Spezzatino in bianco

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Spezzatino means "little broken thing"->stew. In bianco refers to the fact that we are not using tomatoes. This is my mom's recipe! If you serve it with polenta, then I suggest to make it without potatoes.

Ingredienti per 4 persone:

- 1 kg (about 2.2 lb) of beef (manzo) for stew
- 1/2 cipolla (onion)
- 1 spicchio d'aglio (garlic clove)
- 1 carota (carrot)
- 1 stalk of sedano (celery)
- 2 patate (potatoes)
- 1 twig of rosmarino (rosemary)
- a couple of leaves of alloro (bay leaves)
- 1 dado (bouillon cube)
- olio d’oliva
- sale
- Optional: 2 pomodori (tomatoes) or passata di pomodoro (e.g. Pomì)

Procedimento:1- chop the carrot, onion, celery and garlic
2- put in a pressure cooker with a little olive oil over low flame to make a sweat (soffritto). Then add the meat and the bouillon cube
3 -when the meat outside is brown (extra step: in a few years->add a glass of wine and let it evaporate) cover with water and add the [whole] rosemary twig, bay leaves and if you want other spices
4- close the pressure cooker and pressurize (i.e. until the pressure cooker begins to whistle), cook for about 10-15 minutes
5- depressurize, add the potatoes (washed and cut in big chunks) and cook again under pressure for another 10-15 minutes
If you use a regular pot or a slow cooker, cook at low heat for 2-3 hours, covered, mixing from time to time.While it cooks you can do your Physics homework ;)
If most of the water has evaporated, simply add water (you can make the stew more or less thick based on your taste)
6-when it is ready (be sure that both meat and potatoes are cooked and so soft that you can cut them with a fork) add salt if needed
7- you can make the sauce more creamy by mixing a spoon of sifted flour

Buon appetito!

Melanzane alla parmigiana

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This is a light version; in the classic recipe the eggplants are deep fried (alone or dipped in egg and covered with bread crumbs).

Ingredienti per 4-6 persone

-2 large melanzane (eggplants)
-1 spicchio d'aglio (garlic clove)
-1 L di passata di pomodoro (plain strain tomatoes, we used 1.5 box of Pomì)
-parmigiano grattuggiato (grated, about 100 g, but decide by eye and taste)
-mozzarella grattuggiato (grated) or a fette (in slices), about 1 cup
-basilico fresco (fresh basil, a few leaves)
- sale
- zucchero (sugar)
- spices of your choice (e.g. red crushed pepper, nutmeg)

Procedimento

- wash the eggplants and cut them max 1 centimeter thick.
- let the the eggplant slices sit in a colander covered with abundant coarse salt. You can make many layers of eggplant and salt: this procedure remove the bitterness from the melanzane.
- after 30 minutes drain, rinse very well and pat try with paper towel
- grill the eggplant slices at 400 F for about 10 minutes (or more, based on the thickness). Alternatively, grill them in a non stick pan without oil on the stove or on the bbq.
- in the meantime prepare a tomato sauce with a soffritto of garlic (read the post on February 11th for directions)
- cover the bottom of a baking dish with the tomato sauce
- place a layer of eggplant over the sauce
- sprinkle with grated mozzarella, grated parmisan and basil leaves (as a whole or minced, as you wish)
- repeat to make 3-4 layers ending with sauce
- top with the remaining mozzarella and parmigiano
- bake at 400 F for about 30 minutes.

Le melanzane alle parmigiana are delicious eaten immediately and the day after are even meglio (better). Prova (try!)

Bruschette - antipasto

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 Pronunciation

Remember: che in Italian reads keh in English. Pronounce brus-keh-te.

La bruschetta/le bruschette

Ingredienti

- 1 baguette or better some pugliese or toscano bread (one large crusty loaf)
- 2 pomodori (tomatoes) or a large handful of pomodorini (cherry tomatoes)
- 1 spicchio d'aglio (garlic clove)
- Basilico fresco (fresh basil, a few leaves)
- Sale
- Olio extravergine d'oliva (extravirgin olive oil)

Preparazione

- chop the tomatoes and mix in a bowl with salt, olive oil and basil (you can use the whole leaves or mince them, as you prefer).
- cut the bread in disks and toast in the oven for about 5 min (400 F). During the summer you can grill the bread on the bbq.
- Option 1: rub the garlic on the toasted bread
- Option 2: add the garlic (as a whole or minced) to the tomato mix. Leave in the fridge for at least a few hours.
- You can either put the chopped tomatoes on the bread yourself, or for a big group you can serve the bowl on one side, the bread on another, and let everyone help themselves.

Buon appetito!