In Jennie's Kitchen

homemade manicotti

  

I try to never go back on my word. It's one of the tenets of parenting. You must keep your promises (which is why it's also important to be careful what promises you make!). Well, I know I teased you with my last post on Parmesan Skillet Croutons. I said it was the start of a mini-series in baby steps in cooking that would lead to a velvety, comforting rich tomato soup. That was before i found out that my recipe for homemade manicotti was a finalist over at Food 52. So, please forgive me for my little white lie. I promise next week to come back with a recipe for homemade bouillon (baby step #2). But, today, let's talk about these tender pasta crepes filled with creamy tufts of fresh ricotta cheese and lightly dressed with marinara sauce.

I can't recall the first time I tasted homemade manicotti, but the experience left an indelible impression on my tastebuds. I'd never been a fan of them, and that was likely because the commercially manufactured ones are belly bombers. My family never made them from scratch.

Then one day I found myself in the kitchen with the urge to make them myself. I started by making some fresh ricotta. It's incredibly easy, so give it a try. If you pressed for time, then it's okay to buy it, but make sure it's fresh—you'd just be doing yourself a disservice otherwise. And don't forget about the marinara sauce. Surprisingly, I've never posted my recipe, so here's the short version.

brown butter brussels sprouts & butternut squash

I was excited to see this week's Food 52 contest was paying homage to Brussels sprouts. For as much as I now love them, I remember the moaning when they were served with lunch when I was in daycare way back when. I don't remember exactly when I rediscovered them, but I look forward to fall when they pop up in farmers' markets. While they're pretty expensive at $4 a pound here, out in Long Island's North Fork, I've scored whole stalks for $1— a treat both delicious and beautiful to look at.

The thing about Brussels sprouts is they always play second fiddle on the dinner plate. I wanted a dish where they'd star front and center. I made a mental review of what was in the fridge and remembered I had a half a butternut squash. It would add some natural sweetness to balance their earthy, almost bitter flavor. Bacon is always a classic pairing, and who am I to deny the two a chance to mix it up in a dish? Then comes the secret ingredient (okay, so maybe I blew it by mentioning it in the title). Yes, I really did up the ante by browning the butter. Tossed together with some penne, and my job was done—Brussels sprouts had been elevated from a mere side dish. Who could possibly resist a meal with bacon and brown butter? Even a finicky six-year old who at first glance said "I don't think I'm going to like this" ate half a serving.

Brown Butter Brussels Sprouts & Butternut Squash with Penne

Serves 4 to 6

Why start the bacon in a cold pan, you ask? It's the easiest way to ensure my pan doesn't overheat since dinnertime is an elaborate juggle with a clingy 17-month old and helping my six year old with her homework. For those less tethered, go ahead and preheat your pan, but why not use those few extra minutes to make a cocktail instead?

3 ounces smoked slab bacon, roughly diced

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups diced butternut squash

1 small shallot, thinly sliced

10 ounces Brussels sprouts, tough ends trimmed and cut in half

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 1/4 cups vegetable stock

8 ounces dry penne pasta, cooked according to package directions

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

     

Add bacon to skillet and heat over medium-high flame. Cook bacon until nicely browned. Transfer to a small bowl using a slotted spoon; set aside. Add butter to skillet and cook until it turns a deep golden color (it will also have a nutty fragrant scent). Add butternut squash to pan and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and lightly browned. Add the shallots and Brussels sprouts and season with salt and pepper. Cook for five minutes, until Brussels sprouts are just tender.

Stir in vegetable stock, adjust salt and pepper, if necessary, and bring to a simmer. Return cooked bacon to the skillet, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, just until sauce is heated through. Add cooked pasta and toss well to coat. Divide among deep serving bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese before serving.

Cooking on Instinct: farfalle with lemon, walnuts and parmesan

Well, it's been a while. Thanks to all the amazing bloggers who guest posted and shared their wonderful recipes. I was getting near the end of my rope, so to speak, and that end of summer vacation was much needed. The Mr. and I have been going to North Truro for 14 years now. Almost the furthest tip of Cape Cod, it's the last town before Provincetown, it's nestled between Cape Cod Bay and the ocean. And the view from our deck is just what the doctor ordered for this busy city girl.

Backyard Basil Pesto + Taste This! Cookbook Giveaway

Pesto’s been part of my life since an early age. My aunt’s amazing green thumb yielded more basil than you can imagine on her Brooklyn roof deck. I didn’t fall in love with it though until I was in my early twenties. What really inspired me to get to my Italian roots was a co-worker’s Italian husband. I’m talking born and bred in Northern Italy, so eating there was always a treat and very eye-opening compared to my Italian-American upbringing. For the first time I experienced pesto that was creamy and delicately coated each strand of spaghetti. It was saturated in oil and didn’t have enough garlic capable of warding off vampires.

Perhaps my journalistic skills weren’t honed then, or I was just too busy enjoying the food, but for whatever reason I didn’t ask Diego for his recipe. About two months later, I did find a book that would unlock the answers for me. I was roaming through a used bookstore in the North Beach section of San Francisco and came across a copy of Northern Italian Cooking by Francesco Ghedini. Turns out the book was published the year I was born, so 1973 had a couple of good things cooking back then.

The secret had been revealed. I’m convinced butter makes everything better, and it’s certainly the case in this pesto. It lends a creamy texture and flavor. While this recipe was inspired by Ghedini’s it is my own unique blend. I used parsley instead of spinach because that’s what I had in the garden, and cut back a lot on the garlic—my tummy likes it better that way. Feel free to let loose and and more if you really like a garlicky bite. Ghedini also included Fiore Sardo in his recipe, an Italian cheese with a wonderfully nutty taste that I’m sure would be a good compliment to the pignoli nuts. I used the Parmesan I had in the fridge. And remember, a little goes a long way, so add just enough to coat your pasta.

Basil Pesto
Makes 2/3 cup (enough for two adults and two kids)

This classic Italian sauce is delicious served over pasta or drizzled over fresh mozzarella cheese and sliced tomatoes. Serve it slightly heated or at room temperature. I find adding the garlic in slices, rather than the whole cloves, ensures it blends into the final sauce better.

¾ cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons butter, softened
¼ cup pignoli nuts (also called pine nuts)
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Add the basil and parsley to the workbowl of a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped. Add the garlic, butter, nuts, cheese and salt and pepper. Process until it forms a paste, then slowly drizzle olive oil in through feed tube, continuing to process the mixture until it begins to emulsify and becomes a creamy sauce-like consistency.

TIP: At the end of summer, I make a batch of pesto using any surplus basil and freeze it in ice cube trays. This way I have "fresh" basil to add to my marinara sauce throughout the long, sometimes cold, winters here in NYC. You can leave out the pignoli nuts, as I do, for this purpose.

 

There's always room for one more at any Italian table. I know my Twitter pal Gina von Esmarch would agree (and one day I will make it to hers' in San Francisco). Gina has a wonderful cookbook of friend and family favorites she's collected over the years, and she's giving one away a copy of Taste This! to a lucky reader of In Jennie's Kitchen. Whadya have to do to win? Good question, and thanks for asking. Take a trip to Gina's cyber kitchen over at Bowl Licker and leave a comment here telling me the star ingredient of her dessert, which is perfect for the upcoming July 4th holiday. Contest ends 11:59pm Friday, July 3rd and the winner will be chosen using random.org. Good luck!

 

RELATED LINKS

Perfect Pesto - The Naptime Chef

Chicken Noodle Soup

I never watched how my mom made chicken soup but know she used to puree the celery and pour it back in to the soup because she said we didn't like it. She'd also mash the carrots and serve it with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, as many Italian-Americans do.

While I still have an aversion to raw celery, I love it cooked. My own recipe for chicken soup used a complicated technique listed in numerous cookbooks. Dump raw chicken and vegetables into pot, cover with water and cook. Quite a few years back, I started making my stock from leftover roasted chicken carcass, a not so secret way to infuse extra flavor. It's a wonderful green, waste-not-want-not use for leftovers, and I'll still use it on the day after I make roasted chicken. Recently, though, I came across a recipe that turned out to be the best & quickest chicken soup I've ever made in From My Mother's Kitchen (Ryland, Peters & Small, 2009), which I'm featuring in the August/September issue of Working Mother magazine (is this where EW would insert "spoiler alert"?).

The trick is so easy, it's driving me crazy I didn't think of it myself: brown the chicken in the stock pot first. Other tip: use chicken thighs or legs, a less expensive option filled with maximum flavor. After browning on both sides, layer the veggies on top and simmer for 15 minutes. This draws out the juices to create a richer base before adding the water. An hour later, you've got amazingly rich homemade stock.

I made a few changes from the original recipe. The cheesecloth bouquet garni went first. Really, why spend time wrapping aromatics when the stock is going to be strained anyway? Instead I just added the leek, bay leaf, parsley and peppercorns straight to the pot. I left out the thyme just because it's not a flavor I wanted in my chicken soup (guess I could've worked in a 'ran out of thyme' joke too). In less than two hours I had a deliciously perfect prescription for the sore throat that took over a day ago. Perhaps the other remedy is getting to bed before midnight!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Serves 4 to 6

adapted from Jenny Linford's From My Mother's Kitchen (Ryland Peters & Small)

For stock
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds chicken legs & thighs
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, smashed
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 leek, bottom white part only
a few sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
1 dried bay leaf

For soup
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2-inch thick
2 celery stalks sliced 1-inch thick
3 ounces fine eggs noodles or spaghetti, broken into pieces
¼ cup fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large stockpot. Season chicken with salt and pepper and brown in small batches, being careful not to overcrowd pan. When done, return chicken back to pot. Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Pour in 6 cups of cold water, add leek, parsley and bay leaf and simmer, covered, over medium-low heat for one hour.

2. Skim fat from surface of stock. Using tongs or a large slotted spoon, remove chicken from the pot and set aside. Pour stock through a fine strainer, and discard vegetables and herbs. Let chicken cool, then remove meat from bines and roughly chop; set aside.

3. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil over medium-low heat in stockpot. Add onion, carrots and celery, season with salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes, then pour stock over vegetables. Bring to a boil, then add noodles and cook until desired tenderness, about 8 minutes for al dente. Add chopped chicken, stir in chopped parsley and cook until chicken is heated through. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately.

Related Links

Greek Orzo and Chicken Soup - Recipe Girl

Fireside Soup - Dorie Greenspan

Le Gastro (a homemade stock love story) - David Lebovitz

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Bacon & Eggs for Dinner

Ever since I came across Ruth Reichl's recipe for Spaghetti Carbonara in Garlic & Sapphires, it's been a regular on my dinner menu. I've tweaked it over the years and prefer pancetta, an Italian-style bacon, over regular but you can certainly use whatever's on hand in your fridge. The one ingredient you shouldn't skimp on is the eggs. My fave are farm-fresh ones from the Greenmarket (Grazin' Angus Acres' are the holy grail). Serve it with a salad and it's the perfect Monday night meal —an easy stress-free way to ease into a week's worth of dinners.

Quick & Easy Spaghetti Carbonara

adapted from Ruth Reichl's Garlic & Sapphires

Serves 4

3/4 pound uncooked spaghetti
8 ounces pancetta, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 large eggs
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and garlic cloves. Saute until pancetta is crisp and garlic is golden. Drain pancetta, reserving 1/4 cup of the drippings; discard garlic.
2. Crack eggs into a large serving bowl and beat well. Drain hot pasta and add to eggs. Toss quickly to "cook" the eggs and evenly coat the pasta. Add the cooked pancetta, reserved drippings and parmesan cheese; toss until mixed well. Serve immediately.