Crispy Swiss Chard Cakes with Parmeggiano Reggiano/ Bietole Soffritte con Formaggio

So we are kinda obsessed with these. Every time we have a little bunch of swiss chard leftover, we make these. We even use kale, in a crunch. They are like simple, little veggie sliders- unadulterated greens bound by egg and topped with a sprinkle of cheese before pan searing. The perfect vehicle of veggies for kids, Jada loves them. An ideal contorno or side dish to pair with pasta, they are also just as good eaten alone. 

I've tweaked Lidia's version of this Fruilian dish. Here it is: 

Boil 3 quarts of water in a large pot. Meanwhile, de-rib each 1 large bunch of chard leaves, about two pounds, rinse and drain. Cook the leaves for twenty minutes, dicing 1 onion while you wait. 

Drain and cool the chard, then slice it in to shreds. Lay the shreds on a paper towel and squeeze them out until they are completely dry. 

Time to cook: Pour 3 tbsps of olive oil in to a large skillet and sauté the onions with a sprinkle of salt, on medium heat, until they are just transparent. Stir in the chard. Add 1.5 tbsp of butter. Add more salt, to taste. Continue cooking until the vegetables become dry again, without burning them. This should not take more than five to six minutes. 

Now, pour the chard mixture in to a bowl and add a little more salt and pepper, to taste. Set it aside and wait until it is cool to the touch. You will be adding one beaten egg to the mixture and you do not want the egg to curdle so take special care to make sure that the vegetables are room temperature. 

While you wait, you can get going on the cheese, grating about 2 cups of parmeggiano reggiano. 

Add the egg to your chard if they are ready. Fold it in to the veggies with your fingers. Make patties in the size that suits you. Then, turn your skillet back on, medium-low. Here's where you need to be agile: While holding a patty in your hand, sprinkle it with a generous amount of grated cheese and then flip the cheesy side down in to the hot skillet. Three minutes should do the trick. Right before you are about to flip it, sprinkle cheese on the exposed side and flip. You are looking for golden brown goodness. Again, three minutes should do the trick but follow the cues of your food and your particular circumstances. 

Repeat, until complete, and enjoy immediately. 

Alma's Cooked Water Soup or Acquacotta di Alma

Been gone a few weeks. Thanks to all of you loyal readers out there. I promise more consistent postings now that we have settled in to a groove here in New York. I've survived Mike's two week trip to Italy and my exhausting stint as a single mom while he was handling business for our new restaurant in Maui. Time to write was literally impossible to find until now. Glad to be back at it. 

In the interim, I've been mastering the art of egg poaching and seeking out recipes that allow me to flex my new skills. This is a beautiful and simple soup that helps to counter the cold New York City nights that we are trying to bear while we spend what will probably be our last late autumn here with friends and family. 

Courtesy of Lidia Bastianich, via an enigmatic Tuscan woman named Alma, I followed the recipe almost to the letter. Here is my very slightly tweaked take on their cooked water soup: 

Stem 2 lbs. of Swiss chard. Then, chop the stems in to 1/2 inch pieces. Set aside and rip the leaves coursely in to approximately one inch pieces. 

Next, roughly chop 1 onion, 2 celery stalks, 8 basil leaves and 1/3 cup parsley. 

Then, blend or food process until well integrated and puréed. (This is called a pestata in Italian. You are basically creating a paste and an amazing base for the soup here.) 

Alma and Lydia tell us to use 1/3 cup of olive oil for the next step, but I only used half of their recommendation. Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the pestata. Stir frequently, adding a 1/2 tsp peperoncino, until it starts to get dry and sticky. Then add 1 tbsp of tomato paste, quickly stirring it on to the pestata, before adding 9 cups of water. This will be the beautiful base of your soup. 

Season the broth with salt and pepper, to taste, and raise the heat to high. Once boiling, dump all of the Swiss chard in to the pot. Cover it partially and let it roll at steady clip for about 30 mins. The greens should be soft but not wilted. Now, turn off the heat.

Lydia finishes this soup in one fell swoop but I prepared one bowl at a time, cautiously and in no hurry: Find a small sauté pan and ladle 1.5 cups of the broth in to it. Re-heat it until it is just simmering.  Then, and here is where it gets interesting, gently crack and release one egg in to the broth. Poach it at least two minutes, depending on your preference. 

While you wait for your egg, lay one slice of old bread at the bottom of a soup bowl. Then, lift the egg out of the soup with a spatula and lay it in to the bowl as well. 

Top with your cooked greens and ladle in the broth over the top. 

To finish this beautiful dish, sprinkle pecorino over the bowl and a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil. Repeat, depending on the number of your guests, and serve immediately. 

          

Post-Friday Frittata with Asparagus and Scallions

Perfect for a weekend brunch at home, this frittata recipe adapted from "Lidia's Italy" is sure to please. If you don't have asparagus on hand, substitute it out for any other veggies available or use more seasonal greens found at your local Saturday farmer's market. Don't sweat the fillings. This one is all about the technique, easy and versatile. 

If you opt for asparagus, start with half a pound of fresh, thin spears. Cut off the thick bottoms, one or two inches. Then, dice them in to quarter-inch pieces. 

Do the same with 2 oz. of bacon. I opted to cut the bacon in to lardons, thin slices comparable to the dice of the asparagus. We are aiming for consistency here, so that everything cooks at the same rate. 

Dice 1/4 lb. of scallions in to quarter-inch pieces as well. 

Now, pour 1-1/2 tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil in to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon. Let the fat render out for a few seconds. Then, toss in the asparagus. Stir and cover the pan until the asparagus softens, about three minutes. 

Add the scallion. Some salt. Stir. Cover and cook about four minutes more. 

While that's happening, grab 4 large eggs. 

Beat them in a bowl, adding salt and pepper. 

The vegetables in the skillet should be ready now. Lift the cover and raise the heat until any moisture is evaporated.

Lower the heat back to medium as you spread the vegetables out evenly in the pan. 

Now, pour the eggs over them. 

Let the eggs set and don't move them. 

Cover them, so that the top cooks as evenly as the bottom of the frittata.

The time it takes your eggs to cook depends on lots of variables particular to your circumstances. Ours took about three minutes. Yours may take more time, or less if you are using a shallower pan. You are looking for a cooked top, absent of any runny liquid. 

Once your eggs are ready, you can opt to flip them out of the pan on to a plate, turning the frittata right side up by flipping it on to another plate. Or, you can simply slide it out on to a plate with a spatula. 

Sprinkle with a little parsley. Cut and serve. 

Two Birds Without A Branch: Braised Chicken with Fresh Artichokes & Braised Chicken with Fried Eggplant

"Apparently the chief purpose for stating intentions in an introduction is to have something later for contradiction and denial. Herewith I give you two recipes, for no reason at all unless it could be because I said that such a thing would never happen." - M.F.K. Fisher

(Adapted from recipes from by Lidia Bastianich's "Italy".) 

Braised Chicken with Fresh Artichokes 

Preparing artichokes is a long and tedious process, but well worth it for the fresh flavor and texture of the true vegetable. You can opt to buy already cleaned and canned artichokes for brevity and ease, but if you really want to experience this recipe at its best, here is what you do: 

Fill a large bowl of water the juice of one lemon. 

Trim 1.5 pounds of artichokes until you reach the pale leaves at its center. 

Then, chop off the tip of the stem, about one-third of the way from the top. 

Now, at the bottom of the stem, shave off the rough skin until you reach the soft, pale meat of the core. 

The hard part is over now. Your kitchen should look something like this. 

The rest of the process is simple: Cut the choke in half. Scrape out the soft flesh inside and drop them in to the lemon water. (This prevents discoloration from oxidation.)

Now that you have freed your beautiful chokes from the binds of the thistle, you can start cooking in earnest: 

This recipe calls for one cut, whole chicken. Season it well with salt and pepper. Then, warm 2 tbsps of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Place the chicken in to the pan and brown, about three minutes on each side, then pull them out of the pan and set them aside. 

Drop five cloves of crushed garlic in to the chicken fat left in the pan. After a minute, drop in the drained artichoke. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and continue to deglaze the pan with them for three to four minutes. 

Then, pour in one cup of white or rose wine and raise the heat to high. We had this fantastic 2011 Chateau Saint-Pierre on hand. 

Stir everything until it is almost evaporated. 

Pour in 1/2 cup of crushed, San Marzano tomatoes and 1/2 cup of a premium tomato sauce.

Deglaze again, scraping up all of the lovely browned bits from the bottom of the pan, then cover the pot and let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes. 

Time to bring the chicken back in to the mix. Place it back in to the pan, covering it with the sauce. Let this simmer for an additional 30 minutes, the latter fifteen with the sauce uncovered so that it can reduce. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve right away, sprinkled with a bit of chopped parsley. 

Chicken Cacciatora with Eggplant

Cacciatora means "hunter" in Italian and is a nod to the style of cooking more than the animal being cooked. A wild, organic chicken wouldn't be a bad idea for this recipe, though. It could only enhance the fantastic base of tomatoes, onions, herbs and wine that make this a classic Italian dish. Here's how to make this variation of braised chicken at home: 

Dice one medium eggplant in one inch chunks. Put them in to a strainer and toss them with one teaspoon of salt and let them drain for 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, pat one, cut whole chicken dry and season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

When your eggplant is ready, pour one cup of vegetable oil in to a large skillet, over medium-high heat. As it warms, dust your eggplant with flour on all sides, readying them for a fry. Gingerly drop them in to the skillet, making sure that they are evenly spread out over one layer in the pan. Toss, until they are browned on all sides, then remove them from the pan and let them drain on paper towels. 

Now, drop the chicken in to the skillet. You are looking for a pale brown tinge of color here, on all sides. This should take about 5 minutes. When this is achieved, pluck these out of the pan and let them rest on paper towels as well. 

You will now use all of the goodness left behind in the pan for your sauce. Stir 1/2 cup of finely chopped bacon in to the pan.  Let the fat render out and then drop in six crushed garlic cloves and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. 

Bring back the chicken. 

Let everything brown for a minute, then pour in one cup of white wine. Raise the heat to reduce the wine. Then, pour in a 16 oz can of crushed tomatoes. 

Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring it all to a simmer for 15 minutes. Then, fold in the eggplant, being careful not to mush them in to the sauce. Cook another 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, if needed. Sprinkle chopped parsley over the chicken. 

My Take On Lidia's Minestra Di Ceci or Soup with Chickpeas and Smoked Pork

I've been reading Julie Powell's Julie and Julia: My Year of Co (Google Affiliate Ad). A fore-mother of the blogosphere, I am inspired by her modern day fairy tale, how she changed her life by experiencing and writing about food from her own unique perspective. 

This little blog is a small nod to pioneers like Powell and it got me to thinking: Who is my Julia Child? Whose book would I cook from cover to cover? Lidia Bastianich comes to mind, at least in this season of my life. A bona fide nonna, her depth of knowledge and connection to the legacy that is Italian cuisine is beyond compare. Plus, her food is just plain good. As Michele and I prepare to open our next restaurant together, I look to artists like Lidia as guides. 

So, I cracked open an old copy of "Lidia's Italy" and decided to play. Here is our take on the book's first recipe, a nod to the Istrian influences of her childhood. Minestra di Ceci is so much more than rejuvenated chickpeas. It is rich with a base of puréed vegetables and deep with the smoky feel of kielbasa and pork ribs. It went down easy, even on a summer day in Maui. 

We'll be working our way through "Lidia's Italy", and through the distinct regions of my second home, in  the coming weeks.  I hope you join us on the journey. Now, as promised, the first step. 

To serve six, you will need: 

A half pound of dried chickpeas. (Soak these overnight.)

4 quarts of water

1 bay leaf 

3/4 pounds of cubed potatoes 

4 celery ribs, cut in to large chunks

2 carrots, peeled and cut in to large chunks 

3 garlic cloves 

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup of canned, crushed San Marzano tomatoes 

1/2 pound generously seasoned pork ribs 

1/2 pound kielbasa

1/4 cup grated parmiggiano reggiano cheese 

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and put them in a stockpot with the four quarts of water. Add the bay leaf and potatoes. Season with salt, to taste. Bring it to all to a boil. 

While that it boiling, you will make a pestata. This is a vegetable paste that, when cooked, will become the soffritto, or base, of your soup. If you are a mom trying to slip more vegetables in to your child's meals, you will be thrilled. The pestata for this soup is made from the onion, celery, carrots and garlic cloves. Put all four ingredients in to a blender or food processor and mince until it is a consistent paste. 

Find a big skillet, pour the olive oil in to it and set it over a medium-high flame. Stir frequently and cook for at least ten minutes. The water from the vegetables should be completely evaporated. Then, stir in the crushed tomatoes and reduce these down for a few minutes. 

Throw the soffrito in to the boiling pot of potatoes and stir. Cover and boil. When the chickpeas have cooked for at least one hour, season the water again. Then, drop in the pork ribs. Boil for another half hour, partially covered. This will allow the soup to slowly reduce and intensify the flavors. 

The last ingredient, kielbasa, should be dropped in at this point. In thirty minutes, their flavor should infuse the soup with a rich smokiness. 

Now, scoop out half of the chickpeas and drop them in to your blender. Add as much of the broth as you prefer to make a thick puree and then dump it back in to the soup. Simmer five minutes more. This will add a richer texture to the already deep flavor of this soup. 

It should be ready to serve. How you serve it is up to you. In Italy, we would pluck out the meat and serve it as a second course with bread and a salad. For the first course, the soup would be served alone, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and grated cheese and fresh pepper. Or you may opt, as we did, to ladle it all in to a bowl together with all of the toppings mentioned above. 

This dish is slow cooking at its best. Lazy Sundays come to mind. Make sure that you have enough time to savor the process, as well as the end result. 

Buon Appetiito!