Gatò Di Patate (Italian Potato Pie)

This is my version of one of my Dad's recipes and was one of my favorite meals as a child, it is so good. Gato is usually made with left over mashed potatoes and cheeses and meats in the fridge but I love this dish so much that I make mashed potatoes just for Gato. I like to describe Gato as an Italian Shepherd's Pie.  The Italian word gatò comes from the French gâteau which means cake, a word left over from when the French  occupied Naples, Italy.
Ingredients
Prepared Mashed Potatoes (5 large potatoes or 2 1/2 pounds of russet)You want a real moist and creamy mashed potato for this recipe but if they are not just add some melted butter and milk to the mashed potatoes.
2 eggs beaten
4 -8 ounces diced sandwich meat2 such as ham or salami
6-8 ounces left over cheeses chopped in small pieces or grated: I like 1/2 Parmesan  1/2 Provolone
1/4 cup bread crumbs for the mixture and a little more for the topping
3 tablespoons olive oil for the mixture and a little more for the topping
a little salt and a lot of pepper added to the mashed potatoes
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a large lasagna pan with butter. Prepare your mashed potatoes and flavor with salt and a lot of pepper. Make sure it is light and creamy, adding more butter or milk if needed. Add the fillings: bread crumbs, eggs, olive oil, ham and cheese and mix well. Pour into the pan. Sprinkle a light veil of breadcrumbs and little more Parmesan over top and drizzle with some more olive oil. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until it it is golden brown and bubbly.

Frittata

I did this frittata in my dutch oven

This is basically an Italian omelet and since it's Italian it's much easier than making a French omelet which requires a bit of skill. An Italian Frittata is usually eaten for lunch or dinner and not breakfast so therefore it is typically enriched by adding meats, potatoes, cheeses, vegetables or even left over pasta. If you desire to make a bunch of Frittata try these Mini Frittata's!
Ingredients 
10-12 inch pan: 8-10 large eggs (serves 8-10)
6-8 inch pan: 4-6 eggs (serves 4-6)
salt and pepper
nutmeg (A few scrapings)
1 cup cheese grated: 1/2 for mixture and 1/2 for topping
 olive oil (Parmesan, fontina, mozzarella, provolone, etc....)
Fillings Suggestions:
Note: These ingredients should be sauteed in the pan before you add the egg mixture.
1 1/2 cups spinach chopped finely
1/2 cup diced potato
chopped asparagus
chopped artichoke hearts
6 ounces ham, prosciutto, bacon, or salami chopped fine
1 1/2 cup cooked spaghetti cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup soffritto
Tools
10-12 inch skillet that is oven safe (If using non-stick it will be easy to flip but will not brown as much but if using regular coat well with PAM and/or olive oil)
Directions
Heat the skillet over medium heat. Add PAM if using and then olive oil to coat
First you saute any ingredients you are using in the pan.

Beat the eggs along with half the cheese you are using, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Pour the eggs on top of the sauteed ingredients and cook tilting the pan and moving the egg mixture  from the center out to cook the top 2/3 mixture (do not disturb the bottom crust) until it is almost set in the center, about 5 minutes.
After the bottom and the top 2/3 has set add the rest of the cheese and place it under the broiler and watch, you just want the top to set and start to brown.
Slice like a pizza and serve straight from the pan or flip out and serve on platter.
This is great served in slices as a sandwich hot or at room temp!

Pasta & Potatoes ( Pasta e Patata)

Grandma Lucy's Pasta e Patata

This is a Great Depression Italian American dish. It is from my Grandma Lucy (Lucia Casolaro DeMaria) she was my father’s second cousin and my Mom’s step Mom (You might be a Southern Italian if....your grandmother is your second cousin!) it wasn't for her my parents would have never found each other so I guess I owe a lot to her! She was a larger than life person who wore lots of jewelry, fur coats, and had bleached blond hair ! When I was little she seemed like a movie star to me.

Ingredients

one pound potatoes peeled & cut to a medium dice

medium sized pot of Marinara Sauce (48 ounces)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Fresh basil leaves

pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions

Put the potatoes, oregano, and olive oil, in a large pot and saute for a few minutes until golden brown. Add tomato sauce and enough water to cover potatoes. Bring to a boil. Let it cook uncovered for about 45 to 50 minutes. If it starts to become too dry add a little water at a time. In another pot boil some pasta, (orecchiette or cavatelli or ditali) till almost done. Drain well and add the pasta to the pot with the sauce mixture.Add some torn basil leaves and let cook another minute. Cover and turn off the heat. Let rest for 10 minutes turning twice with a wooden spoon. Serve with plenty of grated cheese.

This my Grandma Lucy in her family's shop, New Jersey 1940's.

Minestrone (The Big Soup)

I just love how Italians give such playful names to their foods  like Angel Hair Pasta, Priest Strangler, Pick Me Up, Little Ears, and The Big Soup as in the meaning behind Minestrone. It is named so because of its many ingredients. This famous soup is originally from  Liguria in north/western Italy although most regions of Italy have their own vegetable soup which they call a minestrone.  Minestrone is even better the next day so go ahead and make a double batch for dinner and lunch the next day. Or, make this soup for your family and anyone you know who is sick or going through a rough patch along with some good bread. Minestrone is perfect for this because it's healthy, hearty, and easily transportable. If you decide to do this just make sure to not add the pasta but rather place it in a separate container for them to add themselves.
Ingredients
1 cup mushrooms wiped and chopped into bite size pieces
2 TBL. Olive oil & 2 TBL. Butter
Salt & black pepper
Italian seasonings
Red pepper flakes
1 onion chopped
2 carrots peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 bunch greens chopped: swiss chard, spinach, kale, etc….)
2 TBL. fresh parsley & basil chopped to add at end
3 small boiling potatoes peeled and chopped OR 1 large sweet potato peeled and chopped
4 tomatoes (fresh or canned) chopped
2 cups cooked and drained pasta about the size of the beans(wheels, shells, elbow, ditalini, broken spaghetti)
2 cups cooked and drained or canned/drained red beans or  white beans
* OPTIONAL 1 piece Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese rind (either save this from your cheese wedge in the freezer or you can purchase it from your deli)
Grated Parmigiano cheese and a hearty bread for serving at the table
*Optional: serve with pesto
Directions
Cook the pasta, drain, and set aside.
In a large heavy bottomed pot melt the oil & butter and sauté carrots, onions, garlic, celery, and a large pinch of salt  (This is known as a Soffritto) until tender (10 minutes)over medium heat
Add mushrooms, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, greens (chopped), parsley, seasonings, another inch of salt and black pepper, and  saute for a few minutes (10) until the greens are wilted.
Add wine, turn up the heat,  and cook out alcohol for a 2 minutes
Add the broth, and enough water to cover by 1 inch, cheese rind, and bring to a low simmer, lower heat to maintain this low simmer and cook uncovered until thick about 1 1/2 hours: adding more water if it becomes too thick

You may now turn it off, cover, and set aside until 20 minutes before serving. Then return to a low simmer just before serving.
Remove the cheese rind or chop it up into little pieces and add back to the soup.
Add the parsley and basil.
Add the cooked pasta to each bowl and then ladle the soup on top OR if you plan to eat the whole pot at one sitting add the cooked pasta directly to the soup.
Serve with bread,  Parmesan cheese and pesto if you like!

Lentil Soup

Lentil Soup
We lived on this when Chris was in Graduate school. Now we have it once a week and I usually serve it with a hearty Italian bread. This would be considered an Italian Jewish recipe. I have come to believe that wherever Jews have settled they have created a rich and diverse menu in order to meet the needs of their religious holidays.
Ingredients
1 bag lentils
1 large onion
3 garlic cloves crushed & minced
3 celery ribs sliced or diced
2 carrots sliced or diced
1 potato peeled and diced
olive oil
1/3 cup white or red wine
salt & pepper
1 can (28-32 oz.) of crushed tomatoes OR better yet some left over tomato sauce!
parsley
bay leaf
red pepper flakes
Directions
sauté the onion, celery, potato, and carrot in oil until soft
add garlic and sauté (this is known as a Soffritto)
Add wine and cook off for 2-3 minutes
add lentils and enough water to cover by a few inches
add salt and pepper, bay leaf, red pepper, and parsley
cover and simmer for an hour (until beans are cooked)
Add tomatoes and cook on low as long as you like!

NOTES & TIPS:
This can be as thick like a stew or thin like a soup as you like simply by adjusting the amount of water.
After sautéing veggies add to crock pot along with water and tomatoes and cook on low all day for a thick stew!
Use left over spaghetti sauce instead of tomatoes
Use Italian seasoning instead of parsley
Use Herbs Provence instead of parsley and add some leeks to the veggie mix

New England Clam Chowder

This is the cream based chowder usually known as "New England" Clam Chowder, not the tomato based one usually known as "Manhattan" Clam Chowder. We love good creamy chowders in the cold weather as they truly are "stick to your ribs" good and warm!

This recipe is one that I adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks. I got it a used book sale at my library and the name of it is "The New Basic Cookbook" by Rosso & Lukins. It is actually about 25 years old and goes back to the days when they actually used butter, cream, eggs, wine... you know, real food ingredients. I made a few changes to it such as using canned clams, since we do not live on the coast anymore. You will want to serve this steaming hot and I like to serve it with a veggie tray and Vermont Cheddar Biscuits!

New England Clam Chowder

4 cans chopped clams & their juices (the 6.5 ounce size)
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoons olive oil (I like the combo of the fats for creamy based soups)
2 large onions grated on a cheese grater (4 cups)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
6 potatoes peeled & diced small ( 4 cups)
1 1/2teaspoons dry thyme or 3 teaspoons fresh thyme
lots of fresh ground pepper!
salt to taste
3 cups whole milk & 1 cup cream
fresh or dry chives or parsley for topping

Open the cans of clams and dump into a strainer on top of a bowl to separate the juice from clams, reserve both
Heat both oils over medium heat and saute onions until wilted ( 10 minutes)
Add flour and stir constantly while cooking for about 5 minutes
Add reserved clam juice, potatoes, thyme, and salt & pepper
Place a lid on cook , stirring every few minutes, over medium/low heat until the potatoes are soft
At this point you may refrigerate this part until ready to serve or turn off heat and set it aside until ready to serve.
15 minutes before serving, add clams, milk, and cream
Cook over low heat (do not boil) while stirring until heated through
Adjust seasonings and serve piping hot!

Gnocchi

Nothing reminds me more of my childhood than gnocchi (pronounced nyokie) as my Mom and I spent many hours making pounds of gnocchi for Sunday dinners. We would usually make enough gnocchi to feast on with other large Italian families so we rolled, cut, and shaped thousands of gnocchi at a time. One thing my Mom taught through all of those gnocchi making Saturdays is that good things are worth the extra effort. The whole time I was shaping those gnocchi I would be dreaming of little dumplings floating in a bowl of sauce covered with Parmesan cheese! Now as I make them along with the help of all three of my teenagers I also dream of the enjoyment we as a family will get from sharing a simple yet delicious meal together. A decent meal shared with family and or friends is a wonderful gift from God! The recipe I am sharing with you is my own derived from my Mother's Grandmother, Nona Cornaccio,although I had to break it down a bit (hers called for 8 pounds of potatoes!)and I also needed an egg to help soften the dough.

This recipe will feed 4 as a first course generously!

Ingredients:

3 large russet potatoes 

 

1 large whole egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp. fresh black pepper
1 and 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, or as needed
Directions
Pierce the cleaned and dried potatoes and bake at 350 for about an hour (soft when pierced) or in a crockpot high 3 hours. The hotter the potatoes are when they are peeled and riced, the lighter the gnocchi will be. Working quickly and protecting the hand that holds the potatoes with a folded kitchen towel cut the potatoes in half or thirds to fit in mill or ricer OR peel and mash with a masher. Press the peeled potatoes through a potato ricer a food mill and then allow the potatoes to cool completely. If you use a ricer or mill you don't even have to peel!

In a small bowl, beat the egg, salt, pepper, together. Gather the cold potatoes into a mound and form a well in the center. Pour the egg mixture into the well.
Knead the potato and egg mixtures together with both hands, gradually adding the flour, about 1 1/2 cups, to form a smooth but slightly sticky dough. It should take no longer than 3 minutes to work the flour into the potato mixture; remember, the longer the dough is kneaded, the more flour it will require and the heavier it will become. Cover with plastic wrap and rest in fridge for 20 minutes or until ready to roll and cut gnocchi.

Form 4 balls of dough. Or, if you are just starting out make 8 small balls. Roll each of these into a rope about the thickness of your thumb.

Cut each rope into 1/2 inch pieces.
Roll each piece into a ball and form a gnocchi by rolling it down the back end of a fork.See my Gnocchi Paddle Method Here!

Repeat the whole process with the remaining pieces of dough. Place each piece onto a floured cloth and allow to dry out slightly.

To cook gnocchi:
Bring six quarts of salted water to a vigorous boil in a large pot over high heat. Drop about some gnocchi into the boiling water a few at a time, stirring gently and continuously with a wooden spoon. Cook the gnocchi, stirring gently, until tender, about 1 -2 minutes after they rise to the surface.

Remove the gnocchi from the water with a slotted spoon of skimmer, draining them well, and transfer to an oven proof pan of sauce and keep in the oven on warm until ready to eat.

To freeze gnocchi:
lay them out not touching on a large cookie sheet and freeze for 30 minutes than transfer to a large baggie and return to freezer. You will need to do this in batches. Cook as usual straight from the freezer.

Serve with some chopped fresh basil and some Parmesan cheese!

Quick & Easy Gnocchi

This is actually pretty good for using instant potatoes. Just be sure to use a good quality brand of all natural instant potatoes.If you would like to see pictures of the whole gnocchi making process see my Gnocchi Recipe Here!

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup dry potato flakes
1 cup boiling water
1 egg, beaten 1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black
pepper
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place potato flakes in a medium-size bowl. Pour in boiling water; stir until blended. Let cool.
2. Stir in egg, salt, and pepper. Blend in enough flour to make a fairly stiff dough. Turn dough out on a well floured board. Knead lightly.
3. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a long thin roll, the thickness of a pointer finger. With a knife dipped in flour, cut into bite-size pieces.
4. Place a few gnocchi in boiling water. As the gnocchi rise to the top of the pot, allow them to cook for another good minute or two then remove them with a slotted spoon. Repeat until all are cooked.

Recipe By: Sandy Metzler

French Fries (Pommes Frites)

Pommes Frites
(French Fried Potatoes)
This recipe is adapted from Julia Child's book From Julia's Kitchen. She starts by saying that home fries are the best because after two uses the oil starts to get a greasy spoon character to it. I drain out any food from the first day of frying and then keep it in a jar with a lid. After the second time I toss it. She also says that they need to be fried twice and since I started doing this my family has commented on the fries being much crispier. The third thing is to use a baking potato not a boiling potato. So here is the recipe:
For 6 people
6-7 baking potatoes (peeled and trimmed on all sides and tops and bottoms to form a perfect rectangle)
2 1/2 quarts canola oil and a fry daddy or large cast iron kettle
newspapers and paper bags for draining
First I place the newspapers and paper bag on top of a pan and set to the right of the kettle
Then I prepare the potatoes, rinse off with water and dry off with a towel
Next I heat up the oil to 330 (this is for the first frying)
Now drop in 2 handfuls at a time and fry until soft and cooked through but not browned (2-3 minutes)
Remove and place on bag
Let these cool for 10 minutes or several hours
Now just before you are ready to eat them turn the oil up to 375-400
Place 2 handfuls in at a time and fry until golden (3-5 minutes)turning or tossing as needed
Place on bag and add salt immediately, serve them as soon as possible.