Falafel ala Casey

Casey's Falafel



Falafel is the Mediterranean meatball. It is vegetarian and so fulfilling.

I took a can of chick peas, drained and mashed with a fork until it was a really thick paste. (Some people do it in a food processor but whatever).

In a separate bowl I added half a chopped onion, 2 garlic cloves chopped and about a half cup of chopped parsley. Some people put these ingredients in a blender, then add, but comme ci comme ca.

Combine the two.

In another bowl, combine an egg, cumin (about 2 teaspoons, more or less for taste), lemon juice, s&p, baking powder (1tsp) and some coriander if you have it. Wisk and add to first bowl along with 1Tbs olive oil.

Stir, then add bread crumbs until not sticky but can form together. Fry in a pan.

So, so, so good. Goes amazing with tzaziki sauce, Jerusalem salad, greek yogurt, baba ganoush, hummus, or just some hot pita. I always order the falafel sandwich from Sultans Market which is the pita with 2 falafel inside lined with hummus, tomatoes and jerusalem salad. It's the most satisfying meal ever. The taste lingers for hours.
Also, it makes soo many. I made 9 balls and only cooked 3 and was stuffed. I added some  Annie's goddess dressing on it because it has that lemony tahini taste but whatever.

Anyway.
Love, daughter.

And I thank you, my daughter, for continuing to enlighten us to the many varieties of uses for chick peas.

Casey's Chick Peas

Casey's Chick Peas

My daughter Casey is a chick pea fanatic.  She makes chick peas 100 different ways.  I have asked her to share her adventures in chick peas.

1/2 chopped red peppe
Sliced mushrooms
Roasted garlic
Drizzled olive oil
Salt and pepper.

A great fiber nutritious vitamin packed snack for work. Very filling.

Thank you, Casey!

My Polish Panini

Hi I'm Krystian and I'm Polish! I wanted to make a panini, it's like a grilled Italian sandwich. Here's how you make it:

Ingredients:
2 slices of Italian bread
lunchmeat
veggies (sliced tomato, roast red peppers)
cheese
George Foreman Grille
mayo
mustard

Procedure:
Put all the ingredients together how you like it and put in the George Foreman until brown and crisp.

The Family's Gravy

Okay.  I know it's been a looooonnnnnngggggg time since I've blogged a recipe.  But I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to share a real gem with you.  I am finally giving up the Greico family gravy recipe.  This is actually the Campo family gravy recipe, as it was my mother's side of the family from whence it came.  Actually, it is probably a Sirmarco family recipe, as that was my mother's mother's family name.

For those non-Italians, this is what you would normally call "sauce."  For those who are Italian, they know that this is really gravy and anyone who calls it sauce... (well, I won't say)  My mother says it is called gravy because it is made with meat.   This recipe is like gold.  Of course it's not really a recipe.  It is a creation which can only be handed down from generation to generation to those who are willing to watch mom/grandma/nana in the kitchen, probably more than once.  It take patience, practice, and love to make it right.

You can feel your earliest memories creeping up at the smell awakening you on Sunday mornings.  You can hear the sounds of meatballs frying, pans clashing.  Happiness filled the kitchen and the whole house.

My memories of gravy being made on Sunday mornings go back as long as I can remember.  Not only did my mother make gravy almost every Sunday, but so did her mother and probably her mother's mother and even beyond that.  My grandmother had company every Sunday for as long as I can remember, whether it was my mother and her 4 children or my uncle and all his single friends, my Aunt Nancy who lived there, and a host of others.  To this day, my father insists on macaroni every Sunday.

Hopefully you all have your own special family recipe.  I know every family's recipe is different and usually we are prone to favoring only mom's gravy.

I start with Italian sausage and fry it up in the same pot you will be making your gravy in.  Then meatballs (recipe for another time). Remove from pot once fried.

Gravy

 3 T extra virgin olive oil (EVOO nowadays)
 3 cloves minced garlic
2 small cans tomato paste
2 small cans water
2 large cans plum tomatoes (SanMarzano are the best)
1-1/2 large cans water
Fresh basil
Dried minced onion
Red pepper flakes
S & P

1.  Add your EVOO to a moderately hot pan
2.  Mince your garlic into the EVOO, being careful not to burn it.  It should be barely over the golden color it started out as
3.  Lower the flame and add tomato paste.  Let cook a while and add water.
4.  Season with above seasonings, sprinkling the onion almost to cover the top and just a tad of red pepper flakes.  About 6 leafs of basil. (see what I mean about having to watch)
5.  Raise the flame a bit and add the plum tomatoes and let cook a while.  Add water and re-spice with same seasonings. Puree tomatoes with a hand puree-er

This is the sauce at the beginning, before the flavors have blended to become a rich, sumptuous red-orangy gravy.

6.  You can add a carrot or a potato to cut the acidity of the tomatoes.
7.  Let this simmer for about 2-3 hours.

When the color is an orangy red and foams at the top you know it is perfect and you have made mama proud.

That's Italian!

Adam's Anti-Mom Pizza

Tonight, mom decided it would be a good idea for me (Adam) and Brianna to make our own pizzas. I'm trying to figure out if that's because she wants us to be creative, or simply because she's too lazy to make us food. For that reason, I call this pizza The Anti-Mom. Since we were young, she always tried to instill responsible eating habits in us and push us towards healthier food. So naturally, when she gave me the opportunity to put whatever I wanted on a pizza, I took the reigns and ran. She gave me and Brianna 20 dollars and sent us off to the store to buy whatever we wanted. Being a college student, I decided I had to create a pizza that would make any freshman's mouth water at 3 am on a Friday. At the store, I bought pre-cooked cold buffalo wings (about 4 dollars), and buffalo wing sauce (2 dollars), and pepperoni from the deli.

I started by cutting the buffalo wings on a bias, which would make the strips longer instead of bulkier. This way it's not as bulky on top of the pizza. I laid the foundation of tomato sauce (seasoned with mom's finest-see Bri's post), then put the buffalo wings and pepperoni on first. This way, when I put the cheese on the toppings, the toppings won't slide off of the top. Finally, I took the buffalo sauce and drizzled it over the cheese, giving it a subtle hint of heat when it's cooked. After writing all of this, I'm realizing what I missed by not having an oven in my dorm room.

 

"That's money"

Grandma Campo's Easter Calzone

This is a recipe my grandmother had made for 50 years all by herself.  I never liked it as a child, so for me it is an acquired taste.  Now it is something I look forward to every year.  My mutt of a husband is the one who gets us started every year with "When are we making the calzone?" starting in February.  This year we are slightly behind and waited until the week before Easter to make.  Very late for us.

There are many different varieties of calzones.  Ours is a dense, slightly dry calzone, as opposed to the sweeter dessert calzone, not to be confuse with the pizza-like calzone.

We have had as many as 10 people together to make the Easter calzone.  However, this year, it is just 3 able-bodied pairs of hands making this traditional family favorite.


Calzone

Filling
5 lbs. Ricotta cheese (Drained in colander overnight)
1 Doz. eggs (6 yolks, 6 whole)
1 lb. grated Romano cheese
1 thick slice of proscuitto (1/4" thick)  Trimmed of all fat and cut into very small pieces
2 lbs. Tuma cheese (shredded)
1/4 c Mozzarella cheese (shredded)
2 lbs. bulk Italian sausage (without casings) (Crumbled, fried and drained)
1 c fresh parsley (chopped and drained well)
1 stick flat soprasatta (peeled and cut into very small pieces)
1 T salt
1 T pepper

Mix all ingredients together and let sit overnight in refrigerator covered (not with aluminum foil).  Per tradition, taste for desired flavor.  Should be a little stronger than you want it.

Dough
12 eggs beaten
12 T melted butter
2 t Baking powder
1 T sugar
2 t salt
1 t fresh ground black pepper
3 c + flour

In a food processor, blend eggs.  While blending,  add baking powder, sugar, S & P.  While blending add 3 c flour.  While blending, pour in melted butter (not too hot or will cook the eggs).  Continue to add flour until balls.  Pour out onto floured surface.  Knead until smooth.

Cut into quarters and cover with towel or bowl and let sit for 1/2 hr.

When ready, place each piece onto floured surface and roll into 12-18" pie.  We sometimes make envelope shaped calzones which calls for a long, thin piece of dough.

Fill with filling.  Do no over fill or they will burst.  Poke with holes and brush with egg wash (beaten egg and a little milk).

Place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper into a 375 degree oven.
 
Flip over gently when top is browned.  Continue cooking until lightly browned.  Place on cooling rack. 

Cooking time varies.  Check after 20 minutes.  If they are lightly browned, turn until lightly browned on bottom.

These should be kept refrigerated or frozen for long-term use.  (We eat them until August)

While they are best at room temperature after all the flavors have melded, some prefer them right out of the oven or cold.

Serve with a glass of red wine.

This is Barbara, Paulie and my dad who came to taste when we were all finished.  

*Warning:  Don't eat too fast or you will get the hiccups.

Grandma Campo's Easter Calzone

Traditional Ravioli and Danielle's Bruschetta

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Today we are making home-made raviolis. Tom Bauer wanted to know how to make them, so Nana and Papa have opened their home to the grandchildren to teach them the age-old tradition of our family’s ravioli recipe. This is a big job for just 2 people, so many hands make light work, although every time we make them my mom tells us, "And my mother used to do this all by herself."

Papa has had several “teaching” opportunities for the grandchildren in the past; like the time he called us all together for a painting party. The adults painted his office/spare bedroom while the kids made raviolis. Then there was the time we cleaned and re-carpeted the garage. Of course that was followed by a large Italian feast. This past Christmas, several grandchildren gathered to help Nana put up Christmas decorations.

These are events we will cherish forever, as they make us who we are. We love our family, warts and all, and we have fun together when we do these things. We catch up on the events of each others’ lives, which is truly important when life changes so quickly.

Starting yesterday, Nana and Papa mixed the ricotta filling so that it could sit overnight and all the flavors meld.

This is a large recipe. The ratio of filling to dough was exact amounts so we didn’t run out of one before the other. This recipe made 260 raviolis! Enough for a party or two!

Filling:
8 lbs. Ricotta cheese (Drain in a colander overnight)
1-1/4 C grated Romano cheese (approx)
1 T salt
1 C Chopped Parsley
2 T black pepper
6 Eggs
(Dad puts just a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg, something his mother used to do)

Mix together and taste. This mixture should taste stronger than how you would like it to taste, as the flavors decrease as the ravs are boiled in water. Add whatever is needs, ie, salt, pepper, romano cheese, parsley.

Dough: (Make 3 batches)
4 C Unbleached flour
2 Eggs
6 oz. warm water
Pinch salt

Add all ingredients in a food processor and mix until it balls up. Place on floured surface and knead until soft. If after kneading for a minute it is too wet, continue to add flour a little at a time. If it is too dry, wet your hands and continue kneading. Poke with your finger. It should bounce back if it is ready. After this, cover with a bowl and let rest ½ hr.

This is a picture of how soft it should be.

And then it should bounce right back.

The dough must be rolled through the pasta press into wide enough strips to fit over the ravioli press. The press can be purchased at any Italian store.

Passing the dough through the pasta press can be a tricky thing. This is the trick:

Cut off a small piece of dough, then put it through the press on the #1 twice, the largest number. If it has holes in it, you can fold it in half after the first #1 and then go through #1 again. Add flour if it feels wet or sticky, then put it on #2. The same for #3 and #4.  By the time you get to #4, it should be light, not too thin and not too thick.

Tom Bauer here:
Next on the blog is Tommy aka “Tommy TB” ha haaaaa! This was my first experience with ravioli and let me just point out that this was no cake walk. My skills were used to put all the ingredients necessary for this meal into the blender which would eventually turn into dough. The dough was then transformed into long strands of flour coated noodles. Rule of thumb, “don’t be afraid to use too much flour, it will only help the people who turn the dough into the actual ravioli. (Brianna, Kristina, Aunt Cor, Aunt Gina and Danielle). Uncle Paul is a master of his craft and put a lot of emphasis on keeping the dough straight when it goes through the roller. One thing that took precedence was the great conversation. I don’t know how your family operates but it takes more than two to tango with ravioli and that’s exactly what we did. Overall, an awesome experience and I’m very excited to see how this mix of goop attacks my taste buds. Tommy TB over and out!

So the process is 2 people roll the dough out in a long strip, wide enough to fit on the ravioli press, top it with ricotta filling, then layer another strip of dough on top and roll to seal.

And now for Kristina:
Hey there, Kristina here. Today my job was to fill the raviolis once Papa and Tommy were done rolling the dough out. Brianna also was “helping” me fill the ravs, even though she just sat there and looked pretty while holding a spoon pretending to fill. The job of filling the raviolis is very important, because you don’t want to fill them too much with the ricotta. If you do fill the ravs too much just be prepared to get hollered at by everyone saying, “That’s too much! You don’t want them to explode.” Also, you really want to make sure that you don’t fill the ravs too much, because once you cook them they could open up and explode and then all your long, hard work goes down the drain. The key to filling is to take a spoonful of the ricotta and take a little more than quarter size and place it into the middle of the dough. Once you fill them you want to carefully take the end of the dough and place it over the top of the raviolis and then using a rolling pin, roll over the entire tray to cut the shapes out.

Counting up by 20s, Nana brings the ravs over to the dining room table which is covered with a sheet filled with flour. There, they will set for 1 to 2 hours. The longer, the better. 

Here's 260 raviolis

And Danielle:
Danielle here. Hola, it’s my turn now. I had the job of the hole poker which was really hard. It consists of Nana turning over the raviolis and pushing them out of the metal press. Then I went and put them neatly on the pan and poked holes in the middle of the ravioli so they don’t explode. It was hard work….

All I can say is these were the most delicious tasting raviolis I have ever tasted.  They were light and airy and fluffy and tasty.  Of course, they were topped with mom's famous gravy.  Unbelievably delicious!

And not a single rav exploded!

Somebody say Amen!

Danielle's Bruschetta

After the last ravioli was put on the table we all sat down and watched T.V. and then Adam yelled out that we should have Bruschetta. I immediately said that I would make it if we had all the ingredients. I thought I’d put my skills to use since I didn’t really have a big job making ravioli.

We raided the refrigerator and found 3 tomatoes, garlic, and frozen fresh basil. We luckily had a fresh loaf of bread that was going to be used for dinner so we stole that too. Those are some of my favorite ingredients. It makes for a perfect simple and light appetizer. I love the smell and taste of basil; it reminds me of summer for some reason and when you mix it with tomatoes, it’s like summer in a bowl. Garlic, who doesn’t love it? You can never have enough garlic….

Bruschetta

1 loaf of bread
3 tomatoes, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic (depending on your liking) minced
Fresh basil
Pinch of salt and pepper (or more to taste)
2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar

Loaf of French bread, cut into thin rounds.

Brush some olive oil on the bread rounds. Then bake them in the oven for about 5 minutes (keep an eye on them).

When the tomatoes and toast rounds are finished, add the tomato mixture to the top.

*You can also put sliced boconcini on the bread and top it with the tomato mixture.

You can also top with romano cheese.