L'Appetito

Chris and I recently went to a place he's been wanting to try: L'Appetito in Glenview, IL. They sell all kinds of Italian food and sandwiches. I've also read that they are starting other locations, but they are still family-owned. When we got there, I stood inside for a good 10 minutes trying to decide what to have... We decided, first and foremost, to try the arrancini. Those are balls of risotto, stuffed with meat sauce or mozzarella, and breaded and fried. We had them passed as an appetizer at our wedding reception at Monastero's in Chicago, but I was so busy with the chatting and whatnot I never got to try one:



Chris said he preferred the ones at Monastero's, because he thought they were a little spicier. Well, I couldn't compare, but I thought these were crispy, mild and delicious. They had meat sauce, mozzarella and even peas and carrots in the center.

Chris got a sandwich with prosciutto and mozzarella:



Mine was called the "melanzana," and had eggplant in it. It was delicious!



For dessert, I had straciatelli (chocolate chip) gelato, and Chris had a mixed-berry sorbet (he so loves those fruity flavors. (And yes, he is "all man"):



I definitely want to go back and try everything! Next time, I will have a cannoli, and try their cappucino...

Fo' Rizzle

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Chicken Fajitas

My recipe for chicken (or beef, or veggie) fajitas is based on what I saw the cooks do at Ruby Tuesday's when I worked there. Only I won't tell you what they called the fajita sauce, because it will take your appetite away. And anyway, it bears no resemblance to that substance so I don't even know why they called it that.



Liberally dust the chicken, or whatever meat you are using, with mexican seasoning and salt. Grill it separately. (I use a grill pan, but when we get a house and a gas or charcoal grill, watch my smoke!) Slice bell peppers separately (I'm not a huge fan of the green peppers, but those will work too) and onions in long slices. Sautee them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. When they are beginning to soften, add butter, lime juice, and liberal amounts of worcheshire sauce. That's the big secret sauce! I try and use less butter (just a pat or two), and add some chicken stock -- but you can put up to a stick in there if you want it to taste like it does in the restaurants. Personally, I like it this way better, and it is not greasy.

Slice the grilled meat separately, and add it to the peppers and onions. Add chopped cilantro at the end, and take it off the heat. Serve with tortillas, cheese, sour cream, salsa, shredded lettuce, guacamole, black beans -- whatever fajita fixings you like.

Insalata Caprese

Oh, my very favoritest food in the entire world. Probaly. Probably almost always sometimes. The fancy and proper Christian name here is "insalata caprese," but it is only tomatoes, fresh buffalo mozzarella, and basil drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, and salted and peppered.

We likes ta scoop it up on crusty French or Italian bread, precious. Uhh.

Heaven, Bryan Adams... heaven.

Clam and Gorgonzola Pasta

Something I've been going back to a lot nowadays is clam fettucini. I seem to be posting a lot of nostalgia lately... But like a lot of things, here is something Dad used to do, with my own twist on it:

1 can chopped clams
olive oil
toasted pine nuts
chopped garlic
a tsp. lemon juice, or more if fresh
chopped parsely, if you have it
red pepper flakes
about 1/4 cup of white wine
crumbled gorgonzola cheese (also optional, but dear god, worth it)
fettucini or whatev

Before you put any olive oil in the pan, heat it and toast a handful of pignolis (pine nuts) in it until they are fragrant and browned. I always toast the pine nuts, because it makes a big difference in the flavor you get out of them. Then add a few tablespoons (you're coating pasta with this, so use a little more than you would in other things) of olive oil and chopped garlic (as much as you like). After the oil is heated, throw the whole can of clams in, liquid and all. Then add the wine, and let it simmer for just a few minutes. You can add the red pepper now, if you like a more generalized heat, or add it when you toss the pasta if you like those occasional "surprises" of heat. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add in the clam sauce. Crumble in the gorgonzola, and toss in the chopped parsely and lemon juice. Easy peasy.

I could eat this every day. It is slightly salty, tangy and rich comfort food, and it only takes about as long as opening a jar of sauce.

Oh, and check out Costco for good prices on the gorgonzola and pignolis.

Mexican Seasoning

I got tired of opening several containers (and then closing several containers) to season Mexican food the way I like it. So I bought all the seasonings, whisked them in a bowl, and poured them into a large parmesan cheese shaker I bought at the dollar store. Doesn't matter how much you make, just use equal parts (one jar, or a half-jar) of each of the following:

one part coriander
one part cumin
one part chili powder
1/2 parts garlic powder
one part onion powder
1/4 to 1/2 part cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you want it) OR
1/4 part hot chili mix plus smoked paprika

Now I just liberally dust whatever I want to have that Latino flavah, and add salt. Done!

Studying the Beef Enchilada

Had two buddies over to study last night and write up a thirty-minute project for school. I took the opportunity to duck out of the room and make some sloppy beef enchiladas. Just sauteed onions, browned beef, drained and salted with my Mexican seasoning added. Roll 'em up in a pan, cover with a can of enchilada sauce and smother with shredded cheddar and bake until melty. Mmmm, "I know ya likes 'em sloppy!!"

Egg Creme or Egg Cream

No egg, no cream.

Thanks to my father, a native New Yorker, I have had the rare Midwestern privelege of growing up with the egg creme. I haven't seen them much around these parts. In high school, my friend Jen had ballet classes once a week in Chicago in the evening. As her friend, who was free from the shackles of any such talent, I would accompany her to the city and roam around downtown until she was finished with class. It was then I discovered that egg cremes were sold at a little place deep in the Roosevelt Metra train station. But other than that, my only experience with it has been at my own house (outside of New York).

Pour enough chocolate syrup into the glass to cover the bottom. Add about three fingers of milk, and pour in the seltzer water. Leave several inches at the top -- the foam will really come up and you'lll be striving to suck it out before it flows over the sides. Stir it up, chug it down.

The secret to a good egg creme is to buy the seltzer in small bottles or cans. If you buy the big bottle, it will lose its fizz and that lovely foam will be absent. Very refreshing, and if you're like me, nostalgic too.

BBQ Bacon Deluxe Cheeseburger Pizza

The Loaded Gun...

I love to try new pizza ideas. I actually come up with some weirdos, based on what I have as leftovers ? but so far, everything has come out well. I usually use a Boboli or generic whole-wheat premade pizza crust (because I?m always looking for the extra nutritional edge on my junkfood), but you can choose your favorite homemade, refrigerated dough, or even Boyardee from the box is pretty good as a "base."

leftover beef or turkey burger patties, crumbled (you just need one or two)
chopped onions (I like to saut? them first) or green onions
tomatoes, chopped or sliced
crumbled bacon
canned mushrooms, drained, or saut?ed fresh
leftover French fries or potato wedges
pasta sauce, and a drizzle of BBQ sauce
cheddar cheese shreds, or mozzarella

You?ll have to trust me on the leftover French fries (for those of you familiar with Leona?s pizza, you?ll recognize that this is on their list of pizza ingredients, which is where I got the idea. Also, I?ve seen Emeril put mashed potatoes on his pizza -- but more on that later). I spread the pasta sauce on the bottom, top with all the ingredients but the cheese, and drizzle across with BBQ sauce. Then I top it with the cheese and bake. It's like three high cholesterol meals in one: a burger, fries, and a pizza. Of course I used turkey bacon and turkey meat, but you could totally use the beef and the pork and tell me, is there a better way to die?

Very good with a green salad with ranch dressing. Or, just dip the pizza in ranch dressing and skip the lettuce.


...Cocked, Locked, Ready to Rock!

Breakfast Biscuits

These are just store-bought biscuits. We like Pilsbury Oven-Baked Southern-Style. The husband is a huge fan of the breakfast biscuit format, so we try and lighten it up as much as we can. These in the pikkie are veggie sausage and reduced-fat cheddar. That's about 20 g less on the fat -- and it's just a Saturday treat.

Today we had turkey bacon instead of the sausage. I have a good time scrambling one egg at a time, swirling it around the pan, and folding up the egg so that it looks like that McDonald's "bedsheet egg" thing they do.

Bolognese Pasta Sauce

Pasta Bolognese is actually not something I grew up eating. My father?s sauce had whole pieces of meat cooked in it (short ribs, meatballs, and Italian sausage), and I sort of looked down on sauces with ground meat in them, in the same vein as those who put green pepper in their sauce. (Blecchh). I much preferred the ?runny? style that Dad and my aunt called ?tomato gravy.? Then, I married someone of northern Italian descent, and began watching FoodTV incessantly. I still never ordered Bolognese at a restaurant, because I?m always trying something that seems a bit more ?special.? However, Chris and I went to an Italian restaurant in Libertyville last Valentine?s Day, and the meat sauce was screaming my name so loud I wondered if others could hear. Mmm. Good stuff.

I made this recipe for a dinner party, and I didn?t allow enough cooking time, and we didn?t eat until about 9 pm. It takes a couple of hours (DON?T skimp on the cook time), but it is really simple and doesn?t require much supervision (I had several drinks before it reached completion and it still came out well). I think it was well worth the wait, and it freezes and reheats beautifully. This recipe (and enjoy this, it is a REAL recipe and you won?t see those here that often!) is from the Italian Cooking Encyclopedia ? a beautiful book that I?m pretty sure my mother-in-law bought us. Pictures for every recipe! (Note to Rachel Ray ? you need more pictures in your cookbooks).

2 Tblesp butter
4 Tblesp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 Tblesp. pancetta or unsmoked bacon, finely chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
12 oz. lean ground beef
salt & pepper to taste
2/3 cup red wine
? cup milk
1 x 14 oz. can plum tomatoes, chopped, with their juice
1 Tblesp. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
? tsp. fresh thyme leaves

Heat the butter and oil in a heavy saucepan or earthenware pot. Add the onion, and cook over moderate heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the pancetta, and cook until the onion is translucent. Stir in the carrot, celery and garlic. Cook 3-4 minutes more.

Add the beef, and crumble it into the vegetables with a fork. Stir until the meat loses its red color. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour in the wine, and raise the heat slightly, and cook until the liquid evaporates. Add the milk, and cook until it evaporates. The book says these take a few minutes, but it took about ten each for me (I had doubled the recipe).

Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, and the herbs and tomato paste. Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered for 1 ? to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaf and correct the seasoning before serving. Garnish with fresh basil or chopped Italian parsely, and plenty of parmesan cheese! The sauce that comes out isn't very "tomatery..." although I made the pictured batch with too much tomato paste (accidente), and it still came out tasty.

I pretty much always use ground turkey meat, but in this recipe, you?ll regret it. It just ain?t the same. Use the beef. Shown served on aneletti pasta (like they use in Spaghetti-O?s) as leftovers ? but excellent on tagliatelle (traditional), pappardelle, fettucini or other broad-noodle pasta.

Marshall Field's Chicken Salad

When I worked downtown, we often went over to the greatest salad bar in the world: in the basement of Marshall Field's. (Now that Field's has been purchased by Macy's, I dunno if it is still there or not. I'm not downtown anymore, either. Nice thing I ripped off their chicken salad while the getting was good). This salad is fantastic! Here are the ingredients as I approximated them:

~ 2 cups canned chicken, or fresh shredded chicken
~ ½ cup dried or fresh blueberries (blackberries work, too)
fresh chopped rosemary to taste, or ground dried rosemary
~ ½ cup gorgonzola or bleu cheese crumbles
~ ½ cup pounded or ground walnuts or pecans
lemon juice, 1 or 2 tablespoons
extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Drain or shred the chicken, and add as much of the other ingredients as you like. I don't often have fresh blueberries or rosemary, so I usually end up using dried blueberries from Costco and canned chicken (then this is a convenient "pantry" salad). I grind the dried rosemary in a coffee grinder that I use for spices, because the dried stuff tends to stick in your teeth. I add olive oil and mix until the salad is moist and hangs together (this can be up to ½ cup or so). The salad is rich and I usually have a scoop of it on a bed of mixed greens with a little dressing drizzled around the edges. I like Paul Newman's Raspberry and Walnut Light dressing.

Bobazzi Chef Salad

Sometimes you just gotta have a chef salad. I?m not a fan of iceberg, but some find it refreshing on a hot day. I use Romaine or mixed greens. Here are some of the things I like on mine:

chopped carrots
green onions
boiled eggs
ham or turkey deli meat
cucumber slices
pepperoncinis or banana peppers
shredded cheddar
crumbled bacon (I use turkey)

I just gotta have bleu cheese dressing on mine, but I try and keep it to the lower fat varieties. As per usual, I like the Just 2 Good dressing. Oh, and the word ?bobazzi? arrives courtesy of my brother. I think it means, ?better than the bomb.? But whatever you crazy kids think.

Chicken Roll-Ups

I based these on something I saw Giada De Laurentiis do on Food TV. Of course I didn?t bother to check her recipe. And I gave it a name that I'm sure is much more white-trash than whatever she gave it (probably Florentine something-or-other). But here's how I do it, and they come out great!

chicken cutlets, either pounded flat between plastic wrap or purchased scallopini-style
1 pkge. frozen spinach
1 egg
parmesan cheese
thinly sliced ham or prosciutto (as many slices as will cover your chicken cutlets)
fresh or dried sage
chicken broth (I use the cartons)
about a 1/4 cup white wine
butter and extra virgin olive oil
2 Tblesp. flour
toothpicks or skewers -- not the dyed kind (will dye the chicken. Guess how I discovered this).

Lay out your thin cutlets, and cover each with the ham or prosciutto. In a separate bowl, mix the (rinsed and drained -- squeeze it well) spinach and 1 beaten egg, plus some salt and pepper and a handful of parmesan. Spread the spinach on the chicken. Roll the cutlets and pin the edges with toothpicks. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet, and brown the rolled chicken on all sides. Place rolls in a casserole dish, and finish cooking in the oven for about 30 minutes at 375 degrees, or until done. Meanwhile, in the pan you browned in, add a bit more oil and a pat of butter and melt together. Add a tablespoon or two of flour until you have a roux. Add wine and chicken broth a little bit at a time, allowing sauce to thicken after each addition. Add until you have the consistency you want for your gravy. Add salt and pepper to taste, and sage or even poultry seasoning. Serve over chicken, with toothpicks removed (after it is cooked, the chicken will stay together).

Goes great with artichoke hearts with bleu cheese, and Jon Stewart.

Artichoke Hearts with Bleu Cheese

I got this recipe from the South Beach Diet book. Which I got for free. (And no, I'm not on the diet... Sporadically, maybe.) Since the first couple of times I've made it, I have probably added more bleu cheese and nuts each time! As per usual, I don't really follow the measurements anymore. The following reflects the way that I make the dish now (I'm too lazy to get up and look at the book. Anyway, this will taste better).

2 packages artichoke hearts
1/2 cup ground or pounded walnuts/pecans
1/2 cup bleu cheese/gorgonzola crumbles
grated parmesan
lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the frozen artichoke hearts under warm water until they separate and the ice is gone. Arrange in a baking dish. Stir in the gorgonzola or bleu, sprinkle with juice, salt and pepper to taste, and top with the nuts and parmesan. Spray lightly with cooking spray so that it browns nicely. Bake at about 350 degrees for ~ 25 minutes or until browned and cheese is melty.

This goes really well with the Chicken Roll-Ups.