Nona’s Rustic No-Knead Bread

Giorgio Celmo

This is my Nona’s recipe, she made this bread every day, and I learned how to make it myself as a young boy. Soo good and crusty slap some butter on the warm bread and you’re in heaven, or Nona’s kitchen.

Ingredients:

3 1/4 c organic all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c warm water
2 tsp. dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. semolina flour

Directions:

1. Add the all-purpose flour, yeast and sea salt to the bowl of your kitchen aid mixer. Mix in the water and stir on low speed with the paddle attachment until incorporated, about 10 seconds. Cover the bowl loosely with a kitchen towel and let it rest at room temperature for 3 hours. (You may leave it overnight as well but it is not necessary)

2. After 3 hours check the dough and you should notice the surface dotted with bubbles. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and sprinkle it with a little flour then shape it into a round loaf by folding it over on itself a few times.

3. Sprinkle a *pizza peel or a cardboard box with some semolina flour and place the loaf on top. Allow it to rest for 45 minutes while the oven warms up. Using a serrated knife make a few slits on top of the loaf.

4. Heat up the oven for at least half an hour to 450 F degrees with the pizza stone in it. Also place a baking dish with a cup of water in it on the bottom rack to create steam for a crispy crust.

5. Sprinkle the pizza stone with a little bit of the semolina flour then gently slide the bread dough onto it just like you would do with a pizza. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool down before cutting into it.

(Makes 1 loaf)

·         Pizza peel is a wooden board with a handle to put pizzas in and out of the oven, I use the top of a pizza box it works just as well.

Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe

Spaghetti with Pepper and Cheese

Giorgio Celmo

This is a classic Roman dish made with very few ingredients is very delicious and simple to make.

Ingredients

1 Lb. Spaghetti

8 Ounces pecorino romano cheese fresh graded 

Fresh ground pepper

Extra peppercorns about 6-8

Olive oil

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt the boiling water well add pasta. In a skillet over medium heat, toast the peppercorns until the oils in the peppercorns has released, discard peppercorns and add olive oil. When pasta is almost aldente, drain pasta and reserve some of the water, about a cup. Add the pasta, ground pepper and cheese to the skillet along with a few spoonful of pasta water, toss to coat, serve piping hot.

Coq au Vin 'Peasant cuisine' at home

No rooster or old chicken here just, just a top notch French dish so hearty for these cold winter nights. Serve with egg noodles and some crusty bread; don’t forget the wine to drink!

Giorgio Celmo

Ingredients:

1 Whole chicken cut into eight pieces (wing tips removed)

1 pound cipolin or pearl onions, whole

4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

5 garlic cloves, peeled, 4 left whole and 1 finely chopped

3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped

One 750 Ml. bottle dry red wine

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups button mushrooms, quartered

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

1. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees.

2. In a large ovenproof pot with a tight-fitting lid, cook the bacon, uncovered, on the stove over low heat until mostly crisp on both sides, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels, leaving about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pan; discard the rest. Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces and reserve

3. Place 1 cup of the flour on a large plate or in a plastic bag, and season liberally with salt and pepper. Coat the chicken pieces on all sides with the seasoned flour.

4. Heat the bacon fat in the pan over moderately high heat and brown the chicken, a few pieces at a time, until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pot, and repeat with the remaining chicken.

5. Use a paper towel to wipe out the bottom of the pot. Add the olive oil and heat over low heat. Add the onions, carrots, whole and chopped garlic and half of the thyme and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the onions just begin to turn golden brown. Seasoning with salt and pepper to taste; stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons flour. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Raise the heat to high, add the wine, and bring to a boil.

6. Reduce the heat to low, add the bay leaf, and whisk in the tomato paste making sure to incorporate it into the sauce. Add the browned chicken pieces and gently spoon some of the vegetables and wine over the meat. Cover the stew,

7. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter over low heat. When the butter is sizzling, add the mushrooms, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the remaining thyme and the reserved bacon and cook for 2 more minutes.

8. Add the mushrooms and bacon to the stew, stir gently, and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is quite tender; it should be almost falling off the bone.

9. Remove from the oven, season to taste, and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to finish the sauce. Sprinkle in the parsley and serve hot.

Spaghetti All'Ubriaco: Drunken Red Spaghetti

Giorgio Celmo

Spaghetti All'Ubriaco translates as "drunken spaghetti;" the drunk part comes from cooking the pasta in a bath of red wine. The pasta takes on a purple-brown hue and sucks up the entire wine flavour, and is then finished in a pan with a bit of butter, pancetta, ricotta cheese, walnuts and splash of raw wine.

Man, this is good stuff. I'm talking "off the charts, eat-it-right-outta-the-pan" good, standing up, hunched over your counter—a dish you want to keep on eating until a button flies away from your midsection.

All you need to reach a similar height of ecstasy is a decent bottle or two of red wine—nothing special, just good, drinkable red wine. You’re someone special and Amore is in the air.

Ingredients:

1 box dry spaghetti pasta

1 large pot 50% water 50% red wine ( Italian I hope)

8 oz. diced pancetta

2 Tbsp. butter

4 oz. ricotta cheese

½ cup walnuts, chopped

shaved pecorino cheese to top

Method:

Cook pasta until al dente in mixture of boiling water and wine.

In a separate sauté pan sauté pancetta in butter to render.

Add al dente spaghetti with some of the raw red wine (about a tablespoon or more) to the sauté pan with the Pancetta.

Once the liquid has reduced, remove pasta from the heat.

Add ricotta and walnuts and mix with tongs.

Top with pecorino and serve.

Serves Two

Potato Gnocchi with Peas and Prosciutto

Giorgio Celmo

Ingredients

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled

2 quarts water

2 eggs

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup green peas

1/4 pound prosciutto, thinly sliced and julienned

1 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons butter

Preparation

Put the potatoes in a pot with the water. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes at a strong simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain the water from the pot and let the potatoes cool for only a few minutes before you begin to pull the skins from the potatoes. Discard the potato skins and, while still hot, pass the potatoes through a ricer into a bowl. To the potatoes add the eggs, one at a time, and incorporate well.

Add the flour in two stages so that only the amount that is necessary will be used to bind the potato. Add the second half of the flour (and have some additional flour available if necessary) and mix well to form a dough. Divide the dough in half, and on a floured work surface, roll the first half of dough into a log 1 inch thick. Cut the log into 1/2 inch thick round pieces. Lay the pieces out, and using the back of a fork or your thumb, make an indentation on one side. Set aside and refrigerate till needed.

Cook as you would pasta in several quarts of boiling salted water for 10-15 seconds. They cook very quickly and are cooked when they float to the surface. Heat the cream in a sauce pan; add the peas and simmering for several minutes. Add the butter to the cream, whisking in to incorporate well before adding the prosciutto. Pour the sauce over the drained gnocchi, stir gently in a large serving bowl, and serve immediately.

Pollo al Mattone: Chicken under a brick

Giorgio Celmo

I made this dish last night, the meat was moist and tender with a nice crispy skin. Bone in chicken has so much more flavor than boneless, worth the extra effort.

Ingredients

1 chicken, 3 1/2 pounds

4 garlic cloves

1 pkg. fresh poultry herbs (found in the fresh herb section of your grocery)

Zest from 1 lemon and 1 orange

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 bricks cleaned and wrapped in H.D. aluminum foil

Marinade

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup white wine

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

Preparation

Wash the chicken under cold running water and pat dry. Remove the wing tips and the backbone. Finely chop garlic, poultry herbs and combine with the zest, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, set aside. Combine the ingredients for the marinade and set aside.

Lay the chicken flat in a large, deep dish, skin side up. Stuff the garlic-herb-zest mixture evenly under the skin of the chicken. Pour the vinegar-wine marinade over the chicken, then cover and refrigerate 3-4 hours up to overnight. Turn the chicken in the marinade two or three times. When ready to cook pre-heat the to 400 degrees F. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch cast-iron pan or other pan large enough to hold the chicken. Place the chicken skin side down in the pan and weigh it down with the 2 clean bricks wrapped in foil.

Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, then place the skillet and bricks in the oven for 20 minutes. After oven roasting carefully remove the heavy bricks, turn the chicken over, and cook an additional 12-15 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove the pan from the oven and allow cooling slightly before cutting the chicken into serving portions.

Chicken Scarpariello

Giorgio Celmo

Chicken scarpariello translates as "shoemaker chicken". Its origin seems to be a bit obscure, but there is a theory that Italian males that migrated from Italy to New York in order to make a living, used to congregate and eat together. Therefore, this recipe seems to be the result of a male cook who simply put some ingredients together and got good results. This recipe is a bit peculiar for the fact that it combines sausage and chicken. You do not see this combination really in typical Italian Recipes. However, peculiar or not this dish is surely tasty and worth a try. Here is a recipe:

Ingredients

3 1/2 pound chicken
1 pound fresh Italian sausage cut into one inch pieces
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup hot sliced cherry peppers
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Wash the chicken under cold water and pat dry. Separate the chicken into serving portions: remove the thighs, legs and wings, remove and discard the back bone and cut each breast into two pieces. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 1 minute until hot but not smoking, add the chicken skin side down, cooking in batches if necessary. Brown the chicken evenly on both sides, turning occasionally.

Cook all the chicken to a dark golden brown, remove and keep warm on a platter. Using the same large skillet, add the sausage to the still warm pan and brown well, turning the sausage frequently, until all the sausage has also been browned to a dark golden brown. Remove and keep warm on a platter. Pour off all fat from skillet and add the remaining olive oil, heating it over medium heat for 1 minute before adding the sliced onions.

Cook the onions for 8 - 10 minutes until well browned, add the cherry peppers and stir to combine. Add the sliced garlic; cook until garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and wine and allow both to reduce by half before adding the chicken broth. When the broth starts to simmer, return the chicken and sausage to the pan and combine, cooking together for 10-12 minutes, braising until both are thoroughly cooked. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, add the parsley and serve.

Football Weekend-Mini Slider Burgers

Giorgio Celmo

Ingredients:
1 Large sweet onion such as Vidalia or Maui
4 Teaspoons cinnamon chipotle rub * see note below
2 Pounds ground beef or chuck 20% fat
1 Tablespoon oil
½ Cup Bourbon whiskey
2/3 Cup ketchup
2 Tablespoons brown mustard
16 Mini burger buns or dinner rolls

Directions:

Cut onion into thin slices, finely chop some of the slices to equal ¼ cup; set onions aside. Coat a small non stick frying pan with oil, heat over medium heat, then add chopped onions and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon chipotle rub. Cook a few minutes until onions become fragrant.

Combine onions with hamburger in a large mixing bowl. Shape into 16 small burgers each one about one inch thick. You can make these ahead of time, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 6 hours. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Add reserved onions slices stirring frequently for about 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Stir in remaining cinnamon chipotle rub continue cooking for another minute. Add bourbon and cook until liquid is reduced, stir in ketchup and mustard simmer 2 minutes. Can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for several hours. Heat gas grill to medium high heat or prepare charcoal grill with medium hot coals.

Grill burgers about 6 minutes per side or until an instant-read thermometer reads 160 degrees. Place patties on buns add a tablespoon of onions; serve remaining onions on the side. * Cinnamon chipotle rub, is 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon and 4 teaspoons chipotle powder or chili powder.

Quesadillas with Hot and Smoky Barbeque Chicken

Giorgio Celmo

Serves 6 as a Snack

4 each chicken thighs – boned
¾ cup smoky barbeque sauce
¼ cup red hot sauce (or to taste)
4 each wide flour tortillas (about 7 to 9 inches in diameter)
½ pound melting cheese – mixed Mexican grated

1. Broil chicken thighs until just cooked. Cut in slices, season with salt and pepper, mix with barbeque sauce and red hot sauce.
2. Lay 2 of the tortillas out on a counter, browner side down. Divide the cheese between the tortillas, spreading it as evenly as possible, right up
to the outer edges of the tortillas. Scatter the chicken slices over the cheese. Top each with a second tortilla, and press the top tortillas down
lightly. Sprinkle one side of each quesadilla lightly with a few drops of water, flip the quesadillas over with a wide spatula, and sprinkle the
other sides with water.
3. Choose a heavy, no-stick skillet that’s larger than the diameter of the tortillas. Over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of fat. When it is hot, carefully add 1 quesadilla to the pan. Cook for about 1 minute, pressing down on the quesadilla with your spatula to melt the cheese as
quickly as possible. Check to make sure the bottom is lightly browned then flip; the quesadilla over in the pan. Cook, pressing for another
minute or so, or until the second side is also lightly browned and the cheese has melted completely.
4. Remove the quesadilla from the pan, and, when it has cooled slightly, cut it into 6 wedges and serve. Meanwhile, spill the remaining fat out of the
pan, add another tablespoon of fat and cook the second quesadilla in exactly the same fashion.

*Note: A little steamed spinach on top of the cheese inside the quesadilla- something I tasted in Mazatlan Mexico at a gringo bar- a surprisingly delicious variation.