Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers - Greek Style

This week we had stuffed tomatoes and peppers because I found that the outdoor market and our local super-market are beginning to bring large stuffing tomatoes. It is too early for, large, Jersey Tomatoes, however, these did very well.

This is food that you cook one night and eat it, warmed up, the next. If anything it makes it taste even better. This is exactly what my wife and did this week.

6 large ripe tomatoes
3 medium green peppers
¾ cup olive oil
¾ cup canned tomato sauce
2 pound chopped beef
1 cup Arborio rice, (best if you cook for 12 or so minutes) for stuffing
1 Vidalia onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
3 garlic cloves, minced very fine
¼ cup parsley, minced
¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano or Kefalotiri cheese
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 375° F

Prepare a large round pita pan (tapsi) or a 9 by 13 inch baking dish, by lightly oiling it.

Cut off tops of tomatoes (retain tops) and carefully scoop out flesh (retain this as well).
Cut off tops of peppers (retain tops) and remove seeds and membrane.

Sauté the chopped beef with garlic and olive oil until browned
Place tomatoes and peppers in the pan, level off the bottom with a knife so they sit comfortably.

In a blender or food processor, puree the reserved tomato pulp, tomato sauce and add the onion and blend until finely chopped.

In a large bowl, combine the beef, contents of blender, parsley, half of the oil along with the rice. Mix gently but thoroughly. Add ¾ of the tomato sauce mixture, salt, and pepper and again mix well

Fill the tomatoes and peppers with the, meat and tomato mixture and place the tops of tomatoes and peppers

Lay down a base with the remaining rice mixture all around the pan along and place the tomatoes and peppers on top. Sprinkle the remaining olive oil on top of the tomatoes and peppers.

Bake for 1½ to 2 hours or until the tomatoes and peppers are tender and the filling is fully cooked through.

Turn off the oven and leave the food in for another hour or so. This will allow the tomatoes and peppers and the rice mixture to absorb all the juices.

Serve, either warm/hot or at room temperature.

Pesto the Basil Sauce

As spring turns into summer and basil becomes abundant this is the perfect time to make pesto. Get ready to start pounding away. It is worth to know that Pesto originated in Genoa, Italy, the word pesto comes from the Italian ‘pestare‘, which means to pound or to grind. Pesto is so versatile it can be added to pasta, pizza, used as a salad dressing, in particular with boiled new potatoes, and much more.

The Ingredients usually are:
(You can vary what goes in according to your taste. I use much more garlic than the two cloves)

2 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh basil leaves – I prefer the small others prefer the large
3 tablespoons pine nuts (toasted) I use walnuts
Sea salt and pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup Parmigiano cheese either grated or roughly cut into small pieces

Most people probably do not know what was used to make pesto before the food processor to grind the above components.
Back when kitchen gadgets were not electric, we used a basic stone or brass bowl with a heavy stick to make food like pesto. It took time to make and was simpler and frequently tastier.
The major difference between a food processor and a mortar and pestle is that the food processor tends to pulverize the ingredients, whereas the latter, mortar & pestle, utilizes a human manual control and a blending process which allows for consistency and flavor control.
Making pesto, the old fashion way, clearly demonstrates the differences of techniques. You see, the crushing process allows the garlic, basil and other ingredients to give off their unique aromas.
Not too long ago the mortar and pestle were commonplace in Mediterranean kitchens as well as in North Africa, India, Far East, all with their intricate blend of condiments and spices which rely on this ancient grinding method to extract all-around flavors.

Making the Pesto

Start the same way you would with a food processor; place the garlic and salt in the mortar* and grind them to a paste next you start adding the basil leaves, a few at a time instead of all at once. Add the pine nuts or almonds or walnuts and crush, incorporating them into the garlic and basil.
If you are going to use, the Pesto, immediately, add the cheese and continue to pound and mix to a desired consistency

Blend in the oil in a slow stream until you reach the desired mixture you want. The mushier it looks the better it tastes.


* A mortar and pestle is a tool used to crush, grind, and mix solid substances. The mortar is a bowl, typically made of hard wood, marble, clay, or stone. The pestle is a heavy bat-shaped object, the end of which is used for crushing and grinding.

Herbs

Keeping Herbs Fresh

When you gather or buy fresh herbs, such as: Parsley, Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Mint, Oregano and Sage, snip off or cut off the bottom of the stems. Make sure the leaves are dry, but rinse them when you are going to use them.

Fill a mason jar or a water glass half-way with water and place the stem ends first into the jar or the glass. If you decide to store the herbs in the refrigerator, cover loosely with a clear plastic bag.

Parsley can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator, the same goes for Rosemary, Thyme and Sage. However, according to several sources , Basil is best stored at room temperature and not in the refrigerator because it is vulnerable to damage from the cold air.

Make sure to change the water every other day. Fresh herbs can last up to 2 weeks or longer when stored this way.

Herbs in Italian / Greek Kitchens

Parsley: It is usually recommended that you use flat leaf Italian parsley in Italian cooking, and reserve the curly variety as a garnish. Parsley can be washed and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. It is a fresh addition to almost any dish, and is also great as a mouth freshener as it masks the odor of garlic.

Basil: A fragrant plant which legend says that due to its excellent aroma and perfume ancient kings used it to adorn their palaces. Its name is Greek for “kingly.” It is not true that basil is associated particularly with Italian cooking. Greek cuisine makes extensive use of basil and is a fundamental seasoning ingredient for many sauces, soups and salads. The Italians use it more especially in tomato sauces, and who can forget the wonderful pesto sauce?

Oregano: A plant of the mint family. This herb is particularly prized in Greece and southern Italy. It is widely used to season salads, sauces, pizza, and grilled vegetable dishes. The fresh type stores well in the refrigerator, and when dry keeps for a year or so when stored in a dark place. The ancient Greeks used fresh oregano leaves as tea to help with headaches and insomnia.

Rosemary: An evergreen shrub with lance shaped leaves, and extremely fragrant. Rosemary was used in ancient times and still is used today for its medicinal purposes but has become a mainstay in modern Italian and Greek cooking as a seasoning for roasts, potatoes, breads and vegetable dishes. It will store, fresh in water and dry in a dark place.

Sage: A small plant with fragrant leaves, part of the mint family. Salvia, the Latin name, means the healing plant. Medicinally, sage as a tea is believed to restore energy and bad memory. Sage is often used in combination with rosemary to flavor roasts, and the famous veal dish Saltimbocca gets it's specific flavor from sage as well. Sage stores well in the refrigerator.

Thyme: A member of the mint family; indigenous to the Mediterranean. It has fragrant and of antiseptic qualities, when cooking snails feed them thyme and all the inner contents will be cleaned. Thyme is a very powerful herb and should be used very sparingly. It adds great flavors when seasoning meats, stuffing's and marinades. The easiest way to use fresh thyme is to simply pull the small leaves off the stiff stalks, use just the leaves in your cooking.

We’re still in spring!

This week I will purchase several bunches of ‘broccoli rabe’, which means I will also stop at my local pork store to purchase several pounds of Italian sausage.
Traditionally the two are served on a large platter with the broccoli rabe in the center and the fried sausage all around.
Long and behold I remembered that on a trip to Florence, Firenze to the Italians, I had a wonderful dish that was baked with lots of garlic and white kidney beans, “cannellini” as part of the dish. You see, in Florence they use quite a lot of ‘cannellini’, sometimes it becomes too much. I did find the recipe and I will cook it this weekend, delicious!

Broccolini di rape con salsiccia a forno

Broccoli rabe with Sausage in a Casserole

2 bunches broccolini di rape, ‘broccoli rabe’ as they are known here, cooked and well drained
2 pound fresh Italian sausage
1 can, Cannellini, white kidney beans
1 small onion, finely sliced
½ cup milk
½ cup grated Romano - cheese
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon pepper
¼ cup, homemade, bread crumbs
4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
4 teaspoons butter, melted

Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees F

In a large skillet cook sausage over medium heat for about 8 to 10 minutes until the inside pink is gone, turn often. Place sausage on paper towels to drain. When the sausage has cooled, slice into bite size pieces.

Wash and clean and peel hard sections of the broccoli rabe. Place in a pot of salted boiling water and blanch for 5 minutes or so. Drain and leave in the colander to cool. When they have completely cooled, cut into 2 inch sections.

In a mixing bowl combine cooked sausage, broccoli rabe, beans, onion, milk and the ¼ cup of the cheese, lemon peel and pepper and mix well.

Transfer the mixture onto an olive oil greased baking dish.

In another mixing bowl; combine the bread crumbs, remaining ¼ cup of cheese along with the garlic and the melted butter; sprinkle on top of the casserole and bake, uncovered, for about 30 - 40 minutes or until the bread crumbs brown and the contents are nice and hot.

Serve with lots of crusty Italian bread.

Funny, we used to call this type of food, peasant food.
Today this dish comes under the classification of “gourmet dish”.
Yet, when it was peasant food, we survived many a day in the rough agrarian society we grew up in.

Spring Has Arrived

So what’s so wonderful about spring? Let’s see, everything in nature is new, fresh and healthy: Look at the greenery after the dull gray of winter. The new vegetables and fruit. Some examples are.

Asparagus, In early May they announce that spring has arrived. Asparagus have such fresh flavors which come to the forefront when grilled, boiled or in a frittata, etc. Asparagus are rich in vitamins A and C, calcium, iron.

Fava Beans, κουκιά, fave, eaten usually in a stew combined with artichokes, while they are still fresh in their pod. The leaves of the plant can also be eaten either raw or cooked like spinach or in stews as referenced above.

Green Beans Fresh green beans are at a peak from May to October. They have a healthy supply of beta-carotene and vitamins A and C.

Spinach. Greeks have been eating spinach quite a long time and it has been a favorite of the whole Mediterranean since the Crusades. Spinach are rich in vitamin A which is great for cardiovascular health.

Spring Onions. Known as scallions or green onions provide vitamins A and C, calcium and iron.

Basil. Enhances the flavors of your favorite pasta and favorite sauce or spring salad, basil is a wonderful source of vitamin A.

Spring Greens. From arugula, romaine, mesclun, bok choy, watercress to dandelion greens. They are all rich in lutein, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and all excellent for the digestion.

Apricots. The true fruits of spring. Apricots help satisfy a sweet tooth, but the lively red, orange and yellow hues signal a plentiful supply of antioxidants.


This week’s recipe is:

Fava Beans, Green Onions and Escarole

3 pounds fresh fava beans in the pod
2 clove garlic, sliced on the thick side
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 bunches green onions – scallions, trimmed and cut in half
1 bunch escarole, trimmed and cut into wide strips
Salt and pepper


Shell the beans and discard the pods. Bring some water to a boil and add the beans and cook over medium heat for about 45 seconds.

Drain and reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Let the beans cool for 10 minutes. Then remove the skins off the beans.

Place half the olive oil in a medium pot along the garlic, beans over medium-high heat, cook by stirring frequently, add the reserved cooking liquid and enough water to cover

Bring to a boil and add the scallions and escarole. Cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes. Let it rest for another 20 minutes, plate drizzle some of the remaining olive oil and garnish with lemon wedges.