Francesca's Cucina

3 to 3 ¼ cups all purpose flour                                

1 package regular or quick active dry yeast

1/3 cup sugar                                                                

1 teaspoon salt                                                          

1 cup very warm water (120 degrees  to 130 degrees)

1 ½ teaspoon anise seed, crushed                                  

1 ½ teaspoons grated lemon peel                             

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened

Mix 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, salt, anise seed, lemon peel, margarine and yeast in large bowl.  Stir in water until blended.  Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.  Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; gently roll in flour to coat.

Knead about eight minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up.  Cover and let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until double.  (If using quick active dry yeast, do not let rise 1 hour; cover and let rest on floured surface 10 minutes.)

Grease large cookie sheet.  Divide dough into thirds.  Roll each third into rope, 20 inches long.  Braid ropes gently and loosely; pinch ends together.  Place on cookie sheet.  Shape braid into large half-moon shape.  Cover and let rise in warm place 45 to 60 minutes or until double.

Heat over to 400 degrees.  Brush egg over dough.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.   Yields one loaf (16 slices). 

Dressing

½ cup olive oil

½ cup chopped cilantro

2 TBSP. lemon juice

2 TBSP. white wine vinegar

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded, finely chopped

¼ tsp. dried oregano leaves 

Salad

1 ½ cups chopped dill pickles

1 can each (15 oz) black beans, pinto beans and garbanzo beans, drained

     (I like to rinse them also)

1 stalk celery, sliced

½ red pepper, cut into 2-inch strips

2 green onions, sliced

1 tomato, chopped

Mix all dressing ingredients in large bowl. 

Add salad ingredients to bowl; toss to coat well.  Cover.  Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.       

 Makes 8 cups.

8 eggs

1tsp parsley flakes

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 TBSP of shortening

1 recipe Sauce (see below)

4-5 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

2-3 TBSP milk

1/2 - 3/4 cup of bread crumbs

1 small can of tomato sauce

Italian seasonings to taste

Prepare sauce before making the patties

Combine all ingredients with a mixer until just blended (mixture should be the consistency of cake batter). 

Heat 2 TBLSP shortening in a skillet and gently drop 1 or 2 TBLSP of batter into the skillet (like silver dollar pancakes).  Fry 3 - 5 minutes on each side or until brown and remove to absorbent paper.

After all the patties are fried, remove excess shortening from the skillet.  Replace patties in the skillet and pour the souse over them.  Cover the skillet and simmer gently for 10 - 15 minutes.

Italian seasonings

garlic powder, basil, parsley and a pinch of oregano

Sauce

Heat a small can of tomato sauce (may want to add a bit of water) and to taste Italian seasonings.

2 1/2 oz butter, plus extra for greasing

7 oz smoked salmon, cut into strips

1 recipe Béchamel Sauce (see below)

salt

12 oz dried spaghetti

10 oz large jumbo shrimp, cooked, shelled and deveined

1/2 - 3/4 cup of bread crumbs

1 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare The Béchamel sauce and set aside before proceeding. Then:

Butter a large oven-proof dish and set aside

In a large pot of salted water, boil pasta 8-10 minutes, until tender but still firm to the bite (al dente).  Drain well and return to the pot.  Add 2 oz of butter and toss well.

Spoon half the spaghetti into the prepared dish and cover with the strips of smoked salmon, then top with the shrimp.  Pour half of the béchamel sauce and sprinkle with half the parmesan cheese.  Add the remaining spaghetti, cover with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese.  Dice the remaining 1/2 oz butter and dot it over the surface.

Bake in a pre-heated oven, 350F for 30 minutes until the top is golden.  Serve immediately (variation - smoked halibut instead of salmon and smoked mussels instead of the shrimp).

Béchamel Sauce

Melt the butter, add the flour and cook over low heat stirring constantly for 1 minute. 

Remove the pan from heat and gradually stir in the milk.  Return the pan to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until it has thickened and is smooth.  Add the bay leaf and let simmer for 2 minutes.  Remove the bay leaf and season the sauce to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Remove the pan from heat and set aside.

Recipe taken from "Food of the world Italy" by Linda Doser

2 TBS olive oil

4 TBS butter

4 strips of bacon chopped

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 cup dry white wine

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

2 pounds spring greens shredded

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

In a large frying pan, heat the oil and butter and add the bacon.  Fry for 2 minutes, then add the onions and fry for another 3 minutes until the onion is beginning to soften.

 

Add the wine and simmer vigorously for 2 minutes to reduce.

 

Reduce the heat and add the garlic, spring greens, salt and pepper.  Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, until the greens are tender.  (Cover the pan so that the greens retain their color).  Serve hot.

Recipe taken from "The Italian Cooking Encyclopedia"

1 (3 ½ pound) chicken

1 cup minced ham

Giblets from the chicken, minced (optional)

Leaves from a sprig of rosemary, minced

1 sprig of the feathery top of a fennel bulb, minced

 1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus additional

*Salt

*Freshly ground pepper

1 medium fennel bulb, cut into 6 wedges

1 head garlic, cloves separated but not peeled

Preheat oven to 375 F. Wash the chicken thoroughly inside and out and remove any excess fat.  Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

Combine the ham, giblets, rosemary, fennel top, minced garlic, 1 tablespoon oil, and pinches of salt and pepper.  Fill the cavity of the chicken with the mixture.  Lightly oil a small roasting pan and place the chicken in it; brush a bit of oil over the chicken.  Place the wedges of fennel around the chicken and lightly brush them with oil, then scatter garlic cloves in the pan.  Roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown and the juices that run from the thigh joint are clear.

This recipe serves 4.    * Francesca chose not to use salt or pepper.  The ham seasoning seems to suffice.

Taken from Sophia Loren’s Recipes & Memories

Sophia says, “This is a dish that I encountered in Romagna during the shooting of “Boccaccio ‘70”.  The inspiration, however, is Rome, where a young pig is stuffed with herbs before roasting.  It is a succulent, incredibly tasty preparation and I was amazed that a roasted chicken could taste so much like pork.” 

Four 5 oz tuna steaks (not too thick)

2 red onions, slised

2 Fennel bulbs, sliced thickly lengthwise

2 TBSP virgin olive oil

 

 

    Marinade

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Juce & finely grated rind of 2 lemons

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

4 TBSP finely chopped parsley

4 fresh red chilies, seeded and finely chopped

Prepare marinade by whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl.  Place the tuna steaks in a large shallow dish and spoon over 4 tablespoons of the marinade, turning to coat.  Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.  Set aside the remaining marinade.

Heat a ridged grill pan.  Put fennel and onions in a bowl, add the oil and toss well to coat.  Add to the grill pan and cook for 5 minutes on each side, until just starting to change color.  Transfer to 4 warmed serving plates and drizzle with the reserved marinade and keep warm.

Add the tuna steaks to the grill pan and cook, turning once, for 4-5 minutes until it is firm to the touch but still moist inside.  Transer the tuna to the plates and serve immediately with crust bread and salad.

       2 1/4 pounds thin asparagus
       1 teaspoon salt
       4 slices Prosciutto Cotto
       

Cook (or steam) asparagus in pot of salted water until crisp/tender.  Drain and let asparagus cool.  Wrap 4 or 5 asparagus in 1 slice of Prosciutto Cotto and arrange on a serving platter.

Quarter 2 of the eggs and use them to decorate the platter around the asparagus bundles.

Make the sauce:  

      Using a food processor, puree the remaining eggs, anchovy filets, gherkins, and olive oil until smooth.  Pour a small amount over the cut ends of the asparagus.  

      Serve at room temperature.  Serves 4

**You may want to use only 1/4 cup of oil.  I found 1/2 cup excessive.

1 pound mozzarella di bufala bocconcini (a good soft, fresh mozzarella will do)
1 pound tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/4 pound string beans, tipped and boiled
 

Arrange the mozzarella, tomatoes, beans and lettuce on a large place.  In a blender, puree the anchovies,
basil, parsley, and olive oil until smooth; pour over the salad and serve.  Serves 4.

Serve this delicious, colorful salad as a light meal accompanied by crusty bread for mopping up the dressing OR
try it as an antipasto before a more formal dinner.

Olive oil 

 large bell peppers, mixed or single colors

4 shallots, finely chopped 

 clove garlic, finely chopped 

5-6 anchovy fillets, chopped

Peperoncino (crushed red pepper) or Black pepper

2 oz. black olives

2 cups ricotta

2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

3 tbsp. capers

Fresh basil leaves, shredded

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Oil a baking dish in which the bell peppers will neatly fit upright.

Slice the tops off the bell peppers and reserve.  Scrape out all the seeds and pith, then set the bell peppers aside.

Gently fry the shallot, garlic, anchovy fillets and peperoncino together in a little olive oil for a few minutes until the anchovies melt.  Set aside to cool.

Pit and chop the olives, then mix with the ricotta, tomatoes, capers and basil.  Combine this with the shallot mixture.

Stuff the bell peppers and top with their little “hats.”

Drizzle well with olive oil and bake for 30 minutes or until the bell peppers start to wrinkle and blister.  Serve hot or cold. 

This recipe serves 4

1 lb. 14 oz. can of halved pears

¼ cup blanched almonds, toasted and chopped

8 oz. jar maraschino cherries (reserve syrup)

2 tbs. cornstarch

¼ tsp. cinnamon

¾ tbs. grated lemon peel

Drain pears and reserve the syrup.  Place pears in a 12” X 16” shallow baking pan.  Fill cavities with chopped almonds.  Drain maraschino cherries.  Reserve syrup and place in a measuring cup.  Add enough pear syrup to equal ¾ of a cup.  Then mix in cornstarch and cinnamon.  Let cook over low heat, stirring for 15 minutes or until syrup starts to boil.  Remove from heat.  Add cherries and lemon peel.  Pour all over pears.  Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F. for 15 minutes. 

Serve either hot or cold.  This recipe serves 6.