A Little Italian

The closest I've come to eating at Mozza (the Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali, and Joe Bastianich-owned Los Angeles restaurant and pizzeria) was an almost-made reservation four or five years ago, not long after they opened.  I remember my ex telling me that the earliest reservation available was an 11pm opening, and that was the last I heard of it.  I don't think the ex was interested in the late hour, so it never came to fruition.

I've driven by countless times as the restaurants sit conveniently near the corner of Melrose and Highland.  Someday I'd still like to go.  I don't think I've once heard anything bad about it, but I'll have to wait until the level of disposable income I have increases a hundred-fold.

So in the meantime, I'll have to bring a little bit of Mozza my way via the library.  Once again I was perusing the cooking section at my local branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, and spotted The Mozza Cookbook by Nancy Silverton, Matt Molina, and Carolynn Carreno.  With all the times I've looked at those shelves, I don't know how I missed it.  I almost didn't check it out because I have three or four other cookbooks checked out, but I thought, 'what the hell?....what's one more?'

I've got a few recipes flagged to try before the book needs to be returned and there is a good chance it will also have to be a purchase at some time in the future.  Initially,  I flipped through the cookbook and saw a few recipes that looked interesting, then a night came when I settled in and starting flipping through the 'Dolci' section.  That's what sold me.  I have both the Toasted Coconut and Toasted Walnut Biscotti recipes earmarked and can't wait to give the Rosemary Olive Oil cake a try.  Oh...and I think the Olive Oil Gelato they serve at Mozza is justification enough for me to get myself a seat there.

The first recipe I made from the book wasn't dessert though.  It was the Eggplant Caponata.  I had two eggplants that needed to be used in something and realizing that I had everything I needed (or suitable substitutions), the caponata called to me.    It can be a part of an antipasti plate or as a chunky sauce with pasta.  Make some fresh ricotta and when you make crostini with the cheese and caponata you will thank me.

Eggplant Caponata
(Adapted from The Mozza Cookbook by Nancy Silverton)
Makes about 4 cups

5 cups eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tbsp raisins (or currants)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 oz. balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup diced tomatoes with juice
1 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
1/2 tsp sugar

In a bowl, toss the eggplant with the salt and set aside.  Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and when the oil is near smoking, add the eggplant.  Let the eggplant cook for about 2 minutes without stirring.  The eggplant will begin to brown and cook down.  After a couple of minutes, stir the eggplant, add a couple more tablespoons of the olive oil and continue to cook for another 5-6 minutes.  Add any remaining olive oil and cook the eggplant until it is all browned.

Once browned, remove the eggplant with a slotted spatula and place on a plate.  Lower the heat and add the onion.  Stir constantly to cook the onion, until translucent, and de-glaze the pan, about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic, raisins, and red pepper flakes and cook for a minute or two.  Add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, thyme, and sugar.  Stir to combine and add the eggplant back into the pan.  Mix well and cover, allowing to cook for five minutes.  Remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes, allowing the remaining liquid to cook down.

You can eat the caponata warm or let it come to room temperature.  Either way, it's delicious.

A Little Celebration

We celebrate birthdays, getting an A on a final, graduations, new jobs, and new relationships.  We will seek out reasons to celebrate because it makes us feel good.  A little acknowledgement, a little validation, a little joy.

There are a couple of accomplishments to celebrate here.  No, I can't tell you that I have a new job yet.  Hopefully soon.  But what I can tell you is that this post is Number 100.  That's right.  The big One-Oh-Oh.  I know, I know...I could have reached the marker a little sooner if I posted more often, but you know what they say...good things come to those who wait.  And I've got a lot of patience.

Another accomplishment from the past two weeks was writing the recipes for the weekly newsletter of FarmBoxLA.  FarmBoxLA has built relationships with a couple dozen farms in the area and will source seasonal fruits and vegetables from them on a weekly basis, which will then be delivered to you at the beginning of each week.  I heard from them about three weeks after I responded to an ad they placed looking for food writers.  A few emails and a couple of phone calls later, I met Reisha at the Santa Monica Farmers Market and we did a little shopping.  I came home with a bag of goodies and a five recipes goal.  Those recipes were featured in the September 30 Newsletter or via the 'Our Kitchen' link on their site.  I had a lot of fun writing for them and hope I will again.

So, I waited to write post one hundred because I was busy for a couple of days with the FarmBoxLA assignment, but also because I wanted to make something special.  Sure...I could have baked another cake.   But why bake a cake when you can make struffoli?  Don't know what struffoli are?  Let me tell you.  Other than being my favourite dessert ever, this Italian treat is little bits of dough that are fried and then coated in a honey syrup.  Struffoli is usually made around Christmas and my strongest memory of them is my Aunt Placida bringing over a huge platter of struffoli a couple of days after Christmas in 1979 after I had come home from the hospital after an overnight stay.

Proust had his madeleine, I had my struffoli.  Despite having struffoli once or twice since that day in 1979, the first bite I took after making them transported me back to my parents' kitchen, sitting at the table and biting into a crunchy bit of dough and candy sprinkles, my fingers sticky with honey.

It was the perfect way to celebrate being home from the hospital, hanging out with my family, and now...celebrating one hundred.

Struffoli
(From The Italian Cookbook by the Culinary Arts Institute)

2 cups sifted flour
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup honey
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp candy sprinkles
oil for frying (I used sunflower)

In a skillet over low heat, mix the honey, sugar, and cinnamon.  Stir and let the sugar dissolve.  Once warm and all ingredients are combined, turn off heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, add the flour and salt.  Making a well in the center of the flour, add eggs, one at a time, loosely mixing with a fork after each addition.  Add the vanilla with the last egg.  

After mixing well to form a soft dough, turn onto a floured board, knead for 5 minutes and divide dough in half.  Roll each half until about 1/4 inch thick.  Slice into narrow strips, then cut strips into little pieces about 1/2 to 3/4 inch long.  You can also roll the strips before cutting them to get little tubes or spheres.  

In a saucepan, add the oil and heat.  When the oil is hot enough, add only enough dough pieces so you're not crowding the pan.  Let fry until lightly golden brown.  Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto a papertowel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.  

Once you've fried all the dough, add to the honey mixture and mix thoroughly so each piece is coated with the honey syrup.  Spoon onto platter and add sprinkles.

From Those Who Know

You may or may not know this, but I have a problem with cookbooks.  Collecting  cookbooks, to be more precise.   There are some of you out there who may be afflicted with the same malady.  It used to be worse...much worse.  Dozens and dozens of them taking up space on the bookshelf.  I would buy them willy nilly because one recipe, maybe two, caught my attention.  They languished on those shelves, rarely being used.  Every once in a while I'd halfheartedly weed through the collection and put a couple in the Goodwill box, but invariably replace it with at least one more...and the cycle continued.

A couple of years ago, I was brutal in cleaning up the collection, keeping only those that I thought I would really use.  On occasion, I did come home with another cookbook, but I made sure that it would be a book that would be consulted over and over again.  Then the vintage collection began.  I can probably pinpoint that fateful moment to a weekend trip to Palm Springs about 5 years ago.  It was an old paperback from the 1950's in really poor condition, but I loved the graphics, and for less than a dollar, how could I leave it?  A year or so ago, I had the notion to make notecards with recipes from old cookbooks.  That justified the purchase of more cookbooks...more raw materials needed.  After I brought the books home, I realized that I loved looking through them...for the pictures, for the copy, for the sheer enjoyment of recipes that you don't see today.

Where it all began.

I starting wondering about how well those recipes would hold up today.  I was thinking about how great it would be to find a book of tried and true recipes.  Then it hit me...you know those cookbooks that are put out by churches, women's groups or schools for fundraising?  Spiral-bound, Times Courier font, no-frills books full of recipes handed down from grandmother to mother to daughter, passed from neighbor to neighbor with all the kinks worked out over the years.  So...guess what I did.  I bought myself a few.  A lovely little lot of five.  I've perused them over and over again since I received them last week.  I love seeing each recipe credited with its contributor.  I love seeing the occasional mention of 'oleo' in the ingredients list and the sage advice in the directions:  'Allow plenty of time for this.'  Know what?  I can see myself making a lot of the recipes in these books.  It took me no time to try the first one.  A recipe for bread that seemed so easy, I had to make it.  I was not disappointed in the outcome.  It was easy and delicious and no doubt will be in rotation regularly.

So...I want to say 'thank you' to the Dinwiddie County Junior Women's Club for gathering their winning recipes together, and especially to Ann H. Jarvis for her English Muffin Loaf.  This is fabulous right out of the oven, slathered with butter, but I actually think I liked it better the next day.  You can slice this really thin.  Think about it for a cocktail party...use it as you would cocktail rye bread.  I also topped it with a spread of cream cheese, feta, and roasted red pepper.  This is a keeper.

Next time you find yourself at a yard sale or flea market, don't turn your nose up at these books.  They may not have the splashy color photos or be written by the latest Food Network star, but I'll bet you'll use it over and over, because, well...they know.

English Muffin Loaf
Courtesy of Ann H. Jarvis
Makes two loaves

6 cups unsifted flour
2 pkg dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups milk
1/2 cup water
corn meal

Combine 3 cups flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda.  Heat milk and water until very warm (120-130 degrees).  Add to dry ingredients and beat well.  Stir in remaining 3 cups flour to make a stiff batter.  Spoon into two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pans that have been greased and sprinkled with corn meal.  Sprinkle tops with corn meal.  Cover; let rise in a warm place, free from draft, 45 minutes.  Bake 25 minutes at 400 degrees.  Remove form pans; cool.  Slice and toast.  Freezes well.  

The Source

The Result

A Sampling of 'The Collection'

Holding onto Summer

You know as well as I do that when Labor Day hits on the first Monday in September, there's a shift in the season.  Despite the fact that the first day of Autumn isn't until September 22, you invariably start packing up the vestiges of Summer.  If you have kids, they go back to school and you begin to pack up the fun.    The days feel less carefree and dusk begins to arrive a few minutes earlier every evening.

But look outside...the weather isn't giving up it's heat, humidity, or beating sun just yet. September can be notoriously hot.  So, while part of you may be thinking about apple pies, hot chocolate on a chilly fall evening, or a whiskey to warm you up on a rainy Saturday afternoon, there's another part of you that doesn't want to let go of the bright, cool tastes of Summer.

The past three weeks of 90+ degree weather here in Los Angeles has made me want to put as little effort as possible into cooking.  I've baked way less than I have in months, and I am happily still in an eating rut of sandwiches where the closest thing to cooked is toasted bread and salads multiple times a day is okay by me.  The fruit bowl on the dining table has been overflowing this Summer:  plums, peaches, nectarines, berries, and melons have abounded.  I've been perfectly content standing over the kitchen sink, biting into a ripe peach, trying to keep the juices away from my shirt.  I'll think about making something more substantial, and find myself grabbing a plum and calling it a meal.

I was able to pick up cantaloupe a few days ago for practically pennies.  I think they were three for a dollar.  Since I can't resist an excellent price, I bought them.  I can easily eat half a melon sprinkled with a little sea salt and be a happy camper, but with three melons in the fridge, I knew I'd have to do something else with them.  After making July's cucumber soup, sometime over the past month I came across a recipe on Pinterest for a chilled cantaloupe soup.

Obviously, it took a few days to get the motivation up to make it.  I cut up the cantaloupe a couple of days ago with every intention of making it within hours...but as I mentioned before...this heat.  It makes me lazy.  It makes me wish I could just lounge by the pool drinking sangria.  (I don't have a pool, but I did have sangria.)

Well...I finally made it.  It was worth the wait.

Cantaloupe Soup
(Adapted from a recipe on Food52.com)
Makes 4-5 cups

2 medium cantaloupe melons, cut up (about 6 cups)
1/4 cup almond milk
Juice of one lemon
Juice of one orange
Juice of one lime
1/4 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh basil, sliced
2 tablespoon jalapeno 
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

In a blender, add half the cantaloupe and all ingredients except the sour cream and feta.  Blend until pureed and continually add the remaining cantaloupe.  Blend until  no chunks remain.  In a small bowl, mix feta and sour cream  until the consistency of cake frosting. 

Pour soup into bowls and top with a dollop of the feta cream.  You can also serve it as an appetizer in shot glasses (or any small glass).  

You're At That Age...

Late next week marks the 2-month anniversary of being out of The Day Job.  I mentioned it previously here. I am still among the ranks of the unemployed.  I spend a lot of time indoors, on the computer.  With the weather being what it's been...hot...it's not necessarily bad, but I'm finding myself going a little stir crazy, sometimes a little down.

I've also noticed that I've put on a few pounds.  You'd think with all this free time, I'd keep a regular gym schedule.  You'd think.  I've gone here and there.  Three days one week, once another week, a couple of weeks not at all.  Then I noticed something.  [Men, cover your ears if you don't want to hear 'women's talk.']  I noticed where the weight was going.  Right to my stomach.  That's right...belly fat.  What you hear about on television commercials.  Ugh.  The jeans are getting a little snug.  I went to lunch with my ex-manager last week and was lamenting about the weight gain and where it was settling in.  She smiled and said, 'You're at that age...'  It wasn't meant to be mean.  She's been there, seen that, and accepted it.  I'm not ready to accept it.  Five years ago I stepped on the scale and was shocked at the number I saw.  [No, I'm not telling!]  I was incredibly uncomfortable in my body and seeing the number cemented the change I was going to make.  It's been a journey.  More successful than not.  I've lost 4 pant sizes.  Five on a good day.  I know I'm getting older, the metabolism changes, it takes more effort to lose weight and keep it off.  And, it's no secret...I love food.

The blog is indicative of how much I love food.  I have weaknesses.  You may know them.  Their names are Cheese, Potato Chips, and Bacon.  I hate the word 'diet'.  I haven't thought of myself as being on one for at least 20 years.  I believe in changing how you look at food, finding a balance, not denying yourself and if you go overboard one day, you rein yourself in the next.  I've been thinking about the hows, whats, whens, and whys of my eating habits over the past few days.  I'm wondering if I'm eating too much fruit and not enough vegetables (to balance out the sugar), not enough protein, too many carbs (I'm Italian, life must include bread and pasta!), or just too much late at night.  And let's not forget the vino.  I have a rule when I'm working, no drinking if I work the next day.  Well...that rule has been thrown out the window.  Not that I'm a tipsy baker or anything, but I've had more wine than usual (for me) over the past couple of months.

Where is this all headed?  I guess what I'm trying to say is...a tiny little light bulb when off above my head.  No screaming 150 watt bulb, but a mellow 25 watt.  A gentle reminder.  To take care of myself.  To get back on track.  To be more conscious of what I put in my mouth.  Do I regret making whole milk ricotta the other day?  No...especially when I paired it with figs and honey!  Will I limit myself to a realistic serving of potato chips?  Yes...those kettle chips are evil!  And I'm going to stop making excuses to skip the gym.  I can happily say that after I go this Saturday, I will have made it to the gym five days this week.  It's been a long time since I've done that.  I also have to push myself to do more...kick it up a notch...or six.  Take advantage of this time I have.  I still have a goal weight in mind.  And I'll be damned if I don't reach it.

Don't worry...the baking won't stop.  I have way too much fun with that.  I have way too much fun in the kitchen, period.  I'm still working on Semplice Gourmet, so experiment after experiment will be happening.  I just have to balance myself.  Again.

I've been thinking about coleslaw for a couple of weeks.  I bought a head of red cabbage last week and finally got around to bringing it to fruition today.  There is sweet, sour, vegetables, protein, and a few carbs here.  Keyword?  That's right...balance!  And it was so good.

Red Cabbage Slaw
(Makes a lot)

1 small head red cabbage, shredded
1 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 large red bell pepper, minced

Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon apricot jam
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
pinch salt

In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, red onion, garbanzo beans, and bell pepper.  Stir to mix well.    In another bowl or a jar with a lid, add the honey, jam, vinegar, garlic, mustard, olive oil, pepper, and salt.  It's easy in a jar.  Secure the top and shake, shake, shake.  If you're making it in a bowl, whisk well until all the ingredients come together.  Feel free to adjust to your taste, whether more honey, mustard, or pepper.  Add to the bowl of vegetables and mix, mix, mix.  Let it sit for a few minutes before you eat or serve it so the flavors can mingle.  

Wheat tortilla, shredded grilled chicken, and slaw.  A sprinkle of sesame seeds.  Call it dinner.

Midnight Baking Session No. 746

Truthfully, it was closer to 10:00 p.m. and baking was probably the last thing I should have been doing since I've no one to really share baked goods with these days and I certainly don't need to be eating a whole batch  of anything myself.  Thankfully, I have a neighbor upstairs that has stepped up and has very happily been playing the role of taste tester, so all is not lost.

It was nothing fancy that came out of the oven last night.  Just a pan of brownies.  Though these brownies did  have a few ingredients tweaked, because if I don't tweak every now and again, I wouldn't be me.  I opened the Italian Pantry the other day and almost had the bag of chestnut flour fall on my head.  Yes, the Italian Pantry is living up to its name, still well-stocked.  I took the falling bag of flour as a sign that I should do something with it.  While I think about making Castagnaccio, last night I wanted to make something not too far out of the ordinary.  I'm warming up to brownies.  They're kind of comforting in their chewy, chocolatey richness.

I really really like chestnut flour.  There's a smokey sweetness to it that I can't compare to anything else I've tasted.  It lends itself fabulously to the dark chocolate I used here.  I didn't use baking chocolate.  You know those huge 1lb+ bars they sell at Trader Joe's?  No?  Well, that's what went in these brownies.  It's a total bargain if you have a massive sweet tooth, are a chocoholic, or just want to make sure you've got chocolate around when it's late at night and you want to bake brownies.   I'm also thinking of the Chestnut Cherry cookies I made last Christmas and bet that cherries in those brownies would take it just that right step beyond.  Next time.

Chocolate Chestnut Brownies
(Adapted from a recipe in Martha Stewart's Cookies)
Makes 16 brownies

6 tbsp unsalted butter
6 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup chestnut flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp coarse sea salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with parchment and grease parchment with a small amount of butter.  In a small bowl, add the butter, chopped chocolate, and cocoa powder.  Place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.  Stir frequently to melt the chocolate and butter.  When everything has melted, remove from heat and let it cool slightly.  In a another bowl, add the sugar, vanilla, and eggs.  Whisk until light and fluffy either by hand or with an electric mixer.  Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a third bowl.  Add the chocolate mixture to the eggs and sugar, mixing well until combined.  Slowly add the flour, making sure to mix all the ingredients well.  

Pour batter into baking pan, spreading out to corners.  Bake until  cake tester inserted in center comes out fairly clean, about 30-35 minutes.  Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing from pan and letting brownies finish cooling on rack.  

Not Too Sweet

In deciding what to put in the Etsy shop (which can be found here if you'd like to check it out), I really wanted a mix of sweet and savoury items.  I want it to encompass more than just baked goods.  I made Pan de Higo a few days ago, it's 'curing' as I write and should be ready in a day or two.  Hmmm...I should go out and get some cheese so I can taste test.  Oh, the lengths I go to!

Let's talk savoury.  I'm talking beyond crackers...this is about biscotti.  Being Italian, I think it's part of my genetic make-up that I love the twice-baked cookie in all its many wondrous variations.  There is nothing wrong in having a couple with an after dinner espresso or vin santo.  In fact, I encourage such behavior.  But there is also nothing wrong with having savory biscotti as part of your antipasto platter or cheese plate.

Keeping with (recent) tradition, living on antipasti for days on end, I wanted something a little more substantial than pita chips or crostini.  A biscotti recipe is a very forgiving thing.  I've said it many times, I love a recipe that can be adapted to more than just its original incarnation.  It is the test of a great basic recipe if you can make changes by adding or subtracting and have a winner more times than not.  Think of it this way, thousands of Italian nonne can't be wrong.  I slice them thinner than sweet biscotti, making them more user-friendly when you have it topped with a white bean garlic dip or my current favorite, Sweet Tomato Marmalade (compote, jam, what-have-you).

The two current winners are Parmesan-Fennel and Sundried Tomato-Cracked Pepper.  I'm going to give a Gorgonzola biscotti a try and perhaps basil or oregano.  If they pass muster with the secret taste-testers, they'll go in the 'Win' column.

Sundried Tomato-Cracked Pepper Biscotti
(Adapted from a recipe on Epicurious)
Makes one loaf--about 24-30 biscotti


2 cups flour
2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 eggs
6 tbsp butter, cold, cubed
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped roughly


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine flour, pepper, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt in a bowl.  Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or two butter knives until mixture resembles large crumbs.  In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs.  Add slowly to dry mixture, incorporating liquid into dry.  Gradually add sundried tomatoes and mix until well combined.


Turn dough out onto a floured board and form into a log shape, about 4 inches wide and 12-14 inches long. Place on baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.  When initial baking time is up, remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes.  Turn heat down to 300 degrees.  Transfer log to cutting board and cut into slices, about 1/2 inch wide.  Lay biscotti back onto baking sheet and bake again for 40-45 minutes, until crispy.  Turn biscotti over half-way through second baking time.  Cool on rack when finished.


Sweet Tomato Marmalade
(Makes roughly one cup)


1 1/2 dry pints of cherry or grape tomatoes
4  cloves garlic, minced (optional)
1/4 cup brown sugar, dark or light
1/3 cup honey
1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper


Wash, dry, and halve tomatoes.  In a deep skillet, over medium heat, warm olive oil.  Add tomatoes and garlic.  Lower heat and saute for 8-10 until tomatoes start to break down.  Add honey, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.  Keep heat low and let tomatoes reduce.  Stir frequently.  Let cook for about 20 minutes, until juices are syrupy.


If this lasts longer than an hour or two (there's a good chance it won't), store in refrigerator, but bring to room temperature before eating. 

At the start

A jar full of goodness

Parmesan-Fennel Biscotti with Sweet Tomato Marmalade

Sundried Tomato-Cracked Pepper Biscotti