Italian - Related Content

Ingredients:  (Makes 2 generous servings!)
 
2 medium potatoes, washed (14 oz)
1 tsp salt
1 egg, whisked
1 – 1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
grated Parmesan cheese
 

Directions:
1.Cook potatoes in boiling water to cover for 25 – 30 minutes or until tender.  Don't overcook, because their skins will break open and the flesh will soak up water.  OR bake potatoes until just tender, about 45-60 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.
2.Peel potatoes with a paring knife when they are just cool enough to handle. 
3. Use a ricer to “rice” potatoes OR a masher or mixer to mash them when they are still steaming hot.  Mash until lumps are removed.  Spread potatoes out on the bottom of a large bowl or on a clean floured counter to cool and let steam escape.
4. Add egg and salt to the top of potatoes.  Mix with a fork, a dough scraper or by hand.  
5. Add 1 C of the flour to the bowl or place flour on a large clean counter, if using.  
6. Slowly mix potatoes, egg mixture and flour to make a moderately stiff dough.  Use a fork or dough scraper and then your floured hands.  Add more flour, only if needed.   Too much flour and too much handling will make the gnocchi hard.
7. Knead for 4-5 minutes to the consistency of play dough, but still soft to the touch.  Cut dough into smaller pieces.  Use a floured surface and with generously floured hands, shape dough into long snakes 3/4" in diameter.  Cut each “snake“ into ¾” inch pieces.  
8. Make a dimple in center of each piece with floured finger.   Some people roll each gnocchi on the tines of a fork to create ridges that will hold sauce.   But, I find that the "dimples" work just fine!
9. In a large pot, bring a large amount of salted water to a boil.   Shake off excess flour as you place gnocchi in boiling water a handful at a time.  (The gnocchi must be cooked or frozen right away or they may become "mushy" in texture.)
10. Cook for 2-3 minutes until they float.  Drain and return to pot.  Cover with red sauce/gravy or butter sage sauce and grated cheese.  Serve immediately.

To Freeze:   Put the gnocchi on a lightly floured tray and put the tray with the gnocchi on them right into the freezer. When they are solid, scrape them into a resealable plastic bag.

Easy and Quick Gnocchi  (From America's Test Kitchen) 
 

Ingredients:   (Makes 2 generous servings!)
2 C plain instant mashed potato flakes
1 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp table salt
1 ½ C water
1 large egg
grated Parmesan cheese

Directions: 
Whisk together the potato flakes, flour and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk water and egg together in separate bowl.  
Add water mixture to potato flake mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until fully combined and mixture forms dough ball.  
Let sit for 3 minutes for potato flakes and flour to absorb the moisture.
Continue with steps 7-10 above and enjoy!

Red “Gravy Recipe:  Our NaNa always called her tomato sauce “gravy”.  Apparently a lot of Italian Americans do as well.  
Open 1 can each of Tomato Paste (6 oz), Tomato Sauce (14 oz) and Tomato Puree (28 oz.) and place contents in a large pot.  Fill each empty can with warm water and add to the pot, scraping the cans as clean as possible.  Add seasonings to your taste:  ½ tsp garlic powder, 1 – 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, 1 tsp dried basil, ½ tsp dried oregano.  Stir and cook uncovered over medium low heat for 2 – 4 hours!  Stir occasionally throughout cooking and add water, if gravy is getting too thick or begins to stick.  Options include:  diced onions, carrots, green pepper, small amount of sugar, leftover cooked meat, sausage or meatballs toward the end of cooking. 

For another easy sauce, see America's Test Kitchen "Quick" Gnocchi video that uses canned sauce and a few additions to make the dish pictured above!

Butter Herb Sauce Recipe:  Melt 4 T butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in 1 clove minced garlic and cook until softened and golden brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp dried sage or basil and ¼ tsp salt. Add cooked gnocchi, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and ¼ tsp pepper; toss gently to combine.

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Story: 
How do we honor our ancestors?   Photos, practices, motherisms, stories?   Foods can also say mia familia (my family) to us.  This recipe for Italian Gnocchi represents strength, values and flavors from my Grandmothers.   As kids, we helped to "dimple" the gnocchi and ate our fair share!  Years later, I discovered that Nana often used the quick recipe with instant potatoes to save time.  Who knew?  She passed down her "ricer" to me and it still works.  What food recipe memories might you share from your family and culture?

  Mexican culture honors ancestors with great ritual (and food) on the Dies de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead.  They believe that it is wrong to forget relatives who have passed from this world, making great efforts to remember.  We see this in the Disney movie "Coco".  Do people die a final death when no one remembers them?  That is what is so wonderful about keeping a necrology,  a record of the dates on which our loved ones and saints died, their death anniversaries.  You will hear these prayers at each St. Rose Convent Mass.

  Some far eastern cultures honor ancestors by placing food at ancestor altars and make an effort to grieve well to heal themselves and also heal those in the next world.

  Jews remember God’s saving love at a meal and recall their Passover from certain death to freedom.  Each food served represents part of the salvation story.  Jesus at this memorial meal offered himself, Body and Blood, Bread and Wine and said “Take and Eat." "This is Me.” "Do this and remember Me!”

What foods or other actions lead you into a communion with loved ones?  We can prepare meaningful dishes, speak or write the names of loved ones, remember and reconnect in communion with them.  Food and other practices can help family members, especially kids, become interested in their family tree and their heritage, both genetic and spiritual.

Ingredients:

About 2 C mild vegetable oil (sunflower and or olive oil can be used)

8-10 small zucchini  (about 3# by my kitchen scale)

1 ½ C torn, fresh basil

Sea salt to taste

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound spaghetti

2-3 C grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Put the oil in a large pot (like a Dutch oven) and bring to almost boiling over medium high heat.

Slice the zucchini into thin rounds (1/4” or less).  Fry in the hot oil until it is golden brown.  Remove and set aside on a paper towel lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with torn basil and sea salt.  This can be done in batches.  See option to deep frying below.

Transfer zucchini mixture to a bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil, if needed, to prevent them from clumping together.

Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente.  (About 2 minutes before recommended cooking time.)  Strain, reserving about 2 C of the pasta cooking water.

Place the cooked pasta in a large pot over low heat along with the zucchini mixture and gently combine.  Add the pasta water, a little at a time, to create a cream texture.  You may not need all 2 C of the water. 

Add the cheese to the mixture  a little at a time and continue to combine by stirring gently and tossing.

When the mixture has a slight creaminess, remove from the heat and serve immediately.

Option to deep frying: Put zucchini rounds in a bowl and coat lightly with olive oil.  Spread them out on a baking sheet and bake in a 360 degree oven until browned.  Watch closely and turn them to avoid burning.  You can also put the sheet under the broiler at the end of cooking to produce browning.

Note:  The zucchini mixture can be made ahead and refrigerated for several days.  It can also be used in a frittata, as a side dish or in a cheese sandwich.  You’ll also see this recipe using shredded Provolone cheese, garlic, or butter, but this one comes from Stanley Tucci, author of “Taste”.  He swears version of "Spaghetti con Zucchine alla Nerano" is the only authentic one!  Sounds like a proud Italian!

You can also add zucchini to pasta salad, hot pasta dishes, as a side, in veggie kebabs, eggs, soups like Minestrone, to replace lasagna noodles, grilled and in baked goods like cookies and quick breads. See a few more “Seasoned Franciscan zucchini posts: “Zucchini Waffles and “Zucchini Brownies” 8/12/22, “Summer Squash and Onions” 8/22/22.

If you would like to be notified when we share new recipes, be sure to scroll to the bottom, provide your email address, check the box confirming you are not a robot, click on a few photos to prove it and click subscribe! You will then receive an email after each new post. Remember, we're always looking for new recipes, so keep sending them to ecopact@fspa.org!

Story:   After a short out of town trip, we came home to a monster garden zucchini (which we'll use in waffles) and several small ones.  We used then in “Pasta with Zucchini from Navaro” (a small town on the Italian Amalfi coast).  It’s a yummy favorite of Stanley Tucci, who admits his life revolves around food!

Besides the recipes, what interested me in his memoir “Taste: My Life Through Food” was his Italian American upbringing and his love for all things tasty, including cocktails.  Ironically, he survived mouth cancer and, gratefully, regained his ability to eat and taste solid food after the challenges of treatment. 

Italian Biscotti

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 C plus 2 T sugar
1 stick (1/2 C) butter or margarine, softened
1 T brandy
1 – ½ T anise seeds
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 C plus 2 T all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray.
2. Beat the eggs by hand or in a mixer. Add sugar and beat together.
3. In a separate bowl, beat softened butter and combine with the sugar/egg mixture. Add liquid flavorings.
4. Gently stir dry ingredients into the egg/sugar/butter mixture.
5. Form dough into 2 loaves on a large parchment paper lined or sprayed cookie sheet. Loaves should be about 3/4” high x 4” wide x 8” long. Space the loaves at least 2 inches apart to allow for rising during baking.
6. 1st Bake: Bake at 350 degrees for 15–20 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown. Check frequently. Remove from oven and carefully move loaves to a cooking rack until cool. Increase oven heat to 375 degrees.
7. Transfer loaves one at a time to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, carefully slice 3/4 to 1-inch thick slices. This can be done straight across the loaf or at a 45-degree angle.
8. 2nd Bake: Lay each biscotto on its side on the parchment-lined cookie sheet and toast at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, turning each one over after 5 minutes.
9. Cool completely and store in an airtight container. Serve with coffee or wine for dunking!

Story: 
Biscotti means “twice baked.” Some historians believe that these semi-sweet biscuits traveled on the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria because they were dry, did not mold and tasted better than the tradition fare of hardtack and dried meat. Today, they can be found with every flavor and ingredient imaginable and vary from tender, like in this recipe, to very hard.

In many Italian families, biscotti are a celebration cookie made for Christmas, Easter, Weddings, and Baptisms. I remember that one of my brothers-in-law took such a liking to the biscotti that my Auntie made for our wedding that for years he asked for “those good hard cookies” at every Kaley Christmas. And he got them! We think he liked to dunk them in wine as was our custom!

Many wedding preparation folks say, “You do not just marry your spouse, but you marry the family.” Food can carry family stories and make the blending easier. I love making biscotti to honor and remember my family and their values. We like the traditional biscotti and a great double chocolate variety, but we have also literally made room for contributions of other Christmas cookies that join the family parties as our circle widens.

As families bend and grow, it is good to honor those who came before us. Even the smallest food traditions or customs, help us remember where and who it is we came from! Celebration foods can hold memories to share with all those around the table.

If you would like to be notified when we share new recipes, be sure to scroll to the bottom, provide your email address, check the box confirming you are not a robot, click on a few photos to prove it and click subscribe! You will then receive an email after each new post. Remember, we're always looking for new recipes, so keep sending them to ecopact@fspa.org!