Recipes From Our Kitchen

Polenta Verde Delallo Veneto

from Cooking Vacations

Serves 4

Using cold water, wash the leaves three times and break them up into small pieces.
Take a deep copper pan and drizzle generously with olive oil, add garlic cloves, sea salt, and 1 or 2 small chili pepper(s) to taste, and blonde garlic over low slow heat.
Add the broccoli rabe to the pan, cover, and sauté.
While the broccoli is sautéing, bring 4 ½ cups of water to a rapid boil. Put in a generous pinch of sea salt to taste.
Slowly add the polenta to the boiling water, slowing while stirring. The process takes 3 minutes.
At the 3 minute point remove from the stove and stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Take the polenta and spread it out onto a long wide pizza pan that has been lined with baking parchment paper, and sprayed with canola oil. Spread evenly and pop into the oven at 325°F for 20 to 25 minutes until golden.
Remove from the oven and slice the polenta into even squares, about 4 inches by 4 inches each.
Put back in oven for another couple minutes.
Remove, top with a drizzle of olive oil and serve with the sautéed broccoli rabe.  You can also top with pesto, sugo rosso or any other sautéed vegetable.

Umbrian Pollo Umbriaco ~ Umbrian Drunken Chicken

from Cooking Vacations

Serves 2 to 3

Wash the chicken well and remove all skin and fat. Cut into pieces. Put in a deep bowl and douse with the white wine vinegar. Let sit for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Take a baking pan and line first with foil and then parchment paper.
Lay the chicken out, spacing it apart. Add the cherries and onions spacing them around evenly. Ladle a scoop of red wine over the chicken drizzling it evenly. Salt and pepper and bake on 325°F for 20 to 30 minutes until cooked well and is golden brown. Serve garnished with parsley.

Coniglio all’Ischitana ~ Ischian Rabbit

from Cooking Vacations

Serves 8 to 10

Select the rabbit: head, shoulders, loin and posterior thighs.  Salt and pepper all sides, then sprinkle lightly with a little flour.  In a hot pan with very little olive oil, sear the rabbit on all sides until browned all over. Remove grease and oils from the pan.  In the same pan, add extra virgin olive oil, garlic, onions and chili.  Fry and simmer a few minutes and then add the seared rabbit and bay leaves, and deglaze with white wine.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. After five minutes add the tomatoes and the vegetable broth, cooking over medium heat for about 20 minutes.  Finally, add the basil and parsley. Serve with all the juices piping hot.

Cenci Frittelle Di Carnevale ~ Carnival Fried Pastries

from Cooking Vacations

• 500 g (4 cups) flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 5 eggs, beaten
• ½ small carton of whipping cream
• 60 g (2 oz) butter (melted, cooled)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 package powder or 1 teaspoon liquid vanilla
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Powdered Sugar

In a small bowl, mix about half of the flour with the baking powder. In a large bowl, add the eggs, whipping cream, butter, salt, sugar and vanilla and mix.  Add the flour mixture to the large bowl and mix until smooth.  Add the rest of the flour and work into a smooth dough, with little bubbles.

Cover and set in a warm place to rise for one hour.

Divide the dough into balls the size of a walnut.  Flatten the dough by hand or roll out with a rolling pin until very thin (you should be able to see the surface below).  Slice or shape into uneven strips.  Before frying, place the frittelle on a floured surface.

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan.  In batches, fry the strips until golden.  Remove and place on a paper towel to drain, then toss with powdered sugar.

Crispy and sprinkled with powdered sugar, these frittele di carnevale are called cenci in the north and chiacchere in the south of Italy.