Nonna Cornaccio's Biscotti

 

                                                                

Nonna Cornaccio sipping a well earned digestivo after cooking for hours!

This is my Nonna Cornaccio's famous Biscotti recipe she brought from Naples Italy to the states and is a cherished recipe for our family. See very important tips below for perfect crunchy biscotti! This makes a little over 2 dozen if you don’t include the ends, those are for the baker! 

Ingredients

2.5  cups all purpose flour 

1/4 of a stick of butter (1/8 cup) softened not melted!

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1.5 tablespoons almond extract

3 eggs 

Optional: 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips melted for topping

Directions

Mix butter and sugar in stand or hand held mixer, add eggs and extract and mix , mix eggs and extract in a separate cup then pour in slowly so eggs can incorporate and mix until a dough forms.

Scoop dough out and place in a baggie and put in fridge until cold or over night or freeze for future use.

Set oven to 350

Form 2 logs and slightly flatten, see photo below, and bake for 25 minutes. They need to be firm in center, if they aren’t they will not cut properly. If it’s still very soft in center put back in for 3 more minutes. 

Pull out and cool to touch (they won’t cut properly if not cooled) , then slice into diagonal slices (see below)  turn over to sides (see below) and bake 10-15 more minutes. Flip to other side for 3-5 more minutes. 

Cool completely before next step.

OPTIONAL: Melt chocolate and spread thinly on flat sides of each biscotti ( I use a small frosting knife) then place the cookie tray in fridge to set. 

Remove and serve at room temp, these last 1 week at room temp.

Important Tips for crunchy biscotti: 

Form long thin and logs and slice thin or else  they’ll be cakey, these are small not like the big store bought biscotti! 

Use regular butter not Irish butter as it will change the recipe. 

Turn back on to bottoms (like they baked initially) to cool.

Spread chocolate thin.

Remove from fridge as soon as the chocolate sets and keep covered at room temp. 

                                                               

                                                                                                             

Italian Wedding Soup (Nonna Soup)

Italian “wedding “ soup is translated from the Italian for a soup "wedded" by many different leftovers not actually made for a wedding! The traditional Neapolitan soup was simply a Zuppa di Nonna (grandmother’s soup) made from left over cuts of meat and my Nonna Cornaccio’s soup had some strange meats like a pigs foot and even horse meat one time! But this modern version uses bite sized meatballs (don't worry mine is made from turkey not horse) perfect for more modern tastes. 

My sweet Nonna Cornaccio sipping digestivo after cooking for hours! 

Ingredients

Mini meatballs:

1 pound ground turkey

1 cup grated parmesan

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 slices left over homemade italian or sour dough bread torn into small pieces (remove any hard crusts)

1 egg

1-2 garlic cloves minced

salt & pepper to taste

water to moisten bread

Soup:

water to cover

1/4 cup olive oil

3 bay leaves

8 ounces spinach or broccoli rabe or a softer kale chopped

1 small or half of a cabbage chopped

1 onion diced

2-3 celery ribs diced

1 large carrot diced

1/4 cup olive oil 

1/2 cup white wine

2-3 tablespoons better than bouillon ( I used vegetable) 

Water to cover or broth if not using Bouillon

Directions

Make meatballs bite size and sauté in some olive oil (2 tablespoons) Tip: roll really good and smooth with no cracks or else they will break open.

Remove and set aside and add more oil (1/4 cup) and saute celery onion and carrot (Italian Trinity of cooking) until soft and translucent but not brown, don't add salt or it will brown..

Add white wine and cook for a few minutes to cook out alcohol.

Add back in meatballs and cover with water and bouillon or broth, add in cabbage and kale and broccoli rabe (if using) adding enough water or broth to cover. Then add in bay leaves and salt & pepper to taste, cover and cook on a low simmer 20 minutes. Add spinach (if using) in the last 5 minutes. 

Remove bay leaves before serving!

Serve with more parmesan, red pepper flakes and broken pieces of day old bread, this is a must for this "left over" wedding soup!

Spinach Pizza

 

This is my own creation for my spinach and garlic loving husband! 

Ingredient 

Pizza Dough Recipe (this is for 2 large pizzas)

4-5 ounces spinach (fresh)

4-6 ounces whole mozzarella shredded

2 ounces provolone cheeses

2 ounces Parmesan shredded or grated 

4-6 garlic cloves minced 

Olive oil 

Salt and plenty of cracked black pepper 

Prepare pizza dough by firming 2 large pizzas

Drizzle olive oil all over except very edges 

Spread garlic (I find hands do this best)

Sprinkle a little salt all over  lots of cracked black pepper 

Pile up the spinach to edges (it will shrink)

Place the mixture of cheeses all over spinach 

Bake at highest temp on a preheated stone for 7-10 minutes, bake until you can remove the parchment by slipping it out, remove parchment and bake until golden brown about 2-5 more minutes but watch close as it may burn. 

Quick Pizza Dough

 

This is for when you want pizza in just a few hours. My regular pizza dough recipe starting a day ahead. This crust will not be as crusty but its still yummy!

4 cups AP flour (500 grams)

1& 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1& 1/2 teaspoons salt

1& 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1& 1/2 cups lukewarm water (12 ounces)

Mix dry in Stand Mixer then add water and olive, knead on settting #2 for 9 minutes.

Lightly coat in olive oil, cover with plastic and set in warm place until double in size around 2-3 hours.

Proceed to pizza recipe.

Italian Zucchini Turkey Meatballs

 

These are not the meatballs you cook in a sauce but rather eaten more like a burger. They are a great way to use up that summer zucchini and are perfect for a main dish along side some juicy roasted bell pepper or Peperonata or Caponata but my favorite way is in a bun with Roasted Bell Peppers or Peperonata!

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey

2 zucchini

2 cloves garlic

3/4 - 1 cup fine plain bread crumbs 

1/2- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 egg

salt and pepper

olive oil

Optional Add In: 1 tablespoon fennel seeds for a sweet sausage flavor or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes for a spicy sausage flavor 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375

Grate the zucchini and place in a bowl with the turkey and egg.

Add in cheese and bread crumbs starting with the smaller amount, feeling the texture to see if you want more breadcrumbs and/or cheese. It should be moist yet firm enough to form and hold a ball.

Add in salt and pepper and mix well.

Form balls and place on baking sheet, drizzle each with olive oil and bake 15 minutes.

Then flip meatballs drizzle more olive oil on top and bake for 2-5 minutes under the broiler (I keep my oven door open and stand right there) but WATCH closely as they will burn quickly!

My favorite way to eat these are on a bun with Peperonata!

Peperonata (Italian Ratatouille)

 

This is the perfect Summer dish to use up and enjoy all of those delicious garden veggies! Peperonata is the less "vinegary" cousin of Caponata and a close relative to France's ratatouille. Peperonata mostly uses bell peppers as its flavor base and is jam packed with flavor, full of health and beautiful to look at making it the perfect "last hoorah" dish of the summertime!

Ingredients

1 pound red and/or yellow or even green bell peppers (red is traditional as they are the sweetest)

1/8- 1/4 cup olive oil

1 onion

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes OR  calabrian paste or 1 small hot pepper red or green

2 medium tomatoes

1 zucchini

1 small eggplant 

1/2 -1 large potato

1 glass white wine

pinch of sugar

salt and pepper to taste

optional herbs: dried oregano, fresh parsley and/or basil etc..

Directions 

Cut all of the large veggies to about same size, not too small or too big, you want some toothsomeness.

Heat up oil medium low in large pot and saute onion and garlic and oregano if using along with a little salt to prevent browning until onion is translucent, don't burn garlic.

Turn up heat to medium/high and add wine and cook until you don't smell alcohol, lean over the pot and smell, you'll know.

Add in the hot pepper, bell peppers, and potatoes and more salt (layering the salt is important) cook until soft stirring here and there, about 15 minutes. Add a little water here and there if its sticking as needed.

Add the tomatoes, eggplant and zucchini season with and pepper this time and stir here & there to cook down  until ALL veggies are soft, check each one. It will take around another 20-30 minutes give or take depending on size of veggies.

Add the chopped fresh  herbs at the end and taste for salt & pepper.

Serve on bread for an antipasto, as a "sauce" for pasta or in a sandwich, this is really good with a sausage or meatball sub!

Italian Pickled Onions

 

These are a quick pickle and you can make them just a an hour or 2 before using. They bring balance to a heavy meat dish like my Porchetta and will add some zing to any sandwich!

Ingredients 

1 large Red onion sliced thin

Red pepper flakes (add as many as you prefer your  heat level)

1/2 cup Red wine vinegar (I’ve used apple cider vinegar as well) 

1/4 cup Water

2 teaspoons Sugar 

1 teaspoon Salt 

Place all together in a bowl or jar cover and refrigerate atleast 1 hour or a few hours before using and they will keep up to several weeks in the fridge. 

Porchetta (crockpot version)

 

This is an easier, not as pretty, version of the real thing I like to think of it as Italian pulled pork and it’s so delizioso! I’ve made it in the crockpot to keep it simple but you must crisp it up in a pan before hand or it won’t have those crackly crispy bits that is a must for a true Porchetta! Eat this on some good crusty Italian bread or hard rolls just like pulled pork with minimal toppings but some like salsa verde, arugula or pickled onions.  It will take about 6-8 hours to cook.

Porchetta sandwich with pickled onions and salad verde

Ingredients 

Pork butt 4 pounds 

Fresh Rosemary 4 tablespoons chopped

Oregano 2 teaspoons dried 

2 tablespoons fennel seeds

Olive oil 2-3 tablespoons 

8-10 Garlic cloves minced 

White wine 1 cup

Salt to taste and  a lot of cracked black pepper 

Crisp up almost black on all 4 sides of the pork in a regular large sauce pan don’t use non stick!  You will know it’s ready to flip when  it no longer sticks to the pan. 

Olive oil a little to coat bottom of crock pot and place pork in, set to high.

Use the wine to deglaze the pan and cook down until a sauce forms and alcohol cooks out.

Pour the wine into the sides of the crockpot.

Put all the seasonings on top of the pork. And drizzle more olive oil. 

Leave it to cook for about 4 hours on high.

Remove most of the  liquid with a ladle and leave only a little bit at the bottom. Add more olive oil sad set to low for another 2 hours. 

Using large forks to pull apart meat and cover to cook for about 30 minutes to an hour or until tender!

Italian Brioche (Breakfast Rolls)

 These sweet rolls are perfect for an authentic Italian breakfast. Just spread on some Nutella or fruit preserves and add some fruit and a cappuccino and you’ve got a true Italian breakfast!

Ingredients 

4 - 4 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

2 teaspoons yeast 

1 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons sugar

Zest of 1 orange or lemon or half of each

3 eggs beaten

1/3 cup butter melted and cooled to lukewarm

1/2 cup warm milk

1/3 cup warm water 

Egg wash: 1 egg splash of milk beaten

Directions 

Mix dry ingredients in bowl set aside

In a stand mixer mix water, milk and yeast, then add the rest of the liquids, sugar and zest and mix until combined 

Add in dry ingredients starting with 4 cups of flour and mix for 7-9 minutes. You may need the 1/2 cup but maybe not.  It may be sticky at first but should eventually form a smooth ball, if not add more flour.  

Cover with plastic and set in warm place until doubled in size 1 1/2-2 hours

Deflate dough and make 12 even balls by tucking under pinching and squeezing to form smooth balls.

Cover with a light towel and rise in a warm place until almost double, about 30 minutes. I use my microwave to do this.  

Brush with egg wash and bake 20 minutes.

Set on rack to cool. 

Italian Limoncello Loaf (Better & Healthier than Starbucks Lemon Loaf)

 

My Daddy in Naples with his Momma & his Zia

My sweet Daddy, Andrea Casolaro, was not a big fast food or chain store coffee guy being from Naples Italy. But he had 2 weaknesses which I gladly filled, Chick-Filet Lemonade & Starbucks Lemon Loaf!

This is an Italian version (which I believe Starbucks Lemon Loaf  is based on) typically eaten for breakfast unglazed or dessert with the glaze  that every Italian housewife has a recipe for. It uses olive oil instead of butter and yogurt instead of milk making it high protein & Mediterranean diet friendly. I also use limoncello instead of lemon extract but you can replace the limoncello with lemon extract, see exact amounts below.

Ingredients

3/5 cup olive oil

2 medium lemons  (zest of both for cake and juice of 1 for glaze)

6 ounces yogurt with some fat & plain

1& 1/2 cups of sugar 

3 large eggs 

1 tablespoon limoncello or 2 teaspoons lemon extract

2 cups AP flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Glaze (optional: or eat plain for breakfast or a light dusting of powdered sugar)

1- 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon limoncello or 2 teaspoons lemon extract lemon extract 

6 - 8 teaspoons lemon juice (just under 1 medium lemon’s worth 

Directions

Preheat oven 350

Line bottom of 9 inch pan and spray with cooking spray (8 inch pan won’t work for this recipe)

Whisk dry ingredients in a separate bowl

In mixer bowl beat eggs. Add rest of wet ingredients and mix well, scrape down to incorporate the zest

Add in dry and mix until smooth and incorporated 

Pour into pan and bake 1 hour or more, check to see if toothpick doesn’t come out dry

Mix glaze ingredients with a wish until white and creamy adjusting liquid if needed  and until no lumps

Cool on rack in pan 20 minutes

Remove from pan and cool completely 

Eat plain or addd a dusting of powdered sugar or:

Pour on half of glaze let it set and pour on the rest, this keeps it from falling off!

The nutritional information below shows for 1/12 of the loaf a typical Italian size