Viva Citra Wines!

First of all, I don’t work for Citra Wines (chee-tra).   However, over the years I have been serving them at all my cooking classes.   Many years ago I discovered the secret to successful cooking classes………..serve lots of wine!  So,  how do you serve decent regional Italian wines and not break the  food budget ?………….simple, serve these wonderful Citra Wines.  I first encountered these wines on a trip to Pescara, Italy  (on the Adriatic coast of the Abruzzo region)  This forgotten area of Italy boasts not only fabulous mountains, pristine beaches and friendly people,  but some truly great wines.  We especially enjoy their Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo (not to be confused with the town of Montepulciano, south of Siena) where the Montepulciano grapes are barrique-aged and  harvested from the lush vineyards of Pagliata and Polltri.  The 7000 local wine growers blend their grapes to create a well balanced, full bodied red with nice acid balance and loads of berry fruit.  Citra also offers several white wines………our favorite is their Tribiano.  The tribiano is 100% tribiano grapes (the grape used to produce balsamic vinegar) and is very clean,  bright, with citric notes and very little oak.   The perfect wine paired with seafood, pastas and light dinners in the warmer months.  The owner of the Village Market, in Grosse Pointe, Michigan (Mark Garmo)  is always happy after my cooking classes are over because he knows he will acquire new loyal Citra customers for life.  Now, heres the best part of this wine story.  Not only does Citra draw praise and awards from many discerning wine pundants, including Wine Spectator,  but the price will surely win you over. In our market 1.5 liter bottles of Citra wines go for under $10!  Not too bad for wines that have been served to Britain’s Prince Charles.  Viva il vino……….Viva Citra Wines!

Tagliatelle is the most commonly served pastas in all of Italy, but you don’t see it that much in the USA.   We love this noodle in our family because it is so robust and holds a sauce so well.  Here we pair it with a substancial ragu  (meat sauce) of lamb and mushrooms.  Don’t forget the final step of annointing your pasta with parmesan cheese and good olive oil.  We serve this dish with a simple Montepulciano d’ Abbruzzo. 

Tagliatelle with lamb and mushroom ragu

Ragu ingredients                                                                            

1 ½ – 2  cups lamb (cut into 1/2 “ pieces                                

¾ cup red onion diced                                       

2 cups mixed mushrooms (medium chop)                  

½ – ¾  cup red wine                                          

2 toes chopped fresh garlic

½ cup flour

2 TBS tomato paste

1 cup brodo (chicken/mushroom stock)                                            

2 thick slices pancetta (cubed)

2 TBS oyster sauce (sssshhh, don’t tell anyone)

¼ cup parmesan cheese (to finish)                                                   

2 tbs olive oil plus oil to finish

1 cup chopped parsley

Pasta Ingredients

½ lb egg  pasta ,  Lots of boiling salted water

1. Add olive oil to hot pan, add pancetta, cook until not quite crispy
2. Dust lamb with flour, add lamb and brown, Remove lamb from pan    
3. Add some oil, onion & garlic, cook 5 minutes till translucent,  
4. Add tomato paste, roast paste, add oyster sauce.
5. Deglaze with wine, add brodo , add lamb back in     
6. Stir until you have a rich ragu, add ½ the parsley, 
7. Cover pan and place in 275 oven for about ½ – 1 hour
8. Drain pasta (save a little water) toss pasta with ragu 
9. Pour into platter, sprinkle with parmesan, anoint with oil, & parsley.
10.  Serve with wilted spinach.

Buon appetito

DIM SUM TROLLEY

Octopus, Spring rolls and Scallop/shrimp rolls

Dim Sum originated in Southern China hundreds of years ago as part of the YUM CHA “drinking tea” tradition.  Dim Sum means “to touch the heart”. The best way to describe these delicious treats is to address them as Chineese antipasti, tapas, or hors d’ouvres. They are usually steamed or deep fried and can be savory or sweet.  I first encountered them decades ago in San  Francisco.  Back then you could only find them in Chineese bakeries…..but today they can be found in most large cities.  They are absolutly addictive! My all time favorite place is Jing Fong in New York’s China Town (#20 Elizabeth St)  There on the second floor you will find 120 beautiful fucia tables with hundreds of Dim Sum fans……..enjoying a continuous stream of ladies pushing trolleys loaded with stange and inticing little plates and steamers of Shiu Mai, Crispy Taro Kor, Steamed Chicken Feet, Spring Rolls, Shark Fin Dumplings, Spicy Garlic Squid  etc.   Here in Michigan, we enjoy the selection at the Golden Harvest ( 6880 12 Mile Rd, Warren, MI )  The best time to find a good selection of Dim Sum is on a Sat or Sunday, between 11 am and 2 pm.  Be sure to pick only the hot dishes on top of the trolley, and not the ones on the bottom shelves.   Once you take the first plunge, you will be hooked forever!

This recipe is based on a very simple dish that we encountered in Montepuluciano, Italy.  The trattoria was very small and located in the basement. The combination of the salty prosciuto, capers, creamy mozzarella , and crispy bread is sublime…………plus  really easy.  In Italy, the very best ingredients are always used. The INGREDIENTS speak for themselves.  That’s why the food in Italy is so great.

Prosciutto Crostini with pinenuts & capers

Large crostini with prosciutto, mozzarella, pine nuts & caper

4 slices rustic bread (cut on long diagonal)

2 slices prosciutto (cut lengthwise)

2 TBS chopped pine nuts  

4 TBS mozzarella cubes (1/4 “)

2 drained capers

Chopped Parsley

2 TBS olive oil & paint brush

• Lightly paint each slice of bread with olive oil
• Place long slice of prosciutto on each crostini
• Place on baking sheet in 375 oven for 15 minutes
• Remove from oven, put cubes on crostini, return to oven 2-3 minutes
• Remove from oven, sprinkle on pine nuts and capers
•  Return sheet to oven for 2 minutes until bubbly.
• Serve immediately , garnish with parsley

Caution:  Oven times and temperatures may vary

Bon appetitto   

Makes two servings

Whether you grill these inside on a grill pan or outside over coals, these jumbo shrimp wrapped in prosciutto will be a big hit. The secret is marinating them in lime juice for about a half an hour before you put them on the grill.  This is a super simple and super fast dish, so do them at the last minute just before serving.

Prosciutto Wrapped Grilled Shrimp

Jumbo shrimp wrapped in prosciutto with lime

6 Jumbo shrimp (16-20 per lb peeled tail on)

3 slices prosciutto (cut lengthwise)

2 lime juice

1 toe minced fresh garlic

2 lbs olive oil

Chopped Parsley

Lime wedges

• Marinate the shrimp in lime and olive oil for ½ hour
• Wrap a strip of prosciutto around each shrimp
• Grill on grill pan or over coals for 2 minutes on each side
• Garnish with parsley, serve immediately with lime wedges

Bon appetitto

Pollo con Funghi Selvatici

Chicken with wild mushrooms is a simple and very economical dish that creates a very lucious experience. The secret is in browning the skin then cooking the dish uncovered in a 325 oven for just an hour and a half. All the vegetables and mushrooms meld together for flavor……..then simply add the butter/flour mixture until you get just the right viscosity to the sauce.  Don’t tell anyone the secret that it was easy and inexpensive!

5-6  Chicken thighs with skin

1 cup chopped wild mushrooms

½ carrot (chopped)

½ cup chopped red onion

1 large toe garlic (chopped)

1 cup brodo or chicken/mushroom stock

Creamed 2 tbs butter in 2 tbs flour

Salt/pepper

Optional:  4 small pealed potatoes cut in half

Chopped Parsley for garnish

2 TBS olive oil

Instructions

1. Sprinkle chicken skin side with salt & pepper
2. Brown chicken in oil in heavy pan until skin is crispy
3. Remove chicken and set aside
4. Add veggies & mushrooms to pan, saute 4-5 minutes
5. Add stock
6. Place chicken on top of liquid
7. Place pan (uncovered) in 325 oven for 1 hour
8. Remove pan, slowly stir in butter/flour mix until creamy
9. Continue to a few more minutes
10. Serve immediately with chopped parsley garnish.

Acting on a reliable tip from Missy & Mike Steins from South Beach, Fl,  we found ourselves seated at the Porta Sagua Restaurant on Collins and 7^th…  We were in search for the best authentic Cuban food in town and judging by the locals seated around us, we had come to the right place. Service was great in this crowded family eatery, but that’s not what we came for. The food was the best, simple and delicious.  Here’s a sample recipe for Vaca Frita (fried cow)  

Shredded beef                                                   Marinade

1 lb cap steak or flank steak                            Juice of one lime & lemon

½ onion sliced through core                         2 TBS sherry

1 cup stock                                                            3  toes chopped garlic

½ tsp cumin                                                        ½ onion sliced through core

2 bay leaves                                                         3 TBS olive oil

1 toe  garlic                                                          3 TBS oil for frying

Salt/pepper

2 TBS olive oil

Chopped parsley

 DIRECTIONS

1. Salt & pepper steak

2. Add 2 TBS oil to a  large heavy pan, and brown the steak on both sides

3. Remove steak, add onions & garlic and sauté

4. Deglaze pan with stock, add steak back in and cook covered for 2 hours  (285)

5. Save liquid

6. Remove tender steak, and shred into large pieces, let cool,

7. In bowl, add steak, and toss with lemon/lime/sherry, onions, garlic, marinate 1 hour

8. Add 3 TBS oil to hot pan, fry batches of beef/onions until crispy on each side

9. Serve with rice and black beans garnish with parsley.

These traditional Italian pan fried cutlets are even better when you use PANKO bread crumbs to cover the pieces.  Breaded chicken cutlets are delicious, economical, and can go with a myriad of side dishes, such as buttered Brussels sprouts and orzo pasta. The addition of the lemon/caper sauce makes this dish even  piu delizioso !

Best pan fried chicken cutlets with lemon caper sauce                                     

1 large boneless ½ chicken breast            2 TBS drained capers             

1 egg (beaten with 1 TBS water)                  Juice from ½ lemon

½ cup flour                                                        ¾ cup chicken stock

1 cup panko bread crumbs                        2 TBS butter in 2 TBS flour

2 TBS olive oil                                                ¼ cup chopped parsley

Salt & pepper

1. Place breast half on cutting board
2. Place hand on top of breast and carefully cut in halfmoving from right to left. You will be able to feel theblade cut through the meat. Salt & pepper pieces.
3. Cover breast halves with plastic wrap and pound flat
4. Dust each half with seasoned flour, then dip in egg wash
5. Cover chicken breast with crumbs, pressing them in.
6. Add 2 TBS oil to med hot pan. Fry breaded pieces in oil until crispy
7. Remove chicken from pan, add capers, lemon, and stock.
8. Combine butter and flour into a paste, stir in paste until liquid is thickened. 
9. Place spoonfuls of sauce on plates, add chicken, anoint with sauce garnish with chopped parsley.

       BUON APPETITTO

If we hadn’t met Felton Cox (while disembarking from our cruise ship in Nassau) we would have never experienced the authentic conch fritters that his friend made us. Felton is a tour guide/real estate agent that drove us to view the city from the old British fort.

Next to the ramparts is where we found this local chef cooking up the real thing.

Conch (pronounced CONK) is a popular mollusk (gastropod) that is indigenous to the

Caribbean waters around the Bahamas and Florida. It can be found canned or frozen if you don’t have fresh. Can’t find conch, try shrimp, crab, or squid fritters.

Ingrdients Sauce

1 cup chopped conch meat     ¾ cup flour             1 large lime

½ cup chopped celery            2 eggs                      3 TBS ketchup

½ cup chopped onions           ½ cup milk              1 TBS hot sauce

1 toe chopped garlic              2 TBS hot sauce       3 TBS mayo

½ cup chopped red pepper    oil for deep frying     Salt & pepper

Salt & pepper                         Chopped parsley

1. Beat eggs, milk, flour together, Add meat, veggies, to make a stiff batter

2. Using a large tablespoon carefully drop dollops of batter into hot (375)

oil until they float, then turn over until golden  (golf ball size)

3. Drain on paper towels.  Serve with sauce, Garnish with parsley.

OK, you’re going out for the evening.  You ask your host “Can I bring anything”  They say, sure,

how about an hors d’oeuvre or some munchies?  You think…WHAT CAN I BRING that’s not “chips n’ dip”

So here’s the solution….create a beautiful antipasti platter.  You won’t need that much and it won’t break

the bank. You’ll need a good sized platter….oval are great. OK now, go to your local deli or Italian specialty

shop. I use the following…..a little less than 1/4 lb of each of these salumi (all prepared meats are called salumi in Italy)

1. Capicollo (sweet), 2. finnochiona or spressatta, 3. regular Genova salami, 4. Mortadella…..all sliced very thin. Next you’ll need some olives. Try about ten of each, calamata (pitted), regular domestic black pitted olives, maybe a couple alphonsos, greek (pitted). Next a small punch of grapes, some nice broad green leaf lettuce and some mint or chives for garnish. OK….ready to create.

Cut all the salumi in half. Start with the finnochiona and place each half along the rim of the platter, next do the same with the coppicollo halves. Now break off about four or five big lettuce leaves and put them in the middle of the platter. Add the grapes to the middle. Now, take each half of the Genova salami and make little cones out of them. (The fat from the salami will stick them together)  Place these (5-6) at both ends of the platter, then arrange various olives in the spaces remaining. Finish with the mortadella halves that you can just bunch up and stick them in the remaining spaces. Now to finish , stick a bunch of the mint sprigs into the space in the bunch of grapes and sprinkle the chopped chives all over the whole thing. Just look what you have created….look at the colors and textures!  People with think you are a culinary genious…and now you are!