Veal Ossobuco alla Milanese

Classic Italian Ossobuco alla Milanese: incredibly tender veal shanks braised in white wine. 

Delicious!

This is a classic Italian dish, traditional from Milan, that you probably find in most Italian restaurants, and one of my favorite secondo piatto for a fancy dinner or a special occasion.
"Ossobuco" translates into "bone with a hole", referring to the way the veal shanks are cross-cut into 1 inch thick slices, so that the bone marrow is visible ... and delicious to eat!
If ossobuco is one of your must-have choice at your favorite Italian restaurant, you will now find out with this step-by-step recipe, that you can easily prepare it at home. You braise the meat with some vegetables and white wine, and cook it for about one hour.Very little effort required!!
 Enjoy!!

Ingredients: serving 4 people

• 4 veal ossobuchi (shanks), about 2 lb total
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 large onion (or 1 small)
• 1 carrot
• 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• 1/2 cup of crushed tomatoes
• salt to taste

Preparation time: 10 minutes to prepare, 1 hour to cook

Directions:
Step 1: In a large pan, over medium-high heat cook the ossobuchi in the olive oil, about 2 minutes each side.

Step 2: In the meantime, chop the onion and carrots. Add them to the pan, mix and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or so.

Step 3: Sprinkle the flour over the meat. Add the white wine and the crushed tomatoes. Salt to taste.
Cover the pan and cook over medium-low heat for about 50 minutes. Turn the meat over once or twice. Make sure there is always liquid in the pan, not to burn everything. Add a little bit of water if necessary.

Serve with a salad, or other vegetable.

Buon Appetito!

Creamy Pasta with Peas and Ham

This incredibly delicious pasta with peas and ham is a one-dish dinner,  fast and easy to make!

This morning, like every Wednesday, I had a great time playing beach volleyball with a bunch of my friends. I can now say that we are unstoppable! We played even in this excruciating heat...well, maybe this is a bit of an exaggeration. It was probably just 85 degrees at 9:00 am. But here in coastal Southern California, we are quite spoiled, and as soon as the temperature goes above 80 degrees, it seems painfully hot. I personally don't mind the heat, especially knowing that after an hour of playing in the burning sand, I could quickly cool off in the fresh ocean water.
Simply perfect and an amazing way to start my day!
Tonight, I didn't feel like spending too much time around the stove. So, here is the recipe for my creamy pasta with peas and ham: a one-dish dinner quick, easy and super delicious!

Ingredients: serving 4

• 1.5 cup of frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 4 oz of smoked ham steak, cut in cubes
• 3/4 cup of heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese
• 12 oz of pasta

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Directions:
Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a medium sauce pan, saute' the crushed garlic clove with the olive oil for one minute.

Step 2: Add the frozen peas, heavy cream and ham cut in cubes. Simmer over medium heat until the peas are fully cooked. Salt to taste. Not too much salt is needed given that the ham is salted and the Parmesan cheese will be added at the end.

Step 3: In the meantime, cook the pasta as directed on the box. By the time the pasta is cooked, the sauce will be ready. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve immediately

Buon Appetito!

GRANDMA's BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES

When I was a little girl I watched my (very German) Aunt Welentina Ezlinger make pickles in her basement. I climbed up on a stool and watched her line up the hot jars and put "seeds" in each one. She then packed the jars tight with cucumbers from her garden and poured a hot vinegar liquid over them. That was almost 60 years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I was so impressed!! I think of her when I make this recipe.

We love these bread and butter pickles!! They are fresh and bright tasting and are worlds better than commercial pickles!!

 

 

 

GRANDMA's BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES        6 PINTS

 

4 cups water

1/4  cup pickling salt (not regular salt)

10 large pickling cucumbers

ice cubes (I use 2 trays of ice cubes)

3 cups sugar

2 cups water

2 cups apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

2 teaspoons mustard seed

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

 

Wash the pickling cucumbers and slice them into 1/8" slices (I cut mine just a tad thicker than 1/8").

 

 

In a LARGE bowl, mix 4 cups water and 1/4 cup pickling salt until well dissolved. Add cucumbers and ice cubes and gently swirl, making sure the slices are all submerged.  Let cucumber slices soak for two hours.

 

After 2 hours, drain the cucumbers (throw away the liquid) and rinse completely with fresh water (I rinse mine 2 or 3 times).

 

In a large/deep pan, mix 3 cups sugar, 2 cups water, 2 cups apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons ground turmeric, 2 teaspoons mustard seed and 1/2 teaspoon celery seed. Bring this mixture to a boil.

 

Reduce heat to LOW and put the cucumber slices in. Stir gently and let the cucumber sit in the hot liquid until they are all hot (but not cooked). Don't let the cucumbers boil.

 

Remove the slices from the hot liquid (with tongs) and pack directly into sterilized PINT size mason jars (pack as many as you can get into the jars...pack tightly).

 

When the jars are all packed with cucumber slices, bring the pot of vinegar liquid back to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour into the jars of cucumber slices, to within 1/4" of the top. Run a CLEAN knife around the sides of the jars to remove any air bubbles.

 

Wipe off the rims of the jars with a clean moist towel and screw on the two piece lids.

 

If you are going to use these pickles within 2-3 months, you can just keep them in the fridge at this stage.  If you want to keep them for a lot longer or if you want to store them in the pantry, you'll have to process the PINTS immediately in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

 

Whether you keep them in the fridge, or put them through a hot water bath, you will have to let the cucumbers "pickle" for 2 or 3 weeks before you eat them, gently "shaking" the jars once a day.

 

 

 

ENJOY !!

 



Nutella and Hazelnuts Thumbprint Cookies

Crumbly, buttery cookies rolled in crunchy hazelnuts and filled with deliciously creamy nutella. 

Sinfully delicious!

Let's start the week with .... Nutella!!!
I think  nutella to Italians is the same as peanut butter to Americans. Which means, I grew up eating nutella with everything: in a sandwich, with soft freshly baked bread, over cookies, crackers, and tart, inside brioche or sweet pizza dough... or just a spoonful of nutella, all by itself :-)
And here is what I made this weekend:  crumbly, buttery cookies rolled in crunchy hazelnuts and filled with deliciously creamy nutella. Simply irresistible!! And they are very easy to make. These are a must-try. Trust me!!


Ingredients: to make  about 22 cookies

• 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 6 oz (1.5 stick) of unsalted butter,  softened
• 2 tablespoons of milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 cups of flour
• 3/4 cup of hazelnuts, chopped
• Nutella, enough to fill the cookies

Preparation time: 45 minutes

Directions:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In  a large bowl, mix together the egg yolks with the sugar.

Step 2: Blend in the butter until light and fluffy

Step 3: Mix in the milk, salt, vanilla extract and flour.

Step 4: Shape the dough into small balls, about the 1.25 inches in diameter. Roll them in the chopped hazelnuts. Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or silicone mats so that no greasing is necessary. Press the cookies down in the middle with your thumb.

Step 5: Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes, until slightly golden on the edges.

Step 6: Let the cookies cool off completely and with a piping bag or a spoon, add nutella in the middle of each cookie.

That's it!! Easy and super delicious!

SOFT COCONUT DROP COOKIES

These cookies are WONDERFULLY SOFT, rich, flavorful and easy to make. The recipe makes about 3 dozen big 4" cookies and if you store them in an airtight container, they will stay soft and chewy (they are totally addicting!!)

 

Soft Coconut Drop Cookies are PERFECT lunch box cookies, bake sale cookies, potluck cookies or "anytime cookies". They are delicious.

1 cup butter flavored shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut (lightly packed)
1 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

Cream the shortening, sugars and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating in between each egg.

Add the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, coconut and nuts (if you are using nuts) and beat until well mixed (batter will be thick).

Take a well rounded tablespoon of cookie dough batter and roll it into a ball. Place on a greased cookie sheet spaced 3" apart (I use parchment paper instead of greasing the pan). Bake at 350° for 11-14 minutes (my electric oven takes a full 14 minutes). Leave the cookies on the cookie sheet a minute or two before you remove them.

After they are cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container.

 

ENJOY !!

 

Note: Recipe calls for butter flavored shortening (I use butter flavored Crisco). I'm sure they could be made with butter instead, but they will bake differently and probably spread out a lot more. I also don't think they would stay soft and chewy.



HomemadeTraditional Italian Pizza Dough

Nothing like the aroma of freshly baked homemade pizza, right from your oven.

Heavenly!

You can't consider yourself a true Italian cook until you've tried, at least once, making your own homemade pizza. If you haven't, here is your chance!
You will be surprised by how easy it actually is. I experimented several recipes until I found the one that gave me the perfect pizza: thin crust, with soft, bubbly, only slightly crunchy edges.
To make this pizza dough I use half bread flour and half all-purpose flour. I add the sugar and the yeast at the beginning, and add the salt only at the end. The sugar helps the yeast raise the dough, while the salt will limit its effect. So timing is fundamental to the success of this recipe!
You will need to let the dough sit for a few hours, until it almost doubles in size. So, in general, if I plan to make the pizza for dinner, I prepare the dough right after lunch!
Ready to give it a try?!? Here we go!

Ingredients for the dough: to make about two 12 inch pizzas, serving around 4

• 2 cups (300 gr) of unbleached bread flour
• 2 cups (300 gr) of all-purpose flour
• 1.5 tablespoons (15 gr) of yeast 
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• about 14 fl oz (410 ml) of water

Preparation time: 15 minutes to prepare the dough, about 2 hours or more rest, and 20 minutes to bake the pizza

Directions:
Step 1: In a large bowl combine the two types of flour, yeast and sugar. Add the water, a cup at the time, in the middle of the flour and mix with a spoon. When you have about 4 fl oz of water left, dissolve the salt in the remaining water (mixing well with a spoon). Add the remaining water to the dough until all the flour comes together into a ball.

Step 2: Move the dough to the counter and start kneading with your hand, using your palm to push down and forward. You should keep doing this for a few minutes. If the dough is too hard, add a bit of water (one tablespoon at the time). If too sticky add a little bit of flour. After kneading for a few minutes you will see the dough becoming smoother and slightly softer. That's when you will know you can stop!

Step 3: Place the dough back in the same bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Place a clean kitchen towel on top, and let it sit in a non drafty area for a few hours. I normally place mine into the oven... turned off, obviously :) This is how it should look after a few hours:

Step 4: Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. If you use a pizza stone place it inside the oven now, so it will be super hot when you place the pizza on top.
Divide the dough in half and shape it in two round (or rectangular) pizza using your hands.

Step 5: Top the dough only with some tomato sauce. Bake in the oven for about 8 minutes.

Step 6: Add the fresh mozzarella and other ingredients (mushrooms, olives, artichokes... whatever you like!) at this point! Do not add prosciutto, or other cut meat now. These ingredients will be add only when the pizza is fully cooked!  Bake for another 7-8 minutes.

Step 7: Add the last fresh ingredients, if any. Decorate with basil leaves if you like. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of olive oil.

Enjoy !!

This my pizza margherita:

and this one is has porchetta and mushrooms!