10.03.10: anniversary dinner (from Torino to the countryside of Piemonte in one meal, part two).

 

Inside the Piazza San Carlo in Turin, Italy

 

Oh, Turin.

We were intending to take a day trip to Milan, one of the few plans we had in mind for our otherwise lazy honeymoon. Milan fascinated me, but lovely lovely Diana (I dare you not to go to her B&B’s website and not drool and then make travel plans) said that Turin would suit us more; yes, it’s closer to Acqui than Milan, but more importantly, she thought that its rich culture would be of greater interest rather than the cool industrialism of Milan.

She was, naturally, right.

10.03.10: anniversary dinner (from Torino to the countryside of Piemonte in one meal, part one).

Orechiette alla Zucchine

Today marks our second wedding anniversary, so we spent this past weekend celebrating it in the best way we know how: through food. Saturday’s dinner was a bit of an epic meal (so much that we both feel compelled to write about it), but last night I wanted to give a nod to where we spent our honeymoon–mainly because I love any excuse to make a nice northern Italian meal at this time of year.

Easy dinner solutions: a tale of two pastas.

Cavatappi with Lemon, Oregano and Parmigiano-Reggiano

A few weeks ago Michael Ruhlman made a quasi-offhand remark (quasi only because he loves playing the role of provocateur) that the claim that it takes too long to cook at home is, to not put too fine a point on it, “bullshit.”  His real thesis is all about choice:  he’s not railing against those who choose to eat Lean Cuisines, he’s simply calling them out if/when they say they turn to that option because they have no time to cook something from scratch.

Shopping in New York: Murray’s Real Salami in the Grand Central Market

Murray's Real Salami

On my list of Things In Italy I Really, Really Miss, the salumeria (specifically, the Salumeria Centrale in Acqui Terme) is ranked in the top five, along with access to inexpensive-and-delicious wine, fresh pasta shops, roundabouts, and the kitchen at Baur B&B.  It may have taken us all week to get there thanks to the wonky Italian scheduling strategy of “Yeah, let’s be closed Wednesday for no reason!” but it was completely worth it in the end.  Not only did we leave with a few etti of Prosciutto di San Daniele, but Michael got his first short joke in Italian. 

02.27.10: dinner (new homemade pizzas to share!)

Our stand mixer hard at work

Reading so many other fellow food bloggers out there I think clouds my perspective when it comes to stand-mixer usage.  A casual conversation at work will reveal that while many of my coworkers own a Kitchen Aid (or similar) mixer, it seems that other than holiday baking time, it tends to sit dormant for most of the year.  I was this way for a while (worse, really, as I’m not usually inclined to bake sweets), but ever since I found Jim Lahey’s pizza dough recipe and Michael a pasta dough method that didn’t require him to make a well, our little guy gets a workout a few times a month at the very least.  This time around, our craving was for some homemade pizza.

10.04.09: anniversary dinner (Mad Men and Roma and figs, oh my!)

Fig, Prosicutto and Fotina Pizza

At the beginning of the summer the idea of doing a series of meals inspired by episodes from the second season of Mad Men as a way to gear up for the premiere in August popped into my head, though it was quickly deflated by Michael’s erstwhile pragmatism:  “They don’t really eat much on that show.”

This, unfortunately, I had to acknowledge as true.  Aside from Betty’s “around the world” dinner party and a hapless roasted chicken flung off of a canopy courtesy of Pete Campbell, most of the visible consumption on that show revolves around cocktails, with a perfect example of it being Jane Sterling’s stumbling during a Derby party because she simply didn’t eat anything all day.  Even when the Drapers go to the park and picnic, we’re subjected to their after-lunch activities and Betty’s effortless “disposal” of their detritus with a flick of her wrists.

It turned out, however, that our dinner this particular night would be nicely tied into the eighth episode of the season, as well as conjure up memories of our trip to Italy a year ago.

01.12.08: dinner

Piadina with Prosciutto di Parma and Catalan Meatball Soup

Spain meets Italy (just like a World Cup match!) in this easy combination of piadina and a Catalan meatball soup that calls for lamb, but in this version used ground meatloaf due to a dearth of ground lamb and ground veal at the Stop & Shop, along with egg-white noodles.

The piadina was something I found in an issue of Food & Wine back in 2007 that focused on the foods of 12 regions of Italy, and I loved its simplicity.  All you need is either a pound of store-bought pizza dough or your own homemade recipe in the same amount, and divide into four pieces.  Roll out each with a little flour, arrange on a baking sheet, and use a fork to pierce holes into each to keep the dough from puffing up in your 350 degree oven.  Bake for a few minutes–before the dough browns–and then layer some ricotta cheese seasoned with salt and pepper, prosciutto, wilted arugula and shaved Parmesan and place back into the oven long enough for the cheese to just melt.

Which reminds me:  if you want to make sure something is at your store, ask for it!  Sometimes you have to plan in advance, of course, but it’s a classic secret of great cooks and professional chefs everywhere.  Pre-Julia Child, most supermarkets suffered from a lack of diversity when it came to fresh herbs, shallots, leeks, fresh garlic, and any green lettuce aside from iceberg; only by asking for (and subsequently buying) a greater variety of food can we see more possibilities made available to all of us.

07.06.08: dinner. (subtitle: divide and conquer)

White Beans with Prosciutto di Parma and Fresh Cheese Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce

This was a weekend dinner from last summer that came together fairly quickly if memory serves.  The takebackyourkitchen kitchen has contains many wonders, but A/C is not one of them, so in the summertime I don’t usually find myself slow-roasting much.

The warmed white beans, tomatoes and prosciutto over arugula pictured on the right was a recipe find by Elizabeth; I don’t remember the exact formulation now, but a cursory internet search should yield it or something very similar.  It reminds me of a Tuscan dish that uses shrimp instead of prosciutto.

Yes, the raviolis are store-bought.  This was before we forayed into stuffed pasta construction.  I bought them because I wanted to try my hand at making sage brown butter sauce, the ultimate ravioli dressing IMHO.

It is a far, far better thing to try only one new thing than to be so daunted by a task that you don’t even approach it.  Being overwhelmed by constructing an entire dinner from scratch can stay the hand of even the most daring aspiring home cook.  Personally, I believe in venturing in only one direction at a time; practice one aspect of a meal (like a homemade sauce) before going whole-hog and resolving never to eat store bought pasta again  (Added bonus: if you mess up your homemade contribution big time, you still have something to edible to eat afterwards).

12.20.08: dinner.

Saturday evening dinner. As I commented before, I was in the food doldrums around Christmas/New Years and, in times like these, as much as being creative is important, so is having fun. What’s more fun than hot smooshed sandwiches? Actually, don’t answer that.

We received a Griddler for an engagement gift and while versatile, there’s a reason King of the Hill dubbed them novelty grills. But that’s another post. What I will say is that it simultaneously flattens and grills the heck out of a sandwich.

The little local market downstairs gave my lovely wife a nice deal on her faaaavorite, Prosciutto di Parma and I cooked up some caponata for the top. All I did was saute roasted red peppers with mandolined shallots and deglazed with some balsamic vinegar and capers. I prototyped the fennel salad that I ended up serving on new year’s.

Now, I have bought jarred, roasted peppers and they are AWFUL. Doing them yourself is even easier than the Food Network would have you to believe. Have you ever noticed that each chef-lebrity has their own set of instructions? Forget it.

Roasted Red (or orange, yellow, purple) Peppers:

• Quarter the peppers, lose the seeds and cut out the white stuff
• Sit them skin-side-up on a baking sheet
• Place under the broiler on the top shelf of the oven (if its your first time, monitor for flames)
• After the skins have become almost completely black, place in a bowl and cover with a plate or lid
• When cool, skin them (under water if you like) and you’re done.

12.07.08: dinner.

Toasted Campanelle with Prosciutto and Parsley with Tomato-Red Pepper Soup

Vintage shot taken before the project was started. The indefatigable toasted breadcrumb and prosciutto pasta is paired red pepper and tomato soup. Honestly, this rubs me as a bit pedestrian, but it’s colorful (oooo, festive platter!) and it’s yummy. I guess a blended vegetable soup isn’t child’s play, but that’s only because more people don’t own stick blenders. They are an unending source of amusement. I guess I could file this under ‘comfort food’ but that’s one of those food phrases that have come to piss me off.

(note omnipresent short glass of wine in the background)