BBQ Chicken Pizza

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Makes 1 – 10 to 12-inch pizzas

(America)

Mom is always accusing Dad of being “too traditional” when it comes to pizza . . . “pizza is tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil, maybe a little ‘traditional’ toppings but no fu-fu stuff!” but this is another American adaption of the Italian classic that even Dad loves.  Dad uses KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce but any good sauce will do.

                                                                               Prep time: 3 hours

                                                                               Pizza cook time: 12 minutes

Ingredients

authentic pizza dough:

1 ¼  cups bread flour

½  cups lukewarm (105°F) water

2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 envelope active dry yeast

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

BBQ pulled chicken:

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 cup of your favourite BBQ sauce

Topping

1 small red onion, peeled, halved length-wise and thinly sliced

½ cup of your favorite BBQ sauce, to taste

1/2 cup of smoked Gouda cheese, shredded

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 teaspoons of fresh cilantro,  roughly chopped 

Preparation

BBQ pulled chicken:

1.   Poach chicken breasts in salted water for about 20 minutes.  Drain the liquid from the chicken and allow it to cool.

2.   Once the chicken cools,  shred and place it into a resealable plastic bag.

3.  Pour 1 cup of the BBQ sauce over the shredded chicken, seal the bag  and massage the bag to coat all the chicken.  Place the bag in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours.  Agitate the mixture every so often to make sure all the chicken gets thoroughly marinated. 

Authentic pizza dough:

1.  In a 2 cup measuring cup, combine the water and honey stir to combine and sprinkle the yeast over it. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.  If the yeast doesn't "proof" (get "foamy") pour it out and start again it is important to have a live yeast mixture.

2.  Meanwhile place the flour and the salt into a sifter and sift it into the medium bowl  of a stand mixer.  Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the olive oil and the "proofed" yeast mixture.  Turn the mixer, fitted with dough hooks,  to knead and turn on.  Continue kneading (mixing) until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball around the dough hooks (scrap the sides of the bowl to move flour into the path of the hooks as needed).

3.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky (add flour gradually as needed to reach the slightly tacky state), 3 to 5 minutes. 

4.  Lightly oil a large mixing bowl with about 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to oil the ball on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap cloth and set in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

construction and baking:

1.  Place an appropriately sized pizza stone on the middle shelf of your oven and pre-heat the oven to 450° F.

2.  Remove the risen dough ball from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured work surface , flatten it into a thick disk and with your fingertips and palms, working from the center of the disk out to the edges, press it into a thin disk of dough approximately 10 to 12-inch round and about 1/8 inch thick (if necessary use a rolling pin to achieve the 1/8-inch thickness [don’t worry if the pizza isn’t perfectly round . . . that’s called “rustica” and it’s the way “real” Italian pizza looks in Italy]).  If you're really brave you can try the spin and toss method of forming the pie (this dough is perfect for it) just remember to use your knuckles when spinning and tossing . . . fingertips can cause holes).  Sprinkle flour over the surface of this thin disk (this will become the bottom of the pie when you place the pizza base on the peel  in the next instruction).

3.  Distribute some corn meal over the surface of a pizza peel (this will act as “ball bearings” and allow the dough rounds to move easily over the surface of the peel) and transfer the formed pizza base onto the peel insuring that the lightly floured side is on the bottom.  Lightly spread ½ cup of the BBQ sauce evenly over pizza base keeping a ½ to 1-inch border of the base uncoated to form a crust; sprinkle the grated ½ the mozzarella and all the Gouda  cheeses evenly over the BBQ sauce (leaving about the of uncoated dough around the edge uncoated.   Evenly distribute the shredded, marinated chicken over the cheeses.  Evenly distribute the thinly sliced red onions over the chicken.  Evenly distribute the remaining mozzarella over the red onions and finally evenly distribute the roughly chopped cilantro over the onions.

4.  Finally  sprinkle a little extra-virgin olive oil over the surface.

5.  Gently shake the peel to insure the pizza moves freely (if it doesn’t gently lift the edges of the pizza and distribute additional corn meal until it does), using the peel slide the pizza onto the stone and bake the pizza until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 12 minute in a 450°F oven. Remove from the oven, slice into 8 wedge shaped slices and serve.

Pulled Barbeque Pork Pizza

 Pulled Barbeque Pork Pizza

Makes 2 – 10 to 12-inch pizzas

(America)

In the southern United States what could be a more traditional pizza topping than  barbeque pulled pork , in our family this is how we use up leftover barbeque.

Ingredients

authentic pizza dough:

2½ cups Bread Flour, plus additional for work surface

1 cup Warm (105° F) Water

1 Envelope Active Dry Yeast

¼ cup Honey

¼ cup Extra-virgin Olive Oil

4 teaspoons Kosher or sea salt

BBQ pulled pork:

1 pound piece of pork butt or loin

1 cup of your favourite BBQ sauce

Toppings:

1 small red onion, peeled, ¼-inch diced

½ cup of your favorite BBQ sauce, to taste

1/2 cup of smoked Gouda cheese, shredded

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro,  roughly chopped

Preparation

BBQ pulled pork:

1.   Place the pork in a slow cooker set to high with ½ cup chicken broth and slow cook for about 2 hours or until  the pork  shreds easily when pulled apart with 2 forks.  Remove the pork and set aside to allow it to cool.

2.   Once the pork cools,  shred it and place the shredded pork into a re-sealable plastic bag.

 3.  Pour 1 cup of the BBQ sauce over the shredded pork, seal the bag  and massage the bag to coat all the pork.  Place the bag in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours.  Agitate the mixture every so often to make sure all the pork gets thoroughly marinated. 

Authentic pizza dough:

1.  In a 2 cup measuring cup, combine the water and honey stir to combine and sprinkle the yeast over it. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.  If the yeast doesn't "proof" (get "foamy") pour it out and start again it is important to have a live yeast mixture.

2.  Meanwhile place the flour and the salt into a sifter and sift it into the medium bowl  of a stand mixer.  Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the olive oil and the "proofed" yeast mixture.  Turn the mixer, fitted with dough hooks,  to knead and turn on.  Continue kneading (mixing) until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball around the dough hooks (scrap the sides of the bowl to move flour into the path of the hooks as needed).

3.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky (add flour gradually as needed to reach the slightly tacky state), 3 to 5 minutes.

4.  Lightly oil a large mixing bowl with about 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to oil the ball on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap cloth and set in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

construction and baking:

 1.  Place an appropriately sized pizza stone on the middle shelf of your oven and pre-heat the oven to 450° F.

2.  Remove the risen dough ball from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured work surface , flatten it into a thick disk and with your fingertips and palms, working from the center of the disk out to the edges, press it into a thin disk of dough approximately 10 to 12-inch round and about 1/8 inch thick (if necessary use a rolling pin to achieve the 1/8-inch thickness [don’t worry if the pizza isn’t perfectly round . . . that’s called “rustica” and it’s the way “real” Italian pizza looks in Italy]).  If you're really brave you can try the spin and toss method of forming the pie (this dough is perfect for it) just remember to use your knuckles when spinning and tossing . . . fingertips can cause holes).  Sprinkle flour over the surface of this thin disk (this will become the bottom of the pie when you place the pizza base on the peel  in the next instruction).

3.  Distribute some corn meal over the surface of a pizza peel (this will act as “ball bearings” and allow the dough rounds to move easily over the surface of the peel) and transfer the formed pizza base onto the peel insuring that the lightly floured side is on the bottom.  Lightly spread ½ cup of the BBQ sauce evenly over pizza base keeping a ½ to 1-inch border of the base uncoated to form a crust; sprinkle the grated ½ the mozzarella and all the Gouda  cheeses evenly over the BBQ sauce (leaving about the of uncoated dough around the edge uncoated.   Evenly distribute the shredded, marinated pork over the cheeses.  Evenly distribute the diced red onions over the pork.  Evenly distribute the remaining mozzarella over the red onions and finally evenly distribute the roughly chopped cilantro over the onions.

4.  Finally  sprinkle a little extra-virgin olive oil over the surface.

5.  Gently shake the peel to insure the pizza moves freely (if it doesn’t gently lift the edges of the pizza and distribute additional corn meal until it does), using the peel slide the pizza onto the stone and bake the pizza until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 12 minute in a 450°F oven. Remove from the oven, slice into 8 wedge shaped slices and serve.

6.  Repeat with the remaining dough, toppings, and cheese.

Brooklyn Pizzaiola Steak Sandwich

Brooklyn Pizzaiola Steak Sandwich

makes 2 sandwiches

(America)

This spicy Italian steak sandwich definitely benefits from the low and slow cooking of the pounded strip steaks which after 3 hours of cooking end up being more melt in your mouth Italian pot roast than steak.  For a more steak  like consistency cook the steak in the sauce for only 1 hour.  No matter you chose to cook the steak serve this saucy sandwich accompanied by plenty of paper napkins.

Ingredients

4 beef strip steaks, about 2-inches wide x 1-inch thick x 6-inches long

2 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil

32 ounces tomato sauce

1 tablespoon white, cane sugar

2 tablespoons dehydrated onion flakes

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced

1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeds remove, and roughly chopped

6 slices of fresh mozzarella

2 10-inch Italian hero rolls

Preparation

1.  Slice each strip steak in half into 3-inch long pieces.  Working with 1 3-inch steak piece at a time, place the steak piece in a 1 gallon re-sealable plastic bag and pound the steak into a ¼-inch beef scallopini; repeat until all the steak pieces have been pounded.

2.  In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat melt the butter in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  When the butter is melted brown each of the beef  scallopini on both sides, about 10 minutes, and remove to a plate as they are browned. 

3.  Add the tomato sauce In the same sauté pan.  Stir in the onion flakes, granulated garlic, pepper flakes, the sliced onions, and the roughly chopped bell pepper.

   

4.  When the sauce begins to boil, return the sautéed beef to the sauté pan insuring they are covered with sauce.  Reduce the heat under the pan to low, cover and allow the beef and sauce to simmer, covered, for about 1 hour.

5.  After an hour, stir in the tablespoon of sugar and correct seasoning.  Allow the steak and sauce to continue simmering, cover, for an additional 2 hours.

6.  After the steaks have cooked for a total of 3 hours turn on the broiler of your stove.

7.  Slice two Italian hero rolls in half length-wise and place the 4 roll halves, sliced side up, on a rimmed cookie sheet.  Place three of the cooked steaks on the lower half of each of the rolls, spoon some of the sauce, onion, and peppers over the steaks and cover each steak and sauce covered sandwich half with 3 slices of fresh mozzarella.

8.  Place the cookie sheet under the broiler and broil until the mozzarella begins to brown. 

9.  Place the toasted hero roll top on the bottoms and serve immediately.

Mushroom-Prosciutto Pizza

Mushroom-Prosciutto Pizza

makes 2 10 or 12-inch pizzas

(Italy)

Ingredients

dough:

1 cup warm (105 ° F) water

1 envelope active dry yeast  (about 1 1/8 teaspoons)

¼ cup honey

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 1/2 cups bread flour, plus additional for work surface

4 teaspoon salt

topping:

18 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped shallots

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

¼ cup Marsala wine

4 ounces prosciutto, cut into thin strips

1 cup shredded fontina cheese

Preparation

dough:

1.  In a 2 cup measuring cup, combine the water and honey stir to combine and sprinkle the yeast over it. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.  If the yeast doesn't "proof" (get "foamy") pour it out and start again it is important to have a live yeast mixture.

2.  Meanwhile place the flour and the salt into a sifter and sift it into the medium bowl  of a stand mixer.  Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the olive oil and the "proofed" yeast mixture.  Turn the mixer, fitted with dough hooks,  to high (labeled  knead on my mixer) and turn on.  Continue kneading (mixing) until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball around the dough hooks (scrap the sides of the bowl to move flour into the path of the hooks as needed).

3.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky (add flour gradually as needed to reach the slightly tacky state), 3 to 5 minutes.

4.  Lightly oil a large mixing bowl with about 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to oil the ball on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap cloth and set in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

5.  After the dough  has doubled in size, remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a 12-inch log.  Divide the log in half and form each half into equally sized dough balls.  Lightly oil a 2 large mixing bowl with about 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Place each dough ball into its own bowl and turn to oil the ball on all sides. Cover each bowl with plastic and set in a warm, draft-free place until the nearly double in size again, about1 to 1 1/2 hours.

topping:

1.  Melt butter in a 12-inch, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté mushrooms and shallots until the shallots are translucent and the mushrooms are tender; about 7 minutes.  Add garlic and thyme; sauté 1 minute. Stir in the Marsala.  Correct seasoning to taste; remove from heat. 

construction and baking:

1.  Place an appropriately sized pizza stone on the middle shelf of your oven and pre-heat the oven to 450° F.

2.  On work surface, place one of the dough balls and flatten into a disk, with your fingertips and palms, press it into a thinner disk of dough approximately 10 to 12 - inches round and about 1/8-inch thick (if necessary use a rolling pin to achieve the 1/8-inch thickness [don’t worry if the pizza isn’t perfectly round . . . that’s called “rustica” and it’s the way “real” Italian pizza looks in Italy]).  Sprinkle flour over the surface of this thin disk (this will become the bottom of the pie when you place the disk on the peel  in the next instruction).

3.  Distribute some corn meal over the surface of a pizza peel (this will act as “ball bearings” and allow the dough rounds to move easily over the surface of the peel) and transfer the formed pizza base onto the peel, lightly spread about ½ of the mushroom mixture evenly over crust; sprinkle evenly with ½ of the prosciutto and ½ of the fontina cheese (leaving about ½ inch of uncoated dough around the edge to form the crust). 

4.  Finally  sprinkle a little extra-virgin olive oil over the surface.

5.  Gently shake the peel to insure the pizza moves freely (if it doesn’t gently lift the edges of the pizza and distribute additional corn meal until it does), using the peel slide the pizza onto the stone and bake the pizza until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 12 minute in a 450°F oven. Remove from the oven, slice into 8 wedge shaped slices and serve.

6.  Repeat with the remaining dough and remaining  ½ toppings and cheese.

Pasta Valjo

Pasta Valjo

serves 10

(America)

My wife loves my Zuppa Pomodoro  di Toscano (Tuscan Tomato Soup), but it serves 8 or more and we were only 2 so I developed this recipe to find an alternative use for the excess soup . . .  we soon found that our friends and family enjoyed the pasta sauce so much I began making it as a dish of its own.   This recipe makes sufficient for 10 to 12 approximately 1cup servings, for smaller groups reserve, prior to adding the vodka,  the number of cups needed for service and freeze the remainder in a lidded, freezer safe container for future use as either a sauce base or soup.

Ingredients

2 – 28 ounce cans of imported San Marzano Tomatoes, including juices

2 cups of chicken stock

1 ¼ cup good Vodka

2 large yellow onions, finely diced

1 ½ cups of heavy whipping cream

1 cup Pesto di Basilico (Basil Pesto, see recipe)

½ tablespoon red pepper flakes (optional, to taste)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Kosher or sea salt (to taste)

 freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

2½  pounds of pasta of your choice (about 1/4 pound per person)

Freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese 

Preparation

1.  Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over low heat.  Add the diced onions and sauté until softened and translucent (do not brown).

2.  Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes (if used) raise heat  and bring the tomatoes to a simmer.  When the tomatoes are at a simmer, add the chicken stock.

3.  Continue simmering for about 15 minutes giving the flavours time to combine.

4.  Add the whipping cream and pesto.  Remove from the stove and carefully pour the sauce base into the container of a blender or food processor and process (in batches if necessary) to the consistency you desire (we enjoy the sauce slightly chunky in the Italian fashion).

5.  Reserve 1 cup sauce base per serving, at this point any base not used can be placed in a lidded, freezer safe container and frozen for future use.  Pour the reserved sauce base into a large sauce pan and set aside.

6.  Prepare pasta (allowing about ¼ pound pasta per person) al dente according to package directions.  Drain,  reserving 1 cup pasta water, cooked pasta.

7.  Place the sauce pan containing sauce base over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of vodka per serving of sauce (1 ¼  cups for the entire recipe) to the sauce base and bring to a rapid simmer.  Correct seasoning to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

8.  Add the pasta and toss.   If the sauce appears too tight for your tastes add the reserved pasta cooking water, a little at a time, until the desired consistence is attained.  

9.  Divide the sauce pasta among serving dishes and serve immediately accompanied by plenty of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Sicilian Style Pot Roast

Sicilian-Style Pot Roast

serves 4

(Italy)

This is an Italian variation on the popular inexpensive American Sunday supper stand-by.  Made with an inexpensive, even  "cheap", cut of beef its secret is in the long, slow, low temperature treatment of the beef and  the mix of Italian flavours.  For the tomato sauce, I prefer to use canned, whole San Marzano tomatoes (that's a variety of Roma tomatoes imported from Italy and grown  on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius) which I crush by hand.  For the red wine I recommend a good, full-bodied Chianti  or Burgundy.

 

Ingredients

2-3 pound beef pot roast

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil plus 2 tablespoons

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup red wine

1 quart tomato sauce

1 quart beef stock (amount may vary)

Pinch sugar

Grated peel and juice of 1 lemon

¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Coarse Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1.  Preheat oven to 350° F.

2.  In a heavy Dutch oven heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking add the pot roast and brown on all sides. Remove pot roast to a plate.

3.  Add the ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil to the Dutch oven and heat olive oil.   When the oil is hot add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook until aroma is apparent, DO NOT allow garlic to brown!

4.  Add wine, sugar, and tomato sauce, grated lemon peel and the olives to the pan and bring to a simmer.

5.  Add the pot roast to the sauce and add enough beef stock as to allow the liquid to come up 2/3 of the way up the beef.  Add lemon juice and chopped parsley to the sauce and check for seasoning.

6.  Bring the pot roast to a simmer on top of the stove, skim, cover tightly, and set in the lower third of a 350 degree preheated oven. Regulate heat so that the liquid remains at a gentle simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the beef is tender. Turn the roast over several times during its braising.

7.  Transfer roast to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes, covered with aluminum foil to keep warm.  Slice roast to your preference and serve topped with the tomato sauce.  Polenta and crusty Italian or French  make excellent accompaniments as do oven roasted potatoes.

Next Week's Post:  Caponata alla Siciliana

Polpetta alla Sansevero

Polpetta alla Sansevero

(Meatballs Sansevero)

serves 4 to 6

(Italian/American)

Normally meatballs are fried and then added to tomato sauce and cooked long and slow, and either served as a sandwich or as an accompaniment to pasta; My wife's favourite way to eat them though is as pictured . . . directly from the frying pan . . . no sauce, no pasta, no bread; just freshly fried.  When I fry these she is usually close by for "quality control";  “. . .that one isn’t round, guess I’ll have to eat it now!”, “. . . that one's too small, guess I’ll have to dispose of it!”.

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2-pound ground lean pork or 1/2-pound of hot Italian sausage, removed from casing

1/2  cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

1/2  cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1/4  teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 eggs, beaten

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil to fry with

Preparation

1.  In a bowl, thoroughly combine the ground beef, ground pork (or sausage meat), breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, parsley, cheese, nutmeg, egg, and salt and pepper.  Form mixture into golf ball sized meatballs; for a nicer finish roll each meatball in additional dry breadcrumb before frying, it will also give you one last opportunity to make them round.

2.  Refrigerate the completed meatballs for about 1/2 hour before frying to allow them to set up and the flavours to mix.

3.  Heat a large, heavy skillet over moderately high heat.  Add oil and fry meatballs until browned on all sides.

4.  After meatballs are browned, add them to your simmering tomato sauce and allow them to simmer for at least 1/2  to 1 hour .  Serve accompanied by sauced pasta,  as a sandwich, sliced as a pizza topping, or place 4 meatballs in an oven-proof rarebit cover with sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, bake in the oven until the mozzarella is bubbly and serve as   "Meatballs Parmesan".

Next Week's Posting:  Memphis Style Dry Rubbed Ribs

Brasciole alla Sansevero (Italian Beef Rolls Sansevero)

Brasciole alla Sansevero

(Italian Beef Rolls Sansevero)

serves 6

(Italy)

When I was a kid, my mother's brasciole was an extra-special  Sunday treat; she would cook it in her Sunday "gravy" until the meat was butter soft.  Unfortunately she never wrote the recipe down so I developed this recipe from what I remembered.  I developed the sauce for it but I invite you to add the fried brasciole to your special Sunday "sauce" and create your own memories.

Ingredients

6 thin slices of round steak, flattened with a meat mallet to 1/8- 1/4 inch thick

1 pound ground veal, beef, or pork - OR - 2 cups dry Italian bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons of tomato paste

3 slices of bacon, diced grease reserved

2 cloves garlic, crushed

½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup pine nuts

½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

2 eggs, beaten

Sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, diced
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 28 ounce can of tomatoes, crushed
1 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped
½ cup basil, leaves picked and roughly chopped
1 cup red wine
2 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste
2 bay leaves

Preparation

the sauce:

1.  In a large sauté pan over medium heat sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil until softened but not browned.

2.  To the softened onions add tomatoes, herbs, red wine and water and leave to simmer over low heat while you prepare the brasciole.

the brasciole

1.  On a clean work surface, lay out beef slices flat.

2.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the minced veal (or bread crumbs and tomato paste), the bacon, garlic, parsley, oregano, shallot, raisins, pine nuts, Parmesan, beaten eggs, and the reserved bacon grease.  Season with salt and pepper.

3.  Place a heaping tablespoon of stuffing mixture on each beef slice, spreading it out well.  Roll up the beef jelly roll style and secure with kitchen twine.

4.  Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a separate sauté or frying pan over medium heat.  Brown the brasciole on all sides

5.  Place the browned brasciole in the sauce, cover and simmer for 1 ½ hours over low heat.

6. Working with one brasciole at a time and while keeping the sauce warm, remove a brasciole from the sauce to a clean cutting board; cut and remove the string, slice the brasciole into 1 to 2-inch thick "pin-wheels" and arrange the slices on a serving platter; continue until all the brasciole have been sliced.   Pour the warm sauce over the "pin-wheels" and serve immediately accompanied by crusty Italian or French bread.

Next Week's Posting: Pasta e Fagoli Basilicata (Pasta and Beans Basilicata)

Zuppa Pomodoro di Toscano (Tuscan Tomato Soup)

Zuppa Pomodoro  di Toscano

(Tuscan Tomato Soup)

serves 6

(Italy)

This isn't the bland,  tasteless catchup like soup from the famous red and  white can of your youth, this is a  full-bodied,  hearty,  and flavourful gift from Tuscany.  You can  either use fresh Roma tomatoes or whole, canned Italian style tomatoes . . . if  you opt  for  the  latter use genuine San Marzano tomatoes  from Italy it's worth the few pennies more in  taste.

Ingredients

5 cups tomatoes, peeled, diced and seeded

2 cups of chicken stock

2 large yellow onions, finely diced

1 ½ cups of heavy whipping cream

1 cup Basil Pesto (see recipe)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Coarse Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1.  Heat oil in a medium sized, heavy bottomed soup pot over low heat.  Add the diced onions and sauté until softened and translucent (do not brown).

2.  Add the tomatoes and allow to simmer.  When the tomatoes are at a simmer, add the chicken stock.

3.  Continue simmering for about 15 minutes giving the flavours time to combine.

4.  Add the whipping cream and pesto.  Remove from the stove and carefully pour the soup into the container of a blender or food processor and process to the consistency you desire (we enjoy the soup slightly chunky).

5.  Pour the soup back into the pot and return  to a simmer over low heat.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper.

6.  Serve warm accompanied by crusty Italian or French bread.

Next Week's Posting: Pollo Brasciole (Stuffed Chicken Rolls)

Pollo Brasciole (Stuffed Chicken Rolls)

 Pollo Brasciole

(Stuffed Chicken Rolls)

serves 4

This is a lighter version of the traditional beef braciole, the recipe can be modified to use approximately 1 cup of Italian seasoned commercial bread crumbs instead of slices of bread in which case the stuffing ingredients should simply be mixed together rather than processed together.

Ingredients

1/2 cup hot water

Handful golden raisins

1/2 cup pine nuts

1 cup flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups tomato sauce

3 tablespoons fresh tarragon, a few sprigs, leaves chopped

Preparation

1.  Place raisins into a small bowl and pour the hot water over it, allow raisins to plump for about 5 minutes or more.

2.  Meanwhile in a small skillet over low heat lightly toast the pine nuts until they begin to brown; watch them closely the nuts will go from lightly browned to burnt in a very short time.

3.  Drain the raisins and pat them dry, you don't want the stuffing to be too wet. Place the raisins, parsley,  1 tablespoon of the tarragon, the garlic, the bread crumbs,  nuts,  cheese, and the  lemon zest into a bowl  and mix until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

4.  One at a time, butterfly the chicken breasts, and after placing the butterflied breast under a 1 gallon plastic, re-sealable bag that has been split open,  pound the cutlets to a fairly uniform 1/4-inch thickness. 

5.  Season each pounded breast with salt and pepper and layer each breast with 1/4 of the stuffing.  Roll each cutlet jelly roll style and secure the flaps with 2 or 3 toothpicks.

6.  Heat the olive oil and butter in a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat and brown the stuffed cutlets until they are browned all over, about 7 or 8 minutes, remove to a dish lined with paper towels and set aside.

7.  Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up the brown bits clinging to the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the tomatoes and tarragon, add the bracioli, cover and simmer 15 minutes.

8.  Remove the bracioli to a clean cutting board, slice into 1-inch slices and arrange on a serving platter and pour the sauce over the bracioli slices.   Serve immediately over rice.

Next Week's Posting: Pollo Alla Cacciatora (Chicken Cacciatora)