tomato paste

Belligerent Bean Balls in Crisis (Polpette di Fagioli Rossi in Salsa Picante)

31 May 2011
Polpette di Fagioli Rossi in Salsa Picante

Red Bean Balls. Sounds delish, huh?

Well how about Polpette di Fagioli Rossi in Salsa Picante? That sounds a bit more appetizing, or at least a bit more glamorous, yeah? Because this is a blog, right? Aren't I supposed to make things sound appetizing? Yeah... in theory I suppose.

Still, no matter how you slice it– Polpette di Fagioli Rossi is just a fancy name for Red Bean Balls. You can call them what you like. You don't need me to make them sound delish. They ARE delish. Besides, does what I say really make one whit of difference? You see lately I have been feeling like calling things as they are. Red Bean Balls in a Spicy Sauce. There I said it, in plain English.

Let me also say that I am aware of my belligerent attitude. I am sure you've noticed it too. I think I am having a mid-life crisis– and by "me" I don't mean ME. I had my mid-life crisis at age 12. Gay people are forced to look reality hard in the face at a very young age. Even before they fully understand what it is that makes them different. So gay kids have two choices (or at least gay kids from my generation). These choices are simple and they contain a lesson that applies to so many aspects of life. These choices are put up or shut up.

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Red Bean Meatballs with Spicy Sauce (Polpette di Fagioli Rossi in Salsa Picante)

Red Bean Meatballs with Spicy Sauce (Polpette di Fagioli Rossi in Salsa Picante)
By jgreghenry Published May 31, 2011
Prep time: 45
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 1 c vegetable broth
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 1 stalk celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 4 T extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 fresh red chiles, such as arbol or fresno (or more to taste)
  • 1 T tomato paste
  • 1 clv garlic cloves, peeled
  • 0 sea salt, as needed
  • 8 oz pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans red beans
  • 1 large egg white
  • 0.75 c semolina flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 0.25 cup
  • 0.25 c canola oil

Directions

In a small saucepan combine vegetable broth, bell pepper, celery, 3 tablespoons olive oil, chili peppers, tomato paste, garlic clove, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Discard garlic clove. Brown the pancetta dice in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, about 8 minutes. Drain away most of the fat. In a food processor pulse the beans 8 or 10 times, scraping the sides of the bowl once or twice. They should remain quite chunky. Remove half the beans to a large mixing bowl. Puree the remaining beans, then scrape them into the same bowl with the chunky beans. To the bean bowl add the browned pancetta and about 1-tablespoon of its fat, the remaining olive oil, egg white, 1/4 cup (or less depending on wetness of mixture) semolina flour and about 1/4 teaspoon salt; blend the mixture together with your hands. Do not overmix. Form this mixture into thirty 1-tablespoon sized balls. They will be sticky, but be diligent. Put the remaining semolina flour into a shallow bowl. Lightly beat the whole egg in another shallow bowl. Dip 1 ball into the egg, letting excess drip away, then dredge it in the semolina flour to lightly coat on all sides. Transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining balls. In a large non-stick or cast iron skillet, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Fry the balls, in batches, rolling them around in the skillet as they cook to brown well on all sides. About 3 to 5 minutes per batch. remove them as they finish to a paper towel lined tray. Season them with salt while still warm. Reheat the sauce. Serve red bean meatballs in shallow bowls drizzled with some of the sauce.

Notes:

serves 6 Source: Adapted from La Cucina Italiana

Market Matters- Baked Italian Style Savoy Cabbage (Cavolo Verza al Forno)

30 Jan 2011
Savoy Cabbage from sippity Sup

Savoy cabbage, in my opinion, is pretty much the best cabbage there is. It seems to be rather seasonal here in Southern California. And this is its season. So when I see it, I grab it!

When I saw it today at the Hollywood Farmers Market, grab it I did! Because I have had something in mind for quite some time. I've just been waiting for our 80 degree winters to take a quick break. Well today cool temperatures and a bit of rain marked my Sunday at the Farmers Market. In fact, I barely got out of there before the wet weather began. So I rushed right home and started in on one of my favorite cool weather recipes. Baked Italian Style Savoy Cabbage (Cavolo Verza al Forno).

If you pay any attention at all to what I've been up to (and I know that you do), then you will have noticed that I've had a theme running these past few weeks. Comfort food. It was perhaps best illustrated through my recent Macaroni and Cheese with Lobster recipe. But I also had a classic American-Style Spaghetti and Meatballs. On that day I discussed that, to Americans, pasta served with meatballs is not only classic– it's comfort food to boot. But, in truth, it's not authentically Italian. Though I am sure many Italians have been comforted by it. Does that make sense?

Well today, I have a classic (and authentic) Italian comfort food. You guessed it. Baked Italian Style Savoy Cabbage (Cavolo Verza al Forno).

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Baked Italian Style Savoy Cabbage (Cavolo Verza al Forno)

Baked Italian Style Savoy Cabbage (Cavolo Verza al Forno) from Sippity Sup
By jgreghenry Published January 30, 2011
Prep time: 90
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 2 T unsalted butter
  • 1 c fresh or panko style breadcrumbs
  • 2 lb savoy cabbage, cut into 1/2" ribbons
  • 1 T olive oil, plus more as needed
  • 4 sweet italian suasages
  • 4 T tomato paste
  • 0 salt and pepper, as needed
  • 1 c mozzarella, grated, chopped or shredded
  • 1 c heavy cream
  • 0.5 c parmesan cheese, freshly grated
  • 0 crusty bread

Directions

In a small skillet set over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the breadcrumbs and toast, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Remove from the heat and set aside Prepare a large bowl with an ice bath. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of salt. Add the cabbage strips to the water, stir well and boil about 5 minutes. Drain the cabbage and add it to the ice bath to stop cooking. Dry the cabbage well using a salad spinner. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a deep 2 to 3 qt casserole or cocotte style dish with olive oil. Set aside. Remove sausage from casings and crumble. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the crumbled sausage, and heat gently. Stir in the tomato paste and 5 tablespoons water. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until done through, about 10 minutes. Spoon about 1/3 of the cabbage onto the bottom of the prepared casserole dish, and smooth out to an even layer. Season with salt and a generous amount of black pepper. Top the cabbage with half of the mozzarella in an even layer. Then add half the cooked sausage on top of that in an even layer. Repeat the process, then add the remaining 1/3 cabbage as the final layer. Season well and pour the cream over the top. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Bake 45-50 minutes, until browned and bubbly. Serve hot in shallow bowls with some of the liquid and plenty of crusty bread on the side.

Notes:

serves 6 Source: Adapted from The Silver Spoon

You Say Cacciucco, I say Brodetto- Rustic Italian Fish Soup

02 Jun 2010
Sippity Sup's version of Italian Fish Soup Brodetto

If you speak Italian you probably realize that brodetto is a word that means more than one thing. To those in Florence brodetto is an eggy bread soup with lots of lemon served at Easter. However in towns closer to the Adriatic brodetto is a hearty kind of fish stew similar to what we might call cioppino, or what the Tuscans might refer to as cacciucco.

Why the confusion? Well, until modern times very few Italians spoke “Italian”! There were regional dialects and most people were more comfortable speaking the language of their families.

But all this does not explain why I had a bit of trouble finding a recipe for the traditional Italian fish soup I know as brodetto, and the point of this story. You see, it all started in Palm Springs last weekend. I know, I know– Palm Springs and Italian fish soup is a stretch, but let me explain. You see I discovered in Palm Springs that Marcalla Hazan has a wonderful version of brodetto in one of her cookbooks. I happened to flip through a copy while at a friend’s house there.

After glancing at that recipe (I saw pureed fish heads and I was sold) I knew I was destined to come home and research this soup. It’s what I do when I get food obsessed. But in this instance, I should have borrowed the book. Because when I got home I scoured the internet and my vast collection of cookbooks seeking out a version of her recipe or at least something similar enough. It was a no go! I came up empty handed. Partly because brodetto could be so many things, local ingredients seem to be the ties that bind the dish to the name. Those ingredients do not even have to be fish!

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