese, fegato alla veneziana, risotto coi funghi, and rollatini di vitello con la pancetta."  Silence.  Crickets chirping.  They other ladies in the class asked her if she'd be willing to teach an Italian cooking class.  

So, with the encouragement of Victor, she began teaching Italian cooking once a week to six of her "classmates".  Victor and Marcella became partners in her lesson planning...mapping out the history, lessons, menu plans... This eventually led to a cookbook (and then more) in which Victor double-checked what Marcella wrote.  They are a fabulous team.  I can't wait to read more on Marcella Hazan...and cook more of her recipes.  I hope you'll look into her if you're not already familiar with her work and her life.

worth further exploration: (books) Amarcord: Marcella Remembers by Marcella Hazan, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan, The Classic Italian Cook Book: The Art of Italian Cooking and the Italian Art of Eating, (articles) NPR - Long View: Marcella Hazan Brings Italy to America, The New York Times - For Better, for Worse, for Richer, for Pasta (an interview with Marcella and Victor Hazan), (blog post) Steamy Kitchen: Meeting Marcella and Victor Hazan

Layered Crespelle (Crêpes) with Tomato, Prosciutto, and Cheese

adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

makes 4-6 servings

9 crespelle (crêpes)*see recipe below

~1 c. mozzarella, shredded or diced

 3 oz. prosciutto, sliced fine

~½ c. freshly grated parmesan cheese

tomato sauce:

3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. chopped garlic

1½ Tbs. chopped parsley

⅔ c. canned plum tomatoes, cut up, w/ their juice

salt

*Crespelle (crêpes):

These are basic, unsweetened crespelle.  They are often used as if they were pasta wrappers, stuffing them with savory meat, cheese, or veggie fillings.

makes ~15

1 c. milk

¾ c. all-purpose flour

2 eggs

couple pinches salt

butter, for pan

Pour the milk into a bowl that is braced on the counter (use a damp towel or a "tacky" shelf-liner).  With a whisk in one hand and a small strainer/sifter in the other, sift the flour into the milk whisking steaking to avoid lumps.  When all the flour is added, beat evenly until blended.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating rapidly.  When both eggs are incorporated, whisk in the salt.

Heat an 8" (or whatever you have) nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.  Smear a little butter on the pan and pour ~2-3 Tbs. of the batter onto the pan, tilting and rotating the pan to evenly distribute the batter.  If your pan is larger than 8", simply swirl the batter around with the back of your ladle or measuring cup as soon as you pour it onto the pan...as in...immediately!

As soon as the batter sets and becomes firm with brown speckles, flip it over and finish cooking the other side.  Stack on a plate and repeat until all batter is used.

Preheat oven to 400° F.

tomato sauce:  Put olive oil and garlic into a small sauté pan, turn heat to medium, and cook the garlic, stirring until it turns pale gold.  Add parsley.  Cook just long enough to stir once or twice, then add cut-up tomatoes with their juice and a pinch of salt.  Adjust to a slow simmer for ~10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Turn off heat.

Lightly rub some butter in the bottom of a 9" pie or cake plate.  Choose the largest of your crespelle and place it on the bottom of the pan.  Coat it thinly with tomato sauce...go lightly because you still need to do this 8 more times...it's a very thin layer.  Sprinkle some of the prosciutto, mozzarella, and parmesan over the sauce, then cover with another crespelle.  Repeat until you've added the top crespelle, covering this with just a dab of tomato sauce and some parmesan.

Bake on the top rack of the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Using a spatula to help lift and guide the "pie", immediately transfer to a serving plate/platter.  Allow to settle a few minutes before serving, or serve at room temperature.

*sources/references: Amarcord: Marcella Remembers, Long View: Marcella Hazan Brings Italy to America

Marcella Hazan (1924-present)

"The explanation is that I consider cooking to be an act of love. I do enjoy the craft of cooking, of course, otherwise I would not have done so much of it, but that is a very small part of the pleasure it brings me. What I love is to cook for someone. To put a freshly made meal on the table, even if it is something very plain and simple as long as it tastes good and is not a ready-to-eat something bought at the store, is a sincere expression of affection, it is an act of binding intimacy directed at whoever has a welcome place in your heart. And while other passions in your life may at some point begin to bank their fires, the shared happiness of good homemade food can last as long as we do."  ~Marcella Hazan

In May '11, Gourmet posted a list of 50 Women Game-Changers (in Food) that runs the gamut from food writers to cookbook authors to television personalities to restauranteurs to chefs to food bloggers.  Some are a given.  Some are controversial.  Speaking the names of some brings fond childhood memories.  Speaking the names of others will make some readers cringe.  And of course, some of our favorites were not even included.  We food-lovers are a passionate bunch of people and whether we agree or disagree, every woman on this list has earned her place for a reason.  Being a woman who is passionate about food (cooking, eating, talking about, writing about, photographing), when I caught wind of Mary from One Perfect Bite's idea of cooking/blogging her way through each of these 50 women...one per week...I knew I wanted to join her.  Many of these women paved the way for us in culinary school, in the kitchen, in cookbooks, in food writing, and on television and I think it is a fabulous way to pay tribute to their efforts.  Some of the women on the list have been tops with me for years.  Some I have heard of (perhaps even seen, read, or cooked from) before.  And there are even a handful that I am not familiar with at all.  I excited to educate myself on each of these women game-changers and hope you look forward to reading along.  We are going in order from 1 to 50.

Who is cooking along with these 50 Women Game-Changers?

Mary- One Perfect Bite, Val- More Than Burnt Toast, Joanne- Eats Well With Others, Taryn- Have Kitchen Will Feed, Susan- The Spice Garden, Claudia- A Seasonal Cook in Turkey, Heather- girlichef,  Miranda- Mangoes and Chutney, Katie- Making Michael Pollan Proud, Kathleen- Bakeaway with Me, Viola- The Life is Good Kitchen