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.

Mom's Potatoes Per-Pat

My mother used to make this, and still does, and can be a very resourceful use for leftover mashed potatoes.  The best thing about these is that they are crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Any mashed potatoes can be used.  Today I am using Ron's flavor-filled garlic-roasted mashed potatoes from last week.  I have been saving them to try out this recipe. 

To the mashed potatoes I added:

1 egg
1 T parsley
1/2 c Romano cheese

My mom used to make fat pancakes out of the mixture but I am changing it up and making them hot-dog shaped. 

The most difficult part of this dish is making them dense enough so they don't fall apart when you are breading and frying them.  So I grab a handful and squeeze it very tightly to get rid of any air, then roll them into the desired shape.

After they are rolled, I refrigerated them for several hours.  This prevents them from falling apart at the next step in the process.

Then roll the potatoes in seasoned bread crumbs.

Heat up a non-stick frypan with about 1/8-1/4" oil (not olive oil).  Let the oil get good and hot, then lower to medium and add your potatoes.  Turn on each side until golden brown and remove onto paper towels.

Let cool 5 minutes before cutting into them or they will mush all over!

Ummm-tastes like home.  Salute!

Sweet Potato Casserole

I am going to share a Nunes family recipe with you today for Sweet Potato Casserole. This is from Ron's mother and I don't know how far back it goes. But my Italian family loves it. It was requested this weekend by Marissa when we invited the Ursos over for fried turkey and ribs.

The Vultures eating the Bird

Now, if you have never fried a turkey, I HIGHLY recommend it. Ron does an awesome powerful rub and injection method which makes it outstanding. It is flavorful, tender, moist and the skin is to die for. He will share that recipe later.

For now, here's the Sweet Potato Casserole recipe.

Sweet Potato Casserole

6-8 sweet potatoes (baked 1 hour @ 350)
Peel and mash with
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 st buter
1 t vanilla

Beat on high until fluffy
Put in pan and top with
1 c brown sugar
1/3 c flour
1/3 c melted butter

Bake for 30 minutes at 350.

These can be made ahead of timed and then reheated when needed.

Classic Creme Brulee

I am going to share with you my no-fail creme brulee recipe. I have been making this for years and only once did it not turn out exactly as planned, and that was my fault. This is light, creamy, tasty, easy and fool-proof.

Casey, our oldest, is coming home today and we are preparing a feast. Crab legs, roasted asparagus, an Asian salad and, voila, creme brulee for dessert! Can't wait!

Classic Creme Brulee

8 egg yolks
1/3 c sugar
2 c heavy cream
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 c sugar (for the caramelized tops)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Add cream and vanilla, and continue to whisk until well blended. Strain into a large bowl, skimming off any foam or bubbles.

Divide mixture among six ramekins or custard cups. Place in a water bath and bake until set around the edges but still loose in the center, about 40-50 minutes. Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled.

Remove cups from water bath and chill for at least two hours, or up to two days.

When ready to serve, sprinkle 2t sugar over each custard. Place under the broiler until sugar melts. Rechill custards for a few minutes before serving. For best results, use a small, hand-held torch to melt sugar.

Water bath: Place paper towel on bottom of cookie pan. Place ramekins in pan and place on center rack of oven. Carefully fill the pan with warm water until the level reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Covering the pan tightly with aluminum foil will keep a skin from forming over the top of the custard.

Me and Mom's Shrimp

So Ron had some butterflied shrimp he wanted me and mom to make. Notice how I said me and mom. (I guess grammatically correct it would be mom and I). We talked about how we liked our shrimp prepared. Bri and I just like ours boiled and chilled. Mom likes hers breaded. But neither of us like things fried. (Don't get me wrong, we love the taste of fried but know it's not good for our girlish figures, so baked is the next best thing). The paprika gives this dish a little bit of a kick so cut back if you don't want it too spicy.

We found a recipe online and played with it a little bit and this is what we got:

8 butterflied shrimp (you can purchase these already butterflied or butterfly them yourself by slicing them almost in half lengthwise so it opens like a book and devein)
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup butter (we cut back on the butter)
1/2 cup chopped parsley
3 cloves minced garlic
1 cup pankow bread crumbs
2 teaspoons paprika

Place flattened shrimps in individual baking dishes. Sprinkle with portion of lemon juice. Combine butter, 5 tablespoons parsley and garlic in a bowl. Place some of the mixture on each shrimp. Combine crumbs, remaining parsley and paprika and place some on each shrimp.
Bake at 400F for 15 minutes.
Garnish with lemon wedges.

Sausage and Peppers Appetizer

Sausage and peppers is an often overlooked great old Italian dish. Often made as a meal, today for Superbowl, Ron made an appetizer of this flavor-filled classic. This makes for great tinging with bread, one of my favorite things about it.

Layer the bottom of a pyrex pan with very thinly sliced onions.
Layer sliced peppers of various colors.
Season with basil, oregano, minced garlic, thyme, S & P.
Cut up 1-1/2 lbs. sausage into 2-3 inch pieces and layer on top of peppers.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Bake at 400 degrees 1 hr 15 minutes turning the sausage once during cooking.

Optional
Thinly slice potatoes, Spray cookie sheet with Pam. Lay potatoes on baking rack. Add S & P. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.

Barbequed Shrimp

This recipe awakens your taste buds to new and different flavors. It has an excellent rich and spicy sauce for dipping good crusty bread. It is called Barbeque Shrimp, but it is by no means Barbequed Shrimp. We first ate this in New Orleans at Mr. Bs Restaurant. We asked for the recipe (which they actually gave us) and Ron has played with it a little bit since then. It is simple to prepare and most ingredients are on hand. No salt in this recipe at all.

Barbequed Shrimp
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 T canola oil
3 T fresh cracked black pepper
2 T parsley
1/4 c Worsteshire sauce
1 Stick butter
1 Lemon
2 T 1/2 and 1/2
Chopped green onions or chives
1 1/2 lb fresh shrimp with tails (size 24-35)

Saute garlic in oil. Add shrimp till pink (don't overcook) 30-45 seconds. Add worsteshire, pepper, butter. Stir till consistent. Add parsley and lemon. Right before serving, add 2 T 1/2 and 1/2.

Garnish with fresh parsley, green onion or chive and dip in crusty bread.

20 minutes to prep and cook. Serves 8 as appetizer or 4 as side dish.

Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo

Nana and Papa

Gumbo topped with fried okra
The Roux

Today, being Saturday, Ron is making Gumbo. This is Emeril Lagasse's recipe and is really delicious, dark and sultry.

1 c vegetable oil
1 c flour
1 1/2 c chopped onions
1 c chopped celery
1 c chopped bell peppers
1 ob smoked sausage (andouille or kielbasa, cut crosswise into 1/2 in slices)
1 1/2 t salt
1/4 t cayenne
3 bay leaves
6 c water
1 lb boneless chicken meat, cut into 1 in chunks
1 t Emeril's Rustic Rub
2 T chopped parsley
1/2 c chopped green onions
1 T file powder

1. Combine the oil and flour in a large cast-iron or enameled cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat Stirring slowly and constantly for 20-25 minutes. Put something good on the TV and DO NOT LEAVE THE ROUX (This is why men make this dish. What woman has 20-25 minutes to stand around an oven stirring?)
The roux should become dark brown, chocolate color. It begins to smell nutty the more you cook it.
2. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers and continue to stir for 4-5 min or until wilted. Add the sausage, salt, cayenne and bay leaves. Continue to stir for 3-4 min. Add the water. Stir until the roux mixture and water are well-combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hr.
3. Season the chicken with the rub and add to the pot. Simmer for 2 hrs.
4. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley, green onions and file powder.
5. Remove the bay leaves and serve in deep bowls.

Ron has also created an avacado salad which is one of our favorites. Always good all the time.


Avocado Salad
1 Avocado, halved
1-2 T Cottage cheese
Diced tomatoes
Green onions sliced
Balsamic vinegar
Italian dressing

Place avocado hole side up on a bed of lettuce. Add some Italian dressing.
Fill avocado with cottage cheese.
Drizzle with tomato, onion and Balsamic vineger.
Enjoy!