Meatloaf is NOT Sexy

It does not photograph well.  Who said?  I for one, think meatloaf is VERY sexy.

Meatloaf with dandelions
All photos - Copyright - ©2011 - La Casa e Il Giardino – picasaweb

Ingredients 

1/2 lb. pork *

1 lb. beef*

2 cups day old bread crumbled     

2 chopped tomatoes

1 red medium onion, chopped

1 yellow medium onion, chopped

2 red chilies

2 green peppers

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 cup chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

* 2 lb. chopped turkey may be substituted

In a medium saute pan, over medium-low heat, add the olive oil and cook the onions and peppers until translucent, but not browned, approximately 15 minutes.  Add salt and pepper. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Combine the ground meat, bread crumbs, chopped tomatoes, parsley, egg, and onion and pepper mixture in a large bowl. Mix well and shape into a rectangular loaf on an ungreased sheet pan. 

Uncooked

Bake for 1 hour in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees until the meatloaf is cooked through. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Meatloaf cooked - nicely browned and very moist

Once out of the oven let the meatloaf rest for 15 minutes.  This should make it easier to slice.  When slicing cut a generous slice.

Swordfish Rolls Stuffed with Zucchini - Involtini di Pesce Spada con Zucchine

Once in a while, I like to propose tasty, light dishes without sacrificing the flavors and aromas of good food.  In March, I posted Barley and Vegetable Soup.  Today, I am suggesting another ideal recipe in order to eat light without sacrificing the palate.

All photos - Copyright - ©2011 - La Casa e Il Giardino – picasaweb

Ingredients for 2 people

6 filets of swordfish (other firm fish filet may be substituted)

2 small zucchini

2 fresh tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic

Sprig of mint

2 tablespoons of wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Remove the skin from the tomatoes and chop.

Wash and cut the zucchini into sticks. Saute'  them in a pan with ½ of the oil and one clove of chopped garlic. Add the vinegar, chopped mint and salt.

Place the cooked zucchini at the center of each fish filet and create a roll.

In a pan add, the rest of the chopped garlic and sauté the fish rolls for few minutes.  In the same pan, add the chopped tomatoes and warm up for a few minutes. Serve by placing the fish rolls around the tomatoes.

 

Why I like Marigolds

Marigolds get no respect.

All photos - Copyright - ©2011 - La Casa e Il Giardino – picasaweb

Many people I know do not like marigolds because of their colors—gold, yellow, and orange which many people think are autumn colors.  Some people don’t care for the scent.  Others say that marigolds seem out of place in summer.  I think otherwise.

Petunias, impatiens, roses and hydrangeas are not the only flowers to decorate our yards in the summer.

I love marigolds. The colors are spectacular and when mixed with purple petunias or foliage and red geraniums, they make for a great show of color.

I also find marigolds to bloom reliably, are very low maintenance and some of us like that smell.

In the fall I pick the dried flower heads and save to plant the next spring.

I think marigolds are beautiful flowers.  I like them.  How about you?

Preserving Garden Herbs - Conservare le Erbe del Giardino

What makes those summer dishes flavorful are the fresh garden herbs. To relish those flavors all year long, I preserve my garden herbs.

All photos - Copyright - ©2011 - La Casa e Il Giardino – picasaweb

We cultivate these culinary herbs: sage, rosemary and mint.  In mid summer, I pick them at their peak and hang to air dry in a warm dry place until they are crunchy to the touch.  I then place each dried herb in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.

How can my leg of lamb or pheasant dish be flavorful without the rosemary?

How can the string beans, pasta maritata and zucchini fritters taste spring-like without mint?

Basil

Basilico sott'olio

Basil can be preserved two ways - dry and in oil. I prefer the oil method. 

Remove the basil leaves from the stalks, wash them, dry them with a cloth and leave for a few minutes stretched out to dry. To keep the basil in oil take a glass jar with a wide opening and fill it completely with dry basil leaves, spreading and overlapping them well. Add olive oil, pressing the leaves so that they remain under the thread of the oil. Close the jar and keep in the refrigerator.  Basil kept in oil retains much of its fragrance. Use basil to make savory sauces and on baked fish.

  Celery Leaves

Celery is not just for salads but great to spice up foods.  Celery leaves from our garden are worthwhile leaves with intense flavor that fall somewhere in the scent category between cilantro and parsley.

Like basil, wash the celery leaves, dry them with a towel and leave for a few minutes stretched out to dry. 

Place the dry celery in a zip-lock bag and freeze. 

Celery is excellent with zucchini and potatoes, baccala', chicken soup and a must in bird stuffing.

Buon Appetito!

The Art of Womanhood

      Even in this digital age, I believe that having some hand skills is very relevant.

http://elisascustomcreations.blogspot.com/2011/03/gift-bags-for-any-occasion.html

     When I see many women not knowing how to sew a button, cook a meal with fresh ingredients or bake a cake from scratch, it worries me. Many women I know shop as some form of therapy, for gratification and for simply having something to do.  Having hand skills beats loneliness and the feeling of uselessness especially in retirement.

    Thanks to the skills I learned from my mother, today not only do I know how to stay hyper-connected, but I know how to cook, sew, butcher, garden and anything in between. Creating something, whether it’s making pottery, knitting, sewing or cooking, gives anyone a sense of pride. 

Hand-stitched, wine-themed kitchen towels

Kitchen towels in eco-friendly packaging

Hand-stitched giftcard packaging

Decorated Jute Bag

“Work with your brain... you're a thinker. Work with your hands, you're a craftsman. Work with your brain and your hands together and you can become an artisan."



Seafood Extravaganza - Estravaganza di Pesce

This Labor Day weekend we had a seafood feast and we sent summer out with a bang. 

No, it was not a clambake.  We did not have the pleasure of eating on the beach within the sound of ocean waves, but simply a feast in our own backyard shared with friends and family.





Anchovies alla Ligure

1 1/2 lb. fresh anchovies
1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
1 red onion minced
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 can of pitted black olives

Clean and fillet anchovies.  Chop onion.  In a baking pan, lightly oiled, put the onion.  Add the anchovies in a single layer.  Cover them with tomato and olives.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 15 to 20  minutes.  Leave to rest and serve lukewarm.

All photos - Copyright - ©2011 - La Casa e Il Giardino – picasaweb

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Acciughe alla Ligure

Stuffed Mussels alla Pugliese

2 lb. mussels, rinsed and debearded

1 cup of tomato pulp

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano

2 cloves of minced garlic

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

basil and parsley minced

salt and black pepper to taste

Cozze Farcite alla Pugliese



In a pot, add the mussels with a little water, cover and cook for 10 minutes on high heat.  Eliminate the shells without the mussels.  Puree' the tomato pulp with the oil, cheese, breadcrumbs.  Add the basil and parsley.  Add black pepper and minimal salt.  Distribute the mixture over each of the mussel.  Place the stuffed mussels in a baking pan with a few tablespoons of water at the bottom and bake them in a preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Clams with Garlic and Lemon

   24 littleneck clams, scrubbed

    2 cloves of garlic

    1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

    1/2 cup chopped parsley

    Juice of one lemon

Clams with lemon - Vongole con limone

Place the scrubbed clams in a pot, add the chopped garlic, olive oil and lemon juice.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes over moderate heat.  Eliminate the clams that did not open.  Remove the clams and filter the juice.  Place clams back in the pot and add chopped parsley.  Place pot over flame for a few more minutes and serve.