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Homemade Calzones – What Went Wrong?

August 30, 2010 in cooking, tips by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

A calzone is basically a pizza folded in half stuffed with cheeses and other goodies.  The ingredients used for fillings can be just as varied as the toppings for a pizza.

I’ve been reading about calzones because I’ve lately been into making my own pizza dough.

My husband loves calzones and I would love to be able to make them for him.  I tried it this past weekend and my results looked very promising.

The dough looked good and the filling looked good.  I did a ricotta and spinach filling.

We baked the calzones and were excited to bite into them.

The problem – they had no flavor.   My ricotta spinach pizza recipe has more flavor than this.

I’m asking for help here from those who may know a thing or two about calzones.  What did I do wrong?

My Own Conclusions:

1.  Dough – Regular basic pizza dough should not be used – no matter who says it can.  The dough has to be a really good dough – I don’t have such a recipe yet.  I don’t think it matters how the dough is made.  I used a bread machine, but a food processor like the Cuisinart food and dough mixer would work just as well – or simply make it by hand.

2.  Fillings – It’s not the same as pizzas.   Use a mix of cheeses including mozzarella.  The ricotta and spinach just didn’t carry much weight.  Perhaps I needed more garlic, salt – tomatoes?

3.  Baking – Should I have used an egg wash?   I had spread one calzone with olive oil on top, and the other I baked without olive oil on top.   The difference to me – none.

Is a calzone really as simple as making a homemade pizza and folding it over some fillings?   Based on my experience – No it isn’t.

Liz

SimpleItalianCooking.com

How To Make Easy Low Fat Italian Fruit Gelato

August 19, 2010 in Gelato, cooking, dessert by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

This recipe is the best of both worlds.  It’s super tasty and it’s low fat.  How can that be?  It’s really easy.  A few simple substitutions can make a big difference in calorie count.  In this recipe, cornstarch is substituted for egg yolks and low fat milk for the heavier, calorie dense kind.  Fresh or frozen fruit provides the sweetening as well as many healthful vitamins.

This Italian fruit gelato is especially good to make in the summer when fresh fruits are readily available.  But don’t despair if you don’t have any.  Frozen fruit is easily substituted for fresh.

IngredientsGelato with strawberries

  • 1/2 half cup of sugar
  • 3 thin strips of lemon (yellow part) 1/2 x 3″ long
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 2 cups low fat milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • fruit puree – see specific amounts below

Directions

  • Combine sugar and lemon peel in a large sauce pan.  Press the lemon peel into the sugar to release the lemon oil.
  • Add cornstarch
  • Stir in milk
  • Cook over medium heat for about five minutes, stirring with a whisk to prevent lumps from forming.  When the mixture comes to a boil, continue cooking for one minute.
  • Remove from heat and discard lemon strips.  Add the puree and vanilla to the mixture and let it cool.  Put it in your gelato maker and process.
  • If you are using an ice cream maker, you must make sure the mixture is very cold before you add it to your ice cream maker.

How to Prepare Puree

  • Blueberries:  Process about 3 cups of fresh or partially thawed frozen blueberries and 2 tbs of lemon in your food processor or blender.  Make sure the skins are chopped up fine.
  • Raspberries, blackberries, loganberries, boysenberries:  Process 3 cups of fresh or partially thawed frozen berries and 1 tbs of lemon juice in your processor or blender.  Then put them through a strainer to remove the seeds.
  • Strawberries:  Process 3 1/2 cups of fresh or partially thawed frozen berries and 1 tbs of lemon juice.

I hope you enjoy this low fat fruit gelato.  It tastes good and it’s good for you.

Stephanie
Italian Nonna

Simple Italian Cooking

How to Make Tiramisu

August 12, 2010 in Espresso, cooking, dessert by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

Tiramisu is a melt-in-your-mouth Italian dessert.  It is a layered dessert made in a flat pan that is light in texture and filled with hints of the most delightful flavors.  The name “tiramisu” means pick me up, which may have something to do with the strong espresso that is used in it.

Recipe

I am combining a few recipes to create a basic Italian  version.  There is really very little variation in the ingredients.  There may be a slight difference in quantities but that is all.  Of course, the more authentically Italian your ingredients are, the more Italian your Tiramisu will be.

Ingredients

  • Eggs, 3 large with eggs and yolks separated
  • Sugar, 1/2 cupTiramisu
  • Mascarpone, 8 oz.  Mascarpone is a triple cream cheese that is easily spread like thick cream.
  • Ladyfingers, 20
  • Espresso, 1 cup
  • Cognac or Brandy, 2 tablespoons
  • Cocoa, 1/8 cup

Directions

  1. Make the espresso in a stove top espresso maker and let it cool.
  2. Combine 3 egg yolks, 1 tablespoon espresso, sugar and Cognac into a large mixing bowl and beat 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Add the Mascarpone and beat 3 to 5 minutes until the consistency is smooth.
  4. In another bowl, combine 3 egg whites and a pinch of sugar.  Beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks.
  5. Gently fold into the Mascarpone mixture.
  6. Pour the rest of the espresso into a flat dish.  You are now ready to put the Tiramisu together.
  7. Take a ladyfinger and lay it flat, sugar side up, in the espresso and remove it immediately.  Lay it sugar side down in the Tiramisu dish.
    Use 1/2 of the ladyfingers.  If any are not dark with the espresso, just sprinkle a little more espresso on them.
  8. Spread 1/2 of the mascarpone mixture on the ladyfingers and sprinkle with cocoa.  Put the cocoa in a sieve and tap on the side to apply the cocoa evenly.
  9. Take the remaining ladyfingers and repeat step 7.
  10. Add the rest of the mascarpone mixture and sprinkle that layer with cocoa as described in step 8.
  11. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.  All the liquid will be absorbed by the ladyfingers and the flavors all blended together.

Storage

This dessert will keep in the refrigerator for several days, but I can’t imagine that there would be any left after the first time it is served.  Enjoy!

Stephanie
Italian Nonna

Simple Italian Cooking

Who wants gelato for dessert?

August 5, 2010 in Gelato, cooking, dessert by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

I wanted to share a basic gelato recipe with you, but I have to admit I was confused by the many “basic” recipes.  I researched several different versions and came up with the one below.  I found there are many variations in the ingredients and in the quantities.  I think this is one of those times when you just have to play with it and make adjustments to suit your tastes.  Here goes!

IngredientsDifferent types of gelato

  • 2 cups of milk (whole, low fat or non fat)
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1/4 cup of fat free powdered milk
  • 8 eggs (yolks only)
  • 1 cup of light cream or half & half or fat free half & half
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 3 cups of prepared fruit

Directions

Since the DeLonghi gelato maker has a built in refrigeration unit, you do not have to freeze your container ahead of time.

  • Heat the milk, sugar and powdered milk in a large saucepan with a heavy bottom.  Just heat to a slow simmer to dissolve the sugar and then lower the heat to keep the mixture warm.
  • Separate the yolks from the eggs.
  • Whip the egg yolks with a whisk or hand mixer until they are thick.
  • Slowly add 1 cup of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks constantly whisking while you pour.
  • Then pour the egg mixture back into the hot milk and increase the heat to medium.  Be sure to use a wooden or plastic spoon and stir for about 6-8 minutes until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.
  • Stir in the cream, whichever kind you have chosen and the vanilla.  Pour the mixture through a strainer into a bowl and chill the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
  • Prepare the fruit, whatever kind you want.  Just fix it the way you would as if you were going to eat it and then puree the fruit in the blender. Combine with the milk/cream mixture and put it in the DeLonghi removable bowl and turn on your gelato maker.  Your gelato will be ready in 30 minutes.  Yum!!

Like I said before, there are many variations of this recipe.  Some use less sugar, some less eggs.  And of course, there are many different flavorings you can use.  Let your imagination soar and create your own special gelato!

Stephanie
Italian Nonna

Simple Italian Cooking

Pasta, Pasta, Pasta

July 27, 2010 in Food, cooking by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

How many kinds of pasta are there?

There are certainly more types of individual pastas than you or I could name.  Some of them are familiar and some I have never heard of.  They can be divided into the following broad categories.

Long strands

  • Round- thin to wide – angel hair
  • Flat or ribbon pasta -thin to wide – linguine, lasagne

Short

  • Tubular – small to large, smooth or ridged, straight cut or diagonal-rigatoni, penne, mannicoti
  • Shaped – farfalle, wagon wheels
  • Stuffed – ravioli, tortellini

Long Pasta

Long pasta is best used with sauces made with olive oil or butter. Frequently, these sauces incorporate seafood such as clams or shrimp.  Light tomato sauces are fine too.  The light sauces allow you to twirl the pasta around your fork.  Please don’t cut with a knife.  Oh, horror of  horrors!  If you are adding vegetables to your sauce, be sure to cut them into small pieces or in strips so they blend in with the long pasta as in pasta primavera.

Short Pasta

The short pastas that are tubular or shaped,  because of their uneven surfaces,  hold the sauce better.  Heavier tomato and cream sauces are paired with these pastas.  Stuffed pastas such as ravioli or tortellini are also good with heavy tomato and cream based sauces.

I’m going to talk about the long strand pastas today.  I will cover the other types in another post.

Long Strand Round Pasta

The most familiar type of long strand round pasta is spaghetti.  Sometimes this is used as a catch all phrase to cover all kinds of long pasta.  Spaghetti is the oldest known type of long pasta and literally means “lengths of cords”.  Spaghetti is good with oil or tomato based sauces.

Angel hair is a thinner version of spaghetti.  It is often used with thin oil or butter sauces or broths.  It is frequently paired with vegetables or shrimp.  Any additions should be chopped very thin.

Long Strand Flat Pasta

In the world of long strand flat or ribbon pastas, linguine and lasagne are probably the most familiar ones.

When I think of linguine, I always pair it with red or white clam sauce.  They just go together.  Yum..a nice big serving of clams and linguine in a beautiful pasta bowl…that’s my comfort food!

Lasagne noodles are long, wide and flat.  Sometimes they are ruffled, sometimes not.  Lasagne also refers to the delicious baked dish made with layered lasagne noodles, and a filling of cheese, meat and/or vegetables.

Fettucine is also a flat, ribbon pasta which is a little wider than linguine.  Fettucine is typically used in rich, creamy sauces…think fettucine alfredo.

Whatever kind of pasta you choose, try to present it in a beautiful, hand painted pasta bowl.  And for dessert, enjoy some delicious  gelato made in your very own gelato maker.

Ciao,

Stephanie
Italian Nonna

Simple Italian Cooking

I’m an Examiner on Examiner.com

July 9, 2010 in cooking by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

Great News!  I’ve recently been approved to be a local contributor for www.examiner.com.   I have my own column where I write some short articles on Italian cooking topics.   Any suggestions?  If you are in the Charlottesville or Culpeper or surrounding area, let me know of any hidden Italian spots!

You can check out my column at http://www.examiner.com/x-54628-Charlottesville-Italian-Foods-Examiner. I’m not sure how I’ll keep up with all my writing though!  I actually started using some speech recognition software for my longer articles to give my poor finger joints a rest.   It works pretty cool, but always needs a lot of editing when I’m done.

You can subscribe to my articles at the link above by supplying your email address.   Feel free to do so or to send any writing topics my way!

Liz

Five Tips For Cooking Pasta

June 22, 2010 in cooking, tips by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

I did not grow up cooking Italian food, but I did grow up eating it.  Although there is a big difference, I did not realize the difference until I was older and needed to start cooking proper meals for my husband and I when we got married.

So I’d like to offer five very basic cooking tips related to pasta specifically, that I think are important to know when cooking Italian.  I know the list could go on and on, and if you’re reading this and would like to contribute your own tips, by all means do so.

  1. When bringing water to a boil for pasta add in ½ Tbsp. of salt only when the water comes to a boil, not before.  The reason for this is when the salt is added before the boil, a chemical reaction will occur which actually extends the time it takes for the water to come to a boil.

    Cooking Pasta

  2. Do not cook the pasta passed al dente.  Al dente means that the pasta will stick to the tooth and still has some chewiness to it.  You do not want the pasta to be mushy, as this is a serious Italian no- no.  In other words, it is still a little firm but there is no crunch.  Remember, pasta will continue to cook when it is removed from the water.When the pasta is done do not let it sit in the water until needed, but rather drain it right away then place it in a serving bowl which already has some sauce covering the bottom of the bowl, then add sauce on top- just enough to coat the pasta to prevent it from sticking to each other.  You will need to give it a good toss.
  3. Use a spoon to twirl your pasta if you want to.  I have read various opinions as to the authenticity of using a spoon for twirling.  Some people are adamant that this is Italian tradition, while others swear the opposite.  For myself, all I can say is I learned of the skill through my Sicilian mother in law’s family.  However, when I was in Italy I do not recall being given a spoon, so personally I think it just varies and there is no one right or wrong answer.
  4. For tomato oil based sauces and seafood dishes use long thin pasta noodles.  For creamier sauces or meat based sauces, use more sturdy and thicker noodles such as fettuccine and linguine.  Use short pasta when using recipes that involve more vegetables or seafood.  A perfect example would be Pasta Primavera.
  5. Not everyone likes garlic.  When you are uncertain about the quantity of garlic to use, then do not mince or chop the garlic.  Rather, leave it whole or cut it in slices.  This way when you serve the recipe in their own individual pasta bowl, they will have the aroma and flavor of garlic, however your guests or family members can choose not to eat the garlic.  Had it been minced or chopped, it would have been more potent and possibly undesirable for some.

There are many more Italian tips but this is enough for now.  If you have any please feel free to share them here!

Liz

Use these tips with recipes from my recipe box!

When to Combine Butter and Olive Oil for Italian Cooking

June 19, 2010 in cooking, tips by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

Have you ever seen Smart Balance advertise their olive oil and butter mixture?  Believe it or not, this is nothing new, and you can make it yourself.

It was new for me when I first got married.  My husband would take some butter in a container, and let it become soft. Then he would add in the container some olive oil and mix the two together.

We would use the mixture on our garlic bread or toast, to season our roasted chicken, and even to bake with.  The one thing we had to be careful of, was to make sure we did not add too much olive oil which would then overpower the butter taste.  Not exactly the flavor I wanted for my morning pancakes.

By using a mixture of olive oil and butter you will gain a few advantages.  One benefit is that you are cutting down on the amount of fat intake from the butter.  This is a good thing.

The other benefit is more scientific and directly related to cooking and not so much health.  Oil has a higher smoking point then butter does.

For those who are not sure what this means, imagine placing two separate pans on top of two burners over medium-high heat.  Place 2 tablespoons of the butter in one pan and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the other.  The butter will burn faster than the olive oil and the olive oil will begin to smoke later than the butter.  Olive oil smokes before burning, thus the term, “smoking point” not “burning point”. This is why they say olive oil has a higher smoking point than butter.

So what does this mean for those who want to cook Italian recipes?  It means a lot.  When you want to create a sauce which is a butter sauce, but not real thick – just something simple – this is when you would want to use the mix.

Point in case I’ll give you a recipe.

Take some olive oil along with some butter, not too much maybe a a few tablespoons of butter and half of that amount for the olive oil.  Let it melt over medium heat.  Add in a few tablespoons of Romano cheese,  mix well until the cheese has melted.  Add more cheese if you need to.

We are just looking for a nice light cream butter mixture – not a thick alfredo sauce.

Meanwhile cook some long pasta and when it is al dente add it to your butter sauce, give it a good toss adding more cheese or olive oil as needed.  Once heated through and mixed, serve the pasta in some pasta bowls and top with any remaining mixture or sprinkle with cheese.

Another easy recipe is to toast some breadcrumbs in the butter mixture (omit the cheese) and then add in the pasta and sprinkle some cheese on top when serving it.  This is often considered a peasant’s meal but you certainly do not have to be a peasant to eat this pleasant recipe!

Don’t forget to finish it all off with a nice tazzi of espresso.

How to Toast Nuts in the Oven

June 19, 2010 in cooking, nuts by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

Whether you are toasting almonds, walnuts, or pine nuts – how to toast nuts is pretty much the same method regardless of the type of nut.  Toasting nuts bring out more flavor and character which is less noticeable than when eating the nuts raw.

Here is the basic rule of thumb or guideline when wanting to roast or rather toast, some nuts.

Start by preheating the oven, or toaster oven, to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  While it is preheating place the nuts on a baking tray and spread them out so they are not overlapping or piled on top of each other.

By spreading them in a single layer you are allowing the nuts to toast evenly through the whole batch.  Once the oven is preheated, bake for 10 to 15 minutes.  Make sure to check on them periodically to make sure they do not begin to burn.

What you are looking for is a nice golden brown color.  However, remember that many nuts contains oils and as their temperature rises the oils will begin to heat and come out of the actual nut.  Oil can get very hot so be careful when removing them from the oven, and do not touch them directly, but instead let them cool.

The worst thing you can do is pop one of these aromatic delicacies in your mouth as you will be in quite a bit of pain if they have not cooled.

How do I know this?  Let’s just say, you can trust me on this one.

Nuts are a great source of omega three which is a fatty acid essential for proper brain function.  Omega three is commonly talked about in the Mediterranean diet, because you will get omega three through eating fish such as salmon or tuna which are very common food items in the Mediterranean region.

Some people think that you should never eat nuts because they are high in fat, but this is not the case.  Instead it is important to eat nuts which are not loaded with salt or butter, and to eat perhaps just a few handfuls a day.  Some would say one handful a day, but if are talking about the Italian eater let’s get real.

These are great snacks to keep that your desk or in the house.  It is also a good food item to have out when entertaining company or guests.

Enjoy your nuts, but remember you do not have to go to nutty over nuts!

Liz
SimpleItalianCooking.com

When Roasting a Chicken Place Veggies Underneath

May 20, 2010 in cooking, tips by Simple Italian Cooking Blog | No comments

Often times when cooking a chicken in the oven, it is advised to place a rack underneath the chicken.  Why do this?  Because it allows the heat and air to better circulate underneath and around the chicken.

But if you do not have a roasting rack don’t sweat it because here is a great tip – use your vegetables to hold up the chicken!

Use strips of carrot and celery and even onions, make a grid, and place the chicken right on top.   Not only will the chicken have the circulation it needs, but as it releases its juices, the vegetables will help create an instant base for a gravy!

However, if it is a fatty chicken, you might need to make sure not to have too much fat in the gravy.

If you don’t know how to bake a chicken, I have some easy recipes right in my recipe box here.

Liz

www.simpleitaliancooking.com
Easy Italian Recipes

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