Embarking on a Culinary Journey through my Family's History

Embarking on a Culinary Journey through my Family's History

In an attempt to preserve my family’s recipes which are now yellowed and aging, I was going to put them into digital format and make each dish. I’ve decided to take it a little further and share these recipes and any stories that I may have about them. I am hoping that through this project my family will be able to restart traditions and keep the ones we have. I would love for family to share any recipes or stories that they may have as well.


Ultimately I want to have something for my children, Giovanni and Contessa. I want them to know their family, understand their heritage and traditions and keep writing our family’s story for generations to come.


We come from a family of Italians, and only "Eye-talians" for as far back as I can trace, until I married a metagon that is. I think it is well known that Italians are extremely proud of their heritage and traditions, cherish their families, and make just about everything food-centric.


I was going through the books and binders of my Grandmothers’ handwritten, typed, and clipped recipes and as I always do, I started thinking about the hands they had been in and the gatherings they were prepared for.   There are so many traditions that I want my kids to know and so many of them I am sad that I missed. A lot of my family had passed away by the time I was old enough to partake in the traditions. As families grew, schedules became more and more and hectic, and people moved out of the “neighborhood”…  a lot of the traditions faded away.

If you care to join me on this culinary adventure I suggest you put on some Sinatra, and pour a glass of Chianti. Salute!

Biscotti - Traditional Anise & Butterscotch Pecan

Biscotti - Traditional Anise & Butterscotch Pecan

My parents love Biscotti, but for some reason this was never a cookie that I remember my mom or dad making. My Nanny used to make them and I could never appreciate them since I had not yet developed a coffee addiction and did I understand the deliciousness of hard cookies and a hot beverage.

After a trip to 9th Street in South Philly last weekend and a Biscotti purchase from our favorite pastry shop Isgro's, I decided I should just make my own especially since there are about 6 different recipes between both of my grandmothers.

The recipe I used for these was my Grandmom Rose's. There were only ingredient amounts and these were the instructions: "mix" and "pour into oblong pan and bake". Luckily I had a little knowledge of how to bake these so here is her recipe with my instructions. I also got creative with the flavorings since 'tis the season for Anisette and Amaretto in just about EVERYTHING! I chose to make a less traditional Biscotti and added Butterscotch and Pecans. That recipes below as well as a recipe with a few teaks to make these a bit healthier.

Biscotti

3 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 heaping tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon Anisetta (or Anise Extract)
1 Tablespoon Anise Seeds
1 Cup Melted Butter or margarine
5 Eggs

Beat butter and sugar
Add eggs one at a time mixing after each addition
Add Anisetta and mix well
Mix flour and baking powder in a medium sized bowl
Gradually add flour mixture to liquid ingredients
Once well blended stir in Anise seeds

Line a cookie sheet with parchment and pour batter into a loaf shape
Batter is a bit sticky so it can be difficult. Just make as close to an oval shape as possible about 1"- 1 1/2" thick depending on how large you would like your Biscotti.

Bake in Preheated oven 325 degrees for about 25 minutes (I baked at 300 degrees on Convection Setting).
You may need to add more time if the center is too soft.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. Then cut into strips. These strips will be long so I like to cut them in half.

Optional: Turn oven up to 400 degrees (I did 425 on convection setting to speed up the process). Return strips to oven and toast until golden brown.

I leave them out overnight to dry them out a little more since we like them crunchier.

Butterscotch Pecan Biscotti

3 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 heaping tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Butterscotch Baking Chips
3/4 Cup Pecans (Crushed)
1 Cup Melted Butter or Margarine
5 Eggs

Beat butter and sugar
Add eggs one at a time mixing after each addition
Add vanilla and mix well
Mix flour and baking powder in a medium sized bowl
Gradually add flour mixture to liquid ingredients
Once well blended stir in Butterscotch Chips and Pecans

Line a cookie sheet with parchment and pour batter into a loaf shape
Batter is a bit sticky so it can be difficult. Just make as close to an oval shape as possible about 1"- 1 1/2" thick depending on how large you would like your Biscotti.

Bake in Preheated oven 325 degrees for about 25 minutes (I baked at 300 degrees on Convection Setting).
You may need to add more time if the center is too soft.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. Then cut into strips. These strips will be long so I like to cut them in half.

Optional: Turn oven up to 400 degrees. Return strips to oven and and toast until golden brown.

 I leave them out overnight to dry them out a little more since we like them crunchier.

Healthier Biscotti

3 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (or you can break up into 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white)
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 heaping tablespoon of baking powder
1 Cup Melted (I Can't Believe It's Not Butter for Baking or Smart Balance Light for Baking)
1 1/4 Cup Egg Beaters or other Egg Substitute
1 teaspoon Anisetta (or Anise Extract)
1 Tablespoon Aniseseeds

If you are looking for less traditional you can pretty much add anything you'd like to this recipe as well as the ones above: almond extract, dark chocolate chips and slivered almonds or dried cranberries white chocolate chips and vanilla extract. Get creative, and share your add-ins!

These cookies are great for sharing! You can purchase large mugs at your local dollar store as well as some treat bags or food wrapping. Full the mug with Biscotti (or other cookies) and wrap as desired. You can even stick a Dunkin' Donuts or Starbucks Gift Card in with the cookies and you have a fun, creative gift card holder! Put a few Biscotti in a treat bag and you have a great stocking stuffer!

Now that my holiday baking is in full-swing and we are hosting a multi-course traditional Christmas Dinner these blogs will probably be coming rapid fire!

Buon Appetito! 

Pizzelle- A Family Favorite

Pizzelle- A Family Favorite

Ah Pizzelle! These have been around for just about every occasion. This could be because the recipe makes so many that there are always leftovers. Whatever the case, they are probably one of the most famous Italian cookies.

My grandmom Lucy used the old fashioned stove-top Pizzelle iron for her cookies. I have heard some pretty funny stories about the Pizzelle making process. The one I remember best involves my grandfather falling asleep on the job.

From what I remember of the story, Pizzelle making took a while and I can attest to that! So my grandfather would man the pizzelle iron as my grandmother would load it with batter and remove the cookie when it was done. One evening as they were making pizzelle my grandmother loaded up the iron with batter but my grandfather never closed it.

As my dad and aunt tell it, Grandmom Lucy said "FRANK WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" But he was sound sleep, both hands on the iron holding it open for the next cookie. I remember always thinking .. how could he fall asleep like that?!?! Then I met my husband and I feel history could repeat itself!

It is very neat because I have that Pizzelle iron, and it has the initial "L.P". in the middle which were my initials before I became"L.S." or "L.M.P.S" to be more specific (long story!) .

I have both my Grandmom Lucy's and my Grandmom Rose's Recipe and they are pretty much identical. The only variations are that one calls for Anise Extract and 1 1/2c sugar  and the other Anise Seeds and 1 1/4c sugar. You do not have to use Anise. If you prefer Almond or Vanilla you can substitute either of those.

This is my Grandmom Rose's recipe. Below is my Grandmom Lucy's which is the one I used. 

Pizzelle
6 Eggs
1/ 1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Canola Oil
3 Cups Flour
A few drops Anise Extract

Put sugar and eggs together- mix well
Add oil and anise- mix well
Add flour gradually- mix well

Drop by the tablespoon into heated, well greased iron.

Tip: I used about 1 1/2 tsp. anise extract. It is really a matter of preference as to how much you use. I would use at least 1 Tsp and add from there. These could have used more, next time I will do 2 tsp.

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Buon Appetito!

Move Over Turkey and Make Room for the Manicotti

Move Over Turkey and Make Room for the Manicotti

I love hearing my family's stories of their holiday traditions. The traditions before everyone sat around and watched the football games after dinner. Thanksgiving used to be an all day affair filled with food, friends, and family. My mom is from South Philadelphia and my dad is from Southwest Philadelphia. Both grew up in row homes and much of their family lived in houses of the same size. Although the were not large homes, this never deterred them from having a huge gathering.  

My mom's aunt hosted their Thanksgiving. They started the feast with a fruit cup, moved on to Escarole soup, then had Ravioli and meatballs/sausage. Then they had their Turkey with the traditional fix ins . Once the meal was finished and the dishes were cleared there was some time to relax before turkey sandwiches were served. From the sandwiches they enjoyed "honeyballs" or "bow cookies" and assorted nuts including chestnuts they had roasted. She said the  nuts were always sitting in a bowl with nut crackers during the holidays. Of course everything was washed down with some Red Wine. If Homemade Red was not available Carlo Rossi or Gallo jugs sufficed.

My dad remembers a fairly similar Thanksgiving hosted by his parents.  They started with an antipasto salad (this is one of the few times salad was served before the meal). They had the usual Thanksgiving dishes and Ravioli. They too enjoyed sandwiches in the evening but their dessert consisted of various cakes.

My Thanksgiving has been hosted by my parents for as long as I can remember, and have varied in size over the years. We have had some sort of pasta, meatballs, sometimes escarole soup, ham, turkey, and the usual sides. Recently we have started making homemade manicotti which was my Grandmom Rose's recipe.

My husband and my mom make the crepes, I make the filling and we form an assembly line for the process on Thanksgiving morning. It is always entertaining as they argue over consistency and when to flip them, but after firing off a few test crepes they get them just right.

These usually get rave reviews so I do recommend trying them if you have the time.

Crepe:

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

Tip: You will probably end up throwing away the first couple of crepes since they take a few tries to get the hang of. Add more milk if batter is not thin enough

Mix ingredients together to make a smooth, thin batter.

Pour 1/4 cup of batter into a hot greased crepe pan, or non-stick 6"pan

Turn Crepe over as soon as it forms

Crepes cook quickly

Lay them out on wax or parchment paper to cool a bit before filling

Filling:

2 lbs Ricotta Cheese

1/4 Cup Locatelli (Parm, Reggiano, or a cheese blend can be substituted)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese

1 handful chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley

2 eggs

Tip: I use part skim Ricotta and Mozzarella. I also add a handful of grated Auricchio Provolone for a sharper flavor.

In a large bowl add ingredients except for the eggs.

Mix well

To make sure cheese is seasoned enough taste and then add more spices as desired

Whisk eggs and add to ricotta mixture

Stir well

In a 13" x 9" baking dish ladle enough gravy to cover bottom

Fill crepe with about 2 tablespoons of mixture

Fold ends over each other and place in baking dish fold down

Once tray is filled cover with more gravy and top with shredded mozzerella and grated locatelli

Bake at 425 degrees until bubbly

Healthier Manicotti

Crepe:

1/2 cup wheat flour

1/2 cup white flour

1 cup 1% or Skim milk

1/4 cup Egg Substitute

1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling:

2 lbs Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese

1/4 Cup Locatelli (Parm, Reggiano, or a cheese blend can be substituted)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese

1 handful chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley

1/2 cup Egg Substitute

As always feel free to share suggestions, recipes, and pictures!

Buon Appetito!

Angeletti Cookies: Lemon Iced Cookies

Angeletti Cookies: Lemon Iced Cookies

I found this in composition book that my mother's mother, Grandmom Rose, wrote her recipes in. Since my Grandmom Rose passed away 44 years ago, my mom didn't know much about this recipe. I was hoping she would be some help with this one because A. I only know about 3 Italian cookies by their actual name and this was not one of them. B. It calls for "flour as needed" WHAT?!? Unfortunately I was on my own with this!

Angeletti
1 Cup Salad Oil
6 Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Lemon Extract
6 Tsp Baking Powder
Flour as needed to make dough
Note:  Salad Oil is just a light flavored oil like Vegetable.
You can use just about any flavor of extract you want. I used Vanilla because I was out of Lemon.
The Flour amount was about 5 cups. I stopped adding flour as soon as the dough was workable it was a little stickier than the consistency of sugar cookie dough.

Mix ingredients together to make dough
Roll out into strips about as thick as your finger and 6" long
Roll them spirally into the shape of a beehive
Bake at 350 in preheated oven for 10 mins
While warm spread with lemon glaze icing

Note: You do not have to make them into beehive shapes. A lot of times these seem to just be a ball. They puff up quite a bit, but don't spread much so I loaded up the pans since it makes about 5 dozen cookies. My husband and liked these best when they were a bit smaller so I would suggest rolling the dough to 4" long  and thinner than the thickness of your finger, especially if you have thick fingers like myself!

Glaze
Stir just enough lemon juice and a little grated rind into 1/2 cup confectioners sugar to make paste

Note: I found that you want a pretty thick paste, the cookies are not that exciting on their own so this glaze gives them most of their flavor

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Once these were done and tasted my parents and I agreed that it was a staple of the cookie trays and Holiday celebrations but they were usually in the shape of a ball which may be why we didn't remember them when looking over the recipe. They also taste a lot like an Italian filled cookie without the filling.These go really well with a hot cup of coffee or tea on a cold day! If you decide to try them feel free to post your thoughts and pictures!

Buon Appetito,
Lisa

You say Cavatelli, I say Gavadeels

You say Cavatelli, I say Gavadeels

I have successfully prepared the first recipe from the hundreds I have. I chose to make Cavatelli. This recipe is my paternal Grandmother's, Grandmom Lucy Petragnani. She had passed away by the time I was born so I never prepared these with her but I do have fond memories of making Cavatelli as a child. I used to make them quite often with my Nanny (my mom's step mom). Every time I saw the large wooden board sitting out I knew what we were making.  I remember she had strict rules that needed to be followed in order to help her: 1. I could not have any trace of nail polish on my fingers. She was afraid it would chip and end up in the food 2. My hair always needed to put pulled back so as not to get hair into anything 3. If I was sick I dare not even enter the kitchen!

My nanny meant business and she was serious about her cooking. I am pretty sure the extent of my help with the Cavatelli was kneading but I like to think that my participation was an integral part of the preparation.

I only ever knew this kind of macaroni as "Gavadeels" so I was surprised to find the spelling would make the proper pronunciation "Cah-vah-telli". It appears that there are some other misconceptions about Cavatelli besides how it is pronounced.

Upon some research I came accross a few articles that state that Cavatelli do not contain eggs. This is incorrect! Also despite my childhood beliefs Gnocchi and Cavatelli are not the same thing. Gnocchi is commonly made with potato whereas Cavatelli are made with Ricotta Cheese. Gnocchi are also much denser as you may well know after an encounter with too many of these delicious little pillows.

Now that I have shared my findings with you, I will share my recipe. I will provide 2 recipes the first one is the original and these second is a "healthier" variation. By "healthier" I mean I have tried to add more nutritional value to the recipe.

Original Cavatelli Recipe
1 Level Tsp Baking Powder
1 Pound Ricotta Cheese
4 Cups Flour
1/4 Cup Farina
2 Eggs
2 Tsp. Oil

Mix together
Knead until a smooth dough forms
Cover and let rest 30 minutes

Roll into long strips
Cut into small pieces
Roll on strainer

Drop into boiling water and cook until al dente about 6-8 minutes. 

Tips: I boiled some water as I was rolling out the dough to test a few in order to determine if they were the correct size. After a few trials I found it was easier to break off small pieces of dough roll to about a 1/2" long 1/4" thick strip. I then used a butter knife pressed into center of strip vertically and created a dimple in the cavatelli. My mom helped me with this task and her method was to roll into strips, cut, and use her thumb to dimple and roll the cavatelli since this was what she remembers her father doing. Whatever method you decide to use make sure that you make these about 1/2" long and 1/4" thick since they do swell as they cook. 

Modified Recipe

1 Level Tsp Baking Powder
1 Pound Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese
2 Cups White Flour
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 Cup Farina
2 Eggs
2 Tsp. Oil

Mix together
Knead until a smooth dough forms
Cover and let rest 30 minutes
Roll into long strips
Cut into small pieces
Roll on strainer.

Note: This variation of the recipe is not as flavorful as the original so you may want to compensate in the sauce or gravy you are serving them in.



These can be served a variety of ways, I chose to make a fresh marinara since I had some fresh tomatoes and basil that needed to be used.

Feel free to leave comments, suggestions, and your recipes!

Buon Appetito,
Lisa