Archive for the ‘family’ Category
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Stuffed Peppers
When I was younger, I missed out on a lot of amazing food simply because my tastebuds weren’t ready; I was always a good “tryer” though, so I was sure that I’d be ready whenever my tastebuds were.
Case in point: I tried sweet potatoes *every* year at Thanksgiving until I liked them. Now I love them!
I don’t remember exactly when I started actually liking (then loving) peppers, but I’m so happy my tastebuds finally caught up to the desire for the flavor.
Indeed, peppers continue to be one of my very favorite foods in the world, especially when included in my mom’s stuffed peppers, today’s What’s Cooking Wednesday recipe.
Note: this is *very* different from how P’s mom makes peperoni ripieni, which are quite similar to her Calabrian stuffed eggplant–meatless and fried.
To give you an idea of how local Italian cooking is:
P’s mom’s recipe is from Badolato; my mom’s recipe is essentially my great-grandmother’s, who came from Isca, the very next town over. I have also eaten stuffed peppers at another Iscatani household, and they tasted really similar to my mom’s–only they had a little surprise chunk of suppressata in the center. Try it!
So when you hear that Italian cooking is regional, think even smaller…it can differ *greatly* by town, just like the dialects!
The recipe below calls for sauce over the peppers as they bake; you can, of course, use your favorite jarred sauce or make your own by frying a clove of garlic (minced) and one small onion (chopped finely) in about two tablespoons of olive oil, adding a can of tomatoes/sauce, and adjusting for salt. It only needs to simmer for about 15 minutes as it’ll also cook in the oven.
If you’re planning on serving pasta with the peppers, use two cans/jars of tomatoes/sauce.
Stuffed Peppers
- 6 small peppers (see photos for size I used)
- 1 cup cooked rice (1/3 uncooked)
- 1 pound ground meat
- Fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)
- Fresh basil, chopped (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
1. Cook rice and preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Wash peppers, cut off tops, and remove stem and seeds. If you’re using larger peppers, you can cut them in half and make double the amount of stuffed peppers by using both halves (just be sure to make more stuffing).
*Note: The parts of the pepper I didn’t use but that were still edible, I sliced up and used for potatoes, peppers, and eggs the next day.
3. Bring pot of water to a boil and drop peppers in, parboiling them for a few minutes. Remove from water, pat dry, and set aside to cool.
4. While peppers are parboiling, prepare stuffing by mixing together rice, meat, and parsley (cheese and/or basil) in a medium bowl.
5. Put some tomato sauce in a small baking dish so the bottom is lightly covered.
6. Sprinkle each pepper shell with salt and then stuff them with mixture and set in baking dish.
7. Cover peppers with rest of sauce and cover dish with foil.
8. Bake in oven for about 45 minutes to an hour or until the meat inside is cooked.
9. If you’ve made enough sauce you can serve pasta with the sauce and then the pepper as a second dish or simply serve the peppers by themselves with crusty Italian bread.
Buon appetito!
Love Thursday: Somebunny Loves Me!
I have a huge sweet tooth, so it’s not surprising that one of my favorite parts of Easter is the candy. More specifically, the candy my mom makes–especially the peanut butter eggs. Yum!
If you’re starting to feel sorry for me because I’m not in the same country code as my mom and therefore can’t enjoy her Easter candy, think again.
My mom continually sends me care packages, but around Easter, one always contains a special treat:
And I swear when I staged this photo, I wasn’t trying to make it look like one bunny was offering his/her love to the other. But it does sort of look that way doesn’t it?
Happy Love Thursday everyone!
When is the last time you received or sent a care package?
P.S. Happiest of birthdays to my mom (yesterday) and my sister-in-law (today)!
The Logic of Italian Boys’ Names
For as long as I can remember, I gave my furry friends nicknames based on their real names.
- My dog Maverick became Maverickaronyravydoodlenoodlebug, which then became Doodlebug or simply The Doodle.
- My cat Kudzu became Kudzucchini (sometimes followed by Big Fat Weenie, but the poor thing doesn’t deserve to have *that* posted on the Internet).
Now I have Luna, aka Luna Balloona aka Luna Baboopa aka Boopers aka The Boop.
Stella? A similar pattern. Stella Bella aka Stella Bellamoopers aka The Moop.
So yes, I often call my girls, who are so *not* excited by the gorgeous view behind them and only want to be untied so they can run freeeeeee, (right to left),
The Moop and The Boop:
Little did I know that this fascination with changing real names into something somehow related and yet not was actually in my blood.
You see, here in Calabria, most guys are named one of, oh, ten or so names. And yet they go by all different versions of those names, so for us non-natives, if someone is suddenly called by their real name, it can get confusing.
Here are, from my perspective:
- The Top 7 Most Common Male Names in Calabria
and Some of Their Related Nicknames:
1. Antonio: Tonino, Toni, Totò, Nino, Antò
2. Domenico: Mimmo, Mico
3. Francesco: Checco (KEH-koh), Ciccio (CHEE-choh)
4. Giuseppe: Peppe, Pino, Pinuccio (pee-NEWCH-oh) (not Pinocchio!)
5. Pasquale: Pasqualino, Pascal, Pascala
6. Salvatore: Salvo, Turi
7. Vincenzo: Vincenzino, Cenzo (CHEN-zoh), Enzo, Cece (cheh-CHEH)
Note that although these names are spread throughout Italy, nicknames often differ by region, so do check with a local before trying to show off your nickname knowledge. And also note that this is completely separate from the sopranome system.
And in case you’re wondering about my P?
Well for his Paolo, he doesn’t like to be called anything but Paolo, but sometimes the older generations call him “Paolino” or, *very* local to us as it’s only used in this town, maybe one or two others, Paolehru (powl-EHR-oo). How cute is that?
Do you do nicknames?
Buon weekend!
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Pork, Italian Green Beans, and Potatoes in Tomato Sauce
This week’s What’s Cooking Wednesday recipe is one of my all-time favorites from childhood, i.e., comfort food at its finest. It’s so comforting that I made my mom make it while she was here in June, and this *so* isn’t a warm weather dish.
In fact, Pork, Italian Green Beans, and Potatoes in Tomato Sauce is a great stick-to-your-ribs-meat-and-potatoes meal that you could even throw in a crock pot if you’re a crock pot user.
And if you’re not into the meat thing, I have a feeling this would still be pretty tasty without the pork and with more veggies thrown in.
If you can’t get fresh beans, you can use canned green beans or string beans as well but they won’t need to be cooked nearly as long.
I don’t know of a snappier name than “Pork, Italian Green Beans, and Potatoes in Tomato Sauce” but since it so accurately represents the dish, I’m sticking with it.
Pork, Italian Green Beans, and Potatoes in Tomato Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound of pork ribs (or other cut on the bone)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large can and 1 small can of tomatoes
- 4 small potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
- 1 pound green beans, washed with ends snapped off
- A few basil leaves
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1. Parboil beans by bringing water to a boil in a large pot and then adding the beans, letting them cook for about four minutes. Remove and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan and brown meat on all sides, remove from pan, and set aside. For great tips on browning meat (including why we do it), see Miss Vickie’s How to Brown Meat.
3. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent.
4. Add tomatoes.
5. Put meat back in the pan and add potatoes and green beans.
6. Add basil and salt.
7. Let simmer for an hour to an hour and a half until meat is cooked and tender.
8. Just a few minutes before you take the pan off the heat, add parmesan cheese and mix through.
9. Serve hot with fresh Italian bread.
Buon appetito!
Love Thursday: Ring Around the Wrist
Back in 2007, I wrote about my mom’s friend/mother-like figure Kitty in Remembering the Silver Years. As Kitty was being moved into a nursing home, she was giving my mom all kinds of amazing gifts from her past, many of which my mother passed on to me, as I wrote about in the post.
Our dear Kitty passed away a few months after that, and my mother then inherited more of her things, mainly jewelry. When my mom came to visit me last summer, she brought remembrances of Kitty’s life with her and we went through them, piece by piece.
I’m not a big jewelry person. I would never request any as a gift because I just don’t wear it often enough, but jewelry as keepsakes of those who have passed on? The best.
A ring, necklace, bracelet, or watch not only physically touched the person at one time, it also surely touched her on some emotional level–a memory of picking it out in the store, the first time she wore it, who had given it to her (for better or worse), how it was always too big or small, etc.
So many of Kitty’s pieces are beautiful, and I’m sure each could tell quite a tale as she lived a most interesting life, but my very favorite is this one:
What could be more special than a heart wrapped around my wrist, reminding me of a person who always made me smile and who loved me like a granddaughter?
Happy Love Thursday everyone!
Do you have special pieces of jewelry that were passed down to you?
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
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