May 1st, 2010
…I’m a night owl… For as long as I can remember, I liked staying up late… I have so many things to do… However, my schedule has changed and rarely will I make it past 11pm…
except for tonight… can’t sleep… I’ve had a lot of cooking ideas lately and I just wanted to cook! So much! So I made some Apple-Bacon Calzones…
I made pizza today and still had half of my mom’s pizza dough left (Note on the dough: I added 1/2 cup cornmeal. It added some great texture. Thanks Aaron for the suggestion!).
On Monday, I attended an event at the Roof with the lovely ladies of Chicago Bites. They served a delicious Bacon-Apple Pizza that I was thinking about tonight, realized I had the ingredients and these were born…
Apple-Bacon Calzones
(inspired by this and this)
1 apple, chopped
1/4 onion, chopped
2 slices bacon, crumbed (or more if you want)
1/2 cup mozzarella (I used a 4 Italian cheese mix)
1 teaspoon rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 Mom’s Pizza Dough
1. Mix all the ingredients together.
2. Divide the pizza dough into seven equal balls, about 1/4 cup of dough.
3. Roll them out into 6 inch circles.
4. Using the process for Empanadas put about a tablespoon of the filling and fold over.
5. Bake for 15 minutes at 450 until golden.
Filed under Apples, Flour, Mozzarella, Onions, Rosemary | Comment (0)
April 4th, 2010
Happy Easter! I had a lovely Easter dinner with two of my friends… We did it Italian-style with a pasta course followed by lamb. Delicious!
The first time I made lamb (and until today, the only time), I was living in Rome… after attending Easter mass at the Vatican… my friends and I trooped over to a friend’s apartment to cook all day… Earlier that week, I had purchased lamb at the butcher shop… the butcher brought out half a lamb and I was frighten… How was I going to cook that? I was so used to seeing meat already boned not bloody and still lamb-like. However, I pushed through, asked my mom for advice and with the help of my friends handing me olive oil, garlic, rosemary and wine (that last one was for me)… I dived in, coated the meat with the herbs and threw it in the oven… It turned out well…
This time I still had a number of questions for my mom but it was a little smoother preparation. I did overcook it a little bit. I think my meat thermometer needs to be replaced. But it was well received. I served it with mashed potatoes and some green beans… However, the real gem of the evening and the favorite of my guests was my Culinary Mad Libs dish… Asparagus-Prosciutto-Chervil Ravioli…
If you remember, I started up Culinary Mad Libs in an effort to find some inspiration. Well it worked. For this round, my ingredients were prosciutto (Mom), asparagus (Mark) and chervil (Tammy)… so I thought of raviolis with a white-wine cream sauce.
I mixed ricotta, blanched asparagus cut in little pieces, minced chervil, diced prosciutto, sprinkle of parm, and some pepper together. I did not use any salt because the prosciutto was plenty salty. Then, I put about a tablespoon of the mixture in the center of a wonton wrapper, moistened the edges with water, placed another wonton wrapper over it and using my fingers closed it up. I boiled them in water for a few minutes and removed them as soon as they rose to the top (if not they will fall apart). Then topped them with the white-wine cream sauce. I recommend making them as you are going to serve them because they easily stick together. This dish was quite the hit!
Culinary Mad Libs was a success. Also, Laura had suggested lamb so I did that one too… stay tuned for one more culinary mad lib dish and a new request for suggestions… including a giveaway…
Also, I’ve finally succumbed to twitter so… if you are so inclined click up the button on the right side to follow @ginnygetsfloury…
Filed under Garlic, Parmesan, Pasta, Ricotta, Rosemary | Comments (2)
August 5th, 2009
Sometimes making a dish triggers the oddest memories. This soup I found in Saveur beneath an article about a 73 year old Sicilian chef, Margherita Chiaramonte. Not a soup person, I was drawn to this recipe by her photograph and the comforting flavors of the ingredients… sage, rosemary, garlic, olive oil, lemon…
Then I started to remember a scene in a Cinderella book that I once read where Cinderella was drinking soup that her fairy godmother made her. I have always loved Cinderella. As a child, maybe it was the sparkly slippers, the singing mice or the magic pumpkin, that caught my attention. Soon my interest branched out from Disney and I began to read every Cinderella version that I could find. I liked the ones where the Cinderella character was independent and resourceful. She did not wait for Prince Charming to find her but worked hard to make her own happily ever after. As a very independent and driven girl, I relate to that character. Although, sparkly slippers and a Prince Charming does not sound that bad either…
This soup was delicious and very simple to make. It does make six very, very generous portions. Having eaten it for five days straight, you may want to half it when making it for smaller numbers. The lemon, olive oil and pecorino really do add a lot to the flavor. I recommend it with some crusty bread and a glass of red wine.
What is your favorite fairy tale?
Zuppa Di Grano Cuturru/Sicilian Greens and Bulgar Soup
(adapted from Saveur)
5 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, smashed
1 large onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage
1⁄4 tsp. chili flakes
8 cups chicken broth
1 1⁄2 cups bulgur wheat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb. escarole, washed and roughly chopped
6 tbsp. grated pecorino
1 lemon, sliced into 6 wedges
1. Heat 3 tbsp. oil in a 6-qt. pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onions, cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes.
2. Add rosemary, sage, and chile flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute (Smell it!!! So delicious!!!). Add broth, bulgur, and 1 cup water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until bulgur is soft, 20–25 minutes.
3. Add escarole and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 5 minutes. Divide soup between 6 bowls. Drizzle each with some of the remaining olive oil; sprinkle with the pecorino. Serve with lemon wedges.
Filed under Lemon, Onions, Rosemary, Sage | Comments (4)
