Life's a Beach in Southern Italy!

One of the beautiful sunsets behind Sicily.

A local restaurant has it's own fishing boat. They go out
everyday and catch fresh fish to cook up.

  As I was going through my pictures of this past summer in Southern Italy, I found I had a lot that were taken at the beach, I wonder how that happened! Anyway I thought I'd share some of the things that went on at the beach, besides just the usual swimming and sun bathing.

This was some of their catch of the day.

Swordfish anyone?

Fishing boat or cruise ship, hmmm
how to choose? 

This is one of the many cruise ships that go by. They leave from
Messina in Sicily

Ok, try to look at how clear that water is! ( I know it's hard) You can see right through it
to the bottom.

We all live in a yellow sailboat.....so cute!

We couldn't decide if this was a private yacht or a cruise ship.
Either way, way cool!

This is a Super Scooper aircraft that skims down on the water to fill up,
then dumps it on land fires to extinqish them. It will go back and forth till
the fire's out.

Paddle boats in Scilla are fun too!

Sometimes it rain's right out of the blue, and look what we
 got afterwards.

Lots of Oliander trees in Southern Italy.

Sea foam, a natural bubble bath.

Just another day at the beach.

 Then there are the beautiful sunsets.

Enjoy!

Ah, che bella....

Ok, yeah , one day, everyone needs to go to Southern Italy. Add it to your bucket list!

Ci vediamo li, arrivaderci, a dopo.

Paglia e Fieno Pasta: One of Our Favorite Things!

Last Mother's Day, per "La Festa della Mamma", I decided to make my Mom a dinner of all her favorite things. 

So this was the menu:
Bruschetta for an antipasto, Piaglia e Fieno Pasta for the main dish and Tiramisu for dessert (That will be another blog). Accompanied by a nice, Italian, Pinot Grigio.

My Mom & I in Piazza Navona when I was pregnant with my eldest,
just over 24 years ago!

Mom had Paglia e Fieno for the first time when she came to visit me while I was living in Rome. We often went to a small family "trattoria" in the historical center, I can't remember the name and I probably couldn't even find it again, but we have some fond memories of the awesome food we ate there.  Paglia e Fieno literally translates to straw and hay, because of the two different colors of the pasta. One is a regular white pasta and the other in a green spinach pasta. It's mixed together in a cream sauce with ham & peas. E delizioso! I can see why it's my Mom's favorite. So that morning I got out my manual pasta making machine and we got to work.

My manual, hand cranked, pasta machine.

First I made the dough in my awesome Kitchen Aid mixer fitted with the dough hook. For the white pasta, I put in two cups all purpose flour, two eggs, a tablespoon olive oil and a dash or two of salt. Turn it on and let it mix into a round ball. If it's too dry add a few drops of water until it'a nice soft but firm dough. Do the same thing for the spinach pasta, but add in about half a box of frozen spinach that you have cooked and pressed all the water out of it. (I chopped it up real fine too, before I put it in.) 

Wrap both balls of dough in plastic wrap and let them sit for 10 - 15 minutes.

Sssssshhhhhh they're resting.... 

Now's the fun part! I always get someone to help me, because it can get awkward trying to crank and handle the pasta by yourself. When the boys were little they liked to help.You can get the whole family involved. Cut the balls of dough into quarters. Start feeding it through the  machine at the widest setting. My machine starts at 1 and goes to 7. As they start getting longer you can cut them in half, fold them up in thirds and roll them through the next smaller setting. We went all the way to 7 but should have stopped at 6 (the noodles were a little too thin). I'll have to remember that for next time! Once you have all the sheets made, switch the handle to the front of the machine and feed the sheet through the pasta cutter, to cut the noodles. Make the wider "tagliatelle" cut for the Paglia e Fieno. 

Nuccio and I had a system going. He cranked and I caught the pasta.
(I had to stop to take the pic.)

Once you've cut them, set them out on clean towels, dusted with flour, to dry.

All our pasta noodles waiting to be eaten.

 The freshly made pasta cooks up quickly in boiling salted water, about half the time of dry pasta. Maybe about 5 minutes. (You can buy this pasta, dry, at the supermarket, too). Look in the Italian section. Here's the recipe for the sauce, it's really fast to make and oh so yummy. Toss the pasta & the sauce together, top it with loads of parmigiano and you have one happy Mamma!

Two very happy and full Mamma's!

Buon Appetito!

Rosie and Me

I'm back in Southern Italy, and before I got here my hubbie had "found" me a new friend . Her name is Rosella (I think that's Italian for Schwinn) and she's pink. Wow! He took her to the bike shop and got her all spiffed up with a new basket and everything! I call her Rosie. We're about the same age so we should have lots in common. (OK so she might be a couple of  years younger). We can go to the beach together cause he needs the car for work. (Somebody has to put food on the table in this family!)

 

 So we set out for the beach. Our very first obstacle, the ramp/stairs down to the main road from our building. No sweat, we just walked down slowly. Rosie wanted to go faster then me but I held her back.

 Then a few stairs, it's OK I carried Rosie she's not that heavy!

 Then we set out riding to the beach. We stopped along the way to take some pics of our journey. Rosie noticed this palm tree they had trimmed way down. We got a bid laugh out of it! She's so observant! (Gotta love those Italian women!)

 We passed the port where the ferries leave for Sicily.

 A little farther down, there's a little cove were they dock the nicer boats. We passed the grocery store, the church, the old men sitting on the bench having a big discussion. Everyone got out of our way as we were coming through, because Rosie's seat is REAL squeaky and they could hear us coming!  And we got a few looks from the guys, we still got it going on, Rosie and me! We couldn't stop to take pictures of everything, because Rosie couldn't wait to get to the beach.

 Finally we got to the beach and, wow, we practically had it all to ourselves!

 

 Rosie was such a good sport! She waited so patiently for me up on the street! Grazie, Rosie!  Now that's a true friend.

There was just a slight problem on the way back. Carrying Rosie up those steps and that ramp under the noontime sun! She had me burning some big time calories doing that, Mamma mia! But that's OK.......

because I had another little friend waiting for me at home his name is Chardonnay di Puglia.

He's also Italian, cool and dry with a great sense of humor. Good company for any meal. (Shhh we won't tell Rosie about him.) I think I'll be spending a lot of time with both my new friends this summer! Salute! A wonderful summer a tutti!

Italian Ice for a Hot, Hot Day!

  It has been super hot here in the mid-west the last few days, I mean record breaking hot! Streets are buckling, trains are derailing, and people are dying of the heat exposure. Most everyone has been closed up in their houses with the air on. I was talking with my husband on skype, as we always do each morning when we're apart, talking about the heat and how bad it is. Of course the conversation then always turns to food options, and I start dreaming of all the cold, yummy things I could be eating in Italy.  One of those things is Italian ice, or "la granita", (grahneetah). In southern Italy they make 3 basic flavors of granita; coffee, lemon and strawberry. They serve it with or without whipped cream or "panna". I like it with the "panna". (I like everything with "panna"!) So, I thought, wait a minute I can make granita di caffe, my father-in-law made it all the time.

My old school espresso maker.

So, I got out my espresso maker, mine is old school, the classic type you use on the stovetop. It makes about 3-4 cups of espresso. You can buy them at your neighborhood Italian goods store or anywhere that sells international products.

The 3 sections to my espresso maker.

If you've never seen or used this type of espresso maker, it's really easy. You fill the bottom section(left) with water just up to the safety pressure valve on the side. Place the filter piece (center) into the bottom, fill it with the espresso coffee grounds. Then screw the top section (right) tightly on top. Put it on medium high heat and within about 5-10 minutes the espresso coffee will seep out the spout in the top and fill it up. (You might want to turn it down just a little when it starts coming out so it doesn't splatter). 

Granita di caffe after being "racked" with a fork.

I made two pots of espresso, put it in a low ceramic dish with 2-3 tablespoons of sugar. Then I put the dish in the freezer. After about an hour it was just starting to freeze up so I took a fork and scrapped it off the sides of the dish and raked it all around, then back into the freezer. I set the timer for 30 more minutes. (You don't want to forget about it in there cause it will freeze up too much.) Take it out and rake up with the fork again. Keep doing this in 10 minute increments until it's a nice firm frozen slush. And that's it it's ready!

In Italy they serve it "parfait" style, with granite on the bottom, a layer of whipped cream, more granite, then top it off with more whipped cream. They'll have it for breakfast ,a mid-morning or afternoon snack with a warm brioche or  cornetto! What's not to like! (The strawberry and lemon are awesome, too!) I added a sprinkle of cocoa on the top and to make it special I used a martini glass. 

 Mmmmm e' buonissima!
I feel like I'm right there in Italy! (well kinda)

It's-a-Bruschetta!

     This time of year when the temperatures start rising, like today ( it's in the 90's here), and the tomatoes are plentiful, we like to make bruschetta, because there's no cooking involved. (FYI it's pronounced broosketta, NOT brooshetta.) Well, hardly. You need to toast the bread, but you can do that on your grill outside or under the broiler in your oven.  It's a great antipasto, before your meal, or sometimes we'll make a lot and make a meal out of it. Especially if you want a light lunch or dinner, or you're having company over, because everyone loves it. The reason why it's so good is because it's so simple. I find the simpler a recipe the better it tastes. And the Italians are masters at combining just a few ingredients together to make an awesome outcome. This is how I was taught to make bruschetta.

INGREDIENTS:

• Fresh tomatoes. If you grow your own that would be favoloso. I don't have room for a garden, so I buy, vine ripened, they seem to have more flavor than just regular hot house tomatoes. Also, get them from you farmer's market, they'll be locally grown and a lot better.
• Fresh basil. Again grow your own,( e piu buono) we have a pot of basil growing on the front steps, cause we use it often, but you can always find fresh basil at the supermarket.
• Extra virgin olive oil. We go through a lot of this and buy it in big cans. TIP: If you don't use it that often just buy a small bottle because if it sits for a long time it does go rancid. We like Greek or Italian olive oil.
• Garlic clove. You're going to need at least one whole clove for this recipe.
• Capers( caperi) or black olives. We use caperi in a lot of different dishes. They are actually little immature flower buds from the caper bush. You can find them pickled in vinegar, or packed in salt. TIP; We prefer the salted ones, either way you need to rinse them well before using.
• Italian bread. Of course, in Italy there's a huge selection of different breads you can find. When we're there we use "pane di grano duro". Here in the states I buy the big round one that's already sliced. It's on the shelves at the deli counter

SO HERE'S WHAT YA DO:

• Coarsely chop up your tomatoes and place in a mixing bowl.
• Add everything else except the garlic clove and the bread. Stir till combined.
• Toast the bread slices. You can use your out door grill, or like me under the broiler in the oven. TIP: Keep a vigilant eye on it cause it only takes a few seconds too much before they are burnt to a crisp. ( A lesson I've learned all to well the hard way!) Mamma Mia!
• Peel your garlic clove and rub each slice of bread back and forth over one side. Your clove will get smaller and smaller the more slices you make. Peel another if you need to.
• Spoon out a generous (abbondante!) amount of your tomato mixture onto the bread slice.

That's it! Now go enjoy, with a nice cold beer or a cold glass of white wine. ( I suggest a nice Pinot Grigio!) You deserve it!

Alla Salute!

E BUON APPETITO

My little basil plant on the front step.
It still has to grow into the "huge"  pot hubbie planted it in.

Homemade Pizza Night!

Yay Pizza Night!

My son was in town for a couple of days from San Francisco for work. He stayed for the week-end. I suggested we have a family pizza night. When the boys were growing up, I made homemade pizza on Saturday nights. We would eat it in the den, in front of the T.V. and watch our favorite movies. He liked my idea, so I made pizza!

Yeast bubbling up, coming back to life in the warm water.

I use my awesome Kitchen Aid mixer, with the dough hook, to make the dough. It was a birthday gift from my BFF one year, the BEST present I ever got! Thank you Pammie-girl! (Before that I mixed it by hand, this just makes life so much easier.) You could also use your food processor or a bread maker if you have one.


THE DOUGH:

1. Put about 4-5 cups of all purpose flour in the bowl. (1-2 of those cups I use whole wheat flour). Make a well in the center. Add a couple tablespoons of dry yeast, pour in a big glass of really hot water from the tap, a pinch or two of sugar and a couple tablespoons( or more) olive oil. Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. The yeast should start to bubble up and make a froth.
2. Turn on the mixer and let it run till you have a nice soft, not sticky, ball of dough. Cover the bowl with a towel and put in a warm place for about an hour. ( I warm up the oven for about 5 min. then turn it off, then I let it rise in there).
3. Once it has risen, pull off a piece set it on a greased stone or pan (I use olive oil spay), sprinkle it with a little flour and roll it out to fit. ( we like ours nice and thin).

I roll the dough out right on my stone or pan.

THE TOPPINGS

1. We made four of our favorites pizzas. Potato and rosemary (yes I did say potato), sauteed mushroom, caramelized onion, and green salad pizza.
2. My husband, who is in from Italy for a bit, sauteed sliced mushrooms in olive oil with garlic and chopped fresh parsley. He also caramelized the onion, here's a recipe. They become sweet and Delicious.  I grated two medium potatoes with a cheese grater (like hash browns). And I washed and spun dry a head of romaine lettuce chopped up, for the green salad pizza..
3. So, after you roll out your dough on your pizza pan, top it with one of these toppings. Salt and pepper it (sprinkle potato pizza with dried rosemary) and put it in the lowest positions of a preheated oven at 450 degrees.( I cook two or three at a time, it just takes a little longer.)
4. When the crust starts turning brown and they are about five minutes from being done, pull them out and put on the cheese. We put Gorgonzola and mozzarella on all of them. Then put them back in the oven to finish cooking till the cheese is cooked the way you like it.
5. None of these pizza use any tomato sauce. I do top the lettuce on the salad pizza with pieces of diced tomato from the can and some oregano.
6. Just before you cut your pizza drizzle the top with some more olive oil. 

I take the pizza out about 5 min before it's
done and add the cheese, then cook it some more.

This is the mushroom & Gorgonzola pizza.

We always have to have a nice cold beer (or two) with our pizza!

Chowin down! Buon appetito!

The potato/rosemary pizza and the caramelised onion pizza went so fast I didn't get a picture of them. (the potato is my favorite!) 

The green salad pizza.

Dee dee likes the crusts, don't let that
 sad face fool you, she got plenty!

Ah, now that was a nice-a-pizza!