Saturday, December 18, 2021

SANFRANCISCO-STYLE CIOPPINO

Cioppino, pronounced “chuh-Pee-no,” is an Italian-American seafood stew made with the catch of the day. San Francisco Italian-Americans invented this recipe in the 1800s, and it must include Dungeness crab. Most countries that border the ocean have their own seafood stew. The French have a Provençal stew called bouillabaisse. In Chile, they have caldillo de congrio. In Brazil, it’s moqueca, and in Positano, Italy, they have pesce all’aqua pazza or “fish in crazy water.” 

To save time, you can buy a good quality marinara sauce from your grocery store.
Because I live on the East coast now, I use Snow crabs instead of Dungeness crab. 



2 cups (500 ml) Casa Marinara Sauce (on page 64 in my cookbook) or store-bought marinara sauce

Soffrito “under-fried”
1 T extra-light olive oil or avocado oil
1 small leek, cleaned, white part diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and minced
2 bay leaves
1 clove garlic, minced

In a large pot or Dutch oven, add the olive oil; over low heat, sauté the leek for 5 minutes.
Add the carrot and bay leaves and sauté for another 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook another minute. Set aside.

Seafood
1 cooked and cleaned Dungeness crab or 3 to 4 Snow Crabs 
12 fresh mussels
12 Little Neck fresh clams
½ cup Pinot Grigio or other dry white wine
2 (8 oz) bottles clam broth
1 large fillet of cod or other white fish, cut into bite-size pieces
12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
12 sea scallops, cut in half
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
Extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing

Remove the meat from the crab's body.
Remove the meat from a few crab claws, reserving some claws for garnish.
Set aside.

If using wild mussels, remove the beards with a pair of “kitchen only” needle-nose pliers.
Scrub the mussels and clams with a brush under cold running water; set aside in a bowl.
Add the wine and the clam broth to the pot with the soffrito and heat to a simmer.
Add the mussels and clams and simmer, covered, until they open about 8 minutes.
Remove the mussels and clams with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl, cover and set aside.
Discard any that failed to open.

To the pot, add the Casa Marina Sauce and simmer for a couple of minutes to heat through.
Add the fish, shrimp, and scallops.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer another 5 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and divide the cioppino into warmed bowls, leaving some broth in the pan.
Arrange the mussels and clams around the sides of each bowl.
Top with the reserved crabmeat in the center of each bowl and pour the rest of the hot broth over each bowl.

Tuck in the crab legs and sprinkle with parsley and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Thursday, October 21, 2021

CHICKEN LOMBARDY - Pollo al Marsala Lombardo

In Italy, this dish is called Pollo al Marsala Lombardo (Chicken Marsala) and made without cheese. With the addition of cheese and green onions, it is an Italian-American version. The capital of Lombardia is Milano (Milan). The regional cuisine is based on butter, lard, pork, and veal.

If you want to serve this for company, prepare it in the morning, refrigerate, and let sit on your counter for 30 minutes before baking.
Serve with risotto, or pasta, or even roasted potatoes and a green salad.


4 T avocado oil
10 cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
4 boneless chicken breasts
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup marsala wine
¾ cup chicken stock or broth
2 T unsalted butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup shredded asiago cheese
¼ cup grated Parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 scallions, thinly sliced

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat.
Add the mushrooms and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring often.
Lower heat to medium and add the onion and cook another 2 minutes.
Add garlic and cook another minute.
Spoon half of this mixture into a baking dish and the rest in a bowl and set aside.

Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise.

Pour flour in a shallow dish and dredge the chicken in flour, shaking off the excess.

In the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon of oil and brown half of the chicken on both sides 
until golden, about 4 minutes per side.
Place cooked chicken on top of mushroom mixture in baking dish.
Add the final tablespoon of oil to the skillet and brown the rest of the chicken on both sides until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.
Spoon the rest of the mushroom mixture on top of the chicken.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Add the wine and chicken stock to the skillet and bring to a simmer.

Add the butter and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and pour over the chicken in the baking dish.

Combine the cheeses with the scallions and sprinkle over chicken.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serves 4 to 6













Monday, August 2, 2021

FARFALLE PASTA SALAD

Farfalle (butterflies or bowties) are one of my favorite pasta types.  Serve with grilled salmon or chicken. . .even as a complete entree.


1 lb farfalle pasta or your favorite
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup toasted pine nuts (toast in a dry skillet)
¼ cup chopped black Italian olives or kalamata
¼ cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes, in oil
1 T drained capers
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced
¼ cup fennel fronds, chopped
2 T chopped basil
2 T chopped Italian parsley
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
Drain and set aside.

In a large bowl, add the vinegar, olive oil, pine nuts, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, lemon zest and juice.
Mix together to combine.
Add the pasta, fennel, fennel fronds, basil, and parsley.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the grated cheese, gently mix to combine.

Serves 4 to 6


Tuesday, July 27, 2021

RIGATONI WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE SAUCE

In my Italian-American cookbook, I make serve this Italian Sausage Sauce over pappardelle pasta.  I love the way the sauce gets into the rigatoni, and now this is my favorite pasta with this sauce.


1 lb mild or hot Italian sausages, about 5 links
1 cup good dry Italian white wine, such as Pinot Grigio, divided
2 T olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 (28-oz) cans whole peeled Italian tomatoes
1 t freeze-dried or dried oregano
1 t minced fresh basil or freeze-dried basil
1 t red pepper flakes, optional
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lb rigatoni pasta
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese

Remove sausage from casings and place in a large bowl.
Pour in some of the white wine and crush with hands until sausage is in small pieces.
The wine makes it easier to break up the sausage.

Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes.
Add garlic and sauté another minute.

Add the sausages and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up pieces with a wooden spoon.
Add the rest of the wine and cook until wine has mostly evaporated.

In the same large bowl, pour in the tomatoes and hand-crush them, removing the hard center cores. Alternatively, use an immersion blender to chop the tomatoes.

Add the crushed tomatoes to the pot along with the oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer 30 minutes.

Boil the pasta in salted water for about 8 to 9 minutes, until al dente.
Drain the pasta and pour back into the pot.
Add a couple ladles of the sausage sauce and toss.
Spoon into warm pasta bowls and add a little more sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Serves 4


Tuesday, July 6, 2021

CLASSIC CAPRESE SALAD

This is the time of the year, if you live where it is now the summer season, to make Caprese salad at its best.  It is so simple and all you need are homegrown tomatoes, fresh basil, and mozzarella cheese.  Authentic Caprese salad does not have vinegar, of any kind, drizzled over it.  The only seasoning added is extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and black pepper.


3 medium-large homegrown tomatoes, sliced into ¼ inch slices
1 (1-lb) ball fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced or log of pre-sliced fresh mozzarella 
1 bunch of large basil leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil (best quality you can find)
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Start with a slice of mozzarella, place a slice of tomato in front of it and then tuck in one or two basil leaves.  Working around in a circle until the circle meets.  
Generously drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 2 to 3

Sunday, June 20, 2021

PAN SEARED SCALLOPS WITH DRY VERMOUTH

There are two kinds of scallops, sea and bay scallops. These are large east coast sea scallops. Make sure they are very fresh. They should smell like the sea or almost sweet.

They cook very quickly and the secret to browning is to dry them off with paper towels and do not turn them until they are brown.


10 sea scallops
1 T unsalted butter
1 T extra-light olive oil or avocado oil
½ cup dry Italian vermouth
Juice of ½ lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 T unsalted butter

Rinse scallops under cold water and place on a double layer of paper towels.
Pat completely dry.

Have the butter and oil ready to add to a skillet.
Put the rest of the ingredients into little bowls, ready to add to the skillet.

Season scallops with salt and pepper on both sides.

In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat.
Add the scallops in a single layer, not touching each other.
Brown on one side for about 2 to 3 minutes. 
Do move scallops until they are brown, you can peek under one to see.

Turn scallops over with tongs and brown on the other side.

Remove scallops to a plate and set aside.

Lower heat in skillet to medium-low.
Add the vermouth and lemon juice.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cook for a minute or two, stirring with a wooden spoon.
Add the two tablespoons of butter, then return the scallops to the pan and cook another few seconds to warm scallops. Do not overcook.

Serve with pan sauce over scallops.

Suggestion: Serve with a green vegetable and risotto.

Serves 2



Thursday, June 17, 2021

BAKED EGGPLANT PARMIGIANO WITH PROVOLONE & SWISS CHARD

The eggplants are so crispy and are baked in the oven.  I made a marinara sauce with canned cherry tomatoes and sautéed some Swiss chard and that was spooned under the marinara sauce. I peel the eggplant leaving stripes; otherwise, the peel can be quite chewy.


Lee's Kitchen Tips:
I saved the larger slices for the dishes and just had a few smaller ones for my husband to enjoy, plain, right out of the oven.




Baked Eggplants
2 large eggplants, partially peeled and cut into ½-inch thick slices.
1 cup all-purpose flour
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
2 T water
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Cherry Tomato Marina Sauce
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 14-oz cans cherry tomatoes
1 small bunch fresh basil leaves, torn or chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Swiss Chard
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch Swiss chard, trimmed of middle stems and chopped 

In a shallow bowl, add the flour and season generously with salt and pepper.
In a second shallow bowl, whisk the egg with the water.
In a third shallow bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, panko, and grated Parmigiano.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle some oil on a large baking sheet pan and set aside.
Dip eggplant slices in flour, shaking off excess, then dip in egg mixture and finally in bread crumb mixture.
Place eggplant slices on the baking sheet and drizzle a little more oil on top.
Bake for 20 minutes, flip each one over, and bake another 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with a little more Parmigiano and add a piece of provolone cheese on top.
Place back in oven for cheese to melt, about 3 to 4 minutes.

In a saucepan, heat the oil over low heat and sauté
the garlic red pepper flakes for a minute or two.
Add the cherry tomatoes and mash lightly with a fork or potato masher.  Leave the tomatoes mostly whole.  Simmer for 20 minutes, add basil and season with salt and pepper
Set aside and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, add the olive oil and sauté
the Swiss chard until soft, about 5 minutes.  
Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
Set aside and keep warm.

To Assemble
Spoon half of the chard in the middle of a plate.
Ladle on some cherry tomato sauce.
Add 4 slices of the eggplant and garnish with basil, if desired.

Serves 2


Sunday, June 13, 2021

PIZZA WITH CAPICOLA HAM

Capicola, capocollo, or coppa, is a traditional Italian cold-cut (salume) made from pork.



One recipe for pizza dough or already-prepared dough
One recipe for pizza sauce or store-bought pizza sauce

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
4 oz capicola him, thinly sliced
Oregano for sprinkling on top of the pizza
2 t extra-virgin olive oil
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.


Lightly oil two pizza pans.

Preheat a pizza stone on the bottom rack of oven for 15 minutes.

Place a ball of dough onto the center of each pan. Use your hands to stretch, form, and flatten each ball of dough to a 10 or 12-inch round.


Spread a ladle of pizza sauce on the rolled-out pizza dough, leaving a border all around.

Sprinkle with a little Parmigiano cheese, 4 slices of the mozzarella cheese, and 4 slices of ham. Sprinkle with a little oregano.
Place pizza pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake 5 minutes; then slide the pizza directly onto the heated stone and bake another 10 minutes.

Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and add a garnish of basil when finished baking.


Makes 2 12-inch pizzas or 4 personal size pizzas

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

FARFALLE WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGES, PEPPERS, SUN-DRIED TOMATOES, & FENNEL

This is one of my Go-To meals on a weeknight.  It is so delicious, you may want to serve it for company. . .after this pandemic is over. This recipe includes Italian sausages (pork or turkey), sun-dried tomatoes, and fennel. Farfalle (pronounced fa-FAR-lay) translates to "butterflies". Get the onion, fennel, peppers, and garlic chopped up on a cutting board ready to toss into the skillet. Dinner in under 40 minutes!



2 T extra-light olive oil, divided
1 lb mild or hot Italian sausages

1 T sea or kosher salt, for the pasta water
1 lb farfalle (butterfly) pasta

1 large sweet onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 medium bulb fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 T fresh basil, chiffonade or torn
½ t red pepper flakes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup red or white wine
1 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced into bitesize pieces

1 bunch Italian parsley, trimmed and chopped
½ cup grated Parmegiano-Reggiano or Pecorino-Romano cheese

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and fry the sausages for about 15 minutes over medium heat until brown on all sides. I put a splatter screen over my skillet to keep most of the grease from popping out on the stove.
Remove to a cutting board and discard grease and carefully wipe out or wash out skillet.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the salt.  
Boil the farfalle pasta for 10 minutes, until al dente.
Save 1 cup of the pasta water and set aside.  

Drain pasta and set aside.

In the same large clean skillet add the rest of the oil and cook the onion, fennel, and peppers over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring as needed.  
Add the garlic and cook another minute. 
Add the wine and cook another minute.

Cut the sausages into ¼ inch circles and add to the skillet along with the sun-dried tomatoes.  
Add 1 cup of the pasta water and cook another 4 to 5 minutes.
Spoon in the pasta and add the basil, red pepper flakes and parsley.  
Toss to combine and add more pasta water, if needed.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the grated cheese and spoon pasta into 4 heated pasta bowls.
Serve with extra grated cheese at the table and a green salad...and of course a glass of vino rosso (red wine) or vino bianco (white wine).

Serves 4