Zucchini & Eggs

I know this combo sounds crazy but it's really not, it's actually based on real recipe from my Grandma Lucy who was a great Italian American cook. This recipe is another example of La Buona Cucina : it is tasty, economical, and easy! My Grandma Lucy was an expert in what is sometimes referred as Great Depression Cooking. Italian Americans used a lot of eggs in their recipes as a source of cheap protein and came up with many tasty combinations such as this recipe. My Grandma Lucy would cook this with some pasta and I have that recipe here: Grandma Lucy's Pasta w/ Zucchini & Eggs But this even simpler version is just as good served over some crusty day old bread!

My Grandma Lucy Casolaro De Maria

Ingredients (serves 5)
3-4 medium- large zucchini
8-10 eggs
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 - 3/4 cups Parmesan grated
3 tablespoons water
olive oil
salt and black pepper
day old bread or toasted bread slices
Directions 
Cut the zucchini into disks then cut each disk into 4 pieces.
Beat the eggs, add some salt, pepper, and the cheese.

Heat up some olive oil and then add the zucchini and garlic.
Cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add water, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Take the lid off and continue to cook for another 5 minutes reducing the moisture down.
Add some salt to taste.
Pour in the egg mixture stirring to scramble, cook until set.
Serve on top of the bread with more olive oil and cheese : )

Pasta Fagioli (Pasta Fazool)

Pasta Fagioli or Pasta Fazool is a common meal around many Southern Italian homes, we had it at least once a week around my house, every Sunday it was either Ziti al Forno or Pasta Fagioli. Pasta Fagioli is very economical--a buon mercato-- and very simple to make but there are a few pointers that make all the difference. It must not to be too soupy or dry, it's not really a soup or a pasta dish like spaghetti and red sauce but rather like something in between. If it is too dry add some pasta water, too wet then cook down some more with the lid off. The second thing is that it needs a small amount of acid other wise it can be very boring. My Nonna Flora always squirted some lemon on just before serving, this makes all the difference in the world and is probably what had Dean singing about such a lowly dish : )
"When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool , That's amore, Signore Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli That's amore!" ~ Dean Martin
Ingredients
28 oz. can white beans or 1 pound dry beans pre-cooked (cannellini, great northern, or navy) with liquid removed

Listen to the song HERE!

2 garlic cloves crushed
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for drizzling
1celery diced
1-2 large tomato crushed (I use a blender)  or 1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes 
8 oz. mezza tubetti, or small sea shell, or fiori or any other short stubby pasta
1 teaspoon oregano
2 slices bacon chopped
black pepper & salt
Parmesan cheese
1 lemon to squeeze all the juice on the whole dish at the very end! 
Directions
Sauté the bacon and remove to drain. Leave a tablespoon of grease in medium pot.
Saute the celery & garlic in the grease & olive oil on /medlow heat until very soft but not brown at all.
Add wine and cook out alcohol, about 1-2 minutes.
Add tomato and simmer for a few minutes without a lid to reduce the liquid a little.

~Start the pasta water now & reserve 1 cup of the pasta water~

Add the beans and their liquid to the above sauce mixture, salt and pepper, oregano, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until thick. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Add pasta to bean mixture, toss well. If it is too dry (You want it thick but still kind of soupy) add the reserved pasta water and stir. I usually start with 1/2 cup and then add more by a ladle full at a time if needed.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice,  &  black pepper, and some grated Parmesan. We almost always have hard crusty day old bread with this dish to soak up the yummy delicious juices!

Empanadas (Guava & Cream Cheese Filling)

An empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry and it literally means to wrap or coat in bread. Empanadas have many different fillings from sweet to savory and each Latin country has their own version. My pastry dough recipe is from my Mom's friend from Cuba, or our Tia as we called her, and the filling is based on a Cuban empanada my Pastor's wife taught me, she also taught me how to roll the empanadas this easier way which alleviates the step of cutting circles out, thanks Corri : )
Ingredients For Dough (You will also need a pot of canola oil for frying)
11/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
 4 tablespoons crisco straight from the fridge
1 egg
3-4 tablespoons white wine
a few tablespoons ice water
Ingredients For Guava Filling
24 teaspoon size pieces of guava paste 
12 teaspoon size pieces of cream cheese
Directions For Dough
Place the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse. Add crisco and pulse until it is the size of peas. Add the egg and wine and pulse until it forms a dough and then immediately stop pulsing. If it does not seem wet enough add the water 1 tablespoon at a time pulsing to see if it forms. Form into a loaf dump onto a plastic wrap sheet and wrap up. Place in the fridge for atleast an hour.
Directions For Preparing The Guava Empanadas
Heat up a pot of canola oil to 375
Divide the dough into 12 pieces.
Roll each piece into a 3-4 inch circle.
Place a a teaspoon of cream cheese in the center of each circle and 2 smashed chunks of Guave, I just smash with my fingers. This helps it to melt better.
Now fold over, press down gently to release air, seal edges with finger by pressing down. 
Take a fork and crimp as you slide the tongs into the counter this helps the seal.
Fry until golden on each side and drain on paper towels. 
Sprinkle some sugar on as soon as you remove them. This is optional, I like this especially when I am making both sweet and savory at the same time to differentiate them from each other.

Eggs in Purgatory (Uova in Purgatoria)

 I remember thinking to myself, "Purgatory couldn't be so bad if it has food like this in it.".... right? Well, whether you believe in Purgatory or not you will love this simple Southern Italian dish made in the style of Cucina Povera (Poor Kitchen) where the taste is anything but poor due to the fact that the eggs are poached in a rich red marinara sauce! I can't even begin to describe the interesting flavor the combination of eggs, red sauce, and cheese has.
Some Italians, like my friend Rita, grew up eating this for Sunday lunch, it was cooked straight in the Sunday sauce pot to be eaten over a slice of Italian bread and then the sauce continued to cook for spaghetti later that same evening.

Tools
a shallow pot or deep pan with a lid or foil to cover

This egg was cooked for 5 minutes.

rosary beads...just kidding ; )
Ingredients
Marinara sauce
eggs
optional: Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes
crusty bread, polenta, or spaghetti to serve with
Directions
Heat your sauce to a simmer, crack your eggs one at a time into a cup and slide onto sauce, sprinkle on the cheese and red pepper flakes if you like, cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
3 Minutes makes them just set white and very runny yolks, 5 minutes makes them where the yolks are firmer but still a bit runny when pieced.
This is served on top of crusty toasted bread,  polenta, or even spaghetti! Italians are not afraid of mixing their foods together : )

Sophia Loren: the quintessential  Southern Italian girl, grew up on Cucina Povera like this recipe : )

Italian Orange Salad

This orange salad has naval oranges, tangerines, celery, parsley, and capers.

I love how Italians can make a delicious tasting salad out of just about anything in season and just as long as the produce is at it's peak it doesn't really need to require any fuss. So since it's just about the end of orange season (Peak Orange Season is the Winter months) I got my final box of tangerines form Costco the other day and they were just perfect, not too sweet or sour so I decided to make an Italian orange salad.  
Directions:  Dice your oranges cutting away the white pithy parts so you are only left with juicy pieces.
Then add a little chopped fresh parsley, olive oil and salt, black pepper if you like, then toss to coat. Since the oranges are naturally acidic you don't need any vinegar.
It is also traditional to add in some black Calamata olives, or some peeled (use a vegetable peeler to remove the stringy part) and sliced celery or fennel. Something I like to add in when I don't have any olives is a few capers!

Babas au Rhum

I used Julia Child's recipe from The French Chef in my new baba mold and look how cute they are, like little children all dressed up and ready to go...my little bebe baba! I followed Julia's recipe exactly except for the fact that I but used my Kitchen Aid instead of mixing and kneading by hand.

Recipe From: The French Chef by Julia Child

Ingredient (dough)
11/2 cups all purpose flour measured by the scoop and scrape method
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
3 tablespoons water lukewarm
2 large eggs
1/4 cup butter (half a stick) melted and cooled to tepid
Directions (dough) 
Mix the yeast, sugar, and water, stir and dissolve.

Place the rest of dry ingredients in the mixer, make a well and add the yeast mixture in the center.
With the dough hook on your mixer set to # 2 start to mix, adding the eggs and butter as you do.
It will be sticky but after 1 minute if it doesn't start to form an at least sloppy ball, add more flour, 1 tablesoon at a time. I needed about 1/2 cup more flour for mine, but it was a rainy day.
After a  ball forms knead for 7 minutes.
Remove the dough and flour lightly kneading a few times by hand then place in a bowl and cover with a moist warm cloth.
 It needs to rise for 2 hours in a warm place.
Butter your 12 baba molds, or 24 cupcake tins by placing a ball of dough and pressing into the bottom, no need to smooth out it will when rising and baking. The ball needs to fill the cup 1/3 full.
Now rise uncovered near preheating oven until they are 1/4 inch over the tops.
Preheat oven to 375.
These must be bakes as soon as they are risen. Bake for 15 minutes, they are done when you remove one and it is golden all around. These need to be still warm when soaking. Before placing in rum pierce with a large fork all along the base of the baba's.
Rum Syrup Ingredients
2 cups water, 1 set aside to add at end
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup rum
Rum Syrup Directions
Bring the sugar and 1 cup of the water to a boil stirring until it dissolves, cover and keep warm over lowest heat.
Just before dipping your baba you will add the 1 cup of faucet water and the rum, you need a warm but not hot mixture.
Now place the babas in a large bowl with the warm syrup mixture and  using a baster baste the babas until they start to sink, they must be standing up or else they won't all fit. Set aside to continue to soak for 30 minutes exactly.

Remove and place on a rack to drip off excess syrup for 1/2 hour.
Now splash a drop or two of or rum on top of each baba.
Apricot Glaze Ingredients
1/2 cup apricot jam pressed through a sieve to remove skins.
1 tablespoon sugar
 Apricot Glaze Directions
Boil the apricot jam and sugar until done: scoop up a bit of hot glaze with a teaspoon and let it fall back into the pan; when the last drop falls very slowly, and almost form threads, the glaze is done. This also needs to be warm but not hot.What I did was make it ahead and the reheated on the stove before using.

Now brush the glaze on to each baba.

Toppings

Glace' Cherries (or Maraschino) cut in half, slivered almonds, and cupcake papers

Now place 4 almond slivers and 1/2 a cherry on to each one and lie down into a cupcake paper. Voila!

Notes: The only problem I had was that I only ordered the 8 "cups" mold and this recipe makes 12 so I reserved part of the dough wrapped in plastic in the fridge (so the dough would not have an extra rise) while the first batch was rising in the molds and baking.