Creamed Rabbit with Mushrooms / Revenge of the Father-in-Law

2 rabbits, cut up*
1/2 C. flour seasoned with 1/2 tsp. pepper
6 TB. butter
1 small onion, diced
8 large fresh mushrooms, sliced
1-1/2 TB onion soup mix**
2/3 C. hot chicken bouillion
1-1/2 C. sour cream

Dredge rabbit pieces in flour.  Heat 3 TB. of butter in a skillet and fry the rabbit in it.  Add in the onions and fry them until soft, then remove with a slotted spoon.  Cook the rabbit until brown on both sides.  In a separate pan, sautee the mushrooms with the remaining 3 TB. butter until they are golden.  Transfer the mushrooms to the pan with the rabbit pieces, and add back in the cooked onions to the pan as well.  Combine the soup mix and bouillion and pour over the rabbits.  Spoon the sour cream over all.  Cover and let simmer 1 hour or until the rabbits are tender.  Serves 4.

*I swear this is what it says.  I guess you're supposed to already know how to cut up a rabbit.

**This creates a salty, oniony flavor.  However, if you have personal objections to ingredients like onion soup mix, or don't have access to it, here are my suggestions for mimicking its flavor in a recipe.  Remember this recipe calls for 1-1/2 tablespoons, which is not a whole lot.

Mix together equal parts dried onion flakes, salt, and cornstarch.
--or--
Caramelize a small amount of onions, seasoning well with salt and maybe a little red wine or red wine vinegar. 

***
Grandmom told me the story of how when she and my grandpop were newly married they went over for dinner at her parents' house.  Grandpop is a much pickier eater, and Grandmom knew that her dad was planning on serving rabbit.  So, when they got there and Grandpop asked her what it was, she told him it was something else.  He ate it, and loved it...until my Great-grandfather, with a rakish look in his eye, leaned over to Grandpop and asked, "How'd you like it?" Of course Grandpop said it was delicious, and then Greatgrandpop Canduci said, "It's RABBIT!"  I think that was the day my grandpop learned that he liked rabbit.  So moral of the story: picky eaters didn't just fly up out of the ground in the last 15 years.  But it behooves picky eaters to GROW UP, because there are lots of things out there they might like if they could only prise the chicken tenders out of their mouths. 

Date & Nut Bread

8 oz. package pitted dates, chopped
1 C. raisins
2 tsp. baking soda
1 C. boiling water
3 eggs
1 C. sugar
2 C. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. chopped walnuts
2 greased and floured 1-lb. coffee tins

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix the dates, raisins, baking soda, and water together in a small bowl.  In another bowl, mix together eggs and sugar.  Add in the flour and vanilla.  Mix in the date and raisin mixture.  Fold in the nuts.  Pour the batter into the coffee tins and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until they pass the toothpick test.  When done, remove from the oven and let cool slightly.  To take bread out of coffee tins, use a can opener to take off the bottoms of the coffee tins.  Then gently push the cakes out of the tins.  For an extra special touch, make sandwiches by slicing the date & nut bread thinly, spreading one slice with whipped cream cheese, then topping it with a second slice.

Irish Soda Bread

2 C flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. caraway seeds
1/2 C. raisins
1 C. buttermilk

Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.  (Or you can whisk them together in a bowl.)  Add in the raisins and caraway seeds.  Add enough buttermilk to make a soft dough.  Knead lightly on a  floured surface till stickiness disappears.  Grease an 8" round pan and place the dough in the center, then form it into a round loaf.  Cut an X on the top of the bread.  Bake at 375F for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350F and bake another 20 minutes or so or until lightly golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean.

Veal Scaloppine Farciti

1 stick margarine**
12 medium-sized mushrooms, sliced
1 TB. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2lb. veal scaloppine (12 pieces, 4"x6" each)*
6 slices proscuitto ham
6 slices mozzarella
1 C. chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 2-3TB margarine in a skillet.  Add in mushrooms, lemon juice, and salt.  Saute 5-6 minutrs.  Remove from heat.  Lay one piece of veal scallopine on a cutting board.  Lay on top two slices of proscuitto, 2 slices or mozzarella, and some mushrooms.  Place another piece of scallopine on top and pound the edges together.  Season the outsides of the layered scallopines with salt and pepper to taste.  Sprinkle both sides with flour.  Heat 3 more TB. margarine in a skillet over medium heat.  Saute the veal scallopines 3-4 minutes on each side.  Remove to a plate and keep warm.  Remove margarine from the skillet.  (This is not how I would do it, I would leave the margarine in, but that's what the recipe says.  Possibly the use of margarine results in a bitter-tasting product after being heated in the pan, and thus necessitates discarding it.  Using butter eliminates the need to discard the remaining amount of fat in the pan and, coincidentally, a significant portion of the flavor.)  Add in 3 TB. lemon juice and 1 C. chicken broth.  Cook 8 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoonto scrape all the brown pieces from the bottom of the pan.  Add in the remaining 1/2 stick of margarine a small chunk at a time and rotating the skillet so each piece melts thoroughly.  Correct the seasoning to taste.  Pour the resulting sauce over the scallopine slices on a serving dish.  You can garnish it with chopped parsley or lemon slices, if desired.

*The term "scallopine" means flattened or pounded meat.  IE, it is an adjective.  Any meat can be (and probably has been in an Italian woman's kitchen) "scallopine".  It is pure genius when it comes to applying the dual principles of thrift and taste to cooking.  To make a piece of meat "scallopine", you take your off-the-animal slice (ie, chicken breast, cut of veal, beef, pork) and, using a meat tenderizer/mallet or, in a pinch, the edge of a durable plate or the edge of a chopping knife, pound the bejeezus out of it in a systematic fashion (longways and then across on both sides) until the meat is about 1/4" thick (about 0.5 cm).  This makes the meat tenderer and cook quicker and juicier.  What happens to the width of the meat
is the genius part: the scallopine process turns one 8oz steak into at least 4, one chicken breast into 2-3 portions, and so forth.  And it tastes better that way!  These days, you can buy scallopine meat in the grocery store under that name ("veal scallopine") or called "breakfast chops" or "breakfast steaks" (in the case of pork and beef, respectively).  But the thrifty cook can also do it him- or herself.  For this recipe, I think the intent is that one purchases 1-1/2 pounds of meat, and then makes 12 pieces by scallopine-ing it.  4" x 6" is about the size of a deck of standard playing cards, or 10 x 15 cm.

**I would use butter.  There are few real reasons to use margarine if butter is available.  (A little-known exception is French Silk Pie, which, if made by the original recipe, MUST be made with margarine or it will not solidify.) 

Broccoli Rabe with Clams and Spaghetti / Overcooking Your Pasta is Bad for Society

1 TB olive oil
1-1/2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/2 bunch broccoli rabe (about 1/2 lb) trimmed and cut into 5 -inch pieces
6 oz. canned clams, juices reserved
1/8 C. unsalted butter (about 1-2 TB)
1/4 C. dry white wine
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 lb uncooked spaghetti
1/8 C. grated parmesan cheese

Boil the pasta and drain.  In a separate pan, saute the garlic and broccoli rabe for 5 minutes.  Stir in the clams and butter until the butter is melted.  Add in the wine, red pepper, and black pepper and simmer for 2 minutes.  In a serving bowl or the pot you cooked the pasta in, toss the hot cooked pasta with the clams and broccoli rabe and all the yummy pan juices.
***
I think the way this recipe is written that it's intended for the pasta to get done at the same time as the broccoli rabe and clams.  If you can pull this off, it probably tastes best this way.  However, DO NOT OVER COOK THE PASTA.  While pasta advertisements have been extolling the virtue of al dente pasta so heavily over the years that one might get the impression that the real way to eat pasta is half-crunchy, it IS true that pasta should be...firm.  IE, when you bite into it, you should actually feel a certain amount of resistance between your teeth.  ("Don't eat me, don't eat me!" it's crying out.  Hahaha I just traumatized The Future of America.)  I mention this because it is the opposite goal of PTA fundraisers across America to convince us that the best way to eat pasta is a gooey mushy pile of partially digested glue.  UCK.  Obviously you can tell how I feel about this.  So, cook your pasta until it's done, but don't leave it boiling or sitting in the water if your veggies are taking a little longer or you were slow on the chopping part or something.  Rewarmed firm pasta tastes better than steaming hot glue, and that is not an opinion, that is a statement of fact.

Broccoli rabe is also known as rapini.  Whatever you call it, in my book it's delicious.  The stems are edible!  Don't cut them off and throw them away-- when you cook them they get tender like asparagus.

By the way, some of these recipes were composed or gathered during my Grandmom's dieting days.  So, be advised that it may not be humanly possible to saute everything you need to saute in a single tablespoon of olive oil or 1/8 cup unsalted butter. Just add some more, I won't tell.  In addition, my experience of Italian family suppers is that you put as much parmesan as you like, which is frequently a lot, grated by you at the table off the chunk that lives in the refrigerator for just such a purpose. 

Beef Tripe Stew

Wash and cut tripe (remove fats).  Boil for about 1/2 hour.  Fry one large onion in oil till brown.  Add celery salt, pepper, and salt.  Add 1/2 jar of canned tomatoes, let cook for a while.  (This is all quoted verbatim.)  Put cooked tripe and its liquid in tomato pan.  Let cook 1/2 hour more then add cubed potatoes and cook till tripe is tender.

This recipe was handwritten in the narrative style, meaning "no measurements".  So I guess it's up to the cook's discretion.  I'm not sure what size jar is meant for the tomatoes, but I am almost certain what's being referred to is a home-canned jar of tomatoes.  There are two commonly-used sizes of canning jars: quart and pint.  Quart jars hold 32 ounces of liquid (about 1 liter) and pint jars hold 16 ounces (about 500 mL).  Since a whole onion is used, I'm guessing about 1/2 to 1 pound of tripe is used (about 225- 450 gm). 

For confused family members who are wondering why I have suddenly embraced the metric system, I apparently have the occasional reader from outside the US, and far be it from me to keep down the international appreciator of Italian cooking. 

Scrapple

1 lb bulk sausage meat
14 oz. can evaporated milk
3/4 C. water
1/2 C. yellow cornmeal
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Cooking oil
flour for breading

In a heavy skillet, brown the meat in its own fat.  Mix together the evaporated milk and water, and add into the pan.  Bring to a boil, then slowly stir in the cornmeal and seasonings.  Cook five minutes, stirring constantly.  Pour all into a loaf pan and chill until firm (overnight).  Unmold and slice into 1/2" thick slices.  Dip the slices in flour and fry in a pan.  OR, dip the slices in crushed cornflakes, then milk, then flour, and then fry.  Good served with ketchup, horseradish, or pancake syrup.
***
Oh, scrapple.  This recipe is a pretty good variety.  Commercial scrapple is a whole other story, akin to the stories of commercial hot dogs and commercial balogna versus the homemade items.  (Is there such a thing as homemade hot dogs?)  How well I remember a particular family friend asking me nearly every time he ate scrapple, "do you know what that's made of?"  And then relishing in the denouement once again, while taking luxuriously large bites of scrapple or alternating descriptions of its content with songs of praise about how delicious it was.  He was and is truly an odd bird.  As, in my opinion, is anybody who eats scrapple.  Maybe he taught his lesson well: more scrapple for him!

Minestrone

1 large onion, chopped
About 6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1 28oz. can tomatoes
2 15oz cans kidney beans, drained
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 C. elbow macaroni
1/2 tsp. oregano
10 oz. fresh spinach
8+C. chicken stock
oil for sauteeing

In a large pot, saute onion until tender.  Add in garlic and saute.  Add in stock and the rest of the ingredients except the spinach.  Cook until the veggies are tender.  Add in the spinach, and cook until tender (just a couple of minutes).  Serve with grated parmesan. 

Recipe Author's Note: "The only important thing is a good strong stock and lots of garlic!  Enjoy!"

Lazy Man's Ribs

2-1/2 lbs pork baby back ribs, cut into 8 pieces
2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 onion, sliced
1 C. ketchup
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1/3 C. orange juice
1/3 C. cider vinegar
1/4 C. molasses
2 TB. worchestershire sauce
1 TB. barbecue sauce
1 tsp. stone-ground mustard
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
dash salt
5 tsp. cornstarch
1 TB. water

Rub the ribs with Cajun seasoning.  Layer the ribs and onion in a 5 qt. slow cooker.  In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, orange juice, vinegar, molasses, worchestershire sauce, barbecue sauce, mustard, paprika, garlic powder, and salt.  Pour all over ribs.  Cover and cook on low 5-6hours or until meat is tender.  After that, remove ribs from slow cooker and set aside.  Strain the cooking juices and skim off the fat.  Transfer to a saucepan.  Combine cornstarch and water into a smooth paste; blend into juices.  Bring juices to a boil and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Serve overtop of ribs.

Fish Sauce for Spaghetti

2 cans of tuna
2 small cans tomato paste--or--1 can tomato puree
chopped onion and garlic to taste (most would probably like 1 onion and 1 clove garlic)

Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft.  Add in tomato paste or puree.  Stir in canned tuna.  Let simmer a few minutes, until heated through and the flavors have had a chance to blend.  Serve over hot pasta.

Red Clam Sauce

1 large onion
3 TB olive oil
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil, crumbled
1/2 tsp. salt
2 TB. chopped fresh parsley
2 8oz. cans tomato sauce
2 7-1/2oz cans minced clams

Saute onion in oil till tender.  Stir in oregano, basil, salt, parsley, and tomato sauce.  Drain clams, reserving juice.  Add the juice to the tomato sauce mixture and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in the clams.  Heat thoroughly.  Serve with linguine.  Makes about 1 quart.

Shrimp Primavera

2 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil for sauteing
1/2 lb uncooked shrimp, shelled
1/2 lb. asparagus, cut into 1-1/2 inch-long pieces
12 oz. linguine
1 small yellow squash, sliced
1/2 C. clam juice
1/4-1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/2 C. sliced green onions
black pepper to taste

In a deep skillet, saute garlic in olive oil until garlic is just tender.  Add in the shrimp and asparagus, saute for 3 minutes or until shrimp begins to turn pink.  Stir in the squash, clam juice, and salt.  Cover and simmer 3 more minutes or until shrimp is full cooked and vegetables are tender-crisp.  Stir in the tomatoes, lemon peel, green onions, and pepper to taste, and heat through.  Serve over linguine. 

Cod Fish Stew

1-2 onions, chopped
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 C. raisins
1/4 C. green olives, smashed
1 lb. salted cod (bacalao)
1 medium (14oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
oil for sauteing

Soak the salted cod overnight.  Remove from water and drain.  In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add in the onions and celery.  Cook until half-done.  Add in the raisins and smashed green olives.  Continue cooking until onions and celery are soft.  Add in the can of crushed tomatoes and let cook for about 15 minutes.  Add in about a cup of water and the potatoes.  Let all simmer until the potatoes are nearly done (firm-tender).  Place the codfish, cut up into large chunks, on top of the contents of the pot, and let cook for about 15 more minutes or until the fish is done.  DO NOT STIR!  Or the codfish will break up.  Serve hot with slices of Italian bread.

Codfish Fritters

1 lb. boneless dried salted cod (bacalao)
4 eggs
6 TB. flour
1 TB. black pepper
1 TB. onion powder
2 TB. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. red pepper
Oil for frying

Soak the codfish in water overnight.  Remove from water, drain, and crush the fish.  Beat the eggs in with the fish until well-mixed.  Add the onion powder, parsley, peppers, and flour. Heat the oil in a deep skillet.  Drop the fish mixture into the skillet by spoonfuls and fry until very crisp.  Remove and drain on paper towels.

Pizza Gein

2 batches of dough
15 eggs, beaten
grated parmesan to taste (about a handful)
1/2 lb each, thinly sliced and then chopped:
proscuittini, ham, hard salami, provolone cheese, pepperoni
1 lb mozzarella, shredded
salt and pepper to taste (use sparingly)

One batch of dough at a time: roll out to pizza-crust thickness, working in a little lard, grated parmesan, and salt and pepper.  Use one batch to line a 9" x 13" pan, also greased with lard.  In a large bowl, mix together meats, mozzarella, and beaten eggs.  Pour all into the lined pan.  Top with the remaining dough batch.  Bake for about 1 hour at 350F, or until crust is brown.  If desired, brush top crust with milk or beaten egg white.

A note on Pizza Gein: this is traditionally a Pascua food.  Additionally, for the dough recipe and a smaller batch version of this, click here.  (Remember to multiply the dough ingredients by four if you're going to use it for this recipe.)

Fish & Lemon Salad

Bacalao (salted cod), Blue Fish, or fish of your choice
2 lemons
1 onion
garlic to taste
peppermint leaves
olive oil

Boil fish, let cool.  Cut up one lemon, juice the other.  Slice the garlic and onion finely.  Break up the fish into bite-sized pieces.  Toss with lemon, onion, and garlic.  Drizzle olive oil over all.  Top with chopped peppermint leaves to taste.

Strufoli--Honey Clusters

Hot oil for deep frying
Butter for shaping

2 C. sifted flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 C. honey.  Yes, 1 whole cup.
1 TB. sugar
sprinkles of whatever color you prefer.  Mary F.J. Chiarello typically uses rainbow sprinkles, my favorite.

Mix together flour and salt in a large bowl.  Make a well, and add in the eggs one at a time, mixing slightly after each addition.  Add in vanilla.  Lightly knead into a soft dough.  Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead some more, just until the dough is smooth and elastic.  Divide in half.  For each half: roll out to 1/4" thick, then cut into 1/4" wide strips.  Roll each strip into a pencil shape/snake.  Cut each dough snake into pieces about 1/2" long.  Heat the oil until bubbly but not too hot.  (Yeah, I know this is super specific.  The best way to tell is to drop a test dough piece in.  The oil is the right temperature if the piece slowly puffs up and turns a golden brown in about 10-15 seconds.)  Put the dough pieces in a few dozen at a time, removing as they rise to the top and become golden brown on both sides.  As they do this, remove them from the oil and drain them on a plate lined with paper towels.  Once they are all done, set them aside.  In a separate deep saucepan, heat the honey and sugar together on low for about 5 minutes.  In a metal (or other heat-resistant bowl) stir together the hot honey and fried dough.  Put in the refrigerator and let cool and set about an hour.  Remove from the fridge and get out a plate or serving dish.  Butter your hands well, and then take handfuls of the honey clusters and shape them into the desired shape on  your plate.  When you've used all the clusters, liberally coat the outside with your sprinkles.

Some background info: the word "strufoli" literally means "beehive", which is descriptive of the shape you traditionally sculpt this dessert into.  (Think hut-shaped rope basket thingy.  Not the wooden boxes we typically keep bees in today.)  However, the shape of your strufoli is up to you.  The last time I made this with my grandmother, she suggested shaping it into a Christmas wreath and using red and green sprinkles! 

How you eat strufoli: strufoli is the original unhygienic party food.  You set your plate of strufoli out, and then everybody walks by snatching little pieces off and getting sticky until it's all gone.  Remember, this dessert came from the same people who kiss each other *on the mouth* as form of greeting.  If you can get past kissing your cigar-smoking great uncles on the mouth, you can eat strufoli.