Italia a Tavola-Fried Chicken Meat balls

Crocchette di Pollo

Fried Chicken Meat balls

Ingredients for 4 servings

7 oz. Left over chicken meat (boiled or roasted)

2oz of cooked ham

4oz of mushrooms (Portobello, shitake, crimini)

1 or 2 eggs

1 TbS of flour

2TbS of Milk

Bread Crumbs

Butter, Salt and Pepper

¼ cup of minced fresh parsley

Remove skin and bones from the left over meat add the ham and chopped it well with a cleaver or a large knife.  Mince the mushrooms and stir fry them in a bit of butter until soft (about 20 minutes)

Mix the flour with the milk and a pinch of salt to obtain a sauce of the consistency of pancake batter.

Put all the ingredients in a bowl (except the eggs) adjusting the salt and pepper add the first egg and mix very well; if the meat seems too dry, add another egg.

Form balls of the size of a large egg and roll them in the bread crumbs.  Fry them in some olive oil and serve them hot with lemon juice, and a green salad. 

A delicious way to use leftovers!

Italia a Tavola-Hunter Style Chicken

Pollo alla Cacciatora

Hunter style chicken

Ingredients for 4 servings

1 large chicken cut in pieces

Olive oil

1 small onion, sliced

3 ripe Roma tomatoes, pealed, seeded and cubed

1 pinch of Cayenne pepper

salt

½ glass of dry white wine

Set all the ingredients, except the wine, in the pot making sure to mix them well together. Adjust the salt and cayenne pepper to your taste. Cook in the oven at 300 degrees for about 45 minutes, add the wine, cook for another 15/20 minutes.

Open the oven door and let sit for another 10/15 minutes before serving.

This recipes is very versatile, you can add mushrooms, peas, beans and serve it with polenta, mashed potatoes or rice.

Italia a tavola-Bread Salad

Panzanella

Bread salad

Ingredients for 6 servings

This is the Italian version of Tabouli.

18 oz. of aged ciabatta bread.

6 tomatoes

1 cucumber

½ red onion

1 clove of garlic

8 leaves of basil

¼ cup of capers

Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper

Put the hardened bread in a bowl of water until is soft. Cut the tomatoes, onion and cucumber in very small cubes. Put the garlic and capers on the cutting board and mince finely with a “mezzaluna” knife; cut the basil in small strips. When the bread is soft grab a handful and squeeze all the water out of it and crumble it in a salad bowl.  Repeat until all the bread is squeezed and ready to be dressed. Add the vegetables, a little balsamic vinegar, abundant olive oil and pepper; mix everything very well, taste, adjust the salt and mix again. Let the Panzanella sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.

A refreshing and tasty summer salad!

Italia a tavola-Onions and Pork Soup

Zuppa di Cipolle e Maiale

Onions and Pork Soup

Ingredients for four serving

35 oz. of Onions

11 oz. of pork ribs

2oz of bacon

1 sausage

1 celery stalk

1 carrot

1 garlic clove

4 slices of Como or ciabatta bread

Olive oil

Salt

Put the pork ribs in 6.5 cups of salted water, with the carrot, celery and ½ onion and boil until the pork meat will easily come off the bone; at this point take it out of the pot and cut it in strips; save the broth.

While the meat is boiling cut the onions in thin slices and cry! If your eyes are not swollen shot, stir fry the onions in a large pot in 10 TbS of olive oil, with the bacon and the sausage minced.  Stir fry at medium heat until the onion is golden and then slowly add the broth.

Cook for about 1 hour then add the meat and cook for another 30 minutes.

Toast the bread and rub the garlic over it; put each slice in a bowl and ladle the soup over it.

Earth Pots

Hand Made Earth Pots from Studiocreta

Italia a Tavola- Bread Soup

Minestra di Pane

Bread soup

Ingredients for 4 servings

28 oz of fresh beans red or Borlotti or 14 oz of dry beans

(Previously boiled-keep the water)

14 oz. Pomodori maturi o “pelati”

2oz of Pancetta (or bacon) cubed

¼ of a medium curly cabbage

1 bundle of Lacinato Kale

1 Celery Stalk

1 Onion

¼ cup of parsley

1 Garlic clove

¼ of a chili pepper

4 thick slices of Ciabatta bread

Olive Oil

Salt, Pepper

Chop the celery, onion, parsley, garlic and chili pepper and stir fry in a large pot with 4 TbS of oil, and the pancetta. When the onion turns golden add the pealed and chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper and cook at slow heat for 10 minutes.

Pass half of the beans through a sieve (or blender) and put all of the beans in the pot with the veggies,  cover everything with 2 liters of the beans cooking water and cover with the lid. When the water start boiling add the cabbage and Kale cut in small strips. 

Cook everything at low heat for at least 1 hour, or until the kale is tender.  Serve hot on tasted bread rubbed with garlic, garnished with raw olive oil. Serve without cheese.