In Vacanza

The witching hour is practically upon me...I've been working like an insane person, compiling a packing list, studying my Italian verbs, writing way too many instructions for the cat/housesitters, and all that's standing between me and my vacation is two more (very full) days at work and, you know, the actual packing part. 

David and I have been spending most of our evenings at home this week, both to get more time in with Ingrid and to get ready to go.  Have you ever been so behind on blogging that you stop taking photos of food because you don't need more things to blog?  In the past week I have not photographed a terrific seafood risotto, a marvelous chicken piccata and a zippy fennel salad.  My future blog entries runneth over, though the chicken piccata was both easy and tasty enough that I expect to make it again this summer and will blog it then.

The exception was the cabbage rolls that I made earlier this week out of the head of cabbage that was rolling around in the vegetable drawer begging to be used.  A word of caution on making these:  my sweet little organic head of cabbage made this recipe more difficult--ideally, a cabbage with larger leaves would be better.

I found myself with a lot of leftover filling on my hands, which I made into meatballs and served with pasta last night. 

Finally, a thanks to those who commented on my mention that I had a no good, very bad day last Saturday.  Some of you may recall that I there was a situation with a friend with whom I was very close, who was having lots of issues during a play we were working on last fall and subsequently left the production.  He's said lots of awful things about me, and I've just been trying to be dignified and keep my head up because confronting him would have been pointless.  He has some significant problems and somehow I've become the scapegoat for them.

At a wedding we were both at last weekend, he yelled at David.  At the wedding.  Horrible and humiliating and painful, so of course I burst into tears and David and I left the reception.  This has been going on for six months and it's not getting any easier.

I hate being such an emotional person.  It's hard to write about this, even in kind of a detached manner.  So again, thanks to all who offered their support.

Whew.  And now on to the cabbage rolls.

Involtini di Verza in Umido (Stewed Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

Adapted from the CIA's Italian Cooking at Home

12 large green cabbage leaves

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 lb. loose sausage, preferably a spicy Italian chicken or pork sausage

3/4 cup leftover cooked rice or small pasta (I used leftover couscous)

1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups canned Italian whole tomatoes, crushed by hand

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn by hand or julienned

Kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper

Start a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil.  When it is ready, add the cabbage leaves and blanch them until they are soft, about two to three minutes.  While you are doing this, start the oven to preheating to 350 degrees.  When the cabbage leaves are done, remove them from the water and place in a colander to drain.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, sausage, onion, rice or other pasta, and a little salt and pepper.  Use your hands to make sure everything is blended together.

Spray a large baking dish with nonstick spray or rub it with a little olive oil.

Using your hands again, shape the meat mixture into small rolls and place one in the center of each cabbage leaf.  Tuck the edges of the leaf around the bottom of each roll and place in the baking dish.

Once all the rolls are ready, pour the broth and then the crushed tomatoes over them and sprinkle with the parsley and basil.  Tuck the bay leaves into the pan.

Bake until the rolls are cooked through and very soft, about 45 minutes.

Makes twelve rolls, for about four main-dish servings.  Serve with a green salad and bread.

Welcome Back, Carbs

The weekend started with promise:  theatre, friends and all day Sunday with nothing on the schedule.  Nothing.  It was the strangest thing, but I drew up a to-do list and we plunged in. 

Cue:  Monday morning with most of the to-do list left undone.  I swear we did not sit around the house yesterday.  Really.

Passover ended at sundown on Friday, and I even waited until 9 p.m. to eat my first slice of bread.  That's really restraint on my part.  It also means that bread, pasta and rice re-entered our house in a big way over the weekend.  Exhibit one:  this hunter's pasta.

This recipe isn't perfect;  I added the peas according to the recipe, but they really could have waited until closer to the end of the process, so I've modified that in the directions below.  This isn't the pasta equivalent of haute couture--think of it as the pasta equivalent of a favorite pair of sweats--comforting and easy to make and eat.  I used a mixture of mushrooms, but you could easily go with just one type, probably the cremini or portobellos.  The more expensive shiitakes can't be tasted enough to justify the expense.

Welcome back, carbs.  How I have missed you.

Also, without being too cute about it, my beloved cat Ingrid was seventeen yesterday.  Here she is is "helping" David make pasta.  I promise this pasta was solely consumed by David and I, as I would not let the cat sit that close to pasta I was making for guests.

 Rigatoni, Woodsman Style

Adapted from Lidia's Italy in America by Lidia Bastianich

1 tsp. sea salt

1 pound dried rigatoni

3 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 lb. Italian chicken sausage, removed from casings

1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced thickly

4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced thickly

1 large portabello mushroom cap, sliced thickly

6 fresh sage leaves

28 oz. can whole Italian plum tomatoes

1 cup frozen peas

1 bunch green onions, white and dark green parts only, chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup good-quality Parmesan cheese, grated

In a medium bowl, crush the tomatoes by hand into small chunks and set aside.

Put on a large pot of water for the pasta and add a pinch of salt. 

Using a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  When the oil is shimmering, add the onion and cook until the onion is slightly translucent, about three minutes.  Then add the sausage and cook thoroughly, using a wooden spoon to further crumble the meat.

Add all the mushrooms at once to the skillet, and cook for an additional two minutes.  Add the sage and tomatoes and bring the mixture to a simmer.  If the sauce is too thick, add a cup of water and return to a simmer.

Hopefully by this time your pasta water is at a boil;  add the rigatoni and cook according to the package until the pasta is al dente.  This should take about ten minutes.  Drain the pasta, reserving up to a cup of the pasta water in case the sauce needs thinning.

Cook the sauce uncovered for approximately ten minutes, then add the green onions and cook until they wilt into the sauce.  Add the cream and stir the sauce thoroughly to incorporate.  If the sauce is too thick, then add the pasta water bit by bit.  When the sauce is almost finished, add the peas and cook just until they are firm but not mushy.

Transfer the pasta to a warmed serving bowl, then add the sauce and toss thoroughly to coat.  Sprinkle some of the Parmesan over the bowl and serve the remainder on the side.

Makes 6 to 8 main-course servings;  could make up to 10 to 12 pasta course servings.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that I am not a football fan.

I grew up in football country.  My lack of attention to the football games of my high school years, in which I played in the marching band but yet never managed to absorb the rules of the game, is infamous.  My master's degree is from the University of Nebraska, one of the famous football schools.  I didn't go to a single game while I was there, although in my defense I was working two jobs in addition to my classes. 

David and I are invited to Super Bowl parties every year, and if I don't have other plans I'll tag along and read a book, glancing up occasionally at the commercials.  This too has earned me much mocking.

This year I don't have to endure the mocking, as the final show of Love, Loss and What I Wore is on Sunday afternoon.  I'm hoping that our audience will be a big group of women who ditched their husbands/significant others in front of the television and yelled "I'm going to go have some fun with the girls--don't wait up for me!" as as they raced out the door.

However, when I was deciding what to post next, this was the clear winner--an easy, totally delicious finger food that is as at home at a Super Bowl party as it was at the New Year's Eve party where they disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The key here is really good-quality sausage.  The original recipe calls for lamb sausage, but I substituted a spicy chicken andouille.  It would be interesting with a good chicken apple sausage, but whatever you use, make sure it has some personality.

Haute Pigs in Blankets

Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

4 large links andouille sausage (about 1 lb.)

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 egg

1 tbsp. milk

Whisk together the egg and milk and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and place the sausages on a  cookie sheet.  Bake sausage until cooked through, about 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through.

While the sausage is baking, place the sheets of puff pastry on a floured surface so the pastry won't stick.  Slice each sheet of pastry in half lengthwise and brush with the Dijon mustard.

When the sausage is cooled, place one link on each length of puff pastry.  Roll it up, covering the entirety of each sausage and brushing the ends with the egg wash and pinching them to thoroughly seal the bundles.  If there is extra puff pastry on the ends, trim it off.  Repeat with the other sausages.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and space the sausage rolls out on it.  Brush the tops of the rolls with the remaining egg wash and lightly score the tops of the rolls into 6-7 pieces.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until the rolls are browned.  Cool for about five minutes, slice and serve.

Stuff It

Do you remember when I said work was pretty calm?  This has not been a great week--without getting too specific, which I can't, suffice it to say that there is someone who is making me a little miserable.

So the title of this post is what I wish I could tell this person, possibly in less polite terms, but can't.  It's also about a much more pleasant topic, the stuffed eggplant that I made on Sunday.

I like eggplant, but it has to be cooked correctly.  I've had some bad deep-fried eggplant experiences, along with some sauteed eggplant experiences that left me wondering why the vegetable had the texture of a foam pillow and approximately the same flavor.

This is not either of those experiences.  This is the eggplant to serve the doubters who say that they don't like eggplant.  It's full of flavor and so many goodies that it will bring those doubters to their knees.

As an aside, I've been loving cooking from the Lidia's Italy in America cookbook (you can find other experiments with that cookbook here, here and here).  I rarely follow the recipe exactly, but I think the recipes are a great framework that can be altered according to taste, season and what you have on hand at the time.  Her savory recipes often contain more olive oil than I think is absolutely necessary, so I usually scale back to keep things healthier.

The original recipe uses small eggplant;  I used one medium eggplant, which would feed four as a side or two as a main course. 

Italian Stuffed Eggplant

Adapted from Lidia's Italy in America by Lidia Bastianich

1 medium eggplant
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 lb. chicken sausage, removed from casings
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 yellow bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup homemade bread crumbs or day-old cubed bread
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, finely grated or an equal amount of Parmesan
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the eggplant in half and scoop out the flesh to make a shell.  The shell should be thick enough to hold its shape but thin enough to allow plenty of stuffing to go in it;  1/2 inch is about perfect.  Coarsely chop the removed eggplant flesh.

Warm two tablespoons of the olive in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until golden, then add the chicken sausage and use a large spoon to break it into small chunks.  When the meat starts to brown, add the wine.

Cook until the meat juices and wine are almost gone, then add the bell pepper, chopped eggplant and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.  Cover and cook for about ten minutes, or until the bell pepper and eggplant are very tender.  Once this mixture is cooked, remove from the skillet and set aside.

Combine the milk and bread crumbs in a small bowl and stir to combine.  Then add the bread mixture to the cooled meat mixture, along with the cheese, parsley and sun-dried tomatoes.

Place the eggplant halves snugly in a baking dish and then drizzle with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining salt.  Mound the eggplant halves with the stuffing, then cover with foil and cooking for approximately forty minutes, or until the eggplant is very tender.  Uncover the dish, sprinkle with a bit more cheese if desired and bake for another ten minutes uncovered.

In the Kitchen with David: Polenta with Sausage Ragù

It was Sunday.  I had grand plans for dinner.

Then I did twenty miles of marathon training, which knocked me on my ass.  I've done five marathons , and about the same number of half-marathons, with the next race in three weeks.  Twenty miles shouldn't be any big deal, and while I was out training, it was fine:  once I came home and showered, though, I was toast.

David took over the menu I prepared for tonight, and it was utterly brilliant. 

This recipe is featured on the cover of Italian Cooking at Home, and David initially went "meh."  He changed his tune when we sat down to eat, though.  It has deep, savory flavor, and is the perfect Sunday dinner for fall/winter. 

The secret is to use really good sausage.  We have sausage made by a local market in Anchorage, and if we have good sausage made daily, I can't imagine that it's too hard to find elsewhere.  You could certainly use pork sausage, which the original recipe calls for, but David used Italian chicken sausage.  In addition, you could alter the recipe by using only dried or fresh mushrooms, although the combination of dried and fresh mushrooms gives the recipe terrific texture.



Yes, the hat makes him look like a hipster.  David just shaved his head, which is his annual birthday tradition.

Total cooking time is about an hour and a half, although a lot of it is inactive time. 

Polenta with Sausage Ragù

Adapted from CIA Italian Cooking at Home

For the ragù:

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

4 ounces fresh mushrooms, preferably crimini

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. Italian chicken sausage, either sliced or taken out of its casings and crumbled

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2 leeks, white and pale green portions only, thinly sliced

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup chopped parsley

For the polenta:

2 quarts water

Kosher salt as needed

Fresh-ground pepper as needed

2 cups cornmeal

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan

Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a bowl and pour boiling water over them.  Allow to sit for 20 minutes, then drain, rinse and chop them into chunks.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil on medium heat for the ragù.  Add the sausage and cook until the fat is rendered, about 3 minutes.  Add the onion, leeks and porcini mushrooms, and cook for another 10 minutes.  In a separate dish, mix the water with the tomato paste and then add to the saucepan.



We cut the sausage into chunks with the casings on, which saves some time.

Stir the mixture to incorporate the tomato paste and water, then cover the pan and reduce the heat to low.  Add the fresh mushrooms and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.  If the ragù starts to stick to the pan, add a little water or chicken broth to loosen.

While the ragù is cooking, start the polenta.  Bring the water to a simmer and add a generous pinch of kosher salt.  Add the cornmeal slowly, whisking briskly as you add it. 

Simmer the polenta on low heat for 45 minutes or until cooked to your taste.  It should be soft but not mushy.  Stir the polenta occasionally so it doesn't stick.

Take the polenta off the heat.  Taste for seasoning--a bit of fresh-ground pepper should be added, and a little salt if necessary--and add the butter and cheese, stirring it into the polenta.

Add the parsley to the ragù.  Make a bed of polenta in a warmed pasta bowl, then top with the ragù.  Top with a small amount of freshly-grated Parmesan if desired, although it doesn't need it.

Serves 4 as a main course. 

We served with a side of zucchini coins broiled with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Food/wine pairing:  This dish needs a light red wine, preferably one from northern Italy or Spain.  We served a Mencia from Bierzo, which is close to Portugal.  Alternatively, a Dolcetto or Barbera from Piedmont would be delicious.

Italian Wedding Soup: Minestra Maritata

So why exactly is it called Italian Wedding Soup? 

If you have the sort of mind like mine, where you have to know these sorts of things, it's because the ingredients go so well together that they are said to be married, or maritata.  I love the idea of a traditional soup eaten at Italian weddings, but sadly that's a no-go.  Too bad:  I had a wonderful image of a raucous Italian wedding party, sitting on a hillside near a vineyard, doling out ladlefuls of this soup.  Sigh.

As the weather gets rainier and we slide toward fall, my thoughts turn naturally toward steamy, chunky bowls of soup.  What--yours don't?  This soup has the added advantage of being chock-full of vegetables and reasonably healthy.  Even my toughest critic, Ingrid, seated herself at the table in anticipation.



No, she doesn't get to eat people food, but she thinks she should.

Another advantage of this soup is that it goes together fast, making it perfect for a weeknight.  It was also a great excuse to use two of my favorite ingredients, fresh Italian chicken sausage and pepperoncini peppers.

Minestra Maritata

Adapted from A16 Food + Wine

1 bunch Swiss chard

1/2 head Napa cabbage
2 celery stalks
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. dried red chile flakes, or 1 small red pepperoncino pepper
1 lb. fresh chicken sausage, chopped into small chunks
6 plus cups of low-sodium chicken broth
Optional:  good-quality parmesan for grating

Start a large pot of water boiling with a pinch of salt.  I recommend using a stockpot or other heavy-bottomed pot.

Slice the stems away from the leaves of the Swiss chard.  Roughly chop both the leaves and the stems, but keep them in separate piles because they have different cooking times.

Roughly chop the Napa cabbage into small chunks and set aside.  Dice the two stalks of celery.

Once the water is boiling, add the chard stems and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until firm but not tough.  Remove the stems with a wire strainer or a slotted spoon, drain and set aside.  Then add the chard leaves, and cook for a scant 3 minutes until just wilted.  Lift those from the water with the same strainer, drain and set aside.  Finally, add the cabbage and cook for 3 minutes.  Likewise, lift the cabbage out of the water, drain and set aside.  The cooked vegetables are combined from this time forward, so you can have them all together.

Drain the pot and give it a rinse.  Put it back on medium heat and add all of the olive oil.  When the oil is warmed, add the celery, garlic, bay leaf and red pepper.  Stir occasionally until the garlic is just golden and starting to soften.

Add the chunks of sausage and stir until browned and they renders their fat.  Then add the greens and 4 cups of chicken broth to start.  If your soup, like mine, looks like more stew than soup and you want a brothier mix, add stock to the desired consistency.  Taste the soup to see what it needs:  I added a sprinkle of fresh-ground black pepper.

Cook for 5 minutes and remove from heat.  This is especially good if served in warm bowls with a sprinkling of good parmesan melted over it.

Serves 4-6 as a main course;  up to 8 as a first course or appetizer. 

Recommended side:  Sauteed zucchini with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.  I also made "croutons" with chunks of two-day old, toasted baguette.

Suggested wine pairing:  Rosé, gewurtztraminer, or bone-dry riesling.