Panzanella

I don't remember where or when I first heard about this Tuscan bread and tomato salad, but in recent years I've grown really fond of it - especially in the summer, when there's usually an abundance of ripe tomatoes.  The exact types of bread or tomatoes are not crucial, but ripe tomatoes are key for good panzanella. The recipe calls for stale bread, but I guess it would work with fresh bread too - but stale bread is just fine.

Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp anchovies, finely chopped
- 4 tbsp capers, finely chopped
- a generous pour of olive oil
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1,5 tsp apple cider vinegar
- fresh basil, coarsely chopped
- 4 ripe, "normal" tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- 2 ripe beef tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- a handful of datterino tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- a 10 cm of stale bread, coarsely diced
- 125 g mini-mozzarella, quartered

The finely chopped anchovies and capers were stirred with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Then tomatoes, basil and bread was added, and the ingredients were mixed with tongs. Mozzarella was added lastly. Best left to soak for a while before consuming.

I love it, and it's quite filling too.

In this version I used a mix of tomatoes and for an even more colourful version one could use more different kinds of tomatoes.

This time I also added a number of ingredients I often do not use - cutting it down to basics it's still delicious.

Basic panzanella:
- stale bread, coarsely diced
- ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- fresh basil, coarsely chopped
- salt
- black pepper
- olive oil

For the basic version, I usually just add alternating layers of bread, tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil and olive oil - often in a lunch box in the morning and then consume for lunch at work.

Mushroom tomato sauce for pasta

For dinner last night I wanted a pasta dish, that should incorporate mushrooms, be meatless and go well with a glass of (cheap) red wine. The latter notion sent my thoughts towards a tomato-based sauce and reminded me of past experiments adding anchovies to achieve a greater depth of flavour.

Ingredients:
- 90 g jar of anchovies in sunflower oil
- 2 brown onions, finely chopped
- ¹/₂ bulb fennel, finely chopped
- approx. 2 dL white wine
- 300 g brown mushrooms, medium diced
- 3 tomaotes, diced
- 200 g small tomatoes, diced
- 70 g can of tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- fresh basil
- fresh oregano
- water
- salt
- pepper

First the vegetables were chopped.
The oil from the anchovies was poured into a large pot and heated on high. The anchovies were chopped and added to the pot. When the anchovies were starting to brown the onion and fennel was added and the heat reduced to medium-high. After a few minutes white wine was added in 3 portions, the liquid being reduced between each addition.
The mushrooms were added and when they collapsed a little after a few minutes, the heat was reduced to low before adding tomatoes, tomato paste, crushed garlic, basil and oregano. The pot was covered and allowed to simmer while boiling pasta. The sauce was stirred occasionally and added water in small portions to ensure it didn't go to dry.
Seasoned to tate with salt and black pepper just before serving with wholegrain spaghetti and freshly grated hard Italian cheese and lettuce.
.. and of course the planned glass of read wine. We were very pleased with the result.

Italian Sausage Pizza

Long time ago - when I was still living in California - I made a pizza with Italian sausages. Recently, I started thinking about this one again, and I thought I'd give it a go when I found some salcissia at the supermarket - although I was somewhat doubtful that these would be exactly like American "sweet Italian sausage".

Ingredients:
- 1 portion frozen pizza dough
- durum flour for rolling
- 285 g (10 oz) salcissia fresca
- ca. 150 g (5 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 onion, cut in thin boats
- 125 g (4.4 oz) mozzarella, sliced
- bunch fresh basil
- salt and pepper

While frying the sausages in a pan, the pizza dough was rolled out using durum flour for dusting. The tomato sauce was spread evenly on the dough. The onion was cut in boats by dividing into 16 pieces along the axis. The onion boats were laid out on the pizza.

When the sausages were done, they were sliced and placed on the pizza, followed by slices of mozzarella and leaves of fresh basil. The pizza was baked at 225 C (450 F) for 15 minutes.

Sprinkled with salt and pepper and served hot!

Chanterelle Risotto

At the urging of my muse, I tried out a variation of the risotto using seasonal mushrooms - that is: chanterelles.

Ingredients:
- olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 medium onions
- 330 g (11.5 oz) chanterelles
- 500 g (1.1 lb) arborio rice
- 3 x 1 dL (3 x 0.4 cup) white wine
- 7 x 1 dL (7 x 0.4 cup) chicken stock
- 1.5 dL (0.6 cup) cream
- 50 g (1.7 oz) parmigiano reggiano
- salt & pepper
served with:
- one head cauliflower

Crushed garlic and and chopped onion was sautéed in a little olive oil in a large pot. After a few minutes the rinsed and coarsely chopped chanterelles were added and the heat was reduced to medium. After an additional few minutes, the rice was added followed by the first portion of white wine. The volume was reduced with occasional stirring before adding the second portion of wine. And so on with the third portion of wine as well as the portions of chicken stock.

While the risotto cooked, the head of cauliflower was boiled in lightly salted water.

When the last portion of chicken stock was absorbed by the rice, the cream and freshly grated parmigiano reggiano was added and the risotto was seasoned to taste with salt and black pepper.

Served with the cauliflower on the side - dense, so don't serve too much.

The white wine, by the way, was an Argentinian sauvignon blanc and quite respectable.

Lasagna with Eggplant

By now I know a couple of people who swear by making the meat sauce for lasagna using so-called Italian sweet sausage (see here), but this is the first time I'm trying it .. but it won't be the last.

Ingredients:
- 225 g (8 oz) lasagna plates
- 1 eggplant
- bread crumbs
(meat sauce)
- 5 Italian sweet sausages
- 1 red onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 800 g (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 170 g (6 oz) tomato paste
- oregano, rosemary, salt & pepper
- water
- oil
(béchamel sauce)
- 25 g (1 oz) butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 4-5 dL (approx. 2 cups) milk
- ground nutmeg, salt & pepper

If your lasagna plates need to be boiled get started on those first, then proceed to the meat sauce while they're boiling.

Otherwise just start with the meat sauce: In a big pot heat up some oil, add the diced onion and stir for a few minutes. Then add the sausages, and work them well with the spoon, so you get a pretty homogeneous mixture. Add crushed carlic and continue till the meat is cooked. Then add crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, plus a little water to rinse out the cans (and to make the sauce a little less thick). Bring to a simmer and leave it simmering while preparing the béchamel sauce.

Preparing béchamel sauce is basically just like preparing the kind of gravy I grew up with [1] - on the one hand I don't think it's all that complicated, but on the other I do seem to remember some learning curve when I was a kid, and I've definetely met a lot of people who seem puzzled about the whole concept. Anyway: I a small pot, melt the butter - be sure not to brown it. Once melted turn down the heat and stir in the flour to get an even, thick paste. Now, on medium heat add the milk in smaller portions with constant stirring - for each portion of milk added stir until the mixture is homogenous and turns thick again. Finally season it.

The eggplant is simply cut in slices about 1 1/4 cm (1/2 inch) thick.

Now assemble it: In an oven proof tray, put alternating layers of béchamel sauce, lasagna plates, meat sauce and the eggplant. It's a good idea to have béchamel sauce as both the bottom and top layers, and using 1 eggplant I got just a single eggplant layer in the middle. On top put a layer of bread crumbs.

Bake it in the oven, at 225 C (450 F) for the first 10 minutes, then at 175 C (350 F) for the last 20 minutes.

Serve with a little grated pecorino (or parmigiano).

[1] That kind of gravy goes well with boiled potatoes, which I ate regurlarly when growing up.

Risotto

According to my previous roomies the definition of goulash was anything I cooked .. while that is a bit unfair I do have a tendency towards cooking improvised dinners that start with frying bacon in a large pot and continues by adding ingredients until I have 6 or more servings of .. well, gulasch might be one way to describe it.
This, however, I would call a risotto.

Ingredients:
- 150 g (5 oz) bacon (cut in small pieces)
- 1 large (red) onion (finely chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (mashed)
- 2 serrano chilis (finely chopped)
- 500 g (1 lb) crimini mushrooms (coarsely chopped)
- 500 mL (2 cups) arborio rice
- 250 mL (1 cup) wild rice
- 500 mL (2 cups) white wine
- 1 L (1 quart) chicken boullion
- 125 mL (1/2 cup) cream
- 125 mL (1/2 cup) grated pecorino
- salt & pepper
- fresh ginger (finely diced)

In a large thick-walled pot fry the bacon, then add the onion, garlic, chili and ginger. After a few minutes add the mushrooms and a few minutes later add all the rice - stir until the rice are well-coated and translucent. Reduce to medium heat and add 1/3 of the wine. With occasional stirring let the liquid reduce, then add more wine, repeat. Using the same technique continue with the chicken boullion in 4 portions of equal volume. When this proces is done, reduce to low heat, add the cream and the cheese, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Stir till well mixed, turn off heat and let sit for a few minutes before serving.

The result is quite dense, so be careful not to serve too much.

Stuffed Chicken Breast

Encouraged by my luck with the stuffed pork tenderloin recently I decided to try my hand at these stuffed chicken breasts - somewhat modified from the way I saw them made previously, not least due to my memory failing me. It's not entirely implausible that my version is less authentically Italian than the one I based it off.

Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breast fillets
- 100 g (3.5 oz) roasted bell pepper
- 75 g (2.5 oz) walnut pieces
- 25 g (1 oz) grated pecorino cheese
- 2 cloves garlic
- fresh basil
- salt & pepper

Additionals:
- 1/2 cup rice
- 1 cup water
- salt

- 1/2 onion
- 1 large tomato
- dash of cream

Make a stuffing of cut roasted bell pepper, walnut pieces, mashed garlic, grated pecorino cheese, salt, pepper, and freshly cut basil. Cut pockets in the chicken breast fillets leaving about 1 cm (1/2 inch) of meat to all sides if possible, and fill the pockets with the stuffing. Close the fillets again - I used a few tooth picks, but if you have something more fancy go ahead and use that instead.
Sear in a pan for a couple of minutes on each side, then cover and leave on medium-low heat while cooking the rice. When the rice are done the chicken is done, and some juices have collected in the pan - take out the fillets, turn up the heat and add coarsely chopped onion, fry these till soft. Then add diced tomato, salt, pepper and a dash of cream. Let simmer for a few minutes.

Pizza

As mentioned I recently moved to a new home. This home has a gas stove and oven, which I quite like for a number of reasons. Sadly, the oven doesn't have ANY markings on the dial except for where the OFF position is, so it'll take a little while to figure that one out. However, in this regard pizza is fairly forgiving, so in it went.

Ingredients:
- 1 pizza dough (I like the ones from Trader Joes)
- semolina
- 4 roma tomatoes
- 4 oz mushrooms
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- fresh basil
- mozzarella


The dough was rolled out with the aid of semolina rather than ordinary flour - I think this was particularly helpful getting the crust very nice. The tomatoes and mushrooms were sliced, the bell pepper and basil cut in strips - on top was added grated mozzarella. The pizza went in the oven on max heat, but after about 5 minutes we decided to turn it down a bit. Turned out really well.