Spanish Tortilla - Will try soon

from:  http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/spanish_tortilla/

Waxy potatoes such as Yukon Golds or red-skinned new potatoes work well in this dish. Avoid using russets. This recipe is meant for a 9 inch diameter pan. If your pan is larger, add a couple eggs. If your pan is a full 12 inches, add 4 eggs, another potato and another green onion.

Ingredients

• 6 eggs, beaten
• 2 Yukon Gold potatoes
• 2-3 green onions (or 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion), chopped up to the light green parts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt

Method

1 Slice the potatoes (peeled or unpeeled) into disks between 1/4 and 1/8 inch wide. (Helps to use a mandoline for this purpose.)

2 Pour the olive oil into a cast-iron or hard anodized aluminum pan (a pan that will be able to take the heat of a broiler in the oven) and heat it over medium-high heat. When it is hot enough to sizzle the potatoes as soon as they hit the oil – test with an end piece – start frying them in one layer. Working in batches, fry until they are lightly browned, not crispy. When they are done, let the potatoes dry on a paper towel and salt them well. Keep frying until they are all cooked.

3 When the potatoes are all done, pour off most of the oil and sauté the onions. When they are just starting to crisp, turn off the heat. Arrange the onions so they are evenly covering the bottom of the pan. Arrange the potatoes on the pan in a scalloped pattern.

4 Turn the heat back on to medium, and pour in the eggs. Add a generous pinch of salt. Shake the pan to get the eggs to coat everything in the pan. Let this cook until you see the edges of the tortilla begin to set, then put the pan under the broiler.

5 Cook it under the broiler for 5 minutes, or until the top browns. (If you prefer to finish the tortilla on the stovetop instead of the broiler, slide the tortilla out of the pan onto a plate. Then invert the pan over the plate, and flip the whole thing, pan and plate so that the tortilla falls back into the pan, less-cooked side down.) Remove the pan and set it to cool for at least 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve. It’s also good at room temperature, and will keep a couple days in the fridge.
Serves 2-4.

Home Fries - Made 'em! (Loved 'em!)

adapted from: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/home_fries/

• Red potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/8-inch thick)
• 1/2 of one large onion, or 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• Crisco
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

1 Heat Crisco in a medium to large skillet on medium high heat until sizzling. Place a single layer of potato slices on the bottom of the pan. Add a light layer of sliced onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add another layer of potatoes, another layer of onion slices, sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Keep layering until you've used up your potatoes and onions.

2 Lower the heat to medium and cover the pan. Let cook for about 10 minutes, until the potato layer at the bottom is nicely browned. You can move aside a little bit with a fork to see if the bottom edges are browned.

3 Gently flip the potatoes over, a section of the pan at a time, so that the layer that was on the top is now on the bottom, and the browned potatoes are now on the top. Add another Tbsp of oil. The oil will help the browning. Cover and let cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the bottom layer is now browned.

4 Once the bottom layer is browned, remove the lid of the pan and let continue to cook for 5 more minutes. This additional cooking will help the potatoes dry out just a little bit more.

Serve immediately. Serves 2-4.

Grandma's Eggplant - Made it! (Awesome)

 From:  http://www.whatshecooked.com/2011/08/grandmas-eggplant.html

Ingredients
2 medium eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
2 eggs
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups breadcrumbs
olive oil

Method
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
1. Beat the eggs in a small shallow bowl then mix in the Parmesan cheese.
2. Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.
*3. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying it with olive oil.
4. Dip each piece of the sliced eggplant into the egg batter.  Place it in the breadcrumbs and coat completely.  Place the eggplant in a single layer on the baking sheet.
5. Once the baking sheet is full, bake in the oven for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, flip the eggplant and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.  The eggplant should be golden and a bit crispy.
6. Transfer to a dish lined with paper towel.

Everyone in the family loved this!  I topped it with shredded mozzarella cheese and pasta sauce to turn it into Eggplant Parmesan.  Seriously, this goes into our dinner rotation.

Gwyneth Paltrow's Fried-Zucchini Spaghetti - Made it (it was ok)

Fried-Zucchini Spaghetti

Ingredients:

1 pound small zucchini, very thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound spaghetti
1 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 cup torn basil leaves
Freshly ground pepper
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the flour and a pinch of salt. In a very large skillet, heat half of the oil until shimmering. Add half of the zucchini and fry over high heat, turning once or twice, until browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the zucchini to a paper towel–lined wire rack and season with salt. Repeat with the remaining oil and zucchini.  
2. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Return the pasta to the pot and toss with the 1 cup of cheese, the basil and a generous pinch of pepper. Add the reserved pasta water a little at a time, tossing well to coat. Transfer the pasta to a bowl and top with the crispy zucchini. Serve right away with lemon wedges and additional cheese. 

From:  http://myitaliangrandmother.blogspot.com/2011/05/gwyneth-paltrows-fried-zucchini.html 

We loved this meal. My family isn't even aware that dinner for the last two nights has been vegetarian :)

Tomato Meat Sauce (Salsa di Carne al Pomodoro)-Trying Soon!

A large saucepot with a tight-fitting lid is best for this recipe.

¼ cup olive oil + 3 tsp

½ cup chopped onion (about one medium onion)

½ beef chuck

½ pork shoulder

7 cups sieved canned tomatoes

1 tbsp salt

1 bay leaf

¾ cup (6 oz) tomato paste

½ lb ground beef

Heat oil in the sauce pot

Add chopped onion and sauté until lightly browned.  Add beef and pork and turning occasionally until browned.

Add canned tomatoes, salt and bay leaf to meat.  Cover and simmer over very low heat for 2 ½ hours.

Add tomato paste and simmer uncovered over very low heat, stirring occasionally, for two hours or until thickened.  If the sauce becomes too thick, add water.

Remove meat and bay leaf.  In another pan, brown ground beef in 3 tablespoons olive oil and add to sauce and let simmer another ten minutes or………….                     

Buy two jars of spaghetti sauce…….

Bombette di Carne al Pomodoro - Trying soon!

(Translated from: http://www.buttalapasta.it/articolo/secondi-piatti-bombette-di-carne-al-pomodoro/26813/)

1 lb tomatoes
¼ cup broth
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 oz. butter
1 oz flour
Salt
1 lb ground beef/pork
4 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 egg

Prepare the sauce:
Wash the tomatoes, immerse in boiling water, remove and then remove skins.  Cut tomatoes in half and remove the seeds and dice.  Then put them in a wide shallow pan and add the broth over high heat for five minutes and then pass through a sieve.

On low heat, add ketchup, butter, flour.  Add a little cold water to dilute.  Season with black pepper and salt and cook for another five minutes.

Shape the meat, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper into balls (easier with wet hands) and place them in sauce.  Bake for 15 minutes at 350 being careful that the sauce never comes to a boil. 

Migas are m-m-m good! Cooked it! (Loved it)

In Tex-Mex cuisine, migas are a traditional breakfast dish consisting of scrambled eggs mixed with strips of corn tortilla.  When I was a kid, I used to spend the night at my best-friend's house and her mom would make these for us on weekend mornings.  I ran into my friend's mom a few weeks ago at a party and asked for the recipe. She kind of laughed and shared her recipe with me.

Eggs
Milk
Oil
Corn Tortillas cut into 1-inch squares
Scallions
Monterey Jack Cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. In a bowl, whisk eggs together with milk.

2. In a large pan, heat oil on medium-high, and place tortilla squares in, cooking for about three minutes, turning over one time. (Note:  If you cook them too long, save those for tortilla chips and begin again).  Let tortillas drain on a paper towel.

3. Leaving a little oil in the pan, add scallions and cook for a few minutes.

4. Add egg mixture and tortilla strips to the pan and let the eggs set.  Sprinkle shredded cheese on top and once the cheese is melted, breakfast or in our case, dinner is ready!

Tasted terrific and I will definitely make again.

Spice Rub

Rosemary
Garlic
Sage
Sea Salt

Chop until very fine.  Leave mixture out for 24 hours to dry and then jar.  Good on meat and roasted vegetables.

Arrosto Fiorentino (Florentine Roast Beef)

From http://www.divinacucina.com/arrosto.html

Arrosto Fiorentino (Dario Cecchini's Florentine Roast Beef)

2 pound beef for roasting

Infusion:
One-half cup fresh rosemary leaves
1 cup fresh sage leaves
One-half cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Fresh chili pepper

Let the meat come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Prepare the infusion: Using a sharp knife, finely chop the rosemary, sage, and chili. Place in a small bowl and cover with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Whisk until blended.

Place the beef in a shallow roasting pan and cook uncovered for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven. Pour the herb infusion over the beef, cover with foil, and let sit until ready to serve. Slice the beef thinly and serve with the herb infused oil.

Battered Zucchini Blossoms (Fiori Fritti)

http://www.aziendaagricolatorlasco.it/images/fiori_di_zucchine_fritti_.jpg

Fiori Fritti

Fried Squash Blossoms ( both zucchini and pumpkin, so a long season)

16 zucchini flowers
1 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
white wine
nutmeg
salt
oil for frying 

Prepare batter:
In a soup bowl, blend flour, salt and nutmeg with 3 tablespoons olive oil and egg yolks. 

Save the whites. Mix well to remove lumps.  Thin with a little wine mixed with water.  Let rest 1/2 hour. 

Clean flowers: remove the stalk, stamen and sepals. The flowers can also be filled with ricotta cheese or mozzarella and a piece of anchovy. 

When the flowers are ready, heat the oil for frying. 
Whip the egg whites stiff and fold into the batter.
Dip flowers into batter letting excess drip into bowl. 

Hold the flowers closed as you roll in batter to cover totally.

Let excess drip off before placing in hot oil.
Lay the blossom in carefully.

Do not crowd! 
Let crisp on one side and turn when crisp. 
Drain and sprinkle with salt.

From: http://www.divinacucina-blog.com/2010/07/more-zucchini-fiori-fritti.html#ixzz1Ujq0GY5f