Taralli de Pane

This is not a recipe I normally make in the summer (it not only requires oven baking, but boiling on the stove), but I had a request for it, so I'll post it now rather than wait until fall/winter when I generally make these.  They are great served with cheese, or just as a take-along snack.

The recipe is from my Aunt Anna, my mom's eldest sister, born in 1906. She was a no-nonsense, hard-working woman who cooked and baked by instinct rather than formula. For years, I begged her for the recipe to these Italian bread rings, but she always insisted that they were "a lot of work" to make. Eventually, when she was in her mid-80s, Aunt Anna (with a twinkle in her eye) confessed that there wasn't any "recipe." If I wanted to learn how to make them, I'd have to spend a day with her in the kitchen and watch her. So, notebook in hand, I did.

For starters, she didn't make a "batch" of taralli (and in her Italian dialect, she pronounced them "tarral"...roll the R and stop at the L); she made enough to fill a large paper grocery bag. And she didn't measure ingredients. Her demo started with "5 pounds of flour, plus a few scoops more, some yeast, a little glass of wine, about this much oil..."). I scribbled fast as she spoke, mixed and kneaded.  I wrote parenthetical notes to myself suggesting "a little oil" implied about six ounces. The process took several hours, but it was wonderful to spend the day with her in that familiar kitchen of my childhood that always smelled great.

Once I had a rough recipe on paper, I had to cut it down to a reasonable batch size. Then I had to tweak the amount of each ingredient until the consistency, texture and taste were exactly as we all remembered Aunt Anna's taralli to be. There was some trial and error with ingredients, temperature, baking time, etc.), and I used my family as taste testers. Their conclusions went from, "No way. They taste nothing like hers," to "I think you've got it!"

Lastly, I had to adapt the recipe to the modern conveniences I enjoy in my kitchen-- mainly stand mixer and convection oven.

I've tasted commercial varieties of taralli de pane (and those made by Italian friends and family), but none come close to Aunt Anna's. These, although not exactly like hers, are quite authentic. Conclusion: special aunts and recipes can be imitated, but never replaced.

Ingredients:

3 cups bread flour

3/4 cup (coarse) semolina flour

1/2 teaspoon yeast

2 tablespoons fennel seed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup white wine

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 cups water

Additional oil for water boil.

Attach dough hook to stand mixer. If you don't have a dough hook, the paddle you use for cookies will probably work fine. If you don't have a stand mixer, hand-kneading worked fine for my aunt.

Combine flours, yeast, fennel seed, olive oil and wine in the bowl of a stand mixer. Dissolve salt in water and add all at once to bowl. Mix until a ball forms.

Take about 2 tablespoons of dough, roll it into a small ball, and then into a rope. I do this on a wooden board. For crispier taralli, make the ropes narrower in diameter.

Form into shape below (which is sort of a sideways/upside-down awareness ribbon shape), and pinch to seal intersection of rope ends so it stays fixed.

Repeat with remaining dough and let rest uncovered on a lightly floured surface for about an hour.

While taralli are resting and drying out a bit, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add about 2 tablespoons of oil (vegetable oil is fine) to the water. Boil the taralli in small batches until they float to the surface.

Remove and let dry on a cookie rack over a towel-lined baking sheet. Let them sit for about 2 hours. While they are drying, preheat the oven to 325°F.

Place on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes (or until golden).

Cool completely and then store in a paper bag. This recipe makes 2-3 dozen taralli.

Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle

Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle

Vanilla Cake Layer

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 eggs at room temperature 

1/2 cup milk 

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.  

Grease and flour a 9-inch round baking pan (or just spray it with the "baking" variety of vegetable cooking spray).  

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

In a larger mixing bowl (I use a stand mixer), cream together butter, sugar and vanilla until blended.  Add eggs one at a time.  When the texture is smooth, add milk.  Add dry ingredients slowly, and blend until all ingredients are mixed in well (don't forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl). Pour into pan.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until cake tester indicates it's done.  I use a convection oven, so the baking time may vary in your oven.

After the cake cools about 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, let it cool completely, and then cut out a circle (I use the trifle bowl as a template) and place the layer in the bottom of the trifle bowl.  

Cheesecake Layer

1 12-ounce tub of whipped cream cheese

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 generous teaspoon vanilla

Mix all together well and spread over the cake layer.

Strawberry Layer

Wash, hull, and slice strawberries, and layer them over the cream cheese mixture. Again, use as many or as few as you'd like.  I don't add sugar to the berry layer, but if you like things on the sweeter side, add a tablespoon of granulated sugar to the berries before you layer them on.

Whipped Cream Layer

1/2 pint fresh heavy cream (I don't use ultra-pasteurized)

1-2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar (again, add more or less to your taste)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Whip together on high speed with electric mixer until stiff peaks form.  Don't over beat, or you will end up with butter!  Layer whipped cream over strawberries.

Add more strawberries to top layer and garnish with fresh mint.

Personal Preference:  I use as many organic ingredients as possible (butter, eggs, milk, strawberries).

Shortcut:  If you don't want to make the cake layer from scratch, I recommend Dr. Oetker Organics Vanilla Cake Mix. You can find it in the Nature's Marketplace section of Wegmans.   The only problem with using a mix is that you will end up with an extra layer of cake.  My homemade recipe is for exactly one 9-inch layer.

Roasted Red Peppers

Fresh red peppers are very reasonable at the Farmer’s Market during peak season, so it’s not only economical to roast them yourself, but they are much tastier than the commercially prepared varieties in jars. I make these year round. In the summer, I use the outdoor grill to prepare them; and in the winter, my oven works just as well. For a small amount, I use my countertop convection oven.

Roasted Red Peppers

On the outdoor grill: Wash peppers and place on medium-high grill. Heat until the skin is dark, but not completely charred black (you will still see a hint of red beneath the skin). Remove and immediately place in a stainless steel or heatproof glass bowl.Cover and let stand on kitchen counter for ½ hour so they steam.

In the oven:

Wash, halve and seed red peppers. Place skin side up on a foil lined cookie sheet (spray with high-temperature cooking spray). You may broil until skins are almost black (with a hint of red under) or just put them in a 450° oven, top rack. Keep a close eye on them, especially if you have them on the broil setting, as you don’t want them to char. Put in a stainless steel or heatproof glass bowl and cover to steam for about ½ hour on your kitchen counter.

Touch gently to make sure they are not too hot to handle (if they are still hot, wait until they are cool enough to handle comfortably). Peel skins off, and remove stem and seeds if you prepared them on the grill (do this under cold running water if the skins are sticking to your fingers). NOTE: Don't put the peppers under running water, but just use the cold running water to rinse away any skins and seeds that may be sticking to your fingers! The peppers may lose flavor if you put them directly under running water. Cut to desired size, and place in another bowl.

Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, chopped garlic, and fresh parsley. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve on grilled bread.

Grilled bread:

Slice Italian or French bread, brush lightly with olive oil (I use garlic infused olive oil), place slices on grill. Watch closely until light brown grill stripes appear. Turn. Remove promptly. Top with roasted red peppers.

Variations:

Finely chop Kalamata olives, and sprinkle them on top.

Use basil instead of, or in addition to, parsley.

Use as a pizza topping.

Toss with hot pasta, add your favorite cheese, herbs and steamed vegetables.

New England Clam Chowder

I am an impatient cook, and I don’t like a huge mess in my kitchen. That’s why I rarely bring mesh bags of sandy clams in the house. Way too much bother.

That said, I love the aroma of clam chowder simmering on the stove. It’s the meld of flavors—clams, bacon, onions, potatoes and thyme—that gets my mouth watering every time. Below is my very easy recipe for New England clam chowder. This can even be made in a slow cooker on a work day. Just sauté the bacon and onions before putting in the slow cooker, and add cream right before serving (turn to high to make sure it heats up).

Jan’s Very Yummy “No Fuss” Clam Chowder

5 slices bacon (I use the uncured variety, without nitrites or nitrates)

¼ cup diced onion (about ½ a medium sized onion)

4 baking potatoes, cut into large dice (about ½ inch square)

Freshly ground black pepper

2 small or 1 large leek (washed well, green part discarded, and thinly sliced)

1 8-oz bottle clam juice

½ teaspoon dried (or 1 teaspoon fresh) thyme

2 cans chopped clams (6.5 oz each), with juice

½ pint heavy cream

Dice bacon, and combine with onion. In a small Dutch oven (I use a 2 quart enameled cast iron one), sauté over medium heat. Increase heat if bacon doesn’t start to brown after a few minutes, but don’t brown too much. Drain any remaining bacon fat. Mix in potatoes, leeks, black pepper, and clam juice. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Remove about 1 cup of the potato mixture (without any liquid) and set aside.

With an immersion blender (or if you don’t have one, you can use a counter-top blender), puree mixture in the Dutch oven. It will be very thick, almost like really thin mashed potatoes. Return reserved potatoes to pot, and add chopped clams (don’t drain) and thyme. You may add more black pepper to taste (and salt, though there is plenty of salt from the bacon and clam juice, so I don’t add any). Bring to a gentle simmer and leave on the stove until you are getting closer to serving time. Stir frequently to keep it from sticking to pot.

About 15 minutes before serving, add the heavy cream and stir to blend well. Heat through until hot. Serve immediately.

I serve this with homemade bread (see previous recipe) and a garden salad. You may garnish with parsley, scallions, and additional bacon, if desired.

This makes four generous chowder bowl servings.

Homemade Granola Bars

If there is an easy way to get a job done, I'm in. This includes eating breakfast.

These granola bars are a great grab-and-go breakfast. Pair them with a cup of fruit and a glass of juice, and you can leave the house feeling like you've started the day on the right foot. Nice with coffee and tea; they are also a great mid-afternoon snack.

Don't let the ingredients list scare you. I always keep a supply of the good, grainy stuff in the house, and sprinkle a little wheat germ here, add a little flax seed or wheat bran there, etc. It will boost the nutritional value of whatever you're preparing, and most of the time you won't even know it's there.

Homemade Granola Bars

½ cup softened margarine (I always use the heart-healthy or cardiologist-endorsed stuff)

1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup prepared granola (I use a peak protein variety to boost the protein content, but you can add any kind you like. If you like nuts, add something with almonds.)

2 Tablespoons wheat germ

2 Tablespoons wheat bran

1 Tablespoon ground flax seeds

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/3 cup brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup mini-chocolate chips, semi-sweet (You may wish to omit this, if you want to cut down on the fat and sugar content or if you are not a chocolate lover. Experiment: add chopped almonds instead.)

½ cup dried cranberries or cherries

Preheat oven to 350°. I use my small, countertop convection oven. It works great and it doesn’t heat up the entire kitchen. Spray an 8x8 inch square pan with non-stick cooking spray (I use non-hydrogenated, no trans fat, no cholesterol, no sodium variety), and set aside.

Combine all ingredients and mix well. That's it! I use a mixer, but you can get the same result with a fork and some muscle. Press firmly into prepared pan. Bake 18-20 minutes.

Let cool for 10 minutes, and then turn onto cutting board and cut into squares. Let sit until they are completely cool, or they will fall apart! Once completely cool, I wrap the individual squares in plastic wrap and freeze in a plastic freezer bag for the week.

These are not overly sweet, so you won't feel like you are eating a bar of sugar— like some commercially prepared granola bars. If you prefer them sweeter, just increase the amount of brown sugar.

Best Bread and Pizza Dough

It makes sense to begin this culinary journey with one of the most basic and frequently used recipes in my collection. I have no idea where this came from. I think I had a recipe for bread dough that contained pastry flour, sugar, olive oil, and some other stuff that I later learned wasn't necessary for authentic pizza dough, so I just took them out and kept the basics. Water, flour, salt, and yeast. That's it. Couldn't be easier. And the crust couldn't be crisper.

1 cup warm water

½ teaspoon salt

2 ½ cups bread flour

2 ½ teaspoons yeast

I do this in my bread machine. Follow your manufacturer’s instructions. Mine suggests the order above. Set on dough cycle. Shape. Let rise again. Bake as desired.

Suggestions for pizza and bread:

If making pizza, flatten into discs (on a cornmeal dusted pizza peel) and add desired toppings. Slide onto a pizza stone in a 500° oven. Keep a close eye on it... this is a very hot oven! I add mozzarella or goat cheese during the last couple minutes of baking so it doesn’t burn. Slide out on a pizza peel and add desired cheese, then carefully slide back into oven until cheese is melted. (Note: the cornmeal on the pizza peel will make it easier to slide unbaked dough into the oven, but there is no need to add more cornmeal when you take it out to add the cheese. Once baked, it should slide on and off the peel pretty easily.)

If making bread, shape into loaves (I use a baguette pan with tiny perforations on the base). This recipe will make two small baguettes. Bake at 425° for about 20 minutes. Baking time will vary according to loaf size and oven, but the bread will be golden on the outside when it's done.

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