Archive for the ‘what’s cooking wednesday’ Category
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Best Chocolate Cake Ever
A little over a month ago, P and I went to his sister’s house to celebrate the Epiphany. I took my most favorite chocolate cake of all time–the one that I *always* requested from my mom for my birthday. P’s sister had, coincidentally, made a chocolate cake that day too. I was shocked since most Italians do not usually have a dessert prepared, but lucky me, I had competition.
And I won.
The other day, P’s sister called me and asked me to make this moist, delicious treat for her daughter’s birthday party, which is today, Valentine’s Day. I didn’t have time to run out and get anything really special for the cake, so I worked with what I had, and this is what I came up with:
My mom had sent me those gummy hearts for Valentine’s Day, so they were the perfect addition, I think.
Also, P’s sister has asked me for the recipe; I haven’t yet translated it into all Italian measurements and ingredients, but if any of you in Italy have questions, please feel free to email me.
Now for this week’s What’s Cooking Wednesday:
Mary K’s Most Moistest Chocolate Cake in the World
3 cups flour
1 cup powdered baking cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups hot strong coffee
2 tsp baking soda
Pay special attention to the way the ingredients are grouped as these go together.
First put the coffee on to brew.
Then sift the flour, cocoa, and baking powder and mix together well in a medium-sized mixing bowl, and put aside.
Beat together the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl. The large bowl is important, because this will eventually be the home of your entire batter.
When the coffee is done, add the baking soda; it should bubble if your baking soda is working. I use a pourable measuring container for the coffee.
Now, to the egg mixture, alternate adding the dry and wet mixtures. I do all of this by hand now with a whisk, but I used to use an electric mixer. Makes no difference as far as I can tell. The batter is moderately runny, definitely not thick.
This recipe is for a 13 x 9 pan, which should be greased and floured. The cake is so moist that it *will* stick if you don’t do this well.
Bake at 350° F (177° C) for 35-45 minutes. You can also make lovely cupcakes, as my mom did when I was still taking treats to school, just reduce the baking time.
When the cake springs up from your touch, it’s done even if it’s slightly gooey inside. It’ll still cook when outside the oven.
FYI, the recipe I used for the icing can be found here, although I added a bit more milk. I should also add that I normally wouldn’t even ice this cake as it makes it own nice soft, icing-like top after it sits for a while, but for the sake of the Birthday Girl, I went all out.
Buon appetito and Buon San Valentino!
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Cannellini Beans & Chicory
Welcome to another edition of What’s Cooking Wednesday!
Today’s dish is chicory and beans. And for those of you who don’t like beans, I apologize in advance. I’m also sorry for those who have never tried chicory, because it is divine. Note that we eat this as a somewhat light supper, so there’s never an accompanying meat or other vegetable for us.
Many people know that chicory has been used in place of coffee, so maybe that doesn’t exactly make it sound inviting as a vegetable. Oh, but it is. Especially the wild kind, which is harvested throughout the winter down here. Think escarole and endive, and you’re on your way to understanding how chicory can be used. So, on that note, if you don’t have chicory, you can substitute members of the chicory family.
Cannellini beans & chicory
I’m not going to lie to you, P’s mom usually does the dirty work here. I could if pressed, but to steer you on your way, I’ve found a good page that describes the process of soaking and cooking beans. Otherwise, just buy some cans of the beans ready to add to the chicory once it’s cooked — this works too.
For this recipe, you may have to play with measurements to your desired serving sizes and tastes. This recipe makes enough for three rather large portions.
- 2-3 cans of beans
- 2 bunches of chicory
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 medium-sized peperoncino (hot pepper)
- Salt to taste
1. Clean the chicory, chop, and place in boiling, salted water. Let boil for about 5 minutes or until the stems are tender.
2. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside while you heat up olive oil (you need to be generous here, as this is mainly where the greens pick up flavor) on medium heat.
3. Add the garlic and peperoncino and after about two minutes, add the chicory and some salt. Stir well and let this cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until the oil has been mostly absorbed.
4. At this point, add the beans, mixing them in well with the chicory. Also add some more salt and also some water to cover everything. Let this mixture cook for another 15-20 minutes, and taste test for salt level as you may need to add more. I’m not a big salt eater, but this dish seems to require quite a bit to get the maximum flavor.
5. Serve the dish hot with fresh oil drizzled on top. Crusty Italian bread is a must.
Buon appetito!
what’s cooking wednesday: calabrian style pan-fried chicken
A whole recipe without pasta! I told you it could happen. It’s nothing complicated, but it’s a winter staple for us around here. This week’s What’s Cooking Wednesday is Calabrian style pan-fried chicken.
If I haven’t mentioned it before, now’s a good time. Southern Italian cooking is famous for its simplicity. It’s all about taking fresh, quality ingredients that you always have on hand and combining them together so that you create something delicious but in which you can still identify the parts the made the whole.
The general eating way here, often referred to as the Mediterranean Diet, includes lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, moderate amounts of fish and poultry, little red meat, and a good amount of red wine, and is considered fairly healthy although not perfect. The biggest plus, though, is the heavy use of olive oil, which is high in monounsaturated fat, the type that doesn’t spike cholesterol. And this, as you know, is a very good thing.
So, without further ado, here’s this week’s recipe:
Chicken with Rosemary
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, roughly sliced
4 cloves garlic
½ chicken cut into pieces
2 tablespoons rosemary (a few sprigs)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Put olive oil into pan large enough to hold chicken.
On medium heat, sauté onions until translucent. Then add garlic and cook until lightly browned. Add the chicken to the pan, seasoning all sides with rosemary, salt and pepper and coating with the olive oil. Turn until all sides are lightly browned.
Then lower the heat slightly and let it cook until the chicken is done, which should be about 45 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken.
Be sure to turn it every so often to keep it moist and evenly cooked.
Note that if you don’t want pan-fried, you can use the same ingredients to bake the chicken in the oven, just use less olive oil.
Buon appetito!
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[tags]chicken, chicken with rosemary, chicken recipes, rosemary, pan-fried chicken, recipes, cooking, what’s cooking wednesday[/tags]
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Rigatoni with Tuna
Welcome to What’s Cooking Wednesday!
It’s pasta again, folks, but I swear one of these weeks, we’ll go carb-free. I’ve been dying to slip a dessert in here, so perhaps next week. But there will probably still be flour. Oh well.
If you have been searching for recipes for tuna, search no more…rigatoni with tuna is a super-easy, super-fast recipe so it’s perfect when you get home late but still want something homemade.
I’ve been trying to convince P to let me make this for about a year and a half now as this was a staple of mine when I was single and cooking just for me.
Well, apparently it was also his go-to dish, because he kept refusing the offer. He finally agreed to the tuna last week, and we’ve now had it two more times since then.
Three notes before we get to the recipe:
(1) I serve rigatoni with this because I like the way the grooves catch the sauce and the holes catch the tuna and tomato chunks. Most recipes I’ve seen, though, do this with regular old spaghetti; obviously that works too.
(2) Many recipes for pasta with tuna don’t use onions. I don’t know why because I love tuna and onions together (especially on pizza!), and I think they work well together here as well. That said, if you don’t happen to have an onion, feel free to do this recipe without it and double the garlic. Because many of you will have garlic and not onion, I’m sure.
(3) This is a great recipe to switch up and add other ingredients you like–basil, black olives, and capers come to mind, but the possibilities are endless.
Rigatoni al tonno
(Rigatoni with tuna)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 small cans tuna (if yours is packed in olive oil, use that for part of the oil above)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 can peeled tomatoes, run through grinder or coarsely chopped
salt and peperoncino to taste
First, put on the water for the pasta. By the time it’s boiling, your sauce should be about 10 minutes away from ready–perfect for rigatoni cooking time.
Put olive oil in skillet and sauté onions on medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and peperoncino and cook for a few minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.
Add tuna and let cook a few minutes, mixing them well with the onions, garlic, and oil.
Add tomatoes, parsley, and salt (at least a hefty pinch will be necessary), lower heat, and let simmer for about 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked to your satisfaction.
When your pasta is cooked and drained, mix well with the sauce.
Serve hot and with grated Parmesan cheese if you like (even though purists would say no cheese with tuna).
Buon appetito!
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Spaghetti with Artichokes
Today’s What’s Cooking Wednesday is a recipe that I’ve never even heard of outside of P’s family, so this is some secret information. Delicious too. And it also, again, involves eggs. I told you we get a lot of them.
Spaghetti con Carciofi
(Spaghetti with Artichokes)
(serves 4)
5 artichokes
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 small cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
2 tablespoons parsley
3 eggs
1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
salt to taste
1. Clean the artichokes, cut them into wedges, and remember to put them in lemon water as you go so they don’t lose their color. Boil the artichokes in unsalted water until they are about half way to tender. Remove and drain.
2. Put on water for the pasta, and prepare pasta when water is ready.
3. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs and cheese and set aside.
4. In a medium skillet, heat up olive oil and then sauté garlic until lightly golden brown. Add parsley and artichokes, coat them in the oil, and cook for about 15 minutes or until tender.
5. Add the egg and cheese to skillet and let cook until eggs harden, adding breadcrumbs at the very end and combining them well with the mixture. Add salt to taste.
6. For ease of mixing together the pasta and the sauce, remove large pieces of artichokes and set aside. Combine pasta with the remaining mixture and then garnish with the artichoke wedges for serving.
Buon appetito!
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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