Gnocchi Duo

Prep time: 15 to 20 minutes
Serves: 3 to 4

In Italian cuisine, gnocchi are treated as a first course and are featured among the pasta dishes on a menu. Classic gnocchi are made of potatoes and flour and served with different sauces. Since it's difficult for me to be limited to one sauce and one flavor, I serve gnocchi with a duo of sauces. This recipe calls for a tomato sauce and a walnut-olive oil drizzle over the gnocchi. It's simple to make and a delight to the eye and palate.

Ingredients:
One pound (16 ounces) ready-made gnocchi (vacuum-packed or frozen)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup tomato sauce, made ahead (see tomato sauce recipe for spaghetti, previously published on this blog on 8-25-10)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Dash ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly ground walnuts
4 walnut halves (for garnish)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese

In a 5-quart saucepot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and salt. Cook on medium-high heat, uncovered, until gnocchi rise to the surface (about 3 to 4 minutes).

Transfer saucepot to a cool surface. With a slotted spoon, gently remove gnocchi from water, dividing them equally among three or four dinner plates.

Working with one plate of gnocchi at a time, drizzle one tablespoon of the oil on half of the gnocchi, followed by some black pepper and a sprinkle of walnuts. Garnish with a walnut half. Spoon some tomato on other half of the gnocchi in plate and garnish with a parsley sprig.

Repeat with remaining plates of gnocchi. Ask each guest to add their own cheese.

Wine suggestion: Bordeaux (red or white).

Note: Do not overcook gnocchi, as they will become mushy and fall apart. When buying gnocchi, you may have to experiment with different brands until you find one that you like.

My favorite Italian brands are: Ferrara® and DeCecco®. Both varieties are vacuum-packed and found in the pasta section of supermarkets or international markets.

As for a frozen brand, I recently found La Salteña® gnocchi at an Argentine market/restaurant called Buenos Aires, located in Van Nuys, California.

Text and Photographs © Nancy Real 2010

Buzzzin' Chili

Prep time: 10 minutes
Inactive prep time: 30 minutes (for cooking)
Serves: 4 to 6

Homemade chili is always so comforting, especially with some freshly baked cornbread and a nice glass of red wine. This one-dish meal gets its "buzzz" from chipotle ahumado powder which will definitely warm you up in Autumn weather. The flavors of this dish are enhanced when the chili is made a day ahead. This means that leftover, warmed-up chili tastes great up to three days later - and there's no need to cook for a while!

Ingredients:
4 large vine-ripened tomatoes, boiled, cooled and peeled
One 14.5-ounce can Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Chipotle
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds extra lean ground beef or organic, grass-fed extra lean ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle ahumado powder or regular chili powder
2 cups cooked kidney beans, drained, or one 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Purée the boiled tomatoes and canned tomatoes together in a blender and set aside.

Heat oil in a 4-quart saucepot. Add the ground beef and the onions and, with a wooden spoon, stir fry on medium-high heat until meat is broken up and turns gray, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Pour in the puréed tomatoes and stir. Cook on medium-low heat, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the salt, sugar and the lesser amount of chili powder and cook 2 minutes. Stir in the kidney beans and cook until they are heated through, about 2 more minutes. Taste and adjust the chipotle ahumado powder or chili amounts.

Serve immediately in individual bowls accompanied by Columbus Day Cornbread (previously published on this blog).

Wine suggestion: Pinot Noir - this red wine pairs well with chili.

Note: You can find chipotle ahumado powder online at gourmetsleuth.com.

Text and Photographs © Nancy Real 2010

Mozzarella di Bufala Starters

Prep time: 15 to 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Mozzarella di bufala is made with fresh buffalo milk. This delicacy is a specialty of Campania, Italy, where the production of dairy products is rooted in the region's ancient Greco-Roman past. In 1570, the great connnoisseur of regional Italian cookery, Bartolomeo Scappi, mentioned "mozzarella di bufala" for the first time in his culinary treatise, Opera. The word "mozzarella" derives from the verb "mozzare", a hand gesture which divides an elongated piece of "pasta filata" or freshly pulled cheese into single "mozzarelle" (Italian, for mozzarellas).

Notice the photo with the mozzarella and layout of ingredients - these starters are intended to be fun to make, pleasing to the eye and exquisite. The final photo is what you get ... and what you eat!

Ingredients:
One 8-ounce or two 4-ounce fresh buffalo mozzarellas (packaged in water)
4 wooden skewers, set aside until ready to use
8 slices olive bread
8 fresh basil leaves
1 vine-ripened tomato, cut into 4 slices
1 Heirloom tomato (reddish-yellow in color), cut into 4 slices
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Salt and pepper, to taste
12 olives, for garnish

If using one 8-ounce mozzarella, cut it into 4 slices and cut each slice in half to yield a total of 8 pieces.
If using two 4-ounce mozzarellas, cut each one into 4 slices (you will have a total of 8 pieces). Set aside.

Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter or a glass, cut each slice of bread to yield a total of 8 round bread slices. Save the leftover bread pieces in a sealed food storage bag for another use (such as enjoying them on a future binge).

For each serving, use 2 bread rounds, 2 basil leaves, 2 mozzarella slices, 1 vine-ripened tomato slice, 1 Heirloom tomato slice and assemble as follows:

Push a skewer through the center of one bread round, positioning the bread within a 1/2-inch of the skewer's tip. Follow with a basil leaf and then alternate the mozzarella and tomato slices. While assembling, drizzle oil and sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the mozzarella slices.

End with a basil leaf and a bread round.

With shears, trim the remaining skewer, leaving 1/2-inch of the skewer tip outside the bread round.

Repeat above assembly three more times. Arrange on a platter, garnish with olives and serve immediately.

Buon Appetito!

Wine suggestion: chilled Greco di Tufo - this is one of my favorite whites from the region of Campania, Italy.

Note: Do not prepare this recipe ahead of time, as the mozzarella will become watery and change its texture.

Text and Photographs © Nancy Real 2010

When in Rome, Eat Spaghetti

Prep time: 30 minutes

Serves 4

There's no doubt about it - the inspiration for publishing this family dish came from the movie, Eat, Pray, Love®. Spaghetti has never been high on my list of favorite pasta varieties. However, when I saw Julia Roberts slurping up that succulent spaghetti in Rome, "mi è venuta una gran voglia di mangiare spaghetti" or, "I suddenly got the craving for spaghetti".

Here's the spaghetti and sauce recipe I was raised with in Italy - it's easy, fresh and sweet. Please promise that after making this tomato sauce, you'll ignore all jarred, ready-made sauces forever!


Ingredients:
3 pounds large red heirloom tomatoes (about 10 to 12 count)
6 to 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, whole
Dash freshy grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper, to taste
6 to 7 fresh basil leaves, whole or slivered
1 pound spaghetti
1 teaspoon salt
4 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese, grated

Quarter the tomatoes, remove and discard seeds. In a food processor or by hand, coarsely chop the tomatoes and set them aside in a large bowl.

In a 2-quart saucepot, heat the oil and stir fry the garlic cloves until they turn golden brown. Remove saucepot from heat. Pour the chopped tomatoes over garlic and oil in saucepot and bring to a boil. Stir in the grated nutmeg.

Cook tomato sauce on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the fresh basil, set aside and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a 4-quart saucepot, bring water to a boil. Add spaghetti to boiling water. Using tongs, push the pasta into the water as it softens. Set heat on medium and boil the pasta 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is al dente or crunchy-tender.

Drain pasta and transfer it to a large glass or porcelain serving bowl. Add 3 ladles of tomato sauce and stir gently.

Serve pasta in individual bowls and top with some tomato sauce. Ask guests to add their own grated cheese.

Wine pairing: Fiano di Avellino (white); Cabernet Sauvignon or Sangiovese (reds).

Buon Appetito!

Note: To avoid overcooking, begin tasting pasta after 6 minutes cooking time (since each pasta variety has a different density, cooking times will vary).

Text and Photographs © Nancy Real 2010

Fancy Fennel Salad

Prep time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6


Due to the pronounced anise flavor of fennel, it has always been difficult for me to eat this bulb. I discovered that if I combine fennel with other ingredients, such as lemon, olive oil, and mint, it transforms into a delicious food. Recently, I arranged it on a plate with tomatoes and oranges. The color scheme turned out very lively and the fennel salad - quite fancy.

Ingredients:
2 fennel bulbs, green stems discarded
2 vine-ripened tomatoes
4 medium oranges, peeled, rind removed
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
4 tablespoons finely shredded mint leaves
12 assorted pitted olives (I use 6 kalamata and 6 green olives)

Using a potato peeler, lightly peel outer section of fennel bulbs. On a cutting board, slice the bulbs lengthwise, making 1/4-inch thick pieces; set aside.

Cut tomatoes and oranges into 1/4-inch thick slices and arrange them with fennel slices, intermittently, on a plate. Add lemon juice, salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Finish the salad with a sprinkle of shredded mint leaves and garnish with olives.

Serve Fancy Fennel Salad alongside Salmon Nicoise Salad; Kiwi, Mozzarella & Papaya Skewers; or Roasted Peppers (recipes previously published by The Kitchen Buzzz).

Text and Photographs © Nancy Real 2010

Spicy Indian Chicken

Prep time: 30 minutes
Serves 4


I created this recipe for my husband who rates Indian food as his number one choice whenever we go out to dinner. While I avoid the heavily condimented dishes such as curries, I enjoy lighter fare which usually includes lots of vegetables. This chicken dish is spicy, aromatic and a feast for the eyes and palate!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (safflower or sunflower oil preferred)
1 to 2 Serrano chiles, stems discarded and flesh cut into thin circles
1 each red and green bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 large red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rings
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1/8 teaspoon each ground cumin, chili and curry powder
Salt, to taste
One pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/3 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro leaves
3 tomatoes, quartered (pulp removed and discarded)

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch skillet and stir fry the chiles, peppers and onion on medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, spices and salt and stir fry 30 seconds longer. Transfer the stir fried vegetables to a plate and set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the same skillet and add the chicken pieces; stir fry on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup chicken broth; cover and cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for an additional 3 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (cut into one piece and taste it).

Add the stir fried vegetables to the chicken in skillet, followed by the chopped cilantro leaves and tomatoes. Stir to heat for 1 minute, and add salt, to taste.

Serve immediately with steamed rice and a glass of chilled Pinot Grigio wine.

Vegan Variation: Replace chicken with one package extra firm tofu, cut into 1-inch squares. Instead of chicken, stir fry tofu pieces in 4 tablespoons oil, on medium-low heat, 1 to 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Follow remaining recipe directions.

Tip: If desired, add a little more cumin, chili or curry, to taste. If making this recipe with kids in mind, do not add more spices and omit the Serrano chiles.

Note: I prefer a curry powder called Neera's Curry Masala (An Authentic Indian Spice Mix), which is a blend of over 20 different exotic spices used for curries and vegetable sautes. This product is sold on Amazon.com, at gourmet and ethnic food shops.

Text and Photographs © Nancy Real 2010