A LEGAL LADIES LUNCH AT LA CUCINA

I think a routine has just been established.  Once a month Patience and three of co-workers from WRH&S arrive at La Cuccina Renzulli for a mid-day repast.  The first time they were here the ladies were smart enough to praise the meal and the cook with unabashed enthusiasm, and basking in their praise I would have said yes to twice weekly lunches.  Fortunately their request was a modest monthly lunch date.  As busy as I am, and I am a very busy man – busy, busy, busy – you would think this is a burden for me; it is not.  I quickly realized that here was an opportunity to enjoy pasta and sausage in the middle of the day, a pleasure shared by my guests.  I suppose I could serve something other than the food of the gods (at least my gods), and I probably will, but it won’t be easy.

Let my say that the fact that my wife’s coworkers are three lovely women has no bearing on any of this

For our first lunch we had the treat of all treats, Spaghetti with Sunday gravy made with sausage and Chicken.  This month we enjoyed Tortellini soup with white beans and sausage.

INGREDIENTS:

1.     Cheese filled Tortellini

2.     Great Northern beans (Cannellini or other white beans can be used)

3.     Italian sausage cut into bite size piece

4.     Beef broth

5.     Olive oil

6.     Butter

7.     Onion and garlic chopped

8.     Celery and carrots chopped

9.     Dry Basil and Oregano

10. Tomato paste- about 2 tablespoons

11. Salt and pepper

12. Red pepper flakes - optional

13. Grana Padana Cheese

PROCESS:

Brown the sausage in oil, remove and set aside.  In a large pot heat the olive oil and butter and add the garlic, onions, carrots, celery, and red pepper flakes, and cook until soft., about 4-5 minutes.  Add the sausage and the tomato paste and mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the beans, the broth, and the seasoning.  Cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes.  (Mine simmered for almost 2 hours.)

Bring the soup to a boil and add the tortellini, cooking as directed on the package.

Serve with grated cheese and fresh Ciabatta bread from Kirchhoff's.

COMMENTS:

Life sometimes makes tough demands on us.  Being the tiger that I am, I am willing to go that extra mile to meet those demands.

THE LUNCH BOX…a new occasional series on the mid-day meal

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Introducing a new occasional series on food, celebrating that mundane mid-day meal we call lunch.  For as long as I can remember, and for reasons unknown to me, lunch has been a meal I refused to miss; No matter what I was doing or where I was doing it, I had to stop for lunch.  The rapidly accumulating years has done nothing to diminish  my ardor for the noontime repast, and in fact have enhanced it..  My friend Harvey is confident that if he calls at noon, he knows I will be sitting down for lunch; I am that predictable.

I hope to post once or twice a week, but do not expect any rhyme or reason to the posts regarding time and subject.

I should probably post a disclaimer now regarding Ciabatta bread.  I have no vested interest in Kirchhoff’s bakery.  It just so happens that I think Josh Ryan’s Ciabatta is the best of the best, which is why it appears in so many of my lunches.  I missed it even during my month in Italy.

1-26-13…a typical “Ciabatta lunch” with tomatoes, asparagus, olive oil, lemon juice, grated Grana Padano cheese, and of course, lightly toasted Ciabatta bread.

THE DILEMA…I am what I am part 4

Many of my jeans no longer fit me.  I have only one pair of slacks – at least 15 years old – that I can wear, and that is because of its elastic, expandable waist- band.  None of my suits fit, and many of my shirts can just about be buttoned around my expanded mid-section.  I cringe at what I see when I look in the mirror, and every night I lie in bed vowing that I can do and I will do, whatever it takes to lose this uncomfortable, and unsightly belly.  And everyday, as lunchtime approaches with the first pangs of hunger, I completely disown that vow.  Did I make a vow?  What vow?  That must have been someone else getting in my head.

I love food and I love eating.  I enjoy the flavors of my favorite foods, and the goal of abolishing hunger is quickly replaced by the desire to maximize the pleasure for my taste buds.  This experience plays out every day, at every meal, whether I’m eating alone, with Patience, or with others.

Food nurtures the soul as well as the body.  Growing up in a family and community of immigrants and first generation Italian-Americans I learned that all social interactions – gatherings of family and/or friends, weddings, funerals, and casual impromptu get-togethers  - all centered around food.  It could be as simple as coffee and pastry or as elegant as a full course meal, but the sharing of food and the kitchen or dinning room table was inexorably linked to the interaction of family and friends. 

So now, in my battle with the expanding waist line, I not only have to overcome the sensual attraction of wonderful flavors, but also a cultural heritage that has stained the fibers of my being.  And that’s not all!

The aromas of the kitchen – garlic sautéing in olive oil, basil, oregano, and Parmigianino cheese – all evoke memories of my mother’s kitchen and her wonderful cooking.  And it is impossible for me to sit before a plate of pasta and not remember my father.   Cooking and eating has become an important link to my past and to my parents.  Whether it is the satisfaction of preparing a simple dish of pasta with olive oil and garlic, or the small fruit glass of red wine at lunch, I am, for that brief moment, with my mother and father.  I am what I am.

My weight…oh yea…well I can deal with that tomorrow.

MEXICAN LASAGNA

 INGREDIENTS:

Ten-inch tortilla wraps

Salsa

Basmati rice…1 cup

Black beans…14 oz. can, drained and rinsed

Diced tomatoes…14 oz. can

Portabella mushrooms – small…6-9

Leek…white and light green part thinly sliced

Kale…about 2 cups, chopped

Garlic…2 medium cloves, sliced lengthwise

Cilantro

Enchilada sauce

Three cheese mix

Olive oil

Cumin

Salt and pepper

Fresh lime juice

PROCESS:

Cook the Kale in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain, and set aside.

Cook the cut up mushrooms and leek in olive oil over high heat until well done – about 10 minutes.  After 5 minutes add the kale to the pan and the juice of ½ lime.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

Cook the rice per the directions on the package, in the water used for the Kale

In a separate pan, cook the garlic in olive oil until soft, then add the tomatoes and beans, plus cumin and cilantro. Cook until all the tomato juice has evaporated.

In meat loaf or bread baking pan, place a thin layer of salsa on the bottom.  Place the tortilla so half of it covers the bottom and add a layer of the tomato-bean mixture.  Fold the remaining half of the tortilla over and cover with a layer of rice.  Place a second tortilla over this, and add a layer of the mushrooms and Kale.  Fold over the tortilla and add a thin layer of salsa, cover this with the enchilada sauce and cover with a generous layer of the cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees, covered, for 10 minutes, and uncovered another 5-10 minutes.

Serve with sour cream or low fat yogurt.

Note…the sequence of the layers of ingredients is entirely arbitrary, as are the ingredients. 

THE MARKET

Grocery shopping has never been a chore for me, and in recent years it has become a rather pleasant task, one that I look forward to doing.  Over the years I’ve fallen into somewhat of a routine, doing most of my shopping at one of our local Krogers super markets, as well as our seasonal famer’s market.  I suppose I averaged 2 to 3 visits a week to either one.

During our “year of pasta”, the shopping became somewhat predictable; there were the usual staples that I kept on hand, fresh, frozen, or canned, often in excess of our actual need.  My reasoning was, it would eventually all get used.  Everything changed this summer.

Two things were responsible for the change: first was our decision to go to a plant based diet, and second was the opening of the Midtown Market, about 29 blocks from our home.

Our new eating habits, motivated by not so desirable cholesterol numbers, is basically vegetarian, with limited seafood, no red meat, and limited dairy and fats.  We are even developing a taste for whole-wheat pasta…at least for selected brands.  Since we are eating so much fresh produce that has limited shelf life, it is necessary to buy only what will be used in the next 2 days, especially for the greens.  The root veggies allow us more time.  I suspect I could make the shopping more efficient if I planned a careful weekly menu…and followed it.  But that is something I’ve never been able to do, thus the frequent trips to the market.

For a long time I’ve harbored a fantasy of walking to a market in our neighborhood every day to buy the fresh foods for our evening meal, something not very practical in our circumstances.  Driving the 2 or 3 miles to Krogers would not be the same.  Then, in the spring of this year, a young man opened a new food market, featuring fresh produce, meats, and a variety of organic and non-organic gourmet staples and specialty items.

The locally owned Midtown Market is a short 22 blocks from our home, and the quick, easy drive there brings me one step closer to my fantasy.  I love shopping there, and I do just that, at least 5 times a week, getting only what I need for the evening dinner…OK…some times I buy impulsively, but that only supports a local enterprise, right?

SIMPLE PLEASURES II

At the risk of appearing to spend all of my time eating I am posting this second edition of the pleasures of the mid-day meal. Honest...I’m still painting, but the commission I’m working on is a surprise for someone so I can’t post anything about it. You will have to take my word on this. Now...back to that lunch.



Once again, the secret to this “should be illegal” pleasure is Josh’s ciabatta bread, toasted and drizzled with olive oil. Instead of asparagus, today it was covered with diced tomatoes treated with basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, and garlic and dusted with parmesan cheese.

An added treat is the salami from a market in NYC sent to me by a cousin there. To complete the lunch, a few slices of assiago cheese and a glass of wine.

Is there any wonder why I’m such a friggin Pollyanna? Life is too good to be otherwise.

IT'S STILL ABOUT THE FOOD

I had a difficult time deciding what to post today, food or art, and have decided to do both. I will attempt to match the dish with the drawing.


from one of my favorite local tatorrias.

Zuchinni flowers fried in light batter...from the place above


Penne all'arrabbiattata from tratorria Danio



Tratorria Danio...another favorite "local"

Below...lunch in Florence




And finally...a few more photos.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE FOOD

Sitting at my table in a small local trattoria I finished my plate of tortilloni and was enjoying the last of the wine when I thought of my father. Oh what delight he would have taken in this adventure of mine. How I wish he could see me here...absorbing everything that is Italy...and how much pleasure that would have given him. Sadly, it has only been in the later years of my life that I could understand his love for this land, a land that he inherited from his parents, a land that totally engulfed him, growing up as he did with parents, family, and a community of Italian immigrants. Like so many second generation hyphenated Americans, the impact of my heritage was sadly under estimated, and perhaps even under appreciated...until I got older, maybe wiser, and certainly much more interested in what I lost. I cannot truthfully say that this trip has been for my father, but I can say that not a day has gone by when I have not thought of him, and my mother. The food, the language, the smell of cooking from the apartments next door, they all take me home, to our farm, our kitchen, and our family.


DAD WITH 2 OF HIS LOVES...HIS GARDEN AND HIS WINE

Now...the rest of this post is ALL ABOUT THE FOOD

The photos that follow were all taken with my iphone while dining out.


TAGLIATELLI ALL BOLOGNESE


PROSCIUTTO W MELLON


LINGUINNI W MIXED SEAFOOD


CLAMS W OIL AND LEMON


ANTIPAST ALLE PESCE


MIXED GRILLED SEAFOOD


SMOKED SALMON IN OLIVE OIL & LEMON


CAPRESE


INVOLTINO



ANTIPASTA

CAFFES I HAVE VISITED

Those of you who know me can understand how difficult it is for me to take time to stop for lunch when I could be visiting all the churches, cathedrals, and ancient museums filled with stuff about dead Italians. After all...why come to Bologna if all you do is eat? Exercising the same tenacious will that allowed me to climb those almost 500 steps yesterday, I do occasionally allow myself the pleasure of at least a little food. As proof of this, I offer these sketches and photos of some of my culinary experiences.





And as often as not...I prepare my own meals in the apartment.


This morning I will take the 9AM train from Bologna to Ferrara, a small medieval city about 30 miles from here.

FOOD

There is no way to avoid it, but then who would want to do that? Certainly not me. This is my 10th full day in Bologna, and I have had about 60% of my meals out, and the remainder I prepared for myself with whatever I had purchased that day.

The easiest way to shop is to go to the Mercato Delle Erbe located in the center of town. This is a huge indoor market with rows of vendor stalls selling a wide variety of fresh produce and baked goods. Surrounding the stalls are a series of small, permanent shops, some selling a variety of groceries and meats, and other specializing in one or more fares such as meats, cheeses, pasta, etc. In a separate section are vendors selling fresh fish.

Small food shops can be found throughout the city, and in small clusters in several of the very old narrow streets by the Piazza Maggiore. In addition, all over the city are one room stores with fruits and vegetable displayed outside under the porticoes. They do not carry fresh meats and cheeses and function more as tiny convenient stores and seem to be operated by asian-italians. The young man in the one in my neighborhood speaks fairly good english, so I get most of my staples from him.

And then there are the outdoor markets, so far I’ve encountered 3 of them: the Mercati della Tera, a monthly organic food market, the markets at Piazza Aldodrovani, and the combined candy, pastry, and food market in central city. I don’t know the frequency of the last 2.









There are so many photos I want to share...tomorrow I'll post more about the markets.

WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY

The best experiences in life are usually unplanned. First, some background:

It has become a tradition on my trips back home (Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey) for me and my dear friend Obie (Wilmington) to travel to south Philadelphia early Sunday afternoon to visit my cousin Danny and his brother Joe who comes down from central NJ. After a few glasses of wine, some cheese, bread, and other goodies, we go to our favorite cafe at 6th and Bainbridge for the best martinis and crepes east of the Mississippi river. I called Danny a few weeks ago to let him know I would be back east this past weekend and we arranged for our usual outing. Before leaving on Sunday I called Danny to let him know that our friend Hal would be joining us. It took only a few minutes of phone time for me to know that he had forgotten about our visit, and had planned on a dinner at home with Linda (Danny’s saintly wife), daughter Michelle, Joe, and their sister Emily and one of her friends from the convent.

After letting him hang on his own forgetfulness for awhile, I declined his invitation to join them and said that we would be coming for a brief visit before going off to the cafe and would not disrupt his family plans. Now I knew all along that Linda would not allow us to leave their house, and was not surprised - or embarrassed- when she insisted we stay for dinner, telling me she had already started cooking for us. I only hope I can do justice in describing what followed.

First, there was the usual wine, bread, hot peppers, and cheese. But in addition she set out a plate of broccoli rabe that 48 hours later still haunts my taste buds. Just when I thought it could not be any better, a platter of small lamb chops, broiled in olive oil and balsamic vinegar appeared, and then I knew...yes Virginia, there is a heaven.

And the day only got better. For about two hours we enjoyed the company, the wine, and Danny’s vodka martinis. (Danny, Joe, and Emily’s parents are both gone. Their father was my mother’s brother, and they lived together with 2 other brothers when they were teenagers how that came to be is another story.)

Then the call came, Linda telling everyone to find a place at the table, and the serious dinning began. Before us were bowls of ravioli. fettuccini, meatballs, pork and beef from the gravy, and salad. And the feast began, with Pavarotti and others filling the room, the conversation and laughter flowed as easily as the wine. It was truly a most wonderful day. I do believe that their was love in everyone's eyes as we relished Linda’s food and each other’s company.

3 SEAFOOD PASTA IN CREAMY TOMATO SAUCE

I love pasta, all shapes, sizes and in all sauces!! I love pasta with fish sauce, with meat sauce, with vegetables and with nothing but olive oil and garlic. Growing up with pasta on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and all holidays, I don’t think I’ve every met a pasta that I didn’t like (excluding all canned pasta.)

Fortunately, I also love to cook pasta, and although we don’t have the rigid schedule of my childhood years, I’m certain we eat pasta a minimum of 3 days a week, and usually more. Even more fortunately, my dear wife Patience, a bona fide Anglo, not only loves pasta but can cook pasta as creatively as anyone.

I enjoy looking through the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry to see what is available, than putting something together for another pasta dinner.

Because my memory has become a thing of the past, I began recording these concoctions (I am reluctant to call them recipes because nothing is measured of closely timed.), and the guests that were there to share them. Did I mention that we live in a community of friends where dinners are freely shared?

Here is one of my “recipes”, and, as with everything I do, there is plenty of flexibility in the ingredients.

INGREDIENTS
scallops, shrimp, orange roughy
angel hair pasta
tomatoes-whole, or diced
white wine
garlic. shallots, 4-5 anchovie fillets (finely chopped)
butter
basil, paprika, parsley
red pepper flakes
heavy cream

saute garlic, shallots, anchovies, red pepper flakes and parsley in olive oil and butter. then add the seafood and cook on high for several minutes, adding paprika and basil for about 5 minutes. Lower the heat and add white wine and simmer for about 10 minutes. add the tomatoes and cook uncovered for about 20-30 minutes to reduce the volume of liquid. Add cream-about 1/2 cup- and stir till thickened.

Mix thoroughly w the pasta and serve.

served to T,P, Char and Jay on 12-7-04