GRILLED MORTADELLA Lunch Box series part 4 or 5 or whatever

GRILLED MORTADELLA   Lunch Box series part 4 or 5 or whatever

Two years ago I enjoyed the above lunch in a small café in Bologna Italy, grilled Mortadella on a bed of greens with pine nuts, olive oil, and wonderful sweet Balsamic vinegar.

Today, using local ingredients, I did my best to replicate that experience, realizing that Boarshead Mortadella and the Balsamic vinegar could not compete with their brethren from Emilia Romagna in Italy.  Nevertheless it was a delightful lunch, one that I will definitely being serving myself again.

INGREDIENTS:  all from the Midtown Market

2 slices of Mortadella about ¼” thick

Arugula

Grape tomatoes, sliced in half

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar glaze

several thin onion slices

Parm[gano cheese for grating

Pine nuts (I was out of the pine nuts when I prepared this)

PROCESS:

Saute the onion in olive oil, then grill the Mortadella. 

Place the arugula on the plate, add salt to taste and drizzle with olive oil.  Cover with the grilled Mortadella and drizzle with only a “touch” of olive oil, followed by the Balsamic vinegar.  Grate the cheese over everything and enjoy.

                        

CIABATTA LUNCH...part 4 of an ocassional series

OK, this is going to seem a little weird, but it was bound to happen, sooner or later.  It should be obvious to readers of this blog that I love Ciabatta bread...that's Josh's Ciabatta bread...olive oil, and all food things Italian.  But, I also love hotdogs, hotdogs from the family grill, hotdogs from the ballpark, hotdogs from the hotdog cart, it doesn't matter, I like them all,  But for reasons I can't really explain, I defer from buying them when I do the food shopping, at least I did until one of my recent trips to the Midtown Market when I gave into my culinary desires and purchased a package of Boar's Head hotdogs and the rolls to go with them.

Fast forward one week, and there are 2 dogs left, but the remaining rolls are dry and unappealing.  My only recourse, and clearly the very natural thing to do, was to turn to the Ciabatta bread.  The result is a "fusion" of the American dog with a haphazard bit of Italian. (Some would add...created by a haphazard small Italian,)

 

On the left, hotdog dressed with mustard and relish.  On the right, hotdog garnished with basil pesto.

What can be better than a blend of Kirchhoffs and the Midtown Market.  And it was delicious.

CIABATTA LUNCH...part 3 of the lunch box series

It has been pointed out to me that my waistline correlates quite well with my lunches.  Being one who pays attention to such subtle advise as this, I appropriately responded.  As you can see, I have eliminated all tomatoes in this lunch to make up for the 3rd slice of bread.

 

In addition to the mozzarella and prosciutto I added some cooked beets, because beets are good for us, and I was determined to enjoy a "good" lunch as well as a delicious one.

Completing the healthy repast is a small glass of red wine, not seen in the photo.

This is a lunch to be savored,  eaten slowly, and followed by a refreshing 30 minute nap. 

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.

11-8…Lunch for dinner

What to do…didn’t feel like cooking and did not want to go out to dinner. Looked in the fridge about 6 times, and came away uninspired each time. Then it hit me…LUNCH!!! Everything I needed for a gourmet lunch was right there, all I had to do was assemble the parts.



PARTS:

Ciabbata bread (from Kirchhoffs of course)
Asparagus
Chicken-shrimp sauce left over from last night
Salami
Mozzarella cheese
Basil pesto
Tomatoes
Olive oil
Lemon Juice
Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

ASSEMBLING INSTRUCTIONS:

Nuke the asparagus for about 2 minutes. Place the asparagus on one slice of bread and the chicken-shrimp on the other. Place the remaining parts around the bread and drizzle with olive oil. Then squeeze fresh lemon juice over everything and follow with a dusting of parmigiano reggiano cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.

COMMENTS:

I must confess…dining like this made me totally forget pasta.

WILLIAM VISITS

Grandson William, who will be 11 this October, is spending several days with us this week. There are a number of ways he and I can bond: in the studio because he loves to draw, walking dogs, watching Cowboys and Aliens, (which we did last night) and/or making pasta. But I realized that the tightest bonding would be with food when I asked him what he would like for lunch and he replied, bread, olive oil, and salami!




Brie, leftover Braciole, tomatoe, salami, Ciabatta bread, olive oil for dipping.

Tonight we’ll have pasta with a sausage based tomato sauce currently sitting in our freezer from earlier this month.

LUNCH WITH DAD part 2

In today’s post I would like to focus on the food. We have all been well informed about the important role of fresh ingredients in any meal preparation, but like most people, this time of the year I must rely on the local supermarket. Mine is the Krogers on Park Avenue in Paducah and they have served me well.

Of the many new culinary experiences during my month in Italy the one I have incorporated in my own meal preparations at home is the simple use of olive oil and fresh lemon juice. I suspect that this in not a revelation to many cooks, but it was new to me, and I loved it. Here is one way I have used it.



The ingredients:

2 slices of your favorite bread…mine is Josh’s ciabatta at Kirchoffs…toasted.

Prosciutto…I like the packaged prosciutto at Krogers. It’s a good as any you can buy locally, although a far cry from the prosciutto my father used to make. But that’s another story.

Mozzarella…Galbini’s mozzarella fresca…sliced. An alternative is their mozzarella balls in olive oil and spices.

Fresh asparagus spears nuked for 2-3 minutes.

Not seen here but a great addition is a sliced fresh tomato. I have decided that winter supermarket tomatoes are better than NO tomatoes, and prefer the ones sold on the vines.

Finally good olive oil and fresh lemon juice, and if desired, a small dollop of basil pesto in the middle of the plate.

Preparation is simple. Toast the bread, drizzle with olive oil and top with the asparagus spears. Then add the fresh lemon juice over the asparagus and repeat the olive oil and lemon juice over the tomatoes.

Salt and pepper to your taste. Oops…almost forgot…grate some Parmesan cheese over the asparagus.

Mangia bene.

LUNCH WITH DAD

It started with a glass of wine at lunch, a small juice glass of red wine, and thinking to myself, “if it was good enough for my grandfather and my father, it is good enough for me”, and before long the wine, always red, became a routine part of my noon meal.

For as long as I can remember lunch has been an important part of my day. Regardless of where I was or what I was doing I made every effort possible not to miss that meal. I suppose one reason might be that I rarely ate breakfast, but for the past 5 or 6 years I have made it a point to do so, and lunch still remains a necessary event in my day. It usually consists of whatever I find in the fridge, leftovers, a sandwich, or maybe a salad.

Gradually things began to change. For many years I’ve been aware of my growing interest in recapturing the spirit of my mother’s kitchen and the meals she prepared for our family of 3. In the course of the past few years I have assumed all of cooking for my wife and I. Of course we eat a lot of pasta and things Italian…I love the food, and it is my way of staying connected to my roots.

More recently my attitude toward lunch has begun to change; it has become one of life’s simple pleasures., and several times a week I make the time and effort to prepare what I consider a most delightful and elegant meal for myself (and dear wife when she is home). The meals are simple with little cooking required, and generally revolve around ciabatta bread , olive oil,, lemon juice, and cheese, accompanied by a fruit or vegetable. And yes, a glass of wine, knowing that my father is looking down at me with a big smile on his face and a small glass of wine in his hand. How wonderful it is to have lunch with him again.

IN PRAISE OF CIABATTA BREAD

Eating alone is not my favorite thing to do...EXCEPT...when I treat myself to a ciabatta lunch. Not any ciabatta bread, but Josh's ciabatta. Let me say right now, I am not a paid spoke person for Kirchoff's bakery. The simple truth is that I am addicted to this wonderful bread, which is rather amazing since until now I have considered bread to be an accessory to a meal. OK, more than an accessory where sandwiches are involved.

Patience is working today and I am alone in the house with Mama Pajama, Fat Charlie, Delia, Luciano, Sam I Am, Swede William, Lindy Loo, and the 4 poopies...I mean puppies. Or do I? She won't be home until somewhere around 8 PM so my mid-day meal will be solo, and I cannot wait!



The meal is simple elegance. Two slices of toasted ciabatta on a bed of arugula, drizzled with olive oil and fresh lemon juice and covered with grated parmesean cheese. On the side, mozarella and fresh tomatoes, and of course, a glass of your favorite wine. For lunch I prefer a cabernet or chianti.

And after lunch? It is studio time. The Cambridge painting is slowly taking shape, and I've returned to the small watercolor landscapes that I was painting during the last few months of 2009.




Moore's Place wc 7x10

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.

SIMPLE PLEASURES

The mid-day meal has become one of the highlights of my day, a time when I can enjoy rather simple food, without a lot of prep time and without the subtle let down that comes after diner as the day takes its toll on my energy and ambition.



This has become one of my very favorite lunches. Asparagus (nuked for 2 minutes in the microwave) on 1 or 2 slices of toasted ciabatta bread drizzled with olive oil and fresh lemon juice, and covered with grated Parmesan cheese. On the side, fresh mozzarella and prosciutto, and of course a small glass of red wine for one's daily health. For this to be truly a delightful experience the bread must be from Kirchoff's bakery...anything other than Josh's bread will be second best.