Pinakbet

Tthis is the ONE DISH I hated to eat when I was growing up, cooking and eating pinakbet now brings back nothing but fond memories of living in Hawaii, of my grandparents, of my mother that made us eat it, and of my sisters and brothers who'd think of clever ways to avoid doing so. Amen.

Pinakbet
Ingredients:
1/2 kilo (1 lb.) pork, small cube
Tomatoes, medium-size, quartered or cut into eighths depending on size
Bittermelon, halved and cut into bite-size chunks
Okra, ends cut off and halved
Long eggplant, cut in halves
Long asian beans, cut in 2-inch lengths
Kabocha pumpkin, cubed
Dried shrimp
Spring onions, cut in 1Y-inch lengths
Bagoong or patis to taste

Instructions:
1. Brown the meat in a little bit of oil done. Set aside.
2. To the pot, add tomatoes and season with salt. Cook on medium.
3. Add remaining vegetables and dried shrimp, except for the green onions.
4. Cover the pan and let simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Tilt the cover of the pan to allow steam to escape. Adjust and lower the flame.
6. When the vegetables are done, add the spring onions, cover the pan and shake vigorously (do not use ladle).
7. Add the cooked meat and cook for another 5 minutes.

///// Terremoto! /////

Last night we were rattled into the start of Thanksgiving Day when just before midnight, the whole of central northern Italy experienced an earthquake (terremoto). Not a BIG one, just 5.2 on the Richter scale, but unsettling enough to freak d. and myself out that we....

1.  Scooted outside to a clear open space (in the middle of the road).
2.  Met with other spooked italians either on the street or sticking their heads out of bedroom windows. (As if that would have helped anything, we are surrounded by 3-story high cement buildings).
3.  Debated whether we should go sit in the car. (I was freezing - there was no time to decide if my ski parka would look fashionable with my penguin pajamas).

We were back in the apartment about 15 minutes later....

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Bollito Misto

Mixed boiled meat — A brief description and recipe for the following dish can be found here. I actually don't have much of an appetite when the weather turns cold, but making this dish atleast once during winter is a must. The aroma that permeates my apartment is incredible as the pot barely simmers on the stove. I eat bollito misto with untraditional sticky white rice (just can't get away from my island roots).

Mixed boiled meats:  pork sausage, chicken, testina*, beef brisket
Condiments:  (clockwise beginning from bottom left corner)  salsa verde, salsa rossa, dijon mustard, mayonnaise, mostarda*
*Testina refers to the head of a calf, but don't worry, it doesn't look anything like what you'd expect.
*Mostarda is a preserved fruit condiment

Pumpkin pie (version 39)

Tonight we are invited to a dinner at the home of one of my husband's sicilian colleagues and I wanted to impress him with something 'typically american' at this time of year. The problem being though, is that there is no Libby's canned pumpkin or Carnation's evaporated milk in italian grocery stores. So...I made do with that pumpkin shown at left and simply baked it until done. The only difference to me is that the pulp was a brighter orange color. For the evaporated milk, I found something similiar -- B&B Latte Concentrato Non-Zuccherato (non-sweetened concentrated milk). It tasted just like the Carnation stuff, a product from Germany. I did a final taste-test with the mixture. Not bad.

I hope the Sicilians will like it. My husband went crazy the first time he had a slice. I only hope that they will not demand a recipe on the spot, because then I'll have to tell them that I got if off of the back of a can.

Note: The reason why I titled it Pumpkin pie version 39? Because 39 is the country code for calling Italy. ;-)

Canederli allo Speck

You could also call them breadballs, bread gnocchi, bread dumplings, or bread knödel. When I tasted these for the first time at a restaurant in the northern italian region of Trentino-Alto Adige, I knew I had a better way to use up stale bread instead of tossing them out the window to feed the birds and stray cats. The canederli that I tried were large; three portions constituted one serving. However, the key to this recipe is in the speck, which is a smoked, lean bacon made in that area. Any smoked bacon (or whatever you like) can be substituted, but if it's uncooked, I suggest to saute them with the onions.

Canederli allo Speck served with Sage brown butter
serves 2
INGREDIENTS:
2-3 slices or 1 thick chunk of firm, stale white bread, broken into small pieces
2 oz. speck or smoked bacon, finely diced
olive oil
1/4 cup onion, small diced
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp. parsley, minced
2 Tbsp. parmigiano, grated
pinch of nutmeg
1 Tbsp. flour
salt and pepper, to taste
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2 Tbsp. butter
4 large sage leaves, chopped

1. Combine the bread and speck in a large bowl. Sauté the onion in a little olive oil until soft (if using raw bacon, cook them now with the onions). In a separate bowl, whisk the egg with 1/2 of the milk. Add the egg mixture, sauteed onions, parsley, parmigiano, nutmeg, and flour to the bread mixture. Salt and pepper to taste; stir to combine well. Let rest 20-30 minutes.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt lightly.

3. Check the bread mixture and add a little more milk if it is too dry. It should hold together but not be overly soft or wet. Dampen your hands and shape the mixture into 6-8 balls. Simmer the canederli in the water for about 10 minutes, they'll eventually float to the top. In the meantime, saute the sage leaves with the butter until lightly browned.

4. Remove the canederli with a slotted spoon and transfer to invidual serving bowls, drizzle with sage brown butter and grated parmigiano on top.

Stuff those zucchinis!

Chicken and rice stuffed zucchini
serves 2-6
Ingredients:
6 round zucchini
6 Tbsp. rice, white or brown
6 Tbsp. white wine
2 tsp. tomato paste
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. herbes de provence, (or whichever dried herbs you prefer)
4 oz. ground chicken or turkey
3/4 cup chicken broth
olive oil
salt and pepper
freshly grated parmigiano (parmesan cheese)

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees (175° C)
1. Slice off the tops of zucchini; gently scoop out the insides to come within about 3/8-inch of thickness. Reserve zucchini pulp for another use. Drizzle the interior with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Place rice in a small dish and add wine, tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and chicken; mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Leave to absorb the liquid for atleast 30 minutes. (This can be done earlier in the day)

3. Loosely spoon the rice filling into zucchini (there will be some leftover). Pour in a little chicken broth until it reaches the top; set zucchini hats over each and place into a lightly oiled baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.

4. Remove from oven, take off the hats and sprinkle parmesan cheese over filling. Return to oven and broil until cheese melts and lightly browned. Replace hats on each and serve with extra parmesan cheese.