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Tomorrow is the big
turkey day and I thought I'd share the very best way to cook your
bird (in my opinion). But first, have I ever told you what I remember
Thanks-giving was like in the 1950's in an
Italian household? It all started with a few high balls, 7&7's or Vodka
& 7. The first course would be homemade raviolis stuffed with meat and
Swiss chard. Then the bird. Well, God Bless my Mom, but she did not do a
good turkey. You have to realize that we only had turkey once a year and
inevitably it was always over-cooked. I mean white meat saw dust! My
poor father always used a carving set that was bought at the dollar
store and it was as dull as a bad politician. Every year he would
attempt to slice the breast and saw dust would result. Every year he
would say, "Santa! This knife don't cut, give me another" - same
problem. The dark meat
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was usually okay, but we usually ate too
many raviolis to really enjoy the turkey anyway. The ravioli filling was
heaven, stuffed with the addition of grated
carrots. Also, in those days, we didn't have gravy because nobody knew
how to make it. So there you are, just served up with mashed potatoes
and candied yams. Desserts consisted of extra-thin pumpkin pies (usually
over-cooked and generally not very good) along with my Nana's homemade
cannoli - now that was a great dessert. The girls would all wash the
dishes and catch up on gossip, while the men would take naps and the
kids would run down to Fisherman's Wharf and the beach. About three
hours later, things would start to stir again. Time for a little poker
(25¢ limit), turkey sandwiches, cannolis and visitors - in and out for
the rest of the night. Then there's the story about the recently-arrived
family from Sicily, |
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who wanted to have turkey for Thanksgiving.
The mother did what any good Sicilian cook would do. She cut the meat
into chunks and added it to a tomato sauce and, lo and behold, you have
pasta with turkey in the sauce. Okay, enough reminiscing, the very best
way to cook a turkey is on a rotisserie, using a thermometer to test
when it's done and you've got the best turkey ever. Remember don't eat
too much, don't drink too much and be nice to one another. Finally, if
you're not the one doing the cooking, be a
good guest (whether invited or uninvited). It takes several days of
shopping, prepping, stressing, setting up and cleaning up. So, bring a
nice gift. How about a decent bottle of wine? Come on, spend more that a
couple of bucks. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Q). Just moved to Monterey, and I was
wondering where would be the best place to pick olives? My Sicilian
parents, who live in Cleveland, Ohio, want me to send them some. Thanks
for your assistance.
J. Calanni, Via e-mail
A). The best source would be to call Pete at Del Monte Produce
(831) 373-5800. He would have to order them for you, so you'd better
hurry; we are right in the middle of the season. It's only a few weeks
until the olives change to the next stage - the black stage!
Q). Years ago, someone brought a
delicious dish called Indian pudding to a potluck dinner. I've never
seen it since. Do you have a recipe? Via
e-mail |
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A). Also known as corned pudding,
this is a very old dessert and there are several variations. You might
notice that most of the ingredients were available in the pilgrim days.
Come to think of it, I've got many old recipe books, but I've never see any
old Italian recipes for anything. I'm talking from the 1500's to the
1700's.
Indian Pudding Recipe
3 cups milk
3 eggs
2 tablespoons softened butter
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup dark molasses
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger |
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Preheat oven to 300 degrees and grease a
2-quart baking dish. In a large saucepan, over low heat, cook 2 cups of
the milk and the molasses to scalding (bubbles will form around the pan
sides). Add the cornmeal, a little at a time, stirring occasionally,
until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat; set aside. In a small
bowl, beat together the browns sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, eggs,
remaining 1 cup of milk and the butter. Stir this mixture into the hot
cornmeal mixture, and beat together until thoroughly blended. Pour into
the prepared dish and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Serve warm. |
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Another favorite pasta recipe sent in:
Dear
Chef, My favorite pasta sauce is an original created by my father. He
has been doing this for several years. He calls it "Pa's Frying Pan
Sauce" and it is a saucy style of Marinara. This
is so easy and delicious.
I was raised on this and I can't get enough of it.
Bob Chesbro
Silver Creek, NY
A). Bobby boy, you're lucky to have a father that cooks! Thanks for
sending this in. |
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Pa's Frying Pan Sauce
Recipe
1 28 oz can of tomatoes
1 lb. Italian sausage (cut in small pieces )
1 lb. hamburger (crumbled )
1 lb. of beef cubes (optional )
1 lb. button mushrooms
1 chopped sweet onion (medium size )
1 green bell pepper (cut in small pieces )
salt and pepper to taste
Italian herbs
1 1/2 lbs of Rotini Macaroni
Cut up all the ingredients into bit-sized
pieces and crumble the
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hamburger. Using a
deep sided frying pan, brown all the ingredients
systematically. Using either crushed tomatoes, cubed tomatoes, or whole
tomatoes, break them up and add to the mixture. Let the tomatoes release
their water so the so the sauce is sort of soupy. That's the desired
consistency. Add the herbs and salt and pepper. Cook the Rotini pasta al
dente. Combine the pasta and the sauce; top with your favorite grating
cheese and enjoy. Total cooking time is less than an hour. Eat the pasta
and sauce with a spoon.
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