The weather hasn’t quite turned cooler yet, but I am already starting to shift into more comfort food type cooking. Every Sunday is pasta night in my house, so this past Sunday, I decided to make something a bit more special than my usual Spaghetti and Meatballs. This recipe for Sicilian Braciole is very loosely based on the Braciole my mother-in-law makes.
I’ve made Braciole in the past, but the addition of pine nuts and raisins is what makes this recipe specifically Sicilian Braciole. The pine nuts become nice and soft in the sauce, and the raisins appear to almost melt away, adding just a touch of sweetness to balance the dish.
This recipe takes a good 5 hours to make, so plan accordingly!
Ingredients:
Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup dry red or white wine
4 (12.5 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
salt and pepper, to taste
Sicilian Braciole:
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup dry red or white wine
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup olive oil; divided
1 medium onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 pounds braciole meat (at my butcher, they were referred to as beef roll ups)
Note: I was given a box of produce from Penn Farm and used some of the produce in order to make this Cantaloupe Tomato Panzanella Salad recipe. Opinions are mine alone.
One of my favorite things about this blog is the opportunity to spotlight amazing restaurants, ingredients, and food organizations when I come across them. So when I heard about this CSA, I knew I had to share their amazing story ASAP, even if it is toward the end of the CSA season (note: bookmark this post so you have all the info you need to sign up for this CSA next year!) I also have an awesome recipe for Cantaloupe Tomato Panzanella Salad that shows off the bounty of Penn Farm’s CSA, so be sure to check that out at the end of the post!
William Penn High School is a public high school in New Castle, Delaware, where students enrolled in the school’s Agriculture classes help maintain a farm nearby the school. Historic Penn Farm has been a tenant farm since its inception in the late 1700s, and the 100-acre farm is the last surviving farm of the original tenant farms. William Penn High School, through a partnership with the Trustees of the New York Commons, continues the legacy of Historic Penn Farm while educating students on agriculture and also supporting the local community.
William Penn High School’s “Farm-to-School” program gives students the opportunity to learn how to grow produce from seeds, maintain the farm throughout the growing season, and help to harvest everything at the end of the season.
Some of the produce is utilized in other programs within William Penn High School; agriculture students work directly with the school’s culinary students, nutrition services, and science students. Local produce from Penn Farm becomes delicious meals enjoyed by the rest of the student body. In addition to vegetables, other animal products such as eggs are also produced and used in school nutritional programs throughout the district.
All produce on Penn Farm is grown from non-GMO seeds and is grown following organic practices. The farm harvests A LOT of produce, so Penn Farm also offers a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) each year. The 10-week CSA at Penn Farm lasts from late June through August, where those who buy a share receive a fresh produce box each week. Each box is chock full of vegetables, enough to feed a family of four for a week! Sign-ups each season open in the spring. I received the following in my box this week (note: the cantaloupe had to go it its own photo because it was bigger than my head!):
The CSA offering is a great way for Penn Farm, William Penn High School, and Colonial School District to provide a valuable service to the local community. In return, purchasing a CSA share serves as a method of monetary support for Penn Farm and the Agriculture Programs at William Penn High School.
To show off some of this beautiful produce, I knew I had to go for a summer classic: Panzanella Salad! This Cantaloupe Tomato Panzanella Salad highlights the cantaloupe, tomatoes, and cucumbers from my Pann Farm CSA Share, plus helped me use up some leftover Italian bread I had!
Ingredients:
Salad:
6 slices Italian bread, cut into bite sized pieces
One of my favorite things about having a blog is the opportunity to try new recipes and learn new cooking methods. I have never made Panna Cotta before, but it seems to be a relatively simple dessert to make.
Panna Cotta, which means “cooked cream” in Italian, is an Italian dessert traditionally made with sweetened cream and gelatin. Because of the gelatin, it maintains the shape of whatever vessel it is in.
It would have probably made sense to try to make a class panna cotta first, but my husband and I love all things pistachio, so I decided to try to make a Pistachio Panna Cotta as a treat for us!
My husband absolutely loves Pasta in Vodka Sauce. I don’t make it terribly often, but it is a really simple and delicious dish to make at home, so I figured it was time to share my recipe for Rigatoni Alla Vodka!
“Traditional” vodka sauce includes tomatoes, herbs, and vodka, although every one I’ve ever come across also has a cream element to it as well.
The history of this sauce doesn’t go terribly far back — it was invented in the 70’s either in New York or Italy, depending on who you ask.
This version adds a bit of smokiness from pancetta and some heat from red pepper flakes to the luxurious tomato vodka cream sauce to make a truly wonderful pasta dish!
A few years ago, I realized that the concept of what I know as Classic Shrimp Scampi is kind of an American one. To Americans, Shrimp Scampi is shrimp cooked in butter and typically served over pasta. But scampi is actually its own type of crustacean. So it appears that when Italian immigrants came to the US, they adapted the recipe to substitute in shrimp and then kept both names.
Now that you’ve had a history lesson on Shrimp Scampi, let me get to the actual making of the dish. This version is relatively classic, where you cook the shrimp in a butter white wine sauce with a little bit of crushed red pepper and then finish it off with fresh parsley and some lemon juice. To soak up the yummy sauce, serve with pasta or crusty bread.
Fettuccine Alfredo is essentially glorified mac and cheese (or more accurately, mac and cheese is a less glamorous fettuccine alfredo). I had a craving for some fettuccine alfredo on one of the multiple snow days we just saw in Philadelphia, and luckily I had everything on hand to make this ultimate comfort food, so it’s about time I shared a recipe for easy fettuccine alfredo!
This recipe for easy fettuccine alfredo uses just 9 ingredients, including salt and pepper. It doesn’t exactly reheat well though, so it’s not the best make ahead meal, but I have a good feeling it will be polished off in no time!
I think fall cooking might be my favorite kind of cooking. I love comfort food meals that make the whole house smell good! And anything I can put over pasta is guaranteed to be a winning recipe in my house. So this Pressure Cooker Puttanesca Pork Ragu is right up my alley.
I came across a recipe for a puttanesca-style ragu and knew I had to try out my own version! Puttanesca sauces typically have a bunch of brine-y ingredients in them — capers, olives, anchovies — in a tomato sauce that may have a little heat to it as well. I honestly don’t make many puttanesca-inspired dishes because, well, I don’t love olives. But my husband does, so I figured it was worth a try!
This recipe uses a pressure cooker to get that cooking all day flavor in much less time. You’re still looking at a just under 2-hour recipe though, so plan ahead!
Note: I was sent vinegar from Lindera Farms, including their Ramp Vinegar, in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.
Hands down, my favorite summer produce are tomatoes. Peak tomato season in the Philadelphia area begins just after July 4th and continues through mid-October, so it is the perfect time to share a recipe highlighting tomatoes like this Homemade Bruschetta!
Luckily, tomato season has coincided with the opportunity to try out a bunch of yummy vinegar from Lindera Farms, a small artisan vinegar producer in Virginia.
source: www.linderafarms.com
Lindera Farms takes locally and sustainably sources agricultural products and ferments them into wines which are then aged into vinegar. They have a wide selection of vinegars (nearly 30 types!) and pantry goods, including soy sauce, hot sauce, and syrups.
The ingredients from Lindera Farms are raised in a non-interventionist process, meaning they don’t introduce anything to the growing process. The process is subject to the whims of the environment completely; think Darwinian farming. The positives of this practice are that you get these stronger, more resilient, more flavorful fruits, herbs, and flowers with no carbon footprint or residual impact to the environment.
The results speak for themselves. The few vinegars I’ve sampled so far all have incredibly different flavors, acidity, and finish than what you can typically find in your supermarket. For example:
The Gardener Vinegar came about through Lindera Farms’ continued efforts to curb food waste. They collect organic summer vegetables from small local farms to make a complex and vegetal vinegar. The result is a very high acidic, savory vinegar with notes of cucumber, tomatoes, peppers and leeks. Lindera Farms suggests using it with salad greens, summer veggies, fish, or poultry, or even adding it to your favorite Bloody Mary recipe (I love this idea!)
Lindera Farms’ Apple Cider Vinegar is made with organic Virginian Heirloom Apples, and then is aged with applewood, adding a smooth, smoky finish. The Apple Cider Vinegar has a medium acidity, and medium-low sweetness, and can be used anywhere you’d use traditional apple cider vinegar, or just for probiotic consumption. (I used it in a pulled pork recipe, and it was fantastic)
I used the Ramp Vinegar in the recipe below. Ramps are a garlicky wild onion, and the ones in this vinegar are foraged in the woods of the Shenandoah valley. The result is a savory vinegar with notes of garlic, ramps, and onions with medium acidity. Lindera Farms suggests using it as a substitute anywhere you might use lemon and garlic in a dish. (I recently used it in my Italian Pasta Salad)
I have yet to tap into the other Lindera Farms vinegars, but I’m sure they are going to be just as delicious.
Traditional bruschetta uses balsamic vinegar, but I thought the garlic/onion flavors in Lindera Farms’ Ramp Vinegar would enhance the fresh flavors of the tomatoes and basil.
On to the recipe!
Ingredients (serves 4 as an appetizer):
4 plum (roma) tomatoes, evenly diced
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish
The end of April can mean only one thing, Flavors on the Avenue is almost here! Held the last Sunday of every April, Flavors on the Avenue is one of my favorite annual events. The food festival is held on E Passyunk Ave from Broad St to Dickinson St this Sunday, April 28 from 11am to 5pm.
Over two dozen of the region’s best restaurants will fire up street food, small plates, and signature dishes along the Avenue, ranging on average from $3.00 to $6.00 and will be pay-as-you-go. Craft beef, wine, and seasonal sips will also be available, sold by select restaurants, plus a Founders Brewing Co. Tasting Tent. Restaurants participating include:
Barcelona Wine Bar
Bing Bing Dim Sum
Brigantessa
Cantina Los Caballitos
Chhaya Cafe
El Sarape Restaurant
Essen Bakery
Fond
Fuel
ITV Philly
Izumi
Le Virtù
Mamma Maria Ristorante
Manatawny Still Works
Noir Philadelphia
Paradiso Restaurant
Pistola’s Del Sur
Plenty Café
P’unk Burger
Redcrest Fried Chicken
Saté Kampar
Stogie Joe’s Tavern
The Bottle Shop
Teas n’ Mi
Tre Scalini
Vanilya Bakery
In addition to all of the yummy food options, look for live music and entertainment throughout the festival, plus bring the kids for free family fun activities in kid zones up and down the avenue.
Source: EPABID
Retail, family, and fashion shops along the avenue will also be participating; look for shopping, sidewalk sales, special events, workshops, and much more!
Source: EPABID
This is an event that I’ve been attending since it first began as Flavors of the Avenue, under a tent. In 2017, the event moved along the avenue itself and has become the largest event on E Passyunk.
Source: EPABID
To read some of my past posts highlighting this event, check out:
This year, I wanted to highlight one of the many vegetarian options that will be offered on Sunday: Eggplant Meatballs from Brigantessa! I attended a media event for Flavors this year and was struck with how many delicious meatless options will be offered this year.
Every Sunday is pasta night in my house, so we went for a meatless Sunday, substituting in these yummy Eggplant Meatballs for our usual Meatballs in Tomato Sauce.
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 small onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced (or use a garlic press)
2 (28 oz) cans tomato puree
1 bay leaf
4 tablespoons chopped basil, divided, plus more for serving
salt and pepper, to taste
2.5 cups bread crumbs (I used Italian bread crumbs)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
Tomorrow, March 19th, is the Feast of St. Joseph, an important feast day in Italy or more specifically, Sicily. St. Joseph is particularly important to Sicilians, because he is credited with preventing a famine in Sicily during the Middle Ages through prayer. Each year, a large feast is prepared in his honor. Desserts typically include Zeppoli and Italian Fig Cookies.
Italian Fig Cookies, or Cuccidati, also tend to show up around Christmastime, so they are more of a “celebratory” cookie than linked to any specific holiday.
I wasn’t ready to conquer Zeppoli just yet, so I thought I’d try Italian Fig Cookies! This recipe is based off a recipe from Epicurious.
For whatever reason, I do not cook with broccoli. In fact, the last recipe I posted on my blog that included broccoli was in 2012!
I don’t exactly love broccoli, but I started feeling bad about my lack of broccoli in my cooking. So. Here’s a simple but delicious pasta recipe that comes together fast enough for busy weeknights!
Note: This is a sponsored post, powered by BrandBacker. I was sent samples of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to make this post. Opinions are mine alone.
Some ingredients are so wonderful, that you don’t need much else to make a beautiful dish. Parmigiano Reggiano is most certainly one of those ingredients.
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is made in the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, and Mantua, Italy. Made by a collective of farmers and producers, Parmigiano Reggiano has just three ingredients: milk, salt, and rennet. with over eight centuries of cheese making experience, every wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is carefully tended to by workers who wipe, brush, and turn them every ten days. The outsides of the wheels dry over time to form a natural and edible rind. The wheels are typically aged for 18 to 36 months, with 24 months being the most common. So how do you know you have real Parmigiano Reggiano cheese? Look for the pin-dots on the rind, which are imprinted on every wheel.
This process results in a hard, dry cheese with a pale gold rind and a straw colored interior with a wonderful rich and sharp flavor. Pre-grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese doesn’t do the freshly grated stuff justice. And the best way to highlight the flavor of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano is in this super simple recipe for Cacio e Pepe, or translated to Cheese and Pepper.
Traditional Cacio e Pepe is made with just 4 ingredients, but my Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Pepper Pasta) has 7 ingredients – pasta, freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, pepper, salt, garlic, butter, and olive oil. The result is a simple but decadent pasta dish with the most luxurious, silky cheese sauce.
Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) box linguine
salt, for the pasta water
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, plus more for serving
1 large garlic clove, very thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving
Romanesco is an intriguing little veggie. I don’t come across it terribly often, but when I do, I love using it in recipes like this recipe for Pasta with Roasted Romanesco and Capers.
Romanesco is similar to normal broccoli and cauliflower, and can be prepared the same ways. However, the flavor of Romanesco is much more muted. I personally love it roasted and tossed with pasta. The below recipe is heavily inspired by Bon Appetit’s Pasta with Roasted Romanesco and Capers recipe.
I received Romanesco in my latest Hungry Harvest (note: this is a referral link) and couldn’t wait to make this recipe!
Ingredients:
¼ cup sliced almonds
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil; plus more for drizzling
2 tablespoons drained capers, divided
Salt, to taste
1 medium Romanesco, cored, cut into small florets
8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
½ cup dry white wine (or chicken/vegetable broth, if preferred)
I don’t think you can ever have too many side dishes to rotate for different dinner combinations, including ones you can make on the grill, like this Grilled Fennel with Parmesan recipe.
One of my favorite ingredients is fennel. When raw, it has a nice anise (licorice) flavor with great crunch. When cooked, fennel becomes sweeter and the licorice flavor more subtle. Typically, you’d roast fennel. But hey, it’s summer. Let’s bring it outdoors!
This recipe is based off a Giada De Laurentiis recipe, and is a tasty side with any grilled protein. I particularly love it with a lemony grilled salmon!
Ingredients: (serves 4)
4 fennel bulbs, tops removed, cut into thick slices, leaving the core intact
Have you ever purchased an ingredient at the supermarket that you have no clue how you’re going to end up using it? Months ago, I purchased a tube of prepared polenta and honestly just forgot I even had it. During a recent cleaning of my “pantry” (also known as a cabinet that holds dry goods), I came across it again and decided it was time to find a use for it! So now, I present you Grilled Caprese Polenta Rounds!
Prepared, or tubed, polenta is firm and can be sliced into rounds which makes it perfect for grilling. I figured it would make a great summery appetizer, topped with melted mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and a balsamic reduction!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 (16 oz) tube prepared polenta, sliced into 16 rounds
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 (8 oz) container cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade (directions below)
