SPAGHETTI WITH WHTE CLAM SAUCE - Spaghetti alle Vongole

This recipe has a lot of fresh clams (from the Chesapeake Bay) and clam juice infused with white wine, olive oil, and finished off with butter.  Serve this with crusty bread for sopping up the juices.  Grated cheese is optional, but most Italians say that's a "no-no", but we like it with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Lee's Kitchen Tips:

East Coast clams seem to be sandier than West Coast clams.  If they are and don't open their shells in cool water, they will keep the sand in them.  Steam them in ½ cup water, discard water and sand, and use a half bottle of clam nectar and wine in the skillet.

2 dozen little neck clams

½ cup dry white wine or water

½ lb spaghetti 
3 T olive oil 
1 small shallot or ½ small yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½ t red pepper flakes (optional)
1 t fresh oregano leaves or freeze-dried
2 T unsalted butter
Juice and zest of ½ lemon

½-1 cup of clam broth 

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 T finely chopped Italian parsley, divided
Extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving (optional)

Fill a large bowl with cool water and let the clams sit in the cool water for 30 minutes, but no more.  Gently spoon them into a colander, rinse and gently clean them with a soft brush.

In a large pot that you will boil the pasta in, bring wine or water to a boil.  

Add the clams, cover, and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until clams open. 
Discard any clams that failed to open.

Pour clams and juice from pot into a large mesh strainer set over a bowl to catch juice.

Discard any gray and sandy juice.   

Remove clams from their shells and roughly chop, you can leave 6 to 8 in their shells for garnishing, if you wish.  

Place chopped and whole clams in their shells in a bowl, cover, to keep warm.

Meanwhile, in the same large pot, cook the spaghetti 7 to 8 minutes in unsalted water (the clams contain enough salt) until al dente.

In a large skillet large enough to hold the pasta and sauce, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the shallot or onion for about 3 minutes.  

Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, and sauté another minute.
Add the butter, chopped clams, and clam broth.  Cook one more minute.
Season lightly with salt and pepper and add the lemon zest and juice.
Add the drained pasta to the pan along with half of the parsley.  

Heat for just a minute or two while tossing with a pair of tongs, until well combined.

Divide into 2 warm pasta bowls and garnish each bowl with the clams in the shells, if desired. Pour the rest of the hot clam broth from from the skillet over each bowl.

Sprinkle with the rest of the parsley, drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil, and serve with grated cheese, if desired.

Serves 2

EGGS IN PURGATORY

Here is another classic Italian-American breakfast...eggs in tomato sauce with grated cheese and grilled Italian bread. You can use any good-quality marinara sauce from your grocery store or use my Casa Marinara Sauce (see recipe, page 64 in my cookbook) or Casa Tomato Sauce (see recipe, page 65 in my cookbook). Uova in Purgatorio.

1 cup good-quality prepared marinara or tomato sauce 
2 large eggs, preferably free-range
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Spoon a little sauce into two small ovenproof dishes or skillets. 
Break eggs into two small bowls.

Make a slight clearing in the center of the sauce by scraping with a spoon.
Carefully slide the eggs into the sauce and spoon more sauce around the eggs, but not on top. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper and grated Parmigiano cheese.

Place dishes or skillets on a baking sheet. 
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until eggs are set and yolks are still soft.

Serve with crusty grilled Italian bread and additional grated Parmigiano cheese.
Serves 2

Note: You can make the recipe using two eggs for each serving—just use larger baking dishes.

 

ITALIAN MERINGUE COOKIES

These Italian Christmas cookies do not contain butter, flour, or egg yolks and are another Christmas family favorite. They are so easy to make and totally delicious. You can also replace the vanilla extract with almond extract and replace the pecans for almonds. Save your yolks covered in the refrigerator for another recipe.

Lee's Kitchen Tips:

Make sure your mixing bowl is impeccably clean or the eggs whites will not form into stiff peaks.

5 large egg whites, room temperature

¼ t cream of tartar, optional

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 t pure vanilla extract

1½ cups chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.

Beat egg whites in a large bowl until foamy. 

Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form.

Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

Beat in vanilla extract. 

Remove bowl from mixer and mix in nuts with a spoon.

Drop by a rounded tablespoon onto baking sheets lightly sprayed with cooking oil or line with parchment paper.

Bake for 45 minutes. Turn off oven and let meringues stay in the oven for 1 hour, or until completely cooled.

Store in an airtight container.

Makes 5 to 6 dozen.

ITALIAN SNOWBALL COOKIES

My mother-in-law gave me this recipe. I make them every Christmas. My husband, son, and daughter would be very disappointed if I didn't make them every year.

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 t pure vanilla extract

1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar

2 ½ level cups all-purpose flour

¼ t salt

1 cup finely chopped pecans

Confectioners’ sugar for coating cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until fluffy. 

Add vanilla and sugar and beat to combine. 

Add flour and salt and continue to beat.

Mix in pecans with a spoon.

Form into small balls and place on two cookie sheets.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes.

Let cool and roll in additional confectioners' sugar. You can also pour confectioners' sugar into a paper bag and gently toss cookies until well coated.

Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 5 dozen.

TUSCAN SEAFOOD STEW - Cacciucco

This traditional seafood stew (pronounced cah-choo-co) is popular in the western port town of Livorno in Tuscany, Italy.

It is similar to San Francisco's Cioppino, but less expensive to make, because it doesn't contain Dungeness Crab.  It is also less expensive to make than French Bouillabaisse, because it doesn't contain saffron.

Use your favorite shell fish and fish, whatever is available at your local fish market.

This morning I bought beautiful, shrimp, clams, and cod at our local country store and seafood market. 

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 t crushed red pepper flakes

½ cup dry red wine

1 can (28 oz) crushed Italian tomatoes

¼ cup minced fresh Italian parsley

1 T chopped fresh oregano

1 t chopped fresh rosemary

½ t sea salt

½ t freshly ground black pepper

1 bottle clam broth

1 cup water

1 carefully washed orange, orange part peeled with a vegetable peeler

1 T chopped fresh basil

12 little neck clams, soaked in cold water for 15 minutes

12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 ½ lbs cod or haddock fillets, cut into 2-inch chunks

Crusty Italian bread, cut into slices, toasted in the oven and drizzled with olive oil

In a Dutch oven or paella pan, heat oil over medium-low heat, cook onion for 10 minutes.  

Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook another minute.  

Stir in wine and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.  

Add tomatoes, half of the parsley, oregano, rosemary, salt, and black pepper.  

Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Stir in clam broth, water, orange peel, and basil.

Add clams, cover, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until clams begin to open.  

Add shrimp and fish and cook until fish is opaque in center, about another 5 minutes.

Discard any clams that do not open.

Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.

Remove orange peels and ladle into warm soup bowls.

Sprinkle with remaining parsley and add a couple of toasted slices of bread.

Serves 2 to 3

BIG MAMMA 1881-1970

 

This is Big Mamma (Teresa Lapetina Greco) on her front porch in Portsmouth, Virginia.

I can almost smell her Sunday Gravy simmering away on her stove.

CASAZZA QUICK & EASY SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS

It is sometimes difficult to find a good bowl of spaghetti and meatballs in Italian-American restaurants. Usually, the sauce (gravy) is too acidic and the meatballs are gray in color. I make Big Mamma's Sunday Gravy once or twice a year with Italian sausages, meatballs, ribs, and occasionally braciole. It simmers on the stove for 5 hours, but this recipe is much faster and lighter. If I had an Italian restaurant, this would definitely be on the menu. 

Meatballs

½ cup plain bread crumbs 

1 ½ lbs lean ground beef

½ lb ground pork

2 large eggs

¼ cup minced Italian parsley

1 t granulated garlic

½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs with the milk and stir to combine.

Set the mixture aside until the crumbs have absorbed the milk.

Add the remaining ingredients, and with dampened hands, shape into 1 ½-inch balls.

In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat a little extra-light olive oil until hot, but not smoking.

Adjust heat to medium-low and slowly fry the meatballs in batches until brown on all sides.

Do not attempt to turn the meatballs until they are thoroughly brown on one side and easily release from the bottom of the pan. Be patient with this step or you will have odd-shaped meatballs.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl and set aside while frying the rest.

“Quick Sunday Gravy”

1 T extra-virgin olive oil (for slowly cooking the onions & garlic)

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup dry red wine

½ t red pepper flakes

3 (28 oz) cans crushed Italian tomatoes

2 t granulated sugar (optional)

1 t freeze-dried or chopped fresh basil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lb spaghetti

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

In the same large heavy pot or Dutch oven, pour out some of the excess fat (but not the brown particles) and add the extra-virgin olive oil.

Over medium-low heat, sauté the onion for 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and continue to sauté another minute.

Add the wine, red pepper flakes, simmer a few seconds.

Pour the crushed tomatoes into the pot and scrape up any browned particles from the bottom of the pot.

Add the sugar, and basil.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Partially cover and simmer 1 hour.

Add the meatballs and simmer, partially covered another 45 minutes, gently stirring occasionally.

Boil the spaghetti in salted water for 7 to 8 minutes, until al dente.

Drain well, then add the spaghetti back into the pot.

Mix in some of the sauce to color the spaghetti and serve with a little more sauce, some meatballs, and grated cheese.

Serves 4

* You should have 30 to 35 meatballs with extra sauce for for one or two more meals.