Great Grandma and Gnocchi

Comfort foods make us happy. Mac and cheese, meatloaf, mashed potatoes….. they're all so good! One of MY favorite comfort foods from my childhood was gnocchi. Let's say it all together: pronounce NYAW-KEE … very good! What is it? It is a delectable pillow of love created from a dough of flour, eggs and potatoes. There are other versions of gnocchi but this one is my absolute favorite and the nearest and dearest to my heart. My great-grandmother from Calabria (the "toes" of the boot of Italy) used to make these almost daily. Cheap and easy and filling needed to be on the bill and these qualified. She died at 98 years old and until then, cooked on a cast iron coal stove where a daily pot of some kind of pasta sauce was making the house smell a bit like heaven. She NEVER learned any English except for the phrase, "it's too hot-ta today!" I never had a problem understanding anything she said to me in my childhood and wished I had kept up speaking Italian. Ah well, maybe someday…..

In any case, my best memories of my little pupita (poo-PEE-ta) were the gnocchi. If food means love, this woman had a heart of gold! They were always perfect and I wish I had been old enough to actually learn and make these WITH her to get the hands on training. But the best I can do is use my memories, remember the taste on my tongue and try to recreate them as best I can. She's been gone about 42 years and I can still see her standing on the front porch in her long black dress (like a typical old Italian woman!) and her apron with her head wrap. She smiled bigger than life and loved everyone. It didn't matter if you didn't understand her … you knew what she was saying. It was always something very kind.

So to my little pupita grandma … this is for you and for the wonderful memories our loved ones leave us as a legacy.

Try these! They are so delicious and such a wonderful Italian staple that are not all that familiar to Americans. They are undoubtedly pasta and are so versatile. They can be boiled, baked or fried. They can be made with potatoes, ricotta cheese or even butternut squash! We'll start with the most familiar to someone with Southern Italian heritage like myself and sooner or later, I'll add recipes for the others! I will add another warning later: don't be frustrated if these are not "perfect" the first couple of times you make them. This dough is different and take a little practice! What I can tell you is that even if they aren't perfect, they're still delicious … I'm smiling even though you can't see it on my face!

Gnocchi

• 2 pounds of starchy potatoes (2 large russets or similar)

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 
1 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour

• Kosher salt
• Dash of nutmeg

NOTE* You can boil your potatoes BUT the key component is using as little water (and that includes steam) as possible for these to be light and fluffy. I always microwave my potatoes … baking dries them too much and boiling makes them too moist!

Microwave the potatoes on high for approximately 10 minutes or until they are done. Times may vary depending on the wattage of your microwave. (If you can cut the top of the potato and squeeze the ends and it "pops" open to make a jacket as if you were going to put lots of butter and sour cream on it, they are correctly done!)

Cut your potatoes in half the long way and scoop the white part out of the skin. Put small amounts through a ricer (this is the PERFECT consistency to make gnocchi) into a mixing bowl until all of the potato is finished. If you don't have a ricer, put the potato on a cutting board and "squish" them with the tines of a fork. You don't want them mashed…. Scatter about ¾ of a cup of the flour onto your riced potatoes. You may need to add the rest of the flour as you mix so the dough doesn't feel "sticky". This will depend on humidity, water content of the potatoes, etc. Add approximately 1 tsp of kosher salt. This may vary depending on your tastes and how "dry" the potato is. Add a dash of nutmeg … I like freshly grated nutmeg and grate about 5 or 6 times onto the potatoes. (If you don't like this taste, certainly leave it out!) Add your beaten egg and gently start to fold it all together. Mix lightly until all of the ingredients are incorporated but avoid the tendency to "knead" like you are making a regular pasta dough or bread. Divide your gnocchi dough into 8 balls and roll them into ropes about ¾ of an inch wide. Cut the ropes into about ¾ inch slices and dust lightly with flour so they don't stick to one another. I place mine on a lightly flour dusted tea towel until I finish making all of the gnocchi and prepare them to boil. (There is one more step to making the gnocchi authentic but if this is as far as you get, these will turn out perfectly fine! I will add the final step below for those braver folks that would like to try this!)

Bring a large pot of water to boil with a teaspoon of kosher salt added after boiling. Add your gnocchi in batches (about 20 at a time) to the boiling water. They will let YOU know when they're done because they all raise to the top! With a slotted spoon or spider, remove each batch into a colander. Work quickly (I do this by pre-dividing my gnocchi into batches) so that the gnocchi remain warm until they are all boiled.

Gently toss with your favorite tomato sauce, pesto sauce, meat sauce or cream sauce. As with any Italian pasta, the sauce is "condimento" … a condiment, so don't add too much and make sure it is mixed through. I'm on a quest to make sure people don't plop their sauce on top like Americans tend to do to make it look "pretty". Mix it through and enjoy the condiment all over the pasta!

Now, for that final step if you're brave! Hold a fork in your hand, tines facing UP and AWAY from you. Place a gnocchi close to the top of the tines (near your hand) and with a confidence and an assertive (but light) touch, use your thumb and press in and down the length of the fork. The gnocchi should curl into a slight "C" shape, their backs will capture the impression of the tines as tiny ridges (good for catching sauce later). Then continue with the flour dusting part of the recipe. If I want to impress someone, I use this method. If I'm hungry and just need to eat, those gnocchi go directly in the water as soon as I'm finished cutting them!

When you taste the gnocchi, they should be light, not heavy and rubbery. Again, PLEASE, don't be frustrated if they are the first couple of times you make them … until you get the hang of it. After a few times, you will start to know what this dough feels like and they'll turn out nearly perfect every time. Even if they don't, they're not a waste … they're still yummy!

Some causes that they might not have the lightness they need:

• Too much flour added to the gnocchi
• Too much kneading of the dough and you've released too many glutens
• Potatoes were old and TOO dry

This is such a typical Italian primi piatti (first course) but in more rustic settings, it is certainly dinner worthy. You should try these …. I promise you'll be hooked! These are great for Lent as a meatless meal with a marinara sauce. Mix the with a good vodka cream sauce and a chiffonade of basil and parmesean cheese and they are an elegant main course. Add pesto for an entirely different take….. try what you like!


And as always, until next time, ciao…..

Algerian Couscous

This week I reconnected with quite a few old cruise ship friends via Facebook and Skype. Sometimes the computer gets on my nerves but it definitely has it’s upside. In a conversation with a friend in Algeria, I was motivated to make this for dinner the other night. We were speaking about foods and the subject of couscous came up. I usually make this as an unimportant side ... a filler, if you will. But this suggestion just transformed my plain old box of couscous into a beautiful meal. This recipe makes a good family sized portion. I suppose you could cut it in half for 2 people ... but the leftovers keep well and heats up in the microwave for lunch perfectly! Thanks, Houssem, for the suggestion.....


Algerian Couscous

• 1 10 oz box of Couscous (I use “Near East” plain)
• 1 red pepper and 1 yellow pepper
• 1 large onion sliced
• 1 larger or 2 medium zucchini
• 2 carrots peeled and sliced
• 2 medium potatoes diced
• 1 14 1/2 oz can of chick peas
• 4-5 TBSP tomato paste
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon “harissa” (North African spice paste) or chili powder
• salt and pepper for seasoning
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 TBSP paprika
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 TBSP cumin
• 3 – 4 whole cloves or 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 4 cups chicken broth (convenient to use one 32 oz box!)

Have your “mise en place” by chopping all of your vegetables ahead of the recipe and this becomes very, very easy! Start by heating the olive oil in the bottom of a dutch oven or a heavy, large skillet. Add the sliced onions and sweat (cook but don’t brown over medium heat) for about 2-3 minutes to extract their flacor. Next, add carrots and potatoes and cook for about an additional 5 minutes. At this time, add your spices as they impart their flavor through the entire dish. Next, add the peppers and cook for 5 mintues. Finally, add the zucchini and cook until you see it first start to soften at the edges. When this happens, add the tomato paste and 2 cups of the chicken broth and stir to mix with the vegetables. Drain the can of chick peas and add; then stir thoroughly to mix all of the ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let this cook over a low heat for 7-8 minutes to “meld” the flavors. By now it should smell pretty incredible!

While this is stewing, bring the additional 2 cups of chicken broth to a boil in a saucepot. When it boils, add the entire box of couscous, stir and then cover and let it sit for 5 minutes off of the heat. (You can also add 2 additional TBSP olive oil and salt and pepper to the couscous, but it’s not necessary.) Remove the lid and fluff the couscous with a fork. Put the couscous in a large serving bowl or serving dish and then pour the vegetable “stew” over the couscous. Serve immediately!

Now, this particular recipe is good in so many ways! First of all, it can be vegetarian if you use a vegetable stock or water, but a really hearty meal. It is good Friday meal during Lent. It also changes up the same bland routine of pasta (which couscous IS a pasta) and adds a new zing to some vegetables! Don’t be afraid to use green peppers if you need to ... red and yellow can be expensive. You could also add some eggplant, adjust the spice levels to your taste ... whatever you need to do! When it is fresh and in season, sprinkle the top with chopped cilantro ... very Middle Eastern this way! I promise you’ll enjoy this one!

And as always, until next time, ciao.....

Simply Spaghetti

Sometimes life isn't all about complicated meals ... as much as I'd like them to be. I'm pretty adept in the kitchen and can usually create or emulate most dishes even if they're fairly complicated. But I have to admit, sometimes I'm in for an easy evening and that's tonight. Spaghetti with tomato basil sauce!

I like meatballs, I like pasta sauces with loads of ingredients ... BUT ... there is always something comforting and fulfilling in a plate of pasta with tomato basil sauce. It's cheap, it's easy and most of all, it's GOOD! Why would you want to spend $2 on a jar of pre-made sauce when you can make your own for about half of that as well as knowing it's fresh and you can control the sodium, sugars and ingredients!

I keep a literal stockpile of 28 ounce cans of tomato product in my pantry ... it's a staple. And though you can make this with almost any type of product from whole tomatoes to diced tomatoes, the easiest way to get away with a great and easy tomato basil sauce is to use a can of crushed tomatoes. Why? Well, they're already crushed and you skip out on half of the work. If you use whole tomatoes, after they cook down, it's easy to crush them in your pan ... no worries. But by the time the pasta water boils and your spaghetti is done, your sauce will be too if you use crushed tomatoes! So, here we go:

My Best Tomato Basil Sauce

• 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 3 TBSP olive oil
• 3 large cloves garlic (or 4-5 smaller cloves) minced
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (or more to taste)
• 2 TBSP sugar
• 2 TBSP fresh chopped parsley (or 1 TBSP dried parsley)
• 2 TBSP fresh torn basil - about 12 leaves (or 1 TBSP dried basil)

To a hot skillet or saucepot, add the olive oil. First of all, get used to using your eyes ... try NOT to measure the olive oil! About 3 turns around the pan is 3 tablespoons. Go ahead, trust yourself! Add your minced garlic and literally let it cook for about 45 seconds and the oil will be flavored. If you cook it much longer, your beautiful white garlic will turn a very burnt, ugly brown and you'll have to start over!

Add your crushed tomatoes to the oil and garlic and immediately turn the heat to a medium setting. Stir this well. Add the salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and sugar and stir to mix. (NOTE*** If you are using dried parsley and basil, add it now!) Let this mixture simmer for 15 minutes. Add your fresh chopped parsley and basil and stir through the sauce as they need no more than 5 minutes to fully flavor your tomato basil sauce. It turns out pretty much perfect every time!

To eat it like an Italian, drain your 1 pound of cooked pasta (preferably spaghetti) and return it to the cooking pot. Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix through. Don't put it on top so that there is "white" spaghetti showing ... I can promise NO ONE in Italy eats it that way!

Place pasta on a platter and put a generous helping of real, freshly grated parmesean cheese on top. Or, you can plate individual plates and do the same. But promise me, you WON'T use grated cheese from a plastic jar!

As always, until next time, ciao.....

Crêpes and a Snowstorm!

This has been one of the roughest winters that I can remember living in Nashville. I have been here for over twenty years and there have been a few large snow storms and such over that time but we have been hammered with storm after storm. Now remember, it's Nashville. so that means 3" can be a snow storm. But nonetheless, it incapacitates us for a short while and schools close. And when I get trapped inside I want to cook ... hence, all of the recent posts!

I got an inkling last night for something different. I'm a pantry cook so I look around to see what I have, assess the stock and then create. Last night I thought, "crêpes" and voila! I made crêpes! Of course, that means a filling and side dishes, etc. But, this whole ordeal was a lot easier than you might think. Crêpes are easy ... and you can whip up a quick filling in no time, whether it is a sautéed meat or veggies, spinach and cheese ... whatever! I happened to do a chicken and poatato filling with a bit of cheese and a béchamel sauce ... but you could certainly do something quicker, easier, more filling, less filling, less fat ... whatever! I love "concept" cooking for this very reason.

I ended up making brussel sprouts with butter and balsamic vinegar and a celery, pecan and pecorino salad to round it all out. I'll include the celery salad recipe as it was simple and really surprised me with the taste. It was truly an experiment gone good!

I learned that when you make the batter for the crêpes, always do it an hour in advance and the bubbles subside and your crêpes look pretty. I made the batter, covered it and put it in the fridge for TWO hours and they were even better ... in fact perfect. I may have made the virtually crêpe!

Here's what I did last night ... you feel free to experiment!

Crêpes

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup of milk (any 1%, 2%, whole)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup flour
• 2 TBSP melted butter
• Extra butter for pan

Filling:

• 2 large potatoes diced in 1/2" cubes
• 1 large chicken breast diced in 1/2" cubes
• 1/2 large onion or 1 small onion diced
• Fresh of dried parsley
• 2 chicken bouillion cubes dissolved in 1/4 cup water
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup of your favorite cheese (cheddar, muenster, fontina, gruyère)

Béchamel Sauce:

• 2 TBSP butter
• 2 TBSP flour
• 1 cup milk (any 1%, 2%, whole)
• salt
• pepper

First off, mix your crêpe batter at least an hour in advance. I find it easier to use a whisk and into a mixing bowl, mix the egg and salt into the milk and water. Add the flour slowly and keep whisking and you'll create a nice smooth batter. One last whisk to mix in the melted butter should make a beautiful batter of heavy cream consistence. If it looks like pancake batter, add a bit more water of milk to think it a bit. This should give you about 2 cups. NOTE*** I keep mine in a 2 cup measuring cup and make it easier to pur directly into the pan later!) Cover and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours for the best result ... at least one hour.

To make an easy crêpe, use a non-stick pan! It'll make your heart feel good. You can use an expensive crêpe pan OR an 8" non-stick skillet ... I promise, they work the same. Put a small bit of the extra butter in the hot pan and swirl to distribute the butter. In my 8" skillet, I get about 12 crepes from the batter. This means that you use about 3 TBSP per crêpe. If you need to measure, you can ... I eyeball it so that it covers about 1/2 of the bottom of the skillet. Immediately swirl the batter to coat the entire bottom of the pan. Let it cook for 30 seconds to a minute until the edges start to bronze nicely. Don't try to move it before it sets ... you'll ruin the crêpe. If you do, no big deal ... you'll have plenty! Use a spatula to gently lift an edge. If it moves easily, shake the pan to loosen the crepe and gently flip over. Cook another 30 seconds and stack them on an oven safe plate. Repeat until your batter is finished and you will hopefully have 10-12 crêpes to use! Keep your stack of crêpes on the oven safe plate in a 200 degree oven so they will stay warm to use after you make the filling.

In the meantime, dice the onions, potatoes and chicken breast. In a pan heated to medium hot, place the olive oil into the pan and add the onions to sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Then add the potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. When the potatoes look as if they are starting to soften, add the chicken and cook until they are almost done. Before they finish, stir in the dissolved bouillion, pepper and parsley. I used about 2 teaspoons of dried parsley but if I had fresh, I would have used a lot more ... about 3 tablespoons! (And it's OK to cheat occasionally with things like bouillion cubes ... note I didn't add salt to the mixture because of this!)

To assemble (I use an oven safe platter for this as I place it in the oven to keep it warm while I make the béchamel sauce) use about 1 and 1/2 TBSP of the filling and place it in a line in the middle of the crêpe. Sprinkle with your favorite shredded cheese and roll both sides up around the filling. A "gooier" cheese melts a little and helps hold the crêpe together. Finish assembling the crêpes and place them all on the serving platter. Put the platter in the oven until your béchamel sauce is finished.

To create the sauce, melt butter into a small pan over medium heat. I use my crêpe skillet to save on dishes! Once melted, stir in the flour and cook for about 30 seconds before adding the milk. Stir until a nice thick saucy consistence occurs .... it'll take a bit of time as I usually use cold milk right out of the fridge. Once it thickens add salt and pepper to taste. White pepper is beautiful for a white sauce but I actually like seeing the small black flecks in there! When the sauce is done, pour it over the crêpes and if you have any leftover shredded cheese, sprinkle it on top ... and voila! You have just created a yummy, beautiful and elegant meal! Nothing was difficult, just a little time consuming..... now for the salad! You could make this in the time interim after mixing the batter and let it sit ... it would hold well for an hour because the ingredients are crunchy!


Celery, Pecan and Pecorino Salad

• 4 stalks of crunchy green celery (outer preferred)
• 1/3 cup diced pecans
• 1/4 cup shaved parmesean (use your vegetable peeler on a wedge of cheese)
• juice of 1/2 a lemon 2 TBSP olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Clean your celery stalks and dice on a bias cut as thinly as possible. Don't waste your celery leaves ... add them to the salad! If your pecans are whole, dice them as well and add to the celery. For best results, use a wedge of parmesean cheese and use a vegetable peeler to shave pieces into the salad. (I say a 1/4 cup but hey, it's YOUR salad!) mix the salad with the olive oil, lemon juice and salt & pepper. Now you have a simple, delicious and unique salad to serve with your crêpes!


Experiment .... go ahead! Don't be afraid! Make different fillings and topping. You could even make yummy dessert crêpes by adding a TBSP sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla to your crêpe batter. Make them the same way. Fill them with a sweetened ricotta cheese mixture and top with strawberries or blueberries or whatever you'd like! Again, I believe a method is the easiest way to learn to cook because you can apply it to many different tastes and uses! Let me know what you create and,

As always, until next time, ciao.....

Homemade Soft Pretzels

In case you haven't figured it out by now, I pretty much have a carbohydrate addiction! Maybe I just love bread types things, maybe I should blame it on my Italian heritage, or maybe I should just succumb to the fact that I can't live without them! Bread, bread, bread! In any case, Not all of them are bad ... especially if you go with whole grain versions and such. For me, I'm not a fan of plain ol' white bread but I sure do love crusty French and Italian breads, sourdough breads, or just about anything homemade.

I posted my recipe for Cocoli the other day and still had half of my bread dough recipe left over in the fridge. You can simply go back a couple of posts and get the recipe for the bread in my Cocoli post to use for pretzels. Pretty much ... bread dough is bread dough. Don't let anyone fool you. If you can make a nice loaf of bread, you can make a yummy pizza crust. The only difference I find is about 2 tablespoons of olive oil!

Anyway, these were so good I might just have toi make another batch of dough and create more soft pretzels this evening ... sad, I know. But they were soooooo good! In fact, I have been motivated to find and/or create a recipe for a yummy grainy mustard to go with these pretzels! I used a plain yellow mustard and a honey mustard to dip these in but mmmm, a good grainy mustard ... how yummy could that be? Stay tuned, I know it'll happen soon! In the meantime, here is my recipe for the soft pretzels!

Homemade Soft Pretzels

• 1 batch of bread recipe (from my cocoli post)
• flour for sprinkling
• 6 cups water
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1 beaten egg with 2 TBSP water added
• coarse salt (or even kosher salt)
• Cooking spray or parchment paper to line a cookie sheet

While you are preparing your dough, put the 6 cups of water and 1/4 cup of baking soda into a kettle to boil. Divide your dough recipe into 8 even balls. Roll each ball into a long thin rope approximately 24" long. You may find this a bit easier if you give your counter a light dusting of the flour. Once your ropes are made, create a pretzel shape by forming the rope into a "U" shape, twisting the top ends once and folding the "arms" down to the bottom of the "U". Gently press the arms into the bottom and repeat until all of your pretzels are created. By now, your water is probably boiling. (If you haven't already, mix the beaten egg with 2 TBSP water to glaze your pretzels before they go in the oven.)

Spray your cookie sheet with cooking spray or simply line your pan with a sheet of parchment paper. One at a time, gently place each pretzel into your boiling water mixture for 30 seconds. (I find a spider, a large slotted spoon or a large flat spatula seems to work best for this.) As you remove each pretzel, let it "dry" for a few seconds and place it on the cookie sheet.

When all of your pretzels are done, brush each pretzel with the egg mixture glaze (all over to ensure the beautiful brown color) and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for approximately 15 minutes. (It's such a short time ... make sure that you watch them so they don't burn.) Let them cool slightly and serve with your favorite dips!

You may also decide you'd like to sprinkle them with sugar and cinnamon, a spice blend, or drizzle them with butter as soon as they come out of the oven ... they're your pretzels and as I always try to stress, this is simply a method to create. Make them your own and if you create something wonderful, please be sure to let me in on the secret!

As always, until next time, ciao.....

Crazy For Cocoli!

OK ... so the deal is, I have been making my own pizza dough forever. In fact, not that I'm a master pizzaiolo or anything of the sort .... it's just that I have gotten very used to the "rusticness" of the homemade dough, toppings and taste of a pizza that comes from my very own oven!

There is a wonderful Italian treat called COCOLI that if anyone has been to a county fair and ordered an "elephant ear" (basically a slab of bread dough that's fried in oil and rolled in sugar), you will love this tasty morsel! Instead of a giant chunk of dough, these little babies are rolled out fairly thin, cut in small squares and quick fried in olive oil. They are then rolled or sprinkled with granulated sugar while they are still hot so the sugar sticks. And most of all, they're not really deep fried and infinitely easier to make than a conventional elephant ear. Even the dough in this case is very forgiving .... as they get rolled and cut, as soon as they hit the hot oil, they puff into golden bites of deliciousness. No need to worry, "did I knead too much, too little, did I let it raise long enough? As long as they get some "rest" time after kneading, they're going to be perfect.....

I've given you a recipe for what I think is the perfect pizza dough before but I will repeat that here and then continue on with the steps for making your cocoli ... so don't be afraid, try other sorts of toppings, see what you can create and then, let ME know!

Crazy For Cocoli

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 package of quick rise yeast (1/4 oz)
• 1 teaspoon of sugar (or honey)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

PLUS

• Additional flour for kneading
• Additional olive oil for coating dough
• 1/2 (or more) cup of inexpensive olive oil for frying
• white granulated sugar for coating the cocoli (or honey, or other toppings of choice)

In the cup of water, dissolve sugar (or honey) and add the packet of yeast and stir to let it proof. In about 5 minutes, it will be very foamy and smell very “yeasty”. In the meantime, in a large bowl add the flour and make a well in the center. Add the salt and olive oil to the well. After the yeast is proofed, pour into the well and gently incorporate the liquid into the flour until a dough consistency is achieved. Once the dough holds together in a sticky ball, sprinkle additional flour on a counter and knead dough for 10 minutes until elastic and smooth. If you're unfamiliar with the kneeding process, google it and you can probably find out with pictures and everything! (I promise, it's easy!)

Shape the dough into a ball. Coat with additional olive oil and place in a bowl loosely covered with a towel until it is doubled in size. (Because of the quick rise yeast, this process should be pretty quick! I usually let mine raise for an hour for flavor alone, but most of the time, with quick rise yeast a 30 minute rise SHOULD be sufficient unless the kitchen is cold.)

When the dough has doubled, cut it into 4 sections so it is easier to work with. Sprinkle a countertop with a light dusting of flour and roll the dough to about 1/8 of an inch thick. Try to roll a rectangle to make cutting them easier. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, create small squares from the rolled sheet of dough. I make mine about 1 1/2 inches x 1 1/2 inches for ease of placing in the oil. Also, try using as little flour as possible as extra flour will burn in the oil and give a bad taste to your cocoli.

When you cut them into squares, you should have between 4 and 5 dozen. This is enough to feed an army so plan ahead! In a stockpot or something with high sides (this is only to save your stove from oil obliteration .... you can use a skillet or similar), heat the olive oil for frying until a very tiny piece of the dough immediately sizzles when dropped in. If it sizzles and turns golden, your oil is ready. Doing about 8 per batch will assure you that the cocoli will brown and cook beautifully. Drop the cocoli gently in the oil AWAY from you so no hot oil splashes on you. Almost immediately by the time you put the pieces in, the first side will be golden (they literally take about 20-30 seconds per side). Flip them over and let the other side become a golden brown. Immediately remove the cocoli from the oil and either roll them in a bowl of sugar OR use my method ... place them on a baking sheet that has been lines with paper towels and sprinkle sugar over them. (*** NOTE: Using this method will drain some of the excess oil and and make cleaning up any stray sugar MUCH easier!)

Watch the oil temperature so your cocoli don't burn while cooking. Also, you may note that you need to add a few tablespoons of fresh olive oil between batches as the dough soaks up a little bit. These are best served warm and makes a great "party" operation, leaving the sugaring to another crew of people as one person fries the cocoli. Also, another popular topping for these in Italy is to make a pile of them on a plate and drizzle them with honey. You can really try anything you want from a chocolate syrup to candy jimmies! Enjoy and mangia molto!


I'm sort of addicted to these little guys and have learned to use HALF a batch of dough and refrigerate the rest. It will last an additional 2 -3 days in the fridge without going bad. OR, even better ... make yourself a small rustic pizza with the remaining dough. Dinner AND dessert in one fell swoop! What could be better?

As always, until next time, ciao.....

Motivated to Scones!

Cream Scones

I was suckered into watching "Nanny McPhee Returns" today by my roommate, Keith, and of course, I guess watching a movie set in England made me want a good afternoon tea. So I decided to make scones and a "fake" clotted cream that tastes really amazing. Of course, it's not real Devonshire cream but it'll do in a pinch! I've had this recipe for a while (it's not my own) but I thought I'd share in case anyone got a craving....

Belinda's Tea Room Scones

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Flour (preferably cake flour)

• 2 Tsp Baking Powder

• 1/2 Tsp Salt

• 4 Tbs cold Butter

• 1/4 cup Sugar (1/3 cup Sugar if you don’t plan on eating them with jam and cream)

• 1/2 cup Milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.

3. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and enough

milk to mix to a soft dough (but not wet or overly sticky).

4. Turn onto a floured surface, knead lightly (don’t over mix) and roll out to a 1 1/2-inch

thickness. Cut into 2-inch rounds and place on the prepared baking sheet.

(You may also just gently form some balls in your hands and place on baking sheet,

like drop biscuits.)

5. Position rack high in the oven and Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 10-15 minutes

then cool on a wire rack.

Break open, spread on some clotted cream, and add a dab of jam on top. (If you don’t feel like making clotted cream, just whip some heavy cream until thick.)

Serve on pretty china, with a strong cup of tea. Add milk (not half & half) and sugar to taste. The only thing left to do is sit down and enjoy your real English Afternoon Tea. Pinky sticking out is optional.

Imitation Clotted Cream

• 1 8oz pkg cream cheese

• 1-3 tbsp white sugar

• 1 pinch of salt

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 6-8 oz sour cream

Mix all together till stiff peaks form. I used about 2 tbsps sugar, and Oh my, I could just eat this stuff out of the dish all by itself....

And as always, until next time, ciao.....!