Monthly Archives: March 2022

Irish Soda Bread with Caraway Seeds & Raisins

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Hi everyone,

Well, I promised that I would find an easy Irish Soda Bread recipe and I have. I have combined a few recipes that I found on Pinterest and yesterday was my trial and error day.

I wasn’t pleased with the bread we bought from the local bakery this year for St. Patrick’s Day because it was very dry and crumbly and had no caraway seeds which I love. Plus, homemade is so much better.

This recipe was very easy but I have to say that next time I will use a slightly smaller cast iron pan so the bread has more of a dome look (personal choice) and I forgot to make the cross on top of the bread before baking. Two minor issues but worth noting.

Bob loved the bread and we had some after lunch, hot out of the oven with some Irish Kerrygold butter and it was delicious.

I would highly recommend trying this recipe and there is no need to “knead” this bread or use any type of mixer or food processor, just a bowl, a spoon, and some measuring tools. One hour to bake and you are in for a treat.

Irish Soda Bread with caraway seeds and raisins

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 6 TBSP of cold unsalted butter, diced small
  • 1-3/4 cups of buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup of raisins
  • 2 tbsp of caraway seeds
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp BAKING SODA
  • (Additional flour for dusting the board and your hands)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Generously grease a cast iron skillet (10 inches) or a 9-inch round pan with ½ tbsp butter

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda).

ADD the diced butter and use your fingers or two forks to work the butter into the flour.

STIR in the raisins and caraway seeds (break up any clumps of raisins).

Make a deep well in the center of the flour

In a large measuring cup, WHISK together the buttermilk and egg and add it to the well in the flour. Use a wooden spoon and gently mix until the batter is slightly moistened and the dough starts to come together

Transfer to a floured board and with floured hands gently shape the dough into a round loaf (too sticky, dust lightly with more flour)

DO NOT OVERMIX or bread will be tough

Transfer to a buttered pan and use a knife to score the top with a large deep X

Bake in the center of your oven at 375 degrees for 50-55 minutes.

Transfer bread to a wire rack and let it cool for 10 minutes.

I hope you try this recipe and enjoy the bread as much as we did… Another bread recipe coming next week.

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Until my next post, make every day a celebration!

Stay well,

Diane

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Baked Eggplant Rollatini Appetizers

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Hi Everyone,

I hope all is well as we start at the beginning of another weekend. Here in the Northeast, it seems we are in for a chilly weekend in the 30’s and possibly snow. Even though it’s Spring, Mother Nature is still unsure.

Of course in the cooler weather, I love to be in the kitchen making a hearty meal, but on Friday, I decided to change that pattern, and Bob and I ordered lunch in from a local restaurant and it was quite filling and delicious.

When dinner rolled around we were still full from lunch and we wanted something that was not a heavy meal, but fast and delicious.

I looked in the refrigerator & cabinets for something quick and we had pasta & fish with lunch so that was out and then I spotted a lonely eggplant in the veggie bin.

I hadn’t used this eggplant because it was a lot smaller and thinner than what I usually buy to make a meal (it was part of an instacart food delivery) and then I had an idea…..

Bob and I Love eggplant rollatini but this eggplant wouldn’t make a complete meal because of the size, but it would make some appetizers and then the dinner idea blossomed…

I had ricotta and mozzarella and I always have homemade tomato sauce in the freezer. I would just use my eggplant rollatini recipe with a few adjustments.

I also had a bunch of fresh spinach that needed to be used so I sauteed the spinach in garlic and oil and added it to the filling. It worked out perfectly.

These mini eggplant rolls would be a great idea for a party platter.

So, I wanted to share my “adjusted” recipe with you. Also, if you increase the number of eggplants and serve it with a small side of pasta or a salad, it could be a complete Lenten meal.

The recipe below is for the appetizers, but if you are interested in a full meal, as I said above, just add additional eggplants and increase some of the ingredients.

I usually bread and fry the eggplant but I decided to make the meal extra easy and skipped that step and baked the eggplant with no breading.

I hope you try it and enjoy it.

Baked Eggplant Rollatini Appetizers

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium eggplant (long and thin for the appetizers), sliced lengthwise (¼ inch)

Cooks Note: if you are making the eggplant rollatini for a dinner, then use 2 large eggplants and double the other ingredients.

  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • ½ cup grated cheese (I used Locatelli Romano)
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (1/2 for filling and ½ for topping the eggplant rolls)
  • 1 egg
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 2-3 cloves of minced garlic
  • 3 shakes of ground nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp of fresh parsley
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • 2-3 tbsp of fresh basil, chiffonade
  • 2-3 cups of pasta sauce (homemade is preferred or a no-salt jarred sauce).
  • OPTIONAL: sauteed fresh spinach or frozen spinach, thawed and drained well.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Slice the eggplant lengthwise in ¼ inch slices (they will shrink a little when cooked)

Lay the eggplants on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat (if you don’t have either then use cooking spray or grease the pan lightly with olive oil). Season with black pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes

Remove the eggplant slices from the oven and let cool for an additional 10 minutes so you can easily handle the slices. The softer they are the easier they are to roll.

If you are using spinach in your filling, sauté in olive oil and garlic and cool (use a slotted spoon to add this mixture to the filling so you don’t add the olive oil making the filling too watery) or if using frozen spinach, drain the thawed spinach & squeeze dry to remove the water before adding to the filling.

Prepare your filling:

In a large bowl, ADD the ricotta, grated cheese, mozzarella cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, nutmeg, minced garlic, basil, and an egg. Mix well.

Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of your baking dish

Once you can handle the eggplant, place a 1 tbsp scoop of the filling on each eggplant slice and then roll the eggplant slices up and place them in the baking dish with the seam side down.

Once completed, add the remaining tomato sauce on top of the eggplant rolls and follow with the remaining mozzarella cheese

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted. If you want additional crispy cheese, broil for 2-3 minutes but watch carefully so it doesn’t burn.

I hope you give this recipe a try for a Lenten meal or an appetizer platter at your next get-together or holiday. Enjoy!

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Until my next post, make every day a celebration!

Stay well,

Diane

Please ask your family and friends to “follow”, “like” “share” and JOIN  DishingwithDiane.com 

Once you become a member, you’ll never miss a post…

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Happy St. Joseph’s Day 2022

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Hi everyone,

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Happy St. Joseph’s Day! I know I have posted this holiday for many years and for all the new members I will repost the history of St. Joseph’s Day before I share some food items and recipes…..

In Italy, St Joseph’s Day is considered the same as our “Father’s Day”

A little background for Saint Joseph or San Giuseppe that might help you understand the holiday a little better. Saint Joseph was the husband of Mary. It is in Sicily where Saint Joseph is regarded as their patron saint for preventing a famine during the Middle Ages. There was a severe drought and the people prayed to Saint Joseph for rain. They promised that if he answered their prayers and the rain came they would prepare a feast in his honor.

Well, the rain came and the people prepared a large banquet. Legend has it that the fava bean was the crop that saved the population from starvation and that is always part of the Saint Joseph day dinner.

Some people keep painted fava beans as a good luck charm.

When I was a child, on Saint Joseph’s Day my Grandmother would take me to bring food to the Saint Joseph’s Day altar of her local church after Mass. Many of the older generations set up altars in their homes, but we did not. We always wore red to honor Saint Joseph, in the same way that green is worn on Saint Patrick’s Day.

The altars are quite a sight to see and they have 3 tiers to represent the Holy Trinity. The top tier holds the statue of Saint Joseph surrounded by flowers (especially lilies). The reason is that – “The lily is associated with Saint Joseph, spouse of Mary, through an ancient legend that he was chosen from among other men by the blossoming of his staff like a lily”. 

 The other tiers hold candles, figurines, special loaves of bread, pastries, lemons for luck, fava beans, pineapple for hospitality, and wine. There is also a basket on the bottom tier where you can place prayer petitions.

Different regions celebrate Saint Joseph’s Day differently but all involve meatless foods (because this holiday always falls during Lent), minestrone soup and pasta with breadcrumbs (The breadcrumbs represent sawdust since Saint Joseph was a carpenter), seafood, and fava beans for luck and for dessert, the star of the show, zeppole, and sfinge di San Giuseppe.

Here is a picture of my minestrone soup.

In my family, we made minestrone soup followed by bucatini with anchovies and breadcrumbs. (For those of you who are not familiar, bucatini is basically a larger spaghetti with a hole inside. Another traditional pasta is Mafaldine pasta; this looks like thin strips of lasagna noodles with curly edges). Sicilians usually make the dish with sardines (Pasta con Sarde) instead of anchovies.

This is a photo of my pasta dish today for Saint Joseph’s Day.

Bucatini with olive oil, garlic, anchovies, and parsley- a tradition and a favorite in my home, delicious.

The Saint Joseph’s Day bread was another special part of the meal and my Dad would buy the bread and have it blessed before he brought it home. It is a crusty loaf of bread flavored with anise- so delicious.

This year I tried my hand at bread making and here is my version of St. Joseph’s Day bread….

Bob loved it and said it was better than the bakery, but I would have liked a little more anise flavor so I think next time I will add double the anise seeds….

And now back to the pastries. They are called zeppole or sfingi di San Guiseppe and I am sure you have all seen them. Zeppole has vanilla custard filling and sfingi are filled with ricotta, which is the same filling used for cannoli.

It’s a sweet dough like a big cream puff split and filled. They can be filled two ways. One with cannoli cream with tiny chocolate chips and candied fruit and also with custard cream; both topped with powdered sugar and cherry and both delicious. Every year I always have to have one with each filling.

A fine tradition I passed along to my son.

A lot of the old traditions unfortunately are not practiced as much today. Grandparents and parents have passed on and lives have become much busier, but I try to keep as many traditions going in my family as I can.

All in all this holiday brings back great memories for me when I was younger and my family was still here with me, enjoying each other’s company and a great meal together.

I am not making the traditional minestrone soup this year but I am making bucatini pasta with garlic, olive oil and anchovies, and toasted breadcrumbs. Plus I am trying my hand at making the traditional St Joseph’s bread. I usually go to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx to all the Italian bakeries but this year I won’t be able to get there so wish me luck!

Below are the recipes I am using this year. Have a blessed and joyful St. Joseph’s Day!

Toasted Fresh Bread Crumbs

Warm 2 tablespoon olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat.  Add 1- 3/4 cup of fresh breadcrumbs and stir to coat with oil.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the crumbs are golden brown and crunchy, about 5 minutes. I add a little grated cheese to the breadcrumbs as well. You can never have too much cheese.

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Bucatini with Anchovies and Breadcrumbs

Revised

Ingredients:

12 anchovy fillets in olive oil, finely chopped with the oil from the can (small can- 2 oz.)….for a stronger anchovy flavor add two cans.

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound bucatini

1/2 cup olive oil + 3 TBSP

4-6 large garlic cloves, sliced and divided

Large pinch of red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Grated cheese

1 and 1/3 cup toasted fresh breadcrumbs (1 cup for sauce * 1/3 cup for garnish)

 Directions:

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve pasta water.

In a small skillet, add 3 TBSP of olive oil and approximately 3 cloves of sliced garlic and warm at a very low temperature (you want to flavor the oil)

While the pasta is cooking, heat ½ cup of the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat

Add 3 cloves of sliced garlic, red pepper flakes, and the finely chopped anchovies. 

Cook, stirring until the anchovies dissolve. (Be careful of splatters)

Remove from the heat. 

Add 1 cup of toasted breadcrumbs and stir for 1 minute to combine the oil and breadcrumbs

Add 3 ladles of pasta water to make a sauce 

Return to the heat on low and stir in the parsley

Add the drained cooked pasta to the pot with the anchovy sauce. Toss until the strands are well coated

Slowly add the warm garlic oil with sliced garlic and mix well.

Season with salt & pepper

Transfer the pasta to individual serving bowls.

Top each serving with a sprinkling of the reserved breadcrumbs and grated cheese.  

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St Joseph Bread

(Makes 1 loaf – approx. 18-inches in length)

Ingredients:

2/3 cup warm milk, 105 – 115 degrees F.
1 (1/4-ounce) package dry active yeast
3 cups bread flour, divided
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon anise seed or 1 teaspoon anise extract  ( I use both for a strong anise flavor)   

Egg wash: 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Sesame seeds

Directions:

Stir the yeast into the warm milk and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Pour the yeast mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add 1 cup of flour, sugar, salt, and melted butter. Beat the mixture with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes. Add the eggs, anise seed or extract, and another cup of flour. Beat for 2 more minutes.

Change from the paddle attachment to a dough hook. Add the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough starts to come together. You may not need to add all of the flour. Then allow the dough hook to knead the dough on medium for 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Punch the dough down and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 20 – 22-inch rope. Place the 2 ropes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Loosely twist the ropes together, tucking the ends under. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 – 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Brush the loaf with the egg wash and sprinkle liberally with sesame seeds.


Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

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And a bonus recipe for St. Joseph’s pastry

Zeppole di San Giuseppe

(Makes about 12 (2-1/2-inch) zeppoles

Ingredients:

 Pastry:

1 cup water

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Pinch of salt

1 cup flour

4 eggs

Filling:

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup whole milk

2 egg yolks

1/2 tablespoon dark rum

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup heavy cream, whipped

 Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Maraschino cherries

 Directions:

 To make the pastry:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

 In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat.  With a wooden spoon, beat in flour all at once.

Return to low heat.  Continue beating until mixture forms a ball and leaves side of pan.  Remove from heat. 

Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating hard after each addition until smooth.  Continue beating until dough is satiny and breaks into strands.  Allow the mixture to cool.

Transfer the dough to a pastry bag with a large star tip. 

For each pastry, pipe a 2-1/2 -inch spiral with a raised outer wall on the baking sheet. 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.  Remove and allow to cool before filling.

 To make the filling:

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan.  In a bowl, whisk together milk and egg yolks  Whisk milk mixture into sugar mixture. 

Place the saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly.  Boil for 1 minute; remove from heat. 

Stir in rum, orange zest, and vanilla.  Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface.

Allow to cool for 30 minutes and then refrigerate until cold.  Fold in the whipped cream.

 To assemble the zeppole:

Cut the pastries in half horizontally.  Transfer the filling mixture to a pastry bag with a star tip.  Pipe some of the fillings onto the cut side of the bottom half of each pastry.  Place the top half of the pastry on the filling.

Pipe a small amount of the filling into the hole in the center of each pastry.

Place a maraschino cherry in the middle.  Dust the pastries with confectioners’ sugar.

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Until my next post, make every day a celebration!

Stay well,

Diane

Please ask your family and friends to “follow”, “like” “share” and JOIN  DishingwithDiane.com 

Once you become a member, you’ll never miss a post…

Also, continue to send me your comments, I love hearing from you.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day 2022

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Hi Everyone,

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I hope all is well and you all recovered from the weekend of “Daylight Savings Time” – losing an hour is tough.

Anyway, I wish you a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day with many blessings!

Bob and I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day yesterday which was unplanned but sort of fell into place like this…...

We had a lot of appointments starting very early yesterday morning and decided to save some time and get a quick breakfast on the way home.

We walked into the local bagel store and there in front of me in the showcase were baskets full of green bagels for the upcoming holiday and I just had to have one. I added some scallion cream cheese to my bagel just to add even more “green” to the meal.

I haven’t had a bagel store bagel in so long that it was a bit of heaven with each bite. This bagel was so huge I could only eat half and now I have the other half for the official St. Patrick’s Day breakfast.

I mentioned to Bob that I wanted to celebrate a day early and not wait until the actual holiday because now I was in the mood to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day just because of this one green bagel.

My darling husband went into the basement for my St. Patrick’s Day dishes. These dishes are melamine and manufactured by the company “Upware” and they make an appearance once a year on my table.

I started taking out all my grocery items to get my St. Patrick’s Day meals in order.

When I ordered my groceries this week, I ordered the traditional corned beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread, Guinness beer and I also ordered some shamrock-shaped ravioli that caught my eye. This would be perfect for lunch.

When lunchtime came around I made a quick pesto sauce to go along with the ravioli (keeping the green theme) topped with pine nuts because I was pressed for time but I was originally thinking of making an “Irish Vodka Sauce” for these ravioli.

I listed both sauce recipes below if you are interested in trying either one of them.

Basic Basil Pesto Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of fresh basil leaves (no stems), washed & dried in between paper towels
  • 1/3 cup of pine nuts (walnuts or pistachios can be substituted)
  • 2 large cloves of garlic
  • Pinch of salt
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Combine basil leaves, pine nuts, salt, and garlic in a food processor and process until finely minced.

With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and process until the mixture is smooth

Add the cheese and process very briefly to combine. Store in the refrigerator or freezer*.

Cook’s Note: * if you freeze the pesto, I will add the cheese before you serve the sauce and not freeze with the cheese added.

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Irish Vodka Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp. butter
  • ½ yellow onion, diced
  • 1/3 cup of Irish Vodka
  • 1 can (28 oz) of crushed tomatoes
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a skillet over medium heat, saute onion in butter until lightly golden.

ADD the vodka slowly to the pan and simmer for 10 minute

MIX IN the crushed tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes

Pour in the heavy cream and cook for another 10 minutes on a simmer and season with salt and pepper

Cook pasta in boiling water as per package directions and drain. Spoon the sauce over the pasta and enjoy.

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After lunch, I started to prepare the veggies and get my corned beef prepped. I usually prepare this meal in the slow cooker but this year I search for a recipe for the Instant pot and found a great recipe from the website, “Striped Spatula”.

I want to thank the author Amanda Biddle for not only her great recipe but for all the time she saved me with this meal.

I copied her recipe below for your convenience so you don’t have to look it up.

Instant Pot Corned Beef

courtesy of Amanda Biddle from Striped Spatula.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 28 minutes

Pressure Build and Release Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 48 minutes

Servings: 4 to 5 servings

Estimated Calories Per Serving: 706kcal

Author: Amanda Biddle

Ingredients

  • ▢1 small yellow onion , sliced (use 1/2 if large)
  • ▢4 cloves garlic , peeled and lightly smashed with the back of a knife
  • ▢2 tablespoons pickling spice
  • ▢2-1/2 cups water
  • ▢4 pound corned beef brisket , rinsed
  • ▢12 ounces lager-style beer (nothing too bitter)
  • ▢1 pound tiny potatoes (about 1-1/2 inches in diameter), or red-skinned potatoes cut into 1-1/2 inch wedges
  • ▢1 head cabbage , cut into 8 wedges
  • ▢1 pound baby carrots
  • ▢1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley , for garnish
  • ▢2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted (optional)
  • ▢grainy mustard , for serving (optional)

Instructions

  • Combine onion, garlic, pickling spices, and water in the insert of a 6-quart Instant Pot. Place the corned beef brisket, fat side up, on a rack on top of the onions. Pour beer over the brisket.
  • Seal lid and set the unit to HIGH pressure for 85 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 20 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure.* Remove corned beef and place on a dish or a cutting board, spooning a bit of the cooking liquid over the top. Cover with foil to keep warm.
  • Strain cooking liquid and discard solids. Return 1-1/2 cups of liquid to the Instant Pot and add potatoes, carrots, and cabbage wedges. (Reserve remaining cooking liquid.) Seal lid and set the unit to HIGH pressure for 3-4 minutes, depending on how soft you like your vegetables. Quick release pressure.
  • Slice corned beef against the grain. Spoon a little bit of the reserved cooking liquid over the corned beef slices on your platter. Sprinkle parsley over the vegetables, and if desired, drizzle with melted butter. Serve corned beef with mustard. 

Notes

*Since the beer foams up in the pressure cooker during the corned beef cooking process, you might find that the initial force of manually releasing the steam (after the 20-minute natural release) causes some liquid to spray out of the valve. Sometimes it’s happened to me, other times, it hasn’t. 

A little bit of liquid is fine, but if you release the pressure and find that too much liquid is coming out, re-seal the valve, and try releasing the remaining pressure again in another 5 minutes. Or, release the steam more slowly by turning the valve just until you hear a hissing noise and carefully holding it in that position (be sure to wear a heat-proof glove).

Read more about gradually releasing the steam in this article, section #3.

Some have recommended covering the lid/valve with a towel while releasing the pressure. Do not do this, as obstructing the vent can damage your pressure cooker and cause a safety issue.

To Glaze The Corned Beef (Optional)

This corned beef is also delicious served with my Irish Whiskey-Mustard glaze. The ingredients and directions can be found in my recipe, Beer Braised Corned Beef with Whiskey Mustard Glaze. After fully cooking the corned beef in the Instant Pot (instead of Dutch oven braising), follow the directions to “Glaze and Serve”.

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Our delicious meal……. the corned beef was wonderful in the Instant Pot.….. the store-bought Irish soda bread was a little dry and I am going to try making my own and if I do, I will post the results and the recipe….stay tuned.

After dinner, there is always room for dessert, and Bob and I had shamrock-shaped Linzer tarts (they are my all-time favorite cookie.)

Have a fabulous day and now we start the countdown to St. Joseph’s Day on Saturday and more great traditional food…..

*******************

Until my next post, make every day a celebration!

Stay well,

Diane

Please ask your family and friends to “follow”, “like” “share” and JOIN  DishingwithDiane.com 

Once you become a member, you’ll never miss a post…

Also, continue to send me your comments, I love hearing from you.

Escarole Stromboli

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Hi Everyone,

(Click on photos to ENLARGE and then the back arrow to return to the post).

Well, we are officially in the Lenten season and I know I am trying to find some new menu items for “No Meat” Fridays.

I know we all start out with our list of tried and true no meat meals and then we get stuck trying to think of something different to serve.

I don’t usually have trouble with dinner because it is usually some veggie and bean stew, a soup, a portion of pasta with fresh tomato sauce or a pesto sauce, pasta with a veggie, shrimp, or clams, or simply grilled fish.

It’s the lunch items that are a challenge, especially if you have limited time to prepare a meal and eat.

When I was a child, my mother and grandmother used to make a traditional Neapolitan “Escarole Pie” during Lent which was escarole, kalamata olives, anchovies, roasted pine nuts, raisins, capers, and either shaved pecorino or mozzarella cheese or both.

A top and bottom layered veggie pie in a buttery crust. I know the anchovies frighten some people but the meal does not taste fishy– it’s absolutely delicious.

Well, I decided to take all the ingredients of an escarole pie and make it a stromboli– a little easier in case you want to pack it to go.

So I made pizza dough with “Fleischmann’s instant pizza crust yeast” (truly a lifesaver because of no rising time) or you can get a ball of dough from the grocery store or pizzeria and you are on your way to stromboli.

So here is my recipe and I hope you give it a try. If you don’t care for escarole you can substitute Kale (removing the large stems and only using the leaves) or Spinach – (just make sure you use 3X the amount of spinach because it really wilts to nothing).

Escarole Stromboli

Ingredients:

  • 1 large head of escarole (approx. 1 lb. or more), washed WELL and cut in sections.
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 small yellow onion, sliced
  • ½ cup of pitted kalamata olives, rough chopped
  • ½ cup golden raisins, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and drained.
  • 1-2 tbsp of capers, rinsed and chopped
  • 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/8 tsp of Calabrian chili paste (Optional)
  • 1/2 cup grated Locatelli cheese
  • ½ cup toasted pine nuts
  • 3 anchovy fillets, chopped
  • 1 egg beaten with a tsp of water for egg wash for the top of the stromboli
  • 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
  • Sesame seeds for the top of the stromboli (Optional)

For the homemade dough: follow package directions …

  • Pizza crust yeast
  • Olive oil
  • Sugar
  • AP flour
  • Salt
  • Warm water

To clean the escarole

  1. Trim off the root end and discard any discolored leaves. Cut the escarole into 3-4 sections.
  2. Put the escarole in a large bowl with 1 tbsp of baking soda and cold water. Swirl the leaves around.  The dirt will sink to the bottom.
  3. Scoop out the cleaned escarole and into a strainer. Rinse well under cold water and let the escarole sit to drain while you boil water in a large pot.
  4. ADD the escarole to the rapidly boiling water and when it comes to a full boil again, let the escarole cook for 2 minutes
  5. Drain the escarole well and when cool enough to handle, squeeze dry. (This will prevent a soggy stromboli and also prevent splashing when the escarole leaves hit the oil to be sauteed). You can also use a salad spinner.
  6. Rough chop and set aside

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook the onion for 2-3 minutes until it starts to turn golden. ADD the garlic & Calabrian chili paste and sauté for 1 more minute.

ADD 1 tbsp tomato paste to the center of the skillet and toast it for 1 minute and then mix the onions, garlic, chili paste, and tomato paste together well.

ADD the escarole and stir to coat with the oil and sauté until the escarole cooks down for about 5 minutes.

ADD the anchovies, pine nuts, capers, and olives and saute for an additional 5 minutes stirring occasionally and making sure the anchovies melt into the olive oil. After 5 minutes, remove to a bowl and set aside to cool.

Once cooled, ADD the raisins, grated Locatelli cheese, and mozzarella cheese and mix well….

Prepare your dough…… I used Fleischmann’s instant pizza crust yeast (no rising time). Follow package directions OR purchase dough from the grocery store or pizzeria.

On a lightly floured board, knead the dough into a smooth ball and flatten.

Roll out your pizza dough on a piece of parchment paper the size to fit your sheet pan. ADD a thin layer of breadcrumbs to the dough to absorb any remaining liquid so you don’t have soggy stromboli.

Layout the escarole filling (using a slotted spoon to avoid adding any liquid collected on the bottom of the bowl) across the dough from left to right, leaving some room on the edges.

Slightly fold over the left and ride side toward the center (burrito style) and then bring the long ends over, pinching closed.

Place seam side down and place the stromboli and parchment paper onto the sheet pan. Cut three slits on top of the dough and brush with egg wash.

Now it is ready for the oven. If you are using sesame seeds add them now.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Slightly cool before serving. Can be served at room temperature. Enjoy

I hope you try this recipe and enjoy it.

I made a new category for Lenten Meals and I will be adding new recipes for the entire season of Lent.

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Until my next post, make every day a celebration!

Stay well,

Diane

Please ask your family and friends to “follow”, “like” “share” and JOIN  DishingwithDiane.com 

Once you become a member, you’ll never miss a post…

Also, continue to send me your comments, I love hearing from you.

Have a Blessed Day

8 Replies

Hi Everyone,

Just stopping by to wish all of you a blessed day. I pray for peace in the world and I wanted to wish my member’s many blessings today and always.

I will be back soon with another recipe and another tablescape but for today I just wanted to wish you peace, love, and happiness and send you my warmest regards and love.

Stop for a minute, take a deep breath and be grateful for what we have.

Stay well,

Diane

Mardi Gras 2022 – Sheet Pan Jambalaya

2 Replies

Hi Everyone,

(Click on photo to enlarge and back arrow to return to post)

Well, as we say goodbye to February, we say hello to the month of March, and along with that, we welcome Carnevale, Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, 1st day of spring, St. Patrick’s Day, and St. Joseph’s Day. We definitely have a big month ahead of us.

The first day of this new month brings us Fat Tuesday. Fat Tuesday refers to the last day of events and celebrations for Carnevale.

Carnevale is a traditional celebration with parties and parades where many people used to wear masks and elaborate costumes. The masks were worn originally so different classes of people could mingle without fear of tarnishing their reputations. Venice in Italy still holds a beautiful Carnevale celebration.

Also during Carnevale, rich foods are eaten before the season of Lent and the beginning of fasting and reflection. People used up valuable meat and other supplies that they would be abstaining from during Lent.

You have to celebrate the end of Carnevale with a rich meal. This is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and ushers in a time of fasting. It is also known as Shrove Tuesday and Mardi Gras.

In my family, at the end of Carnevale, my family usually makes “Lasagna de Carnevale”. This lasagna from Naples is made with meat sauce and layered with mini meatballs, sausage, ricotta, mozzarella, parmigiana, and pasta sheets. We use all the rich fatty meats and cheeses before the 40 days of Lent begins and fasting.

This year I decided to stray a little from my Neapolitan tradition and look to New Orleans and some cajun food for a change of pace to celebrate Fat Tuesday. After all, New Orleans is famous for its celebrations during Mardi Gras. Colorful King Cakes and savory muffuletta sandwiches filled with cold cuts and olive salad and the regional specialties of Po’boys, Etouffee, and Jambalaya all contribute to the celebration.

I love jambalaya for the combination of meats, fish, and vegetables. In fact, the meaning of Jambalaya is “mixed up” so this recipe was easy to put together with ingredients I had in the house and sounded great to make for a change.

I found a new recipe to try for “Sheet Pan Jambalaya” (I love minimal pots and pans to clean) from the website Pinch of Yum by the author Lindsay and I wanted to share it with you. Easy and delicious and consisted of sausage, peppers, onions, shrimp, and cauliflower rice all roasted together.

Of course, as with all recipes I find, I had to tweak a few things. My changes are in red text.

Sheet Pan Jambalaya

Ingredients:

  • 6 oz of kielbasa sausage, sliced – recommended no sugar added (I used andouille sausage because of the spices and I think it is more of a Cajun sausage)
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced ( I used the leftover orange and yellow in my veggie bin. I think this recipe needs 2 peppers)
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • 2 tsp of Cajun seasoning, divided
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 bags of cauliflower rice (I used 2 bags of cauliflower stir fry rice with added peas) 20 oz
  • Salt and pepper
  • ½ lb shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails on ( I used 1 pound of shrimp)
  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • Fresh parsley, to garnish
  • Fresh lemon juice, to serve
  • I added scallions, to garnish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

ADD the sausage, onion, and bell pepper to a large sheet pan along with the olive oil and 1 tsp of Cajun seasoning. Toss the vegetables and sausage to make sure they are all well coated.

Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 10 minutes

Remove the vegetables and sausage from the oven, ADD the tomato paste, and stir to thoroughly mix it in with the vegetables.

ADD the frozen cauliflower rice and remaining teaspoon of Cajun seasoning to the pan. Again, toss all the ingredients together until they are all well incorporated and return the pan to the oven.

Continue to cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower rice is cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Season with salt and pepper and ADD the raw shrimp on the top of the jambalaya and drizzle the butter over the top.

Return the pan to the oven and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through and pink. Garnish with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.

The Final result was so delicious…

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Bob surprised me with a King Cake today for the holiday and as thrilled as I was to receive the gift; I was also disappointed in the bakery. It was very overpriced and underwhelming and extremely tiny for a holiday cake- barely 6 inches.

Whole Foods make a great King Cake for anyone interested.

Anyway, back to the King Cake. A King Cake is a brioche or sweet roll dough with added cinnamon and is braided, baked in an oval shape, and decorated with icing and purple, green and gold sugars. 

King Cakes are oval-shaped to symbolize the unity of faiths. Each cake is decorated in the traditional Mardi Gras colors – purple representing justice, green representing faith, and gold representing power. A small baby, symbolizing the baby Jesus, is traditionally hidden inside each King Cake. The baby symbolizes luck and prosperity to whoever finds it.

If you want to make your own version of a King Cake I was given this recipe by a friend years ago. It is a shortcut to the original King Cake recipe and unfortunately, I do not know where it originated from.

I have never made the cake myself, but I have tasted the cake at my friend’s house and it was delicious. It is a semi-homemade shortcut to the original King Cake.

The original recipe is very time-consuming and this recipe is great if you want to have a nice family Mardi Gras celebration and you don’t have the time to put into baking.

My suggestion is if you use the plastic baby in the cake to TELL your guests before they eat a piece, so no one chokes on the plastic and I would omit it if there are children eating this cake.

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CINNAMON ROLL KING CAKE

This King Cake is a semi-homemade version of the traditional Mardis Gras dessert, made with canned cinnamon rolls, icing, and colored sugar.

Prep Time10 mins— Cook time 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cans store-bought cinnamon rolls I used Pillsbury Flaky Cinnamon Rolls with Butter Cream Icing
  • Yellow green and purple sugar
  • 1 plastic toy baby if desired (cut a hole into the baked cake to insert).

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Place cinnamon rolls sideways on a large cookie sheet that has been greased or lined with a silicone mat. Arrange cinnamon rolls in a circular pattern. It should look like a flower when you’re done. Press down on cinnamon rolls with your hand to flatten them slightly.
  • Bake according to package instructions. Let cool.
  • Frost with the buttercream that comes with the cinnamon rolls. Add yellow, green and purple sugar. Serve immediately or store covered for up to 24 hours at room temperature. It is best when eaten the first day.

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I hope you have a wonderful Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras celebration and try one of these recipes.

Until my next post, make every day a celebration!

Stay well,

Diane

Please ask your family and friends to “follow”, “like” “share” and JOIN  DishingwithDiane.com 

Once you become a member, you’ll never miss a post…

Also, continue to send me your comments, I love hearing from you.

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Have a terrific Lenten season