Cooking with Linda - Broccoli Rabe

Broccoli rabe is my husband's and my favorite vegetable. We try to eat it about once a week. Our three sons don't like it, though I think they will acquire a taste for rappini as they mature. After all, they eat edamame!

Ingredients:
one head of broccoli rabe
extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic
garlic powder
juice of one lemon
iodized salt
white cannellini beans (optional)

Sit down at the kitchen counter to prepare this vitamin-rich green, as it is time-consuming, at least for me. Cut off and discard roughly 2" of the hard, tough stems. Tenderize remaining stems by peeling the tough stem exterior or "skin" with a pairing knife then splitting them lengthwise, twice, so that the ends "flower."  My mother-in-law, a wonderful cook, taught me this trick. For ease of eating and incorporating this green into recipes, cut all stems and large leaves in half.  

Soak greens (split stems, leaves, florettes) in a large pot of water for ten minutes, agitating with tongs to remove any impurities. Drain water; replace with fresh, clean water. Soak again, and drain water in the sink in a large colander. The one featured in this link is my favorite, the one I use several times a week.

Lay out a clean, dry dish towel on the counter top. Place two layers of paper towels on top of dish towel; using tongs, place wet broccoli on top of the toweling to absorb some of the water. Over medium-high heat, saute 3 thinly-sliced garlic cloves in a few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil.  I cook the broccoli in my favorite large stainless steel saute pan. It comes with a clear, tempered glass lid, which helps me keep an eye on the cooking process.

Place the greens into the sizzling oil and use tongs to turn so that all leaves, stems, and florettes are lightly coated in olive oil. Saute with lid on for about 7-8 minutes or so, until broccoli is tender and bright green. Season to taste with iodized salt, garlic powder, fresh lemon juice, and a teaspoon of "raw" extra-virgin olive oil. The combination of these flavors in unbelievably savory.

Rappini - Tenderized, Ready to Saute

Cooked & Ready to Eat

I use stainless steel tongs  (a favorite cooking and serving tool) for flipping while sauteing as well as for serving (one-handed tongs for buffet service works great...for salads, especially).

A Very Versatile Green One of our favorites is broccoli rabe combined with slices of boiled-then-grilled Italian sausage and orecchiette (little ears) pasta. We also enjoy broccoli rabe with white cannellini beans.  Simply add the canned and drained beans toward the end of the saute process, so the beans become warm and flavorful.

A versatile topper, broccoli rabe is delicious on top of a grilled chicken breast or Italian bread toasted in the oven with a sprinkling of olive oil and salt. Leftover broccoli rabe leaves, tenderized stems, and delicate florettes are delicious and nutritious in a sandwich in lieu of lettuce. Or, simply place it alongside a fresh Italian roll, your favorite cheese (we are fans of Asiago and Dubliner) and (as pictured below) portabella mushrooms with roast red peppers.

Satisfying Vegetarian Lunch Carnival Glass Dish Tip from Mom: Even if it's just for the two of you, always cook the whole head of broccoli...or the whole head of boiled cabbage or cauliflower. Leftover Andy Boy broccoli or broccoli rabe can be warmed up and used as a side dish for next evening's dinner.  Or, you may want to prepare the leftover vegetables in a new way by incorporating them into a favorite recipe. ~ Linda



Cooking with Laura - Grilled Zucchini

What vegetables should I make tonight?  Typically, I make a salad - chopped romaine, dried cranberries, thinly sliced red onion, sliced grape tomatoes, maybe some walnuts and goat cheese - dressed with a mixture of two parts extra virgin olive oil and one part balsamic vinegar - delicious! 


But salad every night can get boring and a variety of vegetables is healthy.  So, lately I'm making a lot of grilled butternut squash - Stop & Shop sells butternut squash already peeled and chopped into small pieces.  I chop the pieces into bite size chunks, and then just toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until browned (turn halfway through). 


We also love cauliflower - washed, and cut into two inch pieces, steamed til soft and then baked in 350 degree oven topped with salt, pepper, low fat deli-sliced American cheese, and a teaspoon of unseasoned bread crumbs, for 15 minutes until cheese melts. 


Zucchini is always available, typically inexpensive, easy to cook, and lasts days in the refrigerator.  No need to peel it - the skin is full of nutrients.  Just wash well, cut the zucchini in half width-wise, and slice into thin slices.  Toss with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, and grill on medium-high heat on a grill pan. Garnish, if you'd like, with some fresh mint leaves. Delicious. Turn when nicely browned on the bottom.  They are done when soft enough for a fork to pass through easily.  Enjoy!  

Cooking with Laura - Chicken Cutlets

Chicken cutlets is a quick, easy, healthy, and delicious meal, and everyone loves them.  Buy boneless breast of chicken.  Rinse the chicken and trim any fat.  Dry the chicken with paper towels.  If the breasts are very thick, I sometimes carefully slice them into two thinner cutlets.  Lightly dip the breasts in a beaten egg. Then coat the cutlets with a thin layer of breadcrumbs - I like non-seasoned breadcrumbs because they don't burn as easily.  Also, I buy natural breadcrumbs with no additives or preservatives.  Pan saute the cutlets in olive oil, which gives them a great taste.  They cook beautifully in a cast iron pan.  Place the cutlets on paper towels to absorb excess oil before serving. Serve with a large tossed salad.  It doesn't get much easier than that. 


Another Tip from Mom: Economizing Key:
If you are low on eggs, no need to run out and pick some up. Instead, dip the breasts in fat free milk. The milk works just as well (even better because the breading won't go on as thick) as egg in holding onto the breadcrumbs, plus now you have an extra egg or two for scrambled eggs for tomorrow's breakfast. 


Economizing Key: Turn leftovers from this dinner into tomorrow's lunch. Nothing my son loves more than for me to pack him this brown bag lunch for school: a chicken cutlet, Romaine lettuce, and light mayo sandwich on a long hero roll for lunch the next day!




Romaine salad with black olives, grape tomatoes, romano cheese, and red onion

  

Baking with Laura - Low Fat Blueberry and Chocolate Chip Muffins




Low-fat Blueberry Muffins cooling on granite countertop

  On a cold winter day, there's nothing better than warm homemade muffins just out of the stove.  I found this recipe, now a favorite, in Cooking Light Magazine.














Low-fat plain, organic yogurt replaces oil, reducing fat and adding protein.  They are moist and delicious.  Since my son doesn't like blueberries, I split the batter and add blueberries (loaded with antioxidants) to half of the batter and dark chocolate chips to the other half.  We all enjoyed a nutritious muffin for breakfast, and for a mid-afternoon snack with a cup of coffee.  I made them in my favorite nonstick muffin tin.  These are wonderful to bake on a snow day, or to bring to a friend. I brought a bunch to my nephews who enjoyed them with tall glasses of milk. 

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup Stonyfield organic plain yogurt
2 organic eggs
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon zest grated (optional)
                                 1 cup blueberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray muffin tin with cooking spray (or use cupcake liners, as I did).  In small mixing bowl, sift together flour and baking soda.  In another bowl, combine sugar, yogurt, eggs, butter, cinnamon and lemon zest.  Beat until thoroughly combined.  Add dry ingredients and mix until just blended.  Be careful not to overmix.  Gently fold in blueberries and spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling each cup 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes before serving.  Makes 12 muffins.

I sprinkled muffins with Wilton yellow sparkling sugar to give them a golden sparkle and a little extra sweetness.

Cooking with Laura - Ravioli

Ravioli are delicious as an appetizer for a holiday meal or as a main course.  The key is to combine an excellent fresh ravioli with a fabulous tomato sauce.  I love New York Ravioli Company's large round cheese ravioli.  Make a simple fresh marinara sauce, and serve with a good quality, freshly-grated parmigiana or pecorino cheese.

To make a delicious marinara sauce, saute 4 sliced cloves of garlic and one small onion, finely chopped, in two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil until onions are translucent (about 10 minutes).  Add one can (32 oz.) crushed tomatoes - I like Tuttorosso.  Simmer about 60 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Be sure to cook the ravioli until it is al dente - if it is too solft, the ravioli can open up and the filling can ooze out.  I like to use a hand held scoop colander to take the cooked ravioli out of the pot.  It is much easier than carrying the large pot of boiling water to the sink and pouring it into a colander in the sink.

Accented in 14k gold, these floral bowls were my grandmother's who we called Nanny.  Nanny came to the United States with her mother when she was only eleven months old.  Each time I use them I think of her.  They are elegant and perfect for serving a pasta appetizer.   





Cooking With Linda: Grilled Chicken Parmigiana & What We're Reading in the New Year: Giada De Laurentiis Cookbooks

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to try even harder to make healthy family meals a priority. This is a big challenge in a busy household packed with school, work, team sports (peak of winter and one of our boys is in a basketball league; the other, baseball training), teen social lives, and the interminable, high-priority 

To-Do List.

This meal was a winner because the whole family - husband, teens, 3-year-old, and myself, enjoyed it.  Satisfying Italian soul food and healthy too, grilled chicken parm starts by making a big pot of fresh tomato sauce: in extra virgin olive oil, saute 3-4 cloves of fresh garlic, half a vidalia onion finely sliced, 2-3 leaves of fresh basil. 

Add two cans of whole plum tomatoes (broken up by hand), salt and pepper. We like crushed red pepper for heat.  Let sauce simmer gently for about an hour. Meanwhile, prepare the chicken by pounding the boneless, skinless cutlets very thin (or you can buy them thinly sliced), sprinkling some olive oil, salt and lemon juice and grilling them until cooked through. Super quick due to its top and bottom grilling function, I use my Wolfgang Puck Panini Duet, which is not only a multipurpose grill but a great panini maker!

Layering (the fun part) begins:  thin layer of tomato sauce at the bottom, then grilled chicken, next part-skim shredded mozzarella, ample slices of savory imported scarmorza (smoked fresh mozzarella), fresh basil, and plenty of parmesan-reggiano grated cheese. The non-traditional part of this preparation is that the chicken breasts are grilled not breaded and pan fried.

In a lasagna pan or a stainless steel roasting pan, bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden.

 Cool 15-20 minutes before serving so your sliced portions stay together. Serve with tricolor salad, thin spaghetti, and Italian bread.


My sister, nieces, and I are big fans of Giada De Laurentiis - trying new recipes from her cookbooks Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites and Giada at Home: Family Recipes from Italy and California is on my list of New Year's resolutions.

Buon Appetito!

Economizing Key - Leftovers for Lunch:

My boys enjoy chicken parmesan sandwiches the next day on  Italian hero rolls.  Add slices of roast red bell peppers, tomato, and crisp Romaine lettuce.

Baking with Linda: Chocolate-Cranberry-Walnut Biscotti



Chocolate Biscotti Dough
Perfectly Prepared by my Oldest Son

 All my boys, my husband, and extended family (or so they say) love these traditional Italian cookies, which I make about 2 -3 times a year & definitely for Christmas. A delicious blend of flavors and crunch make them a family favorite.

Cream together:
2/3 cup softened butter
1 1/3 cup sugar
4 organic eggs
3 tsp. vanilla extract

Blend dry ingredients (separately):
2/3 cup unsweetened, unsalted cocoa powder
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 cup dark, bittersweet chocolate morsels
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup craisins, each sliced in half


Whip the softened butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in your KitchenAid Mixer. Incorporate dry ingredients separately in a big bowl. First break up the walnuts by hand and cut the craisins in thirds - less likely for the "bars" to fall apart when slicing them from the log formations.  Once splatter guards are in place (I recommend them!), spoon the dry mixture into the wet mixture, about a half cup at a time.

On Pam-sprayed cookie sheet, form two 12" by 4" logs. Tip from Mom: lightly coat your hands with flour so the dough doesn't stick to your fingers.

Bake 23-25 minutes @375 degrees.  Let cool 20 minutes before slicing, on a slight diagonal, into "bars."  I use a broad-blade knife to slice the logs; my knife measures 1.5"  by  6" and works perfectly.


Situate bars, flat-side-down, onto cookie sheet and bake 6 minutes on each side for about 5 minutes. This allows biscotti to cook through and become firm.

Almost 16, my oldest son is an expert at making these biscotti and can make them completely on his own. He and my 13-year-old fight over who's getting the mixing blade and batter bowl!  As he and his brothers have discovered, chocolate biscotti are excellent for dipping in tall glasses of milk. 
Biscotti look beautiful when served with a fine dusting of confectioner's powdered sugar.  They freeze very well; in fact, we like them right out of the freezer with a cup of capuccino or espresso.

La Dolce Vita

Cooking with Laura: Chicken Soup

There's nothing like homemade chicken soup on a cold day, and no better medicine for a cold.  Since everyone in my family has a cold, I put up a delicious pot of chicken soup.  After the soup has been cooking for a while, the house fills with the soothing aroma of chicken soup.  It is delicious and healthy and really makes your cold feel better.  It is also easy to prepare and a one-pot meal so clean up is easy, too.  I like to cook mine in my large All-Clad pot.  


I rinsed five chicken quarters and place in pot with two quarts of College Inn chicken broth and two quarts of water.  I added a large Vidalia onion, peeled and quartered, and about two cups of baby carrots.  The baby carrots are easy to use because you don't have to peel them or chop them.  Also add about four stalks of celery, cleaned and cut into large pieces.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and a sprig of fresh dill if you have it.  Bring to a boil, and then simmer for an hour and a half.  Then add 1/2 lb. of small noodles and cook in the soup until the noodles are done - about 6 minutes for thin noodles.  You can add pastina or tubettini or another small pasta.


When the soup is done, remove the chicken, discard the skin, and take the chicken off the bone.  Serve soup with chicken slices in it or serve chicken on the side or in sandwiches. 

Enjoy!


Economizing Key: Peel remaining chicken off of the bones. Make a refreshing, healthful chicken salad for lunch the next day, according to what's available in your refrigerator.  Take out your cutting board and add:  finely chopped celery and/or carrots, diced apples and/or pears, seedless grapes cut in halves, fresh lemon juice, a little mayo, a splash of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. If you happen to have shelled walnuts, you may want to add small pieces of the walnuts as well for an added flavor and crunch.

Delicious served as a scoop on top of a bed of your favorite lettuce or as a sandwich in a toasted sweet roll knot, this homemade chicken salad is easy-to-make with what's handy in your refrigerator.