DINING WITH BATALI

VEAL ROLLS WITH LEMON AND MUSHROOMS: Involtini di Vitello al Limone

I describe myself as someone who is  tech savvy yet technologically challenged (simple terms for someone who carelessly breaks gadgets ) . That's why for my coming birthday, I am giving myself not only a Nook  --but most importantly --the warranty that goes with it !

The truth is...I am embracing the fact that at 40 --I need books with bigger fonts (yep--blind mouse here) - -and with all these traveling, I am taking my collection of books with me anytime, anywhere!

Mario Batali's version: Page 354

Oh well, me and my gadgets.... I just broke my camera so I am still trying to figure out how to adjust the lenses in my new one--pics may be blurry until I figure this out

 

Maria B's version:

1 lb veal loin
salt and pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 can mushroom (if fresh use wild mushroom or cremini)
1 tsp dry thyme
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup tomato sauce (store bought)
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon 
1/4 cup italian parsley , chopped
1 tsp dried marjoram
1/4 cup pecorino romano
1/4 cup pine nuts

HERE'S HOW:

• In a sauce pan, saute olive oil, onion, garlic, thyme until golden brown. Add mushroom. Cook for 10 minutes and set aside in a bowl.
• Using the same pan, add the wine, tomato sauce, lemon zest and juice to the pan. Stir and set aside
• Add pine nuts, parsley, marjoram, pecorino to the mushroom mix . Stir well.
• Lay the veal out. Season with salt and pepper
• Divide the pine nut mixture among the veal. Roll and tie with butcher's knife. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a skillet with live oil. Fry the veal rolls until golden brown on all sides.
• Pour the wine and tomato sauce mixture into the pan. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes
• Remove the strings in the roll. Place veals in center of serving dish. Spoon the sauce over the meat and serve

BRAISED VEAL ROLLS IN TOMATO SAUCE: Braciole di Vitello

I woke up with a terrible headache!!! So tired and sleepy but that doesn't prevent me from opening my Batali book! Still gloomy and cold outside and my real italian foodie expert keeps me company online as I post this! 

I really want to write something about food --how to fix this and that --but I am no foodie junkie - --just a corporate person using the kitchen as a stress reliever and  following the book to the tee! It's because I am clueless in the kitchen that's why I love reading my favorite blog - WHAT'S COOKIN ITALIAN STYLE CUISINE  .

Back to my Mario addiction - -If there's anything that I have learned so far is the art of rolling up meat and placing stuffings in it. But the most enjoyable part is actually pounding the meat and making it really thin as possible. I don't have a meat mallet so I used the back of the knife to hit the veal so hard until it begged me to let go and leave him alone -- Nice!

Mario Batali' version: Page 355

 

Maria B's version:

I only used half of the measurement Mario used and I skipped on the dried currants.

6 thin slices of veal shoulder
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup grated pecorino romano
sliced prosciutto di parma ( I just estimated it - -roughly 2 tbsp)
1/2 cup italian parsley, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 eggs
salt and pepper
2 tbsp sliced pancetta
1/2 onion diced
1 cup tomato sauce (store bought)
1 cup red wine

HERE'S HOW:

• Pound veal until it flattens. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside
• In a bowl, combine pine nuts, cheese, prosciutto, parsley and garlic. Add eggs and mix well
• Place mixture on top of veal. Roll and seal with kitchen twine
• In a pan, cook rolled veal until golden brown in olive oil. Set aside
• Cook onion and pancetta in olive oil until golden brown. Add wine and tomato sauce.
• Add meat (at this time you can cut or place whole if desired) and simmer
• Serve

MEATBALLS WITH RICOTTA IN MILK: Polpette con la Ricotta

My youngest and I  recently brainstormed on setting up  her own home business in 2010 - - an online business for a 15 year old who aims to feature her creativity in the web - - - Not sure what it is yet, but I am so excited to support her!

Pistachios and Ricotta in a meatball? This sounds weird to my clueless taste buds but this dish turns out to be a pleasant surprise for me. I love the creamy sauce (suitable for pasta too) and this is something I will definitely serve as an alternative to traditional comfort food.

If you like the feeling of being warm and fuzzy ....and just annoyingly happy??? This is the dish that does that for me! Enjoy

Mario Batali's version: Page 398

Maria B's version:

Okay, this is another clueless game for me as I have no idea what  cornichon is.Well, if you do, you need to add 6 pcs cornichons (chopped) as I omitted this in my version. Also, I used only half of the measurement in the ingredients Mario used

4 ounces ground beef (Mario used pork)
4 ounces ground veal
4 ounces ricotta
1 large egg
1/8 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
1/8 cup bread crumbs
3 pistachio nuts (chopped)
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper

HERE'S HOW:

• In a bowl, mix meats, ricotta, eggs, cheese, breadcrumbs and pistachio.
• Form into balls and fry until golden brown in butter
• Add stock and milk. Let it boil and simmer for 15 minutes
• Season with salt and pepper
• Serve

COTECHINO WITH LENTILS: Cotechino con Lenticchie

I am front loading my activities for next year but now I am beginning to doubt myself on why I have to overbook my calendar for January! I am traveling to Philadelphia next week and I am crossing my fingers that it won't snow that day --Agghhhh me and my proactive calendar.

Lentils is traditionally served as a side dish for fried fish among Filipinos. Usually, it is prepared by sauteing garlic, onion, tomato and ground pork. There is a variation where our maid will add dried herring or pork skin and some leafy vegetables as topping.  Interestingly,  Mario served these lentils in a simple fashion as a bed to the cotechino.

Mario Batali's version: Page 368

 

Maria B's version:

8 ounces of dried lentils
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp dried sage (use fresh if possible - 12 leaves)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
1 large cotechino

HERE'S HOW:

• Boil 6 cups of  water with 1 tbsp salt. 
• Add lentils, garlic and sage. Cook until firm for about 20-25 minutes
• Add the olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside
• Meanwhile, cook cotechino in water. Prick the sausage several times with a pin. Drain
• Spread the marinated lentils in a serving plate to form a bed to the cotechino
• Slice cotechino and arrange over lentils

BRAISED RABBIT WITH LEEKS, TURNIPS AND VIN SANTO: Coniglio al Vin Santo

Today, is the first time I am cooking with turnips and leeks. I have no clue what these veggies looked like  so I was delighted that my daughter dragged me to the grocery and voila - -I found it conveniently labeled at Schnucks. (Yes, I need to read dummy for cooking). I have no rabbit so I totally improvised and substituted this dish with chicken instead. The thing with this Batali challenge: I find it difficult to find the ingredients at the nearby grocery - - so If I am lucky -- I am able to cook at least 2 dishes a week -- otherwise, I order my ingredients online.

Another business trip and tomorrow I'm heading to New Jersey.I love traveling but I usually have this panic attack the day before I leave as I want things organized and squeaky  clean when I leave. Of course this includes preparing meals for the family in advance and making my long laundry list of things to do. Speaking of list, my 2010 Franklin Covey refills just arrived!  Yippee!!!! I am the typical checklist freak that lives and breathes on trackers sheets, excel columns and bullet points that I have to keep  two separate binders to ensure that I separate my work plan and my personal errands...so this refill made me happy today!(Hmmm..I need to order the Coach refills)

Back to cooking....

In the original recipe, it asked me to utilize a Dutch oven  to cook the meat and veggies...then by the time it is cooked, it gave direction to transfer it to the big oven and let it sit for another 30 minutes. The problem is: I have no Dutch oven  - - so I just used an ordinary pan and let the chicken boil for the same time until the sauce thickens. This is one of the easy to prepare dish I've tried. Similar in preparation to the dishes below but just a twist on the veggies, spices and wines used:

CHICKEN THIGHS WITH SAFFRON OLIVES AND MINT: Pollo allo Zafferano
CHICKEN IN THE STYLE OF CANZANO: Pollo Canzanese
CHICKEN FROM THE TOWN OF AVELINO: Pollo Avellino
CHICKEN HUNTER'S STYLE - Pollo alla Cacciotora
SPICY SICILIAN CHICKEN: Pollo in Stemperata
CHICKEN STEW WITH POLENTA,CELERY ROOT AND SAGE: Pollo all' Americano

Mario B's version: Page 380

Maria B's version

2 lbs rabbit (I used chicken)
salt and pepper
flour for dusting
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 medium leeks (white and green parts only, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
2 large turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
 1 cup vin santo or dry sherry
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup tomato sauce

 

HERE'S HOW:

• Season rabbit liberally with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour
• Heat olive oil over high heat and add pieces of rabbit and cook turning only once until golden brown. Set aside.
• Cook leeks and turnips until golden brown
• Add vin santo, tomato sauce and stock and bring to a boil
• Submerged the rabbit pieces in the liquid and bring to a boil . Cook for 30 minutes)
• Transfer pieces into serving dish and pour the sauce over

T-BONE FIORENTINA WITH SAUTEED SPINACH: Bistecca alla Fiorentina

Halloween won't be complete without baked sweet goodies!  The teens are attending a Halloween party (again?) so we thought of sharing the calories in our house with their friends. We created our "HALLOWEEN: Cat On the Wall Cake" by utilizing our tried and tested  FRENCH VANILLA CAKE  as the base. Since we have the giant oven up and running,  we decided to add a tray of   DOUBLE FUDGE BROWNIES . Yes..definitely lots of sugar for the party people!  

 

So, finally the house was quiet again! Not sure what we'll have for dinner it's really hard to cook for only two people as I hate leftovers! I was planning to make a hot dog and chili sandwich when I saw this box lurking behind the chicken rack in our garage freezer (given to us by my fun brother-in - law and his gorgeous wife!)

I think there's a simple steak recipe in the book somewhere . .

Mario B's version: Page 400

Maria B's version:

The original recipe used fresh herbs but for this batch, I used dried ingredients.

Preheat broiler at 500 degrees (or you may use a grill) .In a small bowl, mix together:

• 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp sage
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tbsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tbsp ground pepper

Pat the steak dry and coat the entire steak with the herb mix. Brush gently with   2 tbsp olive oil. Arrange in baking pan and broil for 5-6 minutes on one sde, then cook another 5 minutes on the other side. Transfer to a plate.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan. Place 1/4 cup olive oil over high heat.

Add 1 tbsp minced garlic and cook  until light brown. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Remove from head and add 1 tbsp lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Carve the fillet and the strip steak from the bone and slice

 

Serve with spinach on the side

 

And if you have the time, serve with   POTATOES WITH ROASTED GARLIC CLOVES: Patate al Forno . 

TURKEY MEATBALLS: Polpettine di Tacchino

I shouldn't watch History Channel in the evening as I have the tendency to get hooked on the show and the next thing I know it's already 3am. It's good if my body will compensate for the late hours and I will sleep until  11 am ...but NO -- I am up and about at 7am and crazily baking muffins like a mad woman, banging pans and loudly beating the eggs with my new red mixer , experimenting on  OATMEAL APPLE RAISIN MUFFIN  and FROSTED PUMPKIN MUFFIN while the cat sleepily gazed at me from the corner of his eyes.

Today was a long day for me! In between errands, I managed to take the teens practice driving to the middle of nowhere and I can feel that I am going to crash any minute now...

Funny thing is...in that "middle of nowhere place" --we found a friendly familiar place ---Walmart   ---eerrr --correction..EMPTY Walmart! Odd.. where is everybody? No line, No traffic in the parking lot , No scary people --- -Where are we anyway??

 The original plan is to have our usual Sunday MAC AND CHEESE  dinner but I forgot that I took out the ground meat from the freezer --so we enjoyed this  Batali meatballs as I served them as a heavy appetizer with crusty french bread, cheese and  roast beef tonight

Mario B's version: Page 341

Maria B's version:

MEATBALLS:

1 lb ground turkey
1 lb ground pork
2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp rosemary
1 tbsp hot red pepper flakes
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp ground pepper

SAUCE:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 onion sliced
 3 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp hot red pepper flakes 
1 cup red wine
1 sprig fresh rosemary or 2 tbsp dried rosemary
1 cup tomato sauce
 salt and pepper
chopped italian parsley

HERE'S HOW:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees
• Make meatballs by combining all ingredients (see meatballs). Mix well
• Form into golf ball sizes and place in baking pan
• Roast until golden brown about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees
• Meanwhile make a sauce by cooking onion and garlic in olive oil. Add red pepper.
• Add wine and rosemary and bring to a boil
• Add tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes
• Add sauce to the meatballs and place in the oven.
• Cook for another 30 minutes
• Season meatballs with salt and pepper . Top with parsley
• Serve

GRILLED VEAL ROLLS SICILIAN STYLE: Involtini alla Siciliana

Oh my - -I should stop serving veal on the table as the girls have signified that they prefer the flavor of veal versus the traditional beef . Uhmmm--duh-- expensivo kiddos!  This dish is so easy to make despite the steps involved in rolling and securing the meat with a string to hold the filling together. The original recipe is intended for grilling but  I deviated and baked it instead and drizzled extra virgin olive oil to keep it moist.

Anyway, the twins wanted to experiment colors with their hair  --w-h-a-t??  They've been begging for almost two years now to have highlights in their hair but I kept on delaying it. I just can't  see why the need to ruin their perfect black and shiny hair!. Well, I'm running out of excuses so....finally after the long wait, we decided to bring them to  Paul Mitchel's to have it done professionally (it's better to have them blame  someone else later).

 I

One teen wants a burgundy tone and the other one a light brown shade. This is the first of three visits (their hair is so dark, they  need to have two sessions before they apply the highlight effect they desired). I was so tempted to have a highlight too...but I prefer black hair -- Why mess up the  natural color. Oh  cool....this is cheaper than I expected ..

The problem is....it will take two hours ...

I can't wait..so off to the mall with the little one!

Mario B's version: Page 353

Maria B's version:

1 lb veal
1/2 cup pecorino romano
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup italian parsley
1/8 cup pine nuts
1/8 cup raisins
salt and pepper
1 tbsp rosemary
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
kitchen twine/strings

HERE'S HOW:

• Using meat mallet of the back of your knife, pound each slice of veal  to make it thinner. Season veal with salt and  pepper. Set aside
• In a bowl, stir together pecorino romano, bread crumbs, italian parsley, pine nuts, raisin and rosemary.
• Place veal on flat surface. Divide the mixture among the veal, spreading out thinly on top of the meat
• Roll each piece up tightly. Secure with string. Drizzle with olive oil
• IF GRILLING: Place on grill and turn once for 3-4 minutes over side until nicely charred
• IF BAKING: Place in baking pan and bake for 25 -30 minutes at 400 degrees

VEAL CHOPS WITH PORCINI: Costolette di Vitello con Porcini

It's hard for me to gather up the ingredients needed in the book as I have limited stores  (Kroger, Schnucks and Walmart) within my  area. Every weekend, I wake up with my fingers crossed hoping that I will find my shrimp with the head,  fish with the head, arugula, pomegranate (among other things). So If you see a wandering Asian with huge sunglasses (trying to cover up my sleepy eyes) with a long list at 7am at Walmart, asking endless questions at the manager on duty EVERY weekend- -yes - -that's me! Today I got lucky as there were  3 packs of veal in the chiller   -- so really - - this is a GREAT day for me (grrrrr.. $5 for one pack? I can hear Batali screaming - -find a meat store with an actual butcher!)

So I was doing my Batali dance for a minute when I learned that they have no porcini ... Not even a dried one? Somebody in this store must have a clue of  what I was looking for...but today, I got a flat answer - - no porcini.  Well - at least they have  mushrooms ...that will do for now.

Anyway, do I have a meeting today? I also bumped into two directors and one senior manager from our company .  Oh no... these are the same people I hang out in the conference room everyday  - -Is my world getting smaller and smaller each day? 

Mario B's version: Page 362

Maria B's version:

Porcini is preferred in this recipe but despite using the ordinary mushroom, I wouldn't know if I missed the earthy flavor as they turn out really well

1 cup fresh mushroom
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 packs veal chops
salt and pepper
1/2 onion, diced
3 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp unsalted butter

HERE'S HOW:

• Season veal with salt and pepper
• Cook in olive oil until golden brown. Set aside
• Using same pan, cook garlic and onion for 3 minutes .
• Add mushroom and cook for another 3 minutes
• Add wine and bring to a boil. When wine  has reduced by half, add chicken stock. Let it boil for another minute
• Remove from heat and add lemon juice and butter
• Place veal in plate and spoon sauce over the chops and serve.

BRAISED RABBIT WITH PEPPERS: Coniglio ai Peperoni

Key word here: Improvise!

We are not cooking the easter bunny so we are using the next best thing - Mr. Chicken!Sorry Batali, I have to deviate on 3 of your rabbit creations in this book . For my friends, bear with me as I'll just place the title as is so I can keep track of my list.

Fall season  and for  us it's TV Time!  There are only two shows we watch on TV (aside from news) and that is HOUSE and HELL'S KITCHEN. We may have a wicked sense of humor but whatever you call it, I find the cursing and donkey yelling so amusing! Hmmm.. now that I mention it - -all this direct TV cable expense and for two shows?  Cool - another opportunity to save!

Today, I just learned that I have two business trips coming again and all the more reason for me to consider getting the new laptop bag (thoughts I had when I was baking my  CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES).  Wow, It's already October - -Summer went fast for me and the more I think about it, the more I felt the need to travel more before the snow starts pouring in the East Coast . I am totally swamped at work and literally my day is not enough!

Mario B's version: Page 378

Maria B's version:

Another simple dish to make! It actually reminds me of CHICKEN IN THE STYLE OF CANZANO: Pollo Canzanese where I used a brining method (but this time with wine) then fry the chicken before tossing it back again to add more wine.

2 lb cut rabbit (I used chicken)
1 cup white wine vinegar mixed with 1 cup water
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion
2 large bell pepper
salt and pepper

HERE'S HOW: 

• Place chicken/rabbit in bowl. Add vinegar-water mixture and marinate for 1 hour
• Drain and dry chicken/rabbit with paper towel
• Cook chicken/rabbit until golden brown. Set aside
• Cook onion for 3 - 5 minutes. Add wine. Bring back cooked chicken/ rabbit.
• While chicken/rabbit is cooking. In a seprate pan, cook pepper in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place cooked pepper in  chicken/rabbit  pan. Simmer for another 20 minutes. Add more wine if needed
• Serve