Category: Jody Scaravella

Stuffed Eggplant Palermo Style

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Nonna’s House
Jody Scaravella

This is a very traditional Sicilian dish and I grew up with my mother making it fairly often.  However, I’m not a fan of eggplant.  I don’t even like them a little bit.  So I don’t get the urge to make it very often.  But my family does like eggplant, and so I make it for them.

I can’t really comment as to how this dish came out, but according to my daughter, she liked it, but thought it could do without the mint.  But…  if you care to give it a try, you be the judge and let me know if you agree.

Note:  This recipe calls for caciocavallo which is a sharp/salty Italian cheese which can be difficult to find in your average market.  Even specialty markets don’t carry it very often.  A good substitute for caciocavallo would be a sharp provolone, which is what I used and it worked beautifully.

Ingredients:
8 ounces caciocavallo, shaved paper thin with a cheese plane or a vegetable peeler
¼ cup packed fresh mint, chopped
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
6 baby eggplants (4 ounces each)
3 garlic cloves, slivered
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups sugo di pomodoro (previously posted) or plain marinara sauce

In a medium bowl, combine the caciocavallo, mint, pepper, and salt.

With a sharp knife, make three parallel, equidistant cuts along the length of each eggplant from the rounded end to just below the stem, cutting about three-quarters into the vegetable without cutting all the way through.  Fill the slits with the cheese mixture;  slip the garlic into one of the slits in each eggplant.  Don’t overstuff; the eggplant needs to stay together as it cooks.

Warm the oil in a deep skillet set over medium heat.  Add the eggplant, slit sides up, cover, and cook until the eggplant begins to soften, about 5 minutes.

Pour in the sumo, prod the eggplant with a rubber spatula to make sure they’re not sticking.  Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the eggplant is tender, about 15 minutes.  Let cool in the pan for a few minutes before serving.

Sugo di Pomodoro

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Nonna’s House
Jody Scaravella

Sugo di Pomodoro.  I’m sure more than a few of you are wondering what that means.  It’s nothing nefarious.  Sugo di Pomodoro translates into…  *drumroll please*  Tomato Sauce!  Told you it wasn’t anything nefarious.  That’s just what it’s called in the book.  And I’m nothing if not a purist.  So that’s what I called it too.  Now, having said all that, this is the most basic of tomato sauces which is a quick easy fix for any number of meals.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes, drained

Set a deep skillet over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes.  Swirl in the oil and add the onion.  Cook, stirring often, until golden.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Break each tomato open over the sink, scrape out the seeds, and crush it into the skillet.  Stir in the salt and pepper, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down into a sauce.  About 30 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat.  Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce directly in the skillet until smooth, or carefully pour the sauce into a food processor and process until smooth.

Pork Rolls w/ Pancetta & Sausage

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Nonna’s House
Jody Scaravella

I forgot to take a pic of this when it was plated, but at least I remembered a couple of prep photos.  (Never claimed to be perfect.)

This was pretty good.  The only advice I’ll offer was to make sure not to overcook the pork otherwise it will dry out and become tough.  But it’s a fine line to draw because you don’t want to leave it undercooked either.  My suggestion?  Flip it a lot in the pan.  Even though the recipe suggests to turn frequently, turn it even more frequently.

To add a slight twist to this recipe, you can add a small piece of cheese like sharp provolone or fresh mozzarella before rolling it up and putting it in the pan.  After all, who can resist cheese!

Ingredients:
12 (2-ounce) pork cutlets (or thin cut boneless pork chops)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
24 paper thin slices pancetta
8 ounces mild Italian sausage
12 large fresh sage leaves
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 (4-inch) fresh rosemary springs, plus more for garnish

  1. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on a clean work surface, top with one cutlet, and lay a second sheet of plastic wrap over the meat.  Pound to 1/4 inch thick using the smooth side of a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy saucepan.  Peel off the top sheet of plastic wrap, set the cutlet aside and repeat with the remainder of the cutlets, changing the plastic wrap as necessary.  Season the cutlet with the pepper.
  2. Top each cutlet with 2 slices of pancetta, 1 1/2 tablespoons sausage meat, and 1 sage leaf.  Roll tightly and secure with a toothpick.
  3. Melt the butter in a large skillet set over medium heat.  Add the pro rolls and brown on all sides, turning often, about 10 minutes.  Pour in the wine and add the rosemary sprigs.  Return to a boil; then cover, reduce the heat, and summer until tender, about 20 minutes.
  4. To serve, discard the rosemary sprigs.  Transfer the pork rolls to a carving board and slice into 1-inch pieces.  Pour pan juices over the top and garnish with additional rosemary.

 

 

Drunken Chicken

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Nonna’s House
Jody Scaravella

 

I love cooking with wine.  It gives food such a great flavor.  Can’t drink the stuff, but I can cook with it like nobody’s business!

This recipe intrigued me because it was a new way to make the same old baked chicken.  New flavors, different seasonings, a new twist on an old staple.

It was quite good and definitely worth making again.  The first time I left out the mushrooms because I’m not a fan, but next time I might actually include them to see how it changes the flavors.

Ingredients:
2 medium white onions, halved and cut into thin half moons
2 small red onions, halved and cut into thin half moons
1 cup all-purpose flour, for dredging
1 (4 lb) chicken, cut in 8 pieces, giblets and neck removed
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups dry red wine
2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms (about 1 cup soaked)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  1. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375F.  Scatter the onions in an even layer in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
  2. Spread the flour on a large plate.  Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, coating all sides evenly and shaking off any excess.  Set aside.
  3. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in the oil in a large skillet set over medium heat.  Working in batches, brown the chicken until golden, turning once, about 8 minutes per batch.  As the chicken is done, transfer it to the baking dish on top of the onions.
  4. Pour the wine over the chicken.  Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake until the chicken is tender at the bone, about 1 hour.
  5. Meanwhile, set the porcini in a small heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for 20 minutes.  Drain well, then chop the porcini into small pieces.
  6. When the chicken is done, remove it from the baking dish, along with the onions, to a large bowl.  Cover with foil to keep warm.
  7. Scrape all the juices and drippings from the baking dish into a medium saucepan.  Stir in the porcini, then cook briskly over high heat until the liquid has reduced to 1/4 cup, about 20 minutes.  As the sauce cooks, whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons butter a little at a time, until smooth.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the salt and pepper.  To serve, top the chicken with the onions, drizzle with the sauce.