CAPUZZELLO (TESTINA) DI AGNELLO AL FORNO (OVEN ROASTED LAMB'S HEAD)

 Lamb's head is a traditional delicacy, often associated with the Easter holidays. Although it may seem unusual, its flavor and tenderness can surprise you. It can be cooked braised and oven baked. We prefer the oven baked because it's crispier.

Oven baked lamb's head with potatoes.

Ingredients:

1 lamb's head cut in half

1 lb. red potatoes

1/2 cup of breadcrumbs

2 cloves garlic chopped

2 sprigs of fresh parsley

1/2 cup of vinegar

1/2 cup of olive oil

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon of peperoncino

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Wash the head under fresh water.

Fill a bowl with fresh water, add the vinegar and the lamb's head.  Let it sit for few hours.

In the meantime, place the breadcrumbs in a bowl and add chopped garlic and parsley.

Scrub potatoes (do not peel them) and dice.

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Wash the head once again with fresh water and tap dry it.

Sprinkle both sides with salt and black pepper.

Take the seasoned breadcrumbs and place over the lamb's head brain area.

Place the lamb's head in a large baking plan with potatoes and bay leaves.

Add salt and black pepper over potatoes and peperoncino.

Drizzle with olive oil and bake.

Ready to be baked.

This dish might seem unusual, but its rich flavor and Mediterranean aromas make it a unique and unforgettable culinary experience.   

Baked with mixed potatoes.  Love the crispiness of those brains.

Absolutely worth trying!

 

ROLLED PIZZA (STROMBOLI ) FILLED WITH SAUSAGES AND PEPPERS

 Being that I make my own pizza dough, I make many varieties of pizza.

This particular pizza is filled with cooked sausages and peppers.  Another rolled pizza that we enjoy eating is filled with roasted peppers.

1 pound pizza dough (using my recipe or storebought)

1/2 pound of pork sausages

3 or 4 red bell peppers

1/4 cup of olive oil

Salt and black pepper

Heat oven at 400 degrees.  Place a skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of oil and add cut sausages.  Cook for 15 minutes then add sliced bell peppers.  Add salt and black pepper.  Sauté for 10 minutes or until the peppers are slightly wilted.  Do not overcook the sausages and peppers because they will still cook in the oven.  Remove the skillet and set aside.  Drain and discard any remaining oil from the skillet.  Remove the mixture from the pan and set aside.

Take a 14-inch round pizza pan.  Add a drop of oil and spread throughout the pan.  Spread the pizza dough over the pan to about 1/4-inch thick.  Add the sausage and peppers, 

•                   
• Take one end of the circle and roll the dough up into a cylinder, gently folding in the ends.  Brush the dough with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. 
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•  Place the dough on pizza pan and bake for 25 minutes until the top is golden brown.  

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• • Allow the pizza to cool for 10 minutes.  Cut the pizza and serve.
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    Rolled pizza with roasted peppers

                                      

    
    
    
    

Sfogliatelle Casalesi

You say sfogliatella, you say Naples. But no, because of the glorious sweet from Campania, there is also a version Abruzzese, or rather Casalese.

Ingredients for 20-24 sfogliatelle

For the dough:

1 lb. flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs 
½ cup white wine
1/2 cup melted lard (Crisco)

Filling: Crema pasticcera

In addition:

¾ to 1 cup of melted lard (Crisco) to brush over the dough

Dough:

Pour the sifted flour, sugar, eggs, wine and lard into a bowl.  Mix well until a smooth and elastic paste is obtained, wrap it in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for an hour to rest.

After the hour, flatten the dough as thin as you can*, brush it with lard and fold in half. Brush again with more lard and fold halfway again. Brush the dough with lard and roll for the last time. Wrap the roll in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for an hour.

*Use a rolling pin to flatten dough. 

Have filling ready.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove the roll of pasta from the fridge, cut it into thin slices about 1 inch, flatten slices with the roller pin and place a teaspoon of filling, fold in half and seal the edges well.

. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, remove from oven and cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Frittatina per Brodo Natalizio

A Natale non manca mai sul nostro tavolo come primo piatto, il classico brodo con cardone, polpettine e frittatina tagliata a dadini.

                                  

Ingredienti per frittatina 

2 uova 

50 gr. di formaggio

20 gr. di farina

Prezzemolo tritato finalmente

Olio per friggere in padella

Sbattere le uova con una forchetta in una ciotola, aggiungendo un pizzico di sale, farina, formaggio e del prezzemolo tritato. Volendo anche un pizzico di pepe nero. Sbattiamo ancora un po, affinché gli ingredienti si uniscano per bene.

Prendete un cucchiaio alla volta e versatelo nell'olio per qualche minuto.

Una volta raffreddata, tagliare la frittatina a cubettini.

Aggiungere al brodo circa 30 minuti prima di servire.

Buon pranzo natalizio!

 

STUFFED BABY ARTICHOKES

 I love baby artichokes because with just a little trimming you can eat the whole thing. Unlike fully mature artichokes, baby artichokes haven’t developed the fuzzy portion of the choke in the center. Baby artichokes are a seasonal size and availability does vary throughout the year, but the month of May is the peak volume month for this size artichoke.

Ingredients

9 or 10 baby artichokes
1/2 cup olive oil + 2 tablespoons for sauteing artichokes
2 cups of water
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
Sprig of parsley
1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon red pepper conserve or tomato paste

Stuffing
2 cups day-old bread crumbs
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Start by rinsing and brushing off the baby artichokes under cold water.

Then, snap off the outer layer of petals of the baby artichoke until you reach the pale, yellow-green layer of petals. With a sharp kitchen knife, trim off the stem and remove the rest of the dark green stem that can cause a bitter taste if not removed.  Cut about one half inch off the top of the baby artichoke.  Place artichokes in water with some lemon juice to prevent them from darkening.

Prepare stuffing by combining all ingredients and mix well. 
Drain artichokes and stuff them.

Take a small skillet, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Briefly sauté artichokes face down until the stuffing gets golden, then remove.

In a large pot, add 2 cups of water, 1/2 cup olive oil, 3 cloves of garlic, salt, black pepper, teaspoon of hot pepper flakes (optional), and 1 tablespoon of pepper conserve (alternate tomato paste).  Bring ingredients to a boil, add the stuffed artichokes, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.  Taste for tenderness of outer leaves. 

Once the outer leaves are tender, ready to eat. 

BAKED FRESH COD

If you're someone who is afraid of cooking fish at home, fresh cod is the fish for you.  It's easy to make and quick to cook.

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 

  cod filets

• Salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup

  extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 

  garlic cloves, chopped

• Freshly chopped parsley

• 1 fresh peperoncino

                            

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375° and pat cod filets with a paper towel until dry. Season all over with salt and pepper. 
2. Place the cod pieces into a baking dish.  Add the olive oil and toss to coat the pieces of cod.
3. Add the chopped garlic, parsley and peperoncino.
4. Bake until fish flakes easily with a fork, 30 to 40 minutes depending on thickness of the cod filets.
5. If you like a little crispness like we do, place the baking pan under the broiler for a minute.
6. 
   

 

The Catch of The Day ... and It's Not Fish



Chuckers (Pernice)

It's small game birds - chuckers (partridges) or Pernice.

Our family’s passion for small game hunting is generational. My husband was taught by his father and other hunters of his generation. He then passed on his passion to our son and our grandson. Last weekend, my husband, son and grandson went hunting. They caught four chuckers and one pheasant.  As usual, they enjoy the outing but they leave the cleaning and cooking up to me.

So here we go!   

The freshly shot chuckers were hung upside down in our garage for two days to drain the blood.  After two days, they needed to be cleaned.


Chuckers  may be dry plucked or dipped in scalding water and wet plucked. Holding the bird upside down by its legs, I dipped it in scalding water for few moments. I placed the bird directly over the basement sink and started plucking the feathers against the grain using short plucking movements so as not to tear the skin.

 Finally, I briefly held the bird over the flame of a gas burner to remove fine hair.

Once finished plucking, with kitchen scissors, I cut off the head and bottom part of the legs. By sticking my fingers in the neck opening, I was able to remove the windpipe and gullet. From the bottom opening, I was able to remove all innards. I kept the livers and gizzards.
After washing the birds thoroughly with cold running water, I placed them in a bath of cold water and salt for few hours.

                                     



Braised Chuckers with Olives
2 chuckers (pernice) cut in pieces
1/4 lb. of pancetta (diced)
4 cloves of garlic (sliced)
2 bay leaves

1 small lemon juice

Sprigs of fresh rosemary and salvia  (sage)
1/2 cup white wine
4 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper
Some cured black olives (optional)


Procedure

Place bird pieces in a bowl. 
Add the juice of lemon, sprigs of rosemary,
salvia, bay leaves and half of the garlic.
Marinate for 3 hours or overnight.

In a cast iron pot or large frying pan, add the olive oil, garlic and pancetta.  Saute' until golden.  Drain chucker pieces, salt and pepper, and add to the pan. Brown pieces over medium heat.  Add white wine.  After few minutes, cover the pan and simmer gently for an hour, turning pieces occasionally.  Add additional wine if necessary. When tender, remove cover and brown briefly over medium heat.  Add olives and serve.

Pheasant alla caciatore (hunter style)

Braised chuckers with side dish of flat green beans with a light tomato sauce
Soffritto di Pernice

http://italianwinereview.blogspot.com/2012/03/garantito-igp-for-politically-incorrect.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/06/us/fostering-pheasants-to-keep-a-tradition-alive.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&bicmp=AD&bicmlukp=WT.mc_id&bicmst=1409232722000&bicmet=1419773522000