Traditional Italian Cooking - A super easy pasta recipe

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

please click image

HOT WATER CORNBREAD

1 c. white cornmeal1 c. yellow cornmeal1 tsp. salt
Mix thoroughly and pour in 2 cups of boiling water containing 2 tablespoons of shortening. This produces a firm mound of dough. Set the dough aside and let it cool for approximately 20 minutes.
After the dough is cool, work in 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder dissolved in 2 tablespoons of hot water. Pinch off a piece of dough and pat into small round cakes. You may either fry the cakes immediately or refrigerate on wax paper for later cooking.
Fry in deep fat hot enough to bubble freely over the cornbread. This cornbread should have a crisp crust on the outside, yet be soft on the inside.

Banh Mi

I cannot say it any better! Please visit this site I discovered called the Battle of the Banh Mi. I had one today. I have not had one in ages, it was so good and was dripping down my chin. So I had to post some info on this most delious sandwich from the "Battle of the Banh Mi"

Vietnamese baguette sandwiches, called Banh Mi, have attracted a loyal fan base like never before. Like a musical band with rock star status, these sandwiches have an almost cult-like following of epicurean devotees. The uniqueness of these sandwiches not only lies within the french influenced baguette, but it’s also the flavor packed, savory Viet fillings that what makes the marriage of the two main ingredients a true love affair.
It starts with a Viet style french baguette; usually made with a combination of rice and/or wheat flour, resulting in a very light, crackly crust and not overly dense bread. The majority of Viet bakeries strive & compete to achieve a golden, crackly crust with just a touch of center, where most of the baguette is more crust than center. A few other may be content on creating a Viet baguette that is a little more soft and chewy on the outside, and a little more “hoagie” like. So there is a bread for almost everyone.
Inside the length of the cut baguette or (occasionally a full demi-baguette), a great banh mi should have luscious, Viet flavored fillings such as pork prepared in numerous ways; juicy pork meat ball (xiu mai), bar-b-que (thit nuong), shredded (bi) and pork roll (cha lua).
Cold cut combinations (pork roll, ham, and/or head cheese), grilled chicken (ga nuong), sardine (ca moi), scrambled egg (trung chien) and vegetarian (chay) are just a sampling of the plethora of possibilities one may be offered on the menu.
Other common ingredients used to finish the sandwich often are: liver pate, homemade mayo, touch of soy sauce, shredded pickled carrots & daikon, fresh cilantro, jalapeño heat and crispy cucumber slices. Most any of these condiments may be omitted since, banh mi are nearly always made to order.
To top off that banh mi high”, they are still “light” on the pocketbook. Rock on!
(more…)

Was thinking about where to add Star Anise rather than Cookies and found this.

Daube of beef with orange & star anise

The perfect supper for those rainy nights spent in with a good bottle of red and an open fire blazing

Recipe by Mary Cadogan


Serves 8

Prep 45 mins
Cook 3 hrs to 4 hrs

2kg. Stewing Beef

300g. Shallots

1 Orange

A good bunch of Parsley and Thyme

3 T. Olive Oil

25g. Butter

200g. Lardons (Will have to find out what this is - well now I know: small pieces of pork fat)

4T. Cognacc

1 T. Flour

2 Carrots thinly sliced and 3 finely chopped

2 Celery stalks

1and 1/2 cups Red Bordeaux

2 star anise

4 cloves of Garlic

Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 4. Wash and dry the meat. Pour boiling water over the shallots to cover them, leave for 5 mins, then drain, peel and cut in half. Put to one side. Pare long strips of peel from half the orange and tie together with the parsley and thyme with some string.
Heat 2 tbsp of the oil and the butter in a large heatproof casserole. Add the meat and half the lardons and brown quickly on all sides (you will need to do this in batches). Return all the meat to the pan, then quickly pour over the Cognac and ignite. Stand well back when you do this as the flames may be fierce. Stir the flour into the meat until the flour disappears.
In a separate pan, fry the onion, finely chopped carrot and celery in 1 tbsp of oil until softened; this should take about 5 mins. Add to the casserole pan along with the wine, herb bundle, star anise, garlic, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, stir well, then cover tightly and cook in the oven for 2 hrs.
Tip the remaining lardons into a frying pan and heat with a drop of oil until the fat runs, then add the shallots and fry gently until they are lightly coloured. Add to the daube along with the sliced carrots, give it a stir and cover again. Return to the oven for a further 1½-2 hrs, until the meat is very tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Remove the herb bundle (and, if you can find them, the star anise) and serve with the two side dishes. If you're making the daube ahead of time, reheat it either on the hob or in the oven for 20-30 mins. The daube also freezes well for up to 1 month.

I LOVE lOVE LIVER
CHICKEN LIVER WITH FRENCH BREAD TOASTS






Ingredients
325g unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus a little extra for greasing
500g chickens’ liver, trimmed
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp brandy
Tiny pinch each of ground nutmeg, cloves,
cinnamon and allspice
1 baguette, sliced and toasted, to serve

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 110_C/fan90_C/gas 1/4. Grease 8 x 100ml ramekins with melted butter, then set aside.
2. Put the liver, garlic, brandy and spices into a food processor. Season with white pepper and 1 teaspoon salt and blend for 1 minute. With the machine still running, add 225g melted butter and blend for a few seconds. Press through a fine sieve into a bowl.
3. Divide the mixture among the ramekins and cover with buttered foil. Put in a small roasting tin and pour in hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cook for 45 minutes or until just set. Remove from the tin and cool. Remove the foil and cover each ramekin with cling film. Chill overnight.
4. Slowly melt the remaining butter in a small pan. Remove from the heat, set aside for 10 minutes, then pour away the clear butter, leaving just the sediment. Pour a thin film over each parfait and chill until set. Serve with the toast and some onion marmalade.

Wine Recommendation
Wine note: a luscious pudding wine, well-chilled. Try Sauternes or a good value option, Monbazillac.

Who Still eats Cream of Wheat? I Do!

And the leftover cream of wheat is fried the next day.

And now for that Kohlrabi Recipe

Have you ever eaten a kohlrabi? These little sputnik-shaped vegetables come in green or purple, can be eaten raw or cooked, and taste a lot like broccoli stems. The word kohlrabi is German for cabbage turnip (kohl as in cole-slaw, and rübe for turnip) though kohlrabi is more related to cabbage and cauliflower than to root vegetables.

Kohlrabi Ham Bake Recipe

Ingredients
3 Tbsp butter
4 kohlrabi, peeled and diced
8 ounces thick ham, diced
2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
3 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
Pinch of mace (can substitute ground nutmeg)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large skillet, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the diced kohlrabi and gently cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
2 Beat the egg yolk, and whisk in the heavy cream, flour, mace, salt and pepper until well combined.
3 Place half of the cooked kohlrabi on the bottom of an oven-proof casserole dish. Layer on the diced ham and parsley. Top with the remaining kohlrabi. Pour the sauce ingredients over the kohlrabi and ham.
4 Bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.

From Elsie on Simply Recipes