One thing Italians share with the rest of the world is their love for pasta. Pasta remains part of a rich tradition that impacts every corner of Italy, meshing with regional cultures and influencing local cuisine.
Orecchiette is a pasta specialty from the beautiful southeastern region of Puglia, down in Italy’s southern ‘heel’. It’s one of the country’s flattest and most fertile regions, with wheat and olive oil produced in abundance.
Orecchiette translates to ‘small ears’—a fitting name for a dome-shaped pasta that looks like tiny ears. This pasta has a thin, concave center, chewy edges, and a rough surface texture. Orecchiette require only three ingredients: hard wheat flour, water and salt.
Their particular shape, combined with the rough surface, makes it perfect for any kind of sauce, especially vegetable sauces.
With its deep-rooted history in the region, use of simple ingredients, and its convenient versatility, orecchiette has become a defining part not only of Puglia’s cuisine, but its culture, as well. And its popularity extends far beyond the region of Puglia.
I absolutely love orecchiette with its chewiness and nice ‘cupping’ ability. Pared with some cheesy meatballs, this meal is so good!
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Orecchiette w/ Cheesy Chicken Meatballs
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Rating: 5
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Instructions
Pasta
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta & cook until tender but still firm to the bite., stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Transfer pasta to a bowl & add the parmesan. Toss to lightly coat orecchiette, adding reserved pasta water, if needed to loosen pasta.
Meatballs
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a large baking sheet with foil & rub with oil.
In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, Parmesan, bread crumbs, parsley, egg & garlic. Season with salt & pepper. Form into 30-40 meatballs, then place on prepared baking sheet & bake until browned & cooked through about 25 minutes.
Pasta Sauce
In a large pot, add chicken broth & tomatoes & bring to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer until tomatoes are soft. Remove from heat & add meatballs & pasta/cheese mixture. Combine grated mozzarella cheese with basil paste.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly butter a 9-inch baking dish.
Place meatball/pasta mixture in baking dish & top with mozzarella cheese/basil mixture. Bake only until cheese is melted.
Ratatouille is a classic dish of southern France. Served as a side dish, hot or cold, arranged in a casserole or individual plates, its a recipe that lends itself to many different main dishes.
Ratatouille can be a challenging dish to pair with meat because the rich and luxurious flavors come from the freshness of the vegetables. There are, however, many types of meat that would not compete with ratatouille and still keep the meal light & satisfying.
For the meat lover, beef can make this meal quite enjoyable. Hence the inspiration for this galette: eggplant, squash, onion and tomato. Roasted together in the oven over a layer of seasoned beef all in a sturdy homemade pastry crust. Brion & I thought this vegetable-beef ratatouille came together in one harmonious blend and made a super nice meal.
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Ground Beef Ratatouille Galette
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Rating: 5
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Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Pastry
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, work the butter into the mixture until most of it resembles coarse meal with some pea-size pieces. Form a well in the center. Sprinkle with 4 Tbs. of the ice water. Mix with your fingertips until the dough holds together enough to form a ball. If too dry, add the remaining water by the teaspoon, and mix until the dough comes together.
Form the dough into a ball, put it between two sheets of plastic wrap, and then press it into a 12-14-inch round. Wrap it tightly in more plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Veggies
Wash & slice veggies; set aside in refrigerator until ready to use.
Beef Filling
In a large skillet over medium heat. Brown beef until no longer pink; season with salt & pepper. Remove beef from skillet with a slotted spoon & set aside.
In the beef drippings, sauté shallot & 1 tsp Herbs de Provence until caramelized. Add beef back to pan with crushed tomatoes & 1 Tbsp olive oil. Stir & simmer for 6-7 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
Assemble & Bake
Preheat oven to 425 F. Remove dough from fridge. Transfer pastry circle to a sheet of parchment paper.
Spread beef /sauce mixture evenly inside the circle leaving about 3" of dough from the edge. Place the veggies in a spiral, rotating for some color interest. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt 2 tsps Herbs de Provence & some black pepper.
Fold edges of dough over filling, making sure there are no cracks. Brush the galette dough with egg wash.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until veggies are roasted & pastry is golden. Allow to cool slightly then slice & serve.
This peach chutney galette has all the flavors of a classic peach pie, plus the pop of fresh ginger, apple cider vinegar and spice.
I love chutneys and find that just about any fruit can be made into one. Each chutney is a balance of sweet, sour, savory and spice with endless variations. When it comes to the ways you can eat or serve it, a few that come to mind are:
- Add it to a chicken sandwich
- Serve with cured meats & cheese
- Serve on the side with empanadas or meat pies
- Eat it with any cooked pork meal
- Serve with grilled sausages or roasted poultry
- Serve it with pate
- As a topping for warm Brie cheese
- Mixed into Greek yogurt
- Puree it & use as a dipping sauce
- Served on a burger
Peaches are one of those fruits that make their way into summer chutneys so why not put some in a galette and see what develops?!
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Peach Chutney Galette
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Rating: 4.5
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Votes: 2
Rating: 4.5
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Instructions
Pastry
In a small bowl, combine sour cream & ice water; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar & salt. Using a pastry blender or fingertips, cut in the butter until mixture resembles BOTH coarse crumbs & small peas. Sprinkle the cold sour cream mixture over dough, 1 Tbsp at a time, tossing with a fork to evenly distribute it. After you have added all the sour cream mixture, dough should be moist enough to stick together when pressed; if not, add additional cold water, 1 tsp at a time. Do not overwork dough.
Press dough into a disk shape & wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for a day or two or it can be wrapped airtight & frozen for a month. Thaw, still wrapped in refrigerator.
Filling
In a saucepan over medium heat, add apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, star anise, cloves, pepper, cardamom & sea salt. When mixture starts to bubble, fold in about 2 cups sliced peaches. Bring the mixture to a boil; turn down heat to a lively simmer. Cook, stirring often, 20-30 minutes, or until mixture has thickened enough to easily coat a spoon. Set aside to cool.
Assembly
When chutney is cooled, preheat oven to 350 F. On a large sheet of parchment paper, roll or press out chilled pastry into a 12-inch circle.
In a large bowl, stir to combine remaining peaches, cooled chutney, 1/4 cup sugar & cornstarch.
Spread mixture evenly over dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Gently fold pastry over peach chutney filling, pleating to hold it in. Brush with egg wash (if using); sprinkle with sugar.
Bake 35-45 minutes until filling bubbles up & crust is golden. Chill at least 2 hours to prevent the filling from running out. Serve as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The word ‘gratin’ or ‘au gratin’ has been given numerous alternative and incorrect definitions. Many think that the term is French for ‘with cheese’, others say that it refers to a dish with a browned topping and some even claim that gratin means a baked casserole.
The word gratin actually derives from the French word grater or gratter, meaning ‘to grate’. Originally it meant something more like ‘scrapings’. This referred to the browned crusty material that forms on the bottom or the act of scraping loose these crusty bits and stirring them back into the dish during baking. However, it now tends to refer to the browned crust that forms on the top of the baked dish. Toppings generally consist of breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg and/or butter.
The word gratin is also used to identify the types of cookware in which such a meal is cooked. Traditionally, they are oval, but can also be round and come in graduated sizes and are made of clay-based ceramic, metal or oven-proof glass.
This au gratin combines ham and cauliflower in a creamy, Parmesan sauce and is topped with cheddar cheese. We really enjoyed it.
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Ham & Cauliflower Au Gratin
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Votes: 1
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Instructions
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Fill a medium pot half full of water & add 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil. Cut cauliflower into small flowerets & add to boiling water. Blanche for 3 minutes. DON"T OVERCOOK! Pour into a colander in the sink & let drain well- about 5 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 6 X 8-inch glass casserole dish with cooking spray. Cut ham into small cubes & slice green onions. In a small bowl, place softened cream cheese, Greek yogurt, Parmesan & sliced green onions.
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Return cauliflower to cooking pot; gently fold in sauce mixture & ham. Season to taste with black pepper. Pour cauliflower mixture into prepared baking dish, spreading out evenly. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
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Bake 30-35 minutes or until the cheese is melted & lightly browned. Mixture should be bubbling & hot through. Remove from oven & allow to stand 10 minutes for any liquid to be absorbed. Serve hot.
It goes without saying that Portugal has a national love affair with pork. Just look through their cookbooks or at a restaurant menu and you can’t help but see the devotion to this particular meat. There are hundreds of recipe variations: roasted, fried, grilled or broiled. Dishes are reinvented over and over again with lemons, dates, apples, oranges, fresh herbs, mushrooms, chestnuts and of course pineapple.
The Azorean pineapple is special. It owes its quality and unique taste to the way it is produced. The Azores archipelago is an autonomous region of Portugal located in the North Atlantic ocean. Since the sub-tropical islands don’t benefit from hot equatorial sun, the small crowned fruits are grown in glass greenhouses, which are intentionally filled with smoke to help catalyze simultaneous flowering. Each pineapple takes two years to mature. Sweeter and more succulent than their larger, tropical grown siblings. Nowhere else in the world is pineapple grown in this manner, making it completely unique to the Azores.
This is one of those kind of recipes that is very basic but tasty.
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Portuguese Pineapple Short Ribs & Rice
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Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
In a resealable, large plastic bag, combine garlic, rosemary, bay leaf & vinegar. Season ribs with salt & pepper & add to marinade. Allow ribs to marinate in refrigerator for about an hour.
Preheat oven to 300 F. Pour ribs & marinade into a baking dish; top with onion slices & drizzle with oil. Roast slowly for about an hour or until VERY tender. Remove ribs from oven & add pineapple pieces. Return to oven for another 5 minutes or so, ribs should be slightly golden brown. Serve with some steamed rice to which some peas have been added.
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Today, March 21st, our family honors the memory of my father. He passed away at the age of 92, thirteen years ago. As a teenager, I never realized what a special privilege growing up as a farmer’s daughter really was. Coming home on the school bus and having to do ‘chores’ seemed so boring as opposed to being able to spend after school hours with your friends. As I look back on those times now, it all comes clear as to how treasured and valuable those life lessons were.
To be a successful farmer takes a tremendous amount of strength and courage. I think back to those days with great admiration and appreciation of the special man he was.
Since my Dad enjoyed to eat both beef and seafood, I thought today’s blog recipe should be a nice combo of just that in honor of his memory.
SPECIAL MEMORIES OF OUR WONDERFUL DAD
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Beef Short Ribs & Shrimp
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Rating: 3.75
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Votes: 4
Rating: 3.75
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Instructions
In a food processor, puree peeled & cored Asian pear. Add next 8 ingredients & pulse a few seconds to combine. Into a large Ziploc bag pour 2/3 of the marinade; add ribs laying single file so they will marinate evenly. Refrigerate while marinating for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Peel & devein shrimp. Place in another Ziploc bag with remaining marinade. Marinate shrimp about 30 minutes in refrigerator prior to cooking.
At cooking time, thread shrimp on skewers. Barbecue ribs & shrimp on a grill over medium heat or you can broil in the oven if you prefer. Cook to your preferred liking making sure to not overcook shrimp. Place on serving platter & sprinkle with green onions & sesame seeds.
Recipe Notes
- Using an Asian pear in marinade is a great tenderizer for beef.
- If you prefer, keep a bit of the marinade for serving over a rice side dish.
