Beat the heat with Cannoli Ice Cream

"Again with the variations on cannoli?" You say. Well, you might say, I suppose, but those of you who are like me and can't get enough of anything even vaguely related to these particular pastries will really enjoy this one, I'm sure.

Ever since acquiring an ice cream maker last winter, I have been experimenting with a variety of different ice cream flavors: strawberry-basil, peaches and cream, fresh mint chocolate chip, etc. Last weekend, though, I found myself with extra ricotta cheese and an idea: if Ben and Jerry's can do it, why can't I?

I scoured the internet in search of recipes, but none seemed to both fit my ice cream maker and appropriately approximate what I personally felt was the right taste for cannoli. I ended up blending a few together and came up with a lovely mixture.

It doesn't taste like cannoli filling, which is what I was going for, but it became something else entirely, something of its own. It tastes rather sweet, but not too sweet. There's a hint of spiciness that I think that comes from the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg. Why not try it for yourself?

Cannoli Ice Cream

[What you need]
2 cups whole milk
15 oz ricotta cheese
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 T vanilla
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
To taste: chocolate chips, chopped pistachios, and/or dried apricots*
pinch salt

[What to do]

1. Whisk milk, salt, and granulated sugar together until slightly frothy.
2. Add cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and spices
3. Put in refrigerator for at least an hour, but it's best overnight
4. Follow your ice cream maker's instructions or! use this method.

*My ice cream maker instructs you to add "mix-ins" chocolate, nuts, fruit, etc at the last 5 minutes of the process, but your method may vary.

Tabbouleh: Sicilian Style

There is a fair bit of Middle Eastern influence in Sicilian cuisine. It's most obvious in classics such as cassata, the use of couscous, and a fondness for apricots. This dish, which started as a way to use up an absurd amount of parsley from our garden, plays off those influences.

Sicilian Tabbouleh

inspired by Ina Garten with a lot of random additions by yours truly

[What You Need]

1 cup toasted wheat berries

3 cups water

2 tomatoes

1 cup roughly chopped parsley

1/2 cup roughly chopped mint

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/4 cup crushed pistachio

3 T. olive oil

3 T lemon juice

[What To Do]

1. Boil wheat berries in 3 cups boiling water for ~1 hour. They should soak up all the water much like rice.
2. Throw the pistachios in the blender if they're not yet crushed.
3. Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl.

It's that simple and it's a great dish for summer potlucks!

The First Asparagus of the Season

I knew it was coming. I first knew it on Wednesday when I heard rumblings that soon it would be here. I could scarcely believe it. Were the rumors true? Could it finally be time? Could the wait be over? As luck would have it: it was. Three vendors at the Farmer's Market this weekend had asparagus (and good, ready to eat asparagus, not stringy too early asparagus). It's the vegetable event of the season and I was there!

Okay...now that I've gotten really weird on you, let's talk asparagus. It is one of my absolute favorite vegetables. Not only is it delicious, but it was used as an ancient medicine to fight fatigue. There's probably a reason for this. Asparagus is a rich source of vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium, zinc, beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, folic acid, iron, phosphorus, potassium, and a ton of others. The list just goes on and on. (Of course, this list also includes the amino acid as asparagine which is important to the breakdown of ammonia in the body, but also responsible for the "side effects" of asparagus)


Now, how does one get all these benefits? Countless ways! There's asparagus soup, asparagus risotto, asparagus pizza, but honestly? The best way is the simplest way. Asparagus is great. There's no need to dress it up.

 

It's so simple, just toss the asparagus with a little minced garlic and olive oil and toss it in the oven for about 15 minutes (or on the grill for a little less than that). Serve with spaghetti and a dash of Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Trust me: it's heavenly.

Sicilian Stuffed Artichokes

When we came across some artichokes at the market, I was suddenly struck with a memory.

I said, "I'm going to make something really good, I just...have to remember how to make it."

And I tried. I checked the cookbook and was shocked by the lack of recipe (I'm still tagging this with "The Cookbook" because as far as I'm concerned it should be in there). I scoured the internet. I called my madre. All were a little stumped on one detail or another. But eventually we worked out something that I think was just right or close enough. It brought back a slew of memories and was just as divine as I had hoped.

Sicilian Stuffed Artichokes

inspired by a memory of something Bisnonna used to make

[What You Need]

Artichokes

Italian Breadcrumbs

Ground red pepper flakes

Parsley

Oregano

Grated Parmesan cheese

Mozzarella cheese

Tomato sauce

1 egg

[What To Do]

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking dish.
2. Steam artichokes briefly using your preferred method. (I cheat and use the microwave method which involves placing the artichokes in a shallow dish of water in the microwave for about five minutes). The artichokes should be tender enough to pull the leaves apart gently.
3. Mix stuffing: breadcrumbs, spices, parmesan cheese, and egg
4. Taking a deep breath and guarding against burning your hands, slowly pry the leaves apart and put stuffing inside. This step has me convinced that Bisnonna could not feel pain from heat (the story of the cannoli molds and no means of removing the shells from them after frying will be related at a later date). Place artichokes in baking dish as you do this.
5. Cover artichokes in tomato sauce to taste. In my memories, Bisnonna flooded them with sauce and sopped it up using bread. I didn't use quite that much and some of my outer leaves were a little dry, so take that as you will.
6. Sprinkle some mozzarella on top.
7. Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour.

Kale and Conchigliette (Shells)

[not as ambitious as what I wanted to present (homemade pasta), but we'll keep that one for when I get it right]

This one's easy, but definitely worth the trouble, and while not spaghetti a decent follow-up to our last time excursion into the world of pasta history. (speaking of which, I've found a really fun infographic discussion pasta shapes. It's helpful for knowing the names of the wide variety out there: http://www.charmingitaly.com/different-types-of-pasta/ - It's how I knew what shells are actually -are-)

Kale and Shells

by Amy (inspired by a pasta casserole recipe in Cheesy Cheesy Quick and Easy)

[What You Need]

1 bunch lacy kale

1 package shell pasta

2 eggs

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1 egg

8 oz ricotta cheese

16 oz sauce of choice (I used a garlic and leek marinara)

mozzarella cheese for sprinkling

[What to do]

1. cook pasta according to instructions (one thing I've learned from this process is that pasta times vary)
2. mix egg, parmesan, ricotta, and kale (torn into small pieces) in a bowl
3. layer sauce, cheese mixture and shells in a well greased "lasagna" pan
4. cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour
5. remove cover and bake for 5 more minutes.

Ricotta Pie -or- Salvaging a Cassata fail

[I know, I've been so bad about posting lately. It's no excuse, but it's been a busy month and I haven't gotten much decent cooking done. I'll hopefully be better in the coming year.]

My plan was to use up extra ricotta from the lasagna to make cassata. As you can see, that did not work out for several reasons.

The other layer and filling were already done though! What's a girl to do, stuck with all this filling and only one layer of sponge cake?

The resourceful girl "invents" Ricotta Pie.

Ricotta Pie

by Amy (inspired by Bisnonna's Cassata recipe, which, hopefully, I'll eventually make correctly)

[What you need]

1 sponge cake (I used this recipe pretty much exactly, my madre's trick; however, is to buy one. If I had done that, I might actually have a Cassata to show you, so...tread carefully.)

1 lb ricotta

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped almonds and/or pistachios

1/2 tsp cinnamon

[What to do]

1. Bake or acquire sponge cake. Carefully (look at my disaster above to see not carefully) place in a pie dish.

2. Mix the rest of the ingredients together, spread carefully over the cake in a pie like fashion and everything will work out in the end.

Winter Vegetable Lasagna

My birthday's coming up this Saturday [today!] and my parents (and little sister) came up to visit and celebrate this past weekend. I thought it might be fun to celebrate by showing off a little: cooking something seasonal and fun. Not mention challenging. So I cast my net out for something I could create with the limited choices available in January. Winter vegetable lasagna answered the call.

I love making lasagna. If I could make only one dish to sum up the kinds of food I love to cook, lasagna would probably be it. I think that's why this dish spoke to me. It added my favorite winter squash, with my favorite starch (interesting enough in my favorite color, which is usual for it), with a new green that I have always wanted to try. All in my favorite sauce and cheese of course.

Lasagna is not an easy dish. Nor is it one for the impatient. Still, this delightful little number was perfect for our winter celebration.

Winter Vegetable Lasagna

Inspired by Frenchtown Community Garden

[What you need]

1 butternut squash
1 bunch swiss chard
3-5 blue potatoes (amount depends on size of potato. You also don't have to use blue, but they're pretty and very good for you!)
1/2 lb chorizo or Italian sausage
lasagna noodles
tomato sauce
~8 oz ricotta cheese
~8 oz mozzarella cheese
sage to taste

[What to do]

1. Cube squash and potatoes; Devein the chard and cut into strips.
2. Precook veggies and meat. I sauteed the chard, boiled the squash and potatoes in the microwave, and browned the meat on the stove. I'm certain your choice method will work just as well here.
3. Combine the veggies, meat, and a generous helping of sage.
4. Grease a 9x13 pan (Lasagna sticks. My sister buys disposable pans to make her lasagna it can get that bad.), arrange the noodles and layer tomato sauce, both cheeses, and filling mix.
5. Repeat until you have reached the top of your pan. Add one final open layer to the top. It looks pretty that way.
6. Cover and bake at 350*F for 50-60 minutes

[I find that I am slowly turning into my bisnonna as I write this recipes. I have a tendency to want to give you a list of ingredients and say "now go for it!". I'm resisting, of course.]

Beet Greens and Gorgonzola Spaghetti

I would say this dish is part of my Polish-Italian fusion repertoire. Beets, much like cabbage, are an important Eastern European food and goodness are they good for you! For many years, I've been enjoying them on my salads, but as one of my New Year's challenges is to learn how to prepare and use at least 5 new ingredients in my dishes, figured the lovely betaine rich beet would be a great place to start.

There are jars of beets pickling on my canning shelf right now, but that's not the only thing you can do with beets.

I was intrigued to learn that not only the roots of beets are edible. The tops are too. They're interesting. I was expecting a bitter flavor, like radish tops, but they have a unexpected natural saltiness that really intrigues me.

This recipe is quick and simple; easy enough to whip up on a busy weeknight.

Beet Greens and Gorgonzola Spaghetti

[What you need]

Spaghetti (or pasta of your choice)

Beet Greens chopped from one bunch of beets

Gorgonzola cheese

Tomato sauce

A spoonful of Italian breadcrumbs

Olive Oil

[What to do]

1. Put on water and start spaghetti
2. In the meantime, rinse the beet greens and saute them briefly in olive oil
3. When the spaghetti is ready, stir in the cheese and greens
4. Top with a small amount of tomato sauce and bread crumbs to serve

Quick New Years Stir-fry

Been a busy holiday around here. But never fear. I have something super tasty, beautifully colored, healthy and, most importantly, easy for you to whip up during a busy time.

[What you need]
Olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 head bok choy
1 head cauliflower (We used purple cauliflower, but any color will do. You have to admit the purple give it a certain something though)
~ 12 oz of shitake mushrooms

[What to do]

1. Press the garlic and let it sit a few moments as the oil heats up then add it to the pan.
2. Chop the bok choy, adding the stalks to the pan first (they take longer to cook) then the leaves
3. Chop and add cauliflower and mushrooms
4. Cover and simmer for about 5-8 minutes

See? Easy! Perfect for the night when you're tired of cooking elaborate holiday meals

Apple and Corn Datch

This week we're going to explore a different side of my heritage.

I grew up in Eastern Ohio, the land of the Pennsylvania Dutch. One of my favorite childhood treats (which I have definitely brought into adulthood) revolved around a trip out to a restaurant called Dutch Valley for the breakfast buffet. The memory of this recipe originates there.

"I should make apple fritters," I thought looking over the still massive number of apples left from apple picking.

"Anything like corn fritters?" My boyfriend asked, offering to make corn fritters.

I hadn't made either before. But somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered a combination pancake of apple and corn from days long gone by. I decided to begin the search.

The internet brought up a few apple fritters and corn fritters, but few apple & corn fritters in combination. Still, I refused to give up. Soon I came across a dish referred to as "datch" and began to wonder, could this be the long lost apple/corn pancake from the breakfast buffets of my youth? The recipes still mainly included apples or corn, but by this time I had decided to throw them together and see what stuck.

What resulted was an intriguing combination of savory and sweet that is heavenly with a little bit of butter. I'm not sure if it really counts as datch or it's the same foodstuff I remembered, but below is my attempt to recreate it.

Amy's Apple & Corn Datch

inspired by Pennsylvania Cooking and Goodreads user Valerie with adaptations by me

[ingredients]

2 apples, diced

3 ears of sweet corn

1 egg

2/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

oil for frying

[What to do]

1. Dice apples and cut the kernels off the ears of corn
2. Beat together egg, flour, and salt. Then slowly stir in apples and corn. The batter will be thin. Resist the urge to add flour. [I kept trying to, but my boyfriend stopped me saying that corn fritter batter is supposed to be thin...but he's the pancake chef after all. He would know.]
3. Fry much as you would a pancake: add a spoonful to the pan, flip when edges start to bubble.
4. Serve with butter and salt (to taste)

Slow Cooker Apple Butter-Sauce!

Last weekend we decided to go on an adventure:

apple picking!

It's early autumn and after a dismal crop last year, things in the area are looking up. Judging by the fact that we ended up with a full half-bushel of Macintosh apples in record time, I'd say it was a good year.

The only question was what to do with so many apples?

I scoured The Cookbook seeking apple recipes and found several, which will likely be featured over the next few weeks, but there were also a few that called for the apples to be in a little more cooked down state (apple butter or apple sauce). My mind immediately concocted a brilliant plan: instead of buying apple butter/sauce, why not make my own? Surely, I had enough apples on hand...Couldn't be too labor intensive, right?

Right on both counts!

I found the idea for making apple butter in the slow cooker on Pinterest, which was plenty exciting. Then I ran with it, creating a recipe to suit my own needs.

The hardest part for me was peeling the apples. There are amazing people on this earth who can peel an apple in one continuous loop. I am definitely not one of those people. Eventually I got all 15 apples peeled and it was easy going from there on out.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter/Sauce

Inspired by GuruToTheOutdoors  with heavy adaptations by my crazy brain

[ingredients]

15 apples (or however many you need - 15 is what filled my crockpot)

1/2 cup cane sugar

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ginger

3 tablespoons cinnamon

3 tablespoons lemon juice

[What to do]

1. Peel and core apples. Cut into cubes and add them to the crockpot.
2. Add lemon juice, stir. Then add dry ingredients, stir again.
3. Cook on low for 6 hours. Mash up with a spoon. - At this point it is thicker and more applesauce-like.
4. Continue cooking for another 2 hours. -Now we have apple butter!
5. If you like chunkier apple butter, leave as is. If you prefer a smooth consistency, blend the butter before canning.

My mixture made about 2 small and 1 regular sized jar as well as about 2 cups left over, which I intended for immediate use.