Tag: Italian

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Cuccidati (Sicilian Fig Cookies)

These traditional Italian cookies (sometimes called cucidati, cuddureddi, or buccellati) are usually made for Christmas, but why not make them for Half-Christmas (June 25th) instead! They are like an upscale version of a Fig Newton, with citrus undertones and lots of spice. This recipe makes about four to five dozen, and takes at least ten hours to make, so milk that time investment for all the sympathy and appreciation you can get while folks are enjoying the fruits of your labor. (It’ll be your secret that eight hours of that time is just chilling your dough and filling.)

Ingredients

Filling

  • 1-1/2 cups Soft Dried Figs
  • 3/4 cup Golden Raisins
  • 3/4 cup Honey
  • 1/4 cup Orange Juice
  • 1-1/2 tsp. Finely Grated Orange Zest
  • 1 tsp. Finely Grated Lemon Zest
  • 1 tbsp. Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. Allspice
  • 1 cup Walnuts, Coarsely Chopped

Pastry Dough

  • 4 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1-1/4 cup White Sugar
  • 1 tbsp. Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 2 Sticks (1 cup) Cold Unsalted Butter
  • 2 Large Eggs, Lightly Beaten
  • 1/2 cup Whole Milk
  • 1/4 cup Orange Juice
  • 1-1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 1 tsp. Orange Extract

Icing

  • 1-1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 2-3 tbsp. Orange Juice
  • Garnish: Nonpareils or Decorative Sugar

Directions

  1.  Pulse figs and raisins in a food processor until finely chopped.
  2. Add honey, orange juice, orange zest, lemon zest, cinnamon, and allspice, and pulse until well combined.
  3. Transfer fig mixture to a bowl and add walnuts.
  4. Mix walnuts into fig mixture until well combined.
  5. Refrigerate filling for at least 8 hours.
  6. While filling is chilling (Hey, I made a rhyme there!) blend together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl or stand mixer.
  7. Add butter one tablespoon at a time, and blend until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  8. Add eggs, milk, orange juice, vanilla, and orange extract, and mix until a soft dough forms.
  9. Divide dough in half, and form into two balls.
  10. Flatten each ball, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
  11. Refrigerate dough for at least 8 hours.
  12. When dough and filling have finished chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  13. Line baking sheets with foil, and spray with cooking spray.
  14. On a heavily floured surface, roll out a piece of dough about the size of a fist into a rectangle about 4-1/2 to 5 inches wide. Dough should be about 1/8-inch thick.
  15. Trim dough into a 4-inch wide strip, and set discarded dough aside.
  16. With your hands, form scoops of filling into 1-inch wide snakes (Yes, this is messy. Just channel your inner-toddler.) and place lengthwise down center of the dough strip. 
  17. Fold one side of the dough strip up over the filling.
  18. Wet your hands, and gently dampen the edge of the dough you just folded over.
  19. Fold the other side of the strip up over the filling, slightly overlapping the first fold of dough, and gently press the edges of the dough together.
  20. Using a sharp knife, trim the ends to reveal filling, and cut 1-1/2 inch pieces from the dough log.
  21. Place on prepared baking sheets, seam-side-down, and gently press down.
  22. Make more cookies until all dough and filling has been used. (Note: The dough trimmings may be re-rolled one time. After that, it gets a bit tough. Just take a deep breath, and realize it’s OK if some of the dough goes to waste.)
  23. Bake on center rack of preheated oven until golden around edges, about 17 to 20 minutes.
  24. Make icing while first batch of cookies bake, by whisking together powdered sugar, vanilla, and enough orange juice to make a pourable icing. Set aside.
  25. Transfer baked cookies to baking racks and cool until slightly warm, about 10 to 20 minutes.
  26. Place a layer of parchment paper or foil under baking racks. (The icing will drip, and the nonpareils will scatter a bit, and this will save you a lot of clean up time!)
  27. Using a large pastry brush, brush icing on warm cookies and decorate with nonpareils or decorative sugar.
  28. Allow to cool completely on baking rack.
  29. Store cookies (layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment paper) in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. (Don’t worry – There won’t be any left after one day, let alone one week!)
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Pollo Molto Limone

This chicken has more than just a kiss of lemon; it’s a full-on groping of lemony tartness that’ll make you pucker up and say, “Delizioso!” Perfect over fettuccine or angel hair pasta that’s been drowned in the sauce it cooks in. Mangiamo!

Ingredients

  • 2 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 1 cup Whole Milk
  • 1 cup Plain Bread Crumbs
  • 1 cup Grated Romano Cheese
  • 2 tbsp. Dried Parsley
  • 3 tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 1 Lemon (Thinly Sliced)
  • 1 cup White Wine
  • 1 cup Chicken Broth
  • 1/4 cup Lemon Juice
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Cut chicken breasts into three thin slices: top, middle, and bottom. (Not strips.)
  2. Using a meat tenderizer, pound sliced chicken breasts until 1/4-inch thick.
  3. Place tenderized chicken breasts in a large bowl and pour milk over the top. Allow to soak for 30 minutes.
  4. While chicken is soaking, mix bread crumbs, Romano cheese, and parsley in a medium-sized baking dish. Set aside.
  5. Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  7. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.
  8. Remove chicken from milk and dredge with bread crumb mixture, patting to get as much of the bread crumb mixture on the chicken as possible.
  9. Cook chicken in skillet until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.
  10. Transfer cooked chicken to a large baking dish.
  11. Place one lemon slice on top of each piece of chicken.
  12. Return skillet to heat. Add white wine and bring to a boil, stirring to incorporate any browned bits left in the pan.
  13. Add chicken broth and lemon juice to skillet.
  14. Cook and stir until reduced by about one-half (about 10 minutes.)
  15. Pour wine mixture over chicken in baking dish.
  16. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  17. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and sauce is bubbling.
  18. Remove from oven and serve over pasta.
  19. Spoon a healthy portion of the sauce onto the pasta, and enjoy the remaining white wine!
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Italian Meatballs

If you’re tired of hosing down your stove-top with degreaser after making meatballs, you’ll love this recipe. They are lighter and fluffier than your average meatball, and packed full of classic Italian flavor. You can also get creative with your meats by substituting ground lamb, venison, or turkey.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup Plain Bread Crumbs
  • 1/2 cup Whole Milk
  • 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Large Onion, Finely Minced
  • 1 lb. Ground Beef
  • 1 lb. Ground Pork
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 4 Large Cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
  • 2 tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Dried Oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. Dried Basil
  • 1 tsp. Dried Parsley
  • 2 tbsp. Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions

  1. Add bread crumbs and milk to a small bowl and soak.
  2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
  3. Saute onions in oil until translucent.
  4. Mix beef and pork in large bowl or stand mixer. (If using a stand mixer, make sure you’re using a slow setting to avoid pulverizing the meat.)
  5. Add cooked onions with oil, bread crumb mixture, eggs, garlic powder, oregano, basil, parsley, and Parmesan cheese to bowl and mix until combined.
  6. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
  7. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
  8. Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. (Make sure you use a baking sheet with a raised lip all the way around unless you were planning on cleaning your oven tonight anyway.)
  9. Roll meat into balls of equal size, about 1-1/2 to 2 inches in diameter and arrange on prepared baking sheet.
  10. Bake in pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes until well browned.

Sneaky Trick: Keep your hands wet while rolling your meatballs to keep the mixture from sticking to your skin. After all, this isn’t exactly a batter you want to lick off your fingers.

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