Spaghetti with oven roasted tomatoes

This is a very simple Sicilian dish that is made with pantry staples. If you like spaghetti with garlic and oil you will love this dish. It has the addition of roasted tomatoes in breadcrumbs that adds a flavor bomb with each bite. And the toasted breadcrumbs adds a little texture to the dish.

In Sicily, not every pasta dish is covered in a heavy tomato sauce. We love to add vegetables to pasta, most notably eggplant and zucchini. Fresh tomatoes is also a favorite. The garlic and oil form the sauce’s base. Roasted tomatoes add a garden freshness to it. Sicilians also love to add toasted breadcrumbs to many dishes. They go great on vegetables, and fish and especially fresh clams. This recipe ties it all together.

When I was in Sicily as a teenager, I loved the simple dish of macaroni. It had a light tomato sauce and a couple of slices of fried eggplant placed over it. Nothing fancy but the marriage of eggplant and macaroni is outstanding. This recipe reminds me of that.

I use a half pound of pasta in this recipe. If you are using a full pound just add extra tomatoes and olive oil. Add as much garlic as you like. You can never add too much garlic.

  • 1 container of ripe cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
  • 3/4 cups Italian flavored bread crumbs
  • 1/4 of extra virgin olive oil
  • salt to taste
  • 1/2 pound spaghetti
  • for the sauce, 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3-4 gloves of garlic, or as much as your heart desires, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of hot red pepper flakes, or to taste.
  • 4-5 fresh basil leaves, torn
  • 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano grated cheese

Place the halved tomatoes in a medium size bowl and add the olive oil. Add the breadcrumbs and salt to taste. Mix everything well. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the tomato mixture in a single layer on the sheet.

Preheat the oven to 375. Bake the tomatoes for 30 – 40 minutes. Continue until the breadcrumbs are browned and crispy.

Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water. Cook the spaghetti about 1 minute less than the package directions. About four minutes before the pasta is done, add the olive oil to a large skillet. Place on medium high heat. Add the sliced garlic and hot pepper flakes. Cook for a minute. Before the garlic turns brown add two full ladles off the pasta water. Be careful adding the water to the hot oil, it creates a sizzle. Stir everything together. When the pasta is done, lift it out of the water and place directly into the skillet.Turn the heat up to high. Add the torn basil leaves and mix everything well. Cook the pasta this way for about 1 or 2 more minutes. The starch from the pasta will thicken the sauce. Taste the spaghetti for the al dente you prefer.

Scrape the roasted tomatoes off of the parchment and at the last minute add to the pasta. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the Pecorino Romano cheese. Toss everything gently and serve. You can add extra cheese if you like.

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Flavorful Oven-Roasted Tomato and Eggplant Pasta

You know how us Sicilians love the combination of eggplant and pasta. It’s a marriage made in heaven. Well, this dish does not disappoint. The twist here is the tomatoes and eggplant are oven roasted. When the tomatoes are roasted the moisture evaporates and the flavor of the tomato intensifies. Roasting next to the tomatoes, the eggplant absorb all that moisture and pick up the flavor of the tomato. Once the moisture evaporates your left with a golden flavor bomb of eggplant and tomatoes. Makes a wonderful, flavorful sauce.

  • 1 large eggplant, sliced into 1″ rounds then quartered
  • 2 pounds of ripe fresh small garden tomatoes, quartered or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • plenty of extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cloves of chopped garlic
  • fresh basil
  • 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese grated, plus more for serving
  • 1 pound of large macaroni product

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Place a piece of parchment paper over a large sheet pan to cover the bottom. Place the cut up tomatoes on half the sheet pan. Place the cut up eggplant on the other half. Make sure the eggplant and tomatoes are in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with plenty of extra virgin olive oil. Place in the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes, turning the tomatoes and eggplant after 15 minutes.

Let the eggplant turn golden brown. Once cooked remove from the oven and let sit on the counter while you prepare the rest.

In a large frying pan add about 1/4 cup of olive oil and saute the garlic till fragrant. Add only the tomatoes and simmer on medium high heat till the tomatoes are further cooked down, about 15 minutes.Taste for salt.

In the meantime, cook the macaroni in plenty of salted water. When the macaroni is cooked, reserve a cup of the pasta water. Now, don’t skimp on this next step. Add the drained, cooked macaroni to the tomato sauce and mix well. Add a cup of the pasta water and continue mixing. Mix until the water evaporates and a creamy sauce is coating the pasta. Now you can add the eggplant and gently mix till blended. Remove from the heat, add the grated cheese and fresh basil. Sprinkle more olive oil over the pasta and serve.

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Grandpa’s Italian Hot Dog

My grandfather came to this country alone, in his late teens. He landed on Ellis Island and settled on Mulberry Street in the Four Corners section of lower Manhattan. He heard the streets were paved in gold in America only to find out for Italians of that time, the streets were brutal and dirty. Italians were treated like animals and many didn’t survive their ordeal. Those that did, survived by doing back breaking, dangerous work that no one else would do,  and perseverance. He dug the tunnels under Manhattan that became the IRT Transit line. The underground subway line opened in 1904.

He saved enough money, met my grandmother, who was living on Elizabeth Street with her family, and got married. He eventually opened up a butcher shop and made a better life for his wife and her family. In 1920 they all moved to 77 Street and 15th Avenue in the beautiful suburbs of Bensonhurst Brooklyn.

My mother (top left) and uncle (top right) were around 9 years old at the time. They grew up in the same house that I did on 77 Street in Brooklyn.

This photo was taken of my grandparents sometime around 1960 in our living room.

I call this Grandpa’s Italian Hot Dog because this is the way he used to eat them at home. Italian Hot Dogs are very common today. In New Jersey two establishments serve an Italian hot dog, Jimmy Buffs in West Orange and Dickie Dee’s in Newark. Both of them  have a version with potatoes, peppers and onions on a pizza roll. My grandfather lived among the place where the American hot dog was invented. The original and most famous hot dogs in the world, Nathans’s of Coney Island. Here in New York everyone ate their hot dogs with mustard and sauerkraut. That was the original way and that is the way I grew  up eating them. Didn’t matter if it was Nathan’s of Coney Island or the many Kosher deli’s that served them around Brooklyn and The City, Hot dogs wee served with mustard and kraut.

When I was a young boy I recall my grandfather occasionally having a quick hot dog sandwich for lunch. Nothing special, just a hot dog with mustard and kraut. But this was my grandfather’s version. I guess if you had a hot dog away from home you were always served it on a hot dog roll. But eating hot dogs at home, my grandfather would use a fresh Italian roll he bought at a neighborhood bakery called Termini’s. I remember watching him make his sandwich and enjoying it. He made one for me, and from that point on, this was Grandpa’s Italian Hot dog. Till this day I still crave it. Like everything else I learned to eat from my grandparents, some of the best dishes were simple and delicious. Maybe enjoying them today just brings back that comfort food moment that only grandparents can offer you. This was one of them.

My grandfather only ate all beef hot dogs. They had to be Kosher. He was in the meat business and knew what went into all the processed foods so he trusted Kosher products over anything else. The roll he used was an Italian sandwich roll that comes close to today’s Ciabatta rolls or Portuguese rolls. Like a small loaf of  crispy Italian bread. He would grill the hot dogs and once cooked, split them down the middle so they didn’t roll around the sandwich and layed flat. He coated both sides of the roll with a spicy brown mustard, like Gulden’s brand. Sauerkraut was warmed up in a small pot and layered on the roll with the hot dog and mustard. Simple. Nothing fancy. But having a hot dog on a crispy Italian roll made it a whole other experience. Like I said, I crave it sometimes and have it instead of the usual hot dog bun. It brings me back each time enjoying a hot dog with my grandfather at the kitchen table in Brooklyn. Here’s how it’s done.

  • A crispy Italian roll, ciabatta, or Portuguese roll
  • 2 all beef hot dogs, Hebrew National or similar
  • Guldens mustard
  • canned sauerkraut

Grill the hot dogs to your liking. Heat the roll to freshen it up and crisp it up. Once the Hot dogs are done, slice them lengthwise down the middle. Heat the sauerkraut in a small pot.

Spread both sides of your roll with the mustard. Put the hot dogs on the roll and top them with the drained sauerkraut. Close the sandwich and enjoy.

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Pasta alla Zozzona

Every once in a while I find a recipe worth repeating. If it’s not a 10 out of 10 and it’s not my own, I don’t bother posting it. What I want to know is, where has this recipe been all my life? This is another Roman pasta dish that is fantastic. Like it’s brother’s and sister’s dish Pasta Carbonara and Cacio e pepe, Pasta alla Zozzona is a true classic. It has been gaining popularity online so I had to try it. I was not disappointed. This is a creamy pasta dish with plenty of zing.  If my Uncle Sal Belluardo was still alive I would have shown this recipe to him if he already didn’t find out about it. He was wonderful about making new dishes we never heard of at the time, like when he introduced the family to Pasta alla Puttanesca. It’s made like a carbonara, with the egg and Pecorino cheese, but adds sweet Italian sausage, guanciale and tomato sauce. It’s just a powerhouse of flavors. The creamy consistency comes from the egg yolk and cheese combined with a few splashes of pasta water, completing the dish.

This recipe serves 2. Just double if you are using a full pound of pasta.

  • 8 ounces rigatoni
  • 4 ounces sweet Italian Sausage, casing removed
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 ounces of guanciale or pancetta, cut into a small dice
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 8 ounces of tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
  • Black pepper (to taste)
  • No salt is necessary in this dish

Heat a large fry pan over low heat and slowly render the guanciale or pancetta until crisp. Don’t rush this. The process is low and slow. Remove the guanciale and set aside, keeping the flavor of the fat in the pan.

In the same pan saute the onions for a minute then add the sausage, over medium heat, breaking the sausage apart with your spoon,  until the sausage is browned. Pour the tomato sauce in the pan and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.

In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rigatoni according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, in a small bowl combine the egg yolks and Pecorino cheese and mix into a fine paste. Add a good helping of black pepper to the egg and cheese mixture.

While the sauce is simmering, transfer the drained pasta to the pan with the sausage, onion and pancetta. Remove the pan from the heat and quickly stir in the egg paste mixture, mixing quickly to create a creamy sauce. Add a ladle of pasta water for a more creamy sauce. Sprinkle the guanciale over the top and serve with extra Pecorino cheese and black pepper.

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Sicilian Style Eggplant Parmigiana Made Simple

I’m for everything eggplant. I think it’s in my Sicilian blood. Here is a version of eggplant parmigiana that isn’t breaded, fried or hard to make. It’s really quite simple and it taste great! The eggplant is simply scored and baked, covered in a tomato paste mixture, mozzarella and baked again. If you crave eggplant parmigiana and don’t want to go through all the work, this recipe is the answer. Of course you can always order it out, but that’s cheating.

  • Two Medium sized eggplants
  • Olive Oil
  • 6 ounce can of tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 2 cloves chopped garlic
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped basil
  • 2 tablespoon of Pecorino Romano cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 8 ounces of fresh mozzarella

Prepare a large sheet pan covered in foil or parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Spread some olive oil on the outside skin of the eggplant. Cut off the stem top and slice the eggplant in two length wise. With a sharp knife, score the fleshy part of the eggplant in a cross hatch pattern. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place skin side down on top of the prepared sheet pan. Drizzle a good amount of extra virgin olive oil over the eggplant. Bake for 45 minutes or until the eggplant is lightly browned and cooked.

While the eggplant is cooking, in a medium size bowl, spoon out the whole can of tomato paste. Add about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, chopped garlic, chopped basil, Pecorino cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Add the hot pepper flakes if you are using them. Mix well until everything is incorporated. Make sure you taste for salt. It should have a sweet, full bodied taste.

Once the eggplant is cooked remove from the oven and sprinkle on additional olive oil. Spread about two tablespoons of the tomato paste mixture on top of the eggplant. Use a cooking brush to spread it evenly.

Place about two pieces of fresh mozzarella on top of the eggplant. Brush some more of the tomato paste mixture on top of the mozzarella. Place back into the oven for another 10 – 15 minutes until the mozzarella is melted. Allow the eggplant to set for 15 minutes out of the oven before you serve it.

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Creamy Escarole and Beans with Garlic

Back in July of 2010 I posted a recipe for Escarole and Beans. This was a recipe from my Calabrese mother-in-law that included escarole, red kidney beans, potatoes and plumb tomatoes. It’s an absolutely delicious dish that I enjoy making. But this version is much simpler. The main two ingredients are escarole and beans, as simple as the title. When cooked down, the dish takes on a creamy consistency. It is full of flavor with the garlic and olive oil. It’s essential you use a good quality extra virgin olive oil. Add a touch of red pepper flakes to enhance the dish with that bite. It doesn’t get much better than this. I enjoy eating it with slices of toasted Italian garlic bread.

  • 1-head of escarole washed and chopped
  • •1-15oz can cannellini beans
  • •4-garlic cloves sliced
  • •1/4-cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzle
  • •1/2 -cup of water
  • •1-tsp salt
  • •1/4-tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Add the olive oil to a large pan. Add the garlic and hot pepper flakes and cook about two minutes on medium heat. Add the escarole, water, beans and salt. Cover and cook for 8 minutes.

Remove the cover. Continue cooking and stirring until most of the liquid is evaporated. You should have a creamy consistency. Taste for salt and remove from the heat. Drizzle some more olive oil over the dish. Let stand for 15 minutes then serve.

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The Best Manicotti Hack

I know this post is going to get me in trouble. At the least, I’ll get some push back. My only answer is, don’t knock it until you tried it. This hack will take manicotti from a special holiday treat to a quick midweek dinner.

About three months ago I was in the mood for a Mexican Burrito dinner. So I bought all the ingredients and made myself a chicken and cheese burrito. I folded the flour tortilla around the filling. I placed each burrito in a 9×13 casserole dish. Then, I covered them with burrito sauce and baked in the oven. As I was enjoying my meal it occurred to me how similar the burrito wrapper was to my manicotti shells. And then it hit me. What if I were to use a flour tortilla for my manicotti shell. I had to try it. And when I did, the results were amazing. In my opinion, you can’t tell the difference between the traditionally made crepe style manicotti shells and store bought flour tortilla. They tastes the same.

When I told my older son about the results he said he was really surprised. My younger son was not as kind. His exact words were, “I don’t even want to acknowledge what you just said”. I asked him if I ever steered him wrong. He said no. However, he thinks I’m getting weird in my old age. I think I’m getting wiser in my old age.

So here’s the deal. You have to use an 8″ Flour Tortilla, soft taco. It doesn’t work with corn tortilla. That is the only variant to my manicotti recipe. And the time saved in the kitchen preparing this makes it an easy weekday dinner. This recipe made 6 large manicotti. Two per serving is enough for a meal. I urge you to try it, and let me know what you think. I promise you will not be able to tell the difference.

 

  • 6 – 8″ Flour Tortilla, soft taco shells
  • 1 quart of your favorite tomato sauce, I used a quart of my left over Sunday sauce
  • 3/4 of a large container of Ricotta, (32 ounce container)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup of shredded mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano grated cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano grated cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place about a cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Mix together the ricotta, eggs, mozzarella, Pecorino Romano cheese, salt, pepper and parsley in a large bowl.

Lay the flour tortilla flat. Place about 3/4 of a cup of the ricotta filling along the center of the tortilla. Fold it like a burrito. Fold the left and right side about a quarter way over the filling. Now take the side closest to you and wrap around the folded edges and the filling. Continue to fold it toward the opposite end until the seam is on the bottom. Place the manicotti seam side down into the prepared pan. You should fit two across the long way and three down. Pour the rest of the sauce over the manicotti until they are all covered with sauce. Sprinkle the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese over the manicotti. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 1/2 hour. Uncover the dish and put back in the oven for an extra 15 minutes.

Let the manicotti rest for 15 minutes before serving.

 

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Chicken with Potatoes and Peas

This is once again a meal that grandma would cook. All made in one pan, all simple and fresh ingredients. All bursting with flavor. This dish hugs the heart and is one of many comfort foods we associate with our Sicilian grandma. You have all your major food groups in this pan. And it’s not very expensive to prepare. Usually grandma would have all these ingredients in the pantry. Grandpa would bring home the chicken from his butcher shop and grandma was set to make an amazing meal. Bring on the crispy Italian bread and a glass of wine and as my grandfather would say, “today, I eat like a king”.

I always made it a habit to go up to my grandparent’s apartment to see what was cooking. Even if I just finished dinner with my family, a trip up the flight of stairs to visit grandma’s kitchen was a necessity. I always had a little room left for a chicken leg or a piece of steak. It never bothered them, they enjoyed watching me eat.

 

  • 1 Chicken cut up, I’m using legs and thighs
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 1 stalk of celery, chopped
  • 1/4 cup olive oil or avocado oil
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 1/2 cup red or white wine
  • 2 1/2 cups of passata
  • 1 cup of water
  • 2 medium potatoes, cubed
  • 16 ounces of frozen peas
  • Fresh basil
  • Salt and Pepper

In a large 14 inch pan, heat the olive oil and butter on medium high heat. Salt and pepper the chicken on both sides.

Brown the chicken for about 5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to a plate and reserve for later.

Add the chopped onion, carrot and celery to the pan. Salt and pepper the vegetables. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the wine and cook down for 2 minutes.

Add the passata and water and mix well. Add back the chicken and all the juices from the plate. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, peel and cube the potatoes. After the 30 minutes, add the potatoes, peas, salt and pepper and some fresh basil to the chicken. Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender,about another 25 – 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken and potatoes and peas to a platter and keep warm. Reduce the sauce to your liking. Add the sauce to the chicken and enjoy.

 

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Comfort Food: Scarola with Sausage & Beans

Here is another hearty meal you have to prepare at home. I don’t know any restaurant that prepares this.This is the perfect meal to enjoy during these long, cold, winter months in the North East. * If you have a hard time finding the ring of cheese and parsley sausage in your area, regular sweet or hot Italian sausage will do as well. It’s not only important to use good quality ingredients but the technique in cooking this dish is also important. I’ll explain in the recipe.

When my grandmother prepared scarola, she would saute some garlic in olive oil in a large pot. Then she would add the scarola with some water and salt. She cooked it till it was tender. We would enjoy her scarola in a bowl with plenty of the liquid. We added extra olive oil and dipped our bread in it. She made it every time for me when I was sick. It became one of my comfort foods. Other members of my family would make scarola and add sausage and beans to the dish. They would remove all of the liquid. Then, they would saute the scarola on medium high heat until the beans broke up. The beans would get incorporated into the scarola. Adding some grilled sausage made this a delicious one pan meal.

  • 1 ring of cheese and parsley Italian sausage*
  • 1 large head of escarole
  • 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 chicken bullion cube
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 can of cannellini beans, drained
  • 1/4 cup olive oil plus extra for drizzle
  • red pepper flakes to taste
  • salt and pepper to taste

Use a large 14″ skillet to prepare this recipe. It has to be large enough to hold all the ingredients. First brown the sausage on medium high heat about 4 minutes on each side. Remove the sausage to a plate and put aside till later.

In the same pan add the extra virgin olive oil and saute the garlic for about 1 minute. Add the washed escarole with one cup of water and chicken bullion cube. Cover the pan and cook down the escarole for about 10 minutes. While the escarole is cooking remove the skewers from the sausage that are holding the ring together. Cut the sausage into 1-2″ pieces.

Once the escarole is tender add the beans. Turn up the heat to medium high and cook off most of the liquid while stirring. Cook till the beans start to break up. Add back the sausage and any liquid from the dish. Reduce the heat and cook till everything comes together and the sausage is heated through. Drizzle with some more olive oil and taste for salt and pepper.

Serve with a crisp loaf of Italian bread and enjoy!

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Farfalle with Broccoli and Sausage

  • 1 pound farfalle (bow tie pasta)
  • Two large heads of broccoli, cut into florets
  • 1 pound of sweet or hot Italian sausage
  • 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 cup olive oil plus more for drizzle
  • 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
  • 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated

This hearty dish is not something you would find in an Italian restaurant. This is truly a home cooked meal bursting with flavor. My Sicilian grandmother made variations of this dish, most notably sauteed broccoli with garlic, olive oil, black olives and pork. Those flavors come alive in this one meal pasta dish. The broccoli is cooked down so it creates a cream sauce when mixed with the pasta water and Romano cheese. Old school Italians like their vegetables cooked really well. I always remember my mother complaining when a waiter served string beans or broccoli that were steamed and crisp. She always sent them back to be cooked more. Well, this dish would make her happy. The sausage meat is broken up into bite size pieces when browned. This makes it easier to eat with the bow tie pasta. I find eating this with a spoon works very well. Served with a side salad, this is a very satisfying meal.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the water. Add the washed broccoli to the boiling water and cook at least 8-10 minutes. Broccoli must be cooked till it’s very soft.

While the broccoli is cooking, take the sausage out of the casing and brown in a large frying pan. Pick off bite sized pieces of the sausage adding to the hot pan. Remove the sausage to a dish and set aside. Drain all the fat from the pan. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and cook the garlic till fragrant. Remove the broccoli with a spider or mesh strainer and add to the frying pan. Cook the bow tie pasta in the same water you cooked the broccoli. Cook the pasta 1 minute less than the package suggests.

Add the olives to the pan with the broccoli. Cook down the broccoli and break up any large pieces. Add the reserved sausage to the pan with the broccoli. Once the pasta is cooked, remove it with a spider or mesh strainer. Add it to the pan with the broccoli and sausage. Add about 2 cups of the pasta water. Cook this while stirring for about 2 minutes. The mixture should get creamy, if not add some more pasta water. Remove from the heat and add the Romano cheese. Keep stirring till it all comes together. Taste for salt and pepper and drizzle with some more extra virgin olive oil.

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