ITALIAN ANTIPASTI

Antipasti translates to "before the pasta." It is a whole series of little bites while waiting for the next course. Puglia, Italy, is the land of antipasti, just like Napoli is the land of pizza.  

QUICK TUSCAN BEAN SOUP

There’s nothing like a steaming bowl of hot soup to warm you on a cold autumn or winter evening. This soup is made with canned beans instead of dried beans, making it quick and easy to prepare. Any variety of white canned beans will be great with this soup, from the smaller navy bean to the medium great northern bean and the larger cannellini bean. You can omit the pancetta in this recipe, if you prefer.

2 oz pancetta, finely diced 

2 T extra-light olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 sprigs fresh thyme, tied together with cotton butcher’s twine or 1 t dried thyme

2 bay leaves
8 cups chicken stock
3 (14 oz) cans of any white beans, drained in a mesh colander and rinsed

1 (3-inch) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Chopped Italian parsley, for garnish
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

In a large pot or Dutch oven, fry the pancetta over medium heat until golden. 

Pour off most of the grease and discard.
Add the oil to the pot and sauté the onion until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. 

Add garlic and sauté another minute.
Add the thyme sprigs, bay leaves, chicken stock, beans, and cheese rind.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer for about 25 minutes.

Remove the thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and cheese rind. 

Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with parsley.

Serve with grated Parmigiano cheese and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Serves 4 to 6 

CHICKEN CACCIATORE WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGES & OLIVES OVER POLENTA

Chicken Cacciatore is a hunter's stew. This is definitely one of my Go-To recipes. It is perfect for cold autumn or winter nights. It is definitely a heartier dish with the addition of Italian sausages. We had it one night and had it again for leftovers another weeknight.

4 Italian sausages, hot or sweet

1 T avocado oil
1 T unsalted butter

4 bone-in chicken pieces of your choice (I cut large chicken breasts in half

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 to 10 small white or cremini mushrooms, wiped clean, trimmed and cut in half
1 medium yellow onion, cut in half and thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

½ cup dry red wine

1 28-oz can whole peeled Italian tomatoes, hand crushed
2 T tomato paste

1 T minced fresh rosemary leaves
½ t freeze-dried oregano or chopped fresh oregano

1 bay leaf

½ cup green olives, (I use regular Manzanilla olives stuffed with pimentos)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Basil leaves, chopped, for garnish
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

In a large skillet fitted with a lid, cook the sausages for 5 to 7 minutes, per side over medium heat.

While sausages are cooking, dry chicken pieces with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

Remove sausages from skillet and set aside on a large plastic cutting board.
Drain off most of the fat and add oil and butter.

Add the chicken pieces in two batches, skin side down. Cook chicken until golden brown on both sides, about 5 to 7 minutes per side. Set aside with sausages.

Add the mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and sauté another minute.

Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove the browned flavor bits.

Cook for another minute to reduce the wine slightly.

Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, rosemary, oregano, and bay leaf.

Tuck the chicken pieces into the pan.

Cut the sausages into 3 pieces and tuck in the pan.

Cover and simmer slowly for 30 minutes.

Uncover, add the olives and simmer another 15 minutes to thicken the sauce.

Garnish with basil and serve with polenta, grated Parmigiano and a green salad. 

Serves 4 

Polenta for 4
3 cups water
3 cups chicken stock
1 t sea salt
1 ½ cups polenta or coarse yellow cornmeal
2 T unsalted butter
3 T freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and chicken stock to a boil, then add the salt.

Add the polenta in a gentle stream, whisking as you pour.
Reduce heat and let the polenta simmer, whisking constantly for about one minute.
Reduce heat o the lowest setting and let simmer for about 15 minutes. stirring often to prevent from sticking
Remove from heat, add the butter and grated Parmigiano cheese.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed.
Set aside to keep warm.

Serves 4

EGGS IN PURGATORY WITH ARUGULA & PARMIGIANO

Eggs in purgatory is a traditional Italian-American breakfast dish. I added some arugula and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano to make it even more delicious! Add a slice of toasted Italian bread and a cup of cappuccino for a perfect Sunday morning breakfast.

1 T avocado oil or extra-light olive oil

1 large clove garlic, pressed

½ t red pepper flakes

1 (24 oz) jar pureed and strained tomatoes (passata)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 T minced basil

4 eggs

2 T grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 bunches fresh arugula

Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes.

Sauté for 2 minutes, then add the pureed tomatoes.

Season with salt and pepper and simmer 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Stir the minced basil into the sauce and spoon some sauce into two small cast-iron skillets or two oven-proof baking dishes.

Nestle two eggs into the sauce in each skillet or baking dish.

Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with Parmigiano.

Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until eggs are cooked to your liking.

Add a handful of arugula to each skillet and a few shaved pieces of Parmigiano.

Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil and serve.

Serves 2

* You will have extra tomato sauce for another breakfast or use for pizza.

FRESH STRAWBERRY GELATO - Gelato alla Fragola

Tis' the season to get strawberries at your local farm stand or market. Once you bring your berries home, the key to keeping them fresh is to kill any spores on the berries. Put them in a bowl of 4 cups of cold water and ½ cup white vinegar. Let them soak for about 5 minutes. Place in a colander and rinse with water. Let them dry on a paper towel. Do this in batches if you have a lot of berries. 
Ice cream contains 15 to 20% butterfat. Gelato contains anywhere from 5 to 7% butterfat. These strawberries were so sweet, I only added ½ cup of sugar. You can add a little more if you prefer your gelato sweeter. The optional addition of pomegranate juice, adds a little more intense flavor and color.

2 pints (4 cups) fresh strawberries

2 cups whole milk

1 T cornstarch

½ to ¾ cup organic cane sugar or granulated sugar
3 T pomegranate juice (optional) 

Remove the stems and leaves from the strawberries and discard.

Cut the strawberries into two or three slices.

Add the strawberries into a blender and blend for a few seconds to chop up the strawberries.

Blend longer if you want a smoother gelato.

Make a slurry by mixing ¼ cup of the milk with the cornstarch.

Mix until the cornstarch is dissolved.

Heat the remaining milk in a saucepan with the sugar.

Just when the milk starts to boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture.

Lower heat and simmer very gently for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat, let cool to room temperature, then stir in the strawberries and pomegranate juice, if using.

Pour into a covered container and refrigerate until completely chilled.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze, according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Transfer to a covered container and place in your freezer, until firm.

Makes about 3 cups

MASCARPONE AND RASPBERRY ICE CREAM

When raspberries are in season, why not make ice cream with mascarpone cheese? If you love raspberries, you will love this ice cream.

4 large egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup mascarpone cheese

1 t pure vanilla extract

1 ½ cups heavy cream or half-and-half

1 cup chopped fresh raspberries

Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a heat-proof bowl. Set over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk for about 5 minutes.

Place bowl in a sink with some cold water. 

Whisk for another 2 minutes to cool the mixture down.

Stir in the vanilla, cream or half-and-half, and the raspberries.

Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

Spoon into a covered container and place in your freezer for at least 2 hours before serving.

Serves 6

CHICKEN VESUVIO

This is my version of the traditional Chicago Italian-American dish. Everyone loves a one-pot meal or in this case, a one-baking pan meal. I cooked this in a large roasting pan even though I only had 3 very large chicken breasts. It is important to have the chicken and potatoes in one layer, to ensure even browning. After baking, I transferred the dinner to a prettier baking pan suitable for the table and for my photo.

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts or whole chicken legs

1 T balsamic vinegar

4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges

4 lemons

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 T extra-light olive oil or avocado oil

1 T freeze-dried oregano or 3 T fresh oregano leaves

½ cup Sicilian or Spanish olives, cut in half

¼ cup capers, drained

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place the chicken in a large baking pan.

Brush balsamic vinegar over the chicken.

Add the potatoes to the pan and scatter on the olives and capers.

Squeeze the juice from three lemons into a small bowl.

Add the garlic, olive oil, and oregano.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Pour evenly over the chicken and potatoes.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and baste with pan juices.

Return to oven and continue to bake another 30 minutes, until chicken is brown and potatoes are golden and tender.

Transfer chicken and potatoes to a platter, pretty baking pan, or individual plates.

Slice the 4^th lemon into thin slices and tuck in between potatoes and chicken.

Pour pan juices over and serve with a green vegetable or salad.

Serves 4