Monday March 08, 2010
Kay Taygen, a daughter of the American Revolution, whose family tree dates back to the 17th century, cooking traditions are rooted in her southern upbringing but span the globe through her life. Hear Kay share tales of the farm and living off the land and then how her marriage to a Turkish/Russian Vegetarian expanded her culinary repertoire,
I scanned some of Kay's recipes and will share with you as I make them. Although, I might not make scrapple.
Enjoy the interview!
Wednesday March 03, 2010
Spend an hour listening to Tony Simotes, Artistic Director of Shakespeare and Company share his childhood memories of growing up Greek-American in Joliet, Il, son of a Greek grocer, with his Dad's desire to be all American and shed his Greek roots and his Mom's efforts to keep the Greek traditions.
Look forward to a future blog post for Mrs. Simotes' recipes for Avgolemono Soup and Angolemono Sauce, Rice Pudding and more. And I will try and recreate the soup Tony described on my blog this weekend.
Wednesday February 24, 2010
Spend an hour listening to chef Jeremy Stanton share how his early memories and access to farm-fresh ingredients began his love affair with food and sustainable agriculture. And how each of his experiences has lead to his next venture, a local butcher shop called The Meat Market - opening in Great Barrington, MA this summer. For more information on Jeremy and The Meat Market go to www.themeatmarketgb.com.
We'll await a recipe or two from Jeremy to share!!
Sunday February 21, 2010
This is one of the dishes my Mom spoke about on Heirloom Meals Radio. Made with the simplest ingredients, this dish provides an ample dose of comfort and is filling enough for dinner with a big green salad.
This is not a recipe - it falls into my category of “concoction guidelines.” This dish works because all different shaped macaroni is used which allows the egg mixture to easily ooze into the crevices. And we recommend that you use those opened semi-full boxes of pasta that are sitting in your pantry. If you don’t then you’ll have to open a few and make this dish more than once!!
5-6 eggs
Grated Pecorino Romano
Mozzarella
Salt
Pepper
Cubed dry sausage (optional)
Milk (if necessary)
1-1.5 lbs of remnant macaroni - must be a mix of several shapes such as ziti, rotini, spaghetti, lasagna, elbow, shells etc.
Beat the eggs and mix with 1/4 - 1/2 cup of Pecorino Romano and fresh pepper. Set aside. Boil water and throw in about a pound - pound and a half of mixed pasta shapes. When al dente, drain water and return pasta to pot. Add the egg mixture and mozzarella. If it seems too stiff, add a little milk to loosen (this is really a “feel” call - it should seem more liquidy than stiff.) You may also decide you want to add more Pecorino Romano too! Add the dry sausage and pour into a lasagna pan.
Refrigerate over night so flavors meld.
Preheat oven to 350-375 degrees.
If the pan cannot go from fridge to oven, bring to room temp before putting in oven.
Generously sprinkle Pecorino Romano, salt and pepper on top before you place it in oven. Bake covered for about 45 minutes, then remove foil and allow top to become browned and crispy.
Let set, cut into squares and enjoy!!
My favorite are the crispy top and bottom - YUM!! I eat it piping hot, cold and reheated in the microwave.
Friday February 19, 2010
Spend an hour walking down food memory lane with my Mom, Jo Murko and me. My Mom shares her recollections of growing up in a close knit Italian neighborhood in the Bronx - shopping with her Mom and orchestrating the Sunday meal among her rich tales.
Recipes to follow!!
Sunday February 14, 2010
Time Thief - Part II
I’ll admit it, in a pinch I make caramel apples with Kraft caramel candy!! But, I am somewhat of a purist and food snob and I take pride in using real ingredients and making things from scratch. So here is a winner that is so simple that uses 3 real ingredients.
The only caveat is you need a candy thermometer but it’s worth having in your cooking gear arsenal!!
6 - 8 small apples, unwaxed, cold and craft sticks
Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
Push the stick deep into each apple at the stem area.
Fill a large bowl 1/2 full with ice water and set aside.
In a medium, saucepan heat the cream and salt until tiny bubbles start forming where the cream touches the pan. Stir in the honey. Bring the mixture to a boil. Now reduce the heat to an active simmer and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 15-20 minutes minutes or until the mixture reaches about 255-260 degrees on your candy thermometer.
To stop the caramel from cooking, set the bottom of the saucepan in the bowl of cold water. Stir until caramel begins to thicken up. Here is where there is a little bit of “art” - the caramel has to me thin enough to coat the apples but thick enough to stick. If the caramel thickens too much simply put the pot back over the burner for 10 seconds or so to heat it up a bit.
Tilt the sauce pan so all the caramel forms a pool on one side, then dunk and twirl each apple until it is thoroughly coated with caramel. Place each apple on the baking sheets and allow the caramel to cool and set. Enjoy!!
