Comments (4)

By Suzanne Carreiro, January 27, 2011 17:16

Ciao a tutti,

I am finally back in the kitchen, walking pretty well, after a fall that broke both ankles in early September.  Now that I’m better I hope to stay in touch weekly.

I thought you might enjoy the soup I made for lunch today—Pappa al pomodoro.  This Tuscan tomato and bread soup is very tasty and easy-to-make.  And it’s practically a pantry dish.  In the winter, I use canned tomatoes, but when tomatoes are in season, I replace them with fresh, peeled and seeded San Marzano or Roma tomatoes. When I have more time, I sometimes add a small carrot (peeled and diced), a stalk of celery (diced), and a handful of diced onion.  I sauté the vegetables with the garlic, adding a few tablespoons of water and cooking until the vegetables are very tender, about half an hour.

By the way, in a couple of months, my ankles/feet will be back to normal, so I hope to add cooking classes to my schedule.  Please check my Classes and Book Signings page every now and then.

Cin cin, Suzanne

Pappa al pomodoro–Tuscan Tomato and Bread Soup

PRINT PAPPA AL POMODORO RECIPE

Yield:  3 or 4 servings (about 5 cups)

4 to 5 ounces (about 1/3 loaf) stale Italian bread (see Note, below)

1 can (14 ounces) whole tomatoes with juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish

3 or 4 large garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup packed parsley, chopped or 12 fresh basil leaves, torn

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

5 to 6 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade

Freshly grated black pepper

Finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Cut the bread into 3/4 inch thick slices.  Tear into 3/4-inch cubes; set aside (or toast if not stale, see Note, below).  Remove the tomatoes from the juice; reserve the juice and chop the tomatoes.  Heat the oil over medium in a large pot; add the garlic.  Cook until tender but not brown, about 1 minute.  Add the parsley, salt, and red pepper; cook 30 seconds.  Stir in the tomatoes and tomato juice.  Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Use an immersion blender to puree some of the tomatoes, leaving some chunks.  (Alternatively, smash the tomatoes with a fork.)  Stir in 5 cups of the broth; bring to a boil over high heat.  Simmer gently over low heat for about 10 minutes.  Stir in the bread; simmer until the bread is soft, about 3 minutes.  Add the remaining broth (and/or water, as needed) if too thick; heat.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  At the table, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the cheese.

Note: Ciabatta, Pugliese, or Italian batard are ideal breads for this recipe.  If you cannot find Italian bread, non-sourdough French bread will work. If using fresh bread, you’ll need to dry it out. Preheat the oven to 300^oF.  Arrange the torn bread cubes on a large baking sheet; bake until slightly dry, tossing a couple of times, 12 to 15 minutes.  Let cool.

Comments (1)

By Suzanne Carreiro, October 21, 2010 14:49

Umbertide (Umbria, Italy)

Giaccomo’s Panzanella

In my last post, I talked about eating panzanella as part of an antipasto platter at L’Osteria in Aboca (Tuscany).  The photo of the antipasto plate, with a mound of this bread salad, comes from our lunch at the Osteria, but the recipe comes from an Umbrian friend named Giaccomo.  My neighbor Mario introduced me to Giaccomo, a young chemist with a passion for cooking traditional recipes.

Bread salad might sound strange, but I love the vinaigrette dressed bread dotted with crisp vegetables. Giaccomo uses whatever is on hand—lettuce, carrots, onions, celery, cucumbers, red or yellow bell peppers. When tomatoes are in season, I add super-sweet cherry tomatoes, cut into halves or quarters.

For the best texture, thinly slice the lettuce, and cut the vegetables into 3/16 to 1/4-inch cubes—the smaller the better.  Steer away from sourdough bread—its flavor is too strong.

One November evening, Giaccomo and a group of Mario’s friends came to my place for dinner.  Giaccomo had agreed to teach me a few of his favorite dishes—panzanella was one of them.  As usual, the young crowd arrived late so we didn’t start cooking until 8:30—dinner was ready at 10:30.  But what a great time we had—we ate and sipped wine and laughed until 2:30 in the morning!

PRINT PANZANELLA RECIPE

Yield:  About 8 cups

3 tablespoons cider vinegar (or more)

1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon other brands or types of salt)

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (or more)

1/4 small red onion, finely chopped

12 ounces stale Italian bread, such as ciabatta or Pugliese (about 3 days old—but not hard)

3 cups thinly sliced Romaine lettuce

1 medium carrot, cut into 3/16 to 1/4-inch cubes

1 medium celery stalk, cut into 3/16 to 1/4-inch pieces

1/4 cup chiffonade (thinly sliced) of basil

Mix together the 3 tablespoons of vinegar with the salt and pepper in a small bowl; whisk in the 1/3 cup of oil.  Add the onion; marinate it in the dressing for about 10 minutes.  Cut the bread crosswise into 1-inch thick slices.  Put the bread into a large bowl; cover with cold water until very soft, about 4 minutes (leave hard crust in longer, as needed).  Immediately drain the bread into a colander.  Use the back of a wooden spoon to force out the excess water.  Squeeze a small handful of bread at a time to remove as much water as possible (it should be moist but not wet).  Tear each handful of bread into small pieces; put the bread bits into a large bowl.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the onion to the bowl of bread (set aside the dressing).  Add the lettuce, carrot, celery, and basil; toss.  Add dressing to taste; toss to coat all ingredients—it needs lots of dressing (without swimming in it) to make it delicious.  Adjust the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste.

Book News: I just found out that my book, The Dog Who Ate the Truffle: A Memoir of Stories and Recipes from Umbria, was number 6 on the best seller list in Marin County the week of August 29.

Comments (2)

By Suzanne Carreiro, September 12, 2010 12:07

Suzanne with casts on.

St. Helena, CA

 Email This Post

Next book signing: Sonoma, CA. Thursday at 7:30 pm, September 23, 2010. Book signing at Readers’ Books, 130 East Napa Street.

Last weekend, right in the middle of a busy book signing schedule for The Dog Who Ate the Truffle, life dumped a bunch of “lemons” in my lap.  While I was heading to the BBQ to grill a chicken, I turned to look behind me for a split second and stepped off the deck, first twisting my right ankle (crack, was that a bone?) and then landing on and twisting my left foot.  I fell with a big bang (and a shrill scream) on the concrete patio.  I haven’t been able to stand since—and I don’t know when I’ll walk again.  My right leg (two broken bones) is in a plaster cast and my left leg (torn ligaments) is in a removable cast.  I am left in a wheelchair for now.

Before I fell, I had planned to cook minestrone using veggies from my neighbor Kim’s garden.  Minestrone is such a simple soup that I figured I could make it from a wheelchair.  Yesterday, I learned that it is possible, but I wouldn’t recommend it to a nubbie like me. 

You can see in the photo of the soup that my chopping was not ideal—my usually perfect 1/4-inch dice was irregular.  I haphazardly cut some of the carrot into large chunks and some into tiny bits (I used a boning knife because I couldn’t reach the chef’s knife).  The soup usually comes together really quickly but yesterday I was still chopping vegetables more than an hour after I started.

I chopped at the dining table, but had to head back to the kitchen sink to wash hands and veggies.  And I could barely reach the faucet!  To see inside the pot, I had to lift it off the stove and set it on a makeshift table on my lap.  Bill added the broth because I couldn’t reach high enough to pour it in myself.  Kim measured and served the soup.  Bill cleaned up the huge mess I made.  The simple soup turned into an event, but it made a lot and it tasted even better today.

The secret to making good minestrone is using tons of fresh garden vegetables.  Potatoes are a good addition.  Cut them into 1/2-inch cubes and add them with the chard; cook until tender. For instructions on grating tomatoes, see page 34 in my book, The Dog Who Ate the Truffle; and for a delicious recipe for broth—brodo di carne—, refer to pages 118 – 120.

When I was in Umbria in June, I bought fresh borlotti (cranberry beans) in their deep reddish-pink speckled pods.  They cook more quickly than dried beans, but the flavor is very similar.  One 15-ounce can of beans—pinto or cannelloni—is a good substitute for the dried beans.  Drain the beans before adding them to the soup.

“Wheelchair” Minestrone

PRINT MINESTRONE RECIPE

Yield: About 10 cups

1 cup dried cranberry or pinto beans, sorted and rinsed

3 medium stalks celery, diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1/2 large onion, diced

2 slices pancetta, diced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for garnish

2 large garlic cloves, sliced

3 medium zucchini, diced

2 large Roma tomatoes, seeded and grated

8 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade

12 ounces green beans, sliced into 1/2-inch lengths

1 medium-small bunch chard, chopped

1/2 cup tiny soup pasta, such as De Cecco semi di melone, or 1/4-inch long macaroni

Pesto sauce, preferably homemade, or minced fresh basil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. To quick soak the dried beans, cover them with several inches of cold water; bring to a boil.  Simmer 4 minutes; cover and let stand off the heat for 1 hour.  Drain; add fresh water and simmer until tender, 45 to 60 minutes (taste-test several beans for doneness).  Drain and set aside.
2. Sauté the celery, carrot, onion, and pancetta in the oil in a large pot over medium heat, stirring often.  Add the garlic; sauté about 1 minute.  Add the zucchini; sauté 3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes; sauté 3 minutes.  Stir in the broth; bring to a boil.  Add the green beans and reserved cranberry beans; simmer about 20 minutes.  Stir in the chard; cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Add the pasta; cook until just tender (refer to package for cooking time).  If the pasta absorbs too much of the broth, add more broth or water, but not too much—this is a vegetable-dense soup.
4. Stir in the pesto or basil, a tablespoon at a time, to taste.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over each serving.  Pass the cheese at the table.

Notes: Because pasta absorbs broth as it sits, before serving leftover soup, you may need to add more broth or water.  Or instead of cooking the pasta in the soup, boil it separately; drain and rinse it well under cold water.  Add a few tablespoons pasta to each serving of soup.

Comments (8)

By Suzanne Carreiro, July 9, 2010 02:56

PRINT spaghetti-gricia recipe

Spaghetti alla gricia

Umbertide, July 9, 2010

I just heard back from the subscriber who won the first cookbook in my drawing–until now I had only her email address.  Her name is Sally Free from Cape Coral, Florida.  The next drawing is Monday.

I craved pasta at lunchtime yesterday, but I didn’t feel like shopping for ingredients or spending much time cooking.  It was too hot.  So I dug up my notes from eating in Rome at Armando al Pantheon.  The small intimate restaurant—just a few steps from the Pantheon—was so popular that I was unable to get in after I fell in love with this dish on my first visit.  So if you go, I suggest you make a reservation.

The sauce is made with guanciale (made from pork jowl), but pancetta or bacon will do.  If you use bacon, you’ll need to drain some of the fat after sautéing.  The classic cheese for this dish is pecorino Romano, a sharp, salty cheese, but since I am in Umbria, I used the region’s traditional aged pecorino.  For a milder dish, you can use Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Here is my version of the dish .  Buon appetito!  Suzanne

Spaghetti alla gricia 

Yield:  2 servings

8 ounces dry spaghetti

3 ounces thinly sliced guanciale, diced

1/2 tablespoon plus 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1-1/2 ounces (a large handful) grated aged Umbrian or Tuscan pecorino

Kosher salt

Freshly grated black pepper

1. Cook the spaghetti in boiling, salted water until just al dente (usually 1 minute less than package directions); drain but reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water.  Return the spaghetti to the pot.
2. While the spaghetti cooks, sauté the guanciale in a large saucepan in 1/2 tablespoon of the oil until cooked but not crisp.  Stir the cooked spaghetti into the saucepan with the guanciale.  Toss well; add several tablespoons of the reserved cooking water.
3. Cook about 1 minute over low heat, adding more liquid, if needed, to keep it moist.  It is ready when the spaghetti has absorbed the flavor of the guanciale and the spaghetti is al dente.  Remove from the heat; stir in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil and the cheese.  Toss to evenly coat; season to taste with the salt and pepper.

Note:  The recipe can be doubled.

Armando al Pantheon

Salita dei Crescenzi, 31

Rome, Italy

Phone: 06.688.03034  .  www.armandoalpantheon.it

Comments (1)

By Suzanne Carreiro, May 25, 2010 15:40

A beautiful bunch of young lacinato kale.

Last week at the St. Helena Farmers’ Market, I bought one of my favorite greens—lacinato kale.  Today, the kale awaits me.  It is gloomy here, raining—practically unheard of in Napa Valley during the month of May.  So I am pondering what to have for dinner…hmmm—Zuppa con cavolo nero e fagioli. But first, what the heck is lacinato kale?

Lacinato Kale

What is it?

Lacinato kale—long stemmed, with frilly, blistered leaves—is one of the darkest greens in the Cruciferae plant family (Brassica Oleracea species, Acephala group), a very nutritious collection of vegetables that are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.  Lacinato kale’s deep bluish green-black leaves make it one of the most nutritious among its cousins—cabbage, watercress, broccoli, cauliflower, arugula, collard greens, mustard greens, and Brussels sprouts.

What to look for

At the store, the vegetable is called lacinato, dino, dinosaur, Tuscan, or black kale.  In Italy, it is called cavolo nero (black cabbage).  Look for fresh (not wilted), tender dark green leaves—the smaller the leaf, the more tender and delicate.  Non-organic kale is often heavily sprayed, so organic kale is a much better choice.

Note: Visit the Environmental Working Group’s website (www.foodnews.org) to read about the “Dirty Dozen” (http://www.foodnews.org/methodology.php), produce with the highest levels of pesticides.

Bowl of Lacinata Kale and Bean Soup

When is it in season?

In California, lacinato kale is generally available year-round at supermarkets and farmers’ markets, but the prime season is winter, spring, and fall.

How to store and prepare

Drop the kale into a large bowl (or salad spinner) filled with cold water; gently swish the stalks around to remove any dirt—this may take two or three bowlfuls of fresh water.  The kale is clean when no grit remains in the bottom of the bowl.  When clean, rather than draining it into a colander, scoop the kale out of the water by hand just in case there is fine dirt left on the bottom.  Drain the leaves well (or spin them dry in the salad spinner).  Wrap the leaves in a clean towel; store in a plastic bag in a crisper drawer in the refrigerator for up to several days. (Note: flavors and nutrition deteriorate as the kale ages). Just before cooking, for more tender kale, cut the leaves off the stems using kitchen shears (usually a good idea if the leaves are large).

What to do with it

Like spinach and chard, lacinato kale has a green flavor but with a slightly bitter, astringent quality and a peppery background.  The Italians cook the kale in extra virgin olive oil with garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and plenty of salt to help mellow it out.  The sautéed kale makes one of the most traditional—and popular—toppings for crostini in Tuscany, and it’s also delicious on pizza with sautéed onions, diced almost-crisp pancetta, and plenty of salt and olive oil.  In Italy, cavolo nero is served alongside roasted, grilled, or braised meats and poultry, but it is also makes a quick sauce for pasta. In Umbria, sautéed greens are tucked inside torta al testo (griddle bread) with grilled sausage or cheese.  Lacinato kale—and chard—is an important ingredient in many soups, from minestrone to ribollita.  A recipe for a quick Italian soup follows.

Zuppa con cavolo nero e fagioli—Lacinato Kale and Bean Soup

PRINT Zuppa con cavolo nero e fagioli

Seme di melone pasta

After a conversation with my friend and colleague Rita Held about her husband’s kale and bean soup, I rushed out to buy lacinato kale to make my own version.  The soup is quick and easy to make—and it is really delicious.

For the pasta, tiny soup pasta is ideal.  De Cecco sells several kinds—stellette (tiny stars), riso (rice), and seme di melone (melon seeds), my favorite.  Any of these will do.  If you have fresh soup pasta—it’s even better than dried—add it during the last few minutes of cooking.

Here is my rendition of the soup.

Yield: About 6-1/2 cups (3 main-dish servings or 6 first-course servings)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for garnish

Lacinato kales simmers in broth

1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

2 slices pancetta or bacon, diced

1 large garlic clove, minced

6 cups homemade chicken broth

1 large bunch lacinato kale or chard, chopped

1 (14 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained

1/2 cup dried tiny soup pasta, such as seme di melone or riso

Cannellini beans are added to the soup

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Shredded or grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat; add the oil.  When hot, sauté the onion, pancetta, and garlic in the oil until the onion is tender and the pancetta is cooked but not crisp.  (If using bacon, you might want to drain off some of the fat.)  Add the broth; bring to a boil over high heat.  Immediately stir in the kale and reduce the heat; simmer until the kale is just

Seme di melone pasta cooks until al dente

tender, about 12 minutes.  Add the beans and pasta; cook until the pasta is al dente (refer to the package directions for cooking time).  If the pasta absorbs too much liquid add a little more broth or water.  Adjust the salt to taste; season with pepper as desired.  Drizzle each serving with a little of the oil.  Pass the cheese at the table.

Notes: Al dente means the pasta gives some resistance when bitten into—it should not be soft. For a really fast soup, substitute one quart canned chicken broth plus two cups water for the homemade broth.

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By Suzanne Carreiro, March 10, 2010 16:47

Macedonia di frutta

In homes across Umbria, a bowl or basket of fresh, seasonal fruit—whole bananas, golden pears, mandarin oranges the size of ping-pong balls, and bunches of grapes—is usually brought to the table at the end of lunch and dinner.  When a medley of bite-size fruit, called macedonia di frutta, is served instead, I am in heaven!  The secret to a really good macedonia is the addition of a dessert wine, such as Umbria’s beloved vinsanto or port, and fresh lemon juice.  To make macedonia, choose three or more fresh fruits—bananas, grapes, cherries, pineapple, berries, pears, apples, peaches, kiwis, oranges—but not melon.  Peel the fruit as needed and cut it into bite-size pieces.  Sprinkle the fruit to taste with sugar, fresh lemon juice (and fresh orange juice, if you wish), and a splash of dessert wine.  Toss until the fruit is well coated.  Set aside at least one-half hour before serving so the sugar and juices turn into a syrupy sauce and the flavors have a chance to marry.

Comments (1)

By Suzanne Carreiro, January 10, 2010 17:59

Novella's daughter Analisa spreading jam over slices of pecorino cheese.

I am so addicted to this jam!  I served it on pecorino cheese as an appetizer over the holidays–everyone loved it.  Its spiciness is reminiscent of jalapeno jelly, but this jam is much more interesting and complex.  My friend Novella, a shop owner and ceramic artist in Deruta, Umbria, served this pepper jam when I dined at her house.  She is just one of the cooks I met in Umbria when I was working on my book.

The jam is also delicious on Manchego, fresh mozarella, or ricotta cheese.  Novella also likes it on boiled beef.

Novella tasted this jam while traveling in the Italian region of Puglia–it is not a traditional Umbrian recipe.  She liked it so much she came home and developed her own recipe for it. Novella is a very good cook–there are a couple of her recipes in my book The Dog Who Ate The Truffle.

Although the jam on cheese makes a great holiday appetizer, summer is a good time to make the jam because red bell peppers are more economical.

Ingredients for making Spicy Pepper Jam.

Simmering bell and chile peppers in water.

Spicy Pepper Jam

Marmelata di peperoni

Print Spicy Pepper Jam Recipe

Yield: About 1-1/2 cups

3 large red bell peppers

15 small dried red chile peppers (see Note, below)

1-1/2 cups water

3/4 cup sugar

An immersion blender makes pureeing in the saucepan easy.

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons honey

1. Core, seed, and chop the bell peppers. Put the bell and chile peppers into a medium saucepan; add the 1-1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 12 minutes.

Small jars--less than 1/2 cup volume--are ideal.

2. Remove and discard the chile peppers; use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the bell peppers with the cooking liquid. Be careful when using an immersion blender–the mixture might splatter.

3. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Simmer over medium heat, stirring often and adjusting the heat to prevent a boil-over. Remove from the heat when the mixture is the consistency of a fairly thick jam and it has a slight sheen, 18 to 20 minutes.  Stir in the honey.

Check out the plates in the back--hand-painted by Novella.

4. Spoon the jam into canning/freezer jars. Seal; refrigerate up to 2 weeks or freeze up to 4 months.

Note:  Look for the chile peppers in the spice section of the grocery store.  Sometimes they are available in bags in the international section near Mexican and Asian ingredients.