RECIPE SWAP:Share or Request

CarolinaHound wrote:

Sir Bonvolio wrote:

CarolinaHound wrote:Strange band... Oh the things drugs can do. lol

SHOWADDYWADDY were on where I work the other day. The crowd in my bar looked like the varying effects that taking alot of acid when young can have on you 40 years down the line....

There use to be a regular at the bar I would go to that got messed up on acid after he got back from Vietnam. He'd scared me at first because I had just turned legal and wasn't as seasoned to being in bars at the time. He'd sit down and the bartender brought him his beer and he'd always by a beer for the person seated to his left. Didn't matter who it was, he'd buy that person a beer and if that person didn't accept he'd get real upset. Then he'd just sit there and grin, every once in awhile he'd put his hand on your shoulder and just smile with a big toothy smile then he'd go back to his normal grin.

After awhile though I soon realized he was harmless. But he never stopped grinning. He'd shoot pool and just grin the whole time, win or lose. The only time I remember him saying anything was one night some new people were in there drinking and really being cruel to him, me and a couple other regulars helped the bartender encourage them to leave. He smiled and said thank you. A lady that had gone to school with him was sitting and chatting with us and while he was playing pool she told me he'd come back from Vietnam and started doing acid, one day he just started acting like that. She wasn't sure if it was the war or the drugs or both that did it. I wondered at times though, the way he'd look at people and grin, if he'd just seen something during a acid trip and just knew something no one else did.

I sometimes wonder if people like that are better, or worse off than us...

i make this often. mario's recipe is almost as my mother made it. the only difference is she never wasted extra virgin olive oil on deep frying. like my mum, i use regular olive oil for deep frying.

this really is a very nice dish.

Fritto Misto of Calamari, Lemon, and Scallops
Recipe courtesy Mario Batali

Prep Time:15 min; Cook Time:3 min; Level:Easy
Serves:4 as antipasto

Ingredients

* 2 quarts extra-virgin olive oil, for frying
* 1 pound fresh calamari, cleaned and drained
* 2 lemons, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices, plus 2 lemons, cut in wedges for garnish
* 1/2 pound sea scallops, cut in 1/2 across the equator, (dry or diver)
* 2 cups cornstarch
* 1 tablespoon salt
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Pour enough oil into a deep pan to fill the pan a little less than halfway. Be sure to use a pan into which you can insert a large basket, or strainer with a handle, for frying. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until just smoking. If you have a high temperature thermometer, the temperature of the oil throughout the frying process should remain at about 360 to 375 degrees F.

In a wide, shallow bowl, mix 1/2 the calamari, 1/2 the lemon slices, and 1/2 the scallops. Sprinkle the mixture with 1 cup cornstarch and salt and, using your hands, toss the mixture quickly so that the cornstarch coats everything. Toss the coated mixture into the basket (or large strainer) with a handle. Bat the strainer against your hand to shake off any excess cornstarch.

Carefully drop the coated seafood and lemon mixture into the hot oil and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 1 minute. Remove the fritto to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Immediately repeat, combining the remaining lemons, calamari, scallops, and cornstarch.

Season the hot fried foods with salt and pepper and serve immediately with fresh lemon wedges.

Pasta e Fagioli

1/2 cup fine quality olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1/3 cup diced prosciutto or pancetta, optional but very nice (bacon, if you must substitute)
2 cloves peeled, finely sliced garlic
4 cups cooked beans with 1 cup of their cooking liquid or 2-15oz cans Great Northern or Cannellini beans with their liquid
4 cups chicken broth, homemade or canned or prepared from quality bullion cubes/base
black or red pepper flakes, to taste
2 to 3 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, slightly drained and chopped
1 pound ditali pasta, cooked very al dente ( large elbows, if you must substitute)
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1. Combine oil, onion, prosciutto, and garlic in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and begin to turn golden. Do not burn garlic.

2. Stir in beans and their liquid. Add broth and pepper and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes and return to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Correct seasonings: Add a bit of salt and additional pepper if necessary.

3. Stir in pasta and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve hot, sprinkled with Pecorino Romano cheese.

Going to give this a try tomorrow in the ole crockpot!!!!

Ingredients
1 (18.25-ounce) box spice cake mix
1 (3.4-ounce) box instant butterscotch pudding mix
1 cup water
2 cups shredded carrots
3/4 cup canola oil
4 eggs
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple
1 cup sour cream
Directions
Spray a 5-quart slow cooker with butter flavored cooking spray.
Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 1/2 to 6 hours.
Serve warm.

**to keep condensation from forming and dripping on to the cake mix...put paper towels over pot and put lid on..works like a charm!!

Email me a slice

Note attached to this authentic recipe from Thailand:
"Hot and Sour Soup with Shrimp (tom yum goong, ต้มยำกุ้ง) is probably the most famous Thai dish, both inside and outside of Thailand. It’s eaten very often here, usually in a type of hot pot with fire underneath. There are hundreds of variations of tom yum, and this recipe includes the two most common versions of Tom Yum Goong: with or without milk."


THAI HOT AND SOUR SOUP WITH SHRIMP (Tom Yum Goong)

Ingredients

* 2 lemongrass stalks, cut into 1" pieces and smashed a bit (about 1/3 cup)
* 6 lime leaves (1 tablespoon), torn with center vein removed
* 2 tablespoons galangal sliced thin
* 1 tablespoon coriander roots, about 2 roots
* 2 tablesoons shallots, whole with skin removed (1-2 shallots)
* 1 cup tomato (about 1 medium tomato), sliced into 6-8 pieces lengthwise
* 2 cups broth (pork, chicken)
* 1/2 cup straw mushrooms, ends removed and halved
* 2 tablespoons (about 7) red medium-sized thai chilies, smashed
* 4 or 5 medium-sized saltwater shrimp, whole and uncleaned, the fresher the better
* pinch salt
* 1 1/4 teaspoon fish sauce
* 1 1/2 teaspoons roasted chili paste
* 1 tablespoon lime juice (or more to taste)
* 3 tablespoons milk (from a cow not a coconut). *optional
* 3 small dried chilies, roasted *optional - add if adding milk
* 1 tablespoon coriander chopped

Directions

1. Prepare all the ingredients. Remove the outer layer of the lemongrass stalks and cut off the end. Cut into 1-2″ pieces and smash with the side of a heavy knife to release flavor. Tear the center vein off the lime leaves. Slice your galangal into thin slices. Cut the tomato into 6 pieces lengthwise. Peel the skin off the shallots and smash lightly. Clean your coriander roots well. Smash the fresh chilies with the back of a heavy knife, or in a mortar and pestle. If using fresh Thai straw mushrooms, slice the bottoms off and cut in 1/2 lengthwise. If making the version with milk: roast the dried chilies until fragrant and browned in a dry wok on medium heat (see note).
2. Clean the shrimp by peeling off the backs and snapping off the top part of the heads, but leave the fat on at the base of the head (the reddish brown goop). This is very important, as that fat imparts a signature flavor into Tom Yum Goong. Don’t discard it. Then, peel out the legs + intestine underneath, but leave the tails on. Set aside.
3. Boil the broth on high until it comes to a rapid boil. (see note about broth below). Add the lime leaves, lemongrass, coriander root, galangal and tomato. Boil for 4-5 minutes until the broth tastes herbal. if you’re using fresh ingredients, 4-5 minutes should be enough. In a separate pan, boil the mushrooms in plain water.
4. After you’ve boiled 4-5 minutes, add a pinch of salt and the shrimp. Strain the cooked mushrooms and add them to the soup as well. Cook until shrimp turn pink, about a minute.
5. Add the fish sauce and remove from heat. You will now season the soup.
6. Add lime juice, chili paste, smashed fresh chilies. Taste the soup. Is it sour? Is it salty? If no, add a bit more, 1/4 teaspoon at a time.
7. If making the version with milk: Add the milk and dried chilies. If doing this step you’ll need to add a bit more lime juice and fish sauce as the milk tames it down a bit. Add about a teaspoon more of each.
8. Add cilantro and serve. This soup is best served really hot!

Well here is my idea for easter chicken. Now mind you I never measure anything. And I am not really good at doing this so use your own jusgement.

and please forgive my bad spelling here.

I ususlly make about eight breasts

4 whole chicken breasts ( halves
trimed skinless and boneless

about 2 pounds of prosciutto slied thin. 1 pound of shredded mozarello cheese

one half cup of parmasean cheese.

one container of itiaian bread crumbs -- I use progresso

large bowl to mix parmasean cheese and bread crumbs in

flour and one heaping tablespoon of hungarian paprika mixed with flour

heat large skillet with olive oil ( enough to fry chickne in)

make a small slit in breast and a large pocket. opening should be about one inch

Pat chicken dry with paper towels

stuff chicken with prosciutto and mozarello cheese and seasoning of your choice. I use an italian blend.

dredge chicken in flour and them dip in an egg and milk mixture to coat and then place in large bowl with bread crumbs and the parmesean cheese mixed and coat well. when all are done place chicken in skillet and fry until sealed or about half done about 10 or so minutes.

put chicken in glass baking dish single layer and pour sauce over chicken ( just enough to coat)
bake at 400 for about 30 to 40 minutes. sometimes I will also sprinkle some mozarello on top of the chicken to.

Serve with any pasta and vegies.

oh my.

Peregrine(Endangered) wrote:"We may live without poetry, music and art;
We may live without conscience and live without heart;
We may live without friends, we may live without books;
But civilized man cannot live without cooks.

Hey my dear Falcon, does that mean that I am going to be around forever????

awesome!

HotParadox wrote:awesome!

If I remember correctly, the cake blew up didn't it?

I can't tell you how delicious this is:

Rabbit Cooked Like a Tuscan Pig: Coniglio in Porchetta
Recipe:Mario Batali
Serves:6 servings
Prep Time:
30 min
Inactive Prep Time:
0 min
Cook Time:
1 hr 10 min


Ingredients

* 1 (4 1/2 pound) rabbit, head, tail and feet removed and gutted, liver reserved, have your butcher remove all of the bones from the rabbit for you.
* 1/2 cup lardo, or fat back
* 1/2 bulb fennel, cored and diced
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 links Italian sausage, removed from its casings
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup dry white wine
* 1 lemon, juiced
* Coarse salt
* 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Season the inside and outside of the rabbit with pepper, and set aside.

In a 12 to 14-inch saute pan heat 4 tablespoons of the lardo until smoking. Add the fennel and the garlic and cook over medium heat until softened and light brown, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the sausage and cook until just cooked, about 6 to 8 more minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Stuff the rabbit cavity with the fennel, garlic, and the remaining lardo, cut into 1/8-inch dice. Truss the rabbit to seal the openings and place in a casserole. Baste with the wine and lemon juice, and sprinkle with the coarse salt.

Cook in the oven for 1 hour, turning once after 30 minutes of cooking, and occasionally basting with the pan juices. Remove from the oven, allow to sit 5 minutes. Serve in 1/2-inch slices with pan juices emulsified with extra virgin olive oil.

Hey HP, after reading some of your mouth-watering recipes, I will say that you are an exceptionally great cook. You make it sound scumptious.

Night-Reaper wrote:Hey HP, after reading some of your mouth-watering recipes, I will say that you are an exceptionally great cook. You make it sound scumptious.

cooking is my first love, n-r. come to boston anytime, and break bread with the family! it would be so fun!

I make this a lot. It's in my words, so I hope you can follow it. Braciole simply means "roll". You can use beef, not just pork, for this dish. You can even use fish (which would cook very quickly) but don't use any cheese with Italian fish dishes. Ever.

Braciole di Maiale
Pork Rolls (These are stuffed and braised in a fresh tomato sauce.)

Braciole:
*3 lb piece of pork butt, well-trimmed of fat-so it becomes lean *See my Butcher note*
*4 tablespoons finely chopped Italian flat leaf parsley-must be fresh
*2 cloves of garlic, finely minced-must be fresh/not jarred
*1/4 lb of finely ground pork fat that came off the pork or use some olive oil, as I often do
*salt and black pepper to taste/go easy on the pepper

******
For frying the meat:
*extra virgin olive oil
(Don't fry if you are making fish braciole. You simply drop the raw fish braciole into the sauce.)

******

My Sauce (Marinara Sauce):
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 to 5 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
2 (28-ounce) cans un-drained Hunt's Whole Tomatoes, crushed by hand or briefly put through blender
1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil (or 1 1/2 tablespoon dried)
1 scant teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
pinch red pepper flakes-go easy here. Heat will intensify as sauce simmers.

*NOTE:If you are making this sauce without the Braciole (or other meat), follow these Directions. To continue with the "Braciole" recipe, skip to Method, below:
Directions:
In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until soft, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil, stirring often. Add the basil, salt, sugar and red pepper flakes. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes.

****************

Method:
Combine the ground pork fat (or a little best quality extra virgin olive oil) with the minced garlic and parsley. Season with a little salt and black pepper. Mix well. This mixture should resemble a paste. (You can put in a small handful each of fresh bread crumbs and freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, if you'd like.)
Set aside.

Trim any exterior fat from the pork and cut into scaloppini-like slices about 5x3 inches and ¼ inch thick. They don't have to be perfect rectangles. You should have about 12 pieces.
*NOTE: I have Billy, my butcher, do all this and I ask him to grind 1/4 pound of the fat which he has trimmed off my piece of meat. Take it home, even if you think you won't use it-you may change your mind.*

Arrange pork slices in a single layer on a sheet of foil and sprinkle with a little salt and black pepper.

Top each piece of pork with maybe 2 teaspoons of the parsley mixture. Spread it evenly but stop short of the edges. Roll the slices tightly and secure with kitchen string.

Heat a heavy, 6 quart pot over moderate heat. Add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the braciole and brown on all sides, maybe 10 to 15 minutes. Turn each braciole only one time on each side, so they will develop a nice crust. If you keep turning it, you will rip off the crust. Once browned on all sides, lower heat and add the garlic and saute just until the just garlic begins to color-be careful not to burn the garlic or you may as well throw the whole dish away. Add the remaining Sauce ingredients.

Bring sauce to a boil, quickly lower heat and simmer (just to keep a very gentle boil), uncovered, until the sauce somewhat thickens and the meat is tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Carefully stir it every now and then. You don't want it to catch on the bottom. If it burns on the bottom-forget it.

Remove the braciole from the sauce and, when they are cool enough to handle, cut away the strings. Serve the braciole as a second course (secondi piatti) with the some of remaining sauce. Along with ithe meat, serve one or two vegetables (contorno), preferably sauteed.

******
Every night for us, these are all a must:
*Fresh flowers for the table, small and simple
*A nice, dry wine-everybody drinks a little wine, even the kids when they were little
*Sitting on a plate: a wedge of Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese with a small flat grater, to pass around the table
*A great, crusty, simple, Italian bread...no butter/no dipping oils
*Waiting in a bowl for dessert: grapes, melon, pears, fresh figs or whatever is in season. It doesn't matter, as long as there is a nice fruit for dessert
******

This is our usual dinner:
The first course (primi piatti) would, of course, be a very small serving of pasta or polenta served with a little sauce (from the pork in this case) and a little freshly grated cheese. don't over-sauce or cheese your pasta or polenta. Most Americans make the mistake of ruining perfectly wonderful polenta or pasta (cooked al dente), with too much sauce and cheese. And they ruin the second course by filling up on obscene portions of pasta. Primi piatti are generally pasta, polenta, risotto or a simple brodo (soup). Bread is not usually served with the primi piatti, unless it is soup.

The second course (secondi piatti) is a simple meat or fish with a serving or two of vegetables or legumes (contorno). I usually prepare contorno such as broccoli rabe, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, beans or asparagus, even drained canned kidney beans, sauteed in olive oil with a hint of fresh garlic, salt and a little black or red pepper and gently cooked, covered, until very tender. Once tender, I add a little fresh lemon juice (but no lemon on legumes) and a good sprinkle of Pecorino Romano cheese and serve. During this part of the meal, we typically have a=one slice of nice crusty Italian bread and, especially if it is quality bread, you don't need butter (Heaven Forbid) or silly olive oil dips to dunk it in, like they do over here.

Lastly, to cleanse the palate, we end our meal with a light green salad (insalata).
Insalata:
*a single crisp green such as romaine or escarole...(OR beautiful fresh tomatoes cut in big chunks with some chopped fresh basil)
*the best quality extra virgin olive oil and balsamic( or red wine) vinegar that you can afford (or in lieu of vinegar 'fresh-from-a-lemon' lemon juice is nice)
*salt and freshly cracked black pepper
*a touch of sugar (yes, use it)
*maybe, if it's a green salad, a sliced fresh orange or a sliced unpeeled pear or a few small chunks of fresh cantaloupe
*maybe a light shaving of Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano-Reggiano or Gorgonzola cheese ( mozzarella or Gorgonzola cheese for the tomato salad) but no cheese if the meal was heavy. The cheese is great with the fruit in the salad.
Don't add a lot of extras to your salad. Keep it light and ultra-simple. It's not an antipasto (small meal); it just a salad.

We then have fresh sliced fruit(s) or grapes or melon for dessert and maybe a=one nice biscotti with an espresso and Sambucca.

Finally: If you want to cook truly, authentic Italian food, use only the freshest ingredients, have a light touch with oil, garlic, seasonings, pungent spices, red pepper flakes and cheeses... and keep your serving sizes small.

Most Importantly: Make friends with a great butcher, fish monger, bread-baker, and produce guy. You'll never regret it.

These are my meatballs. You need to make the Basic Tomato Sauce which I already gave you the recipe for, previous post. Double (at least) the sauce recipe for this much meat.

Meatballs:
* 3 cups day old Italian bread, crusts removed, cut into 1 inch cubes. (Day old American white bread is fine.)
* 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 lbs ground beef, not too lean-preferably chuck. My awesome butcher grinds a cheap chuck roast for me. That's how I buy "hamburg".
* 3 eggs, fork beaten
* 3 cloves garlic, very finely minced
* 3/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (you can put chunks in the food processor till "grated"
* 1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley (flat leaf)
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
******
For frying the meatballs:
about 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

******
Method:
In a shallow bowl, soak the bread cubes in water or milk to cover for a minute or two.

With your fingers squeeze/press out the excess moisture from the bread.

In a large bowl combine everything with your hands and mix well.

With wet hands, form the mixture into ping-pong sized balls. Not too big.

In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until almost smoking.

Add the meatballs and, working in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan, cook until golden brown on all sides, maybe 10 minutes. Only turn them once on each side or else you will destroy the crust that is forming. Or you can bake them at 425 for about 15 minutes on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. You don't need to turn them. Either way, you don't want to fully cook them. They will do that in the sauce.

Add meatballs to the simmering tomato sauce, raise heat and quickly bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to a simmer.

Cook, uncovered, about 1 or 1 1/2 hours, stirring every now and then but stir VERY gently so you don't break the meatballs. You can throw in the Pork Braciole (recipe, previous post) too, if you want. I usually make meatballs and braciole together. Just make sure you make enough sauce for everything and you have a big enough pot.

You can easily double the recipe. I triple it because these make nice meatball subs, too.

HotParadox wrote:

Night-Reaper wrote:Hey HP, after reading some of your mouth-watering recipes, I will say that you are an exceptionally great cook. You make it sound scumptious.

cooking is my first love, n-r. come to boston anytime, and break bread with the family! it would be so fun!

I would love to come to Boston some time. I have never been to Mass. I sometimes like to bake. I have done cakes, pies, cookies and brownies. If I may ask you, what is your favorite thing to cook?

Night-Reaper wrote:

HotParadox wrote:

Night-Reaper wrote:Hey HP, after reading some of your mouth-watering recipes, I will say that you are an exceptionally great cook. You make it sound scumptious.

cooking is my first love, n-r. come to boston anytime, and break bread with the family! it would be so fun!

I would love to come to Boston some time. I have never been to Mass. I sometimes like to bake. I have done cakes, pies, cookies and brownies. If I may ask you, what is your favorite thing to cook?

She would just love to have a pot big enough to cook me and the Dawg in.

But yer right she is really a fantastic cook. She does it the old world way.

Old Timer wrote:

Night-Reaper wrote:

HotParadox wrote:

Night-Reaper wrote:Hey HP, after reading some of your mouth-watering recipes, I will say that you are an exceptionally great cook. You make it sound scumptious.

cooking is my first love, n-r. come to boston anytime, and break bread with the family! it would be so fun!

I would love to come to Boston some time. I have never been to Mass. I sometimes like to bake. I have done cakes, pies, cookies and brownies. If I may ask you, what is your favorite thing to cook?

She would just love to have a pot big enough to cook me and the Dawg in.

But yer right she is really a fantastic cook. She does it the old world way.

now that you mention it, i really do wish i had a pan big enough to cook you two dorks. wait. i could always just boil you separately in the two biggest pots i have.

thanks for the compliment. but you and linda could write a cookbook;that's how awesome you guys are.

Night-Reaper wrote:

HotParadox wrote:

Night-Reaper wrote:Hey HP, after reading some of your mouth-watering recipes, I will say that you are an exceptionally great cook. You make it sound scumptious.

cooking is my first love, n-r. come to boston anytime, and break bread with the family! it would be so fun!

I would love to come to Boston some time. I have never been to Mass. I sometimes like to bake. I have done cakes, pies, cookies and brownies. If I may ask you, what is your favorite thing to cook?

that would be awesome if you come to boston. we'd have a blast! i think it's awesome that you bake. i'm impressed. i love it when guys can cook and bake. maybe sometime you could post some of your recipes. i taught my boys and girl how to cook, from since they were little. now they can make bread, pastas, ravioli gnocchi, everything. especially my keith. i wish he would become a pro. he's that good, with both baking and cooking.
me, i honestly love to cook and bake equally, so it's hard to say. but i will say this-i probably get most satisfaction from turning simple flour, water, salt and yeast into a beautiful crusty bread. it never fails to amaze me that yeast is a living, breathing, burping organism.
now i'm going to give you a recipe for a nice, simple biscotti that you can make. when i say biscotti, that is just the word for any cookie in italian-not just the long, twice-baked crunchy ones that americans associate with biscotti. my recipe is called biscotti di polenta and it is best described as a polenta (cornmeal) shortbread cookie. i'll post it now.

Biscotti di Polenta
Polenta Shortbread

1 1/4 cups all-purpose white flour
1 cup quick-cooking (instant) polenta
2/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 egg yolk
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
grated zest of 1 orange

Method:
Melt the butter and set it aside on your counter to cool off.
In bowl of electric mixer, stir together the flour, polenta, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the egg, egg yolk, butter, and orange zest and beat with paddle attachment (if you have one, other wise whatever you have) for about 3 minutes to form a sticky yet crumbly dough. Scrape the dough onto a big sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a disk. It will be crumbly, but the heat of your hands will turn it into a nice dough. Flatten it into a thick disc and wrap tightly. Chill the dough about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325.
Put a large piece of parchment paper, maybe the size of a cookie sheet, on the counter. Put the dough on it and cover the dough with another same-sized piece of parchment paper. With the dough in between the paper, your dough won't stick to the counter or rolling pin. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. With a round, square or diamond shaped cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as you can, transferring them to a parchment lined cookie sheet. Space them about 1 or 2 inches apart. Re-roll the scraps and continue cutting cookies until you have used all the dough. Sprinkle the tops of cookies with a little sugar.
Bake the cookies until they just begin to turn golden brown around the edges. Maybe 15 or 20 minutes. Cool on the sheets for a minute then remove them to a rack to cool completely. Makes about 36 biscotti.

I like them crunchy for dipping into Vin Santo or espresso, so I let them bake till a nice color. See how you like them, but remember they will crisp up as they cool. Store them in a metal cookie tin, not in plastic, or else they will be a soft mess the next day. I like to use raw (turbinado) sugar for the tops. It looks very professional. Don't use cookie cutters that are too big, either. They don't look nice when they're too big. Also, you can mix the dough with your hands if you want to. Just make sure you mix it really good with your hands. My mother, God rest her soul, never used the mixer to make her biscotti. She did everything by hand. I hope you like these, N-R.

Biscotti di Prato, the famous Tuscan almond biscotti, is the classic biscotti. This recipe is from probably the most authentic Italian baker in the US, Nick Malgieri. Biscotti di Prato are also known as Cantuccini.
Biscotti di Prato should be served with sweet Tuscan Vin Santo wine for dipping, or espresso.
As a point of interest, authentic Italian twice-baked biscotti (and many once-baked biscotti) are made with a minimum of fat. That's how you get the "crunch" that Italians love so much in their biscotti.
My mother and grandmother made these exactly like this.
Here you will find some of Nick's wonderful recipes, including videos where he teaches Julia Child how to bake authentically Italian.
http://www.nickmalgieri.com/

Biscotti di Prato
From Nicholas Malgieri
Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) whole unblanched almonds
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cookie sheets or jelly roll pans covered with parchment or foil

1. Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon; stir well to mix. Stir in the almonds.
3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the vanilla then use a rubber spatula to stir into the dry ingredients. Continue to stir until a stiff dough forms.
4. Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it in half. Roll each half under the palms of your hands into a cylinder a little shorter than your baking sheet. Place the logs of dough on the baking sheet, making sure they are neither too close to each other nor to the sides of the pan. Press down gently with the palm of your hand to flatten the logs.
5. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the logs are well risen and have also spread to about double their original size. The logs are done when pressed with fingertip they feel firm. Place the pan on a rack and let the logs cool completely.
6. Reset the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds but leave the temperature at 350 degrees. Place one of the cooled logs on a cutting board and cut it diagonally into slices 1/3-inch thick. Arrange the biscotti on the prepared pans, cut side down. It isn't necessary to leave space between them. Bake the biscotti for about 15 or 20 minutes or until they are well toasted. Cool the pan on a rack.
7. Store the cooled biscotti between sheets of parchment or wax paper in a tin with a tight-fitting cover.

That is really good stuff. Do you have a really great recipe for pizza dough????

This is how i make it ot. Traditional Italian pizza and Italian breads (except focaccia and ciabatta) should not have any fat in the dough. Here is my mother and grandmother's recipe. Rather than oiling the rising bowl, they put 1 tbs olive oil right in the dough. They believed it created a by far superior crust and i agree. Of course, they didn't measure anything, but i have worked out the measurements for my children. This dough is also great for calzone and bread. For bread, let it rise twice, shape, rise, slash, bake.
Italian flour is weak and soft; not as strong and hard as american all-purpose flour and certainly not as strong as american bread flour. that is why their breads and pizza are so light and airy. You'll get a better product if you, at least, use all-purpose flour rather than bread flour. King Arthur all-purpose flour is too strong. Use Gold Medal or Pillsbury Flour.

Make sure your oven has been preheating for at least 45 minutes, for pizza or bread. Unglazed quarry tiles are always lying on one of my oven racks, almost completely covering it.

Pizza Dough/Bread Dough
2 tsp dry yeast, I like SAF Perfect Rise or Fleishmann's Active Dry ((not Rapid Rise or Bread Machine yeasts)
1 cup warm water
3 cups all purpose flour, fluff up flour before measuring
1 tsp salt
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

Method:
NOTE:If you are using SAF yeast, don't dissolve it in the water. Add it directly to the flour.

Dissolve the yeast in warm water for a couple of minutes. Place flour in a mound with a well in the center. Add water/yeast mixture and olive oil. Gather flour from the sides with a fork or fingers. Now add salt. Working with hands, gather until it forms a ball. Knead until soft and smooth about 15 minutes. Place in large bowl. If you did not put oil in the dough, then coat the bowl with the olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and put dough in a warm-ish spot until about double the size. Shape. Let rest 15 minutes. Do NOT put any oil on the crust. Top with your toppings, but add mozarella cheese the last few minutes so it will be creamy rather than rubbery. Makes 1 X-large pizza or 2 - 10 inch pizzas. Bake 450 to 500 about 20 minutes, adding the cheese the last 5 or 6 minutes. I use my very large Miele Oven heavy duty roasting pan which i place directly on the tiles.

If i'm hurried, I use my kitchen-aid pro 600 with the dough hook on speed 2 for about 5 minutes and I like the way it does the job. Just throw everything in, but add salt after its been kneading for a minute, and let it do the work.

For excellent bread, let dough rise, cool-ish room temp, 2 times, 3 hours each rise and covered with a damp, light, cotton towel (not terry). Fold or turn the dough - don't punch down the dough. You'll destroy all the gasses that formed which create the lovely holes in Italian bread. Gently shape into oval or round and cover with a damp cotton towel. Let rise again approximately 1 1/2 hours. Slash. Bake 450 15 minutes, then lower to 350 35 minutes. Turn oven off and remove bread after 5 minutes. Cool at least 2 hours before cutting. You can steam the oven if you want (for bread), by tossing in a few (11) ice cubes just when you put in the bread. I don't do this any more.

HotParadox wrote:This is how i make it ot. Traditional Italian pizza and Italian breads (except focaccia and ciabatta) should not have any fat in the dough. Here is my mother and grandmother's recipe. Rather than oiling the rising bowl, they put 1 tbs olive oil right in the dough. They believed it created a by far superior crust and i agree. Of course, they didn't measure anything, but i have worked out the measurements for my children. This dough is also great for calzone and bread. For bread, let it rise twice, shape, rise, slash, bake.
Italian flour is weak and soft; not as strong and hard as american all-purpose flour and certainly not as strong as american bread flour. that is why their breads and pizza are so light and airy. You'll get a better product if you, at least, use all-purpose flour rather than bread flour. King Arthur all-purpose flour is too strong. Use Gold Medal or Pillsbury Flour.

Make sure your oven has been preheating for at least 45 minutes, for pizza or bread. Unglazed quarry tiles are always lying on one of my oven racks, almost completely covering it.

Pizza Dough/Bread Dough
2 tsp dry yeast, I like SAF Perfect Rise or Fleishmann's Active Dry ((not Rapid Rise or Bread Machine yeasts)
1 cup warm water
3 cups all purpose flour, fluff up flour before measuring
1 tsp salt
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

Method:
NOTE:If you are using SAF yeast, don't dissolve it in the water. Add it directly to the flour.

Dissolve the yeast in warm water for a couple of minutes. Place flour in a mound with a well in the center. Add water/yeast mixture and olive oil. Gather flour from the sides with a fork or fingers. Now add salt. Working with hands, gather until it forms a ball. Knead until soft and smooth about 15 minutes. Place in large bowl. If you did not put oil in the dough, then coat the bowl with the olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and put dough in a warm-ish spot until about double the size. Shape. Let rest 15 minutes. Do NOT put any oil on the crust. Top with your toppings, but add mozarella cheese the last few minutes so it will be creamy rather than rubbery. Makes 1 X-large pizza or 2 - 10 inch pizzas. Bake 450 to 500 about 20 minutes, adding the cheese the last 5 or 6 minutes. I use my very large Miele Oven heavy duty roasting pan which i place directly on the tiles.

If i'm hurried, I use my kitchen-aid pro 600 with the dough hook on speed 2 for about 5 minutes and I like the way it does the job. Just throw everything in, but add salt after its been kneading for a minute, and let it do the work.

For excellent bread, let dough rise, cool-ish room temp, 2 times, 3 hours each rise and covered with a damp, light, cotton towel (not terry). Fold or turn the dough - don't punch down the dough. You'll destroy all the gasses that formed which create the lovely holes in Italian bread. Gently shape into oval or round and cover with a damp cotton towel. Let rise again approximately 1 1/2 hours. Slash. Bake 450 15 minutes, then lower to 350 35 minutes. Turn oven off and remove bread after 5 minutes. Cool at least 2 hours before cutting. You can steam the oven if you want (for bread), by tossing in a few (11) ice cubes just when you put in the bread. I don't do this any more.

Thanks HP your a doll.

HotParadox wrote:

Night-Reaper wrote:

HotParadox wrote:

Night-Reaper wrote:Hey HP, after reading some of your mouth-watering recipes, I will say that you are an exceptionally great cook. You make it sound scumptious.

cooking is my first love, n-r. come to boston anytime, and break bread with the family! it would be so fun!

I would love to come to Boston some time. I have never been to Mass. I sometimes like to bake. I have done cakes, pies, cookies and brownies. If I may ask you, what is your favorite thing to cook?

that would be awesome if you come to boston. we'd have a blast! i think it's awesome that you bake. i'm impressed. i love it when guys can cook and bake. maybe sometime you could post some of your recipes. i taught my boys and girl how to cook, from since they were little. now they can make bread, pastas, ravioli gnocchi, everything. especially my keith. i wish he would become a pro. he's that good, with both baking and cooking.
me, i honestly love to cook and bake equally, so it's hard to say. but i will say this-i probably get most satisfaction from turning simple flour, water, salt and yeast into a beautiful crusty bread. it never fails to amaze me that yeast is a living, breathing, burping organism.
now i'm going to give you a recipe for a nice, simple biscotti that you can make. when i say biscotti, that is just the word for any cookie in italian-not just the long, twice-baked crunchy ones that americans associate with biscotti. my recipe is called biscotti di polenta and it is best described as a polenta (cornmeal) shortbread cookie. i'll post it now.

Hey HP, let me ask you something are most of your delicious sounding recipes your own creations or have they be passed down from generation to generation?

most are from watching my mother. and some are mine, but i have to give all credit to my mother and her mother. my mum would do the most amazing things with a few simple ingredients. most important, she taught me to bake and cook by and with feeling and to watch (pay attention to) the food in all stages of cooking, instead of following a recipe.
she would read cookbooks and recipes avidly, but never followed a recipe. she would just read to pick up different ideas. i never saw her measure that i can recall. if making pasta, biscotto, pie crust or bread, for instance, i would ask her 'how much flour are you adding?" and she would gently take the measuring cup from my hand and tell me to add "quanto basta", which means "when it's enough". she wanted me to feel the dough and go from there. now, i notice my children rarely measure anymore. you must feel the ingredients, feel the food.
when cooking a roast in the oven, or steak on the grill or in a pan, she taught me to take my left hand and gently curl the other fingers over my thumb. then she would tell me to feel the soft spot to the left of my thumb. that is how the meat should feel when it is cooked med rare to medium. squeeze your fist a little tighter and feel the spot. notice that it is firmer. the meat is medium well. the tighter your fist, the more well done the meat. barely make a fist and it is rare. or she would wiggle a chicken or turkey leg and tell me "watch the meat fall away bone and the juices run clear. that means it done." and when cooking fish, meat, or eggs she would tell me to remember that the protein will continue to cook after you take the eggs or what have you off the fire, so judge accordingly. to this day, i don't use an oven thermometer, although my oven has one built in!

HotParadox wrote:most are from watching my mother. and some are mine, but i have to give all credit to my mother and her mother. my mum would do the most amazing things with a few simple ingredients. most important, she taught me to bake and cook by and with feeling and to watch (pay attention to) the food in all stages of cooking, instead of following a recipe.
she would read cookbooks and recipes avidly, but never followed a recipe. she would just read to pick up different ideas. i never saw her measure that i can recall. if making pasta, biscotto, pie crust or bread, for instance, i would ask her 'how much flour are you adding?" and she would gently take the measuring cup from my hand and tell me to add "quanto basta", which means "when it's enough". she wanted me to feel the dough and go from there. now, i notice my children rarely measure anymore. you must feel the ingredients, feel the food.
when cooking a roast in the oven, or steak on the grill or in a pan, she taught me to take my left hand and gently curl the other fingers over my thumb. then she would tell me to feel the soft spot to the left of my thumb. that is how the meat should feel when it is cooked med rare to medium. squeeze your fist a little tighter and feel the spot. notice that it is firmer. the meat is medium well. the tighter your fist, the more well done the meat. barely make a fist and it is rare. or she would wiggle a chicken or turkey leg and tell me "watch the meat fall away bone and the juices run clear. that means it done." and when cooking fish, meat, or eggs she would tell me to remember that the protein will continue to cook after you take the eggs or what have you off the fire, so judge accordingly. to this day, i don't use an oven thermometer, although my oven has one built in!

Gee, that is kind of the way I learned to cook also. As a young kid, I would watch my friends mothers cook and ask question. Like you, I was told to watch and learn to feel. I learned that you can always put seasoning in but you can't take it out. And that the best way to add seasoning was to just sprinkle a bit over the top of whatever you are cooking and let it cook for a while and then taste again. Growing up in a section of town that had a lot of folks from all over Europe I had a great time learning all kinds of different styles and methods. Unfortunatly most of them I have fogotten by now. See what happens when ya get senile guys.

HotParadox wrote:most are from watching my mother. and some are mine, but i have to give all credit to my mother and her mother. my mum would do the most amazing things with a few simple ingredients. most important, she taught me to bake and cook by and with feeling and to watch (pay attention to) the food in all stages of cooking, instead of following a recipe.
she would read cookbooks and recipes avidly, but never followed a recipe. she would just read to pick up different ideas. i never saw her measure that i can recall. if making pasta, biscotto, pie crust or bread, for instance, i would ask her 'how much flour are you adding?" and she would gently take the measuring cup from my hand and tell me to add "quanto basta", which means "when it's enough". she wanted me to feel the dough and go from there. now, i notice my children rarely measure anymore. you must feel the ingredients, feel the food.
when cooking a roast in the oven, or steak on the grill or in a pan, she taught me to take my left hand and gently curl the other fingers over my thumb. then she would tell me to feel the soft spot to the left of my thumb. that is how the meat should feel when it is cooked med rare to medium. squeeze your fist a little tighter and feel the spot. notice that it is firmer. the meat is medium well. the tighter your fist, the more well done the meat. barely make a fist and it is rare. or she would wiggle a chicken or turkey leg and tell me "watch the meat fall away bone and the juices run clear. that means it done." and when cooking fish, meat, or eggs she would tell me to remember that the protein will continue to cook after you take the eggs or what have you off the fire, so judge accordingly. to this day, i don't use an oven thermometer, although my oven has one built in!

Kinda sounds like how my grandmother cooked.

n-r and ot, looks like we have something in common regarding how we learned to cook. here's an idea for a new show on the food network:Cooking With N-R, OT and Me. i like it.

HotParadox wrote:n-r and ot, looks like we have something in common regarding how we learned to cook. here's an idea for a new show on the food network:Cooking With N-R, OT and Me. i like it.

Hey HP, now don't go and forget the Dawg now. His brand of southern style would be needed to round out the team.

ya, but he makes stuff like muskrats and rats.

HotParadox wrote:ya, but he makes stuff like muskrats and rats.

And your point is? And don't forget about the coon and possum pies. From my home state Missouri.

HotParadox wrote:ya, but he makes stuff like muskrats and rats.

OK....What's your point?

DM007 wrote:

HotParadox wrote:ya, but he makes stuff like muskrats and rats.

OK....What's your point?

ummm, ahhh....nothing. yummy.
you guys are all alike.

Old Timer wrote:

HotParadox wrote:ya, but he makes stuff like muskrats and rats.

And your point is? And don't forget about the coon and possum pies. From my home state Missouri.

HotParadox wrote:

DM007 wrote:

HotParadox wrote:ya, but he makes stuff like muskrats and rats.

OK....What's your point?

ummm, ahhh....nothing. yummy.
you guys are all alike.

hehehehe....

CarolinaHound wrote:

HotParadox wrote:

DM007 wrote:

HotParadox wrote:ya, but he makes stuff like muskrats and rats.

OK....What's your point?

ummm, ahhh....nothing. yummy.
you guys are all alike.

hehehehe....

silence